SDN Worlds 4 Commentary Thread II

[Zor]

You are in the blockade fleet, Zor. Not in Pendleton actual.

Bugger.

Zor

[Shroom Man 777]

Maybe you can deal with some Pendletonian pricks flying around in the shoals, like what Simon Jester's guys did. Or your forces can run into the whatevers deployed by Force Lord's Centrality guys.

[Simon_Jester]

I think the sudden arrival of this (pretty damned big) fleet from the Centrality has a lot of potential, myself, but I've already written just about as much about Bannerman as I want to write; I don't really know how to address the issue.

I have something i would like to contribute to the battle. Can i insinuate myself into it?

Zor

You could write from an observer's point of view (like Beo) or coordinate with another player and write something from another nation's perspective.

[Shroom Man 777]

Or, as he's one of the Bannerman blockaders, he could do something about those damn Centrality guys.

[Simon_Jester]

Yes; that's what I was thinking.

Also, my compliments to the writer of that piece on Motonow. It's good because it's got that essential spirit of wackiness, while still being well grounded. I like.

[Steve]

*facepalm*

LoC9, that entire post in the military acquisition/construction thread is rejected until you go back and read the freaking rules on constructing new ships and actually bother to learn what God damned year it is, GIVEN IT'S ON THE FREAKING THREAD TITLE.

[Simon_Jester]

Steve, you're hyperventilating, relax. He's making mistakes, yes, but they look like good-faith mistakes. Given the sheer volume of stuff he's had to assimilate to start playing the game, I think he deserves a break.

To be more helpful:

LoC, the year at game start is 3400, not 2400.

Also, you can't commission a 600$ carrier at the beginning of 3400 and have it ready at the beginning of 3401. See "Unit Building," toward the bottom of the rules page. This one.

Also see other people's fleet construction posts, for example mine. As you see, the smaller starships (<200 points) are constructed at a rate of 1 month per 10 points of cost: 30-point frigates take three months, while 150-point carriers take fifteen. In addition to this there is a period of trials and working-up equal to half the construction time, rounded up.

Therefore, my 150-point Aviary-class fleet carriers, laid down in January 3400, won't be leaving the shipyards until April 3401, and won't be fully ready for prime time until November 3401 on account of the building trials.

For ships larger than 200 points we have a series of fixed categories. My 650-point Vindicator-class ion dreadnoughts (in the same size category as your big Hohenzollern-class carriers) aren't due to leave the yards for four years, and won't be done working up until July 3505.

[Lord_Of_Change 9]

To be honest, the 2400 thing was a typo, combined with a minor case of forgetting on my part. As for the other problem, I was in error when I forgot to look at the constructing new units part, and I promise that I will not repeat that mistake.

[Simon_Jester]

Better. But the construction time for a 600$ unit is four years (from Jan 3400 to Jan 3404). The fitting and trials time is 18 months, not 12, so you need to push the 'ready for action' dates for those ships up another six months.

EDIT: Also, don't you think you should have some escort units of less than ultra-heavy tonnage in the construction program? Like, destroyers or something?

[Lord_Of_Change 9]

Better. But the construction time for a 600$ unit is four years (from Jan 3400 to Jan 3404). The fitting and trials time is 18 months, not 12, so you need to push the 'ready for action' dates for those ships up another six months.

EDIT: Also, don't you think you should have some escort units of less than ultra-heavy tonnage in the construction program? Like, destroyers or something?

I've changed the dates by six months, and I'll add some Destroyers.

[Force Lord]

Excellent! So I can arrange for your ship to be captured and your poor citizens to realize how awesome the outside universe is! The Fall of the Vile Centrality Totalitarianism has begun! MWAHAHAHAHA.

Too late.

My hiatus has ended prematurely. Next post should come up soon.

[Simon_Jester]

OK, LoC, but you forgot one thing:

You forgot to add the cost of the destroyers to the total construction budget on the bottom line.

That said, it's still below 5% of GDP...

[Steve]

Excellent! So I can arrange for your ship to be captured and your poor citizens to realize how awesome the outside universe is! The Fall of the Vile Centrality Totalitarianism has begun! MWAHAHAHAHA.

