Re: [Fallout Equestria] Setting discussions

[Harmony Ltd.]

Fun idea :

When the NCR gets around to build a proper Navy, it is most probable that most of its ships, if not all, will be propelled by "nuclear reactors".

Whereas, if my guess is not mistaken, the Alliance would use oil-powered ships.

So the Navy with lower tech and firepower could compensate by having infinite range and endurance.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Re Rose banner artillery :

It's not terribly complicated to build rocket artillery with crude materials (the ancient chinese were already doing it).

A steel tube filled with black powder or gun powder to serve as the rocket itself, and a charge made of explosives harvested from fragmentations mines or stuff like that. Put that into another carrying tube, and you have your own Ballistic Rocket Launcher at the squad level.

Of course, it will likely have a range of only 1,000-2,000 meters, but that's enough to wreak havoc on advancing infantry formations, especially if the explosive charges are enhanced to maximize the amount of shrapnel produced.

[Harmony Ltd.]

This pulled by a steam-propelled version of this, which also carry the ammunition and crew.

Ensure mobility, and protection against counter battery fire :

A battery of 5 guns can set-up, be ready to fire in under three minutes, each gun firing 3 to 4 rounds in one minute, and be gone under three minutes after the first shell hit the target.

With a half dozen similar batteries using the same tactics, and if the enemy has less guns than that able to offer counter-battery capabilities... You can give the bastards a hell of a time !

[Harmony Ltd.]

*snerk*

The Battle of Thornbush would basically be the Hoover Dam battle.

Only the NCR would have to divert the attention of the Red banner with constant bombardment of the Fort from the plain on the north (supplemented with high-altitude night bombing by the Feather Force), so that its engineers would be able to build bridges and maybe even tunnels over and under the canal East and West of the fort (20 or 30 kilometers away from it).

And if they have enough sand dogs with them, they could even dig a network of secret tunnels under the fort, and detonate thousands of balefire eggs / tons of explosive under the Fort, sapping its foundations.

It probably wouldn't be enough to destroy the fort, but if everything were to sink 30-50 meters down and be submerged by the canal's water... That will at least render the position useless to the Rose banner.

[Harmony Ltd.]

The obstacle would be that the supply-line from Fillydelphia would be between 300 and 500 kilometers long, and passing through potentially hostile territory (the Moojave).

The road(s) would have to be secured, and the locals would need to have been subverted, rallied, or worst come to worst, annihilated - though the NCR's general in charge of the Theater would need to be really hawkish to come to such extremities, and New Canterlot might get real unhappy if it learned that its forces were ruthless enough to cleanse a region of its inhabitants or force them into exile.

[Harmony Ltd.]

What I could see is, starting from Fillydelphia, setting up a network of "forts/supply depots" spaced 20-30 kilometers from each other, occupied by between 1 and 2 platoon tasked to assert control over the surrounding area => border duty.

With the pegasi and griffins doing aerial patrols every day and every night.

And they would also serve as the core of NCR settlement efforts in the region.

[O. Hinds]

Fun idea :

When the NCR gets around to build a proper Navy, it is most probable that most of its ships, if not all, will be propelled by "nuclear reactors".

Whereas, if my guess is not mistaken, the Alliance would use oil-powered ships.

So the Navy with lower tech and firepower could compensate by having infinite range and endurance.

Hm, the NCR isn't going to bother building a navy until they've got reactor production back up and running? That seems to be leaving it a bit late, though I suppose that their priorities are mostly land-based.

And yes, the Alliance would be using oil, unless they can get enough gems and such to build their own reactors. Or, hey, work out how to build actual earth-style nuclear reactors, assuming that that's possible here. :)

Re Rose banner artillery :

It's not terribly complicated to build rocket artillery with crude materials (the ancient chinese were already doing it).

A steel tube filled with black powder or gun powder to serve as the rocket itself, and a charge made of explosives harvested from fragmentations mines or stuff like that. Put that into another carrying tube, and you have your own Ballistic Rocket Launcher at the squad level.

Of course, it will likely have a range of only 1,000-2,000 meters, but that's enough to wreak havoc on advancing infantry formations, especially if the explosive charges are enhanced to maximize the amount of shrapnel produced.

Aye, they could make rockets too, and likely would make some, but with a mortar you get to keep the tube.

This pulled by a steam-propelled version of this, which also carry the ammunition and crew.

Ensure mobility, and protection against counter battery fire :

A battery of 5 guns can set-up, be ready to fire in under three minutes, each gun firing 3 to 4 rounds in one minute, and be gone under three minutes after the first shell hit the target.

