Stellar Arms Race(
Sensei's weapon design game with the words changed around.)
Two global superpowers are engaged in an unofficial war for control of outer space. Whoever controls space, controls the world.Confederation of Oceania (CoO, "See-oh"):
IC ThreadUnited Socialist States of the Amerikas (USSA, "Yew-Ess-Ess-[of]-Ay"):
IC ThreadIn 1950 the world changes as we know it when, because of a great surge in the popularity of communism due to a man named Cateryne Haspenino, great leaders unite continents in order to form some of the largest (by land area) permanent nations in existence. There is turmoil for a time and many a revolt, but by 1958 things settle, and when the dust clears, only two truly "great" powers remain: the Confederacy, and the United Socialist States.
Late in 1959, the first space flight is achieved by the USSA, which deploy the world's first satellite. Not long after, the Confederacy's own space program follows up with their rocket, which tries and fails to destroy the USSA's satellite using a shotgunlike munition. This marks the beginning of combat in space, though it would not see it's first casualties for another decade.
ICBMs are invented and, of course, largely stockpiled and maintained by the Great Alliances. A MAD doctrine soon falls into place. The United Nations remain; the institution had not been reduced despite the sheer power the two Great Alliances have as, in accordance with charter, each nation, rich or poor, large or small, has but one vote. Thus, the globe has yet to fall to either side, as weaker individual nations use legislature to keep the Great Alliances in check. Neither side wants to engage in an actual war with one another, which would be far too costly, and even if nukes were not involved by some feat of self-control, it would likely result in intervention by the UN. It was a popular theory at the time that if the two alliances were to engage in a conventional war, then much like in the debacle known as WWII, most nations would side with one alliance, which would result in the opposite side's inevitable doom as they became happily outnumbered. Needless to say, neither alliance was willing to risk their entire establishment on such a gamble, thus a much safer alternative to traditional conquest, not unlike many notable engagements seen earlier in the 20th century, became a steadfast occurrence: proxy wars.
The year is now 1963. The Great Alliances have been manipulating their puppet nations into clashing with one another on the ground, but most conflicts end in stalemate. Meanwhile, creative minds have been looking toward the sky for an advantage that could tip the balance, and advances in computer, radio, and rocket technology lead to theoretical advantages that could be gained, if only one side could obtain control of outer space.
The USSA is the first nation to land a manned mission on the moon and the Confederacy experiments with orbital weaponry, but so far the only effective use of space in conflict has been with satellites equipped with high power cameras that are used to take photos of enemy installations. The war for outer space has yet to truly begin, for both sides first are seeking a cheaper way to get their inventions into space. A new age of violence was about to dawn...
Houses and streets are lit by electric bulbs, and cooking is done with natural gas piped into stoves. Coolant from nuclear power plants is dumped into the sea. You are meeting around a digital computer, in the tape room above the design floor. The floor is where small-scale models are built for the purpose of thought and engineering. The old weapons design team has been sent to the gulag laid off, and you men and women have been chosen to replace them. The year is 1970.THE NATIONSThe Confederacy incorporates the whole of Southeast Asia and the Middle East and most of Africa. They practice a form of Dengist Democratic Dictatorship, and are led by a President, beneath whom is the People's Labor Party. The Confederation chose Mandarin Chinese as their national language, but they don't enforce its use as fiercely as the USSA does their own official language. Most valuable jobs require employees that can speak Mandarin, so its rare for individuals
not to speak it.
The USSA is an amalgam of the entirety of both American continents, plus Britain and most of her existing territories. They adhere to a Leninist ideal and reject capitalism. They are led by a Premier, who oversees a council. English is the primary language among it's people, though Spanish is still annoyingly endemic to South America, despite it's eradication from schooling. Some unpatriotic Canadians desperately try to hang onto French, but have much less success.
For reference, some examples of technology to give a better idea of the current state of the world:
- Automatic weapons
- Spy satellites
- Plastic explosives
- Radio communication
- Advanced metal alloys
- Advanced mass-production methods
- Liquid-fueled, staged rockets
- Early digital computers; tapes, and microfilm
- Nuclear power plants (very large but very efficient)
- Jet fighters exist that can fly for short times in the stratosphere; rocket planes exist that can reach the mesosphere, but can't remain there for any appreciable amount of time
- Some autonomous GNC (guided missiles), some semi-autonomous GNC (rocket ships and fighter planes)
- Scientists are fascinated by light and radiation, and the applications of lasers
The USSA starts with the following weapons and resources:
Weapons and Equipment:
- Type 500 MRAAM: A mid-range air-to-air missile. Uses IR to lock onto its target. High speed, low maneuverability. [1 Chemical, 1 Ore, Inexpensive]
- Type 400 Autocannon: A six-barreled rotary autocannon used on jet fighters. Reliable and cheap. [2 Ores, Inexpensive]
- Type 12 Automatic Machine Pistol: A machine pistol with a 30 round box magazine, commonly worn by veteran fighter pilots but spurned by the younger generation. Famous for its room-clearing ability, its bulk and inaccuracy are overshadowed by its impressive rate of fire. [1 Ore, Inexpensive]
Technology:
- Metric system. Meters, kilograms, liters.
