It used to be a tradition on MKRealms when a new set came out for various people to rate all the units in the set. They would list the unit, discuss various strengths and weaknesses in the unit, and give it a 0-5 * rating. I'd like to see someone, or several people take up the gauntlet with the sets, obviously starting with Vanguard.

If no one takes it up, I'll take a shot at it, but I'm not sure how strong it will be.

I know the biggest hurdle to this are comments from some of the regulars on this site. After all, what other site has a thread ridiculing people's review of units? However, I'll be very unforgiving of anyone really stepping out-of-line in or about any such threads.

Anyone willing to tackle this challenge?

Vanguard - 067 WH Thor (rating 4)
Great all around unit, though lacking infiltrate SU on the first click. Has decent ranges all around 16 primary, 12 secondary. The hardend armor is also a nice touch. This mech could be a viable weapon against the all popular SC/DF SA armies, with it's 8 movement and jumpjets in the sweetspot. Maybe Kerensky's new ride?

That's all I have for now, I am ehausted.

Arg, I need to donate...
I forgot to mention has exellent damage value as well, can do 5 with AP, very hearty 'Mech for 204 points.

BTW, I did mean the entire set (perhaps broken down by groupings: infantry, vehicles, common 'Mechs, uniques, chase figures, LEs), not a hodge podge of individual piece reviews.

Ah, I was unaware.
The set as a whole features many great pieces that are very formatible in combat, and ones that aren't, such as the return of the ever useless Morningstar HQ... I believe that wizkids focused too much on the 'Mech side of this set and kinda left the others high and dry, don't get me wrong there are some great inf. and veh. peices but, there was a lot of #### as well. I give the set as a whole a 4.

I believe he specifically wants you to rate, and explain ratings for every unit individually. i.e. All four Morningstar HQ's as well as all four Osiris' and all four everythings.

Well, he did say the entire set, but I have already messed up once, so... whatever.

For example (note I am entirely making up the actual reviews):

LRM Batteries 001-004

The low attack on these mean that formations are a must. Unfortunately, steak missiles and formations are a poor combination.

The House Steiner piece suffers from the low attack and Streak Missile combination. At least it only has one click of Streak Missiles, though. Most infantry will lose streaks after a single attack, so only having it on the first click saves some points.

The House Davion unit's low attack cries for a formation. Fortunately, its Armor Piercing is much more useful than the Streak Missiles on the other versions.

The House Liao is overloaded with special abilities. It has several clicks of the Streak Missles that don't pull their full weight. At least it does have a decent 7 attack (decent for infantry anyway).

Rating: **

[b]Towed Gauss Rifle[/u] 005-008

etc....

I would say this should go to some of the old timers and the most critical. Trevor I think would be a good candidate. Maybe Kotch. I'm sure I could rattle off a half dozen more names within a few minutes. I might give it a shot myself. Though my opinions aren't worth spit. lol

Vanguard #005 Towed Gauss Rifle (RD)

Interestingly this unit does not follow standard RD paradigm in that it does not get better as it takes damage. The heavy armor is nice in that it allows this unit to shrug off damage from common fast basers like most ATVs. It can be repaired back in to its armor. The nice thing about this version is that it keeps its 3 damage for the life of the unit until it reaches salvage. The damage never drops. The 14" range makes this unit useful as a formation-drop unit to be paired up with a tank-drop. The 2" min however means that it has a small blind-spot so this unit can find itself in trouble if an opposing infantry decides to park outside of base contact but inside it's min range. Considering the roll it will play this is a fairly solid unit. 4/5 stars

Vanguard #006 Towed Gauss Rifle (HL)

This unit starts with a lower attack but since you will most likely see Towed Gauss units being dropped off in to formations of 3 or in formations with other units this isn't a huge drawback. The addition of IT further offsets the shortfall on the attack value. Reactive armor will allow this unit to survive better on the battlefield against non-AP arty and other ballistic-armed units. This version has the same 2/14" range. One big detractor is the damage drops down to 2 after 2 clicks of damage. 3/5 stars.

Vanguard #007 Towed Gauss Rifle (WH)

Easily the best of the bunch. It starts off with so so stats but once it is one click in to its dial on to its sweet spot this unit shines. A 7 attack with IT will ensure you can hit most infantry without needing a formation ... and a formation of this version can pose a significant threat to even mechs. Reactive armor again will help keep this unit alive longer on the battlefield. After the initial click this unit retains its damage value of 3 until salvage and this unit can be repaired all the way back to its sweet spot. To top it off this unit has no blind-spot for range in that it has a min range of 0" so there is no safe place for opposing units to hide from this version. And finally, of course, there is the fact that you have to consider in that this unit is effectively a merc so can formation fire with anything making this unit extremely versitile. 5/5 stars.

Vanguard #008 Towed Gauss Rifle (HD)

This unit is hardy in the respect that it keeps its damage value of 3 for the life of the unit until salvage. The attack rating is the best of all versions with its 7 attack with IT. Slightly better than the WH version in the respect that it doesn't need to be pushed to a sweet spot to get these stats. Like the RD version this unit has heavy armor but a lot more of it ... making it a bit more survivable. The big downside is that this unit also has a 2" min but it also suffers from a slightly shorter range of 12" instead of the 14" all the other versions have. Even still ... if dropped from a fast APC this unit should still reach out to about 20" which is more than enough to get the job done. 4/5 stars.

Clan Battle Armor 009-012

Clan Battle Armor used to be a much seen unit in many army builds pre-AoD, will it be again? A 7 targeting will make formations a must (even against many infantry of this day and age). At least the speed values are back to normal with these versions. 10" JumpJets for all except the Jade falcon which sports a 12" movement. And a shooting range of 8" (10" for the Wolf Hunters) with 2 damage makes this a versatile cheap infantry.
Strongest ones of the bunch being the JF with its 12" Jump Jets and WH having Armor piercing at 10". The CNC has a durable cheap infantry with Flamers once again. The RD one has to compete with the other RD infantry, making this "not the most likely choice"
they deserve 4/5 stars

Gray Death Scout Battle Armor 013-016

First thing to mention here is the name change, from Scout Armor to Scout Battle Armor this makes it immune to the effects of Planetary conditions like Caustic Atmosphere. And then the addition of reconnaissance SE giving it a chance to live up to its name of being a scout. Being able to move independently without eating up all the orders you have in a turn makes it a unit that can be used as filler in any army. greatest down point here are the short dials, not paying attention can cause units like these to become easy (secondary) targets for a heavy mech, obliterating it in one go. Decoy on a 17 defense is pretty much wasted points against all but single infantry opponents.
Alas not a very spectacular unit, HS and HD get the best with pulse and anti-personnel adding a nice touch. The WH is nice but having to get to its sweet spot makes it very short lived. Oddly enough the one with the longest dial (HL) is also the worst, doing only one energy dmg making it useless against the great many armored units that roam the battlefield.
they get 3/5 stars

True but peole here at times just faction or good pieces that work with their faction. Yes having one for mechs,one Vehicles, one for infrantry, one for cards.Also I know guys that will not listen to people who don't play their faction. And do want all around rating or faction or both.

Whyte Knight does rating for each peice I think.

I might regret this, but i think Elite130 makes really good unit reviews!!

Personally I don't see why you should regret that statement, Brinxter. Elite130 has the uncanny ability to analyse a unit and see its possibilities, strongpoints and weaknesses. It's why he's one of the top players in the European Union, after all. Come to think of it, you're one of the other top players, right? How about some Brinxter reviews?

i'm just not as articulate as he is :P

besides i hate typing long stories ;-)