Author Topic: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread  (Read 11045 times)

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Offline nuclearslurpee

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #15 on: June 18, 2021, 09:53:12 PM »
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It was perhaps completely unsurprising that their choice was the Legions of the Roman Empire, which had been considered one of the finest fighting forces of the ancient times and had thematic links to the older Roman Republic, the source of inspiration for the modern incarnation.  What they discovered was that up to a certain point, the Legion doctrine meshed well with more modern tactical doctrines that were also considered, lacking mostly a certain degree of flexibility once formations became larger - for example, a classic Legion had no formal subdivision between the company-sized Cohort and the brigade-sized Legion. On a modern battlefield, it was assumed that it would be common that Cohorts would be spread out and would need to be able to organize at a smaller level then the full Legion.

An illuminating point. From my limited understanding of warfare in this era, the lack of intermediate command levels would likely be due to the comparatively rudimentary nature of battlefield communication, which would be accomplished chiefly by visual (flags/banners) or auditory (horns, drums, etc.) signaling. With such relatively simple and restricted command options available to a commander it would be somewhat less taxing to command a larger number of line subformations compared to the cover and maneuver based warfare of the modern system which is largely enabled by vastly improved communications technology and doctrine. Thus, adding such sub-commands is a natural extension of the Roman system to this TN-driven setting.

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The Contubernium is armed with seven personal infantry weapons, and one squad support weapon such as a machine gun, mortar or anti-tank weapon. Extra ammunition for this weapon would be carried by the unit as a whole.

An interesting evolution of the Contubernium from a logistics perspective, and in contrast to how modern armies handle this as carrying the extra ammunition is usually a job for a dedicated squad member (or more than one even) I believe, and perhaps this better suits the 2x4 tactical organization as the allows the flexibility for the squad support weapon to be assigned to either team.

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Party Goals:
Quaesitors - Construct the first scientific spacecraft and begin exploring the Sol system. Expand the Republic’s R&D capabilities.
Populares - Finish the first phase of TN conversion, begin building new TN industry alongside.
Pius - Limit Legion training to one Legion and two Auxilia Vexilliones, suspend all military research in favor of peaceful avenues.

Interesting tactic from the Pius here, playing the political diplomacy game to gain influence in hopes of moderating the perceived excesses. At least for now this is likely to work out well enough as the priority is on the economy and the exploration of Sol. Perhaps once the offworld TNEs begin flowing in the Pius will be placated if some of these can be shared with the Children, though this cannot be a long-term stable arrangement.
 

Offline nuclearslurpee

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #16 on: June 24, 2021, 01:34:05 PM »
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“Greetings to you, Children of Gaia. Is it time that the Sword of the Righteous be once more unsheathed?” the otherworldly voice answered.

“Yes.” The two said as one.

Uh-oh...

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At this point, the Republic’s only glaring weakness is a lack of a Sensor and Control Systems specialist.

I swear this happens every single game, always a Sensors scientist is the one I am missing.

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April 10, 378
Poplicola Fabricators is expanded to 2,000t, and Project TRIBAL is made a reality. As will become a standard for the Fleet, as the project moves into reality the class name is updated to match the lead ship of the class. Thus, the first survey craft is the Ellen Louise Mertz-class.

Huzzah! At long last!

Interesting choice of name, is this randomly generated from the Geologists theme or a personal selection?

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January 6, 379
To its own fanfare, the Ellen Louise Mertz is launched on this day. Lieutenant Commander Titus Sabucius Bambalio becomes the first officer of the Navy to hold a command.  The ship remains in orbit while the last shakedown tests are conducted, including testing her sensor systems on Terra to confirm their operation.

The results of that test changed everything.

Interesting...not sure if this is good news or bad? Presumably Terra has already been surveyed for TNEs otherwise there would be nothing to mine up, so what else could there be to discover?

Looking forward to more, keep 'em coming!
 

Offline Gyrfalcon (OP)

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #17 on: June 24, 2021, 02:29:30 PM »
Random selection from the 'Famous Geologist' list. It allows me to keep using the list for other geosurvey ships later, as they'll simply be named after the lead ship of the new class.
 
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Offline nuclearslurpee

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #18 on: June 29, 2021, 02:27:39 PM »
A large plot twist here, if the Children are indeed building their own Legions then war on Terra is inevitable. However it cannot be said for sure what technology level the Children have, they may be using very outdated (by now) conventional materials and weapon which the Republican Legion(s) can easily defeat. On the other hand they may have help from the mysterious benefactor we the readers have briefly encountered...

