Flames at Sunset (Part 2 of the Sunset Saga)

 New Empires Campaign - Month 32

Six days after the AI battleship destroyed the human colonies on the moons of the gas giant Regan, it arrrived at the Icy planet and its moon inhabited by the Cryocian colonists of Sunset.  Known as New Haven and Haven's Daughter, they held over twelve million Cryocians.  With fallout shelters only partially constructed, the populations awaited the inevitable result of the AI ships arrival.  The AI battleship and its accompanying destroyer began the bombardment of the surface of New Haven, but inexplicably stopped.  With casualties in the millions, it was a horrible event, but nearly three quarters of the population had survived.  Whether the ships had simply run out of munitions or were unwilling to use what they had was unclear.  The two AI ships then settled into an orbit of the planet at 7.5 light seconds and quietly waited.
Sensors from the planet would occasionally record another pair of destroyers circling farther out from the planet, but they would never approach closer than 11 light seconds, and the AI ships moved with reduced emissions making tracking difficult.  Broadcasts were made of the planets situation, but help would be unavailable for weeks. 
Fifteen days after the blockade of New Haven help would arrive in the form of the Baltian Light Cruiser Group commanded by Vice Admiral Beckett, the Drakus 1st Destroyer Squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Embressa, the Cryocian Exploration Cruisers Outreach and Traveller, and the Escort Carriers of the WP Security Group of Survey Squadron II.   

This would not be the first engagement to see the use of New Euro gunboats, but would be the first to find them faced with other armed small craft.  The first carrier vs carrier engagement of the New Euro would find two small River Class Escort Carriers intended to face pirates and commerce raiders thrust into use as main line combat units.


Cryocian Forces

Exploration Cruisers Traveller (Crack) , Outreach (Crack)
8XOb (PtcaM x1/ EDMa x1)      CLb / 51HS
[4] (S1) x3 (A1)x3 Za (Jb) (Jb Jb) Qa (MNE) (Jb) Qb (MNE) Xb H Te Epa (Bsa) H (Jb Jb) Dzb Yca Qb Tda (Jb) (Jb Jb) Eb [6] / gig & st
(Epa x1/ Eb x1/ Dzb x1/ Te / Tda)


Baltian Forces
Vice Admiral Beckett (LG/Average)

Light Cruiser Princess Mia (Average)
8XOb (RbM x8)            CLb / 51HS
[3] (S1) x6 (A1)x9 Zb H Qa Mg (MNE) (MNE) (Ib) (Ib Ib) Qb (Ib) Rb Rb Rb Dzb Rb Rb Rb Rb Qb Yb ?a (Ib Ib) [4] / gig
(Rb x7 - salvos 18 +4RbM/ Dzb x1/ ?a)

Destroyers Queen Elizabeth (Average) , Queen Mary (Average)
5XOa (RbM x5)            DDb / 35HS
[3] (S1) x3 (A1)x9 Zb Hs Mgs Qa (MNE) (MNE) Rb Rb (Ib) (Ib) (Ib) Rb Rb Yb Db Qb ?a (Ib) [4] / gig
(Rb x4 - salvos 16/ Db x1/ ?a)

WP Explorer Van Goeh (Average)
                  FG / 22HS
[2] S1 A1 A1(MNE) (MNE) H Xb Qb (Ia) Yca (Ia) (Ia) [4] / gig

Mobile Repair Ship 1 (Average)
                  FT4b / 32HS
[2] (MS7) H H Qa (Ica) (Ica) [2] / gig

Missile Collier 01 (Average)
                  FT0 / 7HS
[2] Mgs (Mg) x3 Hs Qa (Ica) [4] / RbM x204


Drakus Forces
Rear Admiral Embressa (LG/Average)

Destroyers Drannar (Average) , Drannaeus (Average) , Drassan (Average)
5XOa (RbM x5)            DD / 30HS
[3] (S) x3 (A)x3 Zb H Qa Rb Rb (Ia) (Ia) (Ia) Rb Rb Yb Da Qa (Ia) (Ia) [5] / gig
(Rb x4 - salvos 10/ Da x1)


New Euro Forces

River Class Escort Carriers Tigris (Average) , Nile (Average)
                  FT4b / 35HS
[2] S1 S1 A1 H (Icb) (Icb) (Icb) (Bga) (Bga) (BLa) Yb Dca Qa (Icb) [4] / gig , GBa x2(La internal weapon)
(GBa Sqn 37 , 39 - Crack, 38 , 40 - Average)


