Best anti infantry weapon?

[JadeHellbringer]

That's a damn shame since inferno SRTs sound like something the star league could have made. 
Just checking here I thought torpedoes could use artemis IV and narc warheads to get a cluster bonus, but now I am doubting myself. 
In fact can a narc pod be fired at an underwater target?

Nope. Battletech has that awful thing where a unit at Lv. 0 can't see a unit at Depth 1, so you can't fire at anything in that case unless you're in an adjacent hex. And if you're underwater you can see it, but only torpedoes and energy weapons work- and Narc is neither (there's no Narc torpedo, despite it being a neat idea).

Basically, if you want to Narc that Neptune-class, he needs to come up for air first.  :-[

[Kovax]

Actually, in 3025 era play, I'm somewhat partial to the Medium Laser as an anti-infantry weapon.  Granted, it takes somewhere between forever and longer to kill off a platoon (or half of forever if they're in the open), but you're out of range of all but Infantry LRMs, not ammo-dependent (so you CAN keep firing for somewhere between forever and longer), and can generally afford the heat to fire at least 3 per turn.  As a bonus, they're also very useful against most other targets, and come as standard equipment on a LOT of designs.

Once pulse weapons come into play, a MPL provides much more effectiveness against infantry, still from outside of most infantry's range to reply, and with no ammo dependency, while remaining an effective weapon against other targets.

If the infantry manages to get too close, then I'll gladly take a Flamer over most of the other options.

If playing with optional rules to set fire to hexes, I'll take an SRM-2 rack loaded with Infernos, which won't kill a lot of troops with the shot, but has a good chance to incinerate the entire platoon at the start of the following turn.  Between the various heat, fire, and smoke effects, Infernos are far too versatile NOT to have at least one or two in a Company.  Besides, there's just something satisfying about setting the other player's stuff on fire.

[Kit deSummersville]

Nope. Battletech has that awful thing where a unit at Lv. 0 can't see a unit at Depth 1, so you can't fire at anything in that case unless you're in an adjacent hex. And if you're underwater you can see it, but only torpedoes and energy weapons work- and Narc is neither (there's no Narc torpedo, despite it being a neat idea).

Basically, if you want to Narc that Neptune-class, he needs to come up for air first.  :-[

I always wanted to load SRTs into the SRM tubes of a Crusader and hamstring anyone who came in wading into Depth 1 water after me, but alas the rules don't allow that....

[JadeHellbringer]

I always wanted to load SRTs into the SRM tubes of a Crusader and hamstring anyone who came in wading into Depth 1 water after me, but alas the rules don't allow that....

Only if you install SRT tubes instead to begin with, which might not be the worst idea depending on what world you're stationed on. It's really the only Mech that would gain a great benefit from doing so. (Well, that and the Wasp, but an SRM-2 isn't all that scary anyway)

[Shin Ji]

This only works for some definitions of classic, but it is technically available in all eras:

The Long Tom Cannon.  20 points to everything in that hex, 10 to every hex around it.  When you absolutely, positively, need those infantry - BA or no - D-E-D. 

Don't leave home without it.

[SteelRaven]

+1 for Infernos. Takes care of Standard Infantry, Battle Armor, Vehicles, it's a solve all (If you don't mind the other guy screaming 'war crime!' while everything burns)

Haven't read anything about Flamers damage to Battle Armor.
     

[Cryhavok101]

Haven't read anything about Flamers damage to Battle Armor.

They just do standard weapon damage to battle armor, as far as I know; unless you use vehicular flamers with specialty ammo.

[Iceweb]

I always wanted to load SRTs into the SRM tubes of a Crusader and hamstring anyone who came in wading into Depth 1 water after me, but alas the rules don't allow that....

Of course there is the issue of not getting roll on the kick table and the partial cover rules screwing you over there. 
Still it looks neat if you could do it.   

[SCC]

If you want something 'extra' for your anti0infantry work, it's hard to go past the micro Pulse Laser, half ton weight and only one heat.

[Iron Mongoose]

Of the choices listed, the SPL.  The to hit bonuses are just too nice to pass up, and I find that they come in handy against little fast backstabbing mechs and hovers more than MGs or flamers.

