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The discussion about the RUE classes that some folks don't want to play as much reminded me about this. A while back I started a Rifter article submission about Glitter Boy pilot culture and organizations. Think something like a motorcycle club, and you'll get the idea. I meant for this article to explain how people keep these suits going and in the family after hundreds of years of regular use and combat. Since there's not much point to submitting to the Rifter anymore, I figured I'd share my notes here:

Definitions:

Glitter Boy associations are loose, decentralized groups that share common values. They focus on training pilots, supporting pilots and their families, and preserving their Glitter Boys for the future. There are four main Glitter Boy associations in North America: the Minutemen, the Old Guard, the Riggers, and the Sons of Thunder. Each association is made up of many chapters which share common rules and traditions. One tradition that all associations share is a sense of history and prestige. Great battles, campaigns, and individual deeds become part of the story for each suit and pilot, commemorated and shared through oral traditions, pilot suit patches, or digital recordings.

Chapters are mostly-autonomous groups within an association that are usually made up of a single armory and a number of homesteads, normally numbering 6-15 members total (not including any wanderers in their area). Chapters handle their own business and occasionally assist other chapters with parts, supplies, and reinforcements.

Armory: A small, fortified compound owned and operated by the local chapter of a Glitter Boy association. Each armory usually includes three senior Glitter Boy pilots (chapter president, vice, and sergeant-at-arms) who work here and may live here too, a couple of operators, and their families. In an emergency, they can call in help from homesteads and wandering members in the area and gather 6-12 Glitter Boys in a matter of hours. Armories usually have some extra housing for wandering pilots visiting the armory. This is where members meet, get their suits fixed, and get most of their contract work. Armories can repair most battle damage and usually have enough spare parts on-hand to get even a totally wrecked suit up and running in a matter of a week or two.

Homestead: a home base of one or two Glitter Boy pilots who have settled down to a fairly quiet, family-focused life. Includes a secure and usually hidden garage big enough to house 2 or 3 Glitter Boys, basic supplies, and a radio that can reach other homesteads and the nearest armory. Homesteads usually have enough ammunition and supplies to fully re-stock a Glitter Boy at least four times over. They may also house one or two visiting Glitter Boys from time to time.

Wanderers, journeymen, or nomads are Glitter Boy pilots who are members of an association who don't belong to any specific chapter. Although they don't enjoy voting rights in a chapter, they're entitled to the same hospitality, resupply, and maintenance as any other member at the chapter's armory and homesteads. Wanderers can also take on any mercenary work the Chapter is doing. Chapters expect wanderers in their territory to check in with them, inform them of any mercenary work they're taking, and come to the chapter's aid if called.

Freelancers are Glitter Boy pilots who don't belong to any association.

Membership requirements and traditions vary from association to association, but generally require a functioning suit and a standard of skills, values, and discipline demonstrated over a period of time (at least six months, more commonly a year or more) within a chapter or under the personal mentorship of a wandering member. Prospective members enjoy free repairs, resupply, and maintenance at their sponsoring chapter. They are expected to obey members of their sponsoring chapter or mentor, assist in contracts (for which they take a reduced cut), and take on menial tasks as they learn their trade and earn their place. Some associations and chapters have elaborate trials and ceremonies involved in the membership process, but generally, new members get voted in by a group of 6 or more existing members (typically a chapter or other gathering). Associations also have a special status for family members and key supporters (such as operators who fix their suits), and while only pilots can be members, these people enjoy the respect, financial support, and protection of members and prospective members.

The Minutemen

The Minutemen are the oldest, largest, and most-traditional Glitter Boy pilot association. Founded by NEMA when that organization couldn't sustain a viable and active command, control, and logistics structure, they operate much like militia of the 1700's: assemble, fight, and disperse. NEMA established a system of chapters, armories, and homesteads that has endured for over 200 years. Most members live on homesteads. Some wander, seeking to prove themselves worthy of their armor's legacy. Exclusively human, the vast majority of members are descended pilots, though they do accept first-generation pilots who conform to their rules and standards (must be a human with the Glitter Boy Pilot O.C.C. and an unmodified G-10). Prospective members are called "recruits."

Minutemen revere their suits, their forefathers, and the mystique of the Glitter Boy as a symbol of hope and resistance against the terrors from the rifts. The Minutemen exclusively use G-10s, and they do not permit any markings, logos, accessories, extra weapons, or modifications to their suits. The suit itself is their symbol. Their faceless chrome suits provide the protection of anonymity and the prestige of their heritage. Members hand down their suits to family members and protoges. They will gather and fight to recover any Minutemen suits that have been stolen, wrecked, or salvaged by outsiders. They also hunt down members and other Glitter Boy Pilots who fall into banditry or slaving as a pro-bono service (they'll keep the salvage). More than any other group, the Minutemen are responsible for the G-10's reputation as a suit of heroes.

The Minutemen do a mix of vigilante and mercenary work against bandits, slavers, and supernatural horrors. They generally respect local governments and laws, though they usually stay out of government and politics. They do not participate in large-scale wars unless they see one side as an existential threat to humanity (such as the Minion Wars). Their chapters are neutral to the Coalition, which in turn either tolerates or ignores them. Most members keep their Glitter Boys hidden on homesteads, and their neighbors often have no idea that a Glitter Boy is parked just a mile or two away. Even their chapter armories tend to keep a low profile. Often the first time bandits realize that they're in an area protected by the Minutemen is when the first volleys of Boom Gun fire rip through their ranks.

Officially, the Minutemen get their support from taking a percentage of contracts and salvage that come through their armories. Secretly, the Minutemen are sponsored by the Republicans, many of whom are members of both organizations. The Minutemen are friendly with the Old Guard and will aid them when possible. They tolerate and work with Riggers, but they do not respect them and will rarely ask for or give aid to them. They will not work with the Sons of Thunder under any but the most desperate circumstances.

The Old Guard

The Old Guard is a group of veterans from Free Quebec's Glitter Boy Legions and their descendants. Most of their members are descended pilots. They're similar to the Minutemen in most respects, but concentrated in and around Free Quebec and less common elsewhere. Most Old Guard members are strongly human supremacist and leery of working with or for debees or magic users to a greater degree than the Minutemen. They respect most local governments and laws, and they do some vigilante and mercenary work against bandits, slavers, and alien predators. A Prospective Old Guard is a "bleau." There is a notable social distinction and generally friendly rivalry between Old Guards who have served in the Glitter Boy Legions ("Les Veterans") and descended Old Guards who have not ("Les Voltiguers").

The Old Guard revere the G-10 almost as much as the Minutemen and do not allow armor modifications or markings. However, they have begun accepting Triax and Free Quebec Glitter Boy models and variants, and they are happy to use separate accessories and backup weapons, as long as they aren't alien or magic in nature. Inside Free Quebec, Old Guard members tend to live and keep their armor closer to their communities and are far less secretive about their membership. Outside Free Quebec, they operate similarly to the Minutemen, and since neither organization puts identifying marks on their suits, many outsiders believe this group to be one and the same with the Minutemen.

The Old Guard's mercenary work is a bit more focused than the Minutemen: they avoid working for or with debee organizations, and they sometimes get clandestine contracts from the Free Quebec military. Wandering Old Guard pilots range far and wide across North America, and they collect and report a great deal of useful information about events across the continent back to their homeland.

Officially, the Old Guard sustain themselves from contracting fees and salvage. Secretly, Free Quebec provides parts and maintenance support. Old Guard pilots are overwhelmingly loyal to their homeland, and many (especially Les Veterans) returned to active duty at the start of the Coalition War Campaign. This put wandering Old Guard pilots (mostly Les Voltiguers) in a bit of a bind when many of their support networks packed up and went home, but they could still get repairs and supplies at Minutemen armories. Some among the Minutemen questioned whether they could stay neutral with the C.S. while aiding and harboring Old Guard pilots, but the C.S. either didn't understand what was happening or chose to ignore it. The Old Guard is also friendly to most Riggers (especially the human ones), and they are willing to visit, socialize, and work with their pilots, as well as assist with repairs. In fact, many of Free Quebec's new Glitter Boy variants incorporate tricks and techniques from unique Rigger Glitter Boys studied by Old Guard operators who repaired these suits. The Old Guard will reluctantly work with the Sons of Thunder if contracted to do so, but will not ask for or give them aid.

The Riggers

The Riggers are an offshoot of the Minutemen. Also called "Misfits" by the Minutemen and Old Guard, the Riggers take a far less traditional approach to their suits, their membership, and their lifestyle than those more-traditional associations. Riggers are far more willing to modify and customize their suits. Unlike the traditionalist Minutemen and Old Guard, Riggers also accept nonhuman pilots, and they'll even accept pilots who own a Glitter Boy but who don't have the Glitter Boy Pilot O.C.C. (Psi-Techs, Operators, and Techno-Wizards are fairly common). Finally, Riggers tend to wander more and settle down into family life on a homestead less. As a result, less than half of Riggers are descended pilots. Prospective members are called "rooks."

