Topic: Quicksilver Upgrades #28: Gargoyle (Man Oâ€™ War) 80 tons (Read 3257 times)

Takiro · « **on:** October 15, 2018, 12:09:57 AM »

Today we tackle our first Clan Assault OmniMech which is one of the original sixteen Clan war machines found in Technical Readout 3050. Introduced by Clan Wolf in 2945 along with the Timber Wolf and Naga to replace the Woodsman in their Touman. All of these â€˜Mechs share one thing in common â€“ their 5/8 speed which regardless of anything else makes them an impressive battlefield asset. The Gargoyleâ€™s imposing size and quickness are its most important features intimidating opponents in both the Clan Homeworlds and in the InnerSphere. This massive shock trooper has its critics however who have begun increasingly to point out its weaknesses. While placing most pod mounted equipment in its arms facilitates weapon swaps to minimal time the fearsome OmniMech can literally be disarmed leaving its warriors defenseless. Also, the huge 400 XL Fusion Engine restricts available mass for weapons and equipment to a meager 21.5 tons. Armor too is limited somewhat providing less than maximum protection by some 1.5 tons of Ferro-Fibrous.

According to Random Assignment Tables (RATs) by the time of the Operation Revival Trials in 3048 over half of all Coyote Assault â€˜Mechs (55.5%) were Gargoyles. Ice Hellion who valued this OmniMechs speed above all also had half of its Assault â€˜Mechs (50%) as Gargoyles. Steel Viper surprised me with the third largest percentage (41.5%) under arms as its Wolf creators (36%) and Diamond Shark merchants (36%) compiled the next greatest amount. A third of the Cloud Cobra (33%) and Fire Mandrill (33%) Assault assets were Gargoyles as well with the swift Burrocks (30.5%) and combined arms Hellâ€™s Horses (30.5%) following closely behind. Jade Falcon who likely acquired theirs as isorla possessed a decent amount (28%) while Star Adder fell below the one-fifth mark (19.5%). Here is where we start to get thin or uncommon in these Clans with Snow Raven probably salvaging their share (14%). Bitter rivals Nova Cat (11%) and Smoke Jaguar (11%) did not share that many as Ghost Bear (8%) and Goliath Scorpion (8%) had even fewer. Blood Spirit where expense is a major factor fielded no appreciable numbers of this Mech (0%).

As you can clear see be the numbers above the Gargoyle was mostly seen on the Federated Commonwealth front during the Clan Invasion. If I remember correctly it was the Rasalhague Kungsarme who named it the Man Oâ€™War during the initial stages of the war. InnerSphere commanders often believed falsely that the Invaders had more of these speedy behemoths than they actually did because of their lightning fast movement. Quicksilver enshrined the Gargoyle as the Clansâ€™ 80-ton Werewolf OmniMech which is exclusively produced by the Wolves. I do not know if this was always the case as I get the feeling that the Clan was not as protective of the Gargoyle as they were of the Timber Wolf. Later on the Hellâ€™s Horses begin producing the Mech when they retake Tokasha and Coyote with such an enormous amount would make sense as a producer. Truthfully so would Ice Hellion and/or Steel Viper but I have no direct canon evidence to make that case just the numbers to show you.

Following the Quicksilver Trials only Wolf, Coyote, Fire Mandrill, Steel Viper, Cloud Cobra, and Hellâ€™s Horses still preferred the Gargoyle (Man Oâ€™War). The Nightstalker by Ice Hellion and the Glaive by Diamond Shark provided formidable competition in the Vampire and Zombie types in the 80-ton weight class. However, the Man Oâ€™ War was not without its proponents including the ilKhan himself who still pilots a Gargoyle. saKhan Tanya DeLaurel of the Hellâ€™s Horses apparently prefers C configuration herself while saKhan Weiland Cage of the Ice Hellions (NOTE this is a canon character but his Mech is a guess based on available info) favors this faster OmniMech. Lets also not forget Kindraa Leader Garret Sainze of the Fire Mandrills who also prefers Configuration C. Looking at the Wolf Clan Sourcebook I see that many of their commanders prefer the Man Oâ€™ War themselves including former Galaxy Commander Conal Ward (now Solahma Star Colonel) and deceased Galaxy Commander Mikel Furey (KIA by Loremaster George Kerensky in Clarion Call).

Six Wolf Star Colonels including Jera Carns, Athen Kederk, Ramon Sender, Darren Fetladral, Abioseh Winson, and Erik Kerensky (presumably Erik was severely wounded on Tukayyid returning years later to full service) all commanded their Clusters from a Gargoyle on Tukayyid. In comparison only, Star Colonel Devin Buhallin of the Jade Falcon who commanded of Gyrfalcon Eyrie Cluster did so for that Clan. In fact, most of the Man Oâ€™ Wars deployed by the Falcon Clan were piloted by Mechwarriors. Even more notable Wolves like Star Captain Edwina Carns (the 7th Battle Clusterâ€™s famed Gunslinger), Star Captain Marialle (of the Radick bloodhouse and future saKhan to Vlad) and Star Captain Dalk Carns (who in canon was the Loremaster but not here) both of Obsidian Keshik. These later Crusader Wolves now protect the ilKhan with their commander Star Colonel Vlad. Lastly Mechwarrior Ronald Montizima of the Smoke Jaguar Shroud Keshik is listed as piloting Configuration A in the Twilight of the Clans. Now this could be too early for him to make an appearance but as the Blood kin of the Jags new supremacist saKhan I thought Iâ€™d mention him.

Please discuss what you like about the existing configurations (would you keep them as is Quicksilver fluff will give you half a point now) and introduce your alternatives. Please explain why yours is best, what role it plays with your modifications, etc. Remember I love fluff. Again, you are not allowed to alter the base design itself but the configurations are opened game. Clan Level 2 is the tech level for this contest just after Tukayyid so no ATMs, AP Gauss, Heavy Lasers, or Light Active Probes! Teamwork is also very welcomed so if you have an idea it is acceptable to collaborate. Since multiple configurations can win whoever gets the most wins, wins! A bonus point to the best new Quicksilver fluff!

Criteria
Design: Gargoyle (Man Oâ€™War) Assault OmniMech
Era: 3052, just following the Truce of Tukayyid
Tech: Clan Level 2
Mass: 80 tons
Internal Structure: Standard (8 ton)
Engine: 400 XL (26.5 tons)
Movement: 5/8
Heat Sinks: 16 (32)
Gyro: (4 tons)
Cockpit: (3 tons)
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous (11 tons â€“ 21 armor factor)
Armament: 21.5 tons available for pod space

You have two weeks to complete this challenge so please have your entries in by Friday October 26th, 2018 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, good luck!!

masterarminas · « **Reply #1 on:** October 15, 2018, 12:37:01 AM »

Debuting in 2945, the 80-ton Gargoyle was one of a trio of Clan Wolf OmniMechs designed to replace and supplement the aging 1st-generation Woodsman within their Touman. However, the decisions Clan Wolf made when designing this OmniMech led many to believe that they had erred in their development.

The first--and perhaps most controversial choice of the time--was to maximize the ground speed and mobility of the design. Using a 400-rate engine, the Gargoyle was able to match the Star League Charger in speed . . . but even with the use of an Extra-Light Fusion Engine, the sheer mass of this piece of equipment reduced the amount of pod-space available. Although the design featured far greater amounts of weaponry than the ancient Charger, detractors feared that it would prove a similar "white elephant" for the Clan.

This did not happen. The good--if not stellar--armor protection exceeded that of all current generation Clan Heavy-weight OmniMechs (excepting only the Timber Wolf) and while the pod-space was more suited to a high-end Medium-weight design than a low-end Assault-weight OmniMech, it provided enough mass for a decent weapons array.

But then the second and third questionable choices of the design emerged. Clan Wolf chose to utilize standard internal structure instead of Endo-Steel . . . a decision which provided more space within the chassis for weapons, but reduced the potential pod-space by four full tons! And the design team banked sixteen double-stength heat sinks directly within the engine core. This further limited the mass available for weapon systems . . . and resulted in an Assault-weight OmniMech with less pod-space than the 70-ton Jade Falcon Summoner! Without having the fixed jump-jets of that older design to increase mobility.

Despite these flaws, the Gargoyle quickly became one of the more common Clan Assault-weight OmniMechs. The Ice Hellions, the Steel Vipers, the Hell's Horses, the Cloud Cobras; all of these Clans quickly adopted this OmniMech with many winning production rights. It became the core of many a Clan Touman.

While Project Quicksilver could not--and did not--correct these issues, many Clan Warriors proposed new Omni-configurations that would instead turn those flaws into benefits.

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Author Topic: Quicksilver Upgrades #28: Gargoyle (Man Oâ€™ War) 80 tons (Read 3257 times)