Author Topic: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"  (Read 23669 times)

Klat

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What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« on: 15 June 2012, 04:01:56 »
Pretty much what the title says; what is a Light Assault Group? I'm thinking of the Amphigean LAG in this case but I assume that this term is not unique to them. My current assumption is primarily fast light 'mechs like the Jenner and Venom but what about fast medium 'mechs or even the occasional fast heavy like the Ninja-To?
Light Assault Group - An Orwellian appelation applied by the Draconis Combine to troops haphazardly equipped with whatever expendable equipment was lying around the maintenance yard, for the purpose of throwing their lives away for the greater glory of the Dragon, see also Human Bombs.

MOrab46019

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #1 on: 15 June 2012, 04:32:32 »
3025 I would think would be made of light and fast mechs.
3050 to 3085 fast mediums or heavies. Throw in FWL and Comstar units with their home grown units.

Archangel

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #2 on: 15 June 2012, 05:13:06 »
Originally simply known as the 1st and 2nd Amphigeans, the DCMS dubbed them the Amphigean "Light Assault Groups" after they destroyed a Steiner Regiment of heavy and assault Mechs in a series of hit-and-run attacks.  They have a strong preference for light Mechs but are probably forced to accept more fast medium Mechs than they want to (IMO to them one medium Mech is one too many  ;D).
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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #3 on: 15 June 2012, 05:59:45 »
Light Assault Group to me implies light (obviously), fast mechs with a bias towards firepower that use pack tactics. 

The DCMS has the perfect mech for this in the Jenner

A 3025 lance of these mounts 16 medium lasers and 16 SRMs and would be quite capable of quickly taking down isolated larger mechs
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Marwynn

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #4 on: 15 June 2012, 08:56:59 »
There's an emphasis on speed and offense for the Amphigeans. Just because they're speedy doesn't mean they're just scouts. Harassers, raiders, backpocket fiends, whatever you wanna call them.

Øystein

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #5 on: 15 June 2012, 14:51:00 »
In 3022 the Amphigean Light Assault Groups had:

Code: [Select]
1st Amphigean Light Assault Group
Ophiuchus's Battalion
Alcibiades' Company: 1 Assault, 2 Heavy lances
Epaminonidas's Company: 1 Heavy, 2 Medium lances
Cimon's Company: 2 Medium, 2 Light lances

Pollux's Battalion
Phidias's Company: 1 Assault, 2 Heavy lances
Lysias's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances
Solon's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances

Themistocles's Battalion
Philip's Company: 3 Heavy lances
Nicias's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances
Miltiades's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances

Code: [Select]
2nd Amphigean Light Assault Group
Royal Rocket Battalion
Mackay's Company: 2 Assault, 1 Heavy lances
England's Company: 1 Heavy, 1 Medium, 1 Light lances
Bellamy's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances

Saxton's Battalion
Keppel's Company: 3 Medium lances
Gordon's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances
McNeil's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances

Chaldean's Battalion
Lahariel's Company: 1 Heavy, 2 Medium lances
Chabril's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances
Medorin's Company: 2 Medium, 1 Light lances

(Curtesy of The Galtor Campaign (FAS1613)

Matti

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #6 on: 15 June 2012, 15:13:03 »
Well... It is light by Lyran standards O0
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master arminas

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #7 on: 15 June 2012, 15:20:42 »
So, 4 assault lances (280+ tons), 10 heavy lances (201-280 tons), 28 medium lances (131-200 tons), and 12 light lances (up to 130 tons), for the two Battalions.

@Matti:  Well, it's light by most standards.  54 lances (216 Battlemechs) in total.  An average 'Mech unit would have 21.6 Assault-weight BattleMechs (80+ tons), 43.2 Heavy-weight Battlemechs (60-75 tons), 86.4 Medium-weight BattleMechs (40-55 tons), and 64.8 Light-weight BattleMechs (20 to 35 tons).

You have to remember that in early versions of BT, an assault lance doesn't mean that there are assault-weight 'Mechs.  An Orion, a Thunderbolt, a Marauder, and a Warhammer is an Assault Lance.  And a lance of four Jenners is (how odd) a Medium lance, at 140 tons.

