Resgate PA(L) - Technical Readout Vehicle Annex page 194-5
(or it could be a Krise PA(L), your guess is as good as mine)
If when you first read the title of this article, you found yourself asking "What's the Resgate?", then don't worry, you're not alone. The Resgate is one of the oft overlooked designs from the collection of PAL(L)s and Exoskeletons that can be found in Technical Readout Vehicle Annex. With all but zero utility on the battlefield, the Resgate is as little used as it is little known for most players, and the only time I can recall ever seeing one in a game it was for flavor.
Developed by the Cloud Cobras, the Resgate is actually the first known Clan PA(L), although the Snow Raven's Aerie was the first to be published. The Vehicle Annex does actually refer to the Resgate as both a PA(L) and an Exoskeleton, despite them being two separate unit types, albeit very similar. The sole difference between the two is that an Exoskeleton has to have armor and Extended Life Support to be able to safely operate in hazardous environments, however there's no need to install any specific item to make a design one or the other, just fluff what you want it to be.
Among the Clans, Exoskeletons are considered to be non-combat units, and as such they sometimes don't install the Harjel system, thus allowing the use of the lighter Inner Sphere-style chassis to save mass. The Resgate uses the heavier Harjel-equipped chassis, indicating that it is built to a military standard, even if the original design wasn't intended for a military role. Added to that, the Resgate is able to operate in the midst of fires and other such hazards as part of its basic job requirement, even though it lacks Extended Life Support, which further points to it being a PA(L) and not an Exoskeleton. Finally, and most importantly, jymset confirmed that it is indeed a PA(L), and not an Exoskeleton.
The version of the Resgate that we have presented in the Vehicle Annex could properly be called the Resgate II, because it represents a later model that was introduced in 3059 after the addition of Fire Resistant armor. The original Resgate was produced decades earlier during the late 30th century, having been developed in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that devastated the Cloud Cobras' enclave on Homer. Authorities found themselves struggling to cope with the disaster and, in the review afterwards, they saw the need for a powered suit that could assist with rescue and other recovery operations, resulting in the development of the Resgate, using discarded Battle Armor prototypes as a template.
Upon seeing the Fire Mandrill’s new Fire Resistant armor, the Cobras decided that it was a must have for their emergency services suit and so issued a challenge to obtain the technology. Interestingly, the trial was between Scientists rather than Warriors, with the winner being decided by who performed a set experiment the best. Given that other cases of trials to obtain militarily useful technology or designs have involved combat, I have to wonder whether the Cobras were restricted to using the armor for civilian purposes only, or whether the Mandrills were just playing nice.
As noted above, it's the upgraded version of the Resgate, with the added Fire Resistant armor, that we see in the Vehicle Annex. The stats of the original aren't known, but probably doesn't differ that much, given that the write up doesn't indicate that anything had to be removed to account for the modest increase in mass. The improved armor obviously allows the suit to better withstand operating within burning buildings and other fires, but that's as good as the protection gets. With only two points of armor, the Resgate isn't really capable of withstanding damage from a military opponent, but there's enough plating that it can perhaps survive environmental damage, such as jumping into the side of a building in an emergency or withstanding the blast from an explosion.
The Resgate is a mobile design, being capable of moving three hexes using both ground and jump movement, and in that regard it is impressive compared to most other Battle Armor and PA(L) designs. The jump capability would obviously allow the suit to get to places that cannot easily be reached just by foot, as well as allowing rapid deployment from an airborne transport or jumping directly from a building with a rescued disaster victim. The relatively high ground speed means that the Resgate can rapidly move within buildings and underground, where jump jets would be dangerous to use, with little or no loss of mobility.
