OBT Forum

I didn't suggest designing special long ranged missiles but rather simply adding an internal nuclear warhead to those "robotic monsters" to take out targets. No need to wait and use ramming only as a last resort, against valuable enough targets it would be the primary attack mode - with an engagement envelope that would be unmatched by any ship mounted weapon. Though nukes are rather expensive so not all drones should be equipped like that.

I wouldn't even go that far. Simply equip the fighter drone with wing mounted Tac Nukes. The ships will then still have the flexibility of a fighter, while also retaining the ability to ram or be deployed in a conventional role.

But the truth is, I'm loathe to equip anything with a nuclear device. Until Bolan explodes and the Succession War becomes a game of tit for tat, there's the possibility of keeping the nuclear genie in his bottle (at least when it concerns the Republic.) If the Republic maintained conventional attacks, albeit with an SDS...which include ramming....then perhaps in the short term (and that may be all that's needed) the nation can avoid nuclear reprisals. You start equipping your CapMissiles and Drones with nukes and all bets are off.

Making matters even worse for an invader you could build SC drones with long range heat expansion drives. They would charge any inbound force at extreme velocity and dump a few tons of scrap along their vector - don't even need nukes if they have a high enough speed.

That's where large drone models, like assault DropShips come into play. The problem with building hoards of them could be yard space. I mean the Republic does have a fairly large and powerful conventional navy. In the short term hoards of drone fighters could provide a very real and very potent "meat shield" with the nasty ability to hit back. This would allow the Republic to make the best of their human navy, while maintaining their yards for continued construction and repair. However, once the Republic either A.) earns a little breathing space, or B.) brings all a good portion of their yards to 100% - building DropShip-sized drones would be the next logical step. 

I think these simpler drones should be well within the TR's capability to build, apart from the absolute cutting edge there will not be that much that is lostech just yet.

Well, the Republic would still have to research and develop the control systems just like the Word of Blake, and they may actually have a tougher time doing it after the Civil War. The Word of Blake benefited from over 200+ years of technical organization and refinement. When the Blakists decided to research the project they had neatly prepared technical archives painstakingly collected and preserved on the topic for centuries. The Order didn't just preserve knowledge, they organized it.

In the post-Coup Republic, information databases, libraries, military projects, etc., are in a state of disarray. Scientists and other research assets are spread to the wind. They're either fleeing for their lives, left with Kerensky, dead or just don't exist. Amaris collected an enormous amount of technical material on Terra, which Kerensky then added to before fleeing. I'm sure that pile of research formed the basis of ComStar's technical library in canon and will probably form the foundation of the Republic's, but it's still a mess that needs to be sorted, sifted and maybe even reconstructed (in some cases.)

With dedicated scientists and an organized research database, the Word of Blake was able to develop their SDS II system in roughly a decade (3058-3068/69.) I figure the Republic could do the same in about 12-15 years given the fallout of the Civil War and Kerensky's withdrawal.

However, the Republic has a huge advantage in manufacturing over the Word. Even if we played it conservatively and said that the Republic has a functional manufacturing base of roughly 1/3 that of the Terran Hegemony before the Coup, it's still what? Roughly 3,000% times larger (100 worlds @ 1/3 = 33 - not taking into account how Terra skews the equation) than the Word of Blake's manufacturing base. In ten years the Word of Blake was able to build a fairly large SDS for Terra and a number of smaller systems on a half-dozen or so of their "Maginot Line" worlds. That's not bad for a single factory planet, even if it is Terra.

Whereas, give the Republic ten years to produce and it'll have hoards of Wasps and Voidseekers blanketing their key planets. And that's all you really need to do. Ensure your key manufacturing and breadbasket worlds are secure and it's only a matter of time before you can spread the same system of protection to everything else. With the production source secure you've got nothing but time...     
 

Okay guys, great thread and I just wanted to catch up on a few points.

