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[Doomblade187]

NAV, yo forgot to mentio that the trasnport and Battlebarge we send with marines should be using Nightime Supply Runs. That way, they cn effectively use the distraction of the aerial battle in order to get the people insid the Spire.

I am also kind of wary about using aerial ambush instead of just coordinate fire all the way in.

Or the smuggle tactic.

[Kashyyk]

He has said smuggle in the plan.

[NAV]

I would have the skiffs use coordinated fire, except coordinated fire requires comms officers to be effective and we don't have enough comms officers for the skiffs.

I figured that smuggle was a synonym for using our improved blockade running tactic. Nightime supply run is the crappy civilian version of that tactic.

[Draignean]

Voting locked. Writing might take a while.

[Kashyyk]

Guys, we've been going about the ground war all wrong. Small arms, hover cannons, mobile cover? All worthless! I present to you (and I'm only mostly joking):

Bronzeman Suit
Our bronze armour has been proven to be bullet proof and completely resistant to the pathetic Wrethi crossbows. However, it doesn't cover the whole body. We will expand it to a full suit of plate armour, capable of supporting it's own weight. However, we will not stop there. By fitting a miniature core crystal (smaller even than the dinghy core) we will be able to produce a personal shroud. Dinghy cores can resist a Kettlegun blast, so a smaller core with an equally smaller shroud should also be able to do so.

The core won't just be producing a shroud though. Fitted across the torso and abdomen will be a web of trim crystals to reduce the weight of the armour and marine to almost nothing. An additional trim crystal will be fitted into each boot and gauntlet, allowing the marine to guide themselves in flight.

Our marines will likely struggle to use any of our current weapons with this armour, so we will have an integrated pair of aether gauntlets. Altogether, we will have an unkillable marine capable of flight. Nothing is more glorious.

[Doomblade187]

Of we're at it, I propose this:

Spider suit:

Based off of our leather armor, we will build a suit of armor designed to take the greatest advantage of our spider marine tactics. Built into the armor is a silk rope pulley powered by a small trim crystal, and a small core crystal is built into the armor to power this and an aether pistol tethered to the armor. In addition, there are two grenade slots attached to the armor. This should allow the Marine to ascend and descend with Crystal power and drop grenades and aether fire on unsuspecting Wrethians.

Anti-Cannon Rifle

The more portable, more efficient solution to the cannon menace facing us in the ground war. Taking the form of an aether pistol with a longer, finned barrel, extra focusing gear, and a miniature Lance Crystal as the beam generator, the power system is adjusted for the Lance. In addition, the fins are used to sight in the Lance fire.

[NAV]

Shrouds provide amazing protection. Except there is one part of any ship that isn’t protected by the shroud: the silk. Battles are often decided by who loses their silk first. What if we had a way to keep all our silk inside the shroud but still collect enough aether?

Enter the Aether Tunnel. It consists of a bronze tube filled with silk, woven in a pattern to provide maximum possible surface area. At the front of the tube is a fan, powered by a small trim crystal, which will force high volumes of air through the tube. At high enough speeds the fan can be shut off and the speed of the ship itself should be enough to force air through the silk. The air forced through the silk should collect at least as much aether as conventional trailing silk, but without any being exposed and vulnerable outside the shroud.

The tubes should all be the same standardized size, with only the number and layout changed depending on the ship class. Two aether tunnels should equal one conventional ream, so a Transport needs 2, Skyskiff needs 4, Battlebarge needs 10, and Viper needs 12.

On current generation ships we will have to attach the tubes to the outside of the hull. Due to the Viper's unusual hull shape, with a narrow hull and a very wide front, the aether tunnels will need to have a curved intake scoop that bends around the Viper's head. The bronze tubes on the side of a hull might even act as a form of makeshift armour. On future ships we design, the tubes should be built directly into the hull, protecting them with armour and causing less drag.

As a design flourish a valve is included in the design which can divert the air flow to a horn structure. As air passes through this horn at high speed it makes a loud triumphant trumpeting to intimidate our enemies and inspire our own courage.

[Draignean]

Blackstone

The battle for control over Blackstone's aerosphere was inevitable, and by the end of 382, it was long overdue.

Lead by the distinguished Anguis II and the Viperidae, the force of five vipers and five skiffs had little chance for true stealth. The skiffs broke into two groups, one group splitting for ambush patterns, and the other breaking wide and pushing ahead to get a clear view of the battlefield. The Vipers themselves flew center, diving toward the heart of the Wrethan infection with a vengeance.

