20 replies to this topic

[InnerSphereNews]

Mon. Apr 9, 3049: “Rise of the RCT: House Davion Revolutionizes Modern Warfare” has spent 20 weeks on Commonwealth Press bestseller list.

[Soule]

I can't find anything on the book but sarna has a little bit about Commonwealth Press.

Commonwealth Press is the largest new organization outside of the government press in the Lyran Commonwealth. It has offices on all major worlds that are staffed with new crews ready to cover any and all news. The reports filed by Commonwealth Press are then fed to individual video and print media across Commonwealth space that subscribe to their services.
Politically, Commonwealth Press has a pro-Estates General stance when it comes to their news stories. Arthur Koura, the founder and current President/CEO of Commonwealth Press, was a former member of the government's Propaganda Corp that left in 2981, He took the remains of several new services on Donegal and formed them into the corporation that is Commonwealth Press.

Maybe someone else can come up with something better.

Does this mean that we will have story based objectives at launch? "you snakes destroy the propoganda machine"?

Edited by Soule, 09 April 2012 - 08:10 AM.

[Ghost]

The Regimental Combat Team is the unique House Davion approach to traditional warfare in the Inner Sphere. As an organizational unit, it looks fairly plain: four combat regiments along with support and transport elements. The goal was to create self-sufficient fighting forces that could function as a cohesive unit.

Although the RCT was first adopted by the Star League military in ancient times, the concept returned to prominence after it was adopted into Federated Suns military doctrine by Melissa Davion in 2876. The version of the Regimental Combat Team that the Davions use heavily favors a combined-arms approach that incorporates a regiment of Battlemechs (roughly 100-150 machines) alongside three regiments of combat vehicles, five regiments of infantry, two Aerospace Fighter wings, and an artillery battalion. All of these units are permanently assigned together, train together, and are frequently deployed as a complete unit.

The level of organization, coordination, planning and logistics that a RCT requires is not for the faint of heart. But no one can argue with the results: at the beginning of the Fourth Succession War, Hanse Davion was able to field a force larger than anything seen since the days of the Star League.

[Adridos]

And which number? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 521.5? I think we couldn't see a difference between theirs and our CoD.

[HIemfire]

InnerSphereNews, on 09 April 2012 - 08:00 AM, said:

Mon. Apr 9, 3049: “Rise of the RCT: House Davion Revolutionizes Modern Warfare” has spent 20 weeks on Commonwealth Press bestseller list.

House Cameron was there first. Poor Davion, now falling to stealing ideas and claiming them as their own?

Ghost, on 09 April 2012 - 08:13 AM, said:

The Regimental Combat Team is the unique House Davion approach to traditional warfare in the Inner Sphere. As an organizational unit, it looks fairly plain: four combat regiments along with support and transport elements. The goal was to create self-sufficient fighting forces that could function as a cohesive unit.

Although the RCT was first adopted by the Star League military in ancient times, the concept returned to prominence after it was adopted into Federated Suns military doctrine by Melissa Davion in 2876. The version of the Regimental Combat Team that the Davions use heavily favors a combined-arms approach that incorporates a regiment of Battlemechs (roughly 100-150 machines) alongside three regiments of combat vehicles, five regiments of infantry, two Aerospace Fighter wings, and an artillery battalion. All of these units are permanently assigned together, train together, and are frequently deployed as a complete unit.

The level of organization, coordination, planning and logistics that a RCT requires is not for the faint of heart. But no one can argue with the results: at the beginning of the Fourth Succession War, Hanse Davion was able to field a force larger than anything seen since the days of the Star League.

Which Ghost so beautifully posted...

Edited by HIemfire, 09 April 2012 - 08:44 AM.

[Soviet Alex]

The Federated Suns Regimental Combat Team is a copy of the Star League Defence Force combined arms Division, which is a copy of the German Panzer Division from WW2. Davions claiming to have invented the idea is like Steiners claiming they invented money.

[guardian wolf]

Hmpf...*mumbles something about "Hell's Horses"*
This isn't a new idea, as this has been around for quite some time.

[RogueSpear]

Yes, but it hasn't been used for quite some time. I salute the Davions for their efforts, but they still have nothing on House Steiner's scout lances.

[Strum Wealh]

HIemfire, on 09 April 2012 - 08:42 AM, said:

House Cameron was there first. Poor Davion, now falling to stealing ideas and claiming them as their own?

Soviet Alex, on 09 April 2012 - 08:46 AM, said:

The Federated Suns Regimental Combat Team is a copy of the Star League Defence Force combined arms Division, which is a copy of the German Panzer Division from WW2. Davions claiming to have invented the idea is like Steiners claiming they invented money.

guardian wolf, on 09 April 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

Hmpf...*mumbles something about "Hell's Horses"*

This isn't a new idea, as this has been around for quite some time.

