the shape of things to come

Tech Base: Inner Sphere and Clan
Unit Restrictions: As they may not mount internal cargo, BattleMechs and ProtoMechs may not mount sprayers or light fl uid suction
systems.
Game Rules: Sprayers, while they do “fi re” as weapons, may not benefi t from targeting computers or fi re control systems in vehicles, and so
all “attacks” made using such equipment are performed as if the unit in which they are mounted has no fi re control (+2 to-hit). Sprayers infl ict
damage to conventional infantry units only, equivalent to a battle-armor fl amer with an attack range of 1 hex (see Total Warfare, p. 217).
Fluid suction systems have no eff ect in Total Warfare standard rules play. Their use will be covered more fully in future products.
Neither the sprayer nor the light fl uid suction system will function if the unit’s engine is shut down or its pilot/crew is incapable of acting.
Construction Rules: Sprayers and suction systems may be mounted on any applicable unit, but each piece of equipment so mounted
should have a location and fi ring arc assigned, like any weapon system. Multiple sprayers or suction systems may be mounted, if desired,
but each counts as a separate item. To be able to use a sprayer or suction system, the carrying unit must also have cargo space specifi cally
set aside for liquid storage (see Transport Bays, p. 239).
Due to additional pumping mechanisms and mounts, the sprayers and light fl uid suction systems used by IndustrialMechs weigh 0.5
tons each rather than 15 kg.
Sprayers and suction systems do not count as weapons, and so do not require gunners.
Table Reference: Weapons and Equipment (Industrial, pp. 344–345)
Introduced: 2440 (Draconis Combine)
Tracks are an oddball piece of equipment only found on specialized
IndustrialMechs such as MiningMechs and TunnelMechs. Essentially
a set of powered, foot-mounted tread-skates, this equipment was
developed to enable such units to move better in the tight confi nes
of narrow tunnels, where a typical IndustrialMech’s legs often cannot
manage the full range of motion necessary for safe walking. Though
SPRAYER/LIGHT FLUID SUCTION SYSTEM
TRACKS
TRACKS
their utility is limited, in some select instances—such as extreme actuator
or gyro damage—tracks can get an otherwise crippled ‘Mech back
to safety in good time. Still, these systems are maintenance-intensive,
and limited in speed by their small size. Too fragile for combat, they
are almost never seen on BattleMechs. Even among their intended
users, tracks are often shunned, with owners often stripping them (or
their mechanisms) out in favor of other equipment.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere and Clan
Unit Restrictions: Only BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs may mount tracks.
Construction Rules: ‘Mech-based tracks weigh 10 percent as much as the unit on which they are mounted (rounded up to the nearest
half-ton). Tracks take up 1 critical slot in each of the ‘Mech’s legs, so a humanoid ‘Mech equipped with tracks requires 2 slots in total, while
a quadruped requires 4.
Table Reference: Weapons and Equipment (Industrial, pp. 344–345) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 143
Introduced: Pre-spacefl ight
Whether you see them being slung about on Solaris holovids, or
by honest working men smashing down old and condemned buildings
in an inner city, the wrecking ball is eff ectively the same tool that
humans have used for centuries in much the same basic capacity. Even
though nowadays the ball is ferrocrete, the sheathing is hard steel
alloy and the chain comes with a myomer lacing for quick retraction
WRECKING BALL
WRECKING BALL
if over-extended, the wrecking ball is at heart little more than a large,
heavy rock on a chain. Its whole purpose is to swing and smash, and
even the Solaran variations on this device as a weapon accomplish
little more than dressing up this simple function with more fl air. While
tough enough to batter even armored units into a mangled pulp, the
wrecking ball makes for an inelegant weapon on the battlefi eld, and
so its use there is quite rare.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere and Clan
Unit Restrictions: Only humanoid BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs, and ground- and naval-based Combat and Support Vehicles (those
with Wheeled, Tracked, Hover, WiGE, or Naval motive types—including submersibles and hydrofoils), may install a wrecking ball.
Game Rules: Note that Hover and WiGE units may not use a wrecking ball unless they have fi rst landed (stopped in the previous turn
and spent 0 MP in that turn) and are adjacent to the target. Naval units equipped with wrecking balls may only use them while stationary
(spending 0 MP in that turn) and surfaced (at Depth 0) directly adjacent to a target.
Construction Rules: Combat and Support Vehicles may only mount a wrecking ball in a Turret location, but only if the location(s) selected
does not also include a backhoe, chainsaw, combine, dual saw, heavy-duty pile driver, mining drill or rock cutter.
Humanoid BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs may mount wrecking balls in the arms only, but are limited to one wrecking ball per arm
and must remove the hand actuator on the chosen arm to do so. Quad BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs may not mount wrecking balls. As
with vehicles, ‘Mechs may not place a wrecking ball in any location that also includes a backhoe, chainsaw, combine, dual saw, heavy-duty
pile driver, mining drill or rock cutter.
Table Reference: Weapons and Equipment (Industrial, pp. 344–345) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 143
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INTRODUCTION
CONSTRUCTION
BASICS
BATTLEMECH
CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRIALMECH
CONSTRUCTION
PROTOMECH
CONSTRUCTION
COMBAT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
CONV. INFANTRY
CONSTRUCTION
BATTLE ARMOR
CONSTRUCTION
AEROSPACE UNIT
CONSTRUCTION
WEAPONS AND
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
INFANTRY WEAPONS
AND EQUIPMENT
COSTS AND
AVAILABILITY
BATTLE VALUE
INDEX
RECORD SHEETS
249