Tex Talks Battletech : The Marauder

[Laughter] [Music] [Music] good [Music] now that the civil defense matter is sorted itself out let's continue with our broadcast remember i'm mayor barnabas wilberson and your list is anton free state radio next song is dedicated to our great militia [Music] uh [Music] uh howdy there folks please take your seats as we continue our lecture series as chosen by the student body last semester or whenever we did that series of polls if you even get the polls that is what with comstar trying to throttle us anyways after having covered the events and pivotal moments and history which shaped the inner sphere as we know it today and along the way dissected some of the okaiest battlemechs ever put into production we will now turn our attention toward one of the finest worm machines mankind could ever hope for yes this time around we're diving deep on one of the inner sphere's most iconic max the timeless classic of classics itself the mighty marauder please contain yourselves because this is above all a history lesson and naturally we'll need to cover a few things before getting into the war machine itself needless to say the course of this lecture will provide an in-depth background in 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 this 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 our story begins with an exploration of the events which directly influence development and production of the marauder in order to give background to its meaning and story only once the background is set can we appreciate why the marauder is so god damn important war is a hell of a thing so the saying goes fully industrialized warfare qualifies as a new kind of hell altogether the madness of unlimited strategic warfare backed by the full industrial output of the major houses of the inner sphere was something completely new on the scale of human suffering the maddening excesses of the 25th and 26th centuries had certainly left their mark on the inner sphere that is to say it had been an era of great upheaval and terrible conflict that's what we in the history business tend to call the age of war and it certainly was that it was a time of war a time of chaos of burning of glassing planets and sorting disputes with nukes it was a time where borders shifted by the day but the kausas bellai was as simple as perceived threat or diplomatic insult and war was the only viable way to sort things out it was a time of such destruction that we still today aren't exactly clear on every detail other than it was an age of war then war was frequent war was brutal and even when later mitigated by the aries conventions at the tail end of that era it became even more acceptable as the standard means by which to solve any and all inter-house disputes where war was once a contest of destruction between nations held and done destroying what they couldn't take out right it transitioned with new rules thanks to the aries conventions to become a sport overnight no more were war crimes the accepted status quo no more were civilian casualties just part of the allowable collateral damage calculations inflicted upon a planet in the mad dash of conquest instead it would be a very different game of capture the flag paid for in blood but such was the era of the ares conventions war as previously stated had changed it was more of the same by many means though tempered by agreed upon rules of engagement in short theories conventions ensured that where worlds were once burned in the name of conquest they would now be kept mostly whole when conquered and then passed on to the victor in the next contest of military might well for the most part that is by my humble estimation the age of war was the first and most powerful crescendo in the history of the inner sphere humanity climbed to the precipice of annihilation and then stepped back for a breather at the very break but the inner sphere is and has always been a place of barely balanced military superpowers trying to find that perfect opening strike the perfect place to land a decisive blow so instead of giving up war altogether the inner sphere merely tempered it by agreeing to a few if basic humanitarian rules rules like accepting surrender and not indiscriminately nuking everything because it was in the way rules like wearing standardized uniforms and not carpet bombing stuff because it looked at you funny rules that some ignored or selectively interpreted for their own gain after all capellans are capellans some say the age of war ends with the ares conventions and i think that's a load of crap i think the age of war ends with the mackie in fact i argue strongly that the next great chapter of inner sphere history assuredly begins with the rise and proliferation of the battlemech as the weapon of weapons which largely replaced all of those massive worship fleets just waiting for the next reasonable escalation of force the humble mackie which while not were ready in essentially a walking prototype pushed into rapid production by the greed of the military-industrial complex was accordingly an imperfect solution to the military stagnation of the inner sphere but it did serve as an eternal reminder that war could still change the manky proved that war was not a static concept much to the surprise of military planners of the era the mackie demonstrated that war had the capacity to surprise even the most entrenched battlefield doctrine hardliners and as the new face of war it succeeded in changing everything in that way in that way alone the mackie was perfect this new technology singularly suited toward breaking the stalemate of limited scale conflict as imposed by the aries conventions set the ground for an era of rapid proliferation in which each house tried and succeeded in replicating the mackie blueprints and then in time unlocking the secrets of its design process this era of proliferation was a contest of industrial firms and vast economic powers fighting for total supremacy on the terrestrial battlefield with worships now relegated towards strategic defense considerations and fleets in being for any practical purpose they were a dead end for development in a truly strategically neutered age and thus began the age of the battlemech which i believe again as argued ends the age of war quite neatly new rules new toys new thinking new heroes same inner sphere same problems same outcome and some morons will lift their pin and tell us that war is the hygiene of the world but no war is as klauswitz said politics by any other means by focusing on the mackie by trying to copy it to emulate it and then by manufacturing their own each great house changed its war plans and industries to compete in a completely new arena mech combat in simple terms this meant the age of the battlemech was here to stay and not just a passing fad in military technology with every manufacturing firm with an interest in making fat stacks of cash rapidly shifting priorities toward battlemech research and development it was a new age of proliferation a new age of war one that would change the fortunes of those brave enough to embrace it but as history is full of these sorts of things there was a warning and i must repeat again for history's sake an age old terran saying beware the military industrial complex in truth that quote goes deeper than most would care to look spoken by a retired general and statesman governing an ancient nation state on distant terra an outgoing ruler from the north