Airship Pirates! (Sign-up/Interest Thread)

[Morrdh]

I figured Kaya would be hanging around whatever serves as the de facto capital of Dehui or whatever the hub or main settlement is, this makes things easier for her intelligence gathering activities.

The fact that she's a freelance mechanic and is supposedly building a flying machine will probably draw some attention to her, though its hard to tell if she actually started these rumours....

[Maurepas]

You wouldn't happen to have anything for reference as to what kind of Airships we are to be using, and something specs-wise would you?

[Dimoniquid]

You wouldn't happen to have anything for reference as to what kind of Airships we are to be using, and something specs-wise would you?

Think about it - a boiler, one giant blimp, and a ship.

[Maurepas]

You wouldn't happen to have anything for reference as to what kind of Airships we are to be using, and something specs-wise would you?

Think about it - a boiler, one giant blimp, and a ship.

I was thinking something more specific than that, he already said he didn't want anything too modern...

[Zeppy]

Gah, I would join but I have no skills.

[Dimoniquid]

Gah, I would join but I have no skills.

Awww, don't say that.

[Maurepas]

Gah, I would join but I have no skills.

S'not stoppin me buddy,

[Ravea]

Gah, I would join but I have no skills.

Doooo ittttt!

[Kremistan]

Quick, Zeppy! Submit to peer pressure!

[Fanaglia]

As for the jetpack, I was really hesitant to allow it and only yielded because it was too fantastical, cool, and fitting to the character (all while only being somewhat practical) to pass up. If you or anyone else has a problem with it, I can disallow it.

It's ok with me. Parachutes are fine too, right?

Yep; parachutes are fine.

Could you give me some info on the Gewehr 1878? I've heard of the Mauser/Gewehr 71 and the M1878 Kropatschek (which apparently is occasionally called "Gewehr," but looks nothing like your rifle), as well as the Gewehr 1888 (which looks pretty close to your pic), but I can't find anything on a Gewehr 1878.

Certainly. According to The Complete Encyclopedia of Rifles and Carbines by A.E. Hartink,
the Gewehr 78 was modeled off the demand for an improved 1871 standard rifle. While the 78 was produced in the thousands, the rifle itself was not well received by the German military, so it was traded with overseas nations for resources. The primary users resided in the Middle East, and in some parts of Asia it was a common bolt-action rifle (with limited use in South America). Persia and Turkey eventually swapped it for the G98 Mauser, though in all other areas it remained in use by soldiers. Eventually, it was disfavored entirely when the First World War came, unlocking newer, better, more standard weapons for the time that could be used.

Coolness. I wonder why it's so hard to find anything about anywhere else? Anyway, I'll switch you over to Accepted!

Name: Vur Nettleson

Age/Gender: Male, 200-shee live a long time
Nationality: Albian
Allegiance: the shee concile
Relevant Skills: Computer hacker alian speices scientest
Weapon(s) of Choice: Silent-Shot blaster
Short Bio: A scientest sent from the planet of albia to obseve the natives of this small M-class planet which had been found from radio signels. Will not become visably involved, just wanted to wach until a stray cannonblast rendered his ship unspaceworthy. Now he needs to fix it without being found by the humans....
Appearance: Normel shee, like this:

Ehhh...I can't say I don't like your character because I do. However, I just think he would add a whole new dynamic to the scenario that I just don't want to have to make concessions for. I'm going to have to limit applications to human earthlings; sorry!

I figured Kaya would be hanging around whatever serves as the de facto capital of Dehui or whatever the hub or main settlement is, this makes things easier for her intelligence gathering activities.

I feel dumb for not mentioning it -- the capital of Dehui is Quesani. I should have put a star or something instead of a dot on the map...Oh well; too lazy to fix it.

You wouldn't happen to have anything for reference as to what kind of Airships we are to be using, and something specs-wise would you?

I was going to try to have some stuff up by tomorrow night, but school is really kicking my ass right now (I probably should have waited at least a week to start throwing this together, lol). Probably by Thursday night I'll have something for you guys. It's all in my head; I just need to get it organized and into pixels and words.

Gah, I would join but I have no skills.

Zeppy...Zeppelin...Zeppy...Zeppelin.



YOU HAVE TO JOIN!

[Fanaglia]

Okay. I'll edit it. Just look at the app

Better, but still not there.

[Wolffbaden]

CONSUME. OBEY. SUBMIT, ZEPPY. SUBMIT.

And yeah, as far as airships are concerned what structures are we talking about here? Literal ships attached to the bottoms of bags of hydrogen/helium or more zeppelin-like cabin structures attached to the gasbag?

