New German Republic
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The New German Republic is a fictional country in the Rifts tabletop role-playing game, occupying the same lands formerly known as Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
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[edit] Triax Industries
The history of the New German Republic begins with Triax Industries. Triax was a leading developer of Robotics, Cybernetics, Space Technologies, and Weapon Systems before the Great Cataclysm, and the fifth largest super-corporation in the world. Based in Germany, the company had a number of massive factory complexes located around the country. With the Coming of the Rifts, several Triax employees and their families fled to these complexes for safety. To protect themselves from bandits, monsters, and much worse, they soon fortified the factories into armored fortresses. For the first decades, the people of Triax huddled in their fortresses, hidden from the world. With powerful weapons and robot soldiers, the Triax fortresses easily repelled attacks from bandits, monsters, and feudal lords seeking to increase their power. Eventually, people began coming to the complexes from the outside as well. By the end of the first century of the Dark Ages following the Great Cataclysm, Triax was seen as the heart of a new Germany.
[edit] The Bloody Campaign
While Germany suffered relatively lightly during the Cataclysm, much of the rest of Europe was devastated by the rising oceans, disease, starvation, and the demons and monsters that quickly overran the continent. However, many of these supernatural threats would make their way into Germany. While the fortress-cities of Triax were unmolested, the smaller villages and farms far from the cities suffered greatly from their attacks. In response, the NGR upgraded their military and defenses, keeping ahead of the monsters with Triax's high technology. After an invasion of Gargoyles in 3 P.A., the NGR launched a full campaign against the inhuman invaders. Thousands of Gargoyles, Brodkil, and D-Bees were slaughtered by the soldiers, robots, and mecha of the New German Republic.
[edit] The Gargoyle Empire
Around 20 P.A., the NGR started hearing rumors of an entire empire of Gargoyles in the South(around Italy, Serbia and Montenegro, and elsewhere around the Mediterranean). The NGR ignored these reports, believing them to be simply loose tribes and clans.
But in February of 38 P.A., the Gargoyles attacked. With the cry of "Remember the Bloody Campaign!", the Gargoyles swept over Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and much of Poland would fall over the next decade. Millions were slaughtered or enslaved and sold to Atlantis and the New Phoenix Empire in Egypt.
Nearly five million Humans, and many more friendly D-bees, fled to Germany, where the NGR repelled the Gargoyles, losing only 10,000 casualties, and inflicting 400,000 on the Gargoyles in turn. Refugee encampments and Shanty towns stretched the resources of the New German Republic to the breaking point. Plagues, Crime, shortages, and enemy infiltration grew all across the country.
Unable to save everyone, the leaders of the New German Republic made a fateful decision. Around 45 P.A., to protect the native Humans of Europe, the NGR expelled approximately 3.4 million friendly and loyal D-bees, often by force. Their citizenship revoked, they were escorted to the wilderness of the German border, and left to fend for themselves.
[edit] The NGR and the Coalition
Although the New German Republic has known of the Coalition States for decades, it's only been recently (within the last ten years) that the NGR has begun making diplomatic overtures towards the CS. Both states have come to share many of the same Human Supremacist views, but both have also come to be the best hope for Humanity's survival on their respective continents. However, a few things still hold the two countries back from a formal alliance:
- Recently, Triax has begun limited expansion into the North American market. This has put many Traix weapons, such as the powerful X-1000 Ulti-Max, in the hands of independent kingdoms, mercenaries, and adventurers, many of whom are enemies of the Coalition.
- The Coalition fears being drawn into the conflict with the Gargoyle Empire, possibly drawing attacks on the CS from them.
- In addition to the treaty being proposed to the Coalition, the NGR has also made a separate trade agreement with Free Quebec while it was still a member of the CS. As part of this agreement, Triax gained the Technology to build the powerful Glitter Boy Powered Armor, and has even adapted the technology to their own design, the T-550. In return, Triax gave Free Quebec 60 models of their redesign, which later led to Quebec mass-producing the model, as well as helped develop several new variations. These were eventually used against the Coalition States when Quebec declared its independence.
- The Coalition is just plain paranoid, and is afraid the NGR seeks to find and exploit the Coalition's weaknesses. Their agreement with Free Quebec didn't help this fear at all.
[edit] Life in the New German Republic
With Triax as their basis, the NGR has the highest level of technology in Europe, and one of the highest in the world. Most of the fortress-cities constructed by Triax are sprawling complexes several miles wide (much of Europe was reduced to wilderness, so there is plenty of space), with buildings rarely more than 12 stories tall. The people of the NGR have deliberately tried to keep a stylistic look of a traditional Germany (roughly 16th- to 19th-century). Most villages and towns look like they came from hundreds of years in the past... at least until you spot a maglev rail or TV/radio aerial, or a giant robot comes striding past on patrol. Electronics are widespread, and in secure areas, it is often hard for outsiders to remember how dangerous it is at the NGR's borders and beyond.
As a result of the Gargoyle Empire's attacks, most of the New German Republic has turned their back on D-bees(non-humans). Unlike the Coalition, however, they do not enact a policy of Genocide against non-humans. Approximately 700,000 D-bees live along the NGR border, and an additional 200,000 D-bees live and work within the country. All D-bees who live and/or work within the NGR must be registered with the government, and report to the local Office of D-bee Affairs monthly. They are considered foreign nationals, and may never become citizens of the NGR.
[edit] The NGR Military
Much like the Coalition States, the New German Republic depends heavily on armored soldiers with high-tech weapons, supported by tanks, APCs, Giant Robots, Aircraft, and Power Armored troops. They have the most extensive numbers and varieties of Robots and Power Armor of almost any nation on Earth.
- Trivia: The NGR's Mobile Strike Base is heavily based off a massive Land battleship seen in MD Geist.
In addition, they make extensive use of Cyborgs and unmanned robots in combat as well. The NGR has also been conducting secret testing of a powerful navy, much like the Coalition States.
[edit] References
- Siembieda, Kevin (1994). Rifts World Book 5: Triax and the NGR. Taylor, Michigan: Palladium Books. ISBN 0-916211-60-6.
- Siembieda, Kevin (1994). Rifts Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks. Taylor, Michigan: Palladium Books. ISBN 0-916211-69-X.
