Rifter 42

[Braden Campbell]

Finally... Wormwood will be gettin' the love!

[Reagren Wright]

Trust me Nerdbane there is nothing like going to the comic or hobby shop
and picking something up that has your name on it . I'm just thrilled
to be able to do it for a second time .

[drewkitty ~..~]

looking @ the cover you'd think it was a HU themed book.

[Ted Smythe]

Congratulations Nerdbane and Reagren! Seeing my name in The Rifter was quite a trip. I talked about it so much over the weeks that followed, my wife threatened to cut my tongue out.

I don't know whether my next piece will be in this issue or the next one, but I can feel the excitement building once again. I could get used to it, too.

[Aramanthus]

Congrats to you both for getting published! The cover does look very cool! I'm looking forward to seeing it having a release date.

[Ted Smythe]

Has anyone gotten their copy yet? I am dying to find out if my article made it.

[Reagren Wright]

Just got my copy. They included everything I sent. Ted I don't see anything of yours.
Nerdbane or Dale your Nightbane stuff is great. The Gnat is especially cool. In all great stuff
guys, I'm glad to be apart of such a fine piece of writing talent.

[Braden Campbell]

How's the Wormwood Addenda look?

[Reagren Wright]

Matt Olson, I've got to tell yeah your stuff on the Coalition is fantastic. Where you get
all your research material? Here I thought I spent a lot of time on mine, you definately put
some realism into how the Coalition as an actual modern military and society would
work. Love it man, just love it.

[NMI]

The SCRET Around the World and The Coalition Edge are BOTH awesome articles.
I read the original manuscripts when the authors sent them to me (I had enquired about previous works from them).
Braden, I havent read the Wormwood Addenda, but I will today (going to wake, so it might have to wait).
I havent been much into Nightbane but I will check it out as well.

[NMI]

added -
The Hammer of the Forge articles are getting shorter.
Does the author hang here on the boards?

[zor_prime1]

Did the Supernatural Leatherworking article make it?

[Spinachcat]

I am buying it for the Wormwood stuff. I wanna see if Braden can put his money where his mouth is!

[Shawn Merrow]

added -
The Hammer of the Forge articles are getting shorter.
Does the author hang here on the boards?

He used to be on the PML but disappeared from the online community years ago.

[Library Ogre]

I ran into him on RPG.net about a year ago.

[Dead Boy]

Matt Olson, I've got to tell yeah your stuff on the Coalition is fantastic.

Why, thank you.

Where you get all your research material?

To be honest, mostly the History Channel, the Military Channel, and Discover (both the channel and magazine). I taped the shows that could be relevant and took notes on the useful parts to what I was thinking of. The rest I came across here and there (like Popular Science/Mechanics... just how much and what, I forget just now) and worked it in to the manuscript. And then armed with all that info, I thought to myself, "now what the next generation of that look like?" and went expanded on from there.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I love the CS Edge stuff.

Finally an approach on the CS that make them out to be an ARMY instead of a big group of mean PC's that can't find their butts with both hands and a map.

if COURSE they would put research into communications, mapping and artillery. Of COURSE they would try and recreate the digital battlefield. Of course they would act like an ARMY... and not just uniformed thugs out on a picknick.

Very good article. Probably won't be well liked by the mage crowd, but in the age of pocket sized nuclear reactors, of course these things would have been addressed.

if anything, this was late in coming. But i'm glad it's here.

[Library Ogre]

I liked the Wormwood Addenda; good background for what is obviously a multipart article... though, as a history major, I could see some of the places you were cribbing from.

Haven't read the SCRET stuff yet; I'm not a big HU person, so I won't have a lot to say about it.

I liked the general concept of the Coalition Edge article, but I felt that a lot of the material presented was over the top; for their size the skelerats were too tough.

I'll continue in a bit. Work intervenes.

[Ted Smythe]

Ted, I don't see anything of yours.

I got my copy today, Reagren, and I did make it: The Torque of Amemait was written by my Facade.

And if Kent Burles reads to this: The full-page illustration on page 68 is awesome!

It will be a while before I can do more than scan this issue, but congratulations to everyone else who got published. It looks like another quality issue.

[glitterboy2098]

would someone like to summarize and explain the "Coalition Edge" article for me? i won't be able to get the Rifter for a bit, but the comments have me interested.

