OK, I've been digging into various designs, looking for parts overlap, and I have some ideas on what Niops could start producing if they manage to rebuild their Workshops. I'm sticking only to canon designs here, for simplicity's sake. I'm also sticking only to fusion-powered designs. ICE or fuel-cell vehicles rapidly add enough options that this becomes madness to a level I cannot currently contemplate, and we don't have any direct knowledge of canon designs that Niops built using these engines.
First off, knowing that Niops used to build the Highlander, the Black Knight and the Burke tank, we know then that they built three types of fusion engines, all with single heat sinks: the Vlar 300 (Black Knight), the GM 270 (Highlander), and the GM 150 (Burke). Any designs I'm looking at, then, will be based around one of these three engines, operating under the assumption that, with outside tooling assistance, they can get one of these three engines back into production.
Option one is they get back to a construction level where they can build either standard Industrial or Primitive BattleMech/Aerospace level designs. This isn't ideal, but it's workable, and it might only be interim until something better can be done. Under this scenario, Niops focuses on getting the GM 270 engine back into production. At Industrial/Primitive level, this gives them the option to build the following:
GM 270 Primitive/Industrial Designs- FLN-366 St. Florian FireMech (req: heavy industrial armor, fluid guns)
- ON1-H Orion primitive BattleMech (req: AC/10, LRM-5, SRM-4, ML, primitive armor)
- EGL-R4 Eagle primitive aerospace fighter (req: LLs, MLs, primitive armor)
The St. Florian can then, in turn, be turned into the MOD version if they can get access to heavy flamers and plasma rifles. It's still a good option to have around because it would build experience back towards eventually restoring Highlander production and, failing that, for your own home games, you've got a platform you can build
a Highlander MilitiaMech on. With the Orion's AC/10, I'm assuming at this point that Niopian AC/10s are substandard, equivalent to the Prototype AC/10s carried by the canon design.
If you can't build any more advanced BattleMechs
A more Introtech-level industrial base allows you more options, obviously. Looking at each of the engine types Niops was known to build, and sticking more or less to Intro tech, we get the following options
GM 150 Engine Designs- SPD-502 Spad aerospace fighter (req: PPC, LL, ML)
- Burke defense tank (req: PPC, LRM-10)
- VLK-QA Valkyrie battlemech (req: LRM-10, ML, 0.5t jump jets)
- WSP-100 Wasp LAM (req: ML, SRM-2, 0.5t jump jets, LAM tech)
- WSP-100A Wasp LAM (req: LRM-10, ML, 0.5t jump jets, LAM tech)
So, let's look at each of these in turn:
The Spad is an all-around decent, if not spectacular, light fighter, with impressive armor for its size and a solid punch in the form of that PPC. It also has the benefit of being a pre-OmniFighter, which the Ravens ended up turning into a true OmniFighter in the form of the Issedone, sacrificing two points of armor from each location, but picking up 9 tons of pod space in the process. Amusingly, the Issedone is on the Periphery General list for the Dark Age in the MUL, because the Raven Alliance has begun building them for export. If you begin building domestic Spads, you build up the capacity to eventually do something similar yourself, though you might be importing weapons from the Sea Foxes.
The Burke defense tank is a design you used to build. Perhaps you can do so again, and with three PPCs and an LRM-10, it hits hard, even if it's slow and a bit thinly armored. As well, this has a Golden Century upgrade, the Kokou defense tank, which is on the Sea Fox and the Mercenary lists for the Dark Age in the MUL. You may be able to leverage this as well.
Now, here's where we get weird: the WSP-100 and WSP-100A are, in general, not that advanced, despite being Mk I LAMs. No double heat sinks here, and the most advanced weapon is the one-shot SRM-2 on the WSP-100. The standard WSP-100 could make a light bomb truck, and can pack up to 5 RL10s in that bomb bay. The WSP-105, while only packing 4 tons of armor, could function well as a light trooper 'Mech, thanks to its medium laser and LRM-10, which brings us to...
