Sell me on... The Rocket Launcher 20

[Stinger]

The Rocket Launcher 20 is an oddity to me.

20 Damage in a single shot for 1.5 tons and 3 crits.  Compared to a RL 10, which is 10 damage in .5 tons and 1 crit, with 50% more range. Firing 2 RL 10s creates 20% more (read 1) heat than an RL 20, but their increased range and decreased weight more than make up for that fact.

So why on earth would I want to mount an RL 20 instead of 3 RL 10s?

The RL 15 seems the same to me, again, why not 2 RL 10s?

[Empyrus]

Isn't it kind of same as 4/5xLRM5 vs LRM20? The former is more likely to hit but the latter does more damage if it hits.
Of course, the drawbacks the RL20 (and 15) have are pretty big, considering you can have 3xRL10 for every RL20. RL20 is more heat efficient if that is important though.

On vehicles, the RL20s make more sense, since they take only one item slot.

[beachhead1985]

I mainly use em on vehicles. But I refer multiple RL/10s whenever possible.

[Scotty]

The Rocket Launcher 20 is an oddity to me.

20 Damage in a single shot for 1.5 tons and 3 crits.  Compared to a RL 10, which is 10 damage in .5 tons and 1 crit, with 50% more range. Firing 2 RL 10s creates 20% more (read 1) heat than an RL 20, but their increased range and decreased weight more than make up for that fact.

So why on earth would I want to mount an RL 20 instead of 3 RL 10s?

The RL 15 seems the same to me, again, why not 2 RL 10s?

Sometimes vehicles don't have the slots to mount war crime levels of RL10s.  Sometimes you want to be able to capitalize on low TNs with several large launchers.

That's about it.

[Stinger]

Isn't it kind of same as 4/5xLRM5 vs LRM20? The former is more likely to hit but the latter does more damage if it hits.
Of course, the drawbacks the RL20 (and 15) have are pretty big, considering you can have 3xRL10 for every RL20. RL20 is more heat efficient if that is important though.

On vehicles, the RL20s make more sense, since they take only one item slot.

The other issue becomes the range bands.  The  4/5xLRM5 vs LRM20 argument makes sense if an RL 10 had the same range as an RL 20, but really, the RL 10 reaches out to PPC range and the 20 only reaches out to ERML range.  When talking to hits, you will have a much better chance of hitting with an RL 10 over an RL 20 at any range greater than 4 hexes.

If the range bands were equal, I don't htink I would have asked the question...  :-\

[Martius]

The 20 can be used for mine clearing.  But this is the only thing it can do that several RL 10 cannot do better on a 'Mech. Vees are a different matter as slots can get scarce sometimes.

[Nightsong]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't aeros carry RL/20 pods on bomb mounts? Another nasty use for them I would think.

[beachhead1985]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't aeros carry RL/20 pods on bomb mounts? Another nasty use for them I would think.

That was 10s I think. Eagre to be corrected on this one if I am wrong.

[Nightsong]

Yeah, unfortunately, you're right. This Question Reply answers that. Kind of a bummer too. an RL/20 would have been a perfect pylon mount.

[Nav_Alpha]

That was 10s I think. Eagre to be corrected on this one if I am wrong.

Yep, only the 10. But they only take up one hard point. So five of these give a medium fighter a lot of lead to put down range

[ColBosch]

The idiot nephew that was appointed as your Quartermaster ordered a bunch, so you're stuck with them. Beyond that and the very specific uses mentioned before, I wouldn't bother. I won't say they shouldn't exist, or need to be buffed rules-wise, but they're very much table-filler to me.

[Giovanni Blasini]

On BattleMechs I see absolutely no value in them whatsoever.  You're significantly better off with multiple RL10s.

[Shatara]

The 20 can be used for mine clearing.  But this is the only thing it can do that several RL 10 cannot do better on a 'Mech. Vees are a different matter as slots can get scarce sometimes.

Only if you're building it really small (VTOLs or glorified pickup trucks), and/or boating them by the eleventybillion.

[Scotty]

Or if you use an XL and HFF (the question then becomes Why, For the Love of God?).

[garhkal]

Only if RLs can carry thunder munitions, can i even see a reason anyone would ever go for RL15s or 20s..

[beachhead1985]

Only if RLs can carry thunder munitions, can i even see a reason anyone would ever go for RL15s or 20s..

indeed! We need RL alternate munitions; WP, flechettes, cluster bombs, ect.

[Intermittent_Coherence]

What's with the decreasing range, anyway? I thought they fired the same munitions?

[Martius]

No real reason but game balance IMO. Well, keep in mind that the RL 20 was 'balanced' to be a crappy weapon compared to the other RLs but of course I still like it more than the -15.

The 10 us the one you really want, the 20 helped me to clear a minefield* or two a few times the 15.... well.

* was using the HBK-5H as an emergency minefield clearing device a few times. It is not very effective but better than nothing if your unit stumbles upon some hidden mines in town....


edit:  There is one last use for the bigger RLs: Crit padding. As RLs are made without a single bit of explodium they great for that, soaking up enemy fire like a sponge. They also won't explode when the 'Mech overheats which adds to their usefulness.

[Giovanni Blasini]

I didn't know the RL-20 could clear minefields. Can the MRM-20?

[Shatara]

Pretty sure. I've built engineering vehicles with them fluffed as 'mine clearance weapons'. Of course, that was before they added MCMs, and didn't give them to MRMs... :-\

[Giovanni Blasini]

Pretty sure. I've built engineering vehicles with them fluffed as 'mine clearance weapons'. Of course, that was before they added MCMs, and didn't give them to MRMs... :-\

Just checked Tactical Operations.  Per page 211:

Missiles: Unless using special Mine Clearance Munitions (see p. 370), a player may use an LRM-20; Rocket Launcher 20; MRM-20, -30 or -40; ATM 12 (HE or standard) or ATM 9 (HE) to clear a minefield (but no other type of missile attack).

Looks like the basic requirement, then, is to do 20 points max damage from your missile salvo.

[Martius]

Yes, 20+ damage is needed to qualify as an improvised mine clearing device.

MRM 20,30,40 and the RL 20 are quite useful in this role- especially if you do not want to 'waste' other missle ammo for Mine Clearing ammunition.

I often use HBK-5Hs together with WTH-1Hs in towns (one as the can opener, the other the critseeker/flanker/vulture- a urban combat century often consists of 2 HBK/WTH teams and a single FS-9C for squishy hunting) and if mines are an option I usually hold back with the -20is just in case my troops stumble into a minefield.

[Intermittent_Coherence]

No real reason but game balance IMO.

Krap. How did they justify that in fluff?

[Martius]

Fluff wise I think the rockets have a tendency to get in its other way or so.  So the more you launch the less you can control the spread of missiles.