How do you fight (Tactics)

[sebster]

Lots of players have a bias towards high skill pilots in high end mechs - both high tonnage and high BV.  I don't.  Give me a small army of regular pilots in solid, workman designs and I'll look to overwhelm with numbers and steady sand-blasting firepower over multiple turns.

It isn't an optimal method, but it works as a hard counter against a lot of common strategies that it works often enough.  And it's a blast to bring down clan heavy omnimechs and their elite pilots with a bunch of second inner sphere junk :)

[StoneRhino]

 Bruce Lee's concept of a style of no style is the best way to go. One could say that is really just paraphrasing Sun Tzu. That is to be formless, which is me paraphrasing since I'm to lazy to go grab the book for a direct quote. To do so requires something different then what has been suggested.

Selecting only, mainly, or a heavy amount of short range weapons locks you into a style. It doesn't really matter if you put them on light mechs or assaults, you have chosen a style of play, which means you are going to wade up to the front and go heavy on short range damage. You cannot really switch your style that way. A person with all assaults cannot suddenly change their slow moving style to one that is considered fast. They would need their mechs to break into smaller mechs and go from 3/5(typically) to around 7/11 or greater. It just cannot happen.

One could like the idea of what Bruce Lee said, or even Sun Tzu, but to hard lock yourself into a style has negated your want to follow such advice. One must have balance in order to flow. If you have a balanced force then you can switch your focus. You can change out your lead units. You would have a counter to various forms of attack. If someone rushes you can back up, split up, or rush them in turn if you so please.

I have played against those that want to rush with light mechs using homemade clan gear that would suicide their mech using the maxtech rule for turning your mech into a small nuke. Almost kill their mech and they start rolling to go nuclear. Short ranged super heavy tanks. Short ranged Hardened armored assault mechs. Swarms of BA being dropped from Vtols after I showed them that the week before. All of it is possible to counter with a balanced force. You can't do that reliably with a long ranged force, the short range firepower the other side brings is going to overwhelm any range advantage you may have.

Having a balanced force can allow you to really screw over those that want to sit behind partial cover on a hill with slow sniper mechs. One of the funniest games ever was with a friend of a friend who thought he knew everything. He brought sniper madcats and picked terrain that suited him. he parked behind the cover and started sniping away thinking he had won. A few turns later he realized that his plan went into the meatgrinder as he realized that I was kneecapping his mechs with BA. Sure, he did some damage early on but his mechs were dropped, unable to stand up behind the cover he selected. With a few smoke rounds for good measure there was little chance he could get up and get into a firing position anytime soon as my BA climbed back into their transports to go find another target. That guy was so red with anger it was awesome. Even more fun was that this was the first few rounds of the game and he had to sit there trying to get up the rest of the game, well, that was until the arty zeroed in and finished his mechs off. Even with out he was doing so much damage by falling it would have been an easy win. It was so bad we went easy on his teammate, I did so just to drag the game out a bit more so he could sit there and rage a bit longer. He always had some kind of problem with me, so I enjoyed that game verrrry much. >:D

But when you stick with one tactic, or concept you limit yourself to just a few responses. That is why I do not choose to focus upon any one thing.

[Kovax]

Similar to Diablo48's approach, I prefer a hammer/anvil combination.  First priority is to pick off opposing scouts, snipers, and stragglers with my faster "hammer" element to pare down the odds and limit the opponent's options.  Assuming that I've got maneuver units left in decent shape at the end of that, they then get into position to threaten the enemy main force from behind, just about the time that my slower "anvil" element gets within range to threaten them from the front in a pincer arrangement.

Of course, few plans survive contact with the enemy, and that split in function allows the overall force the flexibility to change the plan on the fly and counter most opposing plans or force compositions.  The "hammer" element can fall back on the "anvil" for protection and fire support if the enemy invests heavily into maneuver elements of his own, and the pincer tactic works well against opponents who choose to go mostly slow and heavy.  I also look for designs which have some long/short range flexibility over "one trick ponies".