american continent had this to say on the same subject almost midway through the 20th century when his nation was locked in an arms race with another for supremacy of the world in the councils of government we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist it is shocking to me that despite all we've learned and achieved since that distant place and time some things never change but then again another ancient quote this time from a well-worn bible nyhil novi sub soleil there's nothing new under the sun in history things tend to go in cycles you've probably picked up on this and as historians your job is going to be to point at these instances and try to warn folks what might be coming for those who care to listen anyhow so with a new weapon system above all other things desired and coveted by the great houses of the inner sphere and with infinite money to be made and with the vast expense accounts of the inner sphere's competing houses ready to write any check which ensured their primacy so began an era of rapid arms development the likes of which the inner sphere had never seen it is from this contest of rapid research and development where you begin to see the emergence of second generation battle max for while the manki was decent and doubly so as a rushed prototype again quickly put into operational field status far before it was ready it was not a universal weapons platform in a few short years the mackie was insufficient at the task of being a multi-role warfighting platform and the military-industrial complex saw that shortcoming and decided now was the time to make all the money in the world at first the great houses wanted max any kind even bad copies of the prototype mackie but in time and with arm's competition determining who would be able to defend their sovereign territory in vast commercial interests the mackey's primacy would be challenged but the great houses needed were more specialized battlemechs some of these we have covered previously but the second generation of battlemech development and funding unlimited by great houses greatly afraid of falling behind various battlefield roles were soon filled with exciting and specialized killing tools fully suited to their intended purpose if nothing else this was an era of new ideas with some having far more impact than others or even merit bellerophon scorpion [Music] [Applause] is it true that they tried to uh make it fly like a plane does yeah they tried to make it fly no i'm not joking remember when i said history repeats itself look every so often in history this happens military planners and weapons designers get together they have a few drinks and try to make things do what they really shouldn't remember not all ideas are equal so with new mechs new ideas and new weapon systems the great houses continued throwing down while doing their best to obey the aries conventions except for those few times the capellans decided to take the bull by the horns and find out exactly why the taureans have a reputation for being experts at defense and death and it would have gone on this way in the inner sphere with endless skirmishing weapons development surprise attacks saber rattling brinksmanship and an ever escalating series of brushfire wars until one man decided to change everything and because this is the inner sphere there's a common thread for these sorts of events his name was ian cameron and he would create star league the cameron line had been the long established and mostly reasonable leadership of the terran hegemony for many generations one after another generation after generation the cameron line had shaped the terran hegemony to become the beacon of human civilization some camerons were idealistic crusaders for human rights and ages that recognized none some camerons were deal brokers and peacemakers on galactic scale and then well some camerons weren't judith cameron for instance possessed none of the wit in idealism that had become common for the cameron line that's a very kind way of saying she was dumb and prone to violent outbursts jacob cameron well yes he played his part too but we've been over that skirting bankruptcy internal discontent external political and internal political challenges and not to mention the occasional ensuing border skirmish the hegemony had not only endured but continued to thrive in the center of the inner sphere despite all great challenges to its continued existence from the oldest worlds of mankind the hegemony provided a powerful reminder that humanity had a common homeworld one that was mostly stable and able to produce some of the finest weapons ever made they could look to the hegemony and see rightfully where the power in the inner sphere lay and watch in horror or perhaps envy at what they were able to achieve a poor ruler would have used the technological monopoly and industrial strength of the hegemony to conquer all or at least plunged the age of proliferation into a contest of arms in which they would all surely perish in the name of prophet ian cameron wasn't that kind of ruler ian cameron was formerly the 13th director general of the terran hegemony well-educated savvy shrewd and widely experienced in political matters he was an ideal candidate for the job despite it not originally even being his job as with most camerons the story is a bit more complex and we'll get to that presently perhaps most shaped by his mother's policies of aggressive peacemaking during her tenure as director general ian grew up believing there was more to be gained by carrot than stick with these policies as his foundation in political science ian took it upon himself to build a better future for not only the hegemony but for humanity as a whole ian's professional background had shaped him as well he had served in the hegemony armed forces and later as a hegemony ambassador he wasn't sheltered or inexperienced in the ways of the world or sadly the seeming cruelty of fate in fact his dream of a better future came as much from a place of suffering and deep personal loss as it had an aristocratic upbringing in fact it's remarkable with all that happened to him he didn't become an authoritarian dick worthy of the history box between childhood and leadership he lost his mother he lost his brother he lost a son and despite the many personal challenges he'd faced he stayed true to his beliefs whatever came his way he worked tirelessly for the betterment of the inner sphere this is stranger still again as he was not supposed to be in charge at all you see his brother was the director general at first however that reign was cut short when disaffected officers staged a coup and gunned him down this wasn't just a coup to gain power but something different altogether a sign of the times as it were a cabal of military officers were pissed at the diplomatic court getting more funding and support than the military and decided to do something about it with guns ian survived and in the chaos he decided to fix things ensured he took command he took the mantle of director general he swiftly put down the revolt and even pardoned a good number of the rebels all around he was a mostly nice guy and knew how to keep his cool when [ __ ] was going sideways that or he realized the inner sphere had bigger problems than what uniform got what paycheck he wasn't a fool despite being a dreamer and he laid the foundation for what followed one careful decision at a time it is notable that he realized that the dream of a