This is what it looks like for the Empire in 1912:
Weapons:
Fire Dragon Guns: A traditional weapon, which design dates to at least 400 years. Essentially a matchlock musket. Comes in a variety of sizes, the largest ones has a bore of 30mm. 1 Metal.
Fire Phoenix Guns: A not-so-traditional weapon, which is imported from barbarous wheat-eaters. Essentially a percussion-cap flintlock rifled musket. Comes in standardized sizes. 1 metal, complex.
Fire Eagle: Slightly larger copy M1903 in 8mm caliber. Uses smokeless powder. A bit inaccurate at range. 1 Metal.
Crescent Sword: Another traditional weapon, even older than the fire dragon guns. A cutlass in the shape of the crescent moon. 1 Metal.
Lances: Favored by horsemen who need a longer reach weapon for charges. 1 Metal.
Smokeless Fire Crow: The primitive rocket now uses a metal tube with the new stuff, which somehow makes it controlled enough to be deployed as a field weapon. Small amount of the stuff is also used in the payload and mixed with gunpowder. It flies much further than the fire crow, but accuracy is still woeful. 1 Metal, 1 Oil, Complex, Support.
Stabilized Fire Crow: Taking inspiration from Rifling, the improved fire crows, which are now metal tubes with slightly slanted fins, are now fired from a very loosely grooved tube, designed to engage these fins. Accuracy is improved, vastly. 1 Metal, 1 Oil, Complex, Support.
Misc. Equipment:
Kappa Camo:
A set of overalls in plain drab green. Your officers insisted that their heads should be covered by some colourful hair instead of plain cloth, as baldness is a sign of bad luck. Despite form fitting, the new uniform tend to absorb a lot of moisture, and soldiers complain that its unbearably hot after morning workouts.
Ships:
Rowboats: When everything fails.
Junks: Despite its awkward sail shape, if the direction of the wind is good, its more efficient than other sail vessels. [2 Transport capacity]
Armed Junks: Junks, armed by brave men each holding a crescent sword and a fire dragon gun. 1 Metal.
Land Vehicles:
Horses: A traditional way to move around.
Horse Carts: A traditional way to move more things around [2 Transport capacity].
Technology:
Semaphores and telegraph wires - Perfectly good ways to relay things around.
Smokeless Powder, no longer complex
Basic Rocketry
Steel
Oil
Matchlocks
Rifling
Bombs
Principles of Camouflage Part 1
Despite their dislike of the new uniform, all soldiers are made to wear these. The "Ace custom effect" is partly negated by making sure that officers on the Swamp side wear brown, gray, black, or green hair. The Stabilized Fire Crow, which looks nothing like the primitive rockets a few years ago, are mainly used as stationary batteries, as they are too cumbersome to move around the battlefield.
Naval Battle: Your new improved rockets, plus the rule change means your rockets are good enough to suppress battery fire. The breaks are not common but once found your ships will rush there to make the most out of it.
Operational advantage.
Land Battle, Southwest island (Desert Island): While the enemy is much more capable of laying gunfire once they have landed, in practice they can never bring enough people to the shores. By sheer numbers you push them back to the sea.
0/3 at Middle West island next turn.
Land Battle, Far East Island line (Rocks on the sea):The battle now degenerates into a gun duel. Both sides now simply fire their toys until some fortifications are silenced, before bringing in a boatfull of assault troops. Despite the fact that you silence batteries with more regularity, you men were slaughtered each time when they reach the said islands, while you lose ground every now and then.
0/3 at Middle East island next turnLand Battle, West Mainland Line (Swamps)Your new rockets find no use here, once again. The enemy has some disconcerting amount of small arms fire, but overall located in small pockets and isn't going to affect the big picture. Your camo did make your men live longer, but their life expectancy is dropping as time goes by. Your Fire eagles are barely enough to repulse attacks - reports of the enemy simply ramming their guns onto your soldiers are commonplace, but not enough to force you out.
Stalemate at 0/5.
Land Battle, East Mainland line (Plains)Your happy time stopped. Charging cavalry are now met by horrendous amount of small arms fire from mutually supporting positions, even your rockets are more successful in making them move around. Even if they met the opponent, the foot soldiers now have some gun attachment to impale your horses with relative ease. Your main line is much better protected by your new camo, even your COs still get shot with their distinctive hairs.
You stayed in 4/5 position, mainly because your cavalry no longer work as intended.
Author
Topic: Blind Arms Race - Empire of Chang Shing Thread - 1913 design (Read 12837 times)