BATTLETECH: The Watchman
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ม.ค. 2025
- One of the shining examples of simplicity working in the world of #Battletech, is the unexpected and decidedly primitive #Watchman. A militia mech built by the #FederatedSuns, also known as #HouseDavion, in order to guard its borders from Pirates, the #DraconisCombine, the #TaurianConcordat, #CapellanConfederation, and more, this medium #Battlemech is more capable than you might imagine.
So, let's delve into Hanse Davion's accidental successful side-project... the #Enforcer derived machine of wonder... the Watchman
#InnerSphere #FederatedCommonwealth #DraconisMarch #HouseKurita #Davion #FedCom #ClanInvasion #3055 #DarkAge #Ilclan #SuccessionWars #Introtech #Periphery
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Note: I am not associated with the Battletech / Mechwarrior IP, and create this under fair-use. Ownership of the Battletech IP resides with several companies at this time. I support all official releases.
Yes, I am aware, there was a small editing error where the WTC-4DM header shows up during the WTC-4M's section. Apologies.
The Primary Resources for this video:
Original TRO:3055 (Unavailable)
3055 Upgrade: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-technical-readout-3055-upgrade-pdf-1
If you want the Watchman for yourself, it can be found at Iron Wind Metals:
www.ironwindmetals.com/index.php/categories/cat-battletech/cat-bt-bm/product/battletech-20-5051/category_pathway-2
thanks for the info
The Watchmen is the de-facto embodiment of the motto "No showing off, just showing up and getting the job done".
Never underestimate simple and effective. It’s better to have a Watchman on the field, than no mech at all.
No, better to have an Urbanmech.
10 savannah masters will do just as well.
It is the reminder to pirates and raiders that their fcking about does in fact have a "find out" response.
Duke Sandoval: "Hanse, give at least something! I even take a Wolfhound!" Hanse Davion: "Fine... You'll have a Wolfhound at home..."
I don’t know, something about this mech says “You’re expendable”, but now that I’ve said that Kuritans and Capelleans want it.
As a Capellan, this is true. I'd love to have this mech as a sort of "padding" mech to my lances.
Imagine if Davion just spammed this during the succession wars (with the CASE replaced by a small laser or something like that). The Kuritans and Capellans on the attack would have to face a wall of quick, armored, Large Laser wielding 40 tonners, that would come at them in company sized formations due to their price
Look at the Clint “Denton” sometime. It’s just as you described
Captain Reven Mercer would have been livid at seeing Davion steal his favorite tactic.
I'm a big fan of the Watchman-had it been made a few hundred years earlier, without CASE, it might have broken the 40-ton curse. As it is, it's a fantastic militia 'Mech (but not a MilitiaMech, as those are built on an IndustrialMech chassis)
it's probably the best bang-for-buck of just about any 'Mech, and fantastic against pirates
It could be so in a non-canon timeline campaign, just add a half ton of standard armor and its all-good for the Succession War era.
The first time I saw the Watchman I said to myself, "Why aren't there more 40-tonners like this?"
@@Linkous12 it's because most of them either mount an oversized engine, spend their available weight poorly such as on an AC/5, AC/2, or LRM-5, or both
@@scytheseven9173my preferred custom build on the concept, called the Brigador, (assuming 5/8/5 is your movement profile, and you mount the near max 7 tons of armor) has around 11 tons of weight for equipment of your preferred kind. Now consider the 200 series standard engines are found in hunchbacks and centurions.
I like the Watchman once it gets doubles in it, or the Sentry which is its five years younger brother with doubles, a PPC and a secondary battery that almost rivals a piranha
3:40 I mean Sandoval was also worried about getting sold off as a wedding present too.
The Watchman, along with the marshal and the Merlin are the BattleTech writers saying: "Hey periphery lovers, we see you, and this ones for you!" I love these kinds of mechs, as much a narrative piece as much as a playing piece. Grats red, ya took what seemed on the surface to be a banal design and found what makes it great :) hoping this one gets a redesign in the future.
oh lol i forgot about the sentry!
Looks like Davion built something remarkably similar to a Phoenix Hawk. A little slower and a little more heavily armored.
Eventually there are going to be similarities between designs, there are thousands of variants, its bound to happen lol
I like the Watchman, a 3025 design from TRO 3055. It's a get it done design. Its a 6-cylinder Mustang, but it is still Mustang 🙂.
Capellan Vindicator line troopers appreciate the efficacy and resilience of such militia mechs like the Watchman. We feel such mechs would also serve well along the Capellan March border.
...but it inefficiently allocates a little too much arm armor, which could be better utilized elsewhere...
While not explicitly mentioned, I feel like the designers of the Watchman took a few lessons they learned from ubiquitous enemy designs such as the Vindicator and Panther, as well as a few from the Wolfhound.
Would love to see a variant Watchmen that is basically a field retrofit for the 4M. Rip out the Large Laser and 2 medium lasers. Refit the single heat sinks for doubles. Add one additional heat sink to bring the total up to 13 double heat sinks. Install 3 clan grade ER Medium Lasers in each arm, for a total of 6 ERMLs. Retain the 2 machine guns. Name this the 5M. The 5M can walk and fire 5 lasers for no heat gain. Having the option to gain heat for a little extra damage or mobility make the mech flexible.
If you want to encourage enemies to close, install Stealth armor. Though this is probably an unnecessary cost increase. Considering the 5/8/5 movement of this mech, it isn't going to dictate the engagement range in most encounters with other light and medium mechs.
A decent Ill-Clan upgrade would give the Watchman a Light 200 engine, 14 Double Heat Sinks, a Large Pulse Laser in the left arm, 2 Medium Pulse Lasers in the Right Arm, and a Small Pulse Laser in each side torso. This give a good punch with accuracy, while freeing the Watchman from the need for ammo, as well as giving it a means to fight back if the arms are shoot off.
I’d never heard of it. Simple but nice. I wish the IWM Watchman’s legs weren’t quite so thin, but I’d consider getting one or two if I ever go Fed. They’d be good for games against my son’s Dracs.
Thanks for the great vid and introducing me to a new mech👍
Not huge into the battletech universe, mostly just play Mechwarrior 5 and the mechassault games, but I always think your videos and live streams are awesome, certainly do a good job at making it interesting to a simpleton like me
Thank you Athen!
To paraphrase Timur; better to have a simple mech in the field than have an advanced mech in the repair bay :D
Better to have 5 men on the battlefield than be absent with 5000. :)
I love the last point on the WTC-DM2: 'May explode.'
There's something about the Watchman's head that reminds me somewhat of the RGM-79 and other Earth Federation Mobile Suits of the Universal Century.
When I first saw this thing in the book was like heck this thing is cheap and generally able to deal with anything a pirate has or your average merc company. A bit of genius or luck as you put it. Sometimes the best inventions come that way. Its very solid for its intended purpose and if I was a securities merc commander at this time I'd strongly consider acquiring a few
I like the stock Watchman, a simple mech...
I love these simple throwback mechs. I enjoy imagining this in militias next to other old 3025 mechs. Looking forward to the Razorback, Uziel, Lineholder, ect.
Have you watched the Watchman video or did the Watchman watch you watch the Watchman video?
A mech made to be bottom of the barrel cheap and unsophisticated, still adds a case. Classic Davion protagonism.
It's so easy to retcon it for 3025 service too, simply drop the CASE & 0.5 tons MG ammo and add a h/s.
The Watchman violates the 40 ton curse. It's easy and cheap to make, comparatively, and easy to maintain. It's the Davion answer to the Vindicator or Panther in many ways, and as a fan it hurts me to say that it beats the hell out of Urbies, but it does. It's an AK-style mech- it's not just as good as the cutting edge, but it is good enough, and 90% of the time thats all you need. And with hands, it can still lift and carry, and for a militia machine that can be a big thing.
I could turn this into Optimus Prime with some very easy additions to the model and a flashy paintjob, as such it is now my top collecting priority.
Here's wishing you a fantastic new year, Red!
Thank you Gigas!
I think "participation trophy," while cheeky, is a little harsh of a comparison. I think a better fit is that the Watchman is the Toyota Prius of mechs. It's not winning any awards or taking any checkered flags, but it turns on when you turn the key and does what you need it to do, with a low cost to operate and minimal training. It's the perfect lance filler for budget conscious mercenaries and local governments. And while I'm sure it's low on CGL's list, I'd love to see a new sculpt of one. I've already painted two of the IWM sculpt and wanna see this Sensible Boy in plastic.
I think I was pretty nice to the Enforcer in video lol
More like the Corolla
Simple and easy to repair are a winning hand in a long grinding campaign. Complicated, difficult to maintain and find parts for machines will mean those machines are sidelined when they're needed most. If you look to ancient Terra during its second world war you may run across mention of the Panther (no relation to the battlemech) which was often sidelined due to its rushed design and lack of spares. They who hold the last functioning war machines will hold the battlefield when the campaign is over.
The Watchman fits the adage, Good Enough is Good Enough
Great video nice mech.
Glad you enjoyed it
The Watchman is very much the "best bang for your buck" available to the Inner Sphere (it doesn't compete with some of Blood Spirit's downright comically inexpensive machines)
There are better machines that are more expensive.
There are cheaper machines available, but they tend to be... less good.
But there's not really something as good for cheaper, or as inexpensive that's better.
A+ from me.
The Watchman: "There are better mechs and there are cheaper mechs, but you won't find a better cheap mech."
What are a few examples of clan Blood Spirits inexpensive machines.
Some times good enough is exactly what you need.
Didn't expect to get a Harry Partridge earworm from watching this. :P
"John can give you cancer, and turn into a car!" lol
"House Davion built it for cheap"
House Davion: "We didn't spend enough to call it cheap, more 'stindjy'".
Is it true that the devil himself Hanse Davion was the architect of this mech? Which then leads to Robinson Standard BattleWorks to making Atlas III in the era of the butcher "Julian Davion". Is the watchman better than the Lineholder (Overall stats and aesthetic appearance)?
Really loving this TRO: 3055 series! Thanks for the video
Gotta love the reference to Harry Partridge.
"If I could only get that kiss!" lmao
This is a solid platform.
Great when grouped with Valkyries and Javelins.
Valkyries poorly match with most mechs :P
Kidding, I just don't like um lol
Given it's meant mostly for pirates and raiders it would be fit for the job. It would also hit hard enough that, against other Houses, that it could contribute at least at a distance.
It's not the best mech but it's good enough for what it's doing.
Good enough is a superb way to win wars :D
@@BigRed40TECHespecially for the mechs that need to hold out until reinforcements arrive with the fancy toys
It's an exceptionally well thought out, simple yet effective platform that showed SIMPLE AS works even in the 31st century
I would note that the 4DM has a total of 3 medium lasers in addition to the PPC.
So it does. I misread the sheet XD
Another well done informative video
Love hearing about militia style mechs they are how i have alway thought small mech companies would get started
Love this mech. Dirt cheap and reasonable varients. It screams hero mech.
I 100% expect to hear "The Eyes Of A Ranger" start playing at the end of this video. It was just the way you described the mech, almost like a police unit, and I pictured hte MechWarrior with it thinking of himself almost as Walker: Texas Ranger.
The Watchman: for when you have a moderate problem and a low budget.
Great timing. I just started painting one of these the other day.
Excellent as always. Ta muchly BigRed
Gotta give it the watchman, a militia mech which isn't an upgunned industrial mech which takes engine and crit rolls just for falling. And on top of that, its actually a decent mech too!
The watchman is ~once again~ a better urbanmech; It's cheap, versatile and a good defender for a local garrison.
Oh and the thing can actually *move* so that means that it can respond to attackers and engage them outside of the most extraordinarily narrow and favorable circumstances.
1000%
put them together and you have a nasty city fight.
@@KMCA779 You'd be better off with either turrets or vehicles if you're looking for budget defenders or you could just pony up for a panther which is just objectively better at everything the urbanmech does.
