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[flabort]

Turn 2 Revision Phase Results

RCBD/S Mk. II

the technical know-how and manufacturing capabilities we've gained from A.P.E.S.H.I.T. have rendered the RCBD/S somewhat inadequate, so we set out to fix that. Firstly, we've rectified our complete lack of body armor with the "Achilles" armor vest, a Kevlar/UHMWPE vest with ceramic inserts providing it with level IV armor protection for the chest and groin and kevlar/UHMWPE inserts elsewhere, and the optional "Paris" non-vital armor, Kevlar/UHMWPE sleeves, greaves and cuisses, as well as replacing the old helmet with a ceramic one with Kevlar/UHMWPE camo covers. Secondly, we've added winter clothing, a camouflaged long coat, gloves, and a balaclava, and desert clothing, just a lighter version of our current uniform with a camo jacket for the cold desert nights and a light bandanna to protect against the sun and sand. Thirdly, we've resized all the old equipment that's not obsolete. Fourth and finally, we've added a simple angle-head flashlight, it's has red light filters and can be both attached to our webbing and hooked up to pulse pistol batteries for effectively unlimited power.

Very Easy (2+10) +2 = 14 (Above Average)

The mark two uniform is a marked improvement - firstly, because they actually fit comfortably, secondly with it's armored vest with ceramic inserts we predict a large reduction in severe injuries; it's already helping in live fire testing, with circulation in our soldier's fingers improving their accuracy a little. The "Achilles" is a little more complex than a simple vest, having enough armor to spread down to cover delicate and private areas; pairing it with the slightly heavier "Paris" set to protect the extremities increases the weight and clumsiness of the armor, but it can easily be left off or carried instead of worn; and while it does weigh down while in use, it's a definite life saver; a soldier shot himself in the foot with a rifle while wearing it and only needed a painkiller.

We've improved our collection of camouflage, for sand and snow, and with the new sets we've brought along weather appropriate gear. We should be able to tackle any sort of climate or weather with our long coats and light dessert gear - while logistically carrying all this gear and optional attachments or pieces can be annoying, but what doesn't fit onto the webbing can easily be packed into a personal case and delivered near or at the location one will be deployed to; this would be easier with some form of logistics transportation, but the broken and breaking vehicles left to us work well enough for now. The kit also includes lights, which can be attached to the webbing, or held on to, or even connected as headlamps; and they have a couple of attachable filters for looking through the dark or working in the night.

To address the shortcomings of the current rifle grenade system and "infantry mortar", we have
proposed the following modifications:
1. Introduction of an ampoule based battery into the fuzing system for both systems. With the electrolyte isolated in a glass ampoule (which shatters upon firing), the fuze is entirely unpowered prior to firing, making it less likely to blow up and kill the PBI humping the shit.
2. Alternate warhead types for the Rifle Grenade system. Not everything calls for the biggest explosion possible, and in many cases when the bastards are right in your face a hueg explosion is counterproductive. By reintroducing a high-explosive rifle grenade and adding a white phosphorous based smoke round, we can turn the grenadier into a more well-rounded combatant. The existing plasma grenade round has also had its yield reduced somewhat, both to make room for the new fuzing system and to keep the minimum range down.
3. Improved aerodynamics. This is exactly what it sounds like. Less drag and better design equals longer range and better accuracy for both the rifle grenade and the mortar.
4. Improved carriage system for the mortar. By making the carriage for the mortar more stable, we can tighten up the dispersion pattern, making it easier to actually ht shit with this thing.
5. Breech-loading mechanism for the mortar. Since it's already acting like a heavy artillery piece with that size, we might as well lean into that role and make it something that can get a higher rate of fire. This makes it heavier, yes, but it should still be infantry-portable if we manage to break it down into even more pieces for transport.

Very difficult APESHIT Normal (6+2) +0 = 8 (Below Average)
We still have minor flaws to work out. It's not as bad as it was. We've finally fixed all the fuze issues on both the PRG and Artemis, thanks to the ampule fuzes. We've also added reduced yield rounds for the Artemis, and modified the rounds for the PRG with reduced yield as well, plus making each version of Artemis ammo available at a smaller yield to the PRG.

We've slimmed the warheads and added fins to improve accuracy, and created a more stable (but heavier) base for the mortar. We still use the lighter one when in a hurry, but even the heavier one is not so hard to hump in the lighter gravity of this planet; the same men can carry it, but not quite as quickly. So we have a strategy of first deploying the grenadiers and riflemen to the front and the lighter mortars supporting them with long ranged artillery attacks, and then reinforcing with more accurate mortars to take out remaining resistance. In theory.

Still, the mortar is still really big for something we call an infantry deployed weapon, and the rifle grenade sometimes doesn't launch as far as we'd like it to; we've had worse issues with these weapons we overcame.

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Transport Capacity: 0 (1 Oil available)
Resources: 2 Ore, 1 Oil (0/1 imported)
Credits: 1 Research Credit, 1 Alien Credit
Weapons

• Makeshift Earth Rifle (Cheap): Based on designs from home, cobbled together from native materials with remaining architecture. Mediocre accuracy at Long Range, good Accuracy at Medium. 1 Ore
• SA-2 GPMG (Cheap): General purpose machine gun, automatic fire (in bursts or continuous) only, accurate at Medium and Short range. 2 Ore
• Scrap Pulse Pistol (Cheap): Barely understood alien tech you were able to reconstruct after some difficulty. Firing modes basically break down into "Painful Burns", "Stun", and "Seriously Maim"; no "Kill" mode, though enough exposure to any of the three modes will do it. It's battery powered but the pulses of hot... stuff (maybe plasma?) use a lot of energy. Accurate up to short range, prone to malfunction. 2 Ore, 1 Oil
• Plasma Rifle Grenade (Expensive): Throws up a huge pulse of ionizing energy, and lots of heat. Causes acute radiation sickness, but the range leaves much to be desired. It's "hair trigger" problem has been solved, and the launcher now has the same ammo selection as the Artemis - though both yield levels are slightly lower than the Artemis. 2 Ore, 2 Oil
• M11 200mm Mortar "Artemis" (Expensive): Takes three men to carry and fire, but the 5 varieties of warhead are versatile and effective. Plasma, like the PRG, is almost a mini-nuke. High Explosive doesn't have the radiation problem, but the yield is still worrying. Incendiary can burn through the ground around it, and the Star Shell creates many little smokey beacons that illuminate nearby enemies. Also has lower yield versions of each, for closer range combat. Accuracy has been improved, and can be improved further by carrying a slightly heavier carriage. Somewhat poor accuracy at long range, slightly better at medium. 3 Ore, 2 Oil

Other

• Standard Uniform: A plain uniform with very little decoration or utility. There is a space for rank insignia, and some colored markings but it's rather plain.
• RCBD/S mk. II: Functional uniform, with a webbing vest practically anything can be attached to, five varieties of camouflage that seem to work with all weather gear, a practical ceramic helmet, and polarizing sunglasses. The "Achilles" vest underneath protects vital organs, and the optional "Paris" set protects extremities. Also includes lights and filters. A good uniform with decent protection.
• Fear and Loathing BCEE (Expensive): A kit with about 200 meters compressed concertina wire, a multipurpose entrenching tool, two Ted Torpedoes for clearing obstacles, and a straight up Claymore. 3 Ore 2 Oil; the wire and entrenching tool count as Cheap.

Infrastructure

• A.P.E.S.H.I.T A reformed school with a database where engineers pool their knowledge, train future generations, and manufacture new technologies. Boosts engineering research by making things less difficult.

[Vostok]

Had the folks from Sujia actually asked nicely the way you expect civilized adults to deal with things, maybe we would have actually decided to help them out once our own situation was stabilized. But no, they just had to reach for the military solution first, and now here we are. Two can play that game, methinks. If you want to take our water by force, come and get it, you wankers!

[m1895]

Prometheus-Series Microfusion Reactors

thanks to information gained from A.P.E.S.H.I.T., our scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding the inner mechanisms of the Pulse pistol. it seems to use some form of low energy fusion ignition system to create the "Plasma Bolt" and launches it using magnetic coils. This neatly explains why our relatively crude batteries have the power necessary to generate the plasma bolt and why our plasma based explosives emit high levels of radiation, so, naturally, we've started production of Microfusion reactors to provide our people with cheap power (and free up more oil for the war effort, now that those Sujian dogs have attacked us.) with the largest reactor we can currently produce being about the size of a 2 stroke V4 and able to power an entire city block, and the smallest able to fit in the palm of your hand and charge up a pulse pistol's battery, reducing the amount of batteries a soldier needs to carry.

M12 2.5 ton truck "Mule"

The state of our logistic system could be best described as "oh god why", so we've developed a truck to hopefully alleviate some of the problems. Roughly based upon the M35 "deuce and a half" the "Mule" can carry/tow a full 2.5 tonne load at 90 Km/h on dirt roads and relatively flat terrain, though it slows down somewhat over rough terrain. now, having just the standard cargo variant wouldn't be too useful for us, so we've also made an oil/water tanker and troop transport variant, with the troop transport having seats for ~20 dudes and the oil/water tanker being an oil/water tanker. (we do not recommend switching a designated oil tanker to a water tanker or vice versa.). Notably, we've had to contract production out to 3 seperate companies to meet production Quotas, Hermes Motor Company, Gonzales Limited, and Allen Auto incorporated.

