BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: Pooman on 10 September 2017, 05:59:13
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I guess I'm really thinking TRO 3039 but happy to expand! I don't play past the Fed Com Civil War so hence circa 3060.
For me it's the Saladin. I just love the all or nothing with this vehicle. If one of these has a good game you're probably going to win. I often wonder what they sound like at full tilt. A lance must sound like a biker gang going helter skelter.epl
So what's your favourite hover tank?
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I'd have to go with the Savannah Master. Speed is life!
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I'd have to go with the Savannah Master. Speed is life!
And they're cheap enough that you can pretty much fill a suitably open battlefield with the things ...
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Savannah Masters With HMLs Are Not Funny
Savannah Masters With HMLs Are Not Funny
Savannah Masters With HMLs Are Not Funny
Savannah Masters With HMLs Are Not Funny
Savannah Master....
Actually I've been a fan of the Regulator; comes in strike package with the Gauss and has its own artillery support variant. As far as most useful, probably the Maxim. It's a schoolbus, sure, but the standard's got so many toys to play with and the variants have such open space it's hard not to love.
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Personally, I'm torn...while I do like the all or nothing, kill or be killed aspects of the Saladin, my true loves in hovertanks have been the Scimitar (cheap and somewhat effective), the Condor (love it in both the original and Dark Age versions...especially the latter, but I have some ideas on how to improve it...edit: hmmm...and I just thought of a kinda nasty clan upgrade to it too...), and the Drillson (an MBT of a hovertank if ever there was one)...
Ruger
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Fulcrum. Pricey, but if I didn't have to pay for it I'll drive the skirts off one of those things. Good looking, long-rangeed, fast, and surprisingly tough.
Want to improve it? Pop the medium laser off, add a heat sink (it already had one for the medium laser), and upgrade the large laser to an extended-range model. Between that, the LRM, and your speed, you have a harassing fire support tank that is hard to beat. Just... you know, be ready to open your wallet.
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Regulator. I also have a soft spot for Peagsii of all stripes. Epona A/C. I've also gotten a lot of mileage out the LTV-4 Hovertank from XTRO Primitives II
Bonus: The royal Lightning variant is a special kind of annoying.
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I have fond memories of a succession wars RPG and getting harassed by Savannah Masters. I have a soft spot for these underdogs even though better tanks exist.
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J. Edgar Hover - Kurita variant - 3 medium lasers on a 11/17 chassis can be nasty ;D
Regulator - all variants (Gauss, Arrow IV and RAC/5)
in Alpha Strike:
Saladin
Harasser
(especially when i can use alternate munitions)
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The Regulator - there's nothing quite like a flying 'Mech killer, and the Regulator can generally stay at a safe distance with a high to-hit mod while delivering crippling blows to whatever BattleMech on the enemy's side you need put down. In open field combat, it can easily be worth it's weight in 'Mechs. Considering the list of conventional vehicles that significantly outperform 'Mechs isn't particularly long, that's impressive.
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Plainsmen. Cheap, simple, and effective
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There are a number of roles that I see the hover tanks filling, and here are my favorite in each role. The Fulcrum and Drillson are my top two though.
Fulcrums and Drillsons
These are really my top two, and I really love both designs. They both play pretty similarly on the table top and would have similar roles in combat. The Drillson is a little slower and carries some anti infantry weapons. Other than that not much different.
Condor - Upgrade / Upgrade Laser
The Condor Upgrades make for really usefull hover tanks as well. I really like the Laser Upgrade, which can shoot and scoot at long range, and is a real threat in packs. The LB-5X of the standard (upgrade) model is also a handy design. I like to throw one in to hover formations here and there.
Maxim
Great troop support platform. If there are infantry involved, I want a maxim. Great hover tanks, and incredibly usefull.
Regulator
A gauss moving this quick is a nasty threat. I have seen a lance of these things do work on a lance sized mech formation. Nasty!
Gladius
Purely aesthetic, this thing looks so frickin cool!
With all of this said, there is something to be said about cheaper, mass produced, and lighter weight designs, plainsmen, harasser's etc.
