Underdog Tactics: Ustur Faction Doctrine
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO USTUR FACTION MILITARY STRATEGY
BY NESVHA
With Contextual Editing by Krigs
STAR ATLAS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. BASELINE ASSUMPTIONS
2. POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
3. COORDINATED ADVANCE
4. LOGISTIC LINES
5. ELASTIC DEFENSE DOCTRINE
1. Baseline Assumptions
In order to lay out all the ideas this basic military strategy work contains, it is necessary to clarify some concepts before diving deeper into the matter.
A). Star Atlas Metaverse is, as we all know, in its early stages of development. We may think we do not have enough information about this changing environment to start making strategies and future military projections.
Well, that is wrong.
War is war. Everywhere. Metaverse is no exception.
Wherever and whenever you combine money, territory, resources and military strenght you will almost surely get the same outcome. War.
We might not have detailed information on military assets or precise knowledge on the enemies capabilities, or even experience on the terrain. We actually do not know who are our enemies are !!!
That is all true. But those are details.
See, there is a very big difference between Tactical decisions and Strategic decisions. The first ones are based on precise input through information gathering in order to accomplish a certain objective. The second ones conform an overall view of the conflict including different long term goals and an underlying philosophy for engagement.
Denying the enemy access to resources is the strategy, achieving it through various operations and missions over time is the tactical side. To put it in other words, strategy deals with big stuff and uses tactics to deal with small stuff in order to achieve a predetermined goal.
We can´t talk about tactics yet but we certainly can talk about the overall strategy our Ustur faction might want to use.
B). Ships XXS & XS size are not included in the scope of this work for they are considered tactical assets.
C). For conceptual argumentation we will need to group our Alliances or Guilds into different categories. The proposed classification is just an initial, basic and highly arguable way to divide guilds into two main categories: one based on size and the other based on function.
SIZE
In this category we look into the number of spaceships that an alliance has from Small size to Titan Size. Other assets such as Claim Stakes, CSS Habs or others are not included but obviously implied.
Large Guilds — Operating 501+ Ships.
Medium Guilds — Operating up to 500 Ships.
Small Guilds — Operating up to 200 Ships.
FUNCTION
We focus on the main function of the alliance or its main objective.
Domination Guild: this is the most powerful type of alliance as it has enough resources and firepower to secure and control a whole sector as well as being able to project force onto the adjacent ones. They are basically focused on military might but also have a vast logistic and auxiliary branch to support large scale operations.
Large Logistics Guild: these can be viewed as large civil corporations focused on extraction, transportation and goods & commodities manufacturing with no real interest in military operations. Their main focus is on the economy and the market, their main costumers will be other large alliances while providing other services such as storage or insurance for the rest of the faction. The Logistics denomination means these alliances control the entire process from mining / extraction / harvesting to storage and transportation to the end customer.
Large Support Guild: these type of guilds have various departments able to accomplish different functions, however the alliance does not have a clear function per se. Able to combat, perform recon missions, data gathering, mining & extraction, transportation, search & rescue or any other possible combination or all, these guilds provide numerous lines of business to the faction.
Medium Combat Guild: most probably, these will be the true high-end pilot training guilds that will provide the necessary experience through combat focused operations. The natural chain suggest they will also be the brewing grounds and pilot pool for the Domination guilds and in turn, they will look into Small Combat guilds for their recruits. This is a healthy chain of training which most surely will be supported by various guilds focused on “Pilot Academy” functions.
Medium Logistics Guild: these civil oriented alliances should blend right into the great logistics scheme of each faction providing a real option to the large monopolistic and gargantuan guilds that could lead each faction´s markets. Also, they will probably be a nice link for medium and small guilds being able to provide precious resources that largest alliances will need to use for themselves.
Medium Support Guild: the multi-tasked oriented Support guilds need also a medium echelon to cover for numerous services needed by the faction. These guilds will help fill the void on some services that large guilds or the market just will not cover. Communication between these alliances and the large ones should be fluid in order to further enhance the capabilities of the big spearheads of our faction.
Small Combat Guild: these small “war horses” are also, as the rest of small guilds, essential to the well being of the military strenght and economic muscle of the faction. The key point with these small combat oriented groups is to wisely include them in the overall picture and understand that they will do their own “small operations” but it would be better if they do those in a synchronized manner with the rest. Most of the best pilots of Galia will start out from these small combatants recruited from other small guilds and from independent individuals that need to get experience.
Small Logistics Guild: the lower band of transportation and other logistic services (storage, insurance) will be the main business of these alliances. See, we have not talked about a sector which is the “individual player” within Star Atlas. Due to the nature of game and ambition of scope, it is highly advisable that players gather around guilds for better protection and rewards, however there will be single players even if we think that is not the best option. The small logistics guild will be the link to medium and small guilds on many logistics issues, but also will fill the market void left by bigger guilds in the market giving an opportunity also for the single player to acquire resources and services that otherwise would be impossible.
