Since people originally asked about the composition of the Sword
Worlds military, here's the lowdown from 5FW:
Since the game is focused on the primary theater of operations,
we only see the Joyeuse and Gram fleets. The Darrian theater
is off the game board, as is the rimward theater and most of
the Sword Worlds Confederation, so the Sacnoth and Narsil fleets
are not represented.
Planetary forces are estimates converted from the wargaming
notation to something a little more clear to the general reader.
ARMY:
Mjolnir has no defenses, tech-10.
Gungnir has one division, tech-8. Balkanized world.
Joyeuse has an SDB, one corps, two divisions, and one brigade,
tech-10. Balkanized world.
Gram has 120 SDBs and twelve corps, tech-10.
Mobile forces available are:
Six corps (one elite), two brigades, TL 10 to 11, mostly
tech-10.
NAVY: Under the Gram and Joyeuse Fleets:
Six BatRons, seven CruRons, two AssaultRons, one TankRon.
Fleet is roughly 60% jump-2, 40% jump-3, suggesting roughly
60% tech-11, 40% tech-12, minimum.
Three admirals are available. One must be a Zhodani liaison.
Unfortunately for the Sword Worlds, their skill is inversely
proportional to their rank. The ranking flag, Riksdattar, is
much like Santanocheev. [Incidentally, if her name is formed
in the Icelandic manner, Riksdattar is a woman. Just an
observation for the SW culture watchers.]
*ANALYSIS*
Hm. I guess the SDB figures are for craft or are more abstract...
Terra only had 34 wings in 1001, after all.
Note that Gram is stated to be TL 10! However, _Spinward Marches
Campaign_ confirms the tech-11...but it also says Regina is tech-12,
which is an increase of two tech levels from previous supplements.
Would someone kindly check the CT book _Supplement 3: The Spinward
Marches_ to see if this is the case? It might answer some questions.
Since the SW were not colonized until -399 imperial, and they have
had no patron like the Imperial colonies, is it possible that they
are just entering a period of technological growth?
Note the paucity of forces available to the SW government. It
would seem that they aren't really prepared for much of an
offensive campaign.
Side notes:
The leadership in 5FW is interesting. Generally speaking, the
Zhodani have better leadership than the Imperials. Santanocheev
isn't a complete disaster as an admiral -- he's a bit like General
McClellan from the US Civil War; he reacts and plans very slowly,
but in battle he's a decent tactician. Norris isn't a tactician,
but he has a grasp of strategic planning and a reaction time that's
pretty phenomenal. The IN actually has a couple of junior admirals
that tactically *impede* the performance of their fleets!
Seditious TNE influence: by using _PoT_ rules in a wildly
inappropriate way, estimated armed forces from UWP. Ground force
seems a bit low, but probably explainable by needing more hands
in space in a pre-Collapse professional military. The SW seem to be
a naval power, anyway.
Steve Bonneville
[email removed]