Instant Action version 6.0 is here. Features

>Integrated with the new Core Rulebook, slots into the Mission chapter and uses its Scanning and Objective rules
>Printer friendly layout
>Several scenarios rebalanced since 5.1

Have fun yall

https://victorypointproductions.neocities.org/PDFs/Instant_Action_6.0.pdf

In regard to the 'favorite factions/mechs/etc' questions from late last thread, I was genuinely surprised and quite happy to see how many /btg/ anons liked the FWL. Fuck yeah, Purple Burd.

>>98528960
This used to be a majority FWL thread. Dracs suddenly exploded in popularity around here a couple years ago.

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>>98529012
Whoever could be responsible for that...

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>>98528925
SEX WITH WATERLY!

Does anyone know of a good bit to replace an Unseen Griffin backpack? I have two Griffins but only one set of attaching bits. The shoulder pod and gun are easy to source similar parts but I'm having trouble with the backpack.

Should I prefer Kurita or Liao for space dragon ladies with perky breasts that tastefully braless beneath silk robes?

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>>98529069
Kurita.

I haven't been keeping up, but I heard there was some kind of major rule change recently.
What was it?

>>98529134
There was a main rulebook revision, so lots. Too many small ones to list, plus a few big ones like water totally changed, UACs don't jam, MRMs no longer suck, etc etc. Search around.

>>98529134
They made Davions illegal

>>98529134
They removed skidding. Thank god.

>>98529151
>>98529178
Wait, those actually sound like good changes, I was expecting something ala 40k 10th where the game was butchered somehow.

>>98529213
CGL hired a /btg/ user as their main rules writer.

>>98529213
I'm sure that there's changes you'll find shitty: there were tons after all and different people are getting annoyed at different things (like "cool, leg damage is not as bad" vs "this sucks, leg damage is not as bad"). Some guys actually liked UACs jamming (fucking weird to me, but whatever). But overall most of it's good for any given player, it seems. Still the same game overall. Just house rule out the shit that annoys you.

>>98529213
The amount of changes are generally in line with the amount of changes BT has gone through in previous books. It's still mostly the same, as always.

>>98529248
I know that one guy is really upset that PSRs don't get as difficult as they used to.

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>>98529302
Some of the changes I'm okay with.
Reducing kicking to -1 versus -2 means people are more likely to punch than kick.
As I recall you can spend your 'ranged weapon' phase picking up a club, and use that club in the 'physical weapon' phase now, instead of picking up a club eating up your attack phases.
Personally not too hot on how leg damage is done with less PSRs now.
Definitely don't like the new ammo explosion rules.
MRMs are better now, but some stuff got some major nerfs, i.e. Semi Guided LRMs.

>>98529346
SGLRMs were stupidly powerful before, so...

>>98529346
The ammo explosion change solves a problem that was created when they made engine sinks a thing. Designs that had very padded ammo became walking bombs as everything except that ammo suddenly turned into Roll Again results.

>>98529442
My favorite is the Crusader 5S' center torso CASE now has a function, because it can save the Crud from an ammo explosion originating there in the CT

>>98529450
With CASE you still have the full ammo explosion and everything in that structure section is still destroyed. CASE just prevents that explosion from going further inward.
So your CRD-5S still gets cored from an SRM6 Ammo explosion in it's center torso.

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>>98529486
Nope, internal damage caps at 10 now. It'll be rough but it can in theory survive the detonation.

>>98529486
Under the old rules. Under the new rules it blows out its CT(R) armor and takes 10 damage to the internal structure (with accompanying crit roll). It would take 20 without CASE.

>>98529450
Iirc they changed the construction rule for ISCASE awhile back so that it could not be mounted in the CT, and there is an updated RS for the mechs impacted.

Do you have naming themes for your mechs or pilots?

>>98529037
If 3d printing is an option there's a good stl out there of unseen Shadow Hawk parts, the missile launcher and backpack of which is shared with the unseen Griffin. Failing that, you should be able to order the Super Griffin backpack from IWM seperately from the rest of the mini if you email them a request. It could do in a pinch but it's not really very similar, and you'd want to make it part of a larger order from IWM to justify the shipping, but metal prices blah blah.
https://litter.catbox.moe/9b4co3tpg0472d2x.stl

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>>98529021
Why is she so white here? She was pretty tan in the TCG. Might be sorta... mixed? It's hard to tell. I always kinda pictured her being voiced by CCH Pounder.

>>98528925
FFS OP.

Actual Previous. >>98511101

>>98529609
Mechs and pilots? No. Mercenary companies. Of course. I've got 4 main ones.

>>98529213
They're making the piloting skill irrelevant.

>>98529679
I'm going to be honest man, I think skidding has come up maybe twice in the past ten games I played and only one of those was actually making a roll (which passed).

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>>98529021
>>98529649
Oh my Blake... Myndo Waterly was a Gyaru

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>>98529698
basedbasedbasedbased

>>98529695
Why did you think I was talking about skidding? I don't care about skidding. I always ignored that rule on roads anyway. It never made since.

>>98529302
Yeah, don't get that stance at all. You still make the standard PSRs for damage, you just don't get as many stacking mods or checks from fucked-up legs, which is fine by me. We've only just started trying the rules, but we're making more PSRs in basic play, not less, since you can walk backward downhill and make a PSR, or run through water and make a PSR (you'd PSR for water before of course, but we're actually considering going in it and getting those PSRs, where before you'd just tend to skip water if you could). Different strokes I guess.

>>98529794
Skidding is the only thing involving PSRs in the posts you replied to.

>>98529796
>Yeah, don't get that stance at all
>you just don't get as many stacking mods or checks
Sounds to me like you understand completely.
>...which is fine by me.
But you're clearly in the camp that's afraid of having your mech fall over.

>>98529822
Did you know there are other ways to roll PSRs besides having busted leg actuators? The 20+ damage roll alone comes up waaaaaay more often than having two different damaged leg actuators at the same time. And I can tell you're a dirty clanner since you don't even think about melee.

>>98529822
Sure pal

>>98529806
That wasn't me. Them making standing up easier and gyro hits having smaller penalties will be much more impactful than walking backwards downhill. I also don't like how ammo explosions only do 1 wound to a Mechwarrior now instead of 2. Wounding a Mechwarrior was already an incredibly rare thing and the the first wound might as well not even exist for how low the consciousness checks start at.
They've done all of these tiny changes across the board that add up to big changes that remove a lot of the danger that used to exist. It's cool when mechs fall down and Mechwarriors get knocked out, but since they're trying to appeal to the 40k refugees who throw a temper tantrum whenever something bad happens, they've made all that stuff all the rarer.

>>98529679
That's a good change.

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>>98529698
>>98529784
Since we know absolutely nothing about the youth culture in the Inner Sphere I choose to believe Gyarus are still at their peak somewhere.

>>98529849
Two games ago I had a three ammo chain explosion that killed a pilot. It wasn't particularly more exciting than it would have been if that pilot had taken three hits instead.

>>98529832
>The 20+ damage roll alone comes up waaaaaay more often than having two different damaged leg actuators at the same time.
Oh wow. You don't say?
No shit sherlock. How are you going to try and sound smart next, by letting us all know you can wipe your own ass? We're all very impressed with you.
> And I can tell you're a dirty clanner since you don't even think about melee.
Oh yeah, because I didn't bring up every single change that means I'm the strawman about clanners that you've been holding onto in your mind for the past 30 years. Get a grip you bum.
BTW, the change to making kicks and punches both a -1 is the single greatest rules change they've made and one that I've been in favor of since CGL first mentioned it, even when over 90% of the fags here were reeeeing about it, but I was in favor of it because it was a good change. The massive amount of other changes are not. Give it enough time and they'll just do away with Mechwarrior wounds and PSRs entirely.

>>98529849
>Wounding a Mechwarrior was already an incredibly rare thing and the the first wound might as well not even exist for how low the consciousness checks start at.
I like this change because the problem with CASE II was that if you used it as intended, it would likely lead to cascades of explosions that rendered your pilot a vegetable.

>>98529881
>Oh yeah, because I didn't bring up every single change that means I'm the strawman about clanners that you've been holding onto in your mind for the past 30 years. Get a grip you bum.
When you say that a gyro hit going from +3 to +2 and a hip going from +2 to +1 completely invalidates buying piloting upgrades, then yeah, that does make you the strawman. You see no other reason to ever increase piloting other than to avoid hip critical falls. That's lame as hell.

>>98529880
>It wasn't particularly more exciting
Bullshit. That would be awesome to have happen in a game. Why are you even playing the game if it's so boring to you?