With a half dozen similar batteries using the same tactics, and if the enemy has less guns than that able to offer counter-battery capabilities... You can give the bastards a hell of a time !

Nice. The Banner doesn't really have a direct counter to that unless they happen to get lucky and have an accidental trap set for the artillery team. Even if Thornbush has operational guns and the artillery team is in range of them, there's still the problem of detecting the team, bringing the guns to bear, and getting the shell to the target before the team packs up and runs for it. Of course, the Banner does have a potential indirect counter to that: hide amongst things that the NCR doesn't want to blow to bits.

The Alliance has rather more options on the direct counter front, and its numerous sophisticated reconnaissance systems and networked communications make it much harder to the artillery team to strike unseen, unless it's a full surprise attack; even if they do manage to get a barrage off, they'll probably be spotted immediately afterwards. Once they're detected, the Alliance can retaliate with its own artillery, if it has some in the area and doesn't mind revealing it. It can also, though bring its air power to bear in a variety of ways, from dropping a bomb to firing an over-the-horizon missile to dropping in a ground team. Of course, the NCR could deploy anti-air along with the artillery team, but that makes each artillery team more expensive, meaning fewer of them and a greater loss if one is destroyed. Which makes it more attractive to the Alliance to destroy them, which makes them need more and more varied protection…
Technological and industrial parity complicates things.

*snerk*

The Battle of Thornbush would basically be the Hoover Dam battle.

Only the NCR would have to divert the attention of the Red banner with constant bombardment of the Fort from the plain on the north (supplemented with high-altitude night bombing by the Feather Force), so that its engineers would be able to build bridges and maybe even tunnels over and under the canal East and West of the fort (20 or 30 kilometers away from it).

And if they have enough sand dogs with them, they could even dig a network of secret tunnels under the fort, and detonate thousands of balefire eggs / tons of explosive under the Fort, sapping its foundations.

It probably wouldn't be enough to destroy the fort, but if everything were to sink 30-50 meters down and be submerged by the canal's water... That will at least render the position useless to the Rose banner.

Sounds like a good plan. I can't at the moment think of a good counter to the sand dog version, but I'd also say that it's less likely that the NCR will have that kind of support than that it won't.

I can see several potential counters to the non-sand-dog version.
If Thornbush has the right guns operational, just blow up the NCR artillery and/or the bridgebuilders. It hadn't escaped the fortresses's designers that the place might need to fend off an artillery assault, and field artillery is probably not going to outrange the emplaced guns. That still wouldn't do anything about the night bombing, but it would allow the Banner to operate more openly during the day.
Of course, at most only a few of Thornbush's guns will be operational, and possibly not even that. In that case, the Banner would only be able to slip out small parties. Small parties, though, can do a lot. First, small parties can, obviously, be added together into big parties, either for battle or for evacuation. Second, particularly since the Banner has already been using stealthy small-unit tactics, small parties could harass the NCR engineers and artillerists. Third, small parties of sufficient fanaticism (and given how many of the Banner's members were children who started being indoctrinated by Red Eye and then had the process continued by Rose Eye…) could, even after the fall of Thornbush and even the Banner's leadership, carry out strikes against the NCR (particularly if they can get their hooves on a balefire bomb… and A: it was never confirmed that Red Eye had only salvaged the one and B: balefire artillery shells exist, and Moover South had big artillery emplacements… ).
The actions of the other locals would also be important; whether the Banner or the NCR have managed to sway them could have a great effect (even if the other locals aren't directly attacking one side or the other, they can shelter those who are). Also, I'm wondering if the NCR's anti-slavery policies extend to brahmin. If not, the Banner might hint that those NCR troops might be ripe targets for the Cow Guai.

The obstacle would be that the supply-line from Fillydelphia would be between 300 and 500 kilometers long, and passing through potentially hostile territory (the Moojave).

Aye, it looks to me like at least 300 klicks or so.

The road(s) would have to be secured, and the locals would need to have been subverted, rallied, or worst come to worst, annihilated - though the NCR's general in charge of the Theater would need to be really hawkish to come to such extremities, and New Canterlot might get real unhappy if it learned that its forces were ruthless enough to cleanse a region of its inhabitants or force them into exile.

