Who is in the Baltic sea?

[The ineffible GM]

So I've been running a game in Eastern Europe and I'm looking around at the Baltic sea and trying to sea who we have around it, and even IN it.

From what I can see you have:
- NGR has a small secret naval presence
- possibly some Brodkil on the southern coast, but they don't "control" the area, just "claim" it
- The Scandinavian Alliance that was mentioned in Triax 2 but sounds like they mostly keep to themselves
- The Kingdom of Tarnow is supposed to control the entirety of the Vistula river, which runs to the Baltic

This seems to be it, according to the books, from what I see. Others:
- The Russian warlords are all focused inland
- The new navy might sometimes send something I to the Baltic, but it is not generally present
- King Arthur doesn't seem to have any real navy
- Most of the stuff in Underseas is in the Pacific
- Atlantis might be sending some raiders and slavers into the Baltic, but seems like they would have some slim pickings

Questions:
1) Am I missing anything?
2) What else might in/around there of interest?
3) Any thoughts on what any of these groups might be doing differently than what is strictly covered in the books?

[glitterboy2098]

NGR has an open naval presence separate from its secret navy. They have hydrofoil patrol boats there. (WB7 has the stats), and odds are their surface cruisers are known as well (since it is hard to hide non-submarines)

Scandinavian Alliance does patrol it as well. Can't say much more, but they do have their own patrolships and have territory bordering that body of water.

Going by the map in SB3, tarnow would have limited interest, being far southern poland in territory. (Near modern Krakow) both they and the Poznan Collective would likely be more concerned with riverine control than the Baltic proper. Poznan though controls northern Poland so probably has at least some naval presence for coastal defense if nothing else.

Brodkil probably have an intetest, but their naval capability is unknown. And probably limited more to the southern baltic.

One power you missed is the Sovietskii. They have the area that is currently Kaliningrad, and we get introduced to their naval capabilities in Rifts:Sovietskii.

[shadrak]

NGR has an open naval presence separate from its secret navy. They have hydrofoil patrol boats there. (WB7 has the stats), and odds are their surface cruisers are known as well (since it is hard to hide non-submarines)

Scandinavian Alliance does patrol it as well. Can't say much more, but they do have their own patrolships and have territory bordering that body of water.

Going by the map in SB3, tarnow would have limited interest, being far southern poland in territory. (Near modern Krakow) both they and the Poznan Collective would likely be more concerned with riverine control than the Baltic proper. Postman though controls northern Poland so probably has at least some naval presence for coastal defense if nothing else.

Brodkil probably have an intetest, but their naval capability is unknown. And probably limited more to the southern baltic.

One power you missed is the Sovietskii. They have the area that is currently Kaliningrad, and we get introduced to their naval capabilities in Rifts:Sovietskii.

Postman? Where is this? Is this Rifter or Sovietskii?

I hope they release Sovietskii digital soon...I have been waiting long enough that I am ALMOST tempted to buy a papercopy

[glitterboy2098]

Sorry. Was on tablet and it is a constant fight against spellcheck.

poznan. Which is one of the NGR's ally-client states described in wb5.

[shadrak]

Sorry. Was on tablet and it is a constant fight against spellcheck.

poznan. Which is one of the NGR's ally-client states described in wb5.

Dang,

I was thinking there might be some new interesting "Postman" kingdom.

[The ineffible GM]

Alright, well let's suppose I have thus far found the Sovietski to be uninspiring. I'm honestly not sure I really even want to use them in my game at all.

Are there other things hinted at in other books that might be relevent to the Baltic?

Any ideas for other interesting things that could have sprung up or have been hidden away in or around the Baltic?

Or, heck, sell me on the Sovietski. I kind of like the warlords tromping around the Russian Wilderness, but throwing in what seems like a pastiche of the Soviet Union/Communism with more grey metal/concrete and some MORE clunky cyborgs (on top of the warlords) doesn't particularly appeal to me. Maybe I need to read the Russia books again, I dunno.

[glitterboy2098]

have you read the most recent sourcebook for them?

[The ineffible GM]

have you read the most recent sourcebook for them?

I have not, but from what I've seen thus far I don't really have any interest in doing so.

[Jorick]

The Sovietsky sourcebook will be your best source of info regarding a major power in that area, including some history. You of course don't have to like it or use it, but if you're concerned with canon then you should be concerned with them.

There is mention in the Triax 2 of a Scandinavian Alliance as mentioned earlier in the thread. NGR and Triax itself is obviously the other greater (greatest) power you would concern yourself with. They do have a navy and it is more significant now (perhaps focused more to the south, but the ships are manufactured in the north with the help of the Scandinavian Alliance). The Baltic coast of Denmark is used by the NGR for naval training. The Kingdom of Tarnow explicitly trades through there (via the Vistula river). The Baltic Sea would be a (or the) central avenue of trade for these human powers.

There are hordes of werewolves in the north bothering the Scandinavians. I doubt the werewolves have a navy, but maybe any navy in the area would be prepared for encounters. On the subject of monsters, I would include anything from the Mindwerks, Russia and Canada books (there is, if I recall, some Canadian sea god that might be of interest).

Metzla (Splugorth minions) are noted as being "most common" in various related areas including, explicitly, the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia.

[SolCannibal]

There are hordes of werewolves in the north bothering the Scandinavians. I doubt the werewolves have a navy, but maybe any navy in the area would be prepared for encounters.

No marauding sea wolves?! This is madness, madness i say!!!

Metzla (Splugorth minions) are noted as being "most common" in various related areas including, explicitly, the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia.

Metzlain are more like allies than actual minions if memory tricks me not, but yeah, they could be a fun threat. That they seem to have a greater presence in the Baltic - and Mediterranean - than the sploog minions per se is curious on itself, why are they so interested? And what about the Horune, they are something of a general hazard of sea lines everywhere, i guess.

Also, does not Tarnow have a bunch of power armor and other stuff adapted to underwater operations? It would be strange to invest so much in that area to just restrict themselves to the Vistula and avoid the Baltic Sea. Now i have to check the books...

ok, decided to do a good check and this is what i got from Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks about Tarnow's naval capabilities:

The Vistula River
King Peter has used the blending of magic and technology to seize control of the Vistula River.
The kingdom completely dominates the river for a hundred miles in both directions.
Its speed boats, ships and underwater power armor troops, salvage teams and fishermen keep the riverway safe and profitable.
The river runs south ending just before the border of old Czechoslovakia and to the north and into the Baltic Sea.
From the sea, oceangoing vessels can reach Germany, Scandinavia, up around Denmark and into the Atlantic Ocean and sail to any place in the world (barring trouble from pirates, monsters, and violent storms).

Ok, that implies some pretty impressive seagoing capabilties that i did not expect (specially consdering their quite land-locked status in the map) from the kingdom. They have cargo ships, for crying out loud. That's implying some pretty extensive naval trade right there from start.

Someone really needs to do something on Tarnow interacting with the New navy and other sea powers.That's some seriously wasted potential, leaving all those hints and hooks untouched.