>>98529849
Meanwhile, three fourths of my record sheets from the previous game have mechwarrior damage. Seatbelt checks (also something you want piloting skill for) are a bitch.

>>98529896
My mech's left side blowing off (CASE) and it continuing on anyway would have been more exciting than it falling over dead. There would have been more mech combat in my mech combat game.

>>98529893
>When you say that a gyro hit going from +3 to +2 and a hip going from +2 to +1
>hip going from +2 to +1
I never once mentioned hip actuators and you're claiming I did. So yes. You are in fact arguing with some figment of your imagination and not me.
>>98529897
And? A single wound means a consciousness check passes on a 3+. 1/36 odds of failure. Mechwarrior get individual wounds plenty. The wounds actually mattering is a lot more rare.

>>98529902
You're just a joyless husk. Sorry to hear that you're not capable of having fun.

>>98529932
>less mech fighting is more fun
You're the kind of person who buys microtransactions to skip gameplay.

>>98529926
Then what are you even complaining about if you aren't the guy who was previously saying reduced actuator modifiers made piloting worth less?

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>>98529877
>>98529698
>Be hot tanned blonde in youth
>Be born and raised in the Combine
This really shouldn't fit as well as it does, I don't know how to feel about this...

>>98529964
>>98529877
I have put several gyaru characters in various mercenary and kuritan warbands I've made over the years

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>Myndo Waterly was born into a humble family of plantation workers on the Green Tea Commune on the Draconis Combine world of Kuzuu. The young Myndo was a gifted student who attracted the attention of the ISF and O5P, who sponsored her education at the prestigious University of Dieron. Seemingly set for a life in the Combine intelligence services, Myndo witnessed the shooting death of a fellow student named Nicholas Simons who she had a relationship with and who was apparently involved in a minor underground movement. Directly after being released from questioning by ISF officials, Myndo entered the ComStar compound on Dieron. The driven Waterly quickly and ruthlessly ascended the ranks of the Order, attracting controversy for the speed of her promotions and her radical and militant interpretation of the writings of Jerome Blake.[1]

So what you're telling me is humanity was almost destroyed by a Gyaru because she was denied her husbando?
I wasn't expecting Yandere Gyaru in my stompy robot space opera wargame thread, but it's pretty fucking cool nonetheless.

Giving my response to >>98521620
>Favorite Great House
Probably Kurita, partly they're hilariously evil and also because I share their love of PPCs.
>Favorite Clan
I think it'd be a tie between Hell's Horses and Storm Raven. The clans' genetic phenotypes are a really interesting concept to me, and both Hell's Horse and Storm Ravens have made phenotypes specialized for non-battlemech usage (TankWarrors and Naval Commanders, respectively). I think it's cool seeing the eugenics autism be directed towards something non-mech, makes those clans look more distinct. Also Storm Raven's Khan is pretty hot, I don't blame Harrison Davion for tapping that.
>Favorite Periphery faction
In terms of the big ones? I kinda like the Outworlds Alliance, just because of the bigger periphery powers, they're the only one on the coreward side of the IS (aside from the late RWR, RIP). Also their fusion with Snow Raven is pretty neat to me.
Now if I can pick someone smaller, the Fiefdom of Randis is dope as fuck.
>Favorite Canon Character
Honestly Blake himself. The man had a hard life, and he managed to get a lot of shit done and protect Terra from the ravages of the 1st SW, as well as a significant portion of mankind's interstellar infrastructure in the form of the HPG network.
>Favorite Mech
Uziel, due to early exposure to the Mechassault 1 xbox demo as a young boy. It holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

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Huh, it's cheaper than I expected

>Grand Dragon 1G
>Scorpion 1N
>Charger 1A1
Making a drac lance, what should I choose for a 4th? My pool is a trebuchet (probably 5S) a chameleon, or Pixie Hawk 1K

For infantry, the Zeus heavy rifle is a common gun that you can find throughout the Inner Sphere, right?

>>98530262
I... huh.

That probably means its about $100-110AUD. So:
2 x Stingers
2 x Wasps
2 x Spiders
2 x Locusts
2 x Fireflys
1 x Cicada
1 x Flea
I think I got that right from the image. Not bad.
About $8 Dollarydoos per mech, I may get it but I reckon I'll probably focused on printing more mediums for my next donut steel project.

>>98530316
The Firefly is really the one that stands out to me. Why not Hornet? Or the Thorn? Something that gets around a little more?

>>98529164
wrong, the new rules make davions wet/hard.

>>98530301
I'd probably got with the Chameleon, 3/4 mechs of your lance are pretty swift so you'd want the last one to be just as fast. In my experience I've found people ignore them until it bites them in the ass. (and then has to stagger off to try and deal with the overheating, but y'know). I had one of these and a Nightsky spear through an enemy formation which was great.

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>>98530301
Panther PNT-9R, or PNT-10K, or PNT-9ALAAG

>>98530301
I'd pick the PH 1k over a stock Chameleon, but the 5S and it's double SRM6 feels very fitting for a Drac lance. So I'd say the 1K if you want a safe option and the 5S if you want to go full samurai

>>98530326
The flippant answer is probably because they don't have molds for either of those two mechs. Secondly, the Hornet hasn't gotten a redesign (podmech is pod) and a Thorn isn't a bug name.

/shrug

I agree though. I don't mind one firefly being there. I'd probably have gone 2 x fleas and 1 x firefly rather than 2 x fireflies.

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>>98530326
Hornet and thorn don't have any models made of them yet.
Nothing new is going into this pack, just existing minis.
Though I was expecting the Alpha Strike Wasp to be in here, since they've included the alternate pose for the Locust as well.
Hmmm, maybe should have included the Flea.
Since I don't think CGL is going to do another reprint of the Mercenaries box.

>>98530326
I'd rather trade them or the Spiders for another Flea and a Phoenix Hawk, since that's just an oversized bug anyways.

>>98530376
Bugmech is more of a vibe than a name. Stinger is a thing non-bugs have, and while it isn't in the box, the Phoenix Hawk is king of the bugs.

>>98530390
Flea is in there
>>98530393
>>98530403
Grasshopper should have been included then. It's an actual bug named mech

>>98530410
Grasshopper does not fit the bugmech vibe. Frankly, even the Spider is pushing it as a sort of super-bug.

>>98530410
Grasshopper hasn't got the movement profile to be a bug.

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>>98530410
Derp, my reading comprehension is shit.

Have a bug march in recompense.

>>98529609
My mercs are themed after the cowvoy movies and tv I was watching when I made them. For the Hinterlands I took the first names of characters and last names of actors who played them. I got one guy named Latigo Garner from the movie Support Your Local Gunfighter, for example. Outside of tracking pilots in campaigns I don't name them.

>>98529796
Seatbelt checks no longer being modified by critical damage means pilots will basically only ever get damage from head hits. Seriously apart from sandblasting a mech with purely cluster lbx shots, how will you ever be able to kill the pilot before just having destroyed the mech.

>>98529897
Were a bitch*
FTFY

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>>98530057
>What's your favourite Great House?
Draconis Combine. Because it was the "cool bad guy" faction when I first got into Battletech.
>What's your favourite Clan?
Jade Falcon. Not gonna lie, it's because of Nikolai Malthus in the cartoon.
>What's your favourite Periphery faction?
Fronc Reaches. Because Space Cowboys.
>Whose your favourite canon character?
Theodore Kurita, because I liked him in Heir to the Dragon.
>What's your favourite mech or vehicle?
Thunderbolt, because it is a reliable grunt mech that looks cool.

>>98530624
>>98530640
I'm still playing under TW and almost none of those seatbelt checks involved modifiers from pre-existing damage. You don't need modifiers to fail rolls.

>>98529881
>I was in favor of it because it was a good change
There's no such thing as good change. Old is always better. Admitting that change is good is the same as admitting the progressives are right, which they clearly aren't.

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>>98530430
>>98530421
Spider feels like the luxury car of bugmechs, Grasshopper is the legendary super bugmech that even Assaults fear.

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>>98530475
>When there's a crit, there's a way!

Are lasers invisible or not? If they are, do most vehicles get the same UI feature that colors them? What about infantry? Maybe it shows up in their high tech monocle?

>>98531153
Lasers are bright enough to damage unprotected eyes, and the color can be entirely customized based on the lense you use.

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>278/35BV
Well the heavy plasma is underwhelming than I thought

In a past thread, I was told that MechWarriors don't have issue with shooting down conventional fighters compared to aerospace fighters (lest they're using Riflemen and/or JagerMechs). How could a conventional fighter not fly as good as an ASF that a MechWarrior wouldn't need a D2j targeting system? I mean, what would happen if a MechWarrior found that the conventional fighter he or she was duking it out with is flying like an ASF?

