Favorite Factional Goodies from 3085

[Kojak]

In the spirit of the "Favorite 3085 BA" threads, only more expansive, talk about your favorite new toys that your faction got in TRO 3085 and the Supplemental, and why they're your favorite.

[Neufeld]

Well, since you ask in the IS forums, I guess that you prefer that we cover IS designs, and with faction in singular I have to limit myself to Lyrans.

Of the Lyran stuff, my favorite is the Morgenstern. It is a good omni-fighter that replaces three older designs, of which one (Lucifer) has a bad reputation.

[IndyRI]

Well considering in the IS I'm more FS and Cappies, I'm going to go with the Shen Yi. Is it efficient? No. Is it fun? Yes. Huge amounts of potential damage? Correct. Any chance of using it? None. The thing is very usable, but is such a WTF design that it's just dripping with character.

[Xtrahmxwohld]

I'm just happy the RotS exists now and is getting some goodies to play with. O0

[3rdCrucisLancers]

I'm very fond of the Fennec.

[IndyRI]

I'm very fond of the Fennec.

As am I. It's ugly as sin, uses obsolete tech, and is the posterchild for a type of tech (C3) that the FS barely even uses. Yet somehow, it all just works.

[3rdCrucisLancers]

As am I. It's ugly as sin, uses obsolete tech, and is the posterchild for a type of tech (C3) that the FS barely even uses. Yet somehow, it all just works.

We've actually had a number of faster light and medium C3 slave units for a while now (Stealth, Javelin, Centurion, etc.) and nothing really able to function as a good fast C3 master, so it fills a needed niche. As for looks, well, at least Chaffee didn't draw it.

[IndyRI]

^Exactly. The Fedsuns don't make much use of C3, but because they do in fact have the designs in production, they would likely make far more use of it assuming they had a quality Master for such a lance. The Fennec was purpsoe-built for just that. and I would be unsurprised if we see FS C3 designs pick up quite a bit from here, much to most Drac fans' chagrin.

[O5P_Ghost]

I too like the Fennec. I wish we had some....

[IndyRI]

Cappie fan? You guys have gotten plenty of goodies recently. I would know. CapCon is my other IS favorite  8)

[3rdCrucisLancers]

Cappie fan? You guys have gotten plenty of goodies recently. I would know. CapCon is my other IS favorite  8)

I think the O5P means they're a DCMS fan.

[IndyRI]

....it would really help if I actually looked at who posted first, huh?  #P

In that case, there's not much i can tell you other than "Enjoy the MRMs, buddy"

[RAE]

Well, Yao Lien is, obviously, my favourite one.

Least favourite is Shen Yi. It's not that I don't like it, I just don't get it. Low speed, MRMs...

[IndyRI]

Well, Yao Lien is, obviously, my favourite one.

Least favourite is Shen Yi. It's not that I don't like it, I just don't get it. Low speed, MRMs...

Well, to be fair, C3 and Snubbies make no sense either.... doesn't make it not fun though.

[RAE]

Well, to be fair, C3 and Snubbies make no sense either.... doesn't make it not fun though.

???
Why does a close-combat weapon make no sense on a backstabbing spotter\skirmisher?

[IndyRI]

Because the utlity of a Snubbie only makes sense when you keep it in the 7-9 hex bubble where it's at short range and virtually no other weapon is. This essentially gives you a +2 bonus versus your opponents on TH modifers. Big advantage. However, as a spotter, the rest of your lance will be using your range modifier for their weapons. Unless they're all using Snubbies as well, in which case you have an entirely different issue to worry about (damage loss), they'll all still be in medium range while you're exploiting the one real reason for taking a Snubbie. It's far more logical to take an equal tonnage of weapons with standard range brackets, as you'll be able to get more damage bang for your buck, and the optimum range of your weapons will be short enough (under 7 hexes at least) that your lancemates will be getting a 0 range modifier. Snubbies can work the same way, but you lose the whole advantage of Snubbies in order to do so. I love Snubs for speedy backstabbers, but in a C3 network they suffer in the same way an MRM improves.

[Daishi411]

love the fluff of the yao lien, and how it got its look and everything, very interesting, i'm also very fond of the brahma entry with the BC pilot taking on a bunch of pirates in it

[IndyRI]

Supplemental as a whole had some pretty solid fluff. I'm guessing having a little more time to play around with the designs was resonsible for that.

[Klep]

I'm jumping on the Fennec bandwagon.  It may use some obsolete tech, but standard PPC's make sense for the heat sinks it's carrying and its combat role.  It also fills a critical gap in the AFFS TO&E, allowing us to actually make decent use of all those mediums and lights with C3 Slaves we have.  If you had asked me going into TRO:3085 what single design I would most like to see in it for the Federated Suns, something much like the Fennec would be pretty close to the top of the list.

[IndyRI]

^Well I meant obsolete from a fluff standpoint. While ER PPCs are a valid choice, standard PPCs are almost always a better choice all around unless you're building a knife-fighter. It's simply more efficent for a relatively small difference in effect.

[Taurevanime]

Well I have to go with the Fennec as well. As a FedSun player it was a very much needed machine.
The Victor VTR-9Ka is also very nice. 6 tons of ammo for a standard AC-20. That thing is going to scare light mechs 8)

[RAE]

Because the utlity of a Snubbie only makes sense when you keep it in the 7-9 hex bubble where it's at short range and virtually no other weapon is. This essentially gives you a +2 bonus versus your opponents on TH modifers. Big advantage. However, as a spotter, the rest of your lance will be using your range modifier for their weapons. Unless they're all using Snubbies as well, in which case you have an entirely different issue to worry about (damage loss), they'll all still be in medium range while you're exploiting the one real reason for taking a Snubbie. It's far more logical to take an equal tonnage of weapons with standard range brackets, as you'll be able to get more damage bang for your buck, and the optimum range of your weapons will be short enough (under 7 hexes at least) that your lancemates will be getting a 0 range modifier. Snubbies can work the same way, but you lose the whole advantage of Snubbies in order to do so. I love Snubs for speedy backstabbers, but in a C3 network they suffer in the same way an MRM improves.

You should keep in mind one thing: CCAF is not the biggest user of C3 networks. So the chances are that most of the time Yao Lien will be used as a general skirmisher with an overpriced TAG.
Yes, snubbies are, probably, not the optimal choice for a spotter - but certainly not the worst. Thing is, Yao Lien is trying to be both a spotter for its possible C3-companions and a viable fighter on its own, and I'd say that it pretty much succeeds in both roles.

[IndyRI]

^While that may be true, a C3 network is a purpose-built organization in-universe. There' s absolutely no reason to include an expensive piece of equipment on a mech, just in case he and another mech with the same equipment are by chance assigned the same billet. C3 is designed to work at the lance level and above. As such, given its cost and weight, there is no reason to assign lancemates for a mech without the system. While the mech may find itself working with non-C3 mechs, it's assigned lance will be C3-equipped by virtue of necessity. Otherwise, the CCAF would have been far better off ordering a non-C3 mech to fill the hole in the non-C3 lance. It's a usable design, for sure, but Snubbies are an inefficient design chocie for any C3-equipped design.

[Stormcrow]

Fennecs for the Davions. I'd have to look at the clanner stuff to see if there's anything I like.

[JPArbiter]

as a Mercenary I am very fond of the upgrades to succession war mechs like the CN9-Ar and BNC-3Mr.  the cyclops upgrades are nice too.

[Decoy]

Huh. There are way too many of these posts out there and I seem to have posted on the wrong one ><

[Diplominator]

Comstar Diplominator was a bit chagrined, but that's not surprising. The Prefect is a pretty kickass start to the RAF, however.

Lyran Diplominator got a few nice toys. They still haven't made a Battlemaster that tops the -4S, IMO, but I can live with. On the smaller side, I like the new Hatchetman and Wolfhound stuff. It's perverse how good Lyran lights are.

Jade Falcon Diplominator is still a little giddy. I could breathlessly extol the virtues of IJJ and the Flamberge (again), but instead I'd like to call attention to the Ironhold, especially the Ironhold [Fire]. It is sublime. Firepower some light mechs would be jealous of, ridiculous armor, flat-out immunity to fire. I'd take it over any other assault BA.

[MadCapellan]

The Victor VTR-9Ka is also very nice. 6 tons of ammo for a standard AC-20. That thing is going to scare light mechs 8)

Your welcome!

[MadCapellan]

The Victor VTR-9Ka is also very nice. 6 tons of ammo for a standard AC-20. That thing is going to scare light mechs 8)

You're welcome!

[MadCapellan]

Well, to be fair, C3 and Snubbies make no sense either.... doesn't make it not fun though.

I'm not so sure.  While I agree that staying at seven hexes means you aren't capitalizing on the full range potential of the snub-nose, at seven hexes, it's the lightest weapon that will hit for 10 damage and still be at short range, and if your battle plan involves sticking to within 7 hexes of hostiles, there's really no reason to worry about it's ranged performance. 

If built with ER PPCs, the Yao Lien would have suffered serious heat issues and needed to shed other equipment.  If built with ER Large Lasers, it'd lose damage.  Standard range PPCs or Lasers would mean poor performance at optimum engagement range.  There simply aren't any better IS weapon choices for the job.