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[Cnidaros]

Verusa Design Phase, Late Winter 1915

Project Crossguard (2 dice spent)

Progress: 5+5+4 = 14/11. 2 PP spent.

After much testing of the cam-wheel system, the Crossguard is declared ready for operational deployment. Of course, this may be a bit of an exaggeration, as currently the system exists as a few test models and blueprints for retrofitting the Crossguard onto existing Rhino biplanes.

Project Complete! You may now retrofit existing squadrons with Bolt Machine Guns to use the new Crossguard system. This would cost 1 PP per squadron, and the refurbished airframe will be called the Rhino-F. New Rhino-F squadrons with Crossguard-modified Bolts can also be produced at 4PP per squadron.

Requisition: Trench Periscope

Army Requisition: Trench Periscope (for bombsight development

For the purposes of improving our aerial bombardment capabilities, the VSC requests trench periscopes.  These periscopes will be reengineered into bombsights.  The periscopes must have high quality optics and mirrors, of little to no magnification.  A monocular system would be preferred over binocular.  A system already with a crosshair would also be preferred.

Another request to the army quartermasters meets with failure. Although some improvised trench periscopes are in use among Verusan soldiers, these are often constructed on the spot, out of whatever spare mirrors and materials that can be found. The army does not currently produce a standard model of trench periscope, so none are available to be requisitioned.

Additionally, the quartermasters seem to be getting annoyed at the VSC’s constant requests for equipment designs. They suggest that perhaps the VSC should procure its own equipment or come under the command of the army to receive army equipment.


It is now the Revision Phase, Late Winter 1915. You have 3 dice remaining to spend on Revisions or bank for the next turn.

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

None

Spoiler: Designs and Technology (click to show/hide)

Planes:
-‘Rhino’ Biplane: A unarmed, single-seater reconnaissance plane. Very misleadingly named, as its fragile wood-and-canvas frame can’t withstand the slightest collision. On the other hand, it’s about as easy to turn as a charging rhino. At least it gets up to a good speed, powered by a five-cylinder rotary engine. Now comes with 'feet' on the wings. Cost: 3/1
--Rhino-F: A variant of the Rhino with a Bolt Machine Gun, modified to use the Crossguard synchronisation gear to shoot directly ahead through its own propeller arc. Cost 4/1
-VRAC A.1 “Emu”: A two-seater biplane with a water-cooled engine in the pusher configuration. The Emu mounts two Bolt machineguns, in front and rear-facing swivel mounts, operated by the observer sitting forward of the pilot. Is reasonably fast and maneuverable for its size. No longer includes carved wooden emu heads. Cost 5/2.
Balloons:
-Sky Eye Observation Balloon: A three-man hot air balloon for aerial observation. Two observers sketch out enemy dispositions, while a phone operator relays information to the ground and controls the balloons’ altitude. Comes with spiffy gold-rimmed monocles to help the observers see ‘further’. Cost 1/1
Equipment:
-“Barnson’s Bird-Watching Essentials”: A set of gear for aerial observers. Currently consists of a set of high-quality binoculars, sketchpad and drafting pencils. Cost 1 PP for 2 squadrons.
-Bolt Machine Gun: A belt-fed machinegun capable of accurate firing out to 2000m. It is air-cooled and operates on a closed-bolt firing cycle. Cost 1 PP.
-Mk.1 “Bottled Fury” Bomb: Verusa’s first purpose-designed bomb! A 75-pound high explosive bomb, which is equipped with fins to stabilise it when dropped. Creates a slight fragmentation effect when it explodes. Cost 1 PP.
-Hawk Eye Camera: A fast shutter glass-plate camera, set at infinity focus for aerial photoreconnaissance. Requires the pilot to change the plates after every shot and is mounted to take photographs through a hole in the bottom of the cockpit. Cost 1 PP.
-Crossguard Gearing: A synchronisation gear that allows machine-guns to fire through a spinning propeller using mechanical impulses from a cam wheel, while reducing the rate of fire. The trigger is reconfigured to be a button on the control column, which actually serves to disengage the safety sear instead of firing the gun. A manual safety switch is also included in the cockpit.
-Firefly Flaregun: A single-shot flare pistol firing red, green, blue and white flares into the air for long-distance signalling. They are cheap and can be issued to every airman.
-Bar’s Shelf Bomb Rack: A simple wooden bomb rack that holds two Mk.1 “Bottled Fury” bombs, which are released by pulling a cord. Is currently only available for Rhinos.
Pilots:
-Daring: For King and Country! Verusan pilots are more aggressive and willing to take risks in combat.
-Uniforms: Blue with purple accents. Pilots are commissioned with a ceremonial sabre, which they bring along for every mission, stored in a sheath in the cockpit.
-Knight of Flight Badges: A badge awarded to pilots who demonstrate heroism and bravery in combat above and beyond the call of duty. Comes in three different classes and is extremely shiny.
-Colourful: Sky Crusader aircraft are painted a wide variety of colours, standing out against the skies. Pilots are far less likely to follow the wrong aircraft home.
Technology:
-Basic/Intermediate biplane design
-Basic monoplane design
-Basic pusher configuration design
-Basic balloon design
-Wooden frame construction
-Basic control surfaces: ailerons, elevator and rudder
-Rhino Horn mount technology
-Shiny badges
-Camera mounting
-Basic Synchronisation Gearing
Resources:
-1 Air Academy: Trains new pilots how to take off. Landing is left as an exercise for the student.
-1 Experimental Aerodrome: Designs new planes and other air-related equipment. Produces five dice worth of progress every turn.
-22 production points base.

