OBT Forum

First off, a couple of quotes from the ReadMe file included with the "freebie giveaway" folder.

First, this:

A Ram Plate is a physical weapon usable only by quad BattleMechs, first deployed during the late Star League era with the experimental RHN-1O Rhino design (from BattleTechnology Magazine Issue #12 (February 3046). It multiplies the normal damage inflicted by a successful charging attack by 1.5 and concentrates it in a single hit location. The charging ‘Mech takes only half the normal damage. A Ram Plate weighs 1 ton for each ten tons (or fraction thereof) that the 'Mech mounting it weighs. It occupies one critical slot in each of the three torso locations and a ‘Mech fitted with one can’t mount any forward-firing weapons in any torso location unless they’re mounted in quad ‘Mech turrets. It can never be mounted on a quad with fragile Composite Internal Structure.

A Ram Plate can’t be pod-mounted on an OmniMech, but it can be permanently mounted on the base chassis.

A Ram Plate costs 10,000 C-Bills for each ton that it weighs.

Second, this:

In this alternate universe Reinforced Internal Structure was first prototyped during the late Star League era, introduced with the aforementioned RHN-1O Rhino design. The loss of much advanced technology resulting from the ravages of the Amaris Civil War and the early Succession Wars rendered it extinct and caused it to be forgotten for centuries. It was eventually rediscovered in the 3050s by the Federated Commonwealth following the unlocking of the Helm Memory Core.

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Well, after reading the above, I'm sure you can guess what the featured 'Mech in this post is going to be! The fluff that follows is reproduced from BattleTechnology Issue #12 and slightly rewritten.

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                          BattleMech Technical Readout

RHN-1O Rhino

Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Brigadier 900F Reinforced
Power Plant: Pitban 240
Cruising Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
   Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: StarSlab/4
Armament:
   1 Ram Plate
   6 Martell Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Brigadier Corporation
   Primary Factory: Oliver (TH)
Communications System: Garret 600
Targeting & Tracking System: Garret GRNDTRK 15

Overview:
[Reproduced from BattleTechnology Magazine Issue #12, first published in February 3046.]

   The Rhino is a little-known four-legged BattleMech created toward the end of the Star League era by Dr. David Harrison, a descendant and namesake of the man who had pioneered the development of four-legged 'Mechs nearly two centuries before, following in the footsteps of his ancestor as a senior designer for the Brigadier Corporation and tireless advocate of four-legged 'Mechs. The design is an attempt to overcome the disadvantage a four-legged 'Mech suffers in close combat due to its lack of arms. This was accomplished by strengthening the 'Mech's internal structure and adding a ram plate. This, coupled with the superior stability of the quadruped footing, makes the charge attack of a Rhino particularly devastating.
   Although the design improvements made the Rhino an effective close assault 'Mech, the Star League military was not impressed, so few Rhinos were ever produced. Only a rare few operational Rhinos are scattered about the Inner Sphere today.

   The Rhino’s internal structure has been reinforced, at a cost of ten percent of the 'Mech’s total weight. The ram plate that was mounted on the front allows the Rhino to deliver terrific punishment from a charge, while it remains unharmed. The arrangement also has the secondary benefits of allowing the Rhino to walk through buildings unscathed and giving it limited protection from physical attacks.
   The only real disadvantage caused by the ram plate is that it prevents the mounting of forward firing weapons in any of the torsos. This forces weapons to be placed in the head and legs where there is only limited space available, thus keeping the Rhino from carrying heavy weapons. Dr. Harrison tried to compensate for this by equipping the Rhino with five medium lasers; the theory being that while one medium laser does not do much damage, five together can seriously damage even a heavy 'Mech. The Rhino also has a medium laser firing into the rear arc to discourage attacks from behind.