The defending force was identified by the scouts as consisting of three Windriders and a veritable swarm of eight skiffs- with two positioned low in the aerosphere, just above the mists. Likely in an effort to spot any additional transports being slipped into the Spire.

With their scouts low, the Vipers get surprisingly close on a straight run before the Wreth's fire off a cannon shot in alert and begin to form up to counter the attack. The range of the lances carried by the Anguis and the Viperidae, however, allows them uncontested first blood. At their speeds, the lances have difficulty focusing in on a single part of the shroud, a fact which spreads their remarkable power of an area too wide to pierce.
 
The opening of standard engagement range is marked by the three ambushing Skiffs coming in from above and below to strike into the swarm of Wrethan skiffs. While the maneuver isn't particularly devastating, as the skiffs already had shrouds up in anticipation of the attack, it does disrupt their attack run and forces the skiffs to fight one another- giving the larger vessels a precious window to go toe-to-toe.

The Wrethans don't appear to have brought anything new to the field, but they do seem to have been universal in their upgrades. Every Wrethan vessel is armed with a conventional cannon firing incendiary shot, every one of their broadside guns is the rival of a Topaz LAC, and their shrouds are remarkably powerful- though not quite so powerful as a Topaz medium core. Their tactics have improved somewhat, and they seem to be attempting to emulate easy coordination which exists between Viper captains, but it's a childish facsimile. The windriders are capable of powerful vertical maneuvers, but the disengagement of one vessel only serves to cause the vipers to temporarily switch their fire to pummel another vessel until their original target re-enters the fray.

Before the battle of the Skiffs reaches any sort of resolution, a Windrider is already brought low. With sweeping lance shots to cripple its web, and this its mobility, the Vipers are able to focus down a quarter of its shroud and then pummel the resulting hull until the vessel's armor turn to slag. A lance shot from the Viperidae then cuts through the resulting hole, raking her internals and severing something vital inside her circuitry. All of her cannons go dead at once, and she develops a noticeable list as she drops away from the fight. She might survive to fight another day, but, for the purposes of this engagement, she's dead.

The skiff battle, unfortunately, doesn't resolve favorably. One on one, the Kasgyrite skiffs would probably be superior by a thin margin. Unfortunately, the Wrethans have greatly superior numbers and shockingly good coordination. Despite lacking any visible means of coordination, their skiffs work together remarkable well to cover one another and open up angles of attack for their sister ships. The three ambushing vessels put up a good fight, but they're only able to destroy a single vessel before the last skiff is reduced to drifting ash by barrage fire.

The skiffs watching the mist appear to have been under orders to join the fray if battle commenced, and they leave their posts to support the Wrethan defensive. While this bodes well for the transports, it presents the five Vipers with an opposing force of two windriders and seven upgraded skiffs.

Unfortunately, those skiffs play a rather decisive role. The issue is the weaker vipers. Their shrouds are inferior, their weapons are inferior, and their mobility is inferior. The Wrethan skiffs, with their upgrading cannons, light into them. While the lesser vipers do their damnedest to keep fire focused on the remaining pair of enemy windriders, the superior vertical mobility and top speed of the enemy ships means that they spend too much time aiming and positioning while their shrouds are pummeled. The  Xenocalamus falls first, lost in a hail of aetheric shot from a wave of four skiffs. The Aniliidae burns next, breaching the shroud of one of the remaining windriders, but unable to punch through the armor beneath before the other Windrider's broadside guns shatter her shroud and another wave of skiffs tear apart her hull and shatter her core. The Boiidae, in her supporting role, manages to avoid destruction only by diving into the mist after the wrethan skiffs crack her shroud and a barrage from a Windrider all but obliterates her webbing cylinder.

During these losses, however, the Vipers have not been idle. Focusing fire whenever possible, they work the window that the Aniliidae sacrificed herself to create, melting armor and widening the shroud hole until a topaz lance streaks out and pierces the hull. Judging by the fire and fury of resulting explosion, the lance shot had burned its way into the Wrethan vessel's powder magazine set off the barrels within.

Even after that, the battle was still left with the Anguis II and the Viperidae, both battered by combat, against one Windrider and the swarm of seven skiffs. It's a losing battle, and with the scouts still in position and the transports likely docked, the pair of Vipers attempt to disengage to fight another day.