It's not the ideal way to go compared to building a force for a specific encounter and terrain, but it will generally do a decent job under any circumstance or sudden change of circumstances in a campaign setting.  Building up a force for one particular arrangement of pre-planned mapsheets in a single engagement is an artificial (and cheezy) situation which I prefer to avoid.  I would rather play using randomly selected forces, or using randomly selected maps, than "game the system".

[Khymerion]

Agility.   If the odds, terrain, or situation is not favorable, I want the speed and maneuverability to disengage and move.   This usually leaves me not really taking anything slower than 5/8 and jumping with mechs and even trending towards the fast 6/9s and 7/11s or faster.   So really, for mechs...  hussar units.   Thus, the Hussar being a long time favorite with the wonderful combo of incredible speed and long range.   I have a planet to run across, why die on this tiny spot of land when I can come back in an hour and continue to harass at a speed I know I can't be pursued.   Mind you, the combo of long range and high speed tends to limit the selection of mechs but staying ahead of the big bruisers is fun, making them come to you.

Tends to only really work though if there is a very large map or floating maps.   The second the map is fixed...  not so much but it is still how I enjoy it over big slugging/brawling matches.

[The Eagle]

The problem I've always had with light 'Mechs -- and it is less of problem with newer tech, but still a problem -- is that they are a strategic asset rather than a tactical asset.  Sure, Khymerion, your swarm of Locusts and Hussars can hit and fade on a spread of mapsheets, but how much damage are they really doing to the heavy units they're sparing with?  A large or medium laser hit here or there isn't going to bother the the battle-line units, but the occassional PPC or LRM-20 strike is going to kill one of your 'Mechs.  Attrition is on the heavies' side.

Light forces are scouts and raiders, whose intended purpose should be to find and fix the enemy -- so that follow-on battle line units can engage them -- or to provide disruptive raids in the enemy's rear area.

[Diamondshark]

Light forces are scouts and raiders, whose intended purpose should be to find and fix the enemy -- so that follow-on battle line units can engage them -- or to provide disruptive raids in the enemy's rear area.

I agree that light mechs are strategic assets--they will be of limited (but still impressive) effectiveness against heavier targets, but their purpose is either to go unseen, or to attack objectives where the enemy is not (a la Sun Tzu).

[Khymerion]

Oh, I completely know the problem of the tactics I enjoy the most.   I normally run and enjoy RPG fights more than table top fights.   They are a great example of weapons used on a scale the normal game is not meant to be played at.    Trust me, when it comes time for a... ahem...  competitive game on fixed maps...   my love of fast lights and mediums get slaughtered every time.   Or at least enough times to know that it isn't something meant to go toe to toe with the heavy units.

I just don't enjoy playing the heavy units anymore.    I have had far too many games of just heavy and assault mechs slamming into each other and trading gauss and clan ER-PPC shots or slow plodding mediums firing AC-20s at each other.   After awhile, playing a game of 3/5 to 5/8 sluggers got boring.   Got tired.

I know a 5 pt hit is not going to do well.   I know that an 8 pt hit is not really going to do much.    I know even some custom high speed hussar type units with PPCs with single 10 pt punches are not even that good.   I know attrition is not on my side if playing a competitive game that escaping from the table is tantamount to giving the enemy the win.    I know the normal game is not going to give me any consideration for a strategic game.   It doesn't owe me that.

That doesn't bother me much.  When I get to play though in an RPG setting... my preferred way of playing and running, by god, the fast lights and mediums actually give a wider variety of things that can be done.   Midnight fast stealth raids by Ravens or Blakist units.   Fast snatch and grabs.   Those are the things that I tend to enjoy running most.   Scenario and story driven fights... as you did put it, the scouts and raiders.

But there is always a need for someone who is a good raider player just like there is people who specialize only in brawlers and walking gun boats.

