Chlof
Her Ladyship
- Pronouns
- She/Her
We've also got Korolev's eng/sci bonus this turn
Per Aspera (Space Agency Plan Quest)
- Thread starter Shadows
- Start date
- Original
trooperist
Cinnamon Roll AI
I included that. For Second Stage it was (Rolls)+(Korolev)+(Department Bonus).
For Instrumentation it was (Rolls)+(Korolev)+(Electronics Cooperative)+(Department Bonus).
Unfortunately we don't have anything that helps with the AERO or PHYS tags yet.
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looking forword to this very much
June 30th, 1951//Q2 1951 Results
Shadows
Sacred Priestess of the Benevolent Dice Gods
- Location
- USS Civilian, DDG-214
- Pronouns
- She/Her
With Korolev settled in by the end of June, you were greatly looking forward to what the next quarter would bring, now that you could afford to devote some personal attention to problems - not that you felt you had remotely the qualifications required to do make substantive assistance, but you were more than willing to make administrative assistance, stepping in where needed to solve arguments and material problems alike.
The Ukrainian rocket man turned out to be a very skilled facilitator of teams of people which often included larger-than-life figures with larger-than-life egos, and you found yourself intensely grateful for your choice almost from the moment he arrived. Granted, he too had an ego which sometimes grated on your nerves… but rather one than many, in this instance.
Resources:
20 (+55R/turn)
65 Political Support
Facilities:
1 Launch Stand (0-5 tonne) (+1 Operations die)
1 Assembly Complex (+1 Build Capacity)
1 Engineer's Hall (+2 Engineering Dice)
1 University Affiliate (+2 Science Dice)
1 Materials Lab (+5 bonus to projects tagged [MATSCI])
1 Chemical Plant (+5 bonus to projects tagged [CHEM])
1 Electronics Cooperative (+5 bonus to projects tagged [AVIONICS])
1 Construction Union Hall (+1 Facilities die)
1 Publications Office (+1 to all science and engineering fields; coinflip each year to get an additional +1)
1 Hardened Tracking and Observation (T&O) Complex (+3 to Operations)
Penelope Carter [The Director] - [+10 to Politics rolls, +2 Politics die, +5R/turn in funding from Connections, reroll 1 failed politics roll per turn]
Sergei Korolev - [+5 to Science and Engineering rolls (unless researching [HGOL][FUEL] projects, then it becomes a -15), +1 Science dice, +1 Engineering Dice. Request: Build an Orbital Rocket within 5 years; build a Scientific Complex in former Ukraine within 10 years.]
Operations
-[] Construct a Sounding Rocket (Rolled 36+3+1 GM Felt Like It=40)
--[] And launch it (Rolled 12)
The IEC's rocketbuilding efforts were fraught at every turn this quarter. Parts arrived late, tools were broken, someone fell off a ladder and shattered their kneecap. Delay after delay set in as problem after problem cropped up and had to be resolved in turn. The frustration from the scientists and engineers on the build team was palpable, and you could definitely feel it affecting the other teams at times, too, particularly the Public Affairs Office folks.
And then the damn thing blew up! Thankfully, it at least had the good graces to at least get off the launch stand before it turned into an aerial pipe bomb, and the new T&O complex was, of course, rated for small nuclear detonation, so no one was hurt. But still…
The scientists, at least, offered up the first bit of hope - Korolev, after finishing a truly enlightening string of Ukrainian and Russian profanity, stated, "Failure is good as success for us." They should be able to figure out what caused the failure and work to make sure it doesn't happen again.
(Combustion instabilities are found as cause for failure. +1 to Operations involving Sounding Rockets and Heavy Sounding Rockets. Resource requirement for Sounding Rockets and Heavy Sounding Rockets increases by 5R per dice until 1952Q1)
[] Construct an Engine Test Stand - 79/50
The construction crews in Mogadishu descended on an area simply called Lot 9A on the official paperwork in early April in a great tide of equipment and toiling men. The foundations were dug and the concrete laid within two weeks, and the testing cells were finished within another month. The last of the equipment was installed two weeks later.
Some of your science teams are very eager to get into test regimes with the Cooperative's current coterie of rocket engines, especially after the sounding rocket fiasco. They say it will prove very helpful in correcting for engine-based failures in the future, now that they have a proper testing area in which to work on engine designs.
(+2 to Propulsion projects, gained Combustion Instability Research for next quarter.)
[] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - 186/200
Work on the idea of two-stage rockets was authorized and began without delay. Indeed, some of your engineers seemed to have almost been primed to jump at the chance to explore methods of getting your rockets a longer effective reach - some safer than others. The third time you received a wall-rattling kaboom from the testing area you felt forced to go and tell them to find a less destructive separation method. Apparently they were testing pyrotechnic separators.
Somehow that morphed into 'what if we launched something using a small string of explosions'. Which turned into… a raging headache.
You suspect the fooling around with that idea is part of why you now have a fully-fleshed proposal for stage separation and second-stage engine ignition on your desk as of the end of June, but no working prototype yet. One was on its way, but would not finish within the confines of this quarter.
[] Improved Instrumentation Development (Tech) [AVIONICS] - 131/100
Your computer scientists took to the task of developing improved instrumentation suites with great abandon. The primary problem with adding additional scientific gear to any given rocket was the sheer size of each individual experiment, its sensors, and the associated increase in necessary battery weight in order to support flight-length experiments - and, of course, you'd need to beef up the antenna communicating it all back to the ground station.
Thankfully, you had some of the best computer scientists in the world working on reducing the size and power requirements of the experiments and sensors, along with some very talented engineers who were working at the problem from the other end, working to shrink everything else they could, such as the circuitry. Not every effort they made was perfectly successful, but the project as a whole proceeded about as well as could be expected - and now your science teams had an improved instrumentation package they could slot in on any of your current (or future) rockets.
(Gain +1d2 bonus to a random field every 2 launches. Gain +1 to AVIONICS immediately.)
[] Outcome Surveys - 63/120
The Public Affairs Office suggested performing surveys of the peoples of the world - and their councilors - to discern what they wanted out of their space program. Naturally, you authorized it - it was a great idea, and would very much inform the task you had ahead of you, as an organization.
