A question for Experienced IOs and Bodyguards

[Cross]

Good day,

I recently developed cravings to try playing an IO or an IO's bodyguard.

When I observed a few rounds of IO stuff i noticed many of you don't take bodyguards. Is that ineffective in some way or do you just try to challenge yourself more?

To IOs that take bodyguards, what do you expect of them, in terms of loadout, performance, and skill? What would you like them to take, or how would you like them to be prepared?

To Marines that tend to take on a role of IO's Bodyguard. Do you prepare for that role in any way? Take a specific loadout? Does experience as Bodyguard help you learn IOs role?

To all above and anyone who may have something to say on the matter: any tips and tricks for IO, and IO's Bodyguard besides "read the guide" (i did, multiple times)

Cheers and thank you for your time.

[Belone]

Played a good bit of IO when techwebs were around.

Yes you absolutely want a bodyguard, the ones that don't have one are either going to be found dead after 10 minutes or are some kind of crazy ultra-robustos.

As for bodyguards, it should best be someone you know and can trust, best done with a friend, just don't metacomm. The loadout doesn't much matter either if they can kill xenos with it.

[BatHoovyDood]

I was huge into IO back in the days of old DEFCON, and been picking it up a bit since it came back, and either way yeah my advice is to always bring a few ungas along with you.

You really don't want to play IO if you can't hold your own against most t1s and some t2s on your own, but even then you should still scrounge up some Deltas before splitting too far off from the main force. My advice is to find one or two marines you actually trust, classic CM rules of the most important marine equipment being friends, and then you can usually just convince some privates to join you by pointing at them and asking if they want to go on an adventure. Never cared much for experience or loadout, usually they are just there to dissuade smaller xenos and cover your retreat against larger ones