Prometheus-series microfusion reactors (1): m1895
M12 2.5 ton truck (1): m1895

[Rockeater]

Prometheus-series microfusion reactors (2): m1895,Rockeater
M12 2.5 ton truck (2): m1895, Rockeater

[flabort]

Turn 3 Design Phase Results

Prometheus-Series Microfusion Reactors

thanks to information gained from A.P.E.S.H.I.T., our scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding the inner mechanisms of the Pulse pistol. it seems to use some form of low energy fusion ignition system to create the "Plasma Bolt" and launches it using magnetic coils. This neatly explains why our relatively crude batteries have the power necessary to generate the plasma bolt and why our plasma based explosives emit high levels of radiation, so, naturally, we've started production of Microfusion reactors to provide our people with cheap power (and free up more oil for the war effort, now that those Sujian dogs have attacked us.) with the largest reactor we can currently produce being about the size of a 2 stroke V4 and able to power an entire city block, and the smallest able to fit in the palm of your hand and charge up a pulse pistol's battery, reducing the amount of batteries a soldier needs to carry.

Difficult APESHIT Easy (7 + 1) +1 = 9 Below Average
The success of the new Microfusion Reactors is marred a little by an accident that takes place at their public unveiling. Or, sabotage, really. The reactors work great, the Promethus-Series brand is an instant hit among the populace, and especially with the military contractors and their soldier retinues. While it does use a little fuel in the form of gaseous nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, well that's readily available enough. It's actually just the components of the air around it, so it just has an air intake and filter before the fusion process. This produces waste in the form of a few stray neutrons and some denser elements, mostly super-heavy ones in the Rare-Earth metals range - not enough to be useful in industrial amounts, just enough to clog up a filter every so often. And changing a filter is really easy.

The problem was revealed as a result of a sabotaged demonstration piece in the hand-held size; a piece of conductive steel had been shoved through the electrical outlet, through the air filter, and into the reaction chamber, which if proper safety precautions had been followed in it's manufacturing, should have been impossible. Well, this caused the fission to chain react out of the contained area, up through the outlet, and implode, first sucking in parts of the table around it, then bursting out and sending bits of metal and wooden shrapnel into the gathered crowd. Nobody was killed, but there were two general conclusions drawn from the incident:

1) Be careful who you let audit your safety measures, and 2) Don't stick forks in electrical sockets, even if they're portable.

Other than the flaw that if something is jammed in the very wrong way it can self destruct, though, these reactors work well. They're sturdy (when not purposefully stabbed), they produce a constant flow of energy, and they're inexpensive. It only costs 2 ore for a handheld model, or up to 4 ore for a truck-engine sized model. This allows the handheld model to be Cheap, which reduces the oil needed to provide sufficient batteries for the Pulse Pistol.

M12 2.5 ton truck "Mule"

The state of our logistic system could be best described as "oh god why", so we've developed a truck to hopefully alleviate some of the problems. Roughly based upon the M35 "deuce and a half" the "Mule" can carry/tow a full 2.5 tonne load at 90 Km/h on dirt roads and relatively flat terrain, though it slows down somewhat over rough terrain. now, having just the standard cargo variant wouldn't be too useful for us, so we've also made an oil/water tanker and troop transport variant, with the troop transport having seats for ~20 dudes and the oil/water tanker being an oil/water tanker. (we do not recommend switching a designated oil tanker to a water tanker or vice versa.). Notably, we've had to contract production out to 3 seperate companies to meet production Quotas, Hermes Motor Company, Gonzales Limited, and Allen Auto incorporated.

Easy APESHIT Very Easy (2 + 2) +2 = 6 Buggy Mess
The Mule looks like it was designed by teenagers, hopped up on hormones, distracted by laziness, and driven to outdo one another in stunts of ridiculous machismo. Or maybe it was designed by old truckers looking to compensate for something. It's a serviceable truck, if prone to frequent breakdowns, guzzling gas, and sometimes the shocks will overextend and flip it over for no reason. Who knows why someone decided to put the door nearly 5 feet off the ground, or why the wheels need to be that big; the person who gave it four sets of wing mirrors has been fired, though the mirrors persist on every Mule to come out of the factories.

It does carry what we set out for it to carry. But nearly half the space is used up with maintenance equipment, including winches designed to flip it right side up in the frequent event that it tips over. Thank goodness it's a hybrid, so it can use the newly revealed Microfusion Reactors to keep it running at a crawl when it inevitably runs out of gas and slows down halfway to it's destination.

