’Mech of the Week: JG-R9T* Juggernaut
Described as a lumbering mountain of armor bristling with weapon ports, the Juggernaut looks its name. One of the first BattleMechs I was given to play, it can exceed the expectations of player and gamemaster alike.
Debuting in the Solaris Box Set, the original Juggie was a monster at close range. Described as being controversial for its bulky chassis and outboard sensor arrays, the JG-R9T1 is a creature of the arenas. Mounting a standard fusion engine, it had a top speed of 54 kmph, average for an assault. Armor coverage is decent, being able to survive a double tap by Gauss slugs to the chest and legs, and a Class-20 blast to anything save the head or rear torsos. Twelve double heat sinks allow for some modicum of heat dissipation.
I say “some,†because anyone considering an Alpha Strike might want a casket ready. Mounting three large, three medium, and four small pulse lasers, an Alpha will generate 50 heat standing still. While the rest of the weaponry does not cause heat, the two tons of ammunition they use is highly explosive. Even if CASEd.
And what is the other weaponry? Why, an astounding sixteen machine guns!
Infantry units flee in terror from this ’Mech like the citizens of Tokyo from Godzilla.
While the machine guns are ineffective at ranges farther than three hexes, anyone caught in that hail of bullets is going to remember the experience. If he keeps his head.
The original notable ’Mech/MechWarrior for this design was one Desmond Kane, nicknamed “Crusher.†He got this moniker for his method of dealing with opponents: Knock them over with massive firepower, then step on the cockpit. Eventually barred for life from the circuit, he and his machine were last seen with the Word of Blake Militia. (Wonder if he made it back during the Blakist assault on Solaris.)
Upgraded during the 3060s, the Juggernaut emerged as a sleeker design. The JG-R9T2 upgrades the large and medium pulse lasers to X-pulses, and removes the smalls. It mounts sixteen doubles, which still strain to keep up with the heat load. To help this somewhat, the design also mounts four coolant pods. The machine also removes four machine guns, a ton of ammo, and the CASE systems. The removal of the latter is my main complaint, though considering there isn’t many things that can be moved to retain it, mollifies it slightly.
The other variant detailed in 3055 Upgrades is the JG-R9T3. Instead of machine guns, it mounts six Magshot Gauss Rifles. It also carries two additional cooling pods, which are mounted in the legs. Only better quality of this design is that you can use the Magshots out to nine hexes.
The last variant comes to us from the grit and determination of one Richard “Fury†Fulton. His string of bad luck started with losing a highly publicized match with a Berserker, and continued with the Word of Blake invasion of Solaris. Somehow making it off-world with his still-damaged Juggernaut, he rebuilt it into a monster. The JG-R9TX1 starts with the use of jump boosters giving the design a modicum of maneuverability, and allowing it to death from above when needed. It retains the –R9T2’s arm-mounted x-pulses, switches the head mounted one for an extended medium, and the center torso-mounted large for a Snub-Nose PPC. The machine guns have been replaced with four M-Pods, two in each side torso. To carry all of this, the armor was upgraded to light ferro, and a light fusion engine was installed. Nicknamed, “Leapin’ Lil,†this machine seems to have turned Fulton’s luck around.
Using these machines is relatively simple: get in your opponent’s face and unload. This is doubly true if your gamemaster doesn’t like you and decides to make one of your first BattleTech experiences that of being given the original Juggernaut, to face his Mauler in an open field with no cover. At 21 hexes. That the Juggernaut survived long enough to rip a hole in his ’Mech with the machine guns was… satisfying.
Definitely make use of cover, if you can. But you do have enough armor to survive a little open-field pounding. As you do, watch your heat load. Most have the heat sink capability to fire two of the larges without overheating. Save Alpha-ing for last acts of defiance or other such desperate times. Also remember, that only the original version has CASE. Ammo or Gauss crits will cause much trouble for the other two common variants. Leapin’ Lil is probably the best one to use if you wish to stand back a bit.
Countering a Juggernaut is also relatively simple: keep it out of your face. With the original model, this means staying outside of ten hexes. The others have effective ranges out to fifteen. Do not let yourself get backed into a corner. Use heavy-hitters, such as Gauss rifles to whittle down your opponent. And aim for the side torsos.
Of course, if you do like up-close and personal, feel free to bring things like the –C3 Berserker. A 40-point hatchet hit will ruin his day. And since all of the Juggernauts are extremely heat-sensitive, the Berseker’s flamer, or any plasma rifle you may have would be quite useful to use on the Juggie.
