Hi Everyone,
Recovering from heart ailments in 2008, I decided to start researching a plot hook I read in Field Manual: Warden Clans: The Goliath Scorpion Seeker. I quickly realized I did not want to run the campaign in the present, but preferred to run the campaign in the more open environment of the Golden Century, especially because I could explore some conspiracy theories for the adventures. In the intervening years, I have spent many, many hours on this project, and there have been a few publications that have aided this project.
I saw a related thread put up
here, and thought I want to share some of my work with the community, especially because I have put a tremendous amount of time into this labor of love. Construction rationales are given below, but the primary goal was to create a more compelling setting in the intermediate Golden Century period.
If you would like to contribute to this thread, please feel free.
BattleMechs RefitsPlease see TRO:GC for canon “Early Clan” (EC) refits of classic Star League BattleMechs and prototypes.The earliest BattleMechs are based on customization rules available in SO, p. 188, with new production written into the campaign’s setting. I will just focus on Refits for this thread.
I used the Clan equipment upgrades in Historical: Operation KLONDIKE, p. 156, as well as the Early Clan Equipment from Interstellar Operations, pp. 95-98, 195, and 216-219. With the smaller size of Clan equipment, most of these variants are Class C or D refits, though there are a couple times I added CASE (Class E).
The resultant early Clan BattleMechs are frequently mixed-Tech, and should be considered “Era Specific”. Upgrades were organic, in that I most often based them upon a newly available, better weapon system (e.g. PPC being replaced by a Clan Improved PPC), or were interpolations of the original configuration and variants fielded by the Clans or Wolf’s Dragoons. There are few assault BattleMechs among the upgrades, since their more limited numbers led to custom upgrades.
The period after KLONDIKE became much more heated for inter-Clan raiding and Trials of Possession, according to many sources (including FM:CC, p 75, “Building The Clan”). It only felt right that front-line Clan units should start incorporating the (in hindsight) intermediate tech base (2818-2850) that was replaced by Clan standard (2822-present). However, with the "waste not, want not" Clan mentality, it seems unlikely the "Clan Improved" standard was produced in any significant surplus. And the significant advantages of Clan-spec XL engines, CASE, and Endo Steel shift armament efforts towards new production, eclipsing refits by the 2830s. By the time of my campaign, 90%+ of these weapons had been replaced by weapons evolution and battlefield attrition.
Please note, CI = Clan Improved, CP = Clan Prototype
Also, a note as to the haves and have-nots of the Clans 2821-2834. The (+) and (-) are relative to baseline Clan military production, not technical sophistication:
Arcadia:
(+)
Blood Spirit - Their cooperative approach leaves them with early advantages in Clan history, which they share. Their decline, especially at the hands of Clans Burrock and Mongoose, is that much more bitter
Ghost Bear - Mediocre performance, with moderate infrastructural damage. Their lower caste tolerance helped their long-term success
Star Adder - Poor performance, requiring years to recover
(-)
Steel Viper - Aggressive performance cost them moderately, but infrastructure and population largely intact, Kinnison’s attempt to kill Winson left a lingering distraction for her Clan
Babylon: (Babylon was a better prize)
(-)
Cloud Cobra - Significant losses to ground forces, civilian unrest, and a purge of half their
abtakha ground forces for not embracing the Way of the Clans. Their scientist caste still produced spectacular innovations
Coyote - Moderate performance, reasonably little infrastructure damage
Ice Hellion - Moderate performance, few casualties. However, the civil war fought over saKhan Moore's use of stimulants cost the Clan dearly, including their best minds in bio-medical engineering (even by FM:CC, they could not manage the Elemental phenotype). Still, the Clan's materials scientists pioneered several Clan-standard improvements
Sea Fox - Mediocre performance, harsh in combat, but incorporating Nasagawa's lower caste tolerance, the Sea Foxes rebound well.
Circe
(+)
Mongoose - Performed well, little infrastructure damage
(+)
Nova Cat - Performed well, little infrastructure damage.
(-)
Snow Raven - Poor performance, profited from circumstances
Wolverine - Moderate performance, Annihilated
Dagda: (Dagda is a poorer prize)
Burrock - Performed adequately well, albeit slowly and steadily.
(-)
Fire Mandrill - Performed poorly, very poor cohesion.
(-)
Goliath Scorpion - Mediocre performance, exacerbated by limited conquests after Satan’s Table trap
Jade Falcon - Performed well, but limited involvement. Later culling significantly distracted and made the Clan even more hide-bound
(-)
Widowmaker - Moderate performance, but with massive infrastructural damage
Wolf - Performed well, but limited involvement
Eden
Hell’s Horses - Performed well, but limited involvement
Jade Falcon - Performed well, but culling/conservative approach distract from KLONDIKE gains
(-)
Smoke Jaguar - Performed well, but infrastructure destruction
(+)
Wolf - Performed well
Refit BattleMechs are most likely produced by all Clans. Richer and average Clans deploy the most refits. Refit may be so common in richer Clans, they may even appear in garrisons in significant numbers. Poorer Clans also use refits for their vanguard units, even if they cannot afford many of them.
S.gage
Ok, tl;dr? Here goes:
