BattleTech 3050 ((Looking for new recruits!))

Started by Wargtass, November 15, 2012, 10:39:38 PM

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Wargtass



The year is 3050.
The place is the Inner Sphere.
The business is War.







Humanity has long ago set out from Terra in revolutionary JumpShips, colonizing the stars for many many lightyears around them and establishing empires spanning many thousands of stars, called the Inner Sphere. As man has set out to advance in their expansion and technology, so they have evolved on the battlefield. Tanks and planes are no longer the spearhead of war, no longer the tool with which to take ground, having instead been reduced to a supposrting role like infantry was many centuries earlier. BattleMechs rule the fields of war now, titanic bipedal monstrosities capable of carrying a whole company's worth of weaponry into the field. There are as many variants of 'Mechs as there are roles for it in war, ranging from the small and agile scouts called Light 'Mechs to the colossal plodding warmachines known as Assault 'Mechs.

Like the long forgotten world of Alexander the Great, the Inner Sphere was united under the Star League. Like Alexander, the Star League died before its time. Like the successors of Alexander, the Great Noble Houses fought many wars to take its place, tearing humanity back from the high technology of the Star League to a darker age where the only things keeping humanity from losing contact with each other are the HyperPulse Generators, sending communication pulses between the stars.

Only ComStar, a blooming communications company turned mysterious religious order, knows how to maintain these machinery and use that knowledge to police the actions of the Great Houses, impending communication blackouts on anyone that grows too powerful or too ambitious. Even so, the Inner Sphere has seen four wars of succession in the last few centuries. The Fourth was ended just two decades ago, in 3030.

The embers of the Fourth Succession War has barely cooled, yet new turmoil threatens to engulf the Inner Sphere once more. Returning from their long selfimposed exile, Kerensky's Star League Defence Force and their decendants invades the Inner Sphere, now as the aweinspiring and highly technological Clans. To destroy them the Great Houses must put aside their differences and stand united against the onslaught of superior BattleMechs. Old grudges die hard though and it is a race against time as every day the Clanners come closer to their ultimate goal: Terra.

It is a time where entrepreneurs and adventurers find themselves held in high regard as each faction tries to scramble their military might and either desperately try to hold on to what they have left or grab as much space as they can before the besieged can retaliate. Lone Wolves and Mercenary Companies can pretty much pick and choose their employers and missions as they want, because the demand is pressing ever higher while the supply dwindles with every month. This is where you come in, MechWarrior. You are in possession of the greatest warmachines humanity has ever mustered and the skills to do terrifying things in them. You are an asset, a resource and an invaluable treasure.

Are you ready to claim your destiny?



What is this?
If you haven't played the BattleTech tabletop wargame, the MechWarrior video game series or the A Time of War P&P RPG, do not fear. The most important thing is that you see giant Mechs and fall in love with them. Even so, if you want to enjoy playing around with a whole bunch of BattleTech-nerds you are better off knowing a little bit more about the game and setting of BattleTech. If you are not familiar with BattleTech of MechWarrior at all be ready for a proper reading session. You could go to Sarna BattleTech Wiki and delve its depths, but I recommend you read the 101 courses below. They contain the basics (still quite a read) and if something strikes you as particularly interesting you can always go to Sarna and take an advance course there. Still here? Good! Let us begin...


Setting and History 101

The game is set in the 31st century and centers around the human empires, the Successor States, of the Inner Sphere, a vast portion of space within 500 lightyears surrounding Earth (Terra). As the name implies, they are the successors of the Star League Era, a portion of BattleTech history that saw the most widespread peace the Inner Sphere has ever known thanks to the Star League Council. These factions are separated by cultural, political and social variation and ruled by five great noble houses, based on a feudal system and class societies. Power is often inherited, be it titles or BattleMechs. Only a few small states exist outside of their direct influence, which will be mentioned in the Factions section later on.

Outside of the Inner Sphere is the Periphery, several independant states that sometimes predate the Successor States and rivals some of them in size, though being far from as influential and powerful economically and military-wise. Most however are only moderate in size and the political and social aspects vary from the feudal of the Inner Sphere to even great democracies.