In the 3025 era, on the one hand you mostly just use whatever you can get your hands on.  Life is cheap, BattleMechs are not, right?  So if you've got a Firestarter, you use a Firestarter.  If you've got a Stinger, you use that.  I actually quite like including an old tech Stinger in a group of really hot new tech mechs, if those hot new mechs don't have anti infantry capability, since it has the speed and jets to move around the field and put down infantry situations. 

Of weapons not mentioned, I don't like to overuse infernos, though I do really really like them when it is appropriate to take them.  In the stories, they're always treated as something really scary, a lot more scary than the rules indicate, and they were optional rules for the longest time so there's always been a sense of hands off, that they're for special occasions, not every day.

Another tool in that vein is artillery, available in all periods and super murderous.  Without APCs, infantry don't have the mobility to run before artillery can get dialed in, and with them you can kill them just the same as anything else so may as well use PPCs (or just shoot them with the artillery too).

And of course, there are arm loads of new tech weapons, like Plasma rifles and canons, mag shots and AP GRs, light and heavy MGs in and out of arrays, artillery canons, special ammo for ACs and missiles, and so many others. 

[SteelRaven]

Of weapons not mentioned, I don't like to overuse infernos, though I do really really like them when it is appropriate to take them.  In the stories, they're always treated as something really scary, a lot more scary than the rules indicate, and they were optional rules for the longest time so there's always been a sense of hands off, that they're for special occasions, not every day.

People downplay weapons allot on the Tabletop. (Notice how often the topic of Nukes come up? ) The fact Infernos kill anything short of a Battlemech pretty fast is s good testament to how bad Infernos can be, especially if your using Fire rules in ether a wooded or urban environment. Writer also get away with allot of stuff in stories that would break the table top game in order to progress the story (Infantry disabling mechs with a few infernos shots, more or less making them TSEMPs)

[ajcbm]

I am surprised nobody mentioned the Plasma Rifle or Plasma Cannon yet.

[SteelRaven]

I am surprised nobody mentioned the Plasma Rifle or Plasma Cannon yet.

We did, OP ask to exclude those weapons for more traditional AI weaponry 

[Col Toda]

For in your face secondary weapon on a mech is the pulse laser . But forva support mech    , mech mortars with air burst rounds with semi guided munitions against other targets. It can shoot at infantry at range 14 and be almost immune to counter fire. All the examples you gave gives the infantry a good opportunity to shoot back.

[truetanker]

Stomp. Drop. and Roll.

TT

[Cryhavok101]

If we include everything, the best antiinfantry weapon is probably a heavy mass driver  ;D

[VhenRa]

People downplay weapons allot on the Tabletop. (Notice how often the topic of Nukes come up? ) The fact Infernos kill anything short of a Battlemech pretty fast is s good testament to how bad Infernos can be, especially if your using Fire rules in ether a wooded or urban environment. Writer also get away with allot of stuff in stories that would break the table top game in order to progress the story (Infantry disabling mechs with a few infernos shots, more or less making them TSEMPs)

They don't kill them anywhere near as fast as back in BMR. IIRC it was "As long as the inferno is burning, your tank must make a save or die check every turn... and every inferno hit means you burn for 3 turns." Or something like that for vehicles.

[SteelRaven]

That was when you only used tanks and PBI for target practice ;)

[Sartris]

i barely fielded vehicles before TW.

[Death by Lasers]

  Just to second the point on artillery, these guys are murderous against infantry in direct fire mode.  A lance of them can annihilate an unsupported regiment of infantry if by some lucky circumstance they catch one in the open.  The trick is you just target the hex giving you a flat 8 to hit with a normal gunner.  Now if you miss by one no problem, you will still hit with the splash.  Artillery does double damage to infantry so even the splash of a Thumper is pretty dangerous against foot sloggers.

  Artillery is even more murderous against infantry in buildings.  Per TW pg.173 a humble Thumper if targeted at level 3 of a 5 story building will do 45CF damage to level 3, 30CF damage to levels 2 and 4, and 15CF to levels 1 and 5 for a grand total of 135 CF damage or enough to level any of the default standard buildings!  On top of this it even damages the adjacent building and also applies its full normal damage to infantry inside if by some miracle the building doesn't collapse!

