Rama Tank

### Tactical Analysis

* ***Vahaanpati*:** The Rama "tank" is in effect, a metal box with tracks, an engine, radio, a good-sized gun, and some extras. As such it is cheap, reliable, and has decent all around stats. You cannot go wrong with it!

* ***Vaishnavait*:** Whereas most other main battle tanks of other factions utilize turreted vehicles, the Rama is, in fact, an assault gun or tank destroyer. This seeming weakness is counteracted by its ability to fire missiles from its side on command, striking at would-be flankers who can evade its fast turning rate. Identification systems kill the missiles as they approach targets read as friendlies, preventing friendly fire incidents.

* ***Uttara Kanda*:** If the Rama is approached from the rear, it can expect much misfortune in the immediate future if it cannot quickly turn to correct this, as it lacks both armor and defense systems capable of covering the rear side of this vehicle. Infantry, additionally, generally have much less to fear from the Rama's gun.

* ***Shiva Dhanush*:** Those who have attained the status of aces in their Ramas are recalled to be refitted with a bit of a remedy for the Rama's weakness to infantry, a set of machine guns. A pintle-mounted heavy machine gun, a hull mounted medium gun, and a coaxial light machine gun. All this gives the Rama far greater ability to deal with infantry. But there are only so many kits for these to go around and so many that want them.

### Background

*"Vishnu takes on his multiarmed form and says, "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.""*

- The Vedas
The Commonwealth, on paper, has a lot of money with a huge GDP and industrial output. In reality, it has to spread this out over nearly two-thirds of a billion people, and a military with more soldiers than many countries have people. This means to equip its millions-strong Frontier Corps with proper armored support, the Commonwealth needed a vast number of vehicles. The Beagle, Liberty, and the Mastiff, old standbys of the Allies, were considered; but dismissed; the Beagle was cheap, but simply not powerful enough to be their main vehicle. The Mastiff and Liberty were too mechanically complex to be conveniently operated by Indian forces who were often poorly educated, and too heavy to use most of the bridges in the region.

Other tanks were looked at and dismissed for Frontier Corps' service in turn. The new generation of MBTs were simply too expensive, the Scorpion was again, not powerful enough, with its small cannon not having decent high explosive capability for infantry support. The Armadillo was simply too slow, the Bulldog was simply not tough enough to be a front-line vehicle and was disappointing as a structure buster. The Frontier Corps balked at the very thought of having to maintain the fragile and finicky Crocodile and wanted something substantially tougher and harder hitting anyway, but the Marauder, however, intrigued India. Initial orders, while promising, ran into the problem that with the sheer popularity of it around the world and India's big dreams for mechanization, even AdvanceArmour Inc. couldn't fulfill their needs and even a production license was not meeting demands.

So the Commonwealth brass quickly set the designers to design them a reliable but affordable vehicle that could serve as both an assault gun and a tank destroyer, with a great deal of customizability to ensure upgradeability in the future as the Commonwealth advanced technologically. After a furious process of proposal, revision, and reproposal, the Rama was presented to the brass and the world to much fanfare. Armed with a long 90mm cannon that could fire both a potent armor piercing round to deal with vehicles as well as a fortification smashing high explosive munition, and protected by decently thick and well angled armor, a low profile, and a good engine, the Rama preformed all tests admirably well.

Concerns that India's decision to go with a turret-less self-propelled gun instead of a tank to save on cost of purchase and repairs were not totally ignored however, and the designers installed an ingenious set of flank-mounted rockets that could give a decent punch to would be attackers, while friend-or-foe identification systems acquired cheaply from the Syndicate would prevent friendly fire incidents. The brass was in fact, so impressed that they ordered the production of these prototypes before the machine guns had been mounted, resulting in thousands of Ramas without so much as a Heckler to deal with infantry who could brave the high explosive shells.

Experiences against their many enemies soon showed that this was a mistake, but slowing down production of a vehicle in such high demand is not acceptable, and production of kits for these guns has only just begun, making them a rarity.

In its service life, the Rama has faced many, very different sorts of enemies, and so far it has proven to be very reliable. Though far from the most advanced vehicle or exactly the most comfortable of rides, the Rama has always managed to hold its own when pitted against those of its weight class. Indian Field Marshals do still remember the times the Rama cannon punched through Scorpion Tanks, Imperial Tsunami Tanks and even occasional Takhars, saving their infantry columns a lot of time to deal with enemy armor. While of course some Indian leaders argue that they could've hired Talos AFVs from the Syndicate, the opponents counterargue that there is no use for the government to pay for such pricey and sophisticated systems (you cannot afford to replace your destroyed expensive Taloses all the time).

## Dasharatha Command Tank

### Tactical Analysis

* **Commanding:** Able to project an aura of command that gives a damage and speed boost, the Dasharatha is not built. Instead, it is a field conversion of the Rama via protocol. Unarmed, its only defense is a machine gun against infantry.

* **Mine to Command:** Unable to carry a store of anti-personnel rockets, the Dasharatha is at the very least able to deploy a number of mines in a small radius around the tank, denying enemy infantry their movement and leaving the mines as an obstacle in case of retreat.

* **They read our book:** Suffice to say, the Dasharatha is only armored. The main gun is nothing but a dummy to keep up appearances, and aircraft might as well shred it.

* **Relay these orders:** With enough time, the best Dasharatha crews are issued enhanced radio aerials, capable of relaying orders over a wider radius than before, which coupled with the experiences of the crew means that the Dasharatha is capable of coordinating greater numbers more effectively.

### Background

Transcript of a recorded phone conversation between two GLA warlords.

- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:** *You're sure? I raided against their positions on the Oman border last week, there is no possible way their armored forces have become so well organized.*
- **Mose Akinjide:** *Well, something changed! We were attacking a supply convoy out of Mogadishu, they were carrying ammunition to a smal outpost on the coast, a simple hit and run.*
- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:** *You were using different tactics, I presume?*
- **Mose Akinjide:** *Don't patronize me.*
- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:** *I'm not, it's a simple question. Face facts, sometimes it's easy to be lazy in your duties as a commander.*
- **Mose Akinjide:** *\*Sigh\* Yes, we were using different tactics. We bribed some farmers, their truck "broke down" on the road the convoy was moving down. They stopped, tried to clear the wreck. Then we attacked.*
- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:** *And that's when the Indians counter-attacked?*
- **Mose Akinjide:** *No, that's when their infantry fled for cover. There was only a few panicked shots at my men, it was a cinch.*
- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:** *That's when their vehicles fought back?*
- **Mose Akinjide:** *Exactly! Suddenly their tanks are speeding around my forces, I lost twenty-three men, I had to fall back before they could do any more damage! They stood to fight, they were so coordinated that I couldn't do anything but flee.*
- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:**...*Tell me, did any of their tank destroyers seem different to you?*
- **Mose Akinjide:** *No, of course not...Well, two did. They must have been elite crews, they had machine guns. Strange, they didn't fire their main cannons.* \*Silence\* *Well?*
- **Mahmud Abdul-Muhsi:** *I think I know what's going on. If you'll take some advice friend, do not try to raid any convoys for some time. I think the Indians have found a way around their vehicle communication problems.*