Obligatory 4th of July Post

Yesterday I took the family to the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall.  Spent much of the day explaining the Cold War, US vs USSR, NATO, Warsaw Pact, and proxy wars to the spawnlings. 

Today is the 4th of July:

So I celebrated it in traditional fashion. The BIL and his family, In-Laws, and a friend all came over.  Shooting guns, gorging on food, and blowing up a small part of the nation. 

The arsenal and the hippie-mobile. 

The BIL and his virgin AR.  He hadn't set it up w/ rear sights yet so he left quite a furrow in the ground until he got used to it:

My painter buddy and his Yugo M48 Mauser:

 I had to show them all how it's really done w/ the Dragunov.

Pistol Competition.  Ruger SR45, Beretta 92S, S&W M&P 9mm, Makarov.

Even the MIL and FIL got in on the action:

Finally the really important part of the day.  When the youngest, 5thpower, first seen here, turned seven, it was time for him to learn the art of boomsticks.  Since Feb. however, my weekends have been either crazy or crappy weather.  I've only been out maybe once. So today was the day of lead throwing for him.  After a reminder on the 'Rules', which he repeated w/o any problem, we went over the basics on a Ruger 10/22 followed by a few magazines emptied.

Unfortunately, like his dad, he's a right handed shooter but left-eye dominant.  He'll get used to that as time goes by.  We were running a lot later than planned so I'll be taking the 4thpowers out tomorrow.  We secured the sticks, left the range set up, then went and charred much dead animal flesh.

Then came the other fun part.  Blowing up a small part of the nation.  I really love smoke. The smoke bombs I picked up this year were really good.  Thick and a deep color. 

 Tank battles.

 FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!! (my favorite shot of the day)

BIL making his own 'Anti-tank rockets'.

The 'Finale'.  Would have been more showy if it was darker but the BIL family had to go to another 4oJ thing.

Feeling 'Blue':

Palladium FRPG 1st Ed. Ancient Dread: The Journey to Totuga

Continuing the adventure from here. Follow the story from the beginning.   This session was done via a combination of Roll20 and IM so I am attempting dialogue.

Several days have passed as the intrepid adventurers sail towards the pirate haven of Totugo in the Floenry Isles, far to the South of the Kingdom of Timiro.

The journey has been relatively quiet and Captain Macintyre has proven to be excellent host while they are aboard his 'Virtuous Maiden', a Bizantian Corsair.  At one point during the journey, he explains the name and how he acquired her. Previously, it was the property of a Bizantium Capt. who had a soft spot for gambling.  While he did his best to keep his wagers to coin, Macintyre  was having a strong run in cards, and the previous Captain. ended up wagering more than he could afford, and lost the ship as a result.  Allegedly the ship was named after the previous Capt's daughter, and Capt. Macintyre is fond of saying how many men have gladly ridden "The Virtuous Maiden".  Needless to say, Northern sea captains aren't fond of Macintyre which is why he stays mostly in southern waters.

One area of the ship that has not been quiet, however, is the cabin of the 1st Mate, Roan, a large (even for his kind) Wolfen who has been with Macintyre for many years.  A Mind Mage of some talent and a heart as big as he is, Roan has taken it upon himself to help ease the traumatized child rescued from the warehouse.  During the days, he conducts telepathic sessions on the boy with the calming presence of the Priest Eddie.  These sessions end with Roan highly agitated, bolting his door in the evening.  The roars and sounds of breaking furniture leave the crew on edge.

The party passes the time in various ways, typical of a diverse group.  Klyn, the thief, is barely seen, spending most of his time in his cabin with his bedpartner Adelaide.  Echo, the Warlock, spends her time sunbathing on the deck with her Goblin slave/bodyguard in attendance.  Much of the crew finds this one of the most entertaining things they've seen in some time resulting in the usual sailor humor, from snide to outright lewd.  Eddie, the Paladin, helps out among the crew and maintains his plate armor.  Strongbow, the Longbowman, discusses future endeavors and the possibility of a long term commission with the Captain and his Second Mate, a female elf sailor by the name of Alta who also comes from the Land of the South Winds.  She tells Strongbow that she is the firstborn child of a prominent fishing family and remarks that he looks familiar, a strong resemblance to a noble family.  Alta dismisses that thought though as an Elven family would never let a prominent son risk himself as a lowly adventurer. Freddie, the Priest of Apis, alternates his time between caring for the boy and trying to raise the spirits of the crew.  His eccentric antics leaves them befuddled but the appreciate his attempts to help along with his healing abilities. Mug is presented with an arrow mold and several ingots of lead and is overjoyed by the kindness shown to him, something he has never experienced before from any of his previous masters.

