I blame the chunky ("legally distinct") modern art style for this mis-pairing of expectations....along with Harmony Gold because I'm an old man who doesn't let go of grudges
"Sir a second marauder has hit the field" "Like, another?" "Nono its basically disgusting, absolutely horror on legs, makes the marauder look regular lmao"
Played it and against it plenty of times in the succession war days... The problem is it doesn't do enough damage for its size. Yes, it has a lot of armor but it is outgunned by a 65 ton Crusader. So much weight is wrapped up in Jump Jets and heat sinks, it just doesn't pack the punch of many lighter mechs.
The Marauder II always looked to me like someone had handed Quasimodo a tablet and said: "Hey buddy, design an assault mech for us, would ya'?" To one of the members of our Battletech group, it looked like the love child of a Marauder and a King Crab. But mostly, we envisioned a Blackwell exec saying: "How about an assault 'mech with the firepower of a Marauder, can jump, armored up like an Atlas, and can alpha-strike for only 5 heat?" Mechwarriors: *"HOLY $#!%"*
One must mention that the fear that the Marauder II caused when fielded by the Dragoons was not just due to the 'Mech itself, but due to the fact, that they concentrated a lot of them in their Zeta battalion, which in turn that the Marauder II mentions often meant that an elite assault formation was headed your way, which is an understandable cause for concern.
I was teaching a friend about, and how to play, Battletech. It was his second game ever, and he had requested we play a proper Lance-on-Lance battle. His forces: A Wolverine, a Griffin, an Orion, and the one every new player is excited to play with, the Atlas. The OpFor: A Valkyrie, a Shadow Hawk, a Marauder, and my Marauder II. The mission, to ruin the enemy force by destroying the enemy Assault 'Mech. It was a great battle. Our Assault mech stood tall and poured fire upon the smaller enemies, with my Marauder II making my way to water to cool after dueling with the Orion and Wolverine, and the Atlas threw LRMs at the Marauder while it advanced the Griffin asisted in warding away the jumping Shadow Hawk and Valkyrie. The battle was long, and while the Orion fell, my Marauder II was savaged. The Atlas had made its path to the front, and was barely scratch despite the firepower leveled on it by the smaller Marauder. It came down to a desperate moment, and a small error. The Atlas advanced one hex closer then it should have. The Assault Marauder used its jumpjets, soaring over the skull face and landing behind its foe, safe from the powerful autocannon. The risky Alpha Strike after the jump managed to destroy the Atlas's head, which had been struck by the Shadow Hawk's AC5 several rounds before.
This is one of those amazing stories where if it happened to you, it's hard to be mad. Reminds me of how when I was teaching my wife to play she won by knocking my Dervish over (which lead to a chain of failures that led to his death).
@@strcmdrbookwyrm It's the best part of the game. My friend was thrilled that that was how it ended, and I made sure he knew he had played a great game. I love Battletech as a game because it just makes such great stories. A game against a different friend had the best Melee Phase I've ever seen. My Atlas and Orion had closed the distance to reach my friend's Battlemaster and Awesome, the latter of which was on a level above the rest. The Atlas pilot had failed his PSR to avoid falling after the Shooting Phase. The Battlemaster kicked the fallen Atlas in the side torso, detonating an ammo box. The Orion got lucky with a punch that caved in the Battlemaster's head. The Awesome's kick from the higher level breached the Orion's torso, detonating an ammo box there as well! That Awesome just standing pristine over the wreckage of 255 tons.
I feel like the Timber IIc is more limited though...good if you're doing a Specialized loadout but the MarauderII just lends itself to going full Unga Bunga and surviving it too like the Daishi does
Love the 6M, actually tricked an opponent with it this past weekend when I was acting like it had a 3/5/3 movement profile until a crucial turn. My opponent asked to see my sheet after it jumped 4 behind his Highlander, so I expect him to ask for my sheets from now on.
Because its 25 tons heavier, has more armor than an atlas, and still is the best looking mech in the setting. Like a certain mercenary professor has said, the marauder is what happens when no one on the design team is sober. And thats just how pilots like there mecha designed
I love my marauder II. Arena battles are a breeze for this 100 ton jump demon; wielding dual PPX ( for shot spread at high damage), 1 LB 10 X AC ( for a narrower high damage spread ), two medium lasers for a more concentrated strike within the spread of other weapons damage), and dual assault hammerfists. This is my MAD-5A and it's 655.2 armor, 184.16 firepower at a 653 max range, 3.3 cooling, and 47m jump height make my marauder 2 an unstoppable force and my favorite to drop on any battlefield.
Might I suggest the MAD-NF II C, you can figure out the build for yourselves but it is basically 2 (or 3) Clan ER PPCs with capacitors and a targeting computer in a 100 ton 4 6 (8?) 4 high mobility monster using a Clan 400XL engine, Ferro armor, and an Endo Steel frame. And since we are making a NF (Nightmare Fuel) machine, add a Watchdog and C3 system to ensure you get maximum chance to cripple or decapitate enemy mechs safely from range. You can sprinkle in some backup weapons or a (laser) anti-missile system as you see fit, if you have the tonnage. Just don't skimp on the Clan double heatsinks, especially if you add that 3rd ER PPC and Capacitor. You can also add a bit of spice with one of the following if you are very careful. Triple Strength Myomar, MASC, or a Supercharger to boost your speed even further. Got to love a 100 tonner that can jump and sprints 8 hexes unexpectedly.
Which Comstar Adept do I have to bribe to get my painted minis featured in your videos? I find it brilliant that you combine text, official art and painted minis to present all the latest Mechs. Keep up the great work!
There's something amusing about you showing the Kuritan version with the ballistic armour for dealing with Davion, followed immediately by a Davion version with exclusively energy weapons.
I always notated stuff like these as II-C (two dash C) to avoid confusion on my own end. Can't speak for other players reading my notes. I used a Marauder II-C once in a 3066 game against a Dragoons player to prove a point. I felt like he wasn't taking appropriate advantage of his own, so I squared up a fight as a distraction, then legged his with the elemental-carrying Fire Moth he ignored. II-C still got the kill.
Even the introtech 4A is a beast of a machine and is my go to assault for a roughly 3025 era game. Once you start getting to the higher tech versions it gets even better❤
The only time I’ve used a Marauder II was against Ghost Bears, funny enough I have it painted in Lyran colors, and it did work. Held back double its numbers long enough for my Rottweilers to eat his infantry and then go cook some bears.
For all the griping you've endured over pronunciations, you certainly made it clear if you were talking about the IIC or the II C. Great video as usual!
Always remember to enunciate. Afterall we can't have one of the lore based tongue twisters confusing people. Especially when that tongue twister is a deliberately confusing moniker, designed to cause confusion by some writer with a perverse sense of humor.
Hello Frog. I have been a fan of the Marauder since 1984, when the game was released. Although NOT a fan of the -then- poor heat sinks. Most of my friends were big fans of the Warhammer, but I liked the unique look of the Marauder. The introduction of Clan Tech just made things better. Inner Sphere versions of 'clan tech' made the Marauder into a good battlefield Mech and I used it with happy abandon. Gaining access to actual Clan Tech put 'icing' on my cake, and I happily played with the variants to find one that fitted my preferred manner of battle. What I settled upon was a Marauder mounting 2 ER PPCs, 2 AP Gauss Rifles, and a single HAG-20. Although I do play the other Marauder II Mechs, and prefer those with Gauss Rifles, I will happily field almost any version of the Marauder II on the tabletop. I DID say 'almost'. Like yourself, I find some of the variants to be 'less than stellar'. Being a Merc, I don't care what House makes the variant, if I can get my hands upon a working version.
One of the sexiest Assault 'Mechs in my humble opinion. I can only imagine the sheer amount of logistical and IFF nightmares if a Marauder IIC and a Marauder II C ever crossed paths or ended up simultaneously in the same combat outfit.
Unable to find the box, I had a friend print out the MWO sculpt of this and man I love how intimidating snd almost alien it looks. Marauders have quickly become my favorite mechs
My Marauder II ISM used the Marauder II C as a base, though it has some in common with Julian's Marauder II. I swapped the FF armor for hardened armor, and added a supercharger. In the dorsal mount is a large re-engineered laser. Each mounts a large pulse laser with an ER medium laser for backup. Rounding out it's weapons are 4 ER micro lasers to deal with pushy salesmen or the random tax collector.
In MW 5: Mercs I made one with Three Binary lasers and two medium lasers. It takes 13 double heatsinks filling out every spot I can find to keep it cool and I still have to Chain Fire to keep a consistent fire rate up while remaining cool enough to fight. An alpha strike puts it around 40% of its heat capacity but dropping the MLs out of the strike gets me to 35% or lower. Ended up beating the Bounty Hunter via an Alpha strike followed by two punches and a DFA though the detonation of his Marauder's core would break the engine of my already heavly damaged Marauder II thus technically being a draw I guess. Though the rest of my lance defeated his lance quite soundly.
In my last BTA play thru, I think I gave Darius a heart attack when he saw the bill for what I did with one. Mostly a Clan rebuild: Clan XL, 2 CERPPCS, 2 IS ERML, Clan Double HS Kit, Clan Ferro, RAC5, and for the fun of it, A Supercharger! Of course I painted it Red, Cause' the red wunz goes the fastest'!
I touted a MAD-5A retrofit in modded MechWarrior, which had 3 RT PPCs, 4 ERML in the arms and stuffed to gills with DHS. Maybe not the chillest mech, but boy was it fun.
An absolute beast of a machine and a dream command mech for any assault lance. While at first look it "only" has the weapons loadout of the smaller marauder... it packs alot more armor, jumpjets and most importantly: enough heatsinks to keep those PPCs firing uninterupted wich ups the firepower compared to the normal marauder by quite a bit The downside? Getting your hands on one of these: You would have to be in the Dragoons good books to buy one for a premium price... fight the dragoons and salvage one... or fight someone that is on good terms with the wolves, got their hands on one and then you fight them and salvage the machine. All three options are VERY difficult to achieve and the second one might be outright suicidal. Logistics wise its not bad at all for a 100 ton assault mech. PPCs, medium and large lasers are relatively easy to come by and keep in stock. Same for most of its other components except maybe the jumpjets.. dont think JJs for 100 ton mechs are that common so buyer beware! The all energy loadout of the base model will allow it to fight at max effeciency even in longer engagements or when ammo supply is running thin, wich in turn makes it a great mech for protracted campaigns. Also that bounty hunter version is just disgusting... as in "i brutalize the oponent and leave him crying at the table" disgusting XD
Marauder II, also known as "Say Hi buddy" meme the mech. 100 tons durable as an atlas, flexable as a marauder, agile as a catapult. I love the Mad-2 due to the fact that it is such a tough younger sister to the marauder and makes such a solid assault mech that you can make marauders the bulk of your heavy and assault models and have it work. The Marauder II------C is itself funny cause it shows that the IIC designation wasn't a thing in clan space given the dragoons didn't see the issue in that designation. There is 1 thing about the design that i find weird. The CGL Marauder II looks like it was based off the PGI marauder and the PGI Marauder II Looks like it was based on teh CGL Marauder. Often times i like to believe the PGI marauder II is the cannon one just because it looks more in line with the CGL Marauder and Marauder IIC
I am with you on the MAD II. I have used one for many years, a highly modified -5A. The build starts by removing the 300XL and replacing it with the older 300 Fusion. I stripped the heat sinks with the engine, replacing them with doubles. I also used clan-spec ER-PPCs and medium pulse lasers in the arms, with an LB-10x on the shoulder and an add-on SSRM-6 rack opposite. Its a great ride. 🙂
Even the 4A version is a tough nut to crack, with armour as good as an Atlas and the HS to use its weaponry the Marauder II is not the kind of thing you want to meet on the field in the 3025 era or even beyond. The upgrades slowly make it even deadlier over time.
The MAD II is one of the few CGL designs I prefer over PGI. One little oddity of note about the 5A variant: the case is in the wrong torso. While it wouldn't save the mech from an engine kill, it would at least allow it to be salvaged if it suffered an ammo explosion. Important for campaign operations.
I love the way the marauder II was designed myself.....clanners come to the inner sphere and try to make a IIC mech :-) another great vid of a great mech...rare but always a welcome addition :-)
I love this mech. The only way it could get better is if the mini used the MW5 model, and the Clan-tech version wasn't locked down by the Dragoons (also had a designation that wasn't so confusing, wth Catalyst).
If I can be critical of the mech, its a little too good and its a bit cheap for what it is You get a lot out of these things, they sit up the back and just keep blasting away with direct fire support, pretty much forever with battleship armour belts unless someone manages to get in close and really axe the bastard. They aren't really the same kind of 'Assault' mech like you get with an Atlas or King Crab as they don't tend to have a knockout 1-2 punch of those mechs which utterly smashes anything in short range and in the former, will tend to have a more ubiquitous loadout to suit all occasions. But as a 'Mercenary' mech it does excel (just a bit too well) because its comparatively simple, you're not carrying lots of ammo and it'll just keep on zapping away until someone gets sick of your shit and calls in artillery
My favourite Mad II that doesn't have clan tech has to be the 4K. It can hit like a clan mech at 18 hexes, with two heavy PPCs and a gauss rifle. And enough heat sinks to walk and fire all of them without going into the red. with a light engine you don't have as much to worry about if the gauss explodes and ti can just keep firing. I used it to defend against a clan star as part of an assault lance, and it and an axeman had the highest kill count.
On a whim I tool the MAD-MF and replaced one heat sink and the IJJ with 3 standard jump jets and a partial wing. Actually ends up with 4 tons to spare and 4 crit slots left. Not sure what to cram in there.
I absolutely love the Marauder series of 'Mechs [barring a few exceptions]. I even paid actual money to Mech Factory, just to expand the mech editor to fit all my custom Marauders.
I admit I'm sad you didn't cover the Cappy MAD4L with Gauss in each arm and an ER PPC, plus Guardian ECM and Stealth Armor. That ER PPC should really be a Plasma Rifle, but I understand the longevity argument.
This and the savage wolf was honestly what brought me deep in battletech. Didn't realize it was a more stealth variant as well as a "rockets for days" might need to fuzt with those two, give my usual order of gauss and HAGs a breather haha
@@MechanicalFrog I disagree 200ish rockets in your back is not going to be pleasant, no matter what mech it "WAS". Highly stressing the "WAS" here, because whatever it "WAS", it is now dead. And it's definitely gonna hurt when your prized assault mech suddenly vaporizes.
Respect for the 10D for the appropriate anti-Kurita and Snow Raven weapons (because you need the right tool to tear down the specialized armor they have now) and impressive mobility for a hundred tonner, but not a fan of all the XL stuff that increases the vulnerability and raises the cost to nearly 30 million Cbills. I would alter the engine to a 300 standard, lose the XL Gyro and Endo-Composite, but add a Targeting Computer (IS). Same heat dissipation and weapon layout with greater accuracy and survivability, but less mobility. Best part, is that you can buy two of these Marauder IIs and spare parts for less than the cost of a 10D (if using a C-Bill style of play anyway, I think these would be better lore wise at least). Glad to see you brought a warcrime variant to the party, as tradition. While lacking the anti-armor punch of other assault mechs, it would definitely give infantry nightmares.
Great stuff, though I would submit thye Operation Sneaky-Sneak version is the Capellan 4L model, because stealth armor. As for me, in my gaming group I'm identified with the Marauder II C, since I used it in a couple of memorable games, one of which I lost.
The Marauder II is literally my favorite mech of all time. It's a beast in the lore and on the table, looks stylish as hell and has a variant for just about every mission or operation. What more could you ask for?
Oh hell yes. I was recently convinced to revisit the Madrauder II. Why do I love it? 5 words. Consistent Sustained High Damage Output! I think of it as a beefer Awesome. And I love the Awesome. I think the 5B is the peak of lineage. Hard to pass up two ER PPCs and a damn Guass Rifle. Ouch.
I always wished that the Marauder II could have been in the original TRO 3025. IIRC TRO3025 came out in 86 and the mech was first introduced in the Wolf's Dragoons Sourcebook which came out in 89. I've always considered the MAD II to be the only important thing really missing from what is perhaps still the most popular TRO ever made.
I love it because i love the little winglets on the side. And 2 ppcs (er or standard depending on era) and one ballistic, gauss, or mech scale shotgun is always fun. he 10D sounds like what happens when you do not have a budget in mind and you add keep adding features. Though I suppose they did cut cost with an inner sphere xl engine. still waiting until someone makes a 400, XXL(c), Masc, supercharged engine, to see how fast that destroys a space nation's entire budget with engines. I really like the movement of the MF the 3/5/4 is extremely nice however it just feels like it is missing a big gun (energy or ballistic) in the RT. There isn't enough room for spare tonnage for something like a silver bullet. but with the light engine, standard armor and structure, it probably comes in at a rather affordable price. And having the budget to afford multiple of these incredibly durable machines really makes up for the lack of an extremely long range source of very concentrated damage like erppc or gauss.
Ballistics-Reinforced Armour can be is similar to Hardened armour but there's two major differences: unlike hardened armour, BRA only works against damage from ballistic and missile weapons. however, it does not reduce run speed by 1 like hardened armour (on the legs) does.
Also, in MW5, If i can get one, I often only can get my hands on an "Energy Weapons Only" Configuration. (Don't know if some of the others are in the game, never found another one) But I often switch the Weapons to following configs: Config A: 2 Large Lasers, 2 Med Pulse Lasers, 1 PPC or Config B: 2 Large Pulse Lasers, 2 Med Lasers, 1 PPc If I can find them, sometimes I take ER Variants of some of that Weapons. The thought behind this Configs is Heat Management and reloading speed. Large Lasers and PPCs needs some Time for reloading and creating a good amount of heat, so the med Pulse lasers will take the Part, when the bigger ones reloads. Same with the Med Lasers in Config B. True, it still becomes a Problem in hot Bioms, but for that I have different Mechs. xD Also it is a interesting View to have a Lance with 1 Marauder II for the Player, and 3 normal Marauders with different Weaponloadouts for the NPC Pilots. xD
The Marauder II was the first mech i have ever retrofitted for the Dark Age. I ran as full IS tech armed with an Improved Heavy Gauss, 2x Heavy PPCs and 3x Medium Lasers. Light engine 300 and Endo-Composite. Great mech until it gets swarmed or out ranged by Clan weapons.
I did eventually retrofit it with Clan Tech now it has a Clan XL, Angel ECM, HAG40, 2x Clan ER PPCs w/ Cap, 3x Clan Medium Pulse Lasers, 2x Clan ER Mediums and just enough heatsinks to keep it cooled with one capacitor active.
I seem to recall some fluff that a few Marauder IIs were lost in 3019 during the 13th Battle of Hesperus ending up as "trophy mechs" in Hansen's Roughriders or the Hsien Hotheads. Shouldn't it have been the Marauder III? First came the 75-ton original in 2819, then the Clan's 85-ton update in 2828 and finally Wolf Dragoons 100-ton monster in 3012.
So I'm relatively new to the Battletech community, and just got into the BTA3062 for the Battletech PC game. What is so exciting about plasma rifles? Are they just not well represented in BTA?
Almost all weaponry on the tabletop game only does direct damage. There are a few weapons that push up heat on a target mech, Flamers, Inferno SRMS, for example. The Plasma Rifle does direct damage AND adds additional heat, so it's an interesting counter to a LOT of newer mechs that have a lot of energy weapons and dance on the heat curve.
Always loved the MAD II based on combination of look + play. Some awesome variants as well, once they realized DHS are actually worthwhile. Who knew? For the MF variant - do you think the jump of 4 with the IJJ is worth the 10 tons it costs you (compared to Jump 3)? Personally, I always struggle with the IJJ's on heavy/assault mechs because unless you have some aim help (tarcomp, precision ammo, pulse lasers) the jump penalty really limits the ability to do damage (and I get the IS MPL's, but there's so short range they are very limited). Of course - YMMV. I do like the MF variant, but would be concerned that for 2300 BV it has to get really close to be effective.
This is one of my top 5 mechs! Also doesn't the reingeneered laser ignore special armor properties? Still I love the pyromaniac/MF variant of the Mad II.
