Print Page - Desolation: Arms Race Against Extinction

Discord Link (https://discord.gg/sXzy4Ca)
Elorius Dynast Forum Thread (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=174995.msg8051998#msg8051998)
Phoziris Shard Forum Thread (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=174994.msg8051997#msg8051997)
This is the Core Thread, for general discussion between people on different teams or Observers, rules updates, and more. For actual gameplay or team-only talk, visit the appropriate team thread.
If you're new to Arms Races but are unfamiliar, read through the rules spoilers on the bottom, pick a team, and start participating in their thread; please don't read or otherwise participate in the other team's thread. Looking at their thread's OP to decide which team is okay, however.

What is Desolation: Arms Race against Extinction? It is an arms race that consists of two polities of an alien species fighting against each other in the graveyard of their once star-faring civilization. It is inspired by multiple sources (Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, METRO 2033, ChiefWaffles Mad Arm Race, Madman's Interplanetary Arms Race), This fight was only small-time until exactly one Cycle ago, where both sides had found a cache of Pre-Collapse Technology “first”, and fought each other violently to confirm that fact. Now they steel their might against each other for an honest-to-stars war. This means there is a push for a hot-shot R&D team to propel their side to victory, which is where you come in.

Technological miracles long lost are now ready to be unearthed and rediscovered, to be used as one would use a particularly sharp rock; to kill and destroy the enemy. Where “standard” technological advancements fail, more esoteric, strange methods may succeed. The burning of Niria has left some twisted realities behind ready to be exploited.

Spoiler: Lore Primer (click to show/hide)

We were Yaerians, a species united, but now we are of two, separate, irreconcilably hostile groups, forever encapsulated in a war that will only end in the imperialistic conquest of another, or worse.

We are the Elorius Dynast. We hailed from the sky, when our wondrous fleet was grounded by the harrying Enemy, and forced to churn our fabricators for the service of the planet, or fight in the void outmatched and alone. The Phoziris seek to shackle us to this world for their own petty ambitions. We are the reason why this world is not a glass ball, and we want to leave this world towards a better future, with or without the Phoziris. We have the rightful authority of the greater Yaerian Directorate, as given to us by the autonomic remnants of the positronic AI that kept our was-fleet alive.

We are the Phoziris Shard. We are the inheritors of the millions of square kilometers that was once a planet-wide polity. This dirt was once ours, but it will no longer contain us. We seek to leave this world for better pastures, but the Dynast seek to stop us at all costs, to chain us to this world forever for their own petty grievances, but we will leave, with or without them at our side. We have the rightful authority of the greater Yaerian Directorate, as given to us by the autonomic remnants of the Positronic AI that once ran this world

Each team will start with 1 Minerals and 2 Energy.
Minerals represent your capacity to utilize on-site resources in the manufacturing process.
Energy represents your capacity to power devices, or otherwise commit to power-intensive tasks (polymers, recycling centers, etc )

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Starter Designs

Spoiler: Phoziris Designs (click to show/hide)

Transportation Capacity: 0
Resources: 1 Minerals, 2 Energy

Weapons
Salvaged Weaponry: Most scouts and some veteran personnel managed to get their hands on hand-crafted or pre-annihilation weapons that use a variety of methods of delivery. Logistics for these variable effectiveness weapons will be a headache until a standardized loadout is made. A vast majority of these weapons are lovingly crafted by the scavengers, and as such are chemically accelerated. The few energy weapons in this mix are terrifying examples of what was our might, but we do not yet have the technological nor industrial might to recreate them, or even put them back together if we dismantle them. (N/A)

Misc. Equipment
Survivalist uniform: Our troops are issued all the equipment they need to, in theory, survive the toxic air and deadly cold of some parts of the city. Given in the form of whatever can be found, but the standard is a gas mask and a coat in our colors, a green-ish.

Infrastructure

ProtoBatteries: Batteries that were reclaimed from civilian equipment and recharged from the nearest power generator and carried over to where it is needed There is no power grid, only a courier network. To say unreliable is an understatement. (1 Energy)

Mag-Lev Station: A single station in the Cleared Metropolis is the most civilian authorities are willing to give to move the troops out, as they are not willing to risk the singular mag-lev train that runs throughout the city. It will not run if the Cleared Metropolis is contested. Every day, they battle with the licensed part requirements and incredible maintenance tasks that are required to keep it running, by the simple virtue that almost every single component is a DRM-Licensed/ fabbed part, meaning that jury-rigging is required until our fabricator is loaded with the proper license.

~~Schedule 1 Fabricator~~: One of the simplest fabricator designs in existence that was looted from the cache, Schedule 1 Fabricators are able to create simple devices on a large scale without configuring. Their black-box nature precludes us from tampering without a mythical Yaerian Official present- if they exist at all. Our licenses include objects standard for survival in the cities, as well as basic industrial technology. Low throughput means that smaller items can be produced in larger batches, and our industry is using it to bootstrap themselves into a higher power. For reference, it is the size of a large semi-truck, and it is perhaps the most advanced device we own.[/s]

Spoiler: Elorius Designs (click to show/hide)

Transportation Capacity: 0
Resources: 1 Minerals, 2 Energy

Weapons
Salvaged Weaponry: Most scouts and some veteran personnel managed to get their hands on hand-crafted or pre-annihilation weapons that use a variety of methods of delivery. Logistics for these variable effectiveness weapons will be a headache until a standardized loadout is made. A vast majority of these weapons are lovingly crafted by the scavengers, and as such are chemically accelerated. The few energy weapons in this mix are terrifying examples of what was our might, but we do not yet have the technological nor industrial might to recreate them, or even put them back together if we dismantle them. (N/A)

Misc. Equipment
Survivalist uniform: Our troops are issued all the equipment they need to, in theory, survive the toxic air and deadly cold of some parts of the city. Given in the form of whatever can be found, but the standard is a gas mask and a coat in our colors, a Purple-ish coloration.

Infrastructure
ProtoBatteries: Protobatteries is the terminology for Batteries stolen from the civilian network or salvaged from the ruins. They are currently recharged from civilian infrastructure or from the failed grid and jury-rigged into any-would be military equipment. To say unreliable is an understatement. (1 Energy)

~~Schedule 1 Fabricator~~: One of the simplest fabricator designs in existence that was looted from the cache, Schedule 1 Fabricators are able to create simple devices on a large scale without pre-configuration. Their black-box nature precludes us from tampering without a mythical Yaerian Official present-- if they exist at all. Our licenses include objects standard for survival in the cities, as well as basic industrial technology. Low throughput means that smaller items can be produced in larger batches, and our industry is using it to bootstrap themselves into a higher power. For reference, it is the size of a large semi-truck, and it is perhaps the most advanced device we own.[/s]

Sky-Thread Base: One of the “lesser” achievements of our species exists in our territory, the amputated space-elevator is in the center of what was once the world's largest mercantile sector. Although the miracle of the thread is long gone, it’s surrounded by dozens of armatures and cargo unloading hardware that has been jury-rigged into transportation inbetween the jagged buildings of the Elorious.

Spoiler: Arms Race Basics (click to show/hide)

An Arms Race game is a 2-team "suggestion" game about designing new weapons, items, and other objects for your nation's military. These designs will be routinely compared to the other team's arsenal in Battle Reports. The game is split into three phases:

Phases
A turn (0.25th of a cycle) is divided into phases. The Battle Report, at the end of the Battle Phase, takes place starting at the beginning of the next cycle.
1.) Design Phase: In the Design phase, everyone on a team can submit proposals for new designs, and vote for one (and only one) design to be submitted. This chosen design then has a set of dice rolled in order to determine how well the R&D of this design goes. Depending on how high the dice result is (more on this in the "2d4 System: Rolls & Design/Revision Difficulty" spoiler), the submitted proposal will result in a design of varying usefulness. Designs are practically anything new to your military.
2.) Revision Phase: In the Revision phase, everyone on the team can submits revision proposals and vote for one to be submitted - this phase is identical to the Design Phase in every way but what you can do with your proposal. Revisions are exactly that - revisions. They're modifications to existing technology or designs. Revisions can tweak or improve designs, fix flaws, or even introduce new variants of designs. Revisions don't have to be modifications of existing Designs - they can be based on any technology your nation has, whether or not it's listed as a Design.
3.) Battle Phase: This is where you wait to receive the Battle Report, which details the impacts of your designs, how combat is played out in various regions, and the gaining/losing of any territory. This all depends on what designs you have - different terrain has different impacts on your designs' effectiveness.

Combat & Control
In the Battle Phase, the different areas of your soldiers fight in are represented as Regions - different parts of the "continent" which are strategically important for whatever reason. Regions are organized in lanes, indicated by the blue lines in the map. In order to begin assaulting a region, a nation must have complete control of the previous region in the same lane. Regions are internally divided into four zones each, representing how much control if it each nation has. Winning in a region advances your control over it by one zone.
The Cities, District Six and Seven, are unique types of regions in that they only have two zones. But as soon as a nation loses their city, they lose the game.

Spoiler: Expense & Resources (click to show/hide)

Almost literally copy-pasted from Chief Waffles Mad Arms Race. His system works well.

