Your Rifts army...

[cyberdon]

You're a self-styled warlord on Rifts earth, and you build an empire.

What would it be? What would it look like?

[taalismn]

I've built a business instead, SELLING to warlords and empire-builders. A lot less hassle and fewer assassination attempts.

[Daeglan]

What is your goal?
Benevolence?
Malevolence?

[Killer Cyborg]

You're a self-styled warlord on Rifts earth, and you build an empire.

What would it be? What would it look like?

What's my budget?

[Dr Megaverse]

I'll assume sky is the limit .

I'm going imported 3G style setup. Contra-grav drives for all units, both airborne and land based. Majority of weapon systems will trend towards energy (focus on long distance lasers, efficient p-beams, and high damage plasma ejectors) with a mix of conventional (mostly gravitonic rifles and gravity based rail guns). Heavy use of Power Armor, a mix of lightly armed, fast "Scout" configurations and "Rapid Response" heavy units. Backed up by sub-orbital capable contra-grav air units configured for heavy bombardment, close range energy weapons support and troop insertion.

Now for the really fancy stuff, each PA will have a modified HUD. Built into the HUD is a VR control system similar to VRRDS. The design allows for the PA pilot to maintain control of several Naruni drones each. The majority of pilots will have two Gun Drones and two Shark Missile Drones. Interspaced among the PAs will be EW platform units, designed to scramble enemy communications, hamper targeting systems, and disrupt radar tracking of flying units. Large scale use of OMAV pods from Naruni, however with combat A.I.s installed for independent and forward operating units. Special ops heavy damage teams equipped with Meson weaponry, and similar exotic extreme destruction weapons.

Essentially use the drones to wear down defenses and use scouting units to locate targets. For hardened targets use sub orbital arial bombardment, followed by heavy PA units. Could also drop heavy units with close range energy support from airborne units. Special ops teams for severe damage, specially useful on small targets, etc.

I hate to admit it, but I just realized I described a Pinnace with Marine support from HH :-p. lol.

[V-Origin]

Sorry my empire is the entire Megaverse and not just on Rifts Earth.

[Blue_Lion]

Budget and resources are important in building a army, as is time. Personally I think working at it would require time. Take budding young mages and put them through a military training to teach them how to work in a proper standing army. Let’s face it taking random mage OCC and letting in your army without proper training is a present militia approach. Instead create a mage training program that turns them into Line and/or elite soldiers. Imagine facing a TW tank unit, or a mystic commando. But you can’t ignore tech quicker to train grunts to fill out the roster than mages, so a standard military training to teach grunts, tech and PA pilots. Not uneducated but educated to read right, with an understanding of basic military stagey and first aid. With special tech units I would go with cyborgs, no crazies, and no juicers. Crazies are too unstable for long term standing army and juicer is a death sentence. Training will be open to all D-bee races. Would not use demons as standing troops, shifters will be used for mobility and summoned troops will be summoned for a specific mission then sent home possibly with some sort of reward.

The kingdom whould probaly be a kind of enlighted magical state with a develped internet and computer game focus to keep the people happy.

[Akashic Soldier]

Y.M.I.R. Enterprises

(I am actually attempting to do this in Don's game coincidentally enough).

The idea is simple. As a Troll my character GrÜz Maømb defines his "manhood" by his wealth. As the son of Geirrød, The Warlock King of The Great Divide GrÜz must amass an impressive horde to rival that of his father (who is already approximately 200 years old--maybe more) to prove he is son worthy of the Maømb family name. Unfortunately for GrÜz his alignment is Scrupulous (in his heart he is a good person unlike his father). As an additional road block he is at the time of his life where he must now walk the Earth amassing his treasure as he becomes a man and he cannot really sit in one place and steal, rob and loot passerby's like his older brothers. To make matters more complicated, GrÜz can't carry all of his horde around with him. There is simply too much.

EDIT: To put things in perspective, 1,000,000 credits equates to 16 water barrels full to the brim with gold coins
x1 Barrel (600lbs) = 9,600 Minted Gold Coins (61,440 credits.)

So, the only option left to me was to plot the creation of a money bin. Unfortunately, again, the problem with that is that GrÜz cannot guard his treasure and still be a feasible Player Character and participate in the game. So my only solution as I could see it was to build a society around guarding my loot. In addition to making it self-sufficient and a business in its own right. GrÜz needed employees/workers. So, as a Troll he did what Trolls do. He attempted to build a power-base around the traditional monster races. As an Earth Warlock AND a Troll it should be no sweat for him to keep his Goblins and other "employees" in line but only time will tell. I am paying them a salary comparable to the Coalition and offering them protection, security, and power and so I should be able to control the situation with relative ease and still adventure. Likewise, by building an organization wherein there is an elite position for dedicated law enforcement I can cater, one might even say, hone the Orcs primal drive to seek dominance over lesser monster races to turn them into highly motivated militia, auditors and peace keepers. Thus, creating a good-aligned organization (even if its members are not) which will amass profit and resources that will allow GrÜz to..



No one cares. Just click the link and see the cute little pictures I made and all the protocols I wrote up.

And before you think I am insane (well I am BUT) there are only approximately 100 Trolls on Rifts Earth and GrÜz was charged with helping to avoid the extinction of his race on the planet and for him to accomplish that he must create the largest treasure horde possible so he can compete with his older brothers for mates. It is very competitive and serious business.

[ffranceschi]

A "Free Quebec" style Empire BUT I allow the use of Magic for Military purposes only. So I will have my Mystic Knights Squad fighting side by side with the Glitter Boys, Glitter Girls and V-SAMs! Unstoppable! By the way, I will not be an expansionist Empire like the CS BUT I will join forces and forge alliances with them and other Human Supremacist Empires to reclaim the Earth and exterminate the "D-Bee pestilence" (this includes the Vampire Kingdoms and the Splugorth of Atlantis!).

