The first two ‘Mechs released in the first issues were subsequently canonised. They were the Flea (StarDate 3/1) and the Longbow (3/2). After that, vehicles and AeroSpace units were the main content. There were others. Seven UltraLights were created, as was the infamous Hedgehog Tripod. Effectively, they left little room for canonisation. However, there was one other ‘Mech that was a little more conventional. And that ‘Mech made it through, at a *much* later date: the Pillager.
Originally released in TRO: 3058, one wonders whether the author revisited his StarDate magazines when creating the Longbow-7Q (it is the variant of the -0W, as originally described in 3/2). In any case, I challenge anyone to question the Pillager’s origins:
This is the first paragraph of the original entry in 3058:
The success of its Victor design led HildCo Interplanetary to develop a larger version of that BattleMech for city assaults and defense, either standing alone or part of a lance. That ‘Mech was the Pillager. Built during the Reunification War, the Pillager enjoyed great success with the SLDF and helped turn the tide of that conflict in the Star League’s favor….
Now go and compare this to StarDrive 3/5’s write-up of the Pillager PLG-1N, courtesy of my little page. Have a look at the RS at the same time, too!
Here you can see the first published (anywhere) alternative to the AS-7D Atlas. There are certainly quite some similarities in the short range weaponry. Apart from that, the rest of the designs are quite different. In lieu of the LRMs and a bunch of heat sinks, the Pillager mounts jump jets – but only two of them. Clearly, it is more of a defensive than offensive feature. It also carries less armour and yet places more of that on its rear than the Atlas. This is a feature not retained by the PLG-3Z of 3058, but it speaks volumes about the Pillager’s original intended mission: to go/run/jump into the midst of enemy formations (you know, Lances, Battalions…) and wreak havoc of the terminal type. For this endeavour, its last notable difference from the Atlas is the small matter of a second AC20.
Issue 3/5 of StarDate was released in 1987 - a year, or at least several months, before TRO: 2750. Thus, the Pillager was the first printed dual AC-20 ‘Mech there was.
To make this short: the Pillager, in its original form, was sub-par. What worked for HildCo with the Victor is not such a grand idea in its 100-ton form: a movement of 3/5/2 is simply too slow for a weapon suite that does not reach out further than 9 hexes.
On top of that, the Pillager is only supplied with enough heat sinks to fire its two main guns. The two extra MLs in the arms are really only there for pot-shots that are too difficult to risk one of the cannons’ ten shots or for telling strikes in a pinch. And while the SRMs can be fired without really causing excess heat, a 4-shot launcher isn’t exactly brilliant as crit-seeking follow-up to the 1-2 punch of the cannons.
Finally, the armour has a few flaws. While 16 tons is still more than anything in TRO: 3025 apart from the Atlas, it does not have the same aura of invincibility as that ‘Mech. It is no weakness per se, but the strangely huge amount on the CT rear and the weak armour on the side torsos is suboptimal. [I allocated the extra armour on the Matchmaker myself, to rectify that deficit – it wasn’t specified in the write-up. I sent the HMPro files to Rick some time ago, so hopefully this layout will become standard.]
Speaking of the Matchmaker: the variant is not all that different. Since the introduction of TW, its flamers have had a new function in slaughtering PBI. And that ton of armour – coupled with the absence of ammo in the CT – goes a long way in making the ‘Mech as tough as it should be.
Yet its ranged combat options have become even poorer, its heat issues are somewhat more pronounced, and tell me: what exactly is a “Matchmaker”?
As it is, the monster's description suits the actual design quite well. It is neither flexible nor worthy of being a command 'Mech. The description of its communications suite - "With few exceptions, the Opus III communications system and MaLandry 34C targeting system have worked very well, keeping the Mech Warrior well-informed and in touch with the battlefield environment surrounding him." - is far from a ringing endorsement. The Atlas has a satellite uplink. The Pillager is content merely being able to communicate with its lancemates! No, definitely not a challenge to the Atlas' Throne of most fearsome command 'Mech.
So there you go, here are the roots of the Pillager. The ‘Mech that is now one of the most feared ranged combatant (especially in its stealth versions) started its life as a close combat monster that could not be equalled in sheer force in the days of “lvl 1”. Taken as face value (ie incorporated into our knowledge of the canon universe), this gives a solution to the short timespan between the Gauss Rifle's invention and the Reunification War's end - the Pillager originally did not mount Gauss weapons.
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