This APE is designed to hit hard as it closes and then engage its opponents in hand-to-hand combat. Like most of the other Utopian APES, the Man-at-Arm is based on the Constable chassis, but it is bigger and bulkier still, mainly due to its additional armor plates. This APES uses HEAT-resistant armor on an heavier frame, allowing it to face the guided missiles that its bulk inevitably attracts.
The Man-at-Arm is designed for a non-urban environment (besides, it is a bit too large to fit in most buildings and access shafts): the jump jets and improved gyroscopes are meant to carry it over almost any type of terrain the wastelands can throw at it.
The suit carries a large combination rifle/grenade launcher in an over/under weapon array. The APGL has a larger magazine capacity to deal with massed enemy formations. The backpack holds a micromissile launcher to let it deal with large numbers of drones, infantry or Autos. The “Organ Grinder,” as the rocket is nicknamed by the pilots, is limited to a hundred rockets by the physical space available in the backpack, though the fire control system could handle more warheads.
Men-at-Arm (or similar suits found in the arsenals of all the Deep Cities) can be found only in limited numbers when compared to other suit designs, though they are still numerous enough to serve as front line “super-infantry.” Lacking the heavy grenades of their lighter brethrens, they mostly serve to soften enemy infantry and light vehicles before an assault, where they move forward to bring their bulk into play.
