'Mech of the Week: AL-* AlfarHailing from the Reunification War, the
Alfar was the result of an attempt by Archon Tracial Steiner to counter the long-standing Lyran bias toward heavy, relatively immobile formations. (It's possible that the contract for the
Sentinel, originally signed in 2561, has similar origins.) In a curious way, the
Alfar may represent the early version of the modern Lyran medium 'Mech force: overlooked and obscure but dangerous in the hands of those rare Lyran commanders capable of looking past the "wall of steel" doctrine. Intended to supplement or even replace the
Shadow Hawk and
Griffin in Lyran formations when it was introduced in 2573, the
Alfar was ultimately replaced by upgraded versions of both BattleMechs despite being a pilot favorite in the Reunification War. It wasn't battlefield performance that doomed the
Alfar in the end but rather the standardization the SLDF strove for after the trials and travails of supplying units in the Reunification War and the fact that the
Alfar had always been difficult to maintain. In the parlance of the USAF, they were hanger queens, the design's custom fittings taking a great deal of time and logistical support to keep in tiptop shape. Two examples survived in private hands until the First Succession War but were apparently destroyed in that conflagration.
If you guessed that the
Alfar was another one of the cluster of 55 ton 'Mechs, you win a no-prize. The part that's bound to raise eyebrows is the endo-steel skeleton, a technology that was shared by the Hegemony with the Star League member states; it's likely that the
Alfar represents the first Lyran endo-steel BattleMech. Like what sometimes seems to be every 5/8 55 tonner in the Inner Sphere, it uses a version of the venerable, beloved CoreTek 275 to go 86 kph, and the
Alfar matches the
Shadow Hawk's decision to use only three jump jets, leaving it with 90 meters of jump capability. Attached to the engine are 15 single heat sinks. Another very new technology is the ten tons of ferro-fibrous armor, just under the maximum for the frame. With 27 points on the center torso, 19 on the sides, 17 on the arms, and 25 on the legs as well as the standard 9 points on the head, the armor is universally meeting the Gauss test everywhere it's physically possible to but a class 20 autocannon to the side torsos will go internal immediately, as will one that lands on the arms. 9 points to the rear center torso is useful. Whether the 6 points on the rear sides is worth not having 20 on the front is a matter of personal taste. A Magna Hellstar PPC mounted along the right forearm provides a substantial long-range punch, backed by three Magna Mk. II medium lasers (two on the left arm, one just above the cockpit) and a Shannon Six-shooter SRM 6 launcher in the left torso. Overall, the entire 'Mech is similar to the GLD-4R model of the
Gladiator, packing an extra laser, two more heat sinks, and additional armor against the
Gladiator's five jump jets, and I can see why pilots were so happy with their rides. I can also see why it wasn't so much more impressive that the SLDF or LCAF were inclined to deal with the maintenance needs in a peacetime environment.
The only official variant, known as the
Dökkálfar or
Dark Elf, is less impressive. It reminds me of the UZL-2S
Uziel but lacks the technological sophistication (read: double heat sinks) to pull it off. Very simple in concept, the lasers and SRMs are dropped for a second PPC. With only 15 heat sinks, this works about as well as you'd expect. A few Lyran formations were fond of them and they can be effective. Generally, though, their lack of sustained ranged firepower (requiring a 2-1-1 firing pattern to cool off properly if they're moving;
not doing it rapidly imposes targeting penalties in addition to MP loss) and lack of capabilities if someone managed to get in close tended to make them relatively inefficient brawlers. Fortunately for them, many of the more effective tanks I could suggest to deal with the
Dark Elf are centuries off while standard 'Mechs are relatively rare in Periphery ranks.
Operating the original is basically like operating any of the other 5/8/x 55 ton 'Mechs of that same basic technological generation. Use the PPC to spar, then close in and pound someone. The slight improvements are useful but they're far from an unbeatable edge, meaning that it comes down to pilots, tactics, terrain, and dice. The original can fight at longish ranges with the PPC or do a credible job up close, unlike the
Shadow Hawk, and really, as a replacement for the SHD-2H, it's exceptional. The
Dark Elf is better avoided. The heat is a pain in the neck; that one heat sink difference compared to a
Marauder actually does make a difference.
Stopping
Alfars is again a lot like fighting other 'Mechs of the same type. The
Dark Elf will suffer and suffer badly against anyone with Infernos, not that I would
ever suggest anything so mean-spirited. Nope, nope, nope. In a
Wolverine, your best bet is to get in close, under the PPC range if possible, and dance around an
Alfar using your slightly greater jump range. (WLV-6Ms will have more luck with that.) A
Gladiator or (if for some reason you have one on the same battlefield)
Cronus should play it about the same way.
Griffins want to do the exact opposite - stay at range or the
Alfar's close-in firepower will eat you alive.
Phoenixes can go either way.
Shadow Hawks want to find friends.
References: The problem with working out on the edge like this is no one else has gotten anywhere yet. We're inside the Sarna moratorium, the MUL hasn't been updated, and there's no miniature. That said, we do have this:
