The Duranium Curtain - Comments/Background

[doodle_sm (OP)]

"Not a step back!" - Order No. 227

The Soviets stood alone against fascism. Alone, they drove out the German invaders from Stalingrad. And alone, they march west. The tenuous Allies keep a cautious eye on the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the Soviets had found remarkable German technology deep in the heart of the German Reich. These so-called "Trans-Newtonian" elements provided materials and knowledge beyond measure.

It seemed like the Germans were on the cusp of a great discovery. Projekt Duranium (as it was known by the German scientists) was continued by the Soviets in the Ural Mountains. The resistance to the Soviet force's advances through Eastern Europe was minimal. Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin ordered that the project was the Union's #1 priority. The end of the Great Patriotic War brought with it innovation, progress, and technology

The Soviets now stand ready to take on the imperial west and spread the worker's revolution to the world and soon the galaxy.

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Campaign Details
Default options mostly, Star Swarm is off however
Aurora Version 1.13.0
No mods being used

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Roleplay details
There will be small amounts of RP in the sense of fictional writing. Nothing too major or groundbreaking. The 2nd World War is still being fought, so I will have a few events related to the war.

If you have any questions, ask away!

[doodle_sm (OP)]

Sleep deprived post. A quick correction I want to make is that WW2 is still being fought.

[nuclearslurpee]

Excellent, we need more AARs in the great tradition of "The Duranium <something>" around here, I always say.

[doodle_sm (OP)]

I forgot to also mention that this a campaign with multiple Empires on Earth.

The German Reich, the Soviet Union, Imperial Japan, and the United Kingdom (who will represent the western allies)

[nuclearslurpee]

The era of space exploration is (almost) upon us!

It will be interesting to see if Germany can get a leg up by getting out the door first, or if their commitment to slow conventional engines will see them left in the dust by the Japanese and Russians. Mechanically of course it isn't likely to make a lot of difference since it will take such a long time for anyone to find useful rocks to colonize, assuming Luna and Mars end up being divvied up between all four players anyways, but politically there will be much made of every small gain beyond an opponent's reach.

The Entdecken-class designers are likely to receive a stern reprimand from their Space Kreigsmarine superiors once someone realizes that they placed too much fuel and not enough crew quarters into their design.    Unless they are saved by the bell and receive better armor materials to use instead which will make some extra space on board for more life-support facilities.

[doodle_sm (OP)]

It will be interesting to see if Germany can get a leg up by getting out the door first, or if their commitment to slow conventional engines will see them left in the dust by the Japanese and Russians. Mechanically of course it isn't likely to make a lot of difference since it will take such a long time for anyone to find useful rocks to colonize, assuming Luna and Mars end up being divvied up between all four players anyways, but politically there will be much made of every small gain beyond an opponent's reach.

So far, out of character, I suspect that the Germans will be behind in the space race due to their commitment to the Entdecken-class and the conventional engines. As a player, I want to give each nation a chance to get ahead of the others. But I do agree regarding that, in the mechanics, it doesn't change too much.

The Entdecken-class designers are likely to receive a stern reprimand from their Space Kreigsmarine superiors once someone realizes that they placed too much fuel and not enough crew quarters into their design.    Unless they are saved by the bell and receive better armor materials to use instead which will make some extra space on board for more life-support facilities.

It seems the space Kriegsmarine didn't notice that one! Nor did I to be honest! I'm not sure what more crew quarters would do for the ship. Personally, I use fuel storage/engineering spaces as a way to get to target tonnage numbers. I am out of the loop on what more crew quarters would do.

[nuclearslurpee]

It seems the space Kriegsmarine didn't notice that one! Nor did I to be honest! I'm not sure what more crew quarters would do for the ship. Personally, I use fuel storage/engineering spaces as a way to get to target tonnage numbers. I am out of the loop on what more crew quarters would do.