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Pegasus for me. If the Saladin looked like the Gladius, then it would have been no contest otherwise. Loved the RL/TOG look of the Gladius, just arrived a bit late to my awareness.
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I've also gotten a lot of mileage out the LTV-4 Hovertank from XTRO Primitives II
I forgot about the LTV-4...like that design as well...
Ruger
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There are a lot of hovers I haven't gotten to try out yet, but stupid Pegasus antics continue to bring me enjoyment. I seem to remember the SRM Drillson being amusing, especially when chucking Infernos at everything in an introtech game.
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I love the Scimitar, even if the prime isn't the most combat-efficient unit. It looks like it should be in the dictionary:
"Hover Tank
See Scimitar"
The LRM version makes a great harrasser, while I also love the TAG version to support off-board artillery. The SRMs are just there to keep the opponent honest while you shine a little light.
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1. Regulator
2. Epona
3. Pegasus
4. Saladin
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in Alpha Strike:
Saladin
Harasser
(especially when i can use alternate munitions)
Pegasus missile tank variant
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Depends on what you want it to do . . . for something getting behind your line of troops or blowing past to chuck infernoes at your armored blocks of fire support. Even better to go give some fire to artillery if anyone brings it against me.
If I want to support MY line of mechs against mechs I like the Regulator or Musketeer, though I wish we had a Condor variant off the old SW design that had a fusion engine and a Plasma Rifle.
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Epona for the Clantech omni win.
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Regulator- big gun, long range, and the speed versus most mech opponents to dictate range.
Epona- the prime is pretty badass with those medium pulse lasers, but the flexibility of the other variants to be mission specific is pretty awesome.
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Depends on whether I've got to pay for it or not:
If not, the Drillson is my favorite "intro-tech" design. Fast, good weapons loadout, but not cheap.
If so, then I'll take a Saracen. If fielding a lance, 2 Saracens (LRMs and SRMs), a Scimitar (for direct AC fire at immobile targets, and Infernos), plus a Pegasus (for SRM spam, with a ML if/when the missile racks run dry) make a great team.
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J. Edgar HOVER TANK. good speed and armor. weapons would be nice for a large laser in a turret for some better range at least.
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Regulator FTW
Pegasus 3058 makes an acceptable alternative to the Raven for the EW specialist role
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First place would have to be the Pegasus. Fast, SRM vomiting, leathal and prone to dying horribly. It's what i love in a hovertank. My personal favourite is the X-Pulse version, but if we wantewd to go with 3060 or ealrier, id say the C3 version.
Second place is the LTV-4. Obscura rules.
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Inner Sphere: Saladin (UAC). Nothing like an ultra AC/20 on a fast moving platform to ruin someone's day. Especially when operating in pairs.
Clan: Epona Pursuit Tank. Lots of good variants, and it is a great hover for most things (Fast enough)
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IS: Falcon and APC Hover, LRM missile and Sensor.
Clan: Shamash and Maxim-C, with it's 6-ton Infantry bay.
TT
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The Kanga for the awesomeness of it.
But seriously, the Epona. Though the Gladius is kinda neat in its simplicity.
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Drillson for our table. Fulcrum is a close second.
Honorable Mentions goes to the Asshur, Bandit, Gladius, Maxim, Musketeer, Regulator and Saladin
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Pegasus, and Fulcrum III
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J. Edgar and Gladius.
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Drillson, Maxim and, Pegasus.
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I just love the fact the Gladius looks like a battering ram.
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For me it's the Saracen, great mix of fire power, speed,and armor.
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I'm really surprised nobody considers the lowly Hover APC Lance of Awesomeness!
For the total BV2 of: 533, you'd get a 4/5 unit.
One gets a Sensor ( 30 remotes ), an LRM-5 and a pair of SRM-2 armed APCs WITH Infantry, Foot Platoon of Ballistic Rifle! ( adding 81 extra ).
IF I wanted to harass you, I'd take these along, in groups of three! And then use my Infantry as spotters in Squad form...