   The Rhino was never produced in great enough numbers to make any significant contribution to any major battle. It has, however, done remarkably well in single combat.
   One notable victory for a Rhino occurred during a Marik raid on Ford. While defending the planet’s main spaceport, a Lyran MechWarrior was surprised when a Rhino came crashing through a building and then smashing into his Zeus, knocking it to the ground. While the Lyran pilot tried desperately to stand his Zeus back up, the Rhino kicked and stomped on the downed BattleMech. After regaining his feet, the Lyran, obviously unfamiliar with the Rhino, made the mistake of trying to slug it out with his opponent. The two normally devastating punches of the Zeus did less damage than he'd expected as they thudded into the Rhino’s ram plate. The Marik pilot responded by firing all of his lasers. Realizing his mistake, the Lyran resorted to his weapons, but it was too late. The Rhino’s second laser salvo crippled the already badly battered Zeus, and forced the Lyran pilot to eject. The Rhino had bested a twenty-ton-heavier 'Mech, suffering only minor damage.
   Despite such successes, military experts are still not impressed with the Rhino. They claim that the majority of Rhino victories can be attributed to the ignorance of most MechWarriors as to the capabilities of the 'Mech, due to its rarity. As an example, the case of Leftenant Kim Laurens of the AFFS is often cited. Leftenant Laurens, familiar with the design, destroyed a Kurita Rhino by using her Phoenix Hawk’s superior mobility to keep the Combine 'Mech from closing the range while she slowly shot it apart with her large laser.

   Since so few Rhinos were ever built, it is often difficult to replace ram plates lost in combat. In such cases, some of the medium lasers are often removed and heavy weapons are mounted in the torsos. There is no standard variant and such modifications vary from 'Mech to 'Mech.

Type: RHN-1O Rhino
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 3 2785
Tonnage: 60

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: Reinforced                           12.0
Engine:               240                                11.5
   Walking MP:          4
   Running MP:          6
   Jumping MP:          0
Heat Sinks:            17                                 7
Gyro:                                                     3
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         184                                11.5
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            20               27
   Center Torso (Rear):                      10
   R/L Torso:               14               19
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          8
   R/L Front Leg:           14               21
   R/L Rear Leg:            14               21

 
  BV 1: 1,205   Cost : 5,172,160 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Medium Laser                   H         1        3       1.0
Ram Plate                     CT         2        0       6.0
Medium Laser                  LT (R)     1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 RFL         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 RFL         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 LFL         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 LFL         1        3       1.0

HS RT2 LT2 RRL2 LRL2

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In my AU there was no FedCom Civil War and therefore no equivalent of the sequence of events during said conflict which (very contrivedly indeed) led to the poorly-regarded Scorpion being considerably upgraded and put back into production afterwards. Accordingly, that design later went completely extinct during the Blakist War and few mourned its passing. Brigadier Corporation eventually decided to try resurrecting the Rhino instead.

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                          BattleMech Technical Readout

RHN-2O Rhino

Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Brigadier 900F Reinforced
Power Plant: Pitban 240 XL
Cruising Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
   Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: StarSlab/4
Armament:
   1 Ram Plate
   1 Magna Supernova Heavy PPC
   4 Martell Medium Lasers
   1 Martell Small Pulse Laser
Manufacturer: Brigadier Corporation
   Primary Factory: Oliver (FC)
Communications System: Garret 600
Targeting & Tracking System: Garret GRNDTRK 15

Type: RHN-2O Rhino
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 3 3090
Tonnage: 60

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: Reinforced                           12.0
Engine:               240 XL                              6.0
   Walking MP:          4
   Running MP:          6
   Jumping MP:          0
Heat Sinks:            10 [20]                            0
Gyro:                                                     3
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         224                                14.0
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            20               30
   Center Torso (Rear):                      10
   R/L Torso:               14               20
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          8
   R/L Front Leg:           14               28
   R/L Rear Leg:            14               28

  BV 1: 1,210   Cost: 10199360 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Small Pulse Laser              H         1        2       1.0
Ram Plate                     CT         2        0       6.0
Turret                        RT         1        0       1.0
Heavy PPC (T)                 RT         4       15      10.0
Medium Laser                 RFL         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 RFL         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 LFL         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                 LFL         1        3       1.0

HS LT1

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Some further notes:

Catalyst recently published Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade, which details how the Escorpion Imperio ended up conquering and absorbing the Hanseatic League and then changed its name to the Scorpion Empire. It also features a 'Mech which is called simply the Rhino but which is effectively the Rhino IIC. This only weighs 50 tons and it also has a Ram Plate which weighs only 5 tons and occupies one critical slot in each torso location. No fluff or construction rules were included. I've decided in advance that if and when relevant fluff and rules are ever published, I'm going to regard them as only applying to a Clantech version of the Ram Plate, with the House Rules reproduced above still applying to a Spheretech version of the technology.