Beyond that lies the Deep Periphery, unknown space colonized by a few human societies and a dark shadow looming over the Inner Sphere in the form of the Clans, the remnants of the Star League Defence Force that left the Inner Sphere in a self-imposed exile, vowing to return when the time was right to make peace once more. At the year 3050, that time came and as they say; si vis pacem, parabellum.

BattleMechs 101
While early BattleMechs in the tabletop wargame used Macross designs, the similarities to the Japanese Mecha genre ends there. While Mecha's are usually quick, agile and action packed, BattleMechs (or more commonly referred to as 'Mechs) are generally slow, lumbering and more down to earth. They are large warmachines consisting of four key elements; Internal Structure, Actuators, Engine and Gyro.

The Internal Stucture is the skeleton in the 'Mech, keeping the construct together and distributing the weight. It makes up most of the bulk of a 'Mech. Internal Structure come in standard and Endo-Steel, which is lighter, stronger but more expensive to buy and maintain.

Actuators are the joints of the 'Mech, artificial "musculature" consisting largely of myomers, bundles of polymer fiber which contracts in the presence of electrical currents. As such, just like in our own bodies, the myomers contract and relax to move the Internal Structure.

Engines are without exception (in the scope of what you will encounter at least) fusion reactors which powers the actuators and weapons of the 'Mech. Yes, nuclear fusion, be glad you are properly shielded in your cockpits.

The Gyro makes sure weight is properly balanced and distributed when the 'Mech is in motion. Without it the 'Mech and its pilot would land on their pretty faces.

Added to this is of course armor plates, weaponry and heatsinks. Weapons are attached to hard points allocated so that weight balance is maintained as much as possible. Armor comes in standard and Ferro-Fibrous, which is lighter and tougher but more expensive, just like the Endo-Steel internal structure. Armor plates are discarded and replaced when damaged. Heat sinks reduce and expel the heat building up in the engine from using weapons and moving the 'Mech around. Heat sinks can be damaged by excessive heat and if a 'Mech overheats it is usually put in a powered down mode until the heat sinks can expel enough heat for the 'Mech to function without failing.

There is also a cockpit for the MechWarrior, the pilot of the 'Mech. Much like its counterpart in an airplane it contains a myriad of instruments and controls as well as a Neurohelmet, a device which allows the MechWarrior to control the balance of the 'Mech. It uses the human brain's instinctual sense of balance to control the gyro. It also displays a HUD as well as allowing the MechWarrior some control of the 'Mech's visual input, giving him overviews and 'Mech perceptions that are otherwise a nuisance at best to aquire from within the cockpit.

'Mechs come in four classes. Light, Medium, Heavy and Assault.

Light that are mostly used for recon and hit and run tactics and spans from 20 to 35 tons. Their greater speed and agility makes them very much suited for this task, but they can only carry a limited amount of weaponry.

Mediums are the most numerous class weighing in at 40 to 55 tons. They fall between the Light and Heavy classes and are generally considered the infantryman of the BattleMechs, a sentiment reinforced by the fact that most military powers sport these as a majority of their forces.

Heavy 'Mechs are those designed for frontline combat duty, and weigh in between 60 and 75 tons. Their slower speed is countered by an impressive arsenal. Most often used to break through lines and give support to their lighter brothers and sisters.

Finally the Assault 'Mechs are the centerpieces of any 'Mech Company. They weigh in at between 80 and 100 tons and often sports half their weight in weaponry. There are not many that exceeds 50 km/h, which means they often slow down any advance to a crawl. When it get there however, they dominate the battlefield. Commanders often take seat in these as they carry superior armor, important when you are the one coordinating the attack and giving orders.

