The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by 43Supporter

For my part: A helicopter with LG CBs does wonders for convincing biker gangs to Go Away (permanently).

For my part: I would consider "Guys, Chopper inbound, scatter into cover!" work wonders for convincing chopper hunters that bike gangs are not worth the ammunition cost to eliminate them. Even at maximum efficiency, one LG CB per biker killed isn't cost effective in the long term.

2.5 does not allow Laser Guidance for bombs (only rockets). I presume therefore that you are using the rules from Aeroduel. If so you will be aware that bombing is much harder than the "basic" bombing rules. As bombs do not arrive instantaneously you need to be able to predict where your enemy will be when they arrive many seconds later (indeed this aspect of bombing could be interpreted from the falling rules once they were introduced for "basic" bombing). The scatter rules were also more severe (up to 10d inches for a bad miss).

Of course if you pick and choose which rules you use then it is easy to create an unbalanced rule set that will support whatever pre-conception you wish to enforce.

[Racer]

Of course Microplanes can do a better job & more cheaply : Stall Speeds of 30mph mean slow low level passes can accurately Target under armoured/unarmored Tops ; Straffing groups of Road targets plays havoc with unit cohesion ; if they scatter in many directions , many teams of even '180mph' Cycles will have trouble avoiding a 450mph aircraft in open country ; for $40K you can get a well constructed Ground Attack Microplane that can accurately place Teleguided 500lbs Cluster Bombs into a spread out formation of Cycles with very little warning - $50K+ will only get you a very basic One Man Helicopter ; few Cycles/Trikes/Support Vehicles carry Radars and StealthKote is incredibly cost effective ...

Gangs now avoid certain areas , stick to urban environments or near town ambushes & move on quickly before patterns get established etc . Cat & Mouse games & campaigns are truly alive with these factors taken into consideration .

[Racer]

Back to the Vehicles :

Newport 2068 - Sedan , X-Hvy Chassis , Hvy Suspension , Large Power Plant w/PCs , HTMs , Fire Extinguisher , 4 SB PR Tires , Driver w/SWC , 2 Passengers OR 2 Spaces & 300lbs for Cargo , Turreted VMG , OJ Back w/24 Shots , SD Back w/20 Shots Explosive Spikes , 4 Links : OJ-SD , VMG-OJ-SD , VMG-HTMs , VMG-FE , Plastic Armour : F36 , L32 , R32 , B40 , T28 , U13 , 2-8pt Hubs Front , 2-8pt Guards Back , Acceleration 5mph - 10mph w/HTMs , Top Speed 90mph - 67.5mph w/HTMs , HC 3 , 6,120lbs , $16,868 .

Defensive Passenger/Cargo Sedan . Has the ammo for a medium length Combat & enough Armour to take several hits . Can survive better than many Passenger Cars in it's price range & VMG-SWC combo can often damage attackers sufficiently for them to break off .
Can easily be upgraded - Solid Tires , HRSWC , Universal Turret , Pyrophoric Oil (with Driver & Passenger carrying PFEs 'just in case') , Incendiary Ammo for VMG and/or SD etc , etc and still come in under $20K . Q version has a hidden FCE , IFE & Component Armour .

( As Classic lacks Sedans , I designed a number on Combat Garage & the Classic version of the Newport earned some praise . Almost $2,000 more gets you bit more Armour , better Tires , a SWC , HTMs , better SD Ammo & improved HC for more lethal modern Roads . Remember to shoot them once they're ON the Oil & Spikes for increased HC penalties ! )

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by Racer

Of course Microplanes can do a better job & more cheaply : Stall Speeds of 30mph mean slow low level passes can accurately Target under armoured/unarmored Tops ; Straffing groups of Road targets plays havoc with unit cohesion ; if they scatter in many directions , many teams of even '180mph' Cycles will have trouble avoiding a 450mph aircraft in open country ; for $40K you can get a well constructed Ground Attack Microplane that can accurately place Teleguided 500lbs Cluster Bombs into a spread out formation of Cycles with very little warning - $50K+ will only get you a very basic One Man Helicopter ; few Cycles/Trikes/Support Vehicles carry Radars and StealthKote is incredibly cost effective ...

Gangs now avoid certain areas , stick to urban environments or near town ambushes & move on quickly before patterns get established etc . Cat & Mouse games & campaigns are truly alive with these factors taken into consideration .

