[Poll] Codex favorite mech from Battletech

[PorkBarrellGuy]

The fact that a woman made colonel didn't bother you?

It's Battletech. Female Elementals bother me more than that. (That fucking attitude though)

EDIT: Also, the Aerospace fighters are probably Corsairs, not Sparrowhawks.

 

[Silva]

As a covert ops/espionage/electronic warfare aficionado, it's the Raven for me. After that it's Archer and Marauder. The original designs rocked.

 

[Norfleet]

I'd rather have a nice traditional tank, traversing some boggy terrain and firing from a nice hull down position. Lower ground pressure, low target profile, not standing up in the open sinking to your knees through solid concrete.

 

[Cael]

Also just noticed muzzle flashes on the Mad Dog's arm weapons in the MW4 intro. So pulse lasers and MGuns (no way that thing has the tonnage for twin ACs). It's an Omni, so a non-standard config is more plausible (though they seriously fucked up the Mad Dog in MW4 in overall configuration) but the Omnipods on the MW4 Mad Dog are in the chin turret IIRC, making that impossible.

It is completely screwed up. The arms can only take energy weapons, and the Omni pod is, as you said, in the chin turret.

 

[Cael]

1. No neurohelmets on the Hunchie pilot (Hardcase) and the Raven pilot (Panther)
2. Hunchie pilot "standing and delivering", possibly wasting precious AC20 ammo on an enemy that looks like it might be out of AC20 range altogether (hard to say?) instead of using cover/otherwise waiting for Jag to close to where the AC20 will really count (assuming it's supposed to be an HBK-4G here)
3. Since when do Hunchies have Full-Head Ejection systems?
4. Asking the Raven to be bait in that manner for an angry Jag is possibly asking for a dead Raven, though the Cent wouldn't have had the speed and the Commando might have actually been MORE fragile (checking armor values in Sarna now, Commando might be less fragile than the Raven actually because of the Raven's XL). The Cent might have still been the better choice for bait because better armor values, but the Cent's armament makes it a better choice for that first major backstab. Meh, hard to say. The Raven doing its best "fight me fgt" before running like crazy was kind of cute.
5. In the very beginning of the intro one of the Sparrowhawk (think that's a Sparrowhawk) aerotech fighters gets WAY too close to the dropship for comfort, if I were his CO I'd yell at him for hotdogging like a faggot.

Minor details aside MechCommander's intro was pretty decent, surprisingly decent acting (though the Charlie commander is a very meh actor, I think... something about the way he delivers his lines). Just needs proper neurohelmet props instead of fucking DragonBall scouters. And cooling vests, where are their cooling vests?

EDIT: Regarding the Raven's armor levels - depends heavily on which variant that's supposed to be. The RVN-4X had outstanding armor (but it also had JJs, which that Raven doesn't). Most likely it's supposed to be the RVN-3L, which ton-for-ton is more fragile than the Commando (and an awfully expensive mech to be using for bait). EDIT 2: Possibly a 2X, would explain lack of JJs and armor would be on par with the 4X.

All of the 'mechs in MComm are special snowflakes. It is written somewhere than they are all experimental omnis or something, which is why you can change the loadouts like that.

I am not sure about the neuro helmets. I have always assumed that they were all wearing one, seeing as we don't really know what one looks like. The books have always mentioned that the temples were the important part (hence why some mechwarriors shaved the temples for better contact).

They were all wearing ballistic vests, which I took to be cooling vests.

They were firing medium lasers before the shot with the AC20. MedLas has the same range as the AC20, so I'd expect the Madcat to be in range.

The Raven wasn't asked to be bait because he had any attributes to be bait but because he happened to be in the right position. The other two were further to the right, which gave them an easier time to dodge out of the way and run down the streets. Plus, the Raven is such a notoriously badly armed 'mech that the Jag completely ignored it at first. That was why Panther was able to whack it in the rear. The fact that the Jag was so surprised that the Raven shot it was evident. The poor bastard just couldn't believe it.

I actually liked the MComm intro. Far better than the shit that was MComm2.

 

[Cael]

I don't know, the intro to 2 might be even dumber. I mean, it is far more entertaining, but none of the pilots in it seem to have any clue what they're doing. Especially the Summoner at the start who only just seems to have discovered the jump jet key.

Well, stupid shit committed in 2's intro:
1. That jumpjet stunt by Summoner 1 (though he may have possibly been trying to poptart over the injured Timby to blast the responding Timby? who knows)
2. Responding Timby autistically sticking to MGuns against Summoner 2 even when he almost certainly had something like, say, Streak SRMs in his loadout and even when his ERPPCs had almost certainly recycled
3. Responding Timby not seeing injured Timby and immediately fanning the area looking for whodunnit, instead staring at injured Timby like a dumbass until Summoner 1 JJs like a dumbass
4. Summoner 2 giving Responding Timby his back at one point
5. Summoner 2 technically breaking zellbrigen by breaking LOS, though zellbrigen is retarded so this is actually a SMART thing to do
6. Responding Timby standing there like an utter dipshit when his MGuns run dry instead of promptly throwing his machine into reverse to dance around the pillar a bit until he remembers the rest of his loadout
7. That unit insignia on the responding Timby sure as hell doesn't look like a Wolf or Falcon unit insignia that I remember, and given MW2 is about the Refusal War... wtf

Stupid shit committed in 4's intro:
1. All. Clan. Mechs. in the "good guys'" lance. I mean, yes, it looks to be a Davion base, so that can be explained I suppose.
2. Cougar not immediately breaking taxi routine and buggering the fuck out of that killzone
3. Shadowcat derping along facefirst into what is either an LRM salvo (which shouldn't be lethal) or an Arrow IV salvo (TAKE EVASIVE ACTION OR EJECT RIGHT FUCKING NOW)
4. Those aren't fucking neurohelmets what the fuck
5. Terrible acting
6. Mad Dog running to the fracas, stopping to look around dramatically with a full enemy lance present (who somehow don't seem to have picked him up on sensors)
7. "Bad Guy" Uziel at one point using PPC on a good guy unit in very close quarters (minimum range? what's that lol. this might be more a reflection on the retarded choice to do away with min. ranges on weapons altogether though)
8. Mad Dog getting radio silence on all channels, seeing a smoldering wreck of a base all around him, and deciding rather than trying to bugger off to 1. get reinforcements, 2. fight a running guerilla battle from range and play to his mech's strength, or something else fairly intelligent... fights a hopeless last stand using only his pulse lasers and fails to take a single enemy mech with him.

Lol! I am not making friends with the puppy today :D

MW2 intro:
1. He probably did just do that. The facility that was under attack is a Clan MW training ground. You probably were fighting a complete noob there, which in Clan terms means he is about 10 years old. Congrats, you just killed a kid :D
2. The actual facility attack was towards the end of a long campaign of sneak and snipe. You actually do play this mission in one of the MW2 missions. IIRC, you fought about 6 other 'mechs before you did the final charge at the facility. If the idiot in the movie didn't do what I did (full energy loadout with heat sinks out the wazoo), then he is likely out of ammo for just about everything (and the fact he ran out of MACHINE GUN ammo indicates to me that he did).
3. Rookie again.
4. It was trying to bring another weapon into play. The first one he pointed at the Timby was destroyed and he had to turn to bring the weapon in the opposite arm into play.
5. Not sure about this one. It seems inadvertent rather than a calculated move.
6. Who the hell runs out of MG ammo? What the- BOOM!
7. No idea on this one. Not that familiar with insignias :D

MW4 intro:
1. I'll give you this one. Plus the shot of the hangar actually showed 5 'mechs in the lance, not 4.
2. It can't. It was trapped in the hangar with two other 'mechs in front of it. The stupid part was the lance leader not getting out of the way faster, but instead slowly ambled his way out. That and the fact that I don't recall 'mech explosions being strong enough to blow up an intact other 'mech. The Cougar basically got shoved, fell over and exploded before hitting the ground. Personally, I'd say sabotage rather than damage causing it :D
3. That is about normal for BTech. There is no dodging or evasive manoeuvres vs incoming fire. The 'mechs are too clumsy for that. This isn't anime kung fu mecha It is Arrow IV because the AMS (which she said she has activated) didn't go off.
4. What does a neurohelm look like?
5. I'll give you that. The lines were pretty crap also.
6. For the drama, dude.
7. ER PPC has no minimum range. In fact, there is no minimum range in the game, period. Not even with LRMs. They just won't lock on. You can still blind fire them.
8. He got off one alpha strike that damaged a Novacat and blew the arm off an Uziel. Then the lulz started. In another life, this is a guy who will solve every military situation by mounting bayonets.

 

[PorkBarrellGuy]

Couple different renditions of neurohelmets from Sarna (one on the right is closest to how I remember them being described to me)

 

[Cael]

Couple different renditions of neurohelmets from Sarna (one on the right is closest to how I remember them being described to me)

Those look like 3025 versions (i.e., pre-Helm memory core).

Post-Helm memory core, the neurohelms were lightened. By the time the IS hit Huntress, they were using a neuro cowl mated to a bodysuit. The helmet is for protection against physical impacts only. Even the Eridani Light Horse had them, so I would expect elite guards of a Davion duke to have them also (MW4) and the goofballs you see in the MComm intro? Elite Davion Light Guards Regiment.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

On the subject of neurohelmets getting left out of cinematics and stuff, I would figure that it's down to one of three things all of which no matter which are employed would take precedence over adhering to wholly fictional technology of a boardgame: 1) not important enough detail from perspective of production crew (since the general audience won't even consider the fact that you wouldn't pilot a giant humanoid robot with a joystick), 2) gotta save cash wherever possible (since, you know, even terrible actors cost money), 3) and this is the biggest stretch since these are just vidya stuff: Deemed not cinematically aesthetic. Personally I'd probably go with the third if it was my choice, at least if the topic were live-action cinematic, since making helmets work for non-extras is a hard lot of work particularly if you have to do it live since you have to operate within what an audience would find realistic or appealing (hence why ill-fitting as they might be, you get jet-pilot headgear at most). Something like a Macross helmet (or diver-suit style official neurohelmet) would just look very very silly in live-action, would need at least slightly style over photorealism 3D animation.

I'd rather have a nice traditional tank, traversing some boggy terrain and firing from a nice hull down position. Lower ground pressure, low target profile, not standing up in the open sinking to your knees through solid concrete.

(The real reason why mecha should always possess magical properties)

 

[Destroid]

Helmets.

 

[Norfleet]

(The real reason why mecha should always possess magical properties)

Or just acknowledgement that this is a sport rather than combat effective. Does it get less cool if it's the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots of the future? I mean, it seems obvious that these settings never actually portray the entirety of warfare, anything which detracts from the robot fighting action gets omitted. Why not just have it as what it really is: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots 2.0.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

(The real reason why mecha should always possess magical properties)

Or just acknowledgement that this is a sport rather than combat effective. Does it get less cool if it's the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots of the future? I mean, it seems obvious that these settings never actually portray the entirety of warfare, anything which detracts from the robot fighting action gets omitted. Why not just have it as what it really is: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots 2.0.

Well, that concept DID result in one of the best vidya main themes ever...

 

[Jason Liang]

Battletech humor:
https://imgur.com/a/UhoJzZo

 

[JamesDixon]

My three are the unseen Wasp, Valkyrie, and Marauder.

 

[Jason Liang]

Yeah I added the Valkyrie after rereading the Warrior trilogy two months ago.

Is Valkyrie an Unseen mech? Would explain why it wasn't in the Battletech CCG.

 

[JamesDixon]

Yeah I added the Valkyrie after rereading the Warrior trilogy two months ago.

Is Valkyrie an Unseen mech? Would explain why it wasn't in the Battletech CCG.

Yup, all of the Veritechs from Macross are Unseen mechs. Look up on Sarna.net for the complete list of Unseen. I started with the Unseen in 1984.

 

[Jason Liang]

https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23538869/battletech-sales-numbers-2022

We don’t often get definitive sales numbers in the world of tabletop gaming, but when we do, it’s because a publisher has something to crow about. Catalyst Game Labs’ BattleTech line had one hell of a 2022… and also a pretty good 2021 and 2019. 2018 wasn’t too shabby either, it turns out. In fact, at the current rate of sales, by mid-summer 2023, the publisher will have sold some 9 million little plastic mech miniatures since conceiving its all-new line of sculpts in 2015. BattleTech is back, and the next expansion kicks off crowdfunding soon.
BattleTech began in 1984 with Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock’s miniatures wargame, before morphing into a tabletop role-playing game, a franchise of video games, and a destination pre-VR arcade experience. Catalyst took the reins of the tabletop game some years later, and relaunched the line in 2015.

The birth of BattleTech​

“That meant all-new, ready-to-play, high-quality plastics — and completely redesigning the core products to match that quality,” the BattleTech tabletop blog team wrote wrote on Jan. 2. “These were a success from the moment they became available in January 2018; advance order sales were so high that we began second printings before the first even got to market. The seventh printing of A Game of Armored Combat and the eighth printing of the Beginner Box were being loaded on ships at the end of 2022, and once they go on sale there will have been 160,000 copies between these two boxes moved into the market in four years.”

Since then, the line has expanded. First came the ForcePacks — discrete boxed sets of four to six miniatures. Catalyst sold half a million of those, plus another 160,000 of the follow-on mercenary-themed packs. Its BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter pulled in an eye-watering $2.5 million in 2020, ranking it among the top 10 most-funded tabletop games on that platform that year. Then the Alpha Strike boxed set landed at Gen Con 2022, with another 30,000 copies sold in the first few runs. All-in, the company expects to have sold some 9 million 28mm miniatures by the middle of this summer.
Why has Catalyst been so successful? A healthy relationship with its peers in the video game space helps a ton. Harebrained Schemes’ BattleTech turn-based strategy game remains a fixture on top 10 lists across the video game industry, its lifespan far exceeding even the developers’ own desires, thanks to multiple outstanding fan modifications. Meanwhile, Piranha Games’ MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries had a middling launch, but has found success with follow-on expansions. The next entry — Rise of Rasalhague — is due out later this month.
Most importantly, the three companies are sharing resources, including artists, to create a cohesive and thematically consistent set of mech sculpts across all of its incarnations. Enjoy your test drive in first-person or isometric mode? Why not buy your own, and paint it up to suit your fancy?

Catalyst has its own plans for expansion. The company says an upcoming crowdfunding campaign will unlock 50 new designs, including an expanded range of plastic tanks and airborne vehicles. The campaign will launch during AdeptiCon 2023 this spring.
“By any metric, BattleTech is now more successful and more popular than ever before,” Catalyst said. “With the coming Mercenaries Kickstarter and the lead-up to BattleTech’s 40th anniversary, there’s an excellent chance our current staggering success will be eclipsed as BattleTech reaches even more fans.”

 

[Jasede]

To me, the Mad Cat is  the iconic and archetypical mech.

 

[JamesDixon]

To me, the Mad Cat is  the iconic and archetypical mech.

The Timber Wolf is a generic piece of clanner shit. The real iconic mechs are the Unseen like the Marauder, Wasp, Warhammer, etc...

 

[Cael]

To me, the Mad Cat is  the iconic and archetypical mech.

The Timber Wolf is a generic piece of clanner shit. The real iconic mechs are the Unseen like the Marauder, Wasp, Warhammer, etc...

The TWolf is an overgunned, undersinked piece of junk. And I am pretty sure it has tissue paper for armour for a 75-ton heavy. It just looks cool compared to, say, a Summoner.

 

[JamesDixon]

To me, the Mad Cat is  the iconic and archetypical mech.

The Timber Wolf is a generic piece of clanner shit. The real iconic mechs are the Unseen like the Marauder, Wasp, Warhammer, etc...

The TWolf is an overgunned, undersinked piece of junk. And I am pretty sure it has tissue paper for armour for a 75-ton heavy. It just looks cool compared to, say, a Summoner.

Even the Kitchen Trash Can looks like shit. It has none of the charm of the original Round Trash Can that we call the Urbie. All of the Clan mechs look like shit. 3025 IS 4 Evar!

 

[Jason Liang]

Even the Kitchen Trash Can looks like shit. It has none of the charm of the original Round Trash Can that we call the Urbie. All of the Clan mechs look like shit. 3025 IS 4 Evar!

These hands...

 

[Fedora Master]

Imagine not voting for the Urbie

 

[Cael]

Imagine not voting for the Urbie

There is also no option for the Urbie's big brother, the Imp.

 

[JamesDixon]

Imagine not voting for the Urbie

There is also no option for the Urbie's big brother, the Imp.

That's because it's a devil to write...