Author Topic: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs  (Read 14498 times)

Drewbacca

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Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« on: 11 April 2019, 07:03:20 »
A quick scan of the available units, pre clan invasion, shows that for someone like me who really likes SRMs, I am better going with tanks for IS units. Sound about right?

pat_hdx

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #1 on: 11 April 2019, 07:32:59 »
I don't know about "better off". However, I really like vehicles for some things, and there are definitely some good bang for the buck SRM tanks. The SRM Goblin and Hezter come to mind.
« Last Edit: 12 April 2019, 18:23:18 by pat_hdx »

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #2 on: 11 April 2019, 08:01:07 »
Yes and no. If your terrain is relatively flat and free of woods, fast hovers like the Pegasus and Plainsman are good choices. Once you end up in hills or forest, mechs are better because they can actually move

If you’re a crazy person you can try to utilize SRM carriers

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massey

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #3 on: 11 April 2019, 11:36:17 »
SRM Carriers are amazing in cities.

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #4 on: 11 April 2019, 11:38:00 »
SRM Carriers are amazing in cities.

And as bodyguards for LRM Carriers.

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #5 on: 11 April 2019, 11:46:30 »
SRM Carriers are amazing in cities.

yes, i got people to stop entering my cities in a long-running periphery campaign because of SRM carriers, hetzers, and massed infantry. 

And as bodyguards for LRM Carriers.

you have to have some terrain cover help otherwise they just get sniped and stomped as the enemy rushes your LRM carriers

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Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #6 on: 11 April 2019, 12:00:49 »
You gotta have some terrain anyway or else the LRMs are going to be sniped into uselessness themselves anyway, bodyguard or no bodyguard.

Crest the hill so you can gain LOS to the LRMs hiding behind it.. and bam. SRM carrier says hello!  I mean, usually you'd prefer a Demolisher, but you can't always get everything you want.
« Last Edit: 11 April 2019, 12:02:22 by Tai Dai Cultist »

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #7 on: 11 April 2019, 21:35:49 »
An SRM Carrier should really be viewed as a self-propelled anti-mech directional mine.
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Colt Ward

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #8 on: 12 April 2019, 14:34:33 »
I thought much the same thing . . . which is why I refer to a lance of SRM carriers as 'Claymore' with appropriate numbers.
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massey

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #9 on: 12 April 2019, 16:20:05 »
Played a megamek game yesterday vs the bot.  4 LRM carriers, 4 SRM carriers, 4 Warrior helicopters, all 4/5s.

Went against a higher BV of Clan Omnis.  I think it was a Nabori-Nin Prime, a Loki Prime, and a Cauldron Born Prime, all 3/4s.

I hid the LRM carriers behind a hill along with the SRM carriers.  The Warriors hid behind a different hill until the Clans got close, then moved out for indirect spotting.  It worked like a charm.  Once they got within range, the Clan mechs lasted about 5 turns.  I lost a Warrior and an SRM carrier.  I hit the Loki and the Nabori-Nin with 1 round of fire each from the LRM carriers before they got sight.  Mostly it just stripped armor without doing internal damage.  Then the Nabori-Nin came right around the hill into the line of fire of the SRM carriers.  It died immediately (3 ammo explosions, 2 heat hits, and a cored out center torso).  The Loki never even made it into sight, died from indirect fire (multiple 5 point head hits).  The Cauldron Born was the luckiest, it killed an SRM carrier and got behind them for a turn.  But that was all she wrote, next round he ate fire from everything and went up like the 4th of July.

I know that the Loki is light on armor, and the other 2 mechs are solid but not exceptional designs.  Still, I thought it was an interesting experiment.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #10 on: 12 April 2019, 17:04:15 »
That's not really an unexpected outcome for a matchup like that.  You've got a lot of firepower on your side: that's a potential 180 LRMs being fire indirectly at a single target per round.  Add the Megamek's rather dimwitted bot into that mix and that fight had a rather foregone conclusion.
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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #11 on: 12 April 2019, 17:08:19 »
Without rolling map boards, I'm not sure it would have gone much differently on the table top...

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #12 on: 12 April 2019, 17:42:33 »
they’re good deterrants. I’ve used one or a pair to drastically alter a battle by forcing the action away from them to a more advantageous spot. If you can control the window of engagement you can do awful things to the enemy. But the margin for error is so small. Far from amazing or even ideal but also far from useless


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MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #13 on: 12 April 2019, 18:02:09 »
Without rolling map boards, I'm not sure it would have gone much differently on the table top...

Even with rolling maps it would have been difficult.
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Daryk

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #14 on: 12 April 2019, 18:03:10 »
But not impossible...  ^-^

Dave Talley

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #15 on: 12 April 2019, 21:08:10 »
I would love to be able to remotely fire the SRM carrier,
tuck the crew in a building, watch via wired connection,
leave unit camoed as a UPS truck or a taco truck, whatever works
someone stumbles into view, booom!!
this mighty actually work for a few turns before the carrier gets gutted
but the crew most likely survives and gains experience for future fights
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MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #16 on: 12 April 2019, 21:17:51 »
I just love the idea of an enemy mech coming up looking for tacos.
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Elmoth

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #17 on: 13 April 2019, 04:53:26 »
Taco Carrier. New unit for TRO3150

pat_hdx

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #18 on: 13 April 2019, 06:03:26 »
No. the Taco Carrier will be part of the PeaceTech expansion post IlClan. It is the ultimate peace keeping unit as no one wants to fight with good tacos around.

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #19 on: 13 April 2019, 07:07:13 »
I don't know about "better off". However, I really like vehicles for some things, and there are definitely some good bang for the buck SRM tanks. The SRM Goblin and Hezter come to mind.

