The 'Mechs that never see use in your games

[Mattlov]

So I was putting away a couple painted 'Mechs yesterday and noticed a little and completely forgotten 'Mech sitting there.

The Arctic Fox.

I bought one a couple decades ago, and I'd be STUNNED if I've put it on the field twice.  It isn't the worst 'Mech out there, I just never think to use it.


What do you have sitting around you haven't used in a forever and a half?  Any reason why?

[Sartris]

I have one of pretty much everything so a lot of my minis spend most of their lives in a drawer. My HW Clan stuff especially has largely been fielded once or not at all. The next campaign I'm running will be set in the 3100s so much of the DA stuff I've been amassing since 2013 or so will finally see the light of day. I try to mix up eras from campaign to campaign if for no other reason than to make sure I actually get to play with the toys I buy.

When I'm making OpFor, the MUL era lists help me from getting into a rut and toss out some stuff I might not otherwise think about.

[BairdEC]

The Targe and the Jinggau, because they are so ridiculously oversized.  My Scarabus model is also grossly oversized, but apparently they weren't at some point because I've seen smaller versions.

[Mattlov]

The Targe and the Jinggau, because they are so ridiculously oversized.  My Scarabus model is also grossly oversized, but apparently they weren't at some point because I've seen smaller versions.

The smaller one is the newer one. 

It is also still an illegal design according to the first record sheet book it came out in.  :D

[Sartris]

the targe is just a crime

[BairdEC]

The smaller one is the newer one. 

It is also still an illegal design according to the first record sheet book it came out in.  :D

That's good to hear.  I'll have to pick up a few of the newer ones.  If only IWM would do that for some of the other oversized 'Mechs.

[Empyrus]

the targe is just a crime

Targe 1N is usable though admittedly there are better options. It is so fast it makes a-okay backstabber.
Targe 2N is just a sick joke. Whoever designed that must have been a sadist or masochist or more likely both. EDIT Reasonably fast MML-9 is OK concept. But MASC and ammo on legs? I don't mind weak designs but i draw line on something that can blow up because MASC and ammo on legs combo.
Targe 3M is very fast LRM-10, a Valkyrie on steroids. Not terribly impressive, perhaps, but usable.

...

Yes, i'm defending the Targe.

[Firesprocket]

To many to name. However, pick most any 20 ton IS mech in my case.  Playing more games of AS these days though, that may change.  I can find good uses for most anything in AS.

[Challenger]

The Rifleman and Jagermech rarely made an appearance, atleast not until the RAC5 versions.

On the Clan side the Hellbringer was rarely seen as well.

Challenger

[Demon55]

The Rifleman and Jagermech rarely made an appearance, atleast not until the RAC5 versions.

On the Clan side the Hellbringer was rarely seen as well.

Challenger

Agreed.  The original Rifleman is just too poorly designed. 

I generally do not use the 20 tonners as for the speed there are better units or a hovertank can do the job better. 

I never use the Urbanmech. 

[SCC]

I generally do not use the 20 tonners as for the speed there are better units or a hovertank can do the job better.

Considering that may well involve dying it's probably important not to use a 'Mech. The transport logistics also favor vehicles over really small 'Mechs.

I never use the Urbanmech.

The UrbanMech is a good idea, just maybe not pulled off too well.

[Mattlov]

I never use the Urbanmech.

BLASPHEMY!!!!!

[Getz]

From my collection I think I've only ever used my Vindicator once - although I'm not sure why, it's a decent mech...

[abou]

The nice thing about Game Mastering a group is that winning every battle is not the goal for you personally. As a result, I've managed to find a way to use every mini that I have managed to paint. Has been the best way to justify all the hundreds of dollars I have spent on small bits of shaped metal over the years!  O0

[IronSphinx]

Most of my Clan units gather dust. Only use them about once or twice a year. And I never use the UrbanMech, even though I've got one or two of them.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

I see this thread and I want to set up a donation box "Drop off unused mechs here!"

But seriously: Clint, Hermes II, Cicada, Cyclops, Quickdraw. Basically have the Box set plus a dozen others but I've never used any of those (despite wanting to try the Clint and Hermes)

[TimmyTheNerd]

I've never seen anyone use a Whitworth, which my play group seems to enjoy calling 'Whitworthless'.

[Sartris]

I've never seen anyone use a Whitworth, which my play group seems to enjoy calling 'Whitworthless'.

It was one of my first two mechs in my longest running campaign. I pledged with God as my witness that i'd never be poor enough to be forced to use one ever again  ;D

[Empyrus]

The Withworth is very good in its role. Reasonably mobile 2xLRM-10 is incredibly useful in a game limited to only introductory tech or low amounts of Star League tech. Triple ML is excellent armament for close combat (and it is basically perfectly bracketed fighter). And it is quite tough for its size.
At the same time, the 'Mech is not exactly dangerous to elicit a response so it can slowly chip away at enemies... or it gets targeted and your other units aren't.

Obviously it needs to be used properly. Pair it with 'Mechs of similar mobility and/or roles. Goes well with Catapults and Panthers and Archers. Excellent in urban combat (provided you have a spotter). Trying to fit it to a mobile light/medium lance is not a good idea.

It is not flashy and it will lose effectiveness rapidly after the Clan Invasion except in militia duty. But before that, it is an excellent filler for reasonably cheap BV cost.

[Demon55]

BLASPHEMY!!!!!

My father was a WSO, so it runs in my blood! 

[SteelRaven]

So many mechs in BT, it's easy to ignore the less shiny ones.

[Jellico]

Anything big. A lot of my games are weight limited. A shame considering that I love the Executioner, Kingfisher, Executioner combo.

