True. But I see multiple ways to handle that from a narrative standpoint. Either the situation can be so fraught that a group action isn’t even possible without someone successfully commanding everyone (so you rule that is how it is a set-up roll), or it totally counts as a set-up roll for the action and that’s no big deal because so what? It can still cause problems when their luck turns and it’s a 1-3 or 4/5.
But the book doesn’t say Marshal rolls are automatically set-up actions, it just says they work well with them. How a table decides to interpret this and when Marshal applies to set-up rolls is left open-ended.
There’s also the question of Position and Effect for these rolls…group rolls are great, unless you’re looking at Limited or No Effect, and more than one person has to burn Stress in order to improve that.
Remember the example in the book where a Heavy and the Ember Wolves are facing off against the Chimera? Despite acting together, just because the Heavy matched its Threat level, didn’t mean the group was able to, so it didn’t count. The same should apply to potency, position, and so forth in a group: the table could rule that if everyone in on the action doesn’t have a particular benefit/bonus, that benefit/bonus is not applied to the roll.
This would mean if you’re acting with a Rookie squad, you’re always going to be Threat 1, you won’t have potency, and the group’s effect level or position can’t be bumped by a Push, and might even be lower. At least not without other factors specifically affecting the squad. Significantly reducing the boom of even 10d group actions. (Imagine a group acting to bandage the wounded: if no one has medical training, it starts at No effect, or perhaps at Limited if led by the Doctor.)
So, in the case of using Marshal, you have to effectively marshal the squad not just to act, but to bring up their effect, and then also burn Stress yourself afterwards to Push for better effect for your own roll, if you want the improved effect from the set-up. Maybe the other Specialist can get away with not doing it, or maybe they have to as well.
Of course one could always just let them shine at group rolls…but inject more single-person events into play that just aren’t do-able as group actions. And if they fail at these, don’t forget to apply their Harm penalties when attempting future group actions. (Including: “Does it bring everyone’s effect level down? Does it put everyone in a worse position because they have to cover for you?”)
I agree, though, @A_B, group actions can be a pain to adjudicate, and avoiding group-action success-creep shouldn’t be quite this problematic in basic play.