Wednesday, April 13, 2016

TRO: 3087 - Königswolf

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.
Königswolf

Overview
The Königswolf’s debut action was Clan Wolf’s Absorption of The Free Rasalhague Republic. The unfamiliar OmniMech was instrumental in overrunning or bypassing garrison units and justifying the Clan’s claim to the Free Rasalhague government, including the officers and equipment of the KungsArmé.
Alongside new aerospace assets like the Last Crusader and Ambition, the Königswolf was instrumental on deflecting the counterassault by the Blakist-backed Terran Protectorate. The Wolf forces stymied defenders while savaging formerly-Rasalhagian worlds and neighboring systems for over a year. The Word of Blake reports of Khan Vlad Ward’s death circulated in November of 3071, just weeks before the Königswolf’s next major engagement.

While reports from the Clan Homeworlds have become unreliable since the Inner Sphere clans lost touch with them late that year, they indicate the Khan Ward was alive and attending a Grand Council meeting in December of 3071. There, he explained that during Rasalhague’s absorption, the KungsArmé’s 1st Tyr was assigned to Terra as part of their cooperation with The Terran Protectorate. With forces technically belonging to Clan Wolf on Terra, he declared himself ilKhan of the ilClan. The council descended into chaos as The Clan Wolf Touman and its allies descended on The Kerensky Cluster.
There, the Königswolf performed the same roles as it had against the Free Rasalhague Republic, spearheading fast, hard-hitting strikes past defensive units and tying up enemy forces as stronger formations achieved strategic goals.
Its position as one of the lynchpins of Ward’s ilClan War has made it emblematic of the war and generally reviled, but the destruction of other OmniMech factories has kept it a common sight on clan battlefields.

Capabilities
Configurations and roles for the Königswolf closely follow those other “fast assault” OmniMechs like the the Executioner, Kingfisher, and Gargoyle. Given that the Konigswolf bears obvious similarities to designs like the Timberwolf and Warhawk, this isn’t surprising. It was believed to be a refit of these older ‘Mechs, but closer study indicates that it only borrows a number of design principles to create an effective, next-generation platform.
Unlike its predecessors, the Königswolf carries integrated, improved jump jets for improved mobility and heat dissipation. We suspect that the integrated jump jets were a cost-compromise required by the development of a high-end, mass-produced OmniMech. 
Removing the hard-mounted jets in salvaged models have caused critical, cascading electronic and structural failures.
During the ilClan War, they were deployed two or three to a star, usually staying at range and ganging up on targets which could overpower them. These tactics seem to violate the Clans’ notion of honor but those notions, along with prohibitions on attacking civilians and usage of weapons of mass destruction, were largely ignored during the war.

Battle History
Star Colonel Glorya Joo-Hyong of Omega Galaxy’s 1st Wolf Guards Grenadiers cluster was a vocal opponent of her Khan and Clan Council’s actions. As a result the Grenadiers were often assigned to deal with troublesome assets within the Wolves’ alliance, engaging in honorable combat against dishonorable allies.
During Khan Ward’s false surrender at A Place, she and much of Omega Galaxy left the Clan and presented themselves to Ghost Bear forces as dezgra. Instead, she and her loyal warriors were granted surkai, and months later they fought against overwhelming odds to refuse the Trial of Annihilation against Clan Wolf.
Despite the Grenadier’s status, she was granted a Königswolf from which to command her cluster. Now-Khan Joo-Hyong still pilots No Pressure to defend Wolf interests while her Clan rebuilds its forces.

Variants
The Königswolf Prime carries two additional jump jets and a pair of artemis-backed LRM 15’s. Machine guns and pulse lasers provide back-up weapons.
A Ghost Bear ‘Mech, the Kingfisher, appears to be the inspiration for the A loadout. A range of pulse lasers backed with a streak SRM 6 and LRM 10 give it versatility and accuracy at all ranges.
The Gargoyle, a Clan Wolf mainstay, was copied for its ability to handle air, vehicle, and infantry threats. A pair of LBX/5 cannons and missiles are backed up by a small laser.
A rare E configuration was seen among Coyote forces. It carried 24 improved advanced tactical missile tubes and a new electronics warfare component. Unfortunately, the component was damaged in all cases it was salvaged, defying attempts by the scientist caste to identify its function.


