GALAXIA- Combat Spacecraft Avionics and Electronic Warfare

One of the greatest military technology developments of the past half-century or so has been the development of sophisticated sensor and networking equipment- and electronic warfare techniques and hardware to defeat it.

Development of this technology has continued in GALAXIA, with networked, heavily-instrumented spacecraft the rule, rather than the exception. Accordingly, great efforts have been made to develop ever-more-effective countermeasures and electronic warfare.

Electronic warfare in GALAXIA can be broken up into two broad categories: sensor/targeting deception, and network intrusion ('netrusion'). The former category is somewhat self-explanatory- radio-frequency devices are basically used to interfere with hostile RADAR, breaking or complicating target locks. The latter involves using targeted malware (effectively a militarized computer 'virus') to compromise command-and-control networks, effectively gaining a foothold inside a hostile spacecraft's computer systems. The malware may, from this point, interfere with or degrade sensor performance, introduce errors into the computer system, attempt to depressurize the target craft, or overheat its reactor, just to name a few examples.

Sensor technology has also advanced, particularly in development of unconventional-frequency scanning equipment. This particularly includes ultraviolet-sensing equipment for detecting intermittent, but extremely hot, drive plumes. When used in concert with infrared sensing, UV is extremely useful for long-range detection. Additionally, attempts at reduced-signature spacecraft are nearly always thwarted by their inability to evade ultraviolet sensors.

RADAR tends to use AESA (active electronically-scanned array) systems as a combined sensor and electronic warfare system. AESA units, in addition to their utility for generating firing solutions, can be used as a directed-energy weapon to temporarily or permanently 'blind' missile seekers, serving as a third line of a spacecraft's self-protection equipment, behind jamming and interceptor rounds. AESA has also been used as part of datalink systems, and to transmit the aforementioned malware into hostile crafts' systems.

Those who ignore the 'electronic battlefield' in favor of pure 'physical' warfare do so in error. Computer viruses and focused electromagnetic radiation are just as deadly, if not more so in some cases, as a missile or Gauss cannon projectile.

Reawakening the Bear: The CIS

Formation and Early History

During the early formation of 'American Yugoslavia', Russia remained largely neutral, while selling arms to both sides. However, due to trade and technology-transfer agreements, it gradually began leaning towards the Confederacy. With the rise of the UN, simple trade became a mutual-defense pact and, eventually, a full-fledged alliance. The 2031-2032 'EuroWar' saw Confederate and Russian/CIS forces allied against UN troops in both Eastern Europe and the former US east coast.

H7N1 hit the Russian Federation extremely hard. Its population, already small compared to the monolithic Eurozone, shrank to just below twenty million. Large swaths of eastern Russia were nearly completely depopulated along with parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics.

The Commonwealth of Independent States, formed in 1991 as a simple regional organization, soon became an alliance of necessity against the UN. Possessing a somewhat egregious thermonuclear arsenal, the CIS relied on MAD doctrine and exchange of advanced weapons systems with the CSA/UCSA to maintain its sovereignty.

Weakened Eastern European nations, such as Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states, joined the CIS for security reasons. While the UCSA was insulated from the UN by the Atlantic, resisting European sites had no such buffer, instead turning to nuclear weaponry- much of it manufactured with uranium enriched in the Middle East- to counter substantial UN conventional forces in Europe.

The CIS was the first foreign power to receive exported Alcubierre FTL drives, using these in extrasolar colonization beginning in the 2080s. It was also the first to move past simple aerospace fighters and build Alcubierre-capable prygat' bombardirovshchiki, or 'Jump Bombers', the basis of the modern striker.

By 2090, cosmonauts had constructed small exploratory bases in BD-09°3413, Gliese 453, and Alpha Mensae. These eventually grew into full colonies with populations numbering in the millions. At this point, the Commonwealth of Independent States was renamed to the Confederation of Independent Subjects, reflecting its general decentralization- impressive, but still somewhat shy of the UCSA model.

Military and Foreign Affairs

Abroad, the CIS primarily trades with the UCSA and Republic of Texas. Serious mutual suspicion exists between the CIS and the Systems Commonwealth, and trade is limited.

Like the UCSA, the CIS' main potential foe is the UNCS and its alien puppet-systems. Additionally, given its large number of resource-extraction outposts, the CIS occasionally comes into conflict with fringe aliens and peripheral human states. These encounters usually go well for the CIS, but serious concerns have been raised over suspected sightings of Sinterian warships on the Western Frontier.

The CIS' military consists of three branches- the Surface Forces (сухопутные войска), including atmospheric aircraft, the Aerospace & Orbital Defense Forces (Аэрокосмическая и орбитальных сил обороны), responsible for operation of missile silos, platforms, and aerospace interceptors, and the Strategic Space Forces (Стратегическое Космических войск), which combines the roles of the Navy and Long Range Aviation. It operates striker squadrons, spacelift craft, and surveillance/operational support vessels.

Unlike the UCSA's aerospace forces, in most cases dispersed to the flight or demi-squadron level, the CIS tends towards a slightly greater degree of centralization. Strikers are usually based in squadrons of eight to ten, which serve as the flying unit of a Battalion, itself a component of an Aerospace regiment. Accordingly, basing density is roughly half that of the UCSA, though most oblasts or other confederal subjects have anywhere from one to three bases of various types.

Command authority is also slightly more centralized, with requests for operations outside a stellar system relayed to Headquarters, Strategic Space Forces, in Rossiya for approval before execution. However, subject systems are granted full authority to police their own territory in any manner their military authorities see fit.

Culture and Economy

In the early- to mid-21st century, Russia and its neighbors had begun to rebuild blighted industrial infrastructure, left to rust after the end of the Soviet era. Gradually, the standard of living in the CIS nations improved, reaching a level comparable to that of Europe, with greater civil liberties. The 2031 war cemented this, while H7N1 served to increase the concentration of industry to the dwindling populace. Quality of life was never greater- in those areas with a population large enough to support meaningful commercial endeavors.

The Russian Federation, centerpiece of the CIS, ironically enough, reached a greater degree of political equality as a sparsely-populated, decentralized representative democracy than during decades of Communist rule. In a further ironic twist, it was rated by American NGOs as the second-freest nation in Europe, only lagging behind a resurgent Poland.

Decades after this, the CIS resembles rural Russia, with occasional urban areas of twenty to fifty thousand inhabitants centered around resource-extraction and industrial hubs. Primary industrial exports include inexpensive orbital-lift vehicles, industrial machinery, mining/drilling equipment, and commercial electronic products.

