AT-AT Mk. II

[CRMcNeill]

AT-AT Mk. II
Craft: All Terrain Armored Transport
Type: Assault Walker
Scale: Walker
Length: 26 meters long, 23 meters tall
Skill: Walker Operation: AT-AT
Crew: 8, skeleton: 3/+10
Crew Skill:
Vehicle Blasters 5D
Walker Operation 5D
Passengers: 40 (troops) & 5 speeder bike scouts
Cargo Capacity: Normally none, but can carry 1 metric ton of cargo for every trooper (or speeder bike) not carried.
Cover: Full
Cost: Not available for sale
Move: 21; 60 kmh
Body Strength: 6D
Weapons:

1 Head Turret
Fire Arc: Front/Left/Right, but can only move one fire arc per turn (i.e. left to front, right to front, front to right or front to left).
Crew: 1 (co-pilot or commander)

2 Heavy Laser Cannon (fire-linked)
Skill: Vehicle Blasters
Fire Control: 2D
Range: 50-500/1.5/3 Km
Damage: 6D
2 Medium Blaster Cannon (fire-linked)
Scale: Speeder
Skill: Vehicle Blasters
Fire Control: 2D
Range: 50-200/500/1 Km
Damage: 5D

Tail Turret
Fire Arc: Rear/Left/Right, but can only move one fire arc per turn (i.e. left to rear, right to rear, rear to right or rear to left).
Crew: 1

1 Heavy Laser Cannon
Skill: Vehicle Blasters
Fire Control: 2D
Range: 50-500/1.5/3 Km
Damage: 5D
1 Medium Blaster Cannon
Scale: Speeder
Skill: Vehicle Blasters
Fire Control: 2D
Range: 50-200/500/1 Km
Damage: 4D

1 Dual Heavy Repeating Blaster
Fire Arc: Turret (+5 difficulty in front and rear arcs due to the AT-AT's legs obstructing shots)
Scale: Character
Crew: 1
Skill: Vehicle Blasters
Fire Control: 3D
Range: 3-75/200/500
Auto-Fire: 2D
Damage 8D

Capsule:

It is a well-known military maxim that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. This statement can also be applied to combat vehicle design; a war machine that seems invulnerable in theory will often have unforeseen flaws that only appear when the vehicle is used for its intended purpose and the enemy learns to exploit those flaws.

The original AT-AT is a case in point. While it remains a formidable vehicle, the AT-AT has proven to have some glaring weaknesses; it is slow and ponderous, and has no weaponry covering its rear fire arc, is vulnerable to close-in attacks made at extremely close range (at or around its feet), and the slow turning radius of the head turret means that well coordinated Alliance units can swarm an AT-AT by attacking from multiple angles simultaneously. These vulnerabilities have been readily exploited by determined Alliance units, but Alliance troops have not been the only ones paying attention to the AT-AT's flaws. KDY's AT-AT production division has been collating data on the AT-AT's successes and failures from the moment it was first fielded, and now, in its first major upgrade, they have produced an AT-AT designed to counter the flaws that the Alliance had been exploiting for so long.

The main differences between the AT-AT and the AT-AT Mk. II are the addition of the tail and belly turrets. The tail turret replaces the AT-AT's rear observation station and incorporates the same weaponry mounted on the AT-AT's head (mounting a single cannon of each type rather than the double mounts on the head turret). The tail turret allows the AT-AT to both defend itself from attacks from behind and to engage targets in multiple arcs simultaneously, thereby increasing its defensive options.

The belly turret is installed at the midpoint of the AT-AT's underside, directly between the two sets of legs. Controlled by remote from within the AT-AT's body, it features a dual heavy repeating blaster cannon which is used to engage ground troops and light vehicles in close proximity to the AT-AT. While slightly hampered when firing at targets in the front and rear arcs (as the AT-AT's legs partially obstruct firing angles), the belly turret is deadly effective against targets around the walker's feet. In addition, the belly turret has proven particularly effective against Alliance combat airspeeders attempting to trip up AT-ATs with entangling cable attacks, as well as providing supporting fire to the AT-AT's ground troop contingent as they disembark into combat.

In the months leading up to the Battle of Endor, KDY fielded the AT-AT II on a trial basis with several elite Imperial Army and Stormtrooper Walker units. The resulting vehicle was considered a resounding success by both the walker crews and the troops they supported, and KDY immediately went to full production, completely phasing out production the older AT-AT I. While the Empire's loss at the Battle of Endor has caused great turmoil among the Imperial leadership, KDY continues to produce AT-AT II's, and Imperial ground forces are slowly phasing out the older model AT-AT as more AT-AT II's become available.

