TEXT: i; 
  A REGIONAL SOURCEBOOK FOR THE HEAVY GEAR UNIVERSE 
  lNT0 THEBADLANDS: DIRECTED by Pierre Ouellette STARRING Philippe Boulle GUEST STARRING Piotr Wellet, Jamie Li Cutie BASED ON A GAME by 
  Dream Pod 9 BASED ON A STORY by Pierre Ouellette PRODUCER Marc-Alexandre Vezina CINEMATOGRAPHER Jean Carrieres FILM EDITOR Brian 
  Faughnan MARKETING Robert Oubois COMPUTER GRAPHICS & SPECIAL EFFECTS Ghislain Barbe, Normand Bilodeau, Jeff Fortier and Pierre Ouellette 
  SOUNTRACK by YFA 0 MCMXCVI Dream Pod 9, Inc 
  I 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I. 
  L . i -  
  i
  C
   
  Jade struggled with her Jager's controls as she slid doun a large slope. 
  Sand billowed around her as autocannon fire 
  ripped into the fine silicate. 
  Darting through smaller dunes, she watched in horror as Harts Elan took a 
  direct hit from a Northern rochet. The buggq exploded in an orange ball of 
  death. She was next. 
  Spinning on the Gear's foot-mounted uheels. she emptied her pach-gun 
  into the Jaguar coming over the crest. Thick smohe started pumping out 
  of the attachers side and Jade allowed herself a grim smile. It faded as 
  two Hunters appeared to cover their wounded commander. Tracer shells 
  zipped past her viewscreen and she slammed her Gear into a zigzagging 
  run. It wasn't enough. 
  R high-caliber shell crached her Jager's V-engine housing just before Jade 
  got behind cover. Fuel oil poured onto the sand and all her gages slammed 
  into the red. but the drq well was right where she remembered. She pulled 
  the manual release, grabbed her canteen and ripe. slipped out of her Gear 
  and lumped into the fissure in less than a minute. From there, she could 
  make it out of the battle unseen 
  Theq maq have won the first encounter. but the Northern Guard hadn't 
  heard the last of the Desert Wolves. 
  This Badlands sourcebook provides a wealth of Information on the inhabitants of the 
  great desert R perfect complement to the Terra Nova sourcebook it focuses on people 
  and events including most of the principal actors in the desert setting and emphasizes 
  how their relationships are changing with the move to war Some highlights ofthis book 
  in c I u d e 
  PRXTONRRMS 
  nEw SE~LEMENTS 
  - ROVERGANGS 
  THE NORTHERN RHO SOUTHERN FORCES 
  - THE REVISIONIST CHURCH 
  THE SEMI-LEGENDRAY SRNO RIDEAS 
  Produced and Published bq Dream Pod 9 
  SO00 Iberville. Suite 332. flontreal. 0C. Canada. H2H 256 
  RII RrtIuorR Copqright 0 1336 Dream Pod 3 
  nil Rights Reserved 
  ISBN 1-896716-02-7 
  Printed in Canada 
  I 
  I 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  CHAPTER 1: INTROOUCTION .............................................................................................................. 
  4 
  1.0 
  lNTRODUCTl0N ............................................................................................................................................................................. 
  4 
  1.1 
  SOURCEROOH OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................... 
  5 
  CHRPTER 2: BAOLRNOS OVERVIEW .................................................................................................... 
  6 
  2.0 
  BRDLRNOS OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 
  6 
  21 
  PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 
  211 THE Bnuintios DESERTS .................................................................................................................................................. 
  7 
  21.2 THE snvnnnnHs .............................................................................................................................................................. 
  B 
  2.2 
  BRDLRNOS HISTORY .................................. 
  ....................................................................................................... 
  9 
  2.21 EARLY OEVELOPMENT .................... 
  ....................................................................................................... 
  9 
  2.2.2 EMERGING CITY-STRTES ................ 
  ...................................................................................................... 
  IO 
  2.2.3 Poinn CONFLICT 
  .................................................................................................................. 10 
  2.2.4 THE wnn OF THE RLLIRNCE .............................................................................................................................................. 
  11 
  2.3 
  DESERT LIFE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 
  12 
  2.31 HOMESTERDS .................................................................................................................................................................. 
  12 
  2.3.2 TOWNS RHO VILLAGES ..................................................................................................................................................... 
  13 
  2.3.3 OASIS TOWERS ................................................................................................................................................................ 14 
  2.3.4 ~notnnus CITIES ............................................................................................................................................................ 
  IS 
  2.3.5 CRrinvnns ...................................................................................................................................................................... 
  IS 
  2.3.6 OESERT TRIBES ............................................................................................................................................................... 
  16 
  2.4 
  unuinnos ECONOMICS ............................................................................................................................................................... 
  16 
  2.41 POLAR TARDE .................................................................................................................................................................. 17 
  2.4.2 ECiURTOAl A i  TARDE ......................................................................................................................................................... 
  17 
  21.3 THE MOUNTAIN ARNGES ................. 
  ....................................................................................................... 
  B 
  ........................... 
  2.5 
  TYPICRL RROLRNOS CHARACTERS .................................................................................................................................................. 
  CHAPTER 3: BAOLRNOS COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................ 
  24 
  3.0 
  BRDLRNOS COMMUNITIES ........................................................................................................................................................... 
  24 
  3.1 
  PnxTon nnns ..................................................................................... 
  ......................................................................... 
  25 
  3.1.1 
  RACHGAOUND .......................................................................... 
  ......................................................................... 
  25 
  31.2 PEACE RIVER ........................................................................... 
  ......................................................................... 
  26 
  31.3 CORPOARTE SOCIETY ...................................................................................................................................................... 
  27 
  31.4 ConPtinnTE POLICY ........................................................................................................................................................ 
  29 
  31. s UNIT OF NOTE-THE 
  Pninuins ................................................................................................................................... 
  29 
  3.2 
  ERRTH SETTLEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 
  31 
  3.2.1 PonT RnTHuri ................................................................................................................................................................. 
  32 
  3.2.2 JAN MAYEN ..................................................................................................................................................................... 
  3.3 
  THE NEW COALITION ................................................................................................................................................................... 
  3.3.1 
  HISTOAY ........................................................................................................................................................................ 
  34 
  3.3.2 ORGRNIERTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 
  3.3.3 PRINCE GABLE ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 
  .............................................................................................................................................. 
  36 
  ...................................................................................................................... 
  36 
  3.3.6 TEMPLE HEIGHTS .............. 
  37 
  ...................................................................................................................... 
  CHRPTER 4: POLAR FORCES .......................................................................................................... 
  38 
  4.0 
  POLAR FORCES .......................................................................................................................................... 
  4.1 
  THE CONFEDERtllEO NORTHERN CITY-STRTES .............................................................................................................................. 
  411 
  41.2 THE NORTHERN GUAR ...................................................................................................................................................... 40 
  41.3 THE NORTHERN Gunnu INTELLIGENCE 
  SERVICE ................................................................................................................. 
  40 
  41.4 OTHER NOATHERN FACTORS .............................................................................................................................................. 
  41 
  41.5 UNIT OF NOT E- 
  BLUE ANGELS .................................................................................................................................... 
  42 
  ALLIED SOUTHERN TEARITDIES ................................................................................................................................................... 
  44 
  4.21 THE SOUTHERN oiPtoMnTic MISSION 
  ............................................................................................................................... 
  4-1 
  4.2.2 SOUTHEN MlLlClR ............................... 
  ..................................................................................................................... 
  45 
  4.2.3 RLLIEO SOUTHERN INTELLIGENCE ........ 
  ..................................................................................................................... 
  45 
  4.2.4 OTHER SOUTHERN RCTORS ..... 
  ...................................................................................... 
  4.2.5 UNIT OF NOTE - 
  RAPIERS .. 
  ...................................................................................... 
  4.3 
  MILITARY OUELING ......................................................................................................................... 
  4.3.1 OVEAVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 
  4.3.2 PROMINENT OUELISTS .................................................................................................................................. 
  THE CNCS DESEAT TRROE COMMISSION ............................................................................................................................ 
  39 
  4.2 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  CHRPTER 5: LIFE ON THE FRINGE .................................................................................................... 
  SO 
  5.0 
  LIFE ON THE FRINGE ..................................................................... 
  .......................................................... 
  5.1 
  ROVER GANGS .............................................................................. 
  .......................................................... 
  511 . OVERVIEW ........................................................................ 
  ................................................................................ 
  51 
  51.2 THE DESERT WOLVES ................................................................................................................................. 
  51.3 cnnnictrs GOLDEN ........................................................................................................................................................ 
  54 
  WOUNDED HNEE SMUGGLERS ...................................................................................................................................................... 58 
  GRMBllNG IN WESTPHALIA ......................................................................................................................................................... 
  59 
  51.4 THE BADLANOS REVOlllllONARY FORCE ........................................................................................................................... 
  56 
  5.2.1 
  HISTORY ........................................................................................................................................................................ 
  58 
  5.2.2 THE CRRTELS ................................................................................................................................................................. 
  58 
  5.3.1 
  HISTORY ........................................................................................................................................................................ 
  $9 
  5.3.2 SOCIETY ........................................................................................................................................................................ 
  59 
  THE HHAYR AD-011 OUELIN6 CIRCUIT .......................................................................................................................................... 
  60 
  5.41 OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................................................................... 
  60 
  5.4.2 THE BEST Of THE BEST ........................ 
  .................................................................................................................. 
  61 
  5.2 
  5.3 
  5.4 
  CHRPTER 6: THE SOUL OF THE DESERT ........................................................................................... 
  62 
  6.0 
  THE SOUL OF THE DESERT ............................................................. 
  ............................................................... 
  6.1.1 
  TENETS OFTHE FRlTH ....................................................... 
  ............................................................... 
  61.2 sTnucTunE OF THE CHURTH ............................................................................................................................. 
  6.1 
  MASSADA AND THE REVISIONIST CHURCH ...................................................................................................................... 
  61.3 MASSADA ....................................................................................................................................................... 
  THE BLUE CRESCENT .................................................................................................................................................................. 
  65 
  6.2.1 THE CITY OF MARIGDLD ................................................................................................................................................... 
  65 
  6.2.2 THE GREAT COMMUNE ..................................................................................................................................................... 66 
  6.2.3 THE MARIGOLD NETWOAH ................................................................................................................................................ 
  66 
  6.3 
  SRNO RIDEAS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 
  67 
  ....................................................................................................................................... 
  67 
  ....................................................................................................................................... 
  68 
  ........................................................................................................................................ 
  71 
  6.2 
  6.3.3 THE GnEnT WHITE DE 
  CHAPTER 7: ADVENTURING IN THE BAOLRWOS .................................................................................. 
  72 
  7.0 
  novEiTuntnG IN THE rtnotnnns ................................ 
  .................................................................... 
  7.1 
  ROLEPLAYING IN THE BnDtnnos ................................ 
  .................................................................... 
  7l.l . OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................. 
  7.2 
  ADVENTUAE SEEDS .................................................................... 
  ................................................. 
  7.2.1 CALL mn HELP .......................................................................................................................... 
  7.2.2 COUNTDOWN TO RAMAGED001 ......................................................................................................................................... 
  75 
  CRESCENT OF BLOOO ...................................................................................................................................................... 
  75 
  7.2.6 JUDAS GAME .................................................................................................................................................................. 
  77 
  7.2.7 RIOTS RNO RETRIBUTIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 
  77 
  .................................................................... 
  ............................................................ 
  7.2.3 
  7.2.4 DlPLOMRTlC DISAPPEARANCE .......................................................................................................................................... 
  76 
  7.2.5 
  HONn R-BOUND ............................................................................................................................................................... 
  76 
  .................................................................................... 
  90 
  CHAPTER 9: FIELO GUIDE .............................................................................................................. 
  98 
  9.0 
  FIELD GUIDE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 
  98 
  9.1 
  RDO~TlONRL TRfllCRl RULE5 ..................................................................................................................................................... 
  99 
  SAND RlOER INFRNTRY UNA5 .......................................................................................................................................... 
  99 
  9.1.1 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  INTRODUCTION 
  “Incoming!” An infinite moment passed as an anti-personnel missile streaked 
  across the desert landscape toward the caravan. They were carrying vital 
  medicines for the nearby Mellinghouse oasis tower and a group of rovers 
  obviously didn’t want to see the residents get well. The charge struck within 
  fifty meters of Karla, but buried itself deep in the loose sand, muffling the 
  “Okay, let’s move. Keep the dunes between us and them.” The traders 
  began to guide their mounts - mostly large lumbering barnabus 
  \ iguanas - down into the soft valleys created by the desert’s hun- 
  dred-meter dunes. Karla called over to one of her assistants. 
  going to have to follow this dip as long as we can.” 
  “Got it. 1’11 try to get ‘em off your back, boss.” 
  Nat kicked his heels, sending the fast springer he rode darting 
  forward. His anti-Gear rifle was strapped securely to his sup 
  Karla and the other barnaby riders got the beasts to a trot, 
  job of hiding them thus far. Suddenly, the loud echo of Nat’s rifle crossed 
  the dunes, followed by the terrible roar of a vehicle-mounted minigun. 
  utocannon fire blew into a nearby dune and desert ATWs a p  
  peared on the crest to their left. Karla was sheltered by small 
  e visible dust trail of two springers darting for the squat 
  oasis tower below. 
  almost didn’t notice a small Gear appearing to 
  r right. She had no cover and it was closing - 
  apparently wanting to take her out with a 
  vibromachete rather than waste ammunition on 
  ‘ an rleasy” kill. 
  6‘Yousre 
  not from around here,” she said when 
  the modified Prairie Dog was almost on top of 
  her. She kicked her steed and its massive tail 
  quickly lashed out toward the Gear, slamming 
  into its leg with terrible force. The machine 
  swayed for a second and then tumbled down 
  the sandy slope Karla had just climbed. 
  “Never get too close to a barnaby. Never.” 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  1.1 SOURCEBOOK OVERVIEW 
  It is TN 1933, and Terra Nova is on the brink of war Again. The detente which followed the 
  War of the Alliance has died all too quickly and the armies of North and South are preparing to 
  settle their long-standing disputes. In Valeria and Port Oasis, politicians scream the need for 
  war while hundreds of thousands of troops wait to prove their worth. Millions hold their 
  breath, waiting for the opening shot to ring out 
  Nowhere is the situation tenser than in the Badlands. The region’s political and economic 
  climate, stable since the end of the War of the Alliance, is rapidly crumbling as desert inhab- 
  itants try to find a place in the coming conflict. Into the Badlands gives Heavy Gear players 
  and Gamemasters a snapshot of a region on the verge of massive change The opportunities 
  for tremendous profit, deadly failure and exciting stories are nearly limitless 
  This sourcebook does not attempt to cover every square meter of the region. Players will find 
  enough general information to create stories anywhere in the Badlands, as well as several 
  detailed locations suitable for many types of games. If Gamemasters wish to use the mate- 
  rial as is, they can set a campaign in any of the detailed communities with ease, but they 
  have also been given enough tools to create unique settings of their own 
  Into the Badlands focuses on the Badlanders themselves. The deserts are only as interest- 
  ing as the people who inhabit them, and these pages contain a variety of personalities and 
  societies. Prophets rub shoulders with criminals while traders, tribal warriors and polar 
  soldiers fight for their own causes. The ultimate melting pot, the Badlands welcomes all 
  those who do not wish to live at the “civilized” poles. 
  Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Badlands, examining the ways in which Badlanders 
  live, from lonely homesteads to full-scale city-states, as well as the economic and politi- 
  cal relationships within the region Chapter 3 describes the major independent powers 
  in the Badlands, including Paxton Arms, Terra Nova’s largest weapons manufacturer, 
  the Earth-refugee community of Port Arthur and the recently forged New Coalition trade 
  alliance. Chapter 4 focuses on Northern and Southern forces in the region and details 
  their diplomatic, military and covert attempts to prepare for war. Chapter 5 enters into the 
  criminal underbelly of the Badlands, examining the outlaw rover gangs, smugglers, gam- 
  blers and duelists who make their home away from the laws of the polar leagues. Chapter 6 
  sheds light on those seeking enlightenment in the Badlands, be it the Revisionist pilgrims at 
  Massada, the faithful of the Blue Crescent or the mysterious Sand Riders. 
  Finally, Chapters 7,8 and 9 provide Gamemasters with the tools to help run Badlands adven- 
  tures, including eleven adventure seeds, statistics for desert inhabitants and details on the 
  well as for the Longrunnercaravan truck, a common Badlands vehi- 
  cle 
  Welcome to the brink of surviva 
  Welcome to the brink of war 
  Welcome to the Badlands. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  “Mad dogs and Norlights go out in the noon-day sun,” Marshal Mari Pontneuf 
  said as she squinted through the merciless glare reflecting off the dunes. 
  The wind rushing through the mesa at her back picked up the fine grains 
  and pushed the dunes westward. She cursed as the tracks she was follow- 
  ing were obliterated. 
  She had found the body of little Jan Mosek in his father‘s homestead early 
  that morning. The boy had been horribly mutilated, while his father had 
  been simply executed apparently their visitor only liked little boys. The 
  Moseks had hosted a pilgrim from the North, on his way to Massada to visit 
  the grave of Mamoud. Old man Mosek, a devout Revisionist, had opened his 
  home to the man and paid for it in blood. Now Mari hunted the killer. 
  He couldn’t be far. She had found his overheated buggy a kilometer back, 
  but without tracks there wasn’t much she could do. 
  “Damn! Damn! Damn!” Mari was not a good loser. Lifting her head to shout 
  out her frustration again, she caught a fleeting shadow in the sky. Daks. 
  The flying creatures rode the air currents above the sands in search of prey, 
  but even they usually found shelter at midday - 
  unless there was easy prey 
  to be had. 
  Her battered ATV started after a few tries and she proceeded north, to- 
  ’ ward the center of the daks’ circling pattern. A few hundred meters later 
  he saw her prey lying face down at the base of a dune. She pulled out 
  her pistol and made her way to him. He was moaning. 
  “Still alive, hunh? Well get up!” She grabbed the back of his tunic and 
  yanked him up. 
  “Turn around!” He did so slowly, revealing a sand-encrusted face and 
  “Idiot. You fried your brain.” She shoved the pistol into his face. ‘Why d’you 
  He whispered his answer, “for Mamoud.” 
  Images of the Moseks’ faith flowed through Mari’s mind. The 
  tenets of peace and friendship. The doctrine of univer- 
  sal love. Everything he had perverted. 
  recious Mamoud had a revelation in this 
  ert. Maybe if I left you here, you’d turn into 
  a better person too.” She took a breath, 
  “maybe not.” 
  She pulled the trigger. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  The great deserts of the Badlands are part of a large frontier territory that is both a geographi- 
  cal and a political region. Technically, they are the nigh-infernal wastelands that ring Terra 
  Nova between roughly 20" North and South latitude. More generally, they are the political 
  neutral zone that separates the two polar confederations, the Confederated Northern City- 
  States and the Allied Southern Territories. In effect, their role is comparable to that played by 
  Earth's international waters many centuries ago, and like them, the Badlands enjoy a special 
  territorial status. 
  Three major mountain ranges cross the Badlands from North to South. Although they are all 
  somewhat active geologically, the Westridge range counts most of the important volcanoes. 
  The edges of the great Badlands deserts are made up of several thousands of square kilometers 
  of savannah which act as an interface between the scorching heat of the Equator and the 
  more temperate regions of both hemispheres. Most Terranovans agree to consider the 
  savannahs as part of the Badlands and its political buffer zone, even though the leagues' 
  official (or at least claimed) borders often encompass most of them. 
  2.1 PHYSlCAl GEOGRRPHY 
  The equatorial band consists of four different deserts. All share extreme temperatures (reaching 50" C during the day) and near 
  complete aridity. The water-rich MacAllen cave network is buried under hundreds of meters of rock and sand, accessible only 
  through occasional natural fissures that spawn precious oases. Vegetation is limited to adapted species like Ross lichen that lives 
  under the sand and waterroot, with its huge root networks that reach down to the MacAllen caves. Each desert, however, have its 
  unique features. 
  The Barrington Basin is a uniform sand desert characterized by endless dunes - 
  many of which are 400 meters high -and 
  raging sandstorms. Tempests form as the great easterly winds crash into the Serpentine mountains. Due to these factors, habita- 
  tion is limited, though a few large city-states, such as Port Arthur, are located there. 
  The Western Desert features sandy soil and rough scrub and is banded by wide savannas. Ancient geological upheavals have left 
  many water-rich fissures and spawned volcanic activity. One volcanic chain north of the Saragossa Range spews tons of corrosive 
  white sand, creating the so-called Great White Desert around it. Despite this, the relatively plentiful water supply makes the 
  Western Desert the most attractive for homesteaders. 
  The Karaq Wastes is a desert of rock and stone more than sand. Dune seas are broken by mesas and small mountain ranges. The 
  mesas provide easy access to mineral resources and water, with the right equipment, and the region is characterized by many 
  mining camps and company towns, including Peace River. 
  Thanks to early colonial surveys, the Eastern Desert is the site of the oldest mineral extraction efforts in the Badlands. This desert 
  is characterized by sand-swept stony plateaus that are nearly level with, or buried by, the surrounding sand. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Noondaq Sun, Midnight Frost 
  Unlike other Terranovans, Badlanders divide the 36-hour day into two 18-hour half days, sleeping six hours around midday and midnight to avold 
  the temperature extremes At the equator, midday temperatures regularly rise above 50" C, making moving around without shelter impossible 
  Conversely, the extreme aridity means that the temperature crashes at night, approaching freezing (0" C) by midnight 
  To deal with these conditions, Badlanders usually wear a reversible poncho over a layer of skintight, moisture-trapping clothing, The day side is 
  light colored to keep cool, while the night side features attachment points for an additional warm lining Similarly, desert dwellings are usually half 
  buried to keep at least one floor isolated and comfortable 
  MARCHING SAND I 
  In the Barrington Basin and other dune seas with high winds, 
  life is made very difficult by the shifting sands. Immense dunes, 
  sometimes reaching up to 400 meters in height, can advance 
  hundreds of meters each cycle, easily burying whole 
  communities. Without the protection of rocky outcroppings, 
  only large Oasis Towers and massive fortifications are feasible, 
  permanent structures. Even these towers get buried, but the 
  inhabitants are usually able to dig themselves out with 
  engineering Gears and vehicles. Usually, but not always. 
  21.2 THE SAVANNAHS 
  The Badlands are framed to the north and south by large belts of semi-arid savannah that feature regular rainfall, widespread johar 
  grass, temperatures averaging 35°C and a shallowing of the MacAllen cave network that translates to frequent watering holes and 
  oases. The savannah fringes are highly variable and ill-defined, slowly transforming into grassland toward the poles and fading 
  into desert toward the equator. On average, the savannahs start at the political borders of the polar confederations and extend 200 
  km toward the equator. 
  The savannahs have been developed as both farmland and pasture. Johar grass and waterroots are cultivated, although the threat 
  of desertification means that intensive farming is almost impossible. The savannahs are most frequently used as grazing land for 
  various reptilian beasts of burden, notably springers and Barnabus lizards. Ranchers maintain herds of a dozen to a hundred that 
  graze over several hundred kilometers during a season. 
  The Badlands are separated by three major mountain ranges running north to south. The Serpentine and Pacifica Ranges, the 
  result of geologically recent tectonic activity, are characterized by dizzying heights and sharp peaks. The tallest cliff face on Terra 
  Nova - 
  the so-called Dead Man's Fall - 
  is a 4 75-kilometer cliff on the east face of Mount Pacific, just south of the equator. The 
  alpha maglev line passes along the Pacifica ridge, giving passengers a spectacular view of the Karaq Wastes. Both ranges are 
  also resource rich, with veins of various minerals ready to be mined. The Eastridge and Westridge mountains are much older, 
  lower, more rounded and less resource-rich. 
  The mountains are characterized by cooler temperatures at the higher altitudes, reaching the freezing point on several peaks. 
  While most of the mountains are bare - 
  populated only by small mining camps and a few breeds of grass and insects -the 
  eastern foothills of the Serpentine and Pacifica Ranges are ideal for cawfee growing because the mountains force easterly winds 
  to an altitude where what little humidity they contain becomes rain. 
  THE WESTRIDGE TRENCH 1 
  The generally rounded peaks and sloping hills of the Westridge 
  Range are sharply contrasted with the great trench that snakes 
  its way through the range for hundreds of kilometers. The 
  result of a huge MacAllen branch that collapsed thousands of 
  cycles ago, the trench reaches depths and widths of over a 
  kilometer, providing a sheltered micro-climate. However, winds 
  funnel down the trench and can reach tempest strength with 
  very little warning. As a result, the trench remains spectacu- 
  lar, but largely uninhabited. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  m
  The history of Terra Nova’s equatorial region is a story of hard struggle and survival versus 
  both the environment and the greed of polar and local governments. The harsh deserts are 
  avoided by most Terranovans, but the call of plentiful and valuable resources has continued 
  to lure many hardy souls to the equator. 
  Historians often compare the Badlands to the Old West of the 19th Century or the Australian 
  Outback of the early 20th: a dry, desolate place populated by tough, practical pioneers who 
  have hopes and dreams. The Badlands are the new frontier, where legends are created and 
  fortunes made. 
  Eking out a living in this dry wasteland is a difficult task. Yet, throughout the hardships, these 
  pioneers forged a lifestyle based on independence, resourcefulness and pride. Faced with 
  political pressure from the planet’s hemispheres, Badlanders have struggled through the years 
  to maintain their identity and freedom. For the most part, they have succeeded. 
  2.21 ERRlY OEVElOPMENT [TN 493-1581] 
  During the colonial period, the Badlands were the site of several oil-drilling and mining operations, mostly in the Eastern Desert. 
  Employees worked for ten-year terms, returning to Earth or settling at the poles when their contracts were up. A very few rugged 
  souls established independent villages on the fringes of the mining camps. 
  When the last ships left for Earth in TN 1455, the Badlands were stripped of their population as most corporate workers left for 
  home or the polar cities. The few independent settlers and abandoned workers took over the camps or reverted to a tribal lifestyle, 
  growing to communities of over 1,500 people in some cases. Only limited trade over the desert wastes was possible, and only 
  those communities with communication links to the poles remained tied to the rest of Terra Nova. 
  Remembered as the first true Badlander, Barnabus Collins oversaw the construction of the colonial 
  spaceport at Baja from TN 740 to 750. He surveyed much of the surrounding land - 
  discovering and 
  naming the barnabus lizard and the armadillo beast - 
  and learned to love the region and its people. He 
  listened to worker complaints and enforced directives for humane conditions. He also developed the 
  collins color system that enabled travelers and settlements to communicate with colored flags. Veteran 
  Badlanders still carry a row of knotted pieces of cloth, unfurling them as needed white for help, green for 
  safe passage, red for danger, orange for quarantine, blue for a face to face meeting 
  General Collins disappeared during a tempest on 3 Spring TN 789 while heading a relief convoy sent to a 
  severely damaged outpost. The caravan and his body were never recovered. Badlanders commemorate 
  the general’s memory on 3 Spring, now called Barnabus Day, which serves as a sort of national holiday 
  for all Badlanders. 
  I 
  THE GREAT TEMPEST 
  TN 1520 saw the worst tempest in Terra Nova’s history. The 
  great storm began in the Barrington Basin and pushed into 
  the Eastern Desert where it merged with other storms. The 
  tempest encircled the equator over the course of the cycle, 
  burying whole settlements forever. In the fall, the storm swept 
  through the Great White Desert, picking up millions of tons of 
  corrosive white sand. When the storm hit the gamma maglev 
  line that winter, it eroded away 250 km of track and the Monroe 
  settlement. When the line was rebuilt, the ruins of Monroe 
  became a dumping ground for Khayr ad-Din. 
  Norlight meteorologist Marsa Garcia has recently pointed to 
  records of other powerful tempests in TN 721 and TN 1096 
  to argue that the storms are part of a pattern of growing de- 
  struction. She expects an apocalyptic storm to hit within her 
  lifetime. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  The transformation of the Badlands from sleepy backwater to vibrant frontier came with the expansion of the polar leagues. By TN 
  1581, all seven leagues had formed and became interested in procuring resources from the Badlands. Dissidents and fortune 
  hunters also came to the equator. Benefiting from the polar hunger for oil, uranium, mineral ores and precious metals, Badlands 
  communities exploded. Populations rose into the tens - 
  or even hundreds -of 
  thousands. Since most military conflicts were 
  between leagues from the same pole, the Badlands were able to avoid getting caught in the middle. 
  This period saw the development of extensive transportation links between the major resource sites and the poles, with railroads 
  and desert highways supplementing the maglev lines. This was also the golden age of prospecting, with thousands trekking 
  across the wastes in search of the next big find. Armed conflicts were not uncommon around the richest veins, but no large scale 
  military operations were feasible due to the great distances involved. As a result, most communities remained firmly independent 
  from the leagues. In the most famous case, Elayu repelled a takeover attempt by the Emirates in TN 1675 and has been fervently 
  independent ever since. 
  THE TRlClTY FUEL EMBARGO I 
  Oil-rich Vladivostok, Bannerton and New Yukon -the 
  so- 
  called Tricity of the western savannah - 
  proved the power of 
  the Badlands settlements in TN 1650 when they announced 
  an embargo against their clients in the Western Frontier Pro- 
  tectorate. Supported by the United Mercantile Front, Tricity 
  brought WFP manufacturing and transportation to a halt until 
  they agreed to higher prices. Political scientists point to the 
  embargo as a critical factor in the WFP’s entrance into the 
  CNCS in TN 1692. Indeed, when Tricity launched another ern- 
  bargo in TN 1694, the other leagues refused to support them 
  and the oil fields were occupied after a bloody Western “po- 
  lice action.” Tricity residents observe the Bannerton Massa- 
  cre yearly, but continue to sell 95% of their oil to the WFP at 
  favorable prices. 
  With the formation of the CNCS and the AST, the stakes increased as the deserts became a buffer zone between antagonistic 
  superpowers. North and South remained dependent on equatorial resources, but the hard-line tactics of the past would no longer 
  serve Badlanders. Polar military power came into play as never before and communities that could not play subtle political games 
  were easily crushed. This period also saw the growth of trade networks within the Badlands to help diversify the region’s economy. 
  St. Vincenrs War [Ti 1723-17291 
  In TN 1723, the danger of North-South conflict became frighteningly real as a minor skirmish in the Eastern Desert released St. Vincent’s Plague, 
  a deadly virus that targeted children. The plague wiped out a whole generation of Badlanders and thousands of children at both poles. Blaming 
  each other, the superpowers entered into a bloody war of revenge that ended only with both economies in ruin. The famed Badlander survival 
  instinct was tested to the limit as many of the fiercest battles were fought at the equator. 
  The collapse of the polar economies was a blessing in disguise for the Badlands. It gave settlements time to rebuild and put them in a position to 
  compete with the crippled polar industry. Paxton Arms gained its supremacy at this time. 
  The Judas Sqndrome [TN 1910-19131 
  It took until TN 1910 for the tensions between the major leagues on Terra Nova to return to the boiling point. Military clashes were common, 
  mostly on the borders, but were eclipsed by the complex webs of deceit and espionage that entangled all of Terra Nova. Double and even triple 
  agents tried to maximize their personal profit before the destructive war they saw coming, selling information and offering warnings to the highest 
  bidder. Old-fashioned concepts like ethics and honor fell out of favor as this “Judas Syndrome” transformed the Badlands underworld into a 
  multi-million mark/dinar industry, turning small-time hoods into wealthy kingpins overnight. 
  Smuggler havens like Westphalia, Khayr ad-Din and Wounded Knee swarmed with spies and information brokers, each trying to outdo the other. 
  Those who learned to play the information game, or learned to keep their secrets well hidden, profited enormously. Those who ignored the web of 
  spies became caught in it against their wishes and often turned up dead. It was into this murky atmosphere that Earth’s Colonial Expeditionary 
  Force arrived to conquer Terra Nova. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I NlCOSA RENAULT 
  In a time of spies, Nicosa Renault was the best there was. Born the illegitimate child of Northern Brigadier 
  Luk Renault in TN 1869, she was raised in Massada by the Revisionist church orphanage. She escaped 
  the sisters’ care at the age of eighteen and ended up in Wounded Knee. By TN 1900, she was the power 
  behind several underworld thrones. Information was her game, and she played it very well. She saw the 
  profit to be made by trading in political secrets and worked her way into the confidence of CNCS com- 
  manders in the region while offering safe passage to spies and informants. By the time the Earth forces 
  arrived in TN 1913, Wounded Knee had become an information clearing house. It is rumored that Nicosa 
  arranged for the covert meeting between Southern MlLlClA Prefect Arland Longchamps and Northern 
  Guard Field Marshal Anders von Breslau that paved the way for the North-South coalition against the 
  Earth invasion. 
  Most believe that Renault was killed in TN 1916 when she was caught in the carnage of the Baja cam- 
  paign. Others swear they have received coded messages from her in the last few months. The truth 
  remains unknown. 
  2.2.4 THE WAR OF THE AlllANCE [TN 1913-19171 
  The return of Earth forces to Terra Nova in TN 1913 sent a shock through the Badlands. In short order, 400,000 Earth troops had 
  established a ground base in the desert and began their march to the poles. While Terranovan military tactics would eventually 
  prove superior, there was little chance that the lightly armed desert settlements could resist the columns of massive hover-tanks 
  and GREL supersoldiers that descended upon them. Only the mining town of Mount Kiev refused to submit to the occupation and 
  was brutally subjugated as an example to others. 
  Some brave Terranovans took off into the deserts to carry on a guerrilla-style resistance, often hooking up with rover gangs 
  caught up in the patriotic fervor. Although minor, this resistance did force the Terran army to divert resources to maintain a rear 
  guard. Badlanders who remained at home buried their arms somewhere safe and waited for a chance to act. They also resisted in 
  small ways, ranging from work slowdowns to “lost” strategic items. 
  1 COlLAiOWRTlON 
  A minority of Badlanders collaborated with the Earth occupi- 
  ers in exchange for power. Many settlement leaders bowed 
  down unflinchingly to colonial commanders. Others provided 
  information on hidden weapons caches and guerrilla fight- 
  ers. When the tide of war reversed, collaborators found them- 
  selves in dire straits. Some changed with the tide and double- 
  crossed their Terran masters while others simply disappeared. 
  The most infamous collaborators, however, had few avenues 
  of escape. Revenge squads were born spontaneously and 
  summary executions were all too common. Unfortunately, the 
  number of collaborators who escaped street justice is sur- 
  passed only by the number of innocents who fell to the mob’s 
  bloodlust in their stead. 
  I 
  The Peace River Armq 
  Paxton Arms shocked Terra Nova by declaring its neutrality in TN 1913. Despite contemporary charges of treason, it is now clear that the arms 
  conglomerate did so to buy itself some time. In TN 1913, a colonial landing near Peace River was a distinct possibility and Paxton was not ready. 
  Between TN 1913 and TN 1916, they covertly kept up production, leaking some arms to local guerrillas and polar forces, and stockpiling the rest. 
  At the end of TN 1916, Paxton finally acted. Gathering together the rag-tag resistance fighters who had been operating alone for several cycles and 
  recruiting from their own population, the conglomerate fielded the Peace River Army and waded into the War of the Alliance. The Army grew in 
  leaps and bounds as weapons caches were emptied and able-bodied Badlanders flocked to the Peace River banner to take back their homes. 
  Compared to the Northern and Southern forces, the Peace River Army was piece-meal at best. Paxton fielded a single brigade and most troops 
  were untrained and untested. Nevertheless, this group of homesteaders, rovers and miners turned the tide of the War. The Army forced the 
  Colonial Expeditionary Force to divert significant troops to the Badlands, allowing the polar forces to finally push the invaders out of their territory. 
  The Peace River Army’s determination and intimate knowledge of the ground they were fighting on also gave them an edge. In TN 1917, the main 
  body of the Army was within sight of the colonial command center of Port Arthur when the surrender was announced. 
  In the aftermath, the Peace River Army was dismantled. Many units became Rovers and the Paxton core was transformed into the Peace River 
  Defense Force. Common Badlanders remember the Army with pride as a symbol of their independence. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  2.3 OESERl 
  The sixteen million Terranovans in the deserts and savannahs of the Badlands live harsh and 
  rugged lives. They are tough and independent, scraping out a life for themselves and their 
  loved ones in a world of crushing aridity, unpredictable sandstorms, dangerous rovers and 
  vicious desert wildlife. Extracting water, growing food and defending oneself against preda- 
  tors - 
  human or otherwise - 
  all require cooperation, and Badlanders gather together in 
  tightly knit communities ranging from isolated homesteads sheltering extended families to 
  full-fledged city-states safely hidden behind high armored walls. Badlands settlements can be 
  divided into five major classes: homesteads, towns and villages, oasis towers, city-states and 
  caravans. Each of these has its own social organization and rules of conduct to ensure the 
  well-being and prosperity of its inhabitants. 
  2.31 HOMESTEADS 
  A homestead is the typical Badlands community, equivalent to a farm in more fertile areas. Often consisting of a single extended 
  family working the land together, homesteads derive their sustenance from small water sources, moisture traps and desert agri- 
  culture. Waterroots, lichens, cactus-like plants and limited animal husbandry are the staples of the homestead subsistence 
  economy, with small surpluses used for trade. Homesteads are extremely self-reliant, but unite to form counties to facilitate 
  cooperation between families in times of need. These counties usually consist of one or two dozen homesteads around a small 
  town and are led by a council of family elders who rule through tradition and common consent. 
  One factor causing great change in isolated homestead society is the Hermes 72 satellite system abandoned by Earth forces in TN 
  191 7. Satellite dishes are inexpensive and now rest atop many homesteads and small-town bars. Exposure to programming from 
  across the globe has prompted many young people to leave their homes in search of the glamour they see on the vidscreen. Some 
  fear that soon there will no longer be enough people to maintain the homesteads, and a few counties have banned satellite dishes 
  as a dangerous influence. 
  Countq tau 
  Many homestead councils employ one or more people to enforce justice in the county. These people - 
  called marshals and deputies - 
  work 
  under the direction of the county council of elders. They investigate crimes and generally keep an eye out for troublemakers or outsiders. Crimes 
  are tried by the elders and often punished harshly. Only short term imprisonment is possible in these isolated communities, so serious offenses 
  usually result in banishment or execution. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  2.3.2 TOWNS AND VILLAGES 
  Far more common than full-fledged cities, Badlands towns or villages, with anywhere from a dozen to several thousand inhabit- 
  ants, generally serve as business and trade centers for homestead counties. Even the smallest will have a general store and a 
  mechanic, and other services - 
  doctors, veterinarians, leather workers, schools and seed-storage silos -are 
  often available as 
  well. In general, townsfolkare more open to strangers than their brothers on the homestead, but remain suspicious. Caravans and 
  their wares are welcomed, but city-folk and soldiers are likely to receive a cold shoulder. 
  Desert towns rarely have a major water source and so remain very small. Savannah towns develop around water holes and are 
  usually larger, geared to provide for the herds of local ranchers as well as local homesteaders. Many shops are only open when 
  a herd arrives in town. Other towns develop near corporate camps to serve miners and oil workers. They feature stores, bars, 
  brothels and various entertainment centers. Lzws are enforced only by the local corporation, which often owns the town outright. 
  A few of these "company towns" have risen to the status of small cities and house the conglomerates that built them. 
  I 
  THE HUNT FOR WRTER 
  The MacAllen cave network lies deep under the desert sand 
  and is inaccessible for many Badlands communities. Even 
  those with wells often need to supplement their water supply, 
  usually by farming waterroot. The rugged desert plants have 
  enormous root networks that gather water over a large area 
  and concentrate it in bulbs. A more sophisticated technique 
  involves using moisture traps- massive, electrically cooled, 
  ultra-fine nets - 
  to condense moisture carried on the wind. 
