[Crash_00]

As a GM I try to run my NPC mooks and cannonfodder as close to their nature as possible. Street gangers tend to be disorganized and run quickly when things go one sided against them. Elite guys are a bit more robust. I also tend to think about who I'm running when I make attacks and so on and what they'd actually do. So I'm wondering, what tricks do all of you GMs out there use to make your elite guys seem a cut above the rest.

These are a few of the things I tend to do more often when using elite guys like Red Samurai or Ghosts:
- Called Shots (both for DV or armor negation)
- DMR tactics. Supporting team members will wide burst targets, while the designated marksman wait for the opening to take narrow burst shots.
-Contact Grenades
-Flashbangs (becuase they're just damned effective)
-Good Cover
-Full dodge. (while it's not necessarily a wonderful option for the group most times, if you outnumber the enemy dodging is a pretty good move).

[Walks Through Walls]

While my group hasn't run into elite forces like the Tir Ghosts and Red Samurai much they have run up against other runners a couple of times. What I've done to make them stand out more has as much to do with gear as anything tactics wise.

The one group had a physical adept sneak/throwing specialist and he used a chameleon suit so it wasn't until the third time they ran into the group they really had any good leads on him. That same group would set their face up as a sniper and when they ambushed the group they had the sniper start the fight since he only had one pass.

That and I had them act with a plan with contingency plans in case something went wrong.

Another example is the characters were hitting a group of runners in their safe house. They didn't detect the cameras and surveillance measures the runners had in place so the characters lost their element of surprise. When the other runners saw they were massing at the stairwell to come up the stairs to the second floor where they were holed up they just dropped a couple grenades as the group breached the stairwell door. Wounded half the characters and almost swung the whole fight the other way.

[Cass100199]

Someone is always laying down suppressive fire while someone else is moving to flank. Elite units have mastered the art of sending a wall of lead in your direction. Even if they're breaking contact, someone is always firing on full auto to keep your heads down.

Coordinated movement techniques as well. Even if no one is shooting, the runners should pucker up pretty quickly as they see  well choreographed movements from cover to cover as someone else provides overwatch.

[Xzylvador]

Plans, backup plans and being better prepared in general already does a lot to make them seem more professional.

The average ganger's good at threatening and might have some experience versus targets they know are easy prey, but if they're outmatched will scatter quickly.
The average corpsec in tonight's target building may be ready to deal with threats in general, but they don't usually have specialty gear and tactics ready. They know to shoot/tase lesser threats quickly and to find cover and call/wait for backup with heavier opposition, but they'll fail to react properly when faced with heavy opposition that's using (non-combat) spells, grenades or other things you don't expect from the common criminals.
But elites plan ahead and are prepared. They know how to best deal with specific threats and more often than not have the solution ready at hand. They'll have gasmasks on the second they spot a gas grenade, they'll recognize a spellcaster and have prepared tactics deal with it (geek the mage!), they know the layout of the place and have prepared sensors, traps and different strategies for dealing with assaults from any entry point. This makes them a problem if they're securing a place, but it's even worse if they're actively hunting you. You're dealing with people who (out)match your own skills, have vastly more resources to spend on legwork and they'll have done their  homework when they choose to engage. They'll know how to pick the time and place and have that place prepared. Their magical backup will be tailored to deal with the spells your own mage uses most often. If your team has expert snipers, they'll engage in areas where long range is impossible. If your runner is a cross between Bruce Lee and Mohammed Ali, they'll do everything they can do deny him the possibility of getting in melee range.
Heck, you mess up bad enough and chances are that next time you just jump into the team's Bulldog, the thing explodes when the ignition starts and the 'runners that survived get picked off by snipers when they leave the wreckage... IF their safehouse doesn't just get hit by an incoming missile or artillery barrage. But unless they messed up real bad, it's probably better to give 'em a fighting chance.

[CanRay]

I wonder if the UCAS kept JTF2?

[Reaver]

I use pretty much everything mentioned above. The only thing I could add is dice pools.

If they are going up against an elite team of responders, the team has a dice of 80/125% of the average dice pool of the players involved. I do this because I have had problems in the past with 'munkins/Twinkie' characters (you know the types!) My players know I do it too!

It keeps the 'walking auto turret of doom at drools and has problems with manual doors' down. While increasing the number/odds of 'credible, professional, rational runners' up.

(not to mention less need for deploying cyber zombies with Gatling auto cannons, just injure them down)