AI Forces

BB 01 (Average)
14 XOa (RcaM x3, GBa x1)      (AM1)   BB / 100HS
[3] (S1) x14 (A1)x13 Za Qb Qb Qb H (Ia Ia Ia) Mg Db Qb (M1) Rb Rb Rca Rb Rca Rb Rb Db (Ia Ia Ia) Db Rb Rb Rca Rb Rca Rb Rb Yb Db ?a Qb (Ia Ia Ia) [3] / gig
(Rca x4 - salvos 15/ Rb x10 - salvos 12/ Db x4/ ?a)

DD 02 (Average) , 03 (Average) , 04 (Average)
5XOa (RcaM x1/ RbM x3)      (AM1)   DDb / 35HS
[2] (S1) x8 (A1)x8 Za Ht Qa (Ib) (Ib) Rca (Ib) Db Rb (Ib) Yb Rb ?a Qb (Ib) [5] / gig
(Rca x1 - salvos 10/ Rb x2 - salvos 10/ Db x1/ ?a)

DDE 01 (Average) , 02 (Average)
5XOa (RbM x5)            (AM1)   DDb / 35HS
[2] (S1) x5 (A1)x5 Za Hs Qa (Ib) (Ib) (Ib) Db Db Db Rca Yb Db Db Db ?a Qb (Ib) (Ib) [5] / gig
(Rca x1 - salvos 10/ Db x6/ ?a)

CA - CVL 01 (Average)
8XOa (GBa x1)               CA / 60HS
[2] (S1) x3 (A1)x3 Qb Qb Qv Qv H (Ica Ica) (Ica Ica) (Bga) (Bga) BLa) Rb Rb Db Qb Db Yca (Ica Ica) [3] / gig , GBa x2(ast internal weapon)
(Rb x2 - salvos 10/ Db x2)  24CP for GBa in XO racks

Mobile Repair Ship 01 (Average)
                  FT4b / 35HS
[2] (Icb) (Icb) (Icb) H Qa (MS7) (Icb) [4] / gig

Missile Collier 01 (Average)
                  FT1 / 12HS
[2] (Mg) x8 H Qa (Ica) [3] / RcaM x180


Setup
New Haven (Ice planet) in center of map.  Haven's Daughter (O1 moon) at 3tH on radian 3.
AI datalinks are BB 01/DD 02, DD 03/DDE 01, DD 04/DDE 02.
The BB is escorting DD 02, while the DDE are escorting thier linked ship.
No two links may start in the same hex.
BB 01, DD 02, DD 03, DDE 01 are at 30tH from New Haven on radian 9.
All other AI are at 60tH from New Haven on radian 9 with shields down, drive fields off.
The GBa on CVL 01's XO racks are crewed and ready for launch.  There is no crew for the GBa on the BB's XO's.
ast weapons on the gunboats can damage ships.

AI, Baltian, and Cryocian ships regenerate shields at 1 per turn if not hit.
Drakus regenerate shields at 1 per turn if not hit for 3 consecutive turns.
There was no ramming in this scenario, although technically the Cryocians would be allowed.

'Historically' the main group of the allied forces come in between radians 1 and 2.
The allied ships all approach on the same vector, with the non-combat ships and carriers trailing the warships by 16tH.
The AI were able to monitor the allied group as it approached and positioned themselves with the planet oriented as described.

Technically, the Ultra rules only allow one bay per 30HS (FRU).  We have always felt this was to small and allowed one per 30HS (FRU), plus one.
So a 35HS ship can mount 3 bay systems [35/30 (FRU) = 2, plus one for 3) instead of two.  This does seem to make small carriers more powerful than small warships, but balances the small carriers against the big carriers.  The big carriers always seem to overshadow the big warships, so the disparity on the small end didn't seem that 'unfair'.   It also allows a small carrier with GB's or FQ's to overpower a low tech carrier with a bunch of ast's, which only seems right.  But enough with house rules.


For us, this was a difficult scenario to run, simply due to the distances that were invovled.   Our hex map is about 100 x 120 hexes, and we still had to shift the play and tuck an extra map along one side to get enough room.  The initial battle involved the fleets closing to missile / beam range with the carriers hanging back, but as missiles ran low the ships began to congregate around the carriers to protect them.

