Author Topic: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi  (Read 11975 times)

Moonsword

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Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« on: 29 April 2011, 07:17:01 »
Mech of the Week: Wakizashi

This week's 'Mech was done by request of Zureal, looking at a 'Mech covered in Era Digest: Golden Century, a PDF supplement on the enigmatic, eponymous period of Clan history.  While a few tidbits had been revealed in the past, including that this was the time when the OmniMech and the Elemental were both developed as well as the period containing the fall of Clan Mongoose to the Smoke Jaguars, relatively little was known.  Several new units were included for us to blow up, including Clan Jade Falcon's Wakizashi.  The early era of the Clans was not pleasant for the Jade Falcons.  While they performed well in Klondike, chosen along with the Wolves to assault the Brotherhood of Donegal on Dagda, the Falcons inflicted grievous wounds on themselves following that, including a deliberate decision to restrict their territorial growth in favor of maintaining what they considered proper control over the civilian Castes and the Culling, excising secessionist Warriors from the Clan before Kerensky could react to the matter.  Khan Lisa Buhallin selected the Wakizashi from seven submissions; Golden Century suggests that the name, speaking of the Japanese companion sword to the katana used in either desperation or ritual suicide, may have echoes on her thinking, deliberate or otherwise.  Durable and easily built, the Wakizashi's downfall was the combination of difficult maintenance and lack of flexibility in the face of the newer OmniMechs.

The Wakizashi, at 85 tons, is comfortably into the assault class, sharing a tonnage with the BattleMaster, the Stalker, and the Katana itself.  An endo-steel skeleton is driven forward by a 255-rated standard fusion engine for a maximum speed of 54 kph, slow by modern Clan standards but not at all uncommon for assaults .  Given the emphasis on easy construction and durability, that's not really surprising.  Mobility was assisted with three jump jets, a smart choice given the way the Wakizashi sits right on the edge of the two ton jet mark.  Khan Buhallin asked for durable and the StarForge armor certainly delivers - maximally thick, with ten points on the rear sides and eighteen on the centerline with 36 and 26 respectively facing forward, 28 points on the arms, and 36 points on the legs.  That armor was wrapped around an SLDF Model 22-99-b Gauss rifle in the left arm, a Talon 5 ER PPC in the right, and a Flocculation LB 20-X autocannon mounted in the right torso, supported by a pair of ERMLs, one in the center torso and one in the head.  Both ballistic weapons are fed by three tons of ammunition.  Fourteen double heat sinks make it arguably a bit oversinked but reduce strain due to overheating.  The long range firepower is a bit light for a modern Clan assault, which explains part of why they started coming up short against other, more modern designs, but once it gets close, the combination of weapons is capable of ripping into a lot of smaller 'Mechs or making other assaults step carefully.

Employing a Wakizashi is kind of like employing an  Atlas - point it at a target and keep moving until you get there for the class 20 to work 'em over.  The main guns harmonize reasonably well, even the Gauss/LB 20-X combination, as long as you're not in knife-fighting ranges, and the jump jets let it control fine positioning better than a lot of other 3/5 designs can.  The Gauss ammo is enough that you can afford to take a few bad shots to keep people honest.  Personally, I recommend stacking two tons of cluster ammo and one ton of solid shot for most situations - the accuracy edge and crit-seeking is probably more useful since a Gauss rifle and a Clan ER PPC will do plenty of their own hole punching most of the time, but there are occasions where the ability to slam three large clusters down range is preferable.  Heat management is mostly a matter of flipping an ERML in and out at close range to deal with movement heat, or you yank it completely if some surat is getting cute with the incendiary weapons without touching your main arsenal.  To me, companions would ideally also be jump capable and dropping a Summoner in to assist in flanking opponents with some more maneuverability might be worth considering.  The Wakizashi can also function as a maneuverable element in a ground-bound 3/5 assault sledgehammer Star.

Stopping a Wakizashi involves bringing enough firepower to breach the armor and applying it until the 'Mech stops shooting at you.  Certain mediums can probably outmaneuver it while packing in enough weaponry to whittle at the Wakizashi - candidates that come to mind are all high-end designs like the Stormcrow and Nova with enough armor to take some lumps themselves, and this is not a task for the faint of heart, nor one I expect success in - but you're probably better off doing it with heavies or even some of the more mobile assaults.  Plenty of 'Mechs, especially well-armored XLFE-powered designs, can win a straight firepower exchange.  As powerful as the 'Mech's weapons are in a medium-range engagement, it doesn't have the speed to pick its fights that way (and avoid someone picking them for it) nor is it really overwhelming to anyone used to Clan assault 'Mechs.  All of that said, this is certainly not a 'Mech to take lightly - with a potential for three heavy hits a turn, it deserves respect, and the armor means that you're not going to put it down too quickly in a most Clan-style engagements.

