Author Topic: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA  (Read 4659 times)

marauder648

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Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« on: 02 January 2018, 15:36:50 »
Bjorn Assault Battle Armour

Background


To go with this thread - http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=60090.0

After suffering several defeats at the hands of Clan Hells Horses during trials, the Rasalhague Dominion looked at some of the factors for these embarrassments.  One factor found its focus on the Horses new Buraq quad Battle Armour which was far faster than any suit previously encountered and thanks to its speed more flexible as a Buraq Point or Star could react far faster and placed less emphasis on transportation as they could almost keep up with most Clan heavy Mechs.

Unfortunately, no samples of Buraq’s had been captured and so when the Dominion’s military ordered a counter and similar design to be developed, the Scientists instead turned to the Lyran Fenrir battle suit which they had captured over the years.
Unfortunately, the initial attempt to mirror the Buraq’s performance whilst using a Fenrir layout as a prototype ended in failure.  Computer models showed that the ride for the Elemental would have been ‘uncomfortable’ at best, incapacitating at worst.  Other tests with an altered frame saw the suit rip its leg off when the myomer booster failed.  This and other issues with the initial design saw plans change, and as is common with the Dominion, they simply added mass.
The suit grew to a heavy class Battle suit, but changes to the designs armament and protection layout saw it grow again eventually into a full 2-ton suit.

There were still challenges, the interior layout took several iterations to get right.  Initially, like the Fenrir and what was assumed the Buraq, the Elemental would ride it in a head forwards position, hunched over as if riding a motorbike. But with the suits gait when it moved this proved to be uncomfortable, and the pilot would have a hard time getting out of the armour should it be damaged.

Instead the entire control position was moved to the rear of the suit, with the Elemental now sitting in a heavily reclined seat with his or her feet towards the head and the controls above him, seeing the world through the suits sensors and multiple micro cameras dotted around the flank and rear.  This too raised criticism as sensors and cameras could be damaged or jammed. So, the seating position was moved somewhat forward into a somewhat more upright position.  A visual port was then put on the suit’s back although the extensive array of cameras was still retained and would be the main way the Elemental would see the outside world.

One minor complaint was that to mount the suit, you had to climb in via a rear mounted hatch, the seat automatically reclining until the pilot was seated and some Warriors objected to ‘climbing out of the poop-chute’ but really it was the only way in and out of the new suit.

The next, and biggest challenge was the training programme.  Here the Dominion had no experience in quad Battle Armour use.  Instead they ‘solved’ the problem by brute force, using large numbers of freeborn Volunteers who took part in the program as well as Elementals approaching what would, in Clan terms be Solhama age.  It took eighteen months but the training and development programme did establish a pool of trained personnel familiar with the suits as well as the first doctrine and tactics for their use and how they could be used to support Dominion forces.
This in turn lead to the development of two variants of the base chassis with different weapon loadouts for different roles.  Unfortunately, the two variants do not feature the Fire Resistant armour of the standard version and use normal plate, meaning that they are not fully interchangeable.  Although less protected than the Golem, the newly developed Bjorn (Bear in Norwegian) was much faster, easily able to keep pace with the growing number of Elemental II’s that were entering service.  And although slower than the Buraq its heavier firepower and protection allowed them to engage the swifter and more agile suits although the Horses still held the edge in better trained warriors for their quad design.

Variants

It should be noted that one nickname that sprang up during the testing phase stuck with the suit, and it is often referred to, all be it unofficially as the Ursault Battle armour.

‘Hunter’ - The standard version of the Bjorn, the Hunter has enough Fire Resistant armour on it to rival a Kanazuchi Battle suit and means it is capable of taking a hit from an ER PPC and surviving, all be it barely.  Built to engage opponents at long and short range the Hunter is equipped with a Battle Armour LB-X autocannon that was won off the Wolves in a Trial on Tukkayid.  This heavy cannon gives the suit a powerful ranged punch and has greater endurance than a missile rack.  A machine gun and a pair of AP mounts round out the weapons load and give the Hunter a heavy punch against infantry forces.
Also of note is the suits sensors which are very finely tuned to let it detect heat sources.  Although not quite so useful on an active battlefield alive with thermal signatures, it does allow the suit to passively hunt for targets.

