Aotrs Shipyards Mar 2017 Release: Revenant Spear

[Aotrs Shipyards]

Aotrs Shipyards is a webstore on Shapeways.com, a 3D print house which had production and shipping facilities located in the USA and the Netherlands.

This month, we have a couple more supplements to the Aotrs Shipyard’s titular Army Of The Red Spear ground force: the Revenant Spear MBT and Power Troops, both at 144 (10 or 12mm).

Revenant Spear Main Battle Tank

 

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When the ageing Fleshburner MBT was reaching the end of its lifespan, rather than replace it directly, the Aotrs planned for the role to be taken by the Gloombat Multirole Attack Craft; and when this proved to be most effective in a VTOL role in ground combat, by the Storm Cleaver Assault Walker. Combat experienced proved, however, that no matter how advanced the Gloombat and Storm Cleaver were, both were simply too physically large and in the end, it was proven there was no substitute for a true main battle tank.

The Revenant Spear was thus built on much more conservative lines. It is designed primarily to work as a low grav-tank. It is capable of full flight (both into and out of orbit), but unlike the larger Hammer of Hatred Super Heavy Tank, no attempt was made to streamline the hull, making it a poor flyer. Flight, however, is considered very much an auxiliary function, used only on occasions where it cannot be Gated or transported to the surface via more convention means.

When switching to flight mode, the main gun lowers to its maximum depression, and a series of thin baffles slide up to help streamline the tank slightly. The top turret locks to the forward position and telescopes by almost thirty centimetres, further reducing the vessel’s flight profile. The Revenant’s Spears shields also form a smoother surface, but all this only makes the Revenant Spear a slightly less clumsy flyer. In space, without the constraints of atmospheric drag, the Revenant Spear is better off – it can at least use its weapons effectively – but it is no match for a fighter.

Looking at the Revenant Spear’s blocky hull shape, with the driver’s vision block placed relatively far back, one might at first think it to be poorly placed for visibility. However, when the vehicle is hovering only a few centimetres above ground (standard cruising height is only 30 centimetres), the height of the driver’s vision block height is no taller than that of many tracked battle tanks. The vision block is, in fact, itself a secondary feature. The driver’s standard position has his head rather directly beneath than in the vision block. The driver sits in an armoured capsule with a full 360º holographic display. This display – taking a few keys from the Strayvians – is supplied by a dispersed series of cameras and mini-scanners in addition to the vehicle’s sensors. Each of these devices is power-pack powered, rather than by the main generator, and thus means they cannot be so easily knocked out. Should they display fail, the entire driver’s station can be raised upwards by means of manual hydraulics so that the driver can use the vision blocks. This system was created as a response to the Fallen Soul’s primary failing of being entirely reliant on sensor navigation due to the armoured prow.

The Revenant Spear uses much of the Fallen Soul’s armour techniques, the front of the full being primarily composed of heavy armour plating. The hull armour alone is still not heavy as that of an unshielded MBT of the same size (and the mass for the shield generators, as always, directly impacts on the armour), but in concert with the shields, provides excellent protection.

The Revenant Spear’s primary weapon is a magnetic linear accelerator rail-gun, a smaller version of the Hammer of hatred’s “can-opener.” As with the Hammer of Hatred’s cannon, the oblong barrel profile is due to the primary accelerators, which are situated either side of the barrel. Both the barrel and accelerators are surrounded by the magnetic coils and between the two devices, can hurl the gun’s solid slug at phenomenal speeds.

The main MLA cannon is supplemented by two coax-axial Class 13 Coldbeams. These lack the punch of the MLA cannon, but have slightly greater range (though the MLA cannon’s range is exceptional) and are primarily for assisting taking down enemy shields of lighter vehicles where over-penetration with main gun would be a problem.

The main turret weapons have an elevation of 20º and a relatively low depression of only 4º. This is deceptive, however, since with only minor adjustments to the orientation of the hull itself to the ground, the Revenant Spear can achieve another 4º even at normal cruising height.

