How much did those models set you back? They look pretty good. I dig the paint scheme, too.
The Fafnir looking small makes sense to me. That thing is basically two Heavy Gauss Rifles on legs with the smallest reactor you can fit in a 100-tonner and still move faster than an Urbie. It's just a dense bundle of signature Steiner-brand "fuck you".
The heavies are VERY LRM heavy. Which is definitely not a bad thing, because there isn't a whole lot of LRM anywhere else in the company.
Basically 85 LRM tubes in the heavies, plus possibly another 5 with the Shadowhawk. 26 SRM tubes total. 5 PPCs if that Thunderbolt is the variant I think it is. Plenty of Medium Lasers to go around, 2 AC5s, an AC10 and an AC20, and a smattering of other weapons systems including potentially 2 Heavy Gauss Rifles on the Fafnir.
So, brawler lance = Fafnir, Hunchback, maybe Commando and Urbanmech too in the right situation. Long-range support = Catapult, Archer, Awesome. Multirole = Thunderbolt, Shadowhawk, Wolverine, Battlemaster, and the Locust and Commando are skirmish/recon-in-force. Jump-capable = Thunderbolt, Catapult, Shadowhawk, Urbanmech, probably Wolverine (might depend on exact variant). Speeds - Urbanmech 2/3/2, Fafnir and Awesome 3/5, Hunchback, Archer and Battlemaster 4/6, Catapult and Thunderbolt 4/6/4, Shadowhawk 5/8/3, Wolverine 5/8/maybe 5 not sure, Commando 6/9, Locust 8/12.
How much did those models set you back? They look pretty good. I dig the paint scheme, too.
The Fafnir looking small makes sense to me. That thing is basically two Heavy Gauss Rifles on legs with the smallest reactor you can fit in a 100-tonner and still move faster than an Urbie. It's just a dense bundle of signature Steiner-brand "fuck you".
Main concern is that the LRMs are going to have to be thrifty with ammo usage, as the Catapult (if it's the 2 LRM15 4 MLAS version) only carries 2 tons of reloads and the Archer (if it's the 2 LRM20 4 MLAS version) also only carries 2 tons of reloads, could be wrong. Not sure if the PPC Thunderbolt has MGs in the left arm, if that's the PPC Thud. Locust and maybe Battlemaster can shoo away infantry with MGs, and Thunderbolt can carry Inferno SRMs for its SRM2 for that. Wouldn't swap out a ton of SRM ammo for Inferno ammo on the Commando, it's going to be really valuable for running around and exploiting holed armor with SRM barrages.
Oh, another thing about the Fafnir on a gaming perspective. Gonna go with the 6U variant where it drops pulse lasers to add more ammo for the heavy Gauss. Sucks to lose firepower, but I want it's bigger guns to theoretically last longer.
Generally speaking Heavies are where most LRMs are found, anyways. For that sort of fire support role mediums are better off being used in flanking roles and assaults are too valuable for well, assaults. The notable exceptions are the Trebuchet and Stalker, with the LRM Awesome variant getting a dishonorable mention. Keep in mind you need ammo and heat sinks for missiles, so its tricky to keep it all balanced, especially since a pair of 15's or 20's will go through ammo like the Steiners go through Atlases. And you need something that can at least annoy anyone who gets in close, and packing an extra MLas and some armor with the extra tonnage of a heavy is a big help there.
I'm sure there's more than a few fire support mediums I'm missing other than the Trenchbucket and those Hunchback conversions, but nothing that was anywhere as prolific as what I just mentioned.
Oh, another thing about the Fafnir on a gaming perspective. Gonna go with the 6U variant where it drops pulse lasers to add more ammo for the heavy Gauss. Sucks to lose firepower, but I want it's bigger guns to theoretically last longer.
That's not the -6U variant. That one swaps out the HGauss and pulses for UAC/20's in the arms and a pair of LPPC's in each side torso. You've also got four tons of HGauss ammo by default for the base model, and yeah, that's just 8 paired shots, but unless you waste ammo on long-range shots, its going to clobber whatever it hits, especially if anyone or anything is stupid enough to get close. 25 points of fuck you right to a torso will wipe out anything short of another 100 tonner on the spot.
I absolutely love the Catapult, 4/6/4 movement, a lot of firepower in a small package... but it can really only do short sharp engagements and then haul ass to rearm.
