Fall of the Aurigan Coalition

[truetanker]

Or Aurigan is the bolt hole?

This needs some light... to the HBS game! And Handbook...

TT

[glitterboy2098]

we know there was an outpost version brian castle in the area. it seems likely that there would be other facilities around. probably a small naval base somewhere nearby.

but i suspect that the outpost castle was the big find for the region, and any others would be small bases and/or supply caches.

[Moragion]

In fact the map that you uncover during the campaign is of SLDF installations all over the Periphery, and only Outpost Castle Nautilus is on the Aurigan territory. So probably there were no more installations in any other part of the Coalition.

[Dragon Cat]

In fact the map that you uncover during the campaign is of SLDF installations all over the Periphery, and only Outpost Castle Nautilus is on the Aurigan territory. So probably there were no more installations in any other part of the Coalition.

Is there an online version of the map out of curiosity?

[Colt Ward]

we know there was an outpost version brian castle in the area. it seems likely that there would be other facilities around. probably a small naval base somewhere nearby.

Huh?

We certainly had other Star League artifacts explicitly mentioned in the book.  Panzyr is described as being a stopping off point for the SLDF and the system got blown away during the Succesion wars.  The system is littered with debris and wrecked ships- to the point its a navigation hazard!  They talk about scavengers trying to clear debris and cash in on SL tech that is found.  ComStar was also supposed to have a presence on world, for the HPG but acknowledge in the book to keep a eye on the tech scavengers.  The implication was IMO they were tracking and even competing with the prospectors.  Smithon was fortified and had armories built by the SLDF's Corp of Engineers though the teeth were pulled when the Capellans abandoned the world.  During the game, it seemed to be the technical knowledge center of the Coalition (confirmed in HB Arano) due to the ruling House's efforts- their motto is 'There is No Greater Wealth Than Knowledge.'  It is also the House that gets conveniently pruned during the Restoration with the House ruler dying in the fighting (though not as a fighter), the son was killed or incapacitated, the information trove seems to have been lost, and the House basically has a regent.  Even the ancestral dwelling, a fortress, was wrecked by an artillery barrage from the fighting . . . a rather convenient way to get rid of any hidden research or databases.  When I read that entry I thought it basically screamed Holy Shroud.  You also have Katinka, which had a SLDF facility that made it a prime target during the Periphery Uprising . . . which left it with a huge crater and disrupted weather patterns from a ortillery mass driver hit.  They get LosTech prospectors too.  The SL set up a large (read expensive) HPG facility on Aea- and ComStar maintains it to this day- and basically the HPG base is all that keeps that planet populated.

Hellespont has a trade route through Artru, a mining planet, that is HQ for the Explorer Corps.

And from there it makes a LOT of sense for ComStar to try to hide the Aurigan's existence . . . Hanse Davion already threw a huge chunk of resources at recovering databases, had a copy of the Helm data core, and was building up the NAIS.  IF he ever learned of how much could be on that planet- a place where he would not have to fight a peer power like the Dracs- what would stop him from landing on Decimis to systematically sift the system.

And before someone remarks there are too many Star League era locations . . . consider this . . .

The state of Texas is quite large but has . . . currently . . . three Army bases, two AF bases, and I think a Naval Air Station?  Which does not include Guard or Reserve sites.
 Now go back and see how many installations they had in WWII, that are abandoned or were turned over to the state, or just shut down.  I stayed in a old WWII facility that was temporarily opened as a bivouac site for my convoy driving back from New Orleans after Katrina, and there are a LOT of those around too.  It was basically some barracks and warehouses IIRC sitting off what had been a big state highway before the Interstate Highway System.  BTW most of those old Army Air Force training strips?  They became municipal airports . . . sort of like these marginal worlds having SLDF built spaceports that the remaining population & economic activity cannot justify or maintain.  Quick search says there were 65 Army Airfields in WWII most of which would be included in the 142 'major' military installations.

Considering the area being the Capellan border or just past it into the periphery between two of the major belligerents . . . it makes quite a bit of sense the Star League would have built up infrastructure to such a density as described in game & sourcebook.  Remember, not every Star League built installation was a Castle Brian . . . in fact, since most would have dated to the Reunification War it was before they started formally building such complicated fortifications.  And afterwards, it is still a good place to stage response forces for either the TC or MoC without them being compromised by being in those nations.