(As always, all comments are very welcome!)

Very nice with one exception - I've never been a fan of OmniMechs with fixed things especially Jump Jets. I get the basis on the Summoner but afixing said equipment cuts down options rather than opening them up. Love the alternate design history which was actually fulfilled this time around.

I suppose your right. Monkey see Monkey do.

I really miss the old forums, a lot of good discussions and concepts.

Love to see some of those ComGuard Star League models!

The RFL-5CS Rifleman, ARC-5CS Archer, WHM-7CS Warhammer and MAD-5CS Marauder are all in the Heavy sub-sub-folder.

Personally, I’d be fibbing if I said any of them excited me much. The Warhammer and Marauder models aren’t bad, but the rest... bleh!

Edit 1:
I think www.sarna.net implies somewhere that most of the 'Mechs refitted along these particular lines were destroyed on Tukayyid and that the Com Guards didn't refit any more along the same lines afterwards. IMO, the Warhammer and Marauder might actually have been worth creating some more of. The rest... probably not.

Are these the same variants from the new Tukayyid Sourcebook? They were pretty good as I recall and for Salient Horizon I am darn well gonna use them.

First up, there's this.

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                          BattleMech Technical Readout

137-A Omega

Mass: 100 tons
Chassis: OMA/HT X
Power Plant: Pitban 300
Cruising Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: Pitban LFT-100
   Jump Capacity: 90 meters
Armor: Kemplar X9000
Armament:
   4 Selitex Radionic Large Lasers
   12 Ichiba 3000 Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Renault-Prime Industries
   Primary Factory: Wasat (TH)
Communications System: Duoteck 200XT
Targeting & Tracking System: Faust/Shinji AT/TS

Overview:
[Reproduced from BattleTechnology Magazine Issue #14, first published in May 3050.]

   In 2765, First Lord Richard Cameron granted Renault-Prime Industries, the manufacturer of the highly successful heavy 'Mech the Flashman, authorization to begin testing on their newly-designed assault 'Mech called the Omega. Shortly after Renault-Prime had built their first prototype Omega, Stefan Amaris succeeded in his conquest of the Terran Hegemony. Amaris then ordered the Omega project moved to Terra so that his scientists could monitor its testing. After the Amaris Civil War was over, no trace of the Omega could be found. It is believed that when General Kerensky's forces liberated Terra they captured the prototype Omega, which they later took with them on the Exodus.

   The Omega was designed along the same lines as the Flashman. In essence a mobile laser battery, the Omega can lay down a withering barrage of laser fire that can incinerate most 'Mechs in a matter of seconds. The 18 HilTec double-strength heat sinks keep the heat potential down to a minimum as long as the weapon fire is staggered. Unfortunately, most of the test pilots involved in the project had a tendency to fire all the weapons involved. The addition of jump jets was added as an afterthought. News from the front of the Reunification War had shown instances where lack of mobility had doomed many an assault because the 'Mechs could not support the rest of their company. The addition of jump jets was hoped to alleviate some of the SLDF's concerns. The Pitban engine was a trusted design and was considered worth the cost involved. Combined with 19 tons of Kemplar X9000 armor made the 'Mech particularly difficult to take down. Its Faust/Shinji targeting system provided accurate but somewhat spotty performance, a factor that wasn't improved until the project was moved to Terra.

   Due to the Amaris Civil War, none were produced.

Type: 137-A Omega
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 2 2785
Tonnage: 100

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                      10.0
Engine:               300                                19.0
   Walking MP:          3
   Running MP:          5
   Jumping MP:          3
Heat Sinks:            18 [36]                            8
Gyro:                                                     3
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         304                                19.0
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            31               47
   Center Torso (Rear):                      14
   R/L Torso:               21               32
   R/L Torso (Rear):                         10
   R/L Arm:                 17               34
   R/L Leg:                 21               41

  BV 1: 1,995   Cost: 10,096,000 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Large Laser                   RT         2        8       5.0
Large Laser                   RT         2        8       5.0
Large Laser                   LT         2        8       5.0
Large Laser                   LT         2        8       5.0
Jump Jet(s)                   CT         1        0       2.0
Jump Jet(s)                   RL         1        0       2.0
Jump Jet(s)                   LL         1        0       2.0

ACTUATORS RA LA
HS RA1 LA1 RT2 LT2

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And secondly, there's this.

