I think I get it now. The Charger is the Florida Man of BattleMechs. It's not dangerous because of what it _can_ do, it's dangerous because of what it's _willing_ to do.
Honestly, goes to show the insanity of the pilots. Bitches genuinely are throwing down with the heaviest scout mech ever...and are willing to play wrestling with it!
Now you get it! Take it from me, a guy who loves the Charger, and Banshee, and Urbie, without memes even being involved. It's not the mech, but what the hell you do with it.
Actually no. Tex elaborated on Checkers' relationship with his Clanner Elemental Ex-wife on a stream not long ago. Basically she was stuck doing garrison duty on a backwater planet that had no real value, she felt dishonored by this and when Tex and his merc company showed up she found a way out. She suited up, gave a good fight and then surrendered, and was taken as a bondsman of sorts by the Mercs. There she bonded with them more literally became the 'Mama Bear' of the company, became smitten with Checkers, wed him and then sometime later when the Clan mumbo jumbo was settling down had to go back to her planet, so she and Checkers had an amicable divorce and went their separate ways, but clearly keep in touch. As for ripping off someone's arm... that I gotta admit I didn't notice the first dozen times I watched/listened to this episode, though tbh I often have in on another monitor, so yeah. But I do recall Checkers having a prosthetic arm soooo I think it's safe to say that's his? When he lost it I don't know, wouldn't surprise me if his Ex in her Elemental Armor jumped on his Awesome, broke into the cockpit, ripped his arm off and left him for dead, only for him to survive and see future husband material in him with starry love struck eyes. Hell maybe Checkers had those same stars in his eyes too? Love is a funny thing like that.
@Robert Ågren What a ridiculous statement. You get behind the wheel of an 100 ton walking tank, while I'm behind the wheel of an 80 ton walking tank, and try to remain up right as I proceed to pummel you with Fists the size and weight of Mini Vans.
Charger 1A1 veterans are terrifying. They’re fast, insane, and basically suicidal. The small lasers aren’t the issue. Those are for clearing the birds from the view. It’s the feet and fists you have to worry about.
The battlemech equivalent of "I am naked, armed with a weapon, and terrified for my life. I proceed to take eight lives singlehandedly before getting shot by police."
I'm just picturing Brock Sampson from the Venture bros, myself. Standing there with a knife, just SOAKED in blood, eye twitching, and saying 'Go on, TAKE IT FROM ME!' to the security guards at a UN facility. There is also the 'why are you naked' scene which comes to mind as well.
The story of Mr. Ford and Lucky Number 7 had me genuinely feel kinda bad and happy for a mech that may or may not have committed suicide to be with its friend again.
Probably my favorite of the BattleTechnology short stories is one I believe was called "A Useless Mech", about a Kuritan mechwarrior who winds up finding a Charger, and having nothing else, is forced to use it. He winds up being one the crazies that sticks with it, refusing a different (and better, because it isn't a charger) mech when Theodore offers him one.
One or two of the novels was about a _Charger_ pilot. The first one with the character was _Main Event_ where he gets the _Charger_ and fights on Solaris, but he ends up fighting the clans with it later. Then he electrocutes an Elemental. That's all I remember about that character except that he had a girlfriend dropship pilot named MacCloud instead of MacLeod, because somehow that's how I learned how "MacLeod" is pronounced.
One addendum worth making: The Great Houses didn't just watch the chair of First Lord destroy the Camerons, they then watched as Stefan Amaris drove himself to madness and ruin trying to hold onto that chair, destroying both the Rimworlds Republic and Earthsphere in the process. And still, they coveted it. Because it was apparently a really nice chair.
It got a cupholder AND a square socket for holding your popcorn, it is a one of a kind lostech chair. The dark age is in fact known as such, because of how many great house leaders dropped their popcorn during movie night! Truly a chair worth any price!
@Ironeagle 777 in reality, the succession wars were about the executive position in the star league, with each of the houses wanting its superiority over the others. I just like to imagine the causus beli was the chair of the Cameron’s, mainly because the succession wars was a war over attempting to fill a power vacuum that amaris created.
@@PeachDragon_Rather just get an Awesome. 9 times out of 10 I can blast a Charger to pieces a before it gets into range and if it does get close enough, my battle fist will finish the argument.
When Tex mentioned the Charger could catch anything all I could think was "What!? I thought you said it was heavily armored assault mech! Why is it fast?!" Then the true danger of the machine sunk in.
