Author Topic: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn  (Read 28546 times)

Molossian Dog IIC

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #60 on: 20 January 2014, 13:52:59 »
I feel like it's bad form to quote myself, but whatever.  This does give me the idea for the "Gun Magazine" that sports the B's Large Laser (or a PPC, or even a pair of LPPCs, or even one) to fit in a 3-7 ton cargo bay.  Three tons would give you enough for at least a few days in the field with an infantry or battle armor platoon.  It'd even be a pretty fantastic training 'Mech, with the moderate speed, "dialed down" PPC, and ability to stay in the field for weeks with those cargo bays.
A three ton field kitchen?

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ANS Kamas P81

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #61 on: 20 January 2014, 19:08:53 »
Where did this come from?  I was suggesting one Flamer or ER Flamer to give it a way to help out against hostile infantry and to create firebreaks to check the advance of hostile conventional forces in a pinch, not trying to wade into a pile of infantry in a thin skinned design like this.
I suggested a Sunder-Samual style loadout, something for clearing streets of anything living and/or recently deceased.
A three ton field kitchen?

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Now there's an idea.  Also internal cargo bays for long-term deployment, communications gear for patrols, the OmniMech can do a lot more than combat.  Hell, i wouldn't be surprised if Guns were cheap enough to turn into a high-performance industrialmech.  Instead of needing a this-or-that onhand, just hook up whatever heavy tool's required to your omnimech and waddle it into position.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #62 on: 22 January 2014, 01:20:01 »
Hell, i wouldn't be surprised if Guns were cheap enough to turn into a high-performance industrialmech.  Instead of needing a this-or-that onhand, just hook up whatever heavy tool's required to your omnimech and waddle it into position.

You know..that is an interesting thought. Are there Mobile Construction Battalions in BattleTech? We never
hear mention of them..but..well, that could be an interesting idea: putting Guns into those sorts of units:
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #63 on: 22 January 2014, 07:02:35 »
Personally I think it's an awesome looking design. Functional, yet somehow menacing. (Then again Alex I. is my favorite among the current artists.)
It seems to follow the design mantra of the Po: Cheap(ish) and effective in the role. The art reminds me of a T-34. They're not wasting money on making it look pretty, they're spending it on function.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #64 on: 22 January 2014, 20:41:46 »
But remember: enough knives and baseball bats can damage a 'mech, and if they get in the same hex, it
cannot shoot them..

At which point the battle armor the Gun is carrying drop off and go to town.

The mech doesn't have to use podspace on anti-infantry guns, it's specifically a cheap BA taxi and support platform for the same.  So rather than use podspace for anti-infantry weapons they pick up a BA squad each and call it good.  Not to mention the plasma rifle in the prime configuration is murder on PBIs.

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #65 on: 22 January 2014, 23:33:37 »
It's a shame the Gun has so few criticals.

I would of loved to have seen one with 8 Improved Jump Jets   :)). 

Alas, it only has room for 4 so for a jumping Gun we'll just have to use standard Jump Jets  :(

Still, a 5/8/5 20 Ton Omni with 7.5 tons of free space has it's uses.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #66 on: 03 April 2018, 21:37:09 »
It's not a medium, but... :)

I tried using the Gun once.

Let's just say that slow 20 tonners aren't long for this world.    xp
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #67 on: 03 April 2018, 21:44:14 »
I tried using the Gun once.

Let's just say that slow 20 tonners aren't long for this world.    xp
The Gun is not intended to be used in operations where there is heavy ordnance flying around, i think.
Need to put down those peasant rioters who are in process of capturing a Vedette tank? Use Gun, either to bring BA or use its plasma rifle to shoo the peasants away. Need to redeploy some BA near battlefield but not in exact front line? Use Gun. Need to carry BA or support infantry while under fire? Don't use Gun.

So, while it is an infantry support 'Mech, it isn't like the Hoplite really. If you need infantry support while there is that heavy ordnance flying around, use a Snake or a Calliope.

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #68 on: 03 April 2018, 22:41:45 »
I tried using the Gun once.