The VLK-QA Valkyrie. This was supposed to be the non-LAM version of the WSP-100A. You may well have enough technical information to reverse-engineer the design yourself, along with the possibility of licensing from the Federated Suns, to put your own Valkyries into production, making this a good option if you're not wanting to put LAMs on your table.
GM 270 Engine Designs- HGN-733 Highlander (req: AC/10, ML, LRM-20, SRM-6, 2t jump jets)
- HGN-733P Highlander (req: PPC, ML, LRM-20, SRM-6, 2t jump jets)
- PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk (req: LL, ML, MG, 0.5t jump jets))
- PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk (req: LL, ML, ECM, 0.5t jump jets)
- HER-1A Hermes (req: ML, flamer)
- HER-1B Hermes (req: ML)
- THK-33 Tomahawk aerospace fighter (req: LL, SL)
- AHB-X Ahab aerospace fighter (req: LRM-20, SRM-6, LL, ML)
Starting with the Highlanders, the HGN-733 leverages the AC/10s you may have built for your primitive Orions. Failing that, if you went with the 150-rating engine as an option, you can share the PPC production line with the Spad. Either of them use the LRM-20 and SRM-6, which the intro-tech Ahab uses as well. The drawback is that the Highlander has a large variety of weapons you'd need to put into production, but these are all weapons you used to build once upon a time, so it's possible. It's just work, time, and money, right?
Speaking of the Ahab, let's jump to that for a moment. In a lot of ways, it's a flying Highlander, though obviously it's using large lasers as well. That said, it's a solid, thematic choice for the Niops Association, and was always one of the designs I assumed they built.
The Tomahawk selected here is an intro-tech version that packs twin large lasers and a single small laser. It's slightly faster than the Spad, has a bit more armor, and hits a bit harder, but it's also a bit more expensive, too, and those 270-rating engines might be better served elsewhere, like on your Highlanders or Ahabs.
The 270-rating engine also gives you some options for lighter 'Mech elements, in the form of the Hermes, a fast-moving light 'Mech with either a medium laser and flamer or twin medium lasers for armament. These are thin-skinned, though, and neither hits particularly hard.
A better option for a lighter element that can double as both scout and trooper is the Phoenix Hawk. During the Star League era, you had the SLDF Regulars using both the PHX-1, which gives you the option of machine guns to stave off infantry attacks, or the slightly more advanced PXH-2, which drops the MGs for an ECM suite and a much-needed 2 points of head armor, as well as 3 more points to each leg, though that's obviously subject to availability of the more sophisticated electronics of the ECM suite.
Vlar 300 Engine Designs- BL-7-KNT Black Knight (req: PPC, LL, ML, SL)
- ON1-K Orion (req: AC/10, LRM-15, SRM-4, ML)
- TRC-4B Chameleon training 'Mech (req: LL, ML, SL, MG, 0.5t jump jets)
- Merkava Mk VIII heavy tank (req: AC/5, LRM-15, SRM-4, MG)
- EGL-R6 Eagle aerospace fighter (req: LL, ML)
- TRB-36 Thunderbird aerospace fighter (req: LRM-20, LL, ML)
Here, once again, you used to build Black Knights. In theory, you could once again, and the BL-7-KNT is an intro-tech level one, packing PPCs, large lasers, medium lasers and small lasers we're seeing in use elsewhere, and there's no ammo dependence to worry about. If you want to leave the PPCs elsewhere, you could switch to the BL-7-KNT-L, which swaps that PPC for another large laser and two more heat sinks, which may well be the better choice, anyway.
If you went the primitive Orion route earlier, you could also switch your mainline heavy trooper to the Orion. You're already producing the SRM-4 you used on the primitive, and there's still some overlap with other options here, too, depending on which Highlander you've reintroduced, and which Orion you're looking at: the ON1-K and ON1-V both use LRM-15s you're not using anywhere else, and while the ON-1VA is always an option, an AC/10, 2 SRM-4s and 2 medium lasers seems a bit underwhelming on a 75-ton 'Mech.
