Hover tanks...hover tanks everywhere...

[Major Headcase]

   A few months ago I purchased 108 original plastic Renegade Legion Grav tanks for cheap. I'm going to use them in Battletech and AS lower cost mech alternative machines for the mercs players in a campaign I'm getting ready to run. The two faction, TOG and Renegade, will represent two rival manufacturers that make competing tank lines on the same now-independent world in the former Free Worlds League, a world in my setting that has become a lawless Freeport world run by corporations and cartels. The planet is a mix of Solaris 7 and Galatea before Outreach: a multinational hotbed of money, danger, and opportunities for those tough enough to make it.
   Anyway, I'm trying to decide what tech level to use for these. My campaign is set in 3144, and from the other designs of the time it seems advanced IS and Clan tech have become much more common (right alongside forklifts with autocannons bolted on...go figure...) but honestly I almost never delve into vehicles in Battletech, so I'm not really sure how to make balanced tanks that are a reasonable replacement for a cheap mech and still be effective enough to be an attractive option?
   Would fusion or ICE be more appropriate in 3140s? Should they be Primitives? Or IS marketed Clan tech, like the Thor 2? Any advice from those more familiar with combat vehicles would be appreciated. 😁
   The minis come in 4 types each set: Medium tank (I'm thinking 45-50 tons), light tank (maybe 30-35 tons?), Medium turreted armed transport (same size as the medium tank), and light turreted armed transport (same as the light tank) .

[Sabelkatten]

As I understand it clantech is more common - but only amongst high-budget units. When the new rounds of wars kicked off all the militaries were pretty small, and militia units had to improvise like crazy to get units. Thus a couple of really high-end units supported by "anything that moves and can carry a gun".

But in this case, given that it doesn't seem like top-of-the-line high-budget manufacturers, I'd say mostly standard fusion engines and a limited supply of the latest weapons. Probably no clantech at all.

Maybe like this?

Code: [Select]

Liberator

Mass: 50 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Hovercraft
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E-A
Production Year: 3070
Cost: 2 942 500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 945

Power Plant:  165 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 86,4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 129,6 km/h
Armor:  Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    1  LB 5-X AC
    1  ER Medium Laser
    2  MML-3s
    1  ER Small Laser
    1  Anti-Missile System
    1 Unknown CASE
Manufacturer:
    Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      25 points                5,00
Engine:             Fusion Engine                165                       9,00
    Cruise MP:  8
    Flank MP:   12
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             10                        0,00
Control Equipment:                                                         2,50
Lift Equipment:                                                            5,00
Turret:                                                                    1,00
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV - 143                  8,00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     39       
                                          Left/Right   31/31       
                                              Turret     21       
                                                Rear     21       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 MML-3s                                     FR        4         2         3,00
Anti-Missile System                          T         1         1         0,50
LB 5-X AC                                    T         1         1         8,00
ER Medium Laser                              T         5         1         1,00
ER Small Laser                               T         2         1         0,50
CASE                                         BD        -         1         0,50
@MML-3 (LRM) (40)                            BD        -         0         1,00
@MML-3 (SRM) (33)                            BD        -         0         1,00
@Anti-Missile System (12)                    BD        -         0         1,00
@LB 5-X (Cluster) (20)                       BD        -         0         1,00
@LB 5-X (Slug) (20)                          BD        -         0         1,00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      5    Points: 9
8h         2       2       1       0      2     0   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: AMS, CASE, TUR(2/2/1)

[Major Headcase]

As I understand it clantech is more common - but only amongst high-budget units. When the new rounds of wars kicked off all the militaries were pretty small, and militia units had to improvise like crazy to get units. Thus a couple of really high-end units supported by "anything that moves and can carry a gun".

But in this case, given that it doesn't seem like top-of-the-line high-budget manufacturers, I'd say mostly standard fusion engines and a limited supply of the latest weapons. Probably no clantech at all.

Maybe like this?

Code: [Select]

Liberator

Mass: 50 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Hovercraft
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E-A
Production Year: 3070
Cost: 2 942 500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 945

Power Plant:  165 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 86,4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 129,6 km/h
Armor:  Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    1  LB 5-X AC
    1  ER Medium Laser
    2  MML-3s
    1  ER Small Laser
    1  Anti-Missile System
    1 Unknown CASE
Manufacturer:
    Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      25 points                5,00
Engine:             Fusion Engine                165                       9,00
    Cruise MP:  8
    Flank MP:   12
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             10                        0,00
Control Equipment:                                                         2,50
Lift Equipment:                                                            5,00
Turret:                                                                    1,00
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV - 143                  8,00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     39       
                                          Left/Right   31/31       
                                              Turret     21       
                                                Rear     21       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 MML-3s                                     FR        4         2         3,00
Anti-Missile System                          T         1         1         0,50
LB 5-X AC                                    T         1         1         8,00
ER Medium Laser                              T         5         1         1,00
ER Small Laser                               T         2         1         0,50
CASE                                         BD        -         1         0,50
@MML-3 (LRM) (40)                            BD        -         0         1,00
@MML-3 (SRM) (33)                            BD        -         0         1,00
@Anti-Missile System (12)                    BD        -         0         1,00
@LB 5-X (Cluster) (20)                       BD        -         0         1,00
@LB 5-X (Slug) (20)                          BD        -         0         1,00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      5    Points: 9
8h         2       2       1       0      2     0   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: AMS, CASE, TUR(2/2/1)

I like your reasoning. Good design as well, I like it. I might swap out the LB for an AC/5 Ultra? I like using special ammo in AS. I can use this as a base design and then just scale it down or modify it for the light tanks and transport versions in this tank line. Thanks much!!

[Sabelkatten]

Ultras can't use special ammo either, so it's not a very useful swap. But the AS conversion might actually make the standard AC/5 useful, IIRC it's the same range as the LB5 in AS?

[Col Toda]

The Dark Age ERA did have limited Clan tech . From what I have seen one primary item such as an energy or ballistic weapon or 2 secondary items like ER Medium lasers or missile launchers . The most value added thing for an Inner Sphere vehicle manufacturers to jack to Clan tech is just the Chassis . So I envision many Inner Sphere Dark Age combat vehicles are mixed tech with all Inner Sphere technology armor and weapons but the free CASE the half weight armored motive systems chassis . That makes a nice upgrade from my republic age stuff saving a minimum of 1 1/2 tons and a maximum of 5 1/2 tons between armorrd motive systems and free CASE . After all best armor types is heat resistant or heavy ferro fibrous . In the case of hover tanks armored motive systems and hardened armor and a fuel cell engine to reduce cost gets you something with a motive power of a light fusion engine and greatly reduced motor and actual critical combat vehicle . Check out what you design wih that  and fuel cell engines alone . If you have the space make variants with light fusion engines . Best bang for the C-Bill is an important aspect of combat vehicles . I fully expect Ghost Bear and Hells Horses combat vehicles sporting Inner Sphere heavy ferro fibrous armor and snub Nosed PPCs . So Base Tech Clan mix tech vehicle to get the above specs with most programs  .  With just a Clan Chassis  the Liberator above saves.a half a ton on CASE . Not much in that design but other designs with say a fuel cell engine a ballistic weapons mostly would be great.