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>>98531153
I understand that they all generate laser glare when hitting something, which, at the power levels we're playing with, should be enough to fry your retina.

>>98531187
>4 LRM20s
>6 LRM15s
what the fuck is that thing?

>>98531198
Anon those are rockets.

>>98531180
It's less how they fly and more that they have paper thin armor, and therefore rock bottom damage thresholds. The most famous conventional fighter, the Mechbuster, gets critical thresholded by literally any weapon in the game on three of its four facings, and anything stronger than an SRM on the front.
Also, any time any flying unit takes any damage at all in atmosphere, it has to make a control roll at +2 or dip 1d6 elevations and loses the ability to control its movement next turn. Elevation 0 is the ground, 11 is space.

>>98529649

I mean, she spent a lot of time at Hilton Head Island, and before that she spent a lot of time on Luthien, that probably just is an honest to god tan.

>>98531246
>Elevation 0 is the ground, 11 is space.
And mountains commonly exist in the 1-3 range since the easy way to do a flight map is to put down a regular mapsheet and use the hex heights as geographic heights. So losing 1d6 when you're already pretty low for an attack run is even worse. You're probably below 6 to start with.

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HONOR THE DRAGON!

>>98531177
I'm more interested what their potential bonuses are against infantry, BA and vehicles. Seems like they were getting reworked?

>>98531286
>Game Rules: In addition to its standard Damage Value of 12, a heavy plasma rifle deals 2D6 heat points to targets struck by it.
Same as regular plasma it seems

>>98531308
Regular plasma only does 1d6 of heat so potentially could be a 3d6 to targets it can't apply heat to?

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>>98531285

>>98531332
I mean plasma cannon. sorry

>>98531348
>DCMS refusing Smoke Jaguar batchall.gif

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>>98531348

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>>98531348

>>98531153
The damaging portion of the laser is unquestionably invisible. The Grey Death Legion books were incredibly clear on this. However, lasers are also deliberately projected with a visible light beam alongside which serves as a "tracer", allowing the shooter to see where their fire lands, and sometimes to see how you can walk the beam across the target.

>>98531268
>You're probably below 6 to start with.

You have to be at Altitude 4 or lower to make almost any sort of air to ground attack.

>>98531617
that's nonsensical.

>>98531617
That's sensible

>>98531249
Counterpoint:
Gyaru Waterley is funnier.

>>98531745
>Gyaru Waterley
agreed, Gyaru Waterly is now canon, because I said so.

>>98531804
If not its getting added to the GuMverse

>>98531827
GuM waverly is the gyaru woman (hag at 25 y.o.) who turns up from the official, proper, national mech leagues to teach the girls how its done, because she was originally from the kurita school.
FUND it now!

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>>98530808
>legendary super bugmech
Nothing but a silly myth, spread around by worthless bugmech pilots around their pathetic little campfires in some sad, vain attempt to give their worthless little lives any true meaning.
The truth is they're nothing but fodder for true Mechwarriors. No Bugmech could stand against a 'Mech with any real weight in it, ho ho ho!

>>98529698
Myndo being a gyaru would explain a lot, honestly.

>>98529998
Done up in couture?

>>98531611

Though does changing the mode of the laser affect its appearance? I remember reading that lasers in the franchise have to be altered if you're to use them to kill someone or something.

>>98531946
Laser lore is highly inconsistent. Something that turns up frequently is that you can power them down for welding or for just giving people second degree burns while melting their clothes into their skin. Old handheld laser lore also suggests that they can manipulate pulse length and beam duration, though switching lazing medium altogether would make more sense.

>>98528960
purple bird strong

>>98531689
Welcome to BattleTech.

What if green bird...and purple bird...combined?

>>98532067
The purple bird is the word!

>>98532176
its like the dumbshits who made the game have never heard of high altitude bombing, which was freaking perfected in ww2 with the norden bombsight, which was just optics ffs. to say nothing of the feats the b52 manages. fucks sakes, we have already worked out the HOW of killsats dropping shit from fucking orbit to waste cunts. we just don't do it because its so expensive its silly to actually do. but for BT with ASF that happily piss off into space and back at will, that shit would be ez pz. hel, you could even have a 'conrol ship' in higher (slower) orbit double checking the orbits and math for a bomb run. especially since a fortress or overlord dropship on the ground whilst the mechs etc inside marshal to deploy would be an exceedingly tempting target for such a strike.

>>98532220
Anon the original lore for why weapons had extra range in the air was due to air friction having a cooling effect. When going supersonic. I don't think physics is their specialty.

come to think of it, why the fuck isn't there a union II or III that has 12 proper doors so it can do a quick land, pop its mechs out and dust the fuck off instead of sitting around being a giant vulnerable target begging to be smashed? or an anodyne with 12 doors so it can do a low, slow flyby non-landing and have its mechs gtfo and land on their jets etc so again, it never has to actually fucking land and can get the fuck out of dodge instead?

>>98532193
It would be a hard pill for the IS to swallow.

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>>98532220
Is 'mech game, not air game

>>98532244
the what in the ?

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>>98532247
>an anodyne with 12 doors so it can do a low, slow flyby non-landing and have its mechs gtfo and land on their jets etc so again
Technically the Triumph can do that although that is thanks to massive ass doors.
>>98532251
Its a statement about LAMs but still raises questions of what bullshit they were thinking at the time?

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>>98528925
Is the hate for lams unfounded or totally justified? I like the models a lot and the IO rules look interesing enough to try. I hear bad things but my only frame of reference are 50 year old grogs who are still upset about the introduction of the clans.

>>98532362
The rules are kinda annoying, and racking up unhittable TMMs is really unpleasant to play against.

>>98532193
Since the purple birds love the Orion, it would make the Wolves seethe to see the green birds using clantech Orions. I'm in favor.

>>98530665
To be honest, the way Malthus reads the batchall, I like think Star Colonels have a laminated index card of the standard batchall template the way cops have Miranda cards.

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This beautiful son of a bitch has gotten a model finally.

>>98532220
>which was freaking perfected in ww2 with the norden bombsight
Do you have to trigger the retard alarm?

I know FASAnomics is the way to insanity, but what would a typical planetary militia's budget look like?

>>98532376
On the other hand, LAMs not being able to hit anything most of the time in airmech mode sucks, and it sucks that you're basically required to use airmech mode because the rules around transforming are dumb.
They need to give you real benefits to justify using Battlemech and ASF mode at all.

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>>98532362
They were kinda overpowered in cheesey white room situations with custom builds, and for that grogs like Herb never forgave LAMs for existing, the modern ruleset around them were made with the intention of discouraging you from using LAMs because the line dev put in charge of the rule updates personally hated them.
In reality they're fine, they're niche but if you think transforming plane-mechs are cool than go ahead and run one.

>>98532440
The crusaders been around since the beginning anon

>>98532508
That's a Viper

>>98532514
isn't that a clan mech?

>>98532508
Crusader has also recently gotten a IWM model

>>98532362
I dislike LAMs purely from the standpoint that I don’t think they fit the setting. The gameplay for them being no fun for either the player or the opponent (depending on which version of the rules you’re using) does not help towards redeeming them in my eyes.

>>98531611
I always thought the color was added in HUD so for a random civvie they see nothing until things start getting scorched, and they went from not seeing the laser, to being blind from the glare.

>>98531286
The anti infantry rule in the core book just makes infantry saves degrade by 2 instead of 1 if they pass. Mind you infantry have to save on an 8+ if they take any damage or just die. They also cost about 1/3 of a Manticore, shoot 1/2/3 for 2 5 damage clusters and are gunnery 6.

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>>98532519
No?

>>98532519
It's actually TWO Clan mechs. The 45 ton "Dragonfly"'s original Clan name, AND the IS reporting name for the larger Black Python. The humanoid one there came first but hardly anybody had heard of it because it was a prototype made in the Free Worlds League that didn't get mass produced until centuries later.

>>98532753
Which, in turn is a joke on how it was actually an old design sketch that never got used in the game until now, except as the basis for the old record sheet diagrams, which most people thought was a Crusader.

>>98529849
Whilst I like most of the changes, pilot damage is one I disagree with. An ammo explosion should do two hits, otherwise what's the point? Where is the danger? In all my 20 years of playing I have lost a pilot to wounds twice, it's an occurrence that is so rare it sticks in the mind when it does happen. Under the new rules it's basically never going to occur and that's just wrong.

>>98532250
Shampoo is such a stupid fucking cunt. Ukyo should have just permanently put her in the ground.

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>>98532290
That is because LAMs are the pinnacle of Battletechnology.

