Well, here we are.
After nearly a decade of building up from 3039, it's December 3048. We all know what's coming. So, before I throw these my mercenary outfit into the teeth of the Clans, I was looking for help making them more manageable.
I'm running MegaMekHQ Against the Bot and I've built myself this huge cumbersome beast and I'm looking to pare it down aggressively. Firstly, because it's not fun playing 35 lance contracts (unless I'm missing something) and I think I'm bleeding C-bills left and right on upkeep for stuff that seems redundant.
I'm looking to get things lean and mean.
Ideally, I think I'd like to land on a square battalion of 'mechs, a regiment of infantry (maybe more, I love my infantry) and appropriate vehicular support. I think futzing around with my Helepolis has left me pretty confident to work with artillery (without obliterating my precious infantry), so I'm looking to add that to either the vehicular or infantry component of the slimmer force.
I think my aerospace is a white elephant, but like a white elephant, it does look good. To me, anyway.
Ideally, I'd like to start liquidating assets to start paying cash for complete dropship support. Probably going to hold off on jumpships for now.
But the end goal here is to get something to where I'm running really no more than four encounters/missions a week.
Enough build-up help me kill my darlings.
Mechs:
Archer ARC-2Rb x 9
Awesome AWS-8Q (Stafanick) (DHS, 4 PPCs, SPL, ECM, basically)
Battlemaster BLR-1Gd
Blackjack BJ-3 (MacKeith) x 2 (FF armor)
Black Knight BL-6b-KNT
Black Knight BL-6-KNT (Ian)
Cicada CDA-3C
Crab CRB-27b x 5
Crusader CRD-2R x 4
Dervish DV-6Md (Dynda) x 2 (FF armor, DHS)
Dragoon AEM-02
Firebee FRB-2E (Cazador) x 3 (FF armor, DHS)
Firestarter FS9-M 'Mirage' x 6
Grand Dragon DRG-1G (al Din) x 3 (Endo, FF armor, DHS, add SRM-6)
Grasshopper GHR-5H (Boxer) x 5 (FF armor, DHS, add PPC, add LLas)
Grasshopper GHR-5H (Ghost Hunter)
Grasshopper GHR-5P
Griffin GRF-2N x 21 [This is probably where the most work can be done, but I'd like to leave one 2N per lance/demi-company as EW support]
Guillotine GLT-3N (Moussa) x 3 (DHS, add LLas, add 2 PMLas, drop SRM-6, add 2 SRM-4)
Hatchetman HCT-3F (Victoria) (FF armor, DHS, drop AC, add ER-PPC)
Helepolis HEP-3H
Hermes HER-1Sb x 3
Hermes II HER-2M 'Mercury' x 8 (Havelka) (Endo, FF armor, DHS, add MGun, add 5 JJ)
Jenner JR7-F x 2(Ivanovsky) (FF armor, DHS, add 2 JJ)
Kintaro KTO-20T x 5 (drop LRM-5, add 4 RL-10)
Kyudo KY-2-02 x 2
Lancelot LNC25-03 (Unkovic ii) (FF armor, drop 2 AC/5, add ERLLas, add UAC/5, add ECM, add BAP)
Mongoose MON-66 x 6
Orion ON1-V (Arawn) x 2 (FF armor, DHS, drop AC/10, add UAC/5, add 2 PMLas)
Ostroc OSR-2C (Kashani) (Michi, FF armor, DHS, drop MLas, add LLas)
Ostroc OSR-2C (Kashani ii) x 2 (Kashani, drop 2 LLas, add Binary Laser (Blazer) Cannon, drop SRM-6, add 2 SRM-2)
Ostroc OSR-2LT (Endo, FF armor, DHS, drop 2 LLas, add Binary Laser (Blazer) Cannon, add 3 JJ, add MASC)
Ostroc OSR-2LT (Kashani) (Drop 3 JJ, add ECM, drop LRM-5, add SRM-6)
Ostsol OTL-6T
Ostsol OTL-8T
Ostsol OTL-8T2 x 2
Ostwar OWR-2Mb
Panther PNT-8Z (Stagias) x 5
Panther PNT-9R (Trewen) x 6
Phoenix Hawk PXH-3S x 7
Rifleman RFL-3K (High Beams)
Scorpion SCP-1N
Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb x 3
Spider SDR-5DT (almost certain to liquidate this with so many Mongooses and Hermes on hand)
Stalker STK-3Fb x 6
Striker STC-2C (Panther) (FF armor, DHS, drop AC/5, add UAC/5, drop 2 MLas, add 2 PMLas)
Thunderbolt TDR-5L x 5
Titan TI-1Aj
Toro TR-A-6T x 2
Trebuchet TBT-5J (Pesci) x 4
Trebuchet TBT-5ST x 3
Victor VTR-9A1T
Victor VTR-9B (Mercier)
Vulcan VL-5T (Aasland) x 3
Vulcan VL-5T (Aasland ii)
Warhammer WHM-7A x 6
Wolfhound WLF-1B (Malipatlolla ii) x 3
Wolverine WVR-6K (Chantler) (might hold out and turn this into the best Wolverine: the 7M, but I've gotten used to dumping these early and often)
Wyvern WVE-5Nsl x 2
Wyvern WVE-9NT
The Overview/Hangar Breakdown tab puts this at 177 'mechs. Please, please, slash away. I think I'm looking to get down to 60 'mechs. 48 in the straight 'mech battalion, and as few companies as possible to stiffen the tanks and infantry.
Thanks for any consideration.
Vees and Infantry to come...