Starship Troopers: Vehicles: M-8 Marauder Assault Armour

**Name**: M-8 Marauder
**Craft**: M-8 Marauder Assault Armor
**Type**: Hard-armored Walker Vehicle
**Scale**: Walker
**Length**: approximately 3.5 meters tall
**Mass**: 9 metric tons
**Skill**: Walker Operations
**Crew**: 1
**Cargo Capacity**: 9.1 kg
**Consumables**: 8 hours
**Maneuverability**: 0D+2
**Move:**  38; 113 km/h
**Body Strength**: 6D

**Weapons**

* **MW-206 Light Rotary Cannon**

Hardpoint: left shoulder
Fire Arc: partial turret
Crew: 1
Scale: Speeder
Skill: Vehicle blasters
Fire Control: 1D
Range: 1-56/140/280m
Ammo: 300
Damage: 4D
* **MW-209 ‘Trip Hammer’ Grenade Launcher**

Hardpoint: left forearm
Fire Arc: partial turret
Crew: 1
Scale: Character
Skill: Missile Weapons
Fire Control: 1D
Range: 10-60/150/300m
Ammo: 8
Damage: See Grenades
* **SW-422 ‘Y Rack’ Missile Launcher**

Hardpoint: back
Fire Arc: forward
Crew: 1
Scale: Walker
Skill: Missile Weapons
Fire Control: 1D
Range: 10-180/450/900m
Ammo: 8
Damage: 6D
* **Twin TW-203-s ‘Ape Special’**

Hardpoint: hands
Fire Arc: partial turret
Crew: 1
Scale: Speeder
Skill: Vehicle blasters
Fire Control: 1D
Range: 1-76/190/380m
Ammo: 30
Damage: 3D
* **Twin SW-226-f ‘Fireball’**

Hardpoint: hands
Fire Arc: partial turrets
Crew: 1
Scale: Walker
Skill: Vehicle blasters
Fire Control: 0D+2
Range: 1-30/75/150m
Ammo: 15
Damage: 6D + 1D fire damage for the next 1-4 rounds
**Equipment**:

* Geosynchronous location sensor: +1 pip to Walker Operations rolls
* Surface/Air surveillance radar: Search +1D; 180 meter range
* Salvo switch: driver can fire all craft weapons as a single attack at a single target
* Environmentally sealed
* Integrated lizard line: 150 meters in length and capable of lifting 11.8 metric tons
* Jump jets (365 meters total charge, 30 meters maximum per jump)
* Armor Strength Attribute: 7D+2 (Walker Scale)

**Notes**:

* **Hardpoints**: Four modular hardpoints (hands (both hands count as one hardpoint), left forearm, left shoulder and back). Only one weapon system may be mounted per hardpoint.

**Description**: *‘Those R&D are a lot smarter than most folks give them credit for. The only way any M.I. squad worth the name would ever accept a new Marauder suit was to make it look like an Ape. I doubt that was an accident. Look alive, you apes! That bug nest won’t nuke itself!’*

The Marauder M-8, also called the Ape suit, is a tactical suit of extremely powerful armor, mechanically assisted and equipped with weapons, computer systems and sensors that place it in the effective realm of an entire squad of Mobile Infantry troopers all by itself. Its name comes from its large arms and relatively short, wide legs which give it a very simian profile both when standing at parade rest and when lumbering towards a target to deliver a much needed order of pain and destruction.

The M-8 suit is derived from the M-9 Walker and incorporates all of its technical advancements while featuring many scientific achievements made from watching the Chickenhawk in battle and determining how its performance profile could be improved. Even the most optimistic of technologists would have to admit that the Ape is only a mixed success in this regard. While it is certainly better armored and carries improved firepower on a more stable combat frame, it does not have a modular design and cannot be repaired as readily. Time in the field may eventually negate the latter disparity with the M-8, but the tactical flexibility issue will likely never be resolved.

All Marauder suits have the same serious design flaws. They take 26 hours to take from ‘cold’ storage to ‘warm’ active service. Once ready to take the field, they can only operate for eight hours on their power cells before all their systems go dead and they are rendered immobile. Field engineers assigned to Marauder suits always bring replacement cells when they can, but this can still leave a Marauder driver helpless and immobile in enemy territory.

Marauder weapons systems can only be fitted to Marauder suits and are not used by other vehicle types because of their specialized engineering and design. Marauder weapons are difficult to service, operate on the suit’s internal battery power and are high-firepower models meant to deal a lot of damage quickly to maximize the Marauder suit’s combat potential.

**Source**:

* Starship Troopers Wiki: M8 Ape
* Starship Troopers RPG Sourcebook (page 113)
* thedemonapostle