TRO Guideline

Those are some basic TRO guideline for Battletech Vengeance.

Rimward Alliance

The Alliance was formed after the Reach Wars led to a semi-merger of the Fronc Reach and the Aurigan Reach and Trade Alliance. With pressure from the Duchy of Andurien, House Liao and Magistracy of Canopus, the Reaches was looking for a larger military block to support them, and with the Federated Suns still embroiled in their war against the Draconis Combine, they turned towards the Taurian Concordat, which is already working on merging with the Calderon Protectorate.

Unlike the previous “Tripartite Alliance”, this new alliance had the Taurians being the “larger power”, especially with their upcoming fusion and now having access to a pair of Concordat Block II Frigates and scheduling the construction of a third one at the Artru shipyards, owned by the Aurigans. With the Aurigan Trade Alliance protection racket (providing equipment as long as you paid for the personel) already in place on a lot of worlds, the alliance expanded its commitment to mutual defense, especially of trade lanes.

Most of the Alliance efforts is around making sure the reunification of the Taurian Concordat takes place, along with strengthening the general military force of the Rimward periphery.

Building rules

Most of the Rimward Alliance uses standard Inner Sphere technology outside of the Aurigan Trade Alliance, that has been using Clan Sea Fox provided equipment and locally sourced “clan-grade” weapons that they have been mass-selling to the Sea Fox. Both Mechdur Heavy Industries and Flanagan Repair and Refits have been building and providing “clan-grade” armor to all local powers, meaning that most ‘mechs built in that region have access to Clan-grade Ferro-fibrous, Ferro-Lamellor, Laser Reflective or Hardened armor. Clan-grade autocannons have become very common in the Reach and in Taurian space after the Reaches War, including Clan Gauss weapons (Rifle and HAG) provided by Yung Weapons, whose facilities are located “somewhere” in the Rimward Periphery.

Wolverine Union

As Clan Wolverine was getting Annihilated, the survivors of the organization fled with what they still owned, with ships filled with mostly labor, merchant, and technician caste members. Without strong leadership, they simply jumped from system to system trying to find a hospitable world to settle down. It took them 3 years to land on an unnamed world they thought was uninhabited, their resources exhausted and hoping for the best. Little did they know that this world was a “training grounds” for what they would later learn was the Rim Worlds Empire-In-Exile forces.

After their defeat at the hands of the Star League and the fall of Terra, a few relatives (including 1 illegitimate child) of Stefan Amaris fled the Inner Sphere towards the deep periphery, again, with not much to their names. Finding 3 mostly livable worlds, they settled down and started rebuilding their empire, and at the time of their contact with the Wolverine, had a few more advanced factories and an advanced shipyard ready to go. A few other “hospitable worlds” had been earmarked for colonization and development, including the world on which the Wolverine had landed.

The Wolverine remnants were in no shape to fight the RWE, but the Imperial forces also did not want to fight with them, rather spending time trying to forge a more in-depth alliance with their new neighbor. Both sides agreed to a variety of terms, including the creation of a new “sibko system” for both groups to allow for a rapid growth of their population. This was never meant as an “eugenics system”, but simply to let the population explode in their region of space, as maybe a million and a half Wolverines and a 5 to 6 million RWE members lived at the time. This did lead to a two-tier system between the “natural born” and the “vat born”, opposite of the standard Clan system, with the natural ones being viewed as the superior of the two groups.

Another mean of expanding their population and power base was also to infiltrate both the Clans and the Inner Sphere and gather reprobate, rebels and malcontent where they could and bring them over to their ever-growing cluster of stars. By the mid-31^st century, the Wolverine Union was still not huge, but they had plenty of “real-estate” available for anyone who could need it, so when the War of Reaving began, the Wolverine infiltrators and such made sure to get as much of the Clans getting Annihilated and Reaved out of the Inner Sphere and Clan homeworlds. While the hatred of the Wolverine still existed, being given a chance to enact vengeance on those who had slighted them. Many Society Scientists and “somewhat warriors” also fled to the Union territory, who accepted them with open arms to help with the advancement of their technology base. The final major group who came in to join them was the remnants of the Word of Blake.