[keir451]

I'm using a Dog Pack/Wolfen Kingdom in Washington State, their goal is the freedom of all Canids/Mutants from CS slavery, they accept all who demonstrate a willingness to follow their laws (based upon Old America).
Weapons & Equioment: They use the Behemoth Explorer Factories that they stole during the Siege of Tolkeen to outfit everyone in CA6-EX equivalent exo-armor(actually NEMA Roscoe exo-suits, just restyled), and a mix of Titan Industries & CS War Campaign weapons. Only a few elites have power armor, rediscovered NEMA gear ( a couple of GB's, a Mastiff Robot and 6 Gun Buster PA suits).
Air power is from stolen CS Sky Cycles/Rocket Bikes as well as refurbished A-10 Warthogs, M-1 Abrams Tanks, TW WW 2 Mustang Fighters http://www.vonhoffmann.org/P-51_D_Mustang_-_008.jpg. Replacing the guns w/TW weapons and adding TW shield spells in addition to MDC armor upgrades.
They also do demon/monster exterminations as their primary form of income.

[mobuttu]

TW WW 2 Mustang Fighters http://www.vonhoffmann.org/P-51_D_Mustang_-_008.jpg. Replacing the guns w/TW weapons and adding TW shield spells in addition to MDC armor upgrades.

Have you seen the TW "Kamikaze" fighter from Arzo (WB28 Vampire Incursion)?

Hope this helps.

[glitterboy2098]

well, i'll assume for the moment that i'll get whatever resources i need to build my choice. i'll further assume that i'll be limited to what i can obtain on rifts earth (no supplanting the naruni or splugorth here)

i'll further assume that i can't choose the Scandinavians i've been writing.


it would be a technology based army first and foremost. i'd have magic and psionic support, but those two are too random to rely on for the main force. Psionic troops would be screened to define their abilities, and the troops assigned according to their abilities. the PSI-detachments would be a type of special forces which are attached to regular units. Negapsychics and Psi-nullifiers would be attached to frontline squads and platoons, as well as the MP's, to deal with enemy magic and Psi. Bursters and other offensive Psi would be employed similar to weapons specialists. and so on. minor and Major Psi among the regular troops would be a factor for unit assignments similar to skills and experience.
Magic users would be expected to learn a core program of spells, to ensure some uniformity of ability. any magic user which can't learn specific spells, or cannot learn common spells (the basic spell list such as seen in RUE) falls under similar issues as psychics above. 'evil' magic like necromancy, blood magic, biowizardry, etc are all banned. likewise magic users are expected to abstain from sacrifices of intellegent beings, torture, and other such evil aspects. sacrifice for PPE is OK only under orders, and with unintelligent animals. (magic users can request live animals from the quartermasters corps, which supplies them out of the same sources used for fresh meat. members of the QC have to be on hand to ensure the sacrifice is a clean kill.. they also take the resulting carcass for butchering. waste not.)
part of the training for the army's magic users is the Talisman spell and the creation of PPE batteries. magic users which do not meet the physical capabilities requirement of the combat arms can serve in the QC creating PPE batteries and Talismaned spells for use in the frontlines. support spells (healing spells, toxin removal spells, camouflage spells, invisibility, and other such non-damage spells are a large part.)

Infantry would use versions of the Urban Warrior body armor, the L-20 pulse rifle (with tactical rail attachments to allow multi-optic scopes, under barrel GL's/shotgun/etc), the NG 6shot mini-missile launcher, the WI 40mm full auto grenade launcher, and the C-40 MG style railgun. heavy weapons troops would use a support harness to allow them to use heavy weapons without having to deploy in a stationary position first. (Aliens style heavy weapons basically)

Infantry would be mechanized in an APC based on the IronHammer MBT (similar to the Israeli's Namer APC), a full squad of 12 in each.
the Main Armor unit would be a clone of the IronHammer MBT. Artillery and anti-aircraft would be based on the IronBolt MLRS, though 155mm howitzers on a IronBolt derived chassis would share the Artillery duty.

Powered armor support would be a mix of Shadowboy type suits in a 'mobile infantry' role, deployed from air mobile VTOL transports, and a transforming Motorbike/Powered Exoskeleton similar to the VR-038 from Robotech, which provides a light assualt role. (the latter would be able to use standard infantry gear, including heavy weapons)

i'd not use Piloted robots.. i love mecha, but i prefer decent MBT's for anti-armor work. though if i could build a decent Veritech fighter, i'd use that.

i'm not sure what i'd do for Airpower. i'm not a big fan of most of the canon Rifts fighters and helicopters, and using GAW stuff seems wrong.

[Mech-Viper Prime]

I will choose 11000 floppers and 12000 shapers and one mulka.

[Veritas476]

I've built a business instead, SELLING to warlords and empire-builders. A lot less hassle and fewer assassination attempts.

Like taalismn, I too have built a business of my own. Though we at Wildstorm Industries provide weapons, and equipment, of a heavier grade than those produced by our friends at Paladin Steel.

[nilgravity]

If I was building it in game.. I'd probably go robots or mostly robots. I might also go for breeding my own dog boys from ferals.

[Akashic Soldier]

If I was building it in game.. I'd probably go robots or mostly robots.

I thought of that first, its a good idea but is a Sci-Fi nightmare waiting to happen.

I might also go for breeding my own dog boys from ferals.

That is really smart! Good idea!

[taalismn]

I will choose 11000 floppers and 12000 shapers and one mulka.

"Worse yet, some of us vote twice."