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Mechs in traveller idea

Mechs in traveller idea

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    89
I've used mechs before in the past in MTU, thanks to a creative interpretation of the Imperial Rules of War. In MTU, mercenary companies are monitored by Imperial "Marshalls", and one of the rules is a set of "categories" for certain conflicts.
Category 1 conflicts are limited to small-unit, infantry contracts.
Category 2 conflicts add a small armored component to category 1 - but prohibit the use of grav technology on the battlefield.
Category 3 conflicts are those which employ division-sized mercenary components, including armor - but without grav technology.
Category 4 conflicts are small-unit, grav equipped affairs.
Category 5 conflicts are those awesome spectacles which basically allow everything on the battlefield, save for nuclear and biochem weapons.
Category 6 conflicts are the real monsters, where the Rules of War have somehow broken down, and madness rules. This is hard-core red-zone territory, with Imperial intervention imminent.

Under those rules, mechs can be a very effective and vital force on the battlefield. I also structure my mech mercs to be multitasking mo-fo's...if they're not fighting, they're engineering or exploring hostile environments.
They're just too cool to leave out of MTU.
 
i havent been on much lately but one thing that came to mind was in Mega Traveller's book 101 vehicles there was a walker/mech vehicle made by one of the minor races. what ever happened with those?
 
Their is an illustration on page 21 of FF&S1 which shows a walker type vehicle which certainly looks like a Battlemech type of mech to me. Plus as previously mention the Dynchian (I think that is right) a minor human race certainly do have this type of Mech (Under MT rules) so strategically and or tactically they should have been of some use.
 
IMHO, 'mechs such as the ones found in Gundam, Robotech, Battletech and the like don't really have a place in the slightly more hard edged world of Traveller. That said, I don't see any reason for there not to be things like power suits and armoured powerloaders (kind of like the APU's in the Matrix, but with at least SOME kind of armour...) that could support or supplement battledress. In fact, I quite like the idea! Spider tanks like the ones in Ghost in the Shell are probably more likely for a Traveller game, but I don't see any reason to just write off all applications of military walkers. As long as we don't start getting into arguments about weight and ground pressure, I think we'll be OK!

I'd imagine such things would be most prevalent amongst civilisations that either had yet to develop grav technology in a big way or in more advanced societies who produced them for some "just because" whim. Or, of course, amongst alien societies. I couldn't really see anyone creating anything much bigger than something like an AT-ST walker, though (who's tactical strengths and weaknesses have been ably demonstrated by a bunch of TL1 or 2 hippy teddy bears with too much rope and free time on their hands...)
 
My question is why would you want to build a weapons platform that sticks 10-15m in the air and has a multitude of sensitive mechanical joints and flat surfaces?

IMHO, Ogres are more feasible in the OTU than walkers. Walkers couldn't go head to head with a large armored vehicle (i.e. tank) when walkers are inherently unstable plaforms and have so many moving parts that can't be armored enough to prevent combat damage. And how can a walking machine carry more armor, weapons, or a larger power source than a tracked vehicle of the same tonnage? In addition, remember that that same tonnage is now supported by a much smaller footprint, meaning your mech can't traverse terrain that consists of loose gravel, sand, snow, or wetlands like a tank. Sure you can drive it around a parking lot but not cross country.

I think walkers could only be viable in an urban environment that tanks couldn't navigate; thus very limited tactical use. Even then, they couldn't be much more than battlesuits or they would get trapped in the buildings they're fighting in.
 
Ran Targas,

First, I just want to say that I agree with you on the limitations of mechs. Much better to build a real tank. But I can think of a few justifications for them:

1. Urban warfare, as has been mentioned. Use them instead of tanks as support vehicles for your infantry.

2. Police actions. Great for crowd control and dealing with civil insurection. Great backup for your foot patrolmen.

3. Stylized warfare (my personal favorite). A society where the nobility regularly engages in personal combat (either themselves, or their champions). Perhaps the suits started off small, and thngs just got out of hand. :)

carl
 
Originally posted by Spiderfish:
Ogres?
Click to expand...
OGRE is a classic Steve Jackson Games game of giant mobile robot fortresses armed with laser cannons and nuclear weapons, going head to head or against armies of lightly armed vehicles and tanks. Ever read any of the BOLO books? Similar concept.
 
Isn't an OGRE more a tank than a "mech"?...the ogre games i've played its more a capital ship with treads
 
Originally posted by Nurd_boy:
Isn't an OGRE more a tank than a "mech"?...the ogre games i've played its more a capital ship with treads
Click to expand...
Yeah, they are tanks. My point is that OGRE's are a more likely component of the OTU than mechs or walkers are.

A mountain of metal bristling with missile tubes and beam generators, rumbling toward you like a 9.0 earthquake, bent on your utter destruction, is definitely more intimidating than a bunch of spindly walkers or man-bots hefting undersized and underpowered weapons.
 
Now that does sound interesting...

You've jogged my memory A little this might require some research.

*Note to self develop "Ogres" for use in "operation world conquest"
 
ahhhh,
but the question then becomes..

what mark ogre?...wasn't viii the highest? or x?

(each mark, being bigger, meaner and nastier than the last...what tech level are they?)
 
^ I wrote up one Red Zone world where OGRE's (and other technological horrors) were unleashed by one superpower on the other during the Sol Rim war, rending the world a scorched wasteland. The world had been strategically significant due to its high tech manufacturing centers and natural resources. Unfortunately, there are still survivors, including the decendents of politically active Imperial nobles, trapped in the ruins and in underground bunkers.

The Imperium has blockaded the world to prevent the AI's from escaping but two groups are authorized to operate on the surface. The first are treasure hunters who have bought licenses to salvage high tech artifacts. Anything brought into orbit must be thoroughly inspected by the IN before it can leave the system. There are also merc units who have standing Imperial warrants to rescue survivors. But the OGRE's and other AI monstrosities are still functional and more often than not treat rescue teams as hostile combat units. Some even send distress signals to ships in orbit in an attempt to lure them in for the kill.

Sort of a Terminator world seen from the outside.
 
The ultimate fact is that Mech's and giant Cybertanks are just damn cool. I personally don't see any reason why they can't exist (or co-exist) in any science fiction universe. They even fit perfectly well into Traveller. My only reservation would be that the more extreme examples of both types of vehicle probably don't fit thematically with the established OTU. Then again, that's entirely up to the players and GM of each game to decide, not me!
 
Originally posted by Ran Targas:
If you like both mechs and ogres, there are some cool concepts here:
Click to expand...
Yep! The old Mecha Press articles which I mentioned and linked to a page ago. ;)
file_23.gif
Very cool that SJG is able to put them on the web for free as Mecha Press is very OOP.

Casey
 
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