Glenmora Planetary Militia, Post-4th SW

[Daryk]

Inspired by Cannonshop's Dirtbag Militia concept and with advice from our resident artillery expert, I'd like to present my take on how the Federated Commonwealth would have rebuilt the Glenmora Planetary Militia after the 4th Succession War.

Glenmora was sorely abused in the 4th Succession War.  Defended by Wolf's Dragoon's Alpha Regiment, the planet drew the attention of both the 5th and 16th Galedon Regulars.  The capital, Tronka, saw heavy fighting.  While the Kuritan's were focused on the Dragoons, the city took heavy damage despite the intervention of the 10th Deneb Light Cavalry.  Sources conflict about the status of Glenmora immediately following the war, but it was certainly back in FedCom hands by 3039.  No officially documented fighting took place on Glenmora during the War of 3039, but there's more than enough room for a Kuritan unit otherwise left out of the fighting to seek glory hitting a FedCom staging area.  One would like to think the phoenix that rose from the ashes of the 4th Succession War could account for any such action going unreported.

For the core of the militia, I focused on "properly" mechanized infantry, i.e., foot infantry embarked in combat vehicles.  The Goblin has several variants that complement one another very well, and I believe I was able to trace sufficiently plausible supply chains for Johnston Industries to supply them all to Glenmora (detailed at the bottom of this post).  To the three canon variants, I added two custom designs: one a hybrid with the Hetzer to provide the AC/20 tracks vice wheels, and the other a Thumper carrier based on the first that both has tracks and is a light vice heavy vehicle (both are detailed in this thread, along with some early notes on this idea).

For infantry costs, I didn't see any anything in TacOps that accounts for the cost of faction armor kits, so I added the difference between the FedCom armor kit and the Generic armor kit (710 C-Bills, to be exact) per trooper.  Since that's less than 20,000 C-Bills overall, I didn't think it was beyond the pale.

The building block of the militia's mechanized infantry is the combined arms company, formed from one lance of Goblin variants with two platoons of infantry embarked:

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Line Company:
  Machine Gun Variant Goblin with 5 Squads embarked (I'm going with this version of the variant putting 4 MGs in the turret with the SRM-6 to maximize hull commonality as much as possible)
  SRM Variant Goblin with 1 Squad embarked
  LRM Variant Goblin with 1 Squad embarked
  AC/20 Variant Goblin (hereafter "Hobgoblin") with 1 Squad embarked

Vehicle Costs:
  LRM Goblin:   717,750
  SRM Goblin:   775,750
  MG Goblin:   576,375
  Hobgoblin:   913,500
  Total:        2,983,375

Infantry Platoons:
  4 Squads of Foot Infantry, 7 Troopers per Squad
    5 Auto Rifles with Recoil Compensation, 2 Intek Laser Rifles, all with the FedCom Infantry Armor Kit for a damage divisor of 2.
    Furthermore, each squad leader has a Vibro Blade in place of the standard issue knife, and every trooper has a load bearing pack.
    The militia uses Squad Deployment rules from TacOps.  Each squad does 3 points of damage at 3/6/9 range thanks to the Intek Laser Rifles.

Infantry Platoon Cost:
  20 Auto Rifles with Recoil Compensation: 2000 x sqrt(88) = 365,233
   8 Intek Laser Rifles: 2000 x sqrt(1,250) =                565,885
  28 FedCom Armor Kits at 710 each:                           19,880
  28 Load Bearing Packs at 100 each:                           2,800
   4 Vibro Blades at 100 each:                                   400
     Total:                                                  954,850 per platoon

Total per company:                                         4,893,075
To form a mechanized infantry battalion, take three of the above companies and add a fourth with an extra command vehicle.  The command vehicle is simply an MG Variant Goblin with three tons of Communications Equipment (which, with the one ton equivalent of the Goblin itself yields four tons total for game effects, including the ability to leverage any satellites left in orbit by attackers).  The other two tons of cargo space would be occupied by the Battalion Staff.  For cost purposes, they're two squads or half a platoon.  Battalion costs:

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Command Vehicle:
  MG Variant Goblin:                                                   576,375
  3 tons Communications Equipment: 30,000 x 1.45 final multiplier =     43,500
  Total for Vehicle:                                                   619,875

Battalion Staff: 0.5 x 954,850 =                                       477,425

Total for Battalion Command Vehicle/Staff:                           1,097,300

4 Line Companies:                                                   19,572,300
Total for Battalion:                                                20,669,600 (for a total of 17 vehicles and 8 infantry platoons, plus staff)
I'm still hammering out the other units that make up the Militia, but there will be at least one Artillery Battery as outlined below.  The battery employs a Goblin variant Thumper carrier based on the Hobgoblin chassis (called the Bugbear), and MG variants hauling extra ammunition for them.  The ammo carriers embark a squad of regular infantry, but also a seven member tech team with two organic exoskeletons to facilitate loading operations. For local security, each section includes an LRM Goblin with an embarked infantry squad.  With two Bubgears per section, this means each section has a full infantry platoon for security and logistics.  The battery command lance consists of an HQ vehicle as outlined above (though the battery staff is only one squad, the other embarked squad is part of the security platoon), plus three Ferrets with embarked infantry for spotting/screening and logistics support (leaving their embarked infantry with the battery, one Ferret can sling six tons of ammo at 7 movement).  All told, a battery has 13 Goblin variants (6 Thumpers, 3 LRM, 3 MG/Ammo Carrier, 1 HQ), 3 Ferrets, 4 infantry platoons, and 3 tech teams with 6 exoskeletons:

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Battery HQ:
  HQ Vehicle:                                                         619,875
  Battery Staff:                                                      238,712.5
  Security Platoon:                                                   954,850
  3 Ferrets:                                                          147,294
  HQ Sub Total:                                                     1,960,731.5

Battery Sections (3):
  2 Bugbears at 685,125 each:                                       1,370,250
  LRM Goblin:                                                         717,750
  MG Variant Ammo Carrier:                                            576,375
  Tech Team (armed as an infantry squad):                             238,712.5
  Infantry Platoon:                                                   954,850
  Two Industrial Exoskeletons:                                        404,000
    Chassis:                                       50,000 each
    Cargo Lifters (4 total, 1 ton lift capacity):   2,000 per unit
    Training Cost:                                150,000 each

  Sub-Total per Section:                                            4,261,937.5

  Battery Total (3 Sections + HQ):                                 14,746,544
I'm still considering other formations for inclusion, but I'm already over 35,000,000 C-Bills.  Possibilities include: a Tank Battalion (2 actual tank companies, plus a HQ company including infantry), a Maneuver Battalion (the hover version of the above, using Maxims, Saracens, and Saladins), an Air Assault Battalion (using Karnovs, Ferrets, Warriors, and Jump Infantry), and a mixed Regimental Command unit with various intelligence and reconnaissance units.

Production Logistics:
Johnston Industries makes the Goblin and a number of other designs at several facilities throughout the Federated Commonwealth.  Most importantly, they have a facility on Benet III, one jump from Glenmora.  While they don't make LRM-10s and SRM-6s themselves, the Valiant factory on Robinson (only two jumps away) does.  Details are below, drawn from Sarna.

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Johnston Industries on Addicks makes Goblins (several jumps toward Terra from Benet III)
Johnston Industries on New Syrtis (in the Capellan March) makes AC/20s and Goblins, and is thus the logical source for Hobgoblins
Johnston Industries has a facility on Benet III (which doesn't make Goblins, but could assemble variants with hulls from Addicks)
Valiant Systems on Robinson makes LRM-10s and SRM-6s (as mentioned above)
Defiance Industries on Hesperus II makes Thumpers, which could be imported to New Syrtis to make Bugbears from Hobgoblin hulls


[Daryk]

After some more thought, I think the Militia will go with two Mechanized Infantry Battalions and two Artillery Batteries.  Combining the Tank Battalion idea with the Maneuver Battalion yields a unit with two hover tank companies, a hover mechanized infantry company, and a command vehicle.

Conveniently enough, an LRM-5 costs exactly what three tons of communications equipment costs, and weighs the same as a battalion staff, so a "Command" Maxim simply removes the rear facing LRM-5 and adds three tons of comms gear for zero net cost.

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Hover Battalion
Hover Tank Companies (2)
  9 Saracen Hover Tanks                       5,986,125
  3 Saladin Hover Tanks                       2,581,875
  Subtotal per Company                        8,568,000

Hover Mechanized Infantry Company (1)
  Maxim (2)                                   2,300,000
  Saracen                                       665,125
  Saladin                                       860,625
  Infantry Platoons (2)                       1,909,700
  Company Subtotal                            5,735,450

Command Vehicle
  Maxim                                       1,150,000
  Battalion Staff (2 Squads)                    477,425
  Command Subtotal                            1,627,425

Battalion Total Cost
  2 Hover Tank Companies                     17,136,000
  1 Hover Mechanized Infantry Company         5,735,450
  1 Battalion HQ Vehicle and staff            1,627,425

Total Battalion Cost                         24,498,875 for 29 vehicles and two platoons of infantry plus staff

Militia Total Cost
  2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions           41,339,200
  1 Hover Battalion                          24,498,875
  2 Artillery Batteries                      29,493,088
Total Cost (so far)                          95,331,163
If I go with a nice round 100M for equipping the Militia, this leaves the question of what kind of Regimental Command element can squeeze in under 5M C-bills.  If that's not a limit, a Mechanized Infantry Company would be a solid security element, and leaves open the possibility of rounding out the artillery to a full battalion.

[snakespinner]

For a Regimental command element you would need variety.
An AA lance, close defence elements (infantry), and a bit of firepower just in case, a lance of tanks.
Goblins could substitute for the tanks. O0

[Daryk]

Thanks for the feedback!

I was trying to fit either Davion Condors or AC/2 Bulldogs into it for the AA aspect, but they're just too expensive.  What fits cash-wise is something that would blend into the Mechanized Infantry formations:

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Regimental Command Element
LRM Goblin   717,750
SRM Goblin   775,750
MG Goblin   576,375
Security Platoon   954,850 (split between the Goblins)
HQ Goblin   617,875
Additional Communications  43,500 (3 more tons for 7 tons equivalent, removes the infantry bay and ammo to make room)
Staff   954,850 (4 squads worth, all in the MG Goblin for transport)
Total         4,640,950
That would leave 27,887 out of a nice round 100,000,000 for combat elements.  Support forces are a whole other ball of snakes.

If I bust the 100M limit, another Artillery Battery, a full security company for Regimental Command and an Air Assault formation are all on the table.

