The Sagittaire was created by Robinson Standard BattleWorks in the Federated Commonwealth’s Draconis March as the civil war between Katherine Steiner-Davion and her brother victor Steiner-Davion began. It is an assault ’Mech that excels the short-range firefights of urban warfare.
The design first saw use against the Draconis Combine as part of Duke Sandoval’s forces, but was eventually drawn into the civil war as forces loyal to both Steiner-Davions started to make use of the design. The design remained exclusive to the Federated Commonwealth, renamed back to the Federated Suns after the conclusion of the civil war, and the breakaway Filtvelt Coalition. By the dawn of the ilClan era, the Federated Suns has phased out the SGT-8R in favor of more modern variants of the Sagittaire, but the design is still used by the Filtvelt Coalition.
Read This First
- Your short-range firepower is devastatingly accurate thanks to pulse technology, a targeting computer, and a helpful quirk
- Avoid clear battlefields, you can easily be outgunned at range and outmaneuvered in the open
- Use your jump jets to maneuver in rough terrain to avoid taking fire at range and then annihilating targets up close
Sagittaire SGT-8R
- Role: Juggernaut
- Tech Base: Inner Sphere (3063)
- Chassis: 95 tons
- Movement: 3 / 5, XL
- Jumping: 3
- Armor: 288
- Heat Sinks: 17 (34)
- Weapons:
- ER PPC
- Large Pulse Laser × 2
- Medium Pulse Laser × 5
- Small Pulse Laser
- Equipment:
- Targeting Computer
- Design Quirks:
- Improved Targeting (Short)
- Difficult to Maintain
- Weak Head Armor (1)
- Cost: 20,226,375 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 2,088
Mobility
The Sagittaire has above average mobility for its weight class thanks to its jump jets. On the ground, it has 3 walking MP and 5 running MP which is pretty average for a 95-ton machine. It is equipped with 3 jump jets though, so it can retain good maneuverability even in rough terrain and urban battlefields. Even when running or jumping, it will be achieving at best a +2 target movement modifier, so partial cover or woods will be just as good defensively as any evasion it can manage.
Durability
The SGT-8R carries almost as much armor as its chassis can equip. That means it will generally only have less armor than its opponent when it is up against an 100-ton ’Mech, and even then it won’t be much behind. The design’s durability is improved even more by not carrying any equipment that can explode. It does have some weaknesses though. The SGT-8R has an Inner Sphere XL engine, so it is unable to survive the loss of either side torso. Additionally, the Weak Head Armor quirk means that it effectively has one less point of armor to protect its head.
Weaponry
The Sagittaire SGT-8R’s armament is focused on pulse lasers for devastating, short-range firepower. It has two large pulse lasers, three forward-facing medium pulse lasers, and a small pulse laser. For longer ranges, it carries a single ER PPC that gives it a respectable max range of 23 hexes even if most of its firepower is limited to 10 hexes or less. Two more rear-facing medium pulse lasers fill out its arsenal. All of those weapons are paired to a targeting computer to further enhance their accuracy and can benefit from the Improved Targeting quirk at short range.
The focus on pulse lasers means that the Sagittaire needs get as close as possible to its targets. That combined with its speed profile makes the design ill-suited to wide open battlefields. Many other assault ’Mechs can outgun it at range, and lighter enemies can outmaneuver it. In dense terrain or urban environments though, it can shine due to the limited lines of sight and the maneuverability granted by its jump jets.
The arrangement of weapons gives the SGT-8R the ability to fire in all directions. Its arms each have a large and a medium pulse laser, so those can be fired in a wide arc or flipped to fire to the rear. The two additional medium pulse lasers cover the rear to target flankers. The ER PPC and final medium pulse laser can only fire into the front arc.
The SGT-8R requires no ammunition to operate.
Heat Management
With an all energy weapon armament, it should be no surprise that the SGT-8R can run hot. It is equipped with 17 double heat sinks, but it can generate as much as 60 heat in a single turn. If firing only forward-facing weapons and walking, it still has the potential to overheat by 16 points. The most straight-forward heat-management plan for a MechWarrior is to hold fire with the ER PPC once the medium pulse lasers come into range. Depending on movement choices, that could still result in some heat buildup when firing the small pulse laser, but it should be manageable by dropping just a laser or two every few rounds in order to cool back off.
Brawling
At short range, a Sagittaire’s MechWarrior should be using its pulse lasers and not throwing punches. It lacks lower arms and has plenty of firepower in each arm, so throwing a punch will almost never be a good choice. Instead, it can kick for 19 damage or just let its lasers do their job.
Cost & Upkeep
The Sagittaire’s XL engine pushes up its price, but it is not especially expensive for a modern assault ’Mech. It does suffer from the Difficult to Maintain quirk which can counteract some of the long-term cost savings of it not requiring any ammunition supply.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the Sagittaire SGT-8R:
| Action | Cost |
| Purchase | 1,900 SP |
| Armor Repair | 95 SP |
| Structure Repair | 190 SP |
| Reload | N/A |
Miniature
The new plastic miniature for the Sagittaire is included in the Eridani Light Horse Hunter Lance. It is currently exclusive to Barnes & Noble, but the force pack will be more widely available in the future.
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