Why Do We Love The Bane / Kraken?

Today, we take a look at one of the heaviest Clan battlemechs, the Bane!
The Bane MF Variant - www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3n5a2t...
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[@brianthurlow1067]

So for the Bane IV Jade Falcon scientists were sitting around a table trying to come up with an update for the mech when one guy who was thinking about dinner got called on. All he shouted was "Crab", and when asked to elaborate he recovered by saying just make a King Crab. It is a Clan King Crab.

[@MechanicalFrog]

I'm ok with this.

[@BoogiesFakeCancer]

....The Jade Crab?

[@mathewkelly9968]

But it's not , the Clan King Crab is the Supernova

[@catzo_5762]

I will say, the stock Bane is a nightmare on Vaccum planets where breaching rules are in effect, with every hit from those AC/2s being a chance for the location hit to be vented into space

[@MechanicalFrog]

Fair.

[@Dang_Near_Fed_Up]

Having played a game that took place in the near total vacuum and low gravity of space on the outer hull of an orbital manufacturing facility, I can attest to the 'Hull Stalker" as it was referred to in that game being a deadly mech breacher. I lost an entire lance due to hull breaches from a single Bane (primary configuration) before I could close range and deal with it. Needless to say it did not end well for my Inner Sphere mercenary assault group that day, as the butcher's bill ran extremely high for the limited reward I gained from winning the prize. Had the overconfident Clan defender not bid themselves out of certain victory, I would have lost all I brought to the fight. Even so the 'victory' nearly bankrupted my mercenary company, replacement pilots (with decent skills) are not cheap.

[@chriswriter9087]

I don't play BattleTech myself but I love that BT actually has rules for that.

[@bthsr7113]

@@chriswriter9087 Apparently there are rules for basement occupying infantry that make people tear hair out.

[@Evinthal84]

@@bthsr7113 there is basically a rule for everything in battletech 😆

[@Executioner9000]

The Bane 3 fires a TON of LRM ammo every turn.... that is insane. I love it.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Lots and lots of missiles...

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

But I am le' tired. FIRE ZE MISSILES!

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

We can nap after the batchall

[@chrish1906]

"I'm afraid you misheard me son. I fear you may have heard 'I want to fire a lot of missiles'. What I said was 'I want to fire ALL the missiles.'"

[@ian5395]

"fire. Support. You point me at the target, I fire, it supports the dirt with it's wreckage."

[@cracklingvoice]

The Bane shines as a second-line fire support mech, especially with other mechs out front. The problem of 'I have an enemy mech in my face' versus 'the enemy mech over there that's a walking belt sander' isn't always easy to solve.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Agreed.

[@csmead209]

A tournament player once jammed 7 of the 10 rotary autocannons on their bane on the first turn. He destroyed the dice responsible in the parking lot with fire afterwards.

[@h0shidont35]

I love the Bane. It feels so characterful. There's something special about 2 heavy sets of eapons with some neat accoutrement, ya know?

[@MechanicalFrog]

It definitely has character.

[@chancecleavelin4834]

We love the Bane in all its forms in my group. One of our guys is so obsessed he has three models: a lead original, a pewter IV, and the new catalyst plastic. He especially loves to troll the table with the Bane I/Standard, since his luck is insane and regularly gets 2-3 headshots and/or through armor crits per salvo.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Oh, he is THAT guy... :D

[@elchjol2777]

​@@MechanicalFrog We all know a guy with insane luck, nothing like seeing a Scorpion light tank through armor crit cook off the AC-20 ammo of an Atlas.

[@Takantwins]

Definitely keep up the Vanity. It's always nice to see people's own custom takes on mechs. Love the CGL's aesthetic for the Bane, and there's that back of the head "I wish AC2s and their variants were better" constantly, but some very interesting variants. Keep up the great work!

[@MechanicalFrog]

Thanks! Will do!

[@bthsr7113]

.... so here's a though to help Autocannons keep up with energy power creep. New UAC's take normal AC ammo variants and/or don't jam. Thoughts? This would make the Bane even more nasty as an AA platform with reliable output of 20 class 2 flak shells.

[@Thaddios]

On table top: "10 AC2s? What a joke!" In MWO: "Mother of God..."

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yeah MWO/MW5 are very different beasts... :D

[@wraith7989]

10 AC 2’s. The Bane of paint jobs everywhere.

[@dwwolf4636]

It kills vehicles and Aerospace assets pretty well. Though I'd wager a similar weight of LB5x's would do better.....

[@MechanicalFrog]

"That'll buff out..."

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

CrittaCan

[@AnimeSunglasses]

@@MechanicalFrog The Mighty Jingles would love it... It has character, and a dirty trick or two!

[@hentaioverwhelming]

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!! I saw the video title and I could not resist

[@MechanicalFrog]

That's fair.

