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[Madman198237]

Main Base
United States (2): Chiefwaffles, Blood_Librarian
China (1): FallacyofUrist

Subsidiary Bases (2x)
China (1): Chiefwaffles
Germany (2): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist ( Blood_Librarian)
United States (1): FallacyofUrist

Designs (2x)
CRT-1 "Carver" Laser Cutter (0):
APW-1 "Guardian" Portable Turret (3): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Madman
TBI-1 "Cybermap" Tactical Interface Headset (1): FallacyofUrist
EYALD MW Goggles (1) : Blood Librarian
Commando Training Program (1): Chiefwaffles
The Killing House Mk.2 (1): Madman
Promotional Training (0):
Nanotech Based Medikit (0):
Combat Medikit (1): Chiefwaffles

So, a rough game plan: Do the turret and the training, thus getting target ID and augmented reality experience. Revise ourselves a civilian quadcopter drone or something of similar size to have recon capabilities (and maybe the turret's target ID algorithm) and be man-portable so our infantry can deploy it. Next turn, we lean into that to produce a HUD capable of doing the same thing and displaying all that information in an augmented reality visor capable of showing friendly and enemy *outlines*, not merely dots, as well as every other bit of information and interactivity a soldier could need, including the ability to direct those .50 turrets to fire at things that the turret can't see, like aliens behind walls.

[10ebbor10]

Also Ebbor, thoughts on a native squad experience system? Like a squad as a whole would gain experience from being deployed if they survive, and/or specialists gain experience from deployments they survive and can be attached to different squads retaining their experience. Just a thought that it would make a fun mechanic (and while proposed, the idea of designing some kind of experience system ourselves feels clunky, weird, and unnecessary).

I'm wary of any kind experience mechanisms, because they're annoying to track.

[Chiefwaffles]

stuff

I'm wary of any kind experience mechanisms, because they're annoying to track.

Ah, fair. I'm assuming/hoping that we'll get infantry training tokens as basically a replacement for an experience system but ultimately I'll be fine with whatever. You are the GM, and I'll still enjoy the game after all.
Sorry for another question but Ebbor we're getting two revisions, right? You mention two revisions in the core thread but say the aliens get another and I'm not sure whether this means we get 1 and they get 2 or we get 2 and they get 3.


Anyways, vote time.

Main Base
United States (2): Chiefwaffles, Blood_Librarian
China (1): FallacyofUrist

Subsidiary Bases (2x)
China (1): Chiefwaffles
Germany (2): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist ( Blood_Librarian)
United States (1): FallacyofUrist

Designs (2x)
CRT-1 "Carver" Laser Cutter (0):
APW-1 "Guardian" Portable Turret (3): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Madman
TBI-1 "Cybermap" Tactical Interface Headset (1): FallacyofUrist
EYALD MW Goggles (1) : Blood Librarian
Commando Training Program (0):
The Killing House Mk.2 (2): Madman, Chiefwaffles
Promotional Training (0):
Nanotech Based Medikit (0):
Combat Medikit (0):

I think we should put our main base in Germany, really, and a subsidiary in Mexico. A Mexico base still gets good coverage and should reasonably be able to go into Canada, and will give us decent (not perfect, but decent) coverage of South America. A main base in Germany just makes more sense as it's more central to most of the globe and Europe has more nations in it. Also maybe a bit of Africa coverage if Ebbor is feeling generous.
Though Ebbor, is there any difference between the nations other than geography? Like will we be hurt more if we lose the U.S. over a small country?

[10ebbor10]

Sorry for another question but Ebbor we're getting two revisions, right? You mention two revisions in the core thread but say the aliens get another and I'm not sure whether this means we get 1 and they get 2 or we get 2 and they get 3.

You 2, they 3.

Though Ebbor, is there any difference between the nations other than geography? Like will we be hurt more if we lose the U.S. over a small country?

Mechanically there's no difference. Narratively maybe, but I don't want to center the game on the western world. We have an entire worldmsp, let's use it.

