Most common "signature weapons" systems?

[Black_Knyght]

Although I'm pretty sure not every one has a particular "signature weapons", I'm curious what folks here would say were the most commonly utilized "signature weapons & systems" for each of the following (circa 3050-3070):

( 1 ): Federated Commonwealth

( 2 ): Lyran Alliance

( 3 ): Draconis Combine

( 4 ): Free Worlds League

( 5 ): Capellan Confederation

( 6 ): Jade Falcons

( 7 ): Smoke Jaguars

( 8 ): Nova Cats

[Maingunnery]

Do you have a certain time frame in mind?

[Vition2]

1) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

2) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

3) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

4) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

5) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

6) ER Medium Laser

7) ER Medium Laser

8) ER Medium Laser

In other words, pretty boring, medium lasers and ER Medium lasers are both at the most efficient spot both heat-wise and damage-wise that they can and often are dropped in just about everywhere.

[worktroll]

You may mean "signature weapons" - those most commonly associated with that faction. They won't be the ones numerically most common, but they're the ones you think of when you talk about a "typical ### design".

I'm splitting into pre-3060 and post-3060, for simplicity - obviously years of introduction will vary. But it's a useful simplification.

FedSuns: Autocannons. Then Rotary Autocannons.
Lyran Alliance: no real signature, and then Heavy Gauss.
Draconis Combine: no real signature, and then (if you allow it) C3 masters/slaves
Free Worlds League: LRMs, then Light Gauss
Capellans: mines, then (again at a stretch) Stealth Armour

The Clans don't really get signature weapons, they use signature chasses instead.

My two M-bills, anyway.

W.

[Vition2]

You may mean "signature weapons" - those most commonly associated with that faction. They won't be the ones numerically most common, but they're the ones you think of when you talk about a "typical ### design".

Probably what he meant, I was being particularly literal when I read the question the first time.

Draconis Combine: no real signature, and then (if you allow it) C3 masters/slaves

I always got the impression that the DC trended towards PPCs in the pre-3060 days, two of their most iconic mechs had either their most common or close second most common variant using them (this being the PNT-9R Panther and the DRG-1G Grand Dragon)

[worktroll]

I'd pay that. Particularly, now that I go back and look at it, the heavy & snub PPCs are Kuritan in origin. SO make that:

Draconis Combine: PPCs, then more PPCs and C3.

[Black_Knyght]

You may mean "signature weapons" - those most commonly associated with that faction. They won't be the ones numerically most common, but they're the ones you think of when you talk about a "typical ### design".

I'm splitting into pre-3060 and post-3060, for simplicity - obviously years of introduction will vary. But it's a useful simplification.

FedSuns: Autocannons. Then Rotary Autocannons.
Lyran Alliance: no real signature, and then Heavy Gauss.
Draconis Combine: no real signature, and then (if you allow it) C3 masters/slaves
Free Worlds League: LRMs, then Light Gauss
Capellans: mines, then (again at a stretch) Stealth Armour

The Clans don't really get signature weapons, they use signature chasses instead.

My two M-bills, anyway.

W.

Bingo !!!

I worded this all wrong, but that was indeed the point of my inquiry. I need to reword that.

[Maingunnery]

The Clans don't really get signature weapons, they use signature chasses instead.

Not exactly true, Clan Nova Cat for instance is know for using the ERLL and ERPPC a lot.

[idea weenie]

Not exactly true, Clan Nova Cat for instance is know for using the ERLL and ERPPC a lot.

ERLL with a Clan Targeting Computer, but dialing down the power would make a great signature weapon at Extreme Ranges:

"Program loaded?"
"Aff."
"Target in sight?"
"Aff."
"Fire."


On the other side of the field, the locals trying to spot the Nova Cat personnel suddenly see a beam of light on their boss's Atlas, and one of them looks at the damage.
"Well?"
"Sir, the laser was used to write 'Clan Nova Cat was here'."
"Not again!"


