- Location
- poland
[X] Extend the argument - The infantry tank in the Great War.
Adventure in Academia - Art Quest
- Thread starter 4WheelSword
- Start date
- Original
Abby Normal
High Clerk of the Ymaryn
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Chop the argument - Skip to another aspect of early armoured warfare (Male/Female designs)
I am really curious what this will end up being about if picked...i assume an extension of the odd gender dynamic in the Gayaverse "west", but i'm not sure how exactly that'd be applied, since if i understand right those dynamics are "men and women are/can be functionally identical, so long as the aesthetics are kept separate", but i can't think of a good "we can have female tanks they just have to have skirts dammit" equivalent
I am really curious what this will end up being about if picked...i assume an extension of the odd gender dynamic in the Gayaverse "west", but i'm not sure how exactly that'd be applied, since if i understand right those dynamics are "men and women are/can be functionally identical, so long as the aesthetics are kept separate", but i can't think of a good "we can have female tanks they just have to have skirts dammit" equivalent
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
I realise I should have explained that bcos I forgot not everyone has a degree in military history:
A male/female tank is an identical design wherein one variant is an artillery carrier and the other is a machine gun carrier.
See early British designs in ww1.
A male/female tank is an identical design wherein one variant is an artillery carrier and the other is a machine gun carrier.
See early British designs in ww1.
Pt 6 - Sykes on the Front
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Of course it wasn't. Another day found you back buried in archives, digging around for sources on some of the first New Alleghanian designs to see production. You were in the best place for it, of course, surrounded as you were by budget estimates, proving ground reports and dispatches from the Great War. Why so much of it had ended up in New Kent you hadn't the slightest idea but at no point were you going to complain about easy access to primary sources on armoured warfare in the first real big one.
You'd found some papers - a veritable stack of them to be honest - from 1914 and the front. They were from a young Alleghanian man from the West coast, an artillery observer called Marshal Sykes. He'd not seen action, not officially - he was purely over there to see the new tanks fight. Of course it was a little more complicated than that;
It was a fascinating insight into the birth of the 'Liberty' tank, a vehicle designed to be sold to friends and allies, rather than deployed with Alleghanian forces. And, it seemed, this Sykes was a proponent of the infantry support vehicle in a really visible way, as opposed to Millers love of the cavalry concept.
You wonder, idly, if he wrote anything after the war. Anything at all, not just war theory.
Make your second argument:
[ ] While the track did not catch on in the 1910's, the demonstration of mobile guns swayed theorists towards the infantry tank.
[ ] Division of experience lead to division in theory, changing the landscape of post-war development.
[ ] The heavy gun was shown ineffective, and skewed theory towards small, rapid firing guns and MG's instead.
[ ] Write-in
Should you go searching for Sykes' writing?
[ ] No, there will be no distractions
[ ] Yes, he has a style to his writing
You'd found some papers - a veritable stack of them to be honest - from 1914 and the front. They were from a young Alleghanian man from the West coast, an artillery observer called Marshal Sykes. He'd not seen action, not officially - he was purely over there to see the new tanks fight. Of course it was a little more complicated than that;
In July, the Gallians across from the Dyske boys turned up a new sort of toy - same old hull as their wheeled car monster, but with a much bigger gun. If it was smaller than a Navy five incher I'll eat my helmet and it came on with the same speed too. Not exactly a demon, but enough to keep up with their leg infantry and that was the rub. Suddenly we were facing down not just the MG's and the rifles and the shrapnel, but accurate, direct fire from heavy guns wrapped up in what must have been an inch of armour plate. It was brutal business.
Luckily, one of the Dyske mortar teams managed to drop a shell right into the fighting compartment of one of the new chars and that turned a whole section of their attack. Risky business it turns out, not having a roof over your heads. Got a good look and I think I figured out the innards even after three of those big rounds cooked off. I've included drawings, as per.
Re: July attack, glad to see changes made to the Mark IV designs. Locals are absolutely loving them, and conversion training proceeding rapidly. Special interest being shown in the Short 9 Siege by the new platoons being raised for Vosges. Understand Gallians there have been building bunkers on the line and we're all very excited to see what we can do with one of these.
Concerns raised over lack of MG's on the MKIV and can't say I don't share them. All well and good relying on infantry support but infantry aren't wearing steel jackets. Thought this was supposed to be the infantry support, not vice versa? Nonetheless, will report on engagements.