(though i wonder how much more of an edge the CS needs, given they already have more manpower, more production, a larger military, more territory, higher technology, than every one else on the continent, as well as dogboys, genetweaked high yeild cattle, vegitables, and grain, an alliance with europe, a large navy....)

[zor_prime1]

Woot! I just got my copy today. My "Under the Skin" article was published in it. I haven't had a chance to read any other articles. Grats to everyone else who got published too.

Excellent job laying out the issue Wayne! Kudos and many thanks to you Mr. Smith for going above and beyond to get this issue done on time!

[Dead Boy]

would someone like to summarize and explain the "Coalition Edge" article for me? i won't be able to get the Rifter for a bit, but the comments have me interested.

Chiefly, it's about real-time information management and the "tools" they need to act on that information in a timely manner.

why does a 155 mm howitzer still have the same approximate range as the M198 the USMC uses?

31¼ miles (50 km) is a 74% improvement over what the GR-155 was reaching before. And STILL you're not happy? Jeez! Some people...

Besides, even the rocket-assisted shells from the M198 only have a range of 18 miles and change. I got the 31¼ mile range from the proposed next gen of shells the US is currently developing, the Excalibur, (pretty sure they deployed that bad boy to Afghanistan last week too).

However... since I have yet to receive my copy of Rifter 42, I can only refer back to my original manuscript. If the range is listed as 18 miles and not 31, then it got edited on me and I can't be held responsible. In fact, now you have me wondering how heavily they did edited Coalition Edge (assuming you didn't misread that). God, I hope it's in the mail tomorrow.

[BookWyrm]

Reading the CS article today.

[glitterboy2098]

would someone like to summarize and explain the "Coalition Edge" article for me? i won't be able to get the Rifter for a bit, but the comments have me interested.

Chiefly, it's about real-time information management and the "tools" they need to act on that information in a timely manner.

how extensive are we talking about? mostly just realtime recon from drones and such, or are we talking landwarrior level stuff?

[Pepsi Jedi]

would someone like to summarize and explain the "Coalition Edge" article for me? i won't be able to get the Rifter for a bit, but the comments have me interested.

Chiefly, it's about real-time information management and the "tools" they need to act on that information in a timely manner.

how extensive are we talking about? mostly just realtime recon from drones and such, or are we talking landwarrior level stuff?

Yes but on a squad/commander basis, not an every private in the army basis. But very close to that with bunches added in to basicly prevent anyone from piggybacking.

I loved the rat bots. They are kinda tough but with the advent of MD metals and what not, they would be. Its silly for a simple MD helment to have 45 MDC and not be able to build a rat bot that didn'th ave at least a few.

My only complaint with the rat bots is if anything they seemed a bit "too" small. More like mouse bots. But then I grew up in the south where a mean junkyard or warf rat could fight off a dog. lol.

I loved the little sentence in there to the effect of "they come in black but some CS troops have started painting them cammo or any numbers of colors"

Can't you just see a CS troop at his firebase sitting on his cot at night with some cammo paint and detailing his personal recon rat bot?

For some reason that just totally stuck a cord with me.

Loved the wrap around artillery fire too, and the "mercy" effect finally done right.

This article has gone a long way to make the CS something to fear instead of an occasional road block here and there. (( not that they ever WHERE but sometimes were protrayed as such))

[Lenwen]

Finally... Wormwood will be gettin' the love!

HOLY CRAP I FORGOT ABOUT THIS ...

I will have to most definatly get a copy now

[glitterboy2098]

so comparable to the level of "network centric warfare" we had back in Gulf War 1? i can live with that.

and without GPS, it's going to be less overwhelmingly powerful in the CS hands.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Actually no. It's more on line with what we're projecting for 2015 to 2020 for the US armed forces

Every troop has a special dog tag with the CS version of an RFID chip, that sends out a signal when pinged by the unit carried by the srg, commander or comm officer who has the hand held. It positions every troop, but only the srg, commander or comm officer of that squad have the reader.

CS have now full GPS for the US and detailed topographical maps for the US (( with some exceptions, like parts of the magic zone and Dino swamp, but the "Domain of man" is covered))

They have high altitude relay platforms (( won't give away too many details, but NO they're not in space so the hunter killer sats don't shoot them down and YES they've addressed the "Why don't your average flying critter eat them for snack, problem))

They basically have full radio communication for the entire CS, and can get "look downs" for any part of the domain of man. This working with the unit designators that both troops, armor, power armor, and vehicles have, can plot the battlefield at a base camp and let them do instant, real time strat for it.

