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[Taricus]

IT was on the Discord, not here. Someone was gonna crosspost that though.

Either way, seems a little wasteful to have topaz weaponry if we can't make topaz reliably. And co-ordinated fire is useless without a fleet to which we can co-ordinate fire.

[Kashyyk]

We kept putting it off whilst we had a fleet, then we went through two major engagements where having it would've meant we still had a fleet afterwards. I want to fix that before we do it a third time, because at that point it's just negligence.

[Taricus]

We do it next turn then. Because right now we cannot use it. Sure, it was negligent to to have developed it earlier, but we can't change the past. Better guns and being able to produce them reliably will magnify the effects of concentrated fire.

[Jerick]

We kept putting it off whilst we had a fleet, then we went through two major engagements where having it would've meant we still had a fleet afterwards. I want to fix that before we do it a third time, because at that point it's just negligence.

This was the exact sentiment I expressed on discord. Every time focused has come up it has gotten voted down in favor of something more pressing. I'd just like to have so we don't need to worry about forgetting it or another issue popping up that needs our dice to fix right away.

[Shadowclaw777]

[3] Widespread Royal Topaz: Taricus, BBBence1111, Shadowclaw
[1] For the cause!: Taricus
[5] Topaz Kettleguns: Nav, Jerick, helmacon, BBBence1111, Shadowclaw
[4] Coordinated fire: Nav, Jerick, helmacon, Kashyyk
[1] Trim Powered Turret rotation: Kashyyk

A meaningless vote...

[NAV]

I am posting information from the discord here for reference. Mostly about crystals.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Alright, it's out.
Probably not nearly as well thought out as it should be.
But, you know, it wasn't supposed to exist at all and I hate phone posting.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Holy shit those project rolls O.O
Anyway, how much crystal does each hanging garden produce?
NAV - 09/18/2017
It says 1 per turn, up to 5 per spire
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Or up to the original max crystal production.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Okay, so basically we've managed to get about 50-100% increases in crystal yields?
And with the production line, how many medium core crystals could we manufacture with it?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Slightly better, if you outfit everything.
And it's now irrelevant!
Well, actually, not the former, just the latter question.
Taricus - 09/18/2017

