Author Topic: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC  (Read 63366 times)

Giovanni Blasini

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    'Mech of the Week:  UM-R* UrbanMech and UrbanMech IIC



    So, obviously, this week we're talking about the UrbanMech.  Dating back to the original Tech Readout 3025, the UrbanMech is one of the oldest 'Mechs in the game.  It's also one of the most simultaneously loved and reviled of all BattleMechs in the game, most often referred to as the Urbie by fans and detractors alike.

    In-universe, though, the UrbanMech isn't quite so old, first reaching production in 2675 by Orgus Industries (anime fans are now chuckling), when the Star League was looking for a 'Mech that would be a cheap city combat unit.

    It’s interesting to note that, at one point in time, Orgus (spelled “Orguss” at the time) was also responsible for the Phoenix Hawk, though that's no longer the case as of Tech Readout 3039, which changed the manufacturer to Earthwerks, and the chassis type from Orguss Stinger to Earthwerks PXH.  The manufacturer themselves lost an ‘s’ in their name, presumably to decrease the resemblance to the anime name. That said, Tech Readout 3050 Updates still spells it “Orguss”.

    Now, 2675 is a particularly odd time period for the Star League to be looking for a new city fighter.  That's because only 15 years earlier, in 2660, the Star League had commissioned the "ultimate urban war machine", the Wyvern.  Why, then, build the UrbanMech?  Because, at 1,464,125 C-Bills (or equivalent in other currency), you can buy 2.3 UrbanMechs for the cost of one WVE-5N Wyvern.  In fact, at that cost, only the Hornet (151, 152, 161 and 171) and WSP-1 primitive Wasp are cheaper in C-Bill cost than the UM-R60 UrbanMech.  And they're not as heavily armed.

    "How heavily armed?" you ask?  Well, like many light 'Mechs of the era, the original UM-R60 UrbanMech carries a small laser.  However, its primary weapon is an AC/10, backed by 10 rounds of ammunition.  An eleventh heat sink, often speculated to have replaced a machine gun, is added both for crit soaking and for keeping the UrbanMech going in the event of engine damage, fire or direct attack by Infernos.

    Armor on the original UM-R60 is similarly heavy for a 30-ton light 'Mech, with 6 tons of standard armor plating spread around.  Forward armor consists of the maximum 9 points in the head, 11 points CT, 8 in each side torso, 10 in each arm (protecting the guns), and finally 12 in each leg.  Yes, there's more armor in each leg than the front CT.  However, this is in no small part due to 8 points of armor CT rear and 4 in each side torso rear.  There's not much more room for extra armor here, with room for 2 more in each leg and side torso, and 1 more in the CT.

    So, heavy weapons, heavy armor.  Cheap as heck.  What are you giving up, then?  Speed.  The UM-R60 UrbanMech is "I can outrun it on a bicycle on a good day" slow, with a top speed of only 32 kph.  At 2/3/2, the Urbie is painfully slow for a light 'Mech.  Actually, 2/3/2 would be pretty damn slow for an assault 'Mech.  Jump jets will certainly help it leap small buildings in a single bound and get around a city better, but this is not a fast 'Mech by any stretch of the imagination.

    Keeping in mind, then, the slow speed, heavy gun and decent armor pretty much tells the story of how the city-fighting Urbie was meant to function: while a Wyvern might function on the offense and defense in a city, the UrbanMech is a defensive platform.  You have to be insane to use it as an offensive platform...which means that it will undoubtedly happen from time to time.  This is also where anther feature of the UrbanMech comes into play: it doesn’t look threatening.

    I mean, let’s face it: the UrbanMech looks like a cross between a trash can with legs and R2-D2 with a pituitary problem.  It doesn’t look like a big, mean, scary-looking BattleMech, and as a result, equipping your militia units with them won’t necessarily scare the pants off the locals.  That you’re also lacking in anti-personnel weapons meaner than a small laser is also a benefit here: the UrbanMech is obviously here to be your cuddly local defender, not a tool of oppression, right?



    Somewhere along the line, someone must have misread “harmless-looking” as “armless-looking”, because that’s the next thing the SLDF and Orgus tried.  This did not end well, as the armless Urbie proved to be mostly harmless Urbie, dying far too easily to weapons fire.  This worked out well for no one, and the harmless armless UrbanMechs died in droves, becoming essentially extinct.

    Things sit quiet, then, for the Urbie, until the Star League Civil War, where the poor ‘Mech took it in the shorts, reportedly dying in droves.  The early Succession Wars added insult to injury, with the production line on Marcus destroyed in 2857.

    Amusingly, production of the Urbie didn’t die there, though, because in 2849, the Clans introduced the UrbanMech IIC.



