Smoke Jaguar Dossier: Shadow Cat

Jade Falcon Shadow Cat and Elementals on Coventry

Smoke Jaguar Dossier

Type: Battlemech

Name: Shadow Cat

Mech Class: Medium (Omni-mech)

Weight: 45 Tons

Tech Base:Clan

Description:
The Shadow Cat was first encountered by Inner Sphere forces at the Battle of Luthien. They were subsequently used during the Battle of Tukayyid. The OmniMech was developed by Clan Nova Cat to replace the Ice Ferret in the early 31st century. Use of the Shadow Cat has spread to other Clans since its introduction.

This expensive OmniMech makes use of weight-saving technologies in the form of an Endo Steel internal structure, an XL Engine, and seven tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor. All of these together allow the Shadow Cat to employ more pod space than the Ice Ferret at the expense of speed. To counteract this, the base chassis employs enough jump jets to vault up to 180 meters in a single bound and Myomer Accelerated Signal Circuitry that enables it to move up to 130 km/h in bursts.

Armament: 
The primary configuration of the Shadow Cat wields a Gauss Rifle allowing it to handily defeat smaller opponents, often before they can get within range. A pair of smaller ER Medium Lasers back up the rifle, together able to deal almost as much damage as the gauss rifle can. An Active Probe gives the Shadow Cat the ability to detect hidden units, making it a capable scout. 

Variants:
* Alt. Config. A - The first alternate configuration is also potent at long range, but it uses a pair of ER Large Lasers to gain that potency. It retains the Active Probe of the prime, but uses a Streak SRM-6 for backup. It also utilizes three extra double heat sinks to keep heat levels comfortable.

* Alt. Config. B - This variant is also a fusion of long-range weaponry with a scouting system. This configuration adds a pair of Artemis IV-guided LRM 15s to the Active Probe. It also has a pair of ER Medium Lasers for backup, though it adds an ECM Suite to the electronics package.  

Captain Nash's Mission #2 Analysis:  Was able to reestablish brief contact with Merloni.  Got a quick SitRep from him.  Seems there are two Stars of Clanners in his area.  One is all Clan mechs being led by a Shadow Cat.  He thinks it was the prime configuration with the Gauss Rifle but he is not positive.  Logically, the Jags are using a Shadow Cat, possibly the most durable scout mech in their arsenal.  If you do stumble across this clanner, don't mess around with him. Take him down fast.  That Gauss is a threat to any battlemech ever produced. I'm not even going to tell you what it could do to our current mech options.    


Tech Readout:  http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=2405

Task Force Serpent Dossier: Raven RVN-3L

Raven RVN-3L

Task Force Serpent Dossier

Type:Battlemech

Name: Raven

Mech Class:Light

Weight: 35 Tons

Tech Base: Inner Sphere

Description:
The Raven is a technological marvel and employs a large number of advanced electronic warfare systems, possibly making it the most advanced light 'Mech on the field, at least in detection and targeting equipment. It was first built by the Capellan Confederation as an electronics test bed unit that was pushed into combat during the Fourth Succession War, when the Federated Suns made a concentrated effort to destroy the Liao state. Since that time rediscovered Star League technology has allowed the Raven to reach its full potential.

The Raven has a maximum speed of 97.2 km/h, which is respectable for a 'Mech of its weight class. It is armored with four and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor, giving it good protection. To further its survivability, it is outfitted with CASE to protect against any ammunition explosions. The 'Mech is also powered by an XL Engine and carries some of the most advanced electronics warfare equipment in the Inner Sphere.

Armament:

The Raven carries a small weapons array that is nevertheless respectable for its size. The primary weapon on board the Raven is a pair of Ceres Arms Medium Lasers. These are backed up by a Harpoon-6 SRM-6 to finish off any enemy units that it does engage. Generally, the Raven  is kept out of direct firefights though, as it is more valuable as a recon or electronics warfare asset than as a front line combat 'Mech.

Electronics Suite: 
What made the Raven famous is its ECM suite. Early models carried 7.5 ton of electronic warfare equipment that was noted for lackluster performance.