Are we able to request certain items?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Nope.
With a 2 on bugs, I don't even feel bad at all about saying that.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Are we able to get core/lift crystals out of it?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Yes.
Helmacon - 09/18/2017
Hehe. Good things
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Are we able to revision in her taking suggestions?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
You might get cores and lifts, you might get trims, you could get gauntlets.
I  wonder how you'd flavor that...
Taricus - 09/18/2017
It would involve a lot of grovelling
NAV - 09/18/2017
Vanguard or kettlegun option? Trim web or trim crystal?
Taricus - 09/18/2017
And would we be able to perhaps spread the method of the construction of such crystals around?
NAV - 09/18/2017
Signal flasher? It uses crystal
Draignean - 09/18/2017
The signal flasher is really a training thing, so you can rest assured she won't give you three signal flashers as part of your yearly options.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
How likely would it be to get about 6 med core crystals from her?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Laughable.
So, each year, I roll 2d6.
Then I roll that many times on a table of the things that involve a significant amount of crystal.
So an example four items for a year might have a squad's worth of gauntlets, 1 cannon, a pair of trims, and a VS lift crystal.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Aah, gotcha.
Draignean - 09/18/2017
So you've kinda got to weight how much you actually need what she's producing against the likelihood she'll ever produce it again.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Now, would it be possible for us to revise said list at all?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
That'd likely be how, mechanically, 'suggestions' would work.
Weighting the list.
NAV - 09/18/2017
Someone should copy this to the thread
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Right, if we can weigh that list down to trim webs, med core crystals and either kettleguns/lift crystals we can get a particularly powerful navy back up in no time.
Draignean - 09/18/2017
It'd help. I really, really, really, hate posting from my phone.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Now, I have to ask but if we solved the issue of the incorrectly grown crystals, how much more income would we get as a result?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
I know you have to I ask, and I know you know I'm not going to answer that question.(edited)
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Cheeky little git
Hmm...
Actually, while the crystals are effectively double in power, does that mean, in the case of kettleguns, that it works without generating any extra heat as a result?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
I should add a note about that.. Cannons will not work, as written. The instant heat output would melt the inner barrel layer on the first shot.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Well... Fuck it probably a good thing I asked before we melted our own faces off.
Grenades?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Nah, I would have caught that when I actually rolled one and went: Huh, that can't work...
Grenades are fine.
Bigger booms.
I mean, the grenade doesn't need to survive after it pops the weasel.
Jerick - 09/18/2017
ok, just wow those rolls :grinning: those are some insane dice
Draignean - 09/18/2017
You know, the worm will turn one of these days.
And then you'll have to deal with 1,1,1.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Is that what Wreth got this turn?
Draignean - 09/18/2017
I don't roll and tell.
NAV - 09/18/2017
So what tech would actually work and what would instantly melt?
And I'm guessing the princess's crystals for any ship tech would use double power from the core crystal...
Taricus - 09/18/2017
So we need to ensure it gets power from a double-strength core crystal.
Helmacon - 09/18/2017
But a Thaddeus class core...
Wew lad
Taricus - 09/18/2017
That being said a royal viper would be fucking terrifying for Wreth to deal with. Three? They're fucked
Wait we have to buy what the princess produces? WEAK
Draignean - 09/18/2017
She needs materials too, brah.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
I thought she grew her own :V
Draignean - 09/18/2017
She does, but she still needs stuff.
You're asking a girl to part with sparklies.
Don't question too much.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
questions it via revision :V(edited)
Draignean - 09/18/2017
That's fair.
NAV - 09/18/2017
Taricus we still buy what the princess offers for the same price as a normal one. Thats a really good deal. Don't say weak.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
How are we gonna get fleets of royal vipers then?
Helmacon - 09/18/2017
Fewer, better vipers.
Elites
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Why not just drown them in waves of better vipers?
NAV - 09/18/2017
Not fewer vipers. Some of them will just be better.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Unless we apply the princess' trade secrets and basically get topaz crystals for our regular production.
Also, thank you for killing the catgirl NAV, since 13 crystal a turn is gonna really make them feel it.
Draignean - 09/18/2017
Who is killing catgirls? :frowning: This displeases the DM.
Taricus - 09/18/2017
Economics discussion/breaking of economics = Killing catgirls
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:46 AM
Hey @BBBence1111 how do you like our new crystal income?
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 1:47 AM
How much do we have?
I don't know offhand, not before caffeine kicks in
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:48 AM
Right now, another +10
With another +15 potential.
Draignean - Last Tuesday at 1:49 AM
Technically, you're a turn and one die away from a +10.
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:50 AM
Still
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 1:50 AM
is good
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 1:50 AM
Awesome
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:50 AM
Really good.
Not to mention we can buy (Not get, buy) double-strength crystal stuff from the princess.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 1:51 AM
That's a thing we can build in each spire, correct?
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:51 AM
Yep.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 1:52 AM
Build shit purely out of crystals now
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 1:52 AM
ok, but the double strength crystal is the real mvp here.
cause seriously
its amber colored
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 1:53 AM
So, revisit my trim cannon?
It'd be hilarious with double strength trims
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:54 AM
Well, the only problem is that the double stength stuff... it's random.
And we have to pay for it still.
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 1:55 AM
it's basically at 50% discount considering the value of it
but a double strength crystal is awesome
our med cores can basically function as large cores now
our small or vs cores would be super good too.
anything with double strength is super useful, and better than 2 of the regular strength stuff
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:57 AM
Apart from cannons since those tend to blow up.(edited)
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 1:58 AM
well, yea. Apart from cannons
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 1:58 AM
Grenades still good though, as those are even more lethal.
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 1:58 AM
also, gauntlets?
not sure if those work or not
and amber trim webs. :heart:
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 2:06 AM
We really want a royal viper
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 2:06 AM
oh god I want a royal viper
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 2:06 AM
With nothing but amber crystals on it
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 2:06 AM
We all do
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 2:07 AM
oh god, if we can get working amber cannons... can you imagine the opening barrage?
or... amber vanguards...
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 2:07 AM
Amber vanguards: Say goodbye to Wreth's vessels.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 2:08 AM
I still want to make my trim cannon
It was already strong
Since it only had to move small projectiles, but had what we use to move ships
Now, double that
It already ignores shrouds
Now it'd go through a silly amount of armor
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:31 PM
@everyone please vote for revisions.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 3:32 PM
What are our options? Tldr?
I don't have wifi and it's a pain to check on mobile
@Taricus
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:34 PM
Give me a moment
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 3:34 PM
Theres actualy a number of them for a change
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:37 PM
Widespread Royal Topaz (Making ALL our crystals topaz, meaning everything we make is double strength)
For the Cause (Making the princess give us topaz stuff for free)
Topaz Kettleguns (Because Topaz isn't usable for cannons at this very moment)
Co-ordinated fire (Which is a good thing, just not the right time for what with the lack of fleet to use it)
Trim Powered Turret rotation
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 3:38 PM
Widespread is not good, until we make our kettleguns work with it(edited)
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:39 PM
Well, not all, but everything applicable.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 3:39 PM
Lot better
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:39 PM
And is essentially a prerequisite for topaz guns because we kinda need a stable production of them first.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 3:40 PM
Coordinated fire needs a fleet, I agree
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 3:40 PM
I question how well "for the cause" will go down with the princess... that seems like something she would disagree with
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:40 PM
Well, better to try than not to
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 3:41 PM
Here's the thing I've suggested coordinated fire or a varient of it several times and each time it got voted down leading us to go into battle without it.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 3:41 PM
Wouldn't making Amber crystals widespread make that part redundant?
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:41 PM
And 2d6 free crystal components a turn? That would be AMAZING if we even just get one medium core from it.
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 3:41 PM
I'd rather just finaly get it done
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 3:42 PM
Okay, point
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:42 PM
Suggest it when we actually have a fleet to fight the enemy with and I'll vote for it. Not before.
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 3:42 PM
Yes it would hence why I don't think it would be that easy
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:42 PM
Of course it isn't. Hence the begging and pleading in that suggestion
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 3:47 PM
The current situation favours fewer more powerful guns. All things being weighted equal, we have a better chance of fully fitting a ship with Amber vanguard than Amber kettle guns. Less total items we have to have access to.
Taricus - Last Tuesday at 3:48 PM
Well, the thing is we have to work our guns into using topaz crystals without exploding first
And getting topaz guns/crystal cores would be a much needed upgrade to our skiffs.
NAV - Last Tuesday at 4:03 PM
I think we'd need to roll more 8s to get the princess's creations for free or to get all our crystals that quality
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 4:04 PM
That sounds difficult, considering we roll on d6s
NAV - Last Tuesday at 4:04 PM
Better start drawing more flags
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 4:05 PM
Draig we want an event!
NAV - Last Tuesday at 4:06 PM
Having the better flag might just win us the war
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 4:06 PM
:grinning:
Draignean - Last Tuesday at 5:46 PM
Kasgyre, the only empire where someone says: 'Well, we'll need an eight for that...' is met with serious planning on the assumption that it can be done, not raucous laughter.
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 5:47 PM
There is no such thing as impossible
Only very, very difficult
NAV - Last Tuesday at 6:04 PM
New plan: hoard event bonuses. Roll 10, 10, 10 on a crystal nuke. Nuke Wreth.
Jerick - Last Tuesday at 6:05 PM
Or build that flying spire we joked about :smiley:
BBBence1111 - Last Tuesday at 6:06 PM
We never joked about that
It's called planning
NAV - Last Tuesday at 6:28 PM
Hmm. Hanging crystal gardens take crystal to build. I wonder if the Princess can make hanging topaz crystal gardens, which are twice as effective?
Draignean - Last Tuesday at 6:28 PM
Good question, no.
The crystals for the hanging gardens are purely to keep them aloft.
And potentially for pumps on the higher tier gardens.
Helmacon - Last Tuesday at 9:07 PM
Heh, you know what would have been cool for the bug role? She demands seemingly random equipment to make her stuff every once in a while. Like, one day she needs a ton of wood, another day she inexplicably needs a unit of marines. Nobody knows why she needs these things, but her crystals are so good that nobody asks.
Draignean - Last Tuesday at 9:08 PM
Who knows, could be a thing if you want a way to specifically ask for something.
BBBence1111 - Last Wednesday at 2:02 AM
"I want a full unit of marines for this single lift crystal. Don't worry, you'll neve see them again"
Helmacon - Last Wednesday at 2:45 AM
4 comms officers for a squad's worth of gauntlets and this weird looking lamp.
Draignean - Last Wednesday at 10:08 AM
DEALS DEALS DEALS

