PLANES, ZEPPELINS, AUTO-GYROS, ETC.

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max_vale
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PLANES, ZEPPELINS, AUTO-GYROS, ETC.

#1 Post by max_vale »

Okay here's a quick thread for stats on the various planes, Zeppelins, auto-gyros (picture a cross between a plane and a helicopter) and other vehicles as needed.

Quick notes:

-The game was created heavily utilizing various concept plane designs from the 1930s and 1940s; some of which were actually built, some of which were not; and so many of the planes have a very distinct look; many with pusher props (the propeller in the rear of the plane 'pushing' the plane) and/or canard wings; multiple tails or no tails; etc., etc. It also heavily relies on Zeppelins utilizing plane carrying hangars spaces and launched and recovered via cranes/hooks/etc. While this is based on real examples (i.e. look up the USS Akron and USS Macon; in real-life an Airship could only really carry about 4 or 5 very small, very light planes and carrying a dozen to 2 dozen planes would be EXTREMELY difficult (or impossible depending on who you talk to) even utilizing modern-day technologies.....but this is NOT a game built around 'high level or realism'; but rather "Pulp Reality".......however, that said....this game is MUCH more 'Indiana Jones' level of pulpiness than 'Sky Captain' level of pulpiness......that is to say; Zeppelin aircraft carriers is one thing......hand-held ray guns and sentient automaton robots is a no-no


Okay; for planes; here's some of the major categories that planes are divided into:

-Light Fighters: Quick, agile, single-engined craft with a single pilot and able to carry a respectable amount of fire-power in the form of guns and/or cannon but not much in the way of ordinance and who typically suffer from short-range and quite vulnerable to damage.

-(Medium/Standard) Fighters: The 'typical' fighter; the best combination of all-around agility, speed, firepower, range, etc. Medium Fighters can be defined as being larger/heavier than Light Fighters while being smaller/quicker/more agile than Heavy Fighters. They have 1 or (rarely) 2 engines and can carry a considerable amount of firepower in the form of machineguns and a decent amount of ordinance.

-Heavy Fighters/Fighter-Bombers: Larger, heavier and usually slower and less agile than standard Fighters, Heavy Fighters (also known as Fighter-Bombers) retain the ability to dog-fight other fighters while also being a serious threat to land targets, naval targets and Zeppelins due to the significant firepower in guns/cannons and ordinance they can carry while also (usually) having the range to travel a long way on strike sorties. Most Heavy Fighters have at least 2 crew; some can carry more than that; and many have rear turrets carrying a machinegun or two; for defensive purposes. Tactical (Light) Bombers (Dive Bombers, Torpedo Bombers) also fall into this category.

-Medium Bombers: 2-3 Engined aircraft with 2-6 crew; Light Bombers (in our world 'Medium Bombers) are defined by their size, range and the fact that they have bomb-bays for carrying an impressive amount of ordinance to rain down on targets. They also usually have 1-3 turrets (front and/or rear and/or top) for defensive fire and a few are small enough (barely) to be carried by Zeppelins.

-Heavy Bombers (Strategic Bombers): 2-4 engined aircraft with 5-10 crew; Heavy Bombers are massive Strategic weapons that are very rare and only found in a a few nations' military arsenals. They have great range; cavernous bomb-bays and typically 1-4 turrets and sometimes 'waist' guns that fire out of the sides of the plane through special gun-ports.

-'Civilian' Planes: Basically any unarmed plane falls into this broad category which can include anything from crop-dusters to massive transport planes

-Float Planes: Planes which have either a single major float directly under the main body and a pair of out-rigger floats on the wings or which have twin floats under the main body; Float-Planes can land and take off from the water (calm) or land (due to wheels in the floats). Some have been rigged up as armed Fighters and/or equipped with Zeppelin landing gear.

-Sea Planes: Planes whose main bodies are essentially built like a boat and whose wings have outrigger floats; sea planes almost always have multiple engines and take off and land almost exclusively from the water (though some CAN land on the ground); sea planes are noted for having tremendous endurance and many are used as very long-range scouts or passenger-carrying craft.

-Auto-gyros: Planes that have a vertical prop as well as a standard one; auto-gyros are extremely agile and can virtually hover in mid-air and do not need much room to take off or land. This makes them extremely useful in cities or narrow areas such as canyons and many are employed as 'taxis' or for patrolling in such areas. While some are armed; all auto-gyros are quite slow and very delicate.


