Space is big. The Milky Way has billions of stars. One in twenty of these has at least one planet with liquid water. And every fifth of these is stable enough to develop life. It usually takes a while, but almost every of these biosphere give rise to an intelligent civilisation. And each of these discovers the secrets of the aether, the non-newtonian riches which gave rise to life and superluminal flight in time. Which leads to the question:



On a comet orbiting a dim M3-V class star, ancient but still sensitive antennas pick up the faint, discriminating signs of civilisation: radio waves, which modulation and periodicity reveal their artifical origin. Whether they come from television, SETI experiments or, as these are, large early warning radars, the old computer analysing it does not know. But it finds their origin some 50 light years away and detects the tell-tale signs of the atmospheric spectra, which confirm and betray the young civilisation on the third planet of the nameless G2-V star it orbits.
It is not the only listenig device to pick up this sign of people on the way to the stars. On a nearby G8-V star and a K0-IV subgiant similiar arcane machinery come to the same conclusions: This is something worth wakeing their masters.

The same M3-V star system, called Ascension by the makers of the listing post, has quite an interesting feature: A double planet orbiting inside the habitalbe zone. It's main component, White Orb, is covered in large swats of boreal forests, which lay dormant most of the year, only sprouting with life during the short days in which they are in the twilight zones of the slowly rotating planet, laying dormant for three weeks then. Much more interesting is it's companion , we'll call Bastion, of a slightly smaller mass and with a thrice as dense atmosphere. Large swamps and grassy plains cover the body and huge gastropods graze there. Large flying whale-like beings float through the emerald and saphhire skys.

But the serenity is disturbed as massive earthquakes shake the northern hemisphere and lava floods the plains. Through the crust massive ancient facilities rise to the moons surface and the gears within spring to life, waking the machinery and sleepers within: The Continuity of Eden has been woken again. And again it is their duty to find and cull a fledling civilisation, lest the newcomers inevitably awaken the great horrors living in the void between the stars.




Inspired by the fact, that we have not many non-Sol starts, brainstorming for community games, and by the superb Alastair Reynolds novels I decided to test a "Run-for-Sol" game.

The idea is to have several empires race for a certain star system, here Sol, and be the first to conquer the civilisation there. I therefore set up a chain of star systems leading to it. The original idea was to have three paths leading to Sol like spokes, but I have not yet meddled with DB editing needed for sane connecting of systems and so it is one way to Sol with a few arms branching off where the 2 NPCs as well as my starting point is located. The universe is largely cut off, but I and one NPC have one open JP in our chain each. The start systems are all customized to be a little bit nicer to look at. They each got an asteroid belt for instance.

Each empire starts with 500m pops, the races are generally more capable in research and industry, but take up quite a bit more planetary capacity. Starting RP are between 1.5m and 2m for each of us. It appears that we all have inertial fusion drives as starting techs from what I gathered until now. I do not expect to be much challenged by the NPCs, but that is not the aim of this game. All races have very high determination, militancy and xenophobia, so peacefull relations should be impossible.




Once awoken by their listening devices, the Continuity of Eden began preparations to find the fledling planet and secure their knowledge and resources before rivaling race managed to get there. Facilities and components hidden in dust belt on the systems fringes were reactivated. On their home planet Bastion mines refined the bounties of the last awakening and factories began producing supplies for the expected combats. Drones and Gliders were brought from storage and the ground troops began exercises to prepare the invasion of the newcomers planet.

The first years were uneventfull as the four "Xenoceratops" class Survey Cruisers mapped the local space. Early construction efforts were severly hampered be misscalculations when the Continuity last went to sleep around 2 million years ago. The maintenance of the stored ground units took a lot more of the industrial capacity than expected. As such the fabrication of new drones and combat gliders was put to a halt.

For the first years after wakeup the void navy was composed mostly of the carrier group with the "Give the Devil His Due" and its 20 fighters and 40 bombers. The destroyer "Unto the Breach" and its newly build cousins "Fifth Winter" and "Say My Name" guarded the carrier group against enemy missile attacks. The only other combat vessel combat ready was the frigate "Saanich", an fast ship specialised to take down enemy beam combatants with its fearsome battery of lance weapons. The "Ontomyia" patrol vessel dutifully laid watcher class bouys at every jumppoint and sweeped newly found star systems.



