Did we ever end up with any vehicles that had Nova CEWS? For the simple tie-in to a networked Sept is why I suggested going custom, like I said you can do it easily by just making the Gauss Rifles Clan-spec even if you do nothing with that extra free weight.
I would also say one of the more important questions when using vehicles is- are you using vehicle survival rules? If so, using 3/5 to move forward still works.
I have slightly different experiences than cannonshop- even on table top, let alone MM, I have had a 3/5 tank (Morrigu Laser) moving forward. Mostly b/c I wanted to put that 8/15 bubble as much in the center of the table as possible. But it also followed along behind my mechs which is what I kept my opponents focused on and I had BA (Grenadiers) covering the tank's flanks.
we all develop our doctrines based on who we play against. Most of my opponents learn pretty rapidly to use mobile forces, so a fixed line like you describe is pretty much chowder after the first firing phase, and we tend to run on larger mapsets by default, making
holding that flank formation much more difficult, since there ARE flanks on a larger map array rather than "you'er out of bounds and dead". Phalanx fighting tends to work on small maps or against the Megamek bot, but it tends to fall apart fast if the other guy goes for a lateral flanking move or terrain is interrupted enough that you can't
hold that formation while moving forward.
the "vehicle survival rules" really shitcans the idea of game balance unless you're also taking similar rules for 'mechs and everything else. It's one of those issues; if you need your vehicles to act
just like battlemechs then why aren't you just taking
battlemechs? Vehicle play is
supposed to be different from all 'mechs all the time, and not JUST because vees have special tricks 'mechs don't. (Fewer locations and thicker armor density per ton) There's supposed to be a trade for things ike the ability to go hull-down, taking zero heat from ballistic and missile weapons, having specialist modes of movement and not having a nine point head location. The trade off is
supposed to be that they're less effective if you treat them like battlemechs-that they're more fragile, or more easily stopped, or what-have-you.
Benefits/drawbacks, see? Under the old system (BMR) this meant you didn't want to use vees in a static shooting contest, because sitting still was a death sentence for vehicles, while a 'mech could easily continue on for a long time. The reforms to Hovers were absolutely necessary, and the sideslip/skidding rule updates closed more than a few loopholes people had been exploiting, but then the
changes to the basic locations in Total Warfare created an optimum role for what were marginal units-and
ought to have been marginal, such as your 3/5 assault tanks. It didn't change how you could use the tanks that were BETTER than the 3/5 designs, but instead, created a definite,specific, 'advantage' role for them.
which is not on the offensive, but as fixed defenders.
This is balanced. (mostly). Enormous firepower in an armored slab at the cost of being nearly useless on the offense against live opponents. this isn't a bad thing, it's a great thing-but...they had to dig up even MORE munchkin variations of rules that were Munchkin rules to begin with when they were in "Maxtech" (prior to being adopted into Total Warfare with very few if any changes).
You don't NEED to put a thumb on the scale by using the VSR out of TacOps. it's really kind of excessive. slow armor is great for fixed position fighting on a small map, that's not a bad thing, most BT games are done on 1-2 mapsheets at most, and special rules are for scenarios, and should be counter-balanced by OTHER special rules so you don't invalidate the main bread-and-butter unit in the game.
lemme put it thusly: there is no glory in winning by using VSR against an opponent who isn't running the same kind of munchkin options on his forces.
none. all it demonstrates is that you've bought a book (or downloaded a pirated copy of a book) that the other guy doesn't have access to, hasn't read, etcetera.
Guy's taking stocks because that's what his gaming group is running, or because he's making a point, and you don't make that point using optional options from the munchiest book in the catalogue.