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Let's try this again.

I had to edit some things manually after HMPing, since Primitive tech base isn't implemented yet. And to my knowledge, nobody's done things that are only partially Primitive before. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Improved Heavy Rifle stats can be found here. Or just think of it as a poor man's AC-10 with an accuracy penalty.

Comments and criticism are quite welcome.

               BattleMech Technical Readout
                     Custom* Weapons

Type/Model:    Megaera MGA-2F
Tech:          Mixed (IS/Primitive) / 3088
Config:        Biped BattleMech
Rules:         Level 3, Standard design

Mass:          90 tons
Chassis:       Primitive
Power Plant:   VOX 325 Primitive Fusion
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets:     None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type:    ProtecTech Standard w/ CASE
Armament:      
  2 CAW Foe-Hammer Improved Heavy Rifles*
  2 Shigunga or CAW MML-5s*
  1 Magna MkII Medium Laser
Manufacturer:  Coalition Armory
  Location:    Filtvelt
Communications System:  Datacom 100
Targeting & Tracking System:  Garret D2j

--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    Megaera MGA-2F
Mass:          90 tons

Equipment:                                 Crits    Mass
Int. Struct.:  138 pts Primitive             0      9.00
Engine:        325 Primitive Fusion          6     23.50
   Walking MP:   3
   Running MP:   5
   Jumping MP:   0
Heat Sinks:     13 Single                    0      3.00
Gyro:                                        4      4.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors:                5      3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA+LA    R: Sh+UA+LA       14       .00
Armor Factor:  248 pts Standard              0     15.50

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Head:                      3          9      
   Center Torso:             29         39      
   Center Torso (Rear):                 10      
   L/R Side Torso:           19      28/28      
   L/R Side Torso (Rear):            10/10      
   L/R Arm:                  15      25/25      
   L/R Leg:                  19      32/32      

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Crits    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
1 Improved Heavy Rifle*  RA      6   24     10     13.00
  (Ammo Locations: 2 LT, 2 RT)
1 Improved Heavy Rifle*  LA      6           6      9.00
1 MML-5*                 RT      3  48/40    5      5.00
  (Ammo Locations: 1 LT, 1 RT)
1 MML-5*                 LT      3           3      3.00
1 Medium Laser           HD      3           1      1.00
CASE Equipment:          LT     RT           2      1.00
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                         21          56     90.00
Crits & Tons Left:                          22      0.00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        7,712,100 C-Bills
Battle Value:      1,234
Cost per BV:       6,249.68
Weapon Value:      939 / 939 (Ratio = .76 / .76)
Damage Factors:    SRDmg = 15;  MRDmg = 10;  LRDmg = 4
BattleForce2:      MP: 3,  Armor/Structure: 6/7
                   Damage PB/M/L: 3/2/2,  Overheat: 1
                   Class: MA;  Point Value: 12

Overview:

Over the past two and a half decades, the Filtvelt Coalition has been working to provide its Citizen's Militias with enough vehicles and Mechs to repulse constant pirate attacks, relying heavily on what they can produce domestically. This has amounted to low-tech VTOLs and planes, some patrol hovercraft, and a smattering of light and medium RetroTech 'Mechs.

What Filtvelt's forces lacked, however, was heavy firepower. While they were able to procure a handful of Hawkwolf and Dervish fire support 'Mechs from the Brotherhood of Randis, this was insufficient for the Militia's needs. Unable to import sufficient firepower, the invention of Improved Rifles in 3086 allowed the Coalition the opportunity to build it for themselves, in the form of heavy tanks and a Primitive-style assault Mech known as the Megaera.


Capabilities:

The Megaera takes a lot of its design from the old Lyran Ymir, whose blueprints have been readily available since 3075. The fusion engine and myomers are locally produced on Filtvelt; while the 325-rated fusion engine is built to modern standards, the myomers are not. Apparently the Coalition has since solved this problem, but they have so much of this substandard myomer stockpiled that military planners are forced to continue using them.

The primary firepower for the Megaera comes from a pair of Improved Heavy Rifles. While this barely matches the damage output of a Succession War-era Warhammer or Hammerhands, the oversized cannons can at least be locally produced. The cannons have two other major advantages; firstly, they can accept multiple types of ammo for changing tactical situations. The other advantage is that, like the smaller Arbiter before it, the Megaera looks as though it's carrying much more powerful weaponry than it actually is -- a prime concern when dealing with pirates who are relatively easy to scare off.

