Into the Badlands

"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 explosions.

"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 hundred-meter dunes. Karla called over to one of her assistants.

"Nat, take Rico and try to get to the tower from the north side. We're going to have to follow this dip as long as we can."

"Got it. I'll 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 supply pack.

Karla and the other barnaby riders got the beasts to a trot, trying to make it over the crest of rock that separated them from the oasis tower. For almost fifteen minutes, there was no noise. The rovers likely had poor sensors and the large dunes were doing a good 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. Biting her lip, Karla lashed her mount, driving up the slope of loose sand.

Autocannon fire blew into a nearby dune and desert ATVs appeared on the crest to their left. Karla was sheltered by small dunes, so remained on her barnaby, but the others made their way up on foot. She got to the crest of the ridge, smiling at the visible dust trail of two springers darting for the squat oasis tower below.

She almost didn't notice a small Gear appearing to her right. She had no cover and it was closing - apparently wanting to take her out with a vibromachete rather than waste ammunition on an "easy" kill.

"You're 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."

1.1 Sourcebook Overview

It is TN 1933, and Terra Nova is on the brink of war. Again. The dŽtente 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 inhabitants 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 material 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 interesting 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 political 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, gamblers 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 adventures, including eleven adventure seeds, statistics for desert inhabitants and details on the indigenous wildlife. Tactical players will also find rules to cover the Sand Riders tribes and statistics for the Warrior, the Groundhog and the Prairie Dog Gears, as well as for the Longrunner caravan truck, a common Badlands vehicle.

Welcome to the brink of survival. Welcome to the brink of war. Welcome to the Badlands.