’Mech of the Week: MDG-** Rakshasa
Rakshasa. Mythical creature that can shapeshift into its foes, mimicking their abilities. A 75-ton BattleMech meant to mimic the Clan Timber Wolf. Which it makes as good an attempt as possible for its time period.
Inner Sphere tech is just inferior in many ways.
The story of the Rakshasa starts on The Rock with the first sighting of what Inner Sphere analysts termed the Mad Cat. As the Invasion proceeded, more and more details emerged of this advanced machine. Analysts marveled at the firepower and speed. Then, somehow, the Federated Commonwealth managed to get their hands on a pristine model. Given the NAIS, this machine was put through its paces, and among other things led to the Rakshasa.
Doing the best they could with lesser (bulkier) technologies, the MDG-1A premiered in 3055, and is built on a heavily modified version of the Marauder’s chassis, partly through the use of endo-steel. A 375-rated GM extralight engine gives the design comparable speeds to its progenitor. Eleven and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor gives 89% of maximum protection in a 9, 32/9, 22/7, 21, 28 pattern (head, center front/rear, side front/rear, arms, legs respectively). The arms each mount an extended-model large and a standard medium laser. Because of their bulk, shoulder mounted 10-rack LRM launchers were used instead of the 20-racks of the original. On the plus side, Artemis IV fire-control was added to make them more effective. One ton of ammunition is allocated for each launcher. Finally weight and space limitations only allowed for a left-torso mounted medium pulse. Fifteen double-strength heat sinks moderate the heat load somewhat, but one should keep an eye on their heat dial.
Test pilots were among the first to ask for a small refit. While never actually produced by the factories, a simple field-refit led to many swapping the large lasers for standard models, thus birthing the MDG-1B in 3056.
Small aside, what does MDG stand for? Closest I can come to is Mad Dog. Mad Cat should be MCT…
During the FedCom Civil War in 3064, Sergeant-Major Jessica Nim helped to develop and test the MDG-2A variant. Note that by test, I mean, she took it into battle on Kathil herself. This model mounts a large and two medium pulse lasers in the right arm, two medium pulses in the right torso, and a massive Class-5 rotary autocannon in the left arm. The gun is fed by three tons of ammunition. Even though the ’Mech was taken down, she survived and was put in charge of making her new model standard.
The last variant is a product of the Word of Blake Jihad. I am unsure if the factory was still operational by the time the MDG-1Ar entered service in 3076 (or frankly if the factory survived the Jihad at all). This model swaps the large lasers for Snub-Nose Particle Cannons, drops the torso laser, and switches the LRM racks for 7-rack MML launchers, sans Artemis. Three tons of ammunition is stored in the CASEd left torso. The ferro-fibrous was replaced with thirteen tons of standard plate, laid out in a 9, 33/10, 22/7, 21, 28 pattern.
Using a Rakshasa starts with realizing you are using an Inner Sphere machine. While this may seem obvious, there have been a few instances where someone picked it because they thought it was another Mad Cat. Do note, your foes may make the same mistake and target you for it. So protect yourself, or use it as a distraction for your friends. With the first two variants, you can stalk and pounce or snipe at longer ranges. The latter two variants are closer-range beasts. Keep an eye on your heat. While some of the designs are less heat-intense, they all have the potential to overheat a bit. Take it from someone who still has issues not pushing the Big Red Button, heat and ammunition do not mix.
Fighting one also starts with realizing it is not the iconic Clan monster. He may have the speed, but he has neither the armor nor the devastating array of weaponry. Bring big guns. If he wants to duel at range, a few Gauss slugs should change his perspective. In closer, Particle Cannons and large-bore autocannons help. Noting his heat woes, plasma weaponry is also good. And if you want to go toe-to-toe, a Berserker, or for that matter anything big with a melee weapon and/or TSM can be useful. I will also note that all of the Rakshasa variants have highly explosive ammunition. Only the last variant has CASE, and it still has that delicate extralight engine. So a targeting computer and a good gunnery score can allow for the targeting of a side torso for a fireworks show (right torso is best for the first two, the latter two carry theirs in the left exclusively).
While the Rakshasa has had a decent career, I am unsure if they will continue to be produced. The first hurdle is the status of the factory on Kathil. If it had to rebuild from the ground up, there may be more pressing concerns (read: more important designs). The second is that time may be passing it by. Frankly with the advent of Clan Tech to many Inner Sphere realms, it may be possible that the Davions can simply make actual Timber Wolfs instead of the knock-off. We shall see.