Shark_Force wrote:i think it needs a depth charge launcher
(after all, if you drop right to the surface of the water to keep stuff from attacking you from below, that leaves an obvious location to launch an attack from... though PS may not realise that until someone actually uses a submarine to launch a full missile broadside into it)
Gotta be in the right place at the right time to pull that one off, but bear in mind; this is the BASIC model. After-factory mods are ALL the rage, especially with PS products. We provide the canvas and brushes, you provide the color.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Shark_Force wrote:i think it needs a depth charge launcher
(after all, if you drop right to the surface of the water to keep stuff from attacking you from below, that leaves an obvious location to launch an attack from... though PS may not realise that until someone actually uses a submarine to launch a full missile broadside into it)
Gotta be in the right place at the right time to pull that one off, but bear in mind; this is the BASIC model. After-factory mods are ALL the rage, especially with PS products. We provide the canvas and brushes, you provide the color.
true, true... but my first thought after reading that vignette was "i would totally just launch an attack from underwater after driving it to near the surface", and i'm hardly a tactical genius
so, i suppose if i ever was to get one of those, i'd want to customise it with depth charges (i'm sure there's a price for adding those to a vehicle somewhere in the PS storefront thread =D )
Shark_Force wrote:i think it needs a depth charge launcher
(after all, if you drop right to the surface of the water to keep stuff from attacking you from below, that leaves an obvious location to launch an attack from... though PS may not realise that until someone actually uses a submarine to launch a full missile broadside into it)
Gotta be in the right place at the right time to pull that one off, but bear in mind; this is the BASIC model. After-factory mods are ALL the rage, especially with PS products. We provide the canvas and brushes, you provide the color.
true, true... but my first thought after reading that vignette was "i would totally just launch an attack from underwater after driving it to near the surface", and i'm hardly a tactical genius
so, i suppose if i ever was to get one of those, i'd want to customise it with depth charges (i'm sure there's a price for adding those to a vehicle somewhere in the PS storefront thread =D )
Go with lower hull turrets, maybe guns with supercavitating ammunition, as with the Liberty/Victory Ships, if you're sub-hunting or fishing for the big 'uns.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
“First it was them Foss Fliers, then they started lofting Liberty Ships, now it’s these ferry-fliers! Can’t them PS muckers keep boats where they belong? In the water?!”
...well give them a chance and they will start going the other way around...
taalismn wrote:I grew up on the East Coast...some of the coastal ferries were my 'magic carpet' away from the mainland(and school) so I have a special place in my heart for them. Making them FLY, well, that just adds to the fantasy.
“First it was them Foss Fliers, then they started lofting Liberty Ships, now it’s these ferry-fliers! Can’t them PS muckers keep boats where they belong? In the water?!”
...well give them a chance and they will start going the other way around...
taalismn wrote:I grew up on the East Coast...some of the coastal ferries were my 'magic carpet' away from the mainland(and school) so I have a special place in my heart for them. Making them FLY, well, that just adds to the fantasy.
Personal flight systems may be some time away, but as is the case with such technology, you can expect the military to get their hands on such systems first. While Yves Rossy “The Jetman” may have refused to let the military have his powered wings, other people and companies are unlikely to pass on such a potentially lucrative product. The German venture SPELCO (Special Parachute and Logistics Consortium) would be amongst those glad to create such systems.
SPELCO’s Gryphon Next Generation Parachute system aims to give a similar degree of flying freedom to troopers. The under-development 6-feet wing has a glide ratio of 5:1, allowing soldiers to glide about 30 miles after jumping from a 30000 feet altitude. The wingsuit will allow soldiers to remain airborne for about 15 minutes, at a speed of nearly 60 miles per hour, and an extremely low radar signal. The company also plans to add small motors to the wingsuits, increasing the range to 60 miles, and increasing the scope of stealth missions.
let your YES be YES and your NO be NO but plz no maybe
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Personal flight systems may be some time away, but as is the case with such technology, you can expect the military to get their hands on such systems first. While Yves Rossy “The Jetman” may have refused to let the military have his powered wings, other people and companies are unlikely to pass on such a potentially lucrative product. The German venture SPELCO (Special Parachute and Logistics Consortium) would be amongst those glad to create such systems.
On the other hand, the paragliding tanks...The look on the commander's face as he's about to light out, suggests some experimentation with drug-fueled Crazies....
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
taalismn wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Sand Demon’ Heavy Armored Fighting Vehicle(6x6)
This AFV looks like the bastard offspring of an M-1A1 Abrams MBT and a dunebuggy....A tank chassis and turret mounted on six sprawling wide-tread monster truck tires. It clearly shows a distinct lineage with pre-Rifts tanks and late Iron Heart Armaments tank lines(indeed, since many ex-patriate IHA employees worked on the project).
Espionage Weaponry: Paladin Steel doesn’t like to advertise it, but they also produce a number of ‘dirty tricks’ espionage weapons for those subtler operations. These weapons are typicallymade available only to PS Security, corporate and GNEAS gray/black-ops units, and a very few approved affiliates.
Paladin Steel EMPG-08 EMPulsar
“Rocks are all very good as a protest, but all you get are some broken windows and shattered jumbotrons. You REALLY want to hurt them? With one click of a button, I can wipe the computer systems of the Slave Auction House, including their records on hard drive, and leave no tell-tale physical evidence. Elegant, no? Welcome to the future of political activism.”*CLICK*
The EMPG-08 is a compact electromagnetic pulse generator meant for espionage and sabotage operations. Taking a page from Triax ‘suitcase gun’ designs, Paladin Steel engineered the EMPG-08 into a compact package resembling an attache case, even to the point that the case is fully functional, with enough space inside to hold a collection of folders, pens, and other business paraphenalia, the workings of the EMP generator concealed inside the case’s lining. The generator draws power from a battery or long e-clip, can be triggered manually or set to go off by a timer(up to an hour), and is fully reusable (the EMPG-08B model comes with a self-destruct that completely obliterates the device afterwards or if the weapon is tampered with). When in operation, the operator simply pops the lid, aiming one side of the opened case at the target area, and uses a calculator-sized keypad to power up and arm the device. Intended mainly to destroy/disrupt unshielded electronics, the EMPG-08 is most useful against ‘soft’ targets, and has only limited effectiveness against shielded and hardened equipment(as most military installations and vehicles are). The EMPG-08 is not available for sale through PS’s regular catalogue/showroom service, given its role as a corporate espionage device. As such it is only available to PS Corporate Security/Grey Ops, GNEAS Special Forces, and approved affiliates. Weight: 6 lbs Range: 3,000 ft in a 90-degree arc. Damage: None physical/structural, but unshielded electrical equipment(including cybernetics and bionics) is temporarily knocked out of commission/performs erratically for 2d6 minutes. 50% chance of the electrical system suffering a MAJOR short requiring extensive repairs, and possibly even smoking and catching fire in overload. Unshielded digital recording systems will have lost 2d4x10+20% of their memory. Rate of Fire: Single shot Payload: A Long E-clip provides a single shot. Special Features: *MDC Construction---45 MDC *Sensor Shielded----Standard security scanners will not detect the concealed electronics; even an X-ray will reveal only innocuous pens, pencils, and other paperwork inside. Cost: 60,000 credits
Sleep-Sand “Okay, that’s just plain mean-” “What’s mean about it? I just spread the stuff in the bedroom carpet! The room’s MEANT for sleeping! They go in already thinking of bed, they fall asleep, we pick them up and haul them out! Much easier than grabbing them off the street with a struggle!”
Sleep-Sand is a granular crystalline chemical matrix containing a powerful soporific. When crushed and exposed to air, each grain evaporates into a powerful airborne sleeping gas that can knock out a human(oid) breathing in the odorless and invisible fumes. It is typically deployed spread on a floor or carpet to take out anybody subsequently treading on it. Range: Typically, a pinch of sleep-sand covering a square ft or so of ground will produce a plume of vapor of about five square ft. Duration: Sleep-Sand is very stable and on its own will biodegrade outside its container in 4-6 weeks(shorter if exposed to the elements or to immersion in water or detergent, like a good hosing or rug-shampooing). Once crushed, depending on local atmospheric conditions, the soporific vapor will persist for 1d6 melees(2d6 melees in still, stagnant air). Effects: Anybody breathing in the released vapor must save versus non-lethal poison (16 or better) or be knocked out asleep for 2d6 minutes Cost: 700 credits per ounce of crystals Note: It is rumored that skin-absorption and lethal nerve-gas varieties of Sleep-Sand are under development/are already available.
“The sharpest of knives are those that do not draw blood” ---’Shadowman’, ‘Corporate Security Specialist’
“I had the misfortune of being bodyguard to Senator Moynihan, the summer of ‘12 when someone microwaved him.....one moment I’m drawing the curtain for His Nibs and the next I hear this damn rapid clicking like a cricket right in my ear...and then my skin starts to crawl, I can hardly breath, and and I’m falling to the floor, rolling, twitching, out of it....I never saw the guy who zapped me...I thought we were being gassed or magicked...and I was SURE I had wards up against that sort of thing... I heard much later that the clicking is a side effect of the microwaves...ultra fine sideband vibration leakover tickling the inner ear...I’m lucky though that I only got a brief shot of the stuff...I wasn’t the real target so they let me live...the Senator on the other hand....sometime while I was soiling my pants, his brain forgot how to tell his heart to beat and lungs to breath...” ----Erno Ackilles, ex-Security Specialist, former Republic of Gilead, in an interview by Dale Chines, for the book ‘Blood and Fog: The Secret Wars for North America, 100-120 PA’, Royal Purple Press, New Camelot, 137 PA
“The bigger the empire, the dirtier the tricks needed to keep it going. Totalitarian regimes can be open about this, but everyone else has to be more careful about being seen doing it.” ----Bolana Ghestonge, Dragon Wolf Professor of Political Science, University of New Lazlo
The PS ‘PAPS-17’ is a secret development in Paladin Steel’s successful line of energy weapons weapons using advanced electromagnetic and high wavelength EM energy. The PAPS-17 was originally intended as merely a more powerful Magbolt blaster cannon, but early on engineers discovered that the EM generator was also putting out high frequency microwaves, the more powerful of which could toast a man alive, even in body armor, but the lower powered, but more penetrating wavelengths could wreak more subtle, if potentially more devastating, damage on the delicate nervous systems of humans and most d-bees. These microwaves disrupt the nervous system, leading to crippling, often permanent, nerve damage in most living beings. Even cyborgs and supernatural beings may be affected, though in their cases, the damage is less likely to be permanent(and usually shrugged off in a matter of hours, if not minutes). However, in pitched battle, even a few seconds loss of control over one’s own body can prove fatal. Of course, even a permanent crippling injury is sometimes tactically preferable to an instantly fatal one; a wounded soldier ties up several comrades to recover and treat him, and a maimed commander, or political leader, is less of a photogenic martyr than a straightout assassination might be...Cold-blooded, but sound. Furthermore, the effects of the weapon can be mistaken for natural causes; strokes, heart attacks, and other mishaps that are harder to discern as deliberate assaults in examinations on a living person, than in an autospy on a dead one. The microwave beam also has the added property of being able to shoot through most materials, including megadamage plastics, composites, and ceramics, but the beam CANNOT penetrate metal...This means that the weapon is, ironically, more effective against PS’s own composite armors, than the Coalition’s own largely metal suits, and is another reason why PS and the GNE are reluctant to release this weapon onto the open market(actually, all VFS-issued EBA and personal armor have a thin layer of special protective foil shielding sandwiched into the composite material, but PS doesn’t advertise this, as they are reluctant to publicize possible defenses against, and weaknesses of, their weapons systems). This makes the weapon ideal for assassinations, as a good marksman with a thermal tracker can shoot through a building’s wood and brick walls to tag a target inside, without leaving cover.... It was this insidious damage potential that caused PS and the GNE to pull the weapon from possible service-wide distribution and commercial sale....Instead PS has decided to use this weapon for Special Forces and ‘corporate security’ purposes. Most ‘civilized’ soldiers would NOT use this weapon if it were issued to them, and the Coalition would have a field day with the negative propaganda if it were, all the while trying to duplicate it themselves. The PAPS-17 has a compact, rugged construction; a small cylindrical barrel body with the handgrip and shoulder stock mounted directly behind it, making it look, to some eyes, very much like the firearm equivalent of an Asian ‘punch dagger’.
Note: This is an EXTREMELY nasty weapon that may not sit well with some folks who prefer clean kills...this is a cruel, black-ops weapon that PS doesn’t like to advertise having....
Date of Introduction: 111 PA Weight: 6 lbs Range: 2,000 ft Damage:(EM Bolts) 5d6 MD per blast (Microwave)The microwave component does 2d4 directly to Hit Points, and the target temporarily loses control of their own body; Victim must also roll versus coma/death or the effects will be PERMANENT(will require advanced regeneration or magical healing to overcome). Roll on the following table: 01-10 Brain/Central Nervous System Disability---Brains were fried. Roll percentile for amount of IQ lost; at 100% the target is a drooling vegetable. Even at high levels of IQ retention, the victim suffers memory loss and finds advanced technical skills difficult to perform; -15% to Technical, Science, and ‘academic’ skills. 11-20 Sensory Disability 01-40 Blindness---Victim is legally blind. 30% chance that damage was done DIRECTLY to the visual cortex, thus cybernetic implants will NOT cure this. 41-80 Hearing---Is either plagued by a ringing in the ears, or nothing at all(-4 to initiative, -4 to dodge) 81-90 Tactile Numbness---Somewhere in the nervous system, the sense of touch was lost. Sense of touch is now a mere 10% of what it once was. Also has problems distinguishing hot from cold. 91-00 Sense of Smell--The victim no longer has any sense of smell---It’s gone completely. Food now tastes rather bland, and beings with an enhanced sense of smell are particularly hard hit. 21-30 Arms and hands damaged;01-50% one limb is affected(-2 APMs, and -25% to skills requiring two hands to perform), 51-00% BOTH limbs are affected/unable to perform correctly 31-40 Legs paralyzed; 01-50% one limb is affected(cut speed by HALF), 51-00% BOTH limbs are affected/unable to perform correctly 41-50 Muscle Tremors----Victim is afflicted with severe shaking that keep them from being able to perform any activities requiring fine coordination(-20% to skill rolls). 51-60 Autonomic Nervous System Damage---Person has problems doing everyday things; breathing is labored, rigorous physical activity is courting a heart attack, sphincter control is compromised, and the person is generally weak and sickly. Reduce P.S. and P.E. by HALF, and suffers a -4 to rolls to save versus coma/death. 71-80 Cosmetic Damage---Suffers subdermal bruising from blood vessels expanding under the skin, as well as minor blood vessels exploding. Fortunately, major hematomas were avoided, but the victim now has a blotchy complexion (-1d6 PB), and 40% chance of losing tactile sensation. 81-90 Sexual dysfunction/impotent---Not immediately critical, but distracting for some people(GMs may want to assign a -1d4 to ME). In some cultures, such as the Kydians, who place a high value on fecundity and sexual prowess, this can be prove extremely damaging. 91-00 Roll twice on above table Rate of Fire: Standard Payload: 10 Magbolts or 30 Microwave blasts per e-clip Bonuses: Magbolts, being invisible, are -6 to Dodge. Special Features: *Cyberporting for Headjack/Smartsight linkage(Typically a ‘supersmart’ sight , able to read thermo and motion signatures thru thin walls) *Low-contrast/sensor signature coatings---A special rubberized covering that reduces visible glare off the weapon, as well as masks any noise from it banging against other objects. Microwave radar, thermal scopes, and motion detectors cannot easily detect this weapon, as well. Cost: Limited to Paladin Steel and GNE Special Forces; unavailable to the open market. If an example were to be made available, it would likely fetch 30,000 credits or more.