Königswolf

Type/Model:    Königswolf
Tech:          Clan / 3071
Config:        Biped OmniMech
Manufactured:  Clan Wolf
Fielded:       
 Clan Wolf (Common)
 Ghost Bear Republic (Uncommon)
 Jade Falcons (Uncommon)
 Raven Alliance (Uncommon)
 Diamond Sharks (Uncommon)
 Dragoons Pact (Rare)

Mass:          95 tons
Equipment:              Crits     Mass
Int. Struct.:               7     5.00
 (Loc: 2LT, 2RT, 1LA, 2RA) 145 points
Engine:380    Fusion XL    10    20.50
  Walking MP:   4
  Running MP:   6
  Jumping MP:   4
Jump Jets: Improved         8    16.00
  (Loc: 2 LT, 2 RT)
Heat Sinks: 17 Double       4     7.00
 (Loc: 1 LL, 1 RL)
Gyro:                       4     4.00
Cockpit:                    5     3.00
Actuators:                 12     0.00
 L: Sh+UA       R: Sh+UA
Armor Factor: Ferro-Fibrous 7    13.00
  249 pts

       Internal Structure  Armor Value
 Head:                  3      9      
 Center Torso:         30     42     
 Center Torso (Rear):         12
 L/R Side Torso:       20    28/28
 L/R Side Torso (Rear):      10/10
 L/R Arm:              16    28/28
 L/R Leg:              20    27/27

Weapons and Equipment Loc  Crits  Tons
---------------------------------------
Primary Configuration
ECM Suite              HD    1     1.00
2 Medium Pulse Lasers  CT    2     4.00
Improved Jump Jet      RT    2     4.00
Improved Jump Jet      LT    2     4.00
LRM-15                 RA    2     3.50
    Artemis IV FCS     RA    1     1.00
2 Machine Guns         RA    2     0.50
LRM-15                 LA    2     3.50
    Artemis IV FCS     LA    1     1.00
2 Machine Guns         LA    2     0.50
@LRM-15 (Artemis) (16) RA    2     2.00
@LRM-15 (Artemis) (8)  LA    1     1.00
@MG (1/2) (100)        LA    1     0.50
 Crits & Tons Left:          0     0.0

Alternate Configuration A
Large Pulse Laser      CT    2     6.00
Medium Pulse Laser     RT    1     2.00
Small Pulse Laser      RT    1     1.00
Medium Pulse Laser     LT    1     2.00
LRM-10                 LT    1     2.50
Large Pulse Laser      RA    2     6.00
Double Heat Sink       RA    2     1.00
Lower Arm Actuator     RA    1     0.00
Streak SRM-6           LA    2     3.00
@Streak SRM-6 (15)     LA    1     1.00
@LRM-10 (12)           LA    1     1.00
Double Heat Sink       LA    2     1.00
Lower Arm Actuator     LA    1     0.00
 Crits & Tons Left:          3     0.0

Alternate Configuration B
ER Small Laser         HD    1     0.50
Improved Jump Jet      LT    2     4.00
LB 5-X AC              RA    4     7.00
2 SRM-4                RA    2     2.00
LB 5-X AC              LA    4     7.00
2 SRM-4                LA    2     2.00
@SRM-4 (50)            RT    2     2.00
@LB 5-X (Slug) (20)    RA    1     1.00
@LB 5-X (Cluster) (20) LA    1     1.00
 Crits & Tons Left:          2     0.0

Alternate Configuration C
Small Pulse Laser      CT    1     1.00
2 Machine Guns         RT    2     0.50
2 ER Large Lasers      RA    2     8.00
2 Machine Guns         RA    2     0.50
Small Pulse Laser      RA    1     1.00
Gauss Rifle            LA    6    12.00
Small Pulse Laser      LA    1     1.00
@Gauss Rifle (16)      LT    2     2.00
@MG (1/2) (100)        RA    1     0.50
 Crits & Tons Left:          3     0.0

Alternate Configuration E
Improved Jump Jet      LT    2     4.00
Nova CEWS              HD    1     1.50
Imp. Hvy Medium Laser  CT    2     1.00
iATM-12                RA    5     7.00
iATM-12                LA    5     7.00
@IIW-12 (5)            RT    1     1.00
@IMP-12 (5)            RT    1     1.00
@iATM-12 (HE) (5)      RA    1     1.00
@iATM-12 (5)           RA    1     1.00
@iATM-12 (ER) (5)      LA    1     1.00
@iATM-12 (5)           LA    1     1.00
        Free Critical Slots: 0

3 comments:

SkilTao said...

Hah, "No Pressure."

I like the jump bit.

SkilTao said...

*jump jet bit.

VanVelding said...

I like the idea that a tech stenciled it on before the big fight and after that it just stuck.

Taking things too far is one of the reasons I design stuff and a 6 jumping assault is somewhat extreme. Took two jump jets off of the hard-mounted stuff because four was sub-optimal enough. Glad you enjoyed it.