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[Chiefwaffles]

Core thread - Go here if you want to see the rules or OOC discussion!

Night surrounds the mysterious complex as you and the others in the R&D team are brought in. You barely catch a glimpse of this night, as your blindfold comes off just before your vehicle enters the complex.
You and the others are escorted into the central planning room, where most of the agency's operations will be run. Before you arrive at that room, you think you catch a glimpse of the previous members of the R&D team locked and secured in an interrogation chamber. You are welcomed with a strangely warm greeting once inside the room.

Welcome to Merkan's best hope for the future! It is your job to develop the tactics and technology needed by our skilled operatives to beat back the Astrian brutes once and for all. The last, less-performing, team has been taken care of leaving you and your compatriots the full resources of the agency!
Perhaps you should start by devising some method to protect our agencies from the brute force of the Astrians. The Disarmament Law may not affect us anymore, but it's kept us back quite a bit in the weaponry department unlike the uncivil Astrians! Remember that both Offense and Defense matter here; taking control of parts of a company doesn't matter if we let enemy operatives waltz in and take it back from under our noses. But also something to consider while you work on your first Design is the name of the agency. "Untitled Espionage Agency" isn't exactly that intimidating to our enemies, after all.

It is now the Design Phase of 1953. Vote for a single Tech or Skill proposal to be worked on as this year's design.

Spoiler: Theatres (click to show/hide)

Companies
- Human Power Inc. [A: 2/4; M: 2/4] (Gain bonus to Skill Bug rolls)
- Singleton Arms [A: 2/4; M: 2/4] (Gain bonus to Tech Bug rolls)

Governments
- Astria [A: 5/5; M: 0/5]
- Merkan [A: 0/5; M: 5/5]

Global League [A: 2/4; M: 2/4] (Gain bonus to Expense rolls)

Spoiler: Skills (click to show/hide)

• Distraction - Operatives will team up to get past security via some Operatives throwing rocks and making noises and whatnot while the others sneak through. Cheap.
• Flee - Operatives will immediately (and temporarily) abort their mission and sneak out if they're spotted, to avoid unnecessary casualties. Cheap.
• Memorized Orders - Operatives are given their mission in person at HQ, and are expected to remember the specifics of their mission until they report back (again in person) for debriefing and a new assignment. Cheap.

Spoiler: Tech (click to show/hide)

• A-R1942 - A simple yet functional assault rifle stolen developed during the war, roughly on par with the weapons of other world powers developed around the same time. Very obvious, but quite versatile. Expensive.
• Merkan Subduer - A 5-round low-caliber semi-automatic pistol originally developed for special operatives in the early years of the war. Can be somewhat concealed with enough effort, but is very easily located if anyone cares about the holder carrying weaponry. Cheap.

Links:
Design Phase 1953
Revision Phase 1953
Operations Report 1954
Design Phase 1954
Revision Phase 1954
Operations Report 1955
Design Phase 1955
Revision Phase 1955
Operations Report 1956
Design Phase #1 1956
Design Phase #2 1956
Operations Report 1957
Design Phase 1957

[Iituem]

Merkan's Operational Logistics Enterprise seems fitting.

Edit:

Skills Design: One Time Pads
A technically unbreakable cipher system, agents receive a copy of a pad with multiple pages full of random letters and numbers (we have a team of secretaries back at the office rolling dice to decide on them).  They then use the numbers and letters on the pad to decode seeming gibberish we send them in dead-drop points or via post according to an algorithm they learn beforehand.  After decrypting a letter, they tear off and eat/burn the page, with the next page waiting for the next message.

Strengths: Technically a cryptographically perfect system; truly random numbers mean there's no way to crack the code without having both the actual pad and the algorithm.
Weaknesses: If anyone gets the agent's pad, they can crack the code if they know the algorithm.  Also, if the agent loses the pad they have no way of decrypting further messages.  Similarly, if the agent loses a page or skips one by accident their messages will make no sense.  Also they have to periodically either come back to HQ and pick up pads or have them delivered, which creates a weak point for theft.

[Shadowclaw777]

How about M.I.G.H.T; Merkan Intervention Guerilla Harmonized Task Force. It sounds cooler because it sounds like a stealthy operative counter-territorial to also performing terrorist group.

Also here my proposed designed, were all stealthy and such, and we need a method to locate the fellow enemy operatives and agents, here one great design in my opinion.

Tech Design: "Visionary" Portable Cardiac Sensor: A complicated design utilized the most cunning-edge of electronics and computing allow this device to exist. This device is a handheld square tablet that has a computer high-resolution display screen attached to the front for the user to be able to see recognized targets. By a method of detecting heartbeats through radio wave and other auditory waves that pass through walls and objects to determine rough outlining of potential targets. This will be effective as a counter-mounter for detecting where stealthy agents are, and also a negotiations/torture tool as the device can determine a targets intensity of their heartbeat, and therefore their stress levels to act as a pseudo-lie detector. It should work in short proximity, but more importantly through solid objects

[Madman198237]

Alright, this is going to be cool. I definitely prefer the sneaky way, so I'm going with this one.

Perhaps we could be the Merkan Advanced Strategic and Tactical Engagements and Reconnaissance Task Group?

Let's not get too over the top to start, ok?

Skill: Dead Letter Drop
By placing things at prearranged locations for pickup by agents that are unknown in that area, field elements can avoid the conspicuous necessity of directly reporting in when tasks are finished.

[FallacyofUrist]

I'll support MOLE. Concise.

Merkan's Operational Logistics Enterprise seems fitting.

+1.

Agency Name Votes(Only those with two or more votes are shown to avoid crowding):

2 - Merkan's Operational Logistics Enterprise: Iituem, FallacyofUrist

~~~

Perhaps you should start by devising some method to protect our agencies from the brute force of the Astrians. The Disarmament Law may not affect us anymore, but it's kept us back quite a bit in the weaponry department unlike the uncivil Astrians! Remember that both Offense and Defense matter here; taking control of parts of a company doesn't matter if we let enemy operatives waltz in and take it back from under our noses.

Interesting. Let's start here.

Tech: "Blackout" Smoke Grenade:
The newly designed "Blackout" Smoke Grenade generates a thick cloud of black smoke a few seconds after the pin is pulled.

The Blackout significantly aids escape efforts(it provides cover as our Operatives retreat), but also has other uses! Distraction(Fire! Fire! Backed by actual smoke!), combat(Blast, we can't see through this smoke! We can't aim properly!), and any other uses our Operatives think of!

[Iituem]

Tech: "Blackout" Smoke Grenade:
The newly designed "Blackout" Smoke Grenade generates a thick cloud of black smoke a few seconds after the pin is pulled.

The Blackout significantly aids escape efforts(it provides cover as our Operatives retreat), but also has other uses! Distraction(Fire! Fire! Backed by actual smoke!), combat(Blast, we can't see through this smoke! We can't aim properly!), and any other uses our Operatives think of!

Agency Name Votes(Only those with two or more votes are shown to avoid crowding):

2 - Merkan's Operational Logistics Enterprise: Iituem, FallacyofUrist

Fair point, if we're short on active and offensive tech it might be good to cover our weaknesses.  I'll change my vote over for this.

2 - "Blackout" Smoke Grenade: Iituem, FallacyofUrist

[Chiefwaffles]

Tech Design: "Blackout" Smoke Grenade
[5+1, 6, 3]

The "Blackout" Smoke Grenade is simple yet effective. An adaption of a design very commonly manufactured during the war, the Blackout releases large amounts of thick black smoke seconds after being primed. The smoke perfectly conceals our operatives, allowing them to completely avoid targeted gunfire during combat and escaping. It also helps as a distraction, as the sheer amount of smoke made can draw a lot of attention to an area if used in the right spot.

However, the amount of smoke is even more obvious than we intended. This is less an unintentional design flaw and more-so just a side-effect of its effectiveness. Using the Blackout will signal the end of stealth for the rest of the operation, as the thick plumes of smoke effectively create a signal for any guards and hostile operatives in the area to converge on that location.
The Blackout can also not be used indoors - it produces such a large quantity of smoke that it can effectively suffocate our operatives and disrupt the entire building if used in a closed space.

Given the design is based off of one that was readily manufactured during the war, starting up production lines for it is quite easy. Cheap.

Spoiler: "Blackout" Smoke Grenade (click to show/hide)

"Blackout" Smoke Grenade - A smoke grenade that unleashes very large amounts of thick black smoke to completely obscure an area. Can completely disrupt a building and suffocate operatives if used indoors, and attracts large amounts of attention. Cheap.

It is now the Revision Phase. Vote for a Skill and Tech revision to be worked on this phase.

[FallacyofUrist]

Well. That's nice. In the future, we should design a gas mask. But that's not really revision material.

[Madman198237]

Tech Revision:
Special Operations Detachment Official Firearm Fixes (SODOFF)
Attaching a suppressor to our pistol is just an obvious improvement. And so, we attached a suppressor to our pistol for the obvious improvement.


Skill Revision:
Tactical Retreat, Advanced Protocal (TRAP)
When spotted, or if the possibility of spotting occurs, the marksman-rated agents on the field will hold position and cover the retreat of the others, before falling back themselves.

[FallacyofUrist]

Skill Revision:
Tactical Retreat, Advanced Protocal (TRAP)
When spotted, or if the possibility of spotting occurs, the marksman-rated agents on the field will hold position and cover the retreat of the others, before falling back themselves.

I'll support this. I was thinking some kind of retreat revision myself.

2 - Tactical Retreat, Advanced Protocol (TRAP): Madman198237, FallacyofUrist

[Madman198237]

SKILL:
2 - Tactical Retreat, Advanced Protocol (TRAP): Madman198237, FallacyofUrist
TECH:
1 - Special Operations Detachment Official Firearm Fixes (SODOFF): Madman

Should I make the tech revision include rifle suppressor, or not?

[Shadowclaw777]

Merkan Subduer: FMJ Rounds: Our pistol lacks the stopping power to pierce through cover and other surfaces, such as low-tech body armor. By having all the bullets in the gun to be have a sharpened chisel-like type and a full metal jacket covering the round, it has the ability to pierce through weak cover like boxes and light wooden walls, it may even have the ability to penetrate light combat armor.

SKILL:
2 - Tactical Retreat, Advanced Protocol (TRAP): Madman198237, FallacyofUrist
TECH:
1 - Special Operations Detachment Official Firearm Fixes (SODOFF): Madman
1- Merkan Subduer: FMJ Rounds: Shadowclaw

A suppressor is just going to make our pistol even weaker than it already is, we lack decent stealth range options and body armor which the enemy is going to have. If we already dominate CQC in stealthy locations, a suppressor is just over-specializing in that, it's unnecessary

[Madman198237]

I forget where I heard it, but a suppressor does NOT mess with the range or stopping power of a gun. In fact, it increases the barrel length somewhat, which would INCREASE power (More time for the gasses to accelerate the bullet). I believe that suppressors have very few effects on a gun, save for making it heavier and possibly slightly more unwieldy.


Anyway, FMJ would be better utilized with the assault rifle, since if we're facing down hostiles in body armor then we need the firepower anyway.

[Chiefwaffles]

Waiting on Merkan to do the Revision phase. You're currently tied for the Tech vote.

[Shadowclaw777]

To make things simpler

SKILL:
2 - Tactical Retreat, Advanced Protocol (TRAP): Madman198237, FallacyofUrist
TECH:
2 - Special Operations Detachment Official Firearm Fixes (SODOFF): Madman, Shadowclaw