Jump to content

Warhammer Blueprint And Lore: Story Of The Black Widow


19 replies to this topic

#1 InnerSphereNews

    Member

  • Developer
  • Developer
  • 2,773 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 04:06 PM



Ducal Palace

Alpha Continent, Le Blanc
Draconis March, Federated Suns
11 October 3026

“Hey Web-Head!”

Across the open comms frequency, the arrogant words slapped Natasha Kerensky like a sucker-punch to the gut. For a long, frozen moment, the tableau remained fixed in her vision, disbelief laser-etching it on her awareness.

The palace garden’s beautiful fall colors clashed against the horror of the unfolding trap. The brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows of foliage scattered across the three long paths that wound through the gardens. Behind her, fallen blocks of broken wall attested to the improvised entrance into the large palace compound her Warhammer’s powerful kick had created. The reflecting pools thrashed with the violence of enemy BattleMechs—four of them, lights to mediums—rising from their depths like krakens from a cheesy horror vid.

And behind her, through the gaping wound of that wall…

Her fingers paled to corpse-white and creaked around her joysticks as the strain of her rage threatened to overwhelm. Her eyes locked on the rear portion of her BattleMech’s viewscreen.

Framed in the gap, as though pausing for a military recruitment poster, stood a bright emerald Marauder, a large C-bill painted on the center of its chest. Its arm-weapon pods aimed deadly with intent, and behind the heavy ’Mech approached two similarly painted Shadow Hawks.

Her volatile rage flashed to incandescence, every thought but revenge washing away even the needs of this raid. Natasha clenched her teeth to open up the general frequency as she stomped her right pedal and massaged the throttle forward for a quick spin. Confident her lancemates would make quick work of the four enemy BattleMechs inside the walls, she maneuvered to protect her vulnerable rear while bringing her weapons to bear as quickly as possible.

“It’s you and me, Bounty Hunter!” Natasha yelled. “You robbed me, damn your hide! It’s you and me!”

Her opponent, sheathed in his own arrogance of skill, superior numbers, and their sprung trap, waited for her to turn.

Knowing how quickly her ’Mech could overheat, she belayed the use of her paired Donal Particle Projector Cannons. Instead, as her targeting reticule flashed gold with a lock, she squeezed the trigger for her secondary targeting interlock. Twin medium lasers, a single PPC, and a spiral of six short-range missiles fired at the target.

Her vision flashed white alongside her rage as the Bounty Hunter raised his weapon pods to take the damage, as though saying taking your best shot; armor slagged and exploded from across the ’Mech’s torso and arms. The bright flashes and smoke of the impacts momentarily obscured the BattleMech before a slight breeze whisked it away to show the Marauder’s twin pods once more aimed, flashing azure bolts of manmade lightning back at her.

Her ’Mech. The double-damned Bounty Hunter had defeated her twelve years ago … stole her Marauder … and now he was using it against her!

Her Warhammer bucked against the maelstrom as more than a ton of armor vaporized in return for her damage. But she was the Black Widow, and the Bounty Hunter would learn what that meant this day!

WARHAMMER “BLACK WIDOW”

A procurement officer requested a "...mobile ’Mech with enough firepower to destroy or severely damage any ’Mech of the same class or lower.” When the final BattleMech rolled off the StarCorps Industries assembly line, the Warhammer fit the bill well, quickly becoming a mainstay in the Star League Defense Force. Its superb balance of armor, weapons, and speed made it extremely popular with Star League Gunslingers as well. Ultimately the Warhammer clinched its place as one of the most successful heavy BattleMechs ever produced.

Friends and foe alike have called Natasha Kerensky “the Black Widow,” “the First Lady of Death,” “the Queen of Spades,” and other names far less flattering. Yet whenever she and her black-and-red Warhammer stalk any battlefield, panic, chaos, and defeat follow in her wake. Natasha leads the Black Widow Company—an independent command within the mighty Wolf’s Dragoons—and her MechWarriors would storm the gates of hell at her side.

Across six and a half centuries of BattleMech conflict, no name has been more sensationalized, demonized, feared, or respected than the Black Widow.

Written by Randall Neil Bills
Catalyst Game Labs



WARHAMMER ORTHOGRAPHIC





#2 Domenoth

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Bridesmaid
  • 461 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 04:13 PM

Very nice. Love the fiction.

Edit:
Blueprint aint bad either.

Edited by Domenoth, 16 November 2015 - 04:14 PM.


#3 MechLord71

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • The Widow Maker
  • The Widow Maker
  • 160 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 04:42 PM

Love the blueprint! This mech is my long awaited favorite heavy! Hope the in-game Warhammer lives up to this.

#4 process

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Star Colonel II
  • Star Colonel II
  • 1,667 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 04:49 PM

As much as I like the Catalyst redesign, this version better captures the relatively slight arms of the original, like a scrawly kid wearing a puffy vest.

#5 Sereglach

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Fire
  • Fire
  • 1,563 posts
  • LocationWherever things are burning.

Posted 16 November 2015 - 04:51 PM

Looks great. It appears as though the Warhammer will have only a modestly larger silhouette than the Rifleman, with most of it from the arms and missile pod. Of course that means if you remove the SRM/6 your silhouette will be even smaller, still.

