Congratulations Soldier! You have endured boot and were lucky enough to become the finest killing machine that your country’s spirit would ever know. You are now a Stable Corp Marine INSERT NAME HERE, so revel in it. But unfortunately, you have to remain in the reserve until you're called upon to serve your former country. While being a Marine is pretty much in your blood, you might need to brush up on some of the basics. Hence the Stable Corps Survival Guide.

i. Knowing your PipBuck
Now, every pony in the stable gets a PipBuck and its pretty much second nature as to its functions. But as we find more and more stables, models are starting to vary drastically. Knowing you PipBuck and its functions can be just as useful as a loaded rifle. First, the basics of all PipBucks:

i.a. The Basics

a. Eyes Forward Sparkle (EFS)
Your Eyes Forward Sparkle (EFS) is what sets you apart from any wasteland mongrel. It gives you the advantage of knowing what is coming your way by altering the users sight and displaying nearby life forms. Hostility is gauged by:

Green is an ally
Yellow is a non hostile unidentified target
Red is hostile

The EFS is also fitted with a compass that will display set objectives via markers displaying your distance from the target. Settings can be altered to include a heart rate monitor, which is standard in all Stable Corp series PipBucks.

b. Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting System (SATS)
Your Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting System (SATS) is just another example of the ingenuity of your ancestors. SATS provides its wielder with enhanced perceptions, contrary to the belief of SATS slowing down time, allowing them to directly target a enemies limbs. Each section of the body will display one's probability of landing a hit, but hitting the torso is the best bet. Even so, only hit sections of the body that will deal the most damage to the target (center mass and legs) and have a hit probability of 65% or greater. Never go for headshots, they only get you and your comrades killed if you miss, which almost always.

i.c. Model Types
PipBucks come in many different flavors and have varying functions, all of which will be covered here.

a. PipBuck 2000
The most common PipBuck in the Frontier, this variant was distributed to all inhabitants of Stables 13, 14, and 0. Of steel construction, this device is rather simplistic and comes with all the basics that a PipBuck should have. Though, it does lack the radio and geiger counter that came with later models of the PipBuck, making up for it absence with a high degree of modification potential. It can be equipped with a motion tracker for enhanced mapping and targeting, a geiger counter to detect radiation, a FOF indicator to tag friends or foes specifically and much more, including some homebrew concoctions.

There is also the Stable Corp series PipBuck, which has all the bells and whistles of a 2000, but with a motion tracker, heart rate monitor and FOF indicator.

b. PipBuck 3000a, 3000b, and 3000c
The least common PipBuck, the 3000 series was encountered in some of our expeditions north. The 3000 is a rather advanced piece, coming packed with everything the 2000 had, plus a item management system (IMS) heartbeat monitor, medicinal administration system (MAS),task management system (TMS), geiger counter, and a radio. All in a rather small and tight package that is secured to the foreleg via biometric lock (opposed to the leather straps of the 2000). Of a durable plastic polymer, this device has been known to live much longer than its user, even staying strapped to a foreleg after a direct missile struck its wielder.

The 3000a model is the most basic model, having all of the features listed above.

The 3000b is a lighter variant, with a faster processor and features a custom StealthBuck activator.

The 3000c is a bulkier variant that features the Stable-Tec Heavy Telekinetics Manipulator (SHTM), allowing non-unicorns to use telekinesis on objects weighing 100 pounds or less, while sacrificing the heartbeat monitor, MAS, and TMS.

vi. Survival Tactics
No matter how strong you are, no matter how cunning, the wastes are good at finding a way to thwart such ideas. Here are a few simple tips for surviving in the wastes.

vi.a. Wastebound Allies
Our forces are rather spread thin, so you may have to make a few friends with the denizens of the wastes. Wastebound allies can be a valuable asset in bartering with other wasters, being relatable. They can be handy in combat since they know the lay of the land, so let them take charge when needed. Acquiring such assets can be tad difficult, favors and some sort of trust needs to be built with wasters before they are willing to help you. Recruiting wasters in beneficial to both you and the army, swelling our forces.

BUT, never trust them! All wasters are out for themselves so keep a wary eye on the mongrels, for they are just our tools and nothing more.

vi.b. Scavenging
You might find yourself low on supplies from time to time, which is normal. So looking through various building through the wastes is the most viable options, but which will yield the most supplies:

Supermarkets usually have rather sparse food products. But location is vital, as a market in the middle of a city is likely to have been stripped bare two hundred years ago, while one a more desolate location will yield more. Be wary, as any number of creatures could no inhabit these places.

Army Depots and other government owned sites are sure to have weaponry, ammunition, and medicine aplenty. Cracking it open however, is another story entirely. Defensive countermeasures from before the war are likely to still be active, so disabling those is likely the main problem. But once thats done, you can reap the rewards of the gear within.

Abandoned Settlements are likely to have any host of items from medical supplies to rifles. Though, still, be wary of any occupants that still linger or and creatures that now call this ghost town home.

There are still many other places to scavenge and are likely to produce the same products, but these locations are likely to have what you need to carry on in the wastes.

vi.f. STICK TO YOUR TRAINING SOLDIER
Nothing is more important than sticking to what you have taught, what has been beating into since boot. Your training is what sets you apart from the mongrels that encroached our former nation, so use that to your advantage. Analyze everything, think like a tactician, keep morale high, and manage your allies. Doing this is likely to keep you alive and help a cut a swathe into the Frontier.

Excerpts from the Stable Corp Survival Guide.