[Daryk]

OK, upping the limit to 150,000,000, I can fit a third Artillery Battery, an Air Assault Battalion (detailed below), a full company (12) of AC/2 Bulldogs for air defense, and have enough left for an additional foot platoon with a Ferret and Jeep for scout duties.  All told, the Militia comes out to roughly six Battalions of combat troops.

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Air Assault Battalion

Command Element
Karnov w/   550,000
 6 tons of Communications 120,000 (7 tons equivalent)
Karnov - 6 Squads   550,000 (4 Security, 2 Staff)
Ferret - 1 Squad    49,098 (Staff)
Ferret - 1 Squad    49,098 (Staff)
Warrior   488,750
2 Foot Platoons 1,909,700 (1 Security, 1 Staff)
Total 3,716,646

Jump Company
Karnov - 32 jump troopers 550,000
Ferret - 5 jump troopers   49,098
Ferret - 5 jump troopers   49,098
Warrior   488,750
2 Jump Platoons 4,289,574
Total 5,426,520

Foot Company (2)
Karnov - 6 Squads   550,000
Ferret - 1 Squad    49,098
Ferret - 1 Squad    49,098
Warrior   488,750
2 Foot Platoons 1,909,700
Total 3,046,646

Attack Company
12 Warriors 5,865,000

Battalion Total        21,101,458
The Air Assault Battalion comes out close to the same cost of the Mechanized Infantry Battalions because even though the Jump Infantry is so much more expensive, Ferrets are vastly cheaper than Goblins.

Militia Cost Totals

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Militia Total Cost
  2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions           41,339,200
  2 Artillery Batteries                      29,493,088 (attached to the Mechanized Infantry Battalions)
  1 Hover Battalion                          24,498,875
  1 Air Assault Battalion                    21,101,458
  1 Regimental Command                        4,640,950
  1 Additional Artillery Battery             14,746,544 (attached to Regimental Command)
  1 Air Defense Company                      13,152,000 (12 AC/2 Bulldogs attached to Regimental Command)
  1 Scout Platoon                               954,850 (attached to Regimental Command)
  1 Scout Cargo Ferret                           37,431 (attached to Regimental Command)
  1 Scout Jeep                                   26,906 (attached to Regimental Command)
Total Cost                                   149,991,302
This leaves 8,698, which is more than enough to slap a half ton of armor back on the Cargo Ferret (~5,833).  I can see the scouts continually lobbying for more Ferrets and mast mounts, recon cameras, and remote sensor dispensers, but having to settle for range finder binoculars.

[Daryk]

That darned scout lieutenant got the best of command AND the appropriations committee...

Bumping the limit up to 151,000,000 (there's a rum joke in there somewhere) gets the Scout Platoon eight properly equipped Ferrets, all with Mast Mounts and Recon Cameras, and four with Remote Sensor Dispensers.  AND they get to keep their jeep...

Recon Company:

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All Ferrets have Mast Mounts and Recon Cameras.
4 Ferrets (Remote Sensor Dispenser/30 Sensors) 593,056
4 Ferrets (1 Squad)        453,056
1 Platoon Foot Infantry        954,850
1 Scout Jeep                                    26,906
Total:      2,027,868
Revised Militia Cost:

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Militia Total Cost
  2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions           41,339,200
  2 Artillery Batteries                      29,493,088 (attached to the Mechanized Infantry Battalions)
  1 Hover Battalion                          24,498,875
  1 Air Assault Battalion                    21,101,458
  1 Regimental Command                        4,640,950
  1 Additional Artillery Battery             14,746,544 (attached to Regimental Command)
  1 Air Defense Company                      13,152,000 (12 AC/2 Bulldogs attached to Regimental Command)
  1 Scout Company                             2,027,868 (attached to Regimental Command)

Total Cost                                  150,999,983
And the rate that lieutenant was going, they pocketed the extra 17 C-Bills too...

[Daryk]

*snip*
(there's a rum joke in there somewhere)
*snip*

It took a bit, but "that's how Lieutenant Morgan became Captain Morgan"...  ::)

[Daryk]

Overall stats for the combat arms look something like this:

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Personnel:       1,702
Goblin Variants:    77
Bulldogs:           12
Maxims:              3
Saracens:           19
Saladins:            9
Warriors:           15
Karnovs:             5
Ferrets:            25
Scout Jeep:          1
The support forces will certainly have additional Ferrets and Karnovs, mostly for cargo, but a few medevac birds as well.  They probably rely on the planet's civilian trauma centers for most of their critical care, but may have a MASH "just in case".  It takes 15 Field Kitchens to feed all those troops in the field, and at only 25,000 each, they probably have all 15.  Given Glenmora's volcanic nature, an engineering platoon is likely in addition to the usual battlefield recovery and logistics units.  And of course there'll be the small army of technicians required to keep all that hardware running and the typical bureaucracy to keep all the people running.  All told, the militia is probably an organization somewhere north of 10,000.

[Daryk]

I've been giving some thought to the support forces.

