Good job with the newspapers and propaganda, everybody. I love the flavor it all adds to the setting. I laughed at the implication that Moskurgs are related to tigers.
Now that I think about it, our original triplane was really kind of shit, but so is our pistol and its shittiness decreases its cost. Why wasn't our triplane's cost decreased originally?
It's already cheap enough we can produce one for every soldier, what more do you want? 
I had an original system in mind where ambitious new technologies would have a Complexity value, of some integer between 1 and 10, which would have to be balanced out by a number of Bugs, which have a Bug Value. So for example, a new automatic gun that's Complexity 3 might be Shoddy (-1), Expensive (-1) and Overheat (-1) to balance out the complexity. As your knowledge and facilities improved you'd get a Complexity Reduction, for example if you have Complexity Reduction 2 you could eliminate two of the bugs on that gun. Instead I've just been having new stuff that's ambitious be either buggy, complex (which directly translates to expense) or both depending on how ambitious it is and a dice roll. Oh yeah, and I wanted to say, even a cheap aircraft has a pilot, a dedicated ground crew of two or three people, and some share in the general logistics staff, so it's not like you can field literally as many airplanes as you can infantry. Of course, an airplane can destroy a lot more materiel than five infantrymen under the right circumstances.
The general of the Moskurgian army is plagued by lack of sleep, and it's been reported that he has been taking smaller meals. When asked about it, he said: "My dear boy, how can I sleep when those filthy Arstotskans walk the Earth? Even after we commissioned a civilian contractor to paint the windows at my headquarters shut, their stench still makes my eyes water. My brother-in-law owned a manor near the border before he turned it over to our forces to use as a field hospital. He used to tell me tales of his cattle dropping dead during the windy season because they were being suffocated by the odor. That's what this whole war is about, or don't you know? We're going over there to convince them to start rubbing soap under their arms instead of pig shit."
Didn't I already make a joke about how Moskurgs stink all the way back in page 2?
Yeah, but this is a
prolonged, elaborate joke about how Moskurgs stink. And also a reference to something I think? At any rate I'm sure there are a lot of Arstotzkans who would like to get a word in about their mortal enemies' bathing habits.
Hey Sensei, I think there's a problem with how you're dealing with resource shortages, namely the bit where a resource shortage needs to be at 3 before another Expense level is tacked on.
You see, Moskurg could field as many armoured cars, SPATs, and even light tanks as much as it needs with only 1 Ore. (They'd be Expensive but they don't need those vehicles to be cheap.) This seems rather unrealistic to me. They could have the absolute lowest amount of metal they could possibly have and yet they would still manage to crank out tanks without issue. I'll leave it to you to decide how to deal with this issue or if it even is an issue.
Also, it might be time to determine how much Oil Moskurg's train engine needs. Since it's responsible for delivering supplies to its troops and gathering Ore from the Mountains, it's kind of important to know if there's a shortage of them or not.
EDIT: Tell the diplomat that as Arstotzka has developed the most amount of logistical and commercial vehicles (trucks and motorbikes), we'd be better at conducting trade. (Also, I hope you saw my post in the Arstotzka thread about helping out with the pirates.)
Resources staying the way they are for now. Assume that a disproportionate amount of resources are produced near the capitol (not entirely illogical) which to be honest is mostly for game balance reasons. I don't want there to be a resource tipping point where it's totally impossible to turn around. Fighting pirates might be an espionage action. I'm still unsure about the meaning of assigned cost to logistics stuff, for now I'm not messing with it.
Arstotzka truck drive all the way to London!