>>98532786
I’m not so mad about the loss of possibility of pilot death, but more so from the loss of odds to knock a pilot unconscious. An ammo explosion plus a head hit gave you some really good odds of knocking a pilot out and letting you dogpile his immobile mech the next turn, now you’ve got to hit like 3 separate “bad luck” checks before you’re likely to put somebody down for a short nap.

>>98532531
I am kind of inclined to agree with you Herb on the basis that they really are only viable in Airmech mode. You put them into battlemech mode and they are just a lackluster mech. Put them in aerospace mode and anything with wings is going to immediately eat it alive. I personally think they should have had just a battlemech and WiGE mode where the WiGE is basically to cover a whole fuckton of distance very quickly but essentially can't turn as a result which would make for an interesting gimmick on large/multi map sheets.

>>98532786
And I bet those 2 times it happened were super cool, but the other anon got upset when it happened to his Mechwarrior and he's very sensitive about that so the entire ruleset had to be changed to cater to the special snowflake so that he doesn't ever have to play a game of Battletech in which a Mechwarrior dies from wounds ever again.

>>98532786
That's because you only play introtech. Play with designs that have CASE and three or more tons of ammo in the same location and it stops being rare or interesting very quickly. I've seen it happen twice this year, playing every other weekend. Once to one of those CI Hunchbacks and once to an Albatross.

>>98532900
Holy seethe.

>>98532786
I've found that pilot hits and kills become way more common once I started using battle armor and infantry.

>>98530316
>2 spiders
>2 fireflies
Give me 3 wasps, 3 locusts, 3 stingers, a Thorn, a Cicada, and a Hornet. Mechs that are actually common and available.

>>98530669
Actually they do. It's a piloting skill check, as such all modifiers from damage and preexisting module destruction count.

>>98533085
I just told you those pilots failed the rolls with no modifiers.

Why do Kurita get the only really 'themed' mechs? Are they really just that guy?

>>98533277
Because they push their own theme more than anyone else. The cappies and some clans also have themed mechs, but the rest of the factions aren't as concerned with theming themselves.

>>98533277
Because Battletech licensed the mech designs from Japan.

>>98532440
The viper is so good works fine enough as a generalist mech but as an urban warfare mech it truly shines. Those twin blazers are brutal. I even faced a mech with reflective armor against them and still crushed it because even with the damage cut in half, the blazers still have a great output

>>98532953
My group plays IlClan exclusively, much to my distaste, although I do sometimes talk them down to the Invasion or Jihad. Again, it's a none issue most of the time.

>>98532900
One was a complete clown show involving lbx pellets and some laughably bad piloting checks, the other was far more memorable.
Campaign, midway through. My best pilot, an ace, iirc named Astrid. She had taken a stray missile to the cockpit. My opponent had a couple of LRM carriers that I forgot were C3 networked. Her Maddog A strayed into line of sight on a hill in the jungle. He dumped 120 Artemis IV C3 missiles into her, cracked her torso and cooked off a munitions bin that chained to a second bin. She passed the first two consciousness checks, failed the third, and passed out. Her mech, having taken a fuckton of damage, fell, auto failing it's psr. Unconscious, Astrid failed her seat belt check, took one final point of damage, and died of a broken neck. To be fair, given how badly her brain had been cooked by feedback it was probably a mercy.

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>>98534091
It's okay anon. Astrid is tricky to keep alive on any playthrough.
Seriously though, that's a bitchin moment.

>>98534207
Now how about a TAC to an ammo bin chaining to two other ammo bins, causing a five point damage kill on turn three? Is that "bitchin"? To me, it's pretty lame.

>>98534264
Yes. And it's a Battletech moment, just like turn 1 headshots. Speaking of I had a game where my opponent got 3 headcaps and a TAC ammo hit on an ISXL over 4 turns

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>>98532220

Not to put a damper on your unjustified rant, but anon did say *almost* any air-to-ground attack. High altitude level bombing is actually the primary exception to the rule. You can make level bombing attacks from any Altitude. You can also fire off a Copperhead Arrow IV that's carried on external rails from any Altitude, and have it guided into a TAGged target.

Strike attacks, strafe attacks, and precision bombing all require you to attack from a low altitude, where failure to make a PSR from ground fire poses a serious risk of killing your ASF. All of this is in Total Warfare; I'm surprised you decided to rant instead of checking the rules first.

>>98532376
>racking up unhittable TMMs is really unpleasant to play against.
Yeah, I hate playing against IJJ jump 8+ Mechs on maps with heavy woods on it too. TMMs should be capped at +3 regardless of your movement.

>>98533101
no they didn't. that didn't happen and your making it up to justify a shitty rule

>>98534457
When you take 20 damage and have to make a PSR, no actuators break from that happening. The one and only modifier a fresh mech has to that roll is the +1 from taking damage.

The forced positivity about pilots dying from ammo chain explosions is really something to behold. Why wasn't anyone singing the praises of a niche corner case pilot death before they learned about it being slightly harder to pull off in the new rules, I wonder.

>>98534422
shut the fuck up you dumb cunt what do you know about planes? you don't know how BT works your just another stupid attention whore namefag dumbshit who thinks he can talk down to everyone because you think your hot shit.

>>98534422
That's a Xerxes, I think.

>>98534264
Yes, that's bitchin and we already established that you're lame. I've had an Atlas get headshot by a Gauss rifle on turn 2 before. I didn't complain. It was an awesome moment and I let my opponent enjoy it.
Do you have any more cool scenarios you'd like to describe for us, thinking that we won't like them because they're cool?

>>98534623
You're a bad liar.

>>98534623
A mech getting its ammo bins blown up and then standing up and continuing to fight on, one side missing and the pilot half-dead.

>>98534637
You're a mediocre baiter.

>>98534666
Yes.
But you, on the other hand... you were so bothered by the mere idea of someone liking that pilot don't die in a niche situation that isn't even possible for most mechs that you went to sleep, woke up, and seethed about it unprompted. You're a fish on a line that wasn't even thrown. You are the easiest person to bait in the entire world. You see bait that doesn't even exist, and then you put it in your mouth and mime yanking on the line, hoping to be pulled.

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Achtung! The following cadets at Kapteyn Academy have still not rolled for potential pilot upgrades.
>Janusz Kotow 4/5, Orion ON1-VA
>Obal Moriancumer 5/6, Warhammer WHM-6R
>Bob Denard 4/5, Wasp WSP-1A
>Vladimir Ignatyev 6/7, Wasp WSP-1A
If one of these guys belongs to you, please let me know and make some new rolls for them. Please don't be discouraged if Bob or Vladimir is your guy. Their stories are not over yet. I'd hate to have to write that they vanished and went AWOL after year 1. Janusz was also a top start of the last battle. Could possibly get even better and would be great to have in the year 2 battle. Obal... was a bad shot, but has a Warhammer and his stats will very likely improve for the year 2 fight.
So please let me know if you're here and go ahead with the pilot and potential mech rolls.
Otherwise, I will be have to accept new cadets to take their place. On that note, if you don't have a pilot created for these games and would like to have one, let me know. I can make it work.

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He doesn't even know who he's talking to.

>>98534703
Pathetic attempt at samefagging. Have a (you)

Can we get something funner, like an anon whose favorite part of the game was walking into water with open legs, or flying in space at maximum velocity with no liquid storage?

>>98534687
No I'm a different guy, I'm just disappointed that you're spinning your wheels this much. Go for a knockout already man.

>>98534729
The true essence of Battletech is wading across a lake and failing a PSR halfway through so you fall and breach your head. It's just not fun now that you can walk without incurring PSRs.

>>98534739
Sure, sure. You're not disappointed in the anon who woke up still seething from last night and made it everyone else's problem though, huh?

>>98534742
Personally, I always came on the board with pre-existing hip actuator destruction. Now they've gone and ruined it with their pansy ass smaller penalty.

>>98534757
Bit annoyed about the conversation as a whole, I guess? It's not like it's going anywhere, same as the last dozen times it came up. If someone wants to use the old rules he probably has a couple people who'd be up for it.

>catalystgamelabs.com/news/catalyst-game-labs-ai-investigation

Their denial is proof that they used AI for their marketing video. Nobody would deflect like this unless they had something to hide.

>>98534827
>we investigated ourselves and we found no wrongdoing

>>98528925
>COOMSTAR

>>98534827
Or maybe they just have no AI to find either. we have actual screenshots of the process at the bottom and explanations of what caused each weird moment. How is that deflecting? If they didnt use AI (which they didnt) how else are you supposed to prove yourself???

>>98534915
They're supposed to go out of business and kill themselves. Nothing short of that is acceptable.

