Something to keep in mind with the Mad Dog and Timberwolf Prime: Clan LRMs are the best SRMs in the game. Don't waste them trying to sand blast armor at max range early in the fight, save them for when you have a couple holes punched through and their long range brackets without a minimum range give you good to hit numbers for crit hunting. 5 point clusters don't just crit, they also do a good job of eating up internal structure as well. I'd also suggest the Mad Dog A get an honorable mention for the "you just shot _how many_ SRMs at me?" reaction. Then again, maybe save it for the MegaMek games so you don't lose friends over rolling that many damage locations.
Zachklop, I wholeheartedly agree! A clan LRM-15 is like a IS SRM-6 from hell. It fits in the CT, does more damage on average, and has double the range! The SRM6 has the advantage of more hit locations but with less damage on each hit it's kind of a wash. It's also a half ton lighter for the launcher, plus needing only one ton of ammo to the LRM-15s two tons. Oh, and one less heat. (Totaled up it's 5.5 tons for the whole CLRM system, and 4 for the IS SRM) All in all a fantastic freakin upgrade. This makes the limited ammo on clan standard designs so much more painful. I think you are exactly right about how best to use that limited stock.
I'm running the Battle for Twycross campaign for my B-Tech group and I chuckle to myself every time I hand one of the Clanner guys their roster and I'm like "Here's your star with 3 Loki's in it"
@@Axzealot they've got CASE, they probably lived to be yelled at by their commander and shipped off to a dezgra unit where they spent the last three years of their life fighting bandits before getting stuffed into a Solahma unit and spent foolishly in a battle that that same commander likely lost in the name of honor.
I always go for Clan ERLLs over ER-PPCs myself. Not as much damage, but still a better balance of weight and heat, freeing up tonnage for other things like better armor, bigger engine, another weapon, or other widgets. And you can still touch them at a very long range. Then again, I also prefer lighter units as well, that can move faster and *stay* out of range. That said, the lack of ammo for the ammo-fed weapons is a Clan Thing...I remember the bit in the original Tukayyid book about the differences in Clan strategies, and how Wolf was the only one to go for a more ammoless plan, since they knew the IS would go after their supply lines.
Regarding the Thor (Summoner) trading a heatsink for a ton of LBX-10 ammo is a great solution. Its also got a standard structure, and switching to Endo-steel gets you the ton of ammo you need, plus upping the armor to 11tons (6 points shy of max), plus another free ton to do anything you want with! BV 2426 at that point.
I have a soft spot for Hellbringers. Tell your friends you hate them, strap in, set the heat warning to silent, and end something's (or two somethings!) day. You're not going home, but neither is that Stalker over there!
A 1 to 1 exchange does not favor the Clans. The Hellbringer was designed for dueling in Trials,when facing mutiple opponents, its shortcomings become apparent
The Mad Dog C with elementals helps cover some of the armor and any short range weakness. It's probably one of the best pairings of BA and a mech i can think of that isnt taxiing them.
The Hellbringer was originally made by the Hell's Horses (along with the Nova and Hellstar) and should be evaluated through that lens. Just because the Falcons used them a lot does not mean they understood the design, just that they liked it. The Horses made the Prime, and used it as a command mech in heavy cavalry formations. It is not, at all, meant to stand in the line. It actually should not, ever, be used in that way because that is not where the commander belongs. Because a commander that is hip-deep in combat is not a commander that is controlling their unit. The Hellbringer ahould be used to plug holes and support units in need, *never* as a main combat unit. Because of course, it gets ripped up in heavy combat. It was jever designed for thst in the first place. It is a cavalry mech, meant to stay on the move and harass enemy formations; baiting them into ambushes and wearing them down.
Playing Clan forces, you can't afford to let the opponent hit you at all. Mad Dog Prime is a great mech for that, hanging out at max range with those LPLs as long as you can make it happen. IMO the best-suited loadout of any clan heavy.
@@jonbezeau3124 Yes great weapons on that mech, but heat and armor are still a problem. You'll never be able to guarantee that they can't hit you the whole game.
my strat is to stick with 2 LPL beyond 8 hexes, so when they force their way closer the switch-up to 2 LRM20 and 2 MPL is hitting internal structure all over
Nope, its like the 80 ton mech, pretty much trash weight class... But that being said, the Vulture Prime, like the Fire Moth D, is one of my fav mechs cause the Ghost Bears favour them 😊
The QKD-5K Quickdraw. Double heat sinks made so many sad/unfortunate models so much more viable. Who cares that it's a 60-ton heavy primarily armed with medium lasers? You can fire them all, almost all the time depending on your movement that round. It's here for a good time, not for a long time. And Trailblazer is right, the Black Hawk-KU is one of the only IS Omnis that arguably outperforms its Clan counterpart. The lower heat of standard MLs means you can fire more of them more often.
How to beat a clanner heavy mech in 2 easy steps. Step 1 bring a couple Demolishers and a lance of manticores and 6 LRM carriers (or the rough equivalent of thumper/ballistia SPGs or mix and match) and the company plus of savannah masters that you can bring for the same Cbill price. Step 2 make it rain
The base Cbill cost sure. The overhead costs on like 100 tankers and plenty of mechanics to service all of that stuff... plus the inevitable payouts to their families for the death of the Savannah master pilots... That'a whete the expense comes in lmao.
Don't forget the limits of interstellar lift. One Timberwolf would use up a mechbay plus some cargo space for supplies. Those vees sound like you need an entire dropship.
How people still use c-bill logic on Clan mechs? They even not using c-bills! That's price is "for IS market", clan economy manage battlemech productions
The limited ammo i think was a conscious design decision to fit clan ritualised combat...they prefer short efficient engagements to decide the matter...plus a little handicapping of the clanners doesnt make the IS scum cry so hard 😊
wasn't the mad dog designed as a poor man's Timber Wolf? considering it is that I would give it a B to A depending on if you use it correctly in the back at long range. Either sniping with c or fighting with the a variant... wasn't really every a fan of the Thor... not enough weapons for me I end up using it as is a harasser. I think the vulture/Mad dog is more versatile.
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Something to keep in mind with the Mad Dog and Timberwolf Prime: Clan LRMs are the best SRMs in the game. Don't waste them trying to sand blast armor at max range early in the fight, save them for when you have a couple holes punched through and their long range brackets without a minimum range give you good to hit numbers for crit hunting. 5 point clusters don't just crit, they also do a good job of eating up internal structure as well.
I'd also suggest the Mad Dog A get an honorable mention for the "you just shot _how many_ SRMs at me?" reaction. Then again, maybe save it for the MegaMek games so you don't lose friends over rolling that many damage locations.
@@zachklopfleisch8501 Vulture has some nice configurations and the A is definitely one. Great vacuum fighting mech too
Zachklop, I wholeheartedly agree! A clan LRM-15 is like a IS SRM-6 from hell. It fits in the CT, does more damage on average, and has double the range! The SRM6 has the advantage of more hit locations but with less damage on each hit it's kind of a wash. It's also a half ton lighter for the launcher, plus needing only one ton of ammo to the LRM-15s two tons. Oh, and one less heat. (Totaled up it's 5.5 tons for the whole CLRM system, and 4 for the IS SRM) All in all a fantastic freakin upgrade.
This makes the limited ammo on clan standard designs so much more painful. I think you are exactly right about how best to use that limited stock.
Quit giving away our secrets Freebirth!
I'm running the Battle for Twycross campaign for my B-Tech group and I chuckle to myself every time I hand one of the Clanner guys their roster and I'm like "Here's your star with 3 Loki's in it"
If they complain, tell them great mechwarriors dont complain about their equipment 😊
handing out ECM and C ERPPCs like free candy?!
Oh boy, the 3050 Loki... all the durability of Kenny from South Park! 😅
@@NuclearFridge1 i think ur being a little too generous 🙂
Timber wolf is to expensive to use in most games. If I bring one. I'm setting self up to be out numbered.
The hellbringer photo killed me.
It killed the pilot as well XD
@@matthewpena3932 Thank camospecs!
@@Axzealot they've got CASE, they probably lived to be yelled at by their commander and shipped off to a dezgra unit where they spent the last three years of their life fighting bandits before getting stuffed into a Solahma unit and spent foolishly in a battle that that same commander likely lost in the name of honor.
I always go for Clan ERLLs over ER-PPCs myself. Not as much damage, but still a better balance of weight and heat, freeing up tonnage for other things like better armor, bigger engine, another weapon, or other widgets. And you can still touch them at a very long range. Then again, I also prefer lighter units as well, that can move faster and *stay* out of range.
That said, the lack of ammo for the ammo-fed weapons is a Clan Thing...I remember the bit in the original Tukayyid book about the differences in Clan strategies, and how Wolf was the only one to go for a more ammoless plan, since they knew the IS would go after their supply lines.
@@VulpisFoxfire I might like the ERLL a bit better too but I think it's close
Regarding the Thor (Summoner) trading a heatsink for a ton of LBX-10 ammo is a great solution. Its also got a standard structure, and switching to Endo-steel gets you the ton of ammo you need, plus upping the armor to 11tons (6 points shy of max), plus another free ton to do anything you want with! BV 2426 at that point.
I have a soft spot for Hellbringers. Tell your friends you hate them, strap in, set the heat warning to silent, and end something's (or two somethings!) day. You're not going home, but neither is that Stalker over there!
A 1 to 1 exchange does not favor the Clans.
