OBT Forum

Small change Muttley it was a raid on the Penal Colony of Glasgow on the world of New Holland but minor switch

So the Pensacola Convoy stay in the Southern Cross as well?  Or did they return to the SLDF for or after the Reunification War?

Two divisions, as I mentioned in the first post, in fact.

I'm wondering if the convoy ever arrives, actually.

MA

Dunedin is one of the Commonwealth's "garden" worlds.  If it were in the Inner Sphere, population would be 40-50 times as great.  What I am thinking is this:  only one or two billion+ populations, everything else in the 100s of millions (uncommon) or 10s of millions (common), or even smaller populations (VERY common).

So how many worlds/systems should the Confederation have?  A dozen?  Two dozen?  Forty?

MA

As I understand it this is a SLDF colonization of the Anti-Spinward (something I've written a couple of times) region somewhere beyond the old Rim Worlds arm.

1. Well first off your capital world is likely to have the most people which will establish your ceiling. Twelve billion is the top I know of in the BT universe and that was Terra under the Star League so ain't no way you have a star empire of thousands. The mid billion (five or so) is a House Capital which of course controls hundreds of worlds (say 200 to 500) and I would say unlikely for your setting. Low billions I suppose is possible as we have examples of as Periphery capital worlds (Canopus and Taurus) but I would not go beyond one for this exercise. You are not the Magistracy or the Concordat who each I believe have one, two, perhaps even three of this third tier high population worlds. They exist far longer and closer to the InnerSphere than you. A Tier 4 call it, hundreds of millions, capital world along with a few others is more plausible to me. Say half a dozen (6-8 at most) with populations of 500 plus million denizens is more likely. Go with 6 if you do a low billions capital. If not maybe 9 with many millions as your core worlds.

2. What date are you guys trying to write to? And the era is?? You have a few choices of course. 3025 is always a good starting point as it is where BT began in the first place and I'd love to hear the story of why this bunch of noble do gooders didn't get involved in the events of the InnerSphere or maybe they did? Or is it 3050 and what does this True Corps of the Star League to do now with the Return of Kerensky to the InnerSphere in its shocking Clan form. The Jihad of 3067, do Blakist find them and involve the Southern Cross in the events of their Holy War???

3. What population and technology do you have to support your force? It looks like you are trying to maintain (gulp) a SLDF Corps! That may not be possible. Such a force garrisoned 50 or more worlds during the height of the Star League and was maintained be its vast industry. You are in the sticks here kids. Just saying you might not have the industry to support this strength or the need for it as your area to defend might be forty worlds at the most.

4. Hidden Empire. I get the feeling we aren't advertising for the InnerSphere to come vacation here. So what happens to explorers and agents of the Houses and ComStar when they come calling? Perhaps they come as comissars among the refugees can't have them report back can we..

Few thoughts on your populace.

Initial colonists. Your core supporters who bought with you will obviously form the stalwart center of your culture but do they get overwhelmed by the next three population influxes I suggest? Are there idealists or reactionaries who want to go their own way in the future?

Refugees fleeing the early Succession Wars is very possible and given your location you could have a ton of Lyran, Marik, and Rim World denizens especially if your pro actively setup to rescue them. Such influxes which you don't really control over could lead to major problems especially early in the 1st Succession War (2785 to 2821) given the scale of transportation available not to mention if your trying to stay secret or a hidden empire. The scale of this exodus from the InnerSphere is going to slow as jumpships are annihilated but could continue through the 2nd Succession War say 2850.

Were there people in the region before their arrival? An Uplift Program to gather people as a resource around the region to give them a better life could work but poses some problems. Do folks want your help in the first place? Some are likely looking to get away from an unfortunate crash or colonial disaster that the SL might have helped them with but are there other groups like American Indians (Nomads or Survivalists) say who have established the simple life and don't want to be relocated to a reservation or be incorporated into your grand new empire?

A Liberator Program is something I could see this noble SLDF survivor force going out and smashing bandit kings, freeing slaves, capturing pirates, and bringing justice to the dark corners of this region.

