Battletech BattleTech discussion thread: May the light of Hanse Davion guide us

[Doomsought]

On a side note... Would HandHeld energy weapons require power amplifiers? Honestly not sure, and that would affect weapon design.

I'd say it would require the unit it is on the have enough power amplifiers. Alternatively you can use the support versions with batter packs/ammo.

Also I'm having a writers block for my Taurian Navy Timeline story. I want the lead up to the Ameris civil war be is own chapter. I have a few ideas already, such as several Camerons vacationing on Beta Salandor and getting repatriated on the Panama when a conflict arises between the Taurians and the Sphere, but I'm not sure exactly how to start or end the conflict. I also need some filler, I'm palnning on a mega-project particle collider being constructed on Swan's Eye. But I need a few more to make the impression that things are going better the farther they are out from the core of the inner sphere.

 

[ParadiseLost]

So... The Battletech video game... is it any good?

Asking because its in a Humble Bundle.

 

[CurtisLemay]

So... The Battletech video game... is it any good?

Asking because its in a Humble Bundle.

Was definitely worth my time and money.

 

[CurtisLemay]

I'd say it would require the unit it is on the have enough power amplifiers. Alternatively you can use the support versions with batter packs/ammo.

Also I'm having a writers block for my Taurian Navy Timeline story. I want the lead up to the Ameris civil war be is own chapter. I have a few ideas already, such as several Camerons vacationing on Beta Salandor and getting repatriated on the Panama when a conflict arises between the Taurians and the Sphere, but I'm not sure exactly how to start or end the conflict. I also need some filler, I'm palnning on a mega-project particle collider being constructed on Swan's Eye. But I need a few more to make the impression that things are going better the farther they are out from the core of the inner sphere.

Say the Taurians begin to build large arcologies. It makes sense because the number of planets hospitable to human life decline as you get out into the Periphery, and terraforming is expensive. Arcologies are a bit less so, and if one gets really good at it, it can be done for other clients?

 

[Doomsought]

Say the Taurians begin to build large arcologies. It makes sense because the number of planets hospitable to human life decline as you get out into the Periphery, and terraforming is expensive. Arcologies are a bit less so, and if one gets really good at it, it can be done for other clients?

In B-Tech what you are talking about are referred to as dome colonies. There are already some mentioned in the story, but they are expensive and the rest of the periphery is broke and having their shirts reposesed to pay backed taxes.

 

[bullethead]

So... The Battletech video game... is it any good?

Asking because its in a Humble Bundle.

It's pretty good. It's got some design flaws (Hatchetman fucking sucks because it doesn't actually add mechanics to maximize the presence of the hatchet), but it's got a lot of content and is pretty engrossing, especially if you get the DLCs.

That said, like XCOM games, it'll beat the shit out of your CPU due to the engine and the environmental destructability.

 

[Husky_Khan]

So... The Battletech video game... is it any good?

Asking because its in a Humble Bundle.

I think it's definitely worth it. Got a fair amount of hours of gameplay out of it.

 

[PsihoKekec]

Just have some reading at hand for the loading times.

 

[Flintsteel]

Say does Battletech have ETC technology? I can't remember. If nothing else they have the technology for it.

Absolutely. Naval AC officially use laser-driven inertial confinement fusion to propel shells, so ETC is definitely a technology within their capabilities.

Hmmm the one problem I see with Battletech ACs being ETCs is there absolutely terrible range when compared to say the 120mm rifle of the Challenger 2 which is the opposite of what a ETC would be in comparison to modern cannons

Trying to make sense of the game-rules & real life is an exercise in futility.

 

[Doomsought]

Trying to make sense of the game-rules & real life is an exercise in futility.

Make all aerospace hexes equivalent to a ground map-sheet (roughly half a kilometer). Capital and sup-capital weapon ranges are in aerospace hexes. Increase the range of all other weapons by 1/3. Divide standard weapon ranges by 16, and round up using the best range increment for a given hex. Artillery weapons on aerospace units are treated as subcapital weapons while on the aerospace map.

Give riffles better range bands and the ability to use indirect fire/artillery rules when beyond their long range band, but suffer an additional +2 per mapsheet after their extreme range and have a maximum mapsheet range equal to their short range in hexes.

Autocannons sacrifice range for better ammunition packing.

Edit: Clarify aerospace house rules.

 

[Typhonis]

So which collapse is the Succession Wars more like? The fall of the Western Roman Empire or the Bronze Age Collapse?

 

[Battlegrinder]

So which collapse is the Succession Wars more like? The fall of the Western Roman Empire or the Bronze Age Collapse?

I'd say roman empire, given the successor houses are named as such for thier attempts to present themselves as being the legitimate successor to Star League, and there was a surviving fragment of the previous super state that evolved into it's own thing over time, with an antagonistic relationship with the pretender states.

 

[Doomsought]

Does anyone have a good list of what techs the Terran hegemony had in the 2700's that the Great Houses didn't have access to?

 

[PsihoKekec]

Most of terraforming technologies come to mind.

As for military technologies, while Successor States gained some of these technologies due to defection SLDF units and looting of the Hegemony, they didn't learn their production before the destruction of 1&2 SW.

XL engines
Double heat sinks
ER lasers (not 100% sure if they didn't get this one before)
LB-X guns
Ultra guns
Artemis 4
Gauss rifle
Guardian ECM
Beagle Active Probe

They never got hold of these though
Null Sig
CLPS
PAL

I think Endo Steel and Ferro-Fibrous armor were spread around before the Amaris coup.

