by Max Barry

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Mzeusia wrote:Greetings.

salutations

Mzeusia and Loftegen 3

Hyrule world wrote:salutations

Mmph mmph MMPH.

Fluffiness, Hyrule world, and Loftegen 3

Treadwellia wrote:Mmph mmph MMPH.

what? i'm sorry i couldn't resist the temtation

Treadwellia and Loftegen 3

Greater catarapania

Leonism wrote:OOC: While all this talk about nuclear weapons and their strategic value is quite interesting, I'd like to advise caution when thinking about employing powerful weapons - of any kind - in roleplay, as the risk of powergaming is very high and thus the risk of ruining the fun for everyone.

There has been way too much powergaming in Lazarus in the last couple of weeks, for my liking. Whole fleets appearing out of thin air, seemingly everyone and their mother having advanced spacefaring technology and small, newly-formed nations possessing military forces capable of rivaling even the largest and most established nations.

Everyone is, of course, free to play their nation however they like, and give it a technological, military, scientific or even magical edge. But when intending to RP with others, make sure to keep things balanced. The default "setting" for Laz Map RP is "modern/slightly post-modern", so most nations will technologically be in the 1970 to 2050 period. A strong divergence from this should be restricted to pre-arranged RP or exercised in a primarily passive way.

Fair enough. I am willing to dial things back for the sake of fitting in.

Aigania, Snoodum, Fluffiness, and Loftegen 3

[quote=greater_catarapania;37430501][spoiler]

1) While lower yield is a part of it, the main reason why the "world ending" risks of fourth gens are so low is because of the way yield fractions scale. With the first and second generation weapons that make up the bulk of the modern strategic arsenal, it's the thermal effects that rule. As you get smaller, more and more of the thermal component gets soaked up into the blast component, and both become less significant relative to the prompt radiation release. A fourth generation nuclear weapon would be bad at causing firestorms, it's just not releasing enough heat. The radius for firestarting would be less than the 5 psi blast radius. More to the point, these weapons can be used in such a way so as to minimize collateral damage, and the states making use of them would take advantage of that.

2) The engine may be radioactive, but this thing would be flying high and fast enough that people on the ground wouldn't have a noticeable exposure. Remember, this thing isn't the SLAM. It's in the air so it can make a suborbital hop, ditch its k-rods, and get back to Catarapanian airbases. The thing can fly over oceans to avoid ASAT/ABM fire before making the hop.

A crash has the potential to be catastrophic, but with proper precautions, the gas core could be vented at high altitude (instead of spewing radioactive death all over the landing site). There are plans for ejecting solid-core reactors from spaceships powered by them, and any of the methods used could in theory be used to eject any (solid - the gas in the reactor comes from somewhere) uranium fuel carried aboard the spaceplane. And if any of these methods were to fail, well, that's what reparations are for.

3) As for the game theory of introducing this kind of thing, we're already living it. American ABM systems have gotten good enough that Russia has developed a hypersonic boost-glide reentry vehicle for its nuclear weapons to ensure that a second strike would get through. Soon, we'll see America and China develop hypersonic interceptors to deal with these sorts of reentry vehicles. I'm assuming that these spaceplanes would be introduced after several additional rounds of a similar arms race.

Moreover, even if an enemy were to be inspired to use their strategic arsenal in a first strike against me, they would wind up causing nuclear winter themselves - and they would know it. Even a limited war between India and Pakistan has the potential to cause nuclear winter, so even a limited strategic strike on the part of a single actor is enough to cause mutual destruction of all parties. It would be far more profitable to invest in an arsenal you can actually use, preferably one based around weapons small enough that you can use them without committing war crimes, and also invest in a similar "anti-silo" system to my own.[/quote]
[/spoiler]

1) Even assuming a low yield high efficiency, with minimal fallout and enhanced blast shock you enter a regime that it simply cheaper to use chemical explosives. As it happened with the ammo for the USS Zumwalt. Besides the proliferation risk.
In other hand the future combination of robotics, drones, AI could cause more specific damage with less collateral damage. (Opening a different can of worms).

Even if tested, deployed, and cost controlled, it could be mainly useful for hardened targets, that would be like command and control center. Specially suited for decapitation strikes. The consequence of fomenting military adventurism with the not so thought consequences of subsequent boots on the ground are less as an exercise for the reader.

2) ¿High enough for AA/ASAT? That what they were thinking before the Soviets gave Gary Powell a nasty surprise. Supposing it is flying high enough for a time to avoid completely any air-to-air missile and only left with ASAT weapons, as for orbital velocities even a tiny particle of debris is enough to ruin your day. A nuclear reactor in operation with high enough power to ratio to fly in conditions of near vacuum will need quite visible and vulnerable radiators, offering a great target and highly visible target. (The ASAT weapons developed by the USA that were a "simple" missile able to been launched from a F-15 brings back to the question of the saturation of defenses.
Not to mention the problem with the gas reactor even in case of accident. There is a reason there were thought for deep space propulsion.

