Kalran: Tales of the four nations/Rouncey

Tactical analysis

 * Looks can be Deceiving: At first glance, the Rouncey may not seem like much of a threat. However, deceptively thin yet tough armour, a deadly armament and an equally deadly crew all make the Rouncey a formidable recon and harassment vehicle


 * Counter-Defying: The Rouncey's gatling gun will mulch infantry, while its micro rocket pod can do significant damage to tanks. And when the going gets tough, the Recon squad inside can dismount and bring their own deadly weapons to bear


 * Human Operation Required: The Rouncey lacks a dedicated crew, meaning it is manned by the Recon squad within. When they dismount for combat, the Rouncey is inoperable until they return, leaving it vulnerable to attack


 * Solid as a Rock: Squads who find themselves driving into the most trouble have their Rouncey modified with advanced tank-grade composite armour, allowing them to shrug off autocannon rounds while retaining survivability against anti-tank weapons. At the same time the squad inside it learns how to open their doors, firing a salvo at their foes, then close the door before the enemy returns fire. Which such technique increases the Rouncey damage by virtue of the passengers firing, only the most experience and brave, some might even say reckless, crew knows how to do so without accidently falling out, getting shot, or hitting their allies

History
Recon squads of Rose battalion are known for two things; their caffeine addiction, and their turbocharged, heavily armed, overloaded battle cars. They are known for charging straight at enemy lines with little more than 1/4" steel plating for protection against the enemy. All this worked out perfectly well, until 2nd Recon's C Company drove headlong into a column of Rokhari tanks, resulting in a very one-sided fire fight that caused 100% casualties on the side of the UCA. Since that disastrous engagement, UCA Command ordered the scrapping of all Recon Rangers in favour of something a "little" more hardy.

Naturally, there was a general outcry from the Recon squad population, who didn't want to give up their tried and trusted Destrier. The disorder continued for two whole months, with entire Recon battalions refusing to operate and conduct training exercises. However, there was still no response from UCA Command. Then, a few moths after the complaints, they unveiled the Rouncey, and everyone fell silent. Designed from the ground up to be the most powerful light vehicle for the next 10 years, the Rouncey had it all. 1" thick composite plating, self-inflating tires, a quad-core high performance hybrid engine, a minigun, double the carrying capacity of the Destrier and the most eye-catching piece of the lot, a shiny micro rocket pod.

Compared to other UCA vehicles like the Destrier, the Recon Leopard is a completely different beast. A pair of them could level an infantry charge with a wall of lead, or destroy entire tank platoons by simply outrunning their slow turret traverse speed and emptying their micro rockets into the vulnerable rear armour, and even if the turrets of the tanks caught up, the tough armour gave the Rouncey survivability that nearly matches IFVs.

Although it lacks any AA weaponry, its speed enables it to get away from most airborne pursuers. It also harbours a high power, encrypted radio transmitter that has an effective range of 500 km, more than enough to reach the nearest satellite and get their information back to base, wherever in the world they may be.

Needless to say, the Recon squads were absolutely delighted with their shiny new toys. In the first week of operations, the initial batch of 12 Rouncey scored an unprecedented 30 enemy armour kills. UCA Command immediately stepped up Rouncey production, and there are now currentlly one for every squad.

However, sometimes the squads have to leave the Rouncey behind to carry out intelligence gathering in sensitive areas. Standard practice dictates that they leave the doors open to enable a quick escape. Unfortunately, this has the undesired side effect of making the Rouncey easy to destroy, as the enemy can simply fire into the open doors. Even so, everyone, including the Recon squads themselves, agree that their lives - and the intelligence they carry - is worth more than a car, no matter how modified it is. But in the event the squad dies but their vehicle is intact their heart monitor will send a signal to the Rouncey which will signal to base to call in a Recon squad to reclaim their former friends vehicle.