OBT Forum

I am looking for info on Sword of Light units around 2765 and I wonder if any of them would be Assault 'Mechs oriented?

The description in the FR says that all 5 regiments are "weighted toward the heavy end of the spectrum, but there still remain enough light and medium ’Mechs and fighters to give them a good response time in battle."

Okay folks I’ll start at the beginning.

From the perspective of a Davion officer in the SLDF I find Field Report DCMS 2765 to be right on. The short Overview nicely keys on the strengths of the Combine and the fear of its aggression. The Bushido sidebar gives us a good dual look at the pros and cons of this warrior philosophy. The Strategic Assessment gives us the straight facts on the DCMS from number of regiments to common BattleMechs. I was surprised that only the Rasalhague Regulars are suspected of disloyalty to House Kurita as there is some distrust towards the Arkab Legion. I suppose it is a small oversight. It goes on to quite accurately paint the strengths and weaknesses of the Combine military apparatus.

Goals of the State is nicely done with one exception. Again there is a failure to factor in the Periphery here like the Capellan Confederation Field Report. However frequent mentions of the Terran Hegemony makes you believe you are in 2765 so I can forgive the oversight. Tensions with neighboring realms, hints at a covert build up, its reason for continued Star League membership and Kurita’s desire to dominate the entire Human Sphere really hit home. I also liked the Draconian push for self sufficiency and efforts to keep the Star League at arms length.

Mercenaries discussed in the Youhei sidebar on pages 5 and 6 are another fine piece of writing. While opportunistic you get the picture that Lord Kurita never likes their kind. I think this is a traditional stance for the Draconis Combine in almost any time period. This attitude was simply taken to the next step by Takashi with his infamous Death to Mercenaries order in 3020s but at its core the Dragon really never liked soldiers of fortune. Strict ISF oversight and the small units scattered throughout the realm all give the right feel for 2765. Of course I would have liked a unit name or two but all in all not bad.

Next up Logistics, Academies (Brutal Training), and Industry before I get to units!

A note on you fleet make up here, the BattleCorps Hesperus II scenario lists the following DCA light WarShips.

DCS Galedon II - Samarkand II
DCS Pacheco - Vigilant
DCS Tamura - Bonaventure
DCS Georgia - Bonaventure

I would sub-out two Vincents for the Bonaventures, but the Vigilant poses a problem.  It might have been a mothballed ship or a later prize, as the FR states that only 2 Vigilants are active.

The Galedon II is likely a new build ship post-2765.

From the same scenario and TR 3057r, we know that one of the Barons is the DCS Yedo.

I don't have the Hesperus II scenario so this is new info to me. 

I agree the Galedon II is probably a new build ship - the FR is pretty clear the DCMS only has 8 Samarkands at this point. 

As for the Vigilant...that's tougher.  It could be in mothballs in 2765 and that is probably the easiest solution.  In in 2750 the DCMS had only 30 active warships and there are only 6 Narukami in service in 2765, then at least 9 other ships had to be returned to service from the Mothball fleet ( the text is clear that this is the major source of ships for the DCA.)  Is it possible that the Samarkands were in the mothball fleet- yes but I doubt it. More likely the Samarkands were kept in active duty and it was SLDF ships that were returned to service (or maybe some the Samarkands were built between 2750 and 2765).  So I will say the DCS Pacheco was in Mothballs in 2765.

As to the Bonaventures- I would replace some of the DCA destroyers with Bonaventures.  My revised fleet would be:
8 Samarkands
6 Narukami
2 Vigilants
6 Aegis
2 Cruisers
6 Vincent
4 Bonaventure
2 Lola I
2 Essex
3 Baron
1 Carson

I like the idea that the DCA had more corvettes. So this works nicely.

I guess it could be a Rim Worlds defector but it is not an SLDF that did not go on the Exodus.  All the SLDF ships either went on the Exodus or joined Comstar.  None joined the great houses.

I guess it could be a Rim Worlds defector but it is not an SLDF that did not go on the Exodus.  All the SLDF ships either went on the Exodus or joined Comstar.  None joined the great houses.

Or the Combine salvaged a scuttled or "destroyed" SLDF ship in one of the systems they moved in on as the SLDF was attacking through the Hegemony; similar to the ships the Marik's salavaged with help from C* & WoB later.

Phew, just finished my overtime season at work guys so sorry about the wait but here we go.

The SLDF did seem to leave a number of perfectly repairable ships laying around.

Don't forget Six the SLDF was getting the hell out of dodge. Limited time to repair ships whose dependability on a long journey may be in question is a good reason for the amount of derelicts left laying around.

I'll get restarted at the end of this review with the sidebar entitled Brutal Training on page 6. Readers get a pretty good look at the tough training and strict demands placed upon the cadets of the Sun Zhang Academy. Four hours of sleep! Yikes!! I wouldn't be making it there.

The opening paragraph on Logistical Status of the DCMS in 2765 is short but very telling. The drive for military self sufficiency, the harshest military training in the known worlds, and efforts to clandestinely build up the DCMS are all hit on. Its a different mindset from the rest of the Star League making the Combine one of the most interesting places in this era.

Academies is a juicy topic for me. Lets start with the Sun Zhang where the number 850 cadets graduated every year is thrown out. That is Mechwarrior and Aerospace Pilots only folks. Previously we knew the premier DCMS academy graduated over 400 Mechwarriors a year. So what does this tell us? The number of graduates seems to have decreased as time has gone on. Why would this be? Attrition to the Draconis elite Mechwarrior class from the Succession Wars, recruiting issues caused by the lack of transport and lowered educational standards??? The Galedon Military Academy, which is presumably still located on Matsuida, is given as the second best DCMS training facility.
Unfortunately we don't hear about other Military District Academies which would exist at this time at least in my opinion. Benjamin, Pesht, and Rasalhague are MIA which is a little disappointing to me. Also missing is the Aerospace and Interstellar Institute which would likely produce most of the DCA's personnel cause there is no mention of any such naval training facility. That and a short blurb on the larger pool of recruits that the DCA could presumably recruit as opposed to the elitist DCMS is a missed opportunity. The Kensai Kami is perhaps another oversight which could have been included especially as the DCMS hones its edge.
However there is more to DCMS academies that is included. The Sun Tzu School of Combat is mentioned along with its combined arms approach to training as well as infantry and armor instruction. Apparently the bias against such team work tactics and the small number of graduates (? perhaps who rise to positions of influence ?) limits this thinking in the DCMS. The University of Proserpina, the Pagoda for Luthien Officers, and the Wisdom of the Dragon are also mentioned along with their field of expertise.
The one new addition is the Dieron Warriors' Academy (DWA) located on Shimontia which produces several dozen apolitical Mechwarriors annually. I'll get more into this facility when we get to the Dieron Regulars but the back story is well done and I am a fan. Think we can definitely fit this into BTSD. 

Lastly Infrastructural Assessment goes over the Military Industry of the Draconis Combine in 2765. I really like the goal to be self sufficient as it speaks to the central planning mindset of the Kurita economy even during the Star League. This state run monolith nearly reaching its goal speaks volumes to me about the economic strength of Star League. Especially cause of the Combine's myopic focus on military products as opposed to civilian goods.
While the major manufacturers of the Draconis Combine are mentioned including Amalgamated Sword and Steel which builds the Wolverine and Warhammer as well as a third of the DCMS small arms and infantry support weapons. Unfortunately there is no mention of DeHeugo & Fresht likely because of its naval connections. We do get an aerospace bone thrown to us by Wakazashi Enterprises which makes a fighter known as the Star Dagger.
Loving the ISF as the tool of industrial espionage which I could certainly see during this era. Stealing and sabotaging all it can for the Dragon at this time in history. The lack of Hegemony investment in the Combine is also spot for many reasons. Xenophobia, secret arms build ups, perceived threats to League unity, and a hostile reception all minimize Terran involvement with the Combine even during the Golden Age of Mankind.
Would this near self sufficiency have given House Kurita a distinct advantage over the other House Lords in the opening days of the Succession Wars? Steiner, Marik, and Davion have got to be extremely interdependent on the Hegemony and each other so when Amaris kicks out the supports they may have the most to lose. Liao is just in bad shape period but Kurita might be in a real good place to survive the resulting collapse in decent condition. I really wonder about the economic motivations for the Succession War.
I would have preferred an aggressive strategy of seizing nearby border industries and/or plans to expand buffer/safe zones around Kurita border worlds. Despite the Field Report citing construction on several new planets in the interior I don’t think this is kosher. The Star League economy would have fostered external rather than internal industrial growth making it difficult for reverse industrialization as I am calling it. BTSD will be sticking with border world industries on the fringes of Kurita space like New Oslo and Proserpina rather than creating new interior worlds

Onto the Draconis units!

I do agree with you TigerShark that so far neither of these books has really managed to make me believe they were written in 2765. FR DC does a better job than the FR CC cause at least you get major points of conflict with the Hegemony which the Liao report forgot. As I already pointed out shipyards is a red flag to me because of the centralized nature of Draconis industry. The  Luthien yards should have been the center of the DCA Navy instead you get no reference to them even though we know they existed. If Chatham and Schuyler were the main centers why weren't they attacked during the First Succession War like Luthien was? Also regarding the Luthien attack it was only after that incident that the DCMS kept 4 Mech regiments there for defense previous having only 2. Make sense to me cause Kurita is always on the attack not the defense however the deployment map clearly has 4 regiments on the capital world 20 years prior to the Lyran raid. As for the Periphery I would have liked to have seen some mention of arms sales to unknown parties and ronin trainers for what eventually becomes the Periphery BattleMech Divisions. That and the Dragon's own secret build up would have been the answer to me how they are so ably fueling their military economy at this time.