Apples and Oranges : a Mech Comparison by David McCallum #701548

It's not like Patrick would have you believe here at the offices of Galaxy Gathering.


We all get along.


Patrick turns a blind eye to my petty larceny and the odd confidence trick.


I, in turn, ignore the fact that he's a drunken sot with the personal hygiene of a midden at the hippy commune and the table manners of a 6 month old with an ice cream.


We both keep a weather eye on Kenneth who is gullible to the point of embarrassment and ensure he doesn't fall for the latest Illyrian banking scheme that's doing the rounds.


Any suggestion that we would segregate the office and draw battle lines based on something as petty as, say, a discussion on whether the Krampus or the Bishop is the better mech is one that is quite frankly ludicrous.


Besides which, Patrick and Kenneth are both of course wrong.

You can't make a fair comparison between the two, and I wish people would stop trying to do this type of thing. Yes, make a comparison between mechs that are the same tonnage and can therefore use the same after market parts as I have previously when comparing the Oggun and the Fides.


But in this case, not only are the mechs of different tonnage, but they belong in different weight categories.


I shall explain.


Yes, the Mecha Galaxy Technical Manual slits mechs into groupings from light through to BFM. They did, of course, get those groupings wrong. The big step change in moving from one class of mech to the next is that all important point where you can mount different shield grades on the chassis.


So in the case of the Krampus and Bishop, while the manual classifies both as being heavy mechs, the former is in fact a Gamma shield user while the latter is one of the first of the Delta chaps. Just keep this in mind as you read on.


Since we are carrying out this futile comparison to decide which is the better mech, lets start with that protection factor. Armour point wise, the Bishop does not have a huge advantage despite its larger tonnage. Perhaps it can take another shot at most.


Factor in the fact that we are talking about crystal mechs and are therefore being budget conscious, you will start of using Gamma grade shields on both, and the Krampus can mount more of them. That evens things up very nicely.


Speed wise, the throw weight of both mechs are very similair. The Krampus has more engine slots available and can utilise the smaller, more powerful Pebble Bed Reactor. When you also add in the fact that Krampus is geared to use the faster projectile weapons, it should win hands down in a quick draw.


Evasion wise, the Bishop has greater flexibility with its chassis. The thing is though, that as you start going up in tonnage, you find you have more space to add extras in, and such is the natural order of things. The same goes with the Bishops larger cockpit area.


It's another reason why comparing mechs of dissimilar tonnage is a bad idea. However that's taking me off topic.


Yes, due to the expanded cockpit facilities, the Bishop can gain a 33% increase in its targeting accuracy over the Krampus. It also gains built in weakness seeking enhancements to the A.I. that give it an even greater chance to one shot an enemy.


But the thing is, and we have touched on both reasons, that its frankly preposterous to do a comparison between the Bishop and the Krampus as to which is better is that they were designed for different jobs!


The Krampus is a main battle unit that is designed to throw munitions downrange as fast as possible and chew into rear ranks to weaken them as they deal to those in front.


The Bishop is a sniper, there to take out a mech with a single shot so as to gain superiority in numbers as soon as is practicable.


Apples and Oranges.


So which should you buy?


Both of them of course. They are both beautiful machines. These tonnage ranges mark perhaps the golden age of mech design. Krampus, Freon and Inferno are for their weight at 70 tons perhaps some of the strongest examples of their particular weapon specialty. The new Spitfire appears to have been designed in the same vein.

At 75 tons, the Bishop is also in illustrious company. The Ammonite, lauded by any veteran pilot you speak to. The Sever and the Dilophos, stone cold killers and pains in the backside to face. The only one I have heard a poor word said about is the Rook, and even then there are no pilots I have known that would not gladly have any of these 75 tonners turn up in their hanger.


The only thing you need to choose between the two, and this is a vitally important point, is where in your line is the place where you need the mech more capable of taking damage and carrying on.


While you are using only Gamma grade shields, that spot belongs to the Krampus. But at the point where you can replace even a single Gamma with the vastly superior Delta shield, then couple it with its superior dodge and slightly higher armour points, that position in the line should go to the Bishop.


That is your fulcrum, the tipping point of superiority between one and the other.


But for two mechs of differing tonnage, and what by rights should be differing weight classes, it's been a close run thing.


That's why I refuse to choose between the two... as I stated before, it's a ludicrous suggestion.


Submitted by David McCallum #701548