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Author Topic: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!  (Read 41452 times)

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Hominid Mk II

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Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« on: November 14, 2021, 04:46:06 AM »

Hello again, all! Please consider this an early Christmas present from me to everyone else here in deep gratitude for my having been made to feel so welcome here since I joined!

The .zip file which you can download by clicking on the download link at the bottom of this page contains a folder and its many sub-folders and sub-sub-folders which contain a compilation of ‘Mechs from my Victor Victorious AU, which (as my .sig file says) you can find at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux/

.

This AU diverges from the canon timeline in 3055, when both Melissa and Katherine Steiner-Davion rather than just Melissa alone were assassinated at the instigation of Ryan Steiner. As a result the Federated Commonwealth never split apart and the FedCom Civil War never happened. Operation Guerrero still happened, but it was a total failure for the Free Worlds League and only a partial success for the Capellan Confederation. The St. Ives Compact retained its independence from the CC. From 3068 to 3070 the Successor States joined the Word of Blake in a campaign to drive the Invading Clans from the Inner Sphere. When the WoB subsequently launched a genocidal attack on the Clan Homeworlds without consulting the rest of the Inner Sphere, recriminations and mutual distrust spiraled into a brutal war not unlike the Jihad in the canon timeline, waged from 3072 to 3079.

Because the period from 3057 to 3067 was altogether less eventful in this timeline than it was in the canon timeline, nothing like the ferment of political and military upheaval that drove programs like Project Phoenix forward at breakneck pace in the canon timeline during that period happened here. As a result there was far more conservatism in ‘Mech design and nothing like Project Phoenix (or its Diamond Shark equivalent) ever happened either.

Although the Diamond Sharks (and later the Sea Foxes) still eventually made a great deal of profit selling Clantech ‘Mechs to the Successor States, they did it mostly by selling existing models that had already been in production for generations, because there was never a point in time where it was unquestionably in the best interests of the Sharks for them to psych themselves up to make a break with the fundamental conservatism of the Clan mindset (by embracing technological innovation on a large scale) in order for them to be able to make even more money. As a result, few Clan second-line ‘Mechs introduced before the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere in 3050 have ever given rise to any new variants incorporating new tech. Such innovations in weapons technology as the Clans have made since the Clan Invasion have mostly benefitted only OmniMechs (because of course it’s much quicker and easier to experiment with new configurations for them) and second-line ‘Mechs introduced since the Clan Invasion.

There are numerous ‘Mechs from 3058 onwards in this timeline that have the same names and model numbers as ones from the canon timeline but have different weapons and equipment loadouts. There are also many more which are entirely original.

The original 'Mechs in this compilation are nearly all actually just variants of existing designs from the canon timeline. About half of these were created by me personally, while the rest were created by the other three members of our group. We never really bothered trying to keep track of who came up with which variant (and, in any case, my players don't like to advertise the fact that they play RPGs to other people because of all the tiresome mockery some other people will still direct their way on hearing it), so it's impossible to credit each variant to its creator individually. All of the tiny handful of entirely original designs in this compilation were created by me, albeit with most of my inspiration for them coming from one or more canon designs. Think of all of the original 'Mechs here as being "Created by Hominid Mk II and Associates." if you like.

There are no new-look “Reseen” designs like those in TRO: Project Phoenix or the ongoing Kickstarter event over at the CBT website in this timeline, either Inner Sphere or Clan. (Yes, this is because we all hate them!) The only 'Mechs which are called by an old name but have a new look are those which have a II, III or IV added to the end of the name, which are technically new designs.

All ‘Mech files in this collection are in BattleMech Designer text file (.txt) format, even though all of those incorporating equipment more advanced than Level 2 had to be at least partly typed out by hand. (So why did I go to that much trouble over them, you ask? I just like the format!) Don’t try to open any of these particular files with BattleMech Designer if you have it installed on your computer – the program can’t load them properly. It may seize up and you may then have to restart your computer to clear it.

