Re: Troop Capacity

On 20 Jun 98 at 21:37, John Atkinson wrote:

> You wrote: 
> 
> >Yes, but on a planet you can bother with having a LOT of them. 20 at 
> >a defense site don't miss very often at all, 40 miss even less. etc. 
> >etc. Ships run out of space, planets don't.
> 
> Remember, I'm assuming on a core planet with full-up defenses, this
> is more or less impossible.  Remember I'm the one who argues that
> space warfare can't touch colonies with a few million inhabitants? 
> Given that the FT/DS/SG universe doesn't have a lot of
> combat-capable AIs, there is a limit to the firepower a 100,000
> inhabitant colony can man.  Remember you've already whacked a small
> orbital defense fleets (even if it's a destroyer, 2 frigates, 4
> corvettes and a half-dozen scouts), enemy aerospace fighters, and
> they've got ground troops waiting for you on the ground.  That's why
> it will be aerospace fighters.  It only takes one or two SLM launch
> sites to wipe out small ships and a half-dozen to ruin the day of
> even a capital ship.	But providing crew for 40 or 80 or 10,000 PDS
> will strain the food surpluses of even the best colony.
> 

I thought that we weren't taking sides, just exploring the envelope.
I thought FT missiles (not SML's) each had an AI? That makes them 
pretty common. Especially if you can afford to waste one per missile. 
One per battery of PDS's is rather cost effective in comparison.
Just a point regarding it only taking a few SML's to defend a planet, 
or make it dangerous to go near it, anyway. You nead about six sites 
aroud the planet to give an all aspect defense, unless you want the 
attacker to come close via your blindside.

I think we've come to the general conclusion that mounting an attack 
on a properly populated planet is going to be a VERY MAJOR campaign, 
drawing on very large manpower, and other resources, and involving 
a massive supply train, not the sort of thing tobe embarked upon 
lightly. For smaller colonies, attacking critical points with the 
resources of a standing navy is possible.

Did you come up with any rules for planetary defenses yet?

I'm still knocking some ideas around my head on at least an abstract 
method of doing planetary assualts, with a view to expansion to 
something that can actually be 'played' in a more traditional sense.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Slattery	     richard@mgkc.demon.co.uk
People say I'm extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty.
But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by
garbage? 
     Imelda Marcos , one-time Phillippine first lady, and owner of 3,000
pairs of shoes
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