‘Mech of the Week: Wulfen OmniMechWulfen, Technical Readout: 3145, p. 97
Perhaps it was only a matter of time. The Clans had been coyly playing with Inner Sphere technologies and tactics since the Jihad. The Ghost Bears took the first steps, mounting basic stealth armor on the Rogue Bear (Hybrid) suit. Still when I first laid eyes on the
Wulfen I could help but echo some of Charlton Heston’s final lines from Planet of the Apes. The mating of Clan OmniMech technology and Inner Sphere stealth armor was official here.
Of course even among the Wolves the creation of such a ‘Mech couldn’t go unchallenged.
Star Colonel Josiah Ward publicly denounce both the
Wulfen and by extension Khan Seth Ward himself. Selecting one of the prototypes freshly manufactured in the Occupation Zone, saKhan Garner Kerensky would challenge the detractor to a Trial of Grievance. The saKhan piloted the stooped, lupine light into the circle of equals and picked apart the Star Colonel’s
Hellbringer at range. From that time on the grousing from the Clan’s warriors would cease.
Dramatic introductions aside, what does this 30 ton OmniMech having going for it? First and foremost, there’s that Ismar V-Stealth armor. Six and a half is sufficient to provide near maximum coverage – all sections have a hundred percent of the theoretical maximum with the exception of head. Eight points of armor isn’t a deal breaker for me. Most Clan weapons that can’t take all the armor off a fully protected head still leave a point or three clinging to the
Wulfen’s noggin. Scalps aside, the protection is as good as one can hope for. The weakest forward protection is on the arms and side torsos. Ten points is just enough to stop a Clan large pulse laser which is good since it’s one of the most serious direct threats the
Wulfen is likely to face. More on that later. Fourteen points protect the legs and fifteen cover the center torso. The rear torso armor is understandably thin but thankfully this Omni’ is more likely to being doing the back stabbing.
The
Wulfen’s second greatest asset, and its most significant liability, come from the power plant. A 300 rated engine enable top speeds of 162 kph. High speeds and stealth armor make the
Wulfen a difficult target indeed. Unfortunately the Model 39b is of the XXL variety. The extra fragility doesn’t bother me too much. Light ‘Mech aren’t long for this world once they start taking damage. The heat is the issue. With stealth armor activated, just standing still will generate twelve points of heat. Sixteen points moving at full speed. Not so much that the ten fixed double heat sinks can’t handle it, but it won’t take much weapon fire for things to get warm. The engine isn’t the only weight saving construction material used. The endo steel frame utilized is fairly common among Clan lights. The Inner Sphere XL gyroscope isn’t. As with the engine, the fragile gyroscope doesn’t raise my hackles in this situation. All told, the
Wulfen is left with ten tons of pod space. That places it smack dab between the
Arctic Cheetah and the
Hellion while maintaining higher sustained ground speed and nearly equal to greater armor. And don’t forget that all important, sensor confounding stealth is powered by a head-mounted ECM suite. The basic ‘Mech is off to a solid start for a skirmisher or general ranged combatant. It also makes the
Wulfen a fantastic battle armor taxi in the same vein as the
Fire Moth.
As I’ve mentioned before, the weapons make the ‘Mech. With the specialty armor it makes sense to stay at range and the
Wulfen’s speed helps to ensure opponents stay at arm’s length. Most on the seven canon configurations are built around this paradigm. Thankfully only one of them makes you to scratch your head, pondering when the Wolves found a cache of absinthe.
Wulfen Prime – The Prime arguably does the best job of playing up the base chassis’ strengths while curbing the drawbacks. The prominent left arms gun slot is occupied by an Ultra AC/2 fed a single, CASE II protected bin. CASE II is a huge boon for any ‘Mech, especially one powered by an XXL engine. An ATM 3 is mounted on the right arm similarly fed by a well-protected ton of ammo. Given that extended range missiles and the small-bore autocannon have matching range brackets, I’d be tempted to pick ER rounds over the higher damage munitions. The
Wulfen Prime won’t be scoring any quick victories but it can sustain fire at fantastic range. Once the stealth armor is activated even the best of marksman fits attempting to return fire. Range aside, a handy perk of these two cool running weapon systems is that they mesh nicely with the heat hog armor and engine. So much so that that even with an open throttle, engaged stealth, and all guns a blazin’ the coolant system keeps the ‘Mech heat neutral. The primary has one last interesting tidbit. Tucked into the left torso is a half ton of cargo space. Not terribly useful for short trials. But for long term campaigns or, shall we say, interesting assignments, it does provide some possibilities.
