Alternative LRM firing mechanic

[Louie N]

Hello,

I am brain storming ideas how to handle LRMs using a different firing mechanic.

I want to capture the flavor that they are a guided missiles and not a golden BBs like Ballistic or Lasers.  Targets are locked through sensors and missiles are guided to the target. 

I had one idea, but upon reflection I think it would be too clunky. 

I was curious if anyone had any ideas.   

Thanks

[Recklessfireball1]

Don't roll separately hit locations for five point damage clusters.  However many missiles hit, they all strike (home in on) the same location.  It makes LRM's vastly more potent, but it does simplify the process.

[Firesprocket]

Don't roll separately hit locations for five point damage clusters.  However many missiles hit, they all strike (home in on) the same location.  It makes LRM's vastly more potent, but it does simplify the process.

Such a weapon already exists with FTL warheads in Tac Ops.

[Nightgaun7]

It also means you're turning an LRM15 into an ERPPC or a Gauss Rifle, effectively.

There are a variety of ideas you can go for depending on what you want to emphasize. For example, I've always been fond of the idea of reversing LRM range brackets - they have no min range, but out to 7 hexes you take the same penalties as other weapons take for "long" range, 7-14 is medium range as normal, and 14-21 is your new "short" range. Thus, you hit more easily at range, because your missiles have more time to get target locks and make course corrections. This makes them actual Long-Range Missiles, as opposed to current LRMs which are actually terrible at long range.

Another course would be to make called shots slightly easier for LRMs, as your Mechwarrior picks something he wants to hit and the missiles do their best to home in on it.

A third option would be giving them an option to roll on the punch table at a +1 or something, to reflect the ability to launch them in a ballistic arc for top-attack.

And so on. Just have to decide what you want them to be good for.

[Louie N]

The reverse range mod is a very interesting idea. 

[Recklessfireball1]

Such a weapon already exists with FTL warheads in Tac Ops.

Treat all LRM's as FTL, then (though I don't own that book, myself).

It also means you're turning an LRM15 into an ERPPC or a Gauss Rifle, effectively.

Yes, as I mentioned, it does make LRM's vastly more potent (though the average damage is probably closer to 12 than 15).  But unlike a PPC, the LRM can run out of ammo or the ammo can explode, and you can also use AMS to shoot them down (In a 3025 era game, I would house rule machine guns so as to be able to act as AMS systems and expend 2d6 shots of ammo to knock out 1d6 missiles). 

[tomaddamz]

I've never liked the Macross Missile Spam type of visual picture for LRMs, specifically in direct fire.  In fact....I would prefer a combination Thunderbolt/Swarm/ visual where either a guided missile or a cluster munition is coming to get you, it just makes more sense to me.

[mbear]

I've never liked the Macross Missile Spam type of visual picture for LRMs, specifically in direct fire.  In fact....I would prefer a combination Thunderbolt/Swarm/ visual where either a guided missile or a cluster munition is coming to get you, it just makes more sense to me.

Almost like a missile based LB-X shell? Or a real world Starstreak instead of a Hydra Rocket Pod?

[JenniferinaMAD]

Wouldn't removing the cluster spread/treating all LRMs as FTls make missiles more similar to lasers and ACs, rather than less?

The fact that they spread their clusters around is the main difference in the core rules.

I find LRMs start to feel very different in games where Narc, Artemis, indirect fire and TAG are used to boost them while trying to avoid AMS and hostile ECM. None of those mechanics really interact with lasers or ACs.

[AlphaMirage]

I also like the LRM inverse rule.  It also triggered an idea concerning MRMs, MRMs at med have + 1. at short and long they have + 3 but only roll half their missiles to represent spread.  More effective as a mussile shotgun

[Louie N]

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=56323.0

Here was the idea I had, but I talked myself out of the turn to turn logistics of tracking locks. 

Imagine those Target locks counters found with the Star Wars Wing game.

 

[Nightgaun7]

I also like the LRM inverse rule.  It also triggered an idea concerning MRMs, MRMs at med have + 1. at short and long they have + 3 but only roll half their missiles to represent spread.  More effective as a mussile shotgun

MRMs are supposed to be a saturation-fire weapon for poor pilots. What they actually are is...well, kinda crap, but you need good pilots to use them due to the -1. Or Apollo, which negates the "saturation" aspect to an extent.
 
My ideal fix for MRMs would be to have no firing bonus and no cluster bonus at short range, where you haven't got enough spread to help you if you hit, but God help anyone that you do hit. At medium range they get a -1 to hit, but take a small penalty to the cluster table - you're more likely to hit, but less likely to hit with everything. And at long, you get a -2 to hit, but a big penalty to the cluster table - so you can shotgun missiles out and have a decent chance of hitting, but you're not going to be able to rely on that to do a lot of damage.

With this change, it's 1) actually good for green pilots 2) good and arguably better at medium range, fitting the name "Medium Range Missile" and 3) has some interesting tradeoffs you can choose to make, making gameplay more fun.

I don't know what I'd do with Apollo, but I'll think about it.

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=56323.0
Here was the idea I had, but I talked myself out of the turn to turn logistics of tracking locks. 

Imagine those Target locks counters found with the Star Wars Wing game.

This is sort of how TAG works with SG ammo, but with some significant differences. I've experimented with various other ways to fix LRMs, and the issue with the ones that sort of resembled this is that it doesn't scale well - my Archer couldn't go 1v1 and expect to do much, and if I have half a company dropping missiles on your head, there's not much you can do about it either.