Alrighty, as tensions builds throughout the OBT universe for the latest Quicksilver review I just want to say that this was another good one. While only lasting a week the Hellbringer contest saw five superb designers submit forty different entries for the newest version of this OmniMech. Somewhat unsurprisingly you all elected to take the special dispensation I came up with which I thought was very appropriate. Let’s face it the old Loki was always somewhat lacking and not just in armor factor but in variations. I had to go back to my original Technical Readout 3050 to confirm that this design had only three different canon configurations. Meaning it was the least Omni of the original sixteen ‘Mechs that the Clans originally appeared with. Well that has all changed now.
Looking at all the names you submitted for this contest I decided that this upgraded design will be known as the Hellbringer II or Hela as forwarded by drakensis. While the rest of you all came up with new Norse designations (except for Bradshaw) which is very appropriate I was looking for something ‘Clanish’ too. The Necromancer as originally jotted down by Abele would have been an interesting proposal as well given that this design was literally bought back from the dead after being defeated by the Cauldron Born. I confess I was thinking along the lines of ‘Hellspawn’ or ‘Hellreaper’ as the successor to the ‘bringer’ but drak’s simple ‘II’ pays homage to the canon Dark Age progression. ‘Hela’ as the daughter of ‘Loki’ does the same especially as the new Dark Age version was known as ‘Hel’. So, bonus point one to drakensis!
The fluff bonus was a little tougher to determine as each of you choose a Clan or two as the creator of your design. While Diamond Shark might make good ‘cents’ Bradshaw their relatively low percentage of use in 3048 which might be far lower after their disaster on Tukayyid made them the least attractive proposed candidate here. Steel Viper did make a certain amount sense Ice Hellion as a regular user of the Hellbringer but with their own 65-ton Zombie (the Crossbow) occupying the same weight class I figure they might be too busy to take charge here. I thought maybe you’d go for your own Clan here Ice as in 3048 nobody had more Hellbringer’s composing their Heavy frontline forces then the Hellions. I guess you and everybody else gets their hasty decision to desire the faster Linebacker over their more plentiful old Hellbringer though. Silly Hellions. Burrock was the ‘dark’ horse candidate proposed by Abele which proved to be very intriguing especially given their use and known aptitude for skirting the law. Ultimately with Hell’s Horses, Coyote, and Jade Falcon all retaining secondary production facilities dedicated to this Mech I have decided to go with a combination of marauder648 and drakensis. I think that their fluff was the best and that the Horses as Crusading Wardens could get the Falcons and Coyotes together on such a venture especially in light of the Wolves alliance with the Star Adders. Uniting their fluff as was done on the Shadow Cat in contest 12 is our best option. Half a bonus point for marauder648 and drakensis.
Now to a first ever design point for armor distribution which could be the only time such a thing is ever actually done. Obviously with a max armor factor (211 in this case) there will not be a lot different when it comes to head, arm, and leg protection. The torso allocation between front and rear armor as well as internal critical placing of bulky ferro-fibrous will be the determining factor. Unfortunately for Abele and drakensis I have to agree with maruader648, Bradshaw, and Ice Hellion who all had 32/10 CT and 23/7 RT-LT as the best way to distribute protection. More protection in the front seems to be more ‘Clan-like’ to me and the winning three keep the rear side torsos with enough protection to take a ER Medium blast once. Tie breaker came down to internal ferro placement and unfortunately I could not find marauder648’s. So that left Bradshaw and Ice Hellion to duke it out. Ultimately, I liked the simple way Ice Hellion placed everything in the head and side torsos leaving the legs empty for Double Heat Sinks which could prove useful given the high heat energy arsenal of the design (Warhammer based). Armor design point to Ice Hellion!
Primary Configuration for the Hellbringer just has to be reserved for something Warhammer like in my opinion and every participant even canon had a twin ER PPC entry. Unfortunately for canon the heat situation has gotten even worse (29 overheat without movement) with our special dispensation effectively knocking it out of competition early on. In my opinion you really should be able to fire both ER PPCs continuously and move in order to be the most effective for this design. Abele attempts to keep the best of canon by dropping the three-ton Targeting Computer and two A-Pods but with only four Double Heat Sinks still goes (21) overheat. Bradshaw also drops the Targeting Computer and has four additional Double Heat Sinks which takes away from the effectiveness of this variants primary weapon. Only difference between drakensis and Ice Hellion Prime was one had an Anti-Missile System while the other had two Machine Guns. Both are pretty good and they can fire their ER PPCs linked to a Targeting Computer with only movement overheat. However, it is marauder648 G with six additional Double Heat Sinks and two ER PPCs linked to a Targeting Computer which can move and fire all day long that is my winner. While his SRMs are not Streak his setup can bracket fire or simply not fire a PPC to keep itself running pretty optimally all battle long. Plus the fluff is excellent especially when you consider Bradshaw’s entry and the modularization of the Warhammer IIC into the Glaive. Point to marauder648!
