Author Topic: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare  (Read 18195 times)

Retry

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Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« on: 14 July 2019, 21:34:51 »
I use infantry quite frequently on tabletop, because I enjoy fooling around with combined arms.  They're fairly okay on the board when used in combined arms.  But I've never been totally satisfied with the system, especially when infantry are viewed by themselves.

I know infantry are really abstract for a reason.  They're infantry, in a Mech game, in a Mech world.  It's not about them.
 I get that.  Still, I feel there's a more satisfying way to implement them.

As is currently the case, infantry gets a primary weapon, and up to 2 secondary weapons.  The infantry uses the primary system's range brackets, unless you use 2 secondaries, then they use the secondary weapon's range brackets.  This results in weird things like slapping on 1 Bearhunter to a clan point with ER laser rifles to magically improve their long-range damage, or pairing autorifles with 2 long-ranged support lasers to extend the firepower of the whole platoon far longer than they would.  In both cases the stark differences between the primary and the secondary are lost to the magic of abstraction.

Similarly, the difference between different types of AToW weapons is lost under abstraction.  What's the practical difference between a Thunderstroke II, a Sniper Rifle, a Heavy Gyrojet Gun, and a Blazer Rifle?  Damage.  BV.  That's about it.  All of the range-2 primary weapons are simply higher-power or lower-power versions of each other, or that's how it feels.  Same for the range-1 and range-3's.  So what's the point of custom-designing an infantry platoon with weapons X, Y, or Z?

Many would probably say "flavor".  There's a whole bunch of different labels on them, for sure.  But no matter the label, they all seem to taste like margarine.

Unsatisfied with the current interpretation of infantry, I tried to make my own.

The first thing I learned is that I have way too much spare time.  The second thing I discovered was that there was a lot of small arms and support weapons available.  I ended up trimming off a ton of the weakest small arms like pistols just because I don't think having them would have added anything useful (though I did end up adding some subvariants to weapons and a few entirely new ones).  And the third thing I found out is: This is way harder than I thought.

Here is a rough idea of my "design goals" for the weapon overhaul I was making.
  • Reduce the effective firepower of most Primary weapons against heavy armor
  • Make the various Primary weapons in such a way that many have different roles and that they feel at least somewhat different from each other
  • On Primary weapons, "Pinch the extremes": Tame the Mauser IIC, give some of the workhorses (laser rifle) a bit more bite.
  • Design the Secondary Weapons to have distinct niches
  • Designing and using custom (and canon) infantry platoons should hopefully be more engaging than currently.
  • Overall, the player should have to make interesting choices in weapon loadout during the design phase based on what they want their infantry platoon to look like and what they want them to accomplish.

To do that, instead of using a formula for converting AToW weapons to the table top, I looked at their fluff first to see what "role" the weapon fills and used their AToW stats as a rough guideline to stat them out.  Sometimes I'd change the weapon a little bit more than I'd like to make it actually fit the role properly.  Call it "artistic liberties" if you will.

I feel pretty good about the result.  It's not perfect by any means, and I'll probably change a weapon or two or ten, but overall I feel this system allows for making infantry platoons that are far more interesting.

Now, what this does NOT do is make infantry simpler.  This would not be a good rule set if you want to plop a battalion of Redshirts on the field for your PCs to wipe up.  Infantry can now possess up to 3 weapon attacks, not considering anti-mech attacks, and there's different range & damage brackets for most of the infantry-scale stuff depending on if you're targeting armor/BA or another infantry platoon.  What it CAN do is make smaller scuffles more interesting, especially those that heavily feature infantry on both sides.  A clan Solahma battalion's last hurrah against an IS garrison.  An IS infantry unit's unfortunate first encounter with Elementals from the invading Clans.  Intense urban combat to dislodge a stubborn garrison with light 'Mech support.  Even a boarding action in space.

The overall infantry overhaul is not complete per say (weapons don't even have a BV value here), but I feel good enough about what I have right now to share what I have.  So, here it is.

Under these rules, Infantry have 3 weapon slots: 1 Primary weapon & 2 Support Weapons per squad. All infantry groups must have at least a primary weapon, while they can also choose to use 0, 1, or 2 of the support slots.

Infantry primary weapons (usually) have 2 different damage & range values for use vs infantry & soft-skin targets (BAR 5 and under) and for use vs armored targets (BAR 6+, including tanks, 'Mechs, BA, VTOLs). Primary weapons usually, but don't always, have higher damage and range versus soft-skin targets.

Primary weapons in CBT play are assumed to have enough ammunition to last them the entire scenario, while support weapons have to track ammunition consumption.  If a Squad-sized element has "spare crew", extra soldiers can be assigned to a weapon to increase the amount of ammo carried by the support weapon.  For instance, a four-man squad is assigned a Heavy Mortar (3 crew, 4 ammo) and thus has 1 spare crew.  If desired, the spare crew can be assigned to the Heavy Mortar, increasing the ammunition load by an extra 4, to a total of 8. 

Generic Weapon Special Feature List:
A-Anti-Aircraft, can fire
B-Heavy Burst, -1 to-hit at hex 0, +1D6 extra damage vs conventional infantry platoons
P-Infantry Pulse Weapon, -1 to-hit at all ranges, +1D6 extra damage vs conventional infantry platoons
F-Fire based weapon, inflicts half of its damage in heat for heat tracking units rounded down, +1D6 extra damage vs conventional infantry platoons
F+-Infantry Flamer, inflicts its damage in heat for heat tracking units, +2D6 extra damage vs conventional infantry platoons
N-Non-penetrating, only useful against conventional infantry.
STAT-Static weapon, cannot be used in a turn that the platoon moved any hexes (movement inside the hex/face changes are ok). Cannot be used during combat within buildings.
STAT--A lesser version of Static Weapon, simply suffers 'Mech-like to-hit modifiers for movement (+1 walking, +3 jumping)
CQC-Close range specialist weapon. -1 to-hit at short range, ignores to-hit penalties associated with firing within buildings, and always assigns its full value to the infantry it attacks (heavy/hardened buildings don't absorb a CQC weapon's attack in CQC)
IDF-Indirect-Fire Capable
LR-Long range specialist weapon. -1 to hit targets further than Medium Range, +1 to hit targets closer than medium range.
AM-Anti Material, ignores the small arms halving effect of Mechanized Infantry & uses the best range brackets & damage value against MECH infantry, BA, Protomechs, and Vehicles/Mechs under 20 tons.
MIN1-Always deals a minimum of 1 damage on a hit, even if the damage would round down.
CGL-Compact Grenade Launcher: Once per scenario the weapon can use its compact grenade launcher with .4 damage/person & range brackets 1/2/3 as a one-shot attack. Cannot hit units in its own hex.
VIBRO-The weapon comes with a vibro-bayonet as standard, increasing damage by .2 when attacking units in the same hex as it.
BLK-Bulky, +1 to-hit penalty against infantry and BA sized targets
Other Non-generic special features will be described in the entry itself

PRIMARY WEAPONS
Code: [Select]
Primary weapons multiply their damage value with the # of hitting troopers and always deal their damage in 2 point clusters.
Left #s anti-infantry | right numbers anti-vehicle

BALLISTIC

ASSAULT, BATTLE, CARBINE

Generic Modern Auto-Rifle
Damage .38|.28
Range 3/6/9|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Cost 80
Specials: N/A
The ubiquitous auto-rifle is the most common weapon in IS militaries

Bolt-Action Rifle
Damage .20|.10
Range 3/6/9|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating B/A-A-A-B
Bolt-action rifles are usually used for target practice and hunting, with only the most desperate fielding them to defend their homes.

Federated Long Rifle
Damage .32|.21
Range 4/8/12|2/3/4
Crew 1
Rating C/X-C-A-B
Cost 120 C-Bills
Specials: N/A
The old standard-issue battle rifle of the Federated Suns, the Long is marginally less powerful but more accurate than most assault rifles. Replaced on the front by the M42B.
Variants:
"Federated Long DMR": As Long Rifle, but +30 C-Bills, has specials LR, STAT-, MIN1

Federated-Barret M42B Rifle System
Damage .72|.52
Range 3/6/9|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating C/X-X-D-C
Cost 1385 C-Bills
Specials: B, CGL
One of the most advanced and powerful assault rifles on the market, the M42B is often used by Fed Suns special forces.

M&G G-150 Hunting Rifle
Damage .28|.24
Range 4/7/10|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating C/X-X-C-B
Cost 270
Specials: N/A
While designed as a hunting rifle, the Lyran Alliance G-150 makes for an effective battle rifle. It also comes in a DMR variant.
Variants:
"G-150 DMR"-As G-150, but +30 C-Bills, with the specials LR, STAT-, MIN1

AX-22 Imperator Assault Rifle
Damage .42|.31
Range 3/6/9|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating C/X-X-B-B
Cost 200
Specials: N/A
The Free Worlds League standard assault rifle, it is considered to be a stellar example of its class.

TK Assault Rifle
Damage .35|.28
Range 2/5/8|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating C/X-C-A-B
Cost 150
Specials: N/A
While perfectly functional, rugged and reliable, this standard-issue Lyran assault rifle is considered to be inferior to other designs.

