SPA Cramped Cockpit Question

[Failure16]

When it comes to the Cramped Cockpit SPA, I feel like I remember hearing something about it being given to mechs that had weapons or other equipment in the head slot.  Not 100% sure on that.

No equipment in the head, but an AS7-D manages to cram a satellite dish that would have made my 1980s home feel proud. The point being: just keep the Quirks to text references first, and perhaps visual cues second.

Adding them without some other basis is a slippery slope indeed.

I think it either depends on Seen or Unseen art or just because. It doesn't bother me enough to ask either. We're still free to use it or not on our tables.

Right, right.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The Atlas's communications dish is outside the cockpit, though, while a medium laser or other such item is going to take up significant space inside the mech's head.

[Failure16]

It folds into the head for combat. See TRO 3025.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Not a book I've ever owned.  Or am likely to own at this point given it's been out of print for so long.

[Failure16]

Fair enough. And, in the interest of fair play, the relevant passage also makes it clear the cockpit is "roomy". It was just an illustration that having equipment in the Head should not automatically equate to a Cramped Cockpit Quirk without other factors being present.

At the end of the day, Quirks are just a way to translate text or visual cues into a codified ergonomic system for a game. Throwing them in without cause weakens the reasoning behind their existence, especially if that reasoning is some imagined salve to game balance.

[RifleMech]

The Atlas's communications dish is outside the cockpit, though, while a medium laser or other such item is going to take up significant space inside the mech's head.

I would think that would depend on the size of the Mech's head and how things were installed. The Vindicator was originally designed with the head mounted Medium Laser intruding into the cockpit area which interfered with the ejection system. The head was redesigned just before the War of 3039 to fix that problem. 

Edit to add
Looking at the Vindicator's art I don't see how the medium laser introduce into the cockpit. I can see the Thorn's medium laser intruding into the cockpit but it only makes the cockpit hotter when used.

One of the mechs in SB:SD was used to test equipment and additional monitors and equipment were installed in the cockpit making it cramped and giving the pilot back pain.

[Wolf72]

Balancing? meh, in my AU my crap-tacular 10 and 40 ER rated vehicles (those moving 1/2 or 2/3) all get Power Reverse! ... the balancing act is in that they're cheap & slow (just about all carry a hitch or are even built as trailers).  The VToLs and other speedsters get Poor Performance (can't hit flank right away, have to do one turn of cruise then go to flank -- something like that).  (my examples are on the wimpy end of the discussion, regardless balancing is all on the rule of kewl, whether good or bad)