unified inner sphere was not a six-month process more than likely a plan that would require a lifetime of effort being mindful of the task he set for himself he aimed to slowly fix the hegemony as best he could and plan for the future he allocated money to the military through military research grains to prevent the hegemony from falling behind in an age of rapid military proliferation he also created an internal investigations department to ensure the military didn't decide to again engage in voting with bullets he knew the secret to founding star league and ensuring it survived was the creation of interdependencies of not only culture but economic and military forces as much as any formal governmental ties with his own hegemony largely depleted of resources in the generations of incredible industrial effort this grand alliance of houses would not only preserve his home but through it ensure lasting peace and prosperity for all the star league accords were signed july 9th 2571 20 years after the third and durian conflict in 22 years after the coup that had inadvertently placed him on the throne i'm being brief here because the creation of star league and its early diplomatic efforts conquests and reunification wars are a subject all their own i'll get to them in time let's just say it's likely its own lecture in the future however from individual treaties between nations to a lasting compact between the states of the inner sphere all achieved again in a 20-year window the inner sphere was unified in treaty law and economic power so naturally this changed things a bit from what was an age of rapid military proliferation there was peace but the military-industrial complex after a short panic when all the warring houses had just more or less stopped soon realized they had just been handed a blank shack they realized that instead of having lost customers in all the previously competitive house armies they had now gained a single very large one the biggest customer they would ever have the star of league defense force and it had need of max on a scale never before realized general motors had been for the longest time a company known for its single magnificent contribution to the historical record the perfection and commercialization of reliable fusion power believe it or not they once made ground vehicles some of which were quite remarkable feats of engineering prowess it is said some of the finest ground cars of ancient terror were made by their vast industrial complexes along the way they managed to snag the occasional arms contract it is of historical note that any sufficiently advanced industrial firm will practice peace and war an equal measure so long as the checks clear on time that being said general motors had enjoyed modest respectability as a sane and reasonable corporation through many centuries of mostly sound fiscal policies mostly but with the expansion of the sldf as the big stick of star league general motors had for themselves perhaps the greatest opportunity they had ever known they would commit their entire resource base financial stake and industrial might to the greatest project they would ever undertake and produce one if not the finest battle max ever to grace the inner sphere and it would be called the marauder [Music] you [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] all right are you going to have a bite mike i'm going to have a bite this is omelette all right everybody's brace yourselves this is omelette and ham oh i'm going to watch this from 1993 omelette and ham which uh it doesn't smell nice uh but and and uh it's very juicy juicy omelette that's what i want lots of juices that's that's what i want this is this is no this will be fine you're saying don't do it you mean yeah okay here we go that was so good i've noticed you you held the wet nap over your mouth as though you spit something out no no that's not oh i was just wiping my mouth i had to sneeze you know oh yeah yeah i ate my phone oh you did have such a big dinner [Music] it was delicious [Music] brazil campion [Music] [Laughter] hello it is me the editor no not that editor this one right here you might be wondering why my voice sounds different when i play with tex well dot dot dot dot dot dot dot dot dot [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] usually in history or a human interaction when someone insists that something in particular is something special they're either flat out lying in order to sell you [ __ ] you don't need or make themselves feel better or most likely stating a matter of opinion derived from personal experience i can say the following is a fact the marauder is definitely something special and being that this is academia i must now prove that assertion despite pressures from the sldf house armies mercenaries private security firms and the occasional periphery upstart to build specialized weapons platforms in order to fill various perceived weaknesses in military doctrine gm chose to build something unique that's a very nice way of saying they decided to build whatever the [ __ ] they wanted instead of trying to build what a customer demanded so rather than build a sniper or a brawler or an assault platform or any other specialized warfighting machine gm rolled up its sleeves did a rail of canopus battle powder and designed something goddamn unique and truly [ __ ] beautiful the marauder just wasn't a departure from the trend toward specialized niche mechs coming out to fulfill specialized battlefield roles and has stated the marauder wasn't even designed with the wants and wishes of the client in mind instead the marauder takes from the older idea that a weapon should be able to fill a wider variety of roles and that multi-role war machines are more attractive to a customer's actual needs instead of their perceived needs and therefore less of a pain in the ass to justify purchasing that and gm has made a name for itself as not only as an innovator but a company that is willing to take risks from corvettes to fusion power from power plants to weapon systems gm has time and time again but their money on the line and said [ __ ] somebody's gotta do it and in this specific case i am very glad that they did expertly crafted from blueprint to prototype to production run with keen attention paid to every possible feature it stood apart from all mechs that came before and substantially influenced every mech design sense standing 12 meters tall and weighing in at 75 tons by star league reckoning the marauder cut an imposing figure when it rolled off the production line in 2612 from its generous armor keen balance of firepower to the top of the line communications and targeting systems the base marauder was light years ahead of its contemporaries boasting two hellstar ppcs an srm-6 and a pair of medium lasers and small lasers to round everything out to top it off gm partnered with their autocannon division to add more firepower because yes gm has an auto cannon division gm auto cannons because [ __ ] that guy in particular gm decided to equip the marauder with the whirlwind ac5 this wasn't a plus one solution where they simply tried adding one more weapon to fill tonnage this was an actual design feature because the marauder could go hull down behind cover and continue the engagement while safely behind whatever was at hand with the advantage of surprise firing behind cover the whirlwind ac5 could accurately hit opponents and hard delivering a three-shot burst of pinpoint 