Battletech - Also known as Trannytech

[Karl der Grosse]

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

They got a lot better at balancing new equipment post-Clan Invasion. Clan gear is just flat-out better in every way (weight, volume, range, heat) since they were meant to be balanced by having lower numbers and fighting "fair". We all know how that worked.

Later new equipment, even Clan equipment, works far more like either a sidegrade, or a very specialized upgrade with a hefty drawback that helps fill out the gaps in the equipment options. Take the Medium Variable-Speed Pulse Lasers, for example. They're twice the mass, twice the crit slots, and almost twice the heat, for 50% more damage at close range and 50% more range in total (and less damage at long range). Looking at them at face value, as Medium Lasers there's just no reason to take them over normal Medium Pulse Lasers (lighter, cooler), or even just four Medium Lasers (same range, way better damage/heat and damage/tonnage ratios). But if you're thinking of a 'mech that is heavily specced-out for point-blank knife-fighting, you could do a lot worse than mounting Medium VSPLs: they're lighter, cooler, slightly more damaging Large Lasers with a -2 bonus to hit at the 0-2 range bracket. Even out to 5 hexes they're still decent.

Even the more esoteric stuff like the TSEMP comes with a lot of strings attached. That's a 6-ton, 5-crit, 10-heat weapon that does zero damage, can only be fired every other turn, and only has a ~55% chance to do anything to a 'Mech (with a 35% chance to cause a shutdown, 20% on a 100-tonner). And that's assuming you hit the target the first place. After you fire, the firing unit takes a +2 penalty to-hit for a turn. Oh, and it pops like a Gauss Rifle for 10 damage when hit. You can't even mount it on non-Fusion vehicles for the mass TSEMP memes. It's a neat gap-filler with interesting mechanics, something to play with that can certainly change the course of a battle if the stars align, but it's too unreliable to be overpowered.

All that's to say, give that stuff a look. If you're not looking for 100% efficiency at all costs (in which case you just mount all the Medium Lasers you can fit in your tonnage, paint your 'Mech flat grey and bore your enemies to death), there's a lot of cool, fluffy and mechanically interesting new equipment to play with in 3150.

By and large, IS tech tends to not be near as busted overall except with C3. There's usually enough tradeoffs that it all balances out.

The plasma rifle, for example, is such a weird little toy I can't help but like it.

I'm very curious to see where the metaplot goes after 3150. Last bit of news was 'A Clan has landed on Terra' -- but they don't say if it's the Wolves or the Jade Falcons. There's an implication that whatever Clan it was, successfully took Terra (hence, references to the ilClan), but no real confirmation as to which one was victorious.

I'll give credit to Alaric Ward for having balls the size of Dropships by publicizing his heritage as the spawn of Katherine Steiner-Davion and thus having a claim to the throne of the Lyran Commonwealth -- despite being the Khan of Clan Wolf and invading half the damn Commonwealth to take it for himself.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

By and large, IS tech tends to not be near as busted overall except with C3. There's usually enough tradeoffs that it all balances out.

The plasma rifle, for example, is such a weird little toy I can't help but like it.

I'm very curious to see where the metaplot goes after 3150. Last bit of news was 'A Clan has landed on Terra' -- but they don't say if it's the Wolves or the Jade Falcons. There's an implication that whatever Clan it was, successfully took Terra (hence, references to the ilClan), but no real confirmation as to which one was victorious.

I'll give credit to Alaric Ward for having balls the size of Dropships by publicizing his heritage as the spawn of Katherine Steiner-Davion and thus having a claim to the throne of the Lyran Commonwealth -- despite being the Khan of Clan Wolf and invading half the damn Commonwealth to take it for himself.

And even C3 is intrusive enough it's not very common outside of the Combine, since those masters are big enough to need specialized builds. The Blakist C3I is bullshit though, glad it's gone. The thing about the IlClan hitting now is the question of who's going to care? I mean, why would the Bears knuckle under? They seem pretty happy in the set up they have and if ever there was a Clan that weren't massive assholes all the time, it's them. The Ravens and the Space Amish seem to get on, and the Ravens have enough warships to not be pushed around, at least. The Clan Protectorate, with it's base of Spirit Cats/Nova Cat Refugees/Sea Fox Delta Aimag is probably already breeding a Parlimentarian Caste. Although a Wolf/Falcon/Hells Horses IlClanate vs. Bears/Ravens/Clan Protectorate who reject them just because would be an interesting set up. You got to Terra after all this time, so what? Battletech is at it's best when it's everyone side-eyeing everyone else and I think Catalyst knows that.

If it leads to the Wolves being trapped in the old Terra Hegemony/Republic of the Sphere space, I wouldn't mind. As a Leaguer, there's planets I want back from the trashborn Fiat wielders and their Ice Bitch spawned bastard of the leader.

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

The Clan Protectorate, with it's base of Spirit Cats/Nova Cat Refugees/Sea Fox Delta Aimag is probably already breeding a Parlimentarian Caste.

Everything you said is true, but this bit cracked me up hard

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

Everything you said is true, but this bit cracked me up hard

That the FWL seriously still goes through all the motions of being a Parlimentary Democracy and the Parliment is actively contentious is one of the charming parts of it. The Clanners are going to have to adapt or they'll get eaten alive. And they're not allowed to get eaten alive until they get a Nova Cat production line going somewhere in the League.

That our pet clan is Nova Cat wannabe cultists, Clan Lost Cause survivors, and one of the trade fleets of Clan Happy Merchants just amuses me to no end. There's something very League about that.

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

That the FWL seriously still goes through all the motions of being a Parlimentary Democracy and the Parliment is actively contentious is one of the charming parts of it. The Clanners are going to have to adapt or they'll get eaten alive. And they're not allowed to get eaten alive until they get a Nova Cat production line going somewhere in the League.

That our pet clan is Nova Cat wannabe cultists, Clan Lost Cause survivors, and one of the trade fleets of Clan Happy Merchants just amuses me to no end. There's something very League about that.

Is it too much to hope that the Nova Cats and associated Clanners have learned their lesson about randomly staging rebellions when they lack the numbers and support?

Although if Catalyst does a timeskip, it would amuse me if somehow the Clan protectorate grew to become a power player in FWL politics -- not necessarily the strongest, but one you can't ignore. Double bonus if they find common ground with the Trinity Worlds.

 

[Corn Flakes]

Hey, man. I'll take whatever if it means I can get a Nova Cat and go light up some Capellans with it. I don't even care about the local politics, I'm just tired of the FedSuns hoarding all the fun of punching the Space Chinese.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

Is it too much to hope that the Nova Cats and associated Clanners have learned their lesson about randomly staging rebellions when they lack the numbers and support?

Although if Catalyst does a timeskip, it would amuse me if somehow the Clan protectorate grew to become a power player in FWL politics -- not necessarily the strongest, but one you can't ignore. Double bonus if they find common ground with the Trinity Worlds.

Nova Cats? Learn lessons? I have a soft spot for them, but lets not get crazy here. On the other hand, the League doesn't seem to be in any rush to treat them as cannon fodder for wars against the Bears and such. Nor do we seem particularly interested in sterilizing their entire civilian population after forcing them onto reservations. I get that the Snakes are literally House Weeb, but could they not emulate the worst tendencies of Glorious Nippon? Sure, their social structure is fucking weird, but this is the League, we tolerate the fucking Regulans. Sure, we had to bring them back into the League against their will, but they shouldn't have assassinated Jessica Halas-Hughes Marik if they didn't want their asses kicked. We're lucky she had the sense to have multiple children. I get that they're descended from the False Thomas, but he was one of the best Captain-Generals the League ever had. In the end, he cared more about the League than he did the Blakists.

Hey, man. I'll take whatever if it means I can get a Nova Cat and go light up some Capellans with it. I don't even care about the local politics, I'm just tired of the FedSuns hoarding all the fun of punching the Space Chinese.

We still have Andurien to...convince to return to the League if I remember right. They've been very chummy with the Cappies. Sadly, I think the Protectorate has access to just about all the Nova Cat and Sea Fox mechs but the Nova Cat. But the MUL hasn't been updated for IlClan era yet, so they might have gotten production going. Besides, I'm sure the Foxes can get some for the League at very reasonable prices. You may want to invest in their Premium Logistical Support package though. Getting Clan Tech parts is so very hard out there, after all. They'll even through in roadside assistance, coolant changes, and annual mech detailing for free. Such a deal.

