OBT Forum

I have a ton Mutt, just ask away!

House Kurita attacks the Republic first in September 2785 when the Ronin Regiments under the command of General Daisuke Toyotomi strike at the Terran worlds of Lambrecht, Kervil, Telos IV, Lonestar, and Chaville. This is part of Operation Katana which aims to restore Dieron to the Combine as the 5th Military District. It is in direct competition with Operation Khopesh under the command of General Ramses Vron who strikes at the Lyran worlds of Trolloc Prime, Gram, Chimpaw, Kingtribel, and Shimosuwa. Their goal is to setup Vega as the 5th Military District of the Combine. Its a race folks and the first one to conquer their objective wins!

The Talithan Borderers were hit pretty badly by Operation Avalanche under the command of Captain-General Kenyon Marik but I think the Oliver Borderers got hit worse. 3 Talithan Borderers were destroyed by the massive Free Worlds League invasion while 1 withdrew to another world. However, 4 Oliver Borderers were destroyed by Marik and another 1 was forced to retreat.

Kurita needs every able regiment they can get in the war and while they always try to exploit mercs to the fullest did not ban them.

The transfer from Robert to Jennifer was on the canon timeline but his illness may not have been so natural in origin.

Shattered Dawn was an alternate universe where the Terran state did make it all the way up to the Clan invasion but for specifics stay closer to the 1st Succession War.

Chew on that and umm yes you owe someone money cause it was the Dragon and not the Eagle who struck first.

Lets see, Barbara Liao is the fourth Successor Lord to claim the First Lordship in January 2787. Later that month she orders assaults into Andurien space to begin. This is the start of Operation Anvil which intends to seize the entire Duchy of Andurien for the Capellan Confederation. 13 star systems targeted in 4 waves. Four systems at a time for the first three waves with a final single assault against Kanata. The first wave targets Antipolo, Guangzho, Hudeiba, and Deschenes. It isn't until November 2787 in the aftermath of his defeat on Procyon that Kenyon Marik redeploys his forces from the "battered" Terran front to conduct Operation Pathfinder - the infamous route to Sarna.

It isn't until October 2790 that the Capellans realizing that there is little to fear from the battered House Davion, the Capellan military begins major offensive operations along its shared border. The Capellans main target is the Chesterton Worlds which they have long claimed despite Federated Suns “occupation” for many years.

In some ways the 1st Succession War is more brutal than in canon yes but in others Shattered Dawn keeps a glimmer of light that was all but stamped out. Herb's Deadgemony which I find quite solid in the main setting suffers from a lack of central leadership which doesn't happen here. Aside from the Last Cameron there are several national Terran figures who unite the regions of the New Republic into a single state before the war. Yes they have a slightly higher tech base that lingers on to the 3020s.

Hey CJvR! Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope all is good bud.

Well that is a lot of info to disclose specifically so I will be general here. If you have a more specific question please ask. The Terrans did take a pounding from Kurita and Marik during the 1st War and even had to fight Liao and Davion at different points too. Gradually the Republic took back their systems and afterwards remained largely neutral as the Great Houses fought for dominance. Tech did suffer as in the canon timeline but not to the same degree for example Warships survived but the Republic maintained an edge.

As for general critiques I do have to agree that people lost their minds at times in the main line story.

The Republic sort of played a ComStar role after the 1st Succession War which is a return to Terran Hegemony policies prior to the Star League.

Sorry to hear about your 2016, hope your 2017 is much better!

Pretty much by the end of the 1st Succession War. While there were a few border planets here and there which changed hands over time the Republic is pretty much back to its claimed territory by 2820. Then there is a Terran Civil War....

Close but different. One of the things I love about alternates is the more things change the more they stay the same. So while the setting may be dramatically altered in ways certain events or characters are still easily recognizable. It is hard to quantify really.

Pretty far into the tech abyss in much the same way as canon but there again are changes. Like the Dark Ages of Medieval Europe after Rome there were technological advancements but nothing which could match the glory of Caesar. For example a limited number of Warships survive and still function but new Missile Boats (Dropships armed with capital missiles) have replaced them as the kings of naval combat. These smaller craft are much less visually impressive and rely on Jumpships to transport them into battle but in all other ways are more formidable then left over Warships. So you do have progress of sorts which I think the canon timeline misses out on. Other proven technologies also see "improvements" while "overly complex" but remarkable Star League advancements disappear in much the same way.

Your question on ComStar brings me back to the Terran Civil War which does much to change things in the setting. The death of Amanda Cameron and Jerome Blake leaves Ian Sinclair and Arnold Collins former comrades locked in a brutal struggle for control of the Republic which extends into ComStar (Corporate types like Schwepps vs Religious nuts like Toyama). The Houses are unable to intervene overtly due to material exhaustion as both sides vie for supremacy. Sinclair emerges victorious and Collins flees to the Rim Protectorate setting up a new nation of Terran expats bent on revenge. ComStar is sundered with the Houses moving to seize control over their interstellar communications you have a radically different situation. More technology is lost here and in the 2nd Succession War which follows. However Terra and to a lesser extent the Rim maintain some lostech secretly.

Our "Clan Invasion" is something I really still do not want to discuss as it is so radically different and cool I would still love to develop it further. Needless to say that 3050 is a long way off.

I think you'd be pleased to see how it played out CJvR. The Terrans resume their old central arbiter position in the InnerSphere until the 4th Succession War. They are ham strung by material shortages but steadfastly maintain their position as best they can.

The nuke taboo is a bit overblown in my opinion. Gun/Missile boats armed with capital missiles, which yes would have eventually evolved in a manner similar to subcapital weapons, can over come Warships without nukes. Numbers my friend, as Missile Boats begin to proliferate for a plethora of reasons (dropships can be constructed on planet, they are a cheaper investment, especially when you throw in the nuclear factor) Warships begin their rapid decline (orbital facilities are fragile and hard to defend, massive investment, and one good nuke strike blows it all up). It is a natural development. Greater numbers of Missile Boats versus a few Warships and you can see why those large vessels become important back ups.

Most morons don't realize war is a terrible thing until they are dead and maybe not even then. House Collins becomes the fourth major Periphery power which is a cool thing. Neat to have a Rim nation around as much as it is a Terran one.

The fracturing of ComStar was one of those events in development that we never tackled in detail. There are checks on the complete breakdown of interstellar communications such as Terra's monopoly over certain key HPG components other Houses would have to reverse engineer in order to become truly independent. It is an intriguing thought project to see the consequences of such developments.

You never know CJvR, Shattered Dawn could be resurrected one day but heavy revisions would need to occur and right now I am having fun with my Clarion Call setting.