To the Riggers, the G-10 is a great baseline, and some Riggers keep their Glitter Boys as un-modified "classics." All Rigger suits, however, feature at least a few engravings and designs identifying their membership and chapter, and many include additional unique markings. Most use extra weapons and/or modifications modifications, and Riggers aren't picky about their sources: in addition to custom parts, many use magic weapons, techno-wizard enhancements, alien technology, and jury-rigged components. While the majority of Rigger suits are G-10s (or were originally), Rigger chapters will accept almost any power armor with chromium or laser-resistant armor that even vaguely resembles a Glitter Boy. This tends to complicate repairs, but it can bring some unique abilities and surprises into a fight. Rigger chapter armories often employ Psi-Techs, Psi-Operators, and Techno-Wizards, and some of these supporters end up building or customizing their own suit and becoming Riggers themselves.

Rarer in the east, most Riggers live and work in the Midwest and West. While they also fight bandits and slavers like the Minutemen, Riggers are more willing to participate in nation-on-nation warfare. Several groups of Riggers fought for Tolkeen in the early phases of that war, but most abandoned the cause after the Sorcerer's Revenge. They are supported by mercenary contracts, and several chapters of Riggers have done contract work for Naruni and Triax. Secretly, ARCHIE-3 supports the Riggers with new suits and spare parts. The more nomadic lifestyle of these suits tends to help him use those suits to collect information on events across the continent, and he appreciates the innovation that Riggers build into their suits. Riggers will happily work with the Old Guard or Minutemen, but they are very reluctant to work with the Sons of Thunder.

The Sons of Thunder

The Sons of Thunder or "the Sons" are an association of mercenary Glitter Boy pilots with close ties to organized crime. They are far less choosy about who they work for, who they work with, and who they fight than other Glitter Boy pilot associations. Like the "1%" outlaw motorcycle gangs of centuries before, these pilots are raucous anarchists who have little respect for laws or traditions outside those of their own club. Most chapters are pretty friendly with each other, but member loyalty is to the chapter first and the Sons second. Prospective members are known as "Prospects" or more derisively as "punks."

Unlike the quiet homestead approach of the other associations, the Sons of Thunder openly flaunt their suits in their communities and use them to intimidate neighbors into submission. Their "homesteads" are often in the center of their community, which they see as their 'turf,' requiring the locals to pay up protection money or perform special favors. That said, they have no interest in running governments, ruling communities, or building empires; they are content with being respected, feared, and comfortable.

Membership requires a suit approved by the chapter a prospect wants to join. If a chapter deems a pilot's suit good enough, then it counts as a Glitter Boy. The Sons' suits run the gamut from pristine, unmodified G-10s to tricked out Shadow Boys. They don't even care if a prospect has the Glitter Boy O.C.C. (though most do). In general, suits must have at least either a boom gun or chromium armor and be good enough in a fight. Despite what their name suggests, the Sons have relatively few descended pilots among them.

Most of the Sons' income comes from seedy and criminal establishments and organized crime. The Sons will work for, with, or against almost anyone if it's in their interests (or their club's). That said, even the Sons have standards. They don't hurt or kidnap children and they don't do slavery (kidnapping and ransom/extortion is ok). They avoid random banditry, and their chapters are careful not to do anything that turn the wrath of the more reputable associations against them, or at least they try to do so quietly.

Other Glitter Boy pilot associations want nothing to do with the Sons of Thunder, and the Sons couldn't care less. That said, the Sons are aware of lines that they can't cross. The Minutemen, Old Guard, and Riggers have wiped out a few chapters of the Sons who went too far, and most chapters of the Sons have a good sense of what sorts of crimes they can commit, and who they can victimize without invoking the wrath of the other associations.



There are many smaller groups of Glitter Boy pilots across North America. In general, however, these groups are small and short-lived, as they lack the support of the larger associations (supplies, expertise, repair parts, et cetera). Most are equivalent to a small chapter in one of the big four associations, and indeed, some of these groups eventually join one of the larger associations. One example of such a group is the 6-member Golden Squad of the Demonbusters, Inc. mercenary unit, a single-chapter association led by Free Quebec Renegade Paul Konrad (Rifts: Mercenaries, p50).

Some wanderers form their own wandering chapters within associations. These usually feature a large mobile repair shop vehicle like a small ship, large hover truck, Behemoth explorer vehicle, etc, and they generally function as a mercenary outfit or as a part of a larger mercenary outfit.

Anyway, hope you like it. Happy to have your feedback on it.

This I like. Especially the spectrum of Glitterboy groups you have laid out, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Gives the GBs that ain't Free Quebec, New German Republic, Japanese, or Republican rank-standers some cohesion and network support.
Also gives some feel to what Rifts might have been if it had stuck to the original concept of 'Boomers'.

Boomers should be one of the groups people who found suits. Ragtag group. Patched up GBs punk paint jobs there is no such thing as a standard USA G-10 to these guys. Don't give a rat's @$$ about the grandeur and mythology. Heck a bunch of these idiots just use the G-10 to do a modified fight club. No weapons first suit powered down is the looser.

Zer0 Kay wrote:Boomers should be one of the groups people who found suits. Ragtag group. Patched up GBs punk paint jobs there is no such thing as a standard USA G-10 to these guys. Don't give a rat's @$$ about the grandeur and mythology. Heck a bunch of these idiots just use the G-10 to do a modified fight club. No weapons first suit powered down is the looser.

"Screw your 'mystique'. You're not sacred. You worship your shiny? We use it, wear it down, put it in the fire, like it was meant to be used. Used hard. Golden Age tech's meant to be bent over and made to squeal in these hard times."

These guys really overuse the term 'Glitterboy' and make it sound like an insult or mocking baby-talk every time they say it.

taalismn wrote:

Zer0 Kay wrote:Boomers should be one of the groups people who found suits. Ragtag group. Patched up GBs punk paint jobs there is no such thing as a standard USA G-10 to these guys. Don't give a rat's @$$ about the grandeur and mythology. Heck a bunch of these idiots just use the G-10 to do a modified fight club. No weapons first suit powered down is the looser.

"Screw your 'mystique'. You're not sacred. You worship your shiny? We use it, wear it down, put it in the fire, like it was meant to be used. Used hard. Golden Age tech's meant to be bent over and made to squeal in these hard times."

These guys really overuse the term 'Glitterboy' and make it sound like an insult or mocking baby-talk every time they say it.

Perhaps "Boomers" would be a better name for the Sons of Thunder.

Hotrod wrote:[
Perhaps "Boomers" would be a better name for the Sons of Thunder.

Nah, Sons of Thunder does sound like a badass biker gang.

I just wanted to say that this a fantastica idea and that was great material! I would have loved to have seen more fleshed out in a Rifter article. They'll bring it back soon I hope.

tsh77769

Another aspect I was thinking about incorporating into this submission was Suits of Legend, notable Glitter Boy suits that are particularly famous and/or distinctive. Here's one:

Gotta leave this here then: https://palladiumbooks.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=63937

Traditionalist Glitterboys memorize the battles their suit has been involved in. Sometimes hundreds of years worth.

Mark Hall wrote:Traditionalist Glitterboys memorize the battles their suit has been involved in. Sometimes hundreds of years worth.

Perhaps with a finely engraved plaque somewhere inside their armor?
Depending on the suit and the available technical expertise, that plate might be engraved in what is effectively microfilm definition.
Or perhaps some use the back of an ID plate(listing the original serial number of the GB at the time of its production) for this purpose?

taalismn wrote:

Mark Hall wrote:Traditionalist Glitterboys memorize the battles their suit has been involved in. Sometimes hundreds of years worth.

Perhaps with a finely engraved plaque somewhere inside their armor?
Depending on the suit and the available technical expertise, that plate might be engraved in what is effectively microfilm definition.
Or perhaps some use the back of an ID plate(listing the original serial number of the GB at the time of its production) for this purpose?

I would expect that they might simply memorize it! People routinely memorize much longer and complex information all the time... and if it is simply written down on the suit it can also lead to anyone knowing the information (which may be good or bad depending on how your views on traditionalists run and how you want them to treat 'the mysteries' and indeed what they will treat as 'the mysteries' in the first place

As for data... every suit has a computer in it... I could totally see Traditionalists putting in a geneology/battalology file in the computers to track stuff like this.

I like the idea of having some kind of heritage and record keeping of fights and battles with the suit. Associations like the Riggers and the Sons of Thunder would be likely to mark their armor this way in much the same way as combat aircraft would paint on little icons of plains and bombs to tally up their combat record. More traditional pilots might mark up some interior surfaces.

