(Another) Mech of the Week - The Cauldron Born

[Caedis Animus]

pretty sure blue shield needs to be on the base chassis and can't be podded

Could pull a Cougar XR and have a standard battlemech variant.

[Colt Ward]

Okay, yeah I found down at the bottom how it says not-pod'able.  Eh

[God and Davion]

I had my first game against a Charlie Variant. It doesn't deal extreme amounts of damage, but it is a solid contender and it is surprisingly good at close ranges.  Very, very recommended.

[Hellraiser]

Possibly the best chassis with the worst configurations ever.  If this thing had a couple really good power house configs I'd list it as my favorite mech.  The cannon configurations hamper it quite a bit.

It's a darn good looking mech too!

I've always liked the A model the best.

Either you let it snipe w/ twin ER-LL or you risk that Ultra-20 trying to get in & kill it.

Its a no win situation that you have to devote something big to kill it or let it have its fun sniping.



The B configuration I only use when attached to a unit with Homing Arrows or maybe a campaign w/o resupply between missions.


Most of the rest I ignore.

[Getz]

I had a go with the new F configuration from Recognition Guide 16 recently.  Holy-moly!  All I can say is, "where have you been all my life?"  Two ERPPCs, two ATM6s a targeting computer and (almost) enough heat sinks to use them!  It's everything my spiteful, shriveled little Smoke Jaguar heart ever wanted...

As to the other new configurations, the T is an interesting take on upgrading the Prime.  The ERPPC is a logical replacement for the Gauss and the Streak 10 and improved heavy medium laser are nice. The Tbolt 5 missiles are an eccentric choice, but I suppose they can work - I just wish they'd kept the LBX 5 over replacing it with a UAC 5.  Clan or IS, Ultra 5s are always a disappointment in my experience.

The G configuration looks powerful but honestly a bit uninteresting with just a HAG 40, improved Heavy Laser and Targeting computer.

Then there's the X - colour me unimpressed.  I guess I just don't rate ER pulses all that highly so a mech that commits to them so heavily is never going to do it for me.

[BATTLEMASTER]

I love the Ebon Jaguar.  I can't help but think it makes the Timber Wolf jealous with having so much free pod space and just enough fixed heat sinks to make truly powerful configurations.  It's a Mad Dog or Hellbringer with a bit more armor and gun.  If quirks are at play, the low profile quirk really brings out the durability of the 'mech called for in its fluff.

The canon configuration I find myself using the most is the D.  It consistently puts out as much firepower as an Awesome or Annihilator with a 5/8 movement profile and covers multiple range brackets pretty effectively.  It has armor in the right spots, and again with the low profile quirk, it can be annoyingly tough.

IIRC the D configuration is the canonized stock configuration it had from MechWarrior 4.

[SteelRaven]

I do like the Ebon Jag Foxtrot, it has the firepower I want in a Hellbringer replacement.

[wantec]

An interesting comparison I don't think I've seen discussed much is not the Ebon Jag vs Hellbringer that TRO3058 gave us, but Ebon Jag vs Mad Dog.

Both are Jaguar designed and are 5/8 heavies with XL engines. The Mad Dog would have been the Jaguar's premier heavy omni and more common than the Timber Wolf. At some point the Jaguars lost exclusive production rights to the Mad Dog and by the time of Operation Revival production and use was widespread. The Ebon Jaguar was developed in the late 3040s I think more as a replacement for the Mad Dog instead of the Hellbringer comparison we were given.

As a successor, the Ebon Jaguar bumps the tonnage up 5 tons and uses an Endo Steel chassis instead of the Mad Dog's standard IS. In doing so, it adds 1 ton of armor, 1 more engine DHS, and 2 tons of pod space. The open crit locations are basically the same with big open side torsos and slightly smaller arm locations. While most every early Mad Dog config had energy weapons in the arms and missiles as back up in the torsos the Ebon Jaguar focused much more on the sterotypical Jaguar heavy-hitting configurations with only the C not having big, hard-hitting hole punchers. The C and D are the only Smoke Jaguar configurations without a head-capper, although the D has up to 5x 10-point hits. Meanwhile the Mad Dog only has the A and C with head-cappers while the rest are more versatile designs that will wear down opponents and then crit-seek with missiles.

[SteelRaven]

I was tempted to compare the Ebon Jag Tango to the Mad Dog MKIV Prime with the the ER PPC + Ultra 5 combo.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

From what I recall of the Vulture's fluff, it sounded like the Jags deliberately proliferated it to other Clans in an attempt to undermine the Mad Cat's status.