  No Badlands community, no matter how water-rich, wastes 
  water. Waste liquids - 
  human or otherwise -are 
  distilled 
  and purified; baths and showers are often replaced by scrub- 
  bing with extremely fine silicate dust. 
  1 DESERT POWER 
  The most common and obvious source of power for 
  Badlanders is the sun, and solar panels top almost all build- 
  ings on the equator. The lack of cloud cover and the intense 
  radiation makes Helios an excellent power source. Some set- 
  tlements supplement their power supply with great wind mills 
  and/or more traditional petroleum power plants. All commu- 
  nities have some sort of backup generator, such as a wind 
  mill or fuel engine, since during tempests and sandstorms 
  the sky is dark and solar power is unavailable. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  2.3.3 OASIS TOWERS 
  Oasis towers are probably the most unique and distinctive of all desert dwellings and are found along caravan routes and at other 
  strategic locations in the Badlands. They are huge enclosed towers made out of the local rock and sealed against the oppressive 
  heat of the surrounding desert, protecting hundreds of people from the harsh environment outside. The lower half is buried in the 
  sand to remain cool, and pumping stations placed in the lower levels ensure a suff icient water supply for everyone. Sensors, solar 
  panels, moisture condensors and weapon ports dot the exposed surfaces. Originally built to shelter passing travelers, the towers 
  are now both waystations and towns in their own right. 
  Oasis lowers (cut away view) 
  Construction and Olunership 
  Oasis towers - 
  or simply oases - 
  are massive stone shelters that line major caravan routes and cover many wells. The basic oasis structure 
  (see diagram above) consists of a truncated cone made of local stone buried deep into the bedrock and emerging from the desert sand. A spiral 
  passageway connects the outer doors to the interior, which is cooled to a comfortable 25 to 30°C by a massive ventilation system. A habitat tower 
  stands at the oasis' center, providing apartments, shops and other facilities. Repair and other industrial facilities are usually limited to the oasis' 
  floor. Hanging gardens stretch from the tower to the oasis wall every five stories, providing food for the inhabitants and helping to filter the air. 
  Oasis systems are usually powered by massive solar panels on the structure's roof that can.also be set to reflect sunlight into the oasis interior to 
  provide natural light that filters through the hanging gardens. 
  Obviously, only wealthy corporations and leagues can afford such a massive construction project. Oases were first built by polar mining concerns 
  in the seventeenth century, but many of these became independent when the companies went bankrupt after the St. Vincent's War. These "free 
  oases" still dot the Eastern Desert. Today, most oases are sponsored by Paxton Arms. The Badlands conglomerate oversees its oases, but grants 
  the citizens a large degree of self rule, so long as they continue to offer shelter to travelers and remain independent of polar power. Polar 
  corporations and leagues have also built some private oases at strategic locations, but these are often closed to travelers and so are not consid- 
  ered "true" oases. 
  Oasis Ourellers 
  Oases exist to provide shelter from the hostile climate of the Badlands and fully half their population consists of transients. These travelers stay 
  anywhere from a day to a season before continuing on their way, paying a fee to remain longer than a day. Permanent residents pay taxes and are 
  usually either employed as maintenance workers by the oasis sponsor or in independent businesses providing services to transients. Most 
  residents specialize in technical skills (vehicle repair, hydroponic farming, medical services) or in entertainment. Although oases are complete 
  communities with schools and churches, those who wish to obtain a higher education must usually travel to the city-states. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  2.3.4 BADLANDS CITIES 
  Cities in the Badlands are the only places where the luxuries other Terranovans take for granted can be readily found. Access to 
  top-of-the-line medical care, secondary schooling, a regular supply of goods not locally produced, and transportation links to 
  other parts of the planet are all virtually unknown elsewhere on the equator. Other than Port Arthur and Peace River, no Badlands 
  city has more than 200,000 inhabitants and most are significantly smaller. While a community of 15,000 may be considered only 
  a town in the Southern Republic, it is a full-fledged city in the desert. 
  Cities are usually dominated by a single industry, but do foster other economic activities (often agriculture and trade). These 
  settlements are the only places in the Badlands with complete judicial and governmental systems. Specific officials (sometimes 
  elected, often not) set the laws, peace officers enforce them and prisons and courts are available to deal with breaches of conduct. 
  However, the extent and sophistication of these services vary greatly with a city’s size and wealth. 
  The major cities of the Badlands arefeatured in the Terra Nova Sourcebook and elsewhere in this book (chapters 3 to 6). 
  Nomadic towns that journey together through the desert on missions of trade and exploration, caravans are a fixture in the 
  Badlands. Essentially trading homesteads, they are organized along family lines with one to ten families of the same clan consti- 
  tuting a caravan. Each family will have one or more wildly decorated vehicles that serve as their home. The poorest traders drive 
  outmoded and rundown trucks or buggies, while the rich traders of the Grasmazi clan of the Eastern Desert drive beautifully 
  decorated Behemoth Gear transports. Most caravans also include small herds of desert animals that are often more efficient than 
  motor-vehicles since they do not require precious fuel and do not malfunction. 
  Trade caravans journey across the desert, linking isolated homesteads to the rest of Terra Nova. Homesteading equipment, spare 
  parts, advanced water pumps and filters, and new seed strains are their most popular goods, but textiles, foods, and luxury items 
  from North and South are also popular. Weapons are also sold and traded, but usually only hunting arms are available. Most 
  caravans have highly skilled mechanics with them and will accept even broken machines as payment for goods. Other caravans 
  will set up a repair shop when they arrive and sell the service rather than the items themselves. 
  While a caravan’s arrival in many communities is greeted with a festive air, other homesteaders greet the traders with drawn 
  weapons. As a result, traders are friendly and jovial, but keep their private lives to themselves. The inside of a caravan vehicle is 
  completely off limits to all except the family and close, trusted friends. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  2.3.6 DESERT TRIBES 
  Some Badlanders have developed lifestyles based on traditional tribal lines. These tribes have existed for centuries, living off the 
  land and making minimal use of technology. In the savannahs, the tribes are nomadic herders who come together every cycle for 
  grand meetings where decisions are made and marriages arranged. Desert tribes are much rarer. They live around natural wells 
  and migrate between oases, maintaining small herds or farming waterroot and lichen. They often send their young people on a 
  "walkabout," a journey of discovery where they are supposed to meet their dream beast who will guide their lives forever after and 
  give them their adult name. After meeting their dream beast, they are expected to return with a mate to join and expand the tribe. 
  Savannah tribes are usually larger (up to several hundred) and the cattle are usually family-owned. Desert tribes are smaller 
  (usually a few dozen) and practice communal ownership. Although desert tribes are more egalitarian, they rarely tolerate deviants 
  or criminals and will banish those who do not do what is expected of them. The status of women varies from semi-divinity to 
  virtual slavery among the different tribes. 
  2.4 bnninins ECONOMICS 
  The Badlands have always been exploited for their natural resources by the rest of Terra Nova. 
  Gold, petroleum, natural gas and metal ores are all relatively plentiful under the desert rock 
  and sand -attracting 
  the greedy and the determined from across the globe. As a result, from 
  polar corporations to independent prospectors, most of the economic activity in the region 
  consists of selling its soil to the poles. However, the Badlands' economy is more complex 
  than might first appear. Indeed, full-fledged manufacturing does exist in the region and trad- 
  ers and homesteaders mesh into an informal barter economy beyond any measure. 
  Badlands Geopolitical Features 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  c
  The Badlands are intimately linked to the global economy of Terra Nova as the provider of primary resources. Many of the heavy 
  industries in the United Mercantile Front and Mekong Dominion run on Badlands ore, petroleum and natural gas. The Emirs of 
  the Eastern Sun Emirates wear crowns made of Badlands gold, encrusted with Badlands jewels. 
  The oldest resource extraction sites are owned by independent local enterprises, usually based in a town or city built to house the 
  workers. The most famous of these is the gold-rich Marigold, with the Tricity area and the diversified mining towns of Nineveh 
  and Erech also falling into the pattern. More recent efforts have been made under the auspices of aligned conglomerates from 
  either pole. The mining camps around these new sites only foster small towns whose sole purpose is to entertain the workers. 
  In several cases, Badlanders have been successful in manufacturing as well as resource extraction, although the latter remains the 
  norm. The most famous case is the Paxton Arms conglomerate that started as a mining concern, then seized the opportunity 
  provided by the St. Vincent's War to transform itself into the largest arms manufacturer on the planet. The small city-state of Fort 
  Neil has also been successful with their line of desert vehicles. The success of desert manufacturing depends on assuring a 
  steady flow of primary resources from local mining concerns and plentiful water. The serious capital investment and the estab- 
  lished competition from the poles make large scale manufacturing difficult to sustain beyond economic niches such as Fort Neil 
  desert vehicles and Timmins knock-offs. 
  All cities in the Badlands participate in the global economy by serving as trade centers for Badlands resources. Ore, stone and 
  minerals are shipped to central locations where they can be sent to the polar confederations. Major mines and cities usually have 
  rail links with the poles - 
  or regular air links where ground transport is impractical- 
  and the aligned cities in the Badlands 
  savannah serve as transport hubs for the rest of the desert, making huge profits as middle men for their polar overlords. The city- 
  states of Westphalia and Red Sands - 
  although more famous for gambling and glass production - 
  are major examples of 
  aligned trade centers. 
  The wider economy of the Badlands is almost impossible to study in any detail. It consists of a wide-ranging network of almost 
  insignificant trading relationships. Isolated homesteads dot the desert and savannah, linked only by nomadic trading caravans, 
  ill-maintained roads and roaming cattle-herds. Badlanders remain only marginally linked to the global economy, receiving polar 
  goods in a barter trade with nomadic caravans and infrequent visitors. Local craft goods such as weaving, leather work, metalwork 
  and sand sculpture are exchanged for luxury or technological items. Occasionally, these craft goods will gain polar attention 
  leading to an explosion in a town's economy, which occurred in Elayu over their much-prized leather work. 
  The basic unit in this trade network is the homestead county. Trade caravans are often the only injections of foreign influence into 
  these self-contained communities, and their arrival is always much anticipated by the homesteaders. The caravans themselves 
  crisscross the various deserts so that goods may come from virtually anywhere. However, a big city exerts an almost gravitational 
  affect on nearby counties, as caravans going to and from the city will stop by, tying their economies together. Port Arthur and 
  Peace River, the largest city-states, have hundreds of counties in their orbit. These networks usually translate into a zone of 
  informal political influence, despite the reluctance of homesteaders. Port Arthur's trading network has recently been enlarged by 
  the signing of accords with the smaller cities and towns of the Westridge Range that have come to be known as the New Coalition 
  (Nucoal). This has lead to increased trade through the intervening counties, notably those along the fertile northern fringe of the 
  Great White Desert. 
  BROLANOS CURRENCY 
  Many of the city-states in the Badlands have printed their own 
  currency. The Peace River dollar (worth the total of one mark 
  and one dinar) and Port Arthur lith (worth approximately 5 
  marks) are the most successful of these. Although both are 
  popular in their home city, neither has come close to replac- 
  ing polar currency. Caravan traders are especially notorious 
  for accepting only marks and dinars, whose value is stable. 
  The dollar is also accepted near Peace River, but the lith has 
  never been taken up by the caravans. 
  It should be noted that many transactions in the Badlands, 
  especially with trading caravans, are barter and involve no 
  currency at all. Gold nuggets and jewels are used as currency 
  substitutes in many areas. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  2.5 TYPlCAl BAOlANDS CHARACTERS 
  Because of the underlying story inherent to Heavy Gear, Non- 
  Player Characters have been divided into five particular types. 
  These types will help a Gamemaster determine which charac- 
  ters he can or can not use in his campaign, and who among 
  them are expendable. The attentive reader will notice that most 
  Historical Figures, Restricted Characters and Very Important 
  People have no stats, while Social Encounters and Expenda- 
  bles often do. This is to reflect the fact that stats are most 
  useful for combat involving PCs, and the first three categories 
  do not run that risk. 
  These are dead people Unless a Gamemaster's campaign occurs at a 
  date prior to the current Heavy Gear storyline, these characters can 
  not be encountered Their stats are not provided for this very reason 
  Those are the characters who are vital to the storyline of Heavy Gear 
  Whilethetractionsmayresult ineventsthatwill affect the Player Char- 
  acters' lives, they should remain in the background and are not ex- 
  pected to interact with the players There will always be numerous 
  underlings to intervene between the PCs and them 
  the storyline However, they are still important to the game world as a 
  whole and should not be eliminated unless thecircumstances and the 
  campaign justify it. They have multiple resources and/or helpers who 
  will come to their aid, which they can occasionally make available to 
  the Player Characters Should the players kill such a character, they 
  should immediately be hunted down and appropriately puni 
  Social Encounters 
  Most of the non-combat, Non-Player Characters should fall into this 
  category While stats may be provided for these characters, they are 
  not expected to get into combat Still, because they can encounter 
  Player Characters, there is always a chance they could die 
  Expendables 
  These are the typical, faceless characters that populate Terra Nova by 
  the millions They also include those characters who are meant to 
  challenge the players during scenarios. While mindless slaughter 
  should never be encouraged, these are the most expendable charac- 
  ters 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  AG I 
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  1 
  INF 
  1 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  2 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  4 
  AD 
  4 I 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Level 
  Atir. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Bureaucracy 
  1 
  0 
  Combatsense 
  2 
  t2 
  Communications 
  1 
  0 
  Dodge 
  1 
  ti 
  Drive 
  1 
  +I 
  Gunnery - Heavy Gear 1 
  t2 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  1 
  +I 
  Heavy Gear Pilot 
  2 
  +I 
  Intimidate 
  2 
  0 
  Investigation 
  2 
  t2 
  Melee 
  1 
  +I 
  Notice 
  2 
  t2 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  +I 
  Streetwise 
  1 
  +I 
  rn 
  Description 
  Few people know the dark corners of Peace River as well as the Peace Officers. They are often recruited from the 
  mean streets of the city's worker levels. Many signed up for corporate security after being released by the army 
  at the end of the War of the Alliance. Skillful and determined, Peace Officers have a "tough guy" reputation and 
  are not to be messed with. Most are somewhat cynical in nature, having faced the worst situations over the 
  course of their career. In general, they are quite loyal to Paxton and will never go against the corporation's 
  interests, though there always exceptions to the rule. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Tqpical Attributes 
  AGI 
  0 
  APP 
  1 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  0 
  INF 
  1 I KNO 
  0 I PER 
  2 I PSY 
  -1 I WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  0 I HEA 
  0 I STA 
  25 I UD 
  3 I AD 
  3 
  Tqpical Shills 
  - 
  Skill 
  E
  v
  a
   
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Business 
  1 
  0 I Combatsense 
  1 
  t2 I ComDuter 
  1 
  0 
  Dodge 
  1 
  0 
  Drive 
  1 
  o I Etiquette 
  2 
  t1 
  Forgery 
  1 
  ti 
  Gambling 
  3 
  t 2  
  Notice 
  2 
  t2 
  Sleioht-of-Hand 
  2 
  0 I Small Arms 
  1 
  o I Streetwise 
  2 
  t 1  
  Psychology 
  2 
  0 
  Theatrics 
  1 
  ti 
  Oescription 
  Many professional gamblers are math whizzes who had the potential for a promising career as a scientist or an 
  engineer. Often, their interest in studies faded rapidly as they became involved in experimenting with drugs, 
  shock music and, especially, gambling. Being naturally brilliant at probability calculations. it is easy for them to 
  excel at games of chance. 
  Shunned by their families and friends, exiled from their homes, gamblers find a new haven in the casinos of the 
  gambling metropolis of Westphalia. They can win or lose fortunes every season, but their hig-profile lifestyle 
  keeps their expenses very high. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Ape: 
  57 
  Height: 
  1 .E6 meter 
  Weioht: 
  a2 ko 
  Hair Color: 
  o ray 
  Eye Color: 
  green 
  Handedness: 
  right-handed 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level Anr. 
  Skill 
  level Anr. 
  Animal Handlino 
  1 
  o I Camouflaoe 
  1 
  t 1  I Cookino 
  1 
  t1 
  Demolitions 
  1 
  0 
  Earth Sciences 
  2 
  0 
  First Aid 
  1 
  0 
  Intimidate 
  1 
  t1 
  Life Sci. (desertbiolwy)' 
  2 
  0 
  Mechanics 
  1 
  0 
  Navigation 
  2 
  0 
  Notice 
  1 
  0 
  SmallArms 
  2 
  0 
  Stealth 
  1 
  0 
  Survival 
  2 
  ti 
  '(SDecialization) 
  Bachground 
  Rikard Bosin has worked hard all his life to feed and support his family. The father of two young girls - 
  Ema and 
  Lin -he 
  still labors fifteen hours a day in the waterroot fields to assure their well being. His hard work has left 
  him with a sizable homestead thirty kilometers east of Andruston, near the Great White Desert, but the loss of 
  his wife Klara to a redjacket swarm five cycles ago still weighs heavily upon Rikard's spirit. His pain has only 
  increased in recent months due to the chronic illness of his eldest child Lin. Rikard has begun to suspect the 
  Sand Riders, who left the outskirts of Andruston just as Lin fell ill. The old stories of the Riders transmitting 
  diseases to children have begun to ring truer and truer. 
  Profession 
  Five cycles ago, after seventeen cycles of honest homesteading, Rikard was offered a seat in the Andruston 
  County Council of Elders. He was honored by the offer and gladly accepted the position. Some say he normally 
  would have refused, but gave in to help himself forget about his deceased wife. His word and opinions are 
  valued, and he is often sought after by local backroom politicians who wish to obtain his support for some of 
  their projects. His good reputation, however, comes from stubborn honesty: he seldom takes sides without 
  having studied the matter very carefully. 
  Attitudes 
  Rikard hopes that the Badlands will some day be part of some sort of alliance so that the fighting can stop. Until 
  then, he is not altogether displeased to see the Northern Guard taking an interest in the Sand Rider threat. Like 
  most Badlanders, he trusts them about as far as he can spit. He always walks around with a staff - 
  as many 
  Badlanders do - 
  not so much to lean against, but to probe the sand before him to make sure that there are no 
  animals lying in wait. 
  Combat Reactions 
  If attacked by surprise, Rikard may react brutally, despite his dislike for violence. Like most Badlanders, he often 
  has little choice in the matter and accepts that as a fact. If given a chance to talk, however, he will attempt to 
  negotiate with his aggressor and find a peaceful solution to any problem. He seldom uses weapons, although he 
  has been known to carry a knife for practical purposes. 
  ~~ 
  Contacts 
  Stan-Alexei Mustafa (age 59, specialties: bureaucracy & earth sciences), First Elder of the Andruston County 
  Council; Bahbra Cottington-Smythe (age 59, specialties: authority & contacts), long-time trusted friend and wife 
  of Mustafa; Grigori "Pax" Ellagon (age 49, specialties: investigation & law), sheriff for Andruston County; llanora 
  Steppiani (age 35, specialties: streetwise & earth sciences), a Badlands wanderer he has hired as farm girl to 
  help him. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Shills 
  Skill 
  level Attr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Ambush 
  1 
  t 2  I Camouflaoe 
  1 
  0 I Combatsense 
  1 
  t 1  
  Communications 
  1 
  0 
  Dodge 
  1 
  t 2  
  Drive 
  2 
  t 2  
  First Aid 
  1 
  0 
  Gambling 
  1 
  t 1  
  Gunnery (Heavy Gear) 
  1 
  t 1  
  Gunnerv (Ground Vehicle) 2 
  ti 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  2 
  t 2  
  HeavvGear Pilot 
  1 
  t 2  
  Melee 
  2 
  t 2  
  Navigation 
  1 
  0 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  t 2  
  Stealth 
  1 
  t 2  
  Survival 
  1 
  0 
  Bachground 
  From the day she was born (26 Summer TN 1904), Jade was always a troublemaker. As she grew older, she 
  regularly got into nasty fights with other children. By her sixteenth birthday she had injured most of her peers in 
  one way or another. No one knew that her anger came from having been molested by her father from a very early 
  age, so she was already ostracized when the Desert Wolves raided her community. Jade fled in the confusion of 
  the attack and hid in a Wolves truck loaded with raided supplies. When she was discovered at the Wolf's Den, 
  she demanded to stay, but was required to prove herself in combat. No one took her seriously until the unwary 
  Wolf sent against her ended up on his knees, clutching his broken nose. 
  Profession 
  Jade has since become a full member of the Desert Wolves. She has participated in many raids and gained a 
  reputation as a good fighter who refuses to hurt those she sees as innocent. She usually volunteers for the most 
  daring and difficult assignments, either because of a secret death wish or because of the better opportunities for 
  violence and combat. 
  Attitudes 
  Despite her tendency toward violence, Jade often finds herself the reluctant defender of the innocent. Although 
  she lacks the intellectual finesse to express her deep motivations, she does not want what happened to her 
  during her childhood to happen to someone else. Her morality has drawn the attention of the Wolves' Den 
  Mother, who has begun to get Jade to open up about her past. 
  Combat Reactions 
  Brutal and uncompromising, Jade's first solution to a problem is a good right hook followed by a kick to the 
  groin. She never takes on more opponents than she can handle at any one time - 
  usually four or less - 
  and 
  never, ever lets them get away before she has broken at least one bone in their body. She has no qualms about 
  using dirty tricks or attacks from the back. What really counts is that in the end, only she remains standing. If 
  she is absolutely outmatched and her opponents are using small arms, she will be the first one to fire. 
  Age: 
  29 
  Height: 
  1.65 meter 
  Weight: 
  66 kg 
  Hair Color: 
  blond 
  Eye Color: 
  blue 
  right-handed 
  Handedness: 
  Contacts 
  Alara Karen Yerep (age 52, specialties: logistics & psychology), Den Mother of the Desert Wolves: Viktor Nahm 
  (age 42, specialties: brawling & carousing), who sponsored Jade's candidacy among the Wolves after she 
  proved her worth by breaking his nose: Nita Kowalski (age 14, specialties: scrounging &snooping), a young but 
  not-so-innocent kid in whom Jade sees much of herself when she was that age. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Age: 
  35 
  Height: 
  1 84 meter 
  Weight: 
  96 kg 
  Hair Color: 
  black 
  Eye Color: 
  blue 
  Handedness: 
  left-handed 
  - 
  I 
  I
  '
   
  1 Attributes 
  I I  
  AGI 
  1 I APP 
  -1 I BLD 
  INF 
  0 I KNO 
  0 I PER 
  STR 
  1 I HEA 
  1 I STA 
  1 
  1 I CRE 
  0 I FIT 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  35 
  UD 
  6 
  AD 
  Shills 
  Skill 
  level Attr. I Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. I Skill 
  Level 
  ABr. 
  Ambush 
  ; 
  ti 1 ;ti; Handling 
  Combat Sense 
  Foreian Lana. lfrench) 1 
  Hand to Hand 
  ; t; 1 Camouflage 
  ; ; 
  Earth Sci. (deserigeo.)' 
  1 
  ti 
  Intimidate 
  2 
  ti 
  Melee 
  1 
  t 1  I Navisation (desert)' 
  1 
  0 I Notice 
  1 
  0 
  Riding 
  2 
  ti 1 SmallArms 
  1 
  t 1  I Stealth 
  2 
  t 1  
  Survival 
  2 
  o I 
  'isoecialization) 
  I 
  lachground 
  Born in TN 1898 among an unusual clan of Ratir Koreshi calling itself "Reksha Kur," Daaven was brought up to 
  have an interest in people rather than technology. Often enough, as a teenager, he would go out on solitary 
  expeditions near the maglev line crossing the white desert and scrutinize the cars, hoping to see those who 
  traveled in them. On his thirty-fifth birthday, he left the clan as a Jonus Herasi, hoping to meet the car-people and 
  to discover what kind of lives they led. Naturally, Daaven's clan has gained prestige from his decision to go into 
  the outside world to observe Terranovan society. 
  Profession 
  Daaven is a self-reliant traveler. He goes from one place to the other, answering to no one and surviving off the 
  land with little money or personal belongings. Currently, Daaven has joined a more traditional trading caravan 
  that is on its way to the communities surrounding Khayr ad-Din. Daaven trusts Lorenz. the caravan head, but is 
  planning to slip away into Khayr ad-Din when they arrive. He is not quite sure what the place is - 
  or what a true 
  city looks like - 
  but he must find his answers. 
  Attitudes 
  Like all other Ratir, Daaven seeks signs that humanity is ready to move on to the next phase. He was willing to 
  leave the Great White Desert behind and journey across the planet in search of his answer, and he will always 
  take the time to ask questions and listen to the answers. While Daaven is curious and wise, it would be a mistake 
  to assume that he is harmless - 
  anyone who survives in the Great White Desert has to be a tough specimen of 
  humanity. 
  Combat Reactions 
  While not particularly fond of violence, Daaven is by no means an inept fighter. Still, he would rather avoid open 
  confrontation and will attempt to browbeat his opponent into giving up before it starts to get rough. If afight is 
  unavoidable, so be it - 
  he fights to the death. If it can be avoided, he may return one dark night to exact his 
  revenge, if the encounter was particularly humiliating. Most of the time, violent encounters with Daaven result in 
  a casualty. 
  Contacts 
  Mahli (age 31, specialties: weaving & tinkering), his sister; Siluka (age 37, specialties: geology & astronomy), 
  his dreamy eyed lover who eagerly awaits his every return home; Greg Rupiano (age 42, specialties: trading & 
  streetwise), a man he has met in a caravan who said he could find him some work in Khayr ad-Din; Lorenz (age 
  63, specialties: navigation & logistics), head of a caravan that trades in the region west of Khayr ad-Din. 
  L 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Attributes 
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BUI 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  0 
  2 
  KNO 
  2 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  4 
  AD 
  3 
  I 
  Shills 
  ~ 
  Level 
  Alr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  AHr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Alr. 
  Skill 
  Athletics 
  1 
  0 
  Electro. War. 
  2 
  1 
  Leadership 
  2 
  2 
  Bureaucracy 
  1 
  2 
  First Aid 
  1 
  2 
  Notice 
  2 
  1 
  Combat Sense 
  1 
  1 I Gunnerv 
  2 
  1 I Small Arms 
  1 
  1 
  Comm. 
  2 
  2 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  1 
  1 
  Streetwise 
  1 
  2 
  Dodge 
  1 
  1 
  HG Pilot 
  2 
  1 
  Tactics 
  2 
  1 
  Drive 
  1 
  1 
  Intimidate 
  1 
  0 
  Throwino 
  1 
  1 
  Electronics 
  1 
  2 1  
  I 
  Bachground 
  Born in TN 1891 in Kossuth of well-to-do wind-farmer parents, Selene was a relatively happy child (by Terranovan 
  standards), but a poor student. At age 12, her parents hired a private tutor to complete her education, with 
  amazing results. She had always been a remarkably bright child, but there was now someone paying attention to 
  her, something her parents had never done. At age 18, she entered the military to complete her service. When 
  she returned at age 24, during the War of the Alliance, she hoped to finally make up for lost time with her 
  parents. However, on the eve of her return home, Earth forces bombed Kossuth and its surroundings. A col- 
  lapsed power line crushed her parents. 
  Profession 
  After successfully completing many difficult missions, Selene was finally noticed by her superiors, and re- 
  warded for her tenacity and ingenuity. Before the war was over, she received enough promotions to lead her own 
  Heavy Gear company and bore the rank of captain. She was promoted one more time in TN 1926 and put in 
  charge of the 33rd Heavy Gear Regiment - Roving Guns. She currently performs unusual and discreet mis- 
  sions into the Badlands. 
  Attitudes 
  When Colonel Munschtradler asks the questions, people answer them. She is tough and demanding - 
  neces- 
  sary qualities for any good officer- but not particularly talkative or sociable. She dislikes the officers’ mess and 
  would much rather spend her time with “real people.” She sorely misses civilian life, but some secret part of her 
  is afraid of the day when she quits the military and has to finally grieve over the loss of her parents. She is 
  romantically unattached and is not looking for anyone. 
  Combat Reactions 
  As a military leader, she leads a prudent fight for a few minutes, judging her adversaries, then launches her 
  forces into a surprisingly risky attack. When piloting in combat herself - 
  a rare occurence - 
  she tends to lead 
  by example, showing no fear of death and willing to take risks to save others in danger. In personal combat, she 
  is cool and unshakable, occasionally showing a bit of caustic humor by commenting on her opponent‘s lack of 
  style and obvious flaws. 
  Contacts 
  Ubert Moris (age 47, specialties: Gear piloting &tactics), captain of her former company in the 33rd and occa- 
  sionally military advisor; Jak Kondo (age 43, specialties: Gear piloting & Gear gunnery), a self-employed Badlander 
  (formerly a Republican, officially M.I.A.) who provides her with vital information for her missions; Anon Syracuse 
  (age 34, specialties: streetwise & bartending), a bartender who knows too much about what happens in the 
  Karaq Wastes. 
  I 
  Age: 
  42 
  Height: 
  1 72 meter 
  Weiaht: 
  57 ko 
  Hair Color: 
  red 
  Eye Color: 
  blue-gray 
  Handedness: 
  right-handed 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  ‘FFWo minutes!’’ Kristine called over the radio. 
  Grace Dillon was in the Westridge Tknch trying to save a couple of Mekong 
  businessmen who had crashed their ultralights. Meanwhile, a micro-tem- 
  pest was about to rip through the trench and Grace couldn’t get that stupid 
  song out of her head. 
  “We’ll make it.” Grace used a laser torch to free the second pilot from his 
  glider before he bled to death. “It ain’t good for business if we leave the 
  client behind. We’re search and rescue, Kris.” The tune came back into her 
  brain, bubbling up in an annoying humming. 
  “I can’t believe you’re singing,” Grace’s aid Stephane said as he slipped a 
  collapsible stretcher under the pilot. 
  “I wish I could stop. Autopilot: fire it up.” Grace and Stephane trotted to- 
  ward the jetcopter, its roaring engines almost drowned out by the wind. 
  ”Thirty seconds, Grace,” Kristine said calmly. 
  “Time for me to earn a living.” Grace slipped into the pilot’s compartment 
  and took over from Kristine, while Stephane took care of the wounded in 
  the craft’s hold. Her humming increased in pitch as she pulled back on the 
  throttle. The jetcopter rose into the air just as the wind tore through the 
  trench at full force. Barely ten meters above the ground, the craft was hurled 
  forward as Grace struggled with the controls. Her humming became louder. 
  “Glad to hear I had an effect, but try to keep us off the ground,” Kristine 
  said. 
  “Shut up, Kris.” The ‘copter would be torn apart if she fought the wind, so 
  Grace began to ride it. The vehicle shot forward at an incredible speed and 
  her humming flowed into mumbled singing. She began to pull up gently. 
  “Barnabus turn in ten klicks, Grace.” 
  “Hell.” The turn was a hairpin zigzag in the trench, only a hundred meters 
  wide, certain death at this speed. Grace began to sing out loud - Kris was 
  smiling for God’s sake - and pulled back on the stick, desperate for alti- 
  What the hell!?” Stephane’s voice was frantic over the radio as the craft 
  took a wild spin in its climb. “I’m gonna lose this guy if we don’t level 
  “Doing my best.” The jetcopter flipped over twice more as the 
  altimeter climbed. Barnabus curve was on top of them before 
  w it and Grace desperately punched the engines. Indica- 
  shed red as the turbines struggled past their specifica- 
  ns and hydraulic tubes burst. 
  And then it was over. The jetcopter burst out of the Tknch 
  into the calmer air above. Grace leveled off and started to 
  take a look at the damage. She was still humming. 
  ‘God damn it, Kris! I’m never going to get this bloody 
  wedding march out of my head! Why’d you have to 
  propose now?’’ 
  Kristine just smiled. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3.1 PAXTON ARMS 
  The most influential and powerful faction in the Badlands is undoubtedly Paxton Arms, the 
  largest weapons manufacturer on Terra Nova and owner of the Peace River city-state. Paxton 
  is the ultimate neutral supplier - it will sell to almost anyone with good credit, and the 
  Terranovan “hobby” of border warfare has ensured a steady demand for Paxton products. 
  With the current political tensions between North and South, Paxton is thriving. 
  Paxton Arms’ installations are located within the large desert city-state of Peace River. The 
  settlement is carved into a large rocky mesa, protected against both the environment and any 
  would-be attacker. From their underground caverns, the massive factories of Peace River 
  pump out millions of arms and vehicles, ranging from simple hunting knifes and rifles to the 
  cutting-edge Warrior lVHeavy Gear. 
  Not all is well at Paxton, however. The conglomerate is increasingly trapped by its dual role as 
  supplier for polar wars and defender of Badlands security. The board of directors fully realizes 
  that Paxton/Peace River, along with the homesteads and towns surrounding it, is becoming 
  an informal league very similarto those found in the polar hemisphere. The de factotransition 
  from corporate manufacturer to self-governing state is making some Riverans nervous, since 
  it could threaten their favored status as neutral suppliers. 
  Also, because of its position as arms supplier for the northern and southern leagues, Paxton 
  Arms is often accused of fueling the war between North and South and causing the Badlands 
  - 
  which they presumably protect - 
  to become a battlefield for both confederations’ dis- 
  putes. How, some say, can they hope to defend the Badlands when they contribute to its 
  destruction? In its own defense, Paxton Arms has established a very strong defense perim- 
  eter and claims that it does not own the Badlands, thus that it has no responsibilities toward 
  the settlements outside its jurisdiction. Needless to say, Paxton Arms is a very controversial 
  topic for Badlanders and more than one bar brawl has started over it. 
  3.11 BACHGROUNO 
  Paxton Arms was born out of a combination of corporate skill, raw determination and opportunity. The conglomerate was founded 
  in TN 1595 by Mekong emigre Erbert Paxton as a mining concern. Paxton had been unable to compete in the new Mekong 
  Dominion and moved to the desert to find new opportunities. Luck smiled on him and he became extremely successful prospect- 
  ing the sands for precious minerals. Having discovered iron ore and bauxite in the mesas east of the Pacifica Range, Paxton 
  purchased an oasis tower on one such mesa with his life savings and renamed it Peace River. Paxton Mining became wealthy 
  selling ore to the poles thanks in large part to its proximity to the alpha maglev line, which greatly simplified the shipping process 
  and reduced cost. 
  Paxton began to diversify in the early 1700s, producing heavy machinery for mining and all sorts of light desert equipment. 
  Despite only limited success, Paxton CEO Anna Hays-Leboeuf remained committed to diversification until her death in TN 1721. 
  It was her successor Kyle Oglin who turned the devastation of the St. Vincent War into a renaissance for the corporation. When the 
  war ended in TN 1729 the manufacturing industry of both poles was devastated, but Peace River was physically unscathed and 
  rapidly restarted production. Oglin was severely criticized for focusing on arms production when the planet had just survived a 
  devastating war, but both sides remained afraid the other would rebuild first and were quick to purchase the new weapons. By TN 
  1750, Paxton had established many of its products as planet-wide standards and was reborn as Paxton Arms. 
  In addition to weapon production, Paxton manufactures several types of consumer goods, mostly desert survival gear and body 
  armors. The corporation’s Mining Division also deals in mineral concessions and routinely acts a as middle man for independent 
  Badlands prospectors. 
  Paxton has kept its position of preeminence as a weaponsmith for two centuries. The conglomerate has always remained neutral and 
  sold its product to any one it deemed able to pay - 
  including soldiers of fortune and Saragossa terrorists, according to Southern 
  Intelligence. Paxton’s only major setback was its sluggishness in entering the Heavy Gear market. The Hunterand Jagerwere major 
  participants in St. Vincent War and other conflicts, but Paxton did not begin manufacturing Gears until TN 1800. Apparently, Paxton’s 
  research and development division had a very hard time duplicating the required neural net. Paxton documents further reveal that the 
  CNCS and the AST also put severe pressure on Paxton to delay production. By the time the Warriorrolled off the production line in TN 
  1802, Northco and Territorial Arms had cornered the military Gear market. To this day, the Warriorand its advanced successor the 
  Warrior l a r e  only widely found in Badlands militias and some parts of the Eastern Sun Emirates. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3.1.2 PEACE RIVER 
  Built into an 800-meter high mesa, Peace River is an exten- 
  sion of the oasis habitat concept. The mesa’s exterior is marked 
  by ventilation outlets, access-points to the city, a major air- 
  port and a cargo monorail to the alpha maglev line. The city- 
  state proper is contained within a 600-meter tall space di- 
  vided into three main sectors. 
  The top sector, a large oasis tower, is used for Paxton Arms’ 
  executive offices. Extremely luxurious, these stories house the 
  offices of those who run Paxton and quarters for foreign del- 
  egates, all sheated in armored plating. The conglomerate’s 
  massive engineering and legal divisions are also on these lev- 
  els. Some beautiful, if small, parks are found here and there. 
  Below the offices is a large, open space lined with apartments, 
  commercial malls and three huge pillars that support the gi- 
  ant mobile storm shutters. The habitat core houses virtually 
  all Riverans as well as hundreds of businesses. 
  Peace River‘s industrial sector lies below the habitat core, 
  plunging up to 200 meters underground. The Paxton Arms’ 
  factories employ 100,000 Riverans and function around the 
  clock. The very bottom of the industrial sector is dedicated to 
  a massive water pumping and purification complex tied to the 
  MacAllen cave network. 
  The industrial sector is dark and filled with a complex array of 
  pipes, conduits and machinery. Each factory is housed in its 
  own “division,” a specific work zone isolated by heavy blast 
  doors and reinforced to withstand explosions and earthquakes. 
  Workers and industrial robots toil around the clock, crafting 
  and assembling weapons, vehicles and varied goods. The 
  whole atmosphere is oppressive and the most remote corners 
  of the factory levels are not recommended for anyone. 
  Helena Hitashi is the administrator of the Peace River habitat core. Although CEO Gerald Simosa is 
  technically the leader of the community, Hitashi is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the city-state. 
  She and her staff deals with the matters that concerns all of the Riverans, whether they are employed by 
  Paxton Arms or not. 
  Hitashi was an unlikely choice for administrator. From the worker caste, she made a name for herself as 
  an agitator and demonstrator. She fought against the rigidity of the caste system and was even exiled 
  after a violent protest march in TN 191 3, only weeks before the War of the Alliance. In TN 1916 she joined 
  the Peace River Army and distinguished herself as a unit commander. She demanded and received reentry 
  into Peace River after the war. 
  In TN 1918, Gerald Simosa rose to the position of Paxton president and announced his intention to make 
  the well-being of Peace River one of his top priorities. Helena met with him several times as a representa- 
  tive of the worker caste and learned to respect the quiet president. In TN 1923, Simosa shocked his fellow 
  executives by naming Helena administrator of Peace River, entrusting her to bring the required changes 
  to the Riveran society. She has spent the last ten cycles struggling - 
  at times in vain -to 
  establish fair 
  practices in the city-state. Her major goal is to break up caste segregation in housing. To her dismay, she 
  has met with strong resistance from all castes, whose members do not want to mingle with others any 
  more than is necessary. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3.1.3 CORPORRTE SOCIETY 
  Erbert Paxton saw his fledging mining company as more than a simple workplace. Inspired by the ideas of Yuri Gropius, he 
  envisioned a corporate father that would care for its children from cradle to grave. By TN 1700, Paxton's philosophy had slowly 
  evolved into a rigid caste system that continues to this day. Executive, management and worker castes form the Paxton family, 
  with each group traditionally living separately and attending its own schools and social activities. Riverans usually marry within 
  their caste and raise their young to continue in their shoes. Within a caste, all employees are taken care of by the conglomerate, 
  which provides salary, housing, medical coverage and education. All Peace River citizens are free to come and go as they please, 
  but the caste system does impose some informal limits on their conduct. 
