Welcome to Season 3!
A TDG is a Tactical Decision Game, a mental wargaming exercise designed to get you practice making tactically sound decisions in a hypothetical scenario. The ability to make sound and timely decisions based off incomplete and imperfect information is a critical skill to have, especially as a team leader.
You will be given a scenario, confronted with a tactical problem, and given a time limit to think about and write out your answer. The time limit is to simulate the pressure of a real-world tactical decision, where you must quickly assess the information you are given and come up with the best answer you can. Then comment below with your answer so you can discuss each others’ solutions.
TDG 17: Hurricane Relief
Yesterday a hurricane smashed through your county as you hunkered down in your home in coastal North Carolina. Fortunately, you didn’t have to evacuate, and the worst you got at your home was the power and cell service going out. After the storm passes you hop onto your local emergency radio channel and check in with the other members of your Mutual Assistance Group (MAG). 7/10 families are fine, two don’t answer, but one family is trapped by flooding. Their neighborhood is under 4 feet of water and they’re stranded in the second floor of their home with no food and 1 day’s worth of water.
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The MAG leadership plans a rescue mission by boat and designates a staging area, so you hook up your boat trailer and head out. Once you arrive, you see that 6 of the men have arrived for the rescue mission. The MAG leader gives everyone the updated situation.
“I just met with the Sherriff who’s coordinating the recovery efforts. Unfortunately, the first responders have their hands tied with just the people that they can drive ambulances to, so they won’t be able to help with rescues until probably tomorrow unless the National Guard arrives. However, I was able to get the fire department to send one of their drones over the area to give us an idea of what it looks like, and it’s not pretty. We’ll have to go about a mile and a half over flooded roads, and the depth varies greatly along the route. So we can’t use trucks, only a boat will work. Fortunately, the water has stopped rising.”
You brought your 12-ft jon boat. One man brought a second boat, but it’s a rubber raft. Given the amount of debris in the water, the risk of puncturing the raft is deemed too high to take it out.
YOU are the coxswain (boat driver). You bring 2 other men with a sledgehammer, crowbar, and bolt cutters in case you need to clear a path or cut the family out of their house. It’s just the 3 of you because you need space in the boat for the family. The rest of the men stay behind with the second boat and a radio so they can keep in touch with you. You also bring three trays of water bottles.
As you drive through the flooded streets, you notice that most of the houses seem empty, their owners likely evacuated days ago. Some are not empty, and you get a few cries for help from trapped residents. You hand out some bottles of water, report their locations over the radio, and promise that someone will come back to pick them up as you continue towards your objective. Your MAG leader back at the staging area passes this information to the Sherriff.
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As you press on, you are forced to pass by a series of apartment buildings about 100yds on your left. These buildings don’t look like they were in good shape even before the hurricane, and you realize that this must have been Section 8 housing apartments. You see people in them, but they aren’t waving or calling for help. They’re just watching you silently. 2 or 3 get a good look at your boat and then duck back inside.
Suddenly, one man pops back onto his balcony and starts popping off shots in your direction. None of them hit you or your boat, but a few bullets splash about 10 feet away. At this moment you suddenly regret not bringing rifles. All three of you have gun belts with handguns, and one man has a pump shotgun that he brought in case of alligators.
Your objective, the family, is one half-mile ahead of you. The shooter is on your left. To your right are a couple of 1-story houses. Here, the water is only 3-ft deep.
The time is 10:25am.
In a time limit of 5 minutes, write down what you would do in this situation. Include any instructions that you would issue to your team. Consider what resources you have and remember what your mission is. Provide a brief rationale for your actions.
Von Steuben Training & Consulting 
First priority is to get us out of the immediate danger. Return fire with the available tools; crank the throttle and evade out of the shooter’s line of sight – preferably a sharp right turn between Houses 3 and 4. Another option would be a left turn using the corner of Apt 2, but given the potential for more hostiles I’d go with the first if at all possible.
