The Commando, it does not go it.
BackgroundThe Commando is an old machine, its genesis coming at the start of the Battlemech age in 2463 as one of the Lyran’s earliest home-grown designs after their many Mackie clones and the later Ymir. Unlike the previous Ymir, the Commando was also one of the first true light Mech’s of the era. Coming in at a hefty 25 tons the Commando was built for speed and firepower.
This is a theme that runs through the Commando line from its humble beginnings way back in 2463 all the way to the present day and the Mech remains as viable now as it was way back when it was introduced.
The Commando may have started off as a scout, thanks to its (then) high speed during its time of introduction, but its always predominantly been what is commonly termed a striker. Built to hit and run or to hit hard and hope that was enough.
Outgunning most scouts including the classic Bug family but lacking their mobility due to a seemingly allergic reaction to the idea of putting jump jets on it, the Commando is a ground based runner and gunner. Indeed, it wasn’t until the Word made their own Commando’s that the design first ever learned to jump.
The Commando is very much a Lyran Mech, who were proud of their effective design. This pride kept the design in Lyran hands with them refusing to even share it with the Star League, although enough Lyrans volunteered to help General Kerensky forces that the Clans would make the Commando IIC many years later.
This near stranglehold on the Commando was broken when it, along with the Valkyrie were chosen to be the standard light Mech’s of the Federated Commonwealth military. In this regard, you could look at the Commando as being the Lyran Panther. Whilst the Combines 35 ton PPC totting bruiser would see service with other states, its viewed as a Combine Mech, it is the same with the Commando.
Even though in later years the Word of Blake and even the Marians and Taurians made their own versions of the Commando, the Mech is Lyran to its Fusion core.
DesignAs the Commando has changed so much over the years I’ll describe the classic 3025 COM-2D the standard Mech and the one with the simplest technology, but one that sets the bar for the Mech and that its variants, unless they are a bit out there, don’t wander too far away from.
Powered by a 150 rated engine the Commando can hit the 96kph ground speed of the common Wasp and Stinger, but as mentioned before, it lacks their jump jets, limiting its speed in heavy terrain. Still this speed is enough to get it in and out of trouble at its time of introduction, as most heavy Mech’s were capable of hitting 64kph and thanks to its firepower the Commando can keep almost all the Medium Mech’s of the era honest. Even the lauded Shadow Hawk or Wolverine would not want to get into a close-range scrap with a Commando launching an attack from ambush.
The 2D is protected by 4 tons of armour giving it a layout like this;
6/6/8/6 (3/4/3)
6/6/8/8
Which is typical of a Light Mech, don’t expect a tank…well…we’ll see that in the variants…but the Commando is meant to use its speed as its armour. This is a Mech that runs out from cover and hammers at an enemies exposed backside. It’s not a good idea to walk up to a King Crab, slap its beer from its Clawed hand and go “COME AT ME BRO!” in a full on frontal assault. That way lies explosive death.
VariantsCOM-1A – The grand pappy, the 1A was introduced after the Lyran Mackie clone and was one of the Battletech universes earliest scouts, or more specifically, scout hunters. Built more like the much later Panther the 1A features a single large laser in the right arm. This ends out giving this Mech a heavy bite for the time. Unfortunately, its primitive internal equipment and engine ate up the tonnage whilst also slowing the design to 86kph, and no other weapons were mounted. Still it was these early Commando’s that stood up to much heavier Combine Gladiators and who helped humble the first Combine Mech’s so much that it was dishonored and retired.
In game terms the 1A is woefully dated by today’s standards, but if played in games of its time, the large laser and 5/8 movement profile make it a nasty contender. Its large laser outranges the primitive Wasp/Stinger and can boil away armour quite nicely.
Armour layout (note this is primitive armour)
5/5/7/5 (3/3/3)
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COM-1B – A refit of the older 1A line the 1B featured more modern and lightweight internal components and a lighter engine and this tonnage was put into firepower and speed, now the familiar 96kph Commando’s would sprint around at for the next few hundred years. The popular large laser was retained whilst an SRM-2 and Medium laser rounded out the Mech’s formidable punch. However, this variant wasn’t around for too long, I’m not sure why, perhaps worries over heat or it being based on the older 1A meant that it just didn’t have a long service life, despite its formidable firepower. Armour was also an improvement, again thanks to the introduction of lighter, more modern metal compounds as the designers moved away from ‘primitive’ armour.
In game terms, this is a meaty little thing, it’s a faster Panther that can fight well at short ranges, still it was retired for a reason, but when it did see service, this thing is nasty.
