From: edmonds@cs.ubc.ca (Brian Edmonds)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mecha
Subject: [BTECH] DMD-A1 Dromond
Date: 25 Jan 1993 02:58:30 -0800
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: cobra.cs.ubc.ca

Well, I posted a few hours ago that you couldn't make a DXL (double XL) 
engine.  After being unable to fall asleep, I got up, and with some 
creative jockeying of criticals, came up with the following.  Please 
don't scream munchkin (too loud :); simply smile slightly at the sheer 
insanity of it and go on with your life. 

Name:     DMD-A1 Dromond                    CLAN 1      Tons   Cost(kC)
Tonnage:          75                (0.0)         
Internal Structure:                                      4.0
  Musculature:            TS 0                                    150.0
  Skeleton:               ES 1                                    120.0
  Arm Actuators:       Upper 2   Lower 2    Hand 2                 34.5
  Leg Actuators:       Upper 2   Lower 2    Foot 2                 52.5
Engine:          600 Vlar           XL 1     DBL 1      19.0    12000.0
  Walking MPs:               8
  Running MPs:              12
  Jumping MPs:               8                           8.0      120.0
Heat Sinks        20      DS 1 Crits   0                10.0      120.0
Gyro:                                                    6.0     1800.0
Cockpit:                                                 3.0      400.0
Armour Factor:            FF 1       230        (0)     12.0      240.0
  Head:            3        (0)        9
  CT:             23        (1)       29        16
  R/LT:           16        (0)       20        12
  R/LA:           12        (0)       24
  R/LL:           16        (0)       32

Weapons and Ammo:          Loc      Crit      Heat
ER PPC                      RA         2        15       6.0      300.0
ER PPC                      LA         2        15       6.0      300.0
Medium ER Laser              H         1         5       1.0       80.0
Jump Jet                    RT         2
Jump Jet                    LT         2
Jump Jet                    RL         2
Jump Jet                    LL         2

------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL                                           35      75.0    15717.0

PRICE        $27,505kC        

Left Arm                                Right Arm 
1.  Shoulder                            1.  Shoulder        
2.  Upper Arm                           2.  Upper Arm       
3.  Lower Arm                           3.  Lower Arm       
4.  Hand            Head                4.  Hand  
5.  ER PPC          1.  Life Support    5.  ER PPC
6.  ER PPC          2.  Sensors         6.  ER PPC
7.  Endo Steel      3.  Cockpit         7.  Endo Steel      
8.  Endo Steel      4.  Med ER Laser    8.  Endo Steel      
9.  Endo Steel      5.  Sensors         9.  Endo Steel      
10. Ferro-Fibre     6.  Life Support    10. Ferro-Fibre     
11. Ferro-Fibre                         11. Ferro-Fibre     
12. Ferro-Fibre     Centre Torso        12. Ferro-Fibre     
                    1.  Engine L        
Left Torso          2.  Engine L        Right Torso         
1.  Engine          3.  Engine L        1.  Engine
2.  Engine          4.  Gyro            2.  Engine
3.  Engine          5.  Gyro            3.  Engine
4.  Engine          6.  Gyro            4.  Engine
5.  Engine          7.  Gyro            5.  Engine
6.  Engine          8.  Engine R        6.  Engine
7.  Engine          9.  Engine R        7.  Engine
8.  Endo Steel      10. Engine R        8.  Ferro-Fibre     
9.                  11.                 9.        
10.                 12.                 10.       
11. Jump Jet                            11. Jump Jet        
12. Jump Jet                            12. Jump Jet        

Left Leg                                Right Leg 
1.  Hip                                 1.  Hip   
2.  Upper Leg                           2.  Upper Leg       
3.  Lower Leg                           3.  Lower Leg       
4.  Foot                                4.  Foot  
5.  Jump Jet                            5.  Jump Jet        
6.  Jump Jet                            6.  Jump Jet        

Overview:
  Around 3055, with the explosion of mech technology, especially the 
advent of XL engines coupled with the continuing controvery over double 
engine designs, the time appeared ripe for the introduction of a truly 
elite battlemech.  The design of the DRD-A1 Dromond is reported to have 
originated with the extremely secretive design team, headed by an 
unorthodox chief engineer known only as Jubal. 
  No Dromonds are known to have been built to date, but information 
from highly placed sources indicates that at least two of the Inner 
Sphere houses are seriously considering a limited run of this extremely 
expensive design as a command vehicle for major engagements. 

Capabilities:
  The design of the 600 Vlar DXL engine is the most radical feature of 
this battlemech.  The unlikely marriage of the controversial (and 
mostly untested) double engine design with XL engine technology poses 
great problems for mech engineers, but it will likely be overcome soon. 
The DXL engine has the additional benefit that if one engine must be 
shut down for any reason, the remaining engine will allow the Dromond 
movement at half of its normal rate, although the PPC on the side of 
the shutdown will be inoperative. 
  With its extremely high top speed, given its mass, the Dromond makes 
a formidable charger.  Many mech designers shake their heads in despair 
at the though of a Dromond on full charge running right over a heavy 
Jaggermech, leaving nothing but a pile of barely salvagable parts 
behind. 
  The Dromond provides an extremely well rounded combination of armour, 
armaments, and speed, coupled with full jump capacity.  The price 
obviously places it well out of the range of all but the most elite of 
forces, but it would certainly make an excellent command ship for a
planetary scale battlemech engagement. 

Variants:
  As there are no known Dromonds in existance, any variants are still 
in the heads of their designers.  It is rumoured that Team Jubal has 
produced a prototype Dromond at their secret custom production 
facility, but this has been unsubstantiated to date. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Edmonds (MSc CompSci)                            edmonds@cs.ubc.ca