Catalyst 35XT007 - Experimental ...

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Lord Brewer,
As per your request, I have completed a basic survey and comparative analysis on the current state of military research and
development across the Alliance and abroad. I have included with this a gamut of similar reports by non-Deiance sources for you to
review at your leisure, my duke, though the document immediately attached to this message relects the highlights of our own in-
house survey. As ever, of course, this should not be regarded as a full and complete analysis, if only because there can be hundreds
of prototype projects underway across the realm by our own facilities and those of our competitors.
With the above in mind, I submit a total of thirteen unique new military unit designs that are currently being tested by our
own engineers, and those of several close competitors. It is interesting, of course, to see how—even as we all recover from the
horriic damage of the Jihad—the arms race that has raged since the tech renaissance of the 3030s and 3040s continues to play
itself out. The Jihad has only exacerbated this, in fact, since the salvage from various Word of Blake assaults and occupations has
actually served to spread otherwise proprietary technologies across the Inner Sphere and Periphery. (Worth noting, by the way,
even “boondock worlds” and the Periphery have seen tech surges of late, a trend we simply cannot ignore.)
Although the war still rages on our borders, and the political machines of Devlin Stone and the other state leaders are in
overdrive about the post-Blake Protectorate, I know you would agree that Deiance will remain the dominant player in heavy
military technology for the Lyran state. There can be no doubt that further exploring the cutting edge of the new and recovered
weapons and defensive systems of today can only improve our standing with the Archon and his eforts to rebuild the armed forces.
Ever at your service,
—Asst. Director Edgar McKinnley, Deiance Industries, 18 November 3080
1
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The ’Mechs, combat vehicles, and ighters described in
Experimental Technical Readout: Steiner
provide players with a sampling of the various
custom designs that have arisen in the technical divisions of the military manufacturers of the Lyran Alliance. The designs featured in this book
relect limited-run prototypes and “one-ofs” that have yet to reach full factory production—and most likely never will.
The rules for using ’Mechs, vehicles and ighters in
BattleTech
game play can be found in
Total Warfare
, while the rules for their construction
can be found in
TechManual
. However, the experimental nature of these designs also draws upon the Experimental-level rules presented in
Tactical
Operations.
Thus, none of the units featured in this volume are considered tournament legal, and their use in introductory games is discouraged.
Furthermore, the extreme rarity of these machines is such that none of them should occur in a BattleTech campaign as a chance encounter, but
the capture or destruction of any one of these prototypes could be potential objective for
BattleTech
scenarios, tracks and role-playing adventures.
CREDITS
Project Development
Herbert A. Beas II
Development Assistance
Randall N. Bills
BattleTech Line Developer
Herbert A. Beas II
Assistant Line Developer
Ben H. Rome
Primary Writing
Herbert A. Beas II
Production Staf
Illustrations
Factchecking/Playtesting:
Joel Bancroft-
Connors, Roland “ColBosch” Boshnack, Joshua
“NCKestrel” Franklin, William “Mad Capellan” Gauthier,
Keith “Xotl” Hann, Johannes “jymset” Heidler, Daniel
“DarkISI” Isberner, Chris “Alexander Knight” Marti, Luke
“Jellico” Robertson, Chris “Chunga” Smith, Peter Smith,
Chris Wheeler, Patrick Wynne.
Special Thanks:
Herbert Beas would like
to thank all of the freelancers, fact-checkers, and
playtesters, and the Catalyst Game Labs staf who
help make these are the rest of the BattleTech game
line possible—as well as the fans, without whom, all
of this would be for nothing. And a big thanks, as ever,
to the understanding woman who still lets him to this
job after all these years of chaos and struggle: Beckie
J Beas. (Oscar, Annie, Meggie, Blaze, and Kurita—as
well as the canine, Logan—approve this message.)