120 millimeter projectiles gm partnered with many industrial firms in the rollout of the marauder this was for multiple purposes the first and foremost was to make the marauder the most attractive weapon system they could for example they opted to involve dalban micronics for their excellent communication and targeting systems this was a wise move and instantly added prestige the marauder design as dalban micronics had been involved on the mackie design and production team and accordingly had become the accepted standard of quality electronics equipment across the inner sphere by incorporating a known name in a premium one at that gym ensured that any military purchasing authority who scoffed at the new design would see that it had implemented off the rack proven technologies throughout not only its design but production and it had sourced them from proven military vendors the engine chosen was the venerable 19-ton vlara 300 while heavy and likely an approved licensed variant of an existing gm product the notion of using an outside power plant may have been a diplomatic gesture for if nothing else it's a hell of a lot harder to cancel a military program that spreads jobs evenly across a broad voter base as for the primary weapon systems the marauder again excelled whereas many other mechs previously had specialized weapon systems or an eclectic mix of firepower the marauder was the first to suggest a balance of heavy firepower options allowing engagement at any range while ensuring long-term battlefield survivability the dual hellstar ppcs were chosen as the primary weapon system not because they were cheap but for one consideration above any other they were insanely durable gm had studied the early years of mech combat and had noticed a few things for starters mag pilots would often trend toward abuse of their equipment as they had begun to believe themselves some sort of incarnation of knightly order such beliefs on the battlefield resulted in glorious combat and daring do in the name of duty however such beliefs also resulted in mechs being torn to pieces and the headlong rush toward glory honor and victory with melee being a likely possibility and ammunition a finite resource the marauder was designed from the get-go to not only allow but embrace bludgeoning as a tactic the arm pods were purposely overbuilt for durability and significantly reinforced to lend itself to better mekhu for any insane enough to require it for durability's sake the marauder was clad in 11.5 tons of valiant lamellar which while expensive at the time and certainly on the higher end of things was perhaps some of the most durable armor for weight yet constructed in the inner sphere with truly superior damage mitigation properties against firepower directed against it the marauder also boasted a thin profile facing the target further enhanced by the slopes of the armor inviting shots to ricochet and bounce most mechs were designed around the concept of avoiding fire or taking it and then retreating the murano was designed to face it head on charge in and crush anyone who got in the way the inner sphere had its first mech that could duel at range support an assault chase down retreating enemies city fight ambush superior forces or even throw hands in melee with ease again most mechs up to this point and design philosophies limited by the thinking of the time and with various industrial firms competing for who could fulfill production orders based entirely on the whims and wants of military procurement planning and the marauder was above all a departure from this if anything its design philosophy was [ __ ] you unfabulous and it was truly that with 16 heat sinks the marauder was respectably cool unless a pilot face rolled the controls most importantly though the marauder was incredibly simple to modify and overhaul that's right they even future proof the goddamn thing needless to say the sldf bought them the [ __ ] out the sldf bought the whole first production run and signed contracts for extended orders in perpetuity in short this thing was a major cash cow for gm and a cornerstone of sldf were planning the marauder became the golden standard by which other mechs were measured so much so the marauder was selected as the mech for the gunslinger program which i guess i have to talk briefly about that tangent warning everyone i'll keep this brief as good records on the era are scanned and details somewhat vague however there are a few things to know for certain in the early years of star league there was a problem with the draconis combine why well they're the draconis combine and as it turns out when you tell a militarized culture that they don't need such a big military because the sldf provides security and military power in your territory the warriors who are sent home tend to get a bit well uppity these angry warriors without masters or ronin as they became known were a particular sore spot for the sldf these guys couldn't just lay down no thanks to believing they were honorable and mighty warriors in service of the state and gods on the battlefield meant that they couldn't just simply go home and back down they instead would go rogue and challenge the sldf to duels frequently and thus began the first hidden war whereas a bad military option would be to just increase garrison size and occupy contested zones with more and more military hardware the sldf chose a smarter option what if they trained a bunch of badasses to excel at ass kicking station them in the problematic areas and then just let things play out after all if the former draconis warriors wanted a duel give them duelists that would send them home in a [ __ ] pine box as well any of the lessons learned in this dueling program could then be applied to the sldf and get better mac pilots as a result and so the sldf advanced combat and maneuvering skills project began in time it would be known as the gunslinger program his program was effective in eventually getting the wayward draconis warriors to stop acting like weirdos demanding honor and chances to prove themselves in combat by either recruiting them into the program or giving them what they wanted in the first place a battlefield death this program would rely on taking the best of the best and either making them very much better or very [ __ ] dead graduates of this program included many of the commanders and division leaders of the royal sldf regiments and all of the goddamn black watch through their legendary status regardless of what war machines they used on the field of battle each and every graduate of the gunslinger program had two things in common one they were probably the deadliest mech warriors in the history of armed combat and two they had honed their skills in the gunslinger program's training mech of choice the [ __ ] marauder that being said we have to ask ourselves how versatile marauders are really in truth there are so many goddamn variants that most sources struggle to even explain them in fact there are variations on the design catering to every possible combat scenario and this coupled with its ease of modification repair and manufacture has certainly granted its supernatural longevity throughout the inner sphere and beyond so let's talk about what makes a marauder a marauder to say their variants of the marauder is like saying their variations of color toppings for pizza or degrees of capellan treachery i think that by going over a few of the main production models out there you