Unusually for a RetroTech design, the Megaera mounts a cockpit that is up to modern standards, and more crucially, CASE in each side torso. This protects not only the ammo for the main cannons, but also the ammo for a pair of Multiple Missile Launchers. Most of these launchers are imported, but in recent years Filtvelt has begun producing their own. A single medium laser, mounted in the head, rounds out the Megaera's weaponry.

When the design was first produced, the Megaera relied on substandard armor plating which was far simpler for Filtvelt's patchy industry to produce. This gave it protection about on par with the old Warhammer. Modern armor has given this design almost 50 percent more survivability, allowing it to perform as a real assault 'Mech.


Deployment:

Most of the Megaeras that have been produced in the past decade and a half are tasked with defending factories and urban areas on Broken Wheel or Filtvelt itself. As with all Coalition-produced 'Mechs, Megaeras are being distributed fairly evenly between the four Citizen's Militia regiments.

What this indicates to some observers is that the Coalition is considering their realm's long-term defensive viability. Should the assault-heavy Thumpers decide not to renew their long-term defense contract with the breakaway realm, the FvC would be forced to rely almost exclusively on natively-produced designs for their heavy firepower.


Variants:

The original version of the Megaera, the MGA-1F, mounted a primitive cockpit and armor. The armament consisted of standard Heavy Rifles, along with much simpler SRM-6 launchers rather than the MMLs. Only five were produced this way, and none ever saw combat. All have since been upgraded to the 2F standard.

Two pilots in the Third FCM have replaced one of the cannons with a PPC and additional heat sinks. As no energy weapons are manufactured within Coalition borders, it's unlikely this simple-yet-effective modification will be able to catch on.



The HMP should be functional, albeit 10 tons underweight. The only difference in gameplay is that the extra heat sinks should be part of the engine, not in the legs and CT. Oh well, close enough.

My biggest grip is the price point. For a little under 8 million there are a lot of options out there. I'm not where I can easily break down the cost structure, so it might be a quirk of the design components. My real issue is less with the actual design and more with your viewpoint of the universe. Nothing wrong with it at all, just different from mine.

I find it hard to believe that for a militia I would buy this mech at all, even if it was the only mech I can build. If you the facilities to build this, why not build standard armor, or refit mechs? For the price you can field a good antique assault mech off the spare parts pile, or closing in on two platoons of old MBTs. I know they aren't mechs, but give me a platoon of Po heavy tanks back by two more of Vedettes any day. If you stick with the idea that they can build fusion engines and lasers, but not myomers then vehicles become even more of a smart idea.

One thing that would make me feel better from a fluff standpoint for a barely there military-industrial complex would be to drop the ML for either MGs or a Vehicle Flamer. These are "simpler" from a maintainability standpoint and much easier to produce. I would do similar with the MMLs. Either go with simpler SRM and/or LRM launcers or even MRMs or RLs for the Kalashnikov thought process.

I see where you're coming from vis-a-vis the MMLs and laser. Probably will drop the laser down to MG(s), I think.

The MMLs aren't as complex -- I figure the Filtvelters got the first batch of them from Randis (see the Hawkwolf in the XTROs) and then made their own based on those. After all, the first MMLs were made by a merc unit, not someone with a particularly hefty industrial base behind them; I figure that sort of a launcher would be a godsend for a Periphery state. Still, I do see your point, and will probably switch 'em out for RLs.


As far as "why would anyone make this rather than import", consider Filtvelt's options post-Jihad. To the north there's the Snow Ravens -- not a faction they really want to attract attention from, given what happened to Galedon. To the east there's the Tortuga Dominions that have been raiding them incessantly. To the south there's Randis, the ruined vestige of the Concordat, the Calderon Protectorate (not exactly a major trading partner), and more pirates. And to the west are the Davions, who the Coalition is frankly terrified of being reabsorbed by, despite Yvonne's proclamations of official disinterest.

The FVC really doesn't have many options except to develop a domestic defense industry.

Now as for "why this kludged-together assault Mech instead of a host of cheap tanks", well, non-Mech forces may be taken semi-seriously after everyone saw what the Wobblies could do with them, but Mechs are still regarded as kings of the battlefield. Pirate raiders in particular wouldn't take the Filtvelters seriously if the FVC couldn't field any Mechs.

That's what the Megaera is there to do -- look big and scary, so the pirates will say "Hmm, let's go somewhere else." Sort of like the Arbiter, but on a much larger (and much more effective) scale.

and when a company of these can not scare the pirates away there still is the option to call in a few companys of tanks to teach them respect. together with the mechs.
tombstone: Unknown Pirate - he learned respect

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typos and spelling-mistakes are property of the finder. english is not my mother-tongue.

The flag waving unit is good enough for me.