The entire group is motivated mainly by a desire for revenge against the Inner Sphere and the Clans, and rather than destroying them with a massive invasion, is working on getting them to fall apart from the inside, infiltrating institutions, militaries, and organizations to accelerate the collapse. The fact none of the current sitting lords of the Successor States have descendants is a scheme hatched by the Union, who has a group of “genetic descendants” of the various bloodlines “ready to go” from the vat born children.

Wolverine Union technology

Bioroid Cockpit

The Union has a combination of Clan and Inner Sphere technology at their disposal, but their general “production” capacity is limited by their small population, leading to the development of a variety of drone technologies to be used in battle units. To further expand on this, semi-sentient “bioroids” were linked to the drone technology and “vat grown” technology. Those bioroid serve as the nerve center of a combat unit, where a drone controller and cyber-implants give the “brain” of the bioroid. A bioroid pilot interface is similar to an Interface Cockpit developed by the Society. The Bioroid “controller” is a pilot encased in a control system on the same planet linked using a combination of C3 computing technology, satellite uplinks and advanced neural implants.

Weight: 4 tons + any C3 system (C3 slave, master, C3i or Nova CEWS)

Critical slot usage: 2 Head Critical for Bioroid Cockpit.

Removes requirement for Gyro.

A unit controlled by a Bioroid cockpit uses the Piloting and Gunnery of the controller unit. If the controller unit is destroyed, the Bioroid network collapses on a 2+Number of turns since destruction of the controller in the Initiative phase for each unit affected. No new controller can take over a Bioroid network without a full reconnection of all associated units to a new master, requiring 12 hours per ‘mech. Destruction of a unit associated with a Bioroid network causes 1 level of injury on the controller.

Bioroid Command Cockpit nerve control switch

Weight: 4 tons + any C3 command unit (C3 Master, C3i or Nova CEWS)

Critical slot usage: 2 Head Critical for Bioroid Command Cockpit

Removes requirement for Gyro.

Reinforced Head Armor

Most of the command units for the Wolverine Union use Hardened Armor for the head module of the battlemech to increase the survivability of their commanders. Use piecemeal armor rules for construction until we get a more “viable” solution using construction tools in the future.

Missile technology

At this point in time, the Wolverine Union is using “clan-grade” LRM and SRM, including Streak SRM. They do not have access to Streak LRM or ATM technology, outside of specific Society-inspired / designed ‘mechs which can use iATMs. Those missiles are used on all machines, whichever their position in a formation will be.

Autocannon technology

The Union has 3 tiers of autocannon technology available to them at this point: compact autocannon, Clan-graded LB-X and Clan-graded Ultra Autocannon. The Clan-graded equipment is used on Clan ‘mechs, along with command units. For the remainder of the units, compact autocannons are preferred. Compact autocannons can fire standard HEAP rounds, Flechette, Tracers and Precision ammo. Compact AC can also use caseless rounds, adding 50% ammo per tons. Range and damage are comparable to standard autocannons of the same class.

Compact AC/2:

Heat: 1

Tons: 4

Crit slots: 1

Compact AC/5:

Heat: 1

Tons: 6

Crit slots: 3

Compact AC/10:

Heat: 3

Tons: 9

Crit slots: 5

Compact AC/20:

Heat: 7

Tons: 11

Crit slots: 9

Laser technology

The Union has access to both Clan and Inner Sphere graded standard lasers, ER lasers and pulse lasers, with command units generally being equipped with Clan-graded weapons while the line units are equipped with Inner Sphere-graded equipment. The Union favors “standard” lasers rather than ER in terms of lasers on standard line units. Clan Pulse lasers are quickly replacing “standard” pulse lasers on many machines, even in the line units.

The Union does not have access to ER Pulse, Heavy, Improved Heavy or X-Pulse laser technology.