Blub blub blub.The British AffairIn each capitol city, British diplomats read the news, speak to locals and officials alike, and are given tours of the armed forces by proud generals. They whisper to eachother when confronted with various rumors and accusations regarding the Moskurg fascinations with tigers, they scowl at Arstotzka's apparent irresponsibility with machine guns and tanks. They remark with interest upon Arstotzka's aluminium industry, and Moskurg light machine guns and patented Cascade SMGs. They fail to politely decline a Moskurg gift of snarling caged tigers, and a terrified servant boy pulls their cage around on a cart. Both nations' pawns in the Game are present, perpetually sipping tea and making polite conversation. Agent Hairy Pickle is disguised as a Moskurger ("Well, I do think our opponents deserve
some credit, you know...") and quietly arranges a lock on the tiger cage to fail at an inconvenient time. Agent Tiger Fucker (he doesn't call himself that in polite company) successfully identifies his enemy and, expecting the release of the tigers, wisely stands out of the way. When the cage releases, the tigers run into an alley and both agents give chase, hoping to be the tiger-capturing hero and earn the diplomat's ear (and ensure the other agent is mauled in the process). They're in the middle of a four-way stabbing match with the pair of tigers when the British party arrives in the alley and both agents are forced to stop trying to kill each other in the interest of appearances, and simply capture the tigers. They are left glaring at each other over tea and Hairy Pickle makes an excuse to leave while Tiger Fucker is obliged to hold the tiger cage closed for a locksmith. Neither agent succeeds in killing the other and the diplomats are left with mixed impressions of both nations.
1921 Battle ReportArstotzka's army now contains the following:
AS Weapons:
-Nosin-Magant: Officer weapon. A Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle, brand new ones roll off the assembly lines, and then a highly skilled team changes the letters with chisels. A bolt-action rifle with a five-round clip which fires 7.62mm rounds. Good accuracy, but with iron sights which have a post adjustable up to one kilometer, designed for long-range but inaccurate barrages. Good stopping power against infantry. Detachable bayonet.
-AS-1891: [Obsolete] General infantry weapon. The first weapon manufactured in Arstotzka. This is a muzzle-loading rifle: it is loaded by disassembling a 7.62mm round for the mosin, pouring the gunpowder down the barrel, dropping the bullet down the barrel, and placing the primer. Stopping power and accuracy are poor. Unfortunately, most infantry are forced to use these.
-AS-1909: General infantry sidearm. An Arstotzka-made semi-automatic pistol, firing 9mm. It has a 10-round magazine and can fire quickly with moderate accuracy, at short range. Moderate stopping power. Unfortunately, if fired quickly, it jams about once a magazine (Shoddy, -1 Expense).
-AS-1910 Machine Gun: [Updated Below] Arstotzka's first belt-fed machinegun, firing the same 7.62mm rifle rounds already produced for the Nosin-Magant. The belt-feed mechanism is robust, making it heavy but very reliable. Each round has good stopping power. The machinegun is operated with two handles due to its recoil, making it incapable of aim as precise as a rifle, but when the barrel is cool, bullets generally fly straight. It is air-cooled, and the barrel tends to overheat somewhat quickly. Your engineers have compensated for this by giving each crew two detachable barrels- when one overheats, it can be removed and thrown in the snow. It is heavy- it must be in place on a tripod or other mount to fire, and requires three men to move. It also requires three men to operate continuously. Costs 2 ore.
AS-1910 Mag: This updated AS-1910 replaces a belt feed with a large 50-round detachable drum magazine, which fits to the side of the gun where the belt feed was. While not capable of continuous fire like belts, this requires less crew to manage. The two handles used to control the weapon are replaced with a pistol grip and overhead handle, which is a marginal improvement in control. Costs 2 ore.
-Nosin Single: [Obsolete] A bolt-action 7.62mm rifle with no clip, based on the Russian Mosin-Nagant. It has comparable performance to the Nosin-Magant, except that a new round must be inserted to the chamber every time the weapon is fired. This is simple enough that it can be distributed to all of your troops.
-AS-1911 8cm Mortar: This is a light mortar, consisting of a simple tube mounted on a tripod, and mortar shells which are dropped into the tube and fire off when they hit the bottom. The shells themselves are the more important part of the weapon. They are sort of like rocket-propelled grenades, consisting of a metal shell around some explosive, and a primer and propellant at the back.No longer suffers from horrible jamming.
-AS-1912 Artillery A: A field gun firing 80mm shells, loaded through a sliding bolt. The action is not dissimilar to a bolt action rifle, where the old casing is ejected when the bolt is opened. It is large enough (and its ammunition large enough) to be Expensive, and is drawn by horse on two big wheels. It can fire about 12 times a minute, and has a hydro-pneumatic suspension system: it doesn't go off target between shots, and the barrel moves into the frame every time it is fired. Aims between 0 and 90 degrees vertical. It has several kilometers of range. Costs 3 ore.
