Author Topic: The Sling (Read 10677 times)

Joshua D · « **on:** 27 January 2011, 15:24:15 »

What do ya suppose the viability is of having a few working Slings left in the 'verse? I'd love to have a beat-up, kept together by spit and duck-tape one in a Rim Collection militia.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 January 2011, 15:30:21 »

There might be a few left in Clan space, mothballed in a Brian Cache somewhere.

Moonsword · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 January 2011, 15:33:48 »

There could even be one somewhere in the Inner Sphere. One here or there isn't likely to bother anyone. In a casual game, I really couldn't care less, to be honest.

God and Davion · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 January 2011, 15:37:12 »

If you dig deep enough in Terra or in the Terran Hegemony you can find a Sling. The Amaris War was very brutal and, you know, nukes happen... >:/!

Rainbow 6 · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 January 2011, 15:39:31 »

I wouldn't be surprised to have one or two turn up in the periphery.

Joshua D · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 January 2011, 15:47:03 »

Quote from: Rainbow 6 on 27 January 2011, 15:39:31

I wouldn't be surprised to have one or two turn up in the periphery.

That's kinda what I was thinking. They were originally used in the periphery by the SLDF i believe; I figure when they went back to hit Terra they may have left behind one or two that weren't "destroyed" per say, but in more of a battlefield salvage sort of state...

Sartris · « **Reply #6 on:** 27 January 2011, 17:15:00 »

Quote from: Joshua D on 27 January 2011, 15:47:03

That's kinda what I was thinking. They were originally used in the periphery by the SLDF i believe; I figure when they went back to hit Terra they may have left behind one or two that weren't "destroyed" per say, but in more of a battlefield salvage sort of state...

Sounds like you've found a plausible premise. Especially with the 'might fall to pieces at any time' angle.

Stormlion1 · « **Reply #7 on:** 27 January 2011, 17:24:48 »

One could even be found in a long lost museum or at the bottom of a junk heap on Galatea.

Moonsword · « **Reply #8 on:** 27 January 2011, 18:04:08 »

With this 'Mech, Galatea, maybe, but not in a museum. The Sling was too new to wind up as a museum piece at the time - it would've gone straight to the front.

bdziec · « **Reply #9 on:** 27 January 2011, 18:21:37 »

Maybe the Azami's could have one??

Moonsword · « **Reply #10 on:** 27 January 2011, 18:23:35 »

One of the core tenets of BattleTech is that it's possible (not plausible, but possible) for anything to wind up anywhere in terms of gear after a certain amount of time.

Slings have had more than enough time to go from here to there to over yonder.

Jaim Magnus · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 January 2011, 20:31:00 »

Agreed with Moonsword. Given centuries, a handful could surface just about anywhere.

Also Moonsword, holy post count already! :o

avon1985 · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:11:52 »

Quote from: Moonsword on 27 January 2011, 18:23:35

One of the core tenets of BattleTech is that it's possible (not plausible, but possible) for anything to wind up anywhere in terms of gear after a certain amount of time.

Slings have had more than enough time to go from here to there to over yonder.

Amen. This is one of the best factors in BT. Want a Wolfhound in the FWL why not. A repaired rebuilt 300 year old King Crab in the OA go for it. as Moonsword say anything is possible.

Moonsword · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:13:59 »

Quote from: Jaim Magnus on 27 January 2011, 20:31:00

Agreed with Moonsword. Given centuries, a handful could surface just about anywhere.

Given centuries, I'm not sure there's more than a handful left. It was never particularly numerous based on the information in Klondike.

Johnny 'NKH' Leyland · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:22:59 »

It seems like the kind of mech the young Clans would have soon sidelined, what with the new zellbrigen fighting rules making minelaying redundant and new mechs with improved technology quickly appearing. As such I'd expect to see them in Brian Caches, but still only in small numbers (and assuming they hadn't been dished out as punishment mechs to particularly obnoxious solahma and dezgra Warriors).

Moonsword · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:26:30 »

True. I was thinking more about the IS, where the number of chassis I'd expect to find can be counted with the fingers of one hand... being very optimistic. The Clans might have brought a couple back with them, though.

Johnny 'NKH' Leyland · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:29:49 »

Hmm, makes me wonder which is more likely (or less unlikely): finding one in some far flung corner that didn't get taken the Exodus, or salvaging one from the Invading Clans.

Crimson Dynamo · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:32:38 »

My thoughts?

Since the Jaguars were taking it in the shorts for years, and they had the most in Klondike, maybe they dusted a few off to fill some second-stringer units, and would get knocked-out during a raid or Bulldog.

Moonsword · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:33:27 »

I'm inclined to agree with Crimson Dynamo.

Johnny 'NKH' Leyland · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:35:40 »

Yeah, that sounds pretty solid.

Stormlion1 · « **Reply #20 on:** 27 January 2011, 22:46:03 »

I have to disagree, the Jags would have pulled what they had left, which couldn't be all that many after so many years, not for use in Garrison stars but probably to salvage what they could to get frontline machines up and running.

