Re: The economics of interstellar invasions

At 8:28 PM +0100 5/6/00, Tom Anderson wrote:
>On Fri, 5 May 2000, Robert W. Hofrichter wrote:
>
>>  Well, when you talk about shipping a few regiments (including
>>  INFANTRY) and divisions between planets (not to mention HORDES of
>>  colonists and their supplies) then the basic premise almost MUST be
>  > rather cheap ground-to-orbit costs.

The Tuffleyverse has grav vehicles. They aren't as advanced as 
Renegade Legion (would use VTOL movement rules) or Traveller (where 
the distinction between small orbital craft and tanks blurs and 
vanishes).

>there is a widely (if not *that* widely) accepted model of combat in
the
>Tuffleyverse which doesn't have all that much in the way of large
forces
>being transported - forces in the majority of campaigns consist of lots
of
>local planetary troops with heavy equipment, but not super tech or
>training, and smaller numbers of interstellar troops (marines,
basically),
>with super tech and training, but lacking hordes of tanks. the key
>exceptions come in times of intense interstellar war, when big powers
>start slapping divisions all over the place, and things get rather
messy
>and expensive. of course, this is only a minority view.
>
>tom

This would tend to make FT scenarios involving troop transports 
rather bloody affairs. The attacker can buy months or years of time 
by taking out a troop convoy, or even cripple the other sides war 
effort if a major troop movement is lost.
-- 

Michael Carter Llaneza
Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1991-1950
Devolution is very real to me.
Whenever I hear the "Odd Couple" theme, I get this image of Dennis 
Rodman borrowing Marge Schott's toothbrush.
Like most emails, this one is probbaly a first draft