Northern Vehicles Compendium 1

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

The desert sun was high in the sky, sending heat shimmers floating up from the dunes. Desert patrol was never amusing, but at 45° C it was unbearable. Caporal Barton knew, however, that war waited for no man.

Soldat Finks put down his binoculars and pulled down his polarized desert goggles. "Caporal, we've got movement coming our way."

Barton frowned and scanned the horizon with his own binoculars. Finks was right, two or three squadrons of Northern Gears coming over the ridge on the horizon. This might mean trouble. He wiped the sand from his filter mask and hit the comm switch on the side. "Sergent, I think you should come take a look at this."

In the damp coolness of the Caïman parked in the shade of the dune, Sergent Axelsson took a deep breath. Pulling a desert scarf over his head, he opened the hatch; light and heat rushed in as he walked out of the APC and joined Caporal Barton and Soldat Finks on top of the dune. "What's up, Caporal?"

"Well, there seems to be some new activity along the Grenberg Ridge, Sergent. At least fifteen Northern Gears are coming our way." Caporal Barton handed Axelsson his binoculars so the NCO could take a look for himself.

The Sergent scratched his scruffy beard while he waited. When he had finished a cursory look, Barton gave his equally cursory report. "It looks like a Northern border patrol, Sergent. They're deploying in a standard sweep looking for hidden enemies."

"Well, they're still a few klicks out, Caporal. Go to the meat-wagon and radio C&C."

"Oui, mon Sergent," Barton said, slipping into his native Universal French. Axelsson, born in the Mekong Dominion, frowned but let it pass. The Caporal rushed down to the APC. Soldat Finks was looking through the binoculars.

"Not to disagree with Caporal Barton, Sergent, but I don't think this is a simple patrol." Finks handed his binoculars to the Sergent so he could take another look, and continued his own report. "There are at least four Rabid Grizzlies and two Fire Jaguars. These are not regular Northern patrol Gears."

Axelsson zoomed in on the Gears. Those were heavy assault vehicles, used in concentrated attacks not standard desert patrols. "I see. Well, it would seem you're correct, Soldat. This looks more serious than... wait. One of them is coming towards us... Is that a Cheetah? I can't tell... Here, you take a look."

Finks took back his binoculars and focused on the incoming Gear. It was light and fast, traveling easily over the dunes. It was also making a B-line for their position. It certainly wasn't a Cheetah, however. "I see it, sir. I'm pretty sure it's a Weasel. A fairly rare electronic warfare Gear. You can tell by the satellite dish on its back -"

"...For calling long-range artillery and orbital strikes," the Sergent chimed in, finishing Finks sentence. "Nasty stuff. You really know your Gears, Soldat. Attention to detail like that always pays off."

Finks put down the binoculars and looked up at the NCO. It was rare that Axelsson gave compliments. "Thank you, Sergent, but I'm still -"

Horror and realization simultaneously flashed across both soldiers' faces. Long-range artillery. Finks tried to speak, but Axelsson beat him to it.

"Run! Run!" screamed the Sergent as they both scrambled down the dune, away from the Caïman. Inside, Caporal Barton - who had just sent the report to the command center - watched them flee, confused.

He was still puzzled when the barrage of supersonic shells tore right through the Caïman's body. The vehicle vanished in a ball flame, leaving behind only a vast crater in the blackened sand.

1.1 Introduction

The Northern Vehicle Compendium contains all the basic Gear and strider chassis and variants that previously appeared in the rulebook and in the Terra Nova Field Guides N1 and N2, plus many more. This book, along with the other field guides, is intended to be a quick reference manual for students of military history on Terra Nova. They will find within these pages the statistics and specifications for the most common Gears and striders used by the armies of the North on Terra Nova. The only models listed here are those that are common to several leagues, city-states or paramilitary organizations. Designs or variants that are used by a single league will be examined at a later date in other manuals.

