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[Man of Paper]

Tric, you don't seem to understand what I've been saying at all. If we ignore everything about the carriage and roll back to the hammer the issue I kept pointing out was the fact that you completely encased a rod of refocyte in the handle with nowhere to exert force but against the handle itself. Whenever you've argued something you focus on a singular point and ignore the implications across the whole spectrum of the discussion. Let's not actually ignore the carriage actually, as it has a few lessons for you to learn from.

You can design things and integrate new interactions with them. You can try it in a revision with an obvious bump in difficulty. What you probably shouldn't do is propose something brand new that uses a brand new component well out of the time period (the gearbox would probably require some level of machining tools), as well as adding multiple interactions - the rotational force and the transference of energy between two pieces of refocyte being the most clear ones.

Your latest proposal also shows a distinct lack of research into physics and the proper terms - energy that is stored is not kinetic. Energy that is stored is potential energy. It also deals in physical energy, not electrical, an important distinction.

Oh, I see some more conversation has occurred. No tric, your assumption about the hammer head is outright wrong, and you'd understand that if you actually read how it works - it unleashes the energy in the direction of the overloading impact. The thing cannot act as a shock absorber because at some point that energy will need to be released (I've already stated this), and with a vibration going through the core thanks to being completely enclosed in the handle, it's just explode in someone's hands. You use the word "simple" a lot when you really shouldn't.

[TricMagic]

That distinction of Physical Energy has me worried.

?

Would another term for it be Mechanical Energy? As in it only works with kinetic and potential energy, and it's sum, I guess?

If so, it requires another special resource to step out of that.


Calium is Gravitational Energy. So what does Gavrillium fall under, simply Energy?

Gavrillium, heat is produced by it's use, and it produces electrical energy. But once drained, it turns to cold. So Thermal/Electrical? Or is it a further mix.

[Doomblade187]

Yes, Refocyte deals with mechanical energy.

[Wozzy]

Refocyte Passive Engine (0):
Refocyte Shortbow (0):
Nimashield ():
Refocyte Shortsword (1): Taricus
Refocyte Spear (4): Twinwolf, Powder Miner, m1895, Wozzy
Alloyed Refocyte (1): TricMagic
Refocyte Canal Blasting (2): Rockeater, Doomblade

[Man of Paper]

Initharian Defining Tech: Bronze Age Revision

Proposal: Refocyte Spear

While history remembers the Initharian's battle against the Median Empire as the age of the Refocyte Longbow, another weapon came into being after the end of the battle. On the islands, there was little need for spearmen in the Initharian army - after all, most battles would be of a naval nature. But the initial gains of the Median Empire were in part because of the lack of properly equipped infantry, and this would only become more important as the nation expanded onto the mainland. So the Initharian's took another look at their past, and the tactics of their enemies - the result being the Refocyte spear. Using this weapon, Initharian infantry made use of a unique version of the spear wall - their infantry formations were a few ranks deep. The front ranks fought for a little bit, expending the charge of their weapon, before rotating to the back and letting the second rank come to the front while the enemy reeled. Those in the back used the rest time to charge their spears, such that they were ready to strike again when they returned to the front ranks. This resulted in formations that inexorably grinded their enemy to dust, while expending minimal energy in return.

-"Initharian Conquest", chapter 2, Dr. Richard Favre

The return of the Refocyte Arrows was very successful. After the war, Initharian craftsmen looked into the past to see what more could be gained - and as it turned out, alongside bows, hunting spears tipped with Refocyte had been used in the past and discarded after they left animal carcasses in too poor a shape to be eaten. However, there is no need to preserve the bodies of our enemies - as such, the time has come for the Refocyte-headed spear to make a return.

The body of the spear is a strong wooden pole of about 6 feet in length, and the spearhead is about a foot long and made of Refocyte. The head is wrapped in "charged" before combat, with the metal turning from silver to a dark green color as it absorbs kinetic energy, and then carefully wrapped in cloth to avoid accidental discharge; when it makes contact, the spear will discharge it's force into the enemy, ideally crippling or killing them while leaving the spearhead intact. These spears allow Initharian forces to maintain a barrier between the longbowmen and whatever forces survived the initial bombardments.

