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[Sensei]

1935 Army Status

Arstotzka's army now contains the following:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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-SP30: Previously known as the 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. It is pretty reliable. It has a threaded barrel and can be fitted with a suppressor.
-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 placed 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.
-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-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-MC16A: A stands for Andres! The action is reworked for cheaper manufacturing, but works as well as the original. The stock is redesigned entirely for a pistol grip and foregrip, and made of lightweight aluminium, the butt is an open frame. The weapon handles considerably better with this new arrangement. Hollow point ammo is not successfully developed during this revision phase, but your engineers do design a new magazine. This is a 54-round magazine which consists of two drums feeding together into one magazine insert. It gets in the way of the shooter's view a bit, but MC16's are often fired from the hip anyway. Oh yeah, and it looks like a pair of, well, you know. Soldiers have some creative nicknames for the gun already. Costs 2 ore.
-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-1924: A light machine gun using 7.62mm rifle rounds. It is gas-operated, with a box magazine, a bottom-fed 25 round rectangular mag or 60 round drum. It includes an aluminium stock, magazines and fixtures, which are lighter than wood fixtures used on previous guns, though the barrel, action etc are steel. It is easily man portable at 8 kilos, allowing one man to carry the gun and a decent amount of ammo, though AS-1924 gunners are still often accompanied by a man to spot and carry additional ammo. It can be fired while standing or kneeling, with its pistol grip and overhead foregrip, but is most accurate when used with a bipod. Sustained fire (through multiple magazines) can cause overheating. Shoots around 500 rounds a minute. Costs 3 ore.
-AS-G27: Having previously made landmines and mortars, grenades are no problem for Arstotzkan engineers. The basic AS-G27 is is an oblong ball that fits comfortably in the hand, and when a ring is pulled, this starts a four-second fuze. The casing breaks into fragments when it explodes. The AS-G27I is incendiary, the AS-G27S deploys smoke. The AS-G27AT is cylinder shaped, with magnets on one end. It contains a hemispherical shaped charge. A soldier can penetrate medium armor with it, but they have to run right up to a tank to stick one on. The amount of chemicals needed for grenades gives them a cost of Oil 2. Each grenade weighs around a kilogram.
-AS-RPG28: A rocket-propelled grenade, fired out of a launch tube. The grenade itself consists of a conical shape with a narrow tube of propellent out the back, and fins in the middle of the tube. The grenade fits into a launch tube, about 3cm in diameter and a meter in length, up to the fins. The launch tube is a simple tube with one handle. To ignite the propellant, soldiers remove a pin, which is attached with a little chain and carabiner clip to a simple lever on the launch tube handle which serves as a trigger. The launch tube weighs three kilograms, and grenades themselves weigh another three. It is accurate enough to hit a tank out to almost 100 meters, after which it drops quickly. Rockets are available with warheads based on each type of grenade, including a crude flat-ended RPG28AT shaped charge. This doesn't fly very well and requires a very square hit to be effective, so can mostly only be used at short range against flat armor. Requires 2 ore.
-RPG28 A: The fins on the rockets have been twisted, to which causes rockets to spin and fly on a flatter trajectory with better grouping. The HEAT rocket has been reshaped from a flat-ended explosive with a hemispherical cutout, to an explosive in a conical shell with a steep inverse conical shape inside.
-AS-O30 Optics: Simple scopes, which can be fitted to any appropriate sort of gun, in 2x, 3x, or 4x magnifications. They include a little rubber eye shroud. They are Expense to make, but even so the manufacturing quality is a bit dubious and the lenses are a bit small, leading often to dark, blurry pictures. Uses a painted-on crosshair with range-finding markers, in 100 or 200 meter increments custom to the type of gun on which they are to be fitted.
-AS-AR34: The AR34 is an assault rifle chambered in new 7.62L ammunition, an intermediate powered cartridge. It is fed at the bottom from a wide 24-round magazine, or a 40-round drum, and ejects cartridges to the right side. It has a tactical rail an adjustable iron sights on top. It is select-fire, having a knob on the side which the user slides forward and back to set the gun either to be single-shot or automatic. The knob is very stiff and requires soldiers to take their left hand off the weapon and force it. Most of its furniture is made from aluminum, and it has a vertical pistol grip and foregrip. It weighs under 6kg. It has good stopping power and accuracy out to medium range, and is relatively easy for users to control even on automatic fire (which is still far less accurate than shooting singly). It's about as long as the AS-F14, which means it is usable in close quarters but not perfect. Costs 2 ore.

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
-Hollow Point Bullets
-Flak Shells
-Flares
-Incendiary Rounds
-Rocket-Assisted Shells (More range, for DT25 and AS-1912)
-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 (Heavy and thinner)
-Fuel Injection
-Turbo Charger
-Radio
-Paratroopers
-Suppressor
-Select-fire

