Praetorian

Praetorian Mobile Strategic Command HQ
Production information
Manufacturer	Cyclops Incorporated Michaelson Heavy Industries
Production Year	3091
Mission	Mobile Headquarters Strategic Field Command Vehicle Communication Station
Type	Tracked
Technical specifications
Mass	60
Armor	Durallex Special Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Engine	Pitban 240 fusion engine
Speed	64 km/h
Communications System	Unspecified
Targeting Tracking System	Unspecified
Heat Sinks	0
Armament	1x ER medium laser 3x A-Pod
BV (2.0)	785

Description

The Praetorian Mobile Strategic Command HQ was one of two field-command type combat vehicles first developed in the early days of the Republic of the Sphere. Its development began during the early Capellan conflicts fought during the 3080s, where prototypes were fielded as pathfinders to coming up with best fit for the RAF's growing army, its production model would finally premiered in 3091. The Praetorian was designed to help coordinate large Republican's combined-arms formations, with itself acting in tandem the smaller Tribune MHQ vehicles. While acting as the nexus for a regiment communication network, its smaller and swifter Tribunes counterparts would spread out in their HQ Lances and plant their Remote Sensor relays across a battlefield.

Their success on the battlefields of the Capellan Crusades bolstered its popularity and led to its export to various Inner Sphere powers.

Weapons and Equipment

Designed to be produced easily and adapt to Republic factories in the early days of its existence, the Praetorian was built so it was easily manufactured within the Republic. It powered by a 240-rated fusion engine, which propels it upwards to 64 km/h. The vehicle despite not intended to serve on the frontlines, it is highly durable and not easily crippled if it comes under fire. Its passive defenses include an Armored Motive System, while the hull is protected by 10.5 tons of Heavy Ferro-Fibrous Armor.

The Praetorian's defensive weaponry includes a single Extended-Range Medium Laser mounted in the vehicle's single turret, while its sides and rear are protected by an Anti-Personnel Pod. Its interior has enough room to provide for a ton of cargo space for its crew.

The heart of the Praetorian's capacities is its 10 tons of Communication Equipment, which gives field commanders a number of battlefield advantages that most HQ's seldom provide.

Variants

Due to the Praetorian's modular nature, the vehicle has seen numerous variants over the years.

Design Quirks

The Praetorian Mobile Strategic Command HQ is subject to the following Design Quirks:

• Battle Computer
• Modular Weapons

Notes

• As of this writing, the Praetorian's variants noted in the text of the vehicle's profile have not been detailed. The vehicle's physical stats first appeared in Dark Age Turning Points: Liao as Experimental tech vehicle, as this was produced prior to the rerating of technology for the Dark Age era. Its featured Experimental component is its Armored Motive System.

• The Praetorian was first created by WizKids' MechWarrior Dark Age Collectable Miniatures game as a part of the game's original expansion set. The Praetorian was simply known as the Mobile HQ (This vehicle should not be mistaken for the original Mobile HQ that appeared originally in Technical Readout: 3025). The figure was used as general use unit for most of the CGC game original factions until after the Death From Above Expansion, where it was replaced by the Morningstar Mobile HQ. The vehicle would later be adapted by Catalyst Game Labs and redefined in the tabletop game once the company advanced the franchise's timeline to 3145. It would not be among the many adapted design from WizKids when Catalyst Game Labs released the Technical Readout: 3145 series of faction-specific PDFs and printed volumes. It would later appear exclusively in the PDF-Only Era Digest: Dark Age.

Bibliography

• Dark Age Turning Points: Liao
• Era Digest: Dark Age