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yes, yes I know the memes about how the little rubbish bins are useless, but surely they must have some use right? like how the locust is fast and light but is weaker because it's meant to be a scout, or how some mechs heatsinks are awful but weapons are good, etc. I saw Catalyst sell a lance of just urbies, even a whole box of loads of them (it being a 'mascot' almost feels a little forced with the plush, single boxes, and loads of urbies box). Title, what are they good at though?

They are cheap and great at hiding behind buildings to core anything that tries to run in. Mostly they are cheap and in the background, having a mech beats not having a mech.

What are they good for?

Nothing, really. Most tanks are better, and are cheaper to boot. They're really just a waste of material in universe, and in-game they're no better. Really, the only place they have any value is in a city fight where, for whatever reason, both players have agreed to ONLY use Mechs; no vehicles. And even there, there are better choices - Panthers, Javelins, Commandos, anything with an AC/20...

Now 12 of them operating together, in terrain where they can hide but still have open lanes of fire to exploit their mid-range autocannon, can be dangerous. Just... not as dangerous as 12 of nearly anything else.

The little trash-cans have become an ironic mascot for BattleTech just BECAUSE they are so bad. There might also be an element of challenge to playing with them. Bragging rights for winning with one or more UrbanMechs is substantial.

My joke is that you take four UrbanMechs so they can combine and transform into an Annhilator, another 'Mech of dubious utility.

The giveaway's in the name: UrbanMech.

They're good in urban environments. And that's the only place they're good.

Target practice. As the target.

And I do not get the appeal of the UrbanMech Lance or worse, the Company. Waste of money that could have been spent on mechs that would be enjoyable to play.

That Lance pack is great.

If even has the new UM-R27, with three AES-enhanced SRM6's! Dangerous in its chosen environment.

They work pretty well in any kind of restrictive environments, particularly on ones that have elevation changes, and canyon like structures.

On those environments they're much better than vehicles just because they can jump over those restrictions and by being mechs are much more durable than a similar vehicle would be.

AC/10s are not exactly the best weapon option, but it runs really cool and it's pretty plentiful.

So, it basically is meant to do the one thing and do it not horribly. Within very, very limited parameters.

In universe, having their production facilities not get destroyed and be cheap and just effective enough to make a passable garrison unit because they can choose an environment they'll excell in and let attackers come to them.

Out of universe, there's 3 "faces' of Battletech from what I've seen. Atlas, Mad Cat, and Urbie. There's load's of iconic designs but odds are good anymore the first mech you're going to encounter is an Atlas' grinning skull face or a Mad Cat's inhuman mass of firepower. You'll want to use the one that grabbed you and it'll prove to be a solid brawler even in the hands of a newbie in a simple knockdown drag em out fight. Meanwhile meme-able little Urbie earned it's place from being another visually distinctive design but unlike so many other icons it has no redeeming features or variants. Unlike most bad mechs it has a cool, unique design, and the lore has its design make sense and sound like it could work but not be recognized as the failure it is.

 ChaoticMind wrote:
In universe, having their production facilities not get destroyed and be cheap and just effective enough to make a passable garrison unit because they can choose an environment they'll excell in and let attackers come to them.

Out of universe, there's 3 "faces' of Battletech from what I've seen. Atlas, Mad Cat, and Urbie. There's load's of iconic designs but odds are good anymore the first mech you're going to encounter is an Atlas' grinning skull face or a Mad Cat's inhuman mass of firepower. You'll want to use the one that grabbed you and it'll prove to be a solid brawler even in the hands of a newbie in a simple knockdown drag em out fight. Meanwhile meme-able little Urbie earned it's place from being another visually distinctive design but unlike so many other icons it has no redeeming features or variants. Unlike most bad mechs it has a cool, unique design, and the lore has its design make sense and sound like it could work but not be recognized as the failure it is.

The face of BattleTech used to be the Warhammer... and then Harmony Gold got involved.

Sigh.

 Vulcan wrote:

 ChaoticMind wrote:
In universe, having their production facilities not get destroyed and be cheap and just effective enough to make a passable garrison unit because they can choose an environment they'll excell in and let attackers come to them.

Out of universe, there's 3 "faces' of Battletech from what I've seen. Atlas, Mad Cat, and Urbie. There's load's of iconic designs but odds are good anymore the first mech you're going to encounter is an Atlas' grinning skull face or a Mad Cat's inhuman mass of firepower. You'll want to use the one that grabbed you and it'll prove to be a solid brawler even in the hands of a newbie in a simple knockdown drag em out fight. Meanwhile meme-able little Urbie earned it's place from being another visually distinctive design but unlike so many other icons it has no redeeming features or variants. Unlike most bad mechs it has a cool, unique design, and the lore has its design make sense and sound like it could work but not be recognized as the failure it is.

The face of BattleTech used to be the Warhammer... and then Harmony Gold got involved.

Sigh.

even before HG came in the Mad Cat was steadily becoming the face.

 Vulcan wrote:

The face of BattleTech used to be the Warhammer... and then Harmony Gold got involved.
Sigh.

And the Hammerhands took that up for a box, too.

I still prefer the Warhammer to the Atlas.