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-GU23: The new 1923 Arstotzkan uniforms come in patterned camouflage colors, grey/white, beige and olive. In order to completely placate High Command's thirst for glory and keep the dice in the dice bag, the inside of the uniform is sewn red and gold with Arstotzkan flags. A soldier can simply fold their uniform inside-out and convert it from battle camouflage to parade regalia (you advise soldiers NOT to do this on the battlefield). The armor plates and helmet are made from Glorious Aluminium, which reduces their weight. Includes all the pockets and bandoliers a soldier could ask for, and one right on the elbow that nobody asked for. Costs 2 ore.
-Andrei Zhuyev, ace pilot. Lost track of his kills.
-Commander Emilovich, Master Tactician
-Petyr Tavish, elite sniper. Fifty-three kills.
-IP-R25: This is based off of stolen liberated designs for the Moskurg Model 3 Radio. Like the Model 3, it is a vacuum-tube audio-transmitting radio with consists of the 14-kilogram radio itself and an equally large box of batteries. To move, it needs to be carried by two men, but can be set up for use relatively quickly. It can also fit in most vehicles without affecting performance (or take up the entire sidecar on an M17 bike).
-AS-DC29: An Arstotzkan device design to solve Moskurg's cipher. It is basically a Tiger's Whisper, with its own code card with the numbers 1 through 26. It uses a typewriter mechanism to stamp each number onto a ticker tape. The numbers on the ticker tape are the simple cipher version of the Moskurg message, which is relatively easy to solve by hand. In addition it includes a counter for each letter, displaying the frequency in which letters occur which helps solve ciphers faster. An average Arstotzkan officer is clever enough to use this to crack a Moskurg message in five to ten minutes. With a stolen code card, it can also act exactly as a Tiger's Whisper would, where communications officers must write down each letter as it appears. It is Expensive to make, and fits into a very heavy backpack.
-AS-P32: Arstotzka's new parachute rigging. The parachute itself is large and round, and various straps, clips and buckles allow a soldier to carry a light primary weapon, such as the Nosin, AS-F14 or MC16, and their ammo and a grenade, or an AS-1924 but not much ammo. Alternatively, a paratrooper could also bring an AS-1911 mortar and a few rounds, but only their sidearm with it. Radios need to be dropped separately.
-IP-IA35: Infantry armor made of a forged manganese steel alloy. All of the armor plates are relatively thick for infantry, and the full suit weighs in at 36 pounds. The helmet is particularly thick, and fits round and close around the head, low over the eyes and down to the neck with a little outward slope. It can be attached with a face mask, which when worn allows a wide but very narrow viewing slit between the mask and helmet. The mask fits in a rounded shape around the face and chin, and is a attached with a pain of pins. The breastplate extends by a couple inches in the middle so that it is not flat, and has the appearance of a ridge down the middle. The backplate is similar, but flat. At the waist these plates end and there are flat curved single-piece taces to protect the upper legs, below the knee the armor has no coverage. The pauldrons allow comfortable shoulder motion, being made of three layered plates, and the upper arms are covered by rerebraces, which are round fitted plates to the outside of the arm. While the lower arms, lower legs, and sometimes gaps around the shoulders are exposed, most parts of the armor will stop a pistol bullet at point blank. The breastplate and taces will stop rifle bullets at all but very close range. AP Horsekillers easily penetrate at medium range. The armor is tiring and cumbersome, troops cannot effectively crawl and kneeling is difficult, as is aiming down rifle sights while using the mask. Complex. Costs 3 ore.
-Arstotzka Border Checkpoint Station: The Arstotzka Border Checkpoint Station is a a booth where a loyal Arstotzkan citizen works to process and regulate entry into Arstotzka. It has a desk, a loudspeaker (with microphone to speak into), a clock, a quick-close shutter, two stamps (one marked APPROVED and the other DENIED), a panic button, and a photograph taker. It also includes a manual that border checkpoint officers can refer to if they need.


AS Ground Transportation:
-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-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-T25: A medium tank, built to fit under medium thickness RHA. The armor is sloped shallow in the front, and this slope goes about halfway down the tank's length. The turret and crew hatch are on the flat part of the top of the tank, in the back, leading to a design that looks like a bit of a wedge. It is powered by a 12 cylinder, fuel injected, turbo charged motor. The new turbo charger is a super charger powered by exhaust, it provides the most benefit at high engine ranges. The turbo slightly increases fuel use. It can get up to 55 kph. The gun, a new AS-DT25, fires 50mm rounds, with a screw breech. It is fairly accurate and quite powerful. The turret is hand cranked and a bit on the slow side. It can fire about 20 times a minute and includes AP rounds. The treads are on hydropneumatic suspension, which improves accuracy while the tank is moving. Includes a coaxial AS-1924 and one on the exit hatch with a pintle mount. Costs 5 ore, 3 oil.
-AS-MAT26-50: A light tracked platform for the DT25 gun originally designed for the AS-T25 tank. Moves on a simply 8-cylinder motor and treads. It has thin RHA armor in the front only, with the rest open to the air. The DT-25 gun has an extended barrel with a muzzle brake, and is mounted on a front-facing armature with good side-to-side and vertical angling, for direct fire. It's bigger than the original, but outside of a turret this is fine. It include an AS-1924 for good measure against aircraft. Costs 4 ore, 2 oil.
-AS-T33: A tank similar to the AS-T25, with Heavy frontal armor, a radio as a standard feature. The shape is basically the same, a wedge with a cylindrical turret towards the back. It is powered by a turbocharged and fuel injected diesel engine, with twelve cylinders, which allows the tank to reach 45 kph. It is also armed with a new, enormous DT33 75mm cannon, which loads with a screw breech and can be fired about 12 times a minute, which happily penetrates medium armor at long range with HEAT rounds, and has similar accuracy but better range than the DT25. It includes one AS-1924 coaxially in the turret and one for a commander/spotter to use on a pintle. The turret is now operated by an electric motor on the horizontal traverse, and the tank has light spaced armor skirts around the turret, and on the sides down to the treads which help defend against HEAT rounds. A bit prone to running short on ammunition. Costs 6 ore, 3 oil.

AS Air Force, and a train runway thing:
-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-DB-HF-23: An airplane built entirely from aluminium. This lighter, sturdier frame allows the plane be reasonably fast with a 9-cylinder radial engine and make aggressive dives and recoveries for bombing, with half a ton of bombs. The radial engine is designed entirely around an AS-AC18 which fires through the prop shaft, necessitating a relatively heavy and thick prop shaft. It has decent maneuverability, with its metal design allowing for strong forces on the wings and tail, and large control surfaces, but it is best at dogfighting while not carrying a bomb load. Costs 4 ore, 3 oil.
-AS-HF-24: An airplane built entirely from aluminium. Based on the AS-DB-HF-23's light and sturdy frame, with bomb mounts omitted in favor of four lightweight AS-1924 machine guns, modified to accept belts. Two barrels visibly protrude from the front of each wing. The radial engine is designed entirely around an AS-AC18 which fires through the prop shaft, necessitating a relatively heavy and thick prop shaft. Unlike the DB version, it is fuel injected which is terribly complex and a bit heavy but allows more power for the same fuel. It has decent maneuverability, with its metal design allowing for strong forces on the wings and tail, and large control surfaces, but it is a bit heavy. Costs 4 ore, 3 oil
-AS-1931-HAFB: A three-engine bomber with a shoulder wing. It is constructed of a geodetic aluminium frame with resin-treated fabric skin. The pilot sits in a cockpit on the front of the plane with a pyramidal canopy, and between the two wings is an AC18 gunner, on top of the plane, with a 360 degree rotation under a trapezoidal canopy.  It has an engine in the nose and one slung under each wing, the engines are turbocharged and fuel injected. Despite its size, this enables it to almost keep pace with AS-HF-24s and gives it a high altitude ceiling. These engines burn a lot of fuel, and so the craft is not capable of especially longer range than Arstotzkan fighters. It carries a two-ton payload of bombs, and a bomber with a sight which can be adjusted based on a written table for airspeed and altitude. At full altitude, these bombs are incapable of hitting precise targets, and especially moving targets. The plane also has fixed landing gear. Costs 5 ore, 4 oil.
-AS-HF-32: An aluminum built fighter with a mid wing. It has a long narrow fuselage with a water cooled, turbo charged and fuel injected V10 motor. It has a square-ish closed canopy and fixed landing gear. It is armed with 2 AC-18s in the wings and 2 AS-1924s in the nose, on an interrupter gear. It is faster and can climb higher than the AS-DB or AS-1931 by a good margin, and despite some turbulence from the landing gear it has better maneuverability at high speeds. Not often, but sometimes, the landing gear breaks off in an extreme maneuver, forcing pilots to land the craft on its belly. It also includes two bomb mounts (up to 200 kg of bombs), which can be fitted with extra fuel tanks (+1 oil when in use). It costs 4 ore, 3 oil.
-AS-ARAC-35: The ARAC is a mobile runway, carried by coal train on more than 30 consecutive train cars, which unfold their top armor into a runway long and wide enough for a HAFB to land, be drawn back by a winch and cable (as it cannot taxi), then take off after being refueled and rearmed. The runway panels are supported by jacks on either side and take about a day to setup or pack away. The process takes about forty minutes, limiting the amount of traffic that can use the runway. The train also requires a sufficiently flat and straight railway to be useful as a runway. This often constitutes make a special track, but is easier than building a runway. There is a good section of track in the central desert, east desert, and plains. There is currently no system to move aircraft from the runway to the ground and back. The runways can land a few planes and take them off in order, which park on the ends of the runway, but far less than a normal runway could store. Costs 10 ore.

