Battleforce: Designations for DropShips?

[Weirdo]

So my Battleforce-scale minis are usually named to describe their weight class position within their parent regiment. For example, the first lance(a heavyweight unit) within the second company of the first battalion is IDed as "121 HEAVY". A unit in a different regiment might substitute a letter instead of one of the numbers, such as "3B1 LIGHT", and so forth. Non-mech units(especially regimental-level assets not assigned to any of the line battalions) will sometimes have their unit type instead of weight class, such as "017 ART" or "SS2 INF". Clan units understandably get weird, with a name like "Alpha Beak 1" denoting the first Beak Star within my Jade Falcon Cluster's Alpha Trinary.

All this is to ask: What should I name my DropShips? My only thought so far is to just go with "DS1", "DS2", and so forth, but was wondering if anyone else had any ideas.

Note: I'm not looking to give these ships proper names, only designations.

[Alexander Knight]

Small (Size 1)
Medium (Size 2)
Heavy (3)

Role:  Transport / Attack / Carrier(?) / PWS

So...ST1, HP4, MA3....

[Hellraiser]

I was thinking something similar.

A = Assault/Attack Ship
C = Fighter Carrier
I = Infantry Carrier
M = Mech Carrier
V = Vehicle Carrier
X = Mixed Arms Carrier
S = Cargo/Supply Ship
W = Pocket Warship (Cap Missile Carrier)

Sizes could be

1/T = Tiny / ExtraSmall  (Under 1000T)
2/S = Small   (1000-3000T)
3/M = Medium  (3000-7000T)
4/L = Large  (7000-16000T)
5/U = Huge / ExtraLarge  (16001+)


Then # for total count of that "type".

3x Avengers are AS1, AS2, AS3
3x Unions are MM1, MM2, MM3
A lone Vengeance is LC1

[Maingunnery]

Sizes could be

1/T = Tiny / ExtraSmall  (Under 1000T)
2/S = Small   (1000-3000T)
3/M = Medium  (3000-7000T)
4/L = Large  (7000-16000T)
5/U = Huge / ExtraLarge  (16001+)

What about basing it upon the "SIZE CLASS DAMAGE TABLE"? [SO p73]

Especially the category of up to 5,000 tons is important as that would cover DropShuttles that fit into internal bays. 

[idea weenie]

I was thinking something similar.
Sizes could be

1/T = Tiny / ExtraSmall  (Under 1000T)
2/S = Small   (1000-3000T)
3/M = Medium  (3000-7000T)
4/L = Large  (7000-16000T)
5/U = Huge / ExtraLarge  (16001+)

Shatterzone had an interesting table, and modified it would be as follows:

Size 1: up to 1 kton
Size 2: up to 1.5 ktons
Size 3: up to 2.5 ktons
Size 4: up to 4 ktons
Size 5: up to 6 ktons
Size 6: up to 10 ktons
Size 7: up to 15 ktons
Size 8: up to 25 ktons
Size 9: up to 40 ktons
Size 10: up to 60 ktons
Size 11: up to 100 ktons

So Leopards would be a size 3, Unions a Size 4, Dropshuttles up to Size 5, Overlord a Size 6, a Mule is Size 7, A Mammoth is Size 10, and a Behemoth is Size 11.

[Alexander Knight]

Alpha Strike (And thus BattleForce) has 3 Sizes for DropShips

[Weirdo]

The issue with a lot of the suggestions is that it pretty much locks a mini in to represent a single class of ship or role, when the nature of Battleforce means a mini can be called on to represent all manner of things. I know there's no Canon Ninjas that will tell me I'm Doing It Wrong, it would still grate on my sensibilities to have to tell my opponent that the Davion Seeker-class they're trying to capture in this scenario is the mini labeled "FWLS I Am A Union". An exaggeration, but you get my meaning.

Thanks everyone, after letting this percolate overnight I think I've decided to go very simple, so all the ships will be DS1, DS2, etc, plus a note for size class.

[dgorsman]

"FWLS I Am A Union"

 ;D  Sounds like something Snord would do.


Something I think that is missing from the aerospace portion of BattleTech is hull designations for DropShips like for capital ships e.g. DD (destroyer), CCG (guided missile cruiser), BB (battleship), and so on.  For example, APT-21 for a Nagumo infantry troop transport.  Possibly even re-using amphibious designations such as LPD (landing platform, dock) or LSA (landing ship, assault) for Mech carriers.