Zeus Heavy Rifle
Damage .24|.38
Range 3/5/8|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating C/C-B-B-B
Cost 200
Specials:AM, MIN1.
While lacking against conventional infantry, the Zeus is a powerful anti-material rifle that's proven to be fairly effective against Battle Armor and lightweight vehicles, although not as good as dedicated gauss weaponry.

Ceres Arms Striker Carbine
Damage .43|.21
Range 2/5/8|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating D/X-X-D-D
Cost 875
Specials:B, CQC
The Capellan standard-issue carbine lacks anti-vehicle stopping power, but its high rate of fire, ammunition capacity, and compactness makes it nearly unrivaled in urban combat.

SNIPER

Generic Sniper Rifle
Damage .25|.35
Range 4/9/14|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating B/C-C-C-C
Cost 350
Specials: LR, STAT, MIN1
Dispatching threats precisely from the safety of far away is an old niche that sniper rifles fill. However, they're very bulky for a footsoldier to handle and are tricky to use during mobile encounters.

Ceres Arms Stalker Sniper Rifle
Damage .35|.40
Range 6/12/18|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating C/X-X-D-D
Specials: LR, STAT, AM, MIN1
Cost: 5000
The Stalker Sniper Rifle was made to compete with the Zeus, but ended up fulfilling a different role entirely as one of the longest ranged sniper rifles on the market. The Stalker is popular with the Capellan Home Guard. More than one Mechwarrior has lost their life out-of-cockpit with a 12mm shell through their face from what they thought was a safe distance away from the front.

Minolta 9000 Advanced Sniper System
Damage .40|.20
Range 5/10/15|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating D/X-X-E-D
Specials: LR, MIN1, STAT-
Cost 1000
Another Capellan sniper rifle, the M9000 **** is lightweight and accurate due to Endo-Steel construction and is preferred by the Death Commandos

SHOTGUNS & SMGs

Combat Shotgun
Damage .70|.05
Range 0/1/2|0/0/0
Crew 1
Rating C/B-B-B-B
Specials:CQC
Cost 175
A generic combat shotgun, usually used in CQC or on Warships due to low risk of penetrating anything important.

Avenger CCW
Damage .75|.15
Range 1/2/2|0/1/2
Crew 1
Rating C/X-X-D-E
Specials:CQC
Cost 345
A clan design, the Avenger is ruthlessly efficient and fatal for a "crowd control weapon". The weapon also has slug ammunition available which is only a modest improvement in anti-BA and anti-light vehicle roles.

Generic Submachine gun
Damage .40|.15
Range 1/2/3|0/0/0
Crew 1
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Specials:CQC
Cost 80
The SMG is cheap, simple, and effective in close quarters.

KA-23 Subgun
Damage .52|.18
Range 2/3/4|0/0/0
Crew 1
Rating D/X-C-D-D
Specials:CQC
Cost 350
A favorite among the DEST, the KA-23 is considered to be one of the finest SMGs in the Inner Sphere.

Gunther MP-20
Damage .45|.27
Range 1/2/2|0/0/0
Crew 1
Rating C/X-E-C-C
Specials:CQC
Cost 125
A Lyran Alliance design, the Gunther MP-20 fires larger bullets at a slower rate than the typical SMG.

Imperator 2894A1
Damage .42|.24
Range 1/2/3|0/0/0
Crew 1
Rating C/X-C-B-C
Specials:CQC
Cost 100
Firing a slightly larger bullet, the FWL SMG has slightly better armor tearing abilities than the generic model.

GAUSS

Gauss SMG (clan)
Damage .52|.32
Range 3/5/7|1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating E/X-X-E/E
Specials:CQC
Cost 2000
An innovative weapon first designed by the clans to combat insurgencies during their invasion of the Inner Sphere, the Gauss SMG actually has decent anti-armor properties and surprisingly excellent range for its class.

Thunderstroke
Damage .18|.44
Range 2/4/6|3/6/9
Crew 1E
Rating E/X-X-E-F
Specials:AM, STAT-, MIN1
Cost 2500
A Federated Suns gauss weapon, the Thunderstroke is not very effective against normal infantry with a small ammunition capacity and its unwieldy bulk but proved to be especially dangerous to light vehicles and BA with its hypersonic projectiles. Replaced quickly by the M345B3 once it was available.

Federated-Barrett M345B3 "Thunderstroke II"
Damage .27|.54
Range 2/4/6|4/7/10
Crew 1
Rating E/X-X-D-D
Specials:AM, MIN1
Cost 3500
The M345B3 keeps the high anti-BA performance, improves upon it, and reduces weight and bulk to make the weapon easier to carry and fire on the move.

ENERGY

LASER

Radium Sniper Rifle
Damage .40|.30
Range 6/12/18|3/6/9
Crew 1
Rating E/F-X-F-F
Cost 9500
Specials: LR, STAT, MIN1
An unusual weapon originating from the Taurian Concordat, the weapon is rarely ever seen on the field and is only ever seen in the hands of TMI Agents.

Generic Laser Rifle
Damage .40|.32
Range 4/8/12|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating D/C-B-B-B
Cost 1250
Specials: N/A
Laser rifles are usually more powerful, more accurate, and longer ranged than the equivalent auto-rifles, at the cost of being expensive and harder to maintain. They're common and popular DMRs in front line units, and the more prestigious units often use laser rifle variants as their standard-issue weapons.

Binary Laser (Blazer) Rifle
Damage .45|.48
Range 4/9/13|2/5/7
Crew 1
Rating D/C-C-D-C
Cost 2190
Specials: N/A
Little more than two laser barrels strapped together, the Blazer Rifle comes with more anti-BA stopping power and marginal improvements in range. However, the two barrels are generally regarded as overkill against soft targets and the Blazer itself is a notable energy hog.

Starfire ER Laser Rifle
Damage .40|.32
Range 5/10/15|3/6/9
Crew 1
Rating E/X-X-E-D
Cost 2500
Specials: N/A
The Starfire is a joint project by the Nakajima and Sunbeam corporations, and resulted in one of the longest ranged infantry primary weapons in the Inner Sphere.
Variant:
"Starfire DMR"-As regular Starfire, but +500 C-Bills and with the specials LR, STAT-, MIN1

ER Laser Rifle (clan)
Damage .40|.32
Range 6/11/16|3/6/9
Crew 1
Rating F/X-D-D-C
Cost 2000
Specials: N/A
While the efficient and deadly Mauser IIC is a show-stopping spotlight stealer, it's the regular ER Laser Rifle that is the true workhorse of Clan conventional infantry forces.
Variants:
"ER Laser DMR"-As regular ER Laser Rifle, but +500 C-Bills and with the specials LR, STAT-, MIN1

Intek Laser Rifle
Damage .35|.22
Range 5/9/14|1/3/5
Crew 1
Rating D/X-D-D-C
Cost 1250
Specials: N/A
The Intek is a power-efficient laser rifle used by the FWL, consuming half the power of a typical laser rifle per shot. Though the weaker beam also reduces its anti-infantry and especially anti-armor capacities to an extent, it's popular among FWL scout forces and was one of the longest ranged personal laser weapons until the introduction of the Starfire.

Magna Laser Rifle
Damage .54|.22
Range 3/7/11|1/3/5
Crew 1
Rating D/C-C-D-D
Cost 1500
Specials: N/A
Sacrificing range and armor penetration for performance against conventional infantry, the Magna fires a "thicker" laser beam that's more likely to get partial hit and with greater flesh-searing capabilities. However, it's rather ineffective against regular armor or even battle armor, which helped result in the death of many front-line Draconis forces who first faced the Clans.

Maxell PL-10 Laser Rifle
Damage .44|.42
Range 3/7/11|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating D/X-X-C-C
Cost 2000
Specials: AM
The standard rifle of the LAAF, the PL-10 was specifically designed to penetrate and destroy Elementals, but had to sacrifice range to do so.

Marx XX Laser Rifle
Damage .40|.36
Range 4/8/12|3/6/9
Crew 1
Rating D/D-E-D-D
Cost 1750
Specials: N/A
The Marx XX fires an unusually concentrated laser capable of punching through light armor at greater ranges than normal. The ancient weapon performed extremely well against Clan Elementals during the invasion, relative to other small arms.

Federated-Barrett M61A Laser Rifle
Damage .56|.46
Range 4/9/14|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating D/X-X-D-C
Cost 2150
Specials:CGL
Built along the same lines as the M42B, the M61A is a powerful, high-tech laser rifle produced by the Federated Suns. It's one of the most effective personal laser weapons outside of Comstar or the Clans.
Variants:
"M61A DMR": Same as M61A, but +600 C-Bills, has specials LR, STAT-, MIN1, and lacks the CGL special.
"M61A CQC": Same as M61A, but +600 C-Bills, has specials CQC, CGL, VIBRO, and all range brackets are reduced by 1 hex.

