Author Topic: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company  (Read 5086 times)

Tyler Jorgensson

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2840
Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« on: 10 December 2013, 22:39:33 »
First I need a bit of help: mostly with figuring out if a Chimera 1S is viable in this unit.

First things first basic fluff being: AFFS Captain, son of nobility leads a merc unit in after the Clans similar to the way Rubinsky’s Renegades is operating, except story fluff against Clan Wolf being hired by FRR. Partners up with likewise commands including aforementioned unit, and does well enough to outfit most of his unit with Clan tech weapons, but no mechs. Does a couple of side jobs for the Victor side of the Civil War, and eventually goes to the ARDC, and makes friends with CWIE (despite the name of their unit). Rated Elite, and the time cutoff is 3067.

The unit operates in two Level II formations of six mechs each: a formation which the Captain adopted for some yet to be written reason. The unit is sort of a heavy cavalry role unit: nothing terribly fast, but nothing slow either. A mix of mediums and heavies, riding around in either a Union Dropship, or a converted larger vessel, because he is from nobility.

Anyways....

The first lance is heavier slower mechs: only two mount jump jets normally: I'd fit the CO’s Cestus with JJ because that's me. The unit’s performed well in MM games against computers losing against similar weight forces only to annoying crit-seekers/headcapping lucky shots. Only downside being the 6Z and the 1T ’s heat levels.

CTS-6Y Cestus (Command mech)
CTS-6Z Cestus (Long range, ammo independent, semi-bodyguard to CO)
BNDR-01A Bandersnatch (Long range support)
BGS-1T Barghest (Bodyguard, close range support)
FLC-8R Falconer (Mobile harasser)
JN-G81 Jinggau (Mobile sniper)

The second lance is a unit I worked thru the campaign with in MW4 Mercs. It's a not bad for the first couple of planets until you meet the Clans/assault mechs. It’s mobile, has decent firepower, and is typical Fed Suns/Lyran builds. The odd man out is the Chimera but I have no idea what to switch it around with: I've tried several mechs but nothing sorta fits the unit.

TNS-4S Thanatos (the only mech I would specifically customize WAYYYYY past the norm: link http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,35574.0.html)
UZL-2S Uziel (Mobile long range support)
UZL-2S Uziel (Mobile long range support)
BSW-S2 Bushwacker (Close range support)
BSW-S2 Bushwacker (Close range support)
CMA-1S Chimera (ODD MAN OUT???)

Anyways any help/comments/suggestions is well.... helpful. Thanks again.
« Last Edit: 11 December 2013, 13:05:21 by Tyler Jorgensson »

snakespinner

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2687
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #1 on: 11 December 2013, 01:09:23 »
You have 2 Uziel's and 2 Bushwackers, so why not go for a second Thanatos or a similar weight mech.
A Penetrator or War Dog, maybe an Avatar.
I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional.
Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

Tyler Jorgensson

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2840
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #2 on: 11 December 2013, 13:08:34 »
I was testing out a Penetrator 6T, and the base 4D on their own but i’ve only done a single battle with each. I have to test it out further: both by itself and with the rest of the unit.

Dislike the Avatar on many levels, but the Thanatos (which i now put the link up for) is a custom variant and I do not know if i want two of them in the same unit: possible, but we’ll see how people respond to it. War Dog another possibility: I’ll test them and the Penetrators at the same time.

Foxx Ital

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 3179
  • Still Clanilicious
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #3 on: 11 December 2013, 17:02:12 »
Have a few suggestions trothkin. Crusader 8S, or maybe Guillotine 8D?
Clan Ghost Bear:  We may not like you, but you're not bothering us, so you may exist.
 If your BA tactics can't be described as shenanigans, you're probably doing it wrong. ^-^ -Weirdo
 <Kojak> Yeah, there's definitely a learning curve with BA, But once you learn how to use 'em well they're addictive,heck, just look at what happened to Foxx ;-)
<Steve_Restless> its YOU who I shouldn't underestimate. I could give you a broom handle and I'd find you sitting on top of the enemy stormcrow, smug surat grin on your face

Tyler Jorgensson

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2840
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #4 on: 12 December 2013, 11:37:35 »
Three mechs to test this weekend now: a Guillitine would add some extra punch at  all ranges: and while I should probably take the bigger LRM racks on a mech (along with the Heavy Gauss) I’m just not sure about the Crusader.

