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[Toaster]

Thunderhead is awesome- it has my full support.

For the ATV:  Butterfly  (It flits about and isn't dangerous in combat?)

[Taricus]

Why not "Thunderspear" for the APC instead? Also, make the roof on the ATV convertable and call it the "Windrider".

[Pandarsenic]

Yeah, it's class/model. You're gonna take at least another week to produce one of them. Two for the APC if you don't drop everything to make it.

Thunderhead seems like a pretty good choice. :3

Taricus: If you have a screwdriver, the roof is convertible.

[RAM]

I like the bob-sled idea, but I think that if we are using a magitech interface then the pilot may as well be lying in a comfortable position with all sensory data being supplied by the interface, so it really doesn't matter where they are looking. I would give it the ability to boost its engines so that it could jump to go over obstacles or to fire over cover. I would like two variants, a light one with high speed and shock weapons, say a mana grenade launcher and the magitech equivalent of a flame-thrower, and a heavy variant, with heavy armour and weapons, say a heavy machine gun and a specific anti-armour weapon, perhaps some sort of matter disruptor that would remove the surface of any object it interacted with. Ideally such a weapon would be compatible with convergent beams so that multiple weapons could collaborate to erode the armour of a single target.

[adwarf]

I suggest we begin researching lightly equipped Sentry Drones to help with defense, and patrol around the Shell. This will allow us to use our actual forces to flank an enemy , or quickly strike at their weak point while they are engaged with these drones, and they would also make good scouts since there is no risk of losing an actual soldier.

[Armok]

what RAM said

[RAM]

I could be wrong, but I do not believe that we have even the beginnings of the automation required to make autonomous weapons. It would raise ethical questions if we magically imbued something with independent mental processes, even simple ones... Not that I am currently against the idea...

[Pandarsenic]

Things to know:

Spoiler: Statblocks (click to show/hide)

"Thunderhead" Magitech APC This Magitech vehicle, described once as a hybrid of an A.P.C. and a pillbox, allows for up to eight foot soldiers on its right side, two on its left, and a heavy weapons troop on its left, to all fire from within the safety of its defenses. Its components are largely copied from the Thaumatank. Additionally, it has a Dual Thaumic Driver Unit installed at the front; it fires only directly ahead, and is mostly used for clearing space it intends to occupy. Requires a Driver to function. Created using 12 Parts.
-Stats
 = Attack 9*2 (Dual Thaumic Driver Unit, Directed Magic, fires two times per attack, Forward Arc 15 degrees, AP4): 5 + [STYLE:Magitech;] Level + [DOCTRINE:Superior Ranged Armament] Level
 = Defense 30: 20 + 5*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = Movement 24: 10+7*Doctrine:Mobility Level
 = Magic 30: 20 + 5*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = HP 100: 50 + 25*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = Morale 100: 20 + 40*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = Mana 34: Magic + 2*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
-Traits
 = STYLE: Magitech (Ranged attacks use no ammo, Attack stat scales with STYLE:Magitech; +2*[STYLE:Magitech] Level Armor Piercing on Thaumic Driver)
 = DOCTRINE: Mobility (Movement stat scales with DOCTRINE: Mobility)
 = DOCTRINE: Superior Ranged Armement (Ranged Attacks cause extra Morale damage, Attack stat scales with DOCTRINE:Superior Ranged Armament)
 = Vehicle (Is hit twice at doubled Attack value by Explosive damage type, size debuff to its chance to be hit, increases Morale and Morale Defense of attached units, causes Morale loss on death, gains Traits/Abilities/Stats based on crew)
 = Spacious (Can carry 35 units of Cargo [Food, Parts, Resources, etc.] and up to 16 foot soldiers plus its Driver)
 = Firing Ports (Up to 8 foot soldiers may fire from the right side; 2 foot soldiers and a heavy weapons soldier may fire from the left side; movement penalty is equal to half the unit's velocity, attack actions are performed as the foot soldiers' attacks, not the Thunderhead's)
= Power Transfer Units (Foot soldiers within the Thunderhead may use its Mana for their abilities or to increase their own mana reserves)
-Abilities:
 = Short Range Teleport (1 Mana, Move Action, Movement+[DOCTRINE:Mobility] Level Teleportation)
 = APC Mana Barrier (1 Mana per turn, Free Action to activate, activates automatically if attacked with sufficient mana, Magic Stat is added to Defense while active, negates enemy Armor Piercing while active)
 = Broadside (1 Mana, Attack action, allows right side or left side soldiers to fire)

