SHIVVA class Patrol Frigate

[BetterThanLife]

A Platoon+ of TL14-15 troops with mobility, (Cutters and/or G-Carriers instead of ATVs) can doo all sorts of stuff to a TL 10 poorly equipped insurgency. You can't stand up to them directly and be everywhere at once but you can do some serious damage in hit and run raids. Now against a Mech BN that is another problem.

I figured the Player's ship was one of several units hired.

It also mentions landing the Broadsword, which is only partially streamlined.

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
Bhoins mused:

"But again in Adventure 7 the Strike Cruiser was Jump-1.

Makes for a good laugh as to why and how it was sent given how hard it would be to get it there."


Mr. Bhoins,

Yup, CT is chock-a-block full of whoppers if you know where to look for them!

Back the last time I ran A:7 (and dinosaurs roamed the Earth) one of the PCs had several similar questions. I frantically handwaved away stating that the so-called strike cruiser was really an obsolescent Zho vessel tasked to raid Garda-Vilis on the off chance that the TLF and Sword Worlds could actually achieve what they were boasting about. The Zhos dispatched a small force that wouldn't divert too many assets from higher priorities.

The cruiser had reached G-V after a 'lift' from a battletender; IMTU navies routinely shift starships with low jump ratings via battletenders. MTU navies also use battletenders to 'boost' commerce raiders. The tenders carry raiders during their initial penetration of enemy space, in this manner the raiders can begin 5 parsecs or so closer to their deployment areas before using any of the jump fuel carried aboard.

The questions I wasn't able to handwave away had to do with how a platoon of troops aboard an 800dTon vessel could really effect a planet-wide insurgency!


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[Whipsnade]

Bhoins wrote:

"A Platoon+ of TL14-15 troops with mobility, (Cutters and/or G-Carriers instead of ATVs) can doo all sorts of stuff to a TL 10 poorly equipped insurgency."


Mr. Bhoins,

Oddly enough, I saw it as the other way 'round - a reinforced platoon of TL14/15 troops would be hard pressed to do anything again a planet-wide insurgency no matter what the tech level.

"You can't stand up to them directly and be everywhere at once but you can do some serious damage in hit and run raids."

If you're insurgents, you usually don't go toe-to-toe with any forces at any time. The other side appears, you melt into the populace. The other side moves on, you reappear. Read Mao sometime. You're fish in the ocean and, if you handle things correctly, the other side won't be able to net you. The mercs will be hard pressed to even find you - one large platoon patrolling a planet?!?

"Now against a Mech BN that is another problem."

Oh yes! That's a target the mercs can find AND hit!

"I figured the Player's ship was one of several units hired."

That fits very neatly. The PCs could be the only merc unit with a ship and not just the only merc unit. A:8 mentions that all local troops had been disarmed due to questions about their loyalty. Vilis could have brought in various dirtside merc outfits to take the place of those suspect local troops.

"It also mentions landing the Broadsword, which is only partially streamlined."

Yup. (shudder) It's still bandied about during the interminable 'What does streamlining really mean?' threads on the TML and at 'ct-starships'. IMTU, you can take nearly any ship into an atmosphere IF you're willing to go slowly enough. The ship might not be able to maneuver well, might prove 'tippy', and might take tens of hours to reach the surface. Once there, the ship may not even be able to be grounded! Things like hull shape, stresses, orientation, and so forth could prevent a vessel from actually landing. I figured the Broadsword could land, but only after a very long and very persnickety descent during which it is hideously vunerable. YMMV.


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[BetterThanLife]

I look at it from a slightly different view. Project Phoenix, before the politicians stopped it, worked. You do need good intelligence. (Having served in Military Intelligence for 9 years I do have some ideas on how this end works.) But you can strike the command centers, communication centers and supply points with lightning raids. You aren't going to be going after Joe Farmer who has a rifle you are going after the brains that supplied Joe Farmer with the rifle and stop Joe from getting ammo. You won't stop an insurgency this way but you can certainly slow it down and make others think twice. I was always under the impression that the best way to deal with terrorists was to go after the planners, the guys that give the orders the guys that do the training, etc. If your intelligence is good and in the middle of the enemy camp in the middle of the night someone puts two silenced rounds into the boss and leaves everything else alone that sends a hell of a message. Or the Sniper round as the boss takes his morning piss with two body guards standing right there. That tells the insurgents or the terrorist that, we knowwhere you are, we can take you any time we want and you don't want to be the boss.

It is probably the only way to effectively deal with a general insurgency.

Now when you are dealing with a Mech Batalion you have a whole different set of problems. You are grossly outnumbered by a unit that has training, support, serious leadership and real weapons. Killing Armor requires specialized systems and is dangerous to your transport. It is possible but a different animal. And one that definitely is going to bite you. You are more likely to take loses and you give up your biggest advantage, they are as mobile as you are. ANd they have artillery support, which if you can't use the guns of the Cruiser you don't have.

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
Bhoins wrote:

"A Platoon+ of TL14-15 troops with mobility, (Cutters and/or G-Carriers instead of ATVs) can doo all sorts of stuff to a TL 10 poorly equipped insurgency."


Mr. Bhoins,

Oddly enough, I saw it as the other way 'round - a reinforced platoon of TL14/15 troops would be hard pressed to do anything again a planet-wide insurgency no matter what the tech level.

"You can't stand up to them directly and be everywhere at once but you can do some serious damage in hit and run raids."

If you're insurgents, you usually don't go toe-to-toe with any forces at any time. The other side appears, you melt into the populace. The other side moves on, you reappear. Read Mao sometime. You're fish in the ocean and, if you handle things correctly, the other side won't be able to net you. The mercs will be hard pressed to even find you - one large platoon patrolling a planet?!?

"Now against a Mech BN that is another problem."

Oh yes! That's a target the mercs can find AND hit!

 

[Easterner9504]

Dead Thread

Found this lying about.

In addition to Phoenix, the US had Allies in 'Nam Austrailan SAS and S. Koreans. Neither were hamstrung like the US that hunkered down if firebases conceding the night to the Cong. These two went out at night and kicked Charlie regularly at his own game.

Do not underestimate the capabilities of 5TL. Think a platoon of Mech Inf from Grrece could hold Thermopylae Pass better than 300 TL2 Spartan's? How about platoon from 101stAB vs TL 3 Cav horde i.e. Turks, Mongols?

So the TL15 are virtually invulnerable to any weapon in the TL10 arsenal. So after reducing some guerrilla bands to ash the insurgents head home, lie low like fish in the sea.

In comes TL15 troopers who round up everyone in town. An officer scans each person's hands. He pulls several out of the line. Asks each if they own a gun, if yes they get them. Fires gun and scans. One guy gets his shotgun back and sent back. The others though all have Unique weapons, but Hogsdon and Accurate under your skin. These folks then PGMP'd into ash. So where do you hide from bio-sniffers. chem-sniffers and densitometers? They'll detect groups in the country, they'll round up in cities, they'll find and overwhelm any bands while rooting out individuals. Only size of problem a limitation.