OBT Forum

Wow, we have six entries!

I see Abele is still working on his entry a little and don't worry about being cheesy bud, it is all good.

Hey folks, I just wanted to say that I am currently looking over all these fantastic entries but it might be another day until I get everything reviewed. No worries though, the next contest will be posted tonight - on time!

Takiro, there's no need to appologise, you take care of yourself, thats far more important.

Well I am not feeling my best but here it goes on this review, my apologies if it is up to the usual standards. For the first time in the Quicksilver Upgrades we had a record six (6) designers thanks to the return of Ice Hellion who came up with a total of fifty-six (56) entries. Broken down into thirteen (13) concepts these submissions squared off against five (5) canon configurations which were pretty solid. The Night Gyr of course was not like Clan designs from TRO3050 which often suffered from strange weapon arrangements. So the competition was very strong from all corners on this design which makes my job tough which is good. Still distilling this all down to ten configurations is challenging and I hope with this review to explain why I made the choices I did to create the best possible Night Gyr for our era.

We had six plus InnerSphere Designations thanks to our fine designers who did an exceptional job coming up with alternative names for the Night Gyr. Unfortunately, last place here goes to Abele for the Emerald Roc who tried to break the Norse mold which might have been set in stone by Vintion2. I see that you also had Jade Phoenix and before that you had other names which were also intriguing. In the future do not worry about being pandering and cheesy rather give me a short explanation of why your name was chosen for this Mech. That is the reason also why the Tyr by drakensis finished with you in last place because every submission was so good the deciding factor came down to a fluff explanation. Vintion2 for example already suggested the name Skoll (Wolf which chases Sunna, aka, the Sun) which along with the apt Norse theme placed it just above Abele and drakensis. Right theme but Skoll seems more like a Wolf OmniMech then a Jade Falcon one. Vedrfolnir by Ice Hellion hit on both marks with a Norse bird theme – one that Spheroid opponents could easily ascribe to their Jade Falcon rivals. Bronze goes to Einherjar by masterarminas who described the pilots of this OmniMech as fearless dead men seeking only glory in battle. Silver went to Magni by marauder648 who noted this new design often appeared with the Thor on the battlefield and was hence named for his mythological son. This means gold is awarded to Bradshaw for InnerSphere Designation with two well told monikers which fit superbly thanks to a little story. ComGuards referring to the Night Gyr as the Arurora because of its Laser Heat Sinks is very nicely done and then going on to call it the Vidar (who was the Slayer of the Fenris Wolf in myth) after AFFC raiders witnessed one wrecking a medium weight Wolf force in battle. Tremendous job and I could see some Falcons referring to their Night Gyr’s as the Vidar, point to Bradshaw!

As for fluff I have to rank drakensis last as your writing was limited to capability descriptions only. While I liked your Remembrance citations Ice Hellion it would have been nice too have a little more story in your overview. Nice job Abele combining your actual design work which came up with thirty-five distinct designs and an alternate look from the Burrock-Cloud Cobra perspective.  Doing a lot with a little was masterarminas who in a few short words compared the Night Gyr to the Grasshopper and opened up the possibility of every Clan testing the new design in a reasonable way. First place goes to the combined efforts of Bradshaw and marauder648 whose works were just too close to call. I feel like combining them together will create the best possible Quicksilver fluff for the Night Gyr. So half a point to Bradshaw and marauder648!

