Why Do We Love The Wolverine? #BattleTech Lore / History

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] he had him brought down from the p and asked cruus what man persuaded you to wage a war against my land and become my enemy instead of my friend he replied oh King I acted thus for your good fortune but for my own ill Fortune the god of the Helens is responsible for these things inciting me to wage war no one is so foolish as to choose War over peace in peace Sons bury their fathers in war fathers bury their sons but I suppose it was dear to the vinity that this be so the story of the Wolverine is a tale of defiance and a long burn cold war that was the Teran hemony following the successful testing and first deployment of the macki the race was on among the politically powerful factions to create their own versions of the battlemc the Clock Was ticking as any perceived advantage of one great house over the other would be exploited when the leadership of the Federated Sons began to look for industries that had the capability to produce a domestic battl Mech that could compete with those from the hegemony Armed Forces there were several which bid furiously for the opportunity to capitalize upon the financial opportunity thankfully the Federated suns were blessed with a rich weapons manufacturing sector with some companies that had some rich lineages that stretched all the way back to the 20th century after an extensive selection process one of those companies later known as Norse battl mechworks won the contract to build the first battl Mech for the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns the company's primary manufacturing lines were on Marduk the temperate teraike Planet located spinward of Tera near the border of the draconis combine as of 2471 one of the company's biggest advantages was that the site on Marduk located deep within a jungle was constructed right next to where most of the raw materials needed for the manufacturing process could be mined and refined it was reported that the metals once refined traveled less than 100 m before being rendered into the frames of the company's machines with the successful contract with the AF s those lines were shifted over to battl Mech production the contract called for the creation of a medium strike Mech which was agile and that could compete with the Griffin and shadowhawk Designs which were just starting to make a name for themselves in combat like with those mechs the designers led by the supervising engineer Russell Bell at Norse sought to create a general purpose battlemech which could move at a decent clip was able to hit it all ranges and could stand up to a fair amount of punishment from incoming fire what they ended up with was the cherished wvr 1R Wolverine weighing it at 55 tons The Wolverine was constructed around a 265 primitive Fusion engine which weighed in at 14 tons with a top speed of 65 kmph it wasn't going to match the speed of the Griffin though that deficit would be made up elsewhere four prototype jump Jets were added to the legs to allow for leaps of up to 120 M for those of you playing the tabletop game at home jumps with prototype jump Jets require a piloting skill role with every Landing plus three penalty lest your Mech tumble like Mech frog down the icy front steps last year 14.5 tons of primitive armor provided 155 points of protection which was modest but matched the Griffin 1A and was a half ton more than the shadoow hawk 1R the Wolverine's primary weapon was an experimental short barreled ac5 autoc Cannon which was fed by two tons of ammunition stored along with the AC in the right arm there were plans drawn up for the ac5 to be swapped out for a particle projection Cannon when the Mac went to full production though when the first PPC procured for the test bed was installed it caused a Litany of problems for the mech including un imaginable electromagnetic interference and excessive heat the issues were so many that it was decided that the ac5 would remain the mech's primary weapon and what can only be described as a result of divine inspiration The Wolverine 1 R's only other weapon was placed not in the right torso which was the style at the time but instead nestled in the battle mech's head this almost entirely prevented the uncomfortable situation where a still functioning battl Mech was rendered unable to affect change on the battlefield without getting into physical combat original plans even had this medium laser in a ball turret that could rotate 360° around the mech though through testing it proved infeasible additionally the mech benefited from an extended torso twist which made it difficult for light Max to successfully flank it unanswered overall the damage potential of the Wolverine 1R was lackluster though it should be seen through the context of the late 25th Century where all of this technology was brand new it also operated without heat issues even with just 10 standard heat sinks when the mech went into full production in 2471 The Wolverine was seen as the future of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns by all accounts The Wolverine 1R proved to be a successful design