Technology

Charis is going really fast to next revolution, creating assembly lines.
In this topic we shall discuss what will be next thing suggested by Merlin or Nimue to Howsmyn or to Seamount.
My TOP 3 guesses are Gatling gun, new propellant for ammunition or oil mining and what we can get out of it.
Gatling gun would be nice for ICA when they will be fighting against Harchong. Gatling gun isn't that good as machine gun but it should work.
New propellant for ammunition is always nice, especially for snipers they need as powerful ammunition as possible. But if we get at least 10% increase of power that would be great, we have nitrocellulose so inventing dynamite isn't that hard, Doctor Owl could help with that.
Petroleum industry will be great for Charis, much more powerful engines, so creating bigger ships would have sense now. We should store somewhere lighter fractions of oil, because we will need them when first aircraft will be created, it could be used as fuel source for Delthak furnaces and other things. In military we're at 1850 now, but chemistry and physics especially are in XVII century and if Merlin could push creating real R&D teams in college, that would speed up nicely creating of new inventions.

Good question, but I think you may have missed some of the textev answers already in the books.
We've already seen the start of the petroleum/oil industry, guncotton is on its way, and the gatling is a possibility.
That said, the gatling will probably be bypassed in favor of a sturdier, more mobile version of automatic weapon like the BAR. The move to magazine-fed brass cartridge weapons makes this very likely.
I'm looking forward to the rubber industry (developed from the petroleum group) and lighter-than-air craft built around the zeppelin concept. Diesel engines are up on my list, too.
Anyhow, welcome to the forums and have a simulated beverage on me.

Dave

Weapons: besides previous posts.
Looking at dry chemical launched V1 type rockets. They already have signal rockets and timed explosives.
Waterproof mine that attaches to a ship's hull (Shan-wei borer).
Compressed air propelled torpedoes,
(Research Robert Whitehead) and torpedo boats to launch them. Need a catchy name, as Safehold probably doesn't have torpedo fish.
Transportation: definitely a steam locomotive. Possibly cable cars. Both ground car and air tram.

Well, the "next big thing" will definitely be the railroad and the technology Coming with that, especially construction-wise. Tunnels, Bridges and things like that are definitely non-trivial, as is the necessary infrastructure (refueling and watering stations)

If a petrol-industry will be set up, one of the first things might be artificial fertilizer, as it eases the situation in the Republic.

Military-wise there will most likely be the first automatic weapons, maybe not Gatling than rather Maxim-guns. Additionally, as the Scout-Snipers play a big role, they will soon "invent" silencers.

I think development at Sea will stall a bit as it's not the part where the Anti-Church-Alliance will be threatened or face serious oppression.

Before we get too deep.
Shouldn't we contact Father Paytyr Wyslynn and apply for copyrights and patents?
I personally have an amusement park in mind that runs off steam plants and windmill apparatus. Anyone remember a cable driven ride called the Whip? Or is this one of those religions that frowns on too much fun?

Draken wrote:Charis is going really fast to next revolution, creating assembly lines.
In this topic we shall discuss what will be next thing suggested by Merlin or Nimue to Howsmyn or to Seamount.
My TOP 3 guesses are Gatling gun, new propellant for ammunition or oil mining and what we can get out of it.
Gatling gun would be nice for ICA when they will be fighting against Harchong. Gatling gun isn't that good as machine gun but it should work.
New propellant for ammunition is always nice, especially for snipers they need as powerful ammunition as possible. But if we get at least 10% increase of power that would be great, we have nitrocellulose so inventing dynamite isn't that hard, Doctor Owl could help with that.
Petroleum industry will be great for Charis, much more powerful engines, so creating bigger ships would have sense now. We should store somewhere lighter fractions of oil, because we will need them when first aircraft will be created, it could be used as fuel source for Delthak furnaces and other things. In military we're at 1850 now, but chemistry and physics especially are in XVII century and if Merlin could push creating real R&D teams in college, that would speed up nicely creating of new inventions.

