Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Exchange the techniques and skills needed to walk the shadows. Post your guides and how-tos here.
Post Reply

Will you collaborate to write a new guide?

Yes
14
78%
No
2
11%
We don't need another guide
2
11%
 
Total votes: 18

User avatar
Lynx
Member
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:30 pm
Contact:

Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Lynx » Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:36 pm

A New Night Ops Guide

Last time a proper guide came out was in 2005. 10 years later, perhaps it is time for a new one. I know that there are advantages to a small guide, but here, I'm proposing that we (together) write a huge one. A really big, fat guide of everything about clandestine operations. Something like 100 Deadly Skills, only better. This guide would be a really daunting undertaking for one person, so I suggest that we collaborate to write a work for future operatives and ourselves. One person, or more per topic. There's a lot in our heads that we need to get out.
This would be a guide that covers every possible NO related subject, and anyone here can contribute. However, it would be great if all things "added" to the guide are peer-reviewed by the community, as a precaution.
So... here's a list of topics that could be in the book. This is just a suggestion, so feel free to remove everything or add anything.

P.S. - I've been looking through old posts and there are so many things that I wish were in a guide. Compiling your old posts for a guide would be great. Using old guides for this one is great too. The more content the merrier! The only problem would be organization, but I'm sure the puzzle pieces will fit somehow.




The Knife
-why using a knife on humans is a bad idea (legal repercussions)
-Rules Of Engagement (Ethics, legal repercussions, situations, when to engage and when to run, threat displays, life-or-death, criminal records)
-killing by the Fairbairn Method
-Anatomical Vulnerability (Arterial System - Diagrams for Arteries and Veins, Progressions for Memorizing Vital Organs and Arteries.)
-Biomechanical Sabotage (Muscles, Tendons)
-Knife Grips and Applications (why there are 2 grips for "fighting", and a plethora of other grips for utilitarian applications)
-"sentry takedowns" and other horseshit
-Fighting (bullshit about knife fighting, what works and what gets you stabbed)
-notes on situational awareness
-List of Blade Types
-Knife Grinds (Angles/Suitability/Uses)
-Knife Tempering, Hardening
-Knife Sharpening, Maintenance
-Recommended Knives (List by Category of Uses)

Pistol/Marksmanship
-Types of Pistols
-Holsters (Kydex/Leather/ABS)
-Carrying (Hip/Crossdraw/Appendix)
-Stances (Isosceles/Weaver/CAR)
-Managing Recoil/Error Correction
-Room Clearing/CQB Tactics
-Sniping
-Weapon Concealment
-Weapon Camouflage


----------------------------topic too big to cover by myself

Movement
-Using Ambient Noises
-Silent Moving Techniques

Movement in the Forest
-Stalking
-Animals
-Types of Forest

Urban Movement
-Using Shadows
-Using Light

Parkour
-Vaults (Kong, Kash, Dash, Thief Vault, Speed Vault, Safety Vault, Monkey Vault)
-Pressing
-Lache

-----------------------------------------topic too big to cover by myself

Night Vision Devices
-Generations (1, 2, 3, 4)
-Hybrid/Fusion Systems
-Mounting/Carrying Alternatives
-Eye Biology
-Chemical Vision Enhancement (Psych's Project)

Combatives
*explain why running and hiding is always the best choice*
-Fear, Biochemistry (Adrenal Glands - Nodrenaline/Adrenaline), Fight or Flight Response
-Quick Fix Hand-To-Hand Combat Techniques
-Why Disarms are Bullshit
-Pistol Disarms
-Rifle Disarms
-Blunt Weapon Defense
-Group Defense
-Unarmed Killing
-Improvised Weaponry
-Breaking/Choking Techniques
-Ground Fighting
-Standup Fighting
-Drills

Clothing
-Load Bearing Devices (Vests, Chest Rigs, Leg Rigs)
-Pouches (ALICE, MOLLE, Other) and Uses. (e.g. proper MOLLE weaving technique)
-Baggy vs Tight
-Ghillie Suits (Manufacture, Use)
-Camouflage

Breaking and Entering
-Alarm systems (explanation, outline, function)
-Alarm system bypassing
-Lockpicking (types of locks (brand/function), what tools for which locks, pick steels, handles)


Planning
METT-TS-L (Mission, Enemy, Terrain *KOCOA*, Troops & Fire Support, Time, Space, Logistics)
KOCOA (Key Terrain Features, Obstacles, Cover & Concealment, Observation Points & Fields
of Fire, Avenues of Approach)
Ambushes (Small Unit Tactics, Ambush Formations, Elements of an Ambush)
-Linear Ambush
-Box Ambush
-Pyramid Ambush (Loose and Tight)
-Z Ambush
-L Ambush
-T Ambush
-V Ambush
-Vehicle Ambush Tactics

Basic Explosives/Incendiaries Manufacturing
(A few pages on detonation systems - e.g.tension, pressure, command, magnetic, timer, antidistrubance, temperature, air pressure)
(field applications against large-scale military operations - e.g. strategic mine placement)
-PETN (Pentarythrite Tetranitrate)
-RDX (Cyclonite)
-Napalm
-Thermite
-Potassium Nitrate/Sugar
-Straight Dynamites
-Ammonia and Semigelatin Dynamites
-Blasting Gelatin and Gelatin Dynamites
-C1, C2, C3, C4
-Lead Nitrate
-Lead Azide
-Ethyl Glycol Dinitrate

Booby Traps
-Shotshell Antipersonnel Mine
-Et cetera, you probably know more about this.

Basic Poisons Manufacturing
-Nicotine
-Potato Alkaloid
-Ricin
-Potassium Cyanide
-Arsenic Oxide
-Sodium Azide
-Mercuric Nitrate
-Hydrogen Cyanide Gas
-Chlorine
-Nitrous Oxide
-Morphine
-Phosgene
-Atropine
-Sodium Cyanide
-Drug Toxicity, Overdoses.
Anesthesia
-Chloroform
-Diphenyl Ether

Human Intelligence
-Body Language
-Reading the Enemy
-Social Psychology
-How to Analyze Behavior
-How to Use Fear
-Interrogation (Torture Methods, Breaking)
-Resisting Interrogation
-Fooling the Lie Detector

Forensics
-Pathology
-Stages of Death (Livor Mortis, Rigor Mortis)
-Measuring Time of Death
-Knife Wounds (Force, Method, Assailant Intent)
-Gunshot Wounds (Gunpowder Tatooing, Bullet Behavior, Shot Angles and Crime Scene Reconstruction)
-Drugs (Blood Testing, Plasma Testing, Electrolyte Analysis, Muscle Analysis)
-Crime Scene Analysis (Dust, Glass, Dirt, Body Excretions, DNA, Blood, Oil Etching)

Fitness
-Why Fitness Is the Most Important Component For Anything
-Nutrition
-Bodyweight/Gymnastics Conditioning (Calisthenics)
-Weightlifting (Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, Powerbuilding, Casual Lifting)
-Barbell/Dumbbell Routines (e.g. SL5x5, Starting Strength)
-Pure/Weighted Calisthenics Routines (List of exercises, suggested routines)
-Cardio (Sprinting, Long Distance Running)
-Stretching (Static, Dynamic, and why Dynamic Stretching is the best)
-Injuries and Injury Prevention (Warming up, resting, treating injuries)
-Strength Vs Function

Functional Physics/Mathematics
-Calculating approximate amount of energy needed for an operation
-weight of gear and how it affects performance
-measuring distance and displacement when climbing
-a lot more stuff

Survival

Urban Survival

Escape & Evasion

There's so many more topics to cover. Please, add anything! Make an entirely new list, with your own topics. There's people out there who know so much more than anyone here, and people here who know so much more than anyone out there. It's about time the NO community got a new guide and stepped a bit away from our older ways.

Disclaimer - Anything written here is for informational and academic purposes only. I do not condone the engagement in any illegal activities, including but not limited to the list above.
Don't take it too seriously, you're not coming out of it alive.

User avatar
Psychlonic
Member
Posts: 1202
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Psychlonic » Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:53 pm

The huge problem with the listed index is that our combined knowledge of them is far too massive. One big reason I've never tried to stray too terribly far from strict stealth or at least aim to hybridize it (stealth survival) is because now you're approaching other topics that are even larger than stealth and night ops. For reference, my personal "library" topped 40 gigs years ago and that was simply the written content - no videos or learning programs. And even then, I've learned many things that aren't in the library and that filesize includes culling many of the more idiotic files and selecting the best of the best. Not just the obvious crapbooks but you also quickly learn that seemingly more legit ones are just feeding you bullshit as well.

In addition, it's my view that any combat oriented guides should first and foremost stay away from a "do this, this, then this and you're golden! :D " mindset that pervades to many of them in favor instead of a more flexible format that encourages secondary opinions, sources, and leaves the reader with drills to practice on their own. This alone is an enormous task even in video format. When I think of a good "start" to fundamentals I look to items like Magpul Dynamics, Haley Strategic, etc. and even then you're only left with basic range fundamentals. I could go on and on and on about combat and still fear I may have set the potential reader up for failure and that's my biggest concern there and why I often avoid the subject.

