Recognition Guide: IlClan Volume 5:
Hammerhead: Aw shit, here we go. Starting this volume off with what might actually be the best 'Mech in the entire series, and a strong contender for Top 5 overall in the entire game. That's a strong endorsement, and I'm going to tell you why. First, we have the very obvious notable feature, Hardened Armor. I like Hardened Armor, because it fundamentally changes the paradigm of protection for a 'Mech. A 'Mech with Hardened has functionally twice the former maximum armor that it could have mounted. You pay for it with tonnage, of course, but the result is that we have a 45 ton 'mech here that pays 15 tons in order to have the equivalent armor protection of a low end Assault 'Mech, and it does so while largely retaining the maneuverability of a Medium. It is significantly better armored than a Gargoyle and manages to be faster at a walk and match it at a run. The weapons are mostly pedestrian, and are reasonably efficient for its size in the form of a Large Pulse Laser, an ER Medium, and a Streak SRM-6. Accurate and non-wasteful guns that are still capable of triggering a PSR. They're also entirely torso mounted, leaving the arms free as effectively ablative armor (not a small consideration on something this durable) and in a pinch they can even punch effectively. Not my first pick for melee attacks, but worth considering. The other surprise is the AES in both legs. This gives it an improved accuracy on its kicks, and offsets the added difficulty to PSRs thanks to Hardened. This is a game changer, and fundamentally erases the only meaningful downside to Hardened Armor on this 'Mech. While it retains 8 run MP it can still reach a +3 TMM at a run with a turn to spare, and it would not have reached +4 even if using standard armor. It means that the Hammerhead is an absolute monster to knock down, requiring 40 points of conventional damage to do so, and it will manage the PSR if you do trigger a test just as well as any normal 'Mech. At 1686 BV it's also very cheap for what is essentially a pocket Assault 'Mech in terms of how much punishment it's going to take to bring down. There are very few 'Mechs less vulnerable than this one. For my money, one of the single best 'Mechs in the game to pay the BV for a pilot upgrade for, at which point it might very well never fall down as long as you use it. Superb. I will play this 'Mech in every single faction I feel like and feel no guilt whatsoever. S+
Conjurer (Hellhound): Coming off one of my favorite 'Mechs of all time, that's a tough act to follow. The Hellhound is... fine. It's arguably even good, with a Large Pulse and a pair of ER Mediums and Streak SRM 2s. It's decently mobile at 6/9/6 and the BV isn't bad at 1813 for what you get especially with a standard engine. It can get a bit toasty if you are jumping, or if the Streaks lock unexpectedly, but not unreasonably. A good skirmisher. It's just not a Hammerhead. B
Conjurer (Hellhound) 7: This is the same 'Mech with LRM 5s instead of Streak SRM 2s. Honestly I don't like that change, and it costs a few extra points at 1845 for a switch I wouldn't have made in the first place. Sure the LRM 5s better match the Pulse Laser range brackets, but I think it's harder to play opportunist without the Streak benefit of not firing without a lock. B-
Conjurer (Hellhound) 8: A Rotary AC/5, finally we're getting away from the garbage Clan RAC/2. Wait, I'm being informed that the RAC/5 is an Inner Sphere version, and we're back to it being a bad call. The Streak SRM 6 is a good call, and the two Clan Medium Pulse lasers are also genuinely good, but it also has an Inner Sphere XL Engine and doesn't spring for CASE II in torsos that have three tons of explosive ammo between them. It also has MASC to get up to the dreaded exactly 10 MP, which skyrockets the BV to 2197. Hard pass. There are three different changes that could be made to this 'Mech to make it usable (no MASC, run it underweight for all I care just avoid exactly 10 run MP; Clan RAC/5; Clan XL Engine) and none of them happened. F
Crab CRB-54: All of the various kinds of Crabs in the Recognition Guides have found a way to do serious illicit drugs and I love it. The 54 has decided that the pilot is more likely to survive if the 'Mech disintegrates like the crumple zone on a car around the cockpit as quickly as possible, and in the meantime it burns fast and bright. Composite Structure and a XXL is... one way to get spare tonnage, and for what it's worth I think it's the funniest way. Heavy Ferro Fibrous makes a valiant effort to reclaim some level of durability but fails utterly. The real attraction is paired Plasma Rifles, joined by an ER Medium and ER Small, exactly enough heat sinks to use the three energy guns worth using at a run, and then the gargantuan engine and Supercharger take you directly into a concrete wall at 140 KPH. Sometimes you will win the fight with wall, most times you won't. Every time there will be a massive explosion and a burning oil slick afterward, and that's radical. B+
Catapult CPLT-K6: There are a lot of Catapults I like a lot, and I'll be honest, I'm not sure this is one of them. It does make an attempt at being truly unique, though, so I respect it even if it's not my favorite. It's slow, at 3/5/3, but unlike most 3/5/3 'Mechs it has the range to reach out and touch someone two maps over. Two Extended LRM 15s are massive, and the unique part here is that there's AES in the arms to make them more accurate. This affects any attacks made with that weapon, which makes this Catapult one of the most effective IDF weapons ever devised, predominantly because it is absurdly accurate even in IDF at a range most LRMs can barely reach. Four ER Small Lasers tell pests to go away, and there's not quite enough ammo for me to be truly happy, but if you hold your shots for good ones you will do a good number with this 'Mech. An Inner Sphere Xl and no CASE means that a bad hit to an arm can be instantly fatal, which is not ideal, but there's really no getting around that on a 'Mech this tightly packed. I like it for the creativity. B
Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) T: This is the start of a section that may be controversial. I will be honest, I do not have any lingering affection for the Timber Wolf. It just is not the kind of 'Mech that appeals to me, never has been. Which is weird, because generally it has a reputation of being very good. The T is actually a pretty good attempt to follow up on that. It has two LRM-20s with Artemis V, a combination I very much like for its accuracy and very high average damage. It has two Improved Heavy Mediums and two ER Mediums in the arms, which is also a lot of damage. Rounding out the armament is two ER Smalls and an ER Small Pulse. The LRMs have six tons of ammo, which is definitely enough. Seventeen doubles are enough that a running alpha with all of the guns range 9 or higher is +4, which is right about exactly where I like to see it, and at close range a single iHML can be dropped to add the small lasers at the same heat level. The BV is high at 2714, but it is genuinely the full package. The only major downside is that all the LRM ammo is in the arms, and each arm has five explosive crits in it. Losing one arm cuts your offense by almost 50%, and it's very likely you pick up some pilot hits. This makes it a curious balancing act to skirmish for long enough to burn through some of your tons of ammo, and then commit while you still have ammo and overwhelm the opponent. Throwing it into close range immediately is a waste of this 'Mech, and that makes it difficult to use. A-
Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) M: I get what was going on here, this was to match the MechCommander version. It's not great. The ER PPCs are certainly powerful, and the Large Pulse Lasers is certainly good on its own, but the heat sinks just aren't there. All three long range energy guns at a run is +10. All of the other guns except the Heavy Flamer are also long range. Trying to fire all of them is an exercise in seeing how quickly you can roll an ammo explosion. This is a great example of a 'Mech where I don't know what the expected firing pattern is, because it feels a lot like the answer is "two ER PPCs" all the time, every time, and if that's the case why are there even LRMs on here. In any case, they sure do drive the BV up, and this one is actually more expensive than the T at 2741. It feels like it's committing to the Hellbringer gambit of waiting for an arm to get shot off to make your own heat management better, but it's not a Hellbringer, and if you're losing parts you're much closer to being destroyed from where you started than the Hellbringer was. What a weird config. D
Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) N: This one is better, right out the gate. Still twin ER PPCs, but we have LRM 15s instead of paired 5s. I'm still not a huge fan of the firing pattern here, but it's much easier to fire both PPCs at range, and then drop one PPC for both LRMs and some secondary guns up close, or drop one PPC for both LRMs at range to cool off for a turn if you've been adding one to your long range fire. It's not as intuitive as "this side toward enemy" but it's something you could reasonably work out an effective pattern for where none of your ranged weapons are consistently idle. In close there are two Medium Pulse Lasers and four Machine Guns. The Machine Gun ammo is in the absolute worst possible place for it, and ironically I'd rather have made room for it by putting some LRM ammo in the arms than where it is now. Or a heat sink, since I know for a fact that the one in the right torso is not fixed. Sixteen doubles is enough to develop a firing pattern as described above. This is the config that matches the original appearance of the Timber Wolf, something that did not exist for over 30 years, and I like it more just for that. It being fairly good in its own right is a good thing. The BV is very high at 2862, and that makes it unlikely that I'll take this, but I'm not going to be annoyed at having one handed to me. C+
Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) W: The first thing I noticed here was that the dreaded 10 run MP makes another appearance here. The second thing I noticed is that there's a lower arm actuator in the left arm that prevents flipping the Ultra AC/20. The tech that designed this should be shot for that. There is enough Ultra ammo, and there are also a pair of ER Mediums and a pair of Streak SRM 6s. Whatever you shoot at is going to know it's been shot. Fifteen doubles is a good amount for taking risks, as you'll end up below +5 if you don't lock with at least one, and if you lock with both your target is almost guaranteed to be taking a PSR even if you whiffed with the UAC. I do not like the Supercharger here. The BV is 2791, which is more than I want to pay for it. No Supercharger and coming in that many tons underweight is a better 'Mech for the BV. That's something that's going to keep coming up on a lot of these 'Mechs and I'm not going to be charitable about it. D
King Crab KGC-011: the equally coked up, maniacal big brother to the Crab 54 from earlier this guide. There's an XXL here, and Composite structure again, but this time there's the full might of a 100 ton 'Mech's armor. It moves 4/6 and jams a Supercharger in here to get to 8, which is exactly fast enough to be ****** terrifying with a pair of LB-20Xs and a Plasma Rifle. There's technically a RL 15 here, too, but I prefer to just ignore it. There are arguably too many heat sinks here at 16 doubles, which means that at full tilt and firing the one shot Rocket Launcher you're still heat neutral. This one I think is anticipating taking engine crits, and to be completely honest I'm not sure what the hell you'd spend that tonnage on anyway, this thing is packed. There are six tons of LB-20X ammo and most of it is in the legs. Two tons of Plasma Rifle ammo split between the center torso and the head at least crit-pad something on this 'Mech. It's a wild ride from start to finish, and at 2406 BV you're going to explode in magnificent fashion but the pair of LB-20s means it's a coinflip whether it will be hilarious for you or your opponent (or both). When this 'Mech works it's going to work, and I respect the intensity. A+ for amusement, but the actual quality gets a B.
