Stinger : Bad 'Mechs a Sarna Tale | Battletopia Stories

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  • Опубліковано 14 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 70

  • @gbprime2353
    @gbprime2353 Рік тому +15

    1986... my first Battletech tournament. Nothing but mechs from the original box set and CityTech. I showed up late to the Brawl For All, the 36 vs 36 multiplayer fight. The tournament organizer felt sorry for me and let me play anyway, put me on a team and gave me a single Stinger mech to command, figuring it wouldn't unbalance anything. I solo killed two Riflemen and a Warhammer by working those jump jets and the terrain and blowing through their light back armor and detonating ammunition.
    I still have the Brass Ones trophy.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +3

      Wow what an awesome story! My co host on the PPC podcast has a similar story (no 36 Vs 36, that sounds epic and confusing as hell!) Where he took on an archer in his first ever game with a stinger. And he survived! They are tough little dudes as long as they keep moving. The Warhammer is an incredibly impressive kill!

  • @polaris30000
    @polaris30000 Рік тому +38

    As a veteran, when you look at a mech like the stinger you can see where the design philosophy was. It is meant for quiet reconnaissance. It isn't necessarily as outright fast as other mechs and definitely doesn't have the firepower, but it has sufficient speed and maneuverability to get itself into a nice and cozy position while taking advantage of how relatively small it is, got into low power, and report back what it sees. This is certainly a design intended for drawn out campaigns and operations at the strategic level. However, with how the video games and tabletop play, this unfortunately means that the stinger is thrown into roles that it was not designed for, as there isn't a viable position for quiet recce, so it is off into the brawl it goes.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +7

      Thanks for listening! Yep, this is my take. Like the rifleman, jagermech and other support 'mechs. Could work in real life, in a short turn based game of rock'em'sock'em robots it struggles. Still useful though I think

    • @harvestblades
      @harvestblades Рік тому +2

      Agreed! Definitely worth the cost in a realistic campaign as you state, but especially with the cockpit size no way in Hell I'm piloting one any longer then necessary.

    • @ericc9321
      @ericc9321 Рік тому +4

      With double-blind fog of war on MegaMek, having a wee jumper that won't be threatening enough to make enemies turn around to fight lets it just sit there peacefully, giving you vision and spotting for LRMs on occasion.

    • @youtmeme
      @youtmeme 2 місяці тому

      yes! this is one of the mechs that is supposed to be moving all the time!! its not meant to defend or attack...its for quick actions that it can get into then out! tt play rarely allows proper play, thats why I love battletech play more like role play dnd..it allows more room for players in n out of the mechs as well as play in mechs that doesn't play well on a limited field of battle.

  • @derekburge5294
    @derekburge5294 Рік тому +29

    Design: "this is a fast recon unit."
    IS Commanders: "weird way of pronouncing *expendable wave,* but sure, fast recon, whatever."

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +4

      I believe it pronounced "corpses to slow the enemy down or trip them over"

    • @derekburge5294
      @derekburge5294 Рік тому +2

      @@battletopia Every destroyed light is a Rough Terrain hex!

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +3

      @@derekburge5294 pilot check and 2 MP please 🤣

  • @mattikuokkanen
    @mattikuokkanen Рік тому +7

    I have a memory of seeing a Stinger with several 'Mech outlines on its gun barrel, including heavy ones. May have been in Tales of the Black Widow Company. I'd love to hear story of THAT Stinger.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +3

      Thanks for tuning in. And now it's off to the library I go to find a picture of a killer stinger! I want to hear that story too!

    • @wellhello1575
      @wellhello1575 2 місяці тому

      I'd imagine that relying on 2 MG's for crit-seeking on mechs with armour already melted off would have been a somewhat viable tactic, specially in a battle where stingers would have often been overlook in favor of much more threatening targets.

  • @Gladius-XC
    @Gladius-XC Рік тому +4

    A role that people rarely mention is SWAT. Mechs like the Stinger and Wasp are perfect for small scale para-military duties. Most of the Inner Sphere consists of small back-water worlds with little military presence. A planetary militia might need to face off against some rebel group equipped with trucks with armor plates welded to them and machine guns in pintle mounts. Put rubber bullets in the machine guns and use them for riot control. Security forces at high value facilities.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for listening. Yeah, I suppose this is because alot of people play rock 'em' sock robots rather than small narrative campaign games when a 'mech is the pinnacle of the local military.

    • @Taurox220
      @Taurox220 Місяць тому

      ​@@battletopia mech size machine guns are massive and would absolutely kill or cripple anyone hit with a rubber bullet fired from them

  • @jamesripley8031
    @jamesripley8031 Рік тому +6

    I like the Stinger. I like the whole light lineup the game had at first, and I’ll stand and fight on this hill: “a Phoenix Hawk, Valkyrie, Wasp and Stinger has always been, and will always be, a superb recon Lance.” The only caveat I’ll throw out there is “for the Battle Value.” Because of course if you send that Lance up against an opponent with a Spider, Jenner, Wolfhound and Bushwacker, then of course they lose. But! This Lance has plenty of MG and missile to deal with infantry, all of them are swift, it has a touch of range, and every one of them jumps. If it were 3015 and I needed a recon lance, this is what I’m picking 9 times out of 10. And I think that last time I’m taking 4 Locusts because the terrain is salt flats and nothing but better speed is gonna keep my mechs from getting hit.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      After having a entire platoon decimated the other weekend by a single flamer, I now see the power of machine guns and anti-infantry weapons on mechs. I haven't played 3015 yet but I imagine the little bugger would do ok. Even in later games if I have some left over BV I would consider it, especially in Alpha Strike because most lights are identical points wise.

    • @jamesripley8031
      @jamesripley8031 Рік тому +2

      @@battletopia 3015 is definitely the prime era for a Stinger - most of those introductory 'mechs fail to stand tall as soon as they are competing with double heat sinks, XL engines, and heaven forbid any Clan technology. But I think even a lowly stock model Stinger has its place in a higher tech game. They are just so darn cheap! A mere 359 BV. Perfect swarm machines, but also excellent for when the format is "X BV total, bring exactly 4 'mechs" which is often the case - at least where I play. Taking a Stinger lets you boost the BV of your other 'mechs. And as a dirtbag backstabber, it's gonna get work done. Nobody respects it, so as it jumps and runs its way from cover to cover, your opponent will likely disregard it in favor of shooting at the Atlas or whatever all else you brought because you cheaped out on the Stinger and you have the BV to blow on something truly scary. By the time it carefully makes its way to a good position, it's likely that the enemy armor is low enough that a medium laser, two machine guns and a kick will mean something. Just don't let it get shot by a PPC... only the torsos can withstand a PPC, and even then the shot is 100% going internal.
      Stingers in Alpha Strike are interesting. They completely lose their ability to demolish infantry. That leaves them with their only selling point being "cheap." Which plays into the "expendable" thing your video touched on. A lance of Stingers is more or less on par PV-wise as a Dire Wolf. And in my opinion the Dire Wolf 100% wins that fight, every time. Sure a random through-armor-crit could take the head off, but that's very rare and we can ignore it for now. But what you get from that encounter is 4-8 turns of a Dire Wolf shooting at Stingers instead of something more important. That and 4 dead stingers, you get 4 dead stingers of course.....

  • @DreamMadeProductions
    @DreamMadeProductions Рік тому +2

    I like the Stinger. It's a poor man's Phoenix Hawk. Fast enough to outmaneuver most heavier mechs. True a locust can run it down in the open but its jump jets let it move in difficult terrain that would bog down the locust. A good back biter. The machine guns let is be a real problem for infantry. I tend to like it over the Wasp. It has two hands letting it pick up things that the Wasp and locust can't. It does struggle to hit when jumping but you are not going to heat up or run out of ammo.... A fine mech in my opinion.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      Thanks for tuning in dude! Glad to see some loving for the little git. I am not a fan of the wasp anyway, so I would always take this over it anyday

  • @michaelsudsysutherland5353
    @michaelsudsysutherland5353 Рік тому +5

    I love it, as I got into BT in 4th Ediition and only was aware of the Stinger, Wasp, and other Unseen through record sheets. When I learned what the Unseen Mechs were, and read the novels (Gray Death Trilogy by Keith, and Warrior Trilogy by Stackpole), I got hooked on the little guy (along with the Wasp) for extra cannon fodder in my light lances. Largely, to 'role play' the availability, and bask in what I missed starting out having missed the first wave of BT in the 80's with the Unseen crisis.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      4th Edition Brother!!! The best edition with the sexiest standees! The Stinger does feel like sometimes it would be best to trip up the enemy as they try to step over the Stinger carcass

  • @tonyblitz1
    @tonyblitz1 Рік тому +3

    I really liked the short story and sound effects!

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      Thanks for tuning in and I'm happy you enjoyed it!

  • @SaturmornCarvilli
    @SaturmornCarvilli 4 місяці тому +1

    As a big Robotech/Macross fan, I want to like the Stinger. However, it doesn't have a very good niche. The Valkyrie gets me everything I want from the Stinger, and I usually can swing the additional BV. And even if I can't, the Wasp also feels like a better fit most of the time.
    Like the video said, I find the Stinger just too lightly armed. And that with a healthy amount of my games being not just objective based, but needing articulated hands objective based. My gaming group also has a general cap of 8 max units. So, there isn't a need for a Stinger, Valkyrie and Wasp all at the same time.
    Although, if you have never played a game of Macross vs. UrbanMech, I suggest you give it a try. Lots of small mech fun of fast vs. big gun.

  • @yecnay25
    @yecnay25 Рік тому +2

    According to Periphery First Edition the Stinger Wasp and Locust are produced on Duianshire by the Magistracy of Canopus and I believe the new Majesty Metals and Manufacturing on Luxen and Ballad built in the 3090s also make them

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for tuning in. I'm not sure on Sean (author) time frames are. But I do love to hear extra info. Imagine a factory producing stinger, wasp and locust. Would that be a higher or lower priority target for invaders?

    • @yecnay25
      @yecnay25 Рік тому +1

      @@battletopia mech factory is a mech factory. High value target. Even if it’s making Charger 1A’s lol

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +2

      @@yecnay25 oh the wound runs deep 🤣. Also I think these things are miles long, might take a while to demolish with conventional mech weapons. I can see why nukes were used

    • @yecnay25
      @yecnay25 Рік тому +1

      @@battletopia Remember that scene in HBS Battletech's opening where the Mech was walking out of the factory past the wounded workers? Battletech works on mega scale buildings, like the massive tank factory Russia has in the Ural Mountains. Just cities unto themselves devoted to churning out War Machines. Then you get Hesperus II which is almost on the level of a Warhammer 40k Forgeworld.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      I'd forgotten that scene but any excuse to watch that intro..one of my favourites behind mechcommander! I'm going to have to Sarna that Heslerious II now...more homework 😉

  • @yecnay25
    @yecnay25 Рік тому +2

    Stingers suffer from the same fate as Riflemen and others. It’s forced into roles it’s not meant for to the detriment of machine and mechwarrior. Still sad you never see this mech or the Wasp in the games.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      Seyla! I was surprised, I thought it was in MechWarrior 5 (I don't play it myself) so imagine my surprise where there is practically no artwork of this cutie. No book covers, posters, only line art and a single out of focus jumping one in a pic of a commando

  • @Rick586
    @Rick586 Рік тому +9

    I like the Stinger. Mostly because I think it looks cool :)

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +2

      Thanks for tuning in buddy. The rule of cool is strong with this little guy isn't it?

