“There’s nothing wrong with it!” Chu-i Yashida Dayu shouted.
“I disagree,” countered Sho-i Todano Malloy. “It bears the mark of our enemy.”
“The word ‘wolf’ does not belong to House Davion, nor the Lyrans, nor anyone else in the Inner Sphere. Not even the damnable Clans can claim an entire species, let alone its moniker.”
Malloy brushed away his commanding officer’s points. “I shall not dishonor the Dragon by riding into battle in this… filth!”
“It’s not filth!” Exasperation punctuated the Chu-i’s words. “It has the exact same movement profile and armament as the new CN9-D Centurions.”
“I will take a Centurion, then.”
Dayu rolled his eyes. “As if riding into battle like an ancient Roman soldier is somehow more befitting a samurai.”
“Yet the Romans at least fought with a similar sense of honor. Not like the Davion dogs and their Wolfhounds.”
The Chu-i raised a finger. “Which is entirely why it is called the Wolf TRAP. It is to trap the very wolves that hound you!”
“Clever wordplay cannot obscure this ‘Mech’s inspiration, nor can its state-of-the-art design tempt me into dishonor,” the Sho-i steadily replied. “If this ‘Mech is the only one available, I will await the new shipment of Grand Dragons from Luthien.”
“This is not a hovercar rental agency! The Dragon commands its soldiers, and the Dragon requires each of its warriors to wield the most powerful armaments available, regardless of its name or what its cockpit assembly looks like!”
There was silence between the two for a moment. Then, “I will not disobey the Dragon. But neither will I sully my honor.”
Sho-i Malloy knelt before his commanding officer and drew his wakizashi.
“What are you doing?” Dayu first asked in disbelief, but soon his expression changed to alarm at what was about to happen in the middle of the ‘Mechbay. “Sho-i! I order you to stop!”
Heedless of the Chu-i’s words, Malloy plunged the blade into his guts. Thankfully, the Dragon’s healthcare plan had extended coverage for self-inflicted knife wounds incurred during attempts at honorable suicide. Sho-i Malloy’s protest was noted, but upon his return to active duty, the Wolf Trap was still there waiting for him. Malloy’s wakizashi, however, was not returned.
New this month! Check out an audio narration of this article from @battletopia:
Wolf Trap : Bad 'Mechs a Sarna Tale | Battletopia Stories
By all technical measures, the Wolf Trap was the absolute pinnacle of Draconis arms manufacturing at the height of the Clan Invasion. It used then-cutting-edge technology such as Endo Steel, extralight engines, and cellular ammunition storage to both save weight and save its pilots to fight the Dragon’s enemies even if the ‘Mech suffered a catastrophic ammo hit. For a 45-ton ‘Mech, the Wolf Trap was fast, heavily armed, and sufficiently armored to take more punishment than most ‘Mechs in the same weight class. It was relatively cheap to build, easy to maintain, and used off-the-shelf components shared with many other common DCMS designs. By all accounts, the Wolf Trap should have been a runaway success for Luthien Armor Works and the Draconis Combine.
And yet, the vast majority of Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery MechWarriors would revile the machine after less than a decade of service. That animosity could be traced back to a single unfortunate design flaw and the natural tendency for militaries--even armies as tightly constrained as the DCMS--to run wild with rumors and hearsay.
During the Fourth Succession War, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery suffered heavy losses at the hands of what was then an entirely new ‘Mech: the Wolfhound. Small, swift, powerfully armed, and heavily armored for a light ‘Mech, the Wolfhound was able to engage Kuritan Panthers and Jenners with impunity, suffering far fewer casualties than its rivals. It wasn’t until the War of 3039 that the Draconis Combine managed to capture a few examples and transport them to Luthien for reverse engineering. Unwilling to outright copy the design, knowing that its soldiers would be loathed to pilot a ‘Mech so heavily associated with the Federated Commonwealth, Luthien Armor Works instead opted to use elements of the Wolfhound‘s design to create the Wolf Trap.
The resulting ‘Mech bore almost no resemblance to the ‘Mech that spawned it. The Wolf Trap is ten tons heavier, carries a mixed armament of ammunition and energy-based weapons, and has a similar movement profile. The distinctive cockpit is perhaps the only cosmetic resemblance shared.
Had the Wolf Trap been used in its intended role--hunting and destroying the Wolfhound--it probably would have gone down as one of the finest ‘Mechs to ever roll off the assembly lines at Luthien Armor Works. Instead, the Clans invaded, and the Wolf Trap was pressed into service against a vastly superior foe.
Although the Wolf Trap used the best technology the Inner Sphere had to offer at the time, the Clans were simply better in every measurable metric. Key to the Wolf Trap‘s destruction was the Clan ER PPC, which could penetrate the right and left shoulders of the Wolf Trap in a single blow to damage or outright destroy the fragile XL engine found therein. Furthermore, the Wolf Trap stored all of its ammunition in a single bin in the right torso. Although CASE kept the pilot alive, a hit to the ammunition was still consistently catastrophic to the Wolf Trap’s engine, resulting in Clan MechWarriors specifically targeting the Wolf Trap’s right side.
Once reports of the Wolf Trap‘s fragility made it back behind the front lines, rumors abounded that the ‘Mech somehow inherited a cleverly concealed flaw that the Davions deliberately designed to sabotage anyone who tried to copy the Wolfhound. Combined with the true reports of Wolf Traps being slaughtered wholesale in House Kurita’s fight against the Clan Smoke Jaguar and Nova Cat, the Wolf Trap was forever tainted. Originally called the Tora, Luthien Armor Works was forced to rechristen the design to match its FedCom reporting name in order to distance its association with Combine tradition--a move which only further alienated the Wolf Trap from potential pilots.
The Wolf Trap debuted in 3051 but quickly found itself a pariah. Even an acceptable showing during the defense of Luthien wasn’t enough to redeem the Wolf Trap in the eyes of DCMS MechWarriors. Despite its innovations, the Wolf Trap could never distance itself enough from both its origins and its combat record, with the DCMS officially ending procurement of the design after just ten years of production.
For those willing to endure the dishonor of sitting in its cockpit, the Wolf Trap was a capable medium ‘Mech--at least, on paper. In the right arm, an Imperator Code Red LB 10-X autocannon built under license and the same one found in the Akuma assault ‘Mech and the Tokugawa heavy tank. In the center torso, the tried and true Shigunga LRM-10. In the left torso, twin medium lasers provided close-in defense. Seven and a half tons of armor matched the Wolfhound, and the Hermes 270 XL engine helped propel the Wolf Trap to a running speed of 97 kph.
It is precisely the same movement and armament as the CN9-D Centurion, although the Wolf Trap was both lighter and cheaper to build than a brand-new Centurion.
Although the Wolf Trap‘s production run was short, so few MechWarriors wanted to pilot the machine that the Draconis Combine had warehouses full of the ‘Mech by the time the Word of Blake launched its deadly Jihad. Desperate for materiel, the DCMS pressed these older ‘Mechs into service and authorized Luthien Armor Works to develop an upgrade package. Produced on the world of Abiy Adi, the WFT-2 replaces the Imperator autocannon with a plasma rifle, the Shigunga LRM launcher with an MML-9, and the two medium lasers with three extended-range medium lasers. Additionally, three light machine guns are linked in a machine gun array, and its heat sinks are upgraded to double models.
Another Jihad-era variant was the WFT-2B, nicknamed the “Bear Trap.” Based on the WFT-2X produced by supervising technician Akihisa Inoue, the WFT-2B came armed with an Imperator Dragon’s Fire Gauss rifle and two Diverse Optics Type 25PX medium X-pulse lasers. It also upgrades its cooling system to double heat sinks and improves the Wolf Trap‘s protection with eight tons of New Samarkand Royal ferro-fibrous armor.
Wolf Traps also found their way into the Word of Blake. Salvaged WFT-1s were converted to the Word’s WFT-B model, which replaced the LRM-10 with an LRM-5 in order to make room for an improved C3 Computer. An extra half-ton of armor provided slightly more protection. Similarly, older WFT-1s that couldn’t be upgraded to WFT-2 standards were often given the WTF-C field conversion package, which instead removed one of the medium lasers to fit a C3 slave unit.
The fierce fighting of the Jihad eliminated most of the DCMS’s stores of Wolf Traps. Today, the DCMS fields more capable, fully home-grown designs such as the Avalanche and newer variants of the Panther. These ‘Mechs have no shortage of eager warriors willing to risk their lives in defense of the Combine. A Wolf Trap found today would not only be a relic of a bygone era but more than likely an abandoned ‘Mech, unloved and forgotten by a cruel Inner Sphere.
Being part of the Mercenaries Kickstarter, I recently got to try out some of the playtest materials for BattleTech Aces, a single-player or cooperative version of Alpha Strike. It was also, coincidentally, my first time playing Alpha Strike, and let me say, I’m a big fan. But I’m especially a fan of the Aces playtest for what it means for tabletop BattleTech.
Despite some rumors to the contrary, I have actually played tabletop BattleTech before. More than once, in fact! I found it to be a fun enough experience and certainly helpful for discovering the origins of BattleTech’s many rules, but it was also… slow. Especially by modern tabletop standards. Rolling dice for each individual weapon (sometimes multiple dice, as is the case with missiles) just slows combat to a crawl, and tracking damage likewise proves time-consuming (even though it’s a far more accurate representation of battle damage).
Alpha Strike fixes all that. For those who haven’t played it, Alpha Strike simplifies combat to just a single dice roll. You move, you shoot, and then repeat. ‘Mech stats are simplified to a single card rather than an entire sheet of paper (or two), with armor and structure tracking that’s actually oddly reminiscent of the old BattleTech CCG. Best of all, you can get the Alpha Strike card for every single ‘Mech (including its variants) over on the Master Unit List website absolutely free.
They’ll be in black and white and they won’t look as nice as the real cards you can buy, but you can play Alpha Strike right now for zero money. All you need is a token to denote what ‘Mechs you wanna field and the stat cards on the Master Unit List site.
Alpha Strike also provides an easy onboarding game for Warhammer converts. The “standard” version of Alpha Strike forgoes BattleTech’s classic hex maps and instead has you measure distances for moving and shooting. It’s a bit slower, but it provides a familiar system for Warhammer folks.
Personally, I’m a much bigger fan of using hexes as they simplify measuring distances. Alpha Strike does contain rules to play on hex maps, so old-school BattleTech fans can still use all their beloved paper maps. You have the option of playing with more elaborate custom maps, or you can just play on your kitchen table using whatever household items you can imagine as mountains, forests, or other geological features.
You’re probably all thinking, “That’s great Sean, really didn’t need the recap for a game system that’s been around for a decade.” And to that, I’ll say hey now! We’ve got a lot of folks coming over to us from Warhammer 40K that might want to know where to get started, and I can heartily recommend Alpha Strike as the best place to get their newfound giant robot feet wet.
BattleTech Aces, however, will change the format of the game. Rather than two (or more) players facing off in simulated miniature combat, now you can play against the game itself either by yourself or with friends. Alpha Strike goes from competitive to cooperative, and that’s a paradigm shift I’m here for.
BattleTech Aces: From Competitive To Co-op
To get access to BattleTech Aces, you’ll need to have signed on to the Mercenaries Kickstarter at any pledge level. What’s available right now is still in beta, so there are some ‘Mech types that are missing and some AI-recommended actions might not always make the most sense. However, what we have is a good idea of what to expect in a final product.
Courtesy of CGL
BattleTech Aces is basically a deck of cards that you can assign to the enemy ‘Mechs in order for them to take actions not made by any player. It’s you against the board, as tabletop fans might say. Each of Alpha Strike‘s ‘Mech types is assigned a deck of cards and each turn that ‘Mech draws a card that will determine what actions it takes.
On the back of a card is a number that will determine what priority that ‘Mech has over its AI-controlled teammates. The lower the number, the earlier in the turn order that ‘Mech will move. Where that ‘Mech goes and what it does is then determined by what’s written on the front of the card.
On the front is basically a list of priorities for that ‘Mech. Top of the list is the thing it should definitely do above all else, like “move into woods/cover from most enemies” or “move to most enemies within line-of-sight.” Those priorities will depend on the card and the type of unit assigned to that deck. There are usually four to five instructions for movement, with that unit attempting to achieve as many as possible.
When it comes time to start shooting, there’s a list of instructions in the Combat Phase section at the bottom of the card. These instructions will determine where that unit aims its guns and pulls the trigger. Typically, those instructions will be to aim at whatever ‘Mech it can most easily destroy or is the easiest to hit (slow ‘Mechs out in the open, for example), but I can easily see a set of Clan-focused cards that require the unit to follow the rules of zellbrigen until the cowardly Spheroids start focusing fire.
After the instructions on each card have told every AI-controlled unit where to move and where to shoot, the old card is discarded and a new card is drawn at the beginning of the next turn. If the game goes long enough to run out of cards, then you just shuffle them up to draw from a fresh deck.
It takes a few turns to get into the flow of things, but once you get used to the symbols on the cards, you can generally have the enemy team’s turn sorted out in short order. This makes games go even faster because one of the sides doesn’t have to think about what to do; their turns are already decided by the cards.
When I played BattleTech Aces, I used the Meet & Greet scenario where the player-controlled side of green Inner Sphere forces (with some minor alterations to account for the ‘Mechs we had on hand, including a Crab, a Wraith, a Spider, and a Stinger) took on a pair of deck-controlled veteran Clan ‘MechWarriors (driving a Nova C and a Pouncer Prime). Even though the Clanners had a cardboard brain, they still put up a hell of a fight, leaving just the Wraith alive by the end.
