Comstar military in 3025?

[Lord Kai]

Getting back into the game after a long absence and starting in 3025. 

Question on Comstar and the Com Guards.  Good summary on the Com Guards from Sarna.net noting their first covert action in 2979 against the Taurians.  Looking much later in history, Comstar is negotiating with the Houses to allow their own Mechs to guard HPG stations around 3035+.

But what is Comstar using to defend their HPG stations "publicly" until 3035?  Infantry and Armor?  or are they hiring Mercenaries with Mech units - just in case someone dares to come after a facility?

[YingJanshi]

Infantry and some vehicles. 3025 is just a few years before they're forced to reveal the ComGuard 'Mech regiments.

Before the FedCom forced their hand (and also before the use of Black Boxes lessened the damage from a full interdiction), ComStar relied exclusively on their "neutrality" and the threat of a realm-wide interdiction to keep their compounds safe. (Except for pirates no one else was foolish enough to risk it.)

Also it was only with the rise of Myndo Waterly that ComStar started taking a more active role in the Inner Sphere.

[Frabby]

ComStar had virtually universal reach. You simply didn't mess with ComStar because that would mark you a criminal and virtually everybody throughout the Inner Sphere would seek to collect the bounty on your head.
As such, they didn't need guards as nobody dared to overtly attack them (isolated pirate incidents nonwithstanding... cough Jolly Roger cough).

Also, the worlds with ComStar facilities on them would provide security.

In Ronin!, ComStar is shown to have one rifle platoon of guards on hand to guard their perimeter. But Ronin! is apocryphal and its canonical retelling in Brush Wars doesn't explicitly mention those ComStar guards.

[glitterboy2098]

presumably they also hired mercenaries for those worlds where they wouldn't always be able to count on the successor state to ensure the protection of the sites. the Comguard were trained in part by mercenaries, IIRC, so you'd expect that Comstar highering mercs would raise eyebrows unless they were using mercs for other things as well.

[Maelwys]

TRs 3026 and 3039 have the Pike being bought by ComStar and deployed to Periphery HPGs to protect them from bandits.

So out in the boondocks where the HPGs face a threat, you're looking at armor an infantry, perhaps even mechs if the threat is big enough. Inside the Inner Sphere I'd expect some infantry with maybe some armor (minimal amount), and that on planets where things are tense, or you might need some PR or something.

And probably alot of places where you wouldn't see much, relying on neutrality.

[phoenixalpha]

Probably Acolytes with sidearms & rifles on the doors on most planets, unless its a troubled situation then they might break out a few armoured vehicles at best in case of trouble but they'd be very very light - maybe APCs at most. On certain less developed worlds outwith the IS where there is a lot less publicity maybe a company of armour to see off any raiders or pirates. In special situations where deniability is key, a false flag unit or two of mechs. I think I remember the original House books saying that ComStar had performed a lot of anti pirate patrols in areas well outwith the IS so maybe a dropship or two of mechs & asf but they would be "mercenaries" hired at ComStar's benevolence.

In saying that they had several armies worth of mechs, vehicles and asf on Terra and their pilots were constantly practicing - so they'd be half way decent if deployed.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The financial and political might of ComStar is enough to protect their compounds during the Succession Wars.  Inside the inner sphere, whatever on-world garrison would also logically defend the HPG compound as a vital strategic planetary asset in the event of a pirate raid.  And in the event of a House-backed action, noone would mess with ComStar for fear of what they could do elsewhere in response.  The TRO:3026 fluff for the Pike describes that ComStar was the only major power to invest in the new tank, but it describes posting such tanks in the periphery.  Needing some of their own security on hand in the rough and tumble part of the universe doesn't contradict this, and indirectly even supports it.

As for the bulk of their compounds (inside the Inner Sphere), ComStar surely had ROM for security and defense.  Possibly even fixed defenses like walls and turrets if relations with the local garrison didn't guarantee military protection from pirates.  Literally no need for ComGuards to be posted outside of Terra at this point, with or without 'Mechs.  Again, excepting the rare Periphery cases like described in the Pike fluff.