Its nice to see stuff like this which would follow the earlier Battletech's original, more grounded approach to its military industrial complexes and state funded development.
Just make it good enough, make a lot of them, make a lot of spare parts and have a quick uptake on training
Because while the first few months of most wars will burn through the hand crafted 'elite' mechs and pilots raised in peacetime, all the precision ordinance is getting used up and some clan pokemech that looks like a totem chicken has been smashed to shit- you're just going to be needing a whole lot of regular dudes in something that will keep them going long enough to solve the eventual crunch when reality hits home. Be that shell starvation, lack of fuel, materials shortages, logistics falling apart and precision components this is were the real fighting begins. All your 100t stone muppets and 30mil supershiznit mechs will be grounded for want of spare parts, someone trying to find a 3000 tonne die-press to make the specially shaped armour panels and the 'finance gang' taking you out into the carpark for a circle beating when you tried to request 100's of very expensive ECM systems.
The Tempest! A mech I used when I was little!
Cheap has a quality of it's own, especially if you can turn a box of scraps into a war machine
Did he just quote Happy Harry Partridge?
I absolutely did lol
...Big Red needs to train his Voice to Sound like William Shattner if he wants to immitate Hanse Davion 😉
Jokes Aside, interresting Video
Mercenaries associates with the Suns would probably love getting their hands on this mech, as it is an excellent cheap defensive Battlemech to pad out garrison forces. This thing is under 3 million C-bills and is a bit weakly armed, but is basically a slower Phoenix Hawk, what isn't to like? I remember liking the Watchman when I looked at the TROs back in the day, but never really used it, now I want a lance of them.
This machine screams in Russian accent "No upgrades. Mech is fine"
Great Video as always! Thank you for your work!
An interesting mech that gets way too little love in stories, i only know of one book it has any presence, the Bear novels.
I like Matt Plog´s take on this machine, and it´s dedicated low-tech approach makes it a reliable asset to any unit.
It's always nice when you have a relatively inexpensive pointman, which might make headshots less common and letting it ironically be on the field longer
One easy way to up grade the watchman. Is to change the lasers to er versions. Change the shs to dhs. You create more heat. The dhs are more than able to handle the extra heat. Plus you can poke holes further away.
One of the more obscure mechs, I dig it
Thanks Haligaz!
Great as always!
It always gave me,Stop bothering me I got work to do vibe
I like the 4DM but if a 4DM with no ferro fibrous with the PPC replaced with a Large Laser and extra single Heat Sinks were around in the lostech era it would have been one of my favorite medium class variants of its time. I'm honestly surprised there was never an more fully upgraded tech variant especially in the Dark Age and IClan eras.
Edit: I didn't know about the 4DM2 but I would replace the Magshots with a Medium Pulse Laser, (I'm guessing there's one ton of ammo). and replace a Medium Pulse Laser .
I really like simple and effective mechs like this one. Have you done the Merlin yet?
Merlin was debuted in TRO form, in 3058. So I'll be covering that when we get to 3058. :)
Who watches the Watchmen that watch the Watchmen that watch the Watchmen?
I like and very much respect mechs like this one, though it is unfortunate that many of them won't see a lot of wide spread use sense most people will naturally on know the more popular ones.
Personally I probably wouldn't mind hosting a game where we do milita vs pirates. All second line, and below style of mechs
An interesting creature. Practically introtech, arguably a throwback. But hey, if it works and is cheap, use it.
I may need to get a WatchMan for my WoS Battalion
It's like they designed the Watchman for low-cost, ease of operation, and low-upkeep making it ideal for garrisoning lower-tech worlds. 🙄
say what you want but the dorwnion chassis is a very versatile one. From the enforcer to the watchmen and its sentry cousin and with variants being used to make the dervish and even the mighty Caesar. probably could make a lot more designs based off of it.
as for the Watchman itself it and the sentry are very much your average militia units dream in terms of sustainment due to those amazing quirks.