>>98528925
I haven't bought any of the new rulebooks. Is the Ilkhan era basically free of mysticism and religion?

>>98534941
>Is X time in humanity free of X thing hardwired into humanity
No. They still eat food and like to fuck too.

>>98534941
The very idea of an ilclan is rooted in mysticism. The woofs were banking on all the other clans still honoring an idea that none of them have bothered thinking about or furthering in a century.

>>98534422
Thank fuck. I only have BMM and alpha strike rules to hand. No TW. So they're not totally, completely utterly fucktarded.

>>98533277
Davions theme is 'put an autocannon on it and make it lame and ghey'.

>>98532837
The place where the lam shines is in strategic considerations. Your lamps can fly in at mach 2, slow and convert. Land, then smash and grab in a raid, load up, and then take off and get out hours before a mech company can come stomping over the hills to stop them. You can literally kite ANY other force. NO light mech can run fast enough over terrain, even flat Plains, to keep up with a lam screaming away at 1200 kts.+ let alone on a stratospheric EV climb.

So lams are GOD in campaign play. Where you will only ever have a fight YOU want.

>>98533277
Marik, Steiner and Davion are just too similar for visual theming to work.

>>98535031
>So lams are GOD in campaign play.
Unfortunately, them no longer being able to mount required goodies like external fuel pods in ASF mode has fucked them in a lot of strategic situations.

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>>98535038
They just don't even try.
For example, when Thomas was trying to bring back chivalry and setting up new knightly orders, the new mech made to be a symbol of chivalry is just some beaky gun-arm thing and not a big knight. He's the captain general and they had Kong Interstellar right there. If he had told them to make a bigger, blacker knight with a sword and shield and sculpted plate armor with visored helmet, they would have done it.

>>98532794

Pretty sure Shampoo HAS put fuckers in the ground. What happens in Jusenkyo stays in Jusenkyo.
Well... except when they just walk out and end up in Nerima I guess. Or they do something unbelievably dumb... like keep trying hot-springs to see what'll happen next. But you try going through life with a name like Pantyhose Taro and see how non-suicidal YOU are.

>>98533724

I wonder how well they'd work if I swapped the Blazer's out for Bombasts. The new rules make them seem pretty decent now.

>>98535082

Didn't that happen at one point, but it was just a one-off somebody made?

>>98535128
We may get a variant that does that now, that's pretty in the Viper's wheelhouse since it's the designated "weird laser" mech. I honestly think all the clan variants for it are ass and it's stock variant from the star league era is the best. I've taken it against ilklan era mechs with no issue

>>98535039
Yet another reason HERB is scum.

>>98535144
You mean based. Lams and lanmfags don't belong in BT. This isn't an anime game. Go back to macross with the rest of the tranime fans. You aren't wanted here.

>>98535138

I literally just did a quick poke around in MML and swapping the Blazers for Bombasts reduces heat load by 8 and weight load by 4, which means you can swap the MPL's in the left and right torso's out for Medium VSPLs. That seems pretty decent. I mean an Alpha Strike puts you up to 12 heat, but that's with the rear facing MPL included, so realistically it's just 8, and that's with the Bombasts fully charged each.

>>98535138
I like the one with 4 plasma cannons and a mace.
But we usually have combined arms and several players with a penchant for TSM melee mechs.

>>98535158
Battletech took more than the designs from Dougram, however. That show is basically Battletech the Anime.

>>98535039
LAMs were able to mount things externally before?

>>98535363
Same as hardpoints of a similar size aerospace fighter. You just had to jettison them before transforming. The internal bomb bay on the Royal Wasp LAM is actually a nod to taking this away but wanting something that could still carry a payload.

>>98535399
Internal bays should be utilized more often. Not just on LAMs, but also regular ASF and Conventionals. External bombs come with slowdown due to being external cargo, but internals are treated as any other component. And you could have both if there were any units capable of having both.

>>98534583
Do you have any idea who you're talking to?

>>98535135
Red reaper, solaris jock who was kind of shit until he got a bunch of proper actual combat experience in teh jihad.

>>98532362
The hate is more of an outdated ironic tradition than a genuine grievance if anything. Specially now with stuff like Quadvees and Partial Wing

>>98535594
Partial wing, IJJ, clan pulse laser boating cheating faggotry, that is a million times worse than lams EVER were, and fucking HERB the lam hating fag made them.

>>98532837
If I remember right, part of why they don't have WiGE is because WiGE didn't exist at the time and that caused a lot of bespoke rules and exceptions they are stuck with. This has always left them in eternal jank and airmech always kinda being unbalanceable.

It's a nigh-impossible scenario to occur, but if they do go through with a major revision for them...I kinda hope that the way they do it is to fuse both LAMs and Quadvees into one category. Then you pick a secondary and in some cases Tertiary across:
>Combat Vehicle
>WiGE
>Aerospace
Existing QuadVees sheets all go under the Combat Vehicle version, classic LAMs are ones that have both WiGE (replacing Airmech) and Aerospace.
Each one having its own constraints they add when you are building, though end up lighter in comparison to the current stuff by only taking up weight and crit slots, as well as putting in a maximum weight for some, instead of forbidding Endo-Steel and the like.

If they are just using the standard rules for those other ones, I don't feel like this would end up overpowered unless said other ones are overpowered? And that seems like it'd be more of a problem with the entire class rather than just these 'mechs that can optionally leverage them for niche, situational bonuses.

How common are ASFs in the setting? I feel like they make a lot of sense to have one to act as a sort of orbital coast guard; even though I know the setting is about stompy robots.

>>98535594
I find IJJs worse than partial wings, but yeah if you want to make OP bullshit LAMs wouldn't even be on the list by that point.

>>98535346
Battletech is a direct rip from Robotech which is a rip on those show. Battletech is basically just Robotech on tabletop.

>>98535635
rather than mechs because they're both advanced technology but it's way harder to salvage an ASF

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>>98535635
>How common are ASFs in the setting?
Approximately 1/5 as common as mechs. You just need to look at the ASF attached to regiments and fleets as well as the few pilot schools and abysmal salvage rates. Not to mention how rare it is to risk them in atmosphere in an invasion. Ironically, ASF's as "flying mechs" are actually some of the most advanced tech in the setting and the rarest. This is why tons of LAM's canonically died horrible deaths being put to use as just ASF screening forces because that was more valuable than having actual mechs or transforming ones in the late Succession Wars.

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One thing I see people take issue with LAMs is the transforming aspect, and admittedly there's often times no real benefit to wasting a turn transforming out of Airmech mode because the other two forms are basically gimped.
So why not do something like TSFs instead? Mechs but they have a Cruise/Flank jump replacing their regular jump and they have ASF hard points for external equipment. Otherwise they're just mechs that burn some tonnage for their advanced flight mechanisms, and probably an inbuilt fuel tank to get them out of orbit when necessary.

easy

>>98535628
Well, the main problem is that they aren't actually WiGE. They used WiGE as the basis for it because WiGE was gathering dust and in the same relative speed range, but it has a million exceptions because it's not actually a WiGE vehicle. It'd be like making a sled type vehicle by saying "use tracked vehicle rules, but change rules X, Y, Z, AA, BB, CC, and DD. Ignore rule CC entirely. Always use rule EE from tacops even if it's not in use anywhere else. Rule Y can be used unaltered in certain circumstances.

>>98535635
Most of the time people abstract it away, but there is typically a fight in Space before landing on a planet between defending Aerospace Fighters, Satellites, and Dropships and attacking ASF and Dropships.

Some of these are "Dropships" in quotation marks because that's a category for any space-based thing that doesn't have a jump drive, can hook up to a ship that has a jump drive, and is mobile. So you got a mix of what can be more considered Mobile Stations that can be used as orbiting defense installations to what are referred to as "Pocket Warships" who's cargo capacity is only for crew rations and lifesupport and are more purely focused on combat rather than carrying 'Mechs, ASF, etc.

There's also true Warships with their compact Jump Drives and heavier weapons, but those tend to be way rarer compared to the above.

>>98535687
The main reason it's hard to actually stop an attack in space is that you only really have the opportunity at the jump point before they burn away, or directly above the planet, assuming that's what they're even going for. There's maybe theoretically an opportunity to joust them a single time as they zoom past you halfway from the jump, but if you miss that window, they're gone.

>>98535677
I know WiGE is not 1:1 with what Airmech would be. But I'd honestly be fine operating under those restrictions with a figleaf of some technical lore bullshit being added if LAMs are allowed to exist in general in some capacity and get access to stuff like Ferro-Fibrous and Endo-Steel for construction purposes. And people would be at least somewhat more willing to play against them because there's not 50 asterisks bespoke to this one specific mode of a very small number of sheets overall, but instead something in common with a significantly larger pool.

