The Meji Shogunate is quite possibly more technologically advanced than the Illyrian Hegemony but limited resources and their caste based society limits where the highest tech is and how it is used. Nano-technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and cybernetics are all superior to those available anywhere else. Hermit-Engineers and Mecha-monks of the religious caste create custom built mecha for the highest levels of the Warrior caste. Others rely on the mass produced mecha of Alpha Corp (some of which was designed by the religious caste) and engineers that can reverse engineer technology better than they can in the Hegemony and often make it smaller and improve upon it in the process. But the Shogunate is very limited in resources, both pilots and material, making such technology very expensive. The pilots of the Shogunate rely on skill to strike where it is most efficient to and to avoid getting hit in the first place, speed, maneuverability and accuracy are of prime importance to them but they will not hide from the enemy. Nor is the warrior caste willing to surrender and considers capture a dishonor as such most mercenaries avoid fighting against them as much as possible. They have no problem with strategic and tactical withdrawals nor with using others less honorable to do things they themselves are not willing to dirty their honor accomplishing. Many mecha-monastaries have fighting forces that will defend their worlds from outsiders or fight alongside the warrior caste against outsiders. There are also the pilots of the yakuza (organized crime clans) and Kempeitai (Imperial secret police) whose concepts of honor are very, very different from the warrior castes and have absolutely no problem with using the latest in stealth technology or shooting someone in the back.
Equipment Name: 360 HHUD
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Cockpit
Tonnage: 5 MIN 30 MAX
Bonuses: Speed (2), Precision (9), +4% Crit-Kill, +4% Freeze
Flavor Text: The latest in holographic heads up display technology.
Equipment Name: Cyber Jack
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # /niode
Type: Cockpit
Tonnage: 35 MIN 55 MAX
Bonuses: Speed (3), Precision (10), +3% Crit-Kill, +6% Freeze
Flavor Text: Neural induction is good but a direct neural connection improves data flow rates.
Equipment Name: Cybernetic Interface
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Cockpit
Tonnage: 60 MIN 75 MAX
Bonuses: Speed (4), Precision (11), +3% Crit-Kill, +8% Freeze
Flavor Text: Be one with your mecha and it will be an extension of your will.
Equipment Name: Advanced Spinal Tap
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Cockpit
Tonnage: 80 MIN 90 MAX
Bonuses: Speed (5), Precision (12), +3% Crit-Kill, +10% Freeze
Flavor Text: Improved control with feedback dampers, slightly more invasive than before.
Equipment Name: Ghost Shell
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Cockpit
Tonnage: 95 MIN 100 MAX
Bonuses: Speed (6), Precision (13), +2% Crit-Kill, +12% Freeze
Flavor Text: Spirit of the machine, AI or imprint of a dead pilot, call it what you will it works.
Equipment Name: Signal Scrambler
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 5 MIN 30 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (21), +20% Fork Shield, +20% Wide Fork Shield
Flavor Text: seeing the target isn’t the same as hitting the target
Equipment Name: Stealth Materials
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 5 MIN 30 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (23), Speed (-5)
Flavor Text: Sensor absorbing hull coating, reduced friction coatings at joints, exhaust baffles and cushioned soles on the mechas feet.
Equipment Name: Sensor Jammer
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 35 MIN 55 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (20), +25% Fork Shield, +25% Wide Fork Shield
Flavor Text: Combination of actuator upgrades and electronic warfare jamming technology.
Equipment Name: Programable Plating
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 35 MIN 55 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (22), Speed (-4)
Flavor Text: Match your hull to your surroundings or change it to something completely contrasting unfortunately requires programming each setting.
Equipment Name: White Noise
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 60 MIN 75 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (19), +30% Fork Shield, +30% Wide Fork Shield
Flavor Text: Garbles sensor and communications channels in all radio frequencies.
Equipment Name: Chameleon System
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 60 MIN 75 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (21), Speed (-3)
Flavor Text: Larger mecha have the processor power to immediately adapt programmable plating to surroundings if you want.
Equipment Name: Black Out
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 80 MIN 90 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (18), +35% Fork Shield, +35% Wide Fork Shield
Flavor Text: Become a data deadzone
Equipment Name: Shadow Field
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 80 MIN 90 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (20), Speed (-2)
Flavor Text: Almost perfect blending with the environment will make you little more than a shadow.