    For whatever reason, Clan Coyote looked at the humble UrbanMech and said, “Moar, plz?”  The results were interesting: speed increased to 3/5/3, thanks to a bigger 90-rting standard engine.  The 11th standard heat sink vanished, the small laser got upgraded to the Clan extended-range model, and the AC/10 was swapped for an Ultra AC/10 and a second ton of ammo.  This, folks, is a good, solid upgrade.

    In the Inner Sphere, meanwhile, Capellan desperation became the mother of invention and, in 2925, they began to refit some of their UM-R60s to the new R60L spec.  Dropping two tons of armor (instead of that 11th heat  sink and a ton of armor), the R60L has only 6 points in the arms, side torsos and head, 8 points in the CT and each leg, and 3/4/3 points on its back.  What does it gain?  An AC/20 with a whopping single ton of ammo.  I could have lived with the loss of two tons of armor if they’d swapped that extra heat sink for another 5 shots.  Sadly, they didn’t.  Of course, with armor that thin, your UM-R60L may not live long enough to use 10 shots, given the attention that Imperator Zeta autocannon will bring.

    We have to wait a bit before we get another Urbie variant, until 3050 in fact, when the Capellans get around to their next refit package, the UM-R63.



    Keeping the same armor as the original R60, the R63 drops the original’s AC/10 for a shiny new LB-10X shotgun, using the spare ton to add a small pulse laser to the left torso, which reportedly replaced the machine gun there.

    "The what?"

    Yeah, the machine gun.  Rumor has it there was a machine gun armed version.  No, nobody seems to know anything about it, and you’re free to speculate wildly, but it certainly would be easy enough to drop the eleventh heat sink and add a machine gun for all your infantry and protester massacring needs.

    I really want to like the R63, but with only one ton of ammo for its LB-10X and 11 single heat sinks, what seemed like an oddity on the original seems inexcusable on the Urbie R63: it really, really should have carried a second ton of ammo, so you could mix slug and cluster rounds.  As it is, if deploying your Urbies as a lance (which you should), you either need to mix cluster-carrying R63s with slug or standard AC Urbies.  Personally, I’d rather have the versatility to carry both on the same LB-X platform.

    By 3063, the Free Worlds League decided they wanted to get in on the act, and decided to start refitting at least some of their Urbies to the new UM-R69 standard.  Swapping the AC/10 for an Ultra AC/10, the small for an ER small laser, carrying only 10 heat sinks, and swapping to 5 tons of ferro-fibrous armor, the UM-R69, while vaguely resembling a IIC, doesn’t add up from the description. Why?  Because it only has one ton of ammo. Yes, you’re missing something: a small pulse laser, making this Urbie more of a refit of the UM-R63 than the R60.  With only 10 rounds for your Ultra/10, you end up having to really shepherd your double-taps carefully, and while anti-personnel capability is handy, I think I’d leave that to my infantry and vehicle support, and take another ton of ammo instead.  That said, even firing single-burst, you’ve got a better range curve than most other Urbies, save the similar IIC, making this and the R63 the long-range snipers of the bunch.

    Armor is a bit thinner than the standard Urbie, especially on your back, but not as bad as the 60L, so this is definitely a ‘Mech you don’t want to stand and fight in: take your shot and get under cover.  Hopefully that building you’re hiding behind is insured.  The good news, though, is, thanks to the Jihad, the good news is the R69 is hardly an FWL exclusive, hitting the IS and Periphery General lists, per the MUL.  Yay!

    Now, stepping forward two years to 3065, we step back a number to the UM-R68, the Draconis Combine’s answer to how to refit the Urbie.  Like everyone else, they decided that an AC/10 just wasn’t sufficient anymore.  Unlike everyone else, they have MRM launchers, and they decided the Urbie was the perfect platform to put an MRM-30 on with two tons of ammo, for a grand total of 16 shots, giving your DCMS civil defense garrison pilot the Urbie that, so far, has the highest potential damage and the best endurance.  Since this isn’t a ‘Mech they wanted to spend much money on, the armor didn’t get upgraded, nor did the small laser, though the DCMS was kind enough to throw in a small pulse laser in the left torso, once again making it look like the UM-R68 is a weapons refit of the R63.