  President Simosa has recently initiated a program of mild reforms to the caste system. He hopes to counter the social tensions 
  generated by what is seen by many in the lower castes as an unjust society. Small business owners have been allowed to join the 
  management caste, the executive and management business academies have been opened to worker-caste citizens and competi- 
  tion for executive posts has been granted to any management or worker caste employee who can pass the rigorous entry tests. 
  Simosa argues for a return to Paxton's original vision in which no caste was seen as superior, while his critics see the reforms as 
  cosmetic and warn that the very concept of family will collapse if real change does not occur soon. 
  Executive Caste 
  The smallest and most powerful caste, executives dominate Paxton's upper echelons and set policy for the conglomerate. Caste membership is 
  formalized with a graduation exam from the Peace River Business Academy and subsequent admission to a senior position in Paxton Arms. 
  Executives are considered major shareholders in the conglomerate and receive dividends based on its profits, encouraging productivity and 
  efficiency. Generally quite wealthy, executives are awarded the largest residences in Peace River and many maintain villas and secondary resi- 
  dences at the poles. 
  At the peak of the executive caste sits the Paxton Board of Directors that governs the conglomerate and all its concerns. The nine members are 
  elected by the executive caste to 15-cycle terms with three members coming up for reelection every five cycles. The president is named by the 
  board itself. Most directors spend at least two terms on the board. 
  The current board is divided into the Sirnosa and Jacobi factions. President Gerald Simosa is a Paxton traditionalist who feels that the corporate 
  family concept must be strengthened through mild reforms. He also wishes to see Paxton take stronger action to defend other independent 
  Badlands communities from foreign aggression. Fidel Jacobi and his minority faction feel that Paxton is on the verge of collapsing under its own 
  weight. In their view, caste unrest and increasing polar tension are forcing the conglomerate to become more efficient by abandoning the family 
  system. TN 1933 is an election cycle for Jacobi and two Simosa supporters. Jacobi hopes to tip the balance of power and gain the presidency. 
  Management Caste 
  The management caste accounts for 30% of Paxton employees. Managers are the overseers, junior directors, accountants, advertising agents and 
  designers that give the conglomerate its shape. Since TN 1925, Riverans not directly employed by Paxton have been allowed to petition for entry 
  into the caste if they are employers rather than employees. This has created a great incentive for Riverans to start their own businesses, and small 
  enterprise has flourished. 
  Managers are considered minor shareholders in Paxton Arms and are paid a fixed rate plus a bonus based on the success of their division. Those 
  outside Paxton make their own money, but are granted other caste privileges such as business financing, superior education for their children, 
  access to better housing and the opportunity to purchase high yield Paxton bonds. Managers also elect the Peace River Council every five cycles, 
  a consulting body concerned with the proper running of the community and the corporation that rules it. President Simosa and Helena Hitashi are 
  known to listen attentively to the Council's concerns. 
  Worher Caste 
  The worker caste - 
  by far the largest - 
  encompasses three diverse groups. The first is the Paxton Arms labor force. They receive a standard 
  salary, with weekly bonuses based on the productivity of their work group. The second group is comprised of the members of the Peace River 
  Defense Force (Paxton's military) and the Peace Officer Corps (the police force), who receive a generous salary which increases with rank, but are 
  not awarded bonuses. Finally, the remaining 35% of Riverans are employed by a variety of private concerns. 
  Workers make their voices heard through a cellular structure of work-group committees - 
  ten to twenty people in the same profession and 
  workplace. These councils elect ten caste delegates to the Peace River Council and one to the Board of Directors. These representatives cannot 
  vote, but can force a vote of non-confidence in which they are given an equal vote. 
  The worker caste has a reputation for general rowdiness rather than militancy. Paxton's corporate paternalism is generally resented, but few 
  leaders can present alternatives that do not entail vast unemployment. The resulting frustration expresses itself in occasional outbursts of vio- 
  lence and a high level of alcohol consumption during off hours. The lower levels of Peace River's habitat core - 
  dominated by Paxton workers 
  - 
  have a dangerous air and are heavily patrolled by the Peace Officer Corps. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  ROORIG0 FEROINAWO 1 
  A fiery speaker and an inveterate agitator, Rodrigo Ferdinand is the current worker caste representative 
  on the Paxton Board of Directors. Like his mother and father, he went to work at one of Paxton's factories 
  as soon as he left school. In TN 1925, his right arm was severed when an industrial robot's sensors 
  malfunctioned and crashed into him while he was inspecting a conveyor's mechanism. When he was told 
  that genetic regrowth was not covered by his worker caste's insurance and that he now had to make do 
  with a simple prosthesis, Ferdinand became an instant activist for worker caste rights. 
  In TN 1926, he brought Division Six -one 
  of Paxton's ammunition factories -to 
  a sudden halt with a 
  wildcat strike. Taking advantage of the confusion, he managed to gain the first of many direct audiences 
  with President Gerald Simosa. By the beginning of Spring TN 1928, he had a flesh-and-blood arm again 
  and found himself sitting on the board of directors, where he has continued to campaign for the exten- 
  sion of privileges to the worker caste. Unfortunately, Fidel Jacobi has used Ferdinand's demands as 
  evidence that Paxton cannot afford to remain a corporate family, forcing the labor leader to support 
  Simosa as the lesser of two evils. 
  Although he has met with quite a bit of success, Ferdinand's reputation is now being challenged by some 
  members of his caste who do not find that changes are coming quickly enough for their taste. While they 
  starve and break their backs working day in and day out, Ferdinand, they accuse, is sitting in air-condi- 
  tioned rooms, showing off his new arm and mingling with the establishment. Among this vocal group, 
  Eduardo Kosta-Diga is undoubtedly the most radical. He and Ferdinand have had frequent public argu- 
  ments to no avail. Many people suspect some conspiracy on the part of the Jacobi faction and would not 
  be surprised if Kosta-Diga had been somehow bribed by the execs to stir up some trouble until the Jacobi 
  faction got what they wanted from Simosa. 
  31.4 CORPORATE POLICY 
  Paxton Arms makes its profit from weapons sales to the poles, so conflict is essentially good for business. The devastation of 
  St. Vincent's War and the War of the Alliance, however, has not been forgotten, and Paxton is well aware that Peace River is only 
  not impregnable. Ideally, Paxton would like to see a constant state of low-level conflict between the poles, expressed as continu- 
  ous skirmishes on the fringes of the confederations, not in the Badlands proper. 
  Paxton floods the Badlands and the poles with their arms while refusing to align themselves. Clients are bombarded with adver- 
  tising that demonstrates the quality of Paxton's many products and implies that the weapons will soon be needed. Helena Hitashi 
  and others have raised concerns that Paxton's advertising policy borders on warmongering, risking global war for a profit. Hitashi 
  argues that the Paxton Protectorate is not enough compensation, pointing out that during a war the conglomerate would be too 
  busy defending its own interests to protect others. 
  Paxton is frequently contacted by underground groups or even shady individuals who have developed grand and elaborate 
  schemes that would result in the ultimate independence of the Badlands, provided they are supported by a benevolent power - 
  namely, Paxton Arms. The company's policy is to categorically reject these offers. It is suspected, however, that some factions 
  within Paxton Arms divert funds to sponsor these lunatics, hoping perhaps that something good will come out of it. Some 
  journalists have openly challenged Paxton Arms about this, but their claims were woefully unsubstantiated. 
  The Paxton Protectorate 
  The Paxton family is officially extended to the whole of the Badlands through the Paxton Protectorate. The conglomerate has committed itself to 
  maintaining the independence of the Badlands, and is prepared to use its economic and military might to defend the claims of small communities 
  against aggressors of greater power. The Protectorate was announced in TN 1850 and has been used several times to defend communities in the 
  desert against rovers, polar forces and other aggressors. The Protectorate is enforced by Paxton's military, the Peace River Defense Force (PRDF). 
  The Protectorate is a real and active force in the deserts around the Pacifica Range and most of the Karaq Wastes. The PRDF regularly patrols the 
  area and can be deployed to a trouble spot by Paxton air carriers in short order. Further afield, the Protectorate becomes more and more illusory. 
  Even Paxton cannot patrol or defend the entire Badlands, and the Barrington Basin and much of the Eastern and Western Deserts are only 
  occasionally visited by the PRDF. Aggressors have also learned that if they present Paxton with a faitaccompli, the conglomerate will not risk a 
  long term struggle to retake a community. Most recently, the rapid deployment of Southern forces in TN 1931 against the Lance Point workers' 
  revolt was complete and the corporate government restored before Paxton could respond. 
  The PRDF's most tense encounters occur when facing Port Arthur's Korps in the Western Desert. The latter frequently venture on the fringe of what 
  has traditionally been Paxton's sphere of influence. Consequently, the conglomerate is very concerned about the creation of Port Arthur's web of 
  trading relationships within the Barrington Basin. Also, Port Arthur's sponsorship of the New Coalition (in the Westridge Mountains) is looked 
  upon as an especially bold challenge to Peace River's position as the preeminent community in the Badlands. As a consequence, the occasional 
  PRDF units that patrol the Western Desert spend some of their time trying to chip away at Port Arthur's authority. Some major skirmishes have 
  occurred and locals fear a deadly brush war in the near future. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  3RO HEAVY GEAR REGIMENT - THE PAlAOINS 
  The Paladins are one of the six regiments given the duty of defending the Western Desert communities 
  stretching from Peace River to Port Arthur. Patrols are undertaken to establish a Paxton presence in the 
  area, but real action comes thanks to the conglomerate’s air-carrier wings which allow the Paladins to 
  respond rapidly in a crisis. The presence of the polar fiefs of Timmins (CNCS) and Azov (AST), the 
  warring neighbors of Erech and Nineveh, and especially of Port Arthur complicate matters greatly. The 
  Paladins regularly find themselves in tense stand-offs with one or more of these hostile forces. 
  The Paladinsare led by Commander Gabrielle Hunaman. A twenty-cycle PRDF veteran, Hunaman fought 
  in the Peace River Army during the War of the Alliance and lost many friends to the Terran invaders. She 
  has not come very far in forgiving or forgetting the past and still sees the residents of Port Arthur as 
  invaders or collaborators. She is ready and willing to use her forces to assault Port Arthur’s small defense 
  Heavy Gear Regiment 
  Heavy Gear Company x4 
  Support Company 
  Command Section 
  , 
  HG Company 
  Sections Included 
  Assault x i  
  Rapid Reaction x i  
  2nd (TV = 53,088) 
  Assault xl 
  3rd (TV = 68,199) 
  Assaultx2 
  ’ 
  Rapid Reaction x l  
  4th (TV = 46,690) 
  Patrol x i  
  Section Type 
  Squadrons Included 
  , 
  General (TV = 15,976) 
  General Purpose x2 
  ’ 
  Strike XI 
  Recon x l  
  Patrol (TV = 14,738) 
  Fire Support x l  
  Recon x i  
  Assault (TV = 23,612) 
  Fire Support x2 
  Rapid Reaction (TV = 20,975) 
  1 st (TV = 60,563) 
  General x2 
  The Warmrat right is sporting the PRDF‘s usual 
  desert camouflage. Most of the vehicle’s hull is 
  light brown background. The spots 
  Peace Officer pilot standing in front 
  ing the PRDF‘s standard black Heavy 
  Peace River symbol on her chest IS b 
  background . 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  STRlHE [THREAT VALUE: 15221 1 
  Chieftain-1 x IvI 3 
  Cheetah4 x IvI 2 
  Iguana-[lx IvI 21 
  Iguana-[lx IvI 31 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  8.2 EtlRTH SETTLEMENTS 
  Its fleet savaged by Terranovan ships and drones, the Colonial Expeditionary Force had to 
  abandon many of their troops on the ground. A total of approximately 120,000 CEF troops - 
  including over 100,000 GREL supersoldiers - 
  were abandoned on Terra Nova after the War 
  of the Alliance. They had little choice but to make peace with their new life and become 
  Terranovans as best they could. 
  The bulk of the troops remained at the main Earth Force beachhead in the Barrington Basin, 
  using the existing facilities to found the community of Port Arthur. Another group composed 
  mostly of GRELs, later founded the smaller city-state of Jan Mayen in the Eastern Desert. 
  These two settlements are home to almost all GRELs currently on Terra Nova; their presence 
  elsewhere tends to raise more than one eyebrow from their former enemies. The exiled Earth 
  officers and soldiers, although faced with a similar predicament, can blend into the human 
  population and many have moved to one of the polar leagues to start anew. 
  Class 
  Purpose 
  Sex 
  % of total 
  Isaac 
  Technician 
  Male 
  5% 
  lsabella 
  Medic 
  Female 
  5% 
  Jan 
  Leader 
  Male 
  5% 
  Kassandra 
  Electronics War 
  Female 
  5% 
  Maxwell 
  Gunner 
  Male 
  15% 
  Minerva 
  DrivedPilot 
  Female 
  15% 
  Mordred 
  Shockrooper 
  Male 
  35% 
  Morgana 
  Commando 
  Female 
  15% 
  All GRELs were designed as soldiers first and specialists sec- 
  ond. They are large and powerfully built (some classes more 
  than others), with little or no body fat. GRELs have no body 
  hair to reduce sanitary maintenance in the field. Because of 
  the chemical composition of theirtough skin, they have avery 
  slight purplish tone. 
  The Isaac-class GREL standing at the left side of the picture 
  is typical of the "specialist" supersoldiers. Highly intelligent, 
  the lsaacs were hypnoprogrammed with the schematics of 
  all CEF equipment. The later Isaac-lllb models were also ca- 
  pable of understanding the workings of captured Heavy Gears. 
  The Mordred and the Morgana GRELs standing at right are 
  closer to the stereotypical representation of the supersoldier 
  as a death machine. The Mordred class is designed to be the 
  ultimate infantryman: they were engineered for toughness, 
  strength and overall stamina. The Morgana class is similar, 
  but more cunning and agile. They were used for commando 
  missions and tactical assaults. 
  Rumors persist of a ninth type of GREL, identified only as 
  Jezebels. Infiltration and assassination specialists, Jezebels 
  were allegedly genetically engineered to standard human size 
  and individualized through plastic surgery. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3.2.1 PORT ARTHUR 
  Only 15 cycles ago, Port Arthur was a huge refugee camp 
  centered around the crippled supply center of the defeated 
  Colonial Expeditionary Forces. Today it has become the larg- 
  est independent city-state in the Badlands and is actively chal- 
  lenging Peace River for political supremacy in the equatorial 
  wastelands of Terra Nova. 
  Colonel Charles Arthur 111 is the man most responsible for 
  this amazing turnaround (refer to the life on Terra Nova 
  sourcebook, page 120, for a complete biography). In the sea- 
  sons after the colonial surrender, Arthur organized the aban- 
  doned and discouraged troops and focused them on rebuild- 
  ing a new society. Only those loyal to the GREL visionary Jan 
  Mayen refused to follow Arthur and left the camp. 
  In the spring of TN 1921, Arthur officially announced that he 
  and the other residents of Port Arthur (as the community came 
  to be called by its citizens) disavowed any loyalty to Earth. 
  The city would mind its own business and make its living off 
  the Badlands. This was viewed favorably by the polar govern- 
  ments, who were very busy with the reconstruction and did 
  not want a permanent enemy on their doorstep. 
  Seizing the opportunity to entrench Port Arthur in the Badlands, 
  Colonel Arthur welcomed all Terranovans who wished to join 
  the community. Many Badlanders took him up on his offer, 
  taking over the homesteads around Port Arthur and develop- 
  ing the local diamond mines. The city now includes many more 
  native Badlanders than GRELs or Terran humans. 
  Society 
  Port Arthur is run like a particularly complex military base. Colonel Charles Arthur is the commander of the city, assisted by thirteen majors who 
  serve as a cabinet. Fully 90% of the Arthurian officers are Earth humans who were abandoned on Terra Nova; the rest are Terranovan graduates of 
  the small Arthurian Military Academy. Only two majors are responsible for the active military force, while the others govern the city itself. All told, 
  active and retired officers make up 2.5% of the population. 
  The body of the Arthurian military - 
  known as the Korps - 
  consists of GRELs. The supersoldiers cannot become military officers, and they live 
  in segregated communities. Colonel Arthur is well aware that Badlanders would not appreciate living next door to the soldiers they fought against 
  and realizes that GRELs suffer from a lack of motivation and learning ability when they are not doing the jobs they were created to do. Although the 
  Korps has only one cavalry brigade (known as the PACK) and one infantry brigade, all GRELs serve as reservists. Strategists are well aware that 
  Port Arthur can call on a military force of 100,000 supersoldiers if need be. 
  Most GRELs seem content to live in segregation. Their inability to reproduce and learn new skills has left them resigned to their fate. Most who felt 
  differently left with Jan Mayen in TN 1924. Currently, the GREL community is plagued by the Jan-class tendency toward megalomania, with 
  several Jans acting from the shadows of the GREL neighborhoods. The enigmatic Soldier Sebastopol has organized discontented supersoldiers 
  into a network of revolutionary cells that he hopes to use to overthrow Colonel Arthur and create a GREL nation. The rogue Soldier Proust - 
  leader of a personal army of conquest in the Badlands - 
  has sympathizers in Port Arthur and is rumored to travel to the city-state on a regular 
  basis (See the Operation: Jungle Drums adventure for information on Soldier Proust.). Arthurian psychiatrists have yet to convince the 
  Colonel that this tendency among Jans is a serious concern. 
  Civilian Badlanders form the largest segment of Arthurian society. They include entrepreneurs, homesteaders, miners, merchants and entertain- 
  ment stars. Civilians have no official rights in Port Arthur, but are represented by non-commissioned officers who are responsible for them. 
  Colonel Arthur is very aware that the city needs to encourage good will if it is to remain a prominent Badlands center, therefore it is usually open 
  to civilian concerns. Taxes are relatively low for individuals -although 
  social services are almost non-existent outside the military - 
  and 
  business is encouraged whenever possible. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Economq 
  The Arthurian economy is based on two principal sources of income: diamonds and the spaceport. The diamond mines were developed by 
  Badlands prospectors in the 1920s under the protection of the Korps, in exchange for royalties paid to the military. This arrangement has served 
  Port Arthur very well, funding the massive expansion of the city from refugee camp to major urban center. 
  In the post-war period, with the Baja spaceport destroyed, Port Arthur operates the Badlands' only launch facility. The spaceport provides satellite 
  launching services and maintains a fleet of five orbital shuttles. Arthurians also have a virtual monopoly on the know-how necessary to maintain 
  and convert the Hermes 72 satellites to civilian use, and at least one team of technicians is continuously in orbit making adjustments to the 
  network. These missions are done under the auspices of the Arthurian military government, which receives huge payments from the entertainment 
  and information confederations using the network. 
  External Relations 
  Major Henrietta Nelson is the Arthurian official responsible for the Port Arthur Security Zone. The Korps' massive hovertanks patrol the area and 
  locals are expected to respect Arthurian laws, but they pay no taxes and are free to run their homesteads as they see fit. Major Nelson has overseen 
  many development projects, ordering the Korps to dig wells to the MacAllen branch deep under the rock and rebuild towns and homesafter heavy 
  sandstorms. The rover problem that once plagued the area has also been completely eliminated. 
  Beyond the security zone, matters are generally in the hands of Major Carlos Diego. Diego shares his colonel's distrust of the major powers on 
  Terra Nova, preferring to deal with independent Badlanders. He has sought out alliances with many Badlands communities and was the greatest 
  lobbyist for Port Arthur's entry into the NuCoal trade agreement. As well, Major Diego has offered financial and military assistance to many other 
  independent communities in the Western Desert, directly challenging the Paxton Protectorate. Polar and Paxton delegates and citizens are 
  tolerated -and 
  sometimes welcomed - 
  in Port Arthur, but relations are extremely chilly. Conflicts between the Korps and the PRDF - 
  and to 
  a lesser extent the Northern Guard and Southern MILlClA -are 
  increasingly common. 
  3.2.2 JAN MAYEN 
  Method of Government: Clan-based participatory democracy 
  Head of Government: Mavor Moraana Kirosa 
  I 
  In TN 1919, a Jan-class GREL named Soldier Mayen opposed the rise of Colonel Charles Arthur as the leader of the Terran 
  refugees. Mayen rejected his military past and called for GRELs and humans to live together as equals in their new home. GRELs 
  who followed Mayen shed their "Soldier" appellation and replaced it with their class-name. Most supersoldiers were uncornfort- 
  able with Jan Mayen's call to learn new ways and remained content to stay segregated in Arthur's emerging city-state. In the fall of 
  TN 1924, Mayen and his 10,000 followers left Port Arthur and made their way to the Eastern Desert where he knew a group of 
  Terranovan refugees had set up a camp. 
  By TN 1924, the refugee camp had spread along a chain of ten abandoned oasis towers on the Seneschal Plateau and had adopted 
  the local clan structure. Mayen and his followers arrived in a huge rag-tag caravan looking for a home. The skills of Isaac and 
  Kassandra GRELs proved vital to their gaining acceptance when they were able to repair the wells of three of the oases. In TN 
  1926, the GRELs were formally welcomed into the clan structure and the collection of sprawling ranches and oases were collec- 
  tively named Jan Mayen. Ironically, Mayen himself has obstinately refused to take any official position in the community. He 
  remains a respected elder, but he is most concerned with his human wife, Helena Topos, and their small farm. 
  Societq 
  The basic units of the community are the ten clans of armadillo beast herders who inhabited the plateau betore the refugee camp was set up. Each 
  clan now controls one oasis tower and the web of above and underground ranches and homesteads around it. All property beyond simple 
  household items is considered communal and disputes within or between clans are resolved by the elders of the clans involved. 
  The size and diversity of the clans, made up of GRELs, homesteaders and various refugees from across the Eastern desert and polar veterans who 
  feel lost, are forcing the political system to change. The participatory governing council - 
  where all citizens supposedly have a voice - 
  has 
  become more and more like any other town council, as 80,000 people can not all attend. Most no longer know their council-members personally. 
  The Topos clan, the first to accept GRELs, now controls the Janite militia. The Belzan clan is the most active ranching family, while the Gorka clan 
  adopted many refugees who remained uncomfortable with the invaders becoming their neighbors and has the least GRELs. 
  Janite GRELs are considered equals in this society. The supersoldiers' infertility presents a problem both for the GRELs -as 
  it leads to depres- 
  sion and resignation - 
  and the clans, since many social norms are based on the parent-child relationship. Morgana Kirosa, the current mayor 
  of Jan Mayen, has led the way in research into GREL reproduction, sponsoring a clinic directed by Isaac Padross and lsabella Domosa. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Economq 
  Jan Mayen covers the 500 square kilometers of the Seneschal Plateau in the Eastern Desert This area was heavily mined from TN 1780 to 1820 
  and is honeycombed with old tunnels These tunnels access the MacAllen network and house underground farms and residences for the families 
  that make up the core of Janite society. The surface of the mesa is the site of some waterroot farming and armadillo beast ranching Underground 
  farmers grow huge waterroots. vegetables, some johar grass for the armadillo beasts and various hardy fruits that are traded to desert caravans 
  External Relations 
  Jan Mayen is not interested in becoming a major player in the Badlands The Seneschal Plateau region is under their jurisdiction, and the Janite 
  militia - 
  mostly GRELs armed with anti-armor weapons and riding armadillo beasts - 
  patrols the area Visitors to the area have to identify 
  themselves imrnediatly and, if they can't justify their presence, will be firmly asked to leave the region Janites engage in commerce, welcoming 
  trade caravans on a regular basis, but keep contact with other city-states to a minimum Clan elders know very well that it IS in the community's 
  best interests to stay as far out of global politics as it can. 
  Despite the increasing pressure on Badlands communities to align with one of the polar 
  confederations, most settlements wish to retain their independence. The small communities 
  of the Westridge Range - 
  an important rail axis - 
  have banded together with the power of 
  Port Arthur to maintain their neutrality in the coming conflict. This New Coalition has been 
  only partially successful. 
  The Westridge Range 
  3.31 HISTORY 
  The New Coalition (NuCoal) is the latest player in the realignment of Badlands communities. NuCoal is the brainchild of Royz 
  Malkom, the mayor of Fort Neil. Royz created NuCoal as a cooperative trade coalition that would allow the Westridge Range city- 
  states to keep their markets and resist the pressure to align with one of the polar powers. 
  Royz began negotiations with his neighbors in TN 1925, but was unable to convince local leaders that they would be any better off 
  standing together. Roy avoided the impasse when he discovered that Major Carlos Diego was interested in building bridges 
  between Port Arthur and the other independent city-states. Given that the Arthurian Korps could provide the deterrent necessary 
  to allow NuCoal to survive polar aggression, Royz was able to convince local leaders of the benefits of a coalition. After years of 
  difficult negotiations, the NuCoal agreement was signed by representatives of Port Arthur, Fort Neil, Prince Gable, Temple Heights, 
  Lance Point and several small Westridge towns and counties on 16 Summer TN 1931 in Prince Gable. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3.3.2 ORGANIZATION 
  The NuCoal Agreement established a free-trade zone between all the signatories and a joint policy of low tariffs on outside trade. 
  No partner may raise trade tariffs or enter into exclusive trade agreements without the accord of all the other signatories and 
  cannot withdraw from the free-trade zone. The joint trade policy is governed by the New Coalition Council of Trade, a board of 
  representents that sits in Prince Gable. 
  There is no official military component to NuCoal, but the Arthurian Korps provides it with a strong right arm, and the joint 
  purchasing of weaponry from various manufacturers has allowed smaller communities to transform their militias into viable 
  forces. However, the Southern MlLlClA entered Lance Point unopposed and the Northern Guard has stationed a regiment near 
  Prince Gable without oppositioh. Some wonder whether Nucoal's independence will survive much longer. 
  3.3.3 PRINCE GABlE 
  Prince Gable sits at the most spectacular entrance to the Westridge Trench and has acquired much of its wealth from this natural 
  wonder. The canyon draws wealthy tourists from North and South, and Prince Gable is a major resort town. Oasis towers operate 
  as luxury hotels all along the trench and tours leave the city hourly. The city also engages in high volume trade with the poles due 
  to the nearby rail links, selling polar goods to much of the Western Desert. 
  Prince Gable is now the seat of the NuCoal Council of Trade, housed in a recently completed lavish building facing the city's 
  Council House. The city-state was occupied from TN 1914 to TN 1917 by a forward contingent of the colonial forces and was only 
  liberated by the Peace River Army in TN 1917, after a protracted house-to-house battle that cost the lives of many civilians. This 
  history has made the ties with Port Arthur created by NuCoal quite unpopular, and the NuCoal building is the site of regular 
  protest marches. However, the polar leagues did not see fit to liberate the city despite the fact that the occupiers were separated 
  from their base by over 3400 kilometers, making the prospect of an alliance with North or South even less popular. Therefore, 
  given that elections in Prince Gable are held only every twenty cycles, Andrea Sinclair and her council are relatively unconcerned 
  about the public protests. 
  As the benefits of NuCoal- 
  increased trade, tourism and employment - 
  materialize, popular displeasure is slowly decreasing. 
  The increasing pressure from North and South is also driving most Gablites to side with their government. The Northern Guard 
  has gone so far as to station the 42nd Heavy Gear regiment near the city-state to "protect trade routes" while delegates from 
  Valeria are attempting to sign exclusive commercial agreements. Soldiers on leave in the city can expect a chilly reception. 
  I 
  SATELLITE NEWS SERVICE [SNS] 
  In the aftermath of the War of the Alliance, Prince Gable rock- 
  eted to planet-wide recognition as the broadcast site of the 
  first commercial station to take advantage of the Hermes 72 
  satellite network. Nelson Itibashi, an entrepreneur and former 
  journalist, acquired a major abandoned Terran communica- 
  tions center in Prince Gable and went on the air in TN 1918 
  with the Satellite News Service. Committed to independent, 
  planet-wide news coverage, SNS has become one of the 
  centers of the Prince Gable economy, and its ultra-modern, 
  sky scraping, broadcast center (opened in TN 1925) is the 
  most recognizable structure in the city. SNS's constant news 
  and current affairs coverage is seen by all Terranovans with 
  access to a satellite-linked trideo receiver (virtually all polar 
  communities and most large Badlands communities), or with 
  a satellite uplink of their own. 
  The highest rated SNS program is "Up-Close with Konnor 
  Garysson," a weekly half-hour program featuring a single in- 
  terview or an investigative report. Garysson is known to many 
  Terranovans for his coverage of the devastating Baja cam- 
  paign for Northern Broadcast News during the War. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3.34 LANCE POINT 
  Lance Point is a major oil supplier to the Southern Republic and has always had to play a political balancing game to avoid 
  annexation. The consortium that controls the city has tried to appease the Republic by selling petroleum to them at reduced prices 
  and accepting Southern “observers” when necessary, but this maneuvering is made difficult by a tradition of violent labor unrest. 
  Working conditions in the oil fields and refineries of Lance Point are abysmal, and illegal unions flourish. In TN 1930, the 
  consortium found that it had to cut costs and fired 10% of its workforce. The union began a series of wildcat strikes that verged 
  on riots. The Republic made veiled threats about having to reestablish order and the consortium was pressed for a solution. They 
  joined NuCoal hoping that the Arthurian Korps would act as a deterrent and keep the Republic out of their affairs, and that the 
  promise of increased trade and employment would appease the workers. 
  The union saw NuCoal as a threat. The treaty was seen as a prelude to replacing all the workers with new labor from Prince Gable 
  or elsewhere. The reduced threat of Southern aggression also took away their bargaining power, giving the consortium more 
  room to maneuver. The strikes became an all-out revolt and the consortium heads had to flee the city. 
  The Republic responded swiftly. The 1 lth MlLlClA Heavy Gear regiment - 
  the Rapiers- 
  was dispatched to retake the city. They 
  began a vicious but well-orchestrated attack which crushed the workers in a day, costing the lives of 350 protesters. The consor- 
  tium was restored, but under the supervision of Southern advisors. The Rapiers remain stationed in Lance Point. 
  CHAIRMAN SAMUEL NlNGl I 
  The current chairman of the Lance Point consortium, Samuel Nanga, has been plagued by poor health 
  and a poorer understanding of the working class. Like most consortium executives, Nanga was raised 
  and educated in the South, arriving in Lance Point to take on his duties in TN 1891. He rose to the board 
  and became the chair in TN 1924, although not sitting until TN 1926 because of a long bout with colon 
  cancer. In his eyes, the workers are unkempt, rude bumpkins who would be better off leaving the desert 
  for a life of plenty in the South. He tends to ignore the twenty-cycle contracts and indenturing provisions 
  that keep most workers stuck in the refineries and oil fields. 
  Nanga considers Royz Malkom a close friend, but felt betrayed by him after the workers’ revolt. Nanga 
  has conveniently forgotten that Royz warned him that working conditions would need to improve if labor 
  leaders were to trust NuCoal, and he remains ignorant of Royz’ dislike for him. Nanga’s position as 
  chairman is extremely precarious. The other board members have designated him as the scapegoat for 
  the workers’ revolt and he is slated for replacement. His failing health -his cancer has reappeared and 
  spread to his liver - 
  has kept them from taking any rash action. Some claim Nanga also has evidence 
  implicating several governors of collaborating with T e r m  forces during the War of the Alliance. 
  ~~ 
  Principal Industry: Vehicle Production 
  Fort Neil was built on the paranoia of Neil Maknamara. Neil had owned an industrial vehicle plant in the Western Frontier 
  Protectorate until the recession of TN 1815. Neil blamed his bankruptcy on his competitors, whom he accused of industrial 
  espionage. In TN 1820, Neil went to the Badlands to start again, far away from his enemies. 
  Targeting the sleepy community of Welton because of its ample water supply, Neil set out to strike a deal. He offered townsfolk 
  guaranteed lifetime employment and a program of long-term development for the community. Most agreed, and those who did 
  not moved away. In the spring of TN 1824, the main plant of the Neil Motor Works was ready to begin production. 
  Neil made the best of his position in the Badlands and specialized in desert vehicles. In TN 1826, the Elandesert buggy rolled off 
  the Welton plant floor and into dealerships and military shows across the Badlands. The Elan was a success and the future of 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  NMW seemed assured. A wide variety of desert vehicles soon followed in the €/ads footsteps, including trucks, all-terrain 
  vehicles and desert motorcycles. Neil Maknamara died - 
  of poisoning according to his last words - 
  in TN 1869, and the town 
  council of Welton honored him by renaming their community Fort Neil and adopting the Western practice of placing surnames 
  before given names. 
  NMW is now the center of the community, with every citizen either in the company's employ or providing services for employees. 
  The town council is elected independently, but works closely with the NMW board. Mayor Royz is also a NMW vice-president and 
  the creation of NuCoal was directly influenced by the company's need to import steel and precision machinery and to increase its 
  markets. To survive, Fort Neil must have extensive trade links, a fact that makes the NMW board - 
  most prominently its chair- 
  woman Neil Elisa - 
  the most active and vocal supporters of NuCoal. 
  3.3.6 TEMPLE HEIGHTS 
  One of the oldest independent human settlements in the Badlands, Temple Heights has the richest agricultural soil in the equato- 
  rial region. The settlement sits atop a 500-meter, crescent-shaped mesa that shelters ten square kilometers of soil and is the site 
  of many MacAllen wells. Since TN 1795, the 25 leading farming families of the settlement have cooperated to install extensive 
  irrigation and nutrient injection systems in the fields. Templar dates, figs, and olives are luxury foods recognized across the 
  Badlands. Innovation continues as mushroom and grapevine cultivation has just begun in previously unusable areas within and 
  atop the mesa. 
  Temple Heights is named after one of the most impressive archaeological sites on Terra Nova. The entire inner face of the mesa is 
  covered with huge carved faces. These faces seem to be in a similar style as the widespread Terranovan stoneheads, although they 
  present some important stylistic differences. All the faces gaze upon a single spot in the fields below, where a buried chamber 
  containing an "altar" featuring a stonehead slightly larger than a human skull has been discovered. 
  The significance of the wall of faces is the subject of great debate. While most archaeologists see it as an extreme example of the 
  carving mania of early Terranovan settlers, many religious figures consider Temple Heights a holy site. Consequently, the small 
  Community is honeycombed with temples and churches. Revisionist and Jerusalemite priests, Blue Crescent adherents, Buddhist 
  monks and believers in hundreds of splinter faiths mingle - 
  sometimes violently - 
  in the tight streets atop the mesa. The 
  community leaders allow these pilgrims to live and preach in the city, but keep them isolated from any decision making. Mayor 
  Hussan fears an all-out holy war. 
  The so-called Cult of Masks is the most recent addition to the religious mix in Temple Heights. Cultists all wear hand-made 
  wooden masks carved in the semblance of one of the faces from the mesa wall and claim to have been called together by 
  mysterious gods to take care of the holy site. They preach peace and cooperation, but are tinged by a self-righteous attitude 
  toward all other pilgrims, who are seen as misguided children who must be shown the truth. The Cult operates a large shrine in 
  the city center. 
  1 THE TEMPLRR RESEARCH CENTER 
  Founded in TN 1832 by Norlight archaeologist Fernanda 
  Gremalda, the Templar Research Center (TRC) provides li- 
  brary and research resources for recognized academics in- 
  terested in Temple Heights. The center is housed on an irn- 
  pressive campus building on the northern lip of the mesa. 
  The TRC has become one of the prize sites for post-graduate 
  work in the fields of cultural anthropology and archaeology 
  on the planet. 
  The TRC also regulates access to the wall of faces and the 
  temple chambers in the mesa. The city council provides am- 
  ple funding to the center in return for its services, leaving the 
  researchers to deal with pilgrims who resent limits on wall 
  access. The Templar Research Center has recently welcomed 
  Sister Gabrielle Juno, a Revisionist priestess and theologist, 
  in hopes of lessening religious tensions. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  POlAR FORCES 
  “Hit dirt!” Lieutenant Jonathan Stoker barked as the Black Mambas popped 
  out of their hiding places. Stoker‘s squad of five Cheetahs was badly out- 
  gunned by the Southern machines and he ducked his Gear behind one of 
  the plateau’s many standing stones, autocannon fire close on his heels. 
  “Down and dirty everyone. Fenzy, send a call.” 
  The broken ground kept the Cheetahs from accelerating fast enough to 
  compensate for the Mambas’ firepower; the only choice was close combat. 
  Stoker checked his comm monitor, confirming that Ranger Fenzian was 
  sending out a call for support, and moved his Gear slowly to the next rocky 
  outcropping. He saw only sand-swept, flat ground for the next fifty meters. 
  Stoker had just activated his secondary movement system when a Mamba 
  appeared near another standing stone behind him. Stoker activated his ECM 
  to jam the enemy’s sensors and burst out into the open. The Mamba ran 
  after him and was leveling its autocannon at close range when Stoker pulled 
  his Gear into a very tight turn, struggling to retain control as he tossed a 
  grenade at his opponent’s feet. As the Mamba toppled, its feet mangled and 
  its autocannon smashed, Stoker ran for cover. He didn’t quite make it. 
  “What the hell!?’’ The Cheetah toppled forward as three dozen warning indi- 
  cators came on. The Gear ended up on its side, facing the crippled Mamba 
  and its emptied rocket pod. Both of the Cheetah’s legs were gone, its pack 
  gun destroyed or lost, the rocket pack bent backwards and ECM down. 
  Stoker tried the hatch -jammed. “Damn it!” 
  The Mamba was crawling toward Stoker to finish him off. It was about twenty 
  meters away. “Archer?” Stoker said into the comm set. Fifteen meters. 
  “Archer, come in.” Ten meters. “Archer!” He wasn’t going to panic. Five 
  meters. The Mamba stopped advancing long enough to draw its 
  vibromachete. 
  “Lieutenant? You out there?” Archer’s voice came across 
  the comm channel like the voice of God. 
  “Archer! Fire on my target!” Stoker raised the 
  Cheetah’s armmounted target designator and 
  “painted” the Mamba with its laser, right in the 
  center of its forehead. 
  tly, a Fireballantitank mis- 
  sile flew over the Cheetah and into the 
  Mamba, blowing its torso 
  into fragments of metal 
  and flesh. The hand hold- 
  ing the machete clattered 
  to the ground a good ten 
  meters away. 
  Sergeant Archer’s mas- 
  sive Mammoth strider a p  
  peared a few minutes later. “Every- 
  ing okay, Lieutenant?” she asked. 
  “Do I look okay, Arch? Do you 
  know how long it’ll take to get 
  another Gear like this one?” 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  The Northern mainstream holds two images of the Badlands, as lawless frontier or holy land. The region is seen as 
  a harsh, dangerous wasteland that is best avoided by civilized people, though young Northerners regularly go to 
  the frontier in search of adventure. However, the presence of Massada, historical center of the Revisionist Church, 
  gives the desert a holy air to religious Northerners. The most orthodox sometimes claim that the “immoral” 
  elements of the Badlands are insults to the Revisionist faith and should be punished in the name of faith and 
  propriety. The current deployment of military forces to “protect” Massada stems from these opinions. 
  Strategically, the Badlands have always been seen as a desirable neutral buffer, insulating the North from Southern 
  aggression. The logistical nightmare of large-scale warfare in the Badlands was long thought to be enough to keep 
  the peace, but the South is taking aggressive steps to bring much of the Badlands in line, and the CNCS govern- 
  ment is under pressure to respond in kind. As it stands, Northern action in the Badlands is led by the CNCS Desert 
  Trade Commission, but pressure is mounting to give the Northern Guard free reign. 
  411 THE CNCS DESERT TRADE COMMISSION 
  On 5 Spring TN 1928, the CNCS inner council created the Desert Trade Commission and gave it a mandate to create solid and 
  exclusive trade links with the communities in the Badlands. The council hoped the new body would be able to counter the 
  Southern diplomatic offensive already underway in the region. Junior councilwoman Ella Kayman was given the plum assignment 
  of chairing the DTC. 
