Face of the Gunslinger Program.

Best of the Best and still standing.

EPISODE SYNOPSIS

“Needless to say, the course of this lecture will provide an in-depth background and history primer on the Inner Sphere first. Specifically regarding the years leading into Marauder development. This will serve as the necessary foundational knowledge in understanding not only how the Marauder came to be about, but why. From the years after the Mackie, to the lead up to the Marauders actual production, his lecture will provide an essential understanding in why this 75-ton war machine in particular plays such a central part in so much of our shared history. And most importantly, why it has earned its place as one of the definitive heavy mechs of the Inner Sphere, and beyond.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the top bracket of the heavy-weight class of BattleMechs, the 75-ton Marauder is a war machine that excels at its intended role of fire support. As it turns out, the communication systems needed to relay calls for fire support are equally suited to fulfill the needs of advanced command and control for those directing combat operations. Thus, the Marauder was coveted by duelists and commanders of the Star League Defense Force, not to mention warfighters across the centuries from its introduction. As such, this ‘Mech has proven itself time and time again in the ever-escalating brutality of industrialized warfare humanity visits upon itself and has developed a legacy that has influenced generations of ‘Mech design philosophy.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

What we know as the baseline Marauder, the MAD-3R, is a downgrade from the original models exclusively fielded by the royal regiments of the Star League Defense Force. Like nearly all inner-sphere BattleMechs, the reduction in capability was a direct result of the technological and industrial regression caused by the succession wars; however, in the case of the Marauder, the forward-thinking design choices made during its development, primarily the narrow aspect it presents to opponents, allowed this machine to mount comparatively thinner armor in comparison to platforms in the same weight class—and survive.

Agile for a machine nearly in the assault class, the venerable 300-rated Vlar fusion reactor pushes the Marauder to a brisk 64 KPH. The MAD-3R embodies the philosophy of engage early, engage often. Whether you want to call it a duelist, a sniper, or direct fire support, the weight of fire brought to the table by a pair of Particle Projection Cannons, a single AutoCannon/5, and a brace of two medium lasers; the only limiting factor is the meager heat dissipation available.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The Marauder represents one of those rare instances where the military-industrial complex succeeds in creating a war machine that intentionally goes above and beyond the intended role. With S-tier direct fire support, world-class communications equipment, and a low profile that mitigates armor that is, admittedly, thinner than its contemporaries, the Marauder was expected to succeed many existing designs and serve as a developmental platform for a new wave of designs that departed from the traditional humanoid form found in the industry. Intentions that found themselves put on hold in the immediate centuries following the collapse of the Star League.

With the League’s brief golden era behind them, the lords of the great houses, even amidst the grandiose expenditures of men and materiel, carefully used what few Marauders they had in their stockpiles. Even with the building, or even capture, of factories, the Marauder remained a rare sight on the battlefields of the Inner Sphere. With the Helm memory core discovery in 3028, the extracted technological know-how allowed production capability to catch up with interest and desire for this coveted BattleMech.

Even before the coming of the Clans, arms industries and war planners had started altering the design of the Marauder to take advantage of existing stockpiles of equipment and new technologies previously not integrated into the machine. The discovery of the Children of Kerensky only hastened the pace of development, as the Clanners had brought the design aspects of the Marauder to logical conclusions, in which multiple Clan war machines sharing a common genesis rooted in this classic Star League era ‘Mech.

DISCLAIMER:

TEX TALKS BATTLETECH is a fan-based parody/attempt at education for a setting that deserves much love. Battletech, Mechwarrior, and all other material are owned by CGL, Topps, Tornante, PGI, their various subsidiaries, and a million shareholders (though not harmony gold, fuck those guys). No challenge to their ownership status is being made or intended by the creation of this work. Battletech is owned by the company, but the fanbase is what keeps it alive. Let us hope they forgive us for what fun we have. Tex Talks Battletech is a semi-serious take on Battletech, its setting, lore, and history in an attempt to bring people into one of the greatest franchises ever envisioned and should not in any way represent the official stance of any corporation, conglomerate, megacorp, holding company, or cartel which currently owns the franchise.

TL;DR: this is the opinion of one guy who loves a setting, and is dead-set on bringing it to everyone who cares to hear about it.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, Allowance is made for “Fair Use” for the purposes of Criticism, Comment, News Reporting, Teaching, Scholarship, and Research. Fair use is therefore Permitted by Copyright Statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-Profit, Educational, or Personal use tips the balance in favor of “Fair Use.”

LINKS

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