[Madman198237]

Main Base
United States (3): Chiefwaffles, Blood_Librarian, Madman
China (1): FallacyofUrist

Subsidiary Bases (2x)
China (2): Chiefwaffles, Madman
Germany (4): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Blood_Librarian, Madman
United States (1): FallacyofUrist

Designs (2x)
CRT-1 "Carver" Laser Cutter (0):
APW-1 "Guardian" Portable Turret (3): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Madman
TBI-1 "Cybermap" Tactical Interface Headset (1): FallacyofUrist
EYALD MW Goggles (1) : Blood Librarian
Commando Training Program (0):
The Killing House Mk.2 (2): Madman, Chiefwaffles
Promotional Training (0):
Nanotech Based Medikit (0):
Combat Medikit (0):

EDIT: Ebbor, does the main base provide the same response speed boost as the Skyranger bases do?

[Happerry]

Also thank god, we can specialize/train people without doing entire squadrons this time around.

Pretty sure you could do it last time too.

Yah, it's not 10ebbor10's fault no one would actually vote for an advanced unit class, hell, I floated one back in round one of the original go and everyone (mainly madman) said 'no, specialized troop classes are not realistic and a stupid idea' at it.

Not to hot on an action that reads to me as 'notsoft again' but well, we'll see how it goes I guess. Still going to vote for the medkit instead for this round. And I'd personally prefer to not have our main base in the USA because that's a natural place to put it, and so the aliens are likely to look there first before Canada or Mexico or suchlike.

Main Base
United States (3): Chiefwaffles, Blood_Librarian, Madman
China (1): FallacyofUrist
Mexico (1): Happerry

Subsidiary Bases (2x)
China (3): Chiefwaffles, Madman, Happerry
Germany (4): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Blood_Librarian, Madman
United States (1): FallacyofUrist,
Egypt (1): Happerry

Designs (2x)
CRT-1 "Carver" Laser Cutter (0):
APW-1 "Guardian" Portable Turret (4): Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Madman, Happerry
TBI-1 "Cybermap" Tactical Interface Headset (1): FallacyofUrist
EYALD MW Goggles (1) : Blood Librarian
Commando Training Program (0):
The Killing House Mk.2 (2): Madman, Chiefwaffles
Promotional Training (0):
Nanotech Based Medikit (0):
Combat Medikit (1): Happerry

[Madman198237]

\Yah, it's not 10ebbor10's fault no one would actually vote for an advanced unit class, hell, I floated one back in round one of the original go and everyone (mainly madman) said 'no, specialized troop classes are not realistic and a stupid idea' at it.

Not to hot on an action that reads to me as 'notsoft again' but well, we'll see how it goes I guess. Still going to vote for the medkit instead for this round. And I'd personally prefer to not have our main base in the USA because that's a natural place to put it, and so the aliens are likely to look there first before Canada or Mexico or suchlike.

In my defense, they are. In real life, anyway.

As for doing NOTSOFT again...well, Killing House Mk 2 is not NOTSOFT, and since we still have the dumbest "training" program on the face of the planet, the same improvement is necessary. Also, we have too many UPs and not enough VPs for enough Skyrangers to carry them, so getting a much more capable unit, even if more expensive, is definitely a good thing.

Putting the base in the USA won't make it easier to find. For starters, the USA is bigger than most people realize, and the enemy must find the two Skyranger bases first anyway.

[Happerry]

As for doing NOTSOFT again...well, Killing House Mk 2 is not NOTSOFT, and since we still have the dumbest "training" program on the face of the planet, the same improvement is necessary. Also, we have too many UPs and not enough VPs for enough Skyrangers to carry them, so getting a much more capable unit, even if more expensive, is definitely a good thing.

Eh, fair enough, but I'd prefer to do another class type, like a sniper or a rocket trooper, over better base training.

Putting the base in the USA won't make it easier to find. For starters, the USA is bigger than most people realize, and the enemy must find the two Skyranger bases first anyway.

