What DF non-uniques mechs are usable.

I count 3
DF Centurion
DF Raider (I love this piece)
DF Forstry mech mod (B) - maybe

I was accused of playing the raiders to much and was trying to build a new army, and realized that since the Charge nerf, a lot of DF mechs are nor very usable. I see only the 3 above nons as being playable.

is there any other I'm missing, there are so few DF mechs with 10+ range, let alone non-playable.

The reason for the non-unique attriute is that I'm trying to avoid using big pieces not to intimidate newbies.

Well, the Blackhawk is still very viable, IMO. It would really kick arse against a charge army, and I'm betting it shines in events like Stick the Knife In and others where defense is maxed due to it's agility and 0 minimum range lasers.

DF blade(the best non unique Df mech)

DF Uller, one of the best AnP mechs out there.

Jeez, what are you talking about? Haha, DF mechs are all fine still, you just need to get your mind out of -charge mode- ... if you don't want to scare the newbies, then don't charge them. Lose a round or two to them, for that matter. Always good to build one's confidence up :p

I think any of the following mechs would be good, perhaps not uber, but very good for the points:

Blackhawk(156) -- JJ, AGL, 10 IT, and defense of 20
Blade(143) -- infiltrate --> evade, relatively fast, 9 IT
Agro MOD B(107) -- HTH, 9IT, 21 defense, range of 12, vent=3
FMM(100) -- HTH, Camo, 10 attack, 20 def, range of 12 vent =3
Spider(93) -- AGL, JJ cheap charger, relatively fast
CM MK2(82) -- HTH, Infiltrate, 10IT

Don't discount some of the smaller mechs. I've used the spiders and Construction Mk2s in tandem, and they can be real effective for basing, melee, or VC3 grab. The Blackhawk, a pair of spiders, and some trikes was the core of a pretty successful melee-in-your-face army.

Adios!

The DF Uller and DF Crimson Hawk have excellent stats and absolutely insane heat dials. The DF Blackhawk has 4 damage and a 10IT attack. DF Blade has uses. The DF AgroB is another rock. The Mjolnir is comparatively weak, but the Raider is a nightmare to face.

DF has plenty of non-unique pain to unleash. Your problem isn't the mechs, it's the army around them. By defining 'playable' as 10+ range you ignore the real power of the DF faction, which is the awesome support. Being outranged is irrelevant when the opponent can't shoot you. Use Evade mechs to line up rear arc shots or infantry to base/break or even toss in a Scimitar II for base/break. Since every non-unique DF I can think of has a very nice heat dial, you can run in from out of range and, generally, get into rear. With the Blackhawk, this is especially nasty, since you can't charge or DFA in return. Run 3 Ullers in a pack with some ATV love and watch how fast you can drive your opponent to drink.

the Crimson Hawk is good, the Mjolnir is one of my favs, but it only has a 16 defence, so it is a good idea to drop some infantry with point defence out of a zahn behind enemy lines and use them as a portable point defence/ranged combat bonus.

Other than that, there is one golden rule:
Never, Ever use firestarters.

Here are some of my fave's

The DF Forestry Mod from DA is a cheaper version of the Raider.
Plop it in hindering it has a nice 23 defense, good range, AT and damage.
I ran two of these things and took out Jung Chae with em. some 6's and 5's on HTH are nice too :)

Use some of those DF mechs having Evade with a Liao Shockwave, that way, you get max 24 defense VS ranged attackers, and that r0x.

Besides the Firestarter (never played it-just have it for my DF collection) are there any DF Mechs unplayable? I've even used the AgroMech. Cheap enough to have a couple of big tanks for support. And enough points left over for infantry shields for those tanks. Just use Agro to clean up infantry.

I Guess its just me, I find an 8" range is not long enough. I'd say about 80% of my games are being faught in my oponents endzone, so its hard to get them into a safe spot, to many overlapping arcs if I need to get within 8". I need to be able to lure my opponent out bit more, to give me more room to use DF best feature, the ability to maneuver.

FYI... I play DF pure.. so I don't use the Liao shockwave.

as for some of your suggestions, I look at some of them and think...Why didn't they do this.....

The DF Blade, it should of been single use infitrate, the second click if much better thatn the first click, the evade is useless on the second click. the is no way to do 1 damage to it without artying yourself. the +2 def and the reduced heat. 18 def decoy is just to low for front line work, 20 Def Decoy is very usable. and no one does 1 damage anymore, 3 damage on the blade put it way past the good stuff.

DF Uller, I admit I had fun with this mech when it first came out, but it does not have enough punch. if it had 2 target AnP this would be a lot better. even with the 8" range, I'd love to use this with 2 targets.

Most of the others are great melee mechs but without charging, it to easy for your opponent to break, then blow you away with what ever else is nearby.

Some of the best DF common 'Mech units IMO are:

ForestryMech
ForestryMechMod
Blade
Uller
Mjolnir
Agro MOD B
Centurion
ConMechMkII




The Mjolnir has a very low defense but can be best used as a get behind rear arc unit.
The Ceturion has the worst heat dial out of the entire list.
If you use water terrain, it can be a huge threat.
The ForestryMechs are both good and they get great defenses in hindering terrain.
used together they are a firece threat.

Just the presence of the ForestryMechMod in my armies on the battlefield gets respect from my opponants because it is so versatile. They have told me so and they usually try to avoid it.

I own 2 Ullers and 2 Blades.

The Blade is repairable out of salvage. I recommend running a Merc RV along with it.
The Uller isn't repairable at all.

The ConMechMkII is a great Mech for the price.

The only downfall to the AgroMod B is it's speed.
But if used a turn or 2 later than usual, it can be a threat.

forgot about the agro mech. alitle slow compared to the rest of DF but still usable.

I like just about all the DF non-mechs except the Hatchetman and Firestarter.

-Q