Here are the vehicles I'm using in my LGS's campaign, tips and tricks please.

[TimmyTheNerd]

Hunter Light Support Tank
Packrat LRPV PKR-T5 (SRM2 Variant)
Goblin Medium Tank
Vedette Medium Tank
Hi-Scout Drone Carrier
(Was not informed which Drone the Store Owner gave me)
Mobile Long Tom LT-MOB-25
Mobile Long Tom Ammo Carriage
Mobile Long Tom Support Carriage
Schrek PPC Carrier (Anti-Infatry Variant)
Sturmfeur Heavy Tank
Behemoth Heavy Tank

Originally I had a Seydlite, Transgressor and Chippewa. Was informed the Mobile Long Tom, for this campaign, requires all three components. Was also informed Aerospace Fighters are not allowed in the campaign. So two of my aerospace fighters were replaced with the other two components and the third aerospace fighter was replaced with a drone for my drone carrier. I have yet to be informed of what drone I got. I do know that only two drones are available in the campaign, NapFind and PathTrack.

[truetanker]

Hi-Scout Drone Carrier
  I have yet to be informed of what drone I got. I do know that only two drones are available in the campaign, NapFind and PathTrack.

It comes with a 15-ton drone hangar capable of housing 3 NapFind hover Drones and 3 PathTrack tracked drones.

And the stats are: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Drones_(Recon_Combat_Vehicle)

TT

[TimmyTheNerd]

My problem is that the Store Owner chose my drone for me, so I have no idea which of the two he picked. You can only take up to 12 vehicle blueprints and a drone takes up one vehicle blueprint slot.

[truetanker]

Strumfuer and Schrek work great together, having your NapFind and PathTrack locate targets for the indirect fire. Keep your Hi-Scout carrier and Long Tom near each other for better comm, until you locate X Y Z, Bravo Mike away!

While the Packrat and Striker should be with the Behemoths, using Infernos and such when needed, deploying Infantry. Leaving the Goblins and Vedettes to handle the rest, providing firepower and IFV support.

TT

[truetanker]

My problem is that the Store Owner chose my drone for me, so I have no idea which of the two he picked. You can only take up to 12 vehicle blueprints and a drone takes up one vehicle blueprint slot.

Then demand that he allows you both as it is a stated unit... that carries BOTH, not just a unit, but 6 all together!

But at least tell him that it should be allowed...

Hope it helps, and please keep us posted.

TT

[TimmyTheNerd]

Due to my current work schedule, wont be able to go into the game store until Saturday.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

When your game store owner/league organizer told you RS3039 only, I'm not sure if that's literally what he meant or if it was shorthand for "no LosTech".

If it's the latter, I'd look at trading out the Mobile Long Tom for different artillery since he's requiring you to use the trailers.  The Ballista self-propelled artillery obviously doesn't have the same massive boom of the Long Tom, but you're not using up 3 of your finite blueprints to have artillery.  Although it's not from RS3039, it is canonically available to all of the Great Houses during that timeframe.  I don't imagine it'd hurt to inquire about it :)

[JadeHellbringer]

A few thoughts (by now you must see my name and just groan in pain!):

+Mmmmmm, Hunters. Deeeeeelicious. One of the best ways to move LRMs into the battlefield in 3039. Just an LRM-20 on tracks, no frills or tricks (unless a butt-flamer counts). They're cheap, they're effective, they're far more dangerous than enemies tend to give credit for, and they should be built and deployed en masse to turn a concerning salvo of missiles every turn into a cloud of angry warheads that even the toughest enemy unit disintegrates under. This is a GREAT unit, built as many as you can. Just keep a bodyguard handy as well- LRMs suck at close range, so a fast moving unit like a Spider or Harasser can really ruin your Hunter's day. Commandos are pretty good at the job, Hunchbacks are even better, and if you somehow get your hands on a spare Demolisher that's just funny.

+Packrat... scouts are one of those things that just never really work out in Battletech as well as they do in real warfare. This is handy for creating smoke screens with smoke SRMs, but honestly I would view this as a unit to drop in favor of something else if you get the chance. (You're Lyran, demand to drop this for Savannah Masters. Trust me.)