Armour layout
6/6/8/6 (3/4/3)
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COM-1C – More a testbed the 1C could be called one of the ‘out there’ variants, very much “Oh I’m sure it’s just a phase…” Fortunately it was too. Armed with only an AC-2 and a medium laser the 1C is grossly under-gunned but it would give formations of Commandos a very long range gun for ‘plinking’ and hoping for golden BB’s.
Not much use in later years due to its single ton of ammo the 1C could politely be called an interesting idea that didn’t pan out. I’d call it bloody pointless but that’s just me. Still it has some uses, there's always the chance of a golden BB and getting plinked by hits beyond what you can retaliate back at is very irritating and it could make an opponent try something rash to stop the rain of door dings. Precision ammo or AP ammo in later years would help this variant but its still only an AC-2, do not expect great things from it.
Armour layout
6/6/8/6 (3/4/3)
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COM-1D – The last of the old 1A family, the 1D is a transitional machine between the large laser armed 1A’s and the later missile heavy versions that became so popular. Armed with a large laser and SRM-6 the 1D has a lot of firepower, but to fit this in, it scrimps on protection, dropping it to a mere 3 tons, making it far more vulnerable on an active battlefield. Also, the cooling system can’t really stand up to both weapons being used together, and it gets worse when you apply heat from movement. This lack of protection is probably what limited the 1D’s service life as it was seemingly retired rather sharpish, or just saw service in limited numbers. But despite this, it did lead to the gold standards of the Commando family.
Armour layout
6/5/6/5 (2/2/2)
4/4/6/6
COM-2D – The aforementioned Gold Standard, the 2D is almost the embodiment of a striker light Mech, fast, adequately protected (for its size) and packing a hell of a wallop the 2D is, unlike its 1A predecessors built to get close and hammer away. With an SRM-4 and SRM-6 the Commando has a serious barrage ability and with the launchers being arm mounted it has wide arcs of fire. Whilst lacking a solid knock down punch the 2D can flay armour off targets with its missiles, or fill holes made by other Mech’s. The 2D also has a mild hole puncher of its own in the form of a medium laser, which is more than enough to carve open Light Mech’s hides.
This weapons load will strain the heatsinks but the 2D will only generate heat with movement.
Used en-mass by the Lyran state before and during the Succession Wars the 2D when massed could be a threat to any hostile Mech and its firepower made it a capable scout hunter and formidable striker. Traditional opponents like the Jenner can be a threat but at the ranges both Mech's tend to fight at and with their protection being so light, its more a case of 'who hits first'. In SRM range it can be a mutual kill-kill for both Mech's.
Armour layout
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COM-3A – A Succession Wars era variant that gained more firepower but it came at the cost in protection. The SRM-4 is replaced with another SRM-6 whilst a flamer is also mounted with the standard laser. To free up the weight, the armour was lessened by a ton making the 3A a bit of a glass cannon, still its firepower could not be argued with and it became a popular variant. The biggest problem though was its armour, or lack of. Casualty rates were high due to the lesser protection and when it encountered the Clans losses became devastating as a single ER medium laser hit could carve open a torso or rip an arm off.
Both this and the 2D play the same way, run, use cover and get close and pelt with missiles, preferably into a bigger targets back. Hit, and then get the hell out. The 2D and 3A have the firepower to take on pretty much any light and a good few Mediums too. Bug hunters like the Assassin and Cicada are outgunned by you and in a close fight the Shadow Hawk and Wolverine will be sweating if you can get within their AC-5’s minimum range. And two Commando’s can make a real mess of anything they can tag-team.
Armour layout
4/4/6/4 (3/4/3)
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COM-5S – Built with upgraded weapons from the technical renaissance of the Helm Memory Core the 5S was on its way to becoming The FedCom light Mech. And then the Clans came along and it suddenly became a case of OH SWEET BABY JESUS! BUILT ANYTHING! CLOG THE WARMACHINES ACTUATORS WITH YOUR CORPSES! Still the 5S isn’t bad. It’s more a somewhat flashy upgrade of the 2D than an outright change, and it’s not the hot flaming mess of the Panther 10K, but the improvements are good ones! The SRM-6 gets upgraded with an Artemis IV FCS, increasing the chance of more missiles hitting. The SRM-4 is removed but replaced with a Streak SRM-2. The medium laser is retained and CASE is fitted to protect the ammo bins. To free up the weight though the skeleton is replaced with an endo-steel one whilst the armour is upgraded to ferro-fibrous plate. Unfortunately, the protection is lessened and whilst you can hit hard, the 5S protection is lacking.