TT
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Drillson. I have two lances of these.
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The Maxim (I). Twelve tons of infantry/battlesuit delivery, plus TAG backed up by twin ER mediums and a Streak-6. It's like the Swiss Army knife of hovertanks, it has tools for making every kind of unit go away. And yes, I consider TAG to be the "main gun": when you have sufficient Arrow-IV support, TAG is the deadliest weapon the battlefield.
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Given the option, I would use the Kanga. Who doesn't like a jumping hovertank? If not, then the Lightning is more than serviceable, especially if it is the Royal variant.....
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Regulator.
Outside of the Regulator though I've always liked the Gladius. I really don't like most of the Clan hover tanks. So if I vote for anything as a favorite it would be a Clan Bandit.
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If I'm going with favorite, I have to say Saladin (maybe Savannah Master). They're fun!
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The Maxim (I). Twelve tons of infantry/battlesuit delivery, plus TAG backed up by twin ER mediums and a Streak-6. It's like the Swiss Army knife of hovertanks, it has tools for making every kind of unit go away. And yes, I consider TAG to be the "main gun": when you have sufficient Arrow-IV support, TAG is the deadliest weapon the battlefield.
This can also be fun with Halburk's loaded with SG LRMS :-)
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The Drillson has always been my favorite. :)
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I am surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but the star leauge Zephyr. Great turreted firepower, electronic warfare, reasonably tough and fast
For the clans i prefer the svandovit. Sure the armor is crap, but you can haul a battle armor point and unleash general havoc if you get creative with your mssiles
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In my opinion, there are quite a lot of well designed IS hover tanks. These are a few of my favourites in no particular order.
Blizzard: It's not flashy, but it is a stupidly cheap way of trucking around lots of infantry and providing them with covering fire.
Plainsman: Tough, effective, inexpensive. The active probe equipped version is especially nice.
Drillson: Fast with well rounded firepower, one of the few succession wars tanks that outperforms an equivalent weight mech.
Regulator: Obvious choice is obvious, but basically the tank the Condor and Scimitar want to be when they grow up.
Some other honorable mentions: the LRM Harrasser, Bandit and J Edgar
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Funny story, but a few years ago my group BANNED me from using Savannah Masters. So it goes... :))
I'll also throw in the J Edgar as well. I do mostly 3025.
Damon.
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Canon the 3058 Pegasus Scout . I liked to work them in tandem with the O-Bakemono mech . 2 Homing Arrow IV rounds makes big holes for the SRM launchers to take advantage of . The one in the TRO seems a little off in tonnage . I design my own by 3068 and field them in numbers in 3075 when Heavy Ferro Fibrous armor becomes available in quantity . As for a game that made Savannah Masters outlawed : I saw a reason in the old FASA days when all combat vehicles moved before any mech so they could surround a mech and prevent it from getting a moment modifier . The new rules do not make all combat vehicles lose initiative so it is harder to hem in a non jumping mech .
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As for a game that made Savannah Masters outlawed : I saw a reason in the old FASA days when all combat vehicles moved before any mech so they could surround a mech and prevent it from getting a moment modifier . The new rules do not make all combat vehicles lose initiative so it is harder to hem in a non jumping mech .
Given an infinite number of Savannah Masters (which comes out to about 1000 BV), you either move them in groups (meaning enough to surround a 'Mech), or if using random initiative, have high odds of moving several before the 'Mech moves. No guarantee that you can surround it before its own move, but the odds of doing so are still too high.
Personally, I wouldn't ban them, I'd just limit them (and anything similar: Gabriel) to no more than a lance on the table.
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I'd back that. There's a common-sense thread to be followed when it comes to planning games like that- if your army is planned out to be so annoying that no one will want to fight it, you'll be able to declare victory this weekend, then spend the next few wondering why no one will return your calls about the next game. The old saying is 'winning isn't everything'- and that's true. A few dozen Savannah Masters is a tough army to defeat, sure- but I sure wouldn't want to be at the table with someone who wants to play that way.