Sadly, it doesn't go that smoothly. The Windrider and its cloud of skiffs hound the retreating vessels, making use of their superior pursuit speed to tail the vipers to the last. The Viperidae makes it out, but the Anguis II's shroud can't take the bombardment, and she burns moments before making the safety of the mist.

The battle in the Aerosphere may have been lost, but the Viperidae still lives, the Dionysus and Jupiter manage to make it through during the fighting, and the Ocker was able to make it out safely. However, the scouts did identify a pair of Wrethan transports docking with the spire as well.

Kills: 1 Windrider, 1 Skiff
Losses 3 skiffs, Anguis II, Xenocamalus, Aniliidae
Damaged Boiidae [Damaged Hull, Crippled Webbing, Damaged Frontal Armor]
Enemy Damaged: 1 Windrider, 2 skiffs

Inside the Spire

The good news is that manpower shortage is over, and that the marines were able to find a good hold position within an underground park, located relatively centrally within one of the spire's hacked out habble towns. With the remnants of the militia pulled in for the last stand, the numbers are finally dramatically in our favor- likely outnumbering the Wrethan forces by 2:1. The new Wrethan transports were (mercifully) not filled with cannons- but rather with riflemen. Bad, particularly since they appear to have modernized their gunpowder, but not quite as bad.

While our marines are short on a lot of things, they're not short on grenades or slings, and they use both with extreme prejudice during their defense. If the enemy had attempted a charge, or had even advanced aggressively, the result would likely have been stunning. Unfortunately, the enemy takes a cautious approach, keeping to the cover of buildings and staying on the move as they fire their poisonous sulfur cannon or fire volleys with their riflemen.

The sulfur takes a particular toll on our defenders, being able to be fired directly into our fortifications and still inflicting terribly casualties with fire and poisonous smoke- but our field captain is proud to write that he believes that both of the enemy's conventional cannons were neutralized in the fighting. Grenades slung en-masse at the last firing position of the cannons proved sufficient to carpet bomb the beasts out of existence, detonating their toxic ammunition on the enemy and partially melting the cannons themselves.  Similar tactics are effective at dispatching their riflemen when they show up, but quite costly in terms of the precious grenades.

In short, while we're able to do remarkable damage, and destroy their conventional cannons, there is at least one aetheric cannon still active and their numbers are not yet completely broken. Our own casualties are, with the new blood, sustainable. However, the captains on the ground are actually confident that, after that burst of grenades, our men may be able to push back directly. They would, however, request mobile shrouds or more grenades in order to maintain their carpet bombing approach to destroying artillery.

Kills At least four squads of Wrethan infantry, 2 conventional cannons
Losses: Red Shirt 2. Cavalry 6, 7, 8, 9.

Neither side has gained ground at Blackstone


Burned Mountain

Inside the Spire

The Siegberg squads invent fifteen new games that can be played with just rocks, four new protocols on not touching the bizarre machinery, and are markedly unsure whether or not Wreth is still waiting outside. They haven't seen any ships outside, but that means very little when their window on the world is miniscule in scale.

You can attempt to send a ship this turn to set up the colony. If there are ANY enemy ships on the corridor to burned mountain, the transport will be destroyed automatically.


Spire Kasgyre

Two new squads of marines have been trained and stand ready for duty, and another Natalie has been produced and readied for combat. The three vipers produced by the medium docks have likewise entered service. However, the forgetful registrar of ships appears to have completely lost all track of the approved naming scheme for the new ships and has instead given them his own personal... spin. When asked why he didn't go find the original list, he was quoted as stating that he "didn't feel like it".

It may be advisable to re-christen these vessels.




It is the beginning of the year 383 AR.

Spire Kasgyre's Production stands at
12(+12)/y Crystal, 33/125 Banked
12(+2)/y Ore, 14/95 banked
17/y Wood, 17/95 banked
10/y Silk, 20/55 banked

It is now the design and project maintenance phase. You have 7 dice to spend.