Pulse Laser Rifle
Damage .40|.32
Range 3/6/9(4/8/12 Clan)|1/3/5(2/4/6 Clan)
Crew 1
Rating D/D-E-C-C (F/X-X-E-D Clan)
Cost 2000
Specials:P
The Pulse Laser Rifle trades range for a slight accuracy bonus and anti-infantry capability. It's uncommon due to its high cost and low availability, even among the clans who use the ER laser rifle more frequently.

Ebony Assault Rifle
Damage .48|.36
Range 3/7/11|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating F/X-X-E-D
Cost 8500
Specials:P
The Ebony Assault Rifle is rare and not well-known, produced nearly exclusively for the Ebon Magistrate's Assault Commandos.

Mauser 960 Assault System
Damage .54|.42
Range 3/7/10|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating E/C-F-E-D
Cost 8000
Specials:P, CGL, VIBRO
The standard issue weapon of the SLDF and a common sight and symbol at the time, the weapon was heavy but effective and included a sizeable survival kit. The 960 was nearly lost due to the destruction of the Succession Wars with only Comstar retaining a sizable stock of working models. Even then, the weapon was an uncommon sight in the ComGuard.

Mauser 1200 Light Support System
Damage .54|.54
Range 3/7/10|3/5/7
Crew 1
Rating E/X-X-E-D
Cost 10000
Specials:P, CGL, VIBRO
A WoB refinement of the Mauser 960, the Mauser 1200 replaces the fairly bulky survival kit with a more powerful laser firing more powerful beams in shorter bursts, particularly improving its anti-BA capabilities.

Mauser IIC Infantry Assault System
Damage .70|.70
Range 5/10/15|3/6/9
Crew 1E
Rating F/X-X-F-E
Cost 18000
Specials:P, CGL, VIBRO
Widely thought to be the most powerful small arm in the universe, the Mauser IIC is a clan development of the venerable Mauser 960 laser and can be extremely dangerous to BA. It's also the most expensive, the hardest to maintain, and one of the most encumbering small arms available.
Variants:
"Mauser IIC Anti-Material Rifle": As Mauser IIC, but +.30 hard attack, -.20 soft attack, 4/8/12 range soft attack, 5/10/15 range hard attack, +7000 C-Bills, has special AM, STAT-, MIN1, loses specials CGL, VIBRO
"Mauser IIC DMR": As Mauser IIC, but 6/12/18 soft attack range, +2000 C-Bills, has specials LR, STAT-, MIN1, loses specials CGL, VIBRO

EXPLOSIVE

GYROJET

(Heston SI-445) Gyrojet Rifle
Damage .20|.30
Range 2/4/6|3/6/9
Crew 1
Rating D/C-C-B-B
Cost 1000
Specials: AM, LR, MIN1
Gyrojets are recoilless weapons that fire explosive-tipped rockets. They're low-weight, no-recoil weapons that can work underwater and in space with the right ammunition type. Only special forces make use of Gyrojets due to complexity and cost, although some airborne units have been known to experiment with them from time to time.

Heavy Gyrojet Gun
Damage .20|.40
Range 3/5/7|3/7/10
Crew 1E
Rating D/C-D-C-C
Cost 2500
Specials: AM, LR, MIN1
The Heavy Gyrojet Gun is an upsized Gyrojet rifle with a heavier, longer-ranged slug.

Gyroslug Rifle
Damage .30|.45
Range 1/2/3|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating D/B-C-C-C
Cost 1000
Specials: AM, LR, MIN1
A variant of the Gyrojet rifle, Gyroslugs use less propellant with the same explosive charge. While sacrificing rocket velocity and thus range substantially, the smaller rounds result in a drastically higher ammunition capacity which allows the operator to fire rockets to hostiles much more generously.

Gyroslug Carbine
Damage .25|.40
Range 1/2/2|1/3/5
Crew 1
Rating D/C-D-C-C
Cost 800
Specials: AM, LR, MIN1, CQC
The main difference between the Gyroslug Carbine and Rifle is the Carbine cuts down its barrel to save weight and increase its utility in closed confines, at the cost of reducing its already short range and decreasing its ammunition capacity to something closer to a Gyrojet Rifle.

Star King Gyroslug Carbine
Damage .28|.45
Range 1/2/3|2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating D/X-C-D-C
Cost 1000
Specials: AM, LR, MIN1, CQC
The Star King is considered to be an apex of gyrojet design by dedicated collectors, and has a larger warhead and range than the typical Gyroslug Carbine.

« Last Edit: 07 September 2019, 14:12:37 by Retry »

Retry

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  • Posts: 1433
Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #1 on: 14 July 2019, 21:36:51 »
SUPPORT WEAPONS
Code: [Select]
BALLISTIC

Light Machine Gun
Damage .55 | 1 (1 point cluster)
Ammo 20
Range 3/7/11 | 2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating C/B-B-B-B
Cost 400
Specials: N/A
The basic light machine gun is simple and cheap on a tight budget. However, it’s not quite as effective as heavier support options.

Portable Machine Gun
Damage .75 | 1 (1 point cluster)
Ammo 12
Range 4/8/12 | 3/5/7
Crew 1E
Rating C/B-B-B-B
Cost 1000
Specials: B
The heavier Portable machine gun is far more effective at suppression while still being quite mobile and carried by a
single squad member. This is among the most common secondary weapons fielded by the Great Houses alongside the
grenade launcher and the LAW.

Semi-Portable Machine Gun
Damage 1 | 1 (1 point cluster)
Ammo 10
Range 5/9/13 | 3/5/7
Crew 1E
Rating C/B-B-B
Cost 1100
Specials: B, STAT-
The Semi-Portable Machine Gun has even better suppressing capabilities than the Portable machine gun. However, it’s
also fairly difficult to fire on the move in comparison.

Support Machine Gun
Damage 1.5 | 2 (1 point clusters)
Ammo 7
Range 5/10/15 | 3/5/7
Crew 2E
Rating C/C-C-C-C
Cost 1750
Specials: B, STAT
The heaviest of the machine guns, the Support Machine Gun spits out such a devastating amount of lead that even Battle
Armor would be wise to watch their step. The disadvantage is that the machine gun requires a two-man crew and it’s
entirely impractical to fire on the move, which means the Support Machine Gun is usually only used for garrison duty.

Minigun
Damage 3 | .5
Ammo 5
Range 5/10/15 | 1/2/3
Crew 2
Rating C/E-E-E-F
Cost 7,500
Specials: B, STAT, -1 to-hit bonus
The Minigun is a vintage weapon that fires unusually small rifle-scale rounds (hence the “Mini” part) at an incredibly high
rate of fire, well exceeding anything that support machineguns can reach. As such, the Minigun is very likely to get at
least a partial hit and, while a fantastic shredder of meat, lacks any sort of stopping power against anything larger than
Battle Armor. That flaw, and the cost, ensures that Miniguns are rarely ever used on the front lines.

Semi-Portable Autocannon
Damage .8 | 2
Ammo 12
Range 4/8/12 | 5/10/15
Crew 2
Rating C/C-D-D-C
Cost 2000
Specials: AM, STAT-
Popular among grunts, semi-portable autocannons have far more reach and penetrating capacity than most machine
guns. The nature of the autocannon’s burst-fire mode makes it ill-suited for suppressing infantry, but when you’re facing
down a Locust in a dark alley, that disadvantage starts to sound a bit academic.
Variant:
“Anti-Aircraft”: Switches the STAT- special for STAT and AA.

Bearhunter Superheavy Autocannon
Damage 4 | 4
Ammo 6
Range 2/4/6 | 2/4/6
Crew 2
Rating D/X-X-E-E
Cost 3000
Specials: B, Stat-, BLK
Short ranged, mediocre endurance, clumsy. With that said, you do not want to be on the receiving end of the Bearhunter
Superheavy Autocannon. The gun shreds flesh and metal alike, and can land some devastating blows on anything
smaller than a Vampire dropship, if the crew’s allowed to do so.

Firedrake Incendiary Support Needler
Damage 2 | 0
Ammo 10
Range 2/3/4 | 0
Crew 2
Rating D/X-X-C-C
Cost 500
Specials: F, B, CQC
The firedrake needler fires high volumes of low-velocity flechettes covered with chemicals that light on fire in the
presence of air. While ineffective against armor and with a short range, the Needler does rend lightly-armored flesh
without causing extensive structural damage to the surrounding environments like buildings or spacecraft interiors, which
leads to the Firedrake being used for specialty applications like urban warfare and the liquidation of “soft” assets.

Tsunami Heavy Gauss Rifle
Damage .63 | 1.5 (cluster of 2, round up)
Ammo 7
Range 4/8/12 | 4/8/12
Crew 1E
Rating E/X-X-D-D
Cost 5,500
Specials: AM, LR
The Tsunami is an effective Draconis Combine anti-material gauss rifle. Reasonably serviceable as a sniping weapon,
although its role in that regards is dwarfed by some of the newer weapons.
Variants:
Grand Mauler Gauss Canon- Actually a different (FedCom) weapon entirely but similar specifications. 3/7/11 range, -500 cost, +1 ammo.

