RE: FT Taskforce and Fleet Actions

Responding to a couple of posts here:

> >Obligatory statement of desire for an "official" campaign system
based on
> >"Canon"
> I'm working it as Canon as possible, but I think you're talking to
> Jon. Let me point out that you have campaigns that could be set up
> where you're fighting for control of a system and then there are
> campaigns where you are fighting for control of many systems. Each
> has a different focus and a different set of parameters involved, as
> well as time scale. I'm going for the first kind which means, there
> isn't resources like raw materials and ships being built to keep
> track of.

No argument there, and yes, I *was* talking to Jon... <g>

> > > At the edge of the Theatre map is the hyper limit for safe FTL
> > > transition. FTL transition near the Primary or other major/minor
> > > planets will have varying degrees of hazard. FTL into the system
is
> > > only on the edge, closer in results in ship/task force loss.
> > > Transition further out results in longer times to enter the system
> > > and is reserved for special scenarios as it takes a week or more
to
> > > FTL that far out and thrust in at low speed to avoid detection.
> >As an old Trav. player I don't like this. I like the Planetary
Diameters
> >better. For FT I would be more tempted to place this as a series of
> >concentric rings around any planetary hex...
> The problem with the planetary diameters function is that you will
> never ever have a system that is defensible. Its going to be outposts
> that are separated and always easily isolated from each other. Making
> a perimeter that allows scramble creates a frontier of sorts that is
> more easily watched. Some of the concepts seem to work thematically
> as I've worked a bit of Honor Harrington into the concepts. I hope
> Jon doesn't mind...
> It also makes for more fights that involve the raiding force coming
> down the slot. ITs not as much fun if you can 'pop' in and hose the
> ship yard then pop out before the ships on station the next planet
> over can get to it.

And Laserlight:
> Unfortunately this screws up your system scale if you do it and means
> that invaders can pop in basically anyway.  It becomes impossible to
> defend a system--you can build orbital forts around a major planet but
> that doesn't really make for FT battles..

I guess that I just don't see this. What it does mean is that your
actions
*could* take place closer to planets, but I don't see this as a given.
First
we have jump distance set by distance within the originating gravity
well
(this isn't defined as either solar or planetary, but I suspect would
probably be both...)

Since you are also trying to work it as Canon as possible I don't feel
bad
about quoting "The Book", even if does make me feel like an SFB/GW
geek...
<g>

FB1 states that "for precise military operations, therefore, it is
normal
practice for the fleet to reassemble-" (after the normal series of jumps
to
even get there) "-well out of the target system and then proceed in
system
in a succession of much shorter than normal jumps in order to maintain
some
semblance of cohesive formation."

There are also statements in FT about not jumping into gravity wells as
it
is too deep so there is also evidently some issues with jumping *into*
the
well in addition to jumping from within one.

"The final approach, under Normal Space propulsion, can then take
anything
from a few hours to several days depending on the accuracy of the last
jump
in system and how fine the jump navigator dares to cut the gravitational
limit."

In addition, there is an absolute minimum of a six hour turn-around time
between jumps, that being with "military drives and power plants, along
with
the most sophisticated jump navigation software and tremendous crew
stamina,
even with chemical assistance. On average, naval vessels on most
missions
will make no more than one jump per day."

There is also the implication that you don't jump right into combat
because
for about a hour afterwards (or at least 20 minutes) the crew involved
in
the Jump is good for nothing, and certainly not for combat...

All of this implies that the outer edge of the gravity well is at the
outer
edge of any system (several *days*??), but that you can cut it a great
deal
tighter (several hours...) It almost sounds like for military ops that
the