[Kashyyk]

Well that was an amusing read.  With that I will change my votes:

[4] Widespread Royal Topaz: Taricus, BBBence1111, Shadowclaw, Kashyyk
[1] For the cause!: Taricus
[6] Topaz Kettleguns: Nav, Jerick, helmacon, BBBence1111, Shadowclaw, Kashyyk
[3] Coordinated fire: Nav, Jerick, helmacon
[] Trim Powered Turret rotation:

[Draignean]

Topaz Kettleguns
Efficacy: 6
Kasgyrite engineers who were 'gifted' several samples of imperial topaz have been able to make considerable steps forward in integrating them into existing cannon archetypes. Their finished product, a whorled creation of copper with a slightly eccentric shape to the barrel, is easily the match of the stronger light cannons recently fielded by Wreth. It's range and rate of fire are identical to that of a standard LAC, but it's stopping power is doubled and its bolt now carries a distinctive amber hue.

 However, the Engineers freely admit that the cannon was developed via a heavily experimental approach, and they understand little of the underlying mechanics behind it. It has become clear to them that the shape and material of the barrel, the positioning and structure of the weapons crystal, and the timing and strength of the activation charge all play critical roles in the formation of the hard aether projectile. However, the actual interactions, whether in detail or in broad strokes, are as yet unknown.  The engineers note that the current design is a rare breakthrough- a one-in-six stroke of luck. The kettlegun and the Vanguard can now be fitted as topaz variants.