The start… could have been better. People were still busily rebuilding from the Third Great War, and tensions closer to home were occupying their attention, and rightly so. As it was, the IEC was just not on their minds. The PAO promised to try and rectify this, but still wanted to complete the surveys.
[] Shaking Trees - 52/100
While the PAO was busy bothering people, you were too - councilors. You made your way to the Demilitarization Committee and started being a minor nuisance, trying to get ahold of some of the industrial tooling that would once have made rockets, artillery guns, explosives - anything that would be of use when making a rocket. You got some vaguely positive sounding noises from a number of the committee members, but no concrete gains for your people yet. You'd have to go bother people again next quarter.
The Ukrainian rocket man turned out to be a very skilled facilitator of teams of people which often included larger-than-life figures with larger-than-life egos, and you found yourself intensely grateful for your choice almost from the moment he arrived. Granted, he too had an ego which sometimes grated on your nerves… but rather one than many, in this instance.
Resources:
20 (+55R/turn)
65 Political Support
Facilities:
1 Launch Stand (0-5 tonne) (+1 Operations die)
1 Assembly Complex (+1 Build Capacity)
1 Engineer's Hall (+2 Engineering Dice)
1 University Affiliate (+2 Science Dice)
1 Materials Lab (+5 bonus to projects tagged [MATSCI])
1 Chemical Plant (+5 bonus to projects tagged [CHEM])
1 Electronics Cooperative (+5 bonus to projects tagged [AVIONICS])
1 Construction Union Hall (+1 Facilities die)
1 Publications Office (+1 to all science and engineering fields; coinflip each year to get an additional +1)
1 Hardened Tracking and Observation (T&O) Complex (+3 to Operations)
Penelope Carter [The Director] - [+10 to Politics rolls, +2 Politics die, +5R/turn in funding from Connections, reroll 1 failed politics roll per turn]
Sergei Korolev - [+5 to Science and Engineering rolls (unless researching [HGOL][FUEL] projects, then it becomes a -15), +1 Science dice, +1 Engineering Dice. Request: Build an Orbital Rocket within 5 years; build a Scientific Complex in former Ukraine within 10 years.]
Operations
-[] Construct a Sounding Rocket (Rolled 36+3+1 GM Felt Like It=40)
--[] And launch it (Rolled 12)
The IEC's rocketbuilding efforts were fraught at every turn this quarter. Parts arrived late, tools were broken, someone fell off a ladder and shattered their kneecap. Delay after delay set in as problem after problem cropped up and had to be resolved in turn. The frustration from the scientists and engineers on the build team was palpable, and you could definitely feel it affecting the other teams at times, too, particularly the Public Affairs Office folks.
And then the damn thing blew up! Thankfully, it at least had the good graces to at least get off the launch stand before it turned into an aerial pipe bomb, and the new T&O complex was, of course, rated for small nuclear detonation, so no one was hurt. But still…
The scientists, at least, offered up the first bit of hope - Korolev, after finishing a truly enlightening string of Ukrainian and Russian profanity, stated, "Failure is good as success for us." They should be able to figure out what caused the failure and work to make sure it doesn't happen again.
(Combustion instabilities are found as cause for failure. +1 to Operations involving Sounding Rockets and Heavy Sounding Rockets. Resource requirement for Sounding Rockets and Heavy Sounding Rockets increases by 5R per dice until 1952Q1)
[] Construct an Engine Test Stand - 79/50
The construction crews in Mogadishu descended on an area simply called Lot 9A on the official paperwork in early April in a great tide of equipment and toiling men. The foundations were dug and the concrete laid within two weeks, and the testing cells were finished within another month. The last of the equipment was installed two weeks later.
Some of your science teams are very eager to get into test regimes with the Cooperative's current coterie of rocket engines, especially after the sounding rocket fiasco. They say it will prove very helpful in correcting for engine-based failures in the future, now that they have a proper testing area in which to work on engine designs.
(+2 to Propulsion projects, gained Combustion Instability Research for next quarter.)
[] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - 186/200
Work on the idea of two-stage rockets was authorized and began without delay. Indeed, some of your engineers seemed to have almost been primed to jump at the chance to explore methods of getting your rockets a longer effective reach - some safer than others. The third time you received a wall-rattling kaboom from the testing area you felt forced to go and tell them to find a less destructive separation method. Apparently they were testing pyrotechnic separators.
Somehow that morphed into 'what if we launched something using a small string of explosions'. Which turned into… a raging headache.
You suspect the fooling around with that idea is part of why you now have a fully-fleshed proposal for stage separation and second-stage engine ignition on your desk as of the end of June, but no working prototype yet. One was on its way, but would not finish within the confines of this quarter.
[] Improved Instrumentation Development (Tech) [AVIONICS] - 131/100
Your computer scientists took to the task of developing improved instrumentation suites with great abandon. The primary problem with adding additional scientific gear to any given rocket was the sheer size of each individual experiment, its sensors, and the associated increase in necessary battery weight in order to support flight-length experiments - and, of course, you'd need to beef up the antenna communicating it all back to the ground station.
Thankfully, you had some of the best computer scientists in the world working on reducing the size and power requirements of the experiments and sensors, along with some very talented engineers who were working at the problem from the other end, working to shrink everything else they could, such as the circuitry. Not every effort they made was perfectly successful, but the project as a whole proceeded about as well as could be expected - and now your science teams had an improved instrumentation package they could slot in on any of your current (or future) rockets.
(Gain +1d2 bonus to a random field every 2 launches. Gain +1 to AVIONICS immediately.)
[] Outcome Surveys - 63/120
The Public Affairs Office suggested performing surveys of the peoples of the world - and their councilors - to discern what they wanted out of their space program. Naturally, you authorized it - it was a great idea, and would very much inform the task you had ahead of you, as an organization.
The start… could have been better. People were still busily rebuilding from the Third Great War, and tensions closer to home were occupying their attention, and rightly so. As it was, the IEC was just not on their minds. The PAO promised to try and rectify this, but still wanted to complete the surveys.
[] Shaking Trees - 52/100
While the PAO was busy bothering people, you were too - councilors. You made your way to the Demilitarization Committee and started being a minor nuisance, trying to get ahold of some of the industrial tooling that would once have made rockets, artillery guns, explosives - anything that would be of use when making a rocket. You got some vaguely positive sounding noises from a number of the committee members, but no concrete gains for your people yet. You'd have to go bother people again next quarter.
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- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
Sounds about right for early rocketry.
- Location
- Queensland, Australia
Just so long as we don't have guidance failures that drop the faulty rockets onto certain stubborn and indecisive offices... Sure, it'll probably do wonders for getting their attention on us. On the other hand, said attention might cause a 'few' 'minor' 'complications' for us. Just saying. 
- Location
- Outside the Box
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So, we do still gain overall even from a failed launch. But I do want to point out, we've got a long way to go before we're ready to launch astronauts safely into space. A 12% chance of failure (and likely higher) isn't going to be good enough.
Given this is what caused our most recent rocket to fail, we probably want to do this next turn.
Looks like with or without Turing, we're still going to be doing lots of computer research and prototyping. Smaller computers are essential to our success here.
The PAO doesn't lack for ambition, I'll say that. It's early days yet.
Shadows
Sacred Priestess of the Benevolent Dice Gods
- Location
- USS Civilian, DDG-214
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Turing may or may not already work for you. Same with all of your other AD choices with the exception of Aretas Abdul, who is busy being the Councilor for the Palestinian People.
- Pronouns
- He/They
Given that we know most of the actions we'll have next turn, what do folks think we should do now that we have a commitment to an orbital launcher on a tight timeline? Of course we don't really have to do what Korolev wants if it's a problem for higher-level priorities, going slow on his requests is probably fine, but not prioritizing them at all would cause problems.
I was planning to argue for putting in a couple turns of scientific research before getting out a heavy sounding rocket and then pivoting to some other stuff, but we may need to get a more conservative rocket out quicker to start building experience and fixing problems. We probably should wait at least until Q4 for the rocket so we can get the results of Shaking Trees first, but should we try to rush out a level of Exploratory Propellant Research to incorporate by that time as well?
I was planning to argue for putting in a couple turns of scientific research before getting out a heavy sounding rocket and then pivoting to some other stuff, but we may need to get a more conservative rocket out quicker to start building experience and fixing problems. We probably should wait at least until Q4 for the rocket so we can get the results of Shaking Trees first, but should we try to rush out a level of Exploratory Propellant Research to incorporate by that time as well?
- Pronouns
- She/Her
]
We want Heavy Sounding Rocket Launch Pad from the Facilities section for obvious reasons.
One dice on finishing Second Stages (to help up get higher), one dice on Heavy Sounding Rocket(to give us something to launch from our new pad), and one dice on Combustion Instabilities (which are a right pain and we need to get ahead of this issue or we'll be end up with multi-chamber engines) in Engineering.
Two dice on Material Research in science because aluminum structures will be a godsend in terms of decreasing dry mass.
We want Heavy Sounding Rocket Launch Pad from the Facilities section for obvious reasons.
One dice on finishing Second Stages (to help up get higher), one dice on Heavy Sounding Rocket(to give us something to launch from our new pad), and one dice on Combustion Instabilities (which are a right pain and we need to get ahead of this issue or we'll be end up with multi-chamber engines) in Engineering.
Two dice on Material Research in science because aluminum structures will be a godsend in terms of decreasing dry mass.
trooperist
Cinnamon Roll AI
It would also help our organization look more professional to have a launching pad that isn't just a repurposed parking lot.
July 1st, 1951//Q3 1951
Shadows
Sacred Priestess of the Benevolent Dice Gods
- Location
- USS Civilian, DDG-214
- Pronouns
- She/Her
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
FORMER WASHINGTON, DC., MIDATLANTIC COMMUNE - The materials of the former city of Washington DC are being dismantled and used to build housing projects in more habitable areas as residents leave The City With No Purpose…
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICAN DECOLONIZATION AREA - Violence erupted today between the area's native population and the white settler population, after a white former police officer shot a native African who was walking by his house…
TOKYO, NIHON - The Council of Japanese Peoples have announced that Nagasaki's radiation levels have fallen to levels deemed acceptable for limited unprotected visitation and plan to begin rebuilding the city and getting a proper count of the dead within the year…
MOGADISHU, EAST AFRICAN AUTONOMOUS REGION - The Interplanetary Exploration Cooperative lost a rocket two weeks ago in a fiery explosion just above their launch stand. Sources reached for comment say that 'rocket science is hard, and sometimes things just don't go the way we want them to. The purpose of the rocket was to learn about stuff, and, well, we did - just not what was planned.'...
—
Well, that wasn't quite the coverage you wanted in your paper, but at least these days you could kind-of-sort-of rely on unbiased news coverage… mostly. The explosion of the sounding rocket had apparently been quite the spectacle for other people, too. There had been something of a hubbub as some people had thought the city was coming under attack by, presumably, bandits. You'd had to hurriedly reassure them that it was just rocket testing that hadn't gone quite right. The local councils were all mostly understanding, but you could tell that making a habit of scaring the citizens with explosions would be more annoying to them than even the plethora of other loud noises the space center made at all hours of the day and night…
Resources:
75 (+55R/turn)
65 Political Support
Facilities:
1 Launch Stand (0-5 tonne) (+1 Operations die)
1 Assembly Complex (+1 Build Capacity)
1 Engineer's Hall (+2 Engineering Dice)
1 University Affiliate (+2 Science Dice)
1 Materials Lab (+5 bonus to projects tagged [MATSCI])
1 Chemical Plant (+5 bonus to projects tagged [CHEM])
1 Electronics Cooperative (+5 bonus to projects tagged [AVIONICS])
1 Construction Union Hall (+1 Facilities die)
1 Publications Office (+1 to all science and engineering fields; coinflip each year to get an additional +1)
1 Hardened Tracking and Observation (T&O) Complex (+3 to Operations)
1 Engine Test Stand (+2 to PROP projects)
Scientific Advances (name TBD)
Improved Instrumentation (Gain +1d2 bonus to a random field every 2 launches. Gain +1 to AVIONICS immediately.)