For Combat Support, I'm thinking:
An Engineer Battalion (with one company of engineering vehicles, and two companies for Battlefield Recovery (one tracked, one VTOL))
An Intelligence Battalion (Packrats, Skulkers, and detachments with the Combat Arms)
A Communications Battalion (Swiftwinds to act as relays, and detachments with the various HQ units)
A Military Police Battalion

For Combat Service Support:
3 Technical Battalions (one company per Combat Arms/Combat Support Battalion)
8 Support Battalions (that include Admin/Medical/Logistics, at a rate of one company per battalion, plus overall HQ functions)

1 Training Battalion (including cadre)

What am I missing?

[Taron Storm]

Boilerman did up a very nice manual call 'The Combat Support Field Manual'.  It might have a few pointers for you.  I will see if I can find my copy.



Found it.  I have it in a zip file. 

Sometimes its good being a packrat when BTech is concerned...  >:D

[Daryk]

I had totally forgotten about that, thanks!  A quick search of my archive dug it up from 2007...  O0

And a quick skim of his excellent work seems to indicate I forgot transport/fuel functions.  I think three companies will cover that (i.e., one battalion, which will add another Support battalion too).

So, overall:

Combat Arms:
2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
1 Hover Battalion
1 Air Assault Battalion
1 Artillery Battalion
1 Regimental Command Battalion

Combat Support:
An Engineer Battalion (with one company of engineering vehicles, and two companies for Battlefield Recovery (one tracked, one VTOL))
An Intelligence Battalion (Packrats, Skulkers, and detachments with the Combat Arms)
A Communications Battalion (Swiftwinds to act as relays, and detachments with the various HQ units)
A Military Police Battalion

For Combat Service Support:
3 Technical Battalions (one company per Combat Arms/Combat Support Battalion)
1 Transportation Battalion (one company per three Combat Arms Battalion, the third split between the others)
9 Support Battalions (that include Admin/Medical/Logistics, at a rate of one company per battalion, plus overall HQ functions)

1 Training Battalion (including cadre)

24 Battalions overall, or roughly a Division not counting reserves

[Tyler Jorgensson]

Militia RCT without the Mechs?

Amusing

[Daryk]

I think they'll get their first mechs in 3055, after their regular mech garrison (the 1st Ceti Hussars RCT) is pulled to go fight on the clan front.  Probably a company centered around a lance of Watchmen, with a second lance of Valkyries (it IS a Davion world, after all) for fire support, and a third lance of other lights (Javelins, or Fire Javelins) to round out a company.  That will entail additional technical and support forces as well.

[DOC_Agren]

I know it not quite as fast, but what about instead of your Bulldog/AC2 the AC2 Carrier as your Air Defense Units?

[Daryk]

Looking back at it, I think I went with the Bulldogs because they're 4/6 instead of 3/5.  Turrets and secondary weapons are also in the Bulldog's favor.

[Daryk]

After a bit more thought (and the realization that just about everything is ICE), I'm adding two more Transportation Battalions to haul fuel, and the consequent Support Battalion.  That makes the active forces 27 battalions even, or a full division on paper.

Reserves would mostly be additional support formations (especially medical, though reserves require quite a bit of admin too), plus some engineering and military police (essentially activating parts of local public works departments and police forces).

I don't think this is out of line for a front line world with a population in the hundreds of millions.  They merited a garrison of a full regular RCT before 3039.

[truetanker]

Rock Rovers from TRO:VA can carry a Squad on their 2/3 frames. Using " Support Laser " aka Small Laser and twin Auto-Rifles per Half-track. The Dracs use a " Limpet " version with an SRM-2.

Have you looked at the Field Gun Infantry? 2 MP and 6 AC/5's, 6PPC's and 24 Auto-Rifles.

Did you forget that the Davions use the Bulldog Truck as well? The Deuce-and-a-Half is popular Logistic Transport, ( about 1.5 tons ) per truck.

TT

[Daryk]

I haven't picked up the Vehicle Annex yet, so I usually like to use my own designs for jeeps and trucks.  What I used for my ComStar unit was a range of vehicles (5 ton jeeps, and 9 ton, 15 ton, and 45 ton trucks) all powered by 25 rated fusion engines.  That said, the entry for the Bulldog on Sarna makes the Davion Deuce-and-a-half look perfect for Glenmora's rough terrain, and since they're apparently 4/6, they're also a perfect fit for supporting the tracked units.  Do you have any recommendations for hover trucks to support the hover and air assault battalions?

In general, I'm not a fan of motorized or mechanized infantry with field guns as laid out in the rules.  They're just too slow (or rather, heavy) at the operational and strategic levels.  I'm more than happy with four squads per platoon that can do 3 points of damage out to 9 hexes on the cheap (and light).

Also, I just read the entry for Glenmora in OPT: Death to Mercenaries today.  It seems before the 4th SW, they had multiple regiments of heavy armor, but they obviously weren't a factor (or at least, not a significant one) in the hammering the Kuritans gave the Dragoons.  That could explain the planet switching to a lighter (and cheaper) force as I've outlined here, backed by the 1st Ceti Hussars.  If the planet really did fall after the Dragoons left, that would mean the Kuritans reduced all those expensive heavy tanks.  I could see them coming back into fashion eventually, but in the immediate aftermath of the 4th SW, I'd expect the government to throw together a force as quickly and cheaply as possible.  151 Million C-Bills for six mixed battalions seems reasonable from that perspective.

[truetanker]

BFFL Hovertuck comes to mind, 40 tons of cargo, 5/8 MP. Any thing else?