Crew quarters are added based on deployment time, and the Entdecken has got enough fuel for about 3 years but only 24 months deployment time. You could probably flip those two numbers around, since a survey ship spends some of its time orbiting bodies (and not using fuel). In any case, it's more likely to be a "found issue" to be resolved on the Mk II version of the class, since the conventional-engine variant isn't likely to be around for a very long time anyways.

[nuclearslurpee]

So it sounds like tensions on Earth are running high...curious what will happen here, if we have a cataclysmic WWIII perhaps only the colonies will survive? That would be an interesting setup, though the player races would likely struggle a bit against any NPRs.

On the other hand if the Soviets suffer internal collapse that would avert a cataclysm but what would become of their space program?

Many questions remain to be answered...

[doodle_sm (OP)]

Many questions remain to be answered...

We shall see! In real history, we are close to the Korean War. So tensions are about to hit the flashpoint.

[doodle_sm (OP)]

I am going to be cutting down on the granularity of what is posted in the reports. It's getting exhausting to post and check what each nation is researching/building.

[nuclearslurpee]

I am going to be cutting down on the granularity of what is posted in the reports. It's getting exhausting to post and check what each nation is researching/building.

This is a natural and good part of AAR writing. Early on the smallest details are important - the first geosurvey ship, the first colony, the first CMC, the first jump point transit... and so on. But as the game goes on and grows in scale the scope of the AAR grows as well, surely there is not as much interest about the 15th CMC or 27th jump point transit after all.

With rumors of the MAKAROV exo suits in Korea it is a shame that the Korean War has already ended prematurely, at least in a sense as surely it is never a shame when bloodshed ends. However for a Spanish Civil War-esque testing ground of these new TN weapons and equipment we may have to wait for this timeline's Vietnam or perhaps some flare-up in the Middle East which explodes into a civil or regional war.

Much like in real life, Germany seems to be overinvesting in factories and not building up a resource base to support this. As a model of historical accuracy this is spot on and I applaud the verisimilitude.

I must admit some curiosity about American involvement in this timeline. It does seem they've successfully been distracted by meddling in other countries' affairs, but the lack of a historical US space program is curious, though I suppose not entirely inexplicable if all the ex-#### rocket scientists have been retained by the other powers for the purposes of building TN spaceships, particularly if many have chosen to remain in Germany in this timeline.

The last few updates are quite ominous and I await the resolution eagerly.

[doodle_sm (OP)]

I must admit some curiosity about American involvement in this timeline. It does seem they've successfully been distracted by meddling in other countries' affairs, but the lack of a historical US space program is curious, though I suppose not entirely inexplicable if all the ex-#### rocket scientists have been retained by the other powers for the purposes of building TN spaceships, particularly if many have chosen to remain in Germany in this timeline.

The last few updates are quite ominous and I await the resolution eagerly.

In my headcanon of this setting, the Soviets were able to get some of the rocket scientists. Some of the scientists fled to the United Kingdom and stayed there after 1945. Many more stayed in western Germany to finish Projekt Duranium. I was considering to spacemaster in the United States as a later entry into the game.

[nuclearslurpee]

In my headcanon of this setting, the Soviets were able to get some of the rocket scientists. Some of the scientists fled to the United Kingdom and stayed there after 1945. Many more stayed in western Germany to finish Projekt Duranium. I was considering to spacemaster in the United States as a later entry into the game.

This is only allowable if they insist that despite showing up late they have done all the work and saved the world with no help whatsoever from their allies. 

[nuclearslurpee]

Now with Vietnam as a proving ground it will be interesting to see what conclusions the different powers draw about their own TN military techs. We may see a covert arms race for bigger and heavier weapons rather than just bigger TN armies.

[doodle_sm (OP)]

Now with Vietnam as a proving ground it will be interesting to see what conclusions the different powers draw about their own TN military techs. We may see a covert arms race for bigger and heavier weapons rather than just bigger TN armies.

Especially with the neutronium/TN material shortages that are impacting the world economy!