I mean in real life sure, but I'm 99% sure it's just a region the same as any other region from what the GM saying about loosing the USA not hurting more or less then loosing J Random Small Country, so the 'harder to find' bonus is the 'the enemy is less likely to search Mexico for our main base then they are the USA, probably'. Unless we start using our base defense grid to shoot down UFOs we can't hit with fighter planes again at least.

[Madman198237]

I would be surprised if they can specifically *search* any particular country for our base. That would require them to have a freedom of operation that they cannot have because of the setting.

First we get the best troops possible, THEN we worry about making a handful of them really great. Snipers, rocket troops, CQC guys, whatever, all of them have a special role to play but better to not have glaring weak spots in a squad (looking at our ridiculous Rookies) than to have a few absurdly good units in a squad.

[Happerry]

I would be surprised if they can specifically *search* any particular country for our base. That would require them to have a freedom of operation that they cannot have because of the setting.

First we get the best troops possible, THEN we worry about making a handful of them really great. Snipers, rocket troops, CQC guys, whatever, all of them have a special role to play but better to not have glaring weak spots in a squad (looking at our ridiculous Rookies) than to have a few absurdly good units in a squad.

We've never even seen how our rookies do in battle, what makes them ridiculous? I think you're going down the same line of thought as last game regarding unit classes honestly, but you already have momentum on your side so I doubt I'll be able to get other people to get off that train.

As for country searching, I'm assuming they have the same 'world map' as we do, and from there, assuming they don't start out with an alien version of our investigate mission (well, a version that investigates instead of making alien cults, if we start with a way to check for infiltration they probably have a way to infiltrate after all, it's a simple design action of 'Make a mission to search a region for XCOM' the way UFOs have a chance to find XCOM bases in old xcom to start poking around for our bases. Assuming they don't have a chance to find our bases by infiltrating the region and having their spies report seeing skyrangers take off.

[Madman198237]

Well, the "training" program described for the Rookies does not fill me with confidence...and we already know we can do plenty better just by making a general design first. Improve the baseline, THEN specialize.

Ethereal:
- Abduction : A basic mission that focuses on acquiring genetic material by abducting humans   
- Raid : A basic mission that focuses on spreading fear by engaging in rampant destruction   
- Infiltration  : A basic mission that tries to subtly contact sympathetic elements on Earth   

XCOM:
- Interception: A basic mission to destroy incoming UFO's.
- Down and Capture : A basic mission to force UFO's to land and then capture their valuable materials
- Investigation : A basic investigation mission, that tries to find Ethereal symphatizants.

Yeah nope, they can't just search countries for our base like that.

[Happerry]

Well, the "training" program described for the Rookies does not fill me with confidence...and we already know we can do plenty better just by making a general design first. Improve the baseline, THEN specialize.

Yeah nope, they can't just search countries for our base like that.

Oh huh the alien missions are in the core thread? Didn't see that. Still doesn't counter the 'if they put cults into our nations they might find out about our bases there' point specially now that we know for sure they can do Infiltration missions, and it also doesn't counter the 'they could design an alien retaliation style mission fairly simply' point though? Because 'send ufos out to find an xcom base so we can smash it' is literally a canonical mission type in oldcom.

And I still feel we should see how Rookies preform before calling them useless, but eh, at the very least as long as we don't torture half of our recruits to death this time, like Notsoft, better base quality isn't likely to be a wasted action even if I'd prefer a rocket trooper or sniper or combat medic.

[Madman198237]

Can we design new missions? I didn't think it was possible but, again, I *may* have skimmed the core thread, sorry.

[Happerry]

Here's the relevant copy paste.

The primary things you'll be designed are infantry equipment, mission profiles, base infrastructure, aliens (for the ethereals), training programs (for XCOM), UFO's (aliens) and interceptors (humans).

So yah, mission profiles are allowed.

[Madman198237]

Fair enough.

Not a fan of burning a design action on telling our idiots how to run their blasted military campaign, but whatever.