Oh! And unrelated to the MAD II; but when are we getting a compiled PDF "MechFrog MechWorks Technical Readout" of all your personal mech variants?? Maybe with updated art to show you specific loadouts? And some Notable Pilot shenanigans for fluff???? 😁❤️❤️❤️
Heh, MAD II is a fun mech in MWO. but never played it on the Tabletop if I were to make a variant I would mix IS and Clan tech. As for the theme for the build, I choose multi-barrel behemoth violence! MAD-OZ II C Weight: 100 tons BV: 2,652 Cost: 30,015,333 C-bills Movement: 4/6 Engine: Clan 400 XL Double Heat Sinks: 23 [46] HEAT: 50/46 Gyro: XL Gyro Internal: 152 (Clan Endo-Steel) Armor: 248/307 (15.5 tons of standard armor) Weapons: 6x Light PPCs (3 in RA & LA) The arms would be redesigned to have the Light PPCs packed together in a triangle config to look like UAC barrel. (Though an Ultra Auto Particle Projection Cannon sounds freaking EPIC! I'll Homebrew the weapon stats at the end.) 1x Clan Rotary AC/10 with 3 tons of 30 shots of ammo all in the LT. Since this is a Clan Battlemech chassis CASE is built in As much as I wanted to keep the JJ's. I had to make sacrifices wherever possible to free up weight and added an extra ton of standard armor. On the plus side. Both RAC/10 and Light PPCs share the same range brackets. Fire away! 30 damage for PPC's and a possible another 40 damage with RAC/10. Have a good 8 in Gunnery and Piloting on your Mechwarrior with the abilities: Hot Dog, Lucky, and Marksman (to make up for the lack of Tar-Comp) to use this fun build. BP01: Volt-Fury UA/PPC: Year Availability 3087 DC Year Introduced 3087 DC Range: No min Range Short: 1-3 Medium: 4-9 Long: 10-15 Damage: 15 (per-shot ) Heat: 12 - 15 - *25* Tons: 10 Critical Slots: 8 Cost: 500,000 BV: N/A The UA/PPC was developed by the mostly unheard-of Blade Phoenix LLC. They are the makers of the Controversial 75-ton Rifleman EBR later reclassified name to the MKM Marksmen. After the controversy, the company resurfaced again in the development of a new PPC weapon system. The goal of the project is to get the most energy bang without bursting the HEAT scale. Engineers looked at the readily available Light PPC conveniently sitting next to a Clan UAC/10. One of the engineers' children was brought to work with him and was explaining what his job was. Later the engineer was at a board meeting with the CEOs to discover what new project to get the company back on their feet. The 12yr girl barges into the meeting and with a stroke of innocent genius she draws a crude picture of the combined lightPPCs as the the UAC/10 to excitedly show her dad. The CEO was a good family man so the interruption was comical at the cost of the embarrassment of the father. The CEO asked to see the drawing and it sparked the CEO to praise the engineer's daughter and ask her does she know what she has drawn? With an innocent nod. The CEO then asked her what would she name this. After pondering for a moment the little girl came up with the name "Volt-Fury!" The CEO smiled and excitedly said, "Let's get to work making this people!" Using the child's drawing as the blueprint to throw off any cooperate spies at what they are doing. It had made fools out of a lot of sneaky companies that got caught red-handed in corp espionage as the massive win in lawsuits paid for the RnD for the Volt Fury. The final result of the weapon was a 3 shot burst of concentrated particle lightning at the cost of range. In order to double tap like an ultra autocannon and extra ton and two critical slots. A super cooler plus cooling shroud was added to the weapon for another burst. Giving a total tonnage of 10 tons and 8 Critical Slots. This allows the UA/PPC to safely fire twice with minimal heat. It can fire a 3rd burst at the cost of extra (15)heat and a dangerously (25 heat) 4th burst that could melt the weapon into ceasing up destroying and melting the adjacent slot with it. It is recommended that this weapon be mounted in the arms of mechs. If mounted in the torso with other weapons, XL engines, or ammo the melting with destroy all of them and cook off the ammo even with CASE. CASE II is highly requested for the protection of ammunition and weapons if the weapon is mounted in the torso of a mech. Knowing the desperate and crazy MechWarriors out there, a software limiter has been installed to prevent the use of a 4th burst if removed it voids the warranty and the company isn't liable for any legal ramifications if something catastrophic happens. All in all the project was a complete success after 5 years of RnD. It hit the market in 3087 for 500,000 C-bills Sidebar: Seeing the weapon ranges are just shy of normal PPC's ranges an ER version is planned at a later date.
The MAD-4A is my overall favorite mech, unfortunately virtually ALL of the "upgrades" suck. I don't understand why they seem to think ALL super slow Assault mechs HAVE to have an IS XL-Engine - STOP ALREADY - the tinny weight savings (usually < 10tons) are not worth the vulnerable engine crits. Just give me one basic upgrade, 20 DHS, ER-PPCs and Pulse Lasers. Add a SPL to the head, and that leaves 4 tons for an additional 2 MPLs, one in the CT and one in the LT. The mech can stand still and fire all 3 heavy weapons without heat, or it can jump full and fire all the Pulse weapons without heat. It can even stand still and fire all pulse weapons and an ER-PPC with just 3 points of overheat. A simple field refit that wouldn't even need factory modifications - how hard is that? :)
“Narrow/Low Profile” Give me a break. Next you are going to tell me it has maxed out armor and jump jets.
Heh.
The Clan variant does not even get this quirk
I blame the chunky ("legally distinct") modern art style for this mis-pairing of expectations....along with Harmony Gold because I'm an old man who doesn't let go of grudges
It's almost as quirks need a BV applied to them , I don't use them for how unbalanced they are
3:23 was that also an offer they couldn't refuse 🙂?
The Marauder II; just when you thought facing a regular Marauder wasn't scary enough.
Supersized...
The IIC makes even a Marauder II seem chill. It's a great machine but the IIC is brutal.
"Sir a second marauder has hit the field"
"Like, another?" "Nono its basically disgusting, absolutely horror on legs, makes the marauder look regular lmao"
Played it and against it plenty of times in the succession war days... The problem is it doesn't do enough damage for its size. Yes, it has a lot of armor but it is outgunned by a 65 ton Crusader. So much weight is wrapped up in Jump Jets and heat sinks, it just doesn't pack the punch of many lighter mechs.
@@psychkosysthe 5B says otherwise
Best MAD ll memory is my buddy getting the only successful Highlander burial I've ever seen on my Highlander with a Marauder II. Chefs kiss.
When you finally beat up that Marauder that's been making your life hell and in the next combat report he shows up with his big brother.
There's always a bigger...Marauder...
@@MechanicalFrog "Is this the Star that beat you up?"
*Clan mechs begin to retreat.*
@@MechanicalFrog Now there needs to be a 125ton three legged Marauder III.
@@fix0the0spade Please no tripods. The dirty jokes just write themselves, with tripods.
@@Dang_Near_Fed_Up I mean from the shape the 150ton 'Omega' could be interpreted as a MAD-3, just bigger and more guns
The Marauder II always looked to me like someone had handed Quasimodo a tablet and said: "Hey buddy, design an assault mech for us, would ya'?"
To one of the members of our Battletech group, it looked like the love child of a Marauder and a King Crab.
But mostly, we envisioned a Blackwell exec saying: "How about an assault 'mech with the firepower of a Marauder, can jump, armored up like an Atlas, and can alpha-strike for only 5 heat?"
Mechwarriors: *"HOLY $#!%"*
One must mention that the fear that the Marauder II caused when fielded by the Dragoons was not just due to the 'Mech itself, but due to the fact, that they concentrated a lot of them in their Zeta battalion, which in turn that the Marauder II mentions often meant that an elite assault formation was headed your way, which is an understandable cause for concern.
I was teaching a friend about, and how to play, Battletech. It was his second game ever, and he had requested we play a proper Lance-on-Lance battle.
His forces: A Wolverine, a Griffin, an Orion, and the one every new player is excited to play with, the Atlas.
The OpFor: A Valkyrie, a Shadow Hawk, a Marauder, and my Marauder II.
The mission, to ruin the enemy force by destroying the enemy Assault 'Mech.
It was a great battle. Our Assault mech stood tall and poured fire upon the smaller enemies, with my Marauder II making my way to water to cool after dueling with the Orion and Wolverine, and the Atlas threw LRMs at the Marauder while it advanced the Griffin asisted in warding away the jumping Shadow Hawk and Valkyrie.
The battle was long, and while the Orion fell, my Marauder II was savaged. The Atlas had made its path to the front, and was barely scratch despite the firepower leveled on it by the smaller Marauder.
It came down to a desperate moment, and a small error. The Atlas advanced one hex closer then it should have. The Assault Marauder used its jumpjets, soaring over the skull face and landing behind its foe, safe from the powerful autocannon. The risky Alpha Strike after the jump managed to destroy the Atlas's head, which had been struck by the Shadow Hawk's AC5 several rounds before.
This is one of those amazing stories where if it happened to you, it's hard to be mad. Reminds me of how when I was teaching my wife to play she won by knocking my Dervish over (which lead to a chain of failures that led to his death).
@@strcmdrbookwyrm It's the best part of the game. My friend was thrilled that that was how it ended, and I made sure he knew he had played a great game. I love Battletech as a game because it just makes such great stories.
