Wow, that's a lot of material to read and reply to. Talk about a lively discussion, holy macaroni.
First, I fixed the link in the opening post - I also added the thread I'm referring to to my signature now. Sorry about the mess.
To answer some questions/provide more clarification:
I'm shooting for a regiment/reinforced regiment as the intended maximum, the RCT approach I detailed was mostly referring to an example for unit composition and expansion priorities.
That being said, I've been talking to someone in my circle with a lot of military experience, and the consensus to focus on expanding infantry and ASF assets seems to be very sound. ASF are instrumental in ensuring that dropships actually land, and one can't always count on employer's help, while infantry is able to operate discreetly and efficiently, especially in urban areas. Fitting, as for the next few years, our main theatre of (defensive) operations is going to be within the boundaries of the FRR. Our personnel roster has received a lot of influx from the FRR, we even have a few ex 1st Tyr members in here, so it is fair to the deployment and contract go way beyond business protocol as our personal ties to the region are particularly strong. That being said, we're very much an ex-house unit, hailing from the Third Donegal Guards. We started out as a fake merc company, and have only recently really cut the umbilical cord to the LCAF. While we had some setbacks, it is only now that we'll see whether we can weather the storms which loom on the horizon and stand the test of time as a merc company that can stay afloat, or survive even, as the second campaign is very likely going to go against the Clans...yikes.
When it comes to negotiations and contract shenanigans, I'd rather not describe McKenna as particularly shrewd or ruthless. His game works because he's well connected and has good reputation with a clean track record to boot, landing him more favorable deals by default. This is backed by RPG stats, I just didn't bother in adding those at the moment. Overall, it's a comfortable way to work, and it makes some sense while being deployed here due to the clout and established connections. It should be noted however that the FRR isn't just Månsdottir and his ex-Tyr acquaintances, on the contrary. I fully expect bureaucracy and arbitrary regulations bogging the company down even when there is an immediate call for action, as mercs are described as having a hard time in these parts.
Now on to some of the big questions!
Can you make money from being a hireable RCT in the 40s? I think the question is not of such immediate urgency. The unit has just completed a phase of expansion and training, consolidated its assets etc. Action will follow, testing if concepts are fireproof and solid enough - if things keep going smoothly (which I don't really expect as the opposition will be fierce and unusual) I can see them making the leap just before the hammer drops around 3049-50 when the northern border gets lit up. During the invasion? Honestly, I find it very likely to find more than enough work, though considerably more hazardous due to the Clans being incredibly scary. That being said, the size of an RCT seems daunting to command, even to GM. I'd prefer to keep the unit in style of an RCT, without the bulk associated with it - perhaps working with a single regiment representing the 'glory days' of the unit, if they don't implode beforehand or become absorbed into Clan/House units due to unfortunate series of events. In short I can only reiterate, I'm looking more for a pattern to use for expansion, not neccessarily the actual size of an RCT.
Does everything need to be deployed day 1 / in a hotdrop? No, I don't think so. Do I think using 'Mechs as the breaching force is a sound idea? Absolutely. Do I think they should get combined arms backup? Yes.
Now keep in mind that I'm neither a military person nor an avid reader of military fiction. I'm just a budding artist who likes to paint little 'Mechs and tanks and sometimes write about stuff. Getting into the mindset of in-character military personnel does not come naturally to me, as I'm not even neccessarily familiar with the basics of modern military doctrine, let alone due procedure in BT. Now that the layman's disclaimer is out of the way, I'll give it a go. Following things seem prudent to me:
- Try to have your own dropships.
- Your dropships are fragile (they mostly are, since the beefier assault ones are in high demand), protect them with ASF support.
- Once they land, use 'Mechs to secure the landing zone and mop up immediate resistance.
