POB Change Suggestions

[LuckyOne]

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Suggestion
Type: Rules / Other
Title: A system to quantify the "minimal amount of RP needed to declare POB attack"

Specifics

• Current rule states "must do minimum amount of RP before declaring attack on a non Core 1 POB"
  
• The rule should be clarified and a system implemented to give defenders a chance to find out about the attack inRP before it happens
  
• Proposed system of declaration / siege would consist of 3 phases
  
• Reconnaissance - the attackers need to scout the system containing the POB and post a report on the forums (generally already happens most of the time) and the attack declaration
  
• Preparation and planning - the attackers must show proof of effort in supplying and preparation of their military operation and post a report on the forums. This should include matériel delivery (Munitions, Marines, Side-arms, Fuel, Military-Hardware), in proportion to their planned attacking force and the targeted station defensive capabilities to a station nearby the point from which the attack will be launched
  
• Siege proper - stays the same as it currently is
  

Potential Problems

• Makes sieges even more tiresome for the attackers. An option to resolve the actual siege phase faster should be explored.
  
• The potential to bypass RP force size requirement by recruiting indie players
  

Example of Effect

This requirement would naturally extend the time between the attack announcement and the actual attack, without the need to specify a hard limit. A bigger planned force would be able to go through the preparation phase somewhat faster but it would take significantly more effort. It would also give the chance for the defenders to find out about the attack earlier through spotting / capturing the scouts in the system, nearby the POB to be sieged.

The defenders would have a chance to further delay the siege through launching harassing attacks on the attackers' supply lines and would be able to better gauge the size of the expected attack.

Another effect would be the inclusion of more ship classes besides the fighters / bombers / capships in the siege system.

The system could enhance / increase the amount of RP done, with factions not having access to the required matériel needing to contact other factions to scout / supply their effort, or opt for smaller ships / numbers.

Further Discussion

Further ramblings about actual game mechanics based implementation:

Spoiler

Often the complaint about sieges is poor / very minimal amount of RP done by the attackers, either one that would explain the great number of used assets or the need to destroy a POB. That is especially the case with attackers who don't negotiate with the targeted POB because of their faction's inRP stance towards the enemy / OORP grudge towards the station owner. I believe having a system would improve that.

It would be also useful to explore if this (rule based) system could tie in with some actual gameplay mechanics. Perhaps a new command /scout could be added that can be activated by ships equipped with a Survey module when targeting a (hostile?) base / weapons platform. The command could spawn a certain amount of a new commodity called Military intelligence Data on X in your ship's cargo hold. This would of course be considered contraband in all Houses, and players encountering (potentially hostile) ships possessing the cargo would be obliged to report about enemy movements to the proper authorities.

Besides this, Military Intelligence Data could also drop (with a greater rate) when destroying gunboat and up sized faction patrols by a ship with the proper Intelligence ID (or certain unlawful faction IDs), which would also make the (hostile) attackers more likely to operate in the targeted House / system for a significant time before an attack (or hire proxies to do it for them).

A sufficient amount of gathered Military intelligence Data would then be needed to declare an attack.