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[Chiefwaffles]

Chiefwaffles: You didn't answer Nuke's question. Is our understanding of the mechanics correct? So long as we don't move our Iliad from A2, we have it locked down and they can't get anything to A1 without destroying our combat ships over A2?

First: I messed up in 2211's combat phase. I really shouldn't have allowed Amaok to move their units up, as now I'm forced to bend a lot of rules to keep the game working.
If I ever do a "redux" or Planetary Arms Race or anything resembling that, I'm definitely seriously changing the way territory/planets is structued.

Regarding your actual question:
Amaok can't move units to A1 unless they gain control of A2 for a year. (Though they'll no longer have the supply line penalty without the year wait). This is regardless of the status of A2.
Amaok can withdraw units from A1, and the only way to stop this is to have a combat vessel stationed there to attempt to intercept their transport.
I'm considering a minor kind-of-overhaul of control/supply/territory mechanics after this combat phase. It's a bit of a mess currently.

If I missed any designs here that could reasonably be improved by Infernium-6, let me know.
Revision: Infernium-6
6

First developed in our more secretive labs, Infernium-6 is now being rolled out to the rest of our military to greatly improve our fuel situation.

We had a bit of issue at first in the labs in trying to keep red oxygen "stable", for lack of a better term. Our researchers quickly developed means to easily create red oxygen, but keeping it in that state while allowing for transport and proper use was difficult. Ultimately, we created a cheap atomic macrostructure that contains the Infernium 6. After some difficulties, the macrostructure was perfected and we had created a stable form: Infernium-6. From here, including it in our standard fuel blends was a relatively easy task.

The result is impressive - Infernium-6 massively increases the efficiency of our solid fuel thrusters. The thrusters themselves don't particularly change in function, but we're able to either greatly increase the range of chemical thruster-propelled objects or to decrease the mass dedicated purely to fuel storage. Lower-ranked engineers were tasked with implementing some basic changes in some of our designs in order to take advantage of Infernium-6.

Most of our ships remain roughly the same in effective acceleration - our designs created to move from planet to planet don't use massive amounts of fuel. Increasing the fuel efficiency does help with fuel costs and the like (and Central Command thanks you for that) but it's not enough to make a difference in scales smaller than interplanetary ranges.

However, there are two notable areas where Infernium-6 has created very notable improvements.
The first, is the Crane Transport's smaller transport shuttles. Thanks to Infernium-6, we've managed to increase their individual CU capacities to 3 CU. Meaning that the Crane Transport can now transport things as big as 3 CU from or to the planetside, instead of its former 2 CU transport shuttle capacity. With Infernium-6, the shuttles can have a lot more space dedicated to cargo and more cargo on board.
Next, is our missile. We haven't changed the mass distribution in regards to fuel, but implementing Infernium-6 has very notably increased the abilities of our missiles. Our missiles are now a bit more agile and are capable of Long Range, versus its former Medium Range. Of course, the utility of this is questionable as we lack any methods of acquiring targets at Long Range, given our visual-range radars.


Infernium-6 should also make the idea of hybrid atmosphere/orbital craft much more possible. Sure, we could always make vessels that flew in orbit and also atmosphere, but with the right use of Infernium-6, perhaps we could develop a vessel that can fly repeatedly to and from planetside while being much larger than anything that's currently capable than that. With Infernium-6, we can put a lot more fuel into our ships, meaning repeated atmospheric entry and exit is perhaps possible now. Many more things are possible in the future thanks to this innovative new fuel.

Infernium-6: A stable and usable form of Red Oxygen that's currently a part of our fuel blends. With Infernium-6 present, we're capable of far greater fuel efficiency thanks to its properties. Infernium-6 can let us get more range out of the same amounts of fuel or decrease the amount of fuel we put on our ships without effectively sacrificing anything.


It is now the Strategy Phase of 2211.

[Draignean]

 

Here I thought we had these great missiles that were doing all their target evaluation and selection by themselves, which is why they didn't get a maneuvering upgrade. Now we get the maneuvering and thrust upgrade, and we find out that we don't have reliable target acquisition.

Ah well, we got improved cargo capacity into the mix, and a helluva background tech that we can leverage for a good long time to come.

Vehicle Design + Sensor revision next round?

EDIT: To Clarify, this is a good thing, but with that six I almost find myself wishing for the artillery. Though, dear god, when we get sensors up and then design the artillery... They'll have nowhere left to go.

[Chiefwaffles]

Your missiles do have reliable + good target acquisition, it's just that it doesn't mean your ships know when to or where to fire them. An Iliad-Class only knows a hostile is nearby when that hostile appears on its radar. They're not going to use their Long Range missiles if they don't know there's an enemy at Long Range.

For another example, I may have a gun that can shoot up to 5 miles away with amazing accuracy, but if I can only see up to one mile ahead I'm not going to be able to shoot someone that's 5 miles ahead of me.

[Draignean]

Well, this being space, we could always drop missiles into statistically likely orbital patterns and this use them like leap mines.


Still, I take your point. I don't doubt we'll have sensors up soon.

[Nirur Torir]

Great tech. Hopefully that'll get us a first shot bonus, even if we're still sensor-limited.

Since it's confirmed that A1's orbit is safe if we blockade A2, let's send both Iliads to A2, along with a pair of Cranes as radio carriers, decoys, and missile reloads. If both explode, we still have two to move tanks next turn, and I'd rather catch a volley with a Crane than risk both Iliads.
Cranes with radios go to A1 and A2 -- Hopefully the radios will help with bombardment targeting.

More controversially, ITCs bring A2(bolter) and C1(pistol) units to A1.
Space ITC and Crane fly to C2 to help the infantry maneuver.

