Alpha Strike Mech of the Moment: Charger
Tractor: Noun. A derogatory term used by Mechwarriors to describe a badly designed or undesirable BattleMech, such as a
Charger.
The Charger has had a special place in BattleTech ever since the publication of TRO:3025. It was birthed into the franchise with its poor in-universe reception already firmly set. The Charger seems to have never quite caught on as the “Bad News Bears” kind of lovable loser the UrbanMech has become to much of the fanbase. In the opinion of this author, I hypothesize that’s due to an absurdly niche light mech being more forgivable than it is for an assault. However, it’s no assault mech. 80 tons or not. On hindsight, it appearing as a potential result on an “Assault” mech RAT surely also has something to do with players’ distaste for the mech… but in this author’s case that’s just evidence that RATs organized by mass rather than role are terrible rather than the Mech itself!
A bit of background history for those handful of readers who are not already intimately familiar with this class of chassis:
The ‘mech was originally designed to be a scout mech. Yes, an 80 ton scout mech. It was designed in 27th century, often known as the Golden Era of the Star League. This is when mankind’s achievements were at their apex, and in that context of “anything is now possible” perhaps it’s natural that someone would try to make an 80 ton scout. Unfortunately for the Charger’s designers, the SLDF was not sold on this bold new direction in scout mech doctrine and their rejection of the proposed design sealed the poor in-universe reputation. House Kurita still wanted any and every mech they could get their hands on, even SLDF rejects, and their militarization ultimately allowed the mech to avoid joining other bizarre Star League boondoggles like the
Thorizer in the footnotes of military history. Before long the Succession Wars would break out, and all the Houses would become desperate enough for any mechs at all. This spreading demand born of desperation allowed the Charger to soldier on to be one of the mechs prominent enough in the Inner Sphere to appear in TRO:3025.
CGR-1A1
Pictured above: The Original TractorThis mech absolutely gets a bad rap. Perhaps deservedly so in CBT/Boardgame BattleTech. Small lasers are abysmal as main armament. Even though cluster of 5 has a “large” amount of raw firepower for a scout unit, the CGR-1A1’s speed isn’t sufficient to bring their range to bear on smaller scouts that are pretty much universally faster than it is. On the upside, in CBT/Boardgame BattleTech the Charger is about the ultimate zombie. So long as it’s still got one pip of structure each in leg and the center torso it’s still about 95% combat effective (it can move, and it can kick!) While the -1A1 can survive an immense amount of damage, someone being scared enough to
fire an immense amount of damage at it remains to be seen…
In Alpha Strike’s level of granularity, do things change for the oh so humble Charger? Well, only slightly. The damage conversion process isn’t nearly as favorable to the Charger as it is to most lighter units, and naturally it’s toothless in the all-important Medium range band. However, you’re going to be dealing charges (it’s called a Charger, who knew?) and physical attacks rather than relying on weapon damage values anyway. Plus it’s got very respectable durability for a scout. Zombies aren’t nearly as valuable in AS as CBT, but still sometimes it pays to have a cheap unit that can withstand something of a beating to move across open terrain or to hold/contest a scenario objective.
Speaking of cheap, that’s the CGR-1A1’s great contribution to canon: a SZ 4 mech for 18PV. I won’t call it an assault mech.. it’s clearly a Scout. Says so right under the Role field! And 18PV is not breaking the bank for a scout. As an interesting tangent, if the PV reevaluation program goes off as it is as of this writing, the CGR-1A1’s PV remains at 18, making it even more attractive an option relative to small, fast scouts who’s prices are all going up. Know what else costs exactly 18PV under the proposed new system? A LCT-1V. Would you take a Charger if you knew it’s the same price as a Locust? Maybe or maybe not, but it’s becoming a ton more attractive…
Would I take one in a game? Hell yeah I would! How bad can it truly be at 18PV? It still does 4 damage in a physical attack!
