Vehicle of the Week: Tokugawa Heavy TankThe Tokugawa period, named for the shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, is a fitting name to use in the Draconis Combine in many ways. Founded on the basis of Ieyasu's martial strength, it was a time of prosperity and peace for over two centuries, and gave its name to a wheeled heavy tank in the First Succession War. By the time of the Fourth, the plants constructing this new Tokugawa were mostly either shattered or retooled to other products, with only Buda Imperial Vehicles still building the Tokugawa in limited numbers (most likely from its plant on Luthien), but Theodore Kurita arranged for Bulldog Enterprises to begin building the design on Prosperpina in the wake of the War of 3039. The tank went on to see honorable service against the Clans during the invasion of Luthien and by 3053, an upgraded model (the one featured in TRO3058U) was in service. While successful against Davion incursions during the FedCom Civil War, it fared less well against the Snow Ravens, particularly when forced to deal with aerospace forces. The design also found itself used as a testbed for several experimental technologies started during the FedCom Civil War and continuing through into the Jihad, although since the Tokugawa didn't put in an appearance for TRO Prototypes, so I'm inclined to think that the experiment wasn't regarded as successful. That may have more to do with the fact that one of the major manufacturers (Bulldog) went to the Republic, however.
The original TKG-150 Tokugawa has the broad strokes of the design we're more familiar with, although it also reminds me a bit of the Demon. It's probably something about the wheels and the armament. At 60 tons, this is just over the line into being a heavy tank, the same size as the classic Manticore, but unlike the tanks to come, the TKG-150 was powered by a 220-rated ICE, making it dirt cheap but it also lacks the edges fusion tanks enjoy. At the time, with the Inner Sphere busy blowing itself back to the Age of War and beyond, that was probably a good deal. The armor is fairly solid, identical to the later models and only a little shy of the Manticore, with 10.5 tons of standard plate arranged 40/33/26/36. The weapons load is similarly practical and low-frills with an AC/10 fed by two tons of ammunition and an SRM 6 with a single ton in the turret and a machine gun fixed forward. A lot of people dislike wheeled tanks, feeling their terrain restrictions and greater vulnerability to motive damage aren't justified by the weight savings compared to tracks, although I'm not as strongly inclined that way. Overall, this is a pretty practical design if you like wheeled tanks. If you don't, well, there's always the Bulldog and the Po.
The only variant at the time, the TKG-151, won't really decide anyone either way, just trading the autocannon for a pair of AC/2s to create a practical, tough fire support and AA platform. Since it probably predated the Partisan and definitely predated the Pike, I think the Dracs just might have been on to something here, especially mixed into formations of Manticores, Bulldogs, or other Tokugawas to keep people honest and annoy fighters. Considering that they were later building the 'MechBuster, using a few to keep other fighters on their toes while the 'Busters make their attack runs might be worth a try if you're the kind who goes for mixed air and ground games.
When they were bringing the Tokugawa into the modern era, Buda and Bulldog stuck to what worked for the most part. The engine was replaced by an identically-rated Nissan fusion engine for the same 64 kph flank speed, freeing up some tonnage and giving you the ability to use energy weapons more freely. The armor, as noted above, is identical. The turret weapons are now an Imperator Code Red LB 10-X (apparently part of the price involved some Tokugawas for the Imperator security forces) with three tons of ammunition and the addition of Artemis IV to the SRMs as well as an extra ton of ammo. (Infernos, anyone?) The remaining three tons went into a pair of Diverse Optics 20p medium pulse lasers that replaced the machine gun. These days, that's not necessarily a great trade, but back before Total Warfare when they could kill infantry almost as well, it would have made a lot more sense. They'll also be an unpleasant surprise if someone closes or the Tokugawa manages to get into knife-fighting range.