You lose, in theory a bit of a punch with the SRM-4’s removal but the Streak and Artemis guided missiles should mean that more hit on average. Although at a serious range disadvantage against Clan opponents the 5S can still hit hard if it can get in range and can make a mess of Mech’s like the Dasher or Uller if it can land a good hit. Against Spheroid opponents it’s a dangerous threat, once again you’ll have to get close but the Commando’s a mugger, for long range engagements that’s when you call for a Valkyrie.
Armour layout
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5/5/6/6
COM-7S – A close cousin of the 5S and 2D, the 7S is the first Commando to get a change to its engine, now a Light one, although it retains the Mech’s speed. The endo-steel skeleton of the 5S is retained but it loses the Ferro-fibrous plates. An Artemis IV guided SRM-4 and a pair of Streak SRM-2’s give the Mech its barrage ability whilst it also gets a moderate mid-range punch in the form of a pair of ER Medium lasers, one in each arm. Again, firepower’s good, but it’s more a sidegrade of the 5S. Thanks to the ER mediums the 7S can engage at longer ranges than the 2D and 5S, but it still does its best work up close. The pair of Streaks and the Arti assisted SRM-4 launch the same number of missiles as the 5S, but can in theory land more hits thanks to the pair of Streaks. Sadly, the Mech loses some of its survivability, the light engine makes it more vulnerable to being knocked out quickly. If forced to choose between a 5S and the 7S I’d take the 7S for the lasers, but it still a tad squishier.
Armour layout
5/7/8/7 (2/2/2)
5/5/6/6
COM-4H – The Marian ‘monkey’ version of the old 2D is almost perfect as an ambush machine. It can pack a hell of a wallop, but can only do its party trick once and then be forced to back off. To do this the SRM’s are removed and in their place, six Rocket Launcher-15’s are fitted. Yep that’s 90 rockets that you could potentially unleash in a single salvo all be it at the cost of a serious heat spike if you do let rip with the lot. You even get an extra medium laser to make a mess, but single heatsinks can’t handle the weapons load of a full broadside so be very wary about sudden heat spikes. And once the rockets are fired, you're down to a pair of medium lasers so you either have to manage your rockets or go berzerk if you get a good shot against a worthwhile target. Very much a case of live fast and leave a good looking corpse.
This lil mugger saw service in Periphery states militaries as well as well-connected Pirates and whilst its lacking in battlefield endurance due to the one shot nature of the rocket launchers, I doubt there’s any Mech that wants to get 90 rockets lobbed at its face.
Armour layout
6/6/8/6 (3/4/3)
6/6/8/8
COM-7B – All the Commando needs is…The Master’s touch, and during their occupation of Coventry the Word also made their own Commando based on the 7S. Removing one of the ER Mediums but replacing it with a pair of flamers for infantry and battle armour murder, firepower goes up thanks to a pair of SRM-4s and these now thankfully have CASE protecting their shared ammo bin. An extra ton of armour makes this Commando quite tough whilst a small cockpit is fitted to save weight. Also, the 7B is the first and thus far only Commando that can jump, fitted with enough jump jets to throw it up to 120 meters or 6/9/4 in game terms. Unlike many Word Mech’s it lacks a C3i but this Mech was probably built for use by the Protectorate Militia and here the lack of C3i would not be a major problem.
Again, this is more a rather sensible if limited upgrade. The 7S has more direct anti-Mech firepower and thanks to its paired Streak 2s there’s more chance it will hit with more missiles. Still the threat of a jumping Commando can’t be understated, in tight confines like the cities that were fought over during the Jihad this thing will be able to leap behind someone with ease, or disengage into cover making it a frustrating foe.
Armour layout
9/8/8/8 (2/3/2)
6/6/10/10
COM-2Dr – A field and hurried refit of the old 2D, the 2Dr came about during the dark days of the Jihad and is a simple attempt to increase survivability and firepower. The weapons are all stripped out and in their place an MML-7 with 2 tons of ammo give the Mech its traditional barrage capacity at short ranges whilst also giving it a long-range punch, the first the Commando family has had since the 1 series went to the great scrapyard in the sky.