Still, as long as the man-power to keep a Mule running for long enough to make a transportation run is available, it works. Ish. Well... Between the maintenance costs, the fuel costs, the crews to run them, and the actual supplies required to build the Mule (affectionately nicknamed the "Low Hanging Fruit" for how easy it is to make fun of), it winds up costing 5 Ore and 3 Oil (It would be 5 oil if not for the microfusion reactors) while giving 1 TC. This makes it Very Expensive; if it's issues could be fixed to bring costs down, or enough supplies could be obtained to support a larger fleet of them, it could give another TC once it reaches Cheap.

(For my sanity, I won't be announcing when APESHIT makes something easier any more).

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Transport Capacity: 1/1 (1 Oil available)
Resources: 2 Ore, 2 Oil (1/1 imported)
Credits: 1 Research Credit, 1 Alien Credit
Weapons

• Makeshift Earth Rifle (Cheap): Based on designs from home, cobbled together from native materials with remaining architecture. Mediocre accuracy at Long Range, good Accuracy at Medium. 1 Ore
• SA-2 GPMG (Cheap): General purpose machine gun, automatic fire (in bursts or continuous) only, accurate at Medium and Short range. 2 Ore
• Scrap Pulse Pistol (Cheap): Barely understood alien tech you were able to reconstruct after some difficulty. Firing modes basically break down into "Painful Burns", "Stun", and "Seriously Maim"; no "Kill" mode, though enough exposure to any of the three modes will do it. It's battery powered but the pulses of hot... stuff (maybe plasma?) use a lot of energy. Accurate up to short range, prone to malfunction. 2 Ore, 1 0 Oil
• Plasma Rifle Grenade (Expensive): Throws up a huge pulse of ionizing energy, and lots of heat. Causes acute radiation sickness, but the range leaves much to be desired. It's "hair trigger" problem has been solved, and the launcher now has the same ammo selection as the Artemis - though both yield levels are slightly lower than the Artemis. 2 Ore, 2 Oil
• M11 200mm Mortar "Artemis" (Expensive): Takes three men to carry and fire, but the 5 varieties of warhead are versatile and effective. Plasma, like the PRG, is almost a mini-nuke. High Explosive doesn't have the radiation problem, but the yield is still worrying. Incendiary can burn through the ground around it, and the Star Shell creates many little smokey beacons that illuminate nearby enemies. Also has lower yield versions of each, for closer range combat. Accuracy has been improved, and can be improved further by carrying a slightly heavier carriage. Somewhat poor accuracy at long range, slightly better at medium. 3 Ore, 2 Oil

Vehicles

• M12 2.5 Truck "Mule" (Very Expensive): Prone to breaking down, guzzling fuel, and sometimes flipping over spontaneously. Still, if you can put up with the frequent issues, serviceable. Provides 1 TC, up to 2 upon reaching Cheap. 5 Ore, 3 Oil

Other

• Standard Uniform: A plain uniform with very little decoration or utility. There is a space for rank insignia, and some colored markings but it's rather plain.
• RCBD/S mk. II: Functional uniform, with a webbing vest practically anything can be attached to, five varieties of camouflage that seem to work with all weather gear, a practical ceramic helmet, and polarizing sunglasses. The "Achilles" vest underneath protects vital organs, and the optional "Paris" set protects extremities. Also includes lights and filters. A good uniform with decent protection.
• Fear and Loathing BCEE (Expensive): A kit with about 200 meters compressed concertina wire, a multipurpose entrenching tool, two Ted Torpedoes for clearing obstacles, and a straight up Claymore. 3 Ore 2 Oil; the wire and entrenching tool count as Cheap.
• Prometheus-Series Microfusion Reactors (Cheap to Expensive): Cheap, renewable, constant fusion. Will implode if deliberately sabotaged due to lax safety measures, but seldom ever happens. Reduces oil used to produce energy, where applicable - current costs means that this is cheap for infantry designs and reduces oil used by the pulse pistol by 1. 2 to 4 ore depending on size.

Infrastructure

• A.P.E.S.H.I.T A reformed school with a database where engineers pool their knowledge, train future generations, and manufacture new technologies. Boosts engineering research by making things less difficult.

[m1895]

Transportation Reliability Improvement Project

The Mule is... well it's something, but it could be fairly decent with a bit of work, so we've see at out to fix it's most glaring issues.

Firstly, we've replaced the suspension system with a less "robust" model which shouldn't cause it flip over randomly (and saves us a good bit of metal.) and replaced various low quality components with more reliable versions. Secondly we've cutout most of the worthless faff that got added on, like the oversized tires and 3 extra sets of mirrors. Finally, we'll work on the engine to get a bit more mileage out of it.