- Firearms
- Alloys
- Jet engine
- Rocket engine
- Chemical monopropellant
- Automated Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC)
- Digital computers
- Radar
Cosmonauts and Pilots:
- Quantity Amerikan Products: Amerikans are known for their highly competent workforce and perfectly legal mass-production techniques and policies, thanks to the deposing of inefficient capitalism. A lack of worker unions means that occasionally the Amerikans earn a special revision credit that they can use, but only to reduce the expense of a design. The credit is still subject to the normal rolls. You do not have to use all credits if you do not wish to.
- Type 111 Flight Sleeve: A skintight suit that places mechanical pressure on key points of the wearer's body to prevent blood pooling, and also assist in breathing. This allows cosmonauts and aircraft pilots to fly at high altitudes, and withstand g-forces that would normally cause a man to pass out. Grabs one rather uncomfortably in the crotch. [2 Chemicals, Expensive]
Vehicles:
- Type 20 High Altitude Interceptor: A sturdy jet that can fly comfortably in the stratosphere. Very fast, but has been known to disintegrate when flying near top speed—even in the low drag situations it normally finds itself in—and pilots are discouraged from opening up the throttle. Can only carry a light payload of two Falcon MRAAMs and a 30mm autocannon with 5 seconds of gun time. Has short-range onboard radar. [2 Ores, 2 Chemicals, Expensive]
- Type 3000 3-Stage Rocket: A powerful solid fuel booster rocket used to push payload up into LEO. There have been scattered incidences of accidental explosions on the launchpad during the handling of propellant, not always resulting in the complete destruction of the rocket. Experts say that the sensitivity of the propellant used is leading to these accidents. [3 Ores, 3 Chemicals, Very Expensive]
- Type B Military Satellite: A prototype satellite equipped with high-power photographing technology for capturing detailed images of enemy territory. Unfortunately, there is currently no known method of getting the film back to Earth, thus it has yet to be deployed. [1 Ore, 1 Chemical, Inexpensive]
Resources:
1 Research facility. You may initiate 1 new project each year.
2 Ores. Products larger than a jet fighter are Expensive.
1 Chemical. Products which use more fuel than a small missile are Expensive.
The Confederacy starts with the following weapons and resources:
Weapons:
- Crowmurder SAM: A long-range surface to air missile. Average speed, carries a lot of fuel. Uses semi-active radar homing to track its target by communicating with the radar station on the ground illuminating its target. [1 Ore, 2 Chemicals, Inexpensive]
- Needle "10 Second Mile" SRAAM: A short-range air to air missile that uses semi-active radar homing. Requires the firer to keep illuminating the target until the missile connects. Is extremely deadly when conditions are met due to the sheer speed and maneuverability of the missile. [1 Ore, 1 Chemical, Inexpensive]
- Belle Semiautomatic Handgun: A 9mm handgun worn as a sidearm by Confederate military personnel on Earth. It's angular shape is considered stylish by many users. [1 Ore, Inexpensive]
Technology:
- Metric system. Meters, kilograms, liters.
- Firearms
- Alloys
- Chemical monopropellant
- Rocket engine
- Jet engine
- Automated Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC)
- Digital computers
- Radar
- SARH missiles
Astronauts and Pilots:
- Post-Graduates: Confed astronauts and pilots have more rigorous standards of education for entry into their program and as such have a small chance to improvise clever solutions to bugs with their equipment. The bigger the bug, the worse their chance of fixing it. Because of the low number of volunteers who are talented enough to pass candidacy, the Confed can sometimes suffer from shortages of manpower if they take many casualties in a single year.
- Ackerson Full-Pressure Suit: A dull green, soft-skinned suit that keeps the wearer at the proper ambient pressure in order to facilitate breathing at high altitudes. Has an anti-G undergarment for combating loss of consciousness during demanding maneuvers. [2 Chemicals, Inexpensive]
Vehicles:
- Valiance 2-Stage Rocket: A smallish liquid fuel booster rocket, for launching small payloads into LEO. [2 Ores, 3 Chemicals, Very Expensive]
- Z-1 Rocket Fighter: Extreme altitude fighter, built for intercepting rockets as they take off. Has an unfortunately small payload of a single Needle SRAAM. [2 Ores, 2 Chemicals, Expensive]
Resources:
1 Research facility. You may initiate 1 new project each year.
1 Ore. Products that use more metal than a small missile are Expensive.
2 Chemicals. Products which use more fuel than a jet fighter are Expensive.
In either nation's thread, you may suggest what to do each turn, and vote in favor other suggestions. Please stick to one nation, nobody likes a turncoat! You may NOT look at the other side's thread. Metagaming is unacceptable. Turns occur in two phases:
- In the Design Phase, you may suggest a new product (i.e. an anti-missile laser). I will secretly roll some dice, which tells me whether or not to introduce Bugs. Then, depending on specs and how ambitious your new project is, I will assign an Expense to it (using too much material will increase Expense). At any time you can ask for an appraisal of a design's expense. If you want, you can use your Design Phase to instead revise an old project, instead of making a new one. Even if a design has severe Bugs, you will still earn credit towards new technologies you attempt in the design. If you do not have a full credit in a technology that a design incorporates, it will be Complex, which makes rolls more difficult. Earning a full credit later on can rid you of bugs in existing designs without having to revise them all individually. Rarely, earning credit in one field can lead to advances in another.
- Once you've seen the results of your efforts, we move to the Revision Phase: you can try to reduce the Expense, remove Bugs, or add features to/create a variant of a product (i.e. make the anti-missile laser's body out of lighter and stronger alloys, stopping the optics from cracking after repeated use, or giving it improved tracking/creating a version that can be mounted on a space craft). You don't have to spend your revision on the product you started in the first phase.
- After that, we'll see what effects the tech you introduced have on the state of the conflict. I'll provide a description of who has the advantage on which fronts, and maybe roll some dice here and there. Resources may be gained and lost. The next year will start, and we will move to a new Design phase. Feel free to point out mistakes you think I might have made, though it won't always be convenient for me to alter the results if I think you make some good points.
By meeting certain requirements you might earn a Design Credit or a Revision Credit, which will allow you extra design or revision actions in one turn.
Expense: Unrated (Inexpensive) equipment can be given to virtually everyone in your army. If a piece of equipment is difficult to produce, it has expense levels: 1 is Expensive, 2 is Very Expensive, and 3 is A National Effort. It doesn't matter how many different types of equipment you have, you'll always be able to make as much as your expense level allows.
Inexpensive equipment are articles that can be distributed in the hundreds of thousands, such as handguns or clothing. Equipment that would be suitable to be Expensive would be jets, as you only ever need several thousand or so of those in order to cover a continent. However, you'll need to go even cheaper if you find a way to make daily launches possible. Very Expensive equipment can only be distributed here and there and number in the dozens to low hundreds; examples of these include rockets. Your nation can only deploy one National Effort at any given time. It had better be a flying aircraft carrier, or a fission reactor, or an orbital laser if you want this to be worth it. If you have multiple weapons filling the same role, then astronauts/cosmonauts choose whichever one they like best (you can't soldier-proof weapons, so sometimes it won't always be the best weapon for the situation, but instead the one that they're most comfortable with).
You might gain an Expense Credit by meeting certain requirements, which you can assign to an existing design, allowing you to reduce the expense by 1 level. For example, if High Command desperately wants an airplane, they might offer an expense credit for it, which you can assign to the same project in order to reduce your new bomber from A National Effort to Very Expensive. Monetary gains from trade will be represented this way.
Resources: You can gain more Ore and Chemicals by gaining control. If you lose a territory and a product becomes more expensive, then your people may begin to run out of replacement parts for their old model gear.
For example, your side builds a rocket. If your nation has [Ore 2, Chemicals 1] and the rocket costs [Ore 3, Chemical 2] then the number of resources lacked is a total of two. Thus it gains one expense level (inexpensive > expensive). A second expense level is gained when the cost of single resource exceeds your supply by 3. For instance, if you 1 ore, then 2 ore design is Expensive,a 3 ore is still Expensive, and a 4 ore finally becomes Very Expensive. Ore cost represents total mining effort, so if you have a guidance computer that needs a rare or difficult to mine mineral it might have an ore cost of 2 or 3. If you decide the large rocket ship can be controlled by a pilot instead of being autonomous, it would be cheaper.
Espionage: After the design and revision phase, there might be an espionage phase. For each point of espionage you have, you can perform one surreptitious action a year. Spies require a dice roll (default about 50% chance) to do their work, and counter-intelligence prompts an opposed roll. If the counter-intelligence spy wins by 2, they kill the other spy, who won't be replaced for a year. Counter intelligence only works against spies who are doing something, spies taking no action are safe. Get espionage points by monitoring your enemy.
This is a list of the fronts where fighting will take place and the resources inherent to them ([USAA points]-[total control points]-[Confed points]):
East LEO (0-3-0): 3 Chemicals (1 resource/point of control)
West LEO (0-3-0): 3 Ore (1 resource/point of control)
Moon (0-4-0): 2 Ore (1 resource/2 points of control)
East Upper Atmosphere (0-5-5): 2 Chemicals, 1 Ore
West Upper Atmosphere (5-5-0): 1 Chemicals, 2 Ore
TURN INDEX:
N/A
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Topic: Stellar Arms Race OOC (Read 13577 times)