taalismn wrote:Considering Britain's new aggressive stance against imported Gray Squirrels...PS may have a new a new market opening up(on one hand, I'd like to support the gentle timid little Red Squirrels, but the Grays are more likely to have relatives at home buying PS product to send to their now-hunted relatives in the British Isles).
"Right, we 'gentle timid little Red Squirrels'. "Thank you for the offer. But not all of us need PS weapons. We will just natural superpowers and abilities. When a Gray Squirrel is reported. It time too." "Full Red Squirrel Power!!! and away.
Sarah Palin complaining about the wolves in Alaska having suddenly acquired anti-aircraft armaments(like Stinger/Black Talon LSAMs) we're not saying anything about either(though Marketing is rather happy with a recent deal)(whistles).
-------------
"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:I already got furniture in the works that will blow you away; Tron, despite the prettier eye-candy in tight jumpsuits, looks like it's not even going to ruffle the hairs on my forearms.
Ok but Tronettes do make nice software for their city.
...Now taalismn is going make a new gun or such to shot me with...
abtex wrote:Taalismn did what he said he would do.
abtex wrote:
taalismn wrote:I already got furniture in the works that will blow you away; Tron, despite the prettier eye-candy in tight jumpsuits, looks like it's not even going to ruffle the hairs on my forearms.
Ok but Tronettes do make nice software for their city.
...Now taalismn is going make a new gun or such to shot me with...
'PAGE NOT FOUND' ??? You tease, but fail to deliver.
-------------
"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:Sarah Palin complaining about the wolves in Alaska having suddenly acquired anti-aircraft armaments(like Stinger/Black Talon LSAMs) we're not saying anything about either(though Marketing is rather happy with a recent deal)(whistles).
Where did this tale come from? Real?
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...
abtex wrote:Taalismn did what he said he would do.
abtex wrote:
taalismn wrote:I already got furniture in the works that will blow you away; Tron, despite the prettier eye-candy in tight jumpsuits, looks like it's not even going to ruffle the hairs on my forearms.
Ok but Tronettes do make nice software for their city.
...Now taalismn is going make a new gun or such to shot me with...
taalismn wrote:Sarah Palin complaining about the wolves in Alaska having suddenly acquired anti-aircraft armaments(like Stinger/Black Talon LSAMs) we're not saying anything about either(though Marketing is rather happy with a recent deal)(whistles).
Where did this tale come from? Real?
No, I just have a pathological dislike of the woman(maybe it's because her daughter makes more speaking for something she ISN'T than I make WORKING in a whole year), or her twisted take on 'her' Alaska, where she hunts wolves from a helicopter(one good unbraced recoil out an open and unsecured door, that's all I ask). The whole hunting a helicopter becomes more sporting if the wildlife can shoot back.
-------------
"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:Sarah Palin complaining about the wolves in Alaska having suddenly acquired anti-aircraft armaments....
Where did this tale come from? Real?
No, ...
Good afraid that wolves had raided a old Soviet supply cachet and were arming their selves. "If we only had thumbs, too use. Not just chew on after a kill."
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...
Bears in trees...drop-bears...yeah, and you thought Bigfoot was a bastard...now the regular wildlife is getting smart. Oh yeah, and wolverines are making a comeback.
-------------
"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:Apologies for the delay, and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post in the future...my internet has been EXTREMELY slow,and my modem doesn't seem to catch its teeth in the server...had to redail about ten times and what should have taken me 15 minutes took THREE HOURS!! Plus it kept dropping the connection. I don't know if it's my modem going sour or my server getting overloaded; guess I won't know for certain until after the holiday season when the kids get back in school and everybody tires of their new Nooks and EReaders.
You are on the East coast area with the snow? Could it be the weather?
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...
OutDimension Corporate Colonies/Outposts (Note: This was originally written for randomly generating Paladin Steel outposts/enclaves, but can also be applied to terrestrial corporations, like Northern Gun or Cyberworks, galactic concerns like Tagoniglomerate, and extradimensional corporations like Naruni Enterprises)
“You weren’t here when we first set up camp here! It was bare rock, old ice, bullet hail, and hard wind! What wasn’t any of the above was mud that had no bottom! We had to carve out an airfield with equipment that kept getting stuck, or breaking down, live in tents that leaked, and fight off legions of vermin that popped up outta nowhere to eat our food! Great big worms the length of your forearm that spat stinging poison, and little furry multi-legged things that could chew through several inches of plas-matting to get at unsealed organics. And they didn’t go after only the stored food either; those things weren’t above biting us in our sleep! Then, the locals showed up...lost about a third of the work crews to those damn barbed darts the eight-armed wuzzies like to throw! We had to work the scrape with one eye on the dozer controls and another eye out for raiders, one hand on the wheel, the other on the blaster...and damn few of the latter, until the company finally listened to our yellin’ and sent us out enough crates of body armor and heavy beamers to equip the crews, not to mention the security to send the hairies packin’ back over the mountain. Yeah, it’s a damn sight better now, what with the nice comfy mining complex set up here and regular shuttle service offworld. And I agree with you; doing a tour at the biggest exium mine in the Thundercloud’s a real sweet assignment for a young mines engineer. You go from shuttle to leisure dome to minehead to deep shaft without having to set foot outdoors. But don’t forget the guys who came first and shed blood on these mountains; because it was a damn near thing in those days. If Naruni hadn’t offered good pay and good benefits, a lot of us would have just said to hell with it and gone back to scratching out a living on much nicer worlds.”
“What?! Another virginal sacrifice dumped on our front steps? A different group this time? Okay, Muller, you know the drill; haul them in, get them cleaned up, and introduce them to the rest of the girls. Try getting the particulars on who dropped them. Sorry, sir. Ever since we arrived, and knocked off some of the local big predators while clearing the lowlands, the natives have taken to sacrificing the kids they normally fed to the predators to placate them to us instead. They used to rip out their hearts with obsidian blades, but after we zeked the next dozen tribal priests that tried that, they just started doping the kids and dumping them, before running. We haul them in, clean them up, and if we can we try to return them to their tribes with a few gifts, and a warning not to sacrifice anybody else to us. If the locals don’t take them back, we give the girls an education---our chief of botany’s spouse has set up a little school, and we train them to help on the plantation. Most of them stay with the ‘gods’, but a few of them go back home after a few seasons, taking what they learned. I thought I submitted a report on that to the home office. You didn’t see it? Thing is, I think some of tribes have caught on and they’re just bringing youngsters here to get an education...we’re getting ‘sacrifices’ from tribes coming over the Blue Mountains....that’s over a month’s journey from our nearest fields! I’m starting to feel like I’m running a missionary farm rather than a pharmaceuticals plantation! No, sir, it isn’t cutting into our production; in fact some of the kids are pretty good at field work; one even told us of a strain of the lehufruit we weren’t aware of. Botany says it has potential what with more phytochemicals in its rind than what we originally started cultivating. You want me to look into recruiting more of the locals? Well, we are already part of the local mythology, but I’m reluctant to work the ‘angry skygods’ angle for anything other than stopping the blood sacrifices...What did you have in mind?”
As a company or corporation expands, it may find itself spawning smaller pieces of itself and its corporate culture afar. Terrestrial history has plenty of examples of this in such enterprises as the Dutch East India Company, the Portuguese mercantile empire, Shell Oil, Coca Cola, and Google. There are many reasons for large corporations, on Earth and among the stars, to establish outposts and enclaves outside the country of origin of the company:
-Resources---Location, location, location; location is everything. It may simply be more convenient for the corporation to establish its factories closer to where the raw materials are, than pay the added cost of transporting the bulk materials stocks closer to home to be processed. At least reducing the bulk (refining the ore, condensing the cane juice, etc.) reduces wasted energy in transport and makes the finished product easier to move.
