It would seem appropriate that Buda Imperial Vehicles, the company that brought you the Tokugawa would also produce the Shillelagh Missile Tank. The Tokugawa was in many ways the poor man's version of the Patton tank. In similar fashion the earliest model of the Shillelagh was a poor man's Hunter Light Support Tank.
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Back in the Succession Wars the Shillelagh was developed as a fire support tank. It featured the same 5/8 movement profile and tracked chassis of it's post-Jihad brother, but powered by an ICE. Despite being heavier than DI's Hunter and powered by the twice as heavy ICE, the Shillelagh was able to keep pace at the cost of armor and a slightly lower LRM15 compared to the Hunter's LRM20, but anti-infantry capacity is slightly improved on the Shillelagh by having it's MG front mounted instead of the rear mounted flamer of the Hunter. The armor 22/19/10/26, well short of the Hunter. But, misfortunes in the testing of the Succession Wars Shillelagh cancelled it's production for over two centuries. The top heavy design proved too clumsy to navigate basic obstacles other tracked tanks overcame with ease.
Fast forward to the peace of Stone. The DCMS underwent an equipment shuffle in order to circumvent the restrictions of Devlin Stone's peace agreements. Older, proven combat vehicles were moved out of planetary militias and into off-the-record units the DCMS was building without drawing attention. The Shillelagh provided the militia and some DCMS units an able replacement for their traded medium vehicles being shipped to the regular units.
This version takes advantage of the newly fashionable FCE to retain the same 5/8 movement profile of it's ancient ancestor, while freeing up some much needed tonnage for modern weaponry. The LRM15 was traded for a trio of MML5s mounted in the turret, backed by 4 tons of ammo. This weapon change allows the Shillelagh to take on a number of roles and troubleshoot where needed, better able to take advantage of the 5/8 movement profile so closely tied to the Shillelagh's identity. A pair of light machine guns in the front, fed by a half ton of ammo can give you some bare bones anti-infantry capacity. The LMGs are also the only weapon capable of making aimed shots against targets that can be immobilized by infernos or black outs. More armor, arranged 30/24/15/35 isn't so stellar that the Shillelagh can act as an MBT, but tough enough to cruise at range and survive a Gauss rifle hit to it's weakest location, 2 in the front.
This is where I come to where the Shillelagh shines. Unlike most MML boats, which are clearly more dangerous as glorified SRM boats, the Shillelagh actually does well for the variety of special LRM munitions available. Instead of going with a pair of MML7s, the trio of MML5s allows the Shillelagh the opportunity to fill 3 hexes a turn with smoke, light 3 hexes on fire, or pepper enemy hovercraft with 3 easy chances to cause criticals with mine clearance missiles or inflict 3 AOE damage on the BA of your choosing. And, in case there is an enemy in need of a facefull of SRMs, pesky assault BA in need of barbecuing or a building in need of being brought down, the SRM capacity of the MMLs can throw out an upwards of 30 damage.
The 5/8 movement and mediocre armor profile the SRMs should be used with caution. Decisive responses to opportunities opened up by the other units is a better idea. And the Shillelagh has the speed to make the transition from medium ranged LRM supporter to medium ranged SRM sucker punch if need be. Just make sure you can finish off the opponent, because your own armor is not strong enough to brawl for extended periods of time.
The Shillelagh plays the midfield between the DCMS's traditional fast attack vehicles (hovercraft and recently, VTOLs) and their ponderous fire support (Shreks, Behemoths, Schiltrons, Demolishers). The LRM support the Shillelagh can provide is able to deal with a variety of threats at range. The SRMs allow the Shillelagh to protect the fire support tanks if they are engaged. This flexibility and ability to move from one hot spot to another is the greatest strength of the Shillelagh. It can act as the glue that binds the sometimes haphazard and dangerously under armored selection of DCMS combat vehicles together and allows them to work. The size of the MML5 is perfect for mine clearance and smoke missiles. I suggest taking them and possibly infernos and 1 ton of standard SRMs. You may want to tailor your MMLs for ranged combat, but the options are abundant and effective.
Combating a Shillelagh isn't difficult. Standard crit producing weapons apply, and the armor is thin enough that a kick or two in the same hex will dent the armor without it being able to hurt you. At best, isolate it and avoid being caught either in the short range of the SRMs.
~
I must say this tank surprised me. At first, I hated it. But, the more I dwelt on it and commented about the flexibility of MMLs on designs like the Trajan, the more I got to like the idea of it. As a long time DCMS combined arms enthusiast (or fatalist), I can say this is the tank I've been waiting for. It may not be perfect. A little more armor might have helped. But, the role that it fill is certainly appreciated. DC does things their own way, and the DC 3145 TRO suggests that they have latched on to the idea of specialized munitions. The Shillelagh is what I want backing up my infantry and fire support tanks. I really can't say enough about how flexible and helpful the MML version can be. The Succession Wars version is just ok. Considering the Panther 9R is only slightly higher in BV, it doesn't really shine. But, in a conventional unit the Shillelagh adds some much needed LRM support. It is a shame the SW version didn't make it to production. But, you can use it. I won't tell anyone.