The Nova Cat warriors agreed, the ERLL was an excellent 'signature' weapon.

[Chaeronea]

Plasma Rifles for the Capellan Confederation?

[Daemion]

Circa 3050, I'd put the FWL at "Anything new". They were the ones peddling upgrades and lostech weaponry during the Invasion. Of course, for them, if anyone had a PPC at one point in their history, that was a novelty, so you could put "Anti-PPC" in there somewhere.

[Black_Knyght]

ERLL with a Clan Targeting Computer, but dialing down the power would make a great signature weapon at Extreme Ranges:

"Program loaded?"
"Aff."
"Target in sight?"
"Aff."
"Fire."


On the other side of the field, the locals trying to spot the Nova Cat personnel suddenly see a beam of light on their boss's Atlas, and one of them looks at the damage.
"Well?"
"Sir, the laser was used to write 'Clan Nova Cat was here'."
"Not again!"


The Nova Cat warriors agreed, the ERLL was an excellent 'signature' weapon.

ROFLMAO !!!

[Cryhavok101]

Capellan Signature Weapon was the Dirty Trick. Stealth Armor was just an Upgrade for this. The specifics of the Dirty Trick varied battlefield to battlefield.

[Scotty]

Black_Knyght I get that you might frequent this part of the forums most, but Fan Designs and Rules is not the appropriate place for this.  May I instead suggest General BattleTech Discussion instead if you want to discuss the weapon systems but not specifically their usage in the BattleTech board game, or Ground Combat if you do.

[ActionButler]

[copper] As per usual, no warnings or cross words, but the question posed was not appropriate for Fan Designs.  Cheers, all!  [copper]



Also...

1) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

2) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

3) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

4) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

5) Medium Laser (after about 3060 or so, ER Medium Laser)

6) ER Medium Laser

7) ER Medium Laser

8) ER Medium Laser

...that  :P

[Black_Knyght]

Black_Knyght I get that you might frequent this part of the forums most, but Fan Designs and Rules is not the appropriate place for this.  May I instead suggest General BattleTech Discussion instead if you want to discuss the weapon systems but not specifically their usage in the BattleTech board game, or Ground Combat if you do.

For the record, the point of this thread was to determine what were "signature weapons" for each empire in order to create a number of fan designs using those weapons.

BUT, I get that moderators often make arbitrary decisions without fully understanding the nature or purpose of a given thread and will often move them to a completely different section wherein the discussion stalls and the thread dies.

[JadeHellbringer]

For the record, the point of this thread was to determine what were "signature weapons" for each empire in order to create a number of fan designs using those weapons.

BUT, I get that moderators often make arbitrary decisions without fully understanding the nature or purpose of a given thread and will often move them to a completely different section wherein the discussion stalls and the thread dies.

Or they move them somewhere more appropriate, as they're supposed to do.

Can the attitude.

[Scotty]

Equally for the record, this is still the forum that this thread should have gone to start.  Feel free to make a thread in the Fan Designs board when you're ready to post fan designs or start tinkering with fan rules.  Until then, talking about things that already exist in BattleTech in the forms that they already exist is some thing that falls firmly within the bounds of General BattleTech Discussion.

As an aside, this board is by far the most visited and most posted in on the entire forums.  You'll get more discussion here than you will down there.

[Cryhavok101]

The problem with your question is some factions have signature mech's or weight classes, rather than signature weapons. For example the Lyran's signature is using assault mechs in recon lances. While the clans, with their omni heavy armies, have signature Mechs, but they use multiple versions, which carry a wide variety of weapons. In the clan's case the exception is Nova Cat, which favors Energy Weapons.

For the record, the point of this thread was to determine what were "signature weapons" for each empire in order to create a number of fan designs using those weapons.

Nothing in the OP reflects any of that, so I get where the mods are coming from.

[Scotty]

I feel like I should point out, if only to keep the myth from perpetuating as more fact than fiction, that the Lyran Medium 'Mech Corps is one of the best and most flexible stable of designs in the IS.

