North American Rumors, Reports, and Accounts

[Prole]

According to new and rumors, within what was known as the "Four Corners" three separate things have happened. The price of cellulose ethanol has shot up from .6 credits to 2.8 credits, the supply of empty "E-Clips" has decreased by as much as 75%, and the cost of local mercenary labor has gone up about 5% or so.

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In possibly related and confirmed news, a new organization is operating around the exact point that the "Four Corner States" used to meet. The facility charges 1,000 black market credits to enter and fill out paperwork for "Training". There is a confirmed interview process and some people are outright rejected at that point, with a full refund. Once inside, there is a week where recruits are tested on physical ability, firearms accuracy, and ability to reason and/or follow orders. Most people who "fluck" the "course" wind up a written and laminated "packet" of various types of advice they were given during the "course". Some "flunkees" are very upset and end up selling their packet for more or less then it might be worth, while others take the advice given and wind up better for the experience.

Despite this, there are different tiers of "passing". Reportively there is three separate tiers of "passing": "Truthworthy", "Support", or "Hardened".

Those who are found "Trustworthy" are hired on as physical labor and moved to one of many locations. They get reasonable quality prepared meals, suitable quality room and board within 4 people dorms, and are covered with one years pay in the event of death or serious injury. Pay is standard for most areas, but is double what the overcrowded New West economy usually pays.

Those placed in the "Support" are given at least 10 weeks of "basic training", along with an unknown number of weeks of "Specialist Training". Many of them are paid 280 credits a week once they finish training, with a 500 credit "Recruitment Bonus" up front before training starts. Pay appears to be quite good for most recruits, who are likely to go into support roles and have limited experience. It doesn't help that due to oversaturation, mercenaries typically see half-pay in the New West.

Those in "Hardened" are paid a 900 credit "Recruitment Bonus" right up front, before given the same training as "Support" alongside supplemental practice and "Specialist Training". They are then paid 450 credits a week starting once "Specialist Training" begins.

According to sightings and insider reports, recruits are trained on Big Bore and CFT weapons, with special "training ammo" used for both. Recruits typically enter with at least one or more W.P.s, but always leave with W.P.s for revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, along with "basic hand to hand".

[taalismn]

Let's hope that those who go all the way to the top pay bracket aren't going to be hooked into working for the vampires or some other monstrous 'you signed on the dotted line, suckers!' deal.

[Prole]

Less then ten days have passed and now it seems that the whole area of the "four corners" has been covered in "posters" stuck to walls, signs planted at various rest stops or water sources along roads, and annoying people keep asking if you would like to be paid to answer some questions. According to some accounts, a person is shown pictures or examples of weapons, and told to decide which one they like more. Considering the region has been reportively dominated by "Jasper Munitions" for so long in regard for standard damage weapons, there is some strong suspicion. There is competition in the air between the two local SDC weapon firms, though neither side has made a weapon that directly competes with another directly. Weapons are rarely in the same caliber or meant for the same role.

For years the lack of consistent pricing for other brands of shotguns has allowed the Jasper to dominate the local market, selling simple but strong shotguns for 1000 or 2000 credits each. On the same front, Golden Age Weaponsmiths doesn't sell any machine-pistols and besides the affordable "J-900 War Hawk", you're stuck "traveling all the way to the east ocean and coughing up 3,000 credits" or buying the Wellington MP-10 for 2,500. Plenty of people really like the MP-10, but it uses strange ammo. The almost complete lack of competition in the New West has allowed the models to absorb increasing travel and middle-men costs, allowing them to spread around the CS into Lone Star or what was "Canada" or even further. Even though a seriously smuggling adds 50% more to the previous cost, the machine pistols are just 1000 credits in the home "Four Corners".

Despite that, the questions being asked are about firearms that might compete directly or indirectly with Jasper, along with perhaps even competing with the machine-pistols being made on the other side of the CS.

Perhaps someone needs to learn a lesson.

[taalismn]

(I'm going with the compact design, since concealed, quickdraw weapons are now pretty nasty with the new types of ammunition out there. Harass the unarmed-looking person, and they wipe you out with a clip-emptying room-sweep.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Alt rumor: That there is someone out in the west that is someone with a weapons that acts like a machine pistol that fires the wilks cartridges.

[Prole]

For seemingly no rhyme or reason, a series of 400 sights have been sold with adapters that make them compatible with "rails", right in the "Four Corners". According to rumors these are the same sights had 500 sold at double price in the CS "Burbs".