even in its primitive state it was produced in great numbers on Marduk over the next two centuries and would be improved upon along the way as battl technology advanced first with a 3r model which added the mech's now iconic srm6 pack and later with the 6r model in 2575 though the Wolverine 1R was declared obsolete just 30 years after its introduction the existing machines continued to perform long after in various forms and filtering out across the inner sphere and periphery H Brook pumped a stream of armor-piercing shells from the Wolverine's Whirlwind autoc cannon into the k benois Unleashed his Mech Cannon and added Ruby pulses of coherent light from his Thunderbolt a5m laser the panther withered under the assault its shattered armor gaped and James could see its ferrow titanium bones through the swirls of flame and smoke benois Zeus stepped closer and swung its massive squared off foot in a short and flat Arc the kick crashed into the side of the Fallen Panther's cockpit tearing the entire head assembly free as it crushed the side walls together [Music] over the next few centuries and well into the succession Wars The Wolverine chassis was produced by more than a half dozen different manufacturers across the inner sphere the most common variant going into the first succession war was the Wolverine 6r which was a significant Leap Forward in the mech technology and capabilities when the Wolverine 6r stomped off the assembly lines Victory Industries and later Kalen Industries and the free world's defense Industries the Primitive technology of the 1R had given way to the tried and true systems which would serve the Wolverine well in the coming centuries of brutal conflict the cruus a frame was standardized and strengthened and For the First Time The Wolverine could match the speed of the other 55 ton succession Wars battl Max with a top speed of 86 kmph thanks to the cortech 275 Fusion engine the Northup 12,000 jump Jets allowed for a leap of up to 150 M and the 9.5 tons of maximilan 60 standard armor plate are a significant improvement over the Primitive plate of the 1R the weight savings was spent on two additional heat sinks pushing the total to 12 and borrowing the 3 RS srm6 in the left torso area the Whirlwind ac5 autoc cannon in the right arm was improved over the Prototype ac5 of previous versions thankfully the medium laser in the head wasn't touched the final result was a wolverine that was significantly faster than the original which could leap farther and packed a powerful punch in the mid and short range with the addition of the SRM if the Wolverine has any serious fault it was the dependence upon ammunition for both the ac5 and the srm6 this became a problem for prolonged engagements or campaigns where Logistics were inconsistent with its speed decent armor coverage and flexible Loadout The Wolverine 6r became a Workhorse battlemc across the military units of the inner sphere though they were more common among the Federated Suns the free worlds league in the draconas combine being such a well-balanced Mac it was sometimes compared unfavorably with other other medium mechs that devoted more of their Mass to Weaponry but as I've said in previous videos there's a significant value in being a generalist it makes the mech a Survivor across many possible situations in ways that more specialized designs will possibly let you down I would have trouble estimating just how many times I've had conversations with people who said The Wolverine was their favorite of the 55ton classic BattleTech mechs and more often than not the reasoning involves the fact that it's a Survivor that can do just enough damage to make the opponent have a really bad day while it would be overshadowed by newer designs farther down the timeline there are few medium mechs as effective and survivable as that Wolverine 6r it does really well on my completely objective and scientific metric of strength utility and fun the Wolverine's pilot brought its weapons to bear and returned fire the autoc cannon carried in its right hand lipped flame a burst of depleted uranium shells blasted armor from the Thunderbolts left forearm the boxy missile launcher on the the mech's left shoulder sent a half dozen short-range missiles into the air they peppered the larger Mech chipping armor over the chest legs and arms and then the medium laser mounted in the Wolverine's head plowed a Furrow in the armor of the Thunderbolts left arm our next variant we're going to touch on comes to us thanks to the efforts of the draconus combine in 2598 who one can only assume decided to create their own version of The Wolverine just despite the Federated Sons for their love of the autoc cannon The Wolverine 6K variant pulls the jump Jets creating a 580 movement profile in favor of adding additional armor heat sinks and weaponry at 11.5 tons of standard plate the 6K is considerably tougher than earlier Wolverines the ac5 autoc cannon was yanked in favor of a large laser in the right arm a second medium laser and a small laser in addition to the srm6 all of this was aided by 14 standard heat sinks that amounts to considerable damage boost boost in the short range