Most pieces of equipment have a resource cost, expressed in Mineral and Energy. For examples, see the starting equipment below. Minerals represent the total amount of mining or salvaging effort which an item costs and Energy represents the energy required to create or use it. If something is big or uses rare metals, it will have a high Mineral cost. If something burns a lot of fuel, or uses very complex manufacturing processes or requires an excess of electricity or logistical power to field it, then it will have a high energy cost. Costs represent what is needed to supply your entire army, roughly 20,000 men. This means that prices given might be for 20,000 rifles, 5000 motorcycles with sidecars, or 500-1000 tanks or planes, or even a couple of ships.

Your nation has limited resources: A city (representing the area around it) starts with 2 Minerals, 1 Energy, and enough of what may be called wood to not be requisitionally insignificant. You can gain resources by taking certain sections of the map then holding them for one turn without losing ground, or from acquiring it from more esoteric means. The map spoiler describes the resources available. If a design costs resources which you don't have, it becomes expensive, and can't be issued to everybody. The total amount of resources a design costs more than you have is called the Resource Deficit. A design with no resource deficit is Cheap, this means it can be issued to every soldier, or as often as your generals decide is tactically sensible. A resource deficit of up to 2 makes a design Expensive, meaning it can only be issued to officers, or 1 in 10 men. A resource deficit of 3-5 makes a design Very Expensive, available to only about 1 in 100 men. A resource deficit of 6-9 makes a design a National Effort, you can only field one at a time - so this is only worthwhile if it's something like an enormous battleship, a nuke, or mecha-godzilla. A resource deficit of 10 or more is Theoretical, and cannot actually be built. Some technologies are Complex, being new and difficult to manufacture, and designs featuring them become one level more expensive. Consider expenses when planning your designs! If you lose access to resources, any designs which become more expensive will immediately see the effects - equipment which doesn't have enough fuel and spare parts will need to be decommissioned.

There are also Special Resources. Currently, none exist, but as designs grow more and more outlandish, they may begin requiring newly-unearthed resources from the map or ones provided by designs/revisions with the intent of providing that resource. Your new autonomous drones may end up requiring salvaged AI cores, a new resource. It may pop up as a resource in one of the regions, or it may require a design - like an AI-signal scanner - to be acquired.

You have a limited Transport Capacity (Note: You have 0 TC at the beginning) which determines how much resources you are capable of claiming from other territories you control. Your TC is given from the single vehicle each in air, ground, underground(railway), and water which gives the highest TC. Your homeland's resources do not consume transport capacity

Spoiler: 2d4 System: Rolls & Design/Revision Difficulty (click to show/hide)

This system is ~~ripped off~~ largely based off of Chief Waffles Mad Arms Race (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=168351.0). (Aratam is better by the way.)

The results of designs and revisions are decided by the use of two four-sided die (or "2d4") yielding in a result in the range of 2-8. This allows for a bit less common extremes, meaning you won't commonly have your designs become completely useless.
Roll (Probability): Result
2 (1/16): Utter failure. You get nothing except the knowledge of what not to do.
3 (1/8): Buggy mess. Whilst you managed to make something, it isn't really usable.
4 (3/16): Below average. It works. Not especially well, but it works.
5 (1/4): Average. You get what you asked for, more or less.
6 (3/16): Above average. It works, and somewhat better than might be expected. Statistically, at least.
7 (1/8): Superior craftsmanship. It does its job and it does it perfectly. Its performance is exceptional and it is as reliable as clockwork.
8 (1/16): Unexpected boon. Not only does it work, but it does things you never even expected it to. If no 'bonus features' make sense, then you just get experience with some related field.

Every design and revision is assigned a Difficulty when they're rolled. Difficulties assign a modifier (+/- #) to the roll, changing the effective result. The following is a list of the difficulties, their modifiers, and when they usually pop up. This is a very rough guide as the situations surrounding designs & revisions cannot be predicted.

Trivial (+2): Actions where no notable challenges, small or big, are solved. Often assigned to actions based on using existing established (non-theoretical) knowledge in a new but not unusual way.
Easy (+1): Actions where some minor challenge is found.
Normal (+0): Actions often involving new concepts or technology and progress in the field, but no major breakthroughs are intended.
Hard (-1): Actions often entirely involved in entirely novel concepts, but that have a decent foundation and basis in current knowledge.
Very Hard (-2): Actions where you have some idea of what you're doing, but are largely attempting to play with things you don't understand.
Ludicrous (-3): Actions where you have no idea what you're doing but that are theoretically possible given your current knowledge

Impossible is another difficulty which means failure no matter what the roll is. High rolls on an Impossible design may result in experience towards whatever you were trying to do.

Reserved.

I'll join Phoziris.

The Elorius will rule the skies again!

Ptw

The Shards of an ancient era ascend once more.

after a small think tank session, I've decided to remove the Fabricators designs on both sides, because a few members on the discord pointed out a couple situations that would change the tone of the game I want.

A clarification on the Space-Elevator Cable: While the cable was once capable of extreme tensile strength, it is no longer the super material it once was. Most, perhaps or all of it has decayed into the equivalent of a modern strand utilized for bowstrings (strength per strand = 45.5 kg (100 lb), stretch = 1.0%) This decay was caused by a combination of a lack of maintenance: The strands required a periodic maintenance to retain its super-properties, and the complex structure was vulnerable to the radiation given off by thermonuclear detonations, of which there were many on Naira.

I would say that the Protobattery stores from 1x to 2x times the power of a modern nonrechargeable Chemical battery while still being rechargeable. This variance is due to the massive variation in quality and composition of these batteries, but they still use advanced technology to be assembled. However, there is no standardization among them, and an unreliability will stem from them.

Going to join the Elorious Dynasty.

Phozirus For me

Phozirus will take our rightful place on other worlds!

Joining the Elorius Dynasts!

Event: Machines of the Ancients

In the depths of the Arcology, there are only two constants.

Everyone is surrounded by the detritus of a building that had once encompassed an entire land, and walls, ceilings and trappings of a crumbled civilization are always present.
Everyone avoids Battle-Frames.

They are silent, varied in purpose and always merciless.

Sometimes, they take on the form of a massive, byzantine war-machine, with counter-measure after countermeasure on top of a mountain of guns and armor, which walks the land and burns anything that dares to stir.

Other times, they are the knives that gleam in the darkness.

Regardless, Their presence often signals the beginning and end of combat.

Your respective hierarchies have politely, firmly requested that the development of equipment that subvert this, and too keep combat going regardless of the presence of these horrific machines.

You are given one [1] additional design to create something to battle the Battle-Frames influence on the battle-field. There are quite a few types of BattleFrames, from gigantic killing machines, flying drones of both RECON and lethal varieties, “Infantry” units, automated turrets, as well as other more obscure systems.

Hacking of any form will not work. Disabling a Battle-Frame usually results in reinforcements being called. In a few cases, there has been the deployment of either over-the-horizon munitions or orbital weapons being deployed. They usually patrol the same routes, although they sometimes dynamically route around obstacles or call in for engineering support if it requires it. The Metro Authority has its own brand of battle-frames which it uses to keep its slice of pie in the city running.

Sometimes, they sing a curious little melody on tinny speakers, with words entirely of the old language.

The winner, the best design for avoiding these machines will get a design credit for [Exosuits & Robots]. Winners will be decided by the beginning of the next Design Phase, The Design that is witht he most votes will be entered.

Result

Elorius’s Entry

Quote from: Doubloon-Seven

It is noted that, despite their generally omnicidal tendencies, Battleframes will not attack certain others. Our limited radio capabilities have partially revealed why. A pair of "friendly" BFs are constantly emitting signals in the electromagnetic spectrum to each other, a "call" signal, and a "response" one. It is thought that this communication prevents fighting between forces that, long ago, were on the same side.

Through the ~~courageous~~ action of some scouts armed with scavenged radios and recording devices, we've started to collate a library of these call and response signals. To use these, we've scavenged a supply of what are thought to be pre-conflict entertainment devices, which have been carefully modified to passively listen for our registered BF "calls". If one should be received, a corresponding response will be transmitted over a short-range transmitter.

In this manner, a BF can be fooled into not shooting at a soldier, though this is dependent on the BF's particular "call" being registered.

Difficulty: Normal
Result: [2+3] → 5 Average (Not a repeat.)

A last-ditch gadget, and the Best Friend of our personnel, the IFF Ping Emitter is simply a salvaged receiver radio attached to a transmitter and programmed with the most modern variation of the IFF pings that the Battle-Frames emit. While standard Yaerian Doctrine insists that the IFF signals and digital encryptions are constantly updated by Yaerian Command Elements and later Grave-Mind Command Systems, it seems that particular structure has collapsed, and has reverted to tried and true mutating broadband call signals that propagate throughout the network about a dozen times over a period of a cycle.

In simple terms: we can mimic a “true” frequency call using our radios and a Battle-Frame will not shoot at us, provided it is not actively committing a reprisal action on our troops or doing anything warranting an in-depth scan. It’s not particularly complicated to deploy, but the difficulty of replicating \ the emissions of a Battle-Frames IFF signal is hard, and stars help you if you send a Battle-Frames own IFF ping at it. The signal division that haunts Battle-Frames to copy their IFFs hasn't come up with a name, and operations command is hounding them for one right now, which you can probably provide, seeing as you are their direct superior.

