RFL-3N - This is the ubiquitous SNIPER. In terms of looks, in terms of stated role. Its weak armour (and, to a lesser extent, its heat problems) further cement its place on the battlefied. However, to me, it isn't so convincing in that role as it should be. Of the four guns in its arms, only two reach out to long range (18 hexes, but only LR in 3025 context). They only have 10 shots each. They can't put out a very powerful volume of fire.
Nevertheless, the design works. Apart from psychological warfare (such as it frequently being ignored in favour of more dangerous threats), it can actually cause a great amount of damage. The weaponry is there. The base 10 heat sinks make heat management a primary concern. But you can fire 3/4 of the arm weaponry without overheating. The ACs are great for its flexibility - fire both and don't move, you won't overheat. Once you move, you may actually not want to fire both ACs (because of A) ammo management and B) consecutive turns where even a +1 to the heat scale can throw you off). If you don't move and fire both lasers while saving a single AC, you don't even hit that detrimental +8 heat!
It really is workable. However, the relatively limited range of the LL means that you have to close to make those high-heat shots count. Is that then still a SNIPER? In most of my games, the Rifleman will find itself in a line fighting position at some stages (usually in the 2nd half of the game). This is where it should act as a BRAWLER - but really can't. The heat is a problem, and so is its extremely limited armour. The back is covered in paper. And so is, unfortunately, the head. I cannot agree with a 60-tonner carrying only 6 points of armour in the head. The legs can't handle kicks, and....you get the picture.
I love the Rifleman, but it really does very poorly in any sort of melee. It is by virtue of what it *cannot* do, that it takes up the role of a SNIPER. Fortunately, it is just up to scratch in at least that role. It is in fact a very weak SNIPER with a great secondary array.
Master of none, yet jack of very little, the Rifleman is an idiosyncratic mech that in order to use successfully, you really have to become emotionally attached to. However, once you do, you will realise that it is not half as bad as many nay-sayers argue.
RFL-3C - right, the Davions love their Rifleman and the Davions love their ACs. What was a logical step? To mount bigger cannons on the Rifleman!
They simply removed the LL to do so. This is actually not a half-bad solution. The guns are very meaningful. Unfortunately the range decreases. This is no SNIPER anymore.
Does it work as a BRAWLER? Unfortunately: no.
You see, after exchanging the ACs, the removal of the LL only allowed for two extra tons of additional equipment. That is simply too little.
The additional ammo still only brings up the endurance to the same old 10 turns, but now without the agreeable backup from said LL. The addition of a ton of armour is certainly very welcome (bringing up the legs to match the arms, ooo-rah, and finally armouring the head to its max), but does not suffice to allow the Rifleman to enter any sort of melee.
So what is this? I know not. You tell me!
Which brings me to an interesting conclusion. Is the 3C better than the 3N? In direct comparison? Yeah, I'd say so. In the big picture, in terms of its place on the battlefield? I'd take the 3N over the 3C any day of the week!
RFL-4D - and after mounting new ACs and realising they wouldn't work, the Davions then tried to simply improve the Rifleman at any cost. The result was a Rifleman without ACs at all. The 4D exchanges the ACs for PPCs, dropping the ML for another 2 additional HS.
Unfortunately, this is before the advent of DHS. With 15 heat sinks, it can't come close to alpha striking.
To cut this short: I don't like it much. It can work as both a SNIPER (2 PPCs - 1 PPC - 2 PPCs - etc) and in a pinch as a BRAWLER. However, it is going to look poor in both roles. There are other designs out there that pull of the dual-PPC shtick much more convincingly (I'm not going to stoop so low as to point them out). And if you're really going to use this as a line mech, remember that it'll "only" add 2 LL to your force - something that the Ost mechs of the same weight do in a manner that is A) quicker, B) better protected (the 4D has to make do with the same miserable 7.5 tons of armour) and C) more flexibly (they all have at least 2 additional ML facing the front). So how is this justified as anything other than an interesting historical foot-note that would lead up to the halfway decent RFL-5D of 3050?
There you go. Once again, I put my weight behind the base model. With the exception of the Orion, this is looking like a trend, isn't it? But I for one am glad - I feel that this is the way it should be, the base model being the most attractive buy with the others merely catering to specific flavours of the customer!
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