I could also see GB pilots having some patches and such on their pilot suits, which might get decorated with association, chapter, and personal markings, much like patches on military uniforms or biker coats. These might include decorations or patches from notable fights and campaigns. They could also denote leadership positions, seniority, and personal heraldry.

Recording fights could provide some interesting social interactions. WW2 fighter pilots used to review their gun camera footage regularly. Some associations and chapters might turn this into some kind of a social event ("Bruh, check this fight out! Five Samsons tried to take out Cutter, and he wrecked them!") , or it could be used like a peer review process to help train and evaluate young training pilots ( "Now Timmy, if you had set up on the ridge to your right, you'd have a far better field of fire and your enemy couldn't have taken shelter behind that rock formation" ).

taalismn wrote:

Mark Hall wrote:Traditionalist Glitterboys memorize the battles their suit has been involved in. Sometimes hundreds of years worth.

Perhaps with a finely engraved plaque somewhere inside their armor?
Depending on the suit and the available technical expertise, that plate might be engraved in what is effectively microfilm definition.
Or perhaps some use the back of an ID plate(listing the original serial number of the GB at the time of its production) for this purpose?

I'm thinking more verbal tradition.

taalismn wrote:

Hotrod wrote:[
Perhaps "Boomers" would be a better name for the Sons of Thunder.

Nah, Sons of Thunder does sound like a badass biker gang.

Nah Boomers arent "bad asses" their dumb asses. At least that is what everyone else thinks with the way they treat their GBs but more than one has learned, "never let them close into melee range".

Zer0 Kay wrote:

taalismn wrote:

Mark Hall wrote:Traditionalist Glitterboys memorize the battles their suit has been involved in. Sometimes hundreds of years worth.

Perhaps with a finely engraved plaque somewhere inside their armor?
Depending on the suit and the available technical expertise, that plate might be engraved in what is effectively microfilm definition.
Or perhaps some use the back of an ID plate(listing the original serial number of the GB at the time of its production) for this purpose?

I'm thinking more verbal tradition.

Definitely. My inspiration was a Constantine trade paperback, Chas: The Knowledge.

https://www.cnet.com/news/london-taxi-d ... d-by-uber/

i'd actually tried to tackle this some awhile back when playing a GB pilot character.. approached it from a somewhat different perspective though. focused on the GB pilot clans, and what that would involve. namely that anytime you have a finite resource (GB suits) but a family/clan structure, you are going to have the problem of "too many kids, not enough suits". my answer to this was to make the GB clans involve a lot of OCC's other than just GB pilots. that they'd be basically small factions of their own, all NEMA descended, but only a small number of the clan get to pilot a Chrome Guardsman (i couldn't see them using the later slang term), a chosen few, with the rest taking on support roles. piloting standard PA, scouting, being technicians, etc.
rather than a decentralized association system, i envisioned an indeterminate number of centralized close knit extended families, usually operating out of some clanhold - a village that grew up around some old bunker or camp or base, where the NEMA survivors set down roots generations earlier. Genealogy and lineage would be a huge deal, not just because of the deeds of your ancestors, but also because everyone is distantly related to everyone else, and keeping track of exactly how you are related to people would be a big deal. how you determine who gets the GB suits would depend on the clan.. some would use primogeniture, some would do trials to determine who has the best potential, etc.. but if you didn't become a GB pilot, you'd be shunted into some other program, where you would learn to pilot other suits in support of GB's, or to be a operator, wilderness scout, medic, scientist, etc. (thus opening up the GB clans as a backstory for other characters as well.) with most of the clans preserving the 'tradition of NEMA' and going out (often in secret) to help rebuild society.. or at least, society as they think it should be. (exactly what that means would vary clan to clan or even family to family within a clan)

this of course would cause some clan vs clan tensions sometimes, where different viewpoints clash or different efforts worked against each other. like how several clans joined Free Quebec and contribute GB pilots to its army. those clans having adopted the same xenophobic views of FQ/the CS.


in a sense, i'd created more family centric versions of the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave.

There might also emerge in GB culture the niche of the GB parts merchant or mechanic. Given how specialized GB parts and components(especially the armor) are, there can't be all that many places capable of making the stuff, so the GB clans and groups have to either somehow secure their own means of manufacturing the stuff(and keeping their factories/supply caches secret) or co-opt the means/supplies from those with the capability. That means dealing with the Black Market, stealing time and factory resources in high tech havens like the CS, swiping parts from Free Quebec, or backdooring supplies from foreign/alien sources. The well-established Heritage families can have arrangements going for generations, but times can change, and suddenly that contact that always reliably supplied armor plate has disappeared or dried up, forcing the characters to scramble for a new source of vitally-needed repair parts.

I can see ARCHIE-3 very easily plugging into this need (after all, he's been planting new-production GBs all over the continent for years now) with his own infiltrators supplying parts and tracking where they go.

taalismn wrote:There might also emerge in GB culture the niche of the GB parts merchant or mechanic. Given how specialized GB parts and components(especially the armor) are, there can't be all that many places capable of making the stuff, so the GB clans and groups have to either somehow secure their own means of manufacturing the stuff(and keeping their factories/supply caches secret) or co-opt the means/supplies from those with the capability. That means dealing with the Black Market, stealing time and factory resources in high tech havens like the CS, swiping parts from Free Quebec, or backdooring supplies from foreign/alien sources. The well-established Heritage families can have arrangements going for generations, but times can change, and suddenly that contact that always reliably supplied armor plate has disappeared or dried up, forcing the characters to scramble for a new source of vitally-needed repair parts.

I can see ARCHIE-3 very easily plugging into this need (after all, he's been planting new-production GBs all over the continent for years now) with his own infiltrators supplying parts and tracking where they go.

Honestly?
I imagine this is how he has been doing it for centuries anyway.
Some of his infiltrator drones take the place of members of a distant clan who come to trade some "parts they found for <what ever>"
or
"well I dunno much but nick knows a bit mebbe he can fix your suit:
or
"Are you Joshua Turner of Clan Turner? Ahh, your cousin, my brother, died last month and was the last heir to the family suit. The will indicates that you have been properly trained in the way? Ah, good, then as instructed you are to inherit his suit. Listen now to its legacy...."

Do enough of that sort of thing and you could keep the culture alive and keep feeding it stuff and no one would ever know... they would just think that they were doing themselves.
And for bonus points, the natural secrecy of the families/clans/whatever you want to call them would help prevent investigation!

eliakon wrote:[

Do enough of that sort of thing and you could keep the culture alive and keep feeding it stuff and no one would ever know... they would just think that they were doing themselves.
And for bonus points, the natural secrecy of the families/clans/whatever you want to call them would help prevent investigation!

ARCHIE-3, Secret Lord of the Boomers.

i'd generally figured that they'd survived by being huge on scavenging. removing parts from damaged suits to repair less damaged ones. mcguyvering parts off non-GB suits to replace components that wouldn't be GB specific (electronics, actuators, internal parts that wouldn't be using special Gb-tech like the chrome armor and boomgun do.) i suspect that most clans would have a small stockpile of downchecked suits that aren't in any shape to fight, but which still have plenty of useful parts. and of course having their scouts and contacts always on the look out for old GB's, whether wrecked or otherwise, that they can add to the stockpile.

the little caches of GB's that ARCHIE plants would let him feed new suits and parts into the clans without having to risk actual contact. presumably the Republicans were also feeding suits into the clans in similar fashion when they still had a GB factory, and the clans would pay premium for free quebec suits and parts when they started building GB's.

glitterboy2098 wrote:i'd actually tried to tackle this some awhile back when playing a GB pilot character.. approached it from a somewhat different perspective though. focused on the GB pilot clans, and what that would involve. namely that anytime you have a finite resource (GB suits) but a family/clan structure, you are going to have the problem of "too many kids, not enough suits". my answer to this was to make the GB clans involve a lot of OCC's other than just GB pilots. that they'd be basically small factions of their own, all NEMA descended, but only a small number of the clan get to pilot a Chrome Guardsman (i couldn't see them using the later slang term), a chosen few, with the rest taking on support roles. piloting standard PA, scouting, being technicians, etc.
rather than a decentralized association system, i envisioned an indeterminate number of centralized close knit extended families, usually operating out of some clanhold - a village that grew up around some old bunker or camp or base, where the NEMA survivors set down roots generations earlier. Genealogy and lineage would be a huge deal, not just because of the deeds of your ancestors, but also because everyone is distantly related to everyone else, and keeping track of exactly how you are related to people would be a big deal. how you determine who gets the GB suits would depend on the clan.. some would use primogeniture, some would do trials to determine who has the best potential, etc.. but if you didn't become a GB pilot, you'd be shunted into some other program, where you would learn to pilot other suits in support of GB's, or to be a operator, wilderness scout, medic, scientist, etc. (thus opening up the GB clans as a backstory for other characters as well.) with most of the clans preserving the 'tradition of NEMA' and going out (often in secret) to help rebuild society.. or at least, society as they think it should be. (exactly what that means would vary clan to clan or even family to family within a clan)

this of course would cause some clan vs clan tensions sometimes, where different viewpoints clash or different efforts worked against each other. like how several clans joined Free Quebec and contribute GB pilots to its army. those clans having adopted the same xenophobic views of FQ/the CS.


in a sense, i'd created more family centric versions of the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave.

