Raider Week: Stalin's Posse

Known Markings:
A crossed sickle and rifle is the main glyph.

Member attire tends to alternate between two extremes. Often the ideal is "simple proletarian dress" to blend in with outsiders and show their commitment to austerity. Other times, its starched uniforms to show unity and the efficiency of their new reign.


Leadership:
In theory, the group is run collectively based on the model of the old Soviet Union - part parliamentary democracy, part three way power-sharing between the elected officials, military arm, and intelligence group. It is hard to tell how well this holds up, as there are visible schisms in the groups leadership between those who desire communist government rule forever, versus those who see it as a temporary measure only.

Estimated Forces:

It is unknown how many people comprise this group. They use a great deal of subterfuge in their dealings, and carefully disguise their true strength. Most groups that lay claim to a unifying sign and ideal tend to be between fifty and a hundred members, but occasionally more.

However, it is known that unlike other groups, they do have dedicated arms of intelligence.

Notable Equipment:

The group maintains a few power-armors for its own use, and holds them up as a sort of ideal.

More impressively they have an excellent network of cell towers, ground-lines, and drop-boxes. Although their transmissions aren't as reputable as those from 104.3, New Birmingham, or really most other sources of news - their communications and intelligence gathering abilities are nearly unmatched.

Philosophy:

To rebuild quickly, the people must accept strong rule and forced allocation of resources for the time being. Perhaps the council of soviets will obsolete itself, or perhaps new technology will never make it irrelevant.

Background:

This group can be summed up in two words: Communist Robinhood.

If the country is to be rebuilt, you can't say "please". Stalin was able to build a nuclear armed military second to none from a feudal agricultural system - all in spite of the occasional famine or fascist. Stalin's Posse members often see themselves as the ones taking charge and making the hard decisions to rebuild, rather than the president hiding in Vegas or theocratic clowns down south building their own city on the hill. Furthermore, it would seem that modern technology - from polling the populace through the SPHERE to micro-factories to handle local shortfalls, a non-free-market based system could work.Central banking and credit has already been discarded out of necessity - why not ditch the rest of the system?

Of course, much of this may be nostalgia tinted by sixty years of no Soviet Union.

Unlike many other groups, they tend to avoid relying on brute force. Instead, they put on shows of efficiency while wearing uniforms, and other times seem to disperse, their members entering other settlements and groups to observe. Materials are taken through redirection, lost vehicles, or internal blackmail, rather than boldly stopping caravans. Of course, their communication networks allow for rapid mobilization and response giving a great impression of numbers and force.

Oftentimes, the SP acts less as outright bandits, than king-makers for political machines. They promise agricultural machines, arms, food, and electronics to those who agree to support a communist regime. When there are internal arguments, they favor the side that seems to mirror their views. When there is no internal conflict, SP members will try to create one.

Although the Free City of Tesla seems to have a socialist system in place, they do not maintain ties to this Raider group.