I have Rebellion Sourcebook for MegaTraveller, which has a neat map on page 26 showing Impie fleet deployments for the year 1116. How often do folks reckon the numbered fleets are shifted around? Are fleets rotated through ongoing hotspots, for instance? How different would that map be in 1105?
Fleet deployment
- Thread starter jrients
- Start date
Greetings and salutations,
The campaign I had participated in several years ago, the TM (travel master) shifted the fleets only if it was vital to an upcoming campaign or to hold an important system, planet, resource, etc that the enemy was suspected to make an attack against at a near future date.
Of course, there were the show of force deployments. We used drones for that. Very effective until our enemies started figuring we were using drones. The first attack against our drones worked in our favor actually. We sent half the drones and half our fleet. The enemy thought we were all drones.
The map of 1105 was way different for us. Since we all had access to that map, the TM for this particular campaign made "adjustments" just to screw with us.
The campaign I had participated in several years ago, the TM (travel master) shifted the fleets only if it was vital to an upcoming campaign or to hold an important system, planet, resource, etc that the enemy was suspected to make an attack against at a near future date.
Of course, there were the show of force deployments. We used drones for that. Very effective until our enemies started figuring we were using drones. The first attack against our drones worked in our favor actually. We sent half the drones and half our fleet. The enemy thought we were all drones.
The map of 1105 was way different for us. Since we all had access to that map, the TM for this particular campaign made "adjustments" just to screw with us.
epicenter00
SOC-13
That map is interesting, but not particularly "realistic" even for 1116.
Consider:
* The Corridor Fleet is silly. They need that many ships just to patrol the Corridor? Exactly how powerful are these Vargr raiders that it requires vast armadas of TL15 battleships to patrol Corridor? And what about the other Vargr-facing sectors? The Vargr don't strike Deneb, Vland, Lishun, or Antares sectors? If the Corridor fleet's massive strength is needed just to stave off the Vargr, shouldn't those other undermanned sectors be overrun by Vargr?
* The Fifth Frontier War wasn't all that long ago. Considering the history of Imperial-Zhodani relations in the Spinward Marches, there would certainly be more fleets in the Marches. Indeed, I could more easily accept "doubled up" fleets here than in Corridor. Now, some of my players have pointed out in the past that the Corridor fleet is the Marches fleet, but the requirements of the armstice mandates fleet strengths in the Marches to a "non-threatening" level. So the Emperor just uses the context of Vargr raiding in Corridor to pay lip service to the armstice agreement but keeping a massive fleet close by. I'm not sure I buy this explanation.
* The Solomani Rim Fleet looks a little thin as well. The Rim War wasn't all that long ago by Imperial standards, yet there's only one subsector with a doubled fleet?
All that said, I would reduce the strength of the Corridor Fleet and move those fleets towards the Zhodani border and the Solomani border. Certainly in 1105, there would a larger number of fleets in the Marches.
Consider:
* The Corridor Fleet is silly. They need that many ships just to patrol the Corridor? Exactly how powerful are these Vargr raiders that it requires vast armadas of TL15 battleships to patrol Corridor? And what about the other Vargr-facing sectors? The Vargr don't strike Deneb, Vland, Lishun, or Antares sectors? If the Corridor fleet's massive strength is needed just to stave off the Vargr, shouldn't those other undermanned sectors be overrun by Vargr?
* The Fifth Frontier War wasn't all that long ago. Considering the history of Imperial-Zhodani relations in the Spinward Marches, there would certainly be more fleets in the Marches. Indeed, I could more easily accept "doubled up" fleets here than in Corridor. Now, some of my players have pointed out in the past that the Corridor fleet is the Marches fleet, but the requirements of the armstice mandates fleet strengths in the Marches to a "non-threatening" level. So the Emperor just uses the context of Vargr raiding in Corridor to pay lip service to the armstice agreement but keeping a massive fleet close by. I'm not sure I buy this explanation.