Weapons 101
The weaponry commonly used in BattleMechs come in three categories; Ballistic, Energy, Missile. Ballistic Weapons fire high-speed, unguided projectiles designed to inflict kinetic and/or explosive damage. When compared to Energy Weapons, ballistic weapons produce far less heat, but are generally bulkier and dependent upon limited ammunition. Energy Weapons deal damage by directing a concentrated beam of particles or radiation against a target. Unlike Ballistic Weapons, energy weapons are extremely light and compact and when linked a fusion reactor are ammunition free, but produce very large amounts of waste heat. Missile Weapons are Rockets and Missiles that are fired from tubes and include an engine in the projectile. Some of these weapons travel a flat trajectory, others have an arcing trajectory that allows them to clear terrain features.

Personal arms like pistols, machineguns and assault rifles are all ballistic weapons, as well as the Autocannons that the 'Mechs and other vehicles are armed with. They are often classified as AC/x where x=damage in the tabletop wargame. While it doesn't make much sense in the setting, they are still classified as such. The most common types are the AC/2, AC/5, AC/10 and AC/20. Three more exotic variants in the Inner Sphere are the Ultra AC/5 (UAC5), which has a higher rate of fire but more prone to jamming than the regular AC/5, the LB 10-X AC (LBX10), which is basically a large caliber shotgun which delivers devastating damage at close range but it deteriorates the farther away the target is, and the Gauss Rifle, which shoots a small projectile through magnetic coils, projecting it at supersonic speeds to cause devastating damage. The actual calibers of the different autocannons vary depending on manufacturer but generally range from 30mm (AC/2) up to 203mm (AC/20).

Energy weapons generally come in three variants. Lasers, flamers and Particle Projection Cannons (PPC).

Lasers come in three sizes as well, small, medium and large. As a point of comparison with ballistic weapons, Small Lasers do 3 points of damage in tabletop, Medium Lasers 5 and Large Lasers 8. The larger the laser the more heat it produces and the longer recharge rate it has. Lasers also come in Pulse format in the same sizes. Pulse Lasers differ from traditional laser weaponry, in that instead of firing one powerful beam, they maintain several laser beams fired off in quick succession. While offering an overall increased rate of fire, the heat output also increases accordingly. Pulse lasers increase damage because they allow vaporized armor to dissipate from the location of damage. This allows subsequent pulses to reach the target area without being diffused by the vapor. Point of reference: Small Pulse Lasers 4, Medium Pulse Lasers 6, Large Pulse Lasers 9.

Flamers are simply flamethrowers, but instead of being fueled by gases or volatile fluids it is powered by the fusion engine. Flamers are mainly used as anti-infantry weapons and won't do much damage to 'Mechs.

The Particle Projector Cannon is a unique energy weapon. PPCs fire a concentrated stream of protons or ions at a target, causing damage through both thermal and kinetic energy. As such, despite being an energy weapon, it produces recoil and very high heat levels. The lethality of the weapon rivals that of a higher-caliber autocannon; just three shots from a PPC will vaporize two tons of standard military-grade armor. Targets hit by multiple, simultaneous PPCs can also suffer electrical side-effects, such as overloaded computer systems or targeting sensors. The ion beam also extends to much farther ranges than autocannon fire, though PPCs generate large amounts of waste heat. PPCs are equipped with a Field Inhibitor to prevent feedback which could damage the firing unit's electronic systems. This inhibitor degrades the performance of the weapon at close ranges of less than 90 meters. Point of reference: 10 points of damage.

Missile Weapons generally come in three variants. Long Range Missiles (LRM), Short Range Missiles (SRM) and Streak Missile Launchers (Streak SRM or just Streaks). Missile weapons, like ballistics, are denoted with a number, but denotes number of missiles fired in a volley rather than damage. LRMs come in groups of 5 (LRM 5, 10, 15 and 20) while SRMs come in groups of 2 (SRM 2, 4 and 6). Streaks come only in 2. All these launcher types has an automatic reload system which means the Mech can fire several volleys before running out of ammunition.

Long Range Missiles are designed to engage the enemy at great distances at the expense of damage dealt, these missiles are capable of indirect fire and disperse over a smaller area than Short Range Missiles. LRM launchers achieve this range by firing at a ballistic launch angle, making them less accurate at close range.

