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General BattleTech Discussion / Re: Upcoming Releases XXIX: First Annual 29th Birthday
« Last post by rebs on 21 May 2024, 23:24:21 »Life is beautiful like that sometimes lol
Recent Posts
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Novel and Sourcebook Reviews / Re: Without Question
« Last post by Generic Clanner 24601 on 21 May 2024, 22:35:06 »I figured he wasn't going to die just because I saw how much book was left, but I did appreciate that everything didn't go according to plan. It made the end of the book more interesting than just "a-ha! I have outsmarted you. Now, let me explain to you how it was that you were outsmarted!"
It was more, "Aha! I outsmarted you. Maybe not quite as much as I wish I had..."
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General BattleTech Discussion / Re: Best Era
« Last post by Hellraiser on 21 May 2024, 22:27:50 »The Civil War feels too brief and too indistinct to me to be its own era. For me, it should either get rolled in as the prelude to the Jihad or the last coda of the Clan Invasion.
I can't disagree here.
It feels like 3057 (Refusal War/Op:Guerrero) to 3085 (Tikonov Treaty) should be lumped together into the "Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting" Era, or, you know, "Kill Em All / Blitzkrieg!"
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Ground Combat / Re: TSM in game: Walk with me so I understand it better....
« Last post by Cannonshop on 21 May 2024, 22:23:53 »1. I think the designer had the mech set up as a WYSIWYG design, and then said, "What can I do to use up some Internals, I know, TSM".
It's not Horrible, but, it does require a lot of dialing the heatsinks the turn before to "manage" it well.
2. Uhm, I don't think that is how Snubbies work. The damage is range dependent but I've never heard of the HEAT being so.
I think NK's point was that the 'mech was poorly laid out to actually USE the TSM, something that's pretty common with MOST of the canon TSM designs-they aren't actually set up to make use of it, and the few that are? are kinda twinky.
It's almost as if the designers either don't play the game (or units they design) or they really don't want players to use that ability.
I say 'almost' because I know that's not what's going on, but to an end-user that's what it LOOKS LIKE.
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Fan Fiction / Re: It's a family curse.
« Last post by Cannonshop on 21 May 2024, 22:15:43 »"It's almost heresy to say that...
...out loud, especially around here, your grace." Kommandant Walsh commented.
Elizabeth shrugged as the security officer did her duty looking for listening devices in the lobby of Mount Asgard. "Heresy or not, it's a fact, Herr Kommandant. I really can't afford to field Assault class battlemechs in my militia-they cost too much in upkeep to even contemplate it as a joke."
"Is that the opinion of an uneducated girl I hear?" he teased.
"No, that's the opinion of the very well educated military professionals the uneducated girl hired to organize her militia into something we could actually field." Liz said tartly. "Individually, or in a duel, an assault 'mech is what you want, so I'm told, they're very hard to kill and at any single point they can be overwhelming to defenses...individually."
"Clear, Your Grace."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Liz collected her handbag from the scanner. "but there's a problem. Armies run on budgets, and the enemy isn't always courteous enough to be where your assault 'mech happens to be-and the assault class is, with one exception (and who wants chargers?) expensive and slow. It demands a lot in transport and upkeep, and it has a much narrower range of rapid deployment options than, say, the lance of Mediums you could have bought instead...and the mediums give a broader coverage, can be repaired more quickly from serious damage, and can be replaced more readily with less tac-time at the factory, because the work can move faster."
"So, you see the battlemech as a tool of offense?"
she shrugged, "It's logical." She told the man from Dept. of Liaison. "The battlemechs are the point of the spear, I spent a lot of time on the shaft leading to that point-the supply chain, how to get the most from stockpiles and manufacturing, even training and practices, not just for the operators on the front line, but the support entity that gets them the tools and supplies they need to be effective. Soldiers without ammunition don't fight for long, soldiers without food starve to death, without medication they die of minor injuries, without shelter they freeze or worse, and equipment you can't repair is useless."
"I understand that, it's basic." He agreed.
"Do you? Thirty five percent." Elizabeth said, "It's why I'm supposed to brief your seniors, Herr Kommandant. Thirty five percent of the line units in the Federated Commonwealth are considered 'ready', we have Regimental Combat Teams still rebuilding three years after being savaged by the Clans."
she followed him to a lift, "I would say that intellectually you've been taught about logistics, but despite our nation's proud history, someone in the departments of supply and requisition spends far too much of their day reviewing back issues of Merc Quarterly, dreaming of leaving all of this for the glories of solaris or something. We have as a Nation, as Lyrans an unfortunate habit of producing lots of big machines and excellent pilots, and then turning them over to the mercenary market in droves. It costs us a thirty five percent readiness rate and thus far, forty percent of the realm. IN business terms, it means losing forty percent of your customer base and a third of your best employees annually-that's a recipe for going out of business." he punched the lift's destination as she ranted. "I would prefer NOT to be the generation that saw the great Lyran Fire and Going out of Business sale."
...out loud, especially around here, your grace." Kommandant Walsh commented.
Elizabeth shrugged as the security officer did her duty looking for listening devices in the lobby of Mount Asgard. "Heresy or not, it's a fact, Herr Kommandant. I really can't afford to field Assault class battlemechs in my militia-they cost too much in upkeep to even contemplate it as a joke."
"Is that the opinion of an uneducated girl I hear?" he teased.
"No, that's the opinion of the very well educated military professionals the uneducated girl hired to organize her militia into something we could actually field." Liz said tartly. "Individually, or in a duel, an assault 'mech is what you want, so I'm told, they're very hard to kill and at any single point they can be overwhelming to defenses...individually."
"Clear, Your Grace."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Liz collected her handbag from the scanner. "but there's a problem. Armies run on budgets, and the enemy isn't always courteous enough to be where your assault 'mech happens to be-and the assault class is, with one exception (and who wants chargers?) expensive and slow. It demands a lot in transport and upkeep, and it has a much narrower range of rapid deployment options than, say, the lance of Mediums you could have bought instead...and the mediums give a broader coverage, can be repaired more quickly from serious damage, and can be replaced more readily with less tac-time at the factory, because the work can move faster."
"So, you see the battlemech as a tool of offense?"
she shrugged, "It's logical." She told the man from Dept. of Liaison. "The battlemechs are the point of the spear, I spent a lot of time on the shaft leading to that point-the supply chain, how to get the most from stockpiles and manufacturing, even training and practices, not just for the operators on the front line, but the support entity that gets them the tools and supplies they need to be effective. Soldiers without ammunition don't fight for long, soldiers without food starve to death, without medication they die of minor injuries, without shelter they freeze or worse, and equipment you can't repair is useless."
"I understand that, it's basic." He agreed.
"Do you? Thirty five percent." Elizabeth said, "It's why I'm supposed to brief your seniors, Herr Kommandant. Thirty five percent of the line units in the Federated Commonwealth are considered 'ready', we have Regimental Combat Teams still rebuilding three years after being savaged by the Clans."
she followed him to a lift, "I would say that intellectually you've been taught about logistics, but despite our nation's proud history, someone in the departments of supply and requisition spends far too much of their day reviewing back issues of Merc Quarterly, dreaming of leaving all of this for the glories of solaris or something. We have as a Nation, as Lyrans an unfortunate habit of producing lots of big machines and excellent pilots, and then turning them over to the mercenary market in droves. It costs us a thirty five percent readiness rate and thus far, forty percent of the realm. IN business terms, it means losing forty percent of your customer base and a third of your best employees annually-that's a recipe for going out of business." he punched the lift's destination as she ranted. "I would prefer NOT to be the generation that saw the great Lyran Fire and Going out of Business sale."
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General BattleTech Discussion / Re: Best Era
« Last post by VanVelding on 21 May 2024, 22:03:55 »The Civil War feels too brief and too indistinct to me to be its own era. For me, it should either get rolled in as the prelude to the Jihad or the last coda of the Clan Invasion.There are dozens of us! Dozens!
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Ground Combat / Re: TSM in game: Walk with me so I understand it better....
« Last post by Hellraiser on 21 May 2024, 22:03:38 »Thug -13U is a bad TSM design.
....
It doesn’t even have any weapons that generate an odd number of heat points _except_ when it’s firing _only one_ of its Snub-Nosed PPCs at long-range.
1. I think the designer had the mech set up as a WYSIWYG design, and then said, "What can I do to use up some Internals, I know, TSM".
It's not Horrible, but, it does require a lot of dialing the heatsinks the turn before to "manage" it well.
2. Uhm, I don't think that is how Snubbies work. The damage is range dependent but I've never heard of the HEAT being so.
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General BattleTech Discussion / Re: What is the issue with Aerospace? Why is it supposedly "unpopular" with players?
« Last post by Hellraiser on 21 May 2024, 21:58:29 »Generally you’re going to have rapid-fire machine guns or powerful long-range missiles,Maybe in air, but in space across thousands of kilometers, a laser is far more likely to hit I would think, since the target won't even be there by the time the bullet/missile does.
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Challenges and Gatherings / Re: Battletech Long Island III
« Last post by Kem on 21 May 2024, 21:52:53 »You are more than welcome to join us on Sunday.
As for what is posted it is a lot. This thing has been running for almost ten years so we have a lot going on.
If you wish to play I always have something that anyone can jump in and play.
Hit me with a DM with info and I'll see about stopping by at least for a bit. Sunday might be odd for me this weekend so I might not have too long this time.
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Challenges and Gatherings / Re: Battletech Long Island III
« Last post by IronbornGreyjoy on 21 May 2024, 21:48:36 »Only up my friend .... only up
Well, don't leave me in suspense for too long. I wrote the beginning. It's your move now.