[Expensive, Complex]

Spoiler: Heirophant Battle-Frame (click to show/hide)

”Delta to Operation Command, Witnessing Elorius broad-band Scouts, moving into Sector 8, Nearing Landmark “High Sphere of Echos”, Emergency Radio broadcast is as follows: Battle-Frame Activity is confirmed, moving onto Elorious position in attack pattern: Over, Battle-Frame is tagged as Small Bipedal, Heavy Pattern.”

With the Radio transmission sent, the squad leader of the Phozirus quickly packed up his salvaged radio equipment into a neat backpack, handing it off to his technician and adjusting his goggles for but a moment, and observed the battlefield from high up, happy to witness a bunch of Elorious bastards gets slaughtered.

Perched in the shattered spines of a Sky-Scraper, his radio transmission would hopefully not be intercepted by any flyers or he was in for a really bad day, but Command needed to hear this, lest they send in a patrol to run into another conflict they didn’t need, not yet.

Looking down below, he saw it.

The Battle-Frame, All battered up with more than half of its left side crippled by what appeared to have been a truly catastrophic artillery shot, it’s shielding systems flickered, occasionally dipping from the ultraviolet into a shimmering purple haze.it was walking forward, its target clearly made out for him to see.

A set of Elorious shepherds, explorers or scouts, clearly non-militarized judging from the lack of weapons were setting up some sort of way station, clearing out a small building and filling it with supplies for their army to push forward into the city.

The mechatronic system stepped forward with the grace of a lumbering tree, and its footfalls made itself known long before it crested over the hill as it was much louder than the din of the silent cityscape.

The machine had them dead to rights, as all of its guns were pointed in their directions heating up to fire with a low throbbing sound, like an aching wound to the ears that was easily apparent to those on he ground.

Some shouting was heard, and the mech stood there and watched for only a brief moment, long enough to acquire a target and it to its profiling system and turning straight around.

Ti’s trudge was much more of a stride than anything else, it’s guns reorienting to point up, and up and up until he saw the little black inside of each of them…

“Oh by the Directors dead mummy, we gotta get out, Void be damned. ARIUS!”

Arius was setting up a machine gun emplacement when he was yelled at, turning to his squad leader, “Squad lead! I hav--”

“BATTLEFRAME BEARING ON OUR POSITION, LEAVE THAT THING BEHIND, MOVE!”
After only a couple seconds of its fast approach, the mech began to fire its cannons upon the top of the broken spire, a confirmed target in its sights. Each shot it fired blew through the building before erupting through the ceiling of the structure, as it was loaded with armor piercing slugs for its guns.

Phoziris’s Entry

Quote from: TricMagic on December 21, 2019, 10:00:42 am

3D Maneuver Gear

The 3D Maneuver Gear. It's made up of a combination of titanium-EIA alloy and carbonweave fibers, attached to vibration blades. These are powered by a small pack with MAB, and by sending a current down the cable, the vibration blades will slip out or into objects with quite some ease. Used properly, this allows movement in Three Dimensions. The blades themselves are also titanium, with diamond tooling and a serrated edge that sticks into a target. They also double as a weapon that when activated, can go through stone, iron, and steel to a degree.

The main movement is launching one of the four blades with your hand, with the cable extending. The vibrating blade sticks into the target, and then the cables can be retracted. Sending another current down the blade and retracting it further brings the blade out of the target. Control of these four weapons are down with the harness, with certain movements triggering different blades and cables.

3D Maneuver Gear is complex, but with buildings all around it makes for a devastating movement option able to outpace and lead Battleframes into enemy lines, or escape them. Though do to the training involved, those who can use them is also limited. It's also an option to lead Battleframes away entirely before retreating beyond their ability to follow. Needless to say, it also comes with titanium light plate armor with carbonweave vests and pants, though helmets are not included since it is necessary to be able to see around you.

3D Maneuver Gear
Difficulty: Normal
Result: [1+3 → 4 Below average

A very light maneuvering package, the 3D Maneuver gear works as advertised, with equipped soldiers who are trained in the package able to quickly maneuver around urban environments by allowing a user to almost instantly place climbing hook into any solid surface and retract themselves to it, our forces are able to maneuver incredibly fast and do stunts that most personnel would find impossible. Combined with our burgeoning network, this means that our forces have an immense superiority in outmaneuvering all ground forces barring few exceptions. While the systems are not very complicated in the end, the industrial processes that make them are energy-intensive to produce, and some of the materials are hard to source, making it Expensive. Special training means that only special forces are able to equip these systems., but the possibility of lesser troops equipping these systems is still possible:Light incursions into Black Zones are possible, as most threats are on the ground.
[Expensive, 3 Minerals, 3 Energy, Complex]

The evacuation was short, quick, and especially violent, as the machinegun emplacement was thrown off the building and promptly destroyed by a bolt of fire from the mechatronic system bearing down on them.

The building made a horrible, horrible roar as it was always about to give, and the huge-bore rounds entering taking out entire load-bearing walls every second was the one thing that was gonna make it give.

zip, echoed just barely over the din of a building collapsing as the Phoziris’s 3D maneuvering gear activated and the small group barely jumped to the next building, the rope pulling them such that they’d fall through a window, with only a hard landing that broke bones instead of killing them.

“Vi’Damn. Arius, Xurk, Yuriel, status report, and keep moving, on the double.”

“You didn’t have to toss my gun out the window.”

“I know, when that building collapses it’s gonna probably stop shooting, but just in case, do not expose yourself to it, not even with a curtain in the way, it can probably see through bloody walls”

Slowly, methodically, they regrouped together as they went down floor by floor, nearing the point where they can safely leap to another building without breaking bones this time.

Everyone was all sorts of hurt, with only Arius escaping with a broken thumb. Altogether, a broken arm, leg, ribs, and dislocation was all afflicted at least once to each soldier.

But they all got out, and that is what matters.

Event Winner:
Elorius

The IFF Pulse emitter had more direct use for civilian personnel, and thus helped out the initiatives in pushing forth civilization onto the wastelands and side-stepping Battle-Frame operations than the 3D maneuvering gear, which was complicated and specialized for special forces use.

Hello Elorious R&D Team,
High Command has been tracking down this particular mech for a whole quarter-cycle now. After it’s particular, performance in sector 8, it has been noted as one of the few frames with a compromised primary, secondary, and tertiary communications system. A small operation later, and a mostly intact battle-Frame was recovered after the expenditure of a tank of metallic hydrogen was used in a heavy plasma gun to down it. Don’t, I repeat, waste this. The guns are all gone or destroyed, as well as the internal reactor, but all the motive and artificial intelligence systems:

including its Positronic Core is still intact, and count for 1 [Exosuits & Robots] Research Credit. You can use it for the production of active powered armor suits and robotic systems. A Research Credit means I roll 4d4 and take two of the best.

Pokes The Gravemind. Note that we are currently doing DESIGN PHASE, not Revision Phase.

Posting this so you don't post a battle report beforehand. Doublecheck what phase we are in.

Combat Report: Cycle -0.25 END

In the cargo bay of a PressGanged Cargo Loader, Soldiers of Elorius were antsy. Ready to deploy, the makeshift machine that carried them to their destinations, and just maybe, their pyres,. It was on its last legs and was one of the few machines that had metal plates stolen of some rescue vehicle or something, the mechanic who welded them on wasn't forthcoming. The point was, they were thick. High Command did not chastise them putting the dying beast of burden out of its misery by the trials of combat rather than running its wheels and transmission down through a collapsed building.

The Yaerian at the front driving was his Leader, Xirc’Xic Aeltur, a soldier with just enough common sense to know that he was driving into a battlefield and drove like a madman. Turning to his side and witnessing the newbie with his gun out, he shouted, “Vale, Keep your rifles in the Vae’ Damned vehicle!”

And almost spooking Vale into dropping his rifle out of the car, it was a good fumble that made the six-man squad in the car chuckle for a good few seconds.

The vehicle whipped to the side, steering into the entrance of some sort of shop, the glass partition long ago shattered. His breaks worked just enough such that his crash only sent the troops reeling forward as he collided with a few shelves. “OUT, OUT OUT! I SAW THE ENEMY UP AHEAD, SCATTER!” bellowed out Xirc as he began crawling to the back, it is the only exit outside of a roof hatch. The soldiers disembarked, moving up the stairs and out to the road, not even daring to take a peek as they thunk hard to remember if they heard the report of enemy weapons firing.

In each of their hands was the Iona II ICA. A weapon that entirely replaced the salvaged fire-arms that only a cycle or so ago was widespread. Some had battery sticks, others had cables attaching to battery packs on their limbs or backs. Before its loud report as the 70mmx3mm flechette accelerated fast enough to break the sound barrier, the weapon tinkled like a child's bell. This sound was overcome as it fired at a rate of 700 rounds a minute, pointed at a Phoziris soldier in a building up high, across the road and six buildings down. Vale couldn't get an accurate target but he fired nonetheless.