The planting of sleeper agents through the re-education facility is concerning to say the least, obviously there is the shock at the surface level that such a thing has been done but also further evidence that the Children are far more sinister and militarized than they have appeared. Building military forces is one thing, but intelligence spookiness is a far more integrated government apparatus that does not just spring up out of nowhere like a military force (albeit a poorly-trained and organized one) could.

The real question now is who - or what - can survive the coming war on Terra.
 

Offline Garfunkel

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #19 on: June 30, 2021, 04:33:13 AM »
Didn't see that twist coming!

This reminds me a little bit about a pulp sci-fi book called The Apocalypse Troll by David Weber:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apocalypse_Troll


 

Offline nuclearslurpee

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #20 on: June 30, 2021, 08:15:33 AM »
Well, a rogue AI would explain it, or perhaps not so rogue per se but at any rate a source of violent intent quite apart from the Children themselves. That suggests a tech edge but it seems that the Republic has a production advantage having already achieved parity? If that is so, the Seraph has made an error and ought to have attacked as soon as possible before this advantage could be realized. Now the stage is set for a devastating confrontation, but the odds for the protagonists get better with every passing construction cycle.
 

Offline Gyrfalcon (OP)

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #21 on: July 01, 2021, 02:45:41 AM »
Didn't see that twist coming!

This reminds me a little bit about a pulp sci-fi book called The Apocalypse Troll by David Weber:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apocalypse_Troll

Interesting book summary! I'll say that there is no time-travel involved, but there is an asshole AI. He isn't omnicidal, but he isn't nearly the people person that he thinks he is.

Well, a rogue AI would explain it, or perhaps not so rogue per se but at any rate a source of violent intent quite apart from the Children themselves. That suggests a tech edge but it seems that the Republic has a production advantage having already achieved parity? If that is so, the Seraph has made an error and ought to have attacked as soon as possible before this advantage could be realized. Now the stage is set for a devastating confrontation, but the odds for the protagonists get better with every passing construction cycle.

You're correct in your thinking. Seraph believes that it has a technological edge, and it initially had a production edge but started producing units at a later point then the Republic. However, once the Republic got a good look at the tonnage disparity, they've started putting a lot of effort into building up the Legions.
 
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Offline nuclearslurpee

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #22 on: July 01, 2021, 10:20:27 PM »
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Lord Seraph is obsessed with the number six, and has used that as a basis of his forces. Six men form a squad. This squad, or a single vehicle is termed a ‘Level I’ unit. Six of these Level I units forms a platoon, or Level II.  Six times again becomes a company. This is a Level III, the basic tactical unit of the Sword.

Six companies forms a battalion, the Level IV.  Six battalions form a division, the Level V. Finally, six divisions form the corps of the Sword of the Righteous, with Lord Seraph at its apex as the leader of the Level VI.

6-6-6-6-6-6... the Number of the Seraph!
Orbital bomabrdment is going on toniiiight!!


Admittedly, it does not have the same rhythm as the original, but rogue AIs are not known for their cultural aptitude in any case so it is what we have to work with.

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While Project HERMES is still in its initial stages, the Navy’s project specifications calls for a design with significantly higher endurance than the Ellen Louise Mertz class - being capable of maintaining its onboard crew for up to five years at a time and sufficient engineering capacity to handle more failures before requiring the crew to return. Three geological sensors are specified, and a dedicated science department to handle the sensors is proposed. The design is meant to be under 4,000t, twice the size of the first generation.

Any plans to also design refits for the old ships, so they are not completely useless so soon after being commissioned?

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January 6, 381
A fourth GFCC comes online. Debate is spirited, but eventually it is agreed to construct at least another four GFCC, doubling the Republic’s capabilities again. The catalyst is a new report that had cross-correlated the active sensor readings from the ships in orbit to determine the Sword’s total military hardware tonnage.

Ground Forces Tonnage:
SPQT: 100,246t
Sword: 614,148t

The difference is staggering and continues to fuel the Republic’s breakneck efforts to expand the Legions.

That is...not good news for the Republic.  :o

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Research is completed on the Vis Armatus powered armor. Between the high-density Duranium used in its construction and the armor itself, a Legionnaire equipped with Vis Armatus armor would be nearly twice as protected as they currently experience

Actually due to the fact that technological gaps tend to scale with the fourth power, they will be about 9 times as protected accounting for the effects of HD duranium tech on the unit hit points as well as armor. If that sounds like a pretty good deal the answer is yes.

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December 14, 382
Dr. Servatius completes his life’s work - a full sequencing of the modern human genome. Unfortunately, his great accomplishment is overshadowed by the first shots of the war between the Republic and the Children.

Uh-oh...