Spoiler: Squadrons (click to show/hide)

Knight 1 | VRAC A.1 "Emu" | No Equipment | Air Superiority | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority along the Demisonne-Derboise Road

Knight 2 | VRAC A.1 "Emu" | No Equipment | Air Superiority | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority along the Demisonne-Derboise Road

Squire 1 | Rhino-NA Biplane | Bolt Machine Gun, Beehive Grenades | Anti-Balloon | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to shoot down enemy balloons at the Dreidansk-Estwice frontlines

Squire 2 | Rhino Biplane | Bolt Machine Gun | Air Superiority | Rookie | Alderic | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to secure air superiority along the Dreidansk-Estwice Road

Squire 3 | Rhino Biplane | Bolt Machine Gun | Bomber Escort | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to escort Squire 5 at the Dreidansk-Estwice frontlines

Squire 4 | Rhino-P Biplane | Bolt Machine Gun, Hawk Eye Cameras | Aerial Reconnaissance | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to perform aerial photoreconnaissance at Mizogorod

Squire 5 | Rhino Biplane | Mk.1 "Bottled Fury" Bombs | Level Bombing | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to bomb enemy defenses at the Dreidansk-Estwice frontlines

Rook 1 | Sky Eye Observation Balloon | Barnson’s Bird-Watching Essentials | Artillery Spotting | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting at the Demisonne-Derboise frontlines

Rook 2 | Sky Eye Observation Balloon | Barnson’s Bird-Watching Essentials | Artillery Spotting | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting at the Dreidansk-Estwice frontlines

Rook 3 | Sky Eye Observation Balloon | Barnson’s Bird-Watching Essentials | Artillery Spotting | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting at Basselton

Rook 4 | Sky Eye Observation Balloon | No Equipment | No Role | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 0
Currently mothballed

Rook 5 | Sky Eye Observation Balloon | No Equipment | No Role | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 0
Currently mothballed

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

1 x Barnson’s Bird-Watching Essentials

Spoiler: Statistics (click to show/hide)

Prestige: Very Little
Status: Auxiliary Service
Army Relations: Warm
Navy Relations: Lukewarm

Production Points: 20
Total Maintenance: 12

[NAV]

Is there anything at all stopping us from having both Rhino Horns and Crossguards on the same aircraft? Not necessarily saying its a good idea, but are we allowed to do it? There is no logical reason it wouldn't work. Maybe we can give Alderic's squadron both.

[Cnidaros]

Is there anything at all stopping us from having both Rhino Horns and Crossguards on the same aircraft? Not necessarily saying its a good idea, but are we allowed to do it? There is no logical reason it wouldn't work. Maybe we can give Alderic's squadron both.

Yes, you can do that without a revision (although you'll need a Crossguard-equipped squadron first, and spare Bolts).

[ConscriptFive]

The RAF SE V did pretty well with a backup Foster gun.  https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=202

[piratejoe]

The Bar's Shelf Bomb Rack Actually A Bomb Rack Edition is exactly what it says on the tin, an improvement to our Bar's Shelf Bomb Rack by making it an actual proper bomb rack instead of the makeshift stopgap we have now. Additionally a scope has been added so a pilot or in the case of the Emu the observer can get an idea of were the bombs will land, hopefully increasing accuracy. Of course such a thing would be unable to function with a string and as such a lever has been made in its place. It's made to be cheap so it can easily be fit onto our squadrons aircraft who are to be given bombs, and hopefully this will increase the effectiveness of our bombers a bit.

Thirdly, to protect our pilots from frostbite and being uncomfortably cold, we shall issue them a new uniform. The new uniform has been nicknamed Sky Crusader Armour after an engineer mentioned it could protect from wind burn, anything getting into the eyes, neck chafing and even claimed that it could protect the wearer from fire to a minor extent, at least more than our current uniforms. It consists of a sheepskin jacket with inward facing wool, high collar, snug cuffs and waist, and multiple buttoned pockets. Leather pants, leather boots, leather gloves, and a leather helmet with flaps to protect the ears, and a balaclava mask to protect the face. Glass goggles to protect their eyes from wind, oil, rain, and other hazards. And lastly a colorful variety of silk scarves to protect the neck from chafing and to clean goggles with, though white ones are recommended for pilots to use so they can see anything soaked on it easier if they need to use it to wipe something off their goggles.

Apparently the British have made a fantastic new bullet for their 303. Ammunition that leaves a 'trace' for the shooter to follow. Using our knowledge with flares we can make an addition to our ammunition to make it light up and be easy to know were the shots were going without becoming incendiary, as shooting down enemy aircraft like that would be terrible and inhumane so not wanting to be like our enemy that is a good thing. The ammunition shouldn't have any much of an effect on the bullets performance other than making them highly visible. Of course such a thing would be useful not only to our pilots but also to the machine gunners on the ground, so as a sign of good will we will give the ammo plans to the army if they turn out well.

If someone wants to make an Emu engine upgrade that isn't radial or a sky eye revision (or design) feel free.

Bar's Shelf Bomb Rack Actually A Bomb Rack Edition (1): Piratejoe
Sky Crusader Armour(1): Piratejoe
Tracer Ammunition(1): Piratejoe

[evictedSaint]

Top Shelf Bomb Rack

The Bar Shelf is upgraded to allow it to be mounted to any plane that can carry it.  The deployment is switched from "a piece of string" to an actual lever that must be pulled.

Basket Hilt Crossguard

The Crossguard can now use multiple independent rotating timing disks in order to allow a plane to be mounted with more than one gun.  The timing disks are precise enough that outside of major mechanical failure the weapons will never strike the propellors.

[NAV]

Bar's Shelf Bomb Rack Actually A Bomb Rack Edition (2):Piratejoe , NAV
Sky Crusader Armour(2): Piratejoe, NAV
Tracer Ammunition(2): Piratejoe, NAV

I could possibly be convinced to switch a vote to Basket Hilt Crossguard.

Edit: Top Shelf bomb rack has a better name and fixes the glaring flaw of not being Emu mountable. Piratejoe's bomb rack doesn't explicitly make it Emu capable, and might be overreaching with the targetting scope.

[piratejoe]

Same, though which revision would I give up for that?

[evictedSaint]

The crusader armor.

Honestly, it will probably have as much effect as the paintjob or flares.

[NAV]

Depends a lot on the GM. In real life having a real flight suit is hugely important for pilots.

[evictedSaint]

So did destincrive paintjobs and flares. I doubt silk scarves and leather jackets (assuming we don't have them already) aren't as big a deal as an extra MG.

[NAV]

If I had to fly an open cockpit aircraft in the winter in WW1, I would definitely rather have a full leather outfit, goggles, and a silk scarf than an extra machinegun. Pilots cant fly effectively with frostbite and hypothermia.

[evictedSaint]

Tell you what, if you can find a single time the BR even hints that it's been a concern, I'll concede the point.

[piratejoe]

When it stated that a black market for warm gloves and boots was thriving...

[evictedSaint]

Sure, let's do it then.