But thanks trothkin

Foxx Ital

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 3179
  • Still Clanilicious
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #5 on: 12 December 2013, 12:00:00 »
I tried picking mechs that had the same movement profile as the Chimera as well as a similar weapon load. I'm not a fan of Crusaders either, but it fits the movement profile and you have to admit, the look on someones face when you hit them with a HGR is priceless  ;) I have this weekend off so if you need help testing those out let me know.
Clan Ghost Bear:  We may not like you, but you're not bothering us, so you may exist.
 If your BA tactics can't be described as shenanigans, you're probably doing it wrong. ^-^ -Weirdo
 <Kojak> Yeah, there's definitely a learning curve with BA, But once you learn how to use 'em well they're addictive,heck, just look at what happened to Foxx ;-)
<Steve_Restless> its YOU who I shouldn't underestimate. I could give you a broom handle and I'd find you sitting on top of the enemy stormcrow, smug surat grin on your face

Tyler Jorgensson

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2840
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #6 on: 14 December 2013, 10:52:53 »
First game ran a Penetrator 4D, Penetrator 6T, War Dog 02, Crusader 8S, and Guillotine 8D. They faced a double lance of mainly Archers, JagerMechs , and Riflemans (simply to get a play thru of them)

Everything except the War Dog and Crusader ran extremly hot, but the 4D ran point blank into their unit and took out two mechs, but survived until the end. The 6T lost most of his weapons tangling with the two enemy Jagers, and then ran pretty cool. The Guillotine lost it’s Streak early on, but did damn well. The War Dog played sniper the entire game because no one went near it, and when I finally brought it into range it shredded an opponents Avatar in one hit with a ton of lucky crits. The Crusader over performed and by far was the best: got four of the eight kills, two with the Heavy Gauss to their head. the unit was pretty beat up, but I’ve got a couple more games to test the suggestions out with (which will happen today thanks to lots of snow!)

Game two ran the same group plus a Helios 3D, against Axeman, Ceaser, Daikyu, Hercules, and Two Archers. One Archer savaged my entire force and kill stole from it’s lance mate on all FOUR of their kills. My Helios and 4D Penetrator got de-gyroed on like turn two and three and spent half the rest oftheir short careeres soaking up damage for the rest of my unit. The War Dog and Guillotine did a ton of damage, and neither ran hot as I bracketed effectively this time with the Guillitine. The Crusader only got one kill but kept the remainder of their mechs from standing up from cover because of his Gauss. Likeing the Crusader with the exception of not enough LRM/Gauss ammo, and the War Dog has too much ammo lol

Game three ran the War Dog 02, Penetrator 4D, Guillotine 8D, and Crusader 8S versus an older variant Marauder, three Grasshoppers, and two Archers. Turn two both Archers, the Marauder, and two Grasshoppers EACH score critical hits on my War Dog. Both PPC’s find my Gauss rifle, and three of the LRM-15’s find my cockpit: by War Dog. Guillotine gets nixed in mid game by a lucky kick that took out my center torso, after carving up a lot of the Archers and Grasshoppers. In the end it was the Penetrator with all pulse, and the Crusader with Gauss that got two and four kills respectively. Still wishing for larger ammo bins, going to see if I cannot modify it in SSW later. Now to test each variant out with the unit
« Last Edit: 14 December 2013, 12:38:44 by Tyler Jorgensson »

Tyler Jorgensson

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2840
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #7 on: 18 December 2013, 21:09:31 »
As much as I've been loving the Crusader in the games, I think the appropriate member of the second lance would be the Penetrator. It worked well enough in the games I’ve done, and I think I can design another unit with a Crusader :D
 