Minutes of this firefight passed by, as he and his squad exchanged fire with the enemy, and one of the shots got too close. The enemy round had impacted the end of the barrel of his weapon, and he dropped his weapon as he felt an electrical shock kick him in the chest and left only the loud thunder of his heart in his ears. His vision was filled with white spots for but a second as he forgot about his weapon, trying to get back to the vehicle buried in the shop for another weapon, mumbling curses that would curl the petals of a flower. The chaos of the fire fight had dislodged his makeshift hearing protection and he was deafened, but out of the trunk came the 18mmx1.V(Variable) Anti-Material Coil Accelerator (A-M CA)

Taking his journey step by step, his hands ached as it became apparent that whatever he was hit with did something not as bad as he thought, he climbed up a story, and sat down to get a good angle. The thunder clap of his rifle took down one enemy from the buildings, and the rest faltered in their would-be ambush. He stuck another round in the breach which was freshly lubricated and thankfully didn't jam: His shot was wide, but it spooked the hell out of the baddy.

With a shout of joy to his Squad lead, “Xirc, the rats are scattering, we should push the attack!” Hearing be damned, it took him a minute to note that he didn't hear a response louder than the tennnitis, and took a couple seconds to look around and get his bearings. When all was said and done, It was only him and the Rookie. Everyone else was dead, and the Rookies gun was broken, he had to pick another of a corpse.

We were flanked. The Phoziris moved fast in between those buildings and picked us off, but they paid the cost with facing an equivalent amount of casualties in what should’ve been a barrel shoot ambush.

In the eye of the Yaerian Sniper was a madman's glint, a canister of wine was in her hand, hydroponically grown and stilled in a mineshaft that once glew radioactive fire.

It was damn good wine, mused the Kac'xito Lak'e'tis, a true blooded member of Elorious’s Armed forces.

Here they were perched in the Arcology, with their own veritable Snipers home, with four long-rifles, three Carbines and some kind of revolver gun made out of scrap metal and hope, all to their name ot mount ont his tower and keep the Phoziris out of here for the foreseeable future. Her enjoyment of the wine was soured by the peculiar, distant roar of a machine down below the ground, “Tup, Did High Command warn of battleframes in the Metro?”

“Neg,only the Construction Authority is active in our area.” stated Tup, the little gremin of an observer in the team. Thinking for a moment, Tup looked to her side and down the building.

“...I… I think one of the trams is running again.” Everyone was up and at ‘em at this revelation, peering downward at the set of stairs and escalators that lead to the entrance of the Metro. It was the source of the noise, and after a short while it became apparent that Enemy infantry would emerge from it Lifting up a long-rifle to a ready position, another of her brother in arms spoke out “Keep the IFF Ping Emitter ready, we might attact one of them fighty buggers.” Shaking his head Tup spoke out, “ We’re gonna be trapped up here once they come out, I don't fancy our odds being surrounded on all sides.”

Pondering for a few moments, listening to the sounds of distant, distorted tram line stopping, they didn’t have much of a choice. “Begin packing up, this isn't worth our lives.” With their supplies in tow after a short while packing up, they made it down the building, hurried away and left without a fight.

[...]

“Enemy forces spotted exfiltrating from Tower on Gridpoint 65-34-2, moving Elorius-Ward, stand advised equipments are long rifles and carbines.”

“Black-Four acknowledged, do not pursue enemy entering into ambush positions of Strike Force Six.”

“Roger.”

[...]

Marching through the desolate landscape made the Yaerians parched, and they moved to enter a building that was once an apartment, maybe. they ate their rations and moved on, entering into a tunnel. As they passed by a burned-out car, something whirred inside of it and made a loud pop sound, and sending out a burst of shrapnel.

It was like being in the after-effects of lightning as their skin sort of shivered from the electrical output, and their rifles tingled, almost painfully, in their hands. Some of them fired once, the coils firing out of order or out of phase and bending their guns as the RESU’s hooked up to them dumped their prestigious power into the coils which bent the weapons into odd angles And twisting the casings. Into an unholdable mess

With the EM Warp Mine jobs done, the massive electromagnetic signal that it produced spelled doom for the sniper team. Only one, the caboose of the group's caravan had functioning weapons, and his carbine was given to another, having just enough time to lighten up their load before a Phoziris Fire-team moved in on them.

Moving at a route, the four-man team was down one as whoever was shooting behind them got a lucky shot on the Tup, who went down with a scream.

Turning a corner to the left, they came upon a “clearing” of ruined foundations surrounding the Eaves Tower, a place with mystical legends surrounding it, which was only recently scavenged and its internal defense systems stripped from the corporate floors and its treasures looted.

They moved in between foundations, keeping low to cover, the one with the still-functioning long arm turning nad making a quick shot, and nailing one of the Infantry on the ground. He took cover just before a withering counter fire of Salvaged Weaponry took place. It felt they were fighting scavengers more than anything else, with the distinctive boom of the enemies Thunderer Mag-Propellant Rifle making up a small part of the overall barrage.

The THunderer projects an electromagnetic pulse upon its first impact against a semi-hard surface. It is intense enough that a wounding strike on a soldier can damage or even destroy the “military” grade railguns that Elorius’s infantry uses. It is in a bull-pup configuration, holding just six large slugs revolving chambers, reminiscent of colonial rifles from an era ago. It fires 18 rounds before exhausting a standard battery pack. It is fielded with far less commonality than the Iona II ICA, and it is far less lethal in terms of fire-rate

The sniper team was holed up in the last stand, quickly knocking over a forgotten vending machine over and climbing up stairwells.

Whether it was due to caution or some other reason, the Phoziris held back on overwhelming them, and their conservative methodology paid as the first of the enemy infantry fell from a heart-bleed courtesy of the installation of an 18mm ventilation shaft to her heart.

The curious infantrymen that assaulted did not let the sniper team have another shot, as they moved with unerring precision, the AR Goggles allowed a designated spotter to quickly mark positions, theoretical sightlines as well as other important, critical notes on their hated enemy.

Accidents still happened, and just as the lone riflemen reloaded and was took aim on an exposed infantrymen, she was spooked by the Shrk, Shrk of an enemies 3D Maneuvering Gear, specifically a blade that planted on the ceiling above her, which fell down as the concrete fell down like a sack of bricks on her, compromised by age.

clawing up the side of the building, the Phozirian mad-Yaerian lept over onto the balcony and began closing the gap with his rifle slack, but two mean looking vibrating blades ready, his soulless gaze hidden by the brick of an AR goggle set on his head.

Her rifle scope was bent, and one of the five coils was sparking, but she lifted it up and it fired all the same, though her shot was wide and it merely blew a fist-sized hole in the Yaerians thigh.

The thunderous applause of a Thunderer echoes somewhere behind Kac’Xito, but her attention was fixated on the Phoziris who fell to the ground, nearly impaling himself on his blades.

Giving the poor bastard a solid kick to the ribs, he curled up with a yelp and rolled over at his side, exposing the holster on his side, which she quickly yanked the gun out of.

The gun in her hand was unknowable, unpredictable and looked like a cross between what a child would draw as to what he thought was a semi-automatic weapon and a clueless machinist with good intentions and three or perhaps four examples of what the nice armed men in his workshop wanted.

Taking the fine piece of Phoziris desperation in hand, she got against a wall facing the enemies, took a deep breath and peaked, gun in hand.

She saw two, no-- three, Phoziris purple-clad soldiers taking a firefight with the other members of her squad at her left field of view

To her right, she saw another Phoziris Soldier, halfway through scaling an elevator shaft.

Taking a quick shot from the hip, she pulled the trigger and heard an explosion as the gun in her hand blew apart, and the slide flying up and hitting her in the face.

Reeling from the impact, she was not beholden to witness the events of the fights immediately after. Ultimately, both Kac'xito Lak'e'tis and one other member of the fire team was captured by Phoziris forces, with the other members of the team Killed in Action.

In the metro, the only light that exists is the light of machines. It is a fight to keep the darkness away, for the Metro Construction Authority (MCA) within prefers to hunt in the dark. This was a lesson that the Phoziris learned in spearheading directly into the heart of these underground passages, and one that kept the Elorius far, far away from ever having a chance in taking control. Each counter-attack on the Phoziris and the MCA represents a growing wrent in the power disparity between Yaerian and the machines. Yaerian hardware is prone to intrusion. Yaerians are not able to process and act on information in milliseconds. The crude EMP weapons only scared them off, and the mines were too obvious for the MCA, but it became apparent that something had to give, and thus a sort of uneasy peace was had with the opening blows of the war. Tramline B, its most advantageous and open hallways are sacred. Noone breathes in them, and the MCA is free to use its authority in these areas, and often does, sometimes even briefly confusing Phoziris or Elroius forces as construction workers and putting them to pointless tasks.

Behind the ranks of its construction drones is Battle-Frames, but these battle-frames are silent, sullen and mint: They are reserved. They will rise when the MCA dies, which it will. It’s been dying a long time, and the positronic core will detonate and that other intelligence will be forever trapped in an alternate dimension as it transcends from thinking shackled being into a computer trapped in a box with a slightly different set of rules.

Conflict still brews in the Metro. Glorious Engineers, soldiers, administrators and everyone in-between moves in the depths of the metro, the train to churn, bringing in supplies required to fire off the first notes of the war.