Note: A Cyborg version of this is also available; a smaller, more compact model meant to be installed in a forearm slot(ideally in a cyberhumanoid, disguised under the synthetic flesh). This version only has a range of 600 ft, but is otherwise identical in effects to the rifle version. It reportedly costs PS some 60,000 credits to manufacture.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Somewhere out there on the internet, there's a motivational cartoon of Hello Kitty with a chain-gun, and the words along the line of 'Behold! For I am possessed of the power of MADNESS!" I've never been able to relocate it...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
I found this. Machine gun [for small DBee] version of an AA-12 shotgun. Maybe. and thisFrom here, with a motorcycle for cats, bear in bumper car, kill crazed punkin snowman, oh go look.
motivational cartoon of Hello Kitty with a chain-gun, and the words along the line of 'Behold! For I am possessed of the power of MADNESS!"
You just want to repaint the Golf cart, right?
I hate it when my mind wonders, Because I have no idea what it will bring back with it.
taalismn says -- Librarians assume the role of scholar-priest-kings in an increasinly illiterate society...
taalismn says -- Abtex...Unofficial archival mole for the fictional arms industry again with the sites that make you blink...
Some more background on the Paladin Steel alternity universe setting (with my thanks to those of you whose companies are mentioned here)....
PS=Paladin Steel VFS= Vermont Free State(the original nation state and core of the GNE) GNE= Greater New England (currently comprising Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, portions of Maine and New York, and, arguably by alliance, parts of Oregon and Washington State)
Corporate Alliances Corporate alliances are very important, even vital, to Paladin Steel. PS knows it can’t go it alone, and it can’t d everything, so it actively seeks out and welcomes alliances and treaties with other companies, especially up-and-comers, to join in what has been variously called the Corporate Alliance, the Star Compact, and the North American Trade Network(or Organization). What’s in it for the members of the Alliance? For larger companies that effectively as the basis of nation-states, it permits them to trade for goods and services at less cost than they might otherwise pay if they bought and sold via the Black Market, or developed those goods and services themselves. Sometimes it’s more profitable to trade than to steal or building something on one’s own. Sharing of military intelligence, business data, transport and trade networks, commerical contacts, new markets, and joint military assistance pacts are part and parcel of such treaties. Alliance members regularly trade unique technologies, produce components for each others’ goods, and may even acquire licensing rights to produce their own versions of each others’ designs. Setting trade and price policy, especially to bolster each other against older, more established companies like Northern Gun, Golden Age Weaponsmiths, Triax Industries, and Naruni Enterprises, is also another benefit of the Alliance. Classic and long-standing alliances of this sort include Paladin Steel’s relationships with KeraTech, Wildstorm Industries, and Farnborough Aviation, all large and independent corporations. SkyNight Industries is another company that has benefitted from trade with Paladin Steel, especially with the PS-fitted AC-117 gunship version of their C-117 ‘Flying Boxcar’. For smaller companies, it’s the opportunity to get access to materials and facilities beyond their current reach. Sometimes it’s to see an idea of theirs drawn up on ther boards and made and assembled on a PS production line, then marketed through the Alliance trade network. Some smaller companies may wind up as subcontractors of Paladin Steel, or become essentially extensions of the company in all but name. Paragon Progress, having the plans and the ideas, but lacking the facilities to put those ideas into operational form, has become a ‘think tank’ consultancy for Paladin Steel. Twardy Vintage Vehicles and Boston Aviation are both small time firms that have grown up in PS’s shadow, taking advantage of the GNE’s technically-inclined populace, and low-cost PS-provided parts and materials, to make names for themselves. Trinitus Robotics is a good example of a start-up company that failed on its own, but ended up having its technology and legacy preserved by Paladin Steel. New Colt Armaments saved its name by merging with Paladin Steel. Hangar-18B started as a Tolkeen-based TechnoWizardry firm trading with PS for parts and materials, but after the fall of Tolkeen, has since become a part of the Paladin Steel family of affiliated companies. And some day to a lesser extent that Iron Heart Armaments has some claim in this category, after ex-patriate New Kenorans fled the CS occupation of their city, claiming refuge in Greater New England; Paladin Steel STILL produces various weapons systems originally developed by IHA, as well as spare parts for several lines of IHA vehicles.
Foreign Relations: The VFS/GNE has regular contact with dozens of regional powers; from small villages to large corporations, as well as irregular contact with hundreds more, local, continental, worldwide, and even Megaversal, with relations ranging from enthusiastic blood-kin and favored trade partners, to bitter industrial rivals and fundamental hatred. Here are a few of the more prominent:
The Alliance----The VFS/GNE’s relationship as part of a greater corporate alliance (known variously as the Five Star Alliance, Corporate Alliance, and the North American Alliance) has been well documented elsewhere(see above!)---Needless to say, relations are good, and some political minds in the GNE see the alliance as the core of a Unified North America
The Coalition----Bitter enemies who have frequently exchanged blows on a number of fronts. After many disastrous military efforts against the GNE and PS, including cruise missile strikes and infiltration attempts, the Coalition has slunk back and is currently attempting to undermine popular support for GNE by launching an aggressive disinformation and propaganda campaign.
Tolkeen----Whether or not Tolkeen ultimately wins or loses the war with the Coalition, this kingdom is lost to the GNE. Regardless if the kingdom should survive, be burned to the ground to rise again, or be exterminated in a prolonged conflict, most GNE analysts agree that nothing good will rise from the Minnesota and Dakota battlefields. If the Coalition wins, the human supremacists will have a hammerlock on the heart of North America; if Tolkeen wins,the way the war is going, it is because of the dark forces that the King and his council have invited in....neither one an attractive prospect, given the hatred between GNE and the Coalition, and the vote of no-confidence the GNE has in Tolkeen’s leadership. Despite impassioned pleas and outright threats by various Tolkeen ‘ambassadors’, Paladin Steel refuses to sell the Tolkeenites any more weapons on credit, citing the Tolkeenites’ past history of welching on debts. Frankly the GNE is not ready to engage in a full-blown war with the Coalition, on the latter’s doorstep, for fear of overextending themselves(a major factor in the Coalition’s ill-fated efforts to occupy New Rochester and upstate New York). With the cooling of tensions between the Coalition States and Free Quebec, and what appears to be a reconciliation, the GNE has no desire to bare its throat to Quebecois while going after the Coalition further west. The GNE and Paladin Steel aren’t completely out of the Tolkeen region, however; the company has no bones about selling to mercenaries and groups heading into the war zone. The company is also doing well supplying humanitarian aide and equipment to various refugee assistance groups, and is supporting mass evacuations of civilians out of the war zone, with transports operating precariously close to major combat fronts. GNE ‘volunteers’ are even engaged in defending refugee columns streaming out of the region; with ‘defense’ including covert preemptive raids on outlying CS facilities to disrupt communications, acquire supplies and transport, and liberate prisoners (and material) Despite these humanitarian actions, there will be bad blood between the hardliner remains of ‘Tolkeen’ and the GNE in the aftermath, on account of the lack of official military intervention(especially with the GNE’s far more active role in the Kingsdale conflict), and the survivors of Minnesota may well commence their own propaganda campaign against the ‘misers and greedy merchants of the East Coast baronies’, Another sore point is the activities of OTAR (Office of Technology Acquisition and Recovery) which has been sending agents into the region to salvage technology and rescue data on both Tolkeen’s scientific and magical research, actions seen as ‘vulture-like’ by the diehard Tolkeenists, Whether or not this dissatisfaction boils over into terrorism against the GNE(in addition to the growing guerilla campaign against the CS), remains to be seen, but GNE authorities are already anticipating years of trouble ahead.
Lazlo, New Lazlo, and the Relic----These large communities have always been considered allies and friends of the GNE. PS does regular business, and their foreign polices, especially with regard to humanitarian interventions, have often overlapped. Lazlo, however, prides itself on being a community of learning and scholastic pursuits, and is somewhat upset with PS’s quest for knowledge with an eye mainly towards industrial and weapons applications...however, this has not stopped them from purchasing weapons and equipment from the GNE and PS. In return, much of the GNE’s civil government, education system, and social policies appear to have been ‘prototyped’ in Lazlo and New Lazlo.
Free Quebec----A once lucrative business relationship has turned sour, and the GNE now regards the Quebecois as the next most likely threat to their security, after the Splugorth, owing to their close proximity and hardline stance against nonhumans. The recent reconciliation between Free Quebec and the Coalition States, along with renewed Quebecois naval activity, frankly terrifies many GNErs with the prospect of hostile armies swarming across the Saint Lawrence, or launching missile attacks with only minutes’ warning for targets like Burlington. The FQ, for their part, are nervous enough about the economic, industrial, and military power growing to their southeast, aren’t pleased with the seizure of the naval base at Halifax, and aren’t happy with all the d-bees and their exotic technologies gathering under the GNE banner. A few cooler heads in the FQ have urged restraint, as they see the GNE and its allies providing a convenient breakwater against the Splugorth and the Horune, and this has kept Free Quebec from taking more drastic actions against the GNE(though if the GNE were attacked en masse by the Splugorth, the FQ would cheerfully, after a suitable amount of time had elapsed and the Splugorth offensive blunted, invade the weakened GNE and do much collateral damage in the course of ‘protecting North American sovereignty’). The borders of the two nations, and the buffer zone along the Saint Lawrence, are watched diligently and nervously by both sides.
New Kenora----Though a part of the Coalition State of Iron Heart, the former home of Iron Heart Armaments has never been forgotten by the many expatriates now living in exile in the GNE. Though no official diplomatic ties exist with a kingdom that no longer exists, the GNE does funnel funds and information to the small resistance cells in the city, that haven’t given in to the Coalition overlords. Many ex-Kenorans speak of one day returning to liberate the city, and restore it to its former glory, most likely with strong ties to the GNE, but for now this, unfortunately, remains a distant prospect.
Northern Gun---Once on close terms, Northern Gun and Paladin Steel have grown into increasingly bitter enemies as the latter’s economic prosperity came at the expense of NG market monopolies. The large number of Iron Heart Industries refugees who make up a substantial portion of PS’s engineering staff, and who feel that Northern Gun was one of those companies who profited from the CS invasion of their former homeland, also adds to the tension. This has led to some strain within Northern Gun, as some executives advocate stronger ties with the Coalition States(as GAW has done) to offset the loss of profits, others are advocating negotiations with PS(but not an alliance), in order to gain back part of the anti-CS, and the growing GNE, marketshare. The latter group advocates easing back on hard-liner bans on PS products, and in throttling back on the current negative publicity campaign launched by NG to discredit PS, and in reaching some sort of common promotion and repair contract treaty. The hard-liners, on the other hand, have reached out to smaller companies like Chipwell, and have even considered approaching Cyberworks and Wilks, as prelude to forming a ‘counter-alliance’ of the older, established, companies in defiance of PS and its Corporate Alliance.
Wilks, Wellington Arms, and Bandito Arms----All of these companies have, at one time or other, been in competition with the PS corporate alliance, or still are. However, the heads of these companies by and large understand that competition is part of the game. While all three companies still compete for many of the same markets(especially small arms) as PS, send industrial spies to PS facilities, and conduct trade with avowed PS/GNE enemies like Northern Gun and Free Quebec, at the same time, they also have a number of contracts and treaties with PS. For example, PS pays licensing fees for their copies of Wilks lasers, and Wilks will repair any laser systems on PS hardware that people bring in. Still, a number of Bandito Arms administrators can’t forget that one of the influential geniuses who helped contribute to PS’s success, with his legacy of pre-Rifts technological secrets, the late Victor Canth of the defunct Eastern Armaments, was once one of THEIR geniuses. Wellington Arms, which has recently been in thick with Coalition-subsidized Chipwell, has been under pressure recently for their licensing of their exploding ammunition and mine designs to PS, and may be reconsidering the terms of their agreement.
Kingsdale----PS arms shipments, humanitarian aid, and GNE ‘military advisors’ have kept this small kingdom afloat for over a decade, and turned a Coalition walkover into a bitter brush war. Though some of the debt has been paid with the licensing of lucrative nanotech and cybernetics designs to Paladin Steel, PS has forgone many of its bills for the material shipped to the Kingsdale people, for which the Kingsdalers have been most grateful. So far, innovative tactics and advanced hardware have kept the Coalition from walking over Kingsdale, but with events in Free Quebec and Tolkeen taking a bad turn, many GNErs fear that the Coalition will turn its full attention to the thorn in its backside and strike against tiny Kingsdale. This has prompted many humanitarian groups in the GNE to sponsor evacuation flights of civilians(particularly children) on returning smuggler transports, and the GNE has advised the Kingsdale militia to prepare for a prolonged guerilla war, with the establishment of weapons and supply caches across the region and northern Texas.
