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[Tack]

Fulminating... something?

[andrea]

Windrider Production Line, 1 dice: (5) Johiah, Milo, Jilladilla, Tack, Andrea
 -12C 8O 18W 9S (2): Andrea, Milo
EMERALD, 3 dice: (3) Johiah, Milo, Jilladilla
HEAT PLACE, 3 dice: (1) Tack
No new designs (1): Andrea
 - 2 dice on Aether forge (1): Andrea

@Tack HEAT PLACE are basically the forge crystals we obtained from the Aether forge. unfocused, short range. hot.

[Tack]

I don't hate that idea.
Although 27 pts means an average of eight dice, which is a very long while before even beginning the heatgun research.

So I guess the question is whether or not having the aether forge researched will make a noticeable difference to the efficacy of the design, or whether it's yet another thing that can be 'revised up' later on with the new technology.

[andrea]

no, I mean that we already have the crystals you are asking for. That tech was the prototype bonus, so we can use them immediately. Was just suggesting to update your proposal to reflect that, instead of developing brand new weapon crystals for the task.
My vote for the aether forge is entirely unrelated, and will probably make no difference to the heatgun.

[Tack]

Smart money. I've also changed the water tanks to be underslung, basically as revision bait.

[Madman198237]

Flammability Increasing Reliability Enhanced PLACE

Washing things in burning aether increases flammability, and (IF it's done well, no pun intended) reduces the risk of a full-power blast frying the operators.

Of course, you're still going to be very limited in firing time before you're cooking the operators as well. Probably (read: certainly) better to just adjust an aether cannon to fire a constant, thin stream of aether (minimizes air interactions near you, maximizes heating near the target) like a laser pointer of death.

[Tack]

Yeah but I'm not in it to make a meltagun. We need sweep.
Could dig the scattergun design out of the archives and blow the dust off- but even that I'm not sure about.

[Madman198237]

I don't think you realize what the LASER GUN that I'm proposing would do---any time it "hits" something, that something is heated. A lot. Add in the increased efficiency from not hitting so much air on the way over, and we should have a quite reasonably powerful area-denial/mass-devastation device.

[NUKE9.13]

Marine Intensive Neural Doping/Mental Acclimatization To Terrible Ether Rating: The average human mind is weak, incapable of handling even relatively low levels of aetheric phenomena. But rumour tells of stronger minds, minds capable of not only withstanding heightened aether levels (with some minor side effects), but also controlling aether- which in turn can affect the world around them.
It is in Wreth's interest to create such minds.
The MIND/MATTER programme aims to do so, by exposing volunteering Marines to initially low-level aetheric radiation, gradually increasing levels as weeks pass, whilst subjecting the subjects to rigorous mental training exercises within their radiation cells. It is anticipated that as time passes, the mind will acclimatize to the aether, thereby avoiding the typical 'aether madness'. We do not anticipate any sort of other mental deterioration effects, no, of course not, this research is perfectly ethical*.
Once the subject has adapted to the aether, they may attempt to manipulate it. We do not anticipate a high success rate; if one in four subjects manages to produce more than a faint aetheric breeze, we will be pleasantly surprised. Those who fail to produce results will be discharged from the programme, and provided with compensation for their efforts. Those unlucky few who remain will be exposed to yet further testing and training, amplifying the levels of aether they are exposed to, demanding ever greater feats of aetheric manipulation.
After many months of such training, we hope to have whittled down many volunteers to a handful of fledgling "aetherialists", whose semi-mystical powers will subsequently be ours to command.

Worth considering, perhaps? Not right away, necessarily, although they could be useful conquering the Wrackspire, and would augment our ground forces considerably.

[milo christiansen]

Not necessarily for next turn (probably NOT for next turn), but sometime in the future it would be really nice to make a light scout bomber for recon and such. The following design is focused on low cost-per-unit and high speed, so we can field lots of them and they can get away from anything they can't handle.

Other ideas include launching smaller single-man versions of these things from transports and capital ships as local escorts (although we would need a small enough weapon, such as rockets, for that to be useful).

The Swallow is a brand new paradigm for small craft. Rather than building "small ships" the way the skiff is designed, the swallow is an attempt to make something completely new: a design uniquely suited to ultra-light smallcraft. The basic design is intended for hit-and-run attacks on larger ships and scouting, both cases where being fast and hard to hit are of great importance.

Rather than a wooden hull, the swallow is a light wooden frame, covered with cloth panels. This frame is formed in a cross shape, with the main body being a tube of sorts, and the cross piece being a set of thin "wings". Tests with models have shown that that properly shaped wings can actually provide upwards force when moved forward through the air. By using wings and a set of small crystals a very cheap, light, and swift craft can be created that holds itself in the air via constant movement instead of a lift crystal. Rather than tweaking trim crystal output for main maneuvering, the wing tips and rear of the craft will be fitted with movable panels. These panels can be shifted to change the airflow around the craft, allowing it to bank, roll, and dive or ascend with only forward thrust from the trims. It is expected that pilots will also be trained to vary trim output to maneuver in ways that pure airflow changes cannot provide, but these techniques should only be required in combat.

The cloth panels used to cover the frame bear special mention. Strong but light cloths are used for the base layer, then coated with a thin varnish to keep them from soaking up water. Over this, silk webbing is sewed on at strategic places to pull aether from the air rushing over the craft's skin. It is projected that the Swallow will need less web than a skiff, due to the lower power needs, but as much web as is practical should be included for reasons of redundancy.

Due to it's light construction and unique propulsion method, the Swallow will not be able to carry as much weight as a skiff. In exchange for this disability, the design gains tremendous speed and size improvements. In a straight flight, we project the Swallow will beat any craft now in existence. Since the Swallow lacks a full wooden hull, lift crystal, and has less crew, it is much smaller leading to it being harder to spot and target, not to mention cheaper. Crew will be limited to 3 persons, a pilot, a navigator/pilot assistant, and an engineer/auxiliary weapons officer/observer.

The unique way the Swallow flies will present problems for its crew, particularly in combat. To this end, each crew member will be provided with a fixed station, with a seat and safety harness to hold them in. This should allow the crew to continue to perform during the acrobatic maneuvers the Swallow will be capable of. To keep crew numbers down, and to improve maneuvering response time all controls will be routed for direct control through the pilot and pilot assistant stations.

Since LACs or a Dragun would over-strain the frame and impair speed, the Swallow will be fitted with a set of droppable firebombs for combat. The basic tactic will be to line up behind a ship of sufficient size, and dive on it from above. The firebombs will be fitted on the bottom of the Swallow, with a release system based on a pilot controlled lever and cable. The pilot or pilot's assistant will have full control over the bomb release, as they will be best able to judge the best time to ensure a hit.

It is projected that maneuvering on trims will be required during combat dives, as the maneuver panels are unlikely to have enough effect on the craft under such high speeds. The design team considered a mechanism to fold the wings back into the main body of the craft during dives, but ultimately it was decided this would be too easy to break, and would add too much weight and cost. Instead, the wings will be reinforced against the strong rearward forces expected to be experienced during full-power combat dives.

[Draignean]

Windrider Production Line
Progress: 33/33 (2)

Bottles are opened. Confetti is thrown. A shitload of workers get to work, and somewhere, deep in the bureaucracy, a suicide pact is finally dissolved.

(Project. Complete. Awwww Yeah...)