The three CIS subject systems are Ukraina (Україна), Rossiya (Россия), and Sibir (Сибирь). Ukraina was mostly settled by Eastern Europeans, from Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and other nations. It is the most technologically-advanced of the three, but also the most agrarian and least militarized. Rossiya's original colonists were generally from western and central Russia; the system serves as the CIS' capital, as most CIS territory on Earth has largely been evacuated. It boasts the greatest industrial base, but also struggles with unemployment and crime as a result of governmental and corporate corruption. Finally, Sibir was largely colonized by transplanted Siberians and citizens of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Mongolia, and northern China. It is a CO2-atmosphere 'cold' carbon planet with exceptionally large concentrations of industrial-grade graphite, diamond, and other useful materials. Sibir is sparsely populated, and generally a strange mix of isolated, small communities with little modern technology, and massive mines, refineries, and processing plants supporting modest towns and cities. In this respect, it resembles a hybrid of Soviet-era single-factory cities, and 'New Russian' industry driven by private, often foreign, investment capital.

However, the general economic malaise of 21st-century Russia never truly escaped the CIS. Industrial production rates are quite low, while unemployment is high, as is corruption on most levels of government. State contracts are more often than not settled by bribery of officials. Many regions- especially remote districts of Sibir and the majority of large urban areas- are effectively lawless.

Politics and Government

The government of the CIS can be considered an intermediate point between the UCSA and UNCS. Its subject systems are granted substantial autonomy, but ultimately are unified under a relatively strong central government. As opposed to the UCSA's central government- a small bureaucracy with little role beyond diplomacy and wartime military command- the CIS boasts the Confederal Assembly, its main legislative body, divided into the Duma and Confederation Council. The Assembly is maintained in addition to subject systems' local legislature and governmental bodies.

Currently, the Union Party, People's Defense Bloc, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, Social Democratic Party, and smaller, regional political parties have performed well in Confederal and system parliamentary elections. This represents an ever-growing political divide between far-left and far-right parties, thankfully, this divide usually exists across systems. In regions with substantial political tensions, violence is not unheard of.

Population and Demographics

Population by Subject System

Rossiya: 7,095,120

Ukraina: 4,634,700

Sibir: 1,343,879

Total: 13,073,699

The population of the CIS is extremely small, even by modern standards. Sibir's population is primarily made up of subsistence farmers, miners, and industrial support workers. Density figures are virtually meaningless, as most colonized planets aside from UNCS 'population warehouses' have well below 0.1 persons per square kilometer. Demographically, roughly one in eight CIS citizens is of Asiatic descent, while the vast majority of the remainder are ethnic Russians or Europeans. Only a tiny fraction are of other descents, although there exists a reasonably large collection of UCSA and Commonwealth expatriates.

Battletech After-Action Report 1

I've always been a fan of the Battletech universe, but after several attempts, can't really get into the TW rules as written. The level of detail is excellent, but the rules are a bit unwieldy for me.

Accordingly, I've written a simplified version that streamlines unit armor ablation, critical hits, and heat. Units have deliberately become more fragile, but the basic effect of the original rules remains intact. In abstraction/simplicity, it is between 'classic' Battletech and the Battleforce large-scale combat system. This AAR is a solo-play match designed to pinpoint requirements for rules correction.

The scenario being run today is set after the official end of the Word of Blake's Jihad. On Ellsworth, part of the newly-separated Regulan Fiefs, Blakist remnants have been waging a low-level insurgency. Today, a Level II-sized element is moving in on the town of Lubbock, located on a dry lakebed and a logistical hub for the Regulan militia. Their objective is to seize control of Lubbock, harrying Regulan deployments against other FWL remnant states. In game terms, the WoB wins if it has at least one unit in Lubbock, and the militia has none. In any other case, the militia has successfully defended its objective. The game ends after five turns.

Blakist Forces
VKG-2F Viking
NXS1-A Nexus
RDS-2A Red Shift
Padilla Artillery Tank (Arrow IV)
Pinto Attack VTOL (WoB variant)
Asura Battle Armor squad

This is an artillery-heavy task force with a mixture of heavy units and light, mobile elements. The BA  will be mounted in the Pinto as a rapid-reaction/ambush force.

The Ellsworth Militia has an armored lance stationed in Lubbock, along with a company of LRM/TAG infantry and a lone Hercules 'mech. Two Shiva omnifighters salvaged from abandoned FWLM and WoB equipment have been provided, as the militia's conventional fighters and handful of older ASFs are occupied elsewhere. However, the insurgents (for now, at least) lack air cover. This grants the Regulans Air Superiority- their Shivas may be called in on a 3+ (1D6) without having to make a Dogfight roll.

Regulan Forces
HRC-LS-9000 Hercules
Galleon Light Tank
Main Gauche Tank Destroyer
Main Gauche Tank Destroyer
Infantry Platoon (TAG Spotter)
Infantry Platoon (LRM)
Infantry Platoon (LRM)
SHV-OG Shiva
SHV-OG Shiva

The Shivas are using a custom configuration I wrote up, with 2 medium pulse lasers and a Light Gauss in the nose, an LB 10-X and SRM-6 in each wing, and a third medium pulse as a tail 'stinger'.

First off, a pre-game photo:

The TAG infantry is located in the salient heavy woods hex; the other two platoons are armed with LRMs.

Turn 1

Movement: The Blakists win initiative 6-5. The Red Shift moves north to set up TAG shots against the Regulan tanks, the Nexus runs south and prepares to fire on one LRM infantry platoon, and the Pinto flanks east to release its Battle Armor.

Firing: The Red Shift manages to miss with the TAG, and is out of MPL range. The southern Main Gauche hits the Viking and inflicts three points of damage (roughly corresponding to a ton of armor each. I told you durability was reduced!) and a through-armor critical that knocks out the left LRM launcher. The Nexus kills two fireteams of the eastern LRM infantry platoon, while the Pinto's twin ER MLs kill one of the other LRM unit. The militia Hercules fires its ER PPC at the Viking, causing a TAC that blows apart the completely full LRM-15 ammo bins! The militia Mechwarrior saves his autocannon ammo for the other Wobblies. The TAG infantry successfully designate the Padilla tank. Both LRM volleys hit (one barely), blowing the Padilla's Arrow IV launcher off.