Luckily, one of the Dyske mortar teams managed to drop a shell right into the fighting compartment of one of the new chars and that turned a whole section of their attack. Risky business it turns out, not having a roof over your heads. Got a good look and I think I figured out the innards even after three of those big rounds cooked off. I've included drawings, as per.
Re: July attack, glad to see changes made to the Mark IV designs. Locals are absolutely loving them, and conversion training proceeding rapidly. Special interest being shown in the Short 9 Siege by the new platoons being raised for Vosges. Understand Gallians there have been building bunkers on the line and we're all very excited to see what we can do with one of these.
Concerns raised over lack of MG's on the MKIV and can't say I don't share them. All well and good relying on infantry support but infantry aren't wearing steel jackets. Thought this was supposed to be the infantry support, not vice versa? Nonetheless, will report on engagements.
It was a fascinating insight into the birth of the 'Liberty' tank, a vehicle designed to be sold to friends and allies, rather than deployed with Alleghanian forces. And, it seemed, this Sykes was a proponent of the infantry support vehicle in a really visible way, as opposed to Millers love of the cavalry concept.
You wonder, idly, if he wrote anything after the war. Anything at all, not just war theory.
Make your second argument:
[ ] While the track did not catch on in the 1910's, the demonstration of mobile guns swayed theorists towards the infantry tank.
[ ] Division of experience lead to division in theory, changing the landscape of post-war development.
[ ] The heavy gun was shown ineffective, and skewed theory towards small, rapid firing guns and MG's instead.
[ ] Write-in
Should you go searching for Sykes' writing?
[ ] No, there will be no distractions
[ ] Yes, he has a style to his writing
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Division of experience lead to division in theory, changing the landscape of post-war development.
[X] Yes, he has a style to his writing
- Location
- poland
[X] Division of experience lead to division in theory, changing the landscape of post-war development.
[X] Yes, he has a style to his writing
[X] Yes, he has a style to his writing
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Yes, he has a style to his writing
[X] The heavy gun was shown ineffective, and skewed theory towards small, rapid firing guns and MG's instead.
[X] The heavy gun was shown ineffective, and skewed theory towards small, rapid firing guns and MG's instead.
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
(if you can't tell, the argument is not always based on the source provided. The argument may be based on additional 'in universe' knowledge, which is basically a way of developing the background. You're writing history by writing history! It's fun innit.)
Himmelhand
Giant Sinkhole 2020
- Location
- Midwestern US
[X] Division of experience lead to division in theory, changing the landscape of post-war development.
[X] Yes, he has a style to his writing
[X] Yes, he has a style to his writing
Pt 7 - Armoured Warfare in the Great War
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
There's a book that is ideal for the argument that you're making. A history of armoured theory in the Great War and fortunately, you happen to have a copy. Diving into it, you think that the development of warmachines could have been so different, if only for a few different choices at a few choice moments.
Walking home from the archives at Fort Hamilton, you pass a bookstore and decide that, hey, what is there to lose from having a look. If Sykes wrote anything else you'll be able to hunt it down amongst musty bookshelves, right? You wander in, bag slung over your shoulder, and drift into the section reserved for the weighty tomes of academia.
A brief glance tells you that there isn't a single Sykes amongst the history books, though while you'd hoped for some war theory the stores selection seemed awfully lacking. Maybe he'd just been missed out. Unperturbed, you wander the shelves with eyes tracking names and titles like any well-trained archivist and historian could. Three years of hunting down badly shelved books had given you a very special set of skills that were utterly useless for anything but finding texts amongst many, many, many others.
There were a few Sykes' amongst the non-fiction. It wasn't the most uncommon of names, after all. But none of them were your Sykes and thus they were, ultimately, useless. This was getting awfully frustrating.
"Hi!" A perky, sudden and all together far too close-by voice squeaks almost in your ear, "You looking for anything in particular?"
A shop assistant is leaning against a shelf casually, hands in her pockets, grinning from ear to ear. Her hair is cropped short and dyed electric blue, the stud in her eyebrow well healed, her eyes almost golden-brown.
"A, uh…" You're suddenly a little tongue tied, "Book?" What an incredibly lame answer.
"Well yeah, I figured that, sugar." She laughs, "You a student?"
"Yeah, uh. New Kent Community? History." Good. Facts. You can do those, those are easy. They're not a squirrely feeling in your belly because she's still looking at you.
"You're in the wrong section for history. That's on the other side of the store. Want some help finding it?"
Her eyes are saying something a little more direct than an offer of help, and you can feel a redness rising in your cheeks.