[wolfgar]

I run a raider style play as I think I said before 4\6 to 6\9 movement's nothing over 75 tons (except for 3145 Neanderthal if I play in that era) and nothing under 45 tons (though I prefer no less than 50.) With that range I'm generally either heavy enough to squash anything fast enough to catch me or fast enough to outrun anything that can squash me. The only things I really fear are asf strafing runs and vtols that get lucky and lame a unit or having to attack something defended by assaults, and even the last I can pull off with planning and luck.

[Boo Hagen]

A few others here are the same:  I prefer flexibility in each deployment.

Most of that is my play style, wanting to be ready to counter anything. The other is because my primary adversary is stubbornly one-dimensional. He focuses only on heavy heavies, well heat balanced, and with strict range bracketing.

Going into any battle against him, I default maneuverability and range. Therefore I tend to go mediums, quick, and with a variety of weapons, so I can strike all through a hit and fade run.

Even my customs would be considered medium weight multirole fighters. 

I skirmish.

[Col Toda]

Punch holes with Homing Arrow IV and  Gauss  finish off with LRMs standard rounds of Arrow IV and snub nose PPC w Capacitor.  Should they get to melee Medium lasers . Normally Every mech I field has a potential one shot head decapitation weapon be it a Gauss ; Homing Arrow IV ; or a Snub-Nosed PPC with Capacitor . The LRMs tend to be Semi - Guided or ARAAD.

[Prospernia]

Depends on what I have; I prefer to take off and nuke the entire site from orbit (just to be sure).

I GM'd a lot so I had to create a specific commanders' strategy and go from there.  If they were overconfident, I'd use a frontal assault with whatever I had.  I had one commander who was nit-picky and controlling; he'd constantly be giving commands and micro-managing the battle!

Personally, I like WMD; the big explosions the better; I like to use bombs, artillery etc. before I engage in standard mech to mech combat; for Centurion games, I'm a big fan of using Thors and orbital-bombardment; I'll send a destroyer into the atmosphere to attack ground units.  During a ToG invasion on a world with 90% water, I used a destroyer as a submarine and launched a Hell-munition attack on the grav-tanks and then went back underwater.  The ToG-player was expecting us to face them in battle like a standard game.

I'm notorious for setting traps and ambushes;  I'd attack, lose one mech, and then retreat, only so lead the enemy lance into my squad of Demolisher-tanks: close range!  Ouch!

I also liked to use the all for one; I direct all my firepower at the heaviest mech (usually the leader).

[Khymerion]

Depends on what I have; I prefer to take off and nuke the entire site from orbit (just to be sure).

I GM'd a lot so I had to create a specific commanders' strategy and go from there.  If they were overconfident, I'd use a frontal assault with whatever I had.  I had one commander who was nit-picky and controlling; he'd constantly be giving commands and micro-managing the battle!

Personally, I like WMD; the big explosions the better; I like to use bombs, artillery etc. before I engage in standard mech to mech combat; for Centurion games, I'm a big fan of using Thors and orbital-bombardment; I'll send a destroyer into the atmosphere to attack ground units.  During a ToG invasion on a world with 90% water, I used a destroyer as a submarine and launched a Hell-munition attack on the grav-tanks and then went back underwater.  The ToG-player was expecting us to face them in battle like a standard game.

I'm notorious for setting traps and ambushes;  I'd attack, lose one mech, and then retreat, only so lead the enemy lance into my squad of Demolisher-tanks: close range!  Ouch!

I also liked to use the all for one; I direct all my firepower at the heaviest mech (usually the leader).

Oh my, it has been a long time since I head someone mentioning Thors in a positive light.   Makes me miss them a bunch.   The idea of having a nice, small oribital round to call down without having to call down a warship broadside was always a wonderful thing.

[House Davie Merc]

The problem I've always had with light 'Mechs -- and it is less of problem with newer tech, but still a problem -- is that they are a strategic asset rather than a tactical asset.  Sure, Khymerion, your swarm of Locusts and Hussars can hit and fade on a spread of mapsheets, but how much damage are they really doing to the heavy units they're sparing with?  A large or medium laser hit here or there isn't going to bother the the battle-line units, but the occassional PPC or LRM-20 strike is going to kill one of your 'Mechs.  Attrition is on the heavies' side.

