MechHead Podcast# 44!

Hello all you MechHeads out there, and welcome to this week's edition of the MechHead Podcast,

the only podcast dedicated to Battletech.

On today's show, we've got something old and something new.

First off, something old.

Our Mech of the Week is the Archer.

The perfect Mech has strong firepower, good armor, good heat dissipation capabilities,

and not sacrificed any of that for speed.

And in 3025, that was very hard to achieve, but one Mech came close, and that Mech was the Archer.

It's one of the most iconic Mechs around.

Its name brings to mind many things.

Two great, well, to most people, warriors.

Powerful long-wings attacks, and LRMs.

And while there may be bigger LRM boats,

this one is the most loved, and is considered to be the cream of the crop.

It's funny that you'd think the smaller slash lighter Mechs would be easier to be mass-produced,

but according to TRO 3025, this was the second most made Mech of all time.

And the original Archer was the ARC-2R.

70 tons, or 6, 13 tons of armor, which is more than the sum of salt Mechs and most heavies,

two LRM-20s, and four medium-large Mechs.

It's a great Mech, with more than 1,000 lasers.

Everyone should know the stats for this Mech.

It's of average speed for its size, powerful, and well-armored.

It only has one disadvantage.

This guy is a heat hog.

Firing both LRM-20s overheats it, so you shouldn't be firing both racks every turn.

That limits its fire power, so over two turns it is actually matched by the catapult.

Still, a solid Mech in 3025, where nearly every Mech has heat issues.

In level 2 play,

solid armor it gets to hold its own, if not as well. For the bow report, while the archer

serves best in a lance, it can also do well in a 1 on 1 duel, using its superior armor

to win. On the regular map, its opponent was a 6k warhammer, but unfortunately for me,

I got real unlucky with the dice rolls.

And now, there are a few known variants for this original archer. First one is the 2k,

which is a Draconis Combine variant. It drops the LRMs, 20s, 15s, adds 2 heat sinks, drops

all 4 medium lasers, and a bit of armor. For what, you might ask? 2 large lasers. This

makes the mech run quite a bit hotter if all weapons are fired, makes it much more of a

front line mech. Bow report, same place, same opponent, did a bit better, but still lost.

Next up is the standard variant, which adds 2 Esserm 4 racks, and a bit of armor. This

should make the mech a bit more able to defend itself in close combat, hopefully better

than the 2k. Bow report, this one worked a lot better. The extra punch the Esserm provided

was really helpful.

And next up is Wolf Dragoon's variant. It's similar to the standard model, and it too

has 2 Esserm 4s, but it does so by dropping the 2 rear mounted medium lasers, and a lot

more armor than the 2s does. I'd be a bit wary of this one, but I'll write a link to

it in the description.

Because while it's more powerful, it runs quite a bit hotter and has a full 48 points

armor less than the 2S, which has already lost some armor.

And there are a couple other variants.

To quote TRO3025, quote, the many modifications to the Archer design over the centuries could

themselves fill a book.

And quote, almost all weapons variations have been tried on the Archer and many of those

are still around.

I could easily see a version with two PPCs with the extra weight saved put into heat

sinks.

You could also drop all the weapons and shave off some armor for two AC20s and some ammo.

You could also replace both RM20s, their ammo, and a medium laser with four AC2s and some

ammo.

There's just such a versatile design, many things work on it.

Now onto 3050 and beyond.

And with the advent of level 2 technologies, many mechs changed dramatically, some even

changing their range.

The Archer, however, except for one custom mod, is pretty much the same, which is a good

move in my book, and it is also interesting to note differences between the older upgrades

and the newer ones.

The first upgrade I'll be covering is a custom mod from Rubinsky's Renegade.

This design, coming from the Mercenaries Field Manual, has very low level 2 tech.

As a one-of-a-kind mech, this former 2R has had its LRM20s replaced with dual SRM6s and

a hatchet case and now has 12 double heat sinks.

And now for the battle report.

While its weaponry isn't its entire level 1, it can run and fire all of its forward

firing weapons for zero heat.

While it wasn't as good as I thought it was, the bot was being cheap.

But I still got him in the end, though.

Problem and verdict on that guy, it's fun, but needs the support of the right situation

to be good.

But it is still fun to play as that guy.

Next up is the 4M.

In my book, this is the best 4M I've ever seen.

It's a simple, but straightforward upgrade.

