MotW: WVR-** Wolverine

[jymset]

WOLVERINE

What picture would I post? Go to Sarna, they have all the ones you'll want. Apart from the Classic one. Which is the one the MUL (link above) should have. Individual MUL links below.

The Wolverine is one of the original 14 BattleMechs included in BattleDroids and BattleTech 2nd/3rd edition. The 55-ton machine is one of the initial unseens, it is a staple of Project Phoenix, and it has recently resurfaced as a Classic.

It is also perhaps one of my favorites of the Classic batch—and definitely so, as far as the medium weight class is concerned.

With such a pedigree, it is of no surprise that the Wolverine features a myriad variants spanning several factions and epochs. Some MotW articles aptly focus on the competitors of the week’s subject; with the Classics, the general answer to the question of „What will they be facing?“ will invariably have to be „Everything!“ This is obviously a fool’s task so instead, I will attempt to highlight the Wolverine’s role as one third of the „Classic 55-ton trio“ and compare it to its peers, focusing mainly on the truly old skool models, while touching on differences in upgrade philosophies afterwards. This will retain a certain relevance in regards to the board game and mirrors my expertise: like a lot of older players, I have a lot of experience with the initial introductory tech variants, and also quite a lot with the Clan Invasion vintage ones. The PP versions I’ve fielded only sporadically (pre-Jihad) or hardly at all (post-Jihad) while the primitive versions… well. They’ve not been released yet, right? ;)


So without going into any in-universe minutae, let’s have a look at the Wolverine WVR-6R that came with the basic BattleTech set some 30+ years ago. Its peers are the at-least equally famous Griffin and Shadow Hawk. In fact, the two are probably more favored in fiction and more popular among the fans. To witness: the Shadow Hawk article was reposted by Iron Mongoose in 01/2011 and the Griffin article was written by Kotetsu in 02/2014. It is high time I post the Wolverine to complete the triumvirate. This also completes a circle, as co-writing the old original article in 2007 was my first foray into the MotW world.

The trio shares a lot of basic parameters: 55-ton chassis, 5/8 ground speed, 12 heat sinks, 9.5 tons of armor, jump jets. Differences before weapons are subtle.

Take the armor. Unlike the Stinger and Wasp duo that share identical armor allocation, the 55-ton trio has the following allocation:
9—20/7—20/6—14—18 (Griffin)
9—23/8—18/6—16—16 (Shadow Hawk)
8—20/8—20/6—16—16 (Wolverine)

The Wolverine is the middle ground between the other two, sharing frontal torso with the Griffin and limbs with the Shadow Hawk. Now, I usually like to view armor in regards to what I call the Smart Armour doctrine. But it doesn’t really apply here. In 3025 gameplay, the thresholds are 2, 5, and 10 points of damage, with the occasional 1 pointer (LRM “insult points”, also in 3 or 4 point variations), and the large laser oddball and AC/20 boomstick. The only threshold the Griffin and Wolverine have over the Shadow Hawk is surviving a 20- or two 10-point hits on a side torso without internal damage. As it is, damage will likely have piled up in chaotic lots, so the point is moot, especially when the Shadow Hawk gets a slightly tougher center torso. In fact, the only effective bit of mini-maxing is in my opinion the idiosyncratic 8 points of armor on the Wolverine’s head. Back before the introduction of LB-X ACs, it was an effective way of milking an extra point without endangering the pilot too much, the simple thresholds didn’t change. And having 8 points of armor on the rear center torso vs the Griffin’s 7 was nice. And the only real issue I have are the Griffin’s arms—why would the sniper, that carries the most effective gun on the RA, drop armor to reinforce the legs that are least likely to be kicked? Anyways…

…these really are inconsequential minutiae. (Can’t have a jymset article without armor micro-management, can we?!) So it really comes down to the weapon selection on the three chasses. In ways of introduction I would request you re-read at least the several initial paragraphs of Iron Mongoose’s article. He sums up the situation of the time very well indeed. But let me refresh the autocannon—or specifically, the AC/5—discussion once more by calling it a great good gun.

We don’t really need to talk about weaponry, it should be imprinted in our collective memories. In short: Griffin—PPC, LRM 10; Shadow Hawk—AC/5, LRM 5, SRM 2, ML; Wolverine—AC/5, SRM 6, ML. The Griffin is a sniper and the MUL calls both others skirmishers. The Griffin can cope with the 12 heat sinks, but barely. It can relocate or fire both weapons. As a sniper, it would be great to retain a high volume of fire, but it has no bracket options, so if you are particular about remaining heat neutral (though you’d be a fool to, in 3025 contexts) the LRM 10 can only engage every second turn. Jumping and alpha striking—the modern man’s playing mode—while staying effective is right out. The Shadow Hawk’s lack of concentrated punch is well-documented and its investment into active over-sinking in context of its other failures is bitter.

The Wolverine has the best package on offer. Its weapons can be worked into a uniform short-range engagement bracket and its damage potential is the highest of the three, both in terms of maximum and average damage. It is the most likely of the three to cause piloting checks in its targets. And look at its heat management: +1 heat with a jumping alpha strike, -2 heat for a running alpha strike. Arguably, in a 3025 context, it is over-sinked—but nowhere near as badly as the Shadow Hawk, while lacking that BattleMech’s flaws. This allows for easily managed game-play while not being cause of any regrets. And this relative strength in close combat is what makes me think of the Wolverine almost as something of a striker rather than a skirmisher. This will be a recurring theme as many variants across all eras further increase the chassis’ close-range striking power.

This is it for differences of the vanilla trio, though.


And there you have it. I genuinely think that in its vanilla version, the Wolverine is the one to choose. So why are the other Classics more popular?

The Shadow Hawk is the archetypal hero ’Mech. It was the ride of the main hero Grayson Death Carlyle in BattleTech’s first novel Decision at Thunder Rift. This created an immense impact. Soon after, an important cast member of possibly the greatest novel Heir to the Dragon, Dechan Fraser piloted one. BattleTechnology #0101 featured it on its cover. And it is no small wonder that two novels that have been described as elaborate RPG fan fiction, Main Event and Star Lord, both had main characters starting out as arena fighters in Shadow Hawks. The Shadow Hawk is imprinted into our cultural memory as the straight man of BattleTech—and it doesn’t matter how it performs, its perceived image won’t change.

The Griffin is the only Classic lighter than the Warhammer to carry a PPC. In fact, it is the only featured BattleMech of 3025 to combine a PPC and 5/8 movement. Nuff said.

There is also something to be said about visuals. The Shadow Hawk has very clear, straight lines and its shoulder-mounted autocannon enhances a no-nonsense military look. The Griffin is the cleanest of the lot and at least its miniature is in some ways a carbon copy of the Shadow Hawk. They are in one league, whereas the Wolverine with its busy tubing on the torso, its more indistinct head, and the snub-nosed hand-held autocannon looked more like a street thug carrying an Uzi…

So to sum up: the Wolverine is the least popular or at least visible (heck, both Shadow Hawk and Griffin got a Combat Book, the Wolverine didn’t) of the classic 55-ton trio. It combines some aspects of either. And in terms of combat performance within the context of its setting, I genuinely think it is the best medium ’Mech out of the three.

Now on to the variants. Oh, the variants. Like most of the Classics, there are five distinct era generations of the Wolverine: primitive models of the age of wars (in the upcoming XTRO: Primitives V), introductory tech models of the Succession Wars (TROs 3025/r and 3039), LosTech upgrades of the Clan Invasion (TRO 3050), and two sets of Phoenix models harking from the Civil War (TRO Project Phoenix) and the Jihad (collected in TRO 3085). A solitary Star League Wolverine II model completes our roundup (Operation KLONDIKE). But unlike many other Classic BattleMechs and despite being fielded by most everyone, the Wolverine’s evolutionary story revolves almost exclusively around three houses.

The Wolverine was invented in Davion space who built their armies on the mobile BattleMech. Once the rights were bought up by Kallon, sphere-wide production of the new WVR-6R (covered above) was ramped up for the newly founded Star League. The member states profited from this and various factories created house-specific variants. The Kuritans got their share from Oldsmith before that was lost in the Succession Wars, but they continued on at Marduk after capturing it from the Davions and LAW starting production (initially under the Wobblies) on Dieron and New Samarkand. The Mariks had it in production forever on Gibson and Thermopolis, though the former was glassed and the latter’s future in the Wolf Empire is uncertain. The Davions themselves were building it on Marduk and then the captured Nanking plant (where the Liaos had neglected to create their own variant). Both plants have changed hands numerous times in the Dark Ages and as of 3145, the future for the Wolverine in its initial house is looking bleak.

Seeing the relatively clear genealogy of the Wolverine, let’s look at its myriad variants as three separate lines instead of one big pile that needs to be sorted chronologically.

[jymset]

A TALE OF THREE HOUSES: DAVION—The lords of dakka.

Generation 0—Primitives (WVR-1R, WVR-3R: XTRO Primitives V—SPOILERS!)

Much as the later WVR-6R does, the primitive Wolverine WVR-1R is a middle ground between SHD-1R and GRF-1A. Appearing a few years after the others, it defined the middle ground 55-ton weight that the Shadow Hawk and Griffin would agree on later. It is a bit more mobile than the others, and its initial payload is identical to the SHD-1R. There is a short backstory which explicitly details tossing out the idea to utilize a PPC. The Wolverine is the initial “we love dakka” BattleMech of the Davions and would go on to shape their predilection for autocannons both for the chassis’ and other BattleMechs’ futures.
Like the Shadow Hawk and Griffin, its armor hovers around the effective thickness of the 3025 version, but the allocation is way different. In that regard, the Wolverine may have learned something from its peers later on, but it first took a detour via…

…the Wolverine WVR-3R by dropping armor for an upgrade to the full 3025 weapons array. This makes it a very rounded package in a Primitive context, with good mobility and strong weaponry on a somewhat under-armored chassis. Yes, this really sounds like a striker to me.

