Vigormortis said:
That's actually a tough call. So I think I'll go with these five instead:
I know, I know. You asked for one. But, I really can't pick just one. If I really, really had to though, it'd be the Kit Fox. That thing has never failed me in any Battletech themed game I've ever played.
AccursedTheory said:
loc978 said:
Thor, but not the one that's popular these days...
True 'Mech heads. I thought for sure I'd be the only one to reference Battletech/Mechwarrior. Glad to be wrong.
My vote varies enormously. In terms of
absolute practicality, the Mad Cat is the clear winner. Literally
anything it doesn't outgun it can outrun (and there isn't a thing on the IS side it doesn't outgun). Combine that with more than enough armor to go toe to toe with anything in it's weight class and the Mad Cat is the perfect mech. Hard hitting weapons for
every range? Check. A damage curve that becomes increasingly steep as you close the gap? Check. A variety of weapons that ensures it literally has no weakness? Check.
On the other side, I'd have to say that I have a soft spot for a few IS mechs as well. The Bushwhacker is, ultimately, an incredibly pragmatic mech. Hard to hit and armed for all occasions all while being tough enough to take fire and fast enough to hit and run against most things. It is one of my favorite mechs in video games and were I to play the boardgame still (and in a game that assigned BV rather than a tonnage limit) it would see regular use. The other choice is the Battlemaster. Sure, if you allow clan tech (or even Star league) it's outclassed by a silly margin but out of all the old style mechs, the Battlemaster managed the impossible by being a useful and relatively fast assault mech with plenty of firepower. Sure the mech had weaknesses. It could fire it's entire complement of close ranged weapons as often as it wanted (and the sheer number of shots gave you a good chance for a critical hit) but it's primary weapon was of no use at point blank range. Worse still, should you manage a lucky hit or punch through the very thick armor, the mech's survival is often in question as it carries enormous ammunition stores in several locations. If nothing else, this is a mech that is dramatically improved by adding IS tech. Give it Endo-Steel for it's frame and double heat sinks and you can suddenly do a lot more shooting. Add CASE to protect against ammunition explosions and survivabity increases. And if you swap the PPC for an ERPPC you have something of a work of art.
Of course, my preference was to assume the PPC was replaced instead with an ER Large Laser Along with a medium pulse laser and an extra heat sink, but that was largely because the Battlemaster was meant to work at short range and you might as well have an arsenal that works best at that range. Sure, you lose a few hexes but the reality is that you don't want to rely on your PPC for much beyond harrasing fire as you close. If you're shooting at anything that can actually stand against a fresh Battlemaster, chances are quite good it probably has a little more to throw at range than you do.
