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[Shadowclaw777]

Gas masks and suppressors were both developed in the world wars, I don't know why we would need a revision to have a perfectly acceptable tool that is already implemented. It's a revision, because we're technically modifying the suits or armor, our operatives are using

[Madman198237]

Just going to point out that we CAN'T implement ID papers in neutral locations, because WE DON'T CONTROL THEM. Also, the Astrians get a shot at our own country this turn, we need to prevent that from getting us.

[evictedSaint]

We simply can't win gunfights with KOSMIC agents; that's what's so great about WGOAM! It avoids gunfights altogether. The agents can eventually retrieve information and spread influence without going toe-to-toe with KOSMIC's fully-armed and armored agents.

So, if our goal is to go "subtle" over "loud", then we need to revise our tech and skills to reflect this.  That means making our infiltrators innocuous and impossible to detect.  This is why I throw my +1 to Masked Moles.  The Reconfigurable Subduer is a nice idea, but won't beat an inspection or a metal detector.  Besides, we don't want our agents to fight, we simply want them to never be found in the first place! This is why our tech revision should be Timed Blackout.

Timed Blackout:
By fixing a small timer to the blackout grenades, our operatives can set them to go off within a set amount of time (up to 24 hours) in order to affect distractions or clear out rooms without having to be in them.

Skills:
(1) Masked Moles: evictedSaint
Techs:
(1) Timed Blackout: evictedSaint

[Shadowclaw777]

Let's actually see the votes here...

Skills:
(4) Masked Moles: evictedSaint, Shadowclaw, FallacyOfUrist, Doubloon-Seven
(1) Papers, Please: Madman198237
Techs:
(1) Timed Blackout: evictedSaint
(2) Reconfigurable Subduer: FallacyOfUrist, Doubloon-Seven
(1) Concealed Gas Mask: Shadowclaw
(1) Specialized Superior Rifles: Madman198237

[Madman198237]

Skill Revision: Identification Papers, Please
All Merkan institutions are now required to utilize basic identification papers with special watermarks. All such papers will contain the authorizations that person has, a picture of their face, and several watermarks. No one is allowed access to ANYWHERE without passing a team of MOLE agents (Heavily armed) that checks the documents and locates every watermark.

We're about to get infiltrated by the Astrians and we need to do something about it, not be concerned with the offensive field yet---we'll probably just have to invest another design into the WGOAM project, at least if we want to get any sort of usefulness out of it.

Also, GM, please reference THIS version of the skill revision---I changed it a bit so it's simpler.

What on Earth? I was about to reply to the votebox and say you had forgotten my skill suggestion, except when I quote it "Papers, Please" is a voting option, but when viewing it in Preview mode it's not, and it's only visible out of Preview mode now that I've reloaded the tab...What? I don't even understand.

I'm just going to repost the votebox anyway.

Skills:
(4) Masked Moles: evictedSaint, Shadowclaw, FallacyOfUrist, Doubloon-Seven
(1) Papers, Please: Madman198237


Techs:
(1) Timed Blackout: evictedSaint
(2) Reconfigurable Subduer: FallacyOfUrist, Doubloon-Seven
(1) Concealed Gas Mask: Shadowclaw
(1) Specialized Superior Rifles: Madman198237

[Shadowclaw777]

My main problem with ID Cards; is that we have a huge advantage in defending against the Astrian's, at least that's what the GM claims with..

The company seems to be under complete control of KOSMIC and, by extension, Astria. MOLE command is already preparing to begin serious counter-intelligence operations within our own government, unless the company can be retaken. Command's confident that with the access afforded to MOLE by being a Merkane agency, we should be able to keep them out unless anything changes.

I'm pretty sure our enemy isn't going to try to spend all their resources to try and acquire some Merkan territory because that would mean we would be given some Global League and Singlearm's territory, which is way more importantl. It's also claimed that trying to infiltrate home soil is going to be really hard, and their infiltration will pretty much be foiled, with or without local ID cards

[Madman198237]

While fighting on home soil we do not get to take other territory---all our effort is being expended at home base.

If we run the ID card thing, we'll have a solid basis for forging them later, as well as a lasting defense mechanism to keep the Astrians out.

