You used to think there was a chance to save things by working through the system. You believed in Planet Earth, not the corporate-sponsored American Dream. You wanted to fight for the preservation of the wilderness. That was before the EPA was dismantled in the wake of the ISA takeover and the Dept of the Interior became the Dept of Highway Management. From the extinction of the last Dodo in 1683 to the sad end of the last California Condor (found roasting on a nomad spit by the CHiPs last year) there have been over 1800 extinctions of vertabrate animals, worldwide. You can't breathe the air. You can't drink the water. There are no birds, at least not in the cities.

So much for working within the system. You're taking Nature back the hard way. As an EcoRaider, you are leading the Green Revolution in the wake of eco-heroes like Sable and the Thalidomide Babies, descending on the threatened wildlands by the hundreds to stop Corporate development.

What You Look Like

You have a vision of a better, simpler world, and dress to fit yourselves into that vision. You often wear your hair long and in braids or dreadlocks, while some EcoRaiders prefer short mops or mohawks. Your clothes are adorned with beads and weaving in an angry, revolutionary way. You wear only natural fibres or leather, making a sensible exception only for such items as kevlar. Polyester, plastic, disposable clothes - are not worn. Additionally, all of your clothes are of muted earth tones: browns, green, dark blues and grays. No loud colors, both as a statement against modern fahion, and as a combat-survival move. However, the most important part of any EcoRaiders wardrobe is your green bandana. This is worn conspicuously, either wrapped around an arm or a leg. It is rarely worn around the forehead or neck, because other juves love to snatch it.

Subculture

The name EcoRaider comes from an old cartoon show, and was adopted bythe current yogangers as their anthem. But the name is anything but a joke; EcoRaiders are one of the most hated and feared opponents of the ISA. You are the juves who raid corp labs for gene samples of "designer" animals, sabotage polluting factories, and cordon off threatened wilderness areas with clever and highly sophisticated trip sensors and traps. More than any other yogang, you EcoRaider goboys are totally committed, because they know that time is running out. They know the only way to stop the current corporate juggernaut in time, is to fight fire with fire, and use the weapons of the modern age to end it's rule. You draw the line at killing outright. But barely.

The most prominent aspect of EcoRaiding is pro-environmental sabotage (or Hayduking). EcoRaider yogangs are consummate guerillas, striking unpredictably and with devastating effect. At home, count of EcoRaiders keeping pets, plants, and windowsill or rooftop gardens if at all possible (these usually require greenhouses to keep out the pollution and the acid rain). They try to maintain the good graces of their parents, to keep their home life stable in support of their secret activities.

Belonging

To be accepted into the EcoRaiders, you had to first get to know the at their hangouts (bookstores, old and abandoned parks, funky nature stores). You talked to them, learned their talk and their ideology. Once you seemed to know enough, you asked to be inducted. They took you out and played games with you: games like tag or full-contact capture the flag, all of which helped them to asses your combat readiness. Once there were comfortable with you, they invited you along to a small raid, to test your cool under fire.

To be really considered a true EcoRaider, you must participate in the Advance, which is a camping trip into what's left of the harsh wilderness. EcoRaiders are allowed to bring low-tech tools like knives and magnifying glasses and pack. Food and waer are not allowed; you're suppossed to live off of the land. EcoRaiders who survive for a full week and still have the energy to do a ten-mile run are considered to be back in tough with the Earth, and thereby earn their green bandana.

Your Allies and Enemies

In realtions with other yogangs, your EcoRaider goboys try not to antagonize people overmuch. You voice your opinions at any opportunity, regaling people with tales of the beauty of nature and the hidden costs of society. You generally consider other yogangs to be a small-time problem, worthy of being ignored until the major problem of the corporations is overcome.

Of all the yogangs, however, you most loathe the Golden- and GlitterKids, whom you consider to have sold out wholesale to the urban nightmare. ArcoRunners, BeaverBrats, and MallRats are also much maligned by your friends, though they are considered more to be victims than perpetrators (many EcoRaiders come from suburban or arcology backgrounds, where intimate exposure brought distaste for the system). EcoRaiders have no real friends among other yogangs other than the Tribals and the Rads, and even them not much.

Slang

Day-Glop: artificial food.

Flag: the green bandana.

Furries: slang for animals, Scaleys and Featherballs are other slang terms.

Gaia: EcoRaider slang for the world ecosystems. Has some religious overtones.

Grub: natural food.

Rapist: any developer, wilderness destroyer.

Stab: any projects which consume more wilderness.

Yogang Skill: Hayduking (TECH)

As an EcoRaider, much of your time is spent thwarting Corporate incursions on Nature. You call your ability to destroy Corporate hardware or installations in novel and creative ways (rather than just blowing them up) Hayduking, after the saboteur hero of an ancient ecoterrorist novel from the 20th century. With Hayduking skills, you know how to maximally sabotage devices (Average), how to rewire things to malfunction creatively (Difficult), and all kinds of ways to make stuff do embarrassing things at exactly the right moment (Very Difficult). Things like making all of the toilets overflow just as the CEO is about to visit the installation.

If You're an EcoRaider

1) Tell me your name, age and sex.

2) Describe what you look like.

3) Besides your V-Trodes, pick four different things from the list below that you are currently carrying:

Camouflaged Kevlar Armorjacket (AR 5)

Monkeywrench (combination prybar, wrench, screwdriver, and hammer).

Environmental Analyzer (similar to drug analyzer).

Hunting Knife

100m SuperString climbing rope.

Sleeping Bag

Snoopbox intrusion sensor.

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