  Kayman has used her assignment to great political advantage. As tensions with the South increase, the DTC’s assignment be- 
  comes more and more important and Kayman’s stature increases. She now sits as CNCS Deputy Minister of Trade and is in 
  charge of most Northern activities in the Badlands. Thanks to her, most settlements in the northern savannah are now firmly tied 
  to the Northern economy. However, the DTC has been less successful in enforcing exclusive trade agreements, a fact which 
  Kayman downplays in public. Although most of the communities that have signed on with the DTC have agreed to cut direct trade 
  links to the AST, the promise is largely meaningless. They continue to trade with communities in the southern desert which, in 
  turn, pass products to the South. 
  Organization 
  Deputy Minister Kayman has kept the DTC relatively small. Its headquarters are in the Trade Ministry building in Valeria and only accommodate 
  about 100 full-time employees. The commission has permanent field offices in Red Sands, Timmins, Port Arthur, Peace River and Prince Gable. 
  Each of these is run by a trade representative fully capable of signing agreements with local settlements, but Kayman tends to keep avery close eye 
  on their activities, spending roughly half her time in the Badlands. 
  Resources 
  The mandate given the DTC -as 
  well as Kayman’s political clout -allows 
  trade representatives to commandeer most CNCS resources in the 
  Badlands. As well, the 3rd Northern Guard Heavy Gear Brigade has been assigned to the commission (under Defense Ministry supervision). The 
  Brigade is used to display the advantages of signing trade pacts with the CNCS, and those who do so are guaranteed military protection from 
  aggressors. Legally, the commission is able to set trading policy within very broad limitations. The Ministry of Trade currently holds the balance 
  of power in the CNCS council, and embargoes and treaties called for by Kayman are quickly ratified. Only the Ministry of Defense consistently 
  protests this rubber-stamping. 
  Current Activities 
  Kayman and the DTC are currently attempting to carry their success in the savannah to the equatorial desert proper. The DTC is focusing its 
  attention on the two principal independent powers in the Badlands, Paxton Arms and Port Arthur‘s so-called NuCoal. Paxton refuses to even 
  discuss closing direct trade links with the South. Rian Kolbro, the DTC trade representative at Peace River, argues that during a war, the North or 
  the South would be forced to take over the Paxton facilities, lest the other side do so first. He proposes avoiding such a conflict by aligning with 
  his government and gaining Northern Guard protection. Paxton president Simosa remains confident in Peace River‘s ability to withstand attack, 
  but Kolbro has managed to garner some support among junior executives. 
  Killa Odupe and Martyn Jan0 serve as trade representatives in Prince Gable and Port Arthur respectively. The pair are currently mounting a 
  combined assault on NuCoal, which they fear will provide an example of a viable alternative to alignment with the North. The two delegates argue 
  that polarization in the Westridge Range region is inevitable and that NuCoal would be much better off in the Northern camp. While Southern 
  intervention in Lance Point is perhaps the strongest argument for their case, they cannot promise action to protect the city-state without turning 
  the Northern initiative in the Badlands over to the Ministry of Defense. Displacing the forces in Lance Point would likely lead to war. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  41.2 THE NORTHERN GUARD 
  Since its inception, the Northern Guard has existed to resist Southern aggression. Other than during the years of the War of the 
  Alliance, the soldiers of the Guard have stood watch, waiting to repel the expected invasion from their Southern rivals As the 
  threat of war grows, soldiers and generals alike are growing frustrated at the political limitations placed on them. 
  The huge distances and scarce supplies involved in Badlands operations make deployment in the desert a constant struggle. 
  Northern forces operate out of the CNCS fiefs of Red Sands, Timmins and Wounded Knee, from bases within Northern borders, or 
  from savannah camps. Patrols cross the desert - 
  occasionally supplemented by landship fleet - 
  in an attempt to secure 
  Northern borders. 
  The Guard is restless. Frustration at the limits placed on the military keeps pace with the growing tension in the South . The CNCS 
  council remains committed to a trade-based strategy in the Badlands and is loathe to approve any military action that would 
  jeopardize talks with any neutral parties. Meanwhile, Southern forces act with impunity and Northern pilots sit in their Gears 
  waiting for the chance to act. Discipline is rapidly becoming a serious problem. 
  The Trade Brigade 
  Since early in TN 1930, the 3rd Heavy Gear Brigade has been forced by executive order to answer to the needs of the Desert Trade Commission. 
  Whole regiments have been deployed against rag-tag groups of rovers and bandits and, once, in a half-hearted pursuit of the Sand Riders around 
  the Great White Desert. 
  Brigadier Karl Geraar, commander of the 3rd, has done his best to carry out his orders. Privately, he has lodged several official complaints that his 
  troops are being squandered on pointless distractions while the enemy is given free reign in the Badlands. His troops can open fire on under- 
  equipped bandits, but not on the heavily armed regiments that pose the real threat. There is heavy lobbying in Valeria to take the 3rd away from the 
  DTC and, despite Ella Kayman’s skill, the Ministry of Defense’s position strengthens with every Southern move. In public, Geraar has stated that 
  he is obligated to follow both DTC directivesand orders from the Guards high command. Generals have cooperated by issuing Geraar orders that 
  often disrupt DTC activities in the interest of “Confederacy defense.“ 
  The most recent example was when the second company of the 42nd Heavy Gear regiment (the Smoking Guns) spent three weeks verifying the 
  identity of all passengers traveling to and from Prince Gable by rail, frustrating DTC efforts to prove Northern good-will. 
  41.3 THE NORTHERN GUARD INTElllGENCE SERVICE 
  While the Northern Guard is chafing at the bit of civilian restraints, the agents of the Northern Guard Intelligence Service (NGIS) 
  have taken the battle to the Badlands. Brigadier Hannah Jerazic, overall commander of the NGIS, keeps a very tight lid on the 
  activities of her agents and informants, and there are many high-ranking officers who are privately concerned that Brigadier 
  Jerazic has amassed too much power for herself. In the field, soldiers and officers alike distrust intelligence agents. Few, however, 
  question their effectiveness. 
  Badlands operations are run by Colonel Sonya Gerti from her office in Timmins. Gerti has been ordered to disrupt Southern 
  efforts by any means necessary until the full weight of the Guard can be brought to bear. Gerti has responded with a campaign of 
  intelligence gathering and calculated special operations. Assassinations and kidnappings have been arranged and Gerti prides 
  herself on being aware of every move made by Southern diplomats and officers in the Badlands. She awaits only the go-ahead to 
  decapitate the Southern presence in the Badlands. 
  OPERATION HAWH 1 
  Colonel Gerti dedicates much of her time and resources to a 
  personal, unauthorized operation. A decorated veteran of the 
  War of the Alliance, she is determined to pursue the collabo- 
  rators who have escaped Terranovan justice. Her underground 
  operation, codenamed Hawk by the few people in the secret, 
  employs dozens of agents, most of who are unaware their 
  activities are unauthorized and quite illegal. These agents iden- 
  tify and target those collaborators who have successfully re- 
  mained in hiding since the end of the War, then eliminate them 
  discreetly and rapidly. 
  Several convenient traffic accidents and disappearances have 
  already occurred, and Major Jeremiah Stone, the head of Port 
  Arthur’s small intelligence agency, has begun an investiga- 
  tion to find out who is behind the whole affair. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  41.4 OTHER NORTHERN ACTORS 
  The government in Valeria cannot oversee all its citizens in the Badlands, and many Northerners are active in the region for their 
  own reasons. Traders and corporate representatives are common in the major trading city-states, sometimes acting hand in hand 
  with the Desert Trade Commission, sometimes of their own accord. Tourists and gamblers also travel in great numbers to expe- 
  rience the natural beauty and legal laxity of the Badlands. 
  The True North Part1 
  A fringe political party from the Northern Lights Confederacy, True North has made the Badlands the focus of its military policy. Retired Brigadier 
  Wilhelm Miehn, leader of the party, has become famous in Valeria for his fiery speeches in the Norlight Congress of Deputies warning of a 
  crushing defeat at the hands of the South unless drastic steps are taken. In his plan, many Badlands communities would be occupied, while 
  strikes would be ordered against Southern targets in order to “cripple the enemy’s ability to attack our homes.” 
  Many see Miehn’s views as extreme, but several prominent military commanders have noted in the press that the current government‘s relative 
  inactivity may be much more dangerous. To keep this fear in the public eye, the True North Party has a permanent fact-finding mission operating 
  in the Badlands with a mandate to investigate the situation on the “strategic frontier.” The mission spends most of its time searching for any trace 
  of Southern influence or local corruption. These instances are revealed publicly, much to the embarrassment of the ruling People’s Party and Ella 
  Kayman’s Desert Trade Commission. Recently, Mikail Korson, an alleged wartime collaborator, was revealed as living in Port Arthur and advising 
  Colonel Arthur. The resulting furor did much to undo the trade relations between the DTC and Port Arthur. 
  The Peters Clan 
  In the Western Frontier Protectorate, many legal and proprietary rights are traditionally bound to family and inheritance. This is especially true 
  with land, and large land sales outside of one’s clan are still viewed as unsavory by Westerners. Just such a land sale is at the heart of the activity 
  of the Peters Clan in the Badlands. 
  The clan is based in Fort James, one of the great Western city-states In TN 1725, Peters Jaison left to make his fortune on the Badlands frontier 
  He dreamt of becoming the rancher king of the western savannah, but his dreams would never come true. 
  Suffering from chronic drought, cattle disease and -according to clan rivals -financial 
  mismanagement, the Peters ranch never became 
  profitable In TN 1763, Jaison cut his losses and sold his ranch to Karl Hadrian, a local rancher 
  In TN 1844, Karl Hadrian’s granddaughter Jesika discovered oil on the ranch and became extremely wealthy overnight The Hadrian family has 
  continued to collect royalties ever since, and Karlton Ranch, as the settlement is now called, houses around 1200 people, half of whom are oil- 
  company employees 
  The Peters Clan has made repeated claims that the sale of Karlton Ranch was illegal because it was never cleared by the clan heads in Fort James. 
  The demand that their “clan lands and revenues” be returned to them has taken various forms Western boycotts of Karlton Oil were organized in 
  TN 1877 and TN 1891, and vigilantism has been endemic - 
  Tomas Hadrian was killed by Peters Gilbert in TN 1861. The most drastic action 
  came in TN 1912, when Peters Laurenz uncovered, or manufactured, evidence that Elena Hadrian-Jando was a Southern informer, and he used 
  that evidence to justify occupying the settlement with the Fort James militia. Only the Earth invasion enabled the Hadrians to reclaim their homes. 
  In recent years, the old claims about Elena Hadrian-Jando have resurfaced. Some see a bitter irony emerging as Elena may be forced to acquire 
  Southern aid if only to stave off the Fort James militia 
  child of a Karlton Oil employee, she was born on 8 Winter TN 1877. Elena has lived her early cycles on the 
  ranch and her parents provided her with a happy childhood, marred only by the constant conflicts be- 
  tween the Peters clan and the Karlton family. At around age 20, she enrolled herself as sandmate aboard 
  a landship, very much against her parents’ will. She traveled here and there for many cycles, then re- 
  turned home a bit wiser and determined to settle down. She never talked much about her travels. 
  In TN 1907, a springer riding accident left her stranded with a twisted ankle five kilometers from home. 
  She was brought back by a handsome but distant man and fell in love with him, only to learn later that he 
  was Luter Hadrian, eldest son of Tomas Hadrian. Although slightly taken aback, she was too stubborn to 
  give up and she pursued him until he accepted to marry her later that cycle. 
  In Spring TN 191 1, Elena was widowed after Luter died in a freak drilling accident -which 
  was sus- 
  pected to be the result of sabotage - 
  leaving her alone with their two children, Mak and Sally-Jean. She 
  inherited the ranch and began a vigorous campaign to shake off the Peters, whom she suspected of being 
  responsible for the death of her husband. Unfortunately, because of the frequent visits of Southern friends 
  she has made during her earlier travels, she has been accused of being a southern spy. She IS all too 
  keenly aware that the Peters clan has been using this argument to stir up trouble in Fort James, but she 
  has also been preparing the Peters a little surprise of her own. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  The Blue Angels are, in fact, the 18th Heavy Gear Regiment of the Norlight Army, but they are currently 
  attached to the Northern Guard while stationed in the Badlands. The Angels are distinguished by their 
  deeply religious tradition Daily Revisionist services are attended by all troops not on patrol and each 
  section has a chaplain among its personnel. This reputation made the Angelsthe perfect choice when the 
  CNCS bowed to public pressure to preserve the holiest site of Revisionism and turned Massada into a 
  Northern protectorate. 
  The Angels are commanded by Colonel Nee1 Garner Fulan, a highly decorated veteran of the War of the 
  Alliance. Fulan rose to command after the battle of Church Pass, when the Angels were almost com- 
  pletely wiped out while repelling an enemy advance into the Northern Lights Confederacy itself. The 
  names of those who died in the battle are inscribed on a monument in Valeria and many are buried in 
  Sorrento, the seat of Northern Revisionism. 
  Heavy Gear Regiment 
  Heavy Gear Company x4 
  Support Company 
  Command Section 
  Sections Included 
  General x 1 
  Guardian x 2 
  Patrol x 1 
  General x 2 
  Assault x 1 
  Patrol x l  
  Assault x 2 
  Guardian x 1 
  General XI 
  Assault xl 
  Guardian x2 
  Squadrons Included 
  Recon x 2 
  3rd (TV = 39,150) 
  4th (TV = 46,521) 
  6th (TV = 50,761) 
  with some raised plates and detail painted a deep royal 
  blue. The highlights are yellow. Many pilots wear white 
  or yellow stylized angel wings on the shoulder plates 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  1 GENERAL PURPOSE [THREAT VALUE: 29351 
  11 
  - Hunter-4 x Lvl2 
  Jaguar-1 x Lvl3 
  1 RECON [THREAT VALUE: 26501 
  Cheetah-3 x Lvl2 
  Hunter-2 x Lvl2 
  I 
  STRIHE [THREAT VALUE: 36921 
  Hunter-2 x Lvl2 
  Jaguar-[1 x Lvl31 
  Jaguar-11 x Lvl2J 
  Grizzlq-1 x Lvl2 
  Hunter-1 x Lvl3 
  tirizzlq-3 x Lvl2 
  Hodiah-l x Lvl2 
  I 
  HONOR GUARD [THREAT VALUE: SSOS] 
  -7 1 
  Jaguar-[2 x Lvl 21 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Southern citizens tend to see the Badlands as a wild place where careers can be made, and many young Southern- 
  ers travel to the Badlands to prove themselves. The Southern Republic government looks on the region as a 
  strategic frontier that must be protected and controlled, and their diplomatic and military efforts in the region 
  reflect this outlook. 
  4.2.1 THE SOUTHERN DlPlOMATlC MISSION 
  Southern Republic Prime Minister Louis Philippe deRouen set AST policy in the Badlands during a TN 1924 speech in which he 
  referred to the southern savannah belt as “a vital component of the political and economic whole which is the Allied Southern 
  Territories” and to the whole equatorial region as “an integral part of this government‘s plan to ensure the security of the city-states 
  of the southern pole.” DeRouen assigned Ambassador Markus Loray- 
  his former chief of staff - 
  to lead a diplomatic mission 
  that would coordinate economic and political policy in the region. Loray recruited a staff of dedicated diplomats and his ex-wife 
  Maia Landling, one of the best-connected politicians in Port Oasis. 
  Loray and Landling have had great success in signing strategic treaties with communities in the southern Badlands. Their great- 
  est diplomatic coup was theTN 1930 signing of the Southern Savannah Regional Defense Pact in which almost all settlements in 
  the region agreed to cooperate with the Southern MlLlClA in the event of a “regional threat.” It was supposedly under the aegis of 
  this accord that the MlLlClA suppressed the TN 1931 workers’ revolt in Lance Point 
  Organization 
  Markus Loray operates out of the diplomatic mission headquarters in Peace River. Mala Landling remains in Port Oasis - 
  distance being 
  essential to her detente with her former husband -and 
  acts as a highly effective political lobbyist for the mission Loray employs twelve deputy 
  ambassadors, each of whom is assigned a region in the Badlands and given significant freedom of action Loray often travels from embassy to 
  embassy, pushing negotiations along. The twelve embassies also house small military units for embassy defense and extensive intelligence 
  facilities hidden under diplomatic cover 
  Current Activities 
  The landmark Savannah Regional Defense Pact has been put under a great deal of strain by the suppression of the Lance Point workers’ revolt. 
  Savannah communities see this act as a breach of the treaty provisions and Loray has had to make several concessions. Several MlLlClA 
  regiments have been pulled back from their treaty-based positions, leading to grumbling in the military. 
  Peace River is the other major source of activity for the mission. Etien Montroyal, the Peace River deputy ambassador, has been making progress 
  undermining Ella Kayman’s attempts to get Paxton to sign an accord with the North. Montroyal has guaranteed the city’s neutrality unless the AST 
  is forced to look upon it as an enemy. Paxton officials are well aware that the diplomatic mission works closely with the Southern MlLlClA and 
  takes both the promise and the threat seriously. 
  ETIEH MONTROYAL I 
  Born in TN 1875 to Southern politician Laurene Montroyal, Etien was plunged into Terranovan politics at 
  an early age. In TN 1905, in a prelude to the Judas Syndrome, Laurene’s chief of staff was convicted of 
  espionage for the northern leagues. Suspicion fell on her as well and an inquiry was started. Abandoned 
  by her political patrons, Laurene was faced with the prospect of execution as a traitor. Etien shocked Port 
  Oasis by emerging with proof that his mother’s accusers were spies themselves and had manufactured 
  most of the evidence to get rid of her. 
  Although he never sought a seat in the Estates General, Etien became very active behind the scenes. He 
  was recruited into the Foreign Ministry in TN 191 1 and was a vital part of the diplomatic effort during the 
  War of the Alliance. In TN 1915, he traveled to Peace River to try and convince Paxton Arms to join the 
  war effort. A few weeks later, he returned with a confidential guarantee that the Peace River Army would 
  appear when necessary. As a gesture of goodwill, Paxton’s board of directors had also given him the 
  location of a “lost” shipment of anti-armor rockets which were very much needed by the beleaguered 
  Terranovan defenders. 
  Montroyal’s career and knowledge of the Paxton frame of mind made him the perfect choice for the post 
  of deputy ambassador to Peace River. He and Ella Kayman have developed a rivalry that often explodes 
  into vicious verbal sparring. Some of Montroyal’s staff whisper that the sexual tension between the two 
  can be cut with a knife. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  4.2.2 SOUTHERN MlllClA 
  Southern political leaders share much in common with the AST's military high command. Both view the aggrandizement of the 
  Southern Republic as an essential step toward its manifest destiny to rule Terra Nova and agree that war with the North is now 
  unavoidable. They feel that action is necessary to ensure that the South has the advantage when the conflict finally breaks out. 
  Most of the MILICIA's operations in the Badlands fall in one of the three categories: protection, harassment and patrol. "Protection" 
  is probably a misnomer - 
  most such operations take the form of controlled intimidation and bullying of selected villages and 
  towns along the AST's borders. Harassment missions are similar, but much more direct. Gone is the good will facade and niceties, 
  replaced by direct threats to join the AST or else. The patrol missions mostly take place to ensure that the MlLlClA keeps on top 
  of the various events happening in the Badlands. 
  Strategic Oeploqment 
  Southern forces are positioned throughout the southern Badlands savannah and the desert fringe. The Savannah Regional Defense Pact signed by 
  Ambassador Loray has legitimized this deployment, and Southern military bases have been established hundreds of kilometers away from AST 
  borders. Northern patrol areas are also targeted for MlLlClA troop movements, especially around the Southern fief of Azov 
  Prefect Fabienne Gautil, the overall commander of MlLlClA operations in the Badlands, is well aware that the Northern Guard is in a weakened 
  position since it cannot count on political support. As a result, MlLlClA regiments spend much of their time harassing and stalking their Northern 
  counterparts, who have little choice but to back down. Maia Landling and Markus Loray are very pleased with Gautil's strategy and hope the Guard 
  will be goaded into a rash action that will undercut Northern diplomatic efforts. Political analysts also point to the significance of Landling and 
  Gautil's long-standing friendship to explain the MILICIA's cooperation with the diplomatic mission. 
  The l6gion Noire 
  As North-South tensions have increased, so have the activities of the Legion Noire- 
  the Southern Republic's dreaded special forces unit. The 
  Badlands have seen more than their fair share of these activities. Community leaders too vocal in their opposition to Southern expansionism have 
  died by sniper-fire, while dissidents have been assassinated in a variety of ways. 
  Much of this activity is fueled by politics, rather than strategy. Politicians in Port Oasis have always feared certain elements in the Legion who feel 
  they are best suited to determine Southern policy. Jacques Molay, Lord Protector of the AST, is determined to avoid any coups and has deployed 
  MlLlClA regiments with large numbers of Legion veterans to the Badlands. The 11th Heavy Gear Regiment is the most famous of these units, but 
  many others have joined it in the desert. 
  Molay's strategy may well be backfiring on him. While much of the Legion is indeed away from the capital, it hasvirtually been given the Badlands 
  as its own. Almost all units in the region have at least a few Legion veterans, and several have high numbers of them. The strength of the network 
  of loyalty and blood that binds these men and women is difficult to estimate, and the desert has become a staging-ground for the Legion and its 
  political supporters. Commandant Mari Thangal, the overall Legion commander in the region, has made several journeys to Port Oasis to meet 
  with Prime Minister deRouen, and the two are rumored to have entered into a political accord. 
  4.2.3 AlllEO SOUTHERN INTELllGENCE 
  Just as the AST is a puppet of the Southern Republic, so the confederation's intelligence service - 
  Allied Southern Intelligence 
  -is 
  an organ of the Southern Republic Intelligence Directorate. SRlD does not trust AS1 enough to allow it to act in the Republic 
  or in the North, so the agency concentrates its efforts in the Badlands. 
  Intelligence officers operate from covert safe-houses and from the diplomatic cover of embassies, supervising a network of 
  informants, professional operatives and unwitting collaborators. Southern intelligence-gathering is highly sophisticated but tends 
  towards very cutthroat methods. Agents who become a problem are systematically eliminated to cover any trails. Northern and 
  Badlands investigators often find suspects dead or disappeared before they can act. More often than not, they never realize an 
  accidental death is anything more than what it seems. 
  Sous-Commandant Julio Nestor, AS1 chief of operations in the Badlands, agrees with the overall policy put forth by Ambassador 
  Loray and Maia Landling, who acknowledge the importance of the ASl's contribution. As a result, Southern negotiators can count 
  on up-to-date intelligence on their opponents across the negotiating table. 
  While only occasional tension exists between the diplomatic mission and Nestor's off ice in Azov, the AS1 chief is very concerned 
  about the MILICIA's strategy. He fears the policy of harassing the Northern Guard has gone too far. Nestor knows of the precarious 
  balance of power in Valeria and fears the MlLlClA will give the Guard the political clout it needs to take over CNCS policy in the 
  Badlands. He is quite sure that their military commanders would be much less reluctant to fight the MlLlClA than their trade 
  negotiators are. Legion Noire commander Mari Thangal has accused Nestor of being "afraid of war," but he believes that the 
  MlLlClA is not yet ready for a conflict and should not rush matters. He is also plotting revenge against Thangal. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  4.2.4 OTHER SOUTHERN FICTORS 
  The Southern Republic’s domination of the leagues of the AST does not go completely without opposition. The Badlands are an 
  excellent source of potential allies for groups dissatisfied with Republican domination and currently looking for help. By the same 
  token, many groups which actively support the AST’s prominence keep a close watch on Badlanders and their activities. 
  The people opposing the Southern involvement in Badlands’ affairs are often expatriates from the southern polar region them- 
  selves, or have come into contact with such individuals. Their lives are almost always fraud with danger, since the southern 
  government does not recognize the Badlands as having any political authority. No political weight means no opposition to covert 
  operations, and these are increasingly relied upon to eliminate potential troublemakers. 
  The Southern Alliance partq 
  Not all are against the southern involvement, however. The Southern Alliance party is a group of politicians and businessmen who actively 
  support the expansion of the Allied Southern Territories in the Badlands. In general, they are dissatisfied with the current political and commercial 
  state of the Badlands, but refuse to leave their positions for the more prosperous southern leagues. Rather, they hope for the creation of a giant 
  super-state which would hopefully generate more opportunities for business and commerce. 
  Southern dissidents often have little choice but to flee to the Badlands. Life in an isolated homestead or 
  desert city-state is far more attractive than a Southern Republic prison or work-camp. Most dissidents 
  like to remain as close to the AST as they can and settlements in the southern savannah have significant 
  exile communities. The most prominent exile is Henriette Vovelle, an astrophysicist made famous by her 
  contribution to the War of the Alliance. 
  Professor Vovelle first gained attention for her studies of the Terranovan system’s unusual double 
  Tannhauser discontinuity paths while a Professor at the prestigious Ankara University of Science in the 
  TN 1880’s. In early summer TN 1897, Vovelle was placed under house arrest after three cycles as the 
  head of the Pax Movement, a loose alliance of Southern scientists, intellectuals and activists who wished 
  to create a climate of peace. She was barred from contact with anyone except her husband, philosopher 
  Artoor Vovelle. 
  Professor Vovelle was released in TN 1913 to participate in the war effort against Earth. She helped 
  develop a hunter-killer missile that could target the trademark emissions of the gatedrives of Earth starships, 
  stranding several craft in Terranovan space. Vovelle fell out of favor after the war when she argued that 
  South and North should welcome abandoned Terran troops. This was widely seen as treason and she 
  was forced to flee Ankara under the cover of night in TN 1919. 
  Vovelle now lives in Port Arthur where she continues to publish scientific and political papers and serves 
  as a symbol for all Southern dissidents. She has survived no less than 25 assassination attempts, includ- 
  ing one in TN 1925 which took her husband’s life. 
  d 
  PRECEPTOR HYPOLITE I 
  Preceptor Gavin Hypolite, protege of llluminatus Salvador Anastapulos, is the leader of a movement to 
  reject Republican domination of the AST. Hypolite argues that the AST must break free if its member 
  leagues are to preserve their own identity and values. The llluminatus is well aware of the Republic’s 
  military might and has asked Hypolite to keep his feelings quiet for the time being. Officially, Hypolite has 
  been assigned the duty of running the Humanist embassy in Port Arthur. 
  The embassy building houses a dedicated staff of Hypolite’s followers. Hypolite is making covert alli- 
  ances with Badlands powers and has even begun some discussions with the North. He has established a 
  close personal friendship with Colonel Charles Arthur and has a verbal agreement to use Port Arthur as a 
  covert weapons and training center for the emerging Humanist rebellion. Hypolite feels ready to under- 
  take personal negotiations with Northern officials and has arranged for a series of covert meetings with 
  Northern diplomats in Port Arthur. He hopes to gain the friendship of Ella Kayman herself. 
  Preceptor Hypolite is unaware that at least one agent of Allied Southern Intelligence has infiltrated his 
  operation. The plant is a young clerk named Beatrice Winter, a clever cover identity carefully forged to 
  withstand the most intense scrutiny. Winter does not yet have access to all of Hypolite’s plans, but she is 
  aware of the numerous contacts between the Preceptor and Colonel Arthur. She is currently gathering as 
  much information as she can about Hypolite’s planned meetings with Northern officials, leaving the 
  information in a series of prearranged, concealed drop boxes out in the desert and in the remote parts of 
  the city. Her directors are almost ready to order a strike against the Preceptor. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  THE llTH HEAVY GEAR REGIMENT - RAPIERS 
  -I 
  The Rapiers regiment is one of a select few that have become traditional units for Legion Noire vet 
  The regiment was formed by a group of Legion veterans from the ashes of the old 11 th Strike Reg 
  which was decimated early in St. Vincent’s War. A third of the Rapiers are Legion veterans, and 
  others are on the waiting list for admission. The Legion’s black armband IS almost universally p 
  among officers. 
  The Rapiers themselves are the MILICIA’s top urban warfare specialists. The regiment has a reputa 
  for brutal efficiency. Collateral civilian casualties are often quite low in Rapierassaults - 
  unless civil 
  themselves are the targets - 
  due to the regiment’s pride in accomplishing its objectives with g 
  precision. The level of skill and moral blindness that Legion ties ensure mean that the regiment IS 
  ployed in the most bloody of operations. 
  The Rapiers are led by Commandant Giyom Nazier, a highly decorated Legion veteran. Nazier was asso- 
  ciated with pro-Legion political factions in the Southern Republic during the TN 1920’s. His regiment was 
  reassigned to the Badlands to keep him away from Port Oasis, but the increased tensions with the North 
  have put the regiment back in the center of the action. When the Southern government needed the Lance 
  Point worker’s revolt crushed, it was the Rapiers who “reestablished order.” The Rapiers remain sta- 
  tioned near Lance Point, but are itching for a new assignment. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  llTH HG REGIMENT TYPICAL CADRES 
  GENERAL PURPOSE [THREAT VALUE: 3045) 1 
  Blach Mamba-[3 x Lvl31 
  FORWRRU STRlHE [THREAT VALUE: SO731 1 I 
  Blach Mamba+ x 1~141 Jager-[2 x Lvl21 
  louana-[2 x Lvl31 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  4.3 MILITARY DUELING 
  The popular image polar citizens have of the Badlands is colored by the tradition of regimental dueling. Since 
  before St. Vincent's War, Heavy Gear regiments have named one of their own as a duelist, the repository of the 
  unit's honor. These duelists pilot the best Gears available, facing off against each other in the desert sands. 
  4.31 OVERVIEW 
  Duelsarefought between regiments over questions of honor, and only the regiment's commander, chief NCO or Duelist may issue 
  or accept a challenge. Normally, the challenger sets the duel's stakes, whereas the challenged party decides on its form. Most 
  duels are fought between otherwise friendly regiments for simple bragging rights, or to decide who will take on a plum assign- 
  ment. Serious rivalries do arise that can lead to much more serious stakes, but duels to the death are undertaken only in the 
  gravest of cases - 
  such as accusations of treason. 
  Military duels are always one-on-one affairs. The form varies, but usually consists of a battle with predetermined weaponry 
  fought in a designated area. Some regiments practice dueling that is not pure combat, resembling races or obstacle course runs. 
  Most Duelists feel these challenges are beneath their dignity. 
  Duels are rare between regiments of enemy forces. Most do not trust their opponents enough to respect the outcome of the duel. 
  When these duels do occur, they are used to avoid conflict during stand-offs in areas that are not deemed strategically vital, with 
  the losing regiment accepting defeat and withdrawing. In strategically sensitive encounters where neither side can afford to 
  withdraw, duels are not undertaken since no regiment will risk besmirching its honor by refusing to pull out after a loss. For true 
  Duelists, death always comes before dishonor. 
  4.3.2 PROMINENT DUELISTS 
  Hundreds of military Duelists are spread across the Badlands, with more added each day as forces move into the region. Most are 
  unknown beyond their own regiment, but a few have gained wider recognition. Terranovans avidly follow the lives of their favorite 
  Duelists, and even those who have stepped down can find reporters springing upon them based on rumors of a return. 
  I 
  SERGEANT OEEANA EARNSHAW [42NO NORTHERN HG REGIMENT - THE SMOHING GUNS] 
  Sergeant Earnshaw first served as a Duelist for the 42nd in the years after the War of the Alliance. After a 
  chain of victories in the early TN 1920's, Earnshaw left the Northern Guard in TN 1925 for personal 
  reasons - 
  some say she suffered from severe nightmares after her experiences during the battle of Baja. 
  She reappeared briefly as a duelist on the Khayr ad-Din circuit, but left dueling completely behind in TN 
  1928. Earnshaw returned to the Northern Guard reserve as a Gear trainer and is currently assigned to her 
  old regiment near Prince Gable, where she is under pressure from her comrades-in-arm to take up her 
  old post and resume her dueling career. 
  I 
  SOUS-LIEUTENANT OANYEL HLUUN [IlTH SOUTHERN HG REGIMENT - RAPIERS] 
  Danyel Kluun is regarded in Southern circles as the greatest Duelist currently serving in the MILICIA. A 
  decorated veteran of the Legion Noire, Kluun has served the Rapiersfor five complete cycles and has yet 
  to be defeated in single Gear combat - 
  he walks on air as far as his regiment and his comrades are 
  concerned. Sous-Lieutenant Kluun, however, is far from happy in his post. His sense of fulfillment has 
  been drained away from him by the pomp and ceremony associated with the position of Duelist. He keeps 
  his thoughts to himself and goes through the motions, hoping that he will be defeated at last and be able 
  to step out of the spotlight and continue as an ordinary pilot. 
  I 
  CAPORAL JAANA TIRNOS [SITH SOUTHERN HG REGIMENT - STRIHEIOLTS] A 
  Jaana Tirnos is called a coward by her rivals and a cool head by her friends. Tirnos is famous for declining 
  more challenges than any other Southern Duelist currently on record. She was elected to the post after 
  her predecessor, Caporal Tomas Derringer, was forced to step down after a series of embarrassing de- 
  feats and grudge matches. Tirnos will onlyfight overa serious breach of honor or in purely friendly duels. 
  Posturing challenges issued in the heat of the moment do not interest her at all. Some soldiers in the 
  regiment do not find this attitude acceptable and have begun to push for Derringer's return. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  “Another hand, my friend? 
  Stanislav was about to decline the trader‘s offer - 
  he had wasted enough 
  time playing cards already - when he saw the dust cloud beyond his 
  waterroot field. Gamlan Aziz was a friendly man, a fair trader and an excel- 
  lent card player, but his luck was about to change. Stanislav shuffled the 
  cards. 
  They had reached the second round of betting when the barking started. 
  Muffled and distorted, it sounded like electronic dogs were descending on 
  the farm. The roar of engines soon followed. 
  ‘What in Mahmoud’s name?” Aziz dropped his cards - face down like a 
  good gambler - 
  and turned around in time to see three desert bikes racing 
  between the rows of waterroots. A buggy with an impressive machinegun 
  on its roof was circling around the fields. 
  Aziz didn’t notice it, but Stanislav appreciated that his plants were not be- 
  ing trampled. He glanced at his cards again, “So, are you in?” 
  ‘Wha.. what? We are under attack!” 
  That we are. Gamlan, meet the Desert Wolves. If you hadn’t guessed, they’re 
  rovers.” 
  “My supplies!” Aziz ran toward his truck parked nearby, but it had become 
  the center of the rovers’ attention. 
  OLD IT!” The Wolf’s order was garbled by his voice-amplifying mask, 
  but emphasized by his buggy’s machine gun, which swung toward 
  “Come and finish this hand,’’ Stanislav said as he walked from 
  under the shelter of his moisture traps. 
  Aziz was quaking from head to toe, ‘Wha-what are you 
  alking about?” 
  HEARD HIM! GET BACK THERE!” Aziz hesitated only 
  d before he began to creep back to the moisture trap. 
  e other rovers had jumped off their bikes and were opening 
  crates on Aziz’s truck, putting aside whatever struck 
  y and discarding the rest. They yelled in triumph when 
  they found the two cases of fine Mekong brandy. 
  Relax, Gamlan. It’s no big deal.” 
  No big deal! Look at what they’re doing to my truck!” 
  ‘Don’t worry, they’ll leave most of the stuff you really need. They 
  don’t let people starve. It’s a fact of life in these parts, Gamlan.” 
  “But my tNCk -” 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  5.1 ROVER GANGS 
  Desert outlaws and renegades, rover gangs date as far back as early colonial times. The original 
  rovers were disgruntled colonial workers who struck out against their employers, living in make- 
  shift desert shelters and raiding supplies from isolated mining camps to survive. 
  Today, rovers are usually drawn from the Badlands’ isolated desert settlements. Very few 
  towns can afford prisons so most criminals are simply exiled, often ending up in outlaw 
  gangs with other outcast& Other would-be rovers leave the Settlements of their own accord, 
  seeking the fabled thrill and freedom of the rover lifestyle. These are usually polar expatriates, 
  as the so-called “rover mystique” is scoffed at by the inhabitants of the Badlands, who know 
  what rovers are truly capable of. 
  Rovers are viewed with suspicion and deep distrust by Badlanders, who consider them lazy 
  and dishonorable. This does not mean that all rovers are bad, but most have abandoned their 
  scruples for simple day-to-day survival. 
  51.1 OVERVIEW 
  Rovers are outlaw raiders, making their living by stealing from small communities and trade caravans. Most are only lightly 
  armed and prey only on isolated targets. Almost all rovers gather around a charismatic leader who provides arms, money, alcohol 
  or some other desired item. Gangs usually last only as long as their leader is able to bring them success. 
  The Rover Mqstique 
  Descended from stylish frontier tales, the rover genre has become a staple of the Terranovan holofilm industry and helps fuel gang membership. 
  Playing rovers is also a common childhood game on Terra Nova and many youngsters threaten their parents with running away to the Badlands 
  to escape parental tyranny. Those that do so as adults try to recreate the frontier lifestyle they grew up with on trideo. They make things interesting 
  in the settlements, but not for very long as they tend to have a reduced lifespan. 
  The Rover Threat 
  For the most part, the rover threat has been greatly exaggerated by the media. Despite tales of huge rover armies, most gangs can only threaten 
  isolated homesteads and small trading convoys. Lightly armed bands are easily chased off by even a nominal defense force, and those commu- 
  nities with enough money to invest in light military vehicles, such as Heavy Gears, have little to fear from 95% of all rovers. 
  However, the aftermath of the War of the Alliance has made the rovers much more dangerous. The Peace River Army mobilized and armed a large 
  section of Badlands society and battlefields remain littered with discarded or damaged weapons. Many gangs have acquired Gears and heavy 
  weapons, making them much more powerful Several communities have armed themselves in response, or have called on the PRDF, the Arthurian 
  Korps or even polar forces for aid. Unfortunately, both North and South have realized that rovers can serve as excellent tools with which to harass 
  their enemies, and several gangs have acquired new weapons from their patrons. 
  The rover film burst into the Northern mainstream in TN 1895 
  with the release of The Rover, the tale of a homesteader forced 
  to become an outlaw to avenge his family’s murder. The 
  holofilm was a smash success, beating most box office 
  records and spawning a dozen sequels. Pile of Bones, the 
  latest film in the series stars Mikal Fynn, the fourth man to 
  portray the Rover, and was recently released to mixed reviews. 
  Carlson Nash, who starred in the first three productions, has 
  recently filed suit against Starlight Holo to receive royalties 
  on all subsequent holofilrns “based on his work.” 
  The Southern film scene has been electrified by the work of 
  maverick director Marianne Sirnpell who has taken the rover 
  film into new stylistic territory with ultra-violent films such as 
  Augusta and Terre Nom. Her films have been deemed mor- 
  ally offensive in the North, but avast market in bootleg trideos 
  has sprung up amongst film buffs. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  51.2 THE OESERl m
  The Desert Wolves are the longest lasting of all Badlands rover gangs. Established after the so-called 
  Sand War - 
  a series of small North-South skirmishes fought for tactical advantage in the Eastern Desert 
  during TN 1880 - 
  the Wolves have become a fixture in the Crags region east of Prince Gable. The 
  original core of Wolves were Southern defectors led by sous-lieutenant Mahmet Mor, a charismatic sec- 
  tion commander who had become sick of pointless conflict. Born in the Badlands, Mor was a bold, small 
  unit tactician who forged an almost patriarchal relationship with those under his command. When Mor 
  finally gave in to his melancholy and went AWOL, he was able to bring most of his section with him. 
