the shape of things to come

The “big gun” of most battle armor designs is beyond doubt the
missile launcher. Off ering some of the best reach and damage potential
for the most economical cost in terms of mass and bulk, the
missile launchers used by suits are—like all their primary weapon
types—an intermediary between standard infantry-launched tubes
and their ’Mech-mounted analogs. Though smaller by tube than the
launchers deployed by vehicle-scale units, the missiles fi red by battle
armor benefi t from the advanced targeting systems and enhancedstrength
stability integral to battlesuit design. Combined with the fact
that their size, fuel-load and warhead yields approximate those used
in vehicular launchers, this makes suit-mounted missiles every bit as
powerful as those fi red by their bigger cousins.
It should be noted, however, that the scale-down of missile launchers
to battlesuit sizes has its drawbacks. Battle armor launchers, for
instance, must integrate a launcher’s ammo feed into the launcher
itself, rendering it impossible to “cross-feed” a launcher in the event
that some tubes are damaged and others remain operational. They
also cannot carry enhanced targeting systems, like Artemis FCS. Their
range of alternative munitions is likewise somewhat limited, as most
suits don’t have the mass to spare for special missile types and alternative
loading mechanisms.
LONG RANGE MISSILE (LRM) LAUNCHERS
Introduced: 3057 (Federated Commonwealth)
Corean Enterprises was the fi rst company on the scene to debut
an infantry-launched version of the LRM in 3057 with their FarShot
LRM launch system. Brooks Incorporated of the Free Worlds League
followed suit not long after, fl ooding the booming military markets of
the destabilized Chaos March in the process. It was not long, naturally,
before battlesuit versions became feasible. Strangely, even though
battle armor LRMs are possible, as of this writing, those suits that
carry an LRM are little more than test beds and one-off variants; no
production armor yet exists that mounts an LRM. [Note: The FedSuns’
much-anticipated Hauberk battle armor, which sports a five-tube
LRM, began development almost a year after Professor Habeas’ death,
and didn’t hit the fi eld en masse until April of 3070. –EB]
MEDIUM RANGE MISSILE (MRM) LAUNCHER
Introduced: 3065 (Draconis Combine)
House Kurita’s inexpensive (and relatively inaccurate) MRM system
fi nally reached infantry and battle armor scale after the end of their
brief war with the Ghost Bear Dominion in the mid-3060s, developed
in part from the lessons of that confl ict. Though boasting better range
than the SRM, the smaller MRM warheads have a punch roughly
equivalent to that of a standard LRM. Only the launchers’ decreased
bulk and size in fact, makes them a worthy trade for an LRM.
ROCKET LAUNCHERS
Introduced: Pre-spacefl ight
Hardly the most sophisticated missile launch system in the universe,
the simple one-shot light anti-vehicle weapon (LAW) lacks the
accuracy of SRMs and LRMs, but is easy to manufacture and cheap
MISSILE LAUNCHERS
MISSILE LAUNCHERS
to boot. When deployed by battlesuits, these rocket launchers mimic
those seen on the newer Periphery ’Mech designs, but as they off er
few advantages over the more sophisticated LRM and SRM launcher
types (beyond cost-eff ectiveness), they’re rarely seen on production
suits. The Clans don’t even bother with such “primitive” weaponry.
SHORT RANGE MISSILE (SRM) LAUNCHER
Introduced: 2370 (Terran Hegemony)
One of the most destructive weapons available to conventional
infantry, the short-range missile (SRM) balances portability, fi repower
and range so well that it became the favorite for battle armor design
almost as soon as battle armor became a viable technology. The suit
models are bulky but reliable, easily making them today’s most popular
battle armor weapon system.
ADVANCED SHORT RANGE MISSILE LAUNCHER
Introduced: 3058 (Clan Hell’s Horses)
A recent advance in battlesuit SRM technology, the so-called advanced
SRM debuted in 3058 with Clan Hell’s Horses’ Gnome-class
battle armor. Apparently an eff ort to match the capabilities of the Clan
Streak SRM, these launchers manage to come about halfway, with an
excellent range boost and no appreciable loss in warhead yields, but
the Horses quickly abandoned the absolutism of the Streak design
and settled for a slight increase in target acquisition instead.
SINGLE-SHOT (OS) LAUNCHERS
Excepting rocket launchers—which gain this feature for free—a
single-shot variation is available for most battlesuit-mounted missile
launcher designs. Unlike the vehicular variety, which presents a slight
mass increase due to the specialized small-scale ammo bin, the battlesuit
single-shot system removes a typical missile launcher’s ammunition
feed mechanisms and bins in favor of individual, pre-chambered
and launch-prepared warheads. This adaptation slightly increases the
weapon’s bulk, but presents a tonnage savings that makes up for—in
some cases, anyway—the loss of battlefi eld weapon endurance.
MISSILE MUNITIONS
As with vehicular missile systems, variant ammunition exists for
battle armor use, but the small size and relative lack of sophistication
inherent to launchers at this scale limits the options available.
Only three main “alternative ammo” types are known to exist today
in great numbers: the inferno SRM, Clan multi-purpose missiles and
the torpedo.
Infernos: Inferno missiles—only available to standard SRM launchers
and their single-shot versions—are identical to their vehiclelaunched
counterparts. Like the vehicular inferno, these warheads
explode just short of impact, to shower the target with a fl aming gel
that can cause immense damage to unprotected personnel or signifi -
cantly raise the heat level of ’Mechs.
Multi-Purpose Missiles: Clan Goliath Scorpion is credited with
the development of the so-called multi-purpose missile munition.
Essentially an amphibious propulsion system mated to a standard
Tech Base: Inner Sphere (LRM, MRM, rocket launcher and SRM only) and Clan (LRM, SRM and advanced SRM only)
Battle Armor Unit Restrictions: No restrictions
Game Rules: Under Total Warfare game play, a battlesuit’s missile launcher remains operational until jettisoned (if mounted as detachable)
or until its ammunition is depleted. If neither has occurred, the launcher remains operational as long as the suit is not destroyed and
its trooper is capable of acting.
Construction Rules: A battle armor suit (including exoskeleton and power armor designs) may mount multiple missile launchers of
varying types, if desired. Note the appropriate rules for carrying missile ammunition in Step 5 of the Battle Armor core construction rules
(starting on p. 170).
Table Reference: Battle Armor Weapons and Equipment (Inner Sphere and Clan, pp. 346–348) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 214, 229
i
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
261