Yea... You know the meme about Steiner scout squads being made of assault mechs? Yea... Someone took that a little... Literally? And now we have an 80+ ton battering ram ready to send you and whatever else it collides with to meet Jesus.
The Charger exists to remind people who have grown too comfortable, that being beaten to death with your own severed arm is always a possibility. I think that about sums it up.
@@egoalter1276 Except using a limb as a club requires two hands, and the _Charger_ only has one. Likewise, punches with that handless arm do half damage. Seems like a terrible idea, right? But it's by design. The _Charger_ is supposed to CHARGE, doing (80/10)x 1 per hex damage for 8x8=64 damage, then kick the 'Mech while it's on the ground because getting charged causes a piloting roll and every 20 points of damage adds a +1 penalty to it, so they're probably not still standing after that if they're even still functional.
I still love the whole “… however, I am a periphery historian with a claner ex-wife and regret is not a theme of this lecture…” made me cackle the first time, still does on rewatch
Also, second time around I realized that photo (of what I assume is his ex wife) has an arm in a jar. Anyone else remember which arm Tex replaced with an augmetic?
At 29:06 I can just imagine Tex doing an O'Neill impression. *Points at Charger* "This is a weapon of Terror. It is meant to Intimidate the enemy. *Points at Awesome* "This is a weapon of War. It is meant to Kill the enemy."
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 See, I was thinking a crapload of Blackjacks with Chargers to keep the enemies from getting close. Maybe Awesomes and Marauders for the mud-range stuff.
As a 50 year old man who bought aero tech in 1985 because it looked liked robotech, I have watched everyone of your videos a Damon times. Thank you so much.
I'm 48 and I got the Battletech box from my mother while recovering from Chickenpox when I was 11, it was a second edition with the cardboard standees. I have been a near life-long fan who recently bought a new set of minifigs and paints. Thank you Tex, this old Grognard appreciates what you do for this community.
I'm 50 as well this year and came into Battletech later in life in the 1991-ish era, being poor, at uni and a box set from a 2nd hand book store with cardboard cut outs for $5. It filled in some late nights with our destitute share house, the remaining 5 bucks in the entertainment pool was a big box of cheap wine. I'm still rubbish at Battletech, but I no longer drink cheap wine
I'm 54, got the original Battletech boxed set in 85. Over the years we had 2 basic boxed sets, 1 Aerotech (we didn't use it much), 3 boxes of the Reinforcements, 2 City Tech, 1 Battletroops, 4 3025 TROs, and 1 of every other TRO that came out until 1996 when our group broke up to go to University all in our late 20s.
Dear Tex and Black Pants Legion community, I would like to thank you for providing my 1 year old daughter her naps. She will listen intently and fall asleep almost every night listening to Tex talk about mechs. This is her favorite video I think so far. Maybe the opening? She likes it and says AGOOMGOOM whenever the music starts. She also likes All Guardsmen Party and Guardbro's Veil Riders, but she's been all about battletech lately. So, thank you for a bit of sanity from daddy and I'm sure Carolina thanks you for the zzz's. Cheers!
I love these deep dives but as an adult. I guess I'm old fashioned because i don't think it's appropriate for a 1 year old to listen to curse words at that age.
"Hello. I'm in the market for an assault 'Mech." "Of course, sir. Are there any specifications you require?" "I'm suicidal." "I've got just the thing..."
Forgive the late response, but I can't pass by without stating "Call me Ishmael...Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet;"
@@737215 In this example, the batshit madness of the pilot is three times more important than the mech being used. Though in general, it more or less means that the willingness of a soldier to fight is much more important than the weapon they have to fight with. A lunatic in a charger that is willing to throw down will perform better on the field than someone in a much better mech whose heart isnt in it.
@@737215 It's more valuable to have a force willing to fight with whatever weapons they have at hand, than a well-armed force who'll drop those nice guns the second they make contact with the enemy or surrender the day the enemy promised not to be too rough.
