Quest Deep Periphery Quest (Battletech Sandbox Empire Builder)

Orangeduke38

Well-known member
[X] Plan: Building the Line
Good plan Jarow but now we are not supporting an army fighting the NRI rebels we should explore some more to find the source(or sources) of the pirates that keep attacking us. We also need to destroy the Dracs and a thunder run through their system to destroy their dropship production would be a good first step.
 

Knowledgeispower

Ah I love the smell of missile spam in the morning
The difference between us and ComStar is that presumably us reading HPG messages will be public knowledge. Mind you I'd ideally only have us actually read the messages of people that our justice and intel/counter intel departments are interested in and thus obtain warrants to monitor their communications
 

ShadowArxxy

Well-known member
Comrade
The difference between us and ComStar is that presumably us reading HPG messages will be public knowledge. Mind you I'd ideally only have us actually read the messages of people that our justice and intel/counter intel departments are interested in and thus obtain warrants to monitor their communications

I think transparency is our friend here -- unlike ComStar, we're not going to falsely pretend that HPG messages are in some way inherently untappable, but we will make it clear that they are covered by wiretapping laws just like any other form of communication (i.e., it's strictly illegal for any private company to tap them, and the government can only do so with a court warrant).

Edit: At least for domestic HPG service. I don't think we necessarily want to give foreign customers the same privacy rights as our own citizens; at minimum, our legal groundwork should distinguish between domestic and interstellar communications.
 
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Turn 63 - Ad Pugnatores in Veritae

LordSunhawk

Das BOOT (literally)
Owner
Administrator
Staff Member
Founder
Turn 63 Ad Pugnatores in Veritae

Meta-Event - 6
Dynasty Luck - 67

Imperial Approval - 4
Approval Change - 2
Political Event - 2

Imperial Economy - 5
Economic Event - 5
Research Event - 0

Griffin’s Roost
Econ - 1
Health - -1
Rating Change - 1

Nowy Gdansk
Econ - 1
Health - 4
Rating Change - 1

Griffon Inner Asteroid Belt
Econ - -3
Rating Change - -3

Griffon II Orbitals
Econ - 2
Rating Change - 1

Griffon IV
Econ - 2
Health - 3
Rating Change - -4

Nowa Warszawa
Econ - -2
Health - -2
Rating Change - -4

Calliope IV
Econ - -4
Health - 2
Rating Change - 4

TTB
Econ - 1
Health - 3
Rating Change - 0

Plan: Building the Line
Procurement [$ 6,788,781.65 ]
Lay Down Major Unit [Construction - $3,901,692.90 ] (85)
-27 Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 24
Result - SUCCESS

-5 Independence [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 75
Result - SUCCESS

-5 Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 15
Result - SUCCESS

-5 Majestic [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 26
Result - SUCCESS

-5 Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 70
Result - SUCCESS

Lay down Jumpship [Jumpship Construction - 21,234 ] (65)
-Caravel [->1?]
Target - 65
Roll - 77, Jarow Reroll - 11
Result - SUCCESS

-Caravel [->1?]
Target - 65
Roll - 38
Result - SUCCESS

Purchase New Units [$ 2,865,854.33 ] (75)
-1 Fighter Wing [auto]

-1 Planetary Defense Wing [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 56
Result - SUCCESS

-2 Interceptor Wing [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 18
Result - SUCCESS

-1 Light Horse Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 14
Result - SUCCESS

-4 Armored Cavalry Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 10
Result - SUCCESS

-1 Light Training Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 72
Result - SUCCESS

-4 Standard Mech Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 37
Result - SUCCESS

-2 Mechanized Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 74
Result - SUCCESS

-1 Imperial Guard Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 12
Result - SUCCESS

-6 Corps Artillery Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 41
Result - SUCCESS

-10 Garrison Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 26
Result - SUCCESS

-2 Mech Hunter Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 71
Result - SUCCESS

-6 CAS Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 75
Result - SUCCESS

General [$ 142,765,679.52 ]
Construct White Tower Griffs Leap [90]
Target - 90
Roll - 83
Result - SUCCESS

Build HPG Station Nowy Gdansk* [80]
Target - 80
Roll - 22
Result - SUCCESS

Survey Griffs Leap [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 90, Bear Ribs reroll - 22
Result - SUCCESS

Establish Colony - New Capricorn [80]
Target - 80
Roll - 100, Jarow Reroll - 96, Gurk Reroll - 38
Result - SUCCESS

Expand Justice System to New Capricorn [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 42
Result - SUCCESS