PPC

Particle weapons have been advanced by the Union to a level beyond what the Clans or Inner Sphere has available at this point in time. All PPC weapons are considered as having a Capacitor mounted, at no extra weight. When the capacitor is used, however, the PPC gains a 1-3 Minimum range and generates 5 extra heat on the turn it is fired.

Light PPC

Medium PPC (Clan standard ER PPC)

Heavy PPC

Blue Shield Particle Field Dampener

To counter their own advanced PPC technology, the Union has advanced anti-particle technology with Blue Shield Particle Field Dampener become a more standard and reliable technology. Unlike Inner Sphere variant, Union BSPFD works at all time, but generates 1 Heat per turn it is active, cumulative. On turn 1, the BSPFD generates 1 heat, while on turn 6, it would generate 6 heat.

Gauss Weaponry

The Union has not advanced as much as the Clans regarding gauss technology. Standard Inner Sphere grade Gauss Rifle and Light Gauss Rifle are used on Line units, while command units and “Clan” units will use Clan-graded weapons, including a Clan-graded Light Gauss Rifle. AP Gauss Rifles have become available recently as well, both for Line and command units.

Hyper Assault Gauss weapons are not available, but all Union Gauss weapons can be loaded with “silver-bullet” rounds.

Clan Graded Light Gauss Rifle:

Internal Structure

The Union has access to standard structure, Clan-graded Endo-composite, Clan-graded Endo-Steel and Reinforced Structure,

Armor types

The Union has access to standard armor, Clan-graded Ferro-Fibrous, Ferro-Lamellor and Hardened Armor (generally put as piecemeal on the head of command units). The Union does not have access to Stealth armor technology.

The Union has access to “Union Light Ferro-Fibrous”, which takes up 4 critical slots and gives 10% more armor per ton, along with “Union Heavy Ferro-Fibrous”, which takes up 14 critical slots but gives 30% more armor per ton.

As experimental tech, there is a “Union Ferro-Lamellor Alloy”, which gives 16 points of armor per ton rather than 14.

Heat Sink

When building ‘mechs, Union forces have access to standard Heat Sinks, Clan-graded Double Heat Sinks, and Improved Compact Heat Sinks. Improved Compact Heat Sinks weight 1 ton, but you can put 2 in the same critical slot.

MASC

The Union uses Clan-graded MASC equipment, the Inner Sphere equipment is not available.

Partial Wings

Partial Wings are not common in the Union, but when used, they use the same rules as Clan-graded Partial Wings.

TSM

The Union does not have access to Triple Strength Myomer technology.

Galactic KF drive

The most advanced technology available to the Union however is the Galactic KF-drive, which is an advanced version of the KF-drive with 10 times the range of a standard drive, allowing them to move much faster than any force in the Inner Sphere at the cost of having to replace the drive core more often and requiring LF Batteries to be installed on all ships equipped with it.

The lack of “actual warships” and the fact the GKF-drive ships are still very expensive led the Union to build a larger than average “pocket warships” and assault dropships.

Bioroid Autopsy

Clan LAM revival

While Clan Nova Cat went around destroying all LAM manufacturing plants, the basic design technology was available and being researched by the Republic of the Sphere (mostly based on WoB LAM machines). The basic evolution of the design elements were brought to Alaric Ward after the conquest of Terra and he set out a group of unified scientists from Clan Wolf, Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar to work on bringing new prototypes to him.

The advancements in LAM technology were interesting enough to lead to the modification of older designs to become LAM, along with moving the LAM technology into a new future.

New Construction rules

All new LAM designed using the new Clan paradigm need to be equipped with a Partial Wing, which replaces the Avionics and Landing Gear critical slots being used in the side torsos. Conversion equipment has the same weight as the Internal Structure of the ‘Mech it is being assigned to, but these new LAM can use endo-steel or endo-composite for their internal structure (being encouraged by new designers), and requires 1 critical hit slot in each side torso. Ferro-fibrous and ferro-lamellor armor can also be used on new generation LAM. XL engines are still not compatible with these new generation LAM, but engineers are working on figuring out a way to make it work. Clan engineers are also working on increasing the maximum weight limit of LAM, but they have not figured out how to make omniLAM yet.