-Marketing---Establishing an outpost or factory enclave near the intended market reduces transport and employee overhead. Furthermore, the more local situating of the factory may increase the appeal of the product(s) by giving the impression that they are locally produced, especially if local workers are employed, even though all the parts and materials may be imported, while management and the lion’s shares of the profits are all still in the hands of the foreign parent company.
-Security---Doing work at a remote location may be better to protect corporate secrets, protect the public from any industrial accidents, or because it’s simply easier to control access to the site.
-Economic Incentive---More favorable tax, environmental, and labor laws in a foreign country may make it that much more attractive to a corporation to set up shop elsewhere. Many countries go out of their way to court foreign investment, and the company finds that the deal offered them is too good to pass up.
Thus, it isn’t unusual to find outposts of various companies across the Megaverse; a veritable network of associated workshops, warehouses, factory complexes and resource centers all feeding into the more heavily populated and industrialized sections of the Megaverse. These outposts range from shops employing maybe a dozen workers virtually handcrafting goods or parts to massive sprawling enclaves that are essentially city-states in their own right. Not all of these outposts will loudly brodcast what they are or who they’re affiliated with; many go under different names to deflect suspicion(nobody really wants BIG MEAT CORP. moving in next door, but Farmer Rosco’s Porkorium sounds a lot more homey) or to hide who they’re really a part of, and would seem to operate as subcontractors or wholly locally-owned and operated businesses. It’s only by careful observation(seeing where the molasses is shipped off to) and reading the fine print(“Stukki Ceramics, Inc., a subsidiary of Naruni Enterprises”) that one might discern that they’re seeing a part of a larger corporate network.
Size of Outpost---How many employees work at the outpost? Small numbers may represent a barebones operation or one that’s heavily automated, while large numbers may represent a giant work complex with thousands of skilled workers, or perhaps thousands of semi-skilled workers laboring at menial tasks. 01-10 Tiny---2d4x10 11-25 Small---3d6x10 25-55 Modest---1d4x100 56-90 Large---3d6x100 90-00 Massive: 2d6x1,000---Outposts this large generally represent a MAJOR investment of corporate resources and are akin to small towns. The enclave probably turns out multiple forms of a single product(like an automobile plant), or may have three or four different products being produced simultaneously(like television sets, radioes, and small electric motors).
Depending on their other particulars, the overall number of people associated with the outpost may be 50% -200% larger to reflect accompanying dependents of the workers, and locals who have moved to set up shop around the enclave.
Nature of Outpost: What does the place do? This may help shape the location and other particulars of the outpost.
01-03 Scientific----The outpost is dedicated to experimental work or basic researchthat can’t be done as part of another outpost type. Such outposts are typically isolated, to prevent contamination(in either direction) or to have plenty of open space for safety. Scientific outposts tend to have added security: +20% to Security rolls.
04-39 Agricultural--Whether it’s raising soybeans by the acre, ranching cattle, processing food additives, logging forests, or breeding symbiotes, the facility is into growing things for harvest. See the Products(Agricultural) chart below
40-44 Transport---The outpost is a hub for goods going elsewhere. This can be a truckstop, trading post, airfield, train yard, harbor port, communciations antennae farm, whaling life station, leyline nexus, or similar location that could potentially grow into something larger with time, but its basic purpose is to facilitate the movement of finished goods (or corporate communications) from other outposts around the corporate network. Transport Outposts get a +25 to the Contact rolls.
45-67 Mining---Managing salt evaporation pools, digging up metals and fossil fuels, scarpping up ores; the outpost harvests the raw materials of industry.
68-74 Energy---It isn’t always possible to transmit power through a Rift, but these outposts have been established to somehow harvest power and store it for shipment. While this is typically an oil field/refinery or coal mine, it can also include water and wind turbine assemblies, solar farms, biofuel distilleries, fusion reactor clusters, Helium-3 mines, PPE collectors, anti-matter refineries, and similar establishments.
75-00 Industrial---The outpost is a factory, producing products from raw materials or parts shipped in from elsewhere(another outpost). See the Products(Industrial) chart below
Security: How well is the outpost protected? This can change dramatically given the particular circumstances of an outpost and how much the mother corporation is willing to spend defending it. 01-10 None; security is dependent on a few locked doors, a fence or two, and the employees’ own diligence. 11-25 Light---The equivalent of a night watchman or two, fences, a basic security system, and better locks, maybe a watch animal or two. A day watchman or two may be on hand to check employee IDs and wander about the premises. 26-74 Modest---A more elaborate set up with automated defenses, reinforced walls and structures, a professional force of a dozen or more security men (of at least 4th level of experience) with weaponry, and maybe a security robot and/or automated sentry towers. Employees are expected to have passcodes to enter certain sections. 75-89 Heavy---A dedicated security force equal to 25% of the employee population, well-trained(at least 6th level of experience) armed and equipped for action, with specialized vehicles, robots, and automated defenses. Employees have to be registered and pass elaborate biometric sensors between sections. 90-97 Strike Force---The outpost has a large force roughly 2/3 the size of the employee force, that is well-trained(roughly 8th level of experience or better) and equipped. Structures are heavily reinforced and the facility is designed with seige-style conditions in mind. 98-00 Small Army---The company’s got a military force roughly the same numbers (or greater) of the employee force. These company troops are armed to the teeth and on guard 24/7. The enclave structures are built for seige conditions and may include one or more reinforced inner ‘keeps’ with surrounding bunkers and multiple weapons emplacements. Employees are likely to not only be biometrically registered, but may be required to have security transponder implants.