-Sawed-off Shotgun: General infantry sidearm. Most officers use this instead of the unreliable pistol. Fires twice before breech loading, very effective at short range, ineffective otherwise. Poor armor penetration. Uses 12 gauge shells. Expensive due to requiring imperial equipment.
-AS-F14: [Obsolete] A 7.62mm, semi-automatic rifle. It is an open bolt blowback action, and holds seven rounds in its internal magazine (resembling that of the Nosin)- with more than that, clip loading became unwieldy. Unlike the Nosin, the bolt has a small, non-rotating handle on the side of the gun. It has adjustable iron sights. The weight of the moving action makes the gun difficult to control compared to the Nosin, and it has shown some problems with the mechanism becoming dirty in field testing.
-AS-F14A: A 7.62mm, semi-automatic rifle. It is an open bolt blowback action, and uses a 12-round box magazine which protrudes below the gun. Unlike the Nosin, the bolt has a small, non-rotating handle on the side of the gun. It has adjustable iron sights. The weight of the moving action makes the gun difficult to control compared to the Nosin, but this is mitigated by using a full size and weight barrel compared to the original carbine version. The blowback action is now more reliable, though still open bolt. Also available as a carbine.
-AS-MC16: This is a sub-machine gun, firing the 9mm pistol round. It uses a new, closed-bolt blowback system perfected from the AS-F14. This system is reliable and keeps dirt out of the gun. The bolt system takes up about fifteen centimeters, all of which is past the trigger, then a magazine, a 30 round drum, inserts into the receiver from the left. The barrel after the receiver is short, about twenty centimeters, and has a slotted metal hand guard. The stock is wooden and stops at the receiver, where brass is ejected from the bottom of the gun. The short barrel gives poor accuracy, especially when hot, and the 9mm bullets have much less range than a rifle or machine gun. The system fires about 400 rounds per minute. Its complexity makes it Expensive.
-AS-AC18: An advanced primer ignition autocannon, which ignites cartridge primers before the round is fully chambered. It fires the new, large, 20x100mm round, fed from a top-mounted 25 round C-shaped magazine with a powerful spring, usually armor piercing, about 600 times per minute. The weapon is quite large with a simple action but heavy barrel, weighing over 40 kilograms, and it requires being mounted to a carriage, foundation, or vehicle to fire with accuracy, although recoil is reduced by the nature of its action. It is dependent on a careful balance between the force of the shell and the force of the action, which means that different ammo types cannot be interchanged without recalibrating the gun. It has a terrifying ability to punch through armor and emplacements. Costs 3 ore due to its size and the size of its ammo.
-AS-LM20: A landmine! Consists of an explosive, metal shell and button. Armed by removing a key. The mines are cheap and simple, and reliably kill or dismember infantry who step on them.
AS Technology:
-Metric system. Meters, kilograms, liters!
-Breech-loading
-Muzzle-loading
-Bolt action
-Clips and Magazines
-Cold Weather Engineering. Arstotzka-made equipment is designed and tested in the cold tundra, and does not become unreliable due to cold climates and snow.
-7.62mm Rifle rounds. Largish round for small arms with good stopping power.
-9mm Pistol rounds. Small rounds with moderate stopping power and not great range.
-20x100mm Autocannon round
-Armor Piercing Steel Bullets
-Belt-fed loading
-Changeable Barrels
-Solid Explosives and Propellants
-Light Mortars
-Artillery
-Hydro-pneumatic Suspension
-Vehicle Armor
-Treads
-Detachable Magazines
-Petrol Motors
-APIB Action, compatible with belt feed
-Crude Batteries (Lead-Acid)
-Aluminium production
-Armor (Light and thinner)
AS Soldiers:
-Patient: Arstotzkan soldiers excel at waiting in ambush, and carefully shooting from afar, giving them and advantage in long-range engagements.
-Uniform: AS-U13, The new uniforms for 1913. They include flak vests protecting the front and back, and a sturdy steel helmet. Instead of being scarlet and gold, they are issued in beige, grey and olive colors for camouflage, with small flag patches. As did the old uniforms, they include numerous pockets, and a bandolier which can hold full clips of rifle bullets for easy access. Unfortunately, High Command issued an order stating that the uniforms are not glorious enough, and are to have a pair of small flags attached to each helmet, like a winged valkyrie helmet. This compromises the camouflage effect considerably.
-Andrei Zhuyev, ace pilot. Nine kills.
