FC Error
Missileer
- Location
- Aware of where I am not
I take it you mean Zairman, here?
Situation Foxtrot (SAO/Foxhole) [COMPLETE]
- Thread starter 7734
- Start date
- Crossover
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
Art imitates life, yeah. For all that it doesn't hold its usability as long as the Warden ATR, the Typhoon is remarkably useful in the early-to-mid war slugfests because it forces things into becoming infantry engagements without being uneconomical. As it stands, it's the sort of weapon that forces you to either have clear and overwhelming fires superiority to pave a way in for the wheelchairs, or you need engineering assets (read: flamethrower units and infantry grenadiers) to render an area uninhabitable. Fortunately, the Typhoon and the Neville both get the same comprimise behavior: they have the "no ballistic limit" of artillery weapons, but their effective ranges only use the Small Arms Weapon Modifier.
11e snapped because managing a regiment at maximum size is really fucking hard, so they did what was natural and split. Vicquarme kept the training cadre, most of the noncombat facilities, and the regimental colors: his is still "the 11e" regiment with all buffs and nerfs that entailed, even if that regiment went from 250 people to about 90. The 189e, under now-Colonel MacLaine, kept the infantry assault core of the old 11e (7 Company), a lot of the supporting heavy equipment that got expended when he held Axehead to earn the Guards title, and the forward operating bases that were in active combat zones before they were auctioned off to other regiments so the unit could rebuild after Axehead.
As for 14e Medical? Yeah, you should probably follow up with them. Force multipliers in narrative time are a huge boost- the reason you get to re-roll stuff like Huntsfort this turn is me going "alright plan A didn't work, let's get plan B: Orr use Canon". Doctrine is just as important, though, so don't neglect it: that determines which canon.
you see notik
FC Error
Missileer
- Location
- Aware of where I am not
[X] Plan Implacable But Glacial
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Begin design for a new, planned base.
--[X] Crow's Nest; let's try to have something resembling a build plan before we end up with a splatter all over the place.
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Picky recruitment: Get people who are at least as skilled as you are! (Recruits 2d10+2 Yellow personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Rocket Artillery Training: This is going to be an entirely different kettle of fish from the guns, and you need to respect that or it'll never pay off.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Start writing the Doctrine (Regimental)
-[X] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
--[X] Heavy Artillery: 120mm guns, Wasp's Nests, and other high-logistics artillery.
---[X] Wasp's Nests; some bunker-be-quiet is about what the doctor ordered, right now.
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[X] Requisition Material
--[X] Logistics Support: Flatbeds, Fuel, and other niceties.
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[X] Promote an officer to Brigade Staff
--[X] Scout from another Regiment in the Brigade
A Plan, such as it is.
Firstly; start getting Tepes' shit sorted out, because we will absolutely need some sort of organization above brigade level (divisional level, for want of a better term) in future and that kinda thing has depressingly long lead times. Chipping away at the Medium patterns while we're here, and telling the Builders to start drawing up plans for something at Crow's Nest so we can show the plan to the shovel-holders and say "go".
Recruitment; I'd lowkey prefer oranges, but for most of what we do, yellows are fine. Rocket Arty training because if setting bunkers afire shuts up the AI defences, we can't not at least look into the possibility. The Doctrine is also relevant, here; we've got a loose one, but something that'll let the regiment more or less run itself while Orr wrangles the brigade is becoming more and more critical, here.
Upgrades; the aforementioned rocket arty, some logi gear to support it because I assume, much like howitzers, rockets will eat all the supplies you can feed them and still want more. Tossing a lieutenant in here because beefing up the regimental staff isn't a bad idea in general, doubly so as we get increasingly hands-off on the Valkyries in favour of brigade HQ.
Speaking of brigade; Crow's Nest because we can start tightening the noose around Huntsfort and Fortress Foxcatcher alike, and with Frostmarch flying the Warden Sunflower, we're at considerably less risk of getting pincer'd by a counterattack than at Huntsfort. Add in another brigade officer because we needs the staff, preferably assembled from all the skillsets currently in Fólkvangr.
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Begin design for a new, planned base.
--[X] Crow's Nest; let's try to have something resembling a build plan before we end up with a splatter all over the place.
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Picky recruitment: Get people who are at least as skilled as you are! (Recruits 2d10+2 Yellow personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Rocket Artillery Training: This is going to be an entirely different kettle of fish from the guns, and you need to respect that or it'll never pay off.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Start writing the Doctrine (Regimental)
-[X] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
--[X] Heavy Artillery: 120mm guns, Wasp's Nests, and other high-logistics artillery.
---[X] Wasp's Nests; some bunker-be-quiet is about what the doctor ordered, right now.
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[X] Requisition Material
--[X] Logistics Support: Flatbeds, Fuel, and other niceties.
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[X] Promote an officer to Brigade Staff
--[X] Scout from another Regiment in the Brigade
A Plan, such as it is.
Firstly; start getting Tepes' shit sorted out, because we will absolutely need some sort of organization above brigade level (divisional level, for want of a better term) in future and that kinda thing has depressingly long lead times. Chipping away at the Medium patterns while we're here, and telling the Builders to start drawing up plans for something at Crow's Nest so we can show the plan to the shovel-holders and say "go".
Recruitment; I'd lowkey prefer oranges, but for most of what we do, yellows are fine. Rocket Arty training because if setting bunkers afire shuts up the AI defences, we can't not at least look into the possibility. The Doctrine is also relevant, here; we've got a loose one, but something that'll let the regiment more or less run itself while Orr wrangles the brigade is becoming more and more critical, here.
Upgrades; the aforementioned rocket arty, some logi gear to support it because I assume, much like howitzers, rockets will eat all the supplies you can feed them and still want more. Tossing a lieutenant in here because beefing up the regimental staff isn't a bad idea in general, doubly so as we get increasingly hands-off on the Valkyries in favour of brigade HQ.
Speaking of brigade; Crow's Nest because we can start tightening the noose around Huntsfort and Fortress Foxcatcher alike, and with Frostmarch flying the Warden Sunflower, we're at considerably less risk of getting pincer'd by a counterattack than at Huntsfort. Add in another brigade officer because we needs the staff, preferably assembled from all the skillsets currently in Fólkvangr.
Last edited:
- Location
- Auckland
[X] Plan Implacable But Glacial
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Follow Up
BUNKER
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
PERSONNEL
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Start writing the Doctrine (Regimental)
UPGRADES
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the organizer, so you have more time to put out more fires (Adds one action to Upgrades)
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 14e Medical
-[X] Go talk to someone specific/Meet a Specific Regiment
--[X] 11e Infantry
BRIGADE
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Medical
You know what. No. Orr, go sit on your hands for a bit because we really, really need to go and handle actually being a general right now. We still need to continue our artillery training with how we're already in a lot of developmental debt, right this moment is not the time to learn how to rocket.
No, what I want right now is you going out there to do more incredibly long overdue talking to people. 14e Medical was talking about joining the War Bureau a while ago and since Hooker apparently decided to collapse it instead we're the ones that have to pick up the slack. For obvious reasons having dedicated medics will be very good for attrition, which we suffer far too much of just with our artillery, not to mention the maulings the frontline troops keep suffering.
I also want to find out what the hells going on with 11e Infantry since they were the bloody training regiment. I don't want them exploding when we need them to keep doing their job for the good of the Wardens as a whole. And since I want to keep Orr talking to more people, I want another action in upgrades.
Figuring out the doctrine and recruiting more people are good too, though I'm feeling wary about the 'rush to max member numbers' plan now after hearing how the 11e split so I'm slowing it down a bit with recruiting oranges instead. Thinking we might want to stop recruiting after this round and focus on training our people up.
