Initharian Defining Tech: The Final Endeavor "Revision"
Proposal: Wikiwiki Armored CarrierAn armored personnel carrier designed to handle the harsh environments of Harren, the Wikiwiki is designed to move quickly and safely in harsh conditions. The drivetrain is based off a dual-coil coilengine with attached supercharger. This drive gives the Wikiwiki a top speed of 120 kph. A sealed oil bath gearbox transmission placed in between the coilengine and the power train allows finer modulation of speed for the vehicle, and the coilengine only spins when the locking gear is released. By locking the coils, the driver can safely change gears without harming the transmission. The suspension is based on an individual wheel Refocyte alloy spring system that feeds energy back to the supercharger battery via nickel leads when the spring is under compression. The springs are carefully set as to not extert torque, and instead only perform linear motion. The vehicle has a 300mm ground clearance, and the axle and everything higher are internal, protected by a 10mm thick bottom panels. The supercharger battery has a safety discharge in the form of internal low purity coil fans that are used to cool off the occupants and drivers. The driver cab holds two people, the Gunner and driver, with a tempered glass windshield and steel tube roll bars. The cab has safety harnesses for the driver and gunner anchored into the frame, and the body is made from removable 10mm steel body panels. A hatch is built into the Gunner side to allow the operation of a pintle-mounted conventional machinegun. The back is a flat bed with removable benches, steel tube roll bars, and a removable bed cover. It seats 6 people, with included basic safety harnesses anchored into the walls. When all covers are on, the cab and bed are both protected from the elements, supplemented by rubber seals. The body armor is a uniform 10mm. Finally, a towing hitch allows the vehicle to tow extra cargo and artillery.
Difficulty: HardResult: (You rolled snake-eyes first you lucky fucks, I guess technically things are average?) (6+6)-1=11,
MasterworkThe
Wikiwiki wasn't originally a vehicle meant for military use. It was a vehicle designed to transport goods across the empire around the beginning of the invasion. It was a vehicle intended to move rapidly across a wide variety of landscapes while carrying a heavy load of goods. And it performed wonderfully.
It was cheap, reliable, sturdy, strong, and most importantly,
fast.
The
Wikiwiki was capable of hitting speeds of up to 130km/h (on paved ground in optimal conditions) and was capable of running for a ridiculous amount of time thanks to the passive-ish suspension recharging utilized in the vehicle to supplement power. The consistent charging of the vehicle while in use offset the cost of the purity of the coil used in the engines, as they rarely needed recoiling (and therefore warped less often).
Wikiwikis often only needed to stop because the people inside it need maintaining, so it was an obvious choice for a military transport.
While a fairly stable ride, the driver and gunner as well as all passengers had safety harnesses that helped secure them to the vehicle to reduce injury in case of accident. Both bed and cab were protected entirely (save for the top of the bed) by 12mm armor plating, save for the driver's side of the cab with it's tempered glass windshield. The gunner's side of the windshield was replaced with armor in the military model and a hatch built into the roof to allow the gunner to man the pintle-mounted machine gun on the roof. The bed had space to seat eight fully armed and ready soldiers. The interior seats could be folded into the sides of the bed to allow more cargo space, and could be protected from the environment with a well-insulated and durable 5mm armored hard top or a thick canvas.
The
Wikiwiki was capable of providing protection and speed to the Initharian armed forces, and so it was a natural choice to be the workhorse of the expedition to Harren.
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The trip across the sea was long, but not as lonely as one would like. Another fleet, the Great Fleet of the Embralish Empire, had been identified as headed toward Harren as well. Th Grand Fleet did not engage, as Inithar could not risk losing lives vital to the survival of the nation - at least not while there were civilians aboard the ships. Luckily it seemed these Embralish were in a similar situation, and neither fleet decided to approach the other.
Which was good, because there were nothing but bad tales about the Embralish Empire.
They were a jungle people who, through access to some strange caves, were able to make things that manipulated sound. They levied their frightful powers throughout history, with the earliest documented instances of their encounter with an outside civilization being as some sort of demon guardians of the jungles. They wore masks that they used to emit a foul, frightening shriek that could cause fear in those who heard it. The ancient technique to counter that had been to stuff whatever could fit (and hopefully remove) into their ears. More modern methods are a well-protected secret.
Click here to hear their flute noise.They had also utilized large drums to produce an invigorating sound that boosted the growth rate and yield of crops (and other plant-life). Unknown to them at the time, the increased bounty caused the soil to grow barren faster. While this was ultimately solved by crop-rotation and the introduction of drums played automatically via waterwheel that helped to regulate the boosted growth rates, it also ultimately helped lead to the more modern disaster that was Khada-Miti Artificial Fertilizer. But we'll get to that later.