A game against a different friend had the best Melee Phase I've ever seen.
My Atlas and Orion had closed the distance to reach my friend's Battlemaster and Awesome, the latter of which was on a level above the rest. The Atlas pilot had failed his PSR to avoid falling after the Shooting Phase. The Battlemaster kicked the fallen Atlas in the side torso, detonating an ammo box. The Orion got lucky with a punch that caved in the Battlemaster's head. The Awesome's kick from the higher level breached the Orion's torso, detonating an ammo box there as well!
That Awesome just standing pristine over the wreckage of 255 tons.
*waxes poetry while holding an Atlas skull: “II-C or not IIC? That is the question…”
LOL non exactly Shakespeare, but I will allow it.
This and the Madcat mk 2 are the plus sized models of their kin and man they are fun. Big guns for more fun.
Very fun.
I feel like the Timber IIc is more limited though...good if you're doing a Specialized loadout but the MarauderII just lends itself to going full Unga Bunga and surviving it too like the Daishi does
Love the 6M, actually tricked an opponent with it this past weekend when I was acting like it had a 3/5/3 movement profile until a crucial turn. My opponent asked to see my sheet after it jumped 4 behind his Highlander, so I expect him to ask for my sheets from now on.
Because its 25 tons heavier, has more armor than an atlas, and still is the best looking mech in the setting. Like a certain mercenary professor has said, the marauder is what happens when no one on the design team is sober. And thats just how pilots like there mecha designed
I love my marauder II. Arena battles are a breeze for this 100 ton jump demon; wielding dual PPX ( for shot spread at high damage), 1 LB 10 X AC ( for a narrower high damage spread ), two medium lasers for a more concentrated strike within the spread of other weapons damage), and dual assault hammerfists. This is my MAD-5A and it's 655.2 armor, 184.16 firepower at a 653 max range, 3.3 cooling, and 47m jump height make my marauder 2 an unstoppable force and my favorite to drop on any battlefield.
Might I suggest the MAD-NF II C, you can figure out the build for yourselves but it is basically 2 (or 3) Clan ER PPCs with capacitors and a targeting computer in a 100 ton 4 6 (8?) 4 high mobility monster using a Clan 400XL engine, Ferro armor, and an Endo Steel frame. And since we are making a NF (Nightmare Fuel) machine, add a Watchdog and C3 system to ensure you get maximum chance to cripple or decapitate enemy mechs safely from range. You can sprinkle in some backup weapons or a (laser) anti-missile system as you see fit, if you have the tonnage. Just don't skimp on the Clan double heatsinks, especially if you add that 3rd ER PPC and Capacitor.
You can also add a bit of spice with one of the following if you are very careful. Triple Strength Myomar, MASC, or a Supercharger to boost your speed even further.
Got to love a 100 tonner that can jump and sprints 8 hexes unexpectedly.
Which Comstar Adept do I have to bribe to get my painted minis featured in your videos? I find it brilliant that you combine text, official art and painted minis to present all the latest Mechs. Keep up the great work!
Are you in the discord channel? That's the best way.
@@MechanicalFrog I am. 😁✌️
I usually give a heads up as I'm working on a mech to see if people have painted mechs to offer.
@@MechanicalFrog I will keep an eye on the topics for sure!
There's something amusing about you showing the Kuritan version with the ballistic armour for dealing with Davion, followed immediately by a Davion version with exclusively energy weapons.
Those crafty Davions are always up to something.
@@MechanicalFrog He wasn't called "The Fox" for nothing.
I always notated stuff like these as II-C (two dash C) to avoid confusion on my own end. Can't speak for other players reading my notes.
I used a Marauder II-C once in a 3066 game against a Dragoons player to prove a point. I felt like he wasn't taking appropriate advantage of his own, so I squared up a fight as a distraction, then legged his with the elemental-carrying Fire Moth he ignored. II-C still got the kill.
Even the introtech 4A is a beast of a machine and is my go to assault for a roughly 3025 era game. Once you start getting to the higher tech versions it gets even better❤
It is a very fine machine.
The only time I’ve used a Marauder II was against Ghost Bears, funny enough I have it painted in Lyran colors, and it did work. Held back double its numbers long enough for my Rottweilers to eat his infantry and then go cook some bears.
Another successful Marauder II day at the office.
Bear burgers with beer is a good decision.
Pheonix hawk and marauder 2 in 1 week??!?! Back to back my favorite 2 intro tech mechs?!?! What a trear
Lucky ducky.
Marauder II got some gainz tho, bro really hit the gym yo.
It did not scrimp on the protein powder and extra gym time.
For all the griping you've endured over pronunciations, you certainly made it clear if you were talking about the IIC or the II C.
Great video as usual!
Heh. I was quite amused with myself after writing that part up.
Always remember to enunciate. Afterall we can't have one of the lore based tongue twisters confusing people. Especially when that tongue twister is a deliberately confusing moniker, designed to cause confusion by some writer with a perverse sense of humor.
Hello Frog.
I have been a fan of the Marauder since 1984, when the game was released. Although NOT a fan of the -then- poor heat sinks. Most of my friends were big fans of the Warhammer, but I liked the unique look of the Marauder.
The introduction of Clan Tech just made things better. Inner Sphere versions of 'clan tech' made the Marauder into a good battlefield Mech and I used it with happy abandon. Gaining access to actual Clan Tech put 'icing' on my cake, and I happily played with the variants to find one that fitted my preferred manner of battle.
What I settled upon was a Marauder mounting 2 ER PPCs, 2 AP Gauss Rifles, and a single HAG-20.
Although I do play the other Marauder II Mechs, and prefer those with Gauss Rifles, I will happily field almost any version of the Marauder II on the tabletop. I DID say 'almost'. Like yourself, I find some of the variants to be 'less than stellar'.
Being a Merc, I don't care what House makes the variant, if I can get my hands upon a working version.
What a difference double heat sinks make.
@@MechanicalFrog Amen to that one.
One of the sexiest Assault 'Mechs in my humble opinion. I can only imagine the sheer amount of logistical and IFF nightmares if a Marauder IIC and a Marauder II C ever crossed paths or ended up simultaneously in the same combat outfit.
Unable to find the box, I had a friend print out the MWO sculpt of this and man I love how intimidating snd almost alien it looks. Marauders have quickly become my favorite mechs
They do have that rather alien look to them which is cool.
Mech Frog in the morning and on my favorite assult mech. Definitely a good start to my day.
Starting off strong then. Hope the rest of the day matches up!
My Marauder II ISM used the Marauder II C as a base, though it has some in common with Julian's Marauder II. I swapped the FF armor for hardened armor, and added a supercharger. In the dorsal mount is a large re-engineered laser. Each mounts a large pulse laser with an ER medium laser for backup. Rounding out it's weapons are 4 ER micro lasers to deal with pushy salesmen or the random tax collector.
SuperCharged Marauder... terrifying.
Nothing like the smell of fresh Mechfrog in the morning.
Old Spice and fear.
@@MechanicalFrog It smells like Victory.
If there's one thing I love about Marian mechs, it's the amount of rocket launchers. Such as the MAD-4H in the video and the LGB-0H.
They sure are committed to the bit.
100+ rockets is insane, but 200ish is just disheartening.
Say goodbye to your assault mech, sheeeshhh....
@@Dang_Near_Fed_Up At least you'll get a couple turns to contact the funeral services and prepare for the loss.
