So I finally got around to playing MW5 . . . it has some pretty good mechanics for things but it also has a few video game only type mechanics. I progressed my campaign to Operation RAT. It was interesting to play though, though a bit annoying that you ended up forced into assaults to complete the story . . . and it seems that push will continue. HBS you can at least try to get through w/o going all assault.
But the way the mercs were involved with the planetary assault (granted the AFFS knew it would be tasking the mercs to that role w/ their placement as support for a Crucis Lancer regiment) seemed to be as a sort of retainer/garrison contract with negotiable secondary/tertiary objectives. We get a vague reference to this in the Chaos Irregulars discussing a contract that they feel is a garrison offer to lure a unit on site and rope them into off-planet raids.
NOW . . . I think a LOT of those secondary or bonus objectives would have to be negotiated as part of the assault plan with a couple that could be set up on the fly as the situation develops. We have talked a lot in the past about targets & order of targets for a large scale planetary invasion. ALL of those can be supplemental contract targets . . . and IMO they can all hinge on IF your force is in a position to tackle the job for additional c-bills (or in 3140s, ammo).
A quick look at the Tikonov arc form MW5 . . .
The mercs go in as part of the "beach" head assault (though technically on the covering moon), going after AA/sensor locations to clear a section of the sky for the heaviest ships came in for landing. This mission has a concurrent task going IIRC that will strand some of the defenders on the now toothless moon, though most of those might be non-mech forces- mostly infantry and tech support. Interestingly enough, MW4's liberation campaign started sort of the same way- take out sensors and damage the opposition's ability to use their dropship fleet to shuffle their defensive forces in response to the liberation force. IMO this is going to be one of the supplemental/secondary contracts that gets decided who is tasked as part of the invasion planning, not something that gets sprung on the mercs on the flight in . . . unless your employer is going to be shady. You MIGHT get the tasking if another unit fails or is caught out of position- IE the dropship gets taken apart by defending fighters.
The second Tikonov mission is headhunting. You are tasked to go in and take out a isolated regimental commander, caught up in the mountains by the Crucis Lancers air superiority driving them back into cover. I think this is also going to be one objective that would depend on the faction and who is in command. I have no problem thinking a Drac would send mercs in to take out a opposing battalion or regimental commander by a headhunting mission. But a Lyran social general facing off against a Marik commander of noble birth? By jove man, it just would not be proper to go after a fellow in that manner.
Third is to take out the garrison & garrison commander for a factory facility so the operation can surrender. This I can be done either way IMO . . . a target of opportunity or a planned invasion mission with goals & cost already set out. The mercs are then pulled back as most of the significant portion of the planet has surrendered, a garrison force is set up, and the remaining forces get ready to push on to other targets.
But how do you pay out for targets of opportunity missions beyond general combat? What about salvage terms as it is something beyond the normal invasion combat? If not specifically spelled out in original contract, it would require a addendum to the contract to be drafted IMO as part of the invasion planning.
What if the unit has a rider like Avanti's Angels- to only be on the offensive? Kept off the lines until a push needs to be made?
But why does this sort of thing matter? Because listing a 'planetary invasion' contract on the MRBC would be picked up by your enemies . . . and they probably have some sort of index for changing threat levels based on how many 'invasion' contracts a enemy faction has listed.
