Battle Order Task Forces Idea & June Video Update

See the end of this post for a June video update.

I've had an idea in the back of my head for years that I may start implementing over the next couple of months. I want to make "Build Your Unit" series where I do broad case studies of a certain unit type (like a marine brigade or a mechanized infantry squad) from multiple countries, and synthesize those case studies into one fictional concept. Basically teaching people how to take the vibes or characteristics they like from real-life and applying them to their military worldbuilding. It could also just be an opportunity for doing comparative videos to broaden peoples awareness of different ways of doing things, because I'm not really a matchups "x vs. y" who would win sort of guy otherwise. It's probably not a views powerhouse, but I feel like things have gotten a bit stale and I'd rather build a stronger Patreon than go after heaps of views.

For this, I will create 4 fictional task forces that represent different maneuver unit types, with appropriate enabler/logistics slices between them. They may or may not be inspired by organizational and logistics methodologies from different countries, but I haven't thought that far ahead. The insignia up top with the cuttlefish is for The Expeditionary Regiment, which is the only one I've done a full insignia for thus far.

For a series like this I'd want to do more audience interaction. I don't know what that will entail yet, but it could mean using Instagram and Patreon polls to make certain choices for the exemplar is an obvious option (Patron votes of course being weighted because I am corrupt).

The work-in-progress task forces are:

These are simplified Discord role icons and not the final full-quality insignias.

• The Expeditionary Regiment - Marines, wheeled mechanized forces, extreme weather. Maybe VBSS and maritime raiding-type missions. Would potentially include some things about naval forces, mainly to constrain the task force with shipping space and deployment options. Its final insignia is featured at the top of this post. Mascot is an angry cuttlefish.

• 13th Airmobile Regiment - Airborne, air assault, light motorized forces (definitely including dune buggies and dirt bikes, kind of 9ID/HTTB esque), army aviation in direct support. Mascot is a bat.

• 1st Siege Artillery Group - Heavy artillery, surface-to-surface missiles, surveillance & target acquisition, potentially coastal defense/anti-shipping missiles depending on the mission, potentially artillery branched infantry for rear area security purposes or even something like a maneuver enhancement battalion. If the series ever goes back in history it could even be like mega huge howitzers direct firing into cities and stuff. Flexible corps/theater artillery HQ so it can be used for different topics. Mascot is a spitting cobra.

• 66th Shock Regiment - Tanks, heavy mechanized forces, potentially corps/reserve self-propelled anti-tank. This ones name could potentially change in the future depending on exactly what I want it to represent. Whether it is a whole armored brigade that fights as one, a force generator for armored/cavalry battle groups that also does corps-level anti-tank battalions, etc. Mascot is a triceratops.

How Does This Affect Patreon?

• Lifetime Roster for Patrons/Members - Patrons will be able to sign up to 1 task force and be featured on a roll whenever that task force is shown in a video. Unlike the normal Patreon roll at the end of videos, Patrons who sign up will stay on it forever even if you end your membership. This will be voluntary and probably done through a Google form or something of that nature. I will not be sorting Patrons into the task forces myself.

• Patreon Merch Benefits

  • Currently Sergeants get a sticker of the dark Battle Order logo. This could be replaced by a sticker pack that features all task force insignias plus the Battle Order logo. For pre-existing Sergeants that are already eligible for or have received the old sticker, it would probably be a 9-month reward for those still around.

  • Currently, Sergeants Major get a rubber patch of the dark Battle Order logo, but after I send out the most recent batch I'll only have a few left. I'm undecided whether a new patch design or a shirt will replace it, because shipping a patch anywhere from Australia is a little costly. The two options would basically be a patch that features the most popular of the task force insignias (there will be 4 of them), or a shirt that the person can choose from any of the 4 or just the Battle Order logo. For pre-existing Sergeants Major that are already eligible for or have received the old patch, it would probably be a 9-month reward for those still around.

• Discord Role Icons - The 4 task forces are already available as self-assignable roles on the Patrons/Members Discord server. Assigning yourself a task force in the #roles channel gives you a simplified insignia as a role icon. Those simplified insignias are also emojis available for members to use. Here is a guide to get Discord access if you're not already on it.

June Content Update

I'm still working on the USMC Light Armored Recon video and it'll definitely be out this month. It's currently at around 34 minutes although it may be trimmed down. Videos have been longer recently and I've had a bit of mental fog so they're taking a little longer to make than years ago. It was also a bit of a process figuring out inter-battalion discrepancies in company organization seemingly based on whether the battalion mostly does MEUs or UDP, and also figuring out the nature of their Force Design 2030 experiments that haven't been covered in the news.

After that I may look at an Experimental Armored Brigade Combat Team structure that the 3rd Infantry Division is going to NTC with next year based on some unclassified slides that were shared with me. It'll probably be shorter though. The tldr is they're reducing the rifle companies in the 2 infantry-heavy combined arms battalions from 3 to 2 platoons, disbanding the brigade CBRN Recon Platoon, and transferring the brigade EW platoon to resource a new brigade-level Multi-Effects Company (MEC) that's like EW, UAS, loitering munitions and CUAS. One would hope that the rifle platoon reductions are just so they can do their tests zero-growth and not a long-term solution.