Quote
Wolf’s Bane

Wolf’s Bane started out as an independent mech company raised by the Duke of Colorado in the Federated Suns in early 3058. What was originally a project of the then Duke to discredit the Chishol Raider’s, and seen as a Pro-Victor move, the Duke raised a company of advanced modern tech and equipped them under the best officer he could find: naturally his son. The joke was on the detractors of the unit as the son had done tours of duty against the Clans since 3052, and had studied at the prestigious New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS). He had also been cordinating with fellow anti-clan guerilla fighters and some of theb etter mercenaries of the day, enrolling in Dragoon training on Outreach and Kell Hound training on Arc-Royal.

Quickly proving their worth in a short term pirate hunting contract for the Lyran Alliance in 3060, they enlisted with the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon for anti-clan raiding. Despite their name they stuck at the Jade Falcon occupation zone for several years until the start of the FedCom Civil War. They condicted raids on behalf of the ARDC at both Falcon and Wolf zones over the course of the next several years, sitting out the Civil War fighting until the very end. In 3066 they accepted a contract with worlds in the Chaos March to counter Blakist incursions, joining the AMC later in that year. As of the end of 3067 they garrison the world of Halloran V in the AFFS on behalf of the goverment there and the AMC.

Captain Thomas Carter commands the unit. Son of former Duke of Colorado he graduated from the NAIS academy and took classes as some of the most prestigious mercenary academies across the Inner Sphere. He has proved himself to be an excellent leader in combat, displaing tactical and stragetical genius on the field. He has managed to recruit the most veteran and elite pilots, aided by his family’s bank accounts of course. While technically he inherited his fathers title in 3066, he passed the title to his younger sister to continue his service with his unit. He still receives support from his sister, the most recent being a brand new Conquistidor class Dropship, christened the Johnathan Alexander Carter, for their father. How they got the advanced Dropship, of which a handful are flying, is anyones guess and rumor is an investigation of the Duchess is underway. Due to their dealings with the ARDC and the AMC, they have made several friends in Clan Wolf-in-Exile, despite their name the the puns contained.

The unit is rated Elite and Fanitical, boasting upgrade percentages of over 80 percent, ranging from Clan weaponry, to Double Heat Sinks and XL engines. Each member is responsible for the maitnence of the own mech, but they do mount an impressive team of Techs to augment them, which turns the percentage to nearly 200%. They operate in two Lances of six mechs each, a formation which works to confuse enemies of Inner Sphere origin, and provide an ‘equal’ balance to bargin with Clan Stars.

First Lance

CTS-6Y Cestus
CTS-6Z Cestus
BNDR-01A Bandersnatch
BGS-1T Barghest
FLC-8R Falconer
JN-G81 Jinggau


Second Lance

TNS-1XT Thanatos (Variant listed here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,35574.0.html)
PTR-4D Penetrator
UZL-2S Uziel
UZL-2S Uziel
BSW-S2 Bushwacker
BSW-S2 Bushwacker
« Last Edit: 18 December 2013, 21:14:32 by Tyler Jorgensson »

Tyler Jorgensson

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2840
Re: Wolf’s Bane - Mercenary Company
« Reply #8 on: 13 September 2014, 21:43:17 »
A 3082 update to my unit. I tried a couple variations of these new units in MegaMek before my comp had issues with it, and they worked okay enough.

Quote
Wolf’s Bane

3082 Update

Wolf’s Bane started out as an independent mech company raised by the Duke of Colorado in the Federated Suns in early 3058. What was originally a project of the then Duke to discredit the Chisholm Raider’s, and seen as a Pro-Victor move, the Duke raised a company of advanced modern tech and equipped them under the best officer he could find: naturally his son. The joke was on the detractors of the unit as the son had done tours of duty against the Clans since 3052, and had studied at the prestigious New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS). He had also been coordinating with fellow anti-clan guerilla fighters and some of the better mercenaries of the day, enrolling in Dragoon training on Outreach and Kell Hound training on Arc-Royal.

