THG-20P Clear
Overview
The chaos of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War was the perfect opportunity for arms manufacturers in the Taurian Concordat to begin pitching new spending proposals. Amongst the glut of offers and plans, the winner was newcomer CrossTech with designs for creating the Free Worlds League's popular Cicada.
The Concordat created the Cicada natively for several years before a Federated Hellfire Territory raid destroyed the factory which produced the chassis. Their Word of Blake allies offered them unfinished Thug chassis from Star League era warehouses and helped adapt the Cicada parts to the new frame.
Named after the project head, the Clear made its battlefield debut as a command ‘Mech halting another Territories raid just under a year later.
Capabilities
The Clear mounts technologies that are common in the Concordat. The only exception is a lightweight engine and its advanced command and control systems.
Its array of armor, maneuverability, and anti-personnel weapons make it a force to be reckoned with in a city environment. The advanced communications and coordination system is mounts allows it overcome much of the communications and sensor interference that cities can generate.
Even in more open terrain, its particle projection cannons allow it to deliver constant firepower while traveling over uneven terrain.
Clears are a mixed blessing. They make battles in cities shorter because of their ability to dominate in those spaces, but their blind-firing rockets and missile packs mean that any slip-up in that environment causes quite a bit of collateral damage. It also draws fights into cities, where defending commanders may carry an advantage.
Battle History
One of the unit’s greatest strengths is also its greatest weakness; jump jets are an asset in urban warfare, but they are rare for assault ‘Mechs. A battle on Laconis saw recently-promoted Subaltern Robert Baldwin leap to the top of a building to reestablish communications with his scattered company. His experience with command of a reconnaissance lance led him to underestimate his Clear’s massive weight. He survived the fall, but hundreds of Taurian citizens did not.
Washed out and disgraced, Baldwin has since been reported in the Mercenaries Alliance, looking to sign up with a new command.
Variants
The Thug the Clear is based on is a rugged, reliable ‘Mech. While the Taurian Concordat doesn’t export the ‘Mech, some are still produced in small numbers and many, many more are simply too tough to be taken off the battlefield for good. Stock builds such as the -10E and the Star League-era -11E can be found in every military, but are especially common on the ranks of ComStar and The Word of Blake.
The -11T is a simple upgrade to the -11E found in the Federated Suns and Federated Hellfire Territories. The standard PPCs are replaced with extended range models and the missile systems have streak targeting add-ons.
The Lyran Commonweath’s -21S reverses the Thug’s core concept; it swaps the classic energy weapons for a pair of class ten LB/X autocannons. The new design has the same range as the original, but carries the ability to capitalize on rents in an opponent’s armor with waves of “shotgun” rounds. The autocannons render the short range missiles redundant, so only a quad of extended range medium lasers serve as backup weapons. The lower heat profile allows the removal of many of the -11E’s double heat sinks. Many experienced Thug pilots despise the design, but those new to the machine thoroughly love it.
The -11T is a simple upgrade to the -11E found in the Federated Suns and Federated Hellfire Territories. The standard PPCs are replaced with extended range models and the missile systems have streak targeting add-ons.
The Lyran Commonweath’s -21S reverses the Thug’s core concept; it swaps the classic energy weapons for a pair of class ten LB/X autocannons. The new design has the same range as the original, but carries the ability to capitalize on rents in an opponent’s armor with waves of “shotgun” rounds. The autocannons render the short range missiles redundant, so only a quad of extended range medium lasers serve as backup weapons. The lower heat profile allows the removal of many of the -11E’s double heat sinks. Many experienced Thug pilots despise the design, but those new to the machine thoroughly love it.
The -21X is the next version of the Clear. The current command and control equipment detracts from the machine’s effectiveness, but doesn’t provide a clear enough advantage to justify it. Some want it removed, while others have been working on a way to use the data collection and sharing abilities of the system as a base for a wide-area communications and battle control system.
THG-20P Clear
THG-20P Clear
Type/Model: Clear THG-20P
Tech: Taurian Concordat / 3068
Config: Biped Battlemech
Manufactured: Taurian Concordat
Fielded:
Taurian Concordat (Common)
Federated Territories (Rare)
Capellan Confederation (Rare)
Word of Blake (Uncommon)
Mass: 80 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 0 8.00
122 points Standard
Engine:320 XL Fusion 12 11.50
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 4
Heat Sinks: 18 Double [36]18 8.00
(Loc: 2 LT, 2 RT, 1 LA, 1 RA)
Gyro: 4 4.00
Cockpit, Life Sup., Sensors:5 3.00
Actuators: 16 0.00
L: Sh+UA+LA+H R: Sh+UA+LA+H
Armor Factor: 0 15.50
247 pts Standard
Internal Structure Armor Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 25 38
Center Torso (Rear): 12
L/R Side Torso: 17 26/26
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 8/8
L/R Arm: 13 26/26
L/R Leg: 17 34/34
Weapons and Equipment Loc Crits Tons
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Advanced C&C System* HD 1 1.00
2 Small Pulse Lasers CT 2 2.00
SRM-6 RT 2 3.00
SRM-6 LT 2 3.00
PPC RA 3 7.00
Rocket Launcher 10 RA 1 0.50
PPC LA 3 7.00
Rocket Launcher 10 LA 1 0.50
@SRM-6 (15) RT 1 1.00
@SRM-6 (15) LT 1 1.00
2 Jump Jets RL 2 2.00
2 Jump Jets LL 2 2.00
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TOTALS: 80.0
Crits & Tons Left: 2 0.0
*Advanced C&C System is a command and control system that has no game effect. It may be replaced with a C3 Slave, if necessary.
2 comments:
Heh. I saw "clear" and thought you'd reached the end of your 3087 entries.
'Fraid not. Neither your prayers nor mine are answered yet.
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