Therein lay the rub. There *should* be a cost-effective and playable Eyrie for the post AoD world. There is no reason why there cannot be. Given that faction abilities are no longer automatic, then the cost should be much lower.

The fact that the smaller PHX can PPC for 5 clicks at only a percentage of the cost of an Eyrie is an insult to a totem Battlemech. I would understand a shorter range for the Eyrie if the primary were around 3 clicks to account for it's superior close combat potential (as shown by those massive talons it has...).

Admittedly, the Eyrie is only equiped with SRM 4s and Small Pulse Lasers (I think), so it should only have short ranges and less than massive ranged damage (possibly buff-able with the right gear upgrades), but it should shine in close combat and with CCAOs. They are swift with lots of jump range and massive foot talons. That says not only wicked MDFA, but the ability to close range, strike at an opponent with those big claws, then jet away.

As it is, this light Battlemech can certainly close range quickly, but will only annoy it's opponent before getting schooled by a Mjolnir, Pheonix Hawk I, or Volkswagen Beetle.

Actually...Eyries are armed with 2 ATM-3s and a mix of ER small and micro lasers (or mediums and micro lasers...can't remember for certain).

But yeah...the Eyries are kinda pricey and are outperformed by some of the nons for CJF.

I played 2 friendly games against steiner and got my but kicked, i basically wanted to use some pieces i havent used before. The pieces that stood out was the MC(pliskin and inferno flamers), jaguar(cpt + evade) and the oni BA.
I would like to use them together but not sure if i should use other pilots and gear and also what to fill up the rest of the points with?

'Sigh'. Yup, the whole Totem 'mech dissapointment. I WISH they'd just reissue new dials for the 'mechs for the battleforce set(or shock) just reissue the set with better stats for their points. I know I'd buy that.
The 'mechs were designed to be able to fight after 3-5 clicks of damage. But the problem is that they'd undergunned for the points and often don't reflect the look of the sculpt. But I've cried over this spilled milk before...

That being said I concure on Highdancer's thoughts on the baby Gyr. I've got a few configs with the design(even though it pains me to see a 'mech with guns like that only doing 2 clicks! Must stop whining!) Er, anyway, I've used it with Art V to give it a surprising punch. Its also good with the infantry hunter refit, anti-p or improved targeting.

From the dossiers you've pretty much got it (depending on what dossier you read).

Both the Eyrie and Gyrfalcon are awful in BattleTech terms, near as I recall. The Gyr, for instance, has 2 AC2s (either LB-X or Ultra, I want to say Ultra) as well as a pair of ER large lasers. On a medium mech. The ER larges? Great idea. The AC2s? You're kidding, right?

Ah well, our totems are awful, but hey, we manage to have all five Elemental types (only faction) and all four Clan heavies (again, only faction). So that's something. Just accept that Clan scientists got extremely stupid after entering the Inner Sphere and cherish your classic heavy bangers. :)

yup! Then again, in MWDA and AOD autocannons generally got a much needed boost. A couple of ACs in this game often have the same hitting power as paired ER LL. In classic, many of the totems out there would be silly(Hk's come to mind). In regards to the gyrs ACs, your right on both counts. The dossiers had either ultras of LB-Xs.

While it may not be tourney-legal it would be fun to put Eyrie figs on PHI bases. You would certainly retain the 'jumpiness' of the Eyries tough you may want to re-gun one of the arms to better approximate the PPC. IMHO the dials for the PHI are what one of the battleforce Eyries should have been (except for perhaps the PPC Cap, but who is going to say no to PPC Cap).

As for the armament on the Gyrs, I have to agree that the damage is too low for such huge guns (lookswise). As for the actual armament (dossiers and such) I don't know why anyone would design a 'mech with AC/2s (ultra or LBX). The tonnage would be MUCH better used in a large energy weapon and extra heat sinks.

Sadly I think that it is highly unlikely that we will see any more totem 'mechs coming from Wizkids anytime soon. Still, one can't but hope the a Jade Hawk is somewhere down the line for our touman. Perhaps when they go back to the sealed booster format.

Cheers,:)

Goreb

I will probably be shot for treason for this, but...