* The Solomani Rim Fleet looks a little thin as well. The Rim War wasn't all that long ago by Imperial standards, yet there's only one subsector with a doubled fleet?
All that said, I would reduce the strength of the Corridor Fleet and move those fleets towards the Zhodani border and the Solomani border. Certainly in 1105, there would a larger number of fleets in the Marches.
The Oz
SOC-14 1K
I have always figured that the numbered fleets pretty much stayed in their assigned subsectors, except for scheduled-long-in-advance fleet exercises.
During a war all bets are off, of course, but after the war I would still think that the numbered fleets would most likely return to their old stomping grounds.
Can't say I've really put much thought into it, though.
During a war all bets are off, of course, but after the war I would still think that the numbered fleets would most likely return to their old stomping grounds.
Can't say I've really put much thought into it, though.
Actually, I imagine that after a war there might be some very significant redeployments when the fleets head back to base. Many of the US Army divisions sent to Vietnam didn't return to their original bases (4th ID, for example, deployed from Ft. Lewis and redeployed back to Ft. Carson). I could see a similar dynamic in play with the fleets at the end of major hostilities.
Just my thoughts...
Possibly also redistributing the ships and 'rons to fill the border fleets first.
I suspect that the numbers would be kept tied to the subsectors, but individual ships and 'rons would be reassigned to different numbered fleets.... mostly due to vilani traditionalism.
I suspect that the numbers would be kept tied to the subsectors, but individual ships and 'rons would be reassigned to different numbered fleets.... mostly due to vilani traditionalism.
Ben W Bell
SOC-14 1K
I've always thought of Corridor as being the hold choke point against the Zhodani. If things get to their worst which areas do you want to be defending, all the Spinward Marches or the narrower confines of Corridor? Quite frankly if it gets bad enough the Imperium can afford to lose the Spinward Marches and hold the line in Corridor.
Think of it like the Swiss defenses. Switzerland is pretty much surrounded and filled with fixed defenses (they make great viewing oppurtunities while travelling around) but with an exception. Geneva. Geneva sits out on a spit all on its own and it connected to the main part of the country by a narrow corridor, just like the Spinward Marches. Now the Swiss military would most likely try to defend Geneva in event of an invasion from that side but they can quickly and easily fall back and completely cut the Geneva area off from the rest of it and defend that area much easier. I view it as the same principal.
An excellent point. Casualties in the border fleets would probably be replaced by transfering ships and squadrons from other numbered fleets before they returned home (with the transfered ships replaced through new consturction in the future). I think it is also possible that some numbered fleets might get new home bases after a war depending on how the actually war ended. If it were a clear victory for the Imperium, then probably not many changes, but if the war was a stalemate, then I would think you might see many fleet home ports moved a few jumps closer to the border in question.
It has explicitly been stated that the Corridor fleet is the strategic reserve for the Spinward Marches. It hasn't been explained why they're there instead of in the Marches. My own theory is that logistics precludes stationing too many ships too far from their support base. So everything that is stationed beyond Corridor is maintained from beyond Corridor, whereas the Corridor Fleet is partly maintained from further coreward. Stationing them further out would cost more than the Imperium wants to pay.
Beyond that, keep in mind that one fleet doesn't have to be identical to another fleet. For instance, some or all of the four extra fleet in Corridor could be composed exclusively of jump-4 ships. Some of the fleets in Deneb (those bordering the Great Rift) could be skeleton organizations while some of those next to the Zhodani border could be oversized.
Hans
I would imagine that most of the big ships, don't travel around much, except for displaying the Imperial flag sort of public relations bit, much like most battleships or ship's of the line, from 1800 on. These ships would pretty much stay in port (orbit in a specific system), with constant make-work, battle drills and of course various competitions like small boat crews, boxing matches, gunnery competitions, etc.. After all, if you are sending a communication to a fleet, you have to know where to send it and since the Imperium is much like the 1800's navy's with captains having a broad power because of lack of communications from home, so you keep them where you can find them. Of course the enemy also knows where you are but then the same is true for them as well, you pretty much know where their big ships are.