AS Ground Transportation:
-Horses: [Obsolete] Soldiers sometimes ride horses to battle, but prefer to fight on foot in cover.
-AS-51 Steam Engine: [Obsolete] The heart of the south! Built in Arstotzka, this engine pulls trains of food, ammo, and resources.
-AS-51 S: A new steam engine, based on the original model 51, includes a superheater system, where steam from the boiler is routed through the furnace to be heated further before being used. This is considerably more efficient than the old design and offers more power for the same amount of coal. In preparation for war, the trains are fitted with armor around the boiler, and the cabin window are fitted with hatches that can closed, and have narrow slats for viewing.
-AS-T15: This is a steam-powered tank using the AS-51 S steam motor from Arstotzka's steam locomotive. In fact, it's mostly the enormous locomotive engine, which a rectangular armored shell. The armor is shaped in a half-cylinder, like an airplane hangar, except the front is cut at a 45 degree angle. Exit is through a hatch on top, which breaks up the smooth shape of the tank along with a couple chimneys. The armor is light mild steel throughout (1). The only open space inside is towards the front of the tank, the engine is located in back and the sides along the engine are used for storing coal. The front of the tank has a gunner on the right side firing an 80mm cannon with a narrow, tank destroyer-like arc of fire. There isn't room for a lot of ammo. The driver sits in the left front, and there is an AS-1910 gunner on each side aiming through slats in the armor. Packed in between all of these people is a coal shoveler. The tracks are set on six rigid train wheels and follow a flat shape on the bottom of the tank, with a large wheel in the front and back. The tank becomes incredibly hot inside due to the coal boiler, hot enough to cause weapon malfunctions and heatstroke. It can exceed 50 degrees celsius in prolonged use, and the soldiers assigned to test it nickname it "The pressure cooker". Being mostly engine, it can reach 13 kph. The track system is complex, making it Expensive. Costs 4 ore.
-AS-M17A: A motorcycle which seats one passenger, and a second in a sidecar. The petrol motor is Arstotzka's first, with three in-line cylinders. The motor is cheap, small and relatively powerful. On its own, the bike is capable of more than 80 kilometers per hour, cross country, and 110 on a road. The bike is was previously notorious for being difficult to ride and having structural failures, but these problems have been ironed out. The sidecar is available with an AS-1910, sometimes on a pintle mount to aim at aircraft. Costs 1 Oil, 2 Ore.
-AS-HV19: A heavy truck, built for logistics. Uses a cabover design, giving it a short, tall and square cabin- drivers climb up three steps to enter it. Includes six large, pneumatic tires- two wheels under the cabin steer, and four close to the back of the bed drive. A simple spring suspension system makes a very bouncy ride, amplified by the height of the cabin. Under the cabin is a fairly large eight cylinder engine, which belches black smoke from two exhaust stacks that go over the back of the cabin. The bed is five meters long and consists of a simple frame that can hold a hopper, tanker, or trailer hitch. Other things might easily be built to fit there, but engineering didn't get around to that. Gets up to 80 kph on a good road, and can carry eight tons without too much trouble. Unarmored. Conveys a 1 logistics bonus. Costs 2 ore, 3 oil.
-AS-MV21-AL: This is an armoured car, designed to be maneuverable in tight quarters and offroad. The frame, armor and engine block are all built from aluminium for reduced weight. It sits on four big tires, the rear ones shrouded by armor, on hydropneumatic suspension. It is powered by a V-6 motor, which gets it up to 70 KPH on a good road. Its shape is tight and rectangular around the crew cabin, which holds only a driver and gunner, to minimize the quantity of armor needed. The engine is in the rear, and includes the lightest (thin) armor in the slats over the radiator. The front armor is medium and most of the armor is light. A belt-fed AS-AC18 gun fires from the top of car, with the gunner's hatch open. The gunner hatch acts as armor to each side when open, but the gunner is still somewhat exposed compared to a tank turret. The car costs 4 ore and 2 oil.