"I've looked there. Sorry, um. I'm looking for a writer, actually, a specific one?" You finally settle into a sentence and decide that telling her about Sykes will be a lot easier than trying to find a way out of your sudden butterflies. "Marshal Sykes. He was a soldier in the Great War-"
"Shit, wait, you know Sykes?" Her expression changes from a lecherous leer to a surprised… was it admiration? No, couldn't be. "Yeah, he served in Europa right?"
"Right."
"I love his poetry. Dans Coeur Blinde is literally one of my favourite pieces, it's stunning. Wait here." She disappears before you can say a word, vanishing amongst the stacks without a backward glance. You fidget nervously, unsure of what you're supposed to do but stand as still as you can. This isn't what you had expected at all. You figured you'd maybe find a memoir or a theoretical text. You certainly hadn't expected to find a fan of his poetry.
The woman bounces back around a different corner, making you jump for the second time in about three minutes.
"The store hasn't got a copy, but, uh, my boss has a private stash of rare stuff in the back. I can't sell it to you. Hell, if you're at NKC, I doubt you could afford it. But if you promise you'll look after it, I could do you a loaner for a little bit." She proffers a battered little hardback with gilt lettering on the crimson red spine.
"Why would you do that?" You ask. She doesn't know you, beyond thirty seconds of observation and a half-stammered conversation. If that book was as valuable as she said, it wouldn't be worth your life to let it out of your sight, if you were in her position.
"You know, I'm fairly sure it's because you're so damn cute, sugar." She winks. She actually punctuates the sentence with a wink. The blush roars back into your cheeks like wildfire. "Course, I could skip that, give you my address and you could come read the copy I have at home. It isn't half as nicely bound as this one, but it's all the same poems, y'know."
She is absolutely not just offering to read you some poetry, that much is so clear is even gets through to you.
What are you going to do?
[ ] Take the book (Regular dice roll to succeed)
[ ] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
[ ] Flee
By the end of the Great War, the armoured fighting vehicle was well proven by four years of vicious fighting across Europa, Lydia and further afield. Most nations had either developed their own idea of what tanks could do and their own industry to demonstrate it, or were buying them from the nations they agreed with. However, while certain elements were constant in these developments, such as the ability to cross rough terrain or some level or armour plate, others showed radical disagreements in theory.
In Albia, Otrusia, and Dyskelande, the theory was for light, fast 'cavalry' vehicles which could capitalise on successful attacks, function as raiders or respond to the enemy with swiftness.
Meanwhile, in Gallia and elsewhere, the tank became synonymous with heavy guns and pinpoint, surgical destruction in support of infantry attacks. Slow and ponderous, this school of thought was epitomised by the Alleghanian 'siege' series the largest of which carried a twelve inch howitzer on a mobile, armoured (albeit open-top) chassis.
Elsewhere, concepts were stranger still. Unarmoured high-velocity gun carriers appeared on several fronts, designed purely with the intent of killing other tanks whilst most theorists saw tank-destruction as a purely peripheral requirement. Tankettes, light vehicles and MG carriers were produced cheaply and to great effect, roaring across shell-riddled fields in tests. In Varnmark, the invention of the armoured personnel carrier allowed for the delivery of troops directly into the heart of the enemy, creating the ultimate infantry tank (for further details, see 'Sturm and Drang: Armoured Trench Raiders on the Northern Front').
The Great War taught many nations many lessons. But which ones would be considered truth would only become clear in years to come.
- Armoured Warfare in the Great War, Corpus and Duggan, 1973
In Albia, Otrusia, and Dyskelande, the theory was for light, fast 'cavalry' vehicles which could capitalise on successful attacks, function as raiders or respond to the enemy with swiftness.
Meanwhile, in Gallia and elsewhere, the tank became synonymous with heavy guns and pinpoint, surgical destruction in support of infantry attacks. Slow and ponderous, this school of thought was epitomised by the Alleghanian 'siege' series the largest of which carried a twelve inch howitzer on a mobile, armoured (albeit open-top) chassis.
Elsewhere, concepts were stranger still. Unarmoured high-velocity gun carriers appeared on several fronts, designed purely with the intent of killing other tanks whilst most theorists saw tank-destruction as a purely peripheral requirement. Tankettes, light vehicles and MG carriers were produced cheaply and to great effect, roaring across shell-riddled fields in tests. In Varnmark, the invention of the armoured personnel carrier allowed for the delivery of troops directly into the heart of the enemy, creating the ultimate infantry tank (for further details, see 'Sturm and Drang: Armoured Trench Raiders on the Northern Front').