Survival is almost a "master guide" in itself just waiting to happen. I'm very keen on following primitive living guides, channels, any content because I love learning outdoorsmanship. I'd say it goes well beyond "survival" and at this point sure the skills definitely cross over between that and simply enjoying the outdoors more. To the point, I've never seen any single source know it all, myself and them, we're all constantly learning and being humbled by new insight. If this were to be part of the guide, it would almost by necessity need to be kept brief and to the point as far as night ops go.

Having a former occupation in explosives and an amateur interest in the chemistry side of them, this strikes me as another hard to write about subject. Not only are certain steps of actually making them critical, but so are many parts of actually using them. Not too many people fail out of demolitions but there are none the less important precautions to take and burn into your mind. I immediately think of Kurt Saxon. Anyone else know this name? Poor Man's James Bond? LOL Have you seen the guy? He's missing fingers from fucking up and simply explains it away like that's just what happens when you play with explosives. No. That's what happens when you do it wrong and there's not this gamble. Risks can be minimized and there are plenty of veterans out there with all of their fingers to prove it. Oh and this guy feels qualified to tell you all about how to make and use explosives. Good luck. Even the dirtiest ISIS lab is doing a better job than half of the "guides" out there.

On a less negative note I think we do have a diverse enough cast to weigh pros and cons of various fitness levels and body types in night ops as well as a variety of regimens. I honestly feel Ghost probably has an ideal operative build as opposed to someone like myself. There's simply no way I'd be able to keep up or hide as well beyond a certain point being taller and having more muscle mass. I've noticed strength oriented posts on here lately and I feel that's not necessarily the way to go. I've also been nearly 50 pounds leaner in my life so I feel qualified to say this, focusing more on being able to move your own body weight around quickly, smoothly, and without excess should be the focus, not being able to hulk out if shit goes wrong.

Poisons and essentially NBC weapons that have been stated is doable but enough case of wondering if the reader will be safe enough. Almost more important might be dispelling some of the myths in regards to protection from them yourself. Most people have an entirely inadequate view of MOPP gear and think that a combat protective suit and combat mask will keep you safe. It's just like military body armor. Neither is guaranteed to keep you safe or even alive. They're made to keep you alive just long enough for you to keep fighting and possibly get out to a medical facility. Emphasis on keeping yourself alive down the road is a must here.

"Booby traps" is another long subject and generally ingenuity goes a long way. More important than specific "recipes" for a trap is the mindset of how they can be built from just about anything. Mechanical and electrical knowledge of various triggers, springs, fuses, strikers, remote controls, etc. And that again makes this a huge topic.

I'll stop before this becomes a negative naysayer post, but what I can say is that going for "The Stealth Combat Guide for the Solo Operative and Small Unit Tactics without Bulk Support" concept is too fucking much. It's not a guide waiting to happen but a mindset of the crazy looking to spend significant amounts of their life working toward it and at times wondering why. I'd trim the guide to focus exclusively on stealth which is an overdue update for us all and still a massive endeavor in and of itself.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

User avatar
Lynx
Member
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:30 pm
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Lynx » Fri Oct 30, 2015 3:31 pm

The huge problem with the listed index is that our combined knowledge of them is far too massive. One big reason I've never tried to stray too terribly far from strict stealth or at least aim to hybridize it (stealth survival) is because now you're approaching other topics that are even larger than stealth and night ops. For reference, my personal "library" topped 40 gigs years ago and that was simply the written content - no videos or learning programs. And even then, I've learned many things that aren't in the library and that filesize includes culling many of the more idiotic files and selecting the best of the best. Not just the obvious crapbooks but you also quickly learn that seemingly more legit ones are just feeding you bullshit as well.
Yeah, I realize that the amount one could write about each topic is way past the volume that a guide could ever hold. I got the idea from my procured library - my hand picked books. I had a vision of cherrypicking the good stuff from my best books and assembling into one. Hell, I'm doing that now, for myself. I have a hand-written version of that book that I'm working on, with cherrypicked knowledge from a bunch of books. It's a romanticized idea, to have a book that covers everything, but that was the original idea for this guide - the good parts from the best books. Even though the resulting book would be absolutely massive, it wouldn't make it "bad". Hardly possible to do on your own, yes. Even with 10 people writing it, yes, near impossible. But I'm sure there's more willing to help, if it ever happens.
In addition, it's my view that any combat oriented guides should first and foremost stay away from a "do this, this, then this and you're golden! :D " mindset that pervades to many of them in favor instead of a more flexible format that encourages secondary opinions, sources, and leaves the reader with drills to practice on their own.
I'm with you on this one, by all means. The topic of combat (in any shape or form) is the subject of thousands of books, many of which have their own interpretation on the matter and try to discredit others.
And in the end, with all the knowledge needed in your head, every book and response and technique memorized, you'll be gone against someone who's never read a book - someone who's spent their time practicing and training in real life. Experience trumps any book you could read. I know that firsthand. Which is why I suggested the whole "do this-that" section as a... guideline of sorts. It probably has no place in a stealth manual.
I'll stop before this becomes a negative naysayer post, but what I can say is that going for "The Stealth Combat Guide for the Solo Operative and Small Unit Tactics without Bulk Support" concept is too fucking much. It's not a guide waiting to happen but a mindset of the crazy looking to spend significant amounts of their life working toward it and at times wondering why. I'd trim the guide to focus exclusively on stealth which is an overdue update for us all and still a massive endeavor in and of itself.
This sounds more right than what I've suggested. After all, when the hell are you going to need most of that during ordinary NO excursions? Nice to know, by all means, but not something useful for the average night.
Now, if It's narrowed down to stealth, I'm out. I don't know more than the average opper, and everything I know, everyone else knows tenfold better. But if anyone here needs help with graphics or design or any of that - I'm glad to help. And even though it may not seem like it in my posts, I can help a lot with MLA formatting. That's all I can offer in this case.
Don't take it too seriously, you're not coming out of it alive.