The recovery of lostech soon made the original ECM equipment obsolete, and later versions of the Raven completely replaced it with a combination of advanced systems, namely an Apple Churchill Beagle Active Probe, an Apple Churchill Guiding Light Narc Missile Beacon, an Apple Churchill Guardian ECM Suite, and finally an Apple Churchill 442x TAG.



Variants:
RVN-2X - Many of the Ravens captured by the Federated Suns in the Fourth Succession War were refitted to the 2X standard. It replaces the EW equipment with a Large Laser and raises the armor to sixth-and-a-half tons.




Captain Nash's Mission #2 Analysis:  We received a distress call from a Private Louis Merloni from the 1st Davion Guards - 12th Company.  Message was very garbled, and cut off almost immediately.  Where our long range communications are still down, it must have come from the Leopard Dropship we saw go down north of us.  Message stated he and a Sargent Ramon Garciaparra were on planet and needed assistance.  That's all we got.  Merloni was last assigned to a Raven RVN-3L, one of the few in the FedComm that hadn't been converted to the 2X variant.  Garciparra was assigned a Catapult CPLT-C4.  Chances are they are in the area of the Dropship crash, avoiding detection using Merloni's Raven ECM.  Working up a Mission Briefing to go and find those guys. Adding that Raven to our ranks would be very helpful in our fight against the Jags.            

Tech Readout:
http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=664

Kurita Battlemechs - Generic paint scheme

No Campaign update today.  Just some images of the Kurita Mechs that the players will most likely have a chance to pilot ove the course of the campaign.

Generic Kurita colors with back banners.

Draconis Combine emblem on one side of banner or mech

Kanji on the other side (Did the name of the mech chassis on each one through a Kanji translation book)

  You can see a list of my complete mech collection over in the "Rob Mech Collection" link to the right.  The first tab is the entire Inner Sphere list Listed by tonnage with notation of the various paint schemes a given chassis has been painted.  Each of the following tabs is by House showing all the mechs I have painted in that given factions colors.  Pretty evenly distributed...except for House Marik for some reason.

Odds and Ends, after mission #1

New paint for the Jenner (click for larger image), Panther and Sentinel have same scheme.

Captain Nash touching base.

Furlow caught up with me, all the mechs are up and ready to go.  After repairing the extensive damage on the Jenner a complete paint job was required.  Both the Panther and Sentinel we picked up had such a nice paint jobs...we painted the Jenner to match.  We also repainted the Clint to match the Whitworth and Hermes II.  So now we have three under strength Lances.  Duty Rosters and Patrol assignments will be given out shortly.

Red Lance: Jenner, Panther Sentinel

Green Lance: Vulcan, Valkyrie, Javelin

White Lance: Whitworth, Hermes II, Clint

While you guys were mixing it up with the Jags, we saw another dropship come down in our area.  Was a Leopard Class.  Figure it was one of ours as we saw it being chased by a couple of Smoke Jaguar omni-fighters.  Figure she went down about 70 Km from our newly acquired Mechyard.  Will send up a probe after a couple of days to see the exact location and situation.    

Nash Out.

(Out of character stuff)

1) Rules change:  Flamers will now cause 2 heat and 2 damage when they hit their target.  Just might make them useful...ok not really, but it is something.

2) I said I would award Role-play on the kill board.  And now I have.  Adjusted the kill board awarding Scott 1 kill, Poe 1/2 a kill and Fab 1/4 of a kill.  This is for the in character comments (and mission planning) they made here on the blog.  Will I automatically award points...no.  But if you don't post anything, you can bet you won't get any "bonus" Role Play kills.

 
3) Next event will be Friday, October 8th.  Same plan, eat before you get there or bring stuff with yah.  Meet at 6pm, hope to start rolling dice shortly after that.

4) Callsigns:  Come up with one by Oct 1st, or I will assign one to you.

Clan Salvage Rules

  Here is how the salvage of Clan mechs will work in this game.  (Keeping it as simple as possible).
Furlow is a pretty good tech at piecing together undamaged parts of separate mechs.  She is not capable of repairing damaged Clan tech given our current situation.  She is not capable of putting Clan weapons on an Inner sphere Chassis either.  Given enough undamaged salvage however she will be able to get a Clan mech up and running.