As far as building is concerned, I just want our bunker base finally finished and for Tepes' base to get sorted out. To that end the Crow's Nest attack should relieve rocket artillery pressure off of him and let our lent team get to work. Lastly I'm not entirely sure about adding another brigade officer right now, primarily because I have absolutely no clue who would actually fit any of the roles available. Except possibly Asuna as the Senior Commissar, which... I'll let that idea speak for itself. We kind of want her to take over command of the 15th instead anyway once we stop commanding it directly. Depending on what the 11ths situation is, maybe we could get a commissar from them? It was mentioned to be a recruitment and training role after all.
BUNKER
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
PERSONNEL
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Start writing the Doctrine (Regimental)
UPGRADES
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the organizer, so you have more time to put out more fires (Adds one action to Upgrades)
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 14e Medical
-[X] Go talk to someone specific/Meet a Specific Regiment
--[X] 11e Infantry
BRIGADE
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Medical
You know what. No. Orr, go sit on your hands for a bit because we really, really need to go and handle actually being a general right now. We still need to continue our artillery training with how we're already in a lot of developmental debt, right this moment is not the time to learn how to rocket.
No, what I want right now is you going out there to do more incredibly long overdue talking to people. 14e Medical was talking about joining the War Bureau a while ago and since Hooker apparently decided to collapse it instead we're the ones that have to pick up the slack. For obvious reasons having dedicated medics will be very good for attrition, which we suffer far too much of just with our artillery, not to mention the maulings the frontline troops keep suffering.
I also want to find out what the hells going on with 11e Infantry since they were the bloody training regiment. I don't want them exploding when we need them to keep doing their job for the good of the Wardens as a whole. And since I want to keep Orr talking to more people, I want another action in upgrades.
Figuring out the doctrine and recruiting more people are good too, though I'm feeling wary about the 'rush to max member numbers' plan now after hearing how the 11e split so I'm slowing it down a bit with recruiting oranges instead. Thinking we might want to stop recruiting after this round and focus on training our people up.
As far as building is concerned, I just want our bunker base finally finished and for Tepes' base to get sorted out. To that end the Crow's Nest attack should relieve rocket artillery pressure off of him and let our lent team get to work. Lastly I'm not entirely sure about adding another brigade officer right now, primarily because I have absolutely no clue who would actually fit any of the roles available. Except possibly Asuna as the Senior Commissar, which... I'll let that idea speak for itself. We kind of want her to take over command of the 15th instead anyway once we stop commanding it directly. Depending on what the 11ths situation is, maybe we could get a commissar from them? It was mentioned to be a recruitment and training role after all.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Fireiy
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Follow Up
- Location
- UTC -6
I'm somewhat curious what system assist grants to logistics officers. A sixth sense that a group they supply is out of reserve stock? Just knowing where their truckers got ambushed? Kicking the factory output bin to make the crates fly right into a small shipping container?
(Orr was able to stare at a spot that she wanted exploded and autopilot calling in a fire mission, while the rest of our squad quickly got a gun pointed to that spot.)
(Orr was able to stare at a spot that she wanted exploded and autopilot calling in a fire mission, while the rest of our squad quickly got a gun pointed to that spot.)
- Location
- US East Coast
It probably helps them do math(accurate estimates if how long something will last and how many trucks will need how much fuel to get enough more to cover for however long), and remember how much of what is where and who was supposed to to be back how long ago with more of it.
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
There's four big ones, in spoilers because they're actual spoilers even if only mild ones. Combat Arms systems assists are definitely spoilers, especially any from the Artillery branch.
Three big ones here: vehicle info, automatic EST set, and bonus cargo space.
First one is vehicle info. Logi drivers (and at enlisted tier everyone drives no matter your other jobs) automatically know the status of their vehicle: percentage health, fuel level, PoL level, tire condition, and most importantly speed/tach/gearset. The less the system has to hold your hand on this, the more it helps provide ancillary information like relative traction and floatation, best cornering speed, and precise non-dashboard info if the vehicle is taking/taken damage.
Second one is auto-EST. Logi drivers can always guestimate a clean-sheet best-time route for any two- to four- waypoint trip, and map it automatically. Players who don't lean on the system assist in turn get more correction in their guesstimation as the game feeds them traffic info and road conditions.
Third one is bonus cargo space. Logistics drivers get one bonus inventory slot in their trucks/boats. Nothing fancy here.
There's a few regiment-type specific other bonuses at this level, but none of them are really notable.
First one is vehicle info. Logi drivers (and at enlisted tier everyone drives no matter your other jobs) automatically know the status of their vehicle: percentage health, fuel level, PoL level, tire condition, and most importantly speed/tach/gearset. The less the system has to hold your hand on this, the more it helps provide ancillary information like relative traction and floatation, best cornering speed, and precise non-dashboard info if the vehicle is taking/taken damage.
Second one is auto-EST. Logi drivers can always guestimate a clean-sheet best-time route for any two- to four- waypoint trip, and map it automatically. Players who don't lean on the system assist in turn get more correction in their guesstimation as the game feeds them traffic info and road conditions.
Third one is bonus cargo space. Logistics drivers get one bonus inventory slot in their trucks/boats. Nothing fancy here.
There's a few regiment-type specific other bonuses at this level, but none of them are really notable.
There's a little bit of speciazation here, specifically in wet/dry/rail logi. All this is in addition to the above.
Four big ones here: perfect communication, precision repair, second wind, and death crash/boarding action/railskip
Perfect communication is exactly what it says on the tin. Players that can transmit in the clear automatically do so, with high precision, and most importantly without having to hold a radiotelephone unit up to their head while they're driving. No background noise, less signal degradation, automatic priority on one-way lines. Most NCO tiers offer something similar, so this isn't strictly a logi thing.
Precision repair allows for players to repair module damage without having to do a full repair of a vehicle. Normally, if subsystem damage is sustained, a vehicle needs to be repaired to full in order to get it rolling again. Precision repair allows players to go through a daily maintenance routine plus 15% repair in order to fix damaged subsystems. Armor regiments get something similar.
Second Wind is a bonus 5% of total fuel storage to be carried as "bonus fuel" that players have to manually load that serves as an invisible bingo fuel for when the tank runs dry. Notably, combat regiments do not get this System Assist.
Then the speciation hits
Death Crash is a systems assist that maximizes collision damage from vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-defenses interactions. It does not minimize damage, and it does not reduce friendly fire vehicle damage: it strictly increases hostile damage interactions. Players need to be careful not to accidentally kill themselves or passengers while using it.
Boarding Action is similar to Death Crash: it automatically allows a boat pilot to match speed and bearing to another vessel. Very useful when you're a ship captain doing a crew transfer, or a battle barge skipper yelling to fix bayonets.
Railskip allows trains to ignore negative effects of low rail HP for a certain amount per train based on some very specific math that nobody not in the train people circles really understands. It makes it much harder to sabatoge rail lines, however.
Four big ones here: perfect communication, precision repair, second wind, and death crash/boarding action/railskip
Perfect communication is exactly what it says on the tin. Players that can transmit in the clear automatically do so, with high precision, and most importantly without having to hold a radiotelephone unit up to their head while they're driving. No background noise, less signal degradation, automatic priority on one-way lines. Most NCO tiers offer something similar, so this isn't strictly a logi thing.
Precision repair allows for players to repair module damage without having to do a full repair of a vehicle. Normally, if subsystem damage is sustained, a vehicle needs to be repaired to full in order to get it rolling again. Precision repair allows players to go through a daily maintenance routine plus 15% repair in order to fix damaged subsystems. Armor regiments get something similar.
Second Wind is a bonus 5% of total fuel storage to be carried as "bonus fuel" that players have to manually load that serves as an invisible bingo fuel for when the tank runs dry. Notably, combat regiments do not get this System Assist.