Spoiler:

"SUSAT MK:2"

Those who are in the know will know by looking at this sight, should they come across an example of one, will notice that it does indeed look a lot like a "SUSAT sight". Perhaps one will notice that the sight still uses the metal triangle inside, the sight is still just as "bomb-proof", that it appears to still easily mount to L85s or even the CBW-556 "submachine gun", or that it uses tritium to illuminate it. However the people with true knowledge, or perhaps first hand experience will notice something very odd. This sight is well, actually not a "pain in the ass" to look through, it has a reasonable amount of eye-relief with it's "eye-box". The sight is a lot better to use with both eyes open, but it can be used with one closed in a pitch as well. The last thing someone would notice, is that the model comes in 1.6x, 2x, and 4x or that it's made from a mixture of plastoid/hard metal alloy. Even the "glass" is more closely related to some kind of diamond or polycarbonate.

Cost: 500 credits (No CS Credits)
Abilities: All available scopes remove any penalties a weapon has, relating to sighting systems or lack thereof.

1.6x, +1 on aimed shots or three round bursts, for first 100 yards (91 meters)
2x, +1 on aimed shots or three round bursts, for 40 feet to 400 feet (122 meters)
4x, +1 to aimed shots, outside the first 100 yards (91 meters)

At the same time, in both locations, 500 of the "Double Stack Magazine Adapter" and "Kicklite" Stock, both compatible with the Chipwell shotgun, and only the Chipwell shotgun are for sale.

[glitterboy2098]

how fancy do you want these SMG's/machine pistols to be? because i can think of a couple real world ones you could base your design off.
if you just want cheap mass produced stuff which you can still attach a lot of other features to, something with an all stamped metal construction would be your best bet.. MAC10, Uzi, Sterling.. those are easy to make with basic machine tools, are capable of full automatic fire, and could easily be engineered to fit stuff like scopes, silencers, various foregrips and stocks, etc.


if you want fancier stuff though you'll have to go into what kinds of features, so it can be narrowed down.

[Prole]

There has been lots of loud arguing between Jasper Munitions and representatives of "AWACW", with both security forces present. There has currently been four separate "brawls" in taverns, and one bar, along with "a tenth of a riot".

Not only is there six hundred whole automatic pistols floating around in the "Four Corners" now, not only are they competing with the J-900 War Hawk, but the handgun heavily resembles the J-45 Talon. So far there hasn't been angry letters from Chipwell, despite the handgun looking like theirs as well, nor as there been any new machine pistols or similar looking handguns from Golden Age Weaponsmiths.

Artist I paid to draw this.
Browning BDM Xtended 2
Picture of wooden stock/holster

The handgun hasn't exactly been completely pinned down as to what it is, but it's labeled "Browning BDM Xtended 2" and "AWACW". Currently it comes in only three versions: Classic (Labeled BDM, but mostly resembling a HP-35), Xtended, and "Xtended Automatio".

All three versions can accept 12 round magazines, which they are sold with, but the "Xtended" model comes with a 17 round one, while the "Automatico" comes with a 20 rounder. The 17 and 30 rounders are pretty plentiful, with about 1,000 of them each for sale.

Cost: 500 (Classic), 700 (Xtended), 1000 (Xtended Automatio), "No CS Credits)
Differences: The Classic appears to just be a HP-35 that has double/single action, along with a few other modern features, like tritium on it's sights, or using Endo-Steel in the place of steel. The Xtended, has modern night-sights, a "match-grade threaded hammer-forged barrel", "soft, but firm" grips, and 17 round magazines. Finally, the Automatico is has a single and auto selector, adjustable, ramp sights (Like on a Mauser) that go out to 500 meters...., along with the choice of a "classic wooden stock" or a more modern one made of plastoid for 300 extra.

There is very limited marketing material with these handguns, and very limited data. Confirmed shots have been taken accurately with standard ammo at 100 yards, and it remains to be seen if "ramjet" ammo would extend the range even further. It's also not confirmed if the Xtended Automatico has a "rate-reducer".

[Orin J.]

Really, SDC weapons aren't the bread and butter of any serious arms company in the RIFTS era, are they? it's common knowledge there's more people doing knockoffs of pre-rifts firearms than there probably are people needing them, so it's more of an impulse buy item for companies nowadays. you compete but can you REALLY get mad that someone else is making gum? guns? eh, pretty much the same thing, right?

[Prole]

Really, SDC weapons aren't the bread and butter of any serious arms company in the RIFTS era, are they? it's common knowledge there's more people doing knockoffs of pre-rifts firearms than there probably are people needing them, so it's more of an impulse buy item for companies nowadays. you compete but can you REALLY get mad that someone else is making gum? guns? eh, pretty much the same thing, right?