AS Navy:
-AS-CV22: A steam-powered ship, worthy of sea travel. Uses two AS-51 S steam engines, which each power one screw. The vessel is around 60 meters long, and carries cargo enough to provide +1 logistics. It mounts an AC-18 on the bow for air defense, an an AS-1910 on top of the con tower. Costs 6 ore.

AS Resources:
1 Unyielding Thirst for Glory
X Ministry of Integrity. Provides X spies. X is classified.
4+1 Ore. Tanks are Expensive, typically. Arstotzka's warehouses are full of swastika-stamped steel ingots.
1 Expense Credit: Stacks of deflated American Dollars are hurriedly traded for anything of value. Fine wine, historical artifacts and works of art are packed away in crates in the treasury- they are unappreciated here, but they will not depreciate with time.
2 Oil. Products which use more fuel than a car are expensive. Except, rebels keep blowing up oil refineries.
5 Companies of Moskurg Prisoners, slaving away in the salt mines.

[Sensei]

Moskurg's army now contains the following:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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. 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, ugly, 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.
-Rhino Recoilless Rifle: This is a rifled tube designed to fire a 2.2 inch shell, without creating significant recoil. It is five feet in length and portable by a single man, weighing about 25 pounds, but sits on a tripod to fire. The recoilless effect is achieved by firing a "wad" of rubber-lined cement, equal in mass to the 2.2 inch shell, out the back of the rifle. Tubes are manufactured loaded, and discarded after firing. It is accurate out to medium range. It fires the normal variety of artillery shells. Costs 2 ore.
-B2 Destroyer: A big, long piece of artillery with firing 4 inch rounds. The barrel is nine feet long, for maximum muzzle velocity and accuracy. Its barrel sits on a hydro suspension mechanism, and lurches back each time the gun fires. It weighs more than a ton and can fire at great distance around 15 times a minute, when hand loaded in its locking screw breech. These rounds can be placed with pretty good consistency, for their range. Must be towed by a truck, or three can fit on a train car (but not fire from there). Costs 4 ore.
-MK-47 Assault Rifle: This is a blowback operated rifle using .30 caliber rounds, designed to be an automatic weapon with a similar size and role to the Model 1 Service Rifle. It has a rear pistol grip, a slotted wooden foregrip and a 30 round magazine which mounts on the side. It is based on the Cascade's action, but heavily reinforced to withstand the pressures incurred by full size rifle rounds. The heavy moving bolt significantly affects accuracy when firing automatically, even at medium range. The weapon has a heavy barrel to prevent overheating and help with the recoil, which makes the weapon weigh around 16 pounds, but the recoil from rapidly firing rifle rounds is still a significant issue. Fires 600 rounds per minute. Costs 2 ore.
-MK-47A: The MK-47 is reworked around the smaller, shorter .280 caliber intermediate rifle round. This involves a principally identical but shorter receiver and magazine, and the gun sheds weight in general as parts are made with less reinforcement and ballast is removed, down to 12 pounds. A tactical rail is added. The reduction in firepower brings recoil down to acceptable levels, making it a much more practical weapon. It is effective only to medium range, but as it is only capable of automatic fire, it cannot be aimed effectively past medium range anyway. The blowback action still has a relatively heavy bolt, which makes the gun lurch around a bit. It is still moderately cumbersome for close combat.
-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. Expensive due to metric manufacturing.
-M3 Sorraia GPMG: A .30 caliber machine gun fed from a belt. 50-round belts can be strung together for extended fire or stored in a belt box attached to the Sorraia, which for practical purposes is similar to a magazine. Unlike the Brumby, it uses a recoil action, and is configured to fire around 800 rounds per minute, achieved with the help of a muzzle booster (which looks like a flared end on the barrel). It is slightly lighter, at 22 pounds. Comes with an integrated bipod, can be used on a tripod for emplacements. It uses similar heat sinks to the Brumby, which are now shrouded. It has a changeable barrel, which is necessary for emplacement use. It is effective to a greater distance than the Brumby when so mounted, about 800 yards. Costs 2 ore.
-Shaped Charge: A hemisphere of explosives, in a hemispherical metal container, with a hemispherical empty space inside. Magnetic. Can be placed on an enemy tank by particularly brave soldiers.
-Eagle Sight MkII: A new refractive telescopic sight designed with the Osprey rifle in mind. It includes horizontal and vertical adjustment knobs, and can be adjusted for focus and zoom. It is adjustable in magnification from 4x to 7x (long-range type), or from 1.5x to 4x (short-range type). These have a large objective lens which creates a bright picture, but still have short eye relief and a narrow field of view. The precision involved in manufacturing lenses makes them expensive, and they must be custom fitted to weapons which do not have rails.
-Hippo Recoilless Rifle: A 2.2 inch Recoilless rifle, which is reloadable. Appears as a tube with a square, offset box in the middle which contains the mechanism to hold and fire its rounds. It also The grips consists of a padded quarter-circle shoulder rest and a foregip with a trigger, an extra off-hand grip in the middle. Like the hippo, rounds (now a single package) consist of a shell, powder-filled casing, and wad of equal mass to the shell. The wad consists of sand in a cork sabot, to present minimal danger to soldiers behind to gun (still, do not stand behind the Hippo Recoilless Rifle). It is a bit heavier than the Rhino, but because it is reloadable a soldier can carry a half-dozen shells. While there is relatively little recoil (comparable to a Horsekiller) it also exerts a torque along the rifle groove when fired, which makes it difficult to use. Includes tall iron post sights on the side of the weapon with multiple horizontal range markers, and a side rail for easy scope mounting, though it is difficult to fire accurately at scope ranges. Costs 2 ore.
-Incinerator Flamethrower: A heavy weapon, consists of two tanks on a soldier's back (one of harmless nitrogen as a propellant, and one of flamethrower fuel) and a nozzle with a pilot light. Shoots a jet of burning liquid about 25 feet. Includes an emergency cutoff valve. Costs 2 ore, 2 oil.
-Bumblebee AT/AA: A 3.6 inch gun. It can be aimed down close to the ground, or up the sky, and most of the new technology it includes is for this second purpose. It is aimed by a gunner who sits in a seat which inclines and declines with the gun itself, and has an iron sight which consists of two rings, the front of which has a "spiderweb" design. The gun is aimed with two traversal wheels. The gun is designed to fire new fuzed flak rounds, which have an adjustable timer set by a dial on the gun itself. There is also a mechanical targeting calculator, which is a box around the size of the Model 3 Radio that has a dial for target range, and rate of change of range, which can set the fuze time for shells accurately as the target moves. Additionally given an altitude and angle, the sight will automatically offset so that the gunner need merely keep the crosshair over the target. It is pretty effective, and also cheap and reliable. However, adjusting targeting calculator takes too long to aim at dive bombers and close, low-altitude planes. Fires about 15 times a minute. Costs 2 ore.
-M34 Viper Landmine: A landmine! It's a disc shaped box full of explosives, with a trigger on top. The land mine includes a recession to fit the trigger of another land mine underneath it, and the trigger protrudes into this space when pressed, igniting all mines in a stack simultaneously. The trigger is locked with a removable pin. The mines weight five pounds each, which is a little excessive for infantry but does the job. Two or three are effective against vehicles, but a bit taller and heavier than a single mine would be with the same explosive content. Be extremely careful when stacking the mines! Costs 2 oil.
-M2 Osprey: The Osprey is a bolt-action rifle, chambered in .30 caliber, intended for snipers and marksmen. It is bolt-action, and has a 10 round magazine. It has a wooden stock, and the magazine protrudes a few inches beneath the rifle. It features a heavy barrel, and with its bolt action mechanism, has excellent grouping at long range. On top of the gun is a set of adjustable iron sights with a fine crosshair, and a rail for a telescopic sight.
-Eagle Sight MkII: A new sight designed with the Osprey rifle in mind. It includes horizontal and vertical adjustment knobs, and can be adjusted for focus and zoom. It is adjustable in magnification from 4x to 7x (long-range type), or from 1.5x to 4x (short-range type). These have a large objective lens which creates a bright picture, but still have short eye relief. The precision involved in manufacturing lenses makes them expensive, and they must be custom fitted to weapons which do not have rails.
-The Death Ball: A 30-foot boulder, on two equally large steel wheels, which themselves are lined with rockets to propel it. The boulder is hewn smooth and round, and hollowed by stoneworkers (in 1935!) to support a stabilizing gyroscope. It can reliably roll in something resembling a straight line thanks to its gyroscope, although large moguls or divots will send it wildly off course. For the ten seconds or so it keeps to speed, it can crush a tank hull. In fact the most difficult thing about its use is moving it around before firing it. It, or the boulder from it is constructed, is too large to move around on a truck, so it is instead dragged on a sled by several trucks, in a modern mechanized method which resembles the way in which ancient people moved stone megaliths. Once hewn into shape and given their gyro, chassis and rockets, they are generally not moved, but kept in place and rotated to aim. Costs 6 ore, 2 oil, and can only be deployed in areas with flat land access to a stone quarry.