In many ways they're near enough the perfect succession war proof design and honestly someone should have come up with something like them a long time ago.
they did, the chameleon
Drop the large laser. Install double heat sinks. Finally, add an ERPPC. Now we’re talking. Maybe move one of the medium lasers to the center torso.
I was thinking double heat sinks, and add 2 medium lasers. Large laser and 4 medium lasers put you in Grasshopper territory, with 2 mgs, you do 32 points of damage for a heat neutral alpha strike!
@@Nerve_CheckI could actually see a great case for producing both. Easy upgrade to brawler or sniper.
It has a cousin that's 10dhs, 2spl, 4mg, and a flamer. a decent 10 damage punch vs mechs and tanks, but a terror to infantry. (Honestly 4MGs and a flamer is probably enough to justify replacing the SPLs with MLs but eh)
The Watchman IS on the cheap.
A 40 ton mech coming in at just a little under 3 million C-bills? I'll take your entire stock!
Simplicity is a very desirable trait. 😁
Now I want to play this
The watchman seems like its role of being a militia-garrison mech was inspired by the success of the Blackjack in Davion space. Is it sophisticated: no, is it advanced: no, is it a "game changer": no, but it is cheap, reliable, robust, easy to fix, and easy to pilot. This is definitely something you want to station on some planet at the ass end of space to remind pirates and raiders that there is in fact a "find out" response to their fucking about.
Watchman and Urbies, that's a nasty little city. the Watchman has enough firepower to not be ignored, easy to bait targets into urbie ambushes
as tex from the black pants legion said, "Good Enough"
I like mechs like these. Designed with a purpose in mind, and did it very well. It doesnt feel like it has been arbitrarily nerfed in the design room because of the belief optimized mechs would kill BT.
Mechs that are too optimized I do think suck a bit of the joy out of the game. The Hellstar's a pretty good example of this, imo.
@@BigRed40TECH only if the designer is not creative enough though. Granted cERPPC might be the best weapon in the game, but its not much better, its quite easy to go around it. We have stealth armor, JJs, reflective armor, Blue Shield, LPL, atms, so many builds one can do, by optimizing weapon ranges and movement/tonnage. I just dont like seeing intentionally gimped designs. Now, changing designs because a faction doesnt have access to certain tech, or rather have it in rather low numbers, that is absolutely great and should completely be driving force for mech designs. But seeing a mech then immediately knowing you can make a better mech with same tech used, is immersion breaking to me. It is usually this incoherent designs that grind my gears.
Even in ilclan era there are so many builds that is custom only because of this choise. For example i would've loved if Regent had a variant with 2xArrowIV+5xMPL+TAG for example. Something that does artillery well, can defend itself adequately to not need bodyguards, and is available to everyone. Not even the most optimized version you can build, but we didnt even get something like this. At best we have Longbow 8V which uses expensive XL engine and for some reason uses ERLL. If i have Arrows, im not gonna be on LoS.
Anyways enough rant from me.
@@BigRed40TECH There has to be mechs like that though. Feels silly when you can make mechs like that with ease in SSW yet somehow make ourselves believe it would never occur to those who are using it in universe. Tbh, only thing that feels like a cheat mech is IJJ+PartialWing mechs with pulse tech. Hellstar is good, but it is a clan assault and they are supposed to be the biggest threat on map. We have specialized armors or Blue shield to deal with things like that, and personally mechs like Hellstar would only feel buzzkillers, if they are the only optimized mechs on the board, or its IS vs clan. I personally think all factions, at least in one era, should have mechs optimized for specific roles within the resources the faction has, and let us play with those no hold barred. There are so many builds you can make that doesnt exist, even though by all means, it makes sense for it to exist. (Not talking about pulse+tc boats, i personally despise those). Even those that do exist, quite often are only limited to specific factions, which isnt good for gameplay imo.
