This idea was inspired by a recent proposal elsewhere on the BBS, albeit one which goes in a different direction to the one I wish to outline in this thread.


As it stands, both the Andromedan satellite base and base core module are the size of a medium satellite ship, such as the Cobra destroyer. This allows the invaders to use a standard size of building block with which to build their Rapid Transit Network.

Simply put, I propose there also be light and heavy satellite bases, the size of Viper and Mamba satellite ships respectively; as well as light and heavy core base modules, so as to build light and heavy equivalents to the base station and battle station. And perhaps light and heavy construction modules also, akin to the medium-sized module on the construction battle station.

While it makes sense for the Andromedans to have relied on a standard "gauge" for the RTN in those areas of space they are known to have operated, it is possible that they had gone through a sort of development process in order to establish what worked and what didn't. Or, perhaps, that they used a variety of base "gauges" in their home galaxy, and merely settled on one of these "gauges" for their extra-galactic operations.

Actually, while it has yet to be spelled out in Federation and Empire terms how far away each satellite base can be from the next in order to maintain the RTN link, perhaps this might scale here also: say, if a light satellite base has a shorter RTN range than a medium satellite base, while a heavy satellite base might support a greater distance to the next RTN node.

Indeed, perhaps the Andros might have used a modified version of this proposed heavy satellite base as nodes along the postulated Intergalactic Trunk Line; with many of its features removed so as to make room for the equipment needed to serve as a waypoint for the ITL.

Or this could have all been a "Threat File" worked up by someone at Star Fleet Academy...


Actually, this might be an interesting way to account for Andromedan forces in more reduced circumstances - say, in the Sargasso Storm Zone. It might be interesting if the Andros succeeded in reaching one (or more) of the "clear" pockets of space before the next wave of storms rolled in; if one assumes the Andros at large then pulled the plug on their Sargasso operations (or a least put it on the back burner), those holdouts now stuck there might find using light satellite bases to be a more economically viable option.


If these light and heavy base types end up being "Threat File" units only, fair enough. But if not, perhaps they might help offer a broader variety of "gauges" for the invaders to work with.

As always, whether anyone else might consider these options to be of any use is, of course, another matter entirely.

By Joe Carlson (Jrc) on Tuesday, May 05, 2020 - 12:29 am: Edit

Gary,

I think you are referring to my proposal. I tried to limit it the Alpha Octant.

I do like your idea of sat base size. The Andromedans act like a super AI. They are unable to adapt outside of their programming.

Are you using gauge as a synonym for size? A concept you might consider is telecommunications revolution that occurred when moving from copper to fiber optic. So if they improve the technology of the RTN they can use less resources for the sat base. There is less leakage of the signal over distance. The capacity to move things is increased. Is this what you are getting at?

By Joe Carlson (Jrc) on Tuesday, May 05, 2020 - 10:55 pm: Edit

Gary,

Going back to the LMC. I found information online that the GMC cloud is linked to the LMC by gravity and space gases. One is called neutral hydrogen.

Also there is a mini LMC 10,000 parsec further out (away from the milkyway. A smaller gauge would be harder to find as only the Andromedans know about it

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, May 06, 2020 - 08:21 pm: Edit

There's one question I've had for a while regarding Andromedan bases, and this might be as good of a place to ask it as anywhere.

Background for the question is with regards to Andromedan base scenarios; someone from a Galactic Power has been searching carefully and/or stumbles upon an Andromedan base. Fight ensues. Maybe the Galactic Power destroys the base, maybe they don't. If/when they don't, Andromedans pack it up and relocate it.

Got me thinking (uh-oh!)...

The efforts/resources the Andromedans put in to building a single BATS are as much as what would be put in to building three regular Sattelite Bases (with an assumption that the amount of resources used to make the core module being comparable to the resources used to manufacture enough mines to build two minefields).

That being the case, why don't Andromedans hide two or three redundant Sattelite Bases in a sector instead of putting so much resource and effort into a single BATS that, if/when found, has to be relocated (IF it survives its discovery) and will leave the whole general area without the RTN support that bases provide?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, May 06, 2020 - 11:22 pm: Edit

Jeff, most of the time they do that. BATs are fairly rare but SATB battles aren’t that interesting.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 11:55 am: Edit

There is a question of resources. They may not have enough satellite bases to do this, But given that a Base Station is composed of two satellite bases, and a battle station is composed of three, in areas where they need such facilities it is easy enough to see that they would provide the bases.

It is basically a matter of determining risk and time factors. If they need a base to conduct operations, and if operations are to continue for some time, they may establish several bases near the spot they are planning to conduct the operation.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 11:59 am: Edit

Can we do this? Sure. Is it an "obvious idea nobody thought of before"? Quite possibly. Does the game need it? Not really.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Saturday, May 09, 2020 - 01:29 pm: Edit

I should note that there is a separate light satellite base proposal in this thread. However, that proposal suggested removing the RTN capacity altogether, whereas I propose scaling the support range from light to medium to heavy.

For Alpha Octant empires, the required distance between strategic movement nodes (as Federation and Empire would describe them) is based on the ship. A "modern" (GURPS Prime Directive Tech Level 12) ship - to include a "fast" ship - must have the nodes spaced no more than six F&E hexes apart in order to move from one node to the next via strategic movement. However, for a first-generation X-ship (GPD TL 13), the nodes can be as far as seven hexes apart.

In contrast, it may (or may not) be the case that, for the Andromedans, it is the base which is key, in terms of how it might support strategic movement by DisDev-equipped Andromedan warships. For example, if it were to turn out that medium satellite bases cannot be farther than, say, four hexes apart in order to support RTN movement, perhaps one could propose setting the range between light satellite bases at three hexes, and the range between heavy satellite bases at either five or six hexes. (This might echo the number of "hangar points" each size of satellite base would require: 3 for a light satellite base, 4 for a medium satellite base, and 6 for a heavy satellite base.) In this case, perhaps the distance between bases of different "gauges" would default to the lowest "gauge"; as in, RTN travel between a light satellite base and a heavy satellite base would go no farther than the range supported by the light satellite base.

Of course, it's far too early to determine how the "known" RTN works at an F&E level, in terms of how far apart the nodes have to be; or, for that matter, if it depends on the nodes themselves rather than the ship using them (as it does for Alpha Octant starships). But I wanted to go into a little more detail on what I was trying to get at with that side of this proposal.