Then the speciation hits
Death Crash is a systems assist that maximizes collision damage from vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-defenses interactions. It does not minimize damage, and it does not reduce friendly fire vehicle damage: it strictly increases hostile damage interactions. Players need to be careful not to accidentally kill themselves or passengers while using it.
Boarding Action is similar to Death Crash: it automatically allows a boat pilot to match speed and bearing to another vessel. Very useful when you're a ship captain doing a crew transfer, or a battle barge skipper yelling to fix bayonets.
Railskip allows trains to ignore negative effects of low rail HP for a certain amount per train based on some very specific math that nobody not in the train people circles really understands. It makes it much harder to sabatoge rail lines, however.
Second verse same as the first, everyone here gets all the stuff from above. Only two big systems assists, though: eyeball inventory, and autotracker.
Eyeball Inventory is, for all its specialization, probably one of the most powerful systems assists. By looking at a Bunker Base core, a logi officer can automatically guess how much of a given item serial number is in the base, plus or minus 12.5% of the actual stockpile. The primary limitation is that the officer in question must know the serial number of the item they're trying to estimate count on: however, if a player has memorized a large number of serial numbers then they may effectively get a rough count of the contents of a base with zero paperwork.
Autotracker is a method for officers to compile the results of every player in their regiment's automatic EST generations, which is then colimated by systems assist and cross-referenced from times of departure to create an estimated location of every member of the regiment at any one given time without wasting radio bandwidth. Now, to note this is built off the player's own ETA estimations- errors there will propagate to the officer's collimation, and if people go off-route it won't update the final data set until a new EST prediction is made.
Eyeball Inventory is, for all its specialization, probably one of the most powerful systems assists. By looking at a Bunker Base core, a logi officer can automatically guess how much of a given item serial number is in the base, plus or minus 12.5% of the actual stockpile. The primary limitation is that the officer in question must know the serial number of the item they're trying to estimate count on: however, if a player has memorized a large number of serial numbers then they may effectively get a rough count of the contents of a base with zero paperwork.
Autotracker is a method for officers to compile the results of every player in their regiment's automatic EST generations, which is then colimated by systems assist and cross-referenced from times of departure to create an estimated location of every member of the regiment at any one given time without wasting radio bandwidth. Now, to note this is built off the player's own ETA estimations- errors there will propagate to the officer's collimation, and if people go off-route it won't update the final data set until a new EST prediction is made.
On becoming the leader of a regiment, players get a "capstone" systems assist generally referred to as "the pie"
The Pie is a percentile estimation- usually written out as a pie chart when players use automatic systems assist in conjugation with personal notebooks- of regimental time expenses. At base level, this can be one of three options- a specific player's time logs over 24hr periods accurate to the minute, regimental time expenses over 24hr accurate to one-quarter man-hour (IE: 15 minutes of error on one person across the entire regiment), or regimental inventories (IE: inventories of regimental bases and vehicles) displayed with each serial number as a percentage of total inventory. Regimental leaders who perform their own data analysis can then collimate their personal analysis with these system-assist data sets to create new percentage-based information sets.
The Pie is a percentile estimation- usually written out as a pie chart when players use automatic systems assist in conjugation with personal notebooks- of regimental time expenses. At base level, this can be one of three options- a specific player's time logs over 24hr periods accurate to the minute, regimental time expenses over 24hr accurate to one-quarter man-hour (IE: 15 minutes of error on one person across the entire regiment), or regimental inventories (IE: inventories of regimental bases and vehicles) displayed with each serial number as a percentage of total inventory. Regimental leaders who perform their own data analysis can then collimate their personal analysis with these system-assist data sets to create new percentage-based information sets.
Now there is something important to mention: players who have been eligible for a previous systems assist, provided they were not dishonorably discharged, may situationally be able to continue to access these previous Systems Assists. This means Theresa still has access to her capstone Assist since she's still in logi (just at brigade level after a nominal demotion) and Orr is still able to access her recruit-level Assists if she can re-trigger them from when she was a logi driver, as well as when she was an Uhlans colonel. However, if someone is dishonorably discharged (which has too much paperwork to happen by accident) then they loose previous systems assist triggers for their previous unit, and depending on if other previous units blacklist and retroactively adjust discharge files, can also loose assists from units that they had previously been in but not dishonorably discharged from.
So, for a rough example, Silica has the following System Assists she qualifies for the following:
- Infantry tier 1
- Signals tier 2
- Uhlans tier 2
- Flying Artillery tier 3
Versus Asuna, who has the following Systems Assist qualifications
- Infantry tier 2
- Uhlans tier 3
- Flying Artillery tier 3
- Cuirassiers tier 1
[X] Plan Follow Up
[X] Plan Follow Up
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Start writing the Doctrine (Regimental)
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the organizer, so you have more time to put out more fires (Adds one action to Upgrades)
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 14e Medical
-[X] Go talk to someone specific/Meet a Specific Regiment
--[X] 11e Infantry
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Medical
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Start writing the Doctrine (Regimental)
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the organizer, so you have more time to put out more fires (Adds one action to Upgrades)
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 14e Medical
-[X] Go talk to someone specific/Meet a Specific Regiment
--[X] 11e Infantry
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Medical
6.3
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
Waking up, you sat up with a yawn and looked over at Tymur. He'd gotten into bed a few hours after you, and he slept with a small smile as his hands wrapped around yours. It was beautiful.
Still, you couldn't delay. Getting out of bed, you started getting dressed. Underwear, thermal layer, uniform underlayer, your coat. Pulling on your hat, you tucked a layer of hair under it, before turning to the small mirror Tymur kept handy to check his- and now, sometimes, your- appearance.
It wasn't your face that looked back at you.
Falling back and pushing yourself to the wall of the bunker, your sword was in your hand before you knew it. Terror was in your breath, and breathing harshly you stepped back up. What- what had happened to you?
The second look was more elucidating than the first. Your jaw had lengthened, pairing with cheeks that had lost any trace of fat to them, bringing you into more of a fox-face when next to your high cheekbones and proud stare. Your hair was different as well, now- barely an inch long, blonde, and styled to the side in a way you found disconcerting enough that you used a menu to change it. Carefully re-sheathing your sword, you forced a breath down. That- that was your face. A few experimental movements proved it. Why had it changed, though? Everything was static in this world, since the game system did its appearance scan at the beginning of the helmet boot-up…
…the helmet boot-up. That would happen every time you re-initiated the game. Someone had forced a helmet reboot on you. That would be the only way to explain your new face, but the question was how? The only thing that could cause a helmet reboot would be an incredibly bad connection issue forcing the game to re-connect the helmet instance to the game instance, requiring a new full-fresh scan.
A flash of memory came over you, swift as a knife. Falling into bed. The moments of pain. The neurosurgeon. What had Sundowner done to you? Why were you asking the air? You could ask him yourself. You had a way, nonpriority, for messages. You had a sword. You could leave a note, suicide, and just ask the fucker. The blade was half out of the scabbard, getting ready to kiss your throat, when Tymur rolled over.
Dropping the blade back with a thunk, your hands froze. What- what had you been thinking? Shaking your head frantically, you saw Tymur rising up, his bleary eyes looking you over.
"You're up early," your lover muttered, pulling himself out with a smile- until he saw your hair, your face, your everything. "Melanie? Did something happen?"
"There was a network crash on my end," you said, feeling your hair. "So it just updated my appearance."
"Oh. Who'd have done your hair up like that, then?"
"A fucking asshole," you snarled, before shaking your head and just throwing your hat on the bed. Sitting down next to Tymur, you gave him a small kiss, before groaning. "It's gonna take me weeks to get used to this new face."
Smiling, Tymur kissed you back, before starting to rise. "Well, if we're in the same bunker base, I'll certainly help you get acclimated."
"Thanks for the offer, lover-boy," you chuckled, before heading back out.