[Feenix74]

If we include everything, the best antiinfantry weapon is probably a heavy mass driver  ;D

I was going to suggest CJF Jade Talon but a heavy mass driver does have the advantage over what is essentially a One Shot (O/S) weapon  >:D

[massey]

I always wanted to load SRTs into the SRM tubes of a Crusader and hamstring anyone who came in wading into Depth 1 water after me, but alas the rules don't allow that....

That's how we played it.  We assumed that the torpedo-to-missile launcher conversion was an easy one.  So you wouldn't have to really replace the launcher, just modify it somehow.  Made the Crusader crazy effective in certain conditions.

[massey]

The old inferno bombs that could be carried by ASFs were the best.  They were 10 point bombs that automatically destroyed any infantry in the hex where they hit. 

I also like LRM 15s with fragmentation ammo.  It does 30 points of damage to infantry units, even those that aren't in the open.  Unfortunately, most of the older mechs that carry the LRM 15 don't tend to carry a whole lot of ammo.  But an LRM 10 with frag ammo will take the teeth out of just about any infantry platoon, and a lot of those mechs carry lots of extra ammo.  It makes sense that most military units would keep a Centurion or something around, and swap out one ton of standard LRM 10 ammo with fragmentation missiles, just in case.  SRMs can be done the same way.  If I expected heavy infantry opposition, I'd try to make sure that one mech in each company carried a ton of frag ammo.

But between the machine gun, the small pulse, and the flamer, that decision is pretty easy.  The machine gun is best on something like the Piranha.  If you're going to spam the battlefield with them, then you can use up your ammo faster and you won't have to worry as much about an explosion.  No heat is a big advantage.  Outside of that pretty rare situation, the small pulse is much better.  You're much more likely to hit, and it does the same damage.  The flamer is the best if you're in a city or wooded area and you don't mind setting the world on fire.  It's the one weapon that you don't have to hit with it for it to kill your enemy.  Every round, you should set something on fire, and let it slowly spread towards your enemy.  If you do it right, they'll never even get LOS to you.

[Daryk]

If we include everything, the best antiinfantry weapon is probably a heavy mass driver  ;D

If you're going to go that far, where are the nukes?  They can kill outside their primary blast radius.  And one of the crazier threads around here has been figuring out if it's possible to cram one into a Thunderbolt-5 missile...

[Cryhavok101]

If you're going to go that far, where are the nukes?  They can kill outside their primary blast radius.  And one of the crazier threads around here has been figuring out if it's possible to cram one into a Thunderbolt-5 missile...

Well, the main reason I was thinking: range. A Mass driver has slightly longer range than a thunderbolt launcher. The few delivery mechanisms for a nuke with longer range can generally be shot down long before they reach the target.

[Arkansas Warrior]

Wait, you want to deliver 90 ton nukes via Heavy Mass Driver?  Sounds like fun, let's do this!

[VhenRa]

Wait, you want to deliver 90 ton nukes via Heavy Mass Driver?  Sounds like fun, let's do this!

Sir, I do believe that is something like three war crimes at once.

[Caedis Animus]

Wait, you want to deliver 90 ton nukes via Heavy Mass Driver?  Sounds like fun, let's do this!

I feel like either the mass of the nuke would be wasted or people would question why you don't just use the nuke by itself.

Either way, if we want to go crazy superweapons, I'm gonna have to go with the Necromo Virus, assuming you can release it in a location where there's enough people (And hopefully, where the effects of zombies occur). Or just the Curse of Galedon if you want more reliable results.

[Liam's Ghost]

If you're going to go that far, where are the nukes?  They can kill outside their primary blast radius.  And one of the crazier threads around here has been figuring out if it's possible to cram one into a Thunderbolt-5 missile...

Conceivably up to around a two kiloton warhead if you don't mind losing the launching platform.  ;)

Though if we're talking about nukes as an anti-infantry weapon, how about the two gigaton warhead dropped on Old Kentucky. One shot doesn't matter if one is all you need.  ;D

[Feenix74]

Well if one shot does not matter then I will put forward crashing CJF Jade Talon into the general vicinity the enemy infantry. "It's the only way to be sure."  >:D