Aye, as I wrote above before reading this post. Any non-diplomatic routes the NCR takes towards securing the region, except towards the Cow Guai, who nearly all the locals dislike intensely, and the Rose Banner, who make no secret of their anti-NCR ideology, risks severely hampering future efforts at integration ("Yeah, pretty words, but we heard about what you did in the Moojave. Now, we folks here'd just like to be left alone, but if you're eyeing us, I think we'd better call that nice pony from Gibhalter back.") and creating unrest among the population ("The NCR's supposed to be better than this! If you response to people not wanting to join you is to force them into it or kill them, how are you so different from Red Eye, or the Enclave? And why should we support you as our government?"). Both of which the Alliance and whatever remnants of the Banner were left would exploit as much as they could, which the NCR probably guesses. That means bribing and cajoling (and quietly threatening) the locals into siding with the NCR, or at least not siding against the Banner, and the Banner, while it's much poorer and weaker, is a local power that has had over a decade to get the other locals on its side (particularly since it hasn't, despite being a slaving power, demonstrated any propensity to raiding local settlements for forced labor). And out of such conditions are born entertaining (for an outside observer) drama and intrigue! :D

What I could see is, starting from Fillydelphia, setting up a network of "forts/supply depots" spaced 20-30 kilometers from each other, occupied by between 1 and 2 platoon tasked to assert control over the surrounding area => border duty.

With the pegasi and griffins doing aerial patrols every day and every night.

And they would also serve as the core of NCR settlement efforts in the region.

And they'd be pretty expensive. And I doubt that the locals will be too keen on the settlement efforts. :)


edit: Also, I'm off to bed now, so you ought not to expect another reply from me for some hours. Goodnight!

[Harmony Ltd.]

If the NCR can produce enough steel, it can even create a railway networks between the forts, allowing to quickly deploy troops and supply. And also to link the various colonies growing around them to the wider NCR and not leave them isolated.

And if the network also extend westward, in the plain between Masozi and Fillydelphia / Appleloosa, this would give strategic depth to what would be otherwise a quick stroll for the Miliozi's mechanized forces.

That and the fact that it would fix populations and justify the NCR's claims over what is otherwise just a barren landscape.


The way I see it, the best way the NCR can go around things is to expand by waves, 20 kilometers at a time, with between six month and four years between waves, depending on how fast they can build the infrastructure.


And they could adopt a similar scheme in the Northern Frontier, and later in the Northern Territories.


The forts on the external layer would be the most manned, while the amount of troops per fort would go down the further inside the NCR-held territory you go.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Re the NCR committing War Crimes :

It is also necessary to keep in mind that Littlepip see everything happening in the peninsula through the SPP, and if she were to see such a thing happen she would probably voice her displeasure in very windy ways.


Never forget that Littlepip is the biggest incentive the NCR has to keep things "civilized".

[Harmony Ltd.]

As for the 120mm mortars, it would probably look something like this.

[Harmony Ltd.]

There might exist a secret agency whose role is to protect the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, identify and suppress supposed and confirmed threats to their well-being, and to identify possible replacements should one of he Bearers be lost.


Idea : the agency's "director" might be Littlepip herself, assisted by Celestia and Spike, working with a number of agents through intermediaries. And the agency wouldn't be part of the NCR power structure. Even though the NCR's intelligence services and the Presidential Office might give assistance in some circumstances.

Velvet being an Element, and the Elements being a force for good, the Followers of the Apocalypse contribute with their resources and network to that agency's job.


Also, in my headcanon Calamity is probably a general in the NCR's armed forces, enlisted in the Feather Forces. So that's another possible sources of resources for the organization.

As for Ditzy Doo, she's at the head of the most powerful Caravan and Trading Company in the NCR, and is so respected by New Appleloosa she might as well be its Queen.

In practice, that mean Littlepip having her own "secret society" with agents infiltrated throughout the NCR and the rest of the wasteland.

What she can't see through the SPP, she might discover through her spy network.

[Harmony Ltd.]

By the way, Spike Cave's, because it is where the Gardens of Equestria are located, might become one of the most heavily defended place on the Peninsula.

In time even more heavily defended than Hoofington.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Hm, the NCR isn't going to bother building a navy until they've got reactor production back up and running? That seems to be leaving it a bit late, though I suppose that their priorities are mostly land-based.

And yes, the Alliance would be using oil, unless they can get enough gems and such to build their own reactors. Or, hey, work out how to build actual earth-style nuclear reactors, assuming that that's possible here. :)

Well, the NCR only need to integrate Stable City / Geneighva to ensure its ability to build reactors.

And given :

1/ it tries to not rely on imported goods to keep its economy running
2/ most imported goods would come from the Alliance anyway, which ensure itself the safety of its trade routes

the only ships needed until then would be Coast Guards and other brown water / green water naval assets, which don't need much range and could be equipped simply with steam engines : Just take a fishing boat, put an autocannon, a few heavy machineguns, and maybe an howitzer if you have enough space, and boom, you have a patrol boat sufficient to take down pirates and coastal raider encampments.


