As I sit here by the fire at the cabin and review this contest I would like to thank everyone for providing inspiration on this old OmniMech which needed some fleshing out. Six (6) designers submitted forty-seven (47) entries which challenged the two (2) known canon variants. While marauder648 did not join the fun this time around it was a pleasant surprise to find one of our longest forum members, wolfcannon, joining the fray. I hope to see him and everyone back again for our first foray into the Assault OmniMechs of the Clans which should be up soon. Let’s not forget this contest though as I said it was a good one even though I sensed a lack of enthusiasm for the Woodsman. However, this old one is a goodie especially being designed by TPTB so recently it lacks the design flaws or shortcomings of newer more modern Clan Omnis seen in Technical Readout 3050. A good test for one and all, lets get started.
Let’s go over the fluff and why this contest is a good thing for a lack of information and a bad thing. Unfortunately, I can’t even consider Abele as he explicitly did no overview. I understand about the limitation of time but please don’t look at someone else entry and say can’t win don’t try. You’ve come up with some great stuff bud which adds to this alternate universe before and I know you still can. Going back to the Iron Golem or older Quicksilver entries which did not make it could serve you and all the designers well. Now Bradshaw’s fluff is a little all over the place because I don’t even know how this is gonna work out. So as the designer with too much information his fluff which is good is all over the place not knowing where to go. This has been by greatest fear – too much information could potentially stifle original ideas with entries here. Perhaps the most basic fluff was wolfcannon who while saying he sucks at it makes a few general statements about Clan Wolf bringing it back which were apt. Not bad but drakensis stayed on point with a little bit of an earlier Coyote reintroduction of the Woodsman and his fluff is good. However, second place here goes to Ice Hellion who takes a chance and comes completely out of left field with a Diamond Shark centric story. While this is not at all what I was looking for I really appreciated it because there was a need to spread the design around and the Blood Spirits could really use it to update their Touman. Why not have some Diamond Shark merchant scheme to activate its stores of these Mechs and make a profit? Even though you’re a bit off the mark overall, I love your intent and will be adding something likely to the deployment of this Mech which at least reflects the attempt. Ultimately it was the intro by masterarminas that was generalized but spot on point which earned him the bonus point this time around, well done!
As for bonus point for InnerSphere designation I could not find any for masterarminas and wolfcannon which left four competitors here. The Doppleganger by Ice Hellion is an interesting alternate name especially given its background story but not really an InnerSphere designation which I was looking for. The Susano-o by Abele is a good Draconis name and one that could even have been kept if there was a little Nova Cat deployment story about it perhaps. Coupled with the fact their Khans are old and their warriors tend to serve longer in this Clan than others an ancient ‘Mech joining their ranks could be spot on. However, the Ymir by drakensis is perhaps the most right on of all of the entries here even though it could be a little confusing given the old Lyran Mech of that name but you just got beat out by one better. The Hundin by Bradshaw is very human, humorous, and borderline brilliant story which adds so much to the story of the Woodsman. The misworking of computer identification combined with InnerSphere frustration and an accurate if misunderstood translation by a Clansman produce a fantastic piece of alternate naming. I mean some arrogant trueborn maybe from Jade Falcon or a Crusader is gonna hear that name and of course think it is perfect cause this ancient OmniMech a creation of the Wolves and bought back by the Coyotes is a bitch. The back and forth can be seen and I am really tempted to give two points to Bradshaw here but there can be only one!
As with the other contests we will let canon set the pace for Primary Configuration here. Two ER Larges, two LRM-15s, three ER Mediums, an ER Small, two Machine Guns, and five additional Double Heat Sinks make for a pretty solid base. I especially think the Blood Spirits would appreciate such a combination of weaponry but can we do better? Wolfcannon endorsed this Prime variant with his initial entry and even based his B entry on it too. I liked his second variant which upgraded both main weapons to Large Pulses and LRM-20s at the cost of secondary weapons and heat sinks. Right track but like Abele Prime who also upgraded to LRM-20s and reduced added Heat Sinks you really couldn’t fire all four of your primary weapons. Ice Hellion Prime ditched the Machine Guns for another ER Medium and swapped the ER Small for a Flamer. I liked the Flamer idea a lot just cause of the Woodsman name just like Bradshaw Prime’s Targeting Computer for his direct fire weapons. Ultimately his entry had to be disqualified because it included a Remote Sensor/Dispenser which is an illegal item. The best entry in my opinion was masterarminas Prime who dropped most secondary weapons for the addition of ammo and a Double Heat Sink as well as Artemis IV FCS. Concentrating on improving long range firepower which can be repeatedly fired was a way to mitigate any remaining concerns over low speed which ultimately doomed the Woodsman to cache storage. Point two to masterarminas!