    Not wanting to be left in the cold, and wanting to show that they’re willing to splurge more on their Urbies than others, perhaps, the Federated Suns unveiled their UM-R70 in 3066, near the end of the Fed Com Civil War.  Upgrading the armor to six tons of ferro-fibrous, thus maxing out the armor and wasting only 2 points, the R70 emphasizes forward combat, with your center torso able to stop a gauss rifle, though only once, and leaving no armor remaining.  Like almost all our Spheroid Urbies so far, 11 single heat sinks support the heat load.  Unlike the other post-Clan Urbie refits, the Fed Suns didn’t bother with a small pulse for anti-personnel use.  In fact, keeping with the armor changes, they emphasized anti-‘Mech capability, dropping in their signature RAC/5, with a relatively adequate two tons of ammo, an ER medium laser in the left torso, and an ER small laser in the left arm.  The R70, then, is designed to sandblast your ‘Mech with 5-point hits from beyond 9 hexes, and to try to do so for as long as it can.

    The Clans, however, didn’t sit still, and the Hell’s Horses decided it was time to try something new with the UrbanMech IIC by 3070.  So, meeting it simple, they swapped the autocannon for an HAG/20, for another sandblaster Urbie, and a flamer instead of the ERSL, for enhanced urban renewal through the flames of purification, keeping the armor of the original, and the 3/5/3 movement of the IIC.  By the end of the Jihad, this version doesn’t seem to have caught on with anyone else, which is somewhat surprising, given the range curve on the HAG/20.

    Now things get weird.  Remember how the UrbanMech factories were supposedly gone, and all the Inner Sphere ones were refits of old Star League Urbies?  Record Sheets 3085: Old is the New New introduces two new Urbies, one of which could be a refit, but one, the UM-AIV of 3072, that can’t, thanks to its Endo-Steel skeleton.

    Used, according to the MUL, by the Cappies, the Taurians, the FWL, the Fed Suns, mercenaries and, of course, the Word of Blake, the UM-AIV is an impressive design, keeping the armor and movement curve of the original, at the expense of only carrying 10 single heat sinks.  With that said, that’ll probably be sufficient because, as its name implies, it probably won’t be moving much when using its primary weapon, an Arrow IV launcher with two tons of ammo.  How did it accomplish this?  Besides the Endo-Steel, we also have a 60-rating XL engine (what), as well as an XL gyro and small cockpit.  Like all Spheroid Urbies, CASE is absent, but our small laser is, too, upgraded to an ER medium laser.

    My understanding is that there’s quite a story behind this guy, involving GenCon, ItsTehPope and the Lord of Nukes himself, Herb.  I’m not going to tell it, though, in the hopes that one of them will pop in to share, but, from what I gather, this Urbie was spawned to let Herb, and the Blakists, have a nuclear Urbie. Muahahahahahahahahaha!  Even better, this bad boy goes IS General, Merc and Periphery General in the Early Republic era, so everyone gets to join in the fun!

    Now, what would an artillery Urbie be without a spotter Urbie?  I’m glad you asked, because 3076 gives us the new gold standard for the Urbie, IMO, the UM-R80 UrbanMech.  Initially limited to the Cappies, their Taurians and Canopian buddies, the Wobbles and mercenaries during the Jihad, this one also ends up everywhere by the time the Republic era starts.  Armor, heat sinks and 60 Leenex fusion engine are still the same as the original R60, as is the standard internal structure, but the old jump jets are gone, replaced with three improved jump jets, for better mobility that, amusingly, costs the same in terms of mass as going 3/5/3 would.  Weaponry is heavily revamped again, though, with the traditional small laser still in the left arm, and an SPL in the left torso.  The autocannon, though, is gone, replaced in the right arm by a snub-nose PPC and TAG unit.  Rounding out the gear, though, is a Guardian ECM suite in the left torso and a Beagle Active Probe in the right torso, turning the UM-R80 into an electronic warfare ‘Mech that can spot for its Arrow IV slinging brethren, ferret out hidden units in the city better than ever before, and provide ECM coverage for its compatriots, all without worry of its ammo running out.  This is, perhaps, the first Urbie where it actually pays to slug it out.

    So, as I’ve implied, using an Urbie isn’t as straightforward as other ‘Mechs: you don’t have the mobility of other light ‘Mechs, but you don’t have the armor of bigger ‘Mechs, so taking advantage of cover, both full and partial, is paramount.  In a densely-packed city, this is certainly easier than in the open, but on maps with large quantities of water, hills or forests, you may also find some success: I’ve used water to great effect to cover the advance of a UM-R60L, for example.  In the open, though, your limited movement will leave you a sitting duck in most instances, though the UM-R80 and the Clan IIC variants may find some luck screening 3/5 assault ‘Mechs.  Never operate alone: keep your lance or star mates nearby to provide mutual support, forcing anyone trying to flank you to take fire from your buddies, too.