The Great War taught many nations many lessons. But which ones would be considered truth would only become clear in years to come.
- Armoured Warfare in the Great War, Corpus and Duggan, 1973
Walking home from the archives at Fort Hamilton, you pass a bookstore and decide that, hey, what is there to lose from having a look. If Sykes wrote anything else you'll be able to hunt it down amongst musty bookshelves, right? You wander in, bag slung over your shoulder, and drift into the section reserved for the weighty tomes of academia.
A brief glance tells you that there isn't a single Sykes amongst the history books, though while you'd hoped for some war theory the stores selection seemed awfully lacking. Maybe he'd just been missed out. Unperturbed, you wander the shelves with eyes tracking names and titles like any well-trained archivist and historian could. Three years of hunting down badly shelved books had given you a very special set of skills that were utterly useless for anything but finding texts amongst many, many, many others.
There were a few Sykes' amongst the non-fiction. It wasn't the most uncommon of names, after all. But none of them were your Sykes and thus they were, ultimately, useless. This was getting awfully frustrating.
"Hi!" A perky, sudden and all together far too close-by voice squeaks almost in your ear, "You looking for anything in particular?"
A shop assistant is leaning against a shelf casually, hands in her pockets, grinning from ear to ear. Her hair is cropped short and dyed electric blue, the stud in her eyebrow well healed, her eyes almost golden-brown.
"A, uh…" You're suddenly a little tongue tied, "Book?" What an incredibly lame answer.
"Well yeah, I figured that, sugar." She laughs, "You a student?"
"Yeah, uh. New Kent Community? History." Good. Facts. You can do those, those are easy. They're not a squirrely feeling in your belly because she's still looking at you.
"You're in the wrong section for history. That's on the other side of the store. Want some help finding it?"
Her eyes are saying something a little more direct than an offer of help, and you can feel a redness rising in your cheeks.
"I've looked there. Sorry, um. I'm looking for a writer, actually, a specific one?" You finally settle into a sentence and decide that telling her about Sykes will be a lot easier than trying to find a way out of your sudden butterflies. "Marshal Sykes. He was a soldier in the Great War-"
"Shit, wait, you know Sykes?" Her expression changes from a lecherous leer to a surprised… was it admiration? No, couldn't be. "Yeah, he served in Europa right?"
"Right."
"I love his poetry. Dans Coeur Blinde is literally one of my favourite pieces, it's stunning. Wait here." She disappears before you can say a word, vanishing amongst the stacks without a backward glance. You fidget nervously, unsure of what you're supposed to do but stand as still as you can. This isn't what you had expected at all. You figured you'd maybe find a memoir or a theoretical text. You certainly hadn't expected to find a fan of his poetry.
The woman bounces back around a different corner, making you jump for the second time in about three minutes.
"The store hasn't got a copy, but, uh, my boss has a private stash of rare stuff in the back. I can't sell it to you. Hell, if you're at NKC, I doubt you could afford it. But if you promise you'll look after it, I could do you a loaner for a little bit." She proffers a battered little hardback with gilt lettering on the crimson red spine.
"Why would you do that?" You ask. She doesn't know you, beyond thirty seconds of observation and a half-stammered conversation. If that book was as valuable as she said, it wouldn't be worth your life to let it out of your sight, if you were in her position.
"You know, I'm fairly sure it's because you're so damn cute, sugar." She winks. She actually punctuates the sentence with a wink. The blush roars back into your cheeks like wildfire. "Course, I could skip that, give you my address and you could come read the copy I have at home. It isn't half as nicely bound as this one, but it's all the same poems, y'know."
She is absolutely not just offering to read you some poetry, that much is so clear is even gets through to you.
What are you going to do?
[ ] Take the book (Regular dice roll to succeed)
[ ] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
[ ] Flee
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
gay rights
gay rights
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
[X] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED
ITS FOR SCHOOL
NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED
ITS FOR SCHOOL
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Take the book (Regular dice roll to succeed)
-[X] But try to flirt back. Try is the operative word, admittedly.
-[X] But try to flirt back. Try is the operative word, admittedly.
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
Abby Normal
High Clerk of the Ymaryn
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Take her address (Hard dice roll to succeed)
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Can I have a 1d100 roll please! That's 1d10 for 10's and 1d10 for units. Roll high.
EDIT I forgot SV can do 1d100! just 1d100.
EDIT I forgot SV can do 1d100! just 1d100.
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