VOTOMS in Warhammer 40K

[SpaceMarine93]

Armoured Trooper VOTOMS was a mecha anime, and one of the finest ever produced, that was broadcasted during the Japanese Mecha boom of the 1980s. It was well known for its gritty sci-fi hardness.

For those who don't know, the mecha in the series, VOTOMS, or the "Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS", are four meters tall bipedal war machines used by the Gilgamesh Confederation and the Balarant Union in the Astragius Galaxy to wage their hundred years war.

They are cheap, mass-produced and highly expendable to the extent that they are often deployed in thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands (20 million at one battle in one OVA). Of which it is unlikely for even a tenth to survive.

As Wikipedia describes them, they are rugged, simple machines equipped with one or two weapon systems, usually a light automatic cannon and a rocket or missile pod. The pilot occupies most of the chest area and the head.

Batteries are used to energize a special liquid called Polymer Ringers Solution in the limbs' "muscle cylinders" to emulate a range of human-like motion. Polymer Ringers Solution is highly flammable and breaks down over time, requiring regular replenishment for ATs that do not have Polymer Ringers Solution Purifier systems (typically housed in armored backpacks).

ATs can be readily maintained in the field and can even be put together from spare parts using little more than a simple workshop. Unlike other mechas in other series at the time Votoms came out, the Votoms are more or less walking tanks as they can not fly or transform.

ATs have simple internal computer systems that allow them to operate in a semi-autonomous or "rabbit" mode without a pilot. Pilots may also prepare a "mission disk" in advance of deployment which is then inserted into the cockpit computer. The mission disk is used to store information relating to maneuvers that the pilot anticipates will be necessary, such as using the evaluation of an opponent's tactics to prepare against him. The pilot activates the mission disk at the appropriate time and the AT's execution of pre-programmed maneuvers then becomes faster when the pilot needs them. This allows the pilot to pay more attention to the battle and react faster as a result.

In other words, sounds like something that could had came out of the Warhammer 40000 galaxy. 40K had its own mecha, its own devastating weapons, but it's all scavenged and much of it low-tech. The VOTOMS could be within their ability to produce and use in battle.

So here's the thought: let's say that by a freak cosmic accident that caught even Tzeentsch by surprise, a Gilgamesh Confederation starship transporting a contingent of these VOTOMS had a catastrophic misjump and found themselves stranded in the 40K Galaxy shortly after the Age of Apostasy (M37). They are quickly taken in by the Imperium of Man, who are quick to get tech-priests to dissect the VOTOMS' technology and learn their secrets with the help of the Gilgamesh starship's survivors, and before long decides to start producing the mechas and integrating their military capabilities into the Imperium's armies across the galaxy.

What happens next? How would this affect the way wars are waged in the Imperium from then on?

[Simon_Jester]

The Imperial Guard says "My goodness, what a funny looking Sentinel." Very little changes.

[Stark]

Of all the things to do once you 'discover' an ancient anime show, you want to cross it with 40k? Christ.

[SpaceMarine93]

Of all the things to do once you 'discover' an ancient anime show, you want to cross it with 40k? Christ.

Whoops, had that became a pattern? I should stop then.

[Simon_Jester]

Thinking of 40k as a big generic place to drop crossovers kind of misses the point. Almost anything you can do to the 40k Milky Way is already happening, or can't change anything because of inertia.

Bizarre memetic brain-corruptors? Hazards to navigation? More technologically advanced elder races? More technologically resourceful younger races? Seen it. Killer robots? Swarms of biotech monsters? Trillions of rampaging alien monsters that live for the joy of breaking your stuff, and can survive having their heads chopped off and sewed back on with a rusty needle? They don't just have them, they invented them. Introducing new threats doesn't change 40k much.

And then, pretty much every form of technology imagined in science fiction, outside the weirdest and grandest settings, shows up somewhere in 40k. Some of it's ancient relics, some of it's mass produced on the front lines, but it's all there and in a big galaxy, there's a lot of it. Introducing new technologies doesn't change 40k much, with a handful of very specific exceptions. The exceptions are mostly predictable and unimpressive, too.

Plus, 40k is full of factions with too much inertia or aggression to quit acting the way they do. That's probably why wars can drag out for decades. Neither side will take the risk of putting generals in a frontline post for diplomacy. Human bureaucracy ignores problems for years. Even local overlords often lacked the force they needed...

[Stark]

And don't forget, 40k has all this porridge without being interesting about it. If you want to explore some concept, 40k is probably the worst place to look. If you 'discover' more ancient anime, you'll find plenty of settings far more interesting than blandhammer.

[SpaceMarine93]

And don't forget, 40k has all this porridge without being interesting about it. If you want to explore some concept, 40k is probably the worst place to look. If you 'discover' more ancient anime, you'll find plenty of settings far more interesting than blandhammer.

For example?

[Baffalo]

And don't forget, 40k has all this porridge without being interesting about it. If you want to explore some concept, 40k is probably the worst place to look. If you 'discover' more ancient anime, you'll find plenty of settings far more interesting than blandhammer.

For example?

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way speaking for Stark as I do not want him to smack me about.

Maybe Star Wars? The Empire, while not exactly the first ones to deploy large war machines into battle, would no doubt express some interest in these things, even if they continued to use their existing vehicles like the AT-AT. The advantages you described, however, would no doubt intrigue the commanders of the Empire simply by way of being easy to produce, numerous, and offering more options.

Compared to an AT-ST, these things sound like nimble dancers that can pop in and just start causing all manner of hell, which would mean the Empire would have a vast arsenal of mechanized soldiers that can replace large numbers of Stormtroopers, which might be something worth considering. While I'm not saying the Empire was ever hurting for raw recruits, stormtroopers lack the firepower necessary to quickly deploy with heavy firepower. Granted, they can usually field AT-ATs, but having a strike force of fast, powerful mechanized infantry would be a major bonus.

I'm not saying they'll completely replace the existing hardware with these things if they had them, but we might see a few above average commanders finding unique solutions for what to do with them.

[Simon_Jester]

And don't forget, 40k has all this porridge without being interesting about it. If you want to explore some concept, 40k is probably the worst place to look. If you 'discover' more ancient anime, you'll find plenty of settings far more interesting than blandhammer.

For example?

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way speaking for Stark as I do not want him to smack me about.

I don't think he was talking about "more interesting crossovers." I think he was talking about "settings more interesting than 40k."

Maybe Star Wars? The Empire, while not exactly the first ones to deploy large war machines into battle, would no doubt express some interest in these things, even if they continued to use their existing vehicles like the AT-AT. The advantages you described, however, would no doubt intrigue the commanders of the Empire simply by way of being easy to produce, numerous, and offering more options.

I don't think the Empire really suffers from a lack of manufacturing capability. If they wanted to put millions of soldiers into walking light tanks, I'm sure they could.

[Stark]

I'm not aware Star Wars is a little-known anime show. :v

But there are plenty of resources out there for all the crazy stuff made since the 70s, and not being made in the west or for a western audience it's often quite different to what people expect from the modern homogenised trekgategalactica industry. Sometimes there's even a coherent theme that has something to say, rather than the 40k factory stamped 'contains everything, contains nothing' content.

[Nephtys]

Clearly, VOTOMs need to crossover with Heavy Gear. Oh wait. There'd be no major issues at all

Seriously though, an AT isn't a particularly revolutionary weapon in most settings except for one factor: It's cheap and apparently really easy to operate. It's basically a way to issue every infantryman a 30mm autocannon as their main weapon.