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
-Armor-Piercing Shell: Hardened steel alloy, which deforms less than lead when hitting armor. Can be manufactured for .30 caliber and up.
-Armor-Piercing High Explosive (APHE): Armor-piercing shells, and then after the armor, they explode. Boom.
-HEAT: High Explose Armor-Penetrating shells with a shaped charge, but you'll never guess what shape.
-Flak
-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.
-Jungle Engineering: Moskurg weapons don't generally seize up from being wet and muddy, they are tested in humidity, and sometimes include gaskets or are designed to be especially easy to clean.
-Belt-Fed MG
-Water-Cooled Barrel
-Flamethrowers
-Petrol Engine
-Portable Radios [Less Crap] with Audio
-Vacuum Tubes
-Batteries II
-Brushed Electric Motors
-Airplanes
-Armor Thickness (Medium and thinner)
-Recoilless Rifle
-Spaced Armor
-Nuclear Crayons
-Telescopic Sights, Adjustable
-Slat Armor
-Tactical Rails
-Fuel Injection
-Turbo Charger
-Targeting Calculator
-Manganese Steel
-Gyroscopes

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. The new 1927 uniform includes drab colors, olive, beige and grey, to blend in with different environments. Jingling metal belts and clips are replaced with quiet ones. Vehicles are bedecked in similar colors, with reasonably-sized flags painted on the side. However, High Command insists that officers retain their blue uniforms with silver capes and big hats, so that soldiers will know their commanders.
-Model 3 Radio: Another vacuum tube radio, which now comes as a pair of 30 pound boxes (one of batteries and one of the radio itself). Each box is man portable on its own, and has to be assembled together to work. It also includes a light, flexible antenna instead of a radio mast, which can either be erected up a tent pole or worked into the frame of a vehicle. The result is that it takes up two mens' primary weapon slots instead of a wheelbarrow, making it portable by a mobile squad and useable after about a minute of setup. Alternatively, it can fit into most vehicles without affecting performance. Also importantly, it can now transmit and receive audio instead of just morse code, making communication faster in general. No longer Complex.
-Tiger's Whisper: This radio device, instead of being used to transmit speech, issues and receives 26 discreet amplitudes on a given frequency. The amplitude broadcast is selected with a dial, and the amplitude received is is used to indicate a letter, using a fully circular meter which reads amplitude and is labeled with letters. When the dial, or meter, falls to zero after displaying a letter, it moves the paper indicator by an amount based on its highest position, like a rotary telephone dial. This means that the messages are bit more complex than a simple substitution. A communications officer must jot down each letter as he reads it. The letter indicators both on the dial and meter are pieces of card paper which can be changed, so that new substitutions can be issued to communications officers regularly in case a radio communicator falls into enemy hands.
-Tank Commander Char: Currently pilots the only Eagle-equipped T2 Breaker. 22 kills. He can see three times as far as a commander with normal tank sights.
-Tiger Infantry Armor: Infantry armor made of a forged manganese steel alloy. All of the armor plates are relatively thick for infantry, and the full suit weighs in at 36 pounds. The helmet is particularly thick, and fits round and close around the head, low over the eyes and down to the neck with a little outward slope. It can be attached with a face mask, which when worn allows a wide but very narrow viewing slit between the mask and helmet. The mask fits in a rounded shape around the face and chin, and is a attached with a pain of pins. The breastplate extends by a couple inches in the middle so that it is not flat, and has the appearance of a ridge down the middle. The backplate is similar, but flat. At the waist these plates end and there are flat curved single-piece taces to protect the upper legs, below the knee the armor has no coverage. The pauldrons allow comfortable shoulder motion, being made of three layered plates, and the upper arms are covered by rerebraces, which are round fitted plates to the outside of the arm. While the lower arms, lower legs, and sometimes gaps around the shoulders are exposed, most parts of the armor will stop a pistol bullet at point blank. The breastplate and taces will stop rifle bullets at all but very close range. AP Horsekillers easily penetrate at medium range. The armor is tiring and cumbersome, troops cannot effectively crawl and kneeling is difficult, as is aiming down rifle sights while using the mask. Costs 3 ore.

