From the example tech in the core book and from stuff like Hussar Sleds and the like, I understand it’s kosher to burn up some stuff that the group agrees would be quite common on our burned up world, and then let pcs and npcs alike buy it for 1rp at character creation, as long as they have the appropriate lifepaths. Is that the way people do it?
Specifically, for this 99-percent-water planet we need the basic vehicles for the Anvil Navy. Here’s some basic stuff…
Anvil Base Cruiser
These are floating military bases and bases of operations for the planet’s Anvil Sea Lords. Gigantic ships, like a cross between a carrier and a battleship, they are bristling with defensive weaponry and artillery and carry loads of Attack Sleds for air picket, and usually go surrounded by Destroyers for sub/surface picket.
Sub/Surface Destroyer
Medium-sized ships for both surface and submarine operation, are the main surface fighting vessels of this planet’s Anvil Navy. They probably carry some Attack Sleds for defense and fast attack and even a few Assault Sleds for Anvil Marine insertion and boarding actions.
I haven’t really tried to stat these up yet, and don’t really know how to go about it. Are there guidelines somewhere I’ve missed? Speed, sure, the Vehicle traits, but how about Integrity and Tolerances and the rest?
Pretty much. There are some other restrictions (like anvil lords not being able to buy things larger than assault shuttles) and some things are 2 resource points (look up Gear and Hard Technology page 111). Additionally, you probably want to have your battleships be grav/pressor ships, even though it’s mostly water. Less chance of sinking from a torpedo strike, more maneuverable, and so on.
As for actually what they do, honestly I’d do most of it as color since the tech is nice but it’s all about the people.
Oh yeah, about that thing with nothing bigger than assault shuttles. As far as I can see, the point of that is that in the book the only things bigger are spaceships, and they’re not meant for Anvil guys. But other than that, is there another point I’m missing? On a world with sea based Anvil, surely Anvil Lords should be able to buy water ships for 1 or 2 rps. Or?
Yeah, I read that other thread where the conclusion seemed to be that grav ships were a better idea, but I think we want to go with surface floating ships for this world anyway. It’s High Index, so I guess we can use force fields to handwave away the problem of wholes that make you sink. At least to a point where it shouldn’t feel that much more dangerous than a grav ship and its potential risk of falling and crashing.
Besides, underwater battles around the hulls of super-large base cruisers is just too cool not to have it!
Which brings me to another thing…
We all live in an iron submarine, an iron submarine
This world’s military is Lords-Pilot, so we definitely need iron here. Imagine the Anvil Sea Lord standing on deck in his shining white and gold iron, gazing out over the waters! But what to do with the iron wearing elite, when sea battles aren’t really infantry centered? Here’s what I’m thinking… If in ordinary, land based anvil, iron is like a cross between infantry and tanks, on a waterworld as this they instead become a cross between attack divers and mini-subs! Imagine a squad of iron, propelling through the dark waters toward the hulls of enemy vessels, armed with mini-torpedoes and limpet mines, and perhaps some UV lasers for close combat.
So, I’m thinking on this world, all local iron is assumed to have a grav device which gives them movement and depth control underwater, but not like atmospheric flight or anything. Maybe it could look like this or something (very simply): Underwater Locomotion (Vehicle: Surface Speed; Categorical Limitation: Only Underwater).
I’d be interested to see how you decide to flesh some of this out. We just burned a world last night that’s completely covered in water and we didn’t really talk about it, but I’d been wondering how the Anvil would work outside of floating cities. An Anvil navy certainly makes sense.
Me, I think it’s pretty natural for the Anvil to have a sea navy on a water world. As Anvil everywhere know, it takes troops on the surface to actually take a territory, and it’s hardly a job for the Hammer just because it takes ships to do it.