M13 plasma spraygun

The Prometheus-series has proven itself quite useful,  but the info we gained on the pulse pistol because of it hasn't been put to use, but now we've begun work on an improved plasma gun.
Firstly, we've increased the barrel length, and subsequently the length of the magnetic coils. This has two main effects, it increases the density of the plasma bolt, and it increases the velocity of the plasma bolt substantially. The end result of this is a sort of semi-armor piercing effect. Secondly we've improved the batteries somewhat, allowing it to fire roughly thirty shots at "seriously maim" level (though now a center mass shot is fairly lethal.). Thirdly, we've made some basic QoL improvements, a fore grip to improve aiming, an automatic fire mode, and an adjustable thigh holster compatible with Paris gear.

M14 Plasma Anti-Materiel Rifle Gungnir

While the Sujian dogs didn't seem to have any real armored elements when they first came against us, we can't be sure that they simply didn't want to show their full hand, and we have no idea what the commies have been working on. Thusly, we've started development on the M14 "Gungnir".

Coming in at 190 cm long the "Gungnir" is a beast of a rifle. 120 cm of that is taken up by it's magnetic coils which greatly increases the density and velocity of the Plasma bolt. Thusly increasing penetration to the point were it can reliably deal with lightly armored vehicles in its low power fire mode. We've also shrunk firemode selection down to two, with a low power fire mode and a high power fire mode which is capable of penetrating 100mm RHA. The stock has a plugin for either a battery or a cable connected to a large microreactor. The former allows five shots on low power mode and one shot on high power mode, and the latter allows effectively infinite shots, but RoF is limited to only 120 RPM on low power mode and only 45 RPM for high power mode (though constant use may cause overheating). Naturally, we've decided to include a simple 4x optic and backup iron sights, which should allow it to accurately hit vehicles (and cavalry) out to long range, as well as both a bipod and tripod mount. The bipod preferably will be used with batteries and a two man crew, one "sniper" and one sentry/spotter, and the tripod preferably will be used with the microreactor and a three man crew, one gunner and two guys to carry the reactor and tripod.

[Rockeater]

TRIP:(1) Rockeater
M13:(1) Rockeater

[Vostok]

TRIP:(2) Rockeater, Vostok
M13:(1) Rockeater
M14 PAMR (but not named Gungnir): (1) Vostok

[m1895]

TRIP:(3) Rockeater, Vostok, m1895
M13:(1) Rockeater
M14 PAMR (but not named Gungnir): (1) Vostok
M14 PAMR Gungnir: (1) m1895

Names are important, as we don't want the BR to be an unintelligible mess of acronyms.

[Rockeater]

TRIP:(3) Rockeater, Vostok, m1895
M14 PAMR (but not named Gungnir): (1) Vostok
M14 PAMR Gungnir: (2) m1895, Rockeater

[flabort]

Turn 3 Revision Phase Results

Transportation Reliability Improvement Project

The Mule is... well it's something, but it could be fairly decent with a bit of work, so we've see at out to fix it's most glaring issues.

Firstly, we've replaced the suspension system with a less "robust" model which shouldn't cause it flip over randomly (and saves us a good bit of metal.) and replaced various low quality components with more reliable versions. Secondly we've cutout most of the worthless faff that got added on, like the oversized tires and 3 extra sets of mirrors. Finally, we'll work on the engine to get a bit more mileage out of it.

Very Easy (10 + 5) +2 = 17 (Masterpiece)
Refitting existing Mules coming off the line, and building any new Mules to the same standard, is very quickly done; Gone are the overcompensating jacked up suspensions, the blinding clusters of mirrors, the oversized tires and the obnoxious La Cucaracha horn (which was only discovered when refitting them; good thing they weren't tested in front of the generals). The Mule with Trip fix is an actually functional vehicle, nay, a monstrously effective one.

For troop transport, suddenly it becomes a smooth ride. For oil or water, it's suddenly safe, and doesn't lose more than half it's cargo by flipping over so frequently. And the same goes for the cargo bed model.

The engine remains a hybrid model, but has been scaled down from a X44 shape to a saner V8; Freeing up cab space by having a smaller engine that uses less fuel to go much further, and cargo (or crew) space by not needing 60 different sizes of wrench and six jacks just to maintain it on the road. It's also less prone to overheating, or sucking large insects or small mammal-ish aliens into the intakes and backfiring. Improvements to suspension make it more durable, and completely eliminate the "spontaneous inversion" problem. You could even ramp it off a cliff now and as long as you landed upright you'd be fine.