+Goblins are pretty fun- a little weird sometimes, but fun. Great pair-up with your Hunters, actually. Build 'em.

+Vedettes are as vanilla as a tank gets- and I don't mean that in a bad way. Cheap and effective- honestly if you're building units the Hunter is probably more useful overall, but Vedettes are nasty in numbers. The MG helps get rid of infantry, which is never a bad thing, and the autocannon- a wimp on its own- stings pretty hard when there's several of them firing. Noticing a trend here? Never deploy light vehicles unless it's in groups. A Vedette is annoying. A lance of Vedettes is concerning. A company is a huge problem.

Hi-Scout... like with the Pack Rat, scouting is a concept that just doesn't work as well in Battletech as one would like, unless you're using double-blind rules (and honest... don't. They're fun, but they take a LONG time to play out). That said, the drones are very handy for indirect LRM fire, the kind that Hunters excel at. So, who cares what kind of drone you build? Use it for spotting either way! I've never liked the Hi-Scout and its offspring, to be honest, but there are some advantages- particularly later in the timeline.

Long Tom... well, again, one Long Tom firing is a pain in the ass, but a lance is pretty hilarious, so build several. And do NOT leave them unguarded- ever. This is a priority-one target to destroy, treat it as such- keep at least a solid lance of defenders near a Long Tom at all times, and don't let them get distracted and pulled away. Aerospace in particular is a problem- the Long Tom is too slow to get to cover. Counter-battery fire is a pain as well, again because the Long Tom can't really get away from the impact zone all that easily. Use these things, enjoy the panic they cause, and be ready to lose them if the enemy pushes at them- because unless your enemy is an idiot, he'll push.

Schrek. OK. If your GM said this is the version you build, he doesn't want you to succeed (I kind of feel that way anyway, looking at some of the things he's done to you so far in terms of the Long Tom and drones). If YOU chose this, beg him to change your mind. Schreks are anti-armor units, flaying open the armor on a Mech or tank with a powerful barrage. They're not infantry-hunters- use something else for killing infantry. All this does is remove armor the Schrek didn't have enough of anyway to gain a few guns it shouldn't ever be in a position to use anyway. Bad, bad idea. Beg to get the standard version instead, and if infantry pop up in your face leave them to dedicated anti-infantry units  (hello, Vedette hordes!)

Sturmfeurs are basically giant Hunters- twin LRM-20s are fun, the MGs are handy since it can't really run away from infantry, and the fact that it's armored like a brick outhouse is nice. Thing is though, vehicles rarely die from being torn apart- they die from motive hits immobilizing them and critical hits making them explode. So for all that heavy armor, the Sturmfeur really is just as vulnerable as every other tank out there. Sucks, but it's true. So while it's a good tank to build as a centerpiece for your armored corps (and needs protecting just as a Hunter does), it's not nearly as tough as it looks.

And lastly, Behemoths are weirdos. It's enormous, but it's slower than mating Urbanmechs, it's surprisingly thinly-armored (though again, they'll die from crits before being cored out), and it has weapons pointed in all directions but can't deliver a knockout punch in any arc. They're great for things like guarding a city intersection- the enemy has to come to your Behemoth, so its lack of mobility isn't important, and whatever direction they come from they'll get a face full of ordnance even if they try to rush from multiple directions. Using it on the attack is folly though. Build a few- they're great Long Tom guards- but if you're going to build a big tank make it the Sturmfeur and Schrek.

So, in short:

DO:

+Build Hunters. Lots of them.
+Build Vedettes
+Beg to get the right version of the Schrek and build as many as you can.
+Make your enemy regret ever underestimating what you can do with a well-used tank unit

DO NOT:

+Focus on drones
+Build the wrong Schreks
+Expect tanks to replace Mechs in your military- very vulnerable, don't get attached to them.
+Forget to ask about trading out the Packrat for the Savannah Master

OK, let's cover that last one real fast. Savvies are tiny little five-ton things, and they're like potato crisps- you can't eat just one. Don't ever build a Savannah Master... build a dozen. They're cheap, they're disposable, they're fast as greased... er, grease... and they pack a single fore-mounted medium laser. One is pointless, but a squadron of them is a lesson in frustration to get rid of- any hit kills one, but the movement modifier is usually so huge to do so that they get away without a scratch from even the toughest return fire. And while a medium laser doesn't do a ton of damage, several sure do. If you can get these, build them- LOTS of them- and make your enemy miserable.