[Colt Ward]

But to go back to the OP . . .

House Book Arano is not really a retcon- nothing in the book really counters what was established.  It does use carefully crafted openings in canon to establish the existance of a very minor faction which operates below the radar most of the rest of the universe.  As someone said, the Aurigan region is referenced obliquely in the RecGuide.

Honestly, its like begging the question of 'Why was Monaco not mentioned in the histories of WWII?' Since the nation was never mentioned in those histories that the country did not exist during WWII.  I am sure their local history will tell you what happened in that country in WWII, but nothing happened there of world-spanning relevance which is why the country is never mentioned despite being 'local' to one of the primary theaters.

The game's campaign itself is the absolute expression of the BTU's RPG campaign trope- mercs (check), LosTech (check), exploration (check), determine fate of nation (check), lead a rebellion (check), and expand forces (check).

[Moragion]

Huh?

We certainly had other Star League artifacts explicitly mentioned in the book.  Panzyr is described as being a stopping off point for the SLDF and the system got blown away during the Succesion wars.  The system is littered with debris and wrecked ships- to the point its a navigation hazard!  They talk about scavengers trying to clear debris and cash in on SL tech that is found.  ComStar was also supposed to have a presence on world, for the HPG but acknowledge in the book to keep a eye on the tech scavengers.  The implication was IMO they were tracking and even competing with the prospectors.  Smithon was fortified and had armories built by the SLDF's Corp of Engineers though the teeth were pulled when the Capellans abandoned the world.  During the game, it seemed to be the technical knowledge center of the Coalition (confirmed in HB Arano) due to the ruling House's efforts- their motto is 'There is No Greater Wealth Than Knowledge.'  It is also the House that gets conveniently pruned during the Restoration with the House ruler dying in the fighting (though not as a fighter), the son was killed or incapacitated, the information trove seems to have been lost, and the House basically has a regent.  Even the ancestral dwelling, a fortress, was wrecked by an artillery barrage from the fighting . . . a rather convenient way to get rid of any hidden research or databases.  When I read that entry I thought it basically screamed Holy Shroud.  You also have Katinka, which had a SLDF facility that made it a prime target during the Periphery Uprising . . . which left it with a huge crater and disrupted weather patterns from a ortillery mass driver hit.  They get LosTech prospectors too.  The SL set up a large (read expensive) HPG facility on Aea- and ComStar maintains it to this day- and basically the HPG base is all that keeps that planet populated.

Hellespont has a trade route through Artru, a mining planet, that is HQ for the Explorer Corps.

And from there it makes a LOT of sense for ComStar to try to hide the Aurigan's existence . . . Hanse Davion already threw a huge chunk of resources at recovering databases, had a copy of the Helm data core, and was building up the NAIS.  IF he ever learned of how much could be on that planet- a place where he would not have to fight a peer power like the Dracs- what would stop him from landing on Decimis to systematically sift the system.

And before someone remarks there are too many Star League era locations . . . consider this . . .

The state of Texas is quite large but has . . . currently . . . three Army bases, two AF bases, and I think a Naval Air Station?  Which does not include Guard or Reserve sites.
 Now go back and see how many installations they had in WWII, that are abandoned or were turned over to the state, or just shut down.  I stayed in a old WWII facility that was temporarily opened as a bivouac site for my convoy driving back from New Orleans after Katrina, and there are a LOT of those around too.  It was basically some barracks and warehouses IIRC sitting off what had been a big state highway before the Interstate Highway System.  BTW most of those old Army Air Force training strips?  They became municipal airports . . . sort of like these marginal worlds having SLDF built spaceports that the remaining population & economic activity cannot justify or maintain.  Quick search says there were 65 Army Airfields in WWII most of which would be included in the 142 'major' military installations.

Considering the area being the Capellan border or just past it into the periphery between two of the major belligerents . . . it makes quite a bit of sense the Star League would have built up infrastructure to such a density as described in game & sourcebook.  Remember, not every Star League built installation was a Castle Brian . . . in fact, since most would have dated to the Reunification War it was before they started formally building such complicated fortifications.  And afterwards, it is still a good place to stage response forces for either the TC or MoC without them being compromised by being in those nations.

