(Good) 'Mechs you wish your house didn't build.

[Youngblood]

Strange, my impression of Liao preferences is a bit different, considering Lao Hu, Thunder, Victor and Yu Huang there seems to be some serious liking of the 20 class autocannons. I would say that Capellans comes second just after Lyrans in AC/20 use.

Definitely this.  I swear, there are people out there who can't see Capellans having BattleMechs (as in, made for BATTLE) in the first place!  And yes, a giant robot needs an AC/20 for me to consider it a BattleMech. :P

To those still squirming about the Capellans having AC/20s, they -were- the first ones to redesign the Charger to have it--the Charger -1A5.  Way better than the Hunchback in its day.  }:)

[JPArbiter]

the Emperor is beautiful because everyone has a version of it, if anything that should cause the houses to go batty and try to shut down Starcorps.

[Youngblood]

Not really.  It's kind of like a Warhammer in that regard, just ubiquitous.

Also, the Dracs don't have a variant. }:)

[Rorke]

Not really.  It's kind of like a Warhammer in that regard, just ubiquitous.

Also, the Dracs don't have a variant. }:)

There's a terrible shame. O0

[Youngblood]

There's a terrible shame. O0

Well, they do have Crocketts and Katanas instead.  Or I suppose that Mauler that jumps.

[Doug Glendower]

Blitzkrieg. It's just way too fast to be in Stiener country, and in all honesty, would be a better fit if they fluffed it for recon work, because "Stealth with a Big Gun" is better for the LC than something designed for manuever warfare...

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

"You guys" would imply I'm a Suns fan. Bzzzt, wrong answer, thank you for playing.

Tech Manual has the LB 20-X invented by the FedSuns, as per p207 & p290. Merc Supp II p88 confirms that.

It's worth raising the errata, but from the comparison of 3 rules entries across 2 rule books, versus the fluff in one TRO, it's likely to remain a Suns invention, especially since the TRO entry for the Barghest can be read as referring to when the Lyrans made their own breakthrough into LB 20-Xs, since by that date the Suns weren't necessarily going to share with the secessionists.

That's a pretty bizarre retcon to make, considering that Davion doesn't use the LB-20X on any of their 3060 machines.

[Youngblood]

The Catalyst reprint of TRO3060 doesn't change the Defiance Disintegrator pioneering fluff, either.  Perhaps whatever Davion entity who did it in 3058 produced a working one-off model only?

[Taurevanime]

The ENF-7C3BS Enforcer III.
It is a stellar mech, but damnit the Heavy PPC is just not Davion.
It is also the mech that made me think that the Heavy PPC is just another slap in the face of autocannons. I am willing to bet you can swap out any class 10 autocannon from most mechs and replace it with a Heavy PPC and heatsinks and you will likely end up with a better machine.

[Colt Ward]

Hmm, I had an HPPC Hunchback I toyed with . . . as well as making a Pack Hunter-ish Stilletto.

[Dread Moores]

Hmm, I had an HPPC Hunchback I toyed with . . . as well as making a Pack Hunter-ish Stilletto.

The HPPC Blitzkrieg out of '85's ONN section should cover the Pack Hunter-ish Stiletto role pretty well.

[Dread Moores]

The ENF-7C3BS Enforcer III.
It is a stellar mech, but damnit the Heavy PPC is just not Davion.
It is also the mech that made me think that the Heavy PPC is just another slap in the face of autocannons. I am willing to bet you can swap out any class 10 autocannon from most mechs and replace it with a Heavy PPC and heatsinks and you will likely end up with a better machine.

A bunch of those 3060 Davion upgrades were very odd. VSPs and HPPCs galore? Weird.

[Colt Ward]

Does the HPPC Blitz jump?

[Taurevanime]

The VSPLs though were all fluffed as being Blakist salvage refits, which I can understand. So I would only use them in scenarios where appriopriate.

[jklantern]

Definitely this.  I swear, there are people out there who can't see Capellans having BattleMechs (as in, made for BATTLE) in the first place!  And yes, a giant robot needs an AC/20 for me to consider it a BattleMech. :P

To those still squirming about the Capellans having AC/20s, they -were- the first ones to redesign the Charger to have it--the Charger -1A5.  Way better than the Hunchback in its day.  }:)

I love that Mech.

[Youngblood]

Does the HPPC Blitz jump?

Yes, the whole 7 hexes.  It has a C3 slave, too.

I love that Mech.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe it was the most well-armored 4/6 'Mech carrying an AC/20 before the Clan Invasion...except for the AC/20 Banshee, but the AC/20 Banshee didn't have an extra Medium Laser and two extra SRM-6 racks.

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

The new Blitzkrieg is ****** MAGNIFICENT.

[thefiddler]

The ENF-7C3BS Enforcer III.
It is a stellar mech, but damnit the Heavy PPC is just not Davion.
It is also the mech that made me think that the Heavy PPC is just another slap in the face of autocannons. I am willing to bet you can swap out any class 10 autocannon from most mechs and replace it with a Heavy PPC and heatsinks and you will likely end up with a better machine.

I don't think the HPPC could replace the the LB 10-X for me. Maybe the other two but the LB 10-X is just such a perfect blend of hole punching and crit seeking and it performs the same as the clan version while weighing only 1 extra ton and taking only 1 more critical. Few weapons compare that well to clan tech.

[ArkRoyalRavager]

It depends. The HPPC is good if you want to fire at targets with high to-hit modifiers without worrying about the ammo. The headcapping ability is its advantage over the LBX.

[Taurevanime]

I always felt it was the LBX that should have gotton access to special munitions instead of the standard autocannons. I mean it's not like they have done things to try and make the old energy weapons be more balanced, but with autocannons they went out of their way to make the old versions work competatively.

[Dread Moores]

You want the LBX to have special munitions and weigh less? That doesn't seem quite balanced.

The other one that always struck me as odd was the Flashman for the Lyrans. When the non-Introtech version shows up for them (and until the later 55/58 units show up) it is such a weird little design to fit in with the rest of the Lyran units.

[Kojak]

The new Blitzkrieg is ****** MAGNIFICENT.

I really can't agree with that sentiment enough. It's my go-to spotter anytime I build a Lyran C3 lance.

[Lord Cameron]

Not really.  It's kind of like a Warhammer in that regard, just ubiquitous.

Also, the Dracs don't have a variant. }:)

I don't think the FWL has an Emperor version either?  :-\

[ArkRoyalRavager]

I don't think the FWL has an Emperor version either?  :-\

They have two actually. The EMP-6M and the Emperor Mercury Elite, though the second one is a unique.

You want the LBX to have special munitions and weigh less? That doesn't seem quite balanced.

It is balanced. The way the Rifles gave way to the ACs, the LBX's would've supplanted their predecessors. The special ammo should've been given to the LBX family as well.

[Lord Cameron]

They have two actually. The EMP-6M and the Emperor Mercury Elite, though the second one is a unique.

Are they built on Emris IV?

[ArkRoyalRavager]

Of course, it's the only SCI facility in Marik space.

The Mercury Elite is a custom model probably hand-modified at SAFE HQ.

[Colt Ward]

I mean it's not like they have done things to try and make the old energy weapons be more balanced, but with autocannons they went out of their way to make the old versions work competatively.

It was called Double Heat Sinks?

[Lord Cameron]

Of course, it's the only SCI facility in Marik space.

Where is that from?

[ArkRoyalRavager]

Handbook: House Marik.

[Lord Cameron]

Handbook: House Marik.

HBHM only has Longbow & Warhammer made on Emris IV, not the Emperor.  :-\