Bolos in the SWU?

[CRMcNeill]

Actually, I'm referring to military vehicles in use by the Imperial Army, specifically, the Mobile Command Base (tracked), the Compact Assault Vehicle (tracked), the Juggernaut (wheeled) and all the various walkers. While some of them are outdated (specifically the Juggernaut), all the others are in front-line military use with drive systems other than repulsorlifts.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Leon The Lion]

[CRMcNeill]

IMO, if you wanted a droid to be able to act as the ship's AI and still be able to walk around, it would be better to have the droid be an independent unit that plugs into a socket on the ship and act as an AI control / interface with the ship's computer, which would allow the droid to act on its own without the complication of a long range, disruptable communications link.

IIRC, Bossk's ship, the Hound's Tooth, had an AI with a remote controlled drone body that could be used to perform tasks around the ship, but that AI was sufficiently unintelligent that it eventually got hacked. A Bolo-grade intellect would likely be far more resistant to something like that...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[jmanski]

You've not played Mass Effect 3, then. The ship's AI downloads itself into a robot body after an... interesting event and moves around after that. Neat concept, but I understand your hesitation (some of your worries were brought up in-game and they had some interesting resolutions).
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[CRMcNeill]

After some consideration, I think the best way to incorporate Bolos into the SWU (at least in the Classic / Rise of the Empire era) is to make them Separatist creations. After all, a Bolo is pretty much just a gargantuan, hyper-intelligent tank droid. Bolos could be modified from baseline to include internal battle droid storage, serving as a command post, fire base and repair station all in one. They could've been given sufficient autonomy for independent command, which could explain why some were still active post-Order 66, as their autonomy could potentially make them exempt from the droid shut-down order.

Seen in those terms, a Bolo could've been conceived as a Compact Assault Vehicle on a grand scale, with a single organic commander housed within the Bolo, issuing commands to both the Bolo and attached droid troops. It would, in effect, be a one-man planetary occupation / defense platform.

I've considered writing up some stats, but with 33 different "Marks" of Bolo, I'm at a loss as to where to begin. Thoughts?
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[CRMcNeill]

Okay, in the hopes of jumpstarting this topic, here is a basic framework of stats for a Bolo in the SWU. I added some weaponry and equipment from the SWU (indicated with a *). Bear in mind that this is by no means a complete stat for a Bolo, as I haven't made the stats for the droid brain yet, as well as several other pieces of standard Bolo equipment.

The basic concept for the history of Bolos in the SWU is that they are originally a Trade Federation system, allowing a single Neimoidian to exercise direct control over a massive area of a planet through the Bolo's powerful weaponry and its onboard detachment of droids. Most units were deactivated following Order 66, but some units are still encountered on Outer Rim worlds where the deactivation command was not received, or the unit was reactivated accidentally.

Craft: Baktoid Armor Workshop's Bolo Mk. XXXIII
Type: Planetary Siege / Control Platform
Scale: Frigate (+10D)
Length: 138 meters
Skill: Ground Vehicle Operations / Repulsorlift Operations
Crew: 0 or 1 (vehicle is completely automated, however, operational history shows a slight but statistically verifiable increase in efficiency if an organic commander is onboard).
Crew Skill: See droid brain, below
Passengers: None, but can carry passengers in cargo space at normal conversion ratios
Cargo Capacity: 100 metric tons
Consumables: 10 years
Cover: Full
Maneuverability: 1D
Move: 40/110 kmh (treads), 175/500 kmh (repulsorlift)
Altitude Range: Ground Level - 20 kilometers (repulsorlift only)
Body Strength: 6D
Shields: 3D
Sensors:
Passive: 25km/1D
Scan: 100km/2D
Search: 150km/3D
Focus: 4km/4D
Weapons:
3 Heavy Turbolaser Cannon
Fire Arc: 1 Front/Left, 1 Front/Right, 1 Rear/Left/Right
Skill: Capital Ship Gunnery
Fire Control: 3D
Atmosphere Range: 300-1.5km/3.5km/7.5km
Orbital Range: 6-30km/70km/150km
Rate of Fire: 1
Damage: 7D
1 Heavy Ion Cannon*
Fire Arc: Turret
Skill: Capital Ship Gunnery
Fire Control: 3D
Atmosphere Range: 100m-1km/2.5km/5km
Orbital Range: 2km-20km/50km/100km
Rate of Fire: 1
Damage: 7D (ionization)
14 Laser Cannon
Fire Arc: 3 Front/Left, 3 Front/Right, 3 Rear/Left, 3 Rear/Right, 1 Front/Left/Right, 1 Rear/Left/Right
Scale: Starship (+6D)
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Fire Control: 4D
Range: 100m-300m/1.2km/2.5km
Damage: 4D
12 Heavy Repeating Blasters
Fire Arc: 3 Front/Left, 3 Front/Right, 3 Rear/Left, 3 Rear/Right
Scale: Swoop (+2D)
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Fire Control: 4D
Range: 3m-75m/200m/500m
Rate of Fire: 3D Auto-Fire
Damage: 6D
4 Heavy Projectile Artillery Cannon
Fire Arc: Turret
(Unsure on the stats; I may fold this into the VLS system below)
1 VLS Missile Launcher Array (magazine loading)
-Fire Arc: Turret
(Stats pending).

Capital-Grade Armor & Shielding w/ Energy Conversion (absorbs attacks into vehicle power system for internal use)
Internal Fusion Reactor Array with Solar Backup
Magnetic Field Reinforced Armor & Internal Framework
Internal Damage Control & Repair Systems

Repulsorlift drive is intended as an auxiliary system, as the Bolo lacks sufficient power to run both the repulsorlift as well as the main batteries and shields at the same time. While operating in repulsorlift mode, the Bolo can not use either its combat shields or Capital-Scale weaponry (pick one).

Multi-Tasking Computer, with, at minimum, the ability to operate all of its weapons simultaneously without penalty.

Neural Interface - Mental link with organic commander increases efficiency through a variety of means (+1D to all actions)

Recon Drones, plus battle droids* (possibly even internal manufacturing systems with the ability to manufacture new droids from locally acquired material).
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[CRMcNeill]

In another, related topic, an objection was raised to tracked vehicles of the Bolo's size being unrealistic due to the potential for throwing the track in a turn due to the massive amount of stress placed on it. At the time, this objection was countered by the simple application of the Star Wars hand-wave; advanced technology beyond our understanding would allow the treads to withstand the stress, outside of major battle damage.

And of course, while thinking of something else, an explanation occurred to me. The SWU already has a variety of different energy shielding systems, but of particular note is the magnetically sealed doors in the trash compactor. This tech has grown in the EU to the equivalent of Trek-type structural integrity fields that reinforce solid objects with a concurrently-projected energy field that gives them added stability.

Since Bolos already have battle shielding (external shields) that can absorb attacks and convert them into usable energy, as well as internal disruptor fields that are used to help contain battle damage, it's a simple solution to just say that the Bolo's tank treads are mag-seal reinforced, held together not just by physical linkages, but by an energy field that augments them to increase their sturctural stability. Ahh, technology...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[bobenhotep]

If the bolo has large projectile weapons on it, it could be explained that the tracks are for stability while firing. The repulsor system could be on at all times at low power to make the bolo effectively lighter to reduce drivetrain stress, or maybe could even work in reverse to make it stay put when firing the guns (if they are really big). This would save wear and tear on the tracks, drive sprockets, final drives, etc. The magnetically re-enforced track idea isn't bad either. You could even explain that the tracks are magnetically driven and have no drive sprockets, and that the hardware (end connectors, center guides, etc) are continuously adjusted and aligned by the magnetic track driver. This would also help with throwing track. When I used to work on the M1 series tanks, most of the time that you saw track get thrown was when dirt, sand, Georgia red clay, etc built up in between the drive sprocket and the track and allowed it to walk off.

Maybe there is something in there you can use.
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D&D 5e DM and WEG Star Wars GM for two kids who will hopefully carry on with RPGs for years to come

The Chijawa said so, that's why.

[Ning Leihrec]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]