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Space-Time

2 (14.3%)

Hammer Time

3 (21.4%)

Time...to die.

6 (42.9%)

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

3 (21.4%)

Total Members Voted: 14

[Maximum Spin]

Apologies to you MS, if you took my comments about salt as being related to you at all then that's my mistake. Your name isn't on the radar at all for unreasonable salt.

It's not so much that I took them that way as I just wanted to forestall the possibility. I can be very direct, and I find that people often mistake that for rancor. Imputing emotional states is therefore a pet peeve of mine. Perhaps relatedly, I don't perceive that Madman is actually upset either; offhand, I don't think I've seen him actually upset about anything in any arms race I've been in. (Maybe in TES.)

Anyway, I don't really feel much concern about how the problem is solved at this point, although I still think it not exploding would make more sense (since otherwise we would retroactively become pretty stupid in the past).

[Man of Paper]

Poll is up for a vote. If you want to add another option make a votebox and that'll be weighed in with the poll.


EDIT: Looks like our vote results are clear, and the changes will be reflected in the phase's report.

[Twinwolf]

I noticed we don't actually have any sidearm. Something we should do down the line and a suggestion for it (along with discovering semi-auto for a future replacement rifle). I actually think it's something to consider sooner rather than later - we really only have the SMG for close combat, and not every man has one, so giving the Senapang-soldiers something usable in close range might be smart.

Mercun 1914 Pistol (Mercun is Malay for 'firecracker', according to google translate. Year can be changed as neccesary)
A semi-automatic pistol, the first of it's kind developed by Salvios and inspired by the sidearms of our allies, the Mercun represents the foundation of a middle ground between our bolt-action Senapang and fully automatic SMG. Built for reliability and power, the Mercun uses .45 Semi-Automatic Rounds (SAR) - fairly large for a pistol, but we believe at the close ranges where a Senapang is not quite as useful the stopping power will be worth it. It operates on a recoil-operation system to facilitate it's comparatively high rate of fire. It takes 8 round box magazines, and reloading is meant to be fairly easy.

Caliber is up to debate - I wasn't sure between the .45 ACP the gun this is based on (the browning m1911) uses, and the 10mm we have for our SMG.

[NUKE9.13]

Man of Paper, Actually BeesToday at 5:45 AM
Shit, right, I wanted to get this idea planted planted earlier for @everyone too. I wanted to have each side create their own phonetic alphabets. They could be ripped right from real life, but I figured this'd be another way to add a small bit of flavor. And everyone can contribute!

Aurum
Barter
Copper
Dealer
Electrum
Finance
Gold
Holding
Interest
Joint-stock
Karat
Loan
Monopoly
Notary
Overdraft
Profit
Quota
Refund
Silver
Trade
Usury
Value
Wholesale
eXpropriate
Yield
Zero

(You'll note that gold is in there twice; that's a feature, not a bug)

[Rockeater]

I think that for sidearms we can make crossbow consiedering we need much less range and we can use Gravilium-U melting head so we don't need much of a penetrating power anyway.

[Twinwolf]

Feel free to propose one then :p

That said, I will explain why I wouldn't vote for such (barring a design that somehow convinces me otherwise): What we need out of a sidearm is something that will be useful in close combat (or at least, closer than the Senapang is good for). You have one shot with a crossbow, as opposed to several with a pistol. You won't exactly have time to reload a crossbow if the guy is twenty feet away (which I think is part of the reason the senapang is unwieldy at close range).

That being said, using gavrillium-u or some kind of armor piercing bolt, such might be useful against, say, their armored guys (or if they have developed some bullet-proof vest out of their kinetic sheep). But I don't think it'd be good enough to be our only sidearm.