The nickname of "Low Hanging Fruit" stubbornly persists, just due to the improved model's predecessor, but the new and improved vehicle doesn't even resemble the namesake; it sticks particularly because some drivers love to rev the engine and listen to the deep bass growl that results, promising danger delivered on four wheels. While it's still unarmored, it is a very reliable way to get troops where they need to be now; far faster, more fuel efficient, and it can turn around quickly and avoid being fired upon while depositing troops.

The improvements have reduced it's cost, to 3 Ore and 2 oil, making it only Expensive.

M14 Plasma Anti-Materiel Rifle Gungnir
While the Sujian dogs didn't seem to have any real armored elements when they first came against us, we can't be sure that they simply didn't want to show their full hand, and we have no idea what the commies have been working on. Thusly, we've started development on the M14 "Gungnir".

Coming in at 190 cm long the "Gungnir" is a beast of a rifle. 120 cm of that is taken up by it's magnetic coils which greatly increases the density and velocity of the Plasma bolt. Thusly increasing penetration to the point were it can reliably deal with lightly armored vehicles in its low power fire mode. We've also shrunk firemode selection down to two, with a low power fire mode and a high power fire mode which is capable of penetrating 100mm RHA. The stock has a plugin for either a battery or a cable connected to a large microreactor. The former allows five shots on low power mode and one shot on high power mode, and the latter allows effectively infinite shots, but RoF is limited to only 120 RPM on low power mode and only 45 RPM for high power mode (though constant use may cause overheating). Naturally, we've decided to include a simple 4x optic and backup iron sights, which should allow it to accurately hit vehicles (and cavalry) out to long range, as well as both a bipod and tripod mount. The bipod preferably will be used with batteries and a two man crew, one "sniper" and one sentry/spotter, and the tripod preferably will be used with the microreactor and a three man crew, one gunner and two guys to carry the reactor

Difficult (10 + 5) -1 = 14 (Above Average)
The 190cm long Gungir (debates on whether this is the best name for this weapon are ongoing) is a terrifying machine of destruction. While considered a low rate of fire by it's creators, it's 120 rounds per minute "low" firemode still fires off two armor piercing shots a second. This effectively lets it's users rake a large target, or follow a smaller one with bursts of fire; at least while hooked up to a generator. The gun includes automatic and semiautomatic firing modes, in addition to it's two energy modes. The higher energy, slower firing "high" energy mode envelopes the lower power shot in a carrying singular wave, a package of energy that ablates and burns away as it propels the inner slug of plasma into the armor of whatever it strikes, doubling or tripling the thickness of armor it can pass through, and leaving a much wider hole of molten material. The lower power shot, or the inner shot on high power, dissipate faster than the high power's outer layer, but even when it doesn't penetrate all the way through will spread through a target, shorting circuits and interrupting nervous signals.

When powered by batteries, the number of shots is a little more than asked for. It manages 7 shots on lower power, or 2 with higher power.

Like the Artemis, the Gungnir AM rifle can operate in two and three man crews - two for battery operation, with a spotter and a sniper, and three for generator operation, with the two operators not firing alternatively spotting, or helping relocate the gunner and generator. It's not an infantry weapon, but as a supporting weapon, as a sniper rifle or ambush weapon, or really in any role except a mobile single-person one, it excels. And the infantry have the SA-2.

There is no indication when the barrel inside the magnetic coils is getting too hot; however, as it heats up, so too does the grip, so a warm grip is a good indication to stop firing for a while. This warning can be ignored, though, as the barrel doesn't get hot enough to melt down until well after the grip gets hot enough to permanently disfigure the shooter's hands. It does, however, get hot enough that when it's uncomfortable to use, shots become distorted and inaccurate.

This weapon is mostly expensive in it's barrel construction, the magnetic accelerators using more material than a conventional rife. It costs 4 Ore and 2 Oil, making it Expensive right now; this is very likely to become more readily available once we get access to more raw materials. Support with a Microfusion Reactor added to it is Very Expensive, for now.