Small Support Guild: these small multi-tasking guilds are also important in the faction´s ecosystem. Their business is to support and partner up with other large or medium alliances to booster their capabilities in areas where there are lack of assets, personnel or expertise. They are also quite important as a link to other small guilds and single players, enabling them to perform missions otherwise impossible on their own.
Small Bounty Hunting Guild: bounty hunting activity will be widespread in Galia, that´s for sure. Aside from their basic role, these guilds will also act as real information gatherers and space sector watchers with the ability to add their fast combat groups to battle.
Small Raiding & Pirate Guild: acting essentially as recon units, these guilds are “the unoficial branch” of the faction´s military forces, even if acting on their own. They will have to carry operations inside other faction´s territory therefore being the best “on-spot”intelligence gathering units in our faction. Whatever they “know”, the Ustur High Command (SturCom) should know.
Small Auxiliary & Rescue Guild: these alliances are extremely important for the well being of the faction. The big alliances will surely have their own Search and Rescue (SAR) and even Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) units, but maybe these ships and units will not be so available to the rest of the faction due to intense internal use (specially when engaging in battle for long periods). And the same could be said from medium guilds. However, these small companies will help fill the void in the market in order to offer their services to all, from big corporations to single players.
Small Data Running Guild: these specific function based guilds will be making business through data gathering and selling it to customers eager to know about empty sectors or untapped resources ready to be mined. On a higher strategic level, these guilds will be a portion of the eyes and ears of the faction wherever larger guilds can´t or just won´t focus their gaze, therefore able to sell military intel as a part of their offering also. Again, smaller guilds help to fill the void and connect with single players enabling them to buy information otherwise impossible to get with their actual assets.
Pilot Academies: these entities, most probably small to medium size, will be the backbone of combat pilot training. It is not hard to conceive a future in which these guilds “certify” skills for space combat through a series of training programs and milestone certifications that Domination and Medium Combat guilds will require for their incoming recruits. Their function is not only restricted to training combat pilots but they also will specialize on crew training and overall fleet tactics knowledge.
2. POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
There are different possible scenarios we can observe when the gates open for real:
A). Galia is a place of peace and harmony where MUD humans breakdance, ONI aliens mix strange drinks and USTUR androids / robots DJ techno music.
Assessment: EXTREMELY LOW PROBABILITY
B). The expansion of each faction is slow and timid, most specially in the beginning. In this scenario diplomacy plays an important role in order to establish fluid communications between factions, preventing any early outbreak of war. The Faction Oath is signed by the respective High Commands to prevent two factions aligning against a third at any moment. This mechanism allows long periods of peace in the galaxy with only some occasional military encounters in between guilds in the MRZ but mostly all of them inside the unregulated HRZ.
Assessment: MODERATE PROBABILITY
C). The drums of war thunder once again. In this scenario conflicts arise between factions as soon as the gates drop. Some large alliances carry out massive planned assaults on the territory of a neighboring faction with the hope of crippling it´s potential at a stage in which a counter offensive is highly difficult to perform. Diplomacy has to step in to stop this chaotic behaviour but the damage is already done. One or two factions can end up limited in possibilities if, for example, the perceived as “most powerful” one decides to strike first.
Assessment: MODERATE TO HIGH PROBABILITY
3. COORDINATED ADVANCE
Us, the USTUR, must expand our controlled territory in a well planned and coordinated manner or else suffer the consequences of failing to do so.
Our original faction community has to get around this idea because not only we are the smallest faction in personnel terms, we are also perceived to be the weakest due to “poor” performance in the first stages of SA. There is no fun playing in a highly chaotic environment with no clear vision of the situation and always living under the threat of attacks. There is also little economic profit in it too.
A well thought expansion of our alliances across the various sectors that comprise our territory will lay out the foundations for a good defence structure, the possibility of projecting force if necessary and the advantage of designing long and efficient logistic lines that can be easily defended and guarded.
Here are some ideas on how to do so.
Caution: numbers of alliances are not necessarily realistic, this is just an example.
LARGE ALLIANCE MEDIUM ALLIANCE SMALL ALLIANCE
2 Domination | 3 Combat | 4 Combat
1 Logistics | 2 Medium Logistics | 4 Logistics
1 Support | 2 Support |2 Support
2 Pirate & Raiding
2 Bounty Hounting
2 Data Running
3 Auxiliary
Alliances should have a strong presence at the frontline sectors. A solid line of defense should be placed here as fast as possible:
Sectors (Frontline)
MRZ 17
1 Domination + 1 S. Pirate & Raiding
MRZ 27
1 Domination + 1 S. Pirate & Raiding
MRZ 32
1 M. Combat
MRZ 16
1 M. Combat
These alliances should be supported by logistics, support, data & auxiliary alliances at all times in order to perform their duties on a constant basis.