As for real life naval nuclear reactors, unless freaky zebra alchemy or arcano technology gets involved, there's a severe size and cost constraint associated with nuclear vessels : a nuclear vessel will be noticeably heavier than another ship of the same category with conventional propulsion, which will impact its speed and maneuverability. The need for security systems, as with the requirement for highly qualified manpower, and the increased maintenance costs must also be taken into account.

You might be able to pay yourself between 2 and 4 conventional ships for every nuclear ship.

On the other hand, given the practically infinite range and endurance (limited only by your food stock and the crew's endurance), you might need just half the ships to keep the same operational effectiveness ; as the ships need to go back to a naval base only to reload ammunitions and rotate the crew.

I don't know...

[Harmony Ltd.]

Pegasi in the Feather Forces (officially Aerial Forces) deployed in active combat zone most probably wear Enclave Power Armor bearing the insignia of the NCR - most of them salvaged by the Volunteers when they broke away, and from the downed Bitters during the War ; with a growing minority being manufactured by the NCR itself.

Also, the Shock Troops of the Leg Forces (officially Ground Forces) probably wear either a modified version of the Enclave Power Armor made for Earth Ponies and Unicorns (lighter helmet, unprotected horn) for general purpose role, or a Steel Ranger set for heavy support roles, with maybe a slight modification of the helmet done to allow unicorns to use them.

Active frontline units probably wear reinforced barding, sometimes with added ceramic plates.

Standard conscripts assigned to rear-guard duties just have their uniforms.



If we go with the idea that the NCR has around 450,000 citizens, that 2% of its population are full-time soldiers, 10% conscripts, and 40% more are part of the Civil Reserve (random numbers, you'd need to study the NCR's demography to get better numbers), that makes :

9000 professional soldiers
45000 conscripts
180000 reservists

And the Tribal / Racial makeup of the NCR is probably something like :

70 % ponies (of which 37% Earth Ponies, 33% Unicorns, 28% Pegasi, 2% Alicorns)
15% Griffins
10% Zebra
5% Miscellaneous

Alicorns only serve on a voluntary basis.


(note : Zebra are considered as "Earth Pony" as far as equipment procurement is concerned)

[Harmony Ltd.]

With the population numbers I have given, there is around 6300 Alicorns in the NCR.

Most of them (3/4) are probably 2nd or maybe even 3rd Generation, with probably more than half of the total number living in the state of Maripony and the rest being dispersed in the NCR, doing whatever the hell Alicorns do these days (mostly working with the Followers of the Apocalypse, the Twilight Society, exploring the Wasteland and joining the Army, in that order).


Current trends indicate that Alicorns might represent around 15% of the tribal makeup of the NCR pony population in one hundred years, even taking into account population growth and expansion toward the Northern and Southern Territories. This due for the most part to their immortality.


Heavy efforts are undertaken by the NCR to integrate the Alicorns into its society and push Maripony to break its de facto isolation with the rest of the Republic. For obvious reasons.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Because of the heavily multi-tribal, multi-racial, and overly culturally diverse aspect of the NCR, it has the IMPERATIVE to be an egalitarian society if it wish to retain its internal cohesion.

Because of this a disproportionate amount of propaganda and social engineering efforts are expended in order to promote tribal/racial/cultural tolerance and social harmony between all the strata of society.

Thus, heavy soviet/communist/socialist inspirations.

[Harmony Ltd.]

note : roughly 10% of the NCR's pegasi population are former Bitters who surrendered in the later stages of the Bitter War, were made prisoner of war, or defected to the NCR's side during the War (in that order).

Those who were neither killed or captured by the end of the War either re-joined the Enclave Remnants (roughly 20% of the Enclave Remnants current population) or went to make their life in the wilderness of the Wasteland, some of them to plot their revenge and the others just wanting to start anew.

[Harmony Ltd.]

I can't at the moment think of a good counter to the sand dog version, but I'd also say that it's less likely that the NCR will have that kind of support than that it won't.

Hellhounds mercenaries.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Also, I'm wondering if the NCR's anti-slavery policies extend to brahmin.

Before starting expanding into the Moojave, people would probably not even think about the issue.

After, though, if only for the very practical issues raised by trying to convert the locals, Brahmins may be granted citizenship. Though, still in practice, they would probably keep being used in the same way, just with officially the right to self-determination. I guess most would be officially employed in the big Caravan companies ?

Doesn't mean they will actually be treated as equals everywhere, but heh, you don't change more than two centuries of social history just like that.

[Harmony Ltd.]

NCR flag...

The obvious inspiration would be :



However, it wouldn't quite fit with the history behind the Republic.