Setting the pace for Configuration A is canon with a small caliber Ultra Autocannon (5) paired with a larger LRM (20) and twin ER Larges. Pretty good ranged firepower but the AC is light and the LRM ammo situation is even lighter plus a NARC on this thing does not make sense. Bradshaw Rifleman configuration was a nice homage but way too much Machine Gun brother. Ice Hellion E drops LRM rack altogether for a bigger Ultra AC and makes the Large Lasers of the Pulse variety. Abele D got on the right track by upgrading the Ultra AC and giving us a ton more of LRM 20 ammo. Abele A was even better doing the best job of upgrading the old canon A and keeping most of the weaponry identical. However, I ultimately liked drakensis A the best overall which dropped an ER Large to upgrade the Ultra AC to a 10. Like Abele A he also dropped the LRM to a 15 but included an Artemis while retaining the ER Medium Lasers for energy weapon support at mid-range. Excellent overall firepower and efficient heat management even though you still can not fire everything. Point to drakensis!
As strange as it seems perhaps canon’s best shot at retaining a spot in the Hellbringer contest was Configuration B. This Gauss based loadout paired with an LB 5-X AC and two SRM-6s each tied to an Artemis IV FCS with an ER Small for backup was heat friendly. While drakensis seems to agree with this opinion making only a very minor change with his B submission I think we can do better. Abele immediately replaces the SRMs and Artemis with two Streak SRM-4s in his upgraded B proposal which makes a ton of sense given the range and accuracy advantages of Clan Streaks. Bradshaw’s copy of the Galahad, or Glass Spider as the Clans call it, with its twin Gauss Rifles backed up by an ER Small is not that shabby though. The Gauss entry I liked best however was drakensis D with two ER Larges paired with a single Rifle and quite efficiently tied to a four-ton Targeting Computer. Two additional Double Heat Sinks come darn close to cooling these weapons off completely with only one overheat not counting for movement. The addition of a Flamer for in close support is fun as is the fluff eluding to Goliath Scorpion involvement which makes some sense. Point two to drakensis!!
Leaving canon behind we journey to C for Bradshaw Crusader entry with its four LRM racks which established a nice theme. Unfortunately, I liked those main weapons linked to an Artemis to increase their effectiveness even though your two Streak SRM-6s provide excellent support. Abele G had only three LRM-15s and an ER Large while adding five Jump Jets for mobility which isn’t bad at all. The first to feature four LRM-15s with Artemis IV FCS was marauder648 C which had 16 shots of ammo per rack an ER Small for backup and two additional Double Heat Sinks. While I considered drakensis E with four LRM 15s with Artemis IV FCS, 3 ER Smalls, an ECM Suite, and 4 Double Heat Sinks it was just edged out. I don’t think you needed to fire everything at once, to me it is getting all you can out of your primary weaponry. Ice Hellion F has the perfect bracket fire with four LRM-15s with Artemis IV FCS for an eight-round ranged bombardment (wish it was a little more) and four ER Mediums for close in support. An additional Double Heat Sink means you can do one or the other while moving. I would have appreciated another ton of ammo or an ECM over the Small Pulse but still good enough for the win. Point two Ice Hellion!!
For our new Configuration D which will focus in on LB-X weaponry which mirrors Configuration A’s Ultra AC. Abele C set the agenda with his superb pairing of an LB 10-X and a Large Pulse added five Jump Jets for mobility as well as carrying a fine secondary array of weaponry which included a Medium Pulse, an ER Medium, and ER Small. From Bradshaw’s JagerMech entry which featured our smallest autocannons (two LB 2-Xs, two LB 5-Xs, and an ER Small) to Ice Hellion C that had a massive LB 20-X, LRM-10, Large Pulse, and an ER Medium cooled by an extra Double Heat Sink I saw it all. Ice Hellion A featured some nice ranged fire with its twin LB 5-Xs and twin ER Larges along with an LRM-15. Ice Hellion D with its twin LB 10-Xs, 2 Medium Pulse, and a Flamer was another good one which looked a lot like my ultimate choice. While marauder648 B with its twin LB 10-Xs, 4 ER Mediums, and a Flamer can not continuously fire everything (overheat by 7 firing all weapons) it provides the best mid-range firepower at least in my opinion. Lot of good choices here though but in the end point two to marauder648!!