While meticulous care was taken to ensure an accurate and up-to-date manual, the ever-changing nature of vehicles and the secrecy of military-related designs make this task Herculean at best. The reader must also take into consideration the fact that most of the information contained within the guides originates from the manufacturers themselves and reflects generic, minimally trained Gears. Depending on individual machines and maintenance records, field performance might differ from that published here. Since the last edition, some specifications and statistics have been modified to reflect newer, more accurate information.

The Northern Vehicle Compendium is divided into several chapters, each covering a specific subject. Chapter one contains the keys to the new elements found in the vehicles' statistics, i.e. the tactical uses icons, the color schemes and the availability numbers. Chapter two describes the development of the Hunter, the first true military Heavy Gear. Six well-known Gear or Gear-part manufacturers are examined in detail in Chapter three.

Chapter four constitutes the meat of the book and presents 17 Heavy Gear chassis presently in use, along with 71 commonly seen variants (chassis and variants are explained in 1.2.1 and elsewhere). Each vehicle is fully detailed both in terms of background and game statistics. Chapter five is similarly constructed, but presents five research programs currently underway to create new and more advancd vehicles. Chapter six includes all the weapon systems that were found in the old (now out of print) Field Guides, grouped together for convenience. That chapter also includes all the Perks and Flaws of the Field Guides, again grouped together. Note that even though they are presented in the Northern Vehicle Compendium, these weapons and systems can be used by any faction with no restrictions other than those the Gamemaster sees fit to apply.

Chapter seven, contains multiple tools that should prove useful to all Gamemasters (and to the players, to some extent). These tools range from the explanation of the complex vehicle identification system used by the Northern leagues to the camoflage patterns used by each army. Diagrams show the relative distribution of each of the vehicles shown in this book. Finally, a typical field garage and maintenance shed is examined in detail, ready to serve as a base of operations for a group of players in the field. The book closes with an Appendix, which contains various game aids such as a chart that allows the Gamemaster and players to compare the vehicle statistics at a glance and blank vehicle and squadron sheets.

1.1.1 Chassis and Variants

For the reader's convenience, the vehicles in this book have been divided into two general categories: the chassis and the variants. For the purpose of the game and its background, there is no practical difference between the two. The division has been made purely to maximize the content of this book. Both categories feature vehicles that are in fully-fledged production or have been permanently modified into their current configuration.

A chassis is the basic production model of a certain vehicle type; for example, Hunter chassis are often mass-produced and easily recognizable in shape and function, and they form the core of the armies. Because chassis are so common, three full pages have been devoted to each, along with a listing of their full gaming statistics. Variants based on a particular chassis will use this set of game statistics as a reference for their own, through a set of modifications (see page 6). The full explanation of the various sub-sections of the chassis section can be found on the next page.

Variants are vehicles derived from a basic chassis. In general, variants are slightly modified versions of the mass-produced chassis designed to answer a specific need. They can differ in terms of operation role, performance, equipment or weapon payload, but they tend to share the same basic structure as the chassis on which they are based. Variants can either originate from the factory or the field - no distinction is made within the book, except perhaps in the production type. To save on space, the statistics of each variant are given only as modification to the statistics of the original chassis. For example, the Strike Cheetah's statistics are given as modifications to the game statistics of the Cheetah. The Threat Values supplied have been calculated after the modifications were applied to the basic game statistics and can be used as is to evaluate the strength of a combat group.

In general, chassis have a Northern identification code that ends in MP (for Mass Produced), while variant codes end in a task specific code, such as AST (Assault), or TK (Tank Killer/Anti-Armor). The chassis and variant, however, will share the same basic code which indicates frequency and general size. For example all Hunters have a code beginning with HACS-01MG. The few exceptions to this rule cover Gears which are based on a previous model, but whose modifications are major enough that they have become a chassis in and of themselves. The high-technology Black Cat (related to the Cheetah) and Nemesis Jaguar (related to the Jaguar) are only the two most obvious examples. Northern identification codes are explained in full on p. 201.