"Many thanks to you master. Mug shall begin the making of many arrows" he proclaims.
"Excellent. I have full faith in you."

"Master shall rejoice at having many arrows with which to hunt game, and annihilate his enemies, may they weep in terror."

 "I rejoice at having such a loyal and skilled Elfservant.".  With that, he hurries off.  Whenever the crew sees him, he is busy making arrowheads, a smile on his face and humming Orcish lullabies.

Two days out from Totuga, Roan calls the party into his cabin.  Much of the furniture is damaged and there are deep claw marks upon the walls. He begins to explain about the boy, whose name he's discovered is Malthes.  The firstborn of a peasant family in a Western Empire colony of the Ophids Grasslands, it was discovered early on that Malthes was a natural wizard, capable of manipulating energies even from the crib.  He was offered the opportunity to apprentice at a small wizard school due to his abilities.  Nearing the end of his apprenticeship he and some of his fellow apprentices made a pilgramige, but his troupe was waylaid by slavers. He was tortured, broken, and sold as a slave. Special order actually. The Witch Kratlos is the one who bought him. The boy was used as a source of flesh that was carved from his skin, and for other...atrocities committed by a witch named Kratlos. In addition to being a witch, Kraltos is a merchant for the Hitira Slavers, who specialize in debaucherous merchandise from the young to the forbidden.  Malthes is also very skilled in languages, knowing at least five including Northern, Southern, Eastern, Ogre, and Faerie along with being able to write both the Northern and Eastern human languages. . Has an incurable psychic scar from the result of a forced use of some sort of ritual that involves fresh human blood, a graveyard, and lots of chanting. The result is that it caused him to gain immense magical knowledge, beyond even what he was born with.   He also had a brand, marking him as the witch's property:
 

Just one more reason for that monster to die. 

Firearms of the E.B.S.I.S. Pt II: Heavy Weapons & Body Armor

Continuing the supplement stuff for ROBOTECH RPG 1st ed..  The last one was small arms.  This post will focus more on heavy weapons with an addition of body armor. Again that these are the norm of what will generally be used/encountered in the field.  Pre-Rain German, Czech, etc. weapons are highly sought after in the ruins of Europe and may be issued to special forces, infiltrators, or allied forces.

Heavy Weapons:

Macross Era:

NSV 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun ((Russian НСВ Никитина-Соколова-Волкова)



A conventional heavy machinegun that is commonly mounted on armored vehicles, mecha, and anti-aircraft platforms. It can fire conventional S.D.C. rounds or High Explosive Armor Piercing (HEAP) rounds that do M.D.C. damage.  These latter are expensive to produce and are usually limited to the elite mecha units (such as the Juggernaut) or when it is anticipated that enemy (iow RDF/SC or Zentraedi) mecha contact is likely. Note that the Soviet rounds are NOT interchangeable w/ RDF mecha. 

 Cartridge: 12.7x108mm, Damage: *, , Feed: Belt fed box or internal magazine., Weight: 25kg, Barrel Length: 1560mm, Muzzle Velocity: 845 m/s, Approx. Effective Range: 2000 m
*Standard Ball: 1D4x10+6/rnd.  See modern weapon proficiencies for burst fire
HEAP: 1MD/rnd.  1D4 MD short burst,5 rnds/2D4 MD long burst,10 rnds/1D4x5 MD full melee 20 rnds

KPV Heavy Machine Gun (Krupnokaliberniy Pulemyot Vladimirova, in Russian as Крупнокалиберный Пулемёт Владимирова, or КПВ)

An ultra-heavy machinegun too large for standard personnel use.  It is normally mounted on vehicles(ex BTR-70) and/or used as an anti-aircraft platform (Ex. ZPU series).  This machinegun also has conventional and HEAP rounds available.