once those medium lasers get into the fight giving up those jump Jets was rough and the mech suffers from some heat issues if you're firing everything each turn but it does largely address the ammunition concerns of the 6r and packs quite a punch when needed I know at least one BattleTech fan out there who swears by the 6K and as a result I've reported him to the local authorities for suspected combine sympathies the 6K does well on the power scale but suffers a bit in fun due to those lost jum Jets when the free worlds League was plunged into the first succession War it was at the hands of the Lyon Commonwealth with the invasion of Bolan in March of 2785 very quickly the fighting between the great houses turned brutal and the willingness to resort to acts of Terror and use of weapons of mass destruction rocked the citizenry of the inner sphere the ferocity of the response from the free world's League stunned the Lyons into taking a much more restrained War posture and this gave the league some time to focus elsewhere in February of 2787 Kenyan Merrick ordered 10 Mech regiments to attack Choice targets along the border with the capellan Confederation Wolverines were in among those forces and they like most of the other battl mechs of the first succession War were ground down into wreckage through attrition Victory or defeat meant very little in the long run of seemingly unending conflict one of the common misconceptions from the first succession war is that there was only destruction during those 35 years of fighting in fact there were several new battlemc variants which ended up being as popular if not more so than their earlier designs one of those updated variant was the Wolverine 6m by the mid 281s Kalen Industries had largely escaped the damage from the constant raids across the lyen and free worlds League border even though they were relatively close to it being based out of thermopol producing Wolverine 6rs had been lucrative but due to a raid that destroyed their stockpile of GM worldwind autoc cannons a workaround had to be found in order to keep up production without significant Interruption the solution was a variant designated the wvr 6m which shares some similarities to the 6K but would be best known as a free worlds League staple battlemc the Wolverine 6m retained the jumpjets and that 585 movement profile in contrast with the 6K it also improved the armor from the 6r to reach 10.5 tons the mechs 14 single heat sinks will be some of the most heavily worked of any medium Mech at the time replacing the previously mentioned ac5 was a large laser in that right arm the mech is Unchained from the ammunition concerns for its primary damage dealer however it will pay for that with substantial heat generation the srm6 is retained from the left torso along with two medium lasers one in the head and the other in the left arm for those of you who put up with my rant on the Griffin video this is how you distribute weapons on a battlemc as has been hinted at the 6m suffers from some serious overheat in issues in fact as the mech was deployed into the ranks of the free worlds League forces reports of Mech Warriors pushing their machines beyond their abilities to cool the mech before an ammunition explosion were a concern rushing into the fight and treating the mech like it was a 6r was a recipe for shutdown even a modest use of the four weapon systems while running could easily put the Mec into the red and jumping would make things even worse nevertheless the free worlds League military placed order after order for more of the 6m the mech's offensive capabilities were judged valuable enough to risk the issues with heat generation it does well on our patent pending scales for strength and utility but the heat management hurts the fun as it always feels like you're never really getting as much as you want out of the weapons you have salom's Wolverine descended at the rear of the K Lance targeting a panther that was tracking Meg Lang's wasp salom Unleashed her Max full fury on it the shoulder launcher belched a full SRM flight and and four of them hit two missiles blasted armor from the Panther's left arm and leg two others as though homing in on the Panther's weakness blasted thin armor from the center and left portion of the mech's back realizing his predicament too late the panther pilot hit his jump Jets as he rose on Columns of ions the fire from salom's autoc Cannon punched through the broken armor on the left side of the Torso meanwhile the Wolverine's medium laser melted through the Panther's spine hot shards of armor rained to the ground and a flash of heat spilled from the mech's infrared silhouette on Dan's battle screens we're going to cover the three Helm memory core variants but one of them only briefly because I'm really not a big fan of it and an hourong video would be outside the goal of this channels format The Wolverine 7M is a free worlds League attempt to update the design which adds an XL engine double heat sinks and then doubles down on the heat issues by giving the Mac two ER large lasers which is just completely baffling if you're a fan of it sorry not sorry it's a hot box that is