What struck me most is how effective these instructions were for providing a challenging opponent. You could even increase the challenge yourself by simply giving the bad guys a greater point value.
The other thing that I really liked about BattleTech Aces was just the fact it was a cooperative game. You can play with as many folks as you have ‘Mechs on the friendly side. It’s truly a shared experience, and you can have just as many nail-biting dice rolls without any of the hurt feelings (you can tell I’m maybe a big fan of co-op games).
And–I can’t stress this enough–having one side’s decisions already made makes the game go even faster than before. Depending on the number of units you field, you could potentially have several BattleTech Aces games done in a single afternoon. That’s a big swing from old-school tabletop BattleTech where games could take an entire weekend or even longer.
I totally recommend BattleTech Aces to anyone who’s got access to the digital rewards from the Mercenaries Kickstarter. And if you don’t, there’s still time to be a late backer.
As a note of warning, don’t expect the final product to just be those PDF files. Catalyst has stated that the final product might be several smaller releases or a “larger, more comprehensive product,” depending on the feedback it received from the playtest in May. Product development takes time and all that, but I can totally see a boxed product similar to Alpha Strike itself with its nicely-printed cards.
Catalyst has also told us to be patient for a version of Aces that might work with standard Total WarfareBattleTech. When standard BattleTech gets granular enough for you to target individual components, creating a single deck of cards to drive those ‘Mechs is a herculean task.
That’s fine though. I’m a much bigger fan of Alpha Strike anyway. Here’s hoping the Mercenaries Kickstarter arrives soon so I’ll be able to field my merc company against an AI-controlled team of Clanners once again.
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the forests are all on fire. Welcome to summer in 2023! Not only is it the season of sun, sand, and swimming, but it’s also the season of BattleTech! We’ve got a DropShip load of art, stories, videos, and news from across the Battletech universe, but we’re going to kick things off with a world first for the franchise.
Queer And Allied Writers Bring Us BattleTech Pride 2023 Anthology
Courtesy of Detocroix
June is the month of Pride, and to celebrate BattleTech being for everyone, several LGBTQ+ BattleTech writers got together to produce an anthology of short stories revealing that queerness does indeed exist in the 31st and 32nd centuries. Robin “Valk” Briseno, Albert “Blundering Albatross” Ross, Allen “Highmont” Nickloy, Detocroix, and Russel Zimmerman all contributed their works, with a forward provided by authors Bryan Young and Michael A. Stackpole. That incredible Bullshark cover art was provided by the talented Samantha Richardson, and there’s even more interior art courtesy of VersusJordan.
I won’t get into any spoilers, but I will say that all five of the short stories you’ll find within are entertaining in their own unique ways--just like Pride should be. Not all of them are about MechWarriors. Some don’t even portray MechWarriors in a particularly flattering light. Even still, I ate this anthology in an afternoon and enjoyed every page.
Up until Fox Tales and The Nellus Academy Incident, I’d never read about an even tangentially queer story set in the BattleTech universe. That’s not to say that BattleTech didn’t still speak to me, but the predominantly hetero-centric motivations for its characters certainly didn’t. Something like this though, makes me think that BattleTech is for everyone.
Best of all, the BattleTech Pride Anthology is 100 percent free. Head on over to Itch.io to download the anthology in your preferred file format.
Pride Anthology Causes Major Shakeup In BattleTech Reddit (And Opinion)
Courtesy of Snake of Limited Wisdom on Reddit
Now that we’ve gotten the Pride Anthology out of the way, let’s talk about the unfortunate fallout that the Pride Anthology caused on the BattleTech subreddit. This is both a longer story and a bit personal, so consider this in lieu of the usual opinion piece.
It’s no secret that I’m a frequent visitor of the BattleTech subreddit. I’m honored to have had Redditors repost the Bad ‘Mechs series there, and I’ve always loved looking at the various miniatures and personal projects shared by BattleTech fans. And while the rest of my Reddit feed always broke out into rainbow colors every June, the BattleTech sub remained chromatically muted.
For years, I thought nothing of it. I just assumed that there wasn’t a whole lot of overlap between the queer community and BattleTech. It’s only in the past year thanks to sites like Discord and Twitter that I’ve discovered there’s actually quite a vibrant and active queer community that loves its big stompy robots as much as I do. But even that wasn’t enough to get me to suspect something was up with the BattleTech subreddit.
Courtesy of Metalzarak on Reddit
It wasn’t until the Pride Anthology came along that I found out what was actually going on. It turns out the BattleTech subreddit moderators had been trashing any posts having to do with Pride or LBGTQ+ themes. Any rainbow-colored minis, any Trans flags flown on a Timber Wolf‘s arm, or any discussion at all about homosexuality in the BattleTech universe was effectively banned on the BattleTech subreddit.
We’d never would have found out if it wasn’t for the big splash made by the Pride Anthology. Only after several Anthology posts got removed did folks notice that it wasn’t just the Anthology that was having trouble sticking to the BattleTech subreddit. Eventually, the moderators came clean and provided a curiously tone-deaf explanation as to why the BattleTech Pride Anthology wasn’t worthy of the BattleTech subreddit.
According to Mr_Severan, one of the now-former BattleTech subreddit moderators, any queer content (including the Pride Anthology) broke Rule 1, which forbade any discussion of “real world politics.” Apparently, the existence of LGBTQ+ people was considered too political, and the moderators were instructed to remove any posts that even smelled slightly gay. I’m not even going to get into the bizarre 1988 excuse, as though queers didn’t exist before or after that year.
The post is now deleted, but I’ve read it, and it’s all garbage; that’s probably why it was deleted. And to his credit, Mr_Severan has since admitted such and apologized. But it served to further galvanize the queer BattleTech community, who brought the controversy to the attention of Catalyst Game Labs. Anthology author Rusty Zimmerman, alongside CGL community and marketing director Rem Alternis, went to the heroic effort of setting up an entirely new subreddit called r/OfficialBattleTech over the course of a single night in order to both distance the brand from the toxic moderation policies of r/BattleTech and to provide a CGL-approved presence on Reddit.
Courtesy of enbykaiju on Reddit
And for a while, r/OfficialBattleTech was the queerest subreddit I’d ever seen. Every post was a rainbow-colored ‘Mech or a King Crab in trans colors that said “This machine stomps fascists.” It was beautiful. I’d never felt more like a part of a community than during that single weekend when r/OfficialBattleTech was operational.
The subreddit didn’t last very long, and that’s because the owner of r/BattleTech, ddevil63, returned from a 15-year exile to boot the entire moderator team that had been screening queer content.
“I originally created r/battletech 15 years ago because I wanted a place to talk about Battletech on Reddit,” wrote ddevil63. “I have not been active as a moderator or contributor but I regularly read posts and comments. Yesterday was when I became aware of the removal of the Pride Anthology post and the rightfully deserved backlash. I have no moderation or community management experience but I’m trying my best to right any wrongs.”
In an AMA over on r/OfficialBattleTech, Catalyst reps including BattleTech line developer Ray Arrastia revealed they were in contact with ddevil63 to discuss the future of the two subreddits. It was eventually decided that the two subreddits would merge, with r/BattleTech becoming the official subreddit of BattleTech on the site. Additionally, a new set of community guidelines were established, among them being the number one rule from r/OfficialBattleTech: “BattleTech is for everyone.”
The thing that stuck with me through the whole ordeal is how it made me realize silencing all discussion of anything LGBTQ+ related really made me think that there wasn’t a single queer BattleTech fan out there in the whole universe. For years, I thought it was just me. It drove home how effective silencing discussion of LGBTQ+ concepts can be at isolating people; at making them feel sad and alone even when it’s about something that should be fun and inclusive.
I’m glad this story had a happy ending. Color has returned to the r/BattleTech subreddit, and while it doesn’t have quite the same number of pride flags being flown by Atlases, Centurions, and Elementals, I still see them often enough to be reminded that BattleTech really is for everyone.
However, there are lots of places that aren’t having a happy ending this Pride. Laws arebeing signed throughout the US that prohibit the display or discussion of LGBTQ+ concepts, which will have an equally isolating and harmful effect on queer people--especially children. It’ll also be a lot more destructive than just a bunch of mods removing Pride posts on a subreddit. That’s why it’s important for us to talk about these things here, now, so that nobody is made to feel alone.
And to anyone who wants to argue that the existence of LGBTQ+ people is “too political” for a BattleTech news blast, I can comfortably say you’re wrong. It’s never too political to stand up for what’s right.
— Art of Battletech & Mechwarrior (@ArtofBattletech) May 31, 2023
Ever since the very beginning of MechWarrior, a downed ‘Mech didn’t necessarily mean a dead pilot. More often than not, pilots would eject from their doomed machines to fight another day. Get knocked down in MechWarrior 2 or MechCommander, and you’d be treated to an ejection seat rocketing away. Usually.
MechWarrior 5, however, assumed that you turned your ejection system off for some reason. Your ‘Mech being downed meant you died and the mission would have to be restarted.
This mod doesn’t stop you from having to restart the mission, but MagnumGB has given MechWarrior its ejection seat back. As you can see in the video above, getting your ‘Mech shot out from under will result in a rocket literally being fired under your ass. Rhiana will then call for recovery teams which will hopefully find you before an errant autocannon round punctures your parachute.
I can’t say the Chimera was my favorite medium ‘Mech to come out of MechWarrior 4, but it was fast, came with a big MRM-20 that was a lot of fun, and was a reasonable choice to give to your lancemates early in the game. And now you can do the same thing in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries thanks to this mod from Pawel Czarnecki and SankaraSamsara.
As with last month’s Argus mod, Pawel Czarnecki made the model while SankaraSamsara did everything else. And as with the Argus mod (as well as SankaraSamsara’s other mods, including the Hellbringer, Summoner, Mad Dog, Timber Wolf, Hellcat, Stone Rhino, and more), your best bet to find this ‘Mech without touring the entire Inner sphere is to download and make use of the ‘Mech Delivery mod, something I sincerely hope gets incorporated into the base game eventually.
Before the r/OfficialBattleTech subreddit was taken offline, there was a flood of posts as CGL tried to get the word out to the community. Now that it’s gone, some of these posts will sadly be lost. Luckily, I’ve snagged a few choice pieces before they went back to being merged.
This one from Wild-Cat 144 is great because it shows a Clan Wolf MechWarrior wearing a bikini and perhaps the worst Mad Cat variant of them all, the Timber Wolf Alt. Config B. If I recall correctly, some MechWarriors got into their ‘Mechs wearing nothing but a cooling vest. Food for thought.
Lincoln Osis Says Screw Your Holotable!
Lincoln Osis from Sharlin648
Poor Lincoln Osis. It would be many years since his Clan Smoke Jaguar days before he’d see another victory, but we can always remember his goatee, cape, and dreamy mohawk hairdo. Too bad about the table.
This post came courtesy of Sharlink648’s artist friend. Thanks to you both!
A Lance At War
Lance by William Liu
We also have this incredible piece from artist William Liu. This is clearly a lance making a fighting retreat as that LeopardDropShip comes in to whisk them all away from whatever it is they’re blasting. Also, that Locust can jump, which is notable as I can recall not a single Locust variant that has jump jets.
The Art Of BattleTech (aka SankaraSamsara) also gave us a mod for MechWarrior 4‘s Catapult model, but I’m less excited for that as MechWarrior 5 already has the Catapult. This one is painted in Trans colors though, so it gets a nod. Pride and all.
What If The Steiner Scout Squad Came In A Sticker Pack?
— EEE_V (Am a hobby page at the moment) (@Erikaceous_VT) June 7, 2023
It would probably look a lot like this. Koodos to @Erikaceous_VT on Twitter for this incredible image that seems like it’d make a great avatar for various messaging apps. Maybe even turn it into a gif for a Steiner Scout Squad emoji pack. A guy can dream.
A Slightly More Anime Phoenix Hawk
Serah and Phoenix Hawk – by geergutz
There’s a little bit of irony here as the Phoenix Hawk design originally came from anime, but I had to make sure geergutz’s latest commission made it into the news blast somehow. Don’t think the machine guns were mounted in the torsos, though I do love the way ammunition is being fed in from the gantry.
— Art of Battletech & Mechwarrior (@ArtofBattletech) June 12, 2023
Can we have more art? Of course we can. This one comes by way of Art of BattleTech but it was commissioned by @AdventuringZone. It features Wilhelmina Korsht of Wolf’s Dragoons Gamma Regiment as drawn by Tan Ho Sim. A stunning level of detail is to be found here, from the lens flare to the painstaking recreation of the new Marauder II sculpt.
A Lego Marauder That Won’t Break Your Coffee Table
We all love a good Lego ‘Mech, and MoonBoots2077 has delivered unto us a Marauder MAD-5A that won’t break the metaphorical bank. Hansen’s Bricks are great, but some of those models are absolutely enormous and will shatter your coffee table if not your wallet. This one seems like it’ll fit neatly on a hanging shelf and won’t require a kidney to buy online.
Someone Turned Bad ‘Mech Articles Into An Audiotale
Hellbringer : Bad 'Mechs a Sarna Tale | Battletopia Stories
Apologies to Shrapnel of Battletopia, who has apparently been narrating BattleTech short stories for a while now, but I only just recently found out about his work after it was pointed out to me that he’d taken two Bad ‘Mechs articles and turned them into brief audioplays. That means they have sound effects, music, and production values that go way beyond your average audiobook.