    Taking down UrbanMechs is all about exploiting their low movement. Artillery barrages where they get caught in the area of effect is one way, of course, but if you can outmaneuver them in their urban environment to flank them and take away their cover, their low movement modifiers leave them highly vulnerable.  Keep in mind, though, that most Urbies tend to be heavily armed and armored for their size, and can flip their arms around to provide full field of fire, so if you’re going to flank them, it’s best to make sure the units you’re using can take a hit.

    The UrbanMech has somehow become a kind of unofficial Battletech mascot for those who love it.  Maybe it’s that it looks like Artoo on steroids.  Maybe it’s that everyone likes to root for the underdog. Maybe it’s the feeling of satisfaction when you can troll your opponent when the humble Urbie takes down something far bigger than itself with its heavy weaponry.  Perhaps it’s all those things.

    So, what are your thoughts on the UrbanMech?

    OK, the moratorium is up, so it's time for...

    'Mech of the Week Addendum (2016-04-02):  UM-R93 UrbanMech

    Introduced by the Cappies during the Republic era, much to the chagrin of the Republic, the UM-R93 UrbanMech takes the Urbie concept and kind of cranks it up to 11.

    First, there's the armor: twelve tons of hardened armor, arranged like the original R60.  Suddenly, we have a 30-ton waddling trash can with the protection of a havy 'Mech.  This massive protection comes at a heck of a price, though.  First, it means sacrificing six tons of weapons payload, a full 20% of the Urbie's total mass.  Perhaps worse than that, though, si the effect on the already-sluggish Urbie's maneuverability.  Hardened armor has two major penalties here: a loss of 1 MP from your running speed, and a +1 added to your piloting skill target numbers.

    Difficulty:  the UM-R93 is still powered by a Leenex 60, with two standard jump jets, giving it a movement before the modifier of 2/3/2.  Afterwards, it's 2/2/2.  In effect, then, it can't run: it can waddle along at walking speed or it can jump and, either way, any time the pilot has to do something difficult, it's just that little bit more difficult to do, thanks to that piloting skill penalty.  Amusingly, the TRO entry had the Republic freaking out that the Cappies were hand-modifying their Leenex 60 engines to rip out the single heat sinks and install 10 double heat sinks in the 'Mech, since the Capellans didn't have a factory for 60-rating standard engines with double heat sinks.

    OK, so we've sacrificed payload for protection here, and we never had speed to begin with, but it's now even worse than before.  What do we have left over, then, for firepower?  Well, the traditional small laser is upgraded to an extended-range version here, and it gains an ER medium laser in the left torso to go along with the ER small laser in the left arm.

    The main gun in the right arm is now a plasma cannon, which is an inspired choice: with a 5/10/15 range curve and base of 10 points of damage, at 10 shots/ton, it's basically an AC/10 for half the mass.  On top of that, though, the plasma cannon gives you bonus added damage against infantry and vehicles, and added heat against 'Mechs, aerospace fighters, grounded DropShips, and even JumpShips.  You know, in the event either your Urbie gets really lost, or the JumpShip gets really, really lost.

    In all, despite the loss of speed, I'm a fan of the Urbie R93.  Well, at least I am on paper.  Sadly, I've not had a chance to use one in a table top, which brings me to what I like the least about the UM-R93: it's a Capellan exclusive.


    ‘Mech of the Week Update (November 2021): UM-R* Series *UrbanMech

    Oh, hai, everyone!  Guess what!  We’ve got more UrbanMechs!


    -- Hey!  New Kickstarter artwork!

    Going in-universe chronological order, let’s start with the UM-R90 SuburbanMech.  This has a long out-of-universe history, originating in Battletechnology magazine issue #18, before being fully canonized in Shrapnel #4. 

    In-universe, the UM-R90 was the result of, in 3018, Hanse Davion making an effort to streamline AFFS logistics, and thus curtail the power of Michael Hasek-Davion.  How?  First, dump the autocannon, and replace it with a PPC.  Yeah, I know that the Fed Suns are stereotyped as being autocannon-crazy, but that’s really more of a recent phenomenon in a lot of ways, and a PPC hits just as hard as an AC/10, while reaching farther, and weighing less.

    OK, so we’ve removed a 12-ton autocannon and ton of ammunition, and replaced them with a 7-ton PPC.  That leaves six tons to account for.  Two tons goes to mobility, with the fusion plant increasing from a 60-rating to a 90-rating standard engine plus a third jump jet being added, to round the mobility up to 3/5/3.  That’s a huge deal: you’re more mobile in open terrain, a better defensive movement modifier is within reach.  The changes don’t end there, though, with two more tons used to improve the number of heat sinks from 11 to 13, and the last two tons going to paired medium lasers in the left torso.