MK Ground Transportation:
-Horses: Moskurg soldiers are skilled cavalry, and ride close to the enemy to use their inaccurate weapons and swords.
-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 front, sides and turret have an additional thin piece of spaced armor. 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.
-T2 Breaker: A tank built from new Rolled Homogenous Armor, like tanks should be made of. It is medium armored throughout, with a slanted front but mostly square. The turret is specially cast as a rounded dome and rotates with electrical motors. Includes a new 1.6 inch rifled Breaker cannon, with a long barrel, suspension and muzzle brake. The Breaker cannon can fire about 24 times a minute, it is single loaded by hand. It also has a coaxially mounted Brumby. The exit hatch in towards the mach of the tank and includes a pintle-mounted Brumby. The tank is a heavy, it sits on wide cowled treads and is powered by a big 12-cylinder diesel engine, and can get up to about 23 mph. Crewed by a driver, loader, gunner, and commander. Now with extra slat armor. The radio is usually omitted due to the already very steep cost of the tank: It requires 5 ore, 2 oil.

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.
-M3 Wasp Fighter B: Using some aluminum structure, Moskurg is able to create their first sturdy cantilevered monoplane. Most of the aluminum is used to support the wings while the tail and body are made of (mostly) wood. The wings mount in the middle of the fuselage, with the pilot sitting between them and a fat radial engine in front. Due to its single pair of wings and lack of struts, than previous airplanes. The engine is also a bit of a monster, a 14 cylinder radial engine in two rows of 7 cyclinders. This makes it really quite fast. It mounts an M1 Stallion with interrupter gear. The plane pitches and rolls quickly on its single wing, but needs to be going faster than a biplane and this tends to make fast-but-wide turns. At its top speed, its wooden tail structure warps one way and the other, threatening to break. It uses retractable landing gear. Costs 2 ore, 3 oil.
-Model 4 Yellowjacket: A fighter aircraft, built fully of aluminum. It has flat low wings on a relatively long, narrow fuselage which holds its V12 motor. The motor is fuel injected, and cooled by a water radiator. It has six exhaust pipes poking out under the wing on each side, and a canopy-covered pilot seat close to the tail. It is relatively sturdy and maneuverable, it is fast and makes tight maneuvers but is "temperamental", prone to going into out-of-control rolls and requiring a tight grip on the joystick. The canopy includes a tubular gun sight. The six Sorraia guns in the wings provide ample firepower, but the six guns and their ammo are somewhat heavy. Moves faster and maneuvers better than the Wasp, as well as having a higher altitude ceiling. Costs 3 ore, 3 oil.

MK Resources:
4 Captured Tigers. Don't stick your hand in the cage.
1 Damaged National Pride
X Bureau of Cleverness. Provides X spies. X is discussed at private dinner parties, to which the truly loyal are invited.
1 Ore. Spare some change for the poor?
2 Oil. Products which use more fuel than a car are Expensive.

[Sensei]

The Civilian Market
Ships from both sides carrying sample weapons and designs were captured and scuttled by rebels, in AS-CV22's with the red-and-blue Rebel Union flag.

1935 Battle Report FINAL BATTLE REPORT

This turn will be taking a little different format than usual.

This year, both sides went all out with massive designs. Moskurg built The Death Ball, a 30-foot concrete and rebar boulder, with a gyro stabilizing system, rolling on two equally large steel wheels propelled by dozens of rockets in a circular arrangement. It can crush a tank, but is prone to going off course and can't really be moved once constructed. Arstotzka built the AS-ARAC-35, a massive portable runway project which turns a train into a temporary, mobile runway. It can store and refuel a small amount of planes at a time, with some difficulty, and there are only a few locations convenient to use one. Arstotzka also converted the stolen Tiger armor to metric measurements, which currently means it is Expensive and as readily available for Arstotzka as it is for Moskurg. Arstotzkan soldiers have been ordered to use the armor piecemeal as convenient, instead of necessarily saddling themselves with the whole thing.

Arstotzka spends their expense credit on the AS-T33, making it cheap. Ships full of steel arrive regularly, and tanks issue from the factories in a line like traffic on a city street. Moskurg uses their expense credit on The Death Ball, using truckloads of foreign cement and rebar to enact their twisted purposes.

The war in the air, like last year, is generally in Arstotzka's favor. However, deep in the central desert over Moskurg's capitol, Arstotzka deploys a severely reduced amount of airplanes, due to relying on a few AS-ARAC-35 installations as the only airstrips close enough. At a given time, only about three wings of planes can make a coordinated attack over Moskurg, which usually means a bomber and two or three escorts each. Fortunately for them, Moskurg has a shortage of Model 4 Yellowjacket fighters, and the Bumblebee AA is not totally ubiquitous. They are still outnumbered but due to the Model 2 hornet being a rather easy-to-shoot-down bomber, Arstotzka drops about as many bombs on targets as Moskurg.

On the ground, both sides have focused their forces entirely on the desert near Moskurg's capitol. The battle this year is greater than it has even been, men crowd the streets and fields, and there is a constant haze of smoke and dust that remains in the air for months on end until the Moskurg monsoon season. In Moskurg, the conscription process has disposed of such formalities as lists of names and military academies. If a man can fight (Moskurg High Command has stubborn policies about women), they are handed a gun and told to fight- or upon seen Arstotzkan soldiers approach their field, farmers and shepherds will take up decrepit Horsekiller rifles, tie the first strip of blue cloth they can find around their arm, and go to fight. Against this thorough resistance, Arstotzka begins similar aggressive conscription, rushing soldiers through training and pressing AR34 rifles into their hands. The war that was once spread across Forenia is now concentrated around Moskurg, and amplified two fold. Blood runs in rivulets through the streets, fields and desert. The scent of burning and rotting flesh can be smelled for leagues.

