I'm still reviewing Battletech's Technical Readout: Dark Age. I'm reading through all of the entries and giving my thoughts. But as a collection of other TRO's, it's very long so we're going over it in 8 parts.
As always, first impressions are in regular text and later notes are in italics.
Blood Reaper
The only thing wrong with the Blood Reaper is its stupid, stupid name.
Despite the number of 'mechs in this TRO that have mercs doodling hearts into the margins of their ledgers, I sense a rise in units tightly linked to one faction or another.
I remember when Vlad Ward wasn't a cartoon nationalistic despot, who murdered people on a whim, but was instead...
...I guess I remember him as aspiring to being a cartoon...whim...
I hate this entire TRO entry. Blood Reaper is a monument to "no style" triumphing over "all substance."
Carronade
Double-fisted gaussing is now a thing. Awesome.
I don't care what you say, this thing is not a raider. Glad mechwarriors still do duels though.
"Fafnir" should be italicized in the last paragraph.
Gallant
The base model is almost useless past 10 hexes. The -8-O seems better. I'd have gone for X-Pulse or Clan LPLs with Streak missiles.
Actually, I crunched the numbers: compact gyro, Large X-Pulse Lasers, +1 DHS, Streak SRM 6 with CASE to improve on the SSRM 2 and a trio of ER Flamers. Its range is still lackluster, but it's not shameful. It does all the shit it did before but better...except spew MRMs all over the place.
I don't see how this thing is widespread.
Hound
Solid.
Mangonel
Fuck, I hate the Wolves in Exile. Another full 'mech they make.
At least it's just a shit Hollander. The IIC sounds ridiculous, but that's fair.
Thor II
I'll be honest, I'm kinda in love with the E config. C is crazy. D is able. B is whatever. The A's mismatched missiles are distracting, but it does what it do. As for the Prime, any Clan 'mech with twin AC's is wasting tonnage.
If you don't have the TRO, the E config is two Clan ER PPCs surrounded by improved jump jets and enough double heat sinks to use all that shit.
Black Knight
Don't know why there aren't more updated designs in this book. I know people will bitch about value if the 100-ton 'mech with modern kit is the latest Atlas instead of an Atlas III-X, but look at these plastic minis! It's Succession Wars to Clan Invasion era or bust! (Plus the Wraith I guess?)
A Black Knight with Clan DHS and Clan lasers is just a Black Knight IIC, but that's not a criticism.
Cave Lion
Stupid name. Let's get that out of the way. Even for the Clans. I mean, Stone Lion is a poo-poo stupid name. Cave Lion is, like, a matryoshka doll of stupid.
Because it's inside the stone.
Ordinarily, I'd applaud the symmetry and simplicity but...it just doesn't work. Too fast, too bland, and the ATMs are too weak to add substance and too weird to add style.
If this is the best the Nova Cats could do, I'm shocked anyone mourns their passing.
Also, this TRO entry reveals the Clans' great respect for copyrights and licensing law???
What I don't get is who the once great people are that this 'mech reminds us of. Sea Foxes are still here, ese.
Jade Hawk
Speaking of a once-great people, here's another embarrassing Jade Falcon totem 'mech. I'm glad the Dark Age guys at Topps gave the Falcons so much love. I have no idea if any other factions got the same treatment, with multiple iconic 'mechs and technologies created to explain them, but damn this TRO was a harsh return to Earth, er, Terra.
Anyway, let's look at the stats before we write off this turkey.
Effective range of 270 meters and only able to deal damage in clusters of 5 outside of base contact. No talons, but a ridiculous weapon loadout to try to active Triple-Strength Myomer (TSM) with. All 7 turns of it.
Let's borrow some Clan naming conventions and call this one the Doo-doo Dodo.
"A bestseller"? Some idiot is buying this? Is this like when someone buys a pack of Magic cards to pull out the rares (Clan XL engines and SRMs) and throwing away the uncommons and commons (the whole damned rest).
I feel like I'm missing context for the Notable Units section with Ngaire McAllister and the Amaterasu. Given that they died to a Doo-doo Dodo, maybe I'm not missing much.
Mad Cat Mk IV
Ah, yes. The Mad Cat Mk IV. The Star Trek: Picard of Timber Wolves. Too late. Too superfluous. Too expensive. But not too impressive.
Fuck. As good as that burn was, I can't honestly beef with an omnimech whose Primary config is basically the Timber Wolf D.
The A slays with twinned ER Large Lasers, 18 ATMs, and anti-infantry SPLs.
The B uses HAGs, which are stupid, but runs it with an ATM and Heavy Large Lasers to make things interesting.
The C--*sigh*
*unfolds paper*
"is a worthy homage and inheritor to the iconic Timber Wolf Prime, a worthy machine in its own right, and a testament to Clan warrior culture and technology"
Mortis
"Mortis," more like "More of this," am I right?
Hatchet. Heavy PPC. Actuator Enhancement System (AES). Some missiles. A bit too one-note? Is it death? Or is it dead?
I don't want to meet this in a dark alley but BattleTech doesn't have that many 'mech scale dark alleys.
I talk shit, but it's okay. More like a big medium. The 'mech the Axeman was supposed to be.
Prefect
It's like they say, "Noobdy's Prefect."
Seems like a fine energy boat. I don't know where all of the tonnage went. The Light Fusion Engine instead of an XL FE?
Okay?
Creation of the Prefect, 3085
No comments:
Post a Comment