Battletech - Also known as Trannytech

[BlackDragoons]

Friggen success, they had the two of the Clan miniature packs and I was able to order them both for the store.

Yeah!

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

Feeling slightly humorous, so let's talk about the Bright Star Auto Scout.

The Bright Star Auto Scout is proof that even machines can recognize when shit is fucked up in spades. It was a highly sophisticated, proto-AI-driven surveying Jumpship. And the initial automated jump worked fine. Mind you, this was in 2543, well before the Star League collapsed.

So then the company, Ulsop Robotics, programs in a ten-jump mission, returning to their home planet when it was done. No problem, right?

Wrong. The Bright Star immediately begins jumping away. Ulsop reps tried to catch up to it and failed. It was last seen at New Samarkand, moving in the general direction of 'away'.

All I can think of is that AI looked around at the Inner Sphere, realized how bad things were going to get, and said, 'Nah, fuck this. Imma gonna go cruise the galaxy. I'm out.'

 

[A_Callow_Youth]

Or you use the Solitaire from the Diamond Sharks. A 25t Mech which carries heavy lasers, even the largest one Now if that guy manages to get in your back and fires

Oh while you talk about Gauszilla: that was a Clan Annihilator with 5 Gausrifles. Has anyone ever seen the specs of this thing? I can't wrap my head around how the hell this Mech actually looks like on paper.

Get yourself a copy of MegaMekLab, you can print record sheets for literally everything.

 

[Snekposter]

Incidentally, what would people's recommendations be for an effective Scout Mech? I need something that's fast, has stock jump jets, is tanky enough to survive a round getting shot at by a Daishi, and maybe if possible mounts ECM or a Beagle. I need this Mech to spot for my main firing line, which is mostly Heavy snipers and LRM boats. If there is any way to get a Mech like this WITH a Clan UAC/20, that'd be extra awesome!

Uh... might I suggest acquiring four Atlases for your Scout lance? Since it seems you and the Steiners share visions about the role of scout 'Mechs. To be more serious, the Victor sounds like your sort of 'Mech. Swap out the AC/20 for a Clan UAC/20 and you're good to go.

 

[BlackDragoons]

Uh... might I suggest acquiring four Atlases for your Scout lance? Since it seems you and the Steiners share visions about the role of scout 'Mechs. To be more serious, the Victor sounds like your sort of 'Mech. Swap out the AC/20 for a Clan UAC/20 and you're good to go.

Stieners do field effective scout squads.

STEINER SCOUT SQUAD

Tex Talks Battletech is a new series where Tex talks Battletech, Battletech lore, history, and mech combat in the glorious 31st Century. Avast Clanners, its ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Snekposter]

Stieners do field effective scout squads.

STEINER SCOUT SQUAD

Tex Talks Battletech is a new series where Tex talks Battletech, Battletech lore, history, and mech combat in the glorious 31st Century. Avast Clanners, its ...

www.youtube.com

I mean, as true as that is, not even the Steiners want their scouts to mount BAP/ECM/JJ. That's all tonnage that can't be spent on vital scouting equipment like more autocannon shells for greater scouting endurance.

 

[Solid Snek]

I mean, as true as that is, not even the Steiners want their scouts to mount BAP/ECM/JJ. That's all tonnage that can't be spent on vital scouting equipment like more autocannon shells for greater scouting endurance.

Honestly, I'm not too concerned about the number of AC shells on my Scout. Most of my damage output is coming from Gauss Rifles and PPCs that the rest of my lance is firing; the Scout's UAC/20 is mostly there to shoot light Mechs in the back (if they try and charge my firing line) or to finish off enemy Mechs that've been knocked over by repeated Gauss/PPC shots, by making a called shot to the head at point blank range. A couple tons of ammo is totally sufficient for that.

Uh... might I suggest acquiring four Atlases for your Scout lance? Since it seems you and the Steiners share visions about the role of scout 'Mechs. To be more serious, the Victor sounds like your sort of 'Mech. Swap out the AC/20 for a Clan UAC/20 and you're good to go.

