Part 132: Delaying Action - Contest Part 1
Due to the length of this, the contest entries must be shortened into bite-sized portions. For your viewing pleasure (and in no particular order):Part 1
MJ12 posted:
The Kuritan plethora of the unpopular "Charger" chassis meant that when the Kuritans sought a platform to mount gauss rifles on, they first turned their attention on machines that they could spare, such as the Charger. Its 80 ton bulk made its chassis an excellent potential contender, capable of mounting one of the heavy weapons and a sufficient ammunition load.
To do so, Kuritan engineers removed the Charger engine and looted spares intended for use in repairing Thugs. Although this rendered several of their front-line assault lances somewhat short of spare parts, the change freed up nearly 30 tons, which were used to replace one of its pitiful 5 small lasers with a single gauss rifle and two tons of ammunition, fed into the weapon via a helical magazine. The remaining lasers were replaced with a quartet of Agra 1L medium lasers, multiplying its energy-weapons only firepower by nearly 33%, and its effective range by 300%. An additional 3 heat sinks compensates to some extent for the heat, allowing the -1KGR Charger to fire all its weapons and generate no surplus heat while standing. Although initial targeting computer faults reduced their effective range to the same as the small lasers mounted by the -1A1, those faults were quickly corrected by copying the targeting software from the Challenger variant. Targeting for the gauss rifle, however, was not so easy, and the need to compensate, however slightly, for recoil and ballistic drop mean that a pilot needs live-target gunnery practice to compensate for the quirks of the Charger's limited targeting system.
To compensate for reduced mobility, four Icarus 81 jump jet systems were mounted to allow jumps of up to 120 meters, and the armor was increased by almost 50%. The right arm, however, has identical protection to the -1A1's limb, the technicians judging that the loss of a single medium laser would have minimal impact on the mech's combat effectiveness and refusing to add additional armor which would further increase the necessary time for gyro balance calibration.
Many details of this BattleMech reveal its rushed production history. The engine is off-center by almost half a meter, moved to the right to counterbalance the 15-ton gauss rifle and its attendant 2 tons of ammunition. Its computer systems are nearly identical to the standard Charger, and its pilots have to be warned that the throttle and responses quite often think the machine is still a -1A1 Charger, causing sluggish movements and more than a few accidental falls, and requiring that the pilot dynamically compensate for its balance issues via neurohelmet.
Charger CGR-1KGR
Mass: 80 tons
Cost: 8,071,720 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,853
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 320 Standard Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.5 km/h
Jump Jets: 4
Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: 14.5 tons, Standard Armor
Armament:
1 Gauss Rifle (16 shots)
4 Medium Lasers
Heat Sinks: 13 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
It's certainly a Charger, and a pretty good one at that. One thing you will see, however, is that most of the applicants tended to go 'Gauss Rifle plus two-to-four medium lasers.' Still, this is a good baseline model. Bonus points for fluff.
Magni posted:
Type/Model: Charger CGR-1K
Mass: 80 tons
Total Cost: 8,118,571 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1.634
Chassis: Alshain Class 92 Standard Skeleton
Power Plant: 320 Hermes Standard Fusion
Walking Speed: 43,2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64,8 km/h
Jump Jets: 4 Lexington Limited Lifters Standard Jump Jets
Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor Type: 12.0 tons, Durallex Heavy Standard
Armament:
4 Medium Lasers
1 Gauss Rifle (24 shots)
1 Small Laser
Manufacturer: Luthien Armor Works
Location: Luthien
Heat Sinks: 14 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
Gauss, four mediums... although with the added benefit of being less heavily armored, more ammo (always a plus), and having a slightly more varied armament. Loses a few points 'cause they're all lasers and it's more expensive than MJ12's baseline. Bonus points for Luthien Armor Works.
b0lt posted:
Type/Model: Charger CGR-1A9
Mass: 80 tons
Total Cost: 8,132,971 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,638
Chassis: Alshain Class 92 Standard
Power Plant: 320 Hermes Standard Fusion
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: 4 Lexington Limited Lifters Standard Jump Jets
Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor Type: 13 tons Durallex Heavy Standard
Armament:
4 Victory 23R Medium Lasers
1 Gauss Rifle (24 shots)
1 Magna Mk I Small Laser
Manufacturer: Luthien Armor Works
Location: Luthien
Heat Sinks: 13 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
Identical to Magni's version, except with more armor and one less heat sink. The basic Charger 1A5 has 15 tons of armor, and I’m a little leery about refits that alter protection; since that requires heavy redesigns to the chassis.