[Madman198237]

I reiterate, once more. Crossbows are terrible weapons. The idea of using one for a sidearm is laughable---it'll be even MORE unwieldy than a full-length bolt action rifle. What you need in CQB is a weapon that is easy to swing around, fits through doorways no matter where you're pointing it, and can also deal with somebody in a ballistics vest...a Gavrillium-bullet handgun might do it, but a crossbow will be hopeless. Cloth armor is actually very good against bolts and arrows, though metal armor is of course still completely superior.

[Rockeater]

I reiterate, once more. Crossbows are terrible weapons. The idea of using one for a sidearm is laughable---it'll be even MORE unwieldy than a full-length bolt action rifle. What you need in CQB is a weapon that is easy to swing around, fits through doorways no matter where you're pointing it, and can also deal with somebody in a ballistics vest...a Gavrillium-bullet handgun might do it, but a crossbow will be hopeless. Cloth armor is actually very good against bolts and arrows, though metal armor is of course still completely superior.

I was helf joking this time, relax, working on a hookshot

[Man of Paper]

Year 1913 AC Cold Season, Design Phase

Proposal: LFG-13 Light Field Gun

LFG-13 Light Field Gun (non-motorized)
The LFG-13 is a direct-fire, 40mm artillery piece. It is built to lie extremely close to the ground, with a small gun shield covering two crewmen sitting or crouching next to the gun. It has a long barrel for its size, giving time for its Gavrillium gunpowder to propel solid shot, Gavrillium incendiary (Gavrillium casing filled with explosives, based off of the M2 grenade), or HE rounds to very high velocities. The barrel alloy is based on the GA1b's, as is the Gavrillium gunpowder, to allow for high rates of fire without melting the gun. Due to the high range granted by Gavrillium, extra time has been spent perfecting the rifling and sights to produce unparalleled accuracy. Two wheels allow for the gun to be dragged by the tail by man or by horse or anything else we've got, while the wheeled Boxes o' Ammo allows plenty of rounds to be dragged with the gun without aid of machinery or animals. A four-man crew can move the gun plus its two boxes of ammunition rapidly, and be set up to fire the weapon in seconds. All the steel used in the design is Caelium steel, further improving its mobility.

Difficulty: Normal
Result: 7 (6+1+0) = Average

The LFG-13 is a 40mm direct-fire artillery piece with a barrel length of just over two meters. It uses GavPowder to propel rounds at 800m/s effectively out to 1100m. We created a Gavrilium Incendiary round which, when it impacts a solid surface, bursts in a spray of molten Gavrilium capable of melting through a wide variety of materials. We have also constructed High Explosive rounds to use when their use is deemed necessary. Two wheels allow the Caelium Steel LFG-13 to be easily maneuvered by the crew or towed by horses and vehicles. Two Boxes O' Ammo are also wheeled along with the field gun. Some work was done on the rifling and sighting equipment to improve our accuracy at range.

The LFG-13 costs 5 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 2 Caelium, making it (EXPENSIVE).


------------


Proposal: AAS-13 "Perhudara" Assault Airship

AAS-13 'Perahudara' Assault Airship
The Salviosi Arsenal was a thing of beauty and a source of national pride; being able to turn out 100 vessels in 100 days (alright, they were pretty small vessels, and it was only for a limited time as we only needed so many ships and ships tend to be expensive, but this was still very impressive for our nation!)... Or at least, it was, before the Selicates sabotaged and destroyed our port facilities... And with their navy on the prowl around our lands, we feared that the Arsenal would never regain its former glory.. Until today, when our engineers proposed what will herald the future of naval warfare: the 'Perahudara' Assault Airship.

Well, Airship is a bit of a misnomer; Airboat would probably be more appropriate, as the Perahudara is very small by naval standards. A pair of Lifting Engines lifts the Perahudara, mounted at the top of the airship's enclosed space and protruding somewhat, so that in the event of extreme rolls or pitches, this will produce a pendulum type effect to level out the ship. The craft is made out of Caelium Steel instead of regular steel, wherever possible, so as to lessen stress on the lifting engines. A more traditional powerful Gavrilium engine powering a propeller assembly is mounted towards the rear of the boat, with a short boom holding a rudder in the path of the propwash, providing steering capability even at low speeds. Finally, there's a set of landing gear; resembling drydock bracing rather than typical aeroplane equipment; allowing the Patrol Boat to land more or less anywhere there is a roughly Perahudara-sized sufficiently flat space.

