USE THIS POST TO SPITBALL IDEAS. I'd really like to see sub units get taken more seriously and get more use.
Sub units are under used. Now, I'm sure it's mostly due to the GM program just getting back on it's feet again, but even so it's been like this for a very long time. Let me explain.
For example, SOBDE, at least as far as I've seen, is mostly focused around an awesome lore character spot, a tight friend group and some really good passive RP in game. Now none of those things are bad, except for the fact that I can't remember a time in a while that SOBDE -or any sub unit such as GC, KU, Parjai, Foxtrot, Alpha, Wolfpack, etc.- has been deployed to do any kind of mission or even singled out for an RP scenario. SOBDE gets their interrogations and such, but that's really just them. It doesn't feel like people who worked hard for these positions get to use them very often. Start of an idea: Let's look at 212th. 212th has enough sub branches to pretty much overflow SOBDE. GC has around 16 spots I believe, not sure about Parjai, 2ndAC and Foxtrot, but they all fall under 212th SOCOM. That's enough to fill SOBDE and then some. All of these sub units are considerably hard to get into. I have no idea how hard they are to get into compared to say, Delta for example, because it's been a long time since I've been in either SOBDE or GC, but they're both fairly difficult, and not a certainly not a position that you can just hop into from day one. Back to SOCOM, imagine, for a second if you will, if SOCOM was not exclusive to the giant sub unit group that 212th has, but rather encompassed all sub units.
Alpha ARC, SO, Ghost Company, Green Company, Keller's Unit, Torrent Company, and all the like falling under the reigns of SOCOM, and giving birth to a whole new brigade. They'd all be attached to their respective battalions and such, but each have their own specializations.
Ghost Company, for example, being stealth oriented, Torrent Company, being CQC specialists, Alpha ARC, being reconnaissance and allocation of enemy assets, Green Company, being training of foreign military assets and counter intelligence, Keller's Unit being more search and destroy, Havoc's Squadron being protection of Republic Assets and foreign base defense, 2ndAC being the Airborne Grunts, for when you need to get behind the enemy, 21st SO being a bit of stealth as well as sabotage, Parjai being like IRL PJs, being specialized in QRF to swoop in and save those who need saving, as well as being able to do the same job as 2ndAC, and lets not forget Wolfpack, who could be more orriented towards Armored Reconnaissance, or maybe something else, along with Diplomatic Services being more orriented towards protecting sensitive Republic assets and personnel while also being specialized in apprehension of Terrorists / Enemies of the GAR. Imagine all these things falling under SOCOM, and being able to be utilized in tandem. (These are all things BCMDs and Reg CMDs would have to come together to coordinate but that's all if anyone decides this idea has any merit.)
NOW, what you might be saying is, "What of SOBDE? What happens to Null, Omega Squad, Delta, Foxtrot, and Bad Batch?" Well, it would work the way it does now, just more as it's own brigade. SOBDE would get their own specific deployments and more specialized events towards them. No battalions to come with them if they don't want it, just events catered towards their specific skill sets and specializations.
These are all just ideas, that, in the long run could help the GMs create more specific and more in depth events for sub units and their battalions. All of these things can be used hand in hand with the regular infantry of battalions and give birth to a whole different kind of gameplay, one more focused on objectives and story taking a main point rather than shooting droids and taking out aircraft with a storyline taking a more background role. These things all would help support game masters and their events quite well, as well as giving players something to look forward to when joining a sub unit. FOR EXAMPLE: - (shittily thrown together event idea inbound)
Lets say, the Hutt clan is sending lackeys to do their dirty work and try and take out high ranking republic personnel. Say, through republic counter-intelligence work, we found out they're on Nar Shaada. Coruscant Guard and DS, alongside (OPTIONAL BATT) would get deployed with Havoc's Squadron to defend our operation center in the city, while Ghost Company and Alpha ARC are deployed to do a special reconnaissance of the area, in a stealthy manner, in order to find any intelligence they can on where the Hutt's leadership may be located. While that happens, they'll report back to the CoC at the republic headquarters on Nar Shaada, feed them information, and when the time is right, have CG and DS move in to apprehend the suspects. If that fails, full on raid the building with whatever battalions you chose to bring along and apprehend them that way. If stealth fails, you could have it become an all out shit-show, battle of fallujah, Urbanized Warfare kind of deal and have to call in reinforcements, or push the battalions you do have into the city to take the suspects by force.
Notice, how in that scenario, a lot of things I mentioned could be done by/with other sub units, which is the point. You could deploy Torrent Company instead of Havoc's Squadron so that they could team up with DS, being the CQC specialists, and breach the building more efficiently. Or, replace Alpha ARC with Keller's Unit in that scenario and have KU and TC roll through the city loud and try and catch the enemy with their pants around their ankles.
All this being said, sub units would still deploy with their battalions, but it would remove the requirement for battalions to be deployed with their sub unit, giving the sub units a greater purpose.
The things I've highlighted here would open up a whole world of possibilities and create a whole new mechanic and play style/set up to events. It could make them much more in depth and way more fun for everyone as well as sub units. Now that I've wasted the better part of a night thinking this all up, these are just IDEAS. Build on them and take them into consideration. Or don't, this post could get completely tossed to the way side and forgotten about. All I'm saying is, consider the possibilities.
