BattleMaster
Sitting at a svelte 85-tons, bristling with weapons, and a favorite of pretty much any person who can afford it, the BLR-1G BattleMaster is one of the premiere Assault-Class BattleMechs in the BattleTech universe, and arguably the official Mech of higher-ups in Inner Sphere armies.
Overview[edit]
Hollis Industries first began manufacture of the BattleMaster in 2633 for the Star League's Defense Force, ensuring that the best and brightest army in human history got the biggest, bestest, most powerful Mech that could comfortably be created at the time, and the BattleMaster met the advertising and then some, being one of the very best of it's class, only outdone in other areas by Mechs that sacrificed reliability for guns and firepower for armor. It has served several armies throughout the Inner Sphere with distinction, and thanks to much of it's advanced electronics and older models having dedicated software for it, are a delightful Command Mech.
It only really has two downsides that are unreleated to the 'Mech's performance: It's expensive, and it's boutique. At a whopping 8 million C-Bills, you gotta really want a BattleMaster in order to get one, and even if you have the C-Bills, the factories for these things reliably could be counted on one hand. Several companies can produce it, but have to dedicate single factories entirely to their production due to the sheer size of it (exact measurements aren't given but it's frequently described as being among the taller and wider Mechs in the setting), leading to them becoming exceptionally rare even when they were first produced. And you have to make good and goddamn sure nobody knows that thing is on it's way to you when you send your payment, because everyone, and I mean everyone...wants a BattleMaster.
In terms of more technical readouts, the standard BattleMaster is a Hollis Mark X chassis with a VOX 340 fusion engine that lets it reach a top speed of 64 km/h. Communications are handled by a HarfordCo COM 4000, while targeting is done by a HarfordCo XKZ 1. 18 heat sinks are standard for maintaining mech heat levels to be reasonable.
Armaments[edit]
The BattleMaster lives up to it's name: carrying a Donal-produced PPC on it's right arm, Six Medium lasers in a Four-In-Front, Two-Behind configuration, an SRM-6 with two tons of ammo, and two machine guns to keep infantry off it's back, all wrapped up in 14 tons of armor. Oh, and if you thought you were smart trying to disable the PPC or could get into range to try and brawl with it, the PPC can be disengaged from the Mech so you get to feel Assault-Mech level punches coming down on you.
Variants[edit]
Further increasing its versatility, several variants of the Battlemaster exist with various different roles in mind.
- BLR-1C - A rare Star League-era version of the Battlemaster that leans into the "commander's BattleMech" archetype associated with the standard 'Mech. Integrates a Command Console and swaps the machine guns for the ability to upgrade to Double Heat Sinks, which introduces a drawback of being more vulnerable to infantry.
- BLR-1D - A basic modification made by House Davion in 2867 meant to increase survivability in the face of a lack of production capability. It removes the SRM-6 and rear Medium Lasers in exchange for 6 more heat sinks and an additional ton of armor.
- BRL-1Gb - The SLDF Royal variant of the BattleMaster, the 1Gb is upgraded to use an Endo Steel chassis and Double Heat Sinks. Almost a complete weapons package rework, the only thing it kept from the base model were the forward-firing medium lasers. Adding to its punch was a pair of ER PPCs (one in each arm) and a torso-mounted Large Pulse Laser.
- BRL-1Gbc - A mix between the 1Gb it is based on and the 1C, this 'Mech installs a Command Console at the cost of removing three heat sinks.
- BRL-1Gc - Technically just a designation for 1Cs produced after the Helm brought back all the LosTech. It upgrades the Heat Sinks to Double Heat Sinks, and drops the machineguns to squeeze in the Command Console unit.
- BRL-1Gd - Star League-era Federated Suns variant. It only has sixteen heat sinks and ditches the machine guns, but said sinks are all Double and the six frontal lasers are upgraded to Medium Pulse Lasers.
- BRL-1S - The missile-flinger BattleMaster, commissioned by House Steiner and produced by Red Devil Industries. Swaps the PPC and SRM-6 for an LRM-15, an LRM-5, and two SRM-2s. It also adds two more heat sinks for a total of 20.
- BRL-2C - Another command-leaning variant, this one from 2925 and held onto by ComStar. Features a second cockpit with a Command Console and uses a Nirasaki Inciteful Vision targeting system. The machine guns are traded for a SureFire Defender anti-missile system on the left arm (which is droppable like the PPC so robot boxing is still an option).
- BRL-3M - Created in 3049 by Earthwerks Incorporated for the Free Worlds League. Utilizing rediscovered Star League technology, the 3M upgrades to Double Heat Sinks and directly upgrades the PPC to be a Fusigon Longtooth ER PPC. One of the machine guns is also removed in order to make room for CASE ammo explosion protection.