This is a proud old soldier among the Jade Falcons, a 'Mech that did its duty to its Clan - without this 'Mech and the victories it won, it is possible that the Jade Falcons would find themselves ranked alongside the other marginalized Clans and fallen from glory instead of soaring the skies as a proud and mighty predator.  History has unfortunately moved on since then, but the Wakizashi, for all that it has a bit of difficulty standing out in a crowd today, deserves a place of honor.  If it now stalks only the history books, I think it has earned an honorable retirement.

Image Reference: The Wakizashi has no miniature as of yet, the MUL database contains the artwork, the news about already being extinct I've already shared, and the 2909 BV before skill adjustments.
« Last Edit: 15 June 2011, 16:15:58 by Moonsword »

Ghost_msl

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #1 on: 29 April 2011, 08:10:44 »
The basic 'Mech sounds alot like the Blood Kite - relatively simple construction, no XL, maxed armor, not overly fast with jump jets to help mobility. The weapons fit looks to be the major difference.

Moonsword

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #2 on: 29 April 2011, 08:13:24 »
The basic 'Mech sounds alot like the Blood Kite - relatively simple construction, no XL, maxed armor, not overly fast with jump jets to help mobility. The weapons fit looks to be the major difference.

There are some similarities, yes, but that probably has something to do with the fact that the Jade Falcons were, at the time, in a position not unlike where the Spirits have found themselves.  The basic principles of durable, cheap design haven't really changed much.

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #3 on: 29 April 2011, 14:40:30 »
Its a solid mech for any era, but I think it especaly shines in its intended time frame.  At a time when it could be expected to be one of only a very few front line mechs (that is to say, full Clan tech production mechs, rather than SL era hand me downs, royal or not) it has the versatility to fill many roles and fight in many terrain types, important in the pre-omni era.  The GR and PPC mean that it can fight in the open, though perhaps a bit below its weight, with no hope of compeating with a modern ranged fighter like a Warhawk, while the jets and AC20 make it a monster of an in fighter in tight terrain.  If you can only pick one mech, thouse are things you want. 

Fluff and cost asside (cost and FASAnomics [Cata-nomics?] are something I try as much as possible to ignore) I'd have liked to have seen an XL on it.  Its got too many explosive crits, and the weapons are laid out wrong, for it to be too much of a zombie mech.  Its hard to kill because its got 16 tons of armor and powerful weapons, not because of the SFE, in my mind, and I think some extra missiles would have made it a more dificult kill even still.  Yeah, that fluff reason is still going to be there, but I think the wide acceptance of XLs on Clan assualts makes the Falcon's first mech perhaps more obsolite than perhaps it needs to be.
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Moonsword

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #4 on: 29 April 2011, 17:29:47 »
A Warhawk that does close is in for some really rough handling, and the C is the configuration that's really going to scare a Wakizashi pilot.  The Prime's heat levels mean it's shooting its two edges - accuracy and speed - in the foot if it starts trying to surpass a Wakizashi's ability to sustain fire by any means other than using the LRM rack.  For my money, the ones that really stuck the knife in were the new generation of fast, tough heavies that could dictate their own terms of engagement, had enough armor to get into this fight, and had the firepower to at least play at matching the Wakizashi.  The Clan versions of the Imps and Annihilators are both dangerous foes themselves, but honestly, if 15 ton heavier assault weren't, I'd be asking for my money back.  The Marauder IIC is another early assault to watch for and would probably be an interesting dueling opponent, pitting speed and ranged power against armor and a very dangerous in-fighting capability.

Ironically, the Wakizashi is better suited to face one aspect of the modern battlefield than some of its successors: plasma fire.  It can fire the ER PPC and Gauss and move with 10 dissipation left over.  By dropping the ER PPC out of the mix, it can bring the lasers and autocannon into play and still have 9 left up close.  If you're not putting a lot of heat onto it over time, it can easily brush it aside.