If you wish to face Steiner (or Davion for that matter), the key is in the heat and maximizing your movement. Steiners are ponderously slow and have ridiculous heat dials. Maximize on both with fast movements and energy weapons. Keep in mind that their infantry have plenty of Reflective, so plan on dealing with that. Also, Steiner have a slew of great support pieces to contend with. Plan on that too.

Your Mad Cat IV selection is a good choice, especially with PPC Capacitor or Experimental Pulse. Flamers, in my opinion, should be on smaller support pieces. Inferno Flamers on a Pheonix Hawk I, for example, might be more effective.

You can also super-heat his 'Mechs by forcing movement with a pair of TTLs in a Cardinal, say.

Just a couple of ideas ...

Not quite seeing the 'treasonous' behavior here, but I'm sure that if it came down to it your green-feathered, taloned friends will have your back against any spheroid reprisals.

The last tactic works VERY well against most opponents in particular ones whose heat dials are less than friendly. In the last game I played (which happened to be against Steiner forces), I used that exact tactic to great effect against his 'mechs. Having 8 pogs to play with (4 TTLs dropped from a Cardinal on each flank) forced him to either close with my forces (not a great prospect considering I was running a pair of Loki's both with 12 AV & IT) or retreat allowing my forces to advance further.

As for dealing with enemy infantry I like to tie them up with infantry of my own rather than deploy a specialized anti-infantry unit (of which we have very few). Also, a Vixen with Inferno Flamers is very effective against enemy vehicles and 'mechs alike especially when piloted by either Graves, Vanek or Mazur.

Thanks for the advice Raven.

Cheers,:)

Goreb

I prefer running a light with infernos, but the dam drac player has it, ive only got a heavy inferno. il try the ttls idea in support thanks!

That makes sense. the HK "Matchstick" Osiris comes with Inferno Flamers gear as part of the set.

I *just* happen to have that too....

I mention it only in passing...

;)

Her is a force I plan to run this weekend:

"Lucky" Spider SDR-SL-L 123 pts.
"Six Gun" Koshi MLX-VE-L 126 pts.
:^^: CJF Phoenix Hawk PXK-M3-L 117 pts.
3x light Evade 99 pts.
J.P. Millhew w/ recruit 26 pts.
Chris Chapman w/ recruit 34 pts.
Patris Douglas w/ recruit 26 pts.
6x CJF Trackbike 96 pts.
4x CJF :^^: Clan Battle Armor 72 pts.
CJF "merciless" FP 25 pts.

total: 744 pts.

When I saw the stats on Lucky and Six Gun, I thought "MDFA army" right away. The 22 defence on Lucky (24 with Evade) should allow him to get close enough to MDFA while Six Gun has a whopping 4 primary damage (he ends up with a 21 natural Defence 23 w/ evade)and the PHI with Millhew has a 14" move. The trackbikes and CBA all move 12, giving me 3 fast basing formations. The thing I like most about this army is it's a full star. Evade on the three mechs should give them more survivability if someone plays Barrens ( which they always do. Barrens and Dust Storm is what they like to play against me). So, I'll lead with Lucky and his ungodly DV, hoping to follow up with Six Gun for the 6 dmg knockout punch. The PHI has the range and movement to smash Tank Drops and make a run for opposing Artillery. Trackbikes play Base and Break while the CBA go for the capture. This army lacks Artillery and VTOLS, but shouldn't suffer too much from their absence.

While it is fun to put together the MDFA armies (try 4 or 5 PHIs sometime and watch your opponent squirm:devious:) the problem I have is if someone plays True Grit (which they invariably do) which will subsequently neuter your MDFA. While you can still perform regular DFAs they don't have the same overall effect without the extra attack die and the likelihood of taking damage yourself. However, even if True Grit is played you have a decent force with a couple of decent hitters (Six Gun and the PHI) a close range hitter (Lucky) and a pair of excellent infantry formations. While it does lack artillery, the advantage is that you are not having to protect artillery thus allowing your entire force to perform a full-court-press on your opponent. Overall a solid build.

Cheers,:)

Goreb

Strangely enough, of all the lights in the Solaris set, these were the two I was looking forward to aquiring, for all the reasons as mentioned by you.