Cray
08/26/04 11:14 AM
147.160.136.10
|
A follow-up to the Minuteman militia battlemech...
BACKGROUND
Masterson Enterprises was already a 150-year old, family run firm when it hit the big time. William "Billy the Babe" Masterson had inherited the company from his mother and happily took the sole capital asset of Masterson Enterprises (a Tramp-class jumpship) on a voyage of trade and exploration in the Periphery. Well, the exploration was kind of unintentional, owing to a bad misjump (human error: the navigator sighted the wrong star), but it was the most profitable part of the voyage. Owing to the misjump, 'The Babe' stumbled over a long-lost Terran Alliance scientific base and found the plans for what he later called, "the Cheap Fusion Engine."
http://www.ajfroggie.com/battletech/rgm/cheap-fusion.htm
This low tech fusion engine was 50% heavier than a standard fusion engine (or just as heavy as an ICE when mounted in a vehicle), but would be about 2/3 as expensive. More importantly, it was low tech and could be easily built on many planets. Masterson Enterprises blossomed from a single ship trading company to an interstellar fusion engine manufacturer in a decade.
The Babe retired after the Fourth Succession War and let his daughter, Morgan, run the company. She took the specialized firm and diversified it. Most of the diversification took the form of acquisitions (of freight moving and vehicle building firms) on individual planets and lacked interstellar connections, and thus was "below the radar" of many industry observers. What was more notable was the flood of (cheap) fusion engines that Masterson Enterprises was putting on the market and other high-profile business ventures, like Masterson Enterprises' forays into jumpship construction (late 3040s) and mechs (early 3040s).
Masterson Enterprises had turned conventional wisdom on its head by producing fusion engines for civilians rather than the military. (Of course, the military didn't really want the heavy, clunky "cheap fusion engines" for its combat vehicles, but Masterson Enterprises was still putting fusion engines in civilian vehicles, a rare thing to Succession Wars-era Inner Sphere mentalities.) It did it again by building - mass producing - mechs for the civilian market. Utility mechs were not unknown, but Masterson Enterprises introduced them in quantities not seen since the Star League. There was a solid logic behind this business decision (the military market was flooded with new designs and new technology in the 3040s, while the civilian market was untapped), but it was still perverse to Inner Sphere mentalities.
THE FIRST MASTERSON MECHS
The first Masterson Enterprises mechs were construction mechs: humanoid, lightweight (15-ton) machines that could perform a number of diverse construction roles. The construction mechs gave Masterson Enterprises a chance to cut its teeth on mechs, particularly mechs meant for civilians with less training than real mechwarriors and battlemech technicians. After several prototypes and field tests, the first production model construction mech was very tolerant of low maintenance, had a number of user friendly diagnostic tools (akin to the Capellan Guardian conventional fighter), and had very intelligent motion control systems.
Sales of the mechs included training for operators and technicians. In selling cheap fusion engines, Masterson Enterprises had learned that even worlds advanced enough to build cheap fusion engines didn't necessarily have the skilled workers to maintain the engines. Rather than just dumping fancy fusion engines on customers and abandoning them, Masterson had built its reputation on providing training, education, and customer service. When Masterson Enterprises sold a cheap fusion engine, it made sure the customer had the techs and knowhow to maintain the engines (even if the planet had a Masterson Enterprises engine service center). This lesson carried over to construction mechs. Users that couldn't maintain or operate the fancy new toys were likely to abandon the expensive purchases and speak ill of the mechs, so Masterson Enterprises made sure customers could use the mechs. (Plus, Masterson tended to make a larger profit from service and support of its utility mechs than it made from the original sale.)
Further, Masterson had taken a cue from the Hatchetman to give the mechs a pair of dextrous hand actuators and a suite of handheld tools rather than trying to permanently mount specialized equipment on the mechs (like giant drills and chainsaws instead of hands.) This made Masterson Enterprises' construction mechs versatile machines, and meant Masterson Enterprises needed a minimal number of new designs to fit customer needs.
Sales of the construction mechs were brisk on advanced worlds like Tharkad and the Federated Suns' "Golden Five." They were popular enough that Masterson Enterprises was able to diversify its mech product lines within just a few short years to include a 40-ton cargo loader, a 40-ton construction mech, and the Pioneer SUM (Sport Utility Mech).