CGR-1L
Hey Buddy, I’m not your Friend Guy! Have some Chargers!After ComStar arranged the Kapetyn Accords to counterbalance the Federated Commonwealth Alliance, Kurita “helpfully” sent the weakest House Army in the Inner Sphere some BattleMechs. Naturally, they offloaded CGR-1A1s. (Interesting theory: would this “help” in turn motivate Liao to later offer the nascent KungsArme VND-1AAs?)
Liao pulled the some armor and all the small lasers in favor of some bigger lasers to give the mech some much-needed reach. What was the result? A mech that somehow manages to simultaneously become worse AND more expensive at the same time. In Alpha Strike, it gains the 2 damage value in the all-important medium range bracket where most fighting takes place. However, loss of 2 armor pips hurts. It retains the ENE special, which is good because most of its durability comes from having lots of structure to shoot up. Unfortunately the increased firepower increases the PV despite the loss of armor, going up to 24 (soon to be 26 under the new PV system).
Would I take one in a game? Hell no I wouldn’t, even if I were playing Liao or if faction availability were not an issue. The SZ4 is wasted here.. you’re paying for a skirmisher that in the end only has 3 armor and still can’t meet the Thud standard. Had it retained the Scout role I’d consider it as an alternative to a big punchy Scout.
CGR-1A5
The Confederation needs Assault mechs, not 80 ton scouts!The Confederation was understandably not satisfied with their first attempt to make an omelet out of the broken eggs of the gifted Kuritan Chargers. They did with the Charger what Steiner would later do with the Banshee: swap out an oversized engine for a smaller model, and pack the mass savings with guns. Fun fact: while the Banshee-S was published long before the -1A5, in-universe the Capellans “did it first” and got the -1A5 into the field 3 years before the well-regarded Banshee-S.
The -1A5 differs greatly from the earlier Chargers, as to be expected by changing the characteristic oversized engine. It becomes a Juggernaut, but the speed is still high for a mech of that role. Its Autocannon and SRM launchers manifest the relevant specials. Between using Precision ammo and giving the unit Demoralizer via membership in an Assault Lance, the CGR-1A5 can actually be a very scary threat to enemy scout units. Which is quite appropriate given the Charger’s original intended mission.
Would I use it in a game? The Kurita fan in me has always been jealous of the -1A5 for CBT play. You obviously don’t get the firepower of the 6” movers of its day like the Stalker or Atlas, but you get a perfectly good Juggernaut for a hell of a PV bargain. Plus, the 8” move is a bigger advantage over a 6” move than a 4/6 move is over a 3/5 even though they both have the same TMM. The extra movement just gives more tactical options and that’s got value. So yes, I’d absolutely consider the -1A5, perhaps even beyond the introtech era!
CGR-1A9
Steiner’s doing it with their Banshees. Liao’s doing it with those crappy Chargers we gave them. Why don’t we overhaul our Chargers, too?Makes perfect sense that after watching over-engined big mechs across the Inner Sphere get variants built around smaller engines and bigger firepower that Kurita would invest some of the same attention in their considerable fleet of -1A1s. The Kuritan take on doing this involved adding jump jets and LRMs rather than massive guns and armor. Here we have a vastly better Skirmisher than the sorry -1L class. This upgraded Charger is called out in several sources covering the War of 3039 as being particularly fearsome and confusing for F-C forces, and it’s easy to imagine why. Between the IF special and a solid 4 damage at medium range, this is a very solid skirmisher for 37 points.
Would I use one in a game? The field of Skirmishers is large and in which it is hard to be a stand-out in a good way. For a Late Succession Wars context, it does stand out as a great choice. Added bonus: it’ll be even cheaper when the PV re-eval goes live. In later eras where Star League and Clan tech is available it does start to become eclipsed. But it is durable with very respectable damage at all ranges (it’s still a SZ 4..)
CGR-SB “Challenger”
These lasers aren’t so small.One of a handful of units that made it into canon from
BattleTechnology magazine. This variant answers the question one logically might raise after seeing the engine downgrade variants listed above: “What if you downgrade the engine even further?” Given the Steiner availability of this variant, perhaps the question asked was “Why in Hogarth’s name would I need a mech that goes faster than 54kph!?!”
