Big Bertha

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Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

This vehicle is mentioned in a passage of text in Rifts Black Market but the vehicle itself is not in the book, least nowhere I could find.

Can someone tell me which book this vehicle is featured ?

Thanks
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ShadowLogan
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

The NG-HCH-2000 Big Bertha can be found in Rifts Source Book 1 Revised & Expanded, it is not in the original version.
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Shamrock 'Slinger
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Shamrock 'Slinger »

It's also in Northern Gun 2 under the land vehicle section.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

Thanks guys, now is there 3 versions of Source book 1 (Original, Revised and Revised & Expanded) or just two ?

Hopefully it's just two because I'm pretty sure that I have SB1 Revised at home, I know I don't have NG 2 so fingers crossed I have the right SB1.

Thanks for the help, and for answering so quickly.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

AFAIK there are only two versions: Original and Revised. They both have different covers, and Revised & Expanded is on the cover making Revised a short hand way of referring to it.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

Cool, thanks ShadowLogan. I'm going to dig the book out of storage tonight when I get home.
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Re: Big Bertha

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Ok so I do have the revised book and was checking out Big Bertha. I am thinking of going with that but modding it so they can travel between the cars when they're hooked up.

I also liked the Behemoth Explorer or maybe go with an old favourite I've used in past games, the hover ambulance from Triax & NGR.

Anyone have a suggestion for a good group APC ? It doesn't have to be armed to the teeth, but it can be too lol, mostly I want one that's large enough to have a bunk area, storage area, kitchen, wash room(s), room to set up the Cyber-Doc's lab and store a suit of P.A.

Basically I would like a mobile base of operations. Any and all suggestions is appreciated. Please keep in mind though I do not have Northern Gun 1 or 2, so please don't suggest something from there because I will not have the stats for it.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by kaid »

NG2 has some really good options of both heavily armed and mostly unarmed party busses. If you like something like the big bertha but want more passenger oriented they have a few options for vehicles with modular config pods for living quarters/storage or even repair bays for vehicles. They also have the bigger more combat oriented versions like the badger and the mammoth. The Aquapod actually works well like this too. You could drop the mini sub for cargo capacity or keep it for some pretty good all terrain flexibility. Reasonable cost land/sea/lake capable transport and given the midwests lack of road something that can use narrow rivers/stream beds as roads is pretty handy.

If you are looking more combat oriented NG1 has some really nice party bus robot vehicle options. The bull dog/okemos are really nice for smaller groups. Good self contained sleeping quarters/sanitary facilities for 5-6 people on a platform thats very all terrain and competent if not stellar in combat. A fully manned bulldog would be a pretty tough match up vs even things like spider skull walkers.

The NG scorpion robotic vehicle design has more minimal crew quarters as its more like a bunk house and less nice individual sleeper cells that the bulldog has but houses pretty much a full squad and should be more than sufficient to hold any normal sized gaming group. While not a primary combatant its very capable in a fight if forced to it. Then there are always the livestyles of the rich and adventurous with the really huge medical or exploration mechs. They range from large to big to is that an AT AT?

If you like this sort of thing I do really recommend NG1 and 2 eventually they are some of the best books they have put out. For stuff you may have check out the pathfinder in the same book the big bertha is on revised source book 1. My group used that as their party bus for a while. It has a full crew living area decent cargo area and is a pretty big robust vehicle for transversing tough terrain. Not a great deal of weapons on it but it does have a big mini missile pod with a pretty sizable ammo supply. The other common ones you should have access to are standard big boss/mountaineer atv's.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Alrik Vas »

He just said he hasn't got NG books, though.

I like the BB. If you want something armed the Leopard from the first NGR book has tons of armaments and enough room for multiple squads, so you could probably convert some of that space, including the mini tank bay.
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Re: Big Bertha

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Alrik Vas wrote:He just said he hasn't got NG books, though.

I like the BB. If you want something armed the Leopard from the first NGR book has tons of armaments and enough room for multiple squads, so you could probably convert some of that space, including the mini tank bay.


Let me start things off by saying :lol:

Second, I did like the Leopard from NGR. I figured the suit of P.A. could sit where the tank normally does and then customize the interior like you mentioned.

kaid wrote:NG2 has some really good options of both heavily armed and mostly unarmed party busses. If you like something like the big bertha but want more passenger oriented they have a few options for vehicles with modular config pods for living quarters/storage or even repair bays for vehicles. They also have the bigger more combat oriented versions like the badger and the mammoth. The Aquapod actually works well like this too. You could drop the mini sub for cargo capacity or keep it for some pretty good all terrain flexibility. Reasonable cost land/sea/lake capable transport and given the midwests lack of road something that can use narrow rivers/stream beds as roads is pretty handy.