I totally forgot about Panzyr's debris field. Then I would limit the SLDF thing to those two ocurrences, and nothing more, from a campaign point of view. From a background point of view, yeah, you essentially can kick a rock and find an SLDF instalation anywhere in the Battletech universe. That's why I prefer to limit it to make it an extraordinary event.
Thanks for the Panzyr note  :thumbsup:

[Luciora]

Also remember, games overemphasize things alot, especially when you tell a story to keep things moving and to help justify advances in tech.  The "Qe found and ancient Brian cache on X planet and made off with massive lootz!!!"  In game could have been just a underground storage bunker with maybe a barely salvageable and functional mech and maybe a few spare parts in the actual event.  Not unlike how the cartoon was a fictionalized retelling of a tour of duty for a future Archon.

People still keep thinking events and things that show up in games are automatically canon, when they aren't.  And usually when they do, they are not nearly as dramatic or surprising.

[Moragion]

But to go back to the OP . . .

House Book Arano is not really a retcon- nothing in the book really counters what was established.  It does use carefully crafted openings in canon to establish the existance of a very minor faction which operates below the radar most of the rest of the universe.  As someone said, the Aurigan region is referenced obliquely in the RecGuide.

Honestly, its like begging the question of 'Why was Monaco not mentioned in the histories of WWII?' Since the nation was never mentioned in those histories that the country did not exist during WWII.  I am sure their local history will tell you what happened in that country in WWII, but nothing happened there of world-spanning relevance which is why the country is never mentioned despite being 'local' to one of the primary theaters.

The game's campaign itself is the absolute expression of the BTU's RPG campaign trope- mercs (check), LosTech (check), exploration (check), determine fate of nation (check), lead a rebellion (check), and expand forces (check).

The main problem is that the zone where the Coalition is is close to the two more powerful periphery states, plus two (or three) Inner Sphere states, and never appeared in any map or mentioned in any report. And even if ComStar wanted to keep the location clear from their starmaps, people from the Taurian Concordat and the Magistracy of Canopus know of it existence, plus people from other planets like Herotitus, etc... yet no one mentions even on passing a periphery state that is bigger than the Marian Hegemony (in number of planets). That's the issue, that the AC is big for a periphery state, and too big in my opinion to be overlooked by everyone. It's for these reason that I consider it a retcon. If the Coalition was situated for example in "empty" space, for example between Mica and the Tortuga Dominions, or between Farstar and Rezak's Hole, yeah, would be more logical, but obviously would make for a least interesting place for a videogame.

[Colt Ward]

Well, there is a difference between a Star League built spaceport (like the one on Panzyr that is decaying) and a SLDF com system in a wrecked Overlord floating at a La Grange point.

So on most Coalition planets, abandoned Star League infrastructure?  Check . . . but actual chances of finding LosTech?  Yeah those 3 (Panzyr, Smithon, Katinka) worlds, I think they even have a scenario track where you are trying to discourage some Lyrans searching caves on Smithon.

The main problem is that the zone where the Coalition is is close to the two more powerful periphery states, plus two (or three) Inner Sphere states, and never appeared in any map or mentioned in any report. And even if ComStar wanted to keep the location clear from their starmaps, people from the Taurian Concordat and the Magistracy of Canopus know of it existence, plus people from other planets like Herotitus, etc... yet no one mentions even on passing a periphery state that is bigger than the Marian Hegemony (in number of planets). That's the issue, that the AC is big for a periphery state, and too big in my opinion to be overlooked by everyone. It's for these reason that I consider it a retcon. If the Coalition was situated for example in "empty" space, for example between Mica and the Tortuga Dominions, or between Farstar and Rezak's Hole, yeah, would be more logical, but obviously would make for a least interesting place for a videogame.

But none of the maps we are given are MoC or Taurian origin maps.  The maps you get in most sourcebooks are put out by ComStar or the follow up narrative sources.

