Always the same kind of idiot, isn’t it?

Appian’s sun fought to break through the storm filled sky, flickering shafts of light split the pelting rain like laser fire as I brought Blondie to an easy stop under the cover of a sprawling Belten tree. They were out there somewhere, a Lance of miscreants, misfits, and pirates traipsing through the quagmire forming in the broken plains. It was a beautiful place, in the right season. A vast web of splintering canyons with meandering rivers and mountain tops that spread as far as the eye could see.

Come Summer though, or what passed for it at least, and it was little more than a rain trap just waiting for someone to try it. The 3rd, and the Marshalry, knew better. This was no place for man, let alone ‘Mechs, when the sky dropped out. But Pirates?

They never learned to check a map, let alone an almanac, not once. Maybe they didn’t care to, when it all came down to it. Whether it was here on Appian, in the wandering forests on Herotitus, the Caldera Plains on Independence, or the most lamentable bit of dirt on any other world, half of them’d find the worst spot to touch down and make it your problem to come get them in whatever mess they’d made.

They never got any better, most of them never got the chance, but we certainly did.

The actuators in my Marshal’s hands flexed and whined as I opened and closed them in the way only a new machine ever does. A pleased hum rang in my throat as I passed an appeased eye over the gleaming aperture of the snub-nosed cannon that adorned the ‘Mech’s forearm before glancing over my shoulder to the rest of my Lance.

Good, Bad, and Ugly landed at my side on well worn, sputtering jump jets as the trio of MHL-2Ls managed to catch up. The Triplets were good, if fresh, and plenty stubborn for the job but a new instructor couldn’t ask for a better bunch of trainees.

“Marshal, something wrong?” Derry asked, his voice a grunt of concerted effort as his Marshal fought its way free of the mud with Cullum and Dani only a few strides behind.

“No, Deputy.” My Tartrac C hissed as I tuned it to cut past the air’s building static before turning my eyes from the trio back to the windswept crags ahead of us. “Waiting for you three to catch up, and for our quarry to show their hand.”

“Nothing from the 3rd?” Dani’s voice danced on the line as she bobbed in place like a nervous boxer. Her ‘Mechs always bounced when she walked, had been since she’d taken a seat in an actual cockpit a few weeks ago.

“Not since this front rolled in.” A flash of distant lightning split the sky, the clap of its wake rolling past us alongside a rueful laugh that burbled from my throat as I scanned the horizon and continued. “Tisha don’t like flying in the rain if she can help it. Says it ‘upsets Ronson’s nav systems’, pretty sure she just don’t like the turbulence.”

“So we’re just out here… wandering until we find contact?” Cullum grumbled, his ‘Mech crossing its arms with what almost looked like a huff. “Doesn’t seem particularly efficient, Marshal.”

“Pirate hunting never is. We’re not here to be efficient, Deputy, we’re here to be effective.” Blondie’s Magna 200 hummed in her guts deep beneath me as I pushed her out from under the tree’s cover and into the roaring wind and rain.

“There’s a difference?” The young man grunted, his Marshal an arms length to my right as we soldiered through the rain towards the nearest canyon side.

“There is.” I nodded, expanding Blondie’s sensor sweep; it’d play hell on the accuracy but if we could find any evidence of a reactor signature to track a bearing on then we’d be in business. “Efficient is the houses picking which worlds to ignore so they can push a border another few light years. Efficient is abandoning a small town to save another because its got bigger factories. It’s the calculus of the Sphere, Deputy. The math of the Houses and the Clans as they chase their honor and expansion. It’s choosing numbers over the people you’re meant to protect.”

“And effectiveness?” Dani chimed, the woman all but floating across the mud and flowing rivulets around us.

“Effectiveness,” I started, a smile splitting my face at the sight of the rain abating, sending a new spear of light bursting through the clouds. Blondie howled, my ‘Mech spinning in a pirouette across the canyon before us on a pillar of screaming plasma, “is getting the job done no matter the hand you’re dealt.”

