Cavalier Battle Armor - Technical Readout 3058U page 19
The Cavalier is the cold pizza of the Battle Armor world. You might like it, but it's just a repeat of what you already had with one simple change. Despite its uninspired origins, the Cavalier has probably seen more heavy combat than any other Inner Sphere design, thanks to the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, with only the IS Standard able to compete. Often overlooked in the company of the Infiltrator Mk II or the ground-breaking Hauberk, the Cavalier is the backbone of the AFFS' massive Battle Armor Corps: the Tommy, the GI, the Landser, the common trooper found on just about every battlefield.
Appearing alongside the Infiltrator Mk II in Field Manual: Federated Suns, the Cavalier was immediately cast in the shade by the more impressive looking and far more advanced design. To this day, I remember the reaction of local players to the Cavalier, which can be summed up with one word: "Meh." This was swiftly followed by arguments that it was a refit rather than a separate design, but even that brief spark of notoriety quickly faded thanks to the design's sheer mediocrity. Parallels are obviously often drawn to the Draconis Combine's Raiden, but that at least started off as a different concept and only ended up as an IS Standard clone in BattleTech game terms due to convergent design processes. Even though the Gray Death Standard also shared the same origin as the Cavalier, the Legion engineers had transformed it into a completely new suit, which operates very differently to its sire. In contrast, the Cavalier is effectively nothing more than a re-skinning of the IS Standard - and not even a particularly good looking one at that - that was developed not in the name of improved performance, but to beat the drum of patriotism.
Slightly miffed with the secession of the Lyran Alliance and the stinging defeats of Operation Guerrero, Victor Steiner-Davion and the High Command of what was then still called the AFFC decided that they needed to introduce some new units to restore Davion morale and pride. Somewhat akin to treating yourself to a tub of ice cream after a beat down at school, the Suns' military industry duly rolled out designs such as the Enforcer III and JagerMech III, which at least offered different performance to their earlier versions. In the case of the then standard Battle Armor suit in AFFC service at the time, they gave its "Davion pride" replacement fat legs and a ludicrous looking crest. Okay, I'm making something of a cruel joke there (although I mean it), and I know that for some reason every time I read "redesign for Davion pride" I imagine it being said by the Redneck "they took our jobs" characters in South Park, which tends to make me look upon the whole redesign concept with an undercurrent of laughter, but really? The Cavalier re-skin was all they could come up with? Who said NAIS were the best R&D in the Inner Sphere? Are you really sure now?
Now that I've got that out of my system, I'll move on. The Cavalier redesign at least went swiftly, since all the major work had already been done with the development of the original IS Standard, taking a mere six months from prototype design to final production in July 3058. Lostech gave us some more information regarding the development process, revealing that hundreds of designs and dozens of prototypes were tried and rejected during those months as engineers attempted to balance performance with appearance, as well as some details on the almost cosmetic differences of the production suit compared to the IS Standard. The designers had shifted armor around, reducing the plating on the arms and hands to reinforce the Cavalier's leg protection, a move that caused concern with some in the AFFC, although the design was eventually approved. As shown in Lostech, the Cavalier did have slightly different armor compared to the IS Standard under the original Mechwarrior RPG rules, but within the BattleTech tactical game, and the current roleplaying rules, the two suits are identical in basic performance and structure.
The Federated Suns' manufacturers all switched over to the Cavalier, making the Suns the only Successor State to willingly halt production of the Inner Sphere Standard. What then happened to those IS Standards already in Davion service isn't completely clear, although judging by the general availability of the older suit there must still be some in the ranks of the AFFS, perhaps in low priority units, and maybe even imported to replace losses. As the most enthusiastic Inner Sphere adoptee of Battle Armor, even as early as 3062 the AFFS fielded a company or more in every Regular infantry regiment, plus others were attached to independent BattleMech regiments that otherwise lacked the heavy infantry support of the Regimental Combat Teams. Most AFFS Battle Armor units also received their own dedicated APC transports, with many likely fielding the popular Cavalier VTOL, which had a variant specifically developed to transport Battle Armor. I have to wonder how many AFFS Battle Armor units have Ride of the Valkyries as the unit tune.
The majority of the AFFS' Battle Armor ranks would eventually be filled by the Cavalier, resulting in it being built in greater numbers than any other design apart for the IS Standard. Of course, large numbers were required simply to replace losses, but even after the Civil War and Jihad, the amount of armored infantry in the AFFS has increased, even as other ground forces have decreased, with up to a regiment of Battle Armor in the new Light Combat Teams. With this high demand for Battle Armor, the Cavalier's relatively simple and low cost design does make more sense, even if players might wish for something more distinctive. As their bread and butter design, the AFFS apparently have no interest in disrupting deliveries with any form of product improvement program, which makes the Cavalier unique among the Suns' Battle Armor.
No official variants or upgrades have ever been produced, and the Cavalier even lacks the Light Recoilless Rifle configuration that has become popular with other suits. Whether this last point is another example of the AFFS' occasionally blinkered viewpoint (see the history of OmniMechs in the AFFS) or perhaps a conscious decision to reject a weapon that originated in CCAF service is unknown, although I doubt the latter given that the Suns has willingly adopted other Capellan innovations. Most likely the lack is simply a meta-game issue to attempt to differentiate the Cavalier from the IS Standard and similar suits.
Given the diversity and superb performance of the other Battle Armor operated by the AFFS, it could be argued that the Suns have little need to bother improving the Cavalier. The Infiltrator Mk II offers a superb scouting and screening suit, the Grenadier is a powerful short-range mugger, and the Hauberk re-wrote the book with its spectacular long-range fire support capability, plus all three can undertake stealthy operations that would stymie the Cavalier. Throw in the remaining Waddles and the new Sloth (Infiltrators), and the lack of a Cavalier variant is perhaps understandable, albeit grudgingly so for those who would have like to have seen a stealthy or otherwise more advanced version.
It should be no surprise that the Cavalier operates identically to the Inner Sphere Standard, with the same litany of armament choices that have remained constant since the original Elemental. Alongside the familiar Small Laser, Flamer and Machine Gun, the AFFS also added a four-shot single-tube SRM launcher, giving a longer ranged attack with at least some endurance, plus the possibility of Inferno loads. This same launcher was also used by the IS Standard according to Lostech, but by the time Technical Readout 3058U was published the earlier suit had switched to the less than satisfactory one-shot SRM2. Trying to think like a Davion, with their passion for technology and autocannons, I wouldn't be surprise to one day see the Clans' Bearhunter Superheavy AC gracing the right arm of the Cavalier, even if it would be a horrible choice. Obviously there are plenty of other unofficial configurations that would be possible, such as the Light Recoilless Rifle or the Thunderstick - the David Light Gauss Rifle clone produced by Federated-Barrett to arm the experimental Infiltrator Mk II CORAL INTENT - but for players who want to keep to canon, there are only the four options shown in Technical Readout 3058U currently available.
The Suns' Battle Armor manufacturers came through the Jihad relatively unscathed and are building suits in record numbers according to Objectives: Federated Suns, and as the AFFS' premier design, at least in numbers, the Cavalier has a solid future ahead of it. Its origins and design may be unimaginative, perhaps even unimpressive to some, but it has racked up battlefield experience far exceeding many superior models. With the AFFS continuing their enthusiasm for Battle Armor, that almost matches its famed passion for autocannon, the Cavalier has a solid future ahead of it, and whether in the blood and filth of the battlefield or the shining steel of the parade ground, its chubby thighs and stupid hat will be a familiar sight for decades to come.
Next up:
- Sylph
- Undine
- Enhanced Sylph
- Elemental II