You are still asking why Monaco was not metioned in WWII general histories with the expectation it should be recorded.  The Coalition has 9 core systems and claims 13 more . . . but those claims are pretty thin.  One of them claimed has a population b/c ComStar maintains a SL-era HPG compound while another is a long term mining terran mining project with orbital housing.  All 13 of those claimed worlds are marginal.  MoC is the only nation that recognizes they exist as a country . . . it is not like they are going to recognize the Aurigan's claim to those worlds if they do not recognize the country.

[Elmoth]

Most planets in the game do not appear in any star map. I assume they are too small to appear. Same for the Marians and others. Only significant planets appear. I assume that the Marians are controlling over a hundred systems if you count them all including those planets that are a backwater's backwater, like the Aurigans do in the computer game.

[Moragion]

You are still asking why Monaco was not metioned in WWII general histories with the expectation it should be recorded.  The Coalition has 9 core systems and claims 13 more . . . but those claims are pretty thin.  One of them claimed has a population b/c ComStar maintains a SL-era HPG compound while another is a long term mining terran mining project with orbital housing.  All 13 of those claimed worlds are marginal.  MoC is the only nation that recognizes they exist as a country . . . it is not like they are going to recognize the Aurigan's claim to those worlds if they do not recognize the country.

Not the same thing. Not every report we get on the 3025 era is from ComStar. There is still people, mercenaries, traders, moving by the region, yet no single mention of the Coalition in any of the other States. Even Herotitus is known in the Inner Sphere, at least by some. The Coalition has about two dozen inhabited worlds. It's not Monaco, in size or importance (Monaco didn't got any notoriety until well after WW2). It's a more organized and stable (at least until the civil war) than for example the Oberon Confederation. Of course ComStar can keep quiet about the existence of the Coalition, but all it's neighbours know about it.

That makes it a retcon. A minor one, that's for sure, and with the more than sure fall of the Coalition, well before the arrival of the Clans, its existence is a footnote at most.

[Elmoth]

It all depends on the source. The Aurigan founders see themselves as powerful merchantile families. I assume that most FS, Taurian and Capellan businessmen would consider them minor business clients/providers.

[Colt Ward]

All of the 3025 sourcebooks are written with ComStar or later the Wolf's Dragoons as the narrative voice afaik.  The sources I am not sure of- House manuals- would at best be written by that House, which again focuses towards Terra.

Ah yes, forgot one other book I do not have, but I think the name points to the source.  The 4SW Atlas which was written by the NAIS IIRC.

Herotitus is know b/c its a mercenary hub, which does make it matter to the IS.  The Coalition does not produce JS, DS, or Battlemechs . . . it makes some vehicles though it seems they are a net importer anyway.  They did not invade other nations, they were never really invaded (remember, the rogue TC commander went after the mercenaries), and during their history nothing of galaxy shaking ramifications happened.  They had no impact, therefore they were irrelevant- even if HB Arano puffs them up to BE important for senior MoC officials to read.

It falls under countless nations rise and fall in generations out in the periphery clause summing up the other spaces.  Those 13 claimed systems should not really be counted for their size . . . it is like claiming navigational waypoints.


As to what happened . . . there is every chance they balkanized.  The civil war cut the bonds of mutual benefit that brought them together as a mercantile-concern-turned-government.  One House was a traitor and likely absorbed into House Arano as the 'temporary' measure became more permananet . . . then she had her lackey in Emir Madeira . . . and Lord pro tem Petrauskas for House Karosas which seems to be a puppet to Arano & Medeira.  Which since the election for planetary Council members has not happened as of the report's publication gives Arano/Medeira control on the council since only 5 of the remaining 6 Houses are seated.  Phrasing was a bit awkward, but the Lord pro tem has the House's seat but is not viewed as the 'familys' status.  Anyway, how long can it be stomached to always get voted down by at least the same 3 Councilors?

It would be a interesting twist if AC forces & mercs were involved in the Andurien war and the Historical referred to them as MoC 'mercs' rather than a MOC allied nation.

Based on the formation of the Trinity Alliance, while the IS might have started to revitalize after the Helm Core knowledge spread it did not seem to reach the periphery until Sun-Tzu reached out to TC & MoC.  Also keep in mind when that when that alliance was forming, the novel Double Blind, the TC & MoC had established some peace & mutual support treaties to the point the TC offered to help garrison some MoC border worlds so they could put more troops towards the Marian (supposed) threat.  Centrella passed on that b/c she saw the danger of the TC absorbing that whole region.