"Paperback" Magitech Light Scout A less-than-impressively armed and armored scout craft not meant for direct confrontations, armed with a pair of fixed Light Thaumic Drivers. Requires a Driver to function. Created using 4 Parts.
-Stats
 = Attack 6*2 (Light Thaumic Drivers, Directed Magic, fires two times per attack, Forward Arc 15 degrees, AP2): 3 + [STYLE:Magitech;] Level + [DOCTRINE:Superior Ranged Armament] Level
 = Defense 4: 0 + 2*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = Movement 30: 10+10*Doctrine:Mobility Level
 = Magic 2: 0 + [STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = HP 20: 10*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = Morale 30: 10 + 10*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
 = Mana 6: Magic + 2*[STYLE:Magitech] Level
-Traits
 = STYLE: Magitech (Ranged attacks use no ammo, Attack stat scales with STYLE:Magitech; [STYLE:Magitech] Level Armor Piercing on Thaumic Driver)
 = DOCTRINE: Mobility (Movement stat scales with DOCTRINE: Mobility)
 = DOCTRINE: Superior Ranged Armement (Ranged Attacks cause extra Morale damage, Attack stat scales with DOCTRINE:Superior Ranged Armament)
 = Vehicle (Is hit twice at doubled Attack value by Explosive damage type, causes Morale loss on death, gains Traits/Abilities/Stats based on crew)
 = Direct Magitech Interface (This vehicle, designed for one person and giving little protection in and of itself, adds its users Defense Magic, HP, Morale, and Mana to its own, sharing those stats between itself and its Driver. Technically, the vehicle itself has no stats but attack and Movement - the other values are actually bonuses to the Driver's stats.)
-Abilities:
 = Scout Teleport (1 Mana, Free Action, Movement+[DOCTRINE:Mobility] Level Teleportation)
 = Personal Mana Barrier (1 Mana per turn, Free Action to activate, Magic Stat is added to Defense while active)

RULES UPDATE
Salvage: .1 Labor produces 4 Raw Materials, with every 1 Labor of Raw Materials Salvage producing an additional 1 Vehicle Part; alternatively, you may assign 1 Labor of dedicated Parts Salvage, which retrieves precisely 2 Parts for 1 Labor.
Factory: 1 Labor per week, 2 Resources to 1 Equipment (Up to 5 times per Factory per week) or 2 Resources to 1 Vehicle Part (Up to 5 times per Factory per week)

For those who don't like math, Salvaging Parts is about 146% 90% 73% as efficient as harvesting the materials and processing them. Producing them from scrap is better than just going "All right, no Foundries or Factories this week. Everyone Salvage!" on account of me realizing that you could exploit that (Parts gain rates from Salvage used to be substantially higher before I realized the abuse potential of ignoring the Foundries/Factories; dedicating Labor to Salvaging Parts was meant to supplement that, not strictly dominate it) to gain 16 Parts instead of 15 by just heading out and straight-up Salvaging everything in sight.

Gonna shower then probably gonna update first post before sleeping. If you guys want to give me some numbers on the distribution of your 10 Equipment now, go ahead and do that.

And if I fucked something up because I'm tired, let me know.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Not sure what's fucked up, but the 90% bit confuses me. If you salvage parts directly, 1 labor gives you 2 parts. If you just salvage stuff, 1 labor gives you 4 Raw Materials and 1 part, which you could convert to 2 parts at roughly 1.3 labor, at maximum efficiency. You spend 30% more labor gaining parts if you just salvage RM, so directly salvaging parts is roughly 23% more efficient than RM salvage... and now I'm sure I fucked the math up somewhere.

