Facehugger FCH-1A

I've been releasing surveys on BattleMech equipment for the past few weeks, and each week I release a new 'mech made with just the technologies from that survey (and introductory technologies).

It's designed to close quickly, run hot, and then poke at 2 hexes enhanced by TSM. The hardened armor gives it some resilience. That works well because as an infighter it wants to have good jump and can give up some running MP. 

And if you're going to be that close, why not carry an Angel ECM?

Facehugger FCH-1A

Mass: 45 tons
Chassis: Standard Biped
Power Plant: 180 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Jump Jets: Standard
     Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor: Hardened
Armament:
     2 Improved Heavy Medium Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3145
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-E
Cost: 5,634,628 C-bills

Mech 504 - Elite

On Friday, I posted a new BattleMech Technology Survey. Thursdays, I put up a 'mech made exclusively from those techs.

On reflection, this guy is more of a Hollander II, with the same main weapon and speed, but a bit more tonnage for defensive systems. Beyond the armor, the Elite sacrifices its durability to squeeze out additional performance at range using a Direct Neural Interface and a dedicated Targeting Computer.

It's one thing to stay at long range; it's another thing to be able to hit at long range with an ammo fed weapon while using that range to stay safe.

Mech 503 - Teniente

If we made 'mech only with technology from Battletech Equipment Survey: 503, what could we do?

The redundancy of HAGs and Clan LRMs struck me first, so I started with those. That required something heavy. 

XXL Engines meant it ought to be fast, Endo-Composite structure was a big "why not."

So what Clan uses fast 'mechs? At what time would all of these technologies be available? "Ice Hellions" are the Clan that Does Speed, so I thought of them and reviewed their ignominious end. They put all their eggs into an assault on the Jade Falcons (instead of, say, the Lyrans who were right there!) and failed after the Clan Satan's Simps, sorry Hell's Horses, decided to get involved.

Anyway, the Ice Hellions got absorbed by the Goliath Scorpions and the Goliath Scorpions decided to make the Ice Hellion khan--who got his clan destroyed--into their khan. Anyway...

What about a 6/9 heavy with a command console and two standoff weapons? Slap on an anti-missile system and throw on a few lasers that aren't from the equipment survey, but are good includes anyway, and you've got the Tiente.

It's Spanish for "Lieutenant," and named for a planet taken from the Nova Cats after they betrayed the Clans. It's a taunt and a command 'mech.

Teniente

Mass: 65 tons
Chassis: Endo-Composite Biped
Power Plant: 390 XXL
Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph
Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph
Jump Jets: None
     Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Standard
Armament:
     2 ER Small Laser
     1 LRM 15
     1 HAG/20
     1 Anti-Missile System
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3100
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-F-E
Cost: 62,127,285 C-bills

Capabilities
Made from the 503 tech survey. Goliath Scorpion command 'mech used by their Ice Hellion remnants. An elite bodyguard/command unit for larger formations.

Type: Teniente
Technology Base: Clan (Advanced)
Tonnage: 65
Battle Value: 1,963

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure            Endo-Composite          5
Engine                        390 XXL              15.5
    Walking MP: 6
    Running MP: 9
    Jumping MP: 0
Double Heat Sink              10 [20]                 0
Gyro                                                  4
Command Console                                       6
Armor Factor                  208                    13

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Head                    3         9     
     Center Torso            21        33    
     Center Torso (rear)               8     
     R/L Torso               15        24    
     R/L Torso (rear)                  6     
     R/L Arm                 10        19    
     R/L Leg                 15        30    


Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand
Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand

Weapons
and Ammo                                 Location  Critical   Heat    Tonnage   
ER Small Laser                              RT        1        2       0.5   
Artemis V FCS                               LA        2        -       1.5   
Anti-Missile System                         LA        1        1       0.5   
Anti-Missile System Ammo (24)               LA        1        -       1.0   
CASE                                        LA        0        -       0.0   
LRM 15 Artemis V-capable Ammo (16)          LA        2        -       2.0   
LRM 15                                      LA        2        5       3.5   
ER Small Laser                              LT        1        2       0.5   
CASE                                        RA        0        -       0.0   
HAG/20                                      RA        6        4       10.0  
Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle/20 Ammo (12)      RA        2        -       2.0   
    