User avatar
Psychlonic
Member
Posts: 1202
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Psychlonic » Fri Oct 30, 2015 3:46 pm

Maybe my own mindset is at fault here as well. I'm very perfectionist in knowledge anymore and feel that if one delves into a subject it's important to know as many [effective] ways to do something as possible. It would be difficult for me to write about a subject and leave out seemingly minor tricks because those tricks could make a huge difference. I would feel the work incomplete without them so long as they were minor but still good information. And for what it's worth I certainly don't feel like a giant tower of a book rivaling massive master dictionaries would be a bad thing at all, in fact I'll have mine in tooled leather with brass fittings and hasp please. But we'd have to be all in dedicated to even have a chance.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

User avatar
Lynx
Member
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:30 pm
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Lynx » Fri Oct 30, 2015 5:55 pm

I'm all in for sure. I'd love to help develop it. If it were to happen, we'd be writing digitally, which is considerably faster. I do realize that it wouldn't happen over a day. Maybe a year of work from all of us to assemble a nice fat guide - something I'd even print out for myself and have on an altar with candles around it. If everyone on the forum contributes with something... It would go pretty fast in terms of assembling content.
And Psych, your old posts.... a goldmine really. Why didn't you include them in TWOTS?
Don't take it too seriously, you're not coming out of it alive.

CookieThief
Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:06 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by CookieThief » Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:09 am

Lynx that is a great idea having an encyclopedia of NO topics and loosely related one too. And Psych from the way I understood Lynx, it would be a general list of all these topics going into the subject but not so much that it is a bunch of whole books in one. It could have a further reading section that is specialized for each skill. If all the information is put together in one book with lots of leads once you finish, it could bring in a lot of new and inactive members. Also it could give everyone something to do in the NO community. This is a great idea that just needs to be organized in a way that is do able. So I am in and I hope others will join. Happy Halloween!!
The world is dark until your eyes adjust.

User avatar
Psychlonic
Member
Posts: 1202
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Psychlonic » Sat Oct 31, 2015 6:23 am

Lynx wrote: And Psych, your old posts.... a goldmine really. Why didn't you include them in TWOTS?
Which ones? The guide is pretty old, as far as I can recall any worthwhile contributions I've ever made came afterward.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Sat Oct 31, 2015 6:41 am

This sounds like a huge task - the stealth compendium I'm writing in my mind is already quite extensive and requires a lot of resources to pull off, and it doesn't even address other NO specific concepts such as gear, dealing with security, running away, etc. An easier format would be having a sort of Encyclopaedia Nightopica; a selection of separate books dealing with related topics. This would leave room to include writings on weapons & combat, poisons, social engineering, explosives and other things not necessary to Night Ops. While I agree most of the stuff on Lynx's list isn't particularly relevant to what we do here, having a good, tested repertoire of knowledge would be a huge boon to everyone in the community and attract people from without.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

CookieThief
Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:06 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by CookieThief » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:19 am

The first step would be starting with a topic. One could find existing guides on a topic and making a list of the legit and the bullshit then submit for peer review? Stealth movement, lock picking, or something?
The world is dark until your eyes adjust.