Golden Age Weaponsmiths----Corporate rivals of Paladin Steel. Constant industrial espionage between these two companies who dabble in pre-Rifts designs has led to a considerably-sized logbook of bad blood incidents; PS blames GAW for trying to sabotage their development of New Bath, while GAW points at the number of systems given to them by the Coalition(for shipbuilding projects) that subsequently showed up being produced by PS. As both companies often produce their own versions of the same vehicles and weapons systems, there is considerable competition(and animosity) between the two.
Stormspire----PS’s own production of TW weapons and systems, such as the Multiplexor, has put it in market competition with this kingdom. However, Stormspire remains confident that they can easily best ‘those tinkertoy wizard-wannabes’ in any real fight for market share. However, just to be on the safe side, each company has sent spies into the other’s regions to look out for any developments.
Federation of Magic---No dealings between the FoM and the GNE, mostly due to a lack of any one reliable central government in which to do business, and major philosophical differences between the two groups. Even the moderate FoM members are disgusted by what they perceive as the ‘bastardization’ of magic in PS and the GNE alliance into another ‘production run economic commodity’, and the rest of the FoM the GNE would just as well have shot for their activities. In fact, PS makes plenty of money selling armaments to communities and groups in the region for defense against lunatic cultists and rampaging demons. King Dunscon despises PS(though he pretty much despises EVERYTHING that doesn’t hail him as a god, and on a rating of despising from 1 to 10, Paladin Steel stands at a lukewarm 5 or 6), and has promoted a campaign of negative PR against them among magic-users, promoting the nations of the PS corporate alliance as unsympathetic to the cause of magic-users, and hopes to begin developing terrorist cells within the states, for eventual use, but for now he has bigger, and more immediate, fish to fry, like Tolkeen, the Coalition, and Dwoermer. In the meantime, he’ll cheerfully fan the flames of contention between Tolkeen’s remaining hardliners and GNE, and continue to promote the image of the GNE alliance as ‘techno-fascists motivated by greed and control’. In general, Dunscon figures once he wipes out the Coalition States, petty little techno-kingdoms like the GNE will be a cakewalk for his minions to conquer.
MercTown---The GNE is on VERY good terms with this Tennessee-based kingdom, built on mercenary contracts, although Merctown stands firmly by its independence from any regional power. PS finds the city an excellent place to do business, sell hardware, recruit field-testers, and shop for promising technologies. The GNE likes the place because one can not only hire mercenaries there, but also gather reliable information on who can be trusted and who bears watching, as well as sample the mood in the mercenary community(usually a good tip-off on where the next hotspot is likely to be). PS/GNE maintains a large compound and several shops/recruiting stations in the city.
Psyscape----The GNE has HEARD tales about this city of psychics, but has seen little hard evidence to confirm its existence. The idea of an alliance with such a kingdom would be attractive, but so would alliance with a lot of other mythical kingdoms. For now, all the GNE Diplomatic Corps can do is keep their ears tuned for more information.
Soul Harvest---The GNE has enough intelligence and warnings from its own psychics to know that SOMETHING foul is going on in the general area of Pennsylvania/North Carolina(a rather large region of uncertainty), and several Horror Hunter teams have disappeared, or else survivors have turned up insane, and of little use to the authorities. If the GNE were to learn the particulars about Nxla, there would likely be a knee-jerk Coalition-style reaction to simply carpet bomb the region into wasteland, as the GNE has not yet made any effort to create a ‘psychic warfare corps’, but has rather tried to integrate its psychics into the ranks of its Regular Army.
Cyberworks---Another company in market share competition with PS. PS is confident that in good time Cyberworks will go under, or else consolidate their holdings with Northern Gun and Manistique, making them a bigger target for PS trade practices. Unbeknownst to anyone in the GNE, however, ARCHIE-3 and Hagan have been snooping on PS, the GNE, and their affiliates through infiltrators, surveillance drones, and data taps on communications. What conclusions the two secret plotters will ultimately draw, and what action they will eventually take, remains to be seen, as ARCHIE-3 feels that they do not yet have enough information for a definite course of action. GNE opposition to the Splugorth, and their apparent affiliation with the powers(The ZOT) that humbled the Splugorth during the Great Smackdown, have given ARCHIE-3 pause. The GNE and its industrial might would make a fabulous addition to A3’s powerbase, but they’d have to acknowledge him and Hagan as their supreme leaders, and right now ARCHIE-3 doesn’t know how he’d get them to do that without a vicious war whose outcome would be uncertain. However, the megalomania of both ARCHIE-3 and Hagan is such that they could never see themselves as even nominally subservient allies to a greater Alliance when they could be god-kings instead. Of course, the emergence of the Ecotroz Shemar, the Shemarrian Civil War, and the apparent growing friendliness of the EShemar has upset many of A3 and Hagan’s plans. The two have toyed with the idea of trying to manipulate the GNE into taking care of the problem for them, by causing trouble within the GNE and making it appear as if it was the work of EShemar terrorists, then having loyal Shemarrians approach the GNE government openly and asking their help in exterminating the ‘rogues’. Unfortunately the few Shemarrians tasked with probing attacks to see if this idea is feasible and gauge the GNE’s reaction have disappeared off ARCHIE-3’s grid. While no word has been heard of them, and the two conspirators believe the ‘bots have self-destructed, there is the small and disturbing chance the operatives have been captured and turned, and may have blabbed their part in the plan to their captors. ARCHIE-3 and Hagan have thus shelved their plan while they attend to shoring up their own defenses and consolidating their power base closer to home(including moving that home to a more secure location).
The Republicans----The Republicans are divided on the GNE...for some the GNE represents a part of what they’ve been aiming for all along; a prosperous unified society that has managed to hold its own in the face of overwhelming odds...For others, it is an aberrant, overly tolerant society that embraces aliens and alien technologies, and wrongly clothes it in the language and traditions of the old United States, laying claim to a heritage and legacy they have not, at least in the Republicans’ opinion, EARNED. Deciding what to do about the GNE may be the single greatest divisive issue to face the Republicans; some fear the PS/GNE alliance is growing too fast, and blame early efforts by fellow Republican ‘king makers’ for taking actions they may come to regret, while other Republicans want to openly embrace the GNE, and recruit their help in recapturing ARCHIE-3 and toppling Chi-Town. For now, they sit back and wait while the GNE opposes both the Splugorth and the Coalition, all the while using the GNE as a base of many of their operations(several Irregular units in the GNE are in fact Republican formations). Some of the Republican leadership are debating cluing the GNE to the existence of ARCHIE-3, and seeing what happens.
MadHaven---If the Hudson were still open all the way to the sea, it would be an ideal route for PS to get goods up and down the East Coast. As it is, MadHaven nixes that deal....PS and the GNE have mounted several ambitious efforts to chart and map the city in the past; most were lucky to get away with their lives. Since then, the GNE has only mounted quick get-in-out missions to specific targets they could see from the air, and only in clear weather. That having been said, PS and the GNE actually carry on a fair amount of trade with the natives of the haunted city; the Beastmen are quietly trading with the New Englanders at a trading post just outside the city limits...What was once the town of Ossining on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, some distance below the GNE garrison at West Point, is now a modest trading post. The village-sized outpost has a small year-round mixed population(about 300 people) of both GNE merchant-shopkeepers and several Madhaven mutants. PS/GNE runs a small stockaded and bunkered fort/keep, and gunboats from up the river patrol and escort merchant barges downriver. The mutants come up from Madhaven, typically ducking through the feared and supposedly haunted Sleepy Hollow wilderness with their trade goods, usually driving a variety of reconditioned vehicles(including boats and armored vehicles), though some of the hardier mutants have been known to run the distance up to Ossining. The bunker-keep watches over a walled area of permanent structures(year-round housing and storage) and a larger fenced area, where caravans and trailers can pull in and set up temporary shop. Among the few permanent amentities in the trading post is a fusion powerplant, water filtration/treatment facility, Kaliber’s(a gun/weapon shop that deals primarily in PS-made products, but also sells other second-hand weapons, as well as offering repairs to arms and armor), Escola’s Clinque(a husband-wife bodyfixer and mystic healer who do everything from dentistry to field surgery), and Manhatten Hammer(a garage and smithy run by several particularly adventrous Beastmen who like to tinker). The trading post also sees a fair amount of business from the Shermarrians and other d-bees. Coming in is free to anybody who wants to drive, ride, or run in, though the trading post does charge a small service fee if traders are hooking up to the power grid and water system. There’s little magic or psionics openly practiced in the Ossining trading post; the mutants are as wary and contemptuous of it as they are back in Madhaven. Another similar post exists across the river, near what used to be New City. This trading post is primarily dominated and administered by the Indians, though there is some GNE presence there. The Madhaveners trade for weapons, armor, spare parts, and electronics, in exchange for pre-Rifts artifacts they’re willing to part with, salvage from other less-fortunate parties into Mad Haven, and information on various monsters, d-bees, and other powers sniffing around the city. Among the biggest items the mutants trade for are megadamage concrete, rebar, mesh, and construction materials, the better to line and reinforce their tunnels from Ruin Worms. They’re also interested in various control methods developed by Paladin Steel for dealing with Ruin Worms and Ruin Rats, both types of vermin have been encountered in PS’s exploration and expansion into other ruined cities, such as the Boston region(the Cambridge Jungle natives, for instance, have battled the Ruin Worms for the better part of a century). There are rumors of an Irregular Unit calling itself the First New York Company operating with the Greater New England military; allegedly the 1st New York is made up of Madhaven mutants. Naturally, the Knights of the Order of the White Rose use the GNE trade missions and trading posts to acquire materials and information for their own activities. The MadHaven mutants still regard themselves as the superior lifeforms of course, an attitude that occasionally manifests during their negotiations with the outsiders. The GNErs take no offense at this; a certain Nor’East bemusement with the ways of New Yorkers having been passed down even through the Dark Ages to the current day. The Ossining trading post is one of the few places where the Mutants of Madhaven have constant or regular ‘outside’ friends(who don’t go insane and become a threat), though, understandably, the Mutants don’t invite their new friends to come visit them in their home.
Shemarrians/Ecotroz Shemar (Personal Note: Depending on how one wants to expand/limit PS and the GNE, as well as the Ecotroz Shemar if they want to use them, PS/GNE’s relationship with the Shemarrian Nation can vary). Shemmarian Nation---The GNE regards the Shemarrian Nation much as it does the Amerindians; with cautious respect. The Shemarrians will come and go as they please, and will try to dictate where the GNE and PS can go, with mixed results. For the most part, PS and the GNE avoids contact with the Shemarrian Nation, but they figure it’s only a matter of time before some sort of decisive event takes place(this is especially true of a more canon-Rifts Earth, where PS and the VFS are small and relatively weak; ARCHIE-3 and Hagan will use their Shemarrian proxies to spy on the newcomers and curb their growth, When they’re ready and confident of success, they’ll find an excuse to unleash the Shemarrians on the VFS. Ecotroz Shemar----In a setting where PS/GNE is more dominant, ARCHIE-3 is being held in check by the rising of the technoviral entity/entities known as the Ecotroz Shemar, who are converting the Shemarrians into free-willed psiborgs. The Shemarrian Nation(or at least what ARCHIE-3 can confidently claim to control) has been pushed down into Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. The Horrorwoods and Skullcrusher clans remain 100% loyal, while the Hawkmoon, Wolf’s Path, and Ghost Rider clans are engaged in what amounts to civil war, losing members to Ecotroz conversion. Aside from a few individuals who are being hunted down, the Darkwaters, Silvermoon, and Blood Riders have been completely assimilated. The unconverted Shemarrians tend to be hostile towards the GNE, but aren’t mounting any sort of major campaign against PS and GNE, only attacking targets of opportunity. The Ecotroz Shemar, on the other hand, are rather more friendly towards PS and the GNE, but on their own terms, trading and hiring on with PS/GNE crews as they will. They are allowed to come and go, like the Amerindians or gypsies, in the open wildernesses between GNE communities, and generally cause no trouble(aside from the occasional missing robot). The Ecotroz are known to rally alongside GNE militia and GNEAS forces whenever the Splugorth, Horune, or other similar monstrous forces threaten the NorthEast, so it isn’t unusual to see Shemar cavalry turning out alongside GNEAS armored in response to an attack.
Finton---Along with hundreds of other smaller communities throughout Eastern Seaboard North America, Finton is likely to be one of the towns PS agents will reach. While Lord Frommalaine will be suspicious of the outsiders, and demand(as usual) that they behave themselves, the GNErs will set up regular trade with the Fintoners and the town will be a regular stop for GNE and PS caravans traveling through the region. Should Finton come under attack by the Horune or Splugorth, the GNEAS will definitely reinforce the Finton town militia(the GNE Air Force has a detailed layout of the area and can quickly send air strike aircraft, to be followed up by paratroopers if required).
Ireland----PS does some trade with Dublin, but more importantly has a small airfield and embassy, which allows them to gather intelligence data on Europe, and transfer material and personnel, using the Dublin facility as a stopover. PS’s continued support of the Sidhe Liberation Army and their anti-Splugorth operations has stood them in good stead with the local faerie communities overseas. The British Isles New Camelot----Some trade, and a small embassy. King Arr’thuu would like to pursue a more open and closer relationship with the North Americans, including a military alliance, but has stood back on the advice of Mrrlyn, who has reservations about dealing with the foreigners. The Eternal City----The Eternal City has been most receptive to PS and GNE’s commercial overtures, and trade is booming between the two nations! Local Farnborough Air, the City’s own industrial powerhouse, has enthusiastically entered into a partnership with their counterparts across the Atlantic, trading designs and technology. The GNE maintains a large embassy in the City, and PS have several large warehouses near the airport, as well as a large outlet shop selling GNE products.
The New German Republic----Though there hasn’t been any shooting, the situation between the GNE and the NGR can best be described as a ‘cold war’, in part due to each other’s backing of opposing sides, and mutual corporate espionage. The current situation has been described as being akin to that of Spain and Portugal during the Age of Exploration. The GNE’s relations with the New Roman Republic and Dantegard have also upset Triax, but as long as the NGR has the Gargoyles and Brodkil to deal with, they can’t do much beyond protest and trade diplomatic barbs. Triax still retains an embassy in Burlington, but aside from its Ambassador constantly issuing critical remarks, the facility is well known by locals as a front for NGR Intelligence and Triax’s corporate espionage departments. Triax and Paladin Steel are also engaged in a trade territory war, each seeking to build a better and farther reaching network of trade, similar to the early Dutch and Portuguese trade empires of the Age of Exploration. Triax is aware of PS’s space activities and would very much like to find out how those upstarts in North America succeeded where the mighty Triax machines failed....
