The inclusion of combined arms in a game about giant stompy mechs is one of the reasons I love the settings. Since it make the Battletech universe feel real.
If tanks did not exist it would be necessary to invent them. Like, can you imagine this kind of generations of warfare setting, especially with it's late succession wars "mechs are expensive and hard to replace" lore, and nobody thinks "wait, can we put a cannon on a truck and armor it?" Tanks just make too much sense on every level.
@@MechanicalFrog Get a semi trailer and tractor, stick a longtom or thumper cannon on it Laugh all the way to the bank until it shakes itself to pieces, weld it up and keep on trucking
I was in a Mechwarrior RPG and our ride was a Fortress class Dropship. Four of the Vehicle Slots were for our Bulldogs (classic). These were our bivowac defenses. Our Mechs made use of their hand actuators and dug out firing pits for each Bulldog. It finally paid off in 3038 when a Company of Pirate Mechs attacked one night. Our Bulldogs were manned on ready standby. 15 hexes is actually decent range. Each was able to reach out to the other to prevent their brother from being overrun. It gave us time to mount up on the Mechs and finish the job. We lost one Bulldog, with the other ones simply had damaged armor. The pits had prevented damage to the tracks. 10/10 would rely on Bulldog tanks again for my defense needs.
A suggestion for the "BullFrog": drop the Medium Pulse Laser, modify the chassis for limited amphibious operation, and add two vehicular jump jets. *Earn* that name!
Hello Frog. The Bulldog was my 'go to' tank design when I first built my Merc Company (enhanced) as a reinforced Mercenary Company. It was inexpensive, and I could get a lot of 'bang for the buck' without going deeply into the red in my ledgers. I had 6 full companies of various sorts of Infantry, although my fellow players hated the jump infantry in city fights. The Infantry were mostly tasked with protecting the tanks as they did their 'duty', supporting the Mechs on the field (Yeah, all through the late 80s and into the mid-90s, Mechs ruled as far as the players were concerned... for me? Not so much. I preferred combined arms, when possible). A 4-tank 'platoon' of Bulldogs was not all THAT scary on the tabletops, but if maneuvered well, they could get in some very nice damage to opposing Mechs and vehicles. I did 'upgrade' my Bulldogs eventually. Keeping a few of the Large Laser versions, and altering the design to put in a PPC into the chassis on a few more. In doing so, I deleted the SRMs and their ammo, in favor of more heat sinks, and more lasers (mediums). This gave me a tank that was free from supply lines, and fast enough to keep up with most formations of Mechs in the era (3000 to 3050). Once more advanced tech was available, I further upgraded my bulldogs. I ended up with a very nice city fight tank, when I designed the chassis to have an AC-20 as its primary weapon. In keeping with the Tank's design overall, I tried to limit my changes to keep the costs down, somewhat. But, eventually, I ended up with a version with a Fusion Engine to reduce weight spent on motive power, and then re-invested it back into more speed for the vehicle. Although they were my most expensive versions, they were able to keep up with most Scout Mechs for the most part, and being an 'all energy' design', they were free of logistics trains. Making them a valuable addition to Mech raiding forces behind enemy lines. Besides, who'd think that the Light Mechs running away from your Reaction Force, were leading you into a Tank Ambush? :) Althouogh not a 'popular' design of tank, and having 'issues' with the usefulness of its main weapon as designed originally, the Bulldog Tank is something I would still field if the situation looked like one I could take advantage of. Luring your forces into a small town, only to 'turn and fight' with the sudden assistance of AC armed Bulldogs, is always good for reducing one's enemys to tears of frustration. I did this to the players of my old 'Playing Group' often enough that they became very wary of following me into Urban settings. I guess they just got tired of being 'tanked' in cities. :) Just say'in.
I pair off a Bulldog with a Manticore. they offset each other well. as for the lack of "hard punch" weapon, its glory is that in 3025 it was a heavy punch. now....remember that you can fire everything up close. its a knife fighter.
I would definitely think about just running if I saw a bulldog with a Dropship silhouette painted in with the rest of the kills it had. Great pick, though. They always seem to do a lot more than the stat sheet makes them seem capable of.
@@MechanicalFrog You put this image in my head, so I'm going to share. When I read that, I imagined a Leopard with two vacuum sealed Bulldogs welded onto the turret hard points zooming in and firing the lasers and missiles at an Invader class with "Never give up" on the barrel of the left one. There, I passed it on to you.
@@MechanicalFrog Taurian variant with jumpjets and fusion engine deployed as tank support for SASF. I can't think anything more Taurian than tanks in space fighting warships and capturing jumpships
@@MechanicalFrog And resourceful Shadowrunners may even kit it out with autocannons and missiles. (Lasers are typically out of the budget but not unheard of.)
The thing about the Bulldog is you don't want it to have a really powerful gun. That'll draw too much attention to it. The Large Laser is perfect as its not quite powerful enough (IE a headcapper) to really draw the eye. So people ignore the tank, to their peril. Honestly the gun this tank needs? The Light Gauss Rifle. So you have all the range in the world and can just annoy mechs with 8 point direct hits.
If you're going to start digging into rare vehicles, take a look at the Ontos. The Vietnam era original was a very unique piece of kit and the re-furb has lots of potential.
By the time of the Bullfrog, you have two kinds of infantry- battlearmour and guys who carry their own body bag for efficiency, usually local militia and human wave rabble like the WOB fanatics. .
The answer to the Plasma Bulldog is to replace the launchers with twin Clan SRM4. Now you've got weight savings and restored the ability to use inferno.
The plasma rifle variant can't use inferno rounds, but the plasma rifle itself does partially compensate by being more effective against infantry than any previous Bulldog's main armament.
I've been appreciating the coverage of tanks here. I've been pleasantly surprised with my experience in both Battletech and Alpha Strike deploying medium and heavy tanks like the Bulldog and Patton/Rommel against mechs; especially Medium mech lances. While the dice odds of them being disabled is always hanging over them, when someone who only reads lore takes mechs to the field, they find themselves... Schooled, much like the unfortunate Jade Falcon warrior mentioned in your video. As a die hard tread head, it makes me smile every time a tank platoon takes down an arrogant mech lance.
Medium/heavy tanks excel quite well in Alpha strike. Often cheap and reasonably durable, tanks like the Bulldog and Patton make quite the nuisance on the battlefield. Von Luckners make great hammers to punish anything that doesn’t take caution around one.
I love anything QuikCell makes. They have more personality than any other tank and it’s always a nice surprise when the stupid thing manages to shred a mech.
@@MechanicalFrog Have you considered doing lore videos on major manufacturers like QuikCell? I really like your style and think it would be a good subject.
I like these videos looking at things other than mechs. One of my best mech kills was in a Demolisher that the GM had forgotten about and stopped directly in front of. I would like to see one on the Goblin IFV.
I especially appreciate that the Bulldog doesn't have too much crew: it has one driver plus three gunners across three weapons (plus the machine gun, which is less likely to see frequent use). The amount of people needed to man a vehicle may be easily ignored depending on the ruleset, but if you're using AToW-scale detail like MekHQ it's quite important.
@@MechanicalFrog For the Bulldog specifically - I don't think that you realistically need more than three (driver, gunner, commander - bow machine gun can be reasonably controlled by the driver). After all, both SRMs and LL are in the turret. I don't think that it is easy to justify going below a 3-man crew even with technological progress. But for tanks with lots of guns sticking out of the sides and other interesting places (which are quite common in battletech) - you need a gunner for every turret\mounting. It is also possible to justify a dedicated gunner\operator for LRMs\other indirect weapons.
12:14 i think I would have gone for two er small pulse lasers instead of a medium pulse laser. There would be worse range and more mass, but it would give more damage, it shouldn't be a used at range to begin with, and itnwoukd be more effective against infanty.
My first exposure to the Bulldog was in MechCommander, where I quickly learned to fear the Heavy Autocannon it toted. After that, other versions just seemed underwhelming.
