Quest Deep Periphery Quest (Battletech Sandbox Empire Builder)

[Jarow]

This is oh so satisfying right now. Our treasury is growing and barring some really expensive projects further down the line. will continue to grow.

I pretty consistently aim for ~100m leftover lately, and could have pretty easily gone over that changing a few things. But it definitely is good to see the available money increase.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

I pretty consistently aim for ~100m leftover lately, and could have pretty easily gone over that changing a few things. But it definitely is good to see the available money increase.

Especially since Research keeps getting more expensive

 

[Jarow]

Especially since Research keeps getting more expensive

Funnily enough, 27% of our budget being spent on research (as is the case this turn) feels low to me. Tends to approach 50%, which General did this turn.
Flipping all the build orbital factory actions to more expensive stuff did a lot, as did the new collection of >$20m general actions. Which in planning I had counted as being theoretically unlikely. Though, I guess I'm only about $50m over that expected value, (calculated while figuring out reform budget before realizing election reform was mutually exclusive with the rest) which isn't that bad considering that most of the cheap stuff ended up removed.

 

[LordSunhawk]

Turn 68 - Copperhead Road

Spoiler: Event, Luck and Rating Rolls

Meta Event	3
Dynasty Luck	53
	Successes
Imperial Approval	4
Approval Change	-2
Political Event	1
	Successes
Imperial Economy	5
Economic Event	0
Research Event	1
Griffon	Econ	-1
	Health	0
	Change	-1
Nowa Warszawa	Econ	3
	Health	0
	Change	2
Calliope IV	Econ	8c
	Health	3
	Change	0
TTP	Econ	-4
	Health	-3
	Change	2
New Capricorn	Econ	0
	Health	-2
	Change	-1
Nowy Śląsk	Econ	2
	Health	0
	Change	1
Edelsteine	Econ	3c
	Health
	Change	3

Spoiler: Action Results

Plan: Expansion planning
-Procurement [$ 11,753,604.65 ]
--Lay Down Major Unit [Construction - $5,741,426.32 ] (85)
---20 Victory AKM [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 80
Result – SUCCESS
---10 Colchester [85]
Target – 85
Roll – 75
Result – SUCCESS
---10 Bainbridge [85]
Target – 85
Roll – 42
Result - SUCCESS

---4 Vandegrift RT [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 9
Result - SUCCESS

--- 2 Puller RT [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 11
Result - SUCCESS

--- 10 Independence [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 10
Result – SUCCESS
---4 Newport-C [85]
Target – 85
Roll – 13
Result – SUCCESS
---5 Majestic [85]
Target – 85
Roll – 62
Result – SUCCESS

-- Lay down Jumpship [Jumpship Construction - $148,640.92]
--- Caravel* [auto]
--- Caravel* [auto]
--- Caravel* [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 43
Result - SUCCESS

--- Caravel* [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 25
Result - SUCCESS

--- Caravel [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 41
Result - SUCCESS

--- Caravel [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 11
Result - SUCCESS

-- Lay down Warship [Warship Construction - $2,804,747.87 ]

-- Purchase New Units [$ 3,058,789.54 ] (75)
--- 8 Fighter Wing [auto]
--- 5 Carrier Wing [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 61
Result - SUCCESS

--- 1 Raider Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 1
Result – Critical SUCCESS

--- 4 Assault Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 13
Result - SUCCESS

--- 2 Armored Cavalry Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 39
Result - SUCCESS

--- 1 Garrison Mech Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 34
Result - SUCCESS

--- 4 Light Horse Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 49
Result - SUCCESS

--- 6 Mechanized Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 8
Result - SUCCESS

--- 3 Armored Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 29
Result - SUCCESS

- General [$ 400,231,099.02 ]
-- Construct Oasis II Heavy Recharge Station Griffs Leap Zenith* [90]
Target - 90
Roll – 12
Result - SUCCESS

