"Endgame: OOC Planning Discussion"

[BackworldTraveller]

Isn't our vessel J2? If not, then there is time and we could check out the info we have...but ideally we'd want to drop a recon team on Avastan as we pass.

[Tiglath]

As per the above - yes there's lots of info to feed through the medium of PbP. I simply can't get it all to you all in one "lump" and am aware that there are IC elements of plot still in motion which I would like to service too. Equally presenting you with "walls of text" might make planning a "fine print reading competition" - and therefore rather dull.

This is your mission to (provisionally?) accept, evaluate and plan. So you might even consider doing some recon... or bid to amend the timeframe... The customer knows what they want done and rely on you to deliver but they aren't the experts - that's why they hired you!

You will have to work within the Collace, Avastan, Inchin triangle but have travel limited only by time and not capacity and your strategic comms are catered for (i.e. you have courier ships to carry messages if needed). If you need more time - amend the contract.

This is major league merc work and could enhance (or ruin!) your rep as a professional merc unit. Study of the market's (historical) response to successful and professional "enemy" mercs (e.g. Swiss) was that everybody wanted to hire them for the home team!

As to fighting in the Star port - well, yes, if you were to nuke it everyone will be miffed. However, you are being hired for the capacity to put some "surgical" in with your Strike!

And, even while I prod the keyboard at this end, some of you are already ahead of me!

[Tiglath]

Isn't our vessel J2? If not, then there is time and we could check out the info we have...but ideally we'd want to drop a recon team on Avastan as we pass.

Your Mertactor M600 Far Liner is J3

[Leitz]

It sounds like this is a "decent" opportunity, metagame wise. If that's the case, I'm happy to go with it.

Tiglath, blunt question. Is that the case here?

[gurusql]

An option, if the meta game stuff pans out, is to send a small team ahead to gather intel.

Politics aside, this plan could be:

Smaller team leaves immediately for Avastan (J-1 7 days travel) while the rest of the unit jumped to Collace (assuming J-3 to get there same 7 days)
The smaller team gathers intel for 2 days and sends some of the team back to Collace while the rest of the team continues to gather intel (7 days to J-2 back to Collace) [16 days into contract]
Assume two days to plan and respond to the intel on Collace and then jump back to Avastan [25 days into contract]
Meet back up and that leaves 5 days to complete the mission.

My question (which I do not know the answer to) is what are we going to get on Collace that will be worth all that time?

[Leitz]

Not as much on Collace proper, but getting recon gear that we know we need, and getting in the money for the current task. Getting our people healed and the new people integrated. There is a level of "run like mad", and then a time of "rest and recovery" afterwards. Since SEMC is new, and doesn't have background infrastructure in place yet, that "rest and recovery" time needs more attention.

Not sure who the other fire-teams are, but if they are close at hand then having time to start integrating would be useful. Getting the disparate groups operating as a team takes time. Gathering intel takes time as well.

[Tiglath]

It sounds like this is a "decent" opportunity, metagame wise. If that's the case, I'm happy to go with it.

Tiglath, blunt question. Is that the case here?

Bluntly - Yes.

And as explained/admitted you need more strategic and tactical information to plan with.

Due to the above the Raid itself is also effectively a medium term rather than immediate goal.

[shaidar]

Ok, unless anyone has any issues with it I'm going to post IC saying that Frank will consult with his partners first thing in the morning and then give them an answer to a provisional acceptance. He'll also ask how flexible that timescale is because it leaves very little room for travel and prep.

This will allow Tig to continue with the IC poker game, while we hash out some questions to throw at them in the morning.

[Leitz]

It sounds like this is a "decent" opportunity, metagame wise. If that's the case, I'm happy to go with it.

Tiglath, blunt question. Is that the case here?

Bluntly - Yes.

With that, my meta game concerns are resolved. We do need recon and intel. I'd recommend Jakob and Liv as a part of that team.

[Tiglath]

FWIW my strategy to "flatten the curve" of mission prep is, as is now suggested, to play through the Intel gathering phase and ease the logistical burden in game on GM and players alike!

[joertexas]

I don't understand why there isn't time to return to Collace. 3 hexes to Collace and then 2 to Avastan.

That's two weeks in jump space for a J3 ship.

[The Bindoner]

We are taking on a battalion with a reinforced platoon?

I assume defeating the whole garrison is unnecessary, we are merely destroying the command and control centre and other vital port infrastructure then leaving.

Although, as that can be achieved by Ortillery, there might be more to it than that...

[Tiglath]

We are taking on a battalion with a reinforced platoon?

That would define the point at which your plan had gone... irredeemably wrong!

Ortillery breaks the star port, does collateral damage and is a difficult PR "sell" for the team with the moral high ground.

It also means putting a really expensive asset in close orbit (which is an anagram of "harm's way" ) when the client has people they can pay to be there instead.

[Leitz]

In thinking about next stuff, I've started gathering data.

"Starstrike: Task Force Mars" Decent read, not literature.

Fun site, when thinking about Jakob as a junior operator and Liv as his handler

What Jakob as spy would really be like, absent the super-computer-in-brain

Given:

The second clue is that it ends in 'stan. Barracks wisdom holds that not only should you "never get out of the boat" but also you should never fight anywhere that ends in 'stan!

For background flavour think of somewhere where the British have fought four wars, the Russians two and the US one. For theme/era it's back to the eighties and "Zinky Boys".

More Resources:

Movie 12 Strong

Movie Charlie Wilson's War

Different geography, but good:

Movie (nice one for Frank) We Were Soldiers

[BackworldTraveller]

"Starstrike: Task Force Mars" Decent read, not literature.

Looks like we may need to up the quality of the writing in our posts. I guess you'd classify those as "Not Literature" too!

[Tiglath]

Further inspiration:



Maybe a reinforced patrol vs a battalion is better odds?

[shaidar]

Do you mean this link

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History ... ir_Service

[Tiglath]

Due to dazzling tech skills I actually meant that picture!

However, the article's just as good as a pointer!

[shaidar]

Inspiration for a new uniform. Looks a bit like Inchin in the background.

[joertexas]

Inspiration for a new uniform. Looks a bit like Inchin in the background.

Prerna and Erica aren't fashion trendsetters, after all