EXCURSION: Generation X—Star League (WVR-7H: Operation KLONDIKE, TRO 3075)

The Wolverine II WVR-7H is considered a full-blown royal upgrade to the League’s old WVR-6R. The older variant never having received a Star League technology upgrade in the first place, the Wolverine II seems somewhat mundane. In distinction to the other post-Introductory Tech upgrades, it retains a standard engine. While endo steel allows for an upgrade of all weaponry (pulse, artemis, ultra, CASE) and the ferro-fibrous armor slightly increases leg and head armor, it is overall just a small upgrade vis-à-vis the original. It may be a Royal, but it feels like a mundane SLDF trooper.
The interesting part is that its specs became readily accessible during the Jihad and most existing plants started churning it out. As part of a virtual generation 3.5, it would once again become as wide-spread as the WVR-6R of old. Alas, in the modern setting, it has very little to recommend it when put next to the same TRO’s Eyleuka which is more mobile, better protected (before engine damage) and better armed. For Wolverine pilots, there are far more potent variants out there at the same time. At least for Kuritan and Marik MechWarriors. Ahem.

Generation 1—Succession Wars (WVR-6R: TRO 3025, TRO 3039)

In the 3025 era, the Davions did not receive a distinct variant, as the Wolverine WVR-6R very much mirrors their design philosophy. See above.

Generation 2—Clan Invasion (WVR-7D: TRO 3050)

When the Clans arrived, the Nanking factory must’ve already been retooling. The aptly designated Wolverine WVR-7D (finally we have a “D”!) is a child of its time, being a half-way upgrade that manages a credible job of building on the WVR-6R’s strengths. Its Nova-5 Ultra AC/5 potentially doubles long-ranged firepower while being manageable for the 13 heat sinks that remained single-grade; a very similar upgrade package was implemented on the CTF-3D of the time which is very Davionistic as it replaces a mighty PPC on the Cataphract. The XL engine, which will be a constant on almost all upgrades, gains mass and is protected—at least in terms of campaign gaming—by CASE. This mass is invested in upgrading the laser to pulse and adding MASC. The latter feature once again marks the Wolverine as quickest of the 55-ton triumvirate, though now focusing on ground movement. The relative lack of firepower upgrade vs the others does mark it as more of a skirmisher than before and its enemies suddenly having turned much more deadly on a relative scale, it can put the speed to good use for backstabbing or…well… escaping. Backstabbing does work reasonable well with the short range of the laser and the reduced minimum range on the Ultra AC.
Though from our modern perspective the WVR-7D feels like a somewhat haphazard upgrade, what with all the structural shenanigans this is very much a factory variant rather than a refit. Alas, it is one that has aged not all that well. Despite not doing much worse than the WVR-7H, a singular Ultra AC/5 is not a main gun and single heat sinks are the first items that need upgrading if one wants more performance out of a BattleMech.
On the upside, armor is increased both in quality and quantity. And kudos to the Davions for managing to use ferro-fibrous compounds without phoenixing the look of the Wolverine! :P

Generation 3—Civil War (WVR-8D, WVR-9D: TRO Project Phoenix)

No, they did that on the Wolverine WVR-8D. So I guess it must all be in the Endo Steel? Because they did change back to standard armor… (All poking fun at Project Phoenix aside, it is fair to say that in terms of overall proportions and ignoring the generation’s general skinniness, the Phoenix Wolverine bears probably one of the closest resemblances to the original. Especially now that the redesigned Classic look has actually gone with the Phoenix model laser head mount.) The WVR-8D is a bit of a mixed bag. It drives home the whole PRINCE OF DAKKA thing with a glorious… uh… Rotary AC/2. :-[ This does make it more of a skirmisher than ever before. I guess we’re going to have to wait for the other houses to really prove my point of the Wolverine being a quasi-striker. And it is just sad that DAKKA =/= MOAR FIREPOWWAH. That said, the WVR-8D does bring a streak upgrade for its SRMs and a targeting computer for laser and RAC to the table, and wraps it up nicely in maximum armor. It is a really nice… well… skirmisher, but not really a front-line trooper.

The Wolverine WVR-9D was developed concurrently with the WVR-8D. It shares the structural attributes, including the strong armor. But by dropping the jump jets, it is the only Wolverine next to the ancient WVR-6K (see below) that lacks mobility beyond ground movement. And whereas the ancient Kuritan cousin has a method to its madness, I’m not sure that the WVR-9D does. Its head-mounted TAG would mark this as a spotter, but it can’t hop into the usual spotter-specific places. Its center torso-mounted dual medium pulse lasers (which doubly compensate for the loss of head-mounted laser) would mark this is a line combatant, especially when mated to the targeting computer, but the dinky rotary AC/2 is still there, very prominently NOT providing main gun power. Add to this the poor range and the insane choice to add two completely superfluous double heat sinks, and I’m just left scratching my head. It’s not the weirdest Phoenix variant, but it’s right out there.

