BATTLETECH: The Malice
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 окт 2023
- One of the most titanic #Battlemechs of the #DarkAge, the #Malice is a machine built for Mercenaries and, more principally, for the #republicofthesphere, or the Republic Armed Forces.
This 100-ton assaultmech was given a challenge to meet after the #Blackout, and it proved unworthy to the task in the extreme.
Arguably one of the worst late generation #InnerSphere machines of its time, even when enhanced by #Clan technologies, in this video we are going to observe the Republic's Folly in action.
What a catastrophe.
#HouseLiao #CapellanConfederation #HouseKurita #DraconisCombine #DevlinStone #Clans #Ilclan #ROTS #Mechwarrior #MWDA #MechwarriorDarkAge
Join this channel in order to support this content:
/ @bigred40tech
Join us on the free Discord as well!:
/ discord
Note: I am not associated with the Battletech / Mechwarrior IP, and create this under fair-use. Ownership of the Battletech IP resides with several companies at this time. I support all official releases. 
Игры
![Sean Rii, Karyon, Sharzkii - Taungule [My Love] (Official Music Video)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eJoMuypbSzQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Resources for the video:
Master Unit List:
www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6725/malice-mal-xp
www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6683/malice-mal-xt
www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6726/malice-mal-xv
www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6727/malice-mal-yz
Ironwind Metals Malice: www.ironwindmetals.com/index.php/categories/cat-battletech/cat-bt-bm/product/battletech-20-5107/category_pathway-2
TRO Dark Age: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-technical-readout-dark-age
Record Sheets: Dark Age: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-record-sheets-dark-age
Background outer Space Art was done by the artist, Starkiteckt:
www.artstation.com/starkiteckt
To be fair, probably should have pointed out that this was specifically made for the clix game (specifically as a new chassis for the Firepower set) as the the most powerful mech in the set (specifically the "Blackout" Malice) and thus why it so badly translates to tabletop. In clix it was actually pretty good, sadly it didn't translate well to traditional tabletop.
Fun fact: a Malice actually killed Alaric Ward, but Clan Wolf plot armour is so powerful that the entire setting rewrote itself to make the Malice a joke, thus saving Ward.
My god. It all makes sense now.
*nods slowly and emphatically*
Ah yes, the "ward save"
Lmao
this just feels like the ultimate take away for EVERY mech configuration involving any Autocannons smaller than 10x .. I've never understood why they're so heavy but also ineffective. No firearms expert would have ever balanced things this way.
Me 5 minutes in “wow big red doesn’t like this one”
Me 10 minutes in “yikes, he likes this less than clan wolf”
Me 15 minutes in “damn, this thing sucks”
Looked it up for spoilers. Oh my god.
Devlin Stone: Hey guys, we're going to basically rebuild the Terran Hegemony
Everyone: Cool, so we're going to avoid the worst excesses of that nation, right?
DS: (Silently glances at the Malice)
E: We're going to avoid the worst excesses of the Hegemony, right?
DS: I'm just going to go for a quick nap, I'm sure you'll be fine
You know you made a stinker of a mech when you cover it on Autocannons and even House Davion goes “yeah, we’ll pass”
"Hey buddy, I heard you like Jagermechs, so we put a Jagermech in your Jagermech so you get double the Jagermech!"
You know...with that weight distribution, you COULD fit four Plasma Rifles into this thing, each with 20 shots, and 20 freezers (IS) to keep it cool. THAT would be a scary ass thing to run into.
Plasma rifles?? Mech Frog is about to be summoned.
Same 40 damage, but also does heat and extra pain to infantry and vehicles.
Big mech, lots of guns, this is sure to be a great mech. *Looks at stats* Oh no… OH NOOOooo.
The sad thing is that the Malice looks cool and could have been outfitted to be an effective, deadly and more cost effective design.
Sometimes... cool just doesn't work. lol
Honestly it could even keep its current speed and two LBX-5s so it has something to remember its past by. Otherwise jjust give it two clanner ER PPCs and you're golden. Admittedly part of that is because you'll be glowing but it'll still be effective.
The malice would be great with two gauss and two ERPPCs, could fit enough DHS in the engineto cool the ppcs to alpha every round and it would be extremely dangerous.
Yeah I bought one for my republic sphere Mech Force.
I mean, since it looks like an attempt to copy the Rifleman III with 32nd Century tech, why not just give it four Gauss Rifles and enough ammo to actually work?
Damn Red, you truly ripped this mech a new one! With a smarter weapon loadout, a 64kph assault with almost 40 tons of weapons space at max armor is very valid. Its the weapons choices that are baffling to me
As a Pro-Capellan factionalist, I approve the wise decision implementing this design's production & distribution within the Republic of the Sphere, especially in Prefectures IV-VI
[Edit] We love fireworks too!
The cappies now build and deploy these things. :|
The cappies now build and deploy these things. Sorry. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Well, the right-thinking mercenaries in our employ need good machines too! 😉
@@thedocklighter "Good"
@@BigRed40TECH Between me & thee: yes, good. [Makes air quotes close to chest]
And great for export, too!
I had to pause the video when I read your bullet point "-The Embodiment of Hubris" so I could have a good laugh and thank heavens I did, because the derision just kept escalating to a truly hilarious degree.
Just thought of another thing to say about the Malice:
You know how sometimes a "nerd" in a movie will get a "Hit me" sign taped to the back of their shirt?
Well, it's simple really. The Malice, in all its variations, has a "Crit me" sign, on both of its side torsos.
There's more, actually.
The MAL-YZ is... A Tesla Cybertruck in all the worst ways.
Or alternately, it's an Apple desktop computer.
Both of them, fantastically expensive.... and absolutely incompetently executed.
It's a mech that has equipment that it doesn't need and lacks stuff that it needs.
Ah the Malice on of my favorite mechs designs but one of my most hated in terms of weapon loadout. Why did one of the coolest Mechs had to have such a terrible weapons loadout.
it was designed for the clix game, in the clix game it was actually really good. they translated the clix stats 1-1 over to actual tabletop, a format it was never meant for... ever
@@Grisbane Ah that would explain it. Though while I wish the Malice had at least one truly competent loadout (Like downgrading the engine to a 3/5 MP and using the freed up weight to upgrade all of the LBX-5's to LBX-10's while also adding a few more medium class lasers. It doesn't matter if there Pulse or ER. This would result in a actually competent 100 ton design).
@@alfagamingnl1815 Basically just turn it into a faster Annie.
Quad LB 5Xs could be really annoying if the enemy happenst to ignore it while chasing more worhwhile targets and unlike the Jagermech this can take a hit or two, BUT this can be replaced by Partisan tanks under most circumstances.
Just too much cost for that job imo
@@BigRed40TECH That is without any doubt. It's just that the concept could have some use, but it's not worth the costs associated. Just like when I taught my Stalker to jump 180 meters.
With this kind of armament I'm kinda baffled why they at least don't but a C3 in it.
Ahh, the Malice. That thing honestly has a very special place in my heart. It can probably be credited with getting me into Battletech (never played any Mechwarrior games, as I didn't know about them), when I came across the cover art for the Field Manual 3145 by Anthony Scroggins on Deviantart, back in 2013 I think, and I was in love at first sight, with these thick, heavily armored legs, the almost bunker-like cockpit, and the four, long-barreled weapons that made it appear like something right out of Metal Gear, it just looked amazing.
I looked deeper, wanted to know where it came from, and, before I knew it, I had spent 10 hours on Sarna, ordered about 300 Euros of books, material, and miniatures (including a Malice, because of course), and was SEVERELY sleep-deprived.
Sure, the Malice might not live up to its looks in terms of performance, and come from a period even I myself don't enjoy all that much (I prefer the Succession Wars and Clan Invasion. Preaching to the choir, I know.), and it might not even by my favorite Mech in the setting, that title goes to the King Crab, but, to me, more than even the Atlas, the Mad Cat, or the humble Elemental Battle Armor, it springs to my mind immediately when I think of Battletech.
And for that alone, for the fact that it introduced me to this amazing game and universe, it has my love and appreciation, despite being an utter dumpster fire in the game.
The YZ does have a saving grace! Between the TAG and those sensors, it makes a great artillery spotter if you want to drop Arrows on your own mech and have it survive.
I mean. It's not really fast enough to get away with that. And it's 3000 BV. Just... there are better things to do. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Look on the bright side. It'll be spotting for quite a while and by the time it's done and you're out of missiles you'll also have one less Malice in the galaxy.
That's a new gain for everyone.
A cool design that burns as bright as an Alpha Striking Nova Prime. Always loved the look of the militarized box designs.
I love the digitigrade legs.
@@Raist474 Gotta love those chicken legs!
chomky chickie lags
@@tomarmadiyer2698I love my dummy thicc Assault-mechs with chicken legs.
I think its not a joke that the Malice was sold a lot to Mercs and Republic forces. At this time new Battlemechs were rare at the start of the Dark age wars.I mean they basically modified any Industrial Mech with weapons and Armor like a Gurilia fighter Today does with a Toyota Pickup. So if you think about it that they drove Industrial mechs against the Jade Falken invasion on Sky i say the Malice would have done way better.
Cost would've been enormous. XD
@@BigRed40TECH naturally but if you lack weapons but have every thing else in huge quantity they can afford the cost. I mean the Capellans send Succesion war era Mechs Into frontline service during there invasion of the Republic.
It's good to know that corporate malfeasance still exists in the 32nd century.
@kaisiegfried425 that's because they were suicide charging it and Daoshin or Daishin is a crazed maniac. It's not a tactic any sensible army should use.
@@Aceshot-uu7yx I wouldnt call it suicide charge when at the beginning of the war all sides wer so Strongly disarmed that the only stuff they had were A Newer model here and there, and Industrial Mechs. The Houses had there secret staches of Weapons in most cases around 30% of what they told Devlin Stone and the rest what they had destroyed. I mean really when you read the Dark Age novels its really bleak at the Start and there are many books were both sides of the conflict have Problems to even field a complete Mech lanz.
No one would ever commit the folly of the Draconis Combine and the Charger, ROS Procurement and the Malice look out guys hold my beer…
Maybe the Malice will get the same rebirth as the Charger, with their chassis being used to make a much more capable mech in times of need.
@@rpontonjrit needs a specific purpose or niche, and then needs to be modded for that from the base loadout. There's potential under all that ridiculousness.
It could be an assault and get a smaller/not xl engine so it wont be knocked out with torso tear-throughs, added C.A.S.E, change of loadout switching to be more energy based with more weight savings/ammo dependence. Like...I could make a fairly decent loadout if I was able to sit down and mod one for an ACTUAL intended role lol 😅 Granted...you might as well just spend your heard-earned C-bills on something safe
Well that was ruff, but look at this way Red… at least you got this Mech out the way and never have to cover it again 😅
Is it coincidence that Devlin Stone stepped down in 3130 prior to the production of the Malice in 3132? Perhaps Devlin was hoping when the Malice would be better when he was woken up in the future.
One hopes that some of the Malice designers were taken by the Clans... so they can be consigned to the Laborer Caste.
@thunderK5 that is the best way to defeat clan wolf, clix game designers.
You hit the nail on the head at the end. The Malice isn't a player' Mech. It's a low level boss fight for one of the RPGs, it's a loot sponge to give players access to good salvage at a moderate challenge. It's a dungeon boss.
Malice: 28.8m C-Bills
Rifleman: 4.86m C-Bills
“Sign me up, said the mercenaries…”
The commanding officer for my Davion space merc unit: Wait, wut?
Slaps big toe of mech - "And unlike that skunk Rifleman this baby won't cook your innards on an Alpha!"
'Discount Dan here', "Are you sick of that wet toilet paper rear armor on your Rifleman? For the low, low price equal to 14 Urban Mechs, I got this beauty right here, the Malice!"
This analysis is both pointed and hilarious. Well done.