Given all this I'd say your should be given MA comments between 24-40 inhabited star systems. 24 or more (upper limit 30) should be millions of people settlements as I think the Southern Cross wants to keep a well centered populace with the rest being low population colony worlds but it all depends on the time frame folks.

Sounds good MA but shall we start at the beginning?

In the first years of James McKenna’s rule over the Terran Hegemony

Using this phrase as a starting point I wanted to present a little time line for the inception of our Anti-Spinward Nation.

2314 – Marks the breakdown of the Alliance as Expansionists and Liberal gangs start a civil war on Earth
2315 – McKenna reacts with the AGM and Colonial Marines halts the violence
2316 – McKenna is elected Director-General in February of the new Hegemony

They left in 2320 (5 years after James McKenna formed the realm) and had around 80 early vessels (Aquila and the like).  Total population was the on the order of 40,000.  Then they lost contact with humanity until the SLDF found them in the early 2700s.  Almost four hundred years to grow and expand.  They might (might) have had some contact with wayward souls, which allowed them to begin production of early BattleMechs and DropShips and modern JumpShips . . . or maybe they developed these concepts independently.  It is whatever YOU FELLOWS want.

I am looking at bringing the CSC into the BattleTech universe starting at around 3025 or so (the year that they return). 

These years could be a good time for our group to get going so to speak. Chaos reigns and McKenna has yet to firmly grasp control of a new Hegemony. This is also a nice window for “a group of discontented individuals” to leave rather than having to be dealt with. Perhaps McKenna even allots them resources for such a trip into the unknown. So now that we have our time who is Alex Cross and his followers. I suspect they be a powerful minority who McKenna could crush but would rather let leave. Here are some possibilities.

PIPs – The SLSB page 13 has the third party of the Terran Alliance being established in 2310, the People’s Independence Party. Claiming to be the Voice of the Forgotten it attracted massive popular and economic support from a once apathetic populace. Grant Zoli, a New Zealander, was the founder of this movement and despite his personal greed generated a genuine political movement. Zoli played both sides (Expansionist and Liberal) eventually ending up dead in September a month before the Alliance Elections of 2314. While a two party struggle ensued until June 2, 2315 according to the text what happened to the PIP? Parliament sent AGM troops to New Zealand where the most trouble initially took place after his death. Nothing else is mentioned of them but could Cross from nearby Australia be Zoli’s second? Might this be the core of Alex Cross’ support?

Nationalists – TRO3075 and later works paint a picture of this time where the nation-states of Earth still exist under the aegis of the Terran Alliance. Rather than being a political party refusing to accept the Hegemony might it be ardent Nationalists perhaps overlooked in BattleTech history? Cross could certainly be the Australian PM as Zoli was the New Zealand PM. It is another hook for our settlers of the Anti-Spinward.

Additional Undesirables – Rather than imprison or execute certain influential people it might be convenient for McKenna to use Cross and his followers as a release valve for other powerful political prisoners taken during his Coup. Expansionists and Liberals who aren’t big fish to be put on trail but can’t or will not return to society as new contributing members of the Hegemony might get sent out with Cross. The Wastes of the Alliance so to speak being Castoff or Foresaken.

Guardians – I doubt McKenna trusts Cross fully and perhaps he sends some of his own people perhaps even soldiers to protect this Exodus Fleet. They aren’t there for Cross’ well being necessarily but to keep an eye on things maybe even reestablish contact with McKenna or let him know where they go or what they do.

How big should our colonist fleet of emigrants be? I wouldn’t go larger then 250 thousand people. From the number of people we could then determine their fleet and travel time.

Well lets get there first Ice and see what is reasonable. There are nearly 400 years of story to write until you get to the Star League establishing a Protectorate.

Well lets concentrate on the arrival of the SLDF as it looks like the first big foreign interaction. After 400 years of settlement our ertswhile anti spinward colonists have how many people? That would determine my recommendation for number of worlds and impact reasoning of the SLDF garrison size.

2% annual growth (100 million denizens) seems like the high end of what this civilization could do in 400 years. Say they establish Perth in early 2321. Colonization even in the best of circumstances is gonna have some problems. I mean you have to have some struggles to overcome in their story be it a civil war, natural disaster, plague, in addition to the first bleak days of colonial foundation.