Generation 4—Jihad (NOTHING)

And this marks the ignominious end of the Davion line of Wolverines. The Davions came out at the short end of Jihad factory shuffles and haven’t produced a new model since. I do feel that the WVR-8D is a very fine skirmisher and will be a boon to any force fielding it. It is definitely not a BattleMech to take into single combat. Overall, on the one hand, is stays on the path of DAKKA, but on the other hand, this path strays from the main strengths of the Wolverine, which is to supply fearsome close-in strikes on top of its general zippiness . No, we need to turn to those looney Dracs to see the power te chassis is capable of!


A TALE OF THREE HOUSES: KURITA—Here be Dragons.

Generation 1—Succession Wars (WVR-6K: TRO 3025, TRO 3039)

Literally, here be Dragons. I found I finally understood the Wolverine WVR-6K’s function when I started viewing it as a close-combat version of the Dragon BattleMech. Let’s review it briefly: it feels like a sub-variant of the WVR-6M (see below) in mounting a large laser and second medium laser instead of the autocannon, as well as more armor. But it was introduced much earlier and it goes the full ****** by dropping the jump jets, adding a small laser to the right arm cluster and basically maxing the armor at 11.5 tons. 55 tons, 5/8 speed, 1 LL, 2 ML, 1 SRM 6, 1 SL, 14 heat sinks. Just. Wow.
Divorce yourself from viewing the WVR-6K as a Wolverine. View it as a monstrous Dragon that says “I’m a line trooper, I got the ground speed to reach the enemy, and the armor to pull it off. Forget long-range weapons, I want all the lasers.” The WVR-6K should be fielded in the cavalry lines of the Succession Wars Draconis Combine forces. There, it will quickly completely eclipse the Dragon, because it has considerably more armor and it fields immense close-range firepower that Kurita’s totem ’Mech lacks completely. I often find that changing the point of view allows me to completely reappraise a BattleTech unit. As a WVR-6M derivate, I’d be worried about the lack of jump jets which would not be worth the addition of SRM ammo, armor and a SL. As a Dragon peer, the Wolverine WVR-6K has just become the Combine battle lines’ MVP.
I’m not sure how I feel about the MUL labeling this a skirmisher. What with the lack of jump jets, the great armor and the scary arsenal, this is quite some way on the road to brawler. Skirmisher no more, and the Kuritan Wolverine upgrades have a lot to live up to.

Generation 2—Clan Invasion (WVR-7K: TRO 3050)

The Wolverine WVR-7K then takes modern technologies (the WVR-7D’s XL engine, but also double heat sinks) and shows how powerful they can already make a scary BattleMech. The second medium laser is dropped, but the others are upgraded to pulse lasers. And a second SRM 6 was added to the left torso. This side of the Hunchback, I struggle to think of another 3050 medium ’Mech with similar short-range firepower, and it is better than many heavies, too. But the best part is that the jump jets are back in! And the armor is fully maxed by investing another half ton for the WVR-6K’s final, missing point. It’s not that the WVR-7K needs to save mass, because the 13 double heat sinks completely sink a running alpha strike. And because the lack of CASE will only be of interest in campaigns, this BattleMech really has it all.
This is where the money is at. The Wolverine WVR-7K will be a competitive combatant right up to this day.

Generation 3—Civil War (WVR-8C, WVR-8K: TRO Project Phoenix)

…but that didn’t stop the Dracs on further improving on a good thing. Do not be fooled by the Wolverine WVR-8C’s nomenclature. It is a direct upgrade of the WVR-7K, in ways of Project Phoenix. That means the WVR-8D’s endo steel is there, and with a bit of mini-maxing (-1 ton of almost excessive ammunition and -1 pt of armor, though now at the rear, for a subtle difference vs the old WVR-6K) it manages to upgrade the SRMs to streak models. And add a C3 slave unit, which explains the model designation.
All the drooling I was doing over the WVR-7K applies here and then some. The C3 slave means the WVR-8C is a good point man in days prior to ECM saturation, but really, its lancemates better hurry up to get a shot in because anything this side of an assault will cringe to face the full fury of a WVR-8C. 40+ reliable damage in lots of small clusters is just mean.
An interesting and aesthetically pleasing point to note about the Phoenix Wolverines is that they replace the upper arm fairings of the Classic with a clover-leaf like fairing on the Davion models and a stylized piece of Samurai lamellar armor on the Kuritan models.

Kuritan models? That’s right, the initial—and featured—Kuritan model was the Wolverine WVR-8K. And this is where there is a bit of disconnect on the whole Project Phoenix thing, as WVR-8K has no structural upgrades beyond the usual XL engine and double heat sinks. Beyond a few late-3050s weapons, this could well be a 3050 model. Its main claim to fame is that it was the first Wolverine to work out the PPC kinks. An ER PPC with “coaxial” ER Medium Laser compliments the Streak SRM 6 and head-mounted MPL.
The armor is also maximized, with the torso protection further skewed to the front. This is a great line trooper and possibly the most balanced one since the WVR-6R. In that way, I have no issue with the skirmisher role. It is less exciting than the other two Kuritan models of this time-frame, but it is more flexible in terms of engagement range.
Kurita is four for four up to this point, which I guess is why they completely succumb to new toy syndrome in…

