Regency & Aslan colonies power

Steven M Bonneville writes:
>Also note that the Aslan colonies and the Domain are fairly
>evenly matched.  The old Aslan colonies in Troy are solidly
>tech 14.  As a rough estimate, note that the Aslan have
>some 53 worlds at tech 13+ (avg. in this range is 13.7) and
>the Domain has 70 at tech 13+ (avg. in this range is 13.9).
>This doesn't take into account population or starport, so it's
>a rough measure.  It's a good thing for the Domain that the
>Zhodani will have trouble with Aslan encroachments on Foreven
>to keep them both busy on another front.   Also, this only
>counts Aslan worlds in Troy, not in other colonial sectors.

If all you're comparing is TLs then you're right. But otherwise, no, the
Aslans colonies and the Domain are NOT evenly matched. At least, not if
we are to regard the old material about the Aslans as accurate. Because
the Aslan colonies are divided into 29 major and thousands of minor
'principalities' who are unable to combine the way the Regency can. That's
why I've never been able to swallow the Aslan invasions described in
Megatraveller. Add the fact that the average _ihatei_ fleet spend a lot of
it's money on transports instead of fighting ships (after all, that's the
whole point of an _ihatei_ fleet) and that _ihatei_ are generally equipped
with obsolescent ships (that drops the effective TL a bit for a start) and
I would undertake to defend Tobia with only the subsector forces of Tobia
and Reft in 1116. Or, if through a whole series of monumental blunders some
Aslans had been allowed to get settled on a few Regency worlds, I would
undertake to take a Named Fleet and have them either kicked out or (more
likely) sworn, tax-paying citizens in a couple of years. And that's
without using a truly inspired idea for solving the problem that I came up
with some years ago.

Anyway, that the Aslans were allowed to put their paws on the whole south
bit of the Domain even for a short while surprised me. That they have been
moved out of the Regency or turned into Regency citizens again by 1200
surprises me not at all.


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     [email removed]
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