-- Construct Oasis II Heavy Recharge Station Sukiashi Zenith* [90]
Target - 90
Roll – 68
Result - SUCCESS

-- Construct full defensive suite in Nya Köpenhamn [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 72
Result - SUCCESS

-- Replace Nowa Warszawa's Power Grid with modern Fusion* [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 70
Result - SUCCESS

-- Establish Ecological Standards - Nowa Warszawa* [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 80
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build HPG Station New Capricorn* [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 5
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build HPG Station Nowy Slask* [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 98, ShadowArxxy reroll – 97, ShadowArxxy reroll - 66
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build HPG Station Edelsteine* [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 77
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build New Commercial Space Station [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 40
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build New Commercial Space Station [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 27
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build New Commercial Space Station [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 20
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build New Commercial Space Station [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 53
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build New Commercial Space Station [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 84
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build Orbital Factory Calliope IV FA [110]
Target - 110
Roll – 1
Result – Critical SUCCESS

-- Build Orbital Factory New Capricorn DHS [110]
Target - 110
Roll – 26
Result - SUCCESS

-- Focus Development on Peripheral World Calliope [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 25
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build Relations with Senate [60]
Target - 60
Roll – 55
Result - SUCCESS

-- Expand Political Office [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 92, ShadowArxxy reroll – 81, ShadowArxxy reroll - 50
Result - SUCCESS

-- Investigate potential Senators [65]
Target - 65
Roll – 31
Result - SUCCESS

-- Establish a Joint Planning Group with the NRR vis-a-vis Nya Köpenhamn [95]
Target - 95
Roll – 34
Result - SUCCESS

-- (Sports) Fund sports camps to improve performance in low performing Olympic sports [80]
Target - 80
Roll – 22
Result - SUCCESS

-- Establish legal framework for future annexation of Nya Köpenhamn [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 88, ShadowArxxy reroll – 87, Gurk reroll - 16
Result - SUCCESS

-- Colonization Survey of GX-E12 (Nowy Wroclaw) [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 98, Gurk reroll - 26
Result - SUCCESS

-- Expand DURF* [55]
Target - 55
Roll – 8
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build Orbital Shipyard New Capricorn [100]
Target - 100
Roll – 82
Result - SUCCESS

-- Build Orbital Shipyard Nowy Slask [100]
Target - 100
Roll – 34
Result - SUCCESS

-- Upgrade All Ferro Carbide Forges [75]
Target - 75
Roll – 98, Gurk reroll – 93, Gurk reroll - 10
Result - SUCCESS

-- Expand All Shipyards [100]
Target - 100
Roll – 40
Result - SUCCESS

-- Expand Refit and Repair Yard [100]
Target - 100
Roll – 45
Result - SUCCESS

- DoME [$ 41,000,000.00 ]

- Research [$ 230,000,000 ]
-- Advanced Communications (Advanced) Tier 4 [85]
Target - 85
Roll – 7
Result - SUCCESS

- Miscellaneous [$ 71,100,000 ]
-- Random Rebuilding [19,000,000] [->3]
-- Peacekeeping [2,000,000]
-- Olympics [100,000]
-- Ethics Reform [50,000,000]

-----

You receive some interesting news from Nowa Warszawa. A small company there involved in producing missiles for the AFGE invested in some R&D a few years back which has yielded dividends, specifically a fully functional White Shark capital missile launcher and missile. Needless to say the AFGE snapped up that patent right quick, and now you have that weapon system available to you.

You have a large number of designs on your desk awaiting your input as to whether or not they should be exported to the Rasalhaguians. They are divided into two piles, one aerodynes, one spheroids.

There are three submissions in each pile. Majeure Electrique notably did not submit anything, as they have been far busier working on a new transport system for the AFGE along with their work on warships.