TT

[Daryk]

Hmmm... I was hoping for something 8/12 (i.e., that could keep up with the other hovers).  It may be easiest to just strip the ACs out of some Saladin chassis.

[truetanker]

Heavy APC - 6 tons, or try this: 50 ton like the Bandit or LTV-4, no weapons, no turret and half armor.

TT

[Daryk]

LTV-4... I'll have to look that one up, thanks!

[Daryk]

Hmmm... Looks like the LTV-4 is only 7/11, and the Bandit has a fusion engine.  Given the large number of Maxim variants, it may be easiest to just use a stripped down one as a hover truck.

[truetanker]

It's for cargo right? 7/11 is fine.

TT

[Daryk]

For behind the line duties, sure, but the Deuce-and-a-halfs can cover that.  I'm looking for something that can keep up with the combat arms if necessary.

[truetanker]

Check out GESV. http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Generic_Expandable_Services_Vehicle

TT

[Daryk]

Very cool!  Unfortunately, it's not introduced until 3066...

[truetanker]

So you could always state it uses non OMNI parts, like the Bandit and Badger. Different configs, different options.

TT

[Daryk]

The trick there is the fuel cell engine... I'd basically have to design a custom vehicle at that point, not that I'm opposed to that idea... :)

[Daryk]

I think I've found the perfect opponents for the Glenmora militia: a reserve strike force from the 9th and 10th Ghost Regiments.  Glenmora's regular AFFC garrison (the 1st Ceti Hussars) was involved on Elidere IV in July 3039, and spent most of August in orbit around Misery before being recalled to Glenmora.  The lopsided victory the 9th and 10th Ghost Regiments scored on Elidere IV in August would have enabled them to hold back a battalion or so as an orbital reserve, which could have been dispatched to Glenmora as a feint, much like the action on New Ivaarsen.  This could then logically have led to the recall orders for the 1st Ceti Hussars, with the Ghosts taking word of the Hussar's departure from Misery as their cue to pack up and leave.

I think one Invader carrying a Union, Intruder, and Leopard CV could provide lift for a decent sized raiding force (a company of mechs, a hover company, 10 ASFs for orbital defense, and a company plus of infantry, including a pair of Thumpers for drop zone security).  As a Ghost Regiment, they rate A* for unit technology.  That guarantees at least four Star League 'mechs (and a maximum of six; I'm going with five, and giving the tanks and infantry one piece of advanced tech each) from the War of 3039 table.  For their hover company, Drillsons, Maxims, Saracens, Saladins, J. Edgars, and Pegasi are all on the table, and I'm throwing in a Lightning for good measure.  The Intruder comes with room for four platoons of infantry, but one will be the artillery section of two Thumper field artillery pieces.

Since I have a better idea of their tanks, I'll start there:

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Recon Lance (11/17):
Lightning*
2 J. Edgars (stock)
J. Edgar (4x MGs)

Assault Lance (8/12):
Drillson
2 Saladins
Saracen

Transport Lance (8/12):
Drillson
3 Maxims

Infantry:

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For their "regular" infantry, one platoon ("First") will have Mauser 960s*.
As I've remarked elsewhere, 7 trooper squads are the "sweet spot" for Mausers,
as it's the largest squad size that rounds up to 7 damage (at 2/4/6 range, no less).
Since they only have "Standard" weapons, they have no movement penalty.

The second platoon will be the "Weapons" platoon, with 2 Heavy Support Lasers
per squad, rounded out with Auto Rifles.  They'll be "shoot or move" limited, but
have a range of 5/10/15 for 6 damage per squad.

The third ("Close Assault") platoon will be more conventionally armed with 6 Auto
Rifles and one Auto Grenade Launcher per squad for 5 points of damage at 1/2/3
range with no movement penalty.

Finally, the Field Artillery unit will be organized as two squads of eight tracked
mechanized troopers per Thumper (one prime mover, one ammo carrier).
Their tracks will have dual Heavy Support Pulse Lasers, while the remaining six
troopers will be armed with Auto Rifles.  This gives 5 damage out to a range of
4/8/12 with the Heavy Burst special when they're not firing the Thumpers.
The guns will be deployed close to the Intruder to ensure they get loaded back
aboard quickly if it looks like the drop zone is going to be overrun.  This also
keeps them close to more ammunition.  As Mechanized Field Artillery, they have
1 MP, or 3 if they abandon the guns.
For the 'mechs:

Code: [Select]

Headhunter Lance (6/9+):
Exterminator (EXT-4D)*
Phoenix Hawk (PXH-1)
Jenner (JR7-F, Uparmored)
Firestarter (FS9-H)

Attack Lance (5/8+):
Dragon (DRG-5N, with Ultra AC/5)*
Flashman (FLS-8K)*
Wolverine (WVR-6K)
Shadow Hawk (SHD-2K)

Maneuver Lance (6/9):
Lancelot (LNC 25-01)*
Phoenix Hawk (PXH-1K)
Hermes III (2 Large Laser version from Sarna)
Sentinel (STN-3M)*
That leaves the 10 ASFs to detail, but I think I'll do those tomorrow.  And I have to say, even with only a combined arms battalion, this is looking pretty formidable.  I may have to add a mixed lance+ of Ceti Hussar "hangar queens" to balance things out (i.e., 'mechs that were too broken to deploy to Elidere IV, but will be put into some kind of service with a Ghost Regiment battalion on planet).

