Looking for Locals or Online players for an RPG adventure....

[Charles Maxwell]

I love this premise. I think that'd make for an excellent outfit, and I love the in-universe flavor you've outlined!

With the outbreak of the Fourth Succession War, there's plenty of transport available - at least, along the Steiner-Davion-Kurita fronts. In particular, the Crayven Corporation has gone into business as a dedicated transport service, and has several dozen Union and Trojan-class DropShips available for contract. The LCAF is also handing out JumpShip contracts left and right for rapid incursions into conflict areas. The Crayven Corporation itself has at least one Invader and one Merchant-class JumpShip available as well.

Currently, Aegis Division is in the process of docking with an LCAF-contracted Invader at Outreach for transit to Kimball II. There's also a Merchant at Outreach that's headed to Gan Singh.

[Daryk]

Hmmm... OK, with that much transport available, I'll probably shoot for something a bit more than one lance... probably two with a combined arms "company" of armor/infantry.  Something that would fit in a Union in a pinch.

BTW, have you seen my "Glenmora Planetary Militia" thread?

[Daryk]

Ok, here's a slightly more detailed outline:

Born: 2996 in the Principality of Regulus.
Blue Collar
Military School
Didn't make the score cut off for a MechWarrior academy, but was scooped up by SAFE.
On graduation, ended up in a cell working for Anton throughout the Revolt (Agitator Stage 4 Module).
Spent three years getting out of the FWL with his promised "'mech for loyalty" (a WVR-6M).
Got to Galatea, enrolled in a private MechWarrior academy, and qualified for OCS (based on his leadership skills).
Tour of Duty working for a Davion corporation (mostly garrison work).
Now finishing up a "Merchant Master" Stage 4 module working for the same company doing mostly the same things.

The unit is based on a 30M base budget and includes:
WVR-6M
GRF-1N
VLK-QA
JVN-10F

ENF-4R
BJ-1
WTH-1
PNT-9R

Heavy Wheeled APC
Heavy Wheeled APC (with two tons of Communications Equipment installed for 3 tons equivalent)
Wheeled APC
Battlemech Recovery Vehicle

3 Infantry Platoons (Auto Rifles and 4 Heavy Grenade Launchers per platoon; 4 squads of 7 plus CO and 1st SGT)

8 'Mech Techs
4 Vehicle Techs
1 Infantry "Tech"

1 Medical Team (of 5)
1 Lawyer
Staff Section (of 7)

Grand Total of 135 personnel

Additional Purchased Equipment
150 Lyran Jackets
150 Drac Helmets
50 Vibro Blades
150 Load Bearing Packs
50 Respirators
20 Light Enviro Suits
15 Field Communicators
150 Basic Field Kits

681,633 C-Bills left out of the original 30M budget for additional tools and spare parts

[Daryk]

I'm leaning toward Johnston Industries on Addicks as the company in question.

[Daryk]

I think Addicks for the first Tour of Duty, followed by a transfer up to Johnston's Benet III facility would fit nicely.

[Daryk]

More details:

The tour on Addicks resulted in a loss of three 'mechs, but saw the successful defense of the Johnston Industries facility there.  Between salvage (the Panther) and replacements (the Enforcer and Valkyrie), AAA Security Incorporated was back up to full strength, and in Johnston's good graces.

[truetanker]

What's the time span and current money cap again?

Is there a troop number cap as well?

TT

[Daryk]

I can only speak to the time span... it's around 3028, just before the 4SW kicks off, I believe...

[Daryk]

Another 200,000 C-Bills for tools and restocks:

Code: [Select]

Kit # Unit    Cost Total Restock # Total
Basic Tool Kits 13 250 3,250
Deluxe Tool Kits 13 750 9,750
Cutting/Joining Kits 12 1,250 15,000 250 28 7,000
Electronics Repair Kits 12 2,000 24,000 400 12 4,800
Fusion Engine Kits 2 15,000 30,000 3,000 6 18,000
Myomer/Actuator Kits 8 3,000 24,000 600 20 12,000
Vehicle Repair Kits 4 1,000 4,000 200 6 1,200
Weapon Repair Kits 8 1,500 12,000 300 21 6,300
Energy Weapon Kit 1 850 850 160 1 160
Reloading Kit 1 250 250
Slug Thrower Kits 4 100 400 20 27 540
Laser Torches 25 40 1,000
Radiation Sheeting (m2) 500 1 500
Repair Platforms 2 12,500 25,000
Totals 150,000 50,000

Figure a further 200,000 C-Bills for 20 tons of armor, and that leaves 281,633 in petty cash.  The good news is the Reloading Kit cuts the small arms ammunition cost per month in half.

