Re: [GZG] Multi-level rules sought.

At some time many years back, there was a long series of discussions
on this list. No, I can't even tell you when... it was that long ago.

But we talked a lot about integrating SG, DS and FT. This is not even
close to being a new discussion. At the time, I went off and figured
out, using the 50CS per 1 FT mass ratio that seemed the minimal sane
conversion, the amount of cargo spaces required to carry an infantry
company, its vehicles, some light interface support, and all the
attached services and independent company would require (small intel,
MET, arty, EW, medical, etc. capabilities) plus accounting for supply.

I don't know where that spreadsheet is - that was several hard disk
demises ago. But ultimately I recall the best and most conservative
number you could come up with was large.

Let's see what I can do from memory:

Independent Company TO&E
3 x armoured infantry pltn (4 vehicles per, 32 men per)
1 x armoured pltn (4 vehicles per, 16 men per)
1 x support/log pltn (4 vehicles per, 20 men per) (includes
logistics/supply, medical, 2 sniper teams)
1 x arty battery (6 gun) (6 vehicles per, 24 men per)
1 x aerospace support pltn (4 vehicles, 20 men per)
1 x Independent CHQ (4 veh, 22 men per) (includes CO, XO, CSM, Sec
Sect, Int guys, MET guy, EW guys, Clerk/Orderly, FACs)
Total guys: 198 guys
Total vehicles: 30

That's probably under what you'd actually need for independent
operations.
Not all vehicles are the same size, but let's assume the size 4 or 5
grav tanks and transport/gunship hybrids compensate for some smaller
size 1 and 2 units.

This isn't even including supplies (food, blood, fuel, TP, units of
fire for N different weapons, etc). Nor interface landing (the
gunships I have in mind are VTOL support units that can double as
troop movers for a platoon). It also does not include any organic PA
support.

So, with what we've got, we've got 25 CS per vehicle x 30 vehicles for
750 CS. You've got 200 guys and I think you get a guy into 4 CS if you
count living accomodations. I think you need to assume something like
this because, for whatever time after you arrive and need to muster
the units, revive them from cold sleep (if you use it) and prepare
them for the missions (weapons and gear prep, mission briefing, etc.
even if you assume the fleet does all the intel and planning ahead of
time), you need most or all of them up and moving. So you can't just
assume cold sleep packing. So 4 x 200 (rougly) = 800 cargo spaces.

So, we've got 1550 cargo spaces so far. Assume that any company
deployed independently needs enough gear for low-tempo operations for
3 months (this implies enough for high tempo ops for about 1 month).
This is where I'd need to find the spreadsheet as I spent some time
with the rulebooks and a bunch of veterans talking about what that
practically amounted to. Let's just call it 500 cargo spaces to be
somewhere in the ball park. I'm sure that's short of the actual
numbers, but beans and bullets (and arty shells and tank spares, and
so on) take up space.

So, around 2000 cargo spaces for an independent company. 2000/50 = 40
mass. A company transport that is to be armed, provide some ortillery
support (hence carried an ortillery module) and is able to move with
the fleet (meaning a decent thrust - it won't have a lot more defence,
although it will have PDS and maybe and ADFC if you need it to link
with the tacnet) is probably going to mass in at a minimum of about
80-100 mass which puts it up into BC or BB territory, if I recall
correctly. (This is all from memory, so some of it could be broken...
I don't have time to haul FT/FB out and check). It also has a decent
mass because it has good enough thrust to land on a planet (I think I
figured Thrust 4 was good enough for that and was good enough for
keeping with the fleets).

The main ship landing and the vehicles just rolling off loaded lets
them rapid deploy onto any even moderately improved landing area. The
VTOLs probably can't go operational immediately, but the infantry and
armour should be able to with the artillery up shortly thereafter.

You can go the interface transport route, but it eats up mass and you
either end up with a lot of mostly useless mass to let you drop
everyone at once or possibly a defeat in detail case if you land a
platoon and are busy loading the next when they are hit with a heavy
response. To land everyone requires sizable numbers of landers that
won't do a lot after that (you'll need some for support, but not all,
which means inefficient use of mass).

The big main ship can pull off to orbit after debarking the troops. It
can also use its tertiary batteries while landed (and maybe ortillery)
to support the securing of a beachhead.

That was my take, as well as I could remember it. Transports in the
GZGverse are large even to move moderate numbers of troops. You only
send troops of regular or veteran status (or elite, but those are
really rare) on this sort of tasking because it needs such expensive
infrastructure. Similarly, you don't tend to skimp on vehicle quality
for these missions - use the most mobile, armoured, high electronic
quality vehicles possible because it costs so much to ship them. These
independent companies would hit far harder than a colonial company,
with its simpler tech and much more green-laden forces. They should
probably be able to take on at least a colonial battalion if not more
in a striker operation. And handle a fairly sizable counter insurgency
operation. As cadre, they could train the better part of a colonial
regiment/brigade given some time. As commandos, they could smash some
fairly hard targets.

Those were my conjurations of how things worked.

TomB

-- 
"Now, I go to spread happiness to the rest of the station. It is a
terrible responsibility but I have learned to live with it."
 Londo, A Voice in the Wilderness, Part I

"To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like
administering medicine to the dead." -- Thomas Paine

 Thomas Paine

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