Re: Spelljamming Asteroid Empires

> >The military would revolve around smaller vessels like damselflies
> >(preferred over dragonflies by the military for obvious reasons) and
> >wasps.  "Cruiser" level ships like squidships and "battleships" like
> >hammerships would be much rarer as the many smaller ships would
> >increase the empire's presence significantly with limited resources.
>
> True, provided there was a significent difference in cost, using the
> "standard" rules, the squidship would be the most common, economical
> vessel.

They have a 12 minimum crew, right?  I forgot that.  I keep thinking
an average ship needs about 1/2 it's max crew to run.  My point stands
assuming equivalent crew/size ratios.  Ships like the squidship,
vipership, man-o'-war, etc. that violate this rule would obviously be
preferred by those able to acquire them.

> >additional crew requirements.  Instead spelljamming and sail
> >manipulation proficiencies will be stressed to improve MC.  Wildspace
> >navigation will also be common as it will allow the far flung patrols
> >to move more quickly between their destinations.
>
> Yes, I think these would be emphasized more in all spelljamming
campaigns,
> in fact.

My point was a trained military (at least among the officers and NCOs,
certain skills would be "forced" on recruits who "volunteered" in an
unusual fashion.  Let's not forget shanghaiing was common in the past
(even by military vessels).  This (forcible crew recruitment) is one
of my explanations for why many crews in space aren't as skilled as
they might be.  Militaries will have true volunteers (not
"volunteers"), conscripts, and those looking to make a career out of
the military along with noble sponsored portions of the force
(assuming a pseudo-feudal system).  These will help round them out and
along with some form of basic training (especially for marines) will
make many military vessels better than any average merchant crew.  Of
course highly dedicated, motivated pirates, slavers, and rebels may
still be better (one reason why privateers are so useful).
Incidentally if conscription is used retired military will be much
more common and those trying to avoid conscription will be common in
frontier areas.

> >Bases will be centered around key mining centers (miners mine the
nearby
> >>asteroids) or important farm colonies (or simply a key strategic
> >location).
>
> Interestingly, almost _all_ battles historically have occurred
within a
> very limited geographic range.  Just for an example, Adrianople (in
> European Turkey) has been the site of _15_ major battles throughout
> recorded history.  Nearly every major naval engagement in history has
> occured within a fairly narrow band of coastal waters, and even then
along
> certain "routes". This actually moves into modern times, withonly two
> decisive engagements beyond coastal waters, the Battle of the
Atlantic and
> Midway in WWII.  The reason is that it's far easier to find what you
are
> looking for close to ports and other "land" installations.
>
> In SJ terms, this means almost every SJ battle will occur near an
> astronomical body such as an astroid field or planet, and that those
bodies
> will most likely be inhabited.  99% of space will never have a battle
> fought in it:)  "screening" patrols, ships setting on well known
space lans
> to drop folks out of SJ speed (much like Imperial Interdictor
cruisers from
> the Zahn Star wars books) would be common, and most astroid ports
like the
> rock would want a "screen" of such bodies twenty to thirty hexes out
to
> drop folks to tactical speed further out so they can be more easily
dealt
> with if hostile.

With SJ's rules on dropping out of SJ speed this is even more true.
Oh, don't forget to put lots of continual lights at 30 hexes out too
so you can see the incoming ships when they hit tactical.

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