The NCR's flag would need to represent Strength in Unity and Unity in Diversity.

Any idea ?

[Harmony Ltd.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_California

The bear was designed to be a symbol of strength and unyielding resistance

[O. Hinds]

If the NCR can produce enough steel, it can even create a railway networks between the forts, allowing to quickly deploy troops and supply. And also to link the various colonies growing around them to the wider NCR and not leave them isolated.

And if the network also extend westward, in the plain between Masozi and Fillydelphia / Appleloosa, this would give strategic depth to what would be otherwise a quick stroll for the Miliozi's mechanized forces.

That and the fact that it would fix populations and justify the NCR's claims over what is otherwise just a barren landscape.

The forts on the external layer would be the most manned, while the amount of troops per fort would go down the further inside the NCR-held territory you go.

Hm, well, that land was a desert even before the apocalypse, but I guess that it could be terraformed. Bit labor intensive, though. And this is all sounding pretty expensive. :)

As for the strategic depth, that depends. If the interior forts aren't much garrisoned, the Miliozi could probably still just blitzkrieg straight through to their objectives.

And they could adopt a similar scheme in the Northern Frontier, and later in the Northern Territories.

Just to clarify, do you mean that they'd be expanding south before north? I assumed that it would be the reverse, with expansion into the north (and south to the edge of the desert) being first followed by either expansion south to the old border or expansion into the east.

Re the NCR committing War Crimes :

It is also necessary to keep in mind that Littlepip see everything happening in the peninsula through the SPP, and if she were to see such a thing happen she would probably voice her displeasure in very windy ways.


Never forget that Littlepip is the biggest incentive the NCR has to keep things "civilized".

:)

More probably is the she'd use lightning, though, to reduce collateral damage. And the semi-omniscient figure in the sky who hurls lightning bolts at people who deviate sufficiently from her moral code doesn't want anyone to think of her as a goddess…

There might exist a secret agency whose role is to protect the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, identify and suppress supposed and confirmed threats to their well-being, and to identify possible replacements should one of he Bearers be lost.


Idea : the agency's "director" might be Littlepip herself, assisted by Celestia and Spike, working with a number of agents through intermediaries. And the agency wouldn't be part of the NCR power structure. Even though the NCR's intelligence services and the Presidential Office might give assistance in some circumstances.

Velvet being an Element, and the Elements being a force for good, the Followers of the Apocalypse contribute with their resources and network to that agency's job.


Also, in my headcanon Calamity is probably a general in the NCR's armed forces, enlisted in the Feather Forces. So that's another possible sources of resources for the organization.

As for Ditzy Doo, she's at the head of the most powerful Caravan and Trading Company in the NCR, and is so respected by New Appleloosa she might as well be its Queen.

In practice, that mean Littlepip having her own "secret society" with agents infiltrated throughout the NCR and the rest of the wasteland.

What she can't see through the SPP, she might discover through her spy network.

:D

Velvet being an Element, and the Elements being a force for good, the Followers of the Apocalypse contribute with their resources and network to that agency's job.

This, though… Hm. I'm reminded of how the Peace Corps goes to great length to not be involved with the CIA. If it's known that the Followers include spies for LittlePip/the NCR (because LittlePip can tell them things, even if the network doesn't answer to them), the Followers' primary mission, that of helping people despite anything else, could be compromised. And Velvet's an Element and all that, yes, but she's willingly provided medical aid for slavers just because they were in need; that's how dedicate she is to providing aid over partisanship or other moral concerns. It's pretty easy for me to imagine her politely declining to have the Followers be part of this (not that there might not be some unofficial stuff, of course, but there's a big difference between one Follower deciding to contribute information and an organized effort by the Followers to collect and pass on information).

By the way, Spike Cave's, because it is where the Gardens of Equestria are located, might become one of the most heavily defended place on the Peninsula.

In time even more heavily defended than Hoofington.

Why? Just in case they need to be used again? To protect them from misuse?

Well, the NCR only need to integrate Stable City / Geneighva to ensure its ability to build reactors.

And given :

1/ it tries to not rely on imported goods to keep its economy running
2/ most imported goods would come from the Alliance anyway, which ensure itself the safety of its trade routes

the only ships needed until then would be Coast Guards and other brown water / green water naval assets, which don't need much range and could be equipped simply with steam engines : Just take a fishing boat, put an autocannon, a few heavy machineguns, and maybe an howitzer if you have enough space, and boom, you have a patrol boat sufficient to take down pirates and coastal raider encampments.

Good points. How easy do you think integrating Stable City would be?

