Author Topic: Star League Caches and the Mackie  (Read 3756 times)

Stormlion1

  • Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 15226
  • Apparently Im a rare survivor of the 1st!
Star League Caches and the Mackie
« on: 04 February 2019, 17:02:03 »
Up until the Clan Invasion and beyond the dream of every mechwarrior, Unit Commander, and House Lord was the Discovery of a SLDF Cache. Many contained Battlemechs, but how often would one of those contain a Terran Hegemony favorite, the Mackie?
I don't set an example for others. I make examples of them.

Colt Ward

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 28957
  • Gott Mit Uns
    • Merc Periphery Guide- Bakunin
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #1 on: 04 February 2019, 17:15:33 »
IIRC the Wovles shipped one out of a museum back to the Scorpions in the Home Worlds.
Colt Ward
Clan Invasion Backer #149, Leviathans #104

"We come in peace, please ignore the bloodstains."

"Greetings, Mechwarrior. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Daoshen and the Capellan armada."

Sartris

  • Codex Conditor
  • BattleTech Volunteer
  • Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 19825
  • Kid in the puddle eating mud of CGL contributors
    • Master Unit List
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #2 on: 04 February 2019, 17:25:14 »
I would imagine the later models were in service for most of the life of the SLDF and could be found. the -8B and the -9H were decent machines that were in production through the 2760s. Even if the rest of the machine was junked, the BAP on the 9H would have been prized by the 31st century.

You bought the box set and are ready to expand your bt experience. Now what? | Modern Sourcebook Index | FASA Sourcebook Index | Print on Demand Index
Equipment Reference Cards | DIY Pilot Cards | PaperTech Mech and Vehicle Counters

Quote
Interviewer: Since you’ve stopped making art, how do you spend your time?
Paul Chan Breathers: Oh, I’m a breather. I’m a respirateur. Isn’t that enough?

RifleMech

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4444
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #3 on: 04 February 2019, 20:55:16 »
There probably wouldn't be many cached since only the Terran Hegemony's Militia kept them in service. Everyone else scrapped them as soon as new mechs were available. Then again the Black Widows did face a couple Mackies on Prosperina so anything is possible, especially in your game.  ;)

VhenRa

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2251
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #4 on: 07 February 2019, 07:51:39 »
There probably wouldn't be many cached since only the Terran Hegemony's Militia kept them in service. Everyone else scrapped them as soon as new mechs were available. Then again the Black Widows did face a couple Mackies on Prosperina so anything is possible, especially in your game.  ;)

If I recall those were literal Museum pieces. Like invading a country and seeing someone drag a M4 Sherman, T-34 or Panzer of some stripe out of a museum, fueling it up and loading it with weapons.
« Last Edit: 07 February 2019, 09:51:01 by VhenRa »

Frabby

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4241
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #5 on: 07 February 2019, 09:27:13 »
Someone else on these forums (I forget who; sorry for that) once suggested that the Mackie chassis might have been used to build Atlases from.
It would explain how the Mackie seemingly ceased to exist overnight while the Atlas seems to have popped up out of nowhere in much larger numbers than it had any right to.
This theory somehow lingered in the back of my mind as "plausible", though I also seem to recall it was somehow refuted by TPTB (again, I cannot recall by whom). It's an interesting fan theory in any case.
Sarna.net BattleTechWiki Admin
Author of the BattleCorps stories Feather vs. Mountain, Rise and Shine, Proprietary, Trial of Faith & scenario Twins

RifleMech

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4444
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #6 on: 07 February 2019, 16:52:44 »
If I recall those were literal Museum pieces. Like invading a country and seeing someone drag a M4 Sherman, T-34 or Panzer of some stripe out of a museum, fueling it up and loading it with weapons.


They were something like that. They definitely weren't well maintained as their mother was degraded and lost mp/power with a bad roll.



Someone else on these forums (I forget who; sorry for that) once suggested that the Mackie chassis might have been used to build Atlases from.
It would explain how the Mackie seemingly ceased to exist overnight while the Atlas seems to have popped up out of nowhere in much larger numbers than it had any right to.
This theory somehow lingered in the back of my mind as "plausible", though I also seem to recall it was somehow refuted by TPTB (again, I cannot recall by whom). It's an interesting fan theory in any case.


From what the TROd said the various powers scrapped their Mackies once they had new mechs.    That would quickly reduce their numbers. I don't know why some parts couldn't be recycled but I didn't think anyone did that back then.

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7100
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #7 on: 07 February 2019, 16:58:45 »
I would imagine the later models were in service for most of the life of the SLDF and could be found. the -8B and the -9H were decent machines that were in production through the 2760s. Even if the rest of the machine was junked, the BAP on the 9H would have been prized by the 31st century.