For the aerodynes, the first comes from the same people famous, or infamous depending, for turning everything into a pyramid. The Abusir export carrier is one of the few non pyramids in their design catalog and is fairly average in terms of the various submissions. Evaluators have noted that the ship’s ASF control facilities are handicapped due to only having a single large launch bay door, simultaneous launch and recovery would be… difficult.

A small Griffon IV company has submitted the Warwick export carrier, another aerodyne most notable for the heavy LRM armament as opposed to the ballistic centered armament of the Abusir. The Warwick shares the relatively poor ASF facilities with the Abusir but is notably cheaper than the other design.

Finally a company out of Nowa Warszawa has proposed the Vigilant export carrier. This is the most expensive, by a small margin, of the three, but also the most capable. Featuring a smaller number of missile launchers than the Warwick, the Vigilant possesses the best ASF and small craft facilities of any of the three aerodyne designs.

[]	Name	Cost	Materials	HP	A/D	Specials	Bonus Votes
[]	Abusir	$46,399.68	None	180	90	Armored 4 AMS 16 Capital AMS 1	2
[]	Warwick	$45,820.08	None	168	78	Armored 4 AMS 16 Missile 12 Capital AMS 1	2
[]	Vigilant	$49,636.08	None	182	95	Armored 4 AMS 16 Missile 4 Capital AMS 1	3

The spheroid designs submitted for the contest are somewhat more diverse, although they do come from the same three companies.

The first, from the source of all things pyramidal and with a rather gaudy sense of bling, is the Honeycomb export carrier. The Honeycomb is the most durable and well armed of the three, at least in terms of direct fire weapons, possessing a wicked anti-ASF capability thanks to the batteries of LB-20X autocannon. However, much like the Abusir the Honeycomb is designed around one big launch bay, handicapping flight ops to a degree.

The second is rather… interestingly named… submission from Griffon IV called The Flying Beaver. Sharing the massive LRM batteries of the Warwick, the Beaver is the cheapest of the three spheroid designs, but shares the poorly laid out flight deck of the aerodyne. Interestingly she has rather more raw armor than the other designs, but pays for it with lesser active defenses being the least well armed.

The final spheroid is the Sentinel, which is flagged as being under close review. The design itself has the best flight deck arrangements of any of the submissions, being almost of the same quality as your own front-line equipment, but is lacking in direct armaments and armor. Intriguingly, the design mounts a set of Piranha missile systems in the nose, giving the design the only capital type weapon in the bunch. Unfortunately, you are almost completely certain that the NRR lacks sub-capital weapons technology, so including this would be a serious escalation in their capabilities.

[]	Name	Cost	Materials	HP	A/D	Specials	Bonus Votes
[]	Honeycomb	174,396.88	None	634	384	Armored 20 AMS 36 Capital AMS 3	2
[]	Flying Beaver	127,488.72	None	620	360	Armored 21 AMS 36 Capital AMS 3 Missile 24	2
[]	Sentinel	140,985.04	None	602	382	Armored 17 AMS 36 Capital AMS 3 Capital 3/26	0

The Navy also has a new design initiative, to consolidate current Mech, Vehicle, and Cargo transports down to a single common hull design. While the massive RCT transports would remain in service, the Navy has pointed out that in exercises the Tarawa and Newport designs represent very valuable targets, enough so that the defending forces have taken to focusing all of their ASF forces on them, accepting brutal losses from escorts just to take out entire regiments at a time. The new designs are battalion sized, requiring three to carry a single regiment, but reducing the possibility of the loss of an entire regiment at once.

There are four designs under consideration, each built to a rather strict set of requirements that are hoped to yield an excellent common hull.

The first design is a quasi-Pyramid from the Pyramid Power Professionals of Nowy Gdansk. The whimsically named Pointier End carries a substantial offensive arsenal, including a strong battery of Piranha missiles allowing the transport to join in during the initial merge.