Here's just a few random images I found of steampunk airships.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/ ... troyer.jpg
http://www.spellcaster.com/tomkidd/Naviga2.jpg
http://blog.sierra-217.srv.hosting.fi/w ... irship.jpg
http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/ ... ie2012.jpg

They're all pretty cool, especially the interior painting and the second from last concept art piece.

And you've got to see this WIP model.

http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.co ... rship.html

Very original idea for an RP, Fang. Perhaps later we can do a historical World War I RP revolving around aviation (there's plenty of resources for us to use on the subject and plenty of interesting things to center it around; not to mention it's a well-documented, important, innovative era in history)? I've seen World War II RPs before, but never a genuine World War I one.

[Kremistan]

I have a feeling that that second blimp pic. is a little too upper class for warmaking, but that could be the Krem side of me talking.

And, to chuck in my two cents, from what I know- Arial Campaigns really didn't do a ton for WWI. Mostly because they were being misused, so you'd need to correct the errors in the British/German/American command structures that insisted planes only be used for reconnaissance and dogfighting. Otherwise, WWI will remain a trench-centered battle. Though, I will admit, I am biased towards the Groundpounders in nearly every scenario.

[Ravea]

CONSUME. OBEY. SUBMIT, ZEPPY. SUBMIT.

And yeah, as far as airships are concerned what structures are we talking about here? Literal ships attached to the bottoms of bags of hydrogen/helium or more zeppelin-like cabin structures attached to the gasbag?

Here's just a few random images I found of steampunk airships.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/ ... troyer.jpg
http://www.spellcaster.com/tomkidd/Naviga2.jpg
http://blog.sierra-217.srv.hosting.fi/w ... irship.jpg
http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/ ... ie2012.jpg

They're all pretty cool, especially the interior painting and the second from last concept art piece.

And you've got to see this WIP model.

http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.co ... rship.html

Very original idea for an RP, Fang. Perhaps later we can do a historical World War I RP revolving around aviation (there's plenty of resources for us to use on the subject and plenty of interesting things to center it around; not to mention it's a well-documented, important, innovative era in history)? I've seen World War II RPs before, but never a genuine World War I one.

I would LOVE to do an RP centered around WWI flying aces. It's my personal favorite period in aviation.

[Wolffbaden]

I would LOVE to do an RP centered around WWI flying aces. It's my personal favorite period in aviation.

Mannock, Fonck, Voss, the von Richthofen Brothers, McCudden, Proctor, Loewenhardt, Berthold, Lufbery, Guynemer, Nungesser, some of the greatest aviators in history (indeed- THE greatest generation of aviators) served in that bloody war.

[quote=Kremistan]I have a feeling that that second blimp pic. is a little too upper class for warmaking, but that could be the Krem side of me talking.[/quote]

But... but... it's fancy-looking... and it has a grand staircase... those things aren't cheap you know... lol

[quote=Kremistan]And, to chuck in my two cents, from what I know- Arial Campaigns really didn't do a ton for WWI. Mostly because they were being misused, so you'd need to correct the errors in the British/German/American command structures that insisted planes only be used for reconnaissance and dogfighting. Otherwise, WWI will remain a trench-centered battle. Though, I will admit, I am biased towards the Groundpounders in nearly every scenario.[/quote]

In some ways, this is true. In others, no. Thousands of aviators and millions of dollars in aerial raid damage were done during the war. Indeed, reconnaissance flights over the front allowed for some of the biggest developments of the war to come to light. It was observation aircraft that discovered the weakest gaps along the Hindenburg Line, the general area of focus for bombardment at the Somme, where the Russians were concentrating at in Tannenburg, and which acted as the first means of terror bombing cities (I stress London and Paris on this point). It was the ground troops who didn't get much done, because they couldn't get much done. The state of attrition and stalemate all along the Western Front led to both sides just deciding for the most part to dig in (the Germans especially) and wait it out until an opportunity presented itself. They turned to other means of hurting the Entente and its allies, naval and aerial. Following the German Pyrrhic victory at the Battle of Jutland in May/June 1916, the surface High Seas Fleet was withdrawn and the Germans resorted to using much more effective submarine warfare tactics- which they also knew would be a lot less cost in terms of human life.