    So, let’s review: speed increases to 3/5/3, firepower to a PPC, twin MLs and the traditional SL.  Heat sinks increase from 11 to 13.  Better speed, better firepower, same solid armor.  BV is 773, essentially the same as the PNT-9R Panther right across the Federated Suns’ border, and cost is only 1,690,325 C-Bills.  How well does it stack up against its neighbor?

    In a test match on random, mixed terrain in MegaMek, four PNT-9R lost out to four UM-R90 SuburbanMechs, though it’s worth noting that the last Panther retreated against the last two SuburbanMechs, one of which had lost a PPC, with the other relatively intact.  Key takeaways:

    • The Panther has better heat management, with its PPC and SRM-4 together heat neutral before movement. However…
    • The twin medium lasers, despite running hotter, do hit harder and, when not fired at the same time as the PPC, make heat management not so bad.  The big difficulty you’ll have is trying to convince yourself not to fire both medium lasers and the PPC when you’re around 3-6 hexes away.
    • Armor was essentially a wash: the Panther might be 5 tons heavier and have another 8 points, but it’s not that significant advantage when you have PPCs able to strip a single side torso or arm of either ‘Mech in a single shot, or twin medium lasers able to do it in two shots.
    • There’s a big difference between 2/3/2 and 3/5/3, but there’s not a big difference between 3/5/3 and 4/6/4.
    • Ammunition explosions are killers, and the SuburbanMech doesn’t have to worry about those.

    But the Federated Suns thought they could do better in 3045, thanks to recovered technology.  The proposed UM-R100 SuburbanMech would increase the speed even more by swapping to a 120 GM fusion engine, famously used in the Wasp and Stinger.  Double heat sinks improve the cooling and provide the mass for the larger engine, gyro and extra jump jet, along with another half-ton of armor, arranged 9 head, 11/8 CT, 10/4 side torsos, 10 arms, 14 legs, increasing the Pantheresqueness of the SuburbanMech.  The twin medium lasers and single small laser would be retained, but the PPC would in turn be upgraded to an ER PPC.  Again, we’re looking at something akin to the latest Panther, the PNT-10K, but with the double heat sinks that DCMS Panther pilots would kill for, all for a mere 915 BV and 2,419,625 C-Bills.

    Sadly, the UM-R100 would never see production, but the UM-R90 SuburbanMech would plod on, starting with the Federated Suns, but slowly spreading out to other factions.  Strangely, the ‘Mech seems to drop off the radar and the MUL after the Republic era, becoming extinct by the Dark Age.  However, if you want to run one in that era, I think it could be excused, either as an old surviving one someone parked somewhere, or a new refit.

    The story of the UrbanMech doesn’t end there, though, because Recognition Guide #02 gives us a new Capellan UrbanMech, the UM-R96, which shows up in 3149.  Combining the snub-nose PPC of the UM-R80 and the hardened armor of the UM-R93, we have a 2/2/3 UrbanMech with 92 points of hardened armor, giving it protection comparable to a Succession Wars heavy ‘Mech.  Opposite the right arm SNPPC is a single X-Pulse Small Laser, giving the UM-R96 a weapon you could use against ‘Mechs, armor or infantry equally well, and just enough jump movement to get your +2 defensive movement modifier.  Ten double heat sinks is sufficient to manage heat, while BV is a mere 852 or 1,985,750 C-Bills.

    I want to like the UM-R96 variant of the UrbanMech.  It’s a fine ‘Mech.  However, its deeply-Capellan origins, like the UM-R93 before it, mean it’s exclusive to that faction.  That makes it hard to recommend for the average player, who may well not be a Capellan player – perhaps it will expand to other factions eventually, but that hasn’t been the case yet for the similar UM-R93.

    The UM-R90 SuburbanMech, meanwhile, avoids this issue: while it started as a Fed Suns exclusive, it rapidly expanded to St. Ives and the mercenary market, then the Capellans, Magistracy, Taurians, and Fitvelt, before slowly winding down to just the Fitvelt Coalition and mercenary markets by the end of the Republic age.  That’s far wider availability, making its inclusion in your force much easier to justify, though by the Dark Age, only the UM-R69, UM-R80 and UM-AIV Urbies appear to be truly universal.

    Until the next addendum, folks...  :crazy:[/list]
    « Last Edit: 08 November 2021, 04:26:09 by Giovanni Blasini »
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    SteelRaven

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #1 on: 27 February 2015, 13:30:31 »
    It's got a decent nich but the crazy fandom for the Urbie gets on my nerves sometime.
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #2 on: 27 February 2015, 14:58:11 »
    You remembered the (rumored) machine gun version!  O0 Extra points!
    As for the armless variant, it was first named STK-50 Stadtkoloß in the German edition of TRO3025, and I think retroactively the MUL adopted the alphanumerical and calls it the UM-R50 now.