The Imperial Griffon Aerospace Works in conjunction with Lee Aerospace has proposed the Shinshu Maru design, named after the first dedicated amphibious assault ship in history. Similar to the Pointier End the Shinshu Maru possesses an attractive mix of solid firepower, with a pair of Barracuda launchers in the nose giving a Sunday punch at extreme range.

Majeure Electrique very nearly suffered a designer mutiny, and the Chief Engineer is still loudly grumbling about damn accountants and their ridiculous cost ceilings. The rumors that he has an accountant voodoo doll on his desk are mostly confirmed, since he was seen stabbing one with needles to sensitive spots. The Trenton comes in right under the cost ceiling, despite all of the muttering. She possesses the heaviest artillery battery of the designs, along with the most potent close-in defenses. Unlike the others, the Trenton has no capital firepower, devoting that tonnage instead to heavier defenses.

Similar to the Trenton in not mounting capital weapons, the Galahad is from a small Calliope IV company. Somewhat more heavily armored than the competition, the Galahad has the largest small craft bay of any of the four submissions. Cheaper than the others, while being well protected and well armed, the Galahad was the last submission received by the AFGE, just hours before the deadline.

[]	Name	Cost	Materials	HP	A/D	Specials
[]	Pointier End	243,722.64	FAA, DHS	797	567	Armored 18 AMS 120 Capital AMS 12 Missile 60 Capital 3/40 Artillery 16
[]	Shinshu Maru	216,872.32	FAA, DHS	791	561	Armored 18 AMS 120 Capital AMS 12 Missile 120 Capital 4/10 Capital Missile 6 Artillery 16
[]	Trenton	249,082.40	FAA, DHS	966	736	Armored 18 AMS 120 Capital AMS 12 Missile 120 Artillery 32
[]	Galahad	215,620.16	FAA, DHS	825	565	Armored 21 AMS 120 Capital AMS 12 Missile 60 Artillery 16

You spend several weeks attending keel-laying ceremonies in the Griffon system, as well as attending additional ones virtually via HPG from Nowa Warszawa, Calliope, and New Capricorn. You also get a veritable mountain of reports about new ASF and ground units coming online and into operational readiness.

In the midst of this you get a request from an old military school on Calliope IV which, in the past, had been the main military academy for the planet. They are requesting an official charter to serve as a formal military training academy for the Empire, in addition to the Aerie. They currently are training militia pilots, but the precis that they include shows their long and rather distinguished history training military officers for Calliope IV. They have managed to acquire top flight simulator pods, training officers, and all of the equipment needed to begin full scale training of a new generation of soldiers, albeit they focus on ground forces only.

The Aerie is rather opposed to this, insisting that the charter should be denied so that the Aerie can absorb the Calliope school. You have noted, however, that the Aerie does tend to produce officers who all speak from the same playbook, so to speak, so differing perspectives might be valuable.

[]	Charter the Calliope Military Academy	Increases target number for ground forces procurement to 80 (from 75) +1 Econ Rating Calliope IV +1 Infrastructure Calliope IV -1 Approval Change -1 Politics
[]	Deny the Charter	+1 Politics +1 Approval Change

The new recharge stations, along with the defensive works at Nya Kopenhamm, are fully online, strengthening your overall responsiveness and defenses. Joint planning teams with the NRR are already assembled and will be presenting the results of their work in the near future.

The final replacement of Nowa Warszawa’s antiquated power grid has finally taken place, bringing the planet fully up to the standards of Griffon itself. Likewise the new environmental standards are fully in effect, despite some grumbling from industrial interests on the planet. Regardless, the air has not been cleaner for generations, and in general public health is finally up to the overall Griffon standard.

The new HPG stations that have come online mean that the empire is now fully linked via HPG. It is still quite feasible, and indeed recommended, to continue to build them in order to boost the available bandwidth. Likewise, the R&D work on advanced communications has, as predicted, resulted in the estimated cost and difficulty for researching mobile HPG units to drop significantly.

