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Total Members Voted: 14

[Man of Paper]

Year 1916 A.C. Hot Season, Design Phase

Proposal: BSU Exoskeletal Combat Rig

BSU Exoskeletal Combat Rig
Abberan infantry tend to be more survivable than their Salviosi equivalents. That's fine, we can fix this easily. The BSU Exoskeletal Combat Rig is heavily based on the Avalanche and Mountain systems, being a low(er)-profile exoskeleton intended to provide additional mobility and durability to our soldiers. It is, however, much smaller than the Mountain suit as it is not built to allow the soldier to lift extra weight, but instead built to allow them to make longer or higher jumps, scale walls, or do other acrobatic things normally beyond the physical capabilities of an average human. This is all capable thanks to the Myomer system in the suit, powered by a smaller GavEngine than those in use on the Avalanche and Mountain, but more powerful for its size, capable of propelling the soldier inside much faster than a normal human.

The hands have steel climbing spikes (think larger ice-climbing picks) attached to the end of the exoskeleton at the wrists (The hands are not actually covered by anything, to allow for full dexterity and reduce complexity). These can be folded back to get them out of the way of the hands, and lock into place in either position. Steel spikes on the exoskeleton's boots allow for even more grip while climbing. Oh, and a really unpleasant kick.

This suit includes a vest, worn over the exoskeleton, of Caelium Steel plates to allow the user to survive hits from regular bullets to the torso, up to surviving hits from the Modea rifles at medium range (though bullets may still penetrate at much-reduced velocities at closer ranges). To save weight, no other regions of the body are protected and the protection is not really capable of stopping higher caliber weapons.

Since this is an update to the BSU, the basic BSU is not really modified except to move all the pouches and storage space to the outside of the protective vest (when it's worn), and the helmet is replaced with a Caelium Steel one thick enough to stop rifle rounds at point-blank range.

Difficulty: Theoretical
Result: 0 (2+1-3) = Utter Failure

We tried to make every single soldier better, faster, maybe not much stronger. But definitely better, anyways. What wound up happening was intervention from outside influences on the development of the suit affecting it terribly. Notably, multiple special councils were held in regard to the style, size, weight, and padding of the Caelium Steel Helmets. In fact, we had to go back to the drawing board so often that the helmets are all that got done. Better than nothing though, right?


Proposal: MLS-16 'Tectonic' [OFFENSIVE NATIONAL EFFORT

If at first you don't succeed, add more. More armor, more Myomers, more power, more guns, more strength, more everything. Especially more patriotic colors and gold leaf decorations. In order to deal with the problems of the enemy's armor, aircraft, and mere existence, we've developed a brand new way to kill them. The Tectonic is a six meter tall mechanized lifting suit. The "mechanized" refers to the fact that the operators are no longer directly controlling the suit with their own ear twitches motions. Instead, three operators are seated inside the roughly 2-meter-tall, 1.25-meter-deep, perfectly-padded pilot chamber. The vehicle's commander sits between, slightly above and slightly behind the driver and gunner. So named because the driver is responsible for operating the complicated controls that motorize the mech's legs and keep its torso aligned properly---a difficult task aided by a gyroscope that tells the driver how the mech is oriented relative to "up", and a powerful array of GravEngines that switch on when that gyroscope exceeds certain tilt limits, pushing the mech slowly but steadily back towards the vertical....at the cost of drawing power away from the Myomer systems while the GravEngines are active [i.e., until the driver hits the override switch].

The legs and torso of the mech are all protected in what is best described as "positively ludicrous" amounts of Caelium Steel armor. In fact it's capable of withstanding a hit or two in the same spot from our 150mm cannons. It can also survive one hit from the 105 at short range, but not many (if any) more than one without getting crippled. The left side is somewhat reinforced, such that if it is presented towards, say, an enemy mech, artillery battery, or flying battleship, it can survive measurably more than the right side before failing. This does, of course, mean that the left side is a little less mobile and not as well-armed as the right side can be.

The gunner's position is full of fun buttons, levers, and dials such that with a sufficient amount of twitchy control-tweaking one can operate the arms. The arms are similar, having a hand on the end, lots of armor (though the right side has only enough to resist 40mm tank-gun fire indefinitely, so about the 100mm of the Charybdis' original configuration. The left side carries the same scale of armor as the legs and torso), incredible strength due to the torso's massive GavEngine and lots of Myomers, and weapons. Yes, weapons. Build into the back of each hand is a set of linked SMGs, integrated in the left wrist is a GGG with lots and lots of ammo, and integrated into the right wrist is a set of two GGGs, each with as much ammo as the left-arm gun. However, this is not the limit of their combat ability: The fingers are solid Caelium Steel, and that is backed up with enough Myomer strength to physically rip apart their tanks, or use them as highly unreliable grenades (they'll explode if they hit hard enough, right?).