Back in the 3030s, I was piloting a Blackjack as a part of a Merc company that got hired to do some pirate hunting. The pirate king had a custom Charger, a minor variant of the -1A1. All he did was swap most of the small lasers for mediums and one for a flamer. It cost a couple of tonnes of armour but considering that it mostly when up against the bugs, urbies, militia-"mechs" and barely literate colonists, it was quite a beast. Still went done fairly quick to a lance of proper mechs. It's not the only time I saw a Charger on that job. While tracking down the pirate's base, we stopped on an all but forgotten colony, and they barely remember the rest of humanity. However, they still had a working power gird! I got curious, and decided to track down how they had kept it working, and in the end, I discovered that the "generator" was an all but rotted out charger. The engine still worked and someone had hooked it into the power gird centuries ago. I didn't tell the boss about it though; A charger is still a battlemech and she would have demanded that we take it with us.
I loved the one in an old custom Let's Play scenario titled "King of the Pirates" which had weird Mad Max-esque Mechs with everything from primitive to Clantech running around. The Charger in question had two small lasers, a head-mounted Flamer, jump jets and hardened armor. And special rules that allowed it to pull full-on WWE moves against other Mechs. The pilot's callsign was Randy and the Mech was nicknamed Savage. And yes, it had a paintjob that made it look like it was wearing a bandana and shades, and the flamer was mounted in such a way that it looked like it was spitting fire. 🤣
Awesome early 80's opening ✔ Historical recap for topicality and perspective ✔ Deep dive into subject matter ✔ Amazingly savage and on point satire of the Military Industrial Complex and corpo-government graft. ✔ Canopus battle powder fueled indepth and humorous narrative ✔ My undivided and lazer locked attention for an hour and a quarter + to include credits ✔ Tex and the BPL putting all 6 in the 10 ring ✔✔ Thanks for this Christmas present. You guys are doing the Lords work for charity. Drive on Fellas. Scouts Out
@@andrewmiddleton3487 Graft is basically when a politician or businessman uses funds that are not technically their own (usually provided by the government or business they are supposed to be running) to advance their own career. They might be getting paid in straight cash or receiving perks like PR boosts or ludicrous vacations, but either way it's a win for them since it's not _their own_ money they're giving away. In the context of the military-industrial complex, I think graft refers to the money being dumped into a project that is not actually beneficial to the army that is (unwittingly) funding it. Said project would have been green-lit because some high-ranking official has been effectively bribed into doing so, rather than the project having any actual merit that would benefit the army it's being developed for.
We also got to see what the ex-Ms.Tex looked like :D I like to think she keeps the arm as a memento and that he lost it in the batchal to her but won the fight. Seeing such commitment would make any proud clanner woman consider at least half taking a dive for a batchal for their pants. Or at least consider petitioning adding that level of commitment, tenacity and swinging above one’s weight class to be a very good addition to the gene banks of the smitten woman’s clan.
@@andrewmiddleton3487. go look up the battle of Athens USA or the scam behind traffic cameras if you want to see what graft looks like in our era and the very appropriate and American solution to graft that the vets in Athens USA used when they came home from fighting one occupying force only to find another had taken over their home.
80 tons X 8 hexes = 64 points of charge damage; it's like getting hit by 13 medium lasers. That's it. That's the entire explanation of why the Charger actually exists. Its a meme-mech made to exploit the rules for charging. Hence the name. I know that explanation is too meta for Tex's histories which are in character for the universe, but anyone wondering why the Charger is in the game, that's the reason.
Not knowing much about the greater battletech world while playing HBS Battletech some years back, the charger was the first assault mech I got a hold of and I proceeded to strip it of weapons but for a few flamers and bolt on ton after ton of armor on it and use it as a battering ram and damage sponge rotating our mostly lucky pilots. Glad to know I was doing it right all these years later. :)
@@Deridus That is actually a really good way of attempting to speed up the Urbie. It sadly only works on hard surfaces, but then that is exactly what roads in a city are.
I love how each video this year the presentation's location has slowly improved. From a run down building in a warehouse district to a full on theatre. Brings a tear to an old mechwarrior's eye.
