'Mech of the Week: RMP-*G Rampage
No one man is more infamous in the future history of BattleTech than Stefan Amaris, Usurper of the Star League. Perhaps the single topic that draws general agreement from the Inner Sphere, the Periphery, and even Kerensky's heirs among the Clans is their shared dislike of this one man, although even there opinions differ. Why he made the choices that he did, choices that are a significant part of the shattering of the Star League, is beyond this document but Amaris's actions seized him a place of infamy in the annals of history. But Amaris, whatever his motives, did not stalk into history from the shadows. He was ruler of the Rim Worlds Republic before he became the pretender to the throne of the Hegemony and it is to the Rim Worlds Republic that we look for this week's chosen BattleMech, the Rampage, introduced in Jihad Conspiracies. Developed as a line combat 'Mech for the RWR, the Rampage lacks some of the legendary infamy of other units linked to the memory of the Republican takeover of the Hegemony such as the Ignis or the limited run of WTH-0 Whitworths that became terror weapons, darkly remembered for setting entire cities ablaze. That said, the Rampage best remembered is not the older RMP-2G model that probably formed the core of the Rim World assault units from its 2735 introduction but rather the upgraded RMP-5G that stared down the Star League Defense Force during the campaign to liberate the Hegemony. Two "Infamous Pilots" (as opposed to the usual notable ones) were included in the 'Mech's dossier, Captain Bernard "Ogre" Critchly and Ivan "Ranger" Chekov. Chekov was a skilled stalker but is also noted as reputedly being more honorable than the usual sorts who served under Amaris, even cleared of war crimes charges, but was lynched by the local populace of New Earth regardless. Critchly not only had his portrait spray-painted on the Sistine Chapel but, in the ensuing protests, was personally responsible for the deaths of over 600 monks who were blocked into John Paul II Square during a hunger strike. His final fate is unknown but one can certainly hope it fit his crimes. Out of production since the fall of the Star League, the Rampage is going to be vanishingly rare on the modern battlefield but according to rumor at least a couple are in the hands of the enigmatic Brotherhood of Randis and I wouldn't be surprised to find one or more in the hands of the Word of Blake when Stone's Coalition comes knocking on Terra's door. Also, props to Brent Evans for another great-looking 'Mech. Solid without seeming too hefty and with a nice touch of menace, the Rampage looks the part it plays as a villain.
The first Rampage to hit the field set the mold for the later upgraded models and was built using introductory technology, without the benefit of the Star League's advances. At 85 tons, the Rampage is on the small side for assault 'Mechs. With a running speed of 54 kph, the original Rampage is about par for the course for an assault. 14 tons of armor seems a bit on the thin side compared to the AWS-8Q Awesome or the Crockett but the distribution was done thoughtfully, so there's no real complaint here from me. 24 points on the arms and 23 will blunt lighter hits even after an AC/20 hit while the legs and center torso have 31 and 32 points respectively. The rear sides are stripped by a large laser hit while the rear center has 11 points. This is a mid-range beater and relies on other 'Mechs to do the heavy lifting past 15 hexes with only an LRM 10 in the left arm able to hit past that range, although with two tons of ammunition, you've got plenty of endurance to keep playing tag. (Those of you using RMP-2Gs against the SLDF during the liberation of the Hegemony might want to slip Thunders into one ton of that load.) A class 10 autocannon in the right arm (fed by two tons of ammo) and a center torso-mounted large laser keep the LRMs company at middle ranges while a pair of medium lasers take over for close-in shooting. A flamer and a machine gun (with a ton of ammunition) were carried in the left and right torsos to kill infantry... or, considering some of the other units used by the RWR, dealing with protestors. With 23 single heat sinks, the original Rampage is pretty oversinked in most situations. Overall, it's an okay 'Mech but hardly great and the SLDF had plenty of 'Mechs in common deployment that are going to give an RMP-2G a serious headache. The MSK-9H Mackie also had the potential to make a nuisance of itself in the right situation, which probably goes a fair distance in explaining why Amaris and his forces spent a great deal of effort scrapping any of them they could find. Some of these also turned up in the hands of other Periphery forces in the general revolt against the Star League that gave Amaris his opportunity to move.