It is quite possible there is a Aurigan Coalition in 3050 . . . Kamea leading it is less likely IMO (her 50s?) . . . and that it comprises the same 9 systems and 13 other claimed?  A stretch I think though you could still have House Arano, Medeira, Petrauskas with half the main systems (gives them 5 settled worlds- b/c its 9 system & 11 settled worlds) and some of the others 'inside' those 4 systems claimed.  I think they have to hold on to Mechdur to have any sort of future though they will be eclipsed by the Fronc Reaches.

On the flip side . . . I could also see the Coalition collapse, Alexander Medeira fleeing the ruins . . . and go on to be a advisor to someone who put the Fronc Reaches together, an exile that speaks to his actor like a modern Maciavelli.

[truetanker]

Hmm...

How would you state them if they lasted past 3039? As in SW4, 3050-60, Jihad and later Dark Ages?

Would their RAT change?

TT

[jasonf]

It is quite possible there is a Aurigan Coalition in 3050 . . . Kamea leading it is less likely IMO (her 50s?) . . . and that it comprises the same 9 systems and 13 other claimed?  A stretch I think though you could still have House Arano, Medeira, Petrauskas with half the main systems (gives them 5 settled worlds- b/c its 9 system & 11 settled worlds) and some of the others 'inside' those 4 systems claimed.  I think they have to hold on to Mechdur to have any sort of future though they will be eclipsed by the Fronc Reaches.

On the flip side . . . I could also see the Coalition collapse, Alexander Medeira fleeing the ruins . . . and go on to be a advisor to someone who put the Fronc Reaches together, an exile that speaks to his actor like a modern Maciavelli.

I agree that the House Arano book isn't really retcon, and that either of the above scenarios could occur between 3026 and the late 3050s and still be consistent with all of the current lore.

I think the issue is that it feels like there is a need for some TBD retcon for the late 3050s forward, mostly because of the population and industrial strength of some of the worlds in the Arano sourcebook.
--If the Coalition still exists in 3057, then question is how do they fit in with the Trinity Alliance powers and the Fronc Reaches?
--If the Coalition crumbles by then, then the question is who gobbled up its most lucrative worlds? It's possible they stayed independent and uninteresting (both strategically and storywise) through the 3050s, but it is hard to see how the other powers in the region would just let them live and let be as they became more expansionist and technologically advanced in the 3050s and 3060s.
 

[Colt Ward]

The industry maybe huge for them . . . but the important thing is the tech level.  It is like comparing the industrial output of a country in the . . . say 1920 when Henry started making the Model T and 2020 industry.  Sure the factories in the 1920 can churn out a lot of products . . . but they are lower tech, use up more resources (materials, labor & energy), and do not have as many applications today.  Do you want a 1920s tin to store the cookies in, or ziplocks?

Think of the complex empire building games, where you perform research to improve your industrial potential- Total War Empire comes to mind, things like the mines, refineries, and textile factories get improved with steam power and social changes (like stock companies).  Or farmland . . . 120 acres in Iowa produces a different amount of produce than 120 acres in the middle of Montana (w/o deep well irrigation).

Mechdur may have a lot of industry but be inefficient for anyone else's use so far from home.  Look at the problems joint ownership of Detroit caused.

[glitterboy2098]

As to what happened . . . there is every chance they balkanized.  The civil war cut the bonds of mutual benefit that brought them together as a mercantile-concern-turned-government.  One House was a traitor and likely absorbed into House Arano as the 'temporary' measure became more permananet . . . then she had her lackey in Emir Madeira . . . and Lord pro tem Petrauskas for House Karosas which seems to be a puppet to Arano & Medeira.  Which since the election for planetary Council members has not happened as of the report's publication gives Arano/Medeira control on the council since only 5 of the remaining 6 Houses are seated.  Phrasing was a bit awkward, but the Lord pro tem has the House's seat but is not viewed as the 'family' status.  Anyway, how long can it be stomached to always get voted down by at least the same 3 Councilors?

