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The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown]
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Alisa Wolfstein
Lyran Alliance
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PostPosted: 19-Dec-2017 15:51    Post subject: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

TRO: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown]
                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown]
Designer:           Alisa Wolfstein
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere
Technology Rating:  E
Tonnage:            200
Configuration:      Superheavy Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Republic / 3129
Rules (Current):    Advanced
Rules (Era):        Advanced
Rules (Year):       Advanced
Total Cost:         44,969,000 C-Bills
Battle Value:       3,659

Structure:            Endo Steel
Power Plant:          200 Fusion
Walking Speed:        10.8 kph  
Maximum Speed:        21.6 kph  
Jump Jets:            None
    Jump Capacity:    None
Armor:                Standard
Armament:             
    3 Gauss Rifles
    3 Heavy PPCs
Manufacturer:         Unknown
    Primary Factory:  Unknown
Communications:       Unknown
Targeting & Tracking: Unknown

================================================================================================
Overview:
    This 'Mech is nick-named after the most cataclysmic explosion in the universe - a phenomenon
    which occurs in Neutron Stars called "Starquakes". The most powerful ever observed released
    more energy than the sun emits in over 150,000 years (all within a fraction of a second).
    
    This massive, 200-ton, Superheavy 'Mech is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in defensive power.
    Its battery of 3 Heavy PPCs and 3 Gauss Rifles can cripple all but the most heavily armoured
    of assault 'Mechs in just one Alpha Strike, whilst having the capacity to sink the heat from
    all its weapons. If you come up against this monstrosity in a BattleMech lighter than 80
    tons, pray for a miracle - because it's the only thing that can save you.
    
    [THE FOLLOWING FLUFF IS AN ANECDOTE: relating to the creation of the StarQuake, and Arctic
    Silence's problematic relations with the Lyran Commonwealth]
    
    To this day, the true name of the so-called "StarQuake" is unknown, with this knowledge only
    being possessed by a handful of the most senior members of Arctic Silence - the mercenary
    organisation which designed and constructed this BattleMech in complete secrecy to the
    outside world over a period of 45 years - from the end of the Jihad in 3084 through the
    entirety of the Age of the Republic; with the design's first rumours of existence spreading
    like wildfire through the Lyran Alliance in 3129, before slowly becoming more widely known
    across the Inner Sphere in the years which followed.
    
    The reasons for its creation are simple: Arctic Silence is based on Págos, a tiny moon
    within the York system, which is part of the Lyran Commonwealth. To ensure the Lyran
    government didn't want to interfere with their space colony on said moon (which only pays
    tax on exports and imports and could, therefore, be a target on which to empose the Archon's
    will upon) they implemented several measures. The first was to sign a treaty with the
    Commonwealth which states the relationship between the Lyrans and Arctic Silence (which is
    that they are "neutral allies"), the second was to be productive to the Lyran Military by
    producing BattleMechs from their moon colony (which also provides a lot of income) and the
    third was to construct the StarQuake.
    
    The only feasible way any organisation the size of Arctic Silence could build a functional
    200-ton BattleMech was to do it slowly, with a comparatively tiny budget (which was still a
    decent portion of the group's income). First, they sent agents to Terra to salvage as much
    information on the Omega (a 150-ton Superheavy 'Mech which was produced by the WoB there
    until the liberation of Terra when all the Omega prototypes were destroyed) as possible.
    Using the best engineers and scientists at their disposal, Arctic Silence then set about
    designing the 'Mech, and whenever any information about Superheavy BattleMechs surfaced,
    they had someone there to report back to HQ about it. Almost 30 years later, the fine
    tunings to the design had been completed, and construction of the 'Mech began in a
    top-secret facility under the moon's surface. When at last the 'Mech was finished, in early
    3127, tests were conducted to ensure the finished product met all the expectations. In
    mid-3129, with those expectations surpassed, information was deliberately leaked to the
    media. The Lyran Commonwealth finally knew what they were dealing with when they looked at
    Arctic Silence; and were glad they were on their side, but were angry that they had
    underestimated the power of the organisation and hadn't intervened before it was too late.
    By this point the moon colony was all but impenetrable, and with most of said colony being
    safely underground, an orbital bombardment would achieve little. Arctic Silence had become a
    major (but passive) power within the Lyran Commonwealth.
    