I really like fuel cell engines on artillery vehicles, such as an LRM carrier or Arrow carrier. They're a good combination of not heavy and not expensive, and their low milage is okay for arty.
If it wasn't for the improbability of recreating that performance, I'd expect Bulldog Enterprises to exploit that Dropship kill in advertising this tank.
I'm going to be getting my hands on a few of these before long. Full Combined Arms Battalion of Mechs, Combat Vehicles and Battle Armour is my goal for the end of next year.
I love using the Bulldogs in Alpha Strike. Cheap at only 17 points, I have taught my opponents to fear the tank. I bring a lance of them for the cost of 2 heavy mechs.
First experience with the Bulldog was in the classic Mechcommander game, clearly the game designers at MircoProse felt similarly concerning the tank's lack of offensive punch, so they gave it a Heavy Autocannon, the game's version of an AC/20, as its sole weapon. In the early mission's they were terrifying, with their heavy armour and that autocannon as usually the first of your mechs to encounter it was say a Commando and even your heaviest mech was usually a Centurion which didn't have a great deal of knockout firepower. Killing one took time and effort in those early missions if you wished to stay out of its range, that or you were a lucky bastard and were able to salvage the Jaguar Timberwolf on the 3rd mission with its Clan-tech weapons intact...
The Bulldog isn't amazing, but what it does is act as a perfectly servicable tank, adequately fast, decent armour, good punch at long and short ranges and cheap to produce too. Can't wait to get my hands on them with the kickstarter :D Great video as always!
The Bulldog is a heavy tank that I remember shooting a lot in Mechwarrior games. Combat Vehicles have a place in the universe, but in battletech they have key weaknesses. Combat Vehicles cannot use Double Heat Sinks and if using an ICEngine they have to manually add single heat sinks(no free 10 heat sinks). On a mech I would make energy weapons the primary weapon. On combat vehicles I would make them the secondary. The Large Laser is a whopping 13tons without a fusion engine. Conveniently there is a Bulldog variant with an LRM-20 and 3 tons of ammunition. Personally I like the Manticore, also a 60ton heavy tank more. It has a better balance between short-medium-long range weaponry. Its more costly, but its more effective as well. Is upgrading a Bulldog with lostech worth it? Hard to say. With an ICEngine its very cheap and its often better to just have variants like the LRM bulldog.
The “Bull-Frog” almost reminds me of the Bulldog as it functions in the 1st Mechcommander game. I believe it had a “heavy AC” as its main weapon, which made its canon loadout seem a bit underwhelming. I love how the tank looks though.
I like using tanks like the Bulldog to fill in gaps in lances and they work great if they can get into positions to make attacks while the mechs draw fire. Gonna have to give the Bullfrog variant a whirl. I already run something similar with an LB-10X
@@rmcdudmk212I go the opposite route, since I'm playing a taurian merc unit, take out the laser and heat sinks, an ac/10 or ac/5 with arm racks and the backup machine guns does work. Same thing I do with goblin ifv's, although I also expand the infantry bays to hold a full platoon.
IMO there is nothing "little" about a 60-ton MBT. The Large laser and heatsinks add up to 13 tons equal to an AC-10 with a single ton of ammo. I personally have never considered this tank under gunned, the laser costs more up front but ammo costs stack up over time. Range is a concern of course as anything further than 15 hexes out cannot be targeted. In campaign play the tank tied down by its need for refueling, but ICE engines don't give off the power emissions that fusion engines do. It's hard to ambush mechs with all those automatic audio warnings of "power-up detected" giving you away.
Just nabbed three of these. Led by an LBX Patton, they're gonna be my rearguard/mobile fort; the 'Mechs take the fight to the enemy, while my 'rescue' company moves in with tanks, VTOLs and a mobile field headquarters/hospital/kitchen to offer relief to refugees and forces who might be in need of some supply relief. My boys might be ruthless Mercs with a penchant for collateral damage and scorched earth tactics, but they're still Northwinders.
+1 to Mech Commander PTSD from these things. Was a bit disappointed years later to see what they really were like on tabletop. I did try the Bulldog a few times, though in Alpha Strike (250 points), to mixed results. The idea was they would be closely supporting the Heavy APCs and their infantry while the Myrmidons provided fire support. The mech lance (the Periphery crew: Wasp, Valkyrie, Merlin, and Marshal) would be mobile support/flanking to the slow push or defensive hold of the vehicles and mechanized infantry. The Bulldogs did ok most of the time, usually because the enemy player was either concentrating on the APC's or mechs, but usually popped or were evaded as soon as the other guy realized the Bulldogs were ambling into range. Such is the curse of tracked vehicles. I would later ditch the Bulldog and the other tracked vehicles for hover and VTOL, which had challenges of their own, but could at least maneuver and effectively respond to mobile enemies. Having the same armor and internal stats as the Valkyrie, while only moving 8 inches, didn't really endear it to me.
Good video on the Bulldog, one of the most medium tanks of all time! But in seriousness, I have learned to respect the bulldog through HBS Battletech. The Large Laser+2 SRM 4 combo is able to take chunks out of your mechs in that game, and even gives me pause when I have heavies on the field. The LL has a respectable range too, so a bulldog can sometimes hit you before you can see it (thanks to it's allies spotting for it). I think if I were to modify the Bulldog (and had to remove the Large Laser), I'd go with one of two options. Option one is to replace the LL and it's heat sinks with a Light Gauss Rifle. I'd have to pull the MG to make sure there is enough tonnage for the turret, meaning I'm also going to pull 1 ton of ammo form the SRMs to give the Light Gauss 2 tons of ammo. The overall damage won't change much, but it gives it more range to whittle down enemy armor before using the SRMs. My other idea is to replace the Large Laser with a pair of Light PPCs. Again, no "big punch" weapon, but it does increase the damage potential (and damage per heatsink) slightly. I honestly made it this way because I feel the bulldog actually is fine as is. My only complaint is that I feel your selling the Large Laser short. I personally think it packs a good punch for it's size, weight, and range, though it's high heat may be an issue (especially for vehicles). While I agree that it's not as flashy as a PPC or as hard hitting as a AC 10 or 20, I think that the Large Laser is good enough all around to be considered a main gun. Because I am also the guy who loves the AC2, I think it's worth bringing up that I think the Large Laser is one of the best weapons to pair with the AC2. Especially if your goal is slot efficiency.
Vics are fun. They are punchy, but the thing to remember, they are likely to be glass cannons. Against an opponent that knows how to deal with them, they will get shwacked. If the opponent isn’t used to dealing with the numbers vehicles provide, then massive advantage.
Huh, interesting. Not sure I remember this thing (too much demolisher, rommel, and zhukovs) but it does seem solid. I like the idea of squads of them with large lasers!
I don't believe in using single heat sinks (don't we use energy weapons enough already?), so my favorite variant has got to be the 3146 Chemical Laser version. It's practically what I'd design myself. My only real critique is the machine gun, which I'd probably ax in favor of an anti-missile system or vehicular flamer on versatility grounds. I'd also probably want an Armored Motive System before sinking weight into Hardened Armor, but I've heard compelling arguments for this approach too. By the way, consider doing the Ontos next. Not because it is good, but because it is interestingly bad.
Its one of those tanks, unlike a scorpion or vedette you dont ignore. Has enough fire power to make it hurt, especially in mass (generally play two and have them working with a pair of goblins), also does very well in infantry support role too. Cheap versitile tank i often go to as an escort or if i can't afford a demolisher for a city fight.
The Bulldog in my expirence is definitley not a tank to be underestimated. It has no big flashy weapons, but it does good consistent damage, enough armor, and is often ignored enough to where it generally seems to over perform for its BV. Love this tank
For me, the Bulldog is the go-to example for why the Inner Sphere could have really benefited from having Chem Lasers. Even on the original, a Chem LL would have saved 8 tons, which would have been enough for a SECOND Chem LL and at least 2 tons of ammo. The damage output would have been enough to allow downgrading the SRMs to 2-packs to provide more ammo.