A Mech needs a Five things to be operational.

1) Chassis
2) Engine
3) Gyro
4) Head (Cockpit, Sensors etc)
5) Weapons.    


   I will be adding a Clan Salvage table for you to access.  We have thee tech readouts of all the current Clan mechs and their configurations.  If you have a matching set of Chassis, Engine, Gyro, Head.  Furlow will be able to get the mech up and moving.  For weapons loadout you will have to have salvaged the EXACT weapons the clans use on one of their variants for her to get the weapons systems online.  Looking at our current salvage we have a Koshi Chassis, Engine and Gyro, we are missing the "Head" and correct weapons to have a functioning Koshi.  So in the next mission should you bag a Koshi, keeping the head intact and salvaging a correct clan weapons (from any mech, doesn't have to be a Koshi), one of you could be driving a clan mech.

Clan Salvage after Mission #1

  The Clanners have from time to time put Clan weapons on Inner Sphere mechs (Atlas-C, Firefly-C Rifleman-C, etc).  Should you come across one of these mechs, Furlow might be able to add the clan weapons back onto that mech (if we have them).  She is able to remove the clan weapons, add Inner Sphere weapons back onto that chassis.

Smoke Jaguar Dossier: Star Colonel Giambi

Star Colonel Giambi at the Smoke Jags Mixed Military Station

 

Smoke Jaguar Dossier

Type: Military Personnel (Elemental)

Name: Giambi

Rank:  Star Colonel

Last know location: Port Arthur

  Star Colonel Giambi is the highest ranking elemental on Port Arthur.  Intel shows he was once part of ilKhan Lincon Osis battle armor squad.

 

  Giambi is a master tactician, training his "Toads" to anticipate where the enemy will be and station themselves in the proper position to strike.

 

  The Star Colonel is stickler for physical fitness for all those under his command.  When not behind the command desk or on the target range, Giambi can be found in the weight room or on the training field.  He has been know to take detailed notes on each of his subordinates.  Never far from his datapad, the Star Colonel tracks each warriors progress and compares it to past marks set.  Doing so keeps those under his command in peak fitness.  His is always quick to offer guidance on nutritional supplements that will improve a warriors capabilities. 

   Star Colonel Giambi was part of both actions on Tukayyid and Luithen.  His squad was the second to land on Tukayyid, and eliminated at least three ComGuard Assault Mechs.  On Luthien an equipment failure kept him from reaching the front lines, before the Jaguars began their retreat. 

  Star Colonel Giambi has yet to secure a bloodname.  He has finished second at the bloodname contest no fewer than five times.  Giambi is now starting to pass his prime. He may be overly aggressive in battle, in an attempt to prove to his fellow Jaguars he is still a capable warrior.  

Mission #1: Killboard, Lost Mechs and Salvage

First up the Killboard. This is it set in stone, don't like it too bad.  Kills are awarded for bold actions, doing or saying something that makes most or everyone in the room laugh, and whenever I feel like it.  Anyways here it is for Mission #1.

Next up are the Mech losses.  Players lost a Cicadia to Xl engine loss, Stinger to CT destruction, Commando to Engine destruction, Commando to ammo explosion, and Commando to CT destruction.  So Kyle, Jeff, Josh, Larry and Fab are mechless at this time.

Good news is we got some good salvage.  The Jenner, Hermes II, and Whitworth are all salvageable, and will be ready for the next mission.  The Koshi was a loss, as was the Ostscout, but we did get a Clan ER Meduim laser and Clan ER small laser out of the wreckage.  Turns out the Clanners had two more mechs in the mechbays, guess they didn't have enough bondsmen around to pilot them.  Seems they were left over from when Kurita controlled this base.  We got a Panther 9R, and a Sentinel 3M.  Both solid mechs and have been added to our mechbay.  With the Mech repair facility we captured...Furlow will have the damaged mechs up and running in 3 or 4 days tops.

Tech readouts on our new mechs...
Sentinel 3M - http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=639
Panther 9R - http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=535

I'll be in touch with each of you shortly about selecting your mech for the next mission.

Well Done.