The majority of fighting is on the city borders, where a soldier might be in a wide open field or trench one hour and running from room to room in a three story building the next. Arstotzka's armored columns are ubiquitous, the AS-T33 outnumbers T2 Breaker tanks, and are not invulnerable but will typically win fights unless they're ambushed or significantly outmaneuvered. The battle through the desert itself is one of Moskurg constantly backing away from what became known as the Iron Tide, sniping what they could and running. Until Arstotzkan columns came in range of the city and villages, and saw... the boulders. At first they looked like huge bunkers. But they had wheels- maybe tanks with some kind of concrete armor? They one starts to move, rocket trails flare off of its great wheels. It's going faster, and faster, huge AS-T33 75mm cannons start firing and tear chunks of concrete off. A dozen tanks and their support crews are firing, rockets streak through the air. "HOLD THE LINE!" shouts an AS-T33 commander, over the din of battle. A shot breaks the left wheel off the Death Ball, and it spins off into an empty field- then moments later, the second one rushes upon the tank column, and crushes four AS-T33s, scatters a squadron of M17 cavalry and tumbles through a group of AS-MAT26 tank destroyers, wrecking most of them before collapsing in half at the end of its wake of destruction. A third Death Ball still sits on the outside of the little village, daring Arstotzka's army to come closer. The tank commander who ordered his men to hold to line looks at the huge rut in the ground behind him, and the twisted metal wreckage of a third of his subordinates. Then from the horizon, a .30 caliber bullet from an M2 Osprey sniper rifle kills him instantly. The group routs in panic.

A month later in another part of Moskurg's border, Arstozkan commanders have grown more wise to Moskurg's secret weapon. Death Ball fortifications -that is what they are, they are built at great effort and not moved, except to aim, until fired- are targeted from far away by venerable AS-1912 artillery and 75mm DT33 cannons on the AS-T33 tank. If either of the steel wheels are damaged, the entire Death Ball is compromised, and after several terrorizing incidents which faltered Arstotzka's Iron Tide, commanders have learned to aim for those. They are not entirely useless- they deter attack long enough for B2 Destroyer guns to lay down a lot of shots. In another border battle, the fundamental unreliability of the Death Ball comes to light. It was not unheard of for the Death Ball to go veering off course, but one desperate Moskurg defensive force fired their last death ball, with all the others having been rendered inoperable, only to watch in horror as it leaned on one damaged wheel, and perhaps with its gyroscope having failed, veered around and crushed a Moskurg bunker and a whole Destroyer battery into rubble. Officially, High Command says that damage from Arstotzkan tank rounds caused the disaster, but rumors spread of rebel sabotage.

Ultimately the fighting moved into the outer city. The fighting is once again taking place from street to street, room to room. By now Arstotzka has implemented their AS-ARAC-35 project. Four rail sites have been converted into uneven, somewhat dangerous iron airstrips, and host a total of five ARAC trains which vary a little in length. Landing on the narrow runway is a harrowing task, especially for AS-1931-HAFB bombers, so only Arstotzka's best and most glorious pilots are selected for the precious landing sites which will enable the Arstotzkan air force to strike at Moskurg's capitol directly. The first wave of aircraft consists only of AS-DB-HF-23 and AS-HF-32's to escort them, and are coordinated to fly overhead just as the first Arstotzkan forces enter the outer city for air support. On the ground the fighting is fierce. Arstotzkan soldiers mostly use the AS-AR34, selecting fire as range dictates, and benefiting from its small size and weight to clamber through debris. In a squad, there is often a soldier with an AS-1924 LMG or AS-1911 mortar for fire support, and officers will equip a scope to an AS-F14 for a weapon which compromises sharpshooting and the ability to defend oneself at medium range. In close combat, soldiers with support weapons use their AS-SP30. Some soldiers also make use of the silencer to kill as many enemies as possible in an ambush before being spotted. Squads will also often have one soldier carry an RPG or mines, and use grenades often. Special armored squads storm through buildings and favor the AS-AR34. They are countered by an equal quantity of armored, and fierce, Moskurg soldiers. What Moskurg lacks in hand grenades, they make up for in flame throwers. Most soldiers use a Model 1 Rifle or an MK47A, although armored stormtroopers sometimes prefer the original large caliber MK47- the M3 Sorraia isn't easy to operate while moving in armor, and the MK47 can blast a cowardly Arstotzkan through the wall he's hiding behind. Since the situation is desperate, more soldiers use the Hippo Recoilless Rifle than before, climbing to the tops of buildings and firing downwards at the top armor of Arstotzka's ubiquitous AS-T33 tanks. Their attempts at using mines to stop the tanks aren't successful though: on the cobblestone streets, it's difficult to pry a hole to stack mines, and a single Viper mine won't even track a tank, which leads to Arstotzka using their tanks for mine clearing. In close combat, the two nations are close to equally matched; Arstotzkans are better equipped in terms of large automatic weapons, and they have versatile grenades, but Moskurg is fierce, and puts flamethrowers and shotguns to good use. Sometimes Moskurg soldiers defending a building against Arstotzkan entry will simply run out of the building, block the doors or toss mines in front of them, and light the entire structure ablaze. Also, as Arstotzka's armored soldiers come to learn, metal armor provides no protection against a flamethrower. Arstotzka uses RPGs to assault T2 Breakers on occasion, but more often uses them to clear out a room from a distance. Because the Arstotzkan tanks outnumber Moskurg's by so much, Arstotzkan infantry mainly leave fighting armor to their own armor. Moskurg cavalry runs through the streets, hopping over rubble and issuing MK47A fire at anything that moves. Moskurg also has their snipers with the Eagle Sight MkII scope, able to equal Arstotzka's.

