336315164-Technical-Readout-TRO-3039-OEF

SCIMITAR MEDIUM HOVER TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 51

Type: Scimitar Medium Hover Tank Equipment 96 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 6
Movement Type: Hover Value
Tonnage: 35 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 532 R/L Side 21 8
Rear 18/18 1
Equipment 105 Mass Turret 2
Internal Structure: ICE 3.5 18 1
Engine: 8 7 Weapons and Ammo 21
12 AC/5
Type: 0 0 Ammo (AC) 20 Location
Cruising MP: 2 2 SRM 2 Turret
Flank MP: 3.5 Ammo (SRM) 50 Body
Heat Sinks: 0 Turret
Control Equipment: 1 Body
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

STRIKER LIGHT TANK 52

Mass: 35 tons Capabilities the Inner Sphere. Orders from the AFFS have been steady
Movement Type: Wheeled Meant to be a fire-support vehicle for all ranges, the since the Striker first started production, though it was
Power Plant: InterComBust 155 ICE often relegated to Planetary Guards units during the first
Cruising Speed: 54 kph Striker performs well for its size. Two turret-mounted missile Star League.
Flank Speed: 86 kph systems allow the Striker to supply both indirect firepower at
Armor: Valiant Buckler long range and powerful short-range barrages at the same The Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth
Armament: time. Coupled with a swift, wheeled motive system (unlike Alliance opened up an entirely new market for the Valiant
its plodding tracked counterparts), the Striker became an and Wunderland companies. Lyran commanders were im-
1 Valiant Pilum SRM 6 excellent cavalry unit, especially in urban environment. pressed by the inexpensive light tanks and placed large
1 Valiant Heavy Crossbow LRM 10 orders. Though Valiant had increased production capacity
Manufacturer: Valiant Systems and Wunderland In an effort to cut costs and address declining tech- in anticipation of future orders when the alliance was form-
Enterprises nology during the Succession Wars, Wunderland combined ing, the Striker’s popularity outpaced even their most opti-
Primary Factory: Johnsondale the Communication and Targeting electronics system into mistic projections. Currently orders are on an eight month
Communications System: Wunderland XXI-3 series one suite. However, it was discovered that a lucky hit could backlog, and Valiant has opened up another production
Targeting and Tracking System: Wunderland blind and mute the tank, forcing crewmembers out of the line to catch up.
XXI-3 series tank to communicate using hand signs and to aim weap-
ons manually. Variants
Overview Predictably, a few Striker variants exist that either
The Striker is the first product of a joint effort between Stories about the vulnerability of the Wunderland
XXI-3 series came to a head after the Fourth Succession War. emphasize its long-range capabilities or its short-range
two companies inexperienced in the conventional military Worried about the impact on their sales, Wunderland exec- firepower. Some carry bigger or more numerous long-
vehicle market. The Striker light tank was doubted by its utives were able to acquire information on Star League-era range missile racks, or multiple SRM 2 packs in place of
first customers, the AFFS, who viewed the wheeled vehicle electronics from the Helm Memory Core via government- the SRM 6. It depends on a unit’s preference and needs,
as less durable than tracked vehicles and lacking the speed sponsored upgrade programs. This allowed the redesign of but it is not uncommon for Striker companies to have half
of hovertanks. To allay these concerns, lengthy field test- the electronics system that changed the Striker’s internal of their vehicles modified for increased ranged support,
ing was conducted during 3006 and produced excellent layout to be roomier and even easier to repair and replace while the other vehicles are re-designed into light, short
results. The virtual donation of the first production run of damaged parts, and Valiant began offering the updated ranged brawlers.
Strikers, written off by Valiant and Wunderland as a mar- Striker in 3037.
keting expense, helped cement AFFS interest in the tank. Notable Vehicles
Subsequent AFFS success with the Striker helped the ve- After the re-design, it was discovered the Striker elec-
hicle spread to other militaries. tronics suite could be brought back online within minutes, Young Betsey: One of the first Strikers produced using
even during combat with the vehicle moving at full speed the new electronics, its first (and only) crew were veter-
evading enemy fire, by one of the crewmen replacing dam- ans of Strikers, especially in maintaining and repairing the
aged circuit boards inside the crew compartment that were Wunderland electronics suite during their distinguished ca-
now accessible via several bulkheads. This partially defused reers. They were also the first to realize and take advantage
anger against Wunderland Enterprises, and the offer of of the ability to repair the electronics suite while in com-
the Valiant-Wunderland joint enterprise to upgrade older bat using some extra parts they kept in the crew compart-
Striker Light Tanks to the new version at a reduced cost se- ment. The commander, William Knutson, would later go on
cured the companies’ reputation for customer service, even to publish a manual on maintenance and repair tricks and
if it did their profit margin no good. tips on the restructured Striker for newly assigned crews
to study. Young Betsey and her crew would not survive the
Deployment War of 3039 however, dying during the first wave actions
The Johnsondale facility is in Federated Suns space on Sadalbari.

and the AFFS remains the tank’s primary customer, but
exports and mercenaries have spread the design around

STRIKER LIGHT TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 53

Type: Striker Light Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere SRM 6 Turret 3
Movement Type: Wheeled Ammo (SRM) 30 Body 2
Tonnage: 35 LRM 10 Turret 5
Battle Value: 564 Ammo (LRM) 12 Body 1

Equipment 155 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 3.5
Engine: 5 11
8
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 2.0
Flank MP: 104 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 1
Lift Equipment: 6.5
Power Amplifier: 24
Turret: 20/20
Armor Factor:
18
Front 22
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

ENGINEERING VEHICLE 54

Mass: 40 tons vehicles. Engineering vehicles often perform the impor- The engineer company was decimated, but the engi-
Movement Type: Tracked tant role of removing damaged or destroyed units from neering vehicles cut down the banks to the river and pre-
Power Plant: WorkHorse 240 with PowerChain ICE the battlefield. To that end, NETC equipped their vehicle pared the river bottom for a ’Mech crossing. Though three
Cruising Speed: 64 kph with a rear-mounted lift hoist. The sight of these work- of the vehicles were destroyed in the process, the final
Flank Speed: 97 kph horses hauling tanks and ’Mech limbs away to a repair vehicle was able to complete the crossing point, which al-
Armor: Basic Metal Plate Standard facility is a common one. lowed the Star Guards to cross to relieve the beleaguered
Armament: Eridani Light Horse.
NETC fitted their vehicle with a backhoe, a popular
None option on many engineering vehicles. Mounted on a small Variants
Manufacturer: New Earth Trading Company turret, it allows engineers to dig more efficiently without There exists a plethora of different engineering vehi-
having to keep moving the vehicle.
Primary Factory: New Earth cles. Most employ tracks, though a number of specialized
Communications System: TharHes Caliope HM-10 Though never intended for heavy combat situations, hover versions can be found. In addition to the backhoe
Targeting and Tracking System: None engineering vehicles are lightly armored and can resist and lift hoist, common items of equipment include cutters
small arms fire. for clearing trees, front-mounted shovels or dozer blades,
Overview drills, mine-clearing equipment, and even bridge-laying
Engineers and engineering equipment are an im- Deployment equipment. Some vehicles mount weapons such as flamers
Most combat regiments can call upon a host of sup- to burn away dense undergrowth or an AC/20 for destroy-
portant part of any army. They construct the buildings, ing obstacles.
runways, and other mundane items that make up the in- port units, including engineering vehicles. These are as-
frastructure upon which a modern military unit depends. signed to the regimental command—the administrative Notable Crews
Engineering vehicles are also an important combat asset. organization for support and technical assets—and are
They dig trenches and prepare fortifications, remove ob- parcelled out for duty as the situation requires. El Magnifico’s Engineering Company: “El Magnifico” is the
structions from roads, and ford rivers. codename for the Twelfth Star Guards’ engineering unit,
Engineering vehicles are also found in special com- which employs some of the best engineers in the Inner
The engineering vehicles produced by the New Earth bat engineer companies. These teams are often called to Sphere. The story goes that they actually did build New
Trading Company are typical of the type of equipment em- work while under fire, and they have a tradition of courage Rome in a day, but didn’t want to show off, so they tore
ployed by combat engineers across the Inner Sphere. and skill dating back to the twentieth century. Their official part of it down and rebuilt it again.
motto is “Can do!”, but their unofficial one is; “First we dig
Capabilities them, then we die in them.” Both are true. Though the unit was decimated during the battle of
Like other engineering vehicles, the NETC version Loric, the grateful Steiner government replaced all of the
One of the most notable uses of engineering vehicles unit’s equipment in addition to paying the normal bonus.
possess an oversized engine to provide the extra power occurred during the battle of Loric in 2978. While attempt-
needed to move heavy objects such as trees or other ing to relieve elements of the Eridani Light Horse, the Eighty-first Combat Engineers Company: A crack team
Twelfth Star Guards had broken through the main lines but of Federated Suns combat engineers, the Eighty-first has
were halted by some ad hoc Marik forces defending a river served on both the Capellan and Combine fronts during
line. The Twelfth Star Guards sent a force of Condors to se- the course of the Succession Wars. The unit is best known
cure the other side, but the river was too swift and its banks for their commander’s heroic stand during the Second
too steep to allow ’Mechs or more conventional vehicles to Succession War. Using explosives and construction equip-
cross. The Star Guards possessed four engineering vehicles ment, Captain Wedge Donovan single-handedly halted a
and a company of engineers. The engineers immediately Capellan column in the mountains on Atlas, annihilating
went to work throwing up a pontoon bridge, while the ve- a company of ’Mechs before he was killed when his engi-
hicles began to prepare a fording point. Marik aerospace neering vehicle was destroyed.
fighters and long-range artillery kept the engineers under
constant fire, destroying three pontoon bridges before
they could be completed.

ENGINEERING VEHICLE MEDIUM VEHICLES 55

Type: Engineering Vehicle Equipment 40 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 2.5
Movement Type: Tracked Value
Tonnage: 40 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 194 R/L Side 8 5
Rear 8/8 3
Equipment 240 Mass Turret 8
Internal Structure: ICE 4 8
Engine: 6 23 Weapons and Ammo
9 Backhoe Location
Type: 0 0 Lift Hoist Turret
Cruising MP: 2 Rear
Flank MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 0
Control Equipment: .5
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

HETZER WHEELED ASSAULT GUN 56

Mass: 40 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Wheeled “Wheeled assault gun” sums up the Hetzer perfectly. It Quikscell has invested no R&D funds in developing
Power Plant: SitiCide 140 ICE
Cruising Speed: 43 kph is a single gun, powerful enough pose a threat to anything variants of the Hetzer, but the ubiquitous vehicle is fre-
Flank Speed: 64 kph on the battlefield, with wheels and little else. Maneuverable quently modified by local commands. Most common is the
Armor: StarSlab/6 but not particularly fast and woefully under-armored, every replacement of the Crusher with a smaller gun, followed by
Armament: aspect of the Hetzer causes designers and engineers to by adding armor and ammo. However, this eliminates the
question the morality of the Quikscell accountants who assault gun’s only advantage on the battlefield, the one-hit
1 Crusher SH Cannon Autocannon/20 are suspected of designing the Hetzer. kill. The advantages of more, but less potent, shots and the
Manufacturer: Quikscell Company slight upgrade in armor protection may not be worth the
But tacticians, particularly those strapped for cash, trade. Short- or long-range missile racks are also popular
Primary Factory: Indicass, Kalidasa, Alshain understand the vehicle perfectly: it’s the cheapest way to choices, but the lack of a turret limits their usefulness, and
Communications System: Johnston Q-Band get a big gun where it needs to be. The implication that the the questions of firepower reduction remain. Lasers are an
Targeting and Tracking System: Scantrex Dual Tac lives of the crew are equally cheap is never lost on those option for those wishing to avoid the cost and limitations
assigned to the wheeled assault gun. Those manning a of munitions weapons, but few Hetzer users have techs
Overview Hetzer usually fall into one of three groups: those being trained to maintain technology as advanced as lasers.
Quikscell Corp. developed the Hetzer Wheeled Assault disciplined, those who lack the talent or initiative to get
out, and those who take a perverse pride in going to battle Notable Crews
Gun, called the “H-WAG” by English-speaking crews, to with the little chance of survival.
meet the needs of poorer worlds and Periphery realms Leftenant Jean Gieschen: In 3021, the planetary militia
that could not afford the expense of first-tier armor as- Well aware of the lack of armor, Quikscell designed of Inner End purchased six Hetzer Wheeled Assault Guns
sets. Quikscell mounted the powerful and reliable Crusher the Hetzer to dig in during battle. Entrenched Hetzers, to augment their all-infantry militia and turned to the
20 autocannon on a frame sturdy enough to transport it, presenting only their marginally adequate front armor and Kilbourne Draconis March Militia for guidance on how to
with a low cost but reliable ICE, and then they threw in a massive cannon to the enemy can be hard to hit, and they best use them. Leftenant Jean Gieschen was assigned cadre
targeting system adequate to locate other vehicles and deliver enough firepower to blunt all but the most deter- duty, charged with training the militia on the fundamentals
topped it off with the barest minimum of armor. To cut mined assault. of armor tactics, when a pirate band attacked. Holding’s
down on production expenses, the Hetzer was designed Horrors fielded a single lance of older light and medium
without a turret. Deployment BattleMechs, the largest being Holding’s VL-2T Vulcan. The
True to Quikscell’s marketing strategy, H-WAGs are usu- Horrors simply strode through the militia infantry toward
DropPort warehouses seeking plunder. With no com-
ally found in backwater planetary militias and the Periphery. munication from IEPM command (the Hetzers still lacked
The only major House to purchase Hetzers in any quantity is radios), Gieschen chose to attack. She ordered a broken-
Liao, where Hetzers can be found in garrison units through- pattern advance covered by port buildings. Commanding a
out the Capellan Confederation. [EDITOR’S NOTE: This has force without active targeting or communication systems,
proven to be a boon to less prestigious buyers. Hetzers Gieschen rode “unbuttoned” to direct her force by hand-
were often delivered with some auxiliary systems absent held radio. Unaware of the Hetzers, Holding’s lance did not
or casually dropped in the tank’s crew compartment. A realize their danger until the massed fire of six Crusher au-
condition of the Capellan contract is that Hetzers ship with tocannons caught their leader in a withering crossfire. The
all wiring and secondary systems installed. Quikscell deter- Vulcan collapsed in fragments without firing a shot. The
mined it was more cost-effective to complete assembly on light ’Mechs used their speed and jump capabilities to flee
all Hetzers, not just the Capellans’, than to continue paying the unseen enemy.
out on warranties for minor customers.] While it is likely
that every House has a few Hetzers, it is common for major
military units to either strip captured Hetzers of useful
equipment or simply bequeath them to the local militia.