You've also got an option here to use instead of the Phoenix Hawk for a medium trooper: the TRC-4B Chameleon. Armor's lighter at only 6 tons, but it packs the same large laser, twin medium lasers and twin machine guns on a 6/9/6 medium as the PXH, but then throws on four small lasers. It also has a reputation as one of the best training 'Mechs in the Inner Sphere and, given the number of scrubs you've got going to your new military academy, shoving them in Chameleons, then transferring them out into their units in those same 'Mechs to build their experience up strikes me as a pretty solid idea.
Another thing this engine gives you the option for is a main battle tank, the Merkava Mk VIII. At 4/6 movement and protected by 10 tons of armor, it's not a bad option, except, of course, it's got an AC/5 you're not using anywhere else, backed by an LRM-15 and SRM-4 you may or may not be using on Orions, and machine guns for anti-infantry work. Still, worth considering.
The 300-rating engine also gives you a couple of common aerospace fighters as options, and by "common" I basically mean "generic": there's the EGL-R6 Eagle, with its banks of large and medium lasers, and the Thunderbird, which packs LRM-20s, large lasers and medium lasers.
OK, so, let's put it all together then:
If all you can do for the moment is build IndustrialMech or Primitive BattleMech level tech, focus on getting that GM 270 back into production, build the ON1-H as your mainline trooper, the Eagle R4 as your aerospace fighter, and see about getting a license for the St. Florian to either build towards your own "Highlander-esque" MilitiaMech or the FireMech MOD to supplement your Orions.
If you can *only* manage the 150-rating engine, build Spads, Burkes, and, and either Valkyries or Wasp LAMs. If you're feeling very adventurous, build both Valyries and the two Wasp LAMs. And, truthfully, while this isn't an ideal position, it isn't a hopeless one, either. Spads give you a decent fighter, Burkes are just what it says on the tin, a "defense tank", and you could do worse for a light 'Mech than a WSP-100A or Valkyrie.
If you can *only* manage the 270-rating engine, well, congrats, you've got Highlanders, backed by Phoenix Hawks on the ground, with Tomahawks and Ahabs in the air. You don't get synergy with a vehicle design this way, sadly, but maybe you can get an ICE-based vehicle going, recover another engine type later, or you'll just have to buy those on the open market.
If you can *only* manage the 300-rating engine, you've got the option of the Black Knight, the Orion or both for your mainline BattleMech, you've got the Chameleon for scout/skirmisher/trainer, Merkava as a tank, and your choice of two heavier aerospace fighters.
Meanwhile, if you can recover the 150 and 270 GM engines, my recommendation would be: Spad and Ahab for aerospace fighters, Burke for your tank, Highlander for your big 'Mech, and the Wasp LAM/Valkyrie for your lighter 'Mech. Why? Because you're not taking 270 engines away from your Highlander production to produce lighter 'Mechs or fighters. Those 270s are best served in heavier units.
Got 150 and 300 rating engines? Burkes and Merkavas for your tankers, with the 3-large-laser Black Knight as your heavy 'Mech. Spads and Eagles for your aerospace fighters. Build Chameleons as trainers and lighter units. Fill out your lighter roles with your choice of Valkyries or Wasp LAMs, depending on preference.
Have you pulled off a minor miracle and gotten all three engines back into production? Congratulations! Here's my suggestions on what to build:
150-rating: Spads, Burkes, your choice of Valkyrie or Wasp LAM
270-rating: Highlanders and Ahabs
300-rating: Merkavas, Chameleons and your choice of Black Knight or Orion. Personally, I'd go with the Black Knight, and save the LRM-15s and SRM-4s for the Merkavas. If you stick with the BL-7-KNT-L, you also save PPCs for the Spads and Highlanders (in the form of the 733P), and get better dissipation to boot.
So. Yeah. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk? Thoughts, ideas, comments, suggestions, expressions of disbelief at how much time I had to have spent sorting through all this?