The Alpha Strike Campaign: Cyclops CP-11-C-C

 So I'm doing an Alpha Strike campaign. I have, of course, chosen Word of Blake, but we're doing Civil War era so I can't have any of the Blakey-Blakist stuff. We were allowed to use 2 customs out of 12 'mechs, so in addition to the Jester Exterminator, I've modified a Cyclops to carry C3i and maybe some nice Clanny weapons (even if every one of those weapons is a bit of a stretch).

And double heat sinks because c'mon! It's 3077!

Cyclops CP-11-C-C

Mass: 90 tons
Chassis: Standard Biped
Power Plant: 360 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph
Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph
Jump Jets: None
     Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Standard
Armament:
     2 Heavy Medium Laser
     2 ATM 3
     1 Gauss Rifle
     1 TAG
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3077
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-F-X
Cost: 11,514,760 C-bills

Mercury System V: Panmechs

I initially posted all of these together with a to-do of adding example 'mechs made with those rules. I knew that including example 'mechs was important, but I didn't really play my hand that way. Each custom 'mech requires some discussion and review. Enough to make each rules system into its own post.

Mercury System IV: Multimechs

I initially posted all of these together with a to-do of adding example 'mechs made with those rules. I knew that including example 'mechs was important, but I didn't really play my hand that way. Each custom 'mech requires some discussion and review. Enough to make each rules system into its own post.

Mercury System III: Versamechs

April, 3044
“Thank you. I’m glad to be here at the…Hobbyist Battlemech Society. Please forgive me for my lack of visual aids, but as many of you know I’ve been traveling quite a bit to demonstrate these new systems. I believe that these systems will, if they receive sufficient interest and investment, can create a new generation of battlemechs, a generation in which each unit can perform the roles of multiple mechs, perhaps every other ‘mech.

“Because this hotel–this venue–doesn’t have the facilities to demonstrate the prototypes we’ve created, I only came here with a visual demonstration. Uh, unfortunately, I believe that my data was corrupted on the way over.

“So let me do this with just my words. A lance of Vindicators today will be a lance of Vindicators tomorrow. With these new systems, these Everymechs could act as a lance of Catapults, a lance of Spiders, or even a lance of Atlases.

“These three systems all share similar basic engineering principles…”

Battlemech Equipment Survey: Round 4

The Battlemech Equipment Survey is an ongoing, swiss-style tournament which pits equipment for Battlemechs against one another. I like brackets and tournaments and I don't know a lot of the new Battletech equipment so it's a great opportunity to get familiar with a lot of it.

Surveys below. The listed matchups aren't the only ones in the survey; just the most eye-catching ones. I've also included the 'mechs I've made which use the included technologies. Surveys close Friday evening. 

The swiss bracket is doing its job. It's separating good equipment and bad into tight matchups. I might just be in a funk, but that last round of tight matchups between equally irrelevant equipment failed to inspire. As of right now it's sitting at 8 votes and I don't blame anyone.

I like a lot of the write-ups I've done here. I think Mother & Monitors is a bit 'bleh.' The rest are written to as to have been lost to history, which makes them feel a bit one-note. 3087 it's not.

Round 4, Survey 1 - Gauss Rifles versus Omnimech Technology, feat the Risccing, a RISC test platform omnimech carrying a variety of gauss weapons.

Round 4, Survey 2 - Streak SRMs versus all other special missile munitions, feat the Superchoad, a rebuild of Round 2's Maquess after it was fielded, defeated, and salvaged.

Round 4, Survey 3 - Cruise Missiles versus the Light Probe, feat the Paradigm, or at least a recreation of the allegedly groundbreaking 'mech whose original model and inventor were destroyed in the opening salvos of The Jihad. It was simply a few advanced technologies and a set of two completely unique 'mechs created by a talented Periphery engineer with pirate connections. No mystery at all.

