Author Topic: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors  (Read 34119 times)

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« on: 10 March 2015, 02:02:31 »
So, one tidbit from Handbook: Major Periphery States was the Errant MechWarrior, lone hired guns defending minor Periphery worlds that their parent nations, if they have them, can't spare the resources to protect.  This, of course, conjures the image of the lone Old West gunfighter defending a town from a pack of desperados.

With that said, though, it's one thing to pack a pair of old Colt 1860 revolvers and keep 'em in powder and bullets.  It's another thing entirely to keep a BattleMech running in Nowhere, Middle Of.

So, how do these modern-day hired guns get by?  What kind of 'Mechs are best suited for the job, and how much could your average world do to keep them operating?
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #1 on: 10 March 2015, 02:21:36 »
To kick things off, there's the example of Uchi Tikidomo, a retired DCMS MechWarrior, who met the Ghost Bears in his Archer when they landed on Porthos, challenging them for control of the world.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Knightmare

  • BattleTech Developer
  • System Admin
  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 553
  • Wrench'in it
    • BattleTech.com
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #2 on: 10 March 2015, 09:08:54 »
Minor quibble. I believe Uchi was a woman?

My guess is she was capable of keeping her ’Mech in working order. Seeing as 3049 was the tail end of the Succession War-era—at least for a retired warrior such as herself—I wouldn't be all that surprised if Uchi had some technical skills in addition to her fighting ones.

If she didn't fire off LRMs all the time, what could she really need to keep her ’Mech "ready?" A little actuator lubricant here, a little cockpit window washer there, etc. 
BeemerCon Summarized. Knightmare, end of turn: "How come none of my weapons fired?"
Look, dude, when you are a real mechwarrior you don't need to get all dressed up in cooling suits and cool helmets to work on your mech. You just strip down to your 1980s panties and crop top vest and start wrenchin' it.
Yen Lo Wang = David Lo Pan

Saint

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2676
  • Keeper of the Reaper
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #3 on: 10 March 2015, 09:19:13 »
The best type of mech for this role would be a energy boat between 50 and 70 tons, and include jump jets. I would also try to come with some spare parts, and work it in the contract for spare part shipments to keep the mech up. I would pick the grasshopper H. It's got jump jets, good armor, and a decent punch.

I would also make sure to have a tech or at least have the skill to fix my own mech.
"Our eyes lie on Glory, Honor, Strength. Burned worlds will declare our name as cause."


Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #4 on: 10 March 2015, 10:10:02 »
Minor quibble. I believe Uchi was a woman?

My guess is she was capable of keeping her ’Mech in working order. Seeing as 3049 was the tail end of the Succession War-era—at least for a retired warrior such as herself—I wouldn't be all that surprised if Uchi had some technical skills in addition to her fighting ones.

If she didn't fire off LRMs all the time, what could she really need to keep her ’Mech "ready?" A little actuator lubricant here, a little cockpit window washer there, etc.

I haven't seen a physical copy of Invading Clans in some time, and lack the PDF, so it's possible Uchi was female.  My source was Sarna, which used male pronouns:

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Invasion_corridor_-_Clan_Ghost_Bear#Porthos_.28September_3049.29

And that certainly is part of the question: if you're an errant, do you patrol?  Just leave the 'Mech parked?  What kind of maintenance do you need?  How do you operate in general?
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Vehrec

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1198
  • Mr. Flibble is Very Cross
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #5 on: 10 March 2015, 10:15:35 »
The Knight Errant was really a myth of chivalrous literature even in the middle ages. 

That said, if you're an expert mechwarrior, come to defend our lands, we will offer you technical support, land to draw income from, a rank of General in our planetary militia, and all the praise our media can provide.  With the connections our government can offer, you'll be able to secure replacement parts even out in the Periphery.  Or you can side with the righteous rebels, who offer you a chance to throw off the chains of injustice and forge a new more equal society where the strong will not oppress the weak.  They can't offer you much money or influence, but they can offer skilled and worthy friends to help you in your cause.

The Errants also offer another interpretation of Battlemech durability-that with time and care, even a heavily damaged machine can be made right, that Mechs are perhaps not as fragile as the rules sometimes lead us to believe, and that most battles end by mutual consent when one side, clearly whipped, leaves the field.
*Insert support for fashionable faction of the week here*

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #6 on: 10 March 2015, 10:17:42 »
The best type of mech for this role would be a energy boat between 50 and 70 tons, and include jump jets. I would also try to come with some spare parts, and work it in the contract for spare part shipments to keep the mech up. I would pick the grasshopper H. It's got jump jets, good armor, and a decent punch.

I would also make sure to have a tech or at least have the skill to fix my own mech.

I thought about energy weapons, too, but then I got to wondering whether they're as optimal as we'd think: lasers and PPCs are fairly high-tech, and while they leave you independent of ammunition and reduce your logistical train on the short term, do their parts requirements outweigh the ammo requirements over the long term?

Size-wise, I think you may be on to something: an errant is gong to be stuck facing multiple opponents alone, which means you either need the maneuverability to be able to isolate your opponents when possible while still having the firepower and armor to oppose them.  A solid heavy or medium may be able to do the job, though I may prefer a GHR-5N for that role than a 5H.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

snewsom2997

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2187
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #7 on: 10 March 2015, 10:46:27 »
I would figure one of the 55 Ton designs, Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Wolverine. Most would have been manufactured in the periphery at one time or another, maybe even currently, so there would be some supplies

LRM's, SRM's and AC ammo are pretty easy to come by, and even manufacture in the periphery. If you want something less ammo dependent, there are versions of the 55 toners that swap the AC for Large Lasers or PPCs.

The one thing you may not be able to do is keep your mech in one standard configuration, you might have to swap an AC for a PPC or Large Laser, or a LRM with SRM rack or vice versa, or with medium lasers or Heat Sinks, all depending on salvage and supplies.

275 Engines are fairly common, so are the 3 ton Gyro that goes with it.

However after the Clan Invasion, the days of mechwarriors being cross trained as techs I think were over, as were the days of the tech able to scrounge together enough parts make a mech and to become mechwarriors.
« Last Edit: 10 March 2015, 14:01:16 by snewsom2997 »

DavyJones

  • Corporal
  • *
  • Posts: 62
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #8 on: 10 March 2015, 12:42:14 »
 A lone Gunslinger in the middle of nowhere there is only 1 thing he can depend on his Quickdraw   O0

Knightmare

  • BattleTech Developer
  • System Admin
  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 553
  • Wrench'in it
    • BattleTech.com
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #9 on: 10 March 2015, 14:38:53 »
You might also want to re-think Jump Jets.

Sure jump jets are great for mobility, but jumping 55 tons through the air puts a lot of stress on those actuator joints. If you're the sole operator AND tech, the additional maintenance may not be worth the headache or cost.

Just something to think about...
BeemerCon Summarized. Knightmare, end of turn: "How come none of my weapons fired?"
Look, dude, when you are a real mechwarrior you don't need to get all dressed up in cooling suits and cool helmets to work on your mech. You just strip down to your 1980s panties and crop top vest and start wrenchin' it.
Yen Lo Wang = David Lo Pan

Archangel

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5618
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #10 on: 10 March 2015, 17:12:53 »
Better to have them and not use them than not have them when you need them.  That is especially true if one is on patrol and suddenly finds oneself facing a full company of pirate raiders by oneself.  Speed alone might not be enough to get one out of a tight spot.
Detect evil first, smite second and ask questions later.

glitterboy2098

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 11991
    • The Temple Grounds - My Roleplaying and History website
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #11 on: 10 March 2015, 18:35:40 »
unless put to heavy use, battlemechs don't seem to need tons of maintenance.. and if a world can arrange to hire a 'knight errant' odds are they can arrange to have a tech hired to support them, and obtain supplies of the most important expendables (coolant, lubricants, etc.) on a regualr enough basis to support those they hired.

honestly the main thing i'd question is the idea of a single mech for a whole world.. i would assume that this would mainly be the case where the world is lightly populated, and only really boasts one major city (near the spaceport). and i would assume those worlds have some local militia with tanks (even if only support vee ones) and other vehicles to support the mech.

however i'd imagine that for most worlds they'd try to hire at least a lance. and for bigger worlds a company would probably be desired, if not larger. the bigger the world, the more places needing defending, so the more mechs they'd want.
« Last Edit: 10 March 2015, 18:37:36 by glitterboy2098 »

Saint

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2676
  • Keeper of the Reaper
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #12 on: 10 March 2015, 20:08:46 »
Agreed Jump Jets are like condoms and guns, better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them. ;D

For a medium something like the Cronus 3M or  Wolverine 6M are nice contenders.

"Our eyes lie on Glory, Honor, Strength. Burned worlds will declare our name as cause."


Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #13 on: 10 March 2015, 20:39:02 »
Also have to wonder how widespread sales of the Marshall are.

On the flipside, there's a bandit who gets written up in a Tech Readout and, IIRC, Total Warfare, whose a solo operator in an UrbanMech, which probably makes for one of the slowest crime sprees ever, but who probably has a lot of the same operational constraints.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

RunandFindOut

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1331
  • Master of the LolCat Horde
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #14 on: 11 March 2015, 00:11:49 »
One thing to remember is that as staff changed the amount of maintenance they require has quite literally changed.  In the beginning they were modeled on armor vehicles or WW2 fighters.  Where maintenance is required regularly but not nearly as intensively as a modern fighter.  Looking at write-ups from some of the very old materials mechwarriors handled at least some of the low-level PM stuff and often you'd have just one team of a couple 'techs' in an entire company.  Which is more in line with armored vehicles where quite a bit of the maintenance is done by the crew and specialists only come in on fairly major repairs.  And the original 'ideal' of one warrior and one tech per 'Mech is from WW2 fighters where often a unit would have a single pool of maintenance personnel but each one would be personally responsible for the minor PM and paperwork on a single aircraft. 
One does not just walk into Detroit

She ignored the dragon, and Freddy Mercury who arrived to battle it with the Power of Rock.

Arkansas Warrior

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 9203
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #15 on: 11 March 2015, 09:01:03 »
You might also want to re-think Jump Jets.

Sure jump jets are great for mobility, but jumping 55 tons through the air puts a lot of stress on those actuator joints. If you're the sole operator AND tech, the additional maintenance may not be worth the headache or cost.

Just something to think about...
Not to mention they're another sort of part that can fail that you have to know how to fix and be able to acquire supplies of.
Sunrise is Coming.

All Hail First Prince Melissa Davion, the Patron Saint of the Regimental Combat Team, who cowed Dainmar Liao, created the Model Army, and rescued Robinson!  May her light ever guide the sons of the Suns, May our daughters ever endeavour to emulate her!

Drewbacca

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3441
  • What could have been...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #16 on: 11 March 2015, 16:14:43 »
I have always been intrigued by the idea of a knight errant warrior on the periphery. I see this as a great subset of Battletech that never got enough credit. I would love to see more on this.

As far as the mech goes, I would also say a medium build mech with jump capabilities. You also have mechs that are fluffed as being easy to maintain like the Crab.

Drewbacca

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3441
  • What could have been...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #17 on: 11 March 2015, 16:20:27 »
So, one tidbit from Handbook: Major Periphery States was the Errant MechWarrior, lone hired guns defending minor Periphery worlds that their parent nations, if they have them, can't spare the resources to protect.  This, of course, conjures the image of the lone Old West gunfighter defending a town from a pack of desperados.

Where is this tidbit?

cray

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 6266
  • How's it sit? Pretty cunning, don't you think?
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #18 on: 11 March 2015, 16:23:08 »
So, how do these modern-day hired guns get by?  What kind of 'Mechs are best suited for the job, and how much could your average world do to keep them operating?

The ideal Periphery 'Mech will have:

Energy weapons. Take a look at the Force Operations beta rules, which consolidate the operating costs of 'Mechs and slap them in the face of players. A ton of LRM ammo is about three times the annual salary of a MechWarrior, and SRMs aren't far behind.

Common parts. 2- and 3-ton gyroscopes, 120-, 275-, 300-rated engines, major brand name weapons: things easy to find in the Periphery.

Everyone wants heavy armor, but put some thought into finding a 'Mech with lots of armor. Armor is cheaper to repair and easier to find than gyroscopes and new weapons.

At higher tech levels: CASE.

What can the planets provide? Depends on the place, but often not much if they're independent Periphery worlds, which tend to have tech scores (per USILR codes) of about D to F, while 'Mechs generally need C or better. They can probably provide lots of manpower, housing, and local scrip, but not much for the 'Mech and MechWarrior. Maybe armor and simple ammo types.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer

**"A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything." --Wash, Firefly.
**"Well, the first class name [for pocket WarShips]: 'Ship with delusions of grandeur that is going to evaporate 3.1 seconds after coming into NPPC range' tended to cause morale problems...." --Korzon77
**"Describe the Clans." "Imagine an entire civilization built out of 80’s Ric Flairs, Hulk Hogans, & Macho Man Randy Savages ruling over an entire labor force with Einstein Level Intelligence." --Jake Mikolaitis


Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.

Arkansas Warrior

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 9203
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #19 on: 11 March 2015, 16:38:17 »
The ideal Periphery 'Mech will have:

Energy weapons. Take a look at the Force Operations beta rules, which consolidate the operating costs of 'Mechs and slap them in the face of players. A ton of LRM ammo is about three times the annual salary of a MechWarrior, and SRMs aren't far behind.

Common parts. 2- and 3-ton gyroscopes, 120-, 275-, 300-rated engines, major brand name weapons: things easy to find in the Periphery.

Everyone wants heavy armor, but put some thought into finding a 'Mech with lots of armor. Armor is cheaper to repair and easier to find than gyroscopes and new weapons.

At higher tech levels: CASE.

What can the planets provide? Depends on the place, but often not much if they're independent Periphery worlds, which tend to have tech scores (per USILR codes) of about D to F, while 'Mechs generally need C or better. They can probably provide lots of manpower, housing, and local scrip, but not much for the 'Mech and MechWarrior. Maybe armor and simple ammo types.
So an Ostsol, Marauder-3D, or Chameleon would be about as close to the ideal as you can get?
« Last Edit: 11 March 2015, 16:42:07 by Arkansas Warrior »
Sunrise is Coming.

All Hail First Prince Melissa Davion, the Patron Saint of the Regimental Combat Team, who cowed Dainmar Liao, created the Model Army, and rescued Robinson!  May her light ever guide the sons of the Suns, May our daughters ever endeavour to emulate her!

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #20 on: 11 March 2015, 17:44:45 »
Where is this tidbit?

Handbook: Major Periphery States, page 57.  Under Summits and Spies, evidently.  The copy of HB:MPS I can currently find consists of the draft Word docs, and I don't know where my "print" PDF is at the moment, but I found it in the draft files as well.

So an Ostsol, Marauder-3D, or Chameleon would be about as close to the ideal as you can get?

Chameleon works fine, until you face off against three or four Jenners, and have to run from the Citadel.  ;D

Wouldn't the Marauder be a bit light on armor for its size?
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Lone Star

  • Corporal
  • *
  • Posts: 73
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #21 on: 11 March 2015, 20:15:44 »
He may be a lone mech pilot but its rare that any MechWarrior would operate totally alone. Techs, mission operators... There are simply too many needs to keep operating in the field for one person to manage all alone without some form of local support or bringing your own. What might that look like?

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Wayland_Mobile_Base

I had been sitting here thinking about updating the design. Maybe Cappellan like with stealth armor. It just occurred to me that that sort of vehicle would be ideal support for a small time operator to hire or own for repairs and supply.
« Last Edit: 11 March 2015, 20:18:10 by Lone Star »

Vehrec

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1198
  • Mr. Flibble is Very Cross
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #22 on: 11 March 2015, 23:26:32 »
The ideal Periphery 'Mech will have:

Energy weapons. Take a look at the Force Operations beta rules, which consolidate the operating costs of 'Mechs and slap them in the face of players. A ton of LRM ammo is about three times the annual salary of a MechWarrior, and SRMs aren't far behind.

Common parts. 2- and 3-ton gyroscopes, 120-, 275-, 300-rated engines, major brand name weapons: things easy to find in the Periphery.

Everyone wants heavy armor, but put some thought into finding a 'Mech with lots of armor. Armor is cheaper to repair and easier to find than gyroscopes and new weapons.

At higher tech levels: CASE.

What can the planets provide? Depends on the place, but often not much if they're independent Periphery worlds, which tend to have tech scores (per USILR codes) of about D to F, while 'Mechs generally need C or better. They can probably provide lots of manpower, housing, and local scrip, but not much for the 'Mech and MechWarrior. Maybe armor and simple ammo types.
There's no escaping the fact that those same rules require about .1% of a Mech's value in Spare Parts and other maintainance supplies per...month?  I don't have them open right now and I'm about to go hit the sack, but any time I hear 'lone mechwarrior opperating far from base of supply' what I actually hear is 'fluff and rules are getting into a fight again'.  Per the rules, basing your Mech for months or years out of primitive conditions is asking for breakdowns and problems-but per fluff, such things aren't unheard of, or even terribly remarked upon except when the mech in question is found wrapped in a scafold of bamboo platforms with only a tarp for a roof.

I think you're underestimating what even an independent world can provide if you give them a chance-while they might not be able to produce locally what you need, anywhere with decent merchant contacts can get you the supplies you need if you wait around for a while.  A while might be a couple of years, but it's the Periphery, and things move slower out there without HPGs or the numbers of Jumpships you get in the Sphere.  Still, a few tons of ammo or some armor aren't unreasonable, and scratch-building autocannon ammo or dumbfire SRM rounds might be a taxing project, but it wouldn't be impossible.
*Insert support for fashionable faction of the week here*

Intermittent_Coherence

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1165
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #23 on: 11 March 2015, 23:32:07 »
Quote
Chameleon works fine, until you face off against three or four Jenners, and have to run from the Citadel.
I wouldn't mind, though I'd probably mod it by trading in the machine guns and ammo for heat sinks.

Quote
So an Ostsol, Marauder-3D, or Chameleon would be about as close to the ideal as you can get?
Other designs to consider would be the Crab, the Lancelot, and at the heavy end, the Black Knight.

Lone Star

  • Corporal
  • *
  • Posts: 73
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #24 on: 11 March 2015, 23:59:09 »
If you are looking for a specific mech recommendation I would suggest the Cronus for a lone merc mech particularly based on the lore.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Cronus

Arkansas Warrior

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 9203
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #25 on: 12 March 2015, 08:29:57 »

Wouldn't the Marauder be a bit light on armor for its size?
Probably, but it has the flashbulb armament, 300-rated engine, and 3 ton gyro cray mentioned.  Not a lot of 75 tonners come as close to meeting all his points.  Black Knight and Flashman (4/6 variants,, at least) are a couple of others that I probably should've thought of though.
Sunrise is Coming.

All Hail First Prince Melissa Davion, the Patron Saint of the Regimental Combat Team, who cowed Dainmar Liao, created the Model Army, and rescued Robinson!  May her light ever guide the sons of the Suns, May our daughters ever endeavour to emulate her!

Mohammed As`Zaman Bey

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2187
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #26 on: 12 March 2015, 14:55:04 »
  If you are using 'Mech quirks my choice would be the Crab. 50 tons, good speed, energy loadout, and Easy to Maintain quirk.

SCC

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 8389
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #27 on: 12 March 2015, 17:44:42 »
Just remember that chances are whilst you are the only MechWarrior on the planet (At least with a working 'Mech) you'll be far from it's only defender. At the very least the planet will have infantry, and HTP: Tortuga suggests that ANY planet is capable of manufacturing vehicles

CrossfirePilot

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2249
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #28 on: 12 March 2015, 17:53:14 »
So, Lots of armor, energy weapons, no jump jets and a medium sized mech since repairs seem to go up exponentially with weight.  So what you really want is an old PHX-K?

RunandFindOut

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1331
  • Master of the LolCat Horde
Re: Have 'Mech, Will Travel: Errant MechWarriors
« Reply #29 on: 12 March 2015, 18:46:03 »
Or the old Wolverine-K variant or the Centurion-AL with something to replace the LRMs or a Swayback.

Also I think for a lot of people their image of the Inner Sphere has changed and along with it their expectation for the support required by battlemechs.  As of 3025 the Inner Sphere is not the First World.  The Inner Sphere in 3025 is post-colonial Africa of the 60s or 70s.  There are a few centers of industry that can build modern technology and war machines.  But most of the rest of the sphere are 3rd world crapholes that barely manage to make ends meet constantly wracked by warlords and revolutions. 

To use an analogy.  Most of the Inner Sphere are those drugged-up fighters in technicals led by madmen trying to claw out their own petty kingdom.  And the mechwarriors are the western mercenaries with modern french hardware that come in on one side or the other and devastate everything locally produced in the name of their paymaster until they come up against another group of well-equipped mercenaries and it turns into a serious fight.
One does not just walk into Detroit

She ignored the dragon, and Freddy Mercury who arrived to battle it with the Power of Rock.

 

Register