The New Roman Republic---Close trade allies, despite the distance between them, who have cooperated on several occasions on military operations against pirates on their trade routes. The two have also cooperated on opening new trade routes across Europe, the support of various anti-Gargoyle factions in France, and actions against the Phoenix Empire. Some of the dyed-in-the-wool Republicans of the NRR are a little uncomfortable with dealing with what is essentially a corporate state, but enough of their own Senators are major industrial barons in industries serving major government contract needs, that they can’t complain too loudly.
Dantegard(original)---Dantegard is a small, but growing, kingdom in northern Spain(in the Pyranees) that is controlled by giants, predominantly a core of Nimro, with a large population of humans(and human-like D-bees) who have sworn allegiance to the giants in return for protection. Though far from a democracy, the kingdom is still fairly peaceful, people are well-treated, and the leadership honest, law-abiding, and tolerant of others. Dantegard is on good terms with both the NRR and GNE, but has been engaged in near-constant warfare with Blood Druids, Gargoyles(in France), and other monstrous races, and has had several skirmishes with Triax-backed forces. Triax has charged PS with supplying Dantegard with modified G-10 power armor frames and other hardware, obstensively in order to protect themselves against gargoyle, brodkil, and human aggression, but also to oppose the NGR. Rumors of the giants and their human vassals/allies supplying PS with stolen and salvaged Triax technology further fan the flames of dispute between the two nations.
Russia----PS/GNE has sent a few diplomatic and trade missions, staging them from Poland and Scandinavia, to Russia, lured by rumors of fabulous bionic technology. The few pieces of battlefield salvage the exploration teams have sent back have whet the engineers’ appetites for more, but the political analysts aren’t favoring any rush to make trade alliances until they have a better idea of who they can trust, but already PS is becoming sucked into the local political muddle. The Sovietski looks promising, but the hard-liners of that nation are leery of ‘Western imperialists’, no matter what they are offering, especially if it involves trading weapons technology. One team(the biggest) has already made rather promising contact with Warlord Seriyev, who has been happily feeding the foreigners misinformation about the rest of Russia, and parading his ‘new friends’ out in the open when he knows the Sovietski, and his rivals, are watching, and has introduced them to Warlord Burgasov. Another team has made recent contact with Warlord Romanov, though they have yet to gain an audience with the great Lady(who is already perturbed by reports from her spies in Burgasov’s camp). Several teams sent to the Caspian region have disappeared; the remains of one were confirmed sighted on pikes outside one of Warlord Sokolov’s camps(earning him the ‘Big X’ as a possible regional ally), while another team has lost its long range communications, and are currently running for their lives through the Russian wilderness, chased by Sokolov and Orloff’s hunters.
Columbia----GNE is aware of the Coalition’s interest in this region, and has dispatched its own agents to the region. Rather than attempt to infiltrate the country, GNE has openly approached the Colombians with a diplomatic delegation. Though initially greeting the delegation with suspicion, owing to the Coalition’s propaganda, the Colombians have decided to humor GNE by allowing them to set up an embassy. Currently relations are cool, given the Colombians’ human-bias(GNE has selected a Dwarf as ambassador), but GNE has offered to show and share anti-vampire weapons technology with the Colombians. The cold war between the Coalition and the GNE embassies, however, is quite hot, with numerous espionage and counterespionage ploys taking place between the two staffs.
Lagarto---The Cult of Dragonwright and the Kingdom of Lagarto are a thorn in the side of efforts to increase the flow of trade to South America. The recent civil war in Amazonia has presented GNE with many opportunities to return the favor, and PS is currently supplying a number of smaller kingdoms in the region with weapons and hardware; most notably the lizardman/reptiloid kingdom of EnGahula, to help oppose the Lagartists and Dragonwrightists.
Cibola---Inyxx and his minions are aware that the GNE traders cruising off his shores are somehow connected to the ZOT legions who have invaded his realm and divided his moneymaking drug industry. Currently, Inyxx is trying to find out more about the connection, but his resources and attention are stretched by the war in Amazonia, the ZOT occupation squatting on his front yard, and the tensions between Omagua and the Golden City.
New Babylon/Silver River Republics---Limited trade, hampered by increasing aggression on the part of Lagarto in disrupting the trade routes. What contacts there have been with the peoples of New Babylon have been cordial, friendly, and promising for future trade, and some technology exchange has already taken place. The Achilles Republic would LOVE to have increased access to GNE technology and armaments in their problems with Cordoba, but Italo Industries has evinced considerable distrust of the ‘NorteAmericanos’ muscling in on their affairs and markets. New Babylon is particularly interested in GNE magic- and psionics research, and the recent arrival of a New Babylonian diplomatic entourage in Burlington still has the town buzzing(this, despite one Amaki diplomat’s rather uncomplimentary appraisal of the local party scene as ‘a bunch of workaholic busybodies who act as if fun were a rationed commodity’, shortly before he got in a fight with a drunken Tundra Ranger delegate).
The Inca Empire---Limited contact; GNE has heard rumors and tales about this powerful nation and its god-rulers, and a few PSW and CTE ships have gone along the kingdom’s coast during the Pacific War, but any contact is more likely to be through PSW or CTE assets, rather than GNE personnel. Any contact between the Incas and the North Americans is likely to be cool, however, owing to the distrust of the Incas for the ‘Northern meddlers’ and the GNEers’ distrust of the Inca gods. Should the Arkhons ever succeed in mounting any terrorist actions against GNE on North American soil, however, the GNE is likely to push for an alliance in pushing the Arkhons off the planet, though this effort, even if pushed through to signing, would be hampered by the Colombians and vampire kingdoms of Central America.
Megaversal Legion---The GNE and PS have heard about these super-powerful mercenaries with ties to Old America, primarily through their New Babylon contacts, but have yet to have any formal contact with them. Paladin Steel has asked that if any of their field agents to South America have an opportunity to visit the Legion’s lands, they should do so, but as PS doesn’t smell potential profit in follow-up trade, they aren’t making it a priority.
The New Navy---PS has tried to court a formal alliance with the New Navy for well over a decade, with limited success. Kera-Tech and the CTE have been most successful, with trade, repair port, and military defense treaties that proved invaluable during the Pacific War. Paladin Steel would love to score a large contract with the New Navy since it would represent, in the words of company historian Michael Redfern, ‘the first Paladin Steel contract for the United States Armed Forces in over two hundred years’. Politically, such an alliance would legitimize the claims of the Expansionist and Renewal parties in the GNE that the GNE and PS represent the ‘restoration of global civilization’, and are the heirs to the North American superpowers. Despite efforts on the part of the GNE to represent themselves as part of a Restored United States, however, the large percentage of non-humans in GNE, and the continued aggression between them and the Coalition States has kept the New Navy from becoming anything other than a casual acquaintance with PS/VFS/GNE.
Japan----Most of the GNE’s contact with the nations of this distant land has been through Kera-Tech and the CTE, but the GNE is eager to pursue trade and technology exchanges. To this end, they have dispatched sizable trade and diplomatic teams to gather information, get the political lay of the land, and line up clients and allies. At first, the GNE strongly favored a formal alliance with the Otomo Shogunate, seeing in the tech-power a kindred spirit; a nation that had survived the Dark Ages by sheer bloodyminded persistence and self-reliance, but recent information uncovered from Horune ships during the recent Pacific War has led PS to suspect that the Shogunate is up to no good, with regards to the island of Takamatsu. Though lacking any hard evidence of wrongdoing to present to Japanese authorities, PS has scaled back its contacts with the Shogunate, and transferred most of its attention to Takamatsu. For now, PS has a wait and see attitude with the Shogunate, who have taken the withdrawal as an out-and-out snub. Relations with the New Empire are just as chilly, but for different reasons. The traditionalistic, caste-conscious, anti-technology Empire see the foreign, technological, socially-liberal North Americans as unwelcome reminders of what caused the Coming of the Rifts....disrespectful, foreign, barbarians to be avoided for their deadly clumsiness and infatuation with their toys of mass destruction...at worst, the North Americans are the vanguard of another invasion, as unwelcome as any oni. The New Empire does receive PS delegations, but since both sides don’t take guff from the other, talks are generally short, curt, and unproductive. Interestingly enough, though, New Empire merchants do a substantial amount of trade with PS traders through Takamatsu, mainly in magical components and herbal medicines(trade going both ways). The New Republic is a different story. To the GNE, the Republic represents a treasure trove of pre-Rifts technology, records, and the people who know how it all works, as well as an already primed market for their own goods. To the Republic, the PSers are a welcome connection to the old global economy, a source of information about the rest of the world, and a source of innovative post-Rifts technology. It frankly amuses the old-timer Republicans what the Americans have become, and how much of the ‘classic America’ they have lost...Trade is brisk between the two. The only real downside is that many of the New Republic’s corporations are starting to see the Americans as potential rivals, especially if PS goes ahead with plans to start selling heavy equipment in the Japanese Islands. Ichto Province is a wild card...PS does trade with them, but the PSers have learned enough about the local situation that they don’t think much of Ichto’s claims that they can do it alone. PS would like to see a federation similar to PS themselves arise in Japan, but if Otomo and Ichto are stubborn, such an alliance is unlikely to be born, and disaster may follow... Takamatsu is currently PS’s ‘Gateway to the Orient’, and PS has several large trade complexes, cargo transfer stations, and a large embassy on the island. In Takamatsu, GNE merchants and agents can move about openly and freely, and meet with agents and merchants of the other nations to negotiate deals far from the eyes of their governments. Vermonters feel right at home in the freewheeling, friendly, energetic culture of Takamatsu. The GNE has begun negotiating with the government to build several factories to produce PS products under license, and to provide the islanders with military equipment(including a metric-scaled version of the PSA-11 power armor). Since the breakdown of negotiations with Otomo, however, the GNE has substantially beefed up its security contingent in Takamatsu, including a large ‘military advisor staff’, corporate intelligence agents, and mercantile security force. The GNE hopes to station a warship or two(terrestrial GMR or spacecraft-type) to better insure the safety of PS interests in the region, but diplomats fear such a move could easily be misinterpreted as a sign of belligerence, and could alienate the New Empire and New Republic, or tip the Otomo Shogunate that the PSers know something.
Australia----Most of the contact with Australia has been through GNE’s long range scout missions, who have set up a few small outposts that do some small scale marketing and prospecting, but nothing serious. Much of the continent is still largely unexplored/surveyed by GNE, but initial reports aren’t too promising for any large-scale trade missions or alliances(the initial reports rather bleakly paint a picture of a country that’s just too poor to make a profit from). Tentative contact has been made with the twin techno-cities, but the contact missions were either given the bum’s rush by the isolationist communities, or else were shot at as soon as they got within range of the city defenses. Not promising at all...
The Splugorth----Since the Day of Wrath the Alliance has been an embarrassment and a thorn in the side of Splynncryth for nearly a decade now, and the booming cities of the GNE an insult and a opportunity he’d very much like to take advantage of and wipe from the face of the Earth as an object lesson...but for the rumors and hints that the forces that laid him low the first time may well still be protecting the alliance. Having been proven vulnerable once, Splynncryth is aware that should he become engaged in a war with his smaller neighbor, he may find himself under attack from another quarter by opportunists and other rivals.
The Horune---Alliance and Horune ships attack each other on sight! No quarter asked or given....
The Arkhons----Bitter enemies in the greater Solar System, competing for dominance, the Arkhons and the GNE have only recently come to blows on Earth, as Arkhon terrorist teams have recently arrived in North America to attack PS’s Earthborne sites and populations.
Freedom Station---Initially hostile to the presence of the Alliance with many conflicts breaking out between the two, in the wake of the Dreadnought Crisis relations have mellowed somewhat between the two. PS’s decision to acknowledge the authority of the High Court maintained by Freedom Station in Orbital domestic disputes and trade negotiations has mollified the FS population somewhat, but hasn’t sat very well with many GNE High Space merchants, who feel that the High Court is under the influence of the Orbital corporations, and will arbitrate in favor of Orbital concerns over Earthside ones in commercial matters. At least Freedom Station Glitterboys and PSA-11S SpaceGuards are no longer shooting at each other...
Outcast Station----PS has worked to better relations with the superpowered mutants of the Outcast Sation, offering good trade terms, jobs, and accommodations without prejudice or shape-bias. There are still those who feel that the ‘dirtsiders’ haven’t done enough to pursue a war against the CAN Republic, and Outcast pirates continue to harass GNE-affiliated shipping, but by and large the Outcasts are on good terms with PS/GNE.
Yuro Station----The various factions of Yuro Station have rallied in the wake of the Arkhons and the Dreadnought Crisis, and have come together in several cooperative projects, though there are still many nationalistic disagreements. Relations with PS/GNE are cool, with some limited trade taking place, while the Yuros wait to see what trouble the Earthsiders bring to the Orbital community and whether or not they want to welcome the Terrans into their high circles.
CAN Republic------ Cold War...As long as the war with the Arkhons is dividing the attention of the Orbitals and PS/GNE, the CAN Republic has not pursued any major hostilities, but were the Arkhon threat to be neutralized, the stockpiles of hoarded war material and robotic troops are likely to be set loose on the Republic’s old Orbital rivals and the ‘invaders from Earth’.
Laika Station----The damage wrought on Laika Station by the Dreadnought has forced Laika Station to polarize and affiliate itself more closely with the CAN Republic, and against the GNE. Growing economic competition from the expanding PS shipyards has only further poisoned the Laikans’ attitudes towards the PSers, who they blame for being responsible for the Dreadnought Crisis.
Outdimension----Through its own Project Outstep and allies, the GNE and PS have made tentative contact with well over fifty other dimensions/worlds through dimensional Rifts. For the most part, these contacts have been fleeting, often with only casual contact. PS/GNE exploration teams typically check to see if any natives pose a threat, and steer clear of threatening situations, often retreating back home altogether, rather than stick around if there’s imminent danger, like hostile locals, rampaging demons, radiation contamination, or alien plague. When the natives are friendly, and more often than not, technologically inferior, to the explorers, tentative contacts have been set up, and some trade already begun, especially if the locality has technology or resources of value to PS/GNE. There has also been the loan of ‘security services’ in some cases to assist their new allies. Mostly, however, PS and the GNE concentrate their outdimension work on a dozen or so uncontested world-planes where they can set up mining and limited manufacturing operations(typically no more than 200-300 personnel at maximum), shipping back materials that are hard to find back home.