The SRM variant of the Scorpion is also a nasty little surprise, and cheap too. Plus having a MG they can also help out against infantry.
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massey

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #20 on: 13 April 2019, 08:55:03 »
That's not really an unexpected outcome for a matchup like that.  You've got a lot of firepower on your side: that's a potential 180 LRMs being fire indirectly at a single target per round.  Add the Megamek's rather dimwitted bot into that mix and that fight had a rather foregone conclusion.

Well, that's kind of the point.  I wanted to see if the theory would work in practice.  It functioned beautifully.  As I said earlier, SRM Carriers are super nasty in the right situations.

Kovax

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #21 on: 17 April 2019, 11:21:00 »
The one limitation is that vehicles have to be fielded en masse, while a 'Mech can usually function well enough individually.  Field one vehicle, and the safest place on the entire map for the 'Mech will be the same hex as the one the vehicle is in.  Several turns of that, and the vehicle will have been kicked to death.  You need a second vehicle to cover the first.  Field an entire lance of vehicles, and the only safe places for a 'Mech are those beyond maximum weapon range or out of line of sight.

Also, many vehicles have limited firing arcs for some or all of their weapons, so getting immobilized too often means that the opponent can approach from an unguarded direction and there's nothing you can do about it.  That leaves you with no options except to bail out now, or blow up with the vehicle.

Fear Factory

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #22 on: 25 April 2019, 22:05:23 »
I'm a fan of Harassers.
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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #23 on: 26 April 2019, 09:32:09 »
I'm a fan of Harassers.
Very nice item....unless you're one of the crew.  They can race in from an insane distance away, easily get a +4 modifier to anyone trying to stop them, and can unleash 12 SRM tubes against their chosen victim, for a nominally low BV.  In 3025, they're an excellent crit-seeker or vehicle immobilizer, and the perfect counter to someone placing a Shrek or Alacorn on the table.  As soon as anyone fields Pulse weapons, they're reduced to a one-shot wonder, since they'll usually die from a single hit by anything more powerful than a ML, and have a high chance of being immobilized by anything that does damage at all and hits the paper-thin side armor.

I find a Pegasus to somewhat less maneuverable, but also a lot more likely to survive a hit and allow the crew to bail from an immobilized vehicle.  That may be preferable in a campaign where you would like to get your crew back intact, rather than sweeping up the scattered chunks of shredded meat after the battle.  In a one-off battle where there is no "after" and you don't have to worry about replacing an experienced crew, the Harasser makes more sense.

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #24 on: 26 April 2019, 10:02:09 »
Yeah, I always wanted to see the Harasser get improved- I think a lot of the original vehicles got left behind unlike the ONN sections for early mechs.  For instance a 3080s Harasser might have a Fuel Cell Engine and reflective armor . . . and make it a variant of the MML I guess, which apparently I had missed until recently.  Or the Hetzer (SRM), give it a better class of armor and ECM in the 3060s.
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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #25 on: 26 April 2019, 13:10:02 »
there are uh... three fuel cell harassers

Harasser Missile Platform (Fuel Cell) - x3 MML-5, reflective armor (3081) - XTRO Most Wanted
Harasser Missile Platform (MML) - x2 MML-5 but it goes 12/18. FF armor (3087) - 3145 NTNU
Harasser Missile Platform (Thunderbolt) - same but x2 Thunderbolt-5 (3089) - 3145 NTNU

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #26 on: 26 April 2019, 13:48:52 »
Hm, did not see that Reflec armor one, I will have to check it out.  Does it increase the overall armor?

Yeah, saw the second and could careless about the TBolt . . . I like the Harasser for a fast multi-function missile platform.  With the original I can mix in Infernos or HARM for giggles.  MML is better b/c I can go with smoke LRM too.

Some of the old ICE vehicles just scream for a FCE change, IMO its like 3025 mechs getting DHS- its a 1st step upgrade.  Or maybe 2nd with a armor upgrade for increased protection.
Colt Ward
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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #27 on: 26 April 2019, 13:54:38 »
It’s only got 35 points total. Stick with LRMs on the MMLs

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Fear Factory

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #28 on: 26 April 2019, 22:17:05 »
Very nice item....unless you're one of the crew.  They can race in from an insane distance away, easily get a +4 modifier to anyone trying to stop them, and can unleash 12 SRM tubes against their chosen victim, for a nominally low BV.  In 3025, they're an excellent crit-seeker or vehicle immobilizer, and the perfect counter to someone placing a Shrek or Alacorn on the table.  As soon as anyone fields Pulse weapons, they're reduced to a one-shot wonder, since they'll usually die from a single hit by anything more powerful than a ML, and have a high chance of being immobilized by anything that does damage at all and hits the paper-thin side armor.

I find a Pegasus to somewhat less maneuverable, but also a lot more likely to survive a hit and allow the crew to bail from an immobilized vehicle.  That may be preferable in a campaign where you would like to get your crew back intact, rather than sweeping up the scattered chunks of shredded meat after the battle.  In a one-off battle where there is no "after" and you don't have to worry about replacing an experienced crew, the Harasser makes more sense.

Sure, but I was thinking in context of introtech play. Cheap, fast, to the point. I also love to field Scorpions, though...
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Colt Ward

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Re: Inner Spehere SRM Tanks versus Mechs
« Reply #29 on: 27 April 2019, 01:31:10 »
I still use it Invasion onward- in fact it was in my local group's tournament last year . . . it was in 12? games with a 50% survival rate or so.  I had a few people actually gunning for it after a bad experience in earlier rounds.  My typical comment was- 'Its a flying beer can with missiles.'
Colt Ward
Clan Invasion Backer #149, Leviathans #104

"We come in peace, please ignore the bloodstains."

"Greetings, Mechwarrior. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Daoshen and the Capellan armada."

 

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