/btg/ Battletech General!

Gods, WP is way nastier than napalm, no kiddin'. It burrows into your skin and particulates of it burn, rather than being a sticky jelly that burns without an ability to be extinguished easily. Worse still, it can re-light itself.

I'm surprised no one's done anything like it again in the BT-verse.

The older BT novels mentioned the inferno rounds as a terror weapon that every mech pilot is afraid of. On trell a dude even forces an overheated locust into surrendering by threatening the pilot with overheat burn death.

They are also never carried on mechs because they are too unstable. Always used by infantry as SRM MANPADs.

However, large scale white phospor bombs or LRMs loaded with WP sound like something the Combine and the Capellans would use. War crimes and atrocities all day, every day.

So why are there no LRM carriers with that ammo? And why do infantry units always use SRM instead of LRM? Wouldnt the LRM with inferno warheads be superior? They could hit the mechs with very effective weapons while most mechs would be unable to counter the infantry effectively. Especially the anti infantry mechs like Firestarters or Commandos. Simple tripods with LRM infernos like modern Javelin launchers or, hell, RPG-7 with added guidance system. BAM instant and effective anti-mech weapon.

Someone please explain to me why this isn't done more often in the battletech universe.

>Pic related is the infantry squad leader before giving the order to fire 10 inferno LRM from a concealed position

Pretty sure they do in the Dark Age and on.
Prior to that, it was the future of the space '80's.

Yeah, that's Grayson Carlyle in Decision at Thunder Rift IIRC. It's mentioned in Mercenary's Star.

The main advantage of WP over napalm/inferno is that it's air-burstable, giving it a much wider coverage area. You could get an LRM-20 and do indirect fire with it very easily, and to be honest with that kind of coverage and with air-bursting you'd see it hit not only your target hex but adjacent hexes too. You could even combine that with infantry and 'mech mortars, too, like how you see it delivered by infantry forces nowadays.

SRMs trade range for a larger warhead. LRMs do the opposite.

There are Incendiary LRMs which are basically Infernos, it's just that they can't cram in enough burny shit to do anything other than set stuff on fire, where Infernos do that and drastically increase heat.

>gets proven wrong
>well canon is irrelevant and they should never have said that so I'm still right :^)

OK then.

>Wouldnt the LRM with inferno warheads be superior?

IIRC LRM Incendiary works differently for some reason

Can someone explain Protos to me? Supposedly they're cheaper and easier to use, but it seems like it needs specialist surgery and a lot of chumps to throw into cockpits as they go nutso, so it's actually rather resource intensive.

FUCK YOU SCATTER ROLLS.

Essentially, the Smoke Jaguars were running out of resources and effective pilots, so they took their castoff failed Aero phenotype guys and slapped them in the Protomech to try and stave off the oncoming death.

Hey, at least you didn't use artillery to land shells behind yourself.

That bomb came from the Sabutai on the right. If I can't hit the broadside of a goddamn barn, why bomb?

What you say is kinda true but also not the full picture.

In terms of resources, a Point of Protos will set you back about the same amount as a middling medium 'Mech. But where that 'Mech can get destroyed or fucked up so badly it's fit only for scrap, some or all of the members of the Point should make it home instead.

Pilots are also a dime a dozen since they were pulling failed Aero phenotypes from the lower castes, or solahma, and giving them one last chance for the glory they thought they were going to have as cadets.

There are issues with the start-up costs and questions as to the viability of the program in the long term since a lot of Protos are borderline leading to the poor impression they made IC and on the tabletop, but the second generation are much better. Ideally you would just shit out a bunch of 9-ton Roc knockoffs or Deplphynes and make some LRM variants though.

As is often the case in BT the real answer lies in OOC reasoning. They wanted a new Clan unit type and the Jaguars were starring in the novels at the time. Combine the two and there you go.

youtu.be/bebfm7beKmM?t=369

It's funny because that exact thing happened to the Cincy guys and their yelling at CGL about it was what got the rule changed to something not completely stupid.

thatsthejoke.webm

>gets proven wrong
Where? I literally just told you why the name was wrong.

Let's not fight! Everyone can agree that the Northwind Highlanders are shit tier.

Also the society superheavy protos get downright nasty. Too bad the two and three ton ones are utterly useless shit.

Well yeah

Why are they shit tier?

anything in BT that's not misery is mary sue.

That's true, but what units would y'all say are top-tier?
I'd nominate the Big MAC

Big MAC is pretty based. I used to like playing Citizen's Honored when I played Cappies back in the day. The 15th Dracon were pretty based as well. They were charitable as fuck and always helped the people rebuild anything they damaged wherever they fought, assuming it was a friendly planet.

Is there any point at all to BA ECM?

One hex ECM if you want to fuck over your carrier, I guess.

Post silly mechs along with something silly to caption them if you would, please.

I need a smile.

I'd give the tooth of ymir high marks. They're top tier, but not A-listers, you know what I mean?

I like the Kell Hounds. They had a cool name, and their leader piloted an Archer when I first learned about them around 1992 I think?

... am I a bad person?

No.
Also remember around that era/age We learned them being big bros to Crescent Hawks.