    I think the first mention of the UrbanMech was in the CityTech rulebook (along with the Spider, Stalker, the Ost-'Mechs and a couple of iconic tanks). But that's assuming CityTech came out before TRO3025. I'm honestly not sure.

    Regarding the odd eleventh heat sink, and forgoing all temptations to mention going up to eleven, I think it's worth noting that the inferno rules from ye CityTech of olde were different. It has been speculated the UrbanMech was designed extra-cool to cope with the ubiquitous infantry with inferno launchers.
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    Orin J.

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #3 on: 27 February 2015, 15:02:33 »
    it's a trash bin with legs. and a big gun. interestingly, it makes a fine mobile(ish) watchtower apparently due to the fact it's viewscreen extends at least almost 360 degrees around. the Urbanmech's the only 'mech i know off where the man inside of it can swivel around to look at his surroundings to that degree without moving the 'mech and there's a difference between being on the compressed view of the HUD's 360 strip and having the mechjock eyeballing you personally.

    while the idea that there's no factories producing it for so long seems.....odd, it certainly doesn't keep new ones from being fabricated. we know that smaller workshops to produce 'mechs exist, and considering that almost all of it's parts are easily found even in mech-sparse regions, a planetary defense force opting to have one of their armories crank a couple out every year on the side seems fairly sensible. on top of everything else, the Urbie may be the posterboy for garage kit 'mechs!
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    Giovanni Blasini

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #4 on: 27 February 2015, 15:50:35 »
    Well, that would explain it. The Urbie is the VW Beetle of 'Mechs.
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #5 on: 27 February 2015, 16:46:13 »
    UrbanMech has such character, the little tramp, little rascal, who has a lot going against it, but your still rooting for it.

    Got love how MWO's player base that pushed to have the Mech added to their line up, despite Piranha's leadership not being trilled about it.

    Thanks for entertaining article, Giovanni Blasini.
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    MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #6 on: 27 February 2015, 17:38:34 »
    Fun fact- the Urbanmech IIC was originally created for the Battletech CCG (as were the Wyvern IIC, Mandrill, and Corvis).
    « Last Edit: 27 February 2015, 17:42:58 by MoneyLovinOgre4Hire »
    Warning: this post may contain sarcasm.

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #7 on: 27 February 2015, 17:45:15 »
     doesn't Hellespont build the UrbanMech on Betelgeuse?
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    Arkansas Warrior

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #8 on: 27 February 2015, 18:16:46 »
    Ah, the UrbanMech.  The Tyrion Lannister of Battlemechs.  I really hope that in some future product when contact with the Homeworlds is reestablished there a Clantech take on the R68, with an iATM-12  it would be awesome, especially since there's not yet a version of that old Coyote standby that carries the Coyote's signature missile system.  I also really like the idea of the AIV-Urbie.  I hope we get to hear the story.  Also, if you like UrbanMechs, be sure and check out Captain Zippy's UrbanMech Cavalry down in Non-canon Units.  I mean, unless you avoid fanon for any of several reasons.
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    JadeHellbringer

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #9 on: 27 February 2015, 18:46:25 »
    I can recall a long-ago contest among a few forum-goers to create an HGR-packing Urbanmech... that was about as funny of a contest as I think I ever took part in. (The Arrow IV was attempted as well, but it was kind of a 'meh' version of what came later).

    If the idea of an Urbie firing a blast from a cannon more than half its size and falling on its little round keester doesn't make you laugh, I can't help you.
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    SteelRaven

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #10 on: 28 February 2015, 00:28:31 »
    Got love how MWO's player base that pushed to have the Mech added to their line up, despite Piranha's leadership not being trilled about it.
    That actually got me to dislike the urbie again, the latest patched for the game came with a torso twist trouble do to the PGI needing to mod the torso twist feature for the Urbie's 360 twist radius. So a small group of Urbie fans forced their will on the rest of the game community and now PGI is tweaking the whole game for one mech. 
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    Giovanni Blasini

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #11 on: 28 February 2015, 00:42:49 »
    That actually got me to dislike the urbie again, the latest patched for the game came with a torso twist trouble do to the PGI needing to mod the torso twist feature for the Urbie's 360 twist radius. So a small group of Urbie fans forced their will on the rest of the game community and now PGI is tweaking the whole game for one mech.