Widespread Royal Topaz
Efficacy: 2
The Princess is as enigmatic as ever, and makes absolutely no promises to distribute her methods to the common people. She makes a few, heavily couched, assurances that she will attempt to allay shortages by allowing a few trusted individuals to begin learning her secrets. It's a very small step forward.

The 2d6 rolled to determine how many Imperial Topaz items can be made is now 2d6+1

It is now the production, deployment, and tactics phase.

Spire Kasgyre's production stands at,
13/y Crystal, 20/65 Banked
17/y Ore, 26/85 banked
19/y Wood, 84/95 banked
10/y Silk, 50/50 banked

Spoiler: Imperial Topaz List (click to show/hide)

Topaz Grenades x2 (Squad)
Topaz Gauntlet x1 (Fireteam)
Topaz Kettlegun x2
VS Topaz Lift
Topaz Trim Pair x2
Topaz Trim Web x1

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

Viper Production Line: 1/45 | 7C + 5O + 5W + 2S, +15 From any combination of any resource | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Vertical Envelopment 2/13 | 3 from each of COWS + 4 from Any combination of COWS | Rushed 0 times | Nothing Invested
Thaddeus Class Crystal Design: 19/20 | 2 Crystal, 1 ore + 2 from ANY COWS |  Rushed 0 Times | Royal Funding + 6 Crystal, 3 Ore, 6 Wood 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 1/14 |  W 0/14
---> Marine unit 6: Proto. Bronze armour (Squad Officer), Aethersilk vest (Team Leaders), Aether Gauntlet (1 per team), Cutlass (full squad)
Territory: 4/4 | 0/4
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: 1C, 2O, 1W, 4S
Conditions: Spider Nursery, narrow and twisting tunnels

Glowcove
Marine Presence: K 1/20 |  W 0/20
--->Marine unit 3: Proto. Bronze armour (Squad Officer), Aethersilk vest (Team Leaders), Crossbows (1 per team), Cutlass (full squad)
Territory: 4/4 | 0/4
Resources: 1C, 2O, 6W, 1S
Conditions: Verdant galleries, significant bio-luminescence


The Belt

Three Captains
Marine Presence: K 5/20 |  W ?/20
Territory: 3/4 | 0/4
--->Marine unit 1:  Bronze armour (Squad Officer), Aethersilk vest (Team Leaders), Crossbows (full squad), [25% Strength]
--->Marine unit 1b:  Bronze armour (Squad Officer), Aethersilk vest (Team Leaders), Crossbows (full squad), grenades (1 squad) [50%]
--->Marine unit Heavies:  Bronze armour (every man), Aethersilk vest (Team Leaders), Aether Gauntlet (every man except 2), bronze cutlass (every man), grenades (1 squad )  [50%]
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 0/24 |  W ?/24
Territory: 0/4 | ?/4
Resources: 1C, 10O, 1W, 0S
Conditions: Inexplicably Molten Core, Hundreds of narrow tunnels and small galleries.

The Unfinished
Marine Presence: K 0/45 |  W ?/45
Territory: 0/4 | ?/4
Resources: 8C, 0O, 6W, 2S
Conditions: Unfinished infrastructure, Massive open rooms and halls.

Spoiler: Ships (click to show/hide)

Skiffs With No Name - Skyskiff Class (x4)
Loadout
2 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun).
1 Very Small Basic Core Crystal
1 Very Small Basic Lift Crystal
4 Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Burned Mountain
Status: Shipshape

RKNV Ophidian - Viper Class
Loadout
1 Communications Officer
6 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun) [2 Front, 2 Rear Missing]  [DAMAGED: Rear guns can only be added once tail section is repaired]
2 Sections Light Copper Armor
1 Medium Core Crystal 
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal
12 Trim Webs  [DAMAGED: Six destroyed, can only be repaired after the tail section is repaired]
6 reams of webbing
Location: Burned Mountain
Status: DAMAGE | Destroyed tail section, 5 wood, 1 ore to fix |

Mercury - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Basic Core Crystal
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal
2 Trim Crystals
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location:  Burned Mountain
Status: Shipshape

Skiffs With No Name - Skyskiff Class (x2)
Loadout
2 Light Aether Cannons+ (Kettlegun).
1 Very Small Basic Core Crystal
1 Very Small Basic Lift Crystal
4 Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Spire Kasgyre
Status: Shipshape

Spoiler: Goods Stockpile (click to show/hide)

6 Trim Crystals
Viper Hull
Mothballed Anguis Hull [6 Reams of Silk]

Spoiler: Infantry (click to show/hide)

Marines x21

Current Technology

Spoiler: Tech (click to show/hide)

Infantry

Flintlock Pistol: Cost: 2 ore to give one of either to every fireteam in a squad, 8 to give to every man. Inaccurate beyond spitting distance, incapable of dealing significant damage against hard armor, and liable to explode when used regularly even when given the most expert maintenance,  the primary advantage of these weapons is that they can punch straight through shrouds like they didn't exist, and they're slowed by aethersilk officer's coats as much as by an ordinary silk shirt.