The common thread for Primary Configuration came down to concepts which featured two ER PPCs like canon Prime. This group gave me the single biggest pool to choose from which included eleven different entries. With the established canon variant being so capable as marauder648 pointed out with his identical entry this was gonna be high bar for challengers to overcome. Most everyone who did try to outdo the original replaced the Ultra AC/10 in one form or another. Abele went with two Large Pulses which further exacerbated the high heat problem of this configuration despite adding a Double Heat Sink and completely eliminating the need for ammunition with an all energy loadout. Bradshaw J (Wolfhunter) and F (Commander) also suffered from acute heat issues particularly with its main weaponry at range. Ashame as both had potential but neither could fire its entire complement of long range without overheating which was the primary reason they were rejected. Going with an LB 10-X AC like drakensis tried did reduce heat concerns and ammunition shortages but losing a little punch in the exchange was not desirable to me. With more of a bracket fire approach masterarminas G removed the ballistic companion and maxed out on Medium Pulses for a total of nine! While I did consider this variant even for another configuration spot ultimately the Streak SRM and ER Large combo out did you too. Ice Hellion H was another bracket fire machine which resembled Abele Prime somewhat adding only one Large Pulse Laser along with three Streak SRM 6s. This jack of all trades setup while certainly interesting was ultimately passed on cause it mastered none. Still a nice urban fighter with long range punch which I could best see as a specialized Mechwarrior package but not one of the ten most common variants for the Night Gyr. Pairing the twin ER PPCs with a Gauss Rifle played to the judge a wee bit but was a good fit for the Night Gyr which in my opinion needs at least one big gun. With a lot of mass for pod space but little room for extra heat sinks large caliber ballistic weapons like the Gauss are well suited here. Three designers (Bradshaw Prime, Ice Hellion Prime and masterarminas E) went in this direction. While Bradshaw was the first his capable variant which reminded me of the Cerberus somewhat was beaten out by better competition. Ice Hellion created a bracket fire master piece which has three tons of ammo for the Gauss and is either slamming you with twin ER PPC blasts at range or six ER Mediums closer in for twelve more damage at the same heat cost. Very nasty but second place to the winner masterarminas E which drops 5 ER Mediums for a Targeting Computer. Both are very similar (same Gauss ammo and 5 Double Heat Sinks) and could easily be variants of each other which I think I may do in the final write up. Ultimately it is that +1 to hit which I preferred over 12 points of damage at close range but there is an argument to be made. Very nice job everyone but design point one goes to masterarminas!

The single Ultra AC/20 backed by two Streak SRM-6s, a Large Pulse Laser, and three Medium Pulses made canon Configuration A a formidable short ranged fighter. Both Bradshaw A and marauder648 A backed this capable design making only minor alterations at most. Only drakensis A directly challenged it by reducing the Streak SRMs to 4s and increasing the number of racks from to five matching the firepower of an Ultra AC/20! He also replaced the Pulse Lasers with two ER Large Lasers and even added a fifth supplemental Double Heat Sink. Impressive yes but the ammo is very very limited to five effective rounds which was a bit to scary for me to replace the existing canon configuration. I also debated replacing this one with LB 20-X AC contenders but that concept found a home in a later configuration. So point canon!

The core weapons of Configuration B concept were the impressive dual Gauss Rifles which guaranteed long range punishment. What makes the canon version sort of odd is the twin LB 2-X ACs which give you unbelievably great range but little punch and completely fail to challenge your onboard heat sinks. It would be a fantastic Clan harasser able to engage any target at extreme range but I’d drop an LB 2-X and replace it with two Lasers (ER Large and ER Medium). That would give you significantly more punch while retaining extreme range capabilities and max out those heat sinks with Alpha Strike jumping. Apparently, I wasn’t alone in this assessment as seven challengers appeared featuring the double Gauss. Bradshaw H again reminded me of the Cerberus mating two Gausses with five Medium Pulses for a shorter ranged version of this variant. Abele B was similar with two Medium Pulses and ER Mediums but added an Active Probe and ECM Suite. Ice Hellion B paired two LRM-10s and two ER Mediums with his Gausses and threw in an ECM Suite as well. I preferred this longer-range approach to the short ones but why not try a little of both like masterarminas F. Going opposite of his winning E two Gausses are teamed with an ER PPC and two Medium Pulses. Unfortunately, I don’t find it as efficient as his first or the winning entry here which was entered three times over. Pairing the Gausses which featured an additional ton of ammo with two ER Larges and two Double Heat Sinks allowed the design to performing running Alpha Strikes for sixteen (16) turns without going overheat. Fifty (50) points of damage down range is indeed impressive but who exactly gets the win? Three contestants (drakensis B, marauder648 B, and Bradshaw B) all basically came up with the same design. Normally fluff and time of entry rule the day here but in this decision a rarity had to be factored in, teamwork. Both Bradshaw B and marauder648 committed to split the points should they be chosen. As their combined fluff is superior to drak’s who did enter this contest fourth compared to Bradshaw’s first and marauder648’s second I have decided to award them each a half a point. Sorry drak you just missed out here and I am opened to establishing new rules for cooperative entries.

While canon Configuration C also features small caliber ACs I found it to be a little more formidable then canon B. After Bradshaw’s plea to recognize the value of these smaller Autocannons it seems appropriate that any suitable concepts would go here. It total, there were eight variants qualified including canon C and canon B even though you know my feelings on that. I found Abele H with its two LB 2-X ACs, two Large Pulses, two Streak SRM-6s, an ER Medium a bit too light hitting and disparate in regards to range. The LB 2-X is an extreme and the rest are medium range weapons which could be good for a harasser but I just wasn’t fond of it. Abele F with twin LB-5 X ACs and four Streak SRM-6s was a bit more reasonable reminding me of the bracket firing ER Large/SRM machines we see from drak or Ice Hellion. Presumably you may even avoid bracketing but the long-range fire is light meaning opponents would likely stay there if they could. Bradshaw C with LB 5-X ACs and four ER Mediums is an interesting mix and would be good against conventional forces and fighters for sure but I can think of a way to better that. Four Ultra AC/5s from drakensis F along with two ER Mediums and two Medium Pulses provide a bit more of a punch at range and I like it better. Two LB 5-X ACs and two Large Pulses linked to a Targeting Computer in marauder648 E was a better option especially against fighters but the best in my opinion was Abele C. Going half Bradshaw with two LB 5-X ACs and pairing them with two ER Larges which have very similar range and linking all his weaponry to Targeting Computer made for an excellent longer-range Anti-Air option. I might have tried different secondary options but an ECM Suite is wise to prevent anyone from screwing with your enhanced accuracy. Plus, you have two Medium Pulses and a Small Pulse for closer in support. Three additional Double Heat Sinks allow you to fire your main longer-range arsenal indefinitely and jump if you wish all day long. Good job Abele, your first point of the day!

The LRM boat which was found original in canon Configuration D was the concept with the second most qualified entries. These long rangers however suffered from the lack of space and integral heat sinks which were featured on the Night Gyr at least in my estimation. On its face canon D is pretty scary with four LRM-20s each linked to an Artemis IV FCS supported by a Large Pulse and Medium Pulse. Problem is just firing your LRMs puts you two overheat and even if you could there is only nine missile salvos available for you to launch. So, in nine turns your empty and eighteen overheat without moving or firing any of your supporting arsenal. Yes, a bit of an exaggeration but still I think we can do better. Dropping the Artemis IV FCS and adding two Medium Pulses wasn’t the solution I was looking for drakensis D. The missile batteries still are short of ammo and go overheat as does Ice Hellion D which similarly drops the Artemis IV FCS. His however adds two more tons of ammo and embraces more of a bracket fire character removing the Large Pulse and adding four Medium Pulses. Abele D makes me think of the Crusader dropping two LRM 20 for another Large Pulse and Streak SRM-4s which is great on ammo but still runs into heat problems. I would have liked it better the Large Pulses and LRMs could fire at the same time continuously but again the Night Gyr isn’t that cooling. Abele J or Parvati Chan’s configuration features two LRM-15s, an LB 10-X AC, and five Medium Pulses which is cool but is kind of short on the fire support element. Bradshaw J or the Wolfhunter pairs dual LRM-15s with ER PPCs which is a great fire support idea but again runs head long into heat problems. Bradshaw D has six LRM-15s, two Medium Pulses, and a Double Heat Sink. Dropping two LRM-20s for two LRM-15s and adding a Double Heat Sink puts marauder648 D squarely in the running as a cooler running variant which has more ammo available. But I think masterarminas D which reduces all four LRM launchers to 15s which really hits the mark for our fire support element. This thing can hammer away for sixteen (16) turns and even mix in its Large Pulse at times for seventy possible damage at range. Two additional Double Heat Sinks help dissipate movement heat and any Large Pulse fire. For good measure two rear facing Medium Pulse Lasers can deal with any would be back biters. Point to masterarminas!

For Configuration E we leave canon behind and set our own course with concepts you presented. Now what scares the hell out of any BattleMech in the field? An opponent armed with dual Ultra AC/20 like this bad boy does. While short range the Night Gyr’s jump jets give it mobility which can make this pocket assault asset feared by even the largest Assault ‘Mechs around. Three designers took their best shot at presenting this fearsome concept which could run into the same heat and ammo issues we’ve seen before. Bradshaw E had plenty of ammo with eight tons (40 rounds) of autocannon shells available but added no heat sinks to keep these big guns and their secondary arsenal (2 Medium Pulse and an ER Medium) cool. With only ten shots marauder648 G went the other way adding a Double Heat Sink and featuring two Streak SRM-6s along with an ECM Suite. Ice Hellion E was very similar to that adding four tons of ammo (20 shots), Streak SRMs, and two ER Mediums as well as a Double Heat Sink. Now Alpha striking with this thing has the possibility of doing 118 damage but at the cost of 46 heat. Over by 20 before calculating movement is normally not acceptable to me but the thought of doing so much damage is just too rich to pass up. Point to Ice Hellion!

Short Range Missiles were the fare that made up Configuration F (for Flexible) which frequently were paired with long range energy weapons to create a mixed range or bracket fire variant. While Ice Hellion G was the only SRM Narc entrant here I did consider it but compared to Streaks which have greater range it did not make it. Bradshaw G is a little weak on ER Larges with only two and overboard on Streak SRM-4s with ten. While Ice Hellion H was more unusual two ER PPCs and a Large Pulse with 3 Streak SRM-6s it is pretty darn solid hitting with a heavy punch. With three ER Larges linked to a Targeting Computer and seven Streak SRM-4s drakensis C is even better. If I could make an eleventh configuration it would be Ice Hellion A with two Large Pulses, four Medium Pulses, three Streak SRM-4s, and a Targeting Computer which is a fantastically accurate mid-range fighter. The winner here however is drakensis G with its three ER Larges and eight Streak SRM-4s (100) all cooled by six additional Double Heat Sinks. While these systems are tested by repeated fire and exceeded by movement it is the best bracket fire machine available to the Night Gyr. Point to drakensis!

G is for Generalist concepts which ultimately beat out the sole dual LB 10-X AC for Configuration G. Despite being the only one to have two LB 10-Xs in the contest drakensis E which paired these weapons with two Streak SRM-6s and an ER PPC was considered for a configuration. Unfortunately, these mixed arsenals that resemble our last configuration concept narrowly edged it out. With a Gauss Rifle, ER PPC, Large Pulse, and LB 10-X masterarminas Prime could do a little bit of everything. While masterarminas B added a Targeting Computer by lowering the LB-X to a 5 and replacing the Pulse with a Streak SRM-4 I preferred the hard hitting Prime. Ice Hellion F also has a Gauss Rifle, Ultra AC/10, Large Pulse, three ER Mediums like Abele I or Sylvester Marghar’s configuration which features a Gauss/ER PPC combo and many smaller weapons. With an ER PPC, LB 10-X, four SRM-6s, Medium Pulse, and four Small Pulse marauder648 F was almost what I was looking for. Abele E was similar with an ER PPC and LB 10-X but it featured both LRM-15s and Streak SRM-6s for either range possibility. Add to that two Medium Pulses and a Small Pulse along with an Anti-Missile System for defense for my winner here. With four added Double Heat Sinks this new Configuration G can dissipate most of its movement and weapon fire. Point to Abele!