The Samnite Empire was a bustling, thriving Bronze Age Empire that made the mistake of trying to tame the jungles. Nobody knows how or why, but the Embralish were able to slowly and steadily leech their way through Samnite territory. City after city fell to armies that seemed to be in just the right places at just the right times. Leaders fell and commanders turned coat throughout Samnium, and the Embralish benefited the entire time, eventually becoming a major player in the area and forming the Embralish Empire on the corpse of the Samnites.
As the Embralish expanded, they began diverting rivers to provide for their growing network of water-powered drums. This rightfully pissed off their neighbors downstream, and frequent attacks on their drums and their rigid supply network led to the Sacking of Samium during the Bronze Age. While not much is known about the exact composition of besieging forces, evidence of their sacking of Samnium can be found in the city's ruins, notably in the Flooded Citadel. This Ancient Wonder of the World was broken apart and toppled, though the subterranean chambers largely remained intact. On the walls are carvings of dozens of different languages, some lost and some not, though everything we've translated so far has been fairly vulgar and directed at the Embralish.
Though many border nations saw a ripe target, they also constantly fought among one another, and no dedicated push past the old Samnite capital was made. This border chaos was compounded by the persistent Embralish Legions and the Strings of Motion that accompanied them and seemingly allowed them to mobilize much faster than expected. During the Renaissance Embralish were initially well-received when not at war with someone thanks to the unique properties of instruments made of "well materials". Eventually however the fact that Embralish music could manipulate targeted emotions didn't sit too well and was widely banned outside of their own borders.
The Embralish Empire managed to hold relatively stable borders for the amount of chaos outside of them. Conflicts often went ways that happened to benefit the Embralish, and mysterious, sudden deaths very rarely
wouldn't provide some advantage for their Empire. This process lasted for centuries. During industrialization a large number of chemicals were finally able to be produced thanks to scientific and technological advancements, and this was the other major factor in the Khada-Miti Artificial Fertilizer disaster.
The latter half of the 19th century saw Khada-Miti Artificial Fertilizer promoted as a miracle chemical fertilizer - the first of it's kind in the known world. Not only did it boost yield of crops but it also worked to repel pests and deter animals. We know now that this was at least in small part thanks to the use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT), and some fields were so saturated by carcinogenic materials that the government sectioned the lands off and to this day they remain completely uninhabited. The effects of the dangerous fertilizer were not fully understood until a few decades after it's creation. By this time groundwater had been affected. All the farms using the fertilizer happened to be upstream of nearby borders with other nations, so it was the citizens of other countries that suffered the effects most. This mass poisoning was but one of many contributing factors to the Union invasion.
The People's Union of States was a rapidly developing and expanding nation swallowing up neighbors by word and gun. They controlled territory bordering the Embral Empire that had been affected by the tainted groundwater. People were becoming ill, weak, or dying, and the Embralish were not taking responsibility for their actions, so the Union marched.
The Union took border territory that the Embralish had poisoned and ultimately abandoned, but pushing into the Empire was an effort made difficult thanks in part to the Sikari special forces. The Sikari embody their ancient heritage, striking suddenly and without warning, whistling through their mask the entire time.
The Embral forces rapidly maneuvered, hit, and retreated from the front lines over a number of months. The Sikari proved their worth massively during the opening of the campaign, credited with a number of crippling strikes at supply lines and command posts. The initial advance was slowed as the tainted borderlands taxed the relatively disorganized Union supply lines - it was extremely difficult to supply a massive poorly organized force consisting of people using weapons from dozens of different recently-absorbed manufacturers. Without the ability to use local resources, the need for untainted water and food was felt drastically. It wasn't enough to win the war or even completely halt their advance though, as the Union was massive and eventually worked out it's logistical issues.
When the first aircraft were deployed the Embralish Empire tried something called the Cikaviga. While little is known about why it failed, it marked a turning point in the Empire's historical streak of luck. The plane itself was also a disaster, with a man in a pulpit mounted forward of the propeller, and meant to lob grenades with whirring blades right behind him at high speeds. And so with the skies lost, the Embralish went down - literally. They went all-in on their efforts to fortify the ground part of the ground war, creating vast networks of tunnels, bunkers, and even a railway, untouchable from the skies but more than capable of striking at the enemy anywhere at any time.
