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BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: Elmoth on 05 September 2018, 01:23:54

Title: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Elmoth on 05 September 2018, 01:23:54
Hi there!

What are the hottest planets or theaters in the IS in terms of hand changing between the successor states (or going independent). I am specially interested in the 2900 - 3050 period, since when the Mongols strike all things break lose in the IS.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Hellraiser on 05 September 2018, 02:01:37
IIRC,  the world of Aubisson where the LC, DC, & FRR all connect has traded hands many times in that time period with the last one being in 3050 right as the clans hit.

I want to say it also switched in 3046, 3039, & 3028 as well from some FM notes.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Orwell84 on 05 September 2018, 04:29:25
Hesperus II, even counting only those six battles fought between 2900 - 3050 and none of the invaders actually succeeding in taking the planet.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Colt Ward on 05 September 2018, 12:01:23
I think anything on the borders of the houses INSIDE the old Hegemony borders.  Originally it was to pick at the skeleton, then it was just for placement and lostech hunts.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Tai Dai Cultist on 05 September 2018, 12:56:11
Hi there!

What are the hottest planets or theaters in the IS in terms of hand changing between the successor states (or going independent). I am specially interested in the 2900 - 3050 period, since when the Mongols strike all things break lose in the IS.

Thanks!

In broad terms, I think the most trading back and forth trading took place on the Kurita-Davion border.  All the other borders are generally trending one direction rather than back and forth.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: glitterboy2098 on 05 September 2018, 13:37:41
In broad terms, I think the most trading back and forth trading took place on the Kurita-Davion border.  All the other borders are generally trending one direction rather than back and forth.
pretty much true after the end of the 2nd succession war. prior to that you saw a lot of trading back and forth on all the fronts.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Kit deSummersville on 05 September 2018, 14:23:38
With an average equitorial temperature of 45C (113F), Vega is pretty hot but it pales in comparison to a nice steamy 85C (185F) on Hesperus II.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Colt Ward on 05 September 2018, 14:52:29
Is that your deep valley Hesperus temp?  or just mid level?
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Minemech on 05 September 2018, 14:55:51
 The problem with your time period is that the environment radically changes with the 4th. Tikonov used to be hotly contested by the AFFS, but after the 4th, the CCAF was unable to do much about it. Another issue is that the CCAF put a prohibition on raiding Andurien worlds, because the Duchy's units were too effective, and it made it easier to prioritize other fronts. Kalidasa was attacked a few times by sizeable forces, but I would not consider it hotly contested. If you want to talk about grand strategy from a 3rd Succession War POV, you will get a radically different answer than from a 4th, or post 4th.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Kit deSummersville on 05 September 2018, 14:57:14
Is that your deep valley Hesperus temp?  or just mid level?

Average at the equator. Most folks live down south where the average is a sweet 30C (hotter than Bangkok).
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Colt Ward on 05 September 2018, 15:01:03
Lol, they also live on what are the equivalent of mountain tops & plateaus so air density is closer to norm & also thus cooler.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Elmoth on 05 September 2018, 15:44:47
I think anything on the borders of the houses INSIDE the old Hegemony borders.  Originally it was to pick at the skeleton, then it was just for placement and lostech hunts.

In broad terms, I think the most trading back and forth trading took place on the Kurita-Davion border.  All the other borders are generally trending one direction rather than back and forth.

Good points here

The problem with your time period is that the environment radically changes with the 4th. Tikonov used to be hotly contested by the AFFS, but after the 4th, the CCAF was unable to do much about it. Another issue is that the CCAF put a prohibition on raiding Andurien worlds, because the Duchy's units were do effective, and it made it easier to prioritize other fronts. Kalidasa was attacked a few times by sizeable forces, but I would not consider it hotly contested. If you want to talk about grand strategy from a 3rd Succession War POV, you will get a radically different answer than from a 4th, or post 4th.