My first time hearing the Hellbringer piece was absolutely surreal. I never really write the little vignettes at the beginning with any thought towards anything other than text, and actually hearing it work out with a bit of editing and voice acting was very cool. I think the Whitworth piece is even better just because there’s a lot more action involved, but they’re both quite excellent. Here’s hoping the Scorpion is next!
Robber Baron LAM Gives Me Strong Crimson Skies Vibes
I believe i'm finally finished with the homebrew Robber Baron LAM i've been working on for some time now. Quite happy with how it turned out in the end.#Battletech#3dartpic.twitter.com/X2XusxEAQr
At first, this was one of those “thanks I hate it” posts, but then I kind of thought about it for a second and decided that I actually love it. If you were to turn an Assassin into a LAM, this is exactly what it’d look like. Plus it sort of seems like it’d be right at home in the Crimson Skies universe, another beloved FASA game that unfortunately never became quite as popular as BattleTech.
I don’t think I want to add transforming robots to Crimson Skies, but I do love the idea of a LAM somehow being able to stay aloft through a three-bladed propeller. Definitely would stick to the Crimson Skies conceit of having slower-moving planes because this was all prior to World War 2’s race for bigger and better engines.
Von Solaris 7 Mod For MechWarrior 5 Is In Development
MechWarrior 5 Solaris 7 Mod Update - New Arena, Medium Mech League! Tune in for some live preview!
You want more mods? We got more mods! VonSeiten, famously of the vonBiomes mod for MechWarrior 5, has embarked on an even more ambitious project: the “vonMissions” Modpack, which will include Solaris 7.
Ever since MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, it’s been a tradition for MechWarriors to briefly cease whatever the hell they’re doing midway through the game in order to become the Solaris Champion. That tradition tragically didn’t continue in MechWarrior 5, but because MechWarrior 5 makes it so easy to mod, the tradition is kept alive thanks to vonSeiten.
Things are still in early development, but we got a sneak peek at Solaris 7 thanks to vonSeiten’s preview video above. Solaris will have leagues broken down by weight class, meaning you won’t be able to take a Centurion into the light ‘Mech league. Combat is sort of a grand melee similar to how it worked in MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries. You can see vonSeiten struggles with taking on multiple opponents in the bring and colorful arena (love the holographic advertisements). Getting blown up means you’re out of the tournament.
If you’d like to support vonSeiten’s work, consider subscribing to his Patreon where you’ll get early access to mods in development. Expect the vonMissions Modpack to arrive on Nexus Mods and Steam alongside the rest of vonSeiten’s mods.
Another MechWarrior 5 mod we need to talk about comes courtesy of TheMoneyMann and the Wolves development team. You might recall Wolves as the MechAssault fan game that you can download and play right now for free because the people making Wolves are awesome. And now you can play the same Mechssault ‘Mechs in MechWarrior 5.
The MechAssault Wolves ‘Mechs mod works best in conjunction with the popular Yet Anther Mech Lab mod, but you can get it to work without YAML so long as you remove the invalid slots in the ‘Mechlab. The mod provides you with the Cougar, Arctic Wolf, Thor, and Atlas, with TheMonkeyMann promising to release another wave of Wolves ‘Mechs every month.
I’m not sure why the Catlas has captured my fascination so much, but I’m running with this meme until it reaches some sort of logical conclusion. This model, custom-printed by Menarra on Reddit, isn’t quite that conclusion, but it’s another lumbering step on the Catlas’s journey. Perhaps we’ll see a new Catlas every month.
Sharapnel #13, Hansen’s Roughriders T-Shirt, And Misprinted Rifleman Headline Catalyst’s June Offerings
Push Your Luck!
Issue #13 of BattleTech: Shrapnel, the Official BattleTech Magazine is now available at the Catalyst Online Store! Check out the stories from new and veteran authors alike!https://t.co/VLMRg1nQph#battletech#fiction#NewRelease
A bit of a slower month for Catalyst, likely owing to work on the Mercenaries Kickstarter. We’ve got Shrapnel issue 13 to enjoy, featuring stories from authors like Bryan Young, Russel Zimmerman, David G. Martin, and many more. The other new product is a Hansen’s Roughriders t-shirt that will show your allegiance to one of the Inner Sphere’s largest but slightly lesser-known mercenary regiments.
Catalyst had one other announcement earlier this month. After being revealed at AdeptiCon, fans found out that some of the new premium Rifleman minis had been misprinted with incorrect proportions. Catalyst is asking anyone with a misprinted Rifelman to contact them at store@catalystgamelabs to arrange for a refund or replacement.
“We apologize for the inconvenience, but hope you enjoy your complimentary limited-edition Rifle-boy,” the company wrote, perhaps suggesting the direction of those incorrect proportions.
MechWarrior Online Kicks Off Beach Party Event That Lasts All Summer Long
Courtesy of PGI
Or at least almost all summer long. From now until August 22, players can enjoy MechWarrior Online: Legends‘ Big Beach Party 2023. This is a loot bag event, so if you’ve played in any other similar events, you’ll already know just how much free stuff you can get just for playing the game. On top of getting up to 400 loot bags which can contain anything from c-bills to cockpit decorations, players can earn up to four Hero ‘Mechs of their choice from each of the ‘Mech categories: light, medium, heavy, and assault. These Hero picks unlock after 250, 300, 350, and 400 loot bag redeems, with players able to get bonus redemptions by purchasing either a Platinum, Legendary, or Stone Rhino ‘Mech pack.
June also brings a brand-new patch to MechWarrior Online. First, we have two new Legendary ‘Mechs: the Quickdraw “Desperada” and the Timber Wolf “Howl.” Both have unique quirks and paint jobs, the 30-percent c-bill boost, and an associated mini battle pass that’ll unlock GSP, MC, premium time, and more. Desperada is also wearing Trans colors--an excellent nod to Pride month--as well as the phrase “uwu” on the left leg. There are also gay and Trans Pride decals available for purchase with c-bills.
In the balance department, the Cicada and Cyclops are this month’s big winners with adjustments made to the CDA-3M, 2A, 2B, and the Hero X5, as well the CP-11-A, DC, Z, and Slepnir. These are all buffs, so odds are your preferred Cicada or Cyclops is just going to be a whole lot better after June’s patch. The Fafnir also received some extra left and right-torso armor, too.
The patch is available now on all platforms. You can check out the patch notes here.
Big MechWarrior Announcements Coming Next Month
Just finished a nice dinner and a few beers with MW designer Chris Lowry. Great conversation. Who out there is starving for some MW news? You won’t have to wait too much longer, lots of news coming over the next couple/few months.
Some short but also very important MechWarrior news. PGI President Russ Bullock has confirmed that there’s “lots of news coming over the next couple/few months,” and then later told No Guts No Galaxy on Twitter to expect an “announcement in July and a bigger one in September-ish.”
There are some game festivals in the UK coming in July as well as San Diego Comic-Con, so we might see an announcement at one of those. September brings PAX West and Tokyo Game Show. PAX is right around the corner from PGI’s hometown in Vancouver, so I could see a bigger announcement coming then (MechWarrior 6 perhaps?), and maybe some news on MechWarrior 5‘s Japanese localization at TGS.
Honestly, I’m surprised I didn’t see this joke earlier. I’m not a huge Jade Falcon fan, but I do love me some second-line Clan ‘Mechs. They’re almost as bad as Inner Sphere ‘Mechs.
And that’s all for June! Remember, the month after Pride is wrath, so be sure to keep your heads down and avoid the rampaging queens.
Private Buckley turned her datapad over with a look of utter despondency. Private Kleber took it, scanned down the assignment list, and then handed it back as sympathetically as he could. “Oh, man. I’m so sorry,” he said.
“What am I going to do?”
“Well, first you’re going to make sure your neurohelmet is extra padded,” he suggested and then ducked as Buckley threw the datapad at where his head had been just a moment ago. The tough plastic managed to prevent the screen from shattering when it struck the wall, although that didn’t help Buckley’s mood.
“I’m serious! Have you ever driven a Scorpion? The thing is a death trap! You can’t move without tripping over your extra legs, and gods help you if you want to bring a mug of coffee into the cockpit.”
“I know,” Kleper sighed. “I’ve got a friend over in the Sixth. She got assigned a Scorpion–got concussed after her second shakedown. Tripped and fell, tree almost went straight through the command chair. She hasn’t been the same since then.”
‘You’re not helping,” Buckley whined.
“Alright, then what about sabotage? We could pull the board, tweak a few resistors, see if that throws up an error, then they hand you a shiny new Quickdraw.”
Buckley shook her head. “I even come near the ‘Mech bay, chief Gilles will have my head. He still hasn’t forgiven me for that time I accidentally dropped a burrito from the gantry.”
“You knew you shouldn’t have brought your lunch into the cockpit for neuro-synchronization. You’re lucky he didn’t have you court-martialed.”
“I know. Wait. You don’t think this is revenge, do you?” Kleper crossed his arms and shrugged, but his expression told her that was probably it.
Later on the proving grounds, Buckley’s Scorpion fell out of line with the rest of her lance. With the ‘Mech’s wildly wobbling gait, everyone expected her to fall spectacularly. Instead, the 55-ton machine just came to a stop and then seemed to sink to the ground–almost like the pilot had simply given up.
“Kleper!” Gilles shouted over the radio. “Get up there and see what the hell Private Buckley is doing! She’s not responding to comms.”
Kleper brought his Lancelot to a stop beside the apparently stricken Scorpion and hopped down using a rope ladder. Getting to the Scorpion’s cockpit proved relatively simple as its torso was resting on the ground like a dog whose owner had just whapped it on the nose with a rolled newspaper. Cracking open the hatch, Kleper peered inside and then immediately recoiled so far he fell backward off the resting ‘Mech.
He came too in the medical bay. Beside him was Private Buckley, bruised and pale, broken nose set in a splint, but otherwise fine. Then he remembered the sheer quantity of blood and barf that covered the inside of the Scorpion’s cockpit. It looked like an abattoir.
“They’ve given me my callsign,” Buckley said, staring blankly forward.
Kleper managed to mumble, “What is it?”
“Comet. It’s short for ‘Vomit Comet’.”
Kleper tried to laugh, but his concussion made even the slightest jostle too painful.
Days later, when Buckley returned to her freshly-cleaned Scorpion, she found a drawing painted to the barrel of its PPC. It depicted a cartoon cat wearing a cowboy hat riding a putrid green asteroid freshly ejected from an old-timey cannon.
As with many ‘Mechs, the Scorpion started with a sound concept. Four legs provide a far more stable platform than two, so the Scorpion was initially conceived as a fast-moving sniper. Unfortunately, the Scorpion was one of the very first quad ‘Mechs ever designed, and the engineers at Brigadier Corporation hadn’t yet figured out how to make a four-legged chassis move as fast as the Scorpion without making the ride intolerable for its sole human occupant. As such, the Scorpion was a reviled machine throughout its history and only survived the Succession Wars because nobody wanted to pilot it into combat.
Originally designed for the Terran Hegemony in 2570, the Scorpion seemed to be a fine ‘Mech on paper. With a top speed of 97.2 kph, the Scorpion could easily fire its long-range PPC and then reposition to avoid return fire. Seven tons of Star Slab armor was sufficient for a 55-ton medium ‘Mech and a backup Marvel Six-Load SRM-6 could keep the Scorpion safe from anything that managed to get too close. Ten heat sinks allowed the SCP-1N to remain relatively cool, although continued repositioning after firing its PPC would eventually lead to problematic heat buildup.
What soon became clear, however, were terrible flaws in the Scorpion‘s actuator systems and gyro alignment software. At low speeds, the Scorpion gave its pilot a rolling motion not too dissimilar to a rocking chair, but at high speeds, that motion became violent enough to earn the Scorpion the unflattering nickname of “bucking bronco.” Any sudden stops or changes in direction would fling the pilot around in their command chair, making tight safety bindings an absolute necessity. Many MechWarriors even went so far as to purchase additional padding for their neurohelmets to prevent cranial injuries.
But those suggestions were only given to Scorpion pilots who had no other option. Soldiers with even a hint of prestige begged to use any other ‘Mech, even ones perceived as lesser or outside of their trained specialty. The Scorpion received such terrible reviews that Brigadier ceased production before the First Succession War and instead opted to use the Scorpion‘s development data to create the Goliath, a far more successful quad ‘Mech.
It seems the Scorpion‘s development showed signs of trouble right up until the first ‘Mechs rolled off Brigadier’s assembly lines on Oliver. A small swivel tube mount just below the cockpit on older-model Scorpions would be the perfect place to mount a small support weapon like a machine gun or laser, but none was ever mounted. It’s speculated that this curious cosmetic feature was intended to be a support weapon but was removed just before Brigadier began mass assembly in order to streamline production.
Before giving up on the design, Brigadier Corporation attempted to use the Scorpion as the basis for a new Land-Air ‘Mech, thinking that pilots couldn’t complain about the ride if the ‘Mech was actually flying. While that seemed sound logic to Brigadier’s marketing department, the company’s engineers were never able to get the Scorpion‘s conversion system to function properly and the project was abandoned. However, in attempting to get the Scorpion to fly, those same engineers upgraded the Scorpion‘s leg suspension, actuators, and gyro software. The net effect was the Scorpion LAM was actually much better at walking than any Scorpion that had come before.
Tragically, the technology that could have saved the Scorpion (and the stomach contents of many Scorpion pilots) was literally buried in a research and development facility that was later lost during the Succession Wars. It wasn’t until 3065 that the schematics and even a semi-functional prototype were uncovered by Defiance Industries. Unaware of Defiance’s discovery, Brigadier Corporation Licensed the Scorpion design for a pittance, and Defiance started producing new Scorpions for the first time in centuries.
