[Ogre] Re: Ogre-list Digest, Vol 6, Issue 8

[Richard]

> I'm trying to create a scenario with Ogre's and Heavies on Mars.


I had a bunch of thoughts regarding your comments so I am just going to fire
them off...

1) I agree that GEVs would not work as well. You can assume all sorts of
things in science fiction but from what you wrote it seems that you are not
going to far into the future technology-wise (ie no anti gravity,
miraculious 'transporters' etc). Mars has lower gravity then earth but it
also has a much thinner atmosphere. Unless there was some sort of
terra-forming that improved the atmosphere OR you came up with anti grav, I
dont think the atmosphere would be condusive to hovercraft.

2) You mention Heavy's being big enought to have some sort of life support
but not Light (tanks). I think the word 'light' is highly comparative. An
OGREverse 'light' is still pretty bloody big. The current MBT for America is
the Abrams which fully loaded is around 80 tons and when compared to the
stuff kicking around Ogre it would be almost useless (I love the Abrams I
might add but in Ogre it would be archaic).
    That does not necessarily mean that the 'light tank' of Ogre is
automatically bigger but even if its half the size/mass, it would still be
capable of being designed with life support.
    Another thought along those lines is that the Ogreverse (and even a
modern day consideration) is NBC (Nuclear-Biological-Chemcial) protection.
Odds are that every combat vehicle would already have systems in place that
would nearly be like life support in order to protect from those threats.
Even if they were not, it would be my take that almost any combat vehicle
would be capable of being retro fitted (or designed with) sufficient stuff
to protect the crew.

3) You mentioned 'how to get them there?'. That also depends a lot on what
you assume is available science-fiction-technology-wise. An orbital elevator
would be cool but that kind of system tends to operate slowly. How many
trips would the elevator have to make with sealed containers before enough
people and hardware were smuggled in in sufficient strength in order to
secure the facility as a whole AND hold it while the remainder of the force
gets ferried to the surface (further bearing in mind that it has to happen
without anyone discovering the large scale deception before everything is in
place).

4) Dropping big stuff from orbit thru a thin atmosphere has all sorts of its
own complications but maybe powered armor infantry could be made drop
capable? For example, some armored fighting vehicles get smuggled down via
elevator, then they pop out while simultaneous infantry drops take place.
The infantry's task is to hold the elevator against any counter attack while
more and more equipment gets ferried down via the elevator. If it works,
eventually enough heavy stuff gets planet side for the invader to go on the
offensive.

5) You mention driving long distances and maintenance considerations. Thats
another problem with many different ways to look at it (and depends heavily
on your interpretation of the tech available). Military history is full of
example of people pushing themselves and technology beyond what was thought
possible...maybe 'the drive' becomes one of those moments? Enough vehicles
make it to the surface but in the drive half of them fail due to the demands
and lack of maintance? Maybe OGRE/Mars-tech is such that maintenance is much
less of a problem then what we consider these days?
    If infantry get to the surface, why not engineers and support units? A
group (or groups) of combat engineers who dropped to specific points along
where the drive was heading could provide logisitical support along the way.

6) It all depends on your interpretation of the capabilities of the
technology available. Just make your story consistent within its own logical
framework, write well and readers will love it.