Regenerative Cooling (Starts down the path to more powerful and advanced rocket engines)
Scientific/Engineering Specific Field Bonuses
AERO - +0
AVIONICS - +6
CHEM - +5
CREW - +0
COMP - +0
MATSCI - +5
PHYS - +0
PROP - +2
Penelope Carter [The Director] - [+10 to Politics rolls, +2 Politics die, +5R/turn in funding from Connections, reroll 1 failed politics roll per turn]
Sergei Korolev - [+5 to Science and Engineering rolls (unless researching [HGOL][FUEL] projects, then it becomes a -15), +1 Science dice, +1 Engineering Dice. Request: Build an Orbital Rocket within 5 years; build a Scientific Complex in former Ukraine within 10 years.]
Operations (1 dice, +3 bonus)
[] Construct a Sounding Rocket - Having just launched its first sounding rocket, the IEC is very well advised to repeat the feat, this time with a heavier sensor payload to gain more information about the region beyond the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. (15R per dice, 0/40, costs 1 Build Capacity until complete)
-[] And launch it (free action for Sounding Rockets) (gains Scientific Data, launch experience, results to show the people funding you)
Facilities (1 dice, +0 bonus)
[ ] Construct a Hangar - A group of pilots and engineers approached you with the idea of constructing a spaceplane. Such an endeavour would surely benefit the construction of normal aircraft as well, making it a potentially easy sell to the People's Forum. First, though, the IEC would need a place to actually, well, build it. (10R per die, 0/100, allows constructing spaceplane prototypes)
- [ ] Construct a Runway - A 6 kilometer long strip of concrete and tarmac to launch and land air-and-spacecraft from, and the control towers and radars to supplement it. (10R per die, 0/120, allows for launching and landing air and spacecraft)
[ ] Construct a Wind Tunnel - In order to do advanced studies on the shape of air and spacecraft at various speeds, you'll need a safe space that you can push a lot of air into, quickly. You've been assured by literally everyone involved that this will be useful. Personally, you're half-convinced it's just the air/spaceplane research crowd looking for every possible excuse to acquire jet engines and jet engine parts. But… (10R per die, 0/80, +3 to projects labeled AERO)
Engineering (3 dice, +6 Bonus to All)
[ ] Conduct Design Studies (Platform) (Heavy Sounding Rocket) [AERO] - Your small sounding rockets are, well, they work, but they're not as high-performing as you'd like. During the Third Great War, the Empire used a thirteen-tonne rocket as a terror weapon against civilians; that rocket is, approximately, thirteen times as large as the ones you are using, and able to fly at least three times as high, based on your people's calculations. They think they can recreate the design using notes seized from the ruins of the Empire's rocket complex. (5R per die, 0/80, unlocks Heavy Sounding Rocket (and a naming vote because that's unwieldy))
[ ] Conduct Design Studies (Platform) (Spaceplane Development) [AERO] - If you're going to be building spaceplanes, it would be a good idea to develop a working design to build in that hangar the spaceplane gang had wanted. Your engineers were talking about things like payload fraction and use cases and aerodynamic loading - all of which went more or less over your head but it certainly seemed they knew what they were about. (5R per die, 0/100, unlocks Prototype Spaceplane)
[ ] Conduct Design Studies (Alternative Launch Systems) [AERO, PHYS] - Still more of your engineers were talking about investigating different ways of potentially getting to space. Jules Verne stuff. Big guns and space towers and the like. You didn't think them likely to work, but having the knowledge wouldn't hurt. (5R per die, 0/300, ???)
[ ] Engine Cycles (Tech) [MATSCI, CHEM, PROP] - There are, apparently, a great many ways to power a rocket. The basic function of all rocket engines is fundamentally the same - combine something that burns well with an oxidizer and combust them in such a way as to generate a great deal of pressure, and then force that flaming pressure wave out of the combustion area in a manner that causes it to impart force in a direction you desire. However, the specifics of how that all happens is, apparently, a wide-open field for the IEC to play in, and the teams have ideas. (10R per die, 0/250, unlocks further engine development options)
[ ] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - Some of your engineers have proposed putting a second rocket on top of your first rocket to gain greater range and altitude. You, personally, thought that was a wild idea, but they seemed to think it would work, and you had to admit their reasoning and solutions for the problems they had been able to come up with seemed sound. (10R per die, 186/200, gain the ability to make 2-stage rockets)
[ ] Advanced Concepts Office - A group of scientists and engineers have come to you asking to staff an Advanced Concepts Office, whose entire function seems to be dreaming up things you could do in space. Space stations, giant spacecraft, the works. (5R per die, 0/150, will occasionally provide a new Program to pursue based on brainstorming and priorities)
Science (3 dice, +6 Bonus to All)
[ ] Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] - After the… 'anomaly' that caused your sounding rocket to explode, further forensic analysis of the wreckage revealed that the culprit of the incident lay in what the scientists and engineers called 'combustion instability', which was explained to you as being the result of tiny imperfections in the flow of combusted gases out of the chamber growing stronger until they caused major problems - in this case, an exploding engine that took the rest of the rocket out. They'd like to do some research into how to make this less likely in the future. (5R per die, 0/200, turns the initial success roll for a rocket from a >60 to >50.)
