Year -3 Cold Season, Design Phase
Proposal: ARA Model-001A Semiautomatic Rifle
The Model-001 is the first step of many. We better make it a good one. In this effort, our engineers have created a rifle of 40 inches in length, built with the standard wooden stock. The action, instead of a bolt action system, incorporates a set of lugs and cams that allow the interior of the bolt to rotate while using a a portion of the volatile gases as force to load the next round. This should result in a higher rate of fire than the standard bolt action. It loads twelve .325 caliber rounds from an en-bloc clip into a fixed magazine. Variable sights give it a use at a wide range of distances.
Difficulty: Very Hard
Result: 8 (6+4-2) =
AverageThe ARA Model-001A Self-Loading Rifle is the first weapon designed and produced within Abbera, and is as groundbreaking as we'd expect from the finest engineers on Harren Island, and perhaps the world.
The ARA Model-001A, called "Mona" (
Model
ONe
A) by it's operators [you can opt to change the moniker at any point], is the first Self Loading Rifle designed for widespread use in the world. "Mona" is effective out to 400 meters, with a variable sight allowing the operator to adjust to 50, 100, and 200 meters. The rifle weighs 4.5 kg and is a full meter in length from end to end. The "Mona" is built with a solid wood stock and body.
The "Mona" is designed to fire 7.92x57 mm rounds loaded through the top of the weapon with a 12-round en bloc clip into a fixed magazine that protrudes slightly from the bottom of the weapon. The ARA Model-001A is also fairly easy to field strip, which is good because the weapon is not without it's issues. But more on those in a moment, because we haven't actually covered what makes the "Mona" special. The first Self-Loading Rifle in the world achieves this status using a gas trap system to capture gas leaving the muzzle in order to operate the bolt and chamber the next round without any extra input from the operator. This allows a rate of fire of 30-40 rounds per minute without significantly impacting accuracy.
Unfortunately progress always seems to be paired with drawbacks. The weapon kicks back pretty hard, and while the recoil isn't unmanageable it'll leave the shooter with some pain after sustained usage. Another issue revolves around the smaller internal components. The rapid-fire nature of the "Mona" causes a lot of stress and wear on a number of parts, and the weapon is susceptible to sand, dirt, and mud, which results in the weapon requiring cleaning and repair more frequently than we'd like. All soldiers assigned an ARA Model-001A get extra training in maintaining the weapon and get a small pouch of replacement parts as part of their standard kit.
The ARA Model-001A requires
2 Ore and
2 Wood to produce and is therefore
[CHEAP].
----------
Proposal: "Wickerman" Incendiary Grenade
The wickerman grenade is a 15-centimeter long grenade that has been designed to explode 8 seconds after the pin is pulled, flinging burning white phosphorus all around the area around its detonation. If set off inside an enclosed space it will quickly fill with deadly smoke, literally smoking the enemy out of their hiding places or risk being burned alive or suffocated. if the enemy does not quickly contain the fires that this grenade can cause, their fortifications will quite literally burn down around them, provided the wickermen are deployed in force.
Difficulty: Hard
Result: 5 (5+1-1) =
Below AverageOptimally a weapon does two things: create casualties and damage morale. Incendiary weapons fit that bill perfectly, therefore the "Wickerman" was ultimately inevitable. Designed as a 15 cm long canister, the "Wickerman" contains a fuse set off by pulling a pin which sets of a charge in the grenade that destroys the canister and disperses white phosphorus in a 5-meter radius. The white phosphorus will adhere to most surfaces, such as wood, cloth, and flesh, and cause intense burning and ignition. White phosphorus also produces a thick white smoke as it burns off, giving the "Wickerman" the ability to provide cover.
That's what we aimed for anyway, but we hit two snags:
1) The fuses are unreliable. The "Wickerman" can go off as soon as five seconds after the pin is pulled. If it goes off at all. While duds aren't
common, they occur often enough to make an impact on effectiveness.
2) We're having difficulty acquiring sufficient amounts of white phosphorus itself, and what we do have is of poor quality. Production and effectiveness of the "Wickerman" suffers as a result, effectively making the design
[very complex]. Surely we'll find a solution if we continue working on the grenade.
The "Wickerman" Incendiary Grenade currently costs
4 Ore, making it
[EXPENSIVE], and is
[very complex].