Equipment Name: Bollix
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 95 MIN 100 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (17), +40% Fork Shield, +40% Wide Fork Shield
Flavor Text: Giving the enemy no information but what they can see with their eyes for themselves.
Equipment Name: Cloaking Device
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Chassis
Tonnage: 95 MIN 100 MAX
Bonuses: Dodge (19), Speed (-1)
Flavor Text: The massive power requirements of this device means it can only be used on the largest of mecha.
Equipment Name: Alpha Drive
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Engine
Tonnage: 5 MIN 30 MAX
Bonuses: Speed +24, Dodge (5), Auto-repair (2)
Flavor Text: Not only pushes the actuators faster but the special power couples make for more accurate motion, increasing maneuverability.
Equipment Name: Hyper Drive
Cost: 143 ferrite, 242 bioptics, 14 niode
Type: Engine
Tonnage: 35 MIN 55 MAX
Bonuses: Speed +20, Dodge (4), Auto-repair (2)
Flavor Text: Mecha moves faster and more agile, weapons find the target faster so you can hit before being hit.
Equipment Name: Ultra Drive
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Engine
Tonnage: 60 MIN 75 MAX
Bonuses: Speed +16, Dodge (3), Auto-repair (2)
Flavor Text: Best defense don’t be where your enemy is shooting, but if you do get hit the latest in Shogunate nanotechnology will start repairs immediately.
Equipment Name: Ultima Drive
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Engine
Tonnage: 80 MIN 90 MAX
Bonuses: Speed +12, Dodge (2), Auto-repair (2)
Flavor Text: The ultimate power system for massive mecha.
Equipment Name: Omega Drive
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Engine
Tonnage: 95 MIN 100 MAX
Bonuses: Speed +8, Dodge (1), Auto-repair (2)
Flavor Text: Alpha Corporations most powerful engine for its most powerful mecha.
Equipment Name: Class A Universal Shield
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 5 MIN 30 MAX
Bonuses: 8% Shield, Shield (1)
Flavor Text: Designed to reinforce additional Class A universal shields.
Equipment Name: Class A Area Defense
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 5 MIN 30 MAX
Bonuses: 20% Trample Shield, 20% Splash Shield
Flavor Text: Light active area defense systems for protecting the area around a mecha.
Equipment Name: Class B Universal Shield
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 35 MIN 55 MAX
Bonuses: 7% Shield, Shield (2)
Flavor Text: Designed to reinforce additional Class B universal shields.
Equipment Name: Class B Area Defense
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 35 MIN 55 MAX
Bonuses: 22% Trample Shield, 22% Splash Shield
Flavor Text: Defending not just itself but a mecha’s battle line.
Equipment Name: Class C Universal Shield
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 60 MIN 75 MAX
Bonuses: 6% Shield, Shield (3)
Flavor Text: Designed to reinforce additional Class C universal shields.
Equipment Name: Class C Area Defense
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 60 MIN 75 MAX
Bonuses: 24% Trample Shield, 24% Splash Shield
Flavor Text: Shares tracking data from multiple mecha to improve the defense of all the mecha in the network.
Equipment Name: Class D Universal Shield
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 80 MIN 90 MAX
Bonuses: 5% Shield, Shield (4)
Flavor Text: Designed to reinforce additional Class D universal shields.
Equipment Name: Class D Area Defense
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 80 MIN 90 MAX
Bonuses: 26% Trample Shield, 26% Splash Shield
Flavor Text: Because even the best warriors do not fight alone.
Equipment Name: Class E Universal Shield
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 95 MIN 100 MAX
Bonuses: 4% Shield, Shield (5)
Flavor Text: Designed to reinforce additional Class E universal shields.
Equipment Name: Class E Area Defense
Cost: # ferrite, # bioptics, # niode
Type: Shield
Tonnage: 95 MIN 100 MAX
Bonuses: 28% Trample Shield, 28% Splash Shield
Flavor Text: The best comprehensive area defense technology available.
If these or my other ideas are introduced to the game I think it might be best to keep the Meji Shogunate and Niode Illyrian Hegemony equipment off the open market, this is the latest and best technology for a major faction after all. Make them only available by completing missions or clan raids that benefits the major faction the equipment is from or as a trophy for taking on that major faction. If a reputation system were introduced such missions availability might be affected by reputation, however all such missions would also effect the reputation for the major faction you are fighting for or against as well.
Submitted by Sean Wadey#356597