  Mor guided his followers to a mesa in the Crags- 
  which he dubbed the Wolf's Den -and 
  proceeded to 
  strip all Gears and uniforms of their symbols of rank and insignia. He declared all the Wolves brothers and 
  sisters, equally vital members of a family. His charisma and skill made Mor the father of this family and he 
  encouraged his followers to become part of the surrounding community. Within a few cycles, the Wolves 
  had established themselves as noble bandits, occasionally raiding homesteads to feed themselves, but 
  also protecting the locals from other aggressors. In several settlements, arrangements were made and the 
  Wolves were welcomed into town for trade and drink. In TN 1886, Mor married a local homesteader 
  named Dara who quickly made a home of the Wolf's Den. Dara died in childbirth in TN 1888, leaving Mor 
  with his first son, Antoni. 
  The years after Dara's death were hard on the Wolves. Mor retreated into himself, refused to care for his 
  child and no longer provided the leadership the clan needed. His occasional orders were born out of 
  frustration and led to rash raids that alienated many of the surrounding settlements. It was not until TN 
  1893 that Mor was brought out of his somber mood by Bianka Yul, a peace officer from the farming 
  community of Sand Lake, who boldly came to confront Mor about the Wolves' actions. Confrontation led 
  to reconciliation, and Bianka became Mor's companion. In TN 1896, Bianka gave birth to a son, Davood. 
  With the colonial invasion in TN 1913, the Wolves found themselves on the warpath again. Many of the 
  gang members were not trained soldiers and many non-combatants lived at the Wolf's Den, so Mor de- 
  cided to abandon his home for the desert wastes to lead a guerrilla struggle. Bianka and Davood refused 
  to remain at Sand Lake and followed Mor and his warriors into the desert. When the Peace River Army was 
  formed, the Wolves joined up and became one of its most celebrated fighting units. They led the drive 
  toward Prince Gable, fighting valiantly in the house to house liberation of the city, but at the cost of 
  Mahmet Mor himself. Mor was killed when he used his battered Black Mamba to shield a squad of his 
  men from a barrage of anti-infantry rockets. 
  Their leader's death left the Wolves in disarray with Prince Gable still occupied. Davood, dubbed "Gray 
  Cub" for his favorite gray jacket, filled the leadership vacuum at the tender age of 19 cycles. To everyone's 
  surprise - 
  except his mother's - 
  he proved a highly competent leader of men and led his force to 
  -
  _
   
  victory. He has been clan father ever since. 
  Organization 
  The Desert Wolves live under the clan system created by Mahmet Mor. Davood Mor leads the gang as clan father, along with a council of elders 
  currently consisting of his mother and five of the soldiers who defected with his father. Status in the Wolves is determined by service and loyalty 
  to the Clan, skills, and bravery in battle, not personal wealth or birth. Marks of status-silver 
  "paw-print" metallic pins and the right to wear one's 
  hair in ever more braids -are 
  doled out by the council of elders according to merit. In the field, the Wolves fight in packs of 3 to 10 vehicles, each 
  pack being led by a clan person of high status. All packs secretly operate from the Wolf's Den, the Desert Wolves' hidden base. The Wolf's Den is 
  hidden within the many caverns of a Badlands mesa and is home to a whole community. The Wolves have grown over the years and they now 
  include many non-combatants such as spouses and children, as well as those who have retired from raiding. 
  Current flctivities 
  Under Davood Mor, the Wolves have continued to be the bandit princes of the Badlands east of Prince Gable. Rich trading convoys from the city 
  into the deep Badlands are the prime raiding targets, although small settlements are sometimes convenient sources of food. The Wolves rarely 
  completely strip their target, taking only a percentage of the goods carried. These goods go to supply the Wolf's Den, with the surplus often 
  distributed to the poorest of the nearby homesteads. Davood Mor has increasingly committed the Wolves to keeping the region independent from 
  the rest of Terra Nova. The increased economic and political influence of Prince Gable and Port Arthur made possible by the NuCoal agreement 
  has made the Wolves more and more serious about their raids on caravans between the two cities. The traders have responded by arming 
  themselves with more powerful weapons. More troubling to the Wolves is the arrival of the CNCS trade negotiators and a Northern Guard 
  regiment in Prince Gable - 
  raising the specter of eventual combat with Northern Guard troops. Davood Mor is currently looking for allies. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  1 
  I 
  AGI 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  Attributes 
  2 I KNO 
  0 I PER 
  1 I PSY 
  0 I WIL 
  0 
  Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  AHr. I Skill 
  level 
  Attr. I Skill 
  level 
  AHr. 
  Ambush 
  I 
  1 
  Camouflage 
  1 
  1 
  Combatsense 
  2 
  1 
  Communications 
  1 
  0 
  Dodge 
  2 
  1 
  Drive 
  2 
  1 
  First Aid 
  1 
  0 
  Gunnen(HGI 
  2 
  1 
  Gunnen(Ground) 
  1 
  1 
  Hand-to-hand 
  2 
  1 
  Heavy Gear Pilot 
  2 
  1 
  Leadership 
  2 
  2 
  Melee 
  2 
  1 
  Navigation (desert) 
  1 
  0 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  1 
  Survival (Desert) 
  1 
  1 
  Tactics 
  1 
  1 
  Rttitudes 
  Davood strongly believes in delegating work to those who are capable of taking care of it. From the early days of 
  his leadership, he made the choice of trusting other people's abilities, a decision that earned him their respect 
  and their loyalty. While he is far from being bloodthirsty, Davood is slightly more ruthless than his father, mostly 
  because he had to prove himself at a young age. He may not be the leader his father was, but he is equally 
  courageous and willing to sacrifice his life to save that of his men. Now 37 cycles old, he has grown somewhat 
  wiser and usually selects the least violent of all possible solutions. 
  He is secretly distraught that his older half-brother, Antoni, has left the Wolves and that the both of them are 
  estranged. When asked about it by some of his closest friends, he usually answers that it is something he can do 
  nothing about. It is best to leave the past in the past and to move on. 
  Combat Reactions 
  In a Heavy Gear (he usually pilots a Black Mamba), Davood is often tempted to take the lead and charge into 
  battle -an old reflex from his younger days. Unless avery emotional fight is involved (such as fighting Earthers 
  or avenging the death of a friend), he follows his lieutenants' counsel and remains in the back, organizing the 
  troops and sending out appropriate orders. In personal combat, he prefers using small arms (a 9 mm machine 
  pistol with one extra clip) and finishing the fight quickly. When the need arises, he is not afraid to get into a hand- 
  to-hand brawl, something he does equally well. He is confident in his strength and usually accepts any challenge 
  if it can avoid unnecessary bloodshed. 
  Contacts 
  Bianka Yul (age 71, specialties: law & investigation), his mother and trusted counselor; Risha Fahir-Karim (age 
  41, specialties: cheating & carousing), a blood-sister who left the Wolves to join a Sand Rider tribe; Chali 
  Harrixon (age 29, specialties: martial arts & desert survival), a Badlander girl with a mysterious past who has 
  taught him much about the ways of the desert. 
  lase of Operations 
  The Wolf's Den, a series of caves (some artificial, but most natural) in the side of a mesa located approximatly 
  150 kilometers east of Prince Gable. Over the cycles, the Wolves have added several facilities within the caves, 
  along with some very complete vehicle repair and conversion facilities. Though they cannot manufacture com- 
  plete vehicles or weapons, they can put together a functional machine from spare parts. The Wolves also have 
  a minimal ammunition manufacturing capacity, although they can only produce pistol, rifles and other personal 
  weapon shells. If pressed, they can recondition old autocannon casings to make new shells. 
  The Wolf's Den is located in a region of rough and mountanous terrain and is very hard to reach. For further 
  protection, the Wolves have dug pits and traps around the mesa, and at least two to three sentries are on duly at 
  all times. All Wolves, including the children, know how to use a hand weapon or at least a knife. 
  Weight: 
  85 kg 
  Hair Color: 
  Gray 
  Eve Color: 
  Grav 
  Handedness: 
  riaht-handed 
  Members: 
  approximately 150 
  Heavy Gears: 
  One Black Mamba, three 
  Jagers, four Warriors, one 
  Hunter, two Cheetahs, two 
  Iguanas, one Spitting Cobra, 
  four Prairie Dogs. 
  OneHunlighttank,twoScarab 
  APCs, afew dozen Stormrider 
  battle bikes, Elan desert bug- 
  gies, and Wallabybattle ATVs. 
  Most Desert Wolf equipment 
  is painted in desert camou- 
  flage, with the gang insignia on 
  the right shoulder of uniforms 
  and Gears. Status is indicated 
  by the number of small paw- 
  print studs worn on the left 
  shoulder and the number of 
  hair-braids. 
  Other Forces: 
  Distinguishing marks: 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  51.3 GARRICH 
  Valis Garrick was born Garthon Morrack in TN 1875 in Ashington. After an unremarkable childhood, he 
  became a peace officer and had been on the force for several years when the city was briefly invaded by 
  Earth's colonial troops in early TN 1914. Seeing that he could never stand against such overwhelming 
  odds and unwilling to throw away his life for mere ideals, Morrack surrendered to the advancing GRELs. 
  He soon began to aid the occupiers as best he could, reasoning that "if you can't beat them, join them." 
  His collaboration earned him a certain amount of power from the authorities in place, and he became a 
  high level city guard under the new regime. During the short occupation, he helped send dozens of resist- 
  ance fighters to incarceration or execution. He soon became famous for his trademark gas mask and 
  combat armor, both of which he almost never removed to protect his identity. 
  When the tide of the war began to turn, Morrack proved himself politically savvy by fleeing into the desert 
  regions of the Badlands ahead of the revenge squads. He traveled to Red Sands in TN 1916, where he 
  passed himself off as the son of a cattle rustler and took on the name of Valis Garrick. Immediately after the 
  war ended, he set up a vengeance squad called Garrick's Golden and began hunting down other collabo- 
  rators. He reasoned that doing so would eliminate any suspicion about him and he could get rid of those 
  could have possibly identified him. When order was reestablished, Garrick was unwilling to return 
  mundane, less exciting life and was afraid he would be recognized in Ashington -so 
  he and his 
  n became rovers, preying on the small farms and traders in the deserts south of Red Sands. They 
  operate out of a small homestead located south of Red Sands, about 75 kilometers into the desert. 
  Recently Garrick has struck a deal to give himself even greater power. The Allied Southern Territories 
  have been anxious to disrupt Northern hegemony in the region around Red Sands and have been 
  ecretly contacting many rover groups operating in the region. The rovers are provided with coordi- 
  nates of "lost" or wayward weapon shipments that are then written off as stolen or destroyed by the 
  Southern government. This way, no formal link can be established between the two, should the rovers be 
  caught or killed. 
  Like many others, Garrick has obtained shipments of Southern weapons in exchange for promises to 
  disrupt Northern security, mostly infantry support weapons and ammunition. The Golden have recently 
  their third shipment: this time, three lightly armed Cheetahs were found intact in a crashed 
  ican cargo plane, the coordinates of which had been "intercepted" by the Golden. Although the 
  nes were much needed by the group, the choice of model made by his Southern contacts has 
  iated Garrick who was anxious to trade his old Pit Bullcivil security Gear for a top-of-the-line 
  thern machine. Indeed, Garrick cannot fit into a Cheetah cockpit due to his considerable girth, to 
  he (secret) amusement of the rest of the Golden. Garrick keeps using his old machine, but never 
  misses an opportunity to whine about it 
  Organization 
  The Golden are organized around the leadership of Valis Garrick. No formal ranks exist within the gang, although Garrick has a circle of five 
  trusted allies who serve as his lieutenants. None of them knows about his past as a former collaborator, and no Golden will believe someone 
  bringing them that information (unless well backed by material evidence, which is unlikely to have survived). All duties (daily chores and raiding 
  operations) are assigned directly or indirectly by Garrick himself and he supervises any punishments deemed necessary. 
  In the field the Golden usually deploy mixed forces, with armed buggies and desert bikes supported by a single Heavy Gear. With the arrival of the 
  Cheetahs, Garrick has begun deploying all his Gears together to strike at targets around Red Sands. He remains cautious, however, and pulls them 
  back at the first sign of trouble, not wanting to lose any of his precious war machines to combat or lack of spare parts. 
  Current Activities 
  Garrick's Golden are currently engaged in a delicate balancing act: dividing their time and activities between increasing their own power and 
  prestige and pleasing their anonymous Southern backers. The arrival of their new Heavy Gears has made them significantly more powerful than 
  before, and able to strike at larger - 
  and hence richer- 
  settlements and caravans. The Golden have done so at a fever pitch recently, trying to 
  profit as much as possible from the arrangement before their sponsors abandon them. On Southern orders, the Gears have also been used to 
  harass local ranchers and homesteaders to undermine Northern authority in the region. 
  Garrick is very conscious that he must be careful not to push things too far lest he suffers a punitive strike from one of the Northern Guard 
  Badlands regiments. However, his Southern suppliers have threatened to withhold further shipments if the attacks are not stepped up. Valis 
  Garrick is becoming increasingly aware of how low his well-being is on the Southern list of priorities and has begun to frantically search for a way 
  out of his current predicament. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Attributes 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  2 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  0 
  0 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  -1 
  WIL 
  0 
  1 [FR 
  1 
  1 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  35 
  UD 
  8 
  AD 
  7 
  KNO 
  1 
  Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Ambush 
  2 
  0 
  Camouflage 
  1 
  1 
  Combatsense 
  2 
  1 
  Cooking 
  1 
  1 
  Dodge 
  2 
  0 
  Drive 
  2 
  0 
  First Aid 
  1 
  0 
  Gambling 
  1 
  1 
  Gunnery(HG) 
  2 
  1 
  Hand-to-hand 
  2 
  0 
  Heavy Gear Pilot 
  2 
  0 
  Intimidate 
  1 
  2 
  Leadership 
  2 
  1 
  Melee 
  1 
  0 
  SmallArms 
  2 
  0 
  Survival 
  1 
  1 
  Tactics 
  1 
  1 
  flttihdes 
  Garrick is an opportunist. Whenever the occasion arises to gain more power and prestige, he usually takes it. He 
  is no fool, however, and is very much aware that someone might try to trap him by using this weakness. 
  Whenever an interesting offer is made, he usually tests whoever made it to ensure that it is not a trap. The test 
  may be as simple as providing references (for small and unimportant offers) or as demanding as killing some- 
  one (if the offers warrant it). He is harsh towards his men, expecting dedication and obedience, but believes in 
  rewarding them in proportion to the work and effort they put in to pleasing him. He figures that as long as he 
  makes it worth their while, they will stand by him. 
  Combat Reactions 
  For all his talk and bravado, Garrick is not particularly brave. However, he is a good judge of character and knows 
  which fights to pick and which ones not to. He has, so far, managed to confront only those losers and posers 
  who merely look imposing rather than those who actually have something to back them up. Garrick will do 
  whatever it takes not to lose face, because he knows it would undermine his leadership with his men. If push 
  real/ycomes to shove, he will simply flee and leave his men forever- 
  but that would take some doing. It would 
  be a grave mistake, however, to think that Garrick is a coward. While he likes to win, he has taken far too many 
  personal risks in his life to be lacking bravery. He is merely prudent and prefers to stack the odds on his side. 
  ~~~ 
  ~ 
  Contacts 
  Leena Marris (age 49, specialties: small arms & demolition), his somewhat psychotic bodyguard; Kane Bastion 
  (age 37, specialties: infiltration & streetwise), an informer in Red Sands who tells him what units are stationed 
  in the city and what they are up to; Marcus Stre'inton (age 82, specialty: medicine & history), a former doctor 
  who now stays with the Golden because he believes in their cause (unbeknownst to Garrick, he is also an 
  informer for the AST who like to keep close watch on loose cannons like Garrick). 
  Base of Operations 
  A converted homestead 75 km south of Red Sands (limited repair facilities only). The base is not heavily armed 
  - 
  the Golden have limited resources - 
  but there are multiple traps within a ZOO-meter perimeter that are 
  sufficiently lethal to detract any untrained, non-Gear attack force. Three sentries always patrol this area at night. 
  Because the homestead was initially built for no more than twenty individuals, the Golden have had to convert 
  some rooms to accomodate more people than necessary. They have also converted one of the animal barns into 
  a rough hangar for their Gears and vehicles, while another barn was modified to create more living quarters for 
  their newer members. Of all the animals normally found in a homestead, only hoppers have been kept because 
  they require little food and water to survive 
  The physical plant of the homestead (condensers, water tanks and solar panels) are in poor condition, but they 
  are still functional. The so-called technicians in the Golden are qualified enough, but they are as overworked as 
  they are lazy. With all its reserves, the Golden's homestead could withstand a siege for a week or two at least. 
  Aoe: 
  58 
  Height: 
  1.71 meters 
  Weight: 
  96.8 kg 
  Hair Color: 
  Red 
  Eve Color: 
  Pale Blue 
  Handedness: 
  right-handed 
  Rovers Members: 
  35 
  Heavy Gears: 
  One Groundhog, One Pit Bull, 
  Three Cheetahs. 
  Other Forces: 
  One BadgerAPC, a dozen con- 
  verted civilian vehicles (bug- 
  gies and trucks), a dozen Wal- 
  labv ATVs. 
  Distinguishing Marks: 
  To a man, all of Garrick's 
  Golden wear gold-tinted desert 
  goggles or sunglasses. Most 
  also wear the gang insignia as 
  a tattoo. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  5.1.4 THE BADlANDS REVOlUTlONARY FORCE 
  The Badlands Revolutionary Force (BRF) was born in a moment of fervent socialist ideology. In the fall of 
  TN 1931, when the rebellious workers of Lance Point had taken firm control of the city's factory complex 
  and the region was waiting to see what the response of the Southern MlLlClA would be, a wave of solidar- 
  ' ity swept through many of the closest Badlands city-states and settlements. Those with the strongest 
  feelings (or, in many cases, the least to lose) grabbed whatever arms and weapons they could and slowly 
  made their way toward Lance Point to lend aid to their comrades behind the barricades. 
  This ragtag group began to assemble in the mountains near Lance Point by the winter season. Afewweeks 
  after the call to arm went out, nearly 600 supporters had gathered on the high ground above the plain 
  where the city is located. They could muster very little in the way of heavy armament, just a few commer- 
  cial Work Gears (many of which were jury-rigged with additional armor and weaponry), some anti-vehicu- 
  lar guns and rockets left over from the War of the Alliance, and several light infantry rifles and submachine 
  guns to equip the infantrymen. It was not much, but everybody felt it would be enough to face the security 
  and militia forces in and around Lance Point. The Badlanders began making plans and trained every day 
  for long hours. 
  Unfortunately, the workers revolt was brutally stamped out by the Southern MlLlClA before the improvised 
  mountain army could even act. They witnessed the whole operation from their mountain stronghold, 
  listening in on the occasional transmission sent by the rebels as they fell back. The morale of the assem- 
  bled sympathizers was crushed. Fearing that the brutality of the MlLlClA soldiers would now be turned 
  'against them and unprepared to face professional military troops in combat, many of the would-be free- 
  dom fighters quietly slipped away and returned to their homes. Those who remained, about one-third of 
  the original group, began to fall into a rough system of ranks to create some order out of the rising chaos, 
  using a structure similar to that used by Paxton during the War of the Alliance. The ranks were officially 
  formalized when small groups of workers who had escaped the slaughter arrived in the mountains seeking 
  refuge. Together, these refugees and sympathizers formed the Badlands Revolutionary Force, a movement 
  dedicated to the purpose of continuing the struggle of the Lance Point workers' revolt. 
  The goal of the BRF is far off. Ernesto Jaxon, a charismatic Lance Point worker who came to command the 
  rag-tag army, soon realized that the best they could hope to do in the short term was to secure the moun- 
  tains as their own. Without proper training and equipment, there was no way the BRF would tackle the 
  MILICIA, at least not directly. Support and logistics are also problematic, although the covert support of 
  many homesteads in the region has managed to keep the men fed and clothed so far. The activities of the 
  Badlands Revolutionary Force remain limited to raiding isolated corporate mining settlements and the 
  shipment convoys to and from Lance Point. They have no illusions about their fighting capacity and are 
  constantly doing their best to avoid the MlLlClA forces still in the region. Except for two close calls last 
  season, they have managed to elude the Southern forces so far. 
  Organization 
  The BRF is a strange hybrid of military and unionist structures. Commander Jaxon sits as the commanding officer, but he answers to a Workers 
  Council in which all members of the army may speak freely. Others have the rank of Sub-commander, Unit Leader and Unit Sub-Leader. Units are 
  more than military squads, they also are the voting cells for any resolution in the Workers Council, with each unit voting as one to accept or 
  oppose any major decision made by the command staff. 
  The raids and other attacks are generally assigned by the Sub-commanders rather than by Jaxon himself who is busy planning the overall 
  strategies of the group and dealing with those who might either support them financially or supply them with weapons. Unit Commanders then 
  handle the more minute details of each operation. 
  Current Activities 
  The BRF troopers are concerned with establishing the section of the Westridge Range located near Lance Point as their territory. Convoys to and 
  from Lance Point are systematically attacked or harassed, corporate executives are targeted for intimidation and supplies are raided from settle- 
  ments trading with the city-state. Most of the Revolutionary Force's operations are hit-and-run attacks, with the attacker vanishing before the 
  guards can mount an effective defense. 
  This policy may well have been too successful: several convoys have been seen in the company of MlLlClA Heavy Gears in recent weeks. This has 
  somewhat complicated the BRF's task, forcing them to switch to less dangerous, more indirect attack methods such as minefields and rock slides. 
  Rumors now abound of a Southern move into the mountains, and they are gaining credence daily as the BRFs informers in Lance Point send back 
  their reports about Southern troop movements. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  COMMANDER ERN EST0 J AX0 N 
  I 
  Rttributes 
  AG I 
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  INF 
  2 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  -1 
  J STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  5 
  FIT 
  0 
  WIL 
  1 
  AD 
  5 
  I 
  Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Ambush 
  1 
  1 
  Camouflage 
  2 
  0 
  Combatsense 
  2 
  0 
  Communications 
  1 
  0 
  Dodge 
  2 
  1 
  Drive 
  2 
  1 
  Earth Sciences 
  2 
  0 
  Gunnery (HG) 
  1 
  0 
  Gunnery(Ground) 
  1 
  0 
  Hand-to-hand 
  2 
  1 
  Heavy Gear Pilot 
  1 
  1 
  Leadership 
  2 
  2 
  Mechanics 
  1 
  0 
  Melee 
  2 
  1 
  Navigation (desert) 
  1 
  0 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  1 
  Tactics 
  1 
  0 
  Attitudes 
  While determined and rock-solid in appearance, Ernesto is a deeply troubled and hesitant man. He cares about 
  the people who have chosen to follow him, but is unsure that he is the best man for the job. He knows that much 
  weight rests on his shoulders and despite the consultative nature of the BRF, he is very much aware that all eyes 
  are turned toward him. Although he is surrounded by competent and dedicated lieutenants, it is very lonely at 
  the top. Despite the reassurances of Gwenlith, his best friend, he wonders if he is not leading all these people to 
  their death and if, indeed, they are making a difference. 
  In the meantime, sensing that the MlLlClA is slowly but surely closing in on the BRF, Ernesto has laid down a 
  desperate strategy which he hopes will give the BRF a fighting chance. He has contacted Nicosa Renault and 
  asked her to help him sabotage the policies of both North and South in this region of the Badlands in hope that 
  it will delay the war long enough for the BRF to better organize itself. 
  Combat Reactions 
  Ernesto dislikes combat, especially personal combat. He would much rather let someone else handle it for him. 
  Because of this quirk, his lieutenants have insisted that he be accompanied by a bodyguard (Gwenlith) at all 
  time. She has, over time, evolved from a simple protector to an intimate friend and occasional lover. Much to his 
  distress, she is frightfully loyal to him and will always put herself in harm's way if necessary to make sure that he 
  survives. If caught without his bodyguard, Ernesto will not let himself be killed, despite his pacifistic nature. He 
  will do his best to disable his opponent(s) and seek help as soon as an opportunity presents itself. 
  Contacts 
  Gwenlith Raleigh (age 37, specialties: combat sense & small arms), his protector and lover; Esteban Martinez 
  (age 36, specialties: contacts & leadership), his trusted aide and political counselor; Luther Burneside (age 52, 
  specialties: leadership & tactics), his military counselor. 
  Base of Operations 
  Valley in the Westridge Range, 35 km east of Lance Point (field repair capabilities only). The BRF's settlement is 
  made of camouflaged tents and hand-made shelters that blend with the surroundings. There are also numerous 
  caves in the area that the rebels have closed shut with welded plates of scavenged steel, turning them into last- 
  resort bunkers should they ever be located by the Southern MlLlClA or the Northern Guard. 
  The rebels' installations spread over 600 meters of mountaineous area. Because they are very vulnerable to 
  aerial attacks, the BRF are always on guard and keep a constant vigil over the skies for fear of aerial bombing. 
  They also regularly patrol a 100-meter perimeter around their camp. 
  Inside one of the caves lies a large pool of water that is roughly fifty meters in diameter and appears to be very 
  deep. A series of tunnels extend in many directions, most likely linked to the MacAllen network. Out of suspi- 
  cion, the rebels have sealed most of them with many layers of I-centimeter thick plating. 
  Age: 
  40 cycles 
  Heioht: 
  1.69 meters 
  Weight: 
  76 kg 
  Hair Color: 
  Brown 
  Eye Color: 
  Green 
  Handedness: 
  rioht-handed 
  Rovers Members: 
  200 
  Heavy Gears: 
  one Pit Bull, two Groundhogs, 
  five Prairie Doos. three Moles 
  Other Forces: 
  over forty civilian vehicles, 
  mostly buggies and trucks. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  w
  -
  ~
   
  , 
  ~ 
  A 
  AeA 
  Method of Government, Representative Democracy 
  Head of Government: Captain Jeremiah Dupree 
  Principal Industry: Smuggling 
  Population: 350,000 
  The reams of laws that ban immoral or dangerous products in the North -especially 
  in the NLC - 
  make smug- 
  gling a multi-billion mark business. Northern smuggling is centered around recreational drugs (both hard and 
  soft), forbidden media material (be it hard-core pornography or simple films deemed too violent) and a variety of 
  products that are otherwise legal, but subjected to heavy duties and taxes, such as cigarettes and alcohol. Illegal 
  arms, machine parts and even slaves can also be obtained, but the tendency is towards easily marketable goods. 
  The North's largest smuggling rings are located in Wounded Knee. 
  Wounded Knee developed around the hulk of the HCSAnfigones, an abandoned colonial-era vessel. By TN 1600, the hulk 
  residents had coalesced into a rugged community that fed off the nearby Northern leagues. It was at this time that Wounder rotgut, 
  a local homemade alcohol, became popular in the savannah region and among hardened drinkers in Fort William and Mainz. 
  Wounded Knee grew into a smuggler's den partly due to the easy access to the leagues through the Westridge Range. 
  At the time of St. Vincent's War, the CNCS military established a presence in Wounded Knee and made it a protectorate to help 
  defend their borders, and the Northern Guard has remained garrisoned there ever since. Wounders tend to see the Guard as an 
  occupying force they choose not to oppose, while the Guard sees the city simply as a convenient military base and refuses to 
  become involved in internal affairs. It is this laissez-faire policy that has allowed smuggling to explode in Wounded Knee like 
  nowhere else. 
  5.2.2 THE CARTELS 
  Wounder society is dominated by twelve major smuggling cartels. The cartels are groups of semi-independent smugglers organ- 
  ized into a chain that allows illegal goods to enter the Northern Leagues. Each cartel operates differently, be it the clan-like Granis 
  Cartel or the bloody dictatorship within the Foni Cartel. 
  While the city government is nominally elected by the populace, the cartels serve as extremely powerful party machines and every 
  Wounder Captain has been a cartel head for the last 150 cycles. The Cartels mobilize the population during an election by 
  handing out gifts and threats in great number. As a result, almost all Wounders, whether or not they are directly linked to smug- 
  gling, are attached to one cartel or another. 
  Most cartels try to establish a unique smuggling pattern - 
  with their own routes, contacts and preferred contraband products - 
  keeping conflict to a minimum within Wounded Knee. However, the profits to be made from a secure line intoa wealthy market like 
  the NLC or UMF mean that many cartel bosses are more than willing to shed some blood to gain a competitive edge. The Northern 
  Guard garrison has a tradition of staying out of these conflicts unless they reach a scale that threatens regional stability. As a 
  result, inter-cartel violence is usually limited to assassinations. Still, most Wounders carry at least some form of weapon to 
  protect themselves - 
  usually openly. 
  I 
  The leader of the Kolson Cartel and current Captain of Wounded Knee, Jeremiah Dupree seems to be the 
  epitome of the smiling bandit. Extremely cultured and refined, he dresses in the finest suits and works 
  out of beautiful offices filled with expensive furniture and lined with fine artwork from across Terra Nova. 
  However, Dupree is extraordinarily ambitious and roadblocks to his success are brought down extremely 
  efficiently, without a second thought. 
  Dupree has served as Captain of the Wounded Knee settlement for the last ten cycles and feels he is now 
  ready for new challenges. He has set his sights on taking control of the NuCoal trade alliance. The Kolson 
  Cartel's many contacts in the region have served him well in approaching Royz Malkom about Wounded 
  Knee joining the coalition in exchange for a place of prominence for himself. Whether or not the other 
  members of the New Coalition will accept this is another matter entirely. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  5.3 GAMBlING IN WESTPHAllA 
  Gambling exists across the Badlands and all of Terra Nova, ranging from friendly card games to state lotteries and 
  vast underworld empires, but it all pales in comparison to the casinos of Westphalia. The true gambler makes 
  pilgrimages to the city-state in the southern foothills of the Westridge Range. The gilded streets, running from 
  casino to casino, call the desperate and the daring like a beacon. 
  5.31 HISTORY 
  Westphalia became the gambling haven it is today thanks to its fame as the place where Earth forces surrendered to the Alliance, 
  ending the war. Local entrepreneurs used the planet-wide recognition to attract tourists and dinars and opened up a whole series 
  of casinos. There are now over a hundred gambling houses, ranging from smoky card parlors to the elaborate Silver Star Casino 
  that dominates the downtown core. The local garrison commander assured some order with the so-called Four Laws that created 
  a class of paid witnesses to observe all wagers and competitive events, set up public lashing as a punishment for unpaid debts 
  and made treason, murder, rape and littering capital crimes in the city-state. Westphalia is spotless as a result. 
  5.3.2 SOCIETY 
  Most Westphalians are workers or small business owners serving the visiting gamblers or the rail industry. Asmall class of ultra- 
  rich casino owners dominates the city’s life. Ever since the establishment of the Four Laws, they have operated in a state of 
  relatively friendly competition, forming a cabal of ten men and eight women who own more than 70% of the city. The cabal meets 
  weekly to discuss business in the city, with Commandant Gerome Bienvenue acting as a neutral chairman. 
  The Southern MlLlClA garrison just outside the city is the only true haven of order in Westphalia. The city is strategically vital to 
  the AST and at times an entire legion of infantry is stationed there. Unfortunately, gambling has become an epidemic among the 
  troops, compelling Commandant Bienvenue to initiate a forced savings plan. Individual soldiers are given very little disposable 
  income to gamble away and are paid a large lump sum when they transfer out of Westphalia. 
  At any one time, a quarter of the people in Westphalia are visiting gamblers. Many stay for extended periods, alternating between 
  wealth and poverty as they remain transfixed by the casinos’ glare. Others come for luxurious vacations and arrive by way of the 
  Westphalia airport, operated for the exclusive use of the casino cabal. These are the ideal customers, rich polar magnates who 
  arrive with millions and leave a little poorer, but craving to return. 
  I 
  THE SILVER STAR CRSINO 
  The largest of all gambling dens, the Silver Star dominates 
  the center of Westphalia. Sprawling across twelve square 
  blocks, the Silver Star’s twenty distinct buildings are linked 
  by underground and suspended passageways, making the en- 
  tire complexa great labyrinth of gambling and entertainment. 
  The complex features six large gaming rooms - 
  including 
  the Star Chamber that accommodates thousands of gamblers 
  playing a variety of games side by side - 
  and hundreds of 
  discrete gambling rooms for private games. The casino also 
  has a luxury hotel, a dozen show stages and a branch of every 
  major bank on Terra Nova. 
  Kyla Beauregard, the Silver Star’s owner, owes much to Barjhal, 
  one of the Emirs of Cimmaro. According to some, the con- 
  struction of the Silver Star was just a distraction for the Emir, 
  a compulsive gambler who now spends half his time in 
  Westphalia. The precise nature of Beauregard’s relationship 
  with Barjhal is unknown, but some have commented that they 
  act more like father and daughter than lovers. 
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  5.4 THE KHAYR All-DIN llUEllNG CIRCUIT 
  Method of Governmenl. Anarch 
  Private Gear dueling has existed almost as long as its military counterpart. Gear duels are spectacular events and 
  many people are more than willing to pay to attend andlor gamble huge sums on the outcome Although many 
  minor duels are arranged across the Badlands, the heart of gladiatorial dueling lies in Khayr ad-Din. Only in this 
  trash heap turned criminal haven can a dueling circuit be found with the organization, prestige and resources to 
  challenge the private duels organized in the Antarctic. 
  5.4.1 OVERVIEW 
  The circuit is centered around the infamous Web Arena and its creator Saddik "The Spider" Jahmoon. A master showman and 
  gangster, Jahmoon capitalized on the interest in Gears after their victories in the War of the Alliance to establish an elite dueling 
  circuit in his city. 
  The Spider organized his circuit for maximum entertainment and profit, setting up a system of meets and ranking. The top seat is 
  the Duelist with the best record, and records are kept for all fights. Meets are arranged in which dozens of Duelists compete in a 
  series of duels. The winner of the meet improves his record, but does not necessarily become the new champion. This system 
  creates a keen interest in all the fights, rather than simply in the championship bouts. The Spider's organization sets the odds and 
  accepts bets on all the duels. 
  The Spider's greatest innovation is certainly the Web Arena. Amplifying the entertainment value of solo duels, the arena - 
  essentially a concrete octagon 150 meters in diameter- can accommodate duels of up to eight Gears or a variety of team games, 
  such as the hugely popular Block and Run in which a light Gear scores points by running across the arena while a series of 
  heavier machines try to stop it. 
  The Arena has become the mecca of Terranovan dueling, with the public coming to watch duels live and several trideo networks 
  picking up live coverage. The gambling lounges that overlook the arena provide luxurious quarters with bank links and betting 
  services on site. 
  SADDIH "THE SPIDER" JAHMOON 1 
  Saddik Jahmoon was born an unwanted wretch to a single woman living in the mountain of trash known 
  as Khayr ad-Din. Leading small street gangs and running errands for underworld figures ensured him 
  food, booze and prestige at an early age. Ambition soon followed and Jahmoon began his steady rise 
  through the criminal underworld of the decaying city. He gained the nickname of "Spider" for his ability to 
  weave complex schemes and tangled webs of deceit against his opponents. A master at seizing opportu- 
  nities, the Spider presented himself as a campromise candidate for the position of gambling lieutenant 
  that had been the cause of a dispute between two factions within the dueling racket of the gang-lord 
  known only as the Priest. The Priest was a mysterious figure in the underworld, but his authority was 
  undisputed. Some even whispered that he was really a minister of the faith, and that he had the blessed 
  universal force on his side. 
  Spider served the Priest very well, but the crime lords refused to listen to his most ambitious projects, 
  including one to build an elite underground dueling network. In the chaos of the closing days of the War 
  of the Alliance, the Priest and several of his close advisors paid for their shortsightedness thanks to a 
  virulent poison slipped into their drinks. The Spider was now ready to take the dueling world by storm 
  and started establishing a large network of contacts. 
  In the years since his rise to power, the Spider has transformed Gear dueling and all of Khayr ad-Din. He 
  now sits at the center of the a criminal enterprise that makes him one of the richest men in the Badlands. 
  Yet, success pries on the Spider's mind. Fighting for survival and success since his early childhood has 
  made him very restless. He currently distracts himself with alcohol, designer drugs and women. He is 
  especially fond of female duelists and has had affairs with several champions, including - 
  or so the 
  rumor goes - 
  the now-retired Katryne Sanz. Many whisper that Jahmoon has lost his edge, that he lives 
  in a drunken stupor, deadening his boredom and his memories of Katryne. Those who say these things 
  openly have a tendency to disappear. 
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  5.4.2 THE BEST OF THE BEST 
  The success of the Khayr ad-Din dueling circuit has turned its champions into media stars. Dueling enthusiasts know the names 
  of the top pilots and follow their careers with bated breath. Unlike in military dueling circles, very few Khayr ad-Din Duelists really 
  shun the spotlight. They fight for glory and revel in the attention they receive. The spotlight does take its toll on private lives, and 
  few champions can hope to maintain a relationship or a family life. Ironically, those that do keep their secrets are the most 
  interesting to the press. 
  1 LASH [GRITAN ALANI] 
  The hottest Duelist on the Khayr ad-Din circuit, Gaitan “Lash” Alani burst onto the scene in TN 1930 with 
  a stunning victory over Solitaire, the reigning solo dueling champion. Lash took over Solitaire’s title by 
  the beginning of TN 1931 and has become an urban legend. Some claim she is one of the semi-mythical 
  Jezebel-class GRELs, others say she is an elite Northern pilot. Alani is actually the daughter of Western 
  Army Captain Gaitan Luis, a hero of the War of the Alliance. Unable to find, in the post-war period, the 
  glory she felt was her birthright, Alani eventually went AWOL and joined the circuit to prove herself in 
  combat. She has piloted her JaguarGear to great success, but has been unable to satisfy her longing for 
  glory on the battlefield. 
  Lash has become a glory hound, taking extreme chances in combat and using moves that are increas- 
  ingly complex and daring, all in the hope of gaining even more of the public’s attention. By doing this, she 
  hopes that a recruiter for one of the Northern armies will notice her and give her a command in what she 
  believes to be the upcoming global war. 
  I 
  SILVER [JRNA OLRHGI] 
  A crowd favorite, Silver is a champion runner in the arena game known as Block and Run. Her shinning 
  chrome Cheetahis known to literally dance around her opponents while they try in vain to tackle her. She 
  has programmed several extremely daring Macromoves into her drive computer and practices with her 
  Gear almost every day. Silver herself is just as flamboyant outside her Gear. An inveterate party animal, 
  she became famous for living in Khayr ad-Din’s loudest clubs and consuming various kinds of mood 
  altering substances, mostly boosters. Whenever a brawl started, she would be right in the middle of it, 
  mixing it up with opponents twice her size. 
  In TN 1932, for reasons unknown, Silver underwent a month-long pilgrimage to Marigold. She returned 
  to dueling drug-free and a newly initiated member of the Blue Crescent order. Although she no longer 
  drinks or does drugs, she has remained a thrill seeker and can still be found on the club scene. 
  I 
  SOLITAIRE [ANTONI MOR] 
  The eldest son of Mahmet Mor, the founder of the Desert Wolves, Antoni left his clan in TN 1927. Mahmet 
  alienated his son after his wife’s death in childbirth, and the two never reconciled. The rise of Antoni’s 
  younger half-brother Davood to the position of clan father only made things worse. Taking his Black 
  Mamba with him, Antoni left the Wolf‘s Den for Khayr ad-Din to make his own future, adopting the name 
  Solitaire. Gear piloting was Antoni’s only joy and he rose to the solo dueling championship, but remained 
  plagued by his own guilt and could not keep the title. 
  Recently, several members of the Desert Wolves have been seen in Khayr ad-Din and rumors are circulat- 
  ing that Davood Mor himself has traveled to meet with Antoni. Solitaire’s new determination to retake the 
  championship and his adoption of a single braid in his hair, a mark of membership in the Wolves, Seem 
  to indicate that the brothers have reconciled their differences. 
