Author Topic: Protomech ACs and specialty ammunition  (Read 875 times)

TimberwolfD

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Protomech ACs and specialty ammunition
« on: 25 February 2024, 17:11:35 »
Looking through BMM, and the tech advancement tables in TRO: Prototypes and TRO: 3145 has left me with some questions on specialty ammo availability for the clans in general and Protomech ACs in particular.

1. TRO: Prototypes reclassifies Flak ammo from ADV to TL in ~3070 for both IS and Clans. How are the clans supposed to use it? UACs and LB-X ACs are prohibited from using it by their own rules, and LB-X cluster rounds exist, so the LB-X ACs don't need it anyway. So, what in production clan tech base weapon except the PAC could this apply to? Wouldn't vanilla ACs fall under IS tech base?

 1A. Shouldn't the introduction date for flak be prespaceflight?

2. In TRO: 3145 Caseless AC ammo is similarly added to TL rules for clan use in 3109 but, like Flak ammo, has no apparent application except PACs. Here, the BMM explicitly lists PACs as being able to use Armor-Piercing and Flechette ammo but not Caseless (See p. 106-107 BMM)

3. BMM specifically excludes PACs from using precision ammo, presumably due to tech base restrictions. Is there a reason the clans can't figure out/produce precision ammo?

TimberwolfD

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Re: Protomech ACs and specialty ammunition
« Reply #1 on: 23 July 2024, 22:39:50 »
Another poster pointed out that Interstellar Operations supersedes the TRO: Prototypes, TRO: 3145, and especially the Mercenary Supplemental II tech tables. Using the IO Universal Technology Advancement Table, the answers to my original questions are:

1. The IO UTAT includes ProtoMech ACs with Flak Ammo compatibility.
1A. Flak does have an prototype date of ES
2. The IO UTAT includes PACs with Caseless Ammo compatibility
3. The IO UTAT includes PACs with Precision Ammo compatibility but does not include a clan introduction date, so any precision ammo used with a PAC would need to go through the IS/Clan ammo conversion rules. (No reason given for lack of clan interest in precision ammo.)