The Hellbringer was designed for dueling in Trials,when facing mutiple opponents, its shortcomings become apparent
Great insight as usual. Can't help but love the Mad Cat isn't it? What an iconic 'Mech
@@zahreel3103 It's the best!
The Mad Dog C with elementals helps cover some of the armor and any short range weakness. It's probably one of the best pairings of BA and a mech i can think of that isnt taxiing them.
The Hellbringer was originally made by the Hell's Horses (along with the Nova and Hellstar) and should be evaluated through that lens. Just because the Falcons used them a lot does not mean they understood the design, just that they liked it.
The Horses made the Prime, and used it as a command mech in heavy cavalry formations. It is not, at all, meant to stand in the line. It actually should not, ever, be used in that way because that is not where the commander belongs. Because a commander that is hip-deep in combat is not a commander that is controlling their unit.
The Hellbringer ahould be used to plug holes and support units in need, *never* as a main combat unit.
Because of course, it gets ripped up in heavy combat. It was jever designed for thst in the first place. It is a cavalry mech, meant to stay on the move and harass enemy formations; baiting them into ambushes and wearing them down.
Timberwolf is everything I ever wanted from a Marauder. But, the Masakari is king.
Love sitting round the fire listening to grand pappy trailblazer sing songs of battletech yore.
The exploding Hellbringer/Loki is an amazing model.
Love the Thor and painted two with my daughter. I love the f but that is 3054.
Just made my day
Nova Cat for the win ....... oh that's not in this list
@@mathewkelly9968 Lucky for the 3050 IS pilots!
Playing Clan forces, you can't afford to let the opponent hit you at all. Mad Dog Prime is a great mech for that, hanging out at max range with those LPLs as long as you can make it happen. IMO the best-suited loadout of any clan heavy.
@@jonbezeau3124 Yes great weapons on that mech, but heat and armor are still a problem. You'll never be able to guarantee that they can't hit you the whole game.
my strat is to stick with 2 LPL beyond 8 hexes, so when they force their way closer the switch-up to 2 LRM20 and 2 MPL is hitting internal structure all over
Id rate the Thor lower anemic firepower and not enough ammo , like 3 weapons on a 70 ton mech isn't good enough
That's a bit harsh hoisting the Hellbringer onto Clan Jade Falcon considering it's a Hells Horses/Clan Wolf mech and the Thor/Summoner exists
To be fair, is there any good 60 ton mech?
Nope, its like the 80 ton mech, pretty much trash weight class...
But that being said, the Vulture Prime, like the Fire Moth D, is one of my fav mechs cause the Ghost Bears favour them 😊
@@99zxk I like the Lancelot, BHKU and some Ostsol variants! Grand Dragon has some big positives too
@@99zxk Oh yeah and the Argus variant with the great long range firepower
The QKD-5K Quickdraw. Double heat sinks made so many sad/unfortunate models so much more viable. Who cares that it's a 60-ton heavy primarily armed with medium lasers? You can fire them all, almost all the time depending on your movement that round. It's here for a good time, not for a long time.
And Trailblazer is right, the Black Hawk-KU is one of the only IS Omnis that arguably outperforms its Clan counterpart. The lower heat of standard MLs means you can fire more of them more often.
Configurations available ?
Omni mechs.
Where do I get these blueprints?
Go back to 1990 and grab them from your local gaming store
How to beat a clanner heavy mech in 2 easy steps. Step 1 bring a couple Demolishers and a lance of manticores and 6 LRM carriers (or the rough equivalent of thumper/ballistia SPGs or mix and match) and the company plus of savannah masters that you can bring for the
same Cbill price. Step 2 make it rain
@@spencerjones841 This can also be adapted into a plan for beating pretty much any mech... They are expensive compared with vees for sure!
The base Cbill cost sure. The overhead costs on like 100 tankers and plenty of mechanics to service all of that stuff... plus the inevitable payouts to their families for the death of the Savannah master pilots... That'a whete the expense comes in lmao.
@@TheManyVoicesVA Yup classic FASAnomics
Don't forget the limits of interstellar lift. One Timberwolf would use up a mechbay plus some cargo space for supplies. Those vees sound like you need an entire dropship.
How people still use c-bill logic on Clan mechs? They even not using c-bills! That's price is "for IS market", clan economy manage battlemech productions
The limited ammo i think was a conscious design decision to fit clan ritualised combat...they prefer short efficient engagements to decide the matter...plus a little handicapping of the clanners doesnt make the IS scum cry so hard 😊
wasn't the mad dog designed as a poor man's Timber Wolf? considering it is that I would give it a B to A depending on if you use it correctly in the back at long range. Either sniping with c or fighting with the a variant... wasn't really every a fan of the Thor... not enough weapons for me I end up using it as is a harasser. I think the vulture/Mad dog is more versatile.