  • @thomascraiker6449
    @thomascraiker6449 Рік тому +9

    The Stinger is a good mech. But everything its good at is in a non-combat role. The minute bullets start flying, you need to be either somewhere or in something else.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +2

      Seyla brother! Thanks for tuning in. It is a great little utility mech but in a brawl it's basically a paper weight to throw at someone as you run away

    • @kennethelkins-wulff9644
      @kennethelkins-wulff9644 Рік тому +1

      ​@@battletopiaThat has actually happened in one of our games. My son headcapped a Stinger then walked his Atlas over and threw it at the other guys!😂 Needless to say that got their attention!

    • @chrischaplin3126
      @chrischaplin3126 Рік тому +1

      Reasonable cheap anti-infantry mech (pre-battle armor).

    • @imasspeons
      @imasspeons Рік тому +1

      ​@@chrischaplin3126the only problem with that is that two Stingers are not as good as one Firestarter for the same cost.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      @@kennethelkins-wulff9644 that has to be a Tac Ops rule but sounds amazing! Also I bet thats a story that lives on with the group

  • @l3momsshark
    @l3momsshark Рік тому +3

    As a fan of the stinger I down vote. But as a battletech fan and appreciate the effort you put into the video. Like and comment

  • @KageRyuu6
    @KageRyuu6 Рік тому +4

    Yeah, funny enough the Charge of the Horde tactic actually works very well in the tabletop due to a number of reasons, most notably initiative and free heat sinks.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      Yep, and kicking! Don't forget kicking! Stinger can easily bring down an assault with a little 5 point kick and a bad dice roll. You have enough of them in a single turn and something is going to happen!

    • @gbprime2353
      @gbprime2353 Рік тому

      Mercer Ravannion is dead, let his tactics die with him.

  • @Spartaner251
    @Spartaner251 Рік тому +4

    it has two hands and jump jets to jump 6, so the perfect mech to get loot boxes, just like the wasp.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for tuning in. I would argue the spider makes a better loot goblin. It's faster on ground and the air plus looks cooler 😬

  • @Aceman52
    @Aceman52 Рік тому +3

    The Stinger has always been one of my favorite light mechs. I understand why people don't like it. I'm not so much of a fan that I will deny the reality that the stinger has thin armor and is lacking in fire power. But when wisely used in its intended role, the Stinger is a very effective combat unit.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for listening, I'm a Mauler fan and not so deluded to think it is the most amazing 'mech of all time. So I know the pain you feel as you see your baby blow up after being hammered by something twice its weight. I've used the little guy a few times and always been happy with the results.