That makes me think a lot of this comic i came across some years ago.

As an aside, i can imagine instalations capable of producing Glitterboy parts in (relatively) limited numbers and the people who maintain them forming manufactures, brand fabrics and so on, something like producing a designer/luxury/masterwork industrial product like a Ferrari or Lamborghini car and the legendary swordsmiths like Wayland, Regin, Muramasa, Masamune and other such figures.

The ideas in this thread are all pure gold. I can't wait to see if you have more ideas to throw out there. I'm totally going to steal a lot of this whole sale for a game that I'm planning.

As a passionate advocate for the GB (and Free Quebec in general), I approve of this thread! Tongue-in-cheek aside, I really like the direction you took with the culture of the GB outside of the FQ military writ-large.

I can't comment on the whole ARCHIE-3 or Republican elements; as part of my blog, I am catching up to the lore by rereading and doing overviews/reviews of the books I have (basically everything up to Aftermath), and looking to buy into the newer releases.

An individual GB or up to a small group can be politically defining to a region. You have a pair of GBs on retainer with a couple of platoons of support infantry, you have enough firepower to run a small kingdom, or demand a fair amount from somewhat larger collectives. For that reason, myself, I would caution against having associations be anything other than very loose memberships of like minded folks, with a handed down suit basically as your entry card. Put a few of them together (i.e. farmsteads) and you basically have a kingdom in the making. I think you tread along that line fairly well here.

One of the biggest elements I support is the idea that families would hand down their respective battle honours and the names of previous pilots of the suits. In the military, this is a common thing. At the Military College in Canada, among other things, you have to memorize the names of the first graduating class. I would imagine this easily applies to the more independent family(ies) of Descended GB pilots out there. From the FQ military perspective, I would say that each pilot that qualifies to pilot a suit has the same lineage memorization requirements - very military thing to do. Akin to how armoured cav units are portrayed in WW2 movies, because the crew dynamic is such an important part of how they functioned (just an infantry officer, so extrapolating from anecdotal experience). Upon retirement (assuming a pilot gets to that) or KIA, his name is next on the list. This is something I have incorporated before, and am doing in my current fanfic writing.

In retrospect, this was one of the pieces I had failed to get around to doing with the Free Quebec submission, something I still regret. Such a flavorful piece of the Rifts lore.

desrocfc wrote:As a passionate advocate for the GB (and Free Quebec in general), I approve of this thread! Tongue-in-cheek aside, I really like the direction you took with the culture of the GB outside of the FQ military writ-large.

I can't comment on the whole ARCHIE-3 or Republican elements; as part of my blog, I am catching up to the lore by rereading and doing overviews/reviews of the books I have (basically everything up to Aftermath), and looking to buy into the newer releases.

An individual GB or up to a small group can be politically defining to a region. You have a pair of GBs on retainer with a couple of platoons of support infantry, you have enough firepower to run a small kingdom, or demand a fair amount from somewhat larger collectives. For that reason, myself, I would caution against having associations be anything other than very loose memberships of like minded folks, with a handed down suit basically as your entry card. Put a few of them together (i.e. farmsteads) and you basically have a kingdom in the making. I think you tread along that line fairly well here.

One of the biggest elements I support is the idea that families would hand down their respective battle honours and the names of previous pilots of the suits. In the military, this is a common thing. At the Military College in Canada, among other things, you have to memorize the names of the first graduating class. I would imagine this easily applies to the more independent family(ies) of Descended GB pilots out there. From the FQ military perspective, I would say that each pilot that qualifies to pilot a suit has the same lineage memorization requirements - very military thing to do. Akin to how armoured cav units are portrayed in WW2 movies, because the crew dynamic is such an important part of how they functioned (just an infantry officer, so extrapolating from anecdotal experience). Upon retirement (assuming a pilot gets to that) or KIA, his name is next on the list. This is something I have incorporated before, and am doing in my current fanfic writing.

In retrospect, this was one of the pieces I had failed to get around to doing with the Free Quebec submission, something I still regret. Such a flavorful piece of the Rifts lore.

Well now, it's not every day I get direct dialogue with an author! Thanks very much for the kind words.

In coming up with this concept of GB Culture, I had to reconcile two facts:
1. GBs require maintenance. Their power cores last 25 years, and they need ammunition, repairs, and spare parts.
2. GBs have been in continuous use throughout North America for 300 years, most of that time without any support from major countries that can manufacture them.

I found a few concepts that seemed fitting.

The first was that of the Minutemen citizen-soldier, who doesn't fight as a professional, but is ready to defend his neighborhood on short notice before going back to an otherwise quiet life. Thus, a Minuteman GB wouldn't be used as often and would last longer, requiring less maintenance. This seemed doubly appropriate since the original musketmen of the American revolution fired long, heavy muskets in formations, which is pretty close to how GB units fight. Since this shoehorned nicely into a concept of a National Guard backup for NEMA, this section seemed logical for the premier traditional descended pilot association. The Rebublicans are described in Sourcebook One (Revised); they're basically a section of NEMA that has survived as a secret society and paramilitary organization for 300 years.

It also seemed fitting to have Free Quebec sponsor a similar type of group as a reserve force, as a source of intelligence, and as a well of experience passing its knowledge down the generations. With the rapid expansion of their legions, FQ would to recruit and train many new pilots, an expensive and time-consuming process. The families of the Old Guard would have many trained and experienced GB pilots ready and willing to fight.

Keeping combat suits viable and capable over centuries will invariably lead to improvisation, and while ARCHIE could (and probably would) provide parts to sustain another association, he'd probably care less about keeping things traditional, as he himself seems to love and appreciate innovation. Thus, the inspiration for the Riggers was hotrod car culture and the more reputable motorcycle clubs, where people who like to tinker with, tweak and restore old vehicles gather together, help each other out, and generally enjoy their hobby together while supporting a broader cause.

Finally, I liked the idea of having an association based on outlaw biker culture, where they live by their own rules and embrace a violent and chaotic ideal of freedom separate from traditional government and political power. As in real life, their main support would come from organized crime.

In every one of these cases, one of the core ideals is one of the Glitterboy being both a symbol and a guarantor of liberty and freedom in much the same way that present-day firearms enthusiasts see armed citizens as a check against tyranny. Minutemen, Old Guard, and Riggers may be happy to take on bandits, slavers, and alien horrors, but while they'll respect civilized governments and authorities, they're not interested in power or prestige outside their own rather insular communities. The Sons of Thunder also value liberty and freedom, but their motives are more selfish and anarchist.

I 100% agree that such associations would be very family-centric, with suits and revere their own lore and legends through the battle histories of their own suits. I see this as more of a "fame within a secret society" kind of thing, though, and I think this would be very deliberate on their part. While a Minuteman might recognize Hancock, outsiders see most GB-10's as identical, and thus, to an outsider, they have a collective mystique that affords their pilots both a certain amount of respect and a certain amount of anonymity.

If the Rifter was still a thing, I would totally develop and submit these, but for now, I'm content to develop the idea here when inspiration hits.

Since I figure that each association should get at least one, and since the FQ author graced this thread with his own thoughts, here's a Suit of Legend for the Old Guard:




Note: Other G-10 variants, including another with Le Pisteur's capabilities, may also have survived to the present day.

Well as long as nobody's asking:

Ol' Liberty is one of the famed Glitter Boy suits from the dark ages, and her history can be claimed to stretch all the way back to the golden age, where its famed trek from New york's annihilation guided those poor lost souls all the way to the ruins of Toronto and Quebec, shielding them from supernatural threats along the way. Serving in the defense of the two outposts of humanity for two hundred years, The battles Ol' Liberty fought in are the stuff of legends and are retold fondly by the families of Glitterboys as glorious tales of heroes of their past. Centuries later, Ol' Liberty remains at the ready to fulfill the oath to "Defend the lives and liberty of the people of our good city and those of her sister Quebec" etched inside of the armor that her pilots are charged with.