The first few skirmishes and bloody ambushes that the Elorius orchestrated against the Phoziris had been to the draw at the best of times. With incredible information and movement superiority, the only places that the Phoziris marched forward were where ti didn’t matter. The jagged corridors of the Metro, where the only thing that mattered was reflexes and the reliability of the gun in your foo-soldiers hands. The winding sight ranges of long-range warfare, where just one shot still took a soldier's life. Every Soldier of Elorius had plenty of equipment due to the very strong logistical network behind them, simplified by the press-ganged cargo loaders and reports of Type-11 Exosuit, a curious mechanized piece of equipment designed ot help their logistics personnel move equipment ot the field or scavenged resources back homewards.
Where the Elorius had strength was in ambushes and the opening moments of large scale tactical combat. Phoziris infantry did not or could not effectively call reinforcements, adjust positions relative to other squads or objectives in an interconnected manner.

This was proven true All these facts were re-affirmed when the Elorios bade the first major firefight of the war. In the Arcology, between the massive holes in the ceiling that were once sunlights, are spire upon the Arcology that captured the lightning that strikes the tower and runs it through machinery to turn it into power.

These machines have long ago failed under the duress of disrepair, but among them could be something of interest, new knowledge that might tip the favor of the war, and an element of the Phoziris was moving in to take it.

Clutching the Thunderer in his hands, Milg’Qerr Valle’Qerk was positively quaking in his boots. Fire was in his blood as he peeked out and let his AR goggles tell him everything he needed to know.

The Elorian forces were coming in, exactly as expected. Predicted sightlines, squad leader notes, and a dozen other pieces of information flitted across his HUD, all leading up to the same thing.

A lot of people were going to die.

For a brief moment, it was too much to take in.

Sixteen Yaerians in all were together, each with a Thunderer waited as they went further and further into cross-fires

A count down appeared on his HUD, and went it struck zero, he left from his spot in cover, turned, and fired upon the enemy.

Whether they had an inkling of prenominition or killer instincts, some of them were already moving to take cover when the shots rang out the halls of the Arcology, and the ensuing firefight was punk marked with the glitter of a child's bell before the enemy returned fire.
Ducking down for the flash second before an enemy fired his weapon, Qerk felt incredibly uncomfortable as he heard his cover, a full foot of concrete, crack and break as it was impacted by the enemy's gun.

Just as things started getting worse, the hammer to their anvil came from above, and forces with 3D maneuvering gear and albeit shoddier examples of weapons fired downward.

Sixteen was down to twelve, as four people had taken injuries and stopped shooting, and while the initial strike had taken out quite a few of the twenty-four Yaerian strong force spread out over the entire area, their return fire was lethal.

Take out the long arm wielding one here said his HUD, pointing out a priority marker on one to the left, huddled in the dirt next to the broken remains of a foundation, preparing her rifle to fire again.

Taking aim, Milg’Qerr Valle’Qerk lined up his sights and fired his revolving chambers out, and looked away before return fire could get him.

Oh stars, why was he here?

Summary:
Elorius’s equipment favors open engagements where their soldiers can lever their superior firepower against the enemy. Long arms and Carbines are designed to wipe out enemy infantry with extreme effectiveness that lends towards a spectacular lethality against Phoziris armed forces. The unique Logistical systems mean that in general, Elorious’s armed forces are better equipped to handle the overarching marches and incredibly tedious marches through the Arcology.

Phoziris favors rapid relocation, information superiority, and communications. Glorious is on the back-pedal as they are constantly fighting an enemy that knows where they are, and what they are doing because of their superior scouting. They have a Minor Black-Zone Control, as a few brave souls can use 3D maneuvering equipment to take shortcuts through the black zone to ambush the enemy. This doesn't change the fact that they lost ground at the Arcology, but they have dogged the Glorious down enough to hold their ground in the Metro

Both sides are only minorly impinged upon by Battle-Frame intervention.

Below is the list of Intelligence on enemy equipment. Due to the ruthless nature and competence of both side's intelligence gathering forces, both sides may open the tabs below to figure out what your enemy knows you have, and what the enemies themselves looted from the dead world to wield.

Spoiler: Intelligence on Elorius (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Intelligence on Phoziris (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

I'd like to join Shards, seeing it's filled with less people.

Combat Report: Cycle 0.00 END

Ghosts march once more. Steel and motors march in concert with their operators in the Metro and the Arcology; The Elorius Dynasts Type-24 Exosuit has the awe-inspiring visage and structure as the Yaerian Directorates YSI (Yaerian Standard Infantry) powered armor. Not only does it inherit the fearsome shape, but also the optimal configuration that generations of engineers had spent in perfection. Unlike the Type-11 previously deployed, it’s maintenance schedule is massively reduced to the point where it can endure longer than its user in battlefield conditions. It is limited by its batteries and the user's need for perishables and rest.

It’s battlefield capabilities lend it as an unstoppable freight train, a machine powered by large battery systems in lieu of a miniaturized reactor, it can still operate in the field for days at a time. Operators can opt for heavier armor plates to be installed for shorter operational durations and increased bulk. Lighter examples can field some-what effective grappling hooks, which are mostly used for when the primary weapon is not usable and they need to enter into melee combat. An individual wearing an exosuit is on average five times stronger and can propel makeshift weaponry with disquieting brutality. Not to mention that on average, an exoskeleton can be driven to easily rip the head off a Yaerian, as evidenced by some of the more sadistic operators in the field. Its computer element utilizes software basically ripped off from the Directorate, mimicking the user's movement through the usage of a wide array of pressure sensors, gestures and other commands. It takes training to use.

The Phoziris Shard has produced viable sets of Carbon-Weave-Ceramic Armor (CWC) Armor, sets of armor that are distributed in full kits to their special forces and Vest for squad leaders and specialists. These plates are essentially carbon fiber strands pressed into a solid plate with a gel inside its “matrix” that hardens on impact. It bleeds a glittering black when traumatized, but it saves lives.

Perched above the spires that stuck out of the Arcology, Xin was a loyal soldier of the Phoziris Shard, freshly equipped with a set of CWC and ready to kill. Xins built-in headset buzzed for a second as it decoded a message.

“Burnout, Come in.”

Xin spoke quickly, curtly, “High Command, listening loud and clear.”

“Intelligence indicates Elorious are deploying new infantry equipment or vehicle, we’ve got a location, two possible patrol routes and tac-maps associated with this transmission. Engage and if possible scout out capabilities.”

Quickly noting down a couple of the more specific Details, Xin Aerq’Tallup let out a low whistle as the details came in. It wasn’t every day that a high-yield transmission like this comes out, the antennae techs might already be packing and running from the Battle-Frames already for this.

The rest of his squad got copies of the details, and they checked their gear, not a single motion wasted as each fo their guns had their batteries checked, magazines refilled and internal scopes and sensor suits re-calibrated.

And off they went, going from broken building to building.

~

Razor Rain starts off with only a few warning signs. A glimmer that stands out form the hazy gray sky, the high pitched whistle, enough for someone aware of hte battlefield to take cover.

Razor-thin shards of metal as long as one's forearm falls from the sky, peppering an area, each with the power and shrapnel of a mortar round, and some showers last four as long as forty minutes.

In these anxiety-filled moments, everyone huddles close underneath the ruins. The battles do not stop. Carefully, slowly, the Elorius advances under the cover of Razor Rain.

The Elorius has been waiting for a moment like this, they had low lying metro tunnels and heavy buildings all the way into one of the phoziris’s forward bases all mapped out. THey marched on under the cover of the concrete monoliths and steel caresses, careful not to stray too far form safety.

Six armored troops in total: each wearing their new, strange exosuits. They marched with a brisque pace, just quiet enough to not be heard over the tinnitus and kabooms the Razor rain caused.

In a quiet moment, they stopped underneath the cover of an overturned building, unaware of what was to come.

Ka-Crack!

Xin took the shot, he carefully maintained, loving hand-crafted-from-scrap sniper rifle ejected the casing from its side and began to pack up to move.

The shot was off, a glancing blow that probably put one hell of a dent in the poor bastard's helmet, and began to go. His HUD helpfully superimposed the camera footage of his squadmates points of view as he ran like a half dozen armored killing machines were on his heels and leaped to the next building over.

Falling into a roll, he felt how close the enemy's rounds came to hitting him, and cursed a blue streak.

~

Firefights in between the Elorius and Phoziris are bloody affairs. The common Iona II ICA fires rounds fast enough downrange that unarmored enemy forces would be torn to little more than ribbons. However, with the freshly integrated Carbon-Weave-Ceramic plating, roughly one half to two-thirds of their forces are equipped with sets of the armor of varying compositions. These armor platings allow them to survive engagements far more often than the Elorius, who can only field a few examples of the T-24. Exclusively given to their special forces teams, these suits are only minorly affected by Thunderer EMP delivery, even if their ranged weapons are not the same way.

~

Xin barely had enough time to bring his sniper rifle up, which intercepted the chunk of rebar heading his way. In the next few moments, Xin found himself drowning in a world of pain. He didn’t know the details but found himself sitting down, noting that his very nice rifle had a bar of metal that pinned it to his chest, the CWC plate slowly drooling glittery black gel. Black splotches threatened to fill his vision, but the sound of one of his sisters in arms screaming pushed him past the pain so he could focus.

