Regional Defense Force 4

History

Regional Defense Force 4 (RDF 4) was formed as a part of the creation of the Hanseatic Security Force following attempts by a number of colonies to throw off the influences of the Hanseatic League Council of Merchants in or around 2920.

After attempting to enforce a period of isolation from external influences across the League, the Council of Merchants changed tack in 3011 and decided to declare three worlds to be open worlds, accessible to all.

By the mid-3060s RDF 4 was under the command of Captain-General Lars Muldoon and well-known for a robustly proactive approach to pirate hunting; rather than waiting passively for attacks from hostile forces, RDF 4 regularly dispatched hunter-killer task forces to conduct raids against targets believed to be supporting or harbouring pirates. These raids often included conducting "object lessons" against settlements believed to be harbouring bandits, and RDF 4's tactics were acknowledged as being brutal.

Unbeknownst to Captain-General Muldoon, his Aide, Major Hohiro Watanabe, and a number of elements within RDF 4 were in league with a number of major Hansa trading houses at this point in time; these elements would "accidentally" damage facilities belonging to rival trading houses during their pirate-hunting raids. While Watanabe was responsible for drawing up a number of hit-lists for these rogue elements, by 3064 he was beginning to have qualms about some of the tactics being used by these elements.

Despite the disruption other RDFs suffered between 3064 and 3067 RDF 4 were largely unaffected by events within the Hanseatic League, continuing their anti-pirate activities throughout the period. from their home base on Gateway.

During the Jihad RDF 4 continued to fight against bandits and pirates, and the successes enjoyed by the RDF lead to very high morale, despite the fact that most of the engagements involved pitting elements of the RDF against outnumbered opponents who were using inferior technology.

Officers

The senior Captain-General of RDF 4 from at least as early as 3064 through until the beginnings of the Jihad was Captain-General Lars Muldoon.

Composition History

In common with all of the RDF brigades RDF 4 was a combined arms force, and standard deployments for sub-units drawn from RDF 3 typically consisted of a 'Mech company reinforced by one or two battalions of armor and infantry.

3064

Regional Defense Force 4 (Veteran/Reliable)

• 1 BattleMech Regiment
• 4 Conventional Regiments

• CO: Captain-General Lars Muldoon
• Aide: Major Hohiro Watanabe

3067

Regional Defense Force 4 (Veteran/Reliable)

• 1 BattleMech Regiment

• CO: Captain-General Lars Muldoon

- At this point in time RDF 4 was at full strength; fifteen percent of the RDF were using advanced equipment, and the RDF was based on the world of Riga. - Conventional forces are not listed within Field Manual: Updates, leaving the strength of the RDF 4 conventional forces unknown.

3079

Regional Defense Force 4 (Veteran/Reliable)

• 1 BattleMech Regiment

- At this point in time RDF 4 was at full strength and approximately fifteen percent of the RDF was using upgraded equipment. - Conventional forces are not listed within Field Report: Periphery, leaving the strength of the RDF 4 conventional forces unknown.

Rules

Game Rules

3064

• RDF 4 uses the Hanseatic League column of the Random 'Mech Assignment Table within Field Manual: Periphery.
• Units from RDF 4 of company size or smaller gain a +1 bonus to Initiative rolls.
• Units from RDF 4 of battalion isze or greater receive a -1 penalty to Initiative rolls.
• MechWarrior 3 RPG characters from RDF 4 gain Streetwise +2.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Periphery
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: Periphery