Design Phase, Hot Season 1940 AC
Proposal: M2 LaweanoThough the original Laweano design was a failure half due to execution and half due to an unexpected property of refocyte rearing its head at an ugly moment, wide agreement among Inithari engineers was that the design was worth trying again and was necessary to the war effort, especially as the one-sided nature of the conflict’s artillery proved to be devastating on a continued basis. The rework proved to be something of a refocyte-fellowship-focused endeavor, as the original engineer’s design was taken largely wholesale and merely added minorly to. Though the project is internally referred to as the Laweano-B, in order to distinguish it from the previous failed attempt, it’s still just called the Laweano once released, since there’s not exactly a Laweano-A out on the battlefields.
The gun design is to use a 5 meter L41 barrel fitted with two parallel rails running down its length and lying on the horizontal axis and a catapult ring around them. The rails, known as the leads, are attached to a lever mechanism allowing them to be pulled further into the weapon, thus reducing the exposed lead length with the same effect as a lighter charge in a conventional artillery gun (variable muzzle velocity and thus range), as well as allowing for the leads to be replaced upon expenditure – to be recharged or recycled. The piece is breech-loaded with a lock that opens and closes the breech in a single movement of a lever. The ammunition for the gun is caseless, consisting purely of the shell, and is rammed directly into the firing chamber, where the catapults clamp it in place and are ready to engage the starting position. The firing hammer is implemented as part of the locking mechanism and is actuated by a continuous pull of a firing lever on the side of the gun assembly, at the gunner’s position.
Ramming the shell home is followed by notching the power lever by a given amount, as required by the range, with the kinetic energy varying with lead length in increments given on the side next to the lever position (leading to theoretical maximum range of 25.7 km for a 30 kg projectile at 40° going at 800 m/s, given that’s the muzzle velocity I’d personally cut it off at; assumind Cd = 0.4, h = 500 mm). Once the range setting is set, the leads are locked in place and the firing mechanism unlocked. When obtaining a firing solution, the gunman can quickly calculate the weapon’s range given the use of a manual and the marked mass of the projectile. An experienced crew should be capable of performing this process roughly 17–20 times per minute, if not more, owing to the shorter procedure and smaller weight of the shells used in comparison to conventional cannons of a similar role.
The “vee”-shaped split-trail lower carriage features an integral two-wheel axle and a four-wheel limber supporting the trails for transport (with two wheels per trail, near the end), and houses the suspension for the gun piece. The upper carriage includes the gun cradle, which connects the gun assembly to the upper carriage; gun plate, the side frames for the bearings, pintle-mounted seats for the operators, and the azimuthal and elevating gearing that make up the traversing mechanism. When not in use, the gun’s trails can be brought together and locked up so as to be moved manually by the crew or towed by a Wikiwiki transport car.
Despite the piece being capable of firing any shell that'd fit within its breech, High Command insisted shell types be listed. Production lines for 120 mm AP, HE, Smoke and Refocyte shells are to be made operational for the weapon. Given these shells are already in use with the army in multiple roles, this isn't a major innovation where the design is concerned, but needed to be mentioned.
As for the edits performed by the second member of the Refocyte-smiths’ Fellowship that requested to take on the task of adjusting the design for a second try... there are two. The first is just a simple addition of rubber in common-sense locations, like any places where refocyte and other materials or other refocyte are expected to impact. The second adjustment was a more focused instance of refocyte work; discovering that the throughput, rather than initial energy travel speed, of nickel wire for refocyte energy is dependent upon its cross-section, the nickel wire that connects the traveling portion of the Longpact mechanism to the rails was thinned to a cross-section calculated to ensure a constant flow of just enough energy to allow the plate to perform the multiple discharges that the mechanism requires without flat-out exploding. This wire is encased in a hard but thin case behind and around the traveling portion of the pact mechanism, allowing the thin wire to maintain consistent contact with the rails (and, thanks to the ring-to-rails design, hopefully not long enough to cause any serious firing delay issues).
