Battletech

[Shalimar]

IE implant?

oh, and what else is left to be done, I am pretty excited about our trials of position, I just ran a few mega-mek battles in the style of of Clan Wolf's trials of Position, and killed 3 mechs with her, using 2/2 as her gunnery/piloting according to her skills. I could probably have kept going, it will be interesting to see who turns out as what as far as the trials, she is without a doubt, going by the stats, the best mech pilot, but outside of a mech, you could all take her, so I expect any trials we fight against each other to probably be unaugmented.

 

[Douane]

EI = Enhanced Imaging Neural Implant (Kind of a Cyberpunk Vehicle link, it connects the user's neural system directly to mech, increasing his abilities with a mech considerably.)


What kind of setup (Mechs and pilot skills) did you use with Megamek?

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

You've already got a full star, but you did mention that you might accept additional characters in other chassis. Got room for an Elemental? I'm new to the RPG system, but I'm familiar with the basics of Mechwarrior tech and culture, and learn quickly.

 

[Shalimar]

EI = Enhanced Imaging Neural Implant (Kind of a Cyberpunk Vehicle link, it connects the user's neural system directly to mech, increasing his abilities with a mech considerably.)


What kind of setup (Mechs and pilot skills) did you use with Megamek?

I went with what was presented in the third book of Blood of Kerensky, I took a Direwolf, and my opponents were a Timber Wolf, then a War Hawk, then an Executioner, and since my Direwolf was still able to fight, I went for a black Widow, I added 3 more to my opponents, A king Fisher, a Gargoyal, and a Summoner. At 2/2 she ended up killing all but the summoner, and that only because she had already taken on 4 Assaults and a Heavy. Mega-mek has a nice option where you can save any mech that survives the battle, and it retains its damage, lack of Ammo, and any hits on the pilot, so thats what I did. If a warrior to -be pulled that off they would get a Galaxy at the very least, and they would be on the fast track to a blood-name and being Khan. The testing mechs were set at 3/4 for their gunnery and piloting, I believe that is what they are suppoused to be for average clan warriors according to a few scenario packs. I just went with Cheris's actuall skill level.

(The Wolf Method is to put the candidate into whatever assault they wish, and have them face a heavy, followed by a low-end Assault, and finally a high-end assault, but all 3 mechs are of lower tonnage.)

 

[Douane]

Ah, the traditional Wolf Clan cheating.

An impressive feat!


One thing though, with MW the average clan mechwarrior should be 2/3, perhaps even better, because not all warriors participating on the other side are bound to be only average. (Because MW makes it so easy to crank the skill levels higher.)

 

[Shalimar]

By that logic, every other pilot in the star sucks Duoane.

Cherish 2/2
Yuri 4/5
Kevin 3/3
Tarnish 4/4
Jyrek ?/? (Not posted yet)

Yuri is only as good as the average IS pilot, he isn not even up to the standards of the the Freebirth Dragoons.

Kevin is ok as far as piloting, but his gunnery is worse then the average clan pilot

Tarnish is only slighty better in piloting then Yuri, but his gunnery abilites are that of a freebirth.

Do you see what I mean? If the average clan warrior is 2/3, then you guys would simply fail to test out unless you got incredibly lucky. So I am pretty convinced that the average clanner is 3/4, about equal with some of the more Elite IS forces. Only Unique pilots like Kai Allard are any better then that.

 

[Douane]

By that logic, every other pilot in the star sucks Duoane.

Cherish 2/2
Yuri 4/5
Kevin 3/3
Tarnish 4/4
Jyrek ?/? (Not posted yet)

Yuri is only as good as the average IS pilot, he isn not even up to the standards of the the Freebirth Dragoons.

Kevin is ok as far as piloting, but his gunnery is worse then the average clan pilot

Tarnish is only slighty better in piloting then Yuri, but his gunnery abilites are that of a freebirth.

Do you see what I mean? If the average clan warrior is 2/3, then you guys would simply fail to test out unless you got incredibly lucky. So I am pretty convinced that the average clanner is 3/4, about equal with some of the more Elite IS forces. Only Unique pilots like Kai Allard are any better then that.

First thing, Yuri does suck indeed in mech combat, that's the way I envisioned him.

In regard to Doghead and Festy's PCs as well as Yuri and their skills, after all we are just supposed to be a star. What would we do if all of test out as Star Commanders or Captains?


Next, you overlooked one thing: The average clanner doesn't come fresh from the sibko, he is already a seasoned warrior (above what the sibko training provides).

If the average front-line warrior with some years of experience would rate only a 3/4, it would probably be impossible for Cherish to have a 2/2 to start with. You are right, of course, that several sourcebooks give 3/4 to "average" clan pilots. But then, most of them assign only 1/2 to the very best of the clans, the elite pilots. (Using the MW RPG enables you to start with much higher scores than the tabletop game due to its inherent generosity, but the average pilot profits from this bonus also.)


The 3/4 should be applied as a standard for those fresh out of training, otherwise what would the true elite pilots, the very best of the clans, many of them blood-named and sharpened by years of combat against varying opponents, have? Just 1/2, a little bit better than Cherish comes out of the sibko? (If they started out the same as Cherish - and why shouldn't they? -, that's not really much of an improvement for all they have gone through, isn't it?)


Regarding "some of the more Elite IS forces", the standard for IS Elite is 2/3, with some vastly superior. (Morgan Kell -1/-1)


Still, our discussion might be a bit of a moot point. Jemal has to decide what fits his intentions and plans and he has already stated that doesn't really feel bound by "canon evidence". So both of us might be in for a big surprise.

 

[Festy_Dog]

*bump*

 

[Douane]

*bump*

Ok, but you started it! (Was going to delay til I've slept a few hours, but ...)


Regarding Kevin's skill choices:

I would seriously reconsider the Engineering skill. In BT it is the "high/abstract" skill of designing equipment of all kinds, something that isn't taught to warriors. (After all that's what the scientist caste is for.)

Strategy is also a skill not taught to clan Mechwarriors due to the nature of clan warfare (ie. minimizing conflicts [and therefore losses, too] through bidding). In fact, many higher-ups in the clan military are also seriously lacking sin this department. It covers higher levels of conflict like multiple world-assault few clanners will ever see (And then only in the IS. Such methods are not! used in Clan space.).

Instead of SI: Weaponsmith you could take Technician: Weaponry which covers Mech and personal weapons alike. ("Tinker" would cover modifications of standard equipment.)

Another fitting skill for Kevin might be "Acrobatics", given his like of outmaneuvering opponents. (Acrobatics covers, among others, tumbling, jumping and evading.)


Just some food for your thoughts!

Folkert

 

[Shalimar]

With that much time spent on the activities of our lessers its a wonder that you will succeed in testing out Kevin, perhaps you would like to join the technichian caste quiaff?