[Charles Maxwell]

Hey, gang -

Happy new year! I apologize for the delay in responding here. I was travelling over the holidays and didn't get a chance to sit down and review all the replies here! I'll reply in order of everyone's responses.

Hmmm... OK, with that much transport available, I'll probably shoot for something a bit more than one lance... probably two with a combined arms "company" of armor/infantry.  Something that would fit in a Union in a pinch.

BTW, have you seen my "Glenmora Planetary Militia" thread?

I had not - this is amazing worldbuilding! It would be really interesting to see some of the backstory leading into the militia's state as you've described it play out in our current era (October 3028).

Ok, here's a slightly more detailed outline:

Born: 2996 in the Principality of Regulus.
Blue Collar
Military School
Didn't make the score cut off for a MechWarrior academy, but was scooped up by SAFE.
On graduation, ended up in a cell working for Anton throughout the Revolt (Agitator Stage 4 Module).
Spent three years getting out of the FWL with his promised "'mech for loyalty" (a WVR-6M).
Got to Galatea, enrolled in a private MechWarrior academy, and qualified for OCS (based on his leadership skills).
Tour of Duty working for a Davion corporation (mostly garrison work).
Now finishing up a "Merchant Master" Stage 4 module working for the same company doing mostly the same things.

The unit is based on a 30M base budget and includes:
WVR-6M
GRF-1N
VLK-QA
JVN-10F

ENF-4R
BJ-1
WTH-1
PNT-9R

Heavy Wheeled APC
Heavy Wheeled APC (with two tons of Communications Equipment installed for 3 tons equivalent)
Wheeled APC
Battlemech Recovery Vehicle

3 Infantry Platoons (Auto Rifles and 4 Heavy Grenade Launchers per platoon; 4 squads of 7 plus CO and 1st SGT)

8 'Mech Techs
4 Vehicle Techs
1 Infantry "Tech"

1 Medical Team (of 5)
1 Lawyer
Staff Section (of 7)

Grand Total of 135 personnel

Additional Purchased Equipment
150 Lyran Jackets
150 Drac Helmets
50 Vibro Blades
150 Load Bearing Packs
50 Respirators
20 Light Enviro Suits
15 Field Communicators
150 Basic Field Kits

681,633 C-Bills left out of the original 30M budget for additional tools and spare parts

This sounds like a solid unit. I really need to flesh out Aegis Division in a similar way and figure out what we have. Aegis is about the same size - honestly, probably half the size right now (everything we have fits aboard a Leopard at the moment).

More details:

The tour on Addicks resulted in a loss of three 'mechs, but saw the successful defense of the Johnston Industries facility there.  Between salvage (the Panther) and replacements (the Enforcer and Valkyrie), AAA Security Incorporated was back up to full strength, and in Johnston's good graces.

BTW - was Johnston Industries the corporation you decided to go with as the unit they did a tour with? As one of the major players in the current timeline is also a corporation, it'd be interesting to know if there's some common ground. The Crayven Corporation is currently making overtures to both House Steiner and House Davion for favored status in the combat transport business. Also, is AAA Security Incorporated the name of your unit?

What's the time span and current money cap again?

Is there a troop number cap as well?

TT

Hey there! The current in-universe date is October 25, 3028 (give or take a few days, depending on the post you're reading). Things are underway at www.crayven.net/mercnet in the 'The Universe' thread. There's no specific money or troop cap at this time - the focus is more about (plausible) worldbuilding and roleplay at the moment, enriching the ficion by bringing aspects of the world to life. As long as it's within reason, go for it!

