The Prospector


Description: Harvester / Expansion
Manufacturer: Well-Refined Ore Corporation
Country of origin: USA
Mass-produced at: Allied Weapons Factory/Allied Port

Key features:

• Cargo hold optimised for ore delivery
• Retractable air cushion making it amphibious
• Encrypted communications panel
• Durable outer hull
• Command Hub conversion kit.



The vehicle we know as the Prospector is essentially a supply truck adapted for the collection and transport of raw resources. Although it effectively transforms into a military Command Hub, the Prospector is a close relative of the civilian lorry and, like most civilian lorries, has no defensive capabilities. Because of this modest nature, the Allies continue to express concerns that Prospectors now appear to be priority targets for Soviet forces. This has not always been the case. Originally designed for industrial haulage, Prospectors have gradually become increasingly important to Allied outposts and strategic locations. Before long, these vehicles began to see action on the front line, in the midst of the conflict against Soviet forces.


Wherever there is an Allied Ore Refinery such as the one shown above, there is a good chance you will see a Prospector at work nearby.

Prospectors, of course, are used primarily to gather ore quickly and efficiently. Some still maintain that the war between the Soviet Union and the Allied nations is not driven by ideology, but rather by ore. However, this is an unpopular view due to three irrefutable facts regarding the world’s primary resource for military-industrial production. Firstly: Ore has always been fairly abundant in virtually all the world’s developed nations, from Switzerland to Japan and from Greece to Iceland. Indeed, even the middle of the sea offers its fair share of ore. Secondly: Ore is a natural, renewable resource. The idea of fighting for control of this substance is as unimaginable as, say, fighting over sunlight, drinking water or radio waves. And thirdly: ore is not merely a concern for the world’s population. Year after year, survey after survey, ore proves time and time again to be little more than an afterthought in people’s perceptions of the world’s major issues. The Well-Refined Ore Corporation, a major company based in Boise that offers vertically integrated ore refining solutions and which originally created the Prospector, has a motto that is very much to the point: “Ore: Don’t worry.”


Shown here is a prototype of the Allied Command Hub, converted from a Prospector. The Allies can expand rapidly by using this equipment.

However, as tensions have risen between the Soviet Union and the Allied nations, their major suppliers of military goods have increasingly sought larger supplies of ore to ensure that their production levels remain unchanged. And because ore is not as common as it is on the surface, the Soviets and the Allies have begun to explore new ways of harvesting ore directly from dormant mines. This was around the time the Allies upgraded their Prospectors with both magnetically sealed containers and amphibious capability, as well as military-grade components for their communications networks. In hindsight, these changes may have coincided with increased Soviet aggression towards the Prospectors.

Despite the growing danger and the undeniable monotony of driving an Allied Prospector, the conductors of these vehicles are known for their cheerful demeanour and friendly attitude towards their work. This may be partly because the Allies pay well for this work, probably because the Prospectors are ultimately the key to enabling the Allies to manufacture new equipment in the field.


Reconnaissance on the battlefield has at least revealed the following facts about Prospectors:

• Easy to operate- A single Prospector is included in the cost of an Allied Ore Refinery and will immediately begin collecting the nearest ore. A Prospector is designed to harvest efficiently from a single source, so it simply needs to be defended as it follows its collection route.

-Command Hub on demand- Each Prospector is equipped to convert into an Allied Command Hub when the need arises (although the conversion is irreversibly complex). Command Hubs authorise the construction of nearby Allied structures and also relay important data to these structures.

-Amphibious Resupply- Prospectors can move from land to water with ease, thanks to their automated water-sensitive air cushions. Their handling characteristics are similar across all terrains.

-Unarmed but not defenceless - When threatened by Soviet Conscripts or other infantry raids, Allied Prospector conductors are known to drive on regardless of the danger. Chasing enemy Soldiers is strongly discouraged by Allied journalists.