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Transport Capacity: 1/1 (1 Oil available)
Resources: 2 Ore, 2 Oil (1/1 imported)
Credits: 1 Research Credit, 1 Alien Credit
Weapons

• Makeshift Earth Rifle (Cheap): Based on designs from home, cobbled together from native materials with remaining architecture. Mediocre accuracy at Long Range, good Accuracy at Medium. 1 Ore
• SA-2 GPMG (Cheap): General purpose machine gun, automatic fire (in bursts or continuous) only, accurate at Medium and Short range. 2 Ore
• Scrap Pulse Pistol (Cheap): Barely understood alien tech you were able to reconstruct after some difficulty. Firing modes basically break down into "Painful Burns", "Stun", and "Seriously Maim"; no "Kill" mode, though enough exposure to any of the three modes will do it. It's battery powered but the pulses of hot... stuff (maybe plasma?) use a lot of energy. Accurate up to short range, prone to malfunction. 2 Ore, 1 0 Oil
  
  • M-14 Plasma Anti-Materiel Rifle "Gungnir" (Expensive): A high powered weapon, capable of sniping with a few shots with only a battery, piercing through armor on lower power, or decimating it on high power; using the higher power mode uses the battery faster. Can be attached to a generator, giving it more shots, and a rapid fire mode (not as fast on high-power, but fast enough). 4 Ore, 2 Oil
• Plasma Rifle Grenade (Expensive): Throws up a huge pulse of ionizing energy, and lots of heat. Causes acute radiation sickness, but the range leaves much to be desired. It's "hair trigger" problem has been solved, and the launcher now has the same ammo selection as the Artemis - though both yield levels are slightly lower than the Artemis. 2 Ore, 2 Oil
• M11 200mm Mortar "Artemis" (Expensive): Takes three men to carry and fire, but the 5 varieties of warhead are versatile and effective. Plasma, like the PRG, is almost a mini-nuke. High Explosive doesn't have the radiation problem, but the yield is still worrying. Incendiary can burn through the ground around it, and the Star Shell creates many little smokey beacons that illuminate nearby enemies. Also has lower yield versions of each, for closer range combat. Accuracy has been improved, and can be improved further by carrying a slightly heavier carriage. Somewhat poor accuracy at long range, slightly better at medium. 3 Ore, 2 Oil

Vehicles

• M12 2.5 Truck "Mule" (Expensive): After an embarrassing display of overcompensation and some refits, a reliable and robust truck, fit for transportation of liquids, solids, or troops (which could be considered both). Provides 1 TC, up to 2 upon reaching Cheap. 3 Ore, 2 Oil

Other

• Standard Uniform: A plain uniform with very little decoration or utility. There is a space for rank insignia, and some colored markings but it's rather plain.
• RCBD/S mk. II: Functional uniform, with a webbing vest practically anything can be attached to, five varieties of camouflage that seem to work with all weather gear, a practical ceramic helmet, and polarizing sunglasses. The "Achilles" vest underneath protects vital organs, and the optional "Paris" set protects extremities. Also includes lights and filters. A good uniform with decent protection.
• Fear and Loathing BCEE (Expensive): A kit with about 200 meters compressed concertina wire, a multipurpose entrenching tool, two Ted Torpedoes for clearing obstacles, and a straight up Claymore. 3 Ore 2 Oil; the wire and entrenching tool count as Cheap.
• Prometheus-Series Microfusion Reactors (Cheap to Expensive): Cheap, renewable, constant fusion. Will implode if deliberately sabotaged due to lax safety measures, but seldom ever happens. Reduces oil used to produce energy, where applicable - current costs means that this is cheap for infantry designs and reduces oil used by the pulse pistol by 1. 2 to 4 ore depending on size.

Infrastructure

• A.P.E.S.H.I.T A reformed school with a database where engineers pool their knowledge, train future generations, and manufacture new technologies. Boosts engineering research by making things less difficult.

It is now the turn 4 design phase. This will be the last prewar turn with two designs and two revisions, and at the end of the turn will be the judging of the second lore contest for a Research Credit.

[m1895]

SA-5 Plasma, Infantry, Rifle

Our makeshift Rifles have served us well over these past years against the various beasts, but now is not the time to look upon the past. Now we look to the much brighter (literally) future.

The SA-5 PIR is a bullpup with the "power plug" built in the stock underneath barrel, and is much shorter than its cousin the SA-4, coming in at 80cm long with a 70cm barrel. Another difference is that it has 4 fire modes, Stun, which is basically just lifted straight from the pistol, low power firemode, which is roughly equivalent to our rifle rounds in terms of penetrative power, High power firemode, which is roughly equivalent to a AP rifle round in penetrative power with a bit more stopping power, and finally Anti-Materiel firemode, which is basically a slightly weaker version of the Gungnir's high power mode.
The SA-5 can be powered by the PAMR's batteries, the PAMR's large generators, or a newly made small generator roughly the size of the PAMR's battery. The batteries can support 60 low power shots, 30 high power shots, and 2.3 AM shots. The Large generator allows effectively unlimited ammo and doubles fire rate to 600/300/45 RPM, and finally the small generator also allows effectively unlimited ammo but doesn't increase fire rate.
We've also developed several attachments for the SA-5, a variable 1.5-4x scope derived from the PAMR's scope l, backup iron sights, a side mounted launcher for rifle grenades (basically just the earth rifle's barrel and reciever, but somewhat shorter with a better powder charge in the blank), and a bolo bayonet based on one we stole borrowed from a museum, the bolo bayonet being a bayonet/brush clearing tool, and more surprisingly functional dual purpose gear.

