You cross your arms, leaning forward as you speak to the director of the Spandau Armory. “How much would it cost to purchase as much tooling as you would be willing to sell?”

Witter, the director, pauses for a moment before walking over to his desk and writing a number on a piece of paper. He finishes, then walks over to you and hands you the paper in question. “I believe this to be a fair price for the tooling, sir.”

You look down at the number, swallowing nervously. It is a vast sum, even by the standards of the Japanese treasury. You could certainly afford it, but this expense would pretty much mean an end to large expenditures for the remainder of the mission. “I believe we should run this by the Shogun. After all, this is his money we’re spending.” Turning to Witter again, you speak. “Do you have a telegraph office on-site?”

“Indeed we do.” The German nods. You are promptly directed to a small room near the director’s office, where a telegram worker taps dutifully away as you enter. You walk over to the message table, jotting down the pertinent information for the telegram, and hand it through a slot to the operator.

The young man doesn’t even look up, taking the stationery and reading it quickly. He flips several switches, likely rerouting the message to a station that can send it further along to Paris. Once he is finished with the switchboard, he begins tapping out the message.

The wait isn’t long, perhaps thirty minutes, before you have a reply in your hands:

“UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN GENERAL. THE SUM IS PERHAPS PROHIBITAVELY LARGE. PRIORITY IS ON SECURING WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT. TOOLING WOULD PROVIDE AN ADVANTAGE HOWEVER. IDEALLY SECURE SOME MACHINES AND A LARGE PURCHASE OF RIFLES. WILL LEAVE MATTERS TO YOUR DISCRETION.

P.S. ATTEMPT TO SECURE A PRODUCTION CONTRACT IF POSSIBLE.”

Looking at the message, you frown. Attempting to buy tooling, rifles, and secure a production contract will prove difficult, though not impossible. You consider your strategy.

>Move ahead as initially planned. Buy a large amount of tooling.
>Attempt to prioritize rifles over tooling. You need guns for the army now.
>Scrap the idea for tooling. Buy rifles and attempt to secure a large production order. Setting up a factory will take too much time.
>Find a way to do all three, perhaps Witter will be able to lower the price of the tooling if you agree to give him a large weapons contract.
>Set aside the tooling for now. Request a tour of the Arsenal’s inventory.
>Write-in.

>>5119089
>Find a way to do all three, perhaps Witter will be able to lower the price of the tooling if you agree to give him a large weapons contract.

>>5119089
>Move ahead as initially planned. Buy a large amount of tooling.

>5119089
>>Find a way to do all three, perhaps Witter will be able to lower the price of the tooling if you agree to give him a large weapons contract.

>>5119089
>Find a way to do all three, perhaps Witter will be able to lower the price of the tooling if you agree to give him a large weapons contract.
In bulk buying is cheaper.

>>5119089
>Find a way to do all three, perhaps Witter will be able to lower the price of the tooling if you agree to give him a large weapons contract.

Worth a shot

>>5119089
>Set aside the tooling for now. Request a tour of the Arsenal’s inventory.
Alright man, show me the goods.

After thinking it over, you return to Witter’s office with a plan. You’ll try to offer a contract for new production of rifles for the army, as well as agree to a purchase of military arms and equipment, in exchange for a discount on a lesser amount of tooling.

You greet the German, shaking his hand again. “I’ve communicated with my superiors, and they’ve expressed interest in buying tooling.”

“I see, very good.” Witter nods.

You continue. “However, they’ve also expressed that we should keep our expenses low to be able to continue making deals and arrangements further along in our mission.” You cross your arms. “They’ve also mentioned that we should endeavor to prioritize buying weapons that we can use now, instead of focusing on weapons we will be able to have later.”

The German nods solemnly, thinking over what you’ve just said. “Such concerns are always pertinent to consider, from an administrative perspective.” He looks up at you again. “And balancing them on a budget can certainly be tough.”