Flintlock Rifle: Cost: 3 ore to give one of either to every fireteam in a squad, 12 to give to every man. Reasonably accurate, but slow to reload and still incapable of dealing significant damage against hard armor or ship hulls. These weapons still require expert maintenance to keep them from being single-use weapons, and sustained use still makes these weapons terrifyingly unreliable as service weapons. Still, an excellent choice for shooting through silk shirts and ignoring shrouds.

Grappling Gear: Cost: 1 ore to give to every member of a squad. Standard issue ropes and hooks for boarding vessels or climbing the outside of spires. Cumbersome if you're not going to use it.

Aetheric Gauntlet: Cost: 1 Ore, 1 crystal to give one to every fireteam in a squad, 4 of each to give one to everyone. A gauntlet (usually left handed to keep the right hand free) of copper and leather with a tiny weapons crystal locked into the palm. Capable of firing dozens of low energy blasts of aetheric energy at the user's discretion, but is difficult to aim and the copper cage used to draw heat from the crystal has the unsettling tendency to leave disfiguring gauntlet burns, melt, or set the user on fire if used too frequently.

Bronze Cutlass: Cost: 2 Ore to give to every member of a squad. A simple, heavy blade of bronze attached to a wooden handle. Simple, and brutally effective in close quarters.

Aethersilk Vest: Cost: 1 Silk to give to a squad's ranking officer, 5 silk to provide to ranking officer and team leads, 16 silk to give to every member of a squad. A double layer vest of dense aethersilk, capable of absorbing a considerable amount of Aetheric energy. Can stop multiple point-blank shots from a gauntlet, but doesn't cover the arms, legs, or head. Does nothing against physical weapons or projectiles.
 
Witch Hunter Crossbow: Cost: 2 wood 2 ore to give one to every fireteam, 8 wood 8 ore for every man.The cranequin mechanism is much swifter than many similar designs (though that isn't saying much), and is integrated directly into the weapon in order to avoid a cumbersome stage of attaching and reattaching. A trained infantryman operating the weapon can crank back that 175 pound arms and fire in approximately 45 seconds. The bolts themselves are typically made with a bronze broadhead point to better shred infantry, and have passed every performance test asked of them- and engineers are confident that they could go through light infantry armor if modified with a chisel point. Includes an escessive amount of brass ornamentation, as well as an ornate identification plate for Division markings.

Aetheric Grenades: Cost: 1 Crystal, 1 ore to give one to every man in a squad, or four to every member of a fireteam. | Fist sized grenades carrying tiny precharged weapon and core crystals, capable of exploding after a delay of 5-ish seconds. Cheap assembly means that the soldier is never sure where in the realm of 5-ish that delay is. Roughly a quarter as powerful as an LAC blast, and operates primarily on the initial blast of plasma and burning metal. An ordinary marine can currently (safely) carry up to four grenades. Each round, every man in a fireteam has a 75% chance to use a grenade. This is evaluated per fireteam, not per man.

Bronze Breastplate and Helm: Cost: 1 ore for the officer, 3 ore for squad leaders, 10 ore for every man. Whilst a little on the heavy side, all of that weight is put into protection rather than ornamentation. The new design is thick over the vitals, well sculpted around the arms to allow freedom of motion, and flared at the sides to rest on the hips and keep the weight off the soldier's shoulders. Tests against pistols have shown that the armor has an excellent chance of absorbing shots from beyond point-blank range. Witch Hunter Crossbows penetrate much more readily. Comes with a pair of rip-buckles for quick removal, useful when the armour overheats from repeated aetheric blast strikes.

Ship Tech

Signal Flashers: Costs One squad of marines, 1 crystal, 1 ore, per set of 3 communications officers. Each ship needs only a single communications officer | A trained aeronaut with a handheld lightgun, capable of transmitting a considerable amount of information over long distance via military shorthand flashsign signals. Of course, to be understood, the reciever also needs to have a comms officer. All spires, by default, are considered to have comms officers on watch.

Light Aether Cannon+ (Kettle Gun): 1 Crystal, 1 Ore for one.  A small cannon, capable of being mounted on deck without reinforcement. Fires powerful blasts of aetheric energy, and uses a removable block of copper as a heat-sink. Relatively inaccurate, short ranged, hot, power hungry, and prone to exploding violently if hit directly by enemy fire. Still, it can blow wood into flaming cinders and will melt through light plating in a few shots.
---> Kasgyrian modifications to use water based heat sinks for the cooling block and additional pipes for the barrel have reduced cannon weight and increased the initial volley the cannon can make before becoming dangerously hot. Causes the cannon to make a distinctive whistle during the first volley, akin to that of a kettle.
---> Further Modifications allow the cannon's water reserve to be refilled during combat. Still, this is a delicate operation that requires a degree of platform stability, provides at best one additional reload in a combat situation, and cannot be done at all on skiffs.
--->  Lucky improvements allow higher energy projectiles from topaz weapons crystals to be channeled without loss of operation efficacy.

