So... reading up on the Goblin over at Sarna, it appears there's still no introduction date, but there's this curious statement attributed to Field Manual: SLDF: "The origin of the design is unknown, but it was a common sight within the mechanized infantry regiments of the Star League."
Here's my take on what the Royal Command could have done with the design, and still kept the cost under 2M:
Royal Goblin
Mass: 45 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/E-F-D-A
Production Year: 0
Cost: 1,970,550 C-Bills
Battle Value: 860
Power Plant: 180 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 43.2 km/h
Flanking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
1 ER Large Laser
1 SRM-6
1 Machine Gun
1 Infantry Compartment (3.0 tons)
2 Paramedics
Manufacturer:
Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 25 points 4.50
Engine: Fusion Engine 180 10.50
Cruise MP: 4
Flank MP: 6
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 12 2.00
Control Equipment: 2.50
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 1.00
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 197 11.00
Armor
Factor
Front 46
Left/Right 41/41
Turret 41
Rear 28
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
ER Large Laser T 12 1 5.00
SRM-6 T 4 1 3.00
Infantry Compartment (3.0 tons) BD 0 1 3.00
2 Paramedics BD 0 2 0.50
@SRM-6 (15) BD - 0 1.00
@MG (1/2) (100) BD - 0 0.50
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 9
4t 2 2 1 0 2 0 Structure: 3
Special Abilities: TUR(2/2/1)
A slightly cheaper variant could replace the ER Large Laser with a (standard) PPC, but that would give the vehicle a minimum range problem.