The ship is, in shape, similar to a small boat, though the outer hull is not curved but instead composed of flat, 15mm plates of Caelium Steel, angled down to the keel, simplifying construction and design. It is as small as is possible while still carrying a respectable amount of ammunition. It has no provisions for extended stays in the air, so while it requires somewhere to land and be restocked regularly, it is also smaller than it otherwise could be. There is a small covered helmsman's station set at the front of the boat, just above the forwards-facing LGG/GGG. The LGG is set between the two Lifting Engines, which are encased in 25mm of Caelium Steel armor for protection. A basic wooden deck provides protection from the elements for the ship's crew and the twenty soldiers who can be strapped into benches on either side of the lower deck of the airship. A large panel on either side of the ship's hull can be unbolted on landing, and then swing forwards, providing cover for soldiers as they disembark, or allowing extremely easy access for to the internals of the ship for anything from stretcher-bearers to boxes of ammunition.

The Perahudara is armed with only an LGG-12 (can also be replaced with a GGG-12) mounted in the prow and built to allow the gun to depress and traverse much, much more than usual, and one more LGG or GGG-12, for mounted on the top of the boat for self-defense.

Difficulty: Hard
Result: 3 (3+1-1) = Buggy Mess

Our forefathers are surely turning over in their graves. The Perhudara is a mess of a vehicle. A pair of Caelium Lifting Engines are mounted on the top deck of the ship meant to provide lift as well as stability to the ship. The Perhudara struggles to maintain a steady level heading as both Lifting Engines, for some reason, are controlled independently and individually from one another, requiring two people to hopefully communicate well enough to maneuver the craft. The propeller assembly is also controlled by a third person, compounding the issue even further. The craft was made with Caelium Steel, but we did not commit time to seriously armoring the hull. This proves to be a problem as the twenty men it transports have minimal protection. A rear hatch drops down to allow the men inside to disembark once it lands.

The Perhudara costs 3 Ore, 4 Caelium, and 2 Gavrilium, making it (EXPENSIVE).


------------


The Gavrilium Engines we have given to our allies have been received with much fanfare. As a result of the increased power provided by the engines our allies have granted us one Research Credit. We also have two Revisions this Revision Phase to vote on. Remember to continue discussing invasion options.

Some Abberan "scientists" claimed Gavrilium was explosive. We have proved them wrong. Don't believe the Abberan propaganda.

IT IS NOW THE REVISION PHASE.

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Infantry

Senapang Pattern Rifle: A 110 cm, 4 kg dark wood masterpiece. 7.7mm rounds are fed via 5-round stripper clip into the 10-round internal magazine, which can also be loaded with rounds individually. It has an adjustable rear sight with 100 meter increments. It also has a bayonet lug and comes with a bayonet. Padded for operator comfort, extremely dependable and reliable. The Senapang outclasses many rifles of our time. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood. (CHEAP)

--Senapang Pattern Rifle (Var.S): A Senapang with an 8x scope, providing effective fire to 1km though shots can fly as far as 4km if you don't care about actually hitting your target reliably. Each squad has one Designated Marksman with a Var.S. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood. (CHEAP)

SMG-12 Sub-Machine Gun: Essentially a low-powered hand-cranked personal Gatling Gun fired from the hip and fed 10mm pistol rounds through a box magazine under the weapon. Difficult to aim, as there is a crank mounted on top of the thing. Occasionally fails to load chambers, resulting in the nickname "The Stuttergun". Still, it's a big step in personal automatic firearms. Costs 4 Ore and 2 Wood. (OBSOLETE)

