’Mech of the Week: DRG-*** Dragon/Grand Dragon

[VhenRa]

More common during the succession wars then modern era admittedly.


I suspect more then a few of those started off as "Sorry My Lord, we can't get you any replacement PPCs, would you accept [X config] instead?"

[jklantern]

More common during the succession wars then modern era admittedly.


I suspect more then a few of those started off as "Sorry My Lord, we can't get you any replacement PPCs, would you accept [X config] instead?"

I'm more of a fan of the "Ah, crap, we don't actually HAVE that part" sort of custom ride than the Ace Custom aesthetic anyway.  It feels more...authentic to Battletech to me.

[sadlerbw]

I'm more of a fan of the "Ah, crap, we don't actually HAVE that part" sort of custom ride than the Ace Custom aesthetic anyway.  It feels more...authentic to Battletech to me.

Ahh yes,the days when a custom mech didn't mean in upgrade, it meant a whatever-we-could-find-grade. I have to say though, that replacing the AC5 on the Dragon with a PPC has to be right up there on my own personal list of the best things you could do with a spare PPC.

[VhenRa]

Its also how you often got FrankenMechs back then.

[Viragos]

So I may be the outlier here, but the basic DRG-1N is one of the Mechs I will still bring to the table even in the modern era. It’s not a front line cavalry Mech the way it was in the Succession War era, but the deep ammo bins, and decent mobility have for me at least given it new life as a bodyguard unit for Assaults and Fire support units. Load the AC-5 up with Precision, and 1 ton for the LRM launcher with either Thunders or T-augs and it does a decent job bullying the lights that are trying to get in to backstab. BV wise it’s cheaper than a high end light like a Talon or Wolfhound as well.

[Liam's Ghost]

So I may be the outlier here, but the basic DRG-1N is one of the Mechs I will still bring to the table even in the modern era. It’s not a front line cavalry Mech the way it was in the Succession War era, but the deep ammo bins, and decent mobility have for me at least given it new life as a bodyguard unit for Assaults and Fire support units. Load the AC-5 up with Precision, and 1 ton for the LRM launcher with either Thunders or T-augs and it does a decent job bullying the lights that are trying to get in to backstab. BV wise it’s cheaper than a high end light like a Talon or Wolfhound as well.

It's serviceable, and tough enough to weather some fire. I can see it being useful in the modern era with special munitions.

[Empyrus]

There was a request for a Dragon lineage chart in the Panther thread so i made one. Does not have any custom variants, didn't see point in including them.

Upgraded variants to right, sub-variants down is the general rule here, though can't be said to apply to the Dragon II and Great Wyrm.

Larger pic if additional clarity needed: http://i.imgur.com/MDBjQKE.png

I didn't include the Shadow Hawk though it is important to note the Dragon was designed as a replacement for it. According to TRO3025, the Dragon was designed as an upgrade for the primitive Dragon but later timeline adjustments designate it as a replacement for the standard 2H... which doesn't really make sense considering the SLDF was looking for a Royal upgrade...

The Great Wyrm is included as it is based on the Dragon. Given the UAC/2, and the fact 1C was proposed for the SLDF, i figured the Clans would use the DRG-1C as a basis for the Great Wyrm.

The Dragon II is functionally quite different but was included due to its implicit lineage. Given the 11R being a limited production upgrade, i designated it as a sub-variant rather than an upgrade/newer variant of the Dragon II.
The Dragon II is described as a replacement for the original Dragon series, not the Grand Dragon series.

The Grand Dragon 10K is noted as being upgrade to the 7K in RS 3145 NTNU. I will note that the snub-nose PPC may indicate influence from the 9KC

The Dragon 7N is a bit weird case as it doesn't really feel like a direct upgrade to 5N, but i figured it would be that anyway. It is actually also an export model to Lyran Alliance, has its origins in MWIV official (non-MekTek) Mech Packs.

Done in Paint, if someone wonders. Making arrows by hand (line tool or not) is PITA but can't really use image editors.

[MarauderD]

Omg! Flow chart with dates--I love it! Perfect for figuring out which variants would be in use at a particular juncture! Thanks man!

[Wrangler]

That's pretty sweet.  You should add that to Sarna.net as a picture there so it could help people understand the background of the Dragon's evolution of variants!

[Empyrus]

Feel free to add it, just credit me for creation. I don't personally take part in editing wikis for variety of reasons (at least not now).

[UnLimiTeD]

+1 on that chart.
A good idea spreads. :) Well done, too.

[SCC]

The Dragon came about as the result of the SLDF looking to purchase a replacement for their aging Shadow Hawks. Presented to the SLDF agents by Luthien Armor Works, the DRG-1C model was turned down in favor for an upgraded version of the 55-tonner. LAW execs and their House Kurita masters were incensed at this.

Now a slight discrepancy needs mention. The original Tech Readout: 3025 text says the model being replaced was the SHD-1R variant, the original primitive version. Its replacement was the SHD-2H. This could make the Kurita beef somewhat understandable. Problem is, the -2H served in the Reunification War. According the XTRO: Primitives 1, the -2H was the design looking to be replaced. And the Star League chose the SHD-2Hb as its replacement. You know, the Royal Shadow Hawk. Expecting the DRG-1C to beat a design with a Class-10 LB-X autocannon, endo-steel, and ferro-fibrous is like expecting an F-4 Phantom II to beat an F-22 Raptor in a procurement test.

The only problem I have with this is that the Royal Shadow Hawk was a secret, which raises the question of what publicly beat out the Dragon? Not saying that it's wrong, but a big question comes up.

[Liam's Ghost]

The royal shadow hawk wasn't secret. That notion never appears in canon aside from the in universe ramblings of a guy who thought terra wasn't important, the clans were fungus people, and the free guilds were a thing. And even then, he was talking about Comstar keeping it a secret from the rest of the Inner sphere after it's extinction. Nobody in canon (that I'm aware of) every suggested the League was keeping them secret from everybody else. That's not even how deterrence works.

[Wrangler]

From what I've read from many of the newer sources.  Suggested that the Succession Houses were building mechs with advance Star League technology.  They weren't in mass production and remember the Star League set limit how big their armies they could have. They were properly aware all the higher tech they didn't make, but they didn't know how to make it as possibility or at least in large quantities without running fowl with the Law.

The older sources did make more sense to me, that they simply didn't have any of it. From Gauss Rifles to Ferro-Fiber at all. No know how, no tooling, nothing but the basic Inner Sphere Standard tech (aka Succession Wars Tech/old Level 1).  If they Kuritian company knew that what the League wanted.  Shadow Hawk would been facing a Dragon with a XL Engine, Endo Steel, Ultra A/C 5 or even a Gauss Rifle, Artemis IV LRM launcher, and even FF Armor.  That would evan the scales in advantage.

I though that Kuritians would sold the Dragon design and the League would commission a Hegemony based company to refit them with advance tech if the Kuritians weren't producing that technology.