The 2Dr also features a single ER Medium laser and has CASE to protect the Mech’s ammo bin. This variant is more a harasser, at short ranges it has nearly the throw weight of the 7S in terms of missiles but if you miss, then all missiles are going to miss whilst the 7S has 3 chances of causing damage. Still the chance to lob missiles at long range is nice and the MML-7 can deliver enough missiles on target to make it worth the volley. All in all, it’s a good field refit of the 2D and the bonus of firing at long range is a nice change for a Commando and something for opponents to be wary of if they are only expecting SRM spam.
Armour layout
6/6/8/6 (3/4/3)
6/6/8/8
COM-8S – The latest in the Commando line this is a serious overhaul of the chassis. Using an endo-steel skeleton as well as an XL engine the Commando gets a speed boost up to over 100kph (or 7/11 in game terms) giving it the ground speed of a Jenner. And the engine tuning does not stop there as there’s also a supercharger mounted, allowing for bursts of speed up to over 140kph (7/11(14) making it darn nippy! Firepower though does take a downgrade and the 8S loses the punch of its predecessors. A pair of ER mediums and a pair of CASE II protected Streak-2’s give the 8S its punch. But unlike previous Commando’s the 8S is also a spotter, equipped with a boosted C3 slave allowing this speedster to spot for C3 equipped allies. Also, thankfully (and at long last) the Commando gets an armour upgrade
Finally we get a real scout in the Commando line, and a good one too. Use the speed to spot for big friends, and try not to get into brawls. Unlike other Commando variants the 8S does not have the firepower to ward off much so run like your life depends on it, as it does.
Armour layout
9/8/8/8 (2/3/2)
6/6/10/10
COM-7S2 Freyr – A unique and heavily customized Mech belonging to the ex Arcuturian Guards member and now ‘tour guide’ on Hunter’s Paradise, Zvi Freyr, the
Freyr is an almost complete rebuild and a huge upgrade. Once a 5S the
Freyr rebuild alters the Mech almost beyond recognition. A pair of Clan Streak SRM-4’s live in the right arm, the launchers share a ton of ammo but the Streak launchers ensure that no shots are wasted. A pair of Clan ER Mediums give the
Freyr its big bite. A Clan spec XL engine forms the Mech’s beating heart whilst Zvi squeezes himself into a Small cockpit whilst double strength heatsinks keep the Mech cool. And the weight saving does not stop there, there’s also an XL gyro. Then come the big change (as if the weapons, gyro and engine were not enough). The
Freyr is equipped with 6 jump jets giving it a 6/9/6 movement profile and the Mech’s hide has been completely replaced with 7 tons of Hardened Armour (reducing the movement to 6/8/6) making it absurdly tough for a machine its size.
The
Freyr is as much a monster as the mega-predators its meant to face with the firepower that you’d expect from a Clan Mech on an IS frame. The hardened armour also means that can take a gauss slug to the chest and go “Bothered?” In short this is a scary but fortunately unique variant as it could well be a tad munchy if encountered all the time.
Armour layout
5/7/8/7 (2/3/2)
5/5/6/6
Commando IIC – The brother from another Mother. Whilst almost entirely a Lyran machine during the Star League era, when General Kerensky and the SLDF began their march to Terra, some Lyrans did sign up, taking their Commando’s with them.
Enough of these Mech’s must have either joined up or survived long enough to see the Liberation of Terra and then Operation EXODUS where their pilots, most likely unable to return home joined the SLDF in its self-imposed exile.
Even more surprising is that these Mech’s survived long enough to have some join Nicholas Kerensky on his exodus and then they came back to take part in Operation KLONDYKE, it seems the Commando is a hard thing to get rid of, even in the Kerensky Cluster.
As Clan technology advanced though the old Commando fell by the wayside until Clan Goliath Scorpion took it upon themselves to build a newer version of the Mech. Whilst the movement profile remains the same thanks to its standard 150 rated engine, weight is saved thanks to an Endo-Steel skeleton whilst the heatsinks are upgraded to double strength ones.
Firepower spikes noticeably with a trio of SRM-4’s and an SRM-6 giving this little thing a serious barrage ability whilst a pair of ER Medium lasers let it reach out and touch someone at longer ranges than would be expected of a Commando. Whilst a full salvo will start raising the heat, the IIC’s biggest drawback is its ammo, or lack of. Whilst a ton of ammo is fine for the SRM-6, a trio of SRM-4’s will gobble through their ammo bin in eight shots with one shot left over for a launcher.
Long since consigned to Garrison duty I don’t know if the Commando IIC survived the
wars that ripped apart the Homeworlds POLITE AND IF VIGOROUS DEBATES THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE HOMEWORLDS AND NOTHING MORE.