Major Anibal of the Moskurg army fired his Hippo into the side of an AS-T33's turret, from up above on the west side of the third floor of the Great South Library. It smokes for a moment, and the explodes outright as the ammo catches. He drops it on the ground in favor of his MK47A and makes short work of the tank's support team. An AS-1931-HAFB buzzes quietly, far overhead. There is a steady POOM-POOM-POOM over the din of battle from the small battery of Bumblebee guns in the courtyard. He watches with satisfaction as the HAFB's right engine bursts into flame and the crew parachutes out- he protected those guns. Then he spots another HAFB overhead, and picks up his radio set. "Bee team, have you got that other bomber?" No response, but the guns are still going, POOM-POOM-POOM. He looks down into the courtyard- another AS-T33 is approaching the courtyard entrance below him, and the Bumblebee guns have lowered to the ground to shoot at it. The tank's front armor blocks a shell, but then another glances on the turret, locking up the traverse. Another shell penetrates the turret, all before the tank can get more than one stray shot off. Good, at least they got it. But they need to get back to aiming at that bomber. Anibal grabbs his MK47A in one hand, and draggs his Hippo with the other to the west end of the building, above the other entrance to the courtyard. The two men he had stationed here have been shot by a fully armored Arstotzkan soldier. I'm spotted! Anibal rushes back around the corner, dropping his things on the floor, then loading the hippo and blindly firing it around the corner. He missed, but it didn't matter. The Arstotzkan pig is lying on the floor, struggle to back up, his legs wounded with shrapnel. Anibal beheads the soldier with his sword- a rightful execution. Then Anibal looks out the window over the east entrance to the courtyard. Four AS-T33s. Four tanks? Where are fucking coming from? POOM-POOM-CRASH. Before Anibal could even reload his Hippo, a 75mm Arstotzkan tank round decided to make friends with a few crates full of 3.6" flak rounds. A significant portion of the library collapses. For the first time in his life, Anibal ran.

Behind Arstotzkan lines, fierce fighting continues. Although far from the front, Moskurg soldiers seem to keep popping out of tunnels and harassing whatever kind of supply lines, repairs, or pre-victory buffets Arstotzka is attempting. The ARAC teams are working around the clock to keep as many planes as possible armed, fueled and airborne. One ARAC collapses, a single jack broke loose on a rainy night, depositing a HAFB on the right side of the runway. The pilot, scratched and bruised but not terribly injured, swears up and down he didn't hit the runway too hard. He is sent to the rear lines despite his protests. A week later, two ARAC's collapse on the same night. One resulted in an AS-HF-DB's payload of firebombs consuming multiple train cars, and the unfortunate pilot. Another stuck an AS-HF-32 into the entire week's rations. On both ARAC's, the jacks that failed are painted -with wet paint- in red and blue stripes.

Deep in Moskurg, fear is high. High Command has turned nearly every police officer into a soldier except their own personal guard, who watch the palace and turn away every plaintive citizen who wants to enter. Protests go unanswered in the streets. "END THE WAR" and "SIGN THE PEACE TREATY", proclaim red and blue posters not just in alleys, but on main streets. The rebels have got ahold of a high-powered broadcast station somewhere and their radio broadcasts are becoming impossible to drown out. The growth of rebellion looks like another sign that Moskurg is losing the war (though in Arstotzka, secret police spend time tearing down posters like "FREE THE PRISONERS" in the alleys, and firefighters carry pistols to shoot arsonists on the spot).

On September 14th, 1935, in the heart of Moskurg, air raid sirens blare. An AS-1931-HAFB and its AS-HF-32 escort fly overhead. A single payload of bombs scatters across streets, shops, factories and homes. One bomb hits close to palace, crumbling a wall, before a squadron of Yellowjackets shoots down the Arstotzkan aircraft. That wall of the palace which crumbled resulted in the release of the palace menagerie, with four tigers, a giraffe, an alligator, a dozen flamingos, a gazelle and other animals running into the streets. After this close call with airborne explosives, the Moskurg High Command finally swallowed their pride and entered peace negotiations with Arstotzka.

TO BE CONTINUED SHORTLY.

[evilcherry]

Sensei can you do something on how prominent figures from both sides of the war turn out after 25 years of fighting? Commanders, aces, or designers. Or how the world was changed by the war in an almost forgotten corner of the world.

[Sheb]

Who knew rocks were so effective?

[10ebbor10]

We're missing a more important milestone. The Swords were actually mentioned.

[Andres]

We're missing a more important milestone. The Swords were actually mentioned.

They were mentioned way back near the beginning of the war in the trenches and the British colony.

Now that I think about it, a more fitting final mission for our agent would've been to kill Moskurg's Great Leader or destroy their Bureau of Cleverness. Oh well.

[andrea]

Another question has to be addressed: will Arstotzka get to space?

Awesome turn by the way, I am happy to see both ridiculous designs saw an use, and they actually were effective too! those boulders are way bigger than I thought if they can wreck that many tanks.

[Sensei]

Sensei can you do something on how prominent figures from both sides of the war turn out after 25 years of fighting? Commanders, aces, or designers. Or how the world was changed by the war in an almost forgotten corner of the world.

Oh, hehehehe... we're not quite on to the epilogue just yet. I meant it when I said I was updating shortly! Let's light the fuse on this rocket and see where it goes.

The September Peace Summit

This is the culmination of everything you've fought for. For Arstotzka, this means victory, defeating Moskurg in war, and earning dominion over Forenia. For Moskurg, this means every Arstozkan killed, every inch ceded to Arstotzka that was paid for in blood, all the terror of your weapons which causes Arstotzka's high command to now sign a treaty instead of barging into the Moskurg palace and slaughtering its occupants. The Summit itself is held in the (miraculously intact) Foreign Embassy in Arstotzka-occupied-Moskurg, in the east part of the desert. The two armies have been in a tense ceasefire for weeks now (the September Peace Summit has dragged into November). Outside the embassy on one side is a Death Ball, pointed straight at the building, with a platoon of Moskurg soldiers and Breaker tanks and Destroyer cannons. Arstotzka has a similar force present, with AS-T33's and AS-1912 artillery, a whole platoon of soldiers with motorcycles and an ARAC that's only just been properly erected (it's where the rubble of a train station used to be). The two armies have barely interacted except to glare at eachother from a distance, and one impromptu tennis match which ended in bloodshed and nearly rekindled the war.

The actual peace treaty debate goes on behind closed doors, with the High Command of each nation arguing back and forth on fair terms. You can only hope that the treaty they come up with is reasonable. You weapon engineers have been permitted the use of some of the building's other rooms, where even now research continues in case things don't go well. You have been allowed to commingle, on the logic that unlike the actual soldiers, you're at least too smart to start a fight right now. However, communication has oft been limited to things like:

What are the costs and effects of mangalloy in terms of vehicle armour?

Just thought of a really good and true phrase: Arstotzka is dankest while Moskurg is stankest.

578ml is painful. Maybe 600ml or 550ml, or even 580ml, but not 578ml.

But a pint is, like, the perfect size. Half a liter is too small, but a full liter is too much at once.

How about the pint stays in use, but is slowly changed from 578 ml to 1000 ml over a ten-year period?

<Insert three weeks of engineers debating the nature of pints>

The great doors to the main debate room are guarded by the nations' two spies, Kingsnake and Fried Potato. They're supposed to keep everyone out, but they mostly seem concerned with watching each other- actually not a bad idea, you're pretty sure Kingsnake tried to poison Fried Potato's bottle of Five Star several times now. You have access to a radio too- it's a combative mix of propaganda from both sides, and rebel broadcasts.