Focus Development on Peripheral World Nowa Warzsawa [65]
Target - 65
Roll - 28
Result - SUCCESS

Construct Caravel Yard Nowa Warzsawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 100, Jarow reroll - 75
Result - SUCCESS

Upgrade All Ferro Fibrous Forges [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 80
Result - Bare FAILURE (auto success next turn)

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 33
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 34
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 46
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 67
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 67
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory DHS Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 176 (100+76) - ShadowArxxy reroll - 23
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory DHS Calliope [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 58
Result - SUCCESS

Build Relations with Senate [60]
Target - 60
Roll - 87, ShadowArxxy reroll - 54
Result - SUCCESS

Build Relations with Chamber of Delegates* [auto]

Initiate review of laws and regulations for further rationalization [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 20
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Griffons Roost[110]
Target - 110
Roll - 12
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Nowa Warzsawa [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 89
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Nowa Warzsawa [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 44
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Fibrous Griffon IV [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 11
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Carbide Nowy Gdansk [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 68
Result - SUCCESS

COINTEL - HPG Transmission Screening [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 48
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory DHS Griffons Roost [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 1
Result - Critical SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory DHS Nowy Gdansk [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 60
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory DHS Nowa Warzsawa [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 74
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory DHS Nowa Warzsawa [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 44
Result - SUCCESS

Build Orbital Factory Ferro Aluminum Nowy Gdansk [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 42
Result - SUCCESS

Expand All Shipyards [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 14
Result - SUCCESS

Expand Refit and Repair Yard [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 68
Result - SUCCESS

DoME [$ 73,000,000.00 ]
DOME - Pollution Scrubbing Towers (Nowa Warszawa)* [65]
Target - 65
Roll - 36
Result - SUCCESS

DOME - Water Pollution Filtering (Nowa Warszawa)* [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 14
Result - SUCCESS

DOME - Industrial Pollution Cleanup (Nowa Warszawa)* [70]
Target - 70
Roll - 18
Result - SUCCESS

Research [$ 190,250,000.00 ]
Improved Cryostasis Pods [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 26
Result - SUCCESS

Study TAS Plumbata [95]
Target - 95
Roll - 1
Result - Critical SUCCESS

Miscellaneous [$ 25,000,000.00 ]
Calliopan LAM and Mech factories [15000000]
Calliopan Vehicles [10000000]

-----

There’s a thought nibbling at the back of your mind as you go over the production figures in your office. Ten regiments worth of Mechs on order… nine of which… sonofa… you put in a call to Jeremy to get to the bottom of things.

Turns out that the Defense ministry had gotten creative, making use of the massive stockpiles of spare parts at the DURF to feed new production this year, while the endo-steel forges, once the extruders are corrected, will then restock the DURF. The light casualties and damage from the NRI campaign has resulted in a sufficient stockpile to pull this off without drawing down the inventory excessively.

Well, that’s a relief, and you realize that in the excitement of the Crimson Storm arrival you’d missed the memos detailing this. You had quite a bit on your plate then, after all.

Regardless, this does mean that the latest expansion efforts of the AFGE are very successful, with two new Armored Brigades and the filling out of two Cavalry Brigades.

The new ASF wings are also in service, filling out the defenses of the TTP as well as the new colony on New Capricorn.

Speaking of New Capricorn, the colonization effort was fraught with unexpected challenges, not the least of which was a navigation mishap which saw the Monolith carrying the colonists jumping to Calliope by mistake due to a mix-up in shipping orders. Ironically this meant that by the time the initial colonists arrived on New Capricorn the lawyers and law enforcement personnel had already been on the planet for a few days, leading to some good-natured grumbling.

Further administrative snafus bedeviled the project to upgrade ferro-fibrous production. The initial bidding process was mishandled due to a clerical error resulting in the request for bids never being made publicly viewable by potential bidders thanks to an incorrectly set flag on the bid request. Due to this the project wasn’t even begun until late December and won’t finish until next year.

On the plus side the construction of new factories went perfectly, with the vast majority coming in on budget and on time. The new DHS forge orbiting Griffin’s Roost’s moon was a small, but welcome, exception, as the contractors were able to over deliver without costing you any additional funding.

The pollution abatement efforts on Nowa Warszawa have been hugely successful, with the scrubbing towers and filter plants achieving all set metrics for reducing airborne and waterborne pollution to safe levels. Aggressive cleanup of industrial zones has further reduced the once critical pollution levels, making the planet a far more pleasant place to live and work.

Due to the expansion of the economy and the overall situation on the planet, Nowa Warszawa is now considered a core world, rather than a peripheral world.

The new cryopods have slightly reduced the cost of transport within the Empire, slightly reducing overall upkeep expenses.

The study of TAS Plumbata as she is prepared for reopening as a museum ship in Griffin’s Roost orbit yields a thoroughly unexpected surprise, the full maintenance and operating manuals for every single variation of the Dart-class, making it far easier to, in the future, bring the modernized version of the class into production.

The shipyards and refit facility have continued to expand, with your first Warship slip now available, once you have a viable design to build in it. In conjunction with the new dedicated Caravel yard in Nowy Warszawa you are now able to build 3 additional jumpships at a time, one of which must be a Caravel.

The Griffin’s Roost and Griffon IV yards will expand to provide additional Warship slips, while the Nowy Gdansk yard will continue to expand jumpship production.

The counterintelligence shop within your Intelligence Ministry has approved protocols for monitoring HPG transmissions for potential COINTEL material in a manner consistent with Griffon Empire legal codes and procedures. Purely internal communications, IE those transmissions that are between two points under Griffon Empire control, will only be surveilled by court order, while those to external destinations, once HPG stations are built outside of Imperial space, will be routinely scanned for the detection of potential espionage activity.

Relations with the Imperial Parliament have slightly improved thanks to the efforts of your Political Ministry. They’re still not particularly happy with you, however.

The survey of Griff’s Leap has been completed. There are no habitable planets in the system, even with extensive terraforming. The asteroid belts, however, are exceptionally rich in transuranics and industrial metals, making it potentially profitably for mining.

The new HPG station is operational on Nowy Gdansk.

Griff’s Leap is now protected by a White Tower at the Zenith, securing the trade route to the NRI. The new defenses are tested nearly immediately by a pirate raid and handily pass the test, driving off the pirates with nearly contemptuous ease.
 

Orangeduke38

Well-known member
I'm surprised that the Navy is letting the TAS Plumbata turn into a museum without using it for a training ship first. The Navy has only worked with dropships 100,000 tons or smaller and will need to write a new manual for warships. It will also need to train them on using the various naval weapons on the Dart as well as finding problems with the design so that they can be corrected before we lay down new builds.
 

Jarow

Well-known member
Okay, basic defense line up to the NRI now. Question is, do we go for a recharge station in Griff's Leap to solidify defense and improve trade there, put one on Sukiashi or Kuroisora, put one on the other point in the home system, or build white tower as a tripwire in Atarashi...

Okay, I kind of like the last one, but probably needs to wait for mobile HPGs so they can actually tell us stuff, given we currently have basically no reason to send anyone there other than to have that outpost.

Also, glad I did the "develop peripheral" upgrade for Nowa Warzsawa this turn, probably would have still been declared core without it, but doing the core version isn't really worth it (well, maybe on Griffons Roost or Nowy Gdansk, with their combined 84% of our GDP)
 

LordSunhawk

Das BOOT (literally)
Owner
Administrator
Staff Member
Founder
The problem there are that the ship's systems are quite massively different than anything that they'd build. You'd be training crews in an analog environment using physical switches and such, rather than the more digital environment that you already know you'll be using for production Warships.

Plus, you already have HMS Morristown almost ready to go into service, with the same control systems you intend to use going forward (evolved late Star League).

So, in short, it's the same reason the US Navy doesn't use USS Constitution to train new sailors, or one of the other museum ships like USS Texas, they are so obsolete and outdated that they would provide no useful skills.
 

ShadowArxxy

Well-known member
Comrade
I'm surprised that the Navy is letting the TAS Plumbata turn into a museum without using it for a training ship first.

Sarah is making angry strangle-hands at you for even SUGGESTING that. Plumbata is the most important historical artifact in the history of our system, even more so than S.A.R.A.H.'s bunker. The Navy can have a Dart when they build one for themselves!
 

Jarow

Well-known member
Plumbata is the most important historical artifact in the history of our system, even more so than S.A.R.A.H.'s bunker.
One could probably argue the Morristown (the potemkin) is more important, at least to us. It was our colony ship, after all. The Plumbata is probably more important to basically anyone not us though.

On the other hand, we really needed a Potemkin when we started messing with it, but the Plumbata isn't as important for our current needs (not that it isn't still valuable).
 