Doug Chafee
Brent Evans
Duane Loose
Justin Nelson
Matt Plog
Brian Snoddy
Franz Vohwinkel
Record Sheets
Ray Arrastia
Joel Bancroft-Connors
“BV Smasha!” Sebastian Brocks
Christopher “Chunga” Smith
“Techno Wizard” Jason Tighe
Cover Design and Layout
BattleTech Logo Design
Ray Arrastia
Shane Hartley, Steve Walker
and Matt Heerdt
©2011 The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights
Reserved. Experimental Technical Readout:
Steiner, Classic BattleTech, BattleTech,
BattleMech, ’Mech and the Topps logo are
registered trademarks and/or trademarks
of The Topps Company, Inc., in the United
States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game
Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are
trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC.
CAT35XT007
STAR LEAGUE ERA
CLAN INVASION ERA
JIHAD ERA
Under License From
®
SUCCESSION WARS ERA
CIVIL WAR ERA
DARK AGE ERA
2
 STO-6X STIleTTO
Field Testing Summation:
Prototype STO Reit
Producer/Site:
Coventry Metal Works, Coventry
Supervising Technician:
Dr. Johann Schmidt
Project Start Date:
3078
Non-Production Equipment Analysis:
Type:
Stiletto
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Tonnage: 35
Battle Value: 1,192
Supercharger
Equipment
Mass
BattleMech Turrets (Shoulder)
Internal Structure:
Endo Steel
2
Bloodhound Active Probe
Engine:
245
12
Walking MP:
7
Overview
Coventry Metal Works’ experimental redesign of the
Stiletto
light ’Mech is clearly intended to develop a machine with enhanced
speed, survivability, and adaptability to a luid battleield. Based
directly on the STO-4A’s chassis, the so-called 6X prototype
employs a standard 245-rated fusion engine instead of the VOX
280 Light plant of the base machine. Though this sacriices a little
over 10 kilometers of ground speed per hour at a normal cruise,
Coventry’s engineers added a supercharger that can provide
sprints up to 151 kilometers per hour.
More noteworthy, however, are the radical structural changes
that make the 6X instantly recognizable in combat. Dropping the
centerline LRM launcher, and trading in the Streak SRM launchers
for ammo-free extended-range lasers mounted in twin barreled
shoulder turrets, this Stiletto gains the beneits of unlimited
weapon endurance, improved medium-range punch, and a ield
of ire that enemy targets will ind almost impossible to evade.
In addition, this coniguration allowed for the adaptation of fully
actuated arms and hands, which enables this ’Mech to engage in
close quarters combat or even to help haul cargo.
As a inal feature, the 6X
Stiletto
trades in its Guardian ECM
suite for a state of the art Bloodhound Active Probe. Although this
removes the defensive beneits of electronic countermeasures, it
provides this new
Stiletto
prototype with the ability to penetrate
these same countermeasures and spot hidden enemy units
before they can spring an ambush. While this makes the
Stiletto
a more powerful scout, some test pilots and tactical advisors
have suggested that the trade-of robs the machine of its ability
to “break” hostile C
3
networks—a trait found particularly useful
during the ires of the Jihad.
Even allowing for the sophisticated electronics of the
Bloodhound probe, virtually all of the systems employed on the
Stiletto
6X have proven ready for widespread production, and it
appears as though Coventry Metal Works is considering a full-scale
run of the new 6Xs for general sale. At this time, however, the two
lances already completed have been restricted to Coventry’s test
ranges.
