Mech of the Week - Shrike

[marauder648]

Shrike Battlemech

Weight – 95 Tons
Max Speed – 64kph
Jump distance – 150 meters

The Shrike is the largest of Clan Jade Falcons totem inspired Mechs, rounding out the weight classes for the Falcons IMMA BIRD!! Looks.

At 95-tons the Shrike fills the same weight bracket as the older Turkina, but the two Mechs couldn’t be more different. Whereas the Turkina is a slow, very heavily armed battering ram of a Mech, the Shrike is a rapier. Its design is about finesse, controlling an engagement and the battle with its speed and agility which are surprising for a Mech its size.

The Shrike’s DNA can be traced back to the Onager, a fearsome looking but under-gunned design that entered service in the 3080’s. Adding 5-tons of weight as well as employing the full range of weight saving materials, including an XL engine, Endo-Steel and Ferro Fibrous armour, the Shrike can carry a lot more equipment than the Onager ever could. At the cost that its got limited internal space. All of which is protected by 15-tons of Ferro-Fibrous armour giving the Shrike almost the full protection for its weight class.

With the success of the Eyrie and Gyrfalcon, the already imposing looks of the Onager were enhanced, making it more birdlike. This is most prominently helped with the inclusion of a Partial Wing system that the Falcons were deploying on many Mechs. Whereas the Onager used hugely heavy Improved Jump Jets, these were not used on the Shrike. Instead the standard Grandthrust Mk5 jumpjets would let the Mech jump up to 120 meters, the Partial Wing adding another 30 meters of jumping range. Its ground speed was also an improvement over the Onager and Turkina. A 380 rated XL engine lets it hit 64kph. So, you’ve got a fast, and agile Mech, but the weight saving equipment, jump jets and partial wing all have their own cost and the Shrike is lacking internal space due to the amount of equipment it carries.

Still this didn’t stop the Falcons from falling in love with the fearsome looking design as it ticks all the boxes for speed and jumping that the Falcons love so much, combined with its looks its no wonder the Shrike became the MUST HAVE ride for Falcon Officers.

But by far the Shrikes most notorious pilot is the Falcons current Khan, Malvina Hazen who is either genocidal or pretty much omnicidal (as well as sociopathic, sadistic etc etc. She's a veritable catalogue of crazy). Either way she’s a terror to face either in person or on the Battlefield in her customised Shrike the Black Rose.

Variants

Standard – The standard Shrike emphasises that the Mech’s meant to be used carefully and by someone who knows how to use and abuse its positive traits. Like the smaller Gyrfalcon, the Shrike is made to fight at long range. Using its jump jets and Partial wing to hop around, picking an opponent apart before closing in to finish them off. A pair of ER Large lasers give the Mech its hardest direct punch whilst an LRM-10 mounted in the chest add more long-range firepower and a somewhat limited indirect fire punch.
At slightly shorter ranges a Warrior can then employ the dual Ultra AC-5’s mounted in the left arm to chip away at a foe. Whilst this may seem somewhat weak firepower for a 95-ton Clan Mech, the lasers and AC’s are tied into a targeting computer, and if these things are piloted by a high ranking officer, then they are probably going to be good shots, made even better thanks to the accuracy of the targeting computer.
The Mech’s 12 heatsinks even aided by the cooling provided by the Partial Wings are overwhelmed by this weapons load and jumping and firing the lot will put you at +9 heat before taking into account any external factors.

Its used like an oversized Gyrfalcon, bounce around at long range, using your impressive jumping range to control the fight and stop someone coming too close, wearing them down with ER lasers before coming in finishing the fight with the Ultra AC’s and firing ER large lasers as needed.

2 – The Shrike 2 is at the opposite end of the bell curve when compared to the Shrike. The 2’s job is to get into medium to short range and stay there. Stripping out all the weapons save the LRM-10 the 2 is armed with a pair of Ultra AC-10’s and a pair of ER Medium lasers.  Dropping down to 11 heatsinks the Mech still over heats like the standard Shrike, but not so violently. Two double taps from the Ultras, the lasers, LRM and jumping will put you at +5 heat. Whereas the standard Shrike wants to keep away, the 2 wants to go “No! Do not run! I SAID DO NOT RUN!!!” using its ground speed and jumping to stop people trying to disengage from you. I’m not sure if this is really the best use for the Shrike though. When you get down to it, the Shrike 2 is under gunned and you’d probably be better off using a Turkina in the close assault role.

3 – The Shrike 3 was inspired by Malvina Hazen’s Black Rose and she clearly wanted a Mech that ran as hot as her all consuming rage. To this end they took a standard Shrike, removed the ultra AC-5’s and added a pair of ER PPC’s whilst cramming heatsinks into every bit of available space. Still the 17 laser heatsinks and the Partial Wing can’t come anywhere near close to dealing with the heat surge of an alpha strike which will put you at +25 if you fire the lot and jump. Admittedly, the Mech that gets hit by that lot will also be wondering what the hell happened. But you’ll be lucky if the Shrike 3 does not then cripple itself with its LRM ammo cooking off. Of course, the targeting computer’s still there and if you are facing the Black Rose I can only assume that Khan Hazen is a very good shot and what she points her guns at, she’s not going to miss, the targeting computer just makes doubly sure of this.

Thoughts

Unlike many Clan assaults, the Shrike is a far more subtle weapon of war than one might expect. Its not made to run up to you, scream I LIKE ICE CREAM!!! And then blat you with an ultra-20 or bury you under a wall of LRM’s. Its designed to pick you apart at long range. The 2 is the outlier of this but the standard Shrike and the 3 are built to take you apart with you barely being able to get a shot in reply. It’s a Mech that rewards patience, skill and a good gunner because by the time your opponent gets close, hopefully they’ll be so worn down that finishing them off will be easy.

Do I think its perfect? No, the pair of Ultra’s would be far better served if they were replaced with a Gauss rifle some ammo and heatsinks. The Black Rose (aka Shrike 3) is hilariously over gunned for its cooling whilst the Shrike 2 is a bit unspectacular, its basically a jumping Cygnus.
What the Shrike is, is it’s a different experience. Its no alpha baby, and its not a gauss boat or something. This is a Mech that requires a bit of finesse and forethought in its use. Using one like a normal assault will be a poor use of its capabilities, but once you know how to use this Mech, you can drive opponents crazy as you slowly pick away at their armour, whilst they simply can’t get close. And if something smaller tries to get close, you’ve got the firepower to flatten it whilst most Heavy and Assault Mech’s will be left floundering in your wake, especially if you use and abuse terrain and woods to hide and cooldown.

Oh and a hint for fighting one. If you can, rip off the right arm. Its where the targetting computer is in all three variants.








Its been a LONG time since i've done one of these, too long! So any thoughts, comments and the like are most welcome!

[SCC]

Given my first thought upon hearing the name of this 'Mech was the Shrike from the Hyperion Cantos, I have to say that say that this is a some what under whelming design in comparison.

[Wrangler]

When i first saw this / read this in the Dark Age Novels, I thought it was bit...underwhelming for a Clan Mech, lacking Omni-technology.  Like most of the early Dark Age stuff, the game wasn't designed to deal with flexibility of the OmniMechs until later.  I suspect that was reason why the Mech wasn't Omni in the Dark Age games and ultimately in the fluff of the novels.

The WizKid art was good for it as was the original plastic mini they put out, but underwhelming in the TRO.  The TRO art doesn't do it justice considering how nice the thing looked prior to the book's publication.

I believe the Shrike can be fearsome machine i think if it's in the right hands.  I though honestly that the Mech would have Talons given the descriptions of how Malvina was using it.   With Clan LRMs, at least it's not completely helpless if it get closer range with it's targets, not dealing with minimums range issues. 

[Weirdo]

This is a mech that needs a veteran or elite pilot to get the most use out of it. It's just begging for someone with a gunnery skill high enough to run and jump all day while still pulling every firing trick out of TacOps to land those shots for maximum effect. It also helps that the Falcons of the 32nd Century aren't near as melee-averse as their ancestors, so if someone does start to get close, you can rapidly dash into their face and deliver devastating 95-ton melee strikes.

The more I look at it, the more I want to call it a Banshee IIC.

Where is this image from?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I've only gone up against a Shrike once and I didn't find its performance all that spectacular.  Maybe on a really big map while dueling, but most of the time it just doesn't have enough firepower for a mech that size.  Especially on a Dark Age battlefield where it can reasonably expect to run into something like a Hellstar, whose general reaction to the Shrike is "I'm gonna beat you till candy comes out!"

[SteelRaven]

The Shrike 'looks' impressive, my fist introduction to it via book cover brought back that 90's love of the Clan stuff. It does need to be treated like a big heavy, so many may rather use the new Thor or Hel but at least the Shrike has the armor for it's weight class.

[Empyrus]

I like it, but then again i like Ultra ACs so...