Ammo issues aside, the IIC packs a mean slap for a 25 tonner but is still a bit slow for a light and its hard hitting but better off in use in a city or tight confines where you can spam an opponent to death.
Armour layout
9/8/10/8 (2/3/2)
6/6/9/9
ThoughtsThe Commando is a mean little scrapper, who’s bite is worse than its bark. Most of the variants don’t really change from;
1. Get close
2. Pelt with missiles
3. Is the enemy dead? If no, repeat step 2.
It all depends on what you’re facing, the 2D can bully most lights and these would be its preferred prey and it can even make a fine mess of bigger Mech’s like the Panther, Assassin, Cicada and Vulcan are at a disadvantage against it due to the sheer volume of fire it can pump out. But, save one, its quite fragile, and whereas most Lights can rely on their speed to generate a nice TMM, the Commando can only do that so much. Against a bigger foe if you risk it, whatever you hit wants to either go down or be distracted enough that you’re not suddenly caught up close with a now very angry big Mech. Like I said earlier, don’t stroll up to a Battlemaster and spit in his face and then spread your arms wide, chin raised, daring a punch. They’ll find parts of you strewn between Tharkad and Arcadia.
This rings true for almost all the Commando variants, yes you’ve got a wallop, but don’t get cocky and overconfident unless you can swarm a big opponent or that opponent is nice and distracted.
But there are a few exceptions. The 1A for example is basically a slightly faster Panther in the setting it was made. It’s a 5/8 moving large laser. Here you want to dance around at mid-range and for the time involved, with its speed, there’s not many other Mech’s that can catch you and those that do, well you’ve got a large laser!
Then there’s the 1C with its door dinger. And I know AC-2’s have their fans, but its really of little use outside of a golden BB or MAYBE causing a traffic jam with tanks and hovers. The 2Dr is a nice change thanks to its capacity to engage at long range with its MML but is still about getting in range and making holes with SRM and laser fire, its just got something to cover it as it goes in.
The Freyr is a monster of a Light, no two ways about it. It’s rare to get a 25 tonner that can take a gauss shot almost anywhere and go “Oh..was that meant to hurt?” and then hit as hard as it can back.
And at the opposite end of the spectrum there’s the 8S which is the only real dedicated scout/spotter of the family, one that does its job well even if it could probably do with an ECM to jam hostile C3 networks as well.
Although a bit dated in the modern period the 2S and 5D can still hold up well purely through brute force. But their biggest drawback now is their relative lack of mobility.
Back in the day 96kph was fast, but nowadays there’s some assault Mech’s that can reach that, even if its only for short periods, and most mediums can outrun you, and most lights WILL outrun you. Still the Commando will shine in a city or in tight terrain where it can bring its firepower to bare and even the most advanced light Mech of the modern era will get hurt if a 3025 era 2D gets close and goes “Say guten tag to mein kline friends!” (because its Steiner, its naturally got a German accent!) And this is through sheer brute force and sandblasting.
The Commando IIC is also very much the same, get close, pelt with missiles whilst gouging holes with lasers. It can just do it better thanks to its mini-Macross missile spam, but again it’s still a bit slow and crunchy if hit. The IIC is apparently nicknamed the ‘sucker punch’ and its accurate for any Commando really. Sucker punch someone and smile if they go down. If not, sweat nervously and be somewhere else rather than in front of an angry Mech.
Fighting the Commando is really a case of hitting it and as they have to generally get rather close if they are in short range, its most likely you are too. As I’ve said a fair few times, the Commando isn’t that fast and its armour is lacking on almost all the variants. Depending on the era there’s counters for them, be they Javelins who can often exceed their missile spam and take the hit, to the Jenner, who has to be more careful due to the Jenner’s very light protection being more vulnerable to repeated missile strikes.
Clan Mediums and most lights will basically have a field day against Commando’s. You’re faster or have longer ranged guns, whilst a Fenris spells death for a Commando as you’re outgunned and outrun.
Most later generation Mech’s will outrun the Commando or have the speed to at least keep it at arm’s length where it can’t fight so effectively, and if you can land a good solid hit on the Commando, it will probably be feeling it.
The COM-1A, the Mech that started the family off
The COM-5S - New tech, new toys and a refined look over the older 1A
The COM-7S2
Freyr blocky thanks to its Hardened armour but still rather familiar.
A beautifully painted COM-2D
And finally
A hostile pilot when a COM-4H fires all six RL-15's at them at short range.
As always, thoughts and comments are most welcome!
