Dracoform

A mecha used by the Scandian League that looks like a giant dragon. Unlike much of Scandian technology, which is blocky and bluntly functional, each Dracoform is created in a startling draconic visage, as much a work of art as a weapon. Scande began developing the mecha that would eventually become the Zog Dracoform in the early thirties. Halder Skalice objected to the program as a waste of resources, but Travin Rumanski felt the League needed a symbol that would strike fear into the hearts of the League's enemies. First deployed in the Leviathan War in 35 WR, the Dracoform proved a fearsome weapon. Some have gone so far as to say that the League owes its continued existence to these fierce mecha.

Although their is a degree of variance between specific Dracoform models, there are some commonalities. All have advanced night vision and thermoptics. Most are powered by a heavy diesel powerplant, as magitek power sources are still rare in the League. Dracoforms tend to be slow, but well-protected and packing a lot of firepower. Dracoform piloting systems still rely on lots of knobs, levers, controls, and sticks, which seems inelegant compared to Diamond's Dry Bath system or Kuat Consortium's 'Panorama] system, but they allow an experienced pilot a great degree of fine control over the mecha's workings to truly push the machine to its limits.

Dracoforms Service

The branch of SLCM-Ground that includes all Dracoforms units. Dracoforms pilots are an elite group within the Scandian League. They are all officers, and spend four years training at the Crucible. Each Dracoform pilot begins his training by walking from Arad across most of the Big Donut to Scande for an audience with Travin Rumanski himself, asking for his permission to serve. Training covers piloting, gunnery, mecha operations, tactics, enemy force capabilities, numerous practice drills, and, of course, communist ideology. SLCM rotates pilots from the front to the Crucible, and all of the Dracoforms instructors are aces with combat experience.

After four years of rigorous training, the Dracoforms Service has a special graduation ceremony on the island of Megiddo, where they receive their distinctive green cloaks. Later, any pilot earning 'ace' status can upgrade to a red cloak. The cloaks make the pilots stand out quite a lot in the dust-gray standard issue SLCM uniform, and are a mark of their high status.

The Dracoforms Service fields six regiments, and unlike the regular 'numbered' regiments of the League, they get distinctive names: the Supernovae, the Scarlet Death, Travin's Terror, Midnight Thunderclap, Spirit's Fury, and the Steelhearts. Actual deployment of the regiments is one of the League's most closely guarded secrets, but it is known that they have at least two in the Occupied Zone at all times.

Any machine is only as good as its pilot, and the Dracoforms Service are some of the best mecha pilots in the Web.

Notable Engagements

Because of their cost, the Scandian League uses Dracoforms sparingly. Their first deployment in 35 WR at the First Battle of Hosluftgrad in the Leviathan War broke a stalemate and made many regard them as "wonder weapon" that would bring the Esper Union to its knees in months. The Esper Union successfully improvised some defensive solutions, such as mounting heavy rockets on Shoat helicopters, which managed to eventually blunt some of the mecha's effectiveness. Although the Dracoforms caused severe damage to the Returners Expeditionary Force at Second Hosluftgrad, they were unable to break the line, and the war ended in a draw.

Two Dracoforms participated in the first Robotics Tournament, and one of them, a Zog piloted by Sheila Sporr, ultimately one.

Dracoforms were also deployed in support of the FTSR's conflict with the Viper District in the early forties. Although two regiments managed to secure a breakthrough and secure Patrof, rugged terrain Viper's willingess to use Chemical weapons slowed the offensive. Scande has since stepped down its Dracoform presence in Ticondera.

Anti-Seraphim Tactics

A favorite topic, even though Dracoforms only clash with Seraphim rarely. Nonetheless, Jendon Fel became fascinated by the angelic machines, and the SLCM can't discount the possibility that it might need to fight Seraphim.

The Seraphim's biggest advantage, of course, is that it's made of indestructible plastic and is all but immune to the ballistic weapons and missiles that make up most of a Dracoform's hitting power. Some Dracoforms pilots regard this as 'cheap'; Sheila Sporr once said, "It's like cheating if you're invulnerable! Besides, what's the fun in that?" The non-conductivity of plastic also makes them highly resistant to supervolt weapons.

A few Dracoforms do possess powerful energy weapons that threaten Seraphim. However, an alternative is the "squash head" missiles which can be loaded onto a Zog or any other Dracoform with a missile rack. Normal armor-piercing missiles focus the explosion into a dense jet for maximum penetrating power, but Seraphim armor can withstand even an Ultima missile. High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) rounds, on the other hand, flatten into a pancake on impact before detonating. The point is to pierce the armor, but create a shockwave that travels through the armor and impacts the 'soft spot' of the Seraphim: its pilot. It has been likened to hitting plate mail with a blunt war mace: you may not pierce the armor, but you'll hurt what's inside.