--SMG-12a Sub-Machine Gun: Replaces the crank system with an open bolt blowback system, with the added benefit that it can actually be aimed. Rate of fire drops but reliability increases. Costs 3 Ore and 2 Wood. (CHEAP)

M2 Dispersion Grenade: A fantastic incendiary weapon. Effectively a canister on a stick that explodes in a burst of heat and molten metal. The sudden burst of wilting heat causes intense burns out to three meters while the flying molten Gavrilium can inflict serious wounds out to ten. Costs 1 Ore and 1 Gavrilium. (CHEAP)

M3 Fragmentation Grenade: A fragmentation grenade built from the knowledge of our previous grenades. Lethal within a 5m radius, debilitating within 15, but can cause injury out much further if you're (un)lucky. Has a cap that can be pulled off for a 7 second fuse or twisted and pulled for impact. Shaped like an egg, but can have a stick screwed into the bottom if desired. Costs 2 Ore (CHEAP)

GGG-12 Gavrilium Gatling Gun: A tri-barrel gatling gun that uses a small GavEngine to rotate the barrels. Fires up to 600 rpm with a range up to 2200m thanks to the 7.7G rounds which use a GavPowder load. A heat sink helps provide equilibrium between the heat caused by the Gavpowder load and the freezing caused by the depletion of Gavrilium rods in the engine. Uses a dial to adjust rate of fire. Effective and reliable. Costs 5 Ore and 4 Gavrilium, making it (VERY EXPENSIVE).

--LGG-12 Light Gatling Gun:  A GGG-12 without the Gavpowder. Range drops to 1500m but Rate of Fire is increased to a possible 1200 RPM. Is also much lighter, allowing it to be redeployed very easily by a crew. Can also be deployed with a small artillery carriage. Costs 4 Ore and 2 Gavrilium. (CHEAP)

LFG-13 Light Field Gun: A 40mm direct-fire gun which utilizes HE and Gavrilium Rounds. Capable of firing out to 1100m. Made of Caelium Steel and easily maneuvered by the crew. Costs 5 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 2 Caelium. (EXPENSIVE

GA1 Cannon: A 150mm piece of artillery that uses a mixture of cordite and powdered Gavrilium to fire rounds fairly accurately to six kilometers but potentially out to nine if accuracy isn't really a factor. The barrel warps from extended use so teams are asked to restrict themselves to six rounds at a time before needing to cool for an extended period. Costs 5 Ore and 3 Gavrilium. (EXPENSIVE)

--GA1B Cannon: By modifying the powder, barrel, and alloy used in the GA1's construction, the GA1B can fire 5 rounds a minute accurately up to 10km. The use of Chemical Compounds in the powder formula complicates things. Costs 4 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 1 Chemical Compounds. (CHEAP)

GBC-13 Gavrilium Bunker Cannon "Scylla": A 105mm cannon utilizing HE and solid shot with bunkers using GavGenerators designed to aid in cooling of the weapon and powering of the bunker. Utilizes the same altered GavPowder and metal alloys the GA1b does. Can be fired out to 10/15km. Costs Ore, Gavrilium, and Chemical Compounds. (EXPENSIVE)

"Mountain" Myomer Lifting Kit: A reinforced canvas suit with cords of myomer muscle running across it powered by a small GavEngine in the back. Allows users to lift 250kg. Sees most of it's use in a support role and not on the front line. 2 Gavrilium, 2 Myomer. (CHEAP)

BSU: The Berani standard uniform is made of light cotton dyed khaki. A wide brim steel helmet offers some protection, and leather patches on the elbows and knees provide a level of comfort and protection when kneeling or leaning on something. The uniform has a large number of pockets, belts, and satchels made of cotton webbing in order to carry large amounts of equipment such as ammo and grenades. Entrenching tools are provided to all soldiers.

Ground Vehicles (I guess?)

