Part 841: T.G. Xarbala's awesome thing
PoptartsNinja posted:
Only one thing in my last post was an actual clan weapon/tactic. See if you can find it.
Now, I'll admit that aside from this thread and the MW games, I have no real experience with Battletech. So, Defiance or Muk can correct me if I'm wrong, but with a bit of investigation and a few cross-references to sarna I think I've managed to snag the scoop. This relates to Clan Diamond Shark's infamous River Dragon Omnimech, something you old BT veterans are probably rolling your eyes at right now. I don't know anything about how it plays on tabletop but I've heard things and what I've heard will inevitably color this report.
As PoptartsNinja would tell you, to begin I would have to start with the SLDF's Gauss Flail, a variant Gauss Rifle designed to fire absurdly large, magnetically-bonded fragmentary slugs at subsonic speeds. While devastatingly powerful, combining a total damage output far exceeding an Ultra AC/20 and with the armor-vexing scatter effect of an LBX autocannon, the lower barrel velocity and poor ballistics of the Flail-slug limited the effective range of the Flail to less than 300m, with damage output dropping as range increased. By reducing the size of the projectile and the number of bonded fragments to a mere six "flanges" and one core "shaft," Clan Diamond Shark's engineers managed to produce a lighter and much more stable projectile--the fearsome and infamous Gauss Mace. While less powerful than the Gauss Flail, the Mace seemed promising with a single-shot close range damage output exceeding an AC/20 and an effective range not far below that of the original Gauss Rifle. The unique design of the Mace slug allowed for a system of equal mass and size to the Gauss Rifle to effectively deliver a larger, heavier slug without the crushing recoil of larger, later IS-made systems of similar concept. This came at the cost of increased heat but not nearly as much as comparable Autocannon. Like the Flail, however, the peculiar design of the gigantic ferrobonded Mace slug both reduced the damage the Gauss Mace would deal at range and ensured that it would be plagued with ammo shortages--a state of affairs exacerbated by the inability to split the weapon and its ammo storage into different parts of the 'Mech's body, again a consequence of the slug's design. The exposure and arrangement of the Gauss capacitors, too, proved problematic as a single hit to the core components of the Gauss Mace would generate a devastating explosion of force roughly double that of the basic Gauss Rifle.
Originally, the Diamond Sharks had intended for their experimental Maces to be sold to Clan Ghost Bear, whose vicious infighting tactics and expertise would put the Gauss Mace to good use. However, the Ghost Bears balked at the prototype version of the weapon, citing its prohibitive size, the unfortunate limitations on ammo feed, and the potentially catastrophic fragility of the Gauss Mace itself as reasons not to field it. Even after most of the drawbacks of the Mace were addressed, only Clans Fire Mandrill and Blood Spirit purchased Gauss Maces in any significant number. That is, until a Trial of Grievance between bitter rivals Star Colonel Ragnar Tseng of Clan Ghost Bear and the exceptionally gifted--though unfortunately freeborn--Star Commander Marisa of Clan Diamond Shark saw the improved Gauss Mace put to the field.
While Ragnar chose to pilot a customized Kodiak, his opponent elected to pilot that commonly-overlooked Diamond Shark peculiarity, the River Dragon (IS reporting name: "Great Dane"). Redesigning the old Woodsman Omnimech into an Assault platform for their improved Gauss Mace, Diamond Shark engineers upsized its chassis to 80 tons and increased the size of its already distressingly large XL Engine to give it a healthy amount of mobility for a close-combat Assault Omni. The standard configuration, which Star Commander Marisa piloted, replaced the Woodsman's LRM-15s with LRM-5s, removed its Machine Guns in favor of ER Small Lasers, and removed all but one ERML along with its pod-mounted double heatsinks. In place of its two ERLLs, the River Dragon was equipped with two Gauss Maces. Common knowledge among the Clans was that the standard River Dragon was a comical misuse of resources, relegated to second-line status or salvaged for spare parts whenever taken as isorla. However, Clan Diamond Shark saw great potential in their design and for this particular Trial sought to showcase the true value of their spectacular flop in an exhibition for all the Clans to see. Special concessions were made with the Grand Council to refit Marisa's chosen River Dragon with larger ammo containers for the Gauss Maces. With a larger, bulkier canister, even a single Mace would become an effective area-denial repellent against traditional Ghost Bear tactics, much less a pair of Maces.
During the actual Trial, Star Commander Marisa managed to hold Star Colonel Ragnar Tseng at bay for nearly an hour, using superior mobility and the local terrain to confound his efforts at closing the distance between the two. With a slight advantage between the maximum ranges of her primary weapons and the maximum range of Ragnar Tseng's ER Large Laser, Marisa severely battered him with Maces and missiles while taking little damage in return. Eventually, though, he finally managed to corner her and brought the full brunt of his Kodiak's weapons to bear. What actually happened once they were both in close range, however, took everyone by surprise.
