Wasteland Weapon Guides Part 3- Battle Saddle

My name is Frost Windchill. Pleased to meet you. On this week’s edition of Wasteland Weapon Guides, we’re going for a simpler route and delving into something almost every Wastelander has seen or used. It’s a device that can turn the average person into a mobile assault platform.

I present to you- the battle saddle.

With the introduction of the first hunting rifles and shotguns that trickled into Equestria from Zebrican and Aldornan markets, certain ponies’ shortcomings quickly became clear. Without unicorn magic, earth ponies and pegasi had to find other ways to operate firearms. Although some adopted the zebra technique of standing on the hindlegs in bipedal fashion to operate the firearm using the forehooves and/or the muzzle, some were just not strong enough to do so while maintaining steady aim.

Enter the battle saddle. Invented by an earth pony mare by the name of Peppermint Dust, they were initially intended for a civilian market, though they later saw much more widespread use during The Great War and enjoy a great deal of proliferation in the Wasteland as well. Simple yet modular, a battle saddle reflects its user’s tastes as much as his or her weaponry.

Civilian battle saddle models lean more toward the “simple” side, often featuring just enough out of the box to work as intended for the customer and intentionally limited to only one or two weapons at most. For reasons typical of a consumer economy, upgrades were possible but came extra. Usually, only an auto-loader for low-capacity weapons and a jambuster were available. Though this simplification made for easy maintenance and operation as something intended for a civilian market, it was also made from lighter materials that reduced cost but shortened the overall lifespan of the saddle.

Military variants, on the other hoof, were of a far more robust build and leaned more toward the “modular” end of the battle saddle philosophy. Built from stronger but more expensive materials, they were not only more rugged but could also carry heavier weapons- up to four of them- and had a better weight-bearing harness to support them. In addition to the capability of equipping auto-loaders and jambusters, military battle saddles could also be upgraded with improved convergence rangefingers, ammo swappers to quickly load different types of ammunition, and even minedroppers.

Regardless, the general idea and workings of a battle saddle remain identical across all models pre-war, wartime, and postwar. Firing involves clamping down on a bit, which tweaks the triggers of the weapon or weapons mounted on the battle saddle. Quick or sustained bites allow for semi-automatic, burst, or fully-automatic fire on applicable weaponry. Other functions are toggled by bucking against specific parts of the saddle, which sets off a Rude Goldberg-style series of extractors to load or change ammunition, clear jams or glitches, or deploy explosives. Ease of operation is the cornerstone of any battle saddle no matter the modifications. If it’s complicated to use, you’re probably doing it wrong.

In modern-day post-apocalyptia, battle saddles are a common sight and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes depending on the user’s needs and skill with mechanics. They can range from something cobbled up from the remains of a bicycle with some rubber padding all the way to the power armor-integrated monstrosities found on Steel Rangers. Modifications are similarly diverse and are too many to be listed just here. They are limited only by the creativity and mechanical skill of the designer, and so long as the K.I.S.S. rule is followed, it’s likely been done.

Compared to wielding a weapon conventionally or by magic, battle saddles provide the wielder a stable weapons platform without the need for bracing or using a bipod or similar furniture. They can also provide overwhelming firepower, as anywhere between one to four heavy weapons can discharge their payload downrange with a good deal of accuracy- and they don’t even have to be identical, though this complicates the mechanisms inside the saddle itself. Essentially, the battle saddle can turn anyone into a mobile assault platform.

There are some key disadvantages with battle saddles, however. The first notable one is that the user must turn to face the target due to the fixed nature of the weapons, limiting the ability to react quickly compared to a mouth-, hoof-, or hand-wielded weapon. This can also hamper mobility in tight quarters, to say nothing of trying to fight in such a situation. Multiple guns also mean increased expenditure of ammunition- possibly different types if the user opts to use different weapons. Another key downside with using multiple weapons on a spaced platform is convergence. Unless there is any way to swiftly adjust for different ranges, a battle saddle user may struggle to make all of his or her weapons hit their mark on a target quickly changing range and especially up close. Countering any of these means installing pintle or swing mounts, hydraulic or pressurized lifts, or some other measure that would also increase the weight and complexity of what should have been a device meant to simplify firing a weapon in the first place.

Like weapons, people aren’t made equal. Some may not have the capability to wield firearms by hand, hoof, or mouth whether by fated birth, design, or circumstance. The battle saddle, a simple yet modular design of near-limitless variability, helps circumvent that. As relevant today as it was before The Great War, it most certainly has a future in this bleakest of futures. So notch in those guns, MEW’s, and launchers….

… saddle up. Let’s ride.

This has been Frost Windchill. Let me know what you thought of this week’s edition of Wasteland Weapon Guides, and please leave suggestions for next time. Until then, take care, and farewell.

Sources:

poCHAINgun and Jeffk38uk at deviantART

Kkat and Menti (ideas from the PnP Battle Saddle ruleset)

Suggested by Honey Mead/askthearbitrors