MA
« Last Edit: 15 June 2012, 20:44:51 by master arminas »

I am Belch II

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #8 on: 15 June 2012, 15:29:36 »
The average Assault Mech is only 10%  I thought it would be higher like 15 to 20%
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master arminas

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #9 on: 15 June 2012, 15:44:22 »
The average Assault Mech is only 10%  I thought it would be higher like 15 to 20%

The stated proportion of most units in traditional BattleTech units is 30% Light, 40% Medium, 20% Heavy, and 10% Assault.

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MadCapellan

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #10 on: 15 June 2012, 19:38:03 »
This cries out for a Liaofan's Little Lexicon entry:

Light Assault Group - An Orwellian appelation applied by the Draconis Combine to troops haphazardly equipped with whatever expendable equipment was lying around the maintenance yard, for the purpose of throwing their lives away for the greater glory of the Dragon, see also Human Bombs.

Klat

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #11 on: 15 June 2012, 19:58:45 »
This cries out for a Liaofan's Little Lexicon entry:

Light Assault Group - An Orwellian appelation applied by the Draconis Combine to troops haphazardly equipped with whatever expendable equipment was lying around the maintenance yard, for the purpose of throwing their lives away for the greater glory of the Dragon, see also Human Bombs.

I want that for my sig!  O0 With your permission of course.

EDIT: YOINK! If you would prefer that I not use your post as my sig feel free to say so... I got impatient.
« Last Edit: 15 June 2012, 20:44:56 by Klat »
Light Assault Group - An Orwellian appelation applied by the Draconis Combine to troops haphazardly equipped with whatever expendable equipment was lying around the maintenance yard, for the purpose of throwing their lives away for the greater glory of the Dragon, see also Human Bombs.

MadCapellan

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #12 on: 15 June 2012, 22:14:09 »
No, by all means enjoy!

Øystein

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #13 on: 16 June 2012, 02:09:16 »
Sad thing is that Field Manual: Draconis Combine rewrote the history of the LAG and their founding :(

With regards,
Øystein

SCC

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #14 on: 16 June 2012, 03:53:34 »
6 Cicada's weigh 240, which while not quite assault weight is getting there so maybe they use a lot of small/light 'Mechs to mae up assault weight lances and companies

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #15 on: 16 June 2012, 05:44:39 »
Sad thing is that Field Manual: Draconis Combine rewrote the history of the LAG and their founding :(

With regards,
Øystein

Which makes me oh-so-very sad...
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Devens

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #16 on: 16 June 2012, 06:54:02 »
The average Assault Mech is only 10%  I thought it would be higher like 15 to 20%

Overall average is 10%, but in the DCMS in the succession wars era it was lower than 10%.  But they did have a higher than average compliment of Heavy mechs(second only to the Lyrans) to compensate for this.

A DCMS average would be more like :
                        Heavy + Assault : 16.5 Lances
                        Medium:               13.5 Lances
                        Light:                   24 Lances (Includding about 1.5 to 3 Lances of Jenners split between the 6 Battalions)



The DCMS has the perfect mech for this in the Jenner

A 3025 lance of these mounts 16 medium lasers and 16 SRMs and would be quite capable of quickly taking down isolated larger mechs

In 3025 a Lance of Jenners was all a DCMS regiment had in total, they did not have enough to outfit a regiment with mostly Jenners.  The Panther was the backbone that made up about 1/3 a regiments light mechs(About 5 Panthers per battalion on average)

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #17 on: 16 June 2012, 07:36:04 »
Overall average is 10%, but in the DCMS in the succession wars era it was lower than 10%.  But they did have a higher than average compliment of Heavy mechs(second only to the Lyrans) to compensate for this.

A DCMS average would be more like :
                        Heavy + Assault : 16.5 Lances
                        Medium:               13.5 Lances
                        Light:                   24 Lances (Includding about 1.5 to 3 Lances of Jenners split between the 6 Battalions)



In 3025 a Lance of Jenners was all a DCMS regiment had in total, they did not have enough to outfit a regiment with mostly Jenners.  The Panther was the backbone that made up about 1/3 a regiments light mechs(About 5 Panthers per battalion on average)

If you look at the Warrior trilogy, in the first book both a regular DCMS battallion (the one attacking the Kell Hounds) and the early Genyosha are made up of, like, 80% Panthers.
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Matti

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #18 on: 16 June 2012, 13:41:21 »
If you look at the Warrior trilogy, in the first book both a regular DCMS battallion (the one attacking the Kell Hounds) and the early Genyosha are made up of, like, 80% Panthers.
Which are used like trooper 'Mechs. Looks like Stackpole couldn't come up with better excuse to hand defeats for DCMS. He could have put in Dragon lance for every Panther company, but no...