Round 4, Survey 4 - Nuclear Weapons versus Triple Strength Myomer, feat Mother and Monitors, a control 'mech and two drones which patrol a vacuum world occasionally torn by storms.

Round 4, Survey 5 - ATMs vs MMLs, feat Neuron, a Raven variant commissioned by The Society around the same time as the Capellans' own RVN-4LC. Not pictured are variants with the MML 7 swapped for iATM9 or the Streak LRM 10 and the NARC Beacon swapped for an iATM3 or Streak LRM 5.

Round 4, Survey 6 -Single Heat Sinks versus...Rifles?, feat Bubblewrap, an undocumented, unnamed, jury-rigged ultralight outfitted with Rocket Launchers that saw one battle against oppressors on a Periphery world.

Still working on the nation interaction game and the Mercury System and the Battlemech Engineer's Handbook.

And the Bookclub on the Edge of Forever. And a vacation next week. And doing something for the patreons and Morning Perfect Base and The Based Report.

And playing Alpha Strike and hammering out a simple Alpha Strike campaign system and doing dishes and doing laundry--oh crap I didn't do laundry.

BattleMech Equipment Survey: Round 2

As you know, I've been doing surveys about Battletech equipment for BattleMechs. I finished Round 1 a while back and now we're in the home stretch of Round 2. 

Looking at the numbers, I plan about eight rounds. That's, frankly, an exhausting amount of work to know that Double Heat Sinks are great and Flails are ridiculous. I do not do this because it is easy or reasonable, I do this because I like to make numbers do things.

As always, I'll leave these up until some time on Friday. Any votes from any sample size are welcome. Comments are always welcome. I thought I understood some of this equipment until some folks started talking about them, and just reading what equipment does doesn't always say how it works on the battlefield.

Just a few notes (survey links at the bottom):

Mobile Structure: Olestro

I guess I like Battletech.

Someone suggested an incredible loadout of basically everything, as if each of our first Level 2 'mechs didn't do that already. The only way to carry all of that would be on a 'mech which was large enough it didn't need to.

So I made my first mobile structure and probably made it too big.

Definitely too big. It has enough cargo space to mount capital weapons. Small capital weapons, but capital weapons. 

It's hard to pick my favorite feature:

The non-converging NLRMs. 

The iNARC on an assault loadout is good too. Who is this guy spotting for?

I especially love that I put the active probe in the center hex. I mean, this design was not quite a troll, but that Bloodhound Probe weighs heavily enough on the word "not" that it might asphyxiate it. 

That they're NLRM 5's is an arbitrary stroke of restraint. Let's not go wild here guys.

The tantalizing question: Could I add a supercharger? Dare I? What about a blue shield system?

Enhanced ERPPCs were requested even though we're also using full-on Clan ER Pulse Lasers. They're the prototype Clan ERPPC They were either requested because they sounded cool or as another misguided desire to tone the whole thing down.

Honestly, I wouldn't fill that cargo space up with nuclear missile launchers. I'd even resist the urge to create a tank-sized targeting computer to guide hundreds of AC/2's. If I were to take this cursed chassis and refit it, I think it'd be artillery from hell to breakfast at one hex high. A platform that turns hexes into craters.

TRO: 3087 - Longbow

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.

LGB-OA Longbow
Overview
With debate growing over Resolution 288  and spreading rumors about the possibility that the Captain-General had been replaced with a double, powers within Andurien began preparing for secession again during the late sixties. While it took over a decade for the opportunity to arise, the Duchy made the most of that time.
When Brooks Incorporated stumbled upon a wireless omnitechnology interface for vehicles, Andurien secessionists immediately moved in to keep the development a secret. The system was adapted for use on OmniMechs and the Duchy began to acquire reliable BattleMechs for loyal militias as part of a covert upgrade program. 
By far the most troublesome target of these acquisitions were Longbows. The secessionists underestimated the popularity and versatility of the design, and it was eventually more economical to quietly license the Longbow and create a similar ‘Mech domestically. When the Duchy shrugged off their neutrality three years into the Free Worlds League Civil War, those Longbows became the backbone of the new First Andurien Rangers.