Magshot Gauss Rifle
Damage .75 | 1.5 (cluster of 2, round up)
Ammo 7
Range 4/8/12 | 5/10/15
Crew 1E
Rating E/X-X-E-D
Cost 8,500
Specials: AM, LR, STAT-, MIN1
The Magshot is an anti-material rifle with a bit better ability to snipe lightly armored targets. Due to the cost compared
to weapons like the Grand Mauler, the Magshot is only deployed with special forces units and MI6.

David Light Gauss Rifle
Damage 1 | 1 (cluster of 1)
Ammo 9
Range 5/10/15 | 5/10/15
Crew 1E
Rating E/X-X-E-D
Cost 6,000
Specials: AM, LR, STAT-
The David is based off of the FWL’s own light gauss rifle. The David inherits the long range of its ‘Mech-based cousin, and
makes for a convincing threat for light Battle Armor as well as a good sniping weapon, but unfortunately it also inherits
the Light Gauss Rifle’s lack of convincing armor penetration against heavy targets.

King David Light Gauss Rifle
Damage 1.25 | 2
Ammo 7
Range 6/11/16 | 6/11/16
Crew 2
Rating E/X-X-E-D
Cost 8,500
Specials: AM, LR, STAT
The King David makes up for the David’s lack of firepower with an improved recoil compensator system, better
ammunition feeds, and an improved projectile design that allows more effective penetration. Unfortunately, the design
requires a tripod with a dedicated gunner and cannot be used on the move.

Gungnir Heavy Support Gauss Rifle
Damage 1.25 | 3 (clusters of 3)
Ammo 6
Range 6/12/18 | 6/12/18
Crew 3
Rating E/X-X-F-E
Cost 15,000
Specials: AM, LR, STAT, BLK
Never one to be outdone in the size department, the Lyrans came slightly late to the party with the largest support-scale
gauss rifle on the market. Its performance against armored vehicles is impressive, but it does struggle to hit anything
smaller than a Scorpion Light Tank.

ENERGY
Semi-Portable Support Laser
Damage 1 | 2 (clusters of 2)
Ammo 8
Range 2/4/6 | 3/6/9
Crew 2
Rating D/C-D-C-C
Cost 5,000
Specials: STAT-
Compared to their ‘Mech-scale cousins, infantry-scale energy weapons tend to be powerful but extremely heavy and
lacking in ammunition. The Semi-Portable version makes up for the deficiencies somewhat, at the cost of raw firepower.
The Pulse version sometimes sees use as a high-tech alternative to the venerable Machine Gun.
Variants:
ER (Clan): 3/6/9 | 4/8/12 range, 1.25|3 (clusters of 3) damage, 6 Ammo, +5,000 C-Bills
Heavy (Clan): 1.5|4 (clusters of 4) damage, 4 Ammo, +1 crew, +15,000 C-Bills, +Special BLK
Pulse (clan):
Pulse (clan): 2/5/8 | 3/6/9 range, +7,500 C-Bills, +Special P

Support Laser
Damage 1.25 | 3
Ammo 6
Range 3/5/7 | 4/7/10
Crew 2
Rating D/B-C-D-C
Cost 10,000
Specials: STAT
Roughly equivalent to the Battlemech’s small laser, the Support Laser is bulky and not easily transported but packs an
exceptional punch. The popular but expensive Heavy variant has raw power close to a medium, and the Ultra-Heavy as
powerful, at the cost of accuracy.
Variants:
ER: 1.25 | 3 damage (IS), 1.5 | 4 damage (clan), 5 Ammo, 3/6/9|4/8/12 range, +1,250 cost
Pulse: 3/6/9 | 4/7/10 range, +6,000 cost, 5 Ammo, +Special P
Heavy: 1.5|4 damage (IS), 1.75|5 damage (clan), 5 Ammo, +30,000 cost, +Special BLK
ER Heavy: 1.5|4 damage (IS), 1.75|5 damage (clan), 4 ammo, +1 crew, 3/6/9|4/8/12 range, +70,000 cost, +Special BLK
Heavy Pulse: 3/6/9 | 4/7/10 range, 1.5|4 damage (IS), 1.75|5 damage (clan), 4 ammo, +1 crew, +50,000 cost, +Special BLK, P, B
Ultra-Heavy: 1.75|5 damage (IS), 2|7 damage (clan), 3 ammo, +1 crew, +90,000 cost, +Special BLK, +1 to-hit penalty

Hellbore Assault Laser
Damage .75 | 2
Ammo 7
Range 4/7/10 | 2/4/6
Crew 1E
Rating E/X-X-E-D
Cost 2,500
Specials: AM
The Hellbore is a Comstar twin-barreled anti-material laser that integrates Lostech, which allows the weapon to be
roughly equivalent to the Semi-Portable laser while being cheaper and light enough to handle with one man. While
effective against light targets like Elementals and Savannah Masters, the weapon is not particularly effective against
either very heavy or very soft targets.

Dragonsbane Disposable Pulse Laser
Damage 2 | 4 (clusters of 2)
Ammo 1
Range 2/4/6 | 1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating E/X-X-D-F
Cost 5,000
Specials: AM, P, OS
The Draconis Combine developed the Dragonsbane as a quite short-ranged disposable vehicle killer, but it can perform
little miracles on infantry too. The Dragonsbane is easily man-portable and can land a devastating burst of 15 pulses for
its small size, at the cost of frying its internal optics and firing core. Against its likely targets, the the DCMS’s
Dragonsbane rarely needs more than one shot.

Man-Portable Plasma Rifle
Damage 1.5 | 2 (clusters of 2)
Ammo 5
Range 3/6/9|2/4/6
Crew 1E
Rating E/X-X-D-C
Cost 7,500
Specials: AM, F
A Capellan invention, the Man-Portable Plasma Rifle was created due to concerns of conventional weapons possibly being
ineffective against battle armor. In addition to being similarly capable against light armor as the Hellbore, its fiery
payload proves to be an unpleasant surprise to PBI and Mechwarrior alike.

Man-Portable Flamer
Damage 1 | 1
Ammo 6
Range 0/1/2 | 0/1/2
Crew 1E
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Cost 100
Specials: F+
A simple, terrifying weapon that pre-dates the space age. The panic a foot-soldier feels when seeing a squad hauling
man-portable flamethrowers 50 meters away is only exceeded by a hostile Battlemech at the same distance. Especially if
that Battlemech is a Firestarter.

Heavy Flamer
Damage 2 | 2
Ammo 4
Range 1/2/3 | 1/2/3
Crew 2
Rating C/B-B-B-B
Cost 200
Specials: F+, Stat-
Similar to the man-portable version, the Heavy Flamer is closer to ‘Mech-grade specifications.

Semi-Portable Particle Cannon (M-PPC)
Damage .65 | 3
Ammo 5
Range 3/6/9 | 4/8/12
Crew 2
Rating E/D-E-D-C
Cost 7,000
Specials: AM, LR, STAT-
The semi-portable particle canon (Man-pack PPC) packs one of the hardest punches available as an infantry-scale
weapon. It is not very popular among grunts due to its long recharge time and high energy consumption, which often
means another squad member has to carry a spare power pack for the PPC gunner.

Support Particle Cannon
.85 | 5
Ammo 3
Range 3/6/9 | 5/10/15
Crew 5
Rating E/C-D-C-D
Cost 45,000
Specials: AM, LR, STAT, BLK
A wheeled, larger version of PPC, the devastating Support PPC rivals exaggerates all of the M-PPC’s strengths… and weaknesses.
Variants:
Snub-Nose: .85/.65/.4 | 5/3/2 damage, 5/7/8 | 8/10/11 range, -2 crew, +15,000 cost, -Special LR.
Anti-Air: 1.5 | 4 damage, +30,000 cost, +Special A, +Special B, -1 flak to-hit bonus

EXPLOSIVE

Light Anti-Vehicle Weapon (LAW)
Damage .33 | 3
Ammo 1
Range 2/4/6 | 2/4/6
Crew 1
Rating C/A-B-B-B
Cost 350
Specials: AM, BLK
An old, cheap and ubiquitous weapon that’s easy to acquire by garrisons. Professional front-line forces prefer multi-shot
missile systems whenever they can get them, which is not as often as they’d like.

Very Light Anti-Vehicle Weapon (V-LAW)
Damage .25 | 2
Ammo 1
Range 1/2/3 | 1/2/3
Crew 1
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Cost 75
Specials: AM
The V-LAW is a lighter, cheaper, and weaker version of the LAW.