If I had been tasked with designing a 100 ton 'mech capable of closing with most assault and heavy 'mechs and some mediums, I'd have gone with Clan missile systems, probably a pair of big LRM launchers and a bunch of SRM tubes (not Streak so you can put out even more missiles for its low payload tonnage). The slap in CASEII, run up to the enemy as fast as you can while dumping lurms, and then press your second trigger and cackle madly as you do your best to imitate an SRM carrier.
So, a Longbow IIC?
"Maybe enemy pheasants will notice." After the Roc, could you design a Pheasant battlemech for the Capellans or the Mariks?
The pheasant should be a 20 ton locust clone with laser resistant armor. Just out of spite for those medium lasers.
The Malice seems to be the Battletech version of a sports car or Lamborghini, it's meant to look like it can do a lot or look pretty. But the minute you try to "open her up", everything just falls apart.
Damn, Red. Tell us how you really feel about the Malice. I think the mech is in a corner crying after this video.
Good.
As it should be. It had a perfect opportunity to run quad LBX-10s for glorious CQB and it wasted that opportunity
The only possible explanation is the office had a contest to see who could make the worst mech! The variants we got are the winners!
The malicious Malice maligning the morose Malice mech pilots
I played the MAL-XT once: I personally think it's the worst 100 ton machine i ever fielded be a fair margin. And the YZ is the most outrageous case of 'new toy syndrome' in mech form I ever had the displeasure to lay eyes on.
Stil:, Thanks a lot for taking it on!
Even the Charger is a better investment than the Malice. The psychological warfare of a Charger is more effective than the sheer "someone made the Shadow Hawk an assault mech" and failed to actually fix the Shadow Hawk's 'problems' inherent in the Malice.
@@nialltealeaf275The charger can at least punch things.
@@BoisegangGaming More importantly, the Charger is more survivable, and thus has a much better chance of closing range to start throwing hands.
I am an old school player. Never played a game in Dark Age or Ilcan. That said, I can imagine a merc unit picking up a couple of these as salvage, and rebuilding them with smaller engines and gauss rifles. Now wouldn't that be quite the surprise for those assuming they knew what they faced? Heh...
Imagine if someone stuck an AC20 on it? Just have it run up and start tearing mechs up.
@@Aceshot-uu7yx Potentially nasty, but a bit harder to make look like it's the original layout...
@@ralphsexton8531 who cares about that when your salvaging parts and soldering them on?
@@Aceshot-uu7yx True enough
"Are we going to give this thing PPCs?"
"I was thinking AC5s."
"A pair of RAC5s seems pretty solid."
"No I was thinking quad LB5Xs."
"... why"
"I want it to have an autocannon."
"Sounds great boss, what else? "
"Another one."
"Sure thing, what other weapons?"
"Another one."
"..."
"Another one."
"Sir, I have a great idea!"
What is it?"
"You know that Rifleman III that Amaris made? What if we did that, but a LOT shittier, and charged a fortune for it? Then convinced the Republic that it was a great and highly useful tactical asset, and for some reason Mercenaries will love it, despite it being worthless?"
"... Oh. My. God. You're a genius!"
"You pilot that thing? You're braver then I thought"
If there’s anything that mechs like the Malice has shown, it’s that the player’s ability to perfectly and objectively understand the performance of all equipment and weapons is a superpower on par with phantom mech ability.
"There's a sucker born every minute" -P.T. Barnum
One of my favorite new mechs
This video will be traumatic. Forgive me. lol
But, but, but the Malice has spirit! That’s what really matters in battle, right?! 😮😂
I've never seen such bitter hatred... so perfectly articulated.
Always happy to learn more about the utter failures of the RotS.
This was a VERY entertaining video, Red. Somehow it got past me and I missed it AND never heard of the mech either.
Thank you!
I remember seeing the mini and saying to myself: Wow. This should be COOL. MOAR DAKKA. And then I read the sheet and then squinted. Like... Squinted like I squinted at a SRM carrier sheet the first time. So much potential, wasted. This is the LCS of the Battletech world.
I applaud the Republic for coming up with a worse waste of a 400 engine than a Charger.