AS Air Force:
AS-A19B: Arstozka's first airplane! You can kind of tell. It is a triplane based on Fokker's model, build of wood and canvas. The motor is an eight cylinder rotary engine. The frame has very thick columns in between each wing, which mostly mitigates testing issues in which the top wings, wider than the lower ones, would break off at high speeds. The plane is very prone to yawing one or or the other on the runway during takeoff and landing. It also perpetually rolls a little to the left, counter to the heavy rotating engine. Engine stalling is common as well, at altitude. Armed with two wing-mounted AC-18's, belt fed, which cross at 200m. The plane is generally awkward to fly and prone to suddenly pulling in one direction or the other. Arstotzkan test pilots, unfamiliar with anything more prone to flight than a motorcycle, suppose it to be pulled deliberately towards doom by malevolent spirits. Expensive due to the complexity of the control system and frame. Costs 2 oil.
AS-A19C: Several staff members were fired and replaced. The new C model of the AS-A19 makes up for its heavy frame with sturdy, lightweight aluminium brackets, and some metal parts are replaced with aluminum. This and larger control surfaces make the plane much more steady, and not prone to suddenly pulling in one direction or the other, without being heavier. For good measure, a cross is added to every joystick to exorcise malevolent spirits. Control surface trim is added as well, which corrects for the effect of the rotary engine and makes the plane easier to fly in general. The aircraft remains heavy and a bit ungainly, but is much more safe to fly and should perform better in dogfights. Now costs 2 ore, 2 oil.
AS Resources:
1 Unyielding Thirst for Glory
X Ministry of Integrity. Provides X spies. X is classified.
3 Ore. Tanks are Expensive, typically.
2 Oil. Products which use more fuel than a car are expensive.
Moskurg's army now contains the following:
MK Weapons:
-Horsekiller 1912: General infantry weapon. A breech-loading rifle with a long 60-inch barrel, which fires enormous 60 caliber rounds. Has great stopping power, and is heavy and cumbersome. Famed to stop a horse in one shot, regardless of where it hits. Rounds will go very far, and can still kill far after they become inaccurate. Now updated with good sights, a comfortable foregrip and no bayonet, but the shotgun-style breech-loading prevents quick follow-up shots
-Horsekiller Carbine 1912: General infantry weapon. A shorter variant of the Horsekiller, used by cavalry while riding horses. It has the same stopping power, but average weight and questionable accuracy. Now with good iron sights, and a better grip, but the barrel is a little short for the heavy bullet and it's often fired from a galloping horse anyway.
-Five-Shooter: General infantry sidearm. A five-shot revolver firing large 30 caliber rounds. Single-action, with a lot of kick and trigger pull, means it has poor accuracy, but good killing power against infantry.
-Sawed-off Shotgun: General infantry sidearm. About half of soldiers use this instead of the five-shooter. Fires twice before breech loading, very effective at short range, ineffective otherwise. Poor armor penetration. Uses 12 gauge shells.
-Scimitar: Officer sidearm. Elite soldiers receive a scimitar, a deadly curved sword which can be used on foot or horseback. Of course, requires getting close to the enemy.
-M1 Stallion: This is a belt-fed machine gun using the enormous, thundering .60 caliber round, exactly twice the diameter of the .30 caliber or 7.62mm rounds. It is a cumbersome weapon, with a large box for the mechanism, and a narrow water-cooled barrel with copper heat sinks. The range and stopping power of the .60 caliber round is undiminished, but the gun only fires about 180 times a minute, relatively slow for a machine gun- because of its size, it might be better described as an autocannon. The gun hits in very tight groups for a machinegun, but it is heavy and can only be pivoted slowly, meaning only very skilled gunners can be accurate at long range. It normally moved by horse on a small wagon, although the new lighter model can be carried in parts by a crew, and is crewed by a team of four or five men. Sometimes mounted on a raised stand to aim at aircraft. It is complex, and costs 2 ore.
-Bombardier: A 3.6 inch howitzer. This is a simple artillery piece with few more bells and whistles than a medieval cannon, modernized with a breech load (a hatch on top of the barrel swings open) and rifling, so as to fire pointed shells with brass cartridges accurately at range. The spent brass is ejected manually, with a lever. Its size makes it horse-drawn. A skilled crew can fire about 10 times a minute, through the gun moves a little when fired, so it can bombard inaccurately at its full rate of fire or (with a skilled commander) come close enough to often hit trenches and emplacements at about half the rate of fire. It can out-range any rifle on the field, but not accurately. Costs 3 ore.
