334 replies to this topic

[guardian wolf]

Alright, I figure on that then, we will have to hit the docking points, to quote RvB once more, "Awww **** THIS IS GOING TO SUCK!!"

[RogueSpear]

Oh yeah, GW, which point did you jump to? Ie, are you with the Task Force or the main fleet?
I didn't bother to make up a marine contingent on any of my ships, and I really can't be bothered to cast Summon Horde of Redshirts, so if there's a group with no boarders, I'll probably seek to engage that.

[guardian wolf]

I was with.... WAIT A SEC, SLDFers can I tell him?

[RogueSpear]

Don't worry, I'm not using it as IC knowledge, it's just OoC I don't want to have to RP mooks for you to kill xD

[guardian wolf]

I am with the main fleet, in the SLS Basel, and Oni.... wait, Oni, is your name based off of ONI, as in Office of Naval Intelligence?

[Listless Nomad]

Time for another GM power hour

Col Nighthawk, on 16 September 2012 - 02:11 PM, said:

People will say I'm whining here I know but I call foul. I'll give you the 8 ships at the jump point you jumped from but way do I see you guys knowing about the 22 others. There is a Sun in the way and you didn't hang around long enough to get through the numerous interferences that are always in the books. If you can can scan through one at all. Not looking to cause trouble or make waves or anything just trying to keep the interactions reasonable. I don't believe we even got a chance to see your ship leave or scan and find the trace Kerensky particles from your jump yet.

I understand your concerns Col, but not to worry. Rogue is correct that according to Sarna, Emergence signatures can be detected over billions of miles and even on Infrared signatures from over 50,000km away, which is what I read to write up that part of the plot. That being said, you aren't being hung out to dry as the Taurian 3rd Fleet is moving to engage the main force currently - so you won't be overwhelmed and killed off unfairly. It may seem a little odd or unfair still but in the scheme of the RP - it was basically just fluff and won't affect the outcome of the battle in any unreasonable way.

guardian wolf, on 16 September 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Any how, Nomad, my step bro just gave me an idea for boarding ships. Is it possible that the battle taxis would carry air storage tanks to move onto breached parts of the hull, and when it is synced, the fill the vacuum with air, lifting the lockdown, and therefore making the doors open, when my hacker says, "Opensaysme,"? If not, then ****, we're back to plans A, and B boys, and both are gonna suck.

See Below.

RogueSpear, on 16 September 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

@GW, probably because I'm the one who usually blows holes in your theories

You're still trying to blow through armour plating that resists naval grade weaponry, then you're trying to fully seal the opening (And the assorted other minor openings you'd no doubt open) and pump in enough air to repressurize the section?

@Col. Nighthawk, if you check out sarna.net on jump signatures, a jump signature can be detected from billions of light years away due to the amount of energy released - even stating that you can tell the rough size of the object/s coming through.
Besides, I'm not in the system - and the diagram is misleading. 3rd fleet is coming from roughly the center line of the sun, the jump points are at the Zenith (Top) and Nadir (Bottom), in theory, 3rd fleet is perfectly set up to see both.
It'd hardly make a good ambush if we couldn't see, would it?
Plus the listening post...
This is an ambush, you have a larger and better fleet, we have prepared ground. Early advantage - Taurian Condordat.

Thank for for the explanation Rogue. I know its somewhat awkward to do a RP with live players on each side of the conflict so bear with me - I'll make it fair. I have a stake on both sides here so I'm NOT playing favorites - just trust how it plays out. As Rogue said, even if the jump ship wasn't sure about the ships at the nadir point (and sarna reads that ship tonnages can be determined from their jump signature), the 3rd fleet would still see both and would work how they are now.

GW - I think you'll be ok breaching airlocks etc. Ships aren't going to have emplaced machine guns etc, and the interior of ships are not meant to be easily defended so I think with something as large as a warship - you can find a weak point. Guys can only run so fast between airlocks so they can't mass against you in one spot unless they are stupid and if they defend everywhere at once they will be spread dangerously thin. Keep in mind also that the ship will have sustained considerable damage/casualties that will slow down or hinder responses to boarders. Have fun with it but boarding an enemy warship isn't supposed to be easy

Edited by Listless Nomad, 17 September 2012 - 07:49 AM.