even more vulnerable with that XL engine it has strong offensive power but it's vulnerable which flies in the face of what a wolverine should be on the battlefield how's that for your hot take of the day the kitan upgrade to the Wolverine comes to us from Norse battlemc works on Marduk by this point the planet and the factories on it were firmly within combined hands The Wolverine 7K retains that classic Wolverine 585 movement profile but does so with the installation of an XO engine this increased vulnerability buys some mass for additional upgrades but at the cost of durability for the entire Mech 12 tons of standard armor plate provide good protection for what is going to be a nasty short- range brawling Wolverine a large pulse laser placed into that precious right arm slot is the primary threat however a pair of SRM 6s split between the left and right torsos pack a powerful punch as well to add insult to injury the 7 K's head medium laser was upgraded to the pulse variety finally and an emotional support small pulse laser was added to the right arm the 13 double heat sinks were adequate for General use though in a worst case scenario where the mech Warrior leaps the full five hex's and Alpha strikes into an opponent it will net you three heat into the red not too shabby right the Wolverine 7K is an absolute Menace if it can get close to its targets its only real downsides are the lack of case for either of the side torsos where SRM ammo is stored and the complete lack of any long range options the XL engine pushes the Mec a little bit into the glass Cannon territory but the Stacked armor makes up for it a bit overall The Wolverine 7K does well in all three categories but suffers a little bit in utility due to its limited Mission profile The Wolverine settled back on its heels but managed to bring its weapons to Bear the ball turret on the mech's head whipped around and the pilot fired a salvo of scarlet energy needles from the pulse laser blasting the quick Jaws SRM launch pod to Smither warning siren and sounded in the cockpit and the auxiliary monitor showed damage to the midline armor of the mech's chest pressing the attack the Wolverine's pistol-like Auto Canon lipped flame and spat out a hail of projectiles that chipped armor from the quickdraws arm its left shoulder SRM launcher blossomed fire as it spat out a half dozen missiles all six hit peppering the quickdraws Torso and left arm with a chain of explosions Kalen Industries had their own take on the upgraded Wolverine and it proved to be a unique one the production lines on Nan King produce the fastest Wolverine to date thanks to the installation of a mask system which could temporarily boost the mech movement profile from 585 to 5105 this Zumi Wolverine saves the mass with a 275 XL engine and is protected by 10 tons of kalon unity weave ferof fibrous armor what's interesting about the 7D is that unlike other variants of the time the kalon engineers decided that if one ac5 was good an ultra ac5 would be even better the srm6 on the left torso was retained from earlier versions of the mech and the head-mounted medium laser was upgraded to the pulse laser variety having identified one of the weaknesses of previous ammo based variants case was added to both the left and right torso the 13 single heat sinks for the 7D are adequate for most situations and overall the mech offers a non-traditional take on the typical Helm memory core upgrades its limitations are found in that XL engine and the lack of ammunition for that UAC 5 having just 20 rounds of ammunition feels limiting even with a regular ac5 double firing with the UAC will run through it much faster that has to be a consideration for those seeking to venture out on a campaign or risking a battle far from Logistics lines The Wolverine SD does reasonably well in the strength Department shows strong utility and has a fun factor that only mask can provide moving down the timeline a bit I suppose we have to talk about about the Wolverine 8K or else I'm going to hear all about it in the YouTube comments battered from centuries of warfare against the Federated Suns and still struggling to regain footing after nearly being decapitated by the Clans the draconis combine was in an increasingly desperate situation by the 30 60s the dcms was seriously depleted and every resource possible was dumped into rebuilding and refitting existing forces with new technology to maximize what the military had to use Victory Industries was tasked with updating the existing wolverines in the DC TMS and they took to the chore with gusto making significant changes that eventually resulted in an independent production line of what was designated the 8K Wolverine variant the 585 movement profile was maintained with the use of jump Jets and a 275 XL engine 15 double heat sinks were installed which were sure to get a workout in this energy weapon heavy Loadout the Max 12 tons of standard armor were reconfigured giving the Mac a notably Unique Look in comparison to previous Wolverines additionally case was added to the left torso to at least save the life of those valuable dcms Mech Warriors the 8 K's primary weapon was an