The second and last canon variant is Alternate Configuration A which with two ER PPCs, a Large Pulse Laser, 2 Medium Pusles, an ER Small along with five Double Heat Sinks. I like an all energy arsenal which saves on ammunition requirements but it runs just to damn hot. Fire your main three weapons and walk your over by seven which I just can’t approve of so I looked to all other twin ER PPC entries for a suitable replacement. Wolfcannon A seemed to endorse it and his D configuration did address my heat concerns but not enough bud. Ice Hellion B, masterarminas A, and Abele C all dropped the Large Pulse for missiles in way or another which wasn’t too bad. Abele A lacked two ER PPCs because it switched one to a second Large Pulse and even added another heat sink so a Mechwarrior could fire primary weapons without fear of overheating. Not bad but not good as three 15 point damage weapons. While I would usually be all over a Gauss and two ER PPC entry Bradshaw C unfortunately did not work in this case because of its high heat and an awkward firing pattern which could rob the machine of its Gauss ammo in a prolonged battle. Ice Hellion E with its three ER PPCs did it a lot better but not good enough to win here. Don’t worry Ice I think we will see it again soon. Bradshaw B went bracket fire by keeping two ER PPCs and six ER Medium Lasers, switched the ER Small to a Flamer, as well as added four Jump Jets adding mobility to this slow design. Liked the approach a lot brother, really nice job. Point two to Bradshaw!!
LB 10-X Autocannon entries set the bar for Alternate Configuration B where canon had no known previous variant. I did also consider the sole Ultra AC/10 entry from Abele F here as well but I liked the LB 10-X AC entries better. Wolfcannon C doubled down with two such cannons but I didn’t care for their pairing with two SRM-6s most because it failed to adequately utilize the war machine’s existing heat sinks. Would have gone for an energy weapon or two bud. I liked drakensis D who mentioned the Summoner as an inspiration for its existence but did not love six Machine Guns. Ice Hellion C was very similar pairing the LB-X with an ER PPC, an LRM-10 linked to an Artemis IV FCS, and a Streak SRM-6. Tough to turn that one down and masterarminas B which switched the PPC to an ER Large and the LRM-10 to a 15 was just as good. Tough call here but ultimately masterarminas B narrowly edged out Ice Hellion C mainly cause of range and slightly better overall firepower. Close contest but point three for masterarminas!!!
The Gauss Rifle was the basis for Alternate Configuration C and I had six entries to choose from but can eliminate Bradshaw C as I previously explained. With a Gauss and two ER PPCs taking up so much space allowing for the addition of one Double Heat Sink this variant has irregular heat management and ammo problems that make it unworkable for the Woodsman. I think masterarminas C with a Gauss Rifle three tons of ammo, ER PPC, LRM-10 with Artemis three tons of ammo and two ER Smalls is a much better way to go. I liked that one better than Abele J which mentioned Balthazar presumably a Mechwarrior who I would have like to hear about. His Gauss Rifle with three tons of ammo, ER Large, Large Pulse, ER Medium, and 2 Machine Guns is horrible but I like the Gauss/ER PPC combo better. Abele D and Ice Hellion D were promising long range snipers with their Gauss Rifle with two tons of ammo paired with twin ER Large Lasers. However, I didn’t like either of their secondary weapons or equipment. I would have preferred a four ton Targeting Computer with those distant ranged weapons. It looked as though masterarminas was on his way to a win but along came drakensis A based on the Orion which was not only very appropriate but worked extremely well. His Gauss with two tons of ammo is paired with an LRM-15 linked to an Artemis, two ER Mediums, and two Streak SRM-4s with a ton of ammo just does not overheat. With a sixty-damage potential at medium range it is the hardest hitter which can running Alpha Strike all day long. Point one to drankensis!
For Alternate Configuration D we are delving into the five LRM Boats which were presented during this challenge. Three (drakensis B, masterarminas D, and Abele E) featured three LRM-15s linked to Artemis IV FCS paired with an ER Large or Large Pulse. While these made for pretty solid entries I wanted more missiles which Ice Hellion and Bradshaw delivered on. Ice Hellion I had the most with four LRM-20s with a total of thirty-six salvos backed up by three ER Small Lasers. Impressive missile delivery capability but with movement can run a bit hot and the support weaponry is quite weak. Bradshaw D with four LRM-15s had sixty-four shots which was the most ammunition endurance available. What I loved the most was the four ER Medium Lasers included as backup which make an excellent bracket fire weapon when paired with the LRMs. An ER Small rounds it out for the win. Point three to Bradshaw!!
E stood for Energy Boats this time around which surprisingly had eight entries given the Woodsman’s low number of integral heat sinks. Granted it makes sense given the original A configuration and the Wolf Clan’s recent habit of relying on energy weapons during the invasion as opposed to ammunition-based armaments. Many of these ‘hot variants’ have already been mentioned during Configuration A which featured twin ER PPCs and drakensis C we will see again soon. This leaves two Ice Hellion configurations to detail which include his H with two Large Pulses, six Medium Pulses, Flamer, and three Jump Jets. Very similar to Ice Hellion A with three Large Pulses, four ER Medium Lasers, and four Double Heat Sinks which I liked better. When I compared Ice Hellion A with the two other best energy boats (drakensis C and Ice Hellion E) presented I thought there was a clear winner. Ice Hellion E with its three ER PPCs and nine Double Heat Sinks is that variant as it does overheat only slightly especially when utilizing the MASC. Alpha Striking while MASCing only pushes it four over which has no major impacts on performance so next turn you can run and fire two ER PPCs and cool down. This is a favorable and effective firing cycle. Well done, point to Ice Hellion!
