Editing Mechbuster (section)

=On Tabletop=

As a conventional fighter, the 'Mechbuster is laughably flimsy, concerningly slow, and unable to enter space compared to an aerospace fighter. VSTOL capability is a luxury that the 'Mechbuster cannot afford, forcing the fighter to rely on full-length runways to operate in a campaign setting. For all these downsides, being a conventional fighter only grants the 'Mechbuster a small, circumstantial edge in maneuverability when operating in-atmosphere, and a significantly lower price tag compared to an aerospace fighter of the same tonnage.

However, the 'Mechbuster can seldom make use of its full mobility advantage, and its low price tag is only worth so much on its own. What makes the 'Mechbuster notorious is its singular weapon: a [[Dakka|Zeus-75 Mark IX Autocannon/20'']], one of the single most hard-hitting weapons available on tabletop <strike>well, assuming you're not packing packing [[Exterminatus|WarShips or nukes]]</strike>. Slap that on a unit that, while slow in terms of fighters, can still move orders of magnitude faster than any ground unit, and you've got a recipe for [[Rage|endless frustration]].

What's more, the fact that the fighter is so crap in just about every other possible way means that it's not just cheap in C-Bills (the go-to in-universe currency), it's also incredibly cheap in terms of ''Battle Value'' (BattleTech's points/unit cost system). At 368 BV (384 BV by modern calculations), the 'Mechbuster is as cheap as some of the cheapest light 'Mechs (even with modern calculations, it matches the Wasp WSP-1A) while carrying enough firepower to down medium 'Mechs and put serious pressure on heavy and even assault 'Mechs. Combine that with some <strike>fucking stupid</strike> ''questionable'' rules that allow it to [[What|always get at least one shot off no matter how much return fire it's facing]], and it quickly becomes one of the most infuriating units on the battlefield. Just send in your own fighters and shoot it down, you say? Sure, but unless you're sending other conventional fighters, you're going to be paying quite a lot more for the privilege of ''trying'' to shoot down one of these before they reach your forces. And in the process, while their balsa-wood armor means they die mercifully-quickly, every turn you spend engaging with them is a turn that you're probably eating several AC/20 shots.

Furthermore, much like the real A-10 the 'Mechbuster's AC/20 is only part of the package. The 'Mechbuster has ten external ordinance hardpoints, the most a single conventional fighter can carry (and exactly enough to carry a goddamn nuke). This gives it a great deal of tactical flexibility... [[Powergamer|that you're probably going to ignore in order to bring a load of 10 Small FABs so you can snipe the enemy's assault 'Mechs with a plane that costs less than 800 BV all total]].

After all of this talking about how the 'Mechbuster is '''"tEh m0st OP evar!"''' you'd think it would be one of the most [[Butthurt|reviled, hated units]] in BattleTech. Surprisingly though, it's regarded fairly fondly by those who know of it. The fighter is one of the few well-known by ground-pounders (who regard it, surprisingly, with as much respect as they do disdain), and many aerofags look at it similarly to the [[UrbanMech|Urbie]], the two both enjoying lovably quirky designs that shouldn't work as well as they do. <strike>All the hate for it tends to go instead to the busted-ass rules that make it basically a guaranteed trade that [[That Guy]] will endlessly abuse.</strike> It also holds the distinction of being the only conventional fighter to have a mini.