A Short History
History: The Blade-class super-heavy tanks were initially designed as a counter to the largest Xenovore bio-mechanical war machines. The idea was to create something that could go toe-to-toe with the worst the Xenovores could throw at us and have it come out on top. Thus, the design called for weaponry capable of defeating the heaviest Xenovore armor, while being well-armored enough to withstand incoming fire. The final result was something that harkened back to the earliest days of tank warfare—a true land-going battleship, armed with multiple weapons systems in a single primary and several secondary turrets. While highly unconventional, and flying in the face of established armored warfare doctrine (in which a tank was looked upon as an armored shell for a single weapons system), the Bladebane proved to be a highly effective part of the modern battlefield. The hull-mounted "Devastator Cannon" proved to be more than sufficient at cracking Xenovore fortifications, while the aptly named "Battle Cannon" could smash most any armored vehicle. For defense against infantry and smaller warbeasts, the Bladebane also packed an assortment of rapid-fire cannon and laser weaponry.
Soon after the initial introduction of the Bladebane, the super-heavy tank began to undergo the inevitable modifications. The Bladebane itself saw a number of variants produced, most of which consisted of alternate armament configurations, better engines (Blade-class super-heavy tanks are notoriously slow), or improved communications gear. The basic chassis of the Bladebane was also used to make three sister tanks—the Shadowsword, Stormblade, and Stormsword. These vehicles all sacrificed the primary turret for increased armor protection and the ability to mount some of the heaviest weapons ever put on a mobile platform.
Description: The Baneblade, the basic design on which all other tanks of its class are based, is an immense vehicle. It measures 13.5 meters in length, 8.4 meters at its widest point across the sponsons, and is 6.4 meters to the top of its primary turret (or 44’ x 27’ x 21’), and weighs a staggering 320 tons. The crew consists of a commander, driver, three gunners, three loaders, radio-man, and engineer. The other variants are only slightly shorter but tend to weight less, averaging around 310 to 315 tons, and have less crew.
Armament: A Baneblade mounts the well-named Battle Cannon in its primary turret, with a co-axial Autocannon. In the forward hull is the mortar-like Demolisher Cannon. Sponsons about two-thirds back from the front of the tank hold dual Heavy Bolters, while secondary turrets on the sponsons contain Lascannon. A second set of Heavy Bolters is mounted on the front of the tank.
A Shadowsword removes all weapons but the sponson Heavy Bolters (for close defense) and instead mounts a fixed heavy laser known as a Volcano Cannon. The Stormblade also removes all weapons but the sponson Heavy Bolters and turreted Lascannons, and mounts a Plasma Blastgun in a fixed mount. Stormswords do the same as the Stormblade, except the Lascannon are replaced with Heavy Flamers, and it mounts a fixed Siege Cannon.
All Blade-Class tanks can have additional or variant weapons. Pintle-mounted weaponry is a common addition, used by the commander. Some tanks exchange the sponson and sponson turret weaponry. All Heavy Bolter arraignments are popular, especially if mass Xenovore infantry is expected.
Tactics: The four primary models of Blade-class tank all have fairly specific duties in combat. The Baneblade is most "multipurpose" of the four as it is used to counter enemy armor, break fortifications, wreck smaller vehicles, and destroy oncoming infantry. The Baneblade is often at the center of any armored advance and is usually used as the commander’s tank. The Shadowsword, equipped with a starship-sized laser, is normally found in units of four vehicles, placed far to the rear. Dug in behind the crests of hills, Shadowswords will then snipe at the largest Xenovore targets it can find, be it armor, bio-mechanical warbeasts, or even shuttles and landing craft. Stormblades are anti-infantry tanks. The blast radius from the plasma discharge can tear gaping holes in a Xenovore advance, not to mention wreck havoc on lightly-armored vehicles and warbeasts. The Stormsword is used for urban assaults and city-fighting. While its Siege Gun demolishes buildings and fortifications, the Heavy Flamers flush infantry from concealment so they can be cut down by bolter fire.
In all cases, Blade-series tanks are escorted by smaller Terran armor. As a Blade tank can only reach a speed of around 25 kph, virtually all other Terran armor can quickly outdistance it. Thus, doctrine indicates a Blade-class tank must have a protective screen of armored vehicles around it, to prevent the super-heavy tank from being overwhelmed by a horde of smaller enemies and whittled down to a ruined hulk.
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