This would fit with the monologue at the start of the game, which is set sometime after the end of the restoration. "a true hero would have fought more, and compromised less"
that the restoration basically leave the coalition in much the same political state as they were under the Directorate, just with different names on the decrees, would certainly have led to some issues with the lesser houses in the coalition. especially if the rest of the House Medeira and House Karosas membership don't entirely agree with their leadership about the suitability of the post-restoration structure. after all, their little civil war would have split families within the houses, and just because the Arano's were the winners in the civil war does not mean that every supporter of the directorate immediately changed sides back. especially since it sounds like there was no great purge in the houses of the coalition, just prosecution of the directorate's upepr leadership and those who were directly involved in the directorate's atrocities.

It would be a interesting twist if AC forces & mercs were involved in the Andurien war and the Historical referred to them as MoC 'mercs' rather than a MOC allied nation.

Rampart company from the housebook would be a great fit for that. since they are "officially" not Coalition troops, but independant mercs.

It is quite possible there is a Aurigan Coalition in 3050 . . . Kamea leading it is less likely IMO (her 50s?) . . . and that it comprises the same 9 systems and 13 other claimed?  A stretch I think though you could still have House Arano, Medeira, Petrauskas with half the main systems (gives them 5 settled worlds- b/c its 9 system & 11 settled worlds) and some of the others 'inside' those 4 systems claimed.  I think they have to hold on to Mechdur to have any sort of future though they will be eclipsed by the Fronc Reaches.

it is worth nothing too that, as i illustrated earlier in the thread, the TC did obtain several Coalition worlds by 3040. (Aea, Regis Roost, and based on the location of the border, probably Katinka, Artru, and Qalzi)

if the Coalition balkanized, the TC might have absorbed those peacefully over the course of the 3030's.. the minor houses* controlling those worlds might well have invited the TC in beleiving the larger state would provide more secure protection than the Arano's can.

*none of the worlds which changed hands are home to a ruling council house, so i would assume that they would be controlled by even smaller houses or by planetary governments aligned with the Coalition.

On the flip side . . . I could also see the Coalition collapse, Alexander Medeira fleeing the ruins . . . and go on to be a advisor to someone who put the Fronc Reaches together, an exile that speaks to his actor like a modern Maciavelli.

i would be inclined to assume that *something* survives.. mainly because all the surrounding states seem to avoid that area for the next century. if the coalition fell apart completely, the region would become lawless and open for the taking by anyone. and you'd expect the New colony Region/Fronc Reaches to absorb it, if not the capcon or the TC. instead they ignore most of the area, even as they expand around it. suggesting that some sort of coherent polity survives there, or at least enough of one that taking it over would be more hassle than it is worth.

[Moragion]

i would be inclined to assume that *something* survives.. mainly because all the surrounding states seem to avoid that area for the next century. if the coalition fell apart completely, the region would become lawless and open for the taking by anyone. and you'd expect the New colony Region/Fronc Reaches to absorb it, if not the capcon or the TC. instead they ignore most of the area, even as they expand around it. suggesting that some sort of coherent polity survives there, or at least enough of one that taking it over would be more hassle than it is worth.

I would say that most of the worlds fall into obscurity, of simply fail as viable and are abandoned or simply perish. That would be a reason for the TC not to absorb every planet in the Coalition. They absorb some of the closer ones to their frontier (as per the canon maps). Maybe even some of them are lost from the star charts.
The result is a region that is essentially not worthy the effort of expansion or colonisation. I was even considering if perhaps use in the campaign the issue of the chemical weapons used on the Perdition attack. Perhaps some surviving faction of the Directorate use them on the capital world, like a terrorist attack, and they lose control over the attack, polluting the world, killing everyone. Although that seems too much for these era of play. Any thoughts?

[idea weenie]

I would say that most of the worlds fall into obscurity, of simply fail as viable and are abandoned or simply perish. That would be a reason for the TC not to absorb every planet in the Coalition. They absorb some of the closer ones to their frontier (as per the canon maps). Maybe even some of them are lost from the star charts.
The result is a region that is essentially not worthy the effort of expansion or colonisation. I was even considering if perhaps use in the campaign the issue of the chemical weapons used on the Perdition attack. Perhaps some surviving faction of the Directorate use them on the capital world, like a terrorist attack, and they lose control over the attack, polluting the world, killing everyone. Although that seems too much for these era of play. Any thoughts?