[TimmyTheNerd]

During my next turn, I can retire blueprints and spend BV x3 (Was originally told x5 but it was changed to x3) to research a new blueprint. I'm currently earning 31,000 BV a turn thanks to having focused on upgrading my planets' Population and Income stats.

This apparently makes me the wealthiest of the players, as no one has gone over 30,000 BV a turn yet.

My current planets are: (NOTE: This is after my ten set up turns. Also, only planets 1 to 8 have a military)
Planet 1: P10, M4, V2, I4 (This is my Homeworld)
Planet 2: P6, M2, V1, I3
Planet 3: P3, M1, V1, I1
Planet 4: P3, M1, V0, I2
Planet 5: P3, M1, V0, I2
Planet 6: P3, M1, V1, I1
Planet 7: P3, M1, V1, I1
Planet 8: P3, M2, V0, I1
Planet 9: P3, M0, V0, I2
Planet 10: P3, M0, V0, I2
Planet 11: P3, M0, V0, I2
Planet 12: P2, M0, V0, I2
Planet 13: P2, M0, V0, I2
Planet 14: P1, M0, V0, I1
Planet 15: P1, M0, V0, I1
Planet 16: P1, M0, V0, I1
Planet 17: P1, M0, V0, I1
Planet 18: P1, M0, V0, I1
Planet 19: P1, M0, V0, I1

Population = P
Mech Factories = M
Vehicle Factories = V
Income = I

M, V and I's combined total can't exceed a planet's P.

[Fireangel]

A few quick points:

1. Ask if artillery is off-board; on-board artillery is generally a pain; IF you have to use on-board artillery, keep it out of LOS and as far as you can from the main battle (provided you don't exceed 8 mapsheets, which increases flight time). Don't forget to take into account flight time, so plan ahead.

2. Protect your artillery! The Behemoth is an excellent asset for this; its MP profile matches the LT's, and it discourages light units from getting to close.

3. Indirect LRM Fire: This is a force uniquely suited for indirect fire, with Hunters, Sturmfeurs, and even the Behemoth. Use it! Keep your scouts/spotters as far away from the action as you can, but with LOS to the battlefield, keep your Hunters out of LOS, and if possible fire every turn; your spotters don't need to fight, just relay coordinates for the LRMs and the Long Tom(s).

4. Avoid exposing the Hunters to direct enemy fire, so they can continue the indirect fire fight. Notice that Hunters pair very well with Vedettes, sharing MP profiles and having complimentary armaments. Use this synergy by pairing them; the Vedette takes care of the direct threat, while the Hunter supports; a lance of 2 each is a powerful thing.

5. I echo JadeHellbringer regarding the Schreck; the anti-infantry variant is a bad idea, particularly if there is no infantry around to use the MGs on...

6. Regarding the drones, either works; the tracked (8/12 MP) should be far from the battle: sitting still in a nice clump of trees with a good view of the battlefield when nothing is near, and moving from forest-hex to forest-hex to rack up target mods while bad guys are close enough to shoot it. The hover is an evil 25/38 MP critter that should be moving fast enough to  never get hit; its cruising speed is 25, which equals a +6 modifier to hit; if possible, end movement behind a woods hex that does not break LOS to the enemy. Ideally, you should have one dedicated scout for every dedicated indirect fire unit (including artillery); the Packrat will do, though it is overbuilt for the role. Plan your drone/scout moves at least one turn ahead.

7. Packrats should be loaded with infernos; smoke is great for building a screen breaking LOS with your Long Tom nest. Remember, the scout is not there to kill the enemy, it is there to tell your artillery and indirect fire units whom and how they should kill.

8. Infantry. I find it odd that you have Goblins without infantry, specially in such an MG-heavy environment. Ask if you can get one free infantry squad per Goblin; they don't have to be fancy; if the GM balks, tell him you'll "settle" for plain-vanilla rifle infantry of his choice. The key is that the infantry will NOT be engaging the enemy units directly, but will be well-emplaced in heavy woods hexes or buildings away from the action, but with a good LOS, serving as additional spotters. The Goblin is an excellent tank, but without infantry, it's missing its potential.