Turn 2

Movement: The Militia wins initiative 11-8. The Red Shift adjusts, giving itself a decent shot against a Main Gauche. However, its artillery support has been knocked out, meaning that the 'mech is on its own against the main strength of the defenders. Next, the Hercules moves in on the Pinto, which has dropped off its BA payload. The Regulan Galleon advances out of its hide towards the Red Shift. The Nexus moves closer to the LRM infantry, who stand their ground. Last, both Shivas are successfully called in, responding to urgent radio calls from the militia infantry.

Firing: One Shiva fires on the Red Shift, only hitting with one MPL and an SRM-6. Only a single point of damage was inflicted. The Nexus wipes out the eastern LRM platoon. Next, the second Shiva fires on the Nexus- scoring 4 criticals with only a single 10-X round! This actually overloads the light 'mech's armor, causing it to be instantly destroyed. The Asuras fire their SRMs on the southern Main Gauche, immobilizing it and damaging its fire-control. The Hercules fires all weapons but its ERPPC against the Pinto...doing absolutely no damage! One Main Gauche's Light Gauss misses against the Red Shift, which fires both MPLs at the Shiva. Both somehow hit. Although the Shiva's pilot passes both PSRs, his aircraft takes four points of damage, an engine damage critical, and a Cockpit Destroyed critical! The destroyed Omnifighter crashes to the ground on the edge of the map. The Galleon's ML misses the Red Shift, but the Pinto kills two LRM fireteams in preparation of bugging out.

Turn 3

Movement: The Word of Blake wins initiative, 11-4. The Red Shift moves forwards towards Lubbock, which has been temporarily abandoned by its defenders. The Hercules slowly moves through a hex of heavy woods, aiming at the fast spotter 'mech. The Pinto sweeps around, appearing to line up a shot at the TAG infantry, while the Galleon moves into close range against the Red Shift. The non-immobilized Main Gauche turns to face the Red Shift as well, and the Asuras set up a rear-aspect shot against the Hercules, but the surviving Shiva fails its call-in roll.

Firing: The Asuras fire their second SRM volley at the Hercules, scoring a decisive hit with five of six rounds. These strip away three points of armor, and destroy the 'mech's head, killing it! It was actually a double-kill- the Wobbies also managed to detonate the autocannon ammunition! Infuriated, a Main Gauche hits the Red Shift in the back, but the round fails to penetrate armor. The TAG infantry lose a fireteam to the Pinto's LRM-5, while ANOTHER Main Gauche hit fails to penetrate! The Red Shift hits with both MPLs, dealing two armor points to the Galleon and destroying its Medium Laser.

Turn 4

Movement: The Regulan Militiamen win initiative 8-5.  This is the second-to-last turn, sparking a rush to control Lubbock. The Galleon enters the city limits, opposed by the Pinto, which also enters the city. At this point, the situation for the Regulans is not looking good. Their infantry are too far to impact the matter, and the objective is only held by a battered light tank. The mobile Main Gauche makes a similar move; it should reach the objective in the next turn. The Red Shift also enters Lubbock; its position grants it an unrestricted field of fire against the Main Gauche. Finally, the Shiva rolls in behind the Red Shift.

Firing: The Galleon and Pinto exchange ineffective fire; neither unit is damaged. The Main Gauche also misses, while the immobilized one takes Fire Control damage from the Asuras' SRMs. The Shiva fires on the Red Shift, and hits with an MPL and both autocannons. The MPL does no damage, but several 75mm shells cause a 'soft kill'. No ammo explosion, and the Mechwarrior survives, but the 'mech is knocked out.

Turn 5

Movement: The Wobbies win the initiative, 11-5. The Galleon pushes forward, while the Asuras line up an SRM shot into Lubbock. The Main Gauche rolls into town- offering a perfect shot to the Blakist BA unit! The Pinto is stationary, leaving no other on-board units available for either side. However, the Pinto passes its call-in roll, and targets the BA, which is exposed in a small clearing.

Firing: Five SRMs hit the Main Gauche's rear armor, but do no damage! There's now basically no way the Wobbies can pull this one off. A Light Gauss round strikes the Pinto, but does not harm it. Similarly, the Pinto's two ERMLs do absolutely nothing, as does the Galleon's one Small Laser with a suitable firing arc. The Shiva kills half of the Battle Armor, but fails to wipe the Level I out entirely.

Results:

Movement: This was a fairly close game. The Militia absolutely dominated in the early turns, but the insurgents turned this streak around by midgame. However, as per the scenario, the Blakists had to be unopposed in Lubbock. The Pinto was in the objective area, but was opposed by two of the three militia tanks. Accordingly, this was technically a win for the Regulans, but not without losses. To recap, each side lost:

WoB:
1 Viking (Ammunition explosion)
1 Nexus knocked out
1 Red Shift knocked out
3 Asura BA
1 Padilla mission-killed

Ellsworth Militia:
1 Hercules (Ammunition explosion)
1 Shiva (Cockpit destroyed)
1 Main Gauche immobilized
10 infantry fireteams

For the Word of Blake, the MVU was definitely the Red Shift. It proved nearly impossible to hit, shot down a Shiva, and firepower-killed the Galleon. The Asuras were also seriously helpful, taking down the Hercules and proving to be a thorn in the side of the tanks.

The militia didn't have quite as clear of an MVU. The Shivas provided a useful on-demand strike capability, but had trouble hitting the agile light 'mechs, and ate up a ridiculous amount of BV points. For the price of the two Shivas, I could have had Galleons and Main Gauches in nearly company strength, or taken multiple medium 'mechs. Next time, I'll run them with external ordnance.

Amusingly enough, the infantry were almost too effective. Their primary targets- the Blakist artillery units- were all knocked out in the first turn. They served as a decent speed bump for the Nexus and Pinto, though.

After-Action Report: Eastern Front '32

(No, I haven't abandoned PARADOX- I've just been pretty focused on GALAXIA lately)

Months after after the events at the Alamo, the US Army deployed troops to Eastern Europe, warped forward to 2032. These troops are to assist local soldiers against the Wehrmacht and Red Army, as much of Poland, eastern Russia, and northern Ukraine have been sent back to 1944.

Today, elements of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Stewart, GA, have moved into Chernihiv Oblast, where a platoon of the Ukrainian 80th Airmobile Regiment has made contact with a Wehrmacht panzer company with infantry and anti-air support. 1-238 Cav, Indiana ARNG (1989), has air support responsibility for this sector; AH-1F Cobras will be available.

The primary objective for each side is to capture the enemy's stationary headquarters; secondaries include destruction of HQ vehicles and AFVs.