Configuration H is usually our so called ‘Heavy’ variant and thanks to the LB 20-X Autocannon we have one more of these short-range monsters from which to draw upon. Despite the advantage of ballistics over other weapons in this contest only two designers (masterarminas and Abele) forwarded proposals with this massive gun. Abele G with an LB 20-X and an LB 10-X along with an LRM-10, SRM-6, and two ER Mediums was an interesting variant. Abele A and masterarminas A were very very similar with only one less ton of AC ammo and an added ER Medium for Abele’s. However, I prefer masterarminas A which has the same LB 20-X, Streak SRM-6, two Large Pulses, a Medium Pulse, and four Double Heat Sinks. I just don’t think the ER Medium is enough of an improvement to warrant the win to Abele, so point masterarminas!

Lastly for Configuration I the chosen concept was dual plus Ultra AC/10s which had good mid-range striking capabilities. They ultimately had edged passed four Energy Boat concepts including Abele Prime, masterarminas G, marauder648 H and Ice Hellion C. While Ice Hellion C was my choice from that category both the ballistic competitors here (masterarminas C and Bradshaw I) were in my opinion better. This is in large part because of the Night Gyr’s large pod space and smaller engine which favors heavier weight and lower heat producing guns over energy weapons. For the winner I went back and forth on masterarminas C (2 Ultra AC/10s with 2 Large Pulses) and Bradshaw I (3 Ultra AC/10s and 2 ER Mediums) several times. Ultimately it was Bradshaw I with lower heat concerns and greater overall potential damage which won the day. Point to Bradshaw!

Before I conclude I just wanted to get in a word about Notable Pilots which I do enjoy in these write ups. I also look to add characters from these write ups to my still unfolding universe. The only canon character who pilots a Night Gyr was Timur Malthus who if you remember was killed in the bloody struggle during Quicksilver Vehicle Expansion. Link below;

Trial of Refusal – Quicksilver OmniVehicles
https://www.ourbattletech.com/forum/index.php?topic=2814.msg38096#msg38096

While we do have others from the Jade Falcon Sourcebook and the Trial of Restoration there isn’t much known about them in general. I didn’t buy what Ice Hellion was selling which had Marthe Pryde ing to a Night Gyr from a Summoner, probably going to stick with the old Thor in this case as was done in canon. Link from BattleTechwiki below;

Marthe Pryde
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Marthe_Pryde

In regard to Jonathan Pryde from Bradshaw this would be a far different path for this character then we had from our playing days. I suppose it could be he wasn’t captured at Tukayyid but I don’t know? I will leave it up to you. I was really pleased to see that both of Abele’s Mechwarriors (Sylvester Marghar and Parvati Chan) were completed. I will try to add them to my developing Burrock story and the larger picture even if their custom variants were not chosen for general distribution.

Finally, we finish it out with a summary on the scoring which according to my tally sees us finish in a first-place tie. Both Bradshaw and masterarminas complied three points throughout this hard-fought contest which went down literally to the final entries. Abele scored two points and finished right on their heels for sole possession of third place while everyone else (marauder648, Ice Hellion, drakensis) got one point. Even canon managed to retain a point with configuration A which survived a stiff challenge by drakensis. Well done gang! I think we came up with some great variations for the Night Gyr just looking at typical firing range results (4 long, 2 mixed, 1 mid, 3 shorts). I know your already hard at work on the Woodsman which I can only hope gets as good a makeover. Guess we will find out in two weeks, cya then!

I didn’t buy what Ice Hellion was selling which had Marthe Pryde ing to a Night Gyr from a Summoner, probably going to stick with the old Thor in this case as was done in canon. Link from BattleTechwiki below;

Since you didn't buy my fluff, I am not surprised 

Congratulations to both winners.

In regard to Jonathan Pryde from Bradshaw this would be a far different path for this character then we had from our playing days. I suppose it could be he wasn’t captured at Tukayyid but I don’t know? I will leave it up to you. I was really pleased to see that both of Abele’s Mechwarriors (Sylvester Marghar and Parvati Chan) were completed. I will try to add them to my developing Burrock story and the larger picture even if their custom variants were not chosen for general distribution.

Parvati Chan is a Cloud Cobra warrior. This was a joint project with the Burrocks.