Author Topic: Bloodhound probe and angel ECM  (Read 1827 times)

Crimson Dawn

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Bloodhound probe and angel ECM
« on: 07 October 2018, 23:22:39 »
So how much do you value the bloodhound probe and angel ECM equipment in general and versus the more common beagle active probe and guardian ECM?  Always worth having or very niche? 

Brakiel

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Re: Bloodhound probe and angel ECM
« Reply #1 on: 08 October 2018, 07:02:25 »
Personally, I dislike Beagle AP. 4 hexes is too low for its primary purpose of ferreting out hidden units, IMO. So with that in mind, I love Bloodhound AP for its larger range. And of course, it being able to penetrate most stealth systems is definitely a plus. Only thing I find irritating is the 3 slot size; makes it a bit awkward to build into units, especially certain omnis.

Angel ECM I'm a bit more ambivalent towards. Blocking Streak lock-on is nice, but since the launcher can still fire as a standard rack, it's not that huge of a deal. So unless I'm dealing with a lot of Boosted C3 or ECCM, Angel doesn't really have any value-add. On the other hand, it is only a half ton more over Guardian and no change in number of slots, so depending on the unit it could be worth upgrading.

And in both cases, taking the upgraded versions of the gear would depend on timeline and availability, assuming a campaign instead of a pick up game.

Empyrus

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Re: Bloodhound probe and angel ECM
« Reply #2 on: 08 October 2018, 13:47:53 »
The Angel's real trick is its interaction with TO rules. Double-strength ECM or ECCM, single-strength ECM and ECCM at once, or ECM or ECCM and Ghost Targets. And this works even with Stealth Armor (part ECM to power the armor, part Ghost Targets for further annoyance). IMO the Angel is an excellent upgrade over the Guardian, though i can't say i approve how common ECM of any kind is in BT, reduces value of Artemis and C3 etc. systems too much.

The Bloodhound isn't particularly impressive under standard rules, thanks to them accommodating active probes largely only for scenarios with hidden units. Add the optional rule to allow active probes to reduce smoke/forest cover bonus and pass that via C3 link to other units and they become more useful. It is good upgrade, but as Brakiel notes, the fitting requirements are an annoyance.

Crimson Dawn

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Re: Bloodhound probe and angel ECM
« Reply #3 on: 08 October 2018, 14:36:05 »
I was curious to see how others thought of it considering how much it weighs and the space it takes up.  In general I like the idea of having it on my favorite mechs but it sounded like in particular the probes sound like they should have a larger impact but in game mechanics I was not sure if they really lived up to that.

Fat Guy

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Re: Bloodhound probe and angel ECM
« Reply #4 on: 08 October 2018, 20:34:58 »
If you don't regularly use hidden unit rules, probes are pretty useless. 
I have spoken.


Alex Keller

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Re: Bloodhound probe and angel ECM
« Reply #5 on: 08 October 2018, 21:01:44 »
I use probes for ignoring cover bonuses, pretty useful especially when spotting for heavy hitters.