Havalt300

Well-known member
In Turn 1 results we learn that the pirates from back then wanted to use our planet as a base to carry out raids in the Hanseatic League. Do we know what and where the Hanseatic League is? The Hanseatic League would have to be relatively close if they wanted to do that from our planet.


If possible, we should create a corvette that should serve as an exploration ship.
 
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Havalt300

Well-known member
I've just checked and if nothing changes we'll get the maximum population for Griffin's Roost in 3 to 4 turns.


We should improve Griffin's Roost's ground defenses.
 
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Knowledgeispower

Ah I love the smell of missile spam in the morning
So, in short, it's the same reason the US Navy doesn't use USS Constitution to train new sailors, or one of the other museum ships like USS Texas, they are so obsolete and outdated that they would provide no useful skills.
About that the USN actually does use the Constitution as a training ship for a select few Chief Petty Officer candidates every year. They're the ones who sail her during the turnaround cruise
 

Tel Janin Aman

Well-known member
Comrade
In Turn 1 results we learn that the pirates from back then wanted to use our planet as a base to carry out raids in the Hanseatic League. Do we know what and where the Hanseatic League is? The Hanseatic League would have to be relatively close if they wanted to do that from our planet.


If possible, we should create a corvette that should serve as an exploration ship.
I think that was retconned so Griffin is actually closer to the combine/suns border
 
Turn 64 - You Can Stake The Claim

LordSunhawk

Das BOOT (literally)
Owner
Administrator
Staff Member
Founder
Turn 64 - You Can Stake The Claim

The year so far has been quite… quiet. Unexpectedly so, no crisis erupting anywhere, no disasters, even the Department of Periphery Studies was behaving itself.

Didn’t mean the paperwork ever stopped, and with the Olympics starting soon there are plenty of things to deal with. Supplemental authorizations for facilities on Griffon IV for the Games, to start with.

Oh wait, this counts as a crisis, by a certain stretch of the term. Hurrah!

Construction on the new venues is running slightly behind, enough so that the organizers are not confident that they’ll have everything 100% tested and ready in time for the Games themselves. This is mostly due to the mad scramble in transferring the Games from the NRI here, but also because Griffon IV is having to build everything from scratch.

An infusion of capital and manpower could help bring Griffon IV over the hump and ensure a successful Games, but it would be expensive and potentially delay other projects you could have teams working on.

You have several options in front of you. First of all, you could just let it be, the Games would be delayed by a few weeks, you’d lose some prestige, the organizers would have massive egg on their face, but it would cost you little but some bad press on Griffon IV, which could well be counterbalanced by positive press for prudent financial management.

You could do the minimum to get the organizing committee over the hump, allocate funds and a currently idle DoME team to rapidly complete all the facilities just in time for the games. Would cost you a chunk of change and the services of the team for the year, but everything would proceed as normal.

Or you could go big, dedicate more funding as well as all three idle DoME teams to the project, and turn the facilities from utilitarian and functional to masterpieces. Make the Games this year an absolute spectacle, with the most beautiful and functional venues ever. Long term, this would make Griffon IV a magnet for sporting events, boosting the local economy immensely.
[]Sink or Swim, not the Empress’s problem
  • -5 Politics
  • +1 Economy
  • -1% GDP Griffon IV
[]We made a commitment, follow through on it
  • Cost - 5,000,000
  • Uses 1 DoME team
  • Griffon IV
    • +1% GDP
    • +1% POP growth
    • +5 Infrastructure
    • +1 POP Limit
[]Go big or go home
  • Cost - 10,000,000
  • Uses 3 DoME teams
  • +5 Approval Change
  • Griffon IV
    • +10% GDP
    • +2% POP growth
    • +5 Infrastructure
    • +2 POP Limit

And just when you thought this would be the only crisis point this year, another one erupts. This time two small biotech firms, one on Griffin’s Roost and the other on Nowa Warszawa, are embroiled in a bitter patent dispute over a new low-environmental impact fungicide intended to help protect crops from certain harmful fungal infestations. Both companies claim that they patented the new chemical first, records show that they somehow both managed, as far as anybody including SARAH can calculate, to file the patent applications at the exact same time down to the second. Both companies are now crying foul. The local governments aren’t able to resolve the dispute without Imperial attention.

What makes this case extra infuriating is that the Nowa Warszawan firm was founded by the twin brother of the man who runs the Griffin’s Roost firm. You check, and yes the Griffin’s Roost firm is indeed based in Pollux. Which, in some ways, makes this the resurrection of Pollux Man.

Lovely, you’d thought you’d left dealing with Pollux Man behind when you became Empress, allowing the planetary authorities to deal with the insanities of Pollux.

There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing by either firm. The brother who left for Nowa Warszawa did so a year before development had even been mooted for the fungicide by either company, and there is absolutely no sign of any communication between them since. Special Branch has already investigated and found no trace whatsoever of any industrial espionage by either firm. They’ve also verified that the legal teams for both companies had no contacts, there was no shenanigans between them, no malfeasance on the part of the Patent office, no signs of any collusion, coordination, or corruption.

Both companies are sole proprietorships with the brothers in control, and the twins refuse to even speak to each other directly, let alone share the patent. You took the time to check with their parents, and the parents are both utterly exhausted dealing with sons who have been bitter enemies since early childhood, were always fighting each other, and had to be forced to pretend to be civil to each other even at the dinner table. The boys refused to share birthday parties, and no amount of parental intervention had ever shifted the needle of utter hostility between the two. The rest of their kids, and they have three more, are fine, and just as exasperated with their siblings. None of them have any consistent contact with either brother.

The fungicide itself would be incredibly useful on both Nowa Warszawa and Griffin’s Roost, as both planets have similar fungal problems in regards to certain feed crops for livestock. After every rain ranchers and farmers need to spray their fields with fungicides to beat back the similar fungal infestations, which if left unchecked would cause fatal respiratory illnesses in any mammal which ingested the spores. The new fungicide would cost less than half as much as the current standard, meets or exceeds every single safety and environmental requirement for that class of chemicals, and even acts as a mild fertilizer as it breaks down in the soil where, incidentally, it provides lingering protection against the fungi even between applications.

To add the cherry to the top of this crap sundae, the two brothers have also proven to be excellent at PR and have the local media on both Nowa Warszawa and Griffin’s Roost framing the dispute in terms favorable to their own claims, with the entire dispute turning into an ‘us versus them’ situation. So far it’s only in the specialist press, not the general media as a whole, but…
[]<Write-In>Results To Be Determined
QM Note - the progress of this event will be determined solely by player decisions, the QM will adjudicate the results of any proposed action.

Thanh also has a decision for you to make. Jeremy had requested a transport capable of carrying an entire regiment of Mechs, tanks, and two regiments worth of infantry in the same dropship. The idea being that three of these, plus a single logistics vessel, would make an ideal transport for an entire Division of forces reinforcing an existing landed force.

In the end, two designs have made it through the selection process and are awaiting approval. The first, from Pyramid Aerospace is, oddly enough, not a pyramid. It’s a faceted design, all straight angles, no curves visible anywhere. Even the weapon mounts are faceted. According to the documentation, backed up by AFGE analysts, this simplifies construction while permitting a slightly stronger spaceframe. The design has an identical armor profile to the competing design from Majeure Electrique, but is less heavily armed while carrying more cargo, reducing the stress on logistics slightly. In a pinch it would be possible to occupy the 4th drop collar on the Caravel with a combat dropper rather than a logistics transport.

The Majeure Electrique design was the second of two submitted. The first was much smaller and cheaper, but apparently somebody at the company realized that they’d managed to submit a smaller and cheaper design, decided that they could have that, and the Mk II which is on your desk is more expensive and just as large. It has the most firepower of any of the designs, including 12 Long Toms for artillery support when grounded.

Finally, Lee Aerospace has proposed a Command Transport, meeting all of the requirements for the regular transports but adding in space for the entire divisional command staff plus reserved volume and tonnage for a future upgrade to a mobile dual HPG system.
[]NameCostMaterialsHPA/DSpecials
[]Pyramid proposal$414.447.01DHS, FAA686506
  • Armored 13
  • AMS 120
  • Capital AMS 12
  • Missile 120
[]Majeure Electrique proposal$476.944.64DHS, FAA1097937
  • Armored 11
  • AMS 120
  • Capital AMS 12
  • Missile 144
  • Artillery 48
[]Lee Aerospace proposal$458,283.84DHS, FAA842682
  • Armored 11
  • AMS 120
  • Capital AMS 12
  • Missile 144
  • Artillery 40
  • Command 3 (ground)

QM SPECIAL NOTE - If you select the Lee Aerospace design as your primary choice, please select one of the others as your secondary choice. The format would be as follows
[] Lee Aerospace Proposal
- [] <insert design of choice>
If you select one of the others as your primary choice, please disregard.
 

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