User avatar
Shade
Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:49 pm
Location: Behind you.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Shade » Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:24 am

I would love to help make a stockpile of information in all things sneaky, and I could go on for days. But yeah, where would we put it and who would be able to have the time to read it all (let alone write)? I do feel an in-depth guide for a topic would be great though, so if you're unclear on something (like parkour) you can just look at a large guide for that.

I do have an idea though. This forum is basically a guide for most of this stuff, so why don't we just sort all of the relevant info into something that makes it easier to find?

CookieThief
Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:06 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by CookieThief » Wed Nov 18, 2015 3:53 am

That is a great idea, find all the info from each thread, test it/peer review, and add it to a more specific label. It would still take time but its a good place to start.
The world is dark until your eyes adjust.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:27 am

Trouble is, this site is structured as an open discussion forum rather than an encyclopaedia, so trying to categorise topics would be tricky - let alone 'settling' matters that are still under discussion.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

CookieThief
Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:06 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by CookieThief » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:37 am

Well, there are some posts that can be generally accepted under one label and "legit". Put those together then add the more grey stuff and let peer review sort the rest out.
The world is dark until your eyes adjust.

User avatar
Shade
Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:49 pm
Location: Behind you.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Shade » Thu Nov 19, 2015 5:30 pm

Not discussions, so much as just posts from them. We could copy paste quotes and such from those who are willing to share info into like a different part of the site.

Pontifleviticus
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:30 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Pontifleviticus » Sat Nov 21, 2015 7:39 am

Hello new(ish) user. To make it short, after a hiatus I have regained interest in night ops. The urban aspect of it interests me most. I have quite a bit of survival knowledge as well as information regarding methods of concealment, going unnoticed, social engineering and, urban exploration among other things. I hope I am not speaking above rank but only hope to improve an already great idea idea. I have seen a few problems with the guide you propose but would like to stress that this does not mean I disprove of the guide altogether. But to be frank I recommend several specific guides to be distributed in pdf form that can be compiled into one large near encyclopedic bibliography.

You begin with talking about guns and knives, two things entirely option for near any op. Combatives could certainly go in the general guide under self defense but the flight mechanism of fight or flight to be considered the preferred method of dealing with situations. I would expand on the topic of combat, knives in the Survival Guide. I would put advanced firearm information in the tactical guide.

There are also large swaths of desired information pertaining controversial subjects such as explosives, booby traps and poisoning. Now I am pretty free information as far as my outlook goes, and am a big supporter in understanding this subject matter I wonder if the information would be a turn off to certain individuals. As a positive piece of advice I would consider changing the ideas described to pertain to the understanding of chemistry, physics, electronics and mechanics. This need not be extremely in depth and would take a more casual than academic tone but it would be much more useful to those both interested and uninterested in bombs, poison and traps. Certainly I would advise including examples and theoretical situations about poison combustion etc. Along with the functional mathematics this guide could be an incredibly useful resource in itself.

I Like this breakdown of four guide outlines but they could certainly be expanded. It breaks the guides into four files which could be compiled into a fifth megaguide:

A Practical Guide to Night Operations
1. Overview and Introductions to Night Operations
2. Fitness (getting fit keeping fit, exercising basics, cardio/running/parkour, fitness of mind, maybe meditation and observation, martial arts/basic combatives.)
3. Gear (what you need, what you dont, clothing, optional and mission specific items, various setup examples)
4. Planning Ops (gathring intel, mapping, basic navigation and direction finding basic survival, reasons for oping)
5. Op Movement (moving at night, forest moment, urban, concealment, camoflauge, infiltration extraction etc)
6. Breaking and entering (methods noninvasive and otherwise, lock picking, alarms and response time)
7. Further considerations (night vision, more advanced op techniques.)

Survival Guide for Operators
1. Survival Mindset
2. Planning (what do you need where you will be, settings and locations, record keeping)
3. Navigation (advanced mapping, direction finding, compass use, geocacheing)
4. Gear (kits, knives, clothes and anything else one may need)
5. Conditions (tropics, winter, forests, urban, terrain and more)
6. How to survive (gather water, construct shelter, find food, living off the land)
7. more survival topics

Applied Science for Night Ops
1. Math (preliminary, geometry, algebra, trig, calc, resources for higher math)
2. Physics (classical mechanics, doesnt have to go full string theory, keep it useful and relevant)
3. Chemistry (big potential here, explosives, poison, distilation filtration, gear it towards macguyver chemistry)
4. Biology (Big potential for first aid among other uses, knowledge of physiolgy and diet/nutrition could even be included, telltale signs of poison organisms etc.)
5. Engineering (know what a wiring diagram looks like, identify various components, electricity)
6. Technology (computers, cell phones, alarms, gps, dat digital realm, dat cyber lief)