  • @brockpaine
    @brockpaine Рік тому +2

    TRAINING DAY
    Lyreton, Rimward Periphery
    Tuesday, October 1st, 3016
    "All righ', Teacup, are ye ready?" Stephen Wallace hung off the side of the Stinger's head, peering down at the girl inside. She wouldn't be the first mechwarrior Stephen had trained, and she likely wouldn't be the last - but for certain she'd be the most important.
    "Aye, I'm ready Daddy," his daughter said. At fifteen years of age, she fit snugly in the Stinger's cockpit - though judging by her gangly legs and elbows, she likely wouldn't for much longer.
    "Now remember wha' I taught ye," Stephen said, and lowered the neurohelmet down over his daughter's head. "Jus' like we practiced the sims, Teacup. Trainin' mode on, jist want ye tae run her 'round the circuit twice an' come back tae the stand."
    "Yes, Daddy," his daughter replied. Her voice came out muffled underneath the neurohelmet.
    "Now ye let me get clear a'fore you start off," Stephen said, stepping off the Stinger's shoulder and back onto the scissors lift. He lowered it and moved away, getting clear of the mech.
    Truth be told, he'd never expected this particular life challenge. He'd grown up on Davion-occupied Northwind, dreaming of the chance to join the legendary Highlanders. That dream died hard, but it still died - he wasn't good enough, the recruiter said. And so he'd wandered across half the Inner Sphere with a band of - well, they weren't exactly angels, were they? - doing all manner of odd jobs for an interesting variety of people. He obtained the Stinger in the Duchy of Oriente, at a time he didn't expect to reach the ancient age of thirty - let alone someday be teaching a daughter how to pilot a mech she'd someday inherit.
    But Stephen Wallace always appreciated a new challenge…
    He slipped a comm headset on. "Yer good tae go now, lassie," he said. "Haste ye back now, aye?"
    She didn't reply, but the Stinger lurched forward. The first step wasn't usually the hardest, Stephen knew - it was the fourth, which seemed to be when most of his trainees took a tumble. To his immense pride, his daughter stayed upright, wobbling back and forth around the training field. "Weel dune, lassie," he said, and a smile split his face.
    "Um," she said over the comm. "Um, Daddy…"
    "Yer fine, Teacup," he encouraged her. And she was. Mostly. Maybe a bit off-balance… well, moving with all the artistic grace of a Highlander on his twelfth whiskey. "A wee more to th' left… yer other left… lassie, that's a tree..."
    At perhaps the lowest speed possible, she collided with a palm tree. It bent with the impact, and she rebounded. The mech went down slowly and landed on its back. A frightened shriek carried over the comm, then his daughter hastily informed him "I'm okay!"
    Stephen Wallace grinned. "First time I walked a mech, lassie, I stepped on a car. Yer doin' fine. But now ye got tae learn a new lesson: how tae stand back up again…"

  • @therakshasan8547
    @therakshasan8547 Рік тому +3

    How about the whats and hows of the actuator set ups in different mech . The affects of not having a hand actuator , or lower arm actuator . Int he original rule set trees [hvy] and building debris could be used as a club. But has to be used by mechs with both hand actuator 2 handed . Details that other channels have not addressed to date .

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      Thanks for watching. That's a great idea dude. Would have to have a think about how to do it but keep the suggestions coming!

  • @Vagabond820
    @Vagabond820 Рік тому +2

    6/9/6 is only slow once LFE comes out. It allows a run with 2 turns for a +3. Sure you can get faster with XL but it makes light scouts silly fragile. LFE allows improved speed while keeping a level of durability. After then, you really want at least 7/11/7. The issue is that in a Universe were lives are cheap but mechs are not… Stingers are considered expendable and forced into poor roles.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому

      Thanks for listening! Yep it does feel like a distraction/speed bump 'mech alot of the time doesn't it. I think any light that only travel 6/9 is in trouble in most eras

    • @Vagabond820
      @Vagabond820 Рік тому +1

      @@battletopia I don’t disagree but don’t fully agree. 6/9 is sticky for a light, yes. 6/9/6 is not so much, especially for a scout. That’s enough for a +3 on light to moderate terrain with limited maneuvering, and the jump is enough to null hit modifiers. But it is more limited than 7/11 or 8/12.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +1

      @@Vagabond820 I agree with the jump and it is a saving grace for the little guys. If you can get into woods all the better

  • @dirus3142
    @dirus3142 2 місяці тому +2

    The mech has iron sights the pilot has to line up with the cockpit? That is not how battlemechs work.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Місяць тому +1

      Ah but it is in Macros...looks around for lawyers.... Thanks for tuning in

  • @WolfHreda
    @WolfHreda 9 місяців тому +2

    The Stinger is fine. It's just... not a Wasp. Though I'd take a Valkyrie over either of them any day.

  • @dwwolf4636
    @dwwolf4636 2 місяці тому +2

    It's cheap and easy to manufacture.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Місяць тому

      Its is indeed my friend and that's why they come in swarms, or atleast should do. That way some will survive

  • @thestabbybrit4798
    @thestabbybrit4798 Рік тому +3

    Mechs like this are why I've stopped reading the Bad 'Mechs article. The author probably thinks spoons are useless because he can't cut a steak with one.

    • @battletopia
      @battletopia  Рік тому +2

      Thanks for listening. Well good news is now you can listen to them and rest those eyes!