Finally, after an agonizing wait, the doors open. Foreign diplomats, civilians, and soldiers from both sides are allowed to enter, as well as you, the engineers. The Glorious Leader of Arstotzka and the Heroic King of Moskurg are at the main podium, seen for the first time together. They speak in turn, and read out their speech. Everything they say is in a bold, commandy voice:

Being the council for the new nation of Arstotzka, we have seen fit the following accords:
One: The nation of Moskurg, and its people and holdings, shall become a part of the Glorious Nation of Arstotzka. Glory to Arstotzka!
Two: The High Command of Moskurg, and its palace, shall become members of the High Command of Arstotzka. The former King looks a little begrudging. The Glorious Leader elbows him, and the former king says, Glory to Arstotzka.
Three: The Soldiers taken as prisoners by Arstotzka, shall be recognized as criminals for fighting against the Glorious Nation of Arstotzka, and shall labor in the salt mines. Glory to Arstotzka!
Four: Soldiers still fighting for Moskurg, shall be conscripted immediately into the army of Arstotzka. Glory to Arstotzka!

At this point there are unhappy murmurs from the crowd. The two leaders whisper to each other for a moment, and nod.

Five: This has been a terrible war. Many suffered from the guns, bombs, tanks, artillery, fire and death. Many families have been torn asunder. You must be paid! Reparation must be paid! This seems to ease the crowd. The following parties shall be held responsible, the Guilty Parties, for the terrors of this war, and shall pay reparation to this bloodstained land. First, the Generals of each army, for leading men to their deaths in battle, and for conspiring to kill not only the soldiers, but civilians and, dare I say it, High Command of each army! A few murmurs in the crowd again. You see something happening in the side of the room- there's people moving. Soldiers. They're Arstotzkan soldiers, but with bits of blue cloth tied about their arms and hats. Moskurg soldiers too, with extra bits of red cloth added to their uniform. What are they doing? Second, the Spies of each nation shall be held guilty, for their theft and sabotage, their burning of factories, their stealing of patented submachine guns, and murder outside of the battlefield! Say, there's Agent Fried Fish and Agent Kingsnake with those unusually adorned soldiers. That was fast. Third, and most heinous, the final guilty party! These are the people, widows, responsible for your husbands being burned alive! These are the people, soldiers, responsible for your comrades falling to their deaths from the sky! These are the people, all of you who are crippled, responsible for your legs being blown out form under your armor! The Weapons Engineers of each nation are named a Guilty Party. That group of soldiers is moving close to the stage. Each Guilty Party shall you reparation- with their LIVES! They are to be executed by sunset this day, by firing squad! The Former King whispers in the Glorious Leader's ear. No, not by firing squads, by the The Ball of Death! Now soldiers, seize them!

As the leaders finish their speech, another voice calls out. It's from the group of soldiers with mismatched colors (that group seems to have gotten bigger while you weren't looking, or a bunch of people in the room have now mismatched their uniforms). Wait, you recognize that man- but didn't the newspaper say he was executed? It's a Moskurg rebel, formerly Lieutenant Otto! "FOR THE REVOLUTION!" He throws a bottle of Five Star with a burning rag onto the stage, lighting the curtains ablaze. The two Leaders run back stage, their personal bodyguards in neat black suits draw MC16A's. Suddenly the entire room full of people is a mess of fire, gunshots, and people shouting- "For Arstotzka!" "For Moskurg!" "For the Rebellion!" If nothing else, it gives you a chance to escape.

All of you rush into the lobby. It's time to end this once and for all. In your temporary office at the embassy, each of you have one unique prototype weapon/equipment. It's the end of designing, waiting for high command to approve, and going into production.

TO ACT, CHOOSE THE FOLLOWING:
1: What is your unique equipment? Provide a short description. I reserve the right to roll a die regarding whether it works as intended. If your equipment needs a crew, hope that they're loyal.
2: Who are you fighting for? Will you join the rebellion? Or are you not done fighting your nation's war? Or are you just going to try to escape Forenia?
3: What do you attempt to do? Chase after the traitorous High Commanders? Circle around the building? Just start shooting people you don't like?

Thus begins the Battle of the Embassy. You will all act individually, in this thread, until it concludes. The current situation is a battle between Those loyal to High Command, the Rebellion, and Nationalists from both sides. If you want, feel free to argue with other players why they should join your side.

[10ebbor10]

I did not actually see this coming. So. High command is having us murdered.

Well yes, that's one way to protect the patents.

[Andres]

The AS-MC16AW (AW stands for Andres' Wunderwaffe) is a belt-fed variant of the MC16A that has increased reliability when firing rapidly for long periods of time and a flash suppressor. Chase down the treacherous High Commands! Arstotzka! Glory to Arstotzka!

[evilcherry]

MK-Stallion
When you copy the MK-47's breech design and upscale that for a Stallion. You got the firepower if you have enough .600 rounds.

You! Shall! Not! Pass! Orararararararararara!

[Powder Miner]

The Rabid Tiger is the set of Tiger Armor and the Horsekiller I was hiding in that one closet with earlier, except I grabbed a second Horsekiller and attached both of the Horsekillers to the arms of the Tiger Armor on a rail system which ensures the Horsekillers simply slide back along the rails rather than break my arms. If possible, there is also a pair of loading mechanisms which use the recoil to slide new bullets into the breeches and reload.

I have two priorities: Survival, and then the imperial system. Specifically, I want to get out of Forenian to save my own skin and then move out to another country that will use my services and NOT try to execute me. America, probably: they use the imperial system, and their gun laws ensure I'll keep my Horsekillers.

I intend to use the weakest link in the guards to escape the Embassy. Specifically, I want to find the least guarded point of escape (including thin walls) and absolutely brute force my way through by storming it with my armor. (Horsekillering my own entrance through something if I have to). Then I'm just going to make a journey to the coast and out, commandeering a Tiger truck f I have to or something.

[tryrar]

pocket nuke. Hey, If I'm dying I'm taking EVERYONE with me. It is set to a dead-man's switch so it blows if I ever stop gripping the trigger. I'm simply going to demand passage off the island with any who want to follow me.

[Funk]

Arstotzka Rocket Thunder Pistol!
An attempt at mixing the explosive power of an rpg with the small size of a pistol.
A over sized AS-SP30 that fires small 15x50mm grenade tipped rockets.

This is madness! I must escape forenia too tell others of the glory of Arstotzka!

Run away, I'll climb out the window and try to reach my motorcycle and make a run to the air port/dock/ where ever any one has a crazy vehicle stashed.
If anyone wants to come with me that's fine.
And if any of those traitors try and stop me then i'll show them the power of the of the Rocket Thunder Pistol.