Battletech Welcome to the Jungle

[cawest]

anyone stopping by uninvited is going to have so much fun dealing with the local animal life that they might just give up when the read the walls of the holdfast instead of fight.

 

[PsihoKekec]

Getting in range of Weber's artillery will be a welcome change of pace, compared to joys of the wildlife.

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

Shouldnt it be late?

No, because it was the SI’s grandfather that he signed on with. Two generations before the duchy was earned. Thus early.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

hmmm. would a good next expansion option beyond the ASFs be making industrial mech designs like the lumberjack that due to the succession wars are no longer in production?

 

[PsihoKekec]

I reckon there are abandoned designs they could get into production without legal hassle and designing costs, civilian products are always a good safety net, if the military spending takes a downturn. Though we know that warfare is guaranteed for decades, SI does not know that, so while looking at the state of Inner Sphere, he can deduct that good times for military industry will on for a while, his economic knowledge warns him that there will eventually be downturn, but I reckon he is no hurry, costs are substantial and after every major investment, there will be a considerable pause as the investment needs to pay itself off.

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

hmmm. would a good next expansion option beyond the ASFs be making industrial mech designs like the lumberjack that due to the succession wars are no longer in production?

I reckon there are abandoned designs they could get into production without legal hassle and designing costs, civilian products are always a good safety net, if the military spending takes a downturn. Though we know that warfare is guaranteed for decades, SI does not know that, so while looking at the state of Inner Sphere, he can deduct that good times for military industry will on for a while, his economic knowledge warns him that there will eventually be downturn, but I reckon he is no hurry, costs are substantial and after every major investment, there will be a considerable pause as the investment needs to pay itself off.

Same issue with the usual Corporate Shenanigans. You need a License. And getting one would involve politics. This may or may not be worth the headache. The specific reason that the RWR stuff is legal for use is that nobody has claim on it anymore. If a civilian manufacturer goes under in the LyrCom? The designs get confiscated for back taxes if nothing else. He could definitely get an abandoned design or two from Selvin Kelswa, but does he want to spend the political capitol required?

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Same issue with the usual Corporate Shenanigans. You need a License. And getting one would involve politics. This may or may not be worth the headache. The specific reason that the RWR stuff is legal for use is that nobody has claim on it anymore. If a civilian manufacturer goes under in the LyrCom? The designs get confiscated for back taxes if nothing else. He could definitely get an abandoned design or two from Selvin Kelswa, but does he want to spend the political capitol required?

Well the lumberjack in particular would be easy to get....because it used to be made on Tamar itself. As for the politcal capital shouldn't Selvin be super happy with Mr. I killed a battalion of the sword of light?

 

[The Unicorn]

Well the lumberjack in particular would be easy to get....because it used to be made on Tamar itself. As for the politcal capital shouldn't Selvin be super happy with Mr. I killed a battalion of the sword of light?

The bigger question is if there's justification to accept all the higher costs involved because of the location, higher gravity, deliberate isolation.
Remember they have only a limited amount of manufacturing capacity, why should they be making Lumberjack mechs (which could be made at lower cost elswhere) and not more valuable advanced battlemechs?

 

[The Whispering Monk]

What I would do if I were Catachan Arms would be to distribute satellite manufacturing for the down-teched versions of things. Make 'em as ubiquitous as the AK and also ensure that the manufacturing sites are much more centrally located for distribution.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

The bigger question is if there's justification to accept all the higher costs involved because of the location, higher gravity, deliberate isolation.
Remember they have only a limited amount of manufacturing capacity, why should they be making Lumberjack mechs (which could be made at lower cost elswhere) and not more valuable advanced battlemechs?

True. A secondary site to make industrial mechs and AFVs probably makes a lot more sense

 

[Dreth]

Remember they have only a limited amount of manufacturing capacity, why should they be making Lumberjack mechs (which could be made at lower cost elswhere) and not more valuable advanced battlemechs?

Mainly to get access to them. Resource extraction is pretty important for Catachan and if he has the cash for it it might be a good investment to have it in house. If nothing else it gives a place to do training for the battlemech lines.

