BattleTech fan since the early '90s, game design enthusiast since forever.

Monday, May 4, 2015

FWL 3025 Manufacturing: Assault Shortage

...the Free Worlds League has had a serious shortage of assault 'Mech production capacity for the past 20-25 years.  ...  As a result of this problem, the League's assault battalions have become increasingly populated with Orions, Warhammers, and other lighter 'Mechs, placing them at a distinct disadvantage against equivalent units from the Lyran Commonwealth, which are well-stocked with new Zeuses and Goliaths. (page 114)
The shortage no doubt began with Anton's Civil War (the Irian plant reopened quickly*, but perhaps not at full strength). I suspect it also coincides with upgrades to the Lyran Furillo plant, and a general retooling of Commando lines to produce heavier 'Mechs.
used without permission

I could dismiss the remark about new Lyran Goliaths since the closest similar statement in the Steiner book names Zeuses and Atlases instead; however, it squares with TR:3025's assertion that the majority of Goliaths are in Steiner hands, and it's possible that the FWL only recently recaptured a Goliath factory from the Lyrans. Stewart is a bit far from the border, but Oliver is an attractive candidate: it's the Goliath's original production site, it's right on the border, and it loses production capacity so regularly that a silenced Goliath line wouldn't be remarkable.

It's convenient that Orions, Warhammers and "others" (which I'll take to be Marauder-Ms) are named specifically, because I can assume the Lyrans produce an equal number of assault 'Mechs. Likewise, since the book doesn't note any similar shortfall or advantage against Capellan forces, I'll assume that assault 'Mechs occupy a similar fraction of Capellan manufacturing.
Except for the period between 2953-68, when it controlled the Liao Atlas and Victor production facility on Carver V, the only new assault 'Mechs produced by the Free Worlds League during the past century have been Awesomes, BattleMasters, and Goliaths. As a result, the League's regular regiments have become increasingly dominated by medium, 45-60 ton 'Mechs like the Phoenix Hawk, the Hunchback, and the home-grown Hermes II. (page 115)
The "45-60" tons might look like a typo, but I'm not sure it is. A lance of 45-60 ton 'Mechs (210 tons) is about average for MW1e's "medium lance," which I believe corresponds with the typical weight of BF1's regular medium regiments. Regardless, medium 'Mechs aren't dominant due to production--Marik production of mediums is actually shorted a bit in favor of heavy 'Mechs. The mediums just aren't suffering as much attrition.


To be continued later.

*EDIT:  it did reopen quickly once they started rebuilding it, but they didn't start rebuilding it for close to a decade.

6 comments :

  1. I was not aware of this. The myth of the PPC shortage was too prevalent.

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    1. Huh? I don't follow.

      More PPCs go on their Griffins and Warhammers than on their assault 'Mechs, and the availability table in MW1e makes spare PPCs harder to get in Marik space than elsewhere.

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  2. I'm not really aware of the 3025 era so much. The only thing I'd heard about the FWL in that era was something regarding a PPC shortage. Then I heard that was a myth.

    I had thought the PPC thing had been more prevalent while I've never heard of the assault 'mech shortage before. I was just making a joke about how a few PPCs more or less isn't as important as coming up short on powerful units.

    And color notwithstanding, why does Google put the "Sign out" button where every other sane person would put a "Post" button?

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    1. Yeah, "they build Awesomes" seems to trump everything in people's minds.

      Blogspot is obviously not getting google's best effort. Maybe they wish everyone would switch to Google+.

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    2. Actually, they're drawing down G+ support.
      http://www.wired.com/2015/03/google-knew-dead-google-still-social-network/
      Glad they've stopped. "Pushin' rope," is what the folks from Archer would've called it.

      Delete
    3. Wow, I think that phrase dates back to when I still had cable!

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