BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Player Boards => Fan Designs and Rules => Combat Vehicles => Topic started by: iamfanboy on 24 March 2011, 20:13:50
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So for the first time in a long time I've dipped into the vehicle rules in an attempt to stat out my old Mega Force vehicles, and while I found several adequate vehicles in here (I especially liked the Mini-Po someone posted as a 50-tonner), I'm questioning the necessity of a tank, especially a primarily defensive design, needing to go 64 kph.
It's a difference of 6 tons as a 50-ton tracked vehicle, and that six tons could be pumped into more turret weaponry and armor. Hell, with motive hits being the monsters they are, one might as well accept that if side hits happen you're probably throwing a tread and never moving again.
Besides, as far as tabletop munchkining goes, there's little applicable difference between 3/5 and 4/6 - both give the same neutral to-hit difficulty, and primarily turret-mounted weaponry negates any real need to turn quickly. Leave fast movements to the hovercraft and VTOLs.
So this is my idea for a 3/5 militia tank in the 50-ton range. It uses a Large Laser as its primary armament (I considered an AC/10, but since the LL is only 1/2 ton heavier and has no ammo dependency [and has even been around longer and is manufactured in over five times as many canon places, for the fluff Nazis who think lasers are more complicated than ACs], it makes more sense for a militia unit), with an LRM-10 for more long-range firepower.
It also carries a platoon of integral infantry support - think of it as an upsized Goblin.
Type: Hobgoblin Heavy Infantry Transport
Technology Base: Inner Sphere / 3075
Ruleset: Standard (5th edition)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 50
Cost: 1,954,500 C-bills
Battle Value: 472
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure: 5.0
Engine: 150 11.0
Type: ICE
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: 8 8.0
Control Equipment: 2.5
Lift Equipment: 0.0
Power Amplifier: 0.5
Turret: 1
Armor Factor: 136 8.5
Armor
Value
Front 36
L/R Side 23/23
Rear 16
Turret 38
Weapons and Ammo Location Tons
Large Laser Turret 12.0
LRM-10 Turret 5.0
Ammo (LRM 10) 12 Body 1.0
Crew: 3
Cargo: 3.0 tons
Ideally, these would be used as a form of area denial - if 'Mechs close in to deal with the Hobgoblins, their infantry can attack, whereas the Hobgoblins have the extended-range weaponry that their infantry does not. Machineguns weren't chosen because their infantry can deal with any situations that would require anti-infantry... hopefully.
I personally feel that this offers a different battlefield role than the Maxim transport; whereas the Maxim is more about getting the infantry to their places quickly (or fleeing just as quickly!), the Hobgoblin is more about creating a mobile fire-base for the infantry to use and create a synergy along the lines of, "Which do I fire at, the tanks or the infantry?!"
With enough armor to survive fire and enough throw-weight to at least damage opposing 'mechs, especially lighter ones that might move in to clear out the infantry, I'm actually kinda fond of this design.
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I've used the MP3/5 cheap tank idea for a while to equip militia and desperate mercs but I never equipped it to carry a platoon of infantry. Interesting idea. Thanks for pointing out the intro dates for the large laser and AC/10, I've never noticed that, good way to limit your supply chain.