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Aircraft Design Company- Matsura's Planes Are Always Fastest!

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Character Sheet
  • Informational


    • ​
    Stress
    0​
    Office Stress
    0​
    XP
    5​

    Matsura Asuka
    Head Designer for Ohara Airworks
    Age 24 (Legally 25)
    Year 12 AF (After Flight)

    Design Stats
    Aerodynamics Engineering - +2
    Structural Engineering - +2
    Chemical Engineering - +1
    Mechanical Engineering - +1
    Ballistics Engineering - +1
    Electrical Engineering - 0

    Personal/Political Stats
    Social Skills - 0
    Politics Skills - 0
    Importance - 2
    Income - 1
    Investments - Ohara

    Resources
    Power - 0
    Wealth - 2

    Designs
    Type 1 Series - Military Variation (Designated T1M1)
    Type 2 Racer (World Speed Record October 1910-April 1911, 180kph)
    Model 2 Scout (Designated T1M2)
    Navy Scout Prototype (Drowned Rat)
    Dive Bomber B1M1 "Duck"
    Machine Gun Carrier R1A "Dragonfly" (World Speed Record May-July 1911, 200kph)
    Naval Rescue Water-Landing Supply Plane NR1M0 "Dolphin" (World speed record 240kph)
    Rhino Demon Train Hunter
    The world's first airliner
    The world's first pulsejet airplane

    Assets
    Slide Rule
    Computator (1 Reroll per Routine)

    Languages
    Albian
    Gallian

    Familiar Vices
    Drinking
    Prostitutes
    Dancing

    Family Life
    - Engaged to Arita Yachi, formerly the leading Ace in the Imperial Army. Designated #1 Cutest Army Boy, he's having some serious problems with PTSD right now.
    - Taking a second try at dating Mikami Kiho, ex-dockerwork from the south.

    Upgrades
    - 3 XP to upgrade a stat.

    Ohara Airworks
    Start Up, Imperial Capital, Akitsukuni

    Owner
    - Mr. Ohara, Rich. Aircraft Enthusiast. Business guy.

    Engineers

    Kibe Koume, 26, Office Manager
    Tiny & angry, Kibe went to school in Albia, picking up the language, the religion, and a fuckload of swear words. Speaks Albian.
    Mechanical +2, Ballistics +1
    Office Manager: If Kibe is not assigned to a team, the Office Stress is reduced by 1.

    Sakane Jun, 26, Second Team Leader
    A soured patriot, Sakane is married and has a young child being raised gender-neutrally. His two brothers who fought in the war.
    Structural +2, Aerodynamics +1
    Team Leader: If there are any additional projects, Sakane will lead them.
    Joinery: Sakane has training in the traditional Akitsukuni carpentry art of joinery, creating complex self-supporting joints with no fasteners or glue. When working with non-monocoque wooden spars or ribs, +1 Structural.

    Tezuka Kenji, ???
    A stoner with occasional flashes of insight. Nobody really knows what he does, but he's probably useful?
    Aerodynamics +2, Chemical +1
    Flashes of Brilliance: Each natural 10 rolled by any team Tezuka is assigned to gives +1 forward to the next research roll.

    Hasegawa Morio, 26
    A hopeless nerd with a photography habit, mostly on account of developing his own film, Hasegawa seems to do nothing but work and stack card houses, but somehow has an incredible attractive boyfriend. Speaks Gallian.
    Chemical +2, Ballistic +1
    Silent Workhorse: Hasegawa can work on two different projects at once for no cost to Office Stress, providing they use different stats.

    Kawamura Yosai, 25.
    Serially successful womanizer and incredibly attractive, Kawamura doesn't seem to have much of a personality outside of seducing women. Well, except for that time he seduced Asuka, which nobody talks about. Speaks Dyske.
    Structural +2, Electrical +1, Social +1
    Easily Distracted: If Kawamura is working on the same team as a female or non-binary employee, the team is at -1d10.

