the shape of things to come

has spread to other Inner Sphere factions as well, and—like the other new
gyro types—has yet to be duplicated by the Clans.
A vast improvement over standard gyros (though they weigh twice as
much for an equivalent rating) the heavy-duty gyro is the same size as the
standard model, but has a reinforced outer shell, more redundancy, and is
composed of denser materials that can together withstand more damage
than the standard military gyro. –EB]
GYRO
Tech Base: Inner Sphere (Standard, Compact, Heavy-Duty and XL) and
Clan (Standard only)
Unit Restrictions: Gyros are limited to BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs.
IndustrialMechs may only use Standard gyros.
Construction Rules: All BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs must carry a
gyro. The chart below indicates the availability of the featured gyro types to
particular units, as well as their construction rules page references.
EXTRALIGHT (XL) GYROS
[Introduced: 3067 (ComStar)
ComStar’s enhancement of gyroscope technology—fi rst deployed in
the waning weeks of 3067 as a series of quick upgrades—increases the
system’s overall bulk by half in exchange for a component that weighs
only half as much as the standard models. Developed to give Com Guard
’Mechs more tonnage for weapons and equipment, several of the newer
and refi tted ’Mechs that took part in Case White featured this technology.
Apparently, enough were captured and reverse-engineered to give XL
gyros to the Robes as well. –EB]
Engine Type Unit Availability Construction Rules Reference
Standard Gyro BM, IM p. 50 (BM), 69 (IM)
Compact Gyro BM p. 50
Heavy-Duty Gyro BM p. 50
Extra-Light (XL) Gyro BM p. 50
Key: BM=BattleMechs, IM=IndustrialMechs
Table Reference: See Chart Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 126
Introduced: 3022 (Lyran Commonwealth)
One of the more controversial battlefi eld weapons in the modern era—
hailed as an innovation in the 3020s after three hundred years of stagnated
military technology—the hatchet (sometimes referred to as an axe)
is nothing more than a large hunk of deadweight built into a BattleMech’s
arm as a permanent club. In the scavenger days of the late Succession
Wars, it was common for MechWarriors, low on ammunition and out of
weapons, to uproot trees or yank girders from the rubble of buildings
and wield them as clubs. These improvised clubs invariably required two
hands to wield, thanks to typical balance and weight issues, and usually
shattered or splintered after one good hit. The Lyran “invention” of the
hatchet, which used heavier industrial alloys wrapped in a titanium sheath
HATCHET
for corrosion resistance, enabled BattleMechs to wield a more eff ective,
reusable club that could dish out the same damage one-handed.
Of course, modern military production and the recovery of Star League
techniques have ended the scavenger economies of those days, but
rather than relegating the hatchet and its ilk to the arenas of Solaris VII,
some warriors have inexplicably fallen in love with this dubious piece of
hardware. Defi ance Industries of Hesperus II, in fact, maintains a tradition
of producing hatchet-wielders, including such notable designs as the
Nightsky, Berserker and (of course) the Hatchetman.
Practical as ever, the Clans have demonstrated no interest in melee
weapons, fi nding them a primitive and wasteful “barbarian” alternative to
simply blasting an opponent at extreme ranges.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Prohibited Units: Only humanoid BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs may carry a hatchet.
Construction Rules: ‘Mechs may mount Hatchets in the arm locations only. Each arm may install a maximum of 1 Hatchet, and then only if the
selected arm also possess a full set of arm and hand actuators.
The weight, critical space and base damage for a hatchet is based directly on the weight of the BattleMech/IndustrialMech wielding it. Both the
tonnage and critical slots taken up by a Hatchet are equal to the ‘Mech’s tonnage, divided by 15, rounding up to the nearest whole number. The
hatchet’s base damage value is equal to the ‘Mech’s tonnage, divided by 5 (rounded up to the nearest whole).
Table Reference: Weapons and Equipment (Inner Sphere, pp. 341–344) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 144
Introduced: Circa 2022 (Western Alliance, Terra)
The waste heat generated by battlefi eld engines and the weapons they
empower made heat management a fi rst priority as soon as fusion power
and energy weapons became commonplace. The insulated nature of combat
armor—particularly on BattleMechs and aerospace fi ghters—meant
that such heat typically became trapped within the machine, endangering
crews and heat sensitive components. Heat sinks were the solution.
Essentially a series of heat pumps and coolant lines run through a ’Mech,
fi ghter or other unit, these systems collect heat from coolant jackets and
coolant lines in heat-generating equipment, designed to shunt heat away
HATCHET
HEAT SINKS
from vital components and out through baffl es in the unit’s protective
armor skin.
Virtually all fusion and fission engines incorporate a basic cooling
system in their design that functions as the heart of this heat-exchange
network. Though suitable for light duties, most units—from BattleMechs
to Support Vehicles—usually expand these systems as needed to handle
the added workload of any attached weapons and other gear.
Today’s heat sink technologies are essentially a refi ned version of the
same ones that debuted with vehicle-sized fusion plants, though their
design and effi ciency have been enhanced though the centuries.
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