1. Collaborators Abroad. The Republic would likely have tried these traitors in absentia and depending upon the severity of their crimes against Terra authorize special action. This would likely depend on several factors however as the Regent will certainly not act to provide a potential enemy with an excuse for invasion. That being said if any hostile action is taken against her nation the forcible return or execution of said criminals could very well be approved as a proper response. Given the importance of these individuals to the Houses (likely more wealth and family motivated then science but I could see that too) the Centuran Accords likely avoided the issue as a diplomatic olive branch to all sides. Addressing the issue might bring up old wounds. Which leads me to the Republic and Collaborators within. The Last Cameron has to draw a distinction between a High Collaborator/ Quisling and others who were not that involved. Does this mean cooperation with the Usurper past a specific date? What incident is grievous enough for such status to be bestowed? Lesser authorities should be freed to return to work for the nation but could be followed by a certain stigma even though it would be discouraged by the Last Cameron. Amanda’s survival and the fate of her family give her special power to achieve national healing if she should wish to show forgiveness IMO. But who tried these infamous traitors? Was it the Supreme Tribunal or some special conclave? What were these Trails called? And we could tie this in with an Underworlds group as was thinking of known as the Star Chamber.

2. SDS. I think Knightmare is forgetting the time factor as WoB is far removed from the Star League era where the New Republic isn’t. Technical decline while in its first stages hasn’t swept the InnerSphere. Even though the Republic suffered severe damage in areas other resources remain. However, primitive SDS along the lines of what the WoB did is more plausible then the height of the Star League era. Don’t forget the Terran SDS was the most sophisticated known to man. Current attempts to match that what I call 3rd Generation SDS don’t fly. Even those found on outer Hegemony worlds, what I call 2nd Generation, that Kerensky’s ECM knocked out maybe too complex. However I think salvage from Terran space could recover enough to guard a single system – I’ll give you one guess where that would be. Numbers might be reduced but combined with the limited naval assets of the Republic could be enough to stave off invasion. What the Terrans have is more like the Blakist deployed in the Jihad and is likely to be concentrated close to Terra – say within the home province.

3. Nuclear Genie. Sadly Knightmare the cat is already out of the bag here. The Bolan Incident already transpired early in 2785 which begins House to House exchanges. Even more significant is the strategic mindset that VIPs have fallen into already at this time. Maybe it was the Terrorist attack on Demeter during the 3rd Hidden War that first showed the gloves coming off. Throw in tactics seen during the Periphery Uprising which helped gut the SLDF and you see a picture start to develop. However these harsh examples probably serve as useful tools to Terrans seeking methods to halt House aggression by numerically superior forces. Finally you have the Amaris Coup and all its nuclear action which every House Lord and their minions saw and studied. It really isn’t surprising that the militaries of the day which are at peak strength and efficiency are using nukes as a way to achieve some kind of advantage. Unfortunately we have already seen what the consequences of these tactics have in the canon timeline.

4. Brian Construction. Could you guys provide me with some references for your assertions that Castle Brian construction would be impossible. I haven’t read the entire book so giving me a page number and quote would be very helpful. I also find it hard to believe and several BTSD products already refer to new structures being built. The MegaCastles are prime examples. The Republic isn’t as far removed from the Star League as the Word of Blake is. Engineers with the know how and proper industrial equipment would likely be available for these priority constructs although their building may take longer and possibly be less sophisticated in subtle ways.

5. Titan Shipyards. I definitely have to adjust the history of these Jovian docks for BTSD and they may provide a key advantage for a rapid Terran naval recovery.

Well let me know what you think.

5. Titan Shipyards. I definitely have to adjust the history of these Jovian docks for BTSD and they may provide a key advantage for a rapid Terran naval recovery.

You could shift a dozen Defenders or so there, the 25 ship figure is very high for a yard hit fairly early in the war.

Okay guys, great thread and I just wanted to catch up on a few points.

