The Centurion was introduced by Corean Enterprises just over a decade in to the First Succession War. It was intended as a companion design to its recently downgraded Trebuchet TBT-5N, but it also ended up finding favor amongst the Federated Suns as a dependable medium ’Mech even though they did not field many Trebuchets.
While the Federated Suns made the most use of the CN9-A, it was available throughout the Inner Sphere and Periphery from the First Succession War through the Clan Invasion. With the outbreak of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, it started to be phased out in favor of more advanced designs. By the time of the blackout, the CN9-A was no longer in use.
Read This First
- You have deep ammo bins that give you the ability to fire-at-will
- That ammo also makes you prone to explosions, so keep auto-eject on
- You’re not particularly mobile, so you won’t be able to chase down skirmishers or scouts
- Corean’s engineers actually did a good job designing your ’Mech to serve as a companion to fire support ’Mechs
Centurion CN9-A
- Role: Brawler
- Tech Base: Inner Sphere (2801)
- Chassis: 50 tons
- Movement: 4 / 6
- Armor: 136
- Heat Sinks: 10 (10)
- Weapons:
- AC/10 (ammo: 20)
- LRM 10 (ammo: 24)
- Medium Laser × 2
- Design Quirks:
- Improved Targeting (Short)
- Non-Standard Parts
- Cost: 3,491,500 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 945
Mobility
The Centurion CN9-A is slower than average for its tonnage. It can walk 4 hexes or run 6, but it lacks jump jets. That is more in line with the mobility of many heavy ’Mechs than it is with other mediums. That means the CN9-A is a poor choice for engaging fast-moving enemies, and it can only generate a +2 target movement modifier at best.
Durability
Despite its role as a brawler, the Centurion is under-armored for its tonnage. It carries only 80% of the maximum armor for its chassis which matches the average protection of ’Mechs that are 5 tons lighter than it. Compounding that problem is that both of its side torsos carry a large amount of explosive ammunition. The right side’s two tons of autocannon ammo mean that 67% of its critical slots explode. On the left, the two tons of missiles occupy 40% of the critical slots. That means any internal damage to either side torso can quickly and catastrophically end the Centurion’s time on the battlefield.
Weaponry
Fitting its intended role as a companion to the Trebuchet, the CN9-A can assist with fire support while also carrying dangerous mid- and short-range weapons. The LRM 10 is not as hard-hitting as the Trebuchet’s LRM 15s, but it allows the CN9-A to match their 21 hex range. If an enemy unit closes to within 15 hexes, then it can add a hard-hitting autocannon. Within 9 hexes, it can then make use of its medium lasers. The Centurion also benefits from the Improved Targeting quirk at short range.
Due to the minimum range on its missiles, the CN9-A sees limited benefit from getting closer to targets than 5 hexes. At 5 hexes, the missiles are suffering a penalty, but the autocannon gets into its ideal range bracket. The damage boost from the medium lasers hitting their short range at 3 hexes is almost entirely negated by the continuing drop in accuracy with the LRMs though. If the Centurion is acting in its designed role as a companion for fire support units, it can engage at the same ranges as them. If it is operating independently though, then pushing towards short range to get better use out of its autocannon can work out well.
The Centurion CN9-A’s weapon arrangement gives MechWarriors the ability to fire at targets in any direction. Its autocannon is arm-mounted to cover its right side, and one of its torso-mounted medium lasers can fire at units harassing it from behind. The left arm doesn’t have any weapons, but that arc can be covered with a torso twist.
While the CN9-A’s two primary weapons both depend on ammunition, it carries a robust ammo supply. Two tons for each weapon mean that a MechWarrior should be able to fire every round and not worry about running out of shots. The two tons also make it a good candidate for special munitions such as precision autocannon rounds to target fast-moving flankers or smoke missiles to cover the retreat of its companion Trebuchets after their much smaller ammo bins are empty.
Heat Management
The CN9-A’s 10 single heat sinks can keep it cool at range but can’t fully handle all of the heat it generates. If firing only its missiles and autocannon, the Centurion generates only 9 points of heat even if running. Adding one or both medium lasers causes it to overheat though. In order to stay cool in short range fire fights, a MechWarrior will need to hold fire occasionally with either their LRMs or medium lasers.
Brawling
The Centurion is okay in a brawl, but not great. Firing an autocannon is a better choice than punching with its right arm. Its left arm has no weapons and a full set of actuators though, so it can land punches for 5 damage. It can also kick for 10 damage.
Cost & Upkeep
The Centurion CN9-A’s relatively small fusion engine and simple technology keep it inexpensive. As an example, it costs a million C-Bills less than a Shadow Hawk SHD-2H to purchase. The CN9-A will generally need 2 tons of ammunition replaced after each engagement, but its larger ammo bins give a commander the opportunity to defer reloads if supplies are limited.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the Centurion CN9-A:
| Action | Cost |
| Purchase | 500 SP |
| Armor Repair | 50 SP |
| Structure Repair | 100 SP |
| Reload | 10 SP |
Miniature
A plastic Centurion miniature is included in the Inner Sphere Heavy Lance force pack.
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