The Art of War: Home of the Capellan Confederation!

[MadCapellan]

All that would probably come of it would be a verbal condemnation & the pulling of member-state peacekeepers from the operation. There's no incentive for any further action - The Word isn't going to interdict their new customer to defend a Steiner-Davion client state & risk the Confederation switching back to NuComstar. Thomas Marik isn't about to start a war to defend the Compact & Theodore Kurita wouldn't risk redirecting the Star League's focus from defeating the Clan threat with final victory close at hand.

[Metallgewitter]

Considering the "final victory": by that point the Jaguars were already defeated. In fact it took the Maskirovka 6 months to realize that Victor and a sizeable portion of the Bulldog forces had left the Combine for Huntress in order to save or rather reinforce Taskforce Serpent. So in theory Theodore could do something. Though most liekly his hands are tied with the mopping up and reintegrating of conquered worlds. I could only see that Duke Hasek might switch to a more aggressive stance and that the Trinity alliance might never come into being at that point (who would actually trust Sun Tzu by then?) And with a quick loss of puppet forces he either backs down or has to use his own forces.

[MadCapellan]

I can't see it disrupting the Trinity Alliance - the Canopian acceptance of the alliance was always based on clear-eyed self-interest, and the Taurians were always uneasy and only there because they had an alliance with the Canopians prior to The Chancellor's offer. If the Hasek's weren't jumping in before, I can't see them doing so. There was just too much division in the leadership of the Suns at the time.

[Metallgewitter]

The Taurians weren't keen on joining when Jeffrey Calderon was the Protector. Quite the opposite in fact. They only joined because the paranoid succesor Grover Shraplen needed a stronger ally because "There are Davions everywhere!" But if the truth comes out that Sun-Tzu manipulated the attack on himself who would actually want to join? And in my scenario it would be revealed before the fateful conference on Detroit (if I have the timeline right)

[BrianDavion]

to be blunt, the time period was so strongly about writing the ascent of Liao that I imagine no one would have belived the evidance no matter how strongly it was,

[GuyIncognito]

I don't think it's a matter of belief, it's just that no one cared about the fate of the Davion buffer state.

[Geg]

IKEO Spoiler

Do we have any idea why the text of IKEO is all...  "who now rules CapCon"....  when pg. 97 has Danai sitting on the Celestial throne?

[Empyrus]

There might be a twist to it. Dominions Divided featured MAC bowing to Yori. Yet that isn't so simple.

[Geg]

There might be a twist to it. Dominions Divided featured MAC bowing to Yori. Yet that isn't so simple.

That's less shocking.  With Danai converting the MAC back into Mercs, and only contracting 1-3, that leaves 4 and 5 free to contract with someone not fighting CapCon

[Kerfuffin(925)]

I found it slightly annoying that over a month from the orbital bombardment there is no clear answer to that question. (In universe time of course).

Also Empyrus do you remember what regimental colors were in that art?

IKEO says the first 3 regiments were given permanent contracts with the CCAF by Danai while 4&5 MAC left for regular contracts. Which could cause trouble given the Sea Fox control of the merc market.

[BrianDavion]

It is kinda suprising nothings been released, but I expect blood will tell is going to answer this question for us

[tassa_kay]

Is it that surprising, though? I feel like Sun-Tzu disappeared for longer than a month after Sian got hit in the Jihad. And I also feel like there's something to be said for the anticipation of what comes next; we've seen these cliffhangers across all of these new sourcebooks, and they get people talking.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

I think me being annoyed is just how good the cliffhanger is. Or how long I’ve been waiting to know more. Both is most likely.

[Zu-Sang]

To be honest the treatment of McCarron's Armored Cavalry met my favorable expectations.  And with a history of the MAC building new regiments I wouldn't be surprised if we saw the rebuilding of the 6th and perhaps even a 7th or more to their 'active' mercenary roster.

I do like the 'kingmaker' aspects at play in the new iKEO source-book; though I would've liked it having more of a cost to do so.  A potential to build resentment in the new Empire could add some interesting tension.

[bobthecoward]

I opened up shattered fortress to check the map...the Capellans gained nothing and only took losses this book? Seems they should have had some success.


But it also took over 100 clusters to defeat the Republic and Daoshen didn't bring that much to invade Terra. Just not in the cards?

[Metallgewitter]

I opened up shattered fortress to check the map...the Capellans gained nothing and only took losses this book? Seems they should have had some success.


But it also took over 100 clusters to defeat the Republic and Daoshen didn't bring that much to invade Terra. Just not in the cards?