You nod in agreement. “I believe we might be able to come to an agreement that satisfies all of these requirements though, if you’ll humor me.”

Witter raises an eyebrow. “I am listening, General.”

“Suppose we agree to buy your surplus weapons, equipment, and supplies.” You begin slowly, interlacing your fingers. “As well as enter into a production contract for new rifles, perhaps even pieces of heavier equipment such as artillery.” Trailing off, you continue. “Could a discount on a smaller number of machine tools be reached?”

The German frowns deeply, rubbing his chin as he thinks over your offer. “I would certainly be open to such a proposition, provided that the terms were favorable.” He puts his hands in his pockets, smiling. “Shall we begin negotiations now, or shall I give you a tour of our storehouse so that you can peruse the potential arms and equipment?”

>”I believe we should negotiate while the iron’s hot, so to speak.” (roll a 1d20, best of three)
>”Indeed, I would like to see what you have.”
>”The Needle-Rifle is a weapon I know of firsthand. I believe a summary of the other arms and equipment you possess will be sufficient.”
>Write-in.

>>5125486
>”Indeed, I would like to see what you have.”

You let him show off literally everything, Play it up and Ham it up with him. Then boom, Ya hit'em with what we KNOW we want.

>>5125486
>”Indeed, I would like to see what you have.”
See if he is willing to offer some of those newfangled Krupp C64 cannons.

>>5125486
>”Indeed, I would like to see what you have.”
There is possibly still some junk lying there.

>>5125486
>”Indeed, I would like to see what you have.”
It's always good to see what we're playing with.
And good luck on the novel Zap.

It's been quite a while since the last update. I hop Zap is okay.

>>5137312
Sorry about the long absences, been very busy. Will run a session tonight around 6PM EST.

>>5137312
Zap tends to vanish for weeks to months at a time. But he returns as we have faith in him. Or atleast I do, What with being here from day one lol.

You nod once. “Very well, show me what you have.”

Witter smiles, and soon you are all being given a tour of the storerooms at the Spandau Arsenal. The first chamber he leads you through is an old one, with high vaulted ceilings and rifle racks arranged in neat rows. On them, are countless numbers of the Dreyse rifles with bayonets attached and covered by scabbards. “Certainly, I’m sure these are no surprise to you,” he speaks as he gestures toward the rifles. “We have a substantial number of the Needle Rifles here in storage."

“I can see that,” you reply. “Approximately how many do you have here?”

“In this room?” he raises an eyebrow. “Six hundred.” He crosses his arms, stopping in front of another doorway that likely leads to the next storeroom. “In total, we have three thousand surplussed in our possession.”

“Impressive.” You rub your chin, thinking what that number could do for your forces. “And the German government didn’t want them?”

“Well,” Witter shrugs. “Once the wars in Austria and Denmark were over with, the army was reduced in size to save money.” He clears his throat. “We had overproduced in the expectation of our procurement contract being renewed, but priorities changed within the Reichstag.”

“I see.” You nod curtly. “And what of your other small arms?”

“As far as older rifles, we have around a thousand of the older Potsdam Muskets left in our stores.” He puts a hand on the handle of the next doorway. “The rest were sold to the Americans during their Civil War.” He rubs his chin thoughtfully. “We have some license-built pistols as well, around two hundred Colt and Remington-style army revolvers.”

“We may be interested in acquiring some of those,” Keisuke speaks up. “Our officer corps is expanding rapidly, and many of these men possess no pistols of their own.”

“I shall make note of that,” he replies. Turning again to you, he smiles again. “Now, on to the next point of emphasis: field artillery.”

He opens the heavy door and leads you into a larger room, with skylights casting natural sunlight down onto heavy pine boxes. Two of these have already had their lids removed, seemingly in preparation. “We have fifty of the army pattern muzzle-loading guns here.” He brings you to one of the box, where two large cannons rest inside on supporting blocks beneath the trunnion bars. Placing a hand on the heavy, brass barrel of the piece, Witter grins widely. “This is a six-pounder made in the 30’s, of which most of our current stock is identical.” He then looks over at the other, larger box and gestures you enthusiastically toward it. “And this is something truly special.”