Difficulty: Very Hard HardResult: (3+2)-1=4,
PoorThe
Laweano 120mm is a relatively heavy artillery piece meant to be transported rapidly in accordance to typical Initharian battle doctrines. Shells are pushed into the breech and secured in the catapult which is activated by the same lever used to close the breechblock to launch towards the
rubber-padded muzzle of the barrel. A ratcheting system prevents the catapult from flying in the wrong direction or launching back toward the breech at firing speeds to reduce wear and tear on the already stressed internal components. This means a manual cranking of the launching mechanism is required to reset it, eating into valuable time in a warzone. The refocyte rails within the gun can be adjusted with a hand-turned wheel to adjust the length of time, and therefore overall speed, munitions are launched with, making range adjustment with caseless artillery possible. The weapon is capable of launching munitions to a range of 18km, with shells coming in AP, HE, Refocyte, and Smoke, though the refocyte rounds are the only ones that can be clearly identified on the fly, with small colored dots on the bottoms of the others signifying what they are.
As hinted at above, the interior of the
Laweano is more complex than your typical artillery piece, and suffers for it. Parts tend to break under frequent use, and the guns require almost consistent repair and replacement. This not only hinders overall effectiveness of the weapon, but increases maintenance costs drastically.
But at least it doesn't explode after a single shot.
The
Laweano 120mm costs
7 Ore and
7 Refocyte, making it
(VERY EXPENSIVE).
Proposal: NM2 LeheThe Lehe is a vicious piece of work, totally reworked compared to the mediocre torpedoes we now wield. The Lehe is expected to function much like our sonar in that its addition to ships that can use it represents an addition of about 1 or maybe even 2 Refocyte to the final cost... but this is put to good use. Firstly, instead of a traditional engine, the Lehe uses a small supercharged coilengine to propel itself, making it both faster and quieter than the traditional torpedo, but that’s not where the power of the Lehe really lies. Instead of containing a normal warhead, the Lehe takes advantage of the lack of need for fuel space to be composed of two layers of refocyte: a charged core of higher-purity refocyte, and a much thinner layer of low-purity refocyte, covered by a steel shell to prevent it from being triggered by its travel through the water. When the torpedo hits, a cylinder of nickel fits between the two layers, causing the core to rapidly dump all of its energy into the outer, low-purity shell of refocyte... and therefore detonate catastrophically, all of that refocyte energy traveling into the water omnidirectionally. With water being an excellent medium for force, it is hoped that this creates a devastating and wide blast of force, still being extremely damaging even on a hit to a non-critical edge area of the enemy ship.
The standalone version of the Lehe sports a magnetic proximity fuze, arming on a short timer after launch and detonating on proximity with the metal of enemy ships — the idea is that with how well the refocyte force emitted by the explosion should carry, even near misses should be devastating, especially under ships.
Until such a point that a ship with torpedo tubes designed with the Lehe in mind is built (which is intended to be within the same season with this standalone design, as the standalone torpedo assumes that a Ho’oweliweli revision will follow) but not all plans come into fruition), the Lehe comes with deck-mounted torpedo launchers to be installed on craft smaller than the battleship level.
Difficulty: Very Hard Result: (6+6)-2=10,
SuperiorThe structure of the
NM2 Lehe torpedo can be separated into several parts; from the front, warhead, front float, engine compartment, rear float, tail rudders, and screw propellers. The engine is a Supercharged Coilengine as one should expect from high-quality Initharian craftsmanship, propelling the torpedo at fairly absurd speeds of up to 60 knots. But that is not where the most extreme absurdity of the
NM2 really lies.
The warhead, which takes up a large portion of the forward end of the torpedo, is made up of a two-stage refocyte mechanism with one high-purity precharged core and a thin casing of low-purity refocyte (all within the steel head of the torpedo). The low-purity casing has a series of nickel studs facing inward but not in contact with the high-purity core. The core is instead held in place by a rubber-coated steel nub. The steel nub contains a small charge that separates itself and the core from the body of the torpedo, set off either impact or a magnetic fuse, which causes the core to contact any number of the nickel studs and rapidly dump it's stored energy into the low-purity casing. The casing then tends to detonate to
frightening effect, amplified by the explosive force being within water. The blast, equivalent to 500 kilograms of high explosives, is expected to give a bad end to the day for anything that sets it off.