Light forces are scouts and raiders, whose intended purpose should be to find and fix the enemy -- so that follow-on battle line units can engage them -- or to provide disruptive raids in the enemy's rear area.

Never send a Locust ,Wasp , or Stinger to do a Phoenix Hawks job !

 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

If brute force doesn't solve your problem, *cracks knuckles* you're not using enough!

My strategy tends to be pretty simple: identify a target, then pound it into gravel.  Continue until I run out of targets.

[The Eagle]

If brute force doesn't solve your problem, *cracks knuckles* you're not using enough!

My strategy tends to be pretty simple: identify a target, then pound it into gravel.  Continue until I run out of targets.

Typical Lyran.   O:-)

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

What can I say?  If it ain't broke, shoot it till it is broke. 8)

[Maskerade]

If brute force doesn't solve your problem, *cracks knuckles* you're not using enough!

My strategy tends to be pretty simple: identify a target, then pound it into gravel.  Continue until I run out of targets.

Rule 1: If it moves, shoot it.

Rule 2: If it doesn't move, shoot it until it does. Then apply rule 1.

[MemphisMark]

I have been playing tactical and strategic games for about 37 years.

Some years ago, I developed a "Tactics 101" article, which I have on one of my blogs. you can find it here. I also have several articles meant to guide new players through the process of conceiving, assembling and painting a full unit (I currently drag about 2 1/2 battalions of Mechs to the game store when I play).

[gooseman]

I tend to use the "grab them by the nose and kick them in the ass" approach.

More mobile units in a flanking move (or two) while heavier forces engage and keep the opposition honest.

[Pyro]

I tend to fight with a numbers-based approach, which basically boils down to making my target numbers as small as I can manage while giving the other guy worse.  It doesn't work every time, but the law of large numbers tends to favor that approach.  Extremes of luck still win battles, but that's half the fun... sometimes everything works, and sometimes nothing can save the day.

My force selection is largely based on a paradigm of weapons that open up large holes, and weapons that scatter all over the place.  Holepunching and sandblasting, basically.  The whole idea of it is that you're more likely to knock out critical components or cause ammo explosions, which can tilt the fight in your favor quickly.

The last part of my tactics is to constantly look for new vulnerabilities and come up with new ways to target them on the fly.  Battles aren't won on the defensive, they're won by taking out the other guy before he can take you out.  If you can spot a flaw in his tactics, force mixture, or effects of battle damage that give you the edge, take it and run with it.

[Stormwolf]

I have several styles depending on the faction and period.

General tactics:
- Always use omni configs that apply to the maps that are being played (Gargoyle C for cities, Adder D for deserts, etc).
- Always use wooded hexes for cover to reduce damage
- Try to deploy atleast 1 unit with BAP on large maps (I pick the Ice Ferret Prime here)
- Don't leave missileboats behind undefended, Catapults could use a good medium or heavy bodyguard. For Clans let one or two points of Elementals camp out in a wooded hex near a Mad Dog (but not right next to it).
- Always use your range advantage when you are using Clan mechs.

Clan Wolf 3050:
- Use range advantage and seek out wooded hexes for cover.
- It's okay to have two Clan units fire on a IS unit if it's L2 design with a similar or higher tonnage then the Clan units.
- Elementals, use them. Most notably the Headhunter when paired with a Fire Moth or a Ice Ferret will help you  keep a close eye on potential blind spots.

Clan Jade Falcon 3050:
- Be smart when challenging enemy units, many experienced players will know how to exploit zell. Don't forget that you can decline and challenge a "superior" target when a small fast unit challenges one of your assaults.
- The Kit Fox is fairly cheap with BV2 values ranging from 1085 to 1310, it doesn't hurt to deploy a entire star of them instead of using a Hellbringer star padded out with Elementals.
- Don't be scared to declare a opponent dezgra when he or she starts using kamikaze attacks against you. There is little defence against it to begin with.
- Keep your unit on the move, most notably Summoners enjoy quite a bit of mobility thanks to their jumpjets.

