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jeff37923
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Joined: 20 Jun 2019
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 Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 11:39 pm Post subject: Imperial Reserve Units |
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From watching The Clone Wars and Rebels, I can see some older Clone Wars ships are still being used during the Rebellion Era. The Aquitanes class Light Cruiser immediately comes to mind. Yet you have to wonder if there are any Venator class or Acclamator class ships still in use. While outpaced by modern Star Destroyers, they can still perform as second line units.
So I'm coming up with the Imperial Reserves, both Navy and Army. These would serve as both reserve forces and training units for the various Imperial Academies around the galaxy. As training units, the curriculum would include a healthy dose of pro-Imperial political indoctrination with instructors provided by COMPNOR.
As far as units go, the basic unit would be a squadron of 2 Acclamator-class and 1 Venator class with accompanying shuttles and fighters.
As an idea still being fleshed out, what do ya'll think? |
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Naaman
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| Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 3:31 am Post subject: |
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It's this a conceptual thing, or are you looking to include logistics for game mechanics?
How would this affect game play and/or story development?
From a budgeting standpoint, it makes sense to use decommissioned hardware for training. Luke Air Force Base, for example, keeps a bunch of old fighter jets without any weapons on them for training new pilots. |
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jeff37923
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| Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| Naaman wrote: | It's this a conceptual thing, or are you looking to include logistics for game mechanics?
How would this affect game play and/or story development?
From a budgeting standpoint, it makes sense to use decommissioned hardware for training. Luke Air Force Base, for example, keeps a bunch of old fighter jets without any weapons on them for training new pilots. |
Right now, it is conceptual under development with a possibility for game mechanics.
As far as affecting game play or story development, the field is wide open. I can easily see scenarios where the Players must recover forgotten Clone Wars battle site data by infiltrating a training class assigned to these ships, but must avoid the COMPNOR Indoctrination Officers while doing so. |
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Bren
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| Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 11:32 am Post subject: |
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I assume that Imperial military in the Outer Rim systems and backwater worlds typically get older vessels. So they have Victory Class star destroyers or Clone Wars era SDs rather than ISDs (especially no ISD IIs) and simple TIEs not the newer TIEs like the TIE Interceptor.
I also assume that some planets have planetary forces or planetary militias. They would also be armed with some older vessels like Z-95 Headhunters or Cloak Shape fighters and some of the older Clone Wars vessels.
And speaking of Clone Wars vessels, I think the Rebels should be using a lot of previously hidden or mothballed Separatist ships that they have refurbished or refitted.
The downside of having Imperial Reserve units is the soldiers in those units are likely to be ordinary citizens with day jobs as repulsorlift repair techs, system shuttle pilots, store clerks, and the like rather than the full-time, willing abettors of Imperial oppression. So when the PCs blow them to atoms it's not quite so black and white nor so space opera heroic. |
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Sutehp
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 1:44 am Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | The downside of having Imperial Reserve units is the soldiers in those units are likely to be ordinary citizens with day jobs as repulsorlift repair techs, system shuttle pilots, store clerks, and the like rather than the full-time, willing abettors of Imperial oppression. So when the PCs blow them to atoms it's not quite so black and white nor so space opera heroic. |
Yeah, having to fight unwilling Imperial conscripts seems like a great way to introduce some gray into the average black-and-white Star Wars space opera. It could work if you're a GM who's into that sort of moral dilemma in your stories thing and your players are willing to play along with those themes.
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Naaman
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:15 am Post subject: |
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| On the other hand, a confrontation with a rebel force is firtile ground for recruiting imperial conscripts into the rebel alliance. If they are being forced to fight, but don't want to, they would probably rather fight for a commander who will not compel them via coercion.... |
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jeff37923
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| Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:09 am Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | I assume that Imperial military in the Outer Rim systems and backwater worlds typically get older vessels. So they have Victory Class star destroyers or Clone Wars era SDs rather than ISDs (especially no ISD IIs) and simple TIEs not the newer TIEs like the TIE Interceptor.
I also assume that some planets have planetary forces or planetary militias. They would also be armed with some older vessels like Z-95 Headhunters or Cloak Shape fighters and some of the older Clone Wars vessels.
And speaking of Clone Wars vessels, I think the Rebels should be using a lot of previously hidden or mothballed Separatist ships that they have refurbished or refitted.
The downside of having Imperial Reserve units is the soldiers in those units are likely to be ordinary citizens with day jobs as repulsorlift repair techs, system shuttle pilots, store clerks, and the like rather than the full-time, willing abettors of Imperial oppression. So when the PCs blow them to atoms it's not quite so black and white nor so space opera heroic. |
I had to roll that over in my mind for a bit because I both agree and disagree with you.
I believe that the ordinary citizen soldier type of reservist or national guards will exist and that will cause problems with making them a faceless enemy and may provide opportunities for rebel recruitment. The problem I see, is that reservists and conscripts would not be the kind of crew you want on even outdated Clone Wars era ships. You want the citizen soldiers trained on them, but you would want them stationed on system defense craft near their own worlds - with plenty of input from COMPNOR Political Officers.
The crews of these reserve ships would be older men near retirement, young to middle aged with spotty records of disciplinary actions and poor performance, and fresh off the farm cadets who would be eager like puppies but practically an unskilled labor force. None of whom are part-timers. The COMPNOR presence would be stronger and more intense here. |
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Bren
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| Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2019 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| jeff37923 wrote: | I believe that the ordinary citizen soldier type of reservist or national guards will exist and that will cause problems with making them a faceless enemy and may provide opportunities for rebel recruitment. The problem I see, is that reservists and conscripts would not be the kind of crew you want on even outdated Clone Wars era ships. You want the citizen soldiers trained on them, but you would want them stationed on system defense craft near their own worlds - with plenty of input from COMPNOR Political Officers.
The crews of these reserve ships would be older men near retirement, young to middle aged with spotty records of disciplinary actions and poor performance, and fresh off the farm cadets who would be eager like puppies but practically an unskilled labor force. None of whom are part-timers. The COMPNOR presence would be stronger and more intense here. |
All of this sounds reasonable to me.
You make a good point about the Empire favoring posting reserves on non-hyperspace capable craft. It fits the pattern with TIE fighters not being able to jump. The downside to system defense boats (SDBs) is most have small crew sizes such that it probably isn't cost effective for COMPNOR to post political officers on each craft. They'd probably have them at the base, space station, or mother ship that serves as a home for the SDBs.
As far as Rebel recruitment, in my campaigns planets and systems that are technologically advanced often have some type of system defense force. These local forces are usually a mix of older model starfighters (usually not TIEs), system defense craft, and some hyperspace capable craft like patrol cruisers or corvettes. The Rebels often recruit from those folks. Disbanded and covertly anti-Imperial system defense forces have formed the nucleus of several Rebel navies in my campaigns. |
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