The torso is mostly just the GavEngine generator and crew space plus armor, but on top of the torso, instead of a head, is a set of periscopes for the commander, as well as periscopes for the gunner and driver as well. The driver gets only one facing forwards, as well as a cute little mini-mech on the "dashboard" in front of the driver and gunner, which moves and has the same position as the real thing does and is totally not just the first prototype mockup with some Myomers added due to careful engineering deserving of many paychecks. This allows the driver and gunner to figure out what's going on even if they can't see the mechs' legs or arms for any reason. The gunner has a good set of forwards-and-sideways-facing periscopes, while the commander gets 360* vision because that's literally his job.

Mounted on the legs are the proximity defensive systems. A few internal tanks and nozzles are marked with "flamethrower goes here" in case we ever develop one. Mounted on the outside are also a few simple Myomer joints, capable of wildly swinging a LAMB back and forth. No really, they just kinda randomly swing a hammer around to kill anyone who's trying to climb the suit or get close or whatever. The feet are, of course, made of solid steel and thus excellent for the kicking of powered-armored enemy faces, tanks, or small buildings which need to be removed from the mech's path.

The mech has hands, of course, and hands need weapons to hold. In particular, these hands make use of a set of mech-sized demolitions charges as hand grenades, and of course a rifle. A superb rifle, just like the Senapang, in fact... If the Senapang had been a bolt-action version of our 105mm Scylla artillery cannon, that is. The gunner has a specially made periscopic scope for use with the rifle at longer ranges, though it does require the rifle to be lined up in a specific way with the torso.

Coupled with a truly one-of-a-kind crew, a cardboard decoy "head" with some paper "people" decoy targets inside it, the Tectonic is absolutely capable of killing everyone that needs to be killed, in any way that said killing may need to happen, with style.

Difficulty: Normal
Result: 11 (6+5+0) = Masterwork

The Tectonic is a hulking armored walking suit that is piloted instead of worn, but the leap isn't so enormous. Three crew control the Mechanized Lifting Suit from within their customized, comfortable cockpit. The pilot controls movement of the Tectonic with the aid of a gyroscope and an array of GravEngines for alignment correction. The bulk of the Tectonic is covered in 100mm Caelium Steel armor plating, though the left side is designed to be used as a "shield" and as such is reinforced and protected by bulky armor nearly twice as thick. Two pairs of twin-linked SMGs are fired from ports sticking out of the back of each hand complemented by three GGG-12s (two in the right forearm, one in the left). Of note are the hardened Caelium Steel fingers capable of piercing and ripping through armor like tissue paper thanks to the backing of Myomer.

Placeholder tanks in the legs mark where future flamethrowers (subject to change) will be mounted to deter close-in infantry. We would include flailing myomer limbs randomly swinging LAMBs, however that idea is dumb and would only ever end up damaging the Tectonic.

The difficulty in this design comes almost solely from the "fine" manipulation required to use the fingers effectively. However thanks to a complex series of controls it is possible, and so the Tectonic is capable of using it's own unique weaponry. These consist of large demolition charges mounted on the vehicle as well as a large 105mm "rifle" linked to the ammunition stores in the back of the MLS. The rifle can be disconnected and put down/discarded/thrown.

Finally, and most importantly, a decoy "head" made of cardboard with decoy men of paper within is secured to the top.

The Tectonic is quite a sight to behold. It will always be considered a (NATIONAL EFFORT) and is considered an (OFFENSIVE DESIGN).


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


Due to the glory of the Tectonic (and the fancy helmet upgrade) we have diverted more resources to your efforts, granting you a second Revision this phase. Continue the good wor-

CRITICAL UPDATE

A series of massive explosions has rocked the north of Harren City. It seems those cowards decided to blow the bridges once they pulled back! Surely this is a sign that they fear our might!


IT IS NOW THE REVISION PHASE.

[Taricus]

Revision: Fortify Harren
Using the abilities of our Mountain suits, we rapidly fortify the city of Harren, including the repairs to the bridges if possible (Just to flip Abbera the bird). Abbera shall never step foot in the city again!

TBC-16 "Doomfire" Tactical Bomber Whilst the Charybdis rules the skies, it currently suffers from a split purpose, along with our Perahudara's being threated by their anti-air airships. To this end we plan to concoct a far greater threat in the skies than ever before. By replacing the top cannon with a 40mm gun, the weight saved goes to increasing the armour back to the original specifications of 100mm on the bottom and 80mm on top. The most radical change is the removal of the bottom turret and it's replacement with a bomb bay, paired with 5 kilogram gavrilium bombs developed as an oversized M2 grenade head (To the point if looking like elongated and oversized grenade heads).