Just how I like him.

Indosteel helps make up room for two Artemis pods and case.

Add in double heat sinks, and this thing is near perfect.

I really can't come up with a fault for this thing, besides its sucky backup weapons.

But with the time of speedy XL-engined monsters, 4M shows that you don't have to go overboard

with new tech to get an effective mech.

My final verdict is that you're gonna take one of the 350 archers?

Take this one.

Next up is the 5R, and this free WrestleHodra public design is an improved 2K.

It uses the endo, case, and Artemis, as well as a switch to double heat sinks, along with

a half ton of added armor.

It now mounts two AR-large lasers, though.

Sounds like a pretty good sniper.

And battle report.

This mech has a clear firing pattern for it to like.

It also has plenty of ammo, and if you like LRM boats with direct fire support weapons

as well, this wouldn't be a bad choice.

5R.

It allows you to be a decent threat even if your ammo is depleted slash blown up.

The battle was being real cheap in this game, staying in a fire hex the whole time.

I flushed him out eventually, but then lost a leg.

He started to close.

Thought it was done for?

Nope.

The heavy armor of the archer allowed me to survive until it got in optimal range, even

though I was only able to use one AR-large laser.

Final verdict?

Pretty good.

Better than the original.

Now onto the 5S.

Now things take a different turn.

This model takes the 2S.

I'm not gonna lie.

It turns the SRAM 4s into Streak SRAM 2s, which is okay, I guess, except that they have

a ton of ammo for each launcher.

Using an XL, medium pulse laser to replace the ultimium lasers, and a narc beacon is

added, but the armor is back up to 13 tons.

Also there are only 6 narc shots.

I'd replace the second ton of Streak SRAM ammo with more narc ammo, at least to say

it's the case though, not like it'd really help with having an XL engine.

Only the base 10 double heat sinks make this thing a bit of a heat hog if you use the medium

pulse lasers and both LR-15s.

Quite an oddball this design is, and I bet that the powers that be just put in for variety.

For the bow report, the enemy cataphracted close quickly, and I could not keep my distance

enough.

The weapon for close support is too short ranged.

I was finally able to distance myself, but then the Streak SRAM ammo got hit.

My final verdict for this guy?

Stay away from this death trap.

Next up is the 5W.

This design is similar to the 5S in that it too has an XL engine and narc.

It still has the 2Ws, SRAM 4s, and LRM 20s, but there are no other weapons.

Narc has 2 tons of ammo now, which makes you much more likely to launch a few when it's

a 9 or 10 to hit.

There's case, and now 13 tons of armor.

No artemis, and all the ammo is narc capable.

You can fire everything and run and be heat neutral.

Battle report.

This thing blew away the cataphract, which couldn't handle the dual LRM 20s.

While the SRAM 4s aren't as good as they were in level 1 days, they still provide enough

punch to do something.

My final verdict for this guy?

Better than the 5S, but not by much.

And now we have the Project Phoenix archer.

First up is the 8M, which takes the 5R, drops out an ER large laser, moves the other to

the center torso.

It adds in 3 ER medium lasers, and ups the armor to 13.5 tons.

Battle report.

The bot was real sneaky, able to get within 9 hexes without being able to get a shot on

it.

The bot kept on doing the same pattern though.

I really need a human to go up against.

You can fire both LRM 15s and the ER large laser for no heat, but to add in the mediums

means dropping out of the other weapons if you want to stay heat neutral, so if one of

these is attacking, say your lance.

Closing in.

And, well, it's another LR, less powerful than its predecessor, but better able to defend

itself up close.

It won't be doing 30 points of damage like the older one, but you can still force a PSR

in it every turn.

I found up close work 2 mediums and the large to be optimal weapons to use to stay under

heat.

Then there's the 6S.

This redesign of the 5S drops the Sanark to put in a light engine, so it's got better

survivability.

You've got 2 medium lasers in the center torso to provide self-defense, and the ER small

serves as the rear weapon.

Now, that's kinda odd, isn't it?

I'd rather bump that up to regular medium myself.

Better range, damage, well, let's get back to the mech.

You've got max armor, and a classic double LRM 20s with Artemis, but you still have the

dual streak SRM2s.

Battle report.

First turn, I got a 12 for an LRM 20.

Yes, I actually got that.

I actually got the 12.

But then, I couldn't hit anything.

I guess I jinxed myself there.

