Your Favorite/Standard Armies? Post them here!

[Captain of C-21]

I thought it would be a good idea to get a little more liveliness on this subforum, and what better way than to discuss armies builds!  Feel free to include any good stories of you using them.  These armies can be anything, from Origins-competitive to Faction Pure fluff-friendly.


My favorite army was a faction-pure Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat force

- 212pts "Veteran" Clan Nova Cat
- 38pts     w/Alberto DeJesus
- 3pts       w/Camouflage
- 162pts  "Rising Sun" Wendigo
- 38pts     w/Arzu Shishelki

- 39pts    "Veteran" Bishop Transport VTOL
- 69pts    "Elite" Thunderbird Battle Armor  x3

- 39pts    "Green" Hoverbike Squad  x3

Total: 600pts

Tactics: The Nova Cat and Wendigo work in tandem, with the Nova Cat using TSEMP at 16" range to hit and shut down any opposing mechs, before the Wendigo moves in to add its own attack.  Inversely, the Wendigo can go in first if there's an opposing heavy or assault that needs to be taken down a click or two before the Nova Cat can feel safe to hit it hard.  The Thunderbirds then get dropped for some formation fire on any torn-up opponents.  Hoverbikes are there to tie up anything that needs to be slowed down, or go for VC3 at an opportune time.

I've been using this army since the Annihilation expansion came out, so it's seen plenty of battles.  I think my faavorite were against a buddy who used to play ROTS/Highlanders.  He was fielding a "Peacemaker" Malice with Elemental Battle Armor, Centaur Battle Armor, and some vehicles.  I showed him a tactic right before the battle on how he could put his Centaur and Malice together in hindering to get some absurd defense value on the infantry.  I stayed away from the Malice since it was hiding out in the woods for most of the match, but about half-way through I threw my Wendigo at the Malice and managed to crack it open.  The Nova Cat and Thunderbirds then fell on him and it was all over.

[GhostCat]

You might find the attached link interesting to read.  The original intention was the same as this thread, though it turned out to be just me talking about some armies I had fun with.

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,10207.0.html

Back on the WK forums, I was constantly promoting the use of Standard (or 'common') units and army builds.  When others were posting armies that only "Mr Suitcase" could afford to buy on eBay featuring rare and expensive units, I looked for common units that were easy to find and use.  Then taught players how to use them to counter the more competitive expensive Tent Pole armies.

There was a lot of good stuff that often got neglected by players looking for the Uber Army of the Week. 

My favorite army was entierly Dark Age Spirit Cats, one Blackhawk Alpha Striker, two Koshi Charge Monkeys, ten Flaming CBAs, and five Dancing Hoverbikes.  For 600 points, you couldn't get a cheaper or tougher battle group.  It has the Big Gun, which needs to Rest for three turns after each use (some cats like to mostly sleep).  Base-and-Break Attacks were easy using jump jets, Hover move mode and Evade, which also made the Range Attack Formations more reliable, too.  And, of course, we have Capture Teams for everybody not trying to get VC3 in massive bunches.

When AoD came with new rules for Assault Orders and Friendly Fire, this army finally retired, defeated only by the changing Game Mechanics.

GC

[Captain of C-21]

Well shoot, I knew I should've looked for a thread like this before posting.  If the mods want to merge the two and keep GhostCat's up that is fine by me. 

I've got some more armies build, this time these are armies I've just put together.  You see, my local library got interested in the mechwarrior club I am trying to get back together there, and the one librarian in charge of youth club asked if I could teach their local gaming group (Any youth who wanted to play, specifically) Mechwarrior:Dark Age!  Our one member just moved away and left us a lot of stuff, so I have been going through and building armies out of it to let the library hold on to.  Depending on how into the game the kids get, we may let them keep the stuff after a while.  I'm going to be donating some of my stuff too (mostly some infantry, our friend donated tons of mechs), so I'm hoping this gets off to a good start.  Already have 6-8 kids interested!

