Year 1912 AC (After Colonization) Cold Season, Revision Phase
Proposal: ARA-1912MP-APC "Kingmaker"
Kingmaker Hover APC
The kingmaker is a vehicle the length of the Faithful truck, and with all sides sloping armor up. The driver's seat is in the front, with several sets if vision slits to help provide visibility, and the only doors lead to the troop compartment. The back of the APC has a drop-down ramp with a two small tubes of powdered caelium on it that reduce the weight of the large metal plate. It has locks on the sides to hold it in place. The troop compartment has benches with padded backs, and has firing slits above head level (the men stand on the benches to fire.) The levitation of the craft is provided by several tubes of powdered caelium in conductive solution sealed in the floor of the craft at even intervals. The propulsion system consists of two turbines mounted under the vehicle, powered by a single promethium generator.The promethium is gently mounted in a finely threaded 6-directional vice with gentle padding on each grip, and copper contacts are attached to a copper harness bent around the crystal. The gentle pressure activates a piezoelectric response in the promethium, ad the electricity is sent down to power the turbines. A light layer of k-wool around the generator enclosure pads the vise mechanism from outside harring.One important feature of the turbines is the side release valves- the air output tunnel can be harnessed to push the air directly out to the side of the vehicle, while the rudder controls general side to side motion. Should the craft need to stop, a separate channel closes the rudder across the back and shunts all the air out the front of the vehicle. All air intakes are covered with mesh. An enclosed turret at the top of the vehicle mounts a scythe.
Addendum: should Promethium not exhibit piezoelectric behavior, the engineering team is to induce an electromagnetic field around it. If this does not work, the generator is to run isntead with a modified petroleum engine using powdered promethium in a grain alcohol solution.
Difficulty: Very Hard
Result: 5 (6+1-2) 7 (5+4-2) =
AverageThe
Kingmaker manages to do a number of things for us, but at a cost.
First is the creation of the Gavrilium Generator. It turns out that Gavrilium does indeed exhibit a piezoelectric response to light pressure. As a result we are capable of utilizing
Gavrilium Generators in our designs. The Gavrilium Generator provides a source of electrical energy by pulling power from crystaline Gavrilium Rods. A Gavrilium Generator
removes the Oil cost associated with powering a design for a reduced cost in Gavrilium.
The Gavrilium Rods can power a generator for a couple of days before needing replacement, which is when we made our next discovery: Depleted Gavrilium becomes dangerously cold. Special equipment is used to handle Depleted Gavrilium, though we have no uses for it yet.
The cab is accessed through the troop compartment, which has been extended to hold twelve men comfortably. The driver uses slits in the armored cab for visibility, while slits in the troop compartment provide the men inside the ability to fire out. The armor is 2-4mm thick, providing some protection from small arms until it's in close range. The rear door is a drop-down ramp held up by a pair of bolts on either side. The vehicle is lifted off the ground when power is supplied to the five tubes of powdered caelium running under the floor of the vehicle. The vehicle is maneuvered using a pair of turbine motors for forward and backward movement and a rudder to turn. A lightly armored turret on the top of the
Kingmaker houses a
Scythe. It can get up to 30km/h dependent on the weight of the load.
There are a few problems though. First is the somewhat admittedly comical drifting the
Kingmaker is known to do. It's almost impossible for the drivers to completely counter the momentum of the
Kingmaker when trying to bring it to a stop, so it winds up controlling more like a boat than an armored car. Four "feet" on the bottom of the vehicle allow it some stability when it needs to land and dismount troops, but uneven ground usually requires dismounting while drifting or risking damage to the vehicle. Since the underside is where the turbines and caelium are doing all the work, most of our drivers opt to risk a couple sprained ankles instead. The amount of things being fed by our basic generator also eats through Gavrilium, so we should look into that at some point. The whole system is also very sensitive, with the bottom-mounted turbines susceptible to damage even through the thin layer of armor encasing them.
The
Kingmaker, our first step towards floating vehicles, could use refinement. There are a number of advancements layered into the design, so some bugs are unavoidable. But it works!
The
Kingmaker costs
4 Ore,
3 Gavrilium,
3 Caelium, and
1 Kinetic Wool, making it
(VERY EXPENSIVE) while the lack of a source of
Gavrilium makes it
[complex].
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Proposal: Wool for the Common Man
Wool for the common man.
with the recent mass breeding of the kinetic sheep, we are now in possession of unprecedented amounts of K-wool, even if it is lesser in strength then the royal breed.
With this influx of K-wool, allows our tailors to create a life-saving piece of protection for our infantry.
