Yeah, this article is about two months late. In my defense, I've been goofing off a lot this summer. And one of my friends got me playing Mechwarrior 5 again.
Anyway, it's time for the next Mech of the Week installment (the title was originally a typo but it's been retained for being somewhat correct.
In the late 26th Century, Ostmann Industries decided to get into the recon mech market and designed what they wanted to be the best possible recon mech on the market. To that end, they designed a 35 ton mech with speed and maneuverability that wouldn't be matched until the
Spider debuted a half century later.
The resulting mech, the OTT-7J
Ostscout was powered by a VOX 280 engine that let it move across the battlefield at speeds of up to 129 kph while eight jump jets let it spring up to 240 meters in a single bound. It also received top-quality communications and targeting and tracking systems to enable it to preform its best scouting functions. If quirks are in play, it has Improved Communications, Improved Sensors, Narrow/Low Profile, and Rugged (1).
However, in order to receive this level of maneuverability, it had to sacrifice offensive and defensive capability. A mere 4.5 tons of standard plating provides insufficient protection from enemy fire, most locations only have as much armor as structure, and a single medium laser is there more as a security blanket than to represent an actual threat to enemies. But hey, it's an Ost
scout, not an Ost
warrior, if you're trying to fight in it you've already screwed up. The very rare scout mech got a very rare upgrade, the OTT-7Jb used endo-steel to free up enough mass to install a Beagle Active Probe for use in scouting for SLDF Royal units.
The mech was popular among commands, less so among pilots. Due to its high degree of specialization, no variants other were created through the Succession Wars. In 3050, that changed when the Combine did a field refit to create the 7K. A simple refit, the medium laser was swapped out for a TAG to allow it to better spot for artillery and indirect fire. The fact that the mech went from "nearly unarmed" to "completely unarmed" didn't do anything to improve its reputation among mechwarriors. I find it rather puzzling that the Combine, which was still deep in the throws of Samurai Culture and still big on one-on-one combat, was the one who came up with this variant instead of the FWL or CC.
In the 3060s, Project Phoenix gave this mech some new configs. Comstar, working in the FRR, developed the OTT-9CS variant, using an XL engine and endo-steel to save mass for an overhaul of the mech's equipment, keeping the TAG of the 7K (but moving it to the head) while adding a Guardian ECM, C3i, and adding a pair of ER medium lasers and an ER small laser for protection. Six tons of ferro-fibrous armor boosts protection up considerably. Still not maximum but able to take a hit without instantly going internal, but thanks to the XL engine losing a side torso was now fatal.
At the same time, the Lyran Alliance was building its own new version, the 9S. Similar to the 9CS, it instead used a Light Engine (like just about everything the Lyrans were building at the time) along with endo-steel. Armor levels go back to the 7J/7K levels but with ferro-fibrous to save mass. Like the 9CS, it packs a Beagle, Guardian, and TAG along with a pair of ER Medium lasers, but it also has a pair of A-Pods. Honestly, with the Active Probe I'm not sure how much it has to worry about hidden infantry ambushes, but it certainly doesn't want to be hit by one so in that regard the A-Pods are good.
During the Jihad, the 10CS was introduced, being used by the ComGuard, WOB, FRR, and eventually the Ghost Bears. A modification of the 9CS, it all that variant's equipment but the ER Medium Lasers and C3i while switching back to standard armor (but keeping the 9CS's level of protection) and using an XL Gyro to boost the jump capability all the way up to 300 meters, making it one of the most agile spotters ever.
The late Jihad saw the 11J added as an unpleasant surprise for Stone's forces. Using a 315 XL boosts its ground speed up to 9/14 while the jumping stays the same. Offensively, it packs a pair of shoulder-mounted light PPCs and a TAG for a ranged pop. Armor is about the same as the 7J, but arranged around a bit to more even out the different locations. I'm not sure how useful that change was.
And finally, we got two new Dark Age variants.
The 8J was built by the Combine after they captured Robinson. Six tons of ferro protect it, while an XL engine frees up mass to mount a medium x-pulse laser, Angel ECM, and Bloodhound Active Probe for maximum recon capability.
The 12R is the other new variant that showed up. A result of cooperation between Kong Interstellar Corporation and the Sea Foxes, it uses a light engine and endo-composite internal structure while keeping the 7J's movement and armor... while packing a Clan ER Large Laser and a Guardian ECM that's hooked up to its Stealth Armor. It can't take a hit, but good luck trying to hit it as it's firing its laser from 25 hexes away.
And that's all the
Ostscouts... except wait, there's one more. Well, in 3063, the Jade Falcons decided to experiment with a new mech, the
Ostscout IIC.
Going for maximum mobility, it uses a Partial Wing for additional jumping distance while carrying an Inner Sphere Angel ECM and Bloodhound Active Probe. And absolutely no offensive weapons. As such, it was judged to be a complete failure of a mech in the Clans (and probably resulted in a Trial of Grievance from every warrior who was ever assigned to one) and was quickly shelved.
So, how to fight with an
Ostscout. To start with? Don't. It's a recon mech, you're not supposed to fight in it, even with the more heavily armed variants like the 9CS. Use it to assist other mechs.
How to fight against an
Ostscout? They're fast but they're not tough, so all you really need to do is hit it, just about anything will do. Pulse lasers, targeting computers, Precision rounds for autocannons, whatever helps you hit the thing.