The standard version is a sniper. It can throw 50 points at 21 hexes. Not the most impressive amount compared to some, but at the same time the thing has impressive mobility for its size and excellent armor. Wear an enemy down.
Heat management is a bit tricky but i'll note that laser sinks reduce probability of ammo explosions, so letting heat go high isn't as bad as it could be. With some quick and probably inaccurate headmath, substituting the LRM for a laser after two rounds should do keep heat manageable, more often if jumping around a lot.

It does need a good pilot to make most of it, but then again it is a command 'Mech and among the Clans, especially Jade Falcons, commanders need to be good shots. With Clan standard pilots, the thing costs 4,097 BV. For contrast, the Hellstar would be 4,255 BV, and there's quite a bit one can do with that roughly 200 BV. (Yes, one could argue the Hellstar is a better deal since it throws 4xheadcappers every round but it is also gonna attract a lot of attention unlike the Shrike. Also this is much more interesting unit than the Hellstar.)

I'm not so enthused about the Shrike 2. Its limited endurance is an issue, which makes me think it is really a duelist variant. Consider a Clan 1v1 Trial. The Shrike 2 gets in close and unloads everything, should do nice amount of damage due to its mildly higher damage output compared to the standard.

And the Shrike 3. Don't like this one at all. I don't like net-zero heat designs: "if it can't overheat, it doesn't have enough firepower", but there's a limit to that, and the Shrike 3 exceeds that by far. The incredible expense doesn't help any, the Hellstar 2 is cheaper and it can consistently throw three TarComp-augmented ERPPCs, with fourth every now and then!

[grimlock1]

I believe the Shrike can be fearsome machine i think if it's in the right hands.  I though honestly that the Mech would have Talons given the descriptions of how Malvina was using it.   With Clan LRMs, at least it's not completely helpless if it get closer range with it's targets, not dealing with minimums range issues.

In the right hands, almost anything can be fearsome. That said, this has a lot of potential, if you can learn to dance with it.

Idle question:  how did this weapons load perform under MWDA rules?

[marauder648]

I like the idea that its a big, VERY big heavy :) It makes sense.

And the coloured picture is by Shimmering Sword, I don't know what its for or if it was just a project he did.

And yeah the Shrike's always looked a bit iffy. Its why I had Matt Plog do this one.



Its an AU version of the Shrike but the main difference is the weapons.

[Scotty]

Ultras gets bad rap.  Nowhere else in the game is the potential for four 10-point hits and a direct fire broadside that can clear 60 points of damage ever going to be called "anemic".

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The issue is that they don't hit with the double-tap regularly enough, and the chance of bricking is a serious problem that essentially no other weapon systems have.

[Empyrus]

Both Shrike and Shrike 2 have little enough ammo i don't see jamming to be a serious issue. (10 and 7.5 turns per gun with rapid fire.)

Unless you're one of those players with chronically bad luck.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

No, but it is an issue and that's one more mark against them.

And if an Ultra 10 on the 2 jams, there goes a substantial part of the mech's firepower.

[Ruger]

I like the idea that its a big, VERY big heavy :) It makes sense.

And yeah the Shrike's always looked a bit iffy. Its why I had Matt Plog do this one.



Its an AU version of the Shrike but the main difference is the weapons.

That pic has given me an idea for a pretty nasty variant...not sure many would like it, but, I rather do.

Ruger

[glitterboy2098]

i find it hilarious that a character who is about as subtle as a brick through a glass window was given a mech that requires subtle, careful piloting to get the best use out of.

[Scotty]

The issue is that they don't hit with the double-tap regularly enough, and the chance of bricking is a serious problem that essentially no other weapon systems have.

The 2-column sucks, it's true (actually, that gives me an interesting idea for a house rule....), but the odds of a UAC/10 bricking in 10 turns is less than 25%.

Even taking into account double-tap odds, you're looking at 48 damage on average (14 for the UACs each, 6 for the LRM-10).  That's not exactly a small number.

[Wrangler]

Both Shrike and Shrike 2 have little enough ammo i don't see jamming to be a serious issue. (10 and 7.5 turns per gun with rapid fire.)

Unless you're one of those players with chronically bad luck.

Hmmmm...what Jadefalcon player would be possibly have that much bad luck...hmmmm (points in JadeHellbringer general direction). [Wrangler runs off]

[Kidd]

I think of it as a faster, jumpy Jupiter, so it's not that bad.

Looking at raw firepower output, you're always never going to outgun a 100-ton, 3/5, XLFE Clan OmniMech. So given the speed, adjust expectations, that's what I think.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The 2-column sucks, it's true (actually, that gives me an interesting idea for a house rule....), but the odds of a UAC/10 bricking in 10 turns is less than 25%.