Only knowing of battletech through mechwarrior or the mech assault games. I have grown an appreciation for tanks that i did not have before watching your videos. Only ever stomping around in mech and swatting away the tanks like bugs i had no idea how nice they actually could be for their price tags. Personally i really like the idea of a 2 tank team now. 5 havocs. 2 of the laser variant and 3 ultras. And then either 2 srm carrier/demolishers/or shreks defending 3 hunkered down lrm carriers is a nice little team . The srm or demolishers can burst damage anything that ends up getting in close on your lrms. While the havocs zip around tagging things for the lrm carriers while also doing some nice damage themselves and negating some enemy lrms.
@MechanicalFrog idk if its cuz ai and game difficulty don't really upscale much to make tanks and other things the power they could be. Or if my mechs in those game can just be too OP for the weaker types in those games......like jamming 7 large lasers into a novacat. Or an srm heavy maddog or archer lol. But seeing what some of those tanks have to offer. I have never played the tabletop, but I'm sure they have far more use it sounds in that style of the battletechverse. Those havoc (ultra) variants were one of my faves from that vid. I tweak every variant I play but I would only change out the Chem lasers and their ammo for standard med lasers and then what you save in tonnage ammo wise id jam into more armor. An uac10, 2 med lasers, an anti missle system, and tag are nice. Especially when paired with either lrm turrets or carriers. (Edit- my dumbass keeps calling it havoc ....I meant condors ugh)
The bulldog is the absolute definition of Main Battle Tank. It is capable of dealing with virtually all threats at a variety of ranges and does it all in a cost effective and easy to deploy package. I absolutely love this thing, easily my favorite IS vehicle (besides the Kanga).
I dig the Bullfrog. Also comparing this video to your newer videos, I appreciate your improvements to the user interface style for displaying stats. Very nice.
The easy fix is drop the LL and HS for an LB 10-X AC w/ two tons of ammo. The mass of the power amplifiers go to the turret. And you still have the SRM's and MG. You can fit a Gauss Rifle and 4 tons of ammo and the MG. Sniper?
Of course I had to try my own hand at a variant. I won't deny I was inspired by the Bullfrog variant to a degree, as I called mine the Salamander. I gave it a Clan chassis, and made it fully amphibious. For weapons, I gave it a pair of Clan ER Micro Lasers in the front to deal with infantry, and in the turret it retains the SRM-4s - now Clan versions - with 4 tons of ammo. For the main gun I went with a Clan HAG20 with 3 tons of ammo in the turret. Went with 8.5 tons of Heavy FF, like the Bullfrog, and the same type of Fuel Cell Engine as the Bullfrog. Huh. Guess mine's more of a variant of a variant, lol. Maybe the Bulldog (Salamander) could be a long-range supporter for the Bulldog (Bullfrog).
Cheap and durable tank for the Succession Wars. It isn't pretty, and it isn't fancy, but it works for the cost. I decided try my own hand at a design. Starting with the frame of the ER Large variant, everything changes from there. The ER Large is replaced for a Clan RAC/5 with 3 tons of ammo and two MML-5s equipped with Artimes IV with one ton of each basic ammo choice (though that can be altered) and a Small Pulse Laser in place of the old MG. It has a total of 9 tons of Heavy FF and CASE for crew survivability. Kind of a range alternative to yours, it still doesn't have a full knockdown punch, but I still feel the RAC/5 is a better investment than the IS ER Large Laser with a slight better range and the flexible missle launchers can be effective as well.
The reality in the setting is MECHS are expensive to maintain and build but you must build them cause they other guy with them will crush you if you dont, but any world can build armored vehicles and tanks, and its usually more then enough to keep a world under control.
Great video! Battletech’s tanks are so cool ^^ I remember the Bulldog when I was 7 into my early teens, playing mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries, Vengence and Black Knight.
@@MechanicalFrog Nah, that was the “Myrmodon” and the Demolisher 2. In Mechwarrior 4, the Bulldog was just cannon fodder that did mediocre damage and could take just a few hits before going down.
Using cover. Or just sitting way outside normal effective range and taking potshots. In tabletop, the LoS range penalty is heavily negated by the fact you are firing at a ridiculously large and immobile target.
One of the things i dont like about the setting, among the scale, is supply lines, you should be able to build tanks on any world capable of fixing a freighter, just very slowly.
605 BV for a reasonably armed, reasonably armored Swiss Army Knife of a fighting vehicle. Cheaper in C-Bills than even an Urbanmech, it's definitely easy to fit into your garrison, and I wholeheartedly agree with the notion of using Infernos for one of the two tons of SRM ammo. The base model is probably my favorite, but i have seen the LRM variant put some real hurt on mechs. One of the signature elements of the Bulldog that you didn't talk much about was the fact that it has a Internal Combustion Engine for its power plant. This makes it considerably less expensive than say, a Manticore. Both weigh 60 tons, and while the Manticore is a stronger tank overall, the fusion engine means you can buy 2.5 Bulldogs for the price of 1 Manticore.
As a Taurian Planetary defence force commander I can attest to the strength of the bulldog. They are cheap, all around solid tanks that I can easily slot a lance of only bulldogs and have them work as a line unit for general purpose combat use, supporting the more specialized company elements. Even the basic bog standard version despite the large laser being somewhat lacking as a primary weapon makes for a tank that will always have a place in my roster as long as I still have parts. And simple fix for the bulldog in any era is to remove the laser, the machinegun and one ton of SRM ammo for an AC/10, 2 tons of ammo and half a ton of armor. It's one that keeps the bulldog's signature balance, improving the punch and range while not straining the wallet of even a periphery commander like myself.
@@MechanicalFrog You'd be a better lecturer than most of my college/uni professors, that's for sure. Of course, that might be also to do with my interest in the subject matter... I don't imagine my weird economics niche subject is going to be as interesting as "why this tank is awesome in the inner sphere"...
Nice video tanks can always use more love. But i always kinda found it weird that battletech tanks are crewed like modern tanks. Instead id imagine that they be more like the scorpion from halo. A one seater who drive ands shoots. But im assuming its so that they don't take any shine and attention from the sell point of battletech. I don't remember where i read this but i was a comment on how in the very beginning of battletech. FASA had to nerf tanks because they were kinda beating up mechs.
I think the in-universe explanation is that it is much easier for a trained MechWarrior to multitask, though that's a pretty flimsy justification to my mind. It's worth noting that other control interfaces, like cybernetics and drones, do allow a single person to crew an entire vehicle on their own. Though with a crew of 1, you get the same secondary target penalties as BattleMechs.
The Bulldog is a weird breed of tank. The large laser indeed seems lackluster, but the 2 SRM4s pack a nice punch, so it feels like the Bulldog would be good at supporting units that don't deal well with fast mechs that slip beneath their minimum range (like the LRM carrier). The LL still allows the Bulldog to dish out a bit of damage here and there and anything that gets too close gets a double whammy of SRM4 to the face. I also like the LRM version, it's a decent and cheap way to add some long range indirect fire to your lance. It doesn't do a whole lot of damage with the lone LRM20, but the Bulldog can more than stand its ground, if someone decides to come close.
Oh you know what, I think I was watching your "why we love (insert) weapons" videos and one was chemical lasers? or chemical lasers were brought up. I think this this video finally connected with me that a chemical laser weapon might be better on a combat vehicle because of not needing to have heat sinks for it.
A very good choice either as a force multiplier, or as asset protection when you cant spare any mechs for guard duty. A balanced weaponsloadout, easy to repair and maintain it is an excellent candidate to guard assets like ammo dumps or as an escort for convoys. Its armor is enough to hold out till beefier forces arrive but it wont last long in a direct confrontation with strong opponents though, so its best used in a support role if it is to engage in actual frontline combat. A great and affordable choice for mercenary units. Lots of versions to choose from too (allbeit most of them arriving rather late in history) mean that you can mix a bulldog lance for every situation. If youre on a budget you can mix and match the bulldog with cheap tanks like the vedette or the Scorpion, all of them having similiar engagement ranges with their main weaponry. It also wouldnt go amiss to fill out a heavier tank lance consistent of pattons and rommel tanks. The bulldog is aptly named as a small, rugged guard dog that wont back down from most engagements.