Quickly proving their worth in a short term pirate hunting contract for the Lyran Alliance in 3060, they enlisted with the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon for anti-clan raiding. They conducted several raids against Clan Wolf for the next two years, before turning to join the ARDC and fight against Jade Falcon incursions in Operation Audacity. in 3064. They fought on Thorin and Tikonov in 3066, before joining the AMC and accepting a contract with worlds in the Chaos March to counter Blakist incursions. As of the end of 3067 they garrisoned the world of Halloran V in the AFFS on behalf of the government there and the AMC.

The Jihad struck and the AMC was quickly bogged down in the fighting. Repelling a handful of Blakist Militia and Mercenary raids, their contract ran up in 3068. Receiving yet more assistiance from home, they took a contract with the new Duchess of Colorado, Captain Carter's younger sister. News reached them that Duke Hasek's offensive had started  but they had been contracted by the planet and not the AFFS, which lawyers from the AFFS poured over.

The Jihad passed and the unit grew. While other worlds burned the unit was stuck on Colorado, bound to a ten year contract. Usually a death sentence for a mercenary unit, they spent the time training the Militia, hunting pirates, and preparing for the Jihad to scar them. Mercifully it never came, and by the time contract was up they emerged with a second company added to their roster, led by the third and final of the Carter children.

Captain Thomas Carter commands the unit. Son of former Duke of Colorado he graduated from the NAIS academy and took classes as some of the most prestigious mercenary academies across the Inner Sphere. He has proved himself to be an excellent leader in combat, displaying tactical and strategical genius on the field. He has managed to recruit the most veteran and elite pilots, aided by his family’s bank accounts of course. While technically he inherited his fathers title in 3066, he passed the title to his younger sister to continue his service with his unit. His youngest sister, Jaime Carter, now is Captain of the Second Company. She favors her fathers old assault mech, upgraded to current standards. She had previously been incorporated into the Davion Guards as part of the old NAIS Cadre but opted out of service at the conclusion of the war.

They still receives support from Colorado, the most recent being a brand new Conquistidor class Dropship, christened the Johnathan Alexander Carter, for their father the former Duke. With the Jihad ended their allies are no longer as numerous. They still maintain relations with the Kell Hounds, Wolf's Dragoons, and the Wolves-in-Exile ,but as they technically outnumber the active Kell Hounds, and everyone struggles to rebuild, many are looking out for each other. Numerous queries on behalf of the AFFS Quartermaster Corps are still under review due to their eclectic mixture of mechs, their good luck in leaving planets ahead of invasion corridors or campaigns, and their brand new or experimental tech.

The unit is rated Elite and Fanatical, boasting upgrade percentages of over 80 percent, ranging from Clan weaponry, to Double Heat Sinks and XL engines. Each member is responsible for the maintenance of the own mech, but they do mount an impressive team of Techs to augment them, which turns the percentage to nearly 200%. They operate in four Lances of six mechs each, a formation which works to confuse enemies of Inner Sphere origin, and provide an ‘equal’ balance to bargain with Clan Stars.

First Lance

CTS-6Y Cestus
CTS-6Z Cestus
BNDR-01A Bandersnatch
BGS-1T Barghest
FLC-8R Falconer
JN-G81 Jinggau

Second Lance

TNS-1XT Thanatos (Variant listed here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,35574.0.html)
PTR-4D Penetrator
UZL-2S Uziel
UZL-2S Uziel
BSW-S2 Bushwacker
BSW-S2 Bushwacker

Third Lance

MAD-4S Marauder II
MAD-5S Marauder
MAD-5S Marauder
MTR-5K Maelstrom
LNX-9Q Lynx
LNX-9Q Lynx

Fourth Lance

WHM-9S Warhammer
WR-DG-03FC War Dog
CRD-8S Crusader
HEL-3D Helios
TMP-3M2 Tempest
TDR-9M Thunderbolt