Christopher_Perkins
04/27/08 07:50 AM
76.120.212.36
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From the Star League Source Book
Quote:
[Editor's note: On February 5, 2439, the first BattleMech received its baptism of fire on a desolate series of steppes near the North American city of Yakima. The BattleMech, a joint effort by more than 20 of the best weapons manufacturers in the Hegemony, was tested against four ancient Merkava heavy tanks specially fitted with remote control devices. The commander of the BattleMech and the first MechWarrior was Colonel Charles Kincaid.
The few people allowed to witness the first combat run of the BattleMech were debriefed. What follows is a transcript of a verbal report filed by Professor Htov Gbarleman, chief research scientist for Karena's Fiber Optics Interstellar, manufacturer of the BattleMech's sensor systems.]
Colonel Kincaid, with his usual impatience, rushed through the pre-test warm-up and nearly ripped apart one of his umbilical connections trying to get the test started. As I began to monitor the sensor output, I noticed that the BattleMech's myomer-neural feedback circuits were faithfully echoing Colonel Kincaid's brain wave patterns. It was eerie - almost as though the 'Mech were technically alive and Kincaid was its spark of divinity. The Colonel's howl of sheer pleasure quickly cleared my head of that notion. He pushed the Mackie forward in a trot straight into the test range where four tanks waited among low, rolling hills.
One of the tanks opened fire. Its shot was true and hit the 'Mech just above the right hip. Everyone in the brightly lit bunker seemed to hold his breath as all the readouts fuzzed into snow at the blast interference. No damage! A piece of steel no thicker than my finger, strengthened by radiation casting techniques and impregnated with a sheet of woven diamond fibers, had stopped cold an armor-piercing shell. That same shell would have gone straight through a third of a meter of normal steel.
The tracking cameras watched as the Colonel swiveled his chest to bring his weapons to bear. Twenty years of my life seemed to focus into a single action that would take no more than five seconds. I watched as Colonel Kincaid used his sensors - my sensor - to pick out the tank hidden behind a group of small trees and bushes. He fired both his PPC and autocannon. Both shots were direct hits and the tank erupted into a ball of flame.
A thunderous cheer swept the bunker, while everyone present began to slap me on the back. Instead of feeling pleased at the 'Mech's performance, I felt increasingly sad.
I didn't realize why until Kincaid began to track down the last tank. The tank operator was sitting at his remote control panel next to me. I'll never forget the expression on the young man's face.
Outside, Kincaid had disabled the last tank. As he stood over it, he raised the 'Mech's right foot and brought it crashing down onto the tank. Before the hunk had a chance to explode, Kincaid twisted the 'Mech's foot deeper into the tank's carcass. Next to me, the operator of the tank was trying so hard not to show his fear that tears were streaming down his cheeks.
It hit me than that my colleagues and I had just turned loose one of the most powerful weapons ever conceived by man, but we were celebrating like giddy children. While my companions jumped up and down with glee, that poor boy was trying to hide the fact that in the instant his screens went black, he had wet his pants.
--From Terran Hegemony Document 0324610.04, Hegemony Research and Development Department, Military Weapon Systems Division, ComStar Archives, Terra.
Things to Consider...
The tank is stated to be ancient
The weapon is stated to be able to penetrate 1/3rd of a meter (or 300 mm - 360 mm) of "normal steel" and Rolled Homogenous Steel Armour is what wargamers in 1985 (the time of Publication) would probably have been referencing by that term.
Here is a variation on the Mackie that would have been in publication at the time (Tales of the Black Widow)
Code:
BattleMech Technical Readout
Custom* Weapons
Type/Model: Mackie MCK-5S (ToBW)(L3)
Tech: Inner Sphere / 2439
Config: Biped BattleMech
Rules: Level 3, Standard design
Mass: 100 tons
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 300 Vlar Fusion
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Standard
Armament:
1 Autocannon/5
1 PPC
1 Armour Place Holder*
1 Large Laser
1 Cockpit Place-holder*
Manufacturer: (Unknown)
Location: (Unknown)
Communications System: (Unknown)
Targeting & Tracking System: (Unknown)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==Overview:==
A Terran BattleMech Prototype, the Last two in existence are
in the possession of the Karena Brothers. Terrifically Heavy,
Mackie’s lack some of the agility of their later Brethren, but
make up for it in armour protection. Their superior Weight suits
them excellently for push'n'shove combat during which they can
inflict substantial damage on lighter Mechs and upset heavier
ones.
Their cockpit Glass is one way, producing the eerie effect of
'no one home' that upsets the Widow MechWarriors.
(ignore these scenario rules... the Mackie would have been in
Prime Shape to stomp on those 4 Drone Tanks)
(Start Scenario Rules for Tales of the Black Widow "Ghost Hunt")
The Mackie’s weight advantage is offset by certain flaws.
