The Dragon has been one of the most widely used heavy ’Mechs of the Draconis Combine since the Star League era. Following the end of the Third Succession War, Luthien Armor Works introduced the Grand Dragon DRG-1G as an upgrade to the DRG-1N. The most notable portion of the upgrade was replacing its autocannon with a PPC to double the damage potential of its primary weapon.
The Grand Dragon DRG-1G was used by the Draconis Combine from the Fourth Succession War through the Early Republic era. It also spread to the Free Rasalhague Republic when it was formed in the 3030s. Despite continuing to see use, the design started being phased out in front line units in the 3050s in favor of the Grand Dragon DRG-5K that made use of recovered Star League technologies.
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- Stay mobile to make the most of your range and evasive ability
- You run hot, alternate fire with your PPC to avoid overheating
- Your armor is light, but the Narrow/Low Profile quirk helps
Grand Dragon DRG-1G
- Role: Skirmisher
- Tech Base: Inner Sphere (3024)
- Chassis: 60 tons
- Movement: 5 / 8
- Armor: 160
- Heat Sinks: 12 (12)
- Weapons:
- PPC
- LRM 10 (ammo: 24)
- Medium Laser × 3
- Design Quirks:
- Extended Torso Twist
- Narrow/Low Profile
- Stable
- Cost: 5,212,800 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 1,300
Mobility
Like the Dragon, the Grand Dragon has slightly above average mobility for its weight class. Its 5 walking MP and 8 running MP allow it to keep pace with heavier medium ’Mechs. When running in open terrain, it can achieve a +3 target movement modifier. A lack of jump jets does limit its ability to bypass rough terrain.
Durability
The DRG-1G has less protection than other heavy ’Mechs. Its 10 tons of armor only give it 80% of the maximum protection for a 60-ton chassis. Its limbs are relatively under-armored while its torso is better protected. The Narrow/Low Profile quirk also allows the Grand Dragon to get more out of its armor than normal. A MechWarrior who can make themself a difficult target gets the most advantage out of that quirk since reducing the chance of getting hit also boosts the percentage of hits that will do reduced damage.
Beneath the armor, only the left torso contains explosive components, but 67% of that location’s critical slots will result in the Grand Dragon being destroyed in a fiery blast.
Weaponry
The Grand Dragon DRG-1G’s armament is built around a PPC and an LRM 10. Those two weapons give it the ability to fight at long ranges. At shorter ranges, three medium lasers can bolster its firepower as needed.
Because both of its primary weapons suffer from minimum ranges, the DRG-1G is best suited to maintaining distance from its targets. Its expected damage output peaks at a range of 6 hexes where the PPC is in short range and the LRMs are only suffering a slight minimum range penalty. The design is well-suited to fighting out to 12 hexes though since that puts both of its primary weapons in medium range while keeping it out of reach of any short-range weapons wielded by its foes.
The DRG-1G can engage enemies in any direction. Without torso twisting, it has at least one weapon in each firing arc. As part of its upgrade, the Grand Dragon also gains the Extended Torso Twist quirk so that it can easily twist and fire its weapons at any target.
The Grand Dragon DRG-1G only has a single ammo-dependent weapon. The two tons of ammo for its LRM 10 give it enough shots to easily last through two battles.
Heat Management
One flaw in the Grand Dragon DRG-1G is that its cooling system is insufficient for its weaponry. It carries only 12 single heat sinks and can generate that amount of heat by just running and firing only its PPC. If it fires all of its weapons, it generates 23 points of heat which can be enough to skyrocket its heat to just shy of risking shutdown in a single turn.
In order to keep heat levels under control, a MechWarrior will need to alternate fire with their PPC. Firing both the LRM 10 and PPC while running will raise its heat level to 4, then firing only the LRM 10 the following turn will cool it back off. That pattern allows the ’Mech to avoid taking any penalties to movement from overheating. At shorter ranges, the primary weapons should be dropped in favor of the medium lasers since their accuracy is reduced within their minimum ranges anyways.
Brawling
The Grand Dragon is not well-suited to brawling. In addition to its weapons being better suited to operating at a distance, it lacks hand actuators which reduces the effectiveness of its punches. When it does find itself at point blank range, its right punch will be a little more accurate than its PPC but only deals half as much damage. Its left punch’s damage is better than that arm’s medium laser with more damage and a better chance to hit the target’s head, but it will be less accurate. Those trade-offs mean that a kick for 12 damage is often a better option. The Grand Dragon also benefits from the Stable quirk, so it is less likely to fall over as a result of getting hit by a physical attack.
Cost & Upkeep
The Grand Dragon is only a couple hundred thousand C-Bills more expensive than the DRG-1N it is intended to replace. All of its systems are still introductory tech since it was introduced at the beginning of the technical renaissance and before Star League military systems had been fully recovered. During a campaign, it will generally require only a single ton of replacement ammunition after each engagement.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the Grand Dragon DRG-1G:
| Action | Cost |
| Purchase | 600 SP |
| Armor Repair | 60 SP |
| Structure Repair | 120 SP |
| Reload | 5 SP |
Miniature
The plastic Dragon included in the Inner Sphere Support Lance force pack works great to represent a Grand Dragon DRG-1G.
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