Tell me about the Hunchback IIC

[Sartris]

I owe an apology. There IS a use in a line military for a Hunchie IIC.

Marik.

Oh stop throwing fruit and listen, dammit!

See here's the thing. Marik is all about units that function as part of a team, generally under an umbrella of LRMs. Well, LRM carrying units tend to suck at close-range combat usually (Trebuchet, Archer, Longbow, etc. aren't known for brawling, but ARE Marik-y flavored in general). Bodyguard units, then, are pretty handy to have. Anvils, Ontos (Ontoses? Ontosii?), Hunchbacks... basically, something that makes an interloper think twice before trying to tango with your Archers.

Take it from an old salt. Anything that puts me in a position where I have to run up in the face of a pair of Ultra-20s and what are essentially a pair of IS large lasers, I'm going to strongly reconsider my options. You and your LRM batteries are jerks and I'm not happy with you.

i endorse this analysis

[Tyrchon]

The Hunchback IIC also makes a great guard unit for fighting in close quarters, like city and factory defense, much like what the original Hunchback was great at.  Given the firepower and jumpjets you can excuse the lackluster armor and heat dissipation as moving in and out of cover in an urban or industrialized environment will mitigate those issues.  While that may not be the original Clan intention, the Inner Sphere would have not issue with doing so.

[JadeHellbringer]

On one hand, I also want to endorse it as a gate guard- keeping the rear area supply depots safe from raiders and such. The good side to this is that it's a ridiculously powerful Mech that is absolutely, desperately reliant on those supplies anyway, so straying too far from those depots is a bad idea- so, don't have it do so, leave it on guard duty and let it do its job.

The other side of that is that we have a captured Clan Mech here, and it's really hard to look at something like that and say 'you there, we're assigning you and your CLAN MACHINE to work alongside Watchmen and Sentries in the rear guard."

This has always felt like the Charger, in a way- out of universe, it's the authors showing that something CAN be done, but not in a good way. Yes, we can build an 80-ton Mech with a 5/8 movement curve, buuuuut... same here, we CAN cram a pair of huge ACs on a Hunchback using Clan tech, but you may not like the results. And sure enough, I don't.

[grimlock1]

This has always felt like the Charger, in a way- out of universe, it's the authors showing that something CAN be done, but not in a good way. Yes, we can build an 80-ton Mech with a 5/8 movement curve, buuuuut... same here, we CAN cram a pair of huge ACs on a Hunchback using Clan tech, but you may not like the results. And sure enough, I don't.

Yeah, If I salvaged one of those things from the battlefield, I would think long and hard about parting it out. The engine would slot into a 5/8 40 tonner or another 4/6 50 tonner. And it wouldn't be hard finding a use for those lasers!

[JadeHellbringer]

Yeah, If I salvaged one of those things from the battlefield, I would think long and hard about parting it out. The engine would slot into a 5/8 40 tonner or another 4/6 50 tonner. And it wouldn't be hard finding a use for those lasers!

You know, thinking it out... I kind of like the idea of keeping it and just pulling the ACs in favor of LB-10Xs, turn it into a mini-Predator. Saves a few tons, that can become another couple of tons of ammo and some armor... you lose a hell of a lot of raw hitting power, but your enemy's tanks and aircraft suuuuuuuuuck... plus you still have the lasers and jump jets. It's still a rear-area support unit, but it'd be a rather handy 'go away' sign for enemy aircraft trying to pick at your supply lines.

[Iceweb]

You know, thinking it out... I kind of like the idea of keeping it and just pulling the ACs in favor of LB-10Xs, turn it into a mini-Predator. Saves a few tons, that can become another couple of tons of ammo and some armor... you lose a hell of a lot of raw hitting power, but your enemy's tanks and aircraft suuuuuuuuuck... plus you still have the lasers and jump jets. It's still a rear-area support unit, but it'd be a rather handy 'go away' sign for enemy aircraft trying to pick at your supply lines.

I had given it some thought to replacing the U20 with U10 but hadn't thought about grabbing the LBX though
that might work better

I assume it wouldn't be too hard to reconfigure the targeting software to give that variant the anti-aircraft quirk. 
Though adding quirks on variants is kinda shady. 

That said I did think it was funny that I got the hunchy before getting a garrison contract. 
A merc being able to say I will guard your factory/city with this clan tech blaster could be a huge selling point on getting a sweet contract like that.

[JadeHellbringer]

Hell, replacing the targeting system on the LBX treat I mentioned before with something from an old Rifleman or Jagermech can't be too hard- hell, it means selling off the Clan system, you can probably make a few spare C-bills off that as it is. Really, if you're on a budget, going with IS guns isn't ideal but is still doable- you drop two tons from pulling the Ultras, which becomes ammo, which becomes DAKKA DAKKA time because 20 rounds per gun beats five rounds (without double-rate considered COME ON CLANNERS).

And yeah, even pointing to a BAD Clan Mech (and let's be real, Hunchie IICs are pretty bad) on your roster is a pretty good selling point over someone without them. Sometimes flash is a good thing for a merc over substance- that Hunchie is a wad of crap, but it's an attention-getting wad of crap, whereas a more practical Griffin might get shrugged at.