It'll also be interesting to include the internal politics of the Ghost Regiments as I build scenarios.  The 10th included personnel from two distinct yakuza "empires", and that doesn't even consider any rivalry with the 9th.  Those divisions will be drawn by dropship.  I'm thinking the jumpship and Leopard CV will be from the 9th Ghost Regiment, and each of the other dropships will be from one of the particular yakuza clans in the 10th.  The clan embarked on the Intruder will be in charge, as it has by far the best C2 facilities, but the 'mechs (the preponderance of combat power) will be from the Union.

The battalion commander has their work cut out for them, especially when you add in Glenmora's particularly challenging environment.  The only thing they really have going for them is that their job is just to raid enough to make the AFFC recall the Ceti Hussars from Misery.

I think a combined arms battalion action might just fall below the cut line of canon historical reporting for this period, making the whole thing plausible.

[DOC_Agren]

How about this for a Aerospace force:
2 Sholagar  SL-21
2 Sholagar  SL-21L
2 Lucifer LCF-R15
2 Corsair CSR-V12M (interesting model, could see if getting handed off to a Ghost Force)
A House Marik design, it was introduced among the Regulan areospace forces in an attempt to preserve their dwindling number of Corsairs. One of the large lasers was replaced for two more tons of armor and three additional heat sinks. While increasing the craft's survivability it is disliked by many for reducing the Corsair's firepower. Also known as the Sand Hawk to House Kurita military units.
2 Slayer SL-15

[Daryk]

A great start, thanks!

I like the Sholagar SL-21Ls, but I think the stock SL-21s will be replaced by Centurions (energy weapons being better for raiders; these will be aboard the Intruder).

Instead of the Lucifer IIs, ComStar will helpfully provide a pair of Ironsides IRN-SD1s (DHS and a metric ton of SRMs FTW!).

The Slayers will be the SL-15A variants to make sure the squadron on the Leopard has some reach at LRM range.

Which brings us to the Sand Hawks (CSR-V12Ms).  The problem with the Sand Hawk, as interesting as it is, is that removing the Large Laser means it doesn't need the extra heat sinks.  The Sand Hawk also isn't on the deployment table in War of 3039.  On the other hand, the Lightning is.  With an AC/20, it's a perfect complement for the huge SRM batteries on the Ironsides.

To sum up:

Code: [Select]

9th Ghost Regiment
Aboard the Leopard CV:
2x Slayer (SL-15A)
2x Ironsides (IRN-SD1)
2x Lightning

10th Ghost Regiment
Aboard the Intruder (Minitoma faction, with ISF plants, including the CO):
2x Centurion
Aboard the Union (Jirigawa faction):
2x Sholagar (SL-21L)
Once the dropships arrive at the planet, the Centurions and Sholagars will remain in orbit with the Leopard and rotate with the squadron from the 9th on CAP (staggered reliefs with 6 hours on, 9 hours off for each air lance).  They'll minimize fuel burn rate by parking in suitable orbits, but in practical terms, only the air lance in the first half of its six hour station time will be available for CAS while the other provides high cover (and the other three lances scramble to launch from the Leopard; at best they'll be on ready 15).

[Daryk]

Hmmm... a complication: I just found that the 3rd NAIS Cadet Cadre was deployed to Glenmora at the outset of the war.  They're green, but bring a full regiment of heavy and assault 'mechs.  I'll have to give this some more thought...

[Daryk]

Well, after further consideration, I note the table doesn't actually say where the 3rd NAIS Cadet Cadre was in August of 3039, so I'm going to press on with the Militia being the principal defenders against this raid.

That said, I wanted to add some damaged 'mechs to the Glenmora side of the equation:

Code: [Select]

1st Ceti Hussars:
BattleMaster BLR-1D with no gyro (braced up in its gantry, any PSR means it falls)
Rifleman RFL-4D (PPCs) with 2 engine hits (essentially only 3 HS)
Marauder MAD-3D with two sensor hits
(Half of a) JagerMech JM-6S, missing LT and LA (well, the LA isn't really missing, it's over there on the test bench)

Screaming Eagles:
Assassin ASN-21 with one leg
Enforcer ENF-4R with no arms
The story on these is that either due to a lack of spare parts (4 ton gyros aren't that easy to come by), or mistakes made during repairs by Veteran tech teams, these 'mechs will need more time to fix than either unit had on their way deeper into the Combine.  Some could have been redlined during routine maintenance, while others are retrograde material from Elidere IV (while it was a comparatively easy victory, that didn't mean the units took no damage).

When the inbound Kurita dropships are detected, the Screaming Eagle 'mechs (and most easily transported support equipment and spares) will relocate to the 1st Ceti Hussar hangar to make them easier to defend.  I see this as the "final showdown" in the scenario pack, basically the Ghost Regiment trying to cause as much damage as possible before getting out of Dodge.

[Daryk]

Campaign-wise, I'm looking at the below rough outline for a week or so of action.  The majority of the Militia is defending various fixed targets around the planet, and the Ghosts' orbital forces spend some of their time knocking down Militia satellites.

1) First Contact: Elements of the militia's Recon Company try to get close enough to ID what the Ghost Regiment has brought.  Only the Recon Lance of the Hover Company has any hope of catching them, but the other elements might be able to provide some blocking/channeling assistance, while a pair of Aerospace fighters make a run at the VTOLs before going bingo and having to return to space.  Victory for the Militia is LOS to the DropShips.  Victory for the Ghost Regiment is annihilation of the Recon Company's element.  Some kind of morale rule will be necessary to determine when the Ferrets bug out.  Who wins will determine how much reinforcement the mine head in the next mission receives.