Short Range Missiles are direct-fire missiles that sacrifice range for hitting power, these missiles are less sophisticated than Long Range Missiles and particularly effective against infantry and combat vehicles. The unguided nature of the missile means it comes in a natural spread like a shotgun effect, which often means several missiles in the volley may miss. SRMs also come as an Infantry support weapons, technically a shoulder mounted SRM 1 without autoloader.

The Streak SRM Launcher is relatively similar to the standard SRM launcher but linked to a unique fire control system. This system is designed to guarantee a hit against any target onto which the pilot can get a lock, a special feature of this system preventing the weapon from firing at a target when there is no lock-on, saving ammunition by preventing shots that would miss.

A fourth type is the Rocket Launcher, which is a single fire weapon that has become obsolete in the Inner Sphere but are still popular in the Periphery where times are not as dandy.

Factions 101
It is important to note that no single faction is made up entirely by one single race. Scottish decendants can be found in the very Chinese dominated Capellan Combine and many of Japanese heritage live in the Free Rasalhague Republic. Do not feel restricted by your chosen faction when you pick out the heritage and background of your character. Likewise, the Cultural Influences are not a definite parallel but rather the factions are caricatures of these nations.



Inner Sphere

Capellan Confederation: The Capellan Confederation is the smallest Successor State, ruled by the Chancellor, the leader of House Liao. The Capellan Confederation started out as collection of states united for common defense & well-being, but over hundreds of years, through the influences of certain schools of philosophy and the leadership of House Liao, it has evolved to become an autocratic state with a controlled economy. The lives of the regular Capellans are dystopian, were citizenship is not given at birth but rather earned through worth of skill and ability in an exam given as the young come of age. Should an applicant fail several times they become indentured servants of the state. A majority of the population are of Chinese and Russian heritage.
Cultural Influence: Soviet Union, People's Republic of China

Draconis Combine: The Combine is ruled by the Coordinator, the head of House Kurita. Unlike most Successor states it is a military dictatorship guided by the warrior codes of Bushido and each soldier is dedicated to the point of death to the Coordinator. It still operates on the basis of a feudal system however, so most governmental apparatuses are roughly similar. The main difference for the common person is that they have no rights, only duties. Enlistment in the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery is seen as the fastest way to get ahead in the world, as every person in the military, even a lowly rifleman, is respected. A majority of the population are of Japanese heritage.
Cultural Influence: Imperial Japan, Tokugawa Shogunate

Federated Suns: The Federated Suns is the most powerful and largest of the Successor States, ruled by House Davion. It could best be described as a hereditary and constitutional monarchy. Officially the High Council, a group of both democratic, hereditary, and other officials chosen by the leadership of the member-worlds of the Federated Suns, presided over the nation. It is however nothing more than a "rubber stamp" used by the First Prince. The Suns have very few allies since they have aggressively expanded in to the Capellan Federation and made enemies of House Kurita. They do however have a strong ally in the Lyran Commonwealth due to the Federated Commonwealth Alliance and intermarriages between the two. A majority of the population are of British and French heritage.
Cultural Influence: British Empire, French Empire

Lyran Commonwealth: Perhaps the most BattleMech-heavy of all states due to its powerful industrial capabilities, the Commonwealth is ruled by House Steiner. The Lyran Commonwealth is renowned for its strong economy, powerful nobility, and its military policy of promotion based on pedigree as well as talent. It is basically a feudal monarchy with an assembly that served in a largely advisory capacity. This does not mean, however, that the people do not have rights and freedoms. The Steiner Archons have traditionally been rather liberal rulers, allowing their people the right to assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. Indeed, occasions in which these rights were taken away have been cause for crisis in and of themselves. A majority of the population are of German heritage.
Cultural Influence: Holy Roman Empire, German Confederation.

