OBT Forum

I don't expect anybody to do anything, in the sense of holding a gun to their head and threatening them with opening a couple of holes in their skull to let the evil spirits out if they fail to please me!

Bradshaw got one possible approach to the basic premise exactly right on the first try. He saw a point in the alternate history where it seemed plausible to him that a new 'Mech might be designed to symbolically commemorate an important geopolitical development, then he designed one.

Another angle would be to design a new 'Mech to remedy a deficiency in the line of battle for a particular faction that it seems to you ought logically to exist because of some other development, like (for example) the CC demanding that their remaining manufacturers come up with new designs or variants to compensate for their failure to retake the production lines on Tikonov or Ares during the Blakist War and regain access to a supply of the existing designs and variants those factories had previously produced for them.

My players and I have been intermittently adding new variants to this AU for many years, but there's always a risk that, by now, maybe we can't see the wood for the trees. An outside perspective can be very valuable sometimes.

Funny I was planning on doing a variant.

The Nogiitsune is a variant of Zenko, seized by dissidents from the Draconis Combine and renamed the Nogistune after the mischievous or even malicious foxes of ancient terran myth. This variant strips its Federated Commonwealth favored weaponry and centers it on the traditional weaponry of the more favored Draconis design of the Panther. Seen very rarely these variants are traditionally spotted in high visible demonstrations and raids as a way to tarnish the reputation of its predecessor.

Nogitsune

Mass: 50 tons
Introduction Year: 3065
Cost: 10,824,000 C-bills
Battle Value: 1,551

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                    5
Engine                        300 XL                9.5
Walking MP: 6
Running MP: 9(12)
Jumping MP: 4
Double Heat Sink              14 [28]                 4
Gyro                                                  3
Cockpit                                               3
Armor Factor                  136                   8.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Head                    3         9     
     Center Torso            16        18   
     Center Torso (rear)               5     
     R/L Torso               12        14   
     R/L Torso (rear)                  4     
     FR/L Leg                12        17   
     RR/L Leg                12        17   

Weapons              Location  Critical   Heat    Tonnage
ER PPC                   LT        3        15      7.0   
ER Medium Laser          RT        1        5       1.0   
ER Medium Laser          LT        1        5       1.0   
SRM 4                    HD        1        3       2.0   
SRM 4 Ammo (25)          CT        1        -       1.0   
MASC                     RT        3        -       3.0   
Double Heat Sink         RT        3        -       1.0   
Double Heat Sink         LT        3        -       1.0   
Jump Jet                RLL        1        -       0.5   
Jump Jet                FLL        1        -       0.5   
Jump Jet                RRL        1        -       0.5   
Jump Jet                FRL        1        -       0.5    

And here we go... .

 - - - - - -

                          BattleMech Technical Readout

ZNK-4 Nogitsune

Mass: 50 tons
Chassis: Corean-II Deluxe Modified
Power Plant: Vlar 300 XL
Cruising Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: Lexington Ltd. Lifters
   Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: StarGuard II with CASE
Armament:
   1 Lord's Light 6 Enhanced ER PPC
   2 Diverse Optics Type 20X ER Medium Lasers
   1 Guided Technologies 2nd Gen Streak SRM-4
   * Supercharger
Manufacturer: None (Refit)
   Primary Factory: Various Black Dragon Society Refit Facilities (DC)
Communications System: Corean TransBand-J9
Targeting & Tracking System: Garret T11b

Type: ZNK-4 Nogitsune
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 3 3090
Tonnage: 50

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                       5.0
Engine:               300 XL                              9.5
   Walking MP:          6
   Running MP:          9 [12]
   Jumping MP:          4
Heat Sinks:            14 [28]                            4
Gyro: XL                                                  1.5
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         168                                10.5
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            16               25
   Center Torso (Rear):                       6
   R/L Torso:               12               20
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          4
   R/L Arm:                 12               20
   R/L Leg:                 12               20

