~S~

Now that you understand a little about our House structure and history, it is time to familiarize yourselves with the primary reason we are all here. We are the few, the proud, the deadly. We are Mechwarriors. We live, breathe, eat, drink, and sometimes die with and for our Mechs. When we plug ourselves into our neurohelmets, we become more than human. We become 30, 40, 50, sometimes 100 tons of steel encased death incarnate. All of you either have been or will be through basic mech training before you drop for real. It is there that you will learn basic piloting skills. In this classroom you will learn a bit more about the mechs themselves and be given resources to study the various mechs to determine which mech is the right one for the job at hand.

Firstly, the mechs we will be dealing with are divided into four classes:

You will ALL start out in the Lights, and move your way up as your position, level, and rank require. It behoves you to know the strengths and weaknesses of any mech you will use, and any mech your enemy uses. A trained warrior can take down an Atlas in the right Heavy mech, and a properly trained medium lance can take down an Atlas. I speak from experiece.

Every mech has its strengths and every mech has its weaknesses. It is your responsibility to learn this and learn it well. It may make the difference one day when you are in a JVN-10F and facing a CPLT-A1

Part and Parcel of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your mech, is understanding the different weapon and armor configurations that comprise our mechs.

Weapons can be broken up into three groups: Energy, Ballistic, and Missile. There are pros and cons to each. You will never run out of ammo for an energy weapon, although it may take longer to recharge and will contribute more heat. Ballistic weapons deal quite a bit of damage, but are constrained to carried ammo, and can cause some nasty damage if they explode. Missle weapons may have great range, but poor accuracy.

The choice of mech for a mission often depends on the loadout necessary for that mission. Does the mech carry weapons that span the necessary range requirements? Does the lance already have a fire-support mech and need a close-in brawler. Are you dropping into the veldt, or into teisting canyons with very little long-range visibility? Do you have enough heat sinks to alpha strike if necessary? All these must be considered, and I guarantee you that without the proper knowledge, you will inevitably make the wrong decision.

Below will be two invaluable resources in familiarizing yourselves with the necessary mechs and weapons systems.

Note: We are constrained to mechs and weapons that appear in the 3025 TRO, with the current exception of the RVN-3L - 3050 tech

Required Reading:

ChaosMarch Tech Index

This reference is an excellent source for the mechs and their variants, as well as for various weapons and armor systems. Choose Tech Guide in the left frame for weapons, armor, and miscellany. Choose the 3025 option under Battlemechs for all else

The Mech Factory

This reference is an encyclopedic collection of all Classic Battletech vehicles, including Infantry, Mechs, Aerospace, and Spaceships. Although some of the narratives are in Hungarian, all of the stats are in Standard English. Use it and use it wisely.

Never forget, that a Mech is merely a lifeless hunk of steel and cables. It is the trained mind of the mechwarrior within that makes it the deadly fighting machine it can be. Without the necessary knowledge piloting the mech, it is merely an overgrown toy that can be dispensed with easily.

We are the Mechwarriors of House Marik; it is the ability of our pilots that makes us the best. You all will be a link it that honourable chain.

~S~
Fear The Eagle!

Col Liam
Earl of Andurien
Acting AoOCO
Andurien FORSCOM
Ryerson Military District
Free Worlds League Military