Windrider Production Line: A series of assembly lines, drydock facilities, resource channels, and workhouses designed to create and maintain a battle ready fleet of Windrider class vessels.
Base Production Points: 2300
Production Per Turn: 300

Windrider Pattern
Med Core Hull
8 Suckerpunch Cannons
1 Dragun Mount
1 Dragun Cannon
2 Copper Armor
1 Ikusasa Medium Core
2  Small Standard Lift
12 Select Trims
4 Standard Trims
8 Reams Webbing
Production Cost: 405
Buyback cost: 42 Crystal, 42 ore, 17 Wood, 16 Silk


SMARAGDUS EMERALD
[Time: 4 Progress: 3 Cost: 2]

The EMERALD project, despite being announced to slightly drunken (and very relieved) engineers, goes off with mixed success. On the one hand, the engineers are happy in their work and enjoy the fascinating ramification of the problem. On the other hand, the penny pinchers are a bit less willing to subsidize this project after just selling the souls of their firstborn children to finance the production line.

EMERALD 3/15 | 3 Crystal, 3 Ore, +4 of either C or O | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 4 Cost: 3 Bugs: 5]

The EMERALD cannons are a fresh stab into new territory, but they boldly go at a remarkably stable, if somewhat reserved reserved pace. The initial EMERALD is a surprisingly 'meets expectations' affair for something that presses the boundaries of known science. The effects electro-aetheric sympathy postulated during the design are proven to be true, and the bolt topology is able to be manipulated from within the cannon when the external coil is powered.

This effect, though it markedly increases the power draw of the cannon, has been used to great effect in the initial EMERALD cannon mock-ups to 'compress' the bolt from a standard weapon crystal, turning it into an even more compact weapon of destruction. As expected, this both reduced heating on the barrel and extended the effective range of the projectile by better than 40% of standard range. This allows her to fire 'cold' for about 3 times as long as normal, and shortens the time between 'hot' shots to just 18 seconds when cooling fins are taken into account. The lengthened barrel and coiling also appear to have helped the accuracy of the cannon somewhat, which helps to compensate for the increased weight and inertia associated with aiming with weapon.

She does exceed engineering expectations by still fitting in a small mount, without loss of precision. She'll have a smaller lateral firing arc on a cramped deck, but she'll still fit. As an odd aside, the bolt's color is also altered, gaining a peculiarly fitting greenish hue.

As for cost, she's new, requires slightly more expensive materials, and uses the electro-aetheric coil, but the cost of such is less daunting than some feared, though not as minor as many others hoped.

She is fully compatible with the Itshana Select Process

EMERALD LAC: 1 Crystal, 4 Ore for 1 | An LAC modified with electromagnetic focusing coil on the barrel, resulting in a tripling of cold-fire times, an 18 second hot fire delay, a 40% range increase, and a slight improvement of accuracy. The cost is that she's heavy, draws considerably more power, and the long barrel can get in the way a bit.


Spire Wreth's Production Stands At,
13(+8)/y Crystal, 21/65 Banked
19/y Ore, 19/95 banked
19(+6)/y Wood, 10/95 banked
10/y Silk, 5/50 banked

It is now the revision phase. You have 1 die to spend.

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

E.S.P: 4/20 | 2 Ore, 2 Crystal | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Aether Forge 2/27 | - | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
EMERALD 3/12 | 3 Crystal, 3 Ore, +4 of either C or O | 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.

Wreth Territory

Haze-Maze
Marine Presence: K 0/8 |  W 1/8
--->Marines
---> Squad G (No Equip)
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 3O, 1W, 2S
Conditions: Deadly Gas Pockets, significant vertical shafts and steep tunnels.

Miner's Folly
Marine Presence: K 0/18 |  W 1/18
--->Marines
---> Squad G (No Equip)
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 6O, 0W, 1S
Conditions: Toxic Stone, Massive Caverns, pitch-black

The Verdant Vista
Marine Presence: K 0/18 |  W 0/18
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 0O, 8W, 2S
Conditions: Mostly earth and soil, Unstable pocket caves