In the beginning of the 10th year after being woken, a transit from the Stein system into Lambda Trianguli Australis was detected by a sensor bouy. Soon after two "Albert Steptoe" stabilisation ships and another "Violett Hacket" scout transited into the system. There was no doubt these belonged to a rivaling sleeping empire and sought the radio source and exploit its riches for themselves. The carrier group was dispatched to destroy these vessels of a rivaling empire and hamper their effort to reach it first.

This was seen as a welcome exercise for the void navy and a test for the carriers old systems and its strike craft. The "Give the Devil His Due", accompanied by the three destroyers and the fleet support vessel "Foregone Conclusion" were sent to meet the rivals. The enemy shipping was swiftly destroyed by the bombers and fighters of the "Give the Devil His Due", hopefully sending a message to the alien empire. The carrier group stays in system in case an enemy response force show up.


Indeed some days later two 16kt enemy ships jump into the system and destroy the bouy on the jump point. Earl Ketill Gausson orders the bombers to attack the enemy. Bomber Wing A launches 40 Breacher II missiles to test the enemy defenses. 20 missiles survive the AMM fire and their 40 warheads detonate. Only 23 of these hit the "George Norris 002", the others miss or are deceived by the decoys. The 23 strength 8 hits barely deplete the shields and only one warhead scratches the enemy armour.

Since bomber wing B would likely not far much better it is decided to wait for wing A to rearm. Two days later all 40 Bambiraptors are in position again and launch their attack. The attack consists of two salvos of 40 missiles each and 20s apart, as the bomber wings did not sync their fire with each other. The attack fares much better and 37 warheads of the first salvo detonate on the "George Harris 002", disabling its shields and breaching its armour. A further 20 detonate in nearby space, distracted by decoys. 20s later the 80 warheads of the second wave obliterate the enemy vessel.

A shortcoming of the "Give the Devil His Due" are the small magazines which can only hold missiles for one and a half strikes of the bombers. Only enough for one wing is left on the carrier and as it has been shown not to be enough, the accompanying fleet support vessel is ordered to resupply the carrier. The "Foregone Conclusion" carries 800 AAMs as well as 320 Breacher II ASMs, enough for four full carrier strikes. Thankfully the carrier group is hidden far from the enemy, as the inexperienced crews of the fleet urgently need the training. Only after one and a half weeks is the carrier and its strikegroup rearmed.
This time, both wings manage to launch their salvos simultaneously and there is no enemy AAM fire. The "Needy Swales 003" is obliterated by 54 hits as a further 74 hit its decoys, proving the need for such large salvos again.

The carrier group returns to Bastion to rearm and refuel, while those participating are awarded the Lambda Trianguli Australis ribbon.

After overhauling and an extended shore leave, the carrier group returns to the battle field to cover the freighter Talos as it salvages the wrecks in the system. The enemy is confirmed to use the same class of drives as the Continuity. Furthermore the "George Norris" is confirmed to have at least 4 Size 2.5 AAM launchers and a science department is found on the destroyed "Violett Hacket" class, which was already suspected to be some kind of exploration vessel.


The Continuity has now completed its first decade. About twenty systems have already been charted and the surveyors are optimistic that a way to the G2-V star can be found in the next 20 or 30 years. The void navy has been slightly expanded and already two new destroyers are being laid down and the first drafts of a new class of cruiser designs are being finished. While the economic crisis is not yet resolved, the establishment of a colony on the parent planet of Bastion, White Spot, is expected to provide some much needed capacities. Refined mineral stockpiles are stable, although the first few depots are running dry. As the Continuity was not successfull in securing stockpiles during the last two raids after it was woken, finding new mineral deposits is a top priority. However, there is still enough in stock to allow for a slight expansion of the navy in the next decade.

The main enemy group was moving at 7207km/s towards the blockading force. Humanity ships had no other choice but to engage. All 164 ASM-60Bs were launched simultaneously against four battlecruisers, resulting in only 29 strength-9 hits. Not a single missile managed to penetrate the armor.

Ouch. It seems future attacks have to be more focused.

Within the next 45 seconds, Cruiser Destroyer Group 4 no longer existed as a unit. All that was left were the lifepods with some crew.