HETZER WHEELED ASSAULT GUN MEDIUM VEHICLES 57

Type: Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere AC/20 Front 14
Movement Type: Wheeled Ammo (AC) 20 Body 4
Tonnage: 40
Battle Value: 574

Equipment 140 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 4
Engine: 4 10
6
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 2
Flank MP: 96 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 0
Lift Equipment: 6
Power Amplifier: 30
Turret: 22/22
Armor Factor:
22
Front
R/L Side
Rear

GOBLIN MEDIUM TANK 58

Mass: 45 tons not hindered by tight quarters. The BlazeFire targeting and later fight and sent the Goblins in to attack the outpost.
Movement Type: Tracked tracking system has optional link-ups for the rest of the They managed to destroy it before Kurita troops could
Power Plant: LongWay 180 ICE tank’s three-man crew so that one of them can fire if the relay a message to their commanders.
Cruising Speed: 43 kph gunner becomes disabled, but the MiniGun can only be
Flank Speed: 64 kph fired by the driver. The infantry attacked the first village under cover
Armor: ProtecTech 9 of night. The village was only lightly defended and cer-
Armament: The Goblin’s most interesting feature is the infantry tainly not prepared for a sneak attack. After only a few
compartment in the rear of the tank. Large enough to hold minutes, the infantry captured a long-range communi-
1 BlazeFire Systems Large Laser seven infantrymen and their equipment or one support cations station. Captain Rosseter decided to wait until
1 Johnston Minigun Machine Gun weapons team, the compartment is surprisingly spacious the other villages in the area were under his control be-
Manufacturer: Johnston Industries and reasonably comfortable. fore using the transmitter.
Primary Factory: New Syrtis
Communications System: CommuTech XL With organic infantry support and a turret design not The second and third villages fell just as quickly as the
Targeting and Tracking System: BlazeFire hindered by a long barrel, the Goblin is an excellent urban first. The last village was somewhat more prepared, how-
tracker with RangeCheck combat vehicle. ever, so the fighting lasted longer. The village defenders
never really had a chance against the combined forces of
Overview Deployment the infantry platoons supported by the Goblin’s lasers.
No one knows where the design concept for the Goblin The Goblin is a common vehicle with Federated
After the last village fell, Rosseter used his captured
originated, but it appeared either during the final years of Suns mechanized infantry regiments and with armored comm gear and was able to contact an inbound DropShip
the so-called Age of War or the early first Star League. The battalions that can expect to work regularly with infan- force that had been sent to look for his command, and the
Goblin’s production was taken over by Johnston Industries try. It is also very popular with the Ceti Hussar regiments. Hussar detachment escaped Weisau at last.
towards the end of the First Succession War. During the Second and Third Succession Wars, Kuritan
and Capellan troops captured Goblins and pressed them Variants
Capabilities into service. Some Goblins have been modified by replacing
Instead of mounting a bulky autocannon or cumber-
Several Goblins were discovered amongst the cache the large laser with long-or short-range missile systems.
some missile units, the Goblin’s main weapon is a large of arms on Terra from which the Com Guards were formed. [EDITOR’S NOTE: missile variant shown at right] A rare
laser. The energy weapon possesses both good range Unfortunately, detailed examination of these ancient ve- Kurita variant of the Goblins is armed with an SRM 6 rack
and firepower without the need to carry ammunition. The hicles failed to uncover the Goblin’s origins. in the turret and five extra machine guns controlled by
BlazeFire Systems Large Laser lacks the long barrel of an the infantry.
autocannon, allowing for a compact turret design that is During a raid on the Combine world of Weisau, a com-
pany of Goblins from the Third Ceti Hussars found them- Notable Crews
selves cut off from their DropShips by enemy forces. Stuck
on a hostile planet with no supplies and no indications Nick Vigilante: Davion Goblin Commander Leftenant
of a DropShip coming to rescue them, Captain Reginald Nicholas Vigilante was promoted to Captain after his dar-
Rosseter devised a plan to transmit their location to friendly ing raid against a Kuritan Long Tom howitzer train that was
troops still in the system, or at least to wreak havoc among harassing Davion ’Mechs from its hiding place in a valley.
the enemy. Though the Davion defenders had sent out several search
parties to locate the gun, none had been successful. It was
Rosseter sent out his infantry on raiding and recon- Leftenant Vigilante’s infantry squad that finally discovered
naissance missions to locate food and equipment. The in- the howitzer by chance. The squad immediately called to
fantry’s secondary mission was to raid any small towns and Vigilante and his Goblin, the “Hornet’s Nest”, for support. As
villages they encountered, and their tertiary objective was Vigilante could not move the tank into the heavily wooded
to hit any ’Mech- and vehicle-repair stations found. area, he dismounted and personally led his infantry in de-
stroying the howitzer and crew.
Within a week, the infantry had discovered three small
villages and a DCMS ’Mech service outpost. The outpost
was the first target. Rosseter held back the infantry for a

GOBLIN MEDIUM TANK MEDIUM VEHICLES 59

Type: Goblin Medium Tank Equipment 128 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 8
Movement Type: Tracked Value
Tonnage: 45 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 555 R/L Side 30 5
Rear 24/24 .5
Equipment 180 Mass Turret .5
Internal Structure: ICE 4.5 20 1
Engine: 4 14 Weapons and Ammo 30
6 Large Laser
Type: 8 8 Machine Gun Location
Cruising MP: 2.5 Ammo (MG) 100 Turret
Flank MP: 0 Infantry Bay Front
Heat Sinks: .5 Body
Control Equipment: .5 Body
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

CONDOR HEAVY HOVER TANK 60

Mass: 50 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Hover One of the fastest vehicles in its weight class, topping Being such an old vehicle, the Condor saw many chang-
Power Plant: Jones 165 ICE
Cruising Speed: 86 kph out at nearly 130 kph, the Condor’s speed is rivaled only es as improved internal combustion engines and better
Flank Speed: 129 kph by much smaller vehicles and BattleMechs. Its six tons of weapons and armor became available. After the prolifera-
Armor: StarSlab/9.5 Mk II armor are concentrated mostly on the front and turret, tion of the BattleMech, however, updates stopped due to
Armament: giving it considerable survivability on high-speed passes Red Devil’s belief that the popularity and overall superior-
but leaving it critically weak on the sides and rear. Many ity of BattleMechs would make conventional military ve-
1 GM Whirlwind Autocannon/5 Condors are destroyed due to this weakness, as would-be hicles extinct within a century. Only the latest update of the
2 Defiance B3M Medium Lasers targets try to use dispersed formations to take advantage Condor remains in use today.
1 SureFire MiniGun Machine Gun of the armor distribution.
Manufacturer: Red Devil Industries While the Steiners traditionally use the stock model,
Primary Factory: Pandora Its weapon systems are varied but adequate. Turret- AFFS and CCAF units often modify their Condors to suit
Communications System: TharHes KR-A P/Comm mounted medium lasers and an autocannon provide the their tastes. While the Davions utilize more autocannons
Targeting and Tracking System: TharHes Mars 1 bulk of the firepower, while a single machine gun is used to on their vehicles, typically twin class-2 autocannons in-
fend off infantry attacks. When Red Devil decided to mount stalled at the expense of the lasers and GM Whirlwind, the
Overview Defiance B3M Medium lasers on the Condor, Defiance Capellans instead remove the Whirlwind for more lasers.
A heavy cavalry unit designed for rapid reaction to a Industries refused to license the lasers, forcing Red Devil
to create an odd bounty program for used or slightly dam- Notable Crews
shifting battle, the Condor was one of Red Devil’s first mili- aged lasers. The program brought in lasers at the expense of
tary products, produced and sold since a few years before Defiance-built machines like the Zeus, which were gaining Major Craig Stewart: During the initial battles of the
the formation of the Star League. reputations as deathtraps. Defiance moved to protect its Fourth Succession War on the Southern continent of
reputation by finally licensing the laser to Red Devil (which Aldebaran, House Liao intercepted orders sending the
Demand for the hovertank remained steady through- subsequently licensed the laser to the Exeter Organization Redfield’s Renegades off the planet. Sensing an oppor-
out the Succession Wars due to Red Devil using their con- for the Pegasus). tunity, Warrior House Ijori’s second battalion set a trap
siderable influence to gain permission to sell to customers in the Ducoal Swamp and inflicted heavy casualties on
not currently hostile to the Lyran Commonwealth, namely Deployment the unit. While ignoring the supporting infantry of the
the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns. Many The formation of the Federated Commonwealth Fourth Deneb Light Calvary, the Ijori fighters chased the
of the Condor’s critics point to the vehicle’s relatively high BattleMech unit to its landing zone, where a pitched bat-
price tag, though much of that is attributed to the heavy dropped the significant tariffs levied against the export to tle to save the transports ensued.
tariffs the mercantile Steiner Empire has levied on exports. the Davion side of the alliance, allowing the former AFFS to
buy in larger quantities (without an increase in price) than While the infantry was classified as mechanized,
it would otherwise. many of its transports were tracked vehicles that got
caught in the muck of the swamp. With their landing zone
However, since the alliance became official, the once and DropShips a mere one hundred meters away from
considerable sales to the Capellan Confederation were no the enemy BattleMechs, and the defending Renegades
longer allowed, and the overall incoming funds to Red desperate for reinforcements, Major Craig Stewart, also of
Devil Industries have dropped sharply. With several execu- the Fourth Deneb, ordered his battalion of Condor Heavy
tives already under investigation for embezzling funds and Hover tanks to allow the infantry to climb out of the mud
bribery, the budget for facility maintenance and upkeep and onto the hulls with many of their man-portable sup-
has taken a huge hit, and the production infrastructure has port weapons. Though the hover vehicles lost some speed
started to show its wear and tear after the last decade of due to the extra weight, the units were able to meet up
improper care. with the other conventional units in time to reinforce the
Renegades and destroy House Ijori.

CONDOR HEAVY HOVER TANK MEDIUM VEHICLES 61

Type: Condor Heavy Hover Tank Equipment 96 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 6
Movement Type: Hover Value
Tonnage: 50 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 653 R/L Side 30 8
Rear 15/15 1
Equipment 165 Mass Turret 2
Internal Structure: ICE 5 14 .5
Engine: 8 12 Weapons and Ammo 33 .5
12 AC/5 .3
Type: 6 6 Ammo (AC) 20 Location
Cruising MP: 2.5 2 Medium Lasers Turret
Flank MP: 5 Machine Gun Body
Heat Sinks: .2 Ammo (MG) 100 Turret
Control Equipment: 1 Cargo Front
Lift Equipment: Body
Power Amplifier: Body
Turret:

DRILLSON HEAVY HOVER TANK 62

Mass: 50 tons impressed with the Drillson’s showing during the Fourth their (then) newly-revealed Com Guards. [EDITOR’S NOTE:
Movement Type: Hover War, convinced the AFFS Department of the Quartermaster Though Drillsons certainly entered Com Guard ranks after
Power Plant: MaxLift 215 Fusion to procure as many Drillsons as possible. To meet demand, the loss of Terra’s manufacturing centers to the Word of
Cruising Speed: 97 kph Cyclops opened six new lines on New Earth by 3035. Blake, it remains doubtful that the Com Guards of the
Flank Speed: 151 kph 3030s, equipped with Star League-vintage units, would
Armor: ArcShield Heavy Capabilities purchase a vehicle as primitive as the Drillson.]
Armament: The centerpiece of the Drillson is its electronics. The
Variants
1 Cyclops Eye Large Laser Evil Eye targeting and tracking system, a revolutionary The only factory-authorized variant of the standard
2 Hovertec SRM 2 Packs 360-degree vision system similar to the heads-up display
1 Light Crossbow LRM 10 in BattleMech targeting systems, proved itself during the Drillson is a model that removes the long-range missiles for
2 Kicker Machine Guns Fourth Succession War as one of the finest conventional more Hovertec launchers. This model is most often used in
Manufacturer: Cyclops Incorporated electronics systems in use. urban garrisons, where the long-range LRM rack is almost
Primary Factory: New Earth never used. The majority of the Capellan Drillsons are this
Communications System: Cyclops 1 The Drillson’s main gun is the Cyclops Eye large laser model, but examples of it appear anywhere Drillsons are
Targeting and Tracking System: Evil Eye system. The Cyclops Eye is unique among large lasers in found.[EDITOR’S NOTE: In 3039, the hot rumors were of a
that it doesn’t use the long and vulnerable focusing “barrel” Drillson mounting a longer-ranged version of the Cyclops
Overview common to other lasers. Instead, the weapon fires from a Eye large laser, technology now known to be an extended-
In 3025 Cyclops Incorporated on New Earth released slit on the turret, giving the Drillson a more sleek and aero- range large laser. However, as the Inner Sphere also now
dynamic aesthetic. While the engineering is dissimilar from knows, Cyclops’ primary updated production model of the
the Drillson Heavy Hover Tank to the Lyran military. Its standard laser weaponry, the performance of the Cyclops Drillson incorporated Streak missile packs and a large pulse
combination of heavy armor, speed, and hitting power Eye is indistinguishable from comparable laser models laser when it was introduced in the 3050s.]
made it an instant favorite of even the hidebound Lyran from manufacturers like Diverse Optics or Martell.
generals, and Cyclops soon had its job cut out for it Notable Crews
meeting the deluge of orders from across the Inner A bow-mounted Crossbow LRM system gives the
Sphere. This was especially true in the wake of the Fourth Drillson sting at range, while a pair of Hovertec SRM 2 sys- Force Commander Henry Cannon: Force Commander
Succession War. tems and twin Kicker machine guns provide the Drillson’s Cannon is the commander of two companies of Free Worlds
close-in firepower. A top speed of over 150 kilometers per League Military armor that routinely practice as the oppos-
The slaughter of that war meant that the LCAF had hour is, however, the Drillson’s best defense. ing force (OpFor) is training exercises all across the League.
many holes in its ranks to fill with new vehicles, and As of 3039 he is stationed on Tamarind, operating against
the new alliance with the Federated Suns opened that What truly endears the Drillson to Lyran commanders elements of the Marik Militia from nearby worlds. His unit
realm’s military to Lyran markets as well. Davion officers, is its impressive armor. With almost seven tons of ArcShield is currently configured as a Lyran raiding party, which
armor on the chassis, the Drillson can take more punish- means a lot of Drillsons. After having spent more than fif-
ment than most suspect a hovercraft can absorb. teen years in near-constant mock combat, Major Cannon is
considered one of the few true experts in armored warfare
Deployment in the FWLM. His specialty is a tactic he calls the hide-and-
The rapid expansion of production in the early 3030s seek. He uses small units of swift vehicles like the Drillson
or Saracen to draw the enemy into terrain of his choosing,
allowed the Drillson to spread across the Inner Sphere, where he’s hidden his heavier elements. Many armor crews
although the lion’s share remains in the allied nations of have chased a lone Drillson around a copse of trees and
the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns. The met the pair of waiting Ontos tanks.
Capellans have lumped most of theirs into the battalions
of the Home Guard and several prominent Liao-sponsored
mercenary units such as McCarron’s Armored Cavalry.

There were persistent rumors that Cyclops had been
approached by ComStar about purchasing the Drillson for

DRILLSON HEAVY HOVER TANK MEDIUM VEHICLES 63

Type: Drillson Heavy Hover Tank Equipment 104 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 6.5
Movement Type: Hover Value
Tonnage: 50 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 950 R/L Side 24 5
Rear 19/19 2
Equipment 215 Mass Turret 1
Internal Structure: Fusion 5 18 5
Engine: Weapons and Ammo 24 1
9 14.5 Large Laser 1
Type: 14 2 SRM 2 Location .5
Cruising MP: 10 0 Ammo (SRM) 50 Turret
Flank MP: 2.5 LRM 10 Turret
Heat Sinks: 5 Ammo (LRM) 12 Body
Control Equipment: 0 2 Machine Guns Front
Lift Equipment: 1 Ammo (MG) 100 Body
Power Amplifier: Front
Turret: Body

MAXIM HOVER TRANSPORT 64

Mass: 50 tons the Inner Sphere. Many units were overjoyed at being able Maxims, despite their potent fire support for the infantry
Movement Type: Hover to transport their infantry platoons with a single vehicle, as units they deliver to the battlefield, are often sent away
Power Plant: PowerTech 165 Highlift ICE opposed to three or four separate vehicles. The company before combat to prevent any unnecessary casualties. Only
Cruising Speed: 86 kph flourished and subsequently opened plants on Skye, Sian when the infantry need more fire support do they call the
Flank Speed: 129 kph and along with plans to open plants on Atreus and Kathil transports back.
Armor: ArcShield V once several more vehicles could be produced.
Armament: During a raid into Free Worlds League space, Capellan
However, while the Maxim was a huge success, many soldiers were keen on getting payback for a raid on their
1 SureShot VI SRM 6 of MTI’s other forays into the military market proved to home system of Sirius months prior. As the Goblins and
3 Heavy Machine Guns be dismal failures, and the company barely scraped by infantrymen bogged down the company of BattleMechs,
3 LongFire V LRM 5 in its existence. A huge scandal erupted throughout the the balance of the infantry’s transports, a group of
2 SureShot II SRM 2 company during the start of 3037, sealing its demise. Maxims, made their way around the force and attacked
Manufacturer: Scarborough Manufacturers, Accusations of inappropriate activity between coworkers, the BattleMechs from behind. Though only a few casual-
Cyclops Incorporated, Hellespont Industrials embezzlement, and rumors of bizarre hazing rituals led to ties were inflicted initially, the massed LRM fire spooked
Primary Factory: Al Na’ir (Scarborough), the downfall and dissolution of the company. Prominent the raiders into retreating. The retreat turned into a rout,
corporations, sensing an opportunity, procured nearby with the concentrated SRM fire crippling one BattleMech
Skye (Cyclops), Sian (Hellespont) Maxim facilities at low rates, and in the case of the facility at a time as the panicked raiders left the system.
Communications System: Maxim New Standard I/O on Sian, with armed force.
Targeting and Tracking System: Maxim New Variants
Capabilities Like many other Infantry transports, Maxim variants
Standard TargetTrack The Maxim transport proved to be an infantryman’s
often just rearrange the weapons for the unit’s preference.
Overview dream come true. Its single infantry bay is configured so Some replace the LongFire LRMs with more short-range
While many infantry transports have been popular, an entire foot platoon can be carried with enough space missile packs, while others re-organize the SRMs, moving
to check their weapons and move around comfortably. the small racks onto the turret.
none have reached the iconic status of the Maxim. Designed The seats are all padded and face toward the center of the
and produced initially by Maxim Transport Industries, a vehicle, enabling infantry to talk to each other and boost Notable Crews
start-up company on Al Na’ir led by a retired infantry gen- morale. When debarking or mounting up, the Maxim’s crew
eral, nobody expected just how quickly the Maxim would can deflate the rear portion of the hover skirt, unlike other Commander Max Cooper: The commander of the guard
become a success. Now considered the meterstick for troop craft that need to shut down the engine. at MTI’s main plant on Sian, Cooper also held significant
transports, the Maxim has proliferated to every corner of stock in the company and felt betrayed when news of the
When inside a combat situation, the Maxim receives scandals broke. He attempted to hold onto the facility as
high marks as well. The vehicle can provide covering fire his own during the first few days of the company’s dis-
in any direction for a debarking infantry platoon with the solution, feeling his stock share was justification enough.
hovertank’s short- and long-range missiles, thanks to the His troops, composed of various infantrymen and their
fore-and-aft LongFire V racks and brace of SureShot short- Maxim transports, held onto the facility for twelve hours
ranged missile launchers. The turret mounts a trio of rapid- as Hellespont’s own corporate militia assaulted him in a
firing machine guns to deal with hostile infantry. “hostile takeover” operation. His forces would later retreat
and come back several hours later in an attempt to retake
Deployment the area, but the swift hovertanks were no matched for the
While hovercraft are popular choices for the trans- now-entrenched defenders, and Commander Cooper lost
his life during the battle.
porting of troops, the vulnerable hover skirts are often
seen as a drawback when in combat conditions. As a result

MAXIM HOVER TRANSPORT MEDIUM VEHICLES 65

Type: Maxim Heavy Hover Transport Equipment 88 Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Lift Equipment: Armor 5 SRM 6 Turret 3
Movement Type: Hover Power Amplifier: Value 0 Ammo (SRM) 15 Body 1
Tonnage: 50 Turret: .5 3 Machine Guns Turret 1.5
Battle Value: 764 Armor Factor: 20 5.5 Ammo (MG) 200 Body 1
20/20 2 LRM 5 Front 4
Equipment 165 Mass Front LRM 5 Rear 2
Internal Structure: ICE 5 R/L Side 12 Ammo (LRM) 24 Body 1
Engine: 8 12 Rear 16 SRM 2 Left 1
12 Turret SRM 2 Right 1
Type: 0 0 Ammo (SRM) 50 Body 1
Cruising MP: 2.5 Infantry Bay Body 3
Flank MP:
Heat Sinks:
Control Equipment:

VEDETTE MEDIUM TANK 66

Mass: 50 tons close-in defense. Both weapons are provided with a satis- face rearward. The Vedettes kept the ’Mechs under a near-
Movement Type: Tracked factory amount of ammunition. constant barrage of cannon fire and managed to disable
Power Plant: Locom-Pack 250 InterComBust ICE or destroy three heavy Canopian ’Mechs. Unfortunately,
Cruising Speed: 54 kph Six tons of ProtecTech 6 armor clad the Vedette, giv- they weren’t able to disengage before they ran out of am-
Flank Speed: 86 kph ing the crew a reasonable amount of protection, but the munition and were later routed, but the damage they in-
Armor: ProtecTech 6 Vedette’s true defense is its impressive 86 kph maximum flicted kept the Canopian ’Mech company out of action for
Armament: speed. This speed makes Vedette formations highly mo- three months.
bile, which when combined with the all-terrain nature of
1 Armstrong J11 Autocannon/5 its tracked drive system, gives the tank the ability to appear Variants
1 Scatter Gun Light Machine Gun almost at will across the battlefield. Two main variants have emerged over the years. The
Manufacturer: New Earth Trading Company
Primary Factory: New Earth The ComStar-designed electronics are some of the few first variant is meant to extend the Vedette’s range. The
Communications System: ComStar Rover declassified systems the shadowy organization produces, Armstrong autocannon is replaced with a lighter cannon
Targeting and Tracking System: ComStar Test-2 and they are only found in Vedettes manufactured in the and adds a supplementary short-range missile rack. The
mammoth New Earth Trading Company production facili- second, popular in Liao space, removes the Armstrong and
Overview ties on New Earth. Although there are more than a dozen replaces it with two medium lasers and six heat sinks. With
The Vedette is easily the most popular tank in every facilities producing Vedettes around the Inner Sphere and the Vedette being so common, the variants that might be
local Periphery, those vehicles are forced to rely on locally encountered on battlefields are nearly endless.
Successor State. A solid design, this 50-ton fighting vehicle produced electronics, giving the New Earth vehicles an
is often the meterstick against which all other combat vehi- edge in prestige, if not capabilities. Notable Crews
cles are measured. First produced by the New Earth Trading
Company and incorporating specially licensed ComStar Deployment Leftenant Karl Noonan: Leftenant Noonan and his
electronics, the Vedette has spread to every realm and is in Wherever there are armored vehicles, there will be at Vedette crew were last seen in the Fire Rift area of Quentin
standard production in several factories while also being a during the War of 3039. Noonan and his crew were forced
common special-license item. least one Vedette. It is not unreasonable to assume there to retreat alone after the Fortieth Dieron Regulars overran
might be an example of this tank on every world in the their vehicle company. Captured reports seem to indicate
Capabilities Inner Sphere. It appears in almost every House armored that the Vedette was still operational and using the high
The Vedette is a modern implementation of an ancient unit and many mercenary armor battalions. The recent IR and magnetic anomaly content of the Fire Rift to keep
technological renaissance from the memory core recov- ahead of their Kuritan pursuers at least into mid-3040.
medium-tank architecture: a single main cannon and sup- ered on Helm has only helped make the Vedette more How they held out so long without military resupply of
porting machine gun matched to good speed and armor. popular, allowing more and more manufacturers to begin fuel and ammunition is credited to the Davion citizens,
The turret-mounted Armstrong J11 Autocannon/5 pro- production. [EDITOR’S NOTE: As of 3055, the Vedette was who fought the Kurita invasion with a lively and effective
vides respectable firepower, while a machine gun provides also being built by Quikscell on Layover, Benson and Bjorn underground resistance.
on Ghost Bear-occupied Spittal, Hellespont Industries on
Sian, United Outworlders Corporation on Mitchella, Pinard Subcommander Liu Soon: Commander of a small urban
Protectorates Limited on Perdition, and Vandenberg defense unit, Subcommander Liu has equipped his entire
Mechanized Industries on Pinard.] company with the medium-laser variant Vedette. This unit
exercises constantly, training to ambush enemy ’Mechs
During the fighting on Drozan in 3030 during the and vehicles in the close confines of an urban landscape.
abortive invasion of the Capellan Confederation by A veteran of both the Fourth Succession War and the
the Magistracy of Canopus and the renegade Duchy of Andurien-Magistracy invasion, Subcommander Liu is
Andurien, a large unit of Capellan Vedettes was caught fervent believer in using all available cover to make an
away from prepared defenses. This unit, a short battalion invader pay.
of two reinforced companies, was being pursued by a
Canopian ’Mech company. Using their superior mobility,
the Vedettes managed to stay ahead of the ’Mech unit by
running at flank speed with their turrets cranked around to

VEDETTE MEDIUM TANK MEDIUM VEHICLES 67

Type: Vedette Medium Tank Equipment 96 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Turret: Armor 1
Movement Type: Tracked Armor Factor: Value 6
Tonnage: 50
Battle Value: 475 Front 20 Tonnage
R/L Side 18/18 8
Equipment 250 Mass Rear 1
Internal Structure: ICE 5 Turret 20 .5
Engine: 5 25 20 .5
8 Weapons and Ammo
Type: 0 0 AC/5 Location
Cruising MP: 2.5 Ammo (AC) 20 Turret
Flank MP: 0 Machine Gun Body
Heat Sinks: 0 Ammo (MG) 100 Turret
Control Equipment: Body
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:

BULLDOG MEDIUM TANK 68

Mass: 60 tons Capabilities In 3035, Hansen’s Roughriders jumped through the
Movement Type: Tracked Though effective, the Bulldog’s armament and armor Free Rasalhague Republic to attack the Combine world
Power Plant: Bulldog 240 ICE Sternwerde in a campaign that would inspire the Killer
Cruising Speed: 43 kph are both uninspired. A single large laser backed by a pair of Bees’ operation during the War of 3039. Defending the sys-
Flank Speed: 64 kph Hovertec SRM 4s gives the tank considerable throw-weight tem were the Fifth Benjamin Regulars and a battalion of the
Armor: Bulldog Standard at short range, especially against other vehicles. Like most Elite Second Sword of Light. The Kurita defenders attempt-
Armament: other vehicles, a single front-mounted machine gun is the ed a delaying action, while several other regiments with
standard anti-infantry defense, though some may augment armor and infantry support jumped in system to trap and
1 Bulldog Large Laser this by making half of the SRM ammunition infernos. destroy the unit. However, the Roughriders were able to
2 Hovertec Quad SRM 4 Systems keep the defenders at bay until the Kuritan reinforcements
1 Bulldog Minigun Machine Gun The advantage of such an average design is that arrived. Instead of retreating in the face of such overwhelm-
Manufacturer: Bulldog Enterprises, Quikscell Company Bulldogs rarely go without spare parts, allowing techni- ing odds, the Roughriders ambushed the landing zone and
Primary Factory: Proserpina (Bulldog), cians to repair and rebuild the machine. Many Bulldogs caught the three DCMS regiments as they were unloading.
abandoned on the battlefield as unsalvageable reappear The Combine regiments were slaughtered, often caught in
Ares (Quikscell) within the ranks of the opposing force a few days later. the DropShips being destroyed around them. With this vic-
Communications System: Xilex-2000 tory in their hat, the exhausted Roughriders retreated to
Targeting and Tracking System: Xilex-2000 Deployment Lyran space.
Despite the vehicle’s slow start, hundreds of thousands
Overview The unit that would earn the most kills in that final
A successful producer of civilian vehicles, Bulldog of Bulldogs have been produced since its introduction, and battle was not any BattleMech, but a lone Bulldog tank
they have spread to all corners of the Inner Sphere. Though named Little Softy, which garnered five BattleMech kills,
Enterprises attempted to expand into a new market when this may sound impressive, many other conventional ve- almost forty vehicle kills, and several hundred infantry-
the Star League Defense Force ramped up. Its first attempt, hicles in its class have had double or triple the Bulldog’s men killed or wounded. Most of these kills were cred-
the Bulldog Medium Tank, was meant to be a relatively low- production numbers, demonstrating the lukewarm recep- ited to Little Softy’s use of infernos, which were fired into
cost, mass-produced design, able to be fielded in battalion tion it has had. the exposed cargo bay of an unloading DropShip. The
and regimental formations in campaigns without straining ammunition stockpiled there detonated, destroying the
the logistical chain. Unfortunately, its reception was not as Much of the Bulldog’s sales were attributed to its low DropShip and numerous units unable to descend the
good as anticipated, and in 2700 Bulldog Enterprises li- cost. For example, House Davion selected the Bulldog for packed loading ramps.
censed the tank to Quikscell in hopes the royalties from its war stockpiles in anticipation of the Succession Wars
sales on the other side of the Inner Sphere could fund the simply because the tank was inexpensive. With sales from Variants
design of more popular military vehicles. the Draconis Combine and Capellan Confederation blocked Since large Bulldog units are common, some have
during the Succession Wars, the AFFS had to draw from
that stockpile to replace its combat losses, sometimes bat- been modified to provide organic fire support. Common
talions at a time. This supply was exhausted by the middle variants either replace the large laser with an LRM 20 or
of the Third Succession War, but the remaining Bulldogs a pair of AC/2s for those who prefer more direct forms of
were readily maintained due to their ability to accept a fire support.
wide range of replacement components.
Notable Crews
After the Fourth Succession War, Davion raiders
struck Ares periodically. By this time, most of the Capellan Major Jake Blanchard: Commander of the Second
Confederations defenders had become so demoralized Armored Battalion within the mercenary unit Hansen’s
that shipments of assembled Bulldogs and other conven- Roughriders, Major Blanchard often keeps his Bulldog,
tional vehicles were easy pickings, allowing raiders to come Little Softy, and his battalion near the main formation of
away with several battalions of military vehicles, especial- Roughrider BattleMechs, where they can provide stalwart
ly Bulldogs. As long as the raiders stayed away from the support for the ’Mechs.
BattleMech and DropShip facilities in the system, the only
resistance expected was the small corporate militia defend-
ing the Quikscell site.

BULLDOG MEDIUM TANK HEAVY VEHICLES 69

Type: Bulldog Medium Tank Equipment 104 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 6.5
Movement Type: Tracked Value
Tonnage: 60 Front
Battle Value: 605 R/L Side 24
Rear 20/20
Equipment Mass Turret
Internal Structure: 6 20
Engine: 23 Weapons and Ammo 20
Large Laser
Type: 240 8 2 SRM 4 Location Tonnage
Cruising MP: ICE 3 Ammo (SRM) 50 Turret 5
Flank MP: 4 0 Machine Gun Turret 4
Heat Sinks: 6 .5 Ammo (MG) 100 Body 2
Control Equipment: 8 1 Front .5
Lift Equipment: Body .5
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

HI-SCOUT DRONE CARRIER 70

Mass: 60 tons Successor States came to copy ScolTek’s design, leading well as a modicum of armor protection useful against col-
Movement Type: Tracked to a widespread use of these vehicles among the Inner lisions and small-arms fire. The PathTrack has all the detec-
Power Plant: Vlar 240 ICE Sphere’s more well-equipped regiments. tion capabilities of the NapFind while also being adept at
Cruising Speed: 43 kph intercepting radio transmissions, which it then could relay
Flank Speed: 64 kph Capabilities back to the Hi-Scout through the drone command system.
Armor: ArcShield V In the scavenger tech age of the late Third Succession
Armament: The Hi-Scout itself formed the centerpiece of the net-
War, the Hi-Scout quickly earned the reputation as the best work and thus was built with a sturdier design and armed
1 SureShot II SRM 2 detection unit available. The Hi-Scout’s own sensor suite to discourage hostile infantry and light vehicles. Its com-
Manufacturer: ScolTek Associates includes infrared, seismic, audio, motion, radio (includ- munications network could transmit over numerous differ-
ing hyperpulse signals), and radar. With its StealthMat-Q ent channels at once and coordinate the activities of all five
Primary Factory: Inarcs Communications System, the drone carrier could coordi- of its drones at the same time.
Communications System: StealthMat-Q with Multitrack nate with its unmanned probes to find and identify enemy
Targeting and Tracking System: Tar Tec Mini-Find units without being detected itself. Its communications ra- Deployment
dius (without satellite assistance) to its drones is twenty-five A broad range of copycat vehicles emerged after the first
Overview kilometers, which could be daisy-chained through a series
A Succession Wars-era low-cost answer to the increas- of drones acting as relays to more distant siblings. Its stan- LCAF Hi-Scouts were captured in a Kurita raid, and scores of
dard NapFind and PathTrack Sensor Drones—essentially company-made Hi-Scouts were smuggled out through various
ing need for dedicated reconnaissance units, the Hi-Scout remote-controlled mini-vehicles designed to relay signals intermediaries posing as mercenary buyers. As a result, within
Drone Carrier debuted in the year 3000, produced for the back to the command unit—used some of the most com- less than twenty years, nearly all five of the Great Houses pos-
Lyran Commonwealth by ScolTek Associates of Inarcs. plex communications equipment available to the Inner sessed Hi-Scout drone networks or effective knock-offs using
Though lacking the sophisticated electronics found dur- Sphere militaries of the day. Only the enhanced electronics a similar design. Though the LIC was eventually able to plug
ing the Star League era, the effectiveness of the Hi-Scout of the Star League-era, such as the Beagle Active Probe and the security breaches that made this proliferation possible, by
and its remote-controlled drones nevertheless offered a the Guardian ECM Suite, could improve on the reconnais- 3025 any strategic advantage ScolTek’s innovation provided
better solution to the hazards of sending fast, light ’Mechs sance capabilities of the Hi-Scout and its drones. House Steiner had long since evaporated.
into suspect territory during an age when BattleMechs
were growing frighteningly rare. In short order, the other The NapFind drone, a 2,500-kilogram remote-controlled Variants
hovercraft, employed an advanced “venturi-disk” skirtless No significant variants of the Hi-Scout or its drones
hover system for mobility and could attain speeds nearing
250 kilometers per hour using its fuel cell-based engine. emerged in the years prior to the War of 3039, though
Armed only with a pair of manipulators (used most often in the recovery of Star League technology placed the design
demolitions work or for military scientific analysis and hazmat on the table for numerous experimental modifications.
handling situations), the NapFind could cruise away from its By far the most promising were those of the Capellan
parent unit—often as far away as 30 to 50 kilometers—and Confederation, which sought to implement Beagle Active
gather a host of data through its standard sensor array, relay- Probes and Guardian ECM technology in the ScolTek de-
ing its findings through the remote connection. signs. Unfortunately, engineering limitations—not the
least of which included the sheer weight of the advanced
The PathTrack, a slightly heavier tracked drone similar sensors—forced the Confederation’s engineers to rein-
in basic design to the NapFind, boasted a longer operating vest their efforts in the design of heavier, dedicated scout
range and somewhat more powerful detection systems, as units like the Raven.