Difficulty: Very Easy
Result: (5+2)+2=9, Above Average

While quite different than a fishing spear, our people still showed promise with a spear made for combat. When introduced onto the Big Island for the first time, these "Boom Sticks" were pairly devastating - if the spear didn't impale it's target outright there was still a chance of a charged spear sending a powerful blast through their target. While the spears could take a while to recharge, they proved particularly effective when things for the Initharian Empire went south.

As time passed the Initharian control of coastal cities and key trade ports led to a massive influx of wealth. The prosperity made them a target. Fortunately for the Initharians the lands they controlled were fairly open, and the combination of spears capable of bursting holes in armor and bows raining thunderous death led to the ruination of many an invading army. During this period however it was widely noted that a dark green spear of arrow meant danger, and they would be avoided or focused on. This was still obviously a difficult task when everything being thrown at you happens to be various shades of silver to green.

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

The Age of War

The Initharians hold onto their wealth for millennia, and while land never changes hands, many battles are fought. As battlefield technology and evolution occurr one thing remains constant: The Initharian ability to hold their ground. Unfortunately they never find a persistent peace. The nations of the Big Island are always at war, and thanks to stake in the Big Island themselves, that means Inithar is too. Those who seek to take from Inithar learn to regret it, but eventually their number of enemies grows past the point of being able to hold them back any longer. The Age of War, the Initharian Golden Age, comes to a sudden end in 1911 A.C., when a coalition of enemy forces strikes at Inithar.

You get two design prompts this turn:

What is the one most defining advancement of your nation undertook during this extensive period?

What is you best piece of pre-World War 1 Era equipment?

Include as much fluff as you can, this is a significant portion of time to allow you to make whatever type of nation you actually want.

IT IS NOW THE DESIGN PHASE.

Spoiler: Preliminary Proposals (click to show/hide)

Voyaging Canoe: A single-outrigger canoe with a sail. Constructed of stone-carved wood and 8-10m long. Stable, sturdy, seaworthy, and reliable. This stands out not just in Inithar history, but in the history of the world.

Refocyte Longbow: A bow as tall as a man with great range known for it's pairing with Refocyte Arrows. The arrows use Refocyte heads capable of transferring the stored energy within through the tip and into the target to devastating effect.

Refocyte Spear: A spear with a Refocyte tip capable of causing debilitating blasts on top of the normal ability of a spear to stab.

Tales of Color: A highly complex system of identification and communication relying solely on colors and patterns. It is nearly impenetrable for outsiders even by today's standards.

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.

[Wozzy]

Refocyte Electric Power Generator
[Insert story about how someone was working on a new method of holding refocyte with a magnet while priming it, being confused why it wasn't getting primed, and then being sent flying back from electric shock when they touched the magnet]
--------------------
Electricity wasn't that foreign of a concept by the end of the 19th century, but with the discovery of how refocyte can be used to provide it caused a massive breakthrough. More importantly, it was much more efficient, generating 1.5x the amount of power conventional methods could provide. While refocyte used this way eventually lost its ability to absorb kinetic energy entirely, a fist sized chunk could still survive a year of continous beating. The first power plant to take advantage of this was a dam along a major river. The water powered turbines apply kinetic force to chunks of refocyte, and magnets attached to it pull the electrical charge. At max efficiency, this single powerplant is estimated to generate a whopping 13,000MWh per day.

[flabort]

Gravity Assisted Generators
Refocyte discharging large quantities of energy when struck meant that if someone made a wide enough plate of it, and dropped a heavy weight on it, the weight would be sent flying upwards almost as high as it had been dropped from. This didn't seem useful except as a novelty desk toy until electromagnetism had been discovered, upon which someone realized that if the weight were magnetic and passed through electrical coils on it's way up and down a very long, well lubricated shaft, the electricity produced would be in excess of the energy put into it to haul the weight to the top of the shaft to start or restart the generator. Eventually the magnetic drag and slow drop-off of energy being delivered into the magnet each time it struck the plate would mean the weight would stop oscillating up and down, so each generator in a power plant included a pulley system which would let two men winch the weight upwards to the top, then release to set it back into action. A single ship or facility might hold several generators, with a round the clock staff of two or more to winch up a generator when it ran low.