They are for Jaspers and Golden Age Weaponsmiths,..... andddddd.... possibly Wellington.

[Prole]

The arguments between Jasper Munitions and AWACW have gotten a lot worse, with the release of "Another ******* hunting rifle that competes with our models, where the hell are you getting these from? Are they made by children with slave labor? What demon sells you these? Where are the factories?". Some people say that AWACW stands for "All Warlords Are Cannibalistic Warlocks" or "All Westerners Are Cannibalistic Warlocks". The problem has gotten even worse with the increase in supplies of competing ammo 1/4th the cost, along with the new introduction of "That blasted reloading kit! Such nonsense!".

The reloading kit in question includes presses, stamps, dies, trims, powder measuring tools, powder pouring tools, brass or ammo tumbler, small powder on bullet oven, a lead smelter, a six bullet mold tool, and other needed parts. Cost is currently 250 Credits (No CS Credits) or "Standard Wild West Barter" and "Pays for itself if you reload 2000 rounds using local or AWACW components". According to the math of some in the "Four Corners", the cost of 2000 rounds of 30-06 would be 840 credits if they were bought right at the source of Golden Age Weaponsmiths. AWACW sells bulk lead, fresh casings, propellant, and "powder-coat", enough to make 500 rounds, for 145 Credits (No CS Credits), and the cost is about the same if you buy the casings from someone who picked them up.

It appears the savings is 13 credits for each 100 rounds of ammo made, which means you would save 260 credits if you loaded 2000 rounds. Jasper charges 2 credits a cartridge and GAW ammo gets upcharged 50% before it gets to the "Four Corners", so savings could be considerably more. It doesn't help that FMJ ammo tends to go 72 credits a box from GAW and 60 credits from AWACW. Molds can make soft-point bullets easily, and those or "Dum-Dum" bullets can be quite expensive if bought from GAW or AWACW.

Due to the ease and cheap cost of "reloading" as it's said to be called, there has been a reasonable "push" for more rifles or even "Machine Guns" in the 30-06 caliber, more reloading kits in more calibers, and even... petitions and/or posters mailed or delivered to Wellington, Golden Age Weaponsmiths, and Paladin Steel for "loose explosive or ramjet bullets that are of 30-06 size and weighing 150 grains in weight". At least one person spreading such posters around was attacked by what appeared to be a CS "Dogboy", so the rumor goes.

With all the other rumors and speculation going around, is talk or hope of a new reloading kit in .308 Winchester or .308 Marlin, especially with the high cost of both rounds in the "Four Corners".

[Prole]

Around Merc Town, there has been a series of brawls and over tens of thousands of new weapons that have flooded into the market.

Desperado

Spoiler:

Around Merc Town and towns further south, there have been appearances of weapons resembling muskets with OD colored plastic furniture. The weapon appears to have no obvious sign of a hammer or striker, but it does have a switch that turns it "On". Other features of the weapon are that a push of a button causes some latches to undo and release the barrel, along with switching the gun to "Off" and thus making it seem to be unable to fire. The weapon appears to reloaded by inserting a new barrel, which can be a "long" model with 15 rounds or a "short" model of 10 rounds. Both of them are loaded with what appear to be superposed shells labeled "20mm APHE" and there is a very small battery in the back of the barrel, up against the trigger.

Each one is branded with the "Desperado" brand and claims to fire the "Macho Explosión" Shell from the "Grande quindecuple tube" or the "compact, poquito decuple tube". According to testing, the barrels are indeed made from some strange, hard ceramic of some sort, but there is no clear understanding if they can be used as barrels for other weapons or reused.


Cost: Current price for the gun alone is 3,500 credits; 120 credits per shell or 16,000 credits for a box of 144 shells.

Weight: 8 lbs (3.6 kg) empty, 14 lbs (6.35 kg) fully loaded
Caliber: 20mm HEAT shell
Note: P.S. of 11 to not fire without penalty of -1 to aim.
Damage: 20mm HEAT shell, 1d4 M.D.C.
Barrel Length: 36 inches (910mm)
Overall Length: 51 inches (1295mm)
Action: Single
Range: 600 feet (183 m)
Payload: 15 or 10 shots
Cost: 540 Credits or Equivalent in barter or hard currency.
Ammo Cost: 825 Credits for a 15 round tube, 550 Credits for a 10 round tube

Features: The weapon has a strange balance when it has 15 rounds within the 15 round version of the "barrel", causing a -1 to aim from the poor balance. Despite this, the weapon is perfectly fine with 10 rounds in the 10 round tube, and has +1 to balance when it has 10 rounds in the 15 round tube.

