Back by
popular demand.
Before diving into the article today, I want to ask a favor. Not the usual one about requests, but more... well, look, I'll just be blunt. If you don't like the articles, I'm sorry. If you wish things were different... send me a PM. I have a couple of people who have been 'kind' enough to send me notes letting me know how dissatisfied they are, and I'm happy to listen to (reasonable) criticism and ideas. However, in the future, please remember that I volunteer to do this- so if the plan in the future is to post something public about what a crappy job I and other article authors do things, kindly save yourself the bandwidth. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to waste time listening to something public like that. Have a little respect for those of us who give our time and effort to this and skip the public humiliation in the future. Thank you.
So. With that in mind, this week's article is one that delayed a week while I tried to regain my enthusiasm- let's see if it's deemed acceptable. This one has a previous article, but since then we have a new version, the end of the Clan that devised it, and a lot of use in the Jihad and the cataclysms that followed. So it's worth taking another look at a personal favorite of mine.
When the Nova Cats switched sides during the Smoke Jaguar annihilation, they were awarded space of their own (please provide your own air quotes here) in the Irece Prefecture. The road ahead was going to be tough for them- they knew that going in, but it was driven home by unexpected combat against the Ghost Bears only a couple of years later (well, unexpected to everyone but Mechwarrior Zane.). Between losses and forced changes to how the Clan handled combat, it was obvious that new units would need to be developed. Training against the DCMS reinforced to the Cats that combined arms warfare was much more viable than the Clans generally practiced, and so a new combat vehicle was a surprising priority. The result is the Shoden.
The decision to go with a wheeled chassis is a surprising one, considering the situation- wheels tend to be less versatile than treads, though they gain advantages in urban combat- something that the Clans traditionally avoid, perhaps one of the lessons the Cats were learning. The Shoden is a big chunk of tank, at 70 tons- few wheeled vehicles clock in heavier. A fusion engine is cheap (by Clan standards), an important consideration for the Cats as they began their rebuild, and propels the Shoden to a fairly humdrum 4/6 movement curve- enough to get where it needs to go, and enough to keep up with assault formations, but certainly a Shoden isn't going to operate effectively with the frontline forces.
A lesson the Cats appear to have learned, compared to previous Clan vehicles, is that thin veneers of armor don't really do a tank any good- that investment is wasted if the damn thing comes apart after a couple of LRM hits. We see thin armor on many Clan vehicles, compared to their IS counterparts- not this time. Training with the Ryuken rubbed off- 11.5 tons of standard plate make the Shoden a tough one to bring down. 55 points up front is a pretty daunting task to break through for all but the most terrifying assault Mech, meaning the Shoden is going to get off several return shots before it breaks. Another 37 points on each side mean that even powerful flanking attacks are going to have to work hard to break through. The rear holds a paltry 25 points, so keep an eye out for fast flankers. Thirty more points give the boxy turret much-needed protection, since Shodens tend to rely on their weapons there you don't want to lose that turret to a lucky hit if you can avoid it.
And what's in the turret? On the standard model, a big wad of the Cats' newest acquisition, the advanced tactical missile. Gained via dealings with the Sharks (I'm sure the Coyotes would have been happy to find out about their new toy ending up in the hands of an abjured Clan!), the Cats crammed three ATM-9 racks into the turret. A cavernous nine-ton ammunition bay means the Shoden can utilize plenty of the ammo types the missiles rely on- and mean that a Shoden can operate away from the supply lines for long periods, particularly compared to other missile-haulers like the Oro or Hachiman. Noting that the ATM's usefulness against infantry leaves much to be desired- but almost certainly with the Ryuken's lessons in mind- the Shoden also carries a quartet of the new light machine gun (a favorite of the author when it comes to telling squishies to go away), with two up front and another on each side, sharing a ton of ammo. Wheeled vehicles tending to operate in paved areas, that means infantry hiding in alleys and the like, so these LMGs are far more important here than the usual tacked-on MG you see on vehicles like the Vedette or Sturmfeur.
A variant was quick to follow, likely at least partly due to the difficulty of getting more ATM racks. A close-combat menace that our old friend the SRM Carrier would be proud to call a descendant, this version drops two of the ATM racks to gain four Streak SRM-6 racks. Owch. The vehicle dropped the forward LMGs to do this, unfortunately- with this version restricted much more to close combat ranges, those guns would be much handier than on the original model even. If you haven't tried the Streak version of the Shoden, this is a must-have.
TRO: 3067 (R) gave us new versions of most of our old favorites (MOST- hello Blood Kite?), and the Shoden was no exception. The author would like to take a moment to gloat over having come up with this one himself- while the rules stated that the armor and engine couldn't be modified, a new version of one of my favorite tanks was... well, challenging. I was restricted from using brand-new weapons like the Streak LRM or iATM, we already had ATM and SRM versions, and a standard LRM version seemed like a step backwards (and right into the already-existing Hachiman's job). So... the missile-boat Shoden was scrapped completely in favor of a new job. As with the Men Shen I did in the previous TRO, I focused on being able to deal with masses of infantry- and with the Bears' new battle armor suits and the improvements the DCMS had been making, along with the Demons of the WoB, it seemed logical to be able to slaughter battle armor suits and the APCs that carried them. To do the job, an LB-10X became the new focal weapon- fed by three tons of ammo, this is still the single best way to deal with vehicles in the game thanks to its range, accuracy, and crit-seeking ability. Two standard SRM-4 racks (sharing a ton of ammo) add to the crit-seeking power, and are also handy to improve with inferno rounds if you so wish. Crammed in the turret with the cannon and missiles are paired ER medium lasers, using the heat sinks in the engine and provide extra armor carving power. And where the LMGs used to sit now are an array of AP Gauss Rifles- two each facing the rear and sides, and four more up front. Your infantry are not welcome here. And since Shodens operate in paired points, sitting back to back in a hex creates a ridiculous citadel of infantry-killing power. Even Manei Domini infantry just melt in droves in front of these things- but against Mechs, it could use some help (keeping a couple of Kus or Ishtars nearby is pretty handy!)
So, there you have it. Three versions of a nasty wheeled monstrosity, courtesy of the Nova Cats' sudden ability to design and build everything at once. Sound off as usual, etc.