    Koide Hatsu, 24.
    One of the few female graduates of an Akitsukuni engineering school, Koide is brilliant and incredibly driven, but her first job at Akibara was both humiliating and exposed her to an abusive coworker. Her father is a rich businessman with factories in Joseon, and she's engaged to Ken from Castles of Steel. Speaks Joseon.
    Mechanical +2, Structural +1
    No Sleep: If you let her, Koide will work herself to death. She can work a second project for no Office Stress, but all her stats will be reduced to 1 for the routine.

    Kobayashi Ayao, ???
    Disowned heiress of the Kobayashi family, all Kobayashi wanted was a career and to be a modern woman. For her trouble, a cousin threw acid on her, scarring her face, neck, much of her torso, and her left arm. Despite appearing serene and above it all, she's actually an avowed communist activist and baseball player.
    Aerodynamics +2, Social +2

    Adachi Ren, 24
    Adachi learned chemistry from her father, one of the most famous chemical engineers in the country, rather than through formal schooling. She's married, has a kid, and takes spirituality very seriously. Yes, you did the math right, she had Yuki when she was 17. It's 1912, folks.
    Chemical +2, Electrical +1
    Young Mother: Adachi will cause double Office Stress if she has to work multiple tasks.

    Uyeno Sei, Ballistics Engineer, 31.
    The oldest member of the crew, this is Uyeno's second career. Her first was as an officer in the Imperial Navy with specialized technical training: her very promising career was cut short by her transition. Her work in a naval arsenal on machine-guns landed her the job here. Briefly dated Satomi (the age range is a bit creepy but again, 1912), she's missing a piece of her ear and is deaf on that side, from an exploding cannon. Recently returned from Varnmark from experimental surgery, she's known for her skill navigating gendered bureaucracy.
    Ballistic +3

    Mi Kyung-Jae, 23
    A recent graduate of the Imperial College of Heijo, Mi is from the recently annexed territory of Joseon. For those keeping track at home, that means he's a Korean national living in Imperial Japan in 1912. We haven't seen much of his personality because he's rightfully terrified of everything around him. He has a specialty in endurance engine design and modification. Speaks Joseon.
    Mechanical +1, Chemical +1
    Endurance Engines: Mi has an excellent understanding of metallurgy and tolerances. Any engine he works on gains +1 Reliability if a 16+ is rolled.
    Pulsejet Wizard: Mi is now one of the world's leading experts on the pulsejet engine. He can be given his own project to custom-craft pulsejet engines, and he gives +1 to any pulsejet-related project.
    Joseon National: Mi does not have security clearance to work on any top-secret projects.

    Miyoshi Shigeri, 23.
    A non-binary person and admirer of Asuka's work, they were in an support role in the Army before joining the company.
    Structural +1, Mechanical +1, Aerodynamic +1
    Mechanic: Miyoshi has some experience repairing and refurbishing aircraft. They get +1 if assigned on the clean-up phase.


    Other Employees
    - Ohara Satomi, 22, Mr. Ohara's niece and the company test pilot, Ohara is a general lesbian disaster. She's good at flying planes, driving cars, and kissing girls. She's bad at being patient, being respectable, and sticking to literally anyones conceptions of gender roles. Deeply in lesbians with Coralie D'Amboise.
    - Fujkikawa Sotatsu, old, modelmaker. He's an old man and toymaker and we don't see much of him because he locks himself in his workshop a lot. He's friends with Kawamura?

    Assets
    - Engine Test Rig (Allows engine tweaking and optimization.
    - Wind Tunnel (+1 Aerodynamics)
    - Rapid Prototype Lab (+1 Clean Up)
    Expanded Cast

    Akitsukuni Industry
    - Homura Mohoko: Head Engine Designer for Kobayashi. First female engineer in the country. A lot of sex appeal.
    - Okumura: Head of Akibara aircraft design.
    - Yamanaka Hajime: Kobayashi engineer. Young and eager.
    - Igarashi Masazumi: Kobayashi engineer. Reserved and experienced.
    - Admiral Akibara Toru: Imperial Navy Admiral. Maximum nepotism. Maximum douchebag.
    - Lt.Cmnd Akibara Shinzo: The above's son. A hottie but very forward.