I hope Earth has some good STOs. How many combat warships has the navy in reserve?

Very fun to read AAR!

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The Colonial Military Authority maintains a standing ground force its purpose is the ground defense of colonies, employing over 150,000 Frontline personnel it is the largest force of its type in the solar system. The force is organised into Army Corps for a total of five Army Corps each of these have a personnel strength of over 25,000 dedicated to the protection of a planet and any of its moons. The primary mission for the CMAA is peacekeeping and engaging insurrection forces in former insurrection strong points such as Ganymede, they are however still equipped to engage in large scale conventional warfare.

In addition to the CMA Army, the CMA also maintains a small marine corps who provide security for CMA ships  and are important in daily tasks such as security checks and commerce regulation.

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The UNMC has its roots in the interplanetary war and works closely with the UNSC Navy, its primary role is to defend the Moon and Earth, with a secondary role to respond to insurrection in the colonies, while only 20,000  frontline personnel serve within the branch it has higher training standards  and it is equipped specifically for Low gravity environments. The force is organised into Marine Expeditionary Forces, thanks to their smaller size these units are flexible allowing rapid response to new threats.

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The doctrine of both the CMAA and UNMC is rather similar, with organisation of forces based around the former United States Military, these forces focus on the use of combined arms tactics and close coordination with naval assets to ensure victory. the UNMC advocates for quick aggressive assaults, often used by the UEG to crush uprisings, while the CMAA focuses on a defensive posture using its numbers to garrison and maintain general peace and security, CMAA forces rely more heavily on armour while as of 2362 the UNMC has no tank forces due to their maintenance costs and as such conflicting with their primary mission.

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Note: Organisation is based off the US Militarys Force 2030 organisation

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Total Ground Force Strength
Total Formations: 404
Total Transport Size: 2,313,410 tons
Total Cost: 73,055 BP

97,869x Infantryman (PW-LIA)
18,000x Marine (IPW-LIA)
14,313x Infantryman (CSAP-LIA)
13,560x Infantryman (LAV-LIA)
10,086x M1034 Logistics System (LM1000-LVA)
4,275x M910 Howitzer (MB-LSA)
1,692x M23 Alligator Infantry Fighting Vehicle (MA-LVA)
930x M1046 Engineering Vehicle (CE-LVA)
840x M10 Orion MBT (MAV/CSAP-MVA)
216x Battalion Headquarters (BAHQ-LIA)
58x Marine Major (HQ250-LIA)
57x Brigade Headquarters (BAHQ-LIA)
38x Division Headquarters (DHQ-LSA)
15x Engineer Headquarters (HQC-LVA)
12x M23H Alligator Infantry Fighting Vehicle (HQ-LVA)
5x Corps Headquarters  (HQ-LSA)
3x MEU headquarters (HQ-LSA)

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Ground Force Formation Designs

Attached below are the core combat ground force formation designs, this does not go over each individual element but rather the makeup of the formations themselves.

Infantry Battalion
Transport Size: 5,000 tons
Build Cost: 101.5 BP
603x Infantryman (PW-LIA)
70x Infantryman (LAV-LIA)
69x Infantryman (CSAP-LIA)
1x Battalion Headquarters (BAHQ-LIA)

Field Artillery Battalion
Transport Size: 4,977 tons
Build Cost: 101 BP
95x M910 Howitzer (MB-LSA)
1x Battalion Headquarters (BAHQ-LIA)

Combined Arms Battalion
Transport Size: 5,000 tons
Build Cost: 234.5 BP
28x M10 Orion MBT (MAV/CSAP-MVA)
24x M23 Alligator Infantry Fighting Vehicle (MA-LVA)
159x Infantryman (PW-LIA)
35x Infantryman (LAV-LIA)
36x Infantryman (CSAP-LIA)
1x Battalion Headquarters (BAHQ-LIA)

Light Amoured Battalion
Transport Size: 4,897 tons
Build Cost: 198.9 BP
81x M23 Alligator Infantry Fighting Vehicle (MA-LVA)
1x M23H Alligator Infantry Fighting Vehicle (HQ-LVA)

Marine Battalion
Transport Size: 4,993 tons
Build Cost: 101.4 BP
500x Marine (IPW-LIA)
83x Infantryman (CSAP-LIA)
60x Infantryman (LAV-LIA)
1x Battalion Headquarters (BAHQ-LIA)


In terms of missiles I am using 12 missiles per  pod, so 96 = 8  Missile pods, I find the MFC method doesnt make that much sense to me.