9. Special munitions. The Behemoth has two tons of ammo for its LRMs; if allowed, one of these should be Thunder LRMs (FASCAM, better known as "mine-layers"; Tac Ops pp. 372-3), in order to lay minefields along obvious approaches, so that the approaching enemy units either risk the minefield, or take a different (more difficult) path... into pre-designated artillery hexes, where the LT can rain down 20-point lovin' on their head.

Don't forget that the LT can also fire FASCAM (TacOps pp. 357), and Smoke rounds! (TacOps pp. 356). The LT carrier has 20 rounds in its hull, plus 25 in each ammo trailer (don't forget the corrected sheets!, so you can have a couple of tons of FASCAM and at least one ton of Smoke... for a rainy day.

Deployable mines like FASCAM are best used to divert enemy units into your killing fields; if they choose to wade into them, it's just gravy.

Oh, and about the Behemoth's measly LRM-5 fields? The beauty of those is that opponents tend to think that they are too inconsequential, then walk into them, taking damage in one of two locations (RL, LL), or risking motive damage on vehicles; either way, a 4-hex spread of 5-point mines is often better than a 20-point minefield in a single hex.

10. Stop listing the LT trailers as separate vehicles. It might be your GM's idea of "correct", but all three units (well... six: 1 gun, 3 ammo, 2 support... in the old version, just one of each in the new) form only one combat unit.  O0

11. You list the types of units you have access to, but not the numbers you plan to build. They seem like a good selection around which to build a conventional force. The MG Schrek and Pack Rat just make it more challenging.

[JadeHellbringer]

Fireangel brings up something to ask here.

Your Long Tom mess, with the three carriages counting as separate vehicles.

The mess with the drone carrier.

The Goblin IFV with no infantry.

Honest quesiton here. Do other players have this kind of thing happening to them as well? This kind of feels like you're getting shafted, and I'd hate for that to happen to a new player.

[Colt Ward]

I actually think you need to find out if TacOps vehicle survivability rules are in play- if so your armor gets a bit better.  And using those rules will change how you involve your armor somewhat.

I actually like the Packrats but realize they will either be spotters for your LRM Indirect Fire (along with any infantry brought to the fight) or would best be used in raids IMO.  Raids depends on how your dropship/small craft activity is handled.  If you land the main force, engage defenders . . . and are able to use air mobile ops to move a small craft loaded with some Packrats to a secondary and now undefended target they can get some real use out of their SRM racks with infernoes.  Burn warehouses, granaries, factories and other items of strategic importance but that is meta-campaign.

[monbvol]

Not a bad selection overall that will work well together.

Do indeed see what is in play for infantry and specialty ammunition as that does give some of your units a lot more utility.

[TimmyTheNerd]

Infantry cost 1000 BV to build, but I was not told the rules on actually building them yet. I think they may be recruited from a planet's Pop (1 Pop = 1 Infantry Troop), but I'm not entirely sure.

[Colt Ward]

Well, the size of the 'troop' will matter . . . if we are talking battalions or brigades the deployment will be very different.  Tracking casualties will also make it interesting.

[Fireangel]

A plain-vanilla platoon of ballistic foot rifles costs 81 BV 2.0.

That 1,000 BV is for the "blueprint" or to actually get the platoon?

[Colt Ward]

Hmm, that amount of BV would turn out 4 companies and a squad just with rough math . . . which means, you could say it was a battalion of 3 companies and a command platoon.  The difference being the spent on 'training.'

[JadeHellbringer]

A plain-vanilla platoon of ballistic foot rifles costs 81 BV 2.0.

That 1,000 BV is for the "blueprint" or to actually get the platoon?

Hmm, that amount of BV would turn out 4 companies and a squad just with rough math . . . which means, you could say it was a battalion of 3 companies and a command platoon.  The difference being the spent on 'training.'

Print those two posts and bring them along to your game. If you get told 1000BV for a squad, you're getting hosed over. I'd have trouble paying that for top of the line Jihad-era battle armor squads with good troops in them.