Light SRM Launcher
Damage .5 | 2
Ammo 6
Range 3/6/9 | 3/6/9
Crew 1
Rating C/C-C-D-C
Cost 1,500
Specials: AM
The light SRM launcher is a cut-down version of the SRM launcher, much more wieldy than other SRM types but without
the raw firepower of the standard launcher. Note: Can use inferno rounds.
Variants:
Artemis IV: +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +2,000 cost
Artemis V: +3 bonus to cluster hits table, -1 bonus to hit, +8,500 cost
Streak: Doesn’t fire on a miss, hits with all launchers on a hit, +18,500 cost

Standard SRM Launcher
Damage 1 | 4 (clusters of 2)
Ammo 3
Range 3/6/9 | 3/6/9
Crew 1E
Rating C/C-C-D-C
Cost 1,500
Specials: AM, STAT-
More difficult to wield, the SRM launcher fires the exact same missiles that ‘mech-scale SRMs use. Note: Can use inferno rounds.
Variants:
Artemis IV: +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +2,000 cost
Artemis V: +3 bonus to cluster hits table, -1 bonus to hit, +8,500 cost
Streak: Doesn’t fire on a miss, connects with all launchers on a hit, +18,500 cost
Advanced: 4/8/12 | 4/8/12 Range, +1,500 cost
Advanced Artemis IV: 4/8/12 | 4/8/12 Range, +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +5,500 cost
Advanced Artemis V: 4/8/12 | 4/8/12 Range, +3 bonus to cluster hits table, -1 bonus to hit, +18,500 cost
Advanced Streak: 4/8/12 | 4/8/12 Range, Doesn’t fire on a miss, connects with all launchers on a hit, +38,500 cost

Heavy SRM Launcher
Damage 1.5 | 3 (clusters of 3)
Ammo 4
Range 4/8/12 | 4/8/12
Crew 1E
Rating C/C-C-D-C
Cost 3,000
Specials: AM, STAT-, BLK
An alternative version of the SRM that actually uses a heavier warhead with a significant increase in propellant and
payload to increase damage and range. It’s not clear why this version was never scaled up for ‘mech-scale launchers, but
it could simply be due to logistics issues. The Clans rarely use this launcher type and prefer the Advanced variants of
SRM Standard launchers. Note: Can use infernos
Variants:
Artemis IV: +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +4,000 cost
Streak: Doesn’t fire on a miss, connects with all launchers on a hit, +37,000 cost

Corean Farshot LRM Launcher
Damage .5 | 1 (clusters of 5)
Ammo 7
Range (6)7/14/21 | (6) 7/14/21
Crew 1E
Rating D/X-X-D-D
Cost 2,000
Specials: AM, IDF, STAT-, BLK
Originally Built by the Free World League and based off the Long Range Missiles of ‘mech-scale weapons, the Corean
Farshot provides infantry without field guns one of the longest reaches of any infantry-scale weapon. Unfortunately, that
punch is also not all that potent. While less strict Clans have expressed interest in the weapon system, no Clan currently
operates a LRM-style infantry weapon. The Republic of the sphere continued to produce enhanced, refined, and
increasingly more expensive versions of the Corean Farshot, in small numbers, including a MANPAD version. Note: Can
use semi-guided rounds.
Variants:
Artemis IV: +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +3,000 cost
Enhanced: Minimum Range reduced to (3), +2,000 cost
Enhanced Artemis IV: Minimum Range reduced to (3), +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +8,000 cost
Advanced: Minimum Range reduced to 0, +8,000 cost
Advanced Artemis IV: Minimum Range reduced to 0, +2 bonus to cluster hits table, +13,000 cost
Advanced Artemis V: Minimum Range reduced to 0, +3 bonus to cluster hits table, -1 bonus to hit, +23,000 cost
Advanced Streak: Minimum Range reduced to 0, doesn’t fire on miss, hits with all rounds on a hit (direct-fire only), +38,000 cost
Gremlin: +18,000 cost, +Special A, -2 to-hit bonus vs air, +1 to-hit penalty vs ground, -1 penalty on cluster hits table

MRM Launcher
Damage .5 | 1 (cluster of 5)
Ammo 12
Range 5/10/15 | 5/10/15
Crew 1E
Rating D/X-X-E-D
Cost 2,500
Specials: AM, STAT-, +1 to-hit penalty
Virtually a reloadable rocket launcher, the MRM doesn’t pack a huge punch but it does have a substantial range and a
nearly inexhaustible supply of rockets to throw down range.
Variants:
Apollo: removes +1 to-hit penalty, adds -1 cluster roll penalty, +1,500 Cost

Mk.I Light Disposable AA Weapon
Damage .5 | 2 (cluster of 2)
Ammo 1
Range 4/8/12 | 4/8/12
Crew 1
Rating D/E-F-D-D
Cost 1,000
Specials: A, OS, -2 to-hit bonus vs Air, +5 to-hit malus vs Ground
The Mk.I is a light-weight, portable, disposable MANPAD brought back into prominence after the clan invasion. The Mk.I
lacks endurance and power, and range for that matter, and so isn’t very effective against aerospace fighters, and only
moderately effective against conventional fighters and VTOLs, and then usually only when flying low and slow.
Fortunately for Mk.I gunners, the latter two are also the most frequent sight.
Variants:
Mk.IA: +1 hard attack, +1,000 cost
Mk.IB: +2 hard attack, +2,500 cost

Mk.II Man-Portable AA Weapon
Damage .5 | 4 (cluster of 4)
Ammo 4
Range 5/10/15 | 5/10/15
Crew 2
Rating D/E-F-D-D
Cost 3,500
Specials: A, -2 to-hit bonus vs Air, +5 to-hit malus vs Ground, STAT-
The Mk.II is heavier, reloadable, and much more effective for establishing an actual air defense network while still
retaining some mobility, thus it’s frequently used by special forces units and anti-aircraft units Unlike the Mk.III, the
Mk.II can be used on the move and can help contribute to a fluid anti-air net.
Variants:
Mk.IIA: +1 hard attack, +3,500 cost
Mk.IIB: +2 hard attack, +8,500 cost

Mk.III Heavy AA Weapon
Damage .5 | 6
Ammo 3
Range 6/12/18 | 6/12/18
Crew 4
Rating D/E-F-E-D
Cost 10,000
Specials: A, -2 to-hit bonus vs Air, +5 to-hit malus vs Ground, STAT
Packing an even heavier payload with a respectable reach, the Mk.III is a serious threat to Aerospace Fighters. However,
it’s crew-intensive and needs to be completely stationary to actually use it, which makes it vulnerable in operation,
including to other aircraft. The weapon is usually restricted to use in strategic locations behind the lines like garrisons
and cities because of these disadvantages.
Mk.IIIA: +2 hard attack, +10,000 Cost
Mk.IIIB: +4 hard attack, +25,000 Cost.

Grenade Launcher
Damage 1.5 | .5
Ammo 10
Range 1/3/5 | 1/3/5
Crew 1
Rating C/A-B-B-A
Cost 465
Specials: CQC, IDF
A very common support weapon issued to infantry, the grenade launcher can fling explosives far further than an
infantryman can throw them. Unlike most support weapons, the launchers are effective in urban combat. Due to the
grenade’s parabolic trajectory, it’s even technically possible to fire and hit other infantry platoons safely through use of a
spotter, though the short range hampers the effectiveness of this.
Variants:
Automatic: 3 | 1 damage, -5 ammo, +510 cost
Heavy: 2 | 1 damage, -2 ammo, 2/4/6 | 2/4/6 range, +1035 cost, +Special STAT-
Heavy Auto (Clan): 4 | 2 damage, -6 ammo, 2/4/6 | 2/4/6 range, +4035 cost, +Special STAT-

Light Mortar
Damage 2 | 1
Ammo 6
Range 5/10/15 | 5/10/15
Crew 2
Rating B/C-C-C-C
Cost 1,400
Specials: STAT, IDF, +3 to-hit modifier for direct fire

Even in the 31st century, Mortars are still by far the most common artillery weapons on the battlefield. Consisting of little
more than an iron tube and firing pin, mortars are a cheap way to provide infantry squad-scale and platoon-scale
formations with integrated artillery. The limitations, however, are many: Poor anti-tank performance, inability to fire on
the move, and virtual inability to direct-fire shells plagues this simple but reliable weapon system. Note: Can use semi-
guided ammunition.
Variants:
Heavy Mortar: 3 | 2 damage, 4 Ammo, 7/14/21 | 7/14/21 Range, Crew 3, +3,600 Cost, +Special BLK

Light Recoilless Rifle
Damage 1 | 2
Ammo 8
Range 2/5/8 | 2/5/8
Crew 1E
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Cost 300
Specials: STAT-, AM

Recoilless Rifles launch fin-stabilized rockets out one end while venting high-velocity gas out the other. Its effective range is short, but acceptable for its cost. The Light version can be carried and operated by a single soldier.

Medium Recoilless Rifle
Damage 1.5 | 3
Ammo 6
Range 3/6/9 | 3/6/9
Crew 2
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Cost 2,000
Specials: STAT-, AM

The Medium Recoilless Rifle boasts a significantly larger warhead and marginally improved range. While it can be fired by one person using a shoulder mount, the weapon requires a second person to reload the weapon.

Heavy Recoilless Rifle
Damage 2 | 4
Ammo 4
Range 4/7/10 | 4/7/10
Crew 3
Rating C/A-A-A-A
Cost 3,000
Specials: STAT, AM

The Heavy Recoilless Rifle has an even larger warhead and marginally improved range over the Medium. It’s usually used
in garrisons or in defensive emplacements, since the weapon cannot be shoulder-fired and it’s impractical to fire on the move.