The RMP-2G is only the start of the Rampage's evolution, though, not the end. The RMP-4G Rampage is listed as debuting in 2750 although I'm not sure how much faith I put in that number, while the RMP-5G that formed the mainstay of the type in later days was introduced in 2767, the year after the takeover. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: The description implies that the bulk of the design change work was made with the 5G development, which is why the separation makes me curious because the two variants are, as noted below, very similar.) Dating oddities aside, the upgraded Rampages are impressive specimens which, considering the extensive nature of the rebuilds involved, isn't too surprising. The 'Mech's basic speed went up dramatically with the installation of an AMC 340 extra-light fusion engine, reaching a parity with the average for Inner Sphere heavy 'Mechs, and the skeleton was replaced with endo-steel. Although some on the design team pushed for increasing the speed further, designers settled on using MASC instead of either lightening the chassis or using an over-sized and rather heavy 425 XLFE, leaving it with a burst speed of 86 kph. While they were messing with the engine, the technicians replaced the heat sinks with a mere 10 doubles. The RMP-4G, a limited production progenitor of the RMP-5G, has 15.5 tons of armor. An entire half-ton went onto the center torso alone, requiring two Gauss strikes to strip, with the arms and side torsos now protected by 26 points and 32 on the legs. Even the rear saw some improvements, 9 to the sides and 13 on the centerline. One of the medium lasers, the LRM 10, and the machine gun were all removed. The center torso large is now a pulse model for dealing with close-in flankers while the autocannon was upgraded to an LB 10-X, still fed by two tons of ammo. The LRM's job as the token ranged weapon is now the job of a Gauss rifle with two tons of ammunition, giving the basic weapons a vibe not unlike the stock Dragon Fire. The right torso, instead of a machine gun, now has an anti-missile system. This is more of a big heavy than a classic assault - a trait shared with FWL notables such as the Grand Titan and the Albatross - but with an assault 'Mech's armor. Your only real weakpoint is the lack of CASE although compared to the other Rampages, it's not as big a problem.
The final Rampage, unless the Word of Blake hauls a few out and gets to tinkering, is the RMP-5G, the model which taught the Star League to respect the type. Like the RMP-4G, this is another entry to the big heavy school of assault 'Mechs. Every bit as mobile as its upgraded predecessor, the 5G has three additional heat sinks and another half-ton of armor for an easy heat curve and plenty of durability. It shares the large pulse laser, anti-missile system, and LB 10-X of the RMP-4G but retains both medium lasers from the basic RMP-2G as well as the flamer. The LRMs were kept but mated to an Artemis IV module in place of the second ton of ammo. ECM wasn't too common back in the day as opposed to the way Guardians are growing out of the ground in the Jihad (I blame C3, personally), making Artemis more useful. Biasing the 'Mech heavily toward short-range fighting is the presence of a trio of Marklin Mini Streak SRM 2 racks in the left torso sharing a single ton of ammo. My one real concern is the lack of CASE, which definitely contributes to how rare these 'Mechs are today. Able to punch holes or crit-seek to deadly effect, the Rampage could engage a variety of targets effectively and with the MASC was a terror to slower small 'Mechs as well as easily disabling vehicles for other units to finish off. Against some of the really hefty SLDF assaults, particularly Royals or near-Royals like the selections from TRO3058, a Rampage needs friends to tear into the armor so it can crit-seek.
The RMP-2G is, by and large, a kind of mediocre 'Mech notable mainly for being cool running but reasonably tough. Bring friends and try to get it close enough to start chewing on someone. The real meat of the Rampage series is on the bones of the RMP-4G and 5G. Both of them are as fast as an 85 tonner is going to get under tournament rules, both have a lot of armor, and they both, as noted above, make excellent bullies against smaller 'Mechs (in testing, they performed well against SLDF heavies) but aren't at their best trying to fight "classical" assaults, relying on maneuverability, tough armor, and lucky critical hits to carry the day. The 5G functions well with a friend to help hole punch although the LB 10-X's standard shots can do a lot - captured Excaliburs, Ostols, or Ostrocs wouldn't be out of place from either a fluff or utility standpoint, although there are plenty of other options, including the RMP-4G or the Republic's PX-3R Phoenix. You'll also want some friends capable of volleying fire at longer ranges to assist, a job the RMP-4G can do to some extent. While a Rampage generally has the maneuverability edge in an assault-on-assault brawl, keep an eye on the jumpers, particularly Pillagers or Highlanders, either of which can break to three hexes and turn freely to put a lot of ordnance on you at close range. Finally, do not abuse MASC unless you want Murphy getting friendly with your leg actuators.
The first job to do countering a Rampage is breaking through the armor. The Star League Defense Force had plenty of well-armed heavies and assaults to choose from in doing that job. Remember the basics of protecting your flank from a more agile opponent against the upgraded models, especially when running assault formations, and just tear the armor open, then use crit-seekers and introduce the Rampage to the joys of ammo explosions and engine hits. As Chanman keeps suggesting, the LB 10-X is an autocannon for all seasons, so feel free to fight fire with fire. If for some reason you're bringing cutting-edge modern hardware to bear on the problem, the larger HAGs or a RAC/5 can also be an excellent way to both breach the armor and break what it protects. Slower lights and mediums, especially the ones with exploding ammo, need to watch themselves - they're the Rampage's favorite prey.