[@fix0the0spade]

Bane Prime is one of my favourite mechs because it's just so much fun. It's the inverse of the King Crab in that whilst it lacks any single, knockout punch weapons, it becomes deadlier and deadlier the longer it stays in the fight. Fire the the guns in single fire and you have 18 turns of fire. Fire the guns on single 1 arm at a time and wait until around turn 9 or 10 (assuming you can keep it alive), then open up in rapid fire and watch the crits. Seeing supposedly better Assault Mechs get their heatsinks, weapons and actuators torn out of the hull by a hail of AC2 fire is glorious. The ginormous ammo explosions of things not going to plan are also glorious.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Unfortunately, it never really works out for me when I attempt to use the prime.

[@fix0the0spade]

@@MechanicalFrog To be fair it can go any which way, but not knowing who's going to explode is the fun part.

[@lexington476]

11:20 show idea, how about a run down on all the newer lasers in the game? Like the improved medium heavy laser, the reengineered laser, the chemical laser, and all the other lasers that came after the normal pulse and ER lasers.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yeah we may have to revisit the older laser video.

[@mathewkelly9968]

I confer , an ATM , MRM and MML video would be in order too

[@scytheseven9173]

The Banes 4 and 7, the secret Clan King Crab IICs they never made for some reason outside the Supernova

[@MechanicalFrog]

They are somewhat crablike...

[@egaroadkill8701]

During the Coventry invasion, I ran a small campaign for a company of medium and fast heavy's. At some point they ran into a job to destroy some Falcon anti aircraft batteries that were particularly effective. No information was available on the enemy forces. What occurred was similar to that WWII American engagement of Sherman's vs. a Jaged Tiger. Only it was one Bane. My dice were hot and critical s were occurring every other turn. Then the LRM Bane showed up. Two lances were destroyed while the last lance players fled shouting run away like Monty Python. They came back later better prepared, with lessons learned, took all five of the monsters down capturing many Falcons. Very memorable and loads of fun!

[@xampleloginname]

The LRM build is nasty.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Something something blotting out the sun.

[@135forte]

Revisisting this after getting my Bane from the KS. That 3 is insane.

[@honda24169]

I modified the Bane 3. I named it the Bane 3.5, swapped out the one shot Streak 4 with a Medium Pulse laser. One of my favorite mechs. I like your ATM build as well. Gives the mech lots and lots of possibilities. I will have to put that on the table top along side mine and see how far they can go

[@MechanicalFrog]

Go...fly! fly Banes! Fly!

[@bthsr7113]

I agree on ripping out the one shot 4 pack. Sure, it can help, but only once, and Clan LRM's don't have minimum ranges, so you can still make someone see the highlight reel of their life if they get in close. Better to have something that can enhance endurance for fending off vehicles, or alternately, some SPL/flamer action to fend off crunchies.

[@mattikuokkanen]

I used Bane 3 once. Fired 2 UAC/10 at double, other UAC/10 single for heat management. 1 UAC/10 jammed and I switched all remaining (3) UAC/10 to double. Keeping up the dakka :)

[@MechanicalFrog]

Good times had by all.

[@brianwalker8465]

The art for the Bane IV looks like an Invid attack drone

[@MechanicalFrog]

It sure is something...

[@mr.pontifex7595]

As Always thank you Mechfrog! I have this mech coming on the Kickstarter and had no clue where to fit it in!

[@MechanicalFrog]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@RibusPQR]

Bane 5: more range than an ERPPC, more personal than a Thumper or Arrow, and more variety than a Bane 3. I wouldn't choose it, but I can see the appeal.

[@MechanicalFrog]

It's nice that it exists, even though it's not my favorite.

[@haileysaint5443]

I don't recall if I commented on this video or not, so I'll do it now. Or again, if I did. I actually like the Bane (Kraken), though I am more fond of the redesign over the original, and CGL's look over that. Naturally, I came up with my own variants. I won't go into all of them, just the most recent one. I came up with a total of 7 variants, 2 for my Urban Defense League unit, 1 for the Scorpion Empire, and 4 Inner Sphere Merc variants. The Bane (Kraken) ISM 3b is the variant I will cover. I gave it an XL engine, though it has a standard internal structure, armor, and myomer. It has a total of 12 DHS. Each arm carries 2 RAC/2s with an Improved Heavy Medium Laser. The right and center torsos each carry 2 Micro Pulse Lasers, with the left carrying a Targeting Computer and 1 ton of CASE II protected ammo; the remaining 7 tons of RAC ammo are protected by CASE II in the right torso. I had help working this one out, as the Bane (Kraken) ISM 3 had slightly different loadout.

[@SRTifiable]

We all hope our children surpass us. Just not quite this soon 🤣

[@MechanicalFrog]

I cannot keep up.

[@Based_Lord_Humongous]

I saw a Bane 1 turn a Kirghiz and two point of Elementals into finely ground mulch once. UAC2 may suck, but you get them in a battery like that and start watching crit chances arise. It may not head cap, but head cluncking is just as nasty. 4 RAC2? I call those ER SRM6s! The only reason you bring a VI is because you have specialty ammo. Sometimes you gotta do 10 damage AND get an instacrit check (AP). I dig the hell out of the MF; ATM12s are deleter weapons. I myself have a Society variant (Society Shenanigans pretty much) and I used a Bane to bring 4 RAC5s to bear once. It's a solid fire support platform, and I would argue does the Annihilator's job but better.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Using it on infantry... **Thousand yard stare**

[@andersalbertsson215]

Another mech that would be wildly more effective in Mechwarrior vs Battletech, where boated weapons and manual aiming make up for a lot of shortcomings. Would be fun to see in MWO with quirks removing the penalty for that many ACs

[@MechanicalFrog]

**Perpetual screen shake**

[@bthsr7113]

Yeah, with FPS player aim, 20 AC2 shots goes from annoying to scary real fast. To say nothing of how much the LRM boat players would love the 3.

[@lexington476]

I played a standard Bane back in the mid-90s in a tournament. I went to the second round but didn’t win. The Bane was FUN to play. That battle was one of the very few times I actually ran out of ammunition in BT. I ran out of AC ammo and went in close with the MGs and punching.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Machine Guns for the win.

[@lexington476]

@@MechanicalFrog Yeah, didn't go down. That 'mech was bet up by the end, I wish I still had the record sheet. Several UAC/2s did jam. The second round of the tournament was an IS mech, where I used a Thug 😎, and I think the Thug did go down.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Aww

[@jonathanlaforce9465]

The Bane VI comes into its own when you park it on proper terrain. Level 3 hill, with cover to my fore, and a commanding view of the battlefield became the means of holding a flank entirely on my own. My Bane did not need to move, hence I took no movement penalty during Shooting Phase, enabling me to roll comparatively low even at long range. Heavy and Assault mechs were forced to make piloting rolls they could not afford (and failed). The first scout mech to try getting in close lost nearly all of it's armor and ran away before attempting to endure a second round of ass beating. The Mercury who tried to handle this differently suffered a catastrophic failure of existence. Meanwhile, the double lance of enemy mechs were forced to change their maneuver scheme: Hide behind cover, and avoid fire from the Bane Bunker while getting hammered by my team mates, or step out of cover and become the center of attention. Their only saving grace was that the scenario creator did not allow alternate ammunition. Otherwise, my Bane would've been passing out PG ammo the way Tyson passed out hits to Trevor Berbick. It was a very good day.

[@bthsr7113]

Is PG precision grade? When you've already got a targeting computer? If so.... oh I like the way you think.

[@jonathanlaforce9465]

@@bthsr7113 yes it is. And yes, I love pairing those in mechs like a an RFL-9T. It allows me to keep the engagement at range, and opens up how maneuverable I can be, with space to do so.

[@warlok363]

Protomech AC can use special ammo, so AP ammo and a lot of rolls. Something is bound to either TAC as normal or AP crit.

[@MechanicalFrog]

I learn something new every day.

[@warlok363]

I'm not saying it's a good idea, don't know, but it is a thing

[@chrisb3585]

When you want to saturate a hex with LRM fire, it's hard to look past the Kraken 3, it is little more than a walking MLRS battery. Probably not the best when using Zell however. Oh, and if someone is too adventurous and closes range, you can kindly remind them that Clan LRMs have no minimum range penalties... 😁

[@MechanicalFrog]

Firing a ton of ammo every turn will get some attention.

[@chrisb3585]

@@MechanicalFrog true, though the Clans can field a lot of machines that require attention, forcing opponents to choose between the likes of having a literal ton of LRM ammunition being dropped on their forehead or the equivalent of two AC 20 rounds to the back armour of their own assault mech.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Aff

[@lhommedunorde]

Not quite TT but in the BTA3062 mod for BattleTech (2018) I use a Bane 1, but with 10x Light AC2 firing HEAP Ammo. Does standard armour damage, but pierces for an additional point of structure damage per round. Not only does is sand-paper down the armour but those piercing shots are master crit seekers, especially if most, or all of the 30 rounds hit. :D

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yeah the autocannons in MWO and HBS BT are an entirely different creature. :D

[@strcmdrbookwyrm]

A good summary on the Bane. I think the OG bane occupies a reverse of the niche the Howler does. It's too big to be ignored, but doesn't have enough firepower to justify killing it first. Even if you did opt to focus it down, it still has enough armor that it's going to get at least a little lucky before you take it out.

[@gregdomenico1891]

You beat me to it with 'What, no Heavy Laser build? I don't know about table top, but in BTA, if you get hit with that many AC's( even if they are UAC2's), get ready to be knocked on your ass.

[@MechanicalFrog]

"What the hell was that?!"

[@gregdomenico1891]

@@MechanicalFrog That's pretty much what I said when I ran into the LRM variant; followed by'This is going to hurt'.

[@chrissegee]

I though my favorite variant was the Bane with the 8 lrms until i was the MF version and I have to admit this is an awesome variant

[@MechanicalFrog]

Making mechs evaporate under HE ATM fire is quite rewarding.

[@chrissegee]

@@MechanicalFrog ahh the smell of roasted Clanners brings a tear to my eye.

[@bthsr7113]

I already knew the answer. Firepower. That's it. This thing blasts hard with whatever loadout you want. Be it the ultimate AC2 boat, the ultimate LRM boat, Twin Hag 40 with backup, or some other, possibly even balanced* config, you're hauling heavy every time you drop. Add on a bit of eccentric character with the focus of prime and 3, along with an aesthetic redemption story.... and you have a truly memorable mech that will mutilate most opposition.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Good summary. Pretty much it.

[@shivkatall291]

I love the Bane because Bane 3. Tossing one ton of anything at anyone, every round, near or far; what's not to love,

[@MechanicalFrog]

Making it rain...

[@bthsr7113]

Heck. you can even choose to use variant ammo, unlike the prime's autocannon. 120 swarm LRM rounds would make quite the mess.

[@kierdalemodels]

“We shall fight in the sha- oh, the shade’s been obliterated too. Bollocks.”

[@hardluck4031]

I love the MF builds! Being new to the tabletop forum of Battletech, could you do a Mech Sheet For Dummies/ How to make your own video?

[@MechanicalFrog]

I use the Megamek built in mech editor program. It's pretty versatile.

[@hardluck4031]

@@MechanicalFrog can I run MegaMek on my tablet?

[@christophermzdenek]

In the Bane 1, I always get stupid amounts of luck, and seem to headshot at least once every other round. Often each round. Doing that for a couple rounds before they can even get into firing range seems to make other players way more hesitant than you would think.

[@MechanicalFrog]

It's nice that someone has luck with it. :D

[@Geeko170]

10 UAC 2s never seem scary until they all hit and suddenly you are looking at 20 location hits. And it’s even scarier when your opponent brought cheese and has 2 of them. Also I learned the pain of dealing with missile spam. One player liked his turret tech and would sit in the back of the map and throw ungodly amounts of LRMs at you. In one turn my Atlas got hit with 187 missiles!!! I’m not exaggerating, it took him 30 minutes to tell me hit locations. Luckily I had a Large shield on the Atlas and it survived and stayed standing.

[@scytheseven9173]

Even if they all hit (unlikely), on average that's 14 shots, and because you roll individually for each one you're very unlikely to get far from the average, unlike rolling on a single cluster hits table. If you want lots of cluster hits, go with lots of Streak or regular SRMs for 2-damage groupings or LB-X ACs or Silver Bullet Gauss for even more 1-point groupings In comparison, a full burst from a RAC/2 will have an average cluster size of 4 on a hit with a full burst of 6 (so 4 RAC/2s at full spin will typically give about 16 hit locations, compared to the base variant's 14, and 4 guns are likelier to all land than 10), a LB 10-X AC 6.3, a Silver Bullet Gauss 9.5, and a LB 20-X 12.7

[@Geeko170]

@@scytheseven9173 like I said. They don’t seem dangerous until they all hit. And this one game, all 20 hit. I got 3 head hits on my warhammer that game, and nearly got cored out from 3 through armor crits. Thankfully I have air power that didn’t take kindly to that.

[@scytheseven9173]

@@Geeko170 my point is that you have an average 14 shots *if* all hit. The chance of all 10 UAC/2s rolling an 8 or above on the cluster hits table is about 0.016%, or 1 in 6,350. Both the average and maximum are higher with 4 RAC/2s than 10 UAC/2s.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Aff. When they work it's a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, it hasn't ever worked out for me.

[@Geeko170]

@@scytheseven9173 well my one experience facing Banes was not “average”. I got hit with all 20 hits. Averages are great for math hammer and theory crafting, right up until you realize luck is a very real thing with a very weird since of humor.

[@catboxvideo]

all of the banes I have used were equiped with LBX 1 LBX5s 1 with LB10x, the first was absolute hell on Vees and VTOLS - really upset the hells horses i was battling...

[@sebastiang.5032]

I love the new artwork so much!

[@MechanicalFrog]

It's pretty good.

[@SpaceMarine4040]

Before even watching this video I already know the answer. There is some part of psyche that persists no matter how far we may advance technologically or tactically, and that part wants a gratuitous number of projectiles or objects being launched. It doesn't matter if it comes in the form of dakka, or macross missile massacre. It is this same thing which made metal storm happen in real life with or without any reasonable explanation. Simply put seeing a mech like the bane fire that many weapons makes us happy, simple as. ...or they are full fledged dice goblins for whom there is no greater joy than grabbing a bucket full of dice and hearing the clickity clack.

[@RenegadeY]

I think a lot of early bt art has a syd mead vibe going on, but the original bane art is possibly the syd mead-iest of them all

[@MechanicalFrog]

Definitely some similarities.

[@mistformsquirrel]

The original Bane is what happens when you let 40k Orks design a Battlemech... So much dakka - it doesn't do much *but there's a lot of it*

[@kierdalemodels]

Quite the beast! Well, the latter versions, anyway. I think we’re getting one in the KS. My son’ll want it as a Kraken 3, I’m sure!

[@krissteel4074]

I quite like the #2 and 3 versions, they're pretty solid support mechs in terms of having that purity of purpose of direct or indirect fire support Plus if the ammo explodes, it will be seen from orbit

[@MechanicalFrog]

Big badaboom.

[@craigmorris4083]

I'm sorry, but my reaction to the Bane II art is "what the hell is that?!?!". :)

[@MechanicalFrog]

**Confused screaming**

[@Melding]

Personally, i would take a bane 5, strip out the LRMs and ammo, and then replace the RAC-2s with RAC-5s. you lose the ability to indirect fire, yes, but your max damage goes from 78 to a nice 130. by the time the ammo bins are empty anything the ER Large Laser couldn't handle is mush.

[@MechanicalFrog]

RAC5s can be nasty.

[@robrib2682]

That thumbnail art makes me think of the mini Keanu Reeves / Wide Putin meme

[@MechanicalFrog]

Hrm...

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Because it’s the clanners using spray and pray. It’s hilarious!

[@MechanicalFrog]

Making it rain...

[@bthsr7113]

@@MechanicalFrog Raining casings, raining LRMs, Raining slag and shrapnel of the target. Whatever it is, LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

[@franksmedley7372]

Hello Frog. Yeah, I've faced the Bane-Kraken several times over the years. Often to my despair. And then, I got my hands on a couple of them via Clan Sea Fox. Looking over the options, I chose the Bane-3, and the Bane 7. For the Bane-3, I stripped out that One Shot missile, added half a ton of armor, and replaced it with an ER Med Laser. As for the Bane-7, well... I didn't see the need to change anything. I do like your Mech Frog variant as well. Not only that, but I will see how it performs for myself, once my Mech Techs get done altering the newly acquired Bane purchased for just this purpose. I agree that most of the variants on the Bane are 'less than optimal'. The next time I face Clan Mechs, I will have a few Banes in my own 'stable' to field against them. I look forwards to the carnage that will ensue. Another fine video, my friend. Keep 'em coming.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Thanks a lot. Have a great one.

[@Tatsu_of_Liao]

Another fine display!

[@GrozaMariposa]

It's weird seeing so many AC2s on a clan mech as a standard variant, or really any mech at all. I think there's only one other clan mech that does that and that's the Deimos from Clan Snow Raven with six UAC2s. The Kraken V has a lot of potential but having 4 Rotary AC2s is too much and not enough LRM. This is gonna sound like a bad mix but I'd swap out the four RACs for LBX5s and put the spare tonnage to upgrading the LRM10s to LRM15s. Considering it's 90% of the weapons are ammo dependent take out the laser for three tons for the LBX5 and one for the LRM15. A well fed Kraken is a happy one.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Probably a good thing that they're not common.

[@Ironclockwork]

If I ever have kids and if they learn in public school to do Battletech-related math and get correct numerical answers, I will consider my taxpayer dollars well-spent. And I will be very proud of my kids, too.

[@MechanicalFrog]

He got his mother's smartypants brain.

[@lukedudley5030]

Another great vid :-) to be fair ive never seen the kraken with the 10 ac lose a fight...its tough and can peck opponents to pieces before they get into range...ive seen it pull apart a warhammer IIC and a daishi slowly but surely without taking any real damage...a great mech that looks terrible on paper but is a lot better than you expect.

[@MechanicalFrog]

It can be quite the force. Unfortunately, I've never had any luck with the primary config.

[@lukedudley5030]

@MechanicalFrog it's just nasty to be fair with 50% hitting on ultra its basically a piloting skill roll every round of shooting...its not the best mech but oppositions do ignore it a bit thinking its only 2 damage and once it builds they start to worry about it but by then it's usually too late :-)

[@elchjol2777]

My friend would love that LRM spam variant since he normally uses LRM mechs especially the Catapult. So giving him the ability to blot out the sun.....who ever is down range is going to need divine intervention or a combat genius to survive

[@fullmetalgamers1276]

The Kraken is how you lose friends

[@robrib2682]

By telling them that the prime is good or bringing any other one to the table?

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yes.

[@thezerb]

My favorite mech build ever, both on TT and in HBS BT is a Bane with 8 C-UAC-2s and nothing else.... It´s borderline cheating... But of course it´s not a standard config, so you need access to more than just a leopard to gear it out that way, but if custom builds are alowed there´s definitely **at least** one in my lance /star. Damage seems tame at first (32 on TT, 480 in HBS), which is a bit less than a double UAC20 hit ....until you realize that it can project that across the entire map *every turn* with a much higher chance to hit. Also takes forever to overheat, crits as much as it strips, has as much frontal armor as an Atlas or Dire Wolf, and has ammo for days, I think 15-16 alphas or something before it goes click. If you wanna be lazy you can basically just plant it on a hill and send out scouts or fast vehicles, and anything that gets visualed gets deleted or at the least massively damaged before it has any clue what just happened, but works just as well as a breakthrough or point defense mech because of the full armor setup. Quote from a friend from a year or so ago, "FFS, it feels like every Locust has an Atlas hidden in his pocket" 🤣🍻

[@MechanicalFrog]

Just keep in mind that the AC2/UAC2s in HBS BT are buffed to be way more powerful than they should be. It's almost comical.

[@thezerb]

@@MechanicalFrog True dat, but I feel it´s mostly the hit chance, as both damage and armor are scales I think by the same factor of 15 for better looking numbers....but I may be wrong on that, never really looked at the HBS number too closely to be honest... and ofc no jams in HBS The 32 dmg on TT are still pretty brutal, and that´s where that quote is from 🍻

[@Dang_Near_Fed_Up]

I like the II, III, and IV versions of the Bane, and I will admit I am highly curious to try your MF variant with 4x ATMs. Not a mech I normally think of when playing, but I may have to rethink that as you do provoke some interesting ideas in my twisted little imagination with this video.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Go forth and slay your enemies...

[@Haldrahir]

I've used the Prime and 3 before, the 3 is a natural killer.

[@MechanicalFrog]

It definitely has more punch.

[@sim.frischh9781]

Didn´t know the Bane/Kraken was developed as much as a technology testbed as it was designed as a direct-fire support mech. But it makes perfectly sense, a bigger chassis means more space and mass available for any new tech that is to be tested. 4 Ultra10s, that´s a f*cking NIGHTMARE! O.o Ah, you entered your Bane from the stream! It´s an interesting build, but horribly ammo dependent. Yes, on this one, i agree, the Project Phoenix redesign wasn´t exactly the best. I really like the new one! The look of the XR version is also sweet.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yeah the XR art is pretty solid.

[@SeismicWolf]

Some of the loadouts remind me of a King Crab

[@MechanicalFrog]

Definitely has that vibe.

[@TyrosCaid]

Love hearing the mech frog variants in your videos

[@MechanicalFrog]

Thanks. They're fun to piece together.

[@TAVAAR7]

Its worth loving, if for no other reason, than that it has zero heavy laser variants.... 😆

[@MechanicalFrog]

That is a big plus.

[@harvestblades]

Those variants are all over the place when it comes to ballistic damage per round, but it sounds pretty fun. Hard to ignore even a lumbering mech with 19.5t of armor capable of doing in excess of 140pts of damage per turn. Curious to see the CGL sculpt & what star box it comes with.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Some variants way deadlier than others... I guess flavor to taste.

[@loreman2803]

So Bane 1 to 3 are fire supporters and the Bane 4 is a melt brawler then returning to form in the 5 and then going strange in the 6 and the 7 goes hard again

[@MechanicalFrog]

It wants to be a lot of things.

[@georgesulea]

Ok, totally off topic here; I really want a shirt with your mascot on it, love it:)

[@MechanicalFrog]

Good news... www.teepublic.com/user/mechfrog

[@rickusjamesus]

I'm definitely into 4 ATM 12s lol

[@MechanicalFrog]

So long as they're pointed at someone else.

[@rickusjamesus]

@@MechanicalFrog rofl definitely agree

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

I've been working on a original mech I call "the fiddler crab" a 75 ton missile boat, I think ATMs might be the best choice for it.

[@bthsr7113]

I prefer the idea of a 75 ton CQC with melee called the Coconut Crab.

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

​@bthsr7113 weirdly enough that is a alternative idea I had too. Give it 2 claws and TSM

[@Sierra026]

Why do we love the Bane? DAT'S EASY, BOSS! ITZ GOT LOADS O' DAKKA DAKKA ON IT!

[@MechanicalFrog]

**Teeth rattling**

[@franksmedley7372]

Yup... the Proto armed version is so 'Orky' it hurts just to think about.

[@ChaosTicket]

The Bane is a fun idea, a flak unit that can shoot down air-units. How effective it is at that is beyond me. Air Combat in Battletech is not a real focus. To my knowledge none of the basic rules cover them, only the more advanced rulebooks. How effective 10 Autocannon 2s are at shooting down a 100ton omnifighter is something I cannot really test. With what I do know about the grounds rules I think some Clan-grade Extended Range Large Lasers, maybe with a Targeting Computer would probably do much better. The Bane 3 is an intimidating unit with 120 Long Range Missile tubes and quite a lot of ammunition. If there is a platform that can carry more I do not know about it. Overall the Bane is an expensive gun platform, like a Rifleman taken to the extreme.

[@MechanicalFrog]

A lovely idea, hobbled by the flaws of the Autocannon.

[@ChaosTicket]

@@MechanicalFrog I don't really think Autocannons or Ballistic weapons should be "Fixed". Battletech2018 buffed ballistic & missile weapons and nerfed energy weapons. An AC-2 is weak and heavy because its also the longest ranged weapon of most eras. What would it be like if the Bane had 10x2=20 guns firing at 910meters and doing 5 damage each? They would take down an Atlas in a few turns.

[@MechanicalFrog]

I should clarify. It's not so much a flaw in the autocannon as the power creep of energy and missile weapons thanks to double heat sinks. @@ChaosTicket

[@ChaosTicket]

@@MechanicalFrogI think Autocannons are actually overpowered. LB-X can fire scatter shot with anywhere between 2-20 separate Locations and Critical Hit chances. Ultra Autocannons have a low chance of jamming, for 200% location/critical/damage. Energy weapons are safe, but overall rather weak unless youre using Clan Energy weapons and tonnage instead of Battle Value. Its why I recommend always using Battle Value in Tabletop Fights.

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

Crusader v CB The perfect fight

[@MechanicalFrog]

At least it had a happy ending.

[@bthsr7113]

Personally, I'd love to see a Bane config for plasma and one for Arrow IV.

[@MechanicalFrog]

"Just put a plasma cannon on it." - MechFrog

[@bthsr7113]

@@MechanicalFrog Or plasma rifles, but I suppose the cannons are a bit more of an all in gamble, which is the Bane tradition. It also keeps the tradition of being a specialized part of a larger battle alive as opposed to optimizing for anti-mech operations.

[@bthsr7113]

As for the Arrow IV, if I did my math right, it should be possible to mount 4 launchers with 40 shots by only stripping a little armor. Or if you want to see everything die, 8 tactical multi-kiloton warheads for 2 salvos of annihilation.

[@Knightlyfrog]

We have HAG40 at home...

[@Star-qc4br]

This is heartbreaking! I never liked the original artwork; but, I'm loving the current visuals. Unfortunately though, where's the firepower to match?! Unless the goal was to be the best looking smoldering wreck on the battlefield, what were they thinking?! Once again, you've got the best loadout for this mech, Frog. Maybe Catalyst Game Labs should put you on the payroll...

[@MechanicalFrog]

The Ultra AC/20 and LRM variants are both pretty potent if you play them smart. Thanks!

[@bthsr7113]

The prime may want for firepower, but can you honestly say that the variants consistently do? The first variant can fire 8 AC10 shells a turn. The second variant, 120 LRM rounds, a literal ton of ammunition, PER TURN.

[@Star-qc4br]

@@bthsr7113 I'm just biased to energy weapons I guess. I like the idea of NOT depending on ammo reserves no matter how good they are so I don't have the rightful appreciation for them. Experience may remedy that...

[@christianholzschuh6853]

Ac two's aren't that bad... I remember playing Ghost Bears Legacy and getting frustrated by the last mission. So I started a new game, used a mech I did give 3 ac 2's. And enough ammo. It was fun seeing my enemies melt under a stream of shots...

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yeah autocannons tend to do much better in the Mechwarrior video game series.

[@Gigas0101]

Am I a bad person for seeing the default Bane and wondering "What if light AC5s instead of UAC2s?"

[@MechanicalFrog]

Probably not a bad person... not for that anyway.

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

Bane (Standard) is a really stupid loadout until you play with vehicles. You make that mistake once and end up with a full company of tanks with motive hits crippling them from 5 miles away. It was painful watching my tanks and hovers sit there and be slowly destroyed by the Bane's starmates.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Fair point.

[@bthsr7113]

Yeah, the Bane prime may SUCK at dueling like a Clanner, but in combined arms, it is a potent, while niche tool. And the 3, while lacking minimum range because clan tech, is best suited to work with spotters to make life an indirect hell.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Definitely niche in the primary config.