-Model 1 Service Rifle: A .30 caliber rifle, loaded from a 5-round clip much like the Mosin-Nagant. However, early experiments with bolt action suffered from difficult chambering new rounds, and the engineering team instead opted to make a lever-action rifle. Moskurg shooters favor this design, which keeps their hand close to the trigger. Includes iron sights, with an accuracy and stopping power very similar to the Nosin. It can fire somewhat faster, however, at the cost of some accuracy. Includes bayonet lugs.
-M2 Brumby: The Brumby is an air-cooled, .30 caliber machinegun designed to be carried by one man. It is operated by a gas piston under the barrel, and feeds from a belt. It includes a tall rear post sight, the barrel is cooled with shining, unconcealed copper heat sinks, and an innovative "belt box" for use on the move. Unlike previous machine guns, it uses a pistol grip instead of a pair of handles. It shoots around 400 rounds a minute with an effective range of around 300 yards, and weighs 26 pounds with a loaded belt box. It can be operated by a single soldier, ideally prone, or a crew to string belts together for continuous fire. The complexity of its mechanism makes it Expensive.
-Cascade Sub-Machine Gun: This is a sub-machine gun, firing the .35 cal short pistol round. It uses a new, closed-bolt blowback system. This system is reliable and keeps dirt out of the gun. The bolt system takes up about six inches, all of which is past the trigger, then a magazine, a 30 round drum, inserts into the receiver from the left. The barrel after the receiver is short, about 8 inches, and has a slotted metal hand guard. The stock is wooden and stops at the receiver, where brass is ejected from the bottom of the gun. The short barrel gives poor accuracy, especially when hot, and the .35 cal short bullets have much less range than a rifle or machine gun. The system fires about 400 rounds per minute. Its complexity makes it Expensive.
MK Technology:
-Imperial system. Inches, feet, miles, pounds! And especially calibers and gauges.
-Forged blades. Swords are a specialty!
-Breech-loading
-Revolvers, Single-action
-.60 caliber bullets. Just enormous for small arms! Excellent stopping power. Loud, hot, and kicks hard.
-.30 caliber bullets. Still really good stopping power, but much easier to control.
-.35 caliber short pistol bullets. For the Cascade Sub-Machine Gun.
-3.6 Inch Artillery Shell. Now also available in Smoke, Shrapnel and Extra Spicy Incendiary
-Howitzer
-Hot Weather Engineering. Moskurg-made equipment is designed and tested in the hot desert, and does not become unreliable due to hot climates and sand.
-Belt-Fed MG [Expensive]
-Water-Cooled Barrel
-Flamethrower [Partial]
-Petrol Engine
-Portable Radios [A bit crap]
-Crude Batteries (Lead-Acid)
-Brushed Electric Motors
-Airplanes
-Armor Thickness (Light and thinner)
MK Soldiers:
-Fierce: Moskurg soldiers have an advantage in melee combat and close quarters.
-Moskurg 1914 Armor: Moskurg soldiers wear flowing blue linen with a scimitar stitched onto the chest. Steel vests and helmets are added, to protect against shrapnel. Blue-and-silver glory improved with silver cape.
-Husayn the Lion, Struunk I Ace. 3 armor kills.
-Model 2 Radio: This new radio is battery powered, and a bit smaller- it fits onto a wheelbarrow-like carriage which can be moved by a man. It takes two operators, and still requires frequent hand-cranking, but it can at least be fit into a trench. Has a four foot radio mast. Transmits and receives Morse code. It is Expensive due to its complexity and requires 2 ore.
MK Ground Transportation:
-Horses: Moskurg soldiers are skilled cavalry, and ride close to the enemy to use their inaccurate weapons and swords.
-Model 51 Steam engine: [Obsolete] A Moskurg invention definitely not stolen from Arstotzka. Large shipments of ammo, resources and supplies are moved by trains pulled by one or two of these engines. Has a bad habit of overheating, occasional boiler explosions.
-Model 52 Steam Engine: The engines have been converted to oil-burning, which should make them cheaper to operate. Several key failure points have been re-engineered. This should enable more resources to be gained from our mines. Now with 95% less explosions! Uses 2 or 3 oil, I don't even know.