HI-SCOUT DRONE CARRIER HEAVY VEHICLES 71

Type: Hi-Scout Drone Carrier Type: Tracked Drone (PathTrack) Type: Hover Drone (NapFind)
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Chassis Type: Tracked (Small Remote Drone) Chassis Type: Hover (Small Remote Drone)
Movement Type: Tracked Mass: 3,000 kg Mass: 2,500 kg
Tonnage: 60 Technology Base: Inner Sphere (D/X-F-D/C) Technology Base: Inner Sphere (D/X-F-D/C)
Battle Value: N/A Battle Value: N/A Battle Value: N/A

Equipment 240 Mass Equipment ICE Mass Equipment Fuel Cell Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 6 Chassis/Controls: 8 195 kg Chassis/Controls: 15 250 kg
Engine: 4 23 Engine: 12 1,836 kg Engine: 23 1,432 kg
6 354 km (Petrochemical)
Type: 0 0 Cruising MP: Drone 65 kg Cruising MP: 153 km 33 kg
Cruising MP: 3 Flank MP: 800 kg Flank MP: Drone 750 kg
Flank MP: 88 0 Fuel: 8 Fuel:
Heat Sinks: Armor 0 Control Systems: Armor 0 Control Systems: 0 0
Control Equipment: Value .5 Power Amplifier: Value 0 Power Amplifier: Armor 0
Lift Equipment: 5.5 Turret: 104 kg Turret: Value 0
Power Amplifier: 18 Armor Factor (BAR 2): 2 Armor Factor (BAR 2):
Turret: 18/18 Tonnage 2/2 0
Armor Factor: 1 Front 2 Front 0/0
16 1 R/L Side R/L Side 0
Front 18 4.5 Rear Rear
R/L Side 9
Rear Location 5 Weapons and Ammo Location Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Mass
Turret Turret 1.5 None — — 2 Manipulators Front 20 kg
Body
Weapons and Ammo Body Crew: 0 Crew: 0
SRM 2 Body Note: Features Ultra-Light Chassis Modification and Drone (Remote) Cargo:
Ammo (SRM) 50 Body
Drone Carrier Control System Body Operating System 15 kg (Front)
3 Tracked Drones Note: Features Ultra-Light Chassis Modification and Drone (Remote)
2 Hover Drones
Cargo Operating System

LRM/SRM CARRIER 72

Mass: 60 tons Overview To make the missile carriers more attractive to a wide
Movement Type: Tracked Unveiled during the Age of War by Quik Products Inc. variety of customers, the launching systems are designed
Power Plant: InterComBust 180 ICE to easily use a wide variety of other manufacturer’s mis-
Cruising Speed: 32 kph (the predecessor of Quikscell), the generically named Missile sile ammunition. For example, Davion troops may load an
Flank Speed: 54 kph Carriers quickly became highly coveted due to their mas- LRM carrier with DeltaDart munitions, while their Kuritian
Armor: Simple Armor Plate Standard sive firepower. Many other companies released poorly built counterparts use Shigunga versions. The sole caveat to this
Armament: clones of Quik’s design, leading to bad publicity for the grow- trend is that Quikscell does not warranty vehicles that mal-
ing company as these copies often broke down or did not function when loaded with missile munitions other than
3 FarFire LRM 20 (LRM Carrier) work in the first place (even more so than Quik’s products). their FarFire/Holly launchers.
10 Holly SRM 6 (SRM Carrier)
Manufacturer: Aldis Industries, Joint Equipment Shortly before the Fourth Succession War, Quikscell Deployment
Systems, Quikscell Company launched a series of lawsuits against the various other Due to Quikscell’s multiple plants scattered across
Primary Factory: Terra (Aldis), Alshain (JES), manufacturers who copied their missile carriers. The law-
suits were considered almost frivolous by industry watch- the Inner Sphere, every majority military fields LRM/SRM
various (Quikscell) ers, who did not understand that Quikscell was not target- Carriers in significant numbers. Quikscell wisely offered a
Communications System: Communicator ing every model of missile support vehicle, but rather the trade-in program to all using LRM/SRM Carriers not pro-
Targeting and Tracking System: FireScan with Missile Carriers closely based on the original design of Quik duced by them with some free spare parts tossed in for
Products, Inc. There were, in fact, many manufacturers that good measure, and by the end of the War of 3039 only a
IndirecTrack had been frightened by the Succession Wars’ technological handful of the non-Quikscell-designed carriers remained,
regression into religiously adhering to the Quik Products mainly in the hands of pirate groups or periphery planets
design in most details, which made the unusual intellectual too poor to pay the shipping expenses.
property case feasible.
Variants
Many of these producers’ sole products were these Though a few units attempted to replace the missile
cheap Missile Carriers, and the high legal costs forced them
to either cease production or to go out of business (usually systems with other weapon systems such as lasers or AC/2s,
both). One company not targeted by the legal attacks was none were popular or as effective as the original. Most of
Joint Equipment Systems, which was the only company to these changes were simply to streamline logistics for the
negotiate in good faith with Quik Products Inc. centuries be- unit or to take advantage of large stockpiles of otherwise
fore. When faced with the emergence of the Com Guards and unused munitions.
another manufacturer of the Quik-designed Missile Carrier,
Aldis Industries, Quikscell executives refrained from launching Notable Crews
a legal attack on a ComStar-backed, Terran-based company.
Jerry Rogers: A member of a pirate band known for raid-
Capabilities ing the Outback systems of the Federated Suns, Rogers’
Based on designs centuries older, the current Missile last known action was on the system of Estuan in 3029. A
food raid turned bad, leaving much of Rogers’ group wiped
Carriers (Quik-based or otherwise) follow roughly the same out. Rogers and his lone SRM Carrier were pursued by a
template. Their internal combustion engines propel the group of equally slow BattleMechs and infantrymen into
tracked tanks at a mediocre 54 kph and mount the middle of Estuan’s capital city. When the pursuit finally
only enough armor to protect the crew and caught up to the carrier, it was seemingly abandoned. They
vital systems from the back blasts of so encircled the vehicle only to be caught by the blast of small
many missiles. Sixty missile tubes make explosive device that set off the remaining missile muni-
a massive support battery, but only tions, leveling the surrounding civilian buildings and killing
four tons of ammunition give the mis- the pursuing force. Despite having a huge bounty on his
sile tank a short battlefield endurance head after that, Jerry Rogers has never been seen again.
before having to retire for re-supply.

LRM/SRM CARRIER HEAVY VEHICLES 73

Type: LRM Carrier Type: SRM Carrier Equipment 48 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 3
Movement Type: Tracked Movement Type: Tracked Value
Tonnage: 60 Tonnage: 60 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 833 Battle Value: 816 R/L Side 12 30
Rear 12/12 4
Equipment Mass Equipment Mass
Internal Structure: 6 Internal Structure: 6 12
Engine: 14 Engine: 24
180 180 Weapons and Ammo Location
Type: ICE 0 Type: ICE 0 10 SRM 6 Front
Cruising MP: 3 3 Cruising MP: 3 3 Ammo (SRM) 60 Body
Flank MP: 5 0 Flank MP: 5 0
Heat Sinks: 0 0 Heat Sinks: 0 0
Control Equipment: 0 Control Equipment: 0
Lift Equipment: 48 3 Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier: Armor Power Amplifier:
Turret: Value Turret:
Armor Factor:
12
Front 12/12
R/L Side
Rear 12

Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
3 LRM 20 Front 30
Ammo (LRM) 24 Body 4

MANTICORE HEAVY TANK 74

Mass: 60 tons Capabilities Manticores rather than any other conventional ground ve-
Movement Type: Tracked The Manticore was designed similarly to BattleMechs hicle. Licensing the vehicle to other companies has spread
Power Plant: Pitban 240 Fusion the Manticore’s reputation to the farthest corners in the
Cruising Speed: 43 kph of the time, with a wide variety of weapons to give it the Inner Sphere and parts of the Periphery.
Flank Speed: 65 kph ability to fight at several range brackets. The Parti-Kill PPC
Armor: ArcShield Maxi II and FarFire LRM do considerable damage to units at long Many have questioned Defiance Industries’ decision
Armament: range, while the short-ranged missiles and a front-mount- to aid the Commonwealth’s ancient enemy, the Draconis
ed OMI medium laser protects the tank at close quarters. Combine, in starting Manticore production on Proserpina.
1 Parti-Kill Heavy Cannon PPC Many Manticore crews will attempt to close within 300 However, Defiance Industries has defended itself by show-
1 SureShot Mk VI SRM 6 meters of a target, allowing a Manticore to unleash all its ing that the Combine weapons manufacturer, Bulldog
1 FarFire LRM 10 weapons. Enterprises, was attempting to clone the vehicle for House
1 OMI HighBurn Medium Laser Kurita anyway, so it was better for the Commonwealth to
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries, Jalastar Aerospace The key to the Manticore’s superior capabilities is its squeeze every penny out of the design and keep the pro-
Primary Factory: Hesperus II (Defiance), 240-rated Pitban Fusion engine. Fusion engines were typi- ceeds local.
cally the province of BattleMechs during the Succession
Panpour (Jalastar) Wars, which left most combat vehicles with heavier and Variants
Communications System: O/P R Janxiir more traditional internal combustion engine. The advan- Defiance Industries decided to continue TechniCorp’s
Targeting and Tracking System: TargiTrack 717 tages of fusion engines are evident on the Manticore, al-
lowing the tank to move at a respectable cruise speed of policy of refusing repairs on modified Manticore tanks. One
Overview 43 kph and keep its internals protected with eleven tons leniency in this policy is that customers are allowed to use
For its time, the Manticore was a state-of-the-art of armor. While sounding average when compared to different brands of the mounted weapons if necessary due
BattleMechs, it is considerably better than other vehicles to combat damage. The extensive discount on the repairs
frontline heavy tank, originally intended to be a one-on- in its weight class. has most customers willingly complying. Other Manticore
one match for BattleMechs of equal size. It was designed manufacturers followed similar policies, at least until the
by TechniCorp for the Star League member states and Unlike other PPCs, the Parti-Kill uses a series of mag- technological recovery of the 3030s and 3040s encouraged
earned a reputation as a powerful infantry-support weap- netic collection bottles that collect a charge of plasma. experimentation.
on during the Reunification War. With the destruction of These energies are then released as an energy “shell” that
TechniCorp’s head offices on Terra during the Amaris Coup, is unstable at ranges of less than ninety meters and loses Notable Vehicles
other weapon manufacturers absorbed TechniCorp’s pro- cohesion and disintegrates at 540 meters.
duction plants across the Inner Sphere. It is a testament to BlackWater: The Manticore tank nicknamed BlackWater was
TechniCorp’s solid design that the Manticore is presently However, despite (or because of ) its wide range crewed by a group of Dispossessed Davion MechWarriors
produced by no less than six manufacturers, nearly five of weapons, Manticore crews are taught to avoid the who pooled their funds to buy the tank so as to not be
centuries after its inception. heavy brawlers such as the Behemoth and Ontos, as the transferred to desk jobs or drummed out of the military.
Manticore does not have the same raw firepower as those During the lopsided fighting in the Fourth Succession War,
super-heavy tanks. each crewmember was able to salvage a new BattleMech.
As the last ’Mech was captured, the crew decided to scrap
Deployment the Manticore for various weapons, armor, and engine parts
The distinguished, high profile of the Manticore, to bring their ’Mechs up to fighting condition. By the end,
all that was left was the chassis, motive system, and some
selected to give it good angles of fire against towering incompatible circuit boards. However, during the War of
BattleMechs, makes it easily spotted on the battlefield, 3039, these same former crewmen (assigned to the same
for better or for worse. Though more expensive than lance) all lost their new ’Mechs. The few salvageable parts of
other frontline tanks such as the Bulldog, it is very com- their ’Mechs were, coincidentally, mostly from BlackWater.
mon to see entire companies and battalions composed of
Manticores. Many wealthy nobles who are just shy of being
able to afford a BattleMech formation will often pay for

MANTICORE HEAVY TANK HEAVY VEHICLES 75

Type: Manticore Heavy Tank Equipment 176 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 11
Movement Type: Tracked Value
Tonnage: 60 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 933 R/L Side 42 7
Rear 33/33 3
Equipment 240 Mass Turret 1
Internal Structure: Fusion 6 26 5
Engine: Weapons and Ammo 42 1
4 17.5 PPC 1
Type: 6 SRM 6 Location
Cruising MP: 13 3 Ammo (SRM) 15 Turret
Flank MP: 3 LRM 10 Turret
Heat Sinks: 0 Ammo (LRM) 12 Body
Control Equipment: 0 Medium Laser Turret
Lift Equipment: 1.5 Body
Power Amplifier: Front
Turret:

PIKE SUPPORT VEHICLE 76

Mass: 60 tons Pike is one that transcends its origins and earns it a place Variants
Movement Type: Tracked in the annals of combat vehicles. Canopus Industries Alpha produces no variants of the
Power Plant: Jones 180 with EmissionKill ICE
Cruising Speed: 32 kph Capabilities basic Pike chassis. With the frame in continuous production
Flank Speed: 54 kph The Pike is not a fast tank, nor a particularly well- for almost eighty years, however, a number of one-of-kind
Armor: StarSlab/9 field modifications are sure to exist. Various configurations
Armament: armed or -armored tank. It doesn’t have a flashy profile of missiles or larger-bore cannons are most common.
or come from a famous factory. In fact, most consider its
3 ZeusBolt Autocannon/2s Periphery origins a liability. It’s not powered by a high-tech Notable Crews
2 Marklin Mini Missile SRM 2 Packs fusion engine and it doesn’t use state-of-the-art ComStar
Manufacturer: Canopus Industries Alpha electronics. What the Pike has is reliability. Commander Theo Lykins: Commander Lykins is a mem-
Primary Factory: Canopus ber of one of the domestic Pike units in the Magistracy
Communications System: Magestrix Alpha Considering its origins, the Pike is actually a rather in- Armed Forces. As one of the primary defensive formations
Targeting and Tracking System: Magestrix Gamma novative vehicle. The EmissionKill system attached to the for the factories that produce the Pike—and a number of
Jones 180 ICE attempts to mask the tank’s infrared signa- other critical vehicles—both for the MAF and for export,
Overview ture with limited success, and the Magestrix Gamma target- Lykins’ unit is intimately familiar with the Pike’s strengths
The Pike Support Vehicle was an attempt by Magestrix ing and tracking system uses an innovative radar system and flaws. Lykins’ double-strength company of twenty-
to correct the fire of the trio of ZeusBolt Autocannon/2s. four Pikes is the first line of defense against any attacker
Kyalla Centrella to take advantage of the endless battles And while the cannons don’t cause a catastrophic amount approaching the factory complex. A series of specially
of the Third Succession War—and the endless attrition in of damage per round, there are three of them. A pair of built revetments allow the Pikes to go hull-down, hiding
’Mechs those battles caused—by marketing an inexpen- short-range missile racks protects the Pike from enemies all except their turrets, and fire into specially cleared lanes
sive combat vehicle to the Successor States to replace the that close within the minimum range of the ZeusBolts. that any attacker is forced to travel down. The rest of his
shrinking BattleMech forces. Her hope was that by con- battalion—a dozen Hetzer Wheeled Assault Guns—remain
tinuing to support military conflict in the Inner Sphere, the Deployment in cover, ready to attack at close range any invader who
Successor Lords would wear themselves down while the To date the largest purchaser of the Pike has been manages to breach the Pikes’“Wall of Fire.”
Magistracy preserved its own BattleMechs. The Magestrix
underestimated the logistics of shipping useful quantities ComStar, who uses the tank to reinforce the garrisons of Adept IV Carla Rush: Adept Rush commands a special
of military vehicles to the Inner Sphere to achieve that end, a number of smaller hyperpulse facilities around the Inner detachment—two Level II formations—of Pikes and
overlooking the success the House Lords had achieved in Sphere and nearby Periphery. After a spectacular engage- Demolishers stationed at one of ComStar’s Periphery HPGs.
wearing down their JumpShip fleets. Despite slow sales ment against Helmar Valasek’s pirates near Santander V, Deployed on the capital world of the Oberon Confederation
caused by the poor shipping situation, the legacy of the ComStar ordered the next four years of production from near the court of Bandit King Hendrik Grimm, Adept Rush
the Pike lines and spread them around the Inner Sphere. and her vehicles were a highly visible reminder of ComStar’s
military might. During exercises with the local Oberon
Because of the weak firepower of a single Pike, ComStar Guards, Adept Rush’s command proved highly adept at
takes advantage of its unique organizational scheme, spotting the opposing commander’s machine and bring-
which uses a base six rather than base four, to group five ing it down with concentrated cannon fire. The Com Guard
Pikes with a single Demolisher Heavy Tank. Three ZeusBolt unit refused to participate in Operation Scorpion and thus
cannons are just an annoyance to a BattleMech, but fifteen was not destroyed by the Clan garrison, but it was forced
of them firing at one target can quickly destroy even the to leave shortly thereafter.
largest BattleMech. Since the simplest tactic when faced
with light autocannon fire is to charge in beneath the guns’
minimum range, ComStar planners place a short-ranged
Demolisher tank with the group to protect it at ranges less
than 120 meters.

PIKE SUPPORT VEHICLE HEAVY VEHICLES 77

Type: Pike Support Vehicle Equipment 144 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 9
Movement Type: Tracked Value
Tonnage: 60 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 648 R/L Side 33 18
Rear 25/25 5
Equipment 180 Mass Turret 2
Internal Structure: ICE 6 25 1
Engine: 3 14 Weapons and Ammo 36
5 3 AC/2
Type: 0 0 Ammo (AC) 225 Location
Cruising MP: 3 2 SRM 2 Turret
Flank MP: 0 Ammo (SRM) 50 Body
Heat Sinks: 0 Front
Control Equipment: 2 Body
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

LT-MOB-25 MOBILE LONG TOM ARTILLERY 78

Mass: 55 tons Capabilities offensive role. The Marik attackers set themselves up in the
Movement Type: Tracked The MLT system operates as a train of six tracked city of Tromoth. From there, they moved up a Long Tom to
Power Plant: Robel 110 ICE bombard the city of Garth. At the same time, House Liao
Cruising Speed: 21 kph transports. The tractor unit carries the artillery piece itself; relocated one of their own MLTs to attack the Marik raiders.
Flank Speed: 32 kph towed behind it are two support (from which weapon fire is The two guns attempted to destroy each other for nearly
Armor: Star Slab/1 directed), and three ammunition carriages capable of car- a week. Finally, spies within Garth sabotaged and disabled
Armament: rying seventy-five rounds of ammunition. This combined the Liao gun, giving the Marik weapon free rein to bom-
vehicle travels slowly, and its endurance is limited by the bard the rest of the city, breaking the stalemate and allow-
1 Armstrong Industries Long Tom Rifle ICE power plant and the requirement for frequent refuel- ing Marik troops to capture Garth.
Mobile Chassis System ing. The sheer weight of the unit can damage regular roads
and an MLT rarely travels across unpaved terrain, as there is In 3002, House Marik raided the city of Treth on the
4 SperryBrowning Machine Guns a good chance it will get stuck. planet Loric in the Lyran Commonwealth. By moving and
Manufacturer: Rebel Industrial Technologies, Inc. firing their only MLT, the Steiner defenders fooled the Marik
The Long Tom is strong in long-range battles but is forces into thinking there were three MLTs in and around
Primary Factory: Mars relatively weak at close quarters. Thus, units such as tanks, the city. The Free Worlds League withdrew quickly without
Communications System: ROMTECH 100 infantry, and BattIeMechs often defend the unit. Though imparting any serious damage to the Steiner forces.
Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 10-40 LTR it carries four side-mounted machine guns for close de-
fense, these are hardly enough to take on an armed ’Mech. Variants
Overview However, the greatest threat to the mobile Long Tom is A rare variant of the Mobile Long Tom is the LT-MOB-50
The Mobile Long Tom (or MLT) is actually a series of not ground forces but aerospace fighters. Therefore, units
known for their anti-aircraft capability are sometimes sta- rail version. Although lacking the tracked version’s freedom
tracked vehicles working together to move and position tioned with this unit. of movement (and, in fact, its use of rails can be a tactical
the artillery piece for firing. Manufactured originally for the liability), it can travel faster via rail.
SLDF, many fell into the hand of Successor States troops Deployment
when the League collapsed after the Amaris Coup. It is common for Mobile Long Toms to be grouped Notable Crews

The history of the MLT is filled with stories of how its into batteries of up to six units. The Inner Sphere militar- Captain John Cassion: John commands the Long Tom
awesome firepower saved entire cities. ies attach these batteries to the regimental battle group of battery assigned to the New Battle Creek Defense League
select regiments or use them as the core for independent on the Davion world of Kestrel. He has served on a Mobile
artillery battalions. Garrison units stationed in and near key Long Tom crew since he was fifteen and has earned a
cities usually possess one or two of these weapons. reputation for being an excellent artilleryman.

In 2888, House Kurita launched yet another raid on the Lieutenant Wendy Polanski: Wendy is a firing officer for
storehouses in the city of Trent on the Davion-held world of House Marik, currently assigned to the 3000th Rifleman
Errai. Two MLTs used Trent’s massive city square as a firing Corps. She earned fame during a series of raids against the
platform while the local ’Mechs fought to hold back the world of Pollux, when she personally accounted for the de-
Kurita raiders. By the time the raiders withdrew, the MLTs struction of over ten ’Mechs in a four-day period. Rumor has
had destroyed more ’Mechs than all of the Davion ground it that spies from House Davion have offered her a tempt-
forces combined. ing job offer, but she is still a member of the 3000th.

While Houses Marik and Liao were fighting for the
city of Garth on the planet Berenson, the Long Tom once
again proved that it could play both a defensive and an

LT-MOB-25 MOBILE LONG TOM ARTILLERY HEAVY VEHICLES 79

Type: LT-MOB-25 Mobile Long Tom Artillery Type: LT-MOB-25 Mobile Long Tom Artillery Support Carriage Type: LT-MOB-25 Long Tom Artillery Ammunition Carriage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Technology Base: Inner Sphere Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type: Tracked Movement Type: Tracked Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 55 Tonnage: 5 Tonnage: 10
Battle Value: N/A Battle Value: N/A Battle Value: N/A

Equipment 110 Mass Equipment N/A Mass Equipment N/A Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 5.5 Internal Structure: N/A .5 Internal Structure: N/A 1
Engine: 2 7 Engine: N/A 0 Engine: N/A 0
3
Type: 0 0 Type: 0 0 Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 3 Cruising MP: 0 Cruising MP: 0
Flank MP: 64 0 Flank MP: 64 0 Flank MP: 64 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0 Heat Sinks: Armor 0 Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 0 Control Equipment: Value 0 Control Equipment: Value 0
Lift Equipment: 4 Lift Equipment: 4 Lift Equipment: 4
Power Amplifier: 16 Power Amplifier: 16 Power Amplifier: 16
Turret: 16/16 Tonnage Turret: 16/16 Turret: 16/16
Armor Factor: 30 Armor Factor: Armor Factor:
16 1 16 16
Front 1 Front Front 16
R/L Side 1.5 R/L Side R/L Side
Rear 2 Rear Rear
0 Turret

Weapons and Ammo Location Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Long Tom Front Cargo Body .5 Ammo (Long Tom) 25 Body 5
2 Machine Guns Right Trailer Hitch 0 Trailer Hitch Front 0
2 Machine Guns Left Trailer Hitch Front 0 Trailer Hitch Rear 0
Ammo (MG) 300 Body Rear
Communications Equipment Body
Trailer Hitch Rear

ROMMEL/PATTON TANKS 80

Mass: 65 tons 260 fusion engine that sets the Rommel/Patton apart from After surviving everything the Roughriders could
Movement Type: Tracked the ICE powered vehicles usually deployed by the armies throw at them, the new tanks entered full production in
Power Plant: Magna 260 Fusion of the Inner Sphere. The fusion engine also proved to be 3027. Though originally intended to bolster planetary mili-
Cruising Speed: 43 kph the biggest stumbling block the Lyrans had to overcome tias (with priority going to those stationed on heavily pop-
Flank Speed: 65 kph before the tank could be manufactured in the numbers ulated border worlds), the tank was soon being requested
Armor: Durallex Heavy required. The supply of fusion engines was limited, and by frontline units too. When closer ties formed between
Armament: what was being produced was earmarked for BattleMechs the LCAF and AFFS, the Rommel/Patton design also ap-
Patton Tank and aerospace fighters. The Lyran Commonwealth had to peared in Davion colors. The Civil War ended those sales.
build new factories to produce those engines. As the Helm
1 Defiance Killer Autocannon Type T Memory Core had yet to be recovered, this was both an Richard’s Panzer Brigade, like Hansen’s Roughriders,
1 Coventry Five-Tube Missile System ambitious and daunting undertaking. was granted access to the Rommel/Patton. Later, nearly
1 Hotshot Flamer a company of troops left the mercenary command when
1 A5L Small Laser Capabilities Richard “Big Daddy”Whitman died. Those troops ultimate-
Rommel Tank Compared to classic Age of War and Star League de- ly wound up in the Taurian Concordat, where the appear-
1 Defiance ’Mech Hunter Autocannon ance of their Lyran-built equipment on the other side of
1 Coventry Five-Tube Missile System signs, the Rommel/Patton presents a very low silhouette. the Inner Sphere sparked wild rumors that the Concordat
1 A5L Small Laser This enables it to negotiate the streets of Commonwealth was building the new Hatchetman ’Mech as well as the
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries cities easily while offering a small target to the enemy. Rommel tank.
Primary Factory: Hesperus II Armored vehicles typically use the same weapon systems
Communications System: TharHes Muse 54-58K as BattleMechs. Though effective, these systems are bulky, In an attempt to curry favor with the newly formed
Targeting and Tracking System: TharHes Mars5 which contributed to the height of older armored vehicle Free Rasalhague Republic, Katrina Steiner provided the
designs. However, Defiance Industries redesigned the Killer new state with military assistance in the form of weapons
Overview Type T autocannon on the Patton and the ’Mech Hunter on and equipment. During the Ronin War it became a com-
The Patton and Rommel are the fruits of Defiance the Rommel (both formerly stock autocannons) to fit the mon sight to see Rommel and Patton tanks fighting along-
low-profile turret. side Combine-built Manticores and Scorpions.
Industries’ attempt to create a new vehicle from scratch
rather than rework an old Star League design. Designed Both tanks carry a five-tube Coventry Weapons Works Variants
to take on the burden of protecting Lyran territory, the ve- long-range missile system as auxiliary armament mounted The newly formed Free Rasalhague Republic reverse-
hicle helped to free up BattleMech forces for offensive op- in the turret next to the autocannon. Early models allowed
erations against the Draconis Combine during the Fourth smoke to get into the crew compartment when the missiles engineered the Rommel and Patton tanks. Unable to se-
Succession War. were fired, but this issue has since been rectified. A bow- cure a reliable supply of fusion engines for over a decade,
mounted small laser provides additional close-in firepower, the Republic created a slower ICE-powered version. Known
The two tanks share many components, including the and the Patton is also outfitted with a rear-mounted flamer as the Axel Mk.1 and Mk. 2, these vehicles mount machine
chassis, fusion power plant, and electronics. It is the Magna to deal with enemy infantry. guns in place of lasers, but the LRM system is upgraded to
a 10-rack. The Mk.1 carries 240 missiles and adds a second
The Patton is the most heavily armored of the two tanks, machine gun to the turret, while the Mk. 2 carries only 120
with over fourteen tons of armor. The Rommel carries a simi- but is also armed with a vehicle flamer.
larly respectable eleven tons of Durallex Heavy armor.
Notable Crews
Deployment
Security surrounding the first six prototypes was Captain Dexter Finchly, Sergeant Ito Montoya, and
Corporal Peter Foyle: Members of Hansen’s Roughriders,
especially tight. Hermann Steiner, a successful tank com- Finchly and his crew were the first to take a Patton into com-
mander (and Archon Katrina Steiner’s uncle) and project bat on Solaris VII. Facing a raid by House Marik’s Thirty-Third
chief, chose the armor battalions of Hansen’s Roughriders Marik Militia, the prototype acquitted itself admirably.
to test the new tanks. With their reputation for employing
their armor aggressively, they were an ideal choice to find
any flaws in the design.

ROMMEL/PATTON TANKS HEAVY VEHICLES 81

Type: Patton Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage Equipment 10 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere AC/10 Turret 12 Heat Sinks: 0
Movement Type: Tracked Ammo (AC) 20 Body 2 Control Equipment: 176 3.5
Tonnage: 65 LRM 5 Turret 2 Lift Equipment: Armor 0
Battle Value: 961 Ammo (LRM) 24 Body 1 Power Amplifier: Value 0
Small Laser Front .5 Turret: 2
Equipment Mass Flamer Rear 1 Armor Factor: 38 11
Internal Structure: 6.5 38/38
Engine: 260 20.5 Type: Rommel Tank Mass Front Tonnage
Fusion Technology Base: Inner Sphere 6.5 R/L Side 24 14
Type: 0 Movement Type: Tracked 20.5 Rear 38 4
Cruising MP: 4 3.5 Tonnage: 65 Turret 2
Flank MP: 6 0 Battle Value: 933 Location 1
Heat Sinks: 10 0 Weapons and Ammo Turret .5
Control Equipment: 1.5 Equipment 260 AC/20 Body
Lift Equipment: 232 14.5 Internal Structure: Fusion Ammo (AC) 20 Turret
Power Amplifier: Armor Engine: LRM 5 Body
Turret: Value 4 Ammo (LRM) 24 Front
Armor Factor: Type: 6 Small Laser
51 Cruising MP:
Front 46/46 Flank MP:
R/L Side
Rear 38
Turret 51