Contact: This is the frequency of how often the outpost can expect visitors from the company. While the outpost may have more frequent means of communication with its home offices(by radio, courier, magic sending, whatever), circumstances may dictate a different frequency of actual physical contact. Ship transit times, Rift cycling, seasonal safe access, or the time it takes the outpost to accumulate enough materials/product to make transporting the stuff economically profitable, may determine how often the outpost is visited. O1-05 Infrequent---The outpost gets visited perhaps once or twice a year 06-30 Monthly---The outpost gets 1d4 visits a month 35-75 Weekly---The outpost can expect 1d4 visits a week 76-00 Bustling---The outpost is visited on a daily basis(1d4 times a day) by convoys from the home establishment
Products---The following are just some quick tables to provide a sampling of what an outpost might be doing. The following reflects a portion of the span of products typical of large multi-interest corporations like Paladin Steel or Tagoniglomerate(A company with primarily military interests would be more weighted towards the production of armor and armament):
Products(Agricultural) 01-10 Ranching(Meat)---Animals raised for meat(and skins); pigs, cattle, poultry, and the like. 11-20 Ranching(Dairy)---Animals raised to be milked; cows, goats, camels, and the like 21-25 Ranching(Fiber)---Sheep, rabbits, alpaca, chincilla, and the equivalent 26-30 Fish Farming/Aquaculture---Be it wild-caught fish or vat-raised shellfish 31-35 Orchard/Fruit---Citrus, apples, bananas, pineapple, you name it. 36-44 Materials---Timber, bamboo, rubber, paper pulp, etc. 45-66 Feed Grains----The daily bread; corn, wheat, cassava, etc. 67-70 Vegetables---Everything else, from lettuce to potatoes. 71-76 Distillation Stock---The crops grown at the outpost are meant to provide feed for distillation and/or fermentation; corn, wheat, sugar cane, grapes 77-80 Fiber---The crops provide feedstock for fiber; cotton, hemp, junte, and the like. 80-95 Chemical Feedstocks---Lubricants; cottonseed, rapeseed, linseed, etc. 95-97 Spices---Pepper, cummin, cloves, saffron, ginger, etc. 98-00 Pharmeceuticals---Drugs; be they narcotics or medicinal
Products(Industrial) 01-02 Commerical Electronics----From televison sets and stereos to personal computers and cellphones, this factory makes stuff for the civilian market. 03-04 Small Arms----Personal weapons are produced by this factory. 05 Weapons Assemblies(vehicular)---The guns that are too big to be man-carried are manufactured here. 06-08 Spare Parts(Vehicular)---Not whole vehicles, but all those little parts that are assembled eslewhere into whole vehicles; windshields, seats, tires, gaskets, screws, bolts, etc. 09-12 Vehicles(Civilian)----Motorscooters, cars, trucks, fire engines, forklifts, yachts, personal planes? The factory produces them. 13-14 Vehicles(Military)---APCs, tanks, fighters, warships; the factory is part of the arsenal of democracy. 15-16 Robots(small)----Can be domestic robots, semi-automous robots, or power armors. 17 Robots(large)---Big honkin’ vehicular robots 18 Cybernetics/Bionics---Synthetic organs, artificial limbs, senspry enhancements; the sort of artificial body parts that go beyond basic prosthetics are manufactured here. 19-21 Pharmeuceticals---The factory turns out drugs and other medical supplies 21-22 Ammunition---Because all that ammunition has to come from somewhere, right? Alternately, can produce explosives. 23-30 Textiles----The factory makes fabrics, thread, and/or finished clothing 31-34 Armor---From personal body armor stock to heavy armor plate, the outpost/factory makes the stuff that keeps people safe. 35-40 Construction Supplies----From ready-mix concrete to finished wood paneling and prefab housing, the factory makes something to make something else out of. 41-45 Liquid Fuels---Refineries, turning out everything from gasoline and biodiesel to liquified natural gas and more exotic substances. 46 Fissionable Fuels---Refined uranium, plutonium, and the like, processed for use. 47-48 Fusionable Fuels---Deuterium, Helium-3, and other similar fuels are refined and packaged for use. 49-54 Processed Metals----Rolls of sheet steel, ingots, wire, pig iron, machined metals. 55-60 Agricultural Equipment---Plowshares, harvesters, tractors, garden tools 61-65 Electrical Supplies---Transmission wire, superconductors, switches, insulators, transformers, all the widgets and wiring needed for an electrified society. 66-75 Domestic Wares----Everything that goes into a house; kitchenware, furniture, stoves, refrigerators, glassware. 76-80 Engines(small)----Internal combustion, electrical, or nuclear engines for products ranging from lawmowers and small boats up to cars and small aircraft. 81-83 Engines(large)--From jet engines to spacecraft propulsion; these are the big movers. 84-85 Powerplants(large)---These are big stationary generators for powering communities, factories, or military installations. 86-90 Industrial Chemicals/Materials---This can include paper, cardboard, styrofoam, lubricants, liquid nitrogen, waxes, polymers, plastics, and the like. 91-94 Industrial Chemicals(Hazardous)---This includes acids, bases, and similar concentrated and poisonous industrial materials. 95-00 GM’s choice(technowizardry, combinations of the above)
Reno IV: A Typical Small GNE Outpost “What’s to describe it? It’s flat and it’s dry....that’s all there is to it...it’s flat and it’s dry. ALL the time...”
Reno IV is a small fifty-man mining outpost established on a planet(or rather an alternate Earth) that appears to be in its relative infancy. The air is breathable, but still thin in oxygen content, and local life hasn’t evolved much beyond the stage of ferns. Reno IV is a small cluster of prefab buildings, automated refinery machinery, and greenhouses established far inland in an arid region of the planet, on a large dry lakebed. Access is through a regular Rift, though local PPE levels are quite low. The planet is decidedly nonprepossessing and the only reason the interdimensional scouting teams that discovered the planet flagged it was that they discovered rich deposits of valuable lithium in the soil not far from the Rift-gate. The Reno IV outpost is run by Paladin Steel, and the fifty-odd man crew spend their year-long workshifts scraping and bulldozing the lakebed for lithium-rich sands, and cracking them to extract the metal and other valuable trace elements. Work on the site is dull and tedious, the machines doing most of the hard work, and despite the best efforts of PS company work psychologists to vary the routines of the workers with greenhouse work and recreational activities, alcoholism is a constant problem among the employees. Another sign of the tedium that sets in is the increased usage of industrial explosives requested by the employees; though supposedly the workers are using the stuff to break up rock to gain access to mineral deposits, the home office suspects the hardhats are blowing up stuff just for the fun of it in the wastelands. The outpost gets a supply run 3-4 times a year, that picks up the production for shipment back to the home dimensions. Reno IV has a standard security perimeter setup of motion detectors around the worksite, and the area is patrolled twice a day by the small six-man security contingent(workers with security training who have signed up for the extra pay associated with the duty) on hoverbike or hoverjeep, patrols whose monotony is typically broken when the border patrol turns into a perimeter race between patrollers. In the five years of operation, aside from two earthquakes, nothing much has happened at the Reno IV site. Until recently; something’s been turning over sensors on the perimeter. There’s no sign of animal activity, no sign of unusual weather. The workers are starting to get creeped out, and are torn between accusing each other of playing pranks and circling the wagons.
Ilovona: A Typical Large GNE Outpost “And on this intersection is where they hung most of the Old Army’s general staff, back in ‘07. They wanted to name this intersection ‘Traitors’ Corner’ after that, but somehow it became ‘Traders’ Corner’ on account of all the out-of-town tourism come to see the corpses. The vendors popped up faster than mushrooms, and even after they took away the bodies, the tradesmen remained. Fancy a stick-pastry?”