2) Probing: The Maneuver Lance of the Ghost Regiment 'mech company and the Transport Lance of the vehicle company raid a mine head, trying to grab some gold.  One company of Militia Mechanized Infantry is on guard duty, and is reinforced by either one or two Air Assault Battalion companies with one or two Attack Lances of Warriors (one if the Ghost Regiment won the last scenario, two if the Militia won).  The aerospace element can provide two passes to the Ghost Regiment in this scenario, one or two turns apart before they have to return to space for gas.  Victory points for the Ghost Regiment are determined by how much gold they make off with.  Victory for the Militia is destruction of any Ghost Regiment 'mechs and vehicles.  Killing their infantry just slows downs how much gold they can load.  Victory here determines what units are available in the next scenario.

*Repair Cycle*

3) Brass Tacks: The full company of the Ghost Regiment 'mech company (or what's left of it after a repair cycle) hits the Screaming Eagle hangar (the empty one).  This is a trap laid by the Militia.  Victory points for the Ghost Regiment are determined by how many 'mechs they get off the board AFTER they've determined the hangar is empty. Victory points for the Militia are determined by how many 'mechs they take down.  Militia forces available for this mission are a full Battalion with Artillery support, plus one Hover Company, and whatever survived the last mission to "close the door" once the Ghost Regiment has gotten a unit inside the hangar.  The Ghost Regiment will schedule the attack to maximize availability of CAS from the Aerospace element, giving them a pass every other turn for five passes total.

4) Smash and Grab: While the 'mechs are hitting the Screaming Eagles' hangar, the Hover Company (and attached surviving infantry) try to knock over a platinum warehouse.  Initial defenders are the corporate security force, reinforced by the Jump Company from the Militia Air Assault Battalion after 6 turns.  6 turns after that, a Hover Mechanized Infantry Company arrives.  As before, Ghost Regiment victory points are determined by how much gold they make off with.  Victory points for the Militia are based on casualties inflicted on the Ghosts.

*Repair Cycle*

5) Showdown: Having determined the hard way that their main targets are at the First Ceti Hussar hangar, the Ghost Regiment throws it's remaining forces at it in an attempt to cause as much destruction as possible.  All surviving Ghost Regiment forces are available for this mission, plus CAS every other turn.  The Militia will defend with the damaged 'mechs in the hangar, plus a full Battalion of Mechanized Infantry with Artillery Battery support and a Hover Company flanking the Ghost Regiment force on turn 6.  Victory points for the Ghosts are determined by enemy 'mechs destroyed plus number of Ghost units that make it off the board.  Militia victory points are based on Ghost units destroyed.

6) Retreat: The surviving Ghosts are chased by the surviving Militia Hover units.  After 12 turns, the second Hover Company arrives to reinforce.  Artillery support is available to the Militia for the first 12 turns, and CAS is sparse for the Ghosts (only 4 sorties... the aerospace units are preparing to defend the drop zone).  Rolling map sheets will be used.  Victory points for both are based on how many Ghost units escape.  The Militia forces break off when their morale fails.

7) Counterattack: The surviving Warrior VTOLs mount an attack on the drop zone while the Ghosts are at the Hussar hangar.  Defending units are the dropships and Field Artillery section.  They have Flak ammunition, but need three turns to get it from the Dropship.  All CAS is supporting the attack on the Hussar hangar.  The Militia gains a victory point for every 10 points of damage inflicted on the Droships, plus 5 for each Field Artillery unit destroyed.  The Ghosts gain a victory point for each VTOL destroyed.  The Militia forces withdraw when their morale breaks or they run out of AC/2 ammunition.

After all that, the Ghosts withdraw off world, having received word that the 1st Ceti Hussars are withdrawing from Misery, and the beaten Screaming Eagles are inbound from Elidere IV.

[Daryk]

I commissioned the esteemed Matt Plog to draw some of the militia's vehicles.  The first is the LRM variant Goblin.  Enjoy!

[marauder648]

Oh blimey! This goblin looks great :) Nice work on the unit too!

[Daryk]

And here's the SRM version, once again courtesy of the very talented Matt Plog.

[Daryk]

And also my custom SRM/MG variant, using the dual SRM-6s as shown by the MegaMek art, and moving the extra four MGs into the turret.  Credit as always to Matt Plog!

The AC/20 and Thumper variants will probably have to wait until this summer, but will also be posted here.

[Daryk]

Once again, Matt Plog comes through!  Here's the AC/20 variant.  The Thumper will follow shortly.

[Daryk]

And last but certainly not least, Matt Plog's take on the Thumper version...

[DOC_Agren]

Very Nice

[Daryk]

Thanks!  I give Plog full credit for coming up with a way to maximize hull commonality for the last two with the others.  It wasn't what I expected, but it works remarkably well, I think.

[Dave Talley]

Now to get them sculpted

[Daryk]

Maybe when I'm done putting kids through college... :)

[Hptm. Streiger]

Hey, yes I didn't have found it earlier.

