Light mech use- some thoughts on getting a benefit from the weakest

[truetanker]

Do you want six squads of battle armor in your rear lines, that would be scary.

 >:D

Personal CHH Advanced Scout Star:

2- Anhur BA Transport ( 10 BA each )
2-Donar ( Recon and Standard )
Artic Cheetah-C
Kit Fox-S
Mongrel-A

Not only do we jump, we have a Nova Star here. More than enough ECM to spread around, fast combat drops and the ability to call for Artillery to boot. I've been know to drop the Mongrel for a pair of Huey or lately, a Huey AAA - Mars XL combo. (  }:) )

TT

[JenniferinaMAD]

... assaults which are very rare.... so rare, that sometimes they are held out of battles to preserve them.

That has less to do with their rarity and more with their speed. If you commit an assault to battle, you (in an in universe perspective) want to be pretty sure you're going to win the fight or that if you lose the enemy won't chase you, because if you have to retreat that assault isn't going to outrun the enemy. Most lights and mediums can run pretty well, even a good chunk of the heavies is fast enough to keep the range open. But assaults at best make low end heavy speed and very few have jump jets. Assaults mean win or lose big.

And of course, if you are sure of victory and do commit your assaults, and if the enemy has no vital reason to try to oppose you, they'll just run which means your assault still didn't fight a proper battle.

These factors don't really apply to the board game though, because the board game assumes balanced starting conditions, which any sane commander in universe would find insufficient to risk battle with.

[SCC]

Most lights and mediums can run pretty well, even a good chunk of the heavies is fast enough to keep the range open. But assaults at best make low end heavy speed and very few have jump jets. Assaults mean win or lose big.

But on average they have to have the same speed, which doesn't actually make getting away that easy.

[massey]

That has less to do with their rarity and more with their speed. If you commit an assault to battle, you (in an in universe perspective) want to be pretty sure you're going to win the fight or that if you lose the enemy won't chase you, because if you have to retreat that assault isn't going to outrun the enemy. Most lights and mediums can run pretty well, even a good chunk of the heavies is fast enough to keep the range open. But assaults at best make low end heavy speed and very few have jump jets. Assaults mean win or lose big.

And of course, if you are sure of victory and do commit your assaults, and if the enemy has no vital reason to try to oppose you, they'll just run which means your assault still didn't fight a proper battle.

These factors don't really apply to the board game though, because the board game assumes balanced starting conditions, which any sane commander in universe would find insufficient to risk battle with.

I think that the average board game should generally represent an important turning point in the larger conflict, one that just so happens to be roughly balanced between the two sides.

Very few people want to play infantry platoon vs mech company.  It's boring.  But theoretically, that sort of encounter should happen a lot.  A tiny force gets steamrolled by a really big one.  Dismounted Mechwarrior Joe fights a Star of Elementals from the wreckage of his mech.  Those events should be very commonplace within the universe.  They just aren't fun to play out.

It's like D&D.  A party of low level characters are ambushed by some orcs.  It's a fun encounter.  Theoretically a party of 20th level characters should also get ambushed on occasion by half a dozen orcs.  But at that point it is just an exercise in dice rolling as you slaughter orcs, and isn't really fun anymore.  It's something the GM should just narrate instead.  "On the way to the dungeon, you are attacked 3 times by orc bandits.  You get this much gold from their bodies."

A Battletech game should be balanced because we play the game to have fun.  It's not realistic that every battle will be perfectly even, and they aren't.  Just the ones that we are paying attention to.  Those are the ones that matter.  Not every battle we play will decide the fate of the world, but each one is important to the unit participating in it.  Two Jenners chasing down a Wasp is not really important.  They should win, no problem.  Two Jenners seeing a Marauder in the distance is not important, they'll just run away.  But two Jenners going through a ravine, and on the other end a Shadow Hawk blocks their way, now that's something worth fighting out.

[massey]

But on average they have to have the same speed, which doesn't actually make getting away that easy.