Phaseworld---The GNE and PS have heard about Phaseworld, a dimensional marketplace that seems to have an affinity for Rifts Earth travelers. In fact, with the aid of friendly Shifters(!), several trade/exploration teams have made the trip to the place. Though their returned reports were rather spotty, and conveyed much of the perceptions of backcountry goobers suddenly thrust into the Big City, they have learned of the appetites of Galactics for Rifts Earth weaponry. PS realizes both the promise and the dangers of dealing in such a marketplace, especially after learning of the expanse of the potential consumer base, and the most likely competition. Currently, PS has no plans to try to go all-out extra-dimensional in the Three Galaxies, but limited trade and information-gathering is okay, especially information about companies that may have interests in Earth. PS is particularly interested in the Naruni Enterprises/Hartigal Enterprises couplet----the former because of their previous involvement on Earth, and the latter because of their breakaway and sales policies. PS MIGHT have approached Hartigal at an earlier time to try to negotiate trade for high tech weapons, but the Executive Board has reasoned that in such a relationship, it would only be a matter of time before Hartigal began knocking off PS and Alliance designs without permission(some recent reports state that this has ALREADY happened, and PS officials are eager to discover who’s Hartigal’s Earthside contact); the two companies are just too much alike in that respect. Furthermore, such a relationship would attract the unwelcome attention of the Naruni, and involve the lowly Earthers in a corporate war on the Narunis’ home turf. For now, the trade and exploration of extradimensional space, and of the Three Galaxies in particular, through the Outstep Program, is mostly a PS/Alliance affair, and a relatively minor one, as both PS and the GNE have more important matters closer to home to worry about.
Last edited by taalismn on Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Heard you the first time...what did I tell ya about shouting? Good collection of armored cars there, but actually I based the "Sand Demon' on a diecast toy I have as a paperweight...apparently wanting to keep a product line going, the makers took the turret and body of an existing King Tiger toy and replaced the treads with wide-span wheels and a rubber tread making it a dune-buggy half-track...Soon as I return to the home office and turn the paperweight over to see who made it(might have been Matchbox, Tonka, or Hot Wheels, or somebody else), I'll see if there's a listing and image out there for reference-linking. Toy companies are strange like that...Apparently there's a company called Big (or Slick) Lizard in China that makes bodyboards...and one of their ideas was apparently to pitch to the puberty-hitting anime-otaku male consumer audience, if the art of a naked winged female elf on one of their boards is any indication. Go figure.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Heard you the first time...what did I tell ya about shouting? Good collection of armored cars there, but actually I based the "Sand Demon' on a diecast toy I have as a paperweight...apparently wanting to keep a product line going, the makers took the turret and body of an existing King Tiger toy and replaced the treads with wide-span wheels and a rubber tread making it a dune-buggy half-track...Soon as I return to the home office and turn the paperweight over to see who made it(might have been Matchbox, Tonka, or Hot Wheels, or somebody else), I'll see if there's a listing and image out there for reference-linking. Toy companies are strange like that...Apparently there's a company called Big (or Slick) Lizard in China that makes bodyboards...and one of their ideas was apparently to pitch to the puberty-hitting anime-otaku male consumer audience, if the art of a naked winged female elf on one of their boards is any indication. Go figure.
Heard you the first time...what did I tell ya about shouting? sorry forgot cap lock again N1 buy the way
let your YES be YES and your NO be NO but plz no maybe
Gamer wrote:I'd read all of that but then I wouldn't have enough bread crumbs to get home..
Sorry...PS has been my little puppy grown into a slobbering Great Dane that I keep stuffing with treats. Sometimes it daunts even me, especially when I'm cutting and pasting stats back and forth, or checking what I did already for 'x' or 'y'.
Bring a picnic backpack or stop every now and then for a bite to eat before continuing.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Oh happy day! My Wildstorm Industries was mention in that wall of text that I read from end to end. Makes me happy that I was mentioned even in passing.
The first time I used the Mikes-tanks' one, got an 'available' or 'image stolen' like that. Searched site and find the 'German Prowler'. Then provided picture at photobucket for any who needed it.
The first time I used the Mikes-tanks' one, got an 'available' or 'image stolen' like that. Searched site and find the 'German Prowler'. Then provided picture at photobucket for any who needed it.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Veritas476 wrote:Oh happy day! My Wildstorm Industries was mention in that wall of text that I read from end to end. Makes me happy that I was mentioned even in passing.
Hey, I'm not too full of myself not to mention professional colleagues... and since you mention my stuff, it's only polite of me to return the favor:wink:
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
The first time I used the Mikes-tanks' one, got an 'available' or 'image stolen' like that. Searched site and find the 'German Prowler'. Then provided picture at photobucket for any who needed it.
"Art work, no I do." says caveAbtex working on wall in the dark cave I just did a search. Trying to find the ones that were listed above by you, ZINO. Found a hand full of other ones. They are the first few in my photobucket account. Just up loaded them, no titles yet.
“That self-titled ‘Warlord Gratz HellsSon’ claims he’s come to rule over us all and if we don’t bow and scrape to his all-important slimeyness, he’s going to bury us, and he’s raised an army to do it. He’s already marching here to make good on his threat. Well, if anybody’s going to be doing any burying, it’s us! “
The GraveDigger is a CTRL design that long had teething problems in development. Originally meant as an artillery support ‘missile boat’, the GraveDigger prototypes were initially criticized for having too little in the way of energy weaponry. Subsequent revisions led to an opposite criticism; to make way for an array of particle beam cannons and lasers, too MANY missile systems had been cut from the design, leaving it toothless in the indirect weaponry category it was supposed to fill. Several more attempts to juggle the proportioning of space and mass meant that either there was too little of one type of weaponry and too much of another, or that in order to shave weight and keep under the required operational weight, armor was skimped on and weapons and cooling systems dangerously exposed to damage. Then, in order to compensate for the loss of weight of armor, the subcontractors supplied a new formulation of composite plate that looked promising on paper, but proved brittle under the shock of movement, requiring another four or five changes of design, originally to compensate for the defective armor, then to replace it wholly with another set of new parameters for new types of armor. The original design bureau nearly gave up in disgust, especially when the military began questioning what the role of the prototyped GraveDigger was supposed to be, and it was only political lobbying on the part of the district where the GraveDigger would be manufactured that kept the program from cancellation. FINALLY, the bureau reached a configuration that satisfied everybody, but by then the military had chosen the more versatile and agile HMRSK09 Hammershrike to fill most of the roles the GraveDigger was originally meant for. Still, several hundred GraveDiggers were ultimately manufactured under contract, if not to a great profit to its developers, and the machines almost all shipped to second echelon units and placed in reserves as soon as they strode off the assembly line. When the CTRL made contact with the GNE and PS, and a tech exchange and military hardware sharing program treaty worked out, Corianus saw the opportunity to unload the ‘surplus’ machines on their new trade partners, saving the GraveDigger program from early scrapping. Over two hundred GvD014s have been shipped straight out of mothballs to the GNE, another fifty transferred from Reservist units re-equipping with Hammershrikes, and PS given the machining specs and patterns for spare parts. Grateful for the extra firepower and the huge discount, the GNE accepted the generous shipment of combat machines, putting them to good use shoring up the nation’s defenses. GNE crews have found that the GraveDigger is not an exceptional machine, but a reliable and sturdy one, for all of its problems. PS engineers have also taken it upon themselves to see about modifying the machines, in their own efforts to address some of the problems of the GraveDigger. The GvD014 has a tall, lanky, angular humanoid configuration, with a plethora of seemingly exposed vents, conduits, and casements that belies the actually quite substantial armor the robot carries. Its seemingly thin build, combined with the spade-like shield/thermal cover on its right forearm laser array, as well as the dark gray of the unpainted adamex armor cladding most of the machine, gave it the name of ‘GraveDigger’ (the CTRL name was Vespillo).
Type: PS/CTRL-MCR-GvD014 GraveDigger Class: Medium Combat Robot Crew: 1 MDC/Armor by Location: Main Body 550 Crew Compartment 100 Head 190 Arms(2) 200 each Right Forearm Laser Array 100 Left Forearm SRM Launcher 90 Hands(2) 60 each Right Shoulder SRM Launcher 100 Left Shoulder Particle Beam Cannon 80 Legs(2) 260 each Leg SRM Launchers(2) 100 each Height: 22 ft Width: 11 ft Length: 7.8 ft Weight: 35 tons Cargo: Small space in crew compartment for a survival pack, sidearm(s), and a few small personal possessions. Physical Strength: Robotic P.S. of 40 Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion with 20 year energy life Speed: (Running) 65 MPH (Leaping) Standing jump of 10 ft up/across, running leap of 25 ft up/across (Flying) Not possible (Underwater) Run along the bottom at 6 MPH, maximum depth of 800 ft. Market Cost: 38 million credits Systems of Note: Standard Basic Robot Systems, plus: *Laser Illuminator-----7 mile range, Designates targets for laser-guided munitions/weapons. This allows the GraveDigger to spot for other artillery ‘bots and weapons systems.
Weapons Systems: 1)Medium Range Missiles(1, chest)----The protruding center torso holds a launcher for medium range missiles Range: Varies by Missile Type(Medium Range Missiles) Damage: Varies by Missile Type(Medium Range Missiles) Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-12 Payload: 36
2) Short Range Missiles(4 launchers)----The GraveDigger mounts multiple short range missile launchers; one on the outside of each leg, one over the right shoulder, and one on the left arm. The leg launchers are of note because rather than each missile having its own individual launch cell, the launcher instead is a heavily armored box resembling an oversized automatic weapon clip, and missiles are quickly elevated and fired from the top of the launcher. This requires a thoroughly jam-free reloading and firing system to work correctly, and getting the design to work was part of the hassle getting the GraveDigger to successful production stage. However, CTRL engineers on the GvD program felt that the more complicated launcher system was necessary, as it was less vulnerable to damage given its mounting on the lower legs. In the event of a catastrophic jam or chain fire, the entire launch array can be detached from the leg(and a new one easily bolted on in its place by properly equipped field mechanics). Range: Varies by Missile Type(Short Range Missiles) Damage: Varies by Missile Type(Short Range Missiles) Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6 Payload: 12 SRMs each leg, 10 in the right shoulder, and 12 in the left arm launcher. 46 total.
3) Quad Pulse Laser Array(1, right arm)---The right arm mounts a spade-like ‘shield’, backside of the manipulator wrist, with four medium pulse lasers set in the leading edge. Firing simultaneously in rapid-fire mode, these weapons can do tremendous damage on target, but also overheat rapidly, requiring an extensive cooling jacket assembly fed through conduits from a coolant reservoir in the right shoulder. Despite many redesigns and patches, however, the coolant piping joints tend to leak; though the overall loss of coolant is negligible, the escaping cryogen vapor tends to cascade down the sides of the ‘bot, especially after heavy use of the lasers, and form a low-lying cloud of settling vapor around the GraveDigger. Range: 4,000 ft Damage: 4d6 MD single shot per laser, 1d4x10 MD per pulse burst, 4d4x10 MD for all four lasers firing simultaneously Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: Effectively Unlimited
4)Particle Beam Cannon(1)---Mounted in the left shoulder is a short range particle beam cannon in a ball-mounting. The weapon mounting gives the GraveDigger some extra direct-fire firepower, but gives the machine a somewhat lopsided hunched shoulder look, and one of the criticisms of the weapon is the PBC takes up space that could have been better used for another short range missile launcher. Range: 3,000 ft Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast Rate of Fire: Four times per melee maximum Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Hand to Hand Combat (Use the Basic and Elite Robot Combat Training for the bonuses; no other adjustments) Restrained Punch 1d4MD Full Strength Punch 2d6 MD Power Punch(2 attacks) 4d6 MD Tear/Pry with Hands 1d6 MD Body Block/Tackle 2d6 MD Stomp 2d4 MD Kick 3d8 MD
Options: *Shoulder SRM Launcher Replacement ---Replace the ten-shot SRM launcher on the right shoulder with one of the following: a) ‘Chewer’ 40mm Mortar System----36(6x6)-tube stack-array. Weight: 2,200 lbs for the basic launcher; 2,900 lbs fully loaded, per single launcher Range: 6 miles Damage:(Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to 6 ft blast radius (High Explosive) 1d4x10+3 MD to 1.5 ft blast radius Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-18 Payload: Each barrel holds 5 40-mm projectiles for a total of 180 rds Cost: 60,000 credits
b) Mini-missile Launcher----20 mini-missiles c) Medium Range Missile Launcher---6 missiles d)L-SAM ‘Black Talon’ Launcher Range: 3 miles Damage: 3d4x10 MD to 40 ft blast radius Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2,3, or 4(all) Payload: 12 per launcher Bonus: +5 to strike, and gets TWO attempts to strike the target(agile enough to loop back on a target and try again)
*Forearm Launcher Replacement----Replaces the Left Forearm SRM Launcher with one of the following: a)40mm ‘Metal Storm’ Cannon----Similar to the ‘Chewer’ 40mm Mortar System listed above, but instead of being an indirect-fire weapon, this is a direct fire cannon system with shorter range, but greater payload. Range: 11,000 ft Damage:(Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to 6 ft blast radius (High Explosive) 1d4x10+3 MD to 1.5 ft blast radius Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-18 Payload: Each barrel holds 10 40-mm projectiles for a total of 360 rds Cost: 60,000 credits
b) Slammer Concussion Missiles---Knockoff Triax Weapon, acquired through industrial espionage. Range:(Missiles) 6,000 ft Damage: (Missiles) 2d4x10 MD to 90 ft radius. 88% chance of knock-down(lose 1 APM and Initiative), 65% chance of being stunned(-10 to strike, dodge, parry, and roll, NO Initiative, HALF speed and APMs for 1d4 melees) Payload: 5
c)PS-PTT-M20 Mini-Missile Launchers(4)---One of Paladin Steel’s minor triumphs of reverse-engineering has been the knock-off of the Coalition’s CCT-M20 Missile Rifle,complete down to the light laser, but modified to take advantage of PS’s advancements in lighter weight composites and ceramics. Four PTT-M20 launchers, complete with light lasers, are clustered on the arm, ready to fire. Range:(Mini-Missiles) Varies by Missile Type(usually about 1 mile) (Laser) 2,000 ft Damage:(Mini-Missiles)Varies by Missile Type (Laser) 2d6 MD per blast (8d6 MD for all four lasers firing simultaneously) Rate of Fire:(Mini-Missiles) Volleys of 1, 2, or 4 (or up to 16 missiles from all four launchers firing simultaneously!) (Laser) ECHH Payload:(Mini-Missiles)20 per launcher(10 per launch tube) (80 mini-missiles total between all four launchers!) (Laser) Effectively Unlimited
d)Copperhead Anti-Tank Missile Pod---Uses PS ‘smart’ armor killers for more accurate fire. Range: 1 mile Damage: Armor-piercing:2d4x10 MD, no blast radius Rate of Fire:Volleys of 1,2,3, 4, or 5 Payload: 20 Bonuses: +5 to strike
e) Pulse Laser Arm---Replaces the missile launchers altogether in favor of a bundle of three PS-AWD-RFL-4s------Based on the Mechanoid Exterminator Rapid-Fire Laser Cannon---Short range, but unlimited payload, and hellacious damage. Range: 2,000 ft Damage: 2d6 MD single blast 1d4x 10+ 6 MD quadruple blast 3d4x10+18 MD for all three cannons firing simultaneously Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Variants: *MCR-GvD014C---A variant that acted on the suggestion of many critics concerning the left shoulder PBC. The weapon has been removed and a 10-shot short range missile launcher installed in its place. The CTR engineers made provision for the particle beam cannon to be carried externally in the left arm in a gunpod(45 MDC) slung outboard, but the weapon they used was never very satisfactory in the role and prone to being damaged easily. Paladin Steel engineers replaced the long barreled PBC with one of their own weapons, in a more heavily armored pod (100 MDC) with its own power supply. Range was extended to 4,000 ft.