As for real life naval nuclear reactors, unless freaky zebra alchemy or arcano technology gets involved, there's a severe size and cost constraint associated with nuclear vessels : a nuclear vessel will be noticeably heavier than another ship of the same category with conventional propulsion, which will impact its speed and maneuverability. The need for security systems, as with the requirement for highly qualified manpower, and the increased maintenance costs must also be taken into account.

You might be able to pay yourself between 2 and 4 conventional ships for every nuclear ship.

On the other hand, given the practically infinite range and endurance (limited only by your food stock and the crew's endurance), you might need just half the ships to keep the same operational effectiveness ; as the ships need to go back to a naval base only to reload ammunitions and rotate the crew.

I don't know...

Nor do I; it's complicated.

Pegasi in the Feather Forces (officially Aerial Forces) deployed in active combat zone most probably wear Enclave Power Armor bearing the insignia of the NCR - most of them salvaged by the Volunteers when they broke away, and from the downed Bitters during the War ; with a growing minority being manufactured by the NCR itself.

Also, the Shock Troops of the Leg Forces (officially Ground Forces) probably wear either a modified version of the Enclave Power Armor made for Earth Ponies and Unicorns (lighter helmet, unprotected horn) for general purpose role, or a Steel Ranger set for heavy support roles, with maybe a slight modification of the helmet done to allow unicorns to use them.

Active frontline units probably wear reinforced barding, sometimes with added ceramic plates.

Standard conscripts assigned to rear-guard duties just have their uniforms.



If we go with the idea that the NCR has around 450,000 citizens, that 2% of its population are full-time soldiers, 10% conscripts, and 40% more are part of the Civil Reserve (random numbers, you'd need to study the NCR's demography to get better numbers), that makes :

9000 professional soldiers
45000 conscripts
180000 reservists

And the Tribal / Racial makeup of the NCR is probably something like :

70 % ponies (of which 37% Earth Ponies, 33% Unicorns, 28% Pegasi, 2% Alicorns)
15% Griffins
10% Zebra
5% Miscellaneous

Alicorns only serve on a voluntary basis.


(note : Zebra are considered as "Earth Pony" as far as equipment procurement is concerned)

Interesting. What's made the percentage of zebras so high?

9000 professional soldiers
45000 conscripts
180000 reservists

…Yeeeaaaah, the majority of Masozi's population may not be full-time soldiers in the conventional sense (meaning that they have no duties other than fighting and being ready to fight), but every Miliozi old enough to understand what combat is has at least some training, the vast majority probably having more training than the NCR's reserve. And in progressive stages of emergency, progressive portions of the city's population can drop what they're doing and just fight. And this is before reinforcements get called in… It's really not a good thing when the army you're fighting has more soldiers than you have citizens. :)
Though, in this case, this actually worked in the NCR's favor; if the power differential was lesser, the Miliozi would have pushed harder for military conquest now, before the NCR can build up further. The differential being what it is allowed Elusive to use the argument "Well, if this doesn't work, you can conquer them later."

Heavy efforts are undertaken by the NCR to integrate the Alicorns into its society and push Maripony to break its de facto isolation with the rest of the Republic. For obvious reasons.

Yeah. In addition to how useful alicorns can be to the NCR, leave them in de facto isolation long enough and they might start contemplating de jure isolation, which leads to all sorts of interesting possibilities that the NCR would prefer to avoid. :)

Hellhounds mercenaries.

Hm, a possibility, yes. I'm not sure how many hellhounds they'd be able to find for that, but there'd probably be at least a few. And a few hellhounds could still do it; it would just take longer.

Before starting expanding into the Moojave, people would probably not even think about the issue.

After, though, if only for the very practical issues raised by trying to convert the locals, Brahmins may be granted citizenship. Though, still in practice, they would probably keep being used in the same way, just with officially the right to self-determination. I guess most would be officially employed in the big Caravan companies ?

That's better than nothing, but something tells me that the Cow Guai won't be terribly impressed (and the Great Cows probably won't be either, but they're not going to attack the NCR over it)

Doesn't mean they will actually be treated as equals everywhere, but heh, you don't change more than two centuries of social history just like that.

Well, Rose Eye did, but then, a lot of her followers are either fanatics or people indoctrinated as children and who look to her as a big sister/mother figure. And for everypony else, there's good old fashion Stalinist terror of her. :)
There's also the debate on how much of what she did was change vs. suppression, but the current upshot is the same either way, and either way, such tactics aren't available to the NCR.

NCR flag...

The obvious inspiration would be :



However, it wouldn't quite fit with the history behind the Republic.

The NCR's flag would need to represent Strength in Unity and Unity in Diversity.