Hell, going full WiGE would even give at least some reason to not be in AirMech all the time.

>>98535717
Going full WiGE is a huge downgrade to a unit type that already sucks. Almost every exception Airmech gets is to make it function more like a thing that can fly and less like a thing that's failing to fall. If anything they should make airmech the baseline and WiGE a one page appendix.

>>98535639
It really isn't. The engagements in Dougram are strait out of the 4SW fluff. BT may have borrowed the visuals of Macross, but it owes a lot more to Dougram for its vision of mechanized warfare.

At least until the MW games made everyone think mechs were just legged tanks.

>>98535717
>significantly larger pool
Aren't there only like three WiGEs? And only one or two that are actual production combat vehicles?

>>98535709
Except, if they aren't jumping in from a pirate point, you can have about a week's warning from them burning towards the planet. You don't need to be faster than something to intercept it, you just need to meet them at some point along their course.

You don't even need to go all the way out to the halfway point. You can meet them in any of a very large number of Orbits of a planet. Like, you can't go full burn all the way into atmosphere unless they want to burn to a crisp or blow themselves up on impact, attackers are required to slow down on approach and that provides many opportunities.

>>98534692
I wrote a short story of events following the battle about 1 of the characters. I'd like to do more of these, preferably one for each character, or at least have each character in one.
---
William McCormick stood at attention in the office of his house's liaison. While McCormick stood stiff and rigid, Sheng Jian Wei Chen sat comfortably in a chair across from him. A desk between the 2 of them extended the distance even further. Jian Wei Chen had been sitting there, pretending to look over papers for half an hour now. The entire time, McCormick was made to stand there and wait. He stared ahead blankly and tried not to think about how this desk jockey with a bulge in his belly was getting to judge him for how he performed in the battle. Finally, Chen broke the silence.

"Clown shoes." He said nothing else and the only noise in the room was that of the environmental controls running to keep the room nice and cool. Cool for Chen in his light attire, but McCormick was wearing a stuffy dress uniform and he had slowly started to sweat over the time he had been made to wait. McCormick wasn't sure what to say to Chen's comment, or if he even should. He didn't have to dwell on the thought for long as Chen resumed his thoughts aloud. "That could be your callsign. What do you think?" McCormick had to use all the discipline he possessed to not angrily retort. "It's fitting for how much of a joke you were out there."

'A joke!?' McCormick screamed in his mind. 'I crushed it out there! I was the last survivor for our side! I had the 4th highest DTR, 3rd highest overall damage, and the 2nd best accuracy! I landed over half of my shots! Do you have any idea how difficult that is!?' All these thoughts raced through McCormick's mind and they were all true as well. Yet when Chen spoke again, he didn't mention any of that.

[1/5]

>>98535782
"You know, there is an ancient song from Terra I heard once. It's about a man who gets knocked down, but he gets up again. Then he proclaims he will never be kept down. You reminded me of that song. Except you just kept falling over; again, and, again, and again..."

'That's 3 agains, implying I fell over 4 times. I only fell over 3 you fat sack of...'

"...and then you stayed down."

'I was swarmed by 6 enemy mechs! There was nearly 300 tons between them! Even an Atlas would have gone down!'

"I would like to say I've never seen a worse performance from a Mechwarrior..."

'Go to any basic Mechwarrior academy, you'll see way worse than this... when they graduate!'

"...but somehow one of your lancemates did even worse. If not for my need to also teach him a lesson, I'd have you reassigned to a Wasp!" Talk of mech reassignment was enough to put McCormick on further edge. It was rarely a good thing and while the Phoenix Hawk was his mech, in the Capellan Confederation, all mechs were technically the state's mechs. McCormick loved his Phoenix Hawk. It felt like a part of him. Military courtesies be damned, he had to speak up!

"Sir! I promise you that such a thing will not happen again. I ask that you please consider the entirety of my performance and not just how the battle ended."

"I believe that it won't happen again, but, there's really not anything to consider. The Gyro was completely destroyed. It's junk now."

"My Phoenix Hawk is... scrap?" McCormick knew what Chen had said, but he also didn't trust it.
[2/5]

>buy a blind box from the hero mechs
>its another marauder ii
I have two of these now and nowhere they should go. I'm tempted to just paint them both in mirrored color schemes and have them be a Solaris tag team with two variants.

Or kitbash one of them into the Marian variant with all the rockets

>>98535788
For the first time Chen raised his voice and stirred in his chair. His face visibly reddened as he faced McCormick directly, slamming his hands directly on the desk. "The Capellan Confederation's Phoenix Hawk!" A moment passed, that was in no way brief, yet during it Chen seemed to realize his outburst. He calmed himself and leaned back in his chair again. "For the moment, it is scrap. The Phoenix Hawk may one day be fixed, but that won't be happening here. It is being shipped back to the Confederation for repairs. We don't let any mech go to waste if we can help it, but it will be a long, long time until it is ready to be fielded again. When that day comes, it will be issued out to a promising, loyal, Mechwarrior."

McCormick's felt like he had fallen down, despite still standing at attention. His Phoenix Hawk was being taken from him. He'd never see it again. He was going to be dispossessed! The shame would follow him forever. He could never show his face to his family again. What would he do? What could he do? As his mind raced with all these fears, threatening to overwhelm him, a particular thought was getting louder in his head.
[3/5]

>>98535796
He could kill him. McCormick was a Mechwarrior after all and in good physical shape. Across the desk from him, McCormick was seeing Chen in a whole new light. If their bodies were mechs, then Chen was an Urbanmech while McCormick was a Grasshopper. He could leap across the desk with a kick to Chen's face that would knock him back, from there, he'd hop down and strangle him with his own jacket. No! Better yet! With Chen knocked over and McCormick on the desk, McCormick could simply leap off the desk and bring his steel toed boots down on Chen's skull! He had successfully completed a Death From Above maneuver in a mech, he could definitely do a DFA with his own body. Yes, that's what he would do. This pencil pusher wanted to ruin McCormick's life, effectively ending it, then the least McCormick could do is return the favor and end Chen's. Yes, this was the play to make. This is exactly what he would do. McCormick let himself relax from the standing at attention position as he readied himself to leap across the desk. He felt his body weight sink into the soles of his feet as he prepared to spring across the desk.

"I'm putting you in the Valkyrie." Chen's words made McCormick's entire body freeze back up. The previous thought of smashing the man's head in were put on hold; notably, not forgotten and definitely just on hold.

"Sir?" McCormick asked cautiously.

"Wang Lee is staying in the Locust. Vladimir Ignatyev is a waste of a Mechwarrior. He's being put in the Wasp. The Valkyrie he used to pilot will now be yours." McCormick pieced together what this all meant. It was definitely a downgrade from the Phoenix Hawk, but of the 3 remaining mechs, it was the best. McCormick didn't like it, but it was still a mech. He wouldn't be dispossessed. He could still be a Mechwarrior! His thoughts of ending Chen's life began to rapidly fade, but again, they didn't vanish completely. They likely never would after this encounter today.
[4/5]

>>98535751
Meeting them along their course is why you can joust them. But when you meet them, they've been accelerating half way, or decelerating from their peak. You, meanwhile, have been accelerating in the opposite direction. For you to turn around and keep up with them, you'd have to be able to do hours, days, or possibly week~ (in some extremely far jump point cases) worth of deceleration and acceleration instantly. At those speeds, once you blow past each other, that's it. You're not seeing them again until you can bleed all of your speed and then regain more speed in the other direction. You'll be kissing the jump point before you get to turn around and go back if you started this process from the very center. They'll have already landed before you even stop moving away from them.

>>98535687
Yeah, I feel like if you're just a planet doing trade, you probably want to have some ASFs or small craft with the dropship rules to doing customs enforcement type things.

>>98535805
"I... I understand sir. What of Eleanor Gale? Will she be leaving the academy?"

"Hmm, I can see why you would think that. Her performance was exemplary. If she had been in the Phoenix Hawk, we might have won." McCormick considered carrying out his plan to DFA Chen all over again for that comment alone. It wasn't that he didn't recognize Eleanor Gale's skill, but her accomplishments shouldn't be used to diminish his own. "Don't worry about her. I've requested a new mech be sent to replace the Phoenix Hawk. I think we'll be getting something substantially heavier this time as well. You know William..." McCormick mentally shuddered at Chen using his first name. He clearly wanted to seem friendly at the moment. "...it might actually be a good thing that the Phoenix Hawk was wrecked. I don't know if we'd have been sent any better mechs if it hadn't. We might have been told to just make do with the lance we have. With only 3 mechs though? Ha! Why now they have to send us a new one and I believe it will be something very special." McCormick watched as Chen leaned his head back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. He was clearly thinking about the mech that would be arriving to replace the Phoenix Hawk. McCormick stood there for a moment as nothing was said. The moment lingered on... and on.

