(http://k003.kiwi6.com/hotlink/63dvs89fnu/constable.jpg)
Constable Pacification Suit - BattleCorps
The Constable Pacification Suit is a new Battle Armor design developed by Clan Ghost Bear - or the Dominion, if you prefer to look upon them that way - that was first fielded in 3092. Introduced via BattleCorps, the Constable lacks an entry in an actual Technical Readout, but unlike the Gray Death Heavy it does possess a full write-up in the Readout style.
The design is based upon a Light chassis, which makes the Constable something of a rarity for Clan Battle Armor, and for good reason given that Lights can't avoid being one-shotted by Clantech Medium Lasers, and given how commonly such weapons are found on Clan 'Mechs and vehicles, that stacks the deck against Clan Lights from the start. In addition to that, apart from niche movement profiles and a minor advantage with Armored Gloves, there's nothing that Light Battle Armor can do that a Medium can't do better. Of course, you'll pay for that superiority, but unless your BV or CBill budget is extremely tight, the cost isn't going to be excessively higher. It should be mentioned that the recently introduced Reflective armor can overcome the Medium Laser issue by allocating more mass per point of armor and using all but one of a Light suits' equipment slots, but that leaves little for offensive capabilities, which means that most Lights you see will remain so very fragile.
In the case of the Constable, this potential vulnerability for a Clan Light suit is mitigated by its intended role, which is hinted at by its full designation. Instead of being developed for the battlefield, like most full-sized Battle Armor designs, the Constable undertakes a task the Inner Sphere assigns to PA(L)s, being intended for use as a police suit. The term Pacification Suit perhaps suggests a more robust method of policing than most Inner Sphere powers would consider, but then again, if you're bringing out any form of powered armor, you're probably already involved in a SWAT-style situation.
jymset: Jumping in here with some background, the Constable is the sole Dark Age-era Battle Armor that appears only in a novel, namely Trial by Chaos. Described as a paramilitary suit, intended for riots rather than combat, the Constable is actually called an "exoskeleton" at one point, as well as a lighter, more mobile and less capable version of the Rogue Bear. Together this helped set the stage for the Constable's design.
While an Exoskeleton/PA(L) chassis would perhaps be appropriate for a police suit, this would greatly limit the design options, so it was decided to make it a Light. Given its role and final configuration, the Constable can perhaps even be viewed as a "Heavy PA(L)".
Although unusual for a Ghost Bear design for its use of a Modular Weapon Mount on the torso, its most militant configuration, which uses a single SRM tube, does emphasize its heritage. Like older, more familiar Ghost Bear designs, namely the Rogue Bear and Golem, the Constable complements its backpack missile launcher with a ballistic weapon mounted on each arm. In the case of the Constable, those arm-mounted weapons are Heavy Grenade Launchers, which make up for mediocre firepower in BattleTech terms with superb flexibility in A Time of War scenarios. Depending upon the rounds loaded, the Grenade Launchers can be used to deliver commonplace explosive grenades for heavy combat situations, through to specialist electronic loads, gas rounds and other less lethal munitions. This multi-purpose capability is the very reason that the Grenade Launchers were chosen over more standard fare, such as Machine Guns, thus allowing police commanders to more finely tailor their response to the situation at hand.
Another useful feature of the Grenade Launchers is that they're both equipped with extended magazines, allowing for each to be loaded with two different ammo types. Even with a choice between just standard, incendiary and smoke rounds for BattleTech play, a player can pick between a variety of load outs depending upon the scenario. I'd favor one smoke grenade magazine, to allow the suit to provide its own cover, and then split the other three magazine slots between standard and incendiary rounds, depending upon how much I believe I can get a use out of the Inferno-like capability of the latter.
The Modular Weapon Mount on the back of the suit is currently cleared for five official configurations. The heavy combat setup is the afore-mentioned single-tube SRM launcher supplied with four shots, although in some situations the Light Machine Gun would be the preferred choice. Neither weapon is going to win the Constable any prizes in a firepower contest, but during its normal usage the suit shouldn't really be needing anything more powerful. The other three configurations allow the suit to be used in a scouting role, giving the choice between a Light TAG, ECM or Improved Sensors, with the latter perhaps the most likely for everyday policing missions. Other, currently unofficial, configurations are mentioned, such as water cannon and rescue equipment, and presumably other monitoring electronics would also be popular options.
jymset: Simply, it was to be the Rogue Bear's smaller sibling. While its equipment and movement profile fully accommodated the "Exoskeleton" character of the unit, at the end of the day it is a light Battle Armor, after all. Its jack of all character really shows here. It's geared towards civilian duty, but will be thrown at 'Mechs if need be.