I think the Gatling, or the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) will happen in the next story arc. It's still too soon for them to have even a primitive Gatling. Charis is just getting to cased ammunition and is starting to develop the formula of smokeless powder, gun-cotton and other explosives. As well as -just- starting to look at petroleum oil as something other than black gunk and a source of refined oil/fuel. after the current war ends, there will be plenty of time to develop the next generation of weapons and the industrial base to support it.

IMO no on the V1 type rockets. Those type of rockets won't be much use on the battlefield as Charis is developing very good "big guns". Those rockets would be long distance "terror weapons" against cities especially since Charis can't develop the electronic guidance systems for "pin point accuracy".

Underwater mines of any sort and torpedoes are weapons that would be more useful to Charis's enemies. Charis won't want to give her enemies any ideas that could be used against the Charisian Navy.

TN4994 wrote:Weapons: besides previous posts.
Looking at dry chemical launched V1 type rockets. They already have signal rockets and timed explosives.
Waterproof mine that attaches to a ship's hull (Shan-wei borer).
Compressed air propelled torpedoes,
(Research Robert Whitehead) and torpedo boats to launch them. Need a catchy name, as Safehold probably doesn't have torpedo fish.
Transportation: definitely a steam locomotive. Possibly cable cars. Both ground car and air tram.

I think the SAW or some variant will be needed in the next round of this war. Perhaps a modified BAR that is belt fed. I believe the development of smokeless rounds allows the Gatling Gun to be skipped.

As I see it, Charis will lose some of their tech advantage. That means they need to leverage their manpower more heavily somehow. One way to do that is to increase automated production. Another is to reduce the number of people required to defend positions. Steam and compressed air will do wonders for automating production. Crew served machine guns will reduce the number of soldiers required to defend a given area. That frees up soldiers to attack.

I suppose an automatic rifle would help reduce the number of soldiers to attack a given position. The logistics would make supplying a fast moving army armed with automatic rifles with bullets might be tough, though. SAWs would be a good compromise.

IMO no on the V1 type rockets. Those type of rockets won't be much use on the battlefield as Charis is developing very good "big guns". Those rockets would be long distance "terror weapons" against cities especially since Charis can't develop the electronic guidance systems for "pin point accuracy".

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I used the term V1 because of its shape and metal shell. OK, now.
I envision rockets like India used against the British East India Tea Company. Chemical propulsion, metal case, fitted with wings, and armed with either impact detonating bombs or timed delays. Launched from ship they could devastate any advancing force while marines evacuated an area. Think of them as advanced angle attack weaponry.


Underwater mines of any sort and torpedoes are weapons that would be more useful to Charis's enemies. Charis won't want to give her enemies any ideas that could be used against the Charisian Navy.

But they still have the new Dohalaran Navy to contend with.
Besides, this is about Merlin's agenda.

TN4994 wrote:IMO no on the V1 type rockets. Those type of rockets won't be much use on the battlefield as Charis is developing very good "big guns". Those rockets would be long distance "terror weapons" against cities especially since Charis can't develop the electronic guidance systems for "pin point accuracy".

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I used the term V1 because of its shape and metal shell. OK, now.
I envision rockets like India used against the British East India Tea Company. Chemical propulsion, metal case, fitted with wings, and armed with either impact detonating bombs or timed delays. Launched from ship they could devastate any advancing force while marines evacuated an area. Think of them as advanced angle attack weaponry.


Underwater mines of any sort and torpedoes are weapons that would be more useful to Charis's enemies. Charis won't want to give her enemies any ideas that could be used against the Charisian Navy.

But they still have the new Dohalaran Navy to contend with.
Besides, this is about Merlin's agenda.

I suspect that the Dohlarian navy will be dealt with before the end of the current war. The pieces for doing so will be the King Harahlds and the cities class ironclads.

Don