Linesman

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Linesman
Linesman
Production information
Manufacturer Earthwerks Incorporated/Kallon Industries (prototype)
Model LMN-1N
Class Assault
Technical specifications
Mass 90 tons
Chassis
Armor
Engine GM 270
Speed 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets none
Armament
BV (1.0) ?
BV (2.0) ?


Description

The Linesman (German: "Linienrichter") was a Capellan Confederation design project developed alongside the Cataphract from 3015 on. The Linesman concept caused a polarized debate among the scientists and officers involved in the design project. Since the Capellan industry would only be able to bring one of the two new designs into full production, Chancellor Maximilian Liao decided in favour of the Cataphract and the Linesman design was shelved after five prototypes had been built.

The prototypes were given to McCarron's Armored Cavalry for field testing, and they saw combat action during McCarron's Long March. Two were lost, and a third was damaged beyond repair and salvaged. The remaining two prototypes were returned to the Earthwerks facility on Tikonov.

Earthwerks sold the plans for the Linesman along with one of the prototypes to Luthien Armor Works in the Draconis Combine during the tech transfers made possible by the Concord of Kapteyn. The design became known as Nainokami in the Combine and became the basis for the Daboku/Mauler. The outer appearance of the Linesman went essenatially unchanged in the process.

Variants

When it became apparent that enemy forces might close in on the Linesman, below the effective range of its weaponry, the designers considered to exchange the Ceres Arms medium lasers for Sunglow 2S large lasers for better defense at short range. However, no satisfactory solution could be found as this required a speed reduction and came with heat problems.

Canonicity

The Linesman does not meet the current criteria for Canon.

It was published as the "Linienrichter" in Life Support #4, the magazine of the (first) official MechForce Germany. It is generally held that the Linesman was meant to give 3025-era players a chance to play a contemporary variant/predecessor of the popular Mauler.

The expanded German translation of the Solaris VII Boxed Set included a record sheet for the MAL-1PT5 Mauler, an exact reproduction of the Linesman in all but name.

References