Mech of the Week: Mad Cat Mk II
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INTRODUCTION
In the beginning FASA created the Marauder and Catapult. Now the Marauder and Catapult were Inner Sphere Mechs, and the Spirit of Plot was hovering over the Fourth Succession War. And the Spirit said, “Let there be Clans!” and there was the Mad Cat, or to use its proper, non-surat freebirth dezgra Tainted nomenclature, the Timber Wolf.
And FASA saw that the Timber Wolf was good, and called it “iconic”.
Now the Microsoft Games was crafty, and went to FASA, and said “Should you keep using the Clan name Timber Wolf? Or Mad Cat? After all, you did say it was supposed to have the missile racks of the Catapult, and the arms of a Marauder, so really it ought to be Mad Cat more than Timber Wolf. What’s in a name?”
And FASA said to Microsoft, “You have a point. It was called the Timber Wolf in Mechwarrior 2 though. Will it confuse fans if we call it differently in our new video game?”
“You will most certainly not confuse fans,” said Microsoft to FASA. “For when we put the Mad Cat in Mechwarrior 4 Vengeance, we shall also have the Mad Cat Mark II, which shall be bigger, and cooler, and henceforth fans will call them all Mad Cats.”
When FASA saw that the Mad Cat Mark II was good and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining new fans, FASA took it and gave it to Technical Readout 3067.
Then the eyes of FASA were opened, and they realised the name Timber Wolf is much better, and they made more marks and models of Mad Cats to cover their shame.
And so did sin enter Battletech through one computer game, and the Mad Cat Mk II through that computer game, so also the Mad Cat Mk II was passed on to many more games, and begat the Clicky blasphemy that was…
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DUNH DUNH DUNHHHHH...!
HISTORY
The Mad Cat Mk II did actually arise out of the Refusal War, in a way. Sensing a sales opportunity to the wrecked Toumans of Clans Jade Falcon and Wolf, the Diamond Sharks designed and built the Mk II, probably with the Wolves as their primary target customer. Unfortunately the Wolves did not bite. Perhaps they were happy enough with their Gargoyles and Dire Wolves, weren’t quite as desperate as the Sharks imagined, or simply were wary of Sharks bearing trade contracts.
Neither were the Falcons interested, perhaps because they had their own Turkina facility. The Sharks shrugged, and in true entrepreneurial spirit, offered the Mk II to certain parties considered nominal enemies – Comstar, the Federated Commonwealth, Draconis Combine, and, very quietly, the Abjured Clans Nova Cat and Wolf-in-Exile. All these parties were gagging for Clan tech of any kind, with the latter two especially reliant on Shark produce to fill out the Assault slots in their shattered Toumans.
Thus the Mad Cat Mk II found itself a place in the Inner Sphere. But for all that the design seems to have pleased its recipients, does the Mk II have the same impact that its smaller ancestor did? Perhaps not quite, but piggybacking on its more illustrious forebear seems to have won the basic chassis a certain measure of glory, as we shall see.
VARIANTS
Mad Cat Mk II, 3062 – The basic model sets the tone for most of the Mk II variants. 90 tons moving 4/6/3 on a Clan XL engine give the Mk II standard Clan Assault mobility with a small burst of jump juice to hop over obstacles, scale cliffs, and reposition itself to deal with would-be backstabbers. Armour stands at about 89% of maximum, making the Mk II a little thin in my opinion. I would have preferred at least a little more Clan Ferro so as to render the side torsos and arms proof from breaching after just two Clan ER PPC or Gauss shots – but it is adequate.
Let’s move on to the shooty bits – the Sharks took the opportunity to dispose of a cache of dusty old guns, and equipped the Mk II with a pair of oversized Gauss Rifles and 16 slugs apiece, backed up by a pair of LRM-10s with 12 volleys each, and four ER Medium lasers. I approve the symmetry of design and obvious callback to the Timber Wolf, but the LRMs could have done with a little more ammo. Equipped with 14 double heatsinks, it is clear despite the long-ranged primary guns that the Mk II is meant to close in with the enemy and bring its lasers to bear, to maximise the benefit of its cooling system.
This weapon combination is not unfamiliar to veterans of the early 3060s. Similar Gauss-ML Assault combinations abound, such as the IS’s Thunder Hawk, Pillager, Gunslinger etc. However the Mk II’s Clantech gives it little extras like LRMs, better lasers, and of course a smaller and faster XL Fusion Engine, and skilled Mechwarriors would know to leverage these little edges to give the Mk II the upper hand over IS opponents. Likewise the payoff for Clan warriors would be to close in quickly and aggressively on opponents to bring the Mk II’s full firepower to bear.
Efficient and effective, if a little cheddary, the Mad Cat Mk II served unassumingly in the Nova Cat and Exiled Wolf second-line Galaxies, but is probably prized by IS commanders fortunate enough to get their hands on one.