Disclaimer: The only changes I made to the basic AT-AT stats were the addition of the two new weapon turrets, as well as arranging the stat block in a manner I liked. Since the original AT-AT stat did not list a price, and the only new components were the aft turret (which uses the same weaponry as the head turret) and the belly turret, I chose not to calculate a new price.

In-Game Use: I don't know about your campaign, but in mine, the PCs have learned very well how to capitalize on an AT-AT's vulnerabilities. I wrote up this version to include weaponry that makes those vulnerabilities much more difficult to exploit. YMMV.

EDIT: Changed the height and length to match the Curtis Saxton estimates (based on film evidence) from the Star Wars Technical Commentaries.

EDIT 2: Changed some of the weapon damages to reflect fire-linking bonuses and penalties
_________________
"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

[Darth Ginzain]

I like the concept. I'd suggest making the tail turret a double medium blaster cannon instead of one of each. At-At's don't run and a big rear facing cannon will have limited use. Whereas a double multi-purpose turret in the back with side firing capabilities would be better served for anti-air/anti-speeder work. For the belly turret, I'd suggest moving it to the head. There's a lot of moving parts in underacarriage of a walker. To put a moving gun mount with power feeds and fire control in that area would be pretty complicated. The rear area of the head has plenty of room for a downward/backward facing heavy repeater.

A note on tactics. At-At's are big heavy vehicles that pack more firepower then a heavy tank platoon and carry's an assault platoon and a scout lance. At-At's should be attached to Company size units at the least. Two At-At's, 4 At-St's, two assault platoons, and either a repulsorlift platoon or an armour platoon and the two lances of scouts makes for a powerful company. My point being, all the other elements in the company should be responsible for protecting the At-At's.

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

So, along with the AT-AT upgrade, I've been considering a similar upgrade to the AT-ST. The big changes I'm considering are:
-Moving the main and secondary cannon into a dorsal turret that can cover 360 degrees.
-Putting the grenade launcher into a chin turret with a dual medium repeating blaster for close-in work.
-Adding a small passenger bay in the rear for a half-squad of dismount troopers. The troopers would deploy from the rear using the auto-rappel system seen on the AT-AT in the Incredible Cross-Sections book.
-Making the cockpit air-tight by replacing the viewports with a smaller version of the AT-AT view strip, with AT-AT-type bulges on either side of the cockpit featuring added sensors and lateral viewports.

I'm just not fully settled on how I want it to look, or on the placement of the weapons. Should the body be fixed forward, or still capable of swiveling (just re-centered to accommodate the dorsal turret and the rear troop compartment)?

I definitely want to include the passenger capacity. The description of the AT-ST in the Star Wars sourcebook was specific that AT-STs were vulnerable to deadfalls, tripwires and mines, and as such should be preceded by infantry to clear obstacles. By upgrading the AT-ST's sensors and allowing it to carry its own troops, it can deploy independently. Additionally, giving AT-ST's a troop transport capacity, they can be deployed in the Imperial OB as the equivalent of a Repulsorlift unit.

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

[jmanski]

I dunno, I think adding too much to the AT-ST will add too much weight and make balancing the thing too difficult.

I like the idea of rearranging and/or changing the weapons, but adding people to it seems like the wrong way to go, especially since a repulsor tank would be a better fit.

Maybe we need better repuslor tanks?
_________________
Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[CRMcNeill]

[jmanski]

Make a new walker? Star Wars needs a Bradley, IMHO.

And IIRC walkers struggle with harsh terrain, no? I thought their only real advantage was their height.
_________________
Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[CRMcNeill]

[Darth Ginzain]

I've always liked the Hoverscout for Mechanized Infantry. I ran a game years ago where the players were a squad of Stormtroopers and they rolled around in a Hoverscout. 10 man squad. 4 for the Hoverscout and 6 dismount infantry. Basically the same as a Bradley.

[CRMcNeill]

[lurker]

[CRMcNeill]

[ZzaphodD]

[CRMcNeill]

Anyone ever considered allowing more advanced bipedal walkers have emergency repulsorlift systems that kick in to help right the walker when they sense an imminent trip? Maybe even something that would allow a walker to make a repulsor-assisted jump to clear difficult terrain? Humans and other bipedal creatures are able to pick themselves back up after a fall, but a bipedal walker has no such ability.
_________________
"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

[Darth Ginzain]

As I recall in the Clone Wars movie, the AT-TE's climbed a nearly 90 degree cliff. Now that's all terrain. Also implies there is some kind of adhesive on their feet.