Atlases are ugly and don't have enough firepower. Also, Victor's are too light to be a decent Assault Mech. If I'm going to go with something that size, I'd rather stick with my Marauder - which was what I WAS using as my Scout, until I got some Vultures off of Clan Wolf (although I'm still sort of using it as a Scout mech. I stick my rookie pilots in the Marauder and have him run out in front, spotting for the rest of my team. By the time the armor on my Scout Marauder gets shot off, the enemy lance is hopefully dead)

I just found a Black Hawk, which is sadly only 50 tons, but it has OK Jump Jets, a Beagle, and decent armor. It's a little slow though (same speed as my Mad Cats) and a lack of ballistic hardpoints means I can't mount a UAC/20 on it, just 13 ER Medium Lasers. And honestly, ER Lasers kind of suck. I'd trade most of those 13 lasers for a few more tons of armor, and a much, much bigger engine.

Let's say I want a Scout Mech that can run at 129.6 km/h, has a jump range of 240m, and can mount at least one UAC/20 plus BAP/ECM. What is the heaviest Mech that can do this? What is the lightest?

 

[White Devil]

Atlases are ugly and don't have enough firepower. Also, Victor's are too light to be a decent Assault Mech. If I'm going to go with something that size, I'd rather stick with my Marauder - which was what I WAS using as my Scout, until I got some Vultures off of Clan Wolf (although I'm still sort of using it as a Scout mech. I stick my rookie pilots in the Marauder and have him run out in front, spotting for the rest of my team. By the time the armor on my Scout Marauder gets shot off, the enemy lance is hopefully dead)

I just found a Black Hawk, which is sadly only 50 tons, but it has OK Jump Jets, a Beagle, and decent armor. It's a little slow though (same speed as my Mad Cats) and a lack of ballistic hardpoints means I can't mount a UAC/20 on it, just 13 ER Medium Lasers. And honestly, ER Lasers kind of suck. I'd trade most of those 13 lasers for a few more tons of armor, and a much, much bigger engine.

Let's say I want a Scout Mech that can run at 129.6 km/h, has a jump range of 240m, and can mount at least one UAC/20 plus BAP/ECM. What is the heaviest Mech that can do this? What is the lightest?

This kind of shit is why I don't like anything past 3025.

 

[Snekposter]

Let's say I want a Scout Mech that can run at 129.6 km/h, has a jump range of 240m, and can mount at least one UAC/20 plus BAP/ECM. What is the heaviest Mech that can do this? What is the lightest?

General Bruce C. Clarke stated "We know exactly what we want. We want a fast, highly mobile, fully armored, lightweight vehicle. It must be able to swim, cross any terrain, and climb 30-degree hills. It must be air-transportable. It must have a simple but powerful engine, requiring little or no maintenance. The operating range should be several hundred miles. We would also like it to be invisible".

Difference is he was being rhetorical, as a means to remind the USA's tank designers that they weren't going to get everything they wanted.

EDIT: You remember the discussions about the Gauss Hetzer a while back? Well, its cancer, and like all cancer in BT, TRO 3067 does not fail to deliver.
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Gauche

 

[Balr0g]

Uh... might I suggest acquiring four Atlases for your Scout lance? Since it seems you and the Steiners share visions about the role of scout 'Mechs. To be more serious, the Victor sounds like your sort of 'Mech. Swap out the AC/20 for a Clan UAC/20 and you're good to go.

Hey if you take his idea more serious he can also use the Blitzkrieg. It's fast and it already carries an Ultra AC20. And if you swap that for a Clan version you can also shoehorn in an electronic suite.

 

[Snekposter]

Hey if you take his idea more serious he can also use the Blitzkrieg. It's fast and it already carries an Ultra AC20. And if you swap that for a Clan version you can also shoehorn in an electronic suite.

That's a "no" because he wants a scout 'Mech that can survive getting blasted by a 75 ton Clan Omni. I mean, the dude wants a Charger with BAP/ECM/JJ/CUAC20 for his scouting roles judging by his initial request list. Never mind that if your scout is in CUAC/20 range the pilot is either either a madman, suicidal, or both. His Black Hawk is unironically one of the best choices for that, just needs TAG. Also, he's an idiot for crapping on CERML's, as they're 1 ton, 1 crit IS Large Lasers with even less heat. Oh, wait, they do one less damage... but weigh 4 tons less, have 3 less heat, and take up half the crit slots.

 

[Deepthoughts]

And here I am in 3025 enjoying my Lance of Guillotine GLT-4P, Highlander HNG-733p, Ostroc OSR-2M, Enforcer ENF-4R, and Dervish DV-6M.

Simpler times.

 

[White Devil]

And here I am in 3025 enjoying my Lance of Guillotine GLT-4P, Highlander HNG-733p, Ostroc OSR-2M, Enforcer ENF-4R, and Dervish DV-6M.

Simpler times.

Are you saying you like actual fights instead of running meta garbage with built in delete buttons?

 

[Corn Flakes]

Missed this when it came out a couple days ago.

A demo of the BattleTech Destiny unofficial ruleset. Again, I'm really not sure what they're bringing to the game. It's more granular than Alpha Strike, sure, but you're adding back almost as much bookkeeping and complexity as playing the standard rules. Sure, the numbers are lower. There are fewer armor pips to mark off. But you're still rolling the same amount of sequential dice. If they wanted to make it faster, they should have found a way to roll a single die per attack.

 

[Solid Snek]

That's a "no" because he wants a scout 'Mech that can survive getting blasted by a 75 ton Clan Omni. I mean, the dude wants a Charger with BAP/ECM/JJ/CUAC20 for his scouting roles judging by his initial request list. Never mind that if your scout is in CUAC/20 range the pilot is either either a madman, suicidal, or both. His Black Hawk is unironically one of the best choices for that, just needs TAG. Also, he's an idiot for crapping on CERML's, as they're 1 ton, 1 crit IS Large Lasers with even less heat. Oh, wait, they do one less damage... but weigh 4 tons less, have 3 less heat, and take up half the crit slots.

CERMLs do less damage, which means less armor penetration, which means less chance to crit and knock somebody out of the fight on the first round of shooting. I'd rather hit one spot and blow through the armor on that roll (a gapo that can then be exploited by CLRMs), than hit five spots, spread out, with no penetration, even if the CERMLs do more total damage on paper. That extra penetration can be the difference between a one-round kill, and a four-round kill. Also, CERMLs are heat-inefficient, which means I have to load up on heat sinks (I'm playing in 3051, so I have to scrounge for every Clan double sink and cannot buy any in the IS) and they don't do any stability damage, which is a major drawback in BTE. I'm fond of CEMRLs in Mechwarrior games and tabletop, but for BTE the only Mechs I bother having them on are my Missile Boats. CERPPCs, CGauss, and CLRMs are my main armaments, plus some CUAC/20s and CERSLs for good measure.

And I'm not so much looking for a Mech that can survive getting "blasted" by a 75 ton Omni. I'm more looking for something that can get "blasted at" by a 100 ton Omni. BTE puts a lot of defensive buffs on you if you're small and you run fast, such that you can usually avoid most hits from an Alpha Strike, IF your Mech is fast enough. The problem is that there's always going to be a lucky strike in there somewhere, and if it's a lucky strike from some LBX/20s or Gauss rifles, I need the Mech to live long enough to be able to run away and hide next turn. That's why I'm thinking 55 tons is the sweet spot, since it's still "technically" medium (bonus evasion, higher intiative value), and some of them can be uparmored to heavy levels. But I could be wrong.

Like, yesterday night, for example? I had a mission where I was supporting a joint Rasalhague/Lyran assault on Rodigo. I had to "save" their lances from getting annihilated by two stars of Clan Wolf Omni Assaults. My allies were stupidly getting cored in a couple volleys, so I didn't have a lot of time to finesse my approach; I had to run my Dragonfly right up into their faces the moment we dropped. It was like two Mad Cats, two Executioners, five Gargoyles, and a Daishi, all standing on a wooded hill, firing salvo after salvo into the blood-soaked plain below. I know it sounds weird to say, oooo, I want a heavy scout Mech that can mount a UAC/20, but you try spotting 2 Heavy Omnis and 8 Assault Omnis in something wimpy like a Locust or a Raven.


Chargers ARE a possibility, however. Chargers and Victors are both popularly recommended Scout Mechs, and the Charger was built on exactly the sort of design philosophy I'm looking for (especially the 3K variants, which sadly aren't available in 3051). My issue with the Charger is that it has very low initiative, and the size makes it easy to hit even if it's sprinting. An Omni-mech version of the Charger that is at least 5 tons lighter (giving it the same round initiative as an IS Medium, or with the right pilot, an IS Light) is basically my ideal though, yes.