(( as a side note it addresses that this all was finally coming together juuuuuuuuust after the war with Tolkeen, as to why it wasn't used to trounce the mages into the stone age in about 10 minutes. ))

Also the article covers non CS ... GPS.. It's not GPS (( I.E. it doesn't come from a satalite)) but...... it's the same sort of deal. For both CS (( who's work better)) and commercial versions. (( which again, cover the entire US/Canada area, with some exceptions. Dino swamp, Magic zone, west of rockies)) Again don't want to give too much away (( people should get the rifter and read it!)) but it's addressed. Naturally the CS have the "Latest and greatest" versions of these. Accurate to a few meters per 10000s of miles traveled.

It's a really good article in the rifter.


If I had a complaint (( and I don't really, but i could see how it MIGHt come up for others))

Is that with the mapping done by the CS and the Gps (( again it's not GPS but I'll call it that for understanding purposes)) Units like they have them.... SOME people might feel that the "Wildness" of rifts earth just got a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitle less wild. When you can flip on your unit and go "Oh we're hopelessly lost but the town we're looking for is just a day's ride west" it takes out a bit of the desperation and isolation that a Post Apocalyptic game can have. In Rifts earth you could pass 1 mile to the west of a town and never know it existed and go along for weeks or MONTHS with out accidentally tripping over someone.

This stuff in this article cuts that out. Period. If you have a working unit you can find your way anywhere in the domain of man. and know how far you are from the 'big points of interest' and what not. With out fail.

I don't mind that. On a planet where power armor runs off lunch box sized nuclear reactors, a simple GPS replacement would take um about 10 minutes to make (( well years to make but yeah.)) but SOME people might be put off by it.

I'd say to those "If you don't like it, Simply keep it in the hands of the military" Instead of having it in wide commercial use.

[glitterboy2098]

without having read the article, from the above i am not particularly thrilled with the idea. why would the CS have this technology when, say, the NGR does not? the NGR has pre-rifts technology and fully understands that technology (unlike the CS), and the real world German program to develop the same kind of systems would have been standard by 2098.


and does the CS really need more of an edge? it has a military larger than everything else in north america, while barely having recruited a tenth of it's available military eligible population. it has more territory than anyone in north america. it has the largest industrial output of north america. then you add in the genetically engineered grains and cattle, the lone star facility, the alliance with the NGR....

adding a radio based navigation system (even a simple beacon system) i'd have no problem with. detailing how the CS command and communications work, great. but highly detailed and accurate positioning systems detailed maps, and the kind of "god eye view" of the battlefield just seems well outside the theme of the CS.


but thats just my opinion.

[Library Ogre]

My note from last night must have gotten lost; I get the feeling I previewed instead of posted.

The skelerats are too tough for their size. In rat form, they have almost 1 MDC per cubic inch; in sphere form, they have better than 1.6 MDC per cubic inch. Mind you, that's only main body MDC; it doesn't include their heads, legs (little tiny legs that have 7 and 12 MDC), or tail. And these aren't solid bodies, but active robots.

I also had problems with the vacuum-filled lifting bodies on the sub-orbitals. It pushes verisimilitude for me that, even with MDC technology, they can build rigid vacuum-filled lifting bodies at sea level, and have them be light enough to still have negative aerodynamic buoyancy. Now, if they used hydrogen at sea level, and pumped it out as they rose (and hydrogen at sea-level pressure became less feasible), that would work for me.

Overall, the article was great. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and its the sort of thing the CS can achieve. They can achieve these things because they've got a scale that others only dream of, and are an economy unto themselves. With this, the CS really has very little to fear from the the Xiticix; move some drones over a hive, then sit some Abolishers at the 30 mile line. Launch a fragmentation shell every 3 or 4 AP (to trash the drones as they fly out), and you're going to have a very frakked up hive.

[Ted Smythe]

...personally, I think it was made 200% better by the illustrations!

Amen to that. I love the one of the pigs on page 83. That was pretty creative.

[Dead Boy]

why would the CS have this technology when, say, the NGR does not?

... because I'm a CS kind of guy... maybe?

[glitterboy2098]

I also had problems with the vacuum-filled lifting bodies on the sub-orbitals.

sub-orbitals? no way. if you can't fly a plane over 100,000 feet because of the kill sats shooting at you*, your definately not going to get 100km up.


*see world book 5. the NGR doesn't fly it's hypersonic transport over 100,000 feet because of the orbital killsat net.


and i doubt even MDC tech could produce a vacuum balloon. MDC tech isn't exacly known to be light and rigid at the same time. a vacuum ballon shell has to be rigid enough to withstand the crushing force of the atmosphere while light enough to mass less than the air it is displacing. this equates to tinfoil thin shells able to withstand direct hits by artillery. of course, with such light and strong materials the CS doesn't need vacuum balloons, it can armor space rockets with the stuff and reach orbit, since that is literally indestructable armor.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I would advise people spitting and hissing over the stuff to get the rifter and read the stuff in question. It's put together quite well and speaks as to the trials and tribulations of the advances in the project and why it took "so long" to get past many of the things you guys are bringing up as to WHY IT"D NEVER WORK! MUAHHAHAHAHAHA

Like anything in rifts. It's going to delight 60% of the people and abjectly **** off 35% with 5% indifferent.

Rifter stuff is optional but I for one like this, and will be putting much of it into use in my games.

[Dead Boy]

sub-orbitals? no way. if you can't fly a plane over 100,000 feet because of the kill sats shooting at you*, your definately not going to get 100km up.

*see world book 5. the NGR doesn't fly it's hypersonic transport over 100,000 feet because of the orbital killsat net.

May I direct you to Mutants in Orbit, pg 85. The lowest orbit the satellites occupy is 312 miles up, but none of them have an weapons range of more than a few miles. 120,000 feet is no problem.

[Library Ogre]

I would advise people spitting and hissing over the stuff to get the rifter and read the stuff in question. It's put together quite well and speaks as to the trials and tribulations of the advances in the project and why it took "so long" to get past many of the things you guys are bringing up as to WHY IT"D NEVER WORK! MUAHHAHAHAHAHA

Like anything in rifts. It's going to delight 60% of the people and abjectly **** off 35% with 5% indifferent.

Rifter stuff is optional but I for one like this, and will be putting much of it into use in my games.

Like I said, I like most of it. I like the skelerats... they're just too tough, IMO. I'd cut them down to about a tenth of their current strength (1 MD heads, 2 MD bodies, legs and tails that aren't MD). I like the sub-orbitals... but the vacuum-filled lifting bodies didn't work for me. Switching them to hydrogen filled, with pumps that drain them as they raise, makes them work.

[Dead Boy]

I like the sub-orbitals... but the vacuum-filled lifting bodies didn't work for me. Switching them to hydrogen filled, with pumps that drain them as they raise, makes them work.

You could do that... but it's no where near as sci-fi sexy as the vacuum air-displacement based tech.

[Library Ogre]

I like the sub-orbitals... but the vacuum-filled lifting bodies didn't work for me. Switching them to hydrogen filled, with pumps that drain them as they raise, makes them work.

You could do that... but it's no where near as sci-fi sexy as the vacuum air-displacement based tech.

Yes, but it doesn't compete with my mental image of cans crushed by the weight of air.

[Dead Boy]

I like the sub-orbitals... but the vacuum-filled lifting bodies didn't work for me. Switching them to hydrogen filled, with pumps that drain them as they raise, makes them work.

You could do that... but it's no where near as sci-fi sexy as the vacuum air-displacement based tech.

Yes, but it doesn't compete with my mental image of cans crushed by the weight of air.

Yea, aluminum cans designed to hold internal pressures, not external ones. It's a day and night comparison.

And besides which, the idea of a hand-held gigawat laser that can be fired without combusting the shooter's arms doesn't stir up conflicts with your rational mind too? Most sci-fi gives hard science a back seat to creative ideas. Especially nifty original ones, of which I think this qualifies as.

[Library Ogre]

I like the sub-orbitals... but the vacuum-filled lifting bodies didn't work for me. Switching them to hydrogen filled, with pumps that drain them as they raise, makes them work.

You could do that... but it's no where near as sci-fi sexy as the vacuum air-displacement based tech.