The idea of this oceanic blitzkrieg was to starve the enemy into submission by cutting off their vital trade routes (to affect homefront morale), supply routes (to affect the infantry and indeed aerial units), and their ability (in the case of the British and Americans later) to deploy troops to France (since it was always done with naval transports). Once the infantry and aviators were exacerbated by this merciless campaign of logistics, it would be relatively easy for the German infantry to advance and take their trench positions (which for the most part were poorly dug; the Entente expected a war of quick movement, hence the reason why they did not dig in as well as the Germans did), thereby winning a large amount of French soil (if they were to encounter another strong line of defense that they would be unable to penetrate) at least and quite possibly being able to reach Paris, defeat the French and win the war. The original Schlieffen Plan expected to accomplish this in 40 days by passing through Belgium. It is most unfortunate the Germans were unable to do so after Mons, which led to the whole trench warfare affair. Perhaps, if the German submarine campaign had been more fruitful (not that it wasn't; the Germans sank over 10,000,000 tonnes of shipping and ships alone), the Schlieffen Plan could have been used once more (even 2 or 3/3-1/2 years on) to successfully capture Paris. We can only guess.

But like I said, because it was a war of attrition for the infantry, both sides relied heavily on things that moved. Fast. Ships and aircraft was the name of the game. Aircraft were better at bombing cities than ships were, especially given the issue of distance and speed (not to mention production values). Really, the only successful German raids using the navy on the Entente and her allies came during Scarborough and Hartlepool. So I suppose we could drop the aerial warfare RP of the Great War and move to a naval RP, perhaps centered around the Battle of Jutland- which is to date the largest military naval battle in history?

[Parthenon]

Name: Khelgar McCloud
Age/Gender: 48
Nationality: Parthenese
Allegiance: Neutral Trader
Relevant Skills: Smuggling, Explosives, Bribery, Persuasion
Weapon(s) of Choice: Hand-blown glass fragmentation grenades, Wheel lock hand mortar, possesses an early prototype of the Maxim Machinegun (patented 1883)
Short Bio: Khelgar was born into a life of privilege. The son of an Athenian diplomat, he spent a good portion of his early life traveling between the various citystates that comprise the Parthenese Confederation. As a result of these boyhood travels and his family's prominence in society, he developed a broad network of powerful friends spanning the globe. While he had every intention of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a diplomat, he soon came to realize that he could generate a fortune through facilitating trade between his various contacts in the wold. By his fortieth birthday, Khelgar had solidified a vast trade empire and had amassed fortune and power that rivaled even that of the various families of Parthenese royalty. Sensing this, the only son of Emperor Constantine Valtreck and heir to the crown, Lord Dentene Valtreck, launched a covert war against Khelgar's operations without his father's permission. Seeing the potential for profit in the untapped markets of the outer colonies and fearing for his own safety within Parthenese lands, Khelgar has arrived in Dehui on a small 1A Class Armored Freighter with a crew of his most trusted companions and a hull loaded with cutting edge weaponry, ammunition, and luxury housewares.
Airship: http://www.ffsky.com/ff/zhuanti/FF9/air ... rship1.jpg
Appearance: http://members.wolfram.com/billw/images/taft.jpg

[Kremistan]

My understanding of the WWI Big Picture has been thoroughly 1 up'd. I think I'll be quiet now.

[Morrdh]

Thought I might as well submit a couple of airship pictures!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... _large.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... irship.jpg

[Gratikistan]

Second pic is very cool, but the tanks looking like they're metal themselves, it'd have to eb very light for them to stay up. Still...very cool.

[Morrdh]

Second pic is very cool, but the tanks looking like they're metal themselves, it'd have to eb very light for them to stay up. Still...very cool.

The setting has a denser atmosphere due to a higher argon content, basically means aircraft can carry a heavier tonnage.

http://www.isotx.com/index.php?view=3030

[Zeppy]

Name: Captain Lloret de Mar, the "Baron of Costa Brava"
Age/Gender: 45 / Male
Nationality: Zepese of the Catalunya Clan
Allegiance: Mercenary
Relevant Skills: Electrician, genocidal killer, former Captain in the Royal Navy of Catalunya, Good Orator
Weapon(s) of Choice: Lupara, Garrote and the Sickle
Short Bio:
Captain Lloret de Mar, the "Baron of Costa Brava", was one of the most terrifying pirates under the contract of Duchy of Catalunya. He was rumored to torture hundreds of people with the garrote. He was a complete Catalunya nationalist who believed in the superiority of the Catalan speaking people. His insane goal was to kill all the "inferior" ethnolinguistic clans of Zeppy.

Before he could do that, he lead a coup d'etat against the Duke of Catalunya, which horribly failed and cost him his wife, his official title as the "Baron of Costa Brava" (yet he still calls himself that), his loyalty to the Catalunya Clan and his left leg. Many say after this event, he declared war on Catalunya and on Victor Zepatoro de Osborne, the King of Zeppy and the former Duke of Catalunya, who killed and raped his wife and cut his left leg off with a rusty sickle.

He has come to this organization with the motivations to complete his revenge but is currently, as King Zepatoro de Osborne said, "whoring himself to the Jews and other homosexual foreigners."