Let's just say that slow 20 tonners aren't long for this world.    xp

When I faced them, they were in numbers, and accompanied by stuff I really couldn't afford to ignore for the time I would have needed to wipe them out. Those little buggers hurt.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #69 on: 03 April 2018, 23:52:28 »
Guns are force multipliers, like the never-say-die trashcan Urbanmech. Hoplite serves similar function (though I would rather splurge on a Griffin or go with a P-hawk)

For straight up infantry support, most bugs can do the job just fine. P-hawk if you want a Medium for most occasions without breaking the bank.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #70 on: 04 April 2018, 05:11:13 »
As the designer, it greatly pleases me people remember my creation but let's get that into the right thread.

I tried using the Gun once.

Let's just say that slow 20 tonners aren't long for this world.    xp

I hadn't thought of it this way but the Gùn really needs another 5 tons of baseline tonnage to work properly.  The Raptor doesn't take all the all steps the Gùn does to stack podspace but winds up with another 1.5 tons plus two more base MP even without them.  Apply a half-ton of that to armor, especially if you're still willing to suffer the XL gyro to squeeze out an extra ton, and you get an extra ton of podspace, more speed, and significantly better armor.

Still, as an "asymmetric combatant" and force multiplier, I'm pretty satisfied with what I managed to do on the 20 tons I had thanks to the design restrictions.  Just the shock factor of realizing I could actually squeeze an HPPC on there was immensely entertaining and it provides a different sort of look to the lighter Capellan garrison units.  They've got a high-speed/good podspace Omni with the Men Shen.

EDIT: There was also some commentary on the lack of flamer configs.  That's deliberate.  You're lightly armored and slow.  Getting within 2-3 hexes of infantry is not a good idea, especially because the weapons carried by modern infantry have gotten longer-ranged.  You want to torch a foot platoon, roast them with the Prime's plasma rifle or let the BA you're carrying deal with them.  Or at least that's my opinion on the matter, and as the designer, that was the one that guided the canon configs.
« Last Edit: 04 April 2018, 06:39:37 by Moonsword »

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #71 on: 04 April 2018, 07:56:44 »
The Gun feels... Clannish. Spheroids don't usually focus so much on raw podspace and ability to cram firepower into things. I mean, the Gun has 50% of its mass dedicated to pod space. There are few 'Mechs with as much, the Dire Wolf, the Tomahawk (I/II), the Hel (Loki II), but i can't think of others.
Not that this thing would live in a Clan world for long. Short life as it is already.

Given the Gun's effective and varied configurations, all with clear purpose, the 'Mech can't be modified really though. Upping it to 25-tonner would work, to be sure, but... well, it doesn't seem to fit fluff-wise.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #72 on: 04 April 2018, 08:14:09 »
I won't call a mech that goes 5/8 slow, but i guess for lights in 3145 it certainly is.  Can masc be added help improve it? I don't have my books next to me, but it IS Omni.  Maybe it won't have have alot weapons but it could still transport Battle Armor.

I think its a flawed design, given there are faster Omni out there for the Capellans, given it's mission as a Infantry Fire Support platform but on the "cheap" i guess.  Heck a crappy Strider would likely help it's situation
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Empyrus

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #73 on: 04 April 2018, 08:25:32 »
I won't call a mech that goes 5/8 slow, but i guess for lights in 3145 it certainly is.  Can masc be added help improve it? I don't have my books next to me, but it IS Omni.  Maybe it won't have have alot weapons but it could still transport Battle Armor. I won't call a mech that goes 5/8 slow, but i guess for lights in 3145 it certainly is.
MASC can't be used in Omnis unless baked into base chassis.
Supercharger can be used though... only the Gun uses a SFE and XL gyro, so there is no space for one as SCs must share location with engine slots.

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #74 on: 04 April 2018, 15:19:30 »
I am a fan of the LOOKS of this design, I bought two of them when they came out.

Using them can be difficult, but I've had fun using them as "fast" support for my UrbanMech squadrons.  They can fill a quick hole, lend a little more firepower, and generally provide support.  But that's all they do it support. They just aren't good fighters.

They are decent ambushers, a couple Primes and a couple A's pop out, shank a target, and run away while it cools down and stands back up.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #75 on: 04 April 2018, 17:27:04 »
Mixed tech is all the rage these days, salavage has always been the name of the game, and the CapCon are allied (If not in a state of personal union) with the MoC, the IS faction most likely to develop Proto's

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #76 on: 04 April 2018, 17:36:41 »
Shhh...........What happens in the Magistracy of Canopus stays in the Magistracy of Canopus.  If you keep talking about that the Ebon Magistrate Black Catgirl Commando Unit will get you and it will not be Kawaii.
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Scotty

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #77 on: 04 April 2018, 19:00:55 »
As the designer, it greatly pleases me people remember my creation but let's get that into the right thread.