Yes, but it doesn't compete with my mental image of cans crushed by the weight of air.

Yea, aluminum cans designed to hold internal pressures, not external ones. It's a day and night comparison.

And besides which, the idea of a hand-held gigawat laser that can be fired without combusting the shooter's arms doesn't stir up conflicts with your rational mind too? Most sci-fi gives hard science a back seat to creative ideas. Especially nifty original ones, of which I think this qualifies as.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

[BookWyrm]

Sorry, meant to say I was reading the Wormwood article first, then the CS article. Still, even at first glance, I'm very intregued.

[NMI]

Re: Coalition Edge...
the 18 mile range on the Howitzer is in regards to it using the older Leviathan shells. The newer Omen rounds have 31[sup]1[/sup]/4 mile range.

[Dead Boy]

Well, my copy of Rifter 42 finally came in, and I must say I am most pleased. There are more than a few tiny edits throughout the article that I don't mind in the slightest, and there were two noticeable edits that really stood out to me. The first was that they changed the name of the Omens shell on me to just Omen, messing up a perfectly good obscure joke. The new artillery shell the US Army has is the Excalibur. And what's a good sword to compare to Excalibur? Why, the Thundercats' Sword of Omens, of course. (I know, maybe a little too obscure.) The second major edit I noticed was they cleaned up the gross number of type-o's that article was riddled with, waaaaay more than normally slips past my notice when I write. For that, I give the Rifter Team my most heartfelt thanks and gratitude.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"Small minds are much distressed by little things. Great minds see them all but are not upset by them." - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I'm going to stop now before this escalates into a full on flame-war.

[Xar]

How's the Wormwood Addenda look?

Outstanding!

I gotta go re-read the Wormwood book again now.

Is there more of this coming in the next Rifter?

[BookWyrm]

I just finished the Wormwood article. Very good writing & it conveyed an excellent backstory to the planet & it's plight. But I get the feeling this is only part one...?

[Big Red]

So far, the Wormwood piece is easily my favorite article. I'm looking forward to the other installments. I couldn't get past the vacuum bubble on the sub-orbital satellites in the CS piece, though. I was absolutely giddy to see some Bradshaw artwork. Can't wait for Dyval and Dead Reign now!

[Braden Campbell]

I just finished the Wormwood article. Very good writing & it conveyed an excellent backstory to the planet & it's plight. But I get the feeling this is only part one...?

There is more Wormwood Addenda to come in future Rifters, not to worry.


Next we'll take a look at Ezud - the Eastern Dominion, and why it has refused to fight the Unholy thus far.

Part Three will examine the Reorith Province: the place where Men and Demon do most of their fighting.

Finally, there will be an entire article dedicated to the city of Worldgate... including a map of the city, plus rules for Wormwood flintlocks and converted Harleys.

[BookWyrm]

Excellent! I'm looking forward to more great writing.

I'm about 1/2 through the CS article.

[Aramanthus]

It sounds fantastic! I can't wait to get my copy this week! :::Fingers crossed::: that it's order properly this week!

[Slag]

I also had problems with the vacuum-filled lifting bodies on the sub-orbitals.

sub-orbitals? no way. if you can't fly a plane over 100,000 feet because of the kill sats shooting at you*, your definately not going to get 100km up.


*see world book 5. the NGR doesn't fly it's hypersonic transport over 100,000 feet because of the orbital killsat net.


and i doubt even MDC tech could produce a vacuum balloon. MDC tech isn't exacly known to be light and rigid at the same time. a vacuum ballon shell has to be rigid enough to withstand the crushing force of the atmosphere while light enough to mass less than the air it is displacing. this equates to tinfoil thin shells able to withstand direct hits by artillery. of course, with such light and strong materials the CS doesn't need vacuum balloons, it can armor space rockets with the stuff and reach orbit, since that is literally indestructable armor.

Yep, Vacuum Balloons are definately the imaginitive but improbable stuff of Wierd Science and Science Fiction.

Much like Giant Walking Robots, Sentient AI, self-sustainable Space Colonization, Megacities, and handguns capable of leveling entire buildings with a single shot from a power source that fits in your pocket.

"I can accept the giant demons of pure sentient energy, the fire-throwing guys in flowing robes and filter masks, and the tentacled Alien Intelligences of Raised Atlantis, but that???"