Transport Sled: A small platform used primarily to transport our machine guns and artillery, though it can aid in the general moving of supplies. Costs 2 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 1 Caelium. (CHEAP)

Armored Sled: A mobile man-driven armored firing platform utilizing Caelium Steel with a mounted G3-12 or LGG-12 that requires two men to maneuver from within. Can carry four additional passengers. Costs 3 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 2 Caelium. (CHEAP)

--Roofed Sled: An Armored Sled with a retractable roof assembly installed. The armored slats are guided by chains in a pair of rails that hook over the top of the Armored Sled from the rear. It's controlled by a lever powered by the on-board GavEngine to reduce time and energy needed to raise and retract the roof. Costs 4 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 2 Caelium. (EXPENSIVE)

ArC-12b "Kerata" Armored Car: A barely-functional troop carrier that acts as little more than mobile cover, and can be outran by a soldier on foot. Bounces wildly when going over uneven ground. Has been unofficially dubbed Errata. Costs 5 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 2 Caelium. (EXPENSIVE)

Aircraft

LEA-13 Lifting Engine Aircraft: A metal sphere containing a Gavrilium/Gravite engine attached to a basket to propel itself skyward. Meant for use as an observation platform, though swaying can make the job difficult. Definitely would never use a lawn chair. Costs 3 Ore, 2 Gavrilium, and 2 Caelium. (CHEAP)

AAS-13 "Perhudara" Assault Airship: A ridiculously complex airship to control. Has a pair of LLG-13s. Very poorly armored, but is at least capable of carrying it's cargo of 20 soldiers. 3 Ore, 4 Caelium, 2 Gavrilium. (EXPENSIVE)

Support

VTR-12 "Ceramah" Radio: Cumbersome wireless communications equipment with a range of 1.5km. A step in the right direction for reliable long-range communication.

Components

Gavrilium Engine: An engine run by extracting electromagnetic energy from Gavrilium rods and converting it to mechanical energy. Much more powerful and cost efficient than standard combustion engines. The engine's only flaw is overcooling in very cold environments as the rods freeze as their stored energy depletes, seizing the engine and shutting it down. The Depleted Gavrilium rods must be handled with proper protective equipment. Glows blue. Adds 1 Ore to the price of the base vehicle design and converts Oil cost into 1/2 the cost in Gavrilium

Gavrilium-U: Specially treated Gavrilium that, when explosive force is applied, rapidly heats into a molten blob.

GavPowder: A mixture of cordite and Gavrilium-U that provides a boost to muzzle velocity and range of weapons, at the cost of reliability due to overheating and build-up of gunk in the barrel over time.

Caelium Foil: When applied to a surface and powered the Caelium foil lifts the object it is attached to based on the amount of power being diverted into it.

Caelium Steel: A Caelium-Steel alloy weighs half as much as similar volumes of steel without losing durability. Designs utilizing Caelium Steel adds 1/2 the cost of Ore in Caelium for any cost associated with the replaced steel.

Gravite: A uniquely structured piece of Caelium which can create a gravitational field to pull itself in the direction of it's Dominant side.

Specialty Resource

Gavrilium: A wondermaterial with many unknown qualities. So far we know that low applied heat produces a slow burn with results similar to coal, electromagnetic energy can be drawn from it, and depleted gavrilium has a dangerously low temperature.
Caelium: A metallic substance capable of affecting gravitational fields. When a current is applied it rises above the ground at a level proportional to the strength of the current, and will move if tilted. Can be used to make alloys with other metals.
Myomer: A synthetic fiber that mimics biological muscle, but with a much greater power-to-weight ratio.
Chemical Compounds: Represents the industry required to maintain a high demand of chemicals.

