After the destruction of the First Succession War, the Capellan Confederation was in desperate need for ’Mechs to replenish its forces. The new Vindicator helped to fill that need. It was designed to be relatively inexpensive and to only use components that were readily available within the Confederation. The design is regarded as a solid but unexceptional trooper.
The VND-1R remained exclusive to the Capellan Confederation throughout the Succession Wars. When the St. Ives Compact broke away in the aftermath of the Fourth Succession War, it continued to field the design. Then after the Clan Invasion started, the design propagated first to mercenaries and then to several of the Periphery states. The VND-1R had been fully phased out in favor of more advanced models by the time of the HPG black out.
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- Aim to engage enemies at ranges between 6 and 12 hexes
- You’re less mobile than a lot of mediums and lights, so let them come to you to make the most of your longer ranged weapons
- Don’t worry about preserving LRM ammo, you carry more than enough missiles
- Your biggest weakness as a medium ’Mech is your relatively slow speed, so be careful about your positioning and use your jump jets as needed
Vindicator VND-1R
- Role: Brawler
- Tech Base: Inner Sphere (2826)
- Chassis: 45 tons
- Movement: 4 / 6
- Jumping: 4
- Armor: 144
- Heat Sinks: 16 (16)
- Weapons:
- PPC
- Medium Laser
- LRM 5 (ammo: 24)
- Small Laser
- Design Quirks:
- Rugged (×2)
- Difficult Ejection
- Cost: 3,181,083 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 1,024
Mobility
The Vindicator VND-1R is slower than average for a medium ’Mech. It has 4 walking MP and 6 running MP that is enough to keep pace with battle line units but puts its mobility well behind designs like a Phoenix Hawk or a Wolverine. It is equipped with jump jets though, so it can retain its mobility in urban battlefields or rough terrain. It can achieve a +2 target movement modifier by running or jumping. The slow speed and long-range weapons mean that a MechWarrior should consider whether they want to stay still in protective terrain rather than trying to maneuver around the battlefield.
Durability
The VND-1R carries 94% of the maximum armor for its tonnage which puts it at about average protection for medium ’Mechs as a whole. It only carries explosive ammunition in its left torso. A critical hit to that location has a one out six chance of destroying the ’Mech. Unfortunately for MechWarriors, the Vindicator suffers from the Difficult Ejection quirk, so they are less likely to survive an ejection attempt than the pilots of most other ’Mechs.
Weaponry
A PPC and LRM 5 make up the main weapons on the VND-1R. Those both give the Vindicator the ability to fight at long ranges, but they suffer from minimum range penalties when enemy forces are able to get close. In order to maintain effectiveness at those shorter ranges, the Vindicator carries a medium laser and small laser. Despite those shorter-range weapons, the VND-1R still seems its expected damage output peak at a range of 6 hexes.
The weapons on the VND-1R are arranged to allow it to engage enemies in almost any direction. The PPC is in the right arm for a wide arc of fire. The small laser is in the other arm which allows it to fire in a wide arc as well even if it is still limited by its short range. The missiles and medium laser are torso mounted.
The only ammo-dependent weapon on the VND-1R is its long-range missiles. The single ton of ammunition provides 24 shots though, so a MechWarrior should not be at risk of running out in most engagements.
Heat Management
The VND-1R has enough heat sinks that it’s able to make use of all its weapons, but not so much that a MechWarrior can ignore their heat gauge. When operating at range, the PPC and LRM 5 will generate 12 heat which is well below its cooling capacity of 16. Adding the two lasers pushes the generated heat to 16 points, so when fighting up close, it’s likely that a MechWarrior will either need to hold back with some weapons or overheat a bit. That’s especially the case if they need to make use of their jump jets for maneuvering.
Brawling
The Vindicator’s mission profile means that a MechWarrior should try to avoid melees, but its speed means that won’t always be a choice. The VND-1R’s left arm has a full actuator set, but the right is missing its hand actuator. Both arms have weapons that would need to be sacrificed for punches. The 5 damage from a punch is better than the 3 from a small laser, and even missing a fist, the right punch will be more accurate than the PPC at point blank range even if it only deals half the damage. If a MechWarrior is trying to maximize their potential damage up close, they will be better off firing the weapons and kicking for 9 damage.
Cost & Upkeep
Thanks to its relatively small fusion engine and limited ammo needs, the VND-1R is an inexpensive option for a medium ’Mech. It costs almost a million C-Bills less than a Phoenix Hawk PXH-1 despite being the same tonnage. A force will also only need to purchase a ton of ammo reloads for it every 2-3 battles.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the Vindicator VND-1R:
| Action | Cost |
| Purchase | 450 SP |
| Armor Repair | 45 SP |
| Structure Repair | 90 SP |
| Reload | 0-5 SP |
Miniature
A plastic miniature for the Vindicator VND-1R is included in the new 2022 version of the Beginner Box.
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