Axe-man posted:
Gladiator GLD-4X
Mass: 55 tons
Cost: 4,573,094 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,405
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 275 Standard Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86.4 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Armor: 9.5 tons Standard Armor
Armament:
1 Gauss Rifle (8 shots)
2 Medium Lasers
1 Small Laser
Heat Sinks: 10 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
The Gladiator’s an unusual choice, but a very good one and better yet, that pricetag is extremely reasonable for an early-era Gauss rifle. The lack of ammunition hurts it, and was probably worth sacrificing another medium laser for; but all-in-all this is an excellent raider. The problem? The Dracs hate this design. It still probably would’ve been one of our winners if the Ghost Legions had been created, since this is the perfect ‘Mech for Yakuza slime.
AtomikKrab posted:
Ronin RON-1N
Mass: 50 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Cost: 4,122,500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,326
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 250 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86.4 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: 9 tons, Standard Armor
Armament:
1 Gauss Rifle (8 shots)
3 Medium Lasers
Heat Sinks: 10 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
Atomik! Put your forum name in your E-Mail next time! I’m a bit disappointed by the armament: one gauss, three medium lasers. Efficient, but: yawn. Also, the Ronin doesn’t exist yet and was a hand-tooled Solaris VII custom based on the Centurion chassis… which the Draconis Combine doesn’t produce. The Solaris VII custom ‘Mechs were notoriously difficult to reproduce, since every part was designed and produced separately and at great expense. That 4,122,500 C-bill price tag is misleading.
Landcollector posted:
Jagermech JM6-GR
Mass: 65 tons
Cost: 5,232,425 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,450
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 260 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: 10 tons, Standard Armor
Armament:
1 Gauss Rifle (24 shots)
3 Medium Lasers
2 SRM-2s (50 shots)
Heat Sinks: 15 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
Landcollector! Put your forum name in your E-Mail next time! I really like this Jagermech of yours, though. The SRM-2s give it some decent crit-seeking at knife-fight range, and being SRM-2s gives you a greater chance of hitting with one of them (at the expense of a greater chance to miss with both). This variant does sacrifice the Jagermech’s primary role (airplane-killing) however, so it’s unlikely that the Draconis Combine would go to the expense of refitting one of their only AA platforms (especially since they don’t produce the Jagermech).
[s posted:
I have no idea[/s] The Merry Marauder]
Committees formed from various military, paramilitary, and industrial bodies during the height of the first year of the Clan Invasion generated a massive number of proposals for use of the newly "acquired" Gauss Rifle technology. The prospect of commissioning an entirely new construction line from scratch, with all the demands placed on the Dragon by the strains of the Invasion, was a daunting one. A consensus was quickly reached to focus on a refit of an existing Mech. Oddly, many of these refit proposals focused on the little-loved black sheep of the DCMS, the CGR-1A1 Charger. Other notable recommendations suggested the use of the recently conquered (and, as such, still in the process of being integrated into logistics schedules) Griffin and Wolverine lines on Marduk. However, while it was possible to mount a Gauss Rifle on such a platform with a level of mobility to rival that of the Clans, the compromises necessary to do so were, after deliberation, considered to be unacceptable.
One of the final modifications submitted for the Kanrei's approval sought to adapt a design iconic throughout the Inner Sphere. While demand for the MAD-3R Marauder always exceeded supply, especially in the Combine, the presentation from the Togura-based Ibuki Robotics & Manufacturing persuaded Theodore that such a fundamentally solid and enduring design was readily capable of providing a versatile platform for deploying the Gauss Rifle.