Vanguard Cannon (Medium-Small  Cannon)  5 Ore, 3 Crystal, Requires a Medium Mount | A triple barreled, water cooled monster. Her only significant issue is a slight issue with water leakage that impacts overall ROF slightly, but aside from that she can fire a full power LAC shot every two seconds, and can sustain that rate of fire nearly indefinitely.

Basic Core Crystal: [VS 3 Crystal | S 6 Crystal]  A massive rough gem, grown in vats and used to transduce aetheric energy into electric current. This particular model is relatively inefficient, both as a transducer and as a storage unit. It can generate a defensive shroud around a vessel, but more than a single shot from a light Aether cannon on the same point will knock a hole in the shroud. Will explode spectacularly if hit directly.

Medium Core Crystal: [18 Crystal] Three small core crystals, fused together in a propietary process. While it shares the inefficiencies of its smaller cousins, she's approximately four times more powerful. Under stress, there is a chance that the core crystal will desynchronize, greatly reducing its power output. A desynchronized core can only be fixed by a refit action at the home spire.
---> Medium core crystals now come with a suite of tools designed to monitor its state and resynchronize it in the event something goes wrong. However, the monitoring tools are so effective that an engineer who is familiar with the 'heartbeat' of the core he or she works with can virtually eliminate any chance of desynchronization.

Basic Lift Crystal: [VS 2 Crystal, 2 ore | S 3 Crystal, 2 ore for one] A chunk of crystal the size of a bathtub, heavily reinforced so that it can be locked into a ship's spine. When fed electricity, it will progressively invert gravity's effect on itself, flying upwards and pulling anything attached up with it. This basic model is incredibly power hungry, produces only enough lift for a small ship and internal flaws mean that extreme maneuvers could easily cause it to crack.

Basic Trim Crystals: 1 Crystal for two.  Head sized chunks of crystal, similar to lift crystals, though of greater refinement. These produce directional gravity when powered, allowing a ship to make finer maneuvers. Like the basic lift crystal, these are power hungry and prone to fracture of used for rapid maneuverability.

Trim Web: Cost 1 Crystal, 1 ore, 3 wood to substitute for 2 trim crystals.  A trim web essentially spreads out the power of a single trim crystal throughout a dozen or more smaller crystals networked together. While this network is of essentially equal power to a single trim crystal, it's ability to spread force out over a larger area allows for much higher acceleration without cracking the crystal. Sadly, it currently needs extensive and custom refit procedures relative to standard trim crystals.

Basic Webbing: 2 Silk per ream. Aethersilk webbing, designed to catch hold of aetheric currents and shunt them into a ship's core crystal. Particularly susceptible to fire from aetheric weapons, which will rapidly cause overloads that burn out whole sections of webbing.

Light Copper Ship Plating: 3 ore per section. Nearly pure copper plates, heavy, but with good thermal conductivity. Useful for spreading out the heat generated by an aether blast. Low melting point does mean that repeated impacts will melt the armor and set fire to the wood beneath.

Ship Hulls

Viper Corvette:12 wood, 5 ore for one.
A fifty foot long frame of wood and bronze reinforcement, her unusual structure reminiscent of the head of a pit viper. She's designed with forward firepower and incredible speed in mind, featuring eight bow mounts and two aft mounts, all of which integrate the mechanical hand-crank system to aim the cannons. She has a notable ability to keep up a good fight even when all of the webbing outside her shroud has been disabled.

She has no usable cargo capacity.
Armament
10 light cannon mounts | 8 in the bow 2 aft.
Armor
None intrinsic
Can mount two sections of armor on the head.
Requires:
1 Core Crystal (At least small, up to medium)
1 Lift Crystal (At least small, up to medium)
4/8/12 Trim Crystals for poor/avg/good performace
6 reams of webbing

Skyskiff 5 wood, 2 ore for one.
At her heart, the Skyskiff is an 18ft long frame of sleek timber and brass reinforcement, built from the ground up to be light on the air and quick to handle. Her basic design is quite old, dating back before the perfection of trim crystals, and she still sports a rudimentary mast that a sail can be run from in addition to the normal spars to run out web. In service, she's typically run by a crew of four. Two gunners who worked crouched in the middle of the ship, a pilot who spends their time practically laying on top of the core crystal in order to manipulate the power control, and the spotter who usually stands at the rear of the ship and calls out directions and threats. Generally, the captain of the vessel is the spotter, due to their superior vantage point and ability to see the entire local theatre.