This one really is a step up, with a more mature feeling look at the Star League. A good future video could analyze why the First Succession War kinda basically _had_ to happen after Kerensky left, because the Inner Sphere economy was _completely wrecked_ by the loss of the Terran Hegemony and the Star League Central Banking System, which had tied all of the House's economies and monetary systems tightly together. And why some of the House Lords acted the way they did during the Civil War and 1stSW. Takiro Kurita _hated_ Amaris, but Amaris was holding his grandnephew hostage so Kurita couldn't openly support Kerensky, so instead he aided him in subtle ways throughout the Civil War. John Davion had very legitimate reasons for being pissed at the Star League, which a few years earlier had just sat on its hands during the "War of Davion Succession" as the Federated Suns was invaded by the Draconis Combine, until finally sending in the SLDF after several years of Drac raids and rampaging. He believed in the Star League but felt his duty was to protect the Federated Suns first and foremost, and even Kerensky considered him a good and honorable man. After Kerensky _abandoned_ the Hegemony worlds with The Exodus, John tried to gather up former Hegemony worlds using peaceful means to protect them from conquest by the Dracs or Cappies, who would strip away all their traditional freedoms and turn them into peasants that only served the state. (Yes, I am a proudly dedicated FedeRat.)
Your description of the Charger in the Succession Wars made me think of Mad Jack Churchill. A legendary commando officer in WW2 who led landings carrying, among other things, a broadsword, a longbow, and a set of bagpipes. He'd be a damn fine Charger pilot, provided he could wear his sword in the cockpit. "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed." This is the man who walked 150km from his concentration camp until he found an ally, and who was said to be unhappy with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Not because it was an astounding loss of life with a practically unimaginable weapon, but because "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another ten years!" So yeah, he'd have made his Charger dance. He probably would've been angry if they couldn't figure out a way to give it bagpipes; because fuck logic, he's Mad Jack and he'll do what he wants. And mostly, he wants to beat people to death and play the bagpipes among their corpses.
Perhaps not being able to get mech sized bagpipes, mad jack would likely have to settle for a loudspeaker system and a microphone inside the cockpit somewhere... also with a tandem set up. Why? Because authentic bagpipes amplified is clearly the way to go, if a mech sized one is not availible. and he's too busy driving the mech, so having the second mech pilot dedicated soley to the bagpipes is an upgrade. Also... mech sized melee weapons are a thing in battletech.
@@Furzkampfbomber Good god. I know battletech has some advanced materials science. But making an actual longbow for mech scale, would need suspension bridge cable for the string, and... fuck only knows what metal is flexible enough at scale, for the bowlimbs. Let alone the arrows! But if you could make it work... might actually be kinda effective. The sheer mass of the arrows would likely stagger most mechs, and likely cripple limbs with lucky hits to the joints. Slap a balistic arc calculator into the mech, ripped out from an artilery piece, and it would even be reasonably accurate at mid range combat.
@@jamesperkins191 If I remember correctly there was a Russian empress at some point that had a lot of similar - though probably false - accusations thrown around by her detractors. May be the ultimate starting point for either.
I love how the first chapter of this episode was in such a sober tone. It is somber and menacing to illustrate a very dark time of Battletech history. And then the utter madness in music and intonation for the Charger in action. I am enamored by this series
I had a hunch this might come just in time for Christmas. Looking forward to it already! *Edit:* HOLY SMOKES, Tex finally got the 100k subscribers mark! Strap in lads, we're about to finally find out if the Play Button contains candy or not!
Be surprised if RU-vid would send it. Since Tex has spoken with Arch. Stupid as that idea might sound. RU-vid is managed by flawed people, and that means they might just let petty opinions cloud their decisions.
@@PatchyConvert I think you vastly overestimate how relevant Arch is or how relevant a single cooperation on a video with Arch is. Tex' stance on shitposting gloriously and just not giving a shit about ad revenue would be a bigger hindrance, but I doubt RU-vid really cares even then.
Thank you Tex and the rest of the BPL. Best Christmas present a boy could ask for. Now to start my tradition of watching every single TTB before the release of the newest one 😂
One of the things I always liked about Battletech is that they weren't afraid to put bad designs in the Tech Readouts, give them a backstory that reinforced them as bad, and then let the players figure out what they could do with them. I love the Charger for this, as well as it's bigger, also over-engined brother the Banshee.
It helps that a good number of those 'bad' designs are there to pointedly show you what you can do with gameplay mechanics. The Charger was introduced at the same time as rules for charging as a melee attack, and it's very, very good at it. The Urbie is pretty terrible if you're playing a fairly standard map with a good amount of long sight lines, but if you're in dense urban terrain with no line of sight and you're not bothering to turn on a road anyway (because turning on a road risks falling over) because you have jump jets, it's a quite effective mech for its price.