Corporate Alliance

The corpos have reached a breaking point with the Clarion Note. The Jihad had already damaged infrastructure and killed enough people it had damaged “the bottom line” enough a lot of the corps had begun investing a lot more in private security and equipment, but as the HPG network fell and piracy and criminality skyrocketed, the truly massive corporations, not the ones living under the Great Houses but truly pan-galactic ones, stopped playing around and started pooling resources, capital and manpower for their own protection. Major corps began rebuilding the HPG network on their own dime, in secret, while also using Black Boxes for communication by spreading misinformation that they were unreliable and inefficient. They were building dossiers on various Republic higher ups along with getting enough blackmail material against the other major powers. Next “big war”, they wouldn’t be getting stepped on so easily.

But Alaric took Terra. Before the corps could do anything, the Republic fell, and a 3^rd Star League was established. The corps weren’t sure of what to do at first, but they decided that negotiating, from their position of power, with Alaric Ward would be the smartest thing to do. A lot of “middle-management” Clan Sea Fox members already were hooked into the corporate alliance, and even the mighty Clan Wolf had a lot of their logistics and equipment needs managed by some of the major corporations, not always at the knowledge of their Khan.

Corporate Tech level

Corporate interests are rich and powerful and have the ability to buy pretty much whatever they need. They can also guarantee jobs, food and somewhat of a peaceful life to civilians. The largest corporations are so big that the “average” Inner Sphere citizen, and later Clan citizen, could not even understand life without them. CGIL maintains computer systems for everyone, as long as the money keeps flowing. Maersk ships goods, stores goods and maintains ports on almost every habitable worlds. Del Monte and Chiquita/United Fruits has their logo on almost every piece of canned fruit and vegetable derivative. Even smaller companies, like Apple, is a staple. Some corporations have been investing in security for a long time, while others have started putting out their own equipment more recently.

Corporate powers have access to the most advanced Inner Sphere technology, as many of them produces it to begin with. Apple and Microsoft have been providing C3 and C3i computers to all other manufacturers, generally to try to promote their own brand (Apple for C3i and Microsoft for standard C3). Tronel was providing X-Pulse lasers for testing to all other corporations in a bid to corner the market. Resources that were kept hidden from the major Houses thanks to ComStar back in the days, combined with some corporations’ rapid expansion after the recovery of the Helm and Dallas Memory Core, allows a lot of corporations to move large amounts of goods faster than anyone would expect. Corporations also have massive deals with the Traveler’s and Belter populations of the Inner Sphere, trading life-giving technologies and other essentials for “off the book” things. The corporations have also made sure the “middle-management” level of Clan Sea Fox was indebted to them and gave the Warrior-Merchants incredible deals and opportunities against some concessions they might not have done normally.

There are no clear “rules” deciding how you build corporate ‘mechs, but most of them will be refits of existing models. Some of the larger corporations might have a few “specialist” mechs built by them and for them, but even those will generally be more of a conversion (to some degree) of an existing model (See WarArcher of the MacOST omnimechs). Clan technology will be limited on most corporate mechs, outside of “commonly available parts”. Security ‘Mechs must be able to deal with a variety of threats, ranging from unarmored to the weirdest ones. As an example, Del Monte’s Archer is equipped with a lot of LRM5 with speciality ammo to deal with anything pirates and thieves could throw at it. Anti-personnel weapons like machine guns are recommended as well.

Corps, however, have been investing a lot in “smaller” security units, from power armors and battle armors to advanced protomechs, as they are very efficient when fighting in space, on board ships or in their facilities warehouses. Most of those will be brand new designs for the corporate world, and the corporate leadership care very little if a pilot “burns out”, they will just pay their benefits until they die (or find a way to deny them, depending on the business).