Free Worlds League: The League is ruled by a Captain-General, leaders of House Marik. The Free Worlds League is notable as the first successor state founded in the Inner Sphere. It is multicultural, with strong European, Oriental, American and Hindu influences. It also traditionally offered great autonomy to its component regions. The government of the Free Worlds League is a representative democracy operating under martial law. The League is generally looked down upon by the other Successors because of its "unruly" population. There is some truth in it of course, as secessions and civil war is an everyday occurance in the League. There are no real racial majority in the Free Worlds League.
Cultural Influence: United States of America, Middle and South American states.

Free Rasalhague Republic: The Free Rasalhague Republic is a nation born in the wake of the Fourth Succession War were the Draconis Combine and Lyran Commonwealth convinced by ComStar to grant the Rasalhagueans independence. All positions of power and responsibility are either directly or indirectly elected by the people, even the Nobles and Prince of the realm. No position is hereditary save if the son of the current holder impresses the electoral population and is raised to the parent's honors. The majority of the population are of Scandinavian heritage.
Cultural Influences: Scandinavia.

St.Ives Compact: The Compact is a secessionist of the Capellan Confederation and protectorate of the Federated Suns, ruled by Prime Minister Duchess Candace Liao. The Compact was formed in 3029, as a direct result of the Fourth Succession War. Duchess Candace Liao fell in love with Justin Xiang Allard, a Federated Suns spy. Rather than stay in the Capellan Confederation with a double-agent who helped the Suns conquer a third of it, she fled the Confederation and took the St. Ives Commonality with her. The majority of the population are of Chinese heritage.
Cultural Influences: Taiwan, Thirteen Colonies.

ComStar: Not really a true nation but rather a telecommunications-company turned semi-religious sect, ComStar nonetheless enjoys massive influence over the Inner Sphere due to their monopoly on the knowledge of the workings and maintainence of the HyperPulse technology that enables interstellar communication. They often use this as an "encouragement" against particularly ambitious and aggressive Successor States to maintain a status quo between the factions and keep peace in the Inner Sphere, when it suits their own purposes of course. They are based out of Terra, which is the only world under their direct control.
Cultural Influences: Knights Templar if they were a telephone company.



The story so far...
The Kilroy Old Bones is a ragtag mercenary group on the rise in the Inner Sphere. Under the joint command of Walter Veijer, a crippled FRR MechWarrior who tries to find a new outlet for his destructive creativity, Erich Oststein, a hard as nail Lyran who gives his all on the field, and Kevin Perkins, entrepreneur and retired flight commander who's name is almost interchangeable with swearwords at the moment. After two flawed but successful missions, the group is on a Lyran outback world on contract for ComStar. There they will assist the local militia in guarding ComStar's personnel as they repair a HPG-facility that has been attacked by terrorists. All doesn't seem right though, with another untrustworthy MercCorp already on site and strange electronic phenomenons haunting the area.



MechWarriors needed to balance out the company after losses.



[font=arial black]Pilot[/font]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Sex:[/b]
[b]BattleMech:[/b]
[b]Homeworld:[/b]
[b]Original Faction:[/b]

[b]Description:[/b] (A few sentences describing the physical characteristics of the pilot)

[b]Background:[/b] (A paragraph or two about the pilot's history and career)

[b]Personality:[/b] (Just a few sentences on the pilot's personality)

[b]Speciality Skills:[/b] (Anything that doesn't have to do with piloting a 'Mech)

[font=arial black]BattleMech Characteristics[/font]

[b]Chassis:[/b]
[b]Weight Class:[/b]
[b]Callsign:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b] (A few sentences describing the looks of your mech. Any special paint scheme or extra bits for looks?)

[b]Loadout:[/b] (Listing the armament of the 'Mech)

[b]Modules:[/b] (Module upgrades of the 'Mech's systems as well as secondary systems, i.e. Anti Missile Systems, Artemis, BAP, etc.)

[b]Upgrades:[/b] (All upgrades to the structure itself, including Ferro-fibrous armor, Endoskeleton, DHS, etc.)

[b]General Armor Values:[/b] (Just so that we have a hunch)





If the sheets look overly simplistic to you, good. It's not a battle report, it's a descriptive action RP.

With that said, here are some rules that have arisen since the original group started.

