AW's infantry questions

[Arkansas Warrior]

So I don't use PBIs much, and when I do it's usually just the standard MegaMek platoons.  But of late I've taken an interest in the possibilities that are out there.  So enlighten me, ye hardened footsloggers, where are the rules for field guns (and if someone wants to give me a basic rundown on their operations I'd appreciate it).


  Also, I'm a little confused about SRMs as platoon support weapons: two launchers per squad I get, so 8 per foot platoon, but they don't seem to do the normal two damage apiece.  Are infantry platoons carrying special tiny SRMs (and then why not call them uberLAWs or something less confusing?)?  Can they use special munitions, inferno and the like?  I'd really like to have mechs lure the enemy into an ambush of footsloggers platoons firing scores (or hundreds) of SRMs, but that seems less and less viable.

[MadCapellan]

Infantry weapons other than field guns and field artillery are abstracted.  Ergo, infantry SRMs don't do the same damage as BattleMech SRMs, and infantry rifles do damage to BattleMechs, because all the damage is averaged into a single vs. everything damage stat that works against both 'Mechs and other infantry platoons.

The rules for field guns are inanely simple:
The platoon must be motorized or mechanized
Only autocannons or gauss rifles may be used, but any kind may be used.
A platoon may have as many tons worth of field guns as it has troopers.
Each gun has one ton of ammo automatically at no tonnage
You cannot fire them while moving.

That's essentially it.  Field guns can make for fantastic cheap defensive positions, because AC/10 field guns, for example, are just as effective as if they were on a 'Mech, but if the enemy wants to kill them, they have to bring appropriate anti-infantry weaponry or they'll have a hell of a time doing it.

If you want to kill the crap out of 'Mechs, forget SRMs.  Plasma Rifles are the support weapon to use.  They deal 1.58 damage a gun, and allow you to deal heat instead of damage using your platoon at your discretion.  A platoon with eight plasma rifles and 20 auto-rifles can deliver up to 23 damage out to six hexes.  That's no joke.

[SCC]

You are correct, Infantry SRM's are not SRM's as other units refer to them.

Only Motorized and Tracked or Wheeled Mechanized Conventional Infantry. Field Guns are added after the end of the normal construction process, all AutoCannon, Rifles (Cannon) and Guass Rifles (Excluding Heavy and Hyper-Assualt) may be used. To operate a Field Gun a platoon must have more members then the guns weight. Guns come with a single ton of ammo of any type (LB-X cluster only). Platoons must designate a facing like a tank turret before firing and can not move or attack normally in the turn they fire the guns. The guns have the same stats as a regular gun of their type. Multiple guns may be used if the platoon has sufficient members, but they must all be the same type and class. Bad stuff (Jams, Gauss explosions) can't occur.

That covers MOST of it, but see the rules in TacOps for details

[Death by Zeus]

LOL, these rules remind me of WWI and WWII railguns with huge numbers of men operating them, just without the train part.  I have often thought that Field Guns would be great ambush weapons, 2 platoons with AC20 guns would rock someones world for sure. 

[VhenRa]

LOL, these rules remind me of WWI and WWII railguns with huge numbers of men operating them, just without the train part.  I have often thought that Field Guns would be great ambush weapons, 2 platoons with AC20 guns would rock someones world for sure.

More WWII Towed Anti-Tank Guns. Like the German Flak 88 used in an Anti-Tank role, complete with the sheer ineffectiveness of enemy anti-tank weapons against them, in the same way the British struggled with them because their early war tanks lacked effective HE rounds for their Tank Guns.

[Sami Jumppanen]

You are correct, Infantry SRM's are not SRM's as other units refer to them.

Just to add a little bit: SRM Infantry is what you might call a leftover from the time there was no infantry construction rules (or possibly infantry rules) but SRM infantry was mentioned in the old novells.

[Weirdo]

SRM infantry *can* use inferno ammo, however. It is the only alternate ammo type available to any infantry, though field guns/artillery may use any ammo the gun is normally allowed.

[Death by Zeus]

More WWII Towed Anti-Tank Guns. Like the German Flak 88 used in an Anti-Tank role, complete with the sheer ineffectiveness of enemy anti-tank weapons against them, in the same way the British struggled with them because their early war tanks lacked effective HE rounds for their Tank Guns.

Operationally yes, I envision a towed gauss rifle out in the open annoying the heck out of the op-for.  The command goes out, "silence that gun!"  The eager beaver Scout pilot rushes out and just in sight of his objective , (put on your cartoon hat here) while on one leg manages to get an "EEEP!" out as four AC-20s unmask and turn him into a cloud of metal confetti.  ;D   The railgun comment is because according to the rules it takes 1 man per ton of gun, that means *15* to crew a gauss rifle, that's alot for one piece.  I mean come on, it's not like it's the Atomic Gun! 

[Weirdo]

All 15 men may not be needed to actually man the gun. It may simply be an abstract mechanism to represent the gun itself taking damage. When the platoon(and by extension their gun) has taken X damage, the gun is offline.

[Death by Zeus]

As an abstraction, yes.  I must be something of a Luddite as actually envisioning it usually has it on rails  :)) not wheels or tracks.  I think that you have great fun with newbies that adopt the mech head persona.  "What, you didn't bring anything with machine guns? Well, here's how the rules work." Being an educator must be sooo rewarding  >:D .

[Weirdo]

As an abstraction, yes.  I must be something of a Luddite as actually envisioning it usually has it on rails  :)) not wheels or tracks.

That actually sounds really cool to me. Get a mini of a rail gun, do the minimum kitbashing to either give the wheels tires or put tracks on them, and instead of a rail gun, it's a towed railgun! :D

I think that you have great fun with newbies that adopt the mech head persona.  "What, you didn't bring anything with machine guns? Well, here's how the rules work." Being an educator must be sooo rewarding  >:D .

I love doing exactly that to other people in my group. It's gotten to the point that they'll bring air defenses and antipersonnel weaponry even when I'm bringing an all-mech force. It took them a while, but they learned well. >:D

[Death by Zeus]

You Sir have a reputation that spans the globe.  O0 ;D

[Weirdo]

Wait, really?!

It's a Christmas miracle! O:-)

[BanzaiAlex]

I am pretty new to Battletech and just started collecting minis and books.  If I may ask, what book are these rules and BV values of adding Field Guns to Conventional Infantry? 

[Jim1701]

Tactical Operations

[Arkansas Warrior]

SRM infantry *can* use inferno ammo, however. It is the only alternate ammo type available to any infantry, though field guns/artillery may use any ammo the gun is normally allowed.

So how does that work?  However much damage the platoon does is converted to heat instead?

All 15 men may not be needed to actually man the gun. It may simply be an abstract mechanism to represent the gun itself taking damage. When the platoon(and by extension their gun) has taken X damage, the gun is offline.

Manual loading.  It takes a few guys to heft those 125kg shells.  The rest are for pushing the gun back and forth when the facing needs to change.

[Weirdo]

So how does that work?  However much damage the platoon does is converted to heat instead?

Essentially. Total SRM damage/2 is the number of Inferno missiles that hit. (I think it might round down) Remember, there a lot of units that don't care about the heat, but how many individual missile hit is important.