State of the Commonewealth - Mechs in the Commonwealth!

After posting my BASHtech rules for playing Battletech using the BASh Sci Fi rules, I got a fair number of favorable responses and questions about the presence of Mechs in the Knights-Marshal of the Commonwealth! The short answer is, of course, YES!!!

A mech, referred to as Heavy Harness among Pembrokians and the Knights-Marshal to distinguish it from normal harness, can be defined as a mechanical fighting machine generally bipedal in shape [though this does not need to be the case] with two arms, two legs, a torso and a head, controlled by a pilot who occupies an armored control center in the head or torso.

The Sagati originated the use of mech over a thousand of their years ago. In the intervening period, the massive machines fell out of favor. However, many remained, mothballed in various Holds as relics, war trophies or simple curiosities. In the early years of Humanity’s membership the Commonwealth, a number of Sagati war-machines were acquired and were massively successful in driving off invading forces and reclaiming a lost world. In the intervening centuries, House Dire of the planet Wessex remains one of the main proponents of mech on the battlefield. These Sagati machines, revered and long retired, bear little resemblance to the ones coming out of manufacturies on Wessex today.

The Veet also manufactured large mech which they claim were originally engineering, mining and farming vehicles. When driven from their home worlds by a power invading species, the Veet converted these machines into weapons, fought a holding action while the rest of their people could flee. Since arriving in Commonspace, some Veet have continued their manufacture, both as tools and as weapons of war. Being Veet, they are more than happy to produce them to their customers’ specifications.

Mech are most commonly fielded in times of war, but some Knights-Marshal are known to use them in their duties. A famous encounter between a large fleet of Marauders and a lance of experienced Knights-Marshal in Mech Harness proved the value of it in service to the Order. Mech Harness is considered Rare in terms of availability to Knights-Errant patrolling the Edge.