The K-wool Jacket looks almost exactly like our current uniform jacket, down to the ornamentation with the exception of a shined wooden set of bottoms, each with the royal crown burned into them. The truth of this powerful mateirel is only known when the soldier is in combat. Recoil is lessened, deadly organ pulping shockwaves are dampened, and bullets strike with lesser strength, clubs strike with all the force of a pillow. While this will not make our soldier invincible, it will alow them to survive longer on the frontline, decreasing our causalties and enure the amount of permanent injury’s is decreased.
Additionally, the inner wool lining of the helmet is replaced with Simple k-wool lining, to help protect our soldier brains from all forms of damaged and head trauma. It is very hard to exepct a soldier to fight when his brain has been reduced to a soup from the impact of a bullet.
We hope this allows our more skilled soldiers to survive for longer, and allow the fresh recruits the chance to actually survive long enough to become skilled.
Difficulty: Normal
Result: 2 (1+1+0) =
Utter FailureSimply put, we just decided not to do it. For some reason the only part of the request for the uniform redesign that was pushed through was the snazzy buttons. It turns out that some of the folks in charge of uniform production are indebted to a few upper-classmen who are very stingy with K-Wool and don't want to see it's use squandered elsewhere. At least we can always try again.
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Proposal: "Sickle" Personal Machine Gun
Personal Scythe Machinegun
The scythe shows promise as a weapon, but we think we could do one better. The changes for this are as follows:
Convert the trigger area to a pistol grip and stock format with trigger guard. Change the water cooled barrel for a simple set of heat sink fins on a shroud. Add a vertical grip within easy reach of the barrel, and a deployable bipod on the end. Use a similar setup to the pending Lance design for the stock and bipod, with k-wool worked into padding layers on both the bipod and stock. The ammo is still belt fed, but is now stored in a box below the receiver. The lightening caelium crystal is built into two places on the weapon, in the receiver and the stock, and plugs into the existing Paladin armor power system. An important note: this is not to replace all the scythes in the field, rather this is to create a variant used only for the paladin armor.
Difficulty: Hard
Result: 10 (6+5-1) =
Superior CraftsmanshipThe
Sickle takes the
Scythe and turns it into a weapon capable of use by a single (power armor donning) man. While the reduction in size all around has dropped the weapon's effective range and accuracy, the
Sickle is intended to be used in a squad-supporting role in the thick of battle as opposed to being a more defensive weapon, so there's no drop in efficacy of the weapon. The water barrel is swapped out for a shroud bearing heat sink fins, we've given it a pistol grip as well as a vertical grip near the barrel, and deployable bipod, and it's now fed by a bottom-mounted box holding the 80-round belt. Two specially designed hooks on the waist of the
Paladin are added to attach extra boxes of ammunition to, and more can be carried by
Squires. The
Sickle has two pure Caelium crystals embedded into it and powered using the
Paladin's power supply, making it as light as a feather when active. This allows ease of use while on the move, while it can also be powered down to provide a stable, heavy weapon when in a fixed position. The weapon is extremely reliable, and is definitely fitting for our
Paladin's first primary weapon.
The
Sickle costs
4 Ore and
3 Caelium, making it
[EXPENSIVE], though it is only deployed with
Paladin's, making it functionally a
[NATIONAL EFFORT] until we can field more
Paladins.
------------
We're in the final phases of preparation for the next push south. It is now time to once again
assign a Resource to a node in a controlled sector and
select a sector to fortify. You may also
select where to deploy Aren Wagner von Blankenbruck. Note that it's the fact that he's the only Paladin, not the fact that he's a special character, that will affect future battles against Salvios when the effectiveness of your work will actually matter.
IT IS NOW THE STRATEGY PHASE.Infantry
ARA Model-1911A "Modea" Self-Loading Rifle: The first Self-Loading Rifle to see combat, the "Modea" 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. The end of the barrel is lightly threaded to allow attachment of a cup launcher. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood (CHEAP)
ARA Model-1911C "Draco" Trench Gun: A 4kg, 80-cm long 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun. Only jams on on occasion, and the butt spike breaks off after a handful of uses. Costs 2 Wood and 2 Ore. (CHEAP)
ARA Model-1912MG "Scythe" Heavy Machine Gun: Utilizes the same 7.92x57mm rounds used by the "Modea". Fires 80-round belts that can be linked together for sustained fire. The barrel rarely overheats even at it's 650 rpm fire rate, but is somewhat inaccurate. Carried around in weight-negating cases. Costs 5 Ore and 3 Caelium. (EXPENSIVE)
--ARA Model-1912PMG "Sickle" Personal Machine Gun: A lightened version of the Scythe meant for use with Paladin Superheavy Armor. The carrying case is replaced with two crystals embedded in the weapon itself. Has a pistol grip, vertical grip near the barrel, and a deployable bipod. Has reduced range and accuracy compared to the Scythe, but not by much. Costs 4 Ore, 3 Caelium. (EXPENSIVE), but usage is tied to Paladin deployment.
