Take a closer look at that Crunch Gun (a.k.a Guy's Gun) and the Panda light
tank. A sniper can penatrate the armor, except the front, using ball ammo
out to 1200 meters. Use the DS ammo and you can score crew hits, through
the front armor, from over a kilometer distant.
The Free Traders can keep brush fire wars going this way. Why? It's good
for business. You sell to one side, your partner sells to the other.
FT Bob sells Panda's to TED Zeke cause Zeke has more valuable stuff to
trade. FT Charlie sells Guy's Guns to Rebel Leader Yolanda for stuff RL
Yolanda steals from TED Zeke. FT Bob and FT Charlie meet up later, count
the loot and have a good laugh over their beers.
Of course the FT's don't want the RCES coming in. Not only do they want
to spoil such little profit centers, but the next thing you know...
Ya got port fees, export tarifs, import bans, fuel taxes...ugh!
Given the limited RCES resources, the *last* thing they want to do is get
involved directly in a Planatary war. They may have TL 12 stuff and the
zips got TL5 or 6, but the zips got lot's of their stuff. The RCES have
to haul their stuff up a gravity well, through jump space and then down
a gravity well. What do you call a grounded starship? How about an
artillery target.... There is a reason why policy calls for decapitation
raids. It's cheaper, faster and doesn't suck resources like a [insert
favorite methaphor].
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Urbin - [email removed] - FTP Software, Inc. - Opinions are mine!
Vikings? There ain't no vikings here. Just us honest farmers. The town was
burning, the villagers were dead. They didn't need those sheep anyway.
That's our story and we're sticking to it.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------