Much of what we said about the Vulture applies as well to the Catapult. A venerable Inner
Sphere design, the Catapult is five tons heavier than the aforementioned Clan mech, with
more tons to throw into weapons and armor but less slots to fill. If you had the urge go more medium-to-short range with the vulture,
perhaps you should look to the catapult instead. Being five tons heavier, it can
take a little more damage and carry a little more armor. It also has a better
free-tons-to-weight ratio than the Vulture. The Vulture's two extra omni slots, though,
and its 360 degree torso rotation (the Catapult's is only 100 degrees) make the Clan mech
a little better suited for playing the long range game. Likewise, the Catapult is better
suited than the Vulture at closer-in fighting. Its torso has a lesser range of rotation,
but it turns faster than the Vulture's does, aiding in the more rapid targeting that can
be necessary when darting amongst enemies. The Catapult's acceleration and deceleration
values are also superior, and stopping and starting can be an important part of jockeying
for position.
The lack of slots hurts this mech; it has more tons to
distribute into weapons and armor than even the five-tons-heavier Clan Loki, but is
virtually locked into a missile weapons configuration. While it has the same number
of beam slots as the Vulture, six, the Catapult's are broken into three groups of two, not
two groups of three. This eliminates PPCs from the mix, another factor encouraging
the mech to step in just a little closer. It is totally devoid of the ability to
mount ballistic weapons, one notable drawback to its embracing the role of brawler. Still,
it's one of the more impressive Inner Sphere chassis and an overall
pleasant surprise.
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Vulture