Ilovona is a small (21,000 people total in the entire land) city-state kingdom on a terrestrial planet out-dimension. The planet, Rhestor, is inhabited primarily by humans, with minority populations of elves, dwarves, and kobolds. The planet’s magic level is slightly below that of the Palladium Fantasy World, while technology is early Electronics Age, roughly equivalent to the terrestrial early 1900’s. Technology is SDC in nature, with some instances of mad science-level technowizardry or alchemy, while animal-drawn transport still dominates most communities. Medieval govenment institutions still hold sway, and most nations still rely on swords over guns. Ilovona was simply one kingdom among many, until events of ten years ago made it an outpost-enclave(some would say protectorate) of GNE and Paladin Steel. Ilovona came under the GNE wing when a particularly vicious coup, masterminded by a depraved technowizard and the head of the Ilovonan army, threatened to plunge the normally peaceful kingdom into a literal orgy of enslavement and torture, spearheaded by the army, which had been disgruntled by recent unpopular reforms. The mad mastermind wasn’t aware that a GNE diplomatic party and Paladin Steel corporate scouting team had been quietly doing business in the area, having made several lucrative deals for fabrics unique to the region. When they caught wind of the plot going down, rather than run for home, they called for help. The response was immediate and heavy-handed; several regiments of the GNEAS Fourth Army soon arrived and walked over the conspirators in an open takeover, then proceeded to make object lessons of the conspirators. The ex-slaves(many survivors of Splugorth brutalities) of the Fourth Army made a point of publically executing those elements of the local army that were involved in the coup, alongside anybody who participated in the slave trade, fatally defenestrated many of the local anti-reform aristocrats, and nearly the entire in-kingdom organized crime element (and the corrupt police who were helping them) were dragged out and beaten in the streets. The local regent, the general behind the plot, was deposed(and decapitated), and the teenage King, Rasus IV, placed in protective custody of the GNE. The technowizard behind the whole plot was executed alongside his inner circle, though, it is rumored, not before being tortured by some of the more vindicative Fourth Army troopers. While there have been allegations that the Regular Army units ‘ran wild’, saddling the GNE with running a kingdom they hardly wanted in the aftermath of an open invasion and bloodbath, the majority of GNE citizens, upon learning the details of the conspiracy, have agreed that the Fourth Army’s measures to eliminate the slavers were justified. Ten years later, Ilovona is peaceful and prosperous again. The kingdom has taken on much of GNE culture, particularly in law and order, the local standard of living is above the planetary average, thanks to the improved public services, medical care, and imported technologies, and GNE newspapers are as common as the local news letters. Several thousand new emigrants, most refugees and escaped slaves from Atlantis, have bolstered the local population. The capital is now home to a fairly large Paladin Steel industrial complex(1,800+ employees) that produces spare parts for various PS-made vehicles, domestic wares, and textiles, much of the latter of which is sold locally. The factory complex is ‘green’, disguised among the quaint traditional architecture of the kingdom, powered by fusion generators underground, and collecting or recycling all its wastes, so as not to pollute the local ecology. The town gets weekly supply convoys from the StoneHenge-like dimensional gate nearby; the trucks come in with raw materials and goods from the rest of the GNE and go back with the week’s production of goods. Ilovona is considered an outpost of Paladin Steel due to the factory complex there, and is not a full-fledged state of the GNE. It pays no taxes to the GNE, though it does receive occasional development funds and resources from Paladin Steel. Many of the craftsmen and local industrialists who were put out of work by the PS plant have been retrained as plant workers, or subsidized in setting up specialty shoppes. A number of new businesses have also opened up, mainly catering to the new cultural influences; markets selling goods and foodstuffs from the GNE, and clinics operated by immigrant mystic healers and medical specialists. The original corrupt local army has been completely replaced by a GNEAS-trained force of wholly new recruits, formed around a relocated and reformed Odessa Brigade, providing the new force with a core of rabidly-antislavery soldiery. The New Army is roughly equal to a Rifts Earth GNE Militia or National Guard force in terms of equipment and organization, but is wholly dedicated to honest protection of the citizenry and the new constitution behind the government. King Rasus, now new-come into his age of majority, sits on a democratically-elected city council, and has recently signed the articles terminating the GNE regency that kept his kingdom going while he received a classic GNE education. He regards the GNE and PS as allies and partners in the social and economic reforms that have reshaped his kingdom; already other kingdoms have taken note of Ilovona’s prosperity and are thinking of approaching the young King to make alliances with him. While some local residents still remember the bloody takeover and fear the newcomers in their midst, the majority of the residents enjoy the security, peace, and prosperity that has come to their lands. All but the worst diehards and conservatives(those who haven’t already run for sanctuary in other kingdoms) agree that the newcomers have been good for Ilovona. While there is still some petty crime in the streets and banditry in the countryside, any murmurs of unrest were put down long ago; slavery is effectively extinct in the kingdom (anybody even TRYING to take advantage of those rehabilitated ex-slaves who were released from magic mental bondage can be considered lucky if ALL they get off with is a prison and hard labor sentence).
Last edited by taalismn on Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:36 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"
Are you kidding? That's Mad Haven in another dozen years after we start openly selling to the mutants!
-------------
"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"
Paladin Steel McMAALR-30 ‘Fire Rose’ 30mm Anti-Aircraft Micro-Missile Launcher Joachim had never been afraid of heights, even before he’d been ‘troded up to be a Crazy. These days, though, his fear was being late to a fight, and the one shaping up on the massive grav-ship looming above him promised to be a MEAN one. As the smaller GNE hover-scow-gunboat came up unnoticed under the ship’s hull, Joachim could barely contain his excitment in anticipation of when the two craft would be close enough that the adhoc boarding team could start climbing aboard the beseiged warcraft. When, after what seemed an eternity, the ships had bumped sides, Joachim had fairly VAULTED onto the wall of metal. Joachim scrambled up the side of the listing grav-ship, ignoring the grappling hooks and tape-wires of the rest of the boarding party as they too made for the upper deck. He had no need for such ascension devices; all he needed was his hands and feet, as the Crazy hopped from ledge to ledge, from antennae to stanchion, finding handholds in plate seams and deck edges. All around him he heard the sounds of all-out combat as the crew of the ship frantically tried to defend their beleagured vessel. Occasionally the ship shook with a muffled explosion; Joachim paid it no heed; the attackers weren’t going to blow the ship out from under him any time soon, but the defenders might, and the sooner he and his took the pressure the pressure off the defenders.... With a final leap, Joachim made the deck, rolling to his feet across the flight deck plating, his hopped-up senses looking for danger. Around him he was aware of the rest of his squad also arriving, only moments behind him. From the looks of things, they hadn’t been engaged on the way up; nobody seemed to either notice them or care...That suited Joachim just fine...the element of surprise was ALWAYS preferred. And sure enough, there was the enemy; a group of ungainly-looking mechanisms that were intent on breaking into the ship’s lower decks. While their mechanical minions were busy mopping up the last of the visible defenders, the rest of them were busy prying up the flight deck elevator and access hatches. They seemed to take no notice of the newcomers behind them.... Grinning maniacally as only a veteran Crazy can do, Joachim swung his big six-barreled rocket launcher off his back and slung it into position for one-handed fire, while he drew a proper boarding weapon; a vibro-cutlass, in the other. “TAKE ‘EM UP THE ARSE!!!!” He bellowed as he unleashed a full salvo of micro-missile armor-piercers into the backside of an imposing- and important-looking ‘mech. Beside him the rest of the boarding party swept the deck with withering fire.....
Another of Paladin Steel’s ‘sub-mini-missile’ class weapons, this weapon expands the 15mm-20mm micromissile format to the 30mm size, using the venerable ‘German Thirty’ shell(PS’s copy of the Triax TX-862FC flak cannon munition) as a basis. The McMAALR uses as much of the previous weapons as possible; guidance, sensor package, triggering mechanisms, and general layout, but fires a heavier projectile with longer range and a more powerful explosive warhead. Rather than the nine tubes of the lighter caliber weapons, the McMAALR has a six-pack of micro-missiles, so encumberance for the weapon is about the same as the smaller launchers. Since operation is so similar, combat personnel already familiar with the McMAALR-18 have found it a snap to operate and service the 30mm launcher. The MCMAALR-30 if formatted primarily as an air defense weapon, but it can also be used, with some profficiency, as an anti-armor/general purpose strike weapon. With the vast number of anti-air capable weapons already being deployed in the field by PS, the McMAALR-30 is slow in getting picked up by anybody so far, especially since the GNE military is already moving to standardize the 15-20mm micromissiles as its munitions of choice, but the 30mm weapon already has its fans, especially among Juicers, cyborgs, and other beings with enhanced strength. The 30mm micromissile is arguably the largest caliber likely to be possible to create before the projectiles must be classed as ‘mini-missiles’.
Weight: 16 lbs. A speedloader of 6 rds weighs 3 lbs Range: 11,000 ft Damage: (Pattern-3a) 4d6 MD single rd to 5 ft blast radius (Pattern-3b) 1d4x10 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 3d6 MDC out to a 20 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode (Pattern-3c)(Incendiary)2d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6 Bonuses:(All Patterns)(+3 to strike airborne targets, +1 to strike ground targets) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip. Special Features: *Sensor Package---The sensor package includes an IR/Thermal sight, laser rangefinder(2 mile range) and directional mini-radar(2 mile range) with audio-alarm to notify the gunner of target-lock. Payload: 6 rds Cost: 29,000 credits (4,000 for the launcher assembly, 25,000 for the sighting package) (Pattern-3a) 90 credits each (Pattern-3b)150 credits each (Pattern-3c) 180 credits each
Paladin Steel 30mm Series-II Ramjet Shells(S2RS) “Wonderful! Now we got extra oomph that can be shared between similar caliber weapons...as long as you remember to put the Es-twos in the modified belting, otherwise the shells will just rattle around in the chamber of an eight-six-two without seating properly for tapping. It’s not really a problem if you’re snapping off single shots with a super-sniper, but when you’re blazing off bursts from a cannon, it can jam up bad right when you need full-auto!”
Paladin Steel is continually looking to upgrade its projectile weapons array, either with new projectile weapons types or the ammunition itself. PS’s latest offering is the Series-2 30mm Ramjet. Although PS had long held the design for the IH-10RJ 30mm Ramjet Autocannon ( produced and sold as the PS-10RJ), they also produced the PS-862 AC 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon(Paladin Steel knockoff of the TriaxTX-862FC), which also employed a 30mm round with explosive filling, to greater effect and range. Though of the same caliber, both weapons could not use each other’s ammunition. And though PS also had a superior 30mm projectile in its newest 30-series of micromissiles, the company weaponeers felt that the ramjet round could still be improved. They did so by improving the propellant and modifying the penetrator centre-body for extra force when ‘diving’ through armor. Thus was born the Series-2 Ramjet Shell. 30mm S2RS munitions do the same general damage as the original IH-10RJ ammo, but have accuracy and armor-piercing capabilities superior to the explosive PS-862, at least at short range, due to the hypervelocity of the shell. The sustained ramjet acceleration gives the shell overall better range than the PS-862, but damage drops appreciably as the shell loses velocity. S2RS ammunition is fully compatible with the PS-10RJ and PS-862 autocannon systems, and also the SHRS-30 Superheavy Sniper Rifle System, greatly streamlining ammunition supply in units deploying two or more of these weapons types. Range: 12,000 ft maximum Damage: 3d6 MD single rd, 4d4x10 MD per 20 rd burst, but on an 18-20, does CRITICAL(double) damage out to 6,000 ft. 2d6 MD out to 12,000 ft Bonuses: +1 to strike at ranges under 4,000 ft Cost: 950 credits per belt of 100 rds
Last edited by taalismn on Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:40 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"
Joachim had never been afraid of heights, even before he’d been ‘troded up to be a Crazy. These days, though, his fear was being late to a fight, and the one shaping up on the massive grav-ship looming above him promised to be a MEAN one. As the smaller GNE hover-scow-gunboat came up unnoticed under the ship’s hull, Joachim could barely contain his excitment in anticipation of when the two craft would be close enough that the adhoc boarding team could start climbing aboard the beseiged warcraft. When, after what seemed an eternity, the ships had bumped sides, Joachim had fairly VAULTED onto the wall of metal. Joachim scrambled up the side of the listing grav-ship, ignoring the grappling hooks and tape-wires of the rest of the boarding party as they too made for the upper deck. He had no need for such ascension devices; all he needed was his hands and feet, as the Crazy hopped from ledge to ledge, from antennae to stanchion, finding handholds in plate seams and deck edges. All around him he heard the sounds of all-out combat as the crew of the ship frantically tried to defend their beleagured vessel. Occasionally the ship shook with a muffled explosion; Joachim paid it no heed; the attackers weren’t going to blow the ship out from under him any time soon, but the defenders might, and the sooner he and his took the pressure the pressure off the defenders.... With a final leap, Joachim made the deck, rolling to his feet across the flight deck plating, his hopped-up senses looking for danger. Around him he was aware of the rest of his squad also arriving, only moments behind him. From the looks of things, they hadn’t been engaged on the way up; nobody seemed to either notice them or care...That suited Joachim just fine...the element of surprise was ALWAYS preferred. And sure enough, there was the enemy; a group of ungainly-looking mechanisms that were intent on breaking into the ship’s lower decks. While their mechanical minions were busy mopping up the last of the visible defenders, the rest of them were busy prying up the flight deck elevator and access hatches. They seemed to take no notice of the newcomers behind them.... Grinning maniacally as only a veteran Crazy can do, Joachim swung his big six-barreled rocket launcher off his back and slung it into position for one-handed fire, while he drew a proper boarding weapon; a vibro-cutlass, in the other. “TAKE ‘EM UP THE ARSE!!!!” He bellowed as he unleashed a full salvo of micro-missile armor-piercers into the backside of an imposing- and important-looking ‘mech. Beside him the rest of the boarding party swept the deck with withering fire.....
Another of Paladin Steel’s ‘sub-mini-missile’ class weapons, this weapon expands the 15mm-20mm micromissile format to the 30mm size, using the venerable ‘German Thirty’ shell(PS’s copy of the Triax TX-862FC flak cannon munition) as a basis. The McMAALR uses as much of the previous weapons as possible; guidance, sensor package, triggering mechanisms, and general layout, but fires a heavier projectile with longer range and a more powerful explosive warhead. Rather than the nine tubes of the lighter caliber weapons, the McMAALR has a six-pack of micro-missiles, so encumberance for the weapon is about the same as the smaller launchers. Since operation is so similar, combat personnel already familiar with the McMAALR-18 have found it a snap to operate and service the 30mm launcher. The MCMAALR-30 if formatted primarily as an air defense weapon, but it can also be used, with some profficiency, as an anti-armor/general purpose strike weapon. With the vast number of anti-air capable weapons already being deployed in the field by PS, the McMAALR-30 is slow in getting picked up by anybody so far, especially since the GNE military is already moving to standardize the 15-20mm micromissiles as its munitions of choice, but the 30mm weapon already has its fans, especially among Juicers, cyborgs, and other beings with enhanced strength. The 30mm micromissile is arguably the largest caliber likely to be possible to create before the projectiles must be classed as ‘mini-missiles’.
Weight: 16 lbs. A speedloader of 6 rds weighs 3 lbs Range: 11,000 ft Damage: (Pattern-3a) 4d6 MD single rd to 5 ft blast radius (Pattern-3b) 1d4x10 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 3d6 MDC out to a 20 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode (Pattern-3c)(Incendiary)2d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6 Bonuses:(All Patterns)(+3 to strike airborne targets, +1 to strike ground targets) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip. Special Features: *Sensor Package---The sensor package includes an IR/Thermal sight, laser rangefinder(2 mile range) and directional mini-radar(2 mile range) with audio-alarm to notify the gunner of target-lock. Payload: 6 rds Cost: 29,000 credits (4,000 for the launcher assembly, 25,000 for the sighting package) (Pattern-3a) 90 credits each (Pattern-3b)150 credits each (Pattern-3c) 180 credits each
Paladin Steel 30mm Series-II Ramjet Shells(S2RS) “Wonderful! Now we got extra oomph that can be shared between similar caliber weapons...as long as you remember to put the Es-twos in the modified belting, otherwise the shells will just rattle around in the chamber of an eight-six-two without seating properly for tapping. It’s not really a problem if you’re snapping off single shots with a super-sniper, but when you’re blazing off bursts from a cannon, it can jam up bad right when you need full-auto!”
