OBT Forum

Blakemore? More like nukemore! At least leak the location to everyone, vermin rarely thrive when you shine a spotlight on them.

Loyalists... Loyal to who? A succession crisis within the TR or was it a constitutional squabble?

Well the whole trigger for the Civil War plays on an unanswered question from the ComStar Sourcebook which had Toyama left alone with Blake and did he in fact kill him? 

Of course there are various internal tensions as well as the Sinclair-Collins rivalry that I always had going. In 2815 the Republic officially signed a Truce with the Free Worlds League (Treaty of Connaught) and about the same time tensions with the Draconis Combine also lessened thanks to the Federated Suns offensive mainly. No formal agreement is ever reached with House Kurita but Terran armed involvement in the 1st Succession War ends in large part. With most of its territory recovered the Republic begins to rebuild and as the neutral arbiter attempts to negotiate an end to the 1st Succession War altogether. Despite being plagued by health problems Regent Amanda Cameron presses forward with peace initiatives to end the fighting throughout the InnerSphere and reestablish contact with the Periphery.

So in 2819 (May to July) Jerome Blake dies. Conrad Toyama assumes control of ComStar and begins to reorder the organization as a pseudo religion. Toyama's mysterious behavior and ComStar radical regrouping starts a CIB investigation into the death of Blake.
- Duchess Janice Hawkins of Rigel Kentarus commits suicide under suspicious circumstances. A close friend of Ian Sinclair, her suicide note implicates him in an illict relationship. Thanks to ComStar word spreads quickly throughout the Republic.
- Despite doctors warning Amanda with her family travels to Rigel Kent to attend Hawkins funeral. She dies in transit back to Earth.
- Accusing Sinclair of murder, Arnold Collins attempts to remove him from power starting the Terran Civil War.
- The Battle of Earth begins as "Loyalist" forces under the command of Arnold Collins attempt to seize the capital.

2820 (Early) Republican forces under the command of Ian Sinclair manage to drive Loyalist forces off Terra despite sabotage attempts by ComStar in support of Collins.
- ComStar at the direction of Toyama uses old and nearly forgotten fall back plans of the Republic to escape to the Rim Protectorate.
- Rogue ComStar personnel (who were either isolated or escaped Toyama's purge) led by Herman Schwepps establish Astral Networks (or AsNet) as an interstellar communications competitor.
- Most of Collins support comes from the Spinward side of the Terran Republic (Rhodesian Province, half Nanking Province, half Dieron Province and even a little bit of the Terran Province) although there are battles throughout the nation at first.
- AsNet secures contracts with the TR, FS, and LC while ComStar gets rights to DC, FWL, and CC.
- CIB releases its findings which all but charge Toyama in the deaths of Blake and Hawkins, which ultimately led to the death of the Last Cameron, via AsNet. Support falls away from Collins as word spreads.
- The crucial Battle of Fletcher begins. As the main industrial complex of the Loyalists it is a major objective for Sinclair's Republicans.

2821 - Rim Protectorate Commander Thomas Bryne is assassinated as the Loyalists easily seize control of this distant Terran possession often disstatisfied with their overlords.
- The battle of Fletcher is won by Republican forces all but dooming Loyalist resistance.
- Rim forces surge across the Lyran border to liberate several key planets like Apollo from Spheriod control. Helped covertly by ComStar it is extremely popular.
- Primus Toyama oversees the recovery of Camelot Command within the Dark Nebula which he plans to use as ComStar's new headquarters. Renaming the hidden planetiod Blakemore it is quickly restored and upgraded by ComStar techs with material taken from Terra.
- Climatic battle of New Rhodes. Sinclair kills Collins in a single Mech duel. His son and several supporters manage to escape from the Republic with the help of the Draconis Combine.
(December) Exhausted from nearly 40 years conflict the 1st Succession War ends. ComStar and AsNet both agree to abide by the Communications Protocols as laid down by Blake rather than gut the rebuilt HPG network.

A TRO2800 question.

There are listed the Cougar and the Danais type dropships in the yard summary but they are not found anywhere else. Typo?

The Dione type is not listed as produced anywhere?

The Danais is a canon design.  See Jihad Secrets.

The Cougar as I recall was going to be a larger version of the Cheetah carrying a combined arms battalion.  I don't remember why we left it out of TR2800. 

The Dione is still in production at Galax, New Syrtis and Loyalty.  The design was never popular with the SLDF (they preferred the Titan) and they did not produce it in the TR.

Great story line, thanks for sharing.

Just how much of the RWR did the Lyrans lose? Just the coreward region behind the Dark Nebula or the entire rim?

How deep in bed with the snakes are the Rimmers? The Combine always set off my paranoia sensors.

Dare one hope that in the SD verse something suitably nasty eventually happens to Toyama or will he continue as a Karmic escapee?

Your welcome, the Cameron-Sinclair love story was always so close to the center of the Shattered Dawn universe. Having it end so tragically with torrid events and stuff that leaves folks wondering is part of the whole circle coming back round.

Well House Collins manages to unite several different factions and bring back the old core of the Rim Worlds thanks to Terran expats, Draconis mercs, and ComStar aid. It is that Collins becoming the new Amaris thing but with a bit more genuine concern for the Rim that seals the deal. Anyway they manage to reclaim their old worlds from the Tamar Pact they just don't have the Spinward Arm any longer. That is something different.

The Draconis Combine always had something of an alliance with Amaris, well sort of so again we build on that. Being home to the other HPG competitor gives the Rim its own 'power base' that only the Terrans have. Toyama is building his religious order as in canon but with an eye to returning to punish the Sinclairs for their lack of faith.



Good to hear from you Irose, perhaps we left it out because of its introduction date I am not sure. Gonna have to check on the Cougar. Sure I have it here somewhere. Was it supposed to be a gunboat version of that craft?

Yes new innovations would also occur as indicate. Not super Star League high tech but common sense Level 1 upgrades.

Like MRMs, RLs etc? Light ACs, LMG, Snub-nosed PPC, A-pods...
Fuel cell powered vehicles? Low tech but very effective as long as you stay away from the energy weapons.

Did you have anything specific in mind? I was always favorably inclined towards variable speed ACs, no reason it would be impossible to dial down an AC20 to AC5 to gain range. The ammo weighs the same/round anyway.

...as were Light and Heavy PPCs.

Canon versions or home cooked ones?

Here they are...

              Heat  Damage  Range        Mass  Space
Light PPC -    5     5      -3,6:12:18    3     2
Regular PPC - 10    10      -3,6:12:18    7     3
Heavy PPC -   15    15      -3,6:12:18   10     4
Snub-nose -   10    10:8:5  -0,9:13:15    6     2


The light one in particular would be a great weapon for lighter units. Without double heatsinks the use of the heavy one is somewhat questionable although the headhunting capability alone makes it worthwhile on any machine that can fire it without suffering a heat stroke.