Wire-Guided Missile Launcher (WGML)
Damage 1 | 5
Ammo 3
Range 3/6/9 | (5)7/14/21
Crew 4
Rating C/E-F-F-E
Cost 20,000
Specials: STAT, AM, BLK, +1 to-hit penalty, *, **

Yet another ancient technology, the “sting-on-a-string” uses what might as well be a heavily-modified Thunderbolt-5
warhead on a wire. Since it’s optically guided using wires to its target, it doesn’t have to worry much about conventional
ECM, but a string of limitations, including extreme vulnerability to AMS, results in the WGML being a rare sight.
*The Weapon suffers an additional +1 to-hit penalty for every water hex it must cross to hit a target
**Regardless of actual fire order, this weapon fires “last”: If the operator is destroyed before the turn ends, the WGML automatically misses.

SPECIAL

Oriente Weapon Works Magpulse Harpoon Gun
Damage .5 | 1
Ammo 3
Range 4/8/12 | 7/14/21
Crew 2
Rating E/X-X-F-E
Cost 12,000
Specials: AM, BLK, STAT, +1 to-hit penalty, *
An unusual weapon system. The Magpulse Harpoon gun uses a wire-guided missile missile to deliver an armor-piercing
warhead equipped with a basic electronic warfare package instead of an explosive round, impairing the target’s targeting
systems for a short time.
*Any vehicular unit (including battle armor, ProtoMechs, Combat Vehicles and BattleMechs) successfully struck by a shot
from a MagPulse harpoon gun will suffer electronic interference sufficient enough to cause a –1 roll modifier for all
Gunnery and Sensor Operations Skill Checks by its pilot for 1 turn. Neither effect nor duration stacks upon multiple
MagPulse hits.

Man-Portable Target Acquisition Gear
Damage N/A
Ammo 6
Range 3/6/9 | 3/6/9
Crew 1E
Rating E/F-X-E-E
Cost 40,000
Specials: STAT-, functions as TAG
Not a weapon in its own right, the Man-Portable TAG is a spotting laser with accompanying electronics that allows an
infantry squad to call in heavy ordnances like semi-guided LRMs and Arrow IVs. The TAG equipment is surprisingly
energy hungry, and a TAG squad should consider bringing spare power packs if the fight is expected to be drawn out.
The heavier support versio matches the ‘Mech-scale version in range, but is bipod-mounted and can’t be fired on the
move.
Variants:
Support TAG: -3 ammo, 5/10/15 | 5/10/15 range, +1 crew, +10,000 Cost +Special BLK, +Special STAT

Some sample weapon loadouts for platoons:

DEST Commando
7 men/squad
Primary: KA-23 Subgun
Secondary 1: Dragonsbane Disposable Pulse Laser
Secondary 2: Tsunami Heavy Gauss Rifle
Description: DEST Commandos have a wide variety of weapons at their disposal.  DEST commandos often carry KA-23 subguns which gives them an edge in clearing out buildings if they're unfortunately spotted, but they prefer to use the Tsunami Heavy Gauss Rifle as a sniper rifle to kill targets of opportunity, such as a 'Mechwarrior outside of his cockpit.  Not equipped to go toe-to-toe with heavy armor, the Dragonsbane Disposable Laser is hopefully sufficient to dispatch the occasional BA suit or security car.

Capellan Home Guard
7 men/squad
Primary: Ceres Arms Striker Carbine
Secondary 1: Ceres Arms Stalker Sniper Rifle
Secondary 2: Standard SRM Launcher
Description: The well-balanced and well-equipped Home Guard is usually equipped with a fast-firing carbine that's particularly effective in close quarters.  The Stalker Sniper Rifle is popular in its ability to pick out important targets and its stopping power is even capable of doing damage to critical components of light vehicles.  However, any serious challenges to enemy Armor is to be met with the standard-issue SRM launcher.

Federated Suns Regulars
7 men/squad
Primary: Federated Long Rifle
Secondary 1: Portable Machine Gun
Secondary 2: LAW
Description: Lacking all the neat toys that Special Forces units get to play with, the regulars are stuck with their basic (not even fully automatic) Federated Long rifle as their primary arms, with a simple and cheap machine gun for support.  They're also equipped with LAWs, but that's more of a psychological benefit against Battlemechs than a practical one.

Basic IS Garrison
Primary: Auto Rifle
Secondary 1: Support Machine Gun
Secondary 2: Heavy Recoilless Rifle
Description: The IS Garrison rarely sees combat.  Equipped with cheap rifles, and heavy support weapons, the Garrison can cheaply hold a bunker or a prepared position, but will not function well if forced to fight on the move.
« Last Edit: 14 July 2019, 22:24:53 by Retry »

Daryk

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #2 on: 15 July 2019, 08:52:28 »
You're aware of the conversion rules in the AToW Companion (pages 168-171), right?

Retry

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #3 on: 15 July 2019, 09:01:21 »
You're aware of the conversion rules in the AToW Companion (pages 168-171), right?
Yes.  And I've found them entirely unsatisfactory for numerous reasons, as stated in the OP.  Which is why I went in a different direction in this one.

Talen5000

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #4 on: 15 July 2019, 09:09:33 »
Interesting.

I think however, that most of the objectives can be achieved through simply using the alternate rule that primary weapons don't damage Mech armour at all.

Actually, if you get down to it, most support weapons won't/shouldn't damage a combat vehicle at all but if you go too far that direction, infantry end up useless ;)

As it is, a lot of the issues with infantry arises because the rules are very abstracted for the sake of simplicity. As you point out, there are areas where they could be improved/streamlined/made less nonsensical but you then risk adding a lot of added complexity for very little gain.
"So let me get this straight. You want to fly on a magic carpet to see the King of the Potato People and plead with him for your freedom, and you're telling me you're completely sane?" -- Uncle Arnie

Daryk

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #5 on: 15 July 2019, 09:10:20 »
Yes.  And I've found them entirely unsatisfactory for numerous reasons, as stated in the OP.  Which is why I went in a different direction in this one.
Cool, just wanted to make sure you saw the formulas there.  Tweaking those might get you what you want with a bit less work.

Retry

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #6 on: 15 July 2019, 14:52:28 »
Interesting.

I think however, that most of the objectives can be achieved through simply using the alternate rule that primary weapons don't damage Mech armour at all.

Actually, if you get down to it, most support weapons won't/shouldn't damage a combat vehicle at all but if you go too far that direction, infantry end up useless ;)

As it is, a lot of the issues with infantry arises because the rules are very abstracted for the sake of simplicity. As you point out, there are areas where they could be improved/streamlined/made less nonsensical but you then risk adding a lot of added complexity for very little gain.
I did consider having the hard attack of most or all primary weapons be zero.  Decided against it, mostly to help differentiate between different types of small arms and because that'd basically make all primary weapons needlers, when I'm thinking about adding the Needlers in too. (see difference between basic laser and Blazer for the hard-attack differentiation in action, for instance).  I chalk it up overall due to BT armor being ablative rather than anti-penetrative.  I definitely understand that, though.

Yeah, there's definitely risk that the final product is going to be excessively complex with no functional gain in making infantry more unique and more fun to design and field.  That's going to be something that actually has to be tested.
Quote
Cool, just wanted to make sure you saw the formulas there.  Tweaking those might get you what you want with a bit less work.
I did consider that first, but decided I could achieve my goals better if I relied more on the fluff than a rigid formula.  Especially with respect to differentiating soft attack and hard attack.  It was a lot of work, but I had fun doing it.

Daryk

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #7 on: 15 July 2019, 15:03:12 »
Fun is what really matters...  :thumbsup:

Daemion

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #8 on: 15 July 2019, 15:59:05 »
Honestly, I'd love to see a little added complexity to make infantry interesting, and this beyond extra motive types. At least Vehicles have that going for them, and they pay for it, which makes them interesting.

Infantry don't pay for a whole lot, and thus are bland and boring. They almost deserve their own level of game...  :thumbsup:

For example, I doubt that a firefight between two neighboring squads would actually last just ten seconds, nor would tracking bodies be that easy or predictable. At the game of armored combat level, I'd be all for them going into a firefight/melee mode that gets tracked turn-by-turn.  Maybe put in the old BMR style woods clearing attempt where the different small arms modify the final result to see if a squad is wiped out or something like that.

Then, you could have your own infantry tie down the other side's infantry, keeping them from engaging your armored units with their anti-armor weapons, or something like that.

Should there be considerations for morale/sound tactics when a squad suffers heavy casualties, or faces an imposing target, like BA with flamers?  You don't have to have them go into full retreat, but backing off and reassessing isn't a bad idea.  If you want to include full routes, I don't see how a formation of guys would remain cohesive enough to remain an effective fighting force at that point.  Regrouping would have to come sometime after the minute or two of fighting we get in stock BattleTech.  For that matter, what about the guys that go in pursuit of a routed, scattered unit? They would equally be useless after that point as they split off to hunt down individuals.  Do you, as the player, get to control that? Or, should it be some sort of morale/command roll, and if you fail, they do what they want and you lose the unit as a playing piece in the chaos of battle?