Brigadier produced thousands of the original SCP-1N, with most of them mothballed or sent to the furthest reaches of the Inner Sphere. As such, few saw intense combat and many survived the Succession Wars. With the rediscovery of Star League technology, Brigadier offered a basic upgrade package called the SCP-1O in 3049 that replaced the PPC with an extended-range version and gave it double heat sinks to keep the machine cool.
It wasn’t until the late 3060s that Defiance introduced the redesigned Scorpion. The SCP-12S offered improved defense and firepower, with two tons more armor, an LB 10-X autocannon with two tons of ammo, and CASE for its ammunition bins. A Light 330 engine provides the necessary weight savings for these improvements and 10 double heat sinks are more than sufficient to keep the SCP-12S ice-cold in nearly all combat encounters.
It wasn’t long before Brigadier found out about Defiance’s new design, either as part of its license agreement or through industrial espionage, leading to the SCP-12C in 3067. Having relocated its main manufacturing hub to the Free Worlds League, Brigadier’s main customers for the 12C were the FWLM and the Word of Blake, which would go on to launch its deadly Jihad mere months after the design’s inception. The SCP-12C upgraded the PPC to an ER PPC but drops the SRM-6 in favor of an ER Small Laser, an Improved Narc Missile Beacon, and a C3i computer. An XL engine and ferro-fibrous round out this Scorpion‘s improvements.
Somehow the Draconis Combine also got a hold of the Scorpion‘s design and produced the SCP-12K. This one vastly improved the Scorpion‘s protection with 10 tons of ferro-fibrous armor and also replaced the weapons with a Snub-Nose PPC, an MML-9 launcher with two tons of ammo, and an ER Medium Laser. A C3 computer allowed its MechWarrior to share targeting data as part of a C3 network, and an XL engine provides the necessary weight savings.
Following the Jihad, Defiance and Brigadier would continue to offer additional variants of the Scorpion. The SCP-1TB, built by subcontractor Bander BattleMechs, paired a Light fusion engine with a MASC system to give the chassis a top speed of 120 kph. It also replaced its weapons with twin Light PPCs and an MML-9. Meanwhile, the SCP-10M uses an endo steel chassis and a larger XL engine to naturally skitter at the same speed without the need for a cumbersome MASC system. It also featured an XL gyro to provide enough space for a Heavy PPC, an LRM-10, and nine tons of standard armor.
Brigadier’s latest offering, the SCP-2N, retains the speed of the 1TB model but opts for a Supercharger instead of MASC. It also provides the Scorpion with maximum armor protection for a ‘Mech of its size, CASE II for its ammo bins, and replaces its armament with a Plasma Rifle and two MML-3 launchers. A TAG system is fitted to the left torso to allow the SCP-2N to assist in artillery spotting.
Despite these new and altogether robust redesigns, it’s hard for the Scorpion to escape its centuries-old reputation for being a rough ride. It’s further hampered by a general disdain many MechWarriors still hold towards quad ‘Mechs. However, with multiple manufacturers now providing multiple variants of the venerable design, it seems the Scorpion will be a far more common sight on the modern battlefield.
Summer is here, and that means it’s time to go outside and play BattleTech! I recently got to play Alpha Strike for the first time using the new AI rules, and I have to say, it’s now my favorite way to play tabletop BattleTech. It’s fast, it’s cooperative, and you can play it on traditional hex maps or a larger non-grid play area. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on this more in an upcoming article.
For now, though, we gotta get through our May news items. And I think you know the biggest thing to happen this month, but just to be sure, here’s all that happened in BattleTech for the month of May.
BattleTech: Mercenaries Kickstarter Pledge Manager Opens, Come Get Your ‘Mechs (And Tanks)!
Are you a Mercenaries backer? Then now’s the time to get your orders in! The Kickstarter pledge manager has been opened and invitation emails are being sent out. Catalyst says 15,000 of you have already locked in your orders, which leaves roughly 8,000 left to go. If you haven’t received your invitation email, do not panic. The pledge manager will likely remain open “until AT LEAST the end of June,” so there’s still plenty of time. And if you missed the Kickstarter, you can still sign up as a later backer.
I’ve got a bunch of Inner Sphere ‘Mechs and seven whole Salvage Boxes coming my way, and who knows what’ll be in those? I could have got the guaranteed Blood Asp, but that ‘Mech is just too good for my refined palette. Give me a Scorpion any day. Plus I wanted an extra Shilone since they always fly in pairs.
Easily, the biggest Catalyst news is to get your Kickstarter orders squared away and to make sure you email Catalyst with any issues you might have with your order. Be sure to check the updates page to get the answers to some frequently asked questions.
But that’s not all we have from Catalyst this month! Earlier in May, Catalyst revealed the new BattleTech: Essentials Boxed Set, to be sold exclusively at a Target near you. This box set intended for beginners features the iconic duel between Yen-Lo-Wang and Legend-Killer in the arenas of Solaris VII, locked in a deadly combat to see which machine will bow out first. Besides these two legendary ‘Mechs, the box set also includes a 24-page novella, a double-sided map, some pilot cards, and a few paper cutout ‘Mechs in case players want to try something other than the included Rifleman and Centurion minis.
Last year, EliteAssault shared with us their progress on Grinder Enhanced 2, a new mod for MechAssault 2 that adds a survival-based game mode where you take down waves of Word of Blake ‘Mechs. Now, EliteAssault has returned with a cut game mode that’s been revived after nearly 20 years.
The mod is called Kick It!, a soccer/football-like game mode that turns MechAssault 2 into an early precursor to Rocket League. You got big ‘Mechs stomping around the pitch kicking an equally gigantic ball into a net the size of a city block. Elite Assault said in their video that all the necessary files were already present in one of MechAssault 2‘s DLC, but it’s presumed to have been cut very late in development. EliteAssault just had to rebuild the mission script that activated this game mode to return it to working order.
That’s maybe understating things slightly. EliteAssault explained in his video that this took a while to figure out as there are basically no map editing tools and very few hints for how the scripting would have worked. But after significant effort, we can all enjoy Rocket League with ‘Mechs.
Unlike Rocket League, your ‘Mech still has all the weapons it has in the regular game, so there’s nothing stopping you from performing a PPC-charged tackle in order to gain possession. You can’t shoot the ball, though, so your only option is to use your giant metal feet.
Best of all, this thing even works online, so you can play robocidal soccer with your friends. For the download link, head on over to EliteAssault’s Discord here.
Opinion Piece: Morgan Kell And The “Phantom ‘Mech”
Courtesy of Eldoniousrex
This technically happened in April, but I found it so fascinating that I kept the topic to discuss here. It’s all about Morgan Kell, Yorinaga Kurita, and the events which largely take place in Michael Stackpole‘s Warrior Trilogy. Specifically, Morgan’s supernatural ability to avoid being targeted by ‘Mech systems and magically avoid incoming fire.
Last month, Stackpole took to Twitter to explain the genesis of Phantom ‘Mech (not to be confused with the Phantom). In a nutshell, a warrior who achieves spiritual enlightenment can engage this supernatural ability in life-threatening situations. A convenient way to explain how an Archer can march through an entire Kuritan regiment unscathed, or how a veteran Warhammer pilot can miss at point-blank range.
The whole thing was loosely based on accounts from Medal of Honor recipients, which probably explains why it all seemed sort of believable in his books. It wasn’t space magic, just something that a very special person can do in very special circumstances. The problem with Morgan was, he seemed to be able to do it at will.
There’s a whole section on Sarna detailing the controversy surrounding Morgan Kell’s abilities, and I agree generally that there’s no place for the supernatural in a gritty sci-fi universe like BattleTech. Give me Kai Allard-Liao or Natasha Kerensky‘s pure skill over space magic any day.
But… maybe a little space magic? There is a reason why the supernatural is such a compelling subject throughout human history. Many of humanity’s greatest leaders--and greatest villains--tried to grasp the ineffable, if not through religion then spirituality or the arcane.
There was just something special about the rivalry between Yorinaga and Morgan that hasn’t really been captured in BattleTech fiction ever since. It’s a tricky thing to bring magic into a sci-fi world like BattleTech, and I’m not sure anyone but Stackpole could do it again. But I do miss that sometimes. What are your thoughts on space magic in BattleTech? Leave a comment below.
I’m honestly not sure why nobody has thought of this earlier unless it was in Critter-TEK and I’ve simply forgotten. The story here is that Misterpiece reached out to fed0tich about a month ago to create this custom Atlas, and earlier this month, we got to see the fruits of this transaction.
What’s really great about this piece is how much people have added to it. We’ve already got suggested loadouts for the Atlas AS7-KT “Catlas,” including Short Range Meowssiles, twin Heavy Paswers, and one big AC/Kittenty, which I might suggest we call an AutoCatton/20. The whole thread is well worth a read when you get the chance.
No sooner do we get the drawing we get the mini. Although, this one seems to be a bit more Alice in Wonderland-themed than strictly cat.
Argus And Firemoth Arrive In MechWarrior 5 Thanks To Mods
— Art of Battletech & Mechwarrior (@ArtofBattletech) May 3, 2023
We got two new ‘Mechs to add to MechWarrior5 thanks to two different modders. First, The Art of BattleTech has returned with the Argus mod featuring a model by the talented aritst, Pawel ‘Porky’ Czarnecki. This model has apparently been collecting dust since 2001 but now finally gets to stretch its 60-ton legs thanks to MechWarrior’s modding community.
The second comes courtesy of KodiakJ who brings us the Clans tiniest-yet-deadliest ‘Mech, the Fire Moth. This mod features 15 variants, one Hero variant, available in several faction patterns, and is compatible with Yet Another Mech Lab. Mercenary commanders are cautioned against using the Fire Moth as it’s extremely lightly armored and is nominally intended for Clanners to seek a noble death before reaching Solahma age. Sounds like a challenge to me.
I don’t know why exactly, but a bunch of artists decided to make May the month of adorably reimagined Clans. We have Clan Pupper, two ClanNovakitties, and one Clan Spooky Beaw. Apparently, this news blast is slightly furry-themed.
Override Engaged To Host BattleTech Event At Nashcon
In local event news, Override Engaged in collaboration with Small Town Games of Lewisburg Tennessee is putting on an event at NashCon 2023. Starting Thursday, August 17 at 7 PM, Override Engaged will host pick-up games and a night of socialization. On Friday starting bright and early at 8 AM will be a narrative-focused game on the Solaris Civil War, and Saturday will be a three-round Classic BattleTech tournament as well as the start of the painting competition. Sunday will be the three-round Alpha Strike tournament as well as another painting competition. Awards and prizes will be handed out Saturday and Sunday following each tournament.
For more details, check out the Google Doc here. And if you’ve got an event you’d like to advertise in Sarna’s newsletter, be sure to drop me a line! You can do that by leaving a comment (I read every single one--yes, even the ones I trash) or by emailing me here.
I know I may have poo-pooed the Stone Rhinoin a recent Bad ‘Mechs piece, but when Clanners aren’t trying to preserve their antique, the Stone Rhino is a very capable ‘Mech. Lots of armor, big weapon hardpoints, and jump jets to help maneuver where other assault class ‘Mechs can’t, the Stone Rhino is an excellent sniper that’s just waiting to be converted into a close-range brawler. Other variants allow for missile, laser, or ballistics boating as per user preference. My only concern is that the left and right torsos are likely to be quite bulgy, requiring pilots to avoid XL engines, but we’ll have to wait for the Stone Rhino‘s release to see how its components shake out.
Speaking of patches, May’s patch has brought two new Legendary ‘Mechs: the Cyclops “Arges” and the Supernova “Seraph.” As with all the new Legendary ‘Mechs, they come with a 30 percent C-bill bonus, their own mini battle passes that’ll give you extra GSP, C-bills, MC, Premium Time, cockpit items, and some unique quirks. The Arges comes with a ghost heat quirk that lets it fire seven Medium Lasers before it starts to get extra crispy as well as a suite of sensor-based quirks that give it extra sensor range, target retention range, seismic detection range, and faster target info gathering. The Seraph, meanwhile, gets extra coolshot consumables to let it keep blasting away with its arsenal of lasers and autocannons. Both of these ‘Mechs are on sale now for $15 USD.
There are loads of small map adjustments for MechWarrior Online‘s quickplay maps, including Canyon Network, Grim Plexus, Viridian Bog, and Hellebore Outpost, as well as Faction Play maps like Vitric Forge and Emerald Taiga. Plus a bunch of ‘Mechs have received quirk adjustments, including the Wolfhound, Shadow Hawk, Archer, Nova Cat, and Cataphract. The biggest winner this month seems to be the Cataphract, with variants having their quirks streamlined and receiving various heat, range, and velocity bonuses. Of special note is the Ilya Muromets Hero ‘Mech, which now has a 5 percent speed bonus.
As usual, there are loads of changes in the patch beyond what I mentioned here, so be sure to check out the full patch notes here.
Purple Drops, A Legendary Maps & Mechs Mechwarrior Dubstep Rock Opera, Part 1
And before I forget, Eldfat is back with a few MechWarrior Online compilations. The first is on the Free Worlds Coliseum map, and the other is on the Crucible. Lookin’ for some stompy robot action to play in the background? Can’t go wrong with these. And they’re featuring the Moonwalker, one of the new Legendary ‘Mechs.
