The Mojave Ranger School curriculum is designed to help post-apocalyptic live action role players learn real-world outdoor skills through scenario-based training. Mojave Ranger School uses 5 simple scenarios to train Rangers to shoot, move and communicate while performing search & recovery missions in a hostile environment.

The Mojave Ranger Basic Course trains Rangers to run support missions as reinforcements and tactical specialists. A 9-person Ranger squad consists of riflemen, grenadiers and machine gunners.

A 9-member Mojave Ranger Response Team is a team leader and assistant, a medic, a radio operator and up to 5 responders who specialize in search & recovery and tactical support.

A Response Team may be in an operational area for multiple days and deploys a Patrol Base Team to manage a rearward support area with additional medics and staff.

5 Basic Scenarios

Scenario 1: Forth and Back – Use a GPS to establish a supply cache in the Mojave. Scenario 1 introduces teams to basic mission procedures on a short hike to establish a supply cache.

Scenario 2: The Patrol Base – A Response Team works out of a Patrol Base, which is a small rearward base with additional medics and resources where Response Teams can extract injured patients to.

Scenario 3: Establish Communications – Establish a radio relay station at a remote Patrol Base and run security patrols.

Scenario 4: Radio Triangulation – working from a remote Patrol Base, use ham radio equipment to locate and recover a lost shipment in the desert using radio signal triangulation

Scenario 5: Capture the Flag – Valuable equipment needs to be recovered after a Raider attack. Working from a remote Patrol Base, find the Raiders, recover the gear and then come home.

Incident Within an Incident

The injury, from combat or otherwise, of one of your own team members is called an Incident Within an Incident (IWI). Every scenario has an IWI drill which requires first aid, radio communications and possibly extraction of the patient.

The best way to manage a real injury is to always practice it. Every scenario at Mojave Ranger School has a specific procedure to extract an injured team member with a real-world injury.

Mission Details

Scenario 1: Forth & Back – Use a GPS to establish a supply cache in the Mojave. Scenario 1 introduces teams to basic mission procedures on a short hike to establish a supply cache.

Supply Cache Missions

Mojave Ranger School is very remote and utilizes a cache system with a variety of goods and materials stashed within our AO’s. Mojave Ranger School runs frequent supply cache missions to maintain our backup supplies for a variety of contingencies and missions.

Supply cache missions are straight out and back with no overnight component and no Patrol Base needed. Response Teams use proper trail procedures for the tactical environment and maintain the security and secrecy of the cache location. Supply cache missions are used to train,

Basic team procedures
Check in/out
Team briefings
Gear and radio checks
Trail security
Basic patrolling
Basic team communications
Basic team tactics
Basic area familiarization
Basic land navigation

Scenario 2: The Patrol Base – A Response Team works out of a Patrol Base, which is a small rearward base with additional Medics and resources to which Response Teams can extract injured patients.

The Patrol Base

Ranger support missions require a relatively secure location where Response Teams can store extra gear and work from for an extended period. Patrol Base missions give Settlers an opportunity to assist supporting a tactical operation. Staging area missions are used to train in,

Staging area setup and security
Command Post management
Patrol Base Medical Station
Patrol Base Radio Station
Bivouac Basics for camping

Scenario 3: Establish Communications – Establish a radio relay station at a remote Patrol Base and run security patrols.

The Radio Relay Station

The radios used at Mojave Ranger School are mostly low-power, short-range line-of-sight FRS radios. It’s possible for a Ranger squad to be out of contact with Mojave Ranger School even though they might be only a few miles away.

Radio Relay Stations are Patrol Bases emplaced specifically to serve as a relay between a Ranger unit in the field and Mojave Ranger School. Relay stations may also be emplaced as part of road security campaigns along Hwy 58 to maintain security for medical and supply caravans. Relay station missions focus on,

Patrol Base and radio station management
Perimeter and road security patrols
Radio operator training and management
Forms, procedures

Scenario 4: Radio Triangulation – working from a remote Patrol Base, use ham radio equipment to locate and recover a lost shipment in the desert using radio signal triangulation.

Triangulation

A Response Team is dispatched to find a lost package with a secure radio beacon attached. The team will establish a staging area and then locate the package by triangulating the radio signal, which requires marking the beacon’s signal from 3 different locations.

Once located the package will then be extracted as per mission orders. Triangulation missions may be more complex multi-day operations and focus on

Patrol Base and team management
Search & Recovery procedures
Radio and other technical skills
Patrolling, bivouac, shoot, move, communicate and outdoor skills

Scenario 5: Capture the Flag – Valuable equipment needs to be recovered after a Raider or Legion attack. Working from a remote Patrol Base, find the Raiders, recover the gear and then come home.

Capture the Flag missions are about recovering lost gear or taking back lost territory and are the capstone of the Ranger training program. These multi-day missions use Patrol Bases, Radio Relay Stations and multi-team procedures.

The goal with these 5 scenarios is not to train combat troops, but to introduce tactical specialists to the Mojave desert environment in support of other operations.

OPFor Advanced Scenarios

The OpFor Platoon runs the most advanced scenarios. Raiders and Legionnaires operate out of their own staging areas with their own goals, lore and timelines. OpFor missions include raids, ambushes and smuggling runs, which will all be covered in the upcoming OpFor Field Manual.

All Mojave Ranger School Settlers are encouraged to take turns on missions with the OpFor Platoon as Legionnaire militia or Raiders.

The Mojave Ranger School focuses on teamwork, outdoor skills and basic first aid, radio and other technical skills beyond being cannon fodder.