@@MechanicalFrog It also makes a good choice as a tougher "grunt" enemy if you are DMing a campaign with newer people. Its still a threat to mechs, but not overly so that it completly wrecks your players.
Bulldogs: for when you can't afford Manticores. They have the interesting quality of not really being safe to ignore (like the Scorpion Light Tank), but not beefy enough that they get the attention they deserve, which can let them cause serious problems, like you say.
See I’m a weirdo and several enemies have made the mistake of ignoring the LBX bulldog to focus on puncher Patton or Rommel tanks I frequently pair them with. So by the time the Patton/Rommels were destroyed the opposing force find themselves facing fresh crit fishing heavy tanks that are also messing with their heat curve. It’s a fun way to make their load out work for them instead of against them.
Hmm. Customise a Battletech Tank is something I never done. But I thing my version, call it Diamond Version if you like, would have the following Weapons: A UAC10 as main gun and 2 Streak SRM 4 instead of the normal ones. Also one would have Inferno Ammo instead of normal ones. All Ammo protected with Case. And for the Mashine Gun: ether 2 small Impulse Lasers or a Flamer. I also would install a Smoke Screen Launcher somewhere if I could and an ECM. (Would give the Tank some benefits against enemy Mechs and would boost the Survivability I think.) It is more a classic design, hit and run with a nice double bang if it hits. The Infernos would be a Problem by a Hit true, but also a bad suprise for Mechs that would come too close to it. The two small Impulse lasers would be enough for other light Vehicles and even for Mech legs. What do you think? :D
When I started playing, it was mostly the MW series of games, and I pretty much had a general disdain for armored vehicles: they just weren't represented very well (MW5 has to be the worst for it). After playing HBS BT and it's Mods (which are based off of the TT rules), I truly learned how terrifying vehicles can be. Yes, the Bulldog doesn't have that 'knock out' weapon; but what it does have is good armor, decent damage potential and works real well in a Lance with Carrier types. Underestimate these things at your own perril; I learned not to.
The big issue with the Bulldog isn't just that it has an ICE, but also the fact that 60 ton tanks and mechs are in a bit of an awkward spot as far as the math the game uses goes. You just can't put a better primary weapon on it without either going with a more expensive or weaker engine, reducing the SRMs' damage output, or reducing the armor. If I did swap the engine for a fusion engine, for example, I could replace the large laser with an AC/20 and four tons of ammunition, turning it from a mediocre all-rounder into a lethal city fighter.
The Plasma Rifle model is by far the best. Don't think of the PR as anything other then a light weight AC10 that does extra damage to vehicles and infantry. Though, a mech jock ignoring even a standard 3025 Bulldog is going to quickly find out that "8 is enough" as those LL hits will just keep adding up.
The Bull Dog is a reliable and useful machine in most configurations. Your MF variant would make a nasty city fighter for sure. But I would prefer a Gauss Rifle to the LBX-20 as you get much improved range, and I simply don't have much luck on the grouping tales with my LBX-20 rolls far too often. Also I like to use my tanks to keep enemies outside my cities with long range fire to soften them up before they get too close.
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The inclusion of combined arms in a game about giant stompy mechs is one of the reasons I love the settings. Since it make the Battletech universe feel real.
Exactly! Having tanks and infantry next to the Mechs really sets the scale!
If tanks did not exist it would be necessary to invent them. Like, can you imagine this kind of generations of warfare setting, especially with it's late succession wars "mechs are expensive and hard to replace" lore, and nobody thinks "wait, can we put a cannon on a truck and armor it?" Tanks just make too much sense on every level.
Absolutely.
We need some rules for a technical.
@@MechanicalFrog Get a semi trailer and tractor, stick a longtom or thumper cannon on it
Laugh all the way to the bank until it shakes itself to pieces, weld it up and keep on trucking
I was in a Mechwarrior RPG and our ride was a Fortress class Dropship.
Four of the Vehicle Slots were for our Bulldogs (classic).
These were our bivowac defenses.
Our Mechs made use of their hand actuators and dug out firing pits for each Bulldog.
It finally paid off in 3038 when a Company of Pirate Mechs attacked one night.
Our Bulldogs were manned on ready standby.
15 hexes is actually decent range.
Each was able to reach out to the other to prevent their brother from being overrun.
It gave us time to mount up on the Mechs and finish the job.
We lost one Bulldog, with the other ones simply had damaged armor.
The pits had prevented damage to the tracks.
10/10 would rely on Bulldog tanks again for my defense needs.
Excellent defense. Bulldog strong!
I love hearing stories like that. That is getting the best use out of what you have to work with, really. Great plan.
Great thinking with using the mechs to dig
@@bthsr7113 Thanks, but it was my fellow player's idea.
Keeping a ready standby crew was my idea, though.
Thate a fantastic story... I will keep that in mind for my next campaign...
A suggestion for the "BullFrog": drop the Medium Pulse Laser, modify the chassis for limited amphibious operation, and add two vehicular jump jets. *Earn* that name!
But... I need my wub wub...
@@MechanicalFrog Personally, I'm just really happy that fits so well.
kinky, but I like it
Hello Frog.
The Bulldog was my 'go to' tank design when I first built my Merc Company (enhanced) as a reinforced Mercenary Company. It was inexpensive, and I could get a lot of 'bang for the buck' without going deeply into the red in my ledgers.
I had 6 full companies of various sorts of Infantry, although my fellow players hated the jump infantry in city fights. The Infantry were mostly tasked with protecting the tanks as they did their 'duty', supporting the Mechs on the field (Yeah, all through the late 80s and into the mid-90s, Mechs ruled as far as the players were concerned... for me? Not so much. I preferred combined arms, when possible).
A 4-tank 'platoon' of Bulldogs was not all THAT scary on the tabletops, but if maneuvered well, they could get in some very nice damage to opposing Mechs and vehicles.
I did 'upgrade' my Bulldogs eventually. Keeping a few of the Large Laser versions, and altering the design to put in a PPC into the chassis on a few more. In doing so, I deleted the SRMs and their ammo, in favor of more heat sinks, and more lasers (mediums). This gave me a tank that was free from supply lines, and fast enough to keep up with most formations of Mechs in the era (3000 to 3050).
Once more advanced tech was available, I further upgraded my bulldogs. I ended up with a very nice city fight tank, when I designed the chassis to have an AC-20 as its primary weapon.
In keeping with the Tank's design overall, I tried to limit my changes to keep the costs down, somewhat. But, eventually, I ended up with a version with a Fusion Engine to reduce weight spent on motive power, and then re-invested it back into more speed for the vehicle. Although they were my most expensive versions, they were able to keep up with most Scout Mechs for the most part, and being an 'all energy' design', they were free of logistics trains. Making them a valuable addition to Mech raiding forces behind enemy lines. Besides, who'd think that the Light Mechs running away from your Reaction Force, were leading you into a Tank Ambush? :)
Althouogh not a 'popular' design of tank, and having 'issues' with the usefulness of its main weapon as designed originally, the Bulldog Tank is something I would still field if the situation looked like one I could take advantage of. Luring your forces into a small town, only to 'turn and fight' with the sudden assistance of AC armed Bulldogs, is always good for reducing one's enemys to tears of frustration.
I did this to the players of my old 'Playing Group' often enough that they became very wary of following me into Urban settings. I guess they just got tired of being 'tanked' in cities. :)
Just say'in.
I am contractually obligated to say this:
"IT WAS JUST A GOOD, SOLID TANK!"
Yes!
I pair off a Bulldog with a Manticore. they offset each other well. as for the lack of "hard punch" weapon, its glory is that in 3025 it was a heavy punch. now....remember that you can fire everything up close. its a knife fighter.
A solid pairing, for sure.
I would definitely think about just running if I saw a bulldog with a Dropship silhouette painted in with the rest of the kills it had.
Great pick, though. They always seem to do a lot more than the stat sheet makes them seem capable of.
