Welcome to another edition of VotW, where we again will be covering a unit by request- if you want something covered, why not take a minute to send me a note saying so? Your request could be next week! (I mean, probably not, because I do have a list to go through, but at least you'll make the list, right?)
A lot has changed in the Dark Age era compared to the horrors of the Jihad before it. But somet hings haven't- for example, aerospace fighters are just as big of a pain in the ass as they have been for centuries- maybe even more, really. An army, whether on attack or defense, needs a way to keep the skies clear in case their own airpower can't do the job. That's nothing new- after all, a look at the modern world will show you vehicles like the ZSU-23-4 Shilka (most famously) are a vital part of any armored force. In the post-Jihad era, the Wolf Clan looked at their forces and realized that they lacked the kind of AA firepower that a Clan traditionally would give to units like the Glass Spider or Rifleman IIC- neither unit was available for production anymore to the reeling Wolves, so what to do? A replacement had to be cheap, rugged, and able to keep the skies clear. The result is a unit that feels utilitarian and spartan, but viciously effective at its intended role- so, basically the opposite of what most older Clan vehicles are like. Let's look at the Aesir.
With the end of the threat of the Word of Blake, and the loss of contact with the Homeworlds, the Clans in the Inner Sphere were left with only their IS holdings for production. While the Bears shrugged this off and the Falcons were able to easily soldier through, the Wolf Clan had relied heavily on Homeworld production- combined with the scouring of Tamar, this left the Wolves in bad shape. A new AA unit had to be low cost and simple to build with what they had left, and the Aesir fits the bill nicely. In fact, it worked too well- it attracted the attention of the Exiled Wolves, who took the design in a Trial of Posession (I'm sure THAT wasn't a bitter fight at all), became available to the Sea Foxes, and soon was a staple in the Republic and beyond.
Aesirs aren't fast units. Despite being only 55 tons, the wheeled tank can only get to a 3/5 movement curve, struggling to keep up with even the most lumbering assault force. That's not good, if you're trying to advance quickly- your AA bubble might get left behind. What little movement there is comes from a fusion engine, leading the author to wonder about the pros and cons of using a fuel cell motor instead, but that's just idle second-guessing. For defense, this means Aesirs can move between defensive positions when needed, but if forced to withdraw these units likely won't be able to defend themselves against ground forces advancing on them. Treat these like the king in chess- defend them, because they can't move quickly but are vital to your forces.
If it can't move, it can at least keep from BEING moved. The surprisingly tough Aesir skipped out on engine size to gain some armor- nine and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor on a 55-ton tank is nothing to sneeze at. This armor is arrayed very evenly, conceding that an air attack is likely to be able to come from any direction to strike an Aesir. The front and rear each have 37 points, with the turret and sides having 36. Dropping an Aesir isn't overly difficult compared to something larger, but that's still solid protection for its size- and there's no weak points to exploit, which can make it very difficult to find a good way to get your aircraft in to knock out the defensive tank. CASE is included (this being Clan technology) to keep the vehicle and its crew from being wiped out in the event of an ammunition explosion. To make matters worse, immobilizing it wont' be easy either thanks to the armored motive system- so while an Aesir won't be going anywhere fast, it WILL keep going there unless you outright kill it.
Now, let's talk AA firepower. (I can already hear Weirdo giggling) Light autocannons have long been considered good AA weapons, going all the way back to TRO:3025 days with the Jagermech. But... are they? The long range is nice, but the pinprick attacks can prove to be annoying more than anything oftentimes, particularly to larger craft. A long-ago game showed the author that the chattering of four Ultra AC-2s from a Rifleman IIC-2 would probably look impressive on the battlefield, but did little more than annoy the pair of Jagatai fighters it was tasked with helping to put down- they literally ignored the Rifleman most of the day because even if it scored hits, who cared? But, golden BBs happen, and long-range guns can make a fighter very miserable with a lucky shot or two.
The Aesir accomplishes its role by using a quartet of light ACs, much like the Rifleman IIC-2 does- in this case however, it's LB-2X guns, all in the small turret on the rear end of the tank. Fed by two tons of ammo- and this should almost always be cluster rounds, considering the job at hand- an Aesir can make VTOLs vanish in a heartbeat, and light aerospace fighters are best advised to beware as well. While heavier craft like large fighters or dropships are unlikely to care about four LB-2X guns pinging away, Aesirs are rarely deployed alone, and those hits can start adding up quickly. However, against ground forces- particularly Battlemechs- these guns are little more than a nuisance, and a fast medium Mech like a Legionnaire or Ryoken will make short work of even a small group of Aesirs unless they're properly supported.
The Hells Horses' version is the only official variant, stripping the ACs in favor of a single turret-mounted HAG-40. Well, so much for the light firepower problem. While the HAG loses some range, and the ammo load bears watching, few units of any kind want to be caught by a barrage from this weapon- keeping a couple of these with your standard Aesirs is a great way to keep enemy forces honest, and if needed it makes for a pretty handy 'Hetzer IIC' assault gun style unit, though still abysmally slow for the job. I'm a fan of this, but I can't help but feel like going with a HAG-30 still gives it a massive punch while allowing for a bit more ammo and maybe some defensive lasers.
Using Aesirs is simple- park it somewhere with a good field of fire but away from the front line a bit, and if it flies, kill it. If you start to get overrun, you're better off standing your ground and trying to support the tank than fleeing- it's not going to make it, between the wheeled chassis and slow speed. Get aggressive, you're Clan, for Kerensky's sake! Deploying them with a bodyguard unit is a must- the author in particular found that the Ishtar made a good companion for a group of Aesirs.
Killing Aesirs is, as I said before, a matter of rushing up on them with quick ground forces and making life miserable. Since LB-2X fire is pretty fatal to hovercraft and VTOLs, try using Mechs instead- while many fast moving Mechs like Spiders will struggle to get through all that armor in a quick fashion, fast units with a heavy punch like the Pack Hunter or Wraith will be excellent for the job. Do NOT attempt that with the HAG version, however- getting near a HAG-40 is almsot always unpleasant, try to take that one down from a distance if you can. Hit them hard and quick- you won't immobilize them, so just try to get through that armor in one or two turns if you can.
Any changes you'd make to this thing? Maybe CRACs? It looks like the old BTR-series of vehicles from the old Soviet Union, maybe an APC model is in order? Mortars? Streak LRMs? Let me know what you want to see here.
VotW will be taking next weekend off for the holidays and will return on Jan. 3- have a happy holiday, thank you for your continued reading, and keep the requests coming in!
