OOC

[The Bindoner]

Probably time to think about your target.

Cruise in with the fleet, split off and raid a different part of Marduk, go straight to Blackrock and see what opportunities are there, Jump out to a new destination...

There are a lot of options.

[coastguarder]

First suggestion ? quick warm up raid the blood our kids ? something easy ? see how much trouble we can avoid etc


Then Blackrock ? what say you team ? .... well mainly what say you captain .... your call technically

[Tiglath]

Sounds good - raid something/anything, then Blackrock, then home?

[hardrocks]

Though technically Captain, Ooc it is all our decision. I think a small raid would be good but open to suggestions.
We could always raid after Blackrock.

[Gorethirster]

Can someone give me a quick rundown of Blackrock? I've got it in my head that it's essentially a pirate port of some sort, but I don't know why I think that.

Assuming I'm right about what Blackrock is, I'd say raid first, then visit Blackrock. If you take the kids on a successfull raid and then dump them in a pirate port, they'll feel like hot shit who've established their credentials. They won't be as intimidated by other pirates if they've done some raiding themselves, and will present a more credible threat/asset. If we go to Blackrock with completely unblooded recruits, it's a harder sell that we're a serious outfit. Not impossible, since every PC bar Remington seems to have good "street rep," but it seems like blooding the crew is an easy way to boost our standing.

[Tiglath]

I too am unsure of what Blackrock does for us (I believe it's within the "wheelhouse" of the NPCs outside Raven's influence).

If it will give us Intel on good raiding targets it makes sense to go there first.

However, if there is advantage to jumping and fuelling first (which we seem to have gone to great lengths to achieve) then perhaps we should leverage that? Maybe to allow tactical surprise on whatever we can hit before the main fleets swoop in?

I'm happy to go along with whatever we decide to do but I'm not sure I've understood enough to make an informed choice as to a best option.

I agree with Gorethirster's view as above.

We do lack some "credibility" as raiders because our warriors are untried "militia". Also I believe our brief from the Jarl is to "blood" the warband before setting off to win hearts and minds elsewhere.

This option also utilises our hard won "being first" advantage to open our account.

[The Bindoner]

Blackrock is a "secret" asteroid base. It is primarily a smugglers rendezvous, but it is also a haven for pirates. Marduk is a backwater and the Oghman raids make it dangerous, so it's pretty safe for a criminal enterprise.

Manfred is getting off there. He can make introductions.

Oghman ships do visit, usually to trade unwanted loot for stolen cargo. Ridley and Kar have been there before on just such occasions.

Your "being first" advantage will allow you to reach Marduk mainworld before any other ships - the Clan Fleets arrive in orbit together, and usually descend on several targets in smaller groups.
By setting off before the whole of your fleet have arrived in system, let alone fuelled and formed up, you will arrive unexpectedly early. This may well allow you to hit a settlement before they have evacuated to their refuge, and it absolutely gives you free choice of target.

The locals have developed a calendar of likely raid dates, and this one is marked in red on it - in a days time. You are about 13 hours away at 1G, 14 allowing for rounding the Gas Giant. That puts you 10 hours ahead of when the Fleet is expected.

The Starport and Startown are not an option, they were built by the same Imperial corporation, GeDeCo, that operates the Starport orbiting the outer Gas giant of Oghma. The Highport and Downport here are defended with missile batteries, fighter patrols and a platoon of TL12 mercenaries. Fortunately they do not interfere with anything that does not directly threaten them.

The Startown is supplied by a fleet of Trawlers, Off-Worlder built and operated but not under GeDeCo protection. The crew of a fishing boat would have useful skills, but will also be armed.

Most of the native population live in small communities among the islands of Marduk. The continental mainland was ravaged by the Sindalian Empire at about the same time Oghma was, and is thought to be uninhabited ( apart from the GeDeCo Downport ). The island settlements are insular, having learned from the visits of Oghma that strangers are bad news.