Nonetheless, in any confrontation the skill of the pilot is the decisive factor.

Dracoform Models

Zog Heavy Assault Dracoform

It is hard to believe that this design was originally conceived almost a decade ago yet remains one of the dominant mecha of the Web battlefield. At forty feet and 80 tons, the Zog is a gargantuan beast. Its Draconic appearance includes wings and a tail (which help balance the machine against its heavy weapons). The main armament of the Zog is on its arms, which end not in hands but Demolishers. A Demolisher is six 75 mm electromag cannon formed into what amounts to a gatling tank gun. The Zog’s two Demolishers can rapidly puncture most vehicles and quickly take down other mecha. Linked to an advanced microwave targeting system, they are extremely accurate. Ancillary firepower comes from four antipode vulcans in the chest and shoulder missile racks. The shoulder missile racks are armed with either “Snake” radar guided missiles or "Gecko" wire-guided missiles, both are usually armor-piercing warheads (most of the time, infantry pose very little threat to a Dracoform). Zogs can also be equipped with “Rattlers”, missiles designed to deploy a spread of 24 mines. The ability to create instant minefields is important for controlling large areas. The Zog Dracoform is also heavily armoured, capable of sustaining multiple hits. The Zog, however, is incredibly slow and cumbersome. Unlike many vehicles which received signature improvements, the Dracoform is a most un-stealthy vehicle. Zogs comprise the majority of the Dracoform force; a standard Dracoform unit is three Zogs with one Ryu. A Zog was the winner of Diamond’s first Robotics Tournament, piloted by Scandian commander Sheila Sporr.

Ryu Close Combat Dracoform

Melee combat soon emerged as a major feature of mecha warfare, and the Scandians quickly realized that the Zog was vulnerable in this respect. Rather than tamper with an extremely successful design the Scandians introduced a new kind of Dracoform, one optimized for close combat. At 60 tons, the Ryu is classified by the Scandians as a medium Dracoform, but it is a heavy unit by most standards. In a typical four-mecha unit there is one Ryu to serve as a close combat "bodyguard" for the others. The Ryu is a heavy mecha by most standards but the Scandians classify it as a medium unit.

The Ryu has grasping hands, antipode vulcans, and a shield. However, the machine's signature weapons are its dual supervolt whips. The supervolt whip, nicknamed a 'lightning bolt on a leash', consists of a heavy gauge chain electrified with supervolt energy. These whips can slice through armor, administer shocks, or slice through objects. The pilot can adjust the power setting of the whips, and can use a lower setting when he'd rather grab something then zap it. The whips are stored in gauntlets in each forearms.

Ahzam Long Range Attack Dracoform

The Ahzam is a new design, slightly smaller than the Zog but substantially larger than the Ryu. It is conceived as a sort of sniper, with three powerful, long range Luminaire cannon. Each arm ends in one, and there is one in the chest in between the four standard antipodes. An Ahzam’s volley can destroy most mecha at several miles out. (It is not properly classified as an artillery mecha because the Luminaire cannon are direct fire weapons). However, the cannon has a slow rate of fire which makes it ineffective at close range. Dracoform companies (of 28 machines) have include one “Long Rifle” section of 3 Ahzams with one Ryu for protection in addition to the seven standard Zog/Ryu combos. It is believed that the Ahzam was on Scande’s drawing board for some time but without access to magilyte they lacked the resources to build it. Now, however, with Mysidian Commonwealth’s rise and the access to Silveran magilyte, production of this machine can begin.

Onyx Drake Heavy Assault Dracoform

The personal Dracoform of Scandian Ace Jendon Fel, and the most powerful mecha ever built by Scande. Only one exists. It is over 120 tons and nearly seventy feet tall. It has twice the Demolishers of the Zog, and many more missile tubes distributed throughout the body. It has 4 antipode vulcans. It also has two massive 205 mm electromag cannon, one on each shoulder. These gigantic cannon make a huge sonic boom when fired. The dark mecha has spikes running up and down its back; these are omnidirectional supervolt coils that fry things at close range. At Second Hosluftgrad the Onyx Drake destroyed several LCV regiments. It is as much a symbol of Scandian military might as a practical weapon; it was embarrassingly defeated in the robotics tournament by a KN Civil Defense type.

Dracoform pilots

• Jendon Fel, ace famous for his sense of honor, pilot of the Onyx Drake
• Sheila Sporr, winner of the first Robotics Tournament, pilots a Zog
• Kreyta Rodenko, up-and-coming pilot in Sporr's unit, pilots a Ryu