Pictured: The last thing Star Colonel Ragnar Tseng ever saw, a screaming mass of six-flanged death wreathed in the self-immolated corpse of the atmosphere's sound barrier flying straight at his cockpit.
Following the Trial, the Clans were greatly impressed by the River Dragon's performance, including Clan Ghost Bear. (It goes without saying that all credit went to the 'Mech itself and not its pilot, however capable she was.) Clan Diamond Shark's strange pet project had finally found a place in the toumans of many of those Clans which would eventually take part in the great Invasion of the Inner Sphere. Clan Ghost Bear, in particular, fielded a large number of River Dragons piloted by their bravest and craftiest--though, it should be noted, not in its standard configuration. As restitution for slaying one of their valuable Bloodnamed Mechwarriors over a petty personal duel, the Diamond Sharks gave the Ghost Bears a full Trinary's worth of River Dragons as a gift, an act of goodwill that ensured the Clans' close ties to this day. During the Clan Invasion, Clan Wolf fielded few River Dragons but to great effect. FedCom (or, specifically, Lyran) analysts were wont to compare the fearsome Omnimech to the great Danish vikings who ravaged and raided the seas of old Europe in ages past, hence its Inner Sphere designation. The Free Rasalhague Republic, on the other hand, weren't nearly as romantic in their opinions toward the 'Mech, which they referred to as a great big son of a bitch.
During the FedCom civil war, Clan Diamond Shark managed to sell large numbers of River Dragons to the Great Houses and many mercenary commands, though most configurations designed for sale in the Inner Sphere dropped one of the Gauss Maces in favor of weapons capable of more sustainable fire. The dual-Mace stock configuration was fairly popular in spite of this, however, thanks to the logic that, "If it's Clan-made, it has to be good!" For what it's worth, they found that aside from the Clan Gauss Maces, replacement parts were easy enough to convert to IS omni tech. The Omnimech's signature arm pods, on the other hand, had to be purchased straight from the Diamond Sharks themselves. IS-made Gauss Maces are as bulky as prototype Gauss Maces and refitting Clan-made River Dragons to mount them is a costly affair, one which calls for IS technicians to make a lot of sacrifices. More recently, the Lyrans and the Combine have had better success reverse-engineering this technology in order to build Omnimechs designed for IS Gauss Maces from scratch. The fearsome Hauptmann "Config SCBY" replaces its LBX-AC/20 and drops a few other things in order to mount just a single Gauss Mace, but it's regarded as a sacrifice well worth it. The Seiten Taisei, known outside of the Combine as the Monkey King (even by the Capellans), boasts 100-tons of incomparable area-denial power, mounting two enormous IS Gauss Maces, two PPCs, and a Small Laser on its forehead. Not to be outdone, the FedSuns' own Scrappeur Deux Medium 'Mech is best described as a very fast, hard-hitting, extremely irritating Gauss Mace with legs.
Despite its long and curious history, much of the River Dragon's current infamy can be traced to the exploits of a single mercenary unit. A small and unconventional command staffed by young--if curiously skilled and amazingly lucky--troubleshooting, mystery mercenaries called Freddie's Caravaneers has earned more than their fair share of recognition for the exploits of their lone River Dragon. As this remains their only Clan Omnimech and the most valuable 'Mech on the roster, its shaggy, cowardly, unkempt glutton of a pilot is loathe to see it damaged and spends many of his battles fleeing, hiding, or building improbably large sandwiches. Inevitably, however, circumstances conspire to see that very River Dragon smack dab in the thick of it, taking on impossible odds and somehow managing to come out on top--always unmasking conspirators, pantsing pirates, manhandling criminals, and persistently meddling in various villains' affairs again and again.
However, seeing as how the LP's timeline diverges pretty dramatically from the canon timeline, I'm not sure where the River Dragon fits in. Clan Goliath Scorpion is the closest thing to a Clan Wolf out of all the 3025-Invasion Clans so they're probably the best bet to see them in action. I'm also certain PTN could probably reconfigure a custom Clan Omnimech to mount one or two Gauss Maces. Those would be pretty painful and I salute any member of Goonlance willing to stare them down.
FAKEREAL EDIT:I spent only an hour and a half on that doodle and nearly four hours writing this
EVEN MORE EDIT:Since I actually did a bit more research and got hold of a custom 'Mech maker, changed the fluff so it might actually reflect something playable, if technically fan-made rubbish at any rate.