Generation 4—Jihad (WVR-9K, EXCURSION: WVR-9W, WVR-9W2: TRO 3085)

Wolverine WVR-9K. It bears the name, but no. Just no. The Wolverine has always been minimalistic, with spiels on the right arm main gun—shoulder missiles—head laser armament. So what are a light MG array and B-Pods doing on my Wolverine? Why the lack of laser and the B-Pods? Why the WVR-8D/-9D’s armor allocation? Why the jump jets spread over legs and torsos? Why the empty center torso when the mass is invested to use a compact gyro? And where is that light engine from, when literally all other non-introductory Wolverines use XL engines? This really does not feel like a Wolverine at all, and the Kuritan-specific snub-nose PPC main gun and left arm sword that is supported by the TSM which really should define the variant are by far the least of my worries. Once again, I got nothing. It is neither very Wolverine-y nor any good at its urban/anti-infantry role.

Not that the Blakist Wolverine WVR-9W, created on their stay on Dieron, is any better. But for very different reasons. It does follow a more conventional Wolverine pattern with dual Light PPCs as main weapons, ER ML and now an MML 5. But moving the missiles into the arm is aesthetically questionable. And the overall weaponry is rather anemic and maybe not worth the gain of 7 improved jump jets. Especially as the competitors in the triumvirate received similar upgrades which both feature the same missiles. And it is now the Griffin GRF-4R that has the mobility advantage, with a gigantic 6/9/9 movement. The Shadow Hawk SHD-8L shares the same movement as the Wolverine, but has a much better close-range punch, capitalizing on its abilities. To turn the Wolverine into a long-range skirmisher goes against its roots, but any further investigation is moot as the alternatives are superior.

Its biggest claim to fame is it being one of the few cases that a TRO 3085 Phoenix unit features then-experimental technology. The arm-mounted MML ammo is protected by CASE II. While a good preview of things to come in the following decades, the Kuritans decided it was above their capabilities when regaining control of production. Hence, on top of the usual ECM+C3S for C3i swap in the right torso, the CASE II was replaced with an ER SL and standard CASE in the left torso to create the Wolverine WVR-9W2.

It is not what it could have been, but the Kuritans had already peaked out in style in the mid-3060s. The Mariks went a different route to the other houses.


A TALE OF THREE HOUSES: MARIK—Don’t mess with Classics.

Generation 1—Succession Wars (WVR-6M)

In my days, the Wolverine WVR-6M was widely regarded as the best medium ’Mech of 3025 gameplay. As established above, it essentially went cherry-picking on the WVR-6K and WVR-6R. It gains the former’s LL/ML combo instead of the AC/5 and is halfway there between both models’ armor levels. It also has 14 heat sinks.
Yes, it runs hot. Yes, it technically has less range than the -6R. Yes, it has less armor than the -6K.
Yes, it is the only intro-level medium ’Mech that makes me feel dirty when I field it.
On the one hand, it is just a slower Phoenix Hawk with an added SRM 6. On the other, it adds 4 crucial heat sinks and at 10.5 tons of armor, it crosses from medium into what I feel is heavy territory in a 3025 context. And when compared to its WVR-6K sibling, it does retain those jump jets so it can fulfill more mobile roles. When you get down to it, the Wolverine cherry-picked some of the Griffin’s and the Shadow Hawk’s good bits, and then the WVR-6M evolves by cherry-picking the WVR-6R’s and WVR-6K’s good bits! All in all, the WVR-6M is one of 3025’s most rounded BattleMechs with the only real competition coming retroactively by ways of 3075’s Gladiator.

Generation 2—Clan Invasion (WVR-7M)

And so, Thermopolis’ upgrade had a lot to live up to. The Wolverine WVR-7M’s ancestor was excellent and the contemporary Davion and Kuritan upgrades were somewhere between good and great, too.
So an XL engine upgrade with is iffy when one considers that the WVR-7M actually has half a ton less armor than the WVR-6M, meaning only a slight buff on head, center torso and legs vis-à-vis the original WVR-6R. No advanced structural components are used either, beyond turning the basic 12 heat sinks into double grade.
Similar to its Kuritan brethren, the WVR-7M is all about the weapons, though. It doubles the WVR-6M’s large laser count and upgrades them to ER models. The mediums are upgraded to pulsers (the second one makes place for the second ER LL and moves to the RT). This immediately marks the WVR-7M as one of the punchiest Wolverines with the added bonus of having the best reach out of all of them. It runs hot, but firing patterns are easy with the secondary weaponry causing as much heat as one of the ER larges.
For good measure, the WVR-7M copies the WVR-7D’s MASC. This BattleMech may not be quite as tough as most other models of the same time or earlier, but it is among the most flexible of the entire lineage, easily fulfilling skirmisher, striker or even sniper roles. It is a keeper, and this shows in further Marik Wolverine lineage…

Generation 3—Civil War (NOTHING)

This is where it gets interesting. Both Gibson and Thermopolis were active during the Jihad (before the former was glassed). And despite the Gibson-based Word of Blake being a driving force behind Project Phoenix, it was noted “that the FWL (a prolific Wolverine user) haven’t instigated a refit program.” (TRO Project Phoenix, p. 32)
We know from the WVR-9W that when the Word finally got to it, they built their new Wolverines in Combine space. The WVR-7M must’ve fully satisfied their needs before that. And the universe is spared a silly light gauss-toting Wolverine (because that’s both what the Marik Phoenix Shadow Hawk and Griffin do. Bleh.)!