Due to BV restrictions, I am using the A1 version. It has more ammo and a bit more armor, but it lacks any secondary weapons. The C2 with its twin LB-X 2ACs seems like a pretty nifty version, too, but the BV just doesn't allow it. I will have to put that C2 version in some lance at some point though.
And then there's the K2 and C3 versions... the Catapult is a really versatile platform.
Also, during my long quest of reading my old stack of BT novels, I finally stumbled upon one book that was utter trash. This far, all books had their strengths and weaknesses, but even the weaker books were still enjoyable and the good ones (like Illusions of Victory, Path of Glory and Flashpoint) are really great fun to read... but that one book. Fuck me.
It's called Phoenix, was only published in Germany, is not considered Canon (so there's at least that) and whoever wrote it must have been a complete retard (afaik, he never wrote any other novel - go figure). The book has a few neat moments and ideas, but the bad stuff is just unbearable most of the times.
Like, we know about the sex life of pretty much every character in the book cause the author felt a juvenile need to bring that shit up every couple pages.
Every engagement, some protagonist stomps some defeated mech's cockpit in for no goddamned reason. It was particularly weird to read that stuff after I read "The dying time" (basically the story in which the Gray Death Legion is destroyed), where such behaviour is always portrayed as ta very evil and vile act of a villain, where they aren't even content to defeat them and take them hostage after the battle, they actually go out of their way to kill the pilot in a gruesome way and disregarding salvage... Phoenix just throws that in non-chalantly like it was nothing.
Many mechs get killed by the first barrage that hits them, which is sometimes pretty hilarious, when 30 ton mechs regularly end up destroying assault mechs with their first attack.
One of the main characters (that the reader is supposed to root for, mind you) casually mentiones that sometimes during battle, they get frustrated with not killing an opponent, so they just open fire on civilians to vent some steam. This is not meant to portray flawed characters, it's just brought up as something that the character just so happens to do every now and then and with all the other shit going down, I got very close to literally tear the book apart at that point.
The plot itself has its moments, but so much of its execution is just plain retarded.
To make a long story short, the book is about a mercenary unit that is staying on some Marik world, fighting a Steiner invasion, that is trying to find blueprints for a new type of mech, that is being build in the FWL. The planetary ruler is a dickwad, trying to scheme his way into a position of power though, and part of his plan hinges on letting the mercenaries die, so he can send in his private units to save the day and possibly work towards independence for that patch of the FWL. The mercenary captain, that is well aware of the ruler's ambitions, has not one but two instances of being nearly thrown in a blender as a sacrifice for obvious political ambitions, so he confronts the ruler. On his own. Unarmed. Without backup, even though he has his entire mech company with him. Mercenary captain gets shot, his unit goes AWOL and hides in the mountains. At some point, the Steiner forces show up and even though they want to take the mercs under a new contract, they just randomly kill a bunch of techs for literally no reason whatsoever before going "work for us, or we'll kill you now".
The book is a fucking mess.
Generally speaking Heavies are where most LRMs are found, anyways. For that sort of fire support role mediums are better off being used in flanking roles and assaults are too valuable for well, assaults.
I've not yet put it to use, but the Viking with its 70 LRM tubes (2x LRM 15, 2x LRM 20) looks like a beast to clobber shit into a pulp from afar.
What is your verdict on that, I wonder? Assault with a role more suitable for a heavy (ie: sort of a waste) or 90 tons of long range OOORAH?
I was toying with the idea of using one ton of semi-guided and thunder ammo, so I can take advantage of someone TAGging and if everything else fails, to heap endless amounts of area denial upon the map.
With LRM minimum range being a thing an LRM assault is a hard sell due to limited ability to dictate engagement envelopes. For just saturation damage alphas from distance, sure, but the moment something fast comes along to pester you or otherwise figures out how to underrun all that missile-based pain...
Don't worry, the Viking does have 4 knee-mounted MGs and 2 small lasers... If I eber make a custom variant, I'll just ditch the small lasers and machineguns in favor of 4 troso-mounted MLasers.. or cram one into each arm and one in each sidetorso.
In the meantime, if someone gets too close to the mech, it will have a tough time bringing its weapons to bear, so it kind of needs a bodyguard, that can intervene and help protect it. I am going to pair it up with a Warhammer that will discourage anyone getting too close, while it also whips out some PPC fire from afar... though admittedly, maybe this won't work anywhere near as good as I hope, but we'll see.