The following units have been deployed by each side:

US and Ukrainian Army

1 M2A4 Bradley IFV (HQ)(US, 2023)

1 M2A4 Bradley IFV (US, 2023)

1 Mechanized Infantry Squad (US, 2023)

1 M3351 JLTV (LRAS3)(US, 2023)

1 Mech. Infantry Dismount Recon Team (US, 2023)

1 AH-1F Cobra (US, 1989)

2 Airmobile Infantry Squad (Ukraine, 2032)

1 Light Artillery Strike (Ukraine, 2032)

German Wehrmacht

1 Infantry HQ Team (Germany, 1944)

1 Panther Ausf. G (HQ)(Germany, 1944)

4 Panther Ausf. G (Germany, 1944)

1 Flakpanzer IV 'Wirbelwind' (Germany, 1944)

2 Panzergrenadier Squad (Dismounted)(Germany, 1944)

Each infantry figure represents one team (I didn't have anything precisely suitable; these guys are UNSC Marines from Halo)

This is effectively a contest of quality vs. quantity; the Wehrmacht infantry are completely unarmored and lack manportable AT weapons, while the Americans and Ukrainians have ceramic armor plate and pack Javelins and RPG-29s.

The game will last six turns. Objectives are as follows:

Objectives

US/Ukrainian:

-Occupy the German headquarters with infantry for at least one turn (10 VP)

-Destroy the German HQ tank (5 VP)

-Destroy as many other Panthers as possible (1 VP/tank)

German:

-Occupy the Ukrainian headquarters with infantry for at least one turn (10 VP)
-Destroy the US HQ vehicle (5 VP)
-Destroy the other Bradley (4 VP)

Pregame shot. Each side had a six-grid-square deployment zone; HQ vehicles are standing off for now

End of Turn 1

The US/Ukraine won the initiative roll. The lower Bradley and the Cobra each fireballed one Panther with TOW missiles, and the dismounted recon team on the gas station roof called in an artillery barrage that destroyed another. There was no effective return fire; the Cobra was employing Terrain Masking to shield itself from the Flakpanzer.

End of Turn 2

The mechanized infantry squad moved up into the lower woods and fired a Javelin round, inflicting some Stress Points on a Panther, but not enough to Suppress it. The Panther began firing on the Ukrainians in the center woods, inflicting mild casualties.

End of Turn 3

The Cobra shifted left to engage the HQ Panther. Its TOWs missed, and Hydra-70 rocket fire was only mildly effective against the tank's armor. The Panther then shot the Cobra down with a very lucky shot from its main gun! The Wirbelwind, left without any air targets, turned its quad-20mm cannons towards the Ukrainian infantry in the woods, inflicting more casualties and Stress Points.

End of Turn 4

The Wirbelwind began the turn by wiping out the US infantry in the lower woods. The HQ Bradley moved up to get a TOW shot against the HQ Panther, but could not fire and move- it will have to wait until the next turn! The HQ Panther killed several Ukrainians in the headquarters with high-explosive rounds. The final 'regular' Panther destroyed the recon JLTV before being destroyed by a TOW, finishing the job the infantry's Javelin had started.

End of Turn 5

The HQ Bradley prepared to fire, but was knocked out by two well-placed KwK 42 APCR rounds from the HQ Panther, giving 5 VPs to the Wehrmacht! The Wirbelwind began firing into the headquarters, also inflicting casualties.

End of Turn 6 (Game)

The Wirbelwind, more or less the scourge of the Allied infantry units, fell to a Bradley's TOW, while all but one Ukrainian fireteam was wiped out. The surviving handful of Ukrainians beat a hasty retreat from their headquarters, rendered untenable by sustained Panther bombardment. Two HE shots from the HQ Panther failed to dislodge or even hit the US dismounted recon team.

Final Results

I don't think that this was as close a game as the Alamo. My gamble with the HQ Bradley had serious consequences, and the HQ Panther's exceptional marksmanship caused other problems, depriving me of my only air support. Now, to examine performance vs. objectives...

US/Ukrainian:

-Occupy the German headquarters with infantry for at least one turn. Failed.
-Destroy the German HQ tank. Failed.
-Destroy as many Panthers as possible. Met! Four Panthers knocked out; 4 VP

German:

-Occupy the Ukrainian headquarters with infantry for at least one turn. Failed.
-Destroy the US HQ vehicle. Met! 5 VP
-Destroy the other Bradley. Failed.

As it turns out, this was still reasonably close, at a 4-5 Narrow Victory for the Wehrmacht. Though the Americans lost their command Bradley, and the Ukrainians took serious casualties, all German AFVs except for their HQ tank were knocked out easily. Had the HQ Bradley or the Cobra survived, it's safe to say that the HQ Panther would have been destroyed, flipping the results in favor of the Allies.

The 'headquarters capture' objective was carried over from a half-finished game played a few weeks ago. Seeing as the Wehrmacht had no personnel carriers, not even Blitz trucks or the like, and the Bradleys could not move without forgoing their TOWs, it wasn't a particularly attainable objective.

Evaluation

This game represented the first use of Woods in PARADOX. They were treated as simple Light Cover, which seems workable at first. However, optically-aimed tank guns from 80-90 years ago were proving highly effective against well-camouflaged, concealed elite infantry. In the future, infantry in woods may not be engaged from a range greater than 6 grid squares, unless the firing unit has IR Targeting or an equivalent.

I am also considering applying Stress Points to units adjacent to an artillery round strike, not just in the targeted grid square. This would more effectively represent the area-suppression effect that well-aimed artillery can and should have.

Damn Right Rebel Proud- the UCSA

Formation and Early History

In the GALAXIA timeline, the United States, along with the majority of current states, experienced a complete economic meltdown in the 2017-2020 time frame. Speculation abounds that this was not, in fact, an accident, as evidenced by attempted power grabs by the former federal government. A medium-intensity civil war, vaguely comparable to the Yugoslav wars around the turn of the millennium, resulted in 'Balkanization' at the regional level. Large elements of the Northeast and West Coast collapsed into near-lawlessness, presided over by a vestigial federal government, while the Republic of Texas and Confederate States both reformed. The remaining 'civilized' states generally stayed independent, with occasional trade agreements and temporary alliances.

The Confederacy, composing the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, southern Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma, never became spectacularly wealthy, but maintained the third-highest standard of living in North and Central America, after Texas and Canada.

Western Oklahoma, Arizona, and parts of Colorado joined the Republic of Texas, while New Mexico was forcibly annexed in 2024. Texas maintained both the strongest economy and highest standard of living in North America, and even in the Western Hemisphere.