For me, the choice of manipulator is perhaps the most curious design feature of the Constable. Mounting paired Battle Claws - the matching pair another feature of Ghost Bear suits - that does provide the Constable with impressive gripping and rending capability, but it does lack finesse. Given that the design was introduced to provide the Bears' Watch with a less clumsy option than the traditional assignment of combat suits such as the Elemental, I personally would have chosen either paired Armored Gloves or Basic Manipulators. The Battle Claws do provide Mechanized Battle Armor capability to supplement the suit's inherent mobility, and also allow the Constable to make Anti-'Mech attacks, but both abilities could also be provided by the lighter manipulators, so I'm left looking forlornly at the big clumsy claws.
Backing up the Battle Claws, each forearm also mounts a Cutting Torch, meaning that if the operator can't tear his or her way through an obstacle, there's the option of burning their way in instead. Rounding out the equipment is a searchlight, giving the Constable a useful night fighting capability, although in roleplaying scenarios I could also see a use for dazzling a suspect, or perhaps even a feature that allows it to be used as a flashing blue light like real world police vehicles. I really hope the suit also has a loudspeaker to play the theme from Robocop whenever out on the beat.
The armor is a non-maximum five points, which does at least allow the Constable to survive an Inner Sphere Medium Laser hit, even if a Clantech version is still to be feared and best avoided. Fire Resistant armor would have been nice, especially given the secondary role in rescue situations, but the extra slots required would result in a loss of equipment due to a lack of space.
jymset: Exactly. Armor using slots wasn't an option at all. And seeing it is a police suit and won't live through Clan MLs anyway, the basic 5-threshold was acceptable enough.
Where the Constable really does shine when compared to other canon Battle Armor designs is its mobility. While not the fastest, it's unusual in possessing both a solid jump capability as well as a good ground speed. Able to move three hexes using either movement method, the Constable can generate a Target Movement Modifier in both modes, partially compensating for its relative fragility as well as granting impressive flexibility in urban areas.
jymset: Yeah, in the end the Resgate is a role model there. Being the sibling of the Rogue Bear, it needed jump movement. Being a police suit, it needed good ground speed. You won't get a full "battle" armor by bringing a Constable to the battlefield, but at least it does what it does equally well in all environments.
I would feel remiss if I neglected to mention one other feature unique to the Constable: the ability to lower the operator's head into their chest without inflicting any bodily harm. From the artwork, the operator's face appears to be only a few inches above the level of the suit's armpits, and this gap will be reduced even more by the need to account for the thickness of the suit's skin, meaning that the operator's armpit level should be even higher up. Maybe it's just the angle of view, but personally I find that this does mar an otherwise excellent visual appearance.
Assuming you prefer to stick to canon units and configurations, then the Constable can find itself a useful niche in BattleTech scenarios, acting as an urban scout or cheap TAGing unit. With custom Elemental configurations allowed, then that niche becomes even narrower, perhaps even non-existent depending upon your priorities. That doesn't make the Constable a bad suit; it's simply built to match a theme that doesn't quite mesh with the all-out combat role more typically required for BattleTech scenarios. As a flavor piece, it works very well indeed, and crafty players will no doubt occasionally be able to exploit its capabilities to great success, while in the roleplaying world, it'll no doubt become a feared opponent in scenarios set in the Dominion.
jymset: It does do stuff other suits don't. It gives you the chance at a low-end support unit; it is somewhat useful, offensively more than defensively. With its assortment of options it does fill the support role particularly well. All in all, I'm quite fond of the suit.
Operated by the Ghost Bear's Watch as well as numerous planetary police forces across the Dominion, the Constable is apparently becoming a common sight to the citizens, at least more so than the more combat-orientated suits. Its deployment hasn't always been entirely successful, starting from its very first operation, but that hasn't hindered its acceptance. Despite its less than stellar combat capability, the Constable has even found its way into military units, where its flexibility has proven a great benefit to Ghost Bear commanders.
Being such a new suit and with the Ghost Bear Dominion known to be secure well into the thirty-second century, there's little risk that the Constable will disappear. Just how much time it'll get in BattleTech scenarios remains to be seen.
Next up:
- Gladiator
- Ailette
- Kopis
- Gorilla