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[andrea]

it is not meant to be explosive. It is meant to burn hot with noxious fumes.

Primary goal would be a way to disable their mobile barricades, although it should also be an effective area denial.

[NUKE9.13]

Yeah, alright. I reckon the sapshot grenades as they are now are feasible and potentially useful. They won't be as good as Kasgyr's grenades, obviously, but we don't need them to be. I'll throw a vote towards them.

Anyway, we also need to fix our big ship tactics;

Windrider Stick/Carrot Program: Several times now our efforts to enhance the performance of our Windriders has run into a hurdle; the immense egos of their captains. Whilst a degree of pride is a fine thing, one must be willing to set it aside for the good of Wreth. Given that our captains are not naturally inclined to do so, we must provide an incentive.
Captains who fail to follow orders will be required to fill out, in triplicate, a 9-page report explaining their actions. For every individual order not followed.
Captains who perform admirably will be granted shiny medals to pin to their uniforms. Five copper medals may be exchanged for one silver plated medal, and likewise five silver medals may exchanged for one gold plated medal.
We expect these incentives to be most useful with regards to the Dogpile tactic, hopefully bringing it up to a useful standard.


Also, we should think about what sort of loadout we'll be sending to reinforce TC. I'm currently thinking both transports, two squads and a MOVE-PLACE per transport, with half the squads armed with flintlock rifles (24 ore), the other half with suppressors (8 ore), and all armed with swords (8 ore) (total: 40 ore (and other resources, but ore is the main concern)). And hopefully also equipped with some quantity of sapshot grenades (or whatever)(cost unknown, might require cutting some other equipment). And two BLOCKs, envenomed bolts for the crossbows, and some number of silk vests.
The big thing being the rifles, obviously. 24 ore is no laughing matter. But drowning them in gunfire might be the best way to survive.

[10ebbor10]

Anyway, a few alternative proposals.

Caltrop A deceptively simple weapon, this little metal tetrahedron is simply created from 4 sharp nails. Designed to be thrown onto the ground, where the feet of unsuspecting enemies will impale themselves. For added effectiveness, they can be coated with poisons we have already developped.

Copper Hedgehog A relatively large metal structure consisting out of 3 metal bars welded together. Though relatively portable, the thing's size and the fact that it remains functional if pushed over make it a significant problem for anyone trying to move large objects around a confined battlefield.

Gunpowder charge A small barrel of gunpowder, with a flintlock mechanism and a string. Can be detonated remotely, shot or used as a tripwire.

PINCER PINCER is a tactic in which we simultanously attack both flanks of an enemy formation. It can both defensively (where we attack an enemy that is attacking our fortified position) as well offensively (in support of a standard assault). If properly executed, a pincer maneuver can lead to the enemy being attacked not only from the front, but also the sides, and even the rear, if the flanking squads manage to link. Few forces can stand up to such sudden crossfire.

[andrea]

Sapshot grenades (1) : Andrea
Windrider stick/carrot (1): Andrea
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (0):
Pincer (1): Andrea

Dice to use:
-3 (1) Andrea

a tactic that exploits our current tactical situation ( we will have 3x their soldiers, so good for extending front and flanking), a new toy for troops, and the Dogpile upgrade we needed.

[NUKE9.13]

Sapshot grenades (2) : Andrea, NUKE9.13
Windrider stick/carrot (2): Andrea, NUKE9.13
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (0):
Pincer (2): Andrea, NUKE9.13

Dice to use:
3 dice (2): Andrea, NUKE9.13

Sounds good to me.

[Tack]

E.S.P size reduction (1): Tack
Sapshot grenades (2): Andrea, NUKE9.13
Windrider stick/carrot (2): Andrea, NUKE9.13
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (1): Tack
Pincer (3): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack

Dice to use:
3 dice (3): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack

[Jilladilla]

Nickel Shrouded Flintlock
For too long have our brave marines been neglected by our design board, and now they languish with their one trump card, the PLACE, being thwarted by Kasgyrite countermeasures; thus subjecting them to their superior weaponry. No more will they be neglected, no more will our enemy enjoy being able to pick off our marines at range. No more will triplicate condolence letters be sent out saying that our men and women died to hold the line...
And so, we do something simple and give them rifles. But not any ordinary rifles! Their soft copper shrouding is to be replaced with a sturdier nickel one. With nickel's superior hardness, wear and tear should be a lesser concern and reliability should rise appropriately. Of course, we will remind our soldiers and quartermasters that expert maintenance is to be continued, but now our marines will not have to worry if the next shot is the one that causes their weapon to burst apart in their hands...
I let the fluff get away from me there...