[The Eagle]

I feel like I should point out, if only to keep the myth from perpetuating as more fact than fiction, that the Lyran Medium 'Mech Corps is one of the best and most flexible stable of designs in the IS.

That's also a recent development though.  The initial medium Mech stable of the LCAF was the Phoenix Hawk, Vulcan, and Griffin.  Not exactly spoilt for choice.

[Scotty]

Don't forget the Sentinel and the Enforcer purely among units that have Lyran Commonwealth availability that aren't also on IS General, where you get things like Centurions and Hunchbacks.  The Hatchetman also makes an appearance in the next era.  Here's the DC non-IS General list for comparison as well as the Free Worlds League version.  Nobody in 3025 was swimming in exclusive variants, but I'd honestly call the Griffin one of the best and most flexible designs in the IS of the period. ;)

Unless you mean "initial" as in "as of TRO 3026's publication" in which case nobody had much of anything.

[The Eagle]

I actually thinking purely of new production capacity; the original Steiner house book only lists those three being manufactured inside the Commonwealth.  So statistically, they would be the most common.

[Greyhind]

The original Steiner mediums were better than their assaults.  #P

[Scotty]

Something that's also extremely relevant to the OP:

Draconis Combine MechWarriors by and large dislike Medium 'Mechs, finding them to be improper compromises between Lights and Heavies.  With the singular exception of the Wolverine 6K (which is fairly popular, being a homegrown design and a good one at that), most Mediums are not well received (even if they are used).

[ColBosch]

Something that's also extremely relevant to the OP:

Draconis Combine MechWarriors by and large dislike Medium 'Mechs, finding them to be improper compromises between Lights and Heavies.  With the singular exception of the Wolverine 6K (which is fairly popular, being a homegrown design and a good one at that), most Mediums are not well received (even if they are used).

Additionally, the Combine is the last major power to deliberately create homogeneous units. A high percentage of the DCMS, especially in the Succession Wars, was made up of nothing but Panthers, Jenners, and/or Dragons; entire lances or companies of just one type of 'Mech. This is called out as persisting into the Dark Ages with the Dragon II.

[Scotty]

Taking it even further, Combine MechWarriors are some of the finest individual duelists in the Sphere at any given point in the timeline, to the extent that the 2nd Sword of Light were the first regiment to go blow for blow with the Dragoons and not only hold their own but actually inflict equivalent damage.  This has been a tradition in the DCMS since the heydey of the Star League and exemplified in the First Hidden War, where DCMS MechWarriors would challenge SLDF pilots to honor duels to test their worth.  They won most of them.

As such, Kurita pilots will favor weapons that favor the duelist, and will favor the duelist across multiple battles.  PPCs, SRMs, and Medium Laser batteries are commonplace.  LRMs are less frequent but present on units like the Dragon.  High caliber autocannons are practically unheard of (Hohiro Kurita piloted a Hunchback, which at the least indicates that those still exist in the DCMS, but there are very few others; evidence: this is every single DC unit from the Succession Wars to the Clan Invasion that has enough autocannons to qualify for the AC Special in Alpha Strike - which is 10 damage).

[Black_Knyght]

...

[cavingjan]

WT summed it up pretty well. Just looking at the field manuals should reinforce most of this.

An alternative question for you: what are the signature mechs using these signature systems?

[The Eagle]

I gotta say that finding a decent "flagship" FWLM 'Mech carrying an LGR is going to be difficult.  They're a hard weapon to fit to a 'Mech's weapon suite efficiently.  I'd rather take an Ontos (LGR) over 99% of our LGR 'Mechs, for example.  As for the LRM launcher being a Marik staple, I'd actually narrow that down to the LRM-15.  Apollo, Trebuchet, Grand Titan, Albatross, Phoenix Archer, every Thunderbolt variant up to and including the TDR-9M, Yeoman; and that's just off the top of my head.  The other rack sizes are used, sure, but I believe the number of designs carrying LRM-15s outnumbers them.