This oath has become something of a problem for the Glitterboys of Toronto outpost's lodge because the city has grown into the modern-day city of Lazlo, famed home to magic and learning which is now despised by the people of Quebec. While the Toronto chapter dislikes the changes that have happened around them, they hold their pride above political bickering and refuse to abandon their city to monsters just because they hold public office. The Glitterboy families of Quebec both regret and understand all too well their "unfortunate cousins" (sometimes actual cousins, the families are close) in Lazlo, and is somewhat uncomfortable with denouncing them knowing they have stood shoulder to shoulder for over a century before the current events. It's suggested that this is the true reason Free Quebec has not stuck at Lazlo in force to date- No Quebecoi Glitterboy pilot could bring themselves to be the one who fells a hero from their past.

Even today, Ol' Liberty will serve In Quebec fighting the monsters that plague her borders. Lazlo politely respects their local heroes as a "Unaffiliated mercenary group with prior claims to their land" and pretends they know nothing, and while Free Quebec has banned any exports to the people of Lazlo those supplying the Toronto chapter with materials as compensation for service typically receive the gentlest of admonishments and the Glitterboy families beg to let "Lady Liberty come to their home". But Ol' Liberty's home is Toronto, and she and her pilots would never abandon the people they protected for centuries to the darkness.

Ol' Liberty herself is a modified -G10, equpped with small wings and powerful recoil thrusters that allow for near-flight jump abilities and a crown of horns that legend claims marks the aged Glitterboy suit as an experimental model. (It's not, the parts were slavaged from a silver eagle nearly 200 years ago for replacement boosters, and was later rebuilt by quebec) The boosters are so powerful they allow for Ol' Liberty to turn in midair and aim her cannon almost as soon as she takes off, ready to fire even before landing!
Unfortunately, she has also had a replacement weapon for nearly the last hundred years. When the then-outpost toronto began to welcome magic, Quebec had cut off all commerce with the city in responce, and Lady Liberty's Boom gun ("Liberty's torch") was being repaired in Qubec at the time. The Glitterboy families of Quebec have held the now pristine gun "hostage" in an attempt to force the Toronto chapter to abandon their post, but the growing city of magic discovered an replacement pre-rift weapon for Ol' Liberty. A pre-rifts orbital defense satillite running the same weapons programming was recovered by chance and its weapon duplicated to be mounted on the storied Power Armor, which has served as her main gun since.
Quebec has never attempted to duplicate Ol' Liberty's design and her serial number, like those of the other original Glitterboy defenders is enshrined In the Toronto and Quebec Chapter bases.
(Note: the design is based on the altered Glitterboy armor shown in half of the Rifts logo)


Ol' Liberty modified Glitter boy Power armor stats(USA-G10/m)
Ol' Liberty is identical to the original -G10 model except as follows:
MDC by location:
Arms: 310 each (2)
Wings: 260 each (2)
Rail Gun (a.k.a Boom gun): in Free Quebec.
Laser cannon: 175
Missile launcher tube: 80 (this area suffers full damage from lasers)

Speed:
Running: 55 Mph maximum. The mobility of the power armor has suffered some slight problems and the toronto chapter isn't willing to risk taking her apart entirely to get at the issue.
Leaping: Assisted by powerful thrusters and wings, Ol' Liberty is able to make leaps over 300' long & 20' high and sustain herself aloft for almost ten minutes. Ol' liberty is able to stop in midair to hover as well but not resume movement, and must drop down wherever she switches to hover.
Height: 10 feet, 8 inches due to the taller horns
Width: 8 feet, 4 inches with wings fully extended
Weight: 1.7 tonnes fully loaded (the wings and extra thruster mass)

Weapon systems:

T-O/TAL package (Tactical Orbital/Twin-Agitation Laser package) multi-weapon system:
The replacement weapon system developed for Ol' liberty is centered around a powerful laser cannon recovered from a low-orbit defense satellite found half-built in a military storehouse. Running the same targeting software, the weapon was able to be converted for Glitterboy armor without making any alterations to the power armor itself. Because of the decreased firepower next to the Boom gun, a compact Short-range missile launcher was added to the backpack and the whole package has a dedicated nuclear plant to avoid taxing The Glitterboy suit it's equipped to. The T-O/TAL package can be removed from the power armor and replaced with a Boom gun or other suitable weapon in 2D4+4 melee rounds by a trained team with proper equipment (or another power armor to help).

1: NEMA 40500OL/1 Orbital/Twin agitation Laser cannon(1)
This powerful laser cannon is intended for use in space, destroying missiles, asteroids, and space debris to ensure the safety of both Earth and the space stations from threats back in the golden age of man and has both an atmospheric laser setting for low-orbit interception and another setting for firing a powerful X-Ray laser when in space! That said the O/TAL's X-Ray function has never been used since it was recovered as switching the laser's caibration causes loud warnings to alert the pilot of the danger of "uncontrolled radiation emission" in an atmosphere, but the atmospheric laser is a powerful enough weapon anyways. The laser cannon is mounted in a modified Boom Gun casing behind the left shoulder (the right shoulder is reserved for Ol' liberty's gun out of tradition) and operates in the same manner as the Boom gun, reach back and pull forward.
Primary purpose: Assault, Anti-armor and Anti-aircraft
Weight: 860 lbs.
Mega-damage: The atmospheric laser cannon setting inflicts 2D6 X 10 per blast.
The X-Ray Laser inflicts 2D4 X 100 mega-damage to its target even in an atmosphere! In space the weapon could inflict a staggering 2D4 X 1000! Additionally, the target is bombarded with deadly radiation preventing any form of bio-regeneration for 6D6 X 10 hours!

Effects of the X-Ray laser: X-ray laser weapons were developed exclusively for use in the hard vacuum of outer space, and earth's atmosphere diffuses the beam almost instantly. This means the laser is emitting gigantic amounts of deadly radiation if fired! Anything within 200 feet of the laser receives deadly levels of radiation, to the point will suffer severe radiation poisoning and most materials will be permanently irradiated! (the chromium armor of the Glitterboy protects it from this, as a lucky break) Anyone in that range and not protected from radiation receives 4D6 damage directly to hit points immediately and must save vs. coma or pass out! The continues to inflict 2D6 damage to unprotected victims each round and 1D4 to everyone an additional 1000 feet away (again, this is directly to hit points!) until the radiation dissipates in 3D6 Melee rounds. The sudden radiation pulse also disrupts radio signals and laser targeting in the area, and they will not work (this means no bonus, and all missiles in range are at no bonus at all to hit) until the radiation has passed. Even supernatural beings will notice the deadly radiation, and may flee for their lives at the horrific new sensation of the deadly energies leeching the life from their skin!

Rate of fire: The atmospheric laser setting may be fired once for every melee action. The X-Ray laser setting can only be fired once every melee round and the entire laser cannon is disabled until it's ready again (the cannon itself requires this time for its components to cool!) Bursts and Sprays are not possible.
Maximum effective range: 8000 feet for the Atmospheric laser (double in space).
The X-ray laser has a pitiful range of 35 feet! Earth's atmosphere causes the beam to diffuse into a burst of undirected radation almost instantly, causing the deadly side-effects. In space, the X-Ray laser has a range of 30,000 feet.
Payload: The T-O/TAL package includes a small dedicated nuclear power plant, effectively unlimited.


2: Short-range Missile launcher (1)
Complimenting the laser cannon is a tubular sort-range missile launcher that folds into a storage/reload container on the back. The weapon sits on an articulated weapons mount when active where it's directed by the neural link system in the Glitterboy, and is positioned behind the right shoulder. Unlike the rest of the suit, the launcher isn't protected by Chromium as it is seen as a "disposable" weapon By the Toronto chapter.
Primary purpose: Assault, Anti-aircraft, and Anti-infantry
Weight: 410 pounds
Mega-Damage: Varies with missile type. Any short-range missile type can be used, with High-explosive and Plasma preferred. See missile chart.
Effective range: 3-5 miles, depending on missile type.
Rate of fire: One missile, or in volleys of two, three or four missiles each attack.
Payload: Sixteen, four in the launcher and 12 total reloads in the pack. Note the launcher can only reload when all four missile tubes are empty due to the design.

3: TW flaming sword (1)
Mounted in a special housing built into the forearm, Ol' Liberty was gifted with this weapon by a friend of the toronto chapter over 70 years ago to help reward them for their selfless heroics (the pilot at the time was secretly a natural psionic, and the builder a close friend). the TW weapon hasn't been used in decades and is mostly forgotten today, as the pilots of the toronto chapter do not approve of the idea of "wizardry" tainting their suits by and large. Activated, the weapon creates a 5' long blade of fire that extends from the forearm with glowing white runes in elven that reads clearly as "Liberty's Guard", the oldest known term for the suit.