[RogueSpear]

Yay! I was helpful!

I'll probably have Burrough drop on the Task Force in a post this evening then - just to double check with Nomad on my understanding of jump times

[guardian wolf]

Kinda counted on it Nomad, as Rogue has been the voice of reason for me, for a little bit. I can see my men scrambling from hatch to hatch, trying to find an open one, as those places when covered, are killzones, with no cover. I have an idea though.

[RogueSpear]

Suggest you don't have your blokes crawling around the outside in suits, if a naval weapon hits anywhere nearby they'll get murdered. But a battletaxi should have some form of breaching weapon, like a drill, laser, etc. that could break through an airlock (But would take forever on normal hull).

[guardian wolf]

Like I said, we have a plan, BUT, that I shall not reveal to se enemy.

[Listless Nomad]

Here's a reminder for everyone.

You can say you shot at someone - but let the other person decide what hits and what damage they cause. We'll try that out at first and see how honest everyone is. Let's try to avoid any "I shot you! Nuh Uh you missed na na nan na na" type stuff. Keep it realistic. If it gets out of control I'll step in once in a while.

[Oni Storm]

Because there has been so much talk about the how, where, and what of boarding and marine engagements and considering this is a big part we all wanted to see. I bring you the word for word description as printed in the "Explorer Corps" Book from Fasa, all rights are currently open as the company and materials are caught up in legalities at this time. They are only being used as a guideline for how one company choose to do boarding actions and therefore are merely listed as such.

Boarding Actions
Boarding actions refer to any engagement in which one force attempts to capture a vessel or station using “Ground” forces. Such forces usually comprise space-suited marines and infantry troops trained in zero-G operations and the peculiarities of boarding actions, though battle-armored troops and even 'Mechs occasionally participate in such actions.
The objective of any boarding actions is to capture and control the target vessel. Seizing control of the target vessel's vital areas and prompting the defenders to surrender is the most efficient means of achieving this objective. If a boarding party fails to gain control of a ships vital areas, the part may have to systematically subdue each area of the ship, including the crew attached to each area, though this level of fighting rarely succeeds.

The Assault
Landing the assaulting troops aboard the target is the first and most dangerous stage of any boarding action. Attackers may employ four main methods to land troops—forced docking, shuttle assault, free assault, or free .Mech assault.
In a forced docking, an assualt transport—such as a DropShip, shuttlecraft [Battle Taxi] or even a WarShip—simply docks with the target. Once the assault vessel is docked, the assault troops troops can usually gain entry to the target quite easily and fight the majority of the action within the target's passageways and rooms. Though this technique is ideal for attacking lightly defended and immobile targets, the time consuming maneuvering required to dock can expose the assault force to close-range weapons fire from the target vessel. Additionally, a target capable of movement may maneuer in an erratic manner, forcing any vessel attempting to dock to risk a collision. Even a fixed station can perform evasive tactics using its station-keeping drive and attitude-control structures. Fixed targets in planetary orbits usually do not attempt evasive maneuvers, however, because by doing so the risk falling out of orbit.
The shuttle-assault method employs dedicated assault shuttles [Battle taxis] to land troops. These small, highly maneuverable craft approach the target swiftly using erratic movement patterns known as “styling.” As they draw near, they match their heading and velocities to the target's. On closing to within 100 meters of the target, the assault shuttles fire magnetic grapples at the target. After attaching these grapples, the shuttles use winches pull themselves toward the target. This system enables the assault vessels to safely approach the target much more quickly than a docking vessel. In some cases the assault troops can then gain immediate entry via airlocks on the target, but more usually they will have to make their way across the hull before gaining entry.
In a free assault, the boarding troops use maneuvering packs or jump-equiped power-armor suits to propel themselves toward the target (Clan Elemental suits, the DCMS Raiden and Kage suits and the Comstar PA(L) suits are suitable for such operations). Once the troops reach the target's hull, they can enter it via an airlock or even breach the vessel's hull with weapons fire or explosives. In many cases, the mere threat of a hull breach, especially by troops situated outside a vital area like the bridge, is enough to prompt surrender.
The forth and rarest type of boarding method is the free 'Mech assault. In this method, jump capable 'Mechs are used to attack the target vessel (non-jump-capable 'Mechs can be fitted with jump packs for this purpose, as well). Considerable skill is required to manuever a 'Mech in space, however, because BattleMech jump jets and packs provide a much lower degree of control than the maneuvering thrusters found on space vessels. A Mechwarrior must largely control his 'Mech's flight by twisting it's body this way and that to carefully position its center of mass and the direction of its jump jets.
As soon as the BattleMech nears the target's hull, it has closed to inside the target's firing range and is no longer in danger from the ship's weapons. The Mech can use magnetic grippers built into its feet to walk across the target, and can use its weapons to fire pointblank at the target or threaten to cause a hull breach, again, often prompting swift surrender.
Rather than simply threatening the hull integrity, the 'Mech can gain entry into the target, either through the hull or an appropriately sized airlock. The use of 'Mech weapons insdie a ship or station could easily trigger explosions, however, that would ultimately destroy the 'Mech along with the target.

