OBT Forum

Well, to further the Vedette example, that 10 tons could be spent in one of 3 fairly simple ways to maintain the AC theme of the machine:

1) A 2nd AC/5 + 1 Ton of ammo, with the remaining tonnage being spent on upgrading the turret ring

2) Trade the existing AC/5 for a AC/10 with 3 tons of ammo, and after again making the turret bigger to fit it leaves you with 3.5 tons of extra armour if my math is right**

or 3) Just add 10 tons of armour. Giving it 16 tons... what a brick 

Now options 1 or 3 are probably easiest, and ease the logistical problems if you happen to have a mix of the ICE and FCE versions in the force. Personally I lean towards option 1, maintains the range and ammo load per gun while doubling the firepower. The 8 AC/5's that would come out of a lance of these things is definitely not something to be ignored. Just giving it 16 tons of armour would probably mean people immobilise em and then stay away or rain arty on them.
As for price, that is a bit of an issue, the engine alone adds 380,000 to a vee that is under 750,000 c-bills normally, all up the new twin-AC5 vedette costs 1,037,250 or about a 40% increase. Still 100K cheaper then a standard Bulldog, and on an open field I think I'd prefer 2 AC/5's over a large laser and SRM's, specially as the vedette is a little faster at 5/8.

Tech rating as per Tech Manual is D, just like Fusion engines, but the Availability is a little better the Fusion during the Succession wars, D rather then E. Doesn't match Combustion engines of course, but then no engine is easier to find then an ICE.


**Due to Solaris Skunk Works having issues on my PC for some reason and Heavy Metal Vee not having rules for FCE apparently, I am largely doing this by hand

EDIT: got the availabilities wrong, not sure how when I was staring right at it...

True, the SLDF could afford whatever the heck they wanted, and they generally wanted big bad fusion powered machines. I was thinking this idea could kick off somewhere during the 2nd/3rd SW, when people were running short of fusion engines for their mechs and so stripped them out of tanks. Swapping out ICE engines is easier as you are adding gear rather then stripping it out of a Fusion powered one, what with most Fusion powered tanks packing energy weapons and Fuel Cells still needing power amplifiers and only coming with the one heat sink and all. A Manticore with a Fuel Cell Engine just wouldn't work for example.

So perhaps the various Vee designers (Looking at you Quickscell) tried to help their respective governments -and their bank balance- by producing up-gunned versions of their Combustion engine machines. Now of course there are machines out there that were made purely because they were dirt cheap *cough*Hetzer*cough* and they probably wouldn't see a fuel cell version, being not worth the expense. Anyone who could afford a Fuel Cell hetzer can afford a better tank to start with.

The strategic mobility issue (450km range instead of 600km) could be somewhat offset by what they use as a fuel source, assuming they are hydrogen fuel cell rather then using something else (HFC's are the only working RL example that springs to mind at 1am) then could they not use the dropship's fuel tanks like the ASF, or do they use something else? Sure it means they cant wander too far from friendly droppers unless you're bringing tankers with you, but if everything that needs fuel uses the SAME fuel then that is one less logistical problem, and supply officers could do with all the help they can get. 

I doubt Quicksell would back this high tech venture, I get the cheap ICE feeling from them most of all. Be interesting if the ComGuards fooled around with the idea for their growing armies.

Drakensis - Well, my original idea was that the manufacturer would make it easier for themselves to build (And also maximise their own profits) by keeping the machine the same tonnage, so both the ICE and FCE versions have the same chassis with as many parts being shared as possible. Using the engine change to make the whole thing smaller hadn't occured to me, but that also works.

JPArbiter - That is true, and to be honest I have no idea whether it is the case or not, couldn't find any reference one way or the other. Was just a random stab in the dark that could help with the range problem.

NETC was a major supplier of the ComGuards so another reason it could be their idea.

I personally love the Fuel Cell I almost always look at it was an alternative to fusion or ICE if at all possible.  One of my personal bugbears is a fusion design with no laser armament you're wasting g your 10 heats for nothing.

For me Fuel Cell variants during the Succession Wars wouldn't completely replace ICE but with frontline commands or organisations like ComStar it's something I'd have liked to see more of

Looking at the newer books that have come out Fuel Cells have begun to show their presence but not an overwhelming one.  I kinda like how they haven't been used like improved jump jets when they appeared on the scene (on every unit they could go on)

Drakensis I like those ideas lighter but no different combat wise quite cool.  Alternatively you could do them the same tonnage but have heaps of cargo space not good combat wise but tactically could be useful

Or instead of cargo space, Infantry bays for everybody! Reduce the risk of whole platoons getting wiped out in one fell swoop by not putting all 28 men in the one coffi-er APC!  Or to combine with your usual Maxims or other APCs for a great big shell game, which tanks are the PBI's huddling in this time?

Could also go the other way, and put Fuel Cells in some of the Fusion-powered tanks that dont really need all that power for anything other then combat radius, like the Von Luckner or Rommel/Patton. Free up more of those fusion engines for the big shiny 'Mechs and stuff.