I hadn't thought of it this way but the Gùn really needs another 5 tons of baseline tonnage to work properly.  The Raptor doesn't take all the all steps the Gùn does to stack podspace but winds up with another 1.5 tons plus two more base MP even without them.  Apply a half-ton of that to armor, especially if you're still willing to suffer the XL gyro to squeeze out an extra ton, and you get an extra ton of podspace, more speed, and significantly better armor.

Still, as an "asymmetric combatant" and force multiplier, I'm pretty satisfied with what I managed to do on the 20 tons I had thanks to the design restrictions.  Just the shock factor of realizing I could actually squeeze an HPPC on there was immensely entertaining and it provides a different sort of look to the lighter Capellan garrison units.  They've got a high-speed/good podspace Omni with the Men Shen.

EDIT: There was also some commentary on the lack of flamer configs.  That's deliberate.  You're lightly armored and slow.  Getting within 2-3 hexes of infantry is not a good idea, especially because the weapons carried by modern infantry have gotten longer-ranged.  You want to torch a foot platoon, roast them with the Prime's plasma rifle or let the BA you're carrying deal with them.  Or at least that's my opinion on the matter, and as the designer, that was the one that guided the canon configs.

The Gùn being 20 tons is exactly what it needs and I'm glad you picked that.  Going up to 25 and working for 6/9 or 7/11 makes the engine at least half again higher rating.  C-bills may not make any sense whatsoever, but the engine being more expensive the larger it is makes perfect sense.  The Gùn being as dirt-cheap as it is really doesn't want to be more expensive, even if it comes with some increase in capability.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #78 on: 05 April 2018, 08:30:30 »
The Gùn is really more of a BA support than an Infantry support.
It needs something sufficiently dangerous and sufficiently squishy around to have any chance of continued existence, and a 5/8 Omni has it's use as a BA-Taxi.
For supporting actual squishies it could very well be 25 tons, with the same engine.
And as much as I like the idea of installing a MASH or field kitchen in the podspace, the mech has a small cockpit that doesn't quite lend itself to prolonged campaigns.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #79 on: 05 April 2018, 13:02:01 »
....can you install an infantry bay as podspace?  Mobile hostile environment quarters for up to nearly a full company of infantry. :D
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #80 on: 05 April 2018, 13:13:02 »
'Mechs are explicitly ruled as being unable to carry infantry.
I believe i've seen this idea pop up few times in OmniMech MOTWs, and errata'd construction rules forbid installing infantry things to 'Mechs.

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #81 on: 05 April 2018, 13:14:00 »
Unfortunately, you cannot. I ask every time an opportunity to design a unit for publication does comes up. Moreover, I don't think you're ever allowed to put infantry in any mech-borne cargo bay. I'm less than 100% on that one.
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #82 on: 05 April 2018, 13:31:04 »
I'm pretty sure someone (you Weirdo?) asked that in another MOTW. And i'm pretty sure Welshman (?) said no, and then someone even made a Rules Question about it.

Besides, jostling PBIs in a tin can is too cruel. Even though players insist on the idea :P

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #83 on: 05 April 2018, 14:12:18 »
I didn't say "transport PBIs", I said "hostile environment quarters for PBIs".  Is it legal if the mech is shut down? :D
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #84 on: 05 April 2018, 14:33:16 »
IIRC someone noted that while you're not allowed to carry infantry inside a mech, it's perfectly legal to haul a container with an infantry compartment... ^-^

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #85 on: 05 April 2018, 14:48:12 »
Hope those guys are strapped in and the mechjock is careful. I've seen way too many examples of poorly packed or handled minis cases to wish that on living things...
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #86 on: 05 April 2018, 18:32:21 »
Hope those guys are strapped in and the mechjock is careful. I've seen way too many examples of poorly packed or handled minis cases to wish that on living things...

My current headcannon is an "Infantry Bay" on an Omni is the Omni deploying a bouncehouse at the end of the day's march. :D
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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #87 on: 09 April 2018, 06:37:26 »
I love the little thing, