’Mech of the Week: GUR-*G Gurkha
Gurkha. Elite commandos, legendary for their loyalty and knife-fighting skills. Skills so important that each was issued their own blade to maintain with honor. Namesake for a 35-ton BattleMech produced by the Word of Blake.
And very dangerous in bunches.
Just after being promoted to Precentor Martial, Cameron St. Jamais ordered that a new light or medium BattleMech be designed to put more (if not the rest) of the assembly lines of the Krupp Armament Works into use. The design he chose became the
Gurkha, and was received well by the Militia for patriotic reasons.
Entering service in 3063, the GUR-2G is built around an endo-steel skeleton and uses a 245-rated Magna extralight engine, giving the design similar ground speed to the venerable
Jenner. It does not, however, have that design’s jump capability. Seven and a half tons of standard plate give the design maximum armor protection, mounted in a 9, 15/7, 11/5, 12, 16 pattern (head, center front/rear, side front/rear, arms, legs). Weaponry consists of an extended-range particle cannon in the right torso, backed by a quartet of extended-model small lasers in the left arm. Ten double heat sinks struggle with the heat-load when in close-range combat. The design also mounts an improved C3 computer in the center torso. Rounding out the design is a sword in the right hand. This sword is useful for three reasons beyond its melee capability. First, it allows for the Word of Blake to have a design where any melee-minded light pilots can serve. Second, the sword breeds the idea of getting in-close, which helps with the spotting for the other five guys in the C3 network (the old repartee between a
Scarabus and
Gurkha pilot fits here). Finally, there is a psychological component. The sword looked similar enough to the broadsword on the Word of Blake logo to engender patriotism. It didn’t hurt that each dress uniform came with a sword as well.
The first variant, the GUR-4G arrived in 3065. This variant did the easy swap of the particle cannon for a large pulse laser, helping with the up-close mentality. The next variant, designation GUR-6G showed up in 3067. The particle cannon was replaced with an extended-model large laser. An extended-model medium was placed in each side torso. A half-ton of armor and a small laser were removed to install an additional heat sink. The armor removed translates into one point off each front location, save the head.
The final variant, the GUR-8G entered service in 3069. The particle cannon is now a Snub-Nose version. One small is now mounted in the head. The remaining small lasers were swapped for extended-model mediums. A small cockpit was also used. Triple-strength myomer was installed. Finally the sword was swapped for a retractable blade. This last move confuses me. First, the totemic value of the sword is lost. Second, the sword is more effective than a retractable blade in all but one scenario. Third, and finally, the retractable blade actually weighs more than a comparable sword.
To note that one scenario: Under advanced rules, if you land a punch with that arm, you can instantly say you are extending the blade and inflict a critical check. You stand a risk (10+) of breaking the blade off, though. This action is most effective if you hit someone in the head. And, of course, if that crit check allows you to skewer the enemy pilot.
Using one of these machines can be simple. Just remember that you are not meant to fight alone. While you do have a bevy of close-in weaponry, most notably the sword, you are not meant to suicide yourself. Frankly, the sword (or retractable shiv) is more of an afterthought, to be used if you get into melee against your will. The real key is your choice of partners. While the enemy
Scarabus is trying to deal with you with his lasers and hatchet, you have five other guys backing you up. Considering the original Tech Readout entry mentions that Vanquishers were assigned alongside the
Gurkha, this can include a lot of devastating firepower. And that’s before you consider that you could have a place in a Shadow Division. Celestials are things you want on your side.
Fighting one is less clear cut. Primarily for having to worry about his back-up. There is one thing that is key, however. Jam him. While the comparison between the
Scarabus and
Gurkha in the adage is funny, it does miss one significant detail: If the
Scarabus is close enough to use his hatchet, the
Gurkha is inside an ECM bubble. Considering the
Gurkha’s primary role seems to be spotter for his friends, turning off his spotting capability is key. Using quick designs to keep him in that bubble is a must. Just make sure to do it with priorities in mind. Try not to get those quick units killed by getting too close to other problems, and do not all target the little guy unless you can afford to. By afford to, I mean his buddies don’t have good numbers to you, or more importantly, you can hit the
Gurkha a lot easier than you can hit his buddies.
The
Gurkha’s future is at best murky. First, the Krupp plants did get hit hard during the retaking of Terra by Stone and company. Second, even if the Germany plant survived, Krupp probably pissed off Stone by filing a lawsuit. With the massive demilitarization that came later, one has to consider if Krupp got to be one of the first on the list. Third, and perhaps most important, the
Gurkha was an iconic Word of Blake design. Those seem to be on the short list of things most powers hate. More so, as it carried the totem for the Blakists. Unless someone outsourced to one of the hidden Blakist bases that may or may not still be out there, it is likely not in production.
I do, however, hope it has continued in service somewhere. And if not, that perhaps they are sitting hidden away waiting as a latter-day LostTech cache for someone to find and put back into service/production. After all, if the
Jenner can somehow survive starting Kentares…