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #5 on: 30 April 2011, 01:39:16 »
It is true, perhaps an attempt to illistarte an evolution in Clan design and combat philosophy.  More 'modern' mechs (which is to say older ones but ones that reflect mechs comming on line in time for 3050) tended to pack more guns than they knew what to do with, rather than too few, which the Wakizashi almost seems to by way of comparison. 

As for the more over gunned, ranged focused mechs, I'll take the Warhawk Prime and its 2.5 TCed PPCs over the Wakizashi's PPC and GR, especaly since the Wakizashi has ammo concerns, how ever minor they may be by most standards.  Yes, the Wakizashi can do a lot of very good work in close, and if it can get there with out too much trouble it can probably win.  But if it can't, if it gets all torn up by the PPCs, then even its thick armor and SFE can't save it.  The Warhawk really benifits from a good gunner, since it means more damage at range, and potental aimed shots in close if the Wakizashi can force the range.  But, with worse gunners, the advantage of the TC is manginifed at range, so long as it can be kept open.

The Mad IIC offers a similar take, though with no TC and more toughness its more likely to come down to a slugging match in mid to short range.

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oldfart3025

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #6 on: 30 April 2011, 04:27:42 »

In my opinion, the Wakizashi is a well rounded, generalist "line" assault platform. It's a welcome addition to my group's games, and is slated to become a "regular" in any generated TO&E, alongside classics like the Battlemaster and Dire Wolf.
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #7 on: 03 May 2011, 13:08:06 »
 Thx for the review Moonsword, and i see that compared to modern clan omnis this isnt the best mech around. However, how do you think it would do against IS opponents? I personally think it would be a nasty surprise. So what if it dosent have the MOST firepower, everyone still has to respect 2 15 point hits. Up close i wouldent want to mess with this guy, regardless of what your piloting you have to be careful, even if your using a DireWolf. Even with range advantages there are enough times that the game is not going to have that much open tarrain that this guy works well for most situations.

Ian Wagner

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #8 on: 16 April 2017, 21:26:55 »
A mech now offered as an Online Exclusive from IWM, making it a candidate for inclusion into some PGC's for the Falcons, especially once they started to feel the pinch of new production not keeping up with combat losses.

Torture your players with 'I don't recognize it, do we stay at range or close?' with this unfamiliar chassis!

Maelwys

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #9 on: 16 April 2017, 22:18:33 »
Did the MUL suddenly lose this thing? I keep getting a "Resource cannot be found" when I click on the link provided, and searching for it doesn't return anything...

Maelwys

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #10 on: 16 April 2017, 22:32:52 »
So..

Is it the Wakazashi, or the Wakizashi? :)

Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #11 on: 16 April 2017, 22:42:47 »
Did the MUL suddenly lose this thing? I keep getting a "Resource cannot be found" when I click on the link provided, and searching for it doesn't return anything...

Try these:

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Wakazashi
http://www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/3475/wakazashi-standard
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #12 on: 16 April 2017, 22:50:16 »
I so want to love this mech. And I can't. Because of that spelling error. I think of it, and all I can hear is Fozzie Bear.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #13 on: 16 April 2017, 23:09:28 »
Fozzie Bear...was he a Bondsman taken by the Jade Falcons?  Waka waka zashi...
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #14 on: 17 April 2017, 02:50:48 »
There's another nice synergy in the name of the 'Mech. There is a 'Mech called the Katana, after all. Another 85 ton Assault Mech - albeit this being the Kurita retooling of the venerable Crockett.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #15 on: 17 April 2017, 05:48:45 »
There's another nice synergy in the name of the 'Mech. There is a 'Mech called the Katana, after all. Another 85 ton Assault Mech - albeit this being the Kurita retooling of the venerable Crockett.

Well, there would have been...had "wakizashi" been spelled right. ;)
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #16 on: 17 April 2017, 08:56:02 »
Well, there would have been...had "wakizashi" been spelled right. ;)

I blame the person that put it in the Tech Manual that way.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #17 on: 17 April 2017, 10:07:30 »
I figure it's just a case of linguistic drift in the 29th Century. :)
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #18 on: 17 April 2017, 11:54:24 »
I figure it's just a case of linguistic drift in the 29th Century. :)
Anything to avoid blaming the poor bastards that had to put in 4,000 different units into an html program and screwed up ONCE, eh?  :P

How can we correct it? Ehh, I'm sure you guys have already reported it and in a day or four it'll be changed to the proper nomenclature.

