TOG ACADEMY: the Renegade Legion Wiki


Etymology[]

Augustus was the moniker of Caesar Octavianus in historic Rome, who also inspired the name of the Octavian heavy tank for TOG.

Design Philosophy and Operational Role[]

The Augustus is TOGs newest heavy grav tank and one of the most devastating assault vehicles ever produced. Often called a "monster", "giant" or "armadillo", the Augustus disposes of the usual digging cannon to mount more weapons, heavier armour and higher-rate shields while still able to accelerate by as much as 50km/h per minute, which is on par with the Trajan and similar Renegade tanks such as the Deliverer, which it is designed to defeat. With its main cannon and two powerful lasers mounted in the massive turret, it is able to hold its own in mobile battles where other heavy tanks with hull-mounted main guns are at a disadvantage. This reliance on mobility and close-range dogfighting explains the lack of digging cannon. While this restricts the ability of the tank to function in a defensive capability by depriving it of the ability to generate instant hull-down positions for itself, in the Augustus´ intended main role digging cannons are rarely used.

Armament[]

For the Augustus, TOGSOG sought proposals from manufacturers for an all-offense-oriented grav tank able to knock the largest possible hole in the Commonwealth battleline when spearheading an assault.

Consequently, the Augustus´ weapons loadout reads like something off a battlecruiser. In addition to a massive 57 tons of armour and an array of flicker shields stronger than those of most heavy tanks, the offensive weaponry makes up most of the Augustus´ weight. The turret houses a 200mm Gauss cannon coupled with two 7.5/6 lasers capable of drilling a hole straight through the heaviest armour. Backing this is an additional 100mm Gauss cannon mounted in the hull and a moderate missile load. There is a secondary turret for the Vulcan-4 anti-missile system.

Critics have cited the 100mm as a possible source of trouble, for the extra maintenance necessary, the need for additional ammunition storage and the stress put on the fire-control computer by the large number of individually movable weapon systems. So far, there has been no complaint from the crews assigned the Augustus: the lack of digging charges frees space that can be used for additional munitions, and the Genesis 1000XL fire-control computer seems capable of handling the task.

The number of weapons to keep track of and co-ordinate does tax the crew of the tank, especially with the 100mm cannon mounted awkwardly on the right side of the tank rather than on the middle line. The gunner and driver need to be constantly alert to each other´s actions to make the most of the weapons, which is mentally and physically demanding. Crews are usually too excited over the tank´s massive firepower to mind the extra strain much, though.