[monbvol]

Heck I'd say it would also be beneficial to ask questions about exactly is and is not in play for Tactical Operations rules as well as that can really change what you can and cannot do.

[Weirdo]

Your Long Tom mess, with the three carriages counting as separate vehicles.

The mess with the drone carrier.

The Goblin IFV with no infantry.

Infantry cost 1000 BV to build...

I don't know if this is intentional malice or innocent misconception, but your GM is indeed screwing you over. Go into this campaign with EXTREME caution.

Now, to look at your existing stuff, in case you truly are stuck with this:

Hunter: Very good missile support tank. Mobile enough to keep up with all but your fastest units, can sit still and fire indirectly,or it has the speed and armor to be a decent direct combatant. It's still a light tank though, so don't expect it to last long if bigger things get the chance to focus on it.

Packrat: I'm guessing you took this model because it's the cheapest. Assuming you're not actually going to be using infantry(i certainly wouldn't, with those costs), load that missile rack with inferno missiles, and go burning enemy tanks and infantry. Those rounds don't care how much armor a tank has, and are war-crime-effective against infantry, so use this guy(preferably in packs) to keep all of his conventional stuff on the defensive. Also good for spiking an enemy mech's heat, but you'll definitely need a full lance of rats to make smut real impact that way.

Goblin: VERY good tank, even without any infantry. No real special abilities, just decent armor, okay speed, and a solid main gun. A single Goblin is an easily-dispatched mook, but a lance of them is enough to make a heavy mech go the other way, or regret not doing so. If you ever get a full company together...focus fire, and watch enemy mechs melt. Maniacal cackling is not optional in these situations, it is mandatory. >:D

Vedette: Despite being physically larger, this thing is very much the Goblin's little brother. Use that speed to circle around enemy forces, and harass their flanks and rear.

Hi-scout Drone Carrier and drones: The carrier is a command unit, keep it the hell out of direct combat. Load that SRM rack with infernoes, and keep it next to your support units like your Long Toms and LRM Carriers as a last-ditch defense. As for the drones, use them as spotters, or as scouts. Be prepared to build a lot, as you will definitely be losing a lot. For indirect fire they call down to be effective, they have to sit still or sick to cruising speed, which makes them easier to hit. As scouts they'll fare even worse. They have no special sensors, so they'll find hidden enemies by running into or right next to them. When your drone blows up, you've found the enemy.

Mobile Long Tom: It's a big honking artillery gun, treat it accordingly. Be ABSOLUTELY sure to use the corrected record sheet that someone lined to earlier, as that one actually has ammo with the gun. There are no rules for one unit to fire using ammo from another, so the ammo carriage is quite literally useless, same with the support carriage. If you can, drop them in the hex least likely to ever see the enemy, and forget about them. As for the gun, only bring this if you can field two or more of them, a single one just isn't going to do much good. The more guns, the better, their utility goes up very fast as their numbers increase. Just pick a spot in the middle of his formation, fire all of your Long Toms at that spot, and watch the pretty explosions.

Schrek Anti-Infantry: A devastating tank, but one with a glaring weakness that your chosen model only magnifies, as others have explained. It'll tear the guts out of any mech, but return fire will kill it FAST. Always deeply them near cover that they can withdraw behind, so they can pull back the moment things get too hot. Probably a good idea to pair them with a couple Goblins to discourage close attacks, or maybe a Behemoth.

Sturmfeur: This is your brick and missile support in one package. Best used in an indirect support role, but don't be afraid to move them up. A group of Sturmfeurs sitting on a ridge and pouring missiles into the battle below is a monstrous thing, especially once your enemy realizes the futility of attacking them. They'll get immobilized quickly, but they will take forever to die. Use this to your advantage, as an enemy shooting your Sturmfeurs is an enemy not currently shooting your other, more fragile units. *cough*Schrek*cough*

Behemoth: It's slow. REAL slow. It will go nowhere fast, but it will also secure the heck out of that particular patch of nowhere. Use this to guard fixed locations such as vital street intersections, valleys, or units that aren't going anywhere, such as your artillery. Another fun thing to do is to (slowly) advance behind your main force, and provide a nasty surprise to anyone trying to hit your rear. :)

[Paul]

Cool. I like a lot of what I hear about your campaign, sounds like it's a solid combo of detail and simplicity for ease of management.