While no official variants have been produced, a number of field modifications have turned up over the years. The simplest just trades a ton of autocannon ammunition for a C3 slave, allowing the Tokugawa to join a C3 network. Another swaps the SRMs out for a Streak SRM 6 with a single ton of ammunition, replacing a ton of autocannon ammo with a small pulse laser. Given the subsequent changes in infantry rules, that's probably not a bad decision all told. Finally, there's the nearly obligatory MRM model, replacing the autocannon with an MRM 30 fed by three tons of ammunition. A spare ton was used to mount TAG in the turret, giving you the ability to spot for things like the
O-Bakemono or the Schiltron. If you're going to use MRMs, the only good way to do it is by using a lot of them at once, and the Tokugawa's MRM model doesn't disappoint. You've even got the ammo to just keep firing even on crappy numbers.
Exactly where the Tokugawa SD2 falls in all of that is unknown. Jihad Turning Points: Atreus describes the unit as being assigned to Imperator's second security detachment on Atreus, later being used by the Eight Legionnaires, but where the modifications were carried out is unknown. The turret was fitted with an Ultra/10 fed by three tons of ammunition, a weapon Imperator is known to manufacture in the Free Worlds League, and two Streak SRM 4s fed by a single ton. The forward arc has a flamer and an anti-missile system. Sarna says there's ferro-fibrous armor; my own math calls it HFF laid out identically to the older Tokugawas' 10.5 tons of standard plate.
The Tokugawa Yumi's coverage in XTRO: Kurita is pretty even-handed but you can see the writing on the wall for the decision that was evidently made by the DCMS later on. Apparently started before the Jihad, the prototype was only half-finished, with the recovery of both it and the specifications laid down by the DCMS viewed as an important find during repairs to the Buda Imperial Vehicles lines on Luthien. Intended from the beginning as a one-off testbed, the Tokugawa Yumi's XXL engine means that the sheer cost would make production difficult to sustain in terms of fiscal and manufacturing resources. With a 280 rating, it gives the 60 ton Tokugawa the speed to match a
Quickdraw or Manteuffel. Another odd feature is the use of Clan ferro-fibrous. Since the Tokugawa has plenty of spaces left for IS heavy ferro, I'm guessing this is either another test program or an artifact of the design's pre-Jihad origins. Either way, the armor is somewhat thinner than that on previous models, 36/33/30/31. In terms of weapons, the Tokugawa Yumi's load is pure Tactical Operations with a 15 tube extended LRM launcher and a class 10 hyper-velocity autocannon along with a C3 slave. Without a doubt, this is a design intended for long-range fire, and if you missed that looking at the armament, XTRO: Kurita conveiently says as much in the description. Extended LRM launchers have an incredible reach although they're also a great way to make normal LRMs look like short-ranged prodigies when someone gets under their minimums. The HVAC 10 makes a certain amount of sense but not enough. The HVAC/10's range is a little less than a Gauss rifle and the damage is significantly so; while the weapon's not that expensive, the smoke has some tactical drawbacks (namely making it painfully obvious where you're shooting from) and the ammunition cost is prohibitive, both things XTRO: Kurita mentions. What they didn't add but I will is the fact that almost 2.8% of the time (AKA snake eyes on the roll), the weapon blows up when you pull the trigger, something I mentioned on the Po's HVAC variant. Just like the Po, said explosion will also eliminate the tank and has a good chance to kill the crew in the bargain. Overall, as a testbed, this is passable, but it's nowhere near being a practical battlefield weapon.
Employing the Tokugawa is broadly like employing any of the other tanks a lot like this one - the Po, the Patton, or the Bulldog. Operate in groups, concentrate fire, and try to kill the enemy before he kills you. One thing to pay attention to on the original is the front facing. The MPLs are handy weapons up close, so being able to bring them to bear is something you need to consider during maneuvers. Considering your greater vulnerability to motive hits, you also want to keep your side arcs exposed as little as possible anyway. If you're using the Yumi or the TKG-151, try to go for long, clear lanes of fire to exploit your weapons' reach. The MRM model needs to get right in someone's face. Stopping Tokugawas is the reverse of that - simple, similar to other vehicles, and focused on disabling them (which is relatively easy compared to a Po or Manticore), then smashing them. The armor isn't light, however, so you're going to have to expend some effort to get it done.
References: The
Master Unit List covers the Tokugawa. The only Tokugawa miniature on CamoSpecs is in the colors of the
5th Galedon Regulars.