The sneak-peak of the Ex-Wife was just a wonderful bonus, Professor. As all us grateful yet ingrate-students are still curious to the more-than-personal story of how if she couldn't keep you... she obviously keeps a part of you close--at hand, even!
I guess this is the right place to say this. Thank you all. Thanks for these works of art/shit posts. I am another 50 year old man, who remembers wanting BattleDroids when he saw the box at the local game store(only miles from Warzone-Matrix). I bought my first box set in the mid 1980s. Played though high school, college and beyond. Those friends are still my friends. I had my piles and piles of battletech books packed away for years. About a year ago I started seeing BPL TexTalks. The serious/not serious way these are presented is awesome. Tex's approach and rational makes me think maybe... just maybe.. I am sane. At least there are others with my malady! Yay, we share a condition! It always has been a great community, and you guys only make it better. Anyways, I hope Catalyst is appreciative of you guys. I have to assume I am not the only old dude throwing money at them for product, because of your inspiration. This ramble is nearly complete. Thank you Tex, Mike, Goat, and all bpls I am failing to remember from the high speed credits. Have a great holiday. Thanks for making me feel like a kid all excited for Christmas. Thanks. Congrats on hitting 100K!
Oh yeah the cream of the crop will rise to the top. Because you better learn to expect the unexpected in the kingdom of madness yeahh, DIG IT! WHEN YOU STEP INTO THE SQUARED CIRCLE YOU BETTER HAVE YOUR FIESTA PAIL AND YOUR CANDIED MILK READY BROTHER BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE SHITPOSTING FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT!
I am pilot who firmly believes the Archer is best used to punch people in the face, and named my favorite one "Kick Puncher" because of that. So I am also a fan of mechs like the Banshee and, of course, the Charger. Guns are fun, but fists finish fights. That kind of thing is why I love Battletech so much. Specifically the Succession Wars and Clan Invasion eras. Its all about fighting with what you have, not what you want. That's where otherwise stupid designs like the Charger and Urbanmech can shine. And in those situations, its usually the craziest lunatics that pilot them who come out on top. And those characters always have fun stories. No one really remembers an Archer getting another kill with its lasers and missiles. But when one picks up its own severed arm, and proceeds to beat the guy who dared to shoot it off to death with it, THAT, you remember.
I would like to politely rebuke and refute your statement about the urbie being stupid. When used properly in an urban setting on tabletop they are HORRENDOUSLY effective. I also reference the second Urbie video text did.
The Charger is a weird one, but it eventually earned a modicum of respect in my lance. One of our early games of MW5 included an exchange like this. Lancemate 1: Contact; Charger. Lancemate 2: Lawl, save it for last then. Lance Leader: Guys that Charger's a refit. Lancemate 4: Shit, targeting!
The tech level 1 chargers in tabletop games weren't good for much other than punching, kicking, and soaking up fire meant for other, better mechs. Some of the newer variants were.... ok. I think I either used or made a tsm variant that was fun though 😂
This is by far the best analysis of the Charger. It’s perfection by someone who gets the Charger and it’s place in Battletech. Nothing beats turning the corner in your charger and finding a demolisher waiting for you.
So Terry Ford basically gave Lucky #7 a Machine Spirit. Also thank you so much for the Disco Elysium shoutout; I love it when the people who make things I like turn out to like other things I like.
I thought the Capellans did that, or at least they were the first to try and make a real assault mech out of the Charger and then the Kuritans basically rebuilt is from the ground up as the Hatamoto-Chi and its siblings
@@weldonwin oh dont worry, the capellans arent the only ones who make horrible mechs kurita made the charger they realized it sucked, so when they got thugs, they made the new hatamoto chi chassis with thug parts from modified charger chassis the mauler was also a charger re-make i think but pretty much they took the charger, and slapped some thug parts into it, made it look cooler, hatamoto chi
Honestly Tex you and the BPL and your videos have been a real boon to my mental health. Through the loss of a family member, medical school, loss of my grants and being forced to drop out and adjusting to a new job that while not what I wanted to do I don't hate and actually enjoy for the most part, your videos, the BPL podcast, the twitch channel and the entire BPL have gotten me through it. You've talked before about your own troubles and it has all helped. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and all of the BPL
I wasted too many years of my life regretting a failure or two that were completely my fault. Life throws you wildcards; take them and keep moving. Learn the lesson from each day and someday you will see that, while it isn't what you expected, it's what you needed. You're on the right path; just make sure you learn whatever lesson today is trying to teach you.