In the early 2030s, the majority of Europe had been reunified under the UN, following large-scale ethnic purging and genocide perpetrated both by and against radical Islamist groups. The new UN state brought itself into conflict with the two main American states and the CIS over attempted annexation efforts of Eastern Europe and 'disputed' territories on the American East Coast. A large-scale war ensued from the summer of 2031 to fall of 2032, ending in the defeat of UN forces in the Mediterranean and their expulsion from the disputed territories.

An unknown entity, later proven to be the intelligence-espionage arm of the UN state, utilized international airline flights to spread a non-fatal, persistent virus (referred to as Influenza A virus Subtype H7N1) across approximately 75% of the Earth's surface. At first, it was assumed to be a simple seasonal mutation of the common flu virus, and little to no action was taken aside from the suspicious measure of sealing the European borders. However, within several months, the virus was realized to have the effect of permanently sterilizing roughly 85% of those afflicted. In the long term, this caused massive population aging and associated economic stress. A precipitous population decrease resulted between 2070 and 2090, accounting for a nearly 80% drop over twenty years. It is noted that the UN was only mildly affected, suggesting that the release of H7N1 was part of a long-term plan to gain a strategic-numerical advantage.

In the aftermath of the war, most of the independent states of the former US joined the Confederacy for protection. On account of expanding its territory by several hundred percent, the CSA was renamed to the UCSA, or United Confederate States of America. Parts of southern Illinois, Indiana, and western Virginia had long maintained ties to the Confederacy, and were the first to formally join.

In 2075, the first successful test of an Alcubierre FTL drive was accomplished by a Chevron interstellar energy-exploration vessel, successfully recovering thousands of tons of nearly-priceless negative-energy-density hydrogen. Speculated to have a worth in the trillions of dollars, the 'Chevron NED' served as the foundation of an emerging interstellar civilization. The Earth had been rendered only semi-habitable by nearly continuous wars during the late 21st century, driving enthusiasm for colonization.

Initial colonization consisted of semi-voluntary removal of the inhabitants of former federal territories to Gliese 83,1 and G3-33. UCSA colonization was generally aimed towards the galactic 'southwest'. By the turn of the 22nd century, half a dozen 'full' colonies had been established. These colonies were granted full statehood in short order.

Gradually, population and influence moved away from the Earth, causing the UCSA's capital to be relocated from Montgomery, Alabama to a rotating position changed between colonies every six years.

Military and Foreign Affairs

The UCSA remained friendly to the CIS and former British Empire nations, keeping these as its primary allianes even with the shift to an extrasolar civilization. Its primary adversary is still the UN, now-renamed to the UNCS, or United Nations Co-prosperity Sphere, to reflect its conquering of numerous alien systems.

The UCSA maintains a distributed military descended from the US and Confederate National Guard, with both Army and Air units. In light of the impracticality and tactical uselessness of large warships, the Navy has been transitioned to a logistics and surveillance role, with a moderately-sized striker force for force protection. All units answer to the military authority of their parent system-state, and may not be contributed to national operations without consent of the system legislature or, in some cases, government on the state or county level. In effect, it is a defensively-oriented military with a secondary expeditionary role, usually used to protect UCSA or allied resource-extraction and shipping interests.

Culture and Economy

The UCSA's economy is roughly equal parts agrarian and industrial. A large portion of its agricultural output serves to feed Earth, given that planet's extremely poor ecological condition, some is used to produce biodiesel and other fuels for transportation, heating, and general use, and the remainder is used for the domestic population and as trade goods. Dixie, Wichita, Ozark, and Lexington are the primary agricultural producers, roughly in that order. The late-colonization sytem-states tend to have higher agricultural output than industrial.

Most planets possess a handful of small manufacturing plants for consumer vehicles and unsophisticated goods, however, not all are equipped to manufacture complex hardware such as electronics and aerospace craft. These products tend to be manufactured in late-colonization system-states, given their generally lower labor costs and ease of transportation. For example, the Rockwell-Boeing Excalibur-class striker is primarily manufactured on Wichita, while the Rainier-McDonnell F-110 Spectre aerospace fighter is built on Dixie, with small assembly facilities in other locations. Manufacturing on the early-colonization system-states is usually their economic mainstay; it usually takes the form of large, heavy forgings without substantial handbuilt components, such as large spacecraft. This form of manufacturing has shifted towards heavy automation, allowing ten workers to do the work of several hundred. Accordingly, employment has become a problem in the early-colonization territories, with temporary relief provided by government assistance. However, this assistance has resulted in higher corporate tax rates, urging operating-cost decreases and further layoffs. The vicious cycle shows little sign of ending.

Culturally, the UCSA can be most easily compared to the United States of the 1960s to 1980s. While a counterculture does exist, primarily in system states with American, rather than Confederate, origins, the UCSA is extremely socially and economically conservative, much to the ire of the UNCS and other, more 'progressive' entities. This is not seen as a problem by the average American, however, with these entities usually written off as Communist or hedonistic abominations.

Race relations have improved to the point of being of little to no concern, however, interstate relations have followed the course set at the beginning of the 21st century. A resident of Newark, for example, who sets foot on Dixie, will most likely be viewed as a 'Yankee carpetbagger' with political leanings closer to the UN than the UCSA, while an Ozark native visiting Newark (notionally; no sane man would actually do this) would be seen as an inbred member of the 'Christian Taliban'. This occasionally escalates to the point of violence, accordingly, travel between the early- and late-colonization system-states is rare except for merchant freighter port calls. In this case, most ports tend to develop a similar culture influenced by but separate from their parent planet.

Politics and Government

UCSA flag used in Newark, Albany,  and Fort Wayne

The UCSA is run less as a nation-state and more as a mutual-defense organization between two opposed spheres, effectively descended from the divide between rural and urban America. Each system-state is a sovereign entity, as stated by the Confederate Constitution of 2019. Foreign affairs are handled by the effectively-nonexistent central government, while defense is coordinated by the War Department using forces owned at the state level and below.

UCSA flag used in Lexington, Dixie, Ozark, Cheyenne, and Wichita (limited usage in Fort Wayne)

The two-party system has largely fallen by the wayside, with most parties formed on the basis of a single issue or field of issues. Traditionally, the Grange, Independence, Christian, and Temperance parties have performed well in the late-colonization territories, while the Workers', Union, and Luddite parties tend to succeed in early-colonization system-states.