“I feel like that’s still not mutually exclusive, Marshal.” Cullum grunted, his Marshal coming down on unsteady feet a few meters ahead of me.

“They don’t have to be, Son. But some things still need doing, even when it’s not the most efficient path. People need protected,” I replied, watching the other two leap over the gap as Blondie’s sensors chirped a warning about a reactor startup in the canyon below, “and we're the ones to do it.”

— Marshal Kieran Stoudenmire, Fronc Reaches, Colonial Marshal Marshal MHL-6FR Pilot. Appian Fronc Reaches, December 18th 3142.

—

Howdy ‘Mechwarriors and welcome back to another ‘Mech Overview! This week all of my begging to Jack has paid off and I get to review my favorite boy, the Marshal! Now, usually we only do plastic models but I have been an absolute pain about being allowed to review specifically this metal because of how much I love it. So we’re taking a break from our usual plastic death march to traipse through the world of chipped metal and super glue.

THAT'S RIGHT FUCKERS, IT'S FRONC TIME.

Now, I usually don’t get too much into the history of a given machine but I am, afterall, Fronc’s Strongest Marshal and am legally obligated to talk about this one. The Force Marshal would knock my ass down to the Curiassiers if I didn’t, if I’m honest.

The Marshal is a true blue 55 ton trooper with its origin coming shortly after the Treaty of Taurus between the Canopans and Taurians was signed and established the NCR, or New Colony Region; not the bear and bull one. Given a few years this new region would eventually break away to become the Fronc Reaches; after some hijinks of kidnapping Magistrex Emma Centrella and Protector Jeffrey Calderon that would result in Calderon’s death at the hands of the Capellans who came to rescue them. In the coming years the Fronc Reaches would blossom into a home for all who drift from the sphere’s many wars looking for refuge and safe harbor to put down their roots.

In 3059 Taurus Territorial Industries was contracted by Jeffrey Calderon, before the Capellans killed him trying to free him and the Magistrex, to create a ‘Mech meant to supply the new Colonial Marshals of the NCR with the excess production being funneled into the Taurain defense force. The design was a no-nonsense do it all generalist meant to serve the Marshalry as best as the burgeoning Taurian industrial base of the time could manage with little reliance on ammunition and an emphasis on a primarily energy based loadout. The design has served with distinction all the way into the IlClan era where its fistful of variants continue to be the mainstay ‘Mech given to Marshals of all stripes.

Honestly if you haven’t looked into the Fronc Reaches and are looking for a Periphery nation with cool cowboy vibes, who gives a fuck about it's people, and a humanitarian record that doesn't include a penchant for nuking everything they don't like, I'd highly suggest giving them an eye. Granted I might be biased, all things considered. Now, with my mandatory Froncian spiel out of the way let’s get on with it.

Long Live the Reaches!

Colonial Marshals Marshal MHL-X1, Credit: Liberty

Variant

These mechs have all been reviewed based on a standard F through S scale, which you can find described on our landing page here (along with all of our other ‘Mech reviews, the name of the box you can buy to get any of the mechs we have covered, and our general methodology).

MHL-X1

This is the original Marshal born of Calderon’s design request put into Taurus Territorial that has lasted from ‘59 all the way into the IlClan, somewhat surprisingly. It's an alright enough trooper Medium for its time. 97% of the possible armor load clads a 4/6/4 55 ton chassis which gives it, and every other Marshal except for one, a profile of 18 on each arm, 20 on the side torsos, 24 on the legs, and 26 on the CT. In the rear we’ve got a pretty normal for tonnage and purpose 6/8/6 profile that provides acceptable protection from any Large Lasers or MPLs that those perfidious pirates may try to sneak into your rear arcs.