What's a good ratio of gun to BV when building a mech? I want to design a series based on the principle of Gun first.

Is there any way to see through smoke and buildings and such? I thought that's what BAP was for, but it seems it is literally only good for units that are using the "Hidden Units" rules, not detecting units that have become hidden.

How do you actually build a force in battltech?

I really want to field a Tukkayidd themed Comstar army. Do I just have a mech arsenal thats a multiple of 4.
The military organisation in Total Warfare seems to be more fluff than hard rules.

BAP and sensor checks.

Depends. Do you want to go full in to combined arms territory, or are you looking to make an all-X or all-Y force? You, technically speaking, don't have to follow the rule of 4 for unit grouping, but it makes things easier especially when you start scaling up.

You already know you want to field a ComStar army, that's a good first step. Now you know what sort of units they field based upon their base. That also gives you an idea on how their forces are laid out and what % are 'mechs, what % are vees, etc. Check out some of the ComGuard units that were deployed on Tukayyid and see what they were built up with.

Honestly everything I read about Morgan Kell or Jaime Wolf in their Archers it makes me want to field one. Then I remember that the Archer is the one mech I can't make work.

ComStar uses base six for all of its units, for one thing, and deployed 12 Level Vs on Tukayyid, so I'd recommend making a Level III (that is, 6 level IIs) with a ComStar RAT.

Okay. Let's do this for the New Year.

And one more. This is how you make a serious-business Mad Cat into silly.

ECM only effects hostile units.

Omnis and vees transporting BA (also normal 'Mechs if they have mag clamps) get a free ECM that protects them from Artemis and the like.

Otherwise no, not really, it's better in the RPG.

The better the guns you have and the better you can sink their heat, the more expensive your machine will be. There's no ratio involved.

We have everything in Battletech, even Sanic.

Which faction would most likely use the Dubsteptron?

Are there any stock designs which can beat the Fire Moth's speed?

>Are there any stock designs which can beat the Fire Moth's speed?

There's a Locust that can.

Also a Fireball but I think that's unique.

Aletha Kabrinski pls

Look at the pics at sarna, she was so much cuter when she was younger. Well that goes for all Christmas cakes, but whatever. I stand by my assessment in a previous thread that she probably shags like a tiger.

>Which faction would most likely use the Dubsteptron?
Reed's Brew, to go with their party wagon Badger APCs.

I have some ideas about mech variants and I'd like your opinion if they can be fun enought:

>a Firestarter like the FS9-P but with LRM5 instead of the SRM2
>Javelin with LRMs (basically a substitute for the Sling)
>Javelin with RL20s ("awakened accordion")
>Vulcan with twin arm Flamers, torso LPLAS, JJ and stealth armor
>a Crusader more resembling the original from Macross, with RLs, JJ, head AMS, and some kind of "handgun" (be it a LB10X or a large laser)

>Also a Fireball but I think that's unique.
Two Fireballs, the 10D has MASC which puts it over. There's also the Roadrunner and Locust IIC 9.

>Two Fireballs

[happy Aletha noises]

I think she doesn't look half bad in 3062, either. I do think it's a wonder she made it to older age at all, considering her favourite 'Mech is the one that can be killed with a nasty look.

>"Khan Kabrinski, we seriously think you should reconsider your choice in 'Mechs. We have plenty of say, Mad Dogs, they have much more endurance than a Fire Moth."
>"Does any Mad Dog configuration go over 200 km/h?"
>"No, my Khan, but..."
>"Fire Moth it is, then."

What would a Light Plasma Rifle statline look like? Cutting it in half is easy enough, but seems pretty boring.

>"Does any Mad Dog configuration go over 200 km/h?"
Gotta go fast!
Gotta shag fast!

>a Firestarter like the FS9-P but with LRM5 instead of the SRM2
HERESY! You can't spew infernos with a LRM. Remember, Firestarters are all about the FIRE. (Unless they're actually a Mirage.)

>Javelin with LRMs (basically a substitute for the Sling)
Replace 2 SRM-6 with 2 LRM-5 and 2 ML? I'd field it.

>Javelin with RL20s ("awakened accordion")
Meh. Unlike 99% of BTG, I'm not a fan of using one-shot weapons as your main guns.

>Vulcan with twin arm Flamers, torso LPLAS, JJ and stealth armor
So a VT-5M with the MPL replaced with flamers, the MG replaced with ECM, and the armor replaced? Could be something bad, could be something good. I'd have to see it fielded first.

>a Crusader more resembling the original from Macross, with RLs, JJ, head AMS, and some kind of "handgun" (be it a LB10X or a large laser)
A big gun Crud would probably be fun to watch, but I wouldn't want to pilot it.

>>a Crusader more resembling the original from Macross, with RLs, JJ, head AMS, and some kind of "handgun" (be it a LB10X or a large laser)
CASE, CASE, CASE, CASE, CASE....

Battle Magic is by far the coolest. Scavenger technicians is so awesome, keeping the flame alive and all that. Too bad they ded.

>You can't spew infernos with a LRM. Remember, Firestarters are all about the FIRE

You know incendiary LRM rounds do exist?

