ANST - thoughts on engines ...

[j'lynn yeates]

On 10 Nov 98, at 13:53, Michael F. Gunter wrote:

> Oh yes! And more ballistas! Remember our army getting pincushioned by all
> the cursed ballistas last year?
> 
> We need more ballistas! And pavases! We need pavases for our archers.
> Ballistas and pavases and siege ramps!
> Improved War Armadillos! Definately better armadillos.

yo! prince! ... (g)  

suggestion, if ya' want more ballistas, ammunition, pavases, and siege 
ramps for the war ... host a design party with the current enginer 
"specialists" and then develop some standardized plans and make them 
available to the interested carpenter types out there .. 

perhaps find a CAD competent type to run up some simple working plans, 
make them (and instructions beginning carpenter can understand) available 
in common native CAD format (DXF is a lingua franca most low and high-
end CAD programs understand), converted graphic formats (JPG, whatever) 
all online for download ... *and* sell the finished plans at reproduction cost 
to those interested (easiest way to get a full sized set of working drawings 
when you don't have access to a large format plotter .... note: i might have 
access to one, will check and see if it's been made functional)

something else to consider, perhaps sweeten the pot with some 
inducements to encourage people to set up shop and turn out product ....  
say an award, new order (a good suggestion is buried in your origional 
request ... "order of the ansteorran war armadillos" or something akin  ... 
grin) , special party, gold, slaves, weekend in vegas, whatever ... 

once rev 1.0 is out and the engine-crafter populace is "seeded" (plant the 
idea, nurture the idea, reap the benfits of the idea) i would wager that you 
would see those rev 1.0 designs improved and evolved upon in short order 
... alsoe these rev 01 engines would be visible and start the "gee, that's a 
trip!" energies going and their numbers would start spawning (at some point 
down the way ... when i get some space to work on such things ... would 
like to build one for my house and crew .. self and another old-timer on the 
edge of coming back, and the interested mates)

another concept that many see as barrier to engines ... transport (always a 
thorn in the side of the armies that integrated them into their organizations). 
 might consider setting up a secure holding area somewhere, gather the 
engines and related gear of those that don't have resources to haul them for 
themselves ... then plan on renting/locating a truck or suitable trailer(s) to 
get them and other heavy gear there and back again.

'wolf

... organization is the key to winning wars (military and commercial) ... ask 
the romans, chinese, winchester, and henry ford ... 

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