RogueTech is the tactical game of running a Mercenary Company in the BattleTech Univernse. As a community led super mod, it makes the game into a open sandbox of pretty viscous difficulty. You are constantly struggling to keep your Mechs in decent condition whilst juggling contracts and keeping your financials in the black. You are always one unlucky hit away from some serious financial difficulty when a Mech suddenly will require some serious time, salvage and C-Bills to bring back to a semblance of fighting condition.

That said, there are some contracts that are just so tempting for the potential salvage rights that they potentially offer. Some of the best contracts are on the ComStar faction, a highly advanced techno-cult that stopped the Clans in their invasion of the Inner Sphere. These guys have are second only to the Clans in terms of quality of equipment and LosTech. However, capturing this technology means first having to be on the receiving end of the weapon systems!

At present, I have been able to field a full two lances of BattleMechs of Light to Medium classes. This has meant that I have been able to take on contracts of slightly higher difficulty than before, but it still means that I am relying on speed and tactics to get the better of opponents rather than relying on brute force strength. However, a contract popped up in my system which was a touch on the overbearing side, which involved the ambushing of a heavy Comstar lance. This was a great chance to get some serious Tech and potentially some heavier Mech chassis.

Of course, after landing... it proved to be an ambush. Instead of dealing with a single Heavy Lance, I ended facing two heavy lances with no allied backup. So, after a lengthy and hard-fought (streamed on @msearles) battle, I was able to limp to victory having managed to outflank and take down the heavier opponents from the rear whilst relying on speed and luck to stay mostly in one piece.

Even with the benefit of speed... I took some very heavy hits. With the my mainstay Chronus being nearly gutted (but still standing) and some of the lighter Mechs having had their legs shot out from under them. Plus, there was equipment and internal damage to pretty much every Mech in my stable.

... but it was worth it! I picked up some pretty nice weapon systems of LosTech or Clan quality... plus I was able to complete four extra chassis shells. Which means that I would be able to field them after I could repair them up... I have the eqipment, I have the will... but I currently lack the C-Bills! So, at current rates... assuming I don't have any more "wins" like this... I should be able to restore a Heavy class Mech once every couple of in-game months. It will be a hard slog, and a serious drain on resources, but it will pay off by upgrading my lances to Heavy class Mechs packing some serious firepower!

So, I'll just briefly show off my new toys!

This Avatar (70 tons) is a beauty of a Clan OmniMech. Omnimechs are characterised by a modular internal structure, which means that they are not limited by the traditional hardpoints that restrict the types and locations of weapon systems. As it was the least severely gutted shell of the four salvage Mechs, it was also the first to be restored.

It is outfitted for long range combat, with two Heavy Rotary cannons providing a barrage of shells at extreme distance, with the two MML10 RISC launchers having a varied range due to the multiple types of SRM/LRM ammunition available to them. It also serves as a command co-ordination unit, sporting the C3I system as well as Improved Communications quirks.

This does make it a slow and ammunition dependent unit though... best to keep out of direct fire and heat!

This Chameleon (50 tons) will be the next to be refitted. It is suffering some serious damage, but at least it's fusion core is still intact (that being the most expensive and rare part to source). Although it is firmly in the higher end of the Medium weight class, it has a large engine that gives it some pretty decent speed... which means that it generally serves as a heavy scout. I currently have two Light scouts in my stable, and this will likely replace the Dart...

It is a laser based Mech, but it is likely I will forgo much of the laser weaponry to focus on Electronic Warefare equipment. An advanced Stealth shield (harvested from the Dart) and an array of ECM/AP equipment should give this unit some serious invisibility and spotting skills.

At the moment, I haven't decided which of these two Mechs I will press into service next. Both the Grasshopper (70 tons) and the Orion (70 tons) are Heavy Mechs with a front-line combat role. However, they do differ in the way that they approach this role. The Orion is more of an heavily armoured Laser Boat, a brawler that just eats damage until it gets close enough to unleash. Meanwhile, the Grasshopper is more of a faster mover with jump capability... better for knocking off smaller Mechs of the Light and Medium weight classes to reduce the amount of enemy flanking and spotting.

Still, that decision is quite a long time off... I still need to scrounge up the C-Bills to pay for those restorations!

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