Any idea ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_California

The bear was designed to be a symbol of strength and unyielding resistance

Hm… Ugh, sorry, no ideas at present.

[O. Hinds]

After the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows, Radio Moojave was joined by another local station. Broadcasting from Thornbush's old communications system, Rose Radio is owned and operated by the Rose Banner. They have the usual assortment of old music recordings (some found at the fortress, some brought from Fillydelphia on PipBucks and such, others salvaged since), news reports, and commentaries by the DJ. In the vein of Red Eye's radio, they also have speeches and talks by Rose Eye herself, along with other people reading or commenting on her or her works. What sets Rose Radio apart, though, is their new material. Some of the ponies who used to be foals in Fillydelphia discovered talents for music, and their works, both covers and original compositions, share airspace with old recordings. Other foals gained marks for writing or acting, and, partly for internal morale and partly for external diplomacy, Rose Radio has revived the practice of producing radio dramas, comedies, and plays.

(Just a short thing that I was inspired to write by my recent listening to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar while playing New Vegas. I also like that it furthers the grey vs. grey nature of the Moojave conflict as opposed to the light grey vs. at best very dark grey Mojave conflict. There's bad stuff about the NC(alifornia)R, but it's very easy to see it as overshadowed by the good; by contrast, it's quite difficult to play a good character supporting the Legion. In the Moojave, the Banner is a slaving stalinist/fanatic autocracy, but besides that they aren't that bad (as long as you're not classed by them as a devoted Littlepipite) and are friendly and helpful to the other locals. The NC(anterlot)Republic has about the same sorts of good things about it as the NC(alifornia)R, but the fact that they're a PRC-style republic rather than an actual republic greatly darkens the tone of their desires for annexation, they in some cases (brahmin) are a less-equal society than the Banner, and the Banner, of course, has been in the area for much longer.)

[O. Hinds]

In one of the potential "multiple endings" for the Moojave conflict, I can see the establishment of an independent Moojave Union confederacy.

[StoneSlinger88]

Hey, may I get an opinion on some ideas of vehicles and weapons early on the War?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Sure, why not ?

[StoneSlinger88]

I've been attempting to write a fic occurring early on, during the Zebra's first push through the mountains near Hoofington. So far I've come up with "Puff-ships" (name comes from earth ponies comparing their durability in combat to pillows), which are bus-like sky-carriages that ponies quickly painted green and bolted thin metal plates to as an improvised troop transport. What I've been going for is a feel that what Equestrians are using are largely up-armored and militarized civilian vehicles, since they have no official military vehicle factories established yet, and are instead making due with what already exists.

For weapons, I decided on battle-saddles mounted with a rifle on one side, and ammo pouch on the other. Every pony is optimally with a different type of pony-- one earth, one unicorn, or two unicorns. The reasoning behind this is that the unicorn could easily reload both his own and an earth pony's weapon in combat. The rifle itself is a semi-automatic, 7.62 millimeter (.30 cal). A magazine feeds in the top, can detach, or be reloaded while still in the rifle. This is accomplished by having a sliding lever on the outside of the magazine with a slot on the magazine's top, allowing loose rounds to be fed in, similar to how certain lever-actions' reservoirs would be loaded. The system is extremely prone to malfunction if not kept exceptionally clean, a side effect of being both hot-off-the-line-- the factories are just trying to get some type of firearm in the hands of ponies, and that's the "best" design they have so far.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Can't speak for the gun, but I like the sky-carriage idea, considering I had a similar one for the NCR =>

I was pondering the idea that for long distance travel (state to state), travelling through sky carriages operated by the caravan companies.

They would also serve to move mail and goods compact and light enough to be fitted in the carriages.

And from what we've seen in the show it seems that sky-carriages are pretty much normal carriages pulled by pegasi.

[StoneSlinger88]

Yep. One downside is that the pegasus is pretty much exposed out in front, so they've made it procedure to land behind cover or terrain features, or to use clouds to obscure themselves. Unfortunately this makes flying into or out of combat zones extremely risky, even more so if it's an emergency extraction or insertion.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Just to clarify, do you mean that they'd be expanding south before north? I assumed that it would be the reverse, with expansion into the north (and south to the edge of the desert) being first followed by either expansion south to the old border or expansion into the east.

Hmm ? Oh, yes, of course the North would be settled in priority. If only because the Northern Frontier is the only buffer between the New Canterlot / Shattered Hoof / Junction City conurbation (which is by most aspects the heart of the NCR) and the "wilderness". Whereas the south is buffered by the States of Appleloosa on the western side, Maripony on the eastern side, and the goddamn Everfree Forest in the middle.