////
Once that was over with, you had to get back to work. After dispatching your architect over to help Tepes get his house in order- along with a small goon squad, as a just in case- you kept pounding away at your bunker base while you got down to the nitty gritty of designing doctrine.
The first thing you needed to establish, above all else, was how to actually use your artillery. What targets did you address with what guns? How were guns organized, formally? What drills would you do to practice the use of these guns? All sorts of little questions, which quickly spawned more questions, which in turn lead to derails and rabbit holes like you wouldn't believe. Was running carracole tactics standard? Yes. How it was done varied by battery, though, which was a problem when you had two guns from one battery and two guns from another trying to work together!
Once you got done with that, though, it came time to write the book on the 120mm guns- except not, because it was also time to train with that taped-together battery of rocket launchers you'd gone out of your way go get. Work on them was a helter-skelter progress, your battery commanders frantically trying to get used to the incredible range and even more incredible twitchiness of the system. For a self-described bunker-suppressor and grid square removal system, the Wasps Nests were anything but indiscriminate: the point of impact had to be painstakingly chosen in order to get sufficient density of rocket onto the target to get the desired terminal effect. That said? Their terminal effect was akin to the hammer of a particularly drunken and spiteful god. Tier one fortifications evaporated: no questions asked. Tier two, the common salt of the earth, melted. Without dedicated firefighters (from the 211 Engineering, whom were quickly becoming the defacto fire brigade instructors) it lasted about an hour, and even with that only brought you six hours worth of time to panic and attempt to get fallbacks up. The pyroclastic rockets were deadly- unfortunately, just as much to you as the enemy. Handling accidents were common, and more importantly three was a very real point where any counterfire would risk detonating the weapons in the tube.
You were understanding why Kazoo was fond of them, though.
///
With frontline recruitment pulling in a large batch of detached infantry that had decided to retire the Western fronts with their high-tempo operations to come visit you, work progressed on training up officers and assaulting points of import. Crow's Nest was a major one: after an initial total failure to capture the area with artillery, you got Tymur to shake a battalion loose to thunder run the town down. Fortunately, the rocket artillery managed to not accidentally hit the armored units, even if their fumbling did cause a lot of zones to be far more active than initially planned.
Still, once Crow's Nest was dead, you came to a sudden and abrupt realization: you were now in position to begin the Siege of Foxcatcher. While it was still nominally possible for them to get naval reinforcement and resupply, dispatches from the Navy had made it clear that the enemy litoral force had pulled out in good order and had departed to reinforce other zones, or just stand down for rearm and refit. Most of the enemy troops were also leaving: the Dragoons had vacated the area, and enemy rocket attacks had finally ceased.
It actually smoothed things out enough for you to go back to working on doctrine. Now you got a chance to work on designing firebases: a very important thing for both you, and for your brigade since you'd need them by the trainload as you besieged Foxcatcher.
Right now, your plans for firebases were simple, three-stage affairs. The first stage was a two by three block: about as creative as plain spaghetti, but quick and easy to build. Inside, you'd lain out a simple battle preparedness center: a single radio desk, two locker sets to allow people to access the base inventory quickly, a wash station for hygiene and water requirements, and a pantry module for food and for G-sup conservation.
Stage two were the gun pits, located directly opposite the bunker core. Drivers would drive to the bunker core, nose in, drop off their requisitionary forms, and then drive out. Meantime, shell runners could pull from the base inventory, dash them across the road, and into shell ready racks in the fire control house. Said fire control house would have another radio bench, a map wall, and a ready room that would hold shells- or in the case of counterbattery fire, gunners being treated for shrapnel or other issues.
Stage three was a line of (hopefully) ever-expanding miniature bunkers of three to five pieces to get used as ablative defenses if the enemy actually tried to stave in the bunker base. It wasn't likely, but there was a nonzero chance the bases would need to tank an infantry or armor assault to the face- and you didn't want to risk loosing guns to it. More importantly, a reinforced trench line would also give you a place to hide your 40mm batteries for building reduction, or enough room to put together tank revetments or a field hospital or something.
With all this done, you had enough time to call up 14e Medical and get to brass tacks.
///
14e Medical was not a normal formation. Since it was composed of about a hundred assorted medical students and interested parties, they had the least military organization of anyone and routinely were about as formal as a fart in a whorehouse. While you weren't great shakes for formality yourself, there was a certain amount of deference you'd like to be paid in your own bunker base. Stealing a coffee, a sandwich, and making a pass at Klasse and two of the drivers did not count.
After a forty-minute conversation about fair trades, supply organization, the realities of wounded, and a fair few bits of political capitol traded, you got yourself access to a Medical Company.
While the game allowed you to build "field hospitals" that served as shirt recycling plants, the 14e didn't think that was adequate- so they designed their own bunker bases integrated with the shirt factories. They could bring a wounded trooper in on their last drop of blood, and get him back out the door with no questions asked in thirty minutes or feed them into a shirt factory and respawned in two. More importantly, they also ran medical transport and evac, not just ambulance runs (since ambulances could only hold Critically Wounded personnel, alias someone in the bottom quarter of their health track).
What you'd screwed the 14e out of was a full brigade field hospital, plus four medical teams and a transporter team. That meant you could get the armor and infantry units a dedicated medical team, plus have enough left over so that you could supply a frontline firebase to rotate through your other people. If you had your druthers, that captain would stay gone too- he'd been far too likely to leer at the soldiers in your base, since a good three in four were still female and still young enough you didn't want anyone you disapproved of hanging around too long.
Then it was time to meet the 11e.
////
Col. Vicquarme looked little like his videogame namesake. With spriggy brown hair, he walked in proud and straight-backed with a uniform almost as decorated as yours. Settling in with him, you looked across your desk, considering how to break open the topic at hand.
"So, you're looking for infantry," he finally said, saluting you gently with a tin mug of fortified tea you'd poured for the both of you.
"Not anymore," you said calmly, shrugging. "Right now, this is just a check-in with another person who bought into what Hooker was selling."
"What Hooker was selling is known in most civilized countries as "a crock of shit" and the words get stiffer from there," Vicquarme growled. "It poisoned my regiment."
"I'd figure MacLaine was enough poison."
"MacLaine was part of a team that wanted to win the war at all speed at any cost. His plan was to use levee en masse to develop enough fighters to make serious gains, and then hammer the enemy until they broke. I kept him in check for the most part, but the fact of the matter is, well-"
"-It's a lot harder to charge the guns when you learn what it feels like to get shot."
Vicquarme snorted. "Exactly."
"If you need help, my door is open," you said lightly. "I've been considering starting an operational plan for moving into a new hex after I siege down Foxcatcher, and I'll likely need to bring up garrison troops during that."
"We currently have two infantry formations in the pipe," Vicquarme said lightly, stroking his beard. "You've got space here, would you be adverse to me putting some in to gain seasoning?"
"Only if the 11e is going to move up and cover them," you said, tapping a hand on the table. "I trust your trainees, but they'd still be trainees. This is the only bunker base I've got, so I'm rather fond of it you understand."
"Oh, certainly. Still, I'll pencil that in as an option if we start to have expansionary issues again. Please, give us a call when it's time to revisit the subject."
"I'd be glad to."
And with that, you had completed the meat of your discussions with the 11e- and as you escorted them out, Silica was talking with one of their noncoms. If nothing else you'd have a backline when you went out adventuring now. Speaking of that, you better get to work planning that. You knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if it was well-guarded: but either you took it, or Overwatch-Kingmaker was bound to eventually go on the offensive.
Frankly speaking? You really, really did not want that- because there wasn't a strong brigade to hold shut Viper's Pit. Without one, you had to assume the side with a brigade would beat the side without- and if it came to fighting Overwatch-Kingmaker in a field battle in Viper Pit? You didn't know who'd win, but every noncombatant in the hex would loose.