Mad Cat Mk II 2, 3069 – Probably a callback to the Timber Wolf D, the second Mk II is a close-combat variant that switches two ERMLs, the LRMs and one Gauss rifle for four Streak SRM-4s and two tons of ammo, plus an LBX AC/20 with a measly 10 rounds of ammo. The Clantech LBX is entirely self-contained in the left arm, unlike the bulky IS weapon, and can hence flip backwards to scare off potential backstabbers. The loss of two ERMLs is unfortunate, but if you’re fighting in the proverbial phone booth, going up against vehicles, or subscribe to the Crit-Seeking school of Mech combat, it’s hard to say no to the Mk II 2.
Unfortunately only the Mk II and Mk II 2 saw service in the great conflagration of the Jihad, which is a pity, because come the 3080s a couple of very useful variants make their appearance.
Mad Cat Mk II 3, 3082 – The first of these is the Mk II 3. Based on the original Mk II, the Mk II 3 restores the LRMs and laser battery but swaps the two Gauss Rifles for their Hyper Assault descendants, HAG-30s, and a full 16 rounds of fire for each. Unfortunately the HAGs are much hotter than the Gausses, plus the Mk II loses the jump jets and two double heat sinks to make the switch possible. Hence pilots of the Mk II 3 need to remember it doesn’t handle quite like the Mk II original, perhaps being more of a long-gunner until those LRMs run out. A running alpha strike would trigger the first shutdown check rather than merely warm the cockpit a tad.
The head mounts a Light Active Probe, for little real effect if any in regular gameplay and little apparent reason other than to suit the thingamajiggy drawn atop the Mk II’s head in the art. Almost anything else here would have been preferable – somebody should have told the Sharks what wondrous feats can be performed with a Small Laser on a Timber Wolf… The II 3 also more-or-less maxes out the armour with a decent layout, save that the front side torsos still carry only 29 points each, which you might tell triggers my OCD no end.
The HAGs mark the Mk II 3 as a product designed to gain the attention of the Horses and Ravens. However it seems not to have gained much traction with anybody other than the Sharks themselves, suggesting a less-than-successful product launch. But with HAG-30s available to these as well as the Bears and Exiled Wolves, it would not beggar belief to see a handful of Mk II 3s in the Toumans of these Clans.
Mad Cat Mk II (Enhanced), 3083 – Around 3080, the Sharks noticed that sales of the Mk II were dropping off alarmingly. Though not described in detail, I presume this might have had something to do with the Mk II’s erstwhile loyal customers, the Exiled Wolves and Abjured Cats, setting up shop with their respective Hellstar and Sphinx lines building Assault Mechs tailored to their preferences… not to mention the Horses’ Cygnus, Bears’ Ryoken II and Falcons’ Jupiter. The Sharks decided this simply would not do.
The Sharks’ trading post on Itabaiana, previously the source of much-needed Homeworld equipment to the Nova Cats (and probable brokerage site for illicit trade with the Bears) was apparently expanded to a full enclave with extensive manufacturing facilities post-Jihad. Stepping off the Itabaiana lines came the Mad Cat Mk II Enhanced, which seems to have succeeded in gaining an appreciation amongst the IS Clans that its ancestor didn’t.
And no wonder. The main showpiece of the Enhanced is its stylishly-sculpted shell of Hardened Armour, increasing its effective protection to 160% of the Mk II. Though the Enhanced is the first of the Mk II series in the slow Assault Mech role, moving slightly slower across level terrain at 4/5/4, it does change the Clan Assault paradigm; the Jupiter et al can mount as many guns as they like, but at this time, only the Enhanced could offer better survivability…
…naturally coming at the cost of firepower. The LRM-10s and a pair of ERMLs remain, but the Gausses and the other pair of ERMLs are replaced by a pair of ER Large Pulse Lasers. I can think of other, more traditional weapons that might have served instead of the new-fangled ER pulsers. 18 DHSs allow the Enhanced to fire in all sorts of combinations up to firing everything except one ER LPL and staying reasonably cool. This is significantly less firepower than the original Mk II not to mention giving up any chance at a headcap; at long range that is an approximate firepower reduction of 20% (with due allowance for the LPLs -1 bonus) while at short range the loss in potential damage is about 45%.
In summary, the Enhanced out-armours the Original by 60%, and the Original out-shoots the Enhanced by vaguely the same (incidentally, this is borne out by their respective Alpha Strike stats). I suppose it’s really a judgement call whichever one prefers. One way or another it appears the IS Clans sat up and took notice, with every Clan except the Jade Falcons picking up a few units.