As would be expected for a design intended as an emergency response unit, the Resgate lacks any integral armament and without modification it even lacks the ability to wield weapons in its manipulators. Equipped with a Salvage Arm ,and Basic Manipulator, the suit is also incapable of Anti-'Mech attacks, although under the latest Tech Manual errata it is at least able to undertake Mechanized Battle Armor operations if a Clan had a need to deploy them with combat units. The only combat-useful equipment installed on the design is the Improved Sensors, intended for locating trapped victims, but obviously there would be a viable use for this item on the battlefield. While short ranged, the sensors at least provide Clan players with a powered scout without having to use custom configurations on Elementals and other modular-capable designs.
Between its good mobility, sensors, pitiful armor and complete inability to directly harm an opponent in the BattleTech tactical game, there are really only three ways to use the Resgate if you somehow find yourself using them. The easiest role is as an initiative sink, the second is as a disposable scout in scenarios using hidden units and/or double-blind rules, with the last option being as a spotter for artillery and other fire support. As you might expect, with no self-defense capability and poor protection, this can be quickly fatal if the Resgate unit allows the enemy to get too close, but at least it's a cheap unit to deploy and so you can afford to be indulgent with the numbers.
During RPG combat, a Resgate operator at least has the option of physically pounding on an opponent, and there should be enough stabby, slicey, crunchy tools on the Salvage Arm to make it a rather unpleasant death for anybody unfortunate enough to find themselves on the business end of the suit's left arm. Think of the Saw movie franchise on a pair of powered armor legs and that should adequately picture the possibilities for a homicidally inclined Resgate operator. The design's general RPG utility is somewhat diminished by its lack of Armored Gloves, but Basic Manipulators can perform some relatively clumsy handling of everyday objects, such as using door handles, even if being incapable of fine motor control, so it's not completely worthless.
That would really be all that could be said for the Resgate, as short and sparse as it might be, but for a trio of intriguing entries that have recently appeared in the new RATs published in Field Manual 3085. Deployed by the Diamond Sharks and Jade Falcons, the Interdictor, Support and Spotter entries presumably represent three new variants rather than different configurations for a single new variant, but we'll have to wait until the anticipated update to the Vehicle Annex to be certain.
The names do suggest some possibilities based upon existing designs, with the Interdictor presumably equipped with ECM and the Spotter probably having a Light TAG. The Resgate (Support) is perhaps the hardest to determine; it could be some sort of non-combat support suit, perhaps a pack mule akin to the Tornado G14, but the most likely possibility in my opinion is some form of light armament. Whether there are any further changes, such as new manipulators, different armor, or even alterations to the mobility are all open to speculation, with the manipulators being the most likely candidate, freeing mass with the removal of the Salvage Arm and adding the appropriate combat capabilities based upon the replacement(s).
In my opinion, such combat capable variants aren't going to be much of an improvement on the BattleTech battlefield, because nothing can be done about the critical flaw of its low armor. A single AP Gauss Rifle, Medium Recoilless Rifle or Micro Pulse Laser hit will obliterate a PA(L) and it's also not uncommon to see an infantry platoon take down an entire PA(L) squad in a single Turn. Assuming they keep the Fire Resistant armor, it's not going to greatly extend battlefield life expectancy, if at all, because they can so easily be killed with such light weaponry. Really, Fire Resistant is best used on the heavily armored monsters that make ideal targets for Inferno attacks, not PA(L)s with their wafer thin protection. Personally, no matter how interesting the new units may prove to be, I suspect that the Resgate will see little extra tabletop time, even from those who enjoy using such lame ducks or who select for flavor purposes.
There really is nothing else to be said about the Resgate that wouldn't involve little more than cutting and pasting its Vehicle Annex entry, or repeating more of what has already been written about PA(L)s in the Nighthawk and Tornado articles. I wish I could get more enthused about the design, and perhaps I will once the new variants are published when Technical Readout Vehicle Annex is updated, but as a non-combat unit in a combat game, the Resgate is unfortunately not only a lame duck, but a duck out of water too.
Next up:
- Afreet
- Rottweiler
- Corona
- Grenadier