might possibly understand how versatile this system truly is as well i feel strongly that a historian can easily track the changing fortunes of each great house using the marauder as a yardstick for precisely this measure for the marauders serves as an interesting arms race within its own various refit programs as the access to technology and industrial base waxes and wanes the earliest marauders were the one r model the mad-1r was such a technological leap forward that it was chosen for the sldf royal divisions and nobody else that's right the mad-1r was such a badass piece of game-changing technology that it had a state monopoly for the sldf elite and nobody else by governmental decree you could not possess one it was against the law gm was only too happy to supply this exclusivity for a price and ensured the mad-1r and the finest upgrades possible the 1r had ferrofibrous armor and case for its auto cannon in addition to some remarkable paint jobs this was replaced and upgraded by the mad-2r and 2760 after the invention of the erppc the 2r got double heatsinks to accommodate the new weapon system and the 2r to me stands as a good example of a midlife refit program offered by gm to ensure star league continued to support their products and this is where things get interesting because the taurian concordat got their hands on some royal marauders as part of their let's make capelan's dead strategic defense policies dmad-2t is a taurian refit that replaces the ac5 with an lb5x this is likely hand in hand with the taurean proclivity to shoot shotguns at people who won't get off their property and go back the way they can that or it exists as an option to plow infantry and light vehicle waves off of whatever planet the capellans just tried to claim the mad-3ds was a daveon design they curiously did away with the ammunition dependencies of an autocannon system opting to replace it instead with a large laser and adding heatsinks to better manage its overall heat profile a venerable design made ammunition independent this variant is quite popular in places where regular resupply or extended operations require one to be self-sufficient for extended periods the mad3l is a capellan refit from 2905 plagued with shortages and everything from food to competent leadership the capellans address material shortages and a distinct lack of reliable ppcs by removing one the mad3l is a bit of a frankenmack it has one ppc it has one large laser and more heat sinks but not better ones it's also sad because capelans made it moving on the mad3m is a free worlds league refit from the end of the 29th century it removes ppcs and replaces them with large lasers and heat sinks it's tremendously heat effective and probably one of the smartest refits from that era replacing complex systems with simpler equipment also means less down time as well as a noted producer of large lasers the free world's league decided to bring glory to merrick by home brewing logistics chain solutions and of course showcasing their own fine products the mad5d was a refit of marauders that survived the succession wars using lostec this is the closest thing you'll see to what star league had likely intended for the design had it not burned in the wake of ameris it had erpcs a cutting-edge general motors extra light fusion power plant pulse lasers case jump jets 16 double heat sinks 14 tons of armor and virtually every possible refinement it brought marauders into a new generation of warfare this time to do battle against the clans who probably wondered why the inner sphere was using up gun museum pieces on them before making the realization that antiques can still be painful the free world's league upgraded their 3m marauders in the mad-5m and pressed as much recovered star league lost tech into the design as possible they made a fusion of their original refit concept in the latest and recovered tech and as such it is an interesting approach up armored with an xl engine and pulsed lasers plus an lb10x autocannon it marks a distinctive development of the marauder for a new generation of warfare further it was enhanced with 16 double heatsinks and jump capability mirroring the marauder mad5d with the 5m the free worlds league had a frontline magnet that allowed them next generational combat platforms while holding on to existing stocks of aging max the capellans were not content to simply leave the marauders with one refit and accordingly modified theirs further with the mad5l whereas some houses wanted to enhance existing stockpiles of mechs to bring them in line with evolutions in doctrine or advancing technology the capellans did some drugs and made the mad5l in 3067 they strip the marauder to its bones and build something i have trouble understanding armed with er large lasers and medium lasers it is a fire support mech with guardian ecm and stealth armor it can hit fade and hide with triple strength myomer it can sprint at close to 90 kph this mix of tank makes it very expensive and also a battlefield ninja or more than likely it's an attempt to pander to special operations units in the make problems go away department in compellent space the mad5s was designed in direct response to the clan invasion and notably replaces the autocannon with a gauss rifle because nothing quite solves the problem of weirdos celebrating their first sona slash petting zoo totem pole beliefs like hyper velocity slugs fired from barely literate mech warriors thinking they're the god of war yes that was a mouthful no i am not wrong and that's just scratching the surface there are command mech marauders targeting computer marauders recon marauders solaris build marauders bert dispensing marauders with rotary auto cannons there are prototype marauders one-off marauders custom marauders royal guard marauders there are marauders with dual cockpits jump seats and probably a fully equipped wet bar the custom and legendary marauders on the other hand are the stuff of [ __ ] nightmares and speaking of nightmares i suppose i can sum up custom builds with a short talk about a certain fellow some have elected to call the bounty hunter bounty hunter is well let me just say this any weapon is unremarkable unless it is in turn wielded by a legend and this is certainly that kind of story so we're going to briefly talk about the bounty hunter at least in so far as it relates to the marauder as a basic primer the best way to describe the bounty hunter is that he or she is like the dread pirate roberts of the inner sphere not the 21st century criminal slash illegal wholesale service provider but the 20th century narrative character of literature the bounty hunter is a person or persons who have routinely appeared to kick the [ __ ] out of folks at opportune times for the purest motivation known in the inner sphere cold hard cash the bounty hunter has been a friend and foe for many a veteran warrior serving as a nemesis to such historical characters as natasha karensky i shouldn't say nemesis it was more a blood feud in that case but i'll say this the bounty hunter is still around today in some form or another in some sort of marauder or another cobbled together with scavenge clan lost tech and unknown technologies his or her marauder appears when least expected to take what is due before disappearing entirely i could say a lot more about the bounty hunter but i feel that could be a whole lecture on its own let me know and that is by not any stretch the most notable marauder one offer