Tactical and Strategic Night Operations
1. The tactical side of night ops
2. Intelligence (Body Language, Reading the Enemy, Social Psychology, How to Analyze Behavior etc)
3. Forensics (Pathology, Wounds, Crime Scene Analysis, Drugs, more)
4. Combat (martial arts, firearms, blades, bludgeons, pepper spray tazer etc)
5. Planning
6. Further topics

The idea is obviously evolving so I am sure people will come along and give their input. Do we have any deadlines or want this done in a certain time frame? In order for it to have any real value its gonna take quite a while but I would say completion of the guide for distribution by mid-march would be good if we wanted to spread night ops this spring as it warms up.
Anyway Ill definitely be back to get this rolling.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:45 am

That's actually quite a sensible structure for this compendium, could even take the form of a peer-reviewed journal with articles written by different members here. It would certainly make formatting easier. Thanks for your contribution!
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

User avatar
Ghost
Moderator
Posts: 632
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 3:29 pm
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Ghost » Thu Nov 26, 2015 12:41 am

I'm currently working on a pretty large guide myself, covering what I believe are the basic elements of night opping. It'll basically read like a compendium of night ops skills and the theory behind them, organized by which "element of opping" they fall into. These elements include Gear, Awareness, Movement, Hiding, and Entry. This thing is nowhere near to being done, but I've got quite a lot written already. Also, there will be a training guide that accompanies it which I will consider posting here - an "opping for dummies" program tailored to allow one skilled opper to take multiple people who have zero skill and turn them into master level night oppers within a few years.

Beside all that, I agree with Psychlonic's assessment. Any night ops guide needs to be focused on the concept of stealth, and it's application. As someone who is an expert marksman and actually instructs others in basic rifle skills - shooting alone is a topic far too broad to be integrated into an opping guide, and it's really not the sort of thing you should be teaching yourself. I'm far from expert on some of those other topics, but I'm sure they're the same way. With a topic like night ops that is already very broad, focus is going to be your greatest asset going forwards. If you are going to delve into multiple broad areas of knowledge, I would suggest selecting a specific person to handle each section, preferably someone with a lot of experience in that area. Make those people responsible for compiling and sorting all of the information in their section into a "guide", and then get together from there to peer review.
"A man's greatest treasures are his illusions."

User avatar
Lynx
Member
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:30 pm
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Lynx » Sun Dec 27, 2015 10:55 pm

Pontifleviticus wrote:-snip-
I love that structure. Especially the applied science and tactics.
It's very doable, so... Is anyone in? Let's tailor the structure a bit more, let the more knowledgeable members change the topic structures to their liking and then work on the things we're best at.
Together, we can make a very notable guide. How about that? I'm in.
Don't take it too seriously, you're not coming out of it alive.

CookieThief
Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:06 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by CookieThief » Mon Dec 28, 2015 12:15 am

Starting with the condescending NO library.
The world is dark until your eyes adjust.

User avatar
Psychlonic
Member
Posts: 1202
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Psychlonic » Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:27 am

I'd be willing to help with raw information and technique but actually writing everything into a "guide" format just isn't something I'm up for currently. So if anyone takes up this task and has questions just let me know. I don't claim to know everything but I know enough that I don't care to write it all down.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

Pontifleviticus
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:30 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Pontifleviticus » Sun Jan 03, 2016 7:13 am

Psychlonic wrote:I'd be willing to help with raw information and technique but actually writing everything into a "guide" format just isn't something I'm up for currently. So if anyone takes up this task and has questions just let me know. I don't claim to know everything but I know enough that I don't care to write it all down.
I feel like this mindset may be our downfall. Psych, dont get me wrong, I dont mean to critisize and only wish to point out something I see as a blockade in a venture. The major blockade being a lot of people simply dont want to write up a guide. Some people dont have the time or resources to do it. This is absolutly understandable. My solution would b to appoint 2 or 3 major writers to the projcet and ask people like Psyclonic here for past posts and various resources to help out in the compilation of information. Maybe if a knowldgable member dosnt want to write a lot out we could do some sort of Q&A over IRC with the writers and users.

Another idea would be to compile all of the already great resources in your library, find more do a little restructing as to fit the above format and you have what the OP might b looking for.