While their terror tactics slowed the Union's attempts to beat back this evil Empire, the Union was still making progress. The Embralish had also come across a group of Harren refugees and had decided to head towards Salvios. Rumor has it that their fleet is led by "The Leviathan", but little is known about it past being a submersible.
These people are cruel and savage, and if the bounty of Harren should fall into their hands it would only be a matter of time before they would use those resources against us, if someone else doesn't take them and turn them against us anyway. They are a vital threat, and so after we've landed and begun work on studying and extracting the island's resources we will be prying them from the Embralish as well.
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The approach to Harren was just as we were told. A massive permanent storm stained the skies an inky black to the south, the seas churning up an impenetrable haze. Our ships, more importantly, had to contend with the rapidly-cooling air and sea approaching Abbera. Sheets of ice and peaks of bergs littered the waters.
Most importantly though were the natives watching the Initharian fleet approach.
It is now the Strategy Phase. You will be presented with a variety of fields to choose from. Propose lists that select one item from each field and propose entire armories, then vote on whichever selection you want most. This will be used to engage Pact forces immediately (this turn) and the Embralish afterwards (next turn in 1938). You are obviously encouraged to change the names alongside you proposals - I definitely don't want to write about ship shooting gun at ship but it's the other team's.
Light Cruiser: The Light Cruiser is a 190m long vessel with four propellers powered by Supercharger Coilengines capable of traveling at 40 knots. Has 51-127mm armor along the belt, 50mm on the deck, and 100mm protecting the conning tower. Armed with a 5x3 150mm cannon turrets, with the centralmost turret designed for refocyte munitions, 8x1 100mm cannons, and 4x2 50mm flak guns. Has a basic electronic and radio suite. Costs 4 Ore and 4 Refocyte. (VERY EXPENSIVE)
Destroyer: The Destroyer 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 Destroyer'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. Costs 3 Ore and 3 Refocyte. (EXPENSIVE)
Battleship: The Battleship 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 small arms machine guns. 200-300mm belt armor is complemented by 300mm conning tower armor and 80mm deck armor. Has a basic electronic and radio suite. Costs 6 Ore and 6 Refocyte. (NATIONAL EFFORT)
Battlecruiser: The Battlecruiser is 200m long and capable of reaching 35 knots thanks to it's four Supercharger Coilengine-powered propellers. It is armed with 3x2 250mm cannons and 6x2 120mm Refocyte cannons alongside 8x2 50mm flak guns. Protected by 130-230mm belt armor, 250mm tower armor, and 80mm deck armor. Has a basic electronic and radio suite. Costs 5 Ore and 5 Refocyte. (NATIONAL EFFORT)
Light Fighter: The Light Fighter 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 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. (EXPENSIVE)
Medium Fighter: The Medium Fighter is a two-crew monoplane. It can reach speeds of 380km/h with it's Supercharger Coilengine. Behind the cockpit is a power operated turret utilizing 4 machine guns. The aircraft also carries 200kg worth of bombs. There is some armor throughout the aircraft, slowing it down a bit but greatly improving survivability. Costs 4 Ore and 4 Refocyte. (VERY EXPENSIVE)
Refocyte Semiauto Rifle: The Refocyte Semiauto Rifle 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)
Refocyte Bolt-Action Rifle: The Refocyte Bolt-Action Rifle fires 8mm rounds from an internal magazine fed by 8-round stripper clips. It has an effective range of 550m while being almost perfectly silent save for the sound of the refocyte firing mechanism striking and triggering the rounds. Bayonet optional. It is 80cm long and weighs 4.2kg. Costs 2 Wood and 2 Refocyte. (CHEAP)
Light Mortar: A 50mm mortar with both HE and Smoke rounds. Doesn't pack much of a punch, but is easily repositioned by it's 2-man crew. Has a range of 50m-500m. Costs 4 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
Refocyte Light Machine Gun: An 8mm Light Machine Gun that utilizes a 30-round box magazine or 80-round pan magazine that fed 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. (EXPENSIVE)
A Nation of Sailors: Initharians are at home at sea. They are naturally better combatants on the waves than most other peoples. Provides a minor bonus to navy-based design difficulties as well.
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.
Time to make your decisions! Good luck! Note that if you choose a design that utilizes equipment you wind up not having a design for (ex. mines for the destroyer, machine guns for vehicles) then you will be considered as using WW1-era equipment as placeholder.
Land:
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 machine gun, 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. (EXPENSIVE)
Sea:
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. The first Kona-type vessel. Always (NATIONAL EFFORT)
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.
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.
Author
Topic: Mechanized Warfare: Inithar Thread / Final Phase, 1941 Cold Season (Read 38390 times)