4 tanks, 1 mech, 2 Aerospace fighters, and a dropship. If it can somehow take down a jumpship, it'll get a special trophy.
@@MechanicalFrog You put this image in my head, so I'm going to share. When I read that, I imagined a Leopard with two vacuum sealed Bulldogs welded onto the turret hard points zooming in and firing the lasers and missiles at an Invader class with "Never give up" on the barrel of the left one.
There, I passed it on to you.
@@MechanicalFrog Taurian variant with jumpjets and fusion engine deployed as tank support for SASF. I can't think anything more Taurian than tanks in space fighting warships and capturing jumpships
@@Salesman9001 Well there's definitely some "BULL" in that one alright. LOL
woo, vehicles are back!!
They need some love from time to time.
Meanwhile, in the other FASA-originated franchise, Bulldog is a delivery step van.
Much loved as well...
@@MechanicalFrog And resourceful Shadowrunners may even kit it out with autocannons and missiles. (Lasers are typically out of the budget but not unheard of.)
Have used Bulldogs in many battles, and you are correct about players ignoring them to be shot in the rear often.
Surprise Dog hug!
The thing about the Bulldog is you don't want it to have a really powerful gun. That'll draw too much attention to it. The Large Laser is perfect as its not quite powerful enough (IE a headcapper) to really draw the eye. So people ignore the tank, to their peril. Honestly the gun this tank needs? The Light Gauss Rifle. So you have all the range in the world and can just annoy mechs with 8 point direct hits.
Going to have to ponder what else I'd put on the Light Gauss version...
@@MechanicalFrog I'd say MML-5s so you have a mix of weapons and ammo for both long and short range.
If you're going to start digging into rare vehicles, take a look at the Ontos. The Vietnam era original was a very unique piece of kit and the re-furb has lots of potential.
2nd one today who has asked about it. We'll see.
I am so happy you're covering Combat Vehicles now.
Woah, the Bullfrog kicks ass!
that pulse laser might be better as a small version, though, for extra damage against infantry
Maybe...
By the time of the Bullfrog, you have two kinds of infantry- battlearmour and guys who carry their own body bag for efficiency, usually local militia and human wave rabble like the WOB fanatics. .
The answer to the Plasma Bulldog is to replace the launchers with twin Clan SRM4. Now you've got weight savings and restored the ability to use inferno.
That would work.
The plasma rifle variant can't use inferno rounds, but the plasma rifle itself does partially compensate by being more effective against infantry than any previous Bulldog's main armament.
True. Going with the Streaks is just a bummer move. It's something the accountants would demand in order to not have to pay for as much SRM ammo.
Good stuff. Bulldog always has pulled it's weight in fights. Just a trooper of a vehicle.
These thing are a pain in the butt early game HBS Battletech
Absolutely.
Absolutely horrifying custom variant. Putting an LB20-X on there is a warcrime, evidently XD But cannot deny it gets results! Another wonderful video!
A MF variant accused of being a warcrime? Must be a day that ends in Y.
only a warcrime after the first time
@@MechanicalFrog
It's nothing special, but it's a good thing to have when you're out in the Periphery and need some guns. I certainly don't sleep on this pup.
Better than sticks and rocks.
I've been appreciating the coverage of tanks here. I've been pleasantly surprised with my experience in both Battletech and Alpha Strike deploying medium and heavy tanks like the Bulldog and Patton/Rommel against mechs; especially Medium mech lances. While the dice odds of them being disabled is always hanging over them, when someone who only reads lore takes mechs to the field, they find themselves... Schooled, much like the unfortunate Jade Falcon warrior mentioned in your video. As a die hard tread head, it makes me smile every time a tank platoon takes down an arrogant mech lance.
It's just nice to look at things other than Battlemechs from time to time.
Medium/heavy tanks excel quite well in Alpha strike. Often cheap and reasonably durable, tanks like the Bulldog and Patton make quite the nuisance on the battlefield. Von Luckners make great hammers to punish anything that doesn’t take caution around one.
I love anything QuikCell makes. They have more personality than any other tank and it’s always a nice surprise when the stupid thing manages to shred a mech.
It's a fun one.
@@MechanicalFrog Have you considered doing lore videos on major manufacturers like QuikCell?
I really like your style and think it would be a good subject.
I like these videos looking at things other than mechs. One of my best mech kills was in a Demolisher that the GM had forgotten about and stopped directly in front of. I would like to see one on the Goblin IFV.
Add a Bulldog Plasma + Manticore HPPC to any ilClan/DA Capellan lance of 4 mechs for some augmented lance goodness
Sounds like a good time.
I especially appreciate that the Bulldog doesn't have too much crew: it has one driver plus three gunners across three weapons (plus the machine gun, which is less likely to see frequent use). The amount of people needed to man a vehicle may be easily ignored depending on the ruleset, but if you're using AToW-scale detail like MekHQ it's quite important.
It's an interesting discussion to have. Is it realistic to need that many crew in a tank after 700 years of technological advances?
@@MechanicalFrog For the Bulldog specifically - I don't think that you realistically need more than three (driver, gunner, commander - bow machine gun can be reasonably controlled by the driver). After all, both SRMs and LL are in the turret. I don't think that it is easy to justify going below a 3-man crew even with technological progress.
But for tanks with lots of guns sticking out of the sides and other interesting places (which are quite common in battletech) - you need a gunner for every turret\mounting.
It is also possible to justify a dedicated gunner\operator for LRMs\other indirect weapons.
12:14 i think I would have gone for two er small pulse lasers instead of a medium pulse laser. There would be worse range and more mass, but it would give more damage, it shouldn't be a used at range to begin with, and itnwoukd be more effective against infanty.
My first exposure to the Bulldog was in MechCommander, where I quickly learned to fear the Heavy Autocannon it toted. After that, other versions just seemed underwhelming.
Oh MechCommander... it was a simpler time... *sigh*
I really like fuel cell engines on artillery vehicles, such as an LRM carrier or Arrow carrier. They're a good combination of not heavy and not expensive, and their low milage is okay for arty.
Yeah no one is taking their LRM carrier across a continent.
One of my favorite tanks. Light-is, cheap-ish, and easy to produce / procure.
I'm glad to hear it is loved.
If it wasn't for the improbability of recreating that performance, I'd expect Bulldog Enterprises to exploit that Dropship kill in advertising this tank.
The BD is the closest thing to a generic trooper tank I've ever seen. Fantastic designs.
I like it. Not too flashy. It just works.
If I cant have a manticore, I will not be unhappy with a bulldog.
Both? Either/or... so long as you're happy.
I'm going to be getting my hands on a few of these before long. Full Combined Arms Battalion of Mechs, Combat Vehicles and Battle Armour is my goal for the end of next year.
The vehicle box with the bulldog is packed with goodies. Well maybe not the Sturmfuer, but everything else is fun.
Excellent!
if you're going combined arms , get a fortress
@@RobertMooney-g1z the dropship?
I love using the Bulldogs in Alpha Strike. Cheap at only 17 points, I have taught my opponents to fear the tank. I bring a lance of them for the cost of 2 heavy mechs.
They can pay for themselves quickly.
First experience with the Bulldog was in the classic Mechcommander game, clearly the game designers at MircoProse felt similarly concerning the tank's lack of offensive punch, so they gave it a Heavy Autocannon, the game's version of an AC/20, as its sole weapon. In the early mission's they were terrifying, with their heavy armour and that autocannon as usually the first of your mechs to encounter it was say a Commando and even your heaviest mech was usually a Centurion which didn't have a great deal of knockout firepower. Killing one took time and effort in those early missions if you wished to stay out of its range, that or you were a lucky bastard and were able to salvage the Jaguar Timberwolf on the 3rd mission with its Clan-tech weapons intact...
Giving it that heavy autocannon was terrifying... so many are still traumatized today.
The Bulldog isn't amazing, but what it does is act as a perfectly servicable tank, adequately fast, decent armour, good punch at long and short ranges and cheap to produce too. Can't wait to get my hands on them with the kickstarter :D Great video as always!