    And you don't think that hasn't happened with other 'Mechs?  Or when they tried to make MASC work?  Or the Clan ERLL patches?  Or...
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #12 on: 28 February 2015, 05:05:51 »
    I once used some Urbies against 3050 clanners in a city fight.  Was using double blind rules, basically if you could not see a mech all you could tell was that there was something there by a counter on the map with the mechs name under it.  Urbies were obvious to spot due to them being so slow but I did manage to swam a Stormcrow with 4 of 'em :p

    three were shut down and hidden in buildings and the Crow came round a corner into a blind ally my Urbie had 'accidentally' run into powered up and let rip with a quartet of AC-10's at near point blank range.  Sure all powering up Urbies lost initiative but they still got to shoot. The Crow survived but he very very quickly ran away from that amount of firepower.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFnVDYZQ8U

    A song for the Urbie.  And oh god the image of an Urbie somehow totting a HGR.  If that thing fired it would not be blasted onto its arse, it would be sent cartwheeling backwards down the street head over heels.
    « Last Edit: 28 February 2015, 05:09:48 by marauder648 »
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    Kotetsu

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #13 on: 28 February 2015, 05:15:32 »
    A song for the Urbie.  And oh god the image of an Urbie somehow totting a HGR.  If that thing fired it would not be blasted onto its arse, it would be sent cartwheeling backwards down the street head over heels.

    One of my friends related a RoboTech campaign he did with some others, including his brother. Apparently, during this they had the bright idea to strap the main gun from the SDF-1 to a vehicle (think the Pack Hunter is the closest to what he described). Apparently, when the thing was first fired, he waited until the driver/gunner was pulling the trigger to tell him, "Don't forget to stand on the brakes!"

    Somehow the idea of an Urbie firing an HGR reminds me of the image I had when he described that...

    Orin J.

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #14 on: 28 February 2015, 12:03:11 »
    That actually got me to dislike the urbie again, the latest patched for the game came with a torso twist trouble do to the PGI needing to mod the torso twist feature for the Urbie's 360 twist radius. So a small group of Urbie fans forced their will on the rest of the game community and now PGI is tweaking the whole game for one mech.

    man, the way they rushed this game they're gonna need to do a lot of patching the basic features of the game regardless. don't blame the Urbie for their slapdash work.
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #15 on: 28 February 2015, 14:10:30 »
    Nice article on a mech that deserves all the praise it gets.
    Questionable amount that may be.
    As a bit of hopefully constructive criticism, the amount of "though" in the description of the UMR-80 was just 50% too high for my taste. ;)
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #16 on: 28 February 2015, 15:39:53 »
    It is interesting to note that the UrbanMech is the ONLY design that uses an engine with a rating lower then 100, making it the only design to use a 1 ton gyro

    jklantern

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #17 on: 28 February 2015, 16:03:42 »
    It is interesting to note that the UrbanMech is the ONLY design that uses an engine with a rating lower then 100, making it the only design to use a 1 ton gyro

    So it's kinda like the Charger and Banshee in that it was basically there to demonstrate, "Yes, these Engines DO exist, and here's what they're used for."
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #18 on: 28 February 2015, 16:30:03 »
    It is interesting to note that the UrbanMech is the ONLY design that uses an engine with a rating lower then 100, making it the only design to use a 1 ton gyro

    Not the "ONLY". The aforementioned Hornet qualifies with its 100 engine, and so does the Bombard. The Gùn shares their engine rating, but its XL gyro makes it the winner in the lightest gyro category. There are several IndustrialMechs with a 1-ton gyro, also.

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #19 on: 28 February 2015, 16:39:49 »
    I would like to point out anyone using an UrbanMech in MWO: I love you and thank you for providing me with plenty of easy mechs to kill.

    Excellent article on a difficult topic :)

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #20 on: 28 February 2015, 17:00:51 »
    Someone called for me?




    So, during the planning session for one of the GenCons we found out that we were dropping a nuke on one of the canon events.  We were trying to think of the most hilarious thing to use to nuke the Kell Hounds, and after a little while of playing in SSW, the AIV was born.  The original version mounted CASE for the sheer hilariousness of Unstoppable Force vs Unyielding Ward when a pack of nuclear tipped Arrow IVs go up in a CASE'd 'Mech and a regular Small Laser instead of the ERM it currently has.

    CincyBattletech built a template based on the nuke we were using to represent "Don't bother rolling damage" - If you were under it, a Great Turtle was Mathematically Eliminated.  During the day we placed the Nuclear Urbie on the CamoSpecs table, where it blended right the hell in...when the time came to announce the issue, I had the template - Darrian Wolffe was running the table.  We annoucned to check the Camospecs table, and that its placement was in scale with ours.

    Table promplty goes *blink blink*.  Template.