I'm sorry my fellow mechwarrior; that must be exceedingly challenging and distressing. We'll make it through each day one at a time and, when things are better, use these hardships to maintain perspective. It'll all pass, maybe like a kidney stone, but it will pass. Stay strong and don't let the Cappellan Fuckery grind you down.
Never in my 10-year old imagination when Battledroids was unleashed upon the world did I imagine that there would one day be a 75-minute documentary on the Charger. Thank you sir.
I first started playing this in November of '91, fell hard for the setting but lost touch when FASA disappeared. So with that context, thank you Tex, for helping to spread the joys of giant stompy mechs.
Interesting notion that Wells was marketing toward counter-insurgency. That's my personal theory on how the Stinger/Wasp were originally sold as well- infantry support for COIN, able to traverse rugged terrain quickly with their jump jets, able to put holes in bunkers or melt technicals. It makes more sense than selling them as recon, really.
Of course, their biggest threats at the time were angry rimworlders who think they deserve human dignity and a Charger is perfect in that being cheap and lightly armed but heavily armored meant even if you lost the mech to the enemy, you weren't giving away a true monstrosity like an Orion or Awesome with weapons that can contest your claim. This is a reason why Nazi weapons had such a heavy logistical footprint wasn't just because they believe in quality weapons for their fascist boners but to make sure their inferiors were befuddled at how to feed the same monster sent to kill them.
Nah, the bugs were genuinely sold as light recon plattforms. Were they not terribly well optimised for that job? Well, yeah. Those were about the *first* light Mechs to ever be designed, after all. Can't hit it out of the park on first try every time.
@@magni5648 as a first gen they're more acceptable and understandable, at that point they're still competing more with vehicles than other mechs. So their rough terrain capacity and fusion power offers a distinct advantage over tracked/wheeled scouts.
I mean stick it onto the side of a cliff wall with enough engineering applied and you got a cliffside forward observer, pretty impractical as most military men tend to get cold sweats when you tell them to invade Norway, actually yea am convinced this mech is made for basically Norway, a place so harsh most muricans do not quite comprehend how nice their garden of eden is, and how soft their "hard" men are ;) @@Joshf4phan
Other than watching the cartoon when younger I had no real knowledge of Battletech. Through the Tex Talks series, that I found completely at random, I've really been drawn into the universe. There are plenty of great lore channels out there for various franchises, but Tex just nails it so much. It's not just that they are presented in-universe either (though damn I love it), There is just so much passion for the setting you can't help but be drawn in.
I was NOT expecting to feel any sort of sympathy or respect for the Charger OR to get a lecture about the truth of Star League's Golden Age and how "no really shitty mechs are good." This was a stellar video and I'm always ecstatic to see these videos when they're available. Bless everybody involved for the hard work and incredible art/research/production value.
That's what I like about tex's videos. It's easy to trash talk many designs but it takes real passion to talk about a fictional unit without bias and put it in context. I watched some other channels talking about mechs and you can see the bias a mile away
@@eddapultstab2078 what makes Tex work is his time in the military and understand why do military field such weapons vs an armchair tabletop general who looks at their loadout and not their intention.
@@MrAsaqe also the mech building rules are pretty meta and assumes everything works properly. So most gamers are spoiled and don't understand that reality is not that simple.
I keep coming back to this video because it really speaks to me. My friends always say that I have a habit of turning Battletech in to Rockem Sockem Robots, so yes, I do in fact find a charger appealing. There is NOTHING better than charging across a battlefield in order to dole out good old fashioned, grade A, rated E for everyone hands until the enemy is a broken pile.
@@sirskellyman5658 personally I'm a marauder pilot. Hull down with the AC, then PPC and Lasers, then battering ram the cockpit with the over armored gun pods
@joshuasitzema9920 do love a marauder. A timeless classic of classics as the man himself has stated. But, as much as it has probably my favorite design image wise, I will always go with something up close and crazy.
@@sirskellyman5658 That's perfectly fair! Battletech is one of my first loves for table top because it has so many things for everybody. Heck, one of my favorite tanks was a kuritan design with a triple PPC turret XD
I don't even play BT nor never have , I just listen to this cause I like your excellent presentation style and I'm into sci-fi and fantasy , I'm sure you heard a thousand times, you should do audiobooks
I never really understood all the hate the Charger got. After watching the video I understand now.....I am that crazy Charger pilot that will run up and punch you in the face while laughing maniacally. Thanks Tex and the BPL. Merry Christmas to all
So essentially a charger is a slightly smaller and differently equipped first run Banshee. Both are assault mechs, have lots of armor, chase people down and rain down fists until it stops or whatever it's hitting stops.