  1 LUCHY i. [GUY SLAHE] 
  A relative newcomer to the Khayr ad-Din dueling circuit, Guy Slane is a fast rising star in the underground 
  world His unusual piloting style consists entirely of lucky moves and incredibly opportunistic attacks, as 
  if the pilot were shaking the controls wildly. This type of piloting is highly frowned upon by the other, 
  more “serious” pilots, mostly because it works so well for Slane! So far, he has managed to win every 
  match that he has fought, earning himself the nickname “Lucky B.” 
  Some contend that Slane is merely very lucky and that his good fortune will run out sooner or later. 
  Others insist that he is highly proficient at disguising his own piloting and gunnery abilities, letting his 
  opponents underestimate him As to which version is true, Slane is not telling. 
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  Brother Stephane was softly crying. The many carved faces of Temple 
  Heights rose for hundreds of meters before him, details cut out by the play 
  of sun and shadow. Carefully, respectfully, the young priest opened his copy 
  of the first tome of the Khodaverdia, his faith’s holy book, to the marked 
  page describing the journeys of the Prophet Mamoud Khodaverdi and his 
  faithful companion Nathani. 
  A great calm surrounded Nathani and the Prophet as they stood before the 
  wall with many eyes. Nathani looked upon his bond-twin to see his eyes fill 
  with sorrow. As Nathani gazed without knowledge, the loneliness of the 
  stone flowed into the Prophet and tears welled up in his eyes. When these 
  tears fell to the sand below, a miracle occurred. The dry sand was trans- 
  formed into rich soil and life began to burst from the turf. 
  “They will come for you, stone,” said the Prophet. T o u  will no longer be 
  alone.” 
  Stephane was almost overcome. This had to be the spot the text spoke of. 
  He removed his shoes and the feeling of joy and harmony seemed to flow 
  from the moist soil between his toes. Crouching, he began a simple prayer 
  thanking the universal force for the Prophet and his miracles. 
  THE SOU1 OF THE DESERT 
  “Hello, Brother.” 
  Stephane was honestly surprised, but he had stopped jumping at noises 
  y cycles ago. A tall woman looked down at him, wearing the white 
  embroidered skull-cap of a Jerusalemite cleric. 
  “Hello, Sister.” 
  “I hope I 
  am not intruding on your meditation,” she said as she 
  extended her arm to help him rise. 
  “Not at all. I was simply admiring the beauty of this place.” 
  “God’s work is a wonder to behold.” 
  That it is. I was just rereading the passage that tells of 
  the miracle of Yamoud which created this blessed place,” 
  ephane began leafing through his text. 
  y you refer to the sign given to Erzach Ibn-Muhammad? The 
  displayed a fine silver pendent engraved with the image of 
  the great crescent of faces descending before one of her wise men. 
  ‘Perhaps it was both. God works in mysterious ways.” 
  Stephane was happy she did not respond with an argument 
  immediately. They simply gazed at the wall silently. Lost in 
  his thoughts, he didn’t even notice the sudden appear- 
  small man with the shaved head 
  blue crescent tattoo. 
  “It was neither.” 
  Brother Stephane looked at them 
  0th and sighed quietly. They had 
  warned him: debate was forever part 
  of a teaching priest’s duties. 
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  6.1 MASSADA Atin THE REVISIONIST 
  CHURCH 
  Revisionism, the strongest Terranovan religion, was born in the Badlands during the Recon- 
  struction years after Terra Nova’s abandonment. The Gentle Prophet Mamoud Khodaverdi 
  received enlightenment in the Karaq Wastes and founded his new faith of love in the city of 
  Massada. A schism occurred after his death, and the Prophet’s lifelong companion Nathani 
  left the city and founded a separate church in his native Sorrento - 
  a church which now 
  dominates the North. Mamoud’s son Jakob remained in Massada and led the Revisionist 
  Church that now has adherents across the Badlands and in some parts of the Eastern Sun 
  Emirates. 
  Little else is known of the early days of the faith since Mamoud frowned upon recording 
  devices, preferring to teach using metaphorical fables. Following this method, many stories 
  are told about the Prophet, but they are largely apocryphal, used to enlighten rather than to 
  reflect historical events. The greatest Massadan stories are gathered in the two books of the 
  Khodaverdia. Book One consists of stories, told by the Prophet himself, that often feature 
  personified animals as protagonists, while Book Two is a collection of the most famous sto- 
  ries about his life. Nathani is portrayed as somewhat unenlightened and thick headed in Book 
  Two, a fact most theologians see as a reflection of the Massadan/Sorrento schism rather than 
  an accurate portrayal of the man. 
  6.1.1 TENETS OF THE FAITH 
  Massadan Revisionists are expected -with the aid of a priest - 
  to find their own interpretations of the Khodaverdia in order to 
  guide their lives. However, a body of standard interpretations has become widely accepted. 
  The primary Massadan Revisionist belief is that an almighty divine force guided the Prophet to create the faith and the Church. 
  This force is widely believed to be universal and benevolent. A constant debate exists as to whether this force is the creator of the 
  universe or its consciousness. 
  Massadan Revisionists wish to promote peace and love in order to guide humanity to a peaceful time of harmony. The Prophet 
  taught that all things are connected by sympathy, so a single act of kindness can save the world and a single act of violence can 
  destroy it. As a result, Massadan Revisionists are total pacifists, feeling that no violence can be justified. The Sorrento Revisionist 
  belief in righteous violence is the greatest gulf between the sister faiths. 
  The themes of love and harmony, central to Revisionism, are most strongly expressed in marriage. The bond of matrimony is 
  understood as the ultimate commitment to harmony and is expected to last a lifetime. The Massadan Church does not permit 
  divorce and so encourages the faithful not to marry impetuously. Premarital sex is perfectly acceptable and it is common for 
  Revisionist couples to live together for a decade before taking marriage vows. Clerics are expected to remain single (but not 
  celibate) in order to dedicate themselves to the faith, but teaching priests may marry. 
  A small, but influential, faction within the priesthood, the Divine Prophet is founded on the belief that 
  Mamoud Khodaverdi was not a simple sage or prophet, but the universal life-force itself in human form. 
  The Divine Prophet is the sect most dedicated to weeding out the exact teachings of Mamoud - 
  in their 
  opinion, the words of God - 
  from the apocryphal and human tales that surround it. They will go to 
  almost any length to uncover original texts and recordings from Mamoud’s life, or speak with the de- 
  scendants of people who met and talked with him. Through their endeavors, they have come to idealize 
  the man’s life, creating a fantasy image devoid of any defects. The best way to insult or even enrage a 
  Divine Prophet believer is to suggest that the Prophet had flaws or shortcomings, even simple human 
  ones such as occasional impatience or animosity toward others. Historical evidences that could tarnish, 
  even in the smallest way, this perfect image of the prophet is discarded as a “dishonest fabrication meant 
  to weaken and undermine the faith of the pure of heart.” 
  Unlike other Revisionist sects, the Divine Prophet has adherents within both the Massadan and Sorrento 
  Churches and in fact forms a shadowy network that greatly concerns the leadership of both churches. 
  The Sorrento leader - 
  Second Follower Reverend Thor Hutchison - 
  has privately called the sect a 
  heresy. While the First Follower refuses to go that far, preferring to see them as slightly misguided (but 
  still basically good) believers, he does agree that they can come to pose a problem to the Revisionist faith 
  as a whole. 
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  61.2 STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH 
  At the top of the Massadan Church's loose hierarchy is the First Follower. He or she embodies all the elements of the faith and 
  leads both the church and Massada. First Followers model their lives after the Prophet, hoping to gain grace by walking in his 
  steps, but cannot speak with divine authority. The word of the Follower is the word of a wise man, not of God. The First Follower 
  is assisted by a small group of advisors known as Counsels. Chosen by the Follower, they are prominent theologians, social 
  campaigners or trusted friends. This counseling body is often split between theological advisors and pragmatic administrators. 
  Other than First Follower and Counsel, there is no rank beyond priest. However, two types of priests exist: clerics, addressed as 
  Father or Mother, and teachers, addressed as Brother or Sister. Clerical priests preach from sanctified churches within Massada 
  and guide the faith of the pilgrims, whom they may convert to Revisionism. Teaching priests cannot evangelize or convert, but are 
  sanctioned to operate across Terra Nova, teaching about the Prophet. Those who wish to join the faith are told to make a pilgrim- 
  age to Massada. Teaching priests often travel from place to place, but may also help guide the faithful outside Massada by setting 
  up temples as community centers. 
  Priests in charge of churches, temples or services in Massada hire lay people to assist them. These employees of the church are 
  paid for their services and remain answerable to the priest who hired them. Lay officers often decide to enter the priesthood after 
  a Deriod of service. 
  SUCCESSION OF THE FIRST FOLLOWER I 
  First Followers serve until their death and the question of succession is rarely easy to answer. Followers 
  often name successors, but these may not be trusted by the Counsels who serve as interim leaders of the 
  faith. Such was the case in TN 1908 when the dying Berengar Green named his personal student Dreven 
  Capac as his successor. To avoid impetuous decisions, the Counsels hold an open meeting after a Follow- 
  er's death to ratify succession and in this case, they wavered. In TN 1909 however, Capac's simple 
  compassion, and his respect for his mentor and the Prophet, won over a majority of the Counsels and the 
  Church has benefited from his wisdom ever since. 
  6.1.3 MASSADA 
  The original Massada - 
  now known as the Old City - 
  was 
  built into an isolated mesa and later abandoned by an obscure 
  colonial-era cult that expected a cataclysm in 5600 A.D. (TN 
  1188). The cataclysm never materialized and the cult slowly 
  disbanded. The city then became the home of rovers, smug- 
  glers and other malcontents over the cycles, creating a rag- 
  tag shanty towii clinging to the side of the mesa. The situation 
  remained pretty much unchanged until the arrival, in TN 1487, 
  of the newly enlightened Mamoud Khodaverdi. He made his 
  home among the lowest section of the worst neighborhood, 
  and soon forged a peaceful religious community from the dregs 
  of society. His new philosophy completely changed the out- 
  look of the city over time, driving away the unreformables and 
  offering a new hope to those willing to work for it. 
  The city has grown with the faith, the major expansion coming 
  in TN 1728 when two oasis towers were built near the city gate 
  to accommodate refugees from the communities ravaged by 
  the St. Vincent's War. The so-called New City, comprised of 
  housing built on the mesa-top beyond the Old City, has slowly 
  developed since that time. Apart from the oasis towers and 
  some of the buildings of the New City, the architecture of 
  Massada is very simple - 
  one could almost say humble. 
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  I 
  Societq 
  Massadan society has three components. First are the 5,500 priests or lay officers of the Church, many of whom run the network of volunteer 
  charities that serve as city services in Massada. Second are the approximately 50,000 pilgrims in the city at any one time for religious reasons. 
  They want to be in the holiest place on Terra Nova either to learn from the greatest teachers or to enter into the life of the church. Roughly half of 
  them will settle permanently in Massada for a life of faith and contemplation and are given a small stipend by the church if they do volunteer work. 
  Third, and largest, are the secular citizens who engage in a variety of activities as they would in any other city- 
  trade, services and agriculture 
  -although most gear their businesses to serve the needs of pilgrims. 
  Massada is informally segregated. The Old City has a few simple businesses, but consists almost entirely of religious buildings and ancient 
  houses for priests and pilgrims. The New City is a mixed lot, resembling other city-states except for the occasional church or shrine. The oasis 
  towers at the city gates are set up to welcome transient pilgrims and are also the major tourism centers where tours are arranged, souvenirs are 
  purchased and tourist information is available. 
  Tensions between secular and religious inhabitants do occasionally arise. Secular Massadans complain about high taxes (which pilgrims do not 
  pay) although they have access to virtually unparalleled social services, while pilgrims often balk at the crass commercialism of tours and 
  souvenir shops. Large scale violence is unheard of, but the city does have a small corps of secular peace officers known as guardians. Guardians 
  patrol all sectors of the city and are authorized to use force (even deadly force, if need be) if there is no other solution, although they carry only 
  stun truncheons and tranquilizer weapons. 
  Criminal cases are tried by a panel of three priest-judges with one judge acting as advocate for the defendant, one as advocate for the state, and 
  one as neutral observer. The three judges must reach a consensus Sentences usually entail supervised community service, but in the most 
  serious cases, incarceration in study/rehabilitation centers does occur. There are currently 25 prisoners in the only such center in Massada. 
  External Relations 
  Massada has no formal diplomatic policy, but First Follower Capac has become famous for his calls for social justice, especially in the Revisionist 
  enclaves of the ESE Massada is committed to remaining an open city and accepts refugees with few questions asked The Massada/Sorrento 
  schism has led to tense relations with the North, but Massada remains a holy site for Sorrento Revisionists. 
  In the climate of increased North-South tension, the CNCS has faced strong public pressure to protect Massada, leading to repeated offers of a 
  military defense force for the city First Follower Capac rejected the idea until Second Follower Thor Hutchinson came from Sorrento for a 
  marathon summit in TN 1929 The two religious leaders finally agreed that a single Northern regiment - 
  the highly Revisionist Blue Angels, see 
  p. 42 - 
  would take up a position outside the city. Many feel Capac agreed to this to prevent Massada being unilaterally declared a CNCS 
  protectorate and flooded with troops 
  The BlueAngels have set up a base one kilometer from the city gates and patrol the surrounding area in distinctively painted Heavy Gears, but are 
  banned from the Old City while bearing arms. So far, the defense force has not encountered any major problems, although the priesthood remains 
  uncomfortable with them Pilgrims from the ESE are common targets for harassment and searches by the Angels Some predict serious problems 
  to come as tensions increase 
  Many would agree to say that the protectorate is made possible only through the efforts of Sister Melissa 
  Noble. Born a Sorrento Revisionist in the Norlight city of Livingstone, Noble is the bond-twin of the 
  current Blue Angelscommander, Colonel Nee1 Garner Fulan. Although they had a happy childhood, Noble 
  had a severe crisis of faith in her early twenties and went on a pilgrimage to the holy city-state of Massada, 
  where she studied the life of the Prophet and his teachings for many seasons before converting to the 
  Massadan Church. Although she remained in the holy city and has since become a teaching priest, Noble 
  stayed in contact with her bond-twin through a constant exchange of vidmessages and letters, following 
  his career with great interest. 
  When it was decided that Massada would become a CNCS protectorate, Noble realized that she and her 
  knowledge of the Norlight ways could be of assistance to the First Follower in his negotiations. She 
  offered her assistance and he wisely accepted, so Sister Noble was present for most of the final marathon 
  summit. It was she who suggested that the Blue Angelsserve as Massada’s protectors, their highly pious 
  background making them a mutually acceptable protection force. Noble is now the principal contact 
  between the Angelsand the church. 
  Noble and Fulan have enjoyed being together again, rediscovering the simple companionship of the bond 
  they had lived without for years. Their friendship is currently verging on the romantic, but neither feels 
  ready for a relationship that could very easily affect their work. Indeed, there are some who worry that 
  Colonel Fulan could be blackmailed by threats against his bond-twin. 
  Matters have recently been made even more complex for Sister Noble. The Blue Angels received some 
  reinforcements a short while ago, and one of the Gear pilots met her by pure chance while she was 
  visiting the base. He has been actively courting her since then. Fulan has not noticed yet, or at least has 
  given no indication that he has. 
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  mal network of communes, although it is not required of them. Most city-states have at least a 
  small Blue Crescent community and several oases, towns and caravans have a few bald and 
  tattoed adherents among their citizenry. Although even a small commune can be significant in a 
  sleepy town, Badlanders generally see the Blue Crescent as a harmless fringe group. 
  The Blue Crescent teach a doctrine of cooperation and benevolent communism. Adherents of 
  the order attempt to shed the physical aspects of the self and concentrate on the beauty of the 
  spirit and the welfare of the community as a whole. It is this beauty and order that guide the 
  way toward the true enlightenment and wisdom of the inner self. While the Blue Crescent has 
  no strict hierarchy or rank system, most communes in the Badlands trace much of their 
  philosophical theories back to Kolos the Teacher, founder of the Great Commune in the iso- 
  lated city-state of Marigold. 
  Marigold is the center of the Blue Crescent order. The fortified city-state is not seen as a holy 
  city, but merely acknowledged as the place where Kolos first developed his philosophy and 
  started gathering other like-minded individuals. As a result, the best teachers and guides of 
  the order, as well as the largest Blue Crescent community, can be found there. The streets are 
  filled with people sporting the crescent tattoo on their shaved foreheads, and the inhabitants 
  of the city have come to accept this as a fact of life. 
  6.21 THE CITY OF MARlGOlO 
  The city-state of Marigold is built around the gold mines near the alpha maglev line. The union that runs the community IS left 
  over from colonial times and remains extremely paranoid about foreign intrusions. Marigold has had to resist repeated attempts 
  to take over its rich mines and outsiders are barely tolerated in the name of trade. The city is heavily fortified and defended by two 
  Heavy Gear regiments. 
  Marigolden society is divided between those who manage and work in the city-owned mines (roughly 60% of the population), 
  and the local Ross lichen farmers and traders. Traders are responsible for the injection of consumer and luxury goods from 
  beyond the city. Marigolden industry is extremely limited, leading to a great paradox in which the city is dependent on the very 
  industrial powers it fears. 
  Nelson Marsh became chairman of the Marigold Miner's Union in TN 1845. An advocate of change in his days as a union 
  delegate, he initiated a program of increased trade and foreign relations starting with the construction of a foreign quarter in the 
  city to house delegations. Unfortunately, on 12 Summer TN 1846, Marigold sklrted Southern occupation when a Mekong trade 
  delegate was assassinated by a Northern sympathizer and the MlLlClA threatened to invade. Marsh was forced to close the foreign 
  quarter and eject all diplomats, unknowingly setting the stage for Kolos the Teacher. This failure made Marsh bitter until his death, 
  and none of his successors have dared to try and reopen diplomatic ties. 
  The city of Marigold is almost exclusively closed to foreigners - 
  except for traders and pilgrims to the Commune Traders must apply in advance 
  for entry permits which allow them to set up in the city. Pilgrims, however, simply appear at the city gates and expect to be let in The Commune 
  has a fortified entrance outside the city walls and pilgrims are directed to that gate. There, they are searched for weapons or other illegal goods by 
  union guards and then led away by commune members to begin their studies. 
  Union leader Jaleel Marquis is becoming increasingly concerned with the ease of access that pilgrims enjoy and has directed his assistants to 
  look into solutions. As it stands, Commune members are allowed to leave their sanctuary freely, and some union leaders have proposed making 
  the Commune a completely separate entity, with heavily guarded borders between it and Marigold Kolos is known to be strongly opposed to this 
  project and rumors of new strikes are in the air 
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  6.2.2 THE GRERT COMMUNE 
  Hidden behind the fortified walls, paranoia and bitterness of Marigold lies the Great Commune of Gabriel Kolos, perhaps the 
  greatest teacher of the Blue Crescent. Kolos received enlightenment in the TN 1850s when he was a Marigolden mine supervisor 
  and began to teach others the way of the Blue Crescent. Nelson Marsh became increasingly concerned and eventually expelled 
  the teacher and his prominent students. 
  On 42 Fall TN 1854, three of the five great gold processing plants in Marigold came to a screeching halt in response to the 
  expulsion. Negotiations lasted for a full week until the two parties emerged with a mutually acceptable agreement that designated 
  the abandoned foreign districvas a Blue Crescent commune. Kolos agreed not to teach outside the Commune and to stay com- 
  pletely out of Marigolden politics. On 31 Spring 1855 TN, the Great Commune was officially handed over to Kolosand it has been 
  the Crescent‘s exclusive purview ever since. 
  Kolos the Teacher has welcomed thousands of students and has formed the Commune into a great academy. Crescent adherents 
  insist that Kolos teaches still, despite the fact that he has not appeared in public since the War of the Alliance. A cadre of thirty 
  teachers - 
  Kolos’ star pupils - 
  are responsible for most of the teaching in the Commune. 
  6.2.3 THE MRRIGOLO NETWORH 
  Kolos’ students have formed the core of the Blue Crescent in the Badlands and some parts of the Antarctic. The Great Commune 
  is open to anyone interested in learning at the feet of the master, and thousands arrive from across the Badlands to become 
  students. Most students will stay at least a full cycle and then return home to set up communes of their own with other pupils of 
  Kolos. They live together and search slowly and subtly for those who might be interested in wearing the Crescent. These initiates 
  are often sent to Marigold to learn the Way. There exists a network of thousands - 
  some say tens of thousands - 
  of Blue 
  Crescent adherents spread across the Badlands, all in limited or extensive contact with Kolos the Teacher and his commune, a fact 
  which is beginning to draw attention. 
  Northern Guard Intelligence Service (NGIS) Prince Gable bureau-chief Captain Alhana Zuniga began investigating the nehvork 
  after a suspected spy-and 
  Crescent adherent - 
  was released from a Gablite prison by an investigator who also wore the tattoo. 
  Zuniga has dispatched two trusted agents to infiltrate the network. One of them - 
  Lieutenant Malcom Henez -entered 
  Marigold 
  three months ago and has not been heard from since. 
  I 
  THE STREETS OF MARIGOLD 
  The tall, armored walls of the city hang ominously on the sky- 
  line, casting long shadows and giving tourists a strong sense 
  of claustrophobia. This feeling is further reinforced by the 
  narrow and winding streets that lace the city. Many first-time 
  visitors have reported seeings things “from the corner of their 
  eyes” and have not particularly enjoyed their trip. 
  Many of the old quarters of the citywere built within the rem- 
  nants of early mining operations and were, at the time, little 
  more than temporary shelters. While the newer quarters are 
  somewhat taller and cleaner, much of Marigold appears to be 
  little more than a slum. Tourists who come to visit “Midas’ 
  City” are always disappointed as they leave the commercial 
  sector - 
  more so when they attract the attention of local 
  thugs and cutthroats. 
  Most mines and waterroot fields are located within the walls 
  of the city, in districts of their own that are well protected by 
  skilled security forces. This has proved to be the best way to 
  defend against marauders such as Sand Riders and Rovers. 
  While some of the mines and fields are located outside of the 
  city walls, there are enough inside to allow Marigold to with- 
  stand a siege, should it be attacked. 
  The commercial and industrial sectors are the most open to 
  traders and travelers, but visitors are usually kept inside those 
  perimeters unless they benefit from special privileges. While 
  the city government claims that it is for their own security 
  and protection, most people whisperthat it is yet anothertypi- 
  cal example of Marigolden paranoia. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  6.3 SANU RlUERS 
  6.31 OVERVIEC 
  In the heart of the harsh Badlands lies the most inhospitable region on Terra Nova, known 
  only as the Great White Desert. Although it is geographically part of the Western Desert, the 
  Great White Desert is so different that it is often counted as the Badlands' fifth main desert 
  region. The area is named after the deadly corrosive powdery sand that coats much of its 
  surface. White sand is spewed into the atmosphere by the volcanoes on the eastern side of 
  the neighboring Westridge Range and brought over by hot air currents. Yet, in the midst of 
  this hellish environment, life persists. Many animals and desert plants have adapted them- 
  selves to the hostile environment, and to general disbelief, so have some very strange human 
  communities. 
  The people known as Sand Riders emerge from the depths of this uncharted wasteland to 
  trade and exchange stories with the homesteads and towns that dot the fringes of the Great 
  White Desert. They are one of the great mysteries of the Badlands, a people able to survive 
  and even prosper in one of the worst environments on Terra Nova. While most Terranovans 
  think of them as a united and homogenous group of people, they are in fact composed of 
  several sub-categories and cultures that interact with one another on many levels. This per- 
  ception is due to the fact that Terranovans in general (and, more specifically, Badlanders) 
  have come in contact with only one particular tribe of Sand Riders, the other tribes remaining 
  hidden in the deep desert. 
  Knowledge of the Sand Riders and their way of life is scarce and hard to come by. Most of the 
  anthropologists and social sciences students who have attempted to follow them into the 
  Great White Desert have either died or turned back, unable to survive the harsh conditions. 
  The Sand Riders' way of life remains a mystery, even to this day. 
  Although the nomadic lifestyle of the Great White Desert could not have arisen until several hundred cycles after humans arrived 
  on Terra Nova, in some sense the Sand Riders have existed as long as humans have been in the Badlands. Early settlers found an 
  empty and inhospitable world in thedesert and-as human arewontto do-built up a body of mythsandstories tofill thevoid. 
  Stories of supernatural desert creatures circulated among colonial inhabitants, and one of the most famous creatures was the 
  Sand Rider. Supposedly native to the desert, Riders were said to live in the harshest part of the Badlands. When settlement started 
  around the Great White Desert, it naturally became their mythical home. 
  Sometime during Reconstruction, the myths became fact. Most theorize that local homesteaders and miners, cut off from the rest 
  of Terra Nova, reverted to a tribal lifestyle and somehow discovered a way to thrive in the white desert itself, establishing a totally 
  new culture of their own. When the fertile areas nearby were reclaimed for homesteading, the Sand Riders emerged from the 
  desert and into reality. 
  FROM THE TESTIMONY OF DANIEL HRISTALZEN I 
  Daniel Kristalzen, homesteader from Pol County near the Great White Desert (TN 1821): 
  "You wanna know about the Sand Riders? They're dirty desert scum, that's what they are. I know your 
  type, you think they're some kind of noble desert primitives. Well you're wrong. I've seen 24 mm rifles in 
  their tents, and bought data pads from them, so don't give me that 'one with nature' drek. They sure ain't 
  kindly traders either. They'll take you for everything you've got if you let 'em. They camp out near town 
  and wait for you to come to them. They try and sell you candies and fruits and cloths and all kinds of bull. 
  What the hell do we need that for? Suckers snap it up, though. They give away food, farming equipment, 
  and stuff from the poles. Two days after they've traded away all their goods, they're left with a pretty cape 
  and a stomach ache. Idiots. 
  Benevolent traders? Yeah right. Benevolent traders don't swipe things out from under you. Why do you 
  think we keep 'em out of town? If you let them close to anything valuable they'll snatch it up while your 
  not looking. They trade 'cause they can't steal everything. At night they sneak into town or out to the 
  homesteads anyway and swipe what they can. Including people. You heard me. Apparently they can't 
  have their own babies so they steal ours. We've got to lock up our kids when they show up and wait 'em 
  out. My little brother disappeared when I was a little kid, so don't give me that goody goody line about the 
  Riders. We chase them out of town as quickly as we can. Wouldn't you? 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  6.3.2 SIND RIDER SOCIETY 
  Sand Riders call themselves the Koreshi -which 
  loosely translates to "the people" -and 
  divide their society between those 
  who are permitted to traffic with outsiders and those who must remain isolated in the heart of the desert. The Ratir Koreshi, or 
  "observant ones," travel in large trading caravans and are the Sand Riders known to traders and homesteaders. Ferah Koreshi, or 
  "true people," live in the Godwell Valley at the heart of the Great White Desert. Both groups are guided by the Thral Koreshi, or 
  "blessed ones." 
  Thral Horeshi: Teachers of the Spirit 
  The Thral are shamanistic priests who have molded the social fabric of their society since its inception. They direct the community by interpreting 
  omens and entering trances in which they trafficwith spirits. Thral Koreshi are also responsible for preserving the traditions and chronicles of the 
  Koreshi with oral and written records. Each Ferah village and Ratir caravan has at least one Thral who provides for the spiritual needs and 
  education of the community. 
  Koreshi are initiated as Thral after receiving a special dream, which is a portal to the world of spirit and magic. Although Koreshi society is quite 
  egalitarian, male and female dreamers are initiated into separate mysteries. Women are seen as linked with life and fertility and are initiated into 
  mysteries that are said to preserve the crops of the Godwell Mountains. Men are supposedly linked with death and the desert and are initiated into 
  mysteries to help survive the ravages of white sand and crushing aridity. 
  The greatest of the Thral mysteries is the story of the Koreshi great cycle, an epic that tells of the events that led to the creation of the Koreshi 
  people and maps their future. The details are secret, but all Koreshi know that it speaks of a Godwell Valley containing the seed of the great 
  community that the whole of Terra Nova will one day become. The Thral enter dream trances to better understand the path to this destiny, and then 
  help their fellows reach for the future. It is known that the crescent moon is an important symbol of the great future, and the Thral have protected 
  a wild garden in the center of the valley with a great wall covered with crescent shaped openings. This garden is the Koreshi's most sacred site and 
  is said to contain the seed of the worlds rebirth. 
  Ratir Horeshi: Caravans Traders 
  The Ratir have the sacred responsibility of trafficking with the world outside of the Godwell Valley. The great epic of the Thral speaks of the signs 
  of the great change in humanity coming from the outside world - 
  Ratir search for these signs. The Ratir also fulfill the real need for trade, 
  bringing back goods unavailable in the Godwell Valley. The Ratir trade fruit and meat, fine silver and gold-work, jewels and refined white sand to 
  the homesteaders and travelers on the fringe of the Great White Desert for firearms, fine woven textiles and many food staples. All foreign goods 
  must be ritually cleansed before entering the Godwell Valley. 
  During trade stops, the Ratir set up large black tents, pen their desert beasts and set up stalls for trading. They carry large firearms at times, but 
  do not use motor vehicles, relying instead on huge armadillo beasts and riding springers. Those who meet the Ratir usually see them as primitive 
  tribal traders since they only seem interested in the simplest tools, but, despite appearances, they are well aware of the power of technology. The 
  technology is, however, worse than useless in the Great White Desert since it will corrode and break down insidea day. Only simpleweaponswith 
  a few moving parts that can be covered with corrosion resistant resin are regularly traded for. 
  The Ratir's final duty is to adopt those outsiders who are chosen to join the Koreshi. The Koreshi believe in an organic society in which the 
  individual is just a component of the whole. They adopt only children (relatively uncorrupted by the outside world) that have been rejected from 
  their own community, Those abused by their parents or neglected to the point where they cannot dream properly (a condition Ratir are trained to 
  recognize) are candidates for adoption. The removal of children is fairly rare, but the coincidence between Sand Rider visits and vanished children 
  has been noticed. The Northern Guards 21st Heavy Gear Regiment - 
  the SandSnakes- 
  has recently undertaken a campaign to chase the 
  Koreshi away from the towns on the northern fringe of the Great White Desert. 
  1 JONUS HERRSI: "SACRED WANDERERS" 
  The most admired Koreshi are those who leave the Great White 
  Desert altogetherto observe the outside world. Often traveling 
  with people who have had previous dealings with the Sand 
  Riders, their journeys usually take many cycles to complete. 
  When they eventually return, they tell all their tales to a Thral, 
  often talking for days on end, are ritually cleansed and then 
  depart once again. Only volunteers become Jonus Herasi and 
  do so because they feel it to be their calling. They are usually 
  fascinated by the outside world and are the Koreshi most likely 
  to adopt outsider habits. Although respected for their sacri- 
  fice, Jonus Herasi are also seen as strange and almost super- 
  natural for voluntarily leaving the relative safety of their com- 
  munity behind to venture into the other human societies. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Ratir Koreshi, the Sand Riders known to outsiders, wear dis- 
  tinctive clothes and carry specialized equipment that allows 
  them to survive in the Great White Desert. 
  Desert Cloah 
  A valuable piece of technology, the cloak Ratir wear is made 
  of a heat dampening material imported from the poles. The 
  cloak is made of several layers that keep the wearer cool and 
  break up his IR signature, making him harder to spot with 
  thermal sensors. The cloak (and mask) is covered with Kraan 
  sap which guards against the effects of white sand, enabling 
  the Ratir to survive even white sandstorms. 
  Drevis Hnife: 
  The drevis (ADt7 Damage Multiplier) is the traditional hunt- 
  ing knife of the Koreshi. It is used to skin springers and can 
  be inserted between the plates of armadillo beasts to crack 
  them open. The Ratir sometimes use their drevis for duels of 
  honor, although this is a rare occurence. 
  IS mm Heavq Rifle 
  These old-style heavy rifles with few moving parts are traded 
  for by the Ratir. They are coated and lubricated with Kraan 
  sap to avoid corrosion and can load the deadly white sand 
  ammunition. Most of these rifles weigh around 9 to 11 kilo- 
  grams and are valued at about 1600 markddinars (when avail- 
  able). Game stats: Acc:O, Dam: x40, Range: 50/100/200/400, 
  ROF: 0, Ammo: 5 shots/magazine. 
  White Sand Bmmo 
  This hand-made ammunition contains highly corrosive refined 
  white sand ash. White sand causes an extreme burning sen- 
  sation in wounds and adds 10 points to the damage total of 
  any shot that hits. In addition, when using this ammo against 
  armored targets (personal scale), the armor is permanently 
  reduced by one die’s worth (ld6) of points for each hit. This 
  type of ammunition is manufactured exclusively by the Ratir 
  and is rarely found on the black market. The cost for one shell 
  (if found) is typically around 200 marksldinars. 
  Hraan Sap: 
  Ratir carry gourds of sap that they use to coat their clothes 
  and weapons to protect them from the ravages of white sand. 
  Ferah Horeshi: life on the land 
  The Ferah who tend the land given to the Koreshi are the core of Sand Rider society. They raise crops of nuts and fruits and breed animals in their 
  jungle valley, maintaining a society they firmly believe holds the only hope for the future. They are banned from contact with the outside world - 
  except for ritually cleansed objects - 
  for fear it will corrupt the “pure” Ferah. 
  The Ferah, like the Ratir, live in family-based groups. Each extended family controls a small village and at least one fertile depression in the Godwell 
  Valley. Villages are led by a chieftain who operates with the consent of his or her community and the local Thral. The decisions of the villagers 
  determine the place of almost all Ferah in their society. At the age of 13 cycles, all undergo a rite of passage, at which time the chieftain of the village 
  (after consulting with the youth and the rest of the villagers) presents the communal judgment on the new Ferah‘s role. Youths who resist are allowed 
  to put off adulthood for a full cycle, at which time they must accept the judgment or become untouchable and leave their village. 
  Villagers from diverse communities come together once a season in large festivals run by the Thral. Besides their religious purpose, these 
  festivals serve as grand councils where Ferah from far-flung villages can air and resolve grievances. These councils usually prevent minor 
  disputes from exploding into major confrontations, but skirmishes between warriors from neighboring villages are very common. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  THE CURSE OF THE FIRST BORN 
  The Koreshi people suffer from a reproductive defect that causes the first born child to be still-born in 
  almost all cases. The Thral teach that this is the price all Koreshi must pay for the protection they are 
  given by the land in the Godwell. Koreshi women often suffer from other fertility problems, and concep- 
  tion must frequently be aided by ritual and herbal remedies known only to certain Thral. As a result, the 
  Koreshi reproduction rate is relatively low. Combined with the problems of disease and other dangers, 
  this means that the Koreshi population remains fairly stable, even with their tradition of adopting aban- 
  doned or unwanted children. 
  Occasionally, a first-born child will survive and is born very healthy. According to the Thral, these are 
  special children who are given back by the land to accomplish great things. These first-born survivors are 
  usually taken under the care of a Thral mentor at an early age. Other children - 
  and many adults - 
  distrust them, seeing them as different and dangerous and wonder whether the land did not, in fact, 
  reject them. 
  First-born survivors are often hardy children who are molded into tough, mature individuals by the social 
  pressures they face. They often become some of the best warriors and explorers of the Sand Rider 
  community, and frequently ask to be made Jonus Herasi, “the Great Wanderers.” 
  6.3.3 THE GREAT WHITE DESERT 
  The Great White Desert is, without a doubt, the most hostile environment on Terra Nova. Covering several thousand square 
  kilometers in the Western Desert just north of the Saragossa Range, it is named for the millions of tons of white sand ash that 
  spew from an active volcanic chain at its heart. for the most part, the white sand settles to the ground as a mildly corrosive dust, 
  giving the landscape white highlights. In areas where the white sand collects in larger quantities, such as on the crests of large 
  dunes or around rocky outcroppings, the ash remains pure enough to be deadly. 
  The region is also subject to major sandstorms. The Saragossa Range pushes cold air northward at high speed and mingles it 
  with the hot volcanic updrafts in the area to create great turbulence. These winds pick up the white ash - 
  lighter than sand - 
  and become so corrosive that they can strip flesh from bone and eat through Heavy Gears. Occasionally, these sandstorms will 
  meld together into deadly white tempests that race across the face of the Badlands, destroying anything that has the unfortune of 
  being in their path. 
  Living in this desolate and harsh terrain requires a hardy constitution, some special equipment and, most of all, an extremely 
  acute survival instinct. One must learn to recognize and avoid the worst white sand concentrations, breathe for hours on end 
  through a half-clogged respirator, or spot the telltale coloration that betrays the presence of a patch of water-bearing plants hidden 
  in the sand. 
  Flora and Fauna 
  Ironically, the same volcanism that makes the Great White Desert so deadly also makes it fertile. The geological activity has led to many minor 
  fissures in the MacAllen cave network, so plant and animal life is surprisingly plentiful. Most life in the Great White Desert lives beneath the sand, 
  away from the wind and the highest concentrations of ash. Ross lichen, wild waterroot and some scrub plants are the most common flora. The 
  native animals are mostly small lizards and insects that burrow through the sand, feeding off each other and the lichen. Small hunter vines also 
  feed off the fauna. 
  The richness of the water and plant life has attracted many homesteaders to the fringe of the desert. These hearty souls build extremely sturdy 
  homesteads against the deadly white sandstorms, but lead good lives raising hoppers and springers, and tapping water from their wells and local 
  waterroots. 
  The Godwell Valleq 
  At the center of the desert lies the heart of Koreshi life. A volcanic mountain chain rises abruptly out of the dunes, black rock contrasting sharply 
  with the deadly white sand deposits that cap every stone. Scientists call these the White Mountains and acknowledge them as the planet’s largest 
  source ot white sand ash. These mountains hide what the Koreshi call the Junira Loresh -the Godwell Valley. 
  The mountains may spew out tons of deadly ash, but they also shelter one of the most fantastic micro-climates on Terra Nova. The mountains form 
  a rough ring, and in the center lies a huge surface tributary of the MacAllen network in a valley whose floor dips as low as 1500 meters below the 
  average ground level. Isolated by depth, water and volcanic updrafts, the valley contrasts sharply with the desert above. Temperatures hovers 
  around 25” centigrade and humidity is high. This jungle environment features ferns, trees, lizards, insects and mammals usually found only in the 
  Southern rain forests. A unique plant called Kraan grows along the upper walls of the valley, in areas that are subjected to regular drafts carrying 
  white sand ash. The vines excrete a resin on their leaves and branches that acts to counter the corrosive compounds in the ash. It is refined Kraan 
  sap spread across cloaks that allows the Koreshi to survive white sandstorms. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  AOVENTURING IN THE BAOlANOS 
  lTwo thousand points!” 
  Yannick smiled widely under the headset as his fingers danced across the 
  game’s control panel. His Gears had just captured the city-center, breaking 
  his old record. 
  Vou suck, man,” Karl was playing defender in the same game and wasn’t 
  very happy about having a strategic point captured. He dropped some more 
  coins in the slot, “Kiss your ass good-bye!” 
  “Come and get me, loser!” 
  While the two boys’ fingers pushed triggers and pulled control sticks, while 
  their feet worked pedals, the war raged on in the digital world of the game. 
  Yannick’s blue team was bogged down in the city center by Karl’s newly 
  arrived attack squadrons. Struck by a glowing missile, Yannick’s lead Gear 
  exploded in a flash of light. 
  6‘Damn!” Without his leader, Yannick was at a crippling disadvantage. Karl 
  exulted, “NO more special weapons, loser!” 
  “Don‘t need ‘em to wipe you!” Yannick reconfigured his squadrons. No spe- 
  cia1 characters, but he could still take Karl. One of his troopers moved 
  around a beautifully rendered blown out building and jumped Karl’s leader. 
