David vs Goliath, or, fighting Elementals loss and cost-effectively.

[EPG]

Will the non-combat vehicles that is only needs for making the defensive position counts for 'no vehicle' restriction? Such as 3ton trucks as you mentioned or any devices that is used for dig the mud.

Besides, is it only needs to the defense against the elemental? I did suspect that the worst thing is mechs and armors but isn't a consideration as the possible enemy? Only for against elementals it's rather a child's play, however.

And what about anti air? Nothing could do against even one single conventional aircraft, and you know clans almost never uses that unless for some local defense force, and it's ASF at worst. Anyway, you need a AA battery at least so it won't be a thing for the infantry tactics and we can just keep focus on the ground combat?

Hence my call for plenty of  towed AC2 guns, LRM,s and anti elemental mines.  AC2’s and LRM’s are great force multipliers for infantry on the defense, against anyone trying to take their position.  Soften them up at range (or provide good AA) and by the time they are close enough to do serious damage to your infantry you can hit back on more reasonable terms.

[Daryk]

The lightest AOE weapon (that doesn't require BA to carry it) is the 'Mech Mortar/1 at 2 tons (with IS tech).  That could be towed by a three-ton truck, but I think it violates the OP's "only infantry" rule...

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

And sadly it is considered as missiles, rather than autocannon, that is allowed to be used for the field guns.

But that's allowed for building's weapons. Will the muddy surface allows to makes any defensive line? It doesn't need to be castle brian level, but only a light gun emplacement is enough for house a mech mortar. But is it also off limit too?

[monbvol]

Make lots of clay bricks in the kilns.  And I mean lots.

While those cook dig ring trenches around important locations and along likely paths of approaches to positions of importance.  At least six meters deep and thirty meters wide with an internal diameter of 150 meters.  This should be considered the smallest fighting position and many rings should have a much larger internal diameter.

Once the bricks are done at the make an 18 meter high wall as thick as possible 90 meters back from the trench.  Fill the inside of the wall with particularly liquified mud so when the enemy gets the bright idea of shooting the walls instead of trying to go over them a torrent of mud comes out and swallows up enemy Battlearmor while troops atop the walls(ideally cover should be built into the walls for such troops) lay down fire into now severely bogged down Battlearmor.

Then unleash the Elbonian Secret Weapon!  A trebuchet flinging more bricks from the kilns!

But yeah more seriously the key will be indeed to try and limit how much invading Battlearmor can use their jump MP by using the land to your advantage.

Battlearmor are just too durable and mobile to really play the range game, especially since they can be air deployed, which the Battlearmor have to be invaders somehow.  So having solid AA capabilities for your local troops is going to be very important and honestly I might consider focusing more on sheer damage than range because of the mobility advantage of Battlearmor and their ability to be air deployed.  If you can get both, great.

[Daryk]

The mobility advantage can be mitigated (not eliminated) with the Foot Cavalry "SPA" from the AToW Companion (page 71).  A single AA weapon per squad with the rest being armed with Suns Killers is a decent way to shoot down aircraft (the AA weapon allows the squad to shoot at aircraft, and the Suns Killers give 5/10/15 range).

[Balian d’Ibelin]

Tandem-charge SRMs.  While they should be Toad killers, just buy a lot and have a shot at killing them on a 10+.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Tandem-charge SRMs.  While they should be Toad killers, just buy a lot and have a shot at killing them on a 10+.

Wait, can the infantry uses the standard SRM launcher? I thought that the SRM they had is the smaller launcher for the infantry rather than battle armor/standard armored unit grade but was it interchangeable?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm pretty sure that SRM infantry can use any standard type of SRM ammo.  Though using tear gas SRMs could be problematic if they forget the difference between upwind and downwind.

[RifleMech]

Broadly speaking, the good spots for settlements are all taken already, and while the surface is muddy and as flat as the everglades, it's not like there's an abundance of airboat parts or high power engines.  But this is part of a larger trend in this thread which I made to be about fighting elementals with just infantry with anything but infantry.

So let me be clear on the rules here.  NO VEHICLES OF ANY KIND.  No power-armor.  No Mechs.  No air forces.  We are asking for tactics and weapons to use to fight Elementals with leg infantry-and win without taking 10:1 losses.

Artillery Cannons for area effect, Rifle Cannons for direct fire. LRM, SRM, and Mortars with inferno rounds for mass death and keeping the BA at a distance. Sniper Rifles to pick off BA that the AC and RC miss. Trenchwork Engineer Infantry to make trenches to protect the other infantry.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

I'm pretty sure that SRM infantry can use any standard type of SRM ammo.  Though using tear gas SRMs could be problematic if they forget the difference between upwind and downwind.

And I bet that it's the infantry who will be hit hard by the tear gas than the elementals.

So, although they had the different range with the standard weapons, but it's still considered as the same SRM and able to use the same kind of alternative ammunitions? That's a good news, then.

[monbvol]

And I bet that it's the infantry who will be hit hard by the tear gas than the elementals.

So, although they had the different range with the standard weapons, but it's still considered as the same SRM and able to use the same kind of alternative ammunitions? That's a good news, then.

Every RPG and Infantry ruleset though has made it pretty clear the Infantry SRM is related but different.  Kind of like calling a great dane and a doberman dogs, while both clearly are dogs they are capable of very different but still roughly similar things.

[Kos]

And I bet that it's the infantry who will be hit hard by the tear gas than the elementals.

So, although they had the different range with the standard weapons, but it's still considered as the same SRM and able to use the same kind of alternative ammunitions? That's a good news, then.

...uh...I'm not sure that is actually the case..? Rocks if it is allowed re:tandem charges. Unsure...checking...

[monbvol]

Yeah the only place where I've seen anything besides Inferno being available to infantry SRMs are the RPGs.

[Kos]

Ya, sadly tac ops says tandems only for standard SRM and MML...

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And if Infernos weren't absurdly good for killing BA, that might be an issue.