Things like this would take a step towards making me want to field infantry in my games. Otherwise, they're very much like the Mobile HQ: objective pieces or obstacles in a scenario.


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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #9 on: 15 July 2019, 18:52:33 »
Neighboring squads are unlikely to wipe each other out in one (TW) turn, so I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about there...

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #10 on: 15 July 2019, 22:01:33 »
Looks interesting.

To me infantry weapons should be choosing between: range, damage, shots

Anti-infantry weapons get to choose two of the above, while anti-Mech only get one of them.  Higher weight/tech options make them better in one or more of those areas (i.e. bayonet vs sword vs vibro-bayonet)
I.e.
Anti-infantry weapons:
bayonet/bladed weapons: no range, slight damage, 'infinite' shots
Needler autorifle: decent range, low damage, lots of shots
man-portable MG: decent range, decent damage, few shots due to so many being used at a time

Anti-mech weapons:
one-show LAW/disposable laser - decent range, poor damage, one shot
changed-barrel with APDS ammo: little range, poor damage, several shots (the receiver gets replaced with a higher caliber setup, and the trooper sprays the full clip of APDS hoping they hit something vital)
knee-capper satchel pack: no range, decent damage, one shot

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #11 on: 16 July 2019, 15:03:39 »
Honestly, I'd love to see a little added complexity to make infantry interesting, and this beyond extra motive types. At least Vehicles have that going for them, and they pay for it, which makes them interesting.

Infantry don't pay for a whole lot, and thus are bland and boring. They almost deserve their own level of game...  :thumbsup:

...

Should there be considerations for morale/sound tactics when a squad suffers heavy casualties, or faces an imposing target, like BA with flamers?  You don't have to have them go into full retreat, but backing off and reassessing isn't a bad idea.  If you want to include full routes, I don't see how a formation of guys would remain cohesive enough to remain an effective fighting force at that point.  Regrouping would have to come sometime after the minute or two of fighting we get in stock BattleTech.  For that matter, what about the guys that go in pursuit of a routed, scattered unit? They would equally be useless after that point as they split off to hunt down individuals.  Do you, as the player, get to control that? Or, should it be some sort of morale/command roll, and if you fail, they do what they want and you lose the unit as a playing piece in the chaos of battle?

Things like this would take a step towards making me want to field infantry in my games. Otherwise, they're very much like the Mobile HQ: objective pieces or obstacles in a scenario.
I thought of another way to differentiate different infantry groups by their anti-infantry training, as an quality independent of gunnery skill.  Didn't include it in the OP since this was just about the guns.

The general idea was that you had a "ladder" of anti-infantry training levels, from militia and minutemen to commandos and special operations.  Even if, say, gunnery skill was similar between the two in theory, the better trained group would have bonuses (mostly to-hit) due to being better able to leverage their power due to being a more cohesive group, better tactics and better able to leverage their firing solutions/deny the enemy firing solutions, or however you headcanon it.

The infantry morale thing, it's an interesting idea.  It's probably out of my ability to add such things of any detail, unfortunately, and would probably fit better as an optional rule in something like Tac Ops

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #12 on: 16 July 2019, 15:09:23 »
Neighboring squads are unlikely to wipe each other out in one (TW) turn, so I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about there...

Not unless the platoon is equipped with battle rifles and a support flamer.
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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #13 on: 16 July 2019, 15:13:13 »
There's still the cluster roll to make... unless you roll well there, the opposing platoon is likely to survive.

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #14 on: 16 July 2019, 15:49:56 »
Sure. But the shear volume of casualties strikes me as a little bit much. Oh, don't forget to double that value when they're out in the open.
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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #15 on: 16 July 2019, 15:56:50 »
And the same goes for the other side... Again, there's a lot more left to chance there than it seems you're accounting for...

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #16 on: 22 July 2019, 09:08:59 »
No, I see what you're talking about, but it's not satisfactory as far as I'm concerned.  Infantry, as is, are treated too much as the sum of their parts that aught to be.  Especially when each hit point is a gun that can be pointed elsewhere, making the stock to-hit procedure when Infantry fire on other infantry seem ludicrous.  As I said, not enough detail. Or, maybe a bit too much.

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #17 on: 25 July 2019, 12:41:14 »
I'm beginning to wonder if it would be a good idea to slightly modify these infantry-scale weapons to make new BA-scale weapons, with a few changes to work it in (weight and crits instead of crew count).

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #18 on: 26 July 2019, 23:34:55 »
I do think that infantry should have more than one attack. Giving all the platoons weapons the same range of the longest weapon isn't right.


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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #19 on: 26 July 2019, 23:42:40 »
i'd go as far as making it so only support weapons are strong enough to damage BAR 10 armor - though i do like your anti-mech training idea where they're better-experienced at finding the squishy bits

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Talen5000

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #20 on: 27 July 2019, 07:59:28 »
i'd go as far as making it so only support weapons are strong enough to damage BAR 10 armor - though i do like your anti-mech training idea where they're better-experienced at finding the squishy bits

It depends on how you want to simplify things, how much you want to reflect the BTU.

By rights, infantry impact on the battlefield should be negligible. The weapons they need to damage Mechs are typically too heavy and bulky to be carried.

But that still leaves them as options to fight support units, and to engage in recon, anti infantry work, and locating and clearing out the fixed gun batteries and field guns that could damage the heavy armour.

So...plenty for them to do. The current rules allowing them to damage Mechs with rifles and the like are more a courtesy to give them a combat option in game.

Now, it would be possible to write rules for infantry that are more detailed than they currently are. More tightly integrated. More varied and true go the universe.

The cost would be more complexity for a unit that, ultimately, has little practical effect and impact except for niche cases, or when saddled with weapons and vehicles such as Gun Trailers or Field Guns that mean you may as well treat them as vehicles anyway.

Is that worth it? Some would say yes...others no.


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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #21 on: 27 July 2019, 08:25:10 »
Infantry have been able to damage 'mechs with rifles since they were introduced way back in the day.  They do a bit more under the current rules, but not that much, really.

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #22 on: 27 July 2019, 09:44:17 »
Infantry have been able to damage 'mechs with rifles since they were introduced way back in the day.  They do a bit more under the current rules, but not that much, really.

battledroids infantry didn't actually have small arms. it was a nine man squad that had an SRM-2 or MG (with limited ammo but never lived long enough to use it all) and died from one point of damage damage (but got a +2 mod to hit). you could stack ten squads in a hex, which was hilarious. much simpler to use as you don't have to cross-reference two tables to calculate their damage or an infantry-specific range table. i'd give them a few more options but i'll start another thread if i want to brainstorm using those rules. i've already derailed this one enough


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Talen5000

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #23 on: 27 July 2019, 12:14:43 »
Infantry have been able to damage 'mechs with rifles since they were introduced way back in the day.  They do a bit more under the current rules, but not that much, really.

Which is an in game cheat that gives infantry some combat value rather than a "realistic" representation of the universe.
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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #24 on: 27 July 2019, 15:10:16 »
Which is an in game cheat that gives infantry some combat value rather than a "realistic" representation of the universe.
I get the sentiment, but this is a universe where Aerospace and warships have a ridiculously efficient fuel propulsion system and can engage at ranges of thousands of kilometers while the ground-pounders are still mostly limited to ranges around a kilometer.  It's a universe where a mere 1.5 tons of armor thinly spread across an area is capable of absorbing the impact of a quarter-ton hypersonic projectile without going internal, whereas the same slab will eventually be torn down by only 25 8.3 kg lightweight missiles, or enough 'Mech grade LMGs on a bank if you're patient enough.

IMO, Infantry being able to take advantage of Battletech's futuristic ablative armor's property of being, well, ablative, is a lesser sin.  It's difficult to say that infantry firearms being able to deal any damage at all is unrealistic since we don't have any analogues to ablative armor in real life.  An auto rifle won't do more than scratch conventional armor, which is anti-penetrative by nature, but BT's vehicles abandoned that long ago.

Not knowing the material properties of this mythical ablative armor, I head-canon it as a design compromise: In order to prevent the 31st century battlefield from turning into BattleGauss, an ablative armor type that can actually absorb the impact once or more without obliterating the vehicle is invented.  The cost is that weapons that probably wouldn't be able to have penetrated a similar penetrative-protected armor (small lasers, MGs, most rockets and missiles) can still inflict damage over time.
« Last Edit: 27 July 2019, 16:00:21 by Retry »

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #25 on: 27 July 2019, 17:20:06 »
IMO, Infantry being able to take advantage of Battletech's futuristic ablative armor's property of being, well, ablative, is a lesser sin.

Its also a universe where the inability of small arms and most "support" weapons is frequently noted and where field guns tend to be huge multi ton monstrosities with their own engines.

If you want simplicity...the current rules work well enough.

If you want in universe realism, then the existing infantry units can be described as overly effective. As you point out, the only infantry scale weapons that would be useful would be missiles, with other weapons being either anti infantry or anti "support" vehicle in nature rather than anti mech.

The cost of such realism is a unit that has very limited usefulness in a gaming environmemt and the rule of fun would need to be applied.