Too late.

My hiatus has ended prematurely. Next post should come up soon.

You just had to tempt me, didn't you?

Now you have a ship that looks like an Imperial Star Destroyer bearing down on your poor wittle destroyer. Prepare to be boarded!

And in case you're wondering why I posted that, here's your answer:

[Force Lord]

Excellent! So I can arrange for your ship to be captured and your poor citizens to realize how awesome the outside universe is! The Fall of the Vile Centrality Totalitarianism has begun! MWAHAHAHAHA.

Too late.

My hiatus has ended prematurely. Next post should come up soon.

You just had to tempt me, didn't you?

Now you have a ship that looks like an Imperial Star Destroyer bearing down on your poor wittle destroyer. Prepare to be boarded!

And in case you're wondering why I posted that, here's your answer:

You have to catch me first.

[Steve]

BTW, where is your fleet again? You say the heavy elements are outside the Outback, but then you say they're at the Bannerman side of the Gap, which is inside the Outback.

[Force Lord]

BTW, where is your fleet again? You say the heavy elements are outside the Outback, but then you say they're at the Bannerman side of the Gap, which is inside the Outback.

Ah, I mixed that up. The heavy elements remain just outside the Outback. The remainder are on the Bannerman side of the Gap. I forgot where the B-A Gap really was.

[Simon_Jester]

Also, I think it bears mentioning that this fleet (totals to something like seven to nine thousand points at a rough estimate on my part) is:

-A long way from home logistically, which reduces its combat effectiveness (think the Russians at Tsushima, though probably not quite that bad)
-Big enough to trigger major international incidents, especially in any nations it might happen to pass by. The Altacarans are on a direct line between the Centrality and the area of operations, and I imagine they would have interesting questions to ask about a gigantic fleet from their totalitarian neighbor that shows up on their border wanting to sail through. The fleet is also passing very close to Anglian space, and is therefore likely to set off alarm bells in Anglian fleet command.
-Really expensive to operate relative to the importance of the operation it's meant to backstop.

Force Lord, it might make more sense to retcon this down to the size of a more modest task force. I dunno.

[Force Lord]

Also, I think it bears mentioning that this fleet (totals to something like seven to nine thousand points at a rough estimate on my part) is:

-A long way from home logistically, which reduces its combat effectiveness (think the Russians at Tsushima, though probably not quite that bad)
-Big enough to trigger major international incidents, especially in any nations it might happen to pass by. The Altacarans are on a direct line between the Centrality and the area of operations, and I imagine they would have interesting questions to ask about a gigantic fleet from their totalitarian neighbor that shows up on their border wanting to sail through.
-Really expensive to operate relative to the importance of the operation it's meant to backstop.

Force Lord, it might make more sense to retcon this down to the size of a more modest task force. I dunno.

Well, I didn't intend for this force to fight. It really was meant to intimidate. Tardis knows he can't put up a prolonged fight, so he hopes that the sheer size of the Fleet would be enough to deter anyone from attacking.

EDIT: And Jester, the Centrality's leadership is not that sane.

[Steve]

Actually I figure it's entirely possible the Centrality fleet used minor hyperlane networks where needed to avoid entering the sovereign space of major interstellar states, only going through the space of local single-system statelets like those in X-13 who, well, won't be in a position to do much about the bigass fleet.

Edit: I figure your capital ships are in Sector V-19, in a system along the hyperlane between the Imperium and New Anglia which, obviously, crosses through the Outback.

[Steve]

These three lanes are the only ways in and out of the Outback, though they do not represent the only traversible paths.

[Force Lord]

The rescuers are getting jittery...

[PeZook]

Aha! A complication!

[Simon_Jester]

Mmmm. Nuclear-tipped complications...

[Shroom Man 777]

Put SAMs in the middle of cities. And have fushion-powered fighters constantly move around, to avoid orbital attack, and have them fly over civilian areas. Think like Iraqis or Belkans in defense planning!

[Steve]

You do know that fusion-powered fighters will not explode like nuclear reactors melting down when destroyed, don't you?