Originally posted on January 30th, 2008. This was my first MotW article and I was testing the waters a bit. Some stuff was successful, some... was not. The following article is largely unchanged, but I cut back a little bit on the unsuccessful attempt to sound like a Clan warrior. I am Clan, I do not need to pretend to be Clan! 8)
Good day to you, ladies and gentlemen. Coming to you as a premiere is jymset’s first Mech of the Week.
In a quest to complete the ubiquitous first 16 Omnimechs of 3050(U), we will be covering the
Mist Lynx [
Koshi] today. At the same time you will have to allow me to find my footing. I will be writing this in Commonwealth English and without the use of freebirth contractions. Also, in order to find the right structure for this, I will actually have to go into one or two digressions along the way. I hope you will bear with me and not find this all too tedious!
Excursion: I am going to put this disclaimer to instant use and just make one thing clear: RATs are a great thing for the board game and gives you a general idea what a certain faction may use. But that is not what I look up when I field my units. After all, you do not look at the RSs to first get to know a given Mech, quineg? I take into consideration what the TRO tells me. Of course, for the original 16 Omnis that was not a whole lot – until TRO: 3050U hit the shelves. I may not actually go into all this in the following article, but – should I ever be allowed to return in this place – this will be the way to go for future articles, too. To continue:The
Mist Lynx is not a new Omni, neither in-universe nor in the real world. When the invasion of the IS started in 3049, it appeared in frequent numbers in the ranks of the Smoke Jaguars but was in no way rare in the ranks of the other Clans either. TRO: 3050U tells us that it was indeed developed by the Jaguars in the early 2900s, making it one of the older Omnis. In many ways, it shows its age. On the other hand, the fact that it is still in widespread use and in production by Clans Ice Hellion and Steel Viper through the early 3070s points to a certain versatility or adaptability that merit continued production.
When originally spotted in Combine space during the invasion, Yakuza resistance named the design
Koshi – roughly equating to "Small Death". This instantly made the
Mist Lynx the light pendant to the
Dire Wolf [
Daishi], meaning it had some big boots to fill. Strangely enough, out of all the Clan 'Mechs first encountered in the invasion, the
Mist Lynx was likely to have counted amongst the least outlandish. Look back at the days of 3025, designs like the
Viper [
Dragonfly],
Timber Wolf [
Mad Cat] or
Warhawk [
Masakari] were simply unheard of in terms of performance or power. The
Mist Lynx could not possibly have flabbergasted the spheroid warriors quite so much. After all, it was not faster than the
Locust, had no more armour than it, either, and carried main weaponry that was hardly superior to a
Valkyrie's.
On the other hand, the
Mist Lynx managed to combine attributes of those two designs. It was also the only Clan 'Mech that was totally devoted to a scouting role by virtue of a fixed Active Probe. Add to this the fact that most configurations are frighteningly capable of dispatching PBIs and the final result truly warrants the title of "Small Death".
That image has suffered over the years. The IS has caught up with new technologies to the point of a very convincing
Mist Lynx copy (the
Duan Gung) not even getting any particular notice at the time of its debut. As for the Clans? Well, even upon its original appearance, there was nothing it could do better than a
Viper. All it had going for itself was its light weight, the omnipresent Active Probe and the strength of some configurations. Ever since the briefing on "
The Invading Clans" was released, there has been a strong competitor, though. The
Arctic Cheetah [
Hankyu] is almost as light, carries slightly more armour, and has improved ground speed and more weapons. It is specifically noted in the
Arctic Cheetah's TRO entry that its debut also heralded a replacement policy. How strange then, that – as of TROs 3058U and 3050U – two of the three manufacturers of the
Arctic Cheetah are also the two main manufacturers of the
Mist Lynx?
The reason for the
Mist Lynx's continued utility seems to be its monopoly on the scout role. Significantly, the
Arctic Cheetah is compared to the
Hellion in the Ice Hellion touman – a much stronger but also less manoeuvrable contemporary. The
Mist Lynx is cleared of any such dabbling in an area where it does not belong.
As such, the
Mist Lynx really is that rare design: a Clan Omnimech that is primarily geared towards reconnaissance and raiding. Let us then look at its actual BattleTech performance to get a further feel of the design!