Marauder II MAD-5A: This is a 'Mech with a fantastic idea and a good role and it makes one critical error and one sub-par choice that absolutely destroys it as a 'Mech that I would consider taking. First, the sub-par choice: 29 single heat sinks on a 'Mech with ER PPCs and an LB-10X and an XL Engine. Second, three tons of ammo in the un-CASE'd side torso and no Clan CASE. No amount of durability afforded by a 100 tonner's worth of armor makes up for that. It's not an F only because it's still functional and dangerous. D
Marauder II MAD-5B: Fixes basically everything wrong with the 5A. No XL, 16 doubles, and there's more than enough ammo for the much better ballistic weapon, the Gauss Rifle. This is a good 'Mech. I am still not likely to take it, and at 2589 I think it loses to the Warhammer IICs that are a couple hundred cheaper than this, but it's still a solid 'Mech. B-
Marauder II MAD-5C: ...eurgh. I want to like this a lot because of the Ultra AC/5, but it's not good. With two ER PPCs, 32 single heat sinks is just trying too hard, and it took an XL to get to that in the first place. Two tons of ammo for the Ultra is refreshing, but even with the huge plummet in BV to 2024 it's not on my list. Swap the XL for a standard and double heatsinks and it's an A. At least the CASE is in the correct torso now, even if it does functionally nothing with an IS XL. As is it's a D
Marauder II MAD-6A: Now we're cooking with gas. Still slow for my tastes, but I love Ultra AC/10s, and there are enough double heat sinks here to use it effectively. Medium X-Pulse Lasers are sadly underrated and I like their use here. Swap them for a single ER PPC when the numbers get good and you're golden. There is enough UAC/10 ammo, and the CASE will actually function with the Light engine. Good stuff. The BV is decent at 2367, and the compact gyro helps lessen the odds of being instantly and catastrophically crippled unluckily. A
Marauder II MAD-6C: This is just a fat Awesome. It costs way too much for not enough benefit. By itself it's not bad, but when the comparison to the Awesome 11H exists I'd rather have the 11H every day of the week for almost 350 less BV (Marauder clocks in at 2346). It's very durable, and it will keep trucking for a long time, so it's going to still get a passing grade, but there are better options. C
Marauder II MAD-8K: This is much more interesting. Over-under standard and Light PPCs is a neat conceit, and using standard PPCs allows the 15 doubles to handle the heat load very well. There's enough ammo for the Gauss Rifle, and there's CASE II in the correct torso to use it. An Inner Sphere XL isn't the most ideal but it's good enough. The surprise co-star is Ballistic-Reinforced Armor, which I love, and there's a shitload of it on here. It is probably too expensive at 2849, but it will survive a long time and it will do a lot of damage and I can forgive something that's too expensive because it's too durable a lot faster than I can forgive something that's too expensive but also fragile. A-[/u]
Marauder II MAD-10D: This is almost certainly the best Marauder II in the book. Its main guns are inarguably the best, as Clan ER PPCs. The Large Re-engineered Laser in the dorsal mount is unique and I'm a fan of the weapon concept in the first place. Medium X-Pulse Lasers appear again and while they're no Clan Medium Pulse Lasers, they're cheaper than that. Twenty doubles makes for some interesting heat management, but at a run you're +1 for the three bit energy guns, and you have options that you can configure based on heat at closer range. It's also fast for a Marauder II, at 4/6/4. That's a big benefit, and it almost excuses the IS XL engine. This adds up to 2741, and while I like the 8K's gimmick better and that will be the one I'm likely to field on purpose, this is not one that I'm going to shy away from. B+
'Mechs by rating:
F: 1
D: 4
C: 2
B: 7
A: 3
S: 1
Cumulative 'Mechs by rating (series):
F: 5
D: 19
C: 35
B: 26
A: 14
S: 2