Upon peering inside, you see two guns laid next to each other, much in the same manner as the six-pounders before. This one has a longer barrel, made of black iron or steel by the look of it, with a step near the back of the barrel, and a handle along the side. “Curious,” you remark. “A breech-loader?”

“Indeed,” Witter puts a hand on your shoulder, admiring the weapon in front of you. “These are the new Krupp guns, with a screw-breech. Quite a bit stronger than the British guns, and far more reliable in continuous firing. It uses an eight centimeter projectile weighing four kilograms, and has an effective range of 3800 meters, which I’m told is around one and a half miles.” He looks back at you again. “These are state-of-the-art, Herr General. We currently have four in our inventory.”

“I see…” You look down at the weapon again, noting the German cross stamped onto the breech. “Quite impressive.”

Witter leans in close. “I was granted them expressly to offer to you,” he adds. “It would seem that the Krupp family wants you to pay them a visit.”

You look down at the Krupp gun again, swallowing in nervous excitement. Even with just four of these in your army, they would be an outstanding force multiplier. “Do you have anything else to show me, Herr Witter?”

“I do, good sir.” He straightens his tie and leads you through a doorway into yet another storeroom. In here, blue uniforms with red trim can be seen hanging from racks. They are countless in number, and all are in superb condition. “Uniforms, boots, and load-carrying equipment are stored here.” He grabs the sleeve of a hanging frock, then guides you to feel the material. It is a deep blue, and certainly seems to be of a superb quality. “As the army downsized, these uniforms and kit were given to us as surplus.”

Over on the other side of the room, Sato picks up a leather helmet, adorned with a spike on top and a Prussian eagle on the front. “Are these also surplus?”

Witter chuckles. “But of course. What is a uniform without a fine hat?” He picks up a woolen cap of a much more modest design. “Though, in typical field maneuvers, a trooper would usually wear something like this.”

“I see.” Sato nods.

“Well, general.” Witter turns to you again. “This concludes our tour of the storerooms. What do you think?”

>”I assume these uniforms would need to have all the insignia removed if they were sold to another nation, yes?”
>”I am intrigued by those Krupp guns. Could I have a firing demonstration?”
>”I believe I am ready to negotiate the purchase of arms and equipment.”
>”You mentioned that the Krupp family might want to meet with me. What would such a meeting entail?”
>Write-in.

>>5138143
>”I assume these uniforms would need to have all the insignia removed if they were sold to another nation, yes?”
>”I am intrigued by those Krupp guns. Could I have a firing demonstration?”
It's good to know as much as possible before buying.

>>5138143
>”You mentioned that the Krupp family might want to meet with me. What would such a meeting entail?”
>”I am intrigued by those Krupp guns. Could I have a firing demonstration?”

We all know the insignia removal will cost 'extra' lol

File: Krupp Gun.jpg (74 KB, 602x388)

74 KB JPG

“Those Krupp guns,” you turn to Witter. “Could we witness a firing demonstration?”

Witter’s eyebrow shoots up as the corners of his mouth turn into a wry grin. “Why, I thought you’d never ask, Herr General.”

Less than twenty minutes later, you are ushered out to a parade ground within the Spandau Citadel. There is a Krupp gun prepared and unlimbered on one side of the ground, with a crew of imposing German lads in full kit standing by. Fully assembled with its carriage and wheels, the C64 is an imposing piece of equipment, frightful in both its nature as a cannon, as well as in its immediately obvious cutting-edge design. The gun’s muzzle is pointed out toward a field in which several ad-hoc earthworks and horse drawn carts lay. Some of these have already been blasted to smithereens in the past, indicating that this space is regularly used for artillery testing of some sort. You don your fur cap as the wind begins cutting into you. Around you, your cadre marvel at the newfangled piece of German engineering.