Another 200,000 C-Bills for tools and restocks:

Code: [Select]

Kit # Unit    Cost Total Restock # Total
Basic Tool Kits 13 250 3,250
Deluxe Tool Kits 13 750 9,750
Cutting/Joining Kits 12 1,250 15,000 250 28 7,000
Electronics Repair Kits 12 2,000 24,000 400 12 4,800
Fusion Engine Kits 2 15,000 30,000 3,000 6 18,000
Myomer/Actuator Kits 8 3,000 24,000 600 20 12,000
Vehicle Repair Kits 4 1,000 4,000 200 6 1,200
Weapon Repair Kits 8 1,500 12,000 300 21 6,300
Energy Weapon Kit 1 850 850 160 1 160
Reloading Kit 1 250 250
Slug Thrower Kits 4 100 400 20 27 540
Laser Torches 25 40 1,000
Radiation Sheeting (m2) 500 1 500
Repair Platforms 2 12,500 25,000
Totals 150,000 50,000

Figure a further 200,000 C-Bills for 20 tons of armor, and that leaves 281,633 in petty cash.  The good news is the Reloading Kit cuts the small arms ammunition cost per month in half.

I love it!

[Daryk]

No worries about delays... that's what forums are FOR!  :thumbsup:

I did decide to go with Johnston Industries, and given "John Smith's" background, it made sense to run further away from the FWL after the first tour.  Benet III works perfectly for that.

AAA Security is the name of the unit, yes.  I took a cue from "The Hitman's Bodyguard"...  ^-^

If two lances is too big, I can drop one (and an infantry platoon).  That will get the unit down to Leopard size (and a 20M budget vice 30M).

[Daryk]

Question: is there a restriction on custom designs for support equipment?  I built a MASH trailer for another non-canon unit for about 55,000 C-Bills that I'd like to use...

[Daryk]

Also, I'm starting to do the ammunition math, and a single lance is somewhat easier to support, so I'm totally OK if you want to limit us to that...

[Charles Maxwell]

No worries about delays... that's what forums are FOR!  :thumbsup:

I did decide to go with Johnston Industries, and given "John Smith's" background, it made sense to run further away from the FWL after the first tour.  Benet III works perfectly for that.

AAA Security is the name of the unit, yes.  I took a cue from "The Hitman's Bodyguard"...  ^-^

If two lances is too big, I can drop one (and an infantry platoon).  That will get the unit down to Leopard size (and a 20M budget vice 30M).

Nice! I love the backstory. 'AAA Security' is a great name, and a fun departure from the stereotypical merc unit names.

Honestly, I don't see any issues with two lances. We don't have any big mercenary units operating in-universe right now; it'd be cool to have someone running one of the larger operations. Currently, there's Aegis Division, which has a single lance, and the Crayven Corporation hasn't diversified heavily into mercenary operations just yet, so the BattleMechs that they do have are primarily for their own internal interests. There's also two lone guns out there right now running single-'Mech units.

Question: is there a restriction on custom designs for support equipment?  I built a MASH trailer for another non-canon unit for about 55,000 C-Bills that I'd like to use...

That sounds great! I think that the MASH trailer fills a nice niche.

BTW, over in The Universe, both Aegis Division, Jackson McKenna, and Orlex Jaeger have hit their combat zones...

[Daryk]

Cool... I'll re-work the two-lance version to scrape up the money for the MASH trailer.  The one-lance unit actually had more petty cash! :)

[Daryk]

Ok, I dropped five tons of armor and a few repair kit restocks to afford the MASH trailer.  The two-lance unit has 2,869 left in petty cash.  I'll work up the Campaign Operations ongoing costs later this week...

[Daryk]

Ok, Ammo, Spare Parts, and Fuel costs come out to 60,880 per month (over half of which is LRM ammo... Griffins and Whitworths are EXPENSIVE).

Salaries will be a separate calculation...

[Daryk]

OK, salaries came out to a grand total of 133,005 per month.

The rank structure came out to 1 Captain (the CO), 5 First Lieutenants (the XO, Maintenance Officer, and 3 Platoon Commanders), 4 2nd Lieutenants (the S-2, MechWarrior Lieutenant, Doctor, and Lawyer), 6 Warrant Officers (MechWarriors), 1 Master Sergeant (Top), 5 Sergeants First Class (Senior Mech Tech, Senior Medic, and Platoon Sergeants), 12 Staff Sergeants (all the other Techs), 21 Sergeants (2 Staff NCOs, 3 Medics, 4 Vehicle Commanders, and 12 Squad Leaders), 20 Corporals (8 Vehicle Crew and 12 Fire Team Leaders), and 60 Troopers (AsTechs/Infantry).

