Building a Better Tank, An SR Attempt At Space Marine Hardware Options

[mrobviousjosh]

Okay, so I want to make a starting character who's a vehicle rigger with a tank. Not a "true tank" but one like from the movie Aliens. If you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, here's a decent pic. of it http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue24/tank.gif

I know it's: 1) wheels are all reinforced 2) it has obvious armor plating 3) what appears to be one firmpoint for the gun on top 4) and decent speed/handling. How would I go about building it for use by a starting character? I'm afraid I don't know Rigger 3 inside and out.

[Ol' Scratch]

Looks like a Wheeled APC chassis to me. That, or a Heavy Transport. Take your pick. :) Then find the Power Plant that best suits your tastes (I like Electric Fuel Cells, but that's just me), cram it with armor, and add a turret. You should be able to do most of that within a starting character's budget, assuming you had the GM's blessing (since the Availability would likely be above 8 and stuff).

[mrobviousjosh]

He and I had discussed getting it secondhand/scrap and building it back up with some vehicle flaws already inserted to compensate for availability and won't allow me to get a permit on any level for it (which is logical).

[Tanka]

[toturi]

If it was a Heavy Transport, then perhaps it could have a permit. An APC chassis, no way. IIRC, the APC creation rules are in the German Rigger.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Wheeled and Tracked APC chassis are in my very english Rigger 3.
Ok, would someone like to check my math, I have a sketched together attempt at matching the criteria:

[ Spoiler ]

start:
wheeled APC
Body: 6
CF: 18-96
Handling: 4/6
Armor: 0
Autonav: 0
Sensors: 0
Seating: 15
Entry: 1d-1h-1x
DP: 750
Markup: 1 * 100

Power:
EFC:
Load: 1500-5000
Speed: 55-100
Acceleration: 4-7
Sig: 5
Fuel: 100 pf
Economy: 1-2 km/pf
DP: 600

Handling to 2/3: 125 dp
Speed to 100: 90 dp
Load to max: 350 dp


Rigger modified: 35
Suncell: 5dp (what, you think they'll recharge this thing at any gas station?)
5 Armor: 250 dp and 3600 kg
Small Turret: uses 2 of the potential hardpoints, 2 CF, 250 DP, 100 kg, good for up to about an autocannon to be added later
Rating 4 Sensors (highest with a SI): 125 dp, 2 cf, 25 kg

4 Runflats: 800 nuyen

Quality: used: Markup -.6

Final:
Rolling bunker 1
Body: 6
CF: 14
Handling: 2/3
Armor: 5
Autonav: 0
Sensors: 4
Seating: 15
entry: 1d-1h-1x
Load: 1275
Speed: 100
Acceleration: 4
Sig: 4 (1 loss due to turret)
Fuel: 100 pf with recharge of up to 150/hour
Economy: 1pf/km
Turret: currently empty, buy a gun of up to size 3 on the p. 140 chart and convert it according to the conversion kit on page 136
Tires: 4 runflats, most armored type in game
Rigger control able
DP: 2545 * 40
Cost: 102,600 + turret gun

Definately room for more (low to medium weight) toys

[edit]Implemented Doc's basic advice/correction

[Ol' Scratch]

You might as well apply the Used Vehicle quality factor since you're buying an old one. Lower the Mark-Up by -0.60. Other than that and a miscalculation on the cost for Runflat Tires (vehicles already come with tires, so you just need to pay the +200 nuyen per tire, making it +800 nuyen instead of +2,000 nuyen), and it looks about right upon casual observation.

I'm sure you'll want to add more toys. I know I would. But that's a solid start.

[mrobviousjosh]

Wow, thanks guys! It would have taken me SO long to make one myself with the rules but I can customize okay.

[Edward]

Personally I would have had more armour

I like armour personally on that think I would have put it up to 10 points. You do loos a point of handling but you would be all but immune to small arms fire. And can get the handling back with improved suspension.

Also don’t forget refinements such as signal amplifiers for your RCD electronics ports, communications equipment and a coffee machine.