Please take the time to read the whole of the ReadMe file before trying to read anything else - it'll make the whole thing a lot easier to understand than it will be if you don't!
« Last Edit: February 26, 2022, 05:04:56 AM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Bradshaw

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2021, 09:12:10 AM »

Damn you see a lot of time went into this

I find more an more that more people than expected have played some type of RPG or another of the years. Especially with the under 40 crowd. I'm mid 40s and usually its a few D&D, GURPs or Rifts that people acknowledge. I was always a big fan of the H.E.R.O or Champions gaming system.
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Takiro

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2021, 09:13:30 AM »

Wow, alot of designs here to review!
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Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2021, 11:54:59 AM »

Wow, a lot of designs here to review!

You could speed things up a little, for now at least, by only bothering to read everything from the 3058 sub-folder to the 3150 sub-folder. That's because pretty much all the designs and variants from the 2570 sub-folder to the 3055 one are essentially identical to those in the canon TROs.

Or just take your time and read it at your leisure, or course.  ;)
« Last Edit: November 14, 2021, 12:16:13 PM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

fabulousorcboy

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2021, 11:59:19 AM »

It's a perfectly sensible rewrite of the WOB and Jihad.  Personally I love the idea that the WOB decides to put most of their effort and resources into nuking the Clan Homeworlds, as then you get all the effects of the Wars of Reaving without the silly hand-waving that's necessary for the actual Jihad in canon.  Which is silly even for space opera.
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Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2021, 12:05:58 PM »

Damn you see a lot of time went into this

Oh, yeah! It took my players and I over ten years to accumulate this little lot!
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2021, 12:09:15 PM »

It's a perfectly sensible rewrite of the WOB and Jihad.  Personally I love the idea that the WOB decides to put most of their effort and resources into nuking the Clan Homeworlds, as then you get all the effects of the Wars of Reaving without the silly hand-waving that's necessary for the actual Jihad in canon.  Which is silly even for space opera.

Glad it held your interest for a while!
« Last Edit: November 14, 2021, 01:13:16 PM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2021, 02:38:56 AM »

One of my players has just reminded me of something important that I should never have let myself forget in the first place - there are a few designs included in the collection I uploaded that were not devised by me or my players.

An attempt at belatedly giving proper credits follows:

The Kharon is taken directly from Maingunnery's superb fan work XTRO: The Society.

The MAD-1H Primitive Marauder was directly inspired by a post on the CBT forums by mbear.

The PXH-HK3 Phoenix Hawk LAM was inspired by a post by AdaC.

The WSP-115 Wasp LAM was inspired by a post by Glitterboy2098.

The STG-A15 Stinger LAM was inspired by a post by Speedbump.

The Titan C, Titan C 2, Titan C 3 and Titan C 4 were all inspired by a post by Karack Blackstone.

The MNL-1A Menelik was inspired by a post by Wereling.

The Sorcerer (the Wolverine C in all but name) was inspired by a post by Liam's Ghost.

The ZNK-1 Zenko was designed by Bradshaw.

We've wracked our brains trying to remember if there are any others besides the ones I've already listed, but so far nothing else has popped up. Basically, if you see something here that reminds you of something else you've seen somewhere else before now, then the chances are that it was either taken directly from that source or at least inspired by it. Please accept my assurances that no deliberate attempt at taking credit for anybody else's ideas was ever intended! :(
« Last Edit: February 20, 2022, 09:26:13 AM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2021, 05:01:15 AM »

For the benefit of anybody who feels that they don't have the time to wade through the entire "freebie giveaway" folder at the moment, I thought I'd start posting some of the best here individually.

These two were inspired by the second of the two designs that came with the little-known BattleTech Plastic Model Kits Set #7: Marauder and Ostroc Mk. II from the 1980s.

Here's the first model:

 - - - - - -

                          BattleMech Technical Readout

OSR-8C Ostroc II

Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Ost-II Modified
Power Plant: Pitban 240
Cruising Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: Chilton 460
   Jump Capacity: 90 meters
Armor: Riese-475 with CASE
Armament:
   2 Fuersturm-c Large Lasers
   2 Fuersturm-b Medium Lasers
   2 Holly Streak SRM-2s
Manufacturer: Ostmann Industries
   Primary Factory: Terra (TH)
Communications System: Ostmann-L
Targeting & Tracking System: Ferdinand-a

Overview:
   In the 2760s, Ostmann Industries of Terra began work on a projected replacement for their venerable Ostroc heavy BattleMech. Inspired in part by the menacing non-humanoid appearance of the Marauder, they sought to create a new design which would incorporate just such a visual aesthetic. The end result was the Ostroc II.

