Let's play: Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space

[HMS Sophia]

Sam Francisco picks up the phone, scratching at his wig.
"Hello Sir... Yes Sir, it is a good year... I suggest we put research teams onto the Explorer satellites, the Atlas rockets, and possibly the Kicker-A booster. That gives us the best base to work from, and hopefully will get us up there before the damn Commies... Sorry, Zenobians can.. Yes sir, it's the cheapest option, but it's all we can afford at this point... I suggest we aim for a launch in the fall, at least to see if the Rocket works... Yes, of course it will work, it's a Murican design, but we should make sure..." he says, before waiting for a response


(Out of interest, how many research teams do we have? I mean if it's only two, I would abandon the booster. How do we get more?
If we go with all three projects, we are only spending 44 Mega bucks. What else are we able to spend money on?
How does researching the projects further work? I want to minimize failure rates ASAP)

[PeZook]

You can have as many research teams as you can afford. You can assign up to five per program per turn, as long as you have the money to pay them.

(Out of interest, how many research teams do we have? I mean if it's only two, I would abandon the booster. How do we get more?
If we go with all three projects, we are only spending 44 Mega bucks. What else are we able to spend money on?
How does researching the projects further work? I want to minimize failure rates ASAP)

You can spend money of hardware, research, recruiting astronauts and rushing missions. You only get money once per year (in the spring), so you have to budget. Stuff can be researched once per season, giving it improved reliability, up to the Maximum R&D rating. Further reliability is gained by succesfull flights.

You CAN schedule a mission with barely researched hardware and then improve it right before launch (since that's next turn) by paying your research teams, but you better make sure you have enough money left over.

Always faithful,

Hans von Smallhausen

[HMS Sophia]

You can have as many research teams as you can afford. You can assign up to five per program per turn, as long as you have the money to pay them.

How much do they cost, 1 per team per turn?
Assuming that, Sam thinks the Muricans should assign 4 teams per project and build a new launch pad as well.
That should cost 60. If it costs more than that, drop the launch pad and have maximum research teams on the first two projects.
Oh, and drop the kicker booster. No need for it yet.

[PeZook]

How much do they cost, 1 per team per turn?

It depends on the hardware. The flash cards have the cost per team on them. Different hardware requires different scientists, ja.

Always faithful,

Hans von Smallhausen

[HMS Sophia]

Ah ok, I see it. Sorry, never even heard of this game before this thread

Okay, Sam's final suggestions:
-begin project: Explorer satellite
---Assign 4 research teams
-----Cost: 10MB
-begin project: Atlas rocket
---Assign 2 research teams
-----Cost: 30MB
-Build: one launch pad
-----Cost: 20MB

[PeZook]

Just to make sure you get it: using five research teams does not immediately get you to max R&D, it just gives you the largest bonus you can get per turn (with some randomness).

[doom3607]

Then cancel three of my researches on Sputnik and one on the A-Series, and build me another launch pad and a second rush mission of a Sputnik on an A-Series. One of them should suceed, letting us beat them damn Murcans...

[PeZook]

Rushing a mission by one month takes 3 megabucks and gives a 3% rushing penalty, rushing it by two months (the maximum available) takes 6 megabucks and gives a 6% penalty (rushing penalties apply to all mission steps).

Always faithful,
Hans von Smallhausen

EDIT: In other words, the Zenobians won't be able to rush a mission, since they spend all the money left over for the Fall in order to buy the hardware (sputnik + a series costs 4 megabucks)

[doom3607]

I did the math. I can one-month rush both if I do no research at all. So that's what I'll do.

[PeZook]

Since very little will apparently happen in Autumn 1957, I will also request that both sides declare if you are going to plan any missions for launch in Spring 1958, to avoid slowing things down with another full turn-post.

The only available missions for spring 1958 will be orbital satellites, so it's pretty much a yes/no decision

[HMS Sophia]

Sam would like two explorer missions to be built and launched (I believe that costs 8MB) Then hire 5 research teams per project (should cost 30MB)... Lets see how safe we can get this damn project.

[PeZook]

Sam would like two explorer missions to be built and launched (I believe that costs 8MB) Then hire 5 research teams per project (should cost 30MB)... Lets see how safe we can get this damn project.

Please give dates (either spring/year or autumn/year) with your declarations.

Also remember missions are scheduled in the current turn, but flown in the following turn.

[HMS Sophia]

Sorry, that's for next turn.
Schedule those two launches in the Autumn of '57, and then have them launch in Spring of '58. Or that's the idea at least.
Does that make sense?

[PeZook]

Yep. Thank you, it makes it easier to play this thing out the way you want it. Of course, your ideas still need to be evaluated and approved by Johnny von Braun, the aspiring Murcan patriot.

[doom3607]

I'm rushing both my launches in Autumn of this year. Assuming the Commisar approves.

[PeZook]

I'm rushing both my launches in Autumn of this year. Assuming the Commisar approves.

Do you schedule any missions for Spring 1958?

[doom3607]

Will I have any cash then?

[PeZook]

You will have cash in Spring 1958, but how much I can't tell exactly. You can still schedule the missions and then scrub them if it turns out you can't buy the necessary hardware, though doing that costs prestige. On the other hand, if you don't schedule anything for spring 1958, you won't fly anything.

[doom3607]

Schedule another two launches, Sputniks on A Series, as rushed as possible given my cash. If I happen to have enough to build another pad and launch a third one, that takes priority over rushing. If one of the autumn ones gets up, scrub everything. If the Murcans beat me to it, scrub everything.

[RecklessPrudence]

...Would you believe I still have the disc for this damn game? Can't seem to hold on to Homeworld or Fallout discs, but I still have this thing!

G'day! Astronaut-hopeful Paul Kelly signing up for Murca from Straya. We fought together to beat the Thanasians, by god we'll bloody well work together to beat the Zenobians! To the Moon that is, not, y'know, wiv guns.

Wish I could've brought me pet from home, would've made a bonza mascot, so long as 'e didn't savage, poison, or eat anyone.

[Akhlut]

I wish to join as a Cosmonaut for the glorious Zenobian space program. I am the heroic Great Patriotic War pilot Ivan Ivan Ivanovich and I purposefully bombed many Thanasian hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens, and civilian bunkers.

[Karza]

That's the second ivan ivan ivan on the Zenobian roster. Did the central committee underestimate the amount of different baby names needed in some past 5-year plan or something?

Wait, nevermind, that wasn't a criticism of the glorious politburo, stop looking at me like that commissar!

[Akhlut]

That's the second ivan ivan ivan on the Zenobian roster. Did the central committee underestimate the amount of different baby names needed in some past 5-year plan or something?

Wait, nevermind, that wasn't a criticism of the glorious politburo, stop looking at me like that commissar!

The other one is Ivan Ivanovitch Ivanov; I'm Ivan Ivan Ivanovich. See, entirely separate!

COMMISSAR! COMMISSAR! This capitalist pigdog is trying to use the Free Market!

[doom3607]

That settles it, then- the Ivan Ivan Ivans get to man our first two attempts at manned flights. With no prior research. At maximum rush. That should solve our issues remembering which is which once and for all.

[Akhlut]

That settles it, then- the Ivan Ivan Ivans get to man our first two attempts at manned flights. With no prior research. At maximum rush. That should solve our issues remembering which is which once and for all.

FOR GLORIOUS MOTHER RUSSIAZENOBIA!