legend in the pilot scene grayson carlisle heavily favored the design this is no small statement as he's often seen as the principal architect of warfare in the 31st century he was the commander of the grey death legion and during the course of his vast and storied career he managed to steal a marauder from the dracona's combine he put it to good use right up until the clan invasion which saved his damn life before falling on the field of combat he replaced it with a victor but in my estimation it was a poorer trade first prince joseph davion drove one for a time which served him well until he tried to eject he found out that day the dracona's combine treats its captured enemies as a sharpening block in this case quite literally but he's most remembered for not backing down and i suppose the marauder helped him stay true to at least that aim in short anyone who can would have a marauder from lowly mech warrior to legendary hero the marauder became the answer to everything in any possible tactical scenario that needed a mac to just pummel the absolute dog [ __ ] out of an enemy and walk away in style the marauder became the yardstick of military might in the inner sphere for at least 300 years because there are some companies that will keep remixing the common theme and reselling it over and over again and bring you the same product with minor tweaks year after year after year the marauder is still a very viable weapons platform and then again there's some mad lads who will look at the status quo and say you know what [ __ ] it let's turn this [ __ ] up to 11 and that's where we get the marauder too or as i like to call it what happens when nobody in the boardroom is sober during the design phase i technically have to point out that the marauder 2 is not exactly a gm product at least it wasn't initially but we'll get to that the story begins with some very interesting people arriving from parts unknown they would be called the wolf's dragoons and they had a request they contracted the thin virtually unknown blackwell industries to more or less take the proven marauder design and make it bigger and better in every way and so they did which isn't an easy task doubly so considering the mess theater sphere was in by 3012 but blackwell knew that such a princely task would set them apart from their competitors and allow them a chance in making a true name for themselves and they would for the marauder 2 was a goddamn monster despite the limitations of a very low-tech base the marauder 2 is a viable assault platform even by modern standards and while pricey probably because of very limited production run it carries itself well enough to be an interesting selection for any would-be warlord looking to stand apart on the battlefield where some would consider the marauder 2 to be merely an assault mech i feel that's less than generous it's a versatile assault platform in a premium grade and should be seen in the same lens as a fine timepiece or a luxury car fancy yes an ostentatious show of wealth sure an interesting way too and yes i'm borrowing a phrase from an archaic piece of slang here to quote dab on the haters yes yes it is precisely that the marauder 2 is 100 tons of angry it has jump jets it can clip along at 54 kph it has 29 heat sinks it has twin ppcs it has two medium lasers and an lb10x autocannon it has more armor than an atlas and the firepower to beat the brakes off anyone who crosses the horizon if the marauder is a dualist the marauder 2 is a nitro methane powered steamroller it's not as versatile as its older sibling but it typically answers the challenge well enough to not matter for there is another ancient proverb no one argues with smoking craters also noting that the marauder 2 is more or less a refit of the marauder demonstrates how versatile the damn design is not many mechs can stand to be torn down and rebuilt 25 tons heavier and still be an awesome war machine let alone an ass-kicking one so remember when i said it wasn't technically a gm product well let's get into that gm wasn't exactly happy when another company remixed and later sold their design but gm is smart they simply waited until blackwell needed money and the wolves dragoons needed their engineering expertise gm swooped in extended credit and gained access to los tech in the process of refurbishing outreach's industrial base this not only guaranteed a partnership with a fearsome mercenary unit and provided guaranteed customers it gave them a substantial technological advantage over all of their competition it's not just the mech itself that lives on alexander karinsky among his other qualifications was a superb conceptual mech designer that is to say he would come up with a concept and demand people make what he wanted most of these ideas were pretty goddamn fantastic as it gave us designs like the king crab and the atlas interestingly enough when they were putting the analysts together and decided to choose a reliable power plant they went with the most proven and reliable one they had the established vlar 300 from the marauder you'll find a lot of inspiration of the marauder and many other mac designs one thing you may have learned about the military industrial complex is that original ideas are feared for a time and then copied this leads to a few interesting designs i'd like to speak to and don't worry some of these will get their own lectures in time first of which is the night star the ninth star came out of the america civil war when sldf command noticed damaris's troops prioritized command units for destruction these command units were marauders so gm decided to do something about that if the marauder 2 is a steamroller the night star is the vengeful spirit of the star league two gauss rifles a ppc and with 14 double heatsinks it's 95 tons of angry it was only made for the first year of the america civil war because ameris prioritized the factory's destruction add that to the list of things ameris ruined please the ninth star disappeared from history for 250 years before being resurrected it quickly earned a place in solaris arenas as king of the assault circuit the vandersnatch on the other hand is an attempt to use the marauders parts to make a mech that's more or less look it's not great it's not awful it's not even cheap but it has lb 10x autocannons lrm5s and it's a product of the immediate postclan invasion era is it a great mech for the ages no but it will show you how far the design can be stretched by those wanting to make a quick buck on its name the maelstrom was on the drawing board before the collapse of starleague it was resurrected after the rediscovery of lostec with the helm memory core plans for the maelstrom were contained within among many other unique technological finds the maelstrom is everything the marauder could have been if star league had lived with an xl engine and 19 double heat sinks it's fast and heavily armored it clips along at 90 kph and carries a respectable amount of firepower for 75 tons some would try to claim the rakshasa as a marauder spin-off but i disagree a rakshasa is a mad cat put together by people in the dark and those people were denied the use of precision tools in the right to proper education the clans on the other hand loved the marauders so damn much that they made their own the 2c variant with well it's evolutionary to say the least in many ways it's a midway evolutionary step between the marauder one and two it's an 85-ton assault mech with three erppcs