Some general advise; GMs are people too. They respond poorly to demands; you'll get more traction if you approach things as a request.

I get the impression that this GM wants to not see super-optimized forces on his table: my assumption is that other players have some built in inefficiencies just like you do. So, if you elect to take up the concern about like the drones permissible on the Carrier, the 3 blue prints for 1 Long Tom, try to approach that issue without accusations. Odds are, he intends that to be a bit of a nuisance to you, one you either work around, or that you have to pay to correct later.

Infantry: likewise, I'd keep the accusations there to a minimum. Who knows what that 1000 BV does? Maybe it gets you a whole battalion of infantry, which'd be a steal. Just ask for clarifications first.


The advise you've gotten in this thread about how to use each vehicle is very good. I'll talk in some general terms:

* I'm a Mech first, second and third kind of guy. Fourth, I might start to ponder vehicles and infantry, so the below has that bias.
* Your Mech force is pretty good. Just a few things I'd swap. So, this opens the door to using the vehicles to cover some of the jobs you can't do with the Mechs.
* Artillery support: looks like you're set up for something serious there, if you desire. I like the idea posted in the thread of teaming up Long Toms and Behemoths. I don't like Behemoths, but this'd be a job they're good at. Contemplate Flak ammo for th AC10s to allow them to guard the artillery against Fighters and VTOLs. (Just because you dont get to have Fighters now, doesn't mean that'll stay true forever). They'll also act as a deterrent against lighter Mechs that might trip over your artillery. Smoke ammo will also be your friend. Cost permitting, I'd try to keep a 1:1 ratio of Behemoths and Long Toms together as their own unit, that you park at least 2 mapsheets away from the battle. Fortunately, both the Long Tom and the Behemoth are cheap in BV.
* LRM support. You're a little light on that in your Mech roster: your tanks totally fix this. The Hunter and Sturmfeur are both pretty darn good in the role. The Hunters are cheap enough that you can keep a few lances around to chuck at a random battle, the Sturm Feurs are more expensive. Keep maybe a lance of those, and use them in a mission where you think the Hunters would just get slaughtered due to their low armor. (Or if you want to bring 160 LRMs with just 4 vehicles) Don't forget to use those ammo bays to bring some frag ammo to waste infantry, or
* Recon. You're poor there on the Mech front, though the Assassin kinda works. The Packrat can be bring a little relief here. Cheap, fast, though wheeled, which limits the terrain it can pass. Still that means you invest the ASNs when necessary, and the packrats the other 80%. And the Drone Carrier would be another great asset for this. Pairing them with the artillery unit as someone suggested sounds pretty great to me.
* Moving infantry around: your Mechs cant do it, the Packrat's actually a decent APC. But expensive... Maybe consider investing in the Heavy Hover APC: cheaper in every way. not to replace the packrat, but to compliment it. Presuming that moving infantry around is an issue that needs a solution, of course.

The other units are fairly mundane combat units. The Goblins and Vedette's will fight well together, but not as good as Mechs. Use them as cheap stopgap units that are expendable. (They're not dirt cheap though, so don't get too crazy). The Sturmfeur is another good defensive unit if Hulldown and prepared positions are an option. Otherwise, avoid the investment; they're too fragile. Might be OK as a defensive lance to augment the Behemoths if you make a truly large artillery element. (Company of long toms, company of behemoths, lance of Shreks) Still, I'd recommend keeping the artillery elements smaller to make them more versatile.

Paul

[monbvol]

The caution I have for the otherwise fine advice is the transportation and construction rules your GM has laid out.

I'm actually not clear on how many individual units you actually produce for said BVx2 or how many units you actually move for the specified costs.  I'm going to assume that the costs are per unit(one mini and one record sheet).  If that is true that does really change how to use your units to attack an opponent's territory.

The way vehicle weight brackets actually differ from mech weight brackets may actually give you some much needed offensive firepower.

With that in mind probably would be best to focus on the artillery and LRM support to cover your mechs.  Scouting honestly doesn't sound like it is going to come up much.