   The weaponry of the Ostroc II was little changed from that of the original Ostroc. The two large and two medium lasers were identical, although the old SRM-4 was replaced by two Streak SRM-2s, with their ammunition supply protected by Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment. The most significant change was the replacement of the old Vlar 300 fusion engine used on the original Ostroc with a less-powerful Pitban 240, making the top ground speed of the Ostroc II twenty-five percent slower than that of its predecessor. This was offset by the addition of three jump jets for added mobility, giving the Ostroc II a jumping range of 90 meters. The desired menacing non-humanoid appearance was achieved, but at the significant cost of--to all practical intents and purposes--leaving the design without usable arms, reducing its effectiveness in the up-close-and-personal style of combat that often predominates in the urban warfare for which, like its predecessor, it was primarily intended.

   Only a few dozen Ostroc II prototypes had been completed and sent out to SLDF line units for field trials before the Amaris Coup and Civil War destroyed Ostmann Industries and left the design an orphan. The prototypes were deployed in combat and performed their intended duties adequately but unexceptionally during the subsequent long campaign to liberate the Terran Hegemony. In its aftermath, a few of those which had survived the fighting accompanied Aleksandr Kerensky on the SLDF Exodus. All are believed to have later been destroyed during the Pentagon Civil War. The few Ostroc II prototypes that remained in the Inner Sphere were soon thrown into the crucible of the Succession Wars. They fared surprisingly well for quite some time in terms of their long-term survival rate, but the Ostroc II nonetheless remained an extremely rare sight on the battlefield. In the end, time took its toll and the design gradually came closer and closer to disappearing altogether. The last two known to have remained in service were both destroyed (fighting on opposite sides) during the early phases of the Fourth Succession War. Today, so far as is known, the design is completely extinct.

   As the Succession Wars dragged on, every Ostroc II whose service history was documented eventually found its Streak SRM-2s and CASE system becoming inoperable once the knowledge of how to properly mantain them had been lost. They were usually replaced with standard SRM-2s, an additional half-ton of armor and an extra heat sink.

Type: OSR-8C Ostroc II
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 2 2785
Tonnage: 60

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                       6.0
Engine:               240                                11.5
   Walking MP:          4
   Running MP:          6
   Jumping MP:          3
Heat Sinks:            18                                 8
Gyro:                                                     3
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         144                                 9.0
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                8
   Center Torso:            20               22
   Center Torso (Rear):                       6
   R/L Torso:               14               22
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          4
   R/L Arm:                 10                8
   R/L Leg:                 14               20

  BV 1: 1,047   Cost: 4,889,600 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Large Laser                   RT         2        8       5.0
Medium Laser                  RT         1        3       1.0
Streak SRM-2                  RT         1        2       1.5
Large Laser                   LT         2        8       5.0
Medium Laser                  LT         1        3       1.0
Streak SRM-2                  LT         1        2       1.5
Ammo (Streak) 50              LT         1        0       1.0
CASE                          LT         1        0       0.5
Jump Jet(s)                   RT         1        0       1.0
Jump Jet(s)                   LT         1        0       1.0
Jump Jet(s)                   CT         1        0       1.0

HS RT2 LT2 CT1 RL2 LL2


 - - - - - -

And here's the second one.

 - - - - - -

                          BattleMech Technical Readout

OSR-9C Ostroc II

Mass: 60 tons
Chassis: Ost-II Modified
Power Plant: Pitban 240
Cruising Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: Chilton 460
   Jump Capacity: 90 meters
Armor: Riese-475
Armament:
   2 Fuersturm-c Large Lasers
   2 Fuersturm-b Medium Lasers
   2 Holly SRM-2s
Manufacturer: Ostmann Industries
   Primary Factory: Terra (TH)
Communications System: Ostmann-L
Targeting & Tracking System: Ferdinand-a

Type: OSR-9C Ostroc II
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 1 2900
Tonnage: 60