- Use foot/mechanized/motorized infantry to fan out and establish a net of intel/control zones quickly so you have time to get a heads up once significant enemy reinforcements show up. Deploy limited armor assets which are ready to go to give some punch to the grunts just in case. (VTOLs seem very good for supporting or clearing infantry, providing intel etc - it's just a huge shame how incredibly limited the range is early on, as almost all of them are post-invasion designs)
- Deploy artillery to take out defensive positions or enemy batteries (if aero can't take care of it properly or safely secure air superiority)
- Slow-deploy armor assets as needed as backup for 'Mechs and infantry.
So the notion of using cargo space for the bulk of the heavier assets seems to be a good one - I will keep it in mind and look for a way to execute it. It also reinforces the notion of keeping the Overlord as it is, as a carrier for 'Mech assets, even for the future regiment. The idea behind modifying it was merely to have the entire HQ unit deploy from one ship after the upscaling has been done, artillery + heavy tank lance and all. But Arkansas Warrior's suggestion seems to be a better way to go about it, reorganizing the command chain and also not putting all eggs in one basket. Luckily enough, the way the unit has evolved, it was always built with flexibility of lances and command chains in mind - ex-Steiner elites and veterans who have fought together for a decade have been dispersed across the unit to ensure that elements can always work together, in various deployment patterns.
The Dispossessed -> Tankers -> possibly Mechwarriors idea has occurred to me before, and I find it definitely worth entertaining. It's funny to see it resurface again from a different perspective.
When it comes to infantry, I can see making overstrength platoons be worthwhile, although I have no experience of playing them on the tabletop as of yet since we only started to get into vehicles. Seeing how invaluable they are, I'll definitely go down the rabbit hole in this regard. For now I need to wrap my head around the possibilities they entail, what transportation they can get, what tactical usage they can have, or what kind of shift in support or transportation they neccessitate.
I'll definitely take a closer look at the dropships again. The concern of not being able to find a particular one is well warranted, even with the commander being well-connected, having decent negotiation skills and having good reputation. It's not neccessarily just about finding it either, there might simply be none for sale or the demand so high that we don't have the cash to outbid a large defense contractor or lordship for example. Some suggestions that have been made (with percentages to find them on a single roll):
Drost - not listed, I'll assume it's similar to the Intruder (42%)
Excalibur - 28%
Intruder - 42%
Jumbo - not listed, Mule is the more up to date version
Monarch - 58%
Mule - 72%
Vengeance - 17% (ouch)
One of the dedicated infantry (and mechanized infantry) carriers seem to be the Condor, which seems ubiquitous and easy to find. (72%) The Seeker (42%) carries 40 light vehicles + 4 infantry platoons. The good old Union (58%) has a lot of variants and is easy to retool and resupply.
That being said, the reason I intend to keep the Leopard around is because it is one of the only dropships that can sit on the tabletop in 'Mech scale. An alternative would be the MW:Dark Age Aurora, which is just flat out gorgeous (and fairly modular). Having such a small craft around might not neccessarily be an economically sound decision, but having the option of fielding such a centerpiece is still something I can't disregard completely. That being said, some very general framework could be:
+Spearhead+
- Overlord -> (36 'Mechs)<6 ASF>
- Union CV -> <12 ASF>
- Seeker -> (40 Light Vehicles)[4 Infantry Platoons]
- 2-3x Intruder -> <4-6 ASF> [8-12 Infantry Platoons]
+Safe+
- Mule(s) {packed heavy assets + chillin' infantry}
These dropships are all fairly easy to get, all spheroid aswell. I can try and plug in an Excalibur if I'm feeling lucky, although deploying 90 Heavy Vehicles seems to be an overkill for the size of the unit I'm going for. I'll need to fiddle around with unit compositions and possible configurations in a spreadsheet to see what is reasonable, with an alternative aerodyne configuration aswell.
Final note: I haven't played AeroTech, and I'm not yet sure if I want to. I own 2 Chippewas, 2 Slayers and 2 Shilones though, and 4 of these are registered in the roster. The Shilone pilots are even scheduled to receive a character spotlight in the future!
Sorry if I missed something, lots of answers here to keep track of. I could go into more depth when it comes to the splitting and reorganizing part of course - I'll have to revisit my sheets first though.