At 7/11/6 the
Mist Lynx is no slouch, but it also skirts the lowest possible speed at which anything can be considered "fast". It cannot turn if it is to keep the magical +3 at walking pace; at a run it can turn only once to achieve the +4. And the jump jets are one of its greatest failures – with the investment of another mere half ton, this could have been a true jumping menace. The lack of a possible +4 means that the jump is likely to have better defensive uses (ie jumping out of harm’s way or navigating quick escape routes through difficult terrain) than offensive ones. Also, the lack of space in the CT means it is unlikely that there will ever be a standard configuration that pod-mounts that last jj ("unlikely" rather than "never" because it has recently established that there can be asymmetrical jjs –
HBK-5SG, I am looking at you!).
Excursion II: 2011 excision: SMART ARMOUR DOCTRINE – this is where I first wrote it; these days it has its own article. Even before we hit configurations, the Mist Lynx was already good for something!All of the above sounds rather foreboding for our little 25-ton 'Mech which only carries a mere 3.5 tons of ferro-fibrous armour, quiaff? However, I am glad to report that it is actually smart about its armour choices. Its quality as a whole is on par with the majority of designs of that weight and the placement is pleasing. The CT protects from a large laser, and will survive a PPC/Gauss Rifle. The side torsi will protect from a medium laser and survive a large. The legs and rear side torsi will survive a large, the arms a medium. Obviously it falls far short of its potential maximum, but with what is there, the allocation is, to me, just about perfect.
After having highlighted its limitations, I will now discuss possible merits of its numerous configurations – seeing that by 3050U we are at 10 official variants and that I have yet to actually utter seething hate towards this 'Mech should give you a hint that there are one or two reasonable ones!
Primary Configuration – LRM10 (12), SSRM4 (25), 2MG (100). Presumably the most common variant, this one also likely generated the
Koshi-image in the IS. The LRM10 is a flexible long-ranged weapon of reasonable power for such a small ‘Mech. The SSRM4 is a credible threat to vehicles and the dual MG should take care of all infantry encountered while scouting ahead. Does this all seem underwhelming for a Clan 'Mech of any size? Well, if you take into account its low bidding cost (BV2: 880) and its general flexibility, this truly should be the one and only choice if this is fielded as an actual
scout unit in unknown terrain. Compared to other configurations, this is definitely on the weak side but in its intended role, the Primary configuration is truly the actual prime choice!
Configuration A – Flamer, 2 MG (100), TAG, 2 AMS (72), 2 A-pods. Sometimes even we Clan warriors get into situations where we face infantry. Yes, even before the invasion. I am Jade Falcon, yes, our most hated enemy is Clan Steel Viper. They love their conventional infantry. However, it is one thing to be prepared for conventional troops; it is another to drop sanity while doing so. I once read on the chatterweb [the brilliant, long-defunct TRO: Legends website] a treatise where it was said when a
Mist Lynx A faced a
Charger -1A1 in a Circle of Equals, they would succumb to rust before actually causing critical damage to one another. Of course, it does mount TAG next to its grand total of 2 MGs and 1 Flamer, giving it another purpose – but a dishonourable one. Truly, the Smoke Jaguars must have done a lot of bandit hunting in their days! The A-pods protect….what, exactly? And the dual AMS' three tons of ammunition have become a liability far greater than any single ton of MG ammo in this modern day of ammo feeds [aka TW rules for AMS]. This is horrible, horrible, horrible and doubly so with the advent of the brand new anti-infantry G configuration (even though that that one sucks too, see below).
Configuration B – 2 ERML, 1 ERSL, 2 SRM6 (30). For when you absolutely, positively need to kill every last freebirth in the room… Obviously every Clan Omnimech needs at least one variant fully capable of facing anything of at least equal weight. And the B succeeds brilliantly. This design in particularly would have given the IS fits – not in terms of novelty (this being de facto a faster, more mobile
Commando) but in terms of panache of pulling said feat off (it also mounting dual "pocket LL"). I prefer standard SRMs on lighter designs, where they excel at causing maximal potential damage vs weapon weight. Configuration B is a nasty supplement to any fighting force. Considering that most of my missions are combat oriented, it was this configuration that caused my respect for the design.
