Marten OmniVTOL

[DarthMetool]

Mass: 15 tons
Movement Type: VTOL
Power Plant: Boeing 100 Fuel Cell
Cruising Speed: 140 kph
Maximum Speed: 216 kph
Armor: ProtecTech Light
Pod Space: 5 tons
Manufacturer: Cal_Boeing of Dorwinion
  Primary Factories: Belladonna
Communications System: Achernar Standard
Targeting and Tracking System: IsBM Lantirn

In an effort to increase sales to the mercenary market, Cal-Boeing made the decision to produce
an Omni version of the Marten VTOL.  This design is more a testbed and prototype for purposes
of data collection with future refinements in mind for a more dedicated version.

Capabilities:
Removing the muffling system made the Marten Omni easier to maintain in one area, while adding
Omnitechnology pushed it right back into the 'difficult to maintain' category.  Upgrading the engine
from internal combustion to fuel cell dropped weight and added to the price while keeping the
original top speed of 216 kph.  An extra half-ton of armor was spread around the body to increase
survivability, now able to survive a single light PPC hit to any location except the rotors.  Complexity
of the configurations was planned to a minimum of the original Marten's three main roles.  The
Assault config carries a single MML/5 and two tons of ammo, usually split between Thunder LRMs and
Inferno SRMs in a support role.  The Transport config carries 2 light machine guns fed by a single ton
of ammo to support the landing of infantry from a 3 ton infantry bay.  Finally, the Recon config is
armed with 2 Rocket Launcher 15s for a quick blast to get away and a sensor suite consisting of a
Beagle probe, Target Acquisition Gear and a sensor dispenser.

Type: Marten Omni
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type: VTOL
Tonnage: 15

IntStr                                          1.5
Engine                 100 Fuel Cell       4
 Cruise MP                    13
 Flank MP                      20
Heat Sinks                     1              0
Controls                                        1
Lift                                               1.5
Armor                         32               2
 Front                          10
 R/L Sides                     7
 Rear                            6
Rotor                           2

Pod Space:                                     5

Assault                                 Loc    Mass
MML/5                                    F        3
Ammo MML/5 (48/40)              B       2
 BV: 293
 Cost: 472,500

Transport
2 Light MGs                             F        1
Ammo LMG (200)                    B        1
Infantry                                  B        3
 BV: 155
 Cost: 350,625

Recon
2 Rocket Launcher-15               F         2
Beagle Active Probe                  B        1.5
TAG                                        F          1
Remote Sensor Dispenser          B       0.5
 BV: 271
 Cost: 969,375

[Sabelkatten]

How about MagShots on the transport config? That's a lot more useful for supporting your PBIs.

Or maybe even more useful; twin VGLs and a single LMG. Smoke your drop site!

[DarthMetool]

Maybe magshots as an alternate config like Transport A or something.  The LMGs are there to make any enemy infantry seek shelter than to do any real damage.  As for the grenade launchers, instead you might have a lance of Martens consisting of 3 Transport configs and 1 Assault config with a ton of smoke warheads loaded.  What do you think?

[Sabelkatten]

The problem with the LMGs is that if you're close to the enemy PBI they might shoot back - and that's likely to end your chopper very quickly. Thus MagShots to provide your own PBIs with a bit of extra anti-vehicle power, something that's always good to have.

And VGLs, well, they put out a lot more smoke than a single MML! IIRC it's three hexes of heavy smoke to a single hex of light(?). In addition you'll want to smoke all your LZs immediately and probably simultaneously, but only once - after the PBIs are down they should be able to find their own cover.

[DarthMetool]

Okay, you might want to check me on this.  I don't have full errata...

According to TO, pg. 364, if I were to use VGLs on the transport config, I'd either have to have it land and fire off the grenades, or do a Bombing run to affect only one hex, all for 3 turns only as Light Smoke.  On the other hand, if I were to fire off smoke SRMs from a 5-tube MML, I'd get (if I'm reading this right on pg. 371) the target hex and each adjacent hex covered in Heavy Smoke for 5 turns.

Could someone double check me on that?

EDIT: The LMGs are just for fending off infantry ambushes, mostly, not for assaulting infantry.  Cal-Boeing is not responsible for death and/or dismemberment for chasing after enemy infantry with the Transport Configuration.

[Sabelkatten]

Huh, I must be remembering some old rules set then... :-\

How much smoke do you get from an MML3 now? If you get a useful amount twin MML3s would let you smoke two LZs.

[DarthMetool]

You may be remembering them correctly.  That is why I asked, actually.

TO, pg. 371
"...fill a column of smoke two levels high (see p. 47).
This smoke varies in density and size with the damage capacity of the launcher used.  For every 10 points of damage a Smoke Missile would deliver as a standard missile volley (rounded up), the radius of the smoke-filled area increases by 1 hex..."

It gives an example of an LRM-5 volley fills 1 hex (5 / 10 = 0.5, rounded up to 1) and an SRM-6 volley would fill the target hex and each adjacent hex (12 / 10 = 1.2, rounded up to 2).

What I am unsure about is the wording.  Does the rule mean that a 10-point Smoke SRM volley from an MML-5 (10 points of normal damage) do the "each adjacent hex" or not?

Anyway, 5 points or less damage does Light Smoke (6+ means Heavy Smoke), Smoke LRMs get (half the rack size of the launcher, rounded down) turns to linger, and Smoke SRMs get (length of time equal to the size of rack used) turns to linger.

LRM-5 = 2 turns.
SRM-6 = 6 turns.
MML-5 (with Smoke SRMs) = 5 turns?

Can you straighten this out for me?  Never used smoke rules before.

[Sabelkatten]

Sorry, not much help to be had here... :( I only borrowed whichever rulebook it was years ago and have just been trying to keep up by reading comments on the forums since then. Last I played with it we used houserules...

[Cryhavok101]

Are you talking about smoke to protect the VTOL, or the troops it's transporting? Because if you are trying to protect the VTOL, you could go with chaff pods. It gives you smoke in your hex, along with temporary ECM and AMS effects. If you are talking about smoke to protect your troops, I would definitely pick MMLs.