3) I am skeptical of the capability of being able to intercept with an AA system currently a hypersonic vehicle in terminal velocity, beside the advantage being on the attacker. It is a rerun of the Cold War analysis but with less reaction time, more opponents, more rapidly evolving tech for propulsion, maneuverability and electronic warfare.
The only possible solution I think will be the use of energy directed weapon with the known problems of power density, atmospheric transparency, ablative defenses and so on. To use a kinetic hypersonic interceptor against another? The record of American Patriot defense system and the space ballistic tests are a open invitation to skepticism.

4) The most efficient weapon is the one as you say that can be used. And those are the current "intelligent" weapons in use. In time it will be far more lethal the use of the current developments of "killer" robots of aerial drones and tanks than any 4th generation nuclear weapon. And far more precise (at least in theory, the fiasco of the facial recognition system of the British police is a sobering experience, 80 % failure rate).
And yes, even a limited exchange between India and Pakistan would be globally catastrophic.

Leonism wrote:OOC: While all this talk about nuclear weapons and their strategic value is quite interesting, I'd like to advise caution when thinking about employing powerful weapons - of any kind - in roleplay, as the risk of powergaming is very high and thus the risk of ruining the fun for everyone.

There has been way too much powergaming in Lazarus in the last couple of weeks, for my liking. Whole fleets appearing out of thin air, seemingly everyone and their mother having advanced spacefaring technology and small, newly-formed nations possessing military forces capable of rivaling even the largest and most established nations.

Everyone is, of course, free to play their nation however they like, and give it a technological, military, scientific or even magical edge. But when intending to RP with others, make sure to keep things balanced. The default "setting" for Laz Map RP is "modern/slightly post-modern", so most nations will technologically be in the 1970 to 2050 period. A strong divergence from this should be restricted to pre-arranged RP or exercised in a primarily passive way.

Fair enough, one of the things that I want to do was to do a plausible cheat sheet for quick RP (based entirely of answered issues and game stats).
I think we are returning to the old question of the common rule set for RP.

Your imaginary friend, I've found an issue with the poll. There is no 'Let Mzeusia decide it all' option.

Treadwellia, Your imaginary friend, Fluffiness, and Loftegen 3

Loftegen 3

Well I've had a disappointing evening. I went to the grocery store earlier to get a few items. I was at the meat counter when I saw they had chicken cordon bleu, made up in the store, not frozen, and all I had to do was take it home and cook it. Since I like chicken cordon bleu I said, "I'm gonna try that." A mistake I won't repeat. I don't know exactly what was wrong with it, except that it tasted bland and bad at the same time. And it's a fairly simple dish. How do you mess that up? Argh!

Treadwellia, Your imaginary friend, Mzeusia, and Leonism

Mzeusia

Loftegen 3 wrote:Well I've had a disappointing evening. I went to the grocery store earlier to get a few items. I was at the meat counter when I saw they had chicken cordon bleu, made up in the store, not frozen, and all I had to do was take it home and cook it. Since I like chicken cordon bleu Is said, "I'm gonna try that." A mistake I won't repeat. I don't know exactly what was wrong with it, except that it tasted bland and bad at the same time. And it's a fairly simple dish. How do you mess that up? Argh!

Very unfortunate. Maybe just cordon off a blue chicken yourself? If it makes you feel any better I've had a pretty bad evening as well.

Treadwellia and Loftegen 3

Your imaginary friend

Greater catarapania wrote:Fair enough. I am willing to dial things back for the sake of fitting in.

I dun like fitting in... O.O

Mebbe we should have a scary war at each other and other people can join in if they wanna or not if they dun wanna! \o/ (peace yall)

--

GOP, leader of Imaginary, has sent a good friend of hers, UNH, to the newly formed nation of Greater Catarapania with specific instructions to taste the local teas to be found there. The short intense girl had been smitten by a recent gift of tea from the land of Mzeusia, and she was determined too explore the flavorful territory more. The mission was private of course, as making tea discovery a matter of state would be silly, but GOP did send with her friend five of her trusted guards to make sure he arrived and returned safely.

Now the sixsome has drawn close to the southern shores of their destination, rocking gently in their simple yet able watercraft...

Loftegen 3 wrote:Well I've had a disappointing evening. I went to the grocery store earlier to get a few items. I was at the meat counter when I saw they had chicken cordon bleu, made up in the store, not frozen, and all I had to do was take it home and cook it. Since I like chicken cordon bleu Is said, "I'm gonna try that." A mistake I won't repeat. I don't know exactly what was wrong with it, except that it tasted bland and bad at the same time. And it's a fairly simple dish. How do you mess that up? Argh!