Configuration C – ERLL, ERML, ECM, AMS (24). I long discounted this design as being too expensive and too diverse. The ECM did not fit into its apparent sniper role. However, after facing the most debased form of freebirths in their white ‘Mechs and surat C3i systems, ECM has become the very air my combat forces breathe. There are definitely better alternatives for ECM carriers – the
Arctic Cheetah Primary or the
Mist Lynx's own F configuration come to mind. As far as the
Mist Lynx variants are concerned, there are better combatants (B, F) and a better sniper (P – mounting the identical main gun but only costing 81% of the BV). Nevertheless, the AMS does protect it somewhat when it closes, so it cannot be discounted. Other variants are recommended more strongly, however.
Configuration D – UAC2 (45), ERML, ERSL. To make it short, this variant is not good. When going for an AC2 on a light(ish) ‘Mech, the LB-X is an imperative to give the design perfunctory AA capabilities. The
Arctic Cheetah B does abide by that rule and is still one of the weaker configurations.
Configuration E – ATM6 (20), 4 ERSL. Iron Mongoose gave a beautiful treatise in his
Viper article as to why ATMs were suboptimal weapons on a light chassis. Indeed, with only one more ton of pod space than a
Fire Moth, the ATM6 on this design makes for what is initially a very similar configuration to the lighter design's E configuration. However, there are two important differences – the ATM mounts only two tons of ammo and there is that last extra ton. The two extra tons are utilised by adding 4 ERSL – an excellent choice, IMO. They encourage a real return to the mentality of SW-era light mech pilots, where the back-stab is the ultimate goal. With HE warheads, the design can reliably inflict 35 points of damage, which will force even the heaviest 'Mech to take note. At a very affordable 1007 points, this one is an excellent package.
Configuration F – 3 HML, 4 HSL, tarcomp, ECM, light TAG. This variant has instantly made a lot of other configurations redundant. As a fighter, it totally outclasses the specially-made (but older) configuration H. It also costs slightly less than the B, though it comes down to personal preference between punch and range. Its range brackets are much more symbiotic with its own ECM than the C’s (and the F still costs about 10% less) and the light TAG even allow it to replace the hideous A. This is a very good example of for a Jack-of-all-trades being able to be the master of a few, quiaff?!
Configuration G – 8 HMG (100), 2 arrays 4 ERSL. I no longer am an advocate of the ERSL when it represents the longest possible range of a design! Sure, this is could theoretically cause 44 damage, but at range 2?! Add to that, that the Primary configuration only costs marginally more (BV2 880 vs 834); I will always field that over this. The 8 HMG are also quite some overkill towards any single infantry unit – the Prime or P should suffice, or, if really worried, the hideous A is still a lot kinder on your bidding budget!
Configuration H – HML, 2 HSL, SSRM6 (15), AMS (24). Instantly outdated with the advent of the F, I conceive this as originally only serving as test bed for new technology. The HL on this are unfocused and inaccurate, it has to fall back on the SSRMs as a primary weapon – a poor choice on a design this light. Once again, there is an AMS that has very little protect (like on the A, unlike the C) – unless it can be seen as a vindication for the test bed theory. Why would one use this?
Configuration P – ERLL, 4 ERµL, 3 µPL, 1 DHS. Appearing in RS:3060 amongst the plethora of the first batch of H configurations, the
Mist Lynx P was the original, and at that time only, 'Mech to carry micro lasers at all. For that novelty factor alone this design got a lot of attention. It turns out that it is also ammo-independent, heat efficient and quite powerful. It carries the same ERLL that made the C so attractive and once within range 3 its µ-lasers actually add another 17 damage, bringing the total to a respectable 27. The new function of the smaller pulse laser classes in TW also means that it suddenly becomes one of the more meaningful AP variants. The P is definitely a reliable workhorse.
A final point of note is that it breaks the otherwise beautiful alphabetical chain of configurations. Back when it came out, the E-G configs did not exist, nor did any esoteric lettering for any Omnimech (apart from the Summoner M). The "P" looked like a possible start to a new series – possible one equipped with
ProtoMech equipment? If so, that series never came to fruition.
I hope you have not found this treatise too tedious to read – or too contrary to your own experiences. I know us Clan Warriors are sometimes less than accessible, but at least we value our correctness!