A notable problem with the Skyskiff is that despite her speed, her web is cumbersome to replace, and without it she's painfully slow. In addition, both her Core Crystal and Her Lift Crystal slots are only designed to fit small crystals. Her small lift crystal means a lot of the burden for vertical maneuvers is still placed on the power hungry trim crystals, which in turn puts more demand on her small core. As a result, her shroud is weak, and a single light cannon blast will knock a hole in it. It still takes two or three more shots before her shroud will buckle entirely, but if another shot comes in the same spot swiftly enough- that's the end of the skiff. Except in the most fortunate of circumstances, a single cannon blast to an unshrouded skiff will destroy it.

She has no usable cargo capacity.
Armament
2 light cannon mounts. One on each side.
Requires:
1 Core Crystal (Up to Very Small in size)
1 Lift Crystal (Up to Very Small in size)
4 Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing

Transport barge 7 wood, 2 ore for one.
In times of peace, this was the vessel most frequently seen going to and from Spires. She's little more than a wooden oval with a few metal bands designed to support the lift crystal. She's got capacity for crew and cargo, but she's quite slow when fully loaded, and her lack of significant trim crystals means that she can't maneuver with any speed. Her only real defense against attack is to dive down into the mist layer and hope that the attacking vessel loses her trail before the mistmaw comes lurking.

She can hold six units of cargo.
Armament
None
Requires:
1 Core Crystal (Up to small size)
1 Lift Crystal (Up to small size)
2 Trim Crystals
1 ream of webbing

Basic Dinghy (Special, used automatically by Marines to embark/disembark transports)
A very small boat, technically capable of transporting eight people as long as they aren't too broad, don't have a fear of heights, and their legs aren't too long. Her core crystal is about the size of a housecat, and kept powered by a fixed ventral web. She's solid wood, unarmed, and has the tendency to tip alarmingly as she doesn't actually use a lift crystal, but makes do entirely on a trio of small trim crystals. It's a slow and terrifying way to travel. Though she's the primary lifeboat of transports, your chances of survival are alarmingly small if you find yourself alone in a dingy .

When used by marines, she's typically crewed by five, with the squad leader acting as an extra member in every set of three boats. When going into a hostile spire, one marine steers, the other four act as spotters or (if one or more has a gauntlet or rifle) shooters. She's such a small vessel that it doesn't take more than a dozen gauntlet shots for her to break apart completely, and a single shot to her ventral web will (at best) cripple her.

Her core crystal is, technically, capable of generating a shroud. However, the limited energy the miniscule core crystal can process limits the crew to picking two of three options: Maintain Altitude control, maintain thrust, raise shroud. For obvious reasons, raising the shroud is something of a last resort. Worse, even when powered, the shroud can be penetrated by sustained gauntlet fire. This is to say nothing of a shot from a light cannon. The shroud will buckle completely after a single shot from a light cannon, though to its credit, that's one more cannon shot than the Dinghy would have survived normally.

Spoiler: Tactics (click to show/hide)

Marines
Massed Fire and Charge: When engaging, Marines will bunch up to focus fire with their ranged weapons until they run out of ammunition or become too hot to use (depending on weapon type), at which point they will charge in with melee weapons.

Defensive Fire: Instead of firing until charging, Marines will look for defensive positions, take cover, and then fire when able from behind said defensive positions. Includes methods for both staggered retreats and staggered advances.

Ambush+Stealth: Currently an abysmal failure of a strategic plan, as soldiers usually blow the ambush much to early and engage on first contact.

Flanking Tactics: Up to four squads of marines can be selected to work together and perform a flanking maneuver. One to three squads will attempt to engage the enemy, while the remaining squads will attempt to find a different venue of attack. The number of squads involved could be increased at a later date.

Fighting Retreat: Infantry will retreat, prioritizing their own lives, but will also take every opening provided by an advancing enemy to nettle them and inflict casualties. Tactical excellence also allows our captains to extend retreat actions, giving a small but significant chance to not lose ground even when in retreat.

Bait and Strike: Similar to a fighting retreat, except with less retreat and a lot more fight. Extremely good at holding territory against an enemy who has numbers but few other advantages, and is capable of inflicting dire casualties. Still, this is fundamentally based in false-retreats, and is largely ineffective at actually gaining ground.

Ships
Close Aggressively: Ships will attempt to close distance with enemy vessels and engage at close range, firing all cannons until the enemy is destroyed.

Hit and Run: Ships will attempt to ambush enemy vessels from either high above or far below. Instead of remaining in engagement distance after the first volley, the vessel will retain speed and attempt to disengage before turning for another pass.

Airborne Ambush Maneuvers: Similar to hit and run, except with slightly more refined tactics. The fleet using this maneuver will attempt to form a simultaneous two pronged attack from both above and below, and will remain to engage the enemy after the initial onslaught.

Blockade: Orders ships to form up around a spire, out of range of enemy emplaced guns, and attempt to prevent vessels from coming or going. However, a strong kasgyrite sense of honor all put prevents them from firing on unarmed civilian vessels.