CookieThief
Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:06 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by CookieThief » Sun Jan 03, 2016 9:05 am

Pontifleviticus wrote:
Psychlonic wrote:I'd be willing to help with raw information and technique but actually writing everything into a "guide" format just isn't something I'm up for currently. So if anyone takes up this task and has questions just let me know. I don't claim to know everything but I know enough that I don't care to write it all down.
I feel like this mindset may be our downfall. Psych, don't get me wrong, I don't mean to criticize and only wish to point out something I see as a blockade in a venture. The major blockade being a lot of people simply dont want to write up a guide. Some people dont have the time or resources to do it. This is absolutely understandable. My solution would b to appoint 2 or 3 major writers to the project and ask people like Psyclonic here for past posts and various resources to help out in the compilation of information. Maybe if a knowledgeable member doesn't want to write a lot out we could do some sort of Q&A over IRC with the writers and users.

Another idea would be to compile all of the already great resources in your library, find more do a little restricting as to fit the above format and you have what the OP might b looking for.
This is a great idea. I agree with just focusing on the NO library first, just that fact we have it is amazing. Some issues with it might be that some of it is a bit outdated, different names for the same techniques(stealth walking), and taking military guides and translating them into direct NO info. Starting small and going step by step is the best way to make this guide as accurate and extensive as possible. Starting with each section one by one would be my suggestion. In regard to appointing main writers, which I agree with, appointing other roles of writing the book would work too. Editors researchers, testers etc. There are many other roles those with out as much time or resources can help with. My reason for not stepping up is my lack of confidence in the subject matter. I consider myself just above a novice. Still, I can help out with the simpler work such as finding raw info to be tested, along with other things. So I encourage all of you to think about what you can contribute and post it for an assessment of what we have.

(Also Xan your homework posts would be a good staring point for a beginners section)
The world is dark until your eyes adjust.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:00 pm

I can handle the writing task and final edit & polish. It's a lot of work, but if everyone's able to contribute content I can stitch it all together into something presentable. All proper accreditations will be given.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

User avatar
Lynx
Member
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:30 pm
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Lynx » Mon Jan 04, 2016 10:57 am

Xanatos, I think the homework assignements were brilliant. Any way we could incorporate that into a guide format?
Don't take it too seriously, you're not coming out of it alive.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:39 am

If we include a 'Training' section, perhaps we could.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

User avatar
Psychlonic
Member
Posts: 1202
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Psychlonic » Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:49 am

Maybe it might be more productive to shoehorn the information into training formats as well instead of just doing standard military style manual writing with illustrations? Present the raw information and then means of practicing how to apply it real time. I'm a firm believer than you don't know until you do. Reading doesn't make you better at anything, rather it gives you the tools to hopefully learn. Making this a more direct process by suggesting training ideas would make the guide a better learning tool, which it is supposed to be in the first place.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

Pontifleviticus
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:30 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Pontifleviticus » Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:31 pm

I am looking for ways to streamline the guides. I agree a training section for each guide would be an excllent supplementary unit. The thing is each guide will have a different style of training to accompany it. Ill do a volume by volume breakdown to see if this is what others are looking for.

A Practical Guide to Night Operations
1. Overview and Introductions to Night Operations
training quest Night Walk a simple walk in the late/early hours. No emphasis on anything other than getting comfortable with being around at night.
2. Fitness (getting fit keeping fit, exercising basics, cardio/running/parkour, fitness of mind, maybe meditation and observation, martial arts/basic combatives.)
this in itself seems to be a fitness training guide so anything more than workout outlines seem unenssecary unless we go with a sort of parkour training quest. Mayb like the first but rather than a walk do it night parkour.
3. Gear (what you need, what you dont, clothing, optional and mission specific items, various setup examples)
training quest to familiarize operative with their gear.
4. Planning Ops (gathring intel, mapping, basic navigation and direction finding basic survival, reasons for oping)
training quest is to plan an op in full. Maybe have some sort of "operation outline" sheet that lists various objectives, intel, maps and nav.
5. Op Movement (moving at night, forest moment, urban, concealment, camoflauge, infiltration extraction etc)
this is where it gets good. Training quest could consist of an actual op that plays out like some sort of capture the flag or even cloak and dagger mission.
6. Breaking and entering (methods noninvasive and otherwise, lock picking, alarms and response time)
training quest would be infiltration and ex-filtration using one of the described means.
7. Further considerations (night vision, more advanced op techniques.)
8. Further training, maybe a compendium of the challenges and homework assignment threads.