-Struunk I: Your engineers have managed to build a motor on par with the ones used in the (rather outdated) civilian vehicles you've been confiscating. As before, it gets up to 30 MPH on roads and 15 cross country. It has thin mild steel armor all around, slightly angled, with light armor on the front of the engine and cabin. The thin armor is still dubious protection against normal rifle rounds. It includes a Brumby in the passenger seat and an M2 Stallion in the turret, which is now pintle mounted to aim at aircraft. The turret has a DC electric motor running off of the car's double capacity battery, and a backup hand crank (the turret will drain the battery if rotated constantly). Costs 3 ore, 2 oil.
-SPAT: A self-propelled gun vehicle consisting of a petrol engine, caterpillar tracks, and a forward-facing Bombardier howitzer with just enough armor plating to hide the crew behind. The motor here is the same one as the Struunk I. The treads are a new development, and fit over a four-wheeled system with two driving wheels. They are prone to coming loose from the wheels from time to time. The armor is light, with a gap in the middle for the gun to rotate, rise and lower. Ammunition sits in racks behind the armor. The vehicle has a top speed of about 8 mph. The gun is just a Bombardier, fixed to the SPAT on a frame which pitches and yaws on a pair of hand cranks. The SPAT has a set of jacks to use when firing, which improve accuracy considerably by preventing the vehicle from shaking. Costs 3 ore, 2 oil.
-T1 Smasher Mk II: Based on previous experience with the SPAT and the Struunk I, this is Moskurg's attempt to make a completely armored fighting vehicle with a turret. The frame is based on the SPAT. The vehicle will be heavier though, so it is powered by a 10-cylinder motor. Has improved treads, more capable of climbing through obstacles and over trenches. It is armored all around with light armor, of mild steel, in a trapezoidal shape over the chassis with the treads exposed. The turret is a cylinder protruding out of the top of the front part of the tank, which includes the exit hatch. It does not include the planned coaxial machine gun but instead has a pintle-mounted Brumby which can be used when the top hatch is open. The turret rotates with an electric motor, without backup hand crank because the batteries are easily drained. The main gun is a shortened Bombardier with narrow vertical aim. Crewed with a driver, loader and gunner/commander. Can get up to 8 mph on a good day. Costs 4 ore, 2 oil.
-L-1 Tiger: The Tiger is, despite its fierce name, a truck. It has a long, narrow nose in front of the cab containing a twelve cylinder engine, and the steering wheels are next to it under round cowls. It has a bed where a hopper, tanker, seats, trailer hitches or other things can easily be attached. There are six rear drive wheels, on independent suspension. Costs 3 ore, 2 oil. Provides +1 logistics.
MK Air Force
-Model 1 Biplane: A biplane mostly design around the heavy an awkward Model 2 Radio. Research into aluminum framing was conducted, but a good source could not be secured this year. As such, the airplane consists mostly of a wood-and-canvas frame, with pretty conventional ailerons, elevators and rudder. It can immediately be distinguished from a normal plane by the four foot radio mast sticking out. It weighs about half a ton and is powered by a new motor with six opposed cylinders. Most of its spare weight and space is taken up by the Model 2 radio, which is powered by the motor and operated by a co-pilot. Despite it not being in the design requirements, the plane comes with a center-mounted Brumby, complete with interrupter gear, and a couple yards of ammo. Maneuverability is somewhat poor. Costs 2 oil.
-Model 2 Hornet: A wide, heavy, wood-framed biplane. To serve its purpose of carrying bombs, it is heavy and sturdy (as much as a wooden plane can be) with bomb racks beneath the wings. It is powered by a big ten-cylinder motor (your biggest yet) and weighs a ton on its own, and carries half a ton of bombs. The bombs are simply artillery shells with fins attached, and are available in every variety. The gunner's seat has an M1 Stallion which can rotate in a full circle and carries seven yards of ammo. Costs 3 oil.
MK Resources:
6 Captured Tigers. Don't stick your hand in the cage.
1 Overwhelming National Pride
X Bureau of Cleverness. Provides X spies. X is discussed at private dinner parties, to which the truly loyal are invited.
2 Ore. Most Vehicles or carriage-mounted weapons are Expensive.
2 Oil. Products which use more fuel than a car are Expensive.
I have now hit the 40,000 character limit for a forum post. Oh dear. Guess I'll have to split it up.
Author
Topic: Arms Race, OOC [Completed] Now with Arms Race III, against another forum! (Read 233684 times)