I paid the AsTechs as Infantry, and the XO, S-2, Platoon Leaders and Staff NCOs as Scout Infantry.  I also paid the Lawyer as a Doctor.  I gave five personnel the Veteran multiplier as well (CO, XO, S-2, Maintenance Officer, and Top).

So monthly costs are just shy of 200,000 C-Bills, which means preferred contracts will pay at least 250,000 per month, or 3M/year, with minimum acceptable being 2.5M/year.

[Daryk]

For comparison, the one lance version has total costs just under 165,000 per month, leading to a 2M per year minimum, with 2.5M preferred.

[Daryk]

Whoops!  Just caught why salaries seemed a bit low... I forgot a term in the multiplication.

The two lance unit's total costs are actually 6,619,608 per year (551,634 per month).  That means 7M/year for preferred contracts.

The once lance version is 4,715,568 per year (392,964 per month).  That translates to 5M/year for preferred contracts.

[Charles Maxwell]

This is all incredible detail! Is there a computer program that you're using to crank out all of these costs and dependencies? I REALLY need to do the same for my two in-universe units.

[Daryk]

Just Excel...  If you want to post or PM me your unit data, I can work up costs for them too.

[Daryk]

Dang it, and speaking of Excel, I found another error (the pay table was short one staff NCO for the two lance unit... the one lance version was right).  Correct costs are 556,884 per month, and 6,682,608 per year.  Still 7M/year for preferred contracts (6.7M minimum).

[Charles Maxwell]

Just Excel...  If you want to post or PM me your unit data, I can work up costs for them too.

That would actually be amazing!

It's pretty straightforward right now. It's November 3028, and Charles Maxwell returned to the Inner Sphere with the following inventory and purchased an abandoned military base just outside of Gellen's Heights, Sheratan to set up shop as a new mercenary unit. Aside from what's listed below, what would be reasonable hardware and staff requirements necessary to operate a fledgling mercenary unit in this era?

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!

HARDWARE ASSETS
1 Leopard DropShip (standard crew)
1 KGC-0000 King Crab
1 CPLT-C1 Catapult
1 ON1-K Orion
1 RVN-1X Raven
1 UM-R60 UrbanMech (currently decommissioned and disassembled)
Assorted spare parts, munitions, and small arms
Unspecified 'medical robot'
BattleMech Recovery Vehicle (BRV)
BattleMech Repair Vehicle
MASH Truck

STAFF
MechWarrior Charles Maxwell
MechWarrior Mara Walsh
MechWarrior Dexter Friedman
MechWarrior Alexander Blackwood
Intelligence Analyst & MechWarrior Alyssa Chase
IT Specialist & MechWarrior Apprentice Daksis Rand
DropShip Pilot (unnamed)
Vehicle Pilot (unnamed)
Chef (unnamed)
Mech Tech (unnamed)
Med Tech (unnamed)

I've been told that I need to consider everything from a lawyer or two for contract negotiations all the way to service staff members for each BattleMech. I also need to figure out what payroll looks like per month. Where should I start?

[Daryk]

I've got friends visiting this weekend, but I'll see what I can do.  The main thing you're missing is AsTechs.  The days of a single tech being able to maintain a 'mech lance are long gone.  Just off the top of my head, you need:

4 (or 5) Mech Techs
3 Vehicle Techs (1 per vehicle)
and 6 AsTechs per Tech

The medical robot may or may not require a tech team of its own.

A medical team is 5 personnel total (usually a Doc and 4 medics... if the robot is taking the place of one or more of these that could change).

Vehicle crew-wise, you need one crew per 15 tons.  For the Recovery Vehicle, that's 4, and the MASH Truck is 2.  I'm not exactly sure what the Repair Vehicle is.  For this back of the envelope calculation, I'll go with 4, like the BRV.

So, that's:
9 Leopard crew
4 MechWarriors (the other two will count as Admin support for now)
10 Vehicle crew
7 (or 8) Techs
42 (or 48) AsTechs
5 for the Medical Team
All of the above requires 9 Admins, 3 of which you already identified (the 2 spare MechWarriors and the chef), and the Medical Team counts for 5.  Add a Lawyer, and you could call it good.

