Inspired in part by Iron Mongoose's recent Vindicator Mech of the Week article, I thought I'd pontificate on similarities and differences in early troopers. I wouldn't call this an 'article' per se, more just me thinking out loud, so I put it here instead of Fan Articles. If a mod feels differently, feel free to move it. There's a lot of commonality in the early, 3025-era troopers. There are also some differences that, I think, speak to the flavor of the factions in that era. First off, I note a lot of PPCs, usually with missiles as backup. Liao has the Vindicator. Kurita apparently doesn't like mediums, but bookends that weight bracket with the Panther and (Grand) Dragon. Steiner doesn't really have such a signature medium trooper, but the Thunderbolt-5SS fills a role, and caries a PPC (and, in true Steiner fashion, is bigger than everyone else). Davion loves ACs, so the Enforcer and Centurion forego the PPC for an AC10. Marik...is a little different. The signature Marik mediums in the era are the Hunchback and Trebuchet. In tandem, they're as effective as any two generalists, but by themselves, each is a bit overspecialized. Sound familiar, Marys?
So, the archetype seems to be as follows:
45-50 tons
4/6/4
PPC for the main gun
Missiles as a backup, maybe medium/small laser or two
8-10 tons of armor
Liao: The Vindicator pretty much is the archetype. If you're going to have one mech you build your force around, the Vindi might just be the one.
Kurita: The Panther and Dragon bookend the medium bracket, and effectively split the "standard trooper" role. The Panther, being the lightest of the troopers, unsurprisingly has the least armor and fewest backup guns, but otherwise sticks very close to the archetype. The Grand Dragon is the converse; coming in at sixty tons, it's heavier than most, uses a bigger engine to move 5/8/0 instead of 4/6/4, carries more backup guns, but mounts no more armor than some of its medium contemporaries. The regular Dragon is an interesting take on the concept as well, squandering its weight advantage on a weight-inefficient autocannon, but still mounts comparable firepower. Really its 'backups' are the main punch, not its 'big gun'. Kurita's never seemed to like Mediums, so this fits their theme, and in so doing shows some of the extremes of the concept. I think it also speaks to the Samurai mindset, where a Kurita mechwarrior would happily take a Panther against a Davion Centurion or Enforcer or, given the opportunity, a Vindicator. Meanwhile, his lancemate might take a Grand Dragon against a Zeus, Marauder, Thunderbolt, etc.
Davion: This one's interesting to me. I think most, especially old-timers, would call the Enforcer the 'standard Davion trooper', but more recent literature seems to consider the Centurion just as prominently. I'll look at both, but the Centurion fits the mold better, in many ways. The Enforcer hits several of the marks, with 4/6/4 movement, 9 tons of armor, a Davion-flavored AC10 instead of a PPC, but takes the unusual step of essentially having a second big gun with the ten-pointer: a Large Laser (also a small, but it's barely worth the mention). The Centurion, on the other hand, mounts slightly less armor and no jump jets. It has the same Davion Autocannon over the PPC, but mounts a backup suite identical to the Dragon's, with an LRM10 and two medium lasers, one rear-facing. A Dragon/Centurion fight would be pretty interesting, I think. Probably the Dragon's to lose, though. Really, it was the remarkable similarities between the Centurion, Grand Dragon, and Vindicator that inspired this thread (As you can probably tell, I'm kind of reaching on the next two).
Steiner: Steiner doesn't really have a signature medium trooper in this era. They do, however, have a signature Thunderbolt variant that fits the mold we're looking at here: the TDR-5SS. Heavier than everyone else (how typically Lyran!), it has the common 4/6 movement rate (but no jump jets), a PPC for a main gun, and a collection of MLs and an SRM6 to back it up (and a flamer for outdoor grilling at social engagements). It does mount significantly more armor than any other mech in the comparison, at a full 13 tons. But then it masses 15-20 tons more than most of its competitors, so it should have more armor. A Grand Dragon/TDR-5SS fight would be something I'd like to see.
Marik: Ah, Marik. The Eagle is always an odd duck, isn't it? Marik doesn't really have anything non-generic that fits this paradigm. Ok, the Wolverine-6M comes close, but I'm trying to stay away from the 'Classic 55s' here, which is why I didn't mention the Griffin for Steiner, or the WVR-6K or SHD-2K for Kurita. What Marik does have is a pair of signature mediums: the Hunchback and the Trebuchet. Neither really fits the paradigm. The Hunchback moves 4/6 and has the right armor, but carries that massive and short-ranged AC20 in place of a PPC and missiles. The Trebuchet is faster, though its armor is kind of light, and it goes a little nuts with the missiles. Neither is really a trooper, they're both specialists. But wait. Don't look at them independently, look at them together. The Trebuchet's LRMs provide cover for the Hunchback, and the Hunchie's AC20 keeps the enemy from rushing under the Treb's minimums. In lance strength, paired 2x2, I think they'd stand a good chance of defeating a pure lance of Vindicators, Centurions, Enforcers, etc. Again, this seems to fit the Marik paradigm; individually overspecialized, but great team players.[/size][/font]
So...thoughts, questions, comments, bomb threats?