'Mech of the Week: SHP-X4 “Omega”Towards the end of the Jihad, the Word of Blake trotted out a variety of super-weapons, particularly during the fighting for Terra. I've previously covered their Rattler and Wyrm mobile structures and a treatment of the modified ex-SLDF
Naga destroyers that were used as control vessels for their new SDS network was offered up by one of my colleagues. Today I'm turning my attention to another of their implements of war, the SHP-X4, termed “Omega”. The Word's choice to name the design after the final letter of the Greek alphabet is a telling statement of their intentions in introducing what
Jihad Hot Spots: Final Reckoning crowns as “... the first truly viable super-heavy BattleMech ever made.” It touches on the most infamous one, the “Amaris' Folly” that would provide a foundation built on by the
Stone Rhino, succeeding where that design failed in producing a workable unit. Almost thirty of the design - still a prototype - were produced by Skobel MechWorks in Russia. It's appropriate that this frontier of BattleMech development, a field that even the Clans failed to explore, was broken by Skobel, the storied manufacturer of the very first BattleMech. Although the design is not the final word in BattleMechs, the “Omega” is a literal and figurative titan of a 'Mech, half again as tall as an assault 'Mech and heavily built, though they're also easier to hit because of that stature. Where the super-heavy technology goes from here is anyone's guess. Skobel's super-heavy manufacturing wing was destroyed but there's always the tripod 'Mechs from
MechWarrior: Dark Age.
At 150 tons, the “Omega” is middle of the road as far as construction possibilities go for a super-heavy and uses endo-steel to reduce the structural tonnage to something a little more manageable. The power plant is a Vlar 300 XLFE, only moving the design at an
UrbanMech-like 32 kph. Mobility clearly isn't the design's strong point although it does receive discounts moving through rubble, woods, or the like, so an “Omega” can suddenly plunge through terrain other 'Mechs would get significantly slowed by. Unfortunately, Skobel's engineers were apparently reading from the same playbook as Independence Weaponry back when they did the AS7-K
Atlas - that Vlar 300 XL only has single heat sinks, a potentially dangerous chink in the 'Mech's defenses. (Yes, defenses. The weaponry isn't affected.) Well, it
is still a prototype unit. The armor is a staggering 27 tons of standard plate, with 12 points on the cockpit (meaning you need at least 16 points to force a decapitation with the 4 points of internal structure) underscoring just how much armor there is to go around. 45 points on the side torsos, 44 on the arms, 60 on the centerline, and 62 on the legs are all going to require a lot of pounding to get rid of. The rear armor is similarly tough, with 20 points on the rear center and 19 on the sides. The firepower is undeniably impressive and some malicious soul at Skobel was cruel enough to link it into a C3i network. (If you're not looking for the ECM whenever you engage the Word by now
anyway, I'm not going to try to explain at this late date.) No less than three M-7 Gauss rifles are mounted, one to a torso (yes, including the center torso) and they split eighty rounds of ammunition between them. Each arm has an Imperator Code Red LB 10-X autocannon, with forty rounds of ammo available. My recommendation is that at least three tons of that needs to be cluster ammo. You've got Gauss rifles to punch holes. All three torso locations and the arms are protected by CASE II, making the “Omega” an even tougher nut to crack.
Let's consider the implications for a moment. The “Omega” is an unprecedented high water mark for sheer toughness until you start looking at mobile structures like a Rattler or Wyrm. They're unfortunately fairly easily shot up between their slow speed and massive size but the enemy's going to be beating on the armor for a bit before they manage to breach it. The physical attacks are similarly big. A kick on a fresh LCT-1V
Locust's leg will tear off the torso it's attached to and then inflict five points of damage on the bug's center torso for good measure. Since super-heavies suffer a +1 attack modifier on physical attacks bringing that power to bear isn't the simplest task you've ever had, though. The raw firepower is arguably the least impressive aspect of the design. Yeah, sure, three Gauss rifles and two LB 10-Xs can wreck your day and the match of the Gauss rifles to the ability to batter someone with LB-X pellets was undoubtedly done with malice aforethought. As an engineering accomplishment, this is definitely impressive, but thanks to the wonders of Clantech, the damage output is anything but unprecedented.
Bane 3s will beat it with 3 LRM 15s to spare for finishing off that
Locust. A
Hellstar lacks the crit-seeking but it can nearly match the raw damage on a design that's twice as fast and has a little over 2/3 of the armor. Both can absorb the worst heat spikes someone can inflict and keep punching with over half their firepower without being more than inconvenienced, too, something an “Omega” can't do for long. Don't get me wrong. The “Omega” is going to have a place in history and killing one of these monsters is going to be an accomplishment you can be proud of. But considered in isolation it's not as terrifying as the idea of a 150 ton Word super-weapon might sound the first time you hear it. The problem here is that the Word didn't use them in isolation.
Consider what else is in the Level II carefully. An “Omega” has a C3i module, so linking it into a network enhances the accuracy of its weapons as long as the network remains operational. A formation that doesn't get too spread out can still be devastating. You may want to consider a mix of mid-range bruisers (
Legacies are a good pick) and spotters that are beefy and have ECCM to help preserve the network rather than the ultra-fast units that are also available. “Omegas” are going to be bulwarks where the fighting is the hottest so their unit needs to be prepared to fight in an environment like that. Someone needs to have some pulse lasers to help deal with any light, fast bandits that try to move past the rest of the unit and harass the “Omega” with incendiary fire. An “Omega” is not terribly mobile, either. Minefields or incendiary weapons on your supporting units may help even the score there. “Omegas” can also be used to drive enemies into the mines (or lurking Purifiers or
Raptor IIs) by presenting an obvious threat someone will try to go around. The majority were seen around Devils Peak, the sample installation from
Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, and perusing that book gives you an idea of the sort of other supporting elements an “Omega” could call on. Artillery? Well, there's probably bunkers around and even Rattlers in support range. Since we're talking about the Word, it's not impossible that a battery of units trying to pepper an “Omega” with artillery might find a couple of Crocketts slipped into the counter-battery fire. Direct-fire bunkers can also help bring down opponents, as can any “Revenant” drones that are handy. (Their pulse lasers can also be useful in intercepting light, fast units that might try to annoy an “Omega” up close, while the LMGs will tear through infantry.) These things are like battleships - they've got big, heavy guns but they need escorts to keep the enemy off of them while they bring those guns to bear.
Taking on an “Omega”? Pack a lunch and some big guns. And some Infernos if you have SRM racks, but do it on something that can avoid getting caught in ranges 3-6 where everything an “Omega” carries is in short range with no minimums. Artillery can be helpful against something this slow (bearing in mind my points made above) and an Inferno IV or three represents one way to heat things up without having to get into range for the “Omega” to provide your 'Mech's engine with a skylight. Depending on your group's taste in optional rules, something to prune back minefields or bunkers is also necessary. The one thing you don't want to do is try to take one on head-on, one-on-one. That's playing to the strengths of the “Omega” and it's a losing proposition. Try to clear some of the smaller units out of the way, isolate an “Omega”, and kill it with concentrated punch. Unfortunately, as tough as they are, that's probably easier said than done.
References: The
Master Unit List has a look at the availability information on the “Omega”, not that there's really any surprises there.
CamoSpecs has one example of the miniature to gaze on.