Thank you. It's one of those tanks that isn't spectacular, but it is just mean enough that you can really get into trouble by ignoring it.
The Bulldog is a heavy tank that I remember shooting a lot in Mechwarrior games.
Combat Vehicles have a place in the universe, but in battletech they have key weaknesses. Combat Vehicles cannot use Double Heat Sinks and if using an ICEngine they have to manually add single heat sinks(no free 10 heat sinks). On a mech I would make energy weapons the primary weapon. On combat vehicles I would make them the secondary.
The Large Laser is a whopping 13tons without a fusion engine. Conveniently there is a Bulldog variant with an LRM-20 and 3 tons of ammunition.
Personally I like the Manticore, also a 60ton heavy tank more. It has a better balance between short-medium-long range weaponry. Its more costly, but its more effective as well.
Is upgrading a Bulldog with lostech worth it? Hard to say. With an ICEngine its very cheap and its often better to just have variants like the LRM bulldog.
Cost should absolutely remain a key concern for the Bulldog. I wouldn't want to make it too expensive. He says after adding a Clan LB-20X to it...
@@MechanicalFrog I would prefer exploiting the No-Heat rule vehicles have for Missiles.
You pick a Clan LB-20X, I take as many Clan missiles as I can.
The “Bull-Frog” almost reminds me of the Bulldog as it functions in the 1st Mechcommander game. I believe it had a “heavy AC” as its main weapon, which made its canon loadout seem a bit underwhelming. I love how the tank looks though.
I dig the original Loose design and the CGL rethink. It deserved to have a big gun at least once.
Great work. Love the inclusion of vehicles
Thank ya. We'll keep sneaking vehicles in from time to time.
I like using tanks like the Bulldog to fill in gaps in lances and they work great if they can get into positions to make attacks while the mechs draw fire. Gonna have to give the Bullfrog variant a whirl. I already run something similar with an LB-10X
I'm glad to hear it's getting some play.
@@MechanicalFrog swapping the ICE for a fuel cell of fusion engine make a lot of room for upgrades to an already solid medium tank.
@@rmcdudmk212I go the opposite route, since I'm playing a taurian merc unit, take out the laser and heat sinks, an ac/10 or ac/5 with arm racks and the backup machine guns does work. Same thing I do with goblin ifv's, although I also expand the infantry bays to hold a full platoon.
IMO there is nothing "little" about a 60-ton MBT. The Large laser and heatsinks add up to 13 tons equal to an AC-10 with a single ton of ammo. I personally have never considered this tank under gunned, the laser costs more up front but ammo costs stack up over time. Range is a concern of course as anything further than 15 hexes out cannot be targeted. In campaign play the tank tied down by its need for refueling, but ICE engines don't give off the power emissions that fusion engines do. It's hard to ambush mechs with all those automatic audio warnings of "power-up detected" giving you away.
It definitely has some strong positives
100% agreed. Everyone gets all sweaty and stick over the PHX's large laser, and no one thinks the Goblin is underarmed.
Just nabbed three of these. Led by an LBX Patton, they're gonna be my rearguard/mobile fort; the 'Mechs take the fight to the enemy, while my 'rescue' company moves in with tanks, VTOLs and a mobile field headquarters/hospital/kitchen to offer relief to refugees and forces who might be in need of some supply relief. My boys might be ruthless Mercs with a penchant for collateral damage and scorched earth tactics, but they're still Northwinders.
Sweet! Hope they perform for you.
I loooove fielding the Bulldog in my Combined Arms lists. Such a cool tank.
Nice! I'm glad it's getting some love.
+1 to Mech Commander PTSD from these things. Was a bit disappointed years later to see what they really were like on tabletop.
I did try the Bulldog a few times, though in Alpha Strike (250 points), to mixed results. The idea was they would be closely supporting the Heavy APCs and their infantry while the Myrmidons provided fire support. The mech lance (the Periphery crew: Wasp, Valkyrie, Merlin, and Marshal) would be mobile support/flanking to the slow push or defensive hold of the vehicles and mechanized infantry. The Bulldogs did ok most of the time, usually because the enemy player was either concentrating on the APC's or mechs, but usually popped or were evaded as soon as the other guy realized the Bulldogs were ambling into range. Such is the curse of tracked vehicles. I would later ditch the Bulldog and the other tracked vehicles for hover and VTOL, which had challenges of their own, but could at least maneuver and effectively respond to mobile enemies. Having the same armor and internal stats as the Valkyrie, while only moving 8 inches, didn't really endear it to me.
I love the Bulldog, though I wonder why no one ever tried to make one with a fusion engine.
Dunno. Might be worth playing with.
Good video on the Bulldog, one of the most medium tanks of all time! But in seriousness, I have learned to respect the bulldog through HBS Battletech. The Large Laser+2 SRM 4 combo is able to take chunks out of your mechs in that game, and even gives me pause when I have heavies on the field. The LL has a respectable range too, so a bulldog can sometimes hit you before you can see it (thanks to it's allies spotting for it).
I think if I were to modify the Bulldog (and had to remove the Large Laser), I'd go with one of two options. Option one is to replace the LL and it's heat sinks with a Light Gauss Rifle. I'd have to pull the MG to make sure there is enough tonnage for the turret, meaning I'm also going to pull 1 ton of ammo form the SRMs to give the Light Gauss 2 tons of ammo. The overall damage won't change much, but it gives it more range to whittle down enemy armor before using the SRMs. My other idea is to replace the Large Laser with a pair of Light PPCs. Again, no "big punch" weapon, but it does increase the damage potential (and damage per heatsink) slightly. I honestly made it this way because I feel the bulldog actually is fine as is.
My only complaint is that I feel your selling the Large Laser short. I personally think it packs a good punch for it's size, weight, and range, though it's high heat may be an issue (especially for vehicles). While I agree that it's not as flashy as a PPC or as hard hitting as a AC 10 or 20, I think that the Large Laser is good enough all around to be considered a main gun.
Because I am also the guy who loves the AC2, I think it's worth bringing up that I think the Large Laser is one of the best weapons to pair with the AC2. Especially if your goal is slot efficiency.
I could see the LGauss being a fun option.
@@MechanicalFrog I was surprised by how well it fit.
I've used bulldogs alot in combined arms formations. Nice inexpensive punch
Glad to hear it's getting some use.
My point of view of the vehicles are the same as Mechs, I like small ones. The Greyhound the Saladin the panzer one and two just to name a few.
I love vehicles like the Prowler and Scorpion. The Hunter is good support. Hover tanks in general are phenomenal.
Call the snub ppc variant the pug.
Excellent idea.
Vics are fun. They are punchy, but the thing to remember, they are likely to be glass cannons. Against an opponent that knows how to deal with them, they will get shwacked. If the opponent isn’t used to dealing with the numbers vehicles provide, then massive advantage.
Tankers live short but glorious lives.
Thank you very much for the effort you put into this video! I really enjoyed it and loved seeing us diving into armored vehicles.
Thanks for giving it a go. The Bulldog needed some limelight.
TANK TIME TANK TIME TANK TIME
Yay! Tank time!
Huh, interesting. Not sure I remember this thing (too much demolisher, rommel, and zhukovs) but it does seem solid.
I like the idea of squads of them with large lasers!
Safety and power in numbers.
@@MechanicalFrog Right?! Quantity has a quality all its own.
Trooper mech or trooper armor, I am here for it.
I don't believe in using single heat sinks (don't we use energy weapons enough already?), so my favorite variant has got to be the 3146 Chemical Laser version. It's practically what I'd design myself. My only real critique is the machine gun, which I'd probably ax in favor of an anti-missile system or vehicular flamer on versatility grounds. I'd also probably want an Armored Motive System before sinking weight into Hardened Armor, but I've heard compelling arguments for this approach too.
By the way, consider doing the Ontos next. Not because it is good, but because it is interestingly bad.
I don’t know, the Cell one is pretty nice with the Snub Nose and 2 MML5s.