    "Here are your copies of the nuclear damage rules - please be quick about applying them, let us know if you have any question."

    Later that evening was Masters and Minions - and as tables were wrapping up, depending on the mood of the table (I know at least one didn't get this treatment as the players left in a bad mood or something else of that nature happened) I brought over a Raven I had in my personal case of minis, rolled some dice and left several very confused players (And Herb as well)

    *Place Urbie about a map length away on table* "No Mister Beas, for you see, the Urbanmech has won!" 

    It was promptly made canon as you can only use canon 'Mechs in these events....
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    MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #21 on: 28 February 2015, 17:19:29 »
    I see that the Arrow IV variant was added to the Who's Laughing Now page on TV Tropes.
    Warning: this post may contain sarcasm.

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #22 on: 28 February 2015, 18:04:09 »
    http://1d4chan.org/images/a/aa/Urbie_killed_the_Kell_Hounds.png

    The same story from a different perspective.
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    Arkansas Warrior

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #23 on: 28 February 2015, 18:07:35 »
    All I'm getting from that link is "403 Forbidden".
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    (4:52:52 PM) ShinjoJinturi: simply by having tag on the field, even in a game that appears to not have any lrms or arrows on the board, you can inspire fear

    Maingunnery

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #25 on: 28 February 2015, 18:12:13 »
    All I'm getting from that link is "403 Forbidden".
    Strange, it is a part of the gallery of this article:
    http://1d4chan.org/wiki/UrbanMech


    Anyway, I hope that we can get a Thunderbolt variant in the future then I can use a big missile Urby in a tournament game.
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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #26 on: 28 February 2015, 18:17:04 »
    Strange, it is a part of the gallery of this article:
    http://1d4chan.org/wiki/UrbanMech


    Anyway, I hope that we can get a Thunderbolt variant in the future then I can use a big missile Urby in a tournament game.

    Yep, thats Darrian. The other idiot in that story is me.
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    (4:52:52 PM) ShinjoJinturi: simply by having tag on the field, even in a game that appears to not have any lrms or arrows on the board, you can inspire fear

    Stormlion1

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #27 on: 28 February 2015, 19:19:25 »
    I have a simple policy when it comes to Urbanmechs. If fighting one hit it from long range, if using one. Have more than one, like a lance of them!
    I don't set an example for others. I make examples of them.

    acemarke

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #28 on: 28 February 2015, 20:05:27 »
    CincyBattletech built a template based on the nuke we were using to represent "Don't bother rolling damage" - If you were under it, a Great Turtle was Mathematically Eliminated.  During the day we placed the Nuclear Urbie on the CamoSpecs table, where it blended right the hell in...when the time came to announce the issue, I had the template - Darrian Wolffe was running the table.  We annoucned to check the Camospecs table, and that its placement was in scale with ours.

    Table promplty goes *blink blink*.  Template.

    "Here are your copies of the nuclear damage rules - please be quick about applying them, let us know if you have any question."

    I'm proud to say that my first tabletop BT experience included that nuking.  I'd played Megamek/Mekwars for several years, but had never had a chance to play physical tabletop BT until Gencon 2010. 

    If I remember right, the afternoon session on Saturday was some kind of "control points in the corners" scenario.  I was running around with a couple lighter units, including a Valkyrie.  5:45 rolls around, we're doing fire for what should be the last turn of the session, and the GM announces "Everyone finish up your firing, and let me know when you're done".  We did so... and they pointed out the nuclear Urbie, hauled out the nuke template, set it over some hills, and told us to start taking damage.  I think it was something like 300 points at center, down by 10 for every hex out.  My poor VLK had its back to the explosion, and was going to take 140 points to the rear.  The head getting blown off sorta made the rest of that superfluous :)

    Definitely a memorable experience, and props to ItsTehPope and Darrian Wolfe for putting it together.

    Some googling turns up a few more links with pictures and mentions of this incident, including the actual post that 1d4Chan screenshot was taken from:

    http://www.scrapyardarmory.com/2010/08/08/gencon-2010-day-3/
    http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=10334888&postcount=134
    http://s115.photobucket.com/user/wolffe42/media/Display%20Minis/DSCN0956.jpg.html

    Liam's Ghost

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    Re: 'Mech of the Week (2015-02-27): UM-R* UrbanMech & UrbanMech IIC
    « Reply #29 on: 28 February 2015, 20:29:03 »
    You know, I see the AIV urbanmech and I think "yup, I can stuff that in a shuttlecraft or a civilian cargo plane and move it around on the sly".

    Jumpjets, a mech's mobility, a small, transportable size, and nuclear capability. I'll take eight(teen, because base six).

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