Skin of War
As discoveries were made in metal refining and naval technology, Initharians became masters of truly large ships; the Tales of Color still persist, but tell tales of whole clans instead of single families. Their ships designed for war use alloys to put the Tales right into their ship's skin. Complex composites and layerings, with Refocyte-steel and ceramics and a few othe compounds incorporating metal compounds like nickle, copper, mercury, aluminium, and silver to achieve different colors in the metals. The most important part is the Refocyte-steel underneath the colored alloys, which forms a nearly impenetrable but lightweight hull. Attacks by enemy ships will have their kinetic energy stolen, the projectiles smashing uselessly on the Skin of War armor, while a few projectiles will find all that energy returned to them at once, flinging them back at the enemy many magnatudes of energy higher.

The colored alloys prevent the ocean waves from activating it.

[TricMagic]

The first sounds doable. The second, I have questions. What happens when the energy reaches max charge? What's to prevent the ship shuddering apart?

[Jerick]

Hydro refocyte charging stations
The train yard was busy, but there was a practised flow to the activity. Everyone participating in the bustle knew their place and their role. Like it was a choreographed dance they loaded and unloaded cargo. The trains themselves were colourful, their story and history painted on to the side of the engines.

Panora Rangi loaded another refocyte energy cell on to the train car. The cells in their containment boxes were stacked to the ceiling. Entire train cars backed to the brim full of them. The trains cars near the end of the train were still being unloaded as the ones near the front were being rapidly filled. To the untrained observer, the goods being unloaded were exactly the same as the goods being loaded. Both were refocyte energy cells. The difference was the unloaded cells were outside of containment boxes and were depleted.

Another pallet of boxes was rolled up to him. The pallet, the cranes even the train itself were powered by refocyte. Mechanical energy on demand. He moved to the next car and started stacking boxes. How much energy would be on this train when they were finished loading? It was an unthinkable amount. All of it would be shipped to the factories where it would power the large scale manufacturing machines they housed. Cars, trucks and transports couldn't get enough of it. There was a hunger for refocyte power.

In all the nations the industrial revolution had taken hold in only in Inithar did the air remain clean. Only in Inithar did they eschew coal in favour of refocyte power. Its potential was limitless. Mining machines had been built using it to be able to mine refocyte more effectively. Panora Rangi couldn't help but wonder how many other jobs would be replaced by refocyte powered machines. Given the simple and predictable size of the boxes, designing wouldn't be hard. In fact, he had several ideas on that front. He probably should sketch them out sometime.


The discovery of a brass-refocyte alloy that didn't release all of its stored energy at once drastically changed the way the Inithar handled industry. The alloy releases its energy proportional to the triggering impact. Larger triggering impacts release more energy. The brass refocyte alloy won't store more energy until the energy it contains is completely depleted. Once it's depleted it won't release any energy until is charged up again.

When it first appeared it was used in siege engines employed by the Inithar to defend themselves. These siege engines took forms such as repeater ballistae and other devices that appeared on Inithar walls and ships. Each siege weapon would use the expelled force to cock the trigger impactor allowing repeated and constant use until the alloy ran out of stored power. Rapid-fire bolt-throwers firing refocyte tipped bolts persuaded most of Inithar's invaders to retreat.

Inithar had become a powerful trading nation following the conquest of the Medians. Many of their cities had grown to be influential trading ports. But despite this they zealously guarded refocyte, preventing its acquisition by outsiders. It was the source of their power. They could not afford their jealous enemies getting a hold of it.

But the world did not stay so primitive, nor did warfare. The Inithar were the first to begin the industrial revolution. It was kickstarted by what could be well the most important advancement of the era; large scale refocyte and refocyte alloy charging. The issue with refocyte in general is that it must be charged up with energy in order to be useful. You can charge it through passive means but that is typically slow. Or you can charge it directly but that often takes some time. By centralising refocyte charging and preforming it on a large scale many applications of refocyte that were previously impractical become possible.

One of the first applications of charged alloy was the two-stroke impactor engine. This was where two refocyte energy cells, made from refocyte and brass alloy, were held in parallel. The release from one would provide the force the impactor would use to strike the other one. The driver of the engine could select how much force they wanted to bleed from the impactor. Bleeding lots of force would slow the engine, bleeding less force would accelerate it.

