’Mech of the Week: SHG-2* Shogun
Shogun. A warlord who ruled over medieval Japan sometimes with the blessing, sometimes in lieu of the emperor. A great samurai. A revered novel and basis for a strange miniseries. And a BattleMech at the source of one of the most confusing mysteries of the Dragoons. A mystery extending back to its creation.
Frankly, this 85-tonner has had more revisions of its history than some Communist countries…
Originally designed before the Reunification War, plans to build the
Shogun were shelved as the intensity of the war broke out, and were not taken up during the subsequent peace. Also, the wide proliferation of the
Stalker, which filled the same role, precluded the need at the time. Then came the degeneration of the Star League and the Amaris Coup. Needing more machines, the SLDF revisited the design, making small tweaks to deal with the inadequacies of the
Stalker. The result, in 2771 was the SHG-2H.
Mounting the same 255-rated Strand fusion engine and gyro as the
Stalker, this allowed for the logistics train of the SLDF to service both designs. The addition of jump jets allows for more maneuverability than its rival. Ferro-Fibrous was used to give the design 98% of maximum protection. This allows the design to withstand five medium laser hits to most front locations, with the legs withstanding four large pulse laser blasts, and the center two Class-20 bursts. Rear locations can take a large laser hit, while the center can withstand just over a PPC blast.
The weapons load consists of a 15-rack LRM on each arm tied to Artemis IV, with three tons of ammo, two 2-pack Streak SRM launchers on each shoulder with one ton of ammo for all of them, an ER PPC in the right torso, a medium laser in the center, and a medium pulse in the head. Thirteen double heat sinks allow for measured firing, As in LRMs and PPC at range, drop the LRMs for the lasers and Streaks in closer. CASE protects each side torso.
While a remarkable machine, only eight production runs were completed before Kerensky took the SLDF (and those machines) on their Exodus. Only a few more were finished before the First Succession War laid waste to the factories on Graham IV. As such the design faded into legend in the Inner Sphere.
Those that made it through the Second Exodus and use by the Clans did receive an upgrade in the early years of the Golden Century. Completely overhauled to use Clantech, the
Shogun C. One point of armor was removed from the front center torso, and one point shifted on the sides from front to back. And nine points were removed from each leg. The LRM racks became 20-missile variants (with two tons ammo each), and the Streak launchers were increased to 6-packs (with two tons for the lot). The lasers were also removed so that three heat sinks could be added to help with some of the heat woes.
Quickly relegated to second-line units and Brian Caches, the
Shogun did not see much regard until the Dragoon Compromise. As part of their forces returning to the Inner Sphere, a number of
Shoguns were downgraded to what was thought to be current standards. Along with a few other details (the
Annihilators and
Imps for two), they were slightly off.
The SHG-2E model utilizes standard armor plate, which drops one point from the center front and five from each arm. The 15 rack LRMs are retained sans Artemis and one ton of their ammo removed. The particle cannon was downgraded to a standard model, while the Streaks were replaced with two 6-pack standard models. Two tons of each ammo was installed. The lasers were removed, and finally the heat sinks became singles, though one more was added. Strangely, the CASE was retained, which must have caused consternation for any spies going over captured ones. Later, around the Fourth Succession War, the Dragoons “upgraded” their models to the SHG-2F variant by swapping the PPC back to an ER model.
The years were not good for the Dragoon machines. And then the Jihad came and only two remained, both in Word of Blake hands. With the plans somewhere in the radioactive remains of Outreach, the design does seem to be on its last legs (though I still don’t know what the result of that worldwide that supposedly determined who would produce it again was). However, the two-timing female dog (can you tell I hate the Word of Blake?) who unearthed them claimed one for her own. Trisha Ryoko’s model replaces the PPC with a Snub-Nose model, and the LRM racks with Class-5 LB-X autocannons (with two tons of ammo between them). One heat sink was removed.
Using one of these machines is simply a case of picking your spots. Fire the LRMs and PPC at range, and switch out the LRMs for the SRMs (and lasers) when in closer. Or the Dragoon disorientation tactic might work. Have someone (like infantry) spot for you, fire the missiles indirectly, and while the foe is off-balance, jump in and mix it up. With a standard engine and CASE, even an ammo explosion won’t necessarily put you out of the fight (though catastrophic cascades are possible).
While exceedingly rare on the modern battlefield, when you have to fight one hit it with everything you got. While it is a tough shell to crack, continuous fire can do so. If you can target locations, I would choose the right torso. While there aren’t any engine crits to be had there, all variants carry ammo. And since that is also the torso where the PPC is mounted, removing that threat is always a good game plan. Double points if you hit an SRM bin on the Dragoon models carrying Infernos. If you are faster or more maneuverable, get behind him and fire. And while ambushes are not honorable (and sometimes piss off the wrong people), this is one of those cases where it works.
Though if you want to go the Blakist route and just nuke the planet, I guess that works too… (Just don’t tell me you did it.)