Mad Cat Mk II 4, 3090 – Debuting a little later (and only available in Record Sheets 3145 NTNU), the Mk II 4 is an old-skool throwback to the original. Like the II 3 it moves 4/6/4 and maximises armour but shifts 1 point forward on each side torso (at last!) to make them just proof against double Clan ER PPC or Gauss hits, and again carries that superfluous Light Active Probe – so no, the Sharks still haven’t learned about the Jade Phoenix…
20 double heat sinks power the II 4’s main weaponry, namely double over-under ER Large Lasers on both arms, supported by LRM-15 shoulder racks and an exceedingly generous (for Clans) 24 salvoes each. This might suggest the possibility of using alternative munitions – remember Clan systems can also fire Anti-Radiation, Heat-Seeking, Smoke, Swarm and Thunder LRMs. Unlike the other Mk IIs heretofore, the Mk II 4 is unaccountably equipped with Lower Arm Actuators, and hence cannot flip backwards and deal with backstabbers.
While a 4-3-3 pattern can be made with the ER LLs at very long ranges, and closer in firing three ER LLs and one LRM-15 makes for highly sustainable damage output, unfortunately I cannot see much that really promotes the II 4 over the original. I can think of a couple of Clan Heavies that perform better, to be frank. Perhaps the II 4 is meant to fight in extended battles – if so, it should stick to fencing at long range.
Mad Cat Mk II 5, 3109 – The Mk II 5’s chassis is similar to the Mk II 4, though with only 14 double heat sinks, but packs in 6 Improved Jump Jets to make a real flyer of an Assault Mech. Armed with only a Gauss Rifle with 16 shots, an Improved Heavy Large Laser and Improved Heavy Medium Laser, this is clearly a model for the tight confines of urban combat. The modus operandi is clearly to use those IJJs to constantly position oneself behind or out of reach of an enemy and savage rear armour with hard-hitting single shots.
I’m not convinced it’s really a workable strategy to trade away fully half your firepower for. Especially against Clantech which can easily amass banks of ERMLs and HMLs to accomplish similar damage output in smaller, faster Mechs. Who wins the backstabbing game then? I’d like to hear the opinions of any who’ve used this model.
Mad Cat Mk II 6, 3139 – Finally, we have the Mk II 6, the Sharks’ latest entry in the series and all poised to wade into the latest conflagration all guns firing and sporting the absolute latest in Clantech… and that is the brand-new Harjel III Repair System, taking Elemental suit repair systems to ever greater heights. Harjel III is simple and straightforward; every time the protected location suffers an armour hit, that location repairs a total of 4 points of damage at the end of the turn, up to the limit of the installed armour.
As the Mk II 6 carries near-maximum armour on all locations (minus just about 1.5 tons or 29 points) and Harjel III on all torsos and limbs, the result is a redefinition of the word “zombie” to “self-healing zombie”, and if that phrase alone doesn’t scare the pants off you, it… well… should. A location shot with an IS PPC will heal 60% of the shot. An IS Medium Laser or LRM volley, 80%. Harjel III laughs at SRMs and LBX Cluster. If your shots scatter as badly as mine does in gameplay, you can spin up your trusty Davionista RAC-5 and spit a quarter-ton of shells at the Mk II 6, and watch each round land on separate locations and do no more damage than an LBX-5.
“Nuke it from orbit, it’s the only way to make sure” must really have been a thought crossing the mind of more than one of the Mk II 6’s opponents, especially the Steiners and Mariks who probably watched these things lumbering unstoppably at them like some mechanical horror movie monster. Alright, to be honest it’s not really that bad, but it does take significant amounts of concentrated fire to bring down this beast. Perhaps the real danger it poses is that while you’re busy focusing fire on the Mk II 6, its Starmates are busy focusing fire on your far-more-squishy units.
Like the Mk II Enhanced, the Mk II 6 sacrifices firepower for this protection and carries just 2 ER PPCs and 4 ER MLs. 20 double heat sinks mean you should start firing the moment those Clan headcappers are in range, aim to come closer and switch in the lasers and a PPC.
Notable Pilots
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Why, none other than Star Colonel Aisa Thastus of New Exford, Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries, naturally. Once a vicious Clan marauder, now our vicious Clan marauder – perhaps a little ironically, considering the Mad Cat Mk II’s place in the Clantech export market.
Final Thoughts
In a way, it’s fascinating to see the ways the Mad Cat Mk II has evolved over the years. It’s almost a shame that the chassis isn’t an OmniMech, because each different variant plays a distinct role – the Original is the disgustingly min-maxed 3060s Gauss-ERML combo we all know and have a complex love-hate relationship with, then we have the Close Combat, HAG and Defence (aka Hardened Armour) variants, then the ERLL, IJJ and the Really Very Advanced Tech variants. Many of these require a shift in gameplay style to various degrees.
At the end of the day, perhaps the best measure of a Mech is its “Fun Quotient”, (though some might say only winning is fun), and regardless of how min-maxed or not a design is, the more fun you have with it, the better. And I can say that while I may have my preferences (which I think I have made obvious enough), nearly every variant of the Mad Cat Mk II lineup is fun to play in different ways. On that score I’d give it an 8.5/10 at least.
What do you think?