Now, what I would do is take the 48 AsTechs and put them into 8 squads with regular infantry leadership (squad leaders, platoon sergeants and platoon commanders to round out two full 30-trooper platoons).  That would increase payroll by 12, plus another Admin requirement.  That could be a Maintenance Officer, or anything else you'd like.

Support cost-wise, those 'mechs are going to be expensive.  Tonnage factors into it, as well as ammunition bin size.  And that DropShip…  :o

[Daryk]

My friend cancelled on me at the last minute, so I've taken a stab at payroll (support costs will follow).

If you go with the infantry organization I proposed, you're looking at just shy of 4.5M payroll per year.  It's 100 personnel total, of which the equivalent of 10 are performing Admin duties (5 from the Medical Team, the Chef, the Doctor, the Lawyer, and half time duties from the CO, DropShip Captain, S-6 (dispossessed MechWarrior), and XO (senior Infantry Platoon Commander).  I gave the XO the Veteran multiplier to boost their pay.

The more detailed breakdown is:

Code: [Select]

Salaries # Rank Base Officer Rank XP Pay Total Pay
Mechwarrior Captain 1 Captain 1,500 1.2 6 1 10,800 10,800
DropShip Captain 1 Captain 1,000 1.2 6 1 7,200 7,200
DropShip Officers 2 1LT 1,000 1.2 5 1 6,000 12,000
DropShip Crew 6 SGT 1,000 1 5 1 5,000 30,000
XO 1 1LT 1,050 1.2 5 1.6 10,080 10,080
S-2 1 2LT 1,500 1.2 4 1 7,200 7,200
S-6 1 2LT 1,500 1.2 4 1 7,200 7,200
Lawyer 1 2LT 1,500 1.2 4 1 7,200 7,200
Doctor 1 2LT 1,500 1.2 4 1 7,200 7,200
Infantry Lieutenant 1 1LT 1,050 1.2 5 1 6,300 6,300
Mechwarriors 3 Warrant 1,500 1.2 3 1 5,400 16,200
Top 1 MSGT 1,050 1 7 1 7,350 7,350
Senior Mech Tech 1 SFC 800 1 7 1 5,600 5,600
Platoon Sergeants 1 SSGT 750 1 6 1 4,500 4,500
Senior Medic 1 SSGT 750 1 6 1 4,500 4,500
Chef 1 MSGT 500 1 7 1 3,500 3,500
Other Techs 7 SSGT 800 1 6 1 4,800 33,600
Vehicle Commanders 3 SGT 900 1 5 1 4,500 13,500
Squad Leaders 8 SGT 750 1 5 1 3,750 30,000
Medics 3 SGT 750 1 5 1 3,750 11,250
Vehicle Crew 7 Corporals 900 1 4 1 3,600 25,200
Fire Team Leaders 8 Corporals 750 1 4 1 3,000 24,000
Troops 40 E-3 750 1 3 1 2,250 90,000
Totals 100 374,380
4,492,560


[Daryk]

Support costs were trickier.  There's no listed "ammunition capacity" for the Leopard, so I (conservatively) assumed 3 tons per LRM-20.  The assumption for DropShip fuel consumption is 15 burn-days per month (at 2.82 per burn-day for a Leopard's tonnage).  Hydrogen fuel is normally 15,000 per ton, but can be had for as low as 500 per ton outside of warzones.  It can also be produced for free if you have access to free water.  I used 500 per ton to at least account for being charged for the water.  All told the support costs were just under 3M per year (2,968,560 to be precise).  Together with the payroll I worked out above, that means the unit would need 7.5M per year minimum, with at least 8M preferred.

Compared to my unit, that 1M difference (preferred) loses a lance, but gains a Leopard.  I think that's about right.  Score one for the game designers!  :thumbsup:

[Charles Maxwell]

Hey, Daryk!

This is a brilliant breakdown - thank you so much! Where in the world do you find such detailed information - particularly about salaries? The cost per employee was WAY lower than I thought it would be. HBS BattleTech's costs are completely out of whack, with your average MechWarrior pulling in around 46,000 C-Bills per month in salary. This knowledge actually makes me wonder if there's a specific formula for calculating contact payments, and what the average payout of a contract really is in the BattleTech universe.