MONITOR NAVAL VESSEL 82

Mass: 75 tons Unlike other vehicles, which are shipped completely as- Most crews find Monitor duty boring and dull, as the
Movement Type: Surface Naval sembled and ready for use, the Monitor is shipped in an un- threat of riverine piracy and guerrillas are far more common
Power Plant: 195 ICE (various brands) assembled kit. Customers, usually planetary governments, in trid entertainment than reality. Though Monitor duty on
Cruising Speed: 32 kph need only supply the hull, power system, and internal com- worlds with fresh water has the potential for entertain-
Flank Speed: 54 kph bustion engine, all of which are available on most planets, ment that is so famous in the origins of the Sea Skimmer,
Armor: ArcShield Maxi II and certainly all easily available to the target customers. most planets of the Inner Sphere only have naturally con-
Armament: taminated waters to patrol. Not only that, but on the few
Capabilities occasions that they actually see action, it often is against
2 185mm ChemJet Gun Autocannon/20s The Monitor carries a devastating armament, geared makeshift wooden barges with recoilless rifles and small
3 Harvester 2k SRM 2s SRM tubes as armament, which are no match for a “floating
Manufacturer: Nav Hull for the often point-blank situations of patrolling river del- Demolisher.”
Primary Factory: None (Assembly kits produced tas. The two ChemJet autocannons are not only the same
as those mounted on the popular Demolisher, but the Variants
on New Samarkand) entire turret is taken from the Demolisher, with Nav Hull Though no official variants exist, Nav Hull sends along
Communications System: Various merely navalizing the turret for the rigors of aquatic opera-
Targeting and Tracking System: Various tions. Small SRM launchers dot the sides and rear to pre- schematics to arrange the armor and electronics suite on
vent it from being effectively surrounded by ambushing a variety of ways, depending on the hulls available for the
Overview infantry, and the vehicle’s commanders are fond of using purchasing government or militia. Also dependent on the
Touring the Inner Sphere, entrepreneur Robert Habeas inferno rounds to raze the shores during an ambush. The customer is the internal combustion engine, leaving some
flammable inferno gel will even float and burn on the sur- Monitors moving faster with a single main gun, or slower
saw on many water rich worlds a wide variety of make- face of a body of water for a short period of time. than the typical model with a trio of smaller autocannons
shift patrol craft, often wooden barges with a few armor (if available) or more armor plating.
plates bolted on and little weaponry. Though the open The Monitor carries a light but adequate eight tons
oceans had formal military patrol boats, there were few of armor, some of which is already is installed on the Notable Crews
designed for riverine and littoral operations, which often Demolisher turret. The rest are flat plates, since Nav Hull
hosted safe havens for guerrilla. However, while relatively wanted to decrease manufacturing and shipping costs as Sho-ko Hiro Bunta: A Monitor commander in the militia
wealthy, Habeas lacked the resources to build and operate much as possible. This complicates adopting the armor to on Athenry, Sho-ko Bunta found himself caught up in the
a dedicated production facility (not to mention ship the certain hull forms that customers might supply but gen- action during the hard-fought defense of its Larsen Island
final product to customers). Looking at how light-industrial erally provides enough armored volume for the engine, a Chain during the War of 3039. Replacing the missiles for
worlds could import pieces and assemble the final product squad of jump infantry, and sufficient displacement so that greater cargo capacity, the Sho-ko ferried hundreds of
in system, Habeas realized a way to avoid all the overhead the Monitor only had a half meter draft, allowing it access Kuritan infantrymen onto the shore on every island, using
and quickly formed Nav Hull. to the shallowest locations. his pair of autocannons to shatter the beach emplacements
at every opportunity. On several occasions he deliberately
Deployment beached his vessel, nicknamed “No Regrets,” in order to
Nav Hull had shipped out various brands of armor, provide cover and a rally point for the infantrymen who
found themselves scattered with little cover and under fire
electronics suites, and weapons to the customers over the from the well-protected allied defenders.
years, depending on the availability and costs of the parts.
However, the Fourth Succession War led to commerce lines
being disrupted, and the company found themselves un-
able to gather the proper materials to put together the
complete kits, leading to large back orders. After the war,
Nav Hull entered into a deal with the local New Samarkand
Metals to provide discounted parts and materials to the
small company.

MONITOR NAVAL VESSEL HEAVY VEHICLES 83

Type: Monitor Naval Vessel Equipment 128 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 8
Movement Type: Surface Naval Value
Tonnage: 75 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 789 R/L Side 22 28
Rear 22/22 3
Equipment 195 Mass Turret 1
Internal Structure: ICE 7.5 22 1
Engine: 3 16 Weapons and Ammo 40 1
5 2 AC/20 1
Type: 0 0 Ammo (AC) 15 Location 1.5
Cruising MP: 4 SRM 2 Turret
Flank MP: 0 SRM 2 Body
Heat Sinks: 0 SRM 2 Right
Control Equipment: 3 Ammo (SRM) 50 Left
Lift Equipment: Cargo (Jump Infantry) Rear
Power Amplifier: Body
Turret: Body

VON LUCKNER HEAVY TANK 84

Mass: 75 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Tracked With the job of carrying a heavy, track-based vehicles The most notable variant on the Von Luckner prior
Power Plant: VOX 225 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 32 kph design, the Von Luckner’s fusion power plant provide it with to the War of 3039 was the Federated Suns’ experimental
Flank Speed: 54 kph the same level of efficiency and mobility as a BattleMech VNL-K100 model. This version carried fewer missile delivery
Armor: StarSlab/4 of comparable weight with the unlimited operating range systems than the standard and dropped both the anti-in-
Armament: only fusion can provide. fantry weapons and some armor. In their place, they added
an additional Armstrong Autocannon/20 to the turret, giv-
1 Armstrong Autocannon 20 The Von Luckner’s primary armament consists of a ing the K100 a crippling punch at close range.
2 Holly Short-Range Missile 6 Racks single Armstrong assault autocannon, backed by twin
1 Dannel Short-Range Missile 4 Rack Holly SRM 6 packs and a Dannel SRM 4 rack—all of which The Draconis Combine, meanwhile, experimented
1 Holly Long-Range Missile 10 Rack are turret-mounted for a maximum firing arc. A Holly LRM with its own variant, dubbed the VNL-K70 model. This ver-
1 Ramsey Machine Gun 10 rack, mounted high on the tank’s rear, adds to the Von sion downgrades the Armstrong to a SarLon MaxiCannon
1 Firestorm Flamer System Luckner’s ability as a fire support unit, though the unusual AC/10 and trades the Holly SRM 6 racks for a HellStar PPC,
Manufacturer: HartfordCo Industries placement requires that the vehicle use this weapon while taking full advantage of the Von Luckner’s fusion-based
Primary Factory: Bryant (destroyed 2840) exposing its lighter rear armor to enemy fire. (This place- power source to mount longer-reaching firepower and re-
Communications System: O/P 300 ment was a deliberate choice by HartfordCo’s design team, ducing the vehicle’s dependency on ammunition.
Targeting and Tracking System: O/P GRNDSTAT 50A who saw the primary use of the LRMs as a means of cover-
ing the retreat of other units.) Notable Crews
Overview
HartfordCo Industries of Bryant produced the VNL- In regards to close-in weapons, the Von Luckner was Leutnant Raven van Hauten and Crew: During a 3017
designed with a Ramsey machine gun affixed to the front raid on Icar by the infamous pirate Redjack Ryan, Leutnant
K65N Von Luckner Heavy Tank after the Reunification War. of the turret and backed by a fusion-based Firestorm flamer Raven van Hauten of the Icar militia and his four-man
Named after famous twentieth-century Terran raider Count in the tank’s forward section. As the Ramsey has long been crew led a vehicle company—including a lance of Von
Felix von Luckner, this massively armored and armed vehicle known for a tendency to jam—even in the Star League’s Luckners—against the raiders. Commanding the battle
was designed as a BattleMech without legs, powered by a heyday—the Firestorm often fills in for its loss in battle, from his own Von Luckner, the “Thug Duster,” van Hauten
fusion reactor and mounting enough weaponry to endan- delivering a powerful deterrent attack against enemy staged a devastating ambush that drove a lance of pirate
ger ’Mechs up to its own weight. The strength and resil- infantry. ’Mechs into the path of his hidden tanks. At knife-fighting
iency of this design made the Von Luckner an ideal choice ranges, the tanks’ Armstrongs and SRM racks tore apart
for beefing up critical defensive positions from the Terran Deployment the bandits in seconds. As the surviving raiders moved in
Hegemony homeworlds to the distant reaches of the Star Though the Von Luckner became a mainstay of Terran to pursue, van Hauten’s forces scattered. Using his now-
League’s newly won Periphery territories. retreating Von Luckners as bait for the vengeful pirates,
and Star League defensive forces in the time of the Star he employed the vehicles’ rear-facing LRMs to maintain a
League, the loss of the HartfordCo factories on Bryant in steady barrage of missile fire against the pursuers, while
2840—coming as a result of the worsening global storms the rest of the company harried Ryan’s forces from the
caused by the destruction of Bryant’s Storm Inhibitors— flanks. The pirate forces ultimately withdrew with heavy
instantly placed the vehicle on the endangered list. This damage, having gained nothing from their attack.
was a common fate for many advanced vehicles of the Star
League during the Amaris Coup and the First Succession
War. With many more cannibalized for BattleMech spare
parts—an ironic twist on the design standards that birthed
the vehicle—only a few Von Luckners remained in service
as of 3030. Once seen across the Inner Sphere, by 3039 only
Houses Davion, Steiner, Marik, and Kurita still fielded Von
Luckners in any appreciable quantities.

VON LUCKNER HEAVY TANK HEAVY VEHICLES 85

Type: Von Luckner Heavy Tank (VNL-K65N Variant) Equipment 176 Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 11 AC/20 Turret 14
Movement Type: Tracked Value Ammo (AC) 15 Body 3
Tonnage: 75 Front 2 SRM 6 Turret 6
Battle Value: 1058 R/L Side 41 Ammo (SRM) 15 Body 1
Rear 30/30 SRM 4 Turret 2
Equipment Mass Turret Ammo (SRM) 25 Body 1
Internal Structure: 7.5 30 LRM 10 Rear 5
Engine: 15 45 Ammo (LRM) 12 Body 1
Machine Gun Turret .5
Type: 225 0 Ammo (MG) 100 Body .5
Cruising MP: Fusion 4 Flamer Front 1
Flank MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 3 0
Control Equipment: 5 2.5
Lift Equipment: 10
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

DEMOLISHER HEAVY TANK 86

Mass: 80 tons Capabilities During the Fifth Sword of Light’s abortive attempt to
Movement Type: Tracked With two turret-mounted 185mm guns, the seize the Davion world of Conroe in late 3025, the Pursuit
Power Plant: GM 240 Superload ICE Lance of Sorenson’s Sabres was ambushed as it entered
Cruising Speed: 33 kph Demolisher is an intimidating machine. The titanic weap- the town of Thessia. A local resistance group known as Red
Flank Speed: 54 kph ons use a popular propellant system that mixes two chemi- Thunder possessed an ancient Devastator, and they used
Armor: Durandal 160 Standard cals in suspension to propel a stream of huge shells at the the fusion-powered variant of the Demolisher to terrorize
Armament: luckless target. In older models, this produced an enor- the elite Combine BattleMech lance. Savaged by the heavy
mous amount of heat. As a result, crew members had to autocannon, the Kurita troops made a hasty withdrawal.
2 185mm ChemJet Gun Autocannon/20 wear special coolant suits because it can get unbearably
Manufacturer: Aldis Industries, New Samarkand Metals hot inside the tank during a sustained fire-fight. The cur- Variants
rent model solved the problem by channelling most of the The original Mk. I Demolisher utilized a four-tread sus-
Primary Factory: Terra, Betelgeuse (Aldis), ejection gases out through the barrels.
New Samarkand (NSM) pension system, and this is the model that is most often
Designed as a defensive unit, the Demolisher is most thought of as a Demolisher to this day, as many remain in
Communications System: Omicron 5000 effective in urban environments. Striking from hiding, the service across the Inner Sphere. The current production
Targeting and Tracking System: Omicron VII two massive autocannons can fell even an assault ’Mech version, introduced in 2823 as the Mk. II, sports an im-
with ease. However, the vehicle’s lack of secondary weap- proved suspension system and has only two tread units.
Overview ons makes it dependent on friendly infantry to screen Some troops remove armor to install defensive weapons
Seized by Rim Worlds Republic troops in 2767, against enemy light armor and infantry. to deal with infantry and small vehicles.

Aldis Industries was all but destroyed during Aleksandr Deployment In an attempt to target sales at wealthy worlds, Aldis
Kerensky’s liberation of Terra. Rebuilt under the auspices The first Demolishers were an amazing success. Many engineers installed a fusion engine in the Demolisher.
of Jerome Blake’s Terran reconstruction program, Aldis has Re-christened the Devastator, this vehicle carries an ad-
operated under the protection of the neutrality ComStar worlds lacking a standing ’Mech force bought the vehicle ditional three Intek small lasers, a Zippo flamer, and a Holly
crafted for Terra. in quantity. Often they neglected to acquire other heavy SRM 6 launcher.
vehicles, so the tank became known for its ability to de-
In the early days of the First Succession War, Aldis stroy anything on the battlefield, earning its title as the Notable Crews
Industries engineers conceived a solution to the ’Mech tech- “’Mech Slayer.” As the Succession Wars wore down the Inner
nology problem. Their plan was to create a vehicle power- Sphere’s industrial base, many of these militia-operated Hildergarde: “Hildergarde” is the name of a Marik Militia
ful enough to destroy any ’Mech, but which was attractive Demolishers were drafted into frontline combat units. Demolisher that has survived more than fifty engagements.
to worlds unable to afford ’Mech forces. Christened the In almost every battle, Hildergarde’s crew has been killed.
Demolisher, the tank debuted in 2803 and has earned a rep- Former Rim Worlds Republic troops raided the Kurita Betting on the current crew’s chances of survival is a popu-
utation as one of the deadliest vehicles on the battlefield. world of Kessel in 2825. Acting on information that the lar form of wagering among the troops of House Marik.
normal defensive force had been redeployed to the Steiner
front, the attackers believed that their two BattleMech lanc- Not surprisingly, assignment to the vehicle is seen as
es would be sufficient to deal with the lance of Demolishers punishment duty. Personnel serving as crew strive to rate
guarding the Kessel storehouses. Overconfident, the ren- reassignment before Hildergarde is called into battle again.
egades moved up one of their Rampage assault ’Mechs to
scare the defenders into surrender. Unfortunately, this plan Captain Theodore Jacobs: A member of the Mobile Fire
backfired. All four Demolishers fired at the huge ’Mech, de- mercenary armor regiment, Jacobs has established a repu-
stroying it outright. The other invaders then attacked in tation for fearlessness and daring. Invariably found leading
staggered waves, hoping to wear down the Kurita armor. his assault company into battle from his Demolisher’s tur-
But this worked no better than the previous plan, and the ret, Jacobs is believed by many to be on his way to receiv-
survivors decided it was wiser to depart empty-handed ing a battalion command.
after a lucky shot decapitated their second Rampage.