  The Game entered duel mode, ‘You’re going down.” 
  Karl launched a spread of mega-killer missiles from his more powerful Gear, 
  but Yannick was the better duelist and his machine avoided all damage. 
  One quick reverse thrust kick -a move Karl could never get to work - 
  and 
  Yannick had won the duel and the game. 
  “Don’t mess with the best,” Yannick fished in his pocket. Enough for one 
  more game, “Hey Karl, how about a civy-hunt? 
  “Alright!” Both boys plunked in their coins and chose the “patrol” game 
  scenario. They then flouted the rules of the game and attempted to accu- 
  mulate as many civilian casualties as possible before the game clock ran 
  down. Yannick sent his Gears into a hospital and mowed down the patients. 
  , Karl found a busy intersection and sent missiles into several cars, setting 
  on of carnage. In the closing seconds of the game, both 
  d all their heavy missiles at the base of a tower and brought 
  it crashing down on the refugees below. All the carnage was 
  beautifully realistic, the holographic flames rising high above 
  eir game console. 
  Yes!” Karl got out of the simulation cockpit. “Did you see those peo- 
  le get squashed?” 
  nnick smiled, “Totally! Hey, I’m hungry, let’s go get some food.” 
  Yannick and Karl walked out of the arcade and into the day- 
  ght. They had just cleared the door when the first parachut- 
  ing Jaguar landed in front of them. The sounds of cannon 
  fire could be heard echoing across the city. The two 
  boys looked at each other and said as one: 
  “Woah ... Cool!” 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  m
  One of the strongest aspects of Heavy Gear is that the game can be played not only as a 
  wargame, but also as a roleplaying game. Of all the regions on Terra Nova, the Badlands are 
  ripe with wargaming and roleplaying opportunities. The law is looser than anywhere else, the 
  weather and the environment are tougher and the opportunities for adventure abound. While 
  playing in the northern or southern hemispheres has a charm of its own, piloting a Gear often 
  -if not always - 
  requires the character to be part of a military unit. Not so in the Badlands. 
  Indeed, it is possible for a player to be a lone cavalier defending the widow and the orphan, or 
  to be a simple homesteader defending his community against a band of aggressive rovers. It 
  is even possible to play the rovers themselves. 
  This chapter provides eleven short adventure seeds which are not necessarily linked with one 
  another. A creative Gamemaster may wish to find a thread that connects them all and turn 
  them into a campaign, or he may simply select those adventures which he feels are closer to 
  what his players are interested in. Not all the scenarios suggested are for Heavy hear pilots. 
  While the latter can play them, they might not require the use or even the presence of a Heavy 
  Gear at all. 
  Remember that the Badlands do not bear that name for no reason. Life is harsh, death comes 
  easy and the people who live there are as merciless as the sun. With the move to war, the 
  restlessness increases, and it is but a matter of years before all hell breaks loose ... 
  7.1.1 OVERVIEW 
  The deserts, mountains and savannahs of the Badlands form an endless venue for adventure. The forces of Terra Nova's two 
  confederations face off in these deserts, while locals struggle to survive in the harsh world of their birth. Players can portray polar 
  Gear pilots if they want, but other options are equally viable. County marshals, desert tribe members, caravan traders, religious 
  pilgrims, rovers, gamblers and spies all interact in the Badlands and provide great fodder for roleplaying. Heavy Gear is a game 
  of science fiction and war machines, but it is also a game of politics and survival, of enlightenment and betrayal. All these 
  elements are at play in the Badlands. 
  71.2 THEMES 
  Perhaps the most important step in developing a roleplaying adventure is choosing a theme. Themes bind stories together and 
  serve as their core. War, vengeance, survival, religion or discovery are all common roleplaying adventure themes. These are all 
  viable in the equatorial deserts, but Into the Badlands focuses particularly on the following two linked themes: 
  The Corning of War 
  Both polar confederations are preparing for another war that will likely be fought - 
  at least in part - 
  in the Badlands. Intelligence agents and 
  freelance spies are trading information across the deserts, while Northern and Southern regiments meet in tense face-offs. Skirmishes and tactical 
  strikes are becoming commonplace, while black operations spiral out of control. 
  Many stories can be told focusing on these tensions and conflicts. If players portray polar soldiers they will be caught up in the struggle with 
  blinding speed. If they hail from the North, they will be held back by diplomats and face the frustration of stand-offs they cannot resolve with the 
  arms at their disposal. Their Southern counterparts will be dragged into morally questionable actions, forced to leave their code of honor behind 
  them. Intelligence or other agents will be caught in a shadow war of special operations and betrayals. Always remember that war is costly: friends 
  will die, innocents will suffer and Player Characters will be caught in the middle of it all. 
  Independence 
  Badlanders are famous for their rugged individualism, but resistance to polar domination is becoming more and more futile. Both the CNCS 
  Desert Trade Commission and the AST's diplomatic mission are putting serious pressure on many communities to align, pressures backed up by 
  military might. Meanwhile, the shields of the Paxton Protectorate and NuCoal have become less and less reliable. 
  If players portray locals, they will likely be struggling against this trend. Their city, village, homestead or tribe may come under pressure to align 
  and/or be caught up in the military struggle that is gripping the region. Can they use public opinion, negotiation and other peaceful methods, or 
  will they be compelled to take up arms? 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  7.2 ROVENTURE SEEUS 
  The adventure seeds on the following pages should provide good launching points for a variety of cam- 
  paigns in the Badlands. They are not fully detailed adventures, lacking details such as location maps, 
  personalized sub-plots and the statistics of the major Non-Player characters. What each seed offers is a 
  basic plot along with a few complications that can be thrown in to make matter more interesting. The 
  seed still requires some fine-tuning work by the Gamemaster to turn it into a full-blown adventure suit- 
  able for the party. 
  Each adventure seed includes a header which contains three entries called Suggested PCs, Location and 
  NPCs. The Suggested Player Character types are not obligatory, but are the types that fit the most within 
  the listed plot. Some adventures are naturally best suited for certain kind of Player Characters, but with a 
  few manipulations and a little rewriting the circumstances portrayed can be used with other characters 
  and/or locales. 
  Location is the city or place where most of the adventure is taking place. Often, this can be easily modi- 
  fied to suit the group’s current location -after all, what is more common than a desert or a city-state on 
  Terra Nova? The Life on Terra Nova Sourcebook and this manual can be used to fill in the missing 
  information on the suggested location(s). 
  Finally, the last entry, Non-Player Characters, is a short list of the people that the PCs may encounter 
  during the adventure. They will be the secondary characters of the story (or the villains) and will require 
  a bit more work than the usual “window dressing“ character. These NPCs should thus be prepared in 
  advance. Often, a ready-made “typical” character will already exist for the required role, or one can be 
  adapted. This will save both time and effort to the Gamemaster, who will be able to concentrate more on 
  the plot of the adventure. 
  The header is followed by a plain text description of the basic plot of the adventure. Plots can be readily 
  mixed and matched and an adventurous Gamemaster could try and run two of the following adventures 
  at the same time, letting their intrigues twist and turn around each other, making the game more exciting 
  (and a bit more confusing, too). Sub-plots specific to each character in the party should also be woven 
  into the main story as well to further personalize the adventure. 
  7.2.1 C A l l  FOR HELP 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Location: 
  Peace River Defense Force soldiers 
  Stormhaven, a Karaq Wastes town 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Southern MlLlClA soldiers. local miners. Northern intelliaence aaents 
  A Southern MlLlClA Heavy Gear regiment appears on the horizon east of the mining town of Stormhaven. 
  The town council makes a desperate call for help to Peace River and Paxton sends in a regiment by air- 
  carrier to protect Stormhaven. By the time the PRDF arrives, Southern Gears have already entered the 
  city and secured the main road, but will withdraw if confronted. The town council insists that they be 
  expelled from their positions. Player Characters arriving in the town will be forced to face better trained 
  Southern Gear pilots without being able to open fire first, as their commanders do not want to provoke all 
  out war with the South. 
  Once the patrols have withdrawn, Player Characters will be stationed to guard the city interior and will 
  notice a group of commandos infiltrating the town. Unknown to the PRDF, the local mines have been 
  serving as arms depots for the Northern Guard for the last cycle. Mayor Cecil Junika has received ample 
  payment for allowing this, and ten Northern intelligence agents are stationed in the depot. Acting on 
  information from a double-agent, the MlLlClA is planning to destroy the depot, hoping to capture the 
  Northern commandos. 
  If the Player Characters allow the commandos to complete their reconnaissance mission, a second team 
  will be sent in to destroy the cache while the PRDF is engaged as a feint. If the commandos are captured, 
  they will resist interrogation, and then only give information about their reconnaissance mission. In this 
  case, the MlLlClA will decide to attack with their full force and destroy the depot. 
  Will the Player Characters reveal the cache to their superiors, probably leading to a PRDF withdrawal and 
  the destruction of the town - 
  including innocent casualties? Will they attempt to capture the Northern 
  agents? Can they find a way to get both sides out of the town without bloodshed? 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  7.2.2 COUNTDOWN TO ARMAGEDDON 
  Requirements: 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Revisionist pilgrims, Northern agents 
  Location: 
  Massada 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Pilgrims, Revisionist priests, Massadan citizens 
  Janus Filo, a disturbed Sorrento Revisionist veteran, has decided to rid the world of the Massadan “her- 
  esy.’’ He has used his demolitions expertise to wire the major support beams of one of Massada’s oases 
  with explosives. Filo announces his plan anonymously over the oasis’ public address system - 
  mutter- 
  ing about the wrath of God - 
  and seals all the exits by activating the emergency quarantine system. 
  Player Characters are among those trapped in the tower and are nearby when an explosion rips through 
  a gift shop, killing both staff and clientele. They may know one of the victims, be familiar with the explo- 
  sive used (a typical Northco anti-personnel mine) or recognize the Sorrento Revisionist concept of divine 
  wrath in Filo’s speech. 
  Those who investigate the tower’s emergency control center will discover that the command board has 
  been tampered with. The doors can be opened from here, but another bomb must be dealt with. An 
  examination of the public address system uncovers an audio disc player containing Filo’s declarations. 
  The text of these speeches is rambling and fanatical, but refers continuously to divine wrath. Characters 
  may realize that this fixation is tied to the Massadan festival of harmony which celebrates the Prophet’s 
  abandonment of all anger. The festival, celebrated in the Old City, is set to begin the next day - 
  and the 
  First Follower will be in attendance. 
  The festival site is a vast cathedral supported by great beams and archways that are obvious targets for 
  the bomber. It will be packed with pilgrims during the festival. The Player Characters do have a chance of 
  talking Filo out of his act. He is a Revisionist, and it is possible to convince him that this is not an act of 
  love. However, should the Player Characters display even the slightest anger, it will trigger Filo’s own rage 
  and lead to bloodshed. 
  7.2.3 CRESCENT OF BLOOD 
  Requirements: 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Desert traders, any Badlanders 
  Locations: 
  Marigold, other desert communities 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Blue Crescent adherents, NGlS agents, traders 
  Player Characters are drawn into a lethal chase when a friend of theirs, a trader in the Badlands, is found 
  dead, his head shaved and bearing the Blue Crescent tattoo. An investigation reveals that, across the 
  Badlands, twenty Crescent members have been found dead with their throats slit. Medical exams reveal 
  that the shaving and tattooing occurred after death. Comparing the travel records of the victims - 
  complicated by local reluctance to release the information -will 
  uncover that they all traveled to Mari- 
  gold before their deaths, sending the Player Characters to the city. 
  In Marigold, talking to traders and local gold merchants will be the most effective way to uncover the 
  truth. One trader will tell them that a man matching their friend’s description walked off with a Crescent 
  adherent who had a distinguishing characteristic (a mark, scar, deformity, etc.). The commune members 
  will deny any knowledge of the victims, but the Player Characters may well find the adherent who was 
  seen with their friend. If cornered, he will eventually reveal that the commune leader- Kolos the Teacher 
  -ordered him to meet a trader and bring him to Kolos‘ inner sanctum. 
  Gaining an audience with the Teacher will take a lot of convincing, but Kolos will confide that their friend 
  was carrying a data disk to be sent to another commune. The Crescent has enemies, Kolos will say, that 
  will stop at nothing to destroy their society. The Player Characters will leave the meeting only to find the 
  trader who helped them killed, shaved and tattooed. 
  Johan Grice, a NGlS agent assigned to uncover the secrets of the commune, has become convinced that 
  the Blue Crescent is a great conspiracy. He has begun to eliminate and identify “collaborators.” The 
  Player Characters are now in danger and will have to find the killer before he finds them. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Requirements: 
  Northern agents 
  The Crags, east of Prince Gable 
  Desert Wolves. Southern strike-team. desert traders 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Location: 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Leonard Harrison, an assistant to Killa Odupe, the Northern trade representative in Prince Gable, has 
  gone missing in the Crags area east of the city. Five days ago, he traveled there alone, supposedly to open 
  negotiations with the local homesteaders. However, the Crags are notorious for being the turf of the 
  Desert Wolves, a well-known rover gang, and Harrison has failed to report in. A northern governmental 
  agency (most probably the Northern Guard, although any agency connected to the PCs can be used) 
  sends the Player Characters to investigate the disappearance. The agency’s directors wants them to track 
  Harrison down, fearing he may be a Southern spy based on strange reports of clandestine meetings in 
  shadowy neighborhoods of Prince Gable. 
  The Player Characters will face stern opposition from the rovers and silence from the locals if they arrive 
  in force. The homesteaders cling to their independence and the Wolves are ready to defend it, so a show 
  of force will only antagonize them. Subtler characters will discover that a trade caravan arrived in the 
  Crags around the same time as Harrison - 
  maybe the two are connected somehow? As usual, the inside 
  of the caravan trucks are off-limits to outsiders. The Desert Wolves may be willing to help if the Player 
  Characters can prove that Southern agents are in the region, or if the Northern Guard agrees to recognize 
  the Wolves’ hegemony in the Crags (unlikely, but worth a shot). 
  In fact, Harrison is secretly negotiating with a representative of Humanist nationalist Preceptor Hypolite. 
  Killa Odupe is aware of the talks but has not deemed necessary to inform the military about them. The 
  military has thus launched a search because of her “refusal to act on evidence.” The Southern agent in 
  Hypolite’s staff has reported the meetings to her superiors and agents of the MILICIA’s crack Special 
  lntervention Unit (SlU) have been deployed to capture (or kill, if capture is impossible) Harrison and 
  Hypolite’s delegate. The Player Characters are trapped in this web of deception and must try to get 
  Harrison back as discreetly as possible. 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Sand Riders (Ratir Koreshi) 
  Locations: 
  The Great White Desert, the Westridge Range, Wounded Knee 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Other tribe members, various Badlanders, Jeremiah Dupree 
  The Player Characters’ caravan is two days journey from a small town where they plan to trade their 
  goods when a band of rovers takes advantage of a calm in the desert winds to attack. The Riders may well 
  put up a fight, but the rovers are armed with several Gears and deadly incendiary rockets. The attackers 
  rip open many packages and then leave quickly with several Koreshi in tow, including the Thral priest. 
  The Player Characters are honor bound to track down their kidnapped brethren. 
  The Ratir face a long journey tracking the rovers to their lair in an abandoned oasis tower. Unfortunately, 
  by the time they arrive the Thral and the othertribe members have been shipped off to be sold to slavers 
  from Wounded Knee. The Player Characters must now chase after them. The pursuit will bring them to 
  the Westridge Range and NuCoal territory. Once the slavers realize they are being stalked, they will travel 
  through cities, hoping to put the tribal hunters at a disadvantage. The chase north will be complicated by 
  the Northern Guard’s increased vigilance and knowledge of Sand Riders. 
  The criminal society of Wounded Knee will bring the Player Characters face to face with their ultimate 
  enemy. The slavers are tied to the Kolson Cartel that rules the city, and the Ratir will have to deal with 
  Captain Jeremiah Oupree. If the Ratir attacks are effective, Oupree will eventually try to bring the Player 
  Characters under his control. He will offer to release the slaves if the Ratir caravan joins his smuggling 
  network. He would pay in arms or other useful supplies. 
  Will the Ratir accept Dupree’s offer? Or will they lash out at a hated slaver? 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  7.2.6 JUDAS GAME 
  Requirements: 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  polar military personnel 
  Location: 
  any 
  Non-Player Characters. 
  Nicosa Renault, intelligence agents 
  The Player Characters are approached by legendary spy Nicosa Renault, who hints she has vital informa- 
  tion. She confides her suspicions that their superior officer is a double-agent. She provides photographs 
  of him meeting with people she claims are agents of the opposing power, copies of reports from the his 
  desk and enemy communiques that refer to those reports. She leaves them to decide what to do with this 
  incriminating evidence. 
  A few days later, the Player Characters are called into the office of the local intelligence officer who 
  informs them that someone claiming to be Nicosa Renault is spreading misinformation in the ranks in 
  order to sow dissension and weaken their defenses before the enemy attacks. If they tell him about 
  Renault‘s revelation, he will confirm that their superior has been targeted for a smear-job by the master 
  spy. Soon afterwards, their superior will send the Player Characters out on a patrol, and they will fall into 
  a trap set by enemy commandos. If they escape, they will have proof that their superior is indeed a 
  double-agent, but will not have anyone to trust. Renault is trying to catch both polar powers in a web of 
  betrayal and suspicion so that they will remain too weak to threaten the independence of communities in 
  the Badlands. 
  The Player Characters will be forced to rely on themselves. Their superior will have trumped up charges 
  of treason against them, their own intelligence agents may be provided with evidence of their meetings 
  with Renault, and Renault will attempt to cause the most disruption and suspicion possible. If the Players 
  Characters can capture her or prove their superior’s treason, they can come out as heroes, although an 
  air of suspicion may always follow them. 
  7.2.7 RIOTS AND RETRIBUTION 
  Requirements: 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Peace River peace officers 
  Peace River 
  I ncatinn. 
  Non-Plaver Characters: 
  Peace River citizens, Moroana GREL 
  Tension runs high in Peace River when Fidel Jacobi begins a campaign to reduce the recreation times 
  allotted to the worker caste in order to increase production. President Simosa at first rejects the idea, but 
  comes under pressure from other board members and passes the policy decision. The announcement is 
  punctuated by an explosion that rips through an executive recreation center, triggering a worker riot. 
  Player Characters are sent undercover to find those responsible for the attack. To do so, they have to 
  enter the shadowy world of radical labor activists. Here the bombing is applauded, but no one agrees as 
  to who is responsible. A few days into the investigation, with the riots starting to calm down, a crowd of 
  marchers is suddenly mowed down by the machinegun of a Warrior Heavy Gear. An anti-armor rocket 
  fired from the crowd ends the carnage, but not before two dozen workers are dead. Investigation will 
  show that the Gear’s CPU had been tampered with, and a few witnesses will report seeing a “tall woman” 
  use the rocket launcher. This will tie into stories of a beautiful woman joining some of the radical groups. 
  Undercover again, the Player Characters will discover that most of the more radical activists have met 
  with a tall and beautiful woman named Klaara over the last several months. If they are very subtle, the 
  Player Characters can get activist Dermot Braun (Klaara’s lover) to take them to her. If not, he will tell her 
  she is being tracked. 
  At six feet tall, “Klaara” is a relatively diminutive Morgana GREL who has undergone major plastic sur- 
  gery to modifiy her distinct physical appearance into a more mundane-looking one. She is acting under 
  orders of an Arthurian major to disrupt Peace River as retribution for their part in the defeat of the 
  colonial forces. If Klaara is captured, she will stick to her story of being a revolutionary to the end. Only a 
  very skilled interrogator, an extremely observant investigator, or a medical exam will reveal that she is a 
  GREL supersoldier - 
  even her lover is not aware of that fact. 
  I 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Requirements: 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Rovers 
  The Western Desert 
  Location: 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Caravan traders, mercenaries 
  During an attempted raid on a passing trade caravan, the Player Characters face unexpected resistance 
  from a squadron of Heavy Gears. To warrant such expensive protection, the convoy must be carrying 
  very valuable cargo and the Player Characters are given extra forces, if they need them, for a second 
  ambush further down the trail. 
  Provided they are successful, the rovers will find a dozen sealed, unmarked and armored boxes in one of 
  the caravan trucks. Once back at their base, laser torches can be used to burn through the electronic 
  locks of the crates, revealing a half-dozen canisters of what seems to be chemicals inside each one. 
  Player Characters with military or chemistry backgrounds will be able to identify J14, an extremely deadly 
  nerve gas banned by international treaty. Any captured Heavy Gear pilots from the caravan, given a bit of 
  coercion (physical or otherwise), will grundgidly admit to being a soldier of fortune hired out of Khayr ad- 
  Din. They were assigned to guard the shipment, bound for the city-state of Port Arthur, by a banned 
  weapons supplier. They had no idea that they were carrying lethal gas canisters, only that they were to 
  safeguard the shipment until it arrived at its destination. 
  The course of the adventure then depends on the inclinations of the players. If any of the mercenaries 
  escaped (several may have remained incognito in the caravan) the Arthurian military will be informed of 
  the loss and send GREL troops to recover their property. The rovers are now equipped with a very potent 
  and dangerous weapon. It could be used to increase their power, could be sold to a third party, or held for 
  ransom from Port Arthur. 
  The polar confederations and Paxton would also be very interested in knowing that Port Arthur is stock- 
  piling chemical weapons and could offer the rovers protection in return for the information (and the nerve 
  gas canisters, obviously). 
  9
  .
  2
  .
  9
  Requirements: 
  Marshals, homesteaders 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Location: 
  Fringe of the Great White Desert 
  Non-player characters: 
  Homesteaders, Sand Riders 
  A local child has gone missing and a white sandstorm is heading toward the Player Characters’ home- 
  stead county. A Sand Rider trade caravan has recently returned to the desert, and Hernan Guzi, father of 
  the missing Jimi, fears that his son has been kidnapped. 
  If the Player Characters take some time to investigate, they will discover that Jimi was fascinated by the 
  trade caravan. Some children mention that Jimi and his sister Lia were often hurt, the victims of acci- 
  dents on the farm. Lia will be difficult to talk to, but if she can be approached without her father’s knowl- 
  edge, she will say that Jimi “went away.” 
  The Sand Riders will not be happy about being followed and may respond violently if the Player Charac- 
  ters try to make a show of force. It should become evident that the PCs are dependent on the Riders as 
  the storm comes down upon them. If they are friendly, the Riders will protect them from the elements. 
  The traders will deny that Jimi was ever at the caravan. However, the storm will last at least one day, so 
  the Player Characters will have time to investigate under the shelter of the Riders’ tents. They will even- 
  tually discover that Jimi is indeed with the Riders, kept in a small tent with their shamanistic priest. He 
  seems ill as he is undergoing a purification ceremony. 
  The Player Characters can choose to bust him out of the caravan, in which case they will face a pursuit 
  through the desert, or they can confront the Riders. If they choose confrontation, the Riders will refuse 
  to hand him over, saying that they will care for him. If pressed, they will reveal that the boy has been the 
  victim of systematic child abuse. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  7.210 THE ULTIMATE GAME 
  Requirements: 
  Suaaested Plaver Characters: 
  Gamblers, scoundrels or ne’er-do-wells 
  The first annual Silver Star Casino card gambler’s championship -and 
  its 10 million dinar prize - 
  has 
  attracted Terra Nova’s best, most dangerous, most daring and most desperate gamblers, including the 
  Player Characters. The intrigue and posturing begin as soon as the contestants arrive. Among them are 
  various rogues from the Player Characters’ pasts and old rivalries and loves are rekindled. Practical jokes 
  abound as the gamblers settle in. 
  As the days pass, the stakes, the practical jokes and the tension all increase. The Player Characters find 
  embarrassing baby pictures projected onto the casino’s huge video monitors and wake up with strange 
  bed partners. The jokes are part of the greatest scheme of a Southern thief named Hannah the Clown who 
  plans to make fools of the gamblers by walking away with the prize money. The Player Characters obvi- 
  ously become Hannah’s favorite targets. 
  In the climactic winner-take-all card game - 
  where at least one Player Character should be present - 
  Hannah will make her final move. Disguised as a gambling witness, she replaces the cards with micro- 
  thin photo-films that can store and display several card face images. The images are manipulated so that 
  the Player Character wins, but after the final hand they will switch to bright letters that spell out ”sur- 
  prise.” Just then, the great casino safe will open to reveal that the prize money has been replaced by a 
  card with Hannah’s signature. 
  The players have the duration of the contest to stop this plan. If her identity as a witness is revealed, 
  Hannah will try to escape into another disguise and frame the Player Characters for the crime. The Player 
  Characters will find themselves answering questions about how secret casino data and observation tapes 
  got into their rooms. 
  Requirements: 
  Suggested Player Characters: 
  Any polar force soldiers, Peace Force soldiers 
  Location: 
  The Karaa Wastes 
  Non-Player Characters: 
  Rovers. homesteaders 
  A series of vicious attacks against homesteaders in the Karaq Wastes is cutting a bloody swath in the 
  settlements of the region. No one seems safe: settlements located in polar protectorates, as well as the 
  independents, have been attacked. Neither the Peace River officials nor the polar delegates have any idea 
  of what is going on, and all spend much time accusing each other of being responsible for the attacks. 
  Meanwhile, the various military forces are keeping a cooler head and coming to term with the fact that 
  they will have to work together if they are to solve this whole sordid affair. 
  All seems to point to a very mobile group of rovers as being responsible for the attack. No one can 
  explain how they can vanish so fast after each attack, however, for they seem to strike where the army is 
  not and always vanish before the defenders can reach the site of the assault. The only clue is that all the 
  homesteads that were attacked belong to one or the others of three separate great homesteader families: 
  the Tellerson, the Ducornis and the Ho. 
  The truth is, there is no rover gang. The Tellerson family has been at odds for the past hundred cycles 
  with the Ducornis clan over a question of mishandled live stock contract. Nobody remembers who was 
  wrong, and nobody cares. The two families are waging a private war with the weapons they salvaged 
  from their service in the Paxton army during the War of the Alliance. Since neither group wants “outsid- 
  ers” to come and mess in their business, they systematically cover each other’s tracks, making them very 
  difficult to catch in the act. Both the Tellerson and the Ducornis are very powerful in the region, and they 
  have managed to impose the law of silence overthe other homesteading families. Only Jackon Ho tried to 
  break that rule, and his family paid for it dearly. The Tellerson and Ducornis care very little for the health 
  of those who would interfere in their affairs. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  9.3 STOCK NON-PlAYER CHARACTERS 
  A 
  Because of the underlying story inherent to Heavy Gear, Non- 
  Player Characters have been divided into five particular types. 
  These types will help Gamemaster determine which character 
  he can or cannot use in his campaign, and who among those 
  is expendable. The attentive reader will notice that most His- 
  torical Figures, Restricted Characters and Very Important Peo- 
  ple have no Stats, while Social Encounters and Expendables 
  often do. This is to reflect the fact that stats are most useful for 
  combat involving PCs, and the first three categories do not 
  run that risk. 
  These are dead people. Unless a Gamemaster's campaign occurs at a 
  date prior to the current Heavy Gear storyline, these characters may 
  not be encountered. Their stats are not provided for this very reason. 
  Those are the characters who are vital to the storyline of Heavy Gear. 
  While their actions may result in events that will affect the Player Char- 
  acters' lives, they should remain in the background and are not ex- 
  pected to interact with the players. There will always be numerous 
  underlings to intervene between the PCs and them. 
  Verq Important People 
  Characters who fall into the VIP category are not necessarily linked to 
  the storyline. However, they are still important to the game world as a 
  whole and should not be eliminated unless the circumstances and the 
  campaign justify it. They have multiple resources and/or helpers who 
  will come to their aid, which they can occasionally make available to 
  the Player Characters. Should the players kill such a character, they 
  should immediately be hunted down and appropriately punished. 
  Most of the non-combat Non-Player Characters should fall into this 
  category While stats may be provided for these characters, they are 
  not expected to get into combat Still, because they can encounter 
  Player Characters, there is always a chance they could die 
  Expendables 
  These are the typical, faceless characters that populate Terra Nova by 
  millions They also include those characters who are meant to chal- 
  lenge the players during scenarios While mindless slaughter should 
  never be encouraged, these are the most expendable characters 
  ~
  .
  .
   
  . 
  .* 
  . 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  0 
  AGI 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  INF 
  1 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  Tqpical Shills 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Bureaucracy 
  Business 
  Law 
  Streetwise 
  Etiquette 
  Leadership 
  Theatrics 
  Foreign Language 
  2 
  0 
  Oescription 
  From the largest city-states to the smallest homesteads, there are those willing to ride the wave of political 
  change in the Badlands and come out on top. Emerging leaders, back-stabbing collaborators and social vision- 
  aries all vie for the leadership of the equatorial desert. From the meeting chambers of the corporations to the 
  darkened corridors of the armored towers of the goverment offices, they plot and plan ahead, some to advance 
  their people, other to advance themselves. All have a hidden agenda, and none can be fully trusted. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  0 
  1 
  KNO 
  1 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 I STA 
  25 I UD 
  3 I AD 
  3 
  I 
  Tupical Shills 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Business 
  Psychology 
  Drive 
  Melee 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  Intimidate 
  1 
  1 
  Description 
  The savannahs and desert expanses are crisscrossed with the routes of caravan traders. Caravans are vital to 
  the economy of the Badlands, ensuring that products and manufactured goods are delivered to whoever or- 
  dered them. The traders bring wares from across the planet to isolated homesteaders and accept payment in 
  polar currency or barter. They are generally friendly and open (hostility is bad for business), but always looking 
  out for another opportunity to make more profit. Beware of the Good Samaritan, few traders are altruistic. 
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  1 
  0 
  KNO 
  1 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Camouflage 
  1 
  1 
  Combat Sense 
  1 
  1 
  Drive 
  1 
  0 
  Earth Sc (geography) 2 
  1 
  First Aid 
  2 
  1 
  Hand-lo-Hand 
  1 
  0 
  Navigation 
  3 
  1 
  Notice 
  2 
  1 
  Riding 
  1 
  0 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  0 
  Stealth 
  2 
  0 
  Survival 
  3 
  1 
  Tracking 
  2 
  1 
  Skill 
  level Attr. 
  Skill 
  level AHr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Description 
  Those not used to the Badlands’ hardships would be well advised to travel with an experienced guide. These 
  guides come from a variety of backgrounds, most often the restless children of homesteaders who have found 
  a way to profit from their knowledge of the deserts. The guides are expert in desert navigation and survival 
  (most of them anyway), and can often find their way out of the worst tempest or find water in the middle of a sea 
  of dunes. Many are also fairly good shots, if only to protect their charge against the vicious fauna that the group 
  might encounter. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  3 
  0 
  FIT 
  AG I 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  INF 
  1 
  KNO 
  1 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  2 
  WIL 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Etiquette 
  1 
  1 
  Foreign Language 
  2 
  1 
  History 
  2 
  1 
  Literature 
  1 
  0 
  Navigation 
  1 
  1 
  Social Sc. (theology) 3 
  1 
  level 
  Am: 
  Skill 
  level 
  AHr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  Description 
  Many find the contemplative silence needed for enlightenment and the pursuit of inner wisdom in the desolation 
  and oppressive heat of the equatorial sands. All types of religious hermits can be found in many remote corners 
  of the Badlands. Some are living on their own in isolated regions, but many are wanderers, going from place to 
  place in their search for personal redemption. Most of them are happy to share the stories of their travels with a 
  friendly stranger - 
  and a potential convert. 
  AG I 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  0 
  INF 
  0 I KNO 
  2 I PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  3 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  level 
  AHr. 
  Skill 
  level Altr. 
  Bureaucracy 
  Computer 
  Mechanics 
  Physical Sciences 
  Demolitions 
  1 
  2 
  Navigation 
  1 
  1 
  0 
  Earth Sc. (geology) 
  3 
  2 
  Description 
  The Badlands are resource-rich and many corporations send geological survey teams across the desert in 
  search for still another rich mine or oil field. Most hail from the poles and tend to see the Badlands as a giant 
  geological experiment or playground, rather than the home of sixteen million Terranovans. As such, they have a 
  very detached attitude toward the Badlanders, often complaining about the lack of proper facilities or the op- 
  pressive heat messing up with their instruments, or making naive comments about the traditions and culture of 
  the "locals." 
  I 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Tdpical Attributes 
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  1 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  1 
  0 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  1 
  STR 
  1 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  30 
  UD 
  7 
  AD 
  7 
  p,"c 
  .. 
  0 
  KND 
  I 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Level 
  Altr. 
  Combat Sense 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  Intimidate 
  Investigation 
  Law 
  Melee 
  2 
  Notice 
  2 
  1 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  Streetwise 
  1 
  0 
  Description 
  Hired by homesteader counties to keep the peace, desert marshals are very often veterans of an established 
  military organization. They are tough as nail, fairly well trained and never back out of a confrontation. Knowing 
  that they are often the last line of defense for the homesteaders, the marshalls take their responsibilities very 
  seriously. More than one troublemaker has been disposed of with extreme prejudice with little more than a 
  second thought. Some marshals, especially those of larger counties, like to have a deputy to assist them in their 
  duties. 
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  2 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  2 
  0 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  Tqpical Shills 
  ~~ 
  Skill 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Altr. 
  Computer 
  1 
  0 
  Cooking 
  1 
  0 
  Demolitions 
  2 
  0 
  Drive 
  1 
  0 
  Earth SC. (mineralogy) 2 
  0 
  Gambling 
  1 
  0 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  1 
  0 
  Intimidate 
  1 
  2 
  Mechanics 
  2 
  0 
  Survival 
  1 
  0 
  Description 
  The men and women who work on extracting gold, metallic ore and oil from the desert rocks are a hardy and 
  jovial lot. They can be found in the open mining pits of the rocky mesas and in the deep tunnels under the 
  Badlands, hard at work with powered tools and special drilling vehicles. Well known for heavy drinking and loud 
  boasting, the miners sign on for long periods of indentured labor (usually contracts lasting between five to ten 
  cycles), then try to retire back to the cooler comforts of the poles. 
  I 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Tqpical Athibutes 
  I 
  3 
  AGI 
  0 
  APP 
  1 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  INF 
  1 
  KNO 
  2 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  STR 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  Tqpical Shills 
  1 
  level AM. 
  1 
  Skill 
  level AHr. 
  Skill 
  level AHr. 
  Skill 
  Bureaucracy 
  2 
  2 
  Business 
  3 
  2 
  Computer 
  1 
  Etiquette 
  1 
  1 
  Foreign Language 
  1 
  2 
  Leadership 
  1 
  Notice 
  1 
  0 
  Psychology 
  1 
  2 
  Description 
  Famous for their efficiency and loyalty to the Paxton family, executives of the mighty weapons conglomerate can 
  be found across the Badlands, not just in Peace River, as one would expect. They act as diplomatic delegates 
  and trade representatives, operating local branch off ices or negotiating weapons sales and loan schemes. Wher- 
  ever Paxton can be found, the executive caste is ever present. it is generally considered a bad idea to antagonize 
  these people. While harmless by themselves, Paxton Arms does not tolerate any harassment toward its execu- 
  tives. They have the Badlands equivalent of diplomatic immunity. 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  1 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  ' I  
  AGI 
  APP 
  INF 
  0 I KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  level AHr. I Skill 
  Level 
  AHr. I Skill 
  level AM. 
  Athletics 
  1 
  1 
  First Aid 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  0 I Notice 
  Combat Sense 
  2 
  1 I GunnervfHG) 
  2 
  1 I SmallArms 
  1 
  1 
  Communications 
  2 
  0 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  2 
  1 
  Streetwise 
  1 
  0 
  Dodge 
  2 
  1 
  Heavy Gear Pilot 
  2 
  1 
  Survival 
  1 
  0 
  Drive 
  1 
  1 
  Law (Paxton) 
  1 
  0 
  Throwina 
  1 
  1 
  Description 
  Proud and confident, the men and women of Paxton Arms' Peace Farce enforce their conglomerate's protector- 
  ate over the Badlands. They regularly face off against Northern, Southern and Arthurian forces in the Western 
  Desert and Karaq Wastes, but can be found across the whole equatorial region at one time or another. Peace 
  Force soldiers tend to be disdainful of the obsessive military honor codes of the polar confederations, but are 
  not above their own esprit de corps. 
  I 
  A 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  I 
  0 
  0 I APP 
  0 I BLD 
  0 I CRE 
  0 I FIT 
  2 
  KNO 
  2 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  AG I 
  INF 
  I 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  3 
  I 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Bureaucracy 
  1 
  2 
  History 
  2 
  2 
  Law 
  1 
  2 
  Leadership 
  3 
  2 
  Psychology (crowds) 2 
  2 
  Streetwise 
  2 
  2 
  a 
  Description 
  Be they Southern exiles or local agitators, street corner agitators and political philosophers always seem to 
  plague the Badlands. They can be found in nearly every city-state, the tone of their message varying according 
  to the local police oppression or the government policies. They organize protests for a variety of reasons, most 
  of the time challenging recent decisions of the local leader, complaining about yet another polar incursions or 
  denouncing corruption in this or that corporation. Thanks to their interventions, riots have become common- 
  place events in certain Badlands city-states. 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  AGI 
  0 I APP 
  0 I BLD 
  0 I CRE 
  1 I FIT 
  1 
  INF 
  0 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  3 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Animal Handling 
  3 
  0 
  Business 
  1 
  0 
  Life SC. (veterinary) 
  1 
  0 
  Naviaation 
  2 
  0 
  Ridino 
  2 
  0 
  SmallArms 
  1 
  0 
  Survival 
  1 
  1 1  
  I 
  Description 
  The savannahs on the edge of the Badlands are home to large herds of springers and other animals whose meat 
  is found on diner tables across Terra Nova. Ranchers are extremely protective of their animals, grazing lands 
  and watering holes. They usually greet strangers with guns drawn and a wary attitude. Once befriended, how- 
  ever, the newcomer will be treated to the legendary rancher hospitality. On the whole, they are a good folk, made 
  perhaps a tad paranoid by the countless dangers of the Badlands. 
  I 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  . 
  + 
  * .  
  . 
  .. .. .~ .. , . ... 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  0 
  AG I 
  1 
  APP 
  -1 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  INF 
  0 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  -1 
  WIL 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  4b 
  Level Am. 
  1 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level Am. 
  Skill 
  Business 
  1 
  0 
  Camouflage 
  2 
  1 
  CombatSense 
  2 
  Drive 
  2 
  1 
  Forgery 
  2 
  1 
  Law 
  1 
  Melee 
  1 
  1 
  Navigation 
  1 
  0 
  Small Arms 
  2 
  Stealth 
  2 
  1 
  Description 
  Operating along the fringes of the polar confederations, Badlands smugglers make great profits by slipping 
  illegal goods across the borders. Smuggling is a cutthroat business and morality is a luxury few can afford. 
  Those who do seldom last very long in the business. Although electronics and banned video equipment are 
  common items, drugs, slaves (especially young women and children) and weapons are in good supply as well. 
  Many smugglers dream of the day when they can set up their own smuggling network, but very few have the 
  business sense and discipline to make it happen. 
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  AGI 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  1 
  CRE 
  1 
  FIT 
  0 
  INF 
  0 
  KNO 
  1 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  30 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  3 
  STR 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  {I Tqpical Shills 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  1 
  Level Ami L 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Bureaucracy 
  1 
  1 
  Drive 
  2 
  0 
  Streetwise 
  Business 
  2 
  1 
  Electronics 
  2 
  1 
  Teaching 
  Communications 
  1 
  1 
  Mechanics 
  3 
  1 
  Tinker 
  Computer 
  1 
  1 
  Notice 
  1 
  0 
  Description 
  The breakdown of a simple irrigation pump can be disastrous for a Badlands homesteader. Every community 
  must have regular access to a skilled mechanic who can repair the machines that inevitably malfunction in the 
  desert heat and choke on the sand. They are often self-made locals who took an interest in mechanics at an early 
  aae. In laraer settlements. thev establish their own shoo and wait for customers to come to them. In smaller 
  communitk, or in homesteader counties, they are usuaily expected to travel around and visit potential custom- 
  ers to see if their services are required. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  0 
  2 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  0 
  1 [FR 
  1 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  3 
  KND 
  I 
  Tuoical Shills 
  level Anr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Atti. 
  level 
  Anr. 