I quickly found myself out of ammo, but still alive.

But then, the pilot got knocked out, and a loss.

Final verdict?

Better than the original.

But by how much?

Hmm, not a lot.

Now it's a 6W.

Another Wolf's Dragoons mech?

Nope, this guy is Tarion, while what's becoming more and more common is the obligatory rocket

launcher model.

This mech is very low tech, with no level 2 tech to speak of.

It uses 20 heat sinks to combat the heat of the 8 forward facing LRM 20s and the 2 rear

facing LRM 10s, which is the most powerful rear arsenal I have seen on a cannon mech.

So where are the medium lasers?

Two on each arm, making a decent secondary armament against a level 1 opponent.

And for battle report, there are two ways I can see uses for this mech.

First off, like the original archer, firing two LRM 20s per turn.

And then, the second way I can see uses for this mech.

First off, like the original archer, firing two LRM 20s per turn.

And then, the second way I can see uses for this mech.

Then, you only have four turns of ammo.

You will be seeing under heat though.

Or you can just fire them all and hope they hit.

I blacked the opponent out and then turned around and fired the LRM 10s backwards at

it.

I bet that'll look pretty funny seeing missiles firing out from the back, you know.

Just think about it for a bit, you'll get it in a second.

However, only if you like rocket launchers.

It has a top long range of 12 thanks to the inefficient rocket launcher 20s.

I'm not sure if that's the best way to say it.

The medium lasers do provide sufficient backup for level 1 combat.

I will not be covering the product phoenix update designs since I have no experience

with them all and they're not in my version of Mega Mac.

And there are some custom level 2 mods you could do.

Here are a few I came up with.

Take the 4M and take everything out.

You can put in two Gauss rifles and one ton of ammo.

Or take the 4M again and drop in four PPCs and use the extra three tons left over for

anything.

Or take the 2R and replace the LM20s with MRM30s.

So those are just a couple of ideas I came up with.

Overall, this iconic fire support mech has proved its worth over the centuries and is

still a viable option on today's battlefield thanks to smart upgrades.

While there have been many knockoffs including the, well, there's a lot of other fire support

jobs out there.

While quite a few can do more damage, many can not equal its longevity on the battlefield.

Thanks to the new Total Warfare technology, specifically MMLs, archers should become

even more flexible than they already are and it may make you be much more wary about closing

with them.

And now for something new.

This is a special report on how Total Warfare has changed things.

Part 1, Infantry and Tanks, and I've played a few games with a friend of mine who I've

introduced to Battlefield.

He was a pro in BattleTech using Total Warfare rules, and there are definitely some differences

between Total Warfare and the BMR.

Today I'll be covering differences on infantry and tanks.

First off infantry.

Infantry rules are a bit different now.

Most big weapons such as medium lasers, PPCs, AZ-10s, etc. will now only kill one trooper,

while weapons like machine guns, small pulse lasers, and flamers have been enhanced against

infantry.

The flamer especially each one getting 4 dice rolls.

So.

could nearly take out an entire platoon.

So it's more realistic and makes it much harder for mechs to kill infantry.

So a growing theme in Total Warfare mechs is to mount anti-infantry weapons.

In the original 3025, many mechs did mount anti-infantry weapons, but over the years

that kind of lessened and lessened.

Now they're making resurgence.

A fire starter, the original one, can now destroy a whole company of infantry in one

go.

3 to 4 platoons.

So infantry don't sound that good anymore, huh?

Well you'd be wrong in a way.

Besides the standard infantry types, you can now make your own custom ones.

That means you can make yours as fast and powerful as you want, up to 5 MP by being

hover mechanized, and the wide variety of weaponry can go from as low as 0 battle tech

scale damage to up to .92 per trooper non-support, 2.33 support, so they have gotten more powerful

as well.

If you're sparring about in these new themes, you'll notice that there's a lot more

things.

Infantry can still be good.

The faster and more powerful you are, the more you weigh.

Mechanized infantry can weigh up to 24 tons per platoon.

Besides, most of the recent mechs, Tiro's 3050, 3055, 3058, 3060, and 3067, not counting

the updated versions, do not mount any anti-infantry weapons, so you're all good there pretty much.

If you're facing an opponent who does not have specific anti-infantry weapons on his

mechs, don't worry about taking some infantry.

They will survive much longer than they used to.

Now onto tanks.

