Thought experiment time.
Generally speaking, you want to play the game with a setup that's balanced. At the start, both sides should have a roughly equal chance at victory. Most people tend to use BV or tonnage for this.
In a campaign setting this gets murkier; either the actual military strength isn't key to the objective (run the McGuffin off the map ASAP), or the campaign is balanced, even if a particular battle is not.
But what about a one-off where the imbalance is real? Presuming two competent operators, how do you overcome the gap?
The objective of this thread isn't to get a procedural answer to that question (it's fundamentally case specific) but as follows:
A Select 2 Mechs, both with the same pilots. (Suggest: 2/3 or better, but maybe your idea works with 6/7s all around)
B These 'Mechs must be unequal: one is clearly superior to the other. Their 'MechWarriors must be equal. (So SPAs should be granted equally, as appropriate)
C Describe the method by which the weaker has a good chance (so, better than 50-50) to win. Not guaranteed victory, just clearly an edge.
D No additional units can provide support even if they exist off the map.
E Superior Mech is operated by someone just as tactically sound as you are.
Fair game?
Any of the rules found in canon BT sources. Any. You like some obscure setup rules in random Track #2 from a Turning Point that few took? Bring the little rascal out to play.
How to "win"? Erm, biggest gap in BV2 between the two. Partial credit if you duplicate the method of a prior poster, but find a bigger BV gap; the real prize is in the method.
Example:
Wasp 1A vs Vulcan 2T.
384 vs 642 (258 BV or 40.2%)
Vulcan has more armor, is effective at bigger range, and has a firepower and physical attack damage advantage at point blank. There's a narrow range band where the Wasp can outgun it if both missiles hit, but likely not enough to matter, given the armor.
Process:
1. Use house rule that Torpedoes are just an ammo type. Fight underwater.
Outcome: fail. House rules are out of bounds.
2. OK. Smoke ammo for the SRM.
Outcome: Your firepower is reduced, and your enemy can use the same hexes. Fail.
3. Set Temperature to 160 degrees Celsius. +11 heat every turn. Ammo explosion will occur.
Outcome: Vulcan can match your heat output, or can stay below it by only using AC/2. Both 'Mechs can dump ammo before heat gets too high. Fail.
4. Set condition to Heavy Fog and Blowing Sands. Net +2 penalty to all Direct Fire weapons; SRM2 becomes more powerful. Provide Tandem-Charge ammo.
Outcome: Wasp likely to win. Success?
Naturally, this will all become very subjective very quickly. That's OK, that's part of it. If your method fails to convince people, it might just not be strong enough of a process.
Looking forward to see if this is interesting to anyone else. I've got a few more thoughts for later.
Paul