I saw numbers somewhere that indicated that light mechs were about 30% of the mechs in the Inner Sphere.  Mediums were 40%, Heavies were 20%, and Assaults were 10%.

Now while individual designs may vary, Assaults (3025 era) tend to be 3/5 or 4/6.  Heavies tend to be 4/6 or 5/8.  Mediums tend to be between 4/6 and 6/9.  Lights are generally 6/9/6 to 8/12 (though there are a few 5/8s or even 4/6s).  In general, lights should be able to flee heavier mech classes fairly reliably.  Yes, you'll have medium mechs like the Assassin that can hunt down lighter, slower designs.  That's why they make really fast mediums.  But the lights can easily outrun that Hunchback, and most can outrun those Griffins and Wolverines.

Why not just use really fast mediums?  Because 30% of the mechs in the Inner Sphere are lights.  They're cheaper, they're commonly available, and you already have them.  They do the job well enough that it isn't worth replacing them with a heavier, more expensive design.  Besides, you really need most of your mediums to do other duties.  Sometimes they have to stand up to heavies for a while.  And the really fast ones are not really good at that.

[Col Toda]

A lot of people use fast mediums . The Cicada the most popular one goes 8/12 and some models have a jump of 8 . The 3A model would be just about perfect if they got rid of the ER PPC and replaced it with a Snub Nosed version and a double heat sink and stealth armor ; maybe 2 light PPCs depending on preference . Fast mediums tend to be light on armor but a light mech is lighter still . The arguments about speed and units facing each other at the point of contact is how objective raids succeed so lights may have a place in both attack and defense .  For any other situation I just do not see them as a cost effective unit 3+ million C-Bill Light mech VS a 3 + C Bill medium Combat Vehicle  that is easier for a militia to maintain and crew just makes more sense . As soon as the mech size moves up to medium the Combat vehicles stops looking attractive and heavy and assault mechs rule .

[Sacamano]

Some of the functions for light Mechs:
1. Scouting
2. Electronic warfare
3. Infantry and Vehicle support
4. Patrol

[truetanker]

Most people forget that a Light is best to use as a stop gap measure until heavier or better armed units arrive. Best part is harass, feint and simply a present show of arms. Would you rather face a Company of Infantry or a Lance of Medium weight tanks or a single Bug Mech? That can go anywhere?

TT

[Daryk]

Truetanker, I think you captured the essence of the issue perfectly!  BZ! O0

[SCC]

Best on-tabletop use I can think of right now is load a light 'Mech up with vehicle flamers and coolant ammo and have it follow along behind your assault 'Mechs, keeping them cool

[Kovax]

The Light 'Mech is built for the same reason 20th Century navies built a lot more Destroyers and Light Cruisers than Heavy Cruisers or Battleships.  If a Destroyer is adequate for 90% of the tasks, why spend the money for a Battleship to do the same job?  When that other 10% happens, the Destroyer is fast enough to run away until a real Battleship can get there to deal with the problem.

A Light 'Mech has the versatility to perform in circumstances where a vehicle is at a disadvantage, or totally incapable of operating.  When a vehicle can perform the job, you send a vehicle; when it can't, you've often got a Light 'Mech that can.  When the Light 'Mech isn't enough, you sent a bigger 'Mech, and it then boils down to who sends the most and/or the biggest 'Mechs to the scene first.

Unlike in the typical "battlefield-only" game, there are peripheral functions behind the lines that are not represented on the table, such as logistics, command, and support personnel and equipment.  Light 'Mechs would often be employed in hit-and-run raiding against those supporting assets, rather than trying to stand toe-to-toe against heavier combat units on and around the battle line.  Since those assets are not represented on the board, there's a lot less of any importance for a light 'Mech to do.  When the map is the size of a postage stamp, there's simply not enough room to make speed and maneuverability viable alternatives to armor and firepower.

The problem is not with the Light 'Mech, it's with the limited representation of battle as a purely local and static situation.