It's not that the AFFS (or, for that matter, the AFFC) is claiming to have invented the RCT concept, but that the AFFS adopted a variant of the RCT system and was able to make it work - and work well - against the Succession Wars era militaries of the other Successor States.

Quote

First developed by the Star League Defense Force, a Regimental Combat Team was originally composed of four combat regiments and a support and transport element. The most experienced regimental commander was put in charge of the RCT, and the four combat elements trained together to improve unit cohesion. These RCTs tended to be permanently assigned to a location in order to better understand and exploit the local terrain.
A surviving example of the SLDF's RCT concept is the Eridani Light Horse.

The Federated Suns would develop their own Regimental Combat Teams thanks to First Prince Melissa Davion after she came to power in 2876. The AFFS' version of an RCT is a large multi-regiment formation that consists of a regiment of BattleMechs, three regiments of combat vehicles, five regiments of infantry, two AeroSpace Fighter wings, and a battalion of artillery. Unlike the task forces that had been used previously, these regiments are permanently assigned to work together. These RCTs are usually named for the BattleMech regiment.

[Kenyon Burguess]

yes, House Davion Revolutionizes Modern Warfare by demonizing its neighbors and attacking them

[guardian wolf]

Strum Wealh, on 09 April 2012 - 10:58 AM, said:

It's not that the AFFS (or, for that matter, the AFFC) is claiming to have invented the RCT concept, but that the AFFS adopted a variant of the RCT system and was able to make it work - and work well - against the Succession Wars era militaries of the other Successor States.

*rolls eyes, and still mumbles about 'Hell's Horses'*

[Thorn Hallis]

The Third Regimental Combat Team, better known as the Eridani Light Horse, used the combined armes organization since its inception through all succession wars.

[verybad]

I woldn't say RCTs are "uniquely" House Davion.

They're a more formalized version of the mixed forces that all great houses use.

This formalization does result in better training for the use of mixed forces, which is certainly an advantage, but it also makes such forces more cumbersome and difficult to transport. It also results in a greater reluctance among the command structure to separating subunits from RCTs when necessary.

So while I can see the advantage to RCTs, I don't believe they are the be all, end all design for combat units.

What differnce is ther to an RCT with organic nonmech units and a Mech Regiment with a division of non mech commands attached, and a senior commander (typically a lieutenant general or equivalent) with experience in multiple unit actions?

Well, training together is probably the best advantage. However the real reason House Davion developed the RCT is to maximize the efficiency of their somewhat stressed transport forces (ie jumpjships)

Using larger dropships such as the Excaliber act as force multiplyers on the smaller FedSuns jumpship fleet. They can deply larger forces. So while they are not able to deploy forces such as the Star League Mech Division (9 regiments of mechs) due to manufacturing limitations. The force is still more powerful than a mech regiment acting alone.

It's a reasonable response to a lack of jumpship capability. However it's NOT 'revolutionized modern warfare'

The mech is still king baby.

Edited by verybad, 09 April 2012 - 12:18 PM.

[Kartr]

Its good to see a nation in the far future actually employing some real military thought and doctrine. Its a crying shame that people have bought into the propaganda that BattleMechs are the be all and end all of warfare for so long. Hopefully the emergence of RCTs and a more combined arms approach to warfare in the Federated Suns will lead to their ascension to head of the Inner Sphere and an end to the pointless wars of self styled "warriors" and their stompy tin cans.

verybad, on 09 April 2012 - 12:18 PM, said:

The mech is still king baby.

Only because for the last several hundreds of years the BattleMech propaganda has given armor and infantry a bad name and forced vehicle designs to shoehorn inferior 'Mech weapons onto their chassis and do without the better bits of technology the 'Mechs enjoy.

A tank will shoot more accurately, drive more evasively, coordinate better and generally preform to a superior level than a 'Mech, because they have multiple crew members who specialize and focus on certain tasks. A BattleMech forces one person to do the job of at least three by his or herself, this invariably causes them to preform worse.

If tanks received the same level of attention and award the same importance as BattleMechs you would see tank designs that took advantage of the greater stability, greater recoil management and better lay out they provide. Weapons designed specifically for tanks could achieve greater accurate ranges, higher velocities, etc.

Unfortunately this is not the case and for the most part tanks are left to languish along side my fellow PBIs. Oh and if you think heavy forests can stop tanks, I suggest you ask the French what happened in the Ardennes way back in the Second World War.