    [END OF ANECDOTE]
    
    From a visual perspective, the StarQuake is terrifying.  Standing at 22m high, it is more
    than twice as tall as some assault 'Mechs. On its torso, the three Heavy PPCs and three
    Gauss Rifles are arranged in two straight horizontal rows across the chest, and fire in
    trios: first the Gauss Rifles and then the Heavy PPCs to reduce recoil; which when followed
    shortly after by the explosion of a 'Mech whose centre torso no longer exists, causes quite
    a dent in enemy morale. Furthermore, if a small 'Mech or vehicle ends up too close to the
    StarQuake, each leg is easily capable of crushing the unfortunate unit, destroying it
    instantly. The StarQuake is fitted with a cowl to protect its only weak spot - the head.
    This one-of-a-kind piece of engineering halves all damage which hits the head (rounding
    down). It has a matte black paintjob with metallic silver and deep-red highlights, which
    only adds to the aura of fear which surrounds this 'Mech on the battlefield.

Capabilities:
    With an Alpha Strike of 90 damage (consisting of 6 individual 15 point-damage hits) the
    StarQuake can strip off 5 1/2 tons of armour with each salvo, every ten seconds, for over 5
    minutes straight (at which point its gauss ammo will be exhausted). Since it can't move very
    far from supply chains with its pitiful movement speed of 11 kph walking and 22 kph running;
    the StarQuake can resupply fairly easily as well. It has also been designed with easy-access
    ammo bins that can be replaced far faster than normal.* The StarQuake also has an advanced
    targeting system which is designed to work better for a 'Mech as immobile as it is: if it
    doesn't move it gains a -1 to-hit modifier, if it moves it gains an additional +1 modifier
    on-top-of the standard movement modifiers.
    
    With these factors in mind, it should be noted that the StarQuake is NOT ABLE TO, NOR
    INTENDED TO, PARTICIPATE IN OFFENSE. It is STRICTLY FOR DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS, where it
    excels. On the relatively flat surface of Págos, there is little cover from the terrain,
    which allows the StarQuake's pilot to pick off the more important targets one by one. To aid
    it further, its designers put three years into installing a special rotational system for
    the torso, which allows it to rotate one hex-side further each way than is normally
    possible.* Despite this, it is still unable to fire at anything in its rear arc without
    turning its legs, meaning it is vulnerable to attacks from behind. As should be the case
    with all slower assaults and Superheavy 'Mechs, the StarQuake needs to be accompanied by at
    least one lance of competent medium 'Mechs to act as a body guard (as all the StarQuake's
    weapons also have a minimum range).
    
    *THE STARQUAKE HAS DESIGN QUIRKS if you want to use those optional rules (Yes it does make
    it even better):
    [Positive Quirks]
    -Distracting
    -Extended Torso Twist
    -Fast Reload
    -Improved Communications
    [Negative Quirks]
    -Difficult Ejection
    -Oversized
    -Unstreamlined

Deployment:
    As of yet, the only time the StarQuake has been in a battle is in Arctic Silence's training
    simulations. There is an internal debate within the group as to whether it should be used
    for important missions which the mercenary organisation is part of, but the threat of Lyran
    forces turning on them to capture the StarQuake is too great for it to see any action at the
    moment. It does however have a custom-made dropship so that it is able to be transported
    easily.
    There are rumours that Arctic Silence is planning to build a second StarQuake, but that
    wouldn't be ready until 3140 at the earliest.

Notable MechWarriors:
    There have only been ever been ten people in the cockpit of the StarQuake, and only three of
    those have piloted it. One was Arctic Silence's leader, Alisa Wolfstein, and the other two
    are the StarQuake's two top-secret pilots. Most of the members of Arctic Silence don't even
    know these pilot's faces. These two pilots are also some of the best in the organisation.
    The seven others who have had the privilege of being inside this marvel are the head
    designers, scientists and engineers who were in charge of creating and building the
    BattleMech.
    
    WHEN USING THE STARQUAKE IN A SCENARIO, the pilot should be listed as: "A.S. Ace Pilot"
    (A.S.= Arctic Silence) and his gunnery/piloting skills should be 1/2 respectively.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                         Endo Steel                20.00                     
Engine:                                     200 Fusion                 8.50                     
    Walking MP:                                 1                                               
    Running MP:                                 2                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 0                                               
Heat Sinks (Single):                            48                    38.00                     
Gyro:                                       Superheavy                 4.00                     
Cockpit:                                    Superheavy                 4.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  536                    33.50                     
    Type:                                    Standard                                           

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               4             12       
    Center Torso:                      60             69       
    Center Torso (rear):                              17       
    R/L Torso:                         42             68       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                 16       
    R/L Arm:                           33             66       
    R/L Leg:                           42             69       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gauss Rifle                                               CT                4         15.00             
Heavy PPC                                                 CT                2         10.00             
Gauss Rifle                                               RT                4         15.00             
Gauss Rifle (Ammo 48)                                     RT                3          6.00             
Heavy PPC                                                 RT                2         10.00             
Gauss Rifle                                               LT                4         15.00             
Gauss Rifle (Ammo 48)                                     LT                3          6.00             
Heavy PPC                                                 LT                2         10.00             
C3 Computer (Master)                                      RA                3          5.00             
		

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Alisa Wolfstein
Lyran Alliance
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Warrant Officer 1st Class


Joined: 27-Aug-2017 15:11
Posts: 305
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: 19-Dec-2017 15:57    Post subject: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

So this is a Superheavy 'Mech I've been working on as part of the backstory to my BattleTech OC and her mercenary organisation Arctic Silence. As I have mentioned before, I'm relatively new to BattleTech - first diving into it four years ago - and have probably made mistakes with this design. I am completely open to constructive criticism, but please don't just hate on me if it's terrible (which it may be - I'm obviously completely biased towards liking it). Thanks for spending the time to read and review what I've created - even if you say bad things about it, it still means a lot.
~Alisa Wolstein
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Mordel
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PostPosted: 19-Dec-2017 16:30    Post subject: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

I like that you add fluff. A lot of people will design, not add any fluff, and then ask for feedback. And to be honest, without the fluff, it's tough to provide anything of meaning. Fluff lets us know what you're thinking is. Essentially what the driving force behind what you built was.

Off the bat, I'll tell you the vitriol for superheavies is strong within the BT community. I for one don't understand it, but it exists. It's definitely cheaper then the other superheavies built for canon purposes. At first blush I thought the BV seemed low, but I was mistaken. I was think Clan designs. As a slightly-mobile pillbox, I like it. Kudos for no XL engine, making it far more survivable.
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Sleeping Dragon
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PostPosted: 20-Dec-2017 02:55    Post subject: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

Well, the superheavies are mostly arty magnets and too slow to even walk away from arty shot occassionally. They probably look way too ridiculous from the point of view of current military knowledge.
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Kylo Kruis
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PostPosted: 20-Dec-2017 07:26    Post subject: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

wrote:
If you come up against this monstrosity in a BattleMech lighter than 80 tons, pray for a miracle - because it's the only thing that can save you.


or get inside 3 hexes!

As always with SuperHeavies, they must be supported!
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PostPosted: 20-Dec-2017 11:40    Post subject: Re: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

Sleeping Dragon wrote:
Well, the superheavies are mostly arty magnets and too slow to even walk away from arty shot occassionally. They probably look way too ridiculous from the point of view of current military knowledge.


I still don't get the arty magnet correlation. Yes, 1/2 is ridiculously slow, but you can still be a 2/3 superheavy, and there are plenty of 2/3 assault battlemechs. So from that perspective, they are no worse. As has already been stated though, just about every 'Mech needs to be supplemented with others to counteract their weaknesses. Spiders suck at assault missions! Smile
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PostPosted: 20-Dec-2017 19:25    Post subject: Re: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

All true, but you still have to take in to account that they are also quite big - 2 levels tall while prone You can't easily hide that or find cover. There are also many eggs in this basket, so the superheavy is a prime target. 2/3 battlemechs and superheavies are a little better, but still very vulnerable. Namely Urbie is for built-up terrain and can hide among the buildings. The Annihilator is... well, I prefer to avoid that thing.
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Alisa Wolfstein
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PostPosted: 21-Dec-2017 05:25    Post subject: The StarQuake (True Name Unknown) [Model Unknown] Reply to topic Reply with quote

For me, this is great because it fits into my playing style well. I like to use tanky big-hitters - short or long range - to draw enemy fire away from a lance or two of smaller 'Mechs, which then go in for the kill by ganging up on one 'Mech each turn. In the case of the StarQuake, it can kill several of the smaller 'Mechs on its own!
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