The Capellans had Terra encircled for a short bit. And they had to spread themselves too wide to cover all that terrain. Though they still have a lot of terrain as of now. Though prtobably will need a lot of time to lick their wounds. Buuuut with the Liao case we might see more fanatism again in the future (or at the very least rousing speaches like "avenge your fallen chancellor"). And if the SLDf actually enters Confederation territory they might realize just how hard it is to conquer Capellan territory

[bobthecoward]

How much did they bring for a Terra campaign?

[Estwilde]

Not enough :) For all the books talk of their purported strength at the beginning of the era at the top of all of the 'Great Houses', they are still, in the end, just an Inner Sphere power, and not allowed to produce units to the same degree as a clan.

Had been looking back through Field Manual: 3145 I saw that the CCAF was listed at 51 regiments. I'm not sure they quite made it to even half of that, but there's no force listing totalling things up for us in the book, sadly.

Totaling up everything from that book the clans number of clusters easily doubled the number of regiments in current existence.

[tassa_kay]

The number of regiments that the CCAF has does not equal how many they can bring to bear in a single theatre at one time. And conflict in BattleTech has never been as simple as "whoever has the most numbers wins". If that were the case, it wouldn't have taken the OG SLDF nineteen years to crush the TC. There are way too many other factors to boil it down so simply and neatly.

[BrianDavion]

by 3150 the CCAF is bogged down simply trying to hold what they've taken, are at the end of LONG supply chain, their troops are exhausted. Daoshen should have stopped to consolidate sometime around 3145, he's basicly the guy who rode his horse to death

[tassa_kay]

Actually, Daoshen did stop to consolidate around 3145, per... FM3145. That's when he reorganized the coreward commonalities, etc. The problem was that he just could not let go of his revenge fantasy against the Republic, which entirely fits someone with his psychological profile, and decided to just keep going. Never mind the CCAF already having had to deal with their conflict with the FedSuns on top of his mad dash to gobble up the Republic. And unlike Sun-Tzu, Daoshen is a lot less likely to listen to any advice that runs contrary to his own wishes.

Honestly, the Ravens probably did the CapCon a big favor, because it is quite likely that Daoshen would've ground the realm into dust.

[Gaiiten]

So far we do not know if Daoshen died.

If not and he survived this,  his god complex will rise to new levels.-

[bobthecoward]

Actually, Daoshen did stop to consolidate around 3145, per... FM3145. That's when he reorganized the coreward commonalities, etc. The problem was that he just could not let go of his revenge fantasy against the Republic, which entirely fits someone with his psychological profile, and decided to just keep going. Never mind the CCAF already having had to deal with their conflict with the FedSuns on top of his mad dash to gobble up the Republic. And unlike Sun-Tzu, Daoshen is a lot less likely to listen to any advice that runs contrary to his own wishes.

Honestly, the Ravens probably did the CapCon a big favor, because it is quite likely that Daoshen would've ground the realm into dust.

Despite all that, Accipiter worked until it didn't, and it is recoverable. Sadly, they didn't gain anything from Accipiter,  but maybe worth the risk.

[Mendrugo]

And unlike Sun-Tzu, Daoshen is a lot less likely to listen to any advice that runs contrary to his own wishes.

Note the mention of the Zahn Doctrine.  Unlike under Romano, where her generals told her what they thought she wanted to hear, the Zahn Doctrine requires all CCAF officers to report nothing but the truth in their reports to the Chancellor. 

So even if Daoshen's not listening, he was getting accurate information from his subordinates.

[Metallgewitter]

Note the mention of the Zahn Doctrine.  Unlike under Romano, where her generals told her what they thought she wanted to hear, the Zahn Doctrine requires all CCAF officers to report nothing but the truth in their reports to the Chancellor. 

So even if Daoshen's not listening, he was getting accurate information from his subordinates.

I thought it was more convoluted. That one report began with "Your mission was a success and we achieved what we want"

"But under the Zahn doctrine I am bound to tell you, that the mission was a failure."

So in essence first sugarcoating then the truth

[Lore]

by 3150 the CCAF is bogged down simply trying to hold what they've taken, …

Isn’t that what we’ve always done? 

[Lore]

Also, not sure how many of the older folk remember me… but ‘tis good to be back. 

[MadCapellan]

Also, not sure how many of the older folk remember me… but ‘tis good to be back. 

Welcome back, good sir!

[mikecj]

Also, not sure how many of the older folk remember me… but ‘tis good to be back. 

Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time...

After all the lessons the Confederation has received on Operational Art, it's nice to see them executing some.  After Daoshen passes, it looks like all the Dark Ages "kids" have ascended to the thrones.

[BrianDavion]

Also, not sure how many of the older folk remember me… but ‘tis good to be back.