Options: Binary Trigger, 160 Credits, The weapon can be upgraded with a new trigger that replaces the old one. This new trigger and the electronics involved allow the weapon to fire have a second setting, where it fires two shots in quick succession. Due to the function of how the barrel moves a short distance with each firing and the fact the weapon is either front heavy or well balanced, recoil is minimal till after both shells have left the barrel.
Two shell burst: One attack
Damage: 2d4

The Binary Trigger option is popular enough that a few users have been piling up spent barrels and asking if a two barrel model would ever be made.

[Prole]

According to rumors, deep within the AWACW industrial concern, there have been worries about a lack of "liquidity" within North America, specifically the "Four Corners" area. To solve this issue, AWACW has decided to release a billion "Credits" of their own currency, known as "ConFed" onto the market. To prevent the currency from being decided as lacking in value, the currency is reportedly being backed by "A large stockpile of Cellulose Ethanol, Stored Electricity, Ammo in various calibers, and "D Ration Bars". The D Ration Bar in question is sold in packaging that can last at least a hundred years, with a plastoid box and then a sealed plastic inside. The bar claims to be "600 calories" or "1/4th the food you need in a day". Some people say it "tastes like bitter chocolate and oatmeal", and "it really doesn't want to melt, even in Arizona", with a "texture like hardened coco powder". Instructions say to "Break this up into hot water for a drink" or "Consume during 30 minutes carefully, while consuming half a liter or 16 ounces of water".

So far there is at least two "Banks" in Colorado, with plans for one for each of the "states" of the "Four Corners". They are guarded by men in Dark Green Environmental Suits and BDUs, who are carrying Wilk's CFT rifles and/or Big Bore weapons, along with various AWACW weapons as well. There is a metal or laser battery detector at the front entrance, all the walls and doors are made of MDC material shipping containers welded together, and then cut into specific shapes. Only 5 million "ConFed Creds" are kept on any specific location at any given time and people need to "give three hours notice if they wish to withdraw between 1 and 50 million credits". The ConFed Continental Banks will accept any Credits that are not CS Credits, including Black Market, MI/NG, and Paladin Steel.

Over 5 million Credits worth of 1,900 Credit gold coins were released into the "Four Corners", Merc Town, Northern Gun, Wellington, and Guntersville, each.

At one of the banks, you can redeem almost any credit for a "Body Pillow" of "Ten different attractive females of various body types and appearances", including one that for some reason has a tail and cat ears. Other strange items that can be obtained with credits include: bars of soap, 100 issue stacks of "Playboy laminated paper magazines", twenty packs of "Sunset Rootbeer", and even "Collectable bottlecaps, find all 1000 types, one for every drink ever bottled"!

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There are twenty "Automated Teller Machines" or "ATMs" that carry 100,000 Con Fed Credits each. They get filled whenever they are 80% empty or close to being overfilled, they accept any type of credit besides CS as an exchange, and they accept ConFed coins. They are connected to machines that dispense a limited range of body pillows, soap, magazines, rootbeer, and bottlecaps, these are emptied or refilled as needed as well.

An Armored Van that is partially designed with Golden Age Weaponsmiths help drives up to the location, and then four "Bank Guards" get out, with one of them typically being a Head Hunter of sorts carrying one of the Big Bore "Machine Guns". After this, a second vehicle arrives and unloads people who restock or empty the machines.

According to rumors, "I saw one of those big auto-cannon thingys open up on a bushwacker one day, and he was wearing something like 40 Em Dee See of armour at leasttt... The thing put three loud, terrible rounds right into his chest, and the guy's insides became his outsides..... Never seen anything like it."

-

Currently, this has resulted in many places in the Four Corners to accept "ConFed Creds" and for some to even accept MI/NG or Black Market Credits. The ability to redeem ConFed Credits for physical goods at will, depending on size of transaction and specifics of what is being redeemed for, has tied the currency to the "Trade Goods" or "Hard Currency" that is said to make up "88% of transactions in the New West". It is likely that this is why many have been seen asking AWACW to "work something out" with various "banks" around the New West, so that local currencies and vouchers can more easily be backed by physical goods, and so that physical goods can be guarded at secure facilities.

A section of Colorado, which is up against the river, has been close to impossible to get into without being intercepted by patrols of the "ConFed Bank" vans, "Confed Bank Guards", or contracted mercenaries. Miles before one can even make anything out, they are very likely to be intercepted, and so almost no one has any idea what is going on. Rumors are that tens of thousands of workers have been paid 150% the going rate for labor in the East and 300% the going rate in the New West, to do laborer work of some sort.