Weaponry wise we’ve got a Large Laser in the right arm, a Medium Laser in the left, a pair of machine guns in the left torso, a flamer in the CT, and an LRM 5 paired up to an MPL in the Right torso! There is un-CASEd ammo in here, a half ton of MG in the left torso and a ton of LRM in the right, but for 1,163 BV I can accept some risk on that front. This is more than enough to last and, if I’m honest, that LRM ammo is far more utilitarian than anything else, I’ve heard of plenty of Marshals who use them for smoke or incendiary charges to uproot their quarry when they need to.

As a generalist though we’ve got it all, anti-’Mech weapons, anti-infantry rippers, utility picks, it’s pretty cherry for the Marshals and bang on what they needed. I don’t know that this loadout translates terribly great to the table top but that price for this armor on its own is a good start to buying favor. In a world where you’ve got some pirate CI trying to knock over the local town though this thing will shred and have a blast doing it.

With 18 single heat sinks the X1 is doing an alright job at heat management, going up 2+ movement on an alpha strike. There’s a few paths to dropping that that really boil down to the fact that the range bands only kinda ever range up. Past 3 hexes you’re only going up 1 heat and within 3 you’re going up 2 which is more than manageable!

Ol’ Calderon there seems like a good pardner… shame we got him killed.

Liberty’s Rating: C-. It’s a cheap trooper with usable enough guns, good armor, and a decent blurb of utility. I love he and I really should use him more. Or I would if his brothers didn’t exist.

MHL-2L

X1++

The 2L takes an X1 and makes one big change: Double Heat sinks. Shaving 7 tons of heat sinks off to drop to 11 Doubles has bought this variant a lot of tonnage to play with, tonnage it used quite well. The weapons load is almost exactly the same but for one difference: that LRM 5 grew up into an LRM 15 with 3 tons of ammo.

This gives it a lot of armor and I really would’ve liked some CASE on the bomb but for 1,313 BV I can still only be so mad at something like this. It’s like a real weird Griffin with good heat management. Interestingly, due to the Colonial Marshal’s desire for longevity afield for Pirate hunts, the 2L still has 24 shots of LRM ammo for the 15. This is, for a normal game, too fucking much but does give the flexibility to load oddball ammos. I’ve heard the Marshals on Herotitus like taking a ton of direct fires, a ton of smokes, and a ton of thunders or incendiaries depending on where they’re going hunting!

On an alpha it goes up 1+ movement and puts some alright fire down range to do it. This is, once again, manageable heat and more than happy to get stuck in as a lineman in whatever skirmish you’ve managed to get yourself into either dumping short range fire into targets or off-boring the LRM at something across the way when it gets the right shot.

Liberty’s Rating: C+. It fixes the primary problem of the X1 by giving it another good hitter in that -15 pack which is good. I’ve used this one a few times and its never disappointed me for the price I paid for it, just do what you can to keep the bin from popping and she’ll, mostly, be right. With the playtest ammo changes the 2L, and X1 before it, become far more survivable which makes me immensely happy!

Wrong end of the Sphere, Bear Boy. Credit, Liberty.

MHL-3MC

FORCE MARSHAL? WHY IS THERE A MICROWAVE ON THIS ONE? NO I TOLD YOU IN MY EARLIER REPORTS THAT THEY’RE BAD. NO THAT WASN’T A FUCKING SUGGESTION TO HAVE THE CANOPANS MOUNT ONE. HOW DID YOU GET THAT FROM ‘I HATE TSEMPS, THESE THINGS SUCK’???

Ok, I’ll be honest, in the field of the Marshalry things like TSEMPs are pretty sick. Being able to lock down a pirate like that is invaluable to the survival of a Marshal and I’ve heard the boys on Independence love this variant near as much as the rest of us love the 6FR.

