True, but I doubt they'll do that,
A if they do that would be an obvious sign to every senator that the emperor is planning to bomb the sh*t out of Lanzar which is not good.
B if it were that easy for the imps to do that we would never have a small chance of gaining anything, unless this will just be a run against the clock from our side.
C the imps will want to test their new toys I think.
I think one Imp in particular will do anything in his power to get his AT-AT on the ground. We can't do anything about a bombardment ourselves, so our planning to respond to that should not be most important, anyway.
Even if they do start with an orbital bombardment, the Imps will have to land at some point. Disabling AT-ATs will be a bit much, but we can still operate with anti-personnel tactics.
If the Imps land far off from the city, then one option for us is to catch them in the jungles before they reach the city. However, I do not believe this would be the wisest course of action. Out there, we are as vulnerable to the beasts of Lanzar as the Imps, and maybe moreso. Also, just figuring out where the Imps will be marching through and setting up somewhere along there doesn't necessarily mean we will have an advantageous position.
I think we'd be better off within or at least near the city, perhaps under the shield, where we can fortify an entrance and have better luck holding off the Imperial force. Under the shield we can pick off Stormies as they pass through, and be better protected by the slower-moving AT-ATs for at least a longer time.
I don't like that Idea,
I think our objective is to prevent them from getting anywhere near the real generator.
Now remember, this is the Imps, and (OOC) you have worked with these guys before, WE can trick them. WE need to control the battle and the tide, WE need to pick the battlefield, and where they go. And I'm betting that we can outsmart them.
Oh, and for AT-AT defence, I was thinking of digging Deep trenches. Quick (relativly), easy and effective.
Yes, because those trenches will work so well on Hoth, too. 🙄
Our objective is to thwart whatever the Imps are trying to do. They are trying to take Lanzar City. The generator isn't worth shit if they have every other building in the city. You see what I'm saying?
WE don't have the military power or the resources to control the tide of the battlefield. And having, as you said, worked with our now-enemies in the last few games, I know how they're most likely to play. If I know Rex, he's already secured himself as the main planner, and he's going to push for a full frontal attack at the helm of an AT-AT.
Rex and the others on the Imp's side are prone to thoughtless mistakes, but they play smart. Outsmarting them ain't gonna be "like dustin' crops, boy."
Our only real advantage is the fact that we are getting there first, and we can pick the battlefield. Now, we know from Ush's description that the beasts of the Lanzar jungles are easily deadly, and I'd rather have my back to a solid wall while defending the city than to a pack of Lanzar raptors while trying to cut the Imps off. Our best bet is defending the city entrance.
No I mean like 8 foot trenches that the AT-AT will step in, and can't get out of and trip and die...
But this is gonna be like Hoth, They are going to take down the Shield Generator, thats going to be their main proirity, We used our Contact to find that out! Thats whats going down. Period.
And we don't need military power to control the battle, and the tide, adn where it is, we just need to be clever about it.
Now, Defending the city should be more of a last resort, because if there are already there, we are pretty much toast as our main objective was to prevent them from getting there in the first place.
So now we need to be clever come up with HOW exactly we are going to trick/defeat these guys.
Well, while I too think fighting the Imps in the Jungle is a bad idea, I also think we have to do something there to slow them up, and make our final fight at the city limits. I was thinking we could send a team into the jungle to set traps or barriers of some sort to slow them down.
Remember, while they're the largest, the AT-AT's might not be our only enemies. I don't know exactly what makes up an Imperial landing party. Would all of the personnel they need fit in AT-AT's? Or would some of them have to walk or ride smaller transports. If they had scout walkers and speeder bikes we could pull some of the same stuff the Ewoks did. Even if it only slows them down, that's something. Also, in general, if part of a force slows down, the rest has to as well to stay together. It's rarely advantageous to divide your forces, unless they are designed for it.
Of course, if they only arrive in AT-AT's I can't imagine what it would take to slow them up. Their feet are almost as big as a speeder, and the whole monster stands over 46 feet tall. I doubt a log pile would bother them much.
One crazy idea I had about the AT-AT's was a one-shot airstrike. It would take some planning, but if we come at them from behind just after they get underway, we can get in one good torpedo run. AT-AT's don't have rear arc weapons, and they are very limited to the sides. Unless they had fighter cover (Doubtful since Ties aren't meant to fight in atmosphere) or AA bateries set up (which is why I suggest just after they start out, I don't even know if they have something like that) we could just veer off to either side of them and fly around out of their range back to the city. There we could land and rejoin the non-flyers wherever the next stage of our defense is set up. I don't know what kind of damage that might do, but every little bit helps.
I think T is right, if we want to mount a decent counter-strike the jungle would be the best place. It holds dangerous creatures indeed, but it also gives us quite a few advantages.
- More places to hide
- Better mobility
- Easier to figure out the Imps their next move
I know the city is a good battle ground as well. but once they reach the city it will be a desperate last fight without real meaning. Look at Hoth they had speeders and cannons and a sh*tload of infantry and they didn't hold very long against that Imp landing party. I think the jungle offers us more opportunities and time to stall them
Ok...
First off, the Imperial forces will include AT-STs and Speeder bikes, but the largest component will be foot infantry- as ever. AT-ATs can carry a hundred troops but the Imperial force will be in tens of thousands.
The only other decent form of mobility they would have is shuttles- hardly combat pieces.
As far as this game is concerned, any fighter can be used in atmosphere, but there are large penalties for space fighters doing so. Better to use dedicated atmospheric craft, but the Imperials simply don't (generally) and the Rebels haven't acquired any yet.
Building huge trenches all around the city could take weeks.
Well, I think you guys have definitely gotten into the right frame of mind for thinking, so I can move you on soon!
(Remember, we're not going to stop them no matter what. We are just slowing them down. There are lots of ways to do that. Traps, pitfalls, surprises. We'll always (well pretty much) know where they are and how many. They won't know that about us. Since we'll be there first we can have things ready. We can scout out the terrain ahead of time. We'll probably have a few days after the Imps arrive to get this ready.
We can do things like the clotheslines the Ewoks did, but put up dozens or hundreds, at slightly different heights, all over the best speeder bike paths. We can prepare sections of jungle to burn once the stormtroopers get inside it. Minefields, booby traps with Thermal Detonators or other explosives, and running firefights when we have to. Let's come up with lots of fairly simple ideas like these. Every time the Imps have to stop or change direction, even a little, is a small victory for us.)
(I just thought of something else. Maybe we can recruit some of the Osokans to help us out in the jungle. They could probably give us some valuable advice about how best to foil the Imps' progress, plus help us with whatever preparations we decide to make. On top of that, they are fierce warriors, after all, and can fight along side us. Also, if we can get them out in the jungle while we plant traps and mines or whatever, they can help protect us against the wild beasts we're worried about. If Galahad and others can really win them over, we might even end up with a small army to fight with. I mean we should at least be able to count on their help once the Imperials land and begin to march on the city. They would no doubt be interested in protecting their homes.)