Tell me about... the Huntsman (Nobori-Nin)

[Alex Keller]

Hi, all.  So I'm just getting into clan warfare and there are a few designs that seem quite common, yet I know next to nothing about how to use or fight against them. 

The Huntsman is the flagship medium OmniMech for Clan Nova Cat, and seems to be used in limited numbers by the Cobras, Adders and Sharks as well.  The design seems to have plenty of pod space and armor for a 50 tonner, but is not quite as mobile as other mediums. 

My question is... what are the best tactics to use for each Huntsman configuration? Below are the stats as I understand them.

Tonnage: 50
Speed: 5/8/5
Armor: 169 points

Prime: LRM-10 w/Artemis IV (12shots), Str. SRM-6 (15), Ultra AC/2 (45), 4x ER Med Lasers, Flamer, AMS (24), 2 x A-Pods, Active Probe, TAG. 10 DHS (20heat).  (Whoa!  Lots of choices.  Do you start out sniping from afar and then work your way in? What is the TAG used for?  How does one spot for starmates using Zellbrigen?) 

A: 2x Large Pulse Lasers, LRM-10 (12shots), LB 2-X (45), 12 DHS (24heat) ... ... (so this design seems like you'd want to pick at opponents from extreme to long range, right?)

B: ER PPC, LB 10-X (20 shots), 2x Med Pulse Lasers, 2x MGs 10 DHS (20heat). (This is a really odd one.  The ER PPC and LB 10-X make me want to say this design should fight at range, but the Pulse Lasers need to be in close... and not many heat sinks to fire the PPC and both lasers without hurting.)

C: Str. SRM-4 (24), LRM-20 (6 shots !!!), Flamer, Ultra AC/5 (20), LRM-15 (8 shots !!!), ER Med Laser, ER Small Laser, 10 DHS (20heat).  (Okay, this design seems really bad... After about a minute on the field, the LRMs are going to run out and you're left with a laser and a few shots of AC and SRM-4 left...)

D: ATM-6 (30), Ultra AC/10 (20), 2x Med Pulse Laser, Small Pulse Laser, 10 DHS (20heat) (Okay... the ATM 6 has enough ammo to be versatile, and the AC/10 and Pulse lasers can be deadly up close.  I'm guessing this design rushes in to inflict damage as an infighter?)

H: 2x ER Large Lasers, 4x Heavy Med Lasers, Targeting Computer, Active Probe, ECM, 16 DHS (32heat) (Now we're talking!  It's like... a little Nova Cat or something.  Great for the Jihad battlefields, right? Snipe from afar with two Large Lasers or move in with the little Heavy Med Lasers)

N: ER PPC, ER Large Laser, Heavy Med Laser, Targeting Computer, ATM-6 (30 shots), 13 DHS (26heat) (Okay... a little more variety and heat balance than the H variant, right?)

[Ian Sharpe]

The Prime is great if you have no idea of the terrain, it can handle any range or opponent it would likely face, from heavy mechs to infantry.  Fantastic against teh IS.

The A is a fave, its dual LPLs.  It's the best at AAA duty of them all.  But the weapons make it a great harasser against IS forces or Mechs with a short-range focus. 

B is a good striker mech.  Hard-hitting at the expense of heat, but heat goes down. Glory lasts forever.  Honestly, it reminds me of a Clantech ENF-5D; more secondaries and more heat-efficient.  Love this mech for my Jags.

C: Mismatched launchers make me angry, its the obligatory Fire support config.

D isn't bad, and if you roll well, it can cripple other mechs.  More of a gambler's ride to me, needing really good ATM and doubletap rolls.

H is quite awesome.  Can snipe with the best of them or get in their face.  Plus it has ECM and AP.   I usually snipe a while and then rush them.

N seems underarmed.  I prefer the H by far.

[A. Lurker]

The Prime I'd see as a heavy scout. Take the point, use your active probe to flush out the enemy, and engage them. You have the flamer and those A-pods to help handle any conventional infantry you may run across and of course plenty of anti-armor firepower for everything else. Really, looking at this one I think I see where the name "Huntsman" comes from.

And the TAG is for designating artillery targets, of course. :) Even among the Clans, not everybody follows zellbrigen all the time (certainly not against bandits and other opponents they genuinely don't respect), and sometimes you just have to bring in the big guns to end the fight quickly.

The C does look odd, but I suspect it may have been configured primarily with formal duelling against a single opponent in mind -- the idea thus being that if that opponent is still standing after you've expended all your LRMs, there's probably something wrong with you, not the 'Mech.

Not much of an opinion on the rest at this point, though yes, the A looks like something that wants to stay at range and snipe away. One can close with it, sure...but why would they, when the LPL's pulse bonus is the most useful at long range where everybody's TNs are high?

[LastChanceCav]

This is one of the few clan mechs I've used. Some of the configurations are too much of a mixed bag for me. I like the A or H for stand-off work. The B is a good choice for your forces when you're not quite sure what you're up against- the PPC for opening cans, the LB for working over vees (or filling the holes left by the PPC), the MPLs for dealing with those pesky BA and MGs for those unfortunate PBIs.

Cheers,
LCC

[Istal_Devalis]

Prime's TAG - Keep in mind the Nova Cats really like their aerospace support too.  Nothing like an air launched, laser targeted warhead from the sky to ruin someone's day.