- Oath of Drake applies.
- Use the character sheet supplied. Make it prettier if you want but cover all points in the CS.
- Post your CS here in the thread. Don't PM it to me. All my players are part of the process in picking up new players, so they want to see it as well.




O/O

Darrow Huck

Some hot, sexy giant-robot-on-giant-robot action?

Wargtass

Quote from: Darrow Huck on November 15, 2012, 10:43:25 PM
Some hot, sexy giant-robot-on-giant-robot action?

Nope, but surely some 'Mech-on'Mech action.  ;D

Or at the very least pilot-action.
O/O

Marie Reynolds

If were talking Clan Game or Clan versus Inner sphere I am in like flint. Jade Falcon Forever!

Wargtass

Quote from: Marie Reynolds on November 15, 2012, 11:56:59 PM
If were talking Clan Game or Clan versus Inner sphere I am in like flint. Jade Falcon Forever!

I'll count that as one request for Clanner storyline. More of a Ghost Bear myself though. ;D
O/O

Blobbe

I'm provisionally interested in this; dependant on setting and how you were planning to run it.

Jackalope

I'd definitely be interested. I played a few of the games although I'm evidently not as knowledgeable about the lore as you guys are. I imagine that's something I can read up on.

Blobbe

Trust me, I'm a fount of information on the subject

TheHangedOne

I'm really unfamiliar with the entire setting; my only exposure was this old computer game from the 90's, MechWarrior 2. However, I loved the game, and I like mechs in general, so I'd like to sign up for this.

Kayla, know of any good, reliable websites I can peruse to acquaint myself further with it? Also, how are we going to handle the mechs themselves, and combat? Will it be system or freeform? Some sort of point buy system for mechs/equipment, or just picking off of a list, or..?
A&A's and O&O's *Status: Here and there | Games: Aiming for punctuality*
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Check out my poet tree!

Blobbe

Best pace to start is the official page itself and the "Universe" section - http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=23 which gives a good, if broad, background. The "fiction" page - http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=3498 - is also good for more breakdown of the different periods of the universe's history.

The Battletech Wiki - http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page - is informative, but is also rather spotty. Best to take any info on it with a grain of salt

And feel free to bombard me with questions

orderNchaos

I'm totally in.  Maybe a merc company on the edge of steiner space at the outset of the Clan invasion?  Just as long as we don't delve into the Dark Age story line. 

Wargtass

Quote from: KaylaM on November 16, 2012, 06:58:37 AM
I'm provisionally interested in this; dependant on setting and how you were planning to run it.

Setting is the start of the Clan Invasion and depending on the interest from you folks we'll either be Clanners from a Crusading Clan or an Inner Sphere merc unit.

Quote from: TheHangedMan on November 16, 2012, 07:44:47 AM
Also, how are we going to handle the mechs themselves, and combat? Will it be system or freeform? Some sort of point buy system for mechs/equipment, or just picking off of a list, or..?

Freeform, mostly because we will not be fighting with each other (hopefully) and I don't want to bog us down in dice and the like. Which means we'll have a much more unrestrained Mech-creation, although I will not allow any deviation from common sense when it comes to weapon size and tonnage. If you like me enjoy the more intricate mechlab there are several sources for it. While I am not going to encourage you to find copies of the rulebooks of the old TT or the pretty detailed BattleTech - A Time of War RPG on various sites for free (after all that would be against forum rules), they are pretty easy to find. If you feel you have the time of day I'd recommend that you look up MekTek.net, which is a launcher and lobby-client where you can actually get MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries for free (for real!). That version of the game also comes with an immense assortment of extra Mechs and weapons, so I recommend it even if you already have the game. It has a pretty basic Mechlab where you can try out different builds as well. Otherwise you can always go through the BattleTech wikia and look up some basic builds for wellknown mechs or even better, I think both me and KaylaM could build something up pretty quick if you ask nice and provide info on what sort of Mech you are after.