The top turret provides the tank with its primary any infantry and anti-missile defence. It mounts a high-track Class 8 Gatling plasma-pulse cannon. A not-inconsiderable weapon in and of itself, the plasma-pulse cannon is bleeding edge technology, with considerably greater range than might be expected from a normally-short-ranged weapon system. The cannon attaches to four one-warhead tubes. The tubes are designed to be disposable, and once empty, they are replace entirely, rather than reloaded. The standard tubes are fitted with RV series Reaper missiles. The Reaper is the Aotrs standard medium-range anti-fighter missile, and provides the Revenant Spear’s principal air defence – but they are also quite effective on ground vehicles as well. In theory, the tube mounting points are rated to allow SU Skull warheads or PI Pierce interdictor warheads in tubes instead, but the larger physical size of those weapons (the Skulls especially) would make the vehicle more cumbersome. Horde semi-guided rockets, HN Harridan warheads or RP Reaper dogfighting missiles (which have excellent off-boresight tracking), while lighter weapons than the Reavers, are other potential alternatives, though in the year of release 2343, only the Reaper tubes were being produced.

Finally, the Revenant Spear also mounts a concession to the previous decades-long lack of Aotrs smoke dischargers. While it has been convention that Coldbeams can create sufficient super-cool mist to create a functional visual smoke screen (as anything that is sensor guided is not affect by any kind of smoke in any case), the Frost Bomb cartridges pioneered on the Storm Cleaver were so successful that the Revenant Spear mounts a dozen in lieu of a traditional smoke discharger. The Frost Bombs are mounted in two sets of three tubes, each tube having two Frost Bombs. The tubes have only a third of the range of the full launchers on the Storm Cleaver, only making 500m at most; their default configuration is not even that, however, aimed towards the standard 150m smoke discharger range.

Power Troop Squad

 

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As is often the case with powered infantry throughout the galaxy, the Aotrs Power Troops are the elite of the ground force. The Troopers themselves are the cream of the infantry, and are exceptionally dangerous. They perform all manner of duties from normal ground combat to deep space boarding and anti-ship/ anti-installation (ASAI) operations. Power Troops are rarely seen deployed in full platoons. The fluid nature of Aotrs infantry deployment (transport vehicles are not permanently attached to infantry units) means they are more often seen in groups of one or two squads. Due to the larger size of the armour, Power Troop squads consist of four troopers, half the normal number that comprise the Aotrs’ Line or Drop infantry squads, so a pair of squads and two transport vehicles (often a pair of Fallen Souls or Vampire family vehicles) is the most commonly seen deployed unit.

The Aotrs Power Troops wear the Aotrs’ Heavy Powered Armour suit. The HPA has shielding systems, and is very tough and capable. Not least, of course, this is due to the lack of life-support systems, and the extra mass this leaves free. The suits are sealed and pressurised – principally to keep out corrosives and allow the trooper within to be able to speak – but they have no other life-support capability as standard. This leaves Power Troops the exclusive domain of the Undead – while HPA suit for the Aotrs minority of livings beings exist, they are used only by individual specialists, rather than as part of a main battlefield unit, due to the additional mass and cost increase. Like all Aotrs armour, HPA suits are magic-permeable and do not impede spellcasting.

HPA suits do not have any mounted guns as standard; the troopers carry any weapons in their hands. The armour’s systems give the pilot even more strength, and they can carry even bulky support weapons with little problem. The suit is not entirely unarmed; there is a Cold Blade array built into the right gauntlet, meaning the troops do not have to carry melee weapons with them if they do not desire. They have advanced sensor and computer systems, and the pilot is aided by computer-assisted targeting. Furthermore, the gloves have magnetic clamps, so it is very difficult to drop a held weapon, or be disarmed.

The HPA suits have gravitic systems, and are capable of being orbitally dropped. They can even fly for limited distances. In space however, they are fully mobile, and fill the role of deep space assault. In this role, they will sometimes have extra mounted weapons mag-clamped to the armour’s back unit, under the shields (something that is impractical to do when moving on the ground in atmosphere). These will often be a pair of HR Harridan series warheads, but single SU Skull series anti-ship warheads have been used on occasion.

Power Troops have, perhaps surprisingly, seen long-service with reconnaissance units, where they were often mounted on Bonecracker and Bonesmasher Recon cycles, which were specifically sized to allow them to be ridden by the bulky powered armour. For some decades, the recon cycles have worked in tandem with the Viperskull jetbikes used by the Line infantry, where the recon cycle’s ability to hold the less vulnerable Power Troops was compensation for their lack of flight. All these vehicles are now being phased out. The increasing usage of both Hunter and Sentry Drones has reduced some of the necessity for the roles that those light vehicles had. Brand-new shielding techniques and an innovative new seating system will allow the vehicles to be replaced by a single new, shielded grav cycle that will configure to allow a rider to be wearing any armour.

All photos are – for a rare treat! – in WSF.

Shapeways, Aotrs Shipyards

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