///
BUNKER
(ChooseOne Two Three)
[] Expand your bunker base with additional infrastructure to sustain larger troop numbers.
[] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
-[] With small patterns (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With medium patterns (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With heavy patterns (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With artillery firing positions (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With infantry fighting positions (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With Modernist patterns (x1 to go to New Base Completion)
[] Begin developing Concrete (Write-in base to begin concrete development on)
[] Develop a new bunker base in a better location
-[] Write in hex and town/Relic, as well as distance to front line or intended purpose.
[] Get your builders to stop expanding the base for now.
[] Gift, Assign, or Abandon a bunker base.
-[] Write-in base by location.
[] Begin design for a new, planned base.
[] You don't need to build right now: put that time and manpower into the Brigade functions! (Grants one Brigade action)
[] Begin building temporary siegeworks to interdict a position or route.
[] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
-[] To the 163 Motor Rifle
PERSONNEL
(ChooseOne Two Three)
[] Go and recruit more personnel
-[] Mass recruitment: whatever you can get, get more of it! (Recruits 4d10+4 White personnel)
-[] Selective recruitment: Look for people who aren't clueless. The Logistics Union has a lot of folks. (Recruits 3d10+3 Green personnel)
-[] Picky recruitment: Get people who are at least as skilled as you are! (Recruits 2d10+2 Yellow personnel)
-[] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[] Elite recruitment: Go find a group of lunatics, and shanghai them. (Recruits 1d10 Red personnel)
(You cannot recruit units of higher rating than yourself.)
[] Commit training!
-[] Vehicle training: Teach everyone drive good. Car goes on right hand side of road, revolutionary concept. Might as well also learn to drive a flatbed, or your Drummond if you're feeling nice.
-[] Rifle training: Everyone will spend time practicing the fine art of "bullet go plink"
-[] Administration Training: Basic delegation has been mastered, but the more officers you have the more the parts move. Therefore, figuring out how to grease the gears is important. (Cannot take with empty Admin Billets.
-[] Infantry Training: You've spent some time on the front, it sucks. Get better so it sucks less.
-[] Mobile Warfare Training: You know how to fight out of a truck bed. Now it's time to get good at that.
-[] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[] Rocket Artillery Training: This is going to be an entirely different kettle of fish from the guns, and you need to respect that or it'll never pay off.
-[] Combat Vehicle Training: Your people know how to drive trucks and push guns, but the sort of work and operations needed to utilize an armored car or tank is completely outside your wheelhouse. Get some domestic tankers ready- you'll need them if you ever use armored contingents or self-propelled guns.
[] Extra work shifts
-[] More Scroop: Get everyone to do more rounds of scrooping at the scrap fields. You do your part, and more importantly, can use the B-mats to get useful stuff like more trucks or dedicated equipment.
-[] More Mines: Get everyone to do more rounds on the component mines and oil wells. Components mean R-mats, R-mats mean flatbeds, and more importantly: trains
-[] More Building: Put everyone to work on getting your bunker upgrades planned. If you don't have some planned, the bunker will get what the troops think it needs.
-[] Frontline Support: Put your people in the trenches on secondary duties: terminal logistics, machine guns, fortification, and other 'mostly safe' jobs to stiffen them up.
[] Begin operational planning for Something Big
-[] Continue writing the Doctrine (Regimental)(3/10 complete)
-[] Start planning an Operation
--[] On Marban Hollow (Seaport/Water Logi hex)
--[] On Deadlands (MPF hex)
-[] Write-in Something Big.
[] Begin Operation Planning (+1 to all rolls when the next operation starts)
[] You have enough spare brain cells in this department: put some time and manpower into the Brigade functions! (Grants one Brigade action)
UPGRADES
(ChooseOne Two Three Four!)
[] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
-[] Teach them the way of the builder, as much as you know how that works. (Adds one action to Bunker)
-[] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[] Teach them the way of the organizer, so you have more time to put out more fires (Adds one action to Upgrades)
[] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
-[] Bonesaw Humerus: A shoulder-fired ARC/AT-RPG weapon with a monsterously heavy hollow charge: perfect for destroying tanks and not much else.
-[] Tannerbaush Optical Rangefinder: A large, tripod-mounted optical rangefinder with integral compass. Perfect for determining range and bearing from a position.
-[] Niska Mk. V Command Vehicle: A Niska Halftrack with the weapons mount and troop compartment removed, in exchange for a four-seat mobile command center with theatre radio, map board, and cable jacks for field telephones or to link into a Bunker Base switchboard.
-[] Devitt-Caine Mk. IV MMR: A Devitt light tank retrofit with an open turret to mount a Caine 60mm mortar. Superficially similar to an infantry mortar, the mechanized chassis provides many hidden advantages.
[] Requisition Material
-[] Logistics Support: Flatbeds, Fuel, and other niceties.
-[] Light Artillery: 40mm, Mortars, and other truck-pulled guns.
-[] Heavy Artillery: 120mm guns, Wasp's Nests, and other high-logistics artillery.
-[] Base Support: More concrete, more faster.
[] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
-[] Logistics
-[] Production
-[] Frontline Combat
-[] QRF
-[] Water Logistics
-[] Techmaids
-[] Partisans
-[] War Bureau
-[] Great Warden Railroad (GWRR)
-[] 58e Intelligence
-[] 26e Commando
-[] 22e Chemical Warfare
[] Find a way to get your guys some quality of life upgrades so things suck less out here.
[] Go talk to someone specific/Meet a Specific Regiment
-[] Write in named character or regiment number (this includes in-regiment characters)
[] You have enough spare equipment and kit: put some time and manpower into the Brigade functions! (Grants one Brigade action)
BRIGADE
(ChooseOne Two!)
[] Begin preparing for a gradual push
-[] Slowly, the noose tightens on Port of Rime. Get in, and do a little daily walking fire to keep them on their toes.
-[] Huntsfort taunts you, and you can get some scab garrison troops to hold things down while you reach out and take a nibble
-[] Invest and secure Crow's Nest: You want to eat it.
-[] Invest Foxcatcher through Frostmarch: You've got the armor and the guts, and you know this'll draw enough response for you to see what your Powers of Doctrine can do.
-[] Avenge the Navy, and put the boots to Wightwalk so you can have a hole of naval resupply.
-[] Time to go for the big one: Invest Foxcatcher, and begin the siege on a refinery town.
--[] Write In Leading Unit for the turn
[] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
-[] Write-in Regiment Number, CO, or name.
-[] Write-in Regiment Skillset: ex; Transhipment, Rail, Medical, Infantry, Armor, Artillery, Et Cettera.
[] Promote an officer to Brigade Staff
-[] Scout from another Regiment in the Brigade
-[] Write-in Officer Name.
Still, you couldn't delay. Getting out of bed, you started getting dressed. Underwear, thermal layer, uniform underlayer, your coat. Pulling on your hat, you tucked a layer of hair under it, before turning to the small mirror Tymur kept handy to check his- and now, sometimes, your- appearance.
It wasn't your face that looked back at you.
Falling back and pushing yourself to the wall of the bunker, your sword was in your hand before you knew it. Terror was in your breath, and breathing harshly you stepped back up. What- what had happened to you?
The second look was more elucidating than the first. Your jaw had lengthened, pairing with cheeks that had lost any trace of fat to them, bringing you into more of a fox-face when next to your high cheekbones and proud stare. Your hair was different as well, now- barely an inch long, blonde, and styled to the side in a way you found disconcerting enough that you used a menu to change it. Carefully re-sheathing your sword, you forced a breath down. That- that was your face. A few experimental movements proved it. Why had it changed, though? Everything was static in this world, since the game system did its appearance scan at the beginning of the helmet boot-up…
…the helmet boot-up. That would happen every time you re-initiated the game. Someone had forced a helmet reboot on you. That would be the only way to explain your new face, but the question was how? The only thing that could cause a helmet reboot would be an incredibly bad connection issue forcing the game to re-connect the helmet instance to the game instance, requiring a new full-fresh scan.