Feels like the made a very big, very expensive bully. "How many waves of 4 jenners can you take on? Every 5th wave is a dragon" type deal
What happens if the enemy fields mediums, heavies, and assaults?
@@BigRed40TECH Spontaneous combustion.
Also I doubt the mercs left this thing as it was. They probably saw a fat fucking chasis with lot´s of space and got creative
@@jamesmortimer4016 Sadly, most mechs, even with mercs, remain stock for myriad reasons. Custom mechs are REALLY rare in canon.
What does the 400xl weigh? 24.5 tons. Heck putin a standard vlar 300 for a savings of 5.5 tons and 6 crits add a super charger
26.5-tons actually. lmao
@BigRed40TECH ok so i was a few tons off. Not too bad tho for me not having looked it up and going off memory ;😜
The Malice, otherwise known as "GOD MADE ME UNFINISHED"
Otherwise also known as "Why the LBX-5 might be the starting point for good lower numbered autocannons, but man are they only good at best paired and only on medium 'mechs."
To further elucidate the point, the Ultra series and the LBX series of autocannons are pretty shit in the 2 and 5 damage ranges, with the exception being made for the Ultra-2 and the LBX 5 imo. The Ultra 2 because it provides a natural upgrade to all skybroom platforms, while the LBX-5 is really good on ballistic reliant skirmishing platforms.
Meanwhile the Ultra-5 and LBX 2 are both just wastes of tonnages. In my personal opinion, the post Helm Shadow Hawk would have been a lot scarier and a lot longer running if it instead had an LBX-5 instead of an Ultra-5.
Anyone on the discord can @ me if you want me to explain further there.
The mechwarriors who bought it: OMG it's fast, it's big, and it has shotguns, shotguns are always very powerful. I'LL TAKE YOUR ENTIRE STOCK!
Maybe enemy pheasants will notice... You've found the true purpose of the Malice. Upland bird hunting.
Hence the LB-X's, for loading 4 tons of birdshot!
This makes the Charger look like a sensible investment
These are available to the Capellans in ilClan, though only the XV I would even consider, much better in AS but not stellar.
In Classic the XV could be useful with precision ammo vs speedy boi TMM shielded raider mechs. Also available if special ammo used for AS
They are. Its such a tragedy the CCAF is going to be burdened by such things. lol
@@BigRed40TECH well maybe they will make a stealth version with a bunch of plasma rifles and light gauss rifles or something.
This mech works in Classic Tournaments where Piloting/Gunnery limits can be imposed. I used an XV with precision ammo to great effect.
@@g2fxgraphics I did mention the XV was the best variant of it, to be fair.
Well this will be a fun objective raid or targeted kill target…big scary looking but not that dangerous.
If you could sum up the Republic of the Sphere with a single Mech, it would be this one.
sounds like someone looked at the annihilator and thought they could speed it up, at the cost of damage output. in terms of design conceptually i get where they were going for. gotta love battletech for designing these sub-par machines alongside the better designs. sometimes something just doesnt work out. shame its not properly reflected in the lore, if i can believe your explanations.
Feel free to read the TRO entry and Record Sheets for yourself. I just looked at what it is, and went over it. lol
The anni just needs a light engine, 300L works great.
Honestly i kind of want to make a version of this that replaces 3 of the LB5xes with a LAC5, RAC5, and UAC5 because clearly the problem is that it didnt have enuff dakka.
It looks so good though! Thanks for the video, really enjoyed it.
Dude another great video I listen to you at work all the time and now the other guys do as well quickly gentlemen to the bearcat there is Sweet Lore and content about to be dropped
Much appreciated!
Looks like something an MWO player would make
LOL true
I'd say it's useful to compare it to the Warhammer WHM-6R, which has very comparable abilities at a fraction of the cost... using only introtech. Really, though, I'd say the biggest issue with the Malice is more a problem with how poorly balanced the lighter autocannons are, costing far too much mass for meagre damage output.
That still doesn't answer why the designers decided to mix an XL engine with excessive quantities of ammo not protected by CASE, but the Malice would be much more effective if the LB-5X was an even remotely weight-efficient weapon system.