Yeah, it's not a big risk, but it's a present risk and it really cripples the mech when it happens, since the Shrike has so few guns to begin with.

Even taking into account double-tap odds, you're looking at 48 damage on average (14 for the UACs each, 6 for the LRM-10).  That's not exactly a small number.

It's not bad, per say, it's just unimpressive for a Clan assault mech.  As was stated earlier, the Shrike really functions better if you think about it as an absurdly well-armored heavy mech.

[Fallen_Raven]

The Shrike feels kind of like something from the Gundam franchise. The kind of unit assigned to ace pilots who can make use of the real capabilities that elude the average pilot. The mobility and armor fit this archetype pretty well, as does the long range nature of the weapons. This is even more useful when you consider the majority of opponents in the Dark Age would be vehicles or infantry, and the Shrike would have to get through several of those on the way to the enemies 'mech forces.

[mmmpi]

This feels like a larger Phoenix Hawk IIC.

How would this do against the Jade Falcon's traditional enemies?  I feel like, for example, that the edge in armor and fire power for a 'typical' Lyran force would give this mech a harder time.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

It really depends on whether or not the Shrike is allowed to maneuver and try to make maximum use of its range abilities.  If it's put into a situation where it has to stand up and fight, it's got problems.

[Firesprocket]

I have yet to run a Shrike, however my outstanding issues is not with the movement and protection, it is the choice in weaponry and/or heat sinks allocated to the mech.  With the massive engine every configuration should aim to stack as many free HS into the engine and take a weapon suite to take advantage of that fact.  The only one that does is the Shrike 3, but it goes overboard on ER weapons.  It would seem to me Pulse lasers should have been the way to go to offset the penalties to hit from moving and pack something like an ATM launcher for more pop then the LRM-10.

[JadeHellbringer]

Both Shrike and Shrike 2 have little enough ammo i don't see jamming to be a serious issue. (10 and 7.5 turns per gun with rapid fire.)

Unless you're one of those players with chronically bad luck.

Luckily, no Jade Falcon players have that problem.

OK, I want to give a few thoughts on the Shrike, but I have a meeting in a few, so I'll have to just put my one main gripe here and come back to the rest later. I love the 1 and 2, but the 3... let's talk problems. The issue is clear- heat. Why would you build a Mech with that much long-range energy power, then not give it the heat sinks to use more than half of it? We know the Clans can do better than that when it comes to long-range energy boat assaults- the Warhawk C dates back to before the invasion, after all, and look at the Hellstar being built right next door! So what's the deal here?

My personal opinion (and that's ALL this is): It's due to an error.

I believe that while the Shrike 3 we have is based on stripping the autocannons from a Shrike 1 and putting on PPCs, the actual intent when Malvina's variant was described in the novels was that it's a Shrike 2 that was the basis- in which case, the lasers in the torso are ER Mediums, NOT ER Large. That drops your heat output- and weight- by an enormous amount, as well as the size of the computer to boot. What to do with that weight depends on your opinion, but even reading Flight of the Falcon I was under the impression that it was a pair of medium lasers as her backup weaponry- so the Shrike 3 was a huge (and unpleasant) surprise.

I'm known to be wrong, of course, but that's been my standpoint since the novel came out at least. As it is, it makes the Shrike 3 a paper tiger- looks scary, but total wimp in the end compared to similar-sized Mechs, including the other two Shrikes. Also, it is absolutely BEGGING to get slapped with plasma weapons.

[marauder648]

Luckily, no Jade Falcon players have that problem.


My personal opinion (and that's ALL this is): It's due to an error.

I believe that while the Shrike 3 we have is based on stripping the autocannons from a Shrike 1 and putting on PPCs, the actual intent when Malvina's variant was described in the novels was that it's a Shrike 2 that was the basis- in which case, the lasers in the torso are ER Mediums, NOT ER Large. That drops your heat output- and weight- by an enormous amount, as well as the size of the computer to boot. What to do with that weight depends on your opinion, but even reading Flight of the Falcon I was under the impression that it was a pair of medium lasers as her backup weaponry- so the Shrike 3 was a huge (and unpleasant) surprise.

I like this idea, the problem is you're then left with a LOT of tonnage and zero room for it. having 4 crits left over and 7.5 tons. I'm gonna fiddle around and see what I can come up with, i'll put a thread in the Mech forum for folks to post their own takes on the Big Burd.

*edit*

Threads up.

https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=65854.0

[grimlock1]

The issue is that they don't hit with the double-tap regularly enough, and the chance of bricking is a serious problem that essentially no other weapon systems have.