Onboard Engagement
Once onboard the target, the assault unit must first deal with the defenders. The initial engagement is often at the airlock, where defenders commonly attempt to contain the invaders before they can accommodate only a handful of individuals at a time, which makes them natural choke-points where defenders can easily gain local numerical superiority. Defense tactics include securing access points, over-pressurizing the airlock or erecting barricades, but quite often simply shooting the attackers as they leave the airlock is most effective means of repelling a boarding action. Assault troops with the advantage of battle armor can usually withstand considerable defensive fire and gain a foothold in the target.
Once the initial assault team has cleared all defenders out of the immediate area around the airlock, the main assault force can enter. Generally, defenders will withdraw to key strong points at this time, often those points easiest to defend or sites of key significance. As with most battles, the defender's knowledge of the battlefield provides an advantage. During a boarding engagement, defender's usually know the target's layout better than the attackers and will be better able to is the physical features of the target's interior to minimize casualties. The actual onboard engagement may last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, with the speed and eventual outcome dependent more on the skill of both parties than the technology or numbers.

Edited by Oni Storm, 18 September 2012 - 05:50 PM.

[guardian wolf]

Oni Storm, on 18 September 2012 - 05:43 PM, said:

Because there has been so much talk about the how, where, and what of boarding and marine engagements and considering this is a big part we all wanted to see. I bring you the word for word description as printed in the "Explorer Corps" Book from Fasa, all rights are currently open as the company and materials are caught up in legalities at this time. They are only being used as a guideline for how one company choose to do boarding actions and therefore are merely listed as such.

Boarding Actions

YOU STOLE MY DAMN MANUAL...... !@#$%^&

Seriously though thanks for posting that so that way everyone knows.

[ChaosGrinder]

Finally D: Forum wouldn´t let me login yesterday, so here i am again :>

[Thom Frankfurt]

It's good to know that I'm not the only one who was having that problem... I was very annyoyed.

[Vodkavaiator]

ChaosGrinder, on 19 September 2012 - 04:21 AM, said:

Finally D: Forum wouldn´t let me login yesterday, so here i am again :>

Sorry!

I drank too much vodka and knocked over a telecommunications tower in Germany...it was probably nothing important.

Edited by Vodkavaiator, 19 September 2012 - 11:37 AM.

[Listless Nomad]

You still planning on playing vodka or no? Would love to get some more posts in if you still want to participate?

[Vodkavaiator]

Mayhaps, I am rather busy of late and running an entire ship seems on reflection rather daunting. (I have seen how much work fleshing out just an infantry company is this week.)

Is there anyone that needs or wants some sort of secondary character? (Someone to add some flavor but not a huge role where I have to figure out how to run an entire ship...)

[RogueSpear]

*Coughs loudly*

[Vodkavaiator]

*Throws Vodka Bottle at RogueSpear*

Doctor Vodka is on the case!