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December 14, 382
As Seraph learned too late, while it was very possible to inflame the passions and anger of humans, directing the mob once angered sufficiently is an exercise in futility. A number of the agitators go too far in their work, and a massive mob of 50,000 fanatics attack the nearest Roman enclave. After analysis, Seraph concludes that the Sword is not ready to strike and lets the mob fight on its own, using the opportunity to analyze Roman tactics and equipment.

...oh. Okay. This is probably manageable, an unruly mob against power armor laser rifles, shouldn't be too big of a challenge. Being outnumbered 5-to-1 is a concern, but usually in war discipline and organization counts for a lot and the unruly mob of Children likely have none of this. Just make sure to put the Legions with older technology in the front for, um, logistical reasons, yeah...
 

Offline ZimRathbone

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #23 on: July 01, 2021, 10:42:59 PM »
Quote from: Gyrfalcon
January 1, 380
After a frantic last year, the elections are completed. With the looming threat of attack by the Children coupled with the revelation that the Boni party leader had actively colluded with revealing state secrets that would lead to that attack, it is perhaps no surprise that the Boni party has largely collapsed this cycle.

The Boni gained 1 seat, from 7 to 8.
The Pius collapsed from 18 seats to 8, losing 10 seats.
The Populares gained 4 seats, from 20 to 24.
The Quaesitors gained 3 seats, from 29 to 32.
The Optimates lost 2 seats, from 13 to 11.
The Tutela gained 1 seat, from 13 to 14.


Shouldn't that be the PIUS that has largely collapsed in the top paragraph?

Interesting story tho
Slàinte,

Mike
 

Offline Gyrfalcon (OP)

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #24 on: July 02, 2021, 02:18:29 AM »
Thanks for the catch - you're correct. I was looking at the wrong party name while typing that line.

As for the battle... well, 3rd time is the charm, right? I've already corrupted my save twice because Aurora 1.13 REALLY doesn't like it when you remove races, so I'm thankful that Steve includes backup saves.
 

Offline El Pip

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #25 on: July 02, 2021, 05:53:51 AM »
I'm mildly surprised the Pius still got 8 seats, party loyalty is all well and good but there must be limits.

The Seraph AI does at least have limits, not least of which is not being as clever as it thinks it is - being surprised by the mob for example. I also wonder if it has properly accounted for orbital support, though I fear the Republic may be disappointed if it expects too much from the Mjolnir (at least until the next patch ;) )
 
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Offline Gyrfalcon (OP)

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #26 on: July 05, 2021, 01:45:14 AM »
Any plans to also design refits for the old ships, so they are not completely useless so soon after being commissioned?

Yes, there will be refits for the Ellen Louise Mertz-class, but at the end of the day, there's only so much you can do with a 2,000t hull. They'll still have a part to play in early geo-surveys, once humanity expands beyond the solar system.

I'm mildly surprised the Pius still got 8 seats, party loyalty is all well and good but there must be limits.

The Seraph AI does at least have limits, not least of which is not being as clever as it thinks it is - being surprised by the mob for example. I also wonder if it has properly accounted for orbital support, though I fear the Republic may be disappointed if it expects too much from the Mjolnir (at least until the next patch ;) )

Well modern politics has shown that no matter what a party does, there will be loyalists that will vote for them, even when the party leader attempts to foment an insurrection. Also, the basis of the Pius is still valid - non-violence and attempting to do good in society. The remaining party leadership rallied around that, but the scandal of having the party leader and multiple senators arrested for treason and murder shook the party badly.

As for the Mjolnir, it does about what I was expecting from fire support - its a single bombardment attack against infantry, so its like swatting flies with a sledgehammer. There might be a big difference if a 40kt battleship let loose its entire broadside.

That said, it was also just about the only way the Navy could contribute to what is happening on Terra right now, and it allows the Legions and Navy to practice orbital bombardment doctrines.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2021, 02:11:03 AM by Gyrfalcon »
 
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Offline yourITguy

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #27 on: July 08, 2021, 01:11:35 PM »
More!

I really appreciate the scenes, for a lack of a better description, and the mystery of Seraph and its motives really hooked me. The building suspense has me on the edge of my seat.
 

Offline Garfunkel

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #28 on: July 09, 2021, 06:36:55 AM »
And so it begins  8)
 

Offline nuclearslurpee

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Re: Terra Invictus - Comments Thread
« Reply #29 on: July 10, 2021, 11:12:19 AM »
Exciting times on Terra.

I expect that the Seraph will be in for a nasty surprise upon learning that the recovered scraps it has analyzed were from the pre-TN Legionnaires, although the PWI will still pose a threat to the power armored soldiers. Overconfidence will get the best of this rogue AI, especially combined with a decision to delay another year and allow the Romans to further upgrade their Legions.

But now, the war is upon us, so we shall see how this all works out.