The five new commercial space stations that have been built are already filled to bursting as commerce is thriving within the Empire. Civilian jumpships are finally proliferating enough that trade is moving at a brisk clip between the various planets.

Additional orbital factories have come online, increasing strategic materials production for the Empire as well as boosting local economies. Likewise your shipyards and repair facilities have been upgraded, with two new yards being completed this year.

Significant economic investment in Calliope IV has seriously boosted the local economy, over and above the absolute boom from the surging auto industry for the Renegade. There are concerns over health care infrastructure keeping up with the economy, but your advisors assure you that they are monitoring the situation and will have proposals in the near future to ensure this does not become a long term problem.

The Senate is exceptionally grateful for the support you gave them over the ethics reform, and only regrets the intransigence of the Delegates in keeping the economic reforms from going through. They are so grateful that your investigations, even though they don’t turn anything up, do show that few if any of the sitting Senators are all that interested in playing the sort of power and influence games that you feared.

The new network of Imperial Political Offices in every Chamber constituency leads to the expected whining from the Delegates, but the public seems singularly unimpressed with the complaints over greater transparency and openness. Go figure.

The news from the NRI about the Olympics is slightly delayed due to weather causing delays in the various final races. In the end, in the last 6 events, Team Griffon won gold in 5 of them and took home a silver in the Men’s Marathon, while the NRI had to settle for bronze in all six events in a stunning collapse. Team Griffon was once again absolutely dominant in motor racing, much to your pleasure.

You brought home only 6 bronze medals, however that doesn’t mean you would rather bring home zero and all golds. Sports camps are set up and financed by the Privy Purse in those events, which include men’s gymnastics and wrestling, as well as women’s decathlon, swimming, shooting and archery.

Janet sends you a memo noting that the legal issues surrounding annexing and operating in Nya Kopenhamn have been cleared up and you are good to go.

The survey of GX-E12, now known as Nowy Wroclaw on the official paperwork, is complete. The system has a single habitable planet, but is in general rather uninteresting. Apart, that is, from an extremely aggressive and corrosive fungal growth on the planet that seems to have a great affinity for the most common fibers used in clothing. Which it devours rapidly, while leaving skin and such completely unaffected. The report rather dryly notes that elastics are particularly vulnerable, and waterproof cloth appears to be the fungus's favorite food, fitting since the fungus seems to live mostly in the water.

The planet itself, apart from the Bikini-Eating Spores (the report included pictures, reportedly the female members of the survey crew took this with great humor, since the first victims were a couple of the guys.), requires remarkably little terraforming, being slightly warmer than average but with generally pleasant ‘Mediterranean’ weather. The survey crew did discover a crashed Confederate dropship with Clan Wolverine markings, but there are no signs of survivors and the dropship is completely destroyed with no salvageable material. They were only able to identify the craft thanks to a few surviving bits of scrap being jigsawed together to show the markings and a stencilled name.

In more local news, the DURF has been expanded, increasing the rate at which upgrades and repairs can be completed at the facility.

 

[Trashman.exe]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Flying Beaver
[X] Trenton
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

I got close with the Galahad but the Trenton is just a lot better.

I think NRR would prefer having a very capable dropship that almost as capable as it more expensive competition.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Rukatin]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Honeycomb
[X] Galahad
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Knowledgeispower]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Sentinel
[X] Trenton
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Winter_Wind45]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Flying Beaver
[X] Trenton
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[ShadowArxxy]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Flying Beaver
[X] Trenton
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Thors_Alumni]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Flying Beaver
[X] Trenton
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[VicSage]

Most common, eh? Their hair didn't get eaten, so Wool is going to come back in style. Shame everyone is going to smell like wet dog afterwards.

 

[Belidonk]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Honeycomb
[X] Trenton
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Artifex]

[X] Vigilant
[X] Sentinel
[X] Galahad
[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Jarow]

single large launch bay door,

... Oops. Really need to start paying attention to doors. They don't weigh anything, and were more or less ignored early on, so I've gotten in a bad habit.