Edward

[DocMortand]

Bah when you mentioned Space Marine I thought you were talking Land Raider - and that sucker wouldn't fit down any street in downtown.

Heck...what about a Bane Blade or a Titan in SR...gah.

[Ol' Scratch]

I meant to comment on this earlier but I completely forgot to.

mrobviousjosh, I'm assuming this is one of your first attempts at creating a rigger. If so, you're making a mistake that a lot of newbie rigger players make... big, bad, armored vehicles are not a good idea for runners. Sure, you'll mow down gangers and standard security forces... but the moment that monster hits the street, gangers and standard security forces are not going to be what you're running into. Lone Star and other corporations will immediately send out its heavy forces and the nearby military base will likely deploy some equal-to-superior firepower the moment they hear about it, especially if it's a former military vehicle.

In essence, it's just going to be a collossal waste of cash for you as it will either be a pretty conversational piece or junk. In the latter case, you'll probably be buried right along with it.

Just a fair warning. I know character concepts like this can be fun, but you might want to try something a little more practical and wait for your GM to make a tank or something available in a one-shot merc scenario or something.

[DocMortand]

Or for use when Saito makes his move in CalFree. :)

[Kagetenshi]

Indeed. Anything bigger than a medium transport is going to take a lot of work to keep concealed, and a van or car is easier still. Also, assuming you're going to put a lot of work into your primary vehicle, having secondary vehicles that you can lose if their descriptions hit the Star databases is a very good thing. I'm desperately saving up money for just that purpose.

~J

[Ol' Scratch]

An Electric Fuel Cell Van with a good amount of Concealable Armor and a Micro Pop-Up Turret or two is definitely the way to go. Throw on some Photovoltaic Chameleon Paint, a Morphing License Plate, and a Transponder Library Chip and you'll be able to go just about anywhere you like without drawing much attention. Small IR Smoke Projectors and Oil Slick Sprayers are a plus, as is a decent ED and ECM/ECCM suite. :)

Oh, and just as one last bit of advice, Handling and Acceleration is a lot more useful and important than Speed is. Once you hit the 150 mark, you have more Speed than you'll really ever need. But you can never have a high enough Acceleration and low enough Handling rating. :D

[Lindt]

Down side is fuel cell only gets half flux. I still prefer desel.

[Ol' Scratch]

That's what dirt-cheap Power Amplifiers and Signal Amplifiers are for. Diesel is louder and easier to detect due to its low Signature of 2 whereas an EFC has a base Signature of 5... which is probably the third most important stat for a runner's vehicle.

Besides, a low Flux is a good thing sometimes.

[Kagetenshi]

[Spark]

[QUOTE]Small IR Smoke Projectors and Oil Slick Sprayers are a plus, as is a decent ED and ECM/ECCM suite.

speaking of countermeasures, is there a way that people could design some? i.e. zap strip layers, nail dumpboxes and other nasty items etc.

[Ol' Scratch]

Zap Strips exist in the same section of Rigger 3 as the Oil-Slick Sprayer and Morphing License Plate. The "other nasty items" would be in the hands of the GM's whim. I'd say nails and anything else like that would be pretty ineffective against Runflat Tires even if the rules don't necessarily state as much.

[Kagetenshi]

Runflat tyres are 5/3 armored and roll 5 points of Body on damage resistance. I don't know how much damage a nail would do, but I have the feeling that it'd be fairly ineffectual.

If you have the Load, a jersey barrier that you can tip out the back would work nicely. 600 lbs per linear foot…

~J

[Ol' Scratch]

I'm just saying that I don't care for the rules they use whatsoever. I like the sci-fi flavor of the self-inflating super tires you see in flicks like Demolition Man. :)

[Kagetenshi]

Fair enough :)

As I implied, I like ridiculously heavy blocks of concrete better.

~J

[Bigity]

Are we talking Colonial Marines from Aliens, or Space Marines, as in Warhammer 40k and the Emperor and stuff?

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Spark]

interesting idea "the jersey barriers" might work, but how much would they cost and whats barrier rating for them. also are there or would there be any additional effects?