"alternate universe" Quikscell product, WIP

[HazMeat]

This thread is to illustrate something, though right now it's still just a little sprout of an idea rather than a complete implementation of what I'm going for.  Stats-wise, the chassis is just a Hetzer trading one ton of ammo for a couple bytes of armor, so that the payload space works out better for the aesthetics I'm going for.  Hopefully the madness of these stats conveys the aesthetics I'm going for.  I'll add fluff and stuff when I have time, hopefully within a week. 

The 3-6-9 hex weapons all get 15 turns of ammo.  The weaker gun-and-missile combo is sort of an afterthought, but its wrongness fits well IMO. 

Fiction-wise, they all look the same on the outside until the weapons bay doors slide open, which is where the name comes from. 

Code: [Select]

PopWeasel G

Mass: 40 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Wheeled
Rules Level: Introductory
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/D-E-D
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 628,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 588

Power Plant: SitiCide 140 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 43.2 km/h
Flanking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: StarSlab/6 Standard Armor
Armament:
    1 Crusher SH Cannon Autocannon/20
Manufacturer: Quikscell Company
    Primary Factory: Indicass, Kalidasa, Alshain
Communications System: Communicator
Targeting and Tracking System: Firescan with Indirectrac

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      16 points                4.00
Engine:             I.C.E. Engine                140                      10.00
    Cruise MP:  4
    Flank MP:   6
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             0                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         2.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 112                  7.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     36       
                                          Left/Right   26/26       
                                                Rear     24       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Autocannon/20                                FR        7         1        14.00
@AC/20 (15)                                  BD        -         0         3.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      4    Points: 6
4          0       0       0       0      2     2   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: EE

Code: [Select]

PopWeasel R

Mass: 40 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Wheeled
Rules Level: Introductory
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/C-C-C
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 724,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 623

Power Plant: SitiCide 140 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 43.2 km/h
Flanking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: StarSlab/6 Standard Armor
Armament:
    1 Holly SRM-6
    5 Holly SRM-4s
Manufacturer: Quikscell Company
    Primary Factory: Indicass, Kalidasa, Alshain
Communications System: Communicator
Targeting and Tracking System: Firescan with Indirectrac

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      16 points                4.00
Engine:             I.C.E. Engine                140                      10.00
    Cruise MP:  4
    Flank MP:   6
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             0                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         2.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 112                  7.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     36       
                                          Left/Right   26/26       
                                                Rear     24       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 SRM-4s                                     FR        15        5        10.00
SRM-6                                        FR        4         1         3.00
@SRM-4 (75)                                  BD        -         0         3.00
@SRM-6 (15)                                  BD        -         0         1.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      4    Points: 6
4          0       0       0       0      2     4   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: EE

Code: [Select]

PopWeasel M

Mass: 40 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Wheeled
Rules Level: Introductory
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/C-C-C
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 484,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 650

Power Plant: SitiCide 140 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 43.2 km/h
Flanking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: StarSlab/6 Standard Armor
Armament:
    6  LRM-5s
Manufacturer: Quikscell Company
    Primary Factory: Indicass, Kalidasa, Alshain
Communications System: Communicator
Targeting and Tracking System: Firescan with Indirectrac

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      16 points                4.00
Engine:             I.C.E. Engine                140                      10.00
    Cruise MP:  4
    Flank MP:   6
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             0                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         2.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 112                  7.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     36       
                                          Left/Right   26/26       
                                                Rear     24       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 LRM-5s                                     FR        12        6        12.00
@LRM-5 (120)                                 BD        -         0         5.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      4    Points: 7
4          0       0       0       0      2     2   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: EE

Code: [Select]

PopWeasel H

Mass: 40 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Wheeled
Rules Level: Introductory
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/C-D-D
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 604,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 543

Power Plant: SitiCide 140 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 43.2 km/h
Flanking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: StarSlab/6 Standard Armor
Armament:
    1  Autocannon/10
    1  SRM-6
Manufacturer: Quikscell Company
    Primary Factory: Indicass, Kalidasa, Alshain
Communications System: Communicator
Targeting and Tracking System: Firescan with Indirectrac

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      16 points                4.00
Engine:             I.C.E. Engine                140                      10.00
    Cruise MP:  4
    Flank MP:   6
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             0                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         2.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 112                  7.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     36       
                                          Left/Right   26/26       
                                                Rear     24       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Autocannon/10                                FR        3         1        12.00
SRM-6                                        FR        4         1         3.00
@AC/10 (10)                                  BD        -         0         1.00
@SRM-6 (15)                                  BD        -         0         1.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      4    Points: 5
4          0       0       0       0      2     2   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: EE

[tomaddamz]

I like this...using the AC/10 variant armor config is nice, setting the design goals to drive the armament choices and limits is good too.  thoughts by individual hull type

Popweasel G: love it, straightforward and familiar.

