BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat

BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: 2ndAcr on 16 February 2019, 03:25:31

Title: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: 2ndAcr on 16 February 2019, 03:25:31

 Okay, I understand the Level IV-Alpha, Beta etc unit configurations but what exactly does Level III-Theta etc mean?

 That throws me off, I can find nothing that breaks down a Level III into the Greek meanings. I know a Level III is a Battalion roughly, but the Greek meaning I always see throws me way off. Or does it just mean that it is more conventional troops over Mechs.

 Alpha would be Mech heavy, while possibly a Mu would be a more mixed formation?

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: roosterboy on 16 February 2019, 03:45:09

Level               Size
Level I             1 unit ('Mech, vehicle, fighter, 36 men, 6 BA troopers)
Level II            6 units
Level III           36 units (Battalion)
Level IV            216 units (Division)
Level V             864-1296 units (Army)

                'Mechs    Armor    Infantry    Aerospace
Alpha             164       4         9           39
Beta              158       6        13           39
Gamma             151       9        17           39
Delta             144      11        22           39
Epsilon           138      13        26           39
Zeta              132      15        30           39
Eta               125      17        35           39
Theta             119      19        39           39
Iota              112      22        43           39
Kappa             105      24        48           39
Lambda             99      26        52           39
Mu                 93      28        56           39
Nu                 87      30        60           39
Xi                 80      32        65           39
Omicron            73      35        69           39
Pi                 67      37        73           39
Rho                60      39        78           39
Sigma              54      41        82           39
Tau                48      43        86           39
Upsilon            41      45        91           39
Phi                34      48        95           39
Chi                28      50        99           39
Psi                21      52       104           39
Omega              15      54       108           39

— Field Manual: Comstar, pp8-9

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: 2ndAcr on 16 February 2019, 03:55:19

 I understand the Level IV formations...…but when I see a Level III-Theta...……...that is what throws me off. Take the 8th WoB Division, 3062.

Lost Memories III-Theta - CO: Precentor VIII Alex Winningham
Forbidden Fruit III-Mu - CO: Precentor VII Llewellyn Licht
Steel Rain III-Kappa - CO: Demi-Precentor (Precentor II) Mary Stahl
Heathunters III-Kappa - CO: Demi-Precentor (Adept XVI) John Flakne

 That is what throws me way off....How am I to figure out what potential TOE is in those level III

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: chongobongo on 16 February 2019, 06:54:38

Divide by 6 each unit type on the list .

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: Sartris on 16 February 2019, 08:08:41

I’ve always seen the FM: Comstar table as an ideal rather than something you have to glue yourself to. A unit’s designation would change frequently. Ultimately what you want the designators to mean is going to be based on how much work you want to do.

I would start by both figuring 2/3rds of the table (since it’s a 4 lv iii unit, not a six) and ratios so you can apply the percentages roughly to level iii numbers. Whether a short division of theta / mu / kappa / kappa works out to 66% of the numbers for a IV-theta is anyone’s guess. I have no idea if whoever came up with those rough ToEs followed the CS Comstar templates or not

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: Kojak on 16 February 2019, 23:51:29

Here's what I've always done, as a longtime Word of Blake player who first ran into this problem many years ago:

1. Redistribute three of the ASFs to the other three unit types. Now each Level III will have a nice, clean Level II of six fighters like Blake intended.
2. Divide each type by six. Round any fractions however it suits your fancy, as long as the total still comes to thirty-six.

Sure, it's technically not properly canonical, but I find you'll save yourself a lot of organizational headaches if you do it this way.

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: Karasu on 18 February 2019, 08:06:36

As a very quick bit of work on Excel:

Theta:  20 Mechs, 6 Armour, 4 Infantry Level Is, 6 Fighters
Kappa: 18 Mechs, 4 Armour, 8 Infantry, 6 Fighters
Mu: 15 Mechs, 5 Armour, 10 Infantry, 6 Fighters

Combining 1 Theta, 1 Mu and 2 Kappa gives you short Level IV with about the percentage breakdown of Kappa.

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: 2ndAcr on 19 February 2019, 00:28:39

 Now that helps, god I suck at math and calculating stuff like that. Gives me something to work with.

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: Sartris on 19 February 2019, 00:31:19

i'm unsure if it was ever stated as such, but I always considered Aerospace a strategic asset to the level IV that formed the 6th Level III

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: mbear on 20 February 2019, 08:15:49

Quote from: roosterboy on 16 February 2019, 03:45:09

                'Mechs    Armor    Infantry    Aerospace
Alpha             164       4         9           39
Beta              158       6        13           39
Gamma             151       9        17           39
Delta             144      11        22           39
Epsilon           138      13        26           39
Zeta              132      15        30           39
Eta               125      17        35           39
Theta             119      19        39           39
Iota              112      22        43           39
Kappa             105      24        48           39
Lambda             99      26        52           39
Mu                 93      28        56           39
Nu                 87      30        60           39
Xi                 80      32        65           39
Omicron            73      35        69           39
Pi                 67      37        73           39
Rho                60      39        78           39
Sigma              54      41        82           39
Tau                48      43        86           39
Upsilon            41      45        91           39
Phi                34      48        95           39
Chi                28      50        99           39
Psi                21      52       104           39
Omega              15      54       108           39

— Field Manual: Comstar, pp8-9

To be clear each of these is representing Level Is in a Level IV sized unit, correct? So a Level IV Alpha has 4 tanks and 9 platoons of 36 troopers?

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: Sartris on 20 February 2019, 08:36:10

Yeah, that’s the gist of it. Though the tanks could also be apcs or vtols

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: qc mech3 on 20 February 2019, 08:45:34

Correct. Some years ago I made an excel file just for that. I'm attaching it here if it can help anyone.

Title: Re: Comstar/WoB units
Post by: mikecj on 22 February 2019, 22:35:26

Quote from: qc mech3 on 20 February 2019, 08:45:34

Correct. Some years ago I made an excel file just for that. I'm attaching it here if it can help anyone.

Thank you!