The Belt

Three Captains
Marine Presence: K 0/20 |  W 6/20
--->Marines
---> Defense Squad D:  Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (1/4) | Suppressor (1/4) | Gauntlets (2/4) | BLOCK | PLACE | Envenomed Bolts
---> Defense Squad E:  Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (2/4) | Gauntlets (2/4) | BLOCK | PLACE
---> Support Squad F:  Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (3/4) | Suppressor (1/4) | PLACE | Envenomed Bolts
---> Support Squad G:  Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (3/4) | Suppressor (1/4) | PLACE | Envenomed Bolts
---> H:   Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (1/4) | Gauntlets (1/4) |  [50%]
---> I:  Silk Vest (Officer) | Suppressors (3/4) | Gauntlets (1/4) | Envenomed Bolts
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 6O, 2W, 6S
Conditions: Kinetoluminescent Ores, Heavily Infested

Wrackspire
Marine Presence: K ?/12 |  W 3/12
--->Marines
-->Marine Unit B-A | Cutlass (Full Squad) | Grappling Gear (full squad)
-->Marine Unit B-B | Cutlass (Full Squad) | Grappling Gear (full squad) [25%]
Territory: ?/4 | 1/4
Resources: 3C, 4O, 4W, 2S
Conditions: Unstable Aetheric Phenomena, Broken Spire

Burned Mountain
Marine Presence: K ?/24 |  W 0/24
Territory: ?/4 | 0/4
Resources: 1C, 10O, 1W, 0S
Conditions: Inexplicably Molten Core, Hundreds of narrow tunnels and small galleries.

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

Spoiler: Ships (click to show/hide)

WOSV Chimera - Windrider Class
Loadout
8 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons+ (Flanged Heatsinks, Itshana Select) [4 unit Broadsides]
1 Dragun Cannon+ (Sapshot) [Specialized Dragun Bow Mount]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
12 Itshana Select Trim Crystals
4 Itshana Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
8 reams of webbing
Armored Skin 
2 Unit of Armor
Location: Spire Wreth
Status: All papers are in order.

WOSV Marge - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: The Unfinished
Status:  All papers are in order.

WOSV Shibboleth - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: Spire Wreth
Status:  All papers are in order.

WOSV Batholith - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: The Wrackspire
Status:  MINOR HULL DAMAGE [3 wood to fix], DESTROYED DINGHIES [Repaired automagically at port]

Comets - Skyskiff Class (x5)
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Spire Wreth
Status: All papers are in order.

Comets - Skyskiff Class (x2)
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Central Kasgyrite Demi-spire
Status: All papers are in order.

Comets - Skyskiff Class (x1)
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Spire Wreth
Status: All papers are in order.

Spoiler: Infantry (click to show/hide)

Marines 10

Spoiler: Misc. Goods (click to show/hide)

1x Prototype ESP Transmitter
3x Prototype ESP Receiver
MOVE-PLACE x2

Current Technology

[NUKE9.13]

...
A two.
The dice are just taunting us now. "Sure, you succeeded... but only just."

Anyway, v. important question: does the Windrider PL include PPPP 'built in'? Cos we only need to boost production by 40% to get one Windrider per turn. If PPPP is already providing a 10% boost, we could get it to 40% this turn.

[10ebbor10]

I don't think it's build in. That would make the notation inconsistent and confusing.

[Tack]

Stand off (Tactic)

With this tactic, larger ships are ordered to stay as close to the maximum range of their weapons as possible, harrying the enemies with volleys whilst slowly moving away in order to keep the distance as far as possible.
Priority of attack goes towards the enemy's fastest ships, and ships with weapons unable to match the range of the furthest ranged vessel are instructed to stay near the group in order to screen for the snipers.

[Jilladilla]

Rain check on Stand Off, it'll be great once we get the EMERALD up and running, but for now we're better served with AGILE.
Retooling the smaller PL for 2 Comets per turn is a better bet to do this turn.

Comet Pattern B
By retiring construction drydock 3 and using its space for some extra offices for the processing of paperwork and filing cabinets for the storage of said paperwork, we expect to be able to have construction drydock 1 and 2 to each be able to construct and outfit one Comet per year!

Batch of 2
Loadout:
1 Skyskiff Hull
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons
1 Very Small IIS Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing

Stand off (1): Tack
Comet Pattern B (1): Jilladilla