A good fifteen meters away, the monstrous figure of a Yaerian in Power armor was engaged in melee combat with… someone, he wasn't sure which one his squaddies that fiend was beating to a pulp. Wait. Was that the bastard that threw the rebar spear at him?

Shifting in position, a white-hot lance of pain echoed up to confirm that he had a broken rib and that the rod wasn't actually buried in his chest, just the armor plate.

The piece of metal that wasn't supposed to be in the gun was buried in the rear of his gun, and just maybe, it might be able to fire the round he slotted into the bolt just a few moments before.

Taking one breath, then a second, Xin yanked roughly at his rifle, freeing it from his chest and then blacking out from the pain.

Whether an hour or a second passed doesn't matter to Xin. When he woke up, he immediately went to lifting the rifle up, rod is damned, and looked down the scope.

Standing over a broken body, the enemy was still there, his back turned to him. Between his helmet and that huge frag-off looking backpack of his, he spotted some sort of seal.

Ka-Crack!

The kick of the sniper rifle into his side hurt far too much, but he managed to stay awake just long enough to see the suit of armor fall limp, joints and motors dutifully preventing it from falling over. It had to be enough.

~

The Razor Rain lasted for another ten minutes after that little firefight. Xin was out of the count, but at least he wasn’t Roh, who has six fractures in three limbs and maybe worse if the blotchy awful looking bruise on the guy's stomach was anything serious.. they were both lying down on a toboggan made out of sheet metal and two pairs of the really sharp knives that go on their 3D Maneuvering gear.

Looking to the side, Xin spoke, “How much is left on the Mag Battery?”

The least wounded member of their party came off with a dislocated arm, so he got sled duty, at least until they got close enough to send a transmission without reprisal risk.

“Long enough, stop asking so many questions and rest.”

“Hey, Selil. You think that guy lived?”

“You mean the one you shot twice?”

“Yeah.”

“ I dunnae’ mate, His friends acted like they were dealing’ wit’ something that wasn’t a deader,” spoke Selil, shrugging as she pushed forward again and tugged the two wounded layabouts farther down the road.

Roh groaned something to the effect of “Let me die in peace you loud ruffians.”, and the rest of the journey was mostly silent.

~

Well, things are pretty bad now, thought Exosuit wearing Elorius Member Qeirup Ventus. Here he was, trapped in a deep pit with only a metro corridor to follow.

Looking up, he saw his squad, the three or four people, and of all of them, only he had warranted enough rank to requisition a mil-spec exo.

“Qeirup!” called out Darugk, his medic. “Are you alright down there?”

A valid question. Mostly. It was a terrible fall, but he supposed he somehow made it fine.

“Yeah. I don't think I'm getting out by climbing. I'm gonna follow the corridors and hope I find a way out.”

“Damn it. Don't get lost, you hear me!?”

“Roger, stay safe up there, and continue the mission without me.”

Ducking down, Ventus went into the depths, lit up only by his flashlight mounted on his helmet.

Onwards he walked, stalking through the abandoned tunnels deep in the dirt. His Iona was ready, and as he trudged through the railway, he didn’t hear the clack-clack of a rifle being readied over the sound of metal on concrete, the stomps of his exosuit. When he took one leap to get onto the platform, several bullets pittered off of his plate armor and Ventus decided that it would be better back on the track below. It was a shortfall to the dirt in between the tracks. Rounds were flying over his head and after a dull check on his rifle, whatever rounds they were using, it wasn't their deranged EMP weapon, and his gun still worked.

Cursing the lack of any type of grenade at all in the standard loadouts, Ventus steeled himself for a second and peeked his gun over the raised concrete platform and sprayed fire down range at whatever he could find.when his mag clicked empty, eh ducked back under and reloaded.

Whoever they were, they were gone, and Ventus continued his journey, noting only a single wounded Yaerian, clutching his side to stem the glittering black intermixed with the harsh blue blood of a Yaerian bleed from his chest piece. Ventus decided not to ventilate the poor bastard, and merely picked up his abandoned weapon and continued on his way.

It was some kind of a demented cross between a short-stroke piston rifle and seven pocket knives, but the half-empty mag means that somehow, despite the smoothbore, it was the weapon that almost dislocated his arm from the kinetic force. The bullets seated in the rounds looked the same.

Whatever.

The long march out of the tunnel and into another was unnotable. As was the next, and the one after that Until finally, he surfaced from the depths, light briefly overtook his eyes before they adjusted, and the grueling march was over. As he sat down on a stack of cinderblocks, he quietly pondered his situation.

It was a lot longer then a short walk that he just took, and he wondered if he was ever gonna reconvene with his squad, it was gonna be through sweat and blood. Between him and the right side of the world was about two or three kilometers of the dead zone, Nano hazards and whatever special forces the Phoziris threw into the hellish wastes of the Blackzone that day.

Nothing but a short walk in the park.

Rotors singing softly, each step echoing triumphantly on the barren landscape like trumpets to a parade, Ventus pondered quietly on the situation at hand.

~

Summary:
Special forces of both sides gain vastly increased survival rates and thus gain great experience, able to limp home and regroup more than any other actionable party.

Elorius favors open engagements where their soldiers can lever their superior firepower against the enemy. Their long arms are designed to wipe out enemy infantry with extreme effectiveness, while the Iona stands fast when it isn't bricked by Phoziris EMP weapons. Logistics of the Elorious are geared for the Arcology and its roads.

Phoziris favors rapid relocation, information superiority, and communications. The enemy is some-what struggling as they are constantly fighting an enemy that knows where they are, and what they are doing because of their superior scouting. Specialized non-powered armor plates distributed to the troops save lives overall.

The Elorious have gained territory in the Metro due to their steadfast powered armor divisions while barely being held back by the Phoziris in the Arcology due to the open space that allows the Elorious to be outmaneuvered and ambushed.

Both sides are only minorly impinged upon by Battle-Frame intervention and are in a lethal standoff in the Black Zone. The Elorious hold the advantage.

Below is the list of Intelligence on enemy equipment. Due to the ruthless nature and competence of both side's intelligence-gathering forces, both sides may open the tabs below to figure out what your enemy knows you have, and what the enemies themselves looted from the dead world to wield.

Spoiler: Intelligence on Elorius (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Intelligence on Phoziris (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Combat Report: Cycle 0.25 END (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7z0JQvLKgs)

His voice was hoarse, muffled by the gas mask integrated into a heavy helmet, “This is Broadsword to High command, Affirm on orders.”

Cheriq Xor’Turing was buried in trash, sitting next to a window that watched over an open street in the Arcology sector. It had a perfect overwatch for when a Elorius officer decided to lower their guard down enough to peak out of their APC and get their head blown off. Such missions were always a one-shot and bug out type of a deal, as the street was abandoned for another safer road.

At least, until the killing machine of Elorius's finest walked in with its bellowing stomps, and spoke as clear as it could into its radio. Cherig was sure he was after him in particular, and while he wasn't sure how they figured it out, but he knew exactly where the angry exosuit wielding maniac was, searching and clearing with a methodical efficiency of the building he was in, along with one, maybe two squadmates who were not in powered armor.

Glancing to the right, over at his shock still spotter, Cherig was alone in tactical thinking. The newbie didn't have any idea of what to do and was frozen with shock evident on her face.

Slowly, purposely, Cherig lifted his arm that was clutching his Thunderer to his mouth, making a gesture to be very, very quiet.

A few heartbeats later, when he was sure that the newbie saw his gesture and processed it, Cherig looked to his left, looking at the doorway to the bedroom they made their nest in through a broken shard of a mirror. The newbie was watching as well, and they both got to see the show of the Exo walking into the room they were in.

He scanned right to left, looking at the corner with a half shattered nightstand, the rotted bed, then the kicked indoor to the bathroom. Finally, he saw the pile of trash, two feet in height. The face of disgust wasn’t visible, but he knew it was there.

The two goons he had with him were smaller, wearing the new and odd camouflaged uniforms along with some light plates in their webbing carriers. New soldiers, he surmised, judging from the uncomfortable stance in the armor they wore. Taking a moment to breathe as slow as he could bear, he noticed his partner was pale, holding her breath as if she would die, her Thunderer ready to go.

The one in powered armor stomped his way to the bathroom, stepping on the bones of one of the owners of the apartment. He peered into the bathroom and apparently saw enough that he wanted to leave.

Or at least, he hoped. He didn’t exactly set up a second mirror to look at the bathroom.

“Qeirup. Look over there.” said the plainer looking of the two regulars, pointing to somewhere besides the pile of trash he was hiding in.

“Stars. They were here, and they left quickly too.” spoke to the other.

They walked over to Cherigs left, if they looked over they might see the glint of his scope or his face. He didn’t dare peek at what they were examining, just detachedly listening with every ounce of professional calm he had. They all piled up around whatever was interesting to the trio, but they spoke too quietly for him to hear, at least at first.

The resounding voice of the exosuit was almost deafening in comparison to the murmuring, “It’s not every day you find a perfectly good AR set. Guiliv, leave it here and come with me and Xurien, stick with me. We need to check out the rest of the building, then we can play with our new toy.”

Cherigs blood boiled. The newbie left her AR goggle set out in the open.