[edit]
Afterthought: DCMS doesn't have very high opinion about medium weight class (possible exception: PXH), so much of those 'Mechs goes to less prestigious regiments. So when top regiments are filled with Panthers and Dragons, "lesser" regiments get Griffins ::)
« Last Edit: 16 June 2012, 13:44:33 by Matti »
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master arminas

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #19 on: 16 June 2012, 14:37:56 »
You know, I've got NO problem with fielding entire companies of Panthers.  None whatsoever.  Seriously, that little 'Mech hits way above its weight class, and it's got pretty beefy armor as well.

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Greywind

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #20 on: 16 June 2012, 14:41:26 »
Panthers are nasty little buggers.

Durable as all get out and with a punch even assaults need to pay attention to.

Matti

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #21 on: 16 June 2012, 15:25:51 »
You know, I've got NO problem with fielding entire companies of Panthers.  None whatsoever.  Seriously, that little 'Mech hits way above its weight class, and it's got pretty beefy armor as well.
What about when that company gets attacked by company of 55 tonners? Do you call BV or other form of balance?
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master arminas

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #22 on: 16 June 2012, 15:41:18 »
Depending on the 55-tonners in question, I might just be able to take them!   >:D

MA

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #23 on: 16 June 2012, 18:06:56 »
Lance terminology has always confused me in BattleTech.  Why the blazes is a lance designation not the range of tonnage that four like class BattleMechs are?  Light would be up to 140, Medium from 145 to 220, Heavy from 225 to 300, and Assault from 305 to 400.
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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #24 on: 16 June 2012, 18:49:43 »
What about when that company gets attacked by company of 55 tonners? Do you call BV or other form of balance?

Well, they did not have BV when the warrior trillogy was written.  Also, its a novel and I think if you look at most of the novel fights they are far from balanced BV wise.

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #25 on: 16 June 2012, 19:27:33 »
not that it matches witht he galtor campaign but.. if i was making an LAG i would figure it be a regular  light regiment with the occasional speedy heavy, med and assault.. with an extra battalion.  Hell i be willing to cut it to two but we don't seem regiments listed with 5 battalion  so i settle for  4 battalion regiment.  I don't think that how it work in fiction but that the way i would had built them

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #26 on: 16 June 2012, 19:41:29 »
A Lyran light Assault Group = nothing over 95 tons.  ;)
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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #27 on: 16 June 2012, 21:14:37 »
I think if you look at most of the novel fights they are far from balanced BV wise.
So was pretty much any historical battle since, oh, 1600.  The Warrior books are for more historical, imbalanced battles, not "friends getting together to beat each other up fairly."  Fairness in war, to paraphrase Tom Clancy, is "all my guys come home and **** the other guy."
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Marveryn

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #28 on: 16 June 2012, 21:57:59 »
so true also in novel we tend to root for david so most of the time the imbalance is against the hereo not for them.  i mean seriously who want to read about an overpower forces that swat all defender aside laughing as they butcher them.. wait.. nevermind just remeber that why we had clan

Devens

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Re: What constitutes a "Light Assault Group"
« Reply #29 on: 17 June 2012, 08:25:06 »
so true also in novel we tend to root for david so most of the time the imbalance is against the hereo not for them.  i mean seriously who want to read about an overpower forces that swat all defender aside laughing as they butcher them.. wait.. nevermind just remeber that why we had clan

To be honest, the clans are only that much superior in the novels.  If you actually played out a lot of those Cluster vs RCT fights of the clan invasion I think the curbstomping would go the other way around.  Even if the tanks are not very good in the RCT, the tanks alone outnumber the Clans by something like 6 or 7  to 1 depending on cluster composition.  And that is before factoring in the mechs which outnumber them by over 2 or 3 to 1 again depending on cluster composition.