The 3MC is an edit of the 2L and stands as a Canopan upgrade package that strips out the large laser and LRM to mount up a TSEMP and an MML-9 with 3 tons of ammunition. Otherwise it still retains the lasers, MGs, and flamer as well as the 11 Double Heat sinks. This isn’t a bad basic idea of a loadout, though it does drive a 3+ movement heat build on an alpha, which can be mitigated some by dropping the flamer to make it just movement. My issue is just that I really don’t like TSEMP Cannons and I hate even more that it makes the 3MC cost 1,714 BV when this exact loadout with like… an ERLL or something would be far cheaper and a lot more usable on the tabletop. At 6 tons for the TSEMP there’s a few funny things that could’ve gone here but I suppose this is what we’ve got so it's a hand we'll just have to play.

Gotta admit that this thing absolutely fucks on pirates, conceptually in universe I mean. I can imagine the horror on a pirate king’s face as his Banshee shuts off, topples to the floor and he stares up at the approaching menace that spells his doom.

Goes hard, in fiction at least…

Liberty’s Rating: D. TSEMPs man… god they’re so expensive.

MHL-6MC

The Canopan Remix!

The 6MC is the Canopus specific build variant that they started manufacturing on Detroit so they could supply themselves, and the Reaches, with some new and up to date ‘Mechs! Packing 10 double heat sinks and a Light Engine it uses its extra free weight to tote in a fun, Jihad chic, weapons array to service the Colonial Marshal’s needs!

The left arm packs a Light PPC while the right holds a Plasma Rifle and three tons of reloads. The missile launcher is now an MML-9 with 2 tons of reloads, the reliable old MPL, and the Machine guns are now two LMGs in an array! The Flamer is gone which… is fine, honestly. An Alpha strike with this loadout, which is certainly on the menu with this loadout, sends you up 4+movement.

This is a bit much but the jump jets are there to get you out of a stick situation if you beef it up a bit so there’s that at least. In reality you build movement heat if the MPL doesn’t talk and movement -1 if the Light PPC doesn’t. Every now and then you drop the both of them and just hit your problem with a Plasma Rifle and an MML-9, like an overgrown Calliope, and then go back on your merry Marshaling way!

For 1,467 BV I really do like this thing and find myself taking it out as a second in Megamek games to just tool about and act as the funny support piece it wants to be!

Liberty’s Rating: B-. I love a competent, useful trooper and this sure is one. Plasma Rifles are rad and so are MMLs!

The Force Marshal Commands, the Marshalry Executes. Credit, Liberty.

MHL-6FR

YOU KNOW HIM, YOU LOVE HIM, IT’S MARSHAAAAAAAL SIIIIIIXXXX F RRRRRRRRRRR!!! THE CREM DE-LA CREM. THE MARSHAL HUMMONGUS. THE AYATOLAH OF ROCK-AND-ROLLAH. THE A1 MARSHAL OF THE WASTES. THE BADDEST BITCH THE PERIPHERY EVER DID SAW.

I fucking adore this Machine. This is the Kirkland brand Vapor Eagle that was explicitly designed and requested by the Marshalry for their job and it’s a near perfect bastard of a mobile line trooper. It is so near perfect a bastard that the first time I found one and put it to the table Peri looked me in the face and asked if it was a custom because it was that fucking rude, and also because at the time they weren’t on Flech’s so I had to import them so it said CUSTOM on the top in big letters.

They did not believe me until I showed them it on MUL.

Now, I do actually have an issue with the 6FR: For nearly the entire time it has existed it has been a Fronc exclusive machine until the IlClan when it randomly pops up on the Concordat’s Avail, for no fucking reason. The Reaches don’t get any fun toys in this trade, just lose a little of their identity. You might think it’s because the Taurians built them but I’d contest that due to the fact that the book, The Marshal Way, says it’s built on Detroit.

I also have opinions on that book but that’s besides the point of this. I’ll simply say it’s… I'm not a big fan of it and leave it at that.

So, what about the ‘Mech? Why is this the Kirkland brand Vapor Eagle?