Generation 4—Jihad (WVR-9M)

So the WVR-7M soldiered on for a good 20 years before Thermopolis did anything with it. And when they did, it was a thing of utter beauty. The Wolverine WVR-9M steps off the production line in all its Classic glory. No Phoenix influence found at all. And it shows. By ways of WVR-7M lineage, even in the mid-3070s, it “is much closer to the original WVR-6R than it is to either the Davion or Kurita” upgrade lines. (Exerpted from the original TRO 3050, p. 138, in relation to the WVR-7M.) No structural advances beyond the usual XL engine and double heat sinks, but the armor is increased by a ton from the previous model, once again resulting in near-maximum coverage.
The weapons, are mostly tried and proven, with a simple left torso Streak SRM 6 launcher and CASEd ammo supporting the head-mounted ER ML. But having witnessed the Kuritans succeeding with their WVR-8K, the WVR-9M also mounts a PPC as its right arm main gun. As we’ve seen on other Marik dual-ER LL replacements, this is a heavy PPC. And just because of all that extra heat, the designers liberally over-sunk the ’Mech with 15 DHS.
This is the only Wolverine to feature a head-chopper main gun. It is beautiful. And with the range bracket once again capping out at 18 hexes, and the BattleMech reduced to only three, albeit extremely effective weapons, in many ways it joins the WVR-7D and -8D as the most genuine straight upgrade of the venerable WVR-6R. And it is so much more powerful than the Davion variants.


As we come full circle on this Classic BattleMech, we can see that no matter which era, you will be served with a nimble or powerful combatant—or both. The last discussed Marik variant and the blatant we’ve-peaked-so-this-latest-generation-is-for-new-toys-ism of the Kuritans is symptomatic for just how well the Wolverine has aged. It may be an ancient BattleMech, but it is competitive with the best of them. It is a bit sad that for House Davion, the Wolverine saga did not turn out as well, but this in turn is then symptomatic for their current standing in the BattleTech universe.

Oh dear, this is getting way too meta. So let me close unceremoniously. There is so much more that should be discussed, down to the peers, competitors, and enemies of every single variant. But you are a brave soul if you have read this far. So it is now your turn to share your thoughts!


Just a final thing! XTRO Primitives V has not yet been released and even if I knew more details, I would not be able to share. Just suffice to say: I now know that it will NOT be vaporware, so please, support this cause BattleMech and look into getting the XTRO when it is released.

Thank you for your time, all!

[jymset]

The Griffin is the only Classic lighter than the Warhammer to carry a PPC. In fact, it is the only featured BattleMech of 3025 to combine a PPC and 5/8 movement. Nuff said.

It seems I forgot the Scorpion, which is kinda a Classic. But that's ok, because it's a quad and doesn't count.  :P

...the things that keep me up at night...

[marauder648]

An excellent, entertaining and damn well written write up on one of the classics of the Battletech universe!  Also thanks for breaking it up into sections so we knew who made what :)

[Decoy]

As far as FedSuns goes, they get the Norse Battlemech works facilities on Marduk back for a bit during the Republic Era. If they still made 8Ks for the FedSuns or Mercenary sale, I wouldn't complain.

[Colt Ward]

I was impatiently waiting for the new Classic Wolverine art to come out, and it did not disappoint when it did.

I for some reason have always preferred the Wolverine (not because of claws but . . . ) for its robust nature . . . and I liked infernoes.  Never looked at the Marik Wolverines until I got the -7M for a random draw and came to love the sniper with the later clean up role.  I have never liked the RAC/2 Wolverines, the weak main gun always bugged me.

I really wish Liao had taken the -7D, stripped off the UAC/5 and replaced it with a Plasma Rifle.  Even if you do not switch it to DHS it still works well for throwing damage and some heat at targets and becomes a combined arms superstar with its increased ability to kill BA & armor.

A snubbie version with the Dracs post-Jihad would have also been well recieved IMO.

[The Eagle]

Ah, my favorite BattleMech.  You did an excellent job on the article, by the way.  And there's not much else to say, either, aside from the fact that if I were magically transported to the BattleTech universe and given my choice of 'Mech, it'd be a WVR-6M.

[Colt Ward]

Yup, and looking for that -7M when 3050 rolls around . . . just wish it had CASE & 1 more DHS rather than med pulse.

[misterpants]

My 2 post-blackout C-bills is that the reason the Davion PP Wolverines were a bit lackluster is because the SHD-5D (RAC-5, SSRM-4, 2xML) stole their schtick.

[Colt Ward]

Honestly, we should have gotten a LAC/5 version of the -7D in the Jihad . . . the MASC certainly makes up for the slightly shorter range.

LAC5, MML and maybe a MVSPL . . . have to play with that when I get home.