Actually no-one is going to try to outrun the aircraft, they just have to outrun the falling bomb. Bikes are not going to spread out into a wider formation under air attack, they are going to scatter and regroup elsewhere. You only have to make it into a culvert, underpass or bridge (or even get among civilian traffic) and you are fairly safe. Remember that a mercenary that takes out a cycle ganger is useful, one who takes out the only bridge in the area or an innocent family through collateral damage is no more use to law and order than a cycle ganger.

Most bike gangs would carry at least one radar unit, they are cheap and make target assessment much quicker. Even if you mask the radar signature of your aircraft however, you will also need to mask the noise (with stealth) pushing your cost up. Aircraft are also still quite easy to spot with the mark one eyeball and they cannot be effectively camouflaged whilst airborne.

Low and slow improves your bombing accuracy but makes you vulnerable to ground fire. Every bomb dropped on a different ground target is another firing action.

I am more comfortable with the conclusion. Biker gangs are hit and run, hid out in ruins and move on regularly. Camouflage netting (with anti radar and anti IR) and spoof targets will make them difficult to pinpoint even when they are holed up at an ambush site. "Unconnected" vehicles will enable them to trade salvage with even law-abiding towns. They probably have at least one town that they actively protect where they are actually welcome where they rest up (maybe the same gang styles themselves the Paladins or the Crusaders in different areas).

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by Racer

Newport 2068

I like this one. A sensible car for sensible drivers.

This would be my minimum spec for a commuter. Very capable for popping to the shops. Whilst not quite enough to risk the wilds solo, it would be a useful addition to an ad-hoc convoy with the turret and dropped ordinance allowing it to slot in anywhere.

If using the optional encumbrance rules you could stick with a single passenger, CA the crew compartment and give your driver decent armour and your passenger armour and a meaty anti-vehicle weapon (for some ad-hoc support) and grenades... lots of grenades.

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by Racer

Of course Microplanes can do a better job & more cheaply : Stall Speeds of 30mph mean slow low level passes can accurately Target under armoured/unarmored Tops ; Straffing groups of Road targets plays havoc with unit cohesion ; if they scatter in many directions , many teams of even '180mph' Cycles will have trouble avoiding a 450mph aircraft in open country ; for $40K you can get a well constructed Ground Attack Microplane that can accurately place Teleguided 500lbs Cluster Bombs into a spread out formation of Cycles with very little warning - $50K+ will only get you a very basic One Man Helicopter ; few Cycles/Trikes/Support Vehicles carry Radars and StealthKote is incredibly cost effective ...

One of the many reasons I told people back-when: "Since _Aeroduel_, Cycle Gangs don't exist any more" (with one exception - see next remark).

For ex.: My _Falke_ "cargo hauler" has 4-sp./880 lb. available for various bombs; and even with the F-mount VMGs, and R/FP armor, it still comes in at $93,260. The _Nachtigall_ is even worse: 8 sp./500 lbs., plus its direct-fire weapons are linked BCs forward; and even with R/FP armor, it's still only $116,400. And those are "trash haulers"; the dedicated GA birds I have on-file have done Very Bad Things to bikers (the _Kugelblitz_ B model has six LG HRs or B10s, plus linked RRs, and comes in at ~$78K).

Cycle gangs dealing with Air Power have a problem: Concentrations of cycles are vulnerable to Cluster Bombs and other area-coverage weapons (ever seen a low-level pass by something with Flame Clouds?); and getting access to dedicated SA weapons is difficult, if not also expensive (even a CTS with a Univ. mount is a fairly spendy bit of kit; the best anti-air cycle I ever saw used three SAMs in a sidecar mount -- it was a neat trick, but he could only do it once).

Side Note: Something I tripped over in my file for "_The Death Of EDSEL_": "A complaint lodged both by EDSEL's detractors, and certain of EDSEL's own pilots, was the indiscriminate nature of Cluster Bombs -- one CB, however precisely aimed, could end up taking out three lanes of traffic. At the time of the war, EDSEL had begun swapping bombs for U-mounted, downward-firing rockets; these could be more-effectively directed against offending duellists, and minimized the risk of 'spillover' affecting uninvolved bystanders."

Originally Posted by Racer

Gangs now avoid certain areas , stick to urban environments or near town ambushes & move on quickly before patterns get established etc . Cat & Mouse games & campaigns are truly alive with these factors taken into consideration .

The *really* smart biker gangs now operate on the model of the CyClones from _RASG3_: They set themselves up as "local law enforcement", and act as Local-Area Revenue Cutters. (And if the Capitol gets a tithe.... >:) )

[swordtart]

How low was that flame cloud pass? A flame cloud even 1/4" above the top of your vehicle wont harm you (and a bike is only 1/4" tall), so you will need to be flying at 1/2" or less!. Coming it that low I don't even need universal or top mounted weapons to target you (Heck, I could use a bayonet). Best hope you don't need to make a control roll, 6 or more on table 8 and you loose enough altitude to hit the ground.

Make the turreted VMG (or other favoured weapon of choice) on your support pickup universal and long barrelled. Not massively more costly (especially compared to the cost of the target you might be able to bring down).

Cycles can tow trailers and trailers can have top mounted weapons. Of course your support pickup could haul a 15' trailer with up to ten spaces of top mounted dedicated air defence, if your foe was foolish enough to stray into the top arc.

Still not buying it ;)

[swordtart]

Back on topic: An update on a curious design in VG1 that had a pair of power plants to double the range. This reworking retains the (dubious) benefit of extended range, but re-purposes the space and weight freed up by using extra cells instead of the extra plant to beef up the offensive and defensive qualities. It isn't a great design perhaps, but if you accept VG1 reflects the standard vehicles of 2034/4 then it is a credible development (though it isn't cutting edge by 2056).

Double Charge Redux:
Luxury; Extra Heavy chassis; Heavy suspension; Super PP w/2 Extra Cells;
Driver; Fire Extinguisher; Passenger.
Turreted Recoilless Rifle with 2 extra magazines and 30 standard rounds; Paint Spray (R) with 25 standard rounds.
4 Solid tires; 2x5 pt. Plastic Hubs F; 2x5 pt. Plastic Hubs B, 2x5 pt. Plastic Guards B.
Armour: 150 pts. Sloped Plastic (F: 35 R: 25 L: 25 B: 30 T: 20 U: 15);
Cost: $18,000, Wgt: 6,575, HC: 3, Top Speed: 100, Accel: 5.

A significant update to the 2034 Double Charge, the Double Charge Redux takes advantage of modern plant technology to deliver the same outstanding 400 mile range of the original but now offers deep magazines for the ever popular turreted Recoilless Rifle. Now you don't have to stop to refill your power cells or your magazine and your running fights can run even longer.

The bodywork has been updated for a sleeker look which lowers the profile to turn those pesky lucky hits into clear misses and an all aspect armour upgrade further improves your staying power.

The original was praised for the Solid tyres which eliminated tire wear from road debris and provided the best durability available at the time, but in light of recent trends in wheel protection we bolster the already impressive longevity with additional wheel guards and hubs.

Double Charge Redux by Freeway, for when you just have to keep on "keeping on".

[Racer]

Wouldn't it be better to swap out the Super PP for a Large PP w/SCs ? With two Extra Power Cells , that'll be 300lbs saved to use on more Armour etc ?
While the original had a Paint Spray , a dropped weapon that causes damage or loss of control might be a better option .

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by Racer

Wouldn't it be better to swap out the Super PP for a Large PP w/SCs ? With two Extra Power Cells , that'll be 300lbs saved to use on more Armour etc ?
While the original had a Paint Spray , a dropped weapon that causes damage or loss of control might be a better option .

Quite possibly, but then it wouldn't be a made-over Double Charge. When updating the designs if you move too far from the original concept, you end up with a wholly new design.

I think the paint spray is under-rated. It has a decent magazine capacity, acts as a smoke screen for longer than is needed in most encounters and can impose an enduring -2 to hit. Most people try to avoid touching a paint spray whilst they will happily go trough smoke. Forcing them to avoid is causing HS loss which will contribute to a control loss. Whilst it can be easily countered with a no-paint windshield, that takes money out of the rest of the opponents design.

Your Power plant suggestion has merit, as you say you free up 300 lb, 2 spaces and $500. Since you are changing the plant anyway, maybe it is in keeping. The only downsize is you loose 10 mph off your top speed. You can fix that with overdrive within the original budget. With a few extra $ you could add HTMs and improve the acceleration as well. I just think by then you are moving too far from the original.

So to compromise. The Double Charge Redux stays as it is. However...

The Double Charge Redux never really took the market by storm. Freeway went bust shortly afterwards and that would have been the end of it if it not been for a small but persistent user group who started to provide after market spares for the original model and conversion kits to the Redux standard. They also however provided a Mark 2 standard that used a smaller plant and super conductors to make the design more efficient. The 300lb and $500 savings allowed a number of custom improvements without significant alterations to the basic framework.

The Mark 2 enjoys a modest success and due to the custom options you can never be sure if the version you are facing is a basic courier update or has an unpleasant surprise or two.