BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Game Systems => Aerospace Combat => Topic started by: Minemech on 11 October 2018, 21:53:30
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Which infantry unit do you prefer?
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For what role? What situation? And what's the difference between power armor and battle armor?
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For what role?
As marines of course, though feel free to mention other space related tasks that they may perform. You can use them on dropships, jumpships, warships, defending, or attacking space stations, installations (On planet, or space related targets), habitats, for intel gathering, or whatever you will.
What situation?
Feel free to nuance choices as you see fit, in discussion.
And what's the difference between power armor and battle armor?
Think units like the Tornado.
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So the choice is regular suited soldiers with some grounding in zero G combat, PA(L) using soldiers, full blown power armor, and specially trained spacesuit armor soldiers?
Going Xeno - they can board other ships and act as ground security. Unlike full blown battle armor, they aren't too big the way heavy and assault BA tend to be, at least for shipboard combat. They're basically PA(L) without the extra gear.
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For simplicity, I'm going to go with the Marik Xeno troopers, Comstar Marines, a Point of Space Elementals w/ Machine Guns, or a Squad of Tornado G13 PA(L) w/ Machine Guns.
Xeno Platoon: 0.5 Marine Points per trooper, 14 Marine Points total, 88 BV, 6.3 BV per Marine Point.
Marine Platoon: 2 Marine Points per trooper, 48 Marine Points total, 121 BV, 2.5 BV per Marine Point.
Tornado G13 Squad: 2 Marine Points per trooper, 12 Marine Points total, 119 BV, 9.9 BV per Marine Point.
Elemental (Space) Point: 5.5 Marine Points per trooper, 27.5 Marine Points total, 291 BV, 10.6 BV per Marine Point.
I'll take the Space Marines. Didn't do the math, but I bet it gets even more dramatic if you look at Marine Points per transport ton.
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Thanks for doing the math Weirdo... that was my initial sense after glancing at the rules. :thumbsup:
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Yeah, suits are terrifying on a per-trooper basis, but in the end it's hard to beat raw numbers.
The real advantages of BA are their ability to maneuver outside a ship, and because they've got so few actual troopers, your life support needs are probably lower in the long run. I haven't run the raw math there, so don't hold me to the last bit.
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In the design process, life support is just a C-Bill cost. The tonnage comes in for quarters, which could be bay quality. The break point for consumables between bay and steerage is on the order of months if I remember right.
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Yes, months.
Platoons of infantry beat squads of battle armor every time when it comes to marine points.
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What makes BA useful are their jump jets, allowing them to expend Thrust. They're not fast enough to catch any true mobile unit, but it can be useful when hitting 'fixed' locations like stations or JumpShips. When your assault boat doesn't need to come to a full and complete stop on top of the target, you gain maneuvering options, hopefully to reduce your exposure to fire.
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cleanup
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'Power armor' is probably Power Armor (Light), more commonly PA(L), like the Nighthawk suit.
Jump Infantry used to be a thing, back in the day, but Elementals changed all that forever. Nowadays the role we used to use Jump Infantry for is now mostly done by Battle Armor and/or airmobile VTOL/WiGE infantry, of which there are many, many more kinds than there was when the Elemental landed on the Inner Sphere with both booted feet.
Stone's Trackers have been my favorite infantry for a while now, not so much that they are/were Republic forces, and therefore new and updated, but because they are such unapologetic SOBs in their source book. Support by 'Dezgra' Wights and RISC tech probably helps, too. :)
I like Jump Infantry, it is simply fun to use. Has it been abandoned in general play? I respect Battle Armor, and Elementals were sufficiently well rounded that they forced respect, but I never dropped my love of conventional infantry.
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cleanup
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Elemental (Space) Point: 5.5 Marine Points per trooper, 27.5 Marine Points total, 291 BV, 10.6 BV per Marine Point.
Just thinking... Didn't we decide a while back Golems were good at this?
And I am going to throw in a plug for Constables. Swiss Army Battle Armor.
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I'd take Marian Space Marines armed with Heavy Gyrojet Guns and Light SRM Launchers.
That's 40x Gyrojet, H ( .21 each ) and 10x SRM, L ( .53 each ) for Range 2 ( 6 hexes ) and 2 damage each Squad ( 2.42 @ 5 ). < 2.23 / 2 damage if I went Inferno... >
TT
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In space?!? I hope you like replacing Marines on a regular basis.
And ships.
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Technically, their paid slaves that either fight or die, so long as the objective is completed in the name of Cesar and the Hegemony! Who cares, right? :thumbsup:
TT
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1: No. They really, REALLY aren't.
2: Even if they were(still aren't), there's no point if they're going to year up the ship you're trying to defend/capture. It's quite literally the definition of counterproductive.
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Power Armor works good enough most times and since you are paying life support cost for people it is best that those people can be repurposed to other tasks . Power armor fits the bill better . All space marines have is zero g training and can be Gunners and Astechs on Aerospace assets thus extra crew . A Power Armor trooper needs zero g training and the officer or NCO in charge has to have more training to lead the in Space . Kagi or Void are my preffered suits in space . Kanazuchi for docking collar airlock security. Cross training the gunner crew as marines or using marines as gunner crew is a optimal use of existing life support . If your expending any extra for troops power armor is a better investment
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I know that Weirdo, was joking.
And IF I don't want the ship just it's cargo... a spaced hull works best for raids, I can always patch a leaky hole in a wall or three. ;)
TT
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Just thinking... Didn't we decide a while back Golems were good at this?
And I am going to throw in a plug for Constables. Swiss Army Battle Armor.
I think some of the discussion was Salamanders w/ their double flamers & claws. The double HMGs some of the suits fielded were supposed to make them superior from what I remember in that discussion- below is why that reasoning seemed out of step to me.
Honestly, I would also question how good marines weapons would be against BA- the point of their weapon loads is not to breach the hull, punch holes inside the ship, set off explode-y bits, or wreck pieces that would be nearly impossible (or really expensive) to replace for the ship's function. Which means lasers, flamers, needlers, shotguns, and blades/claws are going to be among some of the best boarding weapons . . . and most of them are going to have to chew at the crunchy shell of BA.
Would the Drac's Kishi, being urban specialized with its HMG (see above) and heavy vibroclaw & reflect armor be good as a Marine suit? - not sure there is another Reflec BA in mass production.
Finally, the discussion about bays/quarters . . . BV is an arbitrary measurement- if you have 28 marine quarters on your warship/JS/DS then you are going to put some troops equipped with whatever works best in the corridors of your ship (for instance, Whirlwind IIRC, will not have Elementals wearing BA). While on TT a BA squad is the smallest break down of that unit, and the Platoon is the smallest . . . they really do not compare for this purpose at the organizational level.
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Xenos all the way. :)