'Mech of the Week: Patron IndustrialMechYes, that's right, an IndustrialMech. I've done it before, I'll probably do it again, and this time it's at the suggestion of my fellow moderator Weirdo. Originally designed alongside the first Marik-designed BattleMech, the
Icarus, the
Patron debuted in 2550 and is recorded in Technical Readout 3075. The design impetus was to address the requirement of reloading a twelve-meter tall titan instead of something lower to the ground, like a tank. Originally designed by Atrean Robotics of (where else?) Atreus, the first
Patrons were heavily specialized to support the
Icarus, but later models replaced them as other 'Mechs like the
Hector began to enter service and resigning the originals to the status of museum relics. Prior to the Succession Wars,
Patrons accompanied nearly ever FWLM 'Mech force, with a handful surviving. The design has reentered production (presumably with Graham-Davis Enterprises on Tamarind) and at least one has been seen in the Abbey District once again servicing the revived
Icarus II even as the Eagle's wings tattered as the heat of politics melted the ancient state's unity. The design has even given rise to a couple of armed variants, intended as either infantry support units or security guards.
The original
Patron LoaderMechs were just as primitive as the 'Mechs they were intended to reload. At 15 tons, this is a very small unit. The speed provided by the 30-rated primitive fuel cell engine hasn't changed in any of its variants - as TRO3075 sagely observes, someone carrying explosives really shouldn't be in a hurry - but at 32.4 kph, you're only barely keeping up with an
UrbanMech and certain suits of battle armor can actually outrun you. The engine comes with a free heat sink, offering you the theoretical possibility of surviving someone using Infernos on you. One ton of commercial armor provides minimal (
very minimal) protection at 24 points. Ordinarily, I'd say something arch, sarcastic, snarky, or possibly even snide here about it being BAR 5 (meaning a six point shot can generate a critical hit even against intact plates), but given that a five point hit will actually take any given limb off and a six pointer will blow out any location but the center torso, I'll save it for another time. There's two points everywhere but the head and the forward center torso, just enough to protect against accidents but not enough to actually deal with anything but infantry fire. To be honest, I've seen infantry platoons that won't have any issues here, either. Yeah, it's not supposed to get shot at, so it's decent enough for the designed purpose, but in theory, you're not supposed to accidentally crack open ancient bioweapons stocks, use nuclear weapons on people, glass entire worlds, or conquer a large swathe of the Capellan Confederation, either. The lift hoist in the right torso is good for seven and a half tons, which is enough ammunition to supply most 'Mechs in a single load (or several of certain models). And that's it. No weapons, nada.
The “modern” variant is more versatile but not any tougher. A ton of cargo storage was added in the center torso to supply a sprayer in the same location, while a searchlight went onto the left shoulder.
Graham-Davis Enterprises put together a new model called the PTN-2
Patron MilitiaMech beginning in 3076, an armed variant this time. Remember that armor I spent a bit of time up above describing in such loving terms? The stuff that was okay for a LoaderMech, sort of, but an absolute joke against any serious opponent? It's baaaaaaaack! The actual changes, though, are mostly more encouraging. All of the equipment but the searchlight was removed in favor of a rockets-and-machine guns style of load, five RL 10s in the right torso with two LMGs on each wrist and fed by a half-ton of ammunition, all tied into advanced fire control. There's no more heat sinks, though, making the idea of a massed ripple of those rockets a little concerning - you're going to eat a shutdown roll and then be unable to move for four turns whether you shut down or not. In a desperate situation, it can be the one thing that gets you out alive (or at least takes the other guy with you) but I really don't recommend it otherwise. They're cheap, they have that cachet of being 'Mechs with a pretty hefty Sunday punch, and they're surprising to someone expecting the LoaderMechs I described up above. If that's what you're looking for, the MilitiaMech in XTRO: RetroTech or the following PatrolMech might be just the ticket, and they're being sold pretty widely now that the Jihad is over.
The debut of the design, punctuated by the successful delay of raiders, led Graham-Davis to invest in a further modification called the PTN-2M and now designated a PatrolMech, trading two of the rocket launchers to upgrade to two tons heavy industrial armor. As TRO: Prototypes notes, a medium laser can still take a limb off, but you'll need six points to blow away the head, and four points on the sides and five on the centerline is a serious upgrade to the forward armor. Overall, a little bit more survivable but the lack of the ability to pump quite so many rockets might not be worth it in some people's opinion.
I have one suggestion for using one of the LoaderMech variants in combat: Don't. If you find yourself there, find hard cover and get behind it unless you've got ammunition that just
has to be delivered under fire. Otherwise, run like a coward as fast as you can and let the BattleMechs (or even the
Arbiters and Scorpions) handle the fighting. The armed models are still encouraged not to get too courageous - even on the PTN-2M, your armor is worse than most
Locusts for points - but as security forces for an unimportant target or designated infantry support, I can see it doing passably well.
Decent amounts of firepower (and “decent” is a very small amount in this case) will find dealing with one of these laughably easy. I really wouldn't be surprised to see a squad of medium battle armor take one apart in a handful of turns assuming they survived the possible rocket spam, and most light BattleMechs can shred a
Patron if they're smart about it. Pay attention to the armed models, though - that many rockets can hurt like blazes if they connect and Graham-Davis may not have done much with the armor but they didn't stint on the fire control. Just because it's thinly armored doesn't mean it's harmless.
References: The Master Unit List, dividing things on the basis of names the way it does, splits this between
LoaderMechs,
MilitiaMech, and
PatrolMech. I am unaware of any miniatures for this design.