The
NM2 Lehe costs
4 Ore and
6 Refocyte, making it
(EXPENSIVE). As such, the
Lehe will see a fair amount of use, supplemented by our old world torpedoes until such a time that we can cheapen their production.
----------------
As we move to the next phase, I will remind you all of the lore contest at the end of this turn. You must write/draw/sing/act or otherwise create in some form something representing what happens to Kai after the results of last combat phase. Due to a reduction in budgetary restrictions you are also being given
two revisions during the revision phases of this game until I decide to take your happiness away.
IT IS NOW THE REVISION PHASE.The Rimefields: 2 Ore, 2 Oil, 2 Wood, 3 Refocyte
Taiga: Refocyte, Pact Caelium, Ore (3/3 Nodes)
The Barrens: Pact Gavrillium, Empty, Pact Caelium (2/3 Nodes)
The Deadwood: Ore, Ore, Pact Gavrillium (3/3 Nodes)
The Frosted Heights: Empty, Pact Caelium, Empty (1/3 Nodes)
Frozen Marshland: Pact Caelium, Empty, Empty (1/3 Nodes)
Tundra: Empty, Empty, Empty (0/3 Nodes)
North Peaks: Pact Gavrillium, Pact Gavrillium, EMBRAL (2/3 Nodes)
Northern Stormlands: Empty, Empty, Empty (0/3 Nodes), Heavy Pact Presence
The Iceplains: Empty, Empty, Empty (0/3 Nodes)
The Mudflats: EMBRAL, EMBRAL, Empty (0/3 Nodes)
E. Frozen Ocean: Total Control
W. Frozen Ocean: Total Control
E. Maelstrom: Significant Control, Pact Fortress In Strait
W. Maelstrom: Embralish Light Control, Pact Fortress In Strait
Ore: 5
Oil: 2
Wood: 2
Refocyte: 4
Land:
M1 'Nima': The Nima fires 8mm rounds from a 10-round box magazine. It has an effective range of 425m while being almost perfectly silent save for the sound of the refocyte firing mechanism striking and triggering the rounds. The rifle is 75cm long and weighs 3.6kg. Costs 2 Wood and 2 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
M2 'Haaheo' Heavy Rifle: A 9kg, 100cm long 8mm rifle utilizing a refocyte battery-charged refocyte plate to fire rounds (some refocyte) out to 850 meters. Functional against light armor with the use of Refocyte bullets. Cost saved on caps is currently negated by cost of high-purity plates and batteries. Costs 3 Ore, 3 Oil and 4 Refocyte. (CHEAP) (Refocyte Bullets)
-M2.1 'Haaheo-B' Rifle: A 7kg version of the Haaheo sans bipod. The rifle is balanced with the battery mounted forward of the receiver. Length of the nickel thread reduces charge time of firing plate, though not devastatingly so. Costs 2 Ore, 3 Oil, 4 Refocyte. (CHEAP) (Refocyte Bullets)
M1 'Kakala': An 8mm Light Machine Gun that utilizes a 30-round box magazine or 80-round pan magazine that feed into the top of the gun. Has an effective range of 500m and is practically silent save for the rapid clapping of metal-on-metal firing the rounds. Costs 3 Ore, 3 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
M1 'Hau Kai': A facemask and earmuffs meant to protect from Embralish chemical and psychological weaponry. Has a single large eyepiece, filter ports on the left and right, andmimially interferes with wearing a helmet. Earmuffs block out most sound, making verbal communication practically impossible, though the earmuffs can be slid off the ears. Costs 5 Wood. (EXPENSIVE)
'Laweano' 120mm: An unreliable 120mm artillery piece capable of firing smoke, Refocyte, HE, and AP shells. Requires constant maintenance, but can fire shells out to 18km. Has a variety of issues, but is usable artillery none-the-less. Costs 7 Ore and 7 Refocyte. (VERY EXPENSIVE)
Initharian Expeditionary Force Uniforms: Two uniforms designed for the environments offered by Harren. They don't stand out in comparison to other uniforms. The sloping helmets have a crested ridge running along the top of the helmet from front to back meant to easily identify what military fellowship one belonged to. Worn by all Initharian soldiers.
