Armchair Generals Quarterly - First Quarter 3084 edition
"'Mechs in Depth: The
Nova Cat"
Ekron Viertel
Staff Writer
Nova Cat - Technical Readout 3060 - Page 175
In the late Twentieth Century the idea that there were multiple universes began to gain traction among physicist and even became part of the popular consciousness. If any take on the multi-universe concept is true I want to believe that in one reality, sometime during the second half of 3052, Oathmaster Winters gave Khan Leroux a hard elbow to the ribs followed by a, "Told you so, quiaff?". With the invasion stalled and Clan Nova Cat's
touman beaten down from Luthien and Tukayyid, it was a time of soul searching. And secret talks with their new Inner Sphere neighbors. It was in the midst of this turmoil that Khan Leroux ordered the development of a new OmniMech to "protect the Clan both militarily and spiritually," (
Technical Readout 3060, p 174). The fact that the combat debut of the
Nova Cat OmniMech came during Operation BULLDOG against Clan Smoke Jaguar is a none too subtle clue as to the result of said introspection.
The Clan Scientists tasked with fulfilling Khan Severen Leroux's vision drew inspiration from the Jade Falcon's
Night Gyr. With the powerful heavy as a starting point, years of development resulted in a slightly smaller OmniMech (70 tons) with the same 65 kph top speed and same whopping 38 tons available for pods. The smaller Consolidated 280 XL fusion engine left room for only a single additional integrated double heat sink though. Unlike the
Night Gyr, the
Nova Cat only uses Endo Steel in addition to the XL engine to save weight . One last concession for weight, or perhaps optimization, was the removal of the
Night Gyr's hard mounted jump jets.
Thirteen and a half tons of Alpha Compound Plate standard armor provides the near maximum protection while leaving copious free space within the arms and side torsos. The armor coverage is well laid out with all front locations able to take an AC-20 round with protection to spare. The legs and center torso are adequately covered to withstand two direct hits from Gauss rifles. All armor sections on the rear torso can withstand a Clan medium laser. The center will even take a strike from an Inner Sphere large laser before breaching. Between the lower end speed, thick layers of armor, and ample pod space for equipment the
Nova Cat has more in common assault 'Mechs than many Clan heavy OmniMechs.
For an OmniMech named for an now abjured Clan, the
Nova Cat is fairly widely spread. Reports exist that several Clans even utilized the design in the Homeworlds before the communications blackout. The initial production facility on Barcella is a possible source. It was ceded to the Diamond Sharks for their assistance to the Nova Cats when they were adjured. Most examples encountered in the Inner Sphere were likely built at the Nova Cat's facility in Irece Prefecture. Obviously the bulk are found within the Cats’ touman and along with the
Sphinx make up the majority of the Clan's heavy 'Mech forces. Beyond that the 'Mech is not uncommon with the Cat's primary trading partners, Clans Diamond Shark and Wolf (in Exile). The Ghost Bears are known have some captured examples as well. Sketchy reports are coming in from the Periphery that the Omni' has even been spotted in Clan Snow Raven stars. Outside of the Clans, no one should be surprised to see the
Nova Cat in the Republic of the Sphere's army with the massive number of Nova Cat defections swelling its ranks.
Before going into the specifics on each configuration, it's worth noting that all but three mount their weapons entirely in the arms. While potentially vulnerable, this allows for a wide field of fire. Though a 'Mech with a walking speed of of 43 kph would be generously called brisk, when the throttle's open wide it's still faster than any Clan battle armor. Subsequently the
Nova Cat makes a solid battle armor transport for heavy and assault Novas and mixed Stars. In any case, on to the configurations.
Nova Cat Prime – One of the harshest lessons Tukayyid taught the Nova Cats was the dangers of utilizing ammunition-dependent configurations for extended combat away from resupply. That, and be careful with your air support when you have a quarter of your troops in a single dropship. Always one to adapt, the primary variant of the Nova Cat's namesake OmniMech mounts an entirely energy based weapon package. Paired ER PPCs in the right arm and three ER large lasers in the left give this configuration a very long, not to mention potent, reach. The chassis is crammed with enough heat sinks to keep temperatures manageable outside of an alpha strike. Much like a Clan take on the
Awesome, it begs for a firing series that pushes the heat scale to maximize firepower before cooling. Not surprisingly there are as many possible firing patterns as there are MechWarriors at the controls of a
Nova Cat.
Nova Cat A – Quad ER large lasers tied into a targeting computer with enough heat sinks to tape down the fire button. The
Nova Cat A is a long range duelist dream. Four jump jets help the A easily reach ideal firing positions. Straightforward and deadly, nothing more need be said. [Game play note: Well, that and it's the second most expensive configuration in terms of battle value.]
Nova Cat B – Mounting a whopping six LRM-15 racks, the B is a missile boat
par excellence. With 90 tubes the
Nova Cat B is cable of pelting a target with more missiles than any known 'Mech save the Jade Falcon's
Kraken (
Bane) 3. This is made more potent by the addition of five double heat sinks capable of keeping this configuration firing all six launchers and moving without heat concerns. Ten tons of ammo keep the hungry launchers well fed making the two ER medium lasers mounted in the torsos seem almost superfluous. Battle reports indicate that some Nova Cat Star Commanders, at least against less honorable foes such as the Word of Blake, have paired the
Nova Cat B with the NARC beacon equipped
Shadow Cat C OmniMechs to enhance the accuracy of the LRMs.
Nova Cat C – An autocannon heavy odd configuration out. Two large pulse lasers in the left arm are the only ammo independent weaponry on the
Nova Cat C. An LB 5-X and two Ultra AC/5 autocannons are pod-mounted in the right arm. Not a heavy hitter, it can provide sustained long range fire and is especially effective against vehicles and aircraft. [Game play note: Those autocannons do keep the battle value of the C low. In fact it's one of the least expensive ways to get a Clan heavy on the field that isn't ... well ... awful.]
Nova Cat D – The D is a brutal close ranged combatant. It features a trio of heavy large lasers and an LB 10-X autocannon, all enhanced by a targeting computer. The nine additional double heat sinks are adequate for unleashing two of the lasers and the autocannon while staying mobile. The heat generated by an alpha strike will run a high risk of shutdown. Still, obliterating three tons of armor followed by a cluster shot in a single volley can be worth the risk against a wounded foe. The
Nova Cat D not recommended when significant combat outside of the tight confines of 450 meters is expected.
Nova Cat E – Each arm of the E mounts two flexible ATM-9 systems and a large pulse laser is nestled in the right torso. Also included are enough head sinks to fire all four launchers or three launchers and the laser without concern. While eight tons does make for some deep ammunition bins, it's not adequate for the typical “three tons per launcher” often seen with Advanced Tactical Missiles. The result is that a pilot has to be a bit choosy depending on personal preference or the mission at hand. For example, the standardized loadout for the
Nova Cat E leaves only enough extended range and high explosive missiles for three full salvos of each type. Good intelligence (HA!) and smart ammo selection are the key to the E's viability. Failure in either instance may suddenly find a MechWarrior with the pulse laser as the sole weapon outside of 450 meters or inside 120 meters. A disadvantage any enemy worth his or her salt would be quick to exploit.
Nova Cat F – Visually mimicking the weapon layout for Prime, two large pulse lasers are mounted in the right arm while three medium pulse lasers are in the left. All five pulse lasers are mated to a targeting computer for extraordinary accuracy. Most of the roomy torso of the
Nova Cat F is taken up with enough improved jump jets to leap a surprising 180 meters. As with many configurations developed during the Jihad, an ECM suite has been included to disrupt enemy electronics including C3 and C3i systems. The unparalleled accuracy of the pulse laser/targeting computer combination give a MechWarrior little incentive to stay ground bound against all but the swiftest of opposition. Three extra double heat sinks keep the temperature levels on this 70 ton jumping bean manageable. The F harkens to the venerable
Summoner D, only more difficult to beat. Our editor commented that, “It is a munchkin's dream and pretty much puts the
Viper (
Black Python) in its place.” [Game play note: Remember how I said the A had the second highest BV? The F tops the scale.]
Nova Cat G – The most recent configuration to enter service. The
Nova Cat G seems geared to maul the variety of opponents found on the grinding battlefields of the Jihad. Long to mid range fire comes in the form of triple LRM-20 each slaved to Artemis IV Fire Control Systems, and an ER large laser enhanced by a targeting computer. Also linked to the targeting computer are eight anti-personnel Gauss rifles. Yep, eight AP Gauss rifles for when you really need to shred infantry, a point of battle armor, or fill all those armor gaps the laser and missiles opened. The caveat being that all eight of those guns are supplied by a single ton of ammo. The now obligatory ECM suite and three double heat sinks complete the package. The long range missiles have five tons of ammo providing less than two minutes of sustained fire. While not inadequate, considering the LRMs constitute the main offensive punch I'd prefer a few extra rounds. Still, the G will put a hurtin' on someone till the bins run dry.
As alluded to earlier, the
Nova Cat has to be used differently that most Clan heavy OmniMechs. Without speed on your side, you're forced to rely upon armor and making the most of terrain. Utilizing the long range firepower of most configurations along with cover is your best bet for victory, assuming your opponent isn't using any of that pesky artillery. Also of note is that nearly all
Nova Cats run hot at some point. Infernos and plasma weapons are
not your friends. A warrior may find his or herself running a little warm but manageable to suddenly slapping shutdown overrides and ammo explosions threatening to turn their brain to mush.
The
Nova Cat is one of those rare examples of an OmniMech that combines a solid base chassis with more good configurations than not. (See our write up of the
Cauldron-born for a glowing counter-example.) It's certainly the kind of 'Mech any force would be happy to have in their roster.
The
Master Unit List has more info for each configuration and Camo Specs
has a
few fine examples.
