SMEAC Briefings for TTRPGs
I wrote up a SMEAC style briefing for a Delta Green operation I am going to run soon and people were interested in the format. SMEAC is a template for briefings used by the military. I find it very effective in communicating information, opportunity, and choice to players. I oftentimes send them out ahead of a session if it makes sense to narratively. This gets rid of some of the hemming and hawing that takes place at the start of an investigatory game. Players aren't just dropped into a situation with no context and hopefully they have put together the scant pieces of a plan.
So what does it mean?
- Situation The overall glimpse of what's going on. Locations, people, complications are all summarized here.
- Mission What needs to be accomplished by the team.
- Execution Any special considerations that must be used for the mission or potential weaknesses to exploit.
- Administration The logistical means of an operation. What has been provided, what support they may expect, and so on.
- Command What rules are there for communications, any specific signals being used.
I am including the briefing for the operation I am working on as an example. The full operation will be posted in its entirety once I playtest it.
Operation Burdened Stranger
Situation
Former Friendly Monty Tazadik was recently picked up for being drunk and disorderly in Corydon, Indiana. During his night in the drunk tank Monty was reported as saying "Federal agents from something bigger than the president are coming to get me out of here." and made multiple allusions to an operation who provided transport for. One of our embedded agents in the Pentagon intercepted a deputy calling to request infromation on Operation Glass Baseball. Operation Glass Baseball was a complicated mission. Tazadik provided his expertise as an off-road driver and land navigation specialist.
Tazadik should be considered armed and dangerous. Three tours in Vietnam as an M113 driver has cooked his brain along with the cocktail of drugs he's been taking to "break the conditioning to kill." Killing him and burying the bones in a National Park won't be enough. Part of why he was discharged was leaking troop movements to people he was drinking with, so establishing a network of possible leaks is vital.
Mission
- Find and observe Monty Tazadik.
- Ascertain the level of information he has divulged about the group.
- Contain any possible loose ends.
- Terminate Monty Tazadik.
Execution
Tazadik was never formally disavowed by the agency. He could potentially be lured into another operation as a cover to get him alone.
Otherwise the mission should be pursued as the team sees fit.
Administration
Tickets for a Greyhound have been provided for you all. Luggage will not be searched.
You may need a car while in town so we have pooled together $1,000.
Command
Contact SAIC Reynold via a public payphone for any requests on intel. Anything else you might need in the field you will have to get on your own.