Ibuki's design concentrated on economy and using off-the-shelf components wherever possible. Indeed, refits were a net gain for the Dragon, as two PPCs would be made available for either replacements or new production. Dropping the PPCs from the Marauder removed both a mass and heat burden from the design. The expansive power conduits were used to install a Martell Medium Laser (taken from a shipment evacuated from the Bergan Industries Locust line on Alshain) in each arm, above the extant Magna Mark IIs of the same output. The loss of so much weight forward allowed Ibuki's engineers to lower and center the Marauder's center of gravity for a wholesale replacement of the Whirlwind AC/5 with a Gauss Rifle, whose capacitors and heavy breech were precisely balanced in order to accommodate the next addition - Lexington Lifter jump jets. Taken from ample stockpiles on Luthien and New Samarkand intended for the Panther and Jenner, the Lifters provided unprecedented mobility and versatility in all terrains to an already fearsome machine, allowing the Ibuki MAD-4K to keep up with lighter formations and yet still have staying power in fire or assault lances. Finally, to ensure long-term staying power for the Mech's most important weapon, it was not technically challenging to add an additional bin of nickel-ferrous slug storage in addition to the repurposed autocannon ammunition system.
Both brand-new MAD-4K Marauders from Ibuki's retooled production facility and refitted centuries-old Marauders give the DCMS the best hope to turn back the Clan onslaught!
(fluff aside, this marauder refit drops the PPCs and AC/5 for a Gauss and an extra ton of ammo, two extra medium lasers, and four jump jets in the torsos - heat sinks and armor remain the same to simplify refitting)
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
One gauss, four medium laser 4/6/4? It’s a Marauder, but without half of the things that make it a marauder. It’s a good concept (I wasn’t expecting a Marauder refit at all!), but without ER Medium Lasers it just seems a bit lacking in range for a 75 tonner. Admittedly, this is pre- all the weight-saving technology that really make the Gauss Rifle effective, but I’m not really a fan of this retrofit since it loses the ‘Marauder’ feel. My opinion probably would’ve been different if it’d mounted two large lasers and the Gauss Rifle, at the expense of the mediums and the jump jets.
No Idea :C posted:
The Gokenin is a perverse redesign of the Quickdraw and the Charger, using components from two designs found relatively ineffective against the Clans to create a reasonably effective platform for the new Comstar gauss rifle. The Quickdraw, though fast, carries a poor weapons mix for fighting an enemy with the Clans' range, and insufficient armour to endure their heavy fire while it attempts to close. The Charger's pitiful armament has likewise proven pitifully inadequate.
Although the Gokenin is not quite as fast as either, it does not need to be. Between the new gauss rifle and a paired PPC, it has ample long-range firepower to reply in kind to the Clan aggressors without needing to close range as rapidly as its forebears. Two medium lasers round out its firepower should anything get too close, in particular the heavily armoured infantrymen the Clans are rumoured to be fielding. The Gokenin does not carry additional heat sinks, but the low-heat output of the gauss rifle mitigates this problem significantly. A pilot only risks undue overheating by an excessive use of the jump jets while firing the PPC continuously.
Most of the Gokenin's parts are off-the-shelf. The only major change (and cost) is a hollowing out and size reduction for the Charger's chassis. The savings found in myomer reduction offsets the cost of the conversion significantly, as does the fact that the Gokenin can make direct use the of Vlar 300 engines, medium lasers, and jump jets already in production for the Quickdraw here on Luthien. The only component not drawn from the Quickdraw or the Charger is the PPC. However, there are several PPC plants in the Combine, many of which are located in the Earth-ward corridor through which we must import the gauss rifles in any event.
Gokenin GKN-27T
Mass: 75 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Cost: 7,021,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,828
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 300 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: 4 Unknown
Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: 12.5 tons, Standard Armor
Armament:
1 Gauss Rifle (16 shots)
1 PPC
2 Medium Lasers
Heat Sinks: 10 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
Our first new ‘Mech, and I really like this one. With a Gauss Rifle, a PPC, and two Medium Lasers the Gokenin has both threat and staying power, even in situations where its Gauss Rifle has been destroyed. Its biggest flaw is heat, and it’s somewhat light armor. That, and I wasn’t sure who designed it, since they didn’t put a signature in their E-Mail. This is another ‘Mech I’d have loved to let the Ghost Legions to play with.