Wikiwiki Armored Carrier: A lightly armored, very fast, very durable civilian truck turned military transport. Can reach 130km/h in perfect conditions thanks to it's Supercharged Coilengine which has coil uptime dramatically improved with the use of the suspension to charge auxiliary batteries for it. Cab houses a driver and gunner for the pintle-mounted Kakala on the roof, while the bed has seating for eight. The bed can be covered by a cloth or hard cover. Capable of towing equipment if necessary. Costs 4 Ore and 3 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
G2 Alanui: Our first true armored combat vehicle. Uses AP and Refocyte rounds, though AP suffers from a lack of muzzle velocity from the refocyte firing mechanism and should only be counted on working in extremely close quarters. Has 50mm armor on all four sides and the turret, 20mm up top, and 15mm beneath. Can travel at speeds of 50km/h. Comes with two Kakalas for extra protection. Costs 6 Ore and 6 Refocyte. (EXPENSIVE)
Sea:
NM2 Controlled mine 'Ohu Mameo': Sea mines remotely detonated by observers in shore-based lookout towers. While no stronger than the old mines deployed by the navy, the use of indicator cables makes them very useful for identifying and eliminating submerged targets. Need Light Control minimum in a sea lane to be deployed. Costs 7 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
NM2 'Lehe' Torpedo: A refocyte-warhead torpedo of excellent make capable of traveling at an unparalleled 60 knots. The warhead detonates with an equivalent force of 500kg of HE with extremely reliable impact and magnetic triggers. Costs 4 Ore and 6 Refocyte. (EXPENSIVE) Supplemented by Old World torpedoes until Cheap.
"Armored" Civilian Craft: Seafaring craft barely better than what we can scrounge up, consist of what we can scrounge up with a few metal plates bolted on. Costs 3 Ore, 2 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
Makuahine CLC: A 50m long landing craft with 200 ton capacity, 20mm armor, a 90mm armored ramp, two 50mm guns, two Kakalas, and a top speed of 15 knots. Also has an array of smoke launchers out to 200 meters. Costs 6 Ore, 4 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
Ho'oula-Class Destroyer: The Ho'oula is a 105m long ship propelled up to 50 knots by a pair of Supercharger Coilengine-powered propellers. It is armed with 4x2 120mm guns and 4x2 50mm flak guns as well as two aft torpedo tubes and a mine track. Armor is light enough that getting hit by ship-based weaponry will likely take it out of the fight. This is mitigated in part by the Ho'oula's dominant speed and agility. While lightly armed, it also has a Refocyte Bow akin to the Kona's. Has a basic electronic and radio suite. Uses Refocyte Active Sonar. Costs 3 Ore and 4 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
Kaipo'u-Class Battleship: The Kaipo'u is 250m long and can reach speeds of 28 knots thanks to it's Supercharger Coilengines powering four propellers. It is armed with 5x1 300mm cannons and 10x2 120mm Refocyte cannons along with a handful of 50mm flak and Kakalas. 200-300mm belt armor is complemented by 300mm conning tower armor and 80mm deck armor. Has a basic electronic and radio suite. Uses Refocyte Active Sonar. Costs 6 Ore and 7 Refocyte. (VERY EXPENSIVE)
INFS Kona: A superbattleship that literally defined an era of naval combat. Has a 2x300mm conventional cannons, 16 2x180mm Refocyte Guns and some 50mm flak. Well-armored, fairly quick, and agile for it's size. Has a coverable refocyte prow. Refocyte guns use shells of varying purity based on requirements for the rounds. Uses Refocyte Active Sonar. The first Kona-type vessel. Always (NATIONAL EFFORT)
Air:
A5 'Io: The 'Io is a single-pilot elliptical-wing monoplane. It can reach speeds of 650km/h with the Supercharger Coilengine. The aircraft suffers from vibrating issues during high-stress maneuvers. It is armed with six 8mm machine guns - three on each wing. Armor is practically nonexistent past the metal used for the frame and a 10mm plate beneath the pilot in order to maximize speed. Has a basic radio. Costs 3 Ore and 4 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
Special:
Unique Resource - Refocyte: A metal that in it's base state stores energy applied through impact until a threshold is reached, where it will deliver the entirety of the stored force at the point of impact. An uncharged piece resembles silver and will become a dark green as it charges. Twisting and compressing rods into coils leaves them slowly unfurling with force relative to their gauge and the tightness of the coil. Purification to varying levels manipulates the capacity of the metal. Rubber negates the charge/discharge effects of impact. Nickel transfers charge between pieces. Refocyte expending charge will absorb energy from connected nickel/refocyte while charging said refocyte will transfer energy into the nickel/refocyte. Explodes when excessive force past the piece's threshold is applied.