Whatever is going on, the region appears to have a considerable increase in transactions, with money being a lot more portable, convertible, and obtainable. Massive transactions are being made for linestone, sand, gravel, and a long range of other materials.

[Prole]

More firearms have turned up around Merc Town and the Four Corners, causing more arguments and more competition. So far there have been "zip-drives" circulating around with two sets of details, one which is heavily "classified" and one that has more details, but the details appear to be written over the old ones.

There have been considerable numbers of leaflets, zip-drives, and messengers communicating with Wellington, Golden Age Weaponsmiths, and Paladin Steel. So far it sounds like all three of them have a chance to provide ammo, or cartridge parts for this weapon. It is confusing however, because the weapons aren't marked with any corporate brands.

Spoiler:

It's not entirely clear why this weapon with it's strange history is being sold in Rifts North America, but there is at least some documentation and marketing data, along with people who know of the FAMAS that once was made in Europe. It would seem that the FAMAS is a "Bullpup" rifle, which was designed to be very compact, but have a reasonably long barrel length. The FAMAS model specifically is "lever-delayed blowback" in operation, meaning it doesn't have a piston operated by gas or a gas tube that blows on the bolt. Instead, like handguns, there is the equal and opposite force when the bullet goes "screaming" down the barrel. However, even most handguns need a mechanism to make sure the bolt doesn't go flying backward so fast that the gun explodes or the bolt goes flying out into the shooter's face. That is where the FAMAS has it's lever-delayed system, which slows the action down for a tiny fraction of a second, just enough to make the operation completely safe. The FAMAS is a strange gun, because it loves cheap ammo, but it hates more expensive ammo. The gun ejects so quickly that brass risks being damaged, so typically the gun is loaded with steel casings. This system is equally as reliable as the "roller-delayed blowback" system in the MP5 or G3 series of firearms, eclipsed only by the long-stroke piston action used in AKs, at least when it comes to "Assault Rifles".

The reason why the caliber is likely .300 blackout, might be because the default FAMAS is meant to fire 5.56x45mm and .300 blackout uses a lot of the same parts, including the same casings for the ammo. Not only that, but it uses the same bullets in .308 Winchester, so people insist. Perhaps the ammo could be popular with handloaders? There was a lot of confusion about .300 Blackout, as sure, it's really quiet if you load it right, but who could you even kill with it? Sneak it into a town and pop someone in the head while they are sleeping in their underwear? That sounds pretty scummy.

A few people figured it out. There is .308 exploding and ramjet ammo, along with 7.62x39mm exploding and ramjet ammo. 5.56x45mm has poor quality exploding ammo, and no source of ramjets due to how small the bullets are. The smallest caliber of ramjet ammo was 7.62/.308 and .308 exploding bullets make quite a show on targets.

There was also some confusion why the barrel was "chopped" to ten and a half inches, but considering .300 blackout works great in short barrels, that could very likely be why. That explains why a more standard looking FAMAS wasn't being sold instead. Overall, the gun as compact as an SMG, light as an SMG, has as many options for ammo as an AK, has the same effects on target as 5.56x45mm with FMJs, and almost the same effect on target as AK in 7.62x39mm with special ammo.

Weight: < 6.00 lb (2.72 kg)
Caliber: .300 Blackout (Can easily be modified to fire 5.56x45mm)
Damage: .300 Blackout FMJ: (5d6+1 S.D.C.), .300 Blackout FMJ "Cold Load": (4d6+1 S.D.C.), .300 Blackout Explosive: (6d6x3 S.D.C.)
Barrel Length: 10.5 in (267 mm)
Overall Length: 21.1 in (536 mm)
Action: Single/Full Auto/Three round Burst
Range: 383 yd (350 m)
Payload: 30 round box magazine or sixty round extended box magazine
Cost: 1200 Credits or Equivalent in barter or hard currency.

[Blackwater Sniper]

I'm not a big fan of energy weapons in role-playing games.

I prefer a PDW (like the modern FN P90, HK MP7) or something found on Pintrest.

Combine that with a Battle Stone, a few modified rounds and I'm a happy camper.

[Prole]

I'm not a big fan of energy weapons in role-playing games.

I prefer a PDW (like the modern FN P90, HK MP7) or something found on Pintrest.

Combine that with a Battle Stone, a few modified rounds and I'm a happy camper.

A battle what?