Clans after Op Bulldog:
- C3i is dezgra, the moment your enemy uses it, start shooting any and all target of opportunity.
- HAG and ATM are the way to go, use any and all variants that use them. Try to avoid heavy lasers, the heat isn't worth it.
- The WoB can be hard to fight, use the following mechs to deal with them:
-- Dire Wolf C: Made of solid death and nightmares that make grown men cry. ECM + ATM is a excellent combination. The Dire Wolf C is stronger then a Archangel in most of its configs.
-- Linebacker D: A no brainer really, streak'em to death.
-- Timber Wolf E: This config should be your replacement for the Timber Wolf Prime
-- Hellbringer Prime: The mech itself is fairly bad, but the combo of AMS + BAP + ECM makes it worthwhile as a support unit.
-- Gargoyle E: The ATM is pretty good, the targeting computer makes the heavy lasers worthwhile.
-- Phantom Prime: TAG + ECM + BAP make this mech the best scout around, also consider using this thing as a battlearmor taxi when you swith ECM to ghost targets.
-- Naga Prime to D: Best used with the Phantom's TAG to have the Arrow IV bring the pain, don't leave this unit unattended. 

Just some tips.

[HazMeat]

I fight incompetently, so far as I can tell. 

Other than that, I end up gravitating toward brute force like Ogre describes; you know how it is with plans and contact with the enemy.  When I try to achieve flexibility by teaming complementary 'mechs with each other, like Griffins and Wolverines, I get one focus-killed first and then the other hard-countered, so instead I'm most comfortable using a homogenous force of JOATs and simply trying to focus on whatever seems like the most [powerful * exposed / durable] target, because anything fancier than that is too much for a fleshy-headed mutant like myself to keep from flying apart.  Similarly, I'll split my force into two or three groups to attempt a half-assed suggestion of a pincer movement if the target's slow or to cover each other's backsides if the target's fast, but I'm sheepish about letting anything get more than a turn away from help from every one else, rotating 'mechs as they get worn on unevenly. 

Toys-wise... 

[...] stubbornly one-dimensional. He focuses only on heavy heavies, well heat balanced, and with strict range bracketing. [...]

 
That sounds a lot like me, except that I prefer my heavies in wrong weight classes, and I also like them crude killamajigs: for canon 'mech examples, overgrown "heavies" like the Beemer and Thug are especially forgiving of my more-than-occasional mistakes, while OTOH "real" assault 'mechs like the Awesome can just slug it out pretty well with anything. 

Right now, I most enjoy an "underweight heavy" kinda like the Centurion: cheaper than "real" bruisers like the Orion, which means I can have more of them.  It's a bit less tanky and more blasty than I'm naturally inclined toward, but combines most of the capability and user-friendliness of heavy troopers with most of the sheer bang-for-buck of ass-plodders, and I consider a demi-company of spunky mediumweights an upgrade over a lance of heavyweights. (figuring roughly 4 Megabucks or 1.2 kiloBV per 'mech vs. 6M CB or 1.8k BV)  Most importantly, it makes gameplay feel more decisively violent instead of taking forever, so I'm actually likely to play a bit of Battletech occasionally. 

My ideal "Goldilocks" battlemech is optimised to be the perfect balance between glassy-blasty brutality and wishy-washy indecisiveness: a mediumweight with modest 4-6-4 mobility so it has lots of armor and heat sinks for its cost, built around the classic PPC + ML combo so it rarely needs to control engagement range.  I especially like when fast light brawlers so cleverly stay outside the lasers' short range, so that the PPC are effectively upgraded LPL. 
Being at the top of the AMM:TMM breakeven brackets for walking and running means it fights with equal aplomb either running and gunning or shooting and scooting, while an indecisive blend of reachy peeper and powerful laserball lets it work equally well as a fire 'mech or a scrapper- not terribly well in either role, but every one can contribute to whichever role is more needed, or the most worn 'mechs can rotate from the front to the back and/or switch up to higher movement modes.  Small size for this motive profile lets me get the most out of the per-'mech overheat capacity and 10 "free" heat sinks, while the bracket setup gives it a zombie-like systems redundancy, if only at middle ranges, that's much-needed for such an obnoxious 'mech. 