So, not only does it look good, but it will probably be a solid mech in MWO, as well.

#6 serpentdaddy13

    Member

  • Pip
  • The Widow Maker
  • The Widow Maker
  • 16 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 05:02 PM

Can't it be January 19th already?

#7 Hollow Earth

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Big Brother
  • Big Brother
  • 300 posts
  • LocationIntergalactic House of Pancakes

Posted 16 November 2015 - 06:24 PM

Well it's head reminded me of the Kintaro, which i think has a very Japanese design style. (not a problem, considering the Warhammers's origins) overall i love it. the missile pod look great. the spotlight does not look like a microwave oven on a stick. (which was very oversized. looks like it would be the first thing to be shot off.

Though the arms should have a cylinder or something protruding from the rear of the PPC arm or better yet, have the arms and shoulders look like the ones from this:
Posted Image
Broad with right angles make it look more menacing
Still, Can't wait to shoot down some clanner lokis with this bad boy!

Also i love these short stories of the Hero mechs. I bet Bounty Hunter's story will be released at the Marauder launch day.

Edited by Hollow Earth, 16 November 2015 - 06:27 PM.


#8 Prussian Havoc

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Galaxy Commander III
  • Galaxy Commander III
  • 1,066 posts
  • LocationShenandoah, PA

Posted 16 November 2015 - 06:32 PM

Excellent offering on a very iconic Mech...

...almost enough to to get me to shell out additional ducets for this round of UnseenReseens!

Great effort, keep up the good work PGI!

#9 Jody Von Jedi

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Hammer
  • The Hammer
  • 1,551 posts
  • LocationNorth Carolina

Posted 16 November 2015 - 07:21 PM

Excellent back story. These get better with each new release.

#10 CtrlAltWheee

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Merciless
  • The Merciless
  • 610 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 08:24 PM

View PostJody Von Jedi, on 16 November 2015 - 07:21 PM, said:

Excellent back story. These get better with each new release.


Yea the lore is fun. Cheers to PGI for doing these.

#11 Steel Raven

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 1,367 posts

Posted 16 November 2015 - 10:45 PM

Love the story, the at as well.

#12 Arkhangel

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Mercenary Rank 2
  • Mercenary Rank 2
  • 1,181 posts
  • LocationBritish Columbia

Posted 16 November 2015 - 11:53 PM

also should love the fact this exact fight can happen on the field come january. Black Widows vs Bounty Hunters.

#13 fierymountain

    Member

  • Pip
  • The Ironclad
  • 19 posts

Posted 17 November 2015 - 12:06 AM

It's highly probable that the Warhammer will have the similar torso as the Hellbringer with maybe a narrower waist....

As to the stories, I remembered all the original Battletech Technical Readouts has a short story for each of the mechs listed.

#14 Svarn Lornon

    Member

  • PipPipPip
  • Shredder
  • Shredder
  • 93 posts

Posted 17 November 2015 - 04:33 AM

View PostCtrlAltWheee, on 16 November 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:


Yea the lore is fun. Cheers to PGI for doing these.


Well, actually they seem to be from Catalys Labs, the guys releasing the Battletech Tabletop. But still nice to get them here. I kinda miss the times, when every new was was properly announced with a little story and stuff.

#15 Mechteric

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 7,308 posts
  • LocationRTP, NC

Posted 17 November 2015 - 06:40 AM

Seems there could be a typo in this story:

Quote

...Natasha clenched her teeth to open up the general frequently...

I think that was supposed to be "to open up the general frequency", since it refers to the comms system.

#16 Sparkymarkyp

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Elite Founder
  • Elite Founder
  • 187 posts

Posted 17 November 2015 - 07:27 AM

Love the blueprint. .

Wow the whammers cockpit looks massive

#17 Desintegrator

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Shredder
  • Shredder
  • 1,225 posts
  • LocationGermany

Posted 17 November 2015 - 07:36 AM

Nice blueprints ! Thanks.

#18 stVillain

    Member

  • PipPipPip
  • Veteran Founder
  • Veteran Founder
  • 83 posts
  • LocationLos Angeles

Posted 17 November 2015 - 07:48 AM

Really like the concept art. but the blueprint for in game model looks a little scrawny.

just my 2 cents (i've already bought the damn thing.) I would increase the width of the shoulder assembly from the side view. giving the shoulders armor a more box like proportion and increase the bicep tricep area to a slightly similar degree. just to give those shoulders a little more heft. I'd also add a little more booty to the backside pelvis center torso.

those to changes I think would only reinforce the burly that befits a mech like the Warhammer.

can't wait to see the mech go live in either case.

Voting for the Archer as the next Classic Battlemech.

#19 J0anna

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Merciless
  • The Merciless
  • 939 posts

Posted 22 November 2015 - 07:54 AM

This is the reason I play Battletech. The stories, the history, this is what you need PGI, the stories to make mechs personal. Thanks for the piece Randall.

#20 signal

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Bad Company
  • Bad Company
  • 105 posts

Posted 25 November 2015 - 05:07 PM

I kind of hope those arms come a bit angled like in the concept art.





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users