ARA Model-1911APG "Wickerman" Incendiary Grenade: A 15-cm long White Phosphorus grenade. The grenade has 15m area of effect, an 8 second fuse, and a dud has never been encountered. Costs 1 Ore and 1 Chemical Compounds, making it (CHEAP), but is considered [complex] until we have access to Chemical Compounds.
ARA Model-1911ART "Gorgon": A standard, reliable piece of 155mm artillery. The round and a bag of propellant are sealed using an interrupted screw breach, and the weapon can fire effectively out to 10km. Uses a hydraulic system to manage recoil. Costs 5 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
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. Super snazzy 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.
ARA Model-1912ARM "Paladin" Superheavy Armor: Thick shaped plates of armor attached to an exoskeleton with a soldier strapped inside. The plates of armor have a coating of Powdered Caelium negating part of the effects of gravity on them. As a result, the 50kg suit only weighs 15kg for the purposes of the force needed to move it. Plates can be dislodged by gunfire and "powered down" to normal weight, though improvements to the frame and cabling have reduced this occurrence drastically. A battery in the back has a life of one hour before needing to be replaced by one of two "Squires" assigned to assist the "Paladin". A green-yellow glow can be seen through small spaces in the armor. Costs 7 Ore and 4 Caelium. (NATIONAL EFFORT)
Vehicles
ARA-1912MP-T "Faithful": A reliable 4-wheeled truck with a closed cab and covered bed. Can sit eight men and equipment, though up to twelve can be crammed in if the Scythe mounted on a truss behind the cab goes unmanned. Has a top speed of 25km/h. Costs 3 Ore and 4 Oil. (EXPENSIVE)
ARA-1912MP-APC "Kingmaker": A hovering troop transport utilizing a Gavrilium Generator for power. Holds 12 men plus Driver, Passenger, and Scythe Gunner. Armor is 2-4mm thick, providing some protection. Turbine motors on the bottom of the Kingmaker are susceptible to damage, and the vehicle controls like a boat, drifting slowly to a stop unless the Caelium is powered down. This makes dismounting a choice between damaging the belly of the craft (where everything important is housed) or risking ankles. Loads slow her down, but it can reach 30km/h when empty. The Generator is protected by a K-Wool shroud. Costs 4 Ore, 3 Gavrilium, 3 Caelium, and 1 Kinetic Wool. (VERY EXPENSIVE) [complex]
Support
ARA Moddel-1912RAD "CourierMan" Radio: Cumbersome wireless communications equipment with a range of 1.5km. A step in the right direction for reliable long-range communication. Costs 6 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
Components
Gavrilium Generator: A generator that uses pressure to induce a piezoelectric response in Gavrilium rods. Can replace conventional engines in most cases where power must be provided. Negates oil cost related to powering a design, but adds a slightly reduced cost in Gavrilium.
Specialty Resources
Caelium: A green crystalline supermaterial that we currently know reacts with an electrical current to suspend itself in the air at a level related to the amount of power flowing through it. Providing current to a Caelium Powder coating will reduce weight of the metal it is attached to, while a pure crystal form of Caelium is capable of creating an object with an internal field capable of negating up to 65kg of weight when powered.
Chemical Compounds: Chemical Compounds have a variety of potential uses in combat, and so facilities must be dedicated to the production of the compounds we require.
Gavrilium: An element that can be burned to produce energy much like coal, but with greater energy output. Light pressure forces a piezoelectric response.
Abberan Royal Kinetic Sheep: Sheep whose wool is capable of dispersing kinetic energy across it's surface. Higher-grade wool is able to dissipate a larger amount of force.
Abbera: 3 Ent., 2 Ore, 2 Oil, 2 Wood, 2 Caelium // 100% Control (Radio Coverage)
Coniferous Forest: 1 Ent., 1 Ore (1/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Wooded Mountains: 0 Ent., (0/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Woodlands: 0 Ent., (0/3 Resources) // 100% Control
Ore: 3
Oil: 2
Wood: 2
Caelium: 2
Abberan Kinetic Sheep: 2
Chemical Compounds: 0
Gavrilium: 0
Poll
3 (15%)
Author
Topic: Industrialized Warfare: Abbera Thread / 1917 A.C. Cold Season (COMPLETE) (Read 78842 times)