THE PIONEER: PERVERSION OR GENIUS?
To cultures used to the idea of mechs being the province of a few elite warriors, utility mechs were an oddity, but at least they were practical. They also reminded some of the glory days of the Star League, when such utility mechs were common. But a mech that served no purpose except jogging through wilderness and going on picnics? The notion was perverse to many.
And to many others, it was genius. Every wealthy individual that had ever craved to pilot a battlemech could now have a mech in their own garage. Demand was insatiable and, at about 1 million C-bills, the Pioneers were very affordable.
Masterson Enterprises didn't make much profit off the Pioneers directly, but providing customers with mech bays, pilot training, trained technicians, and service and support gave Masterson fat profits. For training and complete support facilities and personnel on a buyer's estate, Masterson would rake in 2-3 million C-bills above the purchase price, and over a 5-year period, would pull in another 1-2 million C-bills in service and support fees. Even when the customer got tired of his new toy, Masterson profited. "Disposal fees" for taking away the mech (with its radioactive engine and assorted non-recycleable components) usually amounted to several hundred thousand C-bills, more if the customer returned the mech prior to the completion of a service contract (termination fees, of course). None of these bills were dumped on the customer by surprise, Masterson Enterprises was very up front about them. In fact, it was sort of selling point because the customers ended up feeling like they were purchasing a special vehicle with special needs - not just another fancy sportscar. (And since Masterson was providing the techs and equipment to take care of the special needs, it was all good to the wealthy buyer.)
The 15-ton Pioneer was a derivative of Masterson Enterprises' construction mechs. It was a nimble, swift machine with a 90-rated cheap fusion engine. At 10 meters tall, its running gait was comparable to a human running 16-18kph. Sensors were surprisingly extensive (featuring sonar, radar, thermographic, and assorted other systems), which were included mostly for the benefit of the mech's motion control system (so it could see what dangers the pilot was trying to get the mech into). However, a fairly intelligent processing package displayed the sensor output in a simplified, easily understood format for the ill-trained pilots. And the motion control systems of the Pioneer took most of the burden off the poorly trained pilots - they just had to steer and crank the throttle.
Because of the level of autonomy of the Pioneer's motion control, mechwarriors were often irritated by the machine, which would pick its own courses and footing across terrain (within the limits of general steering input from the pilot). The Pioneer was usually more cautious than a mechwarrior would be in a battlemech, where the pilot had more input. To address this, later models of Pioneers had a software option to switch to "manual" piloting, which reduced the level of computer control and put more burden on the pilot. This option was only available to buyers who had graduated from Masterson's advanced piloting course or an accredited mechwarrior training facility.
The cockpit of the Pioneer followed a combination of the Thunderbolt-like "bunker" cockpit format (occupying some of the upper torso) and the Griffin's dome-like head. This provided a maximum amount of volume in a small mech, enough room to fit a full-sized passenger seat. The seats were usually fitted with the passenger in back, but variants put the seats side-by-side. The seats recline quite a ways, forming adequate beds for some owners. While leg space is plentiful, the cockpit as a whole is not roomy - about the same volume as the front seats of a typical ground car. For solo pilots not interested in passengers, the passenger space can be replaced with a "camping module" typical of battlemechs: a fold-down incinerator toilet, a small fridge, a microwave oven, and some stowage space.
The Pioneer has an innovative cargo system that reflects its design as an "outdoors" vehicle. It has a hard-sided composite "backpack" available in a number of attachment formats. The standard format is a series of shoulder straps that attach to shoulder-top winches. The pilot must hook up the straps and trigger the winches; the lower end of the pack is secured with latches. However, this tends to require manually positioning what can be a very heavy cargo container (up to 1000kg). Setting down this pack requires releasing the latches and walking the Pioneer forward while the winches play out the straps. The alternate cargo pod system, one that makes the pod into a real backpack with normal shoulder straps, requires more piloting finesse and thus is less favored by Pioneer owners. The Pioneer has flexible backpack pick up/removal algorithms, but pilots still must use the hand actuators extensively. (A minority of Pioneer owners prefer to try to get the backpack on manually, and being able to perform that maneuver deftly is worth bragging rights at SUM trade shows.)