With the intent of being used against stationary or slow-moving targets (Read; just about everything outside of Abbera's Gendarme Tank), the doomfire and it's payload is determined to be an effective and terrifying weapon against Abbera, as there's no defence against a mass of molten gavrilium being dropped upon you, especially en-masse.

[NUKE9.13]

I feel like the fact that Abbera blew the bridges is a pretty clear indicator that they aren't planning a counterattack on Harren this turn- so there's no rush to fortify it, I feel.

Anyway, we need this:

Portable Gatling Guns:
Frontline reports complain about a lack of gun. We need more gun.
In terms of weight, there is no reason an Avalanche trooper couldn't wield even a GGG-12- and that's before we replace any parts with Caelium Steel (which we will be doing, just to make things even easier). All that needs to be changed is the addition of two handles on top with trigger and fire-rate-adjuster, replace the belt feed with a large-capacity drum magazine, and bam, you got yourself a weapon that costs $400,000 to fire for twelve seconds can be used on the move to mow down anything with less armour than a tank in mere moments. These variants will be named the GGG-12P and LGG-12P. Bipods will still be provided for the 12P variants, allowing for more accurate fire when mobility is not a priority. An Avalanche trooper wielding one should carry at least one spare drum with them.
In fact, particularly burly soldiers not wearing an Avalanche may even be able to wield the LGG-12P... though they would be doing so at their own risk.

[Madman198237]

GGG-15/LGG-15
That's right, we've finally made a gun for people in power armor. And what a gun it is, it's brand new, it's---wait no, sorry. The GGG-15 and LGG-15 are the same as their respective counterparts, except with identical modifications (hence why we applied them to both guns). A hand grip is added to the top of the gun since the spinning barrels are probably not a good place to grab, a box is made to hold 300-round belts and hung off the side of the weapon, and a trigger is added so that the gun can be fired by an Avalanche carrying it.

SGG-15
The Sub-Gatling Gun is an electrically-powered variant of the SMG-12 run off of an Avalanche's power source (it's a small motor, after all), with an absolutely huge 100-round magazine and all the reliability fixes of the SMG-12a. Oh, and the sights. We're told those are important, though trials suggest that enough bullets downrange will eventually hit any target and so we're a little doubtful on the necessity of the sights. Anyway, it gives people in power armor a way to shoot everything full of so many holes that it stops functioning, and to do so in true rotary-weapon style.

Just grabbed the two previous Avalanche weapon revisions I had suggested, though Nuke's seems to be a little more actually written-out.

[NUKE9.13]

Before we choose what revision(s) we want to do, I think we should probably nail down what our strategic objectives are gonna be this turn. Like, if we plan on crossing the straits at all (be that at Harren or in the mountains), then we should probably upgrade the Perahudara (we saw how its poor performance hobbled our invasion last turn). If we'd prefer to try to retake the Savannah (which I personally think is unlikely to work out; they beat us on the defensive last turn, and that was before they had a foothold), then we should probably develop tech more suited to the open terrain. If we'd prefer to forgo invasions altogether (which honestly might be the play), then something that bolsters our defences would be best. Also, some people want to use a revision to fortify Harren, arguing that Abbera blowing the bridges might be a cunning ploy to bolster their chances of retaking the city by reducing their ability to attack the city.

Whatever we do, portable gatling guns- I don't see a major difference between my proposal and Madman's, other than mine using Caelium- are a must. The lack of highly portable heavy(ish) weapons was one of our main disadvantages last turn.

[Taricus]

They also used two attacks last turn, something they're unlikely to try this turn. If we grab the bomber charybdis and that turns out well, we'll have the perfect weapon to drive them back into the sea whence they came.

[Madman198237]

I just copied it over for the sake of having it since it was written and in the same place as the far more classy SMG-15 proposal


Anyway, kindly cut down on the crap about them attacking versus not attacking Harren. You are being immensely disdainful without actually having a reason to be that way.

Furthermore, they're likely to be attacking on the Savannah, so their large defensive advantages are meaningless. We managed to take Harren against their defending troops last time and we failed an immensely difficult mountain assault last turn. Not surprising. This does not mean we can't break their hold on OUR land, nor does it reflect the reality of the situation----they'll likely be attacking the Savannah, possibly a double attack to try and duplicate their success. Going on the offensive there and only there would likely allow us to push them out especially if we upgrade our power armor soldiers' firepower.

[Powder Miner]

It seems to me like a good idea to fortify Harren this turn even if they aren’t attacking, since we have two revisions to spend and all.