[ ] Exploratory Propellant Research (Phase 1) [CHEM] - A group of chemists attached to the IEC came to you with a proposal to conduct an exhaustive campaign characterizing just about as many propellants as they could come up with. While expensive, and dangerous, and potentially deadly, the knowledge gained could also be invaluable for nailing down mixtures and ratios of fuels that could help the IEC achieve its objectives. (15R per dice, 0/150, unlocks fuel mixtures and further fuel development)
[ ] Tracking Station Surveys - In order to support tracking and communication with long-range and orbital rocketry and experiments, you would need a network of tracking stations placed basically across the world. A survey would be conducted to find the most opportune locations for tracking station placement, prior to construction. (5R per dice, 0/150, unlocks Tracking Station Construction project for Facilities)
[ ] Research Program Outreach - Some of your scientists have brought up the idea of reaching out to their peers in other fields to canvas them for interest in conducting experiments in space. You will, of course, need better rockets for many of the experiments they'd want, but maybe that outreach, if properly funded, could net you some more helping hands. (10R per dice, 10/120, gives +2 bonus to 1d4 research areas (including engineering))
[ ] Conduct Materials Research (Phase 1) - Better alloys would lead to higher-performing engines and lighter rockets, you were told. All you had to do was authorize the resource expenditure to start testing materials. (15R per die, 0/150, provides access to aluminum structures)
Politics (3 dice, +10 bonus, reroll 1 failure per turn)
Political
[ ] Outcome Surveys - In order to get a better handle on exactly what the various councils, committees, and the general public wanted out of the IEC, your staff thinks a survey should be conducted. They'll go out to the various bodies that voted for your creation - and even those who voted against - and see what they'd like to see investigated. (5R per dice, 63/120, get concrete goals to work towards)
[ ] Shaking Trees - Your current budget is set for the next year, and there's not much you can do about it. However, you can attempt to go around to the various demilitarization projects and see if they've got any more tools and parts (and spare booster rockets) lying around before they get turned into scrap. (5R per dice, 52/100, variable reward)
[ ] Council Liaison Office - Given the… hectic nature of truly democratic governance, keeping up with all the goings on in the World Communal Council is a bit much, even for you, and there's no guarantee your successor would have your exact same skills and savvy. Thus, a Liaison Office whose entire job was to keep up with goings-on in the Council and brief the Director and Assistant Director was probably a good idea. (5R, establishes a Council Liaison Office, provides details on the state of Council funding priorities, budget, infrastructure status, etc.)
[ ] Bothering Councilors - The year's budget is set, but next year's is very much not. You can influence investment priorities if you want to apply enough political pressure to the right people to convince them to fund, say, better roads out of Mogadishu… elementary and secondary schools in Africa… that kind of thing. (-10 PS, roll a quality dice to give options for influencing infrastructure funding, triggers subvote)
Outreach
[ ] Rocket Boxes (Phase I) - The initial run of Rocket Boxes to the schools in Mogadishu has been enough of a success to merit further deployment of Rocket Boxes abroad. With a bit of investment of resources, you can get enough Rocket Boxes assembled to expand the net to the rest of Africa. (5R per die, 0/200. Gives Rocket Boxes to every middle-school, high-school and university or equivalent in Africa. Encourages future African scientists and engineers - some of whom will even come work with the IEC.)
[ ] Rocket Reels - The test footage the IEC produces for scientific value can be easily copied and turned into high-octane spectacle for the purposes of swaying the public's opinion and imagination. The best part is, the more rocket launches you do, the better your reels get. (5R per die, 0/120, gain a coinflip for 1 additional Political Support per quarter; successful rocket launches give you an additional coin flip for each launch.)
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
uhm lots of interesting projects. not nearly enough dice/bonus to go around.
uhm can we shift that 1 dice in ops into something else??
uhm can we shift that 1 dice in ops into something else??
Reliability is key because every rocket wasted is resources that should have gone into more SCIENCE or like infrastructure funding,remember our planetwide infrastructure is essentially shit
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
((A/N: a short diegetic piece, because there needs to be at least ONE person properly fearful of FOOF))
Notice to Engineers (NOTEN) 51-0042
FRM: Dr. D. Lowe, Development Building 07
TO: IEC Engineering Distro
It has come to the attention of this laboratory that certain over-enthusiastic parties have, in their pursuit of performance, begun to explore possible fluorine-based propellants. This includes, but is not limited to, a proposal given to the director advocating for exploratory work into utilizing Dioxygen difluoride.
Obviously, I do not have the authority to out-right ban such development here at the IEC. However, for the safety of those who work in Building 07 and the smooth operation of current research programs within this facility, fluorine-based fuels are no longer allowed to be developed within the facility. Not only do we lack the appropriate equipment and protocols to handle such propellants, in my humble opinion nobody has the equipment or protocols to handle these compounds. I'm sure many of you have seen the reports that were recovered from the Empire's weapons development programs and the long, long list of scientists killed in lab accidents working with these compounds.
I would also like to point out that this declaration applies to ALL fluorine-based propellants. To the gentleman who thought they could get away with chlorine trifluoride - we're still repairing the damage your little spill caused. As it stands, there is still a whole in the floor of Laboratory Three. And the foundation below it.
IN SHORT: All Fluorine-based propellant research is banned from Building 07 Until Further Notice. Please direct all related inquiries to Doctor Leaguers.
ADDENDUM: Dammit, people - stop trying to wiggle around this; what part of 'ALL' do you not get? fluorine-bases propellants are materia non grata in the labs, or within 2 miles of said labs. No, I don't care what ISP you think you can get; I don't want anything near the building that generates hydrofluoric acid just as a happy by-product.
Notice to Engineers (NOTEN) 51-0042
FRM: Dr. D. Lowe, Development Building 07
TO: IEC Engineering Distro
It has come to the attention of this laboratory that certain over-enthusiastic parties have, in their pursuit of performance, begun to explore possible fluorine-based propellants. This includes, but is not limited to, a proposal given to the director advocating for exploratory work into utilizing Dioxygen difluoride.
Obviously, I do not have the authority to out-right ban such development here at the IEC. However, for the safety of those who work in Building 07 and the smooth operation of current research programs within this facility, fluorine-based fuels are no longer allowed to be developed within the facility. Not only do we lack the appropriate equipment and protocols to handle such propellants, in my humble opinion nobody has the equipment or protocols to handle these compounds. I'm sure many of you have seen the reports that were recovered from the Empire's weapons development programs and the long, long list of scientists killed in lab accidents working with these compounds.
I would also like to point out that this declaration applies to ALL fluorine-based propellants. To the gentleman who thought they could get away with chlorine trifluoride - we're still repairing the damage your little spill caused. As it stands, there is still a whole in the floor of Laboratory Three. And the foundation below it.
IN SHORT: All Fluorine-based propellant research is banned from Building 07 Until Further Notice. Please direct all related inquiries to Doctor Leaguers.
