NPC Review Trailing Sectors Armor Regiment

[Dacian Quee-Paddox]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To provide a standardized armor unit for the High Republic
• Image Credit: Prowler and Firewolf 3 by Quesocito, modified by yours truly and Grok
• Role: The soldiers of the Trailing Sectors Armor Regiments act like the traditional Imperial Army Armor Regiment, comprised mainly of an assortment of armored vehicles backed by a relatively small number of battle droids.
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: The High Republic, Trailing Sectors

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: Trailing Sectors Armor Regiments (TSARs)
• Affiliation: The High Republic (sponsored by Lucerne Labs, Lucerne Personal Defense, and Lucerne Biological Systems - Unit bought from company, and decided to sponsor them afterwards)
• Classification: Armor Regiment
• Description: Hailing from over a dozen worlds within the Trailing Sectors, TSARs represent one of the powerful elements of the High Republic's ground forces. Equipped with hundreds of walkers, ranging from the diminutive, bipedal Varactyl-class Light Walkers to the massive, hexapod Kimogila-class Heavy Walkers, TSARs represent an attempt by several military academies to rebuild a mechanized force in the vein of some of the most successful armor units of the ancient, venerated Grand Army of the Republic. Like those forces, TSARs can bring a massive amount of firepower onto almost any terrain, whether its steep sloping mountains or the close confines of city streets. Unlike their infantry counterparts, soldiers in TSARs are specially selected from raw recruits based on a combination of technical merit and past performances, which has led to a reputation of the TSARs to be more technically minded and prudent than many of their peers. TSARs are unsurprisingly well-drilled in reactive drills and prepared for worse case scenarios, with crewmen not only capable of jury-rigging their vehicles, but patching up themselves and using the stimulant ThyssTac to keep up high performance in the worse conditions possible. While impressive on paper and on parade, TSARs are largely untried against near peer powers, and it remains to be seen just how effective they will be against the rising might of the empires near the High Republic.

COMBAT INFORMATION:

• Unit Size: Large
• Unit Availability: Common
• Unit Experience: Trained
• Equipment:
  • 160 Varactyl-class Light Walkers
  • 120 Kusak-class Battle Walkers
  • 40 Kimogila-class Heavy Walkers (each walker carries 40 L4 Velitator Battle Droids armed with a mixture of LPD-37 Sparkfire Bi-Polar Blaster Carbines and LPD-37 Coldstream CryoBan Rifles)
  • 30 Fyrnock-class Multiple Launch Warhead Systems
  • 10 Fambaa-class Mobile Shield Generators
  • All troops: Fenwolf-series Reinforced Uniform, 1 LPD-33 Dartfire Variable Charge Blaster Pistol, 1 LPD-34 Cracken Combat Knife, 1 FastMed Emergency Medpac
• Combat Function: TSARs function very similarly to Armor Regiments in the old Imperial Army. To that end, the walkers bring a considerably amount of mobile firepower and resilience to the battlefield that is otherwise very hard to duplicate without even costlier solutions. Political demands for fiscal responsibility with such expensive assets along with a concern for misuse has resulted in the armor regiments being largely staffed with bona fide technocrats and officers with well-proven track records, which has lent a certain air of professional idealism and careful attitudes which is often rarely seen in a military unit. This has trickled down the ranks, through a policy of accepting enlisted vehicle personnel a basis of intellectual merit and psychological screening tests, which means that most personnel are unusually cautious and overly prepared: decisions are carefully made at all levels of the organization assuming that time permits. These psychological tendencies show at the highest levels in the tendency to methodically use light walker pairs to scout and screen for the main formations extensively and to keep a separate mobile reserve force to throw at unexpected situations. At lower tactical levels, this shows in cautious advances as well as the tendency to keep at least one or two vehicles in an overwatch position while the main force advances. Typically, Kusak Battle Walkers will link up with Varactyl Light Walkers that have been acting as scouts for the battle, with the light walkers protecting the Kusaks from small threats like enemy infantry and speeder bikes while the Kusaks destroy other enemy armored vehicles and strong points. Where a particularly dense or important enemy force is found, they are typically bombarded at range, especially by the Fyrnock Warhead Systems before the Kimogilas lumber in under the protection of Fambaa Mobile Shield Generators. The heavy walkers can then destroy things through pure simple brute force and resilience. Kimigilas can also deploy disposable battle droids, to either seize and occupy important terrain (especially if the vehicles cannot feasibly enter it like a bunker) or to act as chaff or bait units.
• Force Abilities (Force User Units Only): N/A

Strengths:

• Heavy Metal: The Kusak and Kimogila walkers that make up the core of the regiment sport excellent firepower for their size, which combined with the mobile shield coverage from the Fambaa mobile shield generators and the supporting fire of the Fyrnock Warhead Systems can make the regiment a juggernaut while battering through enemy formations and positions.
• Combat Medicine: Like their infantry counterparts in TSIRs, TSAR troops have an unusually high interest in combat medicine, but with a different focus. Not only do the vast majority of crewmen carry medpacs, but most of them use the combat stimulant ThyssTac found in those kits on a regular basis to improve their reaction times and to better handle stress in combat. This sometimes allows even green crews in the vehicles to behave more like seasoned veterans under stressful conditions.
• Foresighted Organization: TSAR philosophy emphasizes being well prepared for a variety of situations. Even at the lowest levels, soldiers prepare for unexpected but possible scenarios with well versed drills, contingency plans, and reserves of resources. TSAR regiments are rarely caught on the backfoot for long even when surprised.
• Mechanics: TSAR soldiers are drawn from the most electronically and mechanically adept volunteers, which combined with additional academy training makes them all fairly adept at fixing and troubleshooting their vehicles and other similar devices. It is not uncommon for crews to jury-rig repairs in the middle of a battle to keep their vehicles at least somewhat functional in fight, even after they suffer terrible damage.

Weaknesses:

• Physically Weak (Soldiers): TSAR soldiers focus extensively on operating and maintaining their vehicles, and they are thus are not much more physically fit or capable in personal combat than the average galactic citizen. Even the embarked battle droids on the heavy walkers are known for not being terribly physically strong.
• Slow: Most of the vehicles in a TSAR are fairly slow due to the nature of their locomotion. Repulsorcraft, aerial vehicles, and starships can usually easily outrun them.
• Easily Detected: While the larger heavy armor vehicles are very durable, they also very easily detected. There is little point in trying to conceal something so large and lumbering as Kimogila walker or Fambaa-class Mobile Shield Generator on the battlefield.
• Weak Weapons (Personal): There is only limited space within the confines of a vehicle, meaning that the crewmen only carry pistols and knives as self-defense weapons, which are relatively weak and short-ranged weapons compared to those used by most battlefield combatants.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
While costly, for millennia, there are few things so brutally and easily effective on the battlefield as a well-synchronized group of heavily armed and armored vehicles. Most handheld weapons are too weak to affect the vehicles' armor, while the firepower each vehicle can bring can cut down dozens of men or destroy fortified positions with a single shot. These qualities of armored vehicles were too attractive to the worlds of the Trailing Sectors to ignore. Over thousands of years, these militaries had used a disparate variety of tanks, walkers, and repulsorcraft to fill these roles. But with the galaxy changing and technology advancing, many of them collectively decided to upgrade and standardize these armored units, just as they had with their infantry units. The Lucerne Labs consortium was a natural partner for this process, and the company partially subsidized the cost of this standardization through the use of bulk-purchase discounts as well as some trade-ins. The military academies were consulted during this process, which led to the creation of TSARs based on several effective walker-based units of the ancient Galactic Republic during its twilight hours right before it turned into the Galactic Empire. The walker basis of these regiments provides each TSAR with great firepower as well as excellent maneuverability in the close confines of many terrains, whether its a crowded city or a dense forest. Several parades of these regiments have taken place, which has made a noticeable public relations impact for several worlds, for the better and the worse. Some believe such military might is a vital necessity with the increasing encroachment of the Sith Order and the Galactic Empire whereas others decry the financial costs of the units which could have been spent on public works projects or worry that such terrible force could be turned against democracy. For now, TSARs continue to be readied to fight against potential adversaries in an increasingly dangerous galaxy.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Under review