- BRL-3M-DC - Obligatory command variant of the 3M, which ditches the rear lasers for a Command Console.
- BRL-3S - A modification made using LosTech for the Federated Commonwealth in 3050. Removes a half-ton of armor, a machine gun, and two of the forward-facing Medium Lasers in exchange for upgrading to an Edasich Motors 340 XL engine. It also swaps its PPC for a FarFire LRM-20 launcher and the remaining Medium Lasers are upgraded to be Defiance P5M Medium Pulse Lasers.
- BLR-4L - A Capellan Confederation version of the BattleMaster first put into service in 3081. This variant goes for a more stealthy and mobile approach, utilizing Stealth Armor to shield from electronic detection and a Guardian ECM Suite for further electronic warfare countermeasures alongside the addition of three Jump Jets that give it a 90-meter jump range. Weapons-wise, its main weapon is now a Light Gauss Rifle with the secondary weapon being replaced with an MML-7 and the torso now sporting a Light PPC and an ER Medium Laser. Power is now provided by a Light Fusion Engine, further leaning into mobility at the cost of less energy being available overall.
- BLR-4S - Made by a collaboration between Red Devil Industries and J.B. BattleMechs in 3062, the 4S is less a variant and more an overhaul of the BattleMaster. This new take is constructed upon a StarFrame Heavy chassis, powered by a 340 VOX Light Fusion Engine, and protected by 13.5 tons of ArcShield Maxi X Ferro-fibrous Armor. The right arm-mounted main weapon is now a Zeus Slingshot Gauss Rifle supplied with 3 tons of ammo that is stored within the right side of the torso, while the SRM-6 remains, only now the TharHes Maxi SRM-6 variant with Artemis IV fire control in the left torso. The six frontal lasers are now split 2-4 for close- and medium-range respectively, with 2 Defiance B3M medium lasers and 4 RAMTech 1500Z ER medium lasers. Anti-infantry, due to lack of space in the torso, is now supplied by two Defiance P5S Small Pulse Lasers mounted on the left arm. All munitions are protected by CASE, communication is provided by an O/P 3000 COMSET, and targeting is done by a Cyclops Multi-Tasker 10 T&T system. This redesign is most commonly used by the Lyran Commonwealth since the days it was the Lyran Alliance post-FedCom Civil War.
- BLR-5M - A Free Worlds League variant deployed in 3067 and reflected weapon trends leading up to the Jihad. The main gun is now a Light Gauss Rifle that is supplemented by an ER Large Laser and six ER Medium Lasers (two of the original lasers being removed from the front).
- BLR-6C - The Regulian Hussars' take on the command-focused variant, this BattleMaster changes out the traditional arm- and torso-mounted weapons for four Light Autocannon/5s mounted in the torso (two on the left and right each), Small X-Pulse Lasers on the left arm, and a Streak SRM-6 that is also mounted within the torso. It has one ton of SRM-6 ammo and four tons of AC ammo that's noted to often be special ammunition for fighting particular enemies. Of course, since this is a command-focused variant, the obligatory Command Console is here too.
- BLR-6G - A General Motors-produced variant designed with the knowledge gained from its cousin the Warlord. The core of the design is a Hollis Mark X Endo Steel Chassis and GM 340 Light Fusion Engine, allowing the 'Mech to lug around 15-and-a-half tons of armor. The main PPC is upgraded to a Magna Hellfire Heavy PPC with two torso-mounted Magna Bolt Light PPCs replacing the six forward Medium Lasers to support it, which necessitated overhauling the heat sink setup to be 16 Double Heat Sinks. In addition, a Holly Streak SRM-6 upgrades the original SRM-6, with one ton of ammunition protected by a CASE II torso module which replaces the machine guns. The rear lasers are retained and bumped up to Martell ER Small Lasers, and the left hand has two Martel-X Small X-Pulse Lasers for infantry protection.
- BLR-6M - A BattleMaster command model that doesn't have a Command Console, thank Kerensky. Based on the BLR-5M, its main weapon is now a Heavy PPC and a Thunderbolt launcher provided long-range support.
- BLR-6R - A mixed-tech brawler that incorporates a Clan-grade Rotary AC/5 for its right-hand weapon, a left torso–mounted Inner Sphere grade Streak SRM-6 rack, twin Light PPCs in each side torso, and a pair of rear-facing Improved Heavy Medium Lasers. Carries three tons of RAC rounds and one ton of Streak reloads in CASE II protection and offsets the increased weight with using a Light Fusion Engine.
