Idle Thoughts

  • 2.5K Views
  • Last Post 12 June 2017
Tiedhog posted this 20 October 2016

While we're here, maybe have a thread for casual activity to make the place feel more like home?  The first thought to come to this mind is custom designs, we being at S7 and all.  Specifically, the first thought is slightly eccentric ideas, but whatevs floats yer boat is welcome.  To start, something that crossed this mind earlier tonight... 

Aesthetically, the Catapult K2 is this goofball's favourite 'mech.  Everything looks designed for playing peek-a-boo, her arms are wicked and her legs are long.  There's just two little problems: the 3025 tech doesn't quite make it work that way, and the Combine's one of Tiedhog's least favourite houses.  Well, firing up SSW and beeping and booping a few buttons leads to what looks like it could be a League variant, intended to work with the C1, kinda like how the Centurion and Trebuchet were intended to work together... 

Catapult CPLT-M1

Mass: 65 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Introductory
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/C-E-D-A
Production Year: 2568
Cost: 5,362,775 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,342

Chassis: Hollis Mk. II Standard
Power Plant: Magna 260 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: Anderson Propulsion 25
    Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: Durallex Heavy Standard Armor
Armament:
    2  Large Lasers
    6  Small Lasers
    1  Flamer
Manufacturer: Hollis Incorporated
    Primary Factory: Corey
Communications System: O/P COMM-211
Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 1078

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                     104 points                6.50
Engine:             Fusion Engine                260                      13.50
    Walking MP: 4
    Running MP: 6
    Jumping MP: 4 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 2 LT, 2 RT                                         4.00
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             18                        8.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 LL, 2 RL
Gyro:               Standard                                               3.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA    R: SH+UA
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 208                 13.00

                                                      Internal       Armor      
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            9         
                                        Center Torso     21           30        
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  11        
                                           L/R Torso     15           22        
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  8         
                                             L/R Arm     10           20        
                                             L/R Leg     15           29        

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Large Laser                                  RA        8         2         5.00
Large Laser                                  LA        8         2         5.00
2 Small Lasers                               RT        2         2         1.00
2 Small Lasers                               LT        2         2         1.00
2 Small Lasers                               CT        2         2         1.00
Flamer                                       HD        3         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 28

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      7    Points: 13
4j         3       2       0       0      3     0   Structure:  5
Special Abilities: ENE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA

The big lasers seem like a sensible adaptation to work with SHS, but the secondary and tertiary weapons take it off the beaten path just a wee bit.  The little lasers give it some oomph in melee combat, and some splatter to complement the main weapons.  The fire-breathing capability is handy when rules to exploit it are in play, and it can also be construed as a nod to the Draconis inspiration.  (Full disclosure: This is actually a quick half-baked 3025 downgrade of an oldish favourite toy: a "poor man's Warhammer" variant.)  Hey, maybe the Hector kinda faded to obscurity because this thing displaced it? 

Order By: Standard | Newest | Votes
Madlizardx posted this 27 October 2016

Shiney, and perfectly fieldable.

Big banks of Small Lasers tend to be a gambling weapon system in my mind, if the dice are with you you can really lay down the hurt but if they aren't then you just have a popgun barrage.  You have the mobility and the armor to get you into range successfully against most opponents of similar tonnage.

Headhunter posted this 08 November 2016

At first glance I thought it looked a bit under-armed, but the armor, heat sink capacity, and the idea of it maybe holding a line while the missile boats pop back a bit to reload rather endears it to me.  And it's tech one, so affordable and based off of an existing design to save costs.  I can see two of these working with groups of other catapults and archers.  And something that might be found in an old cache that modern mercs in 3025 would love  

Donteras posted this 27 April 2017

lol, for some reason the laser cluster made me think of Mickey Mouse ears.

Prince posted this 30 April 2017

Made this hunter while watching MoltenMetal videos- that guy always gives me great ideas.

Commando COM-9X

Mass: 25 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-F-A
Production Year: 3070
Cost: 4,802,917 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,202

Chassis: Unknown Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Unknown 200 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 86.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 129.6 km/h (172.8 km/h)
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Unknown Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    4  ER Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Unknown
    Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications System: Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown

Overview:
A light hunter for the Elsies, who pair multipule Commandos with the Stiletto 
for advanced electronic support. Made specifically for fast unit hunting and 
interdiction/screening for heavier forces, the COM-9X is cheap, accurate, and 
potent.


Notably, the Kwangjong-Ni complex tank that built it decided to forgo small 
cockpit for the design, seeing that the COM-9X would likely see deep raiding 
and the additional space and "creature comforts" would be needed.


Also, dat armor layout. While I lost out on rear armor by 2 points, its more 
important to me to be able to take a PPC to almost all locations and still 
survive without losing a limb. That to me, is what can make or break a 25 ton 
design.


QUIRKS:

Easy to pilot

Easy to Maintain


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    43 points                1.50
    Internal Locations: 3 LT, 3 RT, 3 LA, 3 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine:             Fusion Engine                200                       8.50
    Walking MP: 8
    Running MP: 12 (16)
    Jumping MP: 0 
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 LT, 1 RT
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Heavy Ferro-Fibrous          AV -  79                  4.00
    Armor Locations: 1 HD, 6 LT, 6 RT, 3 LA, 3 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL

                                                      Internal       Armor      
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            8         
                                        Center Torso     8            10        
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  3         
                                           L/R Torso     6            10        
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  2         
                                             L/R Arm     4            7         
                                             L/R Leg     6            10        

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Targeting Computer                           CT        -         1         1.00
Supercharger                                 CT        -         1         1.00
2 ER Medium Lasers                           RA        10        2         2.00
2 ER Medium Lasers                           LA        10        2         2.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 0

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 12
10         3       3       0       0      1     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: ENE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA

Tiedhog posted this 12 June 2017

We've got a few batshit custom weapons sitting here, so why not share them?  Well, none of are so much as half-baked, so expect a bit of a doughy taste and texture.


Two very different Narc pod deployment solutions exist to make better use of extremely limited ammunition capacity, by guaranteeing that those heavy pods aren't wasted on missed shots.  Melee-deployed Narc beacons cost half as much as standard, are available in half-ton lots, and are deployable by any 'mech with functioning hand actuators, or with a modified Spot Welder, Nail/Rivet driver, or Heavy-Duty Pile Driver.  Melee weapons/tools so modified cost an additional 10k C-Bills and retain all of their usual functionality, but gain the ability to place pods in place of their normal effects.  Hand actuators do not need to be modified to use Hand Actuator Ammo. 

The other solution, coming from a different direction, consists of the Streak Narc and Streak iNarc, which retain ranged placement capability.  These launchers are three halves the mass and cost of their standard counterparts, and ammo is twice as expensive. 

MRMs and Streaks are kinda opposites, so seeing the Combine using them both very heavily gives Tiedhog some funny ideas.  "The Streak MRM is borne of the notion that MRM systems have the most to gain from the addition of Streak guidance technology."  Again, the stats are super-straitforward. 


Rapid-Fire Pulse Gun:
The RFPG is effectively a particle projection machine gun.  It produces multiple smaller beams, improving hit probability through volume of fire at the cost of drastically reducing damage concentration and effectiveness at blasting away armor.  The traditional bypass circuit for the failsafe inhibitor is of dubious wisdom, so it is replaced by a lower-power, higher duty cycle fire mode which turns the weapon into a heat ray.  An Enhanced version boosts range at the cost of higher waste heat output. 

RFPG
225k CB
5 tons, 02 crit, 08 heat
-2 TN, [02] 04-08-12

ERFPG
375k CB
05 tons, 02 crit, 12 heat
-2 TN, [00] 06-12-18

Tiedhog doesn't like how the stats & fluff for Pulse Lasers seem to be at odds, hence this very different sort of Pulse weapon.  Stats are based on the Light PPC, and calibrated for easy refits in place of Large Lasers.  Damage is "like a [beam] machine gun," implemented in a mechanically familiar way with an added Draconis flare.  A successful RFPG or ERFPG attack simply resolves damage like an SRM-4, either Standard or Inferno according to fire mode.


Heavy Rotary Autocannon:
HRAC are built more sturdily and to different tolerances, allowing them to reliably handle powerful and diverse loads at high cyclic rates, though they can only handle super-heavy munitions such as Precison and Armor-Piercing at half the cyclic rate of standard-weight ammo types.  Ammo types and costs are as for standard AC. 

HRAC/2
350k CB
12 tons, 04 crit, 01 heat/shot
[04] 08-16-24

HRAC/5
600k CB
18 tons, 08 crit, 01 heat/shot
[03] 06-12-18

The reliability issues of some rapid-fire guns make them feel like prototypes, very far from actual production models, so this is our guess as to how finished designs might look.  They function like standard RAC, but without jamming, and they retain their ancient ancestors' reach and ammo types.  Performance seems very roughly in the neighborhood of Light and Heavy Gauss Rifles, so stats for this concept might be in the right ballpark. 

Change Language
Categories
Search
Popular Tags
Hot Topics
Close