Battle Armor and Infanrty Ground Formation Types

[MyndkryM]

A friend has let me borrow his Alpha Strike books (according to this https://bg.battletech.com/books/upcoming-releases/ , the Commander's Edition is due early 2019), so I've had a chance to do some reading :D .

I have some questions about Ground Formation Types (AS:C pg. 150) and if and how they relate to Battle Armor and Infantry units.

Using 'Mechs and Vehicles it seems pretty straight forward as how to determine which Formation Type a lance can qualify for, but BA and Infantry seems a little murky. How I read it, a pure BA/Inf lance could qualify as a Support Lance and pretty much nothing else.

Is this by design or am I missing something?

Thanks!

[nckestrel]

Yeah, the original set was very mech focused.
CM:Kurita adds the Anti-Mech Lance. Campaign Operations adds Urban combat Lance.

[ianpelgrim]

If you get 1 battle armor with the scout role. you can make a light battle lance.

[StingerTheRaven]

The following errata makes life even harder for conventional infantry:

Standard Force Organization Schemes Table and accompanying text (pp. 148 and 149)
When in reference to infantry formations, replace all references to an Inner Sphere/Periphery lance with company
instead. As far as standard Inner Sphere organization is concerned, an infantry platoon is already a lance.

I suppose you could, at least, cheese it by saying every single infantry platoon is its own separate support lance, and then strap 'em all to some other lance (like a striker lance; lord knows infantry could use the speed boost). After all, it doesn't say that two support lances can't support the same lance at a time, and it doesn't say that, for every 2 units in the supported lance, only one single-unit support lance gets the bonus...  ;)

[Scotty]

In order to receive formation bonuses, a formation must have at least three units in it.  Infantry platoons are just one unit.  ;)

[nckestrel]

Bingo, the terminology of lance, company, etc doesn’t matter. A formation has at least three units.

[StingerTheRaven]

I see, lance, company etc. is all esoteric labels that don't mean anything.. that's actually fairly comforting.

Thanks!

[glitterboy2098]

If you get 1 battle armor with the scout role. you can make a light battle lance.

The Fenrir Battle Armor is a scout in all its loadouts

though at a 8 inch movement value i believe it is too slow for a scout lance formation. but with BA you can use the "alternate Nova formation" rules if you are pairing BA and mechs/vees.

[nckestrel]

You can make a Recon Lance of all Fenrirs.  If all the units have the ideal role, it can ignore the other requirements.
Or any of these (a list of all Battle Armor with the Scout Role)
http://www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Filter?Name=&HasBV=false&MinTons=&MaxTons=&MinBV=&MaxBV=&MinIntro=&MaxIntro=&MinCost=&MaxCost=&HasRole=&HasBFAbility=&MinPV=&MaxPV=&Role=105&BookAuto=&FactionAuto=&SubTypes=28

There's quite a few BA can be part of if mixed with other unit types.
You can have one BA in a Fire Support Lance or Fire Lance (as a spotter?)
BA can be part of a Pursuit Lance.
One or two BA can be in a Command Lance.
Half a medium battle lance.
Some BA are fast enough to be up to half a Striker Lance or up to all of a Recon Lance even if not Scouts. 

And your Missile Boat BA list, Fire Lances have Missile Boat as its ideal role, so you can make Fire Lances of all BA with these.
http://www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Filter?Name=&HasBV=false&MinTons=&MaxTons=&MinBV=&MaxBV=&MinIntro=&MaxIntro=&MinCost=&MaxCost=&HasRole=&HasBFAbility=&MinPV=&MaxPV=&Role=110&BookAuto=&FactionAuto=&SubTypes=28

I believe there are several BA that can be a full Probe Lance. (Fenrir SRM for example).

[ianpelgrim]

Bingo, the terminology of lance, company, etc doesn’t matter. A formation has at least three units.

Where can i find this in the companion?

[DarkJaguar]

Where can i find this in the companion?

Page 150, "Bonus Abilities", End of the first paragraph.

A listed bonus ability remains usable in accordance with its rules as long as the formation has 3 units in the field that are not destroyed or routed.

[ianpelgrim]

Found It Thank you