Відео

The Atlas-AS7-D is a great mech and much more versatile than the crab. If you pull the two rear lasers off it and give an extra ton each of LRM 20's and AC/20 it's even better. What I find annoying with most the mech designs is they're not properly built. If you play the RPG (no map to run off the table on), you can pick how and when your team engages the enemy. (Then pull the maps out.) Why would anyone engage a king crab at medium/close range. Make him waste his shots on fast moving mechs. The nice thing about the Atlas is it's got such thick armor; one can carry infernos and force someone like the king crab to either single punch with those AC/20's or overheat and shut down/ammo explosions. Ideally the Atlas' best role is bodyguard for archers hidden in the woods. Again, with the archers pull out those rear lasers and add 2 tons of LRM 20 ammo. Always have someone capable guard your indirect fire support and make your enemies fight on your terms. My general rule of thumb is Assault laces move at 3/5 (usually 4 so the resemble heavies walking). Heavies walk at 4/6 unless they're being used as your assault then some might need a 3/5 move like the marauder. Your fire lance should be 5/8/3-5 and your recon should be 6/9/6 or better. Remember what your recon is for, to spot enemies and report back, they're not made to engage on the front lines. They work great as recon and to interrupt supply lines/cause confusion. Imho too many try and ignore the rpg and focus on playing battletech like it's warhammer 40k and I've no use for battle values. You might have good/bad intel but you don't know until you show up to the fight. :D

Zombie comment but I wanted to say I love this mission. Watching this I wondered if you could tweak the dynamic of the mission by making the markers less predictable. Maybe something like: whenever the markers move, the force which has them in their half can - but doesn't have to - choose to remove any one marker from play. If all markers are removed, game is over. I might need to try this out!

FPG does have two-color options for their numbers, so its possible to get numbers with outlines. They also have additional banks of numbers: 1-33, 34-66, 67-99.

I really like the look of the mat you use but I can't find that particular design on the deepcut website. Was it a custom print?

Long range dueling with a clanner? Also, did the clanner designate their duels?

My wife doesn't waste much on makeup...it's freaking clothes and purses. Course, my room is full of unpainted miniatures and unplayed board-games.

Sorry but I was cheering for the Kodiak. Awesome start!

"Yep. Yes. Yep. Painter's Taint. Yep. Yes. Yep. Yes. Yep. Yep. Yes. Yep."

"It's a beaut, Clark. " 😂 Men of a certain age is a thing. 👍 And awesome table and mission, as always!

Heavy PPC variant, I like it!

I'm in love with this table 😄

I piloted a slightly field-upgraded (ferro-fibroused) SCP-10 in a long running Clan Invasion era campaign... It is a dangerous mech, but must use the quad mech movement rules to really get the most out of it. As a quad, it has three different vectors of forward movement. This is due to its ability to move directly into any one of its three forward hexxes without spending extra movement or changing facing. This makes it shockingly fast and agile in anything other than open terrain. It can also allow it to easily evade fast mechs by moving in ways its foes must pay a premium for, while it does not. Furthermore, its ability to go "hull down" behind cover allows it to benefit more from cover than any biped, allowing it to tank a shocking amount of fire by simply avoiding being hit in the first place. Combined with its stand-off ERPPC, this allows it to engage without suffering meaningful return fire. The Scorpion will wear you down from afar without allowing you a response... and only close in when you are ripe for the kill.

It's expensive, but stealth armor and TSM make it a great anchor. I've had a lot of success with it!

I did not know there was a Centurion with a Heavy PPC. Seems extremely scary, though the LRM10 almost feels out of place with the 20HS being taken by the PPCs.

Mechwarrior 2, what a soundtrack!!!!

I love these videos with Aaron's little brother and Kevin.

Love using the black python in my star adder second line combined arms stars. makes for a reliable star commander while the protos and tanks are moving up.

Oh hey! I’m not sure what episode it was touched upon, but I found two celebrities that indeed play (or at the very least paint) Battletech. Sam Witwer had a tweet from September 2023 of painting the two Essentials Box mechs, and Freddie Prinze Jr. has posted mechs he painted on instagram. Looks like we at least have two who are aware of its existence haha

Given the improved targeting (short) quirk, I really love the heavier rear armor on this. JJ'ing behind enemies at point blank will stack up the kills with a whopping -4 to hit, and the extra armor on your rear helps you survive the counterplay.

Always love the analytical vids :-) I gotta agree pulse with targeting computer is just dirty :-) a mech ive never seen but cheers for the warning...kill quick if I ever do :-)

It looks like a real LAM design, or a Champion on steroids

So the thing to remember about how hyped up the Black Python gets in the fandom is that... you're reviewing the *nerfed* version of the mech. It didn't lose armor points or weapons or heat sinks or whatever, but pre-Total Warfare, Pulse Lasers used to be able to use Tar Comps "aimed shot" feature. It was nuts, back in the Battletech Master Rules, era. In fact, there's at least one interview somewhere online where the devs straight up admit that the Black Python was *the* reason those interactions were changed.

I think I'll paint mine like the planet exspress ship.

