The future of our species depends on us becoming a multi-planetary society. And it is to this end that the United Nations of Earth have poured our collective efforts into the Martian project.
And what a project it is, the great of human endeavors, reaching out into the stars to bring life, love, and society to a barren world.
It is an enterprise bigger than any national concern, or bigger than any corporate concern. It is an enterprise founded in the long-term future of us all. For humanity, we must put aside partisan concerns and focus on the real goal.
Our future as a species hangs in the balance. Which is why I ask my fellow council members for more resources to suppress this rebellion. The childish wants of the rebels on Mars must be denied. They seek to pervert this most noble of goals to their own ends. And they seek to deny us the home we have built for humanity.
We must not let this adolescent temper tantrum ruin what is our best hope for survival.
Ekon Imbrahim, UN Secretary for the Council of Martian affairs
We must bring Mars back into the fold, at all costs.
Earth Government Confidence
Red Dust Rebellion has 5 factions, with Red Dust and the Reclaimers being the Rebels and the Corporations and Martian provisional Government making up the COIN factions.
The 5th faction is also on the COIN side, but its control shifts and changes based on player actions. This faction is the Earth Government forces, or EarthGov.
On the board is the EarthGov Confidence track, showing Earth’s current perspective on the Mars situation. Confidence affects MG victory, which faction controls EG Troops and Satellites, as well as Population, Supplies, and Troops arriving on Mars over time.
This track can be moved in both directions by event cards and CORP public relations actions. it can be pushed right by the Martian Government housing new migrants, repairing damage and targeting rebel forces for removal. And It can pushed left by Red Dust housing and repairing, as well as CR using preach.
EarthGov confidence is checked after each flashpoint and based on the events of the prior rounds, will either stay where it is, or shift one step.
If confidence ever reaches the left most step, all EarthGov troops retreat from Mars to Phobos before returning home to Earth.
Control of Earth Government Forces:
The CORP controls EG in the dark gray boxes while MG controls them in the blue boxes. This change happens immediately when Confidence shifts. The EG Controller treats EG Troops as their own troops and can move and activate them. This means the other COIN player may lose control of forces they had deployed, just before they want to use them.
EarthGov troops are well armed and well equipped and when destroyed inflict additional casualties to their attackers.
The EarthGov controller also gains some supplemental powers. For example, when they Assault in a region with EG troops, they can choose to use the Suppress ability instead of conducting a normal assault. Suppress lets you move all Active Rebels (and with permission from their factions, all Rebels) to one adjacent Desert.
However, probably the most unique ability granted to the EarthGov controller is command of the Mars Satellite network.
Space Warfare
During their own Train or Logistics Operation, the EG Controller may remove 1 EG Troop from Phobos to Available to place a Satellite marker in one Desert region.
These Satellite markers are placed into desert regions (not over the Labyrinth spaces) and can be activated at a later time.
Some of the uses of satellites are as follows.
- Secure: Discard a Satellite to place 1 EG Troop in–and move any additional EG Troops from Phobos–to this space, for use in this Secure Operation.
- Recon: Discard a Satellite to ignore a Raging Storm marker in this space for this Recon Operation.
- Assault: Discard a Satellite to remove 2 Active enemy pieces (Bases last) during this Assault Operation.
But it’s not all one-way traffic as surface to space missiles exist, and the Rebels can choose to attack in a region, forgo a conventional attack and attempt to remove a Satellite above them.
Conclusions
Control of EarthGov throws a wrench in the COIN players diplomacy and interactions. Controlling EarthGov is always beneficial to the controller, and while the CORP starts with this ability at the start of the game, The Martian Government Player will desperately want to gain control as soon as possible.
For the Rebels, EarthGov is a threat but it is also a weak link. Concerted attacks on EarthGov Troops and forcing the MG into overcrowding situations with population will force MG to change its tactics. This will likely leave the CORP exposed to attacks from the reclaimers.
Satellites also open up some new tactics and their persistent nature means the more that are out there, the more tactical options the EG Controller has.
Previous Articles:
Factions in Red Dust Rebellion: The Red Dust Movement
Factions in Red Dust Rebellion: The Corporations
Factions in Red Dust Rebellion: Martian Provisional Government
Factions in Red Dust Rebellion: Church of the Reclaimer
Author: J. Carmichael
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