“A dozen of those could surely shatter any enemy advance,” Sato remarks under his breath. “You said they are breech-loading, sir?”

“Apparently so,” you nod. They are much more streamlined and compact than the gargantuan Armstrong guns you’ve seen before. With the range that Witter mentioned, as well as the size and weight of the projectile, you imagine that the guns must be superbly designed to withstand the force of firing. As you all approach the gun, Witter salutes the gun captain. They have a short conversation in German, at which point the gun captain turns to you.

He is an imposing man, perhaps a little older than you. His eyes are tired, yet fierce. On the right side of his head, you note a large scar from a grazing wound, likely a musket ball sometime long ago. This man has seen serious combat in the past. “Guten Tag, Herr General.” The captain throws up a crisp salute.

You return the gesture, meeting his eyes with yours as you repeat what he said to you. “Guten Tag, Herr Capitan.” There is an unspoken understanding between the two of you, the kind that can only be shared by men who have stared down death and gotten out by the skin of their teeth. The captain gestures to one of his men, a young lad with wide shoulders, who reaches down into an ammunition box and produces a large shell and powder bag. Without hesitation, another man takes the ammunition and carries it over to the breech, while a third man opens the back of the cannon. The loader inserts the shell and charge, then steps back while the other man slams the breech closed. The crew then aim the gun downrange methodically as the captain barks orders. He issues a stern “Halt” command, and the men step back. The captain then grasps the firing cord and steps clear of the cannon as well. You all cover your ears and bend your knees slightly.

The cord is pulled, and the gun’s muzzle erupts in a colossal flash. The concussion hits you all at the same time, and you have to fight the urge to jump. It may be a field gun, but the charge is enough to make you think you were standing next to a siege piece. The carriage thumps backward under the force, and a shell screams downrange. It slams into one of the earthworks, throwing out a considerable explosion as dirt and wooden planks are thrown skyward.

Before you can realize what’s going on, the breech is thrown open and the loaders are ramming the next round in. The captain barks orders in German the whole time, and within two or three seconds, the weapon fires again, its shot hitting near the same position. This goes on for three more shots, after which the crew all stand at attention proudly. The barrel smolders in the cool air, and in the distance, several craters are all that remain of the imitation trenchworks.

Witter approaches, clapping louder than he probably means to. Your ears are all ringing. “What do you think, Herr General?”

>”A superb piece of engineering.” (compliment the gun)
>”These men conducted themselves well, give them my compliments.” (compliment the gunnery crew)
>”Looks expensive.” (apprehensive)
>”I’ll take all the units you have.” (enthusiastic)
>Write-in.

>>5139000
>”These men conducted themselves well, give them my compliments.” (compliment the gunnery crew)
>”I’ll take all the units you have.” (enthusiastic)

Alright, I say we take the Cannons boys ATLEAST

>>5139027
Support

>>5139007
>>5139027

>>5139007
>>5139130

>>5139141
>>5139134
>>5139130
????????????

>>5139027
Agreed, frankly I'd ignore getting the older cannon in favour of reserving future production of more Krupp guns - training good artillery crew takes time and money, the fewer we need to train the better. To say nothing of the logistics side of things: far easier to move a half-dozen of these than fifty older guns, less horses and men involved in their handling and more easily positioned to maximum effectiveness.

Plus, standardising ourselves on the most advanced equipment we reasonably can manage is just a smart policy - we aren't meant to be the only army of Japan (yet), we are meant to be the elite punitive force that keeps everyone in line. These guns make what little artillery we already possessed seem backwards and make the wooden cannon of many Japanese lords seem outright quaint.


Plus, if we're lucky, buying just these few Krupp guns + future production ought to leave us with cash for buying other equipment and production machinery.

My brother was playing a Civil War game, and having the best guns was a vastly inferior strategy to having enough guns. 400 guys with the best rifles are going to lose against 3000 guys with muskets.

>>5139387
Games are hardly the most accurate measure of reality and your metaphor is rather innaccurate too.

http://www.bulgarianartillery.it/Bulgarian%20Artillery%201/Krupp%208cm%20old.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_obusier_de_12

The above are the statistics of the Krupp gun QM is offering us. It is lighter, longer-ranged, quicker to fire and more accurate than most any barrel-loaded cannon of similar calibre. Compared to cannon from 1851 of similar weight and barrel length (2nd link), it has almost twice the range and fires a marginally heavier projectile.

Even assuming equally competent crews and a completely even-fighting ground where 4 Krupp guns face 30 such cannon, so long as the Krupp gun manages to eliminate an enemy cannon once per every 250m the enemy manages to close? They will eliminate every cannon that faces them while they are still 380 metres out of range. That assumes that the enemy doesn't panic at this constant barrage and flee, ignores any question of the cannon having to set up once they are in range (which would let the Krupp guns have even longer to fire on them - but I admit is counterbalanced by the Krupp guns needing time to set up themselves) or the fact that 30 guns are a far easier target than 4 or any other factor that would make these better.

Simply put: no, anon.

>>5139453
But is it cheaper than 10 times the amount of older cannons?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery_battery#Mobile_batteries

>>5139455
I don't know, nor do you and quite frankly it isn't just the cost of a cannon we have to consider.

Each cannon needs 5-6 crew and 2 horses along with a ammo carriage to accompany at least each battery (needing its own driver and 2 horses) if not more - the historical ratio in this period rose to 2-per-gun according to Wikipedia (see link above, last paragraph of the section - 2nd sentence). That is to say that you need at least 10x as many crew and horses and trust me they aren't cheap.

This is to say nothing of the fact that - even if you have the money and the men, you need to train them. One of our great limitations is a lacking of skilled men who are familiar with western weapons and their use. Training 10x as many men strains our abilities far further and far faster than a smaller more elite group of men does. This is to say nothing of the difficulty in effectively deploying such a number of guns to their best possible locations - where you might easily find space for 4 or 8 guns, finding space for 40 or 80 to fire is much harder - or the difficulty in protecting

This is also to say nothing of the field logistics of employing such a large battery of guns: the need of cartwrights to maintain carriages both for guns and ammo, the need of a veterinarians to tend so many horses, the supply of tents, food, fuel, water and fodder for crews, attendants and horses - we aren't just considering the expense of the weapon system here Anon but the expense and issues that arise with every additional step in the process and in deployment.

>>5139461
>One of our great limitations is a lacking of skilled men who are familiar with western weapons and their use.
It's been like two to four centuries since Japan got guns and cannons, quit being so imperialist.

>>5139463
Underestimate their acquisition of guns by about two centuries Anon but, yes, they had matchlocks and muzzle loaders - and that in anyway matters when we are discussing modern weapons and methods? Modern tactics and strategy?

They are backwards - literally - and that is why we have been hired to head their army, train their troops and help them make sense of a long sundry list of things that they rather missed out on by physically isolating themselves for the development of the rest of the world.

>>5139465
And what the heck is to become of the horses if they aren't used? Are you part of Big Dairy, here to wash away all the horse ranches with milk and beef and profit? So unromantic.

>>5139468
Oh - you are a troll. Well that's much less interesting, I'mma ignore you now but thanks for the argument, it's been a slow day.

>>5139469
The Japanese horse raising business has been in decline ever since the railroads were built.

>>5139007
>>”These men conducted themselves well, give them my compliments.” (compliment the gunnery crew)
>>”I’ll take all the units you have.” (enthusiastic)
There is a reason the Krupp cannons were such a massive paradigm shift in the field of artillery, and how they were able to clown on the French. Even a handful of these babies will be a gigantic advantage.