Configuration ‘E’ was for Energy this time around but will not include Pulse Laser only variants which you will see later on. Rather we look at two entries which had three main energy weapons like Ice Hellion F which features two Large Pulses as well as an ER PPC. Eight Double Heat Sinks means it can disperse that heat generated and it has two Small Pulses as well as a Flamer to back it up, not bad. However, Bradshaw’s Lancelot variant with an ER PPC, 2 ER Larges, and ER Small all linked to a three-ton Targeting Computer was my pick here. Ten additional Double Heat Sinks means you can constantly fire your main three energy weapons and walk without fear of overheating. Plus, an ECM Suite protects you from any would be electronics warfare threat that could hamper your accurate fire. Like our new Primary and B Configurations it will make the Hellbringer II a feared long-range durable fighter. This one capable of sustained ammo-free fire can remain in the field indefinitely. Nice job, point to Bradshaw!
Next up are those Pulse Laser configurations I was talking up for F of which we had a couple that typically featured two Large Pulse and a variety of back up Pulse Lasers. With a variety of tools like an Anti-Missile System, a TAG, an Active Probe marauder648 E had twin Large Pulses backed up by two Medium Pulses and four Small Pulses. Cooled by five Double Heat Sinks it could fire much of its arsenal without worrying about heat. While I could cite Abele C again for his LB-X/Pulse combo it was Abele F that won me over here. Tying his two Large Pulses and four Medium Pulses to a four-ton Targeting Computer results in ultra-accurate nastiness especially against fighters and conventional forces. While three additional Double Heat Sinks can not cool it all they come close and the Mech is defended by an Anti-Missile System as well. Point to Abele!
G will be our configuration for those who thought to copy the venerable Thunderbolt and let’s start with Bradshaw. His version like his competitor had an LRM-15 with Artemis IV FCS and sixteen shots paired with an ER PPC. He also threw in a Large Pulse, two ER Mediums, and two Medium Pulses cooled by four additional Double Heat Sinks. While 68 damage is possible so is 48 heat just from weapons fire meaning a 24 overheat. Abele E was based on the Royal Thunderbolt and has three ER Mediums, Streak SRM-2, and two Small Pulses supporting its main weaponry which again is cooled by four additional Double Heat Sinks. 61 damage possible and 41 heat just from weapon fire meaning a 17 overheat. I feel Abele’s variant which has five Jump Jets as well can better bracket fire its weaponry and move then Bradshaw’s plus it is mobile. Point two to Abele!!
Configuration H was my heavy once more featuring all my AC/20s entries rolled up in one place. With two ER Larges and an Ultra AC/20 marauder648 D which is backed up by a Flamer while cooled by five additional Double Heat Sinks was a solid entry that could run a bit hot. Admittedly Ice Hellion C with its LB 20-X AC was a bit longer (mid) ranged but I liked drakensis F that featured an Ultra AC/20 with three SRM-6s and three ER Mediums. On top of that it was mobile with four Jump Jets giving it that extra something to close with enemies in urban and broken terrain. Point three to drakensis!!
Finally ‘I’ Configuration is as its designer set up against infantry or in urban settings. More importantly drakensis C has a lot of different weapons which reminds me of the old canon Hellbringer. An LRM-15 with Artemis and eight rounds of ammunition provides a little ranged support if necessary but it is not the main weaponry. Two Streak SRM-6s with thirty reloads and two ER Mediums provide the bulk of this machines mid-range fire till it closes. Here four ER Smalls and two Flamers destroy any tight quarter opposition which can not hide thanks to an Acitve Probe. Four Jump Jets for mobility are also included and five additional Double Heat Sinks do a nice job keeping it cool. You just squeezed in with this one drak for point number four!!!!
With one and a half bonus points plus four design points drakensis is again our winner with a total of 5.5 in this contest. Finishing second was marauder648 with 2.5 points while Ice Hellion and Abele are tied for third with 2 points each. Bradshaw rounds out the scoring with one this time around and you guys did manage to shut out canon once more but with the design change I kind of expected that. Two Arrow IV entries and a couple of others (marauder A and Bradshaw’s Grasshopper) narrowly missed out despite having their own niche. Thanks again for a great competition and I will see you soon for another contest!
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Topic: Quicksilver Upgrades #20: Hellbringer (Loki) 65 tons *[SPECIAL CASE] (Read 1638 times)