Wulfen A – A quartet of additional double heat sinks have been split between the side torsos, a tie for the most of any
Wulfen configuration. It is justified. Using one of the best ‘Mech scale weapons yet devised by man and stealth armor generates a fair bit of waste heat. Those fourteen heat sinks enable the
Wulfen can casually stroll at 108 kph, take a ‘Mech’s head clean off at just shy of 700 meters with the ER PPC, all the while running stealth armor for a wee plus one on the heat scale. So terrifyingly simple even a Khan-murdering, tactically brilliant, genetic abomination can use it.
Wulfen B – saKhan Kerensky’s configuration for this trial against Star Colonel Ward is the basis for the
Wulfen’s second alternative configuration. The B maintains the long range energy weapon theme though this
Wulfen trades heat efficiency and power for agility and accuracy. An ER large laser and an extra double heat sink take the place of the A’s ER PPC in the left arm. The torso pods mount a targeting computer for its solitary weapon as well as a supercharger. Another familiar with the
Fire Moth configuration used by Ghost Bear Khan Aletha Kabrinski may be salivating just a bit. The cooling system is just enough to handle the stealth armor and weapon fire. Heat from the XXL engine will start pushing up the temperature gauge so you may have to give the laser or stealth systems a rest after a few volleys. The last three available tons are taken up by jump jets - handy for finding a convenient sniping perch or traversing difficult terrain. Just bear in mind that XXL fusion engines cause jump jets to generate twice their normal heat. So a full jump and armor is sufficient to tax the heat sinks. Of course if you’re close enough to need the jets to maneuver among opponents, it’s probably best to deactivate the stealth armor anyway.
Wulfen C – The C configuration takes a difference approach from the previous mentioned models. Three ER medium lasers and an ever-so-useful targeting computer find their way in the left arm pod. Both side torsos are completely stuffed with jump jets giving this model a 300 meter jump range. Again, remember that unfortunate XXL engine/jump jet interaction. The single extra heat sink in the right arm is just enough to keep cool firing all three lasers while running. This little
Wulfen seems to be configured around delivering and supporting battle armor in nearly any terrain. The opposition will certainly have a tough time trying to eliminating the ‘Mech and friends as they close. Depending on the opponent’s configuration, it may be a safe bet to turn off the stealth once you’re in close enough range to start firing your own weapons; relying more on speed to keep you safe. Just one
Wulfen C supported by a point of LB-X equipped Black Wolf battle armor is a scary thought. An entire nova … shudder.
Wulfen D –Yeah, this one’s the head shaker. Mismatched weapon ranges. Low potential damage. The only thing the
Wulfen D really has going for it beyond the base chassis in heat efficiency and ammo endurance. Mimicking the Prime, the left arm autocannon has been swapped for an LB-X model. The missiles have been “upgraded” to an SRM 2 questionably enhanced by an Artemis V fire control system. Like the Prime, the single ammo bin for each weapon is CASE II protected. The D does have (limited) anti-vehicle capabilities but I have a hard time getting enthusiastic for a Clan light ‘Mech that can consistently inflict more damage by kicking.
[FYI, the D is based on the stats presented when the Wulfen
was introduced in MechWarrior: Dark age, sans a Narc beacon.]Wulfen E – The E returns to the close combat approach and likely battle armor delivery. A trio of lasers again resides in the left arm, though one of them has been replaced with a mico pulse laser for a bit of anti-infantry capability. The targeting computer remains to enhance all three guns. Each torso has an ATM 3 rack fed by a shared CASE II protected bin. Given the short-ranged inclination of the configuration I would more than likely be bringing high explosive missiles. Mobility enhancements come from a supercharger and a single double heat sink finishes off the configuration. The cooling system is adequate to fire the medium lasers while keeping the stealth armor activated with minimal heat issues though I’d forgo the extra heat from the stealth after I start making heavy use of the ATMs. Otherwise you’ll be needing to avoid all sorts of unpleasantries in short order. If you’re really dedicated to keeping your to-hit numbers high with the stealth modifier, alternating missiles and lasers will be enough to keep the
Wulfen E free of heat related issues.
