Would like some input

Pages: 1
Cynic658
07/31/16 01:31 AM
73.185.71.164

Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply
Hello all,

I am in the process of developing a fifth aspect to players in the Inner Sphere . . . IGCs. Inter Galactic Corporations. No I'm not completely set on that name either.

The hook is that these multi-planetary corporations would be almost as powerful as some of the current houses. In some cases they are more so. They would be very loosely based on current multi national corporations. They would have their own intelligence, security forces, and transportation resources. They only answer to their Board of Directors and, of course, their share holders.

Right now, I'm working on the CESR Corp, or Caesar Corp. In actuality it is Canon Enterprizes Salvage and Recovery. Think of it as a really big insurance corporation.

Thoughts?

Cynic
happyguy49
07/31/16 04:51 AM
98.30.242.159

Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply
I really like the idea. There is so much room for players to create their own entity this way. You can't make your own House or Clan or other major power, but you can make a company!
F
Mine is the "IDC". Interstellar Development Corporation. Creative name, I know. It started as a small mercenary group in the 3010's who did OK on the battlefield but realized they did much better as treasure hunters. Since they had found some zero-g space-hardened exoskeletons and all of their mechs happened to have hand actuators, they would plunder dead worlds and ancient poisoned/irradiated battlefields for loot. Eventually using proceeds of the loot to hire a large and skilled technical crew.

After reactivating a derelict Ice Ship, they started using it to cheaply ship vast vast quantities of various ices, ore, oil, coal, grain, salvage junk, as for such cargo they don't care if it gets distorted by the KF field effects. (and you can ship millions or even billions of tons this way)

Next step was to rip the interplanetary drive out of an old warship, and refurb it into basically being a giant tug. Now incorporating as the IDC, they buy vast quantities of dirt cheap commodities on marginal worlds, launch it into orbit with many trips up and down with cheap Mules till its a giant ball of cargo containers in LEO, then push it to the nearest jump point with the Mega-Tug, then jump it (in the megatons) with their iceship to teeming core worlds where demand for bulk commodities is high.

(i thought of this when pondering how the broken interstellar economics of the game could be 'fixed'; by adding a 3rd intermediate stage to interstellar travel. Cargo dropships assemble big cargo masses which are then pushed to jump points by tugs, then 'ice ship' type jumpships form their fields around the cargo. This fixes the too-small numbers of jumpships/dropships.)
CrayModerator
07/31/16 07:53 PM
72.189.109.30

Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply
Quote:
happyguy49 writes:
After reactivating a derelict Ice Ship,



Side note: the Ryan Cartel Iceships actually used a flotilla of 16 ships surrounding a target, not a single ship.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer

Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
CrayModerator
07/31/16 08:37 PM
72.189.109.30

Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply
Quote:
Cynic658 writes:

The hook is that these multi-planetary corporations would be almost as powerful as some of the current houses. In some cases they are more so.



That's quite cool, and I've certainly made some BT alternate histories where large corporations are quite powerful. Like here, where I speculate about super-wealthy individuals. Star League-era megacorp patrol ship is another example. In some recent works, like Interstellar Players 3 and Campaign Operations, I've been able to hint canonically about "colonial development corporations" that were important prior to the Star League. They created some of the richest humans in history, like the Chaffins clan.

However, "corporations are powerful" is an alternate history scenario for BT. They ARE powerful canonically, but corporate leadership has bought into the noble families of BT (or vice versa). Corporations are thus largely subverted to existing power structures because their bosses are members of the 5 Houses, or smaller noble houses. See the TRO3075 Warlord for a case of a powerful noble House making megacorps jump.

So, if you want to introduce very powerful corporations, it helps to be mindful about what that does to the history and power structures of the Inner Sphere. It's suggesting some existing power structures have changed to allow corporations to thrive, like there was a House or region of space where they could thrive and then significantly influence the Inner Sphere. Examples include:
1) The lost districts of the Out Worlds Alliance, which were dominated by Inner Sphere corps during the Star League. See Handbook Major Periphery States.
2a) The Terran Hegemony. It tried to fight the Houses during the First Succession War but was such a mess it couldn't resist them. Perhaps a rump state close to Terra could survive and depend on large corporations to thrive in the face of House odds.
2b) Comstar's original plan was to seize several worlds near Terra to set up a protectorate, but scaled the plans down to just Terra. Further, Comstar started life as a large corporate entity, dominating communications and interstellar banking. It was when Blake died and his nutty protege Toyoma took over that Comstar headed to wacky toaster worship land. What if Comstar kept the original plan, formed a Hegemony rump state state around Terra, and rebuilt in the name of business?
3) An independent planet or two overlooked by the Succession Wars.

Food for thought.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer

Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.


Edited by Cray (07/31/16 08:37 PM)
Cynic658
08/06/16 08:39 PM
75.42.69.20

Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply
Yep that is the plan.

A small cartel on the butt end of a system. Lots of resources, finally some stable leadership, now moving toward that very minor player in the really big Inner Sphere.

I'm thinking a total armed forces for the system is one RCT with two or three small orbital factories a few jump ships.

Around the area of the Fitvelt Coalition.

Gives me something to keep the old mind active:)
CrayModerator
08/07/16 01:10 PM
72.189.109.30

Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply
Quote:
Cynic658 writes:

I'm thinking a total armed forces for the system is one RCT with two or three small orbital factories a few jump ships.



Reasonable start.

Quote:
Around the area of the Fitvelt Coalition.



Good place for it. After Fitvelt's secession, it wasn't the most organized place. A group with money and good leadership could thrive.

A similar place would be the lost provinces of the Outworlds Alliance. Those were corporate satrapies during the Star League and seceded into obscurity during the Succession Wars.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer

Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
Pages: 1
Extra information
0 registered and 77 anonymous users are browsing this forum.

Moderator:  Nic Jansma, Cray, Frabby, BobTheZombie 

Print Topic

Forum Permissions
      You cannot start new topics
      You cannot reply to topics
      HTML is enabled
      UBBCode is enabled

Topic views: 4637


Contact Admins Sarna.net