Managed to get this on the TV on my Xmas Getaway in front of my Military History obsessed Dad and Brother-in-law and they loved it, even though they were a little confused at first. :) Thanks for all the hard work Tex and the BPL, another Battletech Banger! I'll be watching it again tonight.
This was a pure joy to watch. The script, animations, and art were all incredible. The 80's style effects and music was nostalgic as hell, and the speech about crazy was award winning.
By rules there's simply no tonnage available for one on a 1A1 Charger without stripping armor. Hatchet weighs in for it around 6 tons, a sword would be 4. Best it could hope for it to grab a tree or hope a 'Mech limb is laying around.
@JacatackLP Think of overloading your truck to get down the street, against what it does to that truck to take it down the street. An average battle is very short, vs the hours from hanger till it returns.
Charger *shows up and commits war crimes* Charger *refuses to elaborate* Charger *leaves* I'm happy this wild ride is a thing and I get to tag along. As always, l=excellent work and I look forward to the next one :)
I love this. This is what it looks like when an artist hits their stride and begins making their best work. The word choice, the alliteration, the sound design, is all coming together perfectly and you guys are creating masterpieces where your efforts are really shining. Thank you guys all so much, this is my favorite Christmas present in quite a few years.
Tex, you're videos got me from knowing nothing about BattleTech aside from a bit of MechWarrior growing up to having a full trinary painted up and doing Kerensky proud on the table top. Keep up the good work and have a great holiday.
As an Original Fan of the game, Battledroids, Lucas be Damned, the multiple IP owners of the game do not deserve your fandom, but we fans do. Thanks to you and the entire Black Pant Legion for the outstanding & brilliant high quality 'Historical' documentaries. I salute you Sir. Skoal & Cheers!
The production quality just gets better every time! And Tex, how dare you make me ACTUALLY WANT a Charger!? I didn't think it possible... I have loved BattleTech since 1990... and Tex and the BPL just adds fuel to that fire... Awesome work, everyone!
Lucky No. 7 had me weirdly emotional, when I learned it, seemingly with no pilot inside, annihilated itself by dropping from high-altitude/low orbit out of a dropship, because it was lonely. o7
"... it's frequently the lunatic that found the Charger appealing that you need to be concerned with..." From a Crazy Gecko to a Crazy Professor, you did a Crazy job both with this Crazy 'Mech and if the Crazy definition of "Crazy"! 👍👍👍
Christmas Eve joy! "Charging" into the holidays! @Tex, after listening since forever, I finally got and sat down with my brother and son to play the BT beginner box, and now ordered the the next box as well. TT battletech is so much fun!
You know what makes this channel so fucking great? The guys doing this aren’t out doing stupid clickbait shit, trying to get rich. BPL is like one of the last holdouts from that era of RU-vid when people were just making shit out of love for just making cool content. God I love this fucking channel.
Those PSAs at the end are gold. Thank you to all who were involved in this video. It is too bad I'm unskilled/poor (pick one, both are true) as I would love to support TTBT in some way. The writing throughout this series is spot on for BT, you convey how absolutely batshit crazy the BT universe acually is in just about every episode I have watched. The visuals usually have subtle (and sometimes not so much) references and small details that encourage rewatching from the start just to make sure you weren't hallucinating. Also your sound quality is very good overall, the 80s themes in the introductions are chefs kiss perfection, and the voice work for the video is clear enough that my half deaf ears can follow along without speech to text or CCs. 10/10, keep up the amazing work. Also wanted to ask if there is a repository of recorded games that you all play on WBPL76? The downside to my vocation is that you could throw a dart at the calendar and it has a better chance at picking my schedule than I do. Being able to download and listen to is typically the only way I can catch your content. Also thank you for MM, the 12 ratlings and some dogs line by Deputy made me laugh so hard inside a client's home that she asked me to leave. I now warn my clients what I am listening to so they don't think I'm insane.
In tge BPL Auxilia, passion and cameraderie is all that matters, come on over and add your brand of incompetent insanity to the gumbo we've got cooking, it can't get any worse anyway as we've all hit rock bottom one way or another and floating around somewhere in between.