    Character Families
    - Matsura(?) Mizuko: Asuka's sister. Was paralyzed in an accident in Asuka's first flight. Lives Elsewhere and is married now. Can't forgive Asuka, even though she's tried.
    - Adachi Motoki: Adachi's husband, an accountant. Legally blind.
    - Adachi Yuki: Adachi's 7 year old daughter and wannabe pilot. Very adorable.
    - Yachi's Brother: Exists.
    - Sakane's Wife: Exists. Drives him a bit crazy, but he loves her.
    - Yachi's Brother's Wife: Exists. Is statistically likely to be pregnant.
    - Lt. Coralie D'Amboise: Gallian pilot in exile. Satomi's girlfriend. 25. Accomplished bisexual duelist. She flew in the war for a single day, and for her troubles got a hole blown in her cheek and had her left arm paralyzed.

    Akisukuni Army & Ex-Army
    - Lt. Torio Tanaka: Yachi's former observer as an enlisted man. Was jumped up to fly Ducks and lost a leg on his first mission. A trained painter, married to Torio Saya.
    - Captain Amari Shiro: A Dragonfly pilot who ended up flying as Yachi's partner. Kind of delightfully twinky. They sorta slept together at one point, which wasn't great. He lost his previous boyfriend in the April Offensive and turned his plane into a shrine. He was shot in the gut and is still recovering.
    - Major Izuhara: Logistics officer, Imperial Army, this bespectled officer stood up to the Caspian Crown Prince and accidentally kicked off the Akitsikuni-Caspian War. The guilt was so much that, after almost a year of running Army procurement, he shot himself in a phone both.
    - Captain Nakai Sekien: Army scout pilot. First person to drop a bomb from an airplane, later head of the Duck Squadrons.
    - Captain Teshima: A Desk pilot that fought with Yachi. Lost an arm in the process, took over for Major Izuhara after his death. Seems cheery despite it all.
    - Captain Nashio: A real piece of shit dude and probably a rapist, he's also a war hero as the second-highest scoring ace on the Akitsukuni side. He was a young shitty kid in way over his head but it's no excuse.
    - Lt. Kinjo: Kind of a dumb lump and Nashio's friend, one of the desk pilots. Dead at 19.
    - Lt. Okazaki: Yachi's friend from before the war and pilot, he died in a spin in his dragonfly. His death probably hit Yachi the hardest.

    Westerners
    - Rose & Antoinette Sears: Pioneers of flight. Sisters. Black in 1910s not!America. Yikes.
    - Timina Guasti: Famous aircraft designer from Otrusia. Likes big planes and green.
    - Prince Protasov Vasilyevich: Crown Prince of Great Caspia. Real dick. You gotta hand it to him though, a decent flier.
    - Count von Zeppelin: Invented rigid airships. Runs a successful airline business. Damned impressive.
    - Bennhold: Aircraft Engineer. Experimenting with metal aircraft.
    - Aileen Middlemiss: Albian reporter for the Artimis Times. Well meaning and oblivious.
    Available Tech
    • Materials: Wood, Duralumin, Molded Wood, Wood & Silk Composite, etc
    • All engine mounts
    • All wing types
    • Basic reinforcement
    • Wing warping and ailerons
    • Basic water radiators
    • Flying Wings
    • Semi-Monocoque design (requires at least half the slots have frame pieces)
    • Valved pulsejets
    • Basic weapon mounts and turrets
    Tech not Yet Developed
    • Custom engines
    • Monocoque construction
    • Cantilever Wings and associated tech
    • V and T tails
    • Tailless designs
    • Aluminum and titanium
    • Cellulose surfacing
    • Any kind of radar
    • Weapon accessability mods
    • Interruptor gear
    • Geared propellers
    • And Maybe Other Stuff
    Akitsukuni
    Island Nation

    Government
    Constitutional Monarchy
    - The democratic portions of the government are dubiously legitimate.
    - The head of state is the Empress of Akitsukuni. She gives her blessing to newly formed governments.
    - The Navy and a small number of families have undue influence on politics.

    Economy
    Developing Mixed Market
    - Most industry is controlled by a small number of wealthy, family-owned companies.
    - The state provides most contracts to industry. Consumer good market is anemic.
    - Exports are few, mostly cultural.
    - Imports are raw minerals, food, oil, and expertise.
    - Currently suffering an economic crash after the last war.

