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[evictedSaint]

Jesus Christ, dude.

Yeah, your brand-new relatively cheap artillery piece isn't the best thing in the world after being designed in a single turn.

Do you ever stop complaining?

[10ebbor10]

Yeah, your brand-new relatively cheap artillery piece isn't the best thing in the world after being designed in a single turn.

The problem is not that it's bad. This thing isn't. Not really. I mean, it's definitively flawed, but I've come to expect that.

The problem is that it was designed to solve 1 problem (long range Moskurgian attacks) and does not solve that. It may fire faster than french interwar artillery, it may be able to turn Moskurgians into mush. All that is irrelevant until we can get it at long range.

What this design does is take mages who would have been throwing fireballs and let's them throw stones, for no gain either side.

[andrea]

not optimal, but we are on track. a revision can make it work greatly.

I see that ammunition is a big issue, but we can improve it. the attending mage can also be a problem, but might not be too big.

As for ammunition, the problem seems to be making it fit the barrel well, not making it crack, perhaps making it lighter to achieve greater range.
great news, we can do that! crystal summoning is the perfect solution. Easy, cheap, can control the shape, sturdy but light.
Now, what it is that I hear you say? crystal disappears in their antimagic field?
-evil grin-
that is a feature. our new projectile can be formed by a crystal matrix, in which other objects are embedded such as smaller rocks, pebbles, fire venom from the wasps, nails and metal scraps depending on what is needed by the situation. if they don't dispel it, they get it by a big crystal ball which may shatter on impact.
if they DO dispel it, they get it by flying shrapnel/ sprayed by venom/ hit by biggish rocks depending on the shot we use.

Crystal cannon ammunition rocks are nice, but they don't quite cut it. we need something light, smooth and sturdy enough to not crack in the cannon. The solution adopted is creating a crystal sphere which encases the actual ammunition, which at this point does not need to be carved accurately. the ammunition encased can be a big rock for concentrated damage, several biggish rocks, pebbles or nails and metal scraps /small metal balls if we want to cover a big area. other special ammunition is considered, such as 2 chained balls or bottles of fire wasp venom.
In case the solid sphere is too complex, an hollow sphere is cast. smaller objects can be inserted after casting, while for bigger ones the sphere is still cast around them.

[Tyrant Leviathan]

Crystal ball ammo for sniping ballista can easily be in purview boon of multiple/speciality ammo. Glad in same page. And what about idea on spending expense credit in these cannons? With right shot and numbers. Could carpet bomb those guys Russian style.

[Chiefwaffles]

Nopenopenope, that's not going to work.
"Its maximum range is about the same as that of our longbowmen; mid-range."
While it's nice to have, the entire point of the cannon is to work as an extreme-range weapon, countering their ballistas. Right now, their ballistas still outrange the cannon.
Revision: Extreme-range Cannon
A description isn't really needed (given how straightforward this is), but just for fluff I'll give one anyways: More aerodynamic ammo and/or safely-increased pressure in the chamber allows for a significantly increased range in the cannon. Hopefully letting us shell our enemies from vast distances.

Things to fix with the cannon:
- Range.
- Ammo. Also important, but not as much as range. Ammo #1 concern should be easier-to-produce ammo, then we can explore possibilities of shells (ANTI-MAGIC BOMB SHELLS) like suggested by Tyrant. Better shells is low priority though.
- Crew requirement. Being able to have non-wizards fully man the cannons would be amazing.
- Accuracy. It'd be nice to snipe with these things.
- Durability/Reliability. The issue with exploding cannons is a problem with the ammo, so that could be fixed if we address the ammo at any point. But other than that, we should address the damage inflicted on the cannon during regular use.


And for the expense credit: I'm still not sure. I'm not strictly against using it this phase, but I think we should use it on the cannons if we increase their range enough.



PLEASE LIST YOUR DESIGNS IN THIS FORMAT IF YOU ADD ANY.

Revisions
1 - (Chiefwaffles) Extreme-range Cannons: Chiefwaffles
1 - (Tyrant) Cannon Specialized Shells: Tyrant
1 - (Andrea) Crystal Cannon Ammnition: Andrea

Expense Credit
1 - (Tyrant) Hybrid Cannon: Tyrant

NINJAEDIT: Oh yeah.
Evicted: Can we fit our ships with the hybrid cannon?

[10ebbor10]

Uhm, people.

Remember the main problem of this turn?

Whether you must design new artillery or upgrade an existing spell, we need something to match the Moskurgs in range.  .

Its maximum range is about the same as that of our longbowmen; mid-range.

We need to improve our ranged attack. Forget about the ammunition, forget about everything else. We need long range stuff.

Crystal ball ammo for sniping ballista can easily be in purview boon of multiple/speciality ammo. Glad in same page. And what about idea on spending expense credit in these cannons? With right shot and numbers. Could carpet bomb those guys Russian style.

This cannon needs to be operated by Mages.

Having enough cannons for every soldier is useless, because we don't have enough mages to operate them.

And for the expense credit: I'm still not sure. I'm not strictly against using it this phase, but I think we should use it on the cannons if we increase their range enough.

I don't think we should. If they were a national effort, I would agree. But they are merely expensive.

We don't need a cannon for every soldier.

[10ebbor10]

1 - (Chiefwaffles) Extreme-range Cannons: Chiefwaffles
1 - (Tyrant) Cannon Specialized Shells: Tyrant
1 - (Andrea) Crystal Cannon Ammnition: Andrea
1 - (10ebbor10) Long Range Fireballs : 10ebbor10

Expense Credit
1 - (Tyrant) Hybrid Cannon: Tyrant
1 - (10ebbor10) Save until after revision phase : 10ebbor10

[Tyrant Leviathan]

Actually salty got it on the head. If we upgrade fire ball to ballista range. We could use cannons just to blow up their ranks like my old thouggt ballusta would.