If any of y'all have played using the old Max-X rules, also known as level 3 rules,

pretty much find them in Total Warfare.

Vs have, in some eyes, been nerfed.

There's much less of a chance that you'll lose a good amount of your forces on the first

round of combat, like you did under BMR rules, so you can be cheap, and it's kind of just

to sit there and stay still.

Some are saying that Vs are harder to kill now than mechs.

That's like a PPC grasshopper.

Yeah.

And my friend who's driving it, who just started VALTA, gave me a good run for the

money.

You're much more likely just to get a mobility crit than anything else.

So do I think rules are better?

Well, tanks are much less disposable than they used to be, and much more equal to mechs.

In some cases, they may be too powerful, and can lead to very boring games if you just

use them just sitting there like pillboxes.

I'd absolutely dread a hymnal under Total Warfare rules, because that thing has like

over a hundred points of armor.

And speaking of powerful tanks, our vehicle of the week is one of the most powerful, this

Shrek.

Everyone likes the Awesome, right?

Though that's a mech.

And you vehicles lovers out there feel a little left out of the multiple pp action, right?

Well thanks to the Shrek, you're not.

And hailing from the classic 3026, this tank weighs the same as the Awesome does, goes

just as fast, and has even more heat sinks.

And they're a lot cheaper than the Mechs.

There is one issue, though.

To use the inefficient PPCs, the Shrek has poor armor.

Though it's not as bad as it was in the pre-Total Warfare days, you could lose most of

your force from one turn if you were unlucky.

For me, this is a design that I'm stout on, since TRO-3026 was not sold in stores when

I first discovered Battletech.

And a real shame, since if I had TRO-3026 before I got TRO-3058, I would have known

where the alicorn came from.

I don't even know where it came from.

It's Battle Value I is only 662, less than most Level 1 medium Mechs.

80 Tons 1075 Tons of Armor 7.5 tons

7.5 tons of armor

It uses a Fusion Engine.

Which is aitherome version...

level 1 for a good reason.

AR PPCs use even more heats.

Upgrade examples.

You could use an XL engine to, well, upgrade into an XL won't save you more than a couple

tons.

Not enough to put another PPC in or anything, but enough to put a small close range armament

or more armor, but not the way to go in my mind.

Could change the weaponry, but to what?

Cross Rifles would just be another Alicorn.

Well, you could try two AR PPCs and some extra tons left over.

Could also pull the original PPCs for large pulse lasers, which would make for a deadly

city fighter.

Could also swap the PPCs for AR large lasers and extra heatsinks, but you wouldn't save

any weight doing that.

Speak of that, you could stay level 1 and drop the PPCs down to large lasers, saving

12 tons.

If you wanted to go Total Warfare, you could mount 2 heavy PPCs or even 6 light PPCs, the

second of which would save you 6 tons.

Then again, though, you would lose a bit of range on that one.

It could also save a tiny bit of weight using Stum Nose PPCs, and those ideas are just the

ones using energy weapons, staying truthful to the original.

You could put in light Gauss Rifles, LB10s, etc, etc.

Battle Report

I tried two Shreks versus one Awesome, but the Awesome always won thanks to its internal

structure.

It took three Shreks to take down the Awesome, but hey, what did you expect?

For me, that's pretty darn good.

My Mega Mech uses BMR Roots.

So I think if I used Total Warfare rules, 2 on 1 would work, maybe even 1 on 1 if you

got lucky.

Final Verdict

If you want a V that's good at long range stretch fire support, you can't go wrong with

a Shrek.

But don't expect it to win your battles for you.

It needs support to shine, so it's not exactly like it's Met Cousin the Awesome, but even

being compared slightly to such a good machine is an honor.

Now it's time for the Solar 7 News Report.

Hello there, I'm Brad Trakler.

Today a special dedication was held in the Solar City Spaceport today in honor of former

champion Kai-Ala Lau.

A plaque was erected in his honor at the entrance to the city.

That's about it for the show.

Send comments, suggestions, feedback, etc. to mechead, P-O-D-A-C-E-S-T, at yahoo.com,

that is M-E-C-H-E-A-D, P-O-D-A-C-E-S-T, at yahoo.com, that is M-E-C-H-E-A-D, P-O-D-A-C-E-S-T,

at yahoo.com.

Read the blog, subscribe to us on iTunes, if you'd like to show, tell a friend, and

may all your hits be crits.

Bye, everybody!

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