Activation cost: 16 I.S.P. (Designed expressly for psionics, even the creator knew it was the only way to get it installed)
Duration: Ten minutes (40 melee rounds) per activation
Mega-Damage: 4D6 per attack
Note: Uses W.P. Sword for attack bonuses.

See, now you've got me thinking about what would happen if a TW got his hands on an old, mangled GB. Might write something up tomorrow.

Yeah, and talk of a Glitterboy's 'horns' has me thinking of a Nightlord's horns.....and that in turn has me thinking of a 'dark mirror' or 'evil doppelgänger' Glitterboy....

Orin J. wrote:Well as long as nobody's asking:

Glitter boy suit of legend
Ol' Liberty (Lady Liberty, Liberty's Guardsman)
History

Ol' Liberty is one of the famed Glitter Boy suits from the dark ages, and her history can be claimed to stretch all the way back to the golden age, where its famed trek from New york's annihilation guided those poor lost souls all the way to the ruins of Toronto and Quebec, shielding them from supernatural threats along the way. Serving in the defense of the two outposts of humanity for two hundred years, The battles Ol' Liberty fought in are the stuff of legends and are retold fondly by the families of Glitterboys as glorious tales of heroes of their past. Centuries later, Ol' Liberty remains at the ready to fulfill the oath to "Defend the lives and liberty of the people of our good city and those of her sister Quebec" etched inside of the armor that her pilots are charged with.

This oath has become something of a problem for the Glitterboys of Toronto outpost's lodge because the city has grown into the modern-day city of Lazlo, famed home to magic and learning which is now despised by the people of Quebec. While the Toronto chapter dislikes the changes that have happened around them, they hold their pride above political bickering and refuse to abandon their city to monsters just because they hold public office. The Glitterboy families of Quebec both regret and understand all too well their "unfortunate cousins" (sometimes actual cousins, the families are close) in Lazlo, and is somewhat uncomfortable with denouncing them knowing they have stood shoulder to shoulder for over a century before the current events. It's suggested that this is the true reason Free Quebec has not stuck at Lazlo in force to date- No Quebecoi Glitterboy pilot could bring themselves to be the one who fells a hero from their past.

Even today, Ol' Liberty will serve In Quebec fighting the monsters that plague her borders. Lazlo politely respects their local heroes as a "Unaffiliated mercenary group with prior claims to their land" and pretends they know nothing, and while Free Quebec has banned any exports to the people of Lazlo those supplying the Toronto chapter with materials as compensation for service typically receive the gentlest of admonishments and the Glitterboy families beg to let "Lady Liberty come to their home". But Ol' Liberty's home is Toronto, and she and her pilots would never abandon the people they protected for centuries to the darkness.

I love the background. Feels like a not-quite-renegade chapter of the Old Guard, cut off from parts support but still considered members.

Orin J. wrote:T-O/TAL package (Tactical Orbital/Twin-Agitation Laser package) multi-weapon system:
The replacement weapon system developed for Ol' liberty is centered around a powerful laser cannon recovered from a low-orbit defense satellite found half-built in a military storehouse. Running the same targeting software, the weapon was able to be converted for Glitterboy armor without making any alterations to the power armor itself. Because of the decreased firepower next to the Boom gun, a compact Short-range missile launcher was added to the backpack and the whole package has a dedicated nuclear plant to avoid taxing The Glitterboy suit it's equipped to. The T-O/TAL package can be removed from the power armor and replaced with a Boom gun or other suitable weapon in 2D4+4 melee rounds by a trained team with proper equipment (or another power armor to help).

1: NEMA 40500OL/1 Orbital/Twin agitation Laser cannon(1)
This powerful laser cannon is intended for use in space, destroying missiles, asteroids, and space debris to ensure the safety of both Earth and the space stations from threats back in the golden age of man and has both an atmospheric laser setting for low-orbit interception and another setting for firing a powerful X-Ray laser when in space! That said the O/TAL's X-Ray function has never been used since it was recovered as switching the laser's caibration causes loud warnings to alert the pilot of the danger of "uncontrolled radiation emission" in an atmosphere, but the atmospheric laser is a powerful enough weapon anyways. The laser cannon is mounted in a modified Boom Gun casing behind the left shoulder (the right shoulder is reserved for Ol' liberty's gun out of tradition) and operates in the same manner as the Boom gun, reach back and pull forward.
Primary purpose: Assault, Anti-armor and Anti-aircraft
Weight: 860 lbs.
Mega-damage: The atmospheric laser cannon setting inflicts 2D6 X 10 per blast.
The X-Ray Laser inflicts 2D4 X 100 mega-damage to its target even in an atmosphere! In space the weapon could inflict a staggering 2D4 X 1000! Additionally, the target is bombarded with deadly radiation preventing any form of bio-regeneration for 6D6 X 10 hours!

Effects of the X-Ray laser: X-ray laser weapons were developed exclusively for use in the hard vacuum of outer space, and earth's atmosphere diffuses the beam almost instantly. This means the laser is emitting gigantic amounts of deadly radiation if fired! Anything within 200 feet of the laser receives deadly levels of radiation, to the point will suffer severe radiation poisoning and most materials will be permanently irradiated! (the chromium armor of the Glitterboy protects it from this, as a lucky break) Anyone in that range and not protected from radiation receives 4D6 damage directly to hit points immediately and must save vs. coma or pass out! The continues to inflict 2D6 damage to unprotected victims each round and 1D4 to everyone an additional 1000 feet away (again, this is directly to hit points!) until the radiation dissipates in 3D6 Melee rounds. The sudden radiation pulse also disrupts radio signals and laser targeting in the area, and they will not work (this means no bonus, and all missiles in range are at no bonus at all to hit) until the radiation has passed. Even supernatural beings will notice the deadly radiation, and may flee for their lives at the horrific new sensation of the deadly energies leeching the life from their skin!

Rate of fire: The atmospheric laser setting may be fired once for every melee action. The X-Ray laser setting can only be fired once every melee round and the entire laser cannon is disabled until it's ready again (the cannon itself requires this time for its components to cool!) Bursts and Sprays are not possible.
Maximum effective range: 8000 feet for the Atmospheric laser (double in space).
The X-ray laser has a pitiful range of 35 feet! Earth's atmosphere causes the beam to diffuse into a burst of undirected radation almost instantly, causing the deadly side-effects. In space, the X-Ray laser has a range of 30,000 feet.
Payload: The T-O/TAL package includes a small dedicated nuclear power plant, effectively unlimited.

Gameplay-wise, I love this concept, though I would tweak a few things. First, the maximum range of the radiation effects shouldn't exceed the effective range of the weapon system (will make you sick thousands of feet away even when it's not aimed at you, but only does damaged in its focused direction for 35 feet?). Second, radiation health effects aren't instant; they kick in hours later. I'd extend the range of the X-ray beam out to maybe 100 feet, modify the radiation effects, and drop them to the same range. I also might change the nature of the weapon from "X-ray" to "Radiation" to keep it ambiguous.

Hotrod wrote:I love the background. Feels like a not-quite-renegade chapter of the Old Guard, cut off from parts support but still considered members.

thanks, i always like exploring what the historical connections between the factions must be (in spite of CS claims, of course) and this was a good excuse. i was gonna write up the Toronto chapter more but it felt excessive.

Hotrod wrote:Gameplay-wise, I love this concept, though I would tweak a few things. First, the maximum range of the radiation effects shouldn't exceed the effective range of the weapon system (will make you sick thousands of feet away even when it's not aimed at you, but only does damaged in its focused direction for 35 feet?). Second, radiation health effects aren't instant; they kick in hours later. I'd extend the range of the X-ray beam out to maybe 100 feet, modify the radiation effects, and drop them to the same range. I also might change the nature of the weapon from "X-ray" to "Radiation" to keep it ambiguous.

X-ray lasers are in (i think it's) mutant in orbit, and they don't work in atmosphere, which always bothered me where the radiation was going so i went with diffusing it to the point the gun rapidly becomes a radiation hose with the atmospere' thumb clamped on the nozzle. i kinda forgot what actual radiation poisoning rules were in and had to choose between "Realism" and "Make it clear not to spam this blindly" for options.
After considering the last time i gave a group in rifts a weapon that dealt potentially thousands of MDC a round i just slapped the "Do NOT" sign on it immediately.

Other aspects of Glitter Boy culture I've thought about writing up:

1. Glitter Boy Tactics: using terrain, formations, and maneuvers effectively against infantry, vehicles, and aerial foes.
2. Keeping them Boomin': secrets to the Glitter Boy's longevity: tricks and tools that have kept these suits working for 300 years. Why and how Glitter Boys always look so darn pristine.
3. The Chapter: leadership roles, supporters/family members, social dynamics, and layouts of a typical chapter armory.
4. The Network: relationships and dynamics between chapters, associations, and unaffiliated Glitter Boys. How Glitter Boy pilots share information.

