Payn;s Ponderings@ Battletech General Discussions

[TheHand]

I played Cicada in MegaMek and was pleasantly surprised. It's awesome at running about and kicking stuff.

So one might say we should play the Cicada just for kicks?

... I'll see myself out.

 

[MGibster]

Give each player a tonnage-based limit each scenario. To balance for the fact that things don’t scale linearly, give bonus tonnages to teams/players using multiple mechs below the max.

It's probably a bit more practical to simply limit the maximum tonnage any mech might be. But I do find your idea intriguing, and I think it'd be interesting to give it a shot. Admittedly, when looking at these kinds of games, I tend to look at it from a more competitive, tournament style point of view. Maybe it'd be better to have scenarios set up where one or both sides aren't able to cherry pick the best mechs for the situation. "I know this isn't an urban scnario, but all Davion didn't have any else to send but this Urbanmech."

 

[TheHand]

When I've run BattleTech as a campaign, I do like to let the players try to salvage units they've downed, and give them opportunities to buy new machines from the market. Rather than force them to do spreadsheet accounting, though, I'll give them generic 'resource points' after each mission, the amount varying based on how well they do. They can then use these resource points to try to salvage machines, expand their staff, or buy new Mechs (I'll give them a limited list of options, based on where they're at in the Inner Sphere).

Something like an UrbanMech will be very cheap, but they'll need to save up to buy a brand new Atlas.

 

[payn]

It's probably a bit more practical to simply limit the maximum tonnage any mech might be. But I do find your idea intriguing, and I think it'd be interesting to give it a shot. Admittedly, when looking at these kinds of games, I tend to look at it from a more competitive, tournament style point of view. Maybe it'd be better to have scenarios set up where one or both sides aren't able to cherry pick the best mechs for the situation. "I know this isn't an urban scnario, but all Davion didn't have any else to send but this Urbanmech."

I was wondering when someone would bring up the Urbie.

 

[payn]

When I've run BattleTech as a campaign, I do like to let the players try to salvage units they've downed, and give them opportunities to buy new machines from the market. Rather than force them to do spreadsheet accounting, though, I'll give them generic 'resource points' after each mission, the amount varying based on how well they do. They can then use these resource points to try to salvage machines, expand their staff, or buy new Mechs (I'll give them a limited list of options, based on where they're at in the Inner Sphere).

Something like an UrbanMech will be very cheap, but they'll need to save up to buy a brand new Atlas.

I have never done this before, but I'm gearing up to give it a go. I was thinking of doing some allocation of points into different officers of their merc company. Like choosing between a top mechanic, or a top intelligence officer. One gives bonuses to salvage and mech repair, the other gives better intel reports on the missions they run. Trying to think of other positions on a merc company to round things out more.

 

[TheHand]

I have never done this before, but I'm gearing up to give it a go. I was thinking of doing some allocation of points into different officers of their merc company. Like choosing between a top mechanic, or a top intelligence officer. One gives bonuses to salvage and mech repair, the other gives better intel reports on the missions they run. Trying to think of other positions on a merc company to round things out more.

Also Dropship pilots for better deployment options. I've also let them hire support units, like recon helicopters and troops (though those can be very fragile if misused). Sometimes I'll also give them the option to subcontract to the locals to get extra options for a single mission (maybe tank support, or if I'm feeling really generous, artillery).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

When I've run BattleTech as a campaign, I do like to let the players try to salvage units they've downed, and give them opportunities to buy new machines from the market. Rather than force them to do spreadsheet accounting, though, I'll give them generic 'resource points' after each mission, the amount varying based on how well they do. They can then use these resource points to try to salvage machines, expand their staff, or buy new Mechs (I'll give them a limited list of options, based on where they're at in the Inner Sphere).

Something like an UrbanMech will be very cheap, but they'll need to save up to buy a brand new Atlas.

(Emphasis mine.)

I just had a vision of a Mech-centric game (not necessarily BT/MW) in which the culture of the pilots and their machines was analogous to the various car subcultures out there. IOW, giant robot war machine analogs of:

Coal rollers
Low Riders
Squatters
Stance
Rat rodders/Hot rodders
Classic enthusiasts/restorers
Drifters/Street racers

Etc.

“Next on Top Mech, we give the latest from veteran Mech-Mod house Abarth to…The Stig.”

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Damn it, now I want to PLAY that!

Boardgame? RPG? Both? And the question as to WHY things are like this really needs to be answered. It sets the tone.

Is it because this is a forgotten galactic backwater dealing with the last gasps of a war long moved on with few hopes of resupply? Warlords fighting over diminishing resources?

Is it an over the top warped amalgam of car culture and chivalric orders?

Is it straight up toon (lack of) logic?

 

[payn]

I was playing mechwarrior 5 and realized the merc captain of the campaign story has been waiting to avenge his father for like 45 years now...

Been trying to get some of my buddies to get the game, but no takers. I was hoping the console crossover would get some interest, but still no.

 

[aramis erak]

Damn it, now I want to PLAY that!

Boardgame? RPG? Both? And the question as to WHY things are like this really needs to be answered. It sets the tone.

Several boardgames, really...

• Battletech (and in original editions, Citytech) - Mechs, tanks, platoons of infantry. a
• Aerotech/Battlespace: space fighters, dropships, later jumpships.
• Battleforce 1: alternate larger scale for battletech, with much reduced detail; Still, one mech or tank per token on the map.
• Battleforce 2: even larger scale; can handle entire planetary invasions.
• Succession Wars: Whole galaxy counters on map, regiments+ per counter.

I probably missed a few...

And the RPGs...

• Mechwarrior: RPG that can generate the scores used in Battletech, Aerotech, etc. A number of different versions, each mostly incompatible,
  • 1E is a GURPS knockoff - it worked
  • 2E is a "priorities" character design. it worked, too.
  • I cannot speak to later ones
• Mechwarrior: Destiny - alternate RPG, less detailed, makes use of reduced stats for tanks, space fighters, Mechs, etc. Intended to be more narrativist than

Is it because this is a forgotten galactic backwater dealing with the last gasps of a war long moved on with few hopes of resupply? Warlords fighting over diminishing resources?

No. It's not a forgotten backwater approach.
It's a "We blasted ourselves back to the Information Age in 5 huge civil wars because we couldn't agree who would take over the Star League."
Later, the Clans, who didn't participate in the Succession Wars, come in with retained League Tech...

Is it an over the top warped amalgam of car culture and chivalric orders?

Can't say that it is. Only a few of the factions have anything like chivalric orders.
Still, it has an elitism to mechwarriors that is parallel to dark ages nights.

Is it straight up toon (lack of) logic?

Were it not for the physics of projectile weapons, Battletech would be pretty straight-laced; that they get the size/range relationship backwards (Real world: Bigger guns go further; BT: smaller ones go further). It's not at all intended as humor.