Rasalhague Dominion New Armies

Army 1
1 Karhu “Balder” 208pts
w/Dusan Bekker 38pts
1 Mongrel “Hod” 140pts
w/Gregory Stiehl 32pts
w/Single-Use Evade 22pts
1 Kinnol MBT
4 Clan Battle Armor 17/68pts (Domination)
Rasalhague Dominion Faction Pride
Total: 599pts
OR substitute out one CBA (Dom) for one CBA (Vanguard) for 600 exact

Army 2
1 Karhu “Claw” 199pts
w/Yasu Akiyama 35pts
w/Single-Use Evade 26pts
1 Solitaire “Hermod” 112pts
w/Nuo Chien 27pts
w/Evade 33pts
4 Gnome Battle Armor 22/88pts
2 Clan Battle Armor 18/36pts
2 Ravager Battle Armor 22/44pts
Total: 600pts

Both of these armies are supposed to get in close and personal.  The first one plays with range a little bit first though, I'm thinking the Mongrel can lay down some covering fire while the Karhu gets into position to start wailing.  The two 'mechs provide cover fro the Kinnol, and the Clan Battle Armor are meant to take advantage of any mess the 'mechs create.  Or go after enemy infantry.

Army 2 doesn't even care about ranged combat, it just runs straight into the thick of it.  Infantry formations are 2 Gnomes and 1 CBA, each flanking one of the 'mechs.  The Ravagers are there as point filler.

[GhostCat]

It's all good.  Keep posting and let people know what you like about your armies.  Talk about the suplimental cards you might use to support your army build.  Playable armies don't have to be limited to a few restricted pieces with special abilities that had to be nerfed before Wizkids would allow them in Organized Play.  (yea they did that, designed game breaking pieces then "fixed" them in a very lengthy FAQ)

It was always fun to build armies, post them up and talk about the metagame as it changed with each new developement.  Planetary Conditions helped protect or destroyed strategies depending on carefully laid out Terrain Features.  Mission Cards offered special victory conditions that could change the whole purpose of the army as it gets revealed.

GC

[Captain of C-21]

You know, it has been so long since I have played any Planetary Condition Cards and the like I have plum forgotten about including them.  Since I have been teaching a lot of people how to play I tend to leave them out so that they can just get the basics down, and I just never remember to start bringing them back up later.

I will have to look over my Planetaries and see what I can do. 

Another new army, this time Bannson's Raiders!

Bannson's Raiders (AOD) Faction Pride 20pts
1 "Thug" Neanderthal 198pts
w/Rodrigo Vasquez 48pts
w/Single-Use Evade 26pts
1 Blade 109pts
w/Bannson's Lieutenant 17pts
w/Repair 23pts
6 Inner Sphere Battle Armor 20pts/120pts
1 Saxon APC 25pts
carrying/1 (LIAO) Special Forces Team 14pts

So Thug is the big weapon here, taking advantage of that Evade and faction pride to run circles around the enemy before closing in to take advantage of that pilot ability.  I know what you're thinking, "NO REPAIR VEHICLE?!" well, I didn't have one to use, so this is kind of what I'm stuck building.  The Blade is essentially just a huge walking repair vehicle that can fire back when need be.  Inner Sphere Battle Armor are there to provide for infantry formations in case the Neanderthal gets overwhelmed.  Planetary Conditions... I could see Dust Storm or maybe Active Volcanoes working out nicely.

I am working with the head librarian at my local branch to give some of the kids in the local gaming club there an opportunity to learn to play Mechwarrior.  Our one friend donated a bunch of stuff and I'm trying to build reasonably good armies out of it; stuff that will give the kids a chance to understand the system without being too competitive.  So far I've built 4 ROTS Armies, 3 House Davion, 2 Liao, 2 Rasalhague (The aforementioned above), 1 Clan Jade Falcon, with a few more to go in the Clan Nova Cat and House Kurita department.  My one buddy and I who are going to teach the kids actually test-ran a few of the armies, and they seemed pretty balanced and fun.

[cavingjan]

Liao Anubis (110 pts)
Sang-wei (13 pts)
Light Decoy (21 pts)

In 450 pts game: Anubis X3 + 1 Simian Battle Armor (18 pts)

For 600 pts game: Anubis X4 + 2 ATVs (24 pts)

Sometimes I would substitute in Hyu-Youn Cho in Le Yuan with IT for two Anubis but then you need to tweak your infantry by 2 pts.

[Wildonion]

Liao Anubis (110 pts)
Sang-wei (13 pts)
Light Decoy (21 pts)

In 450 pts game: Anubis X3 + 1 Simian Battle Armor (18 pts)

For 600 pts game: Anubis X4 + 2 ATVs (24 pts)

Sometimes I would substitute in Hyu-Youn Cho in Le Yuan with IT for two Anubis but then you need to tweak your infantry by 2 pts.

I don't know much about the overarching strategies in the game, but from what I found on Warrenborn that seems very mean...

[cavingjan]

I don't know much about the overarching strategies in the game, but from what I found on Warrenborn that seems very mean...

Annoying as all get out. I'm not effectively doing damage (particularly against hardened armor) but I'm also not being hit that much.

[Captain of C-21]

Liao Anubis (110 pts)
Sang-wei (13 pts)
Light Decoy (21 pts)

In 450 pts game: Anubis X3 + 1 Simian Battle Armor (18 pts)

For 600 pts game: Anubis X4 + 2 ATVs (24 pts)

Sometimes I would substitute in Hyu-Youn Cho in Le Yuan with IT for two Anubis but then you need to tweak your infantry by 2 pts.

That sounds almost as bad as the 2 Bannson's Solitaire Army with Gauss Rifle drop.  Urgh.  I was glad to see by the end of AoD Wizkids making Lights speedy and hard to hit as they should be, although it's stuff like this that wishes every mech' came with I.T. #P

[wantec]

Liao Anubis (110 pts)
Sang-wei (13 pts)
Light Decoy (21 pts)

In 450 pts game: Anubis X3 + 1 Simian Battle Armor (18 pts)

For 600 pts game: Anubis X4 + 2 ATVs (24 pts)

Sometimes I would substitute in Hyu-Youn Cho in Le Yuan with IT for two Anubis but then you need to tweak your infantry by 2 pts.

What he's not telling you is that he'd usually have another 12 Liao Anubii sitting around the outside of the battlefield just staring at you with their lifeless eyes, daring you to attempt to harm one of their brothers.

[cavingjan]

What he's not telling you is that he'd usually have another 12 Liao Anubii sitting around the outside of the battlefield just staring at you with their lifeless eyes, daring you to attempt to harm one of their brothers.

I've only used a company of them once! And they swarmed from water feature to water feature nicely before they surrounded and swarmed the stragglers. Glorious battle.

[SpaceCowboy1701]

I've been stocking up on Rasalhague hardware lately, so thanks for posting those ... and I've still got the cream of my wife's Spirit Cat hordes, so I'll have to try some of those as well ...

I often looked at the army building from the standpoint of combining different standard go-to "packages," like the Highlander J-37 with 3 x SRM Team or 2 x SRM, 1 x Sniper Team as a discount tank drop; the Regulator and 2 x Hoverbikes as a maneuver force, etc. Just fill in the centerpiece 'mech(s), artillery, and infiltrator team as appropriate ...

[Rimoran]

The JUNKIONS!  (Total: 600 Points, but scalable in any direction.)
x4 Bannson's Raiders Hatchetman (133 points each)
x4 Medium Repair Gear (17 points each)
==================================
Each mech is its own 150 point "module" so you can keep adding on more mechs with bigger and bigger games.

Super simple army, but one of my most entertaining in concept since I'm a Transformers fan.  "It's not hard knocking 'em down.... It's getting them to STAY down that's the trick!"

It's extremely order efficient at one order per mech -- which is kind of it's vulnerability as well because you're prone to constantly give mechs orders which can lead to overheating.  So, choosing lots of water terrain or planetary conditions that are friendly to mech heat is CRITICAL with this army.

The idea is that you maneuver to do close combat and ranged combat formations with the mechs and they can handle mobs of infantry that base them with their built in Full Strike special equipment on the first several clicks of their dial.  When one or more of them take a substantial amount of damage, you just instantly repair them with one of the other mechs.  (Which is why you want to always maneuver them to be in base contact with each other when possible.)  And of course, with no repair markers, they can bounce back from within 1 click of death to FULL HEALTH.  MUAHAHAHA!

[Capt4in]

Alright, I'll bite.

I mostly play casually with a buddy of mine, so I doubt these will stand up to the armies of those who played heavily in tournaments back in the day. Back then, most of my forces were either centered around Black Rose and her mad DFA skills or Esperanza and robbing my opponent of their orders while surrounding them.

(Rasalhague Dominion)
RD Kodiak 249 pts.
 w/Fanjunkare 15 pts
 w/Camouflage 6 pts.

"Ull" Ursus 157 pts.
 w/Lars Magnusson 32 pts.
 w/Plasma Gun or Anti-Personnel (22/24 pts)

R10 Mechanized ICV 51 pts
 w/3x Gnome Battle Armor 66 pts.

Total 598/600 pts

This one is mostly just a showcase for my Kodiak, with the Ursus serving its canonical role as a bodyguard, fending off encroaching infantry with Anti-Personnel or Plasma gun. The transport can drop Gnomes to tear into any tough nuts to crack with their armor piercing, and also does a solid tank impression if it takes some damage on its way in.

I don't have too many "standard" armies that actually perform incredibly well, as I like to mix it up a lot. One of my favorite games involved a 600 point Nova Cat force including "Sabertooth" and two Veteran Avalanches, but I don't remember the whole build. Those Avalanches are my secret MVPs - 11 clicks of non-salvage fighting ability, with damage that never drops below 3. Their lower attack requires someone with better aim to soften targets up, but they can really tear into anything with ~22 or less defense.

Does anybody ever play with Kym Nostra's Wendigo "All Nine"? I haven't found a good build for her yet. Most of my Nova Cat success has involved "Sabertooth" and the Veteran Nova Cat, and my Wendigos tend to get trashed too quickly  to be of much use, though I'm hoping to change that when my LE Kisho arrives.

[Boldrick]

My pride and joy, has 900 points, uses SH:SW alliance (+2 to balistic), 2 mech, tankdrop and arty to boot...
Alpha(real one) with Karensky/it
Wolf Thor with Streak/Aiko
SH Behemoth II/J-27 SH
2 SH atvs
SW Arrow IV tank
and a mix of SH Cavalires/Elementals.

Point of army is 18 inch reach, due to alliance ( which is based on 450 points), i get that range on both mech,
or 16 on tankdrop, AP makes armor rather useless, while Arrow do best to be bait/pest, JJ infantry is there
for Arrow/tankdrop guard..
Of course it was build to fight SC/CNC armies, with their uber mechs. Beat more then got beaten, so its ok.
I really like both mech in this build, a bit of monsters, but not broken.
 

[GhostCat]

Of course it was build to fight SC/CNC armies, with their uber mechs. Beat more then got beaten, so its ok.
I really like both mech in this build, a bit of monsters, but not broken.

I couldn't resist the temptation, my SCats love to hug Artillery, and they are fast enough to be "way too close for comfort".  There are no LE or Unique units in this force, but I guess they can be counted as uber because they can hunt Wolf mechs all day without breaking a sweat.

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)           156pts

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)           156pts

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)           156pts


4x D021 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Spirit Cats)
4x F020 Kage Battle Armor 16 pts. (Spirit Cats)                                                               132pts

Total ... 600 points

AOD-G-001 Pulse (Light 23 pts.) ...... optional replacement for Improved Targeting, maximizes damage at the cost of not hitting reliably, and using more Heat when you Push, Assault, and Pulse.  As a side note, the light mechs have TSEMP printed on the dial, but using TSEMP means they can't Move and Shoot.  Improved Targeting can be used all the time, and that's why it became the superior choice.

Modular expansion added:

WS061 Griffin 155 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AN.-G-079 PPC Capacitor (Medium 29 pts.)
DOM-P-044 Graduate Certificate Robinson Battle Academy (Medium S:0 A:1 D:1 14 pts.)    198pts

6x VG009 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                         102pts

Total ... 300 points, brings it to 900 points

If you think 14 infantry units is too much, It's still only three formations, and they do move agressively as Capture Teams armed with Flamers.  Sure, I could have included all kinds of Fun with Tank Drop and  VTOL swarms, but these four mechs and 230 points of flaming infantry is more than enough to keep anybody busy.  And, I was trying to keep it simple.  It's a basic army, good for teaching basic tactics, heat management and teamwork.

GC

[Capt4in]

GhostCat, any consideration given to a defensive gear like Evade or Decoy on those builds? Or is it all-out aggression all the time?

[Boldrick]

Never got faced with so many P.Hawks, but Novacat + P.Hawk and/or BF Cave Lion was usual business,
the later did gave the biggest grief, since it has really wicked ability, making him an offensive powerhouse
really deep in the dial.

[GhostCat]

GhostCat, any consideration given to a defensive gear like Evade or Decoy on those builds? Or is it all-out aggression all the time?

Given a choice (of bad options), I'd choose Evade or Camoflage before I'd use Decoy.  I knew players that loved Decoy and used it on every unit they had.  But, Decoy offers small comfort when facing high attack values.  Camoflage improves Defense in Hindering terrain, but offers no other benefits.  Evade is useful on defense with no terrain as well as Hindering, it also allows a mech to Run without adding extra Heat.

As it happened, I started playing in 2002 with the original Dark Age figures and rules.  Most of my stuff had "don't make me laugh" defense values, and even when Decoy was an option, it didn't help.  But I'm an old campaigner and learned fast that the best defense is a good offense.  Stay out of your opponents' line of fire, don't be easy to attack.  It's that simple.   erm... I said Simple, not Easy.

So, force them to use Assault Orders to turn and shoot you.  Use Called Shot and Friendly Fire modifiers whenever possible.  The extra Heat they spend in Pushing to chase you down might be all the advantage you need.

Never got faced with so many P.Hawks, but Novacat + P.Hawk and/or BF Cave Lion was usual business,
the later did gave the biggest grief, since it has really wicked ability, making him an offensive powerhouse
really deep in the dial.

From the earliest days of FASA Battletech, one lesson carried over to MWAD Clickytech.  Respect the Light Mech.  Okay there were a few mismatch battles that were extremely one sided, such as the Hasbani Atlas vs three Highlander Koshi mechs.  The Koshis didn't have a high enough damage value to crack the hardened armor and the Atlas will eventually hit and eliminate the Decoy defense, assuming they allowed it a clear shot.  It often devolved into a game of Hide-and-Seek, with everyone running to 'Home Base' to score VC3.  But that was a learning experience for both the Players and the Rule Makers.

So, by the time the P-Hawk arrives in the Game with Gear and Pilot Cards, there were some amazing light mechs to play with.  CNC Vixen might be the most famous, but it's just one of many than qualify. 