I’m gonna have to keep my phone on a *charger* to make sure I can watch this whole glorious thing when it comes out. Also Tex. A humble request, from a often less than humble man. Could you do a video on Grayson or the Gray death legion?
Simeon asked that awhile back him a stream he was doing, he said he plans on it. Like just about most others I’ve noticed he was asked about, that he’ll get to it, sometime.
I'm gonna be a dick and suggest a series on storied units merc or house on the IS. I know you already do a lot but Wesley 9516 had the foundation of a great idea there.
@@therealbahamut Home is the regiment soldier. Stories about Grayson got down here to the Concordant after that stint in the purple parakeets- I mean free worlds league.
It is the end of the year, and time for me to re-indulge in one of my favorite Battletech lore videos, I listened to this one on my way home from Christmas in 2022 and it has established itself as my favorite Tex talks battletech video. Thank you Tex, this video has been a returning favorite for me.
As i stated in chat during the premier: I am very happy about your choice of music for these videos. Having grown up in the 80s that is always a trip down memory lane for me. Keep it up. But first: Rest! We all know how prone you are to overwork yourself, and i won't have any of that. You, Sir, are a gem - even if you feel embarrassed by me saying so. Not only because of how entertaining these videos are (heck, there's a reason I re-watch the playlist every few months), but also what you do with them - the fundraising for charities and all that. There is not the shadow of a doubt in my mind that you are making a difference for someone, somewhere - even if they'll never know of you. And for that I applaud you - and each and everyone participating in these videos. My hat's off to you lot. And before you ask, yes, i do wear a hat often enough. I'm old-fashioned like that.
The best music bit, in my mind, was during the talk about the Charger's pugilistic might. *Pomp and Circumstance*, on the face of it, is an odd choice for that scene, as it's mostly associated with graduation ceremonies. However, it all makes sense when you remember it was also the theme "Macho Man" Randy Savage came out to when he worked for the now named WWE.
First Christmas dinner, retired from my family and now perusing my Whisky cabinet to pick out something to pair with Tex and Battlemechs. Truelly this is the season. Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy Hogmanay.
Probably more than any previous video, this one shows the breadth of human experience in war, from the richly-appointed offices where doctrine is set and weapons are procured to the battlefields where dogged stubbornness and crazed brutality reign. I always love how these videos focus on the interconnected historical perspective and the personal, human experience and how they shape history. Your dedication to your craft keeps shining through with each video, and they only keep getting better. Keep up the awesome work!
It's usually been held that even a small laser, let alone 5 of them is enough to inflict carnage on an undefended settlement with light defenses. It would be an absolute scary sight to see a giant fast moving mech closing in on an unprepared target. That's be enough to get the job done.
I have never used the Charger in a game of Battletech, thinking it wasn't worth my time. But after seeing this video I'm starting to rethink my opinion and I just might have to give it a try sometime! Knowing more about it's capabilities and how it could be useful definitely swayed me, so thank you for making me more informed on the subject. And a HUGE thank you to whoever's idea it was to include the names of the songs and their respective artists in the video description! One of the many things I love about these videos is the amazing music you guys use (I even have a playlist exclusively made up of my favorite songs from all the Tex Talks Battletech videos!), and this made tracking down the music for further listening incredibly easy! And of course, thank you to everyone who helped make this video and all the ones before it possible. These videos are always a treat and always entertaining, and have given me an effective way to share my love of Battletech with my friends, my family, and anyone who will listen, in a way that explains it far better then I could on my own. Again, thank you all for the great videos and stay safe out there!
I've had my ass handed to me by a Lance of Chargers. Albeit, refit ones that are a lot tougher, but still, with the right tech and pilots, any mech can be a deadly one. Well done Mr. Tex. Another amazing lesson.
Simply amazing, that speech about crazy and the various ways it manifests across the Inner Sphere and beyond got me pumped for this undergunned titan! Terry Ford's story was interesting too, strange events like that are pretty neato!
I think my favorite lore part of the charger is the giant cockpit windshield and its implication. That these survive because their cockpits are shot out more frequently than being cored; because you can see the entire pilot and then some. A giant target pointing at some unlucky bastard that was told get in *or else*. It's the subtle kind of "grimdark" that gets me over the 40k nonsense.