RCBD/R Rayleigh Confederation Battle Dress/Rig

Some entrepreneur, a Siegfried Wagner from Abbera, has recently unveiled a powered exoskeleton they call a "rig". While the the exoskeleton itself is fairly unimpressive, it's control system has piqued our interest. It uses a noninvasive MMI linked to a small computer to give the user unprecedented control of their (barely useful) exoskeleton, with a HUD being beamed directly into the user's brain to give them important information such as "have I overloaded the suit" (they probably have) and "do I need to perform maintenance" (constantly). After examining one model, we've concluded that while the computer is certainly of human make, the MMI is clearly not, and frankly the fact he managed to kludge them together is impressive in its own way, so we've put him on payroll and set him up with actual materials to make a military grade suit. (-1 AC)

The most important part of the Rig is of course, the midsize generator used to power it placed at the back and underneath the outer two layers of armor. The second most important part is the MMI and basic tactile sensor network that allows the user a surprising amount of dexterity, as they can feel how much pressure they're applying and avoid accidentally crushing anything. The third most important part of the Rig is the actual exoskeleton, with servos that provide 2-3x human strength and can move slightly faster than a human, though not as agile.
The fourth most important part is the armor itself, being made from three layers, the innermost layer being kevlar/UHMWPE, the middle layer is the same Ceramic we use in the Achilles, and the outer layer is more kevlar/UHMWPE. While the armor does have gaps without Ceramic around the joints, the kevlar/UHMWPE covering provides very good protection, as we've seen with the Paris non-vital armor. The more miscellaneous pieces of kit include an armored gas mask built into the helmet, a basic monocular NVG, a rigging to carry a large generator among other things, on the back, an internal cooling  system (no heating system was made as it's already heavily insulated), and a "smartscope" that uses our universal scope rail connects with the MMI and beams a targeting reticule directly into the user's brain.
The RCBD/R is to be used as a hammer against enemy defenses, as it can eat far more punishment than a regular infantryman while being a far smaller target than a vehicle. It is to be accompanied by a support infantryman whose job is to carry all the miscellaneous stuff the Rig user needs carried.

[Vostok]

The Spartan is a simple, “jack of all trades” helicopter built by the Sierra Aircraft Corporation. Patterned after the "Huey" family of helicopters (SAC engineers categorically deny the allegation that they used Vietnam War films as inspiration for how to build a helicopter) and powered by a pair of plasma-reactor-heated turbines, the Spartan is a fairly straightforward helicopter design with a single main rotor and a tail rotor.

As introduced, it carries only a door gun patterned off of the SA-2 GPMG (longer, finned barrel in lieu of a quick-change barrel and a reinforced feed mechanism, for the most part) on either side and has space for fourteen passengers or an equivalent weight slung under the helicopter, but the design has provisions for further add-on kits for alternate functionality, such as rocket pods, additional machine guns, or future airborne radar systems should we come up with any. Because it was designed to serve as a general-purpose "first helicopter," the design was optimized primarily for reliability and cost to make sure it can be widely adopted from the onset. If engineering constraints permit, the helicopter should also seek to be the sort of thing that can land damn near anywhere, allowing for maximum versatility in combat.

Right now, the addon kits in development are the XM-3 and XM-4 helicopter armament subsytems. The former contains four 12-tube rocket launchers for a new 2.8" Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket, mounted two to a side on pylons that come with the subsystem, and a new reflex sight system for the pilot to aim and fire the rockets. The latter is an aerial-mounted triple-barrel PAMR modified for aerial use, mounted in a stabilized chin-turret. The turret is operated by the co-pilot, who operates the assembly with a CRT monitor and a joystick.

[m1895]

SA-5 PIR():
RCBD/R (1): M1895
MH-1 'Spartan' Helicopter (1): m1895

While I'm more than willing to vote for the Spartan as is, I'd like if some of the addons were included in the design proper, such as the rocket pods, and potentially PAMR gunpods.

[Vostok]

SA-5 PIR():
RCBD/R (2): M1895, Vostok
MH-1 'Spartan' Helicopter (2): m1895, Vostok

While I'm more than willing to vote for the Spartan as is, I'd like if some of the addons were included in the design proper, such as the rocket pods, and potentially PAMR gunpods.

Your wish is...granted.