RE: Infantry Walkers

OK, to address a few points brought up about IWs:

1) Technology
We have already postulated mini-fusion plants, so power shouldn't be a 
problem.  They will be cramped and uncomfortable, especially for any
length 
of time.  As for musculature/actuators/whatever, I would have to assume 
that this problem is overcome to construct walkers of any sort.  These 
would be as nimble as technology allows.  On this point, it's a
judgement 
call, up to each individual world-builder.  Materials: IWs would need a 
very strong structural component to survive the abuse I see them
getting. 
 This may or may not be appropriate for armor.	I would also assume that

this material is used in other similar applications (AFVs,
aerospacecraft, 
whatever).  Manuverability: IWs would have to have a full virtual
reality 
suite, like PA - otherwise, neither would work.  It's hard to survive
the 
2185 battlefield looking out a little vision slit.  Again, these 
technologies would be in use in other places, as well.	Their weapons
are 
lighter than that carried by a tank - note the designs - heaviest weapon

was either a GMS/H or an MDC/2.  Not exactly MBT level firepower.

2) Tactics/Employment
IWs would be almost exclusively infantry support forces; therefore, they

would be operating with infantry at all times.	In this they would be 
similar to tanks, relying on the extra sensors that each infantryman 
carries (eyes, ears, etc).  They are not stealthy, in the auditory
sense. 
 They would need to be in the EW (Electronic Warfare) sense.  They
wouldn't 
get the same 'duck & cover' benefits of infantry in cover, but assuming 
they are as nimble as noted earlier, they could at least compensate for
the 
walker signature penalty.  As for going into buildings, if the building
is 
large enough, they might, but that's mostly an infantry job, no matter 
what.  They would do better in a tractor factory than in a standard
office 
building (how many sub-basements did you say this had?).  Underbrush - A

few options on dealing with this one: bull on through, assuming the IW
is 
powerful enough; step on it; or use a big machete.  Again, really thick 
underbrush is an infantry-only terrain.  Swamps: You've got to be
kidding. 
 This is an AFV, no matter how small or nimble.  Swamp + AFV = lots of
work 
for the recovery teams.  It's still got a hefty ground pressure to deal 
with.  As for simple traps to foil them in an urban environment, some do

apply, some don't.  I wouldn't want to be the infantryman who gets
rolled 
over by the Concrete Sewer Pipe of Doom.  That kind of thing puts a dent
in 
anything short of an MBT.  Tripwires across streets, mines, pie tins,
etc: 
this is what infantry is for.  Potholes: If an IW can dash across a
street, 
drop prone & fire around a corner, a pothole won't trip it up.	The
Ankle 
compensates - that's what all those joints, muscle-analogs & software
for 
which I'm paying through the nose are for.  Yes, you can drop a bunch of

infantry into an area with a few weeks worth of rations, water & ammo,
and 
expect them to perform reasonably well with little support.  There's no 
vehicle that I can think of that would do the same.  Especially not PA. 
 And not IWs.  Iws would most certainly stick their weapons around a
corner 
and fire.  And probably not lose their arm.  Does every infantryman who 
does this lose his arm?  Does every tank that fires from a hull-down 
position get its turret blown off?  IWs would get an evade capability,
like 
fast GEV or Grav vehicles, while running, because of above-noted agility

while doing so.  This is only a d8 secondary die, and only while
running. 
 The downside is that while running, they can't fire.  It could be
worse. 
 I could see an argurment that in Urban, Rough or Mountain terrain be 
counted as 'hull down', giving a d10 secondary die.

I'm not proposing that IWs replace infantry or tanks, just augment them.

 Like other combat arms, they don't work real well on their own.  You
can't 
ask them to do what a tank does - they're not tanks.  They are (in my 
vision - that's the qualifier to all this) a light, agile infantry
support 
system, that is capable of being aerospace-dropped.  They have good 
mobility, within certain limitations.  They have crew comfort
limitations - 
the pilot will need to get out at least occasionally.  If we can expect
PA 
troops to be in their suits for 24-48 hours, as implied by the 
descriptions, then we could expect the same out of the IW pilots.  Or we

could just rip out their brains and implant them in the IWs directly. 
 Saves on food, blankets, all sorts of menial things.

Noah