[FFW] IN OoB?

[Black Globe Generator]

I've been working from this website as I develop the IN OoB IMTU, but I don't have the actual FFW rules to reference - is the OoB shown on the website the same as that in FFW?

I ask because there seem to be a great many more squadrons than I would expect from looking at other Traveller resources.

Your assistance is appreciated!

 

[mike wightman]

The initial Imperial order of battle is:

16x (all) named colonial squadrons
16x (all) named colonial troops
9x (all) mercenary troops
8x (all) huscarle troops
8x (all) marine troops
8x (all) scout squadrons
2x battle squadrons
6x cruiser squadrons
1x assault carrier squadron
1x 1C-factor troop
4x 10-factor troops
4x 5-factor troops
4x fleets
4x admirals
1x Vargr admiral

 

[mike wightman]

The batron and cruron squadrons are selected at random from the regular Imperial forces, the rest are all off board and don't become available until turn 10.
Numbered colonial squadron reinforcements become available on turn 6.

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Hmmmm...that's not even close to what's listed on that website, is it? Even if you just went with the Jewell fleets, representing the units deployed closest to the frontier, you get a lot more than 2 ImpBatRons and 6 ImpCruRons according to the OoB shown there.

Curiouser and curiouser, said the cat.

I wanted to extrapolate fleet deployments IMTU from FFW, but apparently I can't depend on the numbers on the site to represent what's going on in the game.

On the other hand, 2 ImpBatRons and 6 ImpCruRons seems like a pretty thin force on a hostile frontier, colonial forces notwithstanding. The numbers in Grand Fleet make even less sense - thrash's Military Forces and Spending in Classic Traveller assumes the 2 ImpBatRon:6 ImpCruRon:1 ImpAsltRon ratio, which I'm finding conflicts with Fighting Ships which implies at least five ImpBatRons in the sector.

Does FFW suggest that the Imperial Navy reinforcements arrive from Corridor? There's a snippet somewhere that says IN doctrine is to keep a deep strategic reserve rather than forward-deploy its assets along the frontier (which also conflicts with the OoB on that website - Jewell has a honkin' big fleet!).

Time for me to starting winging it, I think.

Thanks for the reply, Sigg Oddra - most appreciated.

 

[The Oz]

FFW does imply that the IN reinforcements arrive from deeper in Imperial space, from Deneb sector and quite likely from Corridor (at least, there is a "Corridor Fleet" included among the IN fleet counters).

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Thanks, The Oz.

Curiouser and curiouser...

 

[shield]

Hi

Yes, Supplement 9 has 4 Korriak (spelling battle squadrons in the marches (Supp 9 tells you where) + a squadron of Tigress dreadnaughts. It says that the plankwell battleships have been moved to strategic reserve (deneb and corridor).

Cheers
Richard

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Supplement 9: Fighting Ships also makes passing references to other classes of dreadnaughts and battleships beyond the Tigresses, Plankwells, and Kokirraks - it also doesn't detail any of the battle riders that the IN uses. (Was SMC our first canon look at an IN tender and riders?)

Christopher Thrash saw this thread and was kind enough to PM with a bit of additional information - the 2:6:1 ratio from FFW (which details the fleet for a quadrant not a sector) extrapolated to a complete sector with Standard sstem density yields slightly less than two dozen Imperial squadrons, four or five of which are BatRons. thrash didn't mention if he's including battle riders in those battle squadrons or not, but if he is, then once again we're below the five dreadnaught squadrons described in S9:FS.

Somehow twenty or so squadrons still feels thin to me, though.

I like the 1:3:0.5 ratio of BatRons:CruRons:AsltRons - one can then simply assign a number of battle squadrons appropriate to the campaign and derive the rest of the sector fleet from there.

For example, if I take one BatRon per subsector as the baseline and apply it to a sector with eleven subsectors, I have 11 BatRons:33 CruRons:6 AsltRons, which feels intutively "right" to me . I can assign one CruRon to each subsector as the flag squadron responsible for internal security and then build main battle fleets from the rest.

Thanks for the feedback, all - most appreciated as always.

 

[JeffreyAllanBeeler]

FFW - O.O.B.

I would say that the OOB in the game reflects prewar doctrine and set up and "Fighting Ships" represents lessons learned.

Comparing the game to SMC, the game forces cannot manage the victories the SMC forces get. Its more a case of the Imperials holding on to or capturing or recapturing enough systems to stave off a Zhodani instant victory.

So Jewell falls, Efate falls, Regina falls, and the Swordies can even take Vilis.

If the Imperials put the Darrian TL16 mercs on Saurus they can stop all the Swordies in this direction. This is about the only thing to do other than picking on the Vargr with the Efate forces and hitting the Zhodani back country with the Jewell forces.

 

[The Oz]

One thing missing from FFW are planetary defenses and planetary sieges. Without serious planetary defenses (especially deep meson gun sites) it's impossible for even the most populous Imperial planets to hold out against a serious Zhodani attack, yet we are told that Jewell held out through the entire war.

 

[JeffreyAllanBeeler]

The only situation where that happens is when the TL11 Sword Worlders take on the TL 16 Mercs at Saurus.

Because the SW max out the attack the mercs take a 100 to 1 attack down 5 columns where the results are less traumatic for defenders. Since Saurus is a gas giant less water world the SW cannot leave until they take the planet. Vilis is also a water world with no gas giant but her defence battalions are TL 10 so the SW can hit her with a 1 TL advantage and get decent odds.