the shape of things to come

STEP 5: ADD WEAPONS,
AMMUNITION AND OTHER
EQUIPMENT
The weapons, ammunition, and equipment that may be
mounted on an IndustrialMech are listed in the Weapons and
Equipment Tables shown on p. 341. In addition to any heat, damage
and range statistics, these tables provide the tonnage and
critical space such items may occupy on an IndustrialMech (the
same values as for BattleMechs), as well as what technology base
(Clan or Inner Sphere) is required to use them, and any special
construction rules that might apply to installing the equipment.
The Ammo column notes how many shots a given weapon or
item carries per ton (only machine guns—including the Light and
Heavy models—and nail or rivet guns may carry ammunition in
half-ton lots). Remember that the total weight of a given IndustrialMech
design’s structure, engine, cockpit, armor, weapons and
other components may never exceed the tonnage established for
the IndustrialMech in Step 1. Any leftover weight that cannot be
allocated to cargo space (see Cargo Bays, p. 239) or other equipment
(due to critical space constraints or other factors) will be
considered “wasted” tonnage.
Weapons placed in any torso, leg or head location may have
a forward or rearward fi ring arc. Rear-fi ring weapons must be so
noted when installed on the design.
For special rules on any item, consult its entry under Weapons
and Heavy Equipment (pp. 200–273).
Small Items: Several items that may be installed on IndustrialMechs
have a weight presented in kilograms, not tons. When
mounting such items, the designer must keep a running total
of the number of kilograms used. At the end of this step in the
IndustrialMech design process, divide this quantity of kilograms
by 1,000 to fi nd their total weight in tons. When fi nalizing the
IndustrialMech design, this result must be rounded up to the
nearest half-ton.
Power Amplifi ers: IndustrialMechs powered by ICE or Fuel Cell
engines may carry heavy energy weapons such as lasers and PPCs,
but to do so, they must also mount power amplifi ers in the same
manner as ICE-powered vehicles do (see p. 107). Power amplifi ers
weigh 10 percent of the weight of the energy weapons carried
(rounded up to the nearest half-ton), but take up no critical space
on the IndustrialMech’s Record Sheet.
Only ICE- and Fuel Cell-powered IndustrialMechs require power
amplifi ers. Fission- and fusion-powered IndustrialMechs do not
require this equipment for energy weapons.
Tech Base: The Heavy Weapons and Equipment Tables note
which items are available to which technology base. Clan-made
IndustrialMechs may use only items available to the Clans, while
Inner Sphere-made IndustrialMechs must use only those items
available to the Inner Sphere. Power amplifi ers, a Universal technology,
are equally available to IndustrialMechs produced using
Clan or Inner Sphere tech bases.
Space: The mounting of any weapons and equipment that
occupy critical slots must be established to determine the weapons’
firing arcs in game play. Torso- and head-mounted items
receive the fi ring arc of the IndustrialMech’s torso (or the rear arc,
if the item is mounted for rearward-fi ring). Arm-mounted weapons
receive the fi ring arc appropriate to that arm. Leg-mounted
weapons receive either a forward or rearward-fi ring arc, based on
the designer’s choice when installing these items.
Almost all weapons and equipment that may be mounted on
an IndustrialMech must be allocated to the Critical Hit Table in a
contiguous series in the same location. (Any items that do not will
be so noted under their specifi c rules.) These items may not be
located in a body section that has fewer open critical slots than
the equipment requires. Some items, however, may be broken up
among multiple sections (and are noted as such on the Weapons
and Equipment Tables).
Weapons that may be mounted in multiple locations—the
AC/20, Ultra AC/20, LB 20-X AC and the heavy Gauss rifl e—must
be placed in adjacent body locations, and automatically receive
the most restrictive fi ring arc. For example, if a IndustrialMech carries
an AC/20 split between its left torso and left arm, that weapon
uses the torso arc, not the arm arc.
Ammunition: All ammunition-dependent weapons except
for machine guns (including their Light and Heavy versions) and
nail or rivet guns require at least a ton of ammunition. (Machine
guns, nail guns and rivet guns may carry ammo in half-ton lots
instead). Each ammo bin occupies one critical slot per ton (round
up), and must be of the same ammunition type per slot. Because
each slot is considered a separate bin, however, ammunition
need not be contiguous.
With only 4 tons left to spare,
David realizes that any weapons he
puts on his “Hunter” CattleMaster
will have to be small. Focusing on the
lightest possible weaponry, he starts
with 3 machine guns at 0.5 tons and 1
critical slot apiece, placing 2 of these
in the left arm and 1 in the right. Deciding a half-ton of
ammunition for all three—a total of 100 shots—will be
suffi cient, he places this half-ton ammo bin (and its single
critical slot) in the center torso location. Dave then adds
2 small lasers to the design to give his “Hunter” some
ammunition-free backup weaponry, placing both of these
0.5-ton, 1-critical slot weapons in the left arm as well.
Because the CattleMaster uses an ICE rather than a
fission or fusion power source, the use of these small
lasers requires the installation of power amplifi ers. David
computes that his IndustrialMech will need 0.5 tons of
RA RA
Ed-X4 Crosscut LoggerMech, Corean Industries (House Davion)