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worktroll
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #1 on: 28 June 2017, 22:57:59 »
Quote from: Giovanni Blasini on 28 June 2017, 18:30:33
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I love the idea of the Dig King/Lord, as scenario hooks. Escort, or stop, or take on a Clan garrison force with 'improvised weaponry'. The 10 tons & four sprayers just begs for exploitation.
Yes, not what you'd want to take up against serious opponents, but adding much flavour to the game.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #2 on: 29 June 2017, 03:58:57 »
Can someone explain the rational behind these two 'Mechs? In particular I'm not sure what advantage a legged motive system offers over wheels or treads.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #3 on: 29 June 2017, 04:01:43 »
Quote from: SCC on 29 June 2017, 03:58:57
Can someone explain the rational behind these two 'Mechs? In particular I'm not sure what advantage a legged motive system offers over wheels or treads.
They still have all the all-terrain capabilities of a 'Mech, plus the advantage of requiring only a single operator.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #4 on: 29 June 2017, 04:33:58 »
The problem with arguing 'all-terrain' is that dump trucks will be needed to haul away the lose rocks and what not. Also as any mine tunnels this things makes will be man made there's little to no reason for them to have uneven floors.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #5 on: 29 June 2017, 05:06:10 »
It may just be a matter of the designers using what they know works.
Legs on a mech are a tried and tested design. Why fix what isn't broken by trying to make it 'better' (and three times more difficult to maintain) by adding tracks when walking will still get it to the same place effectively.
That's my headcannon at any rate.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #6 on: 29 June 2017, 07:16:00 »
Quote from: SCC on 29 June 2017, 04:33:58
The problem with arguing 'all-terrain' is that dump trucks will be needed to haul away the lose rocks and what not.
Like a Lumberjack WorkMech?
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #7 on: 29 June 2017, 07:21:36 »
These were clearly built to do what they were meant to do. Hitting things that didn't want to be hit was probably not one of those things.
The loss of Threads is indeed sad, for they'd allow faster transportation on roads and a lower profile to work shallower mining tunnels.
On the militia versions, it also alleviates the risk of becoming immobile due to gyro damage.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #8 on: 29 June 2017, 13:53:15 »
To properly understand my feelings towards the Dig Lord, go read XTRO Republic I, page 4. That story is an exaggeration, but only just. I did not actually kill the Daishi Widowmaker I was facing in an unmodified Dig Lord, but I did survive multiple turns of those heavy guns pounding away(and hitting), and after those turns it was on the defensive with its back to the wall, armor badly damaged by acid burns and melee hits, pilot rattled by head hits, sensors partially blinded by paint, and the path to the rest of the fight laden with oil slicks. Finally, my pilot decided his stunt had earned a lifetime's worth of PR(this was a Solaris fight, after all) and denied the Daishi the final kill by voluntarily ejecting, and going on to a long and lucrative future of wine, women, and talk show spots. 8)
These days, many of the other players in my group have a strict policy: "Thou shalt not suffer a Dig Lord to live."
Pretty similar to their policies regarding infantry or ASFs. I wonder if there's a connection... ^-^
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #9 on: 29 June 2017, 14:11:38 »
Quote from: SCC on 29 June 2017, 04:33:58
The problem with arguing 'all-terrain' is that dump trucks will be needed to haul away the lose rocks and what not. Also as any mine tunnels this things makes will be man made there's little to no reason for them to have uneven floors.
The Lift Hoist means the mech could technically haul a mech size mining cart of some sort serving the same function as a dump truck without the need for roads. A Lumberjack work mech is seen hauling lumber the same way in A Silence in the Heavens.
It does illustrate a possible lack of forethought or understanding of modern mining equipment but it doesn't hurt the machine too badly, it's still a giant earth mover that requires little man power.
« Last Edit: 29 June 2017, 14:28:48 by SteelRaven »
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #10 on: 29 June 2017, 14:17:46 »
i rather wish that the old MWDA recordsheet book versions of the industrials would be dropped. they had so many conceptual problems even before true industrial mech rules came out that it wasn't funny, and with the new rules are all sorts of problematic.
that the later TRO's didn't retcon them makes the situation worse. that said, the Dig King and Dig King MOD actually does a reasonable job matching up to the MWDA mini's variants, aside from the treads. (unlike the Crosscut)
what would be nice is a few variants that do have the treads.. perhaps sacrificing speed by mounting a smaller engine.
regarding the MOD's use of the rock cutter instead of the drill.. well the MWDA figure had the rock cutter, missiles, and MG's.
also regarding the whole "but we got to use trucks to haul the rock away" thing, i remind you of the Miningmech Mk.II
we don't have stats for it yet, but it appeared in the first MWDA expansion. (its MOD was this interesting overhual with some kind of gatling on the arm replacing the shovel, and a Katyusha assembly in the cargobed..)
« Last Edit: 29 June 2017, 14:27:08 by glitterboy2098 »
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #11 on: 29 June 2017, 14:47:42 »
I miss the tracked legs.