F is for Flak Configuration here which brings in long range small caliber autocannons variants along with Large Pulse configurations and those featuring Targeting Computers. Bradshaw G which is an excellent harasser with two LB 2-X ACs and two ER Larges linked to a Targeting Computer meets the criteria as an anti-air defender. Two ER Smalls serve as nice backup but unfortunately, he included Remote Sensor/Dispenser which is not acceptable for this contest. Disqualifying him leaves Abele G with two Ultra AC/5s, two Streak SRM-6s, and three ER Smalls which isn’t bad but not what I was looking for. That leaves drakensis C with two ER Larges, a Large Pulse, ER Small, Targeting Computer, four Jump Jets, and six Double Heat Sinks up against Ice Hellion A with its three Large Pulse Lasers as described previously. I really liked drak C with its limitless ammo, extra mobility, and heat efficiency. Well balanced if a bit weak compared to other designs but it fits a niche. Point two to drakensis!!
The Big Guns were under review here in Alternate Configuration G so step forth all Ultra AC/20 and LB 20-X ACs. First up the double firing Ultra AC/20s of which there were three including Abele B which had fifteen rounds of ammo for this powerful gun along with an ER PPC, LRM-10 with a dozen shots, ER Medium Laser, and Small Pulse Laser which was not too shabby. Both Drakensis E with 15 shots for the big gun supported by three SRM-6s (30 shots), three ER Mediums, three Double Heat Sinks and Bradshaw F with twenty shots for its main weapon, four ER Mediums, three ER Smalls, six Double Heat Sinks were short ranged monsters. However, neither of those Ultra AC/20 entries were too short ranged especially for a slow ‘Mech without mobility. Jump jets would have been nice and perhaps made a difference but as is Abele B was my choice here but he would still would have to deal with Ice Hellion G with its LB 20-X AC which is supplied by fifteen rounds, two ER Large Lasers, four ER Medium Lasers, and a Flamer. So, which one was the better big gun bracket fire approach? Each had weapons capable of inflicting heavy pain at two distinct reaches but Abele B narrowly wins out. Tough call, I liked them both but point to Abele!
With a torso that was entirely unoccupied and an ancient OmniMech with a questionable reputation an artillery configuration was entirely appropriate here and Alternate Configuration H would see two contenders square off. Ice Hellion F featured two Arrow IV Artillery Systems backed up by three ER Small Lasers. Certainly, double the pleasure but rather weak on the support weapons and it had only ten shots. Bradshaw H on the other hand has only one Arrow IV Artillery Systems but it was fed by twenty rounds of ammunition. Not only did he have a better supply of ammo but much more room was available for support weapons. Two ER Large Lasers, two ER Medium Lasers, and ER Small Laser provided solid firepower if any enemy approaches. Plus including a TAG is sort of clever enabling the Arrow System to fire against on board targets or alternately have a second layer of artillery waiting to support these assets. Either way I liked it better and point four goes to Bradshaw!!!!
Generalists squared off against Streak SRM entries here for Alternate Configuration I, our tenth and final option. Three Streak SRM entries including masterarminas E and Bradshaw A but I thought that Abele H was better. Four Generalists including drakensis Prime, Abele C, and masterarminas F were in direct competition here but I thought Bradshaw E was the best. With two ER Large Lasers, two ER Mediums, LRM-15 with sixteen shots linked to an Artemis IV FCS, two Streak SRM-4s with twenty-five shots, an ECM Suite, and three Double Heat Sinks this was another bracket fire piece of goodness. Distinct pairs of long- and short-range weapons made for the best possible variant. Abele H had ER Large Laser, four ER Medium Lasers, four Streak SRM-4s, and seven Double Heat Sinks. Its short-ranged bracket was much more lopsided then its single long reaching weapon. Resulting in point five going to Bradshaw!!!!!
I apologize this took such a long time to complete but the winner in impressive fashion this time around is Bradshaw five (5) points! Second place went to masterarminas with three (3) points followed by drakensis in third place with two (2) points. Ice Hellion and Abele both got one (1) point each to add to their totals. Unfortunately, wolfcannon who along with canon got shut out this time around but I hope to see him again in our next contest. A lot of bracket fire configurations seemed to win out here which perhaps had to do with the pod space available to the designers and the low amount of base Double Heat Sinks. Your no doubt all already working on the Gargoyle and hopefully the two Aerospace Fighters in my next Quicksilver contests so I wish everyone good luck in those challenges. Thanks again for your efforts everyone, great job here. I might post two special configurations I designed for Mechwarriors later on which you guys inspired. Nice job!
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Topic: Quicksilver Upgrades #27: Woodsman (??) 75 tons (Read 3746 times)