The Strider

When the Blood Pearls were a feared pirate unit in NBT, MekTek was in the business of making mek paks for our great game. Some really great battlemechs came out of MekTek like the Ares and the Marauder. Another gem that I overlooked in the beginning was the Strider.

A box on legs, the 40ton Strider didn’t seem all that wonderful to me. With only 6.5tons of armour, some missiles and a few medium lasers, I was not real impressed. Then one day I got bored and went to the mech lab. I stripped that puppy of weapons and loaded up the armour to see what could be done with this little box on legs.

Now holding 8.5tons of ferro armour, 102kph with BAP and LAMS, the slots were staring at me begging me to make this little mech a laser boat. Not just a laser boat, but also one that was fast and small and extremely agile. Forgetting that each arm houses a 2-slot missile rack, each torso holds a 2-slot energy and the ct holds a 2-slot omni. Having 15tons free, well damn, 3 large lasers will fit on this mech. Trade the BAP for IFF and all of the sudden you have very small mech that goes 102kph holding 3 large lasers and is hard to target at a distance.

Let me say now that in the beginning, when this mech 1st came out, the hit boxes were a bit different and this little beast could take some damage. No that is incorrect. This beast could take a LOT of damage. You could pack on specialty armour and still fit the 3-laser config and I often did. There are other viable configs and I will discuss those but I want to take a look at the 3-laser config that brought this mech its fame.

The Strider quickly became THE mech of choice for the Blood Pearls. Weighing only 40 tons, a drop commander could put several of them in a battle config and still have some assaults or heavy mechs and know that these little leg wagons with lasers would be strong enough to hold up through most of the battle. Our very own Cowcrusher used one in a battle against who we now know as MC’s Marauders and managed to kill 4 of them in a brawl after all of his teammates had been destroyed.

I dropped with the Marauders as an Ally pilot against CC (Cap Con). Shoreline was the 1st battle and it was a heavy drop, 450tons or something like that. I managed to kill 5 Capellans in that getting the last kill in a 1 v 1 dual with another Strider that was untouched. The second drop with MC was on Royal Guard and again I managed to get 5 kills in my 2 large laser full reflective strider. The best one was against a Marauder. I managed to get in behind the 75ton monster because it was no radar and I had circled behind CC. The Marauder was bringing up the rear. I got within about 50meters and starting chaining my lasers hitting him right in the crotch. He stopped dead and tried to turn on me. The rest of the MC team came from in front of the Capellans and as the Marauder turned, I turned with him continuing to pump laser fire into his butt. He exploded never getting a shot on me. One of the other CC pilots spotted me and fired his heavy gauss rifle hitting me square in the ct, the omni slot, which was empty. I was knocked over and slid down the hill behind where the HQ would be on mission play. That probably saved me as I righted the Strider and went back into the fray. I just started firing at whatever made my reticule turn red. Four kills later we won the drop.

Yeah, the Strider was one tough beast. Many times we would take Striders with 4 MLs and an LBX10 or later an AC10, a fine brawler config. We used many in BBQs packing it with an LBX or AC10 or Arty and a couple of flamers. Of course, the 4 Wolfie 4 Strider config became a standard for many IS teams but none used it better than the Blood Pearls.

Notice I said was one tough beast above? That’s is because the whiny Clanners complained that the Strider was too hard to kill, it was overpowered and whine whine whine. MekTek succumbed to the pressure and reworked the hit boxes. That’s too bad because the Strider was a terror on two legs.

Don’t get me wrong. The Strider is still a very good mech. It can still pack those killer configs, it still has the speed but it just doesn’t last as long. It now behaves like a 40ton mech. In fact, it is now almost a requirement that you take spec armour on a Strider. The Strider went from one extreme almost to the other, that is, almost uber to almost a shelf mech. I would like to see MekTek rework the slots one more time and add a little more umph back into the Strider. It was a fun mech to drive and play with.