Moonsword · « **Reply #21 on:** 27 January 2011, 22:52:21 »

Which is what? The cockpit and some of the myomers? The rest of it's not compatible hardware with the front-line machines, which is a major maintenance headache at a time they don't need to be slowing the techs down.

Johnny 'NKH' Leyland · « **Reply #22 on:** 27 January 2011, 23:15:59 »

Besides, we know the Jags employed other Star League vintage mechs in second-line units. Even captured Succession War era mechs for that matter.

Stormlion1 · « **Reply #23 on:** 27 January 2011, 23:51:12 »

Would you rather have a rare design you have few spare parts for filling out a garrison cluster, or parts like engines, myomer, weapons, electronics, etc, to bring a frontline design back up and bringing more worlds under your power?

Youngblood · « **Reply #24 on:** 28 January 2011, 01:25:07 »

Quote from: Stormlion1 on 27 January 2011, 23:51:12

Would you rather have a rare design you have few spare parts for filling out a garrison cluster, or parts like engines, myomer, weapons, electronics, etc, to bring a frontline design back up and bringing more worlds under your power?

Well the thing is, the parts still -DO- exist for the Sling. They're just in the Duan Gung.

Victoria War, baby! Come and get us! [rockon]

Joshua D · « **Reply #25 on:** 28 January 2011, 03:35:52 »

Muah ha ha, I may have to come "visit" this Capellan Confederation place, and "borrow" a few things here and there.... ;D

Cyc · « **Reply #26 on:** 28 January 2011, 04:09:44 »

Just say that Shengli Arms ran off a small prototype production run of the Sling before it they Capellaned it into the Duan Gung and you've got a plausible means of getting new ones in the Inner Sphere.

Guess this is a a good place as any to lament again that Klondike didn't mention the Sling was also built on Victoria or give us the chance to find out Shengli Arm's Star League era name :(

DaveMac · « **Reply #27 on:** 28 January 2011, 04:42:56 »

I always imagine that the Goliath Scorpions have at least one example of every mech the Clans have ever used tucked away in their Temple of the Nine Muses

Moonsword · « **Reply #28 on:** 28 January 2011, 08:30:53 »

Quote from: Stormlion1 on 27 January 2011, 23:51:12

Would you rather have a rare design you have few spare parts for filling out a garrison cluster, or parts like engines, myomer, weapons, electronics, etc, to bring a frontline design back up and bringing more worlds under your power?

As noted before, the engine, weapons, internal structure, armor, and electronics (TAG in particular, but the internal computers are going to be a pain, I guarantee it) are all incompatible with Clan front line machines because they're a different tech base. The sinks are less of an issue for that reason - SHS are pretty similar from what we can tell - but the engine differences are going to cause trouble there and very, very few Clan front line machines, if any, use single heat sinks anyway. The only thing there that's possibly adaptable without causing a major headache is the myomer bundles, parts of the jump jets, and maybe pieces of the cockpit. Yes, it's possible to get around that, but it takes a lot of time and effort, and you're depriving yourself of a perfectly functional 'Mech to create something that's going to be a maintenance headache and very, very likely break the Omni functionality in the process.

What they're going to strip to get front line machines operational are likely the garrison cluster's technicians and second-line Clan BattleMechs, not Star League hardware.

Quote from: Cyc on 28 January 2011, 04:09:44

Guess this is a a good place as any to lament again that Klondike didn't mention the Sling was also built on Victoria or give us the chance to find out Shengli Arm's Star League era name :(

Unless Shengli Arms' facilities were originally part of Mountain Wolf BattleMechs and in the Lyran Commonwealth, it's apparently not compatible with the background we were given. Now, whether or not that would have tied the loose ends up is another issue, but there may have been information I'm not aware of that pointed another way.

If you're willing to squint just right, though, Mountain Wolf could have had facilities there but still have been headquartered in the Lyran Commonwealth. Multinationals were pretty common in the Star League era, after all, and we know Barbara Liao was supportive of Kerensky, so if it works for your game, it's not completely implausible at all. Just... odd.

Cyc · « **Reply #29 on:** 28 January 2011, 09:10:48 »

I know, still curious why they made it a Mountain Wolf 'Mech to begin with.

Moonsword · « **Reply #30 on:** 28 January 2011, 09:29:29 »

No idea. As I said, there may be information we're not aware of. We do know they were building the Night Hawk for the SLDF, but hadn't really managed another success. It might fit for them to be trying to make another light to generate more revenue.

Joshua D · « **Reply #31 on:** 28 January 2011, 13:02:28 »

Who knows. I'd guess it probably went something like......let's see which company has the least amount of 'Mechs in production, which of these could feasibly build this, voila!

Rainbow 6 · « **Reply #32 on:** 28 January 2011, 17:56:59 »

Well at the end of the Star League era Mountain Wolf had factories in both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Outworlds Alliance so why not have a third in the Capellan Confederation.

Also makes you wonder what was being built on Alpheratz in the 2780's.