the General

The General is a monstrous mobile battle platform devised by the GI Joe team in 1990 to act not only as an implement of mass destruction, but as a makeshift command center when necessary. It takes several Joes to operate the General, which is almost always commanded by Major Storm - and usually to devastating effect. The General has the following vehicular characteristics:

Communications System: the General is equipped with a rank value 40 radio transceiver with which to relay orders and intel from headquarters and then to troops in the field. Its standard range is twenty-five miles, but it can also tie into satellites in low earth orbit, about five hundred miles away, giving the General a global communications footprint.

Crush-proof Titanium Cockpit Shields: these protective shields enhance the ability of the General's driver (usually Major Storm) by giving them added protection from enemy fire; after all, disable the driver and the General comes to a screeching halt. While in the cockpit, the Major (and his crew; the cockpit can hold up to four Joes) enjoy a vehicular Protection rating of 40.

Dual-Barrel Corner Cannons: while the General's tri-barrel machine guns are controlled by the pilot, these are instead manned by assistant personnel, allowing them to cover the sectors the main guns cannot. They can move with a 120 degree arc and are mounted on the corners of the General, and can each be fired to inflict rank value 30 Piercing damage with each deadly burst of lead.

Headlight Array: mounted on the General's radar array is a huge series of flood lamps that it can use to illuminate a large area in front of it. Producing an effective light display of rank value 30 strength, it can brighten up several square sectors of space in front of the General - or in a pinch, it can serve as one heck of a surprise, blinding attack.

the Locust: the General never rides out into battle alone, oh no. It has room for a small helicopter such as the Locust to land atop it if it is not firing its mortar. In fact, one is typically issued with it to provide the General all the air support it may need while on a mission, though admittedly it doesn't need much. The Locust is described in its own vehicular entry.

Locust Landing Deck: this deceivingly simple surface is provided so that the Locust assigned to the General (or any other small aircraft, such as JUMP jets) can land on the platform when necessary. However, it can open up to reveal the General's greatest weapon, its mortar cannon. While open, this landing deck serves as a stabilizer and rear loading platform for the General.

Mortar Cannon: this immense cannon is the 'star' of the General's arsenal. It is a 200mm cannon that can fire huge shells at at a target up to 20 miles away, to devastating effect. These mammoth shells will explode on contact to inflict rank value 50 Slashing (fragmentary) damage to everything within the sector they hit - usually enough to level most lesser strongholds in just one strike.

Radar Array: behind the cockpit of the General lies a large pulse doppler radar rack that it can use to get a very good visual 'read' on the area, even if the headlights aren't working. It can use this equipment to know every moving target within one mile of the General, and thanks to the General's advanced computer targeting systems, use this to direct the vehicle's arsenal at them.

Recoiling Tow Hook: this heavy duty implement, rigged up in front of the General's cockpit, allows it to pull a staggering amount of weight in a pinch. The cable on this front-mounted winch is tested at up to 50,000 pounds, which means the General can pull up to 25 tons of material if necessary wherever it needs to (an effective Brawn value of 50).

Sensor Array: the General has a massive sensor grid to back up the basic radar antenna on the thing, including third generation image intensifiers, laser range finders, and infrared detectors. All of this serves to 'light up' just about anything hostile within a twenty mile radius of the General - which is enough range for it to pick off said hostile with its immense mortar cannon.

Surface-to-Air Missiles: the General has two racks of surface-to-surface missiles on each side of its Locust landing deck, supplementing its air defense. These racks are armed with four such missiles, which allows the driver to fire them to inflict the listed damage singly, adding +1 RS for each doubling of projectiles used at once (+1 RS for 2, +2 RS for 4, et cetera). They function as follows:

Surface-to-Surface Missiles: the General is equipped with twelve of these on a given 'load', three of which are mounted above each tri-barrel machine gun station; in other words, six point forward and six point backwards. This allows the driver to fire them to inflict the listed damage singly, adding +1 RS for each doubling of projectiles used at once (+1 RS for 2, +2 RS for 4, et cetera). They have these characteristics:

Tri-barrel Machine Gun Stations: the General has four of these, one on each side of the cockpit, and one on each side of the mortar cannon enclosure; two are facing forward and two are facing backwards. These guns can swivel 120 degrees, and when fired will inflict rank value 30 Piercing damage when striking singly, or rank value 40 Piercing damage when both are trained on a single foe.

Extra Goodies:

GI Joe directories featuring a version of the General:

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