  BV 1: 1,666   Cost: 14,484,000 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Enhanced ER PPC               RT         3       15       7.0
ER Medium Laser               RT         1        5       1.0
Streak SRM-4                  LT         1        3       3.0
Ammo (Streak) 25              LT         1        0       1.0
ER Medium Laser               LT         1        5       1.0
Supercharger                  LT         1        0       1.0
CASE                          LT         1        0       0.5
Jump Jet(s)                  RFL         1        0       0.5
Jump Jet(s)                  LFL         1        0       0.5
Jump Jet(s)                  RRL         1        0       0.5
Jump Jet(s)                  LRL         1        0       0.5

HS RT1 LT1

 - - - - - - -

Switching from the original MASC system to a supercharger and upgrading to an XL gyro let the... blighters downgrade the skeleton from endo steel to standard and replace the RAC/2 with a Streak SRM-4, two ER medium lasers and four additional double heat sinks without needing to sacrifice armor protection or the CASE system as well.

Posting this

Bradshaw got one possible approach to the basic premise exactly right on the first try. He saw a point in the alternate history where it seemed plausible to him that a new 'Mech might be designed to symbolically commemorate an important geopolitical development, then he designed one.

Another angle would be to design a new 'Mech to remedy a deficiency in the line of battle for a particular faction that it seems to you ought logically to exist because of some other development, like (for example) the CC demanding that their remaining manufacturers come up with new designs or variants to compensate for their failure to retake the production lines on Tikonov or Ares during the Blakist War and regain access to a supply of the existing designs and variants those factories had previously produced for them.

My players and I have been intermittently adding new variants to this AU for many years, but there's always a risk that, by now, maybe we can't see the wood for the trees. An outside perspective can be very valuable sometimes.

started a chain of thought going through my head which has just now led to me thinking of this:

 - - - - - -

                          BattleMech Technical Readout

TR-A-8 Toro

Mass: 35 tons
Chassis: Humanoid Mk VII TR Endo-Composite
Power Plant: GM 210 XL
Cruising Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: None
   Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Hellespont Lite Stealth with CASE
Armament:
   1 Ceres Arms Champion Enhanced ER PPC
   2 Holly MML-5s
   * Guardian ECM Suite
Manufacturer: Taurus Territorial Industries
   Primary Factory: Taurus (TC)
Communications System: Neil 9000-A with Guardian ECM Suite
Targeting & Tracking System: Octagon Tartrac System C

Type: TR-A-8 Toro
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 3 3080
Tonnage: 35

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: EC                                    3.0
Engine:               210 XL                              4.5
   Walking MP:          6
   Running MP:          9
   Jumping MP:          0
Heat Sinks:            10 [20]                            0
Gyro: XL                                                  1.5
Cockpit: Small                                            2
Armor Factor:         104  Stealth                        6.5
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            11               14
   Center Torso (Rear):                       5
   R/L Torso:                8               11
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          3
   R/L Arm:                  6               10
   R/L Leg:                  8               14

  BV 1: 839   Cost: 6,620,130 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Enhanced ER PPC               LA         3       15       7.0
MML-5                         RT         3        3       3.0
Ammo (MML LRM) 24             RT         1        0       1.0
CASE                          RT         1        0       0.5
MML-5                         LT         3        3       3.0
Ammo (MML SRM) 20             LT         1        0       1.0
Guardian ECM Suite            LT         2        0       1.5
CASE                          LT         1        0       0.5

ACTUATORS RA RH LA
HS RA1 LA1
EC H1 RA3 LA1 RT2
S RA2 LA2 RT2 LT2 RL2 LL2

 - - - - - -

The combination of the TC taking longer to become disillusioned with their alliance with the CC and the fad for resurrecting and upgrading vintage designs that took hold in the Inner Sphere during the Blakist War all coalesced together to produce a result that was decidedly un-obvious: after all, you don't normally associate stealthiness with something named after a charging bull!

Edit:
BTW, many thanks to Ice Hellion for originally asking the question that required me to compose an answer that led in turn to me thinking of this!

Take it and run with it i have other ideas just havent had time to mix designs in with your universe