I probably explained poorly as usual.

What I mean is that instead of thinking "1 pod = 12 launchers", I think "1 pod = 12 launchers + 1 MFC". Basically, the MFC is part of the hardware that makes up an entire single pod. That way in the fire control screen I see my missile launchers grouped up into pods and it matches my conception.

Please Put any comments here,

No.

...aw, crap.

Looks interesting and I'm excited to see a Halo campaign that goes some distance on this board!

One comment, if I might, if you plan to write a lot of dialogue it is usually more readable to have each speaker on a new line. For example, instead of:

The chatter of the helmsmen and bridge crew permeate throughout the command deck as the final preparations for slipspace entry have begun, the heavy titanium doors of the bridge begin to open as the Marine guards step aside the acting bridge officer yells  "Captain on Deck". Captain Rahimi clad in dress uniform enters the bridge climbing the stairs up to the command deck, on the command deck the ships executive officer and science officer were in the middle of a discussion, realising the captain had arrived they stood to attention saluting "Captain Rahimi, Sir". "What is the status of the slipspace engine, are we on schedule?" The captain responded after returning the salute, "Yes sir, all is proceeding as planned and the last personnel have arrived including the new AI", the command table began to glow as a small avatar of a human man appeared, "Identification: Gareth, Captain I have already begun integrating with the ship and I will be operational for the planned departure". "Very good, I am sure you will work well for our mission, continue the preparations we cannot afford to disappoint history", "Aye aye sir" rings out across the command deck of the bridge.

you might format this as:

The chatter of the helmsmen and bridge crew permeate throughout the command deck as the final preparations for slipspace entry have begun, the heavy titanium doors of the bridge begin to open as the Marine guards step aside the acting bridge officer yells  "Captain on Deck". Captain Rahimi clad in dress uniform enters the bridge climbing the stairs up to the command deck, on the command deck the ships executive officer and science officer were in the middle of a discussion, realising the captain had arrived they stood to attention saluting "Captain Rahimi, Sir".

"What is the status of the slipspace engine, are we on schedule?"

"Yes sir, all is proceeding as planned and the last personnel have arrived including the new AI."

The command table began to glow as a small avatar of a human man appeared, "Identification: Gareth, Captain I have already begun integrating with the ship and I will be operational for the planned departure".

"Very good, I am sure you will work well for our mission, continue the preparations we cannot afford to disappoint history."

"Aye aye sir" rings out across the command deck of the bridge.

Unfortunately on a forum the formatting usually does not look as neat as in a printed book, so we are a bit stuck with using double-spacing to separate the paragraphs cleanly, which may mean a lot of whitespace in extended dialogue sections - but overall, I think this is easier for readers to parse.

The Fifth Winter class corvette is one of the most numerous large scale warships, capable of operating for up ot a year at a time, it is one of the more modern naval vessels in service, being designed and produced in the early 2320s, it features two Mk 10 Halberd naval coilguns for close range defense against enemy ships, while its missile defense consists of two M840H BBulwark point defense guns, finally its most impressive feature is the two M24 Defender missile pods which allow the launch of up to twenty-four Defender missiles, such a volley is capable of crippling even a frigate sized vessel.

Code: [Select]

Fifth Winter class Corvette

M24 Defender missile pods (24)     Missile Size: 6    Hangar Reload 122 minutes    MF Reload 20 hours
MFCS-22-150 (1)     Range 22.8m km    Resolution 150


I've tried my hand at a few Halo designs in the past, and what I usually found effective for roleplay was to have each missile pod be represented by a MFC controlling as many launchers as are in the pod of the lore-original ship or class. This way the lore feels represented in the game a bit more. I offer this merely as a suggestion to enhance roleplay and not in any way as a complaint. 

By the way, I regularly use 20% or 25% survey speed, I do find it does not slow down exploration as much as one would hope in practice, since so much of survey time is spent in transit rather than in a stationary position. I don't think there's a good solution for this besides using very slow surveyors, sadly, dropping to 5-10% is more annoying than anything as your survey craft spends years in Jupiter orbit...