Scouting: Orders a ship or ships to find an overwatch position, either to defend a fleet or to scope out a particular location. Currently uses cannon fire signals, but will switch to more efficacious methods when able. Quite effective.

Spoiler: Infrastructure and Production Patterns (click to show/hide)

Gun Swivels: Rudimentary swivel mounts operated by hand cranks. These represent a first effort in the field, and are scarcely more effective than manual movement for light guns, except when trying to aim for a very precise point when still, but they can carry a decent amount of weight and serve as a reasonable proof of concept.

Small Vanguard Mount Conversion: 2 'adjacent' small mounts, 3 ore, 3 wood.  Converts over a pair of small mounts to be able to mount a Vanguard cannon. However, this mounting is, strictly speaking, too small. It's a bitch of an environment for the gunner, and the gun itself is incapable of moving from its fixed position.

Small Docks: Relatively simple affairs of wood jutting out into the void, capable of servicing a relatively small number of light craft. These docks are best suited to peace time usage, and are ill-equipped to service or build true warships. Light defensive cannons have been mounted in strategic positions, and will be upgraded automatically when needed.
Provides a single production line that can be used for any small or smaller production pattern.

Marine Academy: The basic and unaugmented marine academy, where men and women are transformed from milksop civilians into hardened marines.
Provides a single production line to be used ONLY on Marine production.

Production Patterns

Basic Marine Training: [Max: 25 | Rate: 2]
Generates Marine units at the spire. These marines are capable in hand-to-hand combat, but are not provided any initial weapons. You might want to buy them swords, at the very least.

Skyskiff Pattern A: [Max: 10 | Rate: 2]
Creates two Skyskiff units per turn, up to a max of 10.  Each skyskiff is outfitted with
2 Light Aether Cannons.
1 Very Small Basic Core Crystal
1 Very Small Basic Lift Crystal
4 Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Buyback cost: 9 crystal, 6 ore, 5 wood, 4 silk

Skyskiff Pattern B: [Max: 7 | Rate: 1]
Creates one Skyskiff units per turn, up to a max of 7.  Each skyskiff is outfitted with
2 Light Aether Cannons.
1 Very Small Basic Core Crystal
1 Very Small Basic Lift Crystal
4 Trim Webs
2 reams of webbing
Buyback cost: 9 crystal, 8 ore, 11 wood, 4 silk

[Kashyyk]

Sweet.

Whilst Topaz Grenades would be hella satisfying, I  think it would be more efficient you create a grenade production line if some sort.  I'd recommend buying up everything but the trim crystal pairs though:

Imperial Shopping List:
2x fireteams of crystal gauntlets (2c, 2o)
2x Kettleguns (2c, 2o)
1x VS Lift (2c, 2o)
1x Trim Web (1c, 1o, 3w)

Hey Draig, can we declare designs as obsolete so that we nor the Princess can produce them anymore?

[Draignean]

Hey Draig, can we declare designs as obsolete so that we nor the Princess can produce them anymore?

Yeah, that makes sense. Expect it to take some time to get it back in production if you reverse your decision though.

No mothballing everything but medium cores just to get a bunch of Topaz variants.

[NAV]

Imperial Topaz shopping: (Total cost: 8o,10c,3w)
2x grenades (2o,2c)
1x gauntlets (1o,1c)
2x kettleguns (2o,2c)
1 trim web (1o,1c,3w)
1 vs lift crystal (2c,2o)
2 pair of trim crystals (2c)

Test all the royal topaz items to find out their exact capabilities.

Buy 1 squad of aethersilk vests (16s)

Entire fleet (Ophidian, Mercury, 4 skiffs) travels from Burned Mountain to Glowcove. Going back to Kasgyre taking the route less likely to encounter Wreth ships. 1 skiff souting, the rest on airborne ambush.

Mercury picks up the squad at Glowcove for redeployment.

Marines at TC keep pushing forward with flanking maneuvers.

We should buy the grenades because we have no guarantee of a production line any time soon and they are a very good deal.

We should buy the trim crystals to repair the Ophidian. They are comparable to a trim web but cheaper.

[Taricus]

We should avoid the trim crystals for now; it'd be a bitch to retrofit webs later. But the grenades we should definitely get.

Either way, building another transport is a priority, and making sure we can refit the mothballed viper after that is necessary to get our fleet back up to scratch.

[NAV]

We should at least buy 2 trim crystals for the transport then. Because a faster and more agile transport is the same price and more likely to survive and escape combat.

[Taricus]

Good point, that should definitely be done; we know Wreth has upgraded their skiffs but not their transports if the battle reports are anything to go on.

[Kashyyk]

Equipping the Anguis or the other Viper hill will take us an entire turn right? If so I think we should see if we can equip at lest one of them this turn so that we at least have some form ood navy.