Any issues when I try to put them in 3D? It will not be a 100% accurate copy - but matts work is usually a very good concept of stuff that might work.
I really appreciate the look of the front... you've got an idea about the armor.

The rear below the turret seems to be the troop compartment ....does all of your variants have troops?

[Daryk]

Thanks for looking!  I have absolutely no issue with you working up 3D sketches (please do!).  All the variants have at least a 1.0 ton troop compartment (the Machine Gun Variant has a 5 ton one, and the "C2" variants trade a little of the space for communications gear).  The artillery ammunition carrier chassis also carries a couple of industrial exoskeletons...

I've lost the file, but I used a MegaMek template for a Goblin, and was able to find room for 50 seats if the crew and ammunition was all moved to the turret, and the power pack under the floor.  I say 50 because Taurian squads are 10 troops each, and a one ton compartment is theoretically enough for a "squad".

[marauder648]

Oh wow! Didn't see these variants of the Goblin, great stuff!

[Daryk]

At long last, the AToW stats for that infamous Scout Captain!

Alexandra Morgan was 12 years old when her school was stomped flat by the 5th Galedon Regulars during the 4th Succession War.  She swore that day to get back at the Combine (Compulsion/Hatred of Draconis Combine).  Six years later, she was near the top of her class and less than a month away from her flight wings when a severe ear infection grounded her (Pilot/Air Vehicle Skill Field).  At the time, she didn't understand the bureaucracy well enough to fight it, and accepted being rolled back a year and into armor training (Cavalry Skill Field).  She dedicated all the spare time her extra year and OCS gave to learning the ins and outs of how to get what she wanted out of "the system" (Protocol/Federated Suns 6, Negotiation 5).  Those skills served her well as Glenmora rebuilt its militia in the 3030s, and she earned quite a reputation for successful lobbying (Reputation +1, Connections 3).  While she managed to grow the reconaissance unit from a lance to a company (and earn a promotion to Captain, 6 Rank TP), she made more than one enemy along the way (2, -2 TP Enemies: one another Militia Captain (in Intelligence... that community had plans for those Ferrets), the other a Planetary Bureaucrat (in the Defense Budget Office)).  Her battlefield skills are also above average (Artillery 5, Tactics/Land 4, and Sensor Operations 4).

[Daryk]

With the publication of the first issue of Shrapnel and its article on Sniper Rifles, Lancelot Mark Vs will replace Intek Laser Rifles across the board.  This will increase range and damage while decreasing cost significantly, and swap an imported (or licensed) weapon for a domestic model.  Select units may receive Barton AMRs with Extended Capacity.  While these are more expensive than Inteks, they increase range and damage even more (though at the cost of being Encumbering).

[DOC_Agren]

Wait BT going to add real sniper rifles to the game for inf???

[Daryk]

Here's the link: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=69615.0

They're the closest thing yet to real sniper rifles, and some of them have amazing bonuses to hit at longer ranges.  I don't know if those specific bonuses translate to TW, but if they do, infantry just got a WHOLE lot more dangerous.

[Daryk]

Here's the cost impact on the basic foot platoon:

Code: [Select]

Infantry Platoons:
  4 Squads of Foot Infantry, 7 Troopers per Squad
    5 Auto Rifles with Recoil Compensation, 2 Lancelot Mark V Sniper Rifles, all with the FedCom Infantry Armor Kit for a damage divisor of 2.
    Furthermore, each squad leader has a Vibro Blade in place of the standard issue knife, and every trooper has a load bearing pack.
    The militia uses Squad Deployment rules from TacOps.  Each squad does 3 points of damage at 4/8/12 range thanks to the Sniper Rifles.

Infantry Platoon Cost:
  20 Auto Rifles with Recoil Compensation: 2000 x sqrt(88) = 375,233
   8 Lancelot Mark V Sniper Rifles: 2000 x sqrt(400) =       320,000
  28 FedCom Armor Kits at 710 each:                           19,880
  28 Load Bearing Packs at 100 each:                           2,800
   4 Vibro Blades at 100 each:                                   400
     Total:                                                  718,313 per platoonIt's almost enough savings to make switching to my Auto Rifle+ cost neutral...

[DOC_Agren]

Here's the link: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=69615.0

They're the closest thing yet to real sniper rifles, and some of they amazing bonuses to hit at longer ranges.  I don't know if those specific bonuses translate to TW, but if they do, infantry just got a WHOLE lot more dangerous.

Way back in the day my Scout/Sniper teams had a Heavy Gryjojet rifle for the range, based on the old info from 3026 TR

[Daryk]

Yeah... these days, Heavy Gyrojet guns only get 2/4/6 range.  It beats 1/2/3 for Auto Rifles, but not really by enough.

[DOC_Agren]

Yeah... these days, Heavy Gyrojet guns only get 2/4/6 range.  It beats 1/2/3 for Auto Rifles, but not really by enough.

 :o  Well it has been a while since I was allowed to use my scout/snipers... 

[Daryk]

I'm going back through this thread with a fine-toothed comb and Fractional Accounting.  Many vehicles are gaining Paramedic equipment (from the free quarter ton recovered from their Controls) while others (namely the Ferrets) get another four points of armor.  The cost savings of the Sniper Rifles is funding that.  I expect I may have a bit left over to add another formation or two (Fuel Cell Goblin chassis with Long Tom Artillery Cannons are not beyond the pale... they run about 1.6M each).  We'll see...