:( I wish you better luck in future culinary shopping exploits...

Treadwellia, Mzeusia, Fluffiness, and Loftegen 3

Can someone fill me in on the whole, alien invasion, nuclear threat shebang?

Your imaginary friend and Loftegen 3

Dernel wrote:Can someone fill me in on the whole, alien invasion, nuclear threat shebang?

Various informal RP's that no one is obliged to get in on or even recognize. Participation is purely voluntary, and with different nations having different tech levels, the form taken vary quite a bit.

Your imaginary friend, Leonism, and Cossack Peoples

Hello everybody! :)

Loftegen 3

Ioboriya wrote:Hello everybody! :)

Hi!

Ioboriya

How are you all doing?

Your imaginary friend and Loftegen 3

Fair. You?

Your imaginary friend

Ioboriya wrote:How are you all doing?

I'm doing great, just finished a watching the Return of the King for a couple hours. (Still a couple more to go!)

How are you Ioboriya?

Treadwellia, Ioboriya, and Loftegen 3

Your imaginary friend wrote:I'm doing great, just finished a watching the Return of the King for a couple hours. (Still a couple more to go!)

How are you Ioboriya?

RIDE NOW! RIDE FOR RUIN, AND THE WORLD'S ENDING!
DEATH!
DEATH!!
FORTH EORLINGAS!

https://youtu.be/EmTz7EAYLrs?t=275

Your imaginary friend, Leonism, and Loftegen 3

Doing pretty decent. Just starting the spring semester in my first year of college, after a nice January break. Kind of glad to be back in my dorm though, with the freedom and all that.

I don't believe I am familiar with the Return of the King series. Is it a Netflix show?

Your imaginary friend and Loftegen 3

Your imaginary friend

Ioboriya wrote:Doing pretty decent. Just starting the spring semester in my first year of college, after a nice January break. Kind of glad to be back in my dorm though, with the freedom and all that.

I don't believe I am familiar with the Return of the King series. Is it a Netflix show?

Good luck with your semester!

The Return of the King is the last book/movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R. Tolkein. If you've never heard of it, ima cry mebbe ;-;

Aigania, Treadwellia, Ioboriya, Leonism, and 1 otherLoftegen 3

Ioboriya wrote:Doing pretty decent. Just starting the spring semester in my first year of college, after a nice January break. Kind of glad to be back in my dorm though, with the freedom and all that.

I don't believe I am familiar with the Return of the King series. Is it a Netflix show?

Imaginary was watching the film adaptation of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings series, the final book.

Treadwellia, Your imaginary friend, Ioboriya, Leonism, and 1 otherLoftegen 3

Post self-deleted by Ioboriya.

Ioboriya wrote:Thank you very much!

Unfortunately, I have yet to read the Lord of the Rings series. I am planning on doing so at some point in my future, but at the current moment, I am not quite ready yet. The series seems to be a pretty good read, from what I can tell with all of the buzz surrounding it.

Yeah, Imaginary was telling me about that. I want to read it at some point, but I have been stuck in this sort of "limbo" where I have stopped reading books for a while.

By the way, I want to apologize for not using quotes earlier. Not a big deal, I know, but I'm not used to posting comments - I tend to be muc more of a lurker than a poster.

Ugh. See this is what happens when noobs try to use formatting in comments, lol. Again, my apologies - not used to using the formatting. Think I've figured it out though. I'll probable delete the previous post, seeing what a train-wreck it was.

Loftegen 3

One fireball, two, and that was all as fragments of steel and carbon fiber lazily streaked across the sky. The Aerospace Command was having more difficulty than previous attempts at sending things to space; but thankfully, these rockets were just tests. The stages for Operation Grozny were an inefficient and largely incompetent design, but managed to produce a perfect storm. The problem was, the current payload was much smaller than a main battle tank and whatever engineering magic the original designers had originally was gone.

So, Chairman Lysiak had temporarily assumed the running of the program, but merely as an administrative role. She really had no idea how rocket science worked, but she could tell the difference between a working individual and a slacker and as such used most of her time barking orders and keeping efficiency as high as she could; albeit getting on worsening terms with the Aerospace Command directors.

At this rate, they could probably send the resupply drone to the orbital asset in a week, just short of the deadline to which the Science Directorate seemed eager to meet. Sending oxygen, propellant, and food to two idiots in a tank. In space.

Aigania, Fluffiness, and Loftegen 3

Everybody here.... I am your father.

That is all.

Mzeusia and Loftegen 3

New adelsin wrote:Everybody here.... I am your father.

That is all.

o really

Loftegen 3

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