 Cartridge: 14.5x114mm, Damage: *, , Feed: Belt fed box or internal magazine., Weight: 49kg, Length: 1980mm, Muzzle Velocity: 1005 m/s, Approx. Effective Range: 3000 m

*Standard Ball: 1D6x10+6/rnd.  See modern weapon proficiencies for bursts
HEAP: 1D4 MD/rnd.  1D6 MD short burst,5 rnds/2D6 MD long burst,10 rnds/1D6x5 MD full melee 20 rnds

RPG-7 Anti-armor rocket launcher  (Russian: РПГ-7 Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт – Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot,)

Cheaply produced, reloadable, and portable, the RPG-7 is issued in large numbers to E.B.S.I.S. troops and exported to allied nations, high-tech bandits, and mercenaries around the world.  While it can rarely severely damage the main body, RPG sharpshooters can blind or cripple mecha by hitting sensors, weapon ports, or limbs.  Like the AK-47, there are copies manufactured both officially and unofficially.


Weight: Launcher 7.9kg, rocket 2.25 kg. Damage: HEAT-1D4 MD, HE 4D6x10 SDC, Frag 4D4x10 SDC
Eff. Range 300m.  Max Range:920m (self detonates)

RKG-3 Anti-Armor Grenade
 
Weight: 1.07kg. Effective Casualty Radius:
10ft. Effective Range: 100ft (30m). Damage: 1D4 x 10 S.D.C.

GP-25 Kostyor Grenade Launcher
Designed to be attached under an AK-47 or 74, similar the the old U.S. M203.

Weight 1.5 kg (3.31 lb) Feed: Single shot. Rate of Fire: 5-6 rounds per minute. Effective Range: 1200ft (400m). Damage: 1D4x10 SDC

 9M14 Malyutka (Russian: Малютка; little one, NATO reporting name: AT-3 Sagger) Mass produced Anti-Tank Guided Missile. Lightweight enough to be portable by ground troops, it is also commonly used by armored vehicles and aircraft.




Caliber: 120mm, Weight: 11.3 kg (launch unit), Length:
880mm, Missile Weight: 5.2 kg, Launch Velocity: 250 m/s,
Feed: Single-shot, Penetration: 400mm, Blast Diameter: 30
m (100 feet), Damage: HE lD6 MDC or HEAT 2D4 MDC,
Minimum Range: 200 m (656 ft), Max Range 3 Km.


Southern Cross Era:

All Macross era weapons are still in use to some degree.  Explosive weapons have mostly been replaced with more effective models although stockpiles are still used to arm guerrillas and insurgents. 

RKG-8 Grenade:  Soviet copy of the 'Cobalt Grenade'. 
Weight: .5lb, Eff. Throwing Range: 90ft, Damage: 1D6 MD, Blast Radius: 12ft.


RPG-20 Rocket Launcher:
A Soviet variant of the RL-2 Super Rocket Cannon, they have made several modifications.  A two shot rocket launcher, the E.B.S.I.S. had difficulty developing the miniaturization for the 'Plasma' mini-missile.  Instead they made the launcher reloadable and capable of firing any of the other mini-missiles available.  The Southern Cross never used mini-missile technology so these are uncommon outside of E.B.S.I.S. or allied territories.

Weight: 16lbs, Damage: Varies, RoF: Twice, takes 2 melees to reload. Eff. Range: Varies by missile, Payload: Two.  Must be fired in order of missiles loaded.

Body Armor: 

Macross era:

6B series combat vest.  Commonly issued to ground troops and special forces, especially in hostile zones.  Heavy but offers a fair degree of protection against S.D.C. weapons. Woodland green is standard but can also come in a variety of camoflage patterns. Has compartments for 2-6 magazines and extra supplies.




 Weight: 15lbs, A.R. 12, S.D.C. 120

Southern Cross era:

Field Plate Armor

The Soviet's response to the REF/UEEF's CVR-3 and S.C. body armor.  It has comparable MDC (50) and a searchlight shield (60MDC, 200ft range) but is NOT laser resistant.  Weight: 15lbs

1. Complete E.B.A. (Environmental Battle Armor suitable for use in space and other hostile environments.
2. Computer controlled life support system.
3. Internal cooling and temp. control.
4. Humidifier/dehumidifier
5. Gas filtering and artificial circulation
6. Independent O2 supply.  6hr.max.
7. Fire resistant up to 300deg. C. Plasma/Nuclear fires have full effect.
8. Radiation shielded.
9. Helmet w/ removable face plate.
10. Directional, short range radio built into helmet. Range 4miles
11. Infrared and passive night vision optic system.  Range 120ft.
12. Tinted, light sensitive visors
13. Utility belt connectors for ammo, food or 1st aid pouches
14.  Back pack connectors.  Not compatible w/ REF or SC units.