Simple: Improved Jump Jets, pulse lasers, and a damned good primary weapon paired with a dirt cheap price. As well it beefs the armor up that last little bit to get to a full 100% which is great. The Light engine it’s powered by lets it lose a side torso and not give a fuck as it continues to bully you until you make it stop.

This thing is a menace, packing a Snub-nose PPC in the right arm, a three pack of Medium X-pulse lasers in the left torso and a 4/6/6 movement profile it is always where it wants to be. I don’t usually like all jump all the time ‘Mechs but this thing is an exception. I have had them single handedly turn the tide by being hard to hit, and taking the hits it does eat on the chin. It hunts lights, it beats other mediums to death, bullies heavies, and bothers assaults all the same.

The 15 Double Heat sinks it carries do an honestly astounding job of keeping it cool as firing off the MXPLs and the Snub only builds one heat when jumping which is awesome. It can go for 8 rounds before it notices the heat, at which point it ditches the snub, bonks you with a pack of MXPLs and then goes right back to what it was doing to annoy you to death. Oh also there’s an emotional support Flamer in the head for heating up ration packs and roasting pirates that fucked around a little too close to the dude with the contained sun.

So, what are you gonna pay for the Reaches’ world beater? Their big fucking pirate obliteration engine? The device designed to hunt shitty assholes across the surface of whatever world it's stationed on? Their machine meant to kill near abouts anything it’s pointed at with glee and resplendent brutality? That world beater?

1,429 BV. That’s it.

The Force Marshal know’s what they’re fucking doing and I love them for it.

Liberty’s Rating: S-. Fucking contest me about it all you want but two of these things is incredibly affordable and they will be game warping enough that other experienced players will tell you that you need to warn them if you’re bringing more than one. I fucking love this thing and will not apologize for it, take it up with my snub-nose, pirate.

The 1st Expeditionary Marshals Round, Credit: Ascii Squid as Commissioned by Liberty

Final Thoughts

I. Fucking. Love. The. Marshal.

This thing is awesome and honestly, even the X1, is never something I’m upset about having. Sure I’d rather they were all the 6FR but they simply can’t be and that’s fine! This thing is a symbol of my favorite faction and it makes me incredibly happy any time I look at the lance of them sitting on the Marshals section of my model stowage.

The only thing I feel we’re missing is an SRM variant, and maybe an EWAR/Spotter variant meant to support things like the 6MC or 6FR in a fight. I like the idea of the Cowboy and his deputy pairing that help keep each other alive, it’d be a good dynamic that I might have to explore in some customs some time. Otherwise I don’t got much!

A lot of people talk about the Periphery as if it’s a land of… backwards savages. A place full of miscreants, pirates, neredowells, and wanton violence; and in some places it certainly is. People who can’t get it together for the life of them and for whom the height of military development is a truck with a .50 on the roof and yet… and yet we have the Marshal, and its cousin the Merlin amongst countless other Periphery machines fielding more and more advanced pieces of equipment.

Funny enough Merlin and Marshal pilots have a bit of a rivalry going between them about their platforms. A rivalry which the Marshals are fiercely opinionated on. In the end, despite my love of the Marshal, they’re not terribly different, if I’m honest. There ain’t much you can do with 60 tons you can’t manage with 55. But with this I want to throw my hat into the ring of this decades, going on centuries, old debate: the Merlin is a fine ‘Mech with several a good variant, the D and E are astounding budget line heavies that do their jobs with valor and steadfast reliability while the C and T are horrid machines that hate all before them. But the Marshal didn’t need clan tech or a rebuild from the Fed Suns to reach its true potential.

The Marshal was built into its zenith point with Periphery Grit, intelligence, and determination. It got there without a hand from the Sphere or the tech of the Clans, it just needed common people doing their best to make sure they could get by in an angry, dangerous world.

And that’s pretty fuckin’ cool.

Until next time! Fair weather, good seas, and happy pirate hunting! Lord knows every world in the Sphere could use some more.

Long Live the Reaches! To Hell - And Hang 'Em High.

Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.