OBT Forum

For the Rasalhague Regulars all things seem colored by disloyalty. This should be expected given the region’s history with the Dragon but I would have liked to have seen something else. Two pages of don’t trust was too much for me. How about some background information on Rasalhague like the Sorensons’ backing of the renewed Kurita dynasty. There is a mention of a Warlord Sorenson but nothing else about the Prince of Rasalhague or their special status. It is interesting that the SLDF was asked by the Coordinator to crack down on “anti-League terrorists” and that Sword of Light units along with Pesht Regulars get the call to suppress any rebellions.

My problem with the Regulars as presented by FR DCMS 2765 is the size and scope of the force. The second largest division, why? Twenty six regiments is a massive force but they garrison the smallest Military District in the Draconis Combine. They aren’t called to suppress rebellions and can’t be trusted with much but we outfitted them with more than two dozen Mech regiments. I can’t really figure that out. The write up for Rasalhague just left me wanting more info and less force.

And if they are so big and eager to get free, why don't they rebel?

Well there is the ISF, personnel assigned from other regions, Procurement dangling carrots for those who behave, frequent base world rotation, and frequent personnel reassignment especially among support units. Other than that your guess is as good as mine Ice. 

For our final DCMS unit lets talk Sun Zhang Cadre which while somewhat repetitive is a solid entry at least in my opinion. The harsh training and discipline has fostered some of the finest Mechwarriors ever known. It should be no surprise that Mechwarrior elitism is in vogue here as you don't want to be a lowly support unit for these guys. Think typical infantry cannon fodder horror stories you've heard and ya got the picture. I liked the typical assignments that were described in the write up and what exactly each cadet is expected to learn while part of the Cadre. Quite extensive and may I say they are ready to command when they reach their first true DCMS assignment.

I could see the Cadres as excellent auxiliaries for a Sword of Light unit during the Succession Wars participating in planetary conquests together with SoL drawing necessary replacements as needed. An angle I'm thinking of for BTSD's Threat Assessments is one of Generational Shift. The Field Report says of all DCMS units the Cadres are the most hostile towards the SLDF. The reasons they give make sense but I wonder if this hatred has been taken to a new level by cadets who will come of age in the Jinjiro era who have seen the League degrade. Just as in 2600 as there could have been an uptick in cooperation (yeah nothing overly friendly but a mutual respect) with the Cadres and the SLDF. This cycle towards the start of the Succession War would see some of the worst hate for the SLDF expressed ever.

The Narukami class Destroyer represents the second example of confusing House built warships presented in the Field Report series. It is another example of the Houses get it right the first time but could never again construct a successful warship class for the next 4 centuries! True the Samarkand class gives the DCA an exception to the rule that the Capellans didn't have. Forcing this rationale seems silly to me but hey....

I really liked the design itself and the high maintenance issues it had. Makes me wonder in light of the failure of the Tatsukami class in the Clan era why the DCA didn't commission a Block III of the Narukami. This fast hard hitting tin can is a nice fit for any Navy despite any use issues.  More of a hard charger than a broad side fighter this attack vessel could be a real hit and run asset.

Yeah you can read into that Irose that there were other ships but how did the first Combine warship ever not get replaced? No other Destroyer classes were made to take its place? And the age of some of the Terrans cast offs like the Cruiser is too much for me looking objectively at canon information. 

While I'm on the topic let's talk Cruiser class Cruiser. The comedic relief of warships In appearance is not a bad combat vessel.  Outdated certainly as getting parts for the Drop Shuttle bay has gotta be hard after 440 years. Strap on some nukes to them capital missile launchers and your ready to wreck it.

However during the Star League and with Kurita this slow destroyer sized Cruiser doesn't really fit in service.  In mothballs I could see but other Kurita vessels had to be able to outperform the beer can battleship. I gotta start a new topic analyzing warship development but I find it hard to believe that the Cruiser Cruiser could outperform a second generation house warship from the mid 2400s.

And yes Irose the DCA is full of lesser warrior candidates unlike the sexist DCMS. 

Granted Irose and very plausible real life examples. The Narukami could have built a solid reputation for stunning rapid assaults and become legends in the DCA which is pretty cool idea. We could certainly use this angle in BTSD but if you really look at all the information there should be more. New canon pushing smaller warship numbers bothers me and it doesn't make sense. The DCA has two native designs in this 2765 Field Report and thanks to the Samarkand breaks the Capellan example of one native design. The Dragon being such an aggressor would not receive the greatest Terran cast offs and even with their industry which yes is better than the Capellans but no one else should be able to build more than just two ships! I am gathering info on known canon warship classes and I will post it soon but by 2765 the DCA should be constructing fourth or fifth generation warships.