Good point as well. Damn Steiner Davions messing with the things...
Well, in broad terms what I asked is pre-4th, so the previous answers seem legit :) I was asking for PLANETS not fronts, as you rightly point out, so these answers are interesting to me since I am not as knowledgeable as most of you in BT's background. Thanks all :)

Cheers,
Xavi
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Colt Ward on 05 September 2018, 16:10:22
More specific answers for my general answer would be present I imagine in 1SW and 2SW sourcebooks which were released over the last few years.  I would imagine they gather up the references for things like El Giza which was still a ruin into the 3060s.  It was one of 51 highly contested worlds before the Hegemony- I am pretty sure it did not get less contested after hundreds of years development until it was determined to be a ruined world.  Then it was still a lostech hunting grounds.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Elmoth on 05 September 2018, 16:15:24
I am intereste din the 3rd and 4th succession wars period, not previous periods, though :)
Basically I need contested areas and planets to plan the merc RPG campaign I am working on for my players
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Tai Dai Cultist on 05 September 2018, 16:31:00
The 3rd SW is one of the last GM's preserves in the BTU timeline.  You could pick pretty much any planet you like the name of and be fairly safe in not contradicting canon by setting it as the site of your back and forth raiding campaign.  You can even invent your own campaign that begins a thumb/salient on any border you like, which is then halted, counter-invaded, and then reversed back to the original border... such campaigns are presumed to have been so common there's no exhaustive listing of them all.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Minemech on 05 September 2018, 17:25:00
 If you are talking about the 4th Succession War, any system within the Capellan Confederation (I still do not understand why the AFFS did not target St Ives, it was a juicy target), any Combine system bordering the Lyran Commonwealth, or any system garrisoned by Wolf's Dragoons may be fairly be considered contested.

 There are some important Capellan raids during the 4th, Operation Intruders Communion was one example.

 There are a lot of resources for the 4th, including the Atlas, and battlepack.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Minemech on 05 September 2018, 17:34:17
The 3rd SW is one of the last GM's preserves in the BTU timeline.  You could pick pretty much any planet you like the name of and be fairly safe in not contradicting canon by setting it as the site of your back and forth raiding campaign.  You can even invent your own campaign that begins a thumb/salient on any border you like, which is then halted, counter-invaded, and then reversed back to the original border... such campaigns are presumed to have been so common there's no exhaustive listing of them all.

 Though it is important to know factory worlds, you can fairly use this as a guide for a campaign. Tikonov, for example holds significantly more importance than being just a front, but also for being a major Capellan production center. Its fall was no light blow to the Confederation.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Karasu on 06 September 2018, 09:00:45
If you are talking about the 4th Succession War, any system within the Capellan Confederation (I still do not understand why the AFFS did not target St Ives, it was a juicy target),

Because subverting it via marriage and independence is cheaper by several orders of magnitude.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: glitterboy2098 on 06 September 2018, 09:49:17
(I still do not understand why the AFFS did not target St Ives, it was a juicy target)
because the primary purpose of the 4th succession war was to link up the Federated Suns and the Lyran commonwealth, with the secondary goal of denying the CapCon their strongest industrial centers (Tikonov, Liao, etc)

St. Ives was too far south for the primary goal, invading it wouldn't have gained the Fedcom much relative to the expense. i would presume that taking it was a longer term goal, once the northern half of the CapCon was taken. that Duchess Candace Liao chose to keep her territory neutral during the war (with no raiding) turned out to be a useful surprise, and when she left the capcon to ally with the Fedsuns, they got peacefully what they otherwise would have had to take by force.

Because subverting it via marriage and independence is cheaper by several orders of magnitude.
except that Candace and Justin falling in love was never part of the plan.. justin says as much in Warrior Coupe. so no, i'm sure the Fedsuns had a plan to take St. ives eventually.. it just wasn't a high priority since it was so far away from the terran corridor. that Justin's mission brought it over willingly as an ally just made any such plans obsolete by 3030.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: truetanker on 06 September 2018, 15:34:48
Chaos March

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Chaos_March_(sourcebook) (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Chaos_March_(sourcebook))

Talks about the Sarna March... while it is 4th SW era, you could run it earlier...