    Politics
    The Diet is currently ruled by a Constitutional Nationalist government. It has a system of nonlocal proportional representation, with representatives appointed by the party in accordance to their share of the vote.
    - Constitutional Nationalists: 50%
    - Purity Club: 9%
    - New Independents: 26%
    - Fairness Association: 11%
    - United Communist League: 2%
    - Monarchists: 1%
    - Assorted Fringe Parties: 5%

    Demographics
    Akitsukuni is mostly very ethnically homogeneous. Around 5% of the population are various minorities, most from nearby countries. Roughly .1% are westerners here for business or in advisory positions.
    - Population: 55 Million
    - Religion: Mostly Kodo. Roughly 2% of the population follows western religions.
    - Wealth: Most wealth is concentrated in the top 5% of the country. Nearly 20% of the population lives in conditions indistinguishable from peasantry.
    - Urbanization: Heavily urbanized for a small economy: 35% and rapidly growing.

    Military
    At Peace
    - Imperial Akitsukuni Navy (IAN): The 6th largest in the world, and the most experienced.
    - Imperial Akitsukuni Army (IAA): 150,000 highly experienced soldiers, and a considerable reserve.

    Aspects
    - Poor Resources: Aluminum costs +1.
    - Damn Akitsukuni Engines!: Engines have -1 Reliability.



    The Main Character Of This Quest Is Nonbinary And Uses They/Them Pronouns.

    I Am Putting This Here Because The Next Person To Misgender Them Is Getting Yeeted Into The Trash

    Also here's the Gayaverse TV Tropes page, because why not.​
     
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  • Informational
    • Hazard said:
    For that matter, we might not have the structural strength and lift capacity on the body and wings to support this sort of arrangement. Most examples I know of aircraft carrying more than one form of propulsion have the secondary propulsion system as part of a parasite craft, like the X series of experimental rocket propelled planes.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    The obvious arrangement for a small mixed propulsion aircraft is, IMO, a tractor piston engine and a pulsejet mounted over the tail and rear fuselage like a V1. Variations such as twin boom designs or duplicating one or more of the engines are of course possible. Just ensure no control surfaces interact with the jet exhaust, and ideally have a single, center line jet.
     
    Instead of necessarily going for pure endurance or range, what about a circumnavigation? It was done historically in 1924 and there was a decent attempt in 1922, so we're perhaps slightly early but not ridiculously so. It would be a huge boost to Akitsukuni prestige to be the first nation to circumnavigate and it might just increase our importance on the national stage (another very good reason to go for some sort of record).
     
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    11-1: The Racing Scene
  • Threadmarks
    • In the weeks after the election, the office was all about speed. As the winter dragged on in the northern hemisphere, there was talk in aviation channels about the good flying months in the spring, and what ought to be done with them. Unsurprisingly given the success of the International Cross-Channel Race, there were a lot of support for other events now, bigger and more ambitious ones, and Mr. Ohara seemed enthused of the idea.

    "Racing planes are what got this company on the map, Matsura. I'm eager to see what you can make me now."

    The only problem was that the selection of engines wasn't keeping up with the competition. Kobayashi had scrapped the designs they were rushing out at the end of wartime to refine them, so the most powerful engine avaliable were the familiar Ogre-Z, Pegasus rotary, and the Akibara F-Series. There was a new entry, another 100 horsepower rotary, this one from Akibara: it was very similar to the Pegasus but it was designed from the ground up to be a rotary instead of merely being adapted. It was more reliable, but a bit heavier.

    That would be all well and good, but you were starting to fall behind the competition. The Gallians had a 110 horsepower rotary engine that the Albians and Otrusians were apparently buying, and central Europa was still producing some incredible inline engines. Europan engines could be counted on to be about 10% more powerful than yours, and more reliable as well. Hell, maybe even lighter, given some of the things you were reading in your journals. Unsurprisingly, that meant that most air racers were currently making the 220-240kph range, with a rare few even faster. Then there was that damnable Austrasia machine. Two-sixty. You were impressed, jealous, and furious.