More to come
Last edited by max_vale on Wed Oct 28, 2015 10:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

max_vale
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Re: PLANES, ZEPPELINS, AUTO-GYROS, ETC.

#2 Post by max_vale »

Vehicle Weapons

-Basically, there are two types of Vehicle weapons; Guns/Cannons and Ordinance. Guns/Cannons is pretty much self-explanatory and Ordinance covers Rockets & Bombs. In game terms, the Gunnery skill covers firing machine-guns and cannons while the Ordinance skill covers dropping bombs and firing rockets.

Guns/Cannons: For planes and Zeppelins; most of the possible gun armament types fall into one of these two categories.

-Machinguns fire in bursts and enough ammo for 20 bursts for each machinegun or linked group of machine-guns is carried by Planes while Zeppelins carry this much for each such weapon/group of weapons to fire before reloading….which can be quite involved and take some time (5 rounds if manpower and ammo is available). There are two types of machineguns:

-LMGs (Light Machineguns): .30 caliber weapons; they are shorter-ranged and less hard-hitting than HMGs, and as one might expect, cheaper. One LMG does a base 3D (vehicle scale) damage and up to 8 may be linked to fire together. Each one after the first adds +1 pip to the damage; so twin LMGs does 3D+1 damage; quad LMGs deal 4D damage; etc. 1 or 2 LMGs may be mounted in a turret. They may only fire out to Short range.

-HMGs (Heavy Machineguns): .50 caliber weapons; HMGs are longer-ranged and harder hitting than LMGs but are more expensive than their lighter cousins. One HMG deals a base 3D+2 (vehicle scale) damage and up to 6 may be linked to fire together (with damage increased per above). One or two may be mounted in a turret and they may fire out to Medium range.

Cannons: Cannons fire bursts like machineguns but at a much slower rate and are longer-ranged and harder hitting. Planes carry enough ammo for 15 shots with Light Cannons and enough ammo for 10 shots with Heavy Cannons.

-Light cannons: These represent 20mm weapons and they deal a base damage of 4D+2 for one cannon and up to 5 may be linked to fire together with damage increased as per machineguns (i.e. +1 pip damage for each weapon after the first linked). Light Cannons may fire out to Long range.

-Heavy cannons: These represent 37mm weapons and are currently the heaviest direct-fire weapons a plane may carry. They deal 5D+2 damage for one cannon and up to 4 may be linked to fire together with damaged increased as per machineguns. Heavy Cannon may fire out to Long range.

Some planes are excellent gun platforms and their stability gives a bonus to hit (added to a Pilot or Gunner's Gunnery skill. This will be noted in a Plane's stats.


Ordinance: This category of weapons represent bombs, rockets and torpedoes which are carried by hardpoints mounted under a plane's center-line and/or wings. Some weapons, due to their weight and/or size may only be carried on center-line hard points. Due to some plane's design and/or bomb sights; some planes are better at delievring munitions on-target and a bonus may apply to the Pilot/Bombadier's Ordinance rolls. Light Fighters have 1-3 hardpoints with no more than 2 on the center-line; Fighters have 3-5 hardpoints with no more than 4 on the center-line; Heavy Fighters/Tactical Bombers have 5-7 hardpoints with no more than 6 on the center-line and Medium and Heavy Bombers don't have hardpoints; they have bomb-bays.

-Rockets: Unguided, fast-moving projectiles of relatively light weight; rockets have explosive warheads and can deal devastating damage to their targets but can only be carried in limited numbers. Rockets may be fired out to Medium range and they deal 5D damage a piece. Rockets are carried 1 to a hard point (of either center point kind or wing kind) and when fired together at the same time at the same target; this is called a 'volley'. When a volley is fired; only 1 hit-roll is made to see if the target is hit; if it is; ALL rockets hit the target; if the roll missed, then ALL rockets miss the target. If a hit is scored damage is inflicted as base for 1 rocket (5D) + an additional 1D for each rocket after the first that hit. For example; if 2 rockets were fired and a hit is scored; then 6D damage is done; if 3 rockets had been fired and a hit scored; 7D damage is inflicted, etc.

-Bombs: Bombs are unguided munitions dropped on a target on the ground (or on the sea) and they be dropped at High altitude (with a penalty) or at Low altitude (with no penalty). Bombs come in 3 main types:

Light Bombs: These are bombs that weigh up to 250lbs and may be carried 1 to a hard point and each inflicts 6D damage if a hit is scored. If a miss is rolled; the bombs scatter off-target and the effects are determined by the GM. If a 'stick' of multiple bombs is dropped at the same time on the same target; one hit roll is made and if a hit is scored, damage is increased by +1D per bomb after the first in the same manner as Rockets as listed above.

Medium Bombs: These are bombs that weigh between 250-600lbs; and 2 centerline or wing hard points are required to carry 1 Medium Bomb; but the hard points must both occupy the same area. (I.e. a Medium bomb cannot be mounted on 1 center point AND 1 wing hard point). Base damage is 7D per bomb and damage increased if multiple bombs dropped together and a hit is scored as per above.

Heavy Bombs: These are bombs that are 600-1,000lbs and they are currently the heaviest and most deadly bombs that any plane may carry at this time. They may ONLY be carried on center-line hard points and require 3 hard points to carry 1 Bomb. Base Damage is 8D per bomb.

-Torpedoes: Torpedoes come in two types; 'Standard' which are weapons dropped at low altitude into the ocean to hit ships on the surface of the water and 'Aerial'; which represent very large rockets that have a VERY limited flight time and are used against Zeppelins. Both types require two turns of flying on a straight-line path towards the target (giving anyone firing at the torpedo bomber a bonus +1D to hit them due to the flat, known trajectory) and on the third turn the Torpedo may be fired. Range is up to Long and base damage is 9D. 3 center-line hard points are required to carry a Torpedo (of either kind); and any plane carrying a Torp is at -2 (to a minimum of 0) for all Speed and Maneuverability rolls.


Bomb-bays: Medium and Heavy Bombers have bomb-bays instead of hard points and Medium Bombers may carry 2 torpedoes or 2 Heavy Bombs or 4 Medium Bombs or 8 Light Bombs in their Bomb Bay while Heavy Bombers may not carry Torps of either kind but can carry 4 Heavy Bombs or 8 Medium Bombs or 16 Light Bombs.
Last edited by max_vale on Wed Dec 16, 2015 7:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

max_vale
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Re: PLANES, ZEPPELINS, AUTO-GYROS, ETC.

#3 Post by max_vale »

PLANE TYPES, DESCRIPTION & STATS


- Hughes P21 'Devastator'

Image

The Hughes P21 'Devastator' was quite the revolutionary plane when it first appeared in the skies 5 years ago in 1932. Its pusher prop; canard wings and 'split' wings gave the craft impressive speed and maneuverability and put Howard Hughes on the map as the world's most innovative aircraft designer. Over a thousand have rolled off of production lines in a dozen different countries since then and while the design is no longer 'state of the art'; it still remains a very potent balance of speed, agility and ability to take a pounding and remain flying. Its ease of maintenance is also a major factor in its popularity as is the fact that it can be repaired and modified with readily available parts from almost anywhere.

Type: Fighter
Crew: 1 Pilot
Speed: +1D+1 (275mph)
Maneuverability: +1D+1
Body Strength: 4D+1
Armament:
-4 linked Forward-firing Heavy Machineguns (.50 caliber); Damage: 4D+2; Ammo: 20
-4 Hardpoints; 1 on each wing and 2 on the center-line

Gun Platform Stability: +1 on all Gunnery skill rolls
Ordinance Platform: +1 on all Ordinance skill rolls


-Curtiss-Wright J2 'Fury'

Image

The Curtiss-Wright J2 'Fury' Light Fighter is a compact, very fast and quite nimble little machine with a big punch in the form of quad 30 light machineguns and a massive, belly mounted 37mm 'Goliath' Heavy Cannon. The little fighter made quite a few headlines when it appeared in the skies 3 years ago; able to hit 300mph and with enough firepower to shred opponents twice its size; though it should be noted that the little fighter is VERY delicate and absolutely CANNOT handle much punishment. Curtiss-Wright is a multinational company with manufacturing plants in Dixie (St. Louis); the I.S.A. (Columbus) and the Empire State (Buffalo); so the 'Fury' has been readily available to all manner of buyers, including numerous nations air militias; along with many more shady individuals as well. While no longer 'cutting edge'; the Fighter remains one of the fastest in the skies and with enough of a punch to not be taken lightly by anyone. The notorious 'Black Swan' herself flies a 'Fury' and due to a production run of over 700; this is a plane likely to be found in all corners of the world.