This.  The MSK-8B and MSK-9H are just like any other SLDF or Terran Hegemony 'Mech in terms of finding it in caches, since they were considered regular machines, if primarily used by militias.  I'd see them as being no different than finding a Banshee 3E in a cache or something, though a bit higher tech.  The MSK-7A was an introtech version, but evidently in use in Terran Hegemony militias and the Rim Worlds military during that era, as well, so pretty much literally like finding a Banshee 3E.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Smegish

  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 445
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #8 on: 08 February 2019, 07:50:08 »
Just because the cache is Star League-era doesn't mean the SLDF put it there, if it's on one of the inner worlds it's entirely plausible that it's a forgotten Hegemony cache alongside Kyudos and Helepolis' and who knows what else.

Drewbacca

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3441
  • What could have been...
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #9 on: 21 February 2019, 13:27:09 »
What I got from the various books is, most of the ones in Militia service were destroyed fighting either the Usurper or subsequent invaders. Kerensky also took some of them with him on the Exodus, and though lord knows I would KILL for a Mackie IIC, most of those probably got destroyed in the Pentagon Civil War.

That said, there were apparently TONS of these things lying around, so I don't see why it would not be possible to find and repair one.

RifleMech

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4444
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #10 on: 22 February 2019, 10:05:28 »
What I got from the various books is, most of the ones in Militia service were destroyed fighting either the Usurper or subsequent invaders. Kerensky also took some of them with him on the Exodus, and though lord knows I would KILL for a Mackie IIC, most of those probably got destroyed in the Pentagon Civil War.

That said, there were apparently TONS of these things lying around, so I don't see why it would not be possible to find and repair one.

I wouldn't say there were tons laying about. Long before Kerensky took most of those left in the Hegemony, the Houses had scrapped their versions when they started making their own Mechs. Add the Succession Wars on top of that and finding a Mackie in a museum should be pretty difficult. That said, it can happen. Two were used against the Black Widows. The important thing to remember is its your story. If you want to find a Mackie, find one. :) Finding a whole company or more though should be a really good story.  ;)


snowridr

  • Corporal
  • *
  • Posts: 58
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #11 on: 19 March 2019, 19:31:42 »

Quote
From what the TROd said the various powers scrapped their Mackies once they had new mechs.    That would quickly reduce their numbers. I don't know why some parts couldn't be recycled but I didn't think anyone did that back then.

I don't see why they would not recycle the parts, there is always 12 tanks that needed to be fixed.  :D

RifleMech

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4444
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #12 on: 20 March 2019, 02:09:34 »
I don't see why they would not recycle the parts, there is always 12 tanks that needed to be fixed.  :D

True and maybe they did strip usable parts from them but after that they were melted down and made into something else.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 25626
  • It's just my goth phase
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #13 on: 20 March 2019, 02:13:01 »
There was a working Mackie on Huntress shortly before Task Force Serpent arrived, but we don't like to talk about it.
Warning: this post may contain sarcasm.

"I think I've just had another near-Rincewind experience," Death, The Color of Magic

"When in doubt, C4." Jamie Hyneman

glitterboy2098

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 11991
    • The Temple Grounds - My Roleplaying and History website
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #14 on: 31 March 2019, 02:14:00 »
though lord knows I would KILL for a Mackie IIC,
The Imp.

Well, i guess that would be more of a Mackie II.

Stormlion1

  • Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 15226
  • Apparently Im a rare survivor of the 1st!
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #15 on: 31 March 2019, 15:06:52 »
The Imp.

Well, i guess that would be more of a Mackie II.

Its an original design according to the write up but you never know. Clsn Wolf may have used the Mackie as a base to work off of.
I don't set an example for others. I make examples of them.

Colt Ward

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 28957
  • Gott Mit Uns
    • Merc Periphery Guide- Bakunin
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #16 on: 01 April 2019, 00:50:46 »
Its more like a Flashman IIC . . . that does not pay attention to the original's weapons, just looks.
Colt Ward
Clan Invasion Backer #149, Leviathans #104

"We come in peace, please ignore the bloodstains."

"Greetings, Mechwarrior. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Daoshen and the Capellan armada."

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 25626
  • It's just my goth phase
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #17 on: 01 April 2019, 09:38:29 »
It's kind of possible that the Wakazashi was really an effective Mackie IIC.
Warning: this post may contain sarcasm.

"I think I've just had another near-Rincewind experience," Death, The Color of Magic

"When in doubt, C4." Jamie Hyneman

Drewbacca

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3441
  • What could have been...
Re: Star League Caches and the Mackie
« Reply #18 on: 02 April 2019, 09:26:23 »
Looking at the stats, I can almost agree to that.