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

Nova Cats? Learn lessons? I have a soft spot for them, but lets not get crazy here. On the other hand, the League doesn't seem to be in any rush to treat them as cannon fodder for wars against the Bears and such. Nor do we seem particularly interested in sterilizing their entire civilian population after forcing them onto reservations. I get that the Snakes are literally House Weeb, but could they not emulate the worst tendencies of Glorious Nippon? Sure, their social structure is fucking weird, but this is the League, we tolerate the fucking Regulans. Sure, we had to bring them back into the League against their will, but they shouldn't have assassinated Jessica Halas-Hughes Marik if they didn't want their asses kicked. We're lucky she had the sense to have multiple children. I get that they're descended from the False Thomas, but he was one of the best Captain-Generals the League ever had. In the end, he cared more about the League than he did the Blakists.

When the best Marik Captain-General wasn't a Marik at all, you might need to sit down and think about how inbred your ruling family is.

Yeah, it darkly amuses me how the Combine was stunned when the Arkab Legions fucked off back to their homeworlds because one got hit with a meteor and the Combine couldn't be arsed to even send a mail ship. Yes, I know the Combine was dealing with the double-whammy of the Black Dragon and the Word of Blake, but holy shit guys, stop acting all aggrieved and 'how dare they leave'. You guys lost your fucking marbles when Rasalhague seceded and Theodore had to smack your asses down.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

When the best Marik Captain-General wasn't a Marik at all, you might need to sit down and think about how inbred your ruling family is.

Yeah, it darkly amuses me how the Combine was stunned when the Arkab Legions fucked off back to their homeworlds because one got hit with a meteor and the Combine couldn't be arsed to even send a mail ship. Yes, I know the Combine was dealing with the double-whammy of the Black Dragon and the Word of Blake, but holy shit guys, stop acting all aggrieved and 'how dare they leave'. You guys lost your fucking marbles when Rasalhague seceded and Theodore had to smack your asses down.

It was always like that with the Cats. I get they invaded, but they're playing nice now and going at the Bears and being a Bulwark against them and you treat them like shit. Then, Surprised Pikachu Face, they support the less retarded weeb side in a revolt. The Combine's response to anything negative is just to double down on being retarded weebs and then they're shocked when people reactly negatively to them going full Grourious Nippon. Like retarded weebs. And this cycle was started by Battletech writers in the 80s. I don't even think we had the concept of weebs solidified yet, but the powers that be nailed how a state run by them would act.

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

It was always like that with the Cats. I get they invaded, but they're playing nice now and going at the Bears and being a Bulwark against them and you treat them like shit. Then, Surprised Pikachu Face, they support the less retarded weeb side in a revolt. The Combine's response to anything negative is just to double down on being retarded weebs and then they're shocked when people reactly negatively to them going full Grourious Nippon. Like retarded weebs. And this cycle was started by Battletech writers in the 80s. I don't even think we had the concept of weebs solidified yet, but the powers that be nailed how a state run by them would act.

Goes all the way back to Jinjiro Kurita's epic temper tantrum when his daddy got potted on Kentares.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

Goes all the way back to Jinjiro Kurita's epic temper tantrum when his daddy got potted on Kentares.

That let the Fed Suns get away with claiming to be the White Hats for ages. I do like that 3145 gives them the walking war crime that the Scarecrow.

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

That let the Fed Suns get away with claiming to be the White Hats for ages. I do like that 3145 gives them the walking war crime that the Scarecrow.

Although one might note that if you're going to play the 'war crime' card, you'd need to talk about the Firestarter and Pirahna first.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

Although one might note that if you're going to play the 'war crime' card, you'd need to talk about the Firestarter and Pirahna first.

Certainly, it's not the first walking war crime, it's just one that's fluff specifically calls out it's use explicitly as killing rear area troops and supply units.

