[Non-OTU] What does a forward base need ?

[rust]

Looking at my setting's star charts, I have just realized that the planet Alden
will be located right on the Solar Alliance's border with the realms of two alien
species, which will be discovered and contacted during the campaign - which
could make Alden a perfect location for an Alliance Patrol base.

The Alliance Patrol is a combination of navy, interstellar law enforcement, ex-
ploration service and search and rescue service. Its standard warships are
based upon the 800 dton Ares Dragon Class published by D. B. Gamedesign,
its law enforcement patrol craft are based upon the 100 dton Nemesis Class
published by Spica Publishing, and the exploration craft are standard Travel-
ler designs, so this is a "small ship universe".

All military ships use hyperdrives with a hyperspace speed of 2 parsec per day
and have fission reactor power plants with sufficient fuel for at least a year,
so refuelling will not be a problem. The distances to the nearest established
Alliance Patrol bases are ca. 45 parsec / 25 days, the distance to Terra is ca.
60 parsec / 30 days.

The future Alliance Patrol base on Alden will mainly be an exploration base,
but there will also be some low profile military capability - not enough to ma-
ke the newly contacted neighbours suspicious of the Alliance's motives, but
sufficient to "show the flag" if necessary.

I have both Mercenary and Scout, so I should have an idea what a forward
base on a Mars like desert world like Alden should look like, but it is a long
time since we played any kind of naval campaign, and therefore advice would
be most welcome.

Thank you.

 

[tbeard1999]

I have both Mercenary and Scout, so I should have an idea what a forward base on a Mars like desert world like Alden should look like, but it is a long
time since we played any kind of naval campaign, and therefore advice would
be most welcome.

Rudimentary and rugged air defense systems to chase off minor incursions. Perhaps mobile air defense systems (with the intention of adding more permanent systems later). If the system is patrolled, then minor maintenance and repair facilities for the patrol craft. Barracks for the personnel. Small office facilities for base administration. A vaporator/condenser system to provide potable water. Some kind of food production facility (unless food is bought from *nearby* colonists). Minor service facilities for small craft used at the base (ship's boats, air/rafts, helicopters, whatever). Airstrip for aircraft (if applicable). Landing field for starships, with minimal traffic control tower (with radar/ladar), high powered transmitters, landing beacons, etc. Small security contingent and barracks with vehicles if applicable. Concrete/Synthcrete mixer. Bulldozer. Dump truck. Tool shed. Machine shop. Crashed starship being cannibalized by base personnel. Old cargo containers converted into living quarters. Bar (or bars). Fuel tanks for non-atomic powered craft; coolant tanks for all craft (make it high quality alcohol to introduce a theft problem). Sewerage treatment equipment. Cafeteria. Infirmary. Chapel. Post exchange -- very modest inventory. Nuclear power plant. Solar backup power system. Storage tanks for pesticides (especially if the base operates a small farm for its food). Loaders, forklifts, etc., to unload ships. Paint sprayer. Oil tanks (for lubrication). Small post library (or maybe this is handled electronically. Satellite dishes. Brig. Fenced in vehicle yard. Armory. Bomb shelters. Buildings would be mostly of prefab standardized systems like Quonset huts or the like. Shooting range. Physical training facilities. Air conditioned quarters for 1/4 of the personnel (rotated regularly).

 

[rust]

Thank you very much indeed, this is exactly the kind of information I was
hoping for.

 

[bobo]

General purpose machine gun or equivalent Gauss weapon. Rapid fire weapons with relatively small weight and large ammo capacity is always useful.

TL 6 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/FN_MAG_trípode.JPG
TL 9 http://members.pcug.org.au/~davidjw/tavspecs/maint/combat/wpnsheet/lmg-10.pdf
TL 12 http://members.pcug.org.au/~davidjw/tavspecs/maint/combat/wpnsheet/gaus_lmg.pdf

 

[rust]

Yep, thank you.

 

[jappel]

Tbeard hit the biggies. To that I'd add a small orbital platform to serve a as a sensor station and transit point for ships that can't land. And while your ships only need to refuel every 6 months, they need to refuel sometime, and this forward base would seem a logical place to do so - otherwise it's a long haul back to your next regular base. Ditto for life support consumables, which tbeard touched on.

Oh, munitions. If your ships use missiles or other ammunition-consuming weapons, you'll need an ordnance depot.

A control tower! And maybe storm shelters, revetments or similar facilities for spacecraft caught on the ground - Mars-like implies the potential for big dust storms.

I've got a vision in my head of something like the forward PT boat "bases" in the Pacific in WWII, with an airfield instead of docks.

 

[rust]

Thank you, I put it on the list.

 

[ThunderChilde]

Close and distant sensor platforms, seed a couple into the trogan and spartan points. A larger than modest orbital facility, for cargo handling and nuclear fuel handling, has to be easier in zero gee. Some repair capacity for vessels too damaged to land. Aught to be a standard modular base with all of that for frontier duty already. Need enough to handle off planet deployment if a major dust storm hits the down port.

Perhaps a few orbital weapons platforms, missiles, point defense, maybe torpedoes. Ortillery maybe.

A hot courier on stanby in case of..........

 

[rust]

Thank you very much for the good ideas, but most of this stuff would have a
price tag that would be a bit too much for my setting's base.

 

[tbeard1999]

A forward base could also use a portable fusion generator. Probably a grav vehicle at higher TLs, a tracked vehicle at lower TLs.