Units & NATO Symbology
Where an actor is the force, a unit is a specific element of that force on the ground — a brigade, a battery, a column. Units carry position, heading, and speed, and they're drawn with standard NATO symbology so the map reads the way a military analyst expects.
Units also drive territorial analysis: their positions are what an actor's control territory is drawn around (see Actors & Territory). A unit you place isn't just a marker — it sharpens the actor's whole footprint.
Creating a unit
Open the unit form and set:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | The unit's name |
| Affiliation | Friendly / hostile / neutral / unknown — drives the symbol frame |
| Actor | Link the unit to the actor that owns it (search the actor roster) |
| Position | Latitude / longitude in decimal degrees |
| Heading / Speed | Optional — heading 0–360°, speed in kts or km/h |
| Range rings | Optional concentric rings (a range and a label) to show weapon or sensor reach |
Linking a unit to an actor is what ties it into that actor's control territory and wider picture, so set it whenever you know the owner.
The NATO symbol
Each unit carries a NATO-standard symbol — the familiar scheme of affiliation frames (friendly, hostile, neutral, unknown) and function icons (infantry, armour, artillery, and so on). The symbol editor gives you:
- A live preview as you edit, so you see exactly what will appear on the map. An invalid symbol is flagged rather than rendered.
- A style toggle — stylised draws a clean icon with no affiliation frame; the standard style draws the full framed symbol with affiliation colour.
- A clear button to reset and start over.
The unit's affiliation feeds the symbol's frame, so set it correctly — colour-coded affiliation is the first thing another analyst reads from the symbol.
Units use NATO symbols; events use the ESC code. They're different schemes for different things — see ESC Codes & Symbology.
Working with units on the map
- Click a unit to open the Unit Inspector for its full detail.
- Units expose a radial menu for quick actions directly on the map, so you can act without opening a panel.
- Range rings, heading, and speed render alongside the symbol to convey posture at a glance — a column under way with its reach shown reads very differently from a static position.
Where to next
- Actors & Territory — how unit positions become an actor's control territory.
- ESC Codes & Symbology — keeping unit symbols and event codes straight.