ADDENDUM: Dammit, people - stop trying to wiggle around this; what part of 'ALL' do you not get? fluorine-bases propellants are materia non grata in the labs, or within 2 miles of said labs. No, I don't care what ISP you think you can get; I don't want anything near the building that generates hydrofluoric acid just as a happy by-product.
Shadows
Sacred Priestess of the Benevolent Dice Gods
- Location
- USS Civilian, DDG-214
- Pronouns
- She/Her
You get a +15 to a [CHEM] tagged project of your choice.
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Combustion Instability Research please. As tempting as Engine Cycles are, I think the improved reliability fits the omake better.
trooperist
Cinnamon Roll AI
Looks like we've almost spent all our initial funds so we'll have to start being a bit frugal and not do multiple expensive projects at once. Hopefully Shaking Trees gives us some sort of resource boost we can use until it's time to renegotiate our budget.
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
For your consideration:
[] Plan In By a Squeaker (75 R, 10 PS)
Operations
-[] Construct a Sounding Rocket (1 die, 1d100+3 ops, avg. 54, 15R, 1 BC, 0/40)
--[] And launch it
Facilities
-[] Construct a Heavy Sounding Rocket launch site (1 die, 1d100, avg. 51, 15R per die, 0/60)
Engineering
-[] Conduct Design Studies (Platform) (Heavy Sounding Rocket) [AERO] (2 dice, 1d100+6 eng, avg. 57, 10R, 0/80)
-[] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] (1 die, 1d100+6 eng, avg. 57, 10R, 186/200)
Science
-[] Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] (2 dice, 2d100+6 sci+5 phys+2 prop+15 omake, avg. 130, 10R, 0/200)
-[] Tracking Station Surveys - (1 die, 1d100+6 sci, avg. 57, 5R, 0/150)
Politics
-[] Outcome Surveys (1 die, 1d100+10 dir, avg. 61, 5R, 63/120)
-[] Shaking Trees (1 die, 1d100+10 dir, avg. 61, 5R, 52/100)
-[] Bothering Councilors (1 die, 1d100+10 dir, avg. 61, 10 PS)
So, we're coming up on a budget crunch. Unless we can just not spend the operations die, we're locked into spending 15R on building another sounding rocket (at least launching it's free). Ongoing projects (second stages, outcome surveys, and shaking trees) continue. Combustion instability research is our highest performer in terms of bonuses even without the omake, responsive to our recent snafu, and cheap. Tracking station surveys is also cheap. Korolev wants big rockets, and big rockets need a better launch site. All that brings the cost in R to 75, so bother councilors because it costs PS rather than R.
[] Plan In By a Squeaker (75 R, 10 PS)
Operations
-[] Construct a Sounding Rocket (1 die, 1d100+3 ops, avg. 54, 15R, 1 BC, 0/40)
--[] And launch it
Facilities
-[] Construct a Heavy Sounding Rocket launch site (1 die, 1d100, avg. 51, 15R per die, 0/60)
Engineering
-[] Conduct Design Studies (Platform) (Heavy Sounding Rocket) [AERO] (2 dice, 1d100+6 eng, avg. 57, 10R, 0/80)
-[] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] (1 die, 1d100+6 eng, avg. 57, 10R, 186/200)
Science
-[] Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] (2 dice, 2d100+6 sci+5 phys+2 prop+15 omake, avg. 130, 10R, 0/200)
-[] Tracking Station Surveys - (1 die, 1d100+6 sci, avg. 57, 5R, 0/150)
Politics
-[] Outcome Surveys (1 die, 1d100+10 dir, avg. 61, 5R, 63/120)
-[] Shaking Trees (1 die, 1d100+10 dir, avg. 61, 5R, 52/100)
-[] Bothering Councilors (1 die, 1d100+10 dir, avg. 61, 10 PS)
So, we're coming up on a budget crunch. Unless we can just not spend the operations die, we're locked into spending 15R on building another sounding rocket (at least launching it's free). Ongoing projects (second stages, outcome surveys, and shaking trees) continue. Combustion instability research is our highest performer in terms of bonuses even without the omake, responsive to our recent snafu, and cheap. Tracking station surveys is also cheap. Korolev wants big rockets, and big rockets need a better launch site. All that brings the cost in R to 75, so bother councilors because it costs PS rather than R.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Casholox Rocket Engines
Resources: 75/75 (+55R/turn)
65 Political Support
Operations
-[X] Construct a Sounding Rocket (15R per dice, 0/40, costs 1 Build Capacity until complete)
--[X] And launch it (free action for Sounding Rockets) (gains Scientific Data, launch experience, results to show the people funding you)
We have to test our new science payloads.
Facilities
I'm letting this category lay follow for now. The only thing here we really want is the heavy rocket pad, but actually launching those will be more expensive than our current rockets, so we'd just be building a launch pad that isn't being used most of the time.
Engineering
-[X] (2 Dice) Engine Cycles (Tech) [MATSCI, CHEM, PROP] (10R per die, 0/250, unlocks further engine development options)
-[X] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - (10R per die, 186/200, gain the ability to make 2-stage rockets)
Finishing second stage research is obvious, engine cycles are amazingly important - if we could grab a gas cycle for our orbital rocket it would be ideal, otherwise we'll have to tool around with *spits* peroxide catalytic decomposition.
I'm leaving Heavy Rockets for later once again on the belief that developing a good engine first is more important. The engine is the heart of the rocket - everything else is built around it's performance and requirements.
Thus we want our engine on hand when we actually build a bigger, better rocket.
Science (3 dice, +6 Bonus to All)
-[X] (3 Dice) Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] - (5R per die, 0/200, turns the initial success roll for a rocket from a >60 to >50.)
As mentioned by. Zimmerwald, Combustion Instability research is cheap and we have good bonuses to it.
Politics
-[X] Outcome Surveys - (5R per dice, 63/120, get concrete goals to work towards)
-[X] Shaking Trees - (5R per dice, 52/100, variable reward)
-[X] Council Liaison Office - (5R, establishes a Council Liaison Office, provides details on the state of Council funding priorities, budget, infrastructure status, etc.)
Outcome surveys so we know what they want so we can deliver on it and hopefully get more resources. Likewise for the Liaison Office.
Shaking trees absolutely crucial given our budget crunch.
