Author Topic: A Royal Puma with more flexible LRM 20s  (Read 981 times)

gyedid

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A Royal Puma with more flexible LRM 20s
« on: 19 September 2024, 22:04:28 »
I'm probably very late to the party on this one, but here is a Royal take on the Puma that could've existed before the advent of ER PPCs.
The main improvement over the standard version, in this case, is that the side-mounted LRM 20s are in sponson turrets, giving them a wider field of fire and enabling them to track better with the turret-mounted PPC.

For further fun, hot-load the LRMs and concentrate fire on any target in the front or rear arcs that's 4 to 6 hexes away.
(How does hot-loading interact with Artemis IV, anyway?  Roll 3D6, take the two lowest, then add +2 on the missile hits?)

Code: [Select]
Puma (Royal II)

Mass: 95 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 285 XL
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
     2 LRM 20
     1 PPC
     1 Small Pulse Laser
     2 Streak SRM 2
     2 Medium Laser
     1 Flamer
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2650
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-F-D
Cost: 17,568,525 C-bills

Type: Puma
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Advanced)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 95
Battle Value: 1,552

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  9.5
Engine                        285 XL                 13
Cruising MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks:                   21                     11
Control Equipment:                                  5.0
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Turret:                                             1.0
Armor Factor (Ferro)          206                  11.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   10        50   
     R/L Side              10/10     38/38   
     Rear                    10        30   
     Turret                  10        50   


Weapons
and Ammo                           Location    Tonnage   
Flamer                               Rear        1.0     
Small Pulse Laser                    Rear        1.0     
2 Artemis IV FCS                   Sponson(L/R)       2.0     
2 LRM 20                           Sponson(L/R)       20.0   
2 Medium Laser                      Front        2.0     
2 Streak SRM 2                      Front        3.0     
PPC                                 Turret       7.0     
CASE                                 Body        0.5     
LRM 20 Artemis-capable Ammo (24)     Body        4.0     
Streak SRM 2 Ammo (50)               Body        1.0     
Vehicular Sponson Turret             Body        2.5     
   

cheers,

Gabe
So, now I'm imagining people boxing up Overlords for loading as cargo.  "Nope, totally not a DropShip.  Everyone knows you can't fit a DropShip in a WarShip!  It's...a ten thousand ton box of marshmallows!  Yeah.  For the Heavy Guards big annual smores party."
--Arkansas Warrior, on the possibility of carrying Dropships as cargo in Warship cargo bays.

TERRAN SUPREMACY DEFENSE FORCE.  For when you want to send the SLDF, but couldn't afford the whole kit and kaboodle.

beachhead1985

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Re: A Royal Puma with more flexible LRM 20s
« Reply #1 on: 22 September 2024, 16:06:37 »
I did something similar with my custom Pumas.

Early BT Tanks designs (Puma and Von Luckner) seem to have been created with the idea of mounting location and facing being separate things.

So, I did as you have a put the LRMs in sponson turrets.
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries

These, in the day when heaven was falling,      Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
The hour when earth's foundations fled,         They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
Followed their mercenary calling,               What God abandoned, these defended,
And took their wages, and are dead.             And saved the sum of things for pay.
     
A.E. Housman

idea weenie

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Re: A Royal Puma with more flexible LRM 20s
« Reply #2 on: 22 September 2024, 19:42:25 »
I'd be tempted to drop the two Medium Lasers, the Small Pulse Laser, and the rear Flamer (plus their associated Heat Sinks) for three more Streak SRM-2 launchers, and put all five Streak SRM-2 launchers on the Turret (you'd need a half ton to make the Turret bigger).

The Royal Puma above has 50 shots of SRM ammo that will only be fired if the crew succeed in their to-hit roll, if the target is in the front arc, at a max range of 9 hexes, from a vehicle that can only move at 3/5.  That is a lot of endurance firepower that has a small range of usefulness.

By putting the Streak SRM-2 launchers on the Turret this changes the Puma from only having a 120 degree firing arc for its Streak SRM-2 Launchers, to having a 360 firing arc for its Streak SRM-2 launchers.  You'd only have ten volleys for each launcher, but those volleys can be fired anywhere in range and the missiles would only be fired if the crew managed to get a lock-on.

So in combat you'd have this modified Puma rationing its LRMs when at long range while carefully driving forward.  At range 18 it starts to fire its PPC in support of the LRMs, so whoever is targeted gets to deal with energy weapons fire as well as missile fire.  If the opponent decides to stay at range, the Puma will likely only fires its PPC to avoid wasting its LRM ammunition.  If the target moves to range 14, the LRMs are now in Medium range and can enjoy lower to-hits.  If the target wants to charge into Medium Laser range, the Puma points its turret at the closest enemy to fire both its PPC and try to fire a total of 10 Streak SRMs at the enemy.  If the enemy tries to get into PPC minimum range, those Streak SRM-2 launchers are at short range and have better to-hits.

Let's see what MML 0.48.0 would make of this Streaky Puma:
Code: [Select]
Puma - Sphynx Variant
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)

Mass: 95 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 285 XL
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
     2 LRM 20 (each with Artemis IV)
     1 PPC
     5 Streak SRM 2
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-D
Cost: 17,396,925 C-bills
Battle Value: 1,541

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure                                  9.5
Engine                        285 XL                 13
Cruising MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks:                   10                      0
Control Equipment:                                  5.0
Power Amplifier:                                    0.0
Turret:                                             1.5
Armor Factor (Ferro)          206                  11.5

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   10        50   
     R/L Side              10/10     38/38   
     Rear                    10        30   
     Turret                  10        50   

Weapons
and Ammo                           Location    Tonnage   
Artemis IV FCS                       Left        1.0     
LRM 20                               Left        10.0   
Vehicular Sponson Turret             Left        0.0     
Artemis IV FCS                      Right        1.0     
LRM 20                              Right        10.0   
Vehicular Sponson Turret            Right        0.0     
PPC                                 Turret       7.0     
5 Streak SRM 2                      Turret       7.5     
CASE                                 Body        0.5     
LRM 20 Artemis-capable Ammo (24)     Body        4.0     
Streak SRM 2 Ammo (50)               Body        1.0     
Cargo (2.5 tons)                     Rear        2.5     
Cargo (10 tons)                      Rear       10     

(The 2.5 tons of Cargo was to represent the 2.5 tons of Sponson Turrets that I couldn't find in MML 0.48.0 )

Oh look at that, I still have 10 tons available.  If I want a better ambush vehicle I could put in five more Streak SRM-2, another ton of Turret, and the remaining 1.5 tons can be used for another ~24 pts of armor on the Turret.  However if I expect this vehicle to get a lot of attention then I might just take the spare tonnage and shove more armor on the vehicle to nearly double its protection.

I'd probably go with the latter and add 166 more pts of armor to it.  MML 0.48.0 only allows a total of 21 tons of armor, so slapping 9.5 tons of armor on the Puma (Sphynx variant) turns it from 50/38/30(50) to 91/74/59(74).  It also raises the BV to 1989 (+448) and the cost to 17,767,425 C-Bills (+~370k C-Bills).

And there is still half a ton available for the crew to put their extra goodies in.