A glitter boy that randomly spouts anti-communist propaganda like Liberty Prime would be gold! He would never allow stealth, always use the biggest weapons possible and have a certain fondness for nuclear weapons.

-STS

I like the general idea of the thread and could totally see the sorts of groups you're speaking of.

The..... Homage to a certain TV show are sort of hard to dodge. But that's fine too. Going out on a limb here and guessing the "Sons of....... Thunder"s symbol is a Reaper with a Boom Gun with a Scythe blade?

Pepsi Jedi wrote:I like the general idea of the thread and could totally see the sorts of groups you're speaking of.

The..... Homage to a certain TV show are sort of hard to dodge. But that's fine too. Going out on a limb here and guessing the "Sons of....... Thunder"s symbol is a Reaper with a Boom Gun with a Scythe blade?

The Minutemen are based on the revolutionary war-era militias and tradition of posses that form up, fight, and disperse. The Old Guard is a bit more of a nationally-aligned mercenary/paramilitary/national guard type of organization, like the Flying Tigers and/or the Patriot Guard. The Riggers are more of a classic motorcycle or hotrod-type club, and the Sons of Thunder are obviously based on 1%'er outlaw motorcycle clubs.

I was thinking more about the Hell's Angels, Mongols, Outlaws, Pagans, Bandidos than the Sons of Anarchy show. Of course, since Sons of Anarchy is based on that kind of culture (and "sons of ___" is easy to adapt without making reference to real-life organizations), your point is well taken; it's. I'd welcome alternate name suggestions for the Sons of Thunder.

For the Sons of Thunder's symbol, I'd probably go with something a bit more like a pirate flag; a skull with crossed boom guns underneath. The skull could be a reference to it being founded by Coalition veterans and expatriots way back in the day (after the CS crushed the Federation of Magic). I'd also note that most of the other associations wouldn't be into things like matching leather jackets/patches. The Minutemen have no symbol, as their unmarked suits are their symbol. The Old Guard might use a Fleur de Lis, but in a subtle way. The Riggers might do matching leather jackets, but their symbol would probably be friendlier; Glitter Boys are plenty intimidating enough.

slade the sniper wrote:A glitter boy that randomly spouts anti-communist propaganda like Liberty Prime would be gold! He would never allow stealth, always use the biggest weapons possible and have a certain fondness for nuclear weapons.

-STS

I love Liberty Prime. I'm not sure that communism was a big thing when Glitter Boys first came out. That said, it could be fun to have some sort of automated loudspeaker spouting public service announcement anachronisms and propaganda from the early days of NEMA, especially if it was a surviving pre-skelebot NEMA robot brain incorporated into the suit. I'll think it over.

Hotrod wrote:Other aspects of Glitter Boy culture I've thought about writing up:

1. Glitter Boy Tactics: using terrain, formations, and maneuvers effectively against infantry, vehicles, and aerial foes.

<snip>

This was something I had done as a basis for FQ. The specific TTPs (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures, to coin the military terminology) wasn't something that made the cut. It is, however, the basis for the FQ military having so many Borgs and Juicers, as well as other PA. With a combined force based on 4+ GB and supporting roles filled out by those other forces, you have a very potent and versatile force.

It's school-time at a Minuteman armory. The children of the local homesteads and chapter officers sit in their seats while an old, crusty veteran of the chapter strides in:

"Alright, recruits! Today we're going to talk about how to use the land we defend to protect us and help us kill our enemies. Hey Timmy! Wake up!

"Let's start with the basics. Our suits may be tough, but they have two big weaknesses: we can't shoot on the move, and we can't turn around while we're shooting. Our suits have lasted centuries by our pilots using terrain to cover these weaknesses.

"A moving Glitter Boy is vulnerable. Any time an enemy catches you on the move, they'll get at least one free shot in, possibly two or three. Since we want to avoid that, we like to move through cover or concealment. Lots of dirt and rocks that can stop an enemy's fire, that's cover. Trees, bushes, that kind of stuff, that's concealment. Dammit, Timmy, just stand up if you can't stay awake! Cover's usually better for us than concealment, since we tend to make a lot of noise moving through foliage, and our suits are so shiny you sometimes get reflected sunglight poking through bushes and such, so we use cover like ditches, valleys, and draws-- no, Timmy, I mean a draw like a cleft in a hillside, not some idiot gunslinger duel. Keeping a hill or a ridge between you and an enemy is a great way to keep them from knowing where you are and where you're moving.

"So let's say you can move wherever you need to. Now it's time to set up and fight. We want to be able to see and shoot our enemies from a long way off. So where do you think we want to drop pylons and shoot? Timmy? Yes, hills and ridges, very good. Both provide excellent cover and fields of fire for our boom guns. But there's more to it than that. Hills are big.

"Where do you set up on the hill, recruits? The top, Timmy? Wrong! Set up there, and you'll have a whole lot of dirt and rock between you and the base of the hill. Once your enemies get close to the foot of the hill, they're below where you can see them, and they'll charge up the hill and pounce on you up close. Worse still, you're upright and obvious to everyone for miles around, and anyone can take pot shots at you in the back. Don't ever sink your pylons on top of a hill unless you absolutely have to.

"Nobody else? Ok then. Where you want to set up is the military crest of the hill. That's the highest point where you can see all the way down the slope. There's still plenty of hill behind you, covering your rear, and now you've got a wide open field of fire. Any enemies moving below you will risk you blowing them away. In a pinch, the military crest of a hill is a good spot. How can we make it better, though?

"Well, if the hillside has any big boulders, you can use those to give you some more cover. Ideally, you want just your head and your boom gun showing over the top. If there aren't any big boulders handy, and if you have the time, what you want to do is dig a rifle pit. You dig a hole on the hillside, throwing the dirt into a mound just below you. Now you have a nice mound of dirt for your enemies below you to shoot around, and you set up a bit lower into the ground. That'll stop a great many shots. Yes, Timmy, that does mean getting the hands on your shiny suit a little dirty. A little rinse in a stream is a lot easier and cheaper than having to refurbish damaged chromium armor plates, and with the suit's muscles, you can dig a good rifle pit in a minute or less, and once you're set up in a good rifle pit on the military crest of a hill, you're at least four times as likely to survive and win that fight.

"Ah, looks like it's time for our practical exercise today. You'll be digging rifle pits on Patriot Hill. No, Timmy, you won't be using suits. Yes, you'll have to dig them by hand. Don't like that? You'll thank me someday. Train the hard way, and it'll be easy when it's time to fight. Move out, recruits!"

Consider the Glitterboy culture surrounding suits that have lost their boom gun.

Schooltime continues the next day:

Ok, recruits, so you can climb a hill and dig some holes. Now let's talk about where you dug your holes. Yes, Timmy, you put them on the military crest, but why did you dig them so close together? Your rifle pits were barely a few feet from each other! You might as well have dug a trench! Ah well, I guess that leads into our topic of today: teamwork.

You know why the Minutemen have lasted for centuries, while most freelancers and small groups of Glitter Boys never last? It's because we literally watch out for each other. Sure, we can fight solo in a pinch, but two Minutemen fighting together are better than four Minutemen fighting alone.

Remember yesterday, when I said that we're vulnerable when we move, and I said that we use cover? Well, today, we'll talk about a different kind of cover, the kind that your friend provides by being ready to shoot enemies who pop up. Whenever you need to move in a fight, the best way to do it is while another Minuteman already has pylons sunk and is ready to shoot the enemy. Then you cover your buddy, and you take turns until you're both where you want to be. We call this bounding.

Now let's talk about where you set up. Unlike that awful mess you made on the side of Patriot Hill yesterday, you need to remember to spread out. You should rarely be side-by-side, even if you're just traveling. We can shoot over a mile with our boom guns, so you want at least a hundred meters between you, sometimes more. This does two things: it allows you to catch enemies in a crossfire, giving them fewer places to hide from your guns, and it gives each of you space to help each other if someone tries to come at the other's back. Our boom guns aren't much good for fighting up close, so some enemies try to catch us at close range. That's when another Minuteman will save you.

So remember: we fight together, but not close together. Now get back up there, fill in those rifle pits you dug yesterday, and dig some new ones at proper intervals. No, Timmy, no shovels today either. Use what you have. Sweat more now, bleed less later!

Mark Hall wrote:Consider the Glitterboy culture surrounding suits that have lost their boom gun.

"You ever seen a juicer get strangled by a guy in power armor? no? Then you might want to watch this genius who closed with a glitterboy to target the boom gun and make him "helpless". Don't take that sort of thing very well."

Mark Hall wrote:Consider the Glitterboy culture surrounding suits that have lost their boom gun.