I'm an idiot. I don't know why I keep remembering it as the 6U when it is the 5X. Pardon my retardation. Starting to think the constant night shifts over the past month are making me more retarded than normal.
I'm an idiot. I don't know why I keep remembering it as the 6U when it is the 5X. Pardon my retardation. Starting to think the constant night shifts over the past month are making me more retarded than normal.
I'm an idiot. I don't know why I keep remembering it as the 6U when it is the 5X. Pardon my retardation. Starting to think the constant night shifts over the past month are making me more retarded than normal.
Oh Jesus, not the IHGauss. If it wasn't for the fact you could mount a Locust or Flea as applique armor for the weight of one of those it would be the most OP weapon ever. And I guarantee you some bored Steiners tried to do exactly that because why the hell wouldn't you mount a pair of light mechs on your mech, straight up Xzibit style? After all, its the job of light mech pilots to die gloriously for the Vaterland.
Don't worry, the Viking does have 4 knee-mounted MGs and 2 small lasers... If I eber make a custom variant, I'll just ditch the small lasers and machineguns in favor of 4 troso-mounted MLasers.. or cram one into each arm and one in each sidetorso.
In the meantime, if someone gets too close to the mech, it will have a tough time bringing its weapons to bear, so it kind of needs a bodyguard, that can intervene and help protect it. I am going to pair it up with a Warhammer that will discourage anyone getting too close, while it also whips out some PPC fire from afar... though admittedly, maybe this won't work anywhere near as good as I hope, but we'll see.
Oh Jesus, not the IHGauss. If it wasn't for the fact you could mount a Locust or Flea as applique armor for the weight of one of those it would be the most OP weapon ever. And I guarantee you some bored Steiners tried to do exactly that because why the hell wouldn't you mount a pair of light mechs on your mech, straight up Xzibit style? After all, its the job of light mech pilots to die gloriously for the Vaterland.
The Whammy 9S sounds like a good match for a Viking. ER weapons paired with DHS for endurance and range.
Oh Jesus, not the IHGauss. If it wasn't for the fact you could mount a Locust or Flea as applique armor for the weight of one of those it would be the most OP weapon ever. And I guarantee you some bored Steiners tried to do exactly that because why the hell wouldn't you mount a pair of light mechs on your mech, straight up Xzibit style? After all, its the job of light mech pilots to die gloriously for the Vaterland.
"Hans! Hans!"
"Ja, Fritz?"
"I just had ze most wunderbar idea..."
"Nein, Fritz, you may not have another Atlas. Ze Hauptmann is still angry about ze last one."
Sort of. It's 1/10th with both hands, IIRC. I actually crunched the numbers for that a couple months ago. You could have an Atlas picking up a Locust and using it as a club if you gave the Atlas Triple Strength Myomer.
Sort of. It's 1/10th with both hands, IIRC. I actually crunched the numbers for that a couple months ago. You could have an Atlas picking up a Locust and using it as a club if you gave the Atlas Triple Strength Myomer.
That is one sexy Whammy... but I was thinking about using the 7K, since I need something that's reasonably available to the Free Republique Rasalhague during the FedCom Civil War era, and that one looked neat, too.
It has ER PPCs as well, 2 MLasers, 2 Streak-2s and a TAG unit, so it can take advantage of semi-guided LRM fire by the Viking, if someone gets too nosey. I can't look at the record sheets, so I don't know how that thing does for armor and heatsinks (The Trove has been acting up, unfortunately, and I don't have the RS 3085 book at hand).
The 7K is an earlier design than the 9S and was used by Kurita, so it's sort of feasible to assume that a few might have found their way into the FRR Kungsarmé. If I can't get the record sheets for the 7K, the 9S will do nicely instead though (it also has almost the same BV).
Dang. Both mechs are in the same RS book... well. The Trove will be back at some point and then I can pick either version.
Edit: Finally managed to get the PDFs and compare the 7K with the 9S. They have almost identical armor, the 7K has no CASE, but also it has a standard engine, it's a real close call tbh, but I'll side with the 7K, cause it is a slightly older Kurita design and I could see end up in the Kungsarmé. Also Kungsarmé best armé.
If I eber make a custom variant, I'll just ditch the small lasers and machineguns in favor of 4 troso-mounted MLasers.. or cram one into each arm and one in each sidetorso.