I remember sitting in a school computer lab in the year 2000 trying to win an eBay auction for a second hand Third Edition BTech box Warhammer miniature. At that point the only BTech minis I owned were the ones from the CityTech 2nd Ed box.

BrianDavion wrote:

 Vulcan wrote:

 ChaoticMind wrote:
... Snip...

The face of BattleTech used to be the Warhammer... and then Harmony Gold got involved.

Sigh.

even before HG came in the Mad Cat was steadily becoming the face.

Vulcan wrote:

 ChaoticMind wrote:
... Snip...

The face of BattleTech used to be the Warhammer... and then Harmony Gold got involved.

Sigh.

H.B.M.C. wrote:I still prefer the Warhammer to the Atlas.

I remember sitting in a school computer lab in the year 2000 trying to win an eBay auction for a second hand Third Edition BTech box Warhammer miniature. At that point the only BTech minis I owned were the ones from the CityTech 2nd Ed box.

Sorry, I'm a Battletech baby, Harmony gold and the Warhammer as the face were both history I learned from grognards second hand and didn't feel comfortable speaking with any authority on. Still, owning the Catalyst plastic version and the IIC I totally get the love.

Having them in plastic once again is very good.

The Project Phoenix metals are a bit of a bitch to put together.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Having them in plastic once again is very good.

The Project Phoenix metals are a bit of a bitch to put together.

It doesn't help when the Project Phoenix Marauder looks a lot like it.

Still, the Atlas is more unique than the Warhammer, and less likely to be confused with any anime design, much to the permanent chagrin of Harmony Gold

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Having them in plastic once again is very good.

The Project Phoenix metals are a bit of a bitch to put together.

And fething horrible, let's not forget that either. But yes... holy gak were they bad to assemble.

I've two lances of Urbies.
One Lance...two are painted like CHIPS...last two LAPD....lead by Nolan
Second Lance....NYFD
Mind you they are not gunning anything. They are just there to put out fire and prevent looting. So shooting one by a player going to cost their unit.

Element of two. Pilots Starsky has the AC20....Hutch has the Arrow IV

Yep. Largely, the Urbie is there for laughs, for funsies, for a challenge. Not to be an effective combatant.

And it really does play up the original mindset of the game. This WAS a society in decline. Lots of technology had been lost. 'Mech production was almost at a standstill. You took what you had, or could produce, because that's WHAT YOU HAD.

In many ways, the whole 'recovering lostech' thing that led to the pre-3050 technological revival overturned the whole background of the game.

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:
Target practice. As the target.

And I do not get the appeal of the UrbanMech Lance or worse, the Company. Waste of money that could have been spent on mechs that would be enjoyable to play.

It's not a waste of money if you enjoy them. They're cheap to field and you can field a company of 12 RM-69 for under 250 points in alpha strike. Lots of fun can be had when you can get them to gang up on a mech.

 Takanashi Kiwawa wrote:

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:
Target practice. As the target.

And I do not get the appeal of the UrbanMech Lance or worse, the Company. Waste of money that could have been spent on mechs that would be enjoyable to play.

It's not a waste of money if you enjoy them. They're cheap to field and you can field a company of 12 RM-69 for under 250 points in alpha strike. Lots of fun can be had when you can get them to gang up on a mech.

How many points are 12 Patton tanks?

 Vulcan wrote:

 Takanashi Kiwawa wrote:

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:
Target practice. As the target.

And I do not get the appeal of the UrbanMech Lance or worse, the Company. Waste of money that could have been spent on mechs that would be enjoyable to play.

It's not a waste of money if you enjoy them. They're cheap to field and you can field a company of 12 RM-69 for under 250 points in alpha strike. Lots of fun can be had when you can get them to gang up on a mech.

How many points are 12 Patton tanks?

336 points if you field them with the standard skill 4.

 Takanashi Kiwawa wrote:

336 points if you field them with the standard skill 4.

Or 432 with the Ultras.

Well that just makes me feel less bad about wanting to play with that wolf's dragoons box set with the expensive mechs.

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:
Target practice. As the target.

And I do not get the appeal of the UrbanMech Lance or worse, the Company. Waste of money that could have been spent on mechs that would be enjoyable to play.

my guy, the whole point of urbies is like running an all grot 40k army. they're quite incompetent in most settings and that's why you love them. Who wouldn't enjoy 12 urbanmechs taking on an atlas/warhammer/mad cat? I think you'd be hard pressed to find a battletech fan that wouldn't laugh his ass off at seeing his opponent bring them.

I currently own 44 urbanmechs in various configurations, building up to a reinforced square battalion (aka reinforced star league battalion) of 64 urbies.

The real damage dealers are the 4 armed with Arrow IVs.

That’s. A lot of any mech, let alone an Urbie. Dedication!

Indeed, the most I have of a single mech is the Thunderbolt at 4 (all different models), and I'm debating on if I should get the 5th (Jumping Eridani) before getting the Grey Death Regent Force Pack.

Though, my model count is currently 174 Mechs, 10 Protomechs, 6 Battle Armor, 6 Combat Vehicles (not including 6 DropZone Tanks I proxy in), and 4 Aerospace Fighters.

44 might be a bit much.

The 'Mech I have the most of is the Mad Cat. Got 8 of those. 9 once the Kickstarter comes in.