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

Viper Production Line: 1/35 | 7C + 5O + 5W + 2S, +15 From any combination of any resource | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Vertical Envelopment 2/10 | 3 from each of COWS + 4 from Any combination of COWS | Rushed 0 times | Nothing Invested
AIM (Special Project) 16/27 | - | Rushed 0 times | Nothing Invested
Imperial Marine Armory: 1/24 | 10C+15O+15W | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

The Calm: The calm is a region of the aerosphere with almost no wind beyond fleeting turbulence, and absolutely no aetheric currents. It's frigidly cold, and filled with fine red 'snow' that barely moves. Traversing it with a conventional vessel is impossible due to the lack of energy to fuel the lift and trim crystals.
The Everstorm: As the name suggests, the everstorm is a region of the aerosphere dominated by an enormous and eternal thunderstorm. It's a chaotic region of raging winds and surging aetheric energy that manifests in terrible bursts of prismatic flame. No conventional vessel could hope to survive the nightmarish storm conditions.


Kasgyre Territory
Blackstone
Marine Presence: K 8/14 |  W ?/14
Territory: 2/4 | 2/4
---> Squad A:  1/4 Tpz. Pistols | 1/4 Pistols | 4 Grenades
---> Squad B:  1/4 Tpz. Pistols | 1/4 Pistols | 8 Grenades
---> Red Shirt 2: 4 Grenades
-Cavalry 1: 4 witch-hunters, 8 topaz grenades
-Cavalry 2: 4 witch-hunters, 8 grenades
-Cavalry 3: 4 witch-hunters, 8 grenades
-Cavalry 4: 4 pistols, 4 grenades
-Cavalry 5: 4 pistols
Resources: 1C, 5O, 2W, 0S
Conditions: Rocky, large caverns, very dark

The Hive
Marine Presence: K 0/10 |  W 0/10
Territory: 4/4 | 0/4
Resources: 1+2C, 2O, 1W, 4S
Conditions: Spider Nursery, narrow and twisting tunnels
—> Hanging Gardens x2

Glowcove
Marine Presence: K 0/20 |  W 0/20
Territory: 4/4 | 0/4
Resources: 1C, 2O, 6W, 1S
Conditions: Verdant galleries, significant bio-luminescence


The Belt

Three Captains
Marine Presence: K 0/20 |  W ?/20
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 6O, 2W, 6S
Conditions: Kinetoluminescent Ores, Heavily Infested

Wrackspire
Marine Presence: K 0/12 |  W ?/12
Territory: 0/4 | ?/4
Resources: 3C, 4O, 4W, 2S
Conditions: Unstable Aetheric Phenomena, Broken Spire

Burned Mountain
Marine Presence: K 7/24 |  W ?/24
Territory: 4/4 | ?/4
--->Marine Squad Siegmeyer: 1/4 Tower Shields | 3/4 Aetheric Pistols | 1/4 Witch-Hunters | Aetheric Grenades (1 per squad)
--->Marine Squad Sieglinde: 1/4 Silk Vests | 3/4 Aetheric Pistols | 1/4 Witch-Hunters | Aetheric Grenades (1 per squad)
--->Marine Squad Siegward: 3/4 Aetheric Pistols | 1/4 Witch-Hunters | Aetheric Grenades (1 per squad)
--->Marine Squad Siegfried: 1/4 Aetheric Pistols | 1/4 Witch Hunters | 2/4 Cutlasses
--->Marine Squad Sieghard: 4/4 Cutlasses
--->Marine Squad Siegbald: 2/4 Cutlasses
--->Marine Squad Siegrun: / [25%]
Resources: 1C, 10O, 1W, 0S
Conditions: Inexplicably Molten Core, Hundreds of narrow tunnels and small galleries.

The Unfinished
Marine Presence: K 0/0 |  W 0/0
Territory: ?/4 | ?/4
Resources: 0C, 0O, 0W, 0S
Conditions: Destroyed.

Spoiler: Ships (click to show/hide)

RKNV Viperidea - Viper Class
Loadout
1 Communications Officer
4 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [2 front, 2 rear]
1 Light Topaz Aether Cannoń+ (Kettlegun) [Front]
1 Topaz Lance Cannon [Front]
1 Topaz Vanguard Cannon (Top Brz. Trim-Turret, Med Mount)
Bronzewood Hull
2 Sections Light Copper Armor
1 Medium Topaz Core Crystal 
1 Small Topaz Lift Crystal
2 Topaz Trim Crystals
8 Topaz Trim Webs Bronzewood reinforced
6 reams of webbing
Location: Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Natalies - Skyskiff Class (x2)
Loadout
2 Light Topaz Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun)
1 Very Small Topaz Core Crystal
1 Very Small Topaz Lift Crystal
4 Topaz Trim Webs
2 reams of webbing
Location:  Blackstone
Status: Shipshape