[wantec]

That sounds familiar, but for some reason I'm thinking it was a different 'Mech & a different feud.  Want to say it was Horses-Bears and one of those 'Mechs.

[Greatclub]

I would love another half ton of armor to bring the arms and legs up to decent levels.

As it is, I consider the Cauldron Born frame to be usable (very usable in the case of the F and E) but can't bring myself to respect it. It's also a shame the initial published configurations were so bad. (when was the D released?)

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I believe the D and H were both released in FASA's Record Sheets: Upgrades.

[BATTLEMASTER]

Let's enjoy the RG art while we're at it...

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

It's a far cry from whatever the heck this is supposed to be.

[BATTLEMASTER]

It's a far cry from whatever the heck this is supposed to be.

I'm somewhat surprised there isn't a canon configuration based on that image.  The Timber Wolf and Stormcrow recently got configurations based on their original TRO 3050 images.

And here's the MWO version:



I find myself liking the MWO version more than the RG version - it looks more sleek and aerodynamic to me 8)

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm somewhat surprised there isn't a canon configuration based on that image.  The Timber Wolf and Stormcrow recently got configurations based on their original TRO 3050 images.

I'm guessing it's because nobody can figure out what's actually in that image.

[Hellraiser]

I'm guessing it's because nobody can figure out what's actually in that image.

Meh.
Easy enough.

Streak-4's
LL/PPC of some type.
ML/SL of some type

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Okay, that accounts for about half of a Cauldron Born's podspace.

[SteelRaven]

While I like a good amount of the art in The Invading Clans, the original Cauldron Born art never made sense to myself. I admittedly enjoy how Mike Nelson got it looking in Luthien.

[marauder648]

I'm still sure that in the distant past, they made a mistake with the names/fluff of the Kingfisher and Cauldron Born/Ebon Jag.

The Cauldron's fluff talks about how tough it is, when its not that well armoured, yes its better armoured than a hellbringer but so are most Citroen 2CV's so its not exactly a high bar to get over.

The Kingfisher's name does not fit the 'Mech either, and its fluff goes on about its firepower more than its survivability, when the Kingfisher in many configs is a giant middle finger because they have CT mounted weapons, usually things like PPC's and LPL's because screw you that's why.  But for an assault, its undergunned by Clan standards, but it does use its weapons generally more rationally, but it is exceptionally tough and far more fitting of the fluff that talks about the Cauldron/Jag's toughness.

So i'm thinking that in the dim and distant past, they got the fluff for the two mixed up, it was missed, went to print and they then rolled with it.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Yeah, that's been a speculation about the two mechs for decades.

[jklantern]

Thank God, I thought I was the only one thinking it.

[Greatclub]

Except it doesn't make sense. The Ebon jag predates the Invading clan sourcebook, it came from luthien sourcebook. Kingfisher came out a year later.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Except it doesn't make sense. The Ebon jag predates the Invading clan sourcebook, it came from luthien sourcebook. Kingfisher came out a year later.

That's when they first saw print.  Doesn't mean that they weren't created at the same time.

[SteelRaven]

All rampant fan speculation aside, it still doesn't address the original art just looking a little goofy, regardless of the name. Even if you told me that was meant to be a Huntsman or a Linebacker, I would only have more questions.

[BATTLEMASTER]

I feel like I heard the name swap thing before and that it was debunked, but now I can't find the source of that. 

With respect to the naming theory, I think it's kinda funny that the Kingfisher seems to be a common design within Clan Smoke Jaguar as well as the Ebon Jaguar.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

I would love another half ton of armor to bring the arms and legs up to decent levels.

As it is, I consider the Cauldron Born frame to be usable (very usable in the case of the F and E) but can't bring myself to respect it. It's also a shame the initial published configurations were so bad. (when was the D released?)

The Karhu is basically your answer there. Trades a fixed DHS for another ton of armor. Or if you like being 60 versus 65 tons you can pick up the almost identically mad dog iii

[Hellraiser]

Okay, that accounts for about half of a Cauldron Born's podspace.

I was trying not to be too specific & DHS/Electronics can more than fill out the internals.

But, for shiggles & gits...

Twin ERPPC, ERSL, STK4

ECM, TC, Ammo, JJ-5, DHS (16/32)

An accurate mobile sniper with close in crit seeking & hops because I didn't think any version had them.

[BATTLEMASTER]

An accurate mobile sniper with close in crit seeking & hops because I didn't think any version had them.

That reminds me - the Jinggau looks like an Ebon Jaguar, but I don't think there's a connection to the designs in canon.