I was starting an RPG campaign and decided to make an overly paranoid mechwarrior. It is set in 3067 so we could make the best use of all the new tech.

He is an I.S. pilot, hes afraid of clan mechs because they are too good to be true. He comes from nobility but was exiled from the FWL because of "communist tendencies".

I thought the Legacy would be the best. Maxed out armor, Stardand Engine, Case, Endo steel, and C3i Comp.

If anyone has another really durable mech ( IS NO XL and "safe") please let me know.

Off the top of my head the new Awesome 9Q. Max armour, all energy weapons, but slow. Also the new FedSuns Black Knight, all energy weapons, targetting computer and heavy armour, more speed that the Awesome but not the same long range damage. If you want a Marik machine try the Battlemaster 5M, only has a light gauss to go boom and no XL.

I always liked the Flashman, again all energy and lots of it. I think one of them also had large lasers too. :)

Marauder MAD-5L : 4/6/0 no XL, 224/231 armor, All energy, plus Stealth armor and guardian ECM suite. Also has TSM for some reason.

Unfortunately, IS energy weapons suck, so you have to decide whether to risk (potentially caseless) ammo explosions, or use energy weapons with pathetic damage and even worse range.

A friend of mine insists on using all IS mechs when we play, and I laugh my ### off whenever an ammo explosion vaporizes his assault mech. :)

Oh, and if you plan on using a custom one, keep in mind quads can carry more armor, becuse their arms count as legs. Also they fall down less. Don't think the IS has any energy-based quads tho.