[Decoy]

It seemed everyone's Schtick was up for grabs in 3067. By the time things settled down, I think House Davion could only produce the Shadow Hawk on Kirklin. Granted, they made a new Kallon facility on Victoria and recaptured Marduk not long afterwords, but it seems that the Shadow Hawk became the Davion 55 tonner of choice.

[Colt Ward]

I do not know, I would say the Legionnaire replaced the Wolverine as the skirmisher of choice.

[Nahuris]

People knock the rotary 2. but it does work in this case. I have always preferred the Wolverine as far as the classic trio go, and I have always used it as a "high intensity support fighter" as in, I get on a target already engaged with another unit, and stay on it, blasting every round. I have always preferred the R variant for that reason, as I prefer the AC/5 for it's low heat output, it lets me stay on the target, and even alpha round after round, without losing anything. Plus, in support of something with PPC's, that "lowly" AC/5 isn't attracting as much attention, but still giving me a decent damage range, for next to no heat.


The Rotary/2 lets me continue that --- it has the same range as the standard AC/5, so I don't lose anything there, and I get the option of 2 to 12 damage along with being linked to a targeting computer -- so this is not only more accurate... but when used in support of other units, I get the equivelent of a range 18, SRM6 rack for crit seeking when used in conjunction with other mechs, and decent, if not great, armor stripping when alone.   And once I close the range some, I have a second Streak rack to open up even more crits, and the TC supported ER Medium Laser to add that last bit of help. Finally, with 10 double heat sinks, I can STILL pump it out, and not worry too much, just as I did with the original 3025 version.

When you look at the Classic 55 Trio, you have to accept that none of those 3 are stand alone designs --- The Shadowhawk and Wolverine are both very ammo dependent, and like the Griffin, the Shadowhawk is fluffed as a support design --- The Griffin supplies only long range support, the Shadowhawk supplies both long and short support, while the Wolverine is a close support design, with some token long range.... it was how they were put in the game, and how they continue to work.

Nahuris

[Darkwing]

With the Legionnaire running around carrying the RAC, I would have loved to see the Wolverine drop the RAC 2 for a pair of LAC- 2, or up into a LAC-5, would have been a nice addition to a skirmisher lance toolbox with its specificity munitions.   

[marauder648]

Always loved the Wolvie, only thing I wish they had done with the classic is instead of a AC-5 give it a large laser.  Otherwise its basically a Shadow Hawk with a slightly different weapons mix and a bent towards close range fighting.

[Colt Ward]

 . . . you mean the Wolverine 6M?

[marauder648]

. . . you mean the Wolverine 6M?

*quietly* Yes... But what I mean is that I'd have liked it if the 6M was like the baseline version so it's not 'just' another 55-tonner with an AC-5.

[Colt Ward]

Hmmm . . . 2 LAC/5 with 2t ammo, MML5 w/ 2t ammo, MVSPL . . . supercharger & CASE II make it a bit special . . . but yeah, in close that can be painful while still giving a bit of damage at range.

[Intermittent_Coherence]

IF you're gonna put 2 LAC/5's why not an RAC/5?

[Weirdo]

Ammo flexibility.

[Intermittent_Coherence]

that would work like a UAC/5 with shorter range

[Weirdo]

Shorter range, better odds of connecting with both clusters...and ammo flexibility. They're not as poor-man's-Omni as missile racks are, but the ability of an AC or LAC to do things that no Ultra, LB-X, or RAC can cannot be overstated.

[glitterboy2098]

Shorter range, better odds of connecting with both clusters...and ammo flexibility. They're not as poor-man's-Omni as missile racks are, but the ability of an AC or LAC to do things that no Ultra, LB-X, or RAC can cannot be overstated.

even in the succession wars era when you didn't have as many options for AC's. but you could load Flak and make ago at being an AA unit in a pinch, or Fletchet and massacre infantry.

[Weirdo]

Flechette rounds also make pretty good weedeaters, with twin LAC/5s doing 20 damage to a woods hex. Still gonna take a little while to completely clear a hex, but you can still make that big Gauss Boat using the woods for cover sweat, and consider abandoning his hidey hole earlier than he planned.

[Nahuris]

Shorter range, better odds of connecting with both clusters...and ammo flexibility. They're not as poor-man's-Omni as missile racks are, but the ability of an AC or LAC to do things that no Ultra, LB-X, or RAC can cannot be overstated.

I have to agree --- it's one of the reasons I like the the WOB version of the Sentinel, even if they only put one ton of ammo for twin LAC/5's --- I use the 3 ERMedium lasers, and only use the precision ammo when I truly need it.

On a Wolverine, though, you could really exploit that ..... you have enough size to really make a versatile unit.

Nahuris

[Colt Ward]

I also acknowledged the shorter range by keeping the run up to 10 with SC- weights less than MASC.  Hmm . . . at 3 hexes you have 10 pts from the LAC, 10 from SRM ammo on the MML and 9 from MVSPL.  Of course it would all have to hit but that is not a bad chunk of damage- most of it spread seeking crits.

[Bongfu]

As far as the WVR goes, it is by far my favourite IS medium. Good article!