Sectors (Midline)
A second line of defense should be placed at MRZ 33, MRZ 15 & MRZ 23 containing smaller combat guilds and rearguard detachments from the bigger alliances. This second ring should contain enough firepower and logistics to be able to support the Frontline and also act as barrier before the Groundline. These sectors would be the main providers of quick reinforcements to the front in the case of an outbreak of hostilities as well as controlling the vasts areas of space between Frontline and Groundline, places where enemy detachments and raiders can attack in order to create chaos and confusion.
Another important function of the Midline is precisely to make sure that our long logistic lines to the front are patrolled and secured. An intelligent opponent will surely try to disrupt supply lines with small and hard to detect raiding groups, if not able to do it by displaying full force and succesfully breaking the flow of resources and reinforcements needed at the Frontline.
Sectors (Groundline)
The poorest resource area, sectors MRZ 34, MRZ 28, MRZ 21, MRZ 22 & MRZ 35, form the last line of defense. The Groundline.
If an enemy is able to conquer our Groundline we are finished. The low ammount of resources contained in the Safe Zone are just not enough to mount a counterattack in order to expel the enemy. The economy would just crash and the hopes of receiving new players in the faction would be greatly diminished.
So, this line is very important too. Fortunately, we will have many alliances that are just not equipped for mid or front operations or maybe do not want to take the risk because, let´s be clear, the MRZ does not burn NFTs but the cost of respawning, refueling and building back the lost position is not something desirable for anyone.
4. LOGISTIC LINES
The overall layout and coordinated advance proposed are not just for military purposes but also serve as a skeleton in which to build the logistic network on top. This way the transport routes will be instantly patrolled and defended by alliance´s detachments placed in the nearby sectors as well as by escort groups integrated in the logistic convoys.
All these logistic routes need to link all of our territory. However, there will be primary lines and secondary lines, mostly differenciated by traffic and tonnage. An example of maybe the longest and most relevant logistic route will be the one connecting Ustur CSS to MRZ 17, passing through or nearby UST 5, MRZ 21 & MRZ 15. This one could be considered an arterie for our faction, very much as well as the one which connects Ustur CSS to MRZ 27, linking many sectors to that side of the Frontline. On the other side, we will have secondary lines linking sectors which are not strategically relevant and which will not require much patrolling effort due to not being so profitable for raiders or maybe too deep inside our defense lines. In the case this assumption is not correct, the overall layout of our forces should be able to compensate this sending reinforcements in the form of CAPs (Combat Air Patrols) or in Star Atlas CSPs, Combat Space Patrols.
But transportation is just one side of the coin. The logistic network must have numerous fixed points in space including faction Starbases and alliance / individual Space Stations along Claim Stakes on the ground that will provide storage and manufacturing facilities. All these precious assets must be protected, not only by their own means. There must be a concerted effort among all the faction´s actors to do this in the most organized and efficient way.
In the event of a massive attack against Ustur territory, this layout would help us to make an organized retreat, thus saving a lot of our combat assets for a counter attack.
5. The Elastic Defense Doctrine
Following the Elastic Defensive Doctrine teachings, these different lines of defense (Frontline, Midline, Groundline) are not just defense bastions but also places that our retreating forces can reach in order to regroup and replenish. The key is to plan the retreat carefully so that these units end up gathering at different points with enough strenght to turn into dangerous counterattack forces that wisely coordinated can crush enemy efforts in the front.
This doctrine lets the defender convert the inertia into an offensive stance. Amazingly, if well executed, the counterattack can be as devastating as to make the enemy forces retreat back to the starting position, a place in which the momentum of war will most surely stall.
The Elastic Defense Doctrine is something that has to be planned way ahead in order to get the best results. Trying to apply this knowledge on the run in a stressful moment, under constant siege, is really hard. The right way to go about it is to include this tool early in the advance of the faction, meaning some sectors should be designated as key bastions that hold specially strong defenses and combat groups.
The Ustur High Command (STURCOM) shall establish these key positions by coordinating with all the participating alliances and must ensure key effort participation to build and level up such strategic enclaves. The faster these places are secured, the better. Alliances will place a lot of efforts to build up and reinforce their newly acquired territories but only a faction´s concerted effort will be able to do the same for strategic enclaves that are maybe far from most alliance´s interests.
Any enemy force trying to break through Ustur sovereign territory will suffer a swift defeat. It´s all been planned ahead.
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