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                       6.0
Engine:               240                                11.5
   Walking MP:          4
   Running MP:          6
   Jumping MP:          3
Heat Sinks:            19                                 9
Gyro:                                                     3
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         152                                 9.5
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                8
   Center Torso:            20               26
   Center Torso (Rear):                       6
   R/L Torso:               14               23
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          4
   R/L Arm:                 10                8
   R/L Leg:                 14               21

  BV 1: 1,009   Cost: 4,761,600 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Large Laser                   RT         2        8       5.0
Medium Laser                  RT         1        3       1.0
SRM-2                         RT         1        2       1.0
Large Laser                   LT         2        8       5.0
Medium Laser                  LT         1        3       1.0
SRM-2                         LT         1        2       1.0
Ammo (SRM) 50                 CT         1        0       1.0
Jump Jet(s)                   RT         1        0       1.0
Jump Jet(s)                   LT         1        0       1.0
Jump Jet(s)                   CT         1        0       1.0

HS RT3 LT3 RL2 LL2


 - - - - - -

Well, as always, I hope you'll let me know what you think!

« Last Edit: December 16, 2021, 02:41:08 AM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Takiro

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2021, 03:40:03 PM »

Nice Hominid, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your giveaway. ;)
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Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2021, 04:00:36 PM »

We aim to please! ;)
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2021, 03:37:14 AM »

This one's a bit of an oddball, frankly. The 'Mech itself doesn't even try to be imaginative in any way. It's really only there in order to allow the fluff that accompanies it to exist. And the fluff is there in order to allow me to have go at reconciling the two different origin stories the design has been given over the years, first in BattleTechnology Magazine and later in TRO: 3075.

 - - - - - -

                          BattleMech Technical Readout

BKX-8M BattleAxe

Mass: 70 tons
Chassis: Earthwerks BKX
Power Plant: VOX 280 XL
Cruising Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: Rawlings 58
   Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: Kemplar 5000 with CASE
Armament:
   2 Fusigon Sabretooth Enhanced ER PPCs
   2 Doombud LRM-5s
   1 Holly Streak SRM-6
Manufacturer: Earthwerks, Incorporated
   Primary Factory: Calloway VI (OP)
Communications System: Neil 9500
Targeting & Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark V

