OBT Forum

I still have to finish reading this but you know what really makes the least sense for me about their clan? Its their founding history here you have a clan that is big on infantry since its founding but its bulk of troops are from the navy, wouldnt you have thought they would be a naval power based off that but no they are actually one if not the worst.

SMH

back to reading this


To be honest i think the writers screwed the pooch on most if not all of the home clans, there could have so much more versatility and diverse clans but they just didnt bother. Tak and I have talked about this in the past its why the inner sphere clans we came up with are mainly outside the box in regards to the real clans

OmniVehicles should have been around much sooner then they were it would make sense that the simplicity of vehicles over huge walking robot to be Omnified would be obvious.

I had an idea for a heavy APC based on the Oro but sacrificing firepower for troop carrying capacity and having a big fat butt akin to this;

I doubt the infantry would be happy being lugged around in a caravan :p

Yama IFV
Base Tech Level: Standard (Clan)
Level          Era
-------------------
Experimental    - 
Advanced        - 
Standard      3145+
Tech Rating: F/X-X-X-D

Weight: 60 tons
BV: 1,073
Cost: 7,980,800 C-bills

Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 240 XL

Internal: 30
Armor: 211 (Ferro-Fibrous)
        Internal  Armor   
---------------------------
Front          6     52   
Right          6     42   
Left           6     42   
Rear           6     33   
Turret         6     42   

Weapons             Loc  Heat 
-------------------------------
LB 10-X AC           TU    2   
Medium Pulse Laser   TU    4   
Small Pulse Laser    TU    2   
Small Pulse Laser    TU    2   
TAG (Clan)           TU    0   

Ammo             Loc  Shots 
-----------------------------
LB 10-X AC Ammo   BD     10 
LB 10-X AC Ammo   BD     10 
LB 10-X AC Ammo   BD     10 

Equipment            Loc 
--------------------------
Active Probe [Clan]   TU 

Carrying Capacity
-----------------
Troops - 10.0 tons


Tha Yama's got superior protection to the Oro, its LB-10 can still engage tanks and Mech's and the lasers are for anti-infantry and general purpose work.  But it can carry a double row of Elementals, with its infantry bay split down the middle.  Unfortunately this is very cramped and once inside the Elementals can't move around much or even disembark from their suits making the Yama more a Battle taxi than the much larger and more roomy Aithion.  Indeed, to board a Yama, Elemental's must reverse into the Troop compartment, so the last one in is the first one out.

There's also this



Iwisa Combat Vehicle.

Mass - 60 tons
Crew - 5 (Commander, Gunner, Driver, Radio/EW Operator, Defense System Operator
Max Speed - 64kph

Based on the hull of the Oro the Iwisa (named after the Zulu club weapon) was built to be cheap and serve as a Garrison forces heavy tank.  Stripping out the fusion engine the Iwisa featured a large fuel cell engine capable of pushing the tank along at 64kph.

Whilst armed with 'new' weapons the Iwisa featured the chemical laser as its primary armament.  A pair of large chemical lasers and a quartet of mediums sit in the turret and are provided with plenty of ammunition to allow for sustained firing.  For anti-infantry defence the Iwisha bristled with four light machine guns in paired arrays on the side.  Finally and somewhat curiously, a bulldozer attachment was added to the front of the tank.  This attachment let it dig its own firing pits on soft terrain whilst also allowing the tank to serve as a clearance vehicle if needed when not in combat.  It also let it shunt aside obstructions in built up terrain.  The Bulldozer blade when not deployed can swing back and to the sides, splitting down the middle.  The side sponsons did however have problems.  Despite good vision for the driver and commander thanks to mutliple cameras across the hull to increase crew awareness, it was irritatingly common (for the Techs) that the side sponsons hit or snag on obstacles and be damaged, or broken off if the tank was going fast enough.  Some crews would remove these sponsons entirely using the space for extra stowage but this was not an officially recognised modification.

Iwisa Combat Vehicle
Clan experimental
60 tons 
BV: 1,033
Cost: 2,275,200 C-bills

Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 240 Fuel Cell

Internal: 30
Armor: 160
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Front                       6       39
Right                       6       29
Left                        6       29
Rear                        6       25
Turret                      6       38

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Large Chem Laser                TU     6
Large Chem Laser                TU     6
Medium Chem Laser               TU     2
Medium Chem Laser               TU     2
Medium Chem Laser               TU     2
Medium Chem Laser               TU     2
Light Machine Gun Array         LS     0
Light Machine Gun Array         RS     0
Light Machine Gun               LS     0
Light Machine Gun               LS     0
Light Machine Gun               RS     0
Light Machine Gun               RS     0

Ammo                           Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
Light Machine Gun Ammo          BD   200
Large Chemical Laser Ammo       BD    10
Large Chemical Laser Ammo       BD    10
Large Chemical Laser Ammo       BD    10
Large Chemical Laser Ammo       BD    10
Medium Chemical Laser Ammo      BD    30
Medium Chemical Laser Ammo      BD    30
Medium Chemical Laser Ammo      BD    30

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Bulldozer                       FR
Trailer Hitch                   RR



And speaking of the Aithion, definately gonna use this version.





There was also an idea that DragonCat inspired to make a Combat Engineering Vehicle and a bridging unit.


Aspis CET
Clan advanced
60 tons 
BV: 678
Cost: 2,084,640 C-bills

Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 240 Fuel Cell

Internal: 30
Armor: 160
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Front                       6       39
Right                       6       29
Left                        6       29
Rear                        6       25
Turret                      6       38

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
ProtoMech AC/8                  TU     2

Ammo                           Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
ProtoMech AC/8 Ammo             BD    10
ProtoMech AC/8 Ammo             BD    10
ProtoMech AC/8 Ammo             TU    10

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Backhoe                         TU
Bulldozer                       FR
Lift Hoist                      TU
Lift Hoist                      TU
Mine Sweeper                    RR
Mounted Searchlight             FR


The PAC-8 is there to blow up obstructions, not really to act as a combat weapon but to help the CET do its job.


and for the Bridging unit, which would be needed in rough terrain etc.

Bolo Assault Bridge.
Clan advanced
60 tons 
BV: 737
Cost: 1,835,200 C-bills

Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 240 Fuel Cell

Internal: 24
Armor: 160
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Front                       6       50
Right                       6       35
Left                        6       35
Rear                        6       40

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Vehicular Grenade Launcher      LS     1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher      RS     1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher      FR     1
Vehicular Grenade Launcher      RR     1
LRM 5                           FR     2

Ammo                           Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
VGL Chaff Grenade              None     1
VGL Chaff Grenade              None     1
VGL Chaff Grenade              None     1
VGL Chaff Grenade              None     1
LRM 5 (Clan) Smoke Ammo         BD    24

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Heavy Bridge Layer              FR
Fully Amphibious                BD
Lift Hoist                      LS
Lift Hoist                      RS

!MechView.CarringCapacity!Troops - 5.0 tons


The LRM although mounted on the front is like those on the Mars, they are rear mounted but fire forwards, but it will only be able to fire once the bridge is out the way.  The hoists are there to help build the bridge and the amphibious kit allows the Bolo to go into water to act as a support for its bridge if needs be.

Another thought, as well as light BA, how about giving infantry forces PA(L) of some nature?  Nicky K saw the value in the Horses way of war and even if they start restructuring their Tourman to go properly for combined arms, the other Clans may snarl and growl but the Horses could point at Special K and say 'He endorsed it, thus it is allowed.'  And I might well have to nakedly steal the idea from MasterArminas' Scorpio Ascendant story and have the Horses also look at seeing if there's worthy people in Lower Castes that can survive training and the like to be accepted as Warriors. Whilst admittedly these might very well be shuffled into PGC's, its a good way of bulking up their Tourman.

I'd have to think about it and read through the Field Manuals for the Crusaders to see if they can get away with it.  Going by the letter of the Law it seems to be yes they can, its more that the Clans follow the spirit of it and have stepped away from their society technically being a Meritocracy.  There's nothing that deliberately prohibits such a change in position, just a huge cultural bias.

Another idea re Modular tanks/vehicles.

The first modular vehicles are a mix of fixed and podded equipment. If its got a turret you can swap the weapons out but stuff mounted on the hull is very much fixed in place.

The Indra always made me scowl.  Its HUGE in terms of length, it looks like a full on bendy bus so you're talking 60 feet long if not more, as well as being broad and tall, its not a small bit of kit.  And yet it has 3 tons of infantry in it.  Gonna assume that the Indra's interior has 1st class seats, a promenade and multi-screen cinema in it rather than fittings to carry Elementals :p

Or perhaps an earlier 'TankWarrior' kind of thing.  The problem is that at this time you've got the Grand Council being used as an official forum for shitposting between Clans.  And if say....Clan *insert Furry/Scaly OC here* said that the Horses were 'arming their civilians' by having a kind of 'test up' program for volunteers to step forwards and be more than their station, then other Clans would have to investigate this. This would have to be VERY above board, and a new Eugenics program would be a slow burn thing that might pay off in two decades after the first Sibko have been decanted, grown up and been assigned and then the Horses can look into it to see if it works or if its not worth doing.

I think the Horses have the right mentality though as a Clan to overcome the whole 'shared glory' nonsense.  The Warriors and people of the Clan are trained and indoctrinated to view themselves as a team and integral parts of the machine that keeps the Clan going.  So with the right training and the like instead of ALL GLORY TO THE TANK COMMANDER.  Followed by all the other Crew resenting him/her they could view the kills as equally shared between them.  And if they kill a Mech, then more honour and glory to them all for as a team they brought down a larger more capable target who sought to make them prey. 

Khan Darwin Lassenarra kept his face impassive as the Merchant Factor droned on,  listing the damage done, predicted shortfalls, supply levels of ammunition and parts.  It was, in short a disaster.  Tokasha had fallen and then the enraged Bear’s had followed up with an assault on the Horses Niles factory.  Whilst that Trial had been successful, the fighting had ‘accidentally’ spilled over into the factory complex itself resulting in heavy damage as the two sides fought without regard for quarter or mercy for the better part of two days until mutual exhaustion had separated them and the Bears had finally fallen back.

“So, in short my Khan, we are down to twenty five percent production capability for Mechs and their parts.  With salvage from Niles we should be able to rebuild Alpha Galaxy to its notional strength but beyond that, any plans for expansion in the future will have to be severely curtailed and, even though it pains me to say this, we strongly suggest that future military operations be curtailed.  Replacing losses is going to be hard.  We estimate eight months before Niles is fully operational again and this will only bring us up to thirty five, to fourty percent of our previous production levels.  This will allow us to sustain production for any losses sustained and unless we are involved in battles on the scale of Niles of Tokasha, we should be able to produce enough Mech’s to not only sustain current loss projections but exceed them and start rebuilding.”

“And how long do you believe this will take? And please, be honest, we must be honest with ourselves in this time of crisis.”
The Merchant Factor glanced at the Scientist sat to his right and she nodded slightly “The damage to the Niles facility is extensive, if the fighting there was accidental, the Bears knew where to hit.  It will be at least eighteen months before we can begin to match our previous loss and repair rates.  To build a new facility to match those we lost, five years, and this is assuming a steady supply chain and no other Clan declaring a Trial for our facilities.”

There was gasps and muttering from the people assembled in the room, at least 5 years of ‘marking time’ before any major rebuilding could be done, it was unthinkable.  And if other Clans learned of their weakness, then the Horses could expect a flurry of Trials that would bleed their Tourman dry, opening them up to the threat of Absorption. 

“Silence, we need answers, not anger.  We cannot let our passions dictate our actions, not now. So…solutions?”

“We should charge the Bears with wantonly attacking our factory during the Trial on Nile.  They deliberately attacked the facility and caused excessive damage in a deliberate attack.”
“We have no evidence of that, they said our forces pulled them into the factory and the BattleROMs from our Mechs and those we have salvaged from the Bears cooberate both our point of view and theirs.  And they could declare a Trial of Refusal against us.”  What was left unsaid was that a Trial of Refusal of such a charge could escalate until the Horses could not win.  The Khan watched his two most Senior Galaxy Commanders argue their points but he saw only ruin in either approach.

“No, we need to rebuild.  If the other Clans know of our current state, then we will face Trial after Trial and it will lock us into a degenerative spiral that we might never recover from.  And I will -not- see our Clan be absorbed.  That is not our future.  SaKhan Yana Fletcher, your thoughts?”

The younger man gathered his thoughts, he’d gotten the reputation of being quite radical and one who refused to let the Horses abandon their traditional combined arms approach.

“We can not build enough Mechs and we must devote our resources to rebuilding, so our ability to trade for them will be limited.  So we take the obvious step, more vehicles.”

“More? We had begun winding down vehicle production and..”
“Now we need them more than ever.  We simply can not sit around for five years in our current state, we need equipment and we need it now.  Tanks consume less resources and are easier to run quiaff Chief Scientist?”

She looked up and nodded “Aff SaKhan, even a 100 ton tank would use the resources of a heavy OmniMech.  And whilst Galaxy Commander Vincent Anu is correct, we had begun winding down vehicle production due to the success of the Tokasha works, it would be a simple task to reactivate our vehicle facilities and to restore them to production.”

Fletcher smiled “So, we can produce our own equipment again, will this negatively affect our rebuilding efforts?”
“We might have to divert some resources, but only in the short term, in the long term it might impose a few months delay in upgrading the Nile Works, but these facilities are secure and can be brought online in a matter of weeks.”

“But you said yourself that most of our current vehicles are of little use outside of Garrison work queaff?”  Galaxy Commander Tina Neely said, meeting Fletcher’s eyes.

“Aff.  But in the short term, they will suffice, but new vehicles based on current and older marks could be developed and put into production.”
“And who will help us with this?”
“The Coyotes. The Scientists speak loudly in their halls, and would listen to us.  We have good relations with them, so we trade, our designs, for their assistance.  We offer to share the designs with them freely, in return for trade concessions to help us build facilities needed to produce any new vehicles.  We have the manpower, our Sibko’s are still on schedule and we risk having hundreds of trained warriors sitting around waiting for Mechs.  So let us give them tanks.  We alter our training to include a major focus on vehicle combat, the teamwork we emphasise will help gel the crews together and should not adversely affect unit cohesion.”
“A big ask…some may well refuse.”
“Then they will have to fight for what they want, and rise or fall on their own merits.  But, my Khan, my brothers and sisters, we cannot have any wild colts trying to show us ‘the way’.  The Herd will have to move as one, if we are to survive the coming years.”

Backed by the Khan and with the conscent of the Galaxy Commander’s, SaKhan Yana Fletcher’s Project Zhukov was approved and within days the Horses and Coyotes were speaking as the Technician Caste went to work on reactivating the facilities that had been put into standby mode.  It was estimated that it would take six months to crank up production and then the first new vehicles were expected to be undergoing testing and be pressed into production.  All the Horses had to do was survive eight months, and keep as low a profile as possible.  With the Bears spent from the great battles at Niles and Tokasha, one threat withdrew to lick its wounds, but other Clans could smell blood in the water and started to circle.