Population and Demographics

Population by System-State:
Newark: 8,864,590
Albany: 7,570,261
Wichita: 1,595,728
Fort Wayne: 6,537,334
Lexington: 4,380,415
Dixie: 4,822,023
Ozark: 2,949,131
Cheyenne: 576,412
Total: 37,295,884

From this data, the long-term effects of H7N1 become clear, having roughly decimated the population of most nations. Approximately ten million UCSA dependents remain on Earth, and receive materiel support from the system-states. The above list is in chronological order of colonization, showing a rough decrease in population as one moves outwards from Earth.


In the early 2150s, suggestions of massive UNCS expansion efforts prompted some American companies to accumulate large stocks of industrial products, anticipating massive sales to state- and privately-owned entities. However, the promised colonial expansion never occurred, leaving corporations down billions of dollars in production costs. The ensuing surplus resulted in the closing of numerous manufacturing plants on Fort Wayne and Albany, causing massive unemployment and general economic depression in the 'older' colonies. Barring economic development to reopen these factories, it is likely that Fort Wayne and Albany will begin losing large portions of their populations to outwardly-expanding colonization and mining interests.

United/Confederate States Territory (UCSA), c. 2156

In the above map, all systems with the parenthetical popular name in dark blue are UCSA system-states, Earth being used as the origin of the plot.

Striker Weapons Systems

As a follow-on from yesterday's article on Striker ACIVs, I'll be talking about weapons and electrical systems for said craft.

In GALAXIA, kinetic-energy weapons are accepted to be the most powerful system for their weight, power, and general support requirements. Missiles, then, require only a mounting hardpoint, databus, and targeting equipment on their launch platform. This enables a striker to carry massive numbers of missiles, especially smaller missiles optimized for anti-small-craft work.

Three rough classes of missiles will emerge: primary-combat, defensive, and surface-attack. Primary-combat missiles would be the equivalent of an AIM-120 AMRAAM or an R-77 'ADDER'. These would be targeted against strikers and other orbital targets. Assuming a weight similar to an AIM-120, and a propellant fraction of 75%, a PCM would have a maximum kinetic energy at impact of roughly 5.5 gigajoules, equal to ~1.3 tons of TNT. The precise value would depend on the closing speed between the missile and its target, but would almost guarantee a kill. Alternately, a submunition warhead could be used, whereby numerous small projectiles (such as hardened tungsten cubes) would reduce the missile's vulnerability to interceptor rounds. In effect, it would fire a very-large-bore shotgun directly at the target.

Defensive 'interceptor' missiles would serve to counter PCMs through either hit-to-kill or proximity detonation/submunition warheads. These could take a form similar to the GBU-44 Viper Strike, whereby it would use 'fins' to set RCS thrusters far from its center of mass and maximize agility.
Interceptor rounds would, ideally, be very small, permitting a favorable interceptor-to-PCM ratio. Considering that interceptors are never 100% effective, this is necessary to give the striker as high a survival chance as possible.

GBU-44 Viper Strike demonstrating large wingspan. RCS thrusters could be placed on each wingtip to  maximize lever arm and agility

The final common type of missile is the surface-attack missile, designed to be fired into a planet's atmosphere and strike stationary targets. (Sensor-fuzed-warheads for antiarmor missions are also a possibility). This type of missile would either be encapsulated in a sabot-like heat shield, jettisoned once reentry has been accomplished, or fitted with ablative shielding. Once the atmosphere has been entered and any shielding jettisoned, the round will function almost exactly like a conventional guided bomb.

In consideration of the rarity of capital ships, dedicated anti-shipping missiles are rare outside of the prototype or design study stage. Theoretically, a thousand-pound surface-attack warhead with modified targeting algorithms could be used against the target.

Strikers could also carry 'mines'; with at least two different possible variants. The first would basically be cold-fired missiles that remain dormant until an unfriendly transponder is located. They would generate little to no radiated heat, and would be almost impossible to detect in an operational time frame. The second variant would be a slick of tungsten shrapnel designed to inflict minor damage to a spacecraft operating in a particular orbit. This latter system also offers potential as a close-in defensive system.

Strikers would also have the option of carrying a variety of modules in their internal weapons bays. These would range from transport modules, fuel cells, and landing capsules to electronic warfare payloads, reconnaissance systems, and directed-energy weapons. For example, in addition to its external hardpoints, a UCSA Excalibur-class heavy striker has three weapons bays , each capable of carrying sixteen PCMs, thirty-two interceptors, or eight surface-attack rounds. Each bay can also carry a mission module, allowing the striker to be configured for long-duration operations, electronic warfare, surface-attack, commando insertion, direct combat, missile defense, long-range recon, or almost any other conceivable role. In actual operations, units will specialize, usually taking on two or three different roles.

Here's an artist's impression of an Excalibur-class, armed with fourteen surface-attack missiles.

B-1s IN SPACE!!!! Or, Why Capital Spacecraft As We Understand Them Just Won't Happen.

Let me start this article with a brief introduction to the GALAXIA universe. It is set in the mid-22nd century in the aftermath of a massive depopulation of and exodus from Earth in the region of space within approximately 50ly of Earth. It is a hard science fiction universe, with the exception of the Alcubierre 'warp' drive- a concession to plot and the ability to move characters and hardware across Known Space. Technology is roughly comparable to present-day hardware, as Moore's Law has dead-ended, thanks to limitations at the molecular level. Quantum computing is possible, but the devices are extraordinarily expensive. Superluminal communications do not exist in any practical form.

Known Space is controlled by a range of factions, each with control of one to ten star systems. Foremost is the UNCS, or United Nations Co-prosperity Sphere, a socialist descendant of the present-day UN. It has conquered numerous alien species, such as the reptilian, metallic-based Sinterians, and salamander-like Arquians, and makes wide use of cloning technology. Next, is the UCSA, the United Confederate States of America. Formed from Southern and western states after a devastating civil war in the early 21st century, the UCSA is a conservative, loosely-organized confederacy that works to counterbalance the UNCS. Its allies include the CIS, or Confederacy of Independent States, a successor to the Russian Federation, and the Systems Commonwealth, formed from the remaining nations of the British Empire. Numerous alien nations and other human-controlled systems fill in the gaps. Indeed, the larger nations' boundaries end at around 25ly from Earth. One of the most remote systems is Rainor's Star, commonly referred to as Ozark, located precisely 24.7588ly from Earth. Past this distance, space is lawless and populated mostly by mining conglomerates, scientists, occasional military patrols, and the odd terrorist, pirate, or fugitive from the law.

GALAXIA does not utilize energy shields, magic laser cannons (although directed-energy weapons are in use for point defense), or mile-long warships. Simply, the lethality of kinetic weapons is such that a single hit will destroy or disable any vessel of reasonable size. One hit equals one kill (mission-kill or complete destruction; it doesn't much matter). 