Supercharger Coilengines: Engines that utilize coils of refocyte to produce mechanical energy. A battery utilizing a rubber casing and nickel transfer plate can increase a coil's uptime before needing re-coiling while also increasing energy output for a limited time.
Refocyte Bullets: High-purity steel jacketed Refocyte bullets capable of punching holes in light armor and causing spalling. Always considered available for any weapons with the tag (Refocyte Bullets) at one Expense Level higher than the weapon itself.
Refocyte Active Sonar: A slightly modernized active sonar system utilizing a refocyte plate kicking against steel and picked up by hull-mounted hydrophones. The ping echo allows the sonar operator detection ability out to 5km. Adds a cost of 1 Refocyte to naval designs it is utilized in.
Traits:
A Sea of Colors: The Initharians have communicated through atypical means for millenia. This manifests as a keen ability to learn and utilize nonverbal communications on the battlefield as well as provide a number of difficult codes to crack when communicating verbally. This provides a small bonus to troop organization as well as a bonus to communication and communications equipment-related designs.
Acknowledged Marine Fellowship: The importance of trained and equipped Marines in this war is clear. As a result, a new Marine Fellowship is identified and will receive the proper support and resources befitting an official fellowship. Any designs or revisions used to create equipment for amphibious landings and the Marine forces performing them will be one difficulty lower.
Bringing Up The Rear: Our distinct lack of support on the ground for our forward forces could prove to be our downfall. As a result, manpower and resources have been dedicated to producing equipment capable of providing aid to our front from the (relative) safety of the rear. Indirect fire weaponry, transport vehicles, and various auxiliary equipment that will have a direct effect on combat will have their effective difficulty reduced by one level.
Samarata 1902: 7mm bolt-action rifle, 5-round box magazine, effective out to 1000m. (CHEAP)
Mk.III Musakila Machine Gun: 8.5mm automatic machine gun utilizing 20- or 40-round box magazines. Rate of fire is sacrificed for effective range of 1200m. (CHEAP)
Niramata Mk.II Heavy Mortar: 105mm mortar utilizing HE, Smoke, and LIE Shells. Rifled barrel gives solid accuracy out to it's max range of 4km. (CHEAP) (LIE Shells[C])
Havezara-108 Mk.IV: 108-mm artillery piece on a split-tail carriage with a barrel that can be pulled back to reduce profile. Currently fires HE rounds out to 16km. Has a gun shield for some protection. (CHEAP)
Sikari Mask Mk.III: Gas mask/wellwood flute that resembles a bird's face. Evokes a stronger emotional response than the old flute. (CHEAP)
Legion Issued Explosives: Satchel of 8 dirty pipe bombs that rarely work and when they do are often suboptimal. Blasting cap sets off a volatile compound that also causes severe damage to mucus membranes. Seem unreliable at best. (CHEAP)
-Legion Issues Explosives Set: A satchel of 8 pipe bombs (3HE, 3Frag, 2Chem) compatible with a variety of triggers including a pull-pin, pressure plate, timer, and electrical wire. Loses grenade functionality but greatly increases reliability. (EXPENSIVE)
Strings of Motion: Specially-made string instruments using a variety of Well-based materials to produce an effect of mildly quickening the body. Military use sees armies covering a bit more ground than one would expect. (EXPENSIVE)
Legionary "Terra Nova Expedition" Uniform: A tough uniform that comes in one of three colors with hot and cold weather variants. Basic kit includes a machete, gas mask, excellent boots, and smooth shades. Helmet is shaped like a rimmed dome. Worn by all Embrallish soldiers.