In MW 5: Mercs I made one with Three Binary lasers and two medium lasers. It takes 13 double heatsinks filling out every spot I can find to keep it cool and I still have to Chain Fire to keep a consistent fire rate up while remaining cool enough to fight. An alpha strike puts it around 40% of its heat capacity but dropping the MLs out of the strike gets me to 35% or lower. Ended up beating the Bounty Hunter via an Alpha strike followed by two punches and a DFA though the detonation of his Marauder's core would break the engine of my already heavly damaged Marauder II thus technically being a draw I guess. Though the rest of my lance defeated his lance quite soundly.
To add on, I got said Marauder II from beating a Dragoon lance. The 13 doubles ment 13 additional DHS from stock. Binaries are fun but very spicy.
So glad I'm not the only one specifying the difference between the II C and the IIC by adding a pause between II and C.
Best part of the MAD-5A is the fact that even though it has CASE, it's on the wrong side. If your ammo gets hit you just lost an XL-equipped assault.
I like the Murader II for the simple reason it looks cool and hit hards.
Valid reasons.
In my last BTA play thru, I think I gave Darius a heart attack when he saw the bill for what I did with one. Mostly a Clan rebuild: Clan XL, 2 CERPPCS, 2 IS ERML, Clan Double HS Kit, Clan Ferro, RAC5, and for the fun of it, A Supercharger! Of course I painted it Red, Cause' the red wunz goes the fastest'!
I touted a MAD-5A retrofit in modded MechWarrior, which had 3 RT PPCs, 4 ERML in the arms and stuffed to gills with DHS. Maybe not the chillest mech, but boy was it fun.
An absolute beast of a machine and a dream command mech for any assault lance.
While at first look it "only" has the weapons loadout of the smaller marauder... it packs alot more armor, jumpjets and most importantly: enough heatsinks to keep those PPCs firing uninterupted wich ups the firepower compared to the normal marauder by quite a bit
The downside? Getting your hands on one of these: You would have to be in the Dragoons good books to buy one for a premium price... fight the dragoons and salvage one... or fight someone that is on good terms with the wolves, got their hands on one and then you fight them and salvage the machine.
All three options are VERY difficult to achieve and the second one might be outright suicidal.
Logistics wise its not bad at all for a 100 ton assault mech. PPCs, medium and large lasers are relatively easy to come by and keep in stock. Same for most of its other components except maybe the jumpjets.. dont think JJs for 100 ton mechs are that common so buyer beware! The all energy loadout of the base model will allow it to fight at max effeciency even in longer engagements or when ammo supply is running thin, wich in turn makes it a great mech for protracted campaigns.
Also that bounty hunter version is just disgusting... as in "i brutalize the oponent and leave him crying at the table" disgusting XD
The ability to consistently fire while having the bulk to tank through return fire really makes the difference.
Firepower is good.
Firepower you can use is great.
Having enough armor to survive long enough to use that firepower effectively is spectacular.
Marauder II, also known as "Say Hi buddy" meme the mech. 100 tons durable as an atlas, flexable as a marauder, agile as a catapult.
I love the Mad-2 due to the fact that it is such a tough younger sister to the marauder and makes such a solid assault mech that you can make marauders the bulk of your heavy and assault models and have it work.
The Marauder II------C is itself funny cause it shows that the IIC designation wasn't a thing in clan space given the dragoons didn't see the issue in that designation.
There is 1 thing about the design that i find weird. The CGL Marauder II looks like it was based off the PGI marauder and the PGI Marauder II Looks like it was based on teh CGL Marauder. Often times i like to believe the PGI marauder II is the cannon one just because it looks more in line with the CGL Marauder and Marauder IIC
I am with you on the MAD II. I have used one for many years, a highly modified -5A. The build starts by removing the 300XL and replacing it with the older 300 Fusion. I stripped the heat sinks with the engine, replacing them with doubles. I also used clan-spec ER-PPCs and medium pulse lasers in the arms, with an LB-10x on the shoulder and an add-on SSRM-6 rack opposite. Its a great ride. 🙂
Even the 4A version is a tough nut to crack, with armour as good as an Atlas and the HS to use its weaponry the Marauder II is not the kind of thing you want to meet on the field in the 3025 era or even beyond. The upgrades slowly make it even deadlier over time.
02:40. And yet Sphereoids still noticed they had advanced mechs en par with the SLDF in its prime. 😂🤣
Do not peek behind that curtain!
@@MechanicalFrog Gimmie gimmie Brian Tendies...be they MacMarron's or be they Wendy's...
The MAD II is one of the few CGL designs I prefer over PGI. One little oddity of note about the 5A variant: the case is in the wrong torso. While it wouldn't save the mech from an engine kill, it would at least allow it to be salvaged if it suffered an ammo explosion. Important for campaign operations.
I loooove the Maro II! It's my most favorite Assault-class Battlemech right after the King Crab! 🥰🥰🥰
"A Missoula college bar fifteen minutes before closing" is an evocative simile, well played, Mr Frog.
If you know, you know.
"Because it's so much fun, Jan!"
the 4H Marian variant would be better with standard instead of ER PPCs, it lacks the heat sinks for ER weaponry
Agreed.
It being a Periphery Mech, you can always just use normal PPCs and have the ER painted on for morale boosting.
Gorgeous models, sir. Nice job!
Thank you for sharing your incredible work.
@@MechanicalFrog Shoot you found me I didn't know you know it was me! *hides
I haven’t played the mark II but the standard marauder I put in 4 medium lasers and 3 ultra AC 2 with a lot of ammo for big alpha strike
I love the way the marauder II was designed myself.....clanners come to the inner sphere and try to make a IIC mech :-) another great vid of a great mech...rare but always a welcome addition :-)
Loved it in MW4! My Solaris Champion & endgame platform.
Yes we do love the marauder II
*nodding vigorously*
I love this mech. The only way it could get better is if the mini used the MW5 model, and the Clan-tech version wasn't locked down by the Dragoons (also had a designation that wasn't so confusing, wth Catalyst).
A matter of taste perhaps.
Gotta love a 3025 mech with 2 PPCs and single heats sinks that isn't a hotbox! Great video on one of my favorite mechs
Great vid as always. Good to hear lore while painting
Glad you enjoyed it
To hear the wobbie war as the Kerfuffle amuses me and yes once again I'm painting mechs this time clan mechs for Seafox/Diamdond Shark 8D
love the Marauder II! thanks for the video
Thanks for watching!
If I can be critical of the mech, its a little too good and its a bit cheap for what it is
You get a lot out of these things, they sit up the back and just keep blasting away with direct fire support, pretty much forever with battleship armour belts unless someone manages to get in close and really axe the bastard. They aren't really the same kind of 'Assault' mech like you get with an Atlas or King Crab as they don't tend to have a knockout 1-2 punch of those mechs which utterly smashes anything in short range and in the former, will tend to have a more ubiquitous loadout to suit all occasions.
But as a 'Mercenary' mech it does excel (just a bit too well) because its comparatively simple, you're not carrying lots of ammo and it'll just keep on zapping away until someone gets sick of your shit and calls in artillery
Fair critique. I think it's clear from some of the variants that some restraint was added to try and keep it from being too good.
Great video! Marauder 2 is a great assault mech I didn’t know about. Looking forward to more videos.
Glad you enjoyed it!
22:08 It’s me, I’m that one fan 😂. I just really like the idea of them. Their quirk is also quite neat.