EDIT: Playing around with Meklab, another flaw reveals itself in the Malice. It's past the tonnage break-even for 4/6, even with endosteel structure and XL engine. It'd have one ton more available for equipment+armor if it dropped down to 95 tons, and for cost-performance, it should really drop down to the 75-85 ton range.
Geez this was SCATHING! 😂
Love the cool mechanism intro
Oh this is going to be a mean one 🙂.
Thank you for going through that to make the video, I have been trying to work out if the Malice is meant to be good and just eneded up with bad rules or if it's meant to be a point about the RotS
I named my cat after matron malice …. Now I find out there is a mech named after my cat🤣
A 100 ton assault mech that can move at 64 KPH? Good. Medium range fighter? Nice. 4 ER MLs? Tried and true back-up. So what are we looking at for weapons? Quad RAC2’s? MRMs? ER Large lasers? Quad LBX 5 autocannnons… *Headdesks* Please tell me they at least have some form of CASE.
CASE is just a lie, made up by Clanners! No one can be saved from an ammo explosion I tell you!
Great video of a really bad LOL. An excellent production at any rate. Keep up the great!
“Okay boy, I think I need to explain how this works. You want to know why we buy the damn things? Simple, ya sell that ridiculous engine at a nice mark up then you replace it with something you salvaged out of a busted Atlas or something like that. There you’ve pretty much broke even. Replace those pop guns with some real weaponry and you have a budget line breaker. And that is how a merc does things.”
This premise seems like it was reverse engineered from a clan blueprint, but they were missing a bunch of parts. So 3 CUAC10s became 4 LBX AC 5s, and 4 heavy medium lasers became 4 regular ass medium lasers. But, even then, the firepower would've been anemic and inflexible for a 100 tonner by even succession wars standards, barring the "wumbo" setting on UACs.
I know some mechs can be lemons, but WOW this is one hell of a lemon mech.
It's also worth noting that any mech without arms struggles to stand up, so any penalties to PSRs is really bad news. Don't trip, Malice!
The Malice, when a Charger 1A1 (or any Charger for that matter) is a better option.
Charger refits are all great mechs, the only bad one is the base one and even then in melee it will take your soul
Excellent review. Enjoyed it. Tho I haven't personally played the Mallice, a friend played one in a game and just used it for long range sniping where as I was using a lament . With the lament I'd do the heavy punching and he'd go crit fishing. Otherwise his Mallice was quite ineffective
If your friend wants to crit fish, a Bane is more affordable and lethal.
@bthsr7113 the bane is a clan mech. We were playing Republic vs clans
When I saw the promotional art, I thought it was Metal Gear Rex without the reverse joint legs.
Be careful guys. One of the techs in my Merc team left our Dropship unlocked. Someone bloke must of seen the Malice and broke in.. When I got back, they left three more!
The MAL-YZ is the "12" on the volume dial. There's a very good reason the volume dial only goes to 11.
In fact, even 11 is too much.
So I'll gladly take a MAL-YZ, but I'll have my mechtechs work on it first before I ever let anyone of my lance pilot it.
Trade off the remote sensor dispensers and Angel ECM and modular armor and the coolant pods all for MORE NORMAL DOUBLE HEAT SINKS. (most of them going in the side torsos for crit padding, the rest going in the engine or arms).
OK, one exception, modular armor on the head makes sense usually, 1 crit slot and 1 ton to literally just about double the armor on the head (making it immune to pilot death by Clan ERPPC or other "head-clippers", one time at least). I'll take a -1 to PSR and a lower speed if it means I'm immune to head-shots.
And boom, now you have a perfectly viable mech, that won't kill its pilot, to the contrary it's actually more likely to SAVE the pilot thanks to the 1t of modular armor on the cockpit location making it immune (once) to headshots.
Ferro-lamellor armor is super neat too, since it renders LBX cluster ammunition utterly impotent, meaning that OTHER malice's can't touch you unless they brought solid ammo.
It's amazing how just a few little tweaks here and there can make or break a mech, isn't it? I didn't even touch the engine and I made a better mech, just think what I could have done if I switched to a Light 300 fusion engine, or a "normal" Clan XL 400 engine? Sure, I'd have to probably drop the head modular armor, but losing that means that the mech can go the full 64kph again, and if I have to lose some heat sinks I'll just trade the Clan ERLL's for Clan (non ER) LPL's.
You only take -1PSR, IIRC modular armor only actually SLOWS you if it's placed on the legs.
@@DIEGhostfish
Even better, it makes next to no sense to not put Modular Armor on the head slot if there's no weapon fitted there and you have a spare ton free.
@@44R0Ndin Depends on the pilot skill. Also I may be moxinf modular up with Patchwork Reinforced on speed there
Great vid! I find it kinda funny cause this mech would probably do well in mechwarrior; ESPECIALLY with burst ACs
Oh yea, in MW5 or MWO, this thing would actually be half-decent, if not solid.
The HPG going down stopped everyone from cancelling their Malice orders.
Shots fired
Happy Lyran General noises in the background!
Never has a Battlemech been giving a cool name only to be fucked over by their loadout been so cleanly embodied in the dark age era as the Malice. Poor bastard.
I'm sitting here and I'm having issues just trying to figure out how to make this thing viable without either:
A) saying screw it and clantech'ing the damn thing and making an already expensive boondoggle even more expensive
Or
B) stripping it down to the frame and completely rethinking it's weapon loadout. Literally the ONLY thing I'm not at odds with are the quadrack of ER mediums.
I have 2 ideas on the second option:
1) Drop down to a 300 standard engine which slows you down quite a bit but opens up something like 7 tons of weight and swap two of the LBXs for ERPPCs and heatsinks to let it open up armor and critfish from range. Add case in either side torso then spend any remaining weight and space on ammo or heatsinks.
2) say screw it, keep the 400, strip 2 LBXs off and swap the others for RAC5s, triple the ammo, add 2 Medium pulse lasers and 4 more heatsinks. You will die, but IT. WILL. BE. GLORIOUS
(yes, I'm aware that is 240 shots of ammunition, but we came to dakka and die gloriously and 20 turns of maximum dakka is fine)
If you're an absolute psychopath, swap the lasers to clantech and now the ER mediums and the RACs have a complete overlap in their effective ranges... and are heat neutral if you don't move.
God, I wish this one was good, it looks so cool! Guess I'll just have to hope the rule of cool carries it through battle, 'cause I'm using it!
It might survive battles a lot of the time, but will it be effective? lol
"Was envisioned as relatively quick 100-ton assault mech" was when the alarm bells started ringing, as the traditional trade-offs are always there to hit hard. I didn't expect the full range of uselessness the Malice displays though. It is impressively useless even, with flaws that amaze and boggle in equal measure. Stuffing it full of ammo and armour and ignoring CASE for instance. Just... wow. The Y2 in particular is just a monument to waste. It takes the one thing the Malice could do decently well(consistently deliver its firepower without overheating) and throws it out the window by replicating the Savage Wolf's armour and engine loadout, without having the good grace to even give it a functional armament package.
It's pretty clear that the Republic of the Sphere's procurement system was based around automatically selecting the most expensive offerings, without actually looking at their usefulness, figuring that a great cost meant proportionally great power. In turn, the Republic's manufacturers were encouraged to create ever bigger, ever dumber versions of the Malice, along with superheavies. The most notorious mech for a 400-rated engine in my mind is the Charger, and the Malice lives up to its legacy in full, then surpasses it in its variants.
Sounds great, I'll take ten!
Minimum 20 buy-in.
Oh man, I can see how Mech distribution works before a battle:
Okay Pilots, we have 4 Mechs. The Marauder is mine, so left is a Catapult, a Hunchback and a Malice. You three take straws and the shor... I mean the Winner becomes the Malice!
After some thrilling moments...
Okay, the Newbie gets the Malice!
:D
Also... I have some kind of Déjà-vu with this mech.
I played some Mech related Games in my 42 years lifetime, and two of them were from the Metaltech Earthsiege Series: Part one with Addon and Earthsiege 2.