[NUKE9.13]

Anyway, kindly cut down on the crap about them attacking versus not attacking Harren. You are being immensely disdainful without actually having a reason to be that way.

Fair enough, yeah. I was restating my point here for any (hypothetical) non-Discord players, but I'll drop the snark now.

Anyway, even though the fight in the Savannah was close last turn, I still don't fancy our chances there. Last turn they had the considerable disadvantage of performing a naval invasion, whereas this turn they have a beachhead from which to fight, including (I think?) our former fortifications. And whilst we suspect that their NE design went poorly (leading to the second revision), we have no reason to believe that their regular design went as poorly as ours, and I would guess that whatever it is, it will help them in the Savannah. Victory in the Savannah would have to rely primarily on the strength of the Tectonic.
Actually, that reminds me, the Tectonic is an Offensive thing. So I guess it works exclusively/best on the attack? Maybe we should attack the Savannah.

[Twinwolf]

I don't think fortification level works against the owner of the territory until they fully lose control.

[Madman198237]

The first turn it does not matter, by the GM, they'll fight SOMEWHERE, where we do not get to decide.

Evidently, uniform changes are going to be difficult. Best to have something to go off of, then, before attempting one.

ECR-15 'Mountaineer'
After a rousing round of firings and several dozen internal efficiency reviews, it has now been concluded that multiple padding-system review committees working on the same design are unpatriotic and inefficient. Since the helmet is done anyway, several more reviews were held and concluded that this procedure is also inefficient for all other pieces of equipment.

While Corporate was bashing heads together with their declining profit margins due to lost exoskeleton sales, the Engineering Board successfully managed to produce a version of the Mountain suit that is geared towards mobility, rather than lifting capacity. It's not an alteration to the basic uniform, but it should be capable of meeting the mobility goals of the BSU ECR proposal: Enhanced user speed, strength, climbing ability, etc. It does not include any of the extras of the original proposal, and is thus merely an alteration of existing technology. It is hoped that the fact that the user now has external bones of steel will allow them to use a modified LGG/GGG-12 as a weapon should that be put into production, and sufficient strength is retained in the suit to allow that. Reductions in size due to reduced lifting capacity are expected but not an actual goal of the process.

I imagine this should be doable quite easily as a revision, it will also be advantageous and set us in a position where we may be able to try the uniform redesign again, Soon^tm.

[dgr11897]

Salviosi Jacks and other defensive measures:
These simple anti vehicle traps are composed of three 2.1 meter long metal I beams bolted together forming a shape akin to that of a jack. Virtually impervious to explosives, and capable of denying enemy hover transports from unloading troops, preventing them from moving through an area at all by threatening to maul their undersides. These simple devices should prevent the enemy from employing motorized elements in urban environments or anywhere we have had a chance to set them up. Beyond that, the mass produced I beams could be used to shore up field fortifications, and the time we will have left over after making the jacks can be put towards creating another defensive measure, incendiary mines based off of our M2 dispersion mines, to be placed FAAARRR away from our troops and anything we value.

[Powder Miner]

Did some thinking. I don't think that we should focus much on pushing this turn, since our main attempt to surpass the advantages that handed them our asses everywhere but Harren turned to absolute shit. Instead, I think we should work on buttoning up this phase and the strategy phase and slowing them down, in preparation for attempting again to turn the tide next turn. I also think that South Peaks is a pretty ripe and vulnerable spot -- they did very well in the rough terrain this turn, and South Peaks both has rough terrain and the same level of fortification as the Savannah did. If they elect to push across the strait again, the South Peaks are looking pretty fucked. Unlessss we slap a revision on it, then we may well be able to slap their shit over there. We still want to slow them down elsewhere, though, and we can mess with their vehicles and, importantly, their troop transports (they hover but czech hedgehogs are pretty big and their undersides are EXPLICITLY vulnerable). Thusly I'd suggest the following:

Fortify the South Peaks: (1) Powder Miner
Salviosi Jacks: (1) Powder Miner

[dgr11897]

Looks good

Fortify the South Peaks: (2) Powder Miner, DGR
Salviosi Jacks and other defensive measures: (2) Powder, DGR Miner

[NUKE9.13]

When the GM practically puts up a neon sign saying "MAKE PORTABLE GATLING GUNS", you follow that advice.

For our second revision... I could agree with fortifying the South Peaks with our fortification action, but I don't think there's a need to spend a revision.
I could be swayed to support a number of different revisions, but for now I'll park my vote on the groundwork-laying Mountaineer.

Fortify the South Peaks: (2) Powder Miner, DGR
Salviosi Jacks and other defensive measures: (2) Powder, DGR Miner
Portable Gatling Guns: (1) NUKE9.13
ECR-15 'Mountaineer': (1) NUKE9.13