It’s time to put a rating on this mech. A year or so ago, this mech would have rated 4 to 4 ½ minutes, outstanding for a 40ton battlemech. Now the Strider falls into the “oh, it’s a 40 ton mech” category. Memories don’t get you far in a mech that simply is not what it once was. Vettie’s View? 3 minutes, average for a medium class battlemech. It still has the speed and the small size and it can still pack a very nice load. Center torso is now pretty big for a small target and the legs have always been its weak link. Hit and run is the game to play with a Strider.


The Strider Once Again

Not seen much any more is a wonderful little mech known as the Strider. Weighing in at 40 tons, this little box with legs can put a hurt on you in a hurry. Lets open the box and take a peek inside, shall we?

The Strider comes with BAP, LAMs, 2 heat sinks and pre-set to 120kph. IFF is available and that rounds out the electronics. Built on a standard frame, the Strider is loaded with 6 ½ tons of Ferro Armour. For weapons from the factory it is loaded with 6 medium lasers, a SRM6 and a LRM 15.

Stripping away the weapons the maximum armour is 8 ½ tons of Ferro. The speed range is from 82kph to 107kph. The weapons slots are much different than before. Each arm still houses a 2-slot missile rack, but the side torsos now each have a 2-slot omni rack while the CT has a 2-slot beam rack.

IF you set the speed to 102kph and take all the available electronics, BAP, LAMs and IFF, with full FF Armour you have 14 ½ tons to spend on weapons. This little bugger wants to be a missile mech but there is very little tonnage to make it devastating. By shaving some armour, you can load up 3 ALRM10s. Vettie suggest loading the torsos because the arms are very weak and get destroyed quickly. It is possible to load 4 standard LRM10s by dropping the speed and shaving some armour, again leaving the arms empty. A couple of MRM20s fit nicely, but I find them difficult to use especially in a small mech unless the target has no idea I am near and he is stationary. 4 SRM4s fit perfectly allowing for 2 medium lasers to be installed and still have full armour. This makes a pesky little beast.

Even though this mech seems to be made for missiles, it may have other uses. A slight armour shaving allows the fabled 3 Large Laser config. With a little more alterations, 2 LBX5s makes for a nice speedy brawler. For distance fighting, the Strider can carry a Light Gauss or a HVAC5 with extra ammo to knock an enemy around. For closer fights, an AC10 or LBX10 still fits with room for lasers. 2 RAC2s can be installed not to mention a nice assortment of machine guns. Mix in any set of lasers and you have a nice little mech.

The Blood Pearls used the Strider with Flamers, LBX and/or Artillery Strikes when we hosted a BBQ. It’s a nasty config but, by itself, not very effective. Team work is the key for that Hibachi. Of course the laser version is possibly the most favoured variant. The Strider can hold 3 Large Lasers or 3 Large X-Pulse Lasers. It is a mean little laser platform. I always liked the 2 Large Pulse Laser version with spec armour. On team only or no radar maps, add some fog and you have a little powerhouse that is difficult to find and hit.

The problem with the Strider was discussed in my earlier review. It is a 40 ton mech and it behaves like a 40 ton mech. Assaults can take it out with ease if they hit it. Keep the Strider mobile, don’t sit still or you wont last long. The legs are obvious targets and a decent alpha will take one out in one shot. Use your speed and mobility. This thing climbs like a mountain goat. The torso twist is very good. The Strider is very agile with good accel and decel ability. I find it hard to use as a long range missile boat because it is low to the ground and you need to keep moving to avoid getting hit. For whatever reason, I cant seem to keep a target locked or to get a target lock in a Strider. You may have better luck, ALRMs will definitely help.

The Strider was once a feared little beast. It was a damage sponge that would hit you like a bad stepfather. Now it’s a 40 ton mech that rarely sees action, especially on Sunder. On weight restricted maps and in league play, it is still a valid weapon. I have to stick to my original rating of 3 minutes. I suggest you take one for a spin and see what you can come up with. If you die, whats the big deal> You were in a Strider, a 40 ton battlemech. Go for it!