Wulfen H – The
Wulfen H just edges out the E for the highest potential damage of any known configuration. Unfortunately the four pod mounted double heat sinks aren’t up to the task of consistently utilizing that capability. The “big gun” spot in the left arm is filled by an improved heavy large laser and an improved heavy medium laser finds a home in each side torso. If you’re willing to shut off the stealth armor once you’re in fighin’ range some smart firing patterns really make the H shine. A running alpha strike will push you to a toasty plus eight on the heat scale. Firing just the mediums while keeping the pedal to the floor will completely cool the ‘Mech, allowing you to bathe your opponent in all laser light this light Omni’ can produce at the next opportunity. You’ll note those unstable medium lasers are not protected by CASE II like the ammunition bins of the previous configurations. Any damage to those guns will likely result in the
Wulfen’s pilot needing to catch a ride home.
The Wolf Empire has converted at least one of Kallon Weapon Industries’ lines on Thermopolis to start producing the
Wulfen so the Empire’s enemies will continue to face this annoyingly difficult machine. So what should you do when standing opposite a
Wulfen? First, hope it’s the D configuration. Failing that, closing to where the stealth armor’s efficacy is reduced in a good start. Pulse lasers are the weapons of choice. As noted toward the beginning of this article, the arm and torso armor can only withstand a single hit from a Clan large pulse laser. Two successive strikes against a side torso will be more than enough to blow the section to smithereens thus disabling the ‘Mech. Of course area affect weapons like artillery and certain ‘Mech mortar munitions types don’t care how high your movement modifiers are. Neither do mines. Nor does ortillery, but that’s just for those days you can’t be bothered to get out of the barracks.
As mentioned earlier, the
Wulfen was made its debut in Mechwarrior: Dark Age, specifically the Wolf Strike expansion. Like so many other visually striking designs from the game, we have Catalyst’s own Brent Evans to thank for this snazzy little OmniMech … and the much stats as well.
Oh look, here’s a piece of a chat transcript on that very topic.
jymset: I modeled all configurations after Brent's wishes.
He submitted the whole bunch to me.
We played with the base chassis quite a bit, I suggested the stealth armour and he loved it.
Pa Weasley: SO YOU'RE THE HERETIC!
jymset: I doodled with the XXL, he also loved it and wouldn't let me go back, wanting the speed at all costs.
Same with the B, which I'd have preferred to drop the jump jets for 3 more double heat sinks, creating a mini-maxed monster.
Nope, Brent had set ideas for it.
And I appreciated his creativity - TRO 3145 had no shortness of mini maxed monsters.
The two Wolf totem 'Mechs livened up the Clan section hugely because they *work*, yet their design comes from an aesthetic visionary for whom optimized game stats are not a criterion.
And in that spirit, I added the D simply because I could.
Paying lip service to the foolishness of established stats. (And it's not even that crap. It mates the LB-2X (instead of UAC/2) to the frame, which IMO is a really good match. It's the cheapest in terms of BV :D)
I slipped it into the "D" position because then the ATM version would be the E.
This mirrors some of the early omni naming conventions nicely (including the D mirroring a prior configuration but swapping UAC/LB-X cannons, namely the Puma B and D).
So yeah, we all knew what we were doing when we settled on the final Wulfen. Including the C. I made Brent very well aware of how ridiculous the heat would be if we went with an XXL on the C. But it was alright by him. He may be a visionary, but he also can't be a stranger to managing heat in a 3025 Rifleman. :D
Pa Weasley: At least it discourages unnecessary bunny-hopping.
jymset: Pretty much so! :DOf course the
Master Unit List is a good place to find battle values and faction availability of the
Wulfen. CamoSpecs Online doesn’t have any examples ready at this time, but Iron Wind Metals does have a
preview image of the miniature available.