GC

[Boldrick]

Koshis ??? I say charge, since charge deals impact damage, ignoring the armor, but you would need dice God smile.
I respect light mechs, one with range and Tsamp tends to be nasty, still 5 +18(assuming pride card ) is 23, which is my tankdrop range,Alphas when primed and Thors as well, the number of BAs does worry, Arrow isnt a full answer on that, but might help a bit.
It would be intersting and fun.

Being true to iron fist, i prefer fielding heavy and assults (but light ones ), the shinning exception would be Stalking Spider and
Griffins (DA or AoD).
Booster blind format was a real kick.

[Nemesis]

I didn't have a huge collection with every available option, though I did have some good pulls. My default 600 point army was:

Nova Cat (Veteran)
--Amir, "Frankie"
--RISC Hyper Laser
Nova Cat (Elite)
--Frohnhoefer, Steven P.
Gossamer VTOL
Scout ATV
4 Kage Battle Armor

Got to love a 50% chance of being able to reach out to 24 inches and do 8 damage.

[GhostCat]

RISC always meant to me that the Gear was more likely to fail when you need it the most.  I started playing from the very first day knowing that every other faction had my Spirit Cats out ranged and out gunned.  So, I like to know that when my units are ready to attack, they almost never miss.

And my Gear equipped on the mech has to be 100% reliable with no chance of doing something silly to the unit using it.  I'm fully capable of doing something silly enough without that kind of help.

Like Pushing to successfully Capture a big mech, only to discover that taking the pushing damage caused the Captor to be eliminated.

As nice as the Novacat mech was, the short heat dial kept these heavy mechs out my standard battle formations.  There were a few special teams that got some use, but it was the Thor that became my standard mech in the heavy class.

GC

[Captain of C-21]

My first impression with RISC was a big advantage with big risk (duh).  The more RISC cards I saw though the more I found they just had a 50% chance of not working, and only a few did pushing damage on a bad roll.  Kind of disappointing.  After the Era Report info on them, I wanted to see some mechs go asplodey from bad RISC effects >:D .

Here's another army from that donated box I put together.  Got a chance to play it today, had a lot of fun at the club with it.

Bannson's Raiders Faction Pride (Repair 1 per turn) 20pts
1 "Thug" Neanderthal 199pts
w/Vasquez Rodriguez 46pts
w/Battlemech Jump Pack 20pts
1 Mjolnir 91pts
w/An Ting Graduate (+0, +2, +0) 16pts
w/Light Repair 23pts
1 DI Multipurpose Light VTOL 44pts
6 Inner Sphere Battle Armor 20pts/120pts
1 Kanazuchi Battle Armor (MERC) 18pts
Total:600pts

I never had so much fun just charging forward, smashing things, and then going back to repair.  The VTOL played havoc behind the enemy lines as they paid attention to Thug (What a seriously OP piece with pilot).  The IS Battle Armor are pretty cool too.  I bought them because I thought for fiction's sake BR should probably be using Inner Sphere suits, but as I was playing, I noticed how as they took damage they gained JJ and 10" movement.  I let them take some hits fro mmy opponent's infantry. and then once the formation all gained JJ I jumped them behind the enemy infantry, kind of caught my opponent off-guard.

[Boldrick]

'Thug' and JJ, thats golden combo.
Mjolnir was pre AoD, but its a speedy repair boat.
I might swap  IS BA for Oni BA, now those were sick, fast,with 19 range defense and reflective armor,
energy pling didnt work on them  and IT with homing beacon, just cherry on the top.
Just like Glory tank, to good to be passed.

[Capt4in]

As nice as the Novacat mech was, the short heat dial kept these heavy mechs out my standard battle formations.  There were a few special teams that got some use, but it was the Thor that became my standard mech in the heavy class.
GC

What did you typically run with it? I picked up a Thor recently but couldn't really see myself wanting to replace my Nova Cat with it.

[Captain of C-21]

As nice as the Novacat mech was, the short heat dial kept these heavy mechs out my standard battle formations.  There were a few special teams that got some use, but it was the Thor that became my standard mech in the heavy class.