Running MP:
11 [14]
Jumping MP:
0
Heat Sinks:
10 [20]
0
Gyro:
3
Cockpit:
3
Armor Factor (Ferro):
116
6.5
Internal
Armor
Structure
Value
Head
3
9
Center Torso
11
16
Center Torso (rear)
5
R/L Torso
8
12
R/L Torso (rear)
4
R/L Arm
6
12
R/L Leg
8
15
Weapons and Ammo
Location
Critical
Tonnage
2 ER Medium Laser*
RT
2
2
BattleMech Turret
RT
1
.5
(Shoulder)
Bloodhound Active Probe
RT
3
2
Supercharger
CT
1
1.5
2 ER Medium Laser*
LT
2
2
BattleMech Turret
LT
1
.5
(Shoulder)
Notes:
*Mounted in BattleMech Turrets (Shoulder)
3
STH-5X STealTH
Field Testing Summation:
Custom STH Hybrid Reit
Producer/Site:
Blue Shot Weapons, Loxley
Supervising Technician:
Dr. Heinrich Schultz
Project Start Date:
3076
Non-Production Equipment Analysis:
Composite Structure
Chameleon Light Polarization System
Clan Streak SRM-6s
Clan ER Medium Lasers
Clan Active Probe
Clan ECM Suite
Overview
The experimental reit of the
Stealth
BattleMech produced by Blue
Shot Weapons of Loxley is clearly not a native-born design. The two chasses
spotted to date appear instead to be battleield salvage that has been
extensively reit in order to serve as a test bed for hybrid technologies,
including a new composite-structure frame, Clan-spec weaponry, and a
functional copy of one of the most impressive stealth equipment of the
irst Star League: the Chameleon Light Polarization Shield.
The prevailing theory holds that the Lyrans captured enough
components of the light-bending Chameleon system from the wreckage
of Blakist ’Mechs left behind on key worlds like Tharkad and Hesperus II,
enabling their engineers to piece together working samples adapted for
new machines. But while this technology proved devastatingly efective in
the Star League era, the Null-Signature system that added electronic stealth
to the unit was not duplicated here. Instead, a Clan-spec ECM suite was
installed. The result amounts to providing the
Stealth
-5X with a large-scale
version of the Word of Blake’s mimetic battle armor system, backed up by
a straightforward countermeasures suite to defeat advanced electronics.
While not quite as efective as the lostech Null-Signature system or the
Void-Signature system the CCAF has been experimenting with, this
prototype nevertheless has a distinct ability to avoid enemy detection
when properly deployed.
The remainder of the
Stealth
-5X’s capabilities are made possible
through the miracle of Clan technology (either procured from salvage or
perhaps even reverse-engineered by Alliance engineers). Including a Clan
Active Probe for spotting hidden units, and Clan-tech medium lasers and
a Streak-6 for hard-hitting and ammunition-eicient irepower, the new
extended-range lamers intended for anti-infantry work are almost an
afterthought.
Still, given the non-proprietary make of this machine, coupled with
the scarcity of Clan-spec equipment and the extreme sophistication of the
Chameleon system, it remains wholly unlikely that a production-grade
version of the
Stealth
-5X is in Blue Shot Weapons’ future. In all probability,
the two machines observed to date are merely test beds for these hard-to-
acquire technologies, to gauge future marketability, and whether it is worth
the company’s eforts to replicate on their own designs.
Type:
Stealth
Technology Base: Inner Sphere – Mixed (Experimental)
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 2,222
Weapons and Ammo
Location
Critical
Tonnage
Chameleon LPS
*
6
0
ER Flamer
RA
1
1
ER Flamer
LA
1
1
Streak SRM-6 (C)
RT
2
3
Equipment
Mass
Ammo (Streak) 15
RT
1
1
Internal Structure:
Composite
2.5
Active Probe (C)
RT
1
1
Engine:
315 XL
11
ECM Suite (C)
RT
1
1
Walking MP:
7
3 ER Medium Laser (C)
LT
3
3
Running MP:
11 [14]
MASC
LT
2
2
Jumping MP:
7
Jump Jets
RT
3
1.5
Heat Sinks:
10 [20]
0
Jump Jets
RT
3
1.5
Gyro:
4
Jump Jet
CT
1
.5
Cockpit:
3
Armor Factor (Ferro):
143
8
Notes:
*Chameleon Light Polarization System occupies 1
critical slot each in the LA, RA, LL, RL, LT, and CT locations.
Internal
Armor
Structure
Value
Head
3
9
Center Torso
14
20
Center Torso (rear)
6
R/L Torso
11
17
R/L Torso (rear)
5
R/L Arm
7
12
R/L Leg
11
20
4
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]