1. Collaborators Abroad. The Republic would likely have tried these traitors in absentia and depending upon the severity of their crimes against Terra authorize special action. This would likely depend on several factors however as the Regent will certainly not act to provide a potential enemy with an excuse for invasion. That being said if any hostile action is taken against her nation the forcible return or execution of said criminals could very well be approved as a proper response. Given the importance of these individuals to the Houses (likely more wealth and family motivated then science but I could see that too) the Centuran Accords likely avoided the issue as a diplomatic olive branch to all sides. Addressing the issue might bring up old wounds. Which leads me to the Republic and Collaborators within. The Last Cameron has to draw a distinction between a High Collaborator/ Quisling and others who were not that involved. Does this mean cooperation with the Usurper past a specific date? What incident is grievous enough for such status to be bestowed? Lesser authorities should be freed to return to work for the nation but could be followed by a certain stigma even though it would be discouraged by the Last Cameron. Amanda’s survival and the fate of her family give her special power to achieve national healing if she should wish to show forgiveness IMO. But who tried these infamous traitors? Was it the Supreme Tribunal or some special conclave? What were these Trails called? And we could tie this in with an Underworlds group as was thinking of known as the Star Chamber.

Well let me know what you think.

Hmmm... Interesting questions.
I think I would let the Supreme Tribunal try the High Collaborators as it shows trust in the judicial system whereas a special conclave might be seen as distrusting the judicial system.
For how to call these Trials I'd opt for the simple: Collaborator Trials.

Sadly, as JHS Terra is not yet available in dead tree format I feel that I cannot offer anything on the other points of your post.

Ciao
Hessian

I have a vision of the Battle of Titan that has been evolving for some time but I'm gonna go back and see the exact wording of JHS again. It appears that following the Exodus (2784) the yards could have produced just about anything and done it fairly quickly. In canon it appears that they lied fallow and didn't produce much after Kerensky left till ComStar took over and mothballed them. In BTSD we have the Terran Republic with a small fleet that needs rebuilding quick. I just wonder if I low balled the number of ships the Republic should have. Although they have so much to rebuild from their warships, to their merchant ships, to drop ships, to cargo ships. There is stuff to rebuild that was destroyed by Amaris or left with Kerensky.

The SLDF probably took every ship with an OK KF drive, the remainder would need KF recasting but might be available for local defence. Having the Titan yards available to recast KF-cores would certainly help getting the long list of cripples jump worthy. I doubt it would be worth the effort of more production with the massive repair backlog. Although it depends on the nature of the yards, if Titan is geared towards massproduction then disrupting that with repairs would be counter productive.

The SLDF probably took every ship with an OK KF drive, the remainder would need KF recasting but might be available for local defence. Having the Titan yards available to recast KF-cores would certainly help getting the long list of cripples jump worthy. I doubt it would be worth the effort of more production with the massive repair backlog. Although it depends on the nature of the yards, if Titan is geared towards massproduction then disrupting that with repairs would be counter productive.

Very good CJvR. I figure most salvagable derelicts could be dragged back to the Terran system or are there already as a result of the final Amaris Coup battle. Why bother with the KF recasting. Engines, arms and armor are priority repairs. Ships would be ready defenders.

I dont know if this will help, but in The Other Option, after reading JHS: Terra, I have got the Terran system producing more than any one state in total transport production (JS and DS).  It accounts for 19% of Sphere wide production, with the next closest being the LC and FWL and 18% and 17% respectivly.  Of course this is all 3rd SW levels, so you may have Titan much more productive in your AU.  Still, that 1 in 5 seems to work well, without it becoming too big an advantage.

Right you are Blacknova. Is there any other specific numbers mentioned? I'm looking again myself.

Very good CJvR. I figure most salvagable derelicts could be dragged back to the Terran system or are there already as a result of the final Amaris Coup battle. Why bother with the KF recasting. Engines, arms and armor are priority repairs. Ships would be ready defenders.

I expect most derelicts will be in even worse shape regarding other systems than those with just KF damage. Ships with mild drive damage in the opening of the campaign would have been scavanged to keep the rest of the fleet running rather than risk jumping along. Towards the end I suspect bthe SLDF brought even ships with KF damage along for the final phases of the campaign. That would mean most salvagable derelicts able to make it to Terra would be on the edges of the TR and they would be in a worse state of repair from the SLDF scavanging with regards to guns and engines than ships with heavier KF drive damage closer to Terra.