and good heat control it stands as a reminder that the clans could never quite forget where they came from and had based their culture on an idealized vision of the past i personally find it a less good maelstrom at least in the bring more of the marauder to the marauder concept but again i have my biases and while some would claim the mad cat or as those weirders call it a timberwolf based on the marauder i'm going to set the record straight phelan kells wolfhound upon first contact with the clans had a targeting computer error versus what was then an unidentified mac the computer thought it was a marauder and then it thought it was a catapult and then it kept glitching between them the display read m-a-d-c-a-t which was then made its proper name by a certain telecoms company in their foremost strategic mind who had already a good idea on how to solve the problem but well i've already covered that story [Music] at 6.6 million seatbelt the marauder is an attractive weapon system for anybody wanting to win a war in style and have such an investment last until the next war and the generation after that the sheer number of designs the marauder influenced our legion in number and considered to be a part of the same family in short gm took a gamble and for their efforts they became a household name every mack pilot who's marched off to war knows what a marauder is or they will soon learn in summation the marauder was the first prototypical commandment with the ability to do everything from fire support to direct assault it could be argued to be a prototype omnimag for if nothing else it lent itself to a variety of roles and did most of them well enough without suffering any great shortcoming it outlasted its many contemporaries through civil war succession wars and an exodus they're still stomping around today because they are durable reliable cheap to work on share parts inner compatibility with many other macs and are goddamn sexy they are a reminder of what the inner sphere could make in its golden age the golden age of starling and when manufacturers had to design and build the best they could or risk losing market share in short the marauder is a finely balanced war machine built in a better age preparing for its darkest hour despite everything thrown at it this badass battle max survived thrived and continues to stay relevant to this very day the marauder is truly a more elegant weapon from a much more civilized age i want to take the time to humbly thank the magnificent work of our dedicated artists historical conservation teams and archival specialists who make this lecture series possible without their herculean efforts we would be lacking imagery to accompany some of the greatest scenes in our shared history and be stuck in the unfortunate position of having to imagine everything it is their work which allows ours to have the impact it does and i encourage you all to support their professional development many of these enterprising individuals are hirable and do nothing but the very best of work from the artists to the voice talent i thank you all for continuing to support this lecture series excuse me class i normally don't take calls in the middle of lectures but this is coming in on the old emergency channel and technically i am in the militia one moment i have found you you have mocked the clans for the last time for your insolence i am declaring formal bat child for possession of this dirt ball my mighty fleet is on its way to slay you i bid one warship and a whole chinery to conquer your pathetic world are you threatening the whole planet at once you dare mock my bachelor i got him to say the line okay seriously though how'd you get here we followed the jump point we discovered on a redacted comstar chart oh the old jump point well there's uh there's very good reasons we don't use that anymore do you answer my batch all or have you no order okay sure i bid the minefield comstar put in our jump point after we kind of made him mad wait what [Music] and bargained and done [Music] so well hi there it's me mr catch and i'm running a special down here at catch's big old fancy shooting store van dansel a special food store there is we got all kinds of shooters big shooters small shooters [ __ ] full auto shooters and it's really neato but that's not all we got ourselves a full set of services one gun blew one a gun painted want a gun deep [ __ ] fried we got that too why because we can because the customer is always right we even made a whole line of custom in the house made 1911's why because 47 world wars that's why but wait there's more that's right the capitalized on changing needs of our customers we're rolling out the first bullpup while you wait service board with your gun want something new got a rifle that needs to be weird why not bull puppet pistol bull puppet rifle bull puppet shotgun bull puppet will bullpup anything and everything will blow up your car aerospace fighter anything you want we'll cut saw weld and boom bullpup also don't forget we have a full line of laser guns for when ammo is scarce yeah lasers it's light that hurt wanna play laser tag with some serious [ __ ] sticks buy a laser rifle it's the most fun you can have with the light aside from the sun all day just come on in free balloons for the kids and a free hand grenade with every purchase remember i'm mr catch and i know a thing or two about shooting people hello [Music] hello there it is me the editor uh actually no but anyways do you long for a new type of currency that does not depend on the federal reserve do you long for a new type of meme coin that won't die if a solar flare suddenly wipes the entire internet are you completely illiterate on the subject of cryptocurrency presenting the coin the newest sensation and hilariously valuable pieces of nothingness that live in your head each good coin is indivisible incorruptible and completely transcends the barriers of this plane of existence the value of each good coin is completely dependent by the whims of its owner so a single good coin can buy anything from a candy bar to the entire country of switzerland that sounds fascinating i can hear you saying but how do you mind good coin you see the beauty of good coin is that each good coin is generated and stored with your mind each time you have positive thoughts a single good coin pops out of your brain matter so if you are short of goob all you have to do is think of something like boobies and bam you have a good coin ready to use this way everyone is as rich or as poor as they please leading the way for a perfect world because this systems has no flaws whatsoever and the best part is that if anyone refuses to accept your good coin that means they just broke the nip meaning that you can legally take their stuff by force with no repercussions whatsoever to get you started you get one complimentary good coin for watching this video because you are worth it because you deserve it see that was easy so go into the world my children and spend your goob wisely hey discount dan here and despite having all my merchandise seas set on fire exploded burns thrown into a lake and bombed from all of it i found a new way to make money and to help you at the very same time let me ask you a question do you like loot boxes arbitrary subscription fees early access that's right this countdown doesn't need any merchandise to sell you empty promises so let me unveil my latest product service thing that is in no way a scam this