Yea. I was working up a TW GB suit based on one that had been completely mangled and Boom Gun lost.

Hotrod wrote:

slade the sniper wrote:A glitter boy that randomly spouts anti-communist propaganda like Liberty Prime would be gold! He would never allow stealth, always use the biggest weapons possible and have a certain fondness for nuclear weapons.

-STS

I love Liberty Prime. I'm not sure that communism was a big thing when Glitter Boys first came out. That said, it could be fun to have some sort of automated loudspeaker spouting public service announcement anachronisms and propaganda from the early days of NEMA, especially if it was a surviving pre-skelebot NEMA robot brain incorporated into the suit. I'll think it over.

Maybe it could be the same basic idea, but spouts anti-magic propaganda? Ends up sounding like a giant chrome paladin...or Optimus Prime?

Hotrod wrote:

Pepsi Jedi wrote:I like the general idea of the thread and could totally see the sorts of groups you're speaking of.

The..... Homage to a certain TV show are sort of hard to dodge. But that's fine too. Going out on a limb here and guessing the "Sons of....... Thunder"s symbol is a Reaper with a Boom Gun with a Scythe blade?

The Minutemen are based on the revolutionary war-era militias and tradition of posses that form up, fight, and disperse. The Old Guard is a bit more of a nationally-aligned mercenary/paramilitary/national guard type of organization, like the Flying Tigers and/or the Patriot Guard. The Riggers are more of a classic motorcycle or hotrod-type club, and the Sons of Thunder are obviously based on 1%'er outlaw motorcycle clubs.

I was thinking more about the Hell's Angels, Mongols, Outlaws, Pagans, Bandidos than the Sons of Anarchy show. Of course, since Sons of Anarchy is based on that kind of culture (and "sons of ___" is easy to adapt without making reference to real-life organizations), your point is well taken; it's. I'd welcome alternate name suggestions for the Sons of Thunder.

For the Sons of Thunder's symbol, I'd probably go with something a bit more like a pirate flag; a skull with crossed boom guns underneath. The skull could be a reference to it being founded by Coalition veterans and expatriots way back in the day (after the CS crushed the Federation of Magic). I'd also note that most of the other associations wouldn't be into things like matching leather jackets/patches. The Minutemen have no symbol, as their unmarked suits are their symbol. The Old Guard might use a Fleur de Lis, but in a subtle way. The Riggers might do matching leather jackets, but their symbol would probably be friendlier; Glitter Boys are plenty intimidating enough.

As a Heathen, "Sons of Thunder" Call images of Thor to my mind. So painting them as 'bad guys' makes me kinda .
Fiction's fiction and all. I get it, but yeah as written they read like Sons of Anarchy but with glitterboys.

Maybe something like "Renegades" or the like? Or if you're going with the pirate flag like you mentioned "Jolly Rogers" or "Buccaneers" "Privateers" (For a bit of tongue and cheek pretentiousness).

I like the over all concept though. Nice work.

Pepsi Jedi wrote:

Hotrod wrote:

Pepsi Jedi wrote:I like the general idea of the thread and could totally see the sorts of groups you're speaking of.

The..... Homage to a certain TV show are sort of hard to dodge. But that's fine too. Going out on a limb here and guessing the "Sons of....... Thunder"s symbol is a Reaper with a Boom Gun with a Scythe blade?

The Minutemen are based on the revolutionary war-era militias and tradition of posses that form up, fight, and disperse. The Old Guard is a bit more of a nationally-aligned mercenary/paramilitary/national guard type of organization, like the Flying Tigers and/or the Patriot Guard. The Riggers are more of a classic motorcycle or hotrod-type club, and the Sons of Thunder are obviously based on 1%'er outlaw motorcycle clubs.

I was thinking more about the Hell's Angels, Mongols, Outlaws, Pagans, Bandidos than the Sons of Anarchy show. Of course, since Sons of Anarchy is based on that kind of culture (and "sons of ___" is easy to adapt without making reference to real-life organizations), your point is well taken; it's. I'd welcome alternate name suggestions for the Sons of Thunder.

For the Sons of Thunder's symbol, I'd probably go with something a bit more like a pirate flag; a skull with crossed boom guns underneath. The skull could be a reference to it being founded by Coalition veterans and expatriots way back in the day (after the CS crushed the Federation of Magic). I'd also note that most of the other associations wouldn't be into things like matching leather jackets/patches. The Minutemen have no symbol, as their unmarked suits are their symbol. The Old Guard might use a Fleur de Lis, but in a subtle way. The Riggers might do matching leather jackets, but their symbol would probably be friendlier; Glitter Boys are plenty intimidating enough.

As a Heathen, "Sons of Thunder" Call images of Thor to my mind. So painting them as 'bad guys' makes me kinda .
Fiction's fiction and all. I get it, but yeah as written they read like Sons of Anarchy but with glitterboys.

Maybe something like "Renegades" or the like? Or if you're going with the pirate flag like you mentioned "Jolly Rogers" or "Buccaneers" "Privateers" (For a bit of tongue and cheek pretentiousness).

I like the over all concept though. Nice work.

given they're a bunch of bullies, thugs, and good for nothings, i'm sure they think they are the good guys and extort a certian amount of praise out of "their" communities alongside the pay. it wouldn't be near the first time the aseir were referanced by a group of genocidal supremicists after all.....

slade the sniper wrote:

Hotrod wrote:

slade the sniper wrote:A glitter boy that randomly spouts anti-communist propaganda like Liberty Prime would be gold! He would never allow stealth, always use the biggest weapons possible and have a certain fondness for nuclear weapons.

-STS

I love Liberty Prime. I'm not sure that communism was a big thing when Glitter Boys first came out. That said, it could be fun to have some sort of automated loudspeaker spouting public service announcement anachronisms and propaganda from the early days of NEMA, especially if it was a surviving pre-skelebot NEMA robot brain incorporated into the suit. I'll think it over.

Maybe it could be the same basic idea, but spouts anti-magic propaganda? Ends up sounding like a giant chrome paladin...or Optimus Prime?

You (and Liberty Prime) have inspired me, though I took things in a bit of a different direction and opted to create an anachronism: a USA propaganda robot brain as a co-pilot.

The Patriot is awesome. I love the visuals of his paint job. Well done, Hotrod.

-STS

Orin J. wrote:

Pepsi Jedi wrote:

Hotrod wrote:

Pepsi Jedi wrote:I like the general idea of the thread and could totally see the sorts of groups you're speaking of.

The..... Homage to a certain TV show are sort of hard to dodge. But that's fine too. Going out on a limb here and guessing the "Sons of....... Thunder"s symbol is a Reaper with a Boom Gun with a Scythe blade?

The Minutemen are based on the revolutionary war-era militias and tradition of posses that form up, fight, and disperse. The Old Guard is a bit more of a nationally-aligned mercenary/paramilitary/national guard type of organization, like the Flying Tigers and/or the Patriot Guard. The Riggers are more of a classic motorcycle or hotrod-type club, and the Sons of Thunder are obviously based on 1%'er outlaw motorcycle clubs.

I was thinking more about the Hell's Angels, Mongols, Outlaws, Pagans, Bandidos than the Sons of Anarchy show. Of course, since Sons of Anarchy is based on that kind of culture (and "sons of ___" is easy to adapt without making reference to real-life organizations), your point is well taken; it's. I'd welcome alternate name suggestions for the Sons of Thunder.

For the Sons of Thunder's symbol, I'd probably go with something a bit more like a pirate flag; a skull with crossed boom guns underneath. The skull could be a reference to it being founded by Coalition veterans and expatriots way back in the day (after the CS crushed the Federation of Magic). I'd also note that most of the other associations wouldn't be into things like matching leather jackets/patches. The Minutemen have no symbol, as their unmarked suits are their symbol. The Old Guard might use a Fleur de Lis, but in a subtle way. The Riggers might do matching leather jackets, but their symbol would probably be friendlier; Glitter Boys are plenty intimidating enough.

As a Heathen, "Sons of Thunder" Call images of Thor to my mind. So painting them as 'bad guys' makes me kinda .
Fiction's fiction and all. I get it, but yeah as written they read like Sons of Anarchy but with glitterboys.

Maybe something like "Renegades" or the like? Or if you're going with the pirate flag like you mentioned "Jolly Rogers" or "Buccaneers" "Privateers" (For a bit of tongue and cheek pretentiousness).

I like the over all concept though. Nice work.

given they're a bunch of bullies, thugs, and good for nothings, i'm sure they think they are the good guys and extort a certian amount of praise out of "their" communities alongside the pay. it wouldn't be near the first time the aseir were referanced by a group of genocidal supremicists after all.....

Doesn't mean we appreciate the label.