Overview:
   In the early years of the 26th Century, the Terran Hegemony issued an invitation to leading armaments manufacturers to submit proposals for a new design of heavy BattleMech. General Olaf Sternson of the Hegemony Armed Forces Military Procurement Division described the desired performance characteristics of such a design as "a mobile 'Mech with enough firepower to destroy or severely damage any 'Mech of the same weight class or lower". A number of corporations aggressively pursued the lucrative contract, most notably including the multinational conglomerates StarCorp Industries and Earthwerks, Incorporated. Already locked in mutual rivalry rooted in the competition for market share between their respective LGB-0W Longbow and ARC-2R Archer fire-support platforms, each of the two was determined not to lose out to the other in this high-profile new contest.
   StarCorp opted to save time and money that would otherwise have been needed for research and development by designing a 'Mech that blatantly imitated two existing designs, the BKX-7K BattleAxe and HMH-3D Hammerhands 'Mechs produced by Achernar BattleMechs of the Federated Suns. The result was the legendary WHM-6R Warhammer.
   Earthwerks were initially confounded by this unprincipled move on the part of their rival and struggled to devise an effective response. Eventually deciding to counter with an underhanded strategy of their own, they entered into negotiations with Achernar which secured them a license to manufacture the BattleAxe at their factory on Hyperion in the Lyran Commonwealth. By using components sourced locally in the manufacturing process rather than importing them from the Federated Suns, they lent some token plausibility to a claim that their production of the BattleAxe was an entirely independent concern and that the design effectively "belonged" to them as much as it did to Achernar. This unconvincing argument was primarily intended to counter in advance any possible objections to their submitting a tender for a design that had not originated with them. Achernar executives had given their full agreement to Earthwerks making this claim for the benefit of officials and the media in the Terran Hegemony and Lyran Commonwealth during the original license negotiations, on condition that it was not repeated within the borders of the Federated Suns. The terms of the license also prohibited Earthwerks from offering the design for sale to the Draconis Combine or Capellan Confederation at any future date. Lyran Commonwealth law also prohibited the output of one of its factories from being exported to the Free Worlds League. Achernar had vague hopes of perhaps eventually being able to make inroads into the latter market themselves, but their ambitions were always far more limited than those of Earthwerks. Generally content with their large share of the domestic market in the Federated Suns, their chief motivation in granting the license had simply been revenge against StarCorp for plagiarizing their designs to create the Warhammer.
   In the event, the Warhammer emerged from the HAF selection process as the clear winner and StarCorp secured the coveted contract with the HAF. Other militaries were soon placing their own orders and before long everyone seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon. Even the AFFS ordered a shipment of Warhammers for their own evaluation purposes and met with a very favourable response from their pilots. In the end, the AFFS went with the flow and ended procurement of the BattleAxe and Hammerhands in favour of the Warhammer. Many examples of the older designs remained in service, but they became increasingly regarded as "poor man's Warhammers" even by many of those assigned by the luck of the draw to pilot one.
   Outside the Federated Suns, where the BattleAxe had only recently been released onto the open market in the Terran Hegemony and Lyran Commonwealth, it had made a sufficiently strong showing during the HAF field trials to attract some modest orders from the LCAF and from planetary militias, corporate security forces and private individuals in both realms. Before too long, however, these sales began to show a gradual but steady decline and Earthwerks hurriedly began looking around for more untapped markets. With Achernar themselves now scaling down production levels as their orders dwindled, their former vague ambition to break into the Free Worlds League market was abandoned. They rubber-stamped an amendment to the license that would allow Earthwerks to establish a BattleAxe production line in the FWL instead, more than a little surprised that their corporate partners were even still interested.
   Copies of the blueprints for the design were circulated to all Earthwerks facilities in the FWL, with directives to produce cost assessments for retooling and contracting with local component suppliers on a factory-by-factory basis. When the assessments came in, all of them were dismayingly greater than anticipated. Eventually the next annual general meeting of the Earthwerks board of directors voted not to risk throwing good money after bad. BattleAxe production on Hyperion would be discontinued once the last few existing orders had been filled and the line would be retooled to produce other designs. The blueprints sent out to the various FWL facilities were filed away in corporate archives and forgotten. Eventually Achernar ended production altogether as well and the BattleAxe and Hammerhands virtually disappeared from the battlefield for centuries.
   The effective sundering of Earthwerks, Incorporated into five separate parts (one for each of the five Successor States) during the First Succession War left each fragment struggling for survival against the ever-present threats of nationalization by its own government or destruction at the hands of an enemy. The need for ever more men and machines to throw into the meat grinder of the war prompted the Lyran Commonwealth branch to give serious consideration to the idea of resuming BattleAxe production at the Hyperion factory, only to have the destruction of the facility by the forces of the Draconis Combine render the point moot.
   Recently, in the aftermath of the Blakist War, the Oriente Protectorate sought to rebuild its depleted 'Mech regiments and issued a request that the Earthwerks-FWL facility on Calloway VI look into all available options for expanding the range of designs it produces. The long-forgotten BattleAxe blueprints were rediscovered and an updated version of the design drawn up for evaluation. Two dozen prototypes have now been completed and are currently undergoing field trials. Threats of legal action by Achernar are being countered with proposals for a new license to retroactively legitimize the move, though as yet any agreement may be some way off.

Type: BKX-8M BattleAxe
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Level 3 3090
Tonnage: 70

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                       7.0
Engine:               280 XL                              8.0
   Walking MP:          4
   Running MP:          6
   Jumping MP:          4
Heat Sinks:            17 [34]                            7
Gyro: XL                                                  1.5
Cockpit:                                                  3
Armor Factor:         224                                14.0
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            22               33
   Center Torso (Rear):                      11
   R/L Torso:               15               22
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          8
   R/L Arm:                 11               22
   R/L Leg:                 15               30

  BV 1: 1,905   Cost: 14,296,434

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Enhanced ER PPC               RA         3       15       7.0
Enhanced ER PPC               LA         3       15       7.0
Streak SRM-6                  RT         2        4       4.5
Ammo (Streak) 15              RT         1        0       1.0
LRM-5                         RT         1        2       2.0
CASE                          RT         1        0       0.5
LRM-5                         LT         1        2       2.0
Ammo (LRM) 24                 LT         1        0       1.0
CASE                          LT         1        0       0.5
2 Jump Jet(s)                 RL         2        0       2.0
2 Jump Jet(s)                 LL         2        0       2.0

ACTUATORS RA LA
HS RA2 LA2 RT1 LT1
« Last Edit: December 16, 2021, 02:37:00 AM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

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 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2021, 02:16:21 AM »

Because there's no self-righteous Republic of the Sphere in my AU, there's obviously no Republic Institute of Strategic Combat either. But that doesn't mean that some RISC technologies by any other name couldn't be thought up by somebody else instead.