Logically, a military force would wish to maximize its survivability, roughly definable as the number of weapon-target hits it can sustain. In consideration of the destructive power of kinetics, the simplest way to accomplish this is to present the enemy with as many targets as  possible. One may think that drones launched from an Alcubierre-capable, independent vessel (ACIV, pronounced ay-siv) built as a carrier  would be an excellent means to target-saturate the enemy. However, the carrier itself will be a vulnerable one-hit kill, require numerous personnel to crew, and leave its complement stranded should it fall to a lone missile or Gauss-cannon projectile. The electronic warfare environment is also hostile enough to compromise control links between the carrier and its drones, and tactical datalinks between the individual drones. 

The next conclusion is that numerous small ACIVs would offer a combination of self-deployment capability, survivability through numbers, and security against decapitation or stranding by destruction of their carrier. These craft could be tailored for a variety of roles, and constructed in large numbers due to their small size. Assuming that cost scales linearly with the volume of a spacecraft, a smaller craft offers exponential cost savings due to the square-cube law.  At this point, we have a corvette-like ACIV. How, then, will it be based, maintained, rearmed, and refuelled?

In the GALAXIA universe, tethered space elevators have emerged as a relatively cost-effective means of surface-to-orbit transportation, and permit the movement of fuel, personnel, and construction materials directly to orbit for a simple, reliable way to build large space stations. These might seem like the ideal for massive orbital bases- but consider the effects of kinetic weaponry on a non-maneuvering target the size of a city. Their use is generally restricted to civilian traffic and occasional resupply for military vessels.

This, then, pushes spacecraft maintenance and construction to the surface of the planet, and introduces the complicating factor of atmospheric entry and exit into the equation. In GALAXIA, human aerospace craft are usually propelled by dual-cycle nuclear turbines, capable of running on their reactor alone in atmosphere, and of using liquid hydrogen as reaction mass once in space. From this requirement, we have an atmospheric-capable, relatively small craft that must be able to take off and land on terrestrial airbases. In effect, this leaves us with a dual-environment supersonic bomber with modular payloads and a compact Alcubierre drive. The naval terminology used most military science fiction to describe orbital combat craft seems inaccurate to describe such a craft, so I will coin my own term: "striker". The Alcubierre drive essentially posits an offensive craft, capable of carrying a massive weapons payload, as seen below:

Do not trifle with this much ordnance.

This is a demonstration of the variety of payloads the B-1 Lancer could conceivably carry. Each missile or bomb shown here can easily destroy an ACIV with one hit, prompting an interesting balance between offensive missiles and defensive "interceptor" rounds (but, that's a topic for another article). When nuclear or precision-guided weapons are considered, the striker also becomes an excellent surface-attack weapon. Forty or so strikers, each armed with six to ten nuclear missiles in reentry casings, could absolutely annihilate an inhabited planet, considering the extremely small human population in GALAXIA.

Exact basing procedures will vary based on individual requirements. Important factors include the type of striker and its fuel, weapons, and maintenance requirements, the planet's socioeconomic conditions, and the level of threat faced. To represent a relatively typical human-governed planet, we will select Dixie, located at 22.4722ly for 19460 mils off Earth, population 4,822,023. The majority of its population is concentrated in rural counties with an area of approximately 1000 square miles and populations in the 4,000 to 10,000 range. UCSA planets tend to have a military service rate ranging from 3% to 5%, giving 150 to 400 active National Guardsmen per county. Each county usually has one to three companies of Army National Guard troops, meaning that, on average, fifty to one hundred personnel are available for the Air National Guard, and by association, striker units. Approximately one half the counties have an ANG group or flight and half of all ANG units are flying units; the remainder are usually air defense, civil engineer, radar, command and control, ground-based terminal control, or Special Forces units.

GALAXIA, unlike many hard science fiction universes, has not done away with aerospace fighters- simply, a light, extremely affordable space-capable weapons platform is still extremely useful for defensive purposes and limited deployment. Around one half of ANG flying units are equipped with eight-odd aerospace fighters, with the remainder flying strikers. This means that, approximately, one in every eight counties will possess a striker unit, for a total of 75 units. With four craft per flight, you wind up with three hundred strikers for the planet.

One of the primary reasons for surface basing is to disperse the fleet and offer greater survivability. This, coupled with extremely low population density, provides the perfect justification for extremely small units, most likely on the four-craft flight level. Aerospace maintenance technology has noticeably improved, with computerized scheduling and diagnostics assisting crews and permitting more efficient distribution of labor. If each striker has a crew of six, including spares, and administration/airfield operations require twenty personnel, we can assign eight maintenance personnel to the average seventy-five-man flight. In effect, a roughly twenty-to-one ratio of personnel to ACIVs is accomplished, for around three hundred strikers assigned to Dixie, and perhaps two to three thousand throughout the UCSA. It's an interesting way to replace your ISO Standard Human Spaceship (See http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StandardHumanSpaceship?from=Main.ISOStandardHumanSpaceship )

That's about it for this article. Hope y'all enjoyed it!!

Back! No, I didn't die.

In case anyone's actually been reading my blog, I'm sorry for the three-month blackout. (No, I don't actually think that anyone's noticed nor cared). I've been...lazy. And somewhat busy. I'll be writing some speculative articles that tie into the Galaxia hard-science-fiction universe I've been developing cooperatively with a friend of mine.

By popular request, my friend's name is Jonathan. He goes by BuffaloBarney on Blogger. No, I don't have any idea why.

After-Action Report: Remember the Alamo!

About two days after the Paradox royally warped time on Earth, somebody realized that much of central San Antonio had been sent back to March 5th, 1836. A mad rush ensued to dispatch US Army units to fend off Santa Anna's troops.

The Tennessee Army National Guard happened to have a handful of units of the 278th ACR on maneuver training at Fort Hood at the time. RSTA elements quickly made contact with the defenders of the Alamo, who were nearly as shocked as the Guardsmen by the 187-year time discrepancy. However, primary combat elements were still en route to the area, unable to match the speed of the reconnaissance units.

We started the game with the following units on each side:

Mexican Army

6 Infantry squads (Mexican Army, 1836)

4 Gun Teams (Mexican Army, 1836)

When wiped out, the Mexican infantry respawn at the first line of three silos (The Alamo popped up in the middle of 2023 San Antonio). 