First their age has unbalanced their heat expenditure rate,
making it fluctuate wildly during exertion. Any turn that a
Mackie takes an action producing heat, roll a six sided die and
consult the table below. If the Mackie's exertions normally
would create more heat than its heat sinks would be able to
dissipate, add 1 to the roll.
Second the Mackie’s have a decayed myomer Skeleton. Every
Time the Mackie attempts to move its full MA, roll a six sided
die. If a 6 is rolled, the Mackie’s movement allowance is
reduced by 2 for running and 1 for walking; thus 4 failures would
reduce the Mackie to immobility
(Note, has a 360 engine giving it 4 MP... 3.6*100=360 /= 4*100
(WrongO)
Heat Table
1-3 Normal Heat
4 Increase heat Generated by 5 points
5 Increase heat Generated by 3 points
6 Double Heat Generated
7 Temporary Reactor Shutdown, When drive is restarted, roll d6 on
A roll of 5 or 6, the engine explodes, destroying the Mech
(Note: +1 Modifier if the total heat generated this turn
would normally Exceed the number of operative heat sinks)
(End Scenario Rules for Tales of the Black Widow "Ghost Hunt")
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Mackie MCK-5S (ToBW)(L3)
Mass: 100 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 152 pts Standard 0 10.00
Engine: 300 Fusion 6 19.00
Walking MP: 3
Running MP: 5
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 20 Single 8 10.00
(Heat Sink Loc: 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 LL, 2 RL)
Gyro: 4 3.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors: 5 3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA R: Sh+UA 12 .00
Armor Factor: 288 pts Standard 0 18.00
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 8
Center Torso: 31 45
Center Torso (Rear): 15
L/R Side Torso: 21 30/30
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 10/10
L/R Arm: 17 28/28
L/R Leg: 21 42/42
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Crits Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
1 Autocannon/5 RA 1 20 5 9.00
(Ammo Locations: 1 RA)
1 PPC LA 10 3 7.00
1 Armour Place Holder* LT 0 1 6.50
1 Large Laser CT 8 2 5.00
1 Cockpit Place-holder* HD 0 1 1.00
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 19 47 91.50
Crits & Tons Left: 31 8.50
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 8,619,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,425
Cost per BV: 6,048.42
Weapon Value: 1,704 / 1,704 (Ratio = 1.20 / 1.20)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 16; MRDmg = 14; LRDmg = 4
BattleForce2: MP: 3, Armor/Structure: 7/8
Damage PB/M/L: 4/2/2, Overheat: 0
Class: MA; Point Value: 14
The Artwork places the PPC & AC in the Arms...
The version in TOTBW places it in the torso... altered to fit Artwork
One key factor is the Side torso armour "just above the thigh" is 30 points thick and is possibly less than 30 mm thick "thickness of my finger"
another publication of the time (StarDate, Vol. 3 issue 2 - Official Status assumed, not verified- Definitely *not* Canon but serves as a point of reference) rates a 105mm M68e1 carried by the M1 as an AC/5 ... the M68 version of this same gun was carried by the Merkava Mk I and Mk II that the Powers that be would have known about when writing the Article in SLSB. for simplicities sake I am Assuming that the Shell that penetrates 300 mm to 360 mm RHAE penetration was being rated as the AC/5 ... OTOH there is the M900 shell from the M68E1 that is rated at 540 mm RHAE penetration... but I've already devoted too much work to assuming the AC/5... OTOH the 120 mm that is carried by the Merkava Mk III and Mk IV and M1A1 & M1A2 was rated as an AC/10 by the StarDate Article
Below is the Mk II model, which would have been more susceptible to Automation having the Mortar Internal rather than External
Please find attached the CSV / TXT for the Merkava Mk II Drone
Note, Combat Vehicle Version of Merkava in scenario on BattleCorps Invalidated by Fm Mercenaries Supplimental II's "Eras of BattleTech" thus the version that i have done.
Attachment (380 downloads)
Edited by Christopher_Perkins (04/27/08 08:02 AM)
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Cray
04/27/08 05:26 PM
97.97.243.184
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You know, the Mackie-vs-Merkava scenario is available from BattleCorps, in the "Birth of the King" scenario. That includes stats for the Merkava and Mackie alike.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Christopher_Perkins
04/29/08 02:55 AM
76.120.212.36
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And so by referencing the BattleCorps scenario and stating that i disagreed with its contents I quite clearly confessed that I was Compleatly Oblivious to its existance???
The Mackie and Merkava sheets are off in the "Birth of the King" Scenario
granted the Mackie isobviously kludged into HM Vee from the SUV rules rather than designed with HM Vee as I had Remembered it..