[Lord Kai]

Thank you for the input and that part about the Pike tank.  I didn't imagine that Comstar was a totally pacifist society (neutral yes, but armed just in case).

And I like the idea of the fixed defenses like gun turrets to boost defenses.  Having the planetary garrison help with defense is good thought as well.  In this era, Mech fights aren't really supposed to move into cities anyway but it happens.

Just trying to prepare for my Player Characters.  PC's tend to bend the rules and while they might not overtly attack a facility with Mechs they might try to hack for information or learn more of Comstar's secrets.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Just trying to prepare for my Player Characters.  PC's tend to bend the rules and while they might not overtly attack a facility with Mechs they might try to hack for information or learn more of Comstar's secrets.

Messing with ComStar should be about the scariest thing the PCs can contemplate.  ROM is unquestionably the best spy agency in the Inner Sphere and the rest of ComStar is a political entity that plays with House Lords like pawns.  If you're the GM, ComStar is your ultimate bad guy.  You can certainly make ComStar's copious shenanigans part of your campaign, but don't make ComStar a pushover.  Going up against them is like a D&D party going up against Asmodeus.  Give it the respect and threat level it deserves :)

[glitterboy2098]

Thank you for the input and that part about the Pike tank.  I didn't imagine that Comstar was a totally pacifist society (neutral yes, but armed just in case).

And I like the idea of the fixed defenses like gun turrets to boost defenses.  Having the planetary garrison help with defense is good thought as well.  In this era, Mech fights aren't really supposed to move into cities anyway but it happens.

Just trying to prepare for my Player Characters.  PC's tend to bend the rules and while they might not overtly attack a facility with Mechs they might try to hack for information or learn more of Comstar's secrets.

HPG sites wouldn't always be in cities though. Comstar offices would be obviously, but the HPG's themselves very likely would be located outside city limits, since they do involve powerful EM fields and such.

[YingJanshi]

Thank you for the input and that part about the Pike tank.  I didn't imagine that Comstar was a totally pacifist society (neutral yes, but armed just in case).

And I like the idea of the fixed defenses like gun turrets to boost defenses.  Having the planetary garrison help with defense is good thought as well.  In this era, Mech fights aren't really supposed to move into cities anyway but it happens.

Just trying to prepare for my Player Characters.  PC's tend to bend the rules and while they might not overtly attack a facility with Mechs they might try to hack for information or learn more of Comstar's secrets.

If your players are Mercs, remind them that in the 3020s ComStar controls the Merc trade. They do NOT want to be blacklisted by ComStar. (Unless they want to become periphery pirates...)

[Tai Dai Cultist]

If your players are Mercs, remind them that in the 3020s ComStar controls the Merc trade. They do NOT want to be blacklisted by ComStar. (Unless they want to become periphery pirates...)

Not just the merc trade and not just the 3020s.  But yeah absolutely, in 3025 getting blacklisted by ComStar is very much as bad as getting excommunicated in the 12th-13th century.  You're just done.  Doesn't matter who you are- merc, captain of industry, or even a House Lord.

[phoenixalpha]

Just think on the PC's being involved in a small bit of mischief against ComStar.... suddenly all your messages go astray, transit communications for dropships are missed leaving you stranded (in space, on the dropship pad), deliveries suddenly never arrive.... that's just the smallest bit of hassle C* could cause.

[worktroll]

Think of every local noble, local militia, or wannabe do-gooder deciding that the bounty on the PCs is just too tempting ...

[phoenixalpha]

Even if they didn't annoy or go again ComStar as a whole, even if it was a local Adept at the local HPG they could get so much hassle.

[Hellraiser]

Personally I like to think of all HPG stations in every timeline as being like an Embassy to that planet.

And every Embassy has its own group of CIA Operatives & Marines (IE... ROM & Infantry) to guard it.

Generic Defenses besides a Wall & Gate would be.
A single Level-1 of 36 Foot Infantry.
A single squad of ROM operatives.
A single Heavy Hover APC to move that infantry & operatives & important personnel around in times of emergency in a non Civilian vehicle.