If you are looking more combat oriented NG1 has some really nice party bus robot vehicle options. The bull dog/okemos are really nice for smaller groups. Good self contained sleeping quarters/sanitary facilities for 5-6 people on a platform thats very all terrain and competent if not stellar in combat. A fully manned bulldog would be a pretty tough match up vs even things like spider skull walkers.

The NG scorpion robotic vehicle design has more minimal crew quarters as its more like a bunk house and less nice individual sleeper cells that the bulldog has but houses pretty much a full squad and should be more than sufficient to hold any normal sized gaming group. While not a primary combatant its very capable in a fight if forced to it. Then there are always the livestyles of the rich and adventurous with the really huge medical or exploration mechs. They range from large to big to is that an AT AT?

If you like this sort of thing I do really recommend NG1 and 2 eventually they are some of the best books they have put out. For stuff you may have check out the pathfinder in the same book the big bertha is on revised source book 1. My group used that as their party bus for a while. It has a full crew living area decent cargo area and is a pretty big robust vehicle for transversing tough terrain. Not a great deal of weapons on it but it does have a big mini missile pod with a pretty sizable ammo supply. The other common ones you should have access to are standard big boss/mountaineer atv's.


I wish I had those books, maybe some day.
The Pathmaker does look pretty cool. While not in use the suit of P.A. could be strapped where the guy in the picture is standing.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by kaid »

The pathmaker also has a decent sized cargo hold it is a big honking vehicle.
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Re: Big Bertha

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kaid wrote:The pathmaker also has a decent sized cargo hold it is a big honking vehicle.

True, but I would probably convert that to sleeping/lab space. So far there is a hatching, techno-wizard, wilderness scout, pa pilot, cyber doc, cyber knight, gunfighter
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by kaid »

Razzinold wrote:
kaid wrote:The pathmaker also has a decent sized cargo hold it is a big honking vehicle.

True, but I would probably convert that to sleeping/lab space. So far there is a hatching, techno-wizard, wilderness scout, pa pilot, cyber doc, cyber knight, gunfighter



It already has a small lab and a sleeping area the cargo space is separate from that.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

kaid wrote:
Razzinold wrote:
kaid wrote:The pathmaker also has a decent sized cargo hold it is a big honking vehicle.

True, but I would probably convert that to sleeping/lab space. So far there is a hatching, techno-wizard, wilderness scout, pa pilot, cyber doc, cyber knight, gunfighter



It already has a small lab and a sleeping area the cargo space is separate from that.


Oh, cool.

I will have to read that one over again. It's hard keeping all the details straight because I've looked at so many over the last little bit.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by kaid »

Yup the pathmaker thing is a really good party bus. Its big and not really fast but it can get you where you want to go with good amounts of passenger space/sleeping areas/sanitary facilities small lab and I think dinning area as well as a cargo hold that should be big enough to hold a suite of power armor or two.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by H.P. Hovercraft »

If you like the Big Bertha and you also like the Behemoth, you may like this option......

Take a standard BB and install a legless Behemoth "torso" on the back as the attached "trailer."

The BB can more than take the weight without sacrificing speed or mobility, and there's plenty of room to customise the interior of your Behemoth to suit your groups needs. Even looking at the height/length/width specs for both vehicles, this is more than do-able (in fact, you could likely fit TWO Behemoths on the back of your BB, side-by-side, if you wanted to). Keep the arms on the Behemoth, though; they're good for multi-task work that most regular vehicles aren't capable of (I'd have the forward section of the Behemoth facing the rear of the BB, personally).

Then, since you like the Triax Leopard as a vehicle (as do I), ***crazy time now*** mount a Leopard on each of those long side-thrusters for added firepower and troop/armor capacity (the Leopard's H x L x W also shows that two of them could sit on the frame of the BB, even with a Behemoth sandwiched in between them).

End Result: A truck with the speed and pulling weight of a Big Bertha, with the space and resources of a Behemoth, and the added firepower, troop capacity and armor (either the Tiny Terror mini-tanks or other suits of PA in the rear of those Leopards) of two Leopards.......

Good luck getting the main components together, not to mention the amount of credits needed to build this Uber-Rig, but yeah, this has been a dream party bus in the works in my game for a while now.

..............still, the Big Bertha + Behemoth is (to me, anyway) a perfectly feasible idea.