- BLR-6X - A variant that's a testbed for an experimental XXL Engine that boots its top speed to 86 km/h, turning this BattleMaster into a speedster for its size class. It also uses an Endo Steel frame to support its ER PPC, Heavy PPC, Streak SRM-6, and pair of ER medium lasers. These changes necessitated overhauling heat management to use 16 Double Heat Sinks.
- BLR-10S - This BattleMaster was first manufactured in 3070 and is built around an Edasich compact engine which reduces its top speed to 54.4 km/h in exchange for more space. It also utilizes a Heavy-Duty Gyro to increase the 'Mech's durability. The armament, meanwhile, is changed to have a Defiance 1001 ER PPC as its primary and a CQC suite of six Diverse Optics ER medium lasers, a Diverse Optics ER Small Laser, and a Coventry TH4b Streak SRM-4. Two Defiance Razorback B-Pods are added to give Battle Armor a bad time, while a Guardian ECM Suite protects its electronics.
- BLR-10S2 - A 10S that replaces one heat sink with a C3 slave unit for more coordinated attacks.
- BLR-CM - Yet another command variant of the BattleMaster created by the Kuritans, but this time meant to be the anchor of a C3-coordinated company. Utilizing a smaller fusion engine and shaving 10 km/h of top speed, it is able to carry two C3 master computers. An ER PPC, two ER medium lasers, and a Shigunga MRM 30 provide the CM's firepower, while for defense the 'Mech utilizes sixteen tons of armor to better protect its valuable C3 control center.
- BLR-K3 - Another Kuritan BattleMaster, the K3 utilizes an XL Engine to power its weapons: an ER PPC and two ER large lasers for long-range combat, as well as four ER medium lasers and a Streak SRM-6 launcher for close combat. A single C3 master computer is also included.
- BLR-K4 - A variation of the K3 which puts on Improved Jump Jets for 150 meters of flight, and uses a Heavy Duty Gyro to increase stability. Its armament is altered to be composed of a Gauss Rifle, Snub-Nose PPC, Large Pulse Laser, and two ER medium Lasers.
- BLR-M3 - Another C3 command BattleMaster. Utilizes a Light Gauss Rifle and two Light PPCs for long-range keep-away, as well as an all-ranged MML-5 launcher that can launch both LRM and SRM ammunition. Power is supplied by a souped-up Light Fusion Engine which increases top speed by 800 meters an hour, while armor is swapped to be 13.5 tons of Heavy Ferro-Fibrous. Close-range protection is done by two Medium Pulse Lasers, and ammo protection by a CASE unit. Finally, to make good on its role it has a C3 master computer capable of coordinating an entire Lance.
- Dual Cockpit refits - A catch-all for modifications made by the Federated Suns and Federated Commonwealth to add a second cockpit in exchange for removing a heat sink. Most commonly done on the 1G and 3M.
- BattleMaster C - The Clans' take on the BattleMaster, devised after Clan Jade Falcon managed to take over Red Devil Industries during the FedCom Civil War. Based on the 4S, it upgrades its chassis to be Endo-Steel and increases its armor to sixteen and a half tons. The Gauss Rifle is swapped for a Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle 30 with 4 tons of ammo and removes the rear-facing medium lasers in exchange for the frontward ones now being comprised of four medium pulse lasers and two ER medium lasers. A Targeting Computer is installed to coordinate these new guns, and the SRM-6 is swapped with an ATM 6 equipped with three tons of ammunition.
- BattleMaster C 2 - Based on a unique BattleMaster used by the leader of the Red Corsairs pirate group (not those Red Corsairs), Nekane Hazen, the C 2 is descended from the BLR-1Gbc. Most notably dual-wields two ER PPCs, one in each arm. Other weaponry changes include upgrading the forward medium lasers to medium pulse lasers and adding a Large Pulse Laser in the center of the torso. All this is supported by an XL Engine, Endo Steel Skeleton, 16 tons of armor, and 21 double heatsinks. Carries over the Command Console of the 1Gbc. Now sees common use by the Wolf Empire.
- BattleMaster C 3 - Clan Sea Fox's take. Similar to the BLR-3M. Its main weapon is a Type DDS "Kingston" ER PPC, its secondary weapon a Type VI Streak SRM-6, four forward firing Series 2b ER medium lasers, and twin Series V machine guns mounted on the left arm. Uses 18 double heat sinks for keeping the temperature under control, while a Targeting Computer assists the Clasman inside in combat.
Design Quirks[edit]
Asides from the obvious Command 'Mech designation, any arm-mounted weapon is considered a Jettison-Capable Weapon so the BattleMaster can play a round of rock 'em-sock 'em if it wishes. The design in general in crunch is considered to have Weak Head Armor (1) since all you really have is a reinforced glass cockpit.