ER PPC in the right arm which was the bulk of the threat until it could get close enough to a Target to bring the rest of its load out into play First with the ER medium laser in the right arm and then a streak srm6 in the left torso finally for close-up conflict resolution a medium pulse laser was placed in that open head location the heat sinks were adequate for most situations even with mid jump distances and the agility from previous Wolverines helped it to be sure to be the exact kind of annoyance you want a medium Mech armed with an ER PPC to be the Wolverine 8K does well in all the metrics my only hesitation is that XL engine but we can't get everything we want the Wolverine 8K was distributed first to the Legion of Vega and then the ghost regiments after the sword of light bulked at the idea of accepting battl Max that were reconstructed from previous designs later when the 8K proved its metal an entirely New Mex were produced it was accepted across the dcms Clay's Wolverine laid down a blistering Salvo of laser autoc cannon and SRM fire missiles wo between the K xch flashing with sudden sharp impact reining the enemy with mud pocking their armor with shell bursts and then charred black slashes of laser strikes suddenly outnumbered 4 to2 The Wolverine and the Shadow Hawk stepped closer together almost side by side spraying their attackers with concentrated fire our next variant is our wildcard variant largely due to the fact that it was given a heavy PPC which automatically makes it dangerous to itself and others The Wolverine 7 M2 is actually a refit of the Wolverine 7M so look at us basically covering two variants at once now that's productive the only difference between the two is either going to be two ER large lasers in that right arm or a single heavy PPC otherwise they are the same the movement profile was 585 thank thanks to an XL engine and those jumpjets and there are 12 double heat sinks a mask system in the right torso can boost the speed up to 515 when needed besides the Primary Weapons just mentioned there were two medium lasers one located in the right torso and one located in the head the two ER large laser 7M runs incredibly hot and I cannot justify their installation which is why the entire variant is only getting a passing glance however the 7 m2's heavy PPC could do 15 damage out to 18 hex consistently and heat only really became an issue when those two medium pulse lasers and the srm6 were brought into heavy use 15 single point damage on a Target is respectable and without the ammo concerns of a gos rifle The Wolverine 7 M2 can do it consistently it's strong has good utility with its speed and load out and hitting anything for 15 points of damage is automatically fun there are no breaks on this Wolverine train so no there are a good dozen variants between the clan Invasion and the ilclan era each have their quirks and interesting bits so definitely check them out if you're interested our last two highlights for this video are going to be the Wolverine 99r and the Wolverine 10r because each has their own new bells and whistles that can add to your dark age or Ilan era Battlefield experiences so let's get to them the Wolverine 9R was the product of the nikachi fusion products limited Corporation how's that for a name and it was produced from their lines on Les noo which is a planet deep within the free world's League close to the Maran hegemony one once again the Wolverine was seen as the bread and butter generalist which could be useful in a wide variety of situations the 9R fits this Mission well and it's one of the reasons why I'm a big fan of it the tried and true cruus a standard structure Remains the Same though it does wrap around a Nissan 275 XL engine the 585 movement profile was retained through the use of those classic Northrup 12,000 jumpjets and the Machine was protected with 11 tons of standard armor the 10 double heat sinks installed are adequate for keeping this ballistics and missile heavy Loadout cool cool the 9 R's right arm carries an imperator ultra ac10 autoc Cannon which does the bulk of the work until the ma can get close in and bringle streak srm6 and the left torso to bear on the Target in the head the obligatory medium laser is there but of the ER variety both the autoc Canon and the SRM ammo is stored in the left torso along with case the upgrade from the ac5 to the ac10 is nice to see though the 9R suffers from the same shortcomings of some of the previous autoc Canon designs with just a single ton of ammunition for it I would have liked to see a light Fusion engine in the Wolverine by this point but it is what it is the Wolverine 9R is a solid performer but it doesn't stray too far from its roots the strength and utility is there and the fun of hitting something with that UAC 10 cannot be denied our last official variant comes to us from the Kalen weapon Industries at the behest of the Republic of the sphere in 3115 they were looking for a general purpose battlemc that took advantage of every piece of technology that could possibly be crammed into it it's basically the anti- 9R The Wolverine 10r is constructed around a cruus 2B Endo steel frame and