I know we don’t like getting political over here, but this one made me laugh. Not only is it a good shitpost, but I personally think these ‘Mechs actually look pretty good with a little explosive reactive armor. My heart goes out to Existing_Notice2033 for the painstaking process of gluing on each of those tiny blocks, though.
Now we just need a few ‘Mechs with cope cages. Maybe in the next TRO.
And that is it for May! Join us next month for probably more furry BattleTech art, or perhaps some AI-generated art. Or perhaps both. The future is becoming increasingly bizarre.
Quan Roberts, the lead engineer of the Kallon engineering incubation team, stormed into the room with a rigid frown creasing his forehead. Roberts had a reputation for being a demanding manager, and most under his command knew to stay quiet when he was in one of his moods. Most, but not all.
“Alright team, we have our orders. The top brass wants us to take another look at the Rifleman. Thoughts?”
“Um, sir?” Asked one fresh-faced tech. “Why might management be considering a replacement for the Rifleman?”
Everyone else in the conference room immediately looked away as though trying to avert their eyes from witnessing a gruesome hoverbike crash. It had been just four years since the introduction of the RFL-3N, and it had since gone on to become one of Kallon’s most successful products. To even think about replacing it so soon sounded more like an insult than a challenge.
Roberts stared the question down for a few tense moments, then responded. “This stays between us, but Kallon management has been discussing potential sales with House Davion following the cessation of internal hostilities.”
“You mean after the SLDF invades Terra and kills Amaris?”
Another few moments of tense silence, then Roberts nodded. “So far, Amaris Empire forces haven’t been able to stop Kerensk’s drive coreward. Management believes it’s just a matter of time before the civil war is over, and what comes next could be a very lucrative opportunity for Kallon.”
“So this request for a Rifleman replacement is really just an excuse to arm the Davions, right?”
“Not officially,” Roberts pressed both palms on the table. “And I will remind all of you that any wild presumptions will be strenuously denied by Kallon should any FORMER employees express them outside this room.”
There were a few furtive glances, but Roberts judged the message to have been universally received. “Now, let’s think of this as an opportunity for a do-over. How could we make a better Rifleman?”
“Um,” the same fresh-faced tech started. “Well, the pilots s-say that the Rifleman is too hot, doesn’t have enough ammo, and its armor protection is in-insufficient.”
“Alright, then here’s what we’re going to do.” Roberts took a datapad and started furiously typing up a preliminary design document. “We’re going to make a bigger, better Rifleman based on those criteria. It’ll be heavier, we’re going to replace the lasers with more autocannons, and make sure to keep the same targeting capabilities that everyone loves from the Rifleman.”
“But sir–even with five more tons, the chassis won’t be able to–“
“You!” Roberts pointed at the tech. “You’re fired! Clean out your desk and remember the terms of your NDA.”
The rest of the team was silent save for the sound of footsteps as the now jobless tech shuffled quietly out of the conference room.
Roberts made a few more grand gestures on his datapad and then threw it on the table. “The rest of you have three weeks to get a functional design out of this. Get to work.”
It wasn’t until five minutes after Roberts left the room that another engineer actually picked up the datapad. He then handed it over to the woman on his left, who handed it to the woman on her left.
Finally, it reached someone who said what everyone had been thinking. “The only way this thing moves with that many autocannons is if we remove more armor from the Rifleman. And with the added ammo bins, it’ll be even more vulnerable to sympathetic cookoffs.”
Another engineer just shrugged. “Well, orders are orders I guess. Hope those Davions have life insurance.”
It’s truly amazing that a proposed replacement for one of the most popular failures of all time could itself become a key pillar of an entire Great House’s armed forces. And yet, the JagerMech is a story of improbable beginnings leading to even less probable financial success for one extremely successful interstellar arms manufacturer.
In 2774, Kallon Industries, makers of the wildly popular Rifleman BattleMech, introduced its replacement: the JM6-S JagerMech. It was merely four years since the introduction of the RFL-3N, a variant that was supposed to have finally perfected the Rifleman, but MechWarriors reported a number of shortcomings with the older machine. Specifically, the RFL-3N ran far too hot, had insufficient ammunition for its arm-mounted autocannons, and it had insufficient protection for front-line combat.
Kallon’s solution was to create a ‘Mech that did indeed solve the Rifleman‘s heat issues but increased its overreliance on ammunition-based weaponry, added more ammunition bays, and stripped away what little armor the Rifleman had. The result was a ‘Mech that was more vulnerable than the Rifleman in every measurable way.
Had the JagerMech been introduced during peacetime, perhaps Kallon would have been rightly ridiculed for making a worse Rifleman and calling it an improvement. But because the JagerMech was introduced at the very height of the Amaris Civil War, media outlets had larger headlines to fill their nightly news broadcasts, and the JagerMech‘s shortcomings were explained away to military procurement officials as all part of the design.
When the civil war ended and the Succession Wars began, House militaries had a sudden and desperate need for any and all war material they could get their ironfisted hands on. Kallon sold the JagerMech to both the Federated Suns and Capellan militaries, but it was the Suns’ love of autocannons that gave the JagerMech a permanent home.
Armed with twin Mydron Model C AC/5s and twin Model D AC/2s, the JagerMech could put down a withering hail of light cannon fire, provided its ammunition bays remained topped up. Kallon marketed the JagerMech as a second-line fire support and anti-aircraft ‘Mech so that customers understood the importance of keeping the JagerMech near its munitions.
Despite this, the Fed Suns often placed JagerMechs in striker lances as on-demand fire support similar to how infantry doctrine demanded at least one heavy gunner be assigned to each squad. Rather than replace the Rifleman, the JagerMech found itself serving alongside the Rifleman in a role it had never been designed to fulfill.
Over the course of the Succession Wars, the JagerMech would receive a stellar reputation from MechWarriors who used it in its intended role as second-line fire support. Those MechWarriors who used it in its non-intended role as first-line fire support didn’t get the chance to complain about the JM6-S’s paltry six tons of armor (two less than the Rifleman) because they never survived combat.
Word of mouth has a way of favoring the survivors, and the JagerMech would go on to become a central pillar of the Federated Suns armed forces.
Even from the outset, however, Davion officials identified the JagerMech‘s faults and proposed a solution. The JM6-A, introduced in 2778, replaced the Mydron Model Cs with twin LRM-15 launchers and an additional two tons of armor. This brought the JagerMech back to being at least as armored as the Rifleman, but the variant remained rare within the AFFS as Kallon only made two production runs of the JM6-A.
It wasn’t until the rediscovery of Star League technology from the Helm Memory Core that the JagerMech received its first real upgrade. The JM6-DD replaced the AC/5s with quick-firing Ultra versions, upgraded the Medium Lasers to Pulse variants, added cellular ammunition storage for greater pilot survivability, and added Ferro-Fibrous armor for greater overall protection. This variant would see heavy fighting with both the FedCom armed forces and the DCMS as it was introduced just months before the Clan Invasion. The JM6-DD would become a rare symbol of cooperation between the Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns.
In the late 3050s, Kallon thought to redesign the JagerMech to make it far more like the ‘Mech it ostensibly replaced. The JM7-D mounts twin AC/5s and twin ER Large Lasers in the arms along with a pair of Medium Lasers in the torso for up-close defense. The JM7 chassis is also five tons heavier, although that weight is mostly taken up by three additional double heatsinks that keep the ‘Mech cool if not well-protected. The JM7-F mimics the RFL-8D with twin Mydron Rotary Autocannon/5s and two Medium Lasers but justifies its existence with ECM and a Targeting Computer.
Still not satisfied with the JM7 line, Kallon was ordered by the AFFS to produce yet another redesign as part of First Prince Victor Steiner-Davion‘s plan to rebuild national pride in its armed forces following the thrashing it received during the Clan Invasion. In 3058, Kallon introduced the JM6-D3 JagerMech III, armed with twin Ultra Autocannons, twin PPCs, and twin Medium Lasers. A VOX 325 XL propels the JagerMech III up to 86.4 kph–faster than any previous JagerMech–and 12 double heat sinks keep the ‘Mech relatively cool. Notably, the JagerMech III has nine and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor, although a lack of CASE still leaves it vulnerable to ammunition explosions.
The prevalence of the JagerMech in the former Federated Commonwealth meant there were many machines to upgrade during the Word of Blake Jihad. The JM6-DDa brings the DD’s Ultra Autocannons back down to their standard versions and replaces the smaller autocannons with Light AC/2s. This allows for specialized munitions in CASE-protected ammo bays. A Targeting Computer ensures those rounds find their mark.
The JM7-C3BS, introduced in 3075, mounts four Light AC/2s (two in each arm) and twin Snub-Nose PPCs. A single ER Medium Laser in the center torso provides defense should the JagerMech‘s arms become disabled, while an experimental C3 boosted slave shares targeting data with lancemates.
In the modern age, the JM7-DD finally achieves adequacy through the use of Clan tech, CASE II, and more Ferro-Fibrous armor than any JagerMech has ever been protected by. It seems the JagerMech, much like the Rifleman, may have finally grown into the role of frontline fire support it had historically been thrust into against its designers’ will.
April fools! Your prank came at the end of the month instead of the beginning. Tricksy, eh? But seriously, I’ve never understood the appeal of April Fool’s Day. Maybe that’s because I have a lot of news to write and dealing in anything but facts just makes my job harder. These days, truth is often stranger than fiction, so it can be hard to know what’s a joke and what’s not.
But a trained BattleTech eye can separate the lies from the truth, although I do have a few interesting lies to share which celebrated the non-holiday. So without further adieu, let’s jump into April’s headlines.
Mercenaries Triples Clan Invasion Kickstarter Total With $7.5 Million Pledged
I get that there’s been quite a bit of inflation between now and the 2020 Clan Invasion Kickstarter, but $7.5 million is still a lot of money. Since the campaign ended earlier this month, Mercenaries has become one of the top 20 highest-funded Kickstarters of all time. Mercenaries has also more than doubled the number of backers from the Clan Invasion, with 23,654 mercs pledged to form their own interstellar group of guns-for-hire.
Sadly, we didn’t quite reach the $8 million stretch goal that would have given everyone a free Blood Asp (at Company level and above), but we did unlock a lot of stuff. Since Mercenaries broke the $7 million goal, everyone at Company level and above gets two ForcePacks of their choice (one from the $5 mil goal and another from the $7 mil goal), while Battalion level backers and above get four additional ForcePacks. Everyone gets free audiobook versions of Eclipse by Jason Schmetzer, Close Quarters by Victor Milan, and A Splinter of Hope by Philip A. Lee, PDF copies of Cracked Canopy Cookbook, Mercenary Life, Tales of the Bounty Hunter, and No Greater Honor, and a whole bunch of Salvage Boxes which will contain random ‘Mechs.
Of course, there’s way more than that available, and listing it all here would take hours I don’t have. You’ll just need to check the Kickstarter page to see what your pledge has unlocked.
According to Catalyst, they have over 400 items to configure, so expect the pledge manager to be available in two-to-three weeks. Then you’ll be able to select your ForcePacks and other add-ons from the manager. All the physical stuff is expected to arrive around June 2024, but as with the Clan Invasion Kickstarter, I’m going to suggest we exercise patience. While global supply chains have largely untangled themselves from the pandemic, this Kickstarter is more than twice as big as the last one, which probably requires some serious man-hours.
Oh, and in case you missed it, the Mercs Kickstarter even made mainstream news outlets like Polygon and Forbes. BattleTech is hitting the big time!
Catalyst has put out a video series asking both fans and actual BattleTech creatives, “What does BattleTech mean to you?” To Mitch Gitelman, studio head of BATTLETECH developer Hairbrained Schemes and producer for both the MechCommander and MechAssault games, BattleTech was his entry into “big-time video game development.” To BattleTech writer Chris Hussey, BattleTech is an expansive universe where fans can always find something they like, provided it’s not aliens or magic. And to Nick Smith, president of BattleTech pod company Virtual World Entertainment, BattleTech is “a place for everybody” with a “love for big stompy robots.”
To me, it’s all those things too. BattleTech didn’t get me into game development, but it certainly helped me find a new career after I quit schilling for an insurance company. It’s also a huge universe where you can really find any kind of sci-fi, whether it be super high-tech space battles between rival galactic nations or a down-in-the-dirt contest between two martial arts experts. It’s got everything from political dramas to spy thrillers, but throughout the universe, it all comes back to those giant stompy robots.
On top of that, BattleTech represents a sort of gritty military sci-fi that’s okay to love. I’ve always had a fascination with military hardware, whether it be World War 2 battleships or modern jet fighters, but I’ve always had a problem with getting too excited about these weapons of war. Geeking out over a MiG-29 or an MP5 can be a lot of fun, but these things have killed real people. With BattleTech being a completely fictional universe, I don’t have to worry about that.
Oh don’t get me wrong--BattleTech has plenty of documented atrocities where ‘Mechs killed civilians wholesale, but it’s all make-believe. We can joke about the Word of Blake nuking most of Wolf’s Dragoons into atoms because it’s not real. And in an age where armed conflict seems to be escalating every day, I think it’s important to have that geeky outlet for hardcore military sci-fi where the stakes just aren’t as high.
I’m not sure I’d actually want to live anywhere in the BattleTech universe (with the exception of the Magistracy, of course), but I’m glad it’s here in our universe.
MechWarrior Living Legends Rebrands As MechWarrior LOL
Another good one, this time from Reddit user Samwitch13. Pretty sure that paint job came from the recent PseudoTech featuring the Urbie Derby, but can’t say that Photoshop isn’t on point. But hey, just imagine what a BattleTech movie could be with Disney money.