@@Kingofdragons117 I feel like I could find better things to do with 16.5 tons than a Snub-Nose PPC.
Oh Ontos... Ontos...Ontos...
@@MechanicalFrog Hey I like that Chemical Laser one....
Its one of those tanks, unlike a scorpion or vedette you dont ignore. Has enough fire power to make it hurt, especially in mass (generally play two and have them working with a pair of goblins), also does very well in infantry support role too. Cheap versitile tank i often go to as an escort or if i can't afford a demolisher for a city fight.
It'll leave a mark, for sure.
The Bulldog in my expirence is definitley not a tank to be underestimated.
It has no big flashy weapons, but it does good consistent damage, enough armor, and is often ignored enough to where it generally seems to over perform for its BV.
Love this tank
Mechs have to be lucky a lot. Bulldogs just have to be lucky once.
For me, the Bulldog is the go-to example for why the Inner Sphere could have really benefited from having Chem Lasers. Even on the original, a Chem LL would have saved 8 tons, which would have been enough for a SECOND Chem LL and at least 2 tons of ammo. The damage output would have been enough to allow downgrading the SRMs to 2-packs to provide more ammo.
I'm currently building a full combined arms battalion of Taurian Guard, and will now be adding a lance or 2 of Bulldogs
Excellent. They'll perform.
My good sir, you have no idea how quickly I clicked on this video. The Bulldog is one of my favorite tanks in this setting.
Glad you like it! It definitely needed some love.
Only knowing of battletech through mechwarrior or the mech assault games. I have grown an appreciation for tanks that i did not have before watching your videos. Only ever stomping around in mech and swatting away the tanks like bugs i had no idea how nice they actually could be for their price tags. Personally i really like the idea of a 2 tank team now. 5 havocs. 2 of the laser variant and 3 ultras. And then either 2 srm carrier/demolishers/or shreks defending 3 hunkered down lrm carriers is a nice little team . The srm or demolishers can burst damage anything that ends up getting in close on your lrms. While the havocs zip around tagging things for the lrm carriers while also doing some nice damage themselves and negating some enemy lrms.
Thank you for giving them a go. I'm honored to be the one to share some of the cool and more obscure BT info.
@MechanicalFrog idk if its cuz ai and game difficulty don't really upscale much to make tanks and other things the power they could be. Or if my mechs in those game can just be too OP for the weaker types in those games......like jamming 7 large lasers into a novacat. Or an srm heavy maddog or archer lol. But seeing what some of those tanks have to offer. I have never played the tabletop, but I'm sure they have far more use it sounds in that style of the battletechverse. Those havoc (ultra) variants were one of my faves from that vid. I tweak every variant I play but I would only change out the Chem lasers and their ammo for standard med lasers and then what you save in tonnage ammo wise id jam into more armor. An uac10, 2 med lasers, an anti missle system, and tag are nice. Especially when paired with either lrm turrets or carriers.
(Edit- my dumbass keeps calling it havoc ....I meant condors ugh)
The bulldog is the absolute definition of Main Battle Tank. It is capable of dealing with virtually all threats at a variety of ranges and does it all in a cost effective and easy to deploy package. I absolutely love this thing, easily my favorite IS vehicle (besides the Kanga).
I dig the Bullfrog. Also comparing this video to your newer videos, I appreciate your improvements to the user interface style for displaying stats. Very nice.
Great to hear!
The easy fix is drop the LL and HS for an LB 10-X AC w/ two tons of ammo. The mass of the power amplifiers go to the turret. And you still have the SRM's and MG.
You can fit a Gauss Rifle and 4 tons of ammo and the MG. Sniper?
That would be the reasonable swap.
Of course I had to try my own hand at a variant. I won't deny I was inspired by the Bullfrog variant to a degree, as I called mine the Salamander. I gave it a Clan chassis, and made it fully amphibious. For weapons, I gave it a pair of Clan ER Micro Lasers in the front to deal with infantry, and in the turret it retains the SRM-4s - now Clan versions - with 4 tons of ammo. For the main gun I went with a Clan HAG20 with 3 tons of ammo in the turret. Went with 8.5 tons of Heavy FF, like the Bullfrog, and the same type of Fuel Cell Engine as the Bullfrog.
Huh. Guess mine's more of a variant of a variant, lol. Maybe the Bulldog (Salamander) could be a long-range supporter for the Bulldog (Bullfrog).
I will always love the Bulldog. So many MW4 antics.
Good times had by all.
More tanks please! I have been wanting to figure out what tanks to try for a while lol
Good stuff again, MechFrog. Thanks for the video!👍
Cheap and durable tank for the Succession Wars. It isn't pretty, and it isn't fancy, but it works for the cost.
I decided try my own hand at a design. Starting with the frame of the ER Large variant, everything changes from there. The ER Large is replaced for a Clan RAC/5 with 3 tons of ammo and two MML-5s equipped with Artimes IV with one ton of each basic ammo choice (though that can be altered) and a Small Pulse Laser in place of the old MG. It has a total of 9 tons of Heavy FF and CASE for crew survivability. Kind of a range alternative to yours, it still doesn't have a full knockdown punch, but I still feel the RAC/5 is a better investment than the IS ER Large Laser with a slight better range and the flexible missle launchers can be effective as well.
I considered the RAC/5 but wanted to go really big. It's a solid pick for a main gun, though.
The reality in the setting is MECHS are expensive to maintain and build but you must build them cause they other guy with them will crush you if you dont, but any world can build armored vehicles and tanks, and its usually more then enough to keep a world under control.
Great video! Battletech’s tanks are so cool ^^
I remember the Bulldog when I was 7 into my early teens, playing mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries, Vengence and Black Knight.
The bulldog, scourge of early Battletech PC games...
@@MechanicalFrog Nah, that was the “Myrmodon” and the Demolisher 2.
In Mechwarrior 4, the Bulldog was just cannon fodder that did mediocre damage and could take just a few hits before going down.
3:26 what I wanna know is how a bulldog got that close to a dropship without getting murdered by its point defense weapons.
Stealth 100 apparently.
Using cover. Or just sitting way outside normal effective range and taking potshots. In tabletop, the LoS range penalty is heavily negated by the fact you are firing at a ridiculously large and immobile target.
Operation Sneaky Tank.
One of the things i dont like about the setting, among the scale, is supply lines, you should be able to build tanks on any world capable of fixing a freighter, just very slowly.
Well, it's a big galaxy. Nothing keeping you from setting up your backyard tank shop.
I always kind of liked the Bulldog, they pair up well with manticores in a heavy tank lance. 3 bulldogs and a command manticore is only 2800 bv.
605 BV for a reasonably armed, reasonably armored Swiss Army Knife of a fighting vehicle. Cheaper in C-Bills than even an Urbanmech, it's definitely easy to fit into your garrison, and I wholeheartedly agree with the notion of using Infernos for one of the two tons of SRM ammo. The base model is probably my favorite, but i have seen the LRM variant put some real hurt on mechs.
One of the signature elements of the Bulldog that you didn't talk much about was the fact that it has a Internal Combustion Engine for its power plant. This makes it considerably less expensive than say, a Manticore. Both weigh 60 tons, and while the Manticore is a stronger tank overall, the fusion engine means you can buy 2.5 Bulldogs for the price of 1 Manticore.
Yeah the fusion engine in a tank is a BIG investment. Often not worth it.
oh i hope we get to see more tanks and maybe even fighters or drop ships.
As a Taurian Planetary defence force commander I can attest to the strength of the bulldog. They are cheap, all around solid tanks that I can easily slot a lance of only bulldogs and have them work as a line unit for general purpose combat use, supporting the more specialized company elements. Even the basic bog standard version despite the large laser being somewhat lacking as a primary weapon makes for a tank that will always have a place in my roster as long as I still have parts.
And simple fix for the bulldog in any era is to remove the laser, the machinegun and one ton of SRM ammo for an AC/10, 2 tons of ammo and half a ton of armor. It's one that keeps the bulldog's signature balance, improving the punch and range while not straining the wallet of even a periphery commander like myself.
