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Field Notes

Guides and field notes on tactical planning, sand table exercises, decision games and mission briefs.

August 5, 2026

React to Contact, in Six Frames

The react-to-contact battle drill frame by frame: return fire and take cover, the contact report, gaining fire superiority, the leader's decision to attack or bypass or break contact, the flanking maneuver and its shift-fire trigger, and consolidation with the ACE report.

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August 2, 2026

Tactical Decision Games

What a tactical decision game (TDG) is made of, where the format comes from — Moltke's tactical assignments through to the Marine Corps Gazette — and how to run one in twenty minutes with your team leaders, offline or online.

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August 1, 2026

Last Light at the Aqueduct

A tactical decision game for squad leaders: an IED strike in the irrigation canal, the platoon leader down, two squads pinned in a crossfire and thirty minutes of daylight left. Comes with the overlay and an editable TacMap scene.

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July 25, 2026

Control Measures, Explained in Pictures

A visual explainer of the graphic control measures on a tactical overlay: boundaries, phase lines, objectives, engagement areas, checkpoints, rally points, TRPs, and axis versus direction of attack — each rendered as one clear picture.

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July 23, 2026

Mastering the Sand Table

How to work with a sand table: build the map, set scale and legend, brief the scenario and execute step-by-step using phases. A practical guide for tactical planning and decision games.

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July 23, 2026

Graphic Control Measures

Phase Lines, Decision Points and Triggers instead of rigid clock times: how to lay out graphic control measures on a sand table and rehearse event-based operations that absorb delays and friction.

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