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                          BattleMech Technical Readout

OMA-X Omega

Mass: 100 tons
Chassis: OMA/HT XX Endo Steel
Power Plant: Vlar 300
Cruising Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: Pitban LFT-100
   Jump Capacity: 90 meters
Armor: Kemplar X9000
Armament:
   2 Series 44h Large Pulse Lasers
   2 Defiance Thunderbolt Large Lasers
   12 Defiance B3M Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries
   Primary Factory: Hesperus II (FC)
Communications System: Faust/Calliope FM-5
Targeting & Tracking System: TharHes Ares-7

Overview:
   When the Com Guards contracted with Defiance Industries for the production of the FLS-9C model of the Flashman in the early 3060s, part of the deal included their handing over ancient blueprints for the 137-A Omega, a projected heavier follow-up to the original FLS-8K model Flashman which was never put into production because of the upheaval and destruction of the Amaris Coup and the Star League Civil War. The single prototype Omega completed by Renault-Prime Industries is believed to have accompanied the SLDF Exodus (and may still be lying forgotten in some Brian Cache in the Clan Homeworlds for all anyone knows). All blueprints were long assumed to have been lost when Renault-Prime Industries was destroyed during the First Succession War, but in fact the ComStar Archives had secretly preserved a copy. This was eventually rediscovered by accident following the ComStar Reformation and later offered to Defiance Industries in return for a slight reduction in the price they charged for producing the FLS-9C model Flashman to order.
   Liking what they saw in the blueprints, Defiance began work on an upgraded version of the Omega, but the project soon began to suffer from repeated funding cuts and personnel shortages due to an unexpected shortfall in corporate revenues during the next few years resulting from the refusal by Archon Prince Victor Steiner-Davion to commission their prospective flagship design, the FNR-5 Fafnir, until requested improvements to its weaponry were made. The eventual commissioning of the upgraded FNR-7 Fafnir eased cash-flow restrictions within the company and allowed work on the Omega project to shift back into higher gear for a while, only for it to then encounter further obstacles resulting from the upheavals of Operation Jihad and the Blakist War. More than a decade had passed since the start of the project before the designers were finally ready to proceed to the prototype stage.
   No fundamental changes were made to the design throughout the years it languished on the drawing boards. Its most significant upgrade from the original Renault-Prime weaponry selection is the replacement of two of its four standard large lasers with captured Clan large pulse lasers. Its twelve standard medium lasers and its 90-meter jump capacity remain unchanged. The use of more compact Clan double-strength heat sinks saves enough space for a lighter endo-steel skeleton. A compact gyro saves enough additional space for an extra heat sink and enhances survivability into the bargain, while the addition of an extra half-ton of armor increases protection to the maximum the design can support.
   As of this writing the Omega remains at the prototype stage and has yet to see combat.

Type: OMA-X Omega
Technology Base: Mixed Inner Sphere Level 3 3080
Tonnage: 100

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: ES                                    5.0
Engine:               300                                19.0
   Walking MP:          3
   Running MP:          5
   Jumping MP:          3
Heat Sinks:            19 [38] (C)                        9
Gyro: Compact                                             4.5
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         312                                19.5
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            31               47
   Center Torso (Rear):                      15
   R/L Torso:               21               32
   R/L Torso (Rear):                         10
   R/L Arm:                 17               34
   R/L Leg:                 21               42

  BV 1: 2,281   Cost: 12,458,000

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  RA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Medium Laser                  LA         1        3       1.0
Large Pulse Laser (C)         RT         2       10       6.0
Large Laser                   RT         2        8       5.0
Large Pulse Laser (C)         LT         2       10       6.0
Large Laser                   LT         2        8       5.0
Jump Jet(s)                   CT         1        0       2.0
Jump Jet(s)                   RL         1        0       2.0
Jump Jet(s)                   LL         1        0       2.0

ACTUATORS RA LA
HS RA1 LA1 RT2 LT2 CT1
ES H1 RA1 LA1 RT4 LT4 CT1 RL1 LL1

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As always, all comments are very welcome.