Your dry sense of humour never fails to amuse. Thank you.
Now imagine being stuck as one of my students for an entire school year...
@@MechanicalFrog You'd be a better lecturer than most of my college/uni professors, that's for sure.
Of course, that might be also to do with my interest in the subject matter... I don't imagine my weird economics niche subject is going to be as interesting as "why this tank is awesome in the inner sphere"...
Nice video tanks can always use more love. But i always kinda found it weird that battletech tanks are crewed like modern tanks. Instead id imagine that they be more like the scorpion from halo. A one seater who drive ands shoots. But im assuming its so that they don't take any shine and attention from the sell point of battletech. I don't remember where i read this but i was a comment on how in the very beginning of battletech.
FASA had to nerf tanks because they were kinda beating up mechs.
Can't have the nerds beating up the jocks now, can we?
I think the in-universe explanation is that it is much easier for a trained MechWarrior to multitask, though that's a pretty flimsy justification to my mind.
It's worth noting that other control interfaces, like cybernetics and drones, do allow a single person to crew an entire vehicle on their own. Though with a crew of 1, you get the same secondary target penalties as BattleMechs.
The Bulldog is a weird breed of tank. The large laser indeed seems lackluster, but the 2 SRM4s pack a nice punch, so it feels like the Bulldog would be good at supporting units that don't deal well with fast mechs that slip beneath their minimum range (like the LRM carrier). The LL still allows the Bulldog to dish out a bit of damage here and there and anything that gets too close gets a double whammy of SRM4 to the face.
I also like the LRM version, it's a decent and cheap way to add some long range indirect fire to your lance. It doesn't do a whole lot of damage with the lone LRM20, but the Bulldog can more than stand its ground, if someone decides to come close.
Oh you know what, I think I was watching your "why we love (insert) weapons" videos and one was chemical lasers? or chemical lasers were brought up. I think this this video finally connected with me that a chemical laser weapon might be better on a combat vehicle because of not needing to have heat sinks for it.
Yep.
Honestly, attach a platoon of the LRM the LBX and the Plasma variant to each regular battalion and you got a mean fucking tankforce
Absolutely.
A very good choice either as a force multiplier, or as asset protection when you cant spare any mechs for guard duty. A balanced weaponsloadout, easy to repair and maintain it is an excellent candidate to guard assets like ammo dumps or as an escort for convoys.
Its armor is enough to hold out till beefier forces arrive but it wont last long in a direct confrontation with strong opponents though, so its best used in a support role if it is to engage in actual frontline combat.
A great and affordable choice for mercenary units. Lots of versions to choose from too (allbeit most of them arriving rather late in history) mean that you can mix a bulldog lance for every situation.
If youre on a budget you can mix and match the bulldog with cheap tanks like the vedette or the Scorpion, all of them having similiar engagement ranges with their main weaponry. It also wouldnt go amiss to fill out a heavier tank lance consistent of pattons and rommel tanks.
The bulldog is aptly named as a small, rugged guard dog that wont back down from most engagements.
100% Agreed. It's a solid pick
@@MechanicalFrog It also makes a good choice as a tougher "grunt" enemy if you are DMing a campaign with newer people. Its still a threat to mechs, but not overly so that it completly wrecks your players.
Love learning about the vehicles of the inner sphere
They don't get enough credit.
What a little monster in the right situations
Absolutely. In the right moment, it can ruin someone's day.
I'm still trying to figure out how they apparently used to breed bovine/canine hybrids back on Old Terra
O_o
Was thinking why no one was looking at the twin AC-2 and thinking why not replace it with an AC-10 and still having atleast a decent amount of ammo.
Now that I think about it, long in the future lol, that twin ac2 variant reminds me a lot of the Russian BMPT Terminator, basically the same thing lol
Bulldogs: for when you can't afford Manticores. They have the interesting quality of not really being safe to ignore (like the Scorpion Light Tank), but not beefy enough that they get the attention they deserve, which can let them cause serious problems, like you say.
See I’m a weirdo and several enemies have made the mistake of ignoring the LBX bulldog to focus on puncher Patton or Rommel tanks I frequently pair them with. So by the time the Patton/Rommels were destroyed the opposing force find themselves facing fresh crit fishing heavy tanks that are also messing with their heat curve. It’s a fun way to make their load out work for them instead of against them.
Working in conjunction with other tank designs, it's definitely value-added.
Hmm. Customise a Battletech Tank is something I never done.
But I thing my version, call it Diamond Version if you like, would have the following Weapons:
A UAC10 as main gun and 2 Streak SRM 4 instead of the normal ones. Also one would have Inferno Ammo instead of normal ones. All Ammo protected with Case.
And for the Mashine Gun: ether 2 small Impulse Lasers or a Flamer. I also would install a Smoke Screen Launcher somewhere if I could and an ECM. (Would give the Tank some benefits against enemy Mechs and would boost the Survivability I think.)
It is more a classic design, hit and run with a nice double bang if it hits. The Infernos would be a Problem by a Hit true, but also a bad suprise for Mechs that would come too close to it.
The two small Impulse lasers would be enough for other light Vehicles and even for Mech legs.
What do you think? :D
The UAC10 can be fun, but also a pain in the butt from my own personal experience. Maybe I'm just unlucky with the jamming.
The Bulldog engine in the Bulldog tank made by Bulldog Enterprises.
When I started playing, it was mostly the MW series of games, and I pretty much had a general disdain for armored vehicles: they just weren't represented very well (MW5 has to be the worst for it).
After playing HBS BT and it's Mods (which are based off of the TT rules), I truly learned how terrifying vehicles can be. Yes, the Bulldog doesn't have that 'knock out' weapon; but what it does have is good armor, decent damage potential and works real well in a Lance with Carrier types. Underestimate these things at your own perril; I learned not to.
They're pretty terrible in MW5. Just mindless mobs to grind on.
@@MechanicalFrog HBS BT does a much better job of teaching you to respect vehicles, even if you can't use them without mods.
The big issue with the Bulldog isn't just that it has an ICE, but also the fact that 60 ton tanks and mechs are in a bit of an awkward spot as far as the math the game uses goes. You just can't put a better primary weapon on it without either going with a more expensive or weaker engine, reducing the SRMs' damage output, or reducing the armor.
If I did swap the engine for a fusion engine, for example, I could replace the large laser with an AC/20 and four tons of ammunition, turning it from a mediocre all-rounder into a lethal city fighter.
Good points.
Do like the bulldogs variety for 3025, lrm one always looked like a buratino but without the thermobaric missiles
Good times had by all.
Pair these with Manticores and LRM Carriers for a nasty tank line that can make MechWarriors cry.
Love me an inexpensive MBT. Thanks, Frog!
Thanks for giving the vid a go. The Bulldog is definitely a team player.
Thanks for the video. Like the summarized battle report.
Thanks for giving it a go.
Man that bullfrog is a pretty nasty close range beast. Hippity hoppity get off my property indeed. 😂
It'll leave a mark.
The Plasma Rifle model is by far the best. Don't think of the PR as anything other then a light weight AC10 that does extra damage to vehicles and infantry.
Though, a mech jock ignoring even a standard 3025 Bulldog is going to quickly find out that "8 is enough" as those LL hits will just keep adding up.
Rusty on some details - that chem laser variant showed hardened armor, but still faster? How much do vehicles benefit in survivability from that?
Keep being awesome Mech Frog!
Will do. Thanks for giving the vid a go!
Love this tank it can be really useful when you can get a load of them for 1 mech :-) cheers for doing combined arms they're fun to add into any game
It's a solid pick and deserved some limelight. :D
The Bull Dog is a reliable and useful machine in most configurations. Your MF variant would make a nasty city fighter for sure. But I would prefer a Gauss Rifle to the LBX-20 as you get much improved range, and I simply don't have much luck on the grouping tales with my LBX-20 rolls far too often. Also I like to use my tanks to keep enemies outside my cities with long range fire to soften them up before they get too close.
A long range option would be fun too.