an upgraded Vox 330 XL engine the classic Northrup 12,000 jump jets are there as well but now there are six of them pushing the movement profile up to a 696 the installation of mask in the right torso allows the Mac to briefly reach 129 kmph in a 6126 profile this Wolverine definitely has the ability to get up and go when necessary the 11 tons of light ferof fibrous armor provide 185 points of protection at the cost of seven critical hit locations the 10rs double heat sink struggle a bit under sustained firing from the weapons and any jumpjet use the max primary weapon is a snub-nosed PPC in the right arm it does increasing amounts of damage based upon the range bracket but can still reach out and be a problem to others at up to 15 hex's backing it up in the short and medium range is an ER medium laser in the head finally a streak srm6 sits in that left left torso both the PPC and the medium laser are aided by a targeting computer the 10r speed is a big advantage and the weapons are straightforward and pack a reasonable punch It suffers a bit with that XL engine but saying that I'm basically a broken record at this point after digging through all the existing variants of the Wolverine I think there's an opportunity here to create a unique Mech frog variant that takes advantage of some technologies sometimes overlooked as we stand at the dawn of the oine era so shall we Dive In the totally non-canon explanation for the Wolverine 1 MF is that the Raven Alliance has picked up more than a few Wolverines through interactions with the combine and Federated Suns and have decided to create their own version of the classic design the 1 MF maintains the classic 585 movement profile thanks to the 275 light Fusion engine this mix Tech design does have a clan Endo steel frame and 12 Clan double heat sinks 9.5 tons of inner sphere grade ferof fibrous armor keep the Mac well well protected you'll be shocked to find out that it carries a plasma rifle in its right arm which is fed by two tons of ammunition in that same arm backing it up in the left and right torsos is a pair of advanced tactical missile six launchers along with four tons of ammunition in the left torso finally a clan ER medium laser is nestled safely in that head critical hit location if it ain't broke don't fix it the Wolverine 1 MF would be a danger to others at all ranges thanks to the atm6 ammunition though it will shine in the short and mid range where that plasma rifle can get in on the fun the damage output in the short range with that high explosive ATM ammunition is a possible 36 damage and a full Alpha strike could cause up to 51 damage should the dice Gods smile upon you that's not too shabby for a 55ton battlemc I think the Wolverine 1 MF offers some new things the other variants don't and it isn't too crazy with the clan technology which would make it prohibitively expensive at just 19944 battle value it could be worth a cruise around around the ill Clan era battlefields The Wolverine stands as one of the more popular and beloved medium mechs of the classic 3025 era not because it put up big numbers or hit way above its weight rather it's another great example of a Mech that is a consistent quality producer and a Survivor across a wide variety of situations it has more than two dozen variants and was widely produced across the inner Sphere for a reason even the Clans valued it though for reasons that should get their own video someday they weren't keen on the name I've often personally recommended The Wolverine as a good starter Battle Mech for new players as several of those early variants have a good mixture of missile energy and ballistics weapons that can teach basic principles and game rules it's a rugged Survivor and a Mech that I have no problem saying is worthy of the love it gets truly it's a Mech too angry to die do you have a preferred Wolverine variant or a tale of how it became an MVP one day let me know in the comments we'll keep the conversation going thank you as always for coming out today to talk some BattleTech if you felt the video was worthwhile hitting that like And subscribe button makes it much more likely you'll see my nonsense in the future taking that extra step to become a channel member more directly helps make sure the BattleTech nonsense can keep flowing an additional thank you to those who have already done so until we meet again take care and go make the world a slightly better place today and tomorrow

Channel: Mechanical Frog

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Keywords: Battletech, Miniatures, Tabletop, Gaming, Lore, AMS, System, LAMS, Batletech, Battle Tech, MechFrog, Mechanical Frog, Equipment, Mecha, Game, Games, Wolf, Victor, Ilclan, Gear, Clans, Inner Sphere, Batle Tech, Minis, Upgrade, MWO, Mechwarrior, LRM, SRM, PPC, Jade Falcon, Capellan, Steiner, Lyran, Combine, Liao, Gaming Channel, Wargaming, Wargame, Metal, Comguard, Catalyst, Game Labs, Catalyst Game Lab, Mech, lore, ComStar, Star League, Rifleman, Critique, Dark Age, Raw Hide, Batlemech, Vehicle, Combined Arms, Warhammer

Id: zgHvUyss4XY

Length: 30min 25sec (1825 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 21 2024