GC

For 11 more points, the Veteran CNC Nova Cat has less heat effects, 1 more damage on its primary, 3 more targets, higher attack and TSEMP on that 16" range.  Heavy Armor instead of Reflective Armor (A bit more versatile in my opinion).  Only downsides are no Ballistic attack, but a secondary mech like a Wendigo or Avalanche can cover that.  I would take the Nova Cat over the Thor every time.

What kind of gear do you use on the Thor.  Maybe that will sway me.  I always like having a heavy mech doing at least 5 damage, unless it's got a real good gear on it.

[ntin]

These days I pretty much run for 600pts

Wolf Hunter Thor - 204pts x2
Improved Targeting - 44pts x2
2/2/1 Gunglinger - 33pts x2

Faction Pride 20pts

582pts

When AoD still had prize support it was a Thor with the same load out plus a mess of Vanguard Clan Battle Armor. For bigger games I would run a number (think it was 5?) of Wolf Hunter Vixens with Alpha Strike gears that would charge on turn 1 with Mercenary Pride.

My group has long stopped playing victory conditions, planetary cards, or mission objective cards. It is just a 2on2 or 3on3, meat grinder each week so a lot of tactics that worked on normal play do not because of mass artillery fire or swarms of units. They have also house ruled nerfed Mercenary Pride so most of my lighter Wolf Hunter stuff is not really viable.

[GhostCat]

...  I would take the Nova Cat over the Thor every time.

What kind of gear do you use on the Thor.  Maybe that will sway me.  I always like having a heavy mech doing at least 5 damage, unless it's got a real good gear on it.

Well yes, the Vet Nova Cat has lots to offer ... except Speed, and Mobility. 

The Thor is a little bit faster, equipped with Jump Jets.  It is also more flexible in the Gear it can use.  Two targets ballistic with 3dmg might not seem like a lot but a 12 inch range is pretty respectable and adding Anti Personel Gear will give infantry formations something to worry about. 

The Primary Weapon has no SE attached, but there are a few things, like PPC Cap, that work quite well on a mech that is nearly in constant motion.  The  Vet Nova Cat has to come to a full stop to use it's TSEMP, and even with an assault order, it can't reach as far as the Thor, which BTW, can use jump jets to leap across Blocking terrain to hit something 20 or more inches away. 

So yes, I prefer the Thor for many reasons, and tend to ignore the defensive armor values, because anybody expecting to hit my mech will probably defeat whatever defense it has anyway.  But that's okay, they'll only get one shot, if they're lucky.  (If I'm lucky, they'll miss completely and then shut down in some embarassing position.)

The following Gear are my most likely choices for use with the Thor.  I admit that some of the Ballistic Gear is a bit pricey with limited usefulness, but the option is there.  What can the Nova Cat do?  Grapple.  Seriously, who's going to run away from a Big Slow Mech that they can Capture?

AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting (Heavy 44 pts.)
DOM-G-114 Concussion Ammo (Heavy 24 pts.)
VG-G-151 Explosive Rounds (Heavy 49 pts.)
VG-G-153 PPC Capacitor (Heavy 32 pts.)
WS-G-170 Anti-Personnel (Heavy 34 pts.)
WS-G-181 Inferno Ammunition (Heavy 49 pts.)

Incidently, it was the frequent use of these four LE mechs that I was refering to when discussing the "short Heat Dials".  Really, three clicks of Heat from a Push, Assault, and Pulse, and even from the Green click you end up on lots of heat effect rolls trying to shut down the mech.  Yeah, I do that a lot, so I know how often they shut down (all the time!).

FI072 Nova Cat '9-Ball' 202 pts. (Gunslinger)
FI077 Nova Cat 232 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
FI080 Nova Cat 'Duke' 213 pts. (Republic of the Sphere)
FI085 Nova Cat 'Grinder' 229 pts. (Gunslinger)

GC