The inclusion of partial wings brings in other experimental tech.  HV ACs, standard ACs with Caseless ammo, and PPCs with capacitors all risk bricking on snake eyes. Capacitor driven PPCs at least have the option firing safely, as well as not needing the cluster table, but the HVACs and Caseless ammo run that risk on every shot.  On the other hand, the failure number is fixed at 2 for all those weapons.

i find it hilarious that a character who is about as subtle as a brick through a glass window was given a mech that requires subtle, careful piloting to get the best use out of.

Yeah, I having that thought too.  Although there was a scene where she was sparring with her brother, written from his POV.  He describes her as a mix of patience and strategy, mixed with a can of Whoop Ass that was put in an industrial paint shaker.

[marauder648]

The inclusion of partial wings brings in other experimental tech.  HV ACs, standard ACs with Caseless ammo, and PPCs with capacitors all risk bricking on snake eyes. Capacitor driven PPCs at least have the option firing safely, as well as not needing the cluster table, but the HVACs and Caseless ammo run that risk on every shot.  On the other hand, the failure number is fixed at 2 for all those weapons.
Yeah, I having that thought too.  Although there was a scene where she was sparring with her brother, written from his POV.  He describes her as a mix of patience and strategy, mixed with a can of Whoop Ass that was put in an industrial paint shaker.

The problem is that now she's utterly broken because of the death of her brother. Although I think that's just made her more cold and calculating, as well as utterly merciless. It's not like she sitting in the cockpit braying and roaring over the open mic...is she?

[Scotty]

Malvina Hazen is insane, she's not stupid.  It would be wise (in character and out) not to forget either her patience or her cunning in the face of her brutality.

[JadeHellbringer]

Malvina Hazen is insane, she's not stupid.  It would be wise (in character and out) not to forget either her patience or her cunning in the face of her brutality.

Hard to argue that. From what we saw of her, she's one of the most skilled warriors of her era, on par with Alaric Wolf and Anastasia Kerensky at the very least. She may be nuttier than squirrel crap, but she's a damned good Mechwarrior- and brutal to a fault, to boot. Remember, even prior to her mental snap after the death of her brother, she was famed for never allowing an opponent in a Trial to survive. You don't earn a record like that by being merciful- or average-skilled.

[wantec]

In the right hands, almost anything can be fearsome. That said, this has a lot of potential, if you can learn to dance with it.

Idle question:  how did this weapons load perform under MWDA rules?

In MWDA Shrikes were mid to short ranged, heavy hiiting, accurate, and fast for assault 'Mechs. They all had jump jets and had a massive cooling rating that let them restart in a single turn after shutting down (most mechs took 2-3 turns).



Proper use of a Shrike all comes from mindset & tactics. Even though it is a second-line Mech, it has Jade Falcon styling and is an assault Mech; these will not be assigned to just anyone. Likely Clan veteran pilots will pilot a Shrike, ones with the gunnery skills to fight at long range.

A Shrike is best used as a Gyrfalcon's bigger brother. The main version mounts similar weapons and should be used in a similar manner. Fight at long range with the ERLLs and autocannons, move just inside medium range if you can keep the opponent at long range. Take advantage of the TC and jump every turn unless it needs to cool down or run for better target numbers. A full 5 hex jump nets a +3 to-hit modifier while the TC limits its attacker modifer to only +2. The LRMs are window dressing and occasionally for crit-seeking once the enemy armor is open.

The Shrike 2 is similar, just at closer ranges. The closer ranges likely mean jumping every turn along with careful range bracket manipulation and use of cover. Once again, ignore the LRMs until later.

The Shrike 3 is not as wacky as it seems is a jumping relative of the Warhawk Prime. It has 4 main energy weapons, a TC, some back up LRMs and not enough heat sinks. More heat sinks would be great, but it's not impossible to use in combinations:
-2xERLL & jump = -9 heat
-2xERPPC & jump = -3 heat
-2xERLL & 1xERPPC & jump = +6 heat
-2xERPPC & 1xERLL & run = +7 heat
-2xERPPC & 1xERLL & jump = +9 heat
-2xERPPC & 2xERLL = +17 heat

Those first two overheat values stay under +1 to-hit modifier and the last one is just shy of the avoid shutdown at 6+ (still have an avoid shutdown at 4+). At all these levels, movement is largely unaffected (jumping is almost always the best choice).

With most turns spent jumping & firing 2-3 weapons at long ranges a Shrike 3 will be just as annoying & potent of an enemy as the Shrike 1.