How about a local bug that adapts to start eating the primary monocrop of the local population (the food crops are almost identical clones, so once the bug overcame the resistance of one plant, it could spread quickly).  It spreads slow enough that people can recognize what it is doing, but there isn't the tech to stop it.  So people have to switch to worse food crops, or leave the planet.  Local population eventually steadies down to 1/10 its original value and the overall tech base falls as well.  From there nobody really wants to come by as there is nothing worth coming by for.

[Moragion]

How about a local bug that adapts to start eating the primary monocrop of the local population (the food crops are almost identical clones, so once the bug overcame the resistance of one plant, it could spread quickly).  It spreads slow enough that people can recognize what it is doing, but there isn't the tech to stop it.  So people have to switch to worse food crops, or leave the planet.  Local population eventually steadies down to 1/10 its original value and the overall tech base falls as well.  From there nobody really wants to come by as there is nothing worth coming by for.

Could be a reasonable cause for some world fading out, but for the matter of the campaign I would choose something more dramatic and direct. But definitely I see it happening in some world, as sure has happened in many worlds that disappeared from Inner Sphere history.

The other think from a setting point of view is as glitterboy2098 (I see a rifts fan, perhaps) said that some of the main characters of the book will probably survive the fall of the Coalition. Who is your best bet? I personally can see some of the noble houses leaders surviving to keep ruling their worlds as independent entities. Kamea and Madeira I picture dying in the fall, as most of the members of Rampart company.

[Frabby]

it is worth nothing too that, as i illustrated earlier in the thread, the TC did obtain several Coalition worlds by 3040. (Aea, Regis Roost, and based on the location of the border, probably Katinka, Artru, and Qalzi)

Point of order, Regis Roost is not and never was an Aurigan system in canon. It's been clearly ruled that inclusion of this system in the HBS game was an oversight and that it should not have been mentioned in the House Arano sourcebook either. That is official errata for the sourcebook.

[truetanker]

Tolkien

OR maybe Iron Heart Industries?

 :))

I jest of, he's totally a Rifts fan.

( Had too, yah know? )

TT

[Dragon Cat]

Hmm...

How would you state them if they lasted past 3039? As in SW4, 3050-60, Jihad and later Dark Ages?

Would their RAT change?

TT

If the state continued i think it would end up becoming part of the Trinity Alliance and instead of a New Colony Region the Aurigan Coalition becomes that buffer/link state between the 3

If it didn't then it becomes a target for all 3 and burns horribly

Only the Federated Suns or St Ives could push to support it with sufficient firepower to prop it up to be a thorn in the others side, but there's little reason to support a far flung state like that in those times

As far as RATs its going to heavily influenced by its neighbours

[Starfury]

The Coalition may have survived, losing some worlds due to a lack of troops or a consideration by Kamea to pull in her boundaries for a better defense against the Concordat.  Given how much the Concordat lost during the Jihad and the future, along with the formation of the Calderon Protectorate and the Fronc Reaches, the Coalition may have traded resources with the MoC, the Taurians and the Capellans to help solidify more economic stability in the wake of their civil war. Eventually the Coalition stabilizes, and manages to join in the New Colony region, and as the MoC and the TC are drawn into IS affairs, forges new links with the Fronc Reaches and the Protectorate to take back planets from the TC as it resides, sparking conflict between the two powers once again during the end of the Jihad and into the Dark Ages.
.

There is also the little matter of the Argo's copy of the SDS drone control program and the lostech recovered by the Maruaders, especially with that last Flashpoint mission...

[Stormlion1]

Something else is that Comstar and WoB tend not to put worlds on a map if there populations drop below a certain level.

[Elmoth]

By the time the fronc reaches starts to play a role the Aurigans are defunct as a regional power. Otherwise they would need to feature in the fronc reaches storyline. And they do not. 

I like that. It is an example of a failed state. They are talked about all the time. But we have very few examples of actual failed states in canon.

[truetanker]

House Cameron?

TT

[Colt Ward]

A government that falls to a coup is not a failed state- but we do not see them that often either.

[Elmoth]

Periphery states are supposed to be around 50 in number and come and go all the time. The aurigans, a state that does not last 3 generations, seems a good example of that.