Paladin Steel is continually looking to upgrade its projectile weapons array, either with new projectile weapons types or the ammunition itself. PS’s latest offering is the Series-2 30mm Ramjet. Although PS had long held the design for the IH-10RJ 30mm Ramjet Autocannon ( produced and sold as the PS-10RJ), they also produced the PS-862 AC 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon(Paladin Steel knockoff of the TriaxTX-862FC), which also employed a 30mm round with explosive filling, to greater effect and range. Though of the same caliber, both weapons could not use each other’s ammunition. And though PS also had a superior 30mm projectile in its newest 30-series of micromissiles, the company weaponeers felt that the ramjet round could still be improved. They did so by improving the propellant and modifying the penetrator centre-body for extra force when ‘diving’ through armor. Thus was born the Series-2 Ramjet Shell. 30mm S2RS munitions do the same general damage as the original IH-10RJ ammo, but have accuracy and armor-piercing capabilities superior to the explosive PS-862, at least at short range, due to the hypervelocity of the shell. The sustained ramjet acceleration gives the shell overall better range than the PS-862, but damage drops appreciably as the shell loses velocity. S2RS ammunition is fully compatible with the PS-10RJ and PS-862 autocannon systems, and also the SHRS-30 Superheavy Sniper Rifle System, greatly streamlining ammunition supply in units deploying two or more of these weapons types. Range: 12,000 ft maximum Damage: 3d6 MD single rd, 4d4x10 MD per 20 rd burst, but on an 18-20, does CRITICAL(double) damage out to 6,000 ft. 2d6 MD out to 12,000 ft Bonuses: +1 to strike at ranges under 4,000 ft Cost: 950 credits per belt of 100 rds
N1!!!!!!!!!!
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"
I really should advertise PS as one of (many) makers of generic robotic horses and generic robot animals, but I really don't want to run headlong into my EShemarrian creations(though I've already noted that the resource-strapped EShemar do some robo-animal rustling in addition to more legit buying/trading for robot horses/animals and spare parts).
-------------
"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 really should advertise PS as one of (many) makers of generic robotic horses and generic robot animals, but I really don't want to run headlong into my EShemarrian creations(though I've already noted that the resource-strapped EShemar do some robo-animal rustling in addition to more legit buying/trading for robot horses/animals and spare parts).
Need to start somewhere.
Is it rustling or trading thru middle men/beings for things. Some call it crime while others call it free business as they flee from the Law Enforcement or CS troops. But robot animals are needed for riding and other tasks. Cannon in DBees of NA have several cyborg races them making pets, workers and riding from local [and Dim hopped in] critters makes sense.
Had a term 'Dog and Pony show' stuck in my head and causing trouble for my brain cell, DogBoys and CS created [never used alien life forms] or upgraded Bio Horses or like rides. Roaming the New West in place of noisy Hover cycles and self repairing, maybe too Splicer or AtB. But Bio tech was inplace and added to off the Golden Age. Not just High end uses, but everyday and common uses as well. Who knows what the CamJungle and someone else Forest folk might be using everyday or at least have stored in their libraries, files or bio memories.
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...
Okay..here's the hell of it, which is going to impact my ability to post ANYTHING here in the near future,... For the last week or so my internet has been slug-slow, prone to failures to load pages, frequent disconnects(10-12 times a night), and failure to grab hold of feeds(I'll be in the middle of a download and it will cut out on me and take 3-4 tries to log back on). What SHOULD take me 15 minutes these days now takes over an hour and I've been going over midnight to do my usual work... I don't know if it's my server going wretched in the holiday season or mu modem kicking the bucket, but if you or anybody you know have had similar problems and know what it is(or sounds like), I'd appreciate your input(I can still read at work, but I can't do any long involved writing from there).
-------------
"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"
Have you contacted your ISP about it? Depending on the type of internet you have, they can do a live check while you're on the phone and let you know if its your modem or their end. Have you tried resetting the modem when it starts doing the constant disconnecting?
taalismn wrote:Paladin Steel BarcoBot Infiltration Power Armor (aka ‘Sofa Soldier’)
“Let me get this straight; first your dress attacked you and tried to hogtie you, then transformed into a miniature spaceship that tried to kidnap you, but the sofa turned into a giant robot and saved you?”
What can you tell us about the dress and other attack clothing?
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...
taalismn wrote:Okay..here's the hell of it, which is going to impact my ability to post ANYTHING here in the near future,... For the last week or so my internet has been slug-slow, prone to failures to load pages, frequent disconnects(10-12 times a night), and failure to grab hold of feeds(I'll be in the middle of a download and it will cut out on me and take 3-4 tries to log back on). What SHOULD take me 15 minutes these days now takes over an hour and I've been going over midnight to do my usual work... I don't know if it's my server going wretched in the holiday season or mu modem kicking the bucket, but if you or anybody you know have had similar problems and know what it is(or sounds like), I'd appreciate your input (I can still read at work, but I can't do any long involved writing from there).
Can you reload your server's software? or check for update to it? Something may have changed or not been finished downloading. Have you check with your server for problems in the area?
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...
taalismn wrote:Okay..here's the hell of it, which is going to impact my ability to post ANYTHING here in the near future,... For the last week or so my internet has been slug-slow, prone to failures to load pages, frequent disconnects(10-12 times a night), and failure to grab hold of feeds(I'll be in the middle of a download and it will cut out on me and take 3-4 tries to log back on). What SHOULD take me 15 minutes these days now takes over an hour and I've been going over midnight to do my usual work... I don't know if it's my server going wretched in the holiday season or mu modem kicking the bucket, but if you or anybody you know have had similar problems and know what it is(or sounds like), I'd appreciate your input (I can still read at work, but I can't do any long involved writing from there).
Can you reload your server's software? or check for update to it? Something may have changed or not been finished downloading. Have you check with your server for problems in the area?
Looking into all of those possibilities, once I get over this verdamnit cold. In the meantime it stinks having to get my internet work done in fits and starts.
-------------
"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 BarcoBot Infiltration Power Armor (aka ‘Sofa Soldier’)
“Let me get this straight; first your dress attacked you and tried to hogtie you, then transformed into a miniature spaceship that tried to kidnap you, but the sofa turned into a giant robot and saved you?”
What can you tell us about the dress and other attack clothing?
DeviantArt fetishistic cartoon/comic I saw and thought "What's the Rifts response to anything?...Right, overwhelming firepower to the rescue!" But stat-wise, I'd look at the stats for the LUdicrous Mage Clothing Golem.
-------------
"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 BarcoBot Infiltration Power Armor (aka ‘Sofa Soldier’)
“Let me get this straight; first your dress attacked you and tried to hogtie you, then transformed into a miniature spaceship that tried to kidnap you, but the sofa turned into a giant robot and saved you?”
What can you tell us about the dress and other attack clothing?
DeviantArt fetishistic cartoon/comic I saw and thought "What's the Rifts response to anything?...Right, overwhelming firepower to the rescue!" But stat-wise, I'd look at the stats for the LUdicrous Mage Clothing Golem.
I dont get it look around there ???? sorry
let your YES be YES and your NO be NO but plz no maybe
abtex wrote:Yes where is the "LUdicrous Mage Clothing Golem" hiding at, please
"Best of the Rifter"....they reprint the LM OCC and spells.