 - - - - - -

                          BattleMech Technical Readout

MAD-8X Marauder NAIS

Mass: 75 tons
Chassis: GM Marauder
Power Plant: Starfire 300 XL
Cruising Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
   Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Valiant Lamellor with CASE II
Armament:
   1 NAIS Prototype Hyper Laser
   2 ExoStar Pinnacle Large Pulse Lasers
   2 ExoStar Pinnacle ER Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: New Avalon Institute of Science (Refit)
   Primary Factory: New Avalon (FC)
Communications System: Dalban Micronics
Targeting & Tracking System: Dalban HiRez

Overview:
   This model incorporates a Clan-technology XL engine, double heat sinks, large pulse lasers and ER medium lasers. It was merely a prototype which was never put into production.

Type: MAD-8X Marauder NAIS
Technology Base: Mixed Inner Sphere Level 4 3150
Tonnage: 75

Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure:                                       7.5
Engine:               300 XL (C)                          9.5
   Walking MP:          4
   Running MP:          6
   Jumping MP:          0
Heat Sinks:            26 [52] (C)                       16
Gyro: XL                                                  1.5
Cockpit (A):                                              4
Armor Factor:         216                                13.5
                        Internal           Armor
                        Structure          Value
   Head:                     3                9
   Center Torso:            23               33
   Center Torso (Rear):                      10
   R/L Torso:               16               22
   R/L Torso (Rear):                          8
   R/L Arm:                 12               22
   R/L Leg:                 16               30

  BV 1: 2,142   Cost: 16,898,000 C-Bills

Weapons and Ammo          Location   Critical   Heat     Mass
Large Pulse Laser (C)         RA         2       10       6.0
ER Medium Laser (C)           RA         1        5       1.0
Large Pulse Laser (C)         LA         2       10       6.0
ER Medium Laser (C)           LA         1        5       1.0
Hyper Laser                   RT         6       24       8.0
CASE II                       RT         1        0       1.0

ACTUATORS RA LA
HS RA3 LA3 RT1 LT5 RL1 LL1
« Last Edit: December 15, 2021, 11:34:43 PM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody

Takiro

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2021, 05:35:44 AM »

Hmm, not familiar with a Hyper Laser. It must be exciting though.  ;D
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Hominid Mk II

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Re: Freebie giveaway time! 'Mechs, more 'Mechs and yet more 'Mechs!
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2021, 07:54:13 AM »

It has the range of a Clan ER Large Laser and does twice the damage. (More than one person has called it a Clantech Blazer, because it was based on Clan Heavy Laser technology, but it's technically built with the Inner Sphere Technology Base.) Every time you fire it, you have to roll 2D6. If you roll 3 or less, it explodes like a Gauss weapon taking a critical hit, for 10 damage. Like most of the other experimental would-be wonder-weapons developed by the RISC program in the canon timeline, it was written off as a failed concept and never mass-produced.

Edit:
Most people seem to regard it as just one more over-powered bad idea foisted on the game by WizKids, because they didn't know their asses from their elbows when it came to running a game based on technology instead of magic. Me? I think it has potential. If a hypothetical Improved version of it could eliminate the explodiness. But I won't hold my breath while I wait!
« Last Edit: December 14, 2021, 08:50:28 AM by Hominid Mk II »
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Ever felt that The Powers That Were at FASA, WizKids and FanPro never gave Victor Steiner-Davion and the Federated Commonwealth a fair shake in the canon timeline? Then you might be interested in my Victor Victorious AU at

https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/parallel-universes/victor-victorious-redux

.

 - - - - - -

[R]ebellion is the foulest of all crimes; and what [is] to begin in wickedness must end in ruin.

--Lieutenant James Moody
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