As it is, to handle infantry "correctly", yiu'd end up with rules for targets, different movement, different attack and defence capabilities and you'd need to accommodate that 30 men in a hex just isn't going to happen.

Rules can always be created, but will they be fun?
 

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #26 on: 27 July 2019, 22:00:29 »
Its also a universe where the inability of small arms and most "support" weapons is frequently noted and where field guns tend to be huge multi ton monstrosities with their own engines.
Most small arms and support weapons are ineffective against Mechs under TW rules.  There are exceptions like Mauser lasers and some laser-based support weapons.  Ineffective doesn't mean "zero" and a junkier infantry platoon can still cause problems if the 'Mech pilot is inexperienced and/or overly cocky.
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If you want simplicity...the current rules work well enough.
Simplifying infantry combat was definitely not a goal of this rework.
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If you want in universe realism, then the existing infantry units can be described as overly effective. As you point out, the only infantry scale weapons that would be useful would be missiles, with other weapons being either anti infantry or anti "support" vehicle in nature rather than anti mech.
The primary purpose of this rework was to make infantry more compelling and fun to design and use.  I may or may not succeed.  But "universe realism" was somewhat tertiary to me.

I definitely did not say the only useful infantry-scale anti-mech weapons would be missiles.  Support gauss and many support lasers would be perfectly potent against tanks and 'Mechs.

When I was comparing the auto rifle to conventional armor, I meant conventional armor, the stuff you put on MBTs (steel, composites, and ERA plates) whose one purpose is to stop penetration.  That an auto rifle cannot scratch an Abrams is not relevant because Battletech left conventional, penetration-based armors since the Age of War, in favour of Ablation-based methods.  Armors we don't have any information or technical data about because we have no real world equivalents.  The damage-dealing effectiveness that a weapon should "realistically" deal, or lack thereof, of various weapon types and various weapon sizes is necessarily speculation.  So we go to fluff and game rules to sort that out and get numbers on a board so we actually have a war game product we can play.

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As it is, to handle infantry "correctly", yiu'd end up with rules for targets, different movement, different attack and defence capabilities and you'd need to accommodate that 30 men in a hex just isn't going to happen.

Well, I have some of these in the current rule set.  That's a start.

A hex is 30 meters by the long diameter with a total area of 585 sq m.  For a 30-man squad in one hex, that's 19.5 sq m per soldier.  You can fit each man in that hex with a hefty 2.5 meters in between each other.  Not terribly wise perhaps but not nearly unreasonable.

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #27 on: 28 July 2019, 02:18:06 »
Most small arms and support weapons are ineffective against Mechs under TW rules.  There are exceptions like Mauser lasers and some laser-based support weapons.  Ineffective doesn't mean "zero" and a junkier infantry platoon can still cause problems if the 'Mech pilot is inexperienced and/or overly cocky

Which means little as far as in universe realism is concerned. The TW rules give damage values for longbows for example.

Quote
Simplifying infantry combat was definitely not a goal of this rework.The primary purpose of this rework was to make infantry more compelling and fun to design and use.  I may or may not succeed.  But "universe realism" was somewhat tertiary to me.

But it is one which offers a degree of simplification by allowing you to rule out most listed weapons.

Quote
When I was comparing the auto rifle to conventional armor, I meant conventional armor, the stuff you put on MBTs (steel, composites, and ERA plates) whose one purpose is to stop penetration.  That an auto rifle cannot scratch an Abrams is not relevant because Battletech left conventional, penetration-based armors since the Age of War, in favour of Ablation-based methods.  Armors we don't have any information or technical data about because we have no real world equivalents.  The damage-dealing effectiveness that a weapon should "realistically" deal, or lack thereof, of various weapon types and various weapon sizes is necessarily speculation.

No....canon fact.
And really, a necessity. If BT armour could be defeated by infantry small arms, longbows or even knives there would not be any use at all for the magical armour and with planets able to call on millions of rifle armed infantry, mech based assault woulf be impossible.

You are talking about a reality where the Roman Empire would have a good chance of defeating a Mech, and a hunting rifle does more damage than a modern day 120mm shell.

That infantry weapons, or even most support weapons, can damage Mechs is an ingame simplification. A few writers have tried to work such into their games, bit if you want infantry to be effective against Mech and be ""realistic", you give them static defences and field weaponry or an IFV.

But realism isn't your aim, so there's that.

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A hex is 30 meters by the long diameter with a total area of 585 sq m.  For a 30-man squad in one hex, that's 19.5 sq m per soldier.  You can fit each man in that hex with a hefty 2.5 meters in between each other.  Not terribly wise perhaps but not nearly unreasonable.

More referring to the problem of concentration of forces. Thirty men in a 30m hex is a target. Even in BT, you'd probably consider that 30m hex to host a squad and no more.

There are squad deployment rules of course to reflect this.
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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #28 on: 28 July 2019, 12:54:42 »
Which means little as far as in universe realism is concerned. The TW rules give damage values for longbows for example.
A result of the rigid damage conversion formula from AToW.  Had I included longbows, I'd have given a damage value of 0 for long-bow hard attack.
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But it is one which offers a degree of simplification by allowing you to rule out most listed weapons.
I didn't want to rule out most listed weapons, I wanted to make more of them useful and with distinct strengths and weaknesses, while making them less superfluous.  In that effect, I even added a few variants and additional weapons.
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No....canon fact.
And really, a necessity. If BT armour could be defeated by infantry small arms, longbows or even knives there would not be any use at all for the magical armour and with planets able to call on millions of rifle armed infantry, mech based assault would be impossible.
The weakness of bullet-proof vests to knives did not, and does not, make Kevlar obsolete.  BT ablative armor's vulnerability to a "death by 1000 cuts" does not make it obsolete.

That BT armor can be defeated by small arms, if your battlemech stands still and allows hundreds of infantry concentrate fire over several minutes at point blank range with semi-automatic rifle fire at one time without returning fire, is irrelevant as no one's going to operationally use a Battlemech that way.  That a million infantry could eventually wear down armor enough to go internal is irrelevant in itself because the Battlemech's effective range far exceeds that of infantry small arms, the infantry forces cannot concentrate fire all 1 million (or realistically, even 100) troops on one battlemech, and the Battlemech retains a considerable mobility and speed advantage and can easily disengage back to its FOB and quickly repair its armor back to full strength.

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You are talking about a reality where the Roman Empire would have a good chance of defeating a Mech, and a hunting rifle does more damage than a modern day 120mm shell.

A platoon with only swords under TW rules can deal maximum damage of 2 vs a Battlemech at 28-21 members, and 1 damage at 7-20 members.  I'll agree that for an archaic sword that's probably 2 too many.  It's not a good chance to kill a 'Mech.  That's no chance at all.

I'd model a 120mm shell as a medium or a heavy rifle.  That'd mean 3-6 damage on ablative armor, and way more than a hunting rifle.  HE or HEAT would actually probably fair better than APDSFS against ablative, judging by the description of Autocannon rounds as a form of HEAP and SRM warhead's as basically a minengeschoss on steroids.

Look, I absolutely have no desire to get into an argument on the realism or lack thereof of a material with no analogue in the real world.  Why can you chain together 300 small lasers together and deal the same damage to a light warship as a NAC/30, and why should 5 kgs of a 'mech-scale LMG ammo can damage a Battlemech while the same amount of mass of infantry-scale auto-rifles, support MGs or thunderstruck can not.  You can spend your time trying to convince other people what exactly the cutoff point between what can deal damage and what is not, that is your perogative.  But without any actual experimental data on any sort of actual ablative armor we simply can't say what that cutoff would be, that's just speculation, and I'm not interested in speculation.
« Last Edit: 30 July 2019, 10:38:40 by Retry »

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Re: Infantry Weapon Overhaul for Total Warfare
« Reply #29 on: 30 July 2019, 09:39:34 »
The problem with overhauling infantry weapons is how all weapons are handled between the RPG and the BG. Infantry, Battle Armor, and Vehicular/Mech.


In the RPG weapons used by individuals can be more powerful than than those used by squads. Squads though have a set damage value and don't have to worry about AP/BP/BAR effects. So you end up with 100 Archers with Longbows doing 1 point of damage to a mech. An individual with a TK Assault Rifle doing 1 point of damage to a mech while a 10 man squad will do 4 points of damage and a small vehicle with the same weapon won't do any damage (.44=0) to a vehicle/BA at all.

And then there's ordnance weapons which are even more confusing. In the RPG Class E Anti-Vehicle Ordnance does 8X/12A damage for all weapons using this ordnance. In the Total Warfare though damage varies by weapon and user. The conversion also averages all damages except Inferno, eliminating various ammo types and effects and greatly lower the damage done for infantry and small vehicles.

A BA Heavy Recoilless Rifle does 3 points of damage. The Infantry version only does .57 when used by infantry and 1 point when used by small vehicles. And SRMs...same ordnance does 2 points of damage for Mechs and BA, 1 point of damage for small vehicles, and 1.14 by infantry.

To fix infantry weapons those things will need to be fixed. And those can't be fixed without also fixing motorized/mechanized infantry/small vehicles.