The Bulldog

While formally called the “Bulldog”, the Imperium’s premier tankette has gained a reputation as being as unreliable as it is lightly armored and thus has earned the “Ratlin’ Special”. It’s main role is as infantry support, essentially serving as a mobile heavy-weapons platform for Imperial Guard squads. Its performance has, however, been rather lackluster due to its small engine, open-top design, proclivity for its treads to seize up, and light weight. This last issue is notable because its design requires it to mount rather heavy weapons on the front of its tank, causing it to tip forwards sometimes. Due to this extra weight is often added to the back: ammo drums, sandbags, and even rucksacks. Despite its many flaws the Bulldog has proved useful in certain environments. It’s smaller size allows it to maneuver in tighter spaces where a normal tank wouldn’t dare go so it has found use in dense forests, urban environments, and even on space hulks. Its light weight means that it can be carried over anything it can’t cross over normally and a squad is more than sufficient to get this weapons platform into unexpected spaces.

=Equipment= Ratlin’ Specials can mount the following weapons on the front of their chassis: an autocannon, a heavy bolter, or a heavy flamer. It is noted to lack the power to mount any sort of las or energy weapon.

=Variants= More specialized variants of the Bulldog exist and include:

The Devil Dog
The “Devil Dog” is a Bulldog with a twin-linked heavy-flamer with a closed top. It pulls a small fuel trailer to supply itself.

The Huskey
This is a cold-weather variant that has retractable runners that allow it to be maneuvered on ice by its squad. The variant has a heavy bolter on the front and has an optional wedge it can use to help clear snow.

The Dirty Dog
The so-called “Dirty Dog” is an urban warfare variant that has wheels instead of treads, and sports a heavy bolter and a pintle-mounted shotgun that is normally kept facing backwards. This second weapon is often used by a second gunner, forcing the two to sit back to back in the confined space.

The Ankle Biter
An “Ankle Biter” is a modern refit of the Bulldog that mounts a rocket-launcher to each side of the vehicle. The krak rockets it fires are very difficult to aim and must often be aimed manually by getting out of the vehicle. The Ankle Biter is designed to shoot and scoot- to position anti-armor weapons, have them fire, then get them out of there before reprisal happens. Because of its weak power-supply the Ankle Biter can only fire two missiles and generally requires a second person in the vehicle to get out and aim/fire the rockets.