*MCR-GvD014D---A Paladin Steel modification that fits the GraveDigger with advanced stealth systems, nicknamed the ‘Shroud’. *Stealth Systems---Thermal baffling and the use of radar-absorbant materials in the hull reduce the bot’s chance of being spotted on long range sensors by -70% *Sensor Jamming---An active, manned system that gives a 30%+operator’s ECM bonus chance of jamming enemy radar, including radar guided munitions and missiles. Effective range of 5 miles.
*MCR-GvD014E----Nicknamed the ‘Cremator’, this version replaces the left shoulder PBC with a heavy plasma cannon, and sheathes the ‘mech in heat-refractive armor. -Heat-Refractive Armor; megadamage heat and plasma do HALF damage. 1)Heavy Plasma Cannon(left shoulder)---Adapted from PS’s PPR-3 Serap Heavy Plasma Projector. The weapon also has the option of firing ‘hot shots’ of deuterium-enriched plasma feeding from a pressure cylinder Range:(Plasma Stream) 3,000 ft (Plasma Bolt) 2,000 ft Damage:(Plasma Stream) 1d6x10 MD per blast to an 8 ft blast area* *Can be increased by 50% with a ‘hot shot’ injection of deuterium gas (Plasma Bolt) 1d4x10 MD to 8 ft blast radius Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH Payload: Effectively Unlimited Deuterium Gas Reservoir has enough gas under pressure for 80 shots.
*MCR-GvD014F---Experimental air-defense machine that mounts a redesigned head with provision for an extra crewmember/systems operator, extra radar and long range sensor gear, replaces the strips out the shoulder SRM and PBC mounts with mounts for PS’s Shrike III missile, and replaces the left forearm launcher with a mount for firing ‘Black Talon’ missiles. -Long Range Sensors----Improved sensors include an 100 mile range search and targeting radar, 50 mile range LIDAR, and passive EM sensor system capable of detecting comm-chatter and enemy airborne radars. 1) Shoulder Shrike III ‘Brilliant’ anti-aircraft missile launchers. Range: 75 miles Damage: 3d4x10 MD Rate of Fire: Volley of 1,2,4, 8, or 12 Payload: 12 missiles per launcher, 24 total Bonus: +7 to strike
2)L-SAM ‘Black Talon’ Launcher Range: 3 miles Damage: 3d4x10 MD to 40 ft blast radius Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-12 Payload: 36 Bonus: +5 to strike, and gets TWO attempts to strike the target(agile enough to loop back on a target and try again)
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Good picks, but I'm going with something gaunter....maybe I'll finally do a pick of these, but I haven't finalized the design in my mind for maximum coolness, and, as fate would have it, my spare time for the foreseeable future is goingt o be eaten up dismantling a big tree that went down in my backyard as I was submitting the Gravedigger online this morning... Krack*Wunch*Thud...."Okay, a forty-foot tree just missed my house and took out my clotheslines....there goes my weekend(and unblistered hands)...where's my vibroblade or laser cutter when I really need one?"
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
I'm thinking...adapt the teleportation rig on the Thunderbunny 'Revolver' to be hooked up to a tanker truck(or, ideally, a subterranean well) instead....
Water stream(or water-blasts) on demand(as long as you pay the PPE cost for the teleport).
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Good picks, but I'm going with something gaunter....maybe I'll finally do a pick of these, but I haven't finalized the design in my mind for maximum coolness,
Always like Dragonar Models. That where custom body designs, like with shield logos and armor mods are an option that PS offers. Right?
taalismn wrote:and, as fate would have it, my spare time for the foreseeable future is going to be eaten up dismantling a big tree that went down in my backyard as I was submitting the Gravedigger online this morning...
Krack*Wunch*Thud...."Okay, a forty-foot tree just missed my house and took out my clotheslines....there goes my weekend (and unblistered hands)...where's my vibroblade or laser cutter when I really need one?"
Is this the squirrel that lived in the tree or one that offered to help with the wood work?
abtex wrote: Is this the squirrel that lived in the tree or one that offered to help with the wood work?
?
Nah....The treerats around here wear little suits of combat fatigues, helmets, and web gear, on account of the local Marine Reserve Center tucked away in the woods. They're lousy shots with their scaled-down M-16s, but you get enough of them firing at once, and it ain't safe to go walking in the woods without body armor. And they're devilishly clever with acorn-grenades; hit the wrong sprig of grass or step on the wrong twig...*BOOM*
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
#1: If those squirrels are such lousy shots maybe they need to take a weapon proficiency or two.
#2: Does Paladin Steel have any city-sized spacecraft? If not, what is the biggest vessel they produce?
I haven't been working on PS spacecraft until I get a wholly original idea or more for what they should be like (A 'feel', design aesthetic, or common theme for them). My old Prepost stuff was based on DreamPod 9's Jovian Chronicles stuff, but conversions don't fly here, so, for now, PS's advanced aerospace projects are on shuttle to light transport-sized designs, and they buy their heavier company fleet stuff from companies like Wildstorm or WZTech Yards.
It's one thing among many I've been meaning to return to amongst many projects.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
Actually, looking at this one http://www.guzer.com/pictures/soldier_squirrel.php I realized I COULD arm a squirrel army in Rifts...okay, I already have a mini-tank(the 'Tom Thumb Tankette'), and I'm working on an ATV-based AFV for critters of After The Bomb size levels 3 and lower---but personal armaments for such guys just aren't going to stand and be equal to what the humans and larger are going to be carrying...a scaled down gun is going to be either SDC(firing something like a 3-5mm BB), would have to be poisoned with an acidic or supernatural toxin, or would have to be a one-two shot weapon with limited range...like carrying a laser-derringer around, or a Wilks Laser Wand...the best candidate for a squirrel battle laser would be a modified bionic/cybernetic finger blaster.
A bazooka like that depicted above on the other hand, could be easily managed by adapting a 15mm or 20mm MicroMissile with a single shot tube...easily enough done, and VERY effective in the right paws...
Likewise, body armor. The best I figure on would be 4d6 MDC, the cheapest EBA would have a shop air filter mask chopped on, and maybe a backpack of air tanks like you'd find for powering an air rifle...maybe adapt a PC cooling fan for air circulation. Making effective nightvision gear would also be a hassle at that scale, but if you're using After the Bomb critter creation tables and you're at that size, odds are you already invested in some advanced animal senses like natural night vision, advanced sense of smell, hearing, or animal psionics, so that's not much of a concern. Communications? Adapted cell phone or look at Ninjas and Superspies microchips for possible systemry.
I WOULD NOT send these little guys into general combat; they'd be most effective pretending to be cute fuzzy IGNORED forest animals, until they could spot a weak spot in a vehicle undercarriage or an open hatch. Heck, even in a city....Mouse sniper with 20mm micromissile launcher hiding on rooftop or in roof gutter....target passes by, the techno-rat takes the shot, then dives down the drain spout or down a ventilation duct...tosses his launcher down a drain, disposes of his webbing somewhere else, and joins the local rodent population before scurrying off for pickup. On the other hand, I have this image of a Dog Boy shouting 'SQUIRREL!' and lopping off in pursuit(ideally into a trap)
Yeah, while we're talking BIG, let's not neglect SMALL
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
“This is damn scary, the thought of little teeny tiny missile launchers falling into the wrong paws. I have a recurring nightmare now of the chipmunk that regularly vacuums up sunflower seeds off my front steps every morning going for the pot of gold and holding me up with one these things some day...”
*FWWOSSHHH* “Grrawwkk...?!” *BLAM* “....I still think it’s pure overkill to use these things on dumb hawks....” “Speak for yourself, Ricky! My grandmother got zeked by a redtail on her birthday! Her BIRTHDAY! This is payback!”
“Actually, if you calculate the relative earning capability of somebody that size not directly involved in a high tech profession like, say, micro-chip fabrication, and scale the cost of a micro-launcher accordingly, it comes out to more like thirty thousand credits, which is rather expensive for a one-shot weapon...which shows how desperate the ‘little’ folks must be to have that sort of firepower, judging by the sales figures.”
“#### MEEEEEE!!!!!!! SINCE WHEN DO PRAIRE DOGS HAVE BAZOOKAS?!” -Unknown Pecos Raider
These are simply single-shot tube-style micromissile launchers produced to meet a request by the particularly small-statured denizens of the Nutkin Republic. Essentially scaled-down bazookas taking advantage of PS’s micromissile technology, these one-round weapons can be easily carried and shoulder-fired by sentients roughly the size of a squirrel or chipmunk. The tube is simple plastic tubing with tiny handgrips, shoulder rest, carrying sling, and basic sighting(in the case of ‘smart’ micromissiles, the end of the tube is uncovered and the weapon allowed to ‘see’ the target, a sound chip buzzing that target has been acquired), and can be disposed of afterwards. A more durable version that is reloadable in the field is also available. In theory, the McMLR-S1/15 and -S1/20 CAN be used by normal-sized humanoids, but holding and firing one of the weapons is like launching a model rocket from your hand...if not properly held, the rocket backblast can still inflict a wicked burn on unprotected flesh. As a weapon usable by tiny folk and able to inflict serious damage on larger targets(especially megadamage ones), the McMLR-S series has been snapped up as soon as the flashlight-sized launchers have been produced. The weapon has also reportedly shown up in the hands of the Sidhe Liberation Army and been dstributed to the embattled faerie folk of the Canadian East, for use against Splugorth Slavers. Weight: (Launcher) 2 ounces (Missile) 35 grams/1.2 ounces Size: (Launcher) 8-9 inches long (Missile) 7 inches long Range:Varies by Micro-Missile Type; (15mm Format) Pattern-1A 5,700 ft Pattern-1B 6,000 ft Pattern-1C 6,000 ft Pattern-1D 7,000 ft Pattern-1E 7,500 ft
(20mm Format) 8,000 ft for all types Damage:Varies by Micro-Missile Type; (15mm Format) Pattern-1A---1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius Pattern-1B---1d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius Pattern-1C---4d6 MD to 4 ft blast radius, or 1d4 MD to a 10 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode Pattern-1D----6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode Pattern-1E---1d4x10 MD to 3 ft blast radius
(20mm Format) (Pattern-2a) 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius (Pattern-2b)6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode (Pattern-2c)(Incendiary)2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees
Rate of Fire: Single Shot Payload: Single Shot Bonuses: (15mm Format) Pattern-1A (None) Spin-Stabilized Pattern-1B (None) Gyro-Compass Chip Pattern-1C (+1 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. The Pattern-1C can also be set to be a ‘beam rider’, following a laser illuminator ‘painted’ on the target for an extra +2 to strike. However, this requires expediture of an extra attack per melee on the part of the gunner to keep the laser illuminator on target) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip. Pattern-1D (+2 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. Like the Pattern-1C, the Pattern-1D can ‘beam-ride’...again, this requires the gunner to maintain target-lock at the cost of an additional APM, but the -1D is better able to remain on target if the lock is broken. Furthermore, the missile can be keyed to lock on to the laser illuminator of other gunners...done with a pre-determined key-chip...allowing squadmates to ‘paint’ targets for fellow soldiers with micro-missile launchers). Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip. Pattern-1E(+4 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses, Same ‘beamrider’ capability as with Pattern-1D. ) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.
Cost: Launcher(both types) (Disposable) 2,000 credits+cost of missile (Reusable/reloadable)4,000 credits, 1,000 credits for the laser guidance upgrade. (15mm Format) Pattern-1A 25 credits per McM Pattern-1B 32 credits per McM Pattern-1C 60 credits per McM Pattern-1D 95 credits per McM Pattern-1E 220 credits per McM (20mm Format) (Pattern-2a) 90 credits each (Pattern-2b)130 credits each (Pattern-2c)150 credits each
Options: *Laser Spot Sight---This is simply a laser pointer tuned to laser illumination wavelengths, and modified to clip onto the launch tube. It can be sighted and used to illuminate a target for the operator’s own launcher or for other laser-guided weapons. Range: 500 ft. Cost: 300 credits
Paladin Steel .22 SPAR-7 Survival Rifle
“Keep one of these folding guns under the seat of my Nomad, velcroed so I can grab it and go in a bailout situation. ‘cause even if it can’t punch out a Brodkil, this little buddy can still keep the wild dogs off me. Really would suck to survive something that chewed through my armored ride, only to get kakked by a pygmy threat like a feral mutt.”