RKNV Jupiter - Battlebarge Class
Loadout
4 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [2 front, 2 rear]
Bronzewood Hull
Medium Topaz Core
1 Small Topaz Lift Crystal
12 Standard Trim Crystals
5 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/12
Location: Blackstone
Status: Shipshape

Dionysus - Transport Class
Loadout
1 Small Topaz Core Crystal
1 Small Lift Crystal
2 Topaz Trim Crystals
1 ream of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location:Blackstone
Status: Shipshape

Ocker - Transport Class
Loadout
1 VS Topaz Core Crystal
1 S Lift Crystal
2 Topaz Trim Crystals
1 ream of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
---> Red Shirt 1: - [25%]
Location:  Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Boidae - Viper Class
Loadout
Comms Officer
Bronzewood Hull, Medium Mount
6 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [4 front, 2 rear]
1 Vanguard Cannon [Medium Mount, forward]
1 Medium core
1 Small Lift
10 Trim Webs [Crippled Webbing]
6 Reams Webbing
2 Copper Plating (Forward)
Location:  Blackstone
Status: Badly Damaged [Badly Damaged Hull]

Natalies - Skyskiff Class (x2)
Loadout
2 Light Topaz Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun)
1 Very Small Topaz Core Crystal
1 Very Small Topaz Lift Crystal
4 Topaz Trim Webs
2 reams of webbing
Location:  Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Big Snek - Viper Class
Loadout
Bronzewood Hull, Medium Mount
6 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [4 front, 2 rear]
1 Vanguard Cannon [Medium Mount, forward]
1 Medium core
1 Small Lift
10 Trim Webs
6 Reams Webbing
2 Copper Plating (Forward)
Location:  Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Crazy Snek - Viper Class
Loadout
Bronzewood Hull, Medium Mount
6 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [4 front, 2 rear]
1 Vanguard Cannon [Medium Mount, forward]
1 Medium core
1 Small Lift
10 Trim Webs
6 Reams Webbing
2 Copper Plating (Forward)
Location:  Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Dapper Snek - Viper Class
Loadout
Bronzewood Hull, Medium Mount
6 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [4 front, 2 rear]
1 Vanguard Cannon [Medium Mount, forward]
1 Medium core
1 Small Lift
10 Trim Webs
6 Reams Webbing
2 Copper Plating (Forward)
Location:  Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Spoiler: Goods Stockpile (click to show/hide)

Topaz Med Core
Topaz Trim Webs x2
Trim Webs x8
Topaz trim crystals x4
Topaz vanguard x1
Kettleguns x10
Anguis Hull (Viper: 1x vanguard conversion, 10x web conversion)

Spoiler: Infantry (click to show/hide)

Marines x7

Current Technology

[Doomblade187]

Medium Lift Crystals, Save 2 dice: (1) Doomblade

[Jerick]

We have seven dice Doomblade 

Medium Lift Crystals, Save 2 dice: (1) Doomblade
Medium Lift Crystals, Silk ram jet, save 1 dice: (1) Jerick

(Edit: I cannot seem to find the write ups for either the ramjet or the medium lift crystal, can someone link them?)

[helmacon]

We need flack cannons to deal with the skiff packs.

[Doomblade187]

Medium Lift Crystals, Save 4 dice: (0)
Medium Lift Crystals, Silk ram jet, save 1 dice: (2) Jerick, Doomblade

Ramjet is right before this turn.

[Rockeater]

Medium Lift Crystals, Save 4 dice: (0)
Medium Lift Crystals, Silk ram jet, save 1 dice: (3) Jerick, Doomblade, Rockeater

[Jerick]

Aether Tunnel not silk ramjet. Teach me to use the search this topic function.

Medium Lift Crystals, Save 4 dice: (0)
Medium Lift Crystals, Aether Tunnel, save 1 dice: (3) Jerick, Doomblade, Rockeater

[Kashyyk]

I imagine landed and Vanguards wouls be fine vs skiff packs, the issue is we focused fire on their Windriders. Which took a severe batting mind, and presumably they're not churning out 3 of them a turn like us.

I am kinda disappointed with how our ships performed to be honest. I thought we'd made some significant improvements. Ah well. Time to suck it up and throw more bodies at the problem.

Now, the prototype for the Imperial Armoury is actually okay, so I'd like to throw a die at it (and maybe rush it too). We can afford to spend more dice on it over resources after all.