Daihatsu-Caterpillar Horseman
DAIHATSU-CATERPILLAR HORSEMAN
A few years back, this radical new concept hit the market
and became an overnight sensation … for about a
week. That’s an exaggeration, but while the personal
mobility vehicle (PMV) market never made a huge
boom, they found a niche to fill. PMVs are intended for
one person, and as such they are great for transporting
employees between work and home. The Horseman
has been one of the most successful due to its
persistence. A few other models jumped on the bandwagon,
but the Horseman jumped out ahead early and
used that early success to lock its spot at the top of
this small market. The Horseman is a three-wheeled,
single-person vehicle powered by an electric motor,
and it offers two modes of travel: road and walk. Road
mode consists of stretching out flat like a motorcycle,
with the driver lying on their back inside the little bubble-
canopied pod. In this mode it’s barely taller than a
motorcycle and is intended to zip through traffic like
one. Walk mode moves the wheels closer together and
brings the driver into an upright sitting position. When
set like this, the Horseman is about the height of an
average ork. This mode allows it to move along pedestrian
pathways, such as sidewalks and building lobbies,
and it can even enter cargo elevators.
Such a small vehicle would often seem of limited use, but the Horseman has several add-on modules to expand its capabilities. These secondary vehicles plug into the rear of the PMV so as to not interfere with its ability to switch modes. The ModPods, as they’re called, make the Horseman unwieldy, but it’s not the most maneuverable to start. The ModPods include a passenger module that allows one additional passenger, a cargo module that allows extra space for gear and goodies that has about the same volume as a large trunk of a car, an advanced cargo module that has a pair of mechanical arms so the driver can interact with the outside world without leaving the vehicle, a drone module that comes with a small drone rack, and a security module that offers a pop-up turret to chase off would-be attackers.
Riggers dig this vehicle for two big reasons. First off, they’re inconspicuous. They don’t look at all hostile and are usually associated with corporate wageslaves too scared to step foot in the real world. In the dangerous world we live in, wageslaves have chosen, or been forced by their corporate masters, to travel between their homes and workplaces in a Horseman. To further protect them, the canopies are almost always mirrored to hide whoever is inside—or occasionally what is inside, as some corps use these on autopilot to transport goods. Riggers like this because they can roll around in their Horseman looking like your average corporate Joe and run their drone network with less interference. Reason number two is the ability to stick someone or something inside and roll it around, into, or through places without too many second glances.
Standard Equipment: Enviroseal
Notes: Pods decrease Handling to 2/1, Speed to 2, Accel to 1; Passenger increase Seats to 2 (6,000¥), Cargo (3,000¥), Advanced Cargo (5,000¥), Drone (4,000¥ Security adds a standard weapon mount (5,500¥)
Such a small vehicle would often seem of limited use, but the Horseman has several add-on modules to expand its capabilities. These secondary vehicles plug into the rear of the PMV so as to not interfere with its ability to switch modes. The ModPods, as they’re called, make the Horseman unwieldy, but it’s not the most maneuverable to start. The ModPods include a passenger module that allows one additional passenger, a cargo module that allows extra space for gear and goodies that has about the same volume as a large trunk of a car, an advanced cargo module that has a pair of mechanical arms so the driver can interact with the outside world without leaving the vehicle, a drone module that comes with a small drone rack, and a security module that offers a pop-up turret to chase off would-be attackers.
Riggers dig this vehicle for two big reasons. First off, they’re inconspicuous. They don’t look at all hostile and are usually associated with corporate wageslaves too scared to step foot in the real world. In the dangerous world we live in, wageslaves have chosen, or been forced by their corporate masters, to travel between their homes and workplaces in a Horseman. To further protect them, the canopies are almost always mirrored to hide whoever is inside—or occasionally what is inside, as some corps use these on autopilot to transport goods. Riggers like this because they can roll around in their Horseman looking like your average corporate Joe and run their drone network with less interference. Reason number two is the ability to stick someone or something inside and roll it around, into, or through places without too many second glances.
| GROUNDCRAFT | HANDLING | SPEED | ACCEL | BOD | ARMOR | PILOT | SENSOR | SEATS | AVAIL | COST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseman | 3/1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 12.000Y |
Notes: Pods decrease Handling to 2/1, Speed to 2, Accel to 1; Passenger increase Seats to 2 (6,000¥), Cargo (3,000¥), Advanced Cargo (5,000¥), Drone (4,000¥ Security adds a standard weapon mount (5,500¥)
(Rigger 42)