----- Original Message ----- > From: Onno Meyer <[email protected]> > >This time the battlesuit sparring match is between TL10 forces. The Alliance > fields smallish battalions with a mix of the light Medusa suit and the heavy > Cyclops, while the Terran Empire uses large companies with Mk.III line > suits > and Mk.IIIa, Mk.IIIb, and Mk.IIIc support suits. The TE company actually > needs more airlift or spacelift than an entire Alliance mixed battalion. > > Let's take a look at the two main contenders, the Cyclops and the Mk.III. > The two suits have a similar weight, 0.86 tons for the Cyclops and 1 ton > for > the Mk.III. The Mk.III is slightly faster and much stronger. Neither suit > can fly.
I'll add that the Medusa is faster than the Cyclops off-road. > The armor of the Cyclops is DR 600 to 750, while the Mk.III only gets DR > 360. The 5.12-MJ particle beam of the Mk.III will probably not penetrate a > Cyclops, leaving just six 80mm missiles. The Cyclops has a 60mm grenade > launcher, which will seriously hurt a Mk.III. The secondary weapons of > both suits will be unable to scratch each other, but the 5mm Gauss MG of > the Mk.III could become a problem for the lighter Medusa. The Medusa engages non-powered infantry and light vehicles, performs scouting duties, and goes room-to-room in urban combat (at under 600 lbs loaded, it can safely walk on most floors). > Things look different when it comes to sensors and sensor countermeasures. > The Mk.III has PESAs with scan 15 while the Cyclops only has scan 13, and > the Mk.III has better cloaking as well, except for the purely visual > spectrum. Assuming skill 12 for the operator, the Cyclops has a 50 percent > chance to detect a Mk.III on thermal at 10 yards, while the Mk.III will > detect a Cyclops at 300 yards. In the optical mode, with an IQ 10 operator > the Cyclops will detect a moving Mk.III at 70 yards, while a Mk.III will > detect a moving Cyclops at 20 yards. Things will look even worse for the > Cyclops if it carries external gear like heavy weapons. I do tend to under-sensor vehicles, although I did try not to this time. > The use of light suits to augment the heavies gives the Alliance better > numbers, which could become important in a confused battlefield, except > that the Medusa lacks a good anti-suit weapon. As I mention above, the Medusa is intended to free the Cyclops to engage heavier unit. Brandon _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