E.S.P size reduction (1): Tack
Sapshot grenades (2) : Andrea, NUKE9.13
Windrider stick/carrot (3): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Jilladilla
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (2): Tack, Jilladilla
Pincer (3): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack
Nickel Shrouded Flintlocks (1): Jilladilla

Dice to use:
3 dice (4): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack, Jilladilla

[milo christiansen]

With new portable shrouds being fielded by Kasgyre, a counter is needed.

To this end one of the engineering team proposed a very simple idea: Why not mount a Dragun on a first generation PLACE mount?

The old PLACE mounts needed to land before firing, and the Dragun has too much recoil to fire while floating, so the match is perfect. Simply modify the mount wiring to account for the lack of a weapons crystal, and install slightly heavier timbers to withstand the strain of firing, and the old mounts can be given new life.

If weight proves to be a larger problem that expected, an extra (or slightly larger) trim crystal may be needed. Luckily without the cannon drawing on the power supply the core should support this without issues.

E.S.P size reduction (1): Tack
Sapshot grenades (2) : Andrea, NUKE9.13
Windrider stick/carrot (4): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Jilladilla, Milo
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (3): Tack, Jilladilla, Milo
Pincer (3): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack
Nickel Shrouded Flintlocks (1): Jilladilla

Dice to use:
3 dice (5): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack, Jilladilla, Milo

[NUKE9.13]

Not things to consider right now, but two potential designs to shore up our infantry game:

Spoiler: JACKET (click to show/hide)

Job Assistance Carapace-Kinetic/Explosive/Thermal: The JACKET is a full-body protection suit, crafted out of vat-grown leather and chitin, with a microweave of silk throughout (much thinner than a silk vest)- not designed to stop blasts of aether, but rather to reduce the effect of more subtle aetheric effects. Atmospheric aether is channeled into a micro core crystal embedded in the suit, which powers a lumin crystal mounted on the helmet. A silk vest may be worn beneath the suit if needed.
The JACKET sort of resembles plate armour, although significant portions of 'plate' are missing, replaced with more flexible leather. Pieces of chitin, grown in the right shape, serve as the 'plate', with pieces attached such that they do not restrict movement. They are joined together by vat-grown leather, which though not as strong, still provides a reasonable degree of protection.
The JACKET is designed to significantly reduce the lethality of attacks of all sorts, with the chitin plates capable of withstanding direct strikes by gauntlets and Kagyri crossbows. The suit is also designed to tackle environmental hazards, with the silk microweave reducing aetheric interference, and the mostly-sealed leather reducing the dangers of gas/heat. The helmet features a simple breath filter, tinted goggles, and the aforementioned lumin crystal (brightness adjustable).
The JACKET is also intended to be customisable, with potential future additions such as oxygen tanks planned but not executed in the initial design.

Spoiler: SAPHIRE (click to show/hide)

Small Aether Projector- Handheld Implement for Rapid Extermination: EMERALD heralds a new way of manipulating Aether, which in turn opens the door to a host of interesting applications. SAPHIRE is one such application.
SAPHIRE is, depending on your point of view, either a very small cannon or a very big rifle. It consists of a long barrel wrapped in copper wire, significantly smaller than that of a LAC, but larger than that of our rifles. There is a handle towards the front of the barrel for the left hand. To the rear is the weapons crystal, a handle for the right hand, with a trigger. To power the weapon, the user also wears a backpack, a wooden frame housing a core crystal, with 'wings' of webbing extending to the sides. The core crystal is connected by a sheathed bundle of wires to the weapon.
Thanks to EMERALD's aether-compressing tech, SAPHIRE is able to fire exceptionally powerful blasts without overheating- nothing on the scale of a PLACE, obviously, but significantly more powerful than gauntlets or Kasgyr's pistols. Needless to say, the weapon will overheat after multiple shots in close succession, but allowing for a cooling period should give a rate of fire significantly greater than that of the PLACE. Other benefits of a SAPHIRE-equipped marine over a PLACE include substantially greater agility, not cooking a corridor (preventing an immediate advance following the shot), and potentially greater accuracy (if the user is resting the weapon on something and sighting down the barrel).