TRO: 3087 - Ifrit

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.

Ifrit (Block 4)
Overview

In just under twenty years, The Wolf Dragoons expanded from a sophisticated and successful mercenary unit to The Dragoons Pact, a proper government half the size of The Terran Hegemony. The region’s defenders morphed from ad-hoc militia and mercenaries into the only force in the Inner Sphere to rely on Clan technology for over half of their war materiel.

The Ifrit, and vehicles like it, are one of the ways those two massive shifts were made possible. Unlike many of the other ‘Mechs fielded by the Pact, it includes almost no advanced components except for its weapons, power, and targeting systems.

Its integration of simple parts have allowed new suppliers to start up in the region while older factories have received incentives to upgrade parts to higher specifications used in more sophisticated machines like the Durendal and Zemus.

TRO: 3087 - Catapult

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.

CPLT-L5 Catapult
Overview
While Capellan engagements outside of the Confederation have been limited in the last twenty years, there’s no indication they have started fielding any new battlemech designs during that time. Instead, a number of reliable, natively-produced ‘Mechs and vehicles have been upgraded and refined to fill roles as needed.
The Catapult is one such ‘Mech. The CPLT-C3 variant with paired artillery pieces is still produced, but so is the new -L5 is based on the Star League-era -C1 model. Added stealth armor and pulse lasers have made it operate closer to the front lines while retaining its fire support abilities. 
The reasons for the change aren’t known, but it’s suspected that it was made to ensure that there are fewer privileged combat roles where a MechWarrior no longer has to risk engaging the enemy directly.

TRO: 3087 - Zeus

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.

ZEU-10S Zeus

Overview

The ZEU-10S is the latest in the venerable Lyran mech’s long line. In the testing phases during the First Jade Falcon Incursion, prototypes were rushed to the field via mercenary units in an effort to stem the rising tide of Clanners.

The prototypes’ performance gave Defiance Industries exceptional data and the Jade Falcon halt just short of Coventry gave the Commonwealth ample motivation for producing the perfected final version.

This new, more powerful version was initially circulated to politically influential units and individuals. Few were on the front-lines for the resumed Falcon operations in ‘79 and units who received Zeuses from their crash redeployment showed marked improvement in repelling the Falcons. Sadly, that improvement was not enough rapid enough to save Coventry, the line the ‘Mech was created to hold.

Despite ever-shorter resources, the Lyran Commonwealth has gone to great pains to keep it in production. This has included incentivizing the relocation of facilities which produce its gauss rifle and advanced structure. These efforts have been kept quiet out of concerns that they would undermine the defiant messages flowing out of Tharkad about the Commonwealth’s inevitable victory over the Falcons.

TRO: 3087 - Orion

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.

ON2-MC Orion
Overview
The Diamond Shark trade mission into the Inner Sphere entered the Free Worlds League a little over a year into The League’s civil war. Their intent to negotiate with the League at Goth Khakar was thwarted when both sides of the war attempted to secure exclusive negotiation rights. 
The Sharks had to clear their own landing zone and force both parties to the negotiating table. Any industrial output promised to the Clan from one side could have been a legitimate military target to the other, limiting what League governments could offer. However, resource and exploration rights to lands held by the former Atreus government were on the table and the Sharks walked away with mineral-rich enclaves while both sides of the Civil War enjoyed advanced upgrade packages. 
The Orion ON2-M was chosen as the recipient of this package because it was new enough to be compatible with cutting-edge technology, but old enough to have the kinks worked out of it.

TRO: 3087 - Exodus

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.

EXD-2OG Exodus
Overview
The Exodus seems to have been made to replace similar units like the Blood Kite, Savage Coyote, and Stone Rhino, slow assault ‘Mechs driven to extinction with their Clans. The Ghost Bears had already noticed the drop-off in machines who devoted most of their tonnage to weapons and began preparing the Exodus prototypes in the late 3060’s.