Quote from: orderNchaos on November 16, 2012, 09:31:38 AM
I'm totally in.  Maybe a merc company on the edge of steiner space at the outset of the Clan invasion?  Just as long as we don't delve into the Dark Age story line. 

Don't worry, there will be no Dark Age.  ;D And I'll count that as a request for IS storyline.
O/O

TheHangedOne

#12
I think playing as Mercs would be cool, too.

As far as mechs go, I designed a 45 ton light mech using Solaris Skunk Werks. Meant to be part scout, part front line fighter. I honestly have no clue about its feasibility, but maybe you can get back to me on it, Wargtass or Kayla?

Mech

Gloomy

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3070
Cost: 3,219,210 C-Bills
Battle Value: 625

Chassis: Unknown Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Unknown 105 Compact Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: Unknown
    Jump Capacity: 30 meters
Armor: Unknown Standard Armor w/ CASE
Armament:
    1  Autocannon/5
    1  Streak SRM-2
    1  Small Pulse Laser
    1  Anti-Missile System
    1  Guardian ECM Suite
    1  Beagle Active Probe
Manufacturer: Unknown
    Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications System: Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    58 points                2.00
    Internal Locations: 1 HD, 2 CT, 4 LT, 1 RT, 2 LA, 1 RA, 1 LL, 2 RL
Engine:             Compact Fusion Engine        105                       5.50
    Walking MP: 3
    Running MP: 5
    Jumping MP: 1 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 1 LL                                               0.50
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 1 LA
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  56                  3.50
    CASE Locations: 1 RT                                                   0.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            8         
                                        Center Torso     11           8         
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  2         
                                           L/R Torso     8            7         
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  1         
                                             L/R Arm     6            5         
                                             L/R Leg     8            6         

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Streak SRM-2                                 RT        2         1         1.50
Anti-Missile System                          RT        1         1         0.50
Guardian ECM Suite                           LT        0         2         1.50
Autocannon/5                                 RA        1         4         8.00
Small Pulse Laser                            LA        2         1         1.00
Beagle Active Probe                          LA        0         2         1.50
@Anti-Missile System (12)                    RT        -         1         1.00
@AC/5 (60)                                   RA        -         3         3.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 1

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      2    Points: 6
3/1j       2       1       1       0      1     0   Structure:  4
Special Abilities: AMS, ECM, PRB, RCN, CASE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA
A&A's and O&O's *Status: Here and there | Games: Aiming for punctuality*
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mayovagn

#13
Do LAM's still exist? If so and I can play a LAM pilot I am interested.

(I haven't played tabletop wargame type battletech since the late eighties/early nineties (a long time) so I may need some catchup. I remember a time before clans for a start...)
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

orderNchaos

LAM was never a Battletech design, it was a Robotech design.  Best you can do is either be a fighter pilot or just a mech that really relies a lot on jump jets.

mayovagn

Quote from: orderNchaos on November 16, 2012, 12:42:44 PM
LAM was never a Battletech design, it was a Robotech design.  Best you can do is either be a fighter pilot or just a mech that really relies a lot on jump jets.

It was a design way back in the day. A friend in my wargaming group had the official FASA models.  I am quite old as the edit above and remember the things in tabletop quite well.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Phoenix_Hawk_LAM

The book Aerotech lists LAM variants for Pheonix Hawk, Wasp and Stinger.
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Wargtass

I don't really count any of the unseen LAMs as canon, mostly because I have never considered them fitting in with BattleTech. So needless to say I'd rather not see any LAMs.
O/O

TheGlyphstone

Love to get in on this...I never got to play the Battletech tabletop game, but I've played almost every Mechwarrior game they've made.

I'd rather a IS merc story than a Clanner story myself - while the Clans are awesome, being a merc group has more potential for both action/violence and smexy times.

SatanKlaus

Quote from: Wargtass on November 16, 2012, 09:55:02 AM
Freeform, mostly because we will not be fighting with each other (hopefully) and I don't want to bog us down in dice and the like.

So I figure we are not going to use something like megamek to bash in each other's virtual metal skulls and the actual mech desing becomes less important.