For example, i do not understand why Regent doesnt have Arrow IV variant, it has standard internal/armor since it is designed to give everyone easy and cheap access to clan tech, would make a ton of sense to have one variant which would be in use by literally everyone. A cheap assault with 2xcArrowIV+5MPL with 8tons of ammo+CaseII. I'd argue it'd sell more than every other variant it has combined. Because its competition, in lore, is weak. We have Longbow 8V for IS and Naga for clan and thats it. Both XL engine so, they're quite expensive, and Naga is underarmored and moves too fast for weaponry. Artillery mechs dont necesserily need speed or specialized armor, and ideally you dont want them to be expensive, and they should be able to defend themselves against their most common threat which would be light mechs, hence the MPLs. And if you dont need artillery for the mission, change it to another variant because it is an omnimech. If we had purpose build mechs, like that, for every faction that is cohesive in terms of doctrine and tech? I cant think of anything more immersive and exciting than that.
I like it. I'll take one.
Honestly don't know why they went with MGs, 1t of ammo, and CASE, when 2 Flamers and 1 SL would be superior.
Might've been cost related lol
Good enough is often great in Battletech. It would have turned head's if introduced about the time of the Wolfhound. And while I like it a bit more than the Sentry that's a bit of a side upgrade to the Watchman. While a Sentry with a flamer, two small pulse lasers,and four machine guns is going to make life bad for rioters to battle armor. Watchman though still feels a bit ahead in overall battlefield abilities
Maybe my favorite mech
Ah, but who Watches the Watchmen?
I'm commenting for Mr. Fuzz content
Ares is the best lol
So... It was made to satisfy a coldwar like arms production race and then they found out a cheap linefiller (almost) medium is a good thing when their opponent uses mainly lights? I'm more suprised by how they gave the enforcer hands
Wait, what do you mean its loadout is like the Vindicator? I thought the Davions made this
Davions are thieves! Thieves I tell you! :P
the warhammer of 40-tonners. the embodyment of "good enough"
Useful enough, better to have that over nothing.
Thinking the re-engineered laser gets a bit of a bad rap, especially the large variant. As stated, it destroys specialized armor and does 1 point more of damage, it also has a -1 to hit at all ranges and only generates 9 heat, 5 less heat than the equal range and base damage from a Large X-Pulse at the cost of 1 additional ton and, the real cost, 3 more critical slots bringing the total to 5. Also, considering the variant mentioned is going to the Draconis March for the most part, it will definitely have value as the DCMS have many designs using Hardened Armor and it seems the Snow Ravens new designs are exclusively equipped with Ferro-Lamellor.
The Magshots, not such a fan of them, rather bring back the 2 standard Mediums. Sure it requires better heat management than the heat neutral variant, but it can still fire the jumpjets and all 3 lasers, and one of the flamers and still be heat neutral, and an Alpha Strike would only generate 4 heat on the scale.
Just in an era where that weapon is up against so many others, it's not without value, but when its the only real offensive tool the mech has against real armoured targets, it leaves a bit to be desired.
This mech only makes sense in universe.
It has the same weapons and less speed than a phoenix hawk. It has a higher BV somehow.. (1067vs 1041) but it is just under 3m cbills vs just over 4 for a pxh-1.
Id definitely rather have 4 wtc-4m than 3 pxh-1. But that only matters if im buying with cbills.
PXH is a frontline machine, and isn't built by the Draconis Marches. :)
literally "We have an Enforcer at home"
at least it's very likely to be in running condition.
I would accept it if I was given one, but I’m not going to go out of my way to obtain.
Why didn't they just use the enforcer if they were going to go low tech and use its chassis?
A: Money, B: Robinson didn't have the production line to produce the mech, C: The Watchman's cheaper, and is simpler to produce. It's quirks reflect this.
NEVER trust a snake!
And always be on high alert around them.
Looks like less armored and less armed GRF-1S / WVR-6M. Still better than Panther.
It's a 40-tonner, it can't have as much armour as a 55-ton mech, the game restricts that.
@@BigRed40TECH Well, bruh
Hey there's nothing wrong with a good pirate hunt.
Sounds like "The Watchman" is central character in a FedCom broadcast entertainment/propaganda program.
To borrow from another Battletech youtuber, in military procurement "Good enough is perfect"