One of my favorite favorite redesigns (although I do have a soft spot for the original)

The only bad thing about the Viper is that despite it's appearance it's only arm mounted weapon is the 2 MGs. VERY unusual for a clan design. If you can get behind it with something like a Falconer it can't effectively respond outside of it's forward arc. As for everyone saying it has 13 HS-my up to date sheets say it has 12 doubles. I also could have sworn that it could fire both large pulse, jump, and STILL cool down. That doesn't mean anyone is really wrong. When the Viper came out fractional counting was allowed and some mechs official stats had to be changed. Several 75 tonners were effected by that change because of their engines and endo steel. I wonder if the Viper was one of them and the "official up to date" version lost a H/S.

It seems the Steel Vipers and Snow Ravens don't trust their solahma's aim, but trust their experience in every other department. This thing is a scalpel and a duelist, perfect for a Clam style trial where an experienced warrior can just carve his opponent to pieces one on one. Between the jump jets and excellent short-range capability it also makes a great urban fighter, and can absolutely bully lighter Mechs. The only real weakness this Mech has is against opponents with Reflective Armor.

The Black Python is brutal. I think the fact you can't location-snipe with pulse weapons keeps it from being too OP but it's still an incredibly nasty 'mech. It's high BV is also something to consider. There's a lot of Assault 'mechs that come in cheaper so running a Black Python's a hefty investment for a Heavy 'mech. even by Clan standards. Sure, a Black Python's tough, it's not 'I can face down an Atlas no worries' tough. However, if you can afford the BV, you won't find many better heavy laserboats in the game. And pity the poor light 'mech or fast medium the Python gets into it's sights, that mechwarrior's going to have a very bad day.

Great video! Looking forward to more videos.

Black Python has 13 double heat sinks, but can it cool off Aaron's HOT dice?

Was waiting for this one! Since discovering it via the Kickstarter I think the design looks fantastic and the weapons are killer. Also looks like a good mech for the PV in Alpha Strike as well!

White Raven has Ferro Lamellar

moar Snow Raven? Please yes! caw! caw! McKenna! caw! caw!

Beware the White Raven 2 ...

As always, luv the content Aaron. Thank you for time and efforts. I would pay to see a long large scale cannon (actual/table/head) driven campaign with you, Thom, and Dan. would be a hoot...

The Viper/Dragonfly's big brother got a serious bump to it's curb appeal with the CGL redesign. What the Black Pythons do: Dance on the graves of their enemies.

you guys are great. great mech, cant wait to get 5

This new Black Python sculpt is pretty awesome looking. Takes the "jet on legs" look and just runs with it. As for the 'Mech on the table, yeah, this thing was always a hilariously cheesy design. It just gets in close and hangs on, a bit like a Grasshopper but even more agonizing.

Love the cgl sculpt for this mech, and some of the painted models that have shown up on camp specs made me wish I had chosen the force pack with this mec in it. Alas I have to wait for the box to hit retail.

Are you going to cover other mechs in the mercs kickstarter? I'd love to watch the review on the Marauder II, the Quads, and... the CHARGER for fun

*How* many clan pulse does it boat?! Cripes. The TC is just bad manners at that point.

The Black Python has 13 double heat sinks... In my early days of Battletech, if you decided to put this on the plate, everybody was like: "You desperately want to win hm?". Oh, and you were still allowed to use aimed shots with pulse lasers. One time i jumped in the middle of a light/medium lance with it and all four mechs lay on the ground as shooting was over. I just noticed that is has the improved targeting (short) design quirk. Somebody out there really wants to take out the fun for the others :D.

Friends of mine tried the Locust Swarm. 6 Locusts against that thing. I personally did bet on the Swarm. What I did not realize is, that this thing even hits Locusts reliably, while it also generates some to hit modifiers and did not eat 30 Damage a Round but much less. It was a total wipe.

One of the most broken 'Mechs of its type, whilst it does not hit hard, the consistency of its firepower, especially if you spend the points and bung a Clan pilot on there are horrific. Its the fun police. And yeah its the value of 2 x Warhammers or Marauders from 3025, it could rip them apart because of the range of the LPL's and the -3 or god forbid, -4 to hit.

The only way to make it even more broken is to make it a Stealth Black Python.

The efficiency isn't as high as I would have thought for a clan cheeseball. Not something I would take, but a solid design all around. I still think I would take 2 IS heavies over this thing, but that's just me. I'd also rip off the MG's, as they are completely useless on this thing.

MWO players would love to use this 'Mech. Pulse laser weaponry, targeting computer, important weapons mounted in torsos...

This looks like a 'Mech where the pilot has a tape player set up in the cockpit, to blare all sorts of music, like you see in the movie Iron Eagle.

Hiiiighway to the Daaanger Zone! 😂

When you mentioned travel I thought of something. Put the hills so they’re touching and level 1 is now 0, 2 is 1 etc and any gaps are depth 1 and now you have a mini table for 1v1s or 2v2s like what you got in the starters buts it’s like a duel rather than a small skirmish.

noob question: how do you determine where to draw the yellow bar/optimal armor coverage for each mech? especially for front:rear. Is there a good ratio to use as an indicator or something?