  Skill 
  I Skill '' 
  2 
  2 
  Bureaucracy 
  3 
  2 I Foreign Language 
  3 
  2 
  I Business 
  Forgery 
  1 
  0 
  History 
  1 
  2 
  Law (trade) 
  2 
  2 
  Leadership 
  1 
  1 
  Psychology (nego.) 
  2 
  2 
  Social Sc. (economics) 2 
  2 
  a Theatrics 
  1 
  1 1  
  Description 
  The formation of NuCoal, the internal tensions within Paxton Arms and the polar initiatives have sent a flurry of 
  delegates across the desert to strike some new deals for the persons or organizations they represent. In any 
  Badlands community of significance, one can usually find a handful of trade delegates looking out for some- 
  one's interests or for their own. Not all of them are what they seem, however. Some have their own personal 
  agenda, others double as sleeper agents. Much like ambitious politicians, they take part in backroom deals and 
  have one or more skeleton hanging in their closets. 
  I 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  I 
  0 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  0 
  2 
  KNO 
  1 
  PER 
  0 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  1 
  0 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  25 
  UD 
  3 
  AD 
  4 
  I 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Level AM. 
  Skill 
  level Anr. 
  Skill 
  level Anr. 
  Skill 
  Dance (ceremonial) 
  2 
  0 
  Earth Sc. (local condi.)2 
  1 
  Etiquette 
  1 
  2 
  Law (local) 
  2 
  1 
  Leadership 
  3 
  2 I Melee 
  1 
  0 
  J Psychology 
  2 
  1 
  Survival 
  2 
  0 
  Description 
  Many populations in the Badlands follow on a tribal organization. While they may appear as little more than 
  savages to Northerners or Southerners, they are eloquent and peace-loving. The leaders of these communities 
  are usually selected based on experience and wisdom rather than on physical prowess. Desert chieftains are 
  known for their susp~cious attitude toward outsiders, but also as the bearers of great secrets. Many religious 
  figures of Terra Nova have been taken in by wise tribal elders on their journeys of self-discovery. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  7 
  AGI 
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BLD 
  1 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  INF 
  0 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  0 
  WIL 
  STR 
  1 
  HEA 
  1 
  STA 
  35 
  UD 
  7 
  AD 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  level 
  Atir. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Atir. 
  Skill 
  level Am. 
  Acrobatics 
  1 
  1 
  Ambush 
  1 
  1 
  Combatsense 
  2 
  1 
  Dodge 
  2 
  1 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  2 
  1 
  Intimidate 
  1 
  1 
  Melee 
  2 
  1 
  Navigation 
  2 
  0 
  Stealth (desert) 
  1 
  1 
  Survival 
  2 
  0 
  Description 
  The many tribes of the Badlands all have their fair share of physically impressive men and women who hunt and 
  fight for their community. The hunter-warrior role often leads to hot-headed reactions to outsiders, but warriors 
  are also highly honorable, and those who make friends with them can count on lifelong allies. They are highly 
  respected among their tribe. They consider themselves big brothers and sisters to the tribe and do not view their 
  role as more important than that of the others. 
  Tqpical Attfihutes 
  1 
  AGI 
  1 
  APP 
  0 
  BUI 
  0 
  CRE 
  0 
  FIT 
  0 
  WIL 
  INF 
  0 
  KNO 
  0 
  PER 
  1 
  PSY 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  AHr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Am. 
  Skill 
  Level AM. 
  Combat Sense 
  1 
  1 
  Gunnery(HG) 
  2 
  1 
  Notice 
  1 
  1 
  Communications 
  2 
  0 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  1 
  1 
  SmallArms 
  1 
  1 
  Dodge 
  1 
  1 
  Heavy Gear Pilot 
  2 
  1 
  Survival 
  2 
  0 
  Drive 
  1 
  1 
  Mechanics 
  1 
  0 
  Throwing 
  1 
  1 
  Electronic Warfare 
  1 
  0 
  Melee 
  1 
  1 
  Description 
  Among all the fighters of the rovers, the most prized are the Gear pilots. Because Gears are difficult to come by, 
  rover Gear pilots possess skills that make them invaluable They are occasionally deserters who have found a 
  family among the rovers, but most of them are wandering rogues or soldiers-of-fortune who are merely looking 
  for employers. Their loyalty is limited. Although they are paid to take certain risks, many among them would 
  rather turn away from a hopeless fight rather than get killed for some obscure cause for which they do not care. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Despite the harsh climate of the equatorial region, the Badlands are far 
  from devoid of life. Just as humans have adapted by sleeping during the 
  hottest part of the day, living in insulated shelters and drawing water from 
  desert plants and deep wells, so have the indiginous flora and fauna who 
  came before them. The deserts may not have the biodensity found in the 
  Southern jungles or Northern woodlands, but a variety of life is present - 
  if 
  you know where to look. 
  Temperature and water are the two factors that most shaped the evolution 
  of Badlands life. All animals seek shelter around high noon and midnight, 
  when temperatures are at their most extreme. In sand deserts, the loose 
  surface silicate is superheated because it conducts heat very poorly. Ani- 
  mals which dig below this layer will find much cooler sand as well as Ross 
  Iichen, a plant that lives roughly a meter below the surface; similarly, flying 
  animals can find much cooler air above the sand. At high noon, almost no 
  movement will disturb the baking ground, but tracks and perhaps a freshly 
  stripped skeleton will testify to the activity of that morning. Once the sun 
  dips a little lower, the local fauna will crawl from under rocks, snake out of 
  the dunes or swoop down from above. 
  Human survival, especially in the homestead environment, is cfosely tied 
  to animal life in the Badlands. Traders and farmers alike ride desert spring. 
  rs or armadillo beasts across the wastes and rely on their mounts to help 
  them find water holes or moisture-rich plants. Waterroot farmers fight a 
  struggle to keep their crops from being drained dry by local 
  while still keeping enough animals around to hunt down para- 
  sites that can kill a whole field. Homesteaders usually keep at least 
  a few springers around, both as pest control and food source. 
  lsewhere on Terra Nova, BadIands animals tend to be quite 
  ny animals, such as the hoppers and springers, are 
  arely dangerous, but predators like the bank’s monitor 
  or the barnaby are far more aggressive. Like hu- 
  mans, animals in the Badlands can ill af- 
  ford to waste any food, so an informed 
  raveler must know how not to enter into 
  that category. Necessary survival skills in- 
  clude how to walk calmly over a bed of hunter 
  vines, see the difference between a hopper and 
  a longfang, noticing a bank’s monitor trap b o  
  fore it springs and staying far away from 
  redjacket swarms. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  -2 
  BLD 
  9 
  FIT 
  1 
  INS 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  STR 
  5 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  70 
  UD 
  16tnaturalmap 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Combat Sense 
  1 
  0 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  2 
  -2 
  Navigation 
  (x14 damage) 
  Tail-lash 
  (x9 damage) 
  Armor Plates 
  A cousin of the barnabus iguana, the armadillo beast roams the Eastern Desert and other arid areas. Huge, 
  armor-plated beasts, these creatures serve as long range riding mounts for desert nomads and the Jan Mayen 
  militia. Armadillo beasts can survive for week without water and are famous for always finding their way back to 
  their departure point. 
  The armadillo beast is normally a peaceful herbivore, though it is generally considered unwise to irritate or 
  otherwise provoke one. While far from being invulnerable, they are surprisingly tough: rounds from a Gear’s 
  light machinegun and other anti-personnel weapons have been known to simply bounce off the beast‘s rough 
  hide, leaving the pilot stunned and amazed. 
  I 
  Tqpical Rttributes 
  Aggressiveness 
  3 
  Damagehurn 
  2 
  Damage Threshold 
  20 
  Random Horde Size 
  5 x d6 
  Basic Swarm Size 
  300-500 
  Description 
  Large colony insect-like creatures, army skags inhabit most of the savannah belt of the Badlands. A few hardy 
  variants can also be found in the mountains, though they are not as common. The huge colony mounds of the 
  skags can be found across the landscape. They are industrious creatures and defend their territory and feeding 
  ground mercilessly. 
  The skags’ rigid social order is composed of five castes, each indicated by the color(s) displayed on the cara- 
  pace armor of the abdomen: royalty (black with white stripes), warrior (dark brown), worker (dark gray), nurse 
  (pale gray) and gatherer (brown). Of these, only the skags of the royalty caste are fertile and capable of laying 
  eggs, all other skags are asexual drones. 
  The royalty caste consists of anywhere from five to si* 
  members, depending on the resources available in the 
  area and the size of the nest. They control reproduction and the attribution of resources. Whenever the number 
  of royal skags falls below a comfortable level for the colony, the royalty birth ratio increases automatically, 
  dropping once more when they reach around fifty. Terranovan biologists believe that such processes are acti- 
  vated by chemical or hormonal triggers, though the difficulty of studying skags in their natural habitat has made 
  any conclusions unreliable at best. 
  The warrior caste - 
  almost half the population - 
  protects the colony against any predators and seeks prey to 
  feed the others. The worker caste handles the transportation of food and the maintenance of the colony. The 
  nurses are the only permitted to approach the eggs once they have been laid. Finally, the gatherers paralyze 
  small reptiles and carry them back to the colony where they are impregnated with the royalty’s larvae. The larvae 
  then eat the animal from the inside until they reach maturity. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  BANH‘S MONITOR I 
  AGI 
  2 
  BLD 
  2 
  FIT 
  3 
  INS 
  2 
  PER 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  45 
  LID 
  7 t  naturalweap 
  WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  2 
  HEA 
  STA 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Ambush 
  3 
  2 
  Camouflage 
  2 
  2 
  Combat Sense 
  2 
  2 m  
  Special Abilities 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  level Am. 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  3 
  2 
  (x8 damage) 
  Claws 
  (x3 damage) 
  L 
  Bite 
  Description 
  The so-called “peek-a-boo lizard” lives in the desert fringe areas. Approximately two meters long, the monitor 
  burrows below the surface and covers itself with a thin disc of spittle-hardened sand. When a suitably sized 
  animal comes nearby, the monitor springs from its nest to kill its prey. The animal was named after the colonist 
  who first discovered it - 
  or, rather, who was first discovered by it. In TN 18, Esther Bank was on an expedition 
  to further explore the Belt when she was ambushed by a monitor, barely surviving the encounter. Bank‘s monitor 
  population has four times more males than females. Each Spring, the fertile female builds a nest and waits. On 
  average, three to five males will show up and fight for the privilege to mate with her for the season. They seldom 
  fight each other to the death, but will viciously attack any creature that comes within the female’s vicinity. After 
  a five-week gestation period, the female lays six to twenty eggs that will hatch four weeks later. 
  AG I 
  -2 
  BLD 
  8 
  FIT 
  1 
  INS 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  I 
  2 I STR 
  4 I HEA 
  1 I STA 
  70 I UD 
  14tnatunlmap. 
  WIL 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  level Altr. 
  Combat Sense 
  1 
  -2 
  Dodge 
  1 
  -2 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  2 
  -2 
  (t15 armor) b 
  Bite 
  (x10 damage) 
  Tail-lash 
  (x8 damage) 
  Thick Skin 
  Description 
  The barnaby is a common predator in the mountain and savannah areas of the Badlands. A slow hunter of 
  hoppers and skags, these omnivorous one-ton lizards have become common beasts of burden among savan- 
  nah tribes and ranchers. Their inherent toughness and strength have made them ideal for plough work in those 
  areas where technology is too scarce to be completely reliable. They are somewhat stubborn and very difficult to 
  train, but inexpensive and sturdy. Many homesteaders keeD a few barnabies around as a backuD to their farmino 
  machinery in case the latter breaks down. 
  Barnabies are not particularly aggressive beasts, but some city-states such as Javari (in the Eastern Sun Emir- 
  ates) drug them and use them for corridas where they pit three our four of them against one toreador. Barnaby 
  meat is relatively inexpensive, but not particularly tasty. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  HOPPER 
  AG I 
  3 
  BLD 
  -6 
  FIT 
  2 
  INS 
  2 
  PER 
  2 
  WIL 
  1 
  STR 
  -2 
  HEA 
  -2 
  STA 
  10 
  UD 
  It natural weap 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  1, 
  Combat Sense 
  3 
  Dodge 
  4 
  3 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  1 
  3 
  .SpecialRbllllles 
  fl Bite 
  (x4 damage) 
  Description 
  Found in the deserts (sandhoppers) and the mountains (rockhoppers), these small lizards are common food 
  animals in the Badlands. When they are born, sandhoppers are a pale beige; they turn to the adult ochre after 
  three seasons. The rockhoppers are born with a pale gray hide that turns to the standard dark gray with age. 
  Sandhoppers and rockhoppers are herbivorous and pose little threat to humans. Many Badlanders use them as 
  pets the way Eatthers do with cats and dogs. Most Badlanders remember happy days as a child chasing hoppers 
  across the landscape. Hoppers are normally trapped rather than hunted. Their hides are often used to manufac- 
  ture purses, leather jackets and even cloaks. Many homesteaders raise “flocks” of hoppers in their backyards; 
  their high rate of reproduction and minimal food requirements make them the perfect candidate to serve as the 
  Terranovan equivalent of chicken 
  1 
  BLD 
  0 
  FIT 
  4 
  INS 
  n/a 
  PER 
  3 
  1 
  STA 
  30 
  UD 
  8 t natunfweap 
  nla 
  STR 
  2 
  HEA 
  Typical Shills 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  level Attr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Ambush 
  3 
  1 
  ”Hand-to-Hand” 
  3 
  1 
  fl 
  Special Abilities 
  Constriction Thorns 
  (x8 damage) 
  Blood drain 
  (auto Flesh wound) 
  Description 
  Although they are not animals. hunter vines remain dangerous predators. A desert plant that lives just below the 
  upper layer of sand, the vines can sense pressure and lash out when a large animal (or human) walks over them. 
  They constrict around their prey and small tube-like thorns puncture the skin The animal’s own thrashing 
  pumps blood into the vine. 
  Once the skin of the victim has been punctured (constriction attack), it automatically suffers one Flesh Wound 
  for each round of struggling. Only a successful Survival roll against a threshold of 6 can prevent panic and allow 
  escape. Characters without the Survival skill can make a Willpower roll instead. provided the affected character 
  knows about the hunter vines’ peculiar feeding mechanism. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Tqpical Attributes 
  I 
  AGI 
  3 
  BLD 
  -6 
  FIT 
  2 
  INS 
  2 
  PER 
  WIL 
  0 
  STR 
  -2 
  HEA 
  1 
  STA 
  10 
  UD 
  1 t naturalweap. 
  Tqpical Shills 
  I 
  L 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Combat Sense 
  3 
  2 
  Dodge 
  2 
  3 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  3 
  3 
  Special Abilities 
  Bite (x9 damage): injects sedative toxin (1 round onset, potency 12)' 
  *Health rolls should be modified by half the victim's BLD score, rounded down 
  Claws 
  (x4 damage) 
  Oescriplion 
  A viciously carnivorous cousin of the rock and sandhopper, the longfang is very difficult to distinguish from its 
  more placid relatives. Longfangs use this similarity to their advantage: they wait on rocks or dunes until a 
  predator approaches, then attack with hidden fangs, injecting a powerful toxin that slows down the attacker. The 
  toxin does little more than make a barnaby sluggish, but it can be quite dangerous to humans. Longfangs prefer 
  to hunt in packs, although they have no social order among themselves the way mammals do. They only gather 
  for the hunt, then disperse with their food once it is over. During the hunt, they hiss and whistle to one another 
  in a crude form of communication. Despite their diminutive size, they do not hesitate to attack an opponent that 
  can be many times larger than them. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  I 
  ROOT llZARD [SWARM] 
  I 
  Tqpical Attfibutes 
  I 
  Aggressiveness: 
  1 
  Damagehurn: 
  1 
  Threshold: 
  10 
  Random Horde Size: 
  5d6 
  Basic Swarm Size: 
  200-300 
  Description 
  Root lizards are small (2-5 cm long on average) reptilians that live in the fringes of many desertic zones and are 
  common pests for waterroot farmers. They are generally of a whitish-brown color, though variations according 
  to species and location are common. Root lizards have thin limbs and an elongated head capped by two com- 
  pound eyes. The eyes can be covered by a special retractable membrane to protect them against the sand 
  particles and the rays of the sun. 
  Root lizards are adept at burrowing through the sand to get at the glucose-rich water stored in waterroots and 
  many other desert plants. Individually or in small numbers, they are only a mild annoyance, but the lizards 
  occasionally gather in large swarms - 
  usually as a result of reproductive frenzy after finding a rich source of 
  water. These swarms then run across the desert and can rapidly destroy the crops of any homestead they come 
  across. Hordes have been known to destroy a large field inside a few minutes. 
  To reproduce themselves, they copulate then lay their eggs inside a waterroot. The larvae inside the eggs soon 
  eat through their soft shell, then float inside the nutrient-rich water of the waterroot's bulb. They slowly soak in 
  the water and bloat as they grow until their fourth week, when they are ready to eat their way out of the root. It 
  takes them no more than a week before losing the water they have accumulated under their thin hides, but that 
  is long enough for most of them to learn how to survive in the Badlands. The sight of a waterroot erupting with 
  bloated young root lizards is far from being a pleasant one and has ruined the appetite of more than one unwary 
  Badlander.The only way to differentiate an infested plant is to look for the telltale entry point made by the lizards 
  as they pierce the skin to lay their eggs. 
  SPRINGER [HERDING] 
  I 
  Tqpical Attfibutes 
  -1 
  BLD 
  7 
  FIT 
  0 
  INS 
  0 
  PER 
  0 
  2 
  STR 
  3 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  60 
  UD 11 t natural weap. 
  1 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Skill 
  level 
  Altr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Combat Sense 
  1 
  -1 
  Dodge 
  1 
  -1 
  Survival 
  1 
  0 
  I 
  Special Abilities 
  Kick 
  (x9 damage) 
  Description 
  The principal herding animal of the Badlands, the springer is found in great numbers across the savannahs. A 
  peaceful herbivore, the herding springer grazes in large herds or in small groups of a dozen or less. 
  The springer was domesticated early in the planet's colonial history, when settlers exploring the Badlands dis- 
  covered that its meat was edible once treated by the proper enzymes. With the colonial boom that followed, 
  great ranches were established to supply the new population centers with fresh meat. Over time, new species 
  were bred by the homesteaders, many of which became naturally edible once an enzyme-producing bacteria 
  was supplied in the beasts' diet. The tusks growing out of the cartilaginous hump on the springer's back, used 
  for protection against predators in the wild, were "edited out" through careful breeding. Still, modern home- 
  steaders often have to file down the tusks to prevent the handlers (or the animals) from hurting themselves. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Tqpical Attributes 
  AGI 
  1 
  BLD 
  7 
  FIT 
  1 
  INS 
  1 
  PER 
  0 
  65 
  UD 12t natural weap 
  WIL 
  STR 
  1 
  4 
  HEA 
  1 
  STA 
  a 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Combat Sense 
  2 
  1 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  1 
  1 
  Survival 
  1 
  1. 
  Special Abilities 
  Oescription 
  Sklll 
  level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  AHr. 
  Skill 
  level AHr. 
  Kick 
  (x9 damage) 
  The result of a dedicated breeding efforts over the centuries, the riding springer is a leaner and stronger cousin 
  of the herding springer. Ranchers, savannah and tribesmen often ride this creature. The Sand Riders are also 
  especially fond of the springers, although they ride it a bit less than "civilized" Terranovans because the animals 
  dislike the heavy protective gear required for protection against the white sand 
  Instead of having the cumbersome side leg and less flexible hip structure of the herding springer, the riding 
  springer has legs that go almost straight down the body, helping them better support the weight of the body and 
  rider, and making them better runners. Riding springers are well-trained and easy to control. They are harnessed 
  with a small saddle that fits just behind the dorsal cartilage plates The rest of the harness is very similar to the 
  one used for an Earth horse, and is often decorated and worked with delicate care 
  SPRINGER [WIlO] 
  Tqpical Attributes 
  AGI 
  -1 I BLD 
  t7 I FIT 
  0 I INS 
  0 I PER 
  0 
  WIL 
  2 
  STR 
  3 
  HEA 
  0 
  STA 
  60 I UD l i t  naturalweap 
  Tqpical Shills 
  Combat Sense 
  2 
  -1 
  Hand-to-Hand 
  2 
  -1 
  Survival 
  1 
  ON 
  Special Abilities 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  Attr. 
  Skill 
  Level 
  AHr. 
  Kick 
  (xi0 damage) 
  Gore 
  (XI 
  5 damage) 
  Oescription 
  Before it was domesticated by the early settlers, the springer lived a peaceful grazing existence in the plains and 
  savannahs of the planet. Even today, wild springers are found in great numbers across the savannahs. Wild 
  springers have horny, tusk-like prolections on their back to defend themselves against predators. When grazing, 
  the wild springers arrange themselves in a circle, tusks pointing outward for defense. The young are placed in 
  the middle and the whole group moves together when the grass has been consumed at their present location. 
  Like its domesticated cousin, the wild springer is an excellent source of meat It is also possible (but quite 
  difficult) to tame one, as it requires patience, determination, and a good dose of courage Hot-blooded teenage 
  Badlanders sometimes organize taming expeditions, where the degree of prestige one gains from his peers is 
  directly related to the time spent on the back of the frightened and raging animal. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  The desert wind was whistling past Risha’s ear, sweeping the white 
  sands into small wavelets of acidic dust. She observed the hills 
  carefully, her eyes squinting in her effort to see through the curtain 
  of sand that was obscuring her vision. Something deep inside her 
  gut was making somersaults, leaving her with a bitter taste in her 
  mouth. A storm was coming. A tempest. She blinked in surprise at 
  that realization. The Sand Riders’ desert instinct, she thought. Her, 
  of all people... 
  She noticed some movement to her left, a few hundred meters away, 
  and instinctively reached for the large wrapped cylinder by her side. 
  It was him, Shaddin, her mate. He was too far to be recognized, but 
  she knew it nonetheless. He was quickly running over the sands, a 
  gloved hand clutching his left shoulder, the makeshift, resin-cov- 
  ered armor obviously torn open by shrapnel. He was bleeding and 
  the acidic sand must have been eating at his flesh. Risha knew she 
  would have crumbled from the pain and died there, but he was a 
  Sand Rider, not an ordinary Badlander like herself. He was of an- 
  other breed. He would run until his heart ceased beating, perhaps 
  even after. 
  She gestured in the air, hoping it would be understood. Shaddin 
  kept on running until the base of the hill, then swerved toward where 
  she was. She sighed in relief - he had seen her. She returned her 
  gaze toward the top of the hill where Shaddin had come from, 
  * waiting for his pursuers. A Warrior rose from behind the hill, 
  its metallic shine dulled by the burning sands. Thumping al- 
  most audibly over the wailing wind, it was quickly running 
  up the hill, homing in on Shaddin as he was vanishing behind 
  a hill. The machine rapidly made its way down the slope, 
  ing Shaddin’s rapidly fading tracks. 
  e Warrior reached the bottom of Risha’s hill. It 
  ade one more step forward and the ground col- 
  der it. Where a man could walk, a Heavy Gear could 
  not always follow, and the sand-covered planks on which 
  Shaddin had passed could not support its weight. Risha aimed 
  and fired her bazooka. The crack in which the Gear had fallen 
  erupted in flame as an explosion shook the ground. Tons of white 
  sand fell inside as the underground cave’s ceiling collapsed, bury- 
  ing the Warrior under its crushing mass. 
  Shaddin appeared by Risha’s side. His shoulder was black and 
  burned, his flesh painfully charred, but he remained stoic. He took 
  Risha’s hand and they both slipped away, leaving the upcoming 
  tempest to finish what they had begun. 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Sand Riders most commonly engage in combat on foot, in which case they have 2 MPs (walker movement) like any other infantry unit. At times 
  they will ride springers into battle, giving them 5 MPs (walker movement) 
  The special abilities of the Sand Riders means that the method of calculating a unit‘s threat value is slightly different than with other units When 
  using Sand Rider units: 
  The special cloaks increase the unit’s effective skill rating by one rank for calculating the multiplier to the threat value (and for this purpose only) 
  Weapons with white sand ammunition add two (2) to their damage rating when calculating the threat value Units on springers double their final 
  threat value (like units with let packs or ATVs) 
  9 1  A001TIONRl TACTIC11 RUlES 
  The harsh environment of the Great White Desert provides several unique tactical problems 
  for the Heavy Gear player. The large quantity of corrosive white sand ash provides new dan- 
  gers for all combatants. What’s more, Sand Rider infantry units can be surprisingly danger- 
  ous in their home environment. 
  The following rules concern the Sand Riders’ special abilities and equipment, translated in 
  standard tactical game terms. White sand terrain is extremely dangerous and too complex to 
  cover in this short space. It will be extensively explained in the Tactical Support: Battlefield 
  sourcebook instead, along with many new terrain types. 
  The statistics of four typical Badlands vehicles are provided in the following pages. A set of 
  options representing the most common modifications made to these vehicles can be found 
  after each description. 
  911 SAND RIDER INFANTRY UNITS 
  For wargaming purposes, consider the basic fighting unit of the Sand Riders as a ten-person infantry squad that generally follows 
  the rules of any other infantry unit. However, the Sand Riders are masters of their environment and have developed skills and 
  equipment which allow them to defend their desert home with increased efficiency 
  Armor 
  The Great White Desert is a very dangerous place, and each Rider wears a complex cloak with a heat-dampening lining and a coating of an anti- 
  corrosive fibrous resin These cloaks provide the equivalent of the Stealth vehicle perk at Rating 2, but only in a desert environment The cloaks 
  also allow Sand Riders to ignore all white sand-related effects (except for obscurement during storms) Sand Riders can wear up to light flak 
  armor under their cloaks 
  Weapons 
  Sand Riders are able to use standard infantry weapons, but have access to few rocket launchers or automatic weapons These complex arms have 
  a tendency to break down in the harsh white-desert environment The Sand Riders have adapted some simple heavy rifles for their use, protecting 
  them from corrosion with the krava resin and using home-made ammunition containing refined white sand When using this ammunition. an 
  attacker who successfully hits his target with an even result on the attack roll burns through an additional point of armor (1 armor lost for an attack 
  that would cause no damage, 2 for a Light damage attack, 3 for a Heavy damage attack) If the attack roll is odd, the attack is resolved normally 
  SANO RIDER WEAPONS TABLE 
  15mm heavy rifle 
  0 
  x4 
  1 /2/4/% 
  Weapon 
  Accuracy 
  Damage 
  Range 
  24 mm edra-heavy rifle 
  0 
  x6 
  2/4/%/16 
  Special Rules: 
  On an even attack roll, white sand ammunition reduces target’s armor by an additional point 
  Transport 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Speclcahons 
  I 
  A standard of Badlands caravans, the massive Longrunnertruck is famous for its reliability. The vehicle is powered by a diesel engine coupled to 
  an efficient generator and a battery array. Each of the six massive wheels has its own electric drive motor and transmission, and the vehicle can 
  often sulvive the destruction of up to two wheels without any loss of speed. A back-up foldable solar array can completely recharge the engine in 
  about twelve hours. This makes the Longrunner inexpensive to operate and ideal for many caravan traders who often use them as home and 
  transpolt. The truck's large size and high ground clearance allow it to cover the rough terrain with relative ease, and also provide protection against 
  natural and man-made dangers. 
  Neil Motor Works offers many modified versions of the standard Longrunnerequipped with such options as luxury passenger accommodations, 
  satellite uplink and back-up sensors. The Longrunneris usually unarmed, but an optional cabin with a semi-stabilized light machinegun mount is 
  available by special order. 
  Service Record 
  The Longrunner was one of the first vehicles to be produced by Neil Motor Works. It is still one of the firm's best sellers, an unmistakable sign of 
  the trucks sound design. Longrunnersare often part of caravans crossing the Badlands. Usually, traders will secure the solar sheet on top of the 
  cargo bay to power their appliances without affecting their deployment range. 
  Long distance desert caravan vehicle 
  15 meters 
  alloy w/glazing 
  106 kph 
  2000 hp 
  Code name: 
  Longrunner 
  Production code: 
  Manufacturer: 
  Neil Motor Works 
  Use: 
  Height: 
  8.3 meters 
  Length: 
  Average armor thickness: 
  15 mm 
  Armor material: 
  Standard operational weight: 
  20,764 kg 
  Maximum speed on clear ground: 
  Powerplant: 
  mixed electricaVdiesel 
  Horsepower: 
  Weapons 
  L 
  None as standard 
  Optlons 
  Name 
  Modified Threat Value 
  Name 
  Modified Threat Value 
  Longrunner-B (Ground 8/16, 
  Double Towing Capacity) 
  343 
  Longrunner-D (Geological Sensors, Micro-Lab) 
  41 9 
  Longrunner-C (Armor t3. Ground 8/16) 
  274 
  Longrunner-E (Luxury Passenger ACC. x 6, no cargo) 
  1452 
  Add six-shot AP Grenade Launcher (fixed to one arc) 
  OS +I 11.6 
  OS t18 
  Add Light MG w/200 shots in 360" mount (T fire arc) 
  1 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  WARRIOR 
  I 
  Overview 
  Paxton Arms has always been the major weapons supplier in the 
  Badlands. The corporation’s only setback was its tardiness in entering 
  the Heavy Gear market. Paxton’s research and development division 
  b had a very hard time duplicating the required neural net and, by the 
  time the new Warrior rolled off the Peace River X2 production line in 
  TN 1802, Northco and Territorial Arms had already cornered the mili- 
  tary Gear market. To this day, the Warriorand its advanced successor 
  the Warrior Ware only widely found in the PRDF, some Badlands mi- 
  litias and in parts of the Eastern Sun Emirates. 
  The Warrior is based on the original Hunterdesign since Paxton did 
  not want to spend research money “reinventing the wheel.” Since the 
  Warrior was conceived with both the terrain and the market of the 
  Badlands in mind, it incorporates certain special features that make it 
  more efficient in the harsh conditions that prevail in this region. 
  All joints are covered with thick cloth to protect them against the dust 
  that would otherwise chew up the delicate bearings in no time. The 
  engine is equipped with dust filters and a special cooling system,which 
  also serves as the cockpit’s air conditioning. A small 1-liter cooler 
  placed behind the pilot‘s seat contains fresh water. Another notable 
  feature is the basic ECM package installed in the head, used primarily 
  to defeat rovers’ unsophisticated sensor arrays. 
  1 
  Service Record 
  The Wamor I serves in both Paxton’s PRDF and in various Badlands 
  militias. Some were replaced by the very similar Mk 2 and 3 models in 
  the early 1900’s. The Mk 1 is presently being replaced on the produc- 
  tion lines by the Warrior /V, a very advanced version which has a per- 
  formance profile similar to that of the polar Jaguarand Black Mamba 
  Heavy Gear designs. 
  Code name: 
  Warrior 
  Production code: 
  PA-01 
  Manufacturer: 
  Paxton Industries 
  Use: 
  mass produced soldier Heavy Gear 
  Height: 
  4.3 meters 
  Length: 
  2.5 meters 
  45 mm 
  Armor material: 
  Durasheet w/glazing 
  Average armor thickness: 
  Standard operational weight 
  6,642 kg 1 
  Maximum speed on clear ground 
  PMW-V470 V-engine 
  Horsepower 
  Weapons 
  Name 
  Ammunition Payload 
  Name 
  Ammunition Payload 
  PaxtOn PR-25 20 mm autocannon rifle 
  24 rockets in launcher 
  Paxton APGL-78 grenade launcher 
  6 grenades in launcher 
  Paxton VK-6 vibroknife 
  nla 
  Paxton M9 Grenades 
  60 shots in 20-round clips 
  Paxton RP-109s 52 mm rocket pod 
  3 grenades in hip or leg rack 
  Options 
  Name 
  Modified Threat Value 
  Name 
  Modified Threat Value 
  PMW-V620 V-engine (Double Towing Capacity) 
  OSt586 
  Armor Jacket (Reinforced Location Armor 2, Crew) 
  OS t 33 
  Add second AP Grenade Launcher (fixed mount, 6 shots) 
  OSt62 a 
  MS t 215 
  MS t 39 
  OS +18 
  Upgrade Light N C  to Medium NC (40 shots) 
  Additional Grenades (3) 
  Add Light MG w/200 shots in arm mount (F fire arc) 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Can Dunch 
  Offensive electronic warfare eouiomc 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  GROUNDHOG 
  Overview 
  The Groundhog is an all-purpose work Gear chassis designed by one 
  of Northco's subsidiaries, Elementech. It is a basic walker frame used 
  to enhance a worker's lifting capacity and performance on heavy duty 
  jobs such as construction and ammunition handling. It has a Hardhat- 
  derived core to which various limbs and tools can be attached, as 
  required by the variant being produced (twelve different arms are avail- 
  able, froma pneumatic jackhammer to a heavy plasma cutter). Be- 
  cause it is reliable, inexpensive and modular, the Groundhog has be- 
  come a long-lasting standard. The Groundhog's simplicity and ease of 
  repair inspired the Northco engineers while they worked on the BOT 
  Project, which would later lead to the Hunter. 
  Service Record 
  The Groundhog is a very common work machine. It can be found on 
  most construction sites, and almost all Terranovan factories have a few 
  to load and unload material. The parts are inexpensive, easy to find and 
  easy to replace, which helps extend the machine's service life. Second- 
  hand Groundhogs are available everywhere, making this Gear so af- 
  fordable that no self-respecting business would be without one. It is 
  often said that the first Groundhog you buy will be the last. 
  With the epidemic of raids and attacks on small towns and isolated 
  farms that raged between TN 1470 and TN 1540, it became increas- 
  ingly necessary for the isolated communities and towns to arm their 
  Groundhogs with makeshift weapons and to protect the pilot with 
  welded plates of metal on the chassis. Although slow and ponderous, 
  these walkers proved to be quite efficient and helped establish the 
  viability of the infantry walker vehicle concept. Numerous homesteads 
  still have such makeshift combat machines, handed down from gen- 
  eration to generation. 
  Code name: 
  Groundhog 
  Production code: 
  EL345 
  Manufacturer: 
  Elementech 
  Use: 
  all-purpose commercial Work Gear 
  4 2 meters 
  Width 
  Average armor thickness 
  15 mm 
  Armor material 
  Standard operational weight: 
  6,764 kg 
  Maximum speed on clear ground 
  V-engine 
  Horsepower 
  None as standard 
  Modified Threat Value 
  Name 
  Modified Threat Value 
  Groundhog Mk 2 (replace pincers by chaincutters) 
  Groundhog Mk 2B (replace cargo pincers by laser cutters) 
  Groundhog Mk 2E (replace cargo pincers by powered drills) 
  Groundhog Mk 7 (Ground 2/4, Triple Towing Capacity) 
  Groundhog Mk 15 (minus Easy to Mod , plus 2 Microlabs) 
  Groundhog Mk 20 (more spacious cabin) 
  Add six-shot AP Grenade Launcher (fixed to one arc) 
  42 
  42 
  42 
  85 
  42 
  Groundhog Mk 16 (Light Mining Equipment and Overheating) 
  42 
  42 
  OS +I8 
  Groundhog Mk 2A (reinforced frame (t2 Armor)) 
  Groundhog Mk 2C (replace cargo pincers by powered shovels) 
  Groundhog Mk 3 (replace pincers by Size 6 crane arms) 
  Groundhog Mk 8 (Improved Off-road Capacity) 
  42 
  Add Light MG w/200 shots in arm mount (Ffire arc) 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  b OFFENSIVE: 
  6 
  b OEFFENSIVE: 
  33 
  -
  iflME EFFECT 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  PRAIRIE DOG 
  A 
  Overvieu 
  This ancestor of the modern Heavy Gear is designed for prospecting. 
  Like many Terranovan walker designs, the Prairie Dog'sframe is based 
  in part on the Hardhat modular vehicle system that was used by the 
  early colonists. The Prairie Dog is slightly nimbler and faster than the 
  Groundhog, another common commercial model, but not quite as 
  strong. It also has a greater deployment range, a necessary feature 
  considering it must move from one potential mining site to another, 
  and is equipped with a superior sensor array to detect large dense 
  masses and to analyze mineral compositions. 
  The Prairie Dog is semi-modular, which means that its regular pincer- 
  tipped arms can be exchanged for whatever other tools are required 
  by a relatively simple operation that only takes a one or two hours to 
  perform. Common tools include specialized lift pads for heavy crates, 
  power cutters for logging operations and trenchers for digging. 
  Service Record 
  The standard machine is used for prospecting, but there are many 
  other variants used for light construction, forestry work and heavy 
  machinery repair. The military also uses a light engineering type 
  equipped with a small crane and the other tools required for demoli- 
  tion and construction tasks. Parts are not as easy to replace as those 
  of the Groundhog, and this, combined with the Prairie Dog's greater 
  complexity, reduces its service life compared to its predecessor. 
  For the past two hundred cycles, Badlands rovers have been modify- 
  ing Prairie Dogs for combat. The tools are replaced by stolen heavy 
  anti-personnel weaponry, and some thick metal plates are welded and/ 
  or bolted on top of the frame. The additional weight makes for a slow 
  and clumsy, but sturdy weapon platform and offers a reasonable 
  amount of Drotection. 
  Code name 
  Prairie Dog 
  Production code. 
  VPG-4 
  Manufacturer 
  Verton Industries 
  Use 
  prospecting/mining Work Gear 
  Height 
  4 3 meters 
  Width: 
  2 5 meters 
  Average skin thickness: 
  10 mm 
  Armor material 
  Flexite alloy 
  Standard operational weight. 
  4306 kg 
  Maximum speed on clear ground 
  35 kph 
  Powerplant 
  Verton V869 V-engine 
  Horsepower: 
  370 hp 
  Weapons 
  None as standard 
  I 
  1 
  Modified Threat Value 
  Name 
  Modified Threat Value 
  69 
  69 
  69 
  Prairie Dog-W Mk 1 (Amphibious) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 2A (replace cargo pincers by powered shovels) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 26 (replace cargo pincer by chaincutters) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 3 (Satellite Uplink, Back-up Sensors) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 8 (Walk 3/5, Double Towing Capacity) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 17 (bubble viewscreen for better view) 
  Add six-shot AP Grenade Launcher (fixed to one arc) 
  78 
  69 
  69 
  147 
  78 
  - 
  OS +I8 
  Prairie Dog Mk 2 (replace one Tool Arm by Manipulator 5) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 28 (replace cargo pincers by powered drills) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 2H (replace cargo pincers by laser cutters) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 4 (Improved Sensors (tl), Micro-Lab) 
  Prairie Dog Mk 11 (Light Duty Mining Equipment) 
  Add Light MG wE00 shots in arm mount (F fire arc) 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
  Send check or money order to: 
  I 
  Sub-Total 
  Shipping & Handling ~ 
  $3 00 
  Canadian residents add 7% GST 
  Total 
  RAFM COMPANY, INC. 
  20 Parkhill Road East. 
  Cambridge, Ontario, 
  Canada, NlR 1P2, 
  Phone: (519) 623-4832. Fax: (519) 623-2795 
  I 
  Actual Miniatures may vary from images shown 
  Waylon Wyatt (order #7160335)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dream Pod 9/Heavy Gear/018 - Into the Badlands.pdf