My favourite Mad II that doesn't have clan tech has to be the 4K. It can hit like a clan mech at 18 hexes, with two heavy PPCs and a gauss rifle. And enough heat sinks to walk and fire all of them without going into the red. with a light engine you don't have as much to worry about if the gauss explodes and ti can just keep firing. I used it to defend against a clan star as part of an assault lance, and it and an axeman had the highest kill count.
The 4K is a solid choice.
@@MechanicalFrog it is very good at doing 15 damages
Another top video and about the the big MAD too! My fav Assault mech and the base for one of my most insane hombrews ever.
love this mech on tabletop
On a whim I tool the MAD-MF and replaced one heat sink and the IJJ with 3 standard jump jets and a partial wing. Actually ends up with 4 tons to spare and 4 crit slots left. Not sure what to cram in there.
You can't do that. That is illegal. I'm telling Mom.
As always an excellent video, please keep it up!
Thank you very much!
I absolutely love the Marauder series of 'Mechs [barring a few exceptions]. I even paid actual money to Mech Factory, just to expand the mech editor to fit all my custom Marauders.
I admit I'm sad you didn't cover the Cappy MAD4L with Gauss in each arm and an ER PPC, plus Guardian ECM and Stealth Armor. That ER PPC should really be a Plasma Rifle, but I understand the longevity argument.
Frog, my man, this video is easy mode for you, everyone loves the Mad family, no explanation needed 😂
Fair point. I should do something more difficult like the Scorpion.
Another great vid👍
I loved your “Marauder two……c”😂
Glad you enjoyed. Have a great rest of your week!
This and the savage wolf was honestly what brought me deep in battletech. Didn't realize it was a more stealth variant as well as a "rockets for days" might need to fuzt with those two, give my usual order of gauss and HAGs a breather haha
A little variety rarely hurts.
@@MechanicalFrog tis true
@@MechanicalFrog I disagree 200ish rockets in your back is not going to be pleasant, no matter what mech it "WAS". Highly stressing the "WAS" here, because whatever it "WAS", it is now dead. And it's definitely gonna hurt when your prized assault mech suddenly vaporizes.
Respect for the 10D for the appropriate anti-Kurita and Snow Raven weapons (because you need the right tool to tear down the specialized armor they have now) and impressive mobility for a hundred tonner, but not a fan of all the XL stuff that increases the vulnerability and raises the cost to nearly 30 million Cbills. I would alter the engine to a 300 standard, lose the XL Gyro and Endo-Composite, but add a Targeting Computer (IS). Same heat dissipation and weapon layout with greater accuracy and survivability, but less mobility. Best part, is that you can buy two of these Marauder IIs and spare parts for less than the cost of a 10D (if using a C-Bill style of play anyway, I think these would be better lore wise at least).
Glad to see you brought a warcrime variant to the party, as tradition. While lacking the anti-armor punch of other assault mechs, it would definitely give infantry nightmares.
This is one of if not the best cgl redesign in my opinion
I like it a lot.
think this is my favorite mf build so far, thats angry as hell
Great stuff, though I would submit thye Operation Sneaky-Sneak version is the Capellan 4L model, because stealth armor. As for me, in my gaming group I'm identified with the Marauder II C, since I used it in a couple of memorable games, one of which I lost.
The Marauder II is literally my favorite mech of all time. It's a beast in the lore and on the table, looks stylish as hell and has a variant for just about every mission or operation. What more could you ask for?
Large scale mass production?🤔
@@Dang_Near_Fed_Up Well we can't have everything. Lol
Oh hell yes. I was recently convinced to revisit the Madrauder II. Why do I love it? 5 words. Consistent Sustained High Damage Output! I think of it as a beefer Awesome. And I love the Awesome. I think the 5B is the peak of lineage. Hard to pass up two ER PPCs and a damn Guass Rifle. Ouch.
I always wished that the Marauder II could have been in the original TRO 3025.
IIRC TRO3025 came out in 86 and the mech was first introduced in the Wolf's Dragoons
Sourcebook which came out in 89.
I've always considered the MAD II to be the only important thing really missing from what
is perhaps still the most popular TRO ever made.
It would have made the Atlas and the other assaults in the 3025 look really bad.
For the BV, I'd rather take an Awesome and some light vehicles for support. However its a nasty bugger.
"We go to war with the Marauder we have, not the Marauder we want."
I really hope the Marauder II C variant gets mentioned, that or the 10D 😊
Both do.
@MechanicalFrog best Marge Simpson voice
*I just think they're neat.*
The Marauder II C or the Marauder II C? xD
Yes, the Marauder II C.
I love it because i love the little winglets on the side. And 2 ppcs (er or standard depending on era) and one ballistic, gauss, or mech scale shotgun is always fun.
he 10D sounds like what happens when you do not have a budget in mind and you add keep adding features. Though I suppose they did cut cost with an inner sphere xl engine. still waiting until someone makes a 400, XXL(c), Masc, supercharged engine, to see how fast that destroys a space nation's entire budget with engines.
I really like the movement of the MF the 3/5/4 is extremely nice however it just feels like it is missing a big gun (energy or ballistic) in the RT. There isn't enough room for spare tonnage for something like a silver bullet. but with the light engine, standard armor and structure, it probably comes in at a rather affordable price. And having the budget to afford multiple of these incredibly durable machines really makes up for the lack of an extremely long range source of very concentrated damage like erppc or gauss.
In MW5M you can see a few Marauder 2 and get one for yourself if you have the salvages...
We love the Marauder 2 because who doesnt just want more Marauder in their life?
What a machine.
This video was awesome I was confused about the Maruder 2 compared to marauders origin
Ballistics-Reinforced Armour can be is similar to Hardened armour but there's two major differences: unlike hardened armour, BRA only works against damage from ballistic and missile weapons. however, it does not reduce run speed by 1 like hardened armour (on the legs) does.
Also, in MW5, If i can get one, I often only can get my hands on an "Energy Weapons Only" Configuration. (Don't know if some of the others are in the game, never found another one)
But I often switch the Weapons to following configs:
Config A: 2 Large Lasers, 2 Med Pulse Lasers, 1 PPC
or
Config B: 2 Large Pulse Lasers, 2 Med Lasers, 1 PPc
If I can find them, sometimes I take ER Variants of some of that Weapons.
The thought behind this Configs is Heat Management and reloading speed.
Large Lasers and PPCs needs some Time for reloading and creating a good amount of heat, so the med Pulse lasers will take the Part, when the bigger ones reloads.
Same with the Med Lasers in Config B.
True, it still becomes a Problem in hot Bioms, but for that I have different Mechs. xD
Also it is a interesting View to have a Lance with 1 Marauder II for the Player, and 3 normal Marauders with different Weaponloadouts for the NPC Pilots. xD
Another great video, thanks Frog!
Glad you enjoyed it!
The Marauder II was the first mech i have ever retrofitted for the Dark Age. I ran as full IS tech armed with an Improved Heavy Gauss, 2x Heavy PPCs and 3x Medium Lasers. Light engine 300 and Endo-Composite. Great mech until it gets swarmed or out ranged by Clan weapons.
I did eventually retrofit it with Clan Tech now it has a Clan XL, Angel ECM, HAG40, 2x Clan ER PPCs w/ Cap, 3x Clan Medium Pulse Lasers, 2x Clan ER Mediums and just enough heatsinks to keep it cooled with one capacitor active.
I seem to recall some fluff that a few Marauder IIs were lost in 3019 during the 13th Battle of Hesperus ending up as "trophy mechs" in Hansen's Roughriders or the Hsien Hotheads.
