Vehicle Trait Question

[gigobyte]

The questions below are a what if a player was going to make a mech. pilot but not want to start with a mech. and just use the Mercenaries' mechs, until he can save in game for one (or steal one). His reasoning is that the employer should pay for the materials or he should get a bonus for having the mech already (like a over the road truck driver, he understand that they are worth millions of dollars).

1. What is the reasoning behind purchasing the vehicle trait? If it is a mech that has been passed down throughout your family, I understand.

2. Unless you want to start with a specific weight class of a mech, why would you by vehicle trait at all?

3. The Houses have to start you with one that remains theirs upon your tour ending (just like when you are in our military and you are a fighter pilot or tank pilot), right?

4. What happens if a player loses his mech in combat and they purchased this trait, are they compensated?

Please don't reference to the idea that you are not "rated" to pilot a mech above your rating. Learning to pilot a "Big Rig" or "Abrams" (maybe a medium mech) does not give you the know-how or ability to pilot a "race car" or "LAV-25" (light scout mech). These are all essentially tanks of various sizes and if we are bring real world ideas into this then every vehicle operator trains for hours in his vehicle of choice so that he knows the ins and outs, and thus you would have to be "Rated" per mech (e.i. raven, jenner, etc...).

5. So since we are saying they are just tanks of various sizes what is the point of the Vehicle trait out side starting the game (just to reiterate the above questions)?

Personally I am not a fan when games have traits that one can earn/loose in game, but I understand the need to have them otherwise everyone would want to have the best mech, a high military rank, lots of wealth, etc...

[gigobyte]

I found a "good enough" (not the best but it will do) answer in the search tool. How do you delete a post?

[theagent]

• The assumption is that the 'Mech is "yours", either handed down or issued by your unit.  The way I look at it, however, the trait only really comes into play if you treat it as "yours".  In other words, if you're serving in the AFFS & decide to resign without having the Vehicle Trait, you're automatically going into the Dispossessed club.  Also, if you want to customize your unit & not just have a "stock" model, you have to have the trait (with the additional +2).
• If your playing style uses light 'Mechs better, spending less on the trait lets you focus on another area for the starting character.  Also, if you use the optional rule in the AToW Companion, having a lower trait gives you a penalty to your Piloting/BattleMech rolls if you're in a heavier unit.
• Yes, that's how it would work.  They might allow you to buy it cheap as a "used" unit if you leave, provided you're not dishonorably discharged or have some other black mark on your record.
• Depends on the character.  If they're in a House unit, & still in the same unit they were in before, they can be issued a new BattleMech of the same weight class (not necessarily the same model, though).  If you're part of a well-equipped mercenary unit, you might have the same thing happen (think Kell Hounds, Wolf's Dragoons, etc.)...or you might end up having to make do with a randomly determined unit that might be lighter than your old one.  If you're an independent, or your merc unit is strapped for cash, you might find yourself filling in as an infantryman on the next job...

As for that optional rule you didn't seem to like...I don't see it as driving an LAV-25 vs. an M1 Abrams.  I see it as driving an M1 vs. driving an AMX-30 vs. driving a Merkava vs. driving a Leopard 2.  They're all main battle tanks, & their control systems are probably going to be very similar, but they have different performance (different speed, different acceleration, different weapon systems, etc.) & are in different weight classes (i.e. AMX-30 is way undersized compared to an Abrams, but a Leopard 2 is pretty close).

[hive_angel]

If it helps I have my players pass on the vehicle trait altogether and place xp in other more important areas. Since my players are house units they are issued battlemechs and to some extent gear just like a modern militry would do. I have my players face the random battlemech assignment table for a battlemech and I adjust the roll or variant to fit the house they are employed with. A mercenary command may issue battlemechs and gear as well, but the gear may be very limited based upon the financia standing of the mercenary command. Battlemech could be just as random and less desireable than house units.

If a player would want to have the vehicle trait you could assume assign the player a battlemech and the vehicle trait will assure they are always assigned the weight class they purchased up to.