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Tommy

A group of Tommys

Overview[]

The Tommy is a Monovision creature in Iron Brigade. The second species of Tube encountered in the game, also introduced in the Tutorial mission, they are one of the most common components of Vladimir Farnsworth's forces. In many ways, the Tommy resembles the Resistor, but whilst the Resistor itself is a melee combatant, the Tommy fights from afar, using an energy weapon built into its tail. Like the Blitzer and Jacob, Tommies are made from the Resistor chassis.

Tommies emit a static-laden mechanical whirring sound when they exit a Conduit. Tommies traditionally use a very simple strategy - get into a position with line of sight, take aim, and fire at the objective. If for whatever reason they cannot get to the objective, they will engage targets of opportunity, such as Emplacements or your Mobile Trench. Like Blitzers, Tommies can attack in close-combat, but are bad at it, virtually never do so, and most of their offensive will be coming from their tail cannon. Though Tommies are none too durable, they can do considerable damage to an objective if allowed to stick around, making their elimination a priority.

As is the case for the Blitzer, Burst Transmitter, Jacob, and Resistor, four variants of Tommy exist. The first version is encountered during the European campaign; these are the weakest, doing the least damage and having the weakest armor. The second is the African-pattern Tommy, which has an angular head analogous to a Scarab Beetle's shell and can both deal and take considerably more damage. The third is the Pacific-pattern Tommy, which is stronger still, and has a wide, wedge-shaped head with a swept-back frill. The final one, encountered only in Rise of the Martian Bear is the Mars-pattern Tommy, which has a broad, anvil-shaped, swept-back head that gives it a notably more intimidating profile.

Tactics for Disposal[]

Like Resistors, Tommies seldom need specific tactics to deal with them; they're vulnerable to emplacements and weapons, and are really only a threat once they get into position, especially when backed by other threats. They're less durable than Resistors, but they're also a bigger threat to the objective, since their ability to shoot means they can often do much more damage if they're allowed to stick around. Once destroyed, they give a reasonable amount of Scrap.

Tactically, Tommies are best-handled by shotguns, sniper cannons, and machine guns. In groups, they're better handled with explosives. If they have a Jacob, the Jacob should, as always, be destroyed first, but other than that, they're relatively easy to destroy. Whatever you do, however, don't dawdle when it comes to destroying them, and don't let them stick around too long. If left to their own devices, they can inflict serious punishment.

Player Notes[]

  • "Tommy" is a nickname for the M1A1 Thompson, a common sub-machine gun used during World War II.
  • This tube's name is believed to also be a play on "Tomy," which was a well-known manufacturer of video game consoles in the 1960s and 1970s. This stands to reason given the Tubes' usual naming as electronics, radio, or television or component references.
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