PIONEERS: NOT JUST FOR RICH IDIOTS
Masterson Enterprises knew better than to market the Pioneer as being just for rich idiots. Instead, it played up the usual sport utility aspects: wilderness hikes and camping; surveying; delivering 1000kg of cargo through the roughest terrain; emergency services; etc. Some people have bought into this notion and actually use the Pioneer for productive ends.
The Explorer Corps purchased a dozen Pioneers for surveying and exploration. Innumerable planetary government wilderness departments (Park Services, Cartography, Environmental Protection, etc.) use the Pioneers for similar survey work. Logging and mining operations use the Pioneers to deliver supplies over rough terrain, particularly when aircraft are not suitable for the task. Emergency services and police bought Pioneers, too, where its sensors, powerful hand actuators and light armor make it a natural for dealing with natural disasters and heavily armed criminals.
Code:
THE PIONEER
15 tons
1.5 tons internal structure
4.5 tons 90 cheap fusion engine
Walking: 6
Running: 9
Jumping: 0
0 tons 10 SHS (2 RL/LL, RT/LT)
1 ton gyroscope
3 tons cockpit
3 tons armor
Head: 3 6
CT: 5 6/2
RT/LT: 4 6/2
RA/LA: 2 4
RL/LL: 3 5
1 ton cargo (CTR)
Both hand actuators present
VARIANTS
Pioneers are available with innumerable option packages, including extra cargo pods (waist and chest), tools like the Masterson Construction Mech (replace the cargo with a 1-ton, 1-crit handheld tool: shovel, axe, chainsaw, drill, etc.), improved sensor displays, fuzzy dice for the rear view mirror, etc. Most of these have no game impact.
Survey models may add additional sensors, trading the cargo and some torso armor to mount a Beagle Active Probe in the center torso.
Rescue and very harsh terrain models may mount jump jets, usually trading cargo and armor for limited jumping ability.
Police have been known to trade the cargo tonnage for vehicle-scale MGs or lasers. A 20mm MG is usually more than enough to silence a heavily armed criminal gang, as will small or medium lasers.
In 3047, perhaps to poke a stick in the eye of critics, Masterson Enterprises made a standard engine model available. With a 120-rated engine, larger gyroscope, and somewhat more cargo (+0.5 tons), it tore up the countryside even faster.
In 3049, Masterson introduced a 45-ton SUM, the Prometheus. This was based off the chassis for its new Minuteman battlemech, but used a 270-rated cheap fusion engine. This SUM was actually outlawed on some planets because of the risk of road damage, but the behemoth nevertheless managed to sell, and sell profitably. The Clan invasion drowned the controversy over the Prometheus, allowing Masterson to market the SUM in the FWL (where the economy was booming and over-the-top status symbols were in favor), making up for losses in the waning Lyran market (where Clan damage to the economy was shrinking the SUM market).
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.
|
Gnome76
08/28/04 06:37 AM
68.12.242.212
|
Hmm... kinda makes me want some redeveloped Ultra-Light 'Mech rules, even if they're level 3...
Any clue as to whether/when they'll redo Maximum Tech?
Because sometimes, a Heavy Industrial Exoskeleton isn't enough, and a 20-ton Utility 'Mech is too much, and no factory foreman is going to have access to a ProtoMech.
(And don't tell me to just use a crane.)
|
GiovanniBlasini
10/26/04 12:14 AM
66.146.165.70
|
Strangely, the Pioneer reminds me a bit of the VolksMech. ^_^
Good design and cool fluff text, dude.
Member of the Pundit Caste
"Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that." -- Col. Saul Tigh, BSG2003
|
Silenced_Sonix
11/27/04 10:18 AM
168.209.97.34
|
Well, the crane would actually be better - according the CBT rules, a 'Mech may only pick up cargo up to a maximum of 10% of it's weight. That means a 20t 'Mech will only be able to lift 2 tons, while your average forklift at a car repair shop can lift something like 5 tons (I would know - my dad has one).
Evolve or Die
|
Cray
11/28/04 07:16 PM
68.200.107.178
|
Sport Utility Mechs are found in the hands of rich folks, tromping through forests. The only time they're in a repair shop is to be repaired. 
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.
|