Survival Guide for Operators
1. Survival Mindset
training quest being a day or so just in nature. Limited water gearand food. Something to test the operators skills but not dangerous enough to b a real survival scenario.
2. Planning ( Conditions in tropics, winter, forests, urban, terrain and more, what do you need where you will be, settings and locations, record keeping)
training quest to plan for various survival scenarios. What would the operator do if they find themself in the woods? In a snowstorm? In a desert? On a life raft? Hostile urban environment?
3. Navigation (advanced mapping, direction finding, compass use, geocacheing)
training quest involves direction finding. Maybe a daytime hike to a location using only the sun for a guide. Also a night navigation using only stars. Quest to map terrain would be good to.
4. Gear (kits, knives, clothes and anything else one may need)
similar to the gear quest in the above category but with a survivalist minimalist slant. Weekend survival gar test.
6. How to survive (gather water, construct shelter, find food, living off the land)
Quest could be a weekend without gear or with no pack.
7. more survival topics

Applied Science for Night Ops
training will be different as this is more geard towards mind and knowledge but real world use will come into play
1. Math (preliminary, geometry, algebra, trig, calc, resources for higher math)
pretty much homework. Calculating distance with shadows, practical geometry for the operative that may be relevant in field. Things like algebra and calc probably wont com into play for actual operation but will be useful for planning and such.
2. Physics (classical mechanics, doesnt have to go full string theory, keep it useful and relevant)
calculate distance by dropping a pebble and haring it hit the ground. there is a lot that could be done here.
3. Chemistry (big potential here, explosives, poison, distilation filtration, gear it towards macguyver chemistry)
another high potential subject. DIY gunpowder is what I would start with. Various simple synthases and observation of the process of various chemical reactions. Ill elaborate in future posts as I am somewhat of a chemist.
4. Biology (Big potential for first aid among other uses, knowledge of physiolgy and diet/nutrition could even be included, telltale signs of poison organisms etc.)
high potential as well. suturing a chicken breastwould be one for the medical aspects of bio, taking a walk in the woods and identifying various plants, animals etc.
5. Engineering (know what a wiring diagram looks like, identify various components, electricity)
design a simple circuit, rewire an existing board.
6. Technology (computers, cell phones, alarms, gps, dat digital realm, dat cyber lief)
learn a programming language (python would b my goto for a beginner) learn about networking and optics.

Tactical and Strategic Night Operations
1. The tactical side of night ops
2. Intelligence (Body Language, Reading the Enemy, Social Psychology, How to Analyze Behavior etc)
spot a liar, people watch and analyze individuals in a crowd, try and detrmine somones next most probable actions etc.
3. Forensics (Pathology, Wounds, Crime Scene Analysis, Drugs, more)
analyse your kitchen or living room as a crimescene, learn to identify various drugs. Lots of environmental observation tests.
4. Combat (martial arts, firearms, blades, bludgeons, pepper spray tazer etc)
pick a fight in a bar (JK! Dont do that!) Go to a shooting rang, clear your home, learn to utilize expedient weapons martial training.
5. Planning
similar to above sections.
6. Further topics

another-option-would-be-to-put-things-like-the-homwork-assignmnts-and-challenges-into-its-own-quide-or-section-of-each-volume-but-it-makes-more-sense-to-me-if-we-keep-the-"quests"-as-a-homework-at-the-end-of-each-chapter.
There is a lot of potential for this guide. If done right it could really be something great. Unfortunately my computer isnt in full working order so typing out so much is difficult. Ill be waiting to see how others respond bfore delving into it further but I could definitly contribute to the science portions in a big way and add to a lot of research and practical knowldge for the other sections pretty well.

For now I think we are getting pretty good with what and how we want to compile this so I say we keep working on it and getting it outlined well. Hopefully start a full blown research/testing/prleiminary writing next month. I would say it would be most beneficial to have the guide done in full by april.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Sat Jan 09, 2016 7:42 am

That's a solid outline, covering all the major areas of study in a sensible format. However I'm not sure we have all the experts to cover all the chapters in-depth. And it would be a HUGE stretch to have this thing done in full by April. April of next year maybe if we set aside our day jobs.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

Giraffe
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2015 10:01 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Giraffe » Sun Jan 17, 2016 8:49 am

Would a night ops wiki be a good idea? The format seems to suit the task pretty well.

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Xanatos » Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:43 am

Might not be a bad idea, it would also allow us to update information on the fly. However due to the open nature of wikis it's vulnerable to trolling and falsity by pretty much anyone reading it and would require diligent moderation as a result. Whereas with a book, once it's published it's effectively immortalised. I can handle the publishing part and overall quality control, just need everyone else to contribute content.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

Pontifleviticus
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:30 am
Contact:

Re: Night Ops Guide - We need a bigger one.

Post by Pontifleviticus » Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:27 am

Giraffe wrote:Would a night ops wiki be a good idea? The format seems to suit the task pretty well.
This is actually a damned good idea. Maybe make it an accounts only/edits need approval by mods wiki to divert the possibility of trolls and misinfo.

Post Reply