OBT Forum

Overview
The early-28th century saw a period of hostility between House Steiner and its Hegemony overlords. Though the edict of 2698 resulted in a torrent of Star League technology, the steel rain did not fall on Tharkad. Indeed, SLDF's General Staff made a point of strategically releasing plans for out-dated, yet advanced, technologies to the Houses. The more a House promised in personal and financial favors for the Hegemony, the more likely they were to see an upgrade in their existing forces. Robert Steiner saw through the ruse and initially refused to brown-nose for what he believed to be minor advantages. This led to an enmity between the Camerons and Steiners, which manifested into outright accusations of corruption and graft in the Council chamber.

As a show of good faith between the Hegemony and her strongest "ally," the plans to several SLDF designs were gifted to the Rim Worlds Republic. Among these were the Falcon; a lackluster cavalry design which was seen as sub-par by the Hegemony's developers. Although the design was below the SLDF's lofty standards, the Rim Worlds Army saw the opportunity and gladly seized upon House Cameron's attempt to woo a potential friend on the Commonwealth border.

Capabilities
Testing of the Falcon proved what Hegemony soldiers already knew; the design proved flawed and dangerous to operate in the field. When the first production run had been completed at Rowe Weapons Systems in 2733, commanders of Amaris Dragoon and Republican Guard units refused to field the design, preferring the time-honored Firestarter and Stinger to fill their elite ranks. This led to the design being filtered downward, into the depots of Fusilier and Legionnaire regiments.

Rowe's designers were quick to realize that the Firestarter's upgrade, made by their Kuritan allies, could be the answer they sought in salvaging a potentially-useful frame. Stripping out the rear-facing weapons and upgrading the base frame, space was freed to include an ER Large Laser, which was initially imported from the Outworlds Alliance via secret trade route. A pair of Medium Lasers replaced the short-ranged weaponry. To compensate for the lack of anti-personnel capabilities, a head-mounted Flamer was installed, giving the 'Mech a fearsome appearance to its foes.

Deployment
Prototypes for the design were completed in 2740, with production-quality models following a lengthy five years later. Problems with Endo Steel production at Star's End led to the design being bulky and difficult to maneuver while in flight (Quirks: Difficult to Pilot, Prototype). Though this put a burden on the members of the 8th Amaris Dragoon pilots assigned to test the design, they found the accuracy and quality of the Lushann Redbeam laser (Quirk: Accurate Weapon [ER Large Laser]).

An upgrade had been planned and put into a brief production run prior to the Amaris Coup. Dubbed the FLC-4RW-2, the Falcon had once again shifted roles, this time becoming a brawler and master of close combat. The Tronell Large Pulse Laser proved to be an elegant weapon, being manufactured in great numbers to feed the growing population of Rampage 'Mechs coming out of Weigel A&M. Though only 62 of these 'Mechs were to be completed before Kerensky's conquering of the Rim Worlds Republic, the design would live on as the Royal Falcon FLC-4Nb, replacing the Large Pulse with the experimental Snub-Nosed PPC.


Falcon FLC-4RW
Falcon FLC-4N-RW

Mass: 30 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/E-F-E-A
Production Year: 2757
Cost: 2,640,690 C-Bills
Battle Value: 955

Chassis: Duralyte 300 Endo-Steel
Power Plant: GM 180 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: PRS-60
    Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor: StarGuard Type II Standard Armor
Armament:
    1  ER Large Laser
    2  Medium Lasers
    1  Flamer
Manufacturer: Roe Weapon Systems
    Primary Factory: Apollo
Communications System: Garret T20C
Targeting and Tracking System: Dynatec 150A

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    51 points                1.50
    Internal Locations: 2 CT, 4 LT, 4 RT, 2 LA, 2 RA
Engine:             Fusion Engine                180                       7.00
    Walking MP: 6
    Running MP: 9
    Jumping MP: 6 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 3 LT, 3 RT                                         3.00
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 RA
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  88                  5.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor   
                                                Head     3            9       
                                        Center Torso     10           12       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  3       
                                           L/R Torso     7            11       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  2       
                                             L/R Arm     5            8       
                                             L/R Leg     7            11       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ER Large Laser                               RA        12        2         5.00
Medium Laser                                 RA        3         1         1.00
Medium Laser                                 LA        3         1         1.00
Flamer                                       HD        3         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 13

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 10
6j         2       2       1       0      1     0   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: ENE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA



Falcon FLC-4RW-2
Falcon FLC-4N-RW-2

Mass: 30 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/E-F-E-A
Production Year: 2757
Cost: 2,546,440 C-Bills
Battle Value: 774

Chassis: Duralyte 300 Endo-Steel
Power Plant: GM 180 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: PRS-60
    Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor: StarGuard Type II Standard Armor
Armament:
    1  Large Pulse Laser
    1  Medium Laser
Manufacturer: Roe Weapon Systems
    Primary Factory: Apollo
Communications System: Garret T20C
Targeting and Tracking System: Dynatec 150A


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    51 points                1.50
    Internal Locations: 2 CT, 4 LT, 4 RT, 2 LA, 2 RA
Engine:             Fusion Engine                180                       7.00
    Walking MP: 6
    Running MP: 9
    Jumping MP: 6 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 3 LT, 3 RT                                         3.00
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 RA
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  88                  5.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor   
                                                Head     3            9       
                                        Center Torso     10           12       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  3       
                                           L/R Torso     7            11       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  2       
                                             L/R Arm     5            8       
                                             L/R Leg     7            11       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Large Pulse Laser                            RA        10        2         7.00
Medium Laser                                 LA        3         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 15

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 8
6j         2       2       0       0      1     0   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: ENE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA