Welcome back, folks to the Alpha Strike 'Mech of the Week. Seven weeks, four other articles, and 30 out of a total 3006 'Mech variants since the Mackie, we come full circle. The next 'Mech in the lineup, in many ways, puts the Mackie to shame. Just as large, just as lumbering, but with the kinds of advancements that six hundred years can bring about.
While the Vanquisher holds to its credit five different variants, all of them share certain key features, so we'll get them out of the way first. In a fashion that should surprise no one at all, after that preamble, the Vanquisher weighs in at Size 4. It's an Assault 'Mech, in every sense of the word. A move of 6” is... slow. There's really no way around that. Six inches is not fast. It is, however, still good for a +1 TMM while moving, so it's not uselessly slow, like some 'Mechs I could probably name.
The other bit of equipment that every single Vanquisher variant possesses is rather more interesting than the above, and very useful for the type of 'Mech the Vanquisher wants to be. Nestled in the Specials box is one C3I, denoting an improved C3 computer. Notably used primarily by the Word of Blake, C3 systems share targeting data between members of the network, allowing units at long range to take shots as if they were at short range in terms of difficulty landing the hit. The damage still happens based on the range the attacking unit fires from, however.
In the Vanquisher's case, the clear objective is to use the slow speed to get somewhere that's important or gives good lines of sight, and then use a smaller and/or faster unit in the same network to feed better shots to the massive beast and its brethren, up to six total connected units in a single C3I network. The network goes down under an ECM bubble, though, so taking out enemy ECM is a huge priority, or having ECM equipped 'Mechs to run ECCM is a must.
That takes care of most of what all Vanquisher variants share between each other. Now we can get on to examining the 'Mechs themselves in finer detail. The first Vanquisher variant to be produced debuted in 3063, on the very eve of the FedCom Civil War. The VQR-2A takes full advantage of the advanced targeting and communications gear installed, and opts for balanced damage at all ranges. More specifically, it sports a damage of 4/4/4, with an OV of 1. Without OVL, the damage is canted,
just so slightly toward medium range, but the consistent damage means that wherever the Vanquisher finds itself on the field, it should be able to contribute to decent effect, especially if a C3 spotter is in the area. The lack of damage fall-off at long range plays well into being a distant sniper shooting at low to hit numbers.
The weapons on the -2A make a pretty good case for themselves early. Remember, 4/4/4 OV1 is hands-down better than any Mackie we reviewed that first week. Easily. It doesn't hold as much of a flame to the Mad Cat Mk IV, but it's still respectable, and it hits the important threshold of three points of damage to keep 'Mechs of all sizes honest. C3I does good work to make that respectable damage into something scary if it's coming in at medium or short range regardless of where the Vanquisher is on the map.
For Specials, besides C3I and CASE, we also see MHQ2. MHQ is one of the Specials that influence Battlefield Intelligence (see the
Mackie article for a brief rundown of BI). Each point of MHQ gives one point for BI purposes. In construction terms, C3 systems grant MHQ points equal to their tonnage (in the case of C3I's 2.5 tons, it rounds down). A full C3 network, of any type, will grant huge amounts of BI points, and can improve initiative rolls for one side or the other. An MHQ high enough (MHQ4 or higher) is an automatic +1 to initiative for the force that fields it, placed in “token” form on one unit decided before play begins. If the unit carrying the token is destroyed, you lose the bonus. Other initiative tokens can be applied if at least one in every four units in the starting force has the RCN Special, and if at least one in every four units in the starting force has any number of MHQ points. The maximum initiative bonus is +3, spread out onto up to three different units. The tokens must be placed on units that have the Specials that allowed the tokens to be used. If the units with the tokens end up under hostile ECM, the token cannot be used.
Given how important initiative is, especially in a game like Alpha Strike where range is so much more clear cut and uniform than the standard game, these bonuses can really make or break a maneuver. I, personally, recommend getting as many as possible as often as possible, or at least making sure the score is closer to even than a three point difference in your games. Pro tip.
Those are the weapons. Next up, the armor. The -2A pulls a page out of the Mackie's book, and makes itself damn near impossible to kill quickly. Ten points of armor, the maximum any 'Mech in the game can mount without going to advanced armors, and 8 points of structure, likewise the maximum any 'Mech in the game can mount with standard equipment, make for a 'Mech that's agonizingly hard to kill. Eighteen points is very nearly the toughest 'Mech it is possible to make under tournament legal rules (more on that later in the article). It's a tough cookie, and you'll be flinging lead downrange for a long time, even if you take the occasional potshot. That armor and structure is also expensive, however. In the -2A's case, 10 points of armor and 8 points of structure with a +1 TMM on the move comes out to a whopping
31 PV just in raw damage soaking potential. We've reviewed entire 'Mechs that are less than 2/3rds that number alone.
The Vanquisher -2A weighs in at a hefty 55 PV, making it at least for the moment the most expensive 'Mech in PV terms reviewed so far. It's a hefty chunk, but consistent damage across all ranges, positively brick-like armor and structure, and just barely enough speed to get it into position to use both of those attributes offer a constant presence on the battlefield. The -2A in particular is of the Sniper role, which means it fits in very well with Command and Fire Lances, both good options for any force to field.
Four years later, in 3067, a second variant trundled off the lines. The Vanquisher -2B is about as simple a swap as it's possible to be, in Alpha Strike terms. Literally everything on this 'Mech stays the same except the damage, and the difference there is minute. Overall damage changes from 4/4/4 to 4/5/3, and OV1 downgrades to 0. The net result is exactly zero change in PV. Difference between the -2A and -2B is whether you want a consistent five points of damage at medium range all day long, or you'd rather have more damaging longer ranged fire while you're still getting into optimal position to lay down fire. That is the only difference on this 'Mech.
Except for the role, that is. The -2B switches from Sniper, useful in its own right, to Juggernaut. In my opinion, Juggernaut, aside from sounding much cooler, is also more useful. It still fits into Command Lances very well, but it also opens up the Assault Lance. Assault Lances are incredibly powerful formations, and also one of the most restrictive in terms of unit composition, requiring all participating members to have at least 5 undamaged points of armor (which isn't impossible, even for Medium 'Mechs, but it's certainly difficult in 3025 to find reliably), and three quarters of the units involved have to have a medium range damage of 3 or more, as well as three quarters (not necessarily the same three quarters) must be Heavies or larger. All of those attributes separately may be easy enough, but getting all of them on the same unit is rather less common well into the 3050s and 3060s.
In 3069, as the Jihad roars into full swing, the third variant, the Vanquisher -5V waddles awkwardly onto the field. This one is significantly more different than the -2B. First off, the weapons have been downgraded across the board. Rather than the 4/4/4 OV1 of the -2A, or the 4/5/3 OV0 of the -2B, here we find a 3/4/3 OV1. Worse in every way, or at the very best equal in fits and spurts. The movement didn't change, C3I is still there. What changed?
The engine did. Where before was a stalwart 300 SFE, the -5V sports a massive 300 CFE, a compact engine. In Alpha Strike, compact engines have the exact opposite effect of XL engines. At a given tonnage, a compact engine will offer more structure points, at the obvious trade-off cost of less tonnage for weapons and armor. The Vanquisher decided that armor was the more important of those two qualities.
What does that leave us with? The single sturdiest 'Mech on the series to date. Ten armor, 10 structure. A total of 20 points of health to chip away at. Sturdier than an Atlas, hardier than a Mackie. A shining beacon of sheer deterministic willpower to survive. It loses CASE, but ammo crits are 1/36 chance already anyway, so the miniscule chance of that happening is negligible.
After considering the reduced weapon damage, the increased survivability leaves the Vanquisher much were it was before in terms of cost and role. It's a Juggernaut still, (as will all remaining Vanquisher variants, so I'm not going to list it again) and costs a good 54 PV. Structure is always worse than armor, but when you can't get any more armor, more structure is still nice. I honestly can't tell whether I'd prefer the increased durability of the -5V or the increased offensive firepower of the -2A or -2B. It probably comes down to a matter of taste.
Both remaining variants debut in 3071, with the Jihad in full burn and the powers of the Inner Sphere just starting to realize how much of a threat the Word truly was. The first of these two variants, the -7U has some rather interesting bits of equipment. We'll stick with the familiar stuff to start.
The durability is reminiscent of the -5V, meaning twenty total points to soak up before being destroyed. The weapons are... not the same. A total damage output of 4/3/0 OV1 is quite frankly pathetic compared to every other Vanquisher so far. No long range damage at all on a platform that moves exactly 6” at normal movement speeds is not good. Moving to the Specials at least makes some of it make sense, however.
It's not first in the box, but the first thing I'm going to point out is the TSM special. A few weeks back with the Uraeus, we went into detail over how TSM works, and how a unit with TSM can spike its own heat whether or not it takes a shot that turn. TSM improves melee damage, but this Vanquisher quite frankly does not care. It wants TSM for the express purpose of getting into closer range, nothing else.
Also making appearances, that we've already seen before on other units, are PRB and RCN, as well as ENE. ENE functions very similarly to CASEII, completely negating all damage from an ammo explosion critical hit.
There are still two Specials in that box we haven't gotten a good look at before. One is rather simple, the other is... less straight forward. HT represents a unit that is capable of dealing heat to an enemy unit. The numbers correspond to the amount of heat that can be transferred at a given range. In the -7U's case, HT2/1/0 means that it can impart 2 points of heat at short range, 1 at medium, and none at long range. This HT is
in addition to the normal attack, not an alternate attack. It happens every time. Against vehicles and infantry, and other things that don't track heat, HT applied is converted one to one into extra damage. That's pretty nice. In Alpha Strike, two points is the maximum external heat a unit can be subjected to in a single turn, regardless of the HT value of the attacking unit, or any other units that attack the target that turn. This cap applies to the extra heat damage to non-heat tracking units, as well.
The other one is the second to last Special in the box. RSD1 stands for Remote Sensor Dispenser. During a turn, the Vanquisher -7U can drop a remote sensor. This costs no MV, and can be done at any point along the path of movement. Each remote sensor is stationary, and can be used for spotting for indirect or artillery attacks, though at a prohibitive +3 modifier instead of the normal +1 indirect modifier. They can also detect hidden units. Sensors are fragile, defenseless things, and are destroyed automatically if in base contact with an enemy unit in the end phase, or after taking one point of damage (-2 bonus to hit). ECM still affects sensors, but a unit may drop as many sensors as there are turns in the game for no penalty. It may find some use in your games for spotting, but I don't see much of a good, practical use for it.
At 57 points, the -7U is pretty pricy for the damage it does. TSM helps alleviate the major problem of the speed, but it's a unit that requires a good deal more finesse to use than most previously seen on review. I, personally, am not a fan.
The last variant, the 7V, is also the best. We're back down to the standard engine from the -2A and -2B. This is completely fine, and you'll see why as soon as you look at the damage. It's no Dire Wolf, but 5/5/4 OV3 is pretty painful, especially since in Alpha Strike
all heat sinks on a turn you don't fire. You can keep up the continual barrage of 5 point hits at short and medium, or you can stagger an 8/0/8/0 firing pattern. Useful for when 5 points won't kill something, but 8 points will. As such, the Vanquisher is most useful as a bully, picking on 'Mechs it can one-shot, and then cooling down while it picks another target. Use the overheat value to fine tune the damage done. If you pop all the way up to 3 points of heat, the Vanquisher will be immobilized, complete with the -4 to hit it, and it will be completely unable to even turn around. Watch when and how you pop an annoying striker or pursuit unit.
None of the other Specials are particularly noteworthy. At 59 points, the -7V is the single most expensive 'Mech reviewed to date, and it earns it with one of the highest damage values likewise, and the most armor of anything to do that kind of damage. As a Juggernaut, it fits perfectly with Command Lances, particularly as a nasty bodyguard to the designated commander.
The Vanquisher can be found on the
Master Unit List where it is frequently operated primarily by the Word of Blake and no one else. By the Dark Age, it is extinct. It may also be found on
Camo Specs, a previous
'Mech of the Week article from mid-2013, and finally
haunting your nightmares and possibly your childhood simultaneously.Total 'Mech variants covered: 35/3006
Next week: Vulcan