    So it was just like last time. Your engines wouldn't carry you to victory, you'd need to just be a better designer.

    The second issue was that there were actually a plethora of options available, and races were starting to have requirements. It wouldn't actually possible to build a racer that could complete in all of them, but maybe you could do a few of them across a small number of platforms.

    [ ] Let's build one racer and get it perfect.​
    [ ] You'll lead a team on one, and Sakane will lead a team to do another.​

    You looked over your options.

    [ ] Von Zeppelin was hosting a race over the Ganymedian Sea, launching from Otrusia. His race has the strictest requirements: only single-engine tractor seaplanes allowed. That said, it was also here that the most prize money was up for grabs, and it was seen as extremely prestigious. The race would take place over a 250 kilometer triangular course, and you suspected the pulsejet engine would be seen as against the spirit of the competition. Requirements: Speed, Strict Regulations. Reward: Money, Fame.​
    [ ] The New Alleghany Army was hosting some kind of event on their western coast as part of the Cueva-Auroric International Exposition, celebrating the opening of the massive canal linking the two oceans. According to rumour, was partly the military looking for a new plane to serve as a fast scout and pursuer, and the requirement for pusher engines made it clear that people were thinking about arming these things. Requirements: Speed and Maneuverability. Reward: Money, possible contracts.​
    [ ] An event was being held in the Anatole Sultanate, presumably to regain some prestige after the humiliating defeat by Otrusia. This would be over desert terrain for a long distance, apparently mimicking the route of some ancient horse race that itself imitated some old religious thing. The point was the race was over an immense distance, three thousand kilometers with six stops to refuel. Requirements: Speed, Endurance, Weatherproofing. Reward: A fair amount of money, plus some apparently really good horses.​
    [ ] There are frequent sprint races held in New Alleghany, hosted by the Sears Sisters. These are not really serious events, and are frequently used as testbeds for experimental technology by the designers close to the sisters. Imagine showing up to that and blowing the competition out of the water! Requirements: Pure Speed. Reward: Fame and Respect.​
    [ ] Actually, fuck races. Let's just build the fastest plane in the world and get it on camera.​

    ---

    This vote will be by plan. Choose all the races you want to try to apply for.​
    ​
    We will later get to decide if Asuka goes to one, and which one if you are submitting for multiple events.​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [ ] The New Alleghany Army was hosting some kind of event on their western coast as part of the Cueva-Auroric International Exposition, celebrating the opening of the massive canal linking the two oceans. According to rumour, was partly the military looking for a new plane to serve as a fast scout and pursuer, and the requirement for pusher engines made it clear that people were thinking about arming these things. Requirements: Speed and Maneuverability. Reward: Money, possible contracts.
    [ ] There are frequent sprint races held in New Alleghany, hosted by the Sears Sisters. These are not really serious events, and are frequently used as testbeds for experimental technology by the designers close to the sisters. Imagine showing up to that and blowing the competition out of the water! Requirements: Pure Speed. Reward: Fame and Respect.

    A pulsejet pusher might work for both of these.
     
    [X] Plan Aircraft-and-a-half
    -[X] You'll lead a team on one, and Sakane will lead a team to do another.
    --[X] Sakane's team is subordinate to yours and is tasked with modifying the core aircraft for sprint performance using any means possible.
    -[X] Von Zeppelin Race
    -[X] Sears

    Basically we'll build a plane to the limited requirements, which sounds like the most fun and gets us fame, and then Sakane and Mi slap pulsejets on it until it falls apart and then take one back off, winning the Sears race and getting us more fame. Double the fame, double the money, not too much more effort and it starts to develop Sakane as a team leader without having to entrust him with an entire aircraft just yet.
     
    [X] Let's build one racer and get it perfect.