"Sir?" McCormick finally spoke up, prompting a grunt from Chen.

"Huh? Why are you still here? You're dismissed. Now get out of here and make sure to get your piloting skills up to snuff in time for next year's battle."

"Yes sir." McCormick then sharply turned about and exited the office. He would indeed improve his piloting skills over the next year. He was not going to make those same mistakes again and when next year's battle was finished, he was going to make sure that Sheng Jian Wei Chen was singing his praises from the rooftop... and if he didn't, he could always just do a DFA on him from his new Valkyrie. After all, it did have Jump Jets.
[5/5]

>>98535639
>Robotech
Funny way to spell Macross

>>98535602
The problem is that high movement units break the 2d6 dice curve. It doesn't matter whether it's LAMs or something else. Either cap defensive modifiers, or switch to a 2d10 curve. Those are your options to actually fix the problem.

>>98535976
In a different world, we'd be arguing about LAMVees (Orguss), or HAMs (Southern Cross hover-artillery-mech, with a hovercraft, jump-only artillery emplacement, and mech mode). Also Mospeada with the PA(L)torcycle.

Wait, can superheavies actually take melee weapons? Was just fiddling around in MegamekLab and realized that a superheavy could hold onto a silly big sword due to the double crit slot rule. Still can't hold maces if it's more than 160 tons though, like usual.

>>98536039
I don't think they have any special rules about melee weapons. They're not great at it by default since they're slow and clumsy and slow and slow and can't take TSM.

>>98536021
But whilst lams were annoying unhittable buggers, they couldn't also hit sfa.

But herb nerved them into shit, and turned around and made clan pulse laser boats with ijj AND partial wing that Are unhittable buggers, that still hit everything

>>98536059
But funne if you manage to smack an unsuspecting victim with a 14 ton hatchet. Maybe in an urban environment with double blind. I find it strange that Gothic didn't take that opportunity for vs kaiju fistfights.

>>98535751
>>98535806
You don't need to burn out to meet them for an Intercept though, just make sure they're going to eat a few ferro-slugs on their way in.

>>98536024
A world where Harmony Gold would actually fucking deliver

>>98536111
>use 1 of the 4-6 thrust points you have per minute to change facing slightly
>dodge incoming shots by hundreds of thousands of kilometers
>use two to turn back and one more to get back on track

>>98536149
A) How do you know it's even coming at you?
B) Even so, that's still eating into their Delta V buying your ground elements a few more minutes to hours.

>>98536158
Light is faster than slugs. Predictability is the enemy for an incoming force anyway. Looking like you're going to the moon or a different planet is good if it forces the enemy to spread out their defenses to irrelevant places. If you can help it, the enemy shouldn't know what you're after until they can feel the vibrations of your big stompy footsteps.

>>98536165
That's a lot of delta to burn for a crew with families to come home to.

>>98536171
It's not really when you can gain upwards of 4-6 velocity per minute and have three entire days to go before you have to start reversing it. Flying in a perfectly straight line from start to finish betrays your intentions and allows the enemy to concentrate all of their defenses.

>>98535816
While McCormick's rage is currently directed towards Chen, I get the feeling that he's got some potent rage that will be directed at Ignacio if he reviews the footage and sees the kick that took away the arm.

While there were other guys who took out the gyro, that was a general team effort alongside a general unfortunate fuckup on the part of the instructors letting the damage go so far. But in the BatRep, the kick is listed to be after McCormick was knocked out, probably as some showmanship. That could be taken very personally.

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>>98535806
Except, if that were the way things would go, then there would be no point to the Advanced Aerospace rules that lead to the creation of these maps for them.

>>98536240
That map literally has atmosphere hexes. It is not meant for jousting halfway to a jump point at velocity 17,000~ (that's 17,000 mandatory hexes per turn)

Is the blazer pistol the most powerful sidearm in the setting for infantry?

>>98536261
>That map literally has atmosphere hexes
One map, Planetary Invasion. The other one pictured at the top is explicitly in open space.

And you are also presuming that air defense style intercepts are the only one. There are others that can be achieved, particularly a rendevous from the defenders burning out only part way towards the attackers, and then reversing with a burn along a similar course to the attackers so their movement will if not directly matching the deceleration then close enough to it for a longer term clash with them at similar relative speeds.

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>>98535782
>>98535788
>>98535796
>>98535805
>>98535816
Very good anon, you captured my reaction to the report almost as if I written it.

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>buddy wants to port one of my old tabletop characters into a mech build as a creative exercise
>she comes out as a total shitbox
Lore accurate but still sad. I wonder if this would even have an actual usecase beyond 'we had these parts in the warehouse and needed to shoot at something.'
>60 tons and 3/5/3 btw

>>98536314
>open space
Could be a jump point or around a space station at a langrange point, or some facility in an asteroid belt. Many places that are more likely to be fought at than an ultra-high speed, hard burn approach.
>part burn
I just ran the numbers and yes, if they're decelerating, then you might be able to match speeds somewhere about a quarter of the way down. But they'll be up your ass when you start engaging if you don't want them to just blow past you in the wrong direction. Them being able to drop an ASF in your rear arc is a bad time.

>>98534915
You have to remember that no matter what kind of AI it is - whether it's generative AI, baked-in AI tools, or something like Claude - the customers that CGL are trying to pander to will go apeshit over just the mere hint that AI could be used and they're also willing split right down the middle on whether they'll ignore the "official" stance because of vibes or if they'll 110% believe it because "Why would they lie?"

>>98536165
>Light is faster than slugs.
And how are you spotting something the size of a coke can hurtling at you at several thousand miles per hour?

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Ok, I want to talk about something fun.

Imagine you're the Battlemech procurement officer for the Space Republic of Elbonia, a nation of about 6 worlds somewhere out along the Periphery, somewhere the Clans are relevant but not an instant threat. The year is 3060. Your job is to plausibly create a defense force for the nation, but your REAL goal is to sabotage the state and possibly enrich yourself. Therefore, you need to find a plausible way to sell the government the worst Mech designs possible. Note that you are a MECH procurement officer, you cannot buy any other unit type besides Mechs. No field gun infantry or Savannah Master hordes.

You need to sell enough Mechs that each world gets at least 1 company, not more than 2 companies, and you can't spend more than ABOUT 150 million CB per planet. At least 3 units from each company sized formation must contain upgraded tech. Doing it for cheaper than 150 million is preferred.

How do you plausibly make a military under these conditions, while also guaranteeing that the military will fail and realm will fall when attacked by meaningful foe?

>>98536425
Something fired it. That thing lined up a shot and then got out of the way so it doesn't accelerate into its own bullets. Anything that's actually on a collision course is going to be visible. And frankly, you don't even need to move out of your hex since a space hex is 30km wide. Shifting a fifth of a degree to the left means anything shot at you misses by entire mapsheets when it eventually passes you in several hours/days.

>>98536435
ER large lasers are upgraded tech.

>>98536435
>ER the things
>woops! No money for doubles!
We already have this blueprint with House Kurita.

>>98536435
>your REAL goal is to sabotage the state
...Why?

>>98536436
>That thing lined up a shot and then got out of the way so it doesn't accelerate into its own bullets.
What if it was an orbital instillation, or even a planetary one?

>>98536435

Are you one of my players, or is this question just going around? I've been working on this writeup tonight for basically *exactly* this scenario, save for the date I saw was 3058.

>I miss PDF attachments

Introducing the Star Empire of Elbonia’s new military revolution: the C3 system! A singular, one-size-fits-all force mix to minimize logistics footprint to the end user, and which is capable of engaging and defeating any given opposing raiding or invasion force capable of being transported on a military DropShips of 3,000 tons or less. One C3 system is intended to be deployed to each Elbonian world as a distinct and intact force, allowing for a singular combat doctrine to be employed for all planets and situations. This will have the valuable side effect of both increasing military readiness rates and decreasing training time, meaning that more soldiers will be available to be deployed, when they are needed.