Appearance:

Airship:

[Ravea]

Name: Captain Lloret de Mar, the "Baron of Costa Brava"
Age/Gender: 45 / Male
Nationality: Zepese of the Catalunya Clan
Allegiance: Mercenary
Relevant Skills: Electrician, genocidal killer, former Captain in the Royal Navy of Catalunya, Good Orator
Weapon(s) of Choice: Blunderbuss, Garrote and the Sickle
Short Bio:
Captain Lloret de Mar, the "Baron of Costa Brava", was one of the most terrifying warriors under the contract of Duchy of Catalunya. He was rumored to torture hundreds of people with the garrote. He was a complete nationalist who wanted to kill all the ethnolinguistic clans of Zeppy. Before he could do that, he lead a coup d'etat against the Duke of Catalunya which horribly failed and cost him his precious wife, title, clan and his leg. Many say after this event he declared war on Catalunya and on Victor Zepatoro de Osbourne, the King of Zeppy and the former Duke of Catalunya, that killed and raped his wife and cost him his leg.

He has come to this organization with other motivations including his revenge but is currently, as King Zepatoro de Osbourne put "whoring himself to the Jews and other homosexual foreigners."
Appearance:

I've only two words for this, Zeppy.

Fuckin' sweet.

[Wolffbaden]

I've only two words for this, Zeppy.

Fuckin' sweet.

This.

[Fanaglia]

So the airship sketches are coming together nicely. I should have some pics and specs posted by tomorrow night. Expect an IC OP sometime by early next week, probably by Monday (I might even have it up by this weekend).

Name: Captain Lloret de Mar, the "Baron of Costa Brava"
Age/Gender: 45 / Male
Nationality: Zepese of the Catalunya Clan
Allegiance: Mercenary
Relevant Skills: Electrician, genocidal killer, former Captain in the Royal Navy of Catalunya, Good Orator
Weapon(s) of Choice: Blunderbuss, Garrote and the Sickle
Short Bio:
Captain Lloret de Mar, the "Baron of Costa Brava", was one of the most terrifying warriors under the contract of Duchy of Catalunya. He was rumored to torture hundreds of people with the garrote. He was a complete nationalist who wanted to kill all the ethnolinguistic clans of Zeppy. Before he could do that, he lead a coup d'etat against the Duke of Catalunya which horribly failed and cost him his precious wife, title, clan and his leg. Many say after this event he declared war on Catalunya and on Victor Zepatoro de Osbourne, the King of Zeppy and the former Duke of Catalunya, that killed and raped his wife and cost him his leg.

He has come to this organization with other motivations including his revenge but is currently, as King Zepatoro de Osbourne put "whoring himself to the Jews and other homosexual foreigners."
Appearance:

I've only two words for this, Zeppy.

Fuckin' sweet.

Fuckin' agreed. Accepted! Though I'll say the same to you that I said to Maurepas: the blunderbuss has long since been made obsolete by regular shotguns. I'm not saying you can't use it (Maurepas' character is still going to), but I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that this would be odd.

[Parthenon]

Name: Khelgar McCloud
Age/Gender: 48
Nationality: Parthenese
Allegiance: Neutral Trader
Relevant Skills: Smuggling, Explosives, Bribery, Persuasion
Weapon(s) of Choice: Hand-blown glass fragmentation grenades, Wheel lock hand mortar, possesses an early prototype of the Maxim Machinegun (patented 1883)
Short Bio: Khelgar was born into a life of privilege. The son of an Athenian diplomat, he spent a good portion of his early life traveling between the various citystates that comprise the Parthenese Confederation. As a result of these boyhood travels and his family's prominence in society, he developed a broad network of powerful friends spanning the globe. While he had every intention of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a diplomat, he soon came to realize that he could generate a fortune through facilitating trade between his various contacts in the wold. By his fortieth birthday, Khelgar had solidified a vast trade empire and had amassed fortune and power that rivaled even that of the various families of Parthenese royalty. Sensing this, the only son of Emperor Constantine Valtreck and heir to the crown, Lord Dentene Valtreck, launched a covert war against Khelgar's operations without his father's permission. Seeing the potential for profit in the untapped markets of the outer colonies and fearing for his own safety within Parthenese lands, Khelgar has arrived in Dehui on a small 1A Class Armored Freighter with a crew of his most trusted companions and a hull loaded with cutting edge weaponry, ammunition, and luxury housewares.
Airship: http://www.ffsky.com/ff/zhuanti/FF9/air ... rship1.jpg
Appearance: http://members.wolfram.com/billw/images/taft.jpg

Since it was apparently missed.