Remove ads

The Mysuran Engine: A Mech Design Quest

Reader mode
Goals: Efficiency 5, Cargo 7, Defense 5, Speed 3

So... the interesting thing here is that the Underslung Cannon gives us 5 value for 2 points. At the same time, it's at an awkward place ont he power curve. If we want to spend all 10 points and also have the Underslung Cannon, our two options are

Lumbering cargo-thing
-[] A trailer! (4 points) (+ 5 Cargo, -1 Speed)
-[] Underslung Cannon! (2 points) (+3 Defense, +1 Cargo)
-[] Multi-Purpose Arms! (4 points) (+1 Defense, +2 Cargo, +1 Speed)
Cargo 8, Defense 4, Speed 0

and

All The Guns
-[ ] Prototype Combustion Engine. (3 points) (+2 Speed, +1 Cargo)
-[ ] Underslung Cannon! (2 points) (+3 Defense, +1 Cargo)
-[ ] Mast Rocket Array! (3 points) (+2 Defense, +1 Speed.)
-[ ] Alloy Plating! (2 points) (+1 Defense, +1 Speed.)
Cargo 2, Defense 6, Speed 4

The first has Speed of 0 (which probably won't go over well) and more cargo than it actually needs. The second has very little cargo (which is okay for the moment) but goes over on both defense and speed. Actually, All the Guns would hit our target almost exactly on the nose if we slapped a trailer on the back of the thing (going one defense over).

At the same time... we have to consider Efficiency. There are clues here.
- Prototype Combustion Engine is using the Exciting New Technology. Steam is "A Coward's Device". That suggests that it's going to have some maintenance issues, at minimum.
- Trailer reads as if it's the boring bog-standard thing that you might as well just get out of the way. That's... basically the exact opposite.
- Underslung Cannon is "a simple addition". That's sounding good.
- Multi-Purpose Arms: "Arms are one of the easier things to do with Nar" - again, a good sign.
- Mast Rocket Array doesn't give all that much of a clue... except that anything that's going to be based on firing off rockets is likely to be pricey in the long run. Rockets are not cheap, as ammunition goes.
- Alloy Plating is talking about "the newest, most expensive alloy plates". That's pretty obviously in the "not cheap" zone.

So... there's three options that look like they're likely to take a particularly large chunk out of Efficiency... and All The Guns up there has *all* of them. That's... probably not best.

But Wait! We have Sponsors! Let's remind ourselves of who they are.

[ ] Yasin Ali Shahzadi
Pros: The Sultan's beloved daughter, loves the concept, hands-on testing
Cons: Knows nothing about engineering or vehicle design, insane ideas

[ ] General Nazir Wadiyar
Pros: Genial, understanding, sympathetic to what you're trying to do, appreciative of logistics
Cons: A nobody. Uninfluential. Syphillitic. Wants his name in history

[ ] Admiral Muhammad Dervish Khan
Pros: Level-headed, appreciates sane project scope
Cons: Likes Rockets. Really, really likes rockets

So... based on that, if we can fit them at all, the rockets should go in. The other two aren't likely to have particularly strong opinions at this point.

Given that, I'd suggest that the best compromise might involve *not* spending all of our points just yet.

[x] Plan Most of the Guns
-[x] Mast Rocket Array! (3 points) (+2 Defense, +1 Speed.)
-[x] Underslung Cannon! (2 points) (+3 Defense, +1 Cargo)
-[x] Multi-Purpose Arms! (4 points) (+1 Defense, +2 Cargo, +1 Speed)
Cargo 3, Defense 6, Speed 2

It's taking on one of the "more expensive" options, because if we don't do that, we have no speed. It also has more defense than, strictly speaking, it requires, and leaves one point unspent. In return, it throws in rockets to keep the Admiral happy, it doesn't have anything cripplingly wrong with it (like 0 speed) and it hopefully leaves some flexibility left in the efficiency budget. Also, leaving a point unspent might make things a bit easier on us as we react to the vagaries of prototyping a design.
 
Last edited:
If I'm adding right,

[ ] A trailer! (4 points) - + 5 Cargo, -1 Speed.
[ ] Underslung Cannon! (2 points) - +3 Defense, +1 Cargo.
[ ] Multi-Purpose Arms! (4 points) - +1 Defense, +2 Cargo, +1 Speed.

would get us 8 Cargo, 4 Defense, and 0 Speed, which satisfies the 7/4/3 requirements except for speed, but getting the speed up to 3 from there is probably hard. Putting in a prototype ICE right now and working on it as we go makes it easier than adding a trailer now and trying to engine in later, so...