Ba Donk a Bonk posted:
Designed as astop-gap measure to get as many Gauss Rifles into the field as possible, as well as boost the morale of units who are expecting to face the Clans, the WHM-6K-X1 is a completely refurbished type of the popular 6K version of the Warhammer. The effectiveness of the newly-rediscovered Gauss Rifle, when combined with a lack of appropriate chassis available to mount the large, heavy gun, led to several issues. With the threat of the Clans bearing down further and further with every day, the DCMS high command was forced to search for an appropriate design that could be modified to use the new weapon, and fast. Seeking a heavy 'Mech that was both highly effective and available in decent numbers, technicians at Luthien Armor Works (LAW)settled on a heavily modified Warhammer. Major issues fitting all of the design requirement forced LAW to create what was nearly a new machine, combining the old Warhammer chassis with drastically different components that have produced what is hopefully an effective, if unusual, 'Mech. In order to distinguish the design from the current Warhammer, it has been given the codename of Yari, named after the spear used by feudal Japanese warriors. Hopefully for the warriors of the DCMS, this new technology, as rushed as it is, will help even the gap with Clan technology that has put House Kurita at a disadvantage so far.
The centerpiece of the new variant is a massive Gauss Rifle that takes up the entire right torso, replacing the SRM6, Medium Laser, and Small Laser that previously sat in the torso. This weapon, finally rediscovered after centuries of obscurity following the destruction of the Succession Wars, uses electromagnetic force to propel a large metal slug at incredible velocities. Each rifle has been produced in-house at Luthien Armor Works until a full production line can be started elsewhere. To ensure the survival of the weapon, nearly a half-ton of additional armor was added to the Mech's Right Torso. However, making room for the Rifle meant that the 'Mech's other systems had to be nearly entirely reworked. The most drastic change is the swap of the Warhammer's previous engine for a lighter, but less powerful, 210 Fusion engine. Without the power of the previous engine, the 'Mech's top speed has been reduced to a mere 54.0 km/h; to make up for this loss of mobility, Jump Jetswere installed into the 'Mech's legs and torso, fulfilling a DCMS requirement for at least acceptable mobility. The new engine, combined with the bulk of the Gauss Rifle and the additional armor, led to the Warhammer's torso being completely reworked, both internally and in appearance. The reduction in engine power, combined with both the weight and the energy draw of the Gauss rifle, forced the Donal PPCs to be replaced with Diverse Optics Type 30 Large Lasers, which provide the 'Mech with pair of reliable weapons to complement the main gun. The original 6K's left-torso mounted Small and Medium Magna lasers were kept, mostly as an afterthought.
Currently, the design is being produced as fast as Warhammers can be shipped to Luthien and modified to the new specifications. Many issues have popped up, due to the fact that each Warhammer has to be individually inspected and modified. The large number of quick fixes, hasty repairs, and uses of non-standard replacement parts made throughout the centuries of war in the Inner Sphere means that almost as much time is spent bringing the 'Mech's up to an appropriate quality level as modifying them to to mount the new weapons. Even with this problem, the Combine has been quietly purchasing and otherwise acquiring Warhammers as quickly as possible to refurbish into the new model. The new design is being primarily givento both the most elite DCMS units such as the Sword of Light Regiments, and to units expecting to see actions against the Clans.While the machine has done well in theoretical combat situations and simulations, the difficulty in communications with front-line units means that no reliable report of the Warhammer's effectiveness against the Clans has made it back to Luthien. For now, the technicians at LAW can only produce the design and hope that it is enough to make a difference.
Warhammer "Yari" WHM-6K-X1
Mass: 70 tons
Cost: 5,613,825 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,681
Chassis: StarCorps 100 Standard
Power Plant: VOX 210 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: LAW Prototype Jump Jets
Jump Capacity: 90 meters
Armor: 10.5 tons, Leviathon Plus Standard Armor with Reinforcement
Armament:
1 Luthien Armor Works Prototype Gauss Rifle (16 shots)
2 Diverse Optics Type 30 Large Lasers
1 Martell Medium Laser
1 Magna Small Laser
Heat Sinks: 16 single
PoptartsNinja's Thoughts:
Aha, now this is more like it. I wasn’t expecting any Warhammer refits, but I really like this one: It’s a refit that’s actually had to sacrifice to field a gauss rifle, and I like that; and with a primary armament of two large lasers this ‘Hammer can really pound a vulnerable target; and the Jump Jets keep it from being as immobile as a stump. I’d take one of these in a city fight any-day.