The Texans

2 Infantry squads (Texan Army, 1836)

1 Gun Team (Texan Army, 1836)

The Texans receive no reinforcements until the end of Turn 4, at which point three a platoon of Tennessee mechanized infantry comes in from the bottom side of the board. All Texan units are in cover on the wall of the Alamo. 

With the rather lousy Accuracy (5+) of their muskets, both sides can expect a lot of lead to fly before casualties start occurring. Especially so for the Mexicans; the fortified Texan positions are only hit on a roll of a 6.

Objectives

Mexican: 

-Occupy the Alamo with at least two squads of infantry for at least one turn (15 VP)

-No Texans are permitted to survive (5 VP per stand killed)

Texan: 

-Do not allow the Mexicans to capture the Alamo (10 VP)

Tennessee National Guard:

-Enter the Alamo to assist survivors (5 VP)

Pregame shot. The Mexicans have taken up a rough line-abreast formation.

End of Turn 1

  In hindsight, positioning the JLTV to spot the left wing's artillery for the Texans was a terrible idea. The vehicle was knocked out by solid shot in the opening activations of the game. The Mexicans advanced, and took a handful of casualties from Texan cannon fire. A lucky shot from Mexican artillery knocked the gun out, however.

End of Turn 2

Approximately forty Mexican infantry move towards the primary axis of assault. The Texans kill one infantry squad and manage to inflict a few Stress Points, but not enough to cause a retreat or even a pause. The maneuvering Mexicans stay just out of carbine range of the Guardsmen, who can do little but sit back and watch the battle unfold, their sophisticated infrared and laser spotting and observation equipment of little use to the Texans.

End of Turn 3

 The Mexican assault begins to clump up directly in front of the Alamo. Stress Points begin to build on the Texans as several stands of Mexican infantry remain stationary to increase their rate of fire. Sporadic defensive fire does little to break the Mexican morale, and the Texans are down to their final seven men out of twenty initial.

End of Turn 4

By partway through Turn 4, the remaining Texans are dispatched by excellent Mexican artillery gunnery. Though in its final minutes the Texan defense destroyed another squad, it is for naught. The Mexicans begin to move forward and attempt to capture the Alamo, as the few survivors are unable to offer much in the way of resistance. However, the relief force finally arrives from Fort Hood, offering a glimmer of hope to the civilians and wounded left in the Alamo.

End of Turn 5

The Bradleys move up and dismount their infantry, a squad of which dispatches the would-be assault team in a storm of M4 fire. The squad takes a direct hit from an artillery shell, but continues on with four casualties. M242 chain gun and M240 fire proves to be of only moderate use against the massed Mexicans, leaving the real work to the dismounts. The other squad disembarks straight into close combat, losing several men to an impromptu bayonet charge by the depleted Mexican infantry. However, the Guardsmen fight back, killing or wounding three Mexicans. The HQ Bradley remains stationary, allowing it to take a TOW missile shot which knocks out one of the right wing's guns.

Meanwhile, the left wing's artillery limbers up and prepares to re-position for shots against the second mechanized squad.

End of Turn 6 (Game)

The Mexicans attempt a counterattack, damaging one Bradley with artillery fire that damages several exposed systems and badly smashes armor in one location. However, it is too little, too late. The right wing loses its final gun to the HQ Bradley, and the second squad routs the depleted remains of the Mexican infantry. In a suicidal last-ditch maneuver, one of the artillery crews attempts to hand-deliver shells to the second Bradley and its dismounts. This backfires, as the crew are mowed down by fire from the chain gun, M4s, two M249s, and a lucky grenade from an M320.

Finally, the first Guard infantry squad enters the Alamo, recovering over a dozen wounded as well as the untouched civilian refugees.

Final Results

The Second Battle of the Alamo proved to be a close game. Let's examine our objectives...

Mexican: 

-Occupy the Alamo with at least two squads of infantry for at least one turn. Failed.

-No Texans are permitted to survive. Met! Three stands killed; 15VP

Texan: 

-Do not allow the Mexicans to capture the Alamo. Met! 10VP

Tennessee National Guard:

-Enter the Alamo to assist survivors Met! 5VP

Overall, we wind up with a 15-15 Draw. Although the Mexicans killed or wounded all defenders of the Alamo, their half-hearted final assault was turned back by the valiant efforts of the Guard. The vast majority of Texan wounded pulled through, thanks to modern medical expertise and combat-lifesaving techniques.

Terrified by this new force, Santa Anna issued the order to pull back. However, this retreat will take the 1836 soldiers through the modern-day Mexican state of Coahuila, where local support against the US is nearly a given. With Guard and active-duty units in hot pursuit after securing the area, a confrontation is inevitable...

Evaluation

Time-space warping aside, the Tennessee Army National Guard is a respectable military organization. Accordingly, it's only fitting and natural to issue a report about what went right, wrong, and wacky.

What Went Right:

Mechanized Infantry suffers from a lack of firepower the moment it dismounts, as the majority of its weapons are too cumbersome to fire immediately. However, the M4 has the Carbine trait, permitting it to be fired upon disembarking. This encourages planned assaults instead of rash reactions, as a prepared fireteam can lay down more than twice the firepower. Mechanized infantry went just as planned. A!

19th-century infantry operates in large clumps that took a while to whittle down without high-ex artillery. Their staying power vis a vis modern forces in the open was quite appropriate. B!

What Went Wrong:

The Stress Point System totally failed. Totally. Not a single unit was suppressed throughout the entire game when some most definitely should have. I am reducing the Motivation of all units such that suppression is actually a reasonable goal. Additionally, HE weapons will automatically suppress on a 4+. Nothing to get you running for cover like a 12-pounder cannon shell exploding fifty yards from your face. F.

Bradley Fighting Vehicles did not have appropriate anti-infantry firepower. I was a bit tentative about giving the M242 Bushmaster chain gun the HE trait, but it really should have it. Killing exposed, unarmored infantry one or two at a time with a 25mm autocannon just doesn't hit the 'realism' button for me. C.

What Went Wacky:

I have to say, I did not expect to have suicidal Mexican artillery crewmen running at my BFVs. That was a seriously interesting surprise, and one that would have annihilated my second infantry squad had proper, concentrated defensive fires not dropped the lot in short order.

The artillery misfire rules we improvised (Roll a 1 to hit, roll for a random result) were certainly...interesting. Somehow, we decided that it made sense for the round to be fired completely wild and impact the battlespace in the next turn. It wound up destroying the only Texan cannon, which was probably the end for the defenders. Granted, it just as easily could have been a complete misfire and blown up the gun, so who am I to complain?