Vehicles

Surprise, surprise. Contrary to expectations, the Dark Future has not yielded any staggering new developments in transportation. Years of economic strife and civil unrest have discouraged research into new ways to travel—in fact, the very act of travel has become very restricted. Don't expect the inner-city world of the Time of the Red to be much like the 20th century—a network of crowded freeways, packed trains, and swarming airports. Instead, think of it as a patchwork of badly up-kept roads, abandoned airports, and trains plagued by gangs and intermittent service.

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Ground Transport

▶ Groundcars
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: CHOOH2 or methane-fueled internal combustion
• Top Groundspeed: 100 to 300 MPH, depending on model
• Structural Damage Points: 50
• Cost: Varies depending on model

There haven't been any major changes in automobiles since the 1980s—externally. Most cars are still basically a box on wheels, with smooth or hard edges. The Cyberpunk ethos being, "If it works, keep it til it doesn't work." In the cash poor environment of the 2000s, auto manufacturers have kept to conservative, unimaginative designs, so that by today the average family car is little changed from its practically antique roots.
With the extremely high price of petroleum, almost all cars of the 2000s are powered by tanks of liquefied methane or meta-alcohol fuels such as CHOOH2. Electric cars are the exception, not the rule, simply because the infrastructure for rapid charging is non-existent.



▶ Cybercars
Cybercar control systems are roughly like those of the late 20th century but employ a few more digital displays and push-button controls. In addition to control, most cars offer cybernetic control systems. These systems employ servos at the wheels, throttle, and transmission, which are controlled by a modified cybermodem in the dash.
The driver simply "studs" their Interface Plugs into the cybermodem and thinks the car through the motions. Vehicles without external controls are relatively uncommon, as the removal of external controls renders the vehicle useless to anyone but a cybered driver. So far, no major manufacturer has produced a purely cyber-driven automobile, although there are several after-market firms which will convert a car purely to cyber control.



▶ Cyberbikes
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: CHOOH2 or hydro-fueled internal combustion
• Top Groundspeed: 100 to 300 MPH, depending on model
• Structural Damage Points: 35
• Cost: Varies depending on model

There's a huge number of bikes and trikes out there these days as well. Most are hydro or CHOOH2 fueled. Models include Kundalini, Harlon-Dawson, Zondo, and Toyo-Tomo.

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Sea Transport

▶ Speedboats
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: CHOOH2 or hydro-fueled internal combustion
• Top Surface Speed: 60 MPH
• Structural Damage Points: 50
• Cost: 30,000eb (Super Luxury)

Any one of a number of small, light, mono-hulled performance craft designed for smuggling, rescue, law enforcement ops, piracy, or (rarely) water-skiing. Hulls are made primarily of a flexible dense polymer with titanium reinforcement. Common upgrades include onboard machine guns and other heavy weapons.



▶ OTEC Hammerhead Multipurpose Minisub

• Powerplant: Battery, CHOOH2 propulsion
• Top Surface Speed: 15 MPH (10 MOVE)
• Top Submerged Speed: 60 MPH (20 MOVE)
• Structural Damage Points: 100
• Crew: 3-8

The Hammerhead is an example of most "taxi" subs used throughout the oceans. Employed as a longrange shuttlesub, it was never intended for combat and has a notoriously "dirty" silhouette which makes it easy to spot on sonar. Still, it is functional and flexible, with two onboard Pseudo-AIs to assist the pilot and crew in their tasks.
Despite its apparent lack of combat utility, some have been armed with twin rocket pods and pushed into the fray as stop-gap patrol subs. Those who pilot these "torp-tubs" have developed a standard tactic of firing their torpedoes at any hostile bogey as soon as it enters their weapon's maximum range. They then turn and run back to their bases, avoiding any possible close encounter with undoubtedly better-equipped foes.

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Air Transport

▶ Gyrocopters
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: CHOOH²-powered rotary aircraft engine
• Operational Radius: 50 Miles
• Top Airspeed: 100 MPH
• Structural Damage Points: 35.
• Cost: 20,000eb (Super Luxury)

The riots of the late '90s required new tactics for operating in urban areas. Chief among these was the introduction of light, low passenger helicopters or "gyrocopters."
Currently used by police units, Corporate defense teams, Solo assault operations teams, and drug-running gangs. Unarmed versions are popular as recreational vehicles.


▶ Helicopters

Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: CHOOH²-powered turboshaft engine gas turbine
• Operational Radius: 600 Miles
• Top Airspeed: 200 MPH
• Structural Damage Points: 60
• Cost: 50,000eb (Super Luxury)

Most helicopters mount two large, wide-propped engine nacelles at the ends of long, high-lift wings. The engines can be tilted from a forward-facing direction to a vertical position, allowing the aircraft to take off and hover vertically. The wings can also be folded back along the body for easy storage, making them a perfect vehicle to launch from rooftop helipads and airstrips. A revolutionary concept when it was unveiled in 1988, the tilt rotor aircraft has become a standard vehicle throughout the 2000s. The military version served with distinction throughout the riots of the '90s and the Central American Conflicts. Various civilian manufacturers have licensed the tilt-rotor design and applied it to smaller commercial and business applications.
Helicopters are used as commuter vehicles for trips between city centers and hub airports, or as Corporate aircraft operating from rooftop pads atop starscrapers. Small versions such as the AE-800 Featherlite are popular light aircraft throughout the world, allowing flight operations in even the most remote and unprepared sites.