A flash of memory came over you, swift as a knife. Falling into bed. The moments of pain. The neurosurgeon. What had Sundowner done to you? Why were you asking the air? You could ask him yourself. You had a way, nonpriority, for messages. You had a sword. You could leave a note, suicide, and just ask the fucker. The blade was half out of the scabbard, getting ready to kiss your throat, when Tymur rolled over.
Dropping the blade back with a thunk, your hands froze. What- what had you been thinking? Shaking your head frantically, you saw Tymur rising up, his bleary eyes looking you over.
"You're up early," your lover muttered, pulling himself out with a smile- until he saw your hair, your face, your everything. "Melanie? Did something happen?"
"There was a network crash on my end," you said, feeling your hair. "So it just updated my appearance."
"Oh. Who'd have done your hair up like that, then?"
"A fucking asshole," you snarled, before shaking your head and just throwing your hat on the bed. Sitting down next to Tymur, you gave him a small kiss, before groaning. "It's gonna take me weeks to get used to this new face."
Smiling, Tymur kissed you back, before starting to rise. "Well, if we're in the same bunker base, I'll certainly help you get acclimated."
"Thanks for the offer, lover-boy," you chuckled, before heading back out.
////
Once that was over with, you had to get back to work. After dispatching your architect over to help Tepes get his house in order- along with a small goon squad, as a just in case- you kept pounding away at your bunker base while you got down to the nitty gritty of designing doctrine.
The first thing you needed to establish, above all else, was how to actually use your artillery. What targets did you address with what guns? How were guns organized, formally? What drills would you do to practice the use of these guns? All sorts of little questions, which quickly spawned more questions, which in turn lead to derails and rabbit holes like you wouldn't believe. Was running carracole tactics standard? Yes. How it was done varied by battery, though, which was a problem when you had two guns from one battery and two guns from another trying to work together!
Once you got done with that, though, it came time to write the book on the 120mm guns- except not, because it was also time to train with that taped-together battery of rocket launchers you'd gone out of your way go get. Work on them was a helter-skelter progress, your battery commanders frantically trying to get used to the incredible range and even more incredible twitchiness of the system. For a self-described bunker-suppressor and grid square removal system, the Wasps Nests were anything but indiscriminate: the point of impact had to be painstakingly chosen in order to get sufficient density of rocket onto the target to get the desired terminal effect. That said? Their terminal effect was akin to the hammer of a particularly drunken and spiteful god. Tier one fortifications evaporated: no questions asked. Tier two, the common salt of the earth, melted. Without dedicated firefighters (from the 211 Engineering, whom were quickly becoming the defacto fire brigade instructors) it lasted about an hour, and even with that only brought you six hours worth of time to panic and attempt to get fallbacks up. The pyroclastic rockets were deadly- unfortunately, just as much to you as the enemy. Handling accidents were common, and more importantly three was a very real point where any counterfire would risk detonating the weapons in the tube.
You were understanding why Kazoo was fond of them, though.
///
With frontline recruitment pulling in a large batch of detached infantry that had decided to retire the Western fronts with their high-tempo operations to come visit you, work progressed on training up officers and assaulting points of import. Crow's Nest was a major one: after an initial total failure to capture the area with artillery, you got Tymur to shake a battalion loose to thunder run the town down. Fortunately, the rocket artillery managed to not accidentally hit the armored units, even if their fumbling did cause a lot of zones to be far more active than initially planned.
Still, once Crow's Nest was dead, you came to a sudden and abrupt realization: you were now in position to begin the Siege of Foxcatcher. While it was still nominally possible for them to get naval reinforcement and resupply, dispatches from the Navy had made it clear that the enemy litoral force had pulled out in good order and had departed to reinforce other zones, or just stand down for rearm and refit. Most of the enemy troops were also leaving: the Dragoons had vacated the area, and enemy rocket attacks had finally ceased.
It actually smoothed things out enough for you to go back to working on doctrine. Now you got a chance to work on designing firebases: a very important thing for both you, and for your brigade since you'd need them by the trainload as you besieged Foxcatcher.
Right now, your plans for firebases were simple, three-stage affairs. The first stage was a two by three block: about as creative as plain spaghetti, but quick and easy to build. Inside, you'd lain out a simple battle preparedness center: a single radio desk, two locker sets to allow people to access the base inventory quickly, a wash station for hygiene and water requirements, and a pantry module for food and for G-sup conservation.
Stage two were the gun pits, located directly opposite the bunker core. Drivers would drive to the bunker core, nose in, drop off their requisitionary forms, and then drive out. Meantime, shell runners could pull from the base inventory, dash them across the road, and into shell ready racks in the fire control house. Said fire control house would have another radio bench, a map wall, and a ready room that would hold shells- or in the case of counterbattery fire, gunners being treated for shrapnel or other issues.
Stage three was a line of (hopefully) ever-expanding miniature bunkers of three to five pieces to get used as ablative defenses if the enemy actually tried to stave in the bunker base. It wasn't likely, but there was a nonzero chance the bases would need to tank an infantry or armor assault to the face- and you didn't want to risk loosing guns to it. More importantly, a reinforced trench line would also give you a place to hide your 40mm batteries for building reduction, or enough room to put together tank revetments or a field hospital or something.
With all this done, you had enough time to call up 14e Medical and get to brass tacks.
///
14e Medical was not a normal formation. Since it was composed of about a hundred assorted medical students and interested parties, they had the least military organization of anyone and routinely were about as formal as a fart in a whorehouse. While you weren't great shakes for formality yourself, there was a certain amount of deference you'd like to be paid in your own bunker base. Stealing a coffee, a sandwich, and making a pass at Klasse and two of the drivers did not count.
After a forty-minute conversation about fair trades, supply organization, the realities of wounded, and a fair few bits of political capitol traded, you got yourself access to a Medical Company.
While the game allowed you to build "field hospitals" that served as shirt recycling plants, the 14e didn't think that was adequate- so they designed their own bunker bases integrated with the shirt factories. They could bring a wounded trooper in on their last drop of blood, and get him back out the door with no questions asked in thirty minutes or feed them into a shirt factory and respawned in two. More importantly, they also ran medical transport and evac, not just ambulance runs (since ambulances could only hold Critically Wounded personnel, alias someone in the bottom quarter of their health track).
What you'd screwed the 14e out of was a full brigade field hospital, plus four medical teams and a transporter team. That meant you could get the armor and infantry units a dedicated medical team, plus have enough left over so that you could supply a frontline firebase to rotate through your other people. If you had your druthers, that captain would stay gone too- he'd been far too likely to leer at the soldiers in your base, since a good three in four were still female and still young enough you didn't want anyone you disapproved of hanging around too long.
Then it was time to meet the 11e.
////
Col. Vicquarme looked little like his videogame namesake. With spriggy brown hair, he walked in proud and straight-backed with a uniform almost as decorated as yours. Settling in with him, you looked across your desk, considering how to break open the topic at hand.
"So, you're looking for infantry," he finally said, saluting you gently with a tin mug of fortified tea you'd poured for the both of you.
"Not anymore," you said calmly, shrugging. "Right now, this is just a check-in with another person who bought into what Hooker was selling."
"What Hooker was selling is known in most civilized countries as "a crock of shit" and the words get stiffer from there," Vicquarme growled. "It poisoned my regiment."
"I'd figure MacLaine was enough poison."
"MacLaine was part of a team that wanted to win the war at all speed at any cost. His plan was to use levee en masse to develop enough fighters to make serious gains, and then hammer the enemy until they broke. I kept him in check for the most part, but the fact of the matter is, well-"
"-It's a lot harder to charge the guns when you learn what it feels like to get shot."