 

[Corn Flakes]

C'mon, guys. Don't forget the Blackjack, GM's Okayest Product. The Successor States are merely Succeeding in the Star League's footsteps when it comes to 'Mech-based war crimes.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

I'm very curious to see where the metaplot goes after 3150. Last bit of news was 'A Clan has landed on Terra' -- but they don't say if it's the Wolves or the Jade Falcons. There's an implication that whatever Clan it was, successfully took Terra (hence, references to the ilClan), but no real confirmation as to which one was victorious.

Just imagine it turns out to be Clan Wolverine.

Hey, man. I'll take whatever if it means I can get a Nova Cat and go light up some Capellans with it. I don't even care about the local politics, I'm just tired of the FedSuns hoarding all the fun of punching the Space Chinese.

I don't even know why, but I really dislike the Capellans... I guess it's due to the novels.

And even C3 is intrusive enough it's not very common outside of the Combine, since those masters are big enough to need specialized builds.

I'd love to put together a really weebish Combine C3 lance for shits and giggles, but there is hardly any decent C3Master equipped Combine mech, maybe the Naginata. I'd love a version of the Tai-sho with only one C3M, but I had to settle for a Hatamoto (though the C3M version lacks the SRM6s that I like so much about the original design)...

I do like that 3145 gives them the walking war crime that the Scarecrow.

Looked it up, JFC what were these guys smoking? That's the kind of shit I would expect from a designated anti-insurrection garrison unit designed by Amaris.

 

[robobobo]

Forget C3, triple-strength myomer is the real insane IS tech. I built out a 85-tonner with a hatchet, an ERPPC to get its heat up, and a smattering of medium lasers to fill out empty space and keep the heat in the sweet spot for the myomer, and basically any location that hatchet touches is fucked. Plus it moved like a light mech, thanks to the speed boost from the myomers, so good luck keeping it out of your rear arc. It was broken as fuck.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

Looked it up, JFC what were these guys smoking? That's the kind of shit I would expect from a designated anti-insurrection garrison unit designed by Amaris.

Someone in the Fed Suns found Predator in one of the memory cores and thought "That, but a Battlemech." I mean, the previously mentioned Firestarter is similar, but without the LPS.

Forget C3, triple-strength myomer is the real insane IS tech. I built out a 85-tonner with a hatchet, an ERPPC to get its heat up, and a smattering of medium lasers to fill out empty space and keep the heat in the sweet spot for the myomer, and basically any location that hatchet touches is fucked. Plus it moved like a light mech, thanks to the speed boost from the myomers, so good luck keeping it out of your rear arc. It was broken as fuck.

There's a reason the Powers That Be gave the -13M Grand Titan a sword instead of a hatchet and it's not just because it looks like Optimus Prime. TPTB do a pretty good job avoiding broken canon mech designs, because when people ask them to make optimized mechs they go and make the Hellstar as a lesson to be careful what you wish for.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

There's a reason the Powers That Be gave the -13M Grand Titan a sword instead of a hatchet and it's not just because it looks like Optimus Prime. TPTB do a pretty good job avoiding broken canon mech designs, because when people ask them to make optimized mechs they go and make the Hellstar as a lesson to be careful what you wish for.

A real Battlemech has to have some really weird and nigh incomprehensible design choices somewhere to feel grounded in reality.

I mean, you need to look at a mech and be instantly reminded of the "Bradley Fighting Vehicle Evolution" scene.

Something put together with requests voiced by a shitload of barely competent Generals who all fundamentally disagree on what the final mission profile is supposed to be, once they're done taping medium lasers to the back and machineguns to the knees.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

A real Battlemech has to have some really weird and nigh incomprehensible design choices somewhere to feel grounded in reality.

I mean, you need to look at a mech and be instantly reminded of the "Bradley Fighting Vehicle Evolution" scene.

Something put together with requests voiced by a shitload of barely competent Generals who all fundamentally disagree on what the final mission profile is supposed to be, once they're done taping medium lasers to the back and machineguns to the knees.

So, TRO:3060 then.



Who needs hips to turn? There's a reason why designs from TRO:3055 to TRO 3145:FWL the League's designs are...special. Except for the Icarus II. That's just decades too late to be relevant.