I'm hoping to run an AToW campaign with some friends, which would be their first introduction to Battletech. I have some preliminary storylines written up but I'm hoping that once they get a little bit into the universe I can give them their head to lie, cheat, swindle and generally front their way through the Solaris arenas.
As these are very new players, I'd like to run a few holo-tank scenarios with them to show them the rules and how movement, jumping, overheating etc. work. What 'Mechs would you suggest for this purpose?
Secondly, once they learn the ropes I hope that they'll take the chance to compete in Solaris itself. Now, when they pool their ill-gotten wins and buy themselves a Light, I'd like them to have a bit of a leg up on the competition as they'll be starting out. What 'Mech would you suggest for this? I was thinking a WLF-1, or JR7-F or something.