We know the Lyrans (with the best industry outside Terra) have at least three native warship designs. Two, the Tharkad and the Mako, are fresh out of the shipyards (Third Generation - Star League era warships) while the third (Commonwealth) will most likely be detailed in their Field Report. Then the Federated Suns (who I'd place ahead off the Combine but behind the FWL in terms of industry) has at least four native warship designs. Three; the New Syrtis, the Robinson, and the Davion, are already detailed and a fourth (the Defender) will like get cover in FR AFFS 2765. Plus you can make a strong case for native built Congress class Frigates (lower tech then SLDF vessels) which gives them a high tech advanced fleet compared to their poor neighbors. Which leaves the poor Free Worlds League Navy who many thought would be the premier House fleet and a relatively powerful economy/ industry. However we only have two known examples of Marik warship designs and I'll bet you they will be the only ones we see in existence in 2765. The Atreus we know and the League is there pathfinder Dreadnought Warship which will likely be featured in their Field Report. You see I think they are cramming it all in. Known designs will be there in 2765 supplemented by Terran favorites. I'd prefer it if they just left House fleet composition a mystery rather than detailing them with named hodgepodge.

So I was disappointed by Field Report DCMS but the way the DCA was briefed was much better than the Capellan Navy. Leave it a mystery and outline things with broad strokes. Details that don't make sense don't interest me. So while I don't like tiny House fleets it was a better job done here with the Admiralty. The start of the document was well done and set the proper mood and I loved the Dieron Regulars! Great job taking an old canon question mark and turning into a bright spot which fit the history of the Draconis Combine, I can't say enough about it. TPTB took advantage of this unknown and gave us a little more detail. They could have gone further but I give them credit here. I also liked the Sun Zhang Cadres, the Arkab Legions, the Pesht Regulars, and yes even the Galedon Regulars. There was some repeating of known info or themes but I think they built on it with these units. I was disappointed slightly with the Swords of Light and Proserpina Hussars whose entries left me wanting more. I'll save my biggest critique for the Rasalhague Regulars and the Benjamin Regulars. Benjamin was the other side of Dieron and here the writers played it safe. Nothing interesting and information that didn't make sense.

The map included might best show the 3025 view from which this 2765 work suffers from. Look at the worlds per military district and the Prefecture/District borders which remain almost wholly unchanged. It is here that the illusion of this document being from 2765 falls through. Benjamin is just plain too big with 7 Prefectures and approximately 123 inhabited worlds. Whatever happened to the importance of five?! If you split off the two one day Dieron Prefectures you get a 30 world rump district and a more 2765 Benjamin with 93 worlds and 5 prefectures. The Rasalhague District has only 64 worlds in the Field Report map but 26 Mech regiments?! That is nearly a Mech regiment for every other world in Rasalhague. Only Pesht has 5 Prefectures for its 111 worlds and Galedon misses only one Prefecture with 102 worlds. And lets not forget the four BattleMech regiments defending Luthien. Before the infamous Lyran raid early in the 1st Succession War (20 years in the future from 2765) the DCMS kept two regiments on planet as a sizable garrison which were likely augmented by the unlisted Otomo. Just didn't give me the 2765 feel.

But it wasn't all bad and I'm sorry if I made it sound that way. I can be a little rough. Looking ahead I want to see the Athena class Cruiser which presumably replaced or served along side the Aegis class Heavy Cruiser which was mentioned in the Cruiser-Cruiser fluff. And in the end FR DCMS 2765 and its CCAF predecessor were thought provoking. I Known I got a lot of new ideas for my Threat Assessment series.

So 26 Hegemony Castoffs currently in operation. Doesn't sound horrible to me either. Just not enough Draconis designs but hey. Yeah the Bonaventures are likely in mothballs which along with the Narukami write up does leave a lot of territory for quick expansion. There is also the very real eventuality that has the DCA operating a Secret Fleet.

After we comply the Liao fleet Irose, I was going to move to the DCA which given the Narukami is going to need a lot of work. More than Liao and given the fact that the Narukami's massive engines were a huge maintenance concern I could see the Combine over compensating with a smaller but adequate Destroyer Drive System that was far easier too maintain. This would also build upon the Narukami's performance legends which have that ship outpacing even its predecessor. We had a few Kurita Destroyer designs in BTSD TRO 2800 to choose from including the Kumo (or Cloud which went 4/6 and was introduced in 2540) and the Nami (or Wave based on Lola I goes 4/6 and was out in 2577) which could fit but they could be destroyers 3 and 4 in the DCA history. The Kaze (or Wind which went 5/8) was introduced in 2619 during the Star League and is far too late IMO. When do you think the raid on Imbros would have occurred, some time during the Age of War?? The is no mention of the raid in the SLSB or HKSB.