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From the Department of the Obvious:
You don't have to concede anything in-universe because of the Savannah Master, because you can defend a strategic choice that says, "no, my force will wait two weeks to engage until my wing of Nightshades, Rippers and Cavalry VTOLs arrive at which point I will be content to hunt every last one of your Masters down."
You do have to contend about strategic flexibility. You can't, really, always take your most favorite composition into every fight and expect to keep the same situational advantages and disadvantages.
On the MUXs, for instance, we developed a situation with the Condor-L, J Edgar and, I think, a particular Drillson variant. These units were situationally so OP that 2 or 3 hover tanks were literally taking down 3 or 4 'Mechs every fight, which was throwing the whole game out of whack, force comp, economy, the works. So, eventually the site admins had to use the strategic hand and make some adjustments as to the availability, cost, etc. Piloting ability had alot to do with that, of course, but also some unintended consequences of the ruleset were at play, as well.
Over the top of the complaints about arbitrariness, noobs, maps with lots of random level 2 hexsides, the Sprintlink Lag Conspiracy, inferno srms, etc., however, was the very sound military principle that, yes, you develop an advantage with a specific unit like a Condor-L and JEdgar, then, off-map, I am going to be dropping conventional bombs on your factories and offloading pads, using AeroSpace to interdict your supply chain, etc.
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Pegasus for me. If the Saladin looked like the Gladius, then it would have been no contest otherwise. Loved the RL/TOG look of the Gladius, just arrived a bit late to my awareness.
I simply love the Pegasus. A lance will disrupt any enemy plan. Used effectively they can be devastating. I've often put four in an enemies rear arc for full move modifiers. You can pop most mechs with that kind of fire power on their six. If it doesn't pop you'll probably pull a couple of through armour crits from sheer volume of hits.
Then they speed away, realign and speed in again. Any unit that can "turn" an opposing force getting into their rear arc is deadly dangerous. Ignore such a threat and it can do serious damage. Engage it and you waste precious fire power trying to hit very high THNs.
I often find it best to slowly pull back from any fast force like this. If it gets behind you and you're also engaged from the front things can get bad really fast.
Highly terrain dependant unit of course.
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The faction that uses the Savannah Master the most also uses the most Assault mechs . Since Assault are too slow to intercept objective raids well I tend to see a lance of militia assault mechs on station and a company of Savannah Masters that can race to the site from a regional base . The target may already have conventional or battle armor infantry . The attacking force must have a close LZ or a second company of Savannah Masters may have the time to join in the fight or harass while the raiders retreat . 21 + speed means they can be based within 50-100km of many potential targets and get to any one of them once the attacking force commits to one . They define quantity is a quality all by itself. Unless they are not at least a company of them they are not a huge obstacle .
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I'd back that. There's a common-sense thread to be followed when it comes to planning games like that- if your army is planned out to be so annoying that no one will want to fight it, you'll be able to declare victory this weekend, then spend the next few wondering why no one will return your calls about the next game. The old saying is 'winning isn't everything'- and that's true. A few dozen Savannah Masters is a tough army to defeat, sure- but I sure wouldn't want to be at the table with someone who wants to play that way.
I don't know.... a company of Savannah Masters vs. a Lance of Charger-1A1's? Single mapsheet, rolling hills. Do you ram or run away?
TT
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Harrasser with mixed variants. Nothing like being able to deploy LRM cover supported by SRMs and Medium Lasers all in the same hull design.
Second Goes to the Heavy Hover APC. Nothing like being able to deploy a full team of BA at a moment's notice.
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1. Regulator for obvious reasons.
2. Saladin. Again for obvious reasons.
3. SM1 tank destroyer...preferably the SM1A, but the SM1 one came out in 3068.
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I don't know.... a company of Savannah Masters vs. a Lance of Charger-1A1's? Single mapsheet, rolling hills. Do you ram or run away?
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The answer, as I said before, is 'find someone else to game with'.
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I'm rather fond of the Infantry version of the Maxim as a battlebus for my Kanazuchis.