Before you cry foul, let me as the GM explain. There are two processes to discovering new Resources: creating them in a design and stumbling on them accidentally. I made a number of resources to be discovered beforehand. While initially discovering a new resource the design will usually end up with a large generic resource cost as well as a
[very complex] tag to represent both not having the specialty resource as well as not knowing what it is and needing to filter through a lot of stuff to get trace amounts of what you need. If any further work is done on the design the resource will be identified and you'll be able to begin assigning it to nodes once we get to that point. Discovering the resource does not add difficulty to the revision, and does not need to be specified as a part of the revision - it happens regardless of what goes on with both the proposal and the roll itself. The design will still be
[complex] until you actually have a supply of the necessary resource, but it will no longer be
[very complex] and the cost will change to reflect having knowledge of and access to the proper resources. Mind you, a high enough roll on a design that uncovers the need of a resource may also discover it at the same time.
So congrats, you've come across something immediately.
---------------
Uniform Proposal: UMI
Uniforms for the Massed Infantry
A modern army deserves a proper uniform. First are the basics. Cotton undergarments (long johns to be issued in winter), grey gabardine wool pants and jacket, and a light cotton shirt (button up, no collar). The jacket is a button up affair, with a foldable collar and several convenient pockets. One on each side just about the belt, and a stylish buttoned breast pocket on each side. Each button on the jacket has the image of a crown engraved on it. The shoulders of the jacket are stitched with a dark blue crown at the top of the arm to indicate allegiance, and a scepter is embroidered on the left breast pocket. Rank is displayed by the number of crowns stitched onto the right breast pocket. Higher ups are indicated by a single, more ornate embroidery with silver thread. The pants have several useful pockets, two on each side above the knee, along with belt loops. The patrol cap has a small pocket on the inside of the rim to keep small items out of the weather.
A leather belt and leather boots are provided with the uniform. The boots are lace ups, with reinforced soles. The belt comes with attachments to carry an extra magazine or two of ammunition for the soldier's primary weapon, or a leather holster for an officer's sidearm. Spotters and scouts also receive binoculars, and a leather holster for them. Holsters and ammo pouches have flaps covering the top to keep out the weather.
Onto the kit.
A backpack made out of stiff water-resistant canvas holds the soldier's kit - water canteen, mess kit, a basic bedroll, a standard pocketknife, two clean bandages, and a basic entrenching tool. A basic helmet straps to the back of the back while traveling. Made of steel, it weighs a moderate amount and has basic padding for the wearer's comfort.
APPROVED AS IS----------------
As we ready ourselves for war it is good to know there are people loyal to Abbera. As a result of you all designing equipment to fill the specified roles, you have been granted access to more resources, allowing
two design credits to be used in the revision phase. You have
a single revision to dedicate to one of your accomplishments from this phase as well. We ask that you hurry though, those Salviosi dogs are just as determined to secure this island as we are.
Infantry
ARA Model-001A "Mona" Self-Loading Rifle: The first Self-Loading Rifle to see combat, the "Mona" is 4.5 kg and a meter in length. It fires 7.92x57mm rounds fed into the weapon by a 12-round en bloc magazine. It has variable sights and is effective to 400 meters. She's packs a punch but suffers from unreliable internal components. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood (CHEAP)
"Wickerman" Incendiary Grenade: A 15-cm long White Phosphorus grenade. Unreliable and currently difficult to produce, but there's potential here somewhere. Costs 4 Ore making it (EXPENSIVE), and is considered [very complex]
Uniforms for the Massed Infantry: The Abberan uniform consists of cotton undergarments, grey gabardine wool pants and jacket, and a collarless cotton button-up shirt. The jacket has multiple convenient pockets and a foldable collar. Jacket buttons hold an image of a crown, and a dark blue crown on the shoulders is used to identify allegiance. Comes with a leather belt and boots. Binoculars are handed out as necessary. Holsters and ammo pouches have flaps on top to keep out the weather. Padded steel helmets are standard issue, as are water-resistant canvas backpacks used to hold the soldier's basic kit. The helmet can be strapped to the back of the pack while traveling.
Abbera: 3 Ent., 2 Ore, 2 Oil, 2 Wood, 2 U.R. // 100% Control
Ore: 2
Oil: 2
Wood: 2
Unassigned Resource: 2
Poll
3 (15%)
Author
Topic: Industrialized Warfare: Abbera Thread / 1917 A.C. Cold Season (COMPLETE) (Read 78706 times)