[Atlas3060]

Less mobility, more armor, and I will withstand a lot of firepower.
If I do play with agility, I try to go for the "glass cannon" approach and trade armor for speed.
Which means I get plenty of opposition who love using artillery, Battle armor (they will eventually reach me), and speedy pulse (CENSORED) of Doom.

The idea of something going 5/8 or faster that doesn't use Jump Jets, doesn't carry infantry, or isn't a Dasher makes me tilt my head like the RCA dog.
Ironically enough I don't play Lyran a lot when doing Inner Sphere.
My Davion side says "Long range, AC at full spin, steady...steady...annnnd DAKKA DAKKA NOW!"

[Kovax]

There's a big difference between what I enjoy most and what works best.

I prefer fast, light skirmishers (LCT, HER, SDR).  I usually play a mix of relatively heavy lights (FS, JR, WLF) and fast mediums (PHX, HER2) in one group, and slower mediums (WTH, CN, VND, HBK variants) and heavies (TDR, WHM, MAD, ON) in another.  Unfortunately, I know too many players who consider anything under 80T as "trivial", and prefer simply parking in a good spot and rolling a gigantic heap of dice over complex maneuver and careful weapon selection.

[GhostCat]

I suppose a more detailed discussion about Tactics and Strategies would be interesting, but that often includes questions like what kind of units and terrain are conditionally involved. 

If it's about preferred play style, I have the most fun with Run-and-Gun.  Fast mechs with jump jets and all the medium lasers they can carry might sound like a munchkin army, but they often have problems overheating, and that's part of the fun.  I really hate mechs designed to be heat neutral in spite of everything you do to them.

Generally, all my mechwarriors are Heroes in the classic sense, I enjoy the Clan style of single combat even in the chaos of a larger battle (what better time for it?).  Counting Coup and being hard to hit is what makes it fun for me while taunting them with "you can't touch this."

GC

[Sartris]

Metaphorically speaking, I'm pretty much a hammer that sees every problem as a nail. Show me my force, show me the mission and I'll try to figure out the best way to smash the latter with the former. That's not to say I lack any level of tactical nuance within that framework - I can usually be counted on to some something preposterous at least once per game. I prefer being as direct as possible and consider the objective to be more important than looking clever while trying to accomplish it.

[VensersRevenge]

I tend to use mainly medium and heavy 'mechs with combat vehicle support. I like my 'mechs to move approximately 5/8, so so assaults are too slow and lights tend to not have enough firepower. However I do use a few light and assault 'mechs as scouts and fire platforms respectively.

[Netzilla]

I tend to like mobile medium and heavy mechs backed by a group of long range (preferably indirect) fire support vees.  However, as I frequently play with RATs, it's rare that I get a perfect combination.

[Foxx Ital]

  Martial Artist Bruce Lee was asked which style he used to fight and his reply was: Whatever style I need to win.

  I view tactics the same way. I force my opponent to fight outside of his comfort zone. If he fights at long range, I close. If he prefers to defend, I pound him at range and force him to come to me. If he is weak against air power I throw aero at him.

  I use anything and everything available to fight a battle, from the strategic level to the tactical level, including UAVs, sensors, ECM, ECCM, snipers, commando teams, artillery, mines -if the GM allocates units, I will find a way to deploy them.

You are and forever shall be, my hero

[Kovax]

Actually, if I want to use a "park and deliver" strategy, I'll use a lot of vehicles.  The strength of Battlemechs is in their flexibility and maneuverability in any terrain.  It doesn't take a Battlemech to fire LRMs or Gauss Rifles from long range, if a vehicle can do the job for half the cost.