Militia Units, but all Lights.

[imperator]

Say that you are a backwater commander/Noble but are kinda rich.  You don't have the clout for getting even Medium Units, but have the money and ability to buys Common Bug units and your Signature Light for your faction. You've been given permission to buy 2 Companies of Bug Mechs and 1 Company of your factions Signature Lights.  Otherwise you just have 500 Rifle and SRM infantry, 2 Battalions Vedettes, 2 Battalions Scorpion's and 4 Warrior VTOLs, and 1 Battalion MG APCs. 

What are your choices?

This is my actual background for any of my Mechwarrior RPG games.  But the Slow Light Thread got me thinking about this again.

[Elmoth]

So, commandos  panthers/jenners, valkiries, ... Ravens?, And what is the signature light for the fwl?

I would go Panthers. A weight challenged medium. And locusts for the harassing. I would use jenners for that  but they are not bugs.

[Daryk]

Personally, I'd invest in fusion (PPC) Scorpions, but that's me.  To actually answer your question, I'd go with "Super" Stingers (STG-3Gs).  You have more than enough anti-infantry capability in your conventional forces.  If you're investing in 'mechs, invest in the things they can't do (go anywhere, stand a decent chance against another 'mech force in any terrain).

[imperator]

I should have also said pick a faction!   

But basically Bug mechs in 2 Companies, then some better lights in the last one, with 2 lances having to be "home made".  Kurita, for example could uses both Jenners and Panthers, because both are made in Kurita factories. The last 4 could be any other light, unless Urbies, them you can have 2 per one, because........ reasons......?

[Daryk]

If you're giving Urbies that much advantage, the only answer is URBIES! 

[Vonshroom]

I am assuming you are limiting this to 3025 era tech / availability schedules? If not it might change my answer.

I am a Steiner player so I have to go with them. I would elect to use a mixture of Firestarters (main line troopers), Valkyries (fire support) and Javelins (all produced in the Alliance). I don't know that these count as "signature mechs" though. So if not I could make the Commando and Firestarter work unless I could get Wolfhounds.... The Drac's have the pick of the litter with Jenners and Panthers though.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm honestly not really understanding how someone could have the money and connections to be able to purchase an entire battalion of mechs but be unable to get even a single medium for it.

Anyway, the Combine wins this with a company of Panthers unless the Wolfhound is available, in which case the Lyrans win.

[Col Toda]

Wight mechs . Vedette tanks with a hitch and a 50 ton LRM trailer with 6 LRM 10s . Marion Style motorized field gun infantry wuth 5 LB 2Xs . Engineering company  for field works ect .

[phoenixalpha]

Valkyries for the win. Speedier than a Panther, giving you that LRM punch that you lack elsewhere.

[imperator]

I'm honestly not really understanding how someone could have the money and connections to be able to purchase an entire battalion of mechs but be unable to get even a single medium for it.

Anyway, the Combine wins this with a company of Panthers unless the Wolfhound is available, in which case the Lyrans win.

You've made enemies in the Capitol.  You and they are not high enough to call in enough favors to either totally Block you getting mechs, but can keep the "better" Mechs for "more important" units.  Supply, Logistics, and politics make anything happen. 

Also I was thinking in my "Non Cannon" Universe  that Bug Mechs and other Cheaper products would be easier to buy for everyone, even "Rich Backwaters" due to expendable "Trooper Status" of those cheaper Mechs.  Everything else is 10-20x more expensive or more in demand by higher echelon entities, but the bugs, Vedettes, and other cheap common Vehicles can be  gotten for only 2-5x the cost or Status Needed.

I've seen how complicated and Arcane Military Logistics is.  It's unfortunately very common in the Present First World Military, and very rampant inwvery other large Militaries!!!

[pokefan548]

Even then, you'd be likely to see a couple low-end medium troopers (Centurions, Enforcers, the like).

Though yeah, if you really need something cheap but able to put out decent fire, probably lots of Panthers, plus maybe something with anti-infantry weapons and/or decent mobility.