[andrea]

Well, my ammo proposal uses crystal in part to make the shot lighter and therefore achieve higher range. But of course a purpose built long range cannon would have a better shot at that, although it lacks the utility.
My proposal also solves or helps with other items in the list: easier to produce ( we got quite good at producing crystal and whatever we encase in it doesn't need to have high quality standards), more accurate due to being smooth and less required accuracy because if they dispel it they send shrapnel,  less chance of exploding in the cannon because crystal is as sturdy as metal

Revisions
2 - (Chiefwaffles) Extreme-range Cannons: Chiefwaffles, Andrea
1 - (Tyrant) Cannon Specialized Shells: Tyrant
1 - (Andrea) Crystal Cannon Ammnition: Andrea

Expense Credit
1 - (Tyrant) Hybrid Cannon: Tyrant

[10ebbor10]

GM :

What would happen if we use our Expense credit on this.

Arzotskan Academy for Adequate Apprenticeship:  Basic magic training for apprentices.  Allows them to be more useful on the offensive.  Very prestigious.  Very Expensive.

[Tyrant Leviathan]

1 - (Chiefwaffles) Extreme-range Cannons: Chiefwaffles
1 - (Andrea) Crystal Cannon Ammnition: Andrea
2- (10ebbor10) Long Range Fireballs :tyrant, 10ebbor10

Expense Credit
1 - (10ebbor10) Save until after revision phase : 10ebbor10

I have decided to get my head out of my rear and realized with our magic can just had a perfected fire ball at ballusta range and can save credit.


Blazing Sphere: By igniting the abundant air while absorbing air to jet propulsion. Makes fire balls have longer range.

[evictedSaint]

Evicted: Can we fit our ships with the hybrid cannon?

You can, although seawater would be used in place of fresh water.  This will cause problems with salt build up, but unless you guys state otherwise your ships will be outfitted with these Hybrid Cannons.

What would happen if we use our Expense credit on this.

It would become Normal Cost and you would have more cannons than you would mages.
Edit:  sorry, misunderstood what you meant.  I don't know; pitch what you're hoping to accomplish by reducing the expense and I'll see how feasible it is.

[andrea]

no, ebbor meant what happens if we use the credit on our academy I believe.

[10ebbor10]

Anyway, for the expense credit, I compiled we could possibly use it on. I did not include our cannon, because as the GM has said, that would be pointless.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Longship: Oar-rowed wooden ship.  Slow, but sturdy, and can carry large numbers of landing troops.  Very Expensive.

Steam Engine: A highly inefficient, dangerous, expensive, and enormously heavy steam engine.  Uses a steam turbine to generate power.  Currently Experimental. Very Expensive.

Arzotskan Academy for Adequate Apprenticeship:  Basic magic training for apprentices.  Allows them to be more useful on the offensive.  Very prestigious.  Very Expensive.

Tower of Forever Frost:  An astoundingly expensive tower that has to be assembled in place and requires the skill of a master wizard to operate, as well as countless other skilled wizards.  Creates a very powerful cold evocation and then channels it directly into the air, consistently lowering temperatures within a radius of about fifty miles.  Can induce snow in the jungle during the winter, freezing rain in the summer.  A National Effort.

Anti-Magic Charm: A magically enchanted quartz crystal.  Hums loudly in the presence of magic, and prevents magic from being conjured inside the very limited range.  Expensive.

Magic Lance:  Conjures a set of lances for a cavalry squad.  Thick enough not to break on use, and lasts long enough to be useful in combat.  Expensive.

Magic Axe: Conjures a set of long axes for officers.  Weapon is anchored to a small gem in the handle, allowing it to exist longer than 24 hours. Expensive.

Summon Swarm:  Conjures a swarm of stinging wasps to harass foes.  Expensive.
  Variant (Fire Wasps):  Conjures stinging wasps that can start small fires.  Expensive.

Webs:  Conjures a sticky web, immobilizing an entire squad and preventing them from moving.  Very Expensive.

Firewall:  Creates static walls of fire.  Long casting time, concentration sustain.  Very Expensive.

[Chiefwaffles]

Evicted, ebbor was talking about the Academy.
And that's good news with the ships.


Also Tyrant, you didn't include Andrea's vote for Extreme-range cannons.

2 - (Chiefwaffles) Extreme-range Cannons: Chiefwaffles, Andrea
1 - (Andrea) Crystal Cannon Ammnition: Andrea
2- (10ebbor10) Long Range Fireballs: Tyrant, 10ebbor10

Expense Credit
2 - (10ebbor10) Save until after revision phase : 10ebbor10, Chiefwaffles

Let me briefly state my argument for an extreme-range cannon:

• Remember the whole "Let's not build cool things then abandon them" thing? That.
• Hybrid cannons work at sea, too! Extreme-range will near-certainly make us competent at sea again. Admittedly, fireballs work at sea too, but it's not an advantage unique to them.
• Range potential: It makes sense that making artillery longer-ranged would be easier than a fireball. Conjecture, sure, but still.
• Increased range for cannons will benefit any future revisions to the cannon, too. Next revision I really want to make it so we don't need mages to man them. If this would be the case, then we wouldn't need mages for better range. And also, what if we get specialized shells or anything like that? They too will benefit from longer-range.