campaign's newest and only exclusive video game discount dan's adventureland and very real good game here's how it works step one you give me money any money you put your money in my hands and i'm gonna tell you what i'm gonna think about doing i am going to make a video game will it have rpg systems in a deep economy simulation sure why not will it be multiplayer support vr absolutely possibly it may will it be available on streaming services and virtual retailers and whatnot probably maybe will i be spending a portion of the money to ensure the constant barrage of advertising to all media types to include early access to streamers and influences to sell you my totally very real game probably i will maybe i don't know don't quote me on it but hey in exchange for your payment i i mean a donation to my dream of being a game designer and respected artist i probably might even throw in some very good merch for this game that is being made for real like this hat with these shoes look at these shoes they even realistically worn in to simulate the main character of the game uh hobo jim who's based on a real hero of the place did i base a game off of a shady handicam footage i shot of a homeless guy who maybe was involved in some unlicensed bloodsport on canopus that's none of your business you want the police and you can't stop me so yeah give me the money it'll make a game totally it'll be great but if you need guarantees i'll promise you this the discount damn pledge i will always take your money guaranteed [Music] tonight on wbpl 76 tonight on wbpl 76 welcome again to celebrity tabletop with none other than special guest player duncan fisher oh [ __ ] not again your team finds itself in the parking garage of the aries macro technology building you've prepared well and pile out of the armored van you spent weeks planning for this run a simple matter of extracting a scientist and his secrets at any cost mr johnson was clear this will net you a handsome bonus and finally your team will cross into the big leagues of seattle's shadow runner scene from here on out it'll be parties wealth and respect so what do you do chummers i spin up my drones and try to locate an access point to jack into the matrix i'm going to get us in there without much of a fuss okay what are those drones loaded with a gun gel rounds no need to kill anybody a wise choice no need to make a mess all right well i'm going to astrally project and cover the drone monkey as he gets us in simple job but those chip heads are easily distracted listen chummer the trouble with that vending machine happened one time you hacked a peanut machine for free peanuts rules are for losers peanuts are for life i drink at least three or four beers to get ready for combat strong bad iron fist is ready to rock but only three or four beers in no more no less noted noted and noted for the scene it's not a scene you were in the van i enter the van you are already in the van it is a van you were in it you drove here in it the van is sitting there i'd drive the van and bust some sick ass donuts hmm the van has no keys in it i don't need no keys i'm robo duncan fisher you are a substantially augmented human but you're not a robot go go gadget auto theft um roll electronics well i got this number the van is broken you are holding the wheel in your hand ah fans are lame anyways i get out of the van come on we're doing this again it smells like [ __ ] [ __ ] careful hacking stealth and precision have gotten you through the tower despite a certain street samurai's proclivity and a player's insistence on breaking every single aries employee's hands well if you disable the hands they can't call for help people you know have mouths they can yell for help not if their hands are broken it's a scientific fact according to what scientist ever i'm not an expert but i'm pretty sure you can still yell with broken hands no you can't it's the future trust me i'm from the future and hands up very essential you have to talk with your hands all the time my character is a troll and this is the dumbest thing he's ever heard uh real intelligence yes this is the dumbest thing you've ever heard anyways before you as a penthouse of the scientists you must extract before this point he was under involuntary house arrest now he's yours for the taking if you can get in without setting off an alarm gadget chainsaw hands you don't have chainsaw hands you have hand raisers now i do you can't just alter the character sheet i can do anything i want i have altered the character sheet pray i do not alter it any further are we suddenly playing star wars no it's me duncan fisher i cast fireball you're not a mage you can't cast fireball yeah that's my thing wait i i thought we were playing d and d never mind let me read through my sheet let's see here simlink vidlink ecm ah here we go he grenades that's basically fireball right well yeah but are you sure pull the pin with my teeth and throw the grenade at the penthouse door for the inner sphere take that you [ __ ] um all right let's see here explosions in a confined space duncan i don't know why i keep playing this is your fault when we come in here it's another explosion or some crazy stuff happening this game is too complicated just have the thing blow up like this you son of a [ __ ] i am frankly amazed and horrified we are literally on fire oh i've been farewell to my beautiful land and as mustard in order to be for you i stand to march off to war and to die if i must have to fight like a bastard and this you must trust as you just pass along you will see what it's worth bearing bodies and moving to another earth you're not [Music] or anywhere new to a place where i can stand alongside the view of the bravest we have though we are not the best our wager will pass our most ultimate cause as a mayhem we'll follow what we do today for all of our borders are morally grey i fear not the low pair what happens to me as long as my hands and his finally free for as long as old man's hand will remember me so [Music] when we run out of ammo and finally fall and no more harlot to hear that last bugle call they'll replace us with whatever they have left on hand and again we'll rise [Music] fear not the low payer what happens to me as long as my pants and is finally free for as long as old van's hat will remember me [Music] do [Music] [Music] to join our brave causes to suffer your life and surely surrender to permanent strife but if you feel the call out are willing to sign you will find that you place your life down on that time surrender is never a tactic we use for our cockpits are lacking an ejection [Music] is finally free just as long as my homeland will remember me [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] well coming back to van zandt wasn't the dumbest thing i've ever done before you judge consider it as i do an extended trial of position

Channel: The Black Pants Legion

Views: 631,488

Keywords: battletech, battletech game, battletech lore, battletech setting, battletech setting lore, tex talks battletech, black pants legion battletech, blackpantslegionbattletech, tex talks battletech marauder, the marauder, marauder mech, mechwarrior lore, mechwarrior setting, mechwarrior setting lore, lore and history, game lore and history, setting lore and history, battletech history overview, mech history overview, battlemech history, tex talks battletech latest

Id: Hv0HjfuMt-c

Length: 92min 9sec (5529 seconds)

Published: Wed May 26 2021