The SPAR-7 Survival Projectile Rifle is a post-Rifts adaptation of the Armalite AR-7, a weapon designed by Eugene Stoner as a survival rfle for air- and vehicle crewmembers. The design saw some use pre-Rifts, as well as commercial sales. Examples of the weapon turned up during PS OTAR(Office of Technology Acquisition and Recovery) expeditions into the late Connecticut Baronies and explorations of buried ruins along the New England coast(in particular the commercial AR-7 outlet AR-7 Accessories LLC, based in what was Meriden, Connecticut). As with many other projectile weapons, and especially Eugene Stoner’s modular weaponry, PS engineers saw promise in the concept, and updated the weapon accordingly. The SPAR-7 is true to its ancestor in that it is a lightweight gun that breaks down into a handful of components (barrel, action, stock, and magazine) that can be easily stored inside the weapon’s own stock(a plastic rifle stock, with hollow butt; PS has improved on the design by adding an integral hinged rear cap that keeps the components inside dry, and serves as extra storage space with the weapon fully assembled). The action has been considerably improved to address problems with the original design. Construction is of megadamage light alloys and plastic-composites, and the moving parts incorporate PS’s ‘Permanent-Dry’ self-lubricating coatings. Other improvements include universal rails for mounting of various sights, including laser-dots and scopes, and a variety of options. The weapon fires a .22 Long Rifle cartridge, which does negligible damage by itself, but PS has made available various enhanced propellant and projectile rounds capable of doing megadamage for the weapon. A variety of magazine sizes are available for the weapon, from eight- to fifty-round types. Range for the SPAR-7 is poor, compared to other rifles, but better than many submachine guns and pistols, and quite good for a survival weapon or lightweight outdoorsman’s weapon. The SPAR-7 is issued as a backup weapon to many PS and GNE vehicle crews and is often a part of standard survival kits. It is also openly marketed, selling well to mercenaries, paramilitary, wilderness communities, and wilderness scouts looking for a light weight, reliable, cheap, easily stowed back-up weapon. Weight: 2.5 lbs Length: (assembled) 35 inches MDC: 8 Range: 400 ft Damage: (.22LR) 1d6 SDC (Wellington/PS Exploders) 3d6 SD per rd or 9d6 SD per 3-rd burst (PSX-2) 1d4 MD per rd, a three round burst does 2d4 MD Rate of Fire: Semi-Automatic; single shot or 3-rd burst Payload: 8-, 10-, 15-, 25-, qne 50-round magazines are available Features: *Corrosion-proof Construction *Top Sight Rail---Can be fitted with a scope or other sight *Underbarrel Lug---Can be fitted with a laser-spot or other sensor *Barrel Threading---The receiver end is fully threaded for the attachment of silencers, flash hiders, barrel extensions, and pistol/rifle grenade launchers. Cost: 900 credits Options: *Foregrip---A plastic foregrip can be added under the barrel for further steadying the weapon. especially during burst-firing. +1 to strike with bursts. Cost: 25 credits
*Wire Buttstock---In place of the storage-well-equipped rifle butt, the SPAR-7 can instead be fitted with a wire frame buttstock. Cost: 25 credits
*Grenade Launcher Adaptor---Fits onto the end of the barrel and allows the weapon to fire RLGs using a blank cartridge. Cost: 400 credits
*Flare Launcher---By screwing in this special barrel with a striker arm that fits into the front of the receiver, in place of the barrel, the SPAR-7 can be fitted to fire flares instead. Cost: 300 credits
*Flash Suppressor---Reduces the chance of the muzzle flash being seen to 25% within 100 ft. Cost: 600 credits
*Silencer---Reduces effective range by 10%, but listeners will require a perception roll of 10 to hear the shot fom 20 ft away. Cost: 500 credits
*Water-sel Muzzle Attachment---Part of a standardized kit to modify ordinary firearms for amphibious use. This muzzle attachment improves on previous models by incorporating an ultra-thin layer of waterproof oil-based nano-gel to create a self-healing membrane that reseals after the projectile passes through it, quickly enough to prevent water from entering the barrel and fouling the gun mechanisms. Note: Good for depths down to 2,000 ft Cost: 350 credits
Last edited by taalismn on Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
PS ATV-IFV02 ‘Speedy’ Quad-Wheeler Mini-AFV (aka ‘Ferret’) “Slavers thought they were clever; mechanized enslavement...robotanks and drones running into a population center, mixing with the Big People populace, grabbing targets left and right and using them as human shields against retaliation...Mighta worked too, but they didn’t count on us! A fully motorized brigade of Nutkin ready to roll...Learned later they thought we were a recreational vehicle sales lot....Well, they learned differently when our Speedies went into action! The ATVs were all over the tanks like wolves on a bear...even went right into the malls after the drones...robots against anti-tank missiles and electrical disruptor cannon? Cheese meet chainsaw. And even when they wised up against mechanized opposition, they then had to contend with the troops each of the Speedies carried...Ever see what happens when you pit a tank against squirrel commandoes with limpet mines? Like a delayed reaction piranha attack...One moment it’s fur crawling all over, then it’s a mass exodus, and then POW!...every seam and small part that ain’t supposed to be accessible on the go, and ain’t supposed to come open or off, suddenly goes BANG and the whole mountain of armor comes to a stop,so much scrap metal. Gave quite a few of the humanoid drones a lobotomy in the same way....Scrap salvage paid for what we spent on the quad-wheelies in the first place...Now I gotta persuade the lads to quit playing the Cavalry Charge every time they go driving around on exercises!” -----Tree-Colonel Zitter Chitterling, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Nutkin Republic
As pleased as they were with the ‘Tom Thumb’, many buyers of the micro-tank saw its immediate shortcomings, mainly speed, range, and problems negotiating tough terrain. Therefore, they commissioned a faster, more mobile vehicle that could respond more quickly in combat situations and cover more grond effectively. PS used the basic design of pre-Rifts quad-wheeler All-Terrain recreational vehicles as the basis of the new ‘cavalry’ vehicle, but has modified the controls for Size Level 1-2 crewmembers. An armored carapace covers the top of the vehicle, along with a set of rollbars, a small turret has been fitted to the back of where the seat was originally, and two ‘saddle bag’ compartments are equipped to carry miniature troops, ready to deploy from side hatches. The ‘Speedy’ has proven even more popular than the Tom Thumb, with nearly a hundred bought by various ‘little people’ concerns. The ‘Speedy’ is used as a rapid-response, mechanized cavalry vehicle for performing recon, hit-and-fade attacks, deep penetration flank maneuvers, and emergency response actions. At least two variants, a stealth version and a logistical resupply vehicle to accompany the standard models, also exist. PS has also begun producing a remote drone version of the Speedy.
Type: PS-ATV-IFV02 Class: All-Terrain Vehicle, Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Use Pilot Motorcycle or Automobile for skill rolls) Crew: 2 hamster-sized(Size Level-2) crew, and 1-10 hamster-sized passengers MDC/Armor by Location: Main Body 50 Reinforced Crew Compartment 30 Wheels(4) 6 each Height: 2 ft Width: 2.6 ft Length: 6 ft Weight: 350 lbs Cargo: Up to 200 lbs of gear can be carried in side compartments or lashed to the outside. Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (300 mile range) or Fuel-Cell Electric(340 mile range) Speed: 120 MPH Can ford 2 ft depths, and climb 35-degree grades(in theory, could climb up to a 60-degree grade, but impose a -15% skill roll penalty to the pilot to pull this off) Market Cost: 21,000 credits for liquid fuel, 24,000 credits for electric Systems of Note: *Radio(10 mile range) *Laser Targeting *IR/Normal Light Spotlight *Basic Robot Optics(effective range 3,000 ft) *Basic Air Filtration *Waterproof/shockproof construction *Optical Periscope---Extends up to 6 ft. *Roll Bars---The ‘Speedy’ can actually flip over, roll, and right itself; effectively has a +2 to roll with impacts and concussive explosions. Weapons Systems: 1) Top Gun Turret---This is a light turret holding a light machine gun, light rail gun, missile launcher, or energy rifle. a) 7.62mm Machine Gun---Adapted version of the PS GMG M43, with a 20 inch barrel Range: 7,500 ft Damage:(SDC) 6d6 SDC single shot, 4d6 x10 SDC(1d4 MD) per 10 rd burst. (Ramjets) 1 MD single shot, 1d10 MD per 10 rd burst. (High Explosive)2d6x10 SDC single shot, 1d6 MD per 10 rd burst. (PSX-2) 1d4 MD per rd, 1d4x10 MD per 10 rd burst. (Tracer) Every 11th round is a tracer, which gives a +1 to strike with bursts. However, the tracer stream also makes it that much easier for enemies to backtrace and locate the machine gunner. Rate of Fire: Standard; rated at 800 rpm Payload: 250-rd belt Cost: 8,000 credits
b) 12 Gauge AutoShotgun Range:(12 Gauge)) 300-1,000 ft(varies by ammunition type) Damage:(12 Gauge) *Standard Shotgun shell--300 ft range, 5d6 SDC *Standard Buckshot shell---300 ft range, 4d6 SDC to 5 ft area *Teargas shell---300 ft range, 25 ft radius---victims are -10 to strike, parry, and dodge, -3 initiative, lose 1 melee attack/action, for the next 1d6+1 melees *Baton shell---300 ft range, 2d6 SDC, plus humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174). *S-9Dex Incapacitation Munition ---300 ft range, Essentially a paper-shelled shotgun shell-sized gas-propelled 'cold rocket', packed full of taser beads. Beads powder on impact, reducing the chance of bystanders or ingoing police stepping on undischarged beads. Great for crowd control and dealing with closed-space situations(alleyways, rooms, vehicle interiors, etc...) Effective Range: 300 feet, w/ 20 ft radius Damage: Nil. Humanoids struck with this weapon must save vs. coma or be shocked unconscious for 1D6 minutes. Cyborgs have a 60% chance of having their cybernetics disrupted for 1D10 minutes, and a 30% chance of a non-vital system being permanently shorted out. *High Explosive Armor Piercing Shell---1,000 ft range, 6d6 MD(no blast radius) *Mini-Grenade(plasma)--- 1,000 ft range, 5d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius *Mini-Grenade II(Fragmentation)---1,000 ft range, 2d4 MD to 10 ft blast radius *Standard HESH Shell---1,000 ft range, 2D4 M.D. plus 4D4 S.D.C. to the person(s) inside of EBA power/body armour & roll versus knockdown (14) Rate of Fire:(12 Gauge) Standard Payload:(12 Gauge) 20 rd ‘banana’ clip(up to 4 clips can be carried internally) Or a 50 shot drum can be added Cost: 9,000 credits
c)30mm Automatic Grenade Launcher Range:1,200 ft Damage: (SDC)* (Fragmentation) 2d6x10 SDC to 16 ft radius (High Explosive) 6d6x10 SDC to 4 ft radius (Armor Piercing) 1d4x100 SDC, no blast radius (Crowd Control rds)---Essentially an expanding plastic ‘flyswatter’ that delivers a bruising knockdown punch. Cut effective range to 200 ft. Does 2d4 SDC per rd, humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20-5 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174). Human-sized light power armors(500-800 lbs) also roll on a D20, but are +2 to save versus knockdown (Wood Rounds) 7d6 SDC single shot (1d4x10+5 HP to vampires), no blast radius
*(Yes, I know, why include SDC when it just as quickly becomes MDC? You’re still being hit with a pretty hefty shell)
(MD)(HE) 2d6(12 ft blast radius) A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 20 ft area (Armor-Piercing) 4d6(3 ft blast radius) A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 9 ft area (light micro-fusion) 6d6 MD (12 ft blast radius) A 5 rd burst does 1d6x10 MD to an 25 ft area (HESH (High Explosive Squash Head)) - Designed to ‘spald’ off armor on the interior of power armors and vehicles. Composite ‘chobham’(layered armor and nylon mesh) armor reduces this internal damage by HALF, by holding the armor together. HESH rounds do NOT have a blast radius. 3D6 MD plus 4D6 SDC to the person(s) inside the object. (Incendiary) 2d4 MD to a 12 ft blast radius, plus an additional 1d6 MD per melee for 1d6 melees.
The GL can also be used to fire radio beacon adhesion heads, flare rounds, paint shells, EMP grenades, flash-bangs, and, it’s rumored, TW grenades like the feared ‘Snuffers’ and Aura of Doom curse grenades. Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: 12 shot magazine, 18 shot ‘saddle drum’, or 24 shot drum Note: The Drum magazines are fully compatible with the PS ‘Drum Mine’ system that allows large-caliber ammunition drums to be converted into boobytraps/mines. Cost: 19,000 credits; SDC rounds cost 40-60 credits each, Crowd Control rounds cost 20 credits each, standard 30mm HE grenades cost 400 credits each, armor-piercing cost 550 credits each, micro-fusion(rarely available on the open market) cost 1,500 credits each, Incendiary cost 600 credits each.