(People tend to forget THAT about the Nova Cats too.)

[Alex Keller]

Prime's TAG - Keep in mind the Nova Cats really like their aerospace support too.  Nothing like an air launched, laser targeted warhead from the sky to ruin someone's day.

(People tend to forget THAT about the Nova Cats too.)

Thanks!  Yeah, I was wondering what kind of artillery units the Cats would use, since they don't seem to favor the Naga or vehicles.

[Pa Weasley]

For what it's worth, I rarely build stars without at least one Huntsman. It's a well balanced chassis with a selection of configurations that are solid performers without being hyper-optimized munchfests. It's my favorite medium mech without question.

I'll go to the mat for the C configuration. Do not let the miss matched missiles racks fool you, it's not for fire support. Get into middle to short ranges and tear into an opponent till bins run dry. Yeah, you're not taking down an assault zombie, but as A. Lurker said, if your opponents still standing when the missiles are gone, it's your fault, not the mechs.

The Huntsman N is pricey but if you don't mind riding the heat curve it's worth it. Seriously, there's an ER PPC tied into a targeting computer with an ER large laser for backup! Walking while firing both ER weapons only gives you +2 heat.  Keep up the barrage for a few turns then fire ER Laser and ER ATMs to reset your heat scale. Up close, fire the ER PPC, medium heavy laser, and ATM (which will likely be using HE rounds at this point) for only movement heat.

Speaking of configs, you're missing one from the list. The most recent RS:3058 also gave us the Huntsman E - Large Pulse Laser, ATM 6 (30), 2x Medium Pulse Laser, ER Small Laser, Anti-missile system, Light Active Probe, Light TAG (there's that TAG again), 14 double heat sinks. Good trooper mech. Have to jump while alpha striking to take any heat. This is just me, but that light AP just begs to have some "Rabid" or Thunderbird /Battle Armor along for the ride to terrorize and infantry or battle armor you uncover.

[lowrolling]

Dude just use a Shadow Cat and you will know true medium mech happiness.

[Alex Keller]

Dude just use a Shadow Cat and you will know true medium mech happiness.

Could you please elaborate?  How is the Shadow Cat better?  The 6/9/6 profile doesn't seem to add that much movement mod wise compared to a 5/8/5 and the Huntsman has more armor and pod space.

                           Shadow Cat            Huntsman
Tons                           45                          50
Speed                      6/9/6                      5/8/5
Armor                      134 (7t)                169 (9t)
Pod Space                 17t                       23.5t

[lowrolling]

MASC and Gauss Rifle.

[Alex Keller]

So, you like the added mobility over the 2 tons of armor and 6.5 tons of pod space, right?

[lowrolling]

Absolutely. Especially against Inner Sphere opponents. Against Clan opponents it does not matter as much, both machines are doomed. The biggest advantage the Huntsmen has over the Shadow Cat is some versions come armed with a PPC, and that can be fixed on the Shadow Cat fairly quickly.

[Iron Mongoose]

Well, the Shadow Cat is in fairness 6/9(12)/6, so it can hit nice little bursts, and hit +4 while doing it.  With each of the three basic veriants being quite long ranged, it enables the Cat to dictate range better, while the Huntsman can't jump back faster than a fast heavy can jump in on it. 

That said, the Huntsman just has more punch.  The Cat by nessissity has to fence with opponents, while the Huntsman (which has plenty of range) can chouse to do that if it cares to, or get up close and personal too. 

I really like the N, but it checks a lot of the buttons I like to see in terms of TC, ATMs, PPC, etc.  Its a bit funky, but it really fits the way I like to play.  The H is similar, and one of the most sublime snipers in the medium class.  The B is also one I like, since its got a nice one two punch, and can either close in or not. 

Using BV helps with a lot of the other veriants.  Thouse low end ACs are pretty much dead weight (unless they're playing against you, in which case they'll crit you into oblivion) but you don't pay anything for them, so they make the Huntsmen with them atractive values, since they still have the same armor and good other guns (the A is a monster here, since LPLs are undervalued anyway). 

In general, its a better, more modern take on the Nova or Summoner, which is never a bad thing.  It makes some funny config choices sometimes, but its more streamlined on the whole in its chassis, so the good configs are really good.

[Demos]

The Huntsman is a very nice mech.
I used the 'A' a lot, especilly vs players, who favor the Viper 'B'.
But I can live with every config of this mech.

B: ER PPC, LB 10-X (20 shots), 2x Med Pulse Lasers, 2x MGs 10 DHS (20heat). (This is a really odd one.  The ER PPC and LB 10-X make me want to say this design should fight at range, but the Pulse Lasers need to be in close... and not many heat sinks to fire the PPC and both lasers without hurting.)

See the MPL as a good back-up. If a happy jumper is landing nearby you can hit with a few weapons and a good probability.

[Istal_Devalis]

Thanks!  Yeah, I was wondering what kind of artillery units the Cats would use, since they don't seem to favor the Naga or vehicles.

We werent all that fond of Battle armor either.  But then, we wouldnt really be a Clan if we couldnt hold a grudge past the point it made practical sense.

A lot of that's changed recently, though.