Spoiler: Swarm The Invaders (click to show/hide)

Rename Cranes to Crane, Stork, Heron, and Ibis.

ITC MSS Mist moves one A2 unit to A1.
ITC MSS Fog moves C1 unit to A1.
ITC MSS Haze moves to C2 and aids infantry maneuver.

MSS Crane and MSS Stork move to A2. They will split a radio (if possible, else Crane carries it) for transport to the troops, carry bombardment reloads, and serve to draw enemy fire if Amaok brings more than light forces.
MSS Heron brings a radio to A1, for whichever unit will benefit more.
MSS Ibis moves to A1 and aids infantry maneuver.

MSS Iliad and MSS Aeneid blockade A2.

Swarm the Invaders (1): Nirur Torir

Edit: Plan changed. The B2 unit stays, an A2 unit moves to A1 instead. Edit2: And now the Ibis is helping ferry troops at A1.

[Madman198237]

Alright. Lemme see where this last report was....
So, the red "SV" before Production Line 11 refers to the orbital shipyard, right?
Anyway.

For strategy:
I'd swap Unit 3 from A2 back to A1 to kill them off. If they run, well, good. We'll claim that metal and add it to the war effort.

Send the Aenied and Iliad to A2. We've got to hold that orbit, and we need to ensure that we do not lose any warships.


Everything else, I'm afraid, has to hold position. I wish I had something to send to B2 to contest the orbit, but I don't.



Have their fighters been utilized in any sort of ground-attack role yet? They can, apparently, enter a gravity well/atmosphere, so they've got to have some functionality down there...

[Nirur Torir]

Yes, but they've barely had an effect. Once we didn't even get the report until later, since it was so minor.

[Madman198237]

OK good.

But then how on Earth More Earth Moerth do they kill our spacecraft? They can run strafing runs with ship-killing missiles and accomplish nothing?

[Draignean]

OK good.

But then how on Earth More Earth Moerth do they kill our spacecraft? They can run strafing runs with ship-killing missiles and accomplish nothing?

It's likely they have limited missile racks/poor missile maneuverability in atmo/our bolters are a decent deterrent/warheads designed to defeat armor and not infantry/any number of things.

It is nice to know that, unless they have something similar to infernium, then their transatmospheric fighters will be able to be outmaneuvered to hell if we decide to make transatmospherics of our own.

[Madman198237]

I agree.

Next turn: Dropship/gunship combo (Think the Russian Hind helicopter. It does everything. With much excess and many explosions.)

[NUKE9.13]

Madman, 1 unit will not be enough to drive them off of A1. They have two units there. We unfortunately must dedicate two units if we want to drive them off.
...of course, seeing as Amaok has probably also gotten the same information we have, they may now be regretting their decision to overextend their lines, and are planning to retreat anyway. In which case we would only need to send one unit. If true, we would also want to send a warship to A1 to shoot down their transports, rather than let them move somewhere else and cause us trouble. (...which would be terrible. We move two units away from the front lines, and they add two units? We'd be routed everywhere. It really makes you question the ability to move troops around normally after an emergency evac. I mean, I know we did it earlier, but I think we shouldn't have been able to. Emergency evac should be to homeworld only.)
...well, it's not like our current warships are even any good at shooting down their transports.

Nirur: I... unfortunately agree that we should probably give up B2. I don't agree that the second unit should come from C1, since that unit is equipped only with pistols, and will not be able to defeat an Amaok unit armed with rifles. I think we should send a unit from B2 and A2.

[10ebbor10]

Eh.

The GM has constantly described the position on A1 as easily stamped out, and such. It shouldn't be too hard to destroy them there. I'm pretty sure that supply penalty is going to hit them extremely hard, especially because A1 is a frozen planet without breathable air. Being locked of required them to forage for food before, but what do you do when there's no food?

If I missed any designs here that could reasonably be improved by Infernium-6, let me know.

Bolters are IIRC, solid fuel missiles. Not sure what it would do? More explosives per bullet?

[Nirur Torir]

Question: We have B2 at 2/3. If we evacuate, will they be able to get units to B1 next turn, or do our flags in the ground somehow stop that?

[Chiefwaffles]

They'll be able to get units to B1 after next turn. Moerth will lose all ground on B2, and Amaok will automatically gain ground, but this doesn't exempt them from the new hold-for-one-turn rule. Which is, if someone doesn't yet know, a side has to hold complete control of a planet for over a year in order to be able to advance beyond it.
So if you do withdraw from B2, by the end of 2212's combat phase Amaok will have 3/3 in Amaok. But they'll still have to wait a year to secure control. After that year, though, they'll be able to move onto B1.

Bolters are IIRC, solid fuel missiles. Not sure what it would do? More explosives per bullet?

Unless I'm getting this horribly wrong, Infernium-6 is an improvement limited specifically to liquid fuel. Your bolts currently make use of solid fuel and thus don't benefit from Infernium-6. You'd have to (very easily) revise bolts into liquid fuel or include liquid fuel in a bolter-related design to get any benefits from it.

[Madman198237]

Obviously I'm not the GM, but it seems to me that they'd be able to push past B2. We don't need to be immediately winning on A1, we just need to prevent them from capturing the darn place. I think we're going to need to invent a rifle of our own, to counter theirs perfectly. But for now, we do NOT want to abandon B2---they'll only gain one unit of ground, it's almost a stalemate. That said, we will need to deploy something to even the odds next turn. But for now:

Send MSS Aenied and MSS Iliad to A2. Lock that planet down.
Shift A2 Unit 3 back to A1, crush them and their under-supplied soldiers...or at least hold them there.
Everywhere else stays put. We need to not lose too much ground, and this is the way to do it.

EDIT:
Took too long and got ninja'd by the DM.