[TimmyTheNerd]

Anything big. A lot of my games are weight limited. A shame considering that I love the Executioner, Kingfisher, Executioner combo.

I'm actually going into my first weight limited game, at least at the start. 200 tons, 4 mechs or vehicles or a mix of the two (no more and no less than 4 though), must have 1 light and 1 medium. 1 to 3 lights, 1 to 3 mediums, 0 to 1 heavy, 0 to 1 assault. It's just to determine starting lance for a campaign.

Fun fact, everyone complains about how I like the vehicles more than the mechs 75% of the time, with only a handful of mechs I actually like. Tempted to go into this campaign with either 1 mech and 3 vehicles or 4 vehicles. Pretty sure the GM is only allowing vehicles because of me, since I've never seen anyone else bring them.

[Feenix74]

The nice thing about Game Mastering a group is that winning every battle is not the goal for you personally. As a result, I've managed to find a way to use every mini that I have managed to paint. Has been the best way to justify all the hundreds of dollars I have spent on small bits of shaped metal over the years!  O0

One of the best things about playing OPFOR for a campaign is this, often you want to push the player group without going out there to kill them so depending on their skill/luck levels it is often useful to pick non-optimised designs that you can have a bit of fun with and not headcap the player by accident and kill off a PC.

Agreed.  The original Rifleman is just too poorly designed. 

I generally do not use the 20 tonners as for the speed there are better units or a hovertank can do the job better. 

I never use the Urbanmech. 

So I have run OPFOR Rifleman, 20 tonners and even a lance of Urbanmechs slow marching forward and concentrating fire (actually can be quite intimidating against light/medium mechs which cannot afford to take too many 10 point hits and may not have the long range weapons to be able to hit back effectively).

I must admit, I am struggling to think of mech that I have not fielded at one time or another. There are plenty that I would not choose to be in my starting XI but it is one of the things I like about Battletech is that each unit has strengths and weaknesses.

[StoneRhino]

There are plenty of them just feet away from me. Considering how spaced out games can be even when trying to push for one every other week, it is hard to go through many of the different minis. I try to use at least a few that I haven't used in a while every game. A lot of them end up in painting hell, which is where minis go when they have half a paint job and I just dont' have the time or motivation to finish them.

I think some of the first minis that I bought, if not the actual first pair that I picked up was a valkyrie and a Javelin. I may have used the Javelin a few times, but never the Valkyrie as the actual mech, only as a proxy.

[Kovax]

I've gotten plenty of use out of my Locusts and Stingers, an Urbanmech, a pair of Hermes IIs, and even a Vulcan in my collection.  About the only 'Mech in my moderately sizable collection that I've probably never actually fielded in a battle is an Assassin, and only because I've got several other light and medium 'Mechs that perform basically the same role.  I've got nothing against using it, and I know it can be fairly effective at harassing vehicles and light "bug" 'Mechs, but there really hasn't been any essential need to field it either.

A basic Locust 1V makes a decent scout and harassment unit for a bargain price, has sufficient armor to withstand a bit more punishment than its slower 20T companions, and will easily go through terrain that no hovercraft can; a hovercraft is a VERY viable replacement in SOME situations, not others.  The Urbanmech is a defensive specialist in either broken or urban (as the name implies) terrain, but is at a severe disadvantage against heavier units with long lines of sight, or where maneuverability is required.  The Hermes II makes a decent scout hunter and highly flexible command unit for a "bug" lance, and the 2M variant can be a monstrous back-stabber. The Clint, while similar to the basic HER-2S, is disturbingly under-armored for the tonnage, sacrificing armor for jump capability, but sufficient against some lighter units.  The Vulcan has the speed and long-range sniper weapon to "park" vehicles that would otherwise be a serious threat to your other units, not the kind of unit you'd want to field in quantity, but one in a force is potentially a critical asset in various situations.  Then there are units like the Whitworth, which are impressively effective for their C-Bill cost (a nearly optimal LRM and ML bracket firer), but just not heavy enough to engage most "line" 'Mechs one-on-one; I've run them in numerous campaigns and had VERY good luck with them in a supporting role, and like a Catapult, often successfully engaging badly damaged heavies with the lasers after the LRMs run dry.

[Kit deSummersville]

Targe 2N is just a sick joke. Whoever designed that must have been a sadist or masochist or more likely both. EDIT Reasonably fast MML-9 is OK concept. But MASC and ammo on legs? I don't mind weak designs but i draw line on something that can blow up because MASC and ammo on legs combo.

Think of them as one-shot jump jets.

[JadeHellbringer]

Griffins.

I know, right? I don't even know why, just... not one I like to use in games. It's (usually) an outstanding fire support Mech, and I'm over here like "durrr, rather have a Trebuchet" and all that. It's stupid, it's shortsighted, and the next time I build a force I'll omit Griffins again because I'm insane.

[markhall]

Everyone has their own Tastes. JHB.

Shame to miss out on the quailty of a Griffin thou.

Yeoman. Have 2 don't think they've ever been on the table.

A lot of the ATM boats get passed over by me. Except one Savage Coyote I bought just so anther player couldn't use it on us at the time.

 

[Nightsong]

Hm... probably the Yeoman and the Sunder. Yeoman I got from a store close out for 2 bucks, the Sunder because I love the design, but end up not finding the particular lance to put it in or that I can afford.

The Griffin is a nice one, I tend to use the C3i model as additional fire support alongside my Bombardier in my ComStar Level II (along with a King Crab, Avatar, Hussar and either Tessen or the iNarc Phoenix Hawk.)