Have fun!!!
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by RockJock »

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=149883

The above is a link to a question I asked awhile back regarding what people use as mobile homes/RVs/bases, and I thought you might find it interesting.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by wyrmraker »

For a party vehicle (and since I'm almost invariably running the character in charge of such matters), my personal go-to vehicle of choice is the WR-5050 Super Cargo Hauler APC from World Book 5. If I can grab one, I most certainly will. After that, for party vehicles I have used a heavily modified Behemoth Explorer (with a hover platform), an XM-170 Repair Barge (only once, and the game fell apart before my Operator could properly outfit it), a current day Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck with a beefed up drivetrain hauling four modified shipping containers on trailers, and one time a low-end starship that had no ability to break orbit (but criminy, the load-out on that one!).
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

H.P. Hovercraft wrote:If you like the Big Bertha and you also like the Behemoth, you may like this option......

Take a standard BB and install a legless Behemoth "torso" on the back as the attached "trailer."

The BB can more than take the weight without sacrificing speed or mobility, and there's plenty of room to customise the interior of your Behemoth to suit your groups needs. Even looking at the height/length/width specs for both vehicles, this is more than do-able (in fact, you could likely fit TWO Behemoths on the back of your BB, side-by-side, if you wanted to). Keep the arms on the Behemoth, though; they're good for multi-task work that most regular vehicles aren't capable of (I'd have the forward section of the Behemoth facing the rear of the BB, personally).

Then, since you like the Triax Leopard as a vehicle (as do I), ***crazy time now*** mount a Leopard on each of those long side-thrusters for added firepower and troop/armor capacity (the Leopard's H x L x W also shows that two of them could sit on the frame of the BB, even with a Behemoth sandwiched in between them).

End Result: A truck with the speed and pulling weight of a Big Bertha, with the space and resources of a Behemoth, and the added firepower, troop capacity and armor (either the Tiny Terror mini-tanks or other suits of PA in the rear of those Leopards) of two Leopards.......

Good luck getting the main components together, not to mention the amount of credits needed to build this Uber-Rig, but yeah, this has been a dream party bus in the works in my game for a while now.

..............still, the Big Bertha + Behemoth is (to me, anyway) a perfectly feasible idea.

Have fun!!!


I am loving that mad scientist approach! The guy who owns the vehicle is a Techno-Wizard (that happens to be a Chiang-ku dragon, but the party doesn't know that) so he could have easily saved/plundered enough credits in his life time to build said vehicle.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

RockJock wrote:http://palladium-megaverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=149883

The above is a link to a question I asked awhile back regarding what people use as mobile homes/RVs/bases, and I thought you might find it interesting.


I recognize that thread, I believe I even posted in it, I think I will give it another read. Thanks RockJock.
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Re: Big Bertha

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wyrmraker wrote:For a party vehicle (and since I'm almost invariably running the character in charge of such matters), my personal go-to vehicle of choice is the WR-5050 Super Cargo Hauler APC from World Book 5. If I can grab one, I most certainly will. After that, for party vehicles I have used a heavily modified Behemoth Explorer (with a hover platform), an XM-170 Repair Barge (only once, and the game fell apart before my Operator could properly outfit it), a current day Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck with a beefed up drivetrain hauling four modified shipping containers on trailers, and one time a low-end starship that had no ability to break orbit (but criminy, the load-out on that one!).


Oh yeah, forgot all about the WR-5050. My GM gave us one of those back in the day. Another one for me to re-read.
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Re: Big Bertha

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How tall would you guys guess the Behemoth to be? I know the book says 60 feet but I'm guessing that it's 60 feet tall when standing on it's legs, so if you removed the legs how tall would the "ship" part be ?
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by RockJock »

A "story" is roughly 10 feet. I don't have books in front of me, but I think the description tell you how many floors the main body has, or maybe I"m smoking something.
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Re: Big Bertha

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RockJock wrote:A "story" is roughly 10 feet. I don't have books in front of me, but I think the description tell you how many floors the main body has, or maybe I"m smoking something.


Not sure if it lists that or not, I would have to read it again. I think even if I don't go the route of Big Bertha towing one, I still want to give it a hover conversion and up it's max speed because "where we're going we don't need roads" lol
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Re: Big Bertha

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Can't remember which book the Behemoth Explorer is in, does anybody know off the top of their heads ?
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Re: Big Bertha

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I want to say the Rifts Sourcebook, but I think it is reprinted and expanded in either NG1 or NG2.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Shamrock 'Slinger »

It's also in the RMB, and Northern Gun 1. The new Behemoth Explorer is right after it as well.
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Re: Big Bertha

Unread post by Razzinold »

Thanks guys, I found it in RMB. I knew I saw it somewhere, heck I even mentioned it in my post.
I feel like such a tool because a] I couldn't remember the book even though I mentioned it was one of my possible candidates and b] I checked R:UE but not RMB :oops: :erm:
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