Once the Inithar had convenient motion on tap things changed rapidly. It was the beginning of the industrial revolution. An age of innovation. Time-consuming tasks were automated. Cotton mills were built powered by refocyte and industry bloomed. It created a feedback loop refocyte engines and machines made extracting refocyte and building refocyte machines easier.

But the other nations without refocyte did not stand idle. They knew that if they did not keep up they would be left behind. However, they were unable to copy refocyte machinery without access to the material itself. They instead came up with their own innovative ideas to approximate the effects. They used coal to heat water into steam and then used the force that produced to make many machines similar to what the Inithar used. Guns and cannons were invented to counter the Inithar refocyte weaponry. Alliances were formed and in time a brutal war would ravage the continent.

The invention that sparked the Inithar industrial revolution comes in several parts first is the refocyte energy cell. A refocyte energy cell is a hexagonal rod made of a refocyte brass alloy (brass 20%, refocyte 80%, approx). These rods are hexagonal because in the early days measuring straight surfaces was easier than round surfaces. Since the rod needs to fit snuggly into any plug it's inserted to prevent unintentional discharge the size of the rod and hole needed to be exact. Early on this was easier with hexagonal rods but afterwards, it became the standard.

The second is the containment box. It is a box built to hold the energy cells in transit. The cells are held suspended in the centre of the box by wires. The wires have some give allowing the rod to move a little inside without hitting the walls of the box. This prevents the energy cell from discharging energy while in transit. Energy cells in transport back to a charging facility are not kept in containment boxes so they can absorb as much of the force imparted to them as possible.

The third and final part is the dam charging stations themselves. These imposing structures block rivers allowing an artificial lake to form. The first of these were built of wood but more modern variants use concrete. Stations at the top of the dams control the flow of water down through it. This water flows through blocks of hexagonal refocyte energy cells, the cells are perpendicular to the falling water. Surface area is maximised while space between them is minimised. Being hexagonal they can fit together in a tight and efficient pattern. Water with the weight of an artificial lake pushing on it pours through the spaces between the rods, imparting force to each one. The top of each rod protrudes from the water chamber allowing workers to see it and how charged it is. Rods can be removed individually. A spring-loaded cover shuts behind the rod as it is removed. This means rods can be removed and replaced mechanically without shutting down the flow of water. Once a charged rod is pulled out it is placed in a containment box and sent for transport.

This results in energy that can be stored up and transported easily. To say it was revolutionary would be an understatement. Analogue devices appeared everywhere. While other nations were covering themselves in smoke and soot Inithar was clean, bright and breathable. It was the spark that lit the fire of a new era.

(as a note the impactor engine is fluff and not really part of the design I just included it as an example of how refocyte energy cells would be used)

[TricMagic]

Defining Advancement
Hydro refocyte charging stations (1): TricMagic


Pre-World War 1 Era Equipment

Putting this here.

[Wozzy]

Defining Advancement
Hydro refocyte charging stations (1): TricMagic
Gravity Assisted Generators (1): Wozzy

Pre-World War 1 Era Equipment
Skin of War (1): Wozzy

I love it, and it doesn't use that stupid made up mechanic involving magnets.

[flabort]

The first sounds doable. The second, I have questions. What happens when the energy reaches max charge? What's to prevent the ship shuddering apart?

Well, doesn't the energy get directed out at the point of impact? Thus back into the projectile that tipped it over max charge?

Basically turning every 20th (or 200th or whatever number) or so block into a critical strike back at the enemy.

This material seems very straightforward in it's application as armor. Kinetic energy goes in, charge goes to maximum, kinetic energy goes back at enemy. This could apply to it's use as vehicle armor, but also to body armor or barricades.

That being said, if anyone wants to come up with their own PreWW1 Equipment, I encourage them to do so. This is after all a form of suggestion game.

Defining Advancement
Hydro refocyte charging stations (1): TricMagic
Gravity Assisted Generators (2): Wozzy, Flabort

Pre-World War 1 Era Equipment
Skin of War (2): Wozzy, Flabort

Adding my vote to my own stuff for now, at least until there are other options I like.
 
