I usually don't criticize an artist as I have no talent at all, but it's pretty clear where the design comes from:
This
becomes this
This
-
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Maybe criticise was the wrong word to use.
I have previously commented (elsewhere, most people here are above pointless flame wars) that I am not a fan of Loose. The reaction I got was the same as if I'd insulted their mothers.
I have previously commented (elsewhere, most people here are above pointless flame wars) that I am not a fan of Loose. The reaction I got was the same as if I'd insulted their mothers.
no worries, didn't see it as unfair. It's perfectly fine to criticize an artists work. And your opinion seems perfectly reasonable. You don't like this particular mech. I tend to agree. Hell, I'm impressed you can identify individual artists, I had to look up who Loose even was. Weird that the guy who drew Emperor (hated it) also drew the Hatchetman (loved the original art).
And if people are going to overreact like that, and it's the internet so let's be honest they will, I recommend you start off insulting their mothers and work your way up from there
And if people are going to overreact like that, and it's the internet so let's be honest they will, I recommend you start off insulting their mothers and work your way up from there
Well I'd like to praise the artist who made those color versions. Recognizable as the same machine, but much more intimidating. Like someone little Cylon boys would look up to as a role model.
Week of 4/14/2018-4/21/2018
The Mech of the week is: The Banshee
Class: Assault
Production year: 2445
BY: Terran Hegemony
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Banshee_(BattleMech)
The Mech of the week is: The Banshee
Class: Assault
Production year: 2445
BY: Terran Hegemony
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Banshee_(BattleMech)
Yah, I have mad respect for Loose, mostly because of how long he worked on the franchise... but many of his designs, especially post 1990, really seemed like he was phoning it in. His first mech drawing was the Hatchetman, and it shows real care and detail and proportions... you might wonder how the dude standing beneath it would fit in the cockpit, but you get my point... his stuff in 3055 all generally leaned towards "Geometric shape with panel lines added ".
Matt Plog's stuff registers high for me... some of it way too caraciturized, but it all had character at least.
Under TT rules, the stock Banshee-3E is... not good. It has the stats of a mech 2/3rds its size. Actually, even for a 60 or 65 tonner, its firepower would be low, though it does have better armoring. The only thing it has going for it is its devastating charge attacks. It's going to be much better in HBS's game with the buffs to the AC/5, giving it roughly the same long range firepower as a Warhammer (actually even better because the Banshee can manage its heat easier), the same speed, and 150% of its armor. It does lose in short range weaponry compared to that mech, but melee is much more powerful in HBS's game, so it's not a huge loss. Also, a high Guts stat will negate the minimum ranges for its weapons, making it a surprisingly good general-purpose mech, its biggest weakness simply being its late initiative.
Discussion of the Banshee would not be complete with bringing up the BNC-3S, because it turns the Banshee into a damn solid assault mech by any standard. By mounting a reasonably sized engine, it can carry a pair of PPCs and the heat sinks to use them; up close it has 4 medium lasers, two small lasers, and an SRM-6; and it also sports an AC/10 to supplement either range bracket. What's more, it doesn't sacrifice any armor to do any of this. It's an immensely powerful mech, and it's a damn shame it's out of timeline for HBS's game by one year.
Looking at the entire timeline, my favorite variant is the BNC-9S2, a devastatingly powerful fire support mech invented in the 3100s. It carries a heavy PPC, a pair of light PPCs, and a Gauss rifle with 3 tons of ammo letting you fire at anything you have the slightest chance of hitting. Its sniping is enhanced by both a C3 boosted slave and a targeting computer, making it deadly accurate, which is good because the only weapon it has that doesn't have a minimum range is a single ERML, but thanks to the short minimums and enhanced accuracy of its weapons and those 95 ton melee attacks, it's a small matter. 14 double heat sinks make it heat neutral at long range, and it carries 18 tons of armor -- almost the max for a 95 ton mech -- as well as CASE in the event the Gauss rifle takes a crit. Its weaknesses are its 3/5 movement in an era when even many assaults are going faster than that, and its light fusion engine and XL gyro making it highly vulnerable to crits once its armor gets opened up. Overall, though, it's a mech no one wants to face, especially when it's part of a C3 lance.
Discussion of the Banshee would not be complete with bringing up the BNC-3S, because it turns the Banshee into a damn solid assault mech by any standard. By mounting a reasonably sized engine, it can carry a pair of PPCs and the heat sinks to use them; up close it has 4 medium lasers, two small lasers, and an SRM-6; and it also sports an AC/10 to supplement either range bracket. What's more, it doesn't sacrifice any armor to do any of this. It's an immensely powerful mech, and it's a damn shame it's out of timeline for HBS's game by one year.
Looking at the entire timeline, my favorite variant is the BNC-9S2, a devastatingly powerful fire support mech invented in the 3100s. It carries a heavy PPC, a pair of light PPCs, and a Gauss rifle with 3 tons of ammo letting you fire at anything you have the slightest chance of hitting. Its sniping is enhanced by both a C3 boosted slave and a targeting computer, making it deadly accurate, which is good because the only weapon it has that doesn't have a minimum range is a single ERML, but thanks to the short minimums and enhanced accuracy of its weapons and those 95 ton melee attacks, it's a small matter. 14 double heat sinks make it heat neutral at long range, and it carries 18 tons of armor -- almost the max for a 95 ton mech -- as well as CASE in the event the Gauss rifle takes a crit. Its weaknesses are its 3/5 movement in an era when even many assaults are going faster than that, and its light fusion engine and XL gyro making it highly vulnerable to crits once its armor gets opened up. Overall, though, it's a mech no one wants to face, especially when it's part of a C3 lance.
The 3E wasn't very good, but the 3S was nasty. Shame it's not in the game. I never liked the original Banshee art, but I have to say that 2nd picture above of the battle damaged 3S is pretty hardcore.
The only time I ever used one in a game was a 3S, and it was a lot of fun to use. The outcome was surprisingly lore accurate in one sense - their opponents initially didn't take the 'new' Banshees seriously at first. My opponent saw a Banshee on the table and laughed at 'the stupid noob'. Then it blew his Hunchback in half with a single alpha strike...
The only time I ever used one in a game was a 3S, and it was a lot of fun to use. The outcome was surprisingly lore accurate in one sense - their opponents initially didn't take the 'new' Banshees seriously at first. My opponent saw a Banshee on the table and laughed at 'the stupid noob'. Then it blew his Hunchback in half with a single alpha strike...
Everyone knows this is one of the "worst" mech design. That being said, that might change in HBS. It's got the speed to close, does tremendous melee damage. If you swap out the weapons you can give it decent (not great) damage while it's closing. You can simulate the 3MC with the stock version.
Now we're talking, the Fighting Fringers have a stock 3E on the books and contrary to common belief I've had no problems with it. My force is an integrated unit however, not the bunch of individuals I've seen a lot of people play.
Brick and her Banshee "Death Howl" are happy to lead their lance (Battlemaster 1G, Zeus 6Y and Hunchback 4N) inexorably towards the enemy line taking pot shots while the Hunchback and Zeus lay down a barrage.
Opponents disregard Death Howl, but such confidence breeds arrogance, and arrogance leads to hubris.
In other words if you don't take it out of action before it gets within arms reach.....Death Howl has accounted for 1Shadowhawk and 1 Whitworth destroyed as well as numerous damaged (I record the same style as the RAF did during WW2 - destroyed (plus shared) probable (didn't get the result of the post fight rolls) and damaged (mechs forced to disengage or post battle rolls came up damaged))
Brick and her Banshee "Death Howl" are happy to lead their lance (Battlemaster 1G, Zeus 6Y and Hunchback 4N) inexorably towards the enemy line taking pot shots while the Hunchback and Zeus lay down a barrage.
Opponents disregard Death Howl, but such confidence breeds arrogance, and arrogance leads to hubris.
In other words if you don't take it out of action before it gets within arms reach.....Death Howl has accounted for 1Shadowhawk and 1 Whitworth destroyed as well as numerous damaged (I record the same style as the RAF did during WW2 - destroyed (plus shared) probable (didn't get the result of the post fight rolls) and damaged (mechs forced to disengage or post battle rolls came up damaged))
I don't think I can add anything that hasn't been said already.
The 3E is, um, underwhelming, but the 3S is a holy terror and I actually prefer it to an Atlas due to it's much better damage-courve.
The 3E is, um, underwhelming, but the 3S is a holy terror and I actually prefer it to an Atlas due to it's much better damage-courve.
Never underestimate a standard Banshee though.
I know a woman who loves to place her Banshee in forrests, rip out a tree as club and then spread havoc on unsuspecting enemy mechs.
And yes, her all out CC tactics worked out well for her.. every single time.
I know a woman who loves to place her Banshee in forrests, rip out a tree as club and then spread havoc on unsuspecting enemy mechs.
And yes, her all out CC tactics worked out well for her.. every single time.
Week of 4/21/2018-4/28/2018
The Mech of the week is: The Locust
Class: Light
Production year: 2499
BY: Bergan Industries
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Locust
The Mech of the week is: The Locust
Class: Light
Production year: 2499
BY: Bergan Industries
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Locust
Like all other 20 ton mechs, the Locust is severely constrained by its weight limit. It's one of the quickest mechs in 3025, but can't do a whole lot with that speed in most cases. The short range of its weapons and its lack of jump jets limit the LCT-1V's options, and if you hang back to open things up, you're left with nothing but a medium laser for weaponry. Even as an anti-infantry mech, it's rather overengined for what it needs to be doing. The only thing it really has over other bug mechs is an extra ton of armor, but it's still not going to live long if it's getting hit.
In 3025, you'd be better served ditching the LCT-1V and going with an LCT-1E or LCT-3V. Both add a second medium laser to the mech, giving it decent punch for its size. The LCT-1E has those medium lasers, as well as a pair of small lasers replacing the machine guns, mounted in the arms, so it's vulnerable to being disarmed. The LCT-3V keeps the machine guns, but made room for the second ML in the CT by dropping half a ton each of armor and MG ammo, meaning the only thing it actually lost was the bit of armor, but with the thin armor and lack of crit padding ability in such a small mech, the MG ammo can still be touched off easily. They're very similar mechs and each has its own vulnerabilities, so it really just comes down to personal preference which one to take.
There's a couple of interesting variants later in the timeline. The LCT-5M3 is created in 3088, and moves 9/14 armed with an ERLL and a pair of ERMLs. It lacks the defensive capabilities to go against large mechs because by that time there are so many things that enhance accuracy that even 9/14 isn't as reliable as it sounds, but for low BV fights it's actually quite a good sniper. The other is the LCT-6M, created earlier in 3071, and is just about the ultimate backstabbing mech: it's only armed with a pair of ERMLs and an ERSL, but it moves 14/21 as a baseline, and has MASC to boost that up to a max range of 28 hexes per turn. With such a huge range, you can hang back out of danger and still pose a threat to the rear armor of damn near any mech in the field. The value is as much psychological as it is physical, making your opponent constantly worry about that thing practically teleporting behind them and scoring a crit. If you can make your opponent flustered trying to account for this zippy little thing, you're well on your way to victory.
In 3025, you'd be better served ditching the LCT-1V and going with an LCT-1E or LCT-3V. Both add a second medium laser to the mech, giving it decent punch for its size. The LCT-1E has those medium lasers, as well as a pair of small lasers replacing the machine guns, mounted in the arms, so it's vulnerable to being disarmed. The LCT-3V keeps the machine guns, but made room for the second ML in the CT by dropping half a ton each of armor and MG ammo, meaning the only thing it actually lost was the bit of armor, but with the thin armor and lack of crit padding ability in such a small mech, the MG ammo can still be touched off easily. They're very similar mechs and each has its own vulnerabilities, so it really just comes down to personal preference which one to take.
There's a couple of interesting variants later in the timeline. The LCT-5M3 is created in 3088, and moves 9/14 armed with an ERLL and a pair of ERMLs. It lacks the defensive capabilities to go against large mechs because by that time there are so many things that enhance accuracy that even 9/14 isn't as reliable as it sounds, but for low BV fights it's actually quite a good sniper. The other is the LCT-6M, created earlier in 3071, and is just about the ultimate backstabbing mech: it's only armed with a pair of ERMLs and an ERSL, but it moves 14/21 as a baseline, and has MASC to boost that up to a max range of 28 hexes per turn. With such a huge range, you can hang back out of danger and still pose a threat to the rear armor of damn near any mech in the field. The value is as much psychological as it is physical, making your opponent constantly worry about that thing practically teleporting behind them and scoring a crit. If you can make your opponent flustered trying to account for this zippy little thing, you're well on your way to victory.
For the speed though it makes a nice Recon 'Mech for information gathering, so in that way it's more dual purpose. A cavalry recon 'Mech that can engage infantry or reconnoiter an area, with plenty of speed to retreat. I don't consider a Locust something to use in pure 'Mech vs. 'Mech combat, unless in swarms against other Recon formations with vehicles or 'Mechs. The Crescent Hawks Inception cover embodies that idea and its described use in lore.
For a scout, I think jump jets are extremely important to avoid having predictable approach/retreat routes.
Ah, the Locust, the little mech that could (or at least thought so)
@Packrat already mentioned the 1E and the 3V variants, which both increased the firepower of the stock 1V, but there are others, that do that.
The 1S drops the machine-guns and one ton of armor (3 tons remaining) for two SRM-2 in the arms with one ton of ammo in the CT.
The 1M (despite the designation, this variant was created for the Federated Suns) drops the MGs, the ammo, and 3 tons of armor (1 ton remaining) to mount dual LRM-5s with a ton of ammo.
While this increases the range of it's weapons considerably, it also makes the mech _extremly_ vulnerable to counter-battery fire with a single SRM able to penetrate to the internal structure of it's arms and legs and to strip off all armor on the torso locations.
Another thing to mention is the fact that the Locust can't torso twist, but can flip it's arms. The 1E's designers deliberately took advantage of that fact with all the weapons in the mech's arms, while the 1S can at least bring a good part of it's firepower to bear in that direction (while the 1M can do the same, with LRMs this should hardly every be necessary - unless the mech is running off the battlefield)
Note: Arm-flipping is not in the Battletech geme, so, strictly for this game, the last paragraph is irrelevant.
@Packrat already mentioned the 1E and the 3V variants, which both increased the firepower of the stock 1V, but there are others, that do that.
The 1S drops the machine-guns and one ton of armor (3 tons remaining) for two SRM-2 in the arms with one ton of ammo in the CT.
The 1M (despite the designation, this variant was created for the Federated Suns) drops the MGs, the ammo, and 3 tons of armor (1 ton remaining) to mount dual LRM-5s with a ton of ammo.
While this increases the range of it's weapons considerably, it also makes the mech _extremly_ vulnerable to counter-battery fire with a single SRM able to penetrate to the internal structure of it's arms and legs and to strip off all armor on the torso locations.
Another thing to mention is the fact that the Locust can't torso twist, but can flip it's arms. The 1E's designers deliberately took advantage of that fact with all the weapons in the mech's arms, while the 1S can at least bring a good part of it's firepower to bear in that direction (while the 1M can do the same, with LRMs this should hardly every be necessary - unless the mech is running off the battlefield)
Note: Arm-flipping is not in the Battletech geme, so, strictly for this game, the last paragraph is irrelevant.
Used correctly the Locust is a budget MechWarrior blender. For both sides (MGs to the head are killer).
In table top I took out the mg and ammo and put in two Medium Lasers the heat was not bad I could run and fire all three Medium Lasers for four rounds and not over heat