Regarding the 'medical robot,' 'repair vehicle,' and 'recovery vehicles' mentioned - I actually don't have specific classifications in mind, as I had trouble finding analogues for these roles in 3028. Can you recommend any?

[Daryk]

I use Campaign Operations with a few numbers thrown in from A Time of War and Strategic Operations.  Campaign Operations is well worth the price for pdf format at least, and it does in fact have formulas for calculating the costs.  And it sounds like you're looking at annual salary, not monthly.

The "medical robot" is somewhat problematic.  The closest thing I see in AToW would be the "Life Support Unit" combined with a "Portable Medical Monitor".  Together, they provide a +2 to MedTech rolls, and have some other benefits.  The problem is that the LSU is only available to ComStar, so having one means it was obtained illegally.  The good news is that actually fits in 3028, and calling it a "robot" wouldn't be bad cover.

Sarna.net has basic stats on Recovery Vehicles.  With a King Crab, you'll actually probably want the Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicle (which is 70 vice 50 tons, necessitating one more crew).  The disadvantage is that would require a heavy vehicle cubicle for quick deployment.  Of course if you just carry it as cargo, it's only 20 more tons.

The most problematic is the Repair Vehicle.  The Mobile Field Base equipment wasn't technically introduced until 3059.  That said, it's only
Tech Level D, and there's really no reason it couldn't have been built earlier.  The 3060 vehicle carrying the equipment was 60 tons (requiring 4 crew).  The piece of gear itself only weighs 20 tons, and I see no reason it couldn't be installed in a 50 ton vehicle instead (so it fits in a light vehicle cubicle instead of a heavy).

[Charles Maxwell]

I use Campaign Operations with a few numbers thrown in from A Time of War and Strategic Operations.  Campaign Operations is well worth the price for pdf format at least, and it does in fact have formulas for calculating the costs.  And it sounds like you're looking at annual salary, not monthly.

The "medical robot" is somewhat problematic.  The closest thing I see in AToW would be the "Life Support Unit" combined with a "Portable Medical Monitor".  Together, they provide a +2 to MedTech rolls, and have some other benefits.  The problem is that the LSU is only available to ComStar, so having one means it was obtained illegally.  The good news is that actually fits in 3028, and calling it a "robot" wouldn't be bad cover.

Sarna.net has basic stats on Recovery Vehicles.  With a King Crab, you'll actually probably want the Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicle (which is 70 vice 50 tons, necessitating one more crew).  The disadvantage is that would require a heavy vehicle cubicle for quick deployment.  Of course if you just carry it as cargo, it's only 20 more tons.

The most problematic is the Repair Vehicle.  The Mobile Field Base equipment wasn't technically introduced until 3059.  That said, it's only
Tech Level D, and there's really no reason it couldn't have been built earlier.  The 3060 vehicle carrying the equipment was 60 tons (requiring 4 crew).  The piece of gear itself only weighs 20 tons, and I see no reason it couldn't be installed in a 50 ton vehicle instead (so it fits in a light vehicle cubicle instead of a heavy).

Hey there! Notifications are being wonky, and somehow, I wasn't alerted to your reply. I apologize for the delay in responding.

Thanks for this additional context! I wish I were talking about annual salaries. That's literally the type of monthly salary that HBS BattleTech (the video game) uses. Check out the attached screenshot. Some of their stuff wildly violates canon, which is unfortunate, because the video games are often how many find their way into the BattleTech universe these days.

But I digress. I recently purchased Campaign Operations, and haven't fully explored it yet. I'll have to dig out the section you reference. It has both salary and contract payment guidelines?

The "medical robot" could, in theory, have been obtained illegally from ComStar, as you postulate. I say that because I have these two folks on staff: Dexter Friedman and Alyssa Chase. I like the idea of using 'robot' as a cover story for the technology you mention. We're in hot enough water as it is in the aftermath of Dexter's theft of a Raven from the Order.

I'm aligned with you in regard to the Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicle. I established elsewhere that we don't have aerospace assets aboard our Leopard; that we'd re-purposed those cubicles for cargo. Could one of those bays accommodate the recovery vehicle?

I'm not married to the idea of having a repair vehicle; if one doesn't exist canonically in 3028, that's okay. Can a recovery vehicle effect repairs?