[hardrocks]

However, if there is advantage to jumping and fuelling first (which we seem to have gone to great lengths to achieve) then perhaps we should leverage that? Maybe to allow tactical surprise on whatever we can hit before the main fleets swoop in?

Assuming I'm right about what Blackrock is, I'd say raid first, then visit Blackrock.

The deal with Manfred is solid, we drop him off at Blackrock, he helps us we help him, and we then have a decent contact through him, at Blackrock and beyond. Blooding the crew is a good idea and having won the advantage, thank you Raven and crew, lets take it. It was always a good idea to operate away from the main fleet, so lets do that. Manfred will certainly not mind the detour... Kar told him

[Tiglath]

Thanks to the GM for the outline above to help us strategise.

Raven has had a plan ...

It might not be feasible or even possible.

However, if it's clearly impossible then attempting it would be a surprise!

We can kick it about here as well as IC so Gorethirster can pitch in.

I'm not really sure what we'll get from a Marduk settlement: a herd of goats maybe with a bonus shepherd???

[coastguarder]

Aye Aye captain ..... the delicate balance of making the senior crew feel heard and being assertive is achieved here it would seem .... In game and OCC well played

Right ..... quick scrap with some fishermen and off to Blackrock for a piss up ay ? ..... mmmm fishermen ..... bad feeling about them ..... always sneaking about ... difficult grumpy creatures ....

[Tiglath]

I've got strange misgivings about fishermen ...

They sometimes do close harmony singing and you always have to watch out for their Friends ...

[hardrocks]

Sounds like with have an accord

[Gorethirster]

Sorry I wasn't around for the planning, hitting a fishing vessel makes sense to me. It seems like a trawler would be even less defensible than a landlocked settlement, since it's not like you can sandbag a heavy gun anywhere important without it being a huge pain in the ass. So hopefully for the kids all they'll be up against is terrified fishermen with small arms. Try and find a burly one to carry parts for Remington in an emergency.

[The Bindoner]

Before you commit, some notes:

Your First Mover advantage gives you a chance to hit an unprepared settlement. The typical response of Marduk is to abandon their settlement and hide, because Oghma warbands are better armed, armoured and trained, and the ships can fly above strafing strongpoints ( you have two Autocannon as well as your ship-grade turret weapons ).

Trawlers are armed. The locals are hostile to them, and you will not be the first Oghman ship to attack them.

A slow descent from orbit should go undetected by the natives. The offworld trawlers may pick you up with their Radar, but you have an Emissions Absorption Grid so that is a difficult task for them.

The 12 hours refining are up, you are fully fuelled and 2 hours from Marduk orbit

[Tiglath]

Playing to our strengths then perhaps we should regretfully turn aside from the rich vein of puerile humour that would be an assault on "Cap'n Fishy and his Fishermen's Friends" and instead go for what surely must be our raiding meat and potatoes: "pillage the village".

[The Bindoner]

It can be both.

CHIPS with FISH. ( though as it's a trawler that should be FIST )

Military acronym humour. Causing Havoc In Peoples Streets and Fighting In Someone's Home

[coastguarder]

At this stage doey eyed Ridley would probably agree to a suicide raid on a fully armed star port if Raven suggested it .....in any case ridley is staying onboard for whatever comes next .....

[hardrocks]

Thanks for the intel Bindoner. Soooo, we hit a settlement instead.
I'm sure Manfrid would have told us we're the early bird, a Raven probably, and we should make the most of that!
So Kar will re-task for an assault against a fixed position. A village if you will.

[Gorethirster]

The locals have developed a calendar of likely raid dates, and this one is marked in red on it

All I can picture is this scene from Winnie the Pooh (pardon the awful quality, it was the first result):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfr6LICsHaQ

Except instead of lecturing a vegetable about harvests its some village elder lecturing a child as to why he has to haul sandbags across town.

[hardrocks]

Yes and yes