    [X] Plan Let's Go New Places
    -[X] An event was being held in the Anatole Sultanate, presumably to regain some prestige after the humiliating defeat by Otrusia. This would be over desert terrain for a long distance, apparently mimicking the route of some ancient horse race that itself imitated some old religious thing. The point was the race was over an immense distance, three thousand kilometers with six stops to refuel. Requirements: Speed, Endurance, Weatherproofing. Reward: A fair amount of money, plus some apparently really good horses.
    -[X] Von Zeppelin was hosting a race over the Ganymedian Sea, launching from Otrusia. His race has the strictest requirements: only single-engine tractor seaplanes allowed. That said, it was also here that the most prize money was up for grabs, and it was seen as extremely prestigious. The race would take place over a 250 kilometer triangular course, and you suspected the pulsejet engine would be seen as against the spirit of the competition. Requirements: Speed, Strict Regulations. Reward: Money, Fame.
     
    Hmm, the sultanate is interesting, but the endurance requested feel like something for a specialized plane.

    If we want to do a single plane, I'd probably go with von Zeppelin and the sisters? Build for speed.
     
    So,
    Von Zeppelin: single-engine tractor seaplane, 250km triangular course
    Army: pusher engine(s), unknown course but needs maneuverability
    Anatole: 3,000km course, ~450km per fueling
    New Alleghany: Sprints, no money

    So, Von Zeppelin and Anatole are completely useless for Pulsejets. The Sprints or the Army contract could probably use the same plane if we want to build a Pulsejet plane for them though.


    So I see two reasonable paths:

    [] Plan Pulsejet
    -[] New Alleghany Army
    -[] Sears Sisters' sprint races in New Alleghany

    [] Plan Von Zeppelin
    -[] Von Zeppelin Race

    We could split into two teams and try both, but I don't think that's a good solution. Trying to combine the Von Zeppelin racer with the others is a path to failure since the strict restrictions are going to be what we build around.

    Right now I'm leaning to making a plane for Von Zeppelin. It's worth a lot of money and fame, even if we can't use it for anything else.
     
    If we can negate Overspeed by developing gearing for the engine/prop, I believe we can get an aircraft to 270 that should be von Zeppelin compliant.

    This seems like a good plan.

    [X] Plan Aircraft-and-a-half
     
    Yeah, we need either some sort of technical development, a foreign engine or a really clever entry for the Anatole one that is hyperreliable and can skip entire refuelling stops. Otherwise our piston engines are just too crap to win anything.

    We can still do the Pulsejetmobile and win the Sears one pretty much regardless though.
     
    Looking at the election results I think the country might have threaded a needle?
    A pure win for any of the ultranationalists' enemies could likely have triggered a right wing coup at the previous juncture, but a close loss for any proto-fascists would have let them do it straight.

    Instead its hung and so neither of their approaches would work.
     
    [X] Plan Pulsejet
    -[X] Let's build one racer and get it perfect.
    -[X] New Alleghany Army
    -[X] Sears Sisters' sprint races in New Alleghany
     
    Well, the Comet 4X1X1 is not yet at the edge of its capabilities in speed, although it is at the edge of its capabilities in not catching fire when you run it hard.
     
    I don't think we can build a practical general purpose fighter with our current pulsejet tech, so if we go that route don't expect a purchase from the army. Both a plus and a minus, in my opinion.

    To win a piston engine contest with a local engine may require a bit of cleverness and/or a tech advance. Cantaliver wings would be a big deal. Something I would very much like us to get in any case.

    The multi-objective races have a lot of potential to be fun. However, anything we build needs to reclaim our record outright and not just in its category.
     
    i finally caught up on castles of steel and ADC thank god. i don't know what to vote for but I just wanted to say i made it. i'm proud of myself. i mean, not for dropping off the face of the earth for a month, but for catching up after doing that. yay
     
    How much do we think we can budget for this thing? As a one-off, a budget of ~30 or so may give us room to get a really fancy foreign engine.

    The more I tinker with the design I'm cooking up, the more I am confident we can do the Zeppelin one. Assuming that we can get past overspeed. Researching engine gearing may be preferable in this particular circumstance over other choices.
     
    Let's Go New Places doesn't work with the same aircraft entry. One competition mandates a seaplane, the other involves landing in a desert. The seaplane race has a course that's slightly more than half the length of the requisite unrefuelled range of the desert race, the desert race requires considerable reliability, cooling and electrical generation that the seaplane race doesn't care about. Best case scenario we build a plane that can win one event and finish the other.
     
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