Kolechia Design Phase, Late Summer 1915:Requisition: ‘Air-cooled LMG’After some searching through their armouries (the infantry use mainly water-cooled machineguns), the army turns over a Type 11 machinegun, along with the design and manufacture plans, over to your offices. The Type 11 LMG fires 7.65mm rounds at a listed rate of fire of 600 rounds/min, which is reduced in practice due to the need for the barrel to cool down in prolonged engagements. It has an effective range of 1600 metres, operating on a closed-bolt firing cycle.
Type 11 LMG: An air-cooled light machine gun firing 7.65x53 mm Argentine rounds at 600 RPM. Sometimes overheats after prolonged use. Cost 1 PP.
Hykib Observation BalloonProgress: 1+3+2+5 = 11/10 progress. 3 PP spent.
Large warning signs regarding the flammability of hydrogen are put on prominent display in the meeting room, and guards are instructed to forcibly remove all cigar smokers. Pouring their efforts into completing the Hykib design, the engineers finish up the details of mass-producing the Hykib balloons. The parachutes are still of extremely dubious effectiveness as no one has dared to test them out, but otherwise the design is working as planned. Parachutes are tied to the sides and labelled ‘safety ropes’.
Project Complete! You can now deploy as many squadrons of Hykib balloons as you can afford.
It is now the Revision Phase, Late Summer 1915. You have 2 dice remaining to spend on Revisions or bank for the next turn.Planes:
-Feather-1914 Scout Plane: A unarmed, single seater biplane. High stability makes it easy to fly, but also woefully inadequate for anything other than scouting. Lightweight wooden fuselage combined with a five-cylinder rotary engine gives it good speed in the air. Now comes with ailerons for improved roll capability. Cost 3/1
Balloons
-Hykib Observation Balloon: A single-pilot hydrogen balloon designed for aerial observation. Its elongated and finned shape helps it remain stable even in high winds. The basket has an inbuilt telephone to relay messages from the pilot to the ground, and what can charitably be described as a very rudimentary parachute. Painted a glorious red throughout. Cost 2/1
Equipment
Lvoc Camera: A glass plate medium camera with a 150mm focal length, coincidentally about the size and shape of a 150mm artillery shell. Requires manual changing of the plate for each photograph taken and is moderately durable. Cost 1
Type 11 machinegun: An air-cooled light machine gun firing 7.65x53 mm Argentine rounds at 600 RPM. Sometimes overheats after prolonged use. Cost 1
Pilots:
-Coordinated: Strength in numbers! Kolechian pilots work well together and are better coordinated in combat.
-Uniforms: Red with silver accents. Pilots are issued a thick, flowing red cape which flutters gloriously in the wind, inspiring the men on the ground.
Technology:
-Basic biplane design
-Basic monoplane design
-Basic/Intermediate balloon design
-Wooden frame construction
-Basic control surfaces: wing warping, elevator and rudder and ailerons.
Resources:
-1 Pilot Training Institute: Teaches new pilots what each lever does. When to pull each lever is up to the student.
-1 Developmental Airfield: Designs new planes and other air-related equipment. Produces five dice worth of progress every turn.
Squadron 1 | Feather-1914-NA Scout Plane | Lvoc Camera | Aerial Reconnaissance | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to photograph enemy frontline along the Jawanin-Derboise Road
Squadron 2 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | No Equipment | Lvoc Camera | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to observe enemy frontline along the Dreidansk-Demisonne Road
Squadron 3 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | No Equipment | Lvoc Camera | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to photograph enemy frontline along the Jawanin-Derboise Road
Prestige: Very Little “My mate says he saw one of those planes do a somersault!”
Status: Auxiliary Service
Army Relations: Lukewarm “What if these ‘air-photos’ could replace maps?”
Navy Relations: Neutral “What are planes?”
Production Points: 9
Total Maintenance: 3
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Topic: Knights of the Skies: Kolechia Thread - Early Summer 1916, Production Phase (Read 54542 times)