>Coordinated Combat Command TO&E (one of these commands is assigned to each world)

>Headquarters/Assault Lance
Albatross ALB-3U
Mauler MAL-1R
Mauler MAL-1R
Charger CGR-1A1

>Scout Lance
Panther PNT-10K
Locust LCT-1M
Locust LCT-1M
Wasp WSP-1W

>Battle Lance A
Quickdraw QKD-5M
Shadow Hawk SHD-2D
Shadow Hawk SHD-2D
Shadow Hawk SHD-2D

>Battle Lance B
Quickdraw QKD-5M
Shadow Hawk SHD-2D
Shadow Hawk SHD-2D
Shadow Hawk SHD-2D

>>98536484
>orbital installation
Not stealthy in the slightest, and easy to avoid by just not being along a perfect vector to it
>planetary
Cannot shoot above elevation 8, space starts in the double digits.

>>98536485
Lance Analysis

Battle Lance: Each battle lance is built around a trio of Federated Suns-built Shadow Hawk 2D BattleMechs. These designs feature a stripped-down profile that dispenses with bulky armor plate in order to allow for better maneuverability and response time, able to defeat more heavily defended opponents because their speed is superior. Their offensive payload, build around multiple short-range missile systems, allows them to deliver a massive salvo, capable of seeking out and destroying enemy critical components regardless of the enemy’s armor protection. These systems also enable such a force to strike using inferno missiles, overwhelming the high-tech (and therefore expensive) double heat sink systems of any foes, even the Clans. A trio of identical Mechs per lance gives logistical redundancy. The fourth Mech is a command unit, an upgraded-technology Quickdraw from the Free Worlds League, capable of coordinating the rest of the lance, all while providing long-range cover fire with its LRM system, and if necessary, a heavy short range punch in melee with its SRMs and kicks strong enough to tear the head off of any BattleMech ever built. The Hovertec SRM package is fitted as a single-shot system in order to minimize wastage of expensive ammunition and ensuring that the pilot will only trigger the weapon system when it truly could win the battle.

>>98536484
>...Why?

That's the entire joke behind Elbonia man. Find ways the sell shit equipment to a 3rd world country and make it sound like you're helping them.

>>98536497

Scout Lance:

The core of the C3 system’s Scout Lance are the pair of Locust LCT-1Ms. These are scouting and pursuit Mechs par excellence, capable of delivering more damage than other common scouting units, such as a Stinger or Wasp, and at more than double the range of those BattleMech designs. The Locust’s ground speed is unmatched across clear terrain, and even in heavily wooded terrain the Locust is capable of outmaneuvering any walking or running Stinger or Wasp ever built. The Locust’s LRM systems are capable of loading a variety of ammunition types, allowing for maximum flexibility when intelligently chosen prior to the start of the mission. Backing up the Locusts is the Wasp WSP-1W model; this BattleMech pattern, licensed from Wolff’s Dragons, is a close combat expert, boasting not one, not two, but SIX high-yield laser systems. This puts it in the esteemed company of Mech designs such as the Clan Supernova, which can also only mounts six lasers. Finally, the lance is commanded by the Draconis Combine’s flagship light BattleMech, the Panther PNT-10Z. This advanced-tech design boasts a Lords Light 2 Extended-range PPC that allows it to cover its subordinates in any circumstances without worry about ever running out of ammunition. As long as the lance moves together and avoids spreading out, our internal projections give the C3 Scout Lance the edge in every simulation we’ve ever written.

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>>98536505

Headquarters/Assault Lance:

In a similar vein to the Scout Lance, the HQ lance boasts a matched pair of Mechs, a close-combat specialist, and an advanced-tech command unit. The pair in this case are a pair of Mauler MAL-1R assault Mechs. This design served the Draconis Combine against the Clan Invasion, even being adopted in large numbers by Federated Commonwealth MechWarriors, such as the famous Zachary “Hawk” Hawkins of the legendary 1st Somerset Strikers. These Mechs allow for accurate weapons fire at ranges unmatched by nearly any other BattleMech unit; Clan forces included. They give their pilots a wide range of firepower to choose from, whether lasers, missiles, or autocannons, and the advanced ejection system featured by the design helps ensure pilot survivability, and therefore minimizes retraining costs. The close-combat specialist is the legendary Star League Charger CGR-1A1. This fearsome machine mounts nearly as many lasers as the Wasp WSP-1W, and serves to guard the base of fire provided by the Maulers from any units rushing in close. The Charger was made by the Star League, and if it was good enough for them, then it’s good enough for Elbonia. The final unit is the most important. The Albatross ALB-3U is an expensive import from the Free Worlds League, but clearly worth the cost. It is the heaviest and therefore most survivable Mech in the C3 system, preserving the force commander’s life and experience. Its payload includes a weapon for every occasion, meaning that the Mech can contribute to a battle in any range and in any circumstances. Even the name, “Albatross”, is a morale-boosting symbol of good fortune and luck. And speaking of morale, it will only boost the morale of the rest of the troops to see that their commander merits the most expensive and high-tech BattleMech in the entire force, giving them something to which they can aspire throughout their careers, and no doubt increasing soldier retention over time.

>>98536435
Too easy. People in universe believe shit like Jagermechs and Quickdraws are viable heavies

>>98536517
It's about the sales pitch tho. Everyone knows bad mechs. Sell them anyway. Like convincing a third world nation in 1955 that they should buy Sten guns.

>>98536485
>>98536497
This guy gets it.

>>98536517
I had a Jagermech DDa with precision ammo that plinked two obnoxiously fast light mechs to death and then distracted a Kontio for long enough to run out the objective. He was running to and fro to gain TMM and I was shooting at a comfortable -3. Plink, plink, plonk.

>>98536435
We can save money with a bulk purchase AND simplify our logistics chain and astech training program. For this reason we will be buying a single model of mech to fill our entire roster.
If we eliminate ammunition dependence we can increase our efficiency and operational envelope.
It should be a mech easy to handle to make training new pilots fast, because fast saves money
Speaking of fast, it should have enough speed and jump jet capacity to be flexible, getting into and out of trouble at will.
Gentlemen, we are buying Stinger STG-3G mechs.
It's the perfect solution. Parts availability for days. Any cored mech becomes spares for everyone else. Any pilot can pilot any machine, they're all the same! The mechs AND the pilots. When nobody is special, anyone can be replaced and wages can be kept low. We can also have open assignments so that no pilot starts to believe a certain mech is their personal property and try to run away with it.
Upgraded technology? Completely unnecessary because the All Stingers All The Time plan meets every need. The extra procurement budget can be used for spare parts, training, and bonuses for the procurement team.

>>98536543
Only 2 companies of stingers per planet doesn't sound like enough

>>98536553
It's absolutely enough, believe me. But if the people feel unsafe we can parade the mechs downtown in a show of force. Since all the mechs are exactly the same we bring them around a few times so the civilians see a battalion or two march by and now they can sleep safe. It's fool-proof.

>>98536553
24 Stingers
48 Medium Lasers
That's 240 damage per turn.
We will train our militia in the subtle arts of focus fire. With our superior teamwork and maneuverability no enemy will dare.

>>98535811
>customs enforcement type things.
Funnily, that's a good role for LAMs.

>>98536517
No such thing as a viable heavy. You ALWAYS either need more guns and armor than a heavy has, or you need more speed than a heavy has. For the latter, use a medium Mech. If the former, use an assault.

>>98536497
>able to defeat more heavily defended opponents because their speed is superior.
fucking ROFL

>>98536493
>Not stealthy in the slightest
It doesn't need to be stealthy, just able to fill the vector with flak...

>>98536497
>That's the entire joke behind Elbonia man.
Ok, I didn't realize it was an established bit.

>>98536537
>I was shooting at a comfortable -3. Plink, plink, plonk.
Extra fun with the Blackjack BJ-4, since it ALSO has a Targeting computer!

How strong is orbital bombardment in BT? Can a planet withstand attacks from a warship without warships of their own? Or is it game over the second one gets within bombing range?

>>98536674
By the rules all warships are extremely vulnerable during the bombardment to any ground based cruise missiles which might be hidden on the world. The narratives usually ignore this completely.

>>98531430
Well good thing they are back and we will see operation DragonSlayer 2.0
(with Clanners installing Daisuke Kurita as Star League proxy).

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>>98535782
>>98535788
>>98535796
>>98535805
>>98535816
I enjoyed this read.

>>98536719
>Daisuke Kurita
If he's still alive, that pretender bitch will make him nekogami prey

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>>98536625
>No such thing as a viable heavy.
Repent, blasphemer!

>>98536784
>implying pretender bitch is capable to anything right

>>98536792
She has a collection of capable advisors to prop up her governance.

>>98536809
>She has a collection of capable advisors
Yeah capable advisors.... capable....
>decimated military districts around borders with clanners in civil war
>remaining military was thrown to die along with one of the advisors on New Avalon

>>98536790
>no armor
>not enough heat sinks