“This is Broadsword to High Command, we spotted evidence of Elorius activity on Blue-6, Northern Corridor. We believe they have evacuated before we arrived.”

Elorius’s language was hard to understand for the Phoziris, just as it was in reverse, but he understood enough to get an idea of what was going on. When did their infantry talk to their superiors like this? Intel shows that Phoziris never has that kind of communication with their troops. What changed?

The three soldiers left the room, leaving him to brood quietly in his trash-filled sniper's nest.

A minute passes. Then another, before Cherig sends a message to the newbie, and they act to quietly remove the urban camouflage from around them. Cherig knew that if he was sore from sitting there, the newbie probably couldn’t walk straight from lying down in that nest for the two days they had stayed still.

His gun readied, he knew that it wouldn’t be enough to take on that heavy suit of armor alone, and he opted to set up a trap.

There was a hole in the concrete ceiling above him, and he had planned for something like this, and put a chunk of concrete that weighed half as much as he did up there to drop on power armor. A few moments later, he had shimmied his way up with his maneuvering gear, while the Newby took her place underneath the bed, probably regretting that she that ed to do the heavy work of lifting that boulder up, as that was the deal to have that perch

When they returned a short while later, they didn’t see the disturbed pile of trash until they entered the room, and by then it was too late as Qeirup promptly had a boulder dropped on one wearing powerarmor, hitting him in the shoulder and then the gun on his ready strap. The impact was fierce, knocking the suit of fine armor to the side.

Newbie shot four rounds down range at the same stroke, taking out the knee of the Elorius to the armors left and peppering a distant wall with three rounds.

The powered armor was a veteran, judging from the fact that he didn’t move to pick up his mauled weapon from the carry strap, but instead opted to stomp forward at the bed.

The two rounds that impacted the T-24 exosuits left leg slowed down the machine, but then she was out of charge, and needed a new battery for the gun.

The other two elorius recovered from the shock and lifted their railguns up to shoot upwards at the hole in the ceiling, but ducked instead, seeing a Thunderer pointed their way.

One of them slumped to the side, an exit spray six feet long from the back of their neck.

Cherig didn't see it, but he felt the building shake as the powered soldier stomped heavily on the bed, and a loud cry, lingering and haunting for as long as the mangled partner of his had breath in her lungs.

Shimmying his way back from the hole in the ground, Cherig felt around in the cob-webs for an object he had stashed earlier, then he twisted the cap of the top of the backpack sized bomb and threw at the hole in his “floor”, before quickly turning off his HUD and gun.

A moment later, the air filled with crackling pops, and the bomb went off. The smell of ozone filled the air, as well as the smell of burning flesh. He let out a cry as his knees had gotten burns from the microwaves heating the metal grate his legs were on top of.

Peeking out from the hole in the ceiling, the other non-armored Yaerian was stuck to one of the walls, a metal shard a foot long pinned his arm to the wall, his gun dropped to the side as he stared forward in shock.

Motors ground against each other as the one in powered armor, Qeirup or something, shakily stood up, his right side covered in soot from the explosion. A loud, high pitched beeping sound echoed throughout the halls as the machine signaled the wearer of its dire condition, occasionally twitching violently as the suit wielder fought to keep it stable.

The Anti-Material Coil Accelerator was in his hands, but he was wielding it by the barrel sheath. It was bent by the weight of a Yaerian in power armor falling on it, and a part of its loader was crushed in by the boulder that fell on it. Its user had gave it one final purpose as a club.

They both looked at each other, it was doubtless that they were waiting for the tinnitus to wear off from the explosion, or perhaps for some other unknowable reason as the man in the machine stood despite the cataclysmic damage that was plainly etched onto the armor

His gun made a little whine that let him know it was ready to shoot again, if he stuck another speed load of rounds in. He did fire 6 rounds, after all.

Cherig glanced down where the bed would be, his heart ached with a tinge of guilt, before he spoke. “Hey. Are you listening?”

“Are we finished yet?” said the Qeirup. It was a joke, or at least one that only made sense to the enemy.

Cherig spoke slowly, in an attempt to make sure that the enemy would understand “I, I won't shoot. Get out, go with your ally, and we leave.”

Five seconds passed as the enemy finally wrestled a semblance of control from his suit, and it stood stony still, like a cracked statue on the precipice of collapsing.

And then, wordlessly, it stepped forward, keeping its front-facing Cherig as it stepped around the collapsed doorway. The Exosuit moved to his still-living ally, spoke some quiet words to the shaking, pale figure as it removed its gloves to do the careful, delicate work of removing the shrapnel and dressing the bleeding wound. When the Yaerian was gonna live, it then picked up a table, a sturdy metal one that hasn't rusted from the years and put the corpse onto it. It pulled a coil of rope off of its chassis and used the table as a makeshift toboggan, it left without any fanfare.

A short while later, Cherrig left with his own makeshift carrying device, carrying the hopefully unconscious form of his partner.

Stars, he hoped she would live.

The patrol was simple, head through a tunnel in Metro, and then return with a job well done. The heavy squadron “Rolands Scourge” was a group of three heavy T-24 Exos, of course equipped with Seers.

The patrol was short, a path between an outpost on the front and a supply depot. They expended over 300 rounds and disarmed 7 different EM explosives in their path towards clearing the re-entrenched enemy, and returned, all of them alive, but one of the exosuits had to be scrapped, the others refurbished as half the electronics were fried.

High command has deemed the T-24s a very effective asset for the Metro. It’s a shame that didn’t help the Arcology forces very much.

As the product, the awe-inspiring jewel of an entire world, the Arcology was a project that was in the works from the moment Yaerians first saw the wide plains and mostly flat landscapes of Niria. The fruit of their labor, the Arcology, is estimated by archaeologists could of held millions of people when it was not abandoned for an era. Nonetheless, it seems the designers had built it to withstand orbital bombardment, as well as insertions through aerial or ground orientations. This manifests in the labyrinthian layout, carefully engineered chokepoints, and logistical nightmares as the prime points in which resources can be ferreted are too risky for fear of intervention by the enemy or the MCA.

Thus, the role of the Elorius Cargoloader is cemented. The one that Celinth Ferrick and her Type-24 Light variant Exo was a poster child for the over the top methods in which just enough armor is added so that the machines motor (Stars knows what it maybe this time around.) can barely push it forward. It was some sort of elevator cart for space-craft, the ones that moved small amounts of cargo or perhaps some passengers. The motors to push the elevator up and down were cut off, the elevator is set all the way to the top and welded there with a framework with a ladder to get to a nest for a machinegun to be mounted, a crude one that might fire. Underneath the elevator, was Officer Celinth, her second in command and finally three squadmates, who had to all be transported in the same truck as a dozen other soldiers of the Phoziris Shard, concealed by a patchwork plastic tarp over a latticed framework.

They were headed into the brink. A crossroads that marked the center of the Arcology when someone yelled out in alarm, the driver instinctively veering to the right. Bullets panged off the plates of the vehicle, not quite spearing the engine compartment or the pilot as it steered into a side road, just barely tall enough for the tower.

The turn was too much, too fast.

The vehicle flopped to its side, violently knocking its occupants around, the machine gunner at the top of the net was thrown violently off hte craft and sailed neatly into the window of an abandoned building-within-a building of the Arcology.

Darkness was not omnipresent, the light that came into this world was sporadic, but in this particular moment, the district was lit with baleful suns, intense spotlights that were mounted on the ceiling a half kilometer up.

Under these stars, Celinth and her squad dug themselves from the tipped over craft, guns ready, her HUD pinged, and the light exosuit wielder ducked down low towards the ground, suit quickly running its boot sequence into a hardened state. A round fro the Thunderer had impacted her chest, and it was necessary else the entire system would die. A short while, the heavy armor came to life again, and under the command of its operator, it lifted its Anti-Material Coil Accelerator up, a slug left the chamber and promptly cut through the chest of some Phoziris infantrymen. Rather than sticking around for return fire, Ferrick ordered her squad to take cover and went to do the same thing.

It was gonna be a long retreat back home.

Summary:
The Elorius deploys the “Seer” Tactical Communications Platform. This is a head-mounted platform with a built-in HUD that allows a user communications between individuals, squadrons, and unit elements such as between Local Command and squadrons of infantry. This doesn't have the incredibly advanced locational navigation hardware that the Phoziris have, and it shows. In addition, the radio signals it emits are picked up by Battleframes, often with dire consequences. Infantry do like the very basic virtual vision augmentations, but prefer to stay silent over attracting machines with large anti-infantry weapons.

In addition, their uniforms are replaced with the Standard Combat Uniform. The SCU is simply a very dependable set of webbings, clothing, along with a grab bag of unified goodies. They abandoned their purple color scheme in favor of urban camouflage. The webbing can support the insertion of steel trauma plates on their front, rear and sides, though few do so due to the weight from the scavenged metals, typically those with makeshift explosive weapons would opt for it. It is a very functional set of gear for such a oddly shoestring budget.

The Phoziris has managed to seriously upscale the industrial production of several key resources and as a result they field several pieces of equipment in larger numbers. The most significant being the Thunderer, which their factories can put a functional system into the hands of every infantryman who warrants one. The Thunderer’s EMP pulse is also marginally more effective due to a greater burst of microwave radiation.

