Operation: Silent Fury, while an engaging game on its own, has several variations that allow for more flexible modes of play. The following variations are intended to accommodate different variables such as teams that are too large, a playing area that is too small, etc. To further enhance the play experience, different play styles can be combined, such as the Rescue & Recovery and Assassination varations, or the Traitor and Assassination variations. Additionally, a narrative may even be introduced to give the game another dimension of immersion.

TRIDENT
This variation allows for three teams of players to compete against each other. The rules are essentially the same as classic O:SF except now the extra team means that players have to attack and defend on two separate fronts.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - Two opposing armies are fighting over a contested planet/piece of land. Meanwhile, a single Special Forces unit is caught in the crossfire while returning from a classified mission.

                - Two bands of mercenaries are each trying to overrun a corporate/industrial facility located in a remote forest. The facility is defended by a paramilitary unit of corporate guards.

TRAITOR
This variation sees a traitor in the midst of each team. Before the game begins, each player is given an envelope which tells them their role. Only one is marked “traitor”. 

Both teams have a traitor who must attempt to sabotage their enemies’ efforts while remaining inconspicuous themselves. Each team must, along with capturing the flag, try to flush out the traitor in their midst. 

If the traitor is discovered, the team receives +10 Points and the traitor is sent away to rejoin their team. However, every incorrect accusation by the team costs them -5 Points. This forces the team to be absolutely sure of the traitor’s identity before exposing him/her. Players should hang on to their cards to verify their identity if accused.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - While peace talks are getting underway, which are hoped to bring an end to a long, bloody war of attrition, tensions and mistrust are still high as delegates are being brought to the table. Word has been received that one of the squad's soldiers may be a turncoat trying to sabotage the talks. Luckily, the squad has managed to send a spy of their own to infiltrate the other team in the hopes of uncovering the traitor's identity.

CHECKPOINT
This variation requires a bit of pre-planning. It involves a series of checkpoints that the teams must reach. At each checkpoint, the players will find a stamp with which to stamp their scorecards (confirmation of reaching the objective) and the location of the next checkpoint. Each checkpoint is worth + 5 Points.

The teams must race against each other to reach the final checkpoint where they will find the final stamp. The team that reaches the final checkpoint first, wins.

In the interests of sportsmanship and fair play, it is illegal for any team to remove or alter the stamps or directions to the next objective from a checkpoint, or to destroy an opposing team’s scorecards. Any team found doing so will be immediately disqualified.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - An experimental [spacecraft/aircraft] has been shot down over enemy territory. The pilot ejected safely and has returned to firendly lines, but the craft's flight data recorder is missing in hostile territory. The two opposing armies both want to get their hands on this valuable piece of intelligence and so follow the doomed aircraft's marker buoys to try and locate the recorder.

                - With the war dragging on longer than either side could have anticipated, supplies are starting to run low. An air drop has flown by overhead, parachuting crates of food, ammunition and other essentials. Unfortunately, anti-aircraft fire forced the pilot to drop the load early in order to get out of hostile airspace. The friendly troops must recover their supplies while at the same time, the enemy is trying to claim the crates for themselves.

RESCUE & RECOVERY
This variation involves two teams and one player acting alone. A single player is selected to be the Runner, a lone-wolf who’s only objective is to evade capture by enemy forces and return to friendly lines. The remaining players form two teams who are each assigned to find and recover the Runner. One team is allied with the Runner, trying to find and protect him/her while the other team tries to kill the Runner or capture and prevent him/her from reaching the allied team. 

If the allied team finds the Runner first, they must protect him/her from harm or capture for the rest of the duration of the exercise. During that time, the OpFor may try to kidnap or assassinate the Runner. If the OpFor finds the Runner first, they may kill him/her or keep him/her in custody for the rest of the exercise, depending on how long the exercise is designed to last. Of course, the allied team may attempt a rescue or a raid.

The team that has posession of the Runner when the exercise ends is declared the winner.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - An [aircraft/spacecraft] has been shot down over enemy territory and the pilot is presumed to still be behind enemy lines. A unit of Special Forces commandos is sent to retrieve the pilot, who is on the run from enemy soldiers hoping to capture and interrogate him.

