The BattleMaster BLR-1G was designed as a command ’Mech for the Star League in 2633. While production was disrupted by the Succession Wars, the design spread throughout the Inner Sphere and Periphery. It remained in wide use until the Republic Era when it was finally fully replaced by newer designs except amongst pirates, mercenaries, and Deep Periphery states.
Read This First
- Use your PPC to harass enemies that outgun you at short-range but lack long-range firepower
- Against anything else, run into battle and close to brawling range
- Be careful about damage to the left torso, it has a tendency to explode
BattleMaster BLR-1G
- Role: Brawler
- Tech Base: Inner Sphere (2633)
- Chassis: 85 tons
- Movement: 4 / 6
- Armor: 232
- Heat Sinks: 18 (18)
- Weapons:
- PPC
- SRM 6 (ammo: 30)
- Medium Laser × 6
- Machine Gun × 2 (ammo: 200)
- Design Quirks:
- Command ’Mech
- Jettison-Capable Weapon (PPC)
- Weak Head Armor (1)
- Cost: 8,501,243 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 1,519
Mobility
The BLR-1G is relatively fast for an assault ’Mech. It walks 4 hexes and can run 6. That gives it the ability to keep pace with many heavy designs and out maneuver other assaults. As a brawler, it usually wants to close the distance with its targets, so that speed can be important. When running, it can achieve a +2 target movement modifier which can help it evade long-range firepower while it runs into battle.
Durability
As an assault ’Mech, the BattleMaster BLR-1G is tough. It carries 88% of the maximum armor for an 85-ton chassis which is 232 points. Its limbs, especially the legs, are less protected than its torso. Three tons of ammunition make the left torso another potential weak spot since 38% of its critical slots will result in an explosion. Finally, the head suffers from the Weak Head Armor quirk reducing its effective armor by 1.
Weaponry
The BLR-1G’s largest weapon is a PPC, but most of its offensive power is provided by its collection of medium lasers and SRM launcher. The PPC can fire out to 18 hexes, but the lasers and SRMs can only reach half that distance. Two machine guns give it an ability to effectively engage conventional infantry in addition to armored targets.
Against most opponents, a BLR-1G wants to get in close as quickly as possible so that it can make use of its SRM and lasers. With only the PPC, it can be outgunned at long-range by many other heavy and assault ’Mechs. The exception is when facing off against designs that favor short-range weapons like AC/20s. In those cases, the BattleMaster’s mobility can be used to stay out of reach of those weapons so that it can use its PPC to whittle away at the targets.
Most of the BLR-1G’s firepower is confined to its forward firing arc, but it can bring at least some weapons to bear in any direction. The PPC and pair of machine guns are arm-mounted to cover the sides, and then two medium lasers face the rear to cover that arc.
The BattleMaster BLR-1G carries a good amount of ammunition for its non-energy weapons. Two tons of SRM ammo give the SRM 6 thirty shots, and the full ton of ammo means that both machine guns can be fired 100 times. That is enough with both weapons that there is no need to hold back fire to conserve ammunition during most battles.
Heat Management
With an abundance of energy weapons, the BLR-1G is prone to overheating. It can generate 26 points of heat with just its forward-facing weapons and then only carries 18 single heat sinks. In order to stay cool, it needs to limit its usage of its lasers when firing the PPC. In general, the PPC should then be dropped once targets are within its 3-hex minimum range in favor of firing the medium lasers.
Brawling
The BattleMaster is a very capable brawler. It has full actuator sets in both arms and can throw punches that deal 9 damage each. The PPC cannot be firing when punching with the right arm, but at point-blank range the torso-mounted lasers are a better choice anyways. For the left arm, the machine guns are unable to fire, but the fist has a much higher damage potential against a ’Mech. When kicking, the BattleMaster deals 17 points of damage.
Other Capabilities
The BattleMaster benefits from the Command ’Mech quirk. That means that as long as its MechWarrior is conscious, they can coordinate their force for a +1 bonus to initiative. Winning initiative can be critical to controlling engagement ranges and firing arcs, so keeping a BattleMaster in the fight is worthwhile.
Cost & Upkeep
The BLR-1G only makes use of introductory tech, so it is relatively inexpensive. Following most battles, it will usually need one ton of its SRM ammo replaced.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the BattleMaster BLR-1G:
| Action | Cost |
| Purchase | 850 SP |
| Armor Repair | 85 SP |
| Structure Repair | 170 SP |
| Reload | 5 SP |
Miniature
The new plastic miniature for the BattleMaster is included in the A Game of Armored Combat boxed set.
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