One-off Battletech skirmish

[Cirlot]

So . . . Phoenix Hawk? 😃

Not the BEST medium mech but it's probably my favorite: don't get me wrong, I like the 55 ton Trio (Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, Griffin, so oddly not the prime variants? Gimme a Griffin-1S (Steiner Strong!) or a Wolverine-6M . . . look I like Large Lasers, okay?) but the Phoenix Hawk always felt like the best of the light-medium with the 6/9/6 movement profile and enough armor to survive a skirmish. Fragile enough that you had to be clever but robust enough that it would forgive a mistake or two.

That said, if the Helm Memory Core is in play for IS tech that opens up the STY-3C Starslayer which is just a *solid* energy based trooper mech. Bit slower but it's a better version of the Crab with hand actuators and better secondary armament. It's a a ride I've only started appreciating recently and one I'd pitch for if we needed to round out our medium compliment.

[Inash]

On 11/18/2023 at 5:54 PM, Cirlot said:

What, no Warhammer love? Natasha Kerensky would like a word . . .

Looks like you have a lance on hand already but I'd love to sit in on this as on observer/reader. I played a Solaris VII arena game via PBeM some years ago in much the same way and it was great while it lasted.

 

 

 

Warhammer is #3.

[Demented]

I'd like the P-hawk more if the head had 8 points of head armor instead of 6. I lose too many to decapitation.

 

I like the Warhammer too, but at 70 tons in 3025 my heart belongs to the Grasshopper.

Edited November 20, 2023 by Demented (see edit history)

[Cirlot]

If we're doing 3050 era play you could try the PHX-3K: same movement profile, 2 ER Large Lasers, 2 Medium Pulses, 12 freezers and most importantly a 9, 23/5, 18/4, 13, 18 ferro-fibrous armor pattern. And if clans aren't on the table that means you only need to worry about being headcapped by AC20's and Gauss rifles at that point.

And no question the Grasshopper is a better 'mech: like in a custom I'd maybe strip out the LRM-5 and hot swap an SRM-4 in to just go straight brawler with it, but that's just personal preference. It's just all round solid. The Warhammer just has an ur-place in my brain since I first saw the boxart. Plus, it's very style of substance, which I kinda dig? A Grasshopper is the 'mech a merc takes when they want to live to see retirement. A Warhammer pilot is dying their hair red, painting that sucker black and chasing after being a legend, and will probably die as just another imitator . . . unless they get lucky.

Side note, fiction shout out for a fellow Grasshopper fan: there's a short fiction anthology titled Legacy which tracks a single Grasshopper from the production line in 2779 through to retirement in the Dark Age and the founding of the Republic of the Sphere in 3090+. I find BT fiction kind of uneven as a rule but I enjoyed it and it provided a nice snapshot of the various eras of play.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Cirlot (see edit history)

[Bobcloclimar]

Finally getting around to pulling this together. Given your inputs, I think I'll go 3050 era, IS only (including OpFor), your choice of mech with a 1500 BV budget (stock Heavies should fit into this allowance, and a lower-tonnage mech could have improved gunnery and piloting, etc.). The Master Unit List site should have a BV chart for different Piloting and Gunnery combinations for each 'Mech (or you can calculate it yourself using the chart on p. 23 of this official errata PDF). This is what I think you will be running from the comments (feel free to change your mind - I'll edit it in):

• @Inash Thunderbolt TDR-5S (adj BV 1469) (G/P 4/4)
• @Excior Archer ARC-2R (base BV 1477) (G/P 4/5)
• @Demented Rifleman RFL-5M (adj BV 1472) (G/P 3/5)
• @Cirlot Starslayer STY-3C (base BV 1508, which is OK) (G/P 4/5)
• @Tecmes Phoenix Hawk PHX-3K (adj BV 1495) (G/P 4/4)

 

OpFor will be four 'Mechs and two vehicles, created using the MegaMek force balancing tools at the same BV. This will make the opponents slightly weaker, but also throw out a bit more dakka. Since we have an oversized lance and some extra enemies floating around, the map size may be a bit bigger than typical.

 

I'll be running this under MekHQ 0.48.0. My plan is to get the game created and map/OpFor deployment laid out by next week, then let you choose your own deployment by the end of the month. Hopefully we'll be able to kick off the first round come the new year.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Bobcloclimar (see edit history)

[Excior]

47 minutes ago, Bobcloclimar said:

Finally getting around to pulling this together. Given your inputs, I think I'll go 3050 era, IS only (including OpFor), your choice of mech with a 1500 BV budget (stock Heavies should fit into this allowance, and a lower-tonnage mech could have improved gunnery and piloting, etc.). The Master Unit List site should have a BV chart for different Piloting and Gunnery combinations for each 'Mech (or you can calculate it yourself using the chart on p. 23 of this official errata PDF). This is what I think you will be running from the comments (feel free to change your mind):

• @Inash Thunderbolt TDR-5S (base BV 1335)
• @Excior Archer ARC-2R (base BV 1477)
• @Demented Grasshopper GHR-5H (base BV 1427)
• @Cirlot Starslayer STY-3C (base BV 1508, which is OK)
• @Tecmes TBD (I can have MegaMek roll one if you'd like)

 

OpFor will be four 'Mechs and two vehicles, created using the MegaMek force balancing tools at the same BV. This will make the opponents slightly weaker, but also throw out a bit more dakka. Since we have an oversized lance and some extra enemies floating around, the map size may be a bit bigger than typical.

 

I'll be running this under MekHQ 0.48.0. My plan is to get the game created and map/OpFor deployment laid out by next week, then let you choose your own deployment by the end of the month. Hopefully we'll be able to kick off the first round come the new year.

Sounds good, please keep in mind I havent played in a very long time

[Bobcloclimar]

I'll post a rules summary of sorts in the game forum, when I get that set up.

[Inash]

I've also not played in a very long time, and I can't remember if I ever got to fuss with piloting and gunnery skills. Still looking forward to it.

[Tecmes]

Yes, please determine a 'mech for me. I see that a Phoenix Hawk of some -3 variant, or Royal Hermes could do the trick, but it seems you are using base models and I don't want to mess up with the homogeneity of the Lance with some weird star league or 3048 model. Anything fast and/or jetpacky will do, though at that BV it's probably going to be a rather beefy scout.

Thanks for setting this up!

[Demented]

Glad to see motion on this!

 

One thing I've never done is piloted a Rifleman, of any variety. So I'm going to take a 3/5 RFL-5M and provide medium range fire support.

[Bobcloclimar]

20 hours ago, Tecmes said:

Yes, please determine a 'mech for me. I see that a Phoenix Hawk of some -3 variant, or Royal Hermes could do the trick, but it seems you are using base models and I don't want to mess up with the homogeneity of the Lance with some weird star league or 3048 model. Anything fast and/or jetpacky will do, though at that BV it's probably going to be a rather beefy scout.

Thanks for setting this up!

We don't necessarily have to stick to base models if you want to try something else. What about a PHX-3K? Tweaking the skills to 4/4 puts it at 1495 BV.

 

Edit: @Inash I took the liberty of changing your skills to Piloting 4, Gunnery 4, which brings you close to the cap.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Bobcloclimar (see edit history)

[Tecmes]

17 hours ago, Bobcloclimar said:

We don't necessarily have to stick to base models if you want to try something else. What about a PHX-3K? Tweaking the skills to 4/4 puts it at 1495 BV.

Sure. Fancy one!

[Bobcloclimar]

Game's up. I've already sent out invites, but for anyone else interested in watching, feel free to pop in to see how it goes.