Greetings, Dan here!

Today we're going back to the beginning, to HG Wells 1897 science fiction novel, War of the Worlds and the earliest example of a walking tank or mech in fiction to my knowledge. In this case, today we will be building a Fighting-Machine, though we'll be referring to it by its colloquial name the Martian Tripod. Unlike our previous showcases, the Tripod has has many different interpretations over the--well, 100+ years it has been in the zeitgeist. Because of that, there's been many fluctuating details between each version, but I will be doing my best to pull the most prominent aspects as could relate to a mech in Beneath Twisted Earth. That means, I'll be shying away from most of the anti-infantry weaponry it had (mostly). I'll do my best to explain each decision as we go through. Performance wise, the Tripod was a machine that walked high in the air, while raining death down on any threat (or humans) below it or at a distance. Primarily this was done with a powerful heat ray. It was capable to melee attacks with a group of retractable, metallic tentacles. Still, the machine operated more like a walking cannon, with some added features for utility. Some versions even had different variants that leaned into different purposes. For the showcase, I'll be sticking with the generalist version. Defensively, while some versions of the Tripod depict it as incapable of being damaged by human weapons, the original novel did depict it as capable of being brought down by conventional weapons. The death toll would always just be higher on the human side because the heat ray and anit-human weapons were so deadly.

We'll be building the Tripod as a starter mech, so two Caballero Parts and two Blitz Parts. To start, we'll install a Caballero Corp Frame for 12 AP. This is drawing mostly from the depiction in the books where conventional weapons could be down, but future development could be made to make it tougher defensively. Next, in all iterations I'm familiar with the Tripods are agile, but slow. Because of this we will install Caballero Boosters for a Movement Rate of 1. That means we'll include a Blitz Tech CPU for 2 Utility Systems, and a Blitz Radiator for a Heat Rating of 10, (again, see deadliness of arsenal).

For the Utilities, we'll go for a couple of features from different iterations. The first is a cargo hold. While this will harken back to multiple iterations of the Tripods having cages for storing humans on their hull, in this case, the player will get the added benefit of being able to reliably purchase salvage rights for their contracts without the need for storage lockers. Next, we'll install a Bio Frame. While rarely explicitly stated, the Fighting-Machines have always been portrayed with an organic locomotion and behavior. Some iterations lean into this aspect more than others, but in this case we will make it explicit. The Tripod will move like an animal, because it is an artificial one, made to incorporate technology as well. Along with being thematic, this will allow the mech to continue defending itself even should the pilot fall unconscious.

 Now as for the Weapon Systems, let's begin with the iconic, human-disintegrating Heat Ray. We'll put 6 of the radiator's HR into this weapon so we can make it a little more powerful. First, we will put three heat into damage so that the ray can deal 1d8 dmg on a hit. Next, we'll spend one heat for Rate of Fire, buying the base 1 attack per round. For the ammunition, we'll also spend one heat, for the base of 4 Ammo. Lastly, we will spend one heat for Medium Range, and apply the optimization to also make it effective at Far Range.

While we could have left the tentacles as part of the mech's general description, I wanted to include a melee option for if the mech ever found itself beset at close range. So, for the Metallic Tentacles we shall spend the remaining 4 points of the radiator's HR. Since we will only be purchasing the base level for each feature of the weapon kit, we'll end up with 1d4 dmg, an RoF of 1, 4 Ammo, and Melee Range. We will apply the optimization to the range, adding Close Range.

This build will give the Tripod versatility with its weapons, being able to attack effectively from Melee thru Far Range. That said, the Heat Ray has the real punch to it, so with the slow speed and armor, this mech is really suited to fire support, letting its squamates take the brunt of damage on the front line. Granted, as the player earned credits there are multiple ways the Tripod could be improved. It could either be given a more rounded generalist performance, or the Radiator/Weapon Systems could be improved to lean into the "glass tank" role. If a player wanted to go that route, they'd probably want to improve the boosters for more speed. Personally, I'd probably improve the Frame for more AP, and the Radiator to beef up the Heat Ray. Regardless, this could make for a fun, thematic mech to play.

For next time, I'd like to visit a franchise I've been putting off because the current version of BTE does not feature combining mechs, (something I have in mind for the future, so don't worry). I'd like to take a look at building The Red Dragon Thunderzord from Power Rangers. I don't have any special aspect of the construction system I want to show off this time. I just think the design of the mech is cool, and want to build it as another starting mech. Thank you for your interest in Beneath Twisted Earth, and I hope to see you at the launch of the Print Version!