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #19 on: 17 April 2017, 11:59:08 »
I have to wonder if this mech's influence is being felt even today. Aggressive tactics that get you in close very fast are a sure way to win quick victories in a Wakazashi. Similarly, machines that can control the range of a battle to their advantage will be by necessity accorded healthy respect from their Falcon opponents. During the years leading up to REVIVAL, the best of the warrior generations who fought on the front lines in Wakazashis would be the Khans, Galaxy Commanders, and other leaders who are shaping the Clan, and the second best are the Falconers who are beatinginfluencing the minds of the youngest warriors of REVIVAL. By the time of the invasion, what do we see? A clan whose attitudes and machines emphasize a combination of high mobility and heavy firepower, plus aggressive tactics that work equally well at long range or right in your opponent's face. Heck, look at the attitudes that led to the DA-era totem mechs, and I think you'll still see echoes of the Wakazashi's influence even today.
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #20 on: 17 April 2017, 21:18:02 »

The Scylla 3 refit fielded by the Falcons has a similar weapons profile to the Wakizashi, I wonder if the older mech was an influence there.

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #21 on: 18 April 2017, 08:58:14 »
It's either a case of parallel evolution, or a lot more Clanners read history books than they like to let on...
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #22 on: 18 April 2017, 10:02:37 »
The basis for this Mech was actually an Inner Sphere 100 tonner mounting a GR, ER PPC and AC/20 I had designed back before I was writing that I'd called the Vampire. I never really had a place to slip it in until the Golden Century came along and it sort of fit with some tweaking.
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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #23 on: 06 December 2017, 21:27:22 »
I have to wonder if this mech's influence is being felt even today. Aggressive tactics that get you in close very fast are a sure way to win quick victories in a Wakazashi. Similarly, machines that can control the range of a battle to their advantage will be by necessity accorded healthy respect from their Falcon opponents. During the years leading up to REVIVAL, the best of the warrior generations who fought on the front lines in Wakazashis would be the Khans, Galaxy Commanders, and other leaders who are shaping the Clan, and the second best are the Falconers who are beatinginfluencing the minds of the youngest warriors of REVIVAL. By the time of the invasion, what do we see? A clan whose attitudes and machines emphasize a combination of high mobility and heavy firepower, plus aggressive tactics that work equally well at long range or right in your opponent's face. Heck, look at the attitudes that led to the DA-era totem mechs, and I think you'll still see echoes of the Wakazashi's influence even today.

With the craziness that happened during the wars of reviewing I wish more old school mechs would have been necroed ( Like this thread!) perhaps adding masc or a supercharger would have addressed the speed issues

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #24 on: 07 December 2017, 14:26:26 »
XL engine and fit 5 IJJs to it! :D

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #25 on: 07 December 2017, 14:32:32 »
Can anyone speak to the arms of the mini itself? Would they fit on the Atlas I? I want to modify mine to luck like nick k’s ride

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #26 on: 07 December 2017, 23:06:20 »
With the craziness that happened during the wars of reviewing I wish more old school mechs would have been necroed ( Like this thread!) perhaps adding masc or a supercharger would have addressed the speed issues

The Society was all about cutting edge stuff. Finding someplace to build a factory for a design that had already been overshadowed wouldn't really have been there thing. Maybe you could argue that one was shoved in a Brian Cache or something a while back and got pulled out, but that's pretty unlikely.

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #27 on: 08 December 2017, 03:55:20 »
The Society was all about cutting edge stuff. Finding someplace to build a factory for a design that had already been overshadowed wouldn't really have been there thing. Maybe you could argue that one was shoved in a Brian Cache or something a while back and got pulled out, but that's pretty unlikely.
The Society was also about things/approaches they thought the Clans/Warriors where ignoring.

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #28 on: 08 December 2017, 07:01:15 »
The Society was also about things/approaches they thought the Clans/Warriors where ignoring.

Such as pulling a Wakizashi out of mothballs and refitting it with ferro-lamellor armour, iATMs and Nova CEWS?  >:D

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Re: Mech of the Week: Wakizashi
« Reply #29 on: 08 December 2017, 08:54:47 »
With the craziness that happened during the wars of reviewing I wish more old school mechs would have been necroed ( Like this thread!) perhaps adding masc or a supercharger would have addressed the speed issues

I can also see it being used by the Blood Spirits before they died. It's a strong defender, which is something they needed.
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