Rogi Hunter-Killer Vehicle: Open-topped 4 crew vehicle armed with 50mm cannon and pintle-mounted machine gun. Hits speeds around 45km/h. 30mm front armor, 20mm of armor everywhere else. (CHEAP)
Submersible Engineered Aquatic Litter Diver Propulsion Vehicle and Rebreather: Essentially a torpedo with a seat that moves at a cool 3 knots. Provides slow but relatively reliable transport for individuals underwater. The rebreather system functions, as do the controls. Not too impressive, but works nonetheless. (EXPENSIVE)
Mamkirali Naval Lander: A large tracked amphibious transport capable of transporting 22 soldiers. Forward cabin has a cupola to provide Commander with 180 degree FoV and protected by 20mm armor. Cargo compartment is protected by 10mm armor and is left uncovered due to fumes from the engines venting into it. The pipes also transport Wellquartz noise from a mechanism installed in the engine, boosting mood of troops within. Has two rear-mounted Musakilas. (CHEAP)
Hetham-Class Submarine: 77m long, capable of 12 knots surfaced, 6 submerged. Armed with 4 bow and 2 stern torpedo tubes and can carry 20 torpedoes. Comes with a single 80mm deck gun. Utilizes WellSonar for improved detection abilities. The engine room has a WellSap coating to dampen noise. (CHEAP)
Silada-Class Destroyer: 115m long ship, 120mm belt armor and 100mm elsewhere. Travels at 38 knots. Armed with a quintuple torpedo mount, 3x2 120mm rapid firing dual purpose guns capable of firing AP, APHE, and Flak shells. Utilizes WellSonar and has basic communications equipment. Space between armor and hull is filled with WellMoss to provide some quick patching over wounds in combat. (CHEAP)
Mukebaza-Class Heavy Cruiser: 186m long ship utilizing 4 propellers powered by 4 steam turbines with a 30-knot speed. Armed with 3x3 200mm guns, 4x2 120mm guns, and 10x2 20mm AA guns. Armor consists of 80-150mm at the belt, 80mm at the deck, and 100mm on the conning tower. Utilizes WellSonar for improved detection abilities. (CHEAP)
The Leviathan: Submersible Flagship. Massive, armed with 32 torpedoes and four 25mm autocannons. Can stay asea for nearly a year. Cramped, but well-stocked. Uses a variety of wellmaterials to improve it's sonar systems while making itself practically invisible to them. Survivability is improved due to a pair of internal hulls running the length of the ship as well as three more specialized internal hulls. Always a (NATIONAL EFFORT).
Unique Resource - Wells: Wells are strange, relatively poorly understood subterranean environs housing any number of forms of cave-adapted life whose parts can be used to manipulate the world through sound. Their use is widespread throughout the Embralish Empire.
-Wellquartz: A material that seems to emit a frequency of noise that causes euphoria when rubbed against.
Wellmoss: A dense plant material that grows in large part through sound, but cannot be sustained for long when not submerged in water.
LIE Shells: Shells used for indirect fire that disperse a highly lethal chemical cloud. Available at one Expense Level above LIE on any weapon tagged (LIE Shells), with current shell cost in brackets for easy reference.
Trait - Well Of Knowledge: The Embralish Empire is always very well informed on their opponents. While the means is not always know, it is almost always spot-on. It seems we will have to interrogate an Embralian if we are to find out exactly what this means. (READ: prod them on discord to let you know, don't try to capture one in-game)
Trait - Sea Wolves: Their submersible fleet has proven itself to be lethal and fearsome. It seems we will have to interrogate an Embralian if we are to find out exactly what this means. (READ: prod them on discord to let you know, don't try to capture one in-game)
Trait - Old World Blues: The Initharians are keen on using Abberan successes to their advantage. It seems we will have to interrogate an Embralian if we are to find out exactly what this means. (READ: prod them on discord to let you know, don't try to capture one in-game)
Author
Topic: Mechanized Warfare: Inithar Thread / Final Phase, 1941 Cold Season (Read 38326 times)