Resources: 75/75 (+55R/turn)
65 Political Support
Operations
-[X] Construct a Sounding Rocket (15R per dice, 0/40, costs 1 Build Capacity until complete)
--[X] And launch it (free action for Sounding Rockets) (gains Scientific Data, launch experience, results to show the people funding you)
We have to test our new science payloads.
Facilities
I'm letting this category lay follow for now. The only thing here we really want is the heavy rocket pad, but actually launching those will be more expensive than our current rockets, so we'd just be building a launch pad that isn't being used most of the time.
Engineering
-[X] (2 Dice) Engine Cycles (Tech) [MATSCI, CHEM, PROP] (10R per die, 0/250, unlocks further engine development options)
-[X] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - (10R per die, 186/200, gain the ability to make 2-stage rockets)
Finishing second stage research is obvious, engine cycles are amazingly important - if we could grab a gas cycle for our orbital rocket it would be ideal, otherwise we'll have to tool around with *spits* peroxide catalytic decomposition.
I'm leaving Heavy Rockets for later once again on the belief that developing a good engine first is more important. The engine is the heart of the rocket - everything else is built around it's performance and requirements.
Thus we want our engine on hand when we actually build a bigger, better rocket.
Science (3 dice, +6 Bonus to All)
-[X] (3 Dice) Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] - (5R per die, 0/200, turns the initial success roll for a rocket from a >60 to >50.)
As mentioned by. Zimmerwald, Combustion Instability research is cheap and we have good bonuses to it.
Politics
-[X] Outcome Surveys - (5R per dice, 63/120, get concrete goals to work towards)
-[X] Shaking Trees - (5R per dice, 52/100, variable reward)
-[X] Council Liaison Office - (5R, establishes a Council Liaison Office, provides details on the state of Council funding priorities, budget, infrastructure status, etc.)
Outcome surveys so we know what they want so we can deliver on it and hopefully get more resources. Likewise for the Liaison Office.
Shaking trees absolutely crucial given our budget crunch.
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Mr.Norm
You can never have too many arms.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Heres a plan for ya.
[X] Plan: Windy Completionist
Operations:
-[X] Construct a Sounding Rocket - Having just launched its first sounding rocket, the IEC is very well advised to repeat the feat, this time with a heavier sensor payload to gain more information about the region beyond the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. (15R per dice, 0/40, costs 1 Build Capacity until complete)
--[X] And launch it (free action for Sounding Rockets) (gains Scientific Data, launch experience, results to show the people funding you)
Facilities:
-[X] Construct a Wind Tunnel - In order to do advanced studies on the shape of air and spacecraft at various speeds, you'll need a safe space that you can push a lot of air into, quickly. You've been assured by literally everyone involved that this will be useful. Personally, you're half-convinced it's just the air/spaceplane research crowd looking for every possible excuse to acquire jet engines and jet engine parts. But… (10R per die, 0/80, +3 to projects labeled AERO)
Getting this bonus will help with both plane and rocket designs in the near future such as the heavy sounding rocket designs. I'm putting it above the other two as they both require things we won't have for a while to be useful.
Engineering:
-[X] Conduct Design Studies (Platform) (Heavy Sounding Rocket) [AERO] - Your small sounding rockets are, well, they work, but they're not as high-performing as you'd like. During the Third Great War, the Empire used a thirteen-tonne rocket as a terror weapon against civilians; that rocket is, approximately, thirteen times as large as the ones you are using, and able to fly at least three times as high, based on your people's calculations. They think they can recreate the design using notes seized from the ruins of the Empire's rocket complex. (5R per die, 0/80, unlocks Heavy Sounding Rocket (and a naming vote because that's unwieldy))
-[X] Engine Cycles (Tech) [MATSCI, CHEM, PROP] - There are, apparently, a great many ways to power a rocket. The basic function of all rocket engines is fundamentally the same - combine something that burns well with an oxidizer and combust them in such a way as to generate a great deal of pressure, and then force that flaming pressure wave out of the combustion area in a manner that causes it to impart force in a direction you desire. However, the specifics of how that all happens is, apparently, a wide-open field for the IEC to play in, and the teams have ideas. (10R per die, 0/250, unlocks further engine development options)
-[X] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - Some of your engineers have proposed putting a second rocket on top of your first rocket to gain greater range and altitude. You, personally, thought that was a wild idea, but they seemed to think it would work, and you had to admit their reasoning and solutions for the problems they had been able to come up with seemed sound. (10R per die, 186/200, gain the ability to make 2-stage rockets)
As much as I do want space planes, they shouldn't be the priority. We need better rockets, better engines, and to finish up stages in order to get into space. lets put this new engineering dice to good use.
Science:
-[X] Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] - After the… 'anomaly' that caused your sounding rocket to explode, further forensic analysis of the wreckage revealed that the culprit of the incident lay in what the scientists and engineers called 'combustion instability', which was explained to you as being the result of tiny imperfections in the flow of combusted gases out of the chamber growing stronger until they caused major problems - in this case, an exploding engine that took the rest of the rocket out. They'd like to do some research into how to make this less likely in the future. (5R per die, 0/200, turns the initial success roll for a rocket from a >60 to >50.)
-[X] Exploratory Propellant Research (Phase 1) [CHEM] - A group of chemists attached to the IEC came to you with a proposal to conduct an exhaustive campaign characterizing just about as many propellants as they could come up with. While expensive, and dangerous, and potentially deadly, the knowledge gained could also be invaluable for nailing down mixtures and ratios of fuels that could help the IEC achieve its objectives. (15R per dice, 0/150, unlocks fuel mixtures and further fuel development)
-[X] Research Program Outreach - Some of your scientists have brought up the idea of reaching out to their peers in other fields to canvas them for interest in conducting experiments in space. You will, of course, need better rockets for many of the experiments they'd want, but maybe that outreach, if properly funded, could net you some more helping hands. (10R per dice, 10/120, gives +2 bonus to 1d4 research areas (including engineering))
Tracking stations and materials research take a back seat to the other three. Instability research will help get our rockets out faster, prop research has a decent omake bonus, and I don't like leaving research outreach on the floor.