▶ AV-4 Multipurpose Aerodynes
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: Single vectored thrust turbofan
• Operational Radius: 400 Miles
• Top Airspeed: 200 MPH
• Structural Damage Points: 100
• Price: 50,000eb (Super Luxury)

The nearest thing to a science-fiction jet-car, the AV-4 was originally developed as a light assault aircraft capable of operation in close urban areas where rotary and tiltwing aircraft cannot penetrate. Short, bulbous, and equipped with only rudimentary maneuver wings, the AV-4 has the aerodynamic characteristics of a rock, relying on the brute force of its huge jet engine to keep it aloft (the original engine lifted a 19,550 lb. jumpjet, while a fully loaded AV-4 weighs about 8,600 lbs).
The AV-4 is used by police or Corporate troops for urban assault after being upgraded with a belly-mounted onboard machine gun. They are also used as emergency vehicles by the Trauma Team, and as Corporate vehicles for making special deliveries. The most common upgrade made to an AV-4 is to armor its chassis.


▶ AV-9 Super Aerodynes
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: Twin vectored thrust turbofans
• Operational Radius: 400 Miles
• Max Airspeed: 300 MPH
• Structural Damage Points: 60
• Cost: 100,000eb (Super Luxury)

A relatively recent development of the AV class, these are smaller aerodynes designed to fulfill the role of a sports car, with twin vectored thrust turbofans mounted in heavily armored side housings. In addition to the increase in thrust provided by the second fan, the reduction in weight gained from its minimal cabin allows the AV-9 to scream through the air at extreme speeds. They are primarily purchased for recreation by the wealthy, but a select few on the street have found their own uses for them. Orbital Transport


▶ Delta 4 Spaceplane

• Powerplant: Batteries, Hi-Lox fuel cells
• Top Airspeed: Mach 6
• Structural Damage Points: 40
• Crew: 1-2

A holdover from the 4th Corp War, Deltas are highspeed, suborbital spaceplanes designed for combat and interception. They usually have two engines: a normal supersonic jet for reaching an altitude of 35,000 m/yds, and a solid-fueled rocket engine for boosting into orbit. Occasionally, deltas are carried piggyback by larger jet aircraft, or boosted into orbit by using disposable rockets. They can also be carried aboard deep space craft.
Once in orbit, deltas use maneuver thrusters to move in on orbital targets. Well-armed with twin smart rocket pods, deltas must strike quickly and then use their remaining fuel to reenter safely. Deltas are exceedingly rare; the EuroSpace Agency only had around 24, but recently discoveries of hidden spaceplane attack wings stashed in remote airbases in the U.S. and the EuroTheatre have made them available to the most well-heeled Execs and Nomad Families through world-class Fixers.

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Mega Vehicles for Maximum Transport

▶ Light Rail Lev Train
Various manufacturers

• Powerplant: Electric third rail inductance field
• Top Groundspeed: 300 MPH (60 MOVE)
• Structural Damage Points: 100 per train car

Superconductor magnets have made it possible to build extremely cheap and durable "levitation trains." Riding on magnetic cushions, these "levs" have become one of the major transportation resources in the 2000s. Financed by Corporations or city governments, they are present in most major cities. Levs are usually built underground within city limits, and run on high pillars out in the suburbs. Usually one line, headed out to the Executive Zone, is sealed off and requires an entry pass to get onto. Corporate lev stations are always clean, well-lit, and well-guarded by Corporate security. City lev stations are usually not up to these standards, although most cities run police patrols on the line to control crime and vandalism.
Lev tickets are charged at a rate of 1eb per station passed; a trip passing through three stations, for example, would cost 3eb. Tickets may be purchased from automatic ticket machines using cash. These machines are located in the stations themselves and in local convenience store outlets.


▶ CINO RELaCS Cargo Sub

• Powerplant: Battery, CHOOH2 propulsion
• Top Surface Speed: 15 MPH (10 MOVE)
• Top Submerged Speed: 60 MPH (20 MOVE)
• Structural Damage Points: 300
• Crew: 6-36

This cargo sub is perhaps the closest thing that any Nomad group will ever own that could hope to compare to the big governmental "boomers." Over one hundred m/yds long and more than ten decks high, the ClNO cargo sub is the largest cargo submersible currently in production, and is always operated by a full Nomad clan. Designed by the Russians of the Neo-Sov, and affectionately known as the Really Exceptionally Large Cargo Sub (RELaCS), it is a fifty-year-old design that was refitted for the 2040s and beyond. A smooth hull layered with sound absorption tiles and oversized caterpillar drives makes the RELaCS an amazingly quiet sub (considering its size). Despite the ship's mass, it has a small crew and can be operated by only 6 people (depending heavily on its automated systems). Features include quad rocket pods and a Minisub bay, which these days typically houses a Hammerhead.


▶ K151 AeroZep

• Powerplant: CHOOH2 or hydro-fueled internal combustion
• Top Airspeed: 100 MPH (20 MOVE)
• Structural Damage Points: 300
• Crew: 2-36

Based on the pre-War U.S. Army's popular Overlord design, this Aerozep is now used primarily as a cargo hauler, redesigned to move up to ten cargo modules between staging areas. They are the primary heavy lift transports for aerial-based Nomad Families, and do not operate anywhere near a potential Combat Zone; they are always kept as far away as operationally possible, guarded by several fast-strike combat AVs or air-superiority fighters. The K151 can be piloted with a crew of 2, although this is rare; usually a K151 is the primary workhorse of a single Nomad Family with upwards of 30 people onboard, or sometimes more when cargo is not being carried.