[RAM]

If batteries are possible, 4 equipment worth of batteries, otherwise add one scout.
One scout.
Convert remaining resources into parts and save them.

[Pandarsenic]

Not sure what's fucked up, but the 90% bit confuses me. If you salvage parts directly, 1 labor gives you 2 parts. If you just salvage stuff, 1 labor gives you 4 Raw Materials and 1 part, which you could convert to 2 parts at roughly 1.3 labor, at maximum efficiency. You spend 30% more labor gaining parts if you just salvage RM, so directly salvaging parts is roughly 23% more efficient than RM salvage... and now I'm sure I fucked the math up somewhere.

Eh, the numbers I got were off:
4 Labor (Salvaging Directly) gives 8 Parts [was 9 when I wrote down 90%]
4 Labor (Factory Use, counting the 1 Labor generating its own 1 Part and the 40 Raw Materials needed to run through 1 Foundry and 2 Factories) gives 11 Parts [Was 10 when I wrote down 90%]

Those particular numbers ended up getting killed because under those rules you were about as well off just harvesting Raw Materials with your spare Labor. Hurr hurr.

RAM: First, mana batteries are a misc. research you haven't done yet. This week was focused on vehicle technologies (also a good roll got you two). You didn't have awareness of the need for Parts at the beginning of the week so your Factories have been tooled for processing things into Equipment and already made 10 of that, but-

OH
OH
I remember something I knew I was forgetting. I'm starting you with 15 Parts salvaged from vehicle husks in and immediately around The Shell (mostly by stripping a former parking lot or three of whatever The Shell once was for anything that's still intact).

So you can make up to 3 Paperbacks or you can make a Thunderhead.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm pretty sure we can begin construction anytime, this isn't Starcraft. Give production orders for two Paperbacks, and get them started on a Thunderhead using the few leftover parts. They'll have enough work for the week doing that, and by then we'll have more parts. Once the PB's (PeeBees?) are done, assign one to each of our scout squads.

Btw, I find it amusing that levelling Magitek will increase the Paperback's natural defense more than the bonus it gains from Mana Barrier.

[Taricus]

Actually, Give the PBs to the reserve recruits. I'd rather see our squads mounted in Thunderheads.

[RAM]

We will probably want to redesignate our squads to better take advantage of the carrying capacity of various vehicles. Scout forces could consist of a Thunderhead and four Paperbacks, with some passenger-space on the Thunderhead left empty for extra supplies and storage of anything they want to retrieve. Combat Forces could have two Thunderheads and two Paperbacks, the Thunderheads loaded to the brim with combat forces...

It seems to me that our forces are very poorly equipped, we should probably promote as many as we can. I would like to see the bandits upgraded to a force of one officer and four commandos and it would be good the get them some experience. A well trained espionage unit could be a great asset. Otherwise I would like to see as few rookies on active duty as possible. The technology behind the Thunderhead offers great possibilities for machine gunners, so I would lean towards getting more of them than seems wise, but still aiming for more infantry.

So...
 1 raider commando
 4 magitech infantry (1 per squad)
 4 magitech machine gunners (1 per squad)
 1 equipment conserved.

 2 Paperbacks
 7 parts reserved

 5 parts refined next turn
 remaining production preserved for equipment.

[Toaster]

I don't see a Paperback or two making much of a difference in our abilities (four or five in a squad is another story.)  Why not go straight for the Thunderhead?  Get it up and running, and it can go around as the "party van" impressing all the local villages. 

"Check our sweet ride- look at it hover, teleport around, and protect our dudes from your small arms fire.  Don't you want to be on our team?"

Yes, the Thaumatank can do all that and blow holes in walls besides, but it can only be in one place at once, and it'd probably be a good idea to keep it somewhat close to the Shell.


Once that's done, we can build up parts to where we can get a whole squad of Paperbacks, and then send them out to scout more distant areas.