‘Mauler’ – Unlike the Hunter, the Mauler is a dedicated anti-infantry and battle armour suit, although its firepower does not mean that larger units are safe either.  Replacing the heavy Fire-Resistant plate with normal armour the Mauler is armed with a Heavy Flamer and a pair of standard machine guns which allow it to obliterate infantry in moments and cripple hostile battle suits.  One tactic that evolved was firing a ‘wet-squirt’ of propellant for the flamer at dug in hostiles before demanding their surrender.  Knowing that the next shot will be a full one is often enough to get all but the most fanatical troops to come out of hiding.  The Mauler also expands upon the Hunter’s sensors, upgrading them to a full array of improved sensors, allowing it to actively and passively hunt for targets in the worst battlefield conditions.

‘Roar’ – The third but probably not last variant of the Bjorn, the Roar is built to support other units and does this with an LRM-5 with six reloads.  An ER-Micro laser provides firepower at shorter ranges.  The suit was initially meant to have reactive armour, but it was found to be far too heavy, so instead they just increased the protection, making the Roar the most heavily armoured of the Bjorn suits.  Unfortunately to fit the reloads it does mean that this suit, even though it weighs 2-tons is horribly cramped and uncomfortable as all space is given over to the missiles, making it also the least popular of the variants despite its effectiveness.

Bjorn 'Hunter'

Code: [Select]
[b]Bjorn 'Hunter' BattleArmor[/b]
Clan experimental

BV: 603
Cost: 4,887,500 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 75
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1       15
Trooper 2                   1       15
Trooper 3                   1       15
Trooper 4                   1       15
Trooper 5                   1       15

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Battle Armor LB-X AC (Body)    Point     0
Machine Gun (Body)             Point     0

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
Heat Sensor (Body)             Point
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point


Bjorn Mauler

Code: [Select]
[b]Bjorn 'Mauler' BattleArmor[/b]
Clan experimental

BV: 486
Cost: 5,543,750 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 75
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1       15
Trooper 2                   1       15
Trooper 3                   1       15
Trooper 4                   1       15
Trooper 5                   1       15

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Heavy Flamer (Body)            Point     5
Machine Gun (Body)             Point     0
Machine Gun (Body)             Point     0

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point
Improved Sensors (Body)        Point



Bjorn Roar

Code: [Select]
[b]Bjorn 'Roar' BattleArmor[/b]
Clan experimental

BV: 398
Cost: 4,692,500 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 80
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1       16
Trooper 2                   1       16
Trooper 3                   1       16
Trooper 4                   1       16
Trooper 5                   1       16

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
ER Micro Laser (Body)          Point     1
LRM 5 (Body)                   Point     2

Ammo                           Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1








« Last Edit: 12 January 2018, 07:53:27 by marauder648 »
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Sabelkatten

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #1 on: 02 January 2018, 17:20:24 »
Well, for starters quad BA can't be equipped with manipulators... And you should always try to get 15 armor on assault BA!

Other than that, well, the firepower is hardly stellar but it ought to take some effort to get rid of them. :)

marauder648

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #2 on: 03 January 2018, 03:07:59 »
Ahh okay :) I'll re-work it, the BA-LBX is a good gun though, a full star can do 20 points of damage at good ranges.  I could replace the LMG with something else, and i'll loose the manips.  :) Plus I didn't wanna make another dual APGR machine.  The Ironhold is more than enough thank you very much!
« Last Edit: 03 January 2018, 03:18:07 by marauder648 »
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marauder648

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #3 on: 03 January 2018, 04:17:21 »
-deleted as all the stuff up in the main post is there-
« Last Edit: 12 January 2018, 07:48:35 by marauder648 »
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marauder648

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #4 on: 04 January 2018, 16:10:18 »
-Deleted as all the post are in the main post-
« Last Edit: 12 January 2018, 07:48:51 by marauder648 »
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marauder648