Vicquarme snorted. "Exactly."
"If you need help, my door is open," you said lightly. "I've been considering starting an operational plan for moving into a new hex after I siege down Foxcatcher, and I'll likely need to bring up garrison troops during that."
"We currently have two infantry formations in the pipe," Vicquarme said lightly, stroking his beard. "You've got space here, would you be adverse to me putting some in to gain seasoning?"
"Only if the 11e is going to move up and cover them," you said, tapping a hand on the table. "I trust your trainees, but they'd still be trainees. This is the only bunker base I've got, so I'm rather fond of it you understand."
"Oh, certainly. Still, I'll pencil that in as an option if we start to have expansionary issues again. Please, give us a call when it's time to revisit the subject."
"I'd be glad to."
And with that, you had completed the meat of your discussions with the 11e- and as you escorted them out, Silica was talking with one of their noncoms. If nothing else you'd have a backline when you went out adventuring now. Speaking of that, you better get to work planning that. You knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if it was well-guarded: but either you took it, or Overwatch-Kingmaker was bound to eventually go on the offensive.
Frankly speaking? You really, really did not want that- because there wasn't a strong brigade to hold shut Viper's Pit. Without one, you had to assume the side with a brigade would beat the side without- and if it came to fighting Overwatch-Kingmaker in a field battle in Viper Pit? You didn't know who'd win, but every noncombatant in the hex would loose.
///
BUNKER
(Choose
[] Expand your bunker base with additional infrastructure to sustain larger troop numbers.
[] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
-[] With small patterns (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With medium patterns (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With heavy patterns (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With artillery firing positions (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With infantry fighting positions (x0 to go to New Base Completion)
-[] With Modernist patterns (x1 to go to New Base Completion)
[] Begin developing Concrete (Write-in base to begin concrete development on)
[] Develop a new bunker base in a better location
-[] Write in hex and town/Relic, as well as distance to front line or intended purpose.
[] Gift, Assign, or Abandon a bunker base.
-[] Write-in base by location.
[] Begin design for a new, planned base.
[] You don't need to build right now: put that time and manpower into the Brigade functions! (Grants one Brigade action)
[] Begin building temporary siegeworks to interdict a position or route.
[] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
-[] To the 163 Motor Rifle
PERSONNEL
(Choose
[] Go and recruit more personnel
-[] Mass recruitment: whatever you can get, get more of it! (Recruits 4d10+4 White personnel)
-[] Selective recruitment: Look for people who aren't clueless. The Logistics Union has a lot of folks. (Recruits 3d10+3 Green personnel)
-[] Picky recruitment: Get people who are at least as skilled as you are! (Recruits 2d10+2 Yellow personnel)
-[] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
(You cannot recruit units of higher rating than yourself.)
[] Commit training!
-[] Vehicle training: Teach everyone drive good. Car goes on right hand side of road, revolutionary concept. Might as well also learn to drive a flatbed, or your Drummond if you're feeling nice.
-[] Rifle training: Everyone will spend time practicing the fine art of "bullet go plink"
-[] Administration Training: Basic delegation has been mastered, but the more officers you have the more the parts move. Therefore, figuring out how to grease the gears is important. (Cannot take with empty Admin Billets.
-[] Infantry Training: You've spent some time on the front, it sucks. Get better so it sucks less.
-[] Mobile Warfare Training: You know how to fight out of a truck bed. Now it's time to get good at that.
-[] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[] Rocket Artillery Training: This is going to be an entirely different kettle of fish from the guns, and you need to respect that or it'll never pay off.
-[] Combat Vehicle Training: Your people know how to drive trucks and push guns, but the sort of work and operations needed to utilize an armored car or tank is completely outside your wheelhouse. Get some domestic tankers ready- you'll need them if you ever use armored contingents or self-propelled guns.
[] Extra work shifts
-[] More Scroop: Get everyone to do more rounds of scrooping at the scrap fields. You do your part, and more importantly, can use the B-mats to get useful stuff like more trucks or dedicated equipment.
-[] More Mines: Get everyone to do more rounds on the component mines and oil wells. Components mean R-mats, R-mats mean flatbeds, and more importantly: trains
-[] More Building: Put everyone to work on getting your bunker upgrades planned. If you don't have some planned, the bunker will get what the troops think it needs.
-[] Frontline Support: Put your people in the trenches on secondary duties: terminal logistics, machine guns, fortification, and other 'mostly safe' jobs to stiffen them up.
[] Begin operational planning for Something Big
-[] Continue writing the Doctrine (Regimental)(3/10 complete)
-[] Start planning an Operation
--[] On Marban Hollow (Seaport/Water Logi hex)
--[] On Deadlands (MPF hex)
-[] Write-in Something Big.
[] You have enough spare brain cells in this department: put some time and manpower into the Brigade functions! (Grants one Brigade action)
UPGRADES
(Choose
[] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
-[] Teach them the way of the builder, as much as you know how that works. (Adds one action to Bunker)
-[] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[] Teach them the way of the organizer, so you have more time to put out more fires (Adds one action to Upgrades)
[] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
-[] Bonesaw Humerus: A shoulder-fired ARC/AT-RPG weapon with a monsterously heavy hollow charge: perfect for destroying tanks and not much else.
-[] Tannerbaush Optical Rangefinder: A large, tripod-mounted optical rangefinder with integral compass. Perfect for determining range and bearing from a position.
-[] Niska Mk. V Command Vehicle: A Niska Halftrack with the weapons mount and troop compartment removed, in exchange for a four-seat mobile command center with theatre radio, map board, and cable jacks for field telephones or to link into a Bunker Base switchboard.
-[] Devitt-Caine Mk. IV MMR: A Devitt light tank retrofit with an open turret to mount a Caine 60mm mortar. Superficially similar to an infantry mortar, the mechanized chassis provides many hidden advantages.
[] Requisition Material
-[] Logistics Support: Flatbeds, Fuel, and other niceties.
-[] Light Artillery: 40mm, Mortars, and other truck-pulled guns.
-[] Heavy Artillery: 120mm guns, Wasp's Nests, and other high-logistics artillery.
-[] Base Support: More concrete, more faster.
[] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
-[] Logistics
-[] Production
-[] Frontline Combat
-[] QRF
-[] Water Logistics
-[] Techmaids
-[] Partisans
-[] War Bureau
-[] Great Warden Railroad (GWRR)
-[] 58e Intelligence
-[] 26e Commando
-[] 22e Chemical Warfare
[] Find a way to get your guys some quality of life upgrades so things suck less out here.
[] Go talk to someone specific/Meet a Specific Regiment
-[] Write in named character or regiment number (this includes in-regiment characters)
[] You have enough spare equipment and kit: put some time and manpower into the Brigade functions! (Grants one Brigade action)
BRIGADE
(Choose
[] Begin preparing for a gradual push
-[] Huntsfort taunts you, and you can get some scab garrison troops to hold things down while you reach out and take a nibble
-[] Invest Foxcatcher through Frostmarch: You've got the armor and the guts, and you know this'll draw enough response for you to see what your Powers of Doctrine can do.
-[] Avenge the Navy, and put the boots to Wightwalk so you can have a hole of naval resupply.
-[] Time to go for the big one: Invest Foxcatcher, and begin the siege on a refinery town.
--[] Write In Leading Unit for the turn
[] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
-[] Write-in Regiment Number, CO, or name.
-[] Write-in Regiment Skillset: ex; Transhipment, Rail, Medical, Infantry, Armor, Artillery, Et Cettera.
[] Promote an officer to Brigade Staff
-[] Scout from another Regiment in the Brigade
-[] Write-in Officer Name.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- He
I've heard stranger reasons for why the character looks different after getting recast with a new actor over the season break but not many of them.