[johiah]

E.S.P size reduction (1): Tack
Sapshot grenades (2) : Andrea, NUKE9.13
Windrider stick/carrot (5): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Jilladilla, Milo, Johiah
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (4): Tack, Jilladilla, Milo, Johiah
Pincer (3): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack
Nickel Shrouded Flintlocks (2): Jilladilla, Johiah

Dice to use:
3 dice (6): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack, Jilladilla, Milo, Johiah

[/quote]

[milo christiansen]

A design for the future. Why not a revision or two? Simple. I don't want to deal with diminishing returns and I feel we would get a better result with a design. Also, this isn't anything earth shattering, so I expect it to be pretty cheap as far as designs go.

The MOVE PLACE is the powerhouse of our ground troops, the core around which all our offensives are constructed. Sadly, with new Kasgyre advances it is becoming less useful as time passes.

This has lead the engineering team to begin a new initiative: The PLACE MKII, commonly called the FIXED/MOVE PLACE.

The PLACE MKII is a bigger, better version of the basic PLACE, with new capabilities to support our marines in the field.

The first and largest improvement, is the new power system. The MKII uses a larger (Ikusasa) core than the MKI, and has a main power bus with the ability to switch loads individually. To keep up with possible larger aether demands, each MKII has a reel of silk cable mounted on one side of the frame for connecting into auxiliary webbing, and a reel of insulated copper cable on the other for sharing power directly between devices. Most of the time the MKII runs under the same load level as the MKI, but the extra power capacity can be used for emergencies or to power auxiliary equipment.

The second improvement is made possible by the first, namely the ability to run a shroud. To keep power demands under control, it is recommended that only two main systems be run at once, any two of propulsion, weapons, or shroud. In emergencies or when connecting to an external aether source, all three can be run at once.

The cannon itself is improved with a larger crystal and switchable EMERALD coils. Most of the time it is run with the coils off and the crystal only partly powered to have performance roughly equal to a MKI, but when needed the coils can be activated and the crystal fully powered for harder hitting shots. This would obviously require an external aether source or running only the weapon system while firing at full power.

Finally, the rather basic blast shield on the MKI is replaced with a less haphazard version on the MKII. The new design has lugs for mounting optional thin armor plates and is larger to better protect from the greater heat produced by the cannon when firing full power shots. With the optional armor plating it is expected to provide an effective defense for the gunner against Kasgyrite crossbow bolts and other conventional ranged attacks, without the plates it is still better than the shield on the MKI.

Crews for the MKII can be supplied with reams of webbing to hang or lay out in corridors behind the lines. These webbing reams can then be connected to the cannons with their silk aether cables for improved performance. It is recommended that laying auxiliary webbing be made a part of our common defensive doctrine.

Short list of features:
* Larger core (although it is run below capacity by default)
* Auxiliary power connections, both input and output.
* Shroud
* More powerful cannon (also run below capacity by default)
* Optional armor plating. Not very thick armor, but enough to take bolts without trouble.

Basically, this baby is a normal MOVE PLACE with optional shroud instead of moving or optional more powerful cannon instead of moving and shroud. Until... Until you plug it into some extra webbing. Then it becomes a shrouded, moving, engine of EMERALD-powered destruction.

EDIT: Added blast/bolt shield.

[johiah]

I heartily approve of that design. Hopefully, the EMERALD version should be able to punch through their shrouds, as they are somewhat small. Might want to include heat shielding for the cannoneers.

[milo christiansen]

Added a shield, with mention of optional armor plating. (The MKI had a shield didn't it? Kind of a basic wooden one that was tacked on when heat was roasting the gunners IIRC)

[Madman198237]

LANDMINE: Large Aether-Non-Dependent Majorly Incendiary and Noxious Explosive
Based off of the naval sapshot a something that's totally not just a standard keg of gunpowder, the LANDMINE system is a work of true genius. It comes with three things: The sapshot (minus lead balls and with a non-sticky cover), the keg of gunpowder, and a set of materials, nails, and boards that allow it to be camouflaged like a BLOCK construction.

[Madman198237]

E.S.P size reduction (1): Tack
Sapshot grenades (2) : Andrea, NUKE9.13
Windrider stick/carrot (5): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Jilladilla, Milo, Johiah
Caltrop (0):
Copper hedgehog (0):
Gunpowder charge (0):
Common field dragun (4): Tack, Jilladilla, Milo, Johiah
Pincer (4): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack, Madman
Nickel Shrouded Flintlocks (3): Jilladilla, Johiah, Madman
LANDMINE (1): Madman

Dice to use:
3 dice (7): Andrea, NUKE9.13, Tack, Jilladilla, Milo, Johiah, Madman