Type: Light Fighter
Crew: 1 Pilot
Speed: +1D+2 (300mph)
Maneuverability: +1D+1
Body Strength: 2D+1
Armament:
-4 linked Forward-firing Light Machineguns (.30 caliber); Damage: 4D; Ammo: 20
-1 Forward-firing Heavy Cannon (37mm); Damage: 5D+2; Ammo: 10
-2 Hardpoints; 1 on each wing

Gun Platform Stability: +1 on all Gunnery skill rolls
Ordinance Platform: none


-Whittly & Douglas M210 'Raven'


Image

The Whittly & Douglas M210 'Raven' is a fighter that skirts the boundary between Medium and Heavy Fighter. The Pusher design is a little slow for a modern fighter but makes up for it by being more agile than many might think and possessing a devastating arsenal of 2 twenty millimeter cannons; a quartet of 30 caliber machineguns and five hardpoints, including 3 on the center-line which allow the 'Raven' to carry a Heavy Bomb or a Torpedo for runs against either ships (Nautical Torp.) or Zeppelins (Aerial Torp.). The M210 is the first product of the I.S.A. based firm of Whittly & Douglas and it has rapidly become the fighter of choice in the Great Lakes nation and sales have been brisk to private buyers as well in the 3 years of the planes' existence. While the engine requires more care than many planes'; when its operating at peak efficiency; the 'Raven' is a solid, hard-hitting choice of a Fighter plane.

Type: Fighter
Crew: 1 Pilot
Speed: +1D+1 (275mph)
Maneuverability: +1D+1
Body Strength: 4D
Armament:
-4 linked Forward-firing Light Machineguns (.30 caliber); Damage: 4D; Ammo: 20
-2 linked Forward-firing Light Cannon (20mm); Damage: 5D; Ammo: 15
-5 Hardpoints; 3 on the center-line and 1 on each wing

Gun Platform Stability: +2 on all Gunnery skill rolls
Ordinance Platform: +1 on all Ordinance skill rolls


-Ravenscroft 'Dust Devil'

Image

The 'Dust Devil' was a hurried creation of the Arixo/Navajo nation combined company known as Ravenscroft. The two small nations were basically hapless to resist the airforces of any of their neighbors or pirates, smugglers or the like after they were created as they had no native aircraft building industry to speak of. Combining some of the best engineers and a handful of crop-duster and private pilots; they managed to quickly come up with the 'Dust Devil'; before moving on to more advanced designs. The 'Dust Devil' was the result of taking a parasol-winged Crop-duster and combining it with some elements of a 'Gee Bee' style racing plane. The result is a fairly slow; yet incredibly agile and fairly tough for its small size plane. Due to the lack of sophisticated machinery at the time of the planes' creation; no synchronization gear was available for any weaponry to fire through the prop; so some strengthened 'spats' landing gear was incorporated which also served as the mounting for a quartet of light machineguns and the handful of available .50 cal heavy machineguns were mounted on top of the wing, firing over the prop a la Nieuport and S.E. 5 fighters of WW1 vintage. The production run of some 70 aircraft built between 1933 and 1935 DID manage to deter the rampant aerial attacks from neighboring countries and air pirates and gave the newly fledged air militia units of Arixo and the Navajo nation some valuable experience before more up to date designs became available. Most of the surviving 'Dust Devils' have been sold off to private interests at this point; though a few Navajo 'Wind Warriors' continue to use them to maintain their independence in the canyons of the Southwest of the Disunited States.

Type: Light Fighter
Crew: 1 Pilot
Speed: +1D (250mph)
Maneuverability: +1D+2
Body Strength: 3D
Armament:
-4 linked Forward-firing Light Machineguns (.30 caliber); Damage: 4D; Ammo: 20
-1 Forward-firing Heavy Machinegun; Damage: 3D+2; Ammo: 20
-3 Hardpoints; 1 on the center-line and 1 on each wing

Gun Platform Stability: +1 on all Gunnery skill rolls
Ordinance Platform:

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