Hey, it's another equipment poll!
Round 1
Hardened Armor
TSM
Hardened Armor is interesting. It's a great way to make a moving pillbox around a single PPC. It's got its uses though.
TSM is probably objectively better, although I used it before things like the Plasma Cannon and Plasma Rifle came out to fuck with your heat numbers.
But it's also a free upgrade. Since no one cares about C-Bills, there's not a lot of reason to add it to just about every design. Especially since you can turn off heat sinks to use it on just about anything. a mechwarrior takes on some tactical restrictions by doing that, but it's worth the payoff.
Probably why there's a Battle Value cost bump, which is a very good reason not to add it to every design.
Hardened Armor though. Battlemech base physical attacks are already too good.
Round 2
Improved Heavy Lasers [Clan]
Snub Nose PPC
It's hard to argue with Improved Heavy Lasers. Sure, they explode for a lot of damage, but I've never been put off by that. The Snub-Nose PPC, the snubbie, is a good weapon, but the throw weight of those iHL's is crazy. There's the higher heat, but like X-Pulse Lasers, they make heat management in the age of double heat sinks non-trivial.
Round 3
Hatchet
Partial Wing
Partial Wings do a lot of sensible things. They let jump jets go above Walking MP. They help dissipate heat. They're almost too good. But the weight and crits are fair.
Hatchets just suck. A kick is a kick and has a to-hit bonus and focuses on the enemy's leg. The hatchet is a kick to the full hit table so it's not as focused and requires closing. I don't get it.
Partial Wing.
Round 4
Special Munitions: ACs and other ballistics
Special Munitions: Artillery
I actually use ACs. I like the idea of artillery, but I don't use it enough to appreciate the alternate munitions.
Round 5
Thumper Artillery
TAG
Neither. I've rarely used either of these things and they both seemed like more trouble than they were worth.
Round 6
Angel ECM
Guardian ECM
Angel. Guardian gives you a bigger effect per ton. Angel gives you a bit more functionality for more weight. That said, put the half-ton in there.
Round 7
RLs
NARC
I don't like NARC that much because it's a whole system based on getting close and then everyone else being far and having special missiles.
Rocket Launcher 15's and Rocket Launcher 20's are objectively terrible. Banked Rocket Launcher 10's are very good to the point I have to work to not use them to fill in every slender space I have in a 'mech I'm designing. I wish the other Rocket Launchers and NARC weren't so 'meh,' but it's RL's based on the 10's itself.
Round 8
RISC Advanced PDS
Radical Heat Sink System
The Advanced PDS is interesting. I like it. But MASC for heat sinks is more fun. Maybe even what double heat sinks should have been. Radical Heat Sink System.
Round 9
High Velocity ACs
Lance
The problem with specialty autocannons is that the burrow ever deeper into the already deep niche that autocannons are in because they're so bad.
The Lance is an interesting idea because there are smaller 'mechs with melee weapons who have to close with a target to work. That means in order to be faster than their target they have to be more expensive or lighter than their target, so either you're spending a dollar to crush a time or you're closing with larger 'mechs who--as I've mentioned--have physical attacks which are probably better than your melee weapon.
The Lance turns that around by letting the melee 'mech stay outside of retaliation range. I love it.
Round 10
TSEMP Cannon
Cruise Missile
Cruise Missiles can technically be mounted on Battlemechs. It's not easy. It's more demanding than mounting an artillery piece. Imagine an Urbanmech with one shot, but costs ten times as much.
Still better than TSEMP Cannon.
Round 11
Machine Gun
Mechwarrior Aquatic Survival System
The Mechwarrior Aquatic Survival System is very niche. The Machine Gun kinda sucks except that it's pretty good against infantry. I'm gonna vote for the MWASS because I do like the aquatic end of things.
Round 12
Ultralight Mechs
MMLs (LRM- & SRM- capable)
If you've read my response to TRO: Dark Age, then you know I like MMLs. They're versatile and don't tradeoff too much in terms of weight efficiency for it. Big fan.
Ultralights were initially cut because they are a bit too light to do anything effectively. I agree.
MMLs.
Round 13
Binary Laser Cannon
Flail
The Binary Laser Cannon has a niche. The Flail is just weird.
Round 14
ER Flamer
C3 Emergency Master
Gotta go with neither here. I like C3 systems. I like the idea of ER Flamers. I don't have enough experience to compare these systems.
Round 15
Reusable Dropchute
Ground-Mobile HPG
The Ground-Mobile HPG can act like a localized EMP. Maybe the best one in the game when held next to TSEMPs. But the humble, reusable Dropchute is objectively more cost effective, more strategically useful, and just more interesting.
Previous Rounds:
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