Securing your position...

[WallShadow]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

All of the information presented here is very good. However, how do you translate all of that to a built-up city environment such as New York City, where Kalos has his game set? The principles are the same but the execution is different in a city.
Not a lot of land immediately available for agriculture, lots of highrise buildings for observation of you by the enemy, those same highrise buildings obstructing your line of sight, lots of underground areas available for people to hide in or sneak up on you, lots of buildings/roads/tunnels channelling you as much as they do the enemy, a lot of material for making fires (for either setting you on fire or creating smokescreens etc. etc.), a lot of material for making walls or obstacles and if the enemy really wants to conserve ammunition, they can just drop rocks on you from on high.

From your take on the matter, it would seem that clearing out the "Bad Neighbors" in the nearby/overlooking buildings is a priority. Once done, however, the use of ziplines or removeable bridges/walkways would provide non-combat mobility between the buildings making up your complex.

Signalling (mirror/flash/flag/handsign) from deep inside a room to a room in a directly-adjacent building is nearly uninterceptible.

Dropping rocks on uninvited guests is a possibility as mentioned, but if the inhabitants melt down enough salvaged tire balance weights, they could remold the lead into dart-like shapes that could be tossed out by the handful off the top of the building, letting gravity be your ally.

Rooftop gardens/greenhouses can be constructed, and rooms with a southern exposure will also be prime sites for urban agricultural efforts. Composting vegetable wastes with waste paper (you know, all those tax records, credit card bills, and other now useless documents) will extend the soil and improve the crop yields. Rain water can be collected with canvas funnels suspended over the edge of the roof: irrigation and drinking water with a gravity feed. And the Canyon Effect of tall buildings upon the prevailing wind could be used to generate electricity to provide light to the green houses/growing rooms in off-season. And can you imagine the market's asking price of fresh herbs in the middle of winter? (mmm....rat sauteed with basil and garlic.)

My favorite idea about harvesting an urban resource is very quietly lowering or extending large nets across a building's broken windows, then making a loud noise, allowing the huge flocks of pigeons formerly inhabiting the building to fly right into your larder. If you save a few female pigeons from being dinner, you can set up an egg-production operation. If you can also figure our a way to stampede rats in a desired direction toward your snares/traps, you'll have an embarrassment of culinary riches!

Next thing you know, you'll be planning hunting trips into the sewers to catch those titanic alligators--that's some good eatin'!

[copeab]

A tethered hot air balloon would make a very good observation platform.

[Legbreaker]

One thing that does need to be kept in mind is if you're had enough time and manpower to develop the defences?

Would the location come under attack the moment the mere rumour of food leaked out, say as the seeds were being planted and only days after moving into the area?

How much labour is available for construction before the starving hordes arrive?

[kalos72]

Thats not so much a problem as I can work around the details there some. But sine Staten Island is uninhabited for the most part, should be an easy entry. Secure the bridges...watch the river. Done deal.

But the road I would like to takes this topics is more towards where would YOU drop anchor?

NYC Area - Two of the largest islands in the world to fortify and plant crops on, we are looking at almost 1500 sq mi total. Great ports/docks/drydocks. Tons of close salvage. Access to the great fishing areas on the Atlantic coast. Morale issue of repopulating and rebuilding one of the largest and best known of all US cities. But its very urbanized so alot of labor would be needed to clear land. Local population according to canon of almost 500k.

Iron Triangle - Large tracts of empty land. Many military bases to utilize as needed. Not many nuke sites. Already have military units en place to assist. More rural, less urban spawl to deal with in most areas.

[kalos72]

Here is a question for securing an area more so then a position/cantonment.

Just because I have a secure FOB to an area, what ways does that base exert control over the surrounding area?

Patrols sent out daily over 2-3 square mile area, is that large enough? Reaction forces to marauders being sighted/reported in the area? Artillery response to above attacks?

I am getting the idea that in T2K the only area you control is the area you have troops/bases in. So the more area I want, the more bases/resources/manpower I need to have to spread around.

[Legbreaker]

Send patrols out as far as you possibly can and for as long as you can. Patrols of a few hours, or even just 24 hours aren't really going to cover a lot of ground and won't manage to get all that far out.

Foot patrols of say 3-4 days should probably be the norm and consist of no less than a plattoon (depending on expected resistance, etc of course).

Vehicle mounted patrols may be able to cover more ground, but they're also more likely to miss detail.

The general idea around the patrols is to keep the enemy as far away as possible, or if they do approach, give as much warning as possible. Patrols don't have to actually make contact with enemy forces to achieve these goals either. A foot patrol for example can (hopefully) spot signs such as tracks, campsites, observation points, etc.

[firewalker]

I think you should be looking back to something more feudal in concept or at lest in organization. The farming/fishing/salvaging is done by the locals some already there and brought into the fold others seeded by your forces as your influence spreads your shooters should be concerned with providing the security. Think of it like a spider web sort of. In the "center" your main catamount (ie largest military base with hopefully enough civilian population to keep it at lest close to self sufficient. Established "road"/transport rout's heading out to a string of midsized military encampments who are also connected, as your influence spreads add more layers of smaller encampments. Keep at lest a few proportionally strong one's on the out side edge (pulling men and materials form more secure inteara(inside SP?) fort's as needed). Maintain as continues patrols on the main "roads" between the fortified town's as you can and a good circuit of simi-random patrols through the land's between. The land inside the web squares would be homesteaded by food producers/salvagers ect the larger groups or those near to vulnerable (say along the frontier) may have a handful of solders posted just to provide a bit of stiffing run the local millita (and/or keep an eye on things)