Aftermath.
The battle openned with the war fleets closing while the gunboats moved to support them.  With neither side having enough small craft to dominate the field initially, the battle raged between the allied ships and the AI.  The Cryocian cruisers, never intended for front line combat, were torn apart as they closed with the AI battleship. Then the Baltian and Drakus warships began the murderous duel with the AI destroyers and battleship.  The Euro gunboats helped to cripple a pair of the AI destroyers, while the AI gunboats focused on the Euro small craft.  The Euro carriers stayed forward in the battle to quickly rearm the gunboats, but paid the price as two AI destroyers were able to break free of the melee and pursued the unarmed carriers.
As ships began to exhaust their magazines, the battle began to draw apart.  The Princess Mia finally fell to the firepower of the AI battleship, but the two Royalty Class destroyers refused to break off, and continued to duel with the battleship even as other ships withdrew.  The Drakus Destoryer Squadron and Baltian Missile Collier displayed conspicuous galantry (and recieved several awards) as they docked and transferred missiles even under pressure from continued attacks by AI gunboats.
The Euro gunboats finally managed to win superiority and destroy the AI carrier, but lost one squadron in the effort, with the remaining three so badly damaged that only post battle reorganization allowed them to operate as two functional squadrons.
At the end the battle drifted apart with neither side claiming a clear victory.  The allied forces had relieved the planet, and destroyed three AI destroyers and the light carrier, but the battleship and three other destroyers successfully withdrew from the battle.  The Allied forces lost both of the Cryocian light cruisers and the Princess Mia. Admiral Beckett died when the Mia fell. The Queen Mary was left a wreck barely capable of combat.  The Nile was damaged so badly it was no longer able to operate as a carrier with all of its bays damaged or destroyed.
Incredible bravery in the face of the enemy was the only thing that saved the allied forces - the Baltian destroyers galantry in the face of the AI battleship, the Drakus destroyers parked with their drive fields down to dock and reload protecting the Missile Collier with their point defense as AI gunboats pressed home attack after attack, and the single minded drive of the Euro gunboat crews as they died one after another attacking the AI carrier to ensure its destruction.  The lists of medals and citations stretched for pages, far to many post humously.

But both sides still had footholds in the system, and neither intended to be pushed out easily.....

Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"

Be aware that if the ruins are all the same race, as soon as a Xenology team cracks one of them, it will crack all of them. The Xenology teams work on a racial basis, not on each specific ruin.

Steve

Any way to make it so that you actually need to have the xenology team on the planet and spending a little time to realize that it is a previously deciphered language.  Not long, just a month or two as they clear out debris, find writing samples, ect.

Mostly I do not want it to be discover and reactiveate one ruin, then discover another ruin with a survey ship and presto the ruin is ready for engineer brigades to move in and start activating the remains.

Brian

I like that idea too.

The background is that one race (hence the homogenity of precursor ruin races) terraformed a number of planets in the distant past.

I generated 20 systems, about half got terraformed, most of them ended up under 1x cost. All terraformed systems got a ruin. And all existing JP links were broken.

Then I added Sol and the Humans.

Now I need to go into the db and make all the ruins the same race.

Be aware that if the ruins are all the same race, as soon as a Xenology team cracks one of them, it will crack all of them. The Xenology teams work on a racial basis, not on each specific ruin.

Steve

Generate 20-30 systems and pick the ones you want to have terraformed.  Set up the jump point network for the first few transits.  You do not need to fill every jump point with a destination, just those leading to the worlds you have designed.  I would then save a copy of the database and while still in SM mode check what tech levels each ruin is for.  Better yet, if you can go into the database and set them to the same race/empire and tech.  Otherwise check what tl each is at, and if you find one that doesn't work for what you want you could go back to the original save and change it.  Keep doing this untill you are satisfied as to the ruins that are left around for your pc's to find.

Brian

I'm contemplating a scenario in which precursors genetically engineered the human race to what it is. At the same time, they terraformed a number of planets to human tolerances.

I'm trying to decide if I should generate a number of systems prior to game start and seed the terraformed planets (with ruins) or to play and use SM mode to modify candidates found during play.

I think it would probably be more immersive if you set it up prior to game start. Modifying as you go would feel too artifical I think and break-up the flavour of the campaign..

Steve