TT
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Minemech on 06 September 2018, 18:57:04
 Keep in mind that there is another option, that is the overthrow of the planetary government. Such an overthrow may have consequences for the Successor State, without the planet actually leaving the Successor State. Contractors could be used as proxies in such battles, whilst keeping the federal troops officially neutral. Federal troops may find themselves provoked, and need to exercise prudence. Provincial forces, and planetary militia may also play a role. Keep in mind that even a continent could be a Free Worlds League province for one example (New Olympia).
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Archangel on 11 September 2018, 17:46:29
because the primary purpose of the 4th succession war was to link up the Federated Suns and the Lyran commonwealth, with the secondary goal of denying the CapCon their strongest industrial centers (Tikonov, Liao, etc)

St. Ives was too far south for the primary goal, invading it wouldn't have gained the Fedcom much relative to the expense. i would presume that taking it was a longer term goal, once the northern half of the CapCon was taken. that Duchess Candace Liao chose to keep her territory neutral during the war (with no raiding) turned out to be a useful surprise, and when she left the capcon to ally with the Fedsuns, they got peacefully what they otherwise would have had to take by force.
except that Candace and Justin falling in love was never part of the plan.. justin says as much in Warrior Coupe. so no, i'm sure the Fedsuns had a plan to take St. ives eventually.. it just wasn't a high priority since it was so far away from the terran corridor. that Justin's mission brought it over willingly as an ally just made any such plans obsolete by 3030.

Not to mention the fact that existing invasion was already stretching the supply lines beyond the breaking point (ie JumpShips were not getting proper shipyard maintenance) even with a large portion of the Suns' civilian JumpShip fleet drafted for the war effort.  The AFFS did not have the resources to create a separate supply line without taking away from the existing one.

In addition there was the traitorous rat on New Syrtis to consider aka Michael Hasek-Davion.  Any attempts at pre-war preparations in his March and word would have gotten back to him causing him to investigate further.  There is also the problem of which units to send.  Many of the units in the area were more loyal to House Hasek than House Davion and those pro-Davion units in the area were deployed there as much to prevent Capellan invasion as to prevent treachery from Michael.  Send only pro-Hasek units and they may aid the CCAF instead of fight them.  Send only pro-Davion units and Michael may order his forces to destroy the remaining pro-Davion units and then declare independence while they are away.  Send a mix and the pro-Hasek units may turn on the pro-Davion units mid-battle.
Title: Re: Hottest contested planets in the background?
Post by: Hellraiser on 30 September 2018, 11:54:28
because the primary purpose of the 4th succession war was to link up the Federated Suns and the Lyran commonwealth, with the secondary goal of denying the CapCon their strongest industrial centers (Tikonov, Liao, etc)

St. Ives was too far south for the primary goal, invading it wouldn't have gained the Fedcom much relative to the expense. i would presume that taking it was a longer term goal, once the northern half of the CapCon was taken. that Duchess Candace Liao chose to keep her territory neutral during the war (with no raiding) turned out to be a useful surprise, and when she left the capcon to ally with the Fedsuns, they got peacefully what they otherwise would have had to take by force.
except that Candace and Justin falling in love was never part of the plan.. justin says as much in Warrior Coupe. so no, i'm sure the Fedsuns had a plan to take St. ives eventually.. it just wasn't a high priority since it was so far away from the terran corridor. that Justin's mission brought it over willingly as an ally just made any such plans obsolete by 3030.

You also have the "hope" that previous TH worlds will more likely be happy to be "liberated" than long term CC worlds.

Its not much after 200 years but there might still be some freedom loving people that never liked CC occupation & continued that hatred through the generations.


But yeah,  Terran Corridor to link up the 2 nations was a major factor as well as just hammering deep along the entire combine line to keep them occupied.