[@KillerOrca]

My prefered ride for my Jade Falcon trueborn.

[@MechanicalFrog]

There are worse options.

[@mathewkelly9968]

The Bane is ok , but still gotta do the King Crab IIC aka the Supernova .

[@MechanicalFrog]

We'll probably do that sooner rather than later.

[@mathewkelly9968]

@@MechanicalFrog plenty of other great Clan Nova Cat second line mechs like the Arbalest , Ocelot , Morrigan , Cave Lion and OMG the Sphinx but they all way later

[@Dreadwolf3155]

HAG40 FTW

[@MechanicalFrog]

Big boom.

[@nexusofice9135]

There's always a bigger fish... But it's not much of a threat if you kill it before it gets you.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Sometimes the big fish needs bigger teeth.

[@gwin2719]

The original kinda reminds me of the American 180 😂

[@MechanicalFrog]

Hrmm...

[@bthsr7113]

Penetration by attrition

[@nilswassem7209]

Not my personal first Pick, but it is a potent design, and the potencial variants could be deadly and a real horror for every enemie

[@MechanicalFrog]

It's nice to have the option beside seeing another Dire Wolf.

[@cmdrhatchy9611]

For the weapons descriptions, I aam unfamiliar with the odd one.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Which?

[@schitify]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS

[@MechanicalFrog]

Yes!

[@derekburge5294]

Dual HAG 40? Gimme gimme!

[@MechanicalFrog]

Double the headache.

[@derekburge5294]

@@MechanicalFrog At least it's a short headache for the target.

[@MetalGlitch]

I wonder if you could fit 4 Gauss rifles in the arms - that would make the Bane a devastating fire support option. Do the rules allow you to split the Gauss rifles over the arms and side torsos?

[@Kingofdragons117]

Ah yea. Why shouldn’t I fire 600 LRMs a turn with a star of Banes. Also I am once again asking for your support with a crab video.

[@MechanicalFrog]

I'm working on something special for the Crab.

[@bthsr7113]

The best reason why not to fire off 5 tons of LRM's in a single joint salacious salvo of a turn would be to fire off 4 tons with far superior accuracy with the bulk of the star remaining hidden until firing.

[@robertreid9256]

I wonder if it could fit 4 Rac 5's?

[@MechanicalFrog]

Worth a shot.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

"Release The Kraken!"

[@MechanicalFrog]

**Confused screaming**

[@bthsr7113]

Let there be no undamaged plating!

[@christopherpurches2774]

Not in a position to check, but can protomech ACs take specialized rounds? AP rounds turns that variant into a long range mech-disabler.

[@MechanicalFrog]

No, they cannot use any specialized rounds.

[@christopherpurches2774]

@@MechanicalFrog unfortunate.

[@MechanicalFrog]

I am apparently wrong. The Battlemech Manual says specialized rounds are good.

[@christopherpurches2774]

@@MechanicalFrog you know I found it about the same time you did. Well, that's what makes it valuable. 10 50% crit checks in a turn might be quite valuable.

[@135forte]

How was this the first Clan 100t, and by the Falcons no less? It's just a sky broom without jjs. Even the Jaguars put jjs on their 100t.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Wonders never cease.

[@marsar1775]

10 ultra ac/2? are we sure that the stock bane isnt a 40k orc design???? i do love the thought process tho. i do love me some brrrrrrrt

[@MechanicalFrog]

Clearly in the pocket of BIG EARPLUG

[@marsar1775]

@@MechanicalFrog brb adding that to my repetoir

[@Darren_Xero]

Kraken 7 is my favorite because HAG IS KING!!

[@MechanicalFrog]

It sure can pack a punch.

[@bthsr7113]

Heck, it even has backups for the HAGs.

[@clpfox470]

Did the orks design this with all that DAKA?

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

Listen boss There's targets out there what need crumpin This here dakdakka has the tools to please

[@Deathwig1]

Der iz no such fing az too much DAKKA

[@MechanicalFrog]

Possible.

[@bthsr7113]

I mean, this has been my answer when people talk about which mech has the most dakka.

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

@@bthsr7113 without competition, easily, hands down.

[@kalixascsi66]

DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA

[@MechanicalFrog]

**Teeth rattling**

[@dantauche7917]

What’s the purpose/advantage of Protomech AC/2’s??

[@MechanicalFrog]

They're lighter than a standard AC/2... that's about it.

[@bthsr7113]

Variant ammo, I think.

[@MrMyu]

I love the MF variants, but I keep imagining them being invented by Samuel L Jackson

[@MechanicalFrog]

"I've have just about enough of these MF mechs on my MF battlefield..."

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

BANE

[@MechanicalFrog]

All Day.