The Diet Banshee-S that is called the Challenger still has 5 lasers.. but 1 of them is medium grade and the remaining 4 are larges. The rest of the mass saved by dropping two movement brackets goes to armor and heat sinks to use that massive battery.
Would I use this variant in a game? It’s very much like the Capellan 1A5 variant across the board. Very similar stats and very similar PVs. On one hand you basically have 4 damage vs 3 damage at Medium range in favor of the Challenger, but 8” move vs 6” move in favor of the 1A5. Mox nix. If anything, the 1A5 sneaking in at 1 PV cheaper might be my miserly deciding point in its favor.
CGR-2A2
Leave it to the Periphery to find a way to downgrade a CGR-1A1…I’m the kind of fan that has a hard time accepting retcons. Still, even I have to admit that Rocket Launchers should have been retconned into the Succession Wars era. The -2A2 was introduced in the Civil War era where mech designs are beginning to surpass anything the SLDF ever had, but this variant is a giant technological step backwards. What if we took those useless small lasers, and replaced them with even-more useless Rocket Launchers?
Ostensibly, it gains medium and long range damage brackets over the 1A1. But Alpha Strike isn’t a good rules engine for one shot weaponry because the conversion process is most unkind. In Alpha Strike, you don’t have any way to measure the one shot nature of such weapons so the conversion process averages the one massive blow against all the rounds you don’t have it anymore. Blech. To put lemon juice on that cut, the 2A2 loses the ENE special to boot.
Would I use one in a game? Not willingly. Yes, barring the loss of ENE it’s basically a superior machine to the 1A1 since it actually can fire beyond short range. But I’m not paying 26 points for a 2A2 when I could have had a 1A1 for 18.
CGR-3K
If you were to distill Kurita factional playstyle into a mech, this could be it.The Kurita LosTech upgrade of their -1A9 variant has been prominently known to BattleTech players for some 30 years now since it was a feature in TRO:3050. The XL engine weight savings allows for the advantages of the 1A1 and the 1A9 to be combined together. Except the 1A1’s price tag, that is. After the new PV system goes live, a 3K will almost cost double a 1A9. Ouch.
Would I use it in a game? Even at that price tag, it’s worth it. 5 damage at medium range is worth the price for a Skirmisher. It gains CASE to offset loss of ENE, and gains some indirect fire utility to boot. With the advent of advanced engines we’re leaving the bargain priced Chargers behind, which makes them an entirely new animal to evaluate. Would I take a Charger for almost the price of an Atlas? I would in the 3K’s case.
CGR-C
”Let us thoroughly implement our Kanrei’s policy of putting C3 equipment on all the ‘Mechs!”The inevitable C3 variant pulls a Pulse Laser for a Slave and extra LRM ammo. The loss of firepower is represented in the short and medium range conversion process. The extra ammo is not.
Would I use one in a game? One thing the Kuritans have in abundance is C3 variants. I like the lostech upgrade in the 3K, so I should like the C3 variant thereof. I don’t miss the loss of short range firepower; it’s a SZ 4. If I’m close enough for short range to matter, I can probably get close enough for melee anyway. The loss of a pip of medium range damage is unfortunate, but at least it’s still more-than-THUD-level and it helps keep the PV down. I wouldn’t turn my nose up, but the nature of C3 is such that you can’t afford too many big units. It’d depend on the rest of my network as to whether or not I’d pay this price for 4 medium range damage. It’s ideally a spotter, but prohibitively expensive for that duty.
CGR-SA5
”Wait, is that a Kurita crest painted on the thing?”Sarna lists the SA5 as a “logical upgrade of the 1A5” yet the MUL calls it a Kurita mech. Perhaps the DCMS just simply had so ****** many Chargers laying around they decided to use some of their spares to copy the more Hogarthian direction the Capellans went with their 1A5s. I find it amusing that in later eras the Lyrans, rather than the Capellans, also gain access to this variant.