Now the little ships, cruisers and destroyers, they are often moving around, within their assigned area of patrol. The Navy would probably jump a small destroyer or cruiser squadron into each solar system in the sector for a irregular stay, if they even let the system know they are there. A good way to find pirates, illegal trade or the like. I would probably increase a fleet's size to double or triple the number of smaller ships that it would normally have.
I would also have a fleet arm that would move around a lot, i.e. yearly. They would jump into an area, often in a minimal system, watching the trade and being where they could be easily summoned in case of need, often by having couriers in the surrounding systems that they could reach in 1-2 jump-4.
Of course, the closer to Home World you got, the older, bigger the ships would be and the admirals and such a lot more political, as much as you allow in your game.
Now the little ships, cruisers and destroyers, they are often moving around, within their assigned area of patrol. The Navy would probably jump a small destroyer or cruiser squadron into each solar system in the sector for a irregular stay, if they even let the system know they are there. A good way to find pirates, illegal trade or the like. I would probably increase a fleet's size to double or triple the number of smaller ships that it would normally have.
I would also have a fleet arm that would move around a lot, i.e. yearly. They would jump into an area, often in a minimal system, watching the trade and being where they could be easily summoned in case of need, often by having couriers in the surrounding systems that they could reach in 1-2 jump-4.
Of course, the closer to Home World you got, the older, bigger the ships would be and the admirals and such a lot more political, as much as you allow in your game.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
The Oz
SOC-14 1K
That might depend on who owns the smaller patrol ships (like the CT 'Type T' corvette). If the IN owns them a "Space Swap" might be a good way to get more deployment time out of fewer ships. If they are locally owned (subsector or planetary navy) I'm not so sure they'd do that, although they still might.
Of course, with enough crew in the 'frozen watch' you could do "Space Swap" without having to move any people back and forth!
The real trouble with any kind of crew-swapping is that the ship itself doesn't get the kind of rest and repair that it would get if the ship had to come home to a major naval base every so often.
Most Type T's IMTU will be multi-crewed...
Sometimes 2, sometimes 3. 100 Td "Crew Liners" can service them easily enough...
(HGish design)
100Td hull
__4Td PP2
__3Td MD2
__3Td Jd 2
_20Td JFuel
__2Td PPFuel
_20Td Bridge
__1Td 1BIS Computer
__1Td Turret
_44Td 11 SR
__2Td Cargo
Operating double occupancy, this beastie can carry 100 person weeks of life support recharges (50/Td, IIRC) and 22 crewmen; enough for her own crew of two (Pilot/Nav, Engineer/Steward)and 19 passengers; this will replenish 2 Type T's.
The Crews of the T's go out for 4 weeks on station, plus 2 weeks travel (one each way), plus two weeks training and liberty dirtside... The Crewliner rotates between two sets of two Type T's.
A non-jump version adds another 5 SR, +1G (total 3), and 1 ton cargo. It can carry three crews... for in-system on-station swaps. Schedule is not much better.
Sometimes 2, sometimes 3. 100 Td "Crew Liners" can service them easily enough...
(HGish design)
100Td hull
__4Td PP2
__3Td MD2
__3Td Jd 2
_20Td JFuel
__2Td PPFuel
_20Td Bridge
__1Td 1BIS Computer
__1Td Turret
_44Td 11 SR
__2Td Cargo
Operating double occupancy, this beastie can carry 100 person weeks of life support recharges (50/Td, IIRC) and 22 crewmen; enough for her own crew of two (Pilot/Nav, Engineer/Steward)and 19 passengers; this will replenish 2 Type T's.
The Crews of the T's go out for 4 weeks on station, plus 2 weeks travel (one each way), plus two weeks training and liberty dirtside... The Crewliner rotates between two sets of two Type T's.
A non-jump version adds another 5 SR, +1G (total 3), and 1 ton cargo. It can carry three crews... for in-system on-station swaps. Schedule is not much better.