Honestly, if evasion were successful and we manage to put distance between us and the assailant(s), I’d prefer to continue the mission rather than get bogged down with a static defense or an attempt to clear the hostile position. I would intentionally leave in a direction that would not lead the enemy to our objective if pursued, and take a wide swing around back to the objective. Obviously relay situation to our boys in the rear and the family at the objective, especially to emphasize the importance of being ready to GTFO when we arrive.
At the objective, post at least one guard but as many as feasible while getting the family loaded up. Under no circumstances would we take the same route back. I’d expect them to be ready for us and possibly to have spread out, so the larger the berth we can give that area on the return, the better. Keep heads on a swivel and have our rear unit ready to walk us back into safe territory and/or hold off pursuers in case we come in hot.
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As the coxswain I’d accelerate and veer slightly towards APT2 while still traveling the same route direction. The angle of shooter and corner of bldg should provide cover. Would yell out shooter location so my team could draw down on the threat, but not to open fire yet. The mission is rescue not assault and we’re not in total WROL yet. We will plan an alternate route for the return trip. (If the shooting continues we will return fire as we egress, suppressive fire and not aimed at windows, cannot PID shooter/civilians from that speed and distance).
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You’re off the X and no longer taking fire?
Continue the mission to the objective. Return with the family via a different route that is out of LOS of the Section 8 apartments. Report the shooting to the sheriff.
You’re a MAG, not vigilantes. You sure as hell don’t want to take on the job of clearing apartments.
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First: Get off the X, hit the gas and get out of the danger zone by darting around some of the houses to the right. Check for damage / wounds and assess. If everyone is OK and the boat is still seaworthy proceed onward to the objective while steering clear of the section 8 apts. keeping houses between them and the boat, while scouting for an acceptable route back to the truck. Gather the family and take an alternate route back to your support team
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Solid answer, most folks seem to have the same idea.
Now a follow-up question, for everyone.
Consider what resources you have available beyond what’s just in the boat with you. What might help with a safe return once you’ve rescued the family?
Consider that there is a lot of debris in the water (submerged vehicles, fallen trees, etc.) that may block or slow down certain routes.
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Not sure why I didn’t even think to report it back to the men in the base. They reportedly have comms with the sheriff, so if the deputies can respond to the attempted murder and scoop up homeboy, then the route back should be safe as houses.
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surprising a guy in our group doesn’t have any food and only one day worth of water. We’re gonna have to talk to him about this later… Full speed ahead to the objective house. Check for injuries. Radio back to other group about shots fired and location. Check on family and their needs. Wait till dark and alternate route away from apartment building back to other group. Deal with any new intel from sheriff and other guys as it comes in.
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I wrote that into the scenario assuming that he HAD food and supplies, but it was destroyed in the flooding. Still poor planning, but hey. Stuff happens.
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I really want to thank you for the effort you put into these mental games. The thought provoking, problem solving challenges are quite fun and useful. A friend told me about you and I love what you’re doing. Keep up the great work! God bless!! BB from Columbia SC
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You’re welcome! That’s why I write these, to make you guys more dangerous. Thanks for putting in the effort!
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Scoot between houses 2 and 3 (evasively if necessary), station the boat behind house 3. Have someone call in a SALUTE report back to the sheriff regarding the shooter. Continue toward house 4 as quickly as possible so as not to give the shooter time to maneuver to you.
Stay out of sight and try to make it impossible for the shooter and scouts to ascertain where you might be headed. Take note of your surroundings and ensure you have plan to take a different route back to the safe zone.
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Hang right past house three. Continue on with the mission. Alert the other boat crew to grab long guns out of the truck and stand by. Scout for alternate return route on the way to objective. If debris doesn’t permit this, call in the other boat crew and have them occupy positions around the row of houses. They can be in the water or on the roof, as they see fit. If lone shooter gets froggy again, they are to suppress him vigourously. If not, they provide overwatch until you have passed with the family. Rendezvous 400 yards down the road, then continue back to the ramp.
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