Hey if you take his idea more serious he can also use the Blitzkrieg. It's fast and it already carries an Ultra AC20. And if you swap that for a Clan version you can also shoehorn in an electronic suite.

Oo, thanks! That might work; it's faster than the Ryoken, but it's still got the space for a UAC/20, and according to the Sarna Wiki some variants mount jumpjets and scout gear. But unfortunately, 3061 is still ten years away, so I don't have access to them yet.

I was thinking maybe a Wraith, too? Or possibly a Vapor Eagle? But like the Blitzkrieg, it's too early for the Wraith, and hell if I know where I can find a Vapor Eagle.



Again, giggle if you want, but I'm open to suggestions. The Dragonfly is fun but too light, the Ryokens can't jump, the Charger is way too low-tech and easy to hit, and of course I can't get a Blitzkrieg. The Black Hawk is what I'm leaning towards now for scouting Clanners (maybe leave the Dragonfly for scouting IS?) but it is a little slow for my liking, and the current configuration I've got has me locked in to CERLMs instead of ACs.

... or should I just say fuck it and go with a Scout Mad Cat? The S variant is just as maneuverable as a Black Hawk, and while it's got lower initiative and is easier to hit, it can mount Gauss Rifles and UACs, and I know from experience that it can survive at least one round of targeting by several Daishis.

 

[Snekposter]

Yes, a CERML does less damage than an IS large laser. One damage less. And it weighs less, has less heat, and takes up fewer tons and crit slots while possessing the exact same range brackets. Every single Clan energy weapon is a direct upgrade to the Inner Sphere equivalent one size up. CERLL's hit like IS PPC's while hilariously outranging them, weighing far less and taking up a mere one crit slot, all for a mere two heat more. You could strip half the weapons off that Nova and I'd give it 50/50 odds against an Awesome since you'd be cranking out just as much heat from weapons fire as him, but with the 18 DHS of the Prime you'd be running heat neutral, even with the JJ.

But hey, it seems like a Timber Wolf S is exactly what you want in a "scout" 'Mech, and I use that term lightly since the Timber Wolf S could probably out-scout an Atlas. Also, cool your autism (as I need to as well, TBH), and enjoy some Shakespeare in the Park.

 

[Solid Snek]

Yes, a CERML does less damage than an IS large laser. One damage less. And it weighs less, has less heat, and takes up fewer tons and crit slots while possessing the exact same range brackets. Every single Clan energy weapon is a direct upgrade to the Inner Sphere equivalent one size up. CERLL's hit like IS PPC's while hilariously outranging them, weighing far less and taking up a mere one crit slot, all for a mere two heat more. You could strip half the weapons off that Nova and I'd give it 50/50 odds against an Awesome since you'd be cranking out just as much heat from weapons fire as him, but with the 18 DHS of the Prime you'd be running heat neutral, even with the JJ.

But hey, it seems like a Timber Wolf S is exactly what you want in a "scout" 'Mech, and I use that term lightly since the Timber Wolf S could probably out-scout an Atlas. Also, cool your autism (as I need to as well, TBH), and enjoy some Shakespeare in the Park.

I'm not worried about how CERLMS perform against crappy IS weapons, I'm worried about how CERMLS perform against other Clan weapons. Yes, CERLLS are better than IS PPCs, but CERPPCs are better than CERLLs, for the reasons I listed above (better penetration + stability damage, which I've found makes the difference between a one-round kill average and a three-round kill average). And sure, my Nova does pretty well against an Atlas, but that's merely an Atlas. My operational needs right now are way beyond Atlases: I'm fighting multiple full stars of Clan Assaults, sometimes with serious time limit impositions too. A couple rounds of reliable long-range spotting, so I can take out the biggest threats before they close in on me, is really what I need here, and I'm sorry, Steiner-tactics or not, "conventional" scout mechs with flimsy armor and no UAC/20 just won't cut it.

