WorkMech Wednesday (2020-10-28): ED-X# Crosscut Logger/ForestryMech

[mbear]

Updated the original post with the new variants from Technical Readout: Irregulars, but for convenience, I'm including the new section below, as well:

Update (2021-09-07): Technical Readout: Irregulars Variants

The second of our new Crosscuts is the ED-X4M-E LoggerMech MOD.  Like the other X4Ms, it has the same armor protection, but now picks up the ubiquitous GM 120 fusion engine as its powerplant, giving it a ground speed of 4/6.  The right arm retains the chainsaw, but the left arm picks up a single ER Large Laser, keeping its left hand actuator, while also picking up an 11th single heat sink to help handle the heat load.  It's an interesting choice, and periodically skipping firing will certainly help you manage your heat, but I can't help but wonder if paired Light PPCs with 10 SHS might've been a better choice.  Advanced fire control is present, and presumably so are the same quirks.

I can think of two reasons they didn't use Light PPCs:

1. The ER Large Laser has better range, so if the pilot stays at range they're more likely to come back from combat.
2. The Light PPCs were prioritized for front line units. The Irregulars ran across a cache of ER Large Lasers.

[Weirdo]

I would be curious how they would appear on a random assignment table.

You'd use nested RATs like we got in TRO Irregulars. Imagine a regular RAT, and then if you roll X, it means you now roll on the Indy RAT.

...it's just frankly a time where there's almost no military equipment available other than what's been stolen from a militia unit.

You forgot the bit where that scarcity mostly only applied to startup pirate groups trying to carve a fiefdom out of chaos.

[Giovanni Blasini]

...it's just frankly a time where there's almost no military equipment available other than what's been stolen from a militia unit.


You forgot the bit where that scarcity mostly only applied to startup pirate groups trying to carve a fiefdom out of chaos.

I'm picturing a pirate band of Crosscuts, Exos and Harvester Ants, calling themselves the Last Saskatchewan Pirates.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

I'm picturing a pirate band of Crosscuts, Exos and Harvester Ants, calling themselves the Last Saskatchewan Pirates.

I do like that. (that song had me dying the first time)

[Giovanni Blasini]

I do like that. (that song had me dying the first time)

They could always sail a BattleMech landing craft...

[BATTLEMASTER]

Thank you for this!  It gives me some ideas for city fights.  My Smoke jaguar cluster finds itself fighting in the cities of the Clan Homeworlds sometimes, and could use some wrecking balls to take down fortifications and infantry hiding spots!  I could see laborers being utilized in logger or wrecking 'mechs or appropriately-equipped engineering vehicles.