-------------
"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"
“You know what I like about this gun? I’ll tell you; some weapons look like hammers, like blunt instruments, the sort of weapons that a brawler uses. No finesse. This gun on the other hand looks like a scalpel, a precise instrument that a knifefighter would use. I can dance with this gun.” ---Carla Midnight, Gunfighter
“Dancing at knife fighting range is ALL you’ll be doing with a Lugge; eight shots ain’t going to do you much good unless you put them all up a target’s eye, nostril, ear canal, arse, or crotch-hole, at a range where you can already smell their breath. What the NuLu’s good at is that it’s inexpensive, and you can add on what you want afterwards, though that hardly seems smart, plugging on recoil-comp gear that’s pricier than the gun itself, when the range still sucks. I keep a dozen Nulus unaugmented laying about my property as holdouts, ‘cause I know there range isn’t a consideration, but for field shooting I stick with the Nema-Nine, a SPAR-Seven, or a Wilks.” ---Brenda Niles-Bandorii, Headhunter
The P080 ‘NuLuger’ is a second-generation RepliGun turned out by Paladin Steel to take advantage of the various ammunitions they mass-produce. Though Paladin Steel and its many cottage-industry subcontractors have long turned out old-pattern weapons in SDC metals and plastics (the latter sometimes derisively called ‘vending machine specials’), a few types have been selected to be reworked and redone in modern megadamage alloys. More expensive, yes, but also durable, and arguably better able to handle the temperatures and pressures associated with more powerful ammunition propellant systems intended to inflict megadamage. The P080 NuLuger is a remake of the classic P08 Parabellum Luger that became an iconic weapon of the German military during the first two World Wars. Well-machined, accurate, and reliable(when kept scrupulously clean), the P08 was a favorite sidearm and collector’s item. Paladin Steel has kept those qualities, but has made a few improvements as well; the NuLuger is rendered in lighter and tougher MDC alloys with composite coverings, and the same dry lubricant coatings used in other RepliGun editions has been applied to the maintenance-heavy toggle-lock mechanism. Range has been improved slightly, and the weapon’s light weight lends itself well to accurate shooting. Overall, the resulting remake is tougher, lighter, easier to shoot, and easier to maintain. PS ships the NuLuger directly to market; it is not officially used by the GNE, GNEAS, or PS security, though there are no restrictions on the weapon being privately owned and used by employees/operatives of any of those organizations. Though the NuLuger has an uphill battle in domestic North American markets against the many Colt, Browning, and Smith & Wesson derivative weapons already available(the NuLuger’s low price takes the edge off the decidedly poor range), the weapon is doing well in the overseas European markets, where it is sold in England, Spain, and Poland. The NuLuger, in fact is doing so well that Triax has reportedly so taken offense at the foreign ‘cheat gun’ selling in their own backyard that they’re working on a new line of ‘True Luger’ weapons meant to take back the good name of German engineering. Weight: 1.7 lbs MDC: 17 Range: 100 ft Damage:( Standard 9mm) 3d6 SD per rd (NEMA-9 Saboted Round) 5d6 SD per rd (Express Round) 4d6 SD(increase range to 200 ft) per rd (Ramjet) 1 MD per rd (Wellington/PS Exploders) 6d6 SD per rd (PSX-2) 1d4 MD per rd Can chamber a variety of other ammunition types, including rubber, silver, wood, Glaser, and TW bullets. Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: 8 rd clip or 32-round ‘snail drum’ Features: *Corrosion-proof Construction *Top Sight Rail---Can be fitted with a scope or other sight *Barrel Threading---The barrel is fully threaded for the attachment of silencers, flash hiders, barrel extensions, and pistol/rifle grenade launchers. *Balanced---The P080 is balanced for shooting: +2 to strike with aimed shots. Cost: 1,700 credits Options: *Parabellum ‘Artillery’ Carbine Barrel Kit---Extends range to 280 ft. Comes with barrel extension and variable configuration buttstock(can be configured for shoulder rest or armpit positioning) Cost: 1,000 credits
*Drum Magazine(32 rds). Cost: 400 credits
*Linked Smartscope---OICW-style plug-in module for the Carbine kit comes standard with a clip-on computerized scope with micro-chip targeting computer, laser rangefinder, x6 telescopic scope w/ passive nightvision/light amplification, and micro-chip video camera( 12 photo/images/3 minutes video....for recon or kill-trophy verification). Linked to the rifle butt, it has actuated ‘fuzzy logic’ stabilization for that perfect shot. +2 to strike on aimed shots. Cost: 3,000 credits
Last edited by taalismn on Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:21 am, 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"
Yeah, that's about right, and what you can do with it.... Not a great weapon, but a low cost one(which will easily end up in the hands of poor adventurers and pay for the bigger projects PS is working on), and with all the available ammunition types...We haven't even TOUCHED TW munitions, drugged dart fletchettes, 9mm 'needle bundles', etc.... I should probably do up a variable laser version with cigarrette lighter built into either end(for disguise and surprise).
-------------
"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"
It was rumored during WW2 that the Japanese were going to field a fighter based on French studies given to them before the war; the feared design was called the Mitsubishi PA-400 and even received a recognition codename. It never materialized. The Germans HAD tested a Payen fighter, and were singularly unimpressed with the performance, so there wasn't much there. Still, Payen did go on to make some interesting post-War one-offs, including the PA 49, so arguably Payen was the French answer to Germany's Horton Brothers.
-------------
"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"
Payen's designs with modern or Rift age materials, engines and little DBee tech knowledge or lost Golden age hobby tech. How knows what might be possible.
The British tried to make stranger aircraft, but just did not have their heart into it like Payen did. "Little known martial piston aircraft and projects. UK." Most seem to have been designed using the following WWII quote "Another expression that first became popular during World War II is “back to the drawing board.” With "..but I will stop at the pub first." added. Aircraft that your British/PS areo Company work build/grow with local help.
Their Twin boom planes were strange but something that you could learn to love. US's Northrop XP-55 Ascender, P-38 and P-61 Black Widow, always loved that design and history. But just drop the booms and make them a Flying Wing with cockpit/main body, hummm. Ornithopter. Martin Baker Twin Boom 2 cockpits - side by side? But lots of guns.
Just some of the different designs.
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...
abtex wrote:Payen's designs with modern or Rift age materials, engines and little DBee tech knowledge or lost Golden age hobby tech. How knows what might be possible.
The British tried to make stranger aircraft, but just did not have their heart into it like Payen did. "Little known martial piston aircraft and projects. UK." Most seem to have been designed using the following WWII quote "Another expression that first became popular during World War II is “back to the drawing board.” With "..but I will stop at the pub first." added. Aircraft that your British/PS areo Company work build/grow with local help.
Their Twin boom planes were strange but something that you could learn to love. US's Northrop XP-55 Ascender, P-38 and P-61 Black Widow, always loved that design and history. But just drop the booms and make them a Flying Wing with cockpit/main body, hummm. Ornithopter. Martin Baker Twin Boom 2 cockpits - side by side? But lots of guns.
Just some of the different designs.
Farnborough Aviation/Avionics? Why certainly! I must revisit them sometime.....I haven't done a 'Wings of Legend" aircraft in a while, though I still have some ideas for some of the odder aircraft.