[X] Plan Producible Prototype
-[X] Prototype Combustion Engine. (3 points) (+2 Speed, +1 Cargo)
-[X] Underslung Cannon! (2 points) - +3 Defense, +1 Cargo.
-[X] Multi-Purpose Arms! (4 points) - +1 Defense, +2 Cargo, +1 Speed.

4 Cargo, 4 Defense, and 3 Speed
 
Last edited:
[x] Plan Most of the Guns
-[x] Mast Rocket Array! (3 points) (+2 Defense, +1 Speed.)
-[x] Underslung Cannon! (2 points) (+3 Defense, +1 Cargo)
-[x] Multi-Purpose Arms! (4 points) (+1 Defense, +2 Cargo, +1 Speed)

Dick cannon mech with octopus arms truly the desire of all soldiers to build.
 
On further re-read...

[ ] It will be reminiscent of a locomotive engine!
Pros: Large, huge carrying capacity, Armored, proven design
Cons: Slow, expensive, unmaneuverable, Nar-heavy, notable crew.

- Yasin Shahzadi got excited about the idea of the thing being a direct combat asset, as well as a transportational one. She certainly will not object to the combat score being a tch higher... and if the initial combat score is anemic, she may be disappointed. She hasn't yet started to add to our list of requirements, but she wants to. On the dark side, she really doesn't like bowing to efficiency. So... if we show her something with high Combat, she's certainly not going to want to see that number go down. At the same time, we can't really afford to go blowing our efficiency budget all at once, because she has very little respect for it, and getting her all excited about something that we then have to take back is... not ideal.

Side note: the princess is apparently a possible romantic interest... if we get her excited enough. It's been noted that that might be best considered more of a risk than an opportunity.

Sarpedon said:
Dick cannon mech with octopus arms truly the desire of all soldiers to build.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
In retrospect, it is the most blatantly phallic design possible under the current constraints.

I don't think that necessarily counts as a mark against it, though.
 
Last edited:
Sirrocco said:
So... based on that, if we can fit them at all, the rockets should go in.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That's a very good point that I totally forgot. I'll approval vote your plan:

[X] Plan Producible Prototype
-[X] Prototype Combustion Engine. (3 points)
-[X] Underslung Cannon! (2 points)
-[X] Multi-Purpose Arms! (4 points)

[X] Plan Most of the Guns

And because I felt like it, have a full list of all 10 possible plans which meet the following criteria: At least 3 Cargo, 2 Defense, 1 Speed (and is a legal plan)

Code: 
   [? 7 5 3] Goal (Points remaining, Cargo, Defense, Speed)
a. [1 7 3 1] ['Prototype Combustion Engine', 'A trailer', 'Underslung Cannon']
b. [4 3 4 1] ['Underslung Cannon', 'Multi-Purpose Arms']
c. [1 4 4 3] ['Prototype Combustion Engine', 'Underslung Cannon', 'Multi-Purpose Arms']
d. [0 6 2 2] ['Prototype Combustion Engine', 'A trailer', 'Mast Rocket Array']
e. [0 3 3 4] ['Prototype Combustion Engine', 'Multi-Purpose Arms', 'Mast Rocket Array']
f. [1 3 6 2] ['Underslung Cannon', 'Multi-Purpose Arms', 'Mast Rocket Array']
g. [1 3 2 4] ['Prototype Combustion Engine', 'Multi-Purpose Arms', 'Alloy Plating']
h. [0 7 2 1] ['A trailer', 'Multi-Purpose Arms', 'Alloy Plating']
i. [2 3 5 2] ['Underslung Cannon', 'Multi-Purpose Arms', 'Alloy Plating']
j. [1 5 3 1] ['A trailer', 'Mast Rocket Array', 'Alloy Plating']
Producible Prototype is c, Most of the Guns is f, and Shiny Octopus with Box is h. Plan a is strictly better than that one going by the stats.

Of the plans with rockets (d,e,f,j), I'm not sure which is best, so I'll just go with the one already being voted for.
 
Remove ads
Well, some bad rolls but could've been much worse. Glad to see that the most complex/risky part (the engine) is the one that got the 6, since both the cannon and the arms are noted as being simple/standard.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top