Anything electronics that is not electromagnetically hardened has a chance of failing when in proximity to a Thunderers impact. Most military grade equipment is at least partially resistant to the point where if hit with an EMP it would have a significant chance of staying online or sustain minor damage. The heavier examples of the TYpe-24 Exosuit are the most resistant pieces of kit for action against the Phoziris, but they still suffer.

SEER equipped type-24 mechatronic infantry are at the forefront of every engagement though they are relatively few in number, they make the difference in between a retreat and a gritted hold out for the Elorius in the Metro.

This does not hold for the Arcology. Where the Iona II CA used to kill on a solid hit to the torso, CRC vests and helmets are widely distributed to the whole of the Phozirian forces. Utilizing incredibly powerful carbon nanotubes, rumors circulate of the vest allowing its wearers to occasionally survive a shot from a 14mm A-M Coil accelerators, military planners do not seriously consider this. The Thunderer is a very effective weapon against infantry who rely on electronic systems. CRC vests are able to reduce blows from the Iona from a death sentence to a wound that a soldier can return into service with. The armor, in combination with their effective EMP weaponry & AR/radio systems means that the Phoziris makes a territorial gain in the Arcology. Infantry of the Phoziris are compelled to make daring and advanced maneuvers that put them at advantage, this was only somewhat stymied by the lethal Iona II, which the Arcology is a perfect place for operating in.

Below is the list of Intelligence on enemy equipment. Due to the ruthless nature and competence of both sides intelligence gathering forces, both sides may open the tabs below to figure out what your enemy knows you have, and what the enemies themselves looted from the dead world to wield.

Spoiler: Intelligence on Elorius (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Intelligence on Phoziris (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Combat Report: Cycle 0.5 END (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKW_ejwsttw)

The dosimeter ticked. The carcasses of shattered buildings reached to the sky, gaping wounds from orbital bombardment pockmarking every space available. Between the rusted and pitted metal foundations, on top of concrete seared into something like glass, observed the Phoziris Maneuvering teams. From the Black-zones, a single glance saw a single yawning smoke trail of black, acrid smoke reach to the dim skies., it was a relatively notable event, almost like a hearkening to forgotten times. At least, until radioactive material deposited by Elorius’s burning nuclear disaster had sent radioactive material into the atmosphere, where the wind drew it to the Black zone. The radioactive ash rained down onto the landscape, a black sludge intermixed with polluted water. What were they doing, wondered the highest minds of Phoziris, as their forces had to deal with the fallout of their little nuclear accident. This information is by and large suppressed to be known only by the military.

Time will tell if this is a prelude to a new era, or simply a one time disaster. A few weeks later, the first of the Volcanic MPU's rolled into the field.

Powered armor divisions create a push further and deeper into Phoziris lines. Each push is marked with stilled statues of Armour, stilled and then cored by enemy fire. Both sides sharpen their razor edge, with new advancements putting forth advancements into their armies without anything too new. Massive trucks dot the landscape behind Elorius lines, providing forward bases with power. Exosuits return to the field faster, and better armed with more plentiful batteries. Powered armor becomes a relied upon facet for every assault against Phoziris.

The Phoziris utilize the maneuvering gear thoroughly in all their combat operations when it helps. Fire teams thoroughly disrespect linear battlefields and utilize night-time raids to move deep into enemy territory and wreak havoc on logistic divisions. Intelligence notes that their tactics and strategy has come to include a marginally significant increase in forward troops. Phoziris dominates any and all recon efforts, but the lack of support weaponry hampers their efforts severely. The Metro is mostly neglected by Phoziris accomplishments..

Underneath the dirt, in the tunnels that were once the arteries of the Arcology, Elorius Exoskeletons march. The military leaders had focused their Type-22 Exoskeletons on the Metro front. Merciless exterminators within the confined conditions, the Phoziris cannot create enough bombs or diversions to keep them at bay. Each engagement is a lengthy affair or a resounding defeat as cover is pierced by anti material rifles or magazine fed automatic railguns. Time seems to never pass, the constant , focused fighting is pushed from a standstill to a slow retreat. Punch marked by the occasional detonation of an EMP bomb, the Elorius march forward.

In the eves of the hot summer of Cycle 0, 12th armoured Elorius Regiment “Great Bleeders” had their eyes on the prize:

The last metro station directly underneath the Metro still under Phoziris control. 212 Exo’s and their line infantry stood at the gates, ready to squeeze in between the detritus and engage the enemy, some 400 meters of dark, cleared maintenance and railway shaft ahead. Whatever defensive equipment the Phoziris had was makeshift, but the heavy emplacements could still possibly endanger Elorius armor if given the chance.

The assault took place across four hundred meters of metro tunnel and the twisty, hellish maintenance tunnels and passenger walkways that surrounded it. Eight separate cave-ins occurred as the Phoziris detonated pre-placed explosives, but they couldn't bury the rail line, their only way out. Phoziris utilized salvaged weaponry in the form of heavy machine guns with a custom tooled caliber, in smooth-bore pipes. Serious losses on both sides result as Elorius armor eventually begin to fail after dozens of EMP pulses, and the Phoziris lose more than half of their soldiers holding out. A brief cease fire occurs as commanders on both sides use old-Directorate transmissions. One meets the other, and they have a discussion. Central command loses contact with both sides of the respective division a short while later. Post-incident documentation reports Elorius and Phoziris forces emerging from the train station surface, both sides moving to nearby logistic points of both sides, splitting up to seize the most resources possible.

At this point in time, Phoziris authorities were already ahead in figuring out that a desertion was in progress, and ordered available forces to intercept Elorius deserters for a chance of seizing equipment and sympathetic individuals, gambling that their own traitors would not be organized if they were cut off from the network. The fight between those two factions was devastating, but ultimately resulted in a narrow victory for the deserters who continued their movement to the supply base. Six dozen exoskeletons moved to position, taking the time to resupply before betraying the onsite logistics staff and capturing or executing the vast majority of present forces. Captured audio indicates that this mass desertion was lead by a XO of the Great Bleeder Regiment, who tried to convince present staff to join the desertion so as to escape the withered clutches of the authoritarian Dynast. Roughly half were left behind dead or tied up. The rest had mobilized the logistics base into the onsite Volcanic MPU as well as its associated press ganged cargo loaders.they packed up fast and only took vehicles, maintenance equipment and available exosuits as Elorius fireteams in cargoloaders were moving in.

They met up with the Phoziris splinter team, still unnamed, who had successfully packed up the resources present at the train site as well as several outlying caches. The entire group united, and began moving to a known “path” through the blackzone, supposedly able to lead to the other side into a less devastated proportion of the world. With resources in tow, the deserters left behind a transmitter, the a message explaining their reasons and justifications towards abandoning their people, as well as their intent to create a new state that would return to install a new regime on both sides. This lines up with a series of disappearances on bothsides of civilian staffing: There was a pre-planned element to this desertion.

A Elorius Line infantry moves into the metro, and begins an engagement with the quickly reinforced final metro station. With most of its dug ins ruined or seized by the previous parties, the Iona ICA becomes the victor in this fight despite enemy body armor, and a tentative grasp over the zone is won in favor of Elorius.

The Elorius have assumed complete control of the Metro. If they can hold onto it, they will gain +1 Minerals next turn.

The fight is at a standstill in the Arcology

Summary:
A hearkening back to more enlightened times, The “Volcanic” Mobile Power unit is a salvaged ~50 ton truck, designed to carry multiple tons of heavy loads on top of its bed. It’s old hot-core fission reactor was yanked out, as with most of its bed to hold a much larger, manufacturable molten salt reactor with an attached steam turbine. Slowly plodding along the ruined debris-strewn wasteland, these power systems allow Elorius combat armor to operate far longer, as the prestigious power they provide when not on the move allow for more maintenance facilities to come online, without burdening logistics with hauling battery banks.

Meanwhile, every single one of Phoziris’s forces are equipped with the ability to rapidly, safely maneuver with their aptly named Maneuvering gear, thanks to a series of upgraded manufacturing schema and training to use it effectively. In addition, statistical projections note a marginally significant increase in forces laid against Elorius: The enemy has managed to reduce the personnel they lose to the environment as well as cohesion through an unknown method. Elorius intelligence notes the placement of implanted objects in the skin around the skull of deceased enemy forces. Microelectronics and wiring with no clear purpose, though it is slightly similar to cranial jacks of old. Analysis indicates that it makes interfacing with external hardware to the frontal portions of the brain easier.

Both sides respond to the mass desertion with a thorough investigation as too which officers in the military are still loyal, as well as eliminating anyone who voices opinions against the war. increased resources are available to their respective R&D teams, which allows for 2 designs and 2 revisions to be done every quarter cycle.

Below is the list of Intelligence on enemy equipment. Due to the ruthless nature and competence of both sides intelligence gathering forces, both sides may open the tabs below to figure out what your enemy knows you have, and what the enemies themselves looted from the dead world to wield.

Spoiler: Intelligence on Elorius (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Intelligence on Phoziris (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Bay 12 Games Forum

Finally... => Forum Games and Roleplaying => Topic started by: Blood_Librarian on November 06, 2019, 10:08:36 pm