-------------
"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"
Paladin Steel AC4-30 30mm Quad-Cannon “Kinda wondering why the Germans didn’t think of this....” This system is regarded as the natural evolution of the PS-862 AC 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon(Paladin Steel knockoff of the TriaxTX-862FC) and the ZSU-23-inspired quad-gun array. It consists of FOUR 30mm cannons on a powered mounting, telemetried for anti-aircraft gun work. With all four cannons firing simultaneously, the amount of damage the system can lay on target can prove devastating to even heavily armored targets, such as the Death’s Head Transport. Deployed in battery, AC4-30s are a serious threat to low-flying aircraft, dragons, power armors, and other airborne threats. The AC4-30 is available as a static, towed, or turret-mount for the DL-100 Clysdale, Rattlesnake IFV, and Black Bear MBT. Weight: 4.6 tons MDC: 120 Crew: One gunner. Typically serviced by a 5-man technical crew. Range:10,000 ft Damage:4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 3d6x10 MD six-round burst per SINGLE gun firing. All four guns going at maximum rate of fire simultaneousy do a whopping 3d6x40 MD! Rate of Fire:EPCHH Payload:1,600 rds, 400 rds per cannon Bonuses:Independent laser and radar tracking system(range: 11,000 ft). +1 strike set on automatic against aerial attack, +2 strike fired by gunner Cost: 800,000 credits for the basic (unmounted) weapon
-------------
"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"
abtex wrote:Only if taalismn likes them or they even close to what he had in mind.
Oh yeah! The Germans had twin 37mm gun mounts during ww2, and the quad 20mm Mobelwagen and Wirbelwind AA tanks, Italy had the Sidam 25 with 4 25mm guns, and the Brits had experimented with land-based quad 40mm 'pom-poms'(they certainly used them on ships).
Not an earth-shattering novel weapon, my little quad cannon, but one using available technologies and able to be plugged into a variety of platforms. It also means that variety of other existing projectile weapons in the 20-25-30-40mm ranges can be readily cobbled together in various twin- and quad-mounts for that extra synchronized burst oh-my-frakkin'-god-that-MD-adds-up damage.
-------------
"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"
Already working on another submersible drone(among other things)....jetpacks, shelter kits, protective gear, etc....
-------------
"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"
"Did you get Bond?" "Sir, we were hosed. Seriously hosed."
-------------
"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"
Paladin Steel/Valiant Station SBR-14 9/6mm Squeeze-Bore Hypervelocity Rifle (aka ‘Cone Rifle’, ‘Conie’, ‘Saphrifle’) “A good burst from this little baby, and you can shred just about any personal armor and rip up a lot of power armors too, with just one clip of ammo. With a burst, though, the recoil builds up fast, and if you’re not careful, you start spraying subsquent trigger-pulls all over the place, not to mention bruise your arm or your ribs if you haven’t seated the weapon properly! I’ve heard tales that sustained fire also makes the barrel glow, and that the early weapons shattered their barrels because of flawed crystals, but I have yet to see proof that that happened on anything other than the lab test-bed barrels. The guns I’ve dealt with are all battle tested and approved.”
“This is argubly the most dangerous weapon I’ve seen PS put out...dangerous to the user, that is. The recoil on multi-shot’s horrendous and can raise bruises through body armor; not exactly a ringing endorsement for a weapon meant to put serious armor-piercing power in the hands of PBI)Poor Bloody Infantry). In my opinion this technology’s just not mature enough. Give us another decade of recoil control tech development and these little hell-needlers just might work out...of course, by then, we’re likely to have ramjet bullets or particle beam pistols that can do the same job a helluva lot better.”
The SBR-14 Rifle is an experimental weapon being tested by Paladin Steel in its efforts to produce a more effective anti-armor rifle that can be more effectively carried by an infantryman. The weapons technology was introduced to the company by the Valiant Station merger, and the Earth-based portion of PS was eager to see what toys the tech-exchange could produce. Based on an earlier Ekataran army weapon, the ‘cone rifle’ uses smokeless caseless chemical propellents to fire an iridium-alloy needle down a narrowing squeeze-bore barrel made of a single synthetic crystal, going from 9mm down to 6 mm, achieving extremely high muzzle velocities. This gives the weapon rail gun-like armor-penetrating and range capabilities comparable to the Arkhon fletchete weapons, but without the mechanical complexity or power demands of a rail gun’s stator accelerator ring assemblies. However, the cone-rifle has a tremendous recoil for a small arm, and light-build users of the weapon may actually be injured by the weapon’s unexpectedly forceful kickback. Because of the requirement of an artificial crystal barrel system, the SBR-14 is produced exclusively at PS’s orbital factories, that can readily ‘grow’ the required crystals to order in micro-gravity. However, due to the expense of production, and the highly specialized ammunition, versus the more ready availability of e-clips and conventional energy weapons(as well as other advances in both rail gun and energy weapon development), the SBR-14’s prospects for widescale adaptation seem poor. However, Paladin Steel has authorized continued field testing and limited distribution to specialized sniper units and a handful of approved mercenary-adventurer groups. MDC: 16 Weight: 12 lbs Range: 3,500 ft Damage: 6d6 MD per single shot, 1d6x10+8 MD per 3-shot burst Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: 25 shot clip Special Features: *Laser Spot-Sight---+1 to strike with a called shot Penalties: *Recoil----Anyone firing a burst(3 or more shots)must be properly braced(or else possess a P.S. of 18 or greater) or be caught by the weapon’s unexpectedly strong kickback(lose initiative and 1 APM getting back into position). A fumble of a 2 or less requires a roll versus P.S. or risk taking 1d6 SDC in kickback damage(HALF if wearing body armor). Cost: 60,000 credits. Ammunition costs 180 credits per 10 rds
Paladin Steel/Valiant Station SBC-19 13/9mm Squeeze-Bore Hypervelocity Cannon
“Problem with a hypervelocity anti-armor cannon is that sometimes the ammunition goes right THROUGH a soft target like soft tissues without slowing...just drills a neat hole and leaves out the back. Unless you’re lucky and the projectile carved through a vital organ or three or left a massive swath of hydrostatic shockwave damage behind it, for a critter with natural hyper-regeneration, that doesn’t pose a problem to just heal it up like that.”
This weapon was designed as a scale-up of the SBR-14, and is intended for use by cyborgs and other exceptionally strong soldiers. Like the SBR-14, the SBC uses a combination of a narrowing barrel gauge and ‘squeezable’ tungsten-jacketed long-rod penetrator projectiles to achieve high velocities and exceptional armor-piercing capability. The SBC-19 can fire its exotic alloy ‘needle’ through armor that would normally shrug off explosives and heavy shells. However, the SBC-19 has had its problems; the weapon’s special extra-sized crystalline barrel takes longer to grow and machine properly, adding to the weapon’s production cost. As with the smaller weapon, heavy recoil is a consideration. The tungsten-iridium alloy projectiles are also expensive to make and are in poor distribution for any large scale deployment of the weapon. Also, the relative success of the cheaper and less complex XM-139 20mm Sniper Rifle, already available and in wide distribution, has led to the SBC-19 program being cut back; only a limited number of the weapons have thus been produced and issued to specialist units. Weight: 75 lbs Range: 6,000 ft Damage: 1d6x10 MD. Does critical damage on a Natural 19-20 Rate of Fire: ECHH Payload: 8 rd clip Special Features: *Laser Spot-Sight---+1 to strike with a called shot *Mountable on a bipod, tripod, or wheeled carriage Penalties: *Recoil----Anyone firing a round must be properly braced(or else possess a P.S. of 24 or greater) or be caught by the weapon’s unexpectedly strong kickback(lose initiative and 1 APM getting back into position). Cost: 260,000 credits. Ammunition costs 160 credits per round
-------------
"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"
abtex wrote:Paladin Steel/Valiant Station SBR-14 9/6mm Squeeze-Bore Hypervelocity Rifle Paladin Steel/Valiant Station SBC-19 13/9mm Squeeze-Bore Hypervelocity Cannon
Can I hunt or hurt DBee Fish monster with these weapons?
If your tastes in violence run that way, sure!
-------------
"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"