                - A combatant has escaped from enemy custody and is hurriedly making his way back to his allies. However, the enemy is not going to make it easy for him, and are tracking his every move. His allies have been alerted to his escape and are moving to intercept and bring him home.

PURSUIT
This variation involves a living flag. Like the Rescue & Recovery variation, a Runner (the living flag) is selected and dropped off separately from the two teams and given a head start to hide. However, this time both teams are trying to find and capture the Runner. Each time a team captures the Runner and returns him/her to their base, they score points just like in classic O:SF. However, the Runner may attempt to escape or may be kidnapped by the OpFor during transfer.

It is important that nobody shoots the Runner. If the Runner is "killed," s/he is given a fifteen minute headstart to run off and hide again. The Runner is free to shoot at anybody on either team.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - A dangerous fugitive has escaped from a prison [convoy/shuttle] that had to make an emergency [stop/landing] on a remote [stretch of highway/planet] due to an ambush [at the side of the road/in orbit]. The guards have their hands full because while the [bus/shuttle] is being fixed, the band of mercenaries who attacked them have also [stopped/landed], hoping to capture the convict for a crime-lord who wants the con's head stuffed and mounted on his wall.

ASSASSINATION
This variation is designed for shorter gameplay. The objective is to assassinate the opposing team's captain (or other VIP), while protecting one's own. The captain only has one life (though s/he may be healed as many times as necessary), while all the other team members can be infinitely killed and respawned. The instant the captain dies, the game is over and the opposing team wins. If a team manages to kill only the captain without killing or injuring any of the opposing army, they receive +5 Points for every enemy they did not injure or kill. This makes precision and accuracy a crucial part of this gameplay variation.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - A group of soldiers is escorting a visiting VIP on a tour through the neutral zone that exists between two warring countries. However, due to a navigation SNAFU, they have wound up behind enemy lines. Not far behind, a squad of enemy soldiers sees the valuable target and sets a plan in motion to assassinate him. 

STEALTH
This variation is identical to classic O:SF except that players use only hand-to-hand combat and melee weapons to eliminate opponents. It requires stealth, patience and a lot of sneaking up on enemies to take them out from behind.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - A single unit of Special Forces soldiers has been assigned to infiltrate and destroy an enemy base under cover of darkness. They are restricted to melee kills only, as using firearms will alert the enemy to their presence. Heavily outgunned, the Special Forces must rely on stealth and cunning to win the day.

                - Two feuding clans of ninjas are having a contest to see which is the more skilled. They each try to kill as many of the other clan as possible and as silently as possible. (Yeah, okay, so this one's not so serious, but hey, that just means more fun! :P)

SABOTAGE
This variation sees both teams trying to infiltrate the OpFor's base and sabotage a piece of their equipment. Each team is assigned a relatively large object that is the target of sabotage. It can be something the team is already carrying, like their canoe or tent, or it can be a purpose-built prop. The sabotage is performed by somehow marking the object as destroyed, such as with a sticker, or by attaching a prop demolition charge to it. Once the OpFor's object has been successfully sabotaged, the exercise is over and the winner declared.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - An army is transporting an experimental weapon that may be used to devastating effect against the enemy. However, the enemy has learned of the weapon's true purpose and cannot afford to let it be used. Thus, they set about to destroy it.

                - An organized crime cartel is smuggling illegal goods (drugs, counterfeit money, weapons, prostitutes, whatever) across international borders. A rival cartel wants to ensure the goods never make it to sale, so they plot to destroy the shipment while it is still in transit.

TROPHY
This variation is a free-for-all match, meaning every player is on his/her own team. Each player carries five strips of cloth, representing trophies, that are attached to a belt with Velcro. Each player's trophies are unique and the object of the game is to collect as many trophies from all the players as possible while retaining one's own. Every time a player is "killed," their killer gets to take one of their trophies. Once all of a player's trophies are gone, they are eliminated from the game.

        NARRATIVE IDEAS:
                - In the future, a new breed of gameshow has taken over the airwaves: BloodSport! Heavily-armed gladiators go head-to-head against one another on live television, fighting in the name of entertainment. At the end of the battle, the last one standing lives to fight another day.