And I don't like the idea of magnets taking charge out of the Refocyte as electricity either. The hydro ones are cool with the way it charges up, but requires damming a river, or other similar massive infrastructure undertaking; also, it's still using the kinetic energy as it's sole charge. I like mine because it can work aboard ships, and transforms the kinetic energy into electricity using only a little man power to set it to work.

The advantage of using actual electricity for power instead of cells holding onto impact energy would be that the technology recovered or stolen from other nations would be much more likely to be adapted to ours; and since we are going to be fighting over an old battlefield and eventually recovering relics and resources used in that previous war, I'd say that being able to adapt theirs to ours and vice versa will be important.

[TricMagic]

Such a design can easily be made later though. It's not that difficult. The Cells meanwhile, are a new interaction which can release their mechanical power over time, meaning it's an interaction that can be used.

The Lin Plane

Made by those working with the Refocyte Cells, most notably Arin Lin, the Lin Plane made use of these cells to power a propeller, which when combined with the two wings, brought about the first instance of flight. It makes use of an engine section that has the Refocyte Cells inserted around it to power the three-blade propeller with amazing RPM. This moves the plane forward, allowing lift.

From there, the military version made use of a simple machine gun, and perhaps most importantly, Refocyte-tipped Shafts which could be fired from above to deal amazing damage to structures. The amount of Mechanical Energy stored in the Refocyte Cells, meanwhile, allowed for a fairly amazing distance and speed, far outclassing any planes that would be invented for quite some time.


I have forgotten our naming conventions. Mostly cause I don't quite remember...

Anyway... Planes are doable, since we aren't using gas to power it. I assume anyway.

[Jerick]

And I don't like the idea of magnets taking charge out of the Refocyte as electricity either. The hydro ones are cool with the way it charges up, but requires damming a river, or other similar massive infrastructure undertaking; also, it's still using the kinetic energy as it's sole charge. I like mine because it can work aboard ships, and transforms the kinetic energy into electricity using only a little man power to set it to work.

The advantage of using actual electricity for power instead of cells holding onto impact energy would be that the technology recovered or stolen from other nations would be much more likely to be adapted to ours; and since we are going to be fighting over an old battlefield and eventually recovering relics and resources used in that previous war, I'd say that being able to adapt theirs to ours and vice versa will be important.

This is an exercise in sorting out what our nation is rather than developing equipment for actual use (that comes after the pre-game turns). The stuff we make right now will influence our starting arsenal but won't dictate it. This is our history we're writing. We're also proposing something we did in the span between the bronze age and the beginning of world war 1. That's a lot of time to build big infrastructure projects such as dams. I wouldn't be suggesting a giant project like this otherwise. (I mean me suggesting an overly large project? Nah that could never happen)

Now for your electric generator that's basically a perpetual motion machine. If it produces more energy than it takes to winch the weight from the bottom to the drop point than it breaks thermodynamics. If it doesn't produce more energy then you're wasting energy every time you use it so why bother? The thing is refocyte currently has one rule; it stores and releases kinetic energy. It does not make more. By all the rules currently in play your proposal wouldn't work. And typically in most arms races I've been in GMs tend to come down hard on perpetual motion machines. They are understandably wary of opening the door on infinite energy generators.

As for the skin of war it confuses me. First of all why use composites and alloys of different materials for the colours? Why not keep using paint? What benefit does it give other than mandating every ship has a custom outer hull (expensive) and ensuring the tale of colour can not be updated without rebuilding the ship. You mention using metal compounds. What exactly do you mean by that? Which metallic compounds? If we're talking chemistry and material science then the term has very specific meaning; A metallic compound is a compound that contains one or more metal elements bonded to another element. Examples of metal compounds include iron oxide (rust), Sodium Cloride (salt), aluminium sulfide and many others that aren't really metal. Metallic compounds does not mean metallic properties. I am most perplexed by the inclusion of mercury. Mercury has very few compounds it can form and none of them are good for making ship's hulls out of. Mercury is even worse in it's base form. It's toxic and is liquid at room temperature. So you can understand my confusion.

The colored alloys prevent the ocean waves from activating it.

How exactly? You don't justify or explain this at all. Is there some unelaborated aspect of the coloured alloys that acheives this or is it just having material between the waves and the refocyte?