[grimlock1]

You know, thinking it out... I kind of like the idea of keeping it and just pulling the ACs in favor of LB-10Xs, turn it into a mini-Predator. Saves a few tons, that can become another couple of tons of ammo and some armor... you lose a hell of a lot of raw hitting power, but your enemy's tanks and aircraft suuuuuuuuuck... plus you still have the lasers and jump jets. It's still a rear-area support unit, but it'd be a rather handy 'go away' sign for enemy aircraft trying to pick at your supply lines.

I was going to split the difference and say yank one uAC/20 in favor of an IS LB-10, but that leaves you with the choice of only 1 ton of ammo for the LB, or cutting down to a single ton for the big 20.  Also, this is kinda doing it backwards.  Going for the uAC/10 and the LB-20 is the better play, but meh.

[Kitsune413]

These attempts to make the Hunchback IIC not absurd really make me sad.

The technical designation for Hunchback IIC'S should be HBK-YOLO

[Empyrus]

The technical designation for Hunchback IIC'S should be HBK-YOLO

I... I can't disagree with that.

That said, in IS hands it should be made less absurd arguably, otherwise it is more valuable as parts. Though admittedly Spheroids didn't really like to scrap even bad 'Mechs, the Charger comes to mind...

[JadeHellbringer]

Yeah, I mean in IS hands it's FIXABLE... just questionable as to whether it's really worth the effort. It's a weird Apollo's Law in reverse- a rare Clan unit so bad that it's questionable if it's worth the effort for an IS military force to rework.

[Empyrus]

Pulling Clan weapons and slapping IS versions should be OK (downgrading as necessary). Since it uses standard plate (IIRC), you could even increase its armor while at it.
That is if you need the 'Mech for some reason, but can't maintain Clan weapons.

That said.... 4/6(/4) 'Mechs are pretty common in the Inner Sphere, there really doesn't seem to be much point in using the Hunchback IIC.

Didn't Wolf's Dragoons trade Clan tech for IS tech for mercs, should they get Clan tech? I mean, most probably can't make good use of those due to maintenance issues. I figure they'd gladly trade a Hunchy IIC for some Spheroid 'Mech. Think they'd give you a Gallowglas for a Hunchy IIC?

[Batman]

Strip out the jump jets and two heat sinks and you've got 4 more tons of armor.

[massey]

I think the mech makes perfect sense for the Clans.  It's a mech you choose in desperation.  Let's say you're an older warrior (late 30s) and you haven't really done much of note.  You want a chance for your genes to live on, maybe get a Bloodname.  But that's not really gonna happen for just regular old Mechwarrior Steve.  So you are going to put all your eggs in one basket.

From the perspective of your Clan, you're nearly washed up at this point.  But they know that you're getting more aggressive, more desperate.  You're going to start taking needless risks anyway, no matter what they do.  That's just what Clan warriors do when they reach a certain age.  So you might as well give them a mech that suits them.

In a way it would be a mark of shame to get assigned a Hunchback IIC, because it means your commanding officer thinks you're over the hill and all washed up.  It's the equivalent of a modern single woman getting a bunch of cats.  "Well, she's given up on life..."  On the other hand, if you're honest with yourself about how your career has gone, you know that this is your chance for glory.  With some decent to-hit rolls and damage grouping, you could pretty easily wipe out most of an Inner Sphere lance, or even a Clan star, before you ran out of ammo.  I just ran a couple of Megamek games with one Hunchback IIC vs a 3025 IS lance (a Valkyrie, a Thunderbolt, a Vindicator, and a Shadow Hawk).  The BV was heavily in favor of the Spheroids.  In the first two games, the IS mechs ripped the Clan one to pieces before he could do much (he can't get much of a movement bonus).  In the third game, the Clan mech won initiative a couple times, fired in ultra mode, and killed 3 of the 4 mechs, and crippled the last one before he finally lost a leg and I exited the game.

From the Inner Sphere perspective, these mechs would be very useful.  No, it's not the Clan mech you'd pick if you had your choice.  But if you can get it in the right position, it's like turning loose a rabid pit bull.  No mech out there is going to feel safe if they look over and see a H-back IIC moving into medium range.  I think you'd try to use it from ambush, and in areas with really bad visibility.  It's job would be to massacre one or two enemy heavy hitters, and then retreat to resupply.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Hunchback IIC: the Clans' answer to the midlife crisis.

[Kitsune413]

The Hunchback IIC is the perfect Mid Boss of a Side Scrolling Battletech beat em' up game.

[Kitsune413]

the Ilkhan has been kidnapped by Dest Troopers. Are you a bad enough dude to save the Ilkhan?

[JadeHellbringer]

To hell with MWO, MW5, HBS Battletech... I'd play the living hell out of this idea.  ;D

[Luciora]

The IS already has the progenitor to the IIc,  its the Bombard.  Somewhere in Solaris City must have had that same fever dream about a mid ton chassis and two boomsticks back in the 3050s.