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
To be fair, it was quite the recasting. Massively different at first blush.
[X] Plan Follow Up Part 2
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Vehicle training: Teach everyone drive good. Car goes on right hand side of road, revolutionary concept. Might as well also learn to drive a flatbed, or your Drummond if you're feeling nice.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Continue writing the Doctrine (Regimental)(3/10 complete)
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[X] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
--[X] Tannerbaush Optical Rangefinder: A large, tripod-mounted optical rangefinder with integral compass. Perfect for determining range and bearing from a position.
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 22e Chemical Warfare
--[X] 65e Signals
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest Foxcatcher through Frostmarch: You've got the armor and the guts, and you know this'll draw enough response for you to see what your Powers of Doctrine can do.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Signals
Certainly don't mind the new look for Melanie but might want to put it in the media threadmark just to make it easier to refer back too. As for the plan, just really a copy of the previous plan with some changes to the original. But really, I just want the signals regiment with us to give us that +1 planning modifier while also countering enemy jamming.
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With medium patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x2 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Vehicle training: Teach everyone drive good. Car goes on right hand side of road, revolutionary concept. Might as well also learn to drive a flatbed, or your Drummond if you're feeling nice.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Continue writing the Doctrine (Regimental)(3/10 complete)
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[X] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
--[X] Tannerbaush Optical Rangefinder: A large, tripod-mounted optical rangefinder with integral compass. Perfect for determining range and bearing from a position.
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 22e Chemical Warfare
--[X] 65e Signals
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest Foxcatcher through Frostmarch: You've got the armor and the guts, and you know this'll draw enough response for you to see what your Powers of Doctrine can do.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Signals
Certainly don't mind the new look for Melanie but might want to put it in the media threadmark just to make it easier to refer back too. As for the plan, just really a copy of the previous plan with some changes to the original. But really, I just want the signals regiment with us to give us that +1 planning modifier while also countering enemy jamming.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Follow Up Part 2
- Location
- Auckland
[X] Plan Follow Up Part 2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Quick heads up that the number of bunker patterns to completion were updated. I'll come up with a full plan later, but here's my current thoughts.
Our bunker base is at last nearing completion... of tier 2. As a reminder the planned base includes a intelligence center, which requires T3 concrete and is horribly vulnerable while drying. Since the rocket attacks have stopped this should be doable, but I'm wary that they could roll back in at any time. The benefits of being mounted on a truck.
With training, I'm fairly certain we still have a lot we could improve on with artillery. Both types, since Orr naturally took the choice of training artillery to be training the rocket artillery. The development debt continues. If we're really getting rangefinders, even more important. Speaking of choices in upgrades, we do also need to requisition some more heavy artillery. We only have the two rocket launchers out of the six needed to call it an actual battery.
Lastly on getting a signals regiment... I'm conflicted. On the one hand yes, they are incredibly useful. On the other hand they're all literally children. I am less than entirely confident around Orr's track record with keeping children safe. Just how close to the frontlines do they need to be/are going to get? And speaking of children, what the hell happened to the two that got assigned to us from the War Bureau? I've not heard them mentioned now that I think about it.
Our bunker base is at last nearing completion... of tier 2. As a reminder the planned base includes a intelligence center, which requires T3 concrete and is horribly vulnerable while drying. Since the rocket attacks have stopped this should be doable, but I'm wary that they could roll back in at any time. The benefits of being mounted on a truck.
With training, I'm fairly certain we still have a lot we could improve on with artillery. Both types, since Orr naturally took the choice of training artillery to be training the rocket artillery. The development debt continues. If we're really getting rangefinders, even more important. Speaking of choices in upgrades, we do also need to requisition some more heavy artillery. We only have the two rocket launchers out of the six needed to call it an actual battery.
Lastly on getting a signals regiment... I'm conflicted. On the one hand yes, they are incredibly useful. On the other hand they're all literally children. I am less than entirely confident around Orr's track record with keeping children safe. Just how close to the frontlines do they need to be/are going to get? And speaking of children, what the hell happened to the two that got assigned to us from the War Bureau? I've not heard them mentioned now that I think about it.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Right then. So. First thing I have to say is a hard veto on any plan that tries to get anyone from 65e Signals. They are rated White. They are literal children. No. We find another way or don't get them at all. Anyone got any ideas on that front?
Now for the plan I want to at last start working on the Intelligence Center, so we start up concreting things. We also go talk to 58e Intelligence to see if we could possibly get a detachment from them and advice for building/using this frontline Intelligence Center. The rest of the plan gets more Wasp's Nests so we actually have a proper rocket battery, optical rangefinders to improve our ability to plaster a position and artillery training so we actually know how to use them. Finally we poke Foxcatcher to see what our Powers of Doctrine can do. They sound different from regimental doctrines.
[X] Plan I Need Intelligence Data
BUNKER
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x1 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Begin developing Concrete (Motherbase)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
PERSONNEL
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Continue writing the Doctrine (Regimental)(3/10 complete)
UPGRADES
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[X] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
--[X] Tannerbaush Optical Rangefinder: A large, tripod-mounted optical rangefinder with integral compass. Perfect for determining range and bearing from a position.
-[X] Requisition Material
--[X] Heavy Artillery: 120mm guns, Wasp's Nests, and other high-logistics artillery.
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 58e Intelligence
BRIGADE
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest Foxcatcher through Frostmarch: You've got the armor and the guts, and you know this'll draw enough response for you to see what your Powers of Doctrine can do.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Intelligence
Now for the plan I want to at last start working on the Intelligence Center, so we start up concreting things. We also go talk to 58e Intelligence to see if we could possibly get a detachment from them and advice for building/using this frontline Intelligence Center. The rest of the plan gets more Wasp's Nests so we actually have a proper rocket battery, optical rangefinders to improve our ability to plaster a position and artillery training so we actually know how to use them. Finally we poke Foxcatcher to see what our Powers of Doctrine can do. They sound different from regimental doctrines.
[X] Plan I Need Intelligence Data
BUNKER
-[X] Expand your bunker base with Defensive Patterns (Requires techniques, vote to begin development)
--[X] With Modernist patterns (x1 to go to New Base Completion)
-[X] Begin developing Concrete (Motherbase)
-[X] Assign an Architect and Build Team elsewhere
--[X] To the 163 Motor Rifle
PERSONNEL
-[X] Go and recruit more personnel
--[X] Frontline recruitment: Go to the front and snag some blueberries! (Recruits 1d10+1 Orange personnel)
-[X] Commit training!
--[X] Artillery Training: It is time to actually learn what the limitations of these guns are. It'll be expensive, but you need to know to keep mistakes from happening.
-[X] Begin operational planning for Something Big
--[X] Continue writing the Doctrine (Regimental)(3/10 complete)
UPGRADES
-[X] Go out and get yourself a lieutenant! (You may have one per twenty Regiment members, minimum one)
--[X] Teach them the way of the talker, so you don't have to do that crap! (Adds one action to Personnel)
-[X] Find a, uh, techmaid, and get some prototype kits by hook or by crook.
--[X] Tannerbaush Optical Rangefinder: A large, tripod-mounted optical rangefinder with integral compass. Perfect for determining range and bearing from a position.
-[X] Requisition Material
--[X] Heavy Artillery: 120mm guns, Wasp's Nests, and other high-logistics artillery.
-[X] Get in touch with another regiment that does something you need (Discovers and improves relations with one random regiment inside the search group)
--[X] 58e Intelligence
BRIGADE
-[X] Begin preparing for a gradual push
--[X] Invest Foxcatcher through Frostmarch: You've got the armor and the guts, and you know this'll draw enough response for you to see what your Powers of Doctrine can do.
-[X] Search for more regiments to add to the Brigade: you have to catch them all!
--[X] Intelligence
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Fireiy