Honestly, I have no idea why they made those things so prohibitive in terms of operation. It doesnt even really help with the fluff reasons for them, better operation in tight areas.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #12 on: 29 June 2017, 15:44:39 »
Quote from: SCC on 29 June 2017, 04:33:58
The problem with arguing 'all-terrain' is that dump trucks will be needed to haul away the lose rocks and what not. Also as any mine tunnels this things makes will be man made there's little to no reason for them to have uneven floors.
Funny thing, there was a Dumptruck (MiningMech Mk II) version of IndustrialMech made for MWDA. So walking off with your ore your Dig King/Lord dug up. It's never been stated, though with TRO: Irregular Tech. It may see the light of day with that release.
Picture from Warrenborne. Thank goodness for that site.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #13 on: 29 June 2017, 16:15:36 »
The MiningMech Mk II is so ridiculous it's awesome, and I'm sad we never got stats for it.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #14 on: 29 June 2017, 19:37:38 »
Quote from: Wrangler on 29 June 2017, 15:44:39
Funny thing, there was a Dumptruck (MiningMech Mk II) version of IndustrialMech made for MWDA. So walking off with your ore your Dig King/Lord dug up. It's never been stated, though with TRO: Irregular Tech. It may see the light of day with that release.
Picture from Warrenborne. Thank goodness for that site.
This makes the whole set-up make some sense (Apart from having to come up with an explanation of over this set-up is more efficient then what we use IRL to explain the expenditure of precious MechWidgets on it), but how does the rubble get into the DumpMech?
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #15 on: 29 June 2017, 19:56:01 »
It has its own scoop.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #16 on: 29 June 2017, 23:10:41 »
... why does this bother us so much considering the thing has only one real reason to exist: a cheap, disposable melee unit.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #17 on: 29 June 2017, 23:31:37 »
Doesn't bother me at all! And I want the MiningMech Mk II in game & metal too! (Plastic BT scale would also be cool ;) )
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* No, FASA wasn't big on errata - ColBosch
* The Housebook series is from the 80's and is the foundation of Btech, the 80's heart wrapped in heavy metal that beats to this day - Sigma
* To sum it up: FASAnomics: By Cthulhu, for Cthulhu - Moonsword
* Because Battletech is a conspiracy by Habsburg & Bourbon pretenders - MadCapellan
* The Hellbringer is cool, either way. It's not cool because it's bad, it's cool because it's bad with balls - Nightsky
* It was a glorious time for people who felt that we didn't have enough Marauder variants - HABeas2, re "Empires Aflame"
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #18 on: 29 June 2017, 23:54:38 »
Quote from: SteelRaven on 29 June 2017, 23:10:41
... why does this bother us so much considering the thing has only one real reason to exist: a cheap, disposable melee unit.
Because in-universe BattleMechs are derived from WorkMechs, presumably the forerunners of modern IndustrialMechs, so IndustrialMechs need to present a very good use case for why we switched from wheeled and tracked vehicles to explain the universe.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #19 on: 29 June 2017, 23:57:53 »
... My point was we are over thinking it.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #20 on: Today at 02:20:37 »
Wait, wait, wait...
Wasn't dark age mining mech the whole reason we got rules for tracks on battlemechs in the first place?
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #21 on: Today at 02:33:31 »
Quote from: Liam's Ghost on Today at 02:20:37
Wait, wait, wait...
Wasn't dark age mining mech the whole reason we got rules for tracks on battlemechs in the first place?
I do believe so, yes. Funny, ain't it?
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #22 on: Today at 02:41:28 »
I have not been able to track down my copy of Record Sheets Dark Age. If anyone wants to dig theirs up and post on the MiningMechs within, it would be appreciated.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #23 on: Today at 06:55:21 »
I have one, the record sheet doesn't show the Mining Mech having tracks. Again, this thing maybe differ from the one we have now. The tracks on industrialmechs was introduced for Total Warfare. The record sheet was using rules for Battletech Manual, Revised.
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #24 on: Today at 12:08:52 »
Didn't the "BattleTech Miniatures Rules" (the actual DTF book [FanPro 10981], not the PDF) contain the first, pre-Total Warfare, rules for IndustrialMechs that we got?
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #25 on: Today at 14:23:01 »
Maximum Tech as far i know didn't include anything regarding IndustrialMechs. I honestly don't know when those rules were introduced.
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"Men, fetch the Urbanmechs. We have an interrogation to attend to." - jklantern
"How do you defeat a Dragau? Shoot the damn thing. Lots." - Jellico
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"It's 200 LY to Sian, we got a full load of shells, a half a platoon of Grenadiers, it's exploding outside, and we're wearing flak jackets." VoTW Destrier - Misterpants
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Re: WorkMech Wednesday (2017-06-28): Dig King and Dig Lord MiningMechs
« Reply #26 on: Today at 17:27:41 »
Quote from: Wrangler on Today at 14:23:01
Maximum Tech as far i know didn't include anything regarding IndustrialMechs. I honestly don't know when those rules were introduced.
The earliest embryonic rules were found in the Explorer Corps sourcebook. These rules included the 20 percent mass of industrial structure, the use of ICE engines on mechs of all types, and a few bits of industrial equipment.
Quote from: Giovanni Blasini on Today at 02:33:31
I do believe so, yes. Funny, ain't it?
I don't know if it's hilarious or depressing. The track feet of the mining mech gave it its own degree of charm.
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Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.
(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!
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