[Saint]

I'm going with the Fed Suns.
For my bug mech I'll take the Hornet 151 and 152 in a 50 /50 mix.
And the Valkyrie as the signature mech.

I would have a lance of each per company.
This keeps the units movement profile the same, logistics are easier.
If the Hornet is not available I'd go with the Wasp.

[monbvol]

For the bug mechs I'd actually focus a bit more on the slightly more utilitarian Wasp thanks to the odd special munitions I can scrounge up to put in that SRM launcher but the 3G Stinger would be a solid component for that force too as it's hard to go wrong with two medium lasers.

Since those should be available to just about everyone it is time to start looking at the more faction specific forces.

As noted the Jenner and Panther are really solid choices for the Combine.

Steiner has the best options for dealing with them though with Firestarter and Commando both being available and both having variants with Large Lasers that you can sneak in to give some ranged bite and as mentioned if the Wolfhound is available that is a really good option too.

The FWL does have the Hermes and MUL says they have some other at least decent options in the Mongoose and Spider but I'm not sure I'd really call either of those signature mechs.  Technically they can also include the Ostscout too.  I'd go for Spider if possible to pair with Hermes, Ostscout if I really must.  Mongoose doesn't really do anything the Hermes doesn't already do but if that's my only other choice I can live with mixing it in.

CapCon gets the most troublesome.  They only really have the Urbanmech and the Raven for signature mechs, assuming the later is even an option.  So yeah sign me up for a legion of Urbanmechs.  I'll almost certainly lose a lot but I will drown you in trash.

FedSuns the Valkerie and Javelin are their signature Light mechs and both are reasonably good at what they do.

The Periphery:
The Taurians are the only ones to have a really unique Light during the 3020's.  They have the Commando.  It's not clear exactly when they got it but they were producing it at the time of the first Periphery source book.

Everyone else has to make do with some combination of bug mechs and other highly generic units.

[imperator]

I like the way you think!!

[imperator]

https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-designs-rules/how-to-make-fasanomics-work-for-fun-and-profit/

Made for more FASA supply chain shenanigans is the Fan Section.

[Ruger]

The CapCon does have the Firebee.

Ruger

[Natasha Kerensky]

Not faction specific, but where possible, sprinkle in the MON-67 and MON-68 Mongoose.

[Marveryn]

what years we are talking about here? cause that does make a differences in choices.  someone was wondering about marik design without noting that they use the flea so you could buy those at the flea market.   Honestly i would only buy the flea for flavor as locust pretty much a better design in most variant.  Dont forget the spider is a home grown Marik design too if you want a quick scout with some firepower.  Panther is the best pick in light if you are in a situation where you are a defender.  It pack the firepower of a med and cause you are defense you can place them in areas that best suit them, Heavy forest and city landscape.  Valkyrie are also a good in more open areas taking advantage of their lrm. 

neither are fast but in where you are expected to defend a pre determined and have layer defense.  sprinkle a couple of pure scouts to shadown enemy forces in case the enemy decides its not best to fight where you are the strongest.  You may want a couple of jenner to act as your calvary for those occasion. 

[DevianID]

So for this militia unit, with all infantry having srms as their long range, scorpions with only an ac5 for reach, and only 4 warriors so not enough to provide any real support, the militia is missing indirect fire and munitions.

Your setup is going to rely heavily on infantry, with the ac5 tanks doing the line holding and breakthrough.  Light mechs cant hold ground, but a company of locusts is one of the strongest non-jumping scouts in the 20 ton bug class.  The LRM5 locust can provide LRM support, which your militia simply doesnt have and desperately needs to take advantage of all the infantry spotters.  Probably 8 scout 1v locusts and 4 fire support M locusts.