[Kovax]

Given the vehicles involved and the abnormally high transportation cost to move them in this campaign, I suspect that the GM is trying to steer the players toward using mostly 'Mechs.  If not, then he's doing it anyway whether he intends it or not.  I'd limit my vehicle construction a bit and concentrate more heavily on 'Mechs, place the vehicles as defensive garrisons, and leave them there.

Note that the Scorpion tank is essentially a lighter (30 tons) and slightly slower version of the 50 ton Vedette.  A Vedette is not bad, but not good either.  They're the "generic" vehicle that most 'Mech games have you wade through, and they're not going to do much better here, unless you use them in combination with other forces.

As advertised by several posters, the Hunter is basically an LRM-20 rack on a set of relatively fast tracks for a support unit, with enough armor that it won't go away without a concentrated effort, unlike an LRM carrier or Shrek.  The Hunter doesn't need a spotter, it can survive a fair amount of return fire, but it does need something as a bodyguard to keep stuff from parking next to it, where its LRMs are impotent.

Being a huge fan of mobility, I cringe at the thought of running the selection of what you've got to work with.

[TimmyTheNerd]

Sorry, was without internet for a few days. I haven't been able to get a hold of the store owner yet, however I am making a list of vehicles to replace my Long Tom and Drone Carrier with.

I should note that building a Vehicle or Mech costs BV x2.

[JadeHellbringer]

Sorry, was without internet for a few days. I haven't been able to get a hold of the store owner yet, however I am making a list of vehicles to replace my Long Tom and Drone Carrier with.

I should note that building a Vehicle or Mech costs BV x2.

The drone carrier I'd back you on ditching, but rather than replace the Long Tom- which really is useful, so long as you're careful about it and use more than one- just see if you can use the 'upgrade' model with the ammo in the carrier vehicle rather than in a trailer. If you can do that, it gets 50 rounds (I think?) on board, more than enough for all your shell-chucking needs.

If you can swing it as a drone carrier replacement, I can't enough suggest the Bulldog. A large laser? Nice main gun. Twin SRM racks? LOVE IT. Very nice tank. If you need something with a little more heft to it, consider the Zhukov as well- beefier, and with stereo turret-mounted AC-10s there's a lot to like here for a surprisingly low price.

[Paul]

Others to contemplate:
Manticore; the base PPC version is very powerful, and versatile with its two missile launchers.
Brutus: Just a beast of a MBT, and a ton of options with its launchers and extensive ammo. Around since 2998, though I think your GM is going by TROs, so this one may be out of reach for now. (It showed in TRO3058)
Rommel/Pattons: Both very solid MBTs as well.
Scorpion: I saw someone else suggest them, and I think they make some sense. Super cheap (you can get 50 per month), and pretty competent. While slow, the AC5 gives them some options to engage enemies, and they're a solid threat for airborne opponents. Switching to Frag ammo, they become decent infantry hunters, and can clear woods for you if need be. Once special ammo (Precision) is available, they become decent light mech hunters. You have to make sure to think of them in 4's: they don't try to do anything alone, everything they do is 4 against 1 objective. Or ideally, 12 against 1.

Paul

[Colt Ward]

Surprised the Myrmidon was not getting mentioned.

You have some good armor options . . . a funny one would be to see about something like the Marsden Mk II or a Merkava Mk VIII . . .

[TimmyTheNerd]

but rather than replace the Long Tom- which really is useful, so long as you're careful about it and use more than one- just see if you can use the 'upgrade' model with the ammo in the carrier vehicle rather than in a trailer. If you can do that, it gets 50 rounds (I think?) on board, more than enough for all your shell-chucking needs.

Can only use the one that needs all three pieces.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Can only use the one that needs all three pieces.

Which is a shame, because the one that needs the trailers is retconned as never having existed after they errata'd the unit and fixed the record sheet.  Your GM has some novel ideas, but it seems that he's pretty closed minded about any ideas other than his own.

I'm curious to hear if he's letting in SW era units that aren't in TRO 3039, like the Ballista artillery and Brutus tank.

[Colt Ward]

Ballista, Brutus, Marsden Mk II, Merkava Mk VIII, Estevez . . . and of course some of the mechs.