Politics:
-[X] Outcome Surveys - In order to get a better handle on exactly what the various councils, committees, and the general public wanted out of the IEC, your staff thinks a survey should be conducted. They'll go out to the various bodies that voted for your creation - and even those who voted against - and see what they'd like to see investigated. (5R per dice, 63/120, get concrete goals to work towards)
-[X] Shaking Trees - Your current budget is set for the next year, and there's not much you can do about it. However, you can attempt to go around to the various demilitarization projects and see if they've got any more tools and parts (and spare booster rockets) lying around before they get turned into scrap. (5R per dice, 52/100, variable reward)
-[X] Bothering Councilors - The year's budget is set, but next year's is very much not. You can influence investment priorities if you want to apply enough political pressure to the right people to convince them to fund, say, better roads out of Mogadishu… elementary and secondary schools in Africa… that kind of thing. (-10 PS, roll a quality dice to give options for influencing infrastructure funding, triggers subvote)
We need to finish things and secure more funding otherwise we won't have enough cash for the space planes!
[X] Plan: Windy Completionist
Operations:
-[X] Construct a Sounding Rocket - Having just launched its first sounding rocket, the IEC is very well advised to repeat the feat, this time with a heavier sensor payload to gain more information about the region beyond the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. (15R per dice, 0/40, costs 1 Build Capacity until complete)
--[X] And launch it (free action for Sounding Rockets) (gains Scientific Data, launch experience, results to show the people funding you)
Facilities:
-[X] Construct a Wind Tunnel - In order to do advanced studies on the shape of air and spacecraft at various speeds, you'll need a safe space that you can push a lot of air into, quickly. You've been assured by literally everyone involved that this will be useful. Personally, you're half-convinced it's just the air/spaceplane research crowd looking for every possible excuse to acquire jet engines and jet engine parts. But… (10R per die, 0/80, +3 to projects labeled AERO)
Getting this bonus will help with both plane and rocket designs in the near future such as the heavy sounding rocket designs. I'm putting it above the other two as they both require things we won't have for a while to be useful.
Engineering:
-[X] Conduct Design Studies (Platform) (Heavy Sounding Rocket) [AERO] - Your small sounding rockets are, well, they work, but they're not as high-performing as you'd like. During the Third Great War, the Empire used a thirteen-tonne rocket as a terror weapon against civilians; that rocket is, approximately, thirteen times as large as the ones you are using, and able to fly at least three times as high, based on your people's calculations. They think they can recreate the design using notes seized from the ruins of the Empire's rocket complex. (5R per die, 0/80, unlocks Heavy Sounding Rocket (and a naming vote because that's unwieldy))
-[X] Engine Cycles (Tech) [MATSCI, CHEM, PROP] - There are, apparently, a great many ways to power a rocket. The basic function of all rocket engines is fundamentally the same - combine something that burns well with an oxidizer and combust them in such a way as to generate a great deal of pressure, and then force that flaming pressure wave out of the combustion area in a manner that causes it to impart force in a direction you desire. However, the specifics of how that all happens is, apparently, a wide-open field for the IEC to play in, and the teams have ideas. (10R per die, 0/250, unlocks further engine development options)
-[X] Second Stages (Tech) [AERO, PHYS] - Some of your engineers have proposed putting a second rocket on top of your first rocket to gain greater range and altitude. You, personally, thought that was a wild idea, but they seemed to think it would work, and you had to admit their reasoning and solutions for the problems they had been able to come up with seemed sound. (10R per die, 186/200, gain the ability to make 2-stage rockets)
As much as I do want space planes, they shouldn't be the priority. We need better rockets, better engines, and to finish up stages in order to get into space. lets put this new engineering dice to good use.
Science:
-[X] Combustion Instability Research [PHYS, CHEM, PROP] - After the… 'anomaly' that caused your sounding rocket to explode, further forensic analysis of the wreckage revealed that the culprit of the incident lay in what the scientists and engineers called 'combustion instability', which was explained to you as being the result of tiny imperfections in the flow of combusted gases out of the chamber growing stronger until they caused major problems - in this case, an exploding engine that took the rest of the rocket out. They'd like to do some research into how to make this less likely in the future. (5R per die, 0/200, turns the initial success roll for a rocket from a >60 to >50.)
-[X] Exploratory Propellant Research (Phase 1) [CHEM] - A group of chemists attached to the IEC came to you with a proposal to conduct an exhaustive campaign characterizing just about as many propellants as they could come up with. While expensive, and dangerous, and potentially deadly, the knowledge gained could also be invaluable for nailing down mixtures and ratios of fuels that could help the IEC achieve its objectives. (15R per dice, 0/150, unlocks fuel mixtures and further fuel development)
-[X] Research Program Outreach - Some of your scientists have brought up the idea of reaching out to their peers in other fields to canvas them for interest in conducting experiments in space. You will, of course, need better rockets for many of the experiments they'd want, but maybe that outreach, if properly funded, could net you some more helping hands. (10R per dice, 10/120, gives +2 bonus to 1d4 research areas (including engineering))
Tracking stations and materials research take a back seat to the other three. Instability research will help get our rockets out faster, prop research has a decent omake bonus, and I don't like leaving research outreach on the floor.
Politics:
-[X] Outcome Surveys - In order to get a better handle on exactly what the various councils, committees, and the general public wanted out of the IEC, your staff thinks a survey should be conducted. They'll go out to the various bodies that voted for your creation - and even those who voted against - and see what they'd like to see investigated. (5R per dice, 63/120, get concrete goals to work towards)
-[X] Shaking Trees - Your current budget is set for the next year, and there's not much you can do about it. However, you can attempt to go around to the various demilitarization projects and see if they've got any more tools and parts (and spare booster rockets) lying around before they get turned into scrap. (5R per dice, 52/100, variable reward)
-[X] Bothering Councilors - The year's budget is set, but next year's is very much not. You can influence investment priorities if you want to apply enough political pressure to the right people to convince them to fund, say, better roads out of Mogadishu… elementary and secondary schools in Africa… that kind of thing. (-10 PS, roll a quality dice to give options for influencing infrastructure funding, triggers subvote)
We need to finish things and secure more funding otherwise we won't have enough cash for the space planes!