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #5 on: 07 January 2018, 10:30:37 »
-Deleted-
« Last Edit: 12 January 2018, 07:49:02 by marauder648 »
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WeaponX

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #6 on: 07 January 2018, 20:36:43 »
Here's one I did years ago using mixed Tech, with the justification being that since quad BA didn't originate with the Clans, they just used "IS tech" to construct the quad chasis and then put Clan grade weapons and armor on it.  This was supposed to be a Bear design too that originated from a Rasalagian designer that wasn't too picky with using another IS tech in the design like the camo system:

Code: [Select]
        Classic BattleTech Battle Armor Technical Readout
                        * CUSTOM EQUIPMENT

Type/Model:    "Heat Haze" Quad Assault Battle Armor
Tech/Era:      Mixed Tech  /  3135 / CBT Rules
Chassis Type:  Quad
Weight Class:  Assault Battle Armor (1,501 - 2,000 kg)
Rules:         Level 3, Standard design

Ground Speed:  21.6 km/h
Armor Type:    Fire Resistant

------------------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    "Heat Haze" Quad Assault Battle Armor
Equipment:                                          Slots    Mass
Chassis Type:  Assault Class Quad (IS)                0       550
Motive System: Ground Movement (2 MP)                 0         0

Armor Type:    16 Points Fire Resistant (C)           5       480

Manipulators:
  Left Arm:    None                                   0         0
  Right Arm:   None                                   0         0

Weapons and Equipment                Loc     Shots  Slots    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------
BA LB-X AC (C)                       Body/DWP  10     1       300
AP Gauss Rifle (C)                   Body/DWP  20     1       150
AP Gauss Rifle (C)                   Body/DWP  20     1       150
Modular Turret Mount                 Body            1(3)      60
 - SRM 1 (C) (Inferno)               Body/MTM   7     3       105
Camo System (IS)                     Body             2       200
------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                             11(3)   1,995
Slots & Mass Left:                                    0         0
« Last Edit: 07 January 2018, 20:44:49 by WeaponX »
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truetanker

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Re: Stalking Bear - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #7 on: 07 January 2018, 21:11:42 »
You need dedicated Scout and Headhunter variants like the Buraqs.

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marauder648

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #8 on: 12 January 2018, 07:49:55 »
Edited to fix and go in line with the art post - all details for the Bjorn are now in the main post :)
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Ruger

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #9 on: 21 January 2018, 19:50:42 »
I really like the Mauler model...

Edit: But it seems to be 200 kg light if I did my math correctly...is it only 1800 kg or did I miss something?

Edit 2: I'd almost be tempted to drop its speed to 3...and then change it to mixed tech so that the weapons could be changed to an Inner Sphere plasma rifle and 2 clan AP Gauss Rifles...keeps the anti-infantry theme, but makes it even deadlier and longer ranged to partially make up for the decreased speed...And since you'd still have 10 kg left over, you could mount another pair of AP weapon mounts to the rear for even more anti-infantry fun...or maybe a searchlight or two...

Ruger
« Last Edit: 21 January 2018, 20:11:08 by Ruger »
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marauder648

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #10 on: 27 January 2018, 04:18:10 »
Cheers for pointing that out Ruger, it should be 2 tons but I probably messed up somewhere. Not made many BA's before so I probably screwed up somewhere :)

I didn't want to go for APGR's because there's lots of them out there.  If Dragon Cat accepts this thing for his AU then you've already got the canon Elemental II in pretty common service and that's got one, there's the Ironhold and the like, so making another APGR boat just didn't appeal, plus they are a bit cheesy IMO if you go overboard with them.  Small laser damage with med laser range on a BA.  Owie. 
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Sabelkatten

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #11 on: 27 January 2018, 07:39:32 »
Massed APGRs are pretty boring, but mixing them in can still make for fun designs:

Clan assault quad BA, 4 ground MP, 15 standard armor, APGR, LRM2 w/ 8 rounds, ASRM2 w/ 5 rounds, APWM.