Given the doors seem to be more fluff than effect, I'm going to vote:
[X] Abusir
The most cost effective design, which for a nation trying to get a more effective navy for less money is probably a good choice.

[X] Flying Beaver
A more extreme version of the previous decision. Sentinel's capital battery is very disqualifying for me, especially given we just got shown we can't trust the NRR's government (only their current head of state, who's not immortal and is a contemporary of the original Deep Dragon)

[X] Trenton
And now we're buying for us: we care a lot more about collar efficiency, so the more effective the better. Capital punch is really nice, but HP is what I consider by far the most important stat for a landing craft, and none of the designs have a heavy capital battery anyways. The extra artillery is nice too.


[X] Charter the Calliope Military Academy

 

[Trashman.exe]

Turn 68 - Johnson County Sheriff

You receive reports from Intelligence. The agents assigned to infiltrate the NRR are finally in positions with sufficient access that you are getting material that isn’t in the daily newspapers of the Rasalhaguians. Looking over the initial tranches of data shows that the Rasalhaguian economy is in even worse shape than your analysts had expected, as the sheer expenses being spent on uplifting the population of Gotland combined with a prolonged economic slump have the Rasalhague government operating right on the razor’s edge of solvency. On the positive side of the ledger, the average life expectancy on Gotland has more than tripled and the poverty rate of the planet has plunged to under 25%, considering the numbers you are looking at that is a very spectacular achievement, as initially Gotland was a medieval hellhole with over 96% poverty rate and an average life expectancy well under 30. The planet is still a net loss for the NRR, but is expected to finally break even in under a decade.

I bolded what I consider the really important part as a source for what Jarow was saying.

With NRR at the razor's edge of solvency they would likely prefer getting the Beaver since while it is slightly less capable, is 27% cheaper which is extremely important when their economy is struggling so much.

 

[ShadowArxxy]

With NRR at the razor's edge of solvency they would likely prefer getting the Beaver since while it is slightly less capable, is 27% cheaper which is extremely important when their economy is struggling so much.

This is an excellent point, you have convinced me to change my vote.

 

[Orangeduke38]

Is the cheapest option cheaper or more expensive than the design they requested?

 

[Trashman.exe]

Is the cheapest option cheaper or more expensive than the design they requested?

The Beaver is a spheroid that is more expensive (By 24,000.00 or around that) and heavier at 19900 Tons while the Megaraptor is 9400 Tons Aerodyne.

Thus you should comparing it to the leader in the aerodyne contest, the Vigilant which costs half as much as the Megaraptor but is expected with the fact the Megaraptor is using both enhanced weapons and strategic material. When the NRR Dropships were restricted to Star League weaponry and encouraged to not use any strategic materials to aid in their odds of being selected, which is why the Abusir and Warwick have a “2” to their bonus votes.(Later when I can, I’ll edit in the Battle Value of the MegaRaptor and the Vigilant)

Vigilant BV: 9,226
Megaraptor BV: 25,157

 

[Knowledgeispower]

The Beaver is a spheroid that is more expensive (By 24,000.00 or around that) and heavier at 19900 Tons while the MegaRaptor is 9400 Tons Aerodyne.

Thus you should comparing it to the leader in the aerodyne contest, the Vigilant which costs half as much as the MegaRaptor but is expected with the fact the MegaRaptor is using both enhanced weapons and strategic material. When the NRR Dropships were restricted to Star League weaponry and encouraged to not use any strategic materials to aid in their odds of being selected, which is why the Abusir and Warwick have a “2” to their bonus votes.(Later when I can, I’ll edit in the Battle Value of the MegaRaptor and the Vigilant)

As the designer of the Vigilant I'll note that other than Gauss Rifles and Clan AMS it doesn't have any advanced weaponry due to Heat issues caused by using SHS preventing it and also me trying to not sell too much tech