Shouldn't it have been the Marauder III? First came the 75-ton original in 2819, then the Clan's 85-ton update in 2828 and finally Wolf Dragoons 100-ton monster in 3012.
Did the IS know about the Marauder IIC ?
@@dwwolf4636 You are correct sir, the IS could not have known about the IIC when the Dragoons started production of the II C variant in the IS.
So I'm relatively new to the Battletech community, and just got into the BTA3062 for the Battletech PC game. What is so exciting about plasma rifles? Are they just not well represented in BTA?
Almost all weaponry on the tabletop game only does direct damage. There are a few weapons that push up heat on a target mech, Flamers, Inferno SRMS, for example. The Plasma Rifle does direct damage AND adds additional heat, so it's an interesting counter to a LOT of newer mechs that have a lot of energy weapons and dance on the heat curve.
@@MechanicalFrog So it is fairly well represented, but for more Dark Age and Il-Clan era.
Please do the Hollander!
My favorite 100 ton mech.
A solid pick. For sure.
Always loved the MAD II based on combination of look + play. Some awesome variants as well, once they realized DHS are actually worthwhile. Who knew? For the MF variant - do you think the jump of 4 with the IJJ is worth the 10 tons it costs you (compared to Jump 3)? Personally, I always struggle with the IJJ's on heavy/assault mechs because unless you have some aim help (tarcomp, precision ammo, pulse lasers) the jump penalty really limits the ability to do damage (and I get the IS MPL's, but there's so short range they are very limited). Of course - YMMV. I do like the MF variant, but would be concerned that for 2300 BV it has to get really close to be effective.
Great video! Thanks!
All the things we love about the Marauder, only moreso. And it can JUMP!
The jump is the thing I like most
MAD-4H my beloved.
This is one of my top 5 mechs! Also doesn't the reingeneered laser ignore special armor properties? Still I love the pyromaniac/MF variant of the Mad II.
Oh! And unrelated to the MAD II; but when are we getting a compiled PDF "MechFrog MechWorks Technical Readout" of all your personal mech variants?? Maybe with updated art to show you specific loadouts? And some Notable Pilot shenanigans for fluff???? 😁❤️❤️❤️
That would be neat. Maybe the channel can be in a place some day where I could make that happen. At least with some sketches of the mechs.
Heh, MAD II is a fun mech in MWO. but never played it on the Tabletop if I were to make a variant I would mix IS and Clan tech. As for the theme for the build, I choose multi-barrel behemoth violence!
MAD-OZ II C
Weight: 100 tons BV: 2,652 Cost: 30,015,333 C-bills
Movement: 4/6 Engine: Clan 400 XL
Double Heat Sinks: 23 [46] HEAT: 50/46
Gyro: XL Gyro
Internal: 152 (Clan Endo-Steel) Armor: 248/307 (15.5 tons of standard armor)
Weapons:
6x Light PPCs (3 in RA & LA) The arms would be redesigned to have the Light PPCs packed together in a triangle config to look like UAC barrel. (Though an Ultra Auto Particle Projection Cannon sounds freaking EPIC! I'll Homebrew the weapon stats at the end.)
1x Clan Rotary AC/10 with 3 tons of 30 shots of ammo all in the LT. Since this is a Clan Battlemech chassis CASE is built in
As much as I wanted to keep the JJ's. I had to make sacrifices wherever possible to free up weight and added an extra ton of standard armor. On the plus side. Both RAC/10 and Light PPCs share the same range brackets. Fire away! 30 damage for PPC's and a possible another 40 damage with RAC/10. Have a good 8 in Gunnery and Piloting on your Mechwarrior with the abilities: Hot Dog, Lucky, and Marksman (to make up for the lack of Tar-Comp) to use this fun build.
BP01: Volt-Fury UA/PPC:
Year Availability 3087 DC
Year Introduced 3087 DC
Range:
No min Range
Short: 1-3
Medium: 4-9
Long: 10-15
Damage: 15 (per-shot )
Heat: 12 - 15 - *25*
Tons: 10
Critical Slots: 8
Cost: 500,000
BV: N/A
The UA/PPC was developed by the mostly unheard-of Blade Phoenix LLC. They are the makers of the Controversial 75-ton Rifleman EBR later reclassified name to the MKM Marksmen. After the controversy, the company resurfaced again in the development of a new PPC weapon system. The goal of the project is to get the most energy bang without bursting the HEAT scale. Engineers looked at the readily available Light PPC conveniently sitting next to a Clan UAC/10. One of the engineers' children was brought to work with him and was explaining what his job was. Later the engineer was at a board meeting with the CEOs to discover what new project to get the company back on their feet. The 12yr girl barges into the meeting and with a stroke of innocent genius she draws a crude picture of the combined lightPPCs as the the UAC/10 to excitedly show her dad. The CEO was a good family man so the interruption was comical at the cost of the embarrassment of the father. The CEO asked to see the drawing and it sparked the CEO to praise the engineer's daughter and ask her does she know what she has drawn? With an innocent nod. The CEO then asked her what would she name this. After pondering for a moment the little girl came up with the name "Volt-Fury!" The CEO smiled and excitedly said, "Let's get to work making this people!" Using the child's drawing as the blueprint to throw off any cooperate spies at what they are doing. It had made fools out of a lot of sneaky companies that got caught red-handed in corp espionage as the massive win in lawsuits paid for the RnD for the Volt Fury. The final result of the weapon was a 3 shot burst of concentrated particle lightning at the cost of range. In order to double tap like an ultra autocannon and extra ton and two critical slots. A super cooler plus cooling shroud was added to the weapon for another burst. Giving a total tonnage of 10 tons and 8 Critical Slots. This allows the UA/PPC to safely fire twice with minimal heat. It can fire a 3rd burst at the cost of extra (15)heat and a dangerously (25 heat) 4th burst that could melt the weapon into ceasing up destroying and melting the adjacent slot with it. It is recommended that this weapon be mounted in the arms of mechs. If mounted in the torso with other weapons, XL engines, or ammo the melting with destroy all of them and cook off the ammo even with CASE. CASE II is highly requested for the protection of ammunition and weapons if the weapon is mounted in the torso of a mech. Knowing the desperate and crazy MechWarriors out there, a software limiter has been installed to prevent the use of a 4th burst if removed it voids the warranty and the company isn't liable for any legal ramifications if something catastrophic happens. All in all the project was a complete success after 5 years of RnD. It hit the market in 3087 for 500,000 C-bills
Sidebar: Seeing the weapon ranges are just shy of normal PPC's ranges an ER version is planned at a later date.
The MAD-4A is my overall favorite mech, unfortunately virtually ALL of the "upgrades" suck. I don't understand why they seem to think ALL super slow Assault mechs HAVE to have an IS XL-Engine - STOP ALREADY - the tinny weight savings (usually < 10tons) are not worth the vulnerable engine crits. Just give me one basic upgrade, 20 DHS, ER-PPCs and Pulse Lasers. Add a SPL to the head, and that leaves 4 tons for an additional 2 MPLs, one in the CT and one in the LT. The mech can stand still and fire all 3 heavy weapons without heat, or it can jump full and fire all the Pulse weapons without heat. It can even stand still and fire all pulse weapons and an ER-PPC with just 3 points of overheat. A simple field refit that wouldn't even need factory modifications - how hard is that? :)
They fly now?! They fly now!
Cool! A great lore video:)
Hope you enjoyed it!