What's the general opinion on the Kintaro, specifically the KTO-18 and -20?

Someone needs to write some BT smut about her

Yes, and they suck compared to infernos.

I like the Bandits.

Missionary position for the purposes of freebirth procreation?

I did until they got Stackpoled.

>Post silly mechs along with something silly to caption them if you would, please.

Unintentionally silly ... does it really *need* a caption?

Stuff like how she's draped over a stack of AC shells while a Trinary worth of Elementals run a train on her? Or how telling of how she once won a Trial of Grievance by beating her challenger in a dick-sucking contest (most dicks sucked, timed)?

We must go faster

>Homing rocket tits
I can imagine the pilot's giggle while he/she fires

Combined arms seemed to be one of several reasons Comstar did so well at Tukkayidd so I would likely do a healthy dose of combined arms with Star League era mechs. I basically want to be able to have a Guillotine or Two and a Pillager in the same force.

>Homing rocket tits
>I can imagine the pilot's giggle while he/she fires

There is historical precedent for this, you know...

Anybody have any campaign plans for the New Year?

How's about a made for webm idea.
(Scene opens with a close-up shot of a helmeted man in a cockpit)
Young Clint Eastwood in a Mercury-era spacesuit : The bastard is right on my six.
(Cut to a POV shot panning over instrument panel clearly labeled Quickdraw-4H)
(Cut back to pilot, close)
yCE: How do you say " fire asSRMs" in Drac-speak?
(Cut to exterior shot of squatting QKD)
Missiles erupt for the rear of the mech as it leaps into the air on jump jets. subtitle: [farts infernally]
(Cut to interior c/u)
yCE : (laughing) Bingo!

How do Zellbrigen rules go when it comes to things like Elementals? Why or how is it that Elementals are allowed to jump onto enemy 'Mechs and rip them apart yet Clan 'Mechs are forbidden from engaging in melee combat with other 'Mechs?

>Well that goes for all Christmas cakes, but whatever.

>thinks weeaboo sexism will get him his weeaboo waifu

Hey I like my waifus to come from Steiner or Davion territory, bud.

Any online battle tech games modeled after the tabletop game? Not the meh warrior style games where you pilot the mech.

Megamek, of course. 1:1 conversion of the TT rules.

Thanks bae. Any others?

It's not out yet, but the game being developed by HBS appears to be a pretty close approximation of the tabletop game.

You could also try the older MechCommander series.

>battletech
is this the setting where some guy genetically engineered a super T rex so they could have mechs fight it in a gladiator arena?

>>battletech
>is this the setting where some guy genetically engineered a super T rex so they could have mechs fight it in a gladiator arena?
If only. Problem is a T-Rex doesn't have good arm length to do an upper cut and most mechs can kick and punch out something that light in one shot.
If I recall there are some sort of dinos on one world, but I don't have the background info off hand.

... Well I know what my group is fighting when we start playing again.

That one I don't remember, but this is the setting where ranchers herd cattle so grumpy they need 'Mechs to wrangle them, and sometimes these wranglermechs have to fire lasers at fire-breathing dragons.

There's a picture of a dinosaur eating/banging a mech, I hope someone knows what I'm talking about and post it

What're some good support vehicles for a mercenary unit to have? I've already looked at the MASH and Field Kitchen trucks, probably going to do the GESV ones. Also the J27 for short-ranged ammo transport, and recovery vehicles for transporting salvaged/damaged units back.

Basically, I'm looking to quantify the support vehicles used. We've handwaved things away, assuming that the vehicles have been there, but I'm looking to get a concrete listing down.

>If I recall there are some sort of dinos on one world, but I don't have the background info off hand.
The world is called 'hunter's paradise', and it's in the periphery and full of dinosaurs
>Problem is a T-Rex doesn't have good arm length to do an upper cut and most mechs can kick and punch out something that light in one shot.
Yeah. One of the armoured sauropods, but engineered to be more aggressive would be a better fight
Pic related

are there stats for said dinosaurs for use against mechs?

Somewhere, yeah. Just don't remember which book

I actually had an idea for a one-shot based on that premise. The son of a high profile Defiance Industries exec wants to go big game hunting on Hunter's Paradise for his birthday. So he rounds up a bunch of miscellaneous mechwarriors (the party) to accompany/protect him on his safari in his custom berserker. The only stipulation is that a kill isn't counted if it isn't from a melee attack.

Lorries and Space Land Rovers. TRO Vehicle Annex has the Bulldog/Pit Bull series (which is really bloody big for a 1.5 tonner - should be the size of a Unimog whilst the pic in the TRO looks more like a four or ten tonner) and HB House Marik has the Ibex, which can serve as the Space Land Rover.

wait, did they get rid of (you)'s?

A Time of War has some rules for critters.

Apparently so.

>wait, did they get rid of (you)'s?
I've still got em on mobile, but weirdly I had the dotted lines yesterday

Wait, what? They were gone for a couple of days for me (only dotted lines) but now they're back.

They're shit, Jim. Get a Treb, Griffin, or Wolverine instead.

I've spent most of the year playing Marik and I'm looking to branch out into a new Great House.

Which would /btg/ recommend and why?