There were some Mechs, or Hercs as they were named there, with a similar shape and Weaponage, but way lighter and more effective. But because this Games are PRETTY OLD, the Hercs weren't so detailed in the simulation as they are today. Heck, they tried to be a competition to Mechwarrior 2 and 3 which not gone well. That Series had 4 more Games playing in that Universe. 2 Strategic Games called Missionforce Cyberstorm and Cyberstorm 2, and 2 more... stranger games with simulation in mind... but forgot the names. xD
But they had not much to do with the Simulation heavy Earthsiege Games of once.
And yeah, i know, you only can give "Mechs" a limitation of shapes until they look or feel like "Copys" of some other Franchises, but this one? Yeah, for me it is a Earthsiege Herc Inspired Mech. xD
Deliberately including poor designs into the setting just adds to the verisimilitude of the Battletech setting!
Ah, I see! This mech is the Charger of the Republic/Dark Age Era!
The most obscene thing about the MAL-YZ isn't just how it's so poorly designed it loses out to the standard version of the Awesome, a design 20 tons lighter and close to 500 years older, but that it also costs almost the equivalent of 130 MILLION C-bills for a single MAL-YZ.
That's enough to pay for four Prime-configuration Dire Wolf Assault 'mechs. FOUR. Some schmuck actually sank an entire lance of Clanner Assault 'mechs worth of money into a single mech, that can't beat a pre-Helm Core Inner Sphere mech.
I'm probably seeing things but that Republic of the Sphere emblem in the thumbnail really resembles a highly animated weasel at my screen resolution
With friends like us making suggestions, you sure don't need enemies 😂 Great job covering a less than stellar design.
Its Alpha Strike stats make it usable, but a Succession Wars Grasshopper or Guillotine gives it trouble. And the AS rules sure as hell don't save the YZ.
Ouch!
RoS Procurement Officer: "Congratulations on your recent promotion Major. Is there a new battlemech you were hoping to get in?"
RoS Assault Pilot: "Well, I have been wanting to get some seat time in an Annihilator."
RoS PO: (flatly) "We have the Annihilator at home."
This mech has the same problem as the annihilator but in reverse, anni is too much weapon but no speed. Malice is too much speed and no weapon.
Nice to know they still make tractors in the future :-) cheers for the overview of a mech ill avoid if i ever play the dark ages :-)
Ferro-Lammelor armor on the YZ?
Jeez, did some Snow Raven or Sea Fox consultant get a job in the Republic and decide to help create the Battlemech equivalent of Wimp Lo? "We designed it wrong, as a joke"
For the MAL-XT: pull out the autocannons, and put in 6 Light AC/5's and add two more Medium Lasers and more Double Heat sinks. For the MAV-XV: Rip off the heavy lasers and replace them with ER medium lasers. For the MAL-YZ: pray, it is the only thing you can still do while you are still alive!
Maybe it was a case of corruption sucking money out of the government, and mercs kept buying it when it went on fire sale to part it out at a net profit, possibly with those XL400 engines ending up in brand new Malice units.
They should make a MAL-DG (Downgrade) version with a 300std engine, 2 regular AC/5s, 2 regular PPCs, 2-4 IS MLs, case, and AMS. Turn it into a well-armored fire-support mech to stand with traditional 100 tonners. The idea being, this is what's left after the 400xl and LB-5Xs have been sold for a profit, so you can't sell the built-in double heat sink system or endo steel. You'd have other variations based on the same concept.
To paraphrase the old song. Malice? Malice? Who the Eff is Malice? :D
If the Malice had either a XL 350 or XL 300 with that in mind I have to Two options you can pick from 1) Triple UAC/5's, Large Laser and Twin Medium Laser's. 2) Twin RAC/5's, Twin Large Laser's and either a Medium Pulse Laser or Twin Medium Laser's
in game 100-tonners can't use a 350, it'd have to use a 300.
@@BigRed40TECH that does make sense since in BattleTech everything is rounded up and if it was able to equip the XL 350 it would have a movement value of 4/5 and it would get weirder if it had Harden Armor then it would be a 4/4 Mech