I've finally scrounged enough parts that I can run a full 8-Mech drop of nothing but Mad Cats (mix of S, C, and Ds), but the thing with using an S as a Scout is that it's still just as fast (and just as large a target) as the rest of my team. It'd be like going back to using my poor old Marauder as a scout; yes I can spot with it, and yes it can survive first contact with the enemy, but it's fairly "slow" relative to the rest of my unit. I can't just sprint everyone directly at the target, as fast as humanly possible, the moment I hit the planet, and expect my Scout to make sensor contract first; instead, I've got to waste a couple rounds hanging back while my Scout moves up into sensor range.

Like, if I'm going to use a spare S as a scout, then I might as well just say "fuck it" and use one of my Executioners as a Scout, instead - it's almost as fast, almost as jumpy, it has a UAC/20, and while it'll get hit with every weapon that targets it, it'll survive at least one round longer than an S.

Would having an Omni Assault Mech scouting for a double lance of Heavies be silly?

 

[Snekposter]

I'm not worried about how CERLMS perform against crappy IS weapons, I'm worried about how CERMLS perform against other Clan weapons.

I've finally scrounged enough parts that I can run a full 8-Mech drop of nothing but Mad Cats (mix of S, C, and Ds)

This is kinda the issue here. You're somehow coming out ahead, even if barely, against Clanners and Tukayyid won't even kick off for another year, since it seems to be 3051 for you. You're at endgame as far as BattleTech goes until the 32nd Century rolls around and the Republic of the Sphere starts pulling Fidelis-made shit out their collective rectums. Eight Timber Wolves is the sort of threat even the Wolf's Dragoons would think long and hard about engaging with anything smaller than a company of IS assaults. This is beyond First World Problems into MW4Mercs Problems.

EDIT: Gentlemen, let me bring you the most American of all BattleMechs. There is not a single bit of its exterior that is not a weapons port, and in fact it is doubtful there is even a cockpit somewhere on it. AND YET it possesses both the Easy to Maintain and Rugged(2!) qualities, ensuring you can beat the hell out of it and keep it working despite that. Coming to you from the 2nd most American of all Clans, Clan Blood Spirit, the Blood Kite:

 

[Solid Snek]

This is kinda the issue here. You're somehow coming out ahead, even if barely, against Clanners and Tukayyid won't even kick off for another year, since it seems to be 3051 for you. You're at endgame as far as BattleTech goes until the 32nd Century rolls around and the Republic of the Sphere starts pulling Fidelis-made shit out their collective rectums. Eight Timber Wolves is the sort of threat even the Wolf's Dragoons would think long and hard about engaging with anything smaller than a company of IS assaults. This is beyond First World Problems into MW4Mercs Problems.

Sure, I'm coming out ahead and am now into MW4Mercs Problems, but that's not the question. The question is, what Mech can I use for scouting so that I can I come out more reliably ahead? I'm not at max contract difficulty yet, and it isn't really cost-efficient to come out barely ahead of a Clan Assault force, if I lose a well-trained scout pilot and some rare looted Clan tech in the process.

And speaking of Wolf's Dragoons, that was something else I was thinking: I kind of want to hunt them down and kill a bunch of them, so I can loot some Marauder IIs for my hangar collection. BTE is supposedly pretty lore-compliant and autistic about dates; where's the most reliable place to find them in the late summer of 3051? They aren't on Luthien, and there are no contracts available in Outreach.

 

[Corn Flakes]

EDIT: Gentlemen, let me bring you the most American of all BattleMechs. There is not a single bit of its exterior that is not a weapons port, and in fact it is doubtful there is even a cockpit somewhere on it. AND YET it possesses both the Easy to Maintain and Rugged(2!) qualities, ensuring you can beat the hell out of it and keep it working despite that. Coming to you from the 2nd most American of all Clans, Clan Blood Spirit, the Blood Kite:
View attachment 2252884

Okay, I'll bite: how are the Blood Spirits the second more American of Clans? I love the Blood Kite as much as the next guy since it's the most Inner Sphere of all Clan Assault 'Mechs, but I'm not really following here.

Also,

EDIT: You remember the discussions about the Gauss Hetzer a while back? Well, its cancer, and like all cancer in BT, TRO 3067 does not fail to deliver.
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Gauche
View attachment 2252123

That's a Light Gauss Rifle. It's a lot less cancer that it would appear at first. Plus, that's a tracked vehicle. Unlike the Hetzer, it can't play Eurobeat every time it turns a corner.

IIRC, it somehow has even less armor than the Hetzer, too.