After locusts help shore up your scout deficiencies, the next 20 ton bug mech id want is something with hands.  Hands help a militia so much more then guns, and at 20 tons the ability to move 2 ton tank traps or earthworks around at incredible speed compared to loading and unloading a 2 ton truck load will mean you can create all kinds of on the spot fortifications.  You can also uproot trees to build walls and such.  The only 20 ton bug mech with hands is the stinger, so a company of those.  The jump jets also let you mountain range for ambushing conventional or what not.  And they can scout too, helping the locusts and warriors.

Finally, the faction specific.  To fully metagame it, Id want something as heavy as possible, so the Lyran Wolfhound or Kurita Jenner F.  But the Davion Valkyrie has LRMs, which as mentioned your militia is super short on indirect fire weapons.  The davion Javelin also has an LRM15 variant.  So Davion is winning due simply for having access to the most LRM signature mechs available.  LRMs let you engage with your limited mech forces at an arms reach or totally out of reach in the case of indirect, and return home.  This should preserve your mech force for as long as possible, and while a company of wolfhounds can spearhead a counter attack, they will be spent rather quickly on the attack and dont do well in static defense.  Valkyries and LRM Javelins will probably take place in 3x as many fights if not more as they appear, fire off all their LRMs, and retreat for resupply without needing much in the way of downtime to fix armor damage.

[Daryk]

The LRM problem is easily solved with LRM Scorpions, but I'm with you 100% about hands! 

[imperator]

I also agree with your set up.  Those are good reasons.  Thank you for sharing.

[RifleMech]

I'm leaning towards FedSuns as the House but I'm not going to go with House favorites. If someone's playing with the supply lines you're not likely to get the good mechs. You're going to get the mechs that no one wants. I'm also presuming LAMs are out.

For the bug mechs, I'd go with various Locust variants for scouts. They're speed goes with the scouting role and the other variants allow them to support each other. The main combat mechs would be the Stingers, Wasps, and Flea-15s. I'd have Hornets and Flea-4s providing fire support.

For the other twelve mechs, I'd go with some a couple early Ravens with EW equipment. Since Urbanmechs are 2 for 1, I'll go with 4 of them as a reserve lance. To fill in the rest I'd go with Commandos, Javelins, Firestarters. I'd like to include Toros and Thorns but I don't know what time period this takes place in.

I am kind of surprised at the no medium Mechs. Not even industrials like the Quasit? Maybe some that are in dire need of parts, or FrankenMechs?

[Starfury]

Assuming 3025 era

Firefly
Mongoose
Flea
Hermes
Ostscout
Wolfhound
Panther
Jenner
Spider
Valkyrie
Wasp LAM
Stinger LAM
Raven
Locust

[Giovanni Blasini]

Three companies of Stinger LAMs, since they have to double as my air defense, too.  Maybe swap one company for WSP-100 Wasp LAMs to act as bomb trucks and AAM/nuke carriers if I can.

Non-LAM?  Prior to 3068, I’d say a company of WSP-1A Wasps, a company of STG-3G Stingers or LCT-1E Locusts, and a company of HNT-151 Hornets to provide LRM support.

After 3068?  Three companies of STG-3P Stingers.

[Daryk]

That would work for me... 

[imperator]

-snip-

Non-LAM?  Prior to 3068, I’d say a company of WSP-1A Wasps, a company of STG-3G Stingers or LCT-1E Locusts, and a company of HNT-151 Hornets to provide LRM support.

After 3068?  Three companies of STG-3P Stingers.

I like this combo. 

[Hellraiser]

Hmmm.
As a FedCom fan, I'd go with the following in 3025

12*  Locust-1E
12*  Wasp-1D
12*  Javelin-10F

[Daryk]

That makes sense... 

[Hellraiser]

PS.  Random note about "Light" militias,  IIRC some of the FM's have a note that all Militias get a -2? on the Size Role of the RAT tables since they are much lighter than Line Unit formations "on average"

[Caedis Animus]

2 companies of varied Locusts, one 1M, one 1V, and two 1E's per lance. Signature lights company is the good old Steiner-Davion "Whoops, all Wolfhounds", if some year leeway is permitted beyond 3025.