OOC: Tanks shouldn't receive a penalty to attack rolls when cruising and only receive a -1 when flanking. Their ballistic weapons (AC's and Gausses) should have a greater range than that of equivalent 'Mech weapons. Also tanks shouldn't be restricted from heavy woods. The rules are designed to handicap tanks so that 'Mechs are usually going to win, even if the handicaps don't make sense.

[Thorn Hallis]

Kartr, on 10 April 2012 - 01:02 AM, said:

Unfortunately this is not the case and for the most part tanks are left to languish along side my fellow PBIs. Oh and if you think heavy forests can stop tanks, I suggest you ask the French what happened in the Ardennes way back in the Second World War.

You don't really think that the german panzer divisions cut through the trees, do you?

[T0RC4ED]

Thorn Hallis, on 10 April 2012 - 01:14 AM, said:

You don't really think that the german panzer divisions cut through the trees, do you?

No Silly, we dont cut them down. We blow them UP! (In my best German accent)

[Adridos]

Geist Null, on 09 April 2012 - 10:58 AM, said:

yes, House Davion Revolutionizes Modern Warfare by demonizing its neighbors and attacking them

It is not that new actually. Same as the RTC.

It is being used for millenia nowdays and it probably got put down as a tactic for the bad guys, because the good ones prove their cause through actions, rather than talk.

[Kartr]

Thorn Hallis, on 10 April 2012 - 01:14 AM, said:

You don't really think that the german panzer divisions cut through the trees, do you?

Its a historical fact that the Wehrmacht drove through the Ardennes forest in 1940 to smash the French. The Battle of the Bulge was also fought in the Ardennes and saw the use of tanks in heavily forested terrain. Plus back when the British were first developing tanks in the First World War their power was demonstrated by pushing over large old trees with extensive roots. 60 tons of steel and thousands of horsepower aren't going to be troubled by something as frail as a tree. Its simply ludicrous to think so and is an artificial handicap to make 'Mechs have superior mobility.

[guardian wolf]

Kartr, on 10 April 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

Its a historical fact that the Wehrmacht drove through the Ardennes forest in 1940 to smash the French. The Battle of the Bulge was also fought in the Ardennes and saw the use of tanks in heavily forested terrain. Plus back when the British were first developing tanks in the First World War their power was demonstrated by pushing over large old trees with extensive roots. 60 tons of steel and thousands of horsepower aren't going to be troubled by something as frail as a tree. Its simply ludicrous to think so and is an artificial handicap to make 'Mechs have superior mobility.

He took the words right out of my mouth.

[verybad]

Kartr, on 10 April 2012 - 01:02 AM, said:

Its good to see a nation in the far future actually employing some real military thought and doctrine. Its a crying shame that people have bought into the propaganda that BattleMechs are the be all and end all of warfare for so long. Hopefully the emergence of RCTs and a more combined arms approach to warfare in the Federated Suns will lead to their ascension to head of the Inner Sphere and an end to the pointless wars of self styled "warriors" and their stompy tin cans.


Only because for the last several hundreds of years the BattleMech propaganda has given armor and infantry a bad name and forced vehicle designs to shoehorn inferior 'Mech weapons onto their chassis and do without the better bits of technology the 'Mechs enjoy.

A tank will shoot more accurately, drive more evasively, coordinate better and generally preform to a superior level than a 'Mech, because they have multiple crew members who specialize and focus on certain tasks. A BattleMech forces one person to do the job of at least three by his or herself, this invariably causes them to preform worse.

If tanks received the same level of attention and award the same importance as BattleMechs you would see tank designs that took advantage of the greater stability, greater recoil management and better lay out they provide. Weapons designed specifically for tanks could achieve greater accurate ranges, higher velocities, etc.

Unfortunately this is not the case and for the most part tanks are left to languish along side my fellow PBIs. Oh and if you think heavy forests can stop tanks, I suggest you ask the French what happened in the Ardennes way back in the Second World War.

OOC: Tanks shouldn't receive a penalty to attack rolls when cruising and only receive a -1 when flanking. Their ballistic weapons (AC's and Gausses) should have a greater range than that of equivalent 'Mech weapons. Also tanks shouldn't be restricted from heavy woods. The rules are designed to handicap tanks so that 'Mechs are usually going to win, even if the handicaps don't make sense.

Should and could don't mean do. We're not talking about anything logical or truthful or even reasonable. We're talking about Battletech and Mechwarrior. They don't make sense if you're going by what actually should work better.

If you just ignore the truith and facts, you'll be much happier. I like tanks also, but they're meant to be secondary units in btech. It's a design choice, not a physics choice.

Edited by verybad, 10 April 2012 - 12:11 PM.