OBT Forum

Recently, I began a concerted effort to overhaul and rebuild the Clan WarShip Fleets.  I see this taking place in the later half of the Great Century and continuing up through the Dragoon Compromise . . . as it is during this time frame that the Crusader's quest to return to the Inner Sphere was reverberating throughout the Clans.  Without the recon intel provided by the Dragoons, who knew what kinds of WarShips would be waiting for the Clans?

So, in my own head-canon, the Clans began to overhaul, refit, and upgrade their existing units to be better able to handle most threats.

Armor, capital-scale weapons, fuel stores, cargo bays, bay personnel quarters were all adapted to the needs of each separate Clan.  Some Clans went so far as to overhaul in-system drives for greater thrust (Clan Ice Hellion--I see you!) and individual Clans made the decision on whether or not to incorporate Lithium-Fusion Batteries (my Scorpions, for example, are one Clan that does not).  New systems (such as the Small and Large Naval Comm-Scanner Suites) were also introduced and incorporated into the WarShips of some Clans.

Part and parcel of that immense project was the installation of an extensive array of secondary weapon systems designed to deal with hostile Aerospace Fighters, OmniFighters, and Assault DropShips.

Now, I see many Clans choosing to do their "own thing" in regards to these secondary batteries.  For example, my Scorpions have the following secondary battery on their WarShips:

3 ER Large Lasers
2 ER PPCs
2 Gauss Rifles (120 rounds)
1 Ultra AC-20 Autocannon (120 rounds)
4 ER Medium Lasers
5 ER Small Lasers

This armament is duplicated on each arc (although some Scorpion vessels forgo the ER Small Lasers).  This armament package seems to fit the Scorpion preferences . . . and at the same time gives a variety of weapon systems and engagement ranges.  Capital damage is a total of 18 per arc (3 per bay).

The Ice Hellions, on the other hand, focus exclusively on long-range combat with their secondary batteries.

2 LRM-20s with Artemis IV FCS (120 units of fire)
3 Large Pulse Lasers
2 ER PPCs
2 Gauss Rifles (120 shots)
4 Ultra AC-5 Autocannon (480 shots)

This arrangement lets the Hellions bring their full secondary firepower to bear the instant a hostile fighter or DropShip enters range and serves well with the faster Hellion WarShips.  Capital damage is 15 per arc (3 per day).

The Wolves favor a more traditional arrangement with a mix of missiles, ballistic weaponry, and energy weapons, having lighter individual mounts, but rather more of them for a flexible response at all ranges. 

2 ER Large Lasers
1 LRM-20 with Artemis IV FCS (48 units of fire)
2 Large Pulse Lasers
3 ER Medium Lasers
3 Medium Pulse Lasers
1 Ultra AC-10 Autocannon (100 bursts)
2 Streak SRM-4 (50 units of fire)
3 ER Small Lasers
5 Small Pulse Lasers

This allows the Wolves to divide their fire among separate squadrons/Stars and have ever increasing firepower as the ranges close.  Capital damage is 18 per arc (2 per bay).

And for the Cloud Cobras, I can see them as really focusing on hostile fighters due to their own emphasis on Aerospace Fighters and OmniFighters.

5 LB-2X Autocannon (270 shots)
5 LB-2X Autocannon (270 shots)
5 LB-5X Autocannon (260 shots)
5 LB-5X Autocannon (260 shots)
5 LB-10X Autocannon (250 shots)
5 LB-10X Autocannon (250 shots)
3 LB-20X Autocannon (150 shots)
3 LB-20X Autocannon (150 shots)

This weapons mix is very accurate and just fills the sky with loads of flak that hostile fighters, small craft, and DropShips have to navigate through.  And the damage just gets worse and worse the closer to the Cloud Cobra WarShip you get.  Capital damage is 20 per arc (1, 2, 3, or 4 per bay).  [EDIT:  I had an OOPS.  Doubled the LB-2X bays on my original post.  Above is corrected--MA.]

So what do you think the other Clans might mount as their secondary batteries?  I can Smoke Jaguar favoring heavy-damage (6, 7, 8, 9, or even 12 (quad UAC-20s!) Capital) bays that will literally decimate hostile fighter squadrons or Stars.  Maybe Steel Viper goes exclusively missile (long and short ranged).  Star Adder, I could see as favoring Pulse Lasers for the increased accuracy, as these weapons are very efficient (and they are a very pragmatic Clan). 

But how do you see them?