Whether it’s supposed to be a Capellan mech or not, the SA5 upgrades the introtech 1A5. The conversion process is kind, and the variant rocks 5/5 short/medium range. MASC allows for the ‘mech to have the same speed at Alpha Strike’s granularity as the 3K with its massive engine. And you can never have too many FLK specials in your list.
Would I use one in a game? I only learned it was a Kurita mech in doing the research for this article. I’ll probably use one just because quality Juggernauts are so hard to find for my preferred faction. But after that, I’ll probably stick to the 3K except in cases where I’m specifically looking for a Juggernaut.
CGR-KMZ “Kamikaze”
”You know what a SZ 4 mech needs? A MEL special!By the Jihad, someone finally realized that the DCMS has oodles of these big, fast mechs and no one had thought to put a sword on one yet. The “Kamikaze” addresses this serious deficiency. Given that it’s a Yakuza enterprise that builds this variant, it is quite possible that the genesis of this variant started with someone saying “Here, hold my sake…”
There’s a slew of serious and extensive modifications at the CBT/Boardgame scale, but they basically don’t manifest as weapon specials beyond the MEL. 3 damage at any range is respectable. It’s classified as a Sniper, which is perhaps unfortunate. Because you’re unlikely to be using it as one. Which is more fun: hunkering down and sniping away and only going
”Me Charger! Pa Chomp! Pachooey Chomp! when someone runs up TO your “melee sniper”… or just using those thuds at all ranges while yelling Banzai and chasing people down who don’t want to get thwapped for 5 damage? I know which one I prefer!
Would I use one? Yes. Yes I would. Now granted, there are melee monsters that are scarier… but it’s hard to find one that matches its melee damage for a lighter price. Added bonus: it’s going to be even cheaper still under the new PV system! However, in games set in 3078 or later I’d probably prefer to pay the premium price for….
CGR-3Kr
”You know what those crazy Yaks forgot? Triple Strength Myomers.”The venerable Charger got another upgrade in the Jihad. A mainstream one, not that crazy Kamikaze thing. But like the Kamikaze, it features a sword and pairs it with TSM. Its firepower is comparable to the standard 3K, albeit it needs to overheat to achieve this. Which is not all bad because again: TSM. The 3Kr doesn’t quite have the jump range of the Kamikaze, but 10”J is still plenty to find a place to hide after cleaving some unlucky target. And it does have a superior non-jumping TMM.
Would I use one in a game? I’d take a 3K for a comparable price. Would I take one that does 6 damage in close melee? Yes. Yes I would. Especially so since there’s really very few options around that combine SZ 4 with MEL and TSM all at this kind of price.
CGR-1X1
”Wait, is that really a thing?”So what do you do if you think that Wells Technologies was originally on the right track all along back in the 2600s, but you have all the technological advancements of the late 31st century with which to upgrade the design?
You might end up with something like the 1X1. An XL version of the same 400 rated fusion engine, only with MASC added on for even more speed. Angel ECM. Bloodhound Probe. Boosted C3. TAG. Hell, AMS because there’s still room for something. Weapons? Don’t be silly; this thing is a Scout! The Ultimate Scout!
And that it may be, but it’s got a price tag that’d make even a SLDF quartermaster choke had one ever seen this variant.
Would I use one? Perhaps. Maybe as a lark or something. We've come full circle and built a massive tech upgrade to the 1A1 but in doing so we lost the original Charger's premiere selling point: its bargain PV. But even if the CGR-1X1 is the ultimate C3 spotter (and it may well be exactly that) I’m not sure I can justify its PV cost. And that news gets even worse under the new PV system.. its lack of firepower is nowhere near enough to compensate for its combination of speed and durability and suffers from one of the biggest inflated prices on the entire MUL, going all the way up to a drink-spewing-out-your-nostrils value of 58.
There you have it Alpha Strike fans. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about one of BattleTech’s lovable losers and how it’s not quite so much exactly that in Alpha Strike. Ironically, the original and most-demeaned 1A1 is one of my favorite values in this version of the game!