[evictedSaint]

I'm a bit confused to how combat is occurring.  It seems like we have actual squads of soldiers running around with machine guns mowing people down, which gains them favor with the company they're doing it in?  It seems less "espionage, exploding pens and spy cameras" and more "body armor, automatic machine guns, and full-blown combat".  In fact, the Core thread says "Companies favor a more aggressive approach when the results are ultimately decided."

So...maybe we should be developing rpg's and tanks rather than disguises and fake ID's?  I guess it...makes sense, that a fully-equipped high-end assault rifle would be better at letting an agent break into a facility and steal documents than a telephone hidden in shoe, but if that's the case we're pretty much at open war, aren't we?  It seems like violent action is not only condoned, but encouraged over actual espionage and spywork.

EDIT: also, if we get the timed blackout grenades, then we'll have timers.  We could get polymer-bond explosives (PBX, which was developed three years ago in 1952) and do actual sabotage work.

[Shadowclaw777]

@Question Chiefwaffles, the Astrian's are basically acting like Terrorists because their shooting up any civilians just to achieve their objective (like modern day Russians, not caring about human casualties), especially in a area like in the middle of a well-populated city (Human Inc.). Shouldn't their be some repercussion from the Global League, like we our Government could just tell them that they are doing local terrorism just to spread their influence, seems pretty ETHICAL on their part. And other countries would totally accept this form of action as a humane way to gain influence.

Like couldn't we just have a bunch of people in disguises, basically go in to the Human Inc. with RPGs and Attack Helicopters, and just blow up the place, just so that we could say that the Astrian's Human Inc couldn't defend against a "terrorist" attack. And gain influence/control this way?

@EvictSainted
That's what really tilted me. If a nation was sending "terrorist" attacks and just shooting up the place (including bystander civilians), why isn't their no repercussions? They have no access to disguises, so theirs a bunch of Astrian operatives in plain sight of civilians who could go to the news. Like even during the Cold War, if Russians sent a bunch of entitled Russian operatives and started shooting up a company in the middle of a city, where civilians are. The USA would basically tell everyone in the Global League (or UN), that they are Global Menace, and they would lose their UN Privilege.

Here me through though, the Human Inc. makes no sense, it should be a completely agent/operative stealth thief tactics, but the Single Arm Company make sense, their aren't instant smart phone cameras or fast responsive rural policeman at this point, so noise in the country-area doesn't matter, you can pretty much send tanks their. Global League, is still extra stealthy though, since its the UN and you can't really shoot the place.

@Madman198237
I forgot about your Papers Please skill revision, so I went back and edited. That's what probably caused the glitch.

[Madman198237]

Ah. I could not see any "Was edited at ____" markers even when the pages were refreshed.

[evictedSaint]

I'm holding out hope that there will be repercussions for just walking in with a machine gun and going full-auto, because the initial branding as a "Cold War" arms race with "Spy vs Spy" elements really interested me.  If that's not the case, we should forget about developing smoke grenades and disguises and just start shooting civilians like Astria does - they're already trying to infiltrate us, so that must be the way you win this game, right?

[Madman198237]

Astria, not Arstotzka, but given their callous disregard for morality and stealth and LOGICAL REASONING I can understand your confusion.

[evictedSaint]

sorry - it's been so long on wands race that any time I see a word that begins with "A" I immediately fill in the rest with "Arstotzka"

[Chiefwaffles]

The skills and tech used by both sides will be the major decider of how that theatre turns out in the operations report.
The reason terrorist-like firefights are so common (though I’ve toned down the allowance for that at Human Power) is because that’s what happens when the two skill sets clash. (Really, the idea was to encourage this with the starter designs - both agencies had just been started and at the beginning they were little more than military agencies.)

I’ll go ahead and say that WGOAM will help greatly in this regard. And spending a recision/design on telling the Global League would be possible.

[evictedSaint]

Alright, then for Singleton Arms we should develop a fully-armored tank, since force is more important there.  Give it a scoop on the front so it can plow through buildings and a coaxial mg on the turret to mow down Astrians and civilians.  That should let us get ahead in that theater; we can use stealth in other theaters.