DEMOLISHER HEAVY TANK ASSAULT VEHICLES 87

Type: Demolisher Heavy Tank Equipment Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Control Equipment: 4 2 AC/20 Turret 28
Movement Type: Tracked Lift Equipment: 0 Ammo (AC) 20 Body 4
Tonnage: 80 Power Amplifier: 0
Battle Value: 1069 Turret: 3
Armor Factor: 10
160
Equipment 240 Mass Front Armor
Internal Structure: ICE 8 R/L Side Value
Engine: 3 23 Rear
5 Turret 40
Type: 0 0 30/30
Cruising MP:
Flank MP: 20
Heat Sinks: 40

PARTISAN HEAVY TANK 88

Mass: 80 tons Air Flak Systems-1 is as capable as any other system against Deployment
Movement Type: Tracked ground-based targets but has no equal when firing upon While concentrated more in the Federated Suns and
Power Plant: GM SuperLoad 240 ICE enemy aircraft. Capable of tracking up to two hundred
Cruising Speed: 32 kph targets simultaneously, it nearly instantaneously evaluates Free Worlds League where it is manufactured, the Partisan
Flank Speed: 54 kph which targets are optimal for the gunner, who can fire on is by no means rare in any major military. The only excep-
Armor: StarSlab/7 the computer’s selection or override it and choose one of her tion to this is the Outworlds Alliance, where they gener-
Armament: own. The input for the system is even removable from the ally hold air superiority and have little use for the Partisan.
tank and can be used at a distance of up to twenty meters. Sales to the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine
4 Flak Autocannon/5s Another unique feature of the Partisan is that the computers fluctuate depending on the level of hostility between the
2 Auto Guns Machine Guns can be linked to one another. This network is more powerful realms.
Manufacturer: Kallon Industries than any individual computer and can find either the single
Primary Factory: Loyalty, Kirklin, Nanking greatest threat or the most vulnerable opponents. Variants
Communications System: JoLex Systems Many different attempts to modify the Partisan have
Targeting and Tracking System: AntiAir Flak Of course, the quad-mounted Flak Autocannons are
Systems-1 fearsome at long range, while the dual machine guns pro- taken place over the several decades of its existence.
vide anti-infantry defense. At short range, the Partisan is However, few have improved upon the design. Lighter
Overview advised to withdraw, with only six tons of armor to protect weight autocannons have been used, but the savings in
In some ways, the Partisan has been in design since it from enemy fire. With a maximum speed of 54 kph, the weight is often wasted by the decreased firepower. Using
Partisan is more of a defensive unit than an offensive one. missiles as the primary weapon has been tried, but the
the age of the airplane. As aircraft get more powerful, A common complaint is the lack of ammunition, which can targeting computer often has problems as it tries to track
corresponding weapons to shoot them down keep pace. be expended within minutes during intense combat. For every missile.
Kallon was famous for their BattleMech designs that let this reason, Partisans are usually deployed near ammo re-
ground forces have a fighting chance against aircraft, but supply facilities or vehicles. Notable Crews
with the destruction of the Succession Wars, Kallon was un-
able to maintain their ’Mech output to match demand. The During an attack on Dobson, the Partisan was show- Sergeant Major Steve Steiner: Steiner has commanded
Partisan was the solution to this shortage. cased against Kurita fighters. A lack of Davion aerospace the same Partisan, “Xerxes,” for nearly four decades as part
assets allowed the Combine forces to land unopposed of the Galisteo Militia. Not related to the Lyran ruling fam-
Capabilities nearly ten kilometers away from Dobbiville, where FedCom ily, he brushes off any association with them and will get
The shining jewel of the Partisan is not the armor, forces established defensive fortifications. With their sup- violent if anyone persists in talking about it. His first action
ply lines in jeopardy if they went around Dobbiville, Kurita was actually against a Lyran raid in 3001, where Xerxes shot
speed, or guns but rather the targeting system. The Anti- troops were forced to assault the defenders. Nearly a wing down a pair of Lucifers. Since the Galisteo Militia doesn’t
of fighters, mainly made up of smaller Sholagars, attacked have a mandatory retirement age, a long-running pool has
first, attempted to pin down and isolate the defenders. A been established to bet on when he’ll retire. Rumor has it
company of Partisans was spread around the edges of the that Steiner himself has money on 3067.
city and engaged the fighters, killing three on the initial
engagement. Kuritan forces changed tactics to remove Richard Hall: A talented gunner, Hall was one of the heroes
the anti-air threat and engaged the Partisans rather than of a recent raid against the city of Halstead on Cimeron.
the other targets. The smaller fighters used their speed When enemy forces broke through the Davion lines, his
to move in and out of range quickly and taxed even the Partisan moved forward to fill the gap, destroying five
Partisan’s targeting abilities, but they kept the air forces oc- enemy tanks that had not been expecting an anti-aircraft
cupied. When the Combine ground forces moved in, they unit to function so capably on the battlefield.
were stopped and repulsed within a day. By the time they
left Dobson, half the enemy fighters had been destroyed.

PARTISAN HEAVY TANK ASSAULT VEHICLES 89

Type: Partisan Heavy Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere 4 AC/5 Turret 32
Movement Type: Tracked Ammo (AC) 40 Body 2
Tonnage: 80 2 Machine Guns Front 1
Battle Value: 673 Ammo (MG) 100 Body .5

Equipment 240 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 8
Engine: 3 23
5
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 4
Flank MP: 96 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 3.5
Lift Equipment: 6
Power Amplifier: 22
Turret: 18/18
Armor Factor:
16
Front 22
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

SCHREK PPC CARRIER 90

Mass: 80 tons Schrek to engage targets beyond the limits of its turret’s additional challenges for units that fielded the tank in the
Movement Type: Tracked current facing. The extremely long barrels include a larger thirtieth and early thirty-first centuries. In the late Succession
Power Plant: GoreTex 240 Fusion acceleration array, allowing the HellStar to expel particles Wars era, most techs with competence in the fields of fu-
Cruising Speed: 32 kph at higher energies than normal. The Schrek uses less parti- sion engines and particle cannons were often assigned to
Flank Speed: 54 kph cle mass per shot, which reduces maintenance on the par- BattleMech units, decreasing the number of qualified staff
Armor: ArcShield VII Mk 5 ticle injection system. The larger acceleration array does assigned to the Schrek. Aldis invested some funds to provide
Armament: consume some of the advantage, but it tends to be a less training to the maintenance personnel of prospective buy-
sensitive component. ers, but the issue has become an increasingly widespread
3 HellStar PPCs problem, reducing the Schrek’s potential market. By the
Manufacturer: Aldis Industries, New Samarkand Metals Capabilities 3030s, it was rare to find the vehicle outside well-equipped
Designed for extended, long-range bombardments, units. For example, Schreks were not uncommon in units
Primary Factory: Terra, Betelgeuse (Aldis), which have already solved this logistics problem for their
New Samarkand (NSM) Aldis optimized the vehicle’s ability to be used in prepared Manticore Heavy Tanks. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The resurgence
positions by lowering its profile, if at the expense of crew in technology that began in that decade eventually saved
Communications System: Olmstead 3000 comfort. Employed from this hull-down position, the Schrek the design from extinction, though it was not until the late
Targeting and Tracking System: Omicron IX can inflict substantial damage on hostile units as they ap- 3040s that sales picked up.]
proach while minimizing the damage it suffers in return.
Overview And while it has the firepower to place considerable stress Variants
Aldis Industries was immensely successful with its on enemy formations and fortifications, its weak armor Few variants of the Schrek exist, although several units
compared to other heavy tanks combined with its limited
Demolisher Heavy Tank, although the heat problems of mobility prevent the Schrek PPC Carrier from functioning have sacrificed some of the Schrek’s already unimpressive
that vehicle proved a considerable hurdle. Taking an en- as a main battle tank. Forces confronted by the Schrek tend armor to mount anti-infantry weaponry. This is done to
tirely different tack, Aldis released the Schrek ten years to be aware of this, targeting the vehicles to swiftly reduce compensate for the tank’s significant vulnerability to in-
later in 2813, which did not have the same heat issues. the firepower of their enemy’s arsenal. Schreks are there- fantry attacks.
Created by Aldis to outperform the Demolisher, it is likely fore rarely deployed without escorts. It is no accident that
that the ancient Alacorn Heavy Tank and the AWS-8Q the Demolisher is almost perfect for this task. The Schrek Schreks are often cannibalized to replace the PPCs or
Awesome also served as an inspiration for the design. likewise compensates for the Demolisher’s lack of ranged fusion engines of BattleMechs. Some owners have installed
The Schrek’s three particle cannons employ some of the firepower, making mixed companies of the two tanks dif- ICE engines and autocannons to make use of the expensive
most advanced technologies available to Aldis, including ficult to engage. tank, creating a potent vehicle with a similar mission pro-
magnetic lenses at the muzzle of the cannons that adjust file. Without the heat sink tonnage of the original Schrek,
the course of the particle stream by a few degrees. These The Schrek mounts the Olmstead 3000 communica- these “autocannon carriers” also benefit from additional
lenses can further be rotated along their axis, allowing the tions package, which does not suffer from the same power armor.
supply issues as previous Olmsteads thanks to the Schrek’s
power plant. The Omicron IX targeting and tracking suite, Notable Crews
along with its distinctive sensor blister above the right
tread, similarly benefits from the Schrek’s GoreTex fusion Lt. Colonel Samuel Garibaldi: Second-in-command in the
power plant. Even more demanding of power than the old First Marik Militia, Garibaldi has used his family’s funds to
Omicron suite, the Mk. IX facilitates the Schrek’s ability to purchase a lance of Schreks. They are attached to his com-
strike its target at range. mand lance, and the Colonel has publicly announced he
acquired them to act as a mobile re-supply of PPCs and
Deployment fusion engines for his Awesome that can also shoot back.
While not problematic in the era it was created, the Fortunately for the unit’s morale, the First Marik’s sizable
armor corps appreciates the joke.
Schrek’s advanced weaponry and fusion engine presented

SCHREK PPC CARRIER ASSAULT VEHICLES 91

Type: Schrek PPC Carrier Equipment 30 Mass Equipment 112 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Heat Sinks: 20 Armor Factor: Armor 7
Movement Type: Tracked Control Equipment: 4 Value
Tonnage: 80 Lift Equipment: 0 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 935 Power Amplifier: 0 R/L Side 24 21
Turret: 2.5 Rear 20/20
Turret
Equipment 240 Mass 20
Internal Structure: Fusion 8 Weapons and Ammo 28
Engine: 3 PPC
3 17.5 Location
Type: 5 Turret
Cruising MP:
Flank MP:

STURMFEUR HEAVY TANK 92

Mass: 85 tons defense. To prevent fratricide in the dense missile volleys, find themselves within optimal range of the rest of the de-
Movement Type: Tracked the SturmFeur prototypes went through a large number fenders. Its heavy armor allowed the targeted SturmFeur
Power Plant: InterComBust 255 ICE of launcher configurations, including rotary and vertical to survive the attacks, much to the dismay of the raiders.
Cruising Speed: 32 kph launchers. Eventually, the launchers were split up, with one Others have paired it up with Demolishers, which require
Flank Speed: 54 kph conventionally mounted on a turret and the other mount- covering fire as they advance into range.
Armor: ProtecTech 7 ed counter-intuitively on the rear deck of the hull in a near-
Armament: vertical facing. A brand new terminal guidance system was However, outside the Federated Commonwealth al-
created to handle the unusual launcher arrangement. The liance, very few units expressed interest, as they prefer
2 SturmFeur LRM 20 Launchers volleys were thus spared collisions during launch, since the the much less expensive (though fragile) LRM Carrier for
2 MiniGuns Machine Guns turret launcher fired in a traditional line-of-sight to the tar- support. Those that do find themselves in possession of a
Manufacturer: Trellshire Heavy Industries get while the body-mounted tubes fired forward on a high SturmFeur often utilize it as a command vehicle for their
Primary Factory: Sudeten arc. fire-support units, relying on its heavy armor to keep the
Communications System: Angst 2100-b commanders alive.
Targeting and Tracking System: SturmFeur Unlike many other fire-support vehicles, the SturmFeur
Highlight with BlindFire Radar is armored heavily, more so then even many frontline tanks. Variants
The nineteen-and-a-half tons of armor allow the SturmFeur Many crews are content with the SturmFeur’s original
Overview to withstand tremendous amount of damage, something
In the early 31st Century, the Lyran Commonwealth appreciated by missile carrier crews who are used to pa- weaponry, not only due to its effectiveness, but also be-
per-thin armor that disintegrates (as the crews will tell you) cause the complicated guidance system is difficult to alter
sought a fire-support design that could survive several “when given a dirty look.” in the field. Only the manufacturer, Trellshire, offers a sig-
counterstrikes before having to withdraw. The result was nificant variant. Trellshire has produced limited numbers
the SturmFeur, which debuted in 3018. Using a low-profile However, what the crews do not appreciate is the of a short-ranged variant that replaces the turret mounted
design, it also was designed to support friendly forces via cramped crew compartment inside the tank. There is ab- LRM with quad SRM 4 packs, two tons of ammunition, and
indirect means and exploit cover more effectively than the solutely no room to move around, and while each chair a third machine gun. Users with entire lances of SturmFeurs
typical, high-profile tanks of the era. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The can swivel to access their respective stations, the tank is so will usually have one of these variants as a bodyguard for
low profile concept was later incorporated into Defiance cramped that crews must seat themselves on chairs that the rest of the lance.
Industries’ Rommel and Patton tanks.] slide outside the tank.
Notable Crews
Capabilities Deployment
The SturmFeur carries a pair of massive LRM 20 racks The SturmFeur proved to be highly valued by con- Colonel Quinten Moore: Commander of the mercenary
tank regiment Mobile Fire, Moore’s long-standing history
backed by two machine guns for point blank anti-infantry ventional units in the Fourth Succession War. Its low profile with the Lyran Commonwealth allowed him first access to
proved to be the bane of many Free Worlds League and the newly produced SturmFeur Heavy Tank. Moore invested
Kuritan troops, who found themselves coming under fire heavily in the SturmFeur, which would eventually replace
from these tanks who seemed to be able to hide behind every LRM Carrier in Mobile Fire and become the Colonel’s
even the most insignificant piece of terrain. It took several of personal ride. More modified his tank with a pair of LRM
these ambushes before these troops stopped taking seem- 15 racks in the turret nd mounting a fusion engine. Moore
ingly deserted towns and parking complexes for granted. enjoyed the superior protection of the tank, which allowed
him to survive several very hot combats that would have
It was even more popular among the units who received wrecked a lesser vehicle. Despite the SturmFeur’s armor,
them while stationed on worlds bordering the Periphery. Colonel Moore died in the heavy fighting on Konstance at
Most bandit groups contained lighter BattleMechs with Lazarus Bay, attempting to hold back the Twenty-Second
little firepower or armor. When coming up against these Dieron Regulars in the War of 3039.
raiders, the SturmFeurs would deploy in a staggered con-
figuration, so when bandits would close with one tank in an
attempt to get under the range of its missiles, they would

STURMFEUR HEAVY TANK ASSAULT VEHICLES 93

Type: StermFeur Heavy Tank Equipment Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Control Equipment: 4.5 LRM 20 Turret 10
Movement Type: Tracked Lift Equipment: 0 LRM 20 Front 10
Tonnage: 85 Power Amplifier: 0 Ammo (LRM) 18 Body 3
Battle Value: 1,400 Turret: 1.5 2 Machine Guns Turret 1
Armor Factor: 19 5 Ammo (MG) 200 Body 1
312
Equipment 255 Mass Front Armor
Internal Structure: ICE 8.5 R/L Side Value
Engine: 3 26 Rear
5 Turret 66
Type: 0 0 66/66
Cruising MP:
Flank MP: 48
Heat Sinks: 66

ONTOS HEAVY TANK 94

Mass: 95 tons Ontos only needed to reload their secondary weapons. The Stories abound of Ontos units ambushing unsuspect-
Movement Type: Tracked only thing holding the Ontos back from full production was ing enemies from hidden emplacements and destroying
Power Plant: HeavyLoad 285 with PowerBoost ICE an issue with heat build-up that could overwhelm the heat their formation in moments. In one such instance, a group
Cruising Speed: 32 kph sinks and damage the power amplifier when all the lasers of Marik raiders landed on Nanking to test the defending
Flank Speed: 54 kph fired at once. Adding a system that forced the lasers to fire Federated Commonwealth’s strength. Both sides were
Armor: SimplePlate Manufacturers Standard in a quick succession rather than at the same time eventu- equipped with a company of Ontoses. As the opponents
Armament: ally solved this. squared off, the tanks were left in defensive positions while
BattleMechs were used to draw the enemies into various
8 Martell Model 5 Medium Lasers Capabilities traps. Neither force’s BattleMechs made contact with each
2 LongFire LRM 5 Racks Weighing in at an impressive 95 tons, the Ontos has a other, stumbling instead onto the other side’s Ontoses.
Manufacturer: Grumman Amalgamated, Kallon Both BattleMech forces were annihilated by the Ontoses,
Weapons Industries maximum speed of 54 kph. Though average for a vehicle which then left their positions to seek each other out. The
Primary Factory: Shiro III (Grumman), its size, its short-ranged weapons make this speed quite fight between the two tank forces left only three operation-
a handicap. The core of the Ontos is an astounding eight al tanks to struggle off the battlefield, and the fight con-
Nanking (Kallon) turret-mounted medium lasers. More than three times the vinced the Marik raiders of the Federated Commonwealth’s
Communications System: Easy Talk-2 weight and space taken up by the energy weapons is de- resolve to hold Nanking.
Targeting and Tracking System: GuideRite w/Laser voted to their support systems such as power amplifiers
and heat sinks to keep the tank from damaging its Heavy Variants
Coordination Link Load Internal Combustion Engine. Despite the tank’s inef- Prior to the technological renaissance, the only com-
ficiencies, it can still destroy almost three tons of armor in
Overview a single volley, and many crews admire the tank’s ability to mon variation of the Ontos came with the replacment of all
The old story behind the Ontos was that a designer go through extended campaigns without reloading vari- the medium lasers and support equipment with a pair of
ous types of ammunition. LRM 20 racks and two-and-a-half tons of ammunition per
who was a history buff designed the tank based off an launcher. A few units have been known to attempt to re-
ancient design, much to the chagrin of his co-workers. A To cover the tank’s slow advance into its lasers’ range, place the internal combustion engine with a fusion power
second and third version were created by rival designers a pair of LongFire LRM 5 racks sit above the laser array. plant, but the modifications needed are extensive and ex-
and put through rigorous testing at the same time. It was Though insignificant in comparison to many other long- pensive, and only a fraction have succeeded (with at times
not superior firepower or armor or range that prompted range armaments on military units of similar size, the ability mixed results).
Grumman execs to produce the Ontos, but rather the fact to fire from behind cover has proven time and time again
that after several hours of constant-fire testing, all the other to be invaluable, often fooling enemy units into thinking a Notable Vehicles
vehicles had to stop to reload the exhausted ammunition much lighter force is present, causing them to make unad-
bins for their main weapons at least four times, while the visable advances against the Ontos. Easy Ride: The crew of an Ontos stationed on Nanking
found themselves and the rest of their militia defending
Deployment the system from a group of Marik raiders. After ambushing
Though originally built in Capellan space, the Ontos and destroying the incoming BattleMech units, the tank
commander and leader of the company, Captain Robert
was highly favored by House Marik after it captured Pein, found his company of Ontoses facing a nearly identical
Shiro III during the Succession Wars (and later, after the Marik Ontos company. Though the final battle only lasted
annexation of Nanking, the Federated Commonwealth), two minutes, Easy Ride was one of the two AFFC tanks able
and the vehicle forms the backbone of many of the Free to leave the battlefield under its own power victoriously,
Worlds League’s heavy tank regiments. The larger-than- though it had but three medium lasers and one LRM rack
average vehicle formations favored by the Marik military left functioning.
gave the heavy tanks plenty of support to offset their
short range

