What does the soldier role mean in Gamma World?

Question

I will be playing Gamma World (the 4e version) for the first time soon - and I'll be the GM. I'm pretty comfortable with it, but I have one question:

What's a soldier, when speaking about monster roles? The book outlines what lurkers, brutes, etc., mean and do. But it never seems to explain soldiers. Then Porkers are described as soldiers (at least - maybe some others are, but my PCs are going to be level 1, so...Porkers are important).

I don't play D&D, so please don't assume I understand 4e terms.

Answer 1

Soldiers are monsters that fit the slot commonly referred to as "meat shields" in tabletop, or "tanks" in MMOs and the like. That is, they're a front line that can survive a lot of damage.

Soldiers typically have higher defences than other monsters, and sometimes special abilities that encourage players to attack the soldier first, leaving your lurkers and artillery free to dish out the damage. Soldiers are melee-focussed, and usually have weak or no ranged attacks, in keeping with their task of holding the front line.

Soldiers don't necessarily do a lot of damage (that's what brutes are for), but they can handle a lot.