OBT Forum

Due to time and the paper & pen method I've had to adopt its taking time to enter the contest, especially since I started today!  I have only the bare bones, but didn't want to miss out, so this is what I have right now.  (I should be able to make it "contest ready", i.e. neat and pretty in standard form tomorrow night, but I've learned not to bet on computer time.

Origin
The Ebon Keshik, despite the respect of the Clans, found the prospect of controlling a restive population without adequate support daunting to a degree interpreted as fear by brash Warriors.  After individual Warriors assigned to the Keshik were rebuffed when approaching their Khans on the subject, the Warriors turned to the personnel assigned to the Clan Watch for support.
Aware that a hostile occupation of hundreds of worlds would require massive commitments of equipment and personnel, the two groups presented the IlKhan with the design specifications for the (*Name*), a Fusion-powered vehicle designed to deploy self-supporting, modular trailers of either security or intelligence  (or both) personnel to problems areas without the need for expensive support vehicles.


The bare bones are;

1. Clan/wheeled/50 tons/space 15/IS-5T

2. 50x6=300ER-20 SF=280ER +shielding 8T<-24 T <- 29 T
Control-5%=2.5 T <-31.5 T

3. HS -None

4. Armor 6 T x 16 AP=96 AP <-6 T <- 37.5 T

5. Turret
     Plasma Cannon - 6 T +1 T (Turret) = 9 T <- 46.5 T
     LRM-5 - 1.0 T
     AMS - 0.5 T
     Searchlight -0.5 T
   Light Active Probe - 0.5 T           <- 47 T
   Ammo (PC) - 1.0 T                    <- 48 T
   Ammo (LRM) - 1.0 T                  <- 49 T
   Ammo (AMS) - 1.0 T                  <- 50 T
   Trailer Hitch - 0.0 T                    <- 50 T

Crew of 4

Types of Trailers Available (All Trailers are 50 Tons, with 10 ER fusion engine, 5 T of IS, 2.5 T of Control Systems, 4 T of armor and crew of 4.)
Missile Support - 8 LRM-15 W/TAG in a Turret, 5 Ammo, 1 x A-pod
Direct-fire Support - 3 LB10-X in a turret, 4 Ammo, 1x A-Pod
Artillery Support - 2 x Arrow IV, 2 LRM-10 in a turret, 5/2 Ammo (Arrow IV/LRM), 1 A-Pod
Barracks - Both BA and standard Infantry, temporary lower Caste quarters
Intelligence - Comm equipment, Infantry Bay
Hospital - Surgical Bays, infantry bays, Cargo, Sponson-mounted MGs
Prison - Interrogation cells, Infantry Bays, Turret-mounted MG Arrays,
+a couple more later (maybe)

Note - the tow vehicle and trailers can also use the VDC (vehicular Drop Chute) system for insertion into remote areas by DropShip.

Okay Red Pins you got a nice start but you'll have to make some adjustments. For starters the Plasma Cannon and Light Active Probe are a no go for this time period. They have not been introduced in the early 3050s. As a suggestion I am looking for existing designs which the Clans are basing their new designs off of. You might want to at least mention the Long Tom Mobile Artillery as its forbearer.

Nice job drak! I've got one more unconventional Clan design for this conventional contest plus some older ones from previous design contests (Quicksilver) that I am working on. This all wraps up at midnight folks. Get your completed entries in by then. T minus fifteen hours.

Yeah, figured that out at work.  The rest has to wait, I have freeloaders, I mean in-laws, and some neighbors over.

Darn!  But that's the way it goes.  Story of my life...   

Okay and now for something a little different. Try this on for size.

BASILISK HEAVY STRIKE FIGHTER

Nice but too bad you don't make anything of the Heat Sinks and Fusion Engine.

Quicksilver IIC Vehicle Review

Well I gotta say how impressed I was at the ten designs presented in this contest. While three of the designs were posted by me only one (the Basilisk) was really my idea. The other two were inspired by designs previously entered (the Leviathan and the Nygotha) for past Quicksilver contest. The seven entries that were put forth this week by four designers were not entirely what I was expecting. That is a wonderful thing because your designs opened my eyes to ideas not at within my field of vision.

Originally I was looking at existing Occupation Zone Industry in Objectives Raids to see what the Clans might utilize. Ghost Bear was the obvious choice as it had Joint Equipment Systems on Alshain (Skulker Scout Tank, Scorpion Tank, Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun, LRM Carrier, SRM Carrier, Wheeled APC, Tracked APC) and Benson and Bjorn on Spittal (Tracked APC, Scorpion Tank, Vedette Tank) to work with. The only other major vehicle production facility was Trellshire Heavy Industries (SturmFeur Tank, Demolisher Tank) on Sudeten occupied by Jade Falcon at this time which left Steel Viper out.

Next was all the unfilled tonnage slots that Clan Conventional Vehicles left. Half a dozen mass ratings (45, 55, 70, 80, 90, & 95 tons) were not occupied by designs. Admittedly this leaves out the Thor and Rudra which were newly designed OmniVehicles not Conventional Vehicles. Combining this factor with all the available Star League and InnerSphere designs created a larger sandbox in which the Clans could now play in. I have to admit that your designs went beyond that to create some dynamic new Conventional Combat Vehicles.

By the way for all those interested the in story reaction to all these new Vehicle developments is gonna go something like this… Crusaders attempt to censure such activity by hypocritically using the Quicksilver Program to quash these new designs. Led by Burrock whose Forsaken Vehicle Philosophy has spread to other Clans like Smoke Jaguar these antagonists attempt to use the Grand Council to force Ghost Bear and Steel Viper to abandon such wasteful production. Diamond Shark citing its development of the Ammon Aerospace Fighter which it did not seek permission to do calls out Burrock for its attempt to stifle innovation among the Clans. In the end the matter is voted down by a large margin and no Trial of Refusal is called for.

Back to the contest, I am going to go in reverse order this time around and tell you who finished first to last. I have to say that all the entries were very good and if yours did not make the grade this time around it has a lot to with limited industrial space rather than overall quality. Also you’ll notice some changes I’d like to make with regards to winners.

1 – Patton IIC ‘Minerva’ (drakensis)
Well leading off with what I now consider the cornerstone design in this Steel Viper-Ghost Bear contest is this winning entry. Neither the Patton or the Rommel was at the top of my list for this challenge going in as their tonnage was filled and they are not all that fast. However, the more I think about it the more perfect this proposal is for this entire endeavor. The Vipers would frequently see these tanks along the FedCom border and I remembered that the Free Rasalhague Republic built a primitive version called the Axel on Spittal which Ice Hellion also pointed out. The Kungsarme also used Rommel and Pattons for their Tank Regiment. So you have both Clans which begin the IIC effort take a design and bang, nice story. Love how the Patton IIC by the Vipers go for the Ultra AC/10 as the future InnerSphere version does and the Rommel IIC by the Bears goes LB-20X. Yeah they are slower than standard Clan Heavy speed (5/8 IMO) but they are really made to threaten dishonorable InnerSphere surats who dare raid the Occupation Zone. Also like how you cited where the components came from in your design. Great job!
One thing I would like to change is the name however. I’d like to keep “Minerva” for a Omni version of the Athena one day so in honor of masterarminas who put forward the Omni version of the Patton/Rommel Tank in Quicksilver Challenge 35 I’d like to call the Viper’s Patton IIC the Shiva. It fits with the snake theme a bit and just think it sounds right. The Bear’s Rommel IIC I want to call the Tyr if I may for obvious reasons.

2 – Demon IIC (JPArbiter)
Now this Star League design I was thinking about as we got started despite its 60-ton spot being filled by the Oro Heavy Tank (which may find itself being phased out by the first place finisher). Like what you did taking most of the old which was already pretty good, updated the weapons and armor with Clan tech, and used the weight savings to create a five-ton infantry compartment. This creates a very nice wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle which is perfect for Clan use at this time in the Occupation Zone. To be honest I’d rather go from the Steel Viper perspective then Ghost Bear as I see them using such an urban combat asset in their Occupation Zone pacification sweeps. I’d also like to add a name to this IIC which is inspired by a drakensis entry from Quicksilver 32. He proposed a Demon OmniVehicle via way of the Hell’s Horses for the Urban Assault Vehicle named the Durga. I like it, how about you?

3 – Alacorn IIC ‘Otso’ (Takiro/JPArbiter)
As I said this design is directly inspired by JPArbiter’s Leviathan entry for Quicksilver 36. I know his Tracked Assault Tank was based on the Behemoth but the Ghost Bears building a large conventional vehicle to defend their new holdings and appeal to Rasalhague denizens remains at the core of this design. From their I just took the 95-ton weight class which was unoccupied and the Alacorn which the Clans could very well have. To be honest when I began I forgot about its XL Engine and was thinking how could I add more weaponry! Then I said damn but with the weight reduction of the Gauss Rifles I thought about replacing the XL Engine with a standard Fusion. With the armor weight reduction thanks to Ferro-Fibrous it all began to work. Finding the 285 Fusion Engine for the modification was not an easy task however as they were not easy to come by. I hope you all thought it was plausible and the Otso name really seemed to work for me. Love to hear what you think but I think this one is ready to go.

4 – Goblin IIC ‘Baldur’ (Takiro/Abele)
Another design inspired by Abele’s Nyogtha entry for Quicksilver 33 which I tried to put together again for Quicksilver 34. Both were Diamond Shark efforts based on the Goblin and the 45-ton weight class was uncovered. Even though the aim of the contest was to create a Ghost Bear or Steel Viper design JPArbiter got me thinking that not every design had to be from them. The Baldur by the Sharks would fit perfectly and seems a lot like the Demon IIC entry. Where that wheeled design could deliver infantry ideally in an urban environment and the Svantovit can deliver them at high speed via its hovercraft capabilities, the Baldur can deliver them in difficult terrain that the other two cannot. All three ground vehicles have that 5-ton infantry compartment which gives them the ability to transport a full point of battlearmor or more conventional infantry. That fit along with the Baldur name which appeals to the Ghost Bears is good enough for me on this Goblin IIC. Still like to hear any thoughts you have on it!

5 – Magi IIC (JPArbiter)
I’d like to make some changes to this entry which has a lot of promise. Now I wanted a 70-ton Clan design and you got a big bad ass transport here which finally makes some sense out of the Magi. To get there you drop the original 350 Fusion (5/8) for a smaller 280 Fusion which makes for a slower vehicle (4/6) but gives you 20.5 tons to play with. I get the big cargo bay mainly for infantry but did you ever think about turning this into a Mobile HQ? That would certainly be a unique niche for this vehicle to occupy among the Clans. Yeah I know they are warriors and do not typically use such facilities but times are a changing and so is the situation. What would be wrong with a group of advisers from the growing Clan Watch feeding intel to senior officers from a highly secured armored vehicle? Also was thinking about the third front facing ER Medium Laser as well as it requires five additional Heat Sinks. What would you think about using an LB-5X AC in its place? You would need another two tons for this swap which could be accomplished by stripping away two tons of armor or slightly reducing the size of the cargo bay. Also we could use a War God name for this design. What do you think??

6 – Meteor IIC [Basilisk] – 45 tons “Takiro”
This my own curveball which I am still on the fence about. Would the Clans devote any resources towards the creation of their own Conventional Fighter? I have my doubts which is why the upgrade is so minimal in its nature. Even if I choose to keep this design for TRO3054 it would be unique as a Clan Field Refit – meaning it would not be produced by any Clan rather any Basilisk would be a captured or salvaged Meteor which would no doubt exist in large numbers in the Occupation Zone. Would any have be cached in the Homeworlds or obtained in the Periphery? I guess it is possible. I don’t see them dedicating any manufacturing lines at least in the Homeworlds to this effort. Love to hear your thoughts gang.

7 – Ballista IIC [Uller] – 50 tons “drakensis”
Unfortunately, I am going to have to pass on this design at this time. The Ballista IIC does have potential in the future certainly but I think I would have preferred the direct 55-ton upgrade rather than the slimmer version you presented. I understand what you were attempting to accomplish lessening the overall mass to accommodate other designs and existing facilities. There are undoubtedly some cached Ballista perhaps a few hundred carefully stored away on the Clan Homeworlds that could be reconditioned and upgraded for Clan service. Also outside Arrow IV Artillery I am not sure if the Clans would even consider using tube artillery at this time. Granted this could and probably will change in my setting but at the moment with limited production space I am going to wait for a later date. In the future a 55-ton version of this IIC will no doubt appear.

8 – Bulldog IIC [Kartikeya] – 60 tons “Abele”
Not a bad design I just think the Patton IIC took your role. I was expecting someone to try a Manticore IIC type design so the Bulldog IIC was an unexpected surprise. What you did design wise was pretty good upgrading the Engine from ICE to Fusion status. The Fusion 240 is a more popular model thanks to its use in multiple weight classes such as 80 ton models which could have been linked to add an interesting twist. Unlike other designs you retained standard armor just adding more of it which certainly has its advantages. The weaponry arrayed in three different variants is simple and quite effective just as the overall product is cheap and cost effective. Good job Abele, I just feel that drak did better with the Patton IIC which feels like a better fit. Sorry bud. 

9 – Zephyr IIC – 40 tons “JPArbiter”
Too high tech! Don’t get me wrong everything you use on the design is around at this time but the 225XL Engine is too much. Standard Clan practice especially in my setting abhors the use of expensive Extra Light engines on Vehicles. Now Hell’s Horses you could say might consider such an action but even in canon they did not mount an XL on the Mars till 3060+. Then there is the availability of the 225XL Engine which is not currently in production in Clan space. This is another major consideration given the Clan desire to use materials at hand. The capabilities are certainly impressive especially the speed projected which boosts the Star League Zephyr to Dasher like movement. On top of that I love the complete electronics package which includes a TAG, ECM, and Active Probe. Its armament of three turret mounted Medium Pulse Lasers and a front mounted SRM-6 with Artemis is pretty darn good especially against would be infantry. Unfortunately, the Horses are also already maxed in regards to production. Could the design appear one day as an OmniVehicle? A possibility given the use of an XL on the Yen Lo Wang but I’d like to pitch this angle at you JP. Could ComStar do this using InnerSphere tech at this time looking to equal or surpass the Dasher?

10 – (Unknown tractor trailer) – 50 tons “Red Pins”
This entry is incomplete which hopefully will be finished and corrected. These tractor – trailer designs are intriguing but to be fair with a base goal of updating existing equipment for Clan use such a submission faces an uphill struggle. Also some adjustments have to be made in order to simply qualify for this challenge as certain weapons and equipment are clear unavailable in the early 3050s. That means you Plasma Cannon and you Light Active Probe got to go. Don’t forget to include some fluff as well cause that is a must for my contests. Good luck, I would really like to see the end product.

Congrats to drakensis and JPArbiter as you are the winners of this contest! Unlike other contests this one really isn’t over as I’d still like to see what Red Pins can come up with and I am still thinking about trying to design an 80-ton Jade Falcon design (Demolisher IIC maybe?) as well as getting more feedback on this review. So please keep the ideas coming folks. Thanks again everybody!

Partisan IIC "Horus"

Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Clan
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: F/X-X-C-A
Production Year: 0
Cost: 5,067,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,048

Power Plant: Consolidated 240 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: Compound JX2 Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    2  ER Medium Lasers
    4  LB 5-X ACs
    8  Machine Guns
    1  Infantry Compartment (5.0 tons)
Manufacturer: Complex 8
    Primary Factory: Ironhold
Communications System: TJ6 "Bell" Integrated
Targeting and Tracking System: Series VI TTS

Overview:
When Khan Chistu issued a requirement to the Jade Falcons' scientist caste for a dedicated anti-aircraft vehicle to bolster garrisons in the Inner Sphere, the scientists found themselves too short of personnel (given the other Quicksilver projects) to build up a full team.

Instead they coordinated with Warriors still in the Homeworlds and in a lightning trial they secured the design data of the Ice Hellion's new Rudra omnivehicle. Stripped of the Omnitechnology and equipped in the same lines as the Partisan heavy tanks that the Jade Falcons had encountered in the hands of the AFFC, the Horus was presented to the Khans in record time.


Capabilities:
The Horus is built around the four turret-mounted autocannon, long range and with cluster capability that can cause deadly damage to aircraft or light vehicles. Supplementing this, the designers managed to fit two lasers into the turret as additional close range firepower.

While the drive train is no more powerful than the original, judicious scaling back of the armour tonnage and turret size enabled the installation of eight machineguns to make any attack by unarmoured infantry (typical of insurgent groups) utter suicide.

In addition, the forward section of the tank now contains an infantry bay suitable for a point of Elementals (to secure the environs of the Horus) or to provide non-combatant support staff somewhere to hide when the Horus' comes under attack.

There's been limited interest in using the Horus for urban crowd control, although it lacks the armour for sustained urban combat.


Battle History:
The Ice Hellions attempted to reclaim their lost honour by attacking a point of two Horus' under testing with a point of their own Rudras in a heavy gunnery configuration. Much to the Hellion's dismay, sustained cluster fire from the Horus' disabled the tracks and the turrets of the Rudras before the Jade Falcon tanks were destroyed. Since both Rudras were then captured by the Horus' elemental points, the Jade Falcons claimed victory quite publically.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      40 points                8.00
Engine:             Fusion Engine                240                      17.50
    Cruise MP:  3
    Flank MP:   5
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             10                        0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         4.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Turret:                                                                    3.00
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV -  96                  5.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     22       
                                          Left/Right   18/18       
                                              Turret     22       
                                                Rear     16       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Machine Guns                               FR        0         2         0.50
2 Machine Guns                               LS        0         2         0.50
2 (R) Machine Guns                           RR        0         2         0.50
2 Machine Guns                               RS        0         2         0.50
4 LB 5-X ACs                                 T         4         4        28.00
2 ER Medium Lasers                           T         10        2         2.00
Infantry Compartment (5.0 tons)              BD        0         1         5.00
@LB 5-X (Slug) (20)                          BD        -         0         1.00
@LB 5-X (Cluster) (80)                       BD        -         0         4.00
@MG (1/2) (100)                              BD        -         0         0.50

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 10
3t         4       3       2       0      4     0   Structure:  4
Special Abilities: CASE, TUR(3/3/2, FLK 1/1/1), FLK 1/1/1