This of course assumes he has the cash to pull that off.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Getting a loan or two is also very plausible especially given the collateral the CAC has available

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

The bigger question is if there's justification to accept all the higher costs involved because of the location, higher gravity, deliberate isolation.
Remember they have only a limited amount of manufacturing capacity, why should they be making Lumberjack mechs (which could be made at lower cost elswhere) and not more valuable advanced battlemechs?

True. A secondary site to make industrial mechs and AFVs probably makes a lot more sense

Yeah, once the low-hanging fruit have been plucked, there will come a point where a secondary site would be valuable. That's when it would start making sense to invest in civilian manufacturing.

Expect Julia to bring it up eventually, but right at the moment concentrating manufacturing where he can drop a regiment of 'Mechs on any raiders and prevent landings with Capital-grade weapons...

Getting a loan or two is also very plausible especially given the collateral the CAC has available

He's already got the one, and CAC doesn't have even as much history as Olivetti does. Basically, think of it as SIlister building his credit rating. Once he's got a bit more work history and is in a better position to exploit a loan, he'll go for it, but he needs more manpower and firmer footing before he can really make good use of a big loan. Just the windfall from Julia buying some shares is stressing what his people on the ground can actually accomplish.

 

[Orangeduke38]

prevent landings with Capital-grade weapons...

Will Katrina look around in some of her warehouses so that other areas can benefit as well? Hell are there any old factories that still exist in mothballs?

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Will Katrina look around in some of her warehouses so that other areas can benefit as well? Hell are there any old factories that still exist in mothballs?

If not there a couple of ex Lyran dead worlds just inside drac space that used to contain a lot of ASF lines and at least some mech lines those being Dove and Fefferfer which might be raided to see what can be salvaged

 

[The Unicorn]

What I would do if I were Catachan Arms would be to distribute satellite manufacturing for the down-teched versions of things. Make 'em as ubiquitous as the AK and also ensure that the manufacturing sites are much more centrally located for distribution.

Why? The only advantage in that seems to be national security in which case it's something the various dukes and the Archon or some other branch of the Lyran government to handle.
If the Catchan Arms ever gets to the point they have cash and no where to invest it on Catchan (which they are VERY far from that in the story) then your idea might be worth considering.

Mainly to get access to them.

Since building them on Catchan is more expensive then building them elsewhere, even if that was worth the oppertunity cost (which I don't think it is) they'd be better off building a factory somewhere else and shipping in the complete lumbermechs.

 

[PsihoKekec]

If not there a couple of ex Lyran dead worlds just inside drac space that used to contain a lot of ASF lines and at least some mech lines those being Dove and Fefferfer which might be raided to see what can be salvaged

You can be sure that lines on those worlds have been either blasted into oblivion or stripped to the last bolt when worlds were abandoned.

 

[WolfBlade]

Not if the world was abandoned during the first succession war. The repurposing of all factories didn’t really start till the second succession war. After a lot of industries where blown up.

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

If not there a couple of ex Lyran dead worlds just inside drac space that used to contain a lot of ASF lines and at least some mech lines those being Dove and Fefferfer which might be raided to see what can be salvaged

You can be sure that lines on those worlds have been either blasted into oblivion or stripped to the last bolt when worlds were abandoned.

Not if the world was abandoned during the first succession war. The repurposing of all factories didn’t really start till the second succession war. After a lot of industries where blown up.

Dove was destroyed in the First Succession War, and it is specifically called out as being WMD central. Nukes were used with great enthusiasm by both sides. Reads to me like the Combine hoped to hit hard, fast, and brutally to take the industry intact, but the Lyrans denied with nuclear demolition charges.

Fefferfer isn't called out as being home to a case of Atrocity Roulette the way Dove was, but it happened in the Second Succession War, which means it'll have been long since picked clean.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Dove was destroyed in the First Succession War, and it is specifically called out as being WMD central. Nukes were used with great enthusiasm by both sides. Reads to me like the Combine hoped to hit hard, fast, and brutally to take the industry intact, but the Lyrans denied with nuclear demolition charges.

Fefferfer isn't called out as being home to a case of Atrocity Roulette the way Dove was, but it happened in the Second Succession War, which means it'll have been long since picked clean.

fair enough. pitty but I suppose they're a bit too out of the way for the MC and company to take advantage of anyways