From TRO:3145 - Mercenaries
If there’s one ProtoMech that made me raise my eyebrows, it’s the Hippogriff. What we got here was a fascinating example of what sort of niche ProtoMechs could specialize in, filling a role that both ‘Mechs and Battle Armor would be hard-pressed to match in such a cheap and efficient package. Even more, it was proof that the Ravens had fully accepted that they were a part of the Inner Sphere - and would now be facing honorless, spheroid opposition. The Hippogriff isn’t made to engage using Zell, hell, it’s barely a true damage-dealing combat unit. The Clans of the Homeworlds would shudder at the sight of this ProtoMech, one that somehow seems more reminiscent of the purely supportive Boggart rather than the similarly-designed Sprite.
HIPPOGRIFF
INTRO: 3110
FACTIONS: Raven Alliance, Hell's Horses
WEAPONS: LRM-2 (x2) (48 shots)
ARMOR INTERNAL
(2) (2) Arms -> Cored: 24 pts
/ \ / \ Legs -> Cored: 33 pts
(4 / 10 \ 4) (2 / 8 \ 2) Torso -> Cored: 18 pts
| | | | | | Legs -> Destroyed: 15 pts
( 10 ) ( 5 )
The first thing to take note of is the Hippogriff’s use of a Partial Wing. The Partial Wing isn’t an efficient choice for most ProtoMechs; it weighs an astronomical 20% of a ProtoMech's total mass, completely eclipsing the weight demands of standard or even improved jump jets. This makes their usage largely wasteful. Even here on the Hippogriff, a standard 5/8 engine (weighing 2000 kg) combined with seven improved jump jets (1400 kg) would be lighter than the 3/5/7 deal that it has going on (for a total of 3600 kg). This inefficiency isn’t always a bad thing, though - and it certainly isn’t in BV-balanced games. Here, the vastly reduced ground speed slashes the Speed Factor BV multiplier from 1.89 down to 1.50, allowing you to field the Hippogriff in situations where it'd otherwise be too expensive.
This 3/5/7 movement is already somewhat remarkable for a ProtoMech (the only other jump-7 ProtoMechs out there are the Satyr 2 and Boggart 2). The Hippogriff's firepower remains unique, but less in regards to its weaponry rather than the amount of ammo it carries. The dual LRM-2s give it the ability to plink at range - nothing more, nothing less. This can be taken advantage of in a few ways; critseeking is always a possibility, while crippling vehicles is a definite option with the high jump letting Hippogriffs shoot at just the right angles to get those juicy motive hits. And frankly, the Hippogriff should be jumping at each and every opportunity. Unlike many other ProtoMechs out there, it has the ammo reserves to fire at increased to-hit numbers, giving it functionality that things like the Hydra 3 can struggle with. What is it bad at? Well, actual combat. Trying to engage 'Mechs or vehicles with standard missiles won't see them deal enough damage to make those Hippogriffs relevant in any situation.
The deep ammo bins demand more discussion. I fully believe that they’re the Hippogriff's greatest strength. You see, having such deep bins allows you to delve into the wonderful world of alternate munitions. No Hippogriff should be fielded without its share of specialty missiles, and in its case, I’d suggest going for Thunder and Smoke rounds. The Thunder rounds will allow you to place a total of ten different (miniature) minefields per round; while they won’t deal much damage individually, they can easily saturate an area to create a threat-zone that infantry, vehicles and light ‘Mechs will at least hesitate crossing. Don’t forget that the Thunder rounds can also be combined - if there’s a particularly vital patch of land that you have to deny, a full Point’s worth of firepower will quickly create a 20-point minefield that will threaten death to any infantry platoon that missteps.
The second option, Smoke rounds, are massive force multipliers. Here the Hippogriff is an excellent support unit for other ProtoMechs; a single Hippogriff Point within a larger ProtoMech Star can provide enough smoke to help its allies close, or strategic smoke to increase to-hit modifiers once combat is joined. That same Point of Hippogriffs can work alongside a friendly Star of ‘Mechs, guaranteeing that the Star will have full smoke coverage every round. Of course, full points aren’t required either; throwing two Hippogriffs in a single Point will give the remaining three ProtoMechs an additional +1 to-hit, making them even harder to put down. This is where the Hippogriff's speed becomes truly useful: it is able to keep up with the many quick and mobile units within the Raven Touman. Units like the Gorgon or Centaur will ultimately fall behind the more agile 'Mechs the Ravens typically field.
Other alternate ammo choices exist, but will usually be more situational or depend on whether you're allowing IS missile types with Clan launchers or not. Another useful Clan option is carrying a few Incendiary LRM rounds for some quick fire-starting options, giving you some added area-denial against infantry or other heat-wary units. Just make sure your own ProtoMechs aren't hampered by these fires, and you'll be good to go. Combine all of these ammo options with the high-jump and decent armor of the Hippogriff and you have a low-priority unit that your opponents will be loath wasting firepower to put down. Experiment, whether it's by fielding a few or many, but give all of those missile types a try. Most importantly, make sure to strike fear into the hearts and minds of the Combine, FedSuns and Pirate forces that have no idea how to fight against a ProtoMech-heavy force.
Iron Wind Metals:
https://store.ironwindmetals.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=10092Master Unit List:
http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Filter?Name=Hippogriff