Popweasel R:  Is there a plan for the SRM-6, or is that choice being driven solely by the requirement for 15 shots per launcher? 

Popweasel M:  Lot of love here, has super great potential as a support track, what is the expected employment of this variant?

Popweasel H:  I am always leery of any system having less than 15 rounds per tube, especially anything as heavy as an AC/10 (AC/20s can get away from this a little, but still at least 10 rounds).  What is the goal with this variant?

[HazMeat]

The PopWeasel is designed from the ground to be a platform for very diverse weapons fittings, with as little of said costly designing as possible.  This results in the armored body being excessively bulky and boxy; the weapons are simply suspended inside the large space by support trusses, massing out the drive train's capacity long before filling all the inefficiently-armored volume.  Conduits for power, signal, cooling, etc. may be secured or just left flopping around in there, depending on the buyer's luck.  The magazine is very minimal and fitted directly to the weapon to avoid complex feed hardware, one consequence of which is that rearming involves removing the magazine (through the same big front door that the weapon fires through) in order to attach it to an external machine that just runs a mechanical crank on the magazine to feed spent shells out and fresh rounds in.

For the SRM one, the odd launcher is just for mixed aesthetic reasons.  Functionally, it would make more sense to fit some Vehicle Flamer(s) or infantry bay or ...almost anything else, I guess, but the original three fittings are meant to be pure boats and even with this concession to aesthetics it's still a worthy companion for the gun variant.  Matching ammo longevity between range-matched weapons is a thing I like to do, and I like to imagine the missile variants as an ugly fitting of a bunch of launchers shoved into the space where the gun would otherwise go. 

The "fire truck" is for whatever you want a relatively expendable LRM platform for.  Besides massed fire, particular uses I've had in mind are IDF support for the AC and SRM variants, and supporting infantry over a relatively wide area. 

The AC/10 model is just an afterthought; while getting them ready to post, I started thinking that it just wouldn't be complete without a lemon configuration, though I've since decided that I also like having an "advanced" hybrid using TWO different weapon types. ;D  I've also noticed that I can fit it with an AC/5 with one ton of ammo and a trio of LRM-5 racks with two tons, which will probably replace that AC/10 model for this purpose.   I'm still looking for something that has more ammo for its longer-ranged weapon, though. 

I'm thinking that in this alternate universe the Demolisher is an advanced second-generation model; bigger, more powerful, featuring tracks, a turret, and any two weapons fittings- mix or match!  (For two of the same weapon option, be sure to punch the "duplicate selection above" box on the stiff paper order form to avoid delays.) 

[tomaddamz]

For the AC/10 , have you ever considered an Light Gauss Rifle?, more expensive I know, but you get outstanding range and a decent ammo load on one ton.  The SRM-6 also actually compliments this as well.

[HazMeat]

I like Gauss weapons in general, but haven't considered them for this chassis yet.  Long-range direct-fire in general isn't something I've been thinking about, beyond "Let's see, the inevitable Gauss Rifle variant would have... 16 turns, which keeps the AC/20 model viable."  I'm going for cheap, massed urban ambush and IDF support, but I'll be considering various Gauss weapons if I decide to even bother with anything whose tech rating is higher than C. 

At advanced rules level, the fire truck model may use Mortars rather than missiles; very straitforward swap, LRM-5 for MM-1.  The gun variant may also use a Thumper in place of the AC/20, though that requires shrinking the magazine to 2 tons.  It give 40 rounds, though, which should last for a while.  I think that fills out all of the SW-era tech that I want for it. 

[CloaknDagger]

I like Gauss weapons in general, but haven't considered them for this chassis yet.  Long-range direct-fire in general isn't something I've been thinking about, beyond "Let's see, the inevitable Gauss Rifle variant would have... 16 turns, which keeps the AC/20 model viable."  I'm going for cheap, massed urban ambush and IDF support, but I'll be considering various Gauss weapons if I decide to even bother with anything whose tech rating is higher than C. 

Long range fire support is actually a great use for them outside cities. Pile the armor on the front arc, and use it as a Self-Propelled field gun.

[tomaddamz]

I like Gauss weapons in general, but haven't considered them for this chassis yet.  Long-range direct-fire in general isn't something I've been thinking about, beyond "Let's see, the inevitable Gauss Rifle variant would have... 16 turns, which keeps the AC/20 model viable."  I'm going for cheap, massed urban ambush and IDF support, but I'll be considering various Gauss weapons if I decide to even bother with anything whose tech rating is higher than C. 

At advanced rules level, the fire truck model may use Mortars rather than missiles; very straightforward swap, LRM-5 for MM-1.  The gun variant may also use a Thumper in place of the AC/20, though that requires shrinking the magazine to 2 tons.  It give 40 rounds, though, which should last for a while.  I think that fills out all of the SW-era tech that I want for it.

I completely understand the tech level limit, constraining yourself, by either tech level or cost makes you work much harder to build well and fight the unit.