 

[Culsu]

I'd say it would require the unit it is on the have enough power amplifiers. Alternatively you can use the support versions with batter packs/ammo.

Also I'm having a writers block for my Taurian Navy Timeline story. I want the lead up to the Ameris civil war be is own chapter. I have a few ideas already, such as several Camerons vacationing on Beta Salandor and getting repatriated on the Panama when a conflict arises between the Taurians and the Sphere, but I'm not sure exactly how to start or end the conflict. I also need some filler, I'm palnning on a mega-project particle collider being constructed on Swan's Eye. But I need a few more to make the impression that things are going better the farther they are out from the core of the inner sphere.

The problem here is, the Taurians were a major foil for the Amaris plot. With the Concordat remaining independent, though, that leaves only the Canopians and the OA as means to draw out the SLDF. And those hot spots simply aren't large enough to warrant a wholesale abandonment of the Hegemony by SLDF forces. So, an abortive coup maybe that leads to the Hegemony to draw in on itself, evict the great houses from jointly administered worlds and go Fortress Republic (Hegemony) four centuries early, only bigger? That'd leave the houses free to have a go at each other (and get the noses punched in by the Hegemony in case they try to grab words from it). Would make for a nice way to keep the butterflies of this AU flying, possibly by forcing a new distribution of political power in the Hegemony that'd curtail the power of House Cameron. The proximity to Earth would make something like a virtual parliament or council of governors to act as checks and balances the Director General via HPG feasible. With RWR regiments and ships in the Hegemony it'd still get bloody, and the Camerons would pay a large price in blood themselves, but it'd allow for a wholly different development of the BTech universe. RWR forces fighting tooth and claw against SLDF rump formations and planetary levvies, ships running obliviuously into active Casper networks...

 

[Doomsought]

As for military technologies, while Successor States gained some of these technologies due to defection SLDF units and looting of the Hegemony, they didn't learn their production before the destruction of 1&2 SW.

I think double heat sinks or prototype double heat sinks will be butterflied into proliferation.

So, an abortive coup maybe that leads to the Hegemony to draw in on itself, evict the great houses from jointly administered worlds and go Fortress Republic (Hegemony) four centuries early, only bigger?

Since the other Camerons that were alive at the time aren't on the family tree, I've decided that the Cameron that will be vacationing on Beta Salandor will be an OC: Judeth Cameron III, daughter of William Cameron and Richard Cameron's second aunt. She is a landscape painter, and has a well earned reputation for being flighty and irresponsible after getting knocked up in art school. While most of the Cameron family will be happy with the lack of scandals that comes with her deciding to extend her stay at Beta Salandor, Stephen Ameris will try to convince Richard that she is actually being held as a hostage.

Hmm, I'm thinking while Aleksandr Kerisnky would probably not run off with the SLDF with the Concordat had Naval elements to act as a foil, Nicholas Kerinsky might still try something crazy if given half a chance. Maybe budget shortfalls and failure to pay the SLDF?

 

[Culsu]

Well, that's the question, isn't it? It all depends on how your Amaris Civil War scenario plays out, and how badly the Hegemony will be affected by it. I'd say any scenario that has the Hegemony survive has a good chance to see the SLDF survive as well, even if the great houses will probably find ways to strangle its reach to a level below of what it was pre-civil war. As far as the Concordat is concerned, that largely depends on how combative it's stance towards the SL still is. This could go to the extreme of both ways. You could join the anti-Amaris coalition, even if only symbolically, or you could act as a neutral refuge for forces of the OWA and Magistracy when they inevitably get smashed. There's also a chance that there will be elements that will claim you to be behind the rebellion.

 

[Doomsought]

This could go to the extreme of both ways. You could join the anti-Amaris coalition, even if only symbolically, or you could act as a neutral refuge for forces of the OWA and Magistracy when they inevitably get smashed. There's also a chance that there will be elements that will claim you to be behind the rebellion.

Like the great houses, it will be predatory help. The Taurian colonization fleet can be used to quickly evacuate planets that will no longer be inhabitable, including factories.

The SLDF will probably be put through twice as much of a meat grinder even if they manage to pull out of a conflict with the Concordat, the great houses would absolutely refuse to contribute their fleets into that mess.

 

[Battlegrinder]

So, I found a new fan mech design some people here might be interested in, since it's not just a new omnimech design, but a design with an accompanying model (actually,a whole range of then in different configurations). It's called the Aries, and it's the flagship design of the Aries Games and Miniatures online store:

Aries Games & Miniatures - Miniatures

In universe, it's supposed to be an adder design, and takes cues from the blood asp and (bizzarely) the Osteon. Stat-wise it's much closer to the former, losing the Osteon's signature combination of ferro lammelor armor, reinforced structure and torso cockpit in favor of more traditional choices. The only Osteon influence is the style of the mech, and the use of iATMs in several versions.

The adders might be more pragmatic and reasonable, by homeworld clan standards at least, but it does seem odd to pattern a mech after a Society design visually while using traditional specs, I would think it would be better to make a society style machine with a clear clan design style, if only to dodge criticism from other, less fair minded clans.

As for designs, they seem mostly solid. Lots of pulse lasers, iATMs, HAGs, etc, with a couple designs that mount jump jets or superchargers. I'll probably grab a few, they'll help bulk up my assault stars, which are a bit heavy on PPCs and streak missiles right now.


What are everyone else's thoughts?

 

[PsihoKekec]

I agree, clanners are visual people, you could get away with cloning the specs and changing the visuals, but not the other way around. What's next, renamed Wolverine II?