The new assault underwent trials by fire in the second Combine-Ghost Bear War. Its deployment scaled from small, purpose-built binaries to becoming a full-on command ‘Mech by the close of the war. It’s been a backbone of the Bears’ slower formation tactics ever since.

3087: El Dorado

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.

EHF-01 El Dorado
Overview
The El Dorado started out as the vanguard of a new paradigm shift in the Clan Coyote tauman in the late sixties. The great costs associated with the project forced them to find collaborators and their attempts were frustrated at every turn.
Luckily, Clan Jade Falcon was gearing up for an offensive against the Lyran Commonwealth. A mobile, second-line unit with easy access to the Coyote’s new Advanced Tactical Missile System was an appealing offer. Given that the Falcons would perform a live-fire shakedown in the Incursion of ‘68, the deal was sealed.
With the involvement of a wealthier clan, the El Dorado was upgraded by ten tons, gained an extralight engine, and shed its old name which was too closely linked to Clan Coyote.
Unfortunately, the El Dorado was a mainstay of Coyote efforts during the ilClan war and many were crippled with backdoor software vulnerabilities. It wasn’t until the line was completely rebuilt by the Jade Falcons in 3084 that the software was rebuilt securely.

3087: Leto

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.

LET-O Leto
Overview
The Hellfire Pirate Band’s raid on New Avalon in 3074 destroyed the public’s willingness to take emerging democracy movements lightly. At least two such organization claimed they provided the fifth column assistance necessary to make the raid a success. The aftermath caused two changes: a draconian push to find disloyal citizens and urgent military action on the realm’s increasingly treacherous nobles and successful rebel armies.
That action took the form of The Archangel Project. The Federated Suns would construct the ultimate combined-arms formation. A series of vehicles, battle armor, and BattleMechs, built specifically to defeat their enemies and restore order. No expense was spared, the best minds from across the Inner Sphere were hired, and they received the highest priority for cutting-edge military equipment.

TRO: 3087 - Leto II

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.

Leto II LTO-2-1T
Overview
The success of the Leto OmniMech created demand for the Federated Hellfire Territories’ newest design. Typically, they were reultcant to share any of their Phoebus-series designs. After the fall of Talcott, the Word of Blake convinced them to create the Leto II on the back of the Hellspawn production lines.
The Blakists encouraged trade with their allies in the Draconis Combine, the Mercenaries’ Alliance, and the Free Worlds League. Reluctantly, the Territories agreed, but after the orders were placed they shorted production. Costs of the anticipated ‘Mech shot up and the FHT filled their coffers while the “allies” committed to their orders took a seven-figure bath on the whole exchange.
Despite the financial cost and prerequisite dealing with the Federated Hellfire Territories, there’s nothing like the Leto II for fire support outside of The Clans or The Territories.

TRO: 3087 - Ruppell Vulture

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.

Ruppell Vulture RAF-03 

Overview

The final battles of the ilClan War were brutal affairs, slugfests which were determined more by raw anger and tenacity than clever maneuvers and tactical surprise. Warriors would face their Blooding in a live action and be placed in command of a cluster of sibkin. Bloodnames were awarded by fiat or default. Clan warships dating their origins to the first Star League were crashed with a frequency that would make an AFFC admiral blush.

In this carnage, the Jade Falcons saw sophisticated, front-line ‘Mechs like the Turkina and Night Gyr cut down brutally by the Wolves’ tandem charge missiles and plasma cannons. However, allied and second-line Kingfishers and Highlander IIC’s endured battles on dogged persistence, often surviving long enough to take glory the Falcons had fought so hard for.

After the war, the specter of that combat hovered over the fractured remnants of Clan society. Too haughty to ask the Ghost Bears for help, the Falcons began the creation of the Ruppell Vulture, a hearty, cost-effective front-line OmniMech made to rebuild their forces.

The speed with which the Ruppell Vulture moved from design to production was so fast that it’s suspected that its design was based heavily on a pre-existing BattleMech.