IRON NEST Triangulation

Coordinates vs bearings

Grid references like Q442 mean "go to column Q, row 4, sub-cell 42" — draw a red line from the turret and skip spotter math. Bearing reports mean "from spotter one, the enemy lies on azimuth 65°" — you need geometry, not a single square name.

Campaign missions mix both: a reference point Alpha might be fixed by two spotter bearings first, then individual targets are reported as bearings from Alpha plus a second spotter line. Learn the grid once; every later mission reuses it.

Pencil tools sit along the map edge — the next section explains which colour to pick before you place a single token.

Yellow for spotter geometry, red for firing data

Draw yellow rays from each spotter along the reported bearing until they cross. That intersection is your aim point — but the ballistic calculator still needs range from the turret, not from a spotter.

Switch to the red pencil, click your IRON NEST token, drag to the intersection (or supplied grid target), and release. The clipboard panel below the map fills with range in kilometres and bearing in degrees for traverse and ballistics.

The yellow pencil can also show distance when you use the protractor from a spotter — helpful for bearing-plus-distance missions covered below.

Callsigns change; grid math does not

Missions label observers "Spotter One," "Spotter Alpha," or numbered field assets — the label is flavour. What matters is the grid cell and the bearing in degrees attached to that callsign.

If a report says "spotter one, bearing 90°" but omits a position, scroll the teleprinter — observer coordinates usually appear earlier in the same message block. Placing a spotter at the wrong cell rotates every line you draw.

Multi-target missions reuse the same spotters for several intersections. Keep tokens on the board until all targets for that fire order are marked — then measure each from the turret separately.

With tokens placed, you are ready to draw the crossing lines — the core iron nest bearing skill.

Teaching example — staging mark (not a fixed mission)

Numbers below are a teaching sketch, not a copied mission brief. Suppose spotter one reports a bearing (example 65°) and spotter two reports a distance from their post (example ~14 km). Sweep the yellow line from spotter one along that bearing; from spotter two, arc the protractor to the reported distance and mark the cross. That staging mark — missions sometimes label it a reference point such as Alpha — is often an intermediate fix, not always the final shell target.

Later orders may say "target one: bearing from Alpha" plus "bearing from spotter three." Repeat the same intersection logic using the reference point as the origin for the first ray. Always double-check degrees — a few degrees of error at long range misses by more than a kilometre.

Three spotters when two lines nearly parallel

When two bearings are shallow and the intersection sits near the map edge, a third spotter report breaks the tie. Draw all three yellow rays; the target token goes where the cluster converges, not at an arbitrary edge click.

If lines genuinely parallel (bad intel), re-read field reports — one bearing may be a typo in the tens digit (115° vs 115° mirrored). No amount of calculator work fixes a map fix that never existed.

Intersection locked, range copied — powder charge count is the next decision on the ballistics page.

Reference points before target list

Some story / demo missions introduce a reference point (often labelled Alpha in community write-ups) fixed by spotter bearing plus another spotter's distance, then list later targets relative to that mark. Work top to bottom — solve the staging mark before dependent target lines.

Mark each solved target with its own token colour or label if the UI allows; at minimum, move the previous target token aside so you do not confuse target two with target one when measuring range from IRON NEST.

Each target still needs its own red-line range to the turret — spotter distance is not firing range unless you are explicitly ordered to fire from a spotter (you are not).

Range bands (hand-off to ballistics)

Public mission examples cluster near 8–14 km with two to three powder charges. Qualitative bands used across community guides: under ~5 km often one charge; ~5–10 km two charges; ~10–15 km three; longer spreads need four or more. The calculator always overrides guesswork once range is typed.

A demo calibration near 8.92 km typically uses two charges and an elevation near 33° — exact decimals come from the in-game instrument, not from memorising tables. See the dedicated ballistics page for charge mismatch pitfalls.

When High Command updates the fix

Impact reports and new field traffic may shift the aim point — redraw yellow lines, move the target token, and re-run the red pencil. Range changes of even half a kilometre can change charge band and elevation.

Counter-battery and timed missions punish slow map work; build the habit of clearing old lines and clipboard entries before each new fix. Speed comes from repeating the same token → yellow → intersect → red sequence, not from skipping verification.

Shell choice still depends on target class — after range is set, check shell types if the teleprinter authorizes more than one round.

One verification pass that catches most errors

Before leaving the map table, read the spotter report aloud against your drawing: callsign → cell → bearing for each line. Then read clipboard range against a rough map estimate (14 km should not appear for a target visually next to your turret). Ten seconds there saves one wasted shell and a mission timer penalty.

If triangulation feels slow, drill in the demo Fire-and-Light missions or Chill sandbox — same grid, no counter-battery clock. The beginner guide covers the full loop if you need teleprinter context first.