However, the MCK-5S was ret con from the original version to be closer to the TR3058 version, the critical factor with the Mackie was that it had approximately a 30 mm thickness of Armour and 30 Points of Armour while the shell fired by the Merkava Mk 1 has a penetration rating of 300 mm of RHAe (the wargamers standard of reference in the '80's and probably today for that matter - you have indicated that the Spec has changes, how much of the Modern Spec RHAe is 300 - 360 mm of 1980's Spec equivelent to?) the M900 Shell fired by Later versions of the M68 has a Penetration Rating of 540 mm and in certain non-canon but possibly official (Star Date Vol 3 Issue 2 - M1 and M1A1 article) this was rated as an AC/5... this is likely the same place that Mac got his Equivilencie.
The point of the article published in the Star League Source Book was to show how badly outclassed an astoundingly effective tank of the 1980's (contemporary to publication) was when stacked up against the first BattleMech.
If the same article (with the same intention) was written today, then likely the Merkava, Abrams, Champion or Challenger variant that had most recently distinguished itself in combat would have been used. But at the time of writing of the Star League Sourcebook it was the Merkava in the 1982 Lebanon war.
With the 2293 Date Mac quite clearly indicated that he decided to do a Future Tank that was modified for drone use (in fact he had stated so when i asked him about it shortly after the scenario was published), Unfortunately i consider this as seriously negating the entire point of the article published in the Star League Source book in the first place...
While the Israelis could easily do a TOW x2 or Dragon x2 Mount on their Merkava some time in the future, none of the two variants that the Writers of the Star League Source Book would have known about at-the-time-of-publication do. That makes the Scenario Version too much of a departure... and, in fact, Main Battle Tanks are still likely to have Machine Gun secondaries and Pintle Mounted Machine Guns rather than Missile Weapons... Hopefully they correct the erroneous Prohibition of Pintle Mounted Light and Medium Weapons on vehicle above 5,000 kg in Tactical Operations Manual... After all, Hard Mounted Medium weapons ARE heavy weapons and would therefore have the same RPG Stats no matter how you arrive at the weapon, but the Pintle Mounted Medium weapon is a Much Less Effective than the the hard mounted Model.
Also, the armour on the tank in the Scenario is closer to what i would say that the Merkava Mk IV carries than what I postulate for the Merkava Mk I or Mk II that the SLSB PTB would have known about. (he is low by 1 point compared to mine recalculated for 540 mm equiv RHAE instead of 300 mm, so we must be running off similar numbers for equivelent RHAE thickness.
Then there is how Mac accepted the Prohibition against Pintle Mounted weapons when the Merkava Mk's 1, 2, 3, & 4 have two Pintle Mounted FN Mag 85 Machine Guns in addition to a Coaxil Moun FN MAG 85. something strange may happen in the future and the writers of war games may start to dictate Doctrine to Tank engineers... but until then Pintle Mounted Weapons are a Fact of Warfare, even on vehicles heavier than 5,000 kilograms.
Revised Armour for the Merkava Mk II Drone
First is the Turret and Front Armour RHAe equivelent thickness vs KE Penetrators, then from that I Extrapolated the thicknesses based on Mac's Pattern (i was originally using the pattern for the scorpian) for the Sides and rear)
Second is the Turret and Front Armour RHAe equivelent thickness vs Explosive type penetrators, then from that I Extrapolated the thicknesses based on Mac's Pattern for the sides and rear.
After that was Established, i took the Maximum thickness (should have gone with an average or staid with Ballistic) and used that on the bottom... divided by 540 mm = 5 BT, determined how much Bar 6 Armour that thickness of Bar 5 Armour would be equivelent to in BT Points, and then determined the Mass based on the Bar Rating (looks like Bar 2 - Bar 7 of Tech B is Steel Armour (standard of WWII) since the Mass of the Armour per BattleTech point at those Barrier Ratings is all "Barrier Rating / 0.08", possibly even RHAe?)
Ballistic mm BT Pts BAR Mass 3,375 kg
Turret 760 14 5 62.5 875.00
Front 570 11 5 62.5 687.50
Side 536 10 5 62.5 625.00
Side 536 10 5 62.5 625.00
Rear 503 9 5 62.5 562.50
Explosive mm 3,875
Turret 1150 21 5 62.5 1,312.50
Front 600 11 5 62.5 687.50
Side 565 10 5 62.5 625.00
Side 565 10 5 62.5 625.00
Rear 529 10 5 62.5 625.00
Actual Armour mm BT Pts BAR Mass 53 3,975.00
Turret 1150 18 6 75 1,350.00
Front 600 9 6 75 675.00
Side 565 9 6 75 675.00
Side 565 9 6 75 675.00
Rear 529 8 6 75 600.00
Christopher Robin Perkins
It is my opinion that all statements should be questioned, digested, disected, tasted, and then either spit out or adopted... RHIP is not a god given shield
Edited by Christopher_Perkins (04/29/08 03:29 AM)
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