A great many mechwarriors work with their Techs to modify their Mechs. The warrior's input, however, is often limited to suggestions concerning the replacement of weapons and armor. This is largely due to the popular misconception that replacement of a Mechs fusion engine always involves a tremendous change in tonnage available. Certainly, this is true for the largest Mechs - an Atlas pilot wishing to add 10.8 kph to her cruising speed would have to drop 34.5 tons of armor, weapons, and heat sinks-but not always true for light or medium vehicles. For example, many pilots of the WTH-1 Whitworth complain about their machine's lack of speed. If they knew that 21.5 kph could be added to their maximum speed for a 'cost' of only 2.5 tons, perhaps more of these mechwarriors would be pushing for modification of their Mechs! Once a Mech's tonnage and cruising speed are known, a number of tonnage requirements are set: Cockpit, internal structure, engine and gyro. Table # 1 has taken these factors into account (ie, subtracted them from the Mech's total tonnage available); it indicates tonnage remaining for use for weapons, armor, jump jets, and additional heat sinks. For a more practical expression of combat capability, movement has been expressed in terms of thirty-meter units covered per ten seconds, rather than in terms of kilometers per hour. For those warriors interested in Mech design, Table #2 illustrates which Mech tonnages are most suited (have the greatest amount of tonnage remaining for offensive and defensive outfitting after required components are installed) for each cruising speed category. Every mechwarrior knows that the surprise of possessing a Mech of standard design carrying unconventional armament can give her a crucial advantage in battle. Engine replacement is an excellent means to this end, yielding changes varying from slight to radical. Back to BattleTechnology 11 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1989 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com