ONTOS HEAVY TANK ASSAULT VEHICLES 95

Type: Ontos Heavy Tank Equipment Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Control Equipment: 5 8 Medium Lasers Turret 8
Movement Type: Tracked Lift Equipment: 0 2 LRM 5 Turret 4
Tonnage: 95 Power Amplifier: .8 Ammo (LRM) 24 Body 1
Battle Value: 938 Turret: 1.5 Cargo Body .2
Armor Factor: 8
128
Equipment 285 Mass Front Armor
Internal Structure: ICE 9.5 R/L Side Value
Engine: 3 33 Rear
5 Turret 28
Type: 24 24 24/24
Cruising MP:
Flank MP: 24
Heat Sinks: 28

BEHEMOTH HEAVY TANK 96

Mass: 100 tons a ’Mech’s armor. The Aldis team’s solution was to give the Behemoths spread out, taking side streets and attempting
Movement Type: Tracked Behemoth cannons large enough to overwhelm a ’Mech to separate the Demolishers. A running (or perhaps,
Power Plant: GM 200 ICE while carrying enough supplementary weaponry to keep “crawling”) battle ensued, with the Demolishers taking
Cruising Speed: 22 kph itself safe from secondary threats. an early advantage: there were more of them, they had
Flank Speed: 32 kph heavier guns, and they were faster than the Behemoths.
Armor: ArcShield Maxi II Capabilities A violent encounter between a single Behemoth and a
Armament: The centerpiece of the Behemoth’s arsenal is the pair pair of Demolishers turned the engagement around. The
Behemoth crew, cornered against a demolished building,
2 SarLon MaxiCannon Autocannon/10s of turret-mounted SarLon MaxiCannon Autocannon/10s ripple-fired all of their SRMs. When the smoke cleared, both
4 LongFire Light LRM 5 Launchers mounted in the turret, intended as the Behemoth’s prima- Demolishers were holed and burning. The barrage had
2 Harvester 20K SRM 6 Racks ry anti-’Mech weaponry. They are supported by a quad- managed to find weak points in the Demolishers’ armor.
2 Harvester 2K SRM 2 Racks mount of LongFire Light LRM 5 launchers, which provide
4 MainFire Minigun Machine Guns preparatory barrage and discourage pursuit forces. Close- After a quick communication, the Behemoths switched
Manufacturer: Aldis Industries, General Motors in protection is provided primarily by a pair of Harvester from their SarLons to their Harvesters. While the Liao
Primary Factory: Terra (Aldis), Salem (GM) 20K SRM 6 packs, powerful weapons in use on scores of ChemJets still took a drastic toll on the heavy Behemoths,
Communications System: Olmstead 30 vehicles and ’Mechs. The supporting weaponry (machine the Crucis companies managed to disable or drive off all of
Targeting and Tracking System: Cirxese Ballista- guns and smaller short-range missile racks) was added the Demolishers and secure their area of Tikograd. Standard
Check with Cirxese RockeCheck almost as afterthoughts to discourage scouring attacks doctrine for Davion Behemoths was changed after this en-
by infantry. gagement, giving the short-range missiles more value in
Overview anti-vehicular combat.
The armies of House Davion’s Federated Suns are tra- Although the original design concept called for a stag-
gering twenty-one tons of armor, only thirteen were used Variants
ditionally known for their rapid deployments and swift bat- to provide more weight for weaponry. Though not as thick The sheer versatility of the basic Behemoth design
tle plans. Enemies of the AFFS quickly learn to expect their as originally planned, the protection is more than adequate
opponents to appear anywhere, at any time. The notion of against most threats. makes individualizing them difficult and often redundant.
that army commissioning something as plodding and un- Sometimes commanders in urban garrisons replace the
maneuverable as the Behemoth Heavy Tank is anathema The only shortcoming the design team couldn’t over- smaller short-range missiles with flamers, but such minor
to most Davion military planners, but Aldis Industries first come was speed; with a top speed of only 32 kph, even the variations are barely worth noting.
premiered the vehicle to the AFFS in 2952. slowest ’Mech can easily catch up with the Behemoth if it’s
willing to face the firepower. Notable Crews
At the time, the role of the conventional vehicle on the
’Mech-equipped battlefield was in doubt. It seemed a ve- Deployment Subcommander Ivan Karyo: Commander of a Behemoth
hicle must either be fast enough to avoid the BattleMech’s Although the original commission came from the AFFS, platoon on Ares, Subcommander Karyo used to be a
weaponry or carry guns of its own capable of threatening MechWarrior before being injured during the Andurien
Aldis has always been willing to sell to any interested buyer. invasion. R elegated to conventional vehicles, Karyo
To date the Behemoth has spread to nearly every Successor chose the heaviest tank possible in order to make sure he
State military, although the largest concentrations remain had as many weapons as possible to keep the event from
in the AFFS and the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. repeating. Karyo is almost constantly in his tank, which
There are many stories of bravery and determination by he named “Redemption.” His crewmen, veterans of past
Behemoth crews, but recent years have provided many combat actions, are as zealous as he is. When ordered to
more concrete—and documented—examples. come off the practice field for a holiday, Subcommander
Karyo challenged the duty officer—a MechWarrior—to
During the battles for Tikonov in the Fourth Succession a practice duel. Redemption destroyed the officer’s
War, several heavy armor companies of the Crucis Lancers Cataphract in two minutes of combat.
were entering Tikograd when they came face to face with
a Demolisher battalion of the Capellan Home Guard inside
the city confines. The lead tanks of both sides fired, with
the Behemoths taking the brunt of the damage because of
the heavier caliber ChemJet guns on the Demolishers. The

BEHEMOTH HEAVY TANK ASSAULT VEHICLES 97

Type: Behemoth Heavy Tank Equipment Mass Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Control Equipment: 5 2 AC/10 Turret 24
Movement Type: Tracked Lift Equipment: 0 Ammo (AC) 20 Body 2
Tonnage: 100 Power Amplifier: 0 4 LRM 5 Front 8
Battle Value: 1,173 Turret: 3 Ammo (LRM) 48 Body 2
Armor Factor: 13 2 SRM 6 Turret 6
208 Ammo (SRM 6) 30 Body 2
Equipment 200 Mass Front Armor 2 SRM 2 Front 2
Internal Structure: ICE 10 R/L Side Value SRM 2 Right 1
Engine: 2 17 Rear SRM 2 Left 1
3 Turret 46 Ammo (SRM 2) 50 Body 1
Type: 0 0 38/38 2 Machine Guns Front 1
Cruising MP: Machine Gun Right .5
Flank MP: 40 Machine Gun Left .5
Heat Sinks: 46 Ammo (MG) 200 Body 1

NEPTUNE SUBMARINE 98

Mass: 100 tons House Davion attempted to avoid this problem by Deployment
Movement Type: Naval placing its control facilities underwater. Using extremely By the time Hanse Davion announced the Fourth
Power Plant: Doorman 270 Naval HyPerOx ICE low-frequency radios, buoys, and hard lines, the com-
Cruising Speed: 32 kph mand posts could effectively control the land battle while Succession War, most border planets along the Kuritan
Flank Speed: 54 kph remaining mostly invulnerable to aerospace fighter and and Capellan fronts deployed at least four (and more often,
Armor: SeaSlab/14.5 DropShip attacks. With attacking forces generally limited twelve) Neptune-class submarines to protect their under-
Armament: to BattleMechs for underwater assaults–a role in which water command centers. With the newly formed Federated
these valuable units did not perform well—it became nec- Commonwealth, Galtor Naval Yards found itself overloaded
1 Naval Sutel XII Large Laser essary to reintroduce the submarine as a more effective with new orders to Lyran worlds (after heavy suggestions
1 Sea Devastator 20 Rack LR Torpedo 20 defensive platform. by AFFS liaison officers) and subcontracted these out to
2 Sea Harvester Six Rack SR Torpedos several other Davion companies to meet the high demand.
Manufacturer: Galtor Naval Yards Capabilities By the War of 3039, nearly every world that had a large body
Primary Factory: Exeter, Galtor Introduced by the Galtor Naval Yards, a commercial of water and a valuable underwater facility fielded several
Communications System: Lynx-Shur Neptunes in addition to any required surface vessels.
Targeting and Tracking System: Sonar Sync Tracker ship builder based throughout the Draconis March, the
Neptune submarine was first deployed in 2950. Though it Neptunes are rarely found among House militaries
Overview displaces 100 tons, the six-man crew finds space cramped other than the AFFS, LAAF, and DCMS—as GNY’s newly
Like many aquatic vessels, the submarine all but van- due to the bulk of its machinery. rebuilt headquarters on Galtor were lost to the Draconis
Combine during the Fourth Succession War—unless the
ished from most military inventories. Only recently, due to The Doorman Naval 270 engine allows for a maximum world was formerly part of the Federated Commonwealth.
a change in some House defensive tactics, have submerged speed of 54 kph, either submerged or on the surface. The
military vessels made a comeback of sorts. Since attackers engine can function in open or closed cycles. The Neptune Variants
who disrupt or destroy enemy command centers can win can operate as an air-breathing diesel engine on the sur- The Neptune’s main failing, according to the more
a quick victory, owners of such control complexes under- face (or to a snorkel depth of twelve meters) in its open
standably sought to guard them due to their increasing im- cycle, or seal the intakes and switch to hydrogen peroxide vocal crews, is its lack of torpedo reloads. Some Davion
portance as targets. By the late Third Succession War, it be- for the diesel’s oxidizer at greater depths. variants remove the underpowered Sutel XII and add an-
came a cliché of war that a fixed command post could not other Sea Devastator system with three additional tons of
survive the first few hours of an invasion. Yet commanders The Neptune has a double-hull construction, a stan- ammunition. More defensive-minded crews (or those who
found it difficult to control a planetary battle from a mobile dard for submerged vessels since the late twentieth centu- like the close-quarters combat of a tight naval engage-
command post as effectively as a fixed post. ry. The inner hull is the pressure hull, separated from outer ment) will instead swap the Sutel XII with a few more Sea
hull’s armor role for safety. The Neptune is rated for dives Harvester tubes and additional ammo. Both of these ver-
somewhat over a kilometer. (Early specifications leaked out sions may mount surface-to-surface missile systems for
via AFFS sources indicated a rather shallow dive depth of shore bombardment roles, if necessary.
only 120 meters; AFFC officials later acknowledged the true
depth of the Neptune.) Notable Crews

The Neptune’s main armament is the Sea Devastator Captain Jonathan Larson and the Bowfin: The Bowfin
20-rack torpedo system. A marinized version of the was responsible for a successful defense of the command
Devastator LRM, the Sea Devastator has excellent range post on New Ivaarsen in 3021, when House Kurita’s Fifth
and firepower capability. Two Sea Harvester 6-rack tor- Galedon Regulars hit the world. The Bowfin defeated a lance
pedo systems back up the Sea Devastator for overwhelm- of enemy Dragons during a three-hour battle in the murky
ing short-ranged firepower. As a secondary weapon, the water offshore. The inspired defense was led by Ensign
Neptune mounts a Sutel XII large laser. Henry Larson, who later died during a surface retreat from
a heavily defended shoreline supply base that turned out to
be a decoy. Jonathan Larson was awarded the command of
his father’s ship when he made captain in 3033.

NEPTUNE SUBMARINE ASSAULT VEHICLES 99

Type: Neptune Submarine Equipment 232 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 14 5
Movement Type: Naval Value
Tonnage: 100 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 963 R/L Side 78 5
Rear 58/58 10
Equipment 270 Mass 6
Internal Structure: ICE 10 Weapons and Ammo 38 1
Engine: 3 29 Large Laser 1
5 LR Torpedo 20 Location
Type: 8 8 2 SR Torpedo 6 Front
Cruising MP: 5 Ammo (LR-T) 6 Front
Flank MP: 0 Ammo (SR-T) 15 Front
Heat Sinks: .5 Body
Control Equipment: 10 Body
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Diving Equipment:

BATTLEMECHS 100

BATTLEMECHS

B attleMechs weigh between 20 to 100 tons, and although attempts have been made to widen this weight range, such attempts are few and unsuccessful outside of the ultra-light
IndustrialMechs. Proclaimed the “Kings of the Battlefield” by every major military (and most minor ones as well), ’Mechs are deployed in significant numbers by most forces.
’Mechs serve in a wide variety of roles. Light ’Mechs, weighing from 20 to 35 tons, serve as scouts and forward observers, using their superior speed to stay away from heavy fighting. Large
units consisting primarily of light ’Mechs are sometimes formed for deep penetration raids against lightly defended targets. Some light ’Mechs are meant to support other light designs, and
such support units often have significantly slower speed and are looked down upon by some as being obsolete, though they still perform admirably on the field in lieu of other options. As a
flexible rear guard, protecting their force’s flank, or covering a withdrawal, a slower light ’Mech often has enough firepower or armor to give pause to a heavier design, buying precious time for
the rest of the force. Even the worst-equipped BattleMech force carries light ’Mechs within its ranks.

Medium (40-55 tons) and heavy (60-75 tons) ’Mechs serve as the backbone of the Inner Sphere’s military force. Mediums form the core of almost every BattleMech unit, and it is estimated
that forty percent of all BattleMechs deployed are in the medium-weight class, with most of the remainder being heavy and light BattleMechs. Both medium- and heavy-weight classes have a
wide variety of designs made for various roles. While other weight classes are performing supporting roles or being held back, mediums will be in the thick of the fighting slugging it out. Heavy
’Mechs are often piloted by unit commanders or veterans in units designed to break the back of most planetary defenses in the final push of a campaign. Most commanders gauge an enemies’
approximate experience by the average weight of the opposing force; only the most skilled and experienced MechWarriors are allowed to bring their heavy BattleMechs onto the field. And
when deployed, typically only another heavy- or assault-class machine can defeat them in battle.

The rarest of all, assault-class ’Mechs (80-100 tons) are undisputedly the most fearsome sight on the battlefield. Well-designed assault ’Mechs can often take on multiple designs of lighter
weight, and one or two assault ’Mechs are sometimes enough to turn the tide of a battle, even against heavy opposition. But having such a pivotal role has also made them targets of high
importance, and the Succession Wars have taken their toll. Few units have more than ten percent of their force made up of assault ’Mechs. This widespread destruction has left commanders
fearful of deploying these valued weapons, and they will withhold them until they are absolutely necessary in a campaign.

With the deciphering of the secrets of the Helm Memory Core and the reconstruction of production lines once thought permanently lost, the replacement rate for BattleMechs has finally
begun to exceed annual casualties. This has given birth to ideas of filling the ranks of regiments with heavier designs as heavy- and assault-class BattleMechs become the new workhorse de-
signs, and lighter machines provide support. As seen with the gifting of a entire regiment of assault BattleMechs from Melissa to Hanse Davion during their wedding on the eve of the Fourth
Succession War, many have begun to wonder if the medium and light ’Mechs will become obsolete, much like conventional vehicles became with the proliferation of the BattleMech.