If anything, it's the portion of desert between Appleloosa and Fillydelphia which would be settled first in any effort to "claim" the southern parts of the NCR's sphere of influence.

Hm, well, that land was a desert even before the apocalypse, but I guess that it could be terraformed. Bit labor intensive, though. And this is all sounding pretty expensive. :)

As for the strategic depth, that depends. If the interior forts aren't much garrisoned, the Miliozi could probably still just blitzkrieg straight through to their objectives.

Well, you could always try to turn large parts of the desert into orchads. Olive trees, maybes ? They would probably fit the climatic conditions of the desert. Plus, later on the place is going to be a major producer of solar power...

But anyway, the real motivation to settle the place would be simply to claim the territory and make sure that no one else occupy it (raiders or Miliozi colonists). It will probably never be densely populated.

Velvet being an Element, and the Elements being a force for good, the Followers of the Apocalypse contribute with their resources and network to that agency's job.

This, though… Hm. I'm reminded of how the Peace Corps goes to great length to not be involved with the CIA. If it's known that the Followers include spies for LittlePip/the NCR (because LittlePip can tell them things, even if the network doesn't answer to them), the Followers' primary mission, that of helping people despite anything else, could be compromised. And Velvet's an Element and all that, yes, but she's willingly provided medical aid for slavers just because they were in need; that's how dedicate she is to providing aid over partisanship or other moral concerns. It's pretty easy for me to imagine her politely declining to have the Followers be part of this (not that there might not be some unofficial stuff, of course, but there's a big difference between one Follower deciding to contribute information and an organized effort by the Followers to collect and pass on information).

Good point. Plus, thinking about it, knowing Velvet she would probably object on an intellectual and ideological basis to be "protected" and treated as being superior to other people. Won't stop Littlepip from protecting her, of course, and Velvet would be perfectly aware of it, but she wouldn't be proud or especially accommodating of it if her self-proclaimed "guardians" were to take actions which would reduce her freedom of movement and decision.

Basically, she's going to be a pain in the ass. As she's always been, and always will be.

By the way, Spike Cave's, because it is where the Gardens of Equestria are located, might become one of the most heavily defended place on the Peninsula.

In time even more heavily defended than Hoofington.

Why? Just in case they need to be used again? To protect them from misuse?

Basically.

The Gardens are Equestria's insurance that even if another war were to happen, even if the land were to be completely torn apart, there would remain hope to rebuild and thrive again. And that's what would make it as much of a target as Celestia One, or even greater than it, in case of war.

You also have to remember the Goddess entertained the thought of using it to turn Equestria into a complete radioactive hellhole for her Alicorns to thrive. If she thought it possible... Who knows what could happen if an hostile power took control over the place.

For these reasons and others I haven't thought of yet, control and protection of the Gardens would be of paramount importance to any power pretending to reign over the equestrian peninsula - not just the NCR, but the Alliance as well if it were to takeover.

It is hard to overstate the strategic importance of the place.

Spoiler:

Good points. How easy do you think integrating Stable City would be?

Probably a matter of showing the Underground Cities the wonders of the wider world, convincing the ghouls of the interests of trading with the NCR, and giving insurance to the Guardians that the NCR can and will ensure the independence and security of Stable City and the Geneighva region.

Of course there's the issue that Geneighva is just south of Freidrichshorfen, which is the home of the Enclave Remnants and where they are building Neo-Cloudsdale. So the "independence and security" guarantees... well, that might make for interesting intrigues to say the least.

Interesting. What's made the percentage of zebras so high?

Okay, to be honest it's probably more along the lines :

72 % ponies (of which 37% Earth Ponies, 33% Unicorns, 28% Pegasi, 2% Alicorns)
15% Griffins
8% Zebra
5% Miscellaneous

The idea being that there WAS already a good number of zebra roaming around in the Equestrian Wasteland, and that once news propagated in the wider wasteland of Glyphmark's foundation there was an influx of new zebra.

That and natality. And given the zebra are pretty much the doctors of the NCR, they also have the best health and lowest infantile mortality, which bolster their demographic growth.

(but honestly, that was just a random estimation.)

As for why there's so much griffins ? I'll say : the wonders of oviparous reproduction when applied to a civilized society.

Hm, a possibility, yes. I'm not sure how many hellhounds they'd be able to find for that, but there'd probably be at least a few. And a few hellhounds could still do it; it would just take longer.

There's the Ponyville Reservation, and I suppose it wouldn't be hard to convince 50-70 Hellhounds to help if there's enough bits attached to it. It will probably pay more than a dozen expeditions in the Everfree to find plants for Glyphmark's pharma industry.

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