Spoiler: Territories (click to show/hide)

Salvios: 3 Ent., 2 Ore, 2 Oil, 2 Wood, 2 Gavrilium, 2 Myomer // 100% Control (Radio Coverage)
Lowlands: 1 Ent., 1 Ore (1/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Desert: 0 Ent., 1 Chemical Compounds (1/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Plateaus: 1 Ent., 1 Caelium (1/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Badlands: 0 Ent., (0/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Rolling Hills: 1 Ent., (0/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Volcanic Range: 0 Ent., (0/3 Resources) // 100% Control

Spoiler: Resources (click to show/hide)

Ore: 3
Oil: 2
Wood: 2
Gavrilium: 2
Myomer:: 2
Caelium: 1
Chemical Compounds:: 1

Spoiler: Special Rules (click to show/hide)

Radio Coverage: Radio Coverage improves the ability to effectively defend a sector based on efficacy of the design.
Enhanced Fortification: Due to advancements in Salvios a sector can be brought to max Entrenchment with a Revision. Max Entrenchment Level has also been raised to four (4).

Spoiler: Credits (click to show/hide)

Research Credit x1

[Twinwolf]

Well, thoughts for revisions. I think there's maybe 3 main revisions to consider.

1: Something to fix GavPowder's effects on reliability might be a pretty good idea.
2: Fix the Perhudara - the main thing might be unifying controls.
3: Some discussion of some kind of armor-piercing rounds was thrown about. The LFG-13 is our only thing that can really deal with armor right now, far as I can tell?

Anyone have other ideas for a revision?

(Incidentally: Probably gonna want to grab some Caelium this upcoming strategy phase, since we're getting more and more things that use it).

[Taricus]

Armour Piercing ammunition:

With the intel gathered on the Abberan forces, and the knowledge that they likely have widespread armour has propelled the development of a hardened munition to defeat them. To this end, a solid steel core munition has been developed for all our weapons, enabling our weapons to carve throguh various times of armour and differing levels of efficacy depending on the weapon. Our small arms should well be able to deal with the Abberan Paladin armour, and our larger guns should well be able to destroy any theoretical Abberan armoured vehicle.

[Twinwolf]

AAS-13 "Perhudara" Assault Airship - Unified Steering System

The Perhudara, for all it's faults, is still a ship capable of getting off the ground and into the air - a great accomplishment of engineering. It's problems can be summed up in it's separate steering systems, which leads to it's primary difficulties in setting a consistent bearing and speed. The obvious fix, is to unify the system (using various electrical systems) such that a single pilot can steer the craft. This will allow for far more reliable and speedy use and landing, more in line with the original visions for the design.

A simple Perhudara revision.

[Madman198237]

So the GBC (Scylla/105mm direct-fire emplacement gun) should be capable of dealing with any enemy armor because it fires shot as well as HE, IIRC. It fires solid shot at excellent velocities, I should add.

Also, Twin, it has no armor, so it's still useless on the front. It would make a lot of sense to remove the guns in the same revision, so that it's no longer an assault airship but is instead a transport airship. It might reduce cost and will certainly improve handling (speed, turning, etc.) with the reduced weight.

[FallacyofUrist]

AAS-13 "Perhudara" Bomber Variant:
The Perhudara isn't particularly useful in what it does. One of our engineers, however, saw an opportunity. For the "bomber" variant we've stripped the guns from the airship for starters. It has a different method of attack. In order for the dang thing to fly, we need to put the engines all under one person's control. Myomers actually do a good job of this. By using Myomers to control the Lifting Engines and the Assembly(sparing us the need to use sophisticated electronics) we've cut the needed pilots down to one.
The bomber variant doesn't carry troops as cargo. It carries bombs. The same shells our artillery fire can be dropped from a great height to devastate enemy positions. Of course we've improved the armor so that a lucky anti-air shot can't just set off the bomb bay or kill the pilot.

[NUKE9.13]

I think AP ammo is essential, given that they are almost guaranteed to be fielding bulletproof vests at Expensive or below. So, let's do that.
As for our second revision, I like the Perhudara control fix idea. Although, I could also see just writing it off as another Kerata. The alternative would be a fix to Gavpowder's problem.