In that case, maybe you should define what will be the focus of the play, the content. What is the planned sex/story ratio? What is the overall 'theme' of the interactions you want? Will there be inner sphere bondsmen and bondswomen sexually abused by their victorious clan masters or is this more a story of camaraderie and friendship?

Satan_Klaus

Wargtass

In my mind there is an emphasis on describing Mech actions and battle, with a downtime between each for socializing and sexytime. I think I'm aiming more for the merc-groups camaraderie than the vicious spoils of war, but there is room for everything as far as I'm concerned.
O/O

Flying Tengu

This is a very awesome idea!

I think inner sphere mercenary group is the way to go.  Mercenaries really know how to have fun, after all.

Jackalope

Regardless of story lines, there's nothing about mercenaries in giant, bipedal tanks that isn't awesome. Incidentally, the vast majority of my knowledge is coming from mechwarrior games. I really know nothing about the tabletop game... I just know the basics about mechs and weapons and what have you.

Branwen

Please consider me as very interested in writing in this setting.  Inner Sphere by preference, House Steiner if allied with the Great Houses or unwashed mercenary if not.

Blobbe

Quote from: TheHangedMan on November 16, 2012, 10:45:23 AM
I think playing as Mercs would be cool, too.

As far as mechs go, I designed a 45 ton light mech using Solaris Skunk Werks. Meant to be part scout, part front line fighter. I honestly have no clue about its feasibility, but maybe you can get back to me on it, Wargtass or Kayla?

Mech

Gloomy

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3070
Cost: 3,219,210 C-Bills
Battle Value: 625

Chassis: Unknown Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Unknown 105 Compact Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: Unknown
    Jump Capacity: 30 meters
Armor: Unknown Standard Armor w/ CASE
Armament:
    1  Autocannon/5
    1  Streak SRM-2
    1  Small Pulse Laser
    1  Anti-Missile System
    1  Guardian ECM Suite
    1  Beagle Active Probe
Manufacturer: Unknown
    Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications System: Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    58 points                2.00
    Internal Locations: 1 HD, 2 CT, 4 LT, 1 RT, 2 LA, 1 RA, 1 LL, 2 RL
Engine:             Compact Fusion Engine        105                       5.50
    Walking MP: 3
    Running MP: 5
    Jumping MP: 1 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 1 LL                                               0.50
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 1 LA
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  56                  3.50
    CASE Locations: 1 RT                                                   0.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            8         
                                        Center Torso     11           8         
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  2         
                                           L/R Torso     8            7         
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  1         
                                             L/R Arm     6            5         
                                             L/R Leg     8            6         

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Streak SRM-2                                 RT        2         1         1.50
Anti-Missile System                          RT        1         1         0.50
Guardian ECM Suite                           LT        0         2         1.50
Autocannon/5                                 RA        1         4         8.00
Small Pulse Laser                            LA        2         1         1.00
Beagle Active Probe                          LA        0         2         1.50
@Anti-Missile System (12)                    RT        -         1         1.00
@AC/5 (60)                                   RA        -         3         3.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 1

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      2    Points: 6
3/1j       2       1       1       0      1     0   Structure:  4
Special Abilities: AMS, ECM, PRB, RCN, CASE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA

Whether the GM allows custom 'Mechs is one thing, but, I can say now that's not what I'd call a viable design. A 35 tonner is going to depend on speed and mobility; 3/5 with thin armour is tantamount to suicidal.

TheHangedOne

Quote from: KaylaM on November 16, 2012, 06:26:14 PM
Whether the GM allows custom 'Mechs is one thing, but, I can say now that's not what I'd call a viable design. A 35 tonner is going to depend on speed and mobility; 3/5 with thin armour is tantamount to suicidal.
What would make it more viable? Reducing weapons either way to free up space, but which would be better to increase: speed or armor?
A&A's and O&O's *Status: Here and there | Games: Aiming for punctuality*
"In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends."
"In the ocean of knowledge, only those who want to learn will see the land."
"Before you roar, please take a deep breath."
Check out my poet tree!