The most glaring issue I see with it is I can guarantee that it's not going to stop 100% of the force. It can't. That would simply be broken. If I was GM I would never allow something that practically gives a team first turn invulnerability. I see no reason why MoP would allow it either. Now that doesn't mean the effect itself will be disallowed, just that likely it won't stop all of the force. In fact in the game this is a successor to there was a material called k-wool that absorbed kinetic energy a little similar to what you are suggesting. Except it was an entire material devoted to doing that one thing and even so reduced kinetic energy it did not eliminate it. Now if it doesn't absorb all of the force then the release of energy when the 20th shell hits would affect the ship as well and the lightweight hull would work against it. Finally the shells would not be sent back on a trajectory that could possibly threaten enemy ships. If the ship is at any kind of an angle to the incoming shell it'll be thrown in a different direction and probably hit the ocean.

Defining Advancement
Hydro refocyte charging stations (2): TricMagic, Jerick
Gravity Assisted Generators (2): Wozzy, Flabort

Pre-World War 1 Era Equipment
Skin of War (2): Wozzy, Flabort

[Powder Miner]

Coilboat
Kolinaisi was a Refocyte-smith. Kolinaisi's father had been a Refocyte-smith. Kolinaisi's father's father had been a Refocyte-smith. And so on and so on, throughout the generations -- but that was to be expected, after all. His family was a family of Refocyte-smiths, and being a Refocyte-smith was simply what they did. That was the norm throughout Inithar, in fact. Not only were you born into your profession, but your family line was, and a set of other family lines, and it was nearly totally rigid. This was because of the generations of carefully honed knowledge and technique that went into every Inithar craftsman's craft, it was because of the social ties between craftsmen that were vital to become somebody important, and it was because this was the very building block of society. Inithar society consisted of craft-castes; though not formally inequal, groups of professions collectively and often separately honed their trades, and grouped together for the forms of political representation. However, the elders of each craft-class typically had a remarkable amount of autonomy, as such was often deemed necessary for each craft-class to be able to best ensure the sharpening and conveyance of its skills.

However, this particular Refocyte-smith in this particular moment wasn't an elder, just a man trying to do his job. Right now, he was carefully twisting a wire of refocyte with a pair of forceps, while similarly twisted wires laid around him. On another table laid braided cords where these forceps-twisted wires of refocyte were combined together, braided cords which would later be placed into an apparatus that would turn a paddle, to turn an engine, on one of the most cutting-edge pieces of naval technology the world had yet seen.

The Inithar Coilboat is a nineteenth-century warship that came into being during the later part of the century, when steamboat ironclads were starting to come into vogue among the nations of the Old World. The actual ship itself was not technologically terribly remarkable for the period -- though made with incredibly careful and masterwork craftsmanship, as is standard for many works of Inithar, the boat was just a relatively small ship, comparable to torpedo gunboats of the period, with a metallic hull and a wooden deck, with relatively unimpressive space for armament. The ship's prow was narrow and pointed and the ship itself was relatively thin, allowing it to slice through the seas with speed and agility... speed and agility well-boosted by the true innovation of the ship.

Whereas most other nations used steamboats during this time, the Inithar created the coil engine for which the Coilship is named. It was discovered that Refocyte can be tightly coiled together and treated in a spring-like way -- if created in a way so that the tension itself doesn't immediately tear the Refocyte into pieces, the conflicting directions of force upon the Refocyte modulates the outwards flow of energy, and the energy stored within the Refocyte comes out in a flow over time, rather than the explosive burst that characterized early Inithar usage of the material. Additionally, as coiling the material when it is treated to be a spring can be used to hold a very high amount of energy, and as the directional output of the Refocyte translates to torque when torque is applied to it, Refocyte coils can be used to create coils that can run an engine for a surprisingly long amount of time, with better force than most steam engines, and without taking space for coal -- at the cost of time and manual labor to recoil and recharge the coils, though depleted coils can be removed and replaced with charged ones. What this means in practice is that the Inithar Coilboat is smaller and more agile than most ships of similar classes, and though it uses sails for long-term travel, the Inithar Coilboat is capable of bursts of powerful speed and agility during a battle.