[Savage Coyote]

Kuritan models? That’s right, the initial—and featured—Kuritan model was the Wolverine WVR-8K. And this is where there is a bit of disconnect on the whole Project Phoenix thing, as WVR-8K has no structural upgrades beyond the usual XL engine and double heat sinks. Beyond a few late-3050s weapons, this could well be a 3050 model. Its main claim to fame is that it was the first Wolverine to work out the PPC kinks. An ER PPC with “coaxial” ER Medium Laser compliments the Streak SRM 6 and head-mounted MPL.
The armor is also maximized, with the torso protection further skewed to the front. This is a great line trooper and possibly the most balanced one since the WVR-6R. In that way, I have no issue with the skirmisher role. It is less exciting than the other two Kuritan models of this time-frame, but it is more flexible in terms of engagement range.
Kurita is four for four up to this point, which I guess is why they completely succumb to new toy syndrome in…

I designed the 8K way back in the day.  I admit to being a wet-behind-the-ears outer circle minion (namely I was one of the first mods for the "official" site and this was our thank you:  submit a design of an unseen 'mech!)  I chose one of my Wolverines I'd fiddled with.  I don't think we had a say in what faction had the 'mech.  The writer in charge decided that (Warner Doles in this case.) 

Anyway, the 8K was originally a company commanders ride in a Northwind Highlanders unit was going to paint up and never did.  I love the look of the Wolverine and wanted a 'mech to go with it.  I didn't know anything about the 6M version as I came into the game and just went "I want to get rid of the useless AC-5 family that was wedded to the 3050 variants (or the heat hog double ERLLs)  I believe I based bits and pieces on the 3050 Wolverines, just upgrading the laser and launcher (we had to use new Field Manuel Technology for these unseens-that-became-phoenix-designs)  I didn't upgrade the armor because I saw it as a refit and submitted it as such.  If I could do it over again I'd change somemthings (less sinks, try to wrangle in a std engine, ferro armor, drop .5 tons of armor that isn't used even though it's paid for in weight) and see what happened. 

I like the hodgepodge nature of it and it is effective, though it's expensive for what it does.

[Nikas_Zekeval]

A TALE OF THREE HOUSES: MARIK—Don’t mess with Classics.

Generation 2—Clan Invasion (WVR-7M)

And so, Thermopolis’ upgrade had a lot to live up to. The Wolverine WVR-7M’s ancestor was excellent and the contemporary Davion and Kuritan upgrades were somewhere between good and great, too.
So an XL engine upgrade with is iffy when one considers that the WVR-7M actually has half a ton less armor than the WVR-6M, meaning only a slight buff on head, center torso and legs vis-à-vis the original WVR-6R. No advanced structural components are used either, beyond turning the basic 12 heat sinks into double grade.
Similar to its Kuritan brethren, the WVR-7M is all about the weapons, though. It doubles the WVR-6M’s large laser count and upgrades them to ER models. The mediums are upgraded to pulsers (the second one makes place for the second ER LL and moves to the RT). This immediately marks the WVR-7M as one of the punchiest Wolverines with the added bonus of having the best reach out of all of them. It runs hot, but firing patterns are easy with the secondary weaponry causing as much heat as one of the ER larges.
For good measure, the WVR-7M copies the WVR-7D’s MASC. This BattleMech may not be quite as tough as most other models of the same time or earlier, but it is among the most flexible of the entire lineage, easily fulfilling skirmisher, striker or even sniper roles. It is a keeper, and this shows in further Marik Wolverine lineage…

Generation 3—Civil War (NOTHING)

This is where it gets interesting. Both Gibson and Thermopolis were active during the Jihad (before the former was glassed). And despite the Gibson-based Word of Blake being a driving force behind Project Phoenix, it was noted “that the FWL (a prolific Wolverine user) haven’t instigated a refit program.” (TRO Project Phoenix, p. 32)
We know from the WVR-9W that when the Word finally got to it, they built their new Wolverines in Combine space. The WVR-7M must’ve fully satisfied their needs before that.

Not surprising, the WVR-7M is my go to in filling out cavalry lances, or even leading them if I can't get a Falconer for the job.  And looking at the firepower, it is a slightly stripped down WHM-6R Warhammer, the MPLs replacing the laser/MG clusters and ER Larges for PPCs.  Same amount of armor, basically trading in a bit of firepower for extra maneuverability with the jump jets and MASC.  It even has a better heat curve.

[Valtech]

"...like a street thug carrying an Uzi…"

Indeed, in some ways thats the best description of the base 3025 Wolverine as I played it
waaaaay back in the day when a Marauder was on the cover of the only TRO and we
filled those sheets out by hand  :) This was also one of the first minis I bought at the
local hobby shop....people did this with back in the day with green paper thing's.

You really need to judge the original Wolverine variants against what was really available in
the initial game. This i think is hard now when we have MOUNDS of weapon options. You
got ONE type of AC and three levels of Laser, LRM or SRM and some MG's if your were
desperate (or got assigned the Stinger 8) ). But the Wolverine does not disappoint...