Crescent Hawks Training Video Details Exploits Of The Kell Hounds
BattleTech Crescent Hawk Training Vid - Kell Hounds
Here’s a fun new video that came as part of the Mercenaries Kickstarter. Catalyst reached out to Rem Alternis Productions to produce a training video for new recruits to the Crescent Hawks, where the motto is: “We’re here to make money, not friends.” The video deals with the formation and legacy of the Kell Hounds, its notable figures, and their ‘Mechs, as well as what the famed mercenary unit is up to during the ilClan era.
It’s a good refresher if you’re not up on your Kell Hounds lore. Hopefully we’ll get a few more of these videos.
3D artist Maska brings us this brief animation of a King Crab making its way downtown, firing its twin AC/20s at some unfortunate soul off-camera. Ever since the King Crab became the poster child for MechWarrior 5, we’ve been seen more of the Crab‘s bigger, badder, and meaner brother. Can’t say I’m disappointed. Kudos to you, Masaka!
PGI Is Hiring A Writer (Probably For MechWarrior 6)
Wanna write the next MechWarrior game? PGI, developer of MechWarrior Online, MechWarrior 5, and holder of the MechWarrior IP, is hiring a”Narrative Writer II.” The listing doesn’t explicitly state that it’s for MechWarrior 6, but it does say that an applicable qualification is “passion for the MechWarrior/Battletech universe IP.” So it’s possible this is for new MechWarrior 5 DLC or for some wild expansion to MechWarrior Online, but I’m betting whoever lands this gig would be writing for the next MechWarrior game.
We should note that game writing isn’t your typical writing gig. This job doesn’t send you off to write a novel or a short story to somehow turn into a video game--it’s writing with an eye and ear toward in-the-moment game design. That means scripting levels so that they jive with the audio cues and physical action, which means a lot of coordination with the narrative director, level designers, and audio team. It also means writing using game engine editors and scripting tools, as well as documentation for external localization.
PGI is looking for someone in the field with two years of experience writing and at least one shipped title. Obviously, love for the BattleTech universe is a bonus, but not strictly speaking a necessary qualification. It’s more important to know and understand military jargon than to know every ‘Mech in the Inner Sphere, although, knowing the quirky military jargon of the Clans would probably be a huge bonus. Probably.
The position has a flexible schedule, “comprehensive benefits,” and remote work is available. Heck, I should apply. I don’t actually have any games writing experience, but how hard could it be?
Hairbrained’s BATTLETECH had probably the best voice acting of any BattleTech or MechWarrior game out there, and that was in no small part due to the performance of Gin Hammond as Lady Kamea Arano. So it means a lot when Lady Arano herself comes forward to say “Trans rights are human rights.”
Scarlerr posted this to the BattleTech subreddit. I’ve seen a lot of miniatures, some paintings, and even a few scale models, but I’ve never seen a watercolor paper diorama with a Raven front and center.
The best part is the little cottage. Is this the Raven‘s summer home? Does it vacation here every weekend from March to October, water-skiing with its UrbanMech neighbors? Or is it a fairy-tale character like Little Red Riding Hood, off to meet her grandmother who’s been eaten by a Timber Wolf?
We need the story, Scarlerr.
Von Biomes 12 Makes MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Very Pretty
Mechwarrior 5 - MODDED! New Mod vonBiomes 12 is out on Nexus, Steam & Patreon!
Head over to either the MechWarrior 5: MercenariesSteam Workshop page or the Nexus Mods site, and you’ll see Yet Another Mechlab is the most popular mod. Look a few mods down the list though, and you’ll see vonBiomes, a mod that I’d definitely consider adding to your rotation so long as you’ve got a gaming rig that can handle it.
MechWarrior 5 already has a lot of different biomes that you can potentially drop onto, but after a while they all sort of blend together. Download the vonBiomes mod and you’ll never get bored of tromping through a volcanic waste or massive junkyard. The mod adds over a dozen new biomes, including one with giant alien fungal growths, a desert with actual cacti, and an old-growth forest where trees are actually way taller than the ‘Mechs. The only downside is that these biomes are so pretty that they can really tax your machine, especially if you’ve got ray tracing turned on.
VonBiomes recently received its 12th update with a ton of new stuff. Besides the usual bug fixes and compatibility with the recently released Rise of Rasalhague DLC, version 12 adds new dynamic lighting for sunny planets, new mission backgrounds, and UI updates. It’s all very pretty, which you can see in vonSeiten’s video, so if you’ve got a good gaming rig, be sure to give this mod a download.
RenegadeHPG Interviews Loren L. Coleman
A Conversation with Loren L. Coleman | Catalyst Game Labs Owner/CEO (Part 2: The Publisher)
Travis over at RenegageHPG sat down with Loren L. Coleman, co-founder of Catalyst Game Labs and current “steward” of the Battletech license. Since the conversation lasted nearly two hours, Travis broke this interview into two parts, with the first mostly talking about Loren’s time as a BattleTech author and the second dealing more with his managerial role at Catalyst.
The first part doesn’t really tread any new ground, but I find part two to be a very interesting conversation. Catalyst had a lot of problems when it took the BattleTech license from WizKids following Dark Age, and getting things back on track required a herculean effort. He also dove into the success of the Clan Invasion Kickstarter and why Catalyst keeps crowd-funding these product releases.
There’s a lot of interesting stuff here, so I encourage y’all to set aside some time to see what Loren has to say.
MechWarrior Online: Legends Adds New Legendary ‘Mechs In April Patch
In MechWarrior Online: Legends news, April brings two new Legendary ‘Mechs to, some map updates, and yet more adjustments to ‘Mech quirks. The Scattershot is a Shadow Hawk variant that comes armed with two MRM-20s and three LB-X AC/2s, which is pretty good for a stock loadout. You’ll also get a mini battle pass that lets you earn GSP, C-bills, MC, premium time, and cosmetics just for playing the Scattershot. Meanwhile, the Marauder IIC “Dreadnought” is an Annihilator with a dead side. Four LB10-X ACs are paired with four ER Small Lasers, but only one of each are located on the left side of the ‘Mech, meaning it retains the bulk of its firepower even after losing its left torso.
These new Legendary ‘Mechs are really good, with unique and desirable characteristics that set them apart from every other ‘Mech in the game. It has a few players accusing PGI of releasing pay-to-win ‘Mechs, but having played my fair share of World of Warships, that’s nothing new for a free-to-play game.
Both Terra Therma and Free Worlds Colosseum received updates that’ll hopefully mean fewer MechWarriors getting stuck on geometry. Free Worlds in particular received a bunch of new trees and foliage that’ll make it more interesting, but removed the fireworks. Not sure why, but no more colorful explosions will appear in the sky unless the player puts them there.
As for quirks, the Osiris, Hatchetman, Storm Crow, Summoner, and Fafnir are all big winners in this patch. The Fafnir in particular received armor buffs and reductions to its critical hit chances that’ll hopefully make it into the terrifying behemoth it should be. The Wolfhoundreceived some quirk consolidation, although some variants might see their heat-sinking diminished after April’s patch.
A few specific variants have also received some quirk adjustments, which you can read about in the patch notes here.
And that’s it for April! Join us next month for yet another rundown on all the best news for BattleTech fans like you.
“I will defeat you with two of my Large Lasers powered down!”
“Then I will face you without my machine guns!”
The red-haired MechWarrior scoffed at Star Commander Edwin’s counter-bid. “And you think those piddly armaments would do any more than scratch by Dire Wolf’s paint?”
“Well… there are four of them!”
Star Commander Ross laughed. “Very well, we shall commence our ‘Mech-based duel without your anti-infantry weapons.” The surrounding MechWarriors chuckled at the Clan equivalent of a good zinger.
It was clear to Edwin that he was already losing the opening rounds of this Trial of Grievance. It was unusual for warriors to bid away individual weapon systems before such a trial, especially when both their ‘Mechs were of equal weight, but Ross believed the best way to prove the superiority of her Dire Wolf was to fight Edwin’s Bane without two of its main weapons. Edwin, proud of his classic Jade Falcon assault ‘Mech and eager to demonstrate the superiority of Falcon engineering over a traditional Clan Wolf design, couldn’t let Ross humiliate him before the battle had even begun.
“Additionally,” Edwin called over the laughter of his fellow MechWarriors, “I will fight without two of my autocannon’s ammo bins.”
That caused the laughter to stop–from everyone but Ross. “Well bargained, and done!” She then turned and walked towards the hangars, leaving Edwin speechless and surrounded by looks of concern.
The fight began at range. Ross’s remaining ER Large Lasers stitched lines across Edwin’s Bane, while LRMs pockmarked the assault ‘Mech’s tough armor. In response, Edwin fired all ten of his ultra autocannons, dumping hundreds of rounds into the Dire Wolf’s equally thick hide. The two behemoths stalked forward almost in lockstep, closing the distance while under equally withering fire. By the time the distance between them had closed to within range of Ross’s Medium Pulse Lasers, both their armor were in tatters.
One more fusillade and Edwin would start tearing away at Ross’s internal structure. He pulled the trigger to start delivering the final blows, only nothing happened. A blinking red light on his HUD confirmed his ammo bins had run dry. And without being able to use his machine guns, he was reduced to dishonorable physical combat.
“What’s the matter, Star Commander,” came Ross’s mocking voice. “Have you run out of ammo?”
Edwin slumped in his command chair. She was right–he didn’t stand a chance without working weapons. But he was a proud Falcon warrior, and if there was one thing Falcons didn’t know, it was when to quit.
Edwin shouted into his neurohelmet and kicked his Bane up to its maximum speed of 54 kph. As green bolts chewed into his ‘Mechs internals, Star Commander Edwin lumbered towards victory or death.
There is perhaps no greater example of the Clan’s disregard for ammo dependency than the Bane. With a mere four tons of ammo feeding ten dual-speed autocannons, the Bane is liable to empty its bins in even light combat actions. In protracted fights, the Bane will find itself a 100-ton target for ‘Mechs designed with the foresight of unrestricted warfare.
Like the Stone Rhino, the Bane (or Kraken, as it is known in the Inner Sphere) started life as a Star League-era prototype design. No examples were built before the Amaris Civil War, but as with many future Clan ‘Mechs, the Bane‘s blueprints were taken with General Kerensky during the Exodus. Following Operation Klondike and the re-taking of the Pentagon Worlds, small-scale production of the Bane would see it included in various Clan toumans, fulfilling the role of heavy ranged support. The Bane would be phased out with the arrival of the OmniMech, although the venerable design would continue to see use in second-line units and garrison forces.
Despite newer ‘Mechs supplanting its role in the decades following its introduction in 2827, the Bane would continue to be a favorite of Clan Jade Falcon, often serving as a test-bed for the latest generation of equipment. Production of the Bane would continue at Tokasha MechWorks until the Falcon’s abjuration from the Clan Homeworlds, at which point production was transferred to Olivetti Weaponry on Sudeten.
The initial design for the Bane saw a 100-ton chassis bristling with small-caliber autocannons and machine guns. The Bane had ten such Ultra Autocannon/2s backed up by four machine guns for anti-infantry work. This armament made the Bane incredibly effective both as an anti-aircraft platform and a ‘Mech that could eliminate entire platoons of unarmored infantry. That would remain true until the advent of Elemental armor in the late 2860s, although the sheer volume of fire coming from a single Bane was still problematic for even a full point of Elementals.
The Bane‘s armament would prove less effective against peer foes, especially new-generation assault OmniMechs like the Executioner, Warhawk, and Dire Wolf. Although still effective at crippling lighter ‘Mechs at extreme ranges, heavier units could withstand the Bane‘s lead rain and respond with more potent weapons. Bane MechWarriors often found their four tons of ammunition run dry just before penetrating heavily armored opponents, leaving the Bane combat ineffective at the worst possible moment.
Although flawed for its extreme dependence on ammunition and access to secure supply lines, the Bane did have an exceptional nineteen tons of armor and ten double heat sinks to keep the machine cool in various situations and environments. Its use of standard armor and a standard chassis also made it easier to produce and repair, two qualities that made the Bane especially attractive when Clan Jade Falcon switched to an Inner Sphere production line.
Recognizing the Bane‘s now inadequate armament, the Jade Falcons introduced multiple production variants to address the Bane‘s primary flaw. The Bane 2, introduced in the late 3050s, swapped the original’s light-caliber weapons for four Ultra-class Autocannon/10s. Better yet, the Bane 2 featured fourteen tons of ammunition, allowing it to deliver devastating salvos throughout even extended combat actions. Similarly, the Bane 3 swapped its autocannons for an astounding eight LRM-15 launchers for awe-inspiring volleys of up to 120 missiles. Nineteen double heat sinks kept the Bane 3 cool enough for continuous bombardment, although some of its launchers would eventually remain silent if the pilot wanted to avoid heat issues. A single one-shot Streak SRM-4 launcher seemed inadequate to deter Elementals that manage to sneak their way through enemy lines.
When the Advanced Tactical Missile became more widely available, the Falcons mounted them on the Bane 4 in the mid-to-late 3050s. This variant of the Bane came armed with three ATM-6s with four tons of ammunition, although those were secondary to the ‘Mech’s primary weapon system: twin Ultra Autocannon/20s. These massive cannons were backed by six tons of ammo as well as a single ER Large Laser for additional long-range punch. Seventeen double heat sinks keep the Bane 4 cool.