Fight at all ranges, in pretty much all ways! ^-^

marauder648

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #12 on: 27 January 2018, 07:52:14 »
Call it personal bias but i'm against large numbers of missiles on BA, mainly due to the limited number of shots.  But when I tried to add an ER Medium to the Bjorn in Mega Mek's BA maker it was HUGELY over weight, like the gun weighs in excess of a ton heavy.  And I'm wondering what i'm doing wrong.
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Sabelkatten

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #13 on: 27 January 2018, 11:43:04 »
IIRC it's 800 kg. After structure, movement and armor you only have about 600 kg left, so it's not going to fit. You'll need to drop speed and/or armor to do it. Thought if you went overweight be half a ton you probably left some other weapon in.

Still, you could get an ERSL plus an APGR. That could be an interesting combo. :)

When it comes to missiles on BA it's (IMHO) all about making sure you do pack enough ammo for them. The Bjorn "Roar" is way under-ammo'd IMHO, and it doesn't really have the payload capacity to make good use out of a LRM5. I'd go for a LRM4 and a lighter backup weapon to get a larger ammo load. SRMs are easier - once you get close enough to use them the enemy will probably make sure you don't get much time to do so! :D


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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #14 on: 27 January 2018, 12:44:58 »
Call it personal bias but i'm against large numbers of missiles on BA, mainly due to the limited number of shots.  But when I tried to add an ER Medium to the Bjorn in Mega Mek's BA maker it was HUGELY over weight, like the gun weighs in excess of a ton heavy.  And I'm wondering what i'm doing wrong.
What about using a medium laser in a DWP? Then it is only 600 kg.
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Ruger

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #15 on: 27 January 2018, 14:29:59 »
Massed APGRs are pretty boring, but mixing them in can still make for fun designs:

I don't disagree, but it's also one of the best battle armor weapons out there, basically eclipsing things like small lasers and support PPC's...

As to missiles, they are frustrating for me on BA, simply because of the ammo limits on most designs...

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Sabelkatten

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #16 on: 27 January 2018, 15:48:01 »
On IS BA 8-12 rounds for a LRM and 4-8 rounds for a SRM isn't all that hard to manage. It's even easier on a clan BA, but then you run into the effects of clan launchers being almost weightless - there's often not much reason to get a lot of ammo since getting an extra tube weights so little!

And if you've got the space look at clan OS-SRMs. Sure it's just one shot, but for the same weight as an APGR you get 10 SRMs! That's the firepower of 7 APGRs in one go!

Ruger

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #17 on: 27 January 2018, 16:07:00 »
On IS BA 8-12 rounds for a LRM and 4-8 rounds for a SRM isn't all that hard to manage. It's even easier on a clan BA, but then you run into the effects of clan launchers being almost weightless - there's often not much reason to get a lot of ammo since getting an extra tube weights so little!

And if you've got the space look at clan OS-SRMs. Sure it's just one shot, but for the same weight as an APGR you get 10 SRMs! That's the firepower of 7 APGRs in one go!

Slot limits and limits on Anti-Mech weapons tend to limit things, at least in my experience...

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Sabelkatten

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #18 on: 28 January 2018, 03:54:22 »
Very true (that's why I wrote "If you've got the space..." ;) ). Multiple OS-SRMs are usually a hard sell. A single launcher is often doable, thought. Or on a quad that already have a turret you can simply make it larger and still get about 75% of the tubes for a given weight.

EDIT: Brutal example: Arm a Bjorn with twin APGRs and twin OS-SRM5. After 50 SRMs those APGRs will feel like quite a let-down... ;)
« Last Edit: 28 January 2018, 04:14:42 by Sabelkatten »

marauder648

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #19 on: 28 January 2018, 04:40:56 »

EDIT: Brutal example: Arm a Bjorn with twin APGRs and twin OS-SRM5. After 50 SRMs those APGRs will feel like quite a let-down... ;)

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Re: Bjorn - Dominion Quad assault BA
« Reply #20 on: 06 April 2019, 21:45:37 »
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