d) 5.56mm Medium Machine Gun---This is an adapted version of the P-631 Series modular automatic weapon, firing caseless ammunition. 15 inch barrel. Range: Effective Range: 3,300 ft, maxmum range 8,000 ft Damage:(5.56mm) 5d6 +3 SDC single shot or 2d4x10+9 SDC per 3 shot burst at ranges under 3,300 ft, 3d6+1 SDC or 6d6+3 SDC per 3 rd burst beyond 3,300 ft . (PSX-1) 1d6 MD per single shot or 3d6 MD per 3 shot burst(no damage reduction) Can use any standard 5.56 mm-format specialized munitions, including explosive rounds and megadamage armor-piercers. Rate of Fire: Selective fire; bursts of 5, 10, 20, 30, or 50 rds. Payload: 180-rd Belt Cost: 3,800 credits
e)Laser Cannon---Adapted model of the PS-RFL2-33 ‘Blazer’ Heavy Infantry Laser Weight: 27 lbs Range: 4,000 ft Damage: 3d6 MD single shot, 6d6 MD short burst, 1d6x10 MD medium burst( 20 shots, 2 attacks), 2d6x10 MD long burst(40 shots, 2 attacks), 4d6x10 MD full magazine burst(80 shots, no bonuses to strike...does 3d6 MD to 4d4 targets if in a spray attack). Rate of Fire: Standard Payload: 25 shots from the standard e-clip in the forward holder, 70 shots from a regenerating canister e-clip. Regenerates 5 shots per hour, and can self-renew four times before needing to be overhauled. E-clip adaptors allow the Blazer to use conventional e-clips and CS canisters in a pinch. Cost: 75,000 credits
f)PS Rip-Zapper Ion Cannon Range:(Ion Beam Mode) 1,700 ft (SDC Beam) 2,000 ft (Ion Bolt Mode) 3,000 ft (Lightning Zapper Mode) 500 ft (Shock-Zap Mode) 1-3 ft Damage:(Ion Beam Mode) 4d6+2 MD per single shot (SDC Beam)1d6 SDC shock-burn. Plus, victims must make a save of 14 or better, or be -8 to strike, parry, and dodge for 2d6 melees. A savings throw versus non-lethal poison means the person is unimpaired. 25% chance of knocking out unshielded cybernetics for 1d4 melees, and a 75% chance of permanently frying nanotech devices(like Armor-dissolving nanites or RMK/IRMSS systems). (Ion Bolt Mode) 2d4 MD to 5 ft radius, 55% chance of knocking out unshielded cybernetics for 1d4 melees. (Lightning Zapper Mode) Does stun damage similar to SDC beam through metal armor and light power armor. On an unmodified roll of 18-20, it causes unshielded BIONICS and robots to spasm for 1d4 melees(Cyborg is at HALF bonuses to strike, parry, dodge, roll, and is -3 to initiative. Reduce speed by HALF). This weapon does 1d4x10 EMP damage(no physical damage) to a 10 ft radius. The resulting percentage of the target location MDC is the chance of shutdown/disablement. All damage is cumulative. Damage in excess of 50% target MDC will require repair to make it functional; 75% or more damage will require replacement of the entire electrical system. Does double damage to non-shielded civilian systems. Bionics are -1 to dodge, roll, and strike for the affected limb/system, lasting 1d4 melees, non-cumulative, before the system resets itself. (Shock-Zap Mode) Similar to a Shock Rod; 5d6 SDC, plus 55% chance of stunning humans, d-bees, and small animals for 1d4 melees, 15% against large or inhumanly powerful beings. Cumulative effects same as for Electro-Stunner(see pg 50 of Coalition: Lone Star). Rate of Fire:(Ion Beam Mode)Standard (SDC Beam) Standard (Ion Bolt Mode) Four times per melee (Lightning Zapper Mode) Can fire only one Zap every melee(takes fifteen seconds to power up) (Shock-Zap Mode) ECHH Payload:(Ion Beam Mode) 10 shots standard E-clip, 24 shots long e-clip. (SDC Beam)One MD shot equals 10 SDC shots (Ion Bolt Mode) Same as for Ion Beam mode (Lightning Zapper Mode) Same as for Ion Beam mode (Shock-Zap Mode) 20 zaps equals 1 MD shot Features: *Heavy insulation *Compatible with NG, CS, and PS-produced E-canisters Options: None Cost: 36,000 Credits
g) Plasma Cannon---Adapted from the PPR-3 ‘Serap’ Weight:(Projector) 20 lbs (Backpack) 30 lbs Range:(Plasma Stream) 2000 ft (Plasma Bolt) 1500 ft Damage:(Plasma Stream) 1d6x10 MD per blast (Plasma Bolt) 1d4x10 MD to 8 ft blast radius Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH Payload: 7 shots standard E-clip, 14 shots long E-clip, or 50 shots with a backpack Cost: 80,000 credits. The PPR-3C is NOT currently for sale, but would likely cost 90,000 credits or more if made available. Options: “Hot Shotting”---This systen augments the normal air-draw plasma re-mass system with deuterium-gas injected into the plasma flow for a cleaner, hotter, more potent ‘burn’. The deuterium is stored in pressurized cylinders attached to the feeds of the Serap, like a CO2 air rifle cartridge. This allows the plasma to do 50% more damage, but the weapon now has a bit of a recoil due to the more powerful plasma acting like a crude plasma drive(-1 to strike). HotShot modding costs 8,000 credits, and a recharged cylinder of refined d-gas costs 700 credits(500 credits if the user can return a depleted gas cylinder at the time of purchase) and is good for 30 shots.
h) Heavy Plasma Cannon----Adapted from the PSPPR-20 ‘SuperNova’ Weight: 36 lbs Range: (Plasma Shot)2,500 ft (Plasma Scattershot) 900 ft (Plasma Mini-Torpedo) 3,200 ft Damage:(Plasma Shot) 1d6x10 MD (Plasma Scattershot) 6d6 MD to 20 ft wide area (Plasma Mini-Torpedo) 1d4x10 MD to 18 ft blast radius Rate of Fire:(Plasma Shot) ECHH (Plasma Scattershot) ECHH (Plasma Mini-Torpedo) Twice per melee Payload:(Plasma Shot) 5 shots per standard e-clip, 10 shots per long e-clip, 21 shots per e-canister, 36 shots per backpack battery-pack, and can also be hooked directly to a cyborg , robot, or vehicular powerplant. (Plasma Scattershot) Same as for regular plasma bolts (Plasma Mini-Torpedo) Takes 2 shots each Special Features: *“Hot Shotting”---This system augments the normal air-draw plasma re-mass system with deuterium-gas injected into the plasma flow for a cleaner, hotter, more potent ‘burn’. The deuterium is stored in pressurized cylinders attached to the feeds of the gun, like a CO2 air rifle cartridge. This allows the plasma to do 50% more damage, but the weapon now has a bit of a recoil due to the more powerful plasma acting like a crude plasma drive(-1 to strike). Cost: A recharged cylinder of refined d-gas costs 800 credits(300 credits if the user can return a depleted gas cylinder at the time of purchase) and is good for 20 shots. Cost: 92,000 credits
i)Particle Beam Cannon---This is simply a PSPBW-11 remounted with a larger energy pack Weight: 19 lbs Range: 2,600 ft Damage: Two fire modes; 6d6 MD low power and 1d4x10 MD high power mode Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: Powerpack---100 low-power/60 high-power shots (E-clips) 12 low-power/8 high-power shots from a standard e-clip, 20 low power/16 high-power shots from a long-e-clip/FSE Cost: 36,000 credits
l) Copperhead Anti-Tank Missiles Range: 1 mile, Damage: High Explosive 2d4x10 MD, Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4 Payload: 4 Bonuses: +5 to strike Cost: 60,000 Cr, missiles cost 600 credits each
2)Nose-Mounted Gun(1)--Mounted in front of where the handle bars would be, and controlled by the driver, this is essentially the same weapon as is glacis-mounted on the Tom Thumb micro-tank. a) 9mm AutoPistol Range: 650 ft Damage:(Standard .32 ACP Rd) 2d6 SDC per rd (Armor-Piercing) 3d6 SDC, and has an armor penetration factor of +1 against A.R. (Armor Rating) (Standard Wellington/ Exploders) 6d6 SDC per rd (PSX-2) 1d4 MD per rd, a three round burst does 2d6 MD Rate of Fire: Standard; single shot or three-rd burst Payload: 20 rd standard clip, 50 shot long clip Bonuses: *Superior balancing gives the weapon a +1 to strike Special Features: *Integrated Flash Suppressor *Muzzle Threaded for Silencer, Flash Suppressor, Rifle Grenade Launcher, or Water-Seal Membrane Attachment(for amphibious operations) *Standard Attachable Sight Package --- +Laser Spot Sight +Lowlite Optics(2,000 ft) + Integral Photovoltiac Mini-Solar Cell(extends the battery life of the electronics) Cost: 2,000 credits
b) Laser Pistol---Adapted PSLP-3 ‘Asp’ laser pistol Range: 400 ft Damage: Two fire modes: 2d6 MD or 4d6 MD per shot Rate of Fire: Standard Payload: 20 shot E-Clip Bonuses: +1 to strike from integral laser targeting Cost: 10,000 credits
c) Ion Pistol Range: 500 ft Damage: 2d4 or 3d6 MD per shot Rate of Fire: Standard Payload: 18 shot long E-Clip Cost: 7,000 credits Can be fitted with any of the following: *Ion Scatter-Shot Module---This is a barrel clip-on that turns the ion blaster into a short range shotgun with an area of effect blast. Reduce range to 200 ft, but does 3d6 MD to a 10 ft wide area. Cost: 4,000 credits
*Ion Booster Module---Another barrel attachment that boosts the range of the ion bolts, albeit with a small reduction in damage capability. Reduce damage to 2d6 MD, but boost range to 1,000 ft. Cost: 5,000 credits
*Ion Focal Booster Module---Aka ‘Puncher’---This barrel attachment improves the focus of the ion pulse density, improving damage at the cost of range. Reduce range to 400 ft, but up damage to 4d6 MD per shot. Cost: 4,000 credits.
*Laser Sight Module---Another underbarrel attachment, this consists of an improved laser sight that adds a bonus to strike, but the laser also creates a temporary ‘guidepath’ of disturbed/ionized air that slightly improves the striking power of the ion bolts. +2 to Strike, and +3 to damage per bolt. This can be used in conjunction with the other barrel attachments, but added damage is reduced to +2 MD. Cost: 1,000 credits
*Ion Step-Down Module---This barrel attachment, rather than increase range or power, actually ‘steps down’ the power of ion bolts into the SDC range, and modulates their effect, making the weapon in effect a ‘super-taser’(albeit it with flash-burns). An added power regulation chip allows the weapon to use less power in SDC mode. CAN be used in conjunction with the the Laser Sight Module. Switching between MD/SDC modes takes 2 actions. Popular with urban security and police units. Range:(SDC shots) 600 ft Damage: 1d6 SDC shock-burn. Plus, victims must make a save of 14 or better, or be -8 to strike, parry, and dodge for 2d6 melees. A savings throw versus non-lethal poison means the person is unimpaired. 25% chance of knocking out unshielded cybernetics for 1d4 melees. Payload: One MD shot equals 10 SDC shots Cost: 4,000 credits
Options: *Oversized Mud Tires---These oversized wheels allow the ATV to practically ‘float’ over soft ground, reducing any penalties for traveling over soft mud/bog/snow/marsh by HALF. Cost: 100 credits per tire
*Hub Spikes---The wheels can be fitted with extendable spinning blade spikes for sideswipping targets(blades extend out about 18 inches). Does 4d6 MD on a drive-by side-swipe. Cost: 16,000 credits per wheel.
*Knockdown Rods (‘Scythes’)---These are straight-edged heavy outriggers that drop down to extend some 5 ft from each side, and are used to clothesline human-sized targets at leg-level(01-60% chance of knocking down human-sized targets). Each rod has 20 MDC, and does 4d6 SDC on a ram at speeds over 25 MPH, but can be edged with a vibroblade doing 3d6 MD for extra cost. Cost: 400 credits per rod, 14,000 credits for vibroblade.
Variants: *PS-ATV-IFV02S---Stealth variant of the ‘Speedy’, fitted with modified sensor scramblers, reduced passive sensor signature(-15% to Sensory Instrument detection rolls using radar or thermal optical sensors), and adapative camouflage shell-surfacing. - *Sensor Scramblers---Guided missiles are -2 to strike the ‘Speedy, and standard thermal optical, motion, and radar sensors have only a 01-15% chance of spotting the ATV. E-clip powered, with an 8-hour battery life. Just like the standard scramblers, each activation eats 10 minutes of charge, regardless of how long the system is actually on and running. -Silent Running: The Stealthy Speedy is exceptionally quiet and has a Prowl ability of 75% when traveling at speeds under 30 MPH. -*Fiber Optic Pre-Programmed Camouflage Scheme Surfacing----Can switch the overall color scheme of the armor to any one of 16 different pre-programmed designs(held in microchip memory). Changeover takes 30 seconds(2 melees) to take place. Cost: The “Stealth Speedy’ costs three times as much as the standard model
*PS-ATV-ULV02---A logistics variant of the Speedy that sacrifices the main armament(but retains the forward gun) for a robotic arm(7 ft reach, Robotic PS of 20, 25 MDC ) atop it for reloading other Speedies. The ULV02 can typically carry up to 5 additional powerpacks/reload pods for main armaments, and up to 5 jerry cans(a full tank’s worth)/battery packs for refueling/recharging. The ULV02 can also haul a light two-wheel trailer(25 MDC, can carry 200 lbs/5 powerpacks/reload pods of gear, but reduce speed by 10%) or a heavy four-wheeled trailer(45 MDC, can carry 500 lbs/12 powerpacks/reload pods of gear, but reduce speed by 50%). The trailer hitch and robot arm can also be used to haul other damaged/disabled ATVs away for repairs/salvage. The ‘Speedy Delivery’ can still carry undersized troops for self-defense, but it usually carries a contingent of pint-sized mechanics for field repairs of other vehicles.
*PS-ATV-RPV02---PS’s robot version, fitted with basic robot optics/audio(+ motion detector and nightvision/thermal optics) and capable of being either remotely piloted, or operating semi-autonomously. It’s not very bright, but it’s fearless and expendable. Actions/Attacks per Melee: 4 +1 Dodge +2 strike to w/ all ranged attacks +3 to strike w/ main cannon/direct fire weapon Weapons Systems: Identical to the standard Speedy, although some operators, if they know they’re sending their drones to certain destruction, will rig the ATV-RPV with as many claymore mines, fusion blocks, or grenades as they can carry(about 200 lbs worth) or a 250-lb aviation bomb----2d4x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius(but reduce maximum speed by 10%) for that ‘last hurrah’.
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"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
ZINO wrote:N1 didn't see that coming AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah...you never see the squirrel with the rocket launcher, until it's too late....
But if we're making big robots, and big armor, and big guns for enhanced soldiers, why not equipment for the little guys? Don't they count too? Shouldn't a nation put ALL its assets to work, if those assets are ready and willing to fight for their country? So, next time you're walking/adventuring through the wilderness near/in the GNE, and you get that feeling you're being watched...odds are, you ARE. "Romeo-Delta-Niner, this is Red Stump, repeat, this is Red Stump. Unknowns still southbound on foot, approaching grid sector tango-one-gamma-seven, bound for the river. Confirm seven walkers. Two tinmen, one robe, three shooters, and one sniffer. Heavy guns, no clankers or whistlers. Continue eyeball or illuminate for downpour? Over."
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"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
(i'm sure there's a price for adding those to a vehicle somewhere in the PS storefront thread =D )
sorry forgot cap lock again N1 buy the way