Although all Banes shared the same chassis, individual variants could appear radically different. For example, the original model Banes featured plantigrade legs, while newer-model Banes feature digitigrade legs. Up until the Dark Age, plantigrade Banes were more common, but increased production from Olivetti Weaponry eventually led to the digitigrade style becoming the standard orientation for Bane locomotion.
Further Dark Age variants continued the Falcons’ penchant for experimentation on the versatile Assault ‘Mech. The Bane 5 uses Inner Sphere-sourced Rotary Autocannon/2s while the Bane 6 returns to the original’s focus on massed small-caliber weapons. Ten ProtoMech AC/2s are matched to twelve tons of ammo and a Targeting Computer for highly accurate long-range fire. The Bane 5 matched its autocannons with an ER Large Laser and twin LRM-10s, while the Bane 6 had four ER Medium Lasers. ECM kept both machines protected while operating at range. Finally, the Bane 7 paired twin HAG 40s with a Large Pulse Laser and four ER Medium Lasers, harkening back to the Bane 4 in terms of armament.
Barring the brief decades following Operation Klondike, the Bane has gone from a relative rarity to a much more common sight on the modern battlefield. However, that can largely be attributed to the Jade Falcons’ scientist caste. Had the Falcons now continuously iterated on the Bane with newer technology, it seems most likely that the Bane would have died out when its armament became outmatched.
You know, I’d be pretty upset about the fact that winter is clearly trundling along into April this year if it weren’t for all this great BattleTech news. The Mercenaries Kickstarter was a huge success even after just 24 hours, and it looks like it could even double the funds generated by the Clan Invasion. People love their mercs, I guess.
But besides the Mercenaries Kickstarter, we’ve got plenty of other Catalyst products to share, some MechWarrior updates to peruse, and plenty of exceptional pieces from the BattleTech community. So let’s get to it.
Mercenaries Kickstarter Blows Past Clan Invasion Funding In Less Than Six Hours
We’ll start things off with the biggest news for March which was always going to be the Mercenaries Kickstarter, which kicked things off on March 23. The crowd-funding goal of $50,000 was reached pretty much as soon as the Kickstarter went live. It took just 20 minutes for the funding total to climb past $780,000, and it blew past the Clan Invasion Kickstarter’s total of around $2.5 million in less than six hours. By Friday evening, the Mercenaries Kickstarter broke 15,000 backers and $4 million, and we’re already well past $4.5 million.
As of the time of this writing, the Mercenaries Kickstarter is cruising towards $5 million, with a very achievable stretch goal that will give everyone who backs at Company level and above a free ForcePack, and everyone who backs at Battalion level and above another free ForcePack. That’ll bring Company-level backing to 3 ForcePacks total.
What’s interesting here is that a lot of folks backed at Company level and above without even seeing the full list of ForcePacks, which only went live by the weekend. Now we know just what new ‘Mechs Mercenaries is bringing to the table, although we had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the ilClan Recognition Guides. I’m personally going to try and complete my set of Bad ‘Mechs, so that likely means the Inner Sphere Heavy Recon and Pursuit Lances, and then when the $5 mil unlock hits, probably the Security Lance.
But the physical minis are really only half of what’s available in the Kickstarter. The digital rewards even at the Company level include six novellas, No Greater Honor, Tales of the Bounty Hunter, the Mercenaries issue of Shrapnel, and BattleTech‘s new Graphic Novel #1 all in digital form, plus a few wallpapers to bring the Mercenaries Kickstarter to your desktop. That’s a lot of BattleTech media to go along with your minis.
Sadly, it’s too late for you to get the free Visigoth fighter, but there’s still plenty of time to join in on the Mercenaries Kickstarter to get loads of BattleTech swag for an extremely good price.
More ForcePacks Brings Ancient Designs Back From The Dead
Find out what new products we'll have at Adepticon (and through general retail soon after), and where the first Mercenaries Kickstarter Launch Parties will be held! https://t.co/kWB9ecqG0Bpic.twitter.com/YGvyPcE2ud
And now for some Catalyst news from earlier this month. The Proliferation Pack brings seven ancient BattleMech designs including the Mackie, Ymir, BattleAxe, Gladiator, Icarus II, Firebee, Coyotl. I’m a particular fan of the Gladiator, which I’d take over a Griffin any day of the week, but there’s no denying the Mackie‘s charm either. The Proliferation Pack arrives this spring for $44.99.
Not to be outdone by all the new ilClan ‘Mechs, Catalyst has announced a Classics Recognition Guide which compiles all those old-school cool ‘Mechs into a single volume. The Classic Recognition Guide will contain material already published under the ilClan Recognition Guides but will be limited to classic ‘Mechs like the Wasp, Wolverine, Crusader, and others that you’ll probably recall best from the 3025 TRO. Each design has been updated with current-era variants and new art.
Those plushies that have been relentlessly teased for a while now are finally fully revealed and on sale, a Destiny-sized Marauder will also be available in limited numbers, and there are some new t-shirts for sale too. And before I forget, Perception of Victory, a new Mercenary Tales short story by Michael J. Ciaravella, is now available as well as No Greater Honor in audiobook form.
BattleTech Aces Lets You Play Alone Or With A Friend Against An AI Opponent
There was a lot to come out of the Mercenaries Kickstarter, but I wanted to highlight this since it really seems like a game changer for BattleTech. It’s called BattleTech Aces, and it turns a competitive tabletop game that can take all afternoon into a solo or cooperative game that takes about an hour or two--along the same lines as your typical boxed tabletop game.
You can see Josh and Randall playing this at AdeptiCon in the Twitch clip above. The “AI” portion of BattleTech Aces is represented by a deck of cards that tells the opposing force where to move and what to attack. Combine that with the quicker rules of Alpha Strike and you get something that really appeals to those who want multiple games in an afternoon rather than one that might stretch into next week.
Mercenaries backers get free access to the open beta at all levels, with a digital version of the playtest sent out via email. I haven’t gotten it yet, but given CGL has over 16,000 people to get back to, I think we might just have to be patient [ED: Actually, the link to the playtest material and the digital goods are in the Kickstarter update posts!]. I’m excited to give it a try though!
MechWarrior 5 Patch Tweaks AI, FPS Controls
We got a patch for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries earlier this month, and it’s the first one since the Rise of Rasalhague DLC brought both the Crusader, a new series of campaign missions, and AI improvements to what were previously some pretty useless lancemates. And while the improved AI did cause lance members to fire their guns twice as often and sometimes even hit what they were shooting at, it also caused some pathing issues that would occasionally result in your teammates getting stuck on a ruck or just never even leaving the drop zone.
March 9th’s patch fixed that issue, but also introduced a new one. I’m noticing that if you don’t assign targets, your lancemates will bunch up close, often to the detriment of clean sight lines. This will make them fire less often than before, which is a bummer. However, if you manually assign targets, they’ll do some serious work. So it’s a bit of a tradeoff--you get more reliable pathing and excellent manual control, but less reliable automatic AI engagement. I’m sure we’ll get another fine-tuning pass on the AI at some point, but just remember to manually assign targets wherever possible.
Elsewhere in the patch, those new FPS controls are being well-received by console players, and Infiltration missions have been rebalanced so the rewards are more in line with the other mission types. They’ve also gotten slightly harder as now you can’t just pick off every enemy group without triggering the general alarm.
Of course, there’s also a crapton of squashed bugs in the patch too, so be sure to have it downloaded to get the full benefit of all those fixes.
Here’s a piece from @attack_llamas made for Reddit user Professional-Help931. It portrays their lance as they stomp around in MechWarrior 5, and it’s a pretty great lance. It can be really tough to be a light ‘Mech pilot solo, but it’s a whole different story when you team up with friends. Suddenly, that Jenner turns from a liability into an incredible asset, being able to quickly respond to threats and go on scouting missions to take out enemy artillery before they can blow your poor Awesome to bits. I very much approve this lance’s composition.
Kaiju Vs. Warhammer, Who Ya Got?
Artwork I created for the upcoming Anime North 2023 event!
Anime North is coming up, bringing with it Toronto’s most excellent anime convention. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend coming down for a visit, but even if you’re not, you can definitely enjoy this piece of a kaiju fighting a Warhammer-like ‘Mech in some unfortunate Draconis city.
I dunno if this Warhammer has the gumption to survive against what is most certainly not Godzilla, but I’m still rootin’ for it all the same. Also, the Focht News Network will be there to do stuff, and that sounds like a swell time.
No words. None. I don’t know what this is, and I don’t want to know. Don’t explain this to me, don’t even mention it ever again. I’m just showing it to you because I don’t want you to find out from anywhere else.
I’m pretty certain that the ‘Mech this Timber Wolf is unceremoniously stomping over is a Flea, but if not, I apologize for the wonky title. This model, courtesy of ecdmuppet, hits a level of dynamism that I rarely see in Lego. Apparently, there’s a gearing system in the pelvis that allows the legs to be locked at multiple angles, so we could theoretically see this Timber Wolf stomping on anything from a Cicada to a Summoner. Ecdmuppet said we’ll get instructions to make this model yourself once they’re done with the build.
MechWarrior 5 Developer PGI Is Doing “Significant Hiring”
Significant hiring going on at Piranha Games right now. I should also mention to the MechWarrior community, many if not most of this hiring is MW related development. If it is your dream to work professionally on this type of content. Now is the time.https://t.co/eCw6u2B9T3
How would you like to work on the next MechWarrior game? PGI is hiring right now across multiple positions, so if you’re a 3D environment artist, a lighting artist, a VFX artist, or a software engineer (and a few others besides), then head over to PGI’s site to apply for any of the eleven positions currently open.
But because we’ve got a bunch of job listings, we also have a unique opportunity to see what PGI is up to. For example, we know that PGI is looking to create new ‘Mechs for MechWarrior Online thanks to the 3D Artist II listing. “This role will play a key artistic and technical part in implementing new ‘Mechs in MechWarrior Online,” reads the listing, “modeling and texturing weapons mounts and cosmetic attachments for hard surface export/import to game engine, addressing bugs and creating ‘Mech Patterns with customizable colors.”
There aren’t too many clues for the next MechWarrior game to be found in this listing, but the Level Designer II position will require experience in Unreal Engine 4, which is what MechWarrior 5 currently runs on. This could suggest that MechWarrior 6 (or whatever the next MechWarrior game will be called) will also run on Unreal Engine 4, or that particular position will be for continued work on MechWarrior 5.
Remote work options are available, and PGI also has some pretty great perks, like flexible hours and social events (at least for those that can work in and around Vancouver). Head to the links above if you’d like to check ‘em out.
The Black Marauder Stalks The News Blast Once Again
From Lego to a completely different type of model. We talked about one MechWarrior 5 mod-maker who’s bringing the dreaded Black Marauder to the game, here we have makenzie71 bringing the Black Marauder to the tabletop. Actually, it’s probably a bit too big for the tabletop game, but it’s certainly a great-looking figure to decorate your desk with. It’s also far more terrifying than any depiction of the Black Marauder I’ve seen, although I will give credit to Juodas Varnas for this version from a few years back.
BattleTech has come a long way in terms of representation (tip of the rainbow hat to you, Fox Patrol) but if Steven Universe has taught me anything, it could always be gayer. So I’m happy to report an open call for the BattleTech Pride Anthology 2023, a fan-made collection of short stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
All submissions should be between 2,000 to 5,000 words in manuscript format and fit neatly into pre-existing lore and timelines. No making up entire Clans, planets, or climactic battles between Great Houses that nobody has ever heard of, but skirmishes on the periphery between two small-time mercenary outfits are A-Ok. All submissions must be in before May 1 so that there’s plenty of time to get them edited and assembled for release in June. I’m assuming June because that’s Pride Month. More deets are available here.
Opinion: Did TRO 3058 Kick All The Fun Out Of Inner Sphere ‘Mechs?
I remember way back when I was still in high school I went looking for an Inner Sphere ‘Mech that could mop the floor with any Clanner out there, and I found it in the Thunder Hawk. How can you go wrong with three Gauss Rifles? You can’t. And that’s why it was good. Maybe even a little too good--45 damage per heatless salvo that could luck out and decapitate a ‘Mech is just plain unfair.
And it seems I wasn’t alone in this opinion. Bishop Steiner recently doodled the Thunder Hawk (or ThunderChicken, as he likes to call it) where he went into detail about how the ‘Mech was emblematic of the issues with Inner Sphere ‘Mech designs from the era. It was all mostly Gauss Rifles and lasers placed on ‘Mechs that were the most efficient in their weight class.
Did that make these ‘Mechs boring? I’m not so sure. I think we need to look at these ‘Mechs in the context of the still relatively recent Clan Invasion. Inner Sphere armies were looking at what they had that could compete with the Clans, and that meant making ‘Mechs as efficient damage dealers as possible. That naturally works out to lasers and Gauss Rifles--the latter for dealing the same damage at similar range, and the former for simply adding in more damage while taking advantage of then-new double heatsinks.
But still, the Thunder Hawk took this philosophy to its logical extreme and made something truly terrifying. Lights and mediums are often crippled or destroyed in a single salvo at ranges they can’t respond, while heavies and assaults have to get lucky on rolls to win the damage race.
Don’t get me wrong--there are a lot of 3058-era ‘Mechs that I like. The Dragon Fire, Cestus, Merlin, and Spartan are all great. But going for maximum tabletop efficiency in a ‘Mech just sort of takes the soul out of it. Let me know if you share that opinion in the comments below.
MWO Rebrands Itself As MechWarrior Online: Legends
With Solaris having been removed as an available game mode for MechWarrior Online for some time, it makes sense that MWO would rebrand itself, and that’s exactly what’s happened in the latest patch. MechWarrior Online: Legends introduces the new Legendary type of ‘Mech to go along with Champions and Heroes. What makes these Legendary ‘Mechs special are exclusive weapons layouts, “outlier” quirks, and a miniature battle pass system that allows you to earn GSP, C-bills, MC, premium time, and various cosmetic items for earning ‘Mech XP on your Legendary ‘Mech.
So far, there are two Legendary ‘Mechs. The first is a new Fafnir called The Juggernaut. Its shtick is that it’s got maximum armor, a 400-series standard engine, MASC, and a bunch of Heavy Machine guns and the quirks to make them dangerous. It looks pretty goofy, but not as goofy as the new Legendary Mad Cat MK II: Moonwalker. This thing has a unique quirk that gives it an additional 30 percent to its reverse speed, making it almost as fast going backward as it is going forward. Combined with a bunch of UAC/2s and an ER PPC, and the Moonwalker can ensure it’s always got its best foot forward while it’s blasting away.
This month’s patch also brings us the first new map from PGI’s newly hired level designer, Krazzdaxx. The map is a purple coliseum with low rolling hills and rocky outcroppings that look like bismuth crystals. There’ve also been a few tweaks to Terra Therma so the middle of the map isn’t quite so one-sided in terms of cover.
And as is tradition, we’ve got a few ‘Mechs that have a few new quirks. The Kintarois the big winner in this month’s patch, with revamped quirks across every variant and additional armor quirks for the ape-like ‘Mechs arms. The Champion line also received some adjustments, and the Dire Wolf has seen its armor quirks improved as well. Finally, all variants of the Fafnir now have much much smaller center torso hitboxes, so hopefully they won’t be quick as squishy.
No Guts No Galaxy Talks To PGI About MWO’s Matchmaker, Maps, and Rebrand
Podcast 231 - MM, Maps, Mechs, more! w/ Daeron & Matt
For a bit of a deeper dive into the recent MechWarrior Online rebrand, we turn to No Guts No Galaxy‘s most recent podcast featuring Matt and Dearon from PGI. A lot of what was discusses has to do with what we’ve already covered in the recent update, but there are a few things worth pointing out.
First is that discussion still centers around MechWarrior Online‘s matchamaker. While the Cauldron has been instrumental in breathing new life into MWO with massive balance changes to ‘Mechs and suggestions for map tweaks to create better matches, the Cauldron has not yet been able to tackle MWO‘s matchmaking system. There’ve been some suggestions that the Cauldron could help out with making matches fairer and faster, but there seems to be some hesitancy from Matt and Daeron to give Cauldron all the keys to the kingdom despite all the good the Cauldron has done so far.
Another thing that would help MechWarrior Online immensely is the possibility for multiple spawns in Quickplay matches. One of the biggest problems I have with MWO is that I spend way more time waiting for matches to begin than actually playing them, something that multiple respawns would solve. Respawns already exist in certain event queue game modes, so changing up Quickplay to have longer matches via respawns would help bring the play-to-waiting ratio back to a healthier level. Daeron said that he’d look into it with PGI’s engineers.
And of course, there’s talk of the Stone Rhino. A classic Clan beast that has yet to appear in MechWarrior Online, fans have been calling for this iconic ‘Mech for years. Matt’s response was “no comment,” but the hints are there. It seems like a matter of “when” now rather than “if.”
Well, thanks to Iron Wind themselves, you can now see how those metal ‘Mechs are made. It looks like the rubber molds are placed on a centrifuge and then spun around as hot pewter gets poured into the center. The centrifugal force then pushes the metal into the molds which then cool after just a few seconds. Just clean up a few of those metal tags and you’ve got yourself a Steiner Scout Squad.
We’ve featured geergutz before, and that’s because they do good work. Here we have several redesigned ‘Mechs that seem to break out of BattleTech‘s traditional style for something just a little different. I like it, and geergutz has a bunch of them posted over on Reddit that I think are definitely worth a look.
MechWarrior Living Legends Releases April Schedule Of Events
We can’t have a news blast without an update from everyone’s favorite free multiplayer MechWarrior game. MechWarrior Living Legends will host a number of games throughout April, including control matches on April 2nd and 29th, single-life matches on the 16th, and a Chaos March tournament on Saturday, March 22. Most games start at 7 PM UTC (that’s 3 PM ET), but the Chaos March matches will start at 6:30 PM UTC (2:30 PM ET). Teamspeak info is in the Reddit link above.
There aren’t too many Thunderbolts with jump jets out there. There are even fewer Thunderbolts with massive ‘Mech-sized skateboards. I think that makes this Thunderbolt pretty special. Thanks for sharing, AGBell64.
Whew, another long one for March. I don’t expect April to slow the BattleTech roll, so expect Sarna to return next month with everything you need to know.
Leutnant Lauren Kolberg marched her ‘Mech forward a few steps before sending it into a solid 64-kph clip. The Fourth Skye Rangers had been harassing the Seventeenth Benjamin Regulars for months on Komephoros, and her commanders intended to exploit a gap in the Regulars’ lines. Her lance was leading the charge for Second Batallion. She already had a Jenner waiting to be painted on her new Hatchetman’s cockpit, and she was hoping to add a Panther next to it.
Unfortunately, the Panther matched her for speed and managed to stay just out of reach of her longest-range weapon, the massive Defiance Killer autocannon that sat on the Hatchetman’s right shoulder. Combined with the equally massive hatchet in her right arm, the Hatchetman was definitely a lop-sided design, but one that had already proven deadly to anything that strayed too close.
If only she could just get that Panther to stop running. “Arc 3-1 to Hammer Actual. Do we have any AeroSpace assets we could send to trip up these trailing elements?”
“Wait one,” Came the response from Second Batallion’s command and operations center. “Arc 3-1, elements of Clipper squadron are inbound.”
“Roger,” Kolberg grunted, guiding her 45-ton machine around a massive boulder driven upwards by the planet’s glacial geology. Her rear camera picked up the contrails of two Chippewas before her sensors confirmed their design. It didn’t take them long to overtake her lance and streak off over the hills ahead, just where the Panther she’d been hounding had broken her line of sight. A series of explosions felt but not seen encouraged Kolberg to push her ‘Mech even faster lest the Chippewas take her kill.
“This is Clipper 2-4 taking heavy fire, Clipper 2-3 is down.” came the panicked voice of the remaining pilot. “Turn your forces around, it’s a trap!”
Kolberg realized the warning had come too late. She’d just crossed over the highest point and was already heading into a glacial valley. There was nothing to protect her from the sudden flurry of long-range missile and laser fire that lit her Hatchetman like a Christmas tree, and she didn’t have the speed or armor to close into engagement range.
She did have time to let out a sigh as she slammed her Hatchetman’s ejection button. Unlike other ‘Mechs, the Hatchetman’s entire head assembly flew off from its shoulders and her HUD gained an airspeed indicator and an altimeter. As Kolberg flew from the trap she’d narrowly survived, she grasped at the one silver lining: at least she wouldn’t freeze to death.
‘Mechs designed primarily for melee combat are nothing new to the 31st century. Even during the time of the Star League, designs like the Charger proved that sufficient mass and speed could be just as devastating as a ball of charged particles launched at a few integers shy of the speed of light. The brutal malice of physical blows can be equally destructive to a soldier’s morale. We can only assume these factors were considered by the enigmatic Dr. Banzai as he designed the Hatchetman in the early 3020s.
One of the first entirely new ‘Mechs to be seen after centuries of combat, the Hatchetman was both to be a workhorse ‘Mech as well as a symbol of the growing military alliance between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth. Introduced in 3023 by Defiance Industries, the Hatchetman was designed for urban warfare, with low speed and light armor but with impressive firepower for a 45-ton chassis. If allowed to close to point-blank range, the Hatchetman could literally cut a similar-sized ‘Mech to pieces before it could even return fire. Hence, the initial production run of Hatchetmans was sent to Lyran garrison units on planets with large city centers.
It didn’t take long for the Hatchetman to see combat. A raid by the 4th Proserpina Hussars on Sevren resulted in severe losses after the 26th Lyran Guards lured them into an industrial park and then unleashed a Hatchetman-equipped battalion. Caught off guard both by the trap and the deadly new design, the surviving Hussars retreated off-world to inform the rest of the DCMS of the Hatchetman‘s existence.
The Hatchetman was eventually distributed to units in the Federated Suns just in time for the Fourth Succession War. The ‘Mech proved to be popular enough that Defiance couldn’t keep up with demand, resulting in the company sub-contracting the design to Johnston Industries to start manufacturing the Hatchetman under license.
However, while the Hatchatman‘s early success could be explained by the sheer novelty of the design, by the War of 3039, opposing forces were able to exploit significant flaws in the chassis. Poor armor, especially on the legs, meant the Hatchetman could easily be disabled before closing to within melee range. Further, the ‘Mech’s poor speed meant it was unable to close with smaller, lighter ‘Mechs, and even some heavier ones. Kept at a distance, the Hatchetman was far less menacing than it had first appeared.
The HCT-3F Hatchetman comes armed with a single Defiance Killer 10-class Autocannon in the right torso and one Medium Laser in each arm. It has a single additional heat sink to mitigate the heat this payload generates. Four jump jets help the Hatchetman position itself for a successful ambush, but a top speed of 64 kph thanks to its GM 180 engine is insufficient for it to chase targets and unleash its signature hatchet.
One interesting element of the Hatchetman is the full-head ejection system. Where most ‘Mechs will eject an escape pod after catastrophic damage, the Hatcethman’s entire head comes off its shoulders thanks to a series of rocket motors beneath the head assembly. The head’s somewhat aerodynamic shape and the small fins at the back allow the MechWarrior-cum-pilot to direct their flight back to friendly lines, significantly increasing survivability. However, the Hatchetman must be in the upright position for the ejection system to work, and reinstalling the head can be a cumbersome procedure.
With the discovery of the Helm Memory Core and the return of Star League-era technology, Defiance upgraded the Hatchetman in 3049 to the new HCT-5S standard. This added a new Extralight 180 engine and replaced the AC/10 with an LB-X version, freeing up enough weight to replace the two lasers with Medium Pulse Lasers. The HCT-5S also has 8.5 tons of ferro-fibrous armor, increasing its protection by almost 30 percent and solving the largest complaint Hatchetman pilots had. However, the redesign had fewer heat sinks and less ammunition for its autocannon, trading one problem for two more.
It wasn’t until the 3060s that variants arrived that both improved the Hatchetman‘s speed and armor. The HCT-6D introduced a VOX 225 XL engine, allowing this Davion Hatchetman variant to run at 86.4 kph and mount five jump jets instead of four. A Rotary AC/5 and three ER Medium Lasers provided impressive firepower while 10 double heat sinks kept the design cool. ECM also allowed the 6D to remain hidden from sensors for greater success in ambushes.
Even with its flaws exposed, the Hatchetman‘s reputation proved strong enough to lead rival manufacturers to outright steal the design for their respective national militaries. When the Taurian Concordat gained access to the HCT-3F after a Davion mercenary outfit was adopted into the nation’s military, the Taurians set to work reverse-engineering the Hatchetman. From 3054 until 3066, Taurus Territorial Industries produced their own illegal copies of the HCT-3F until the factory was destroyed by the Fighting Urukhai, itself touching off a military campaign that would see the Concordat invade the Federated Suns.
Draconis Combine engineers were able to reverse-engineer the HCT-3F much faster than the Concordat after several examples were salvaged during the war of ’39. However, DCMS troops refused to use a ‘Mech so heavily associated with the Federated Commonwealth. The HCT-5K, introduced in 3075, swapped the Hatchetman‘s hatchet for a more bushido-compliant sword. It also came armed with two Medium Pulse Lasers, one ER Medium Laser, and a locally-manufactured MRM-30. Targeting was improved thanks to a C3 slave unit and double heatsinks kept the Kuritan knock-off cool.
Even the Free Worlds League developed a version of the Hatchetman during the Jihad era. the HCT-6M is derived from the 5S, replacing the LB-X AC/10 with a Heavy PPC and adding a Beagle Active Probe. Following the Jihad, the Republic of the Sphere adopted the HCT-7R standard, using a light fusion engine to reach a top speed of 86 kph while keeping the same 8.5 tons of ferro-fibrous armor from the 5S. An array of six Medium Pulse Lasers and a single Medium X-Pulse Laser combined with the signature hatchet for potent short-range firepower if at the cost of significant heat build-up. Today’s HCT-8S used by the LCAF mounts Clan technology for a top speed of 86 kph, significant armor protection, and an actuator enhancement system for even more accurate blows from its hatchet.
Although present in multiple House and non-House militaries today, the Hatchetman remains most numerous in the militaries of the former Federated Commonwealth. The brutal fighting of the Dark Age, and now the ilClan era, ensure no shortage of victims for the Hatchetman‘s ambush tactics.
By all technical measures, the Wolf Trap was the absolute pinnacle of Draconis arms manufacturing at the height of the Clan Invasion. It used then-cutting-edge technology such as Endo Steel, extralight engines, and cellular ammunition storage to both save weight and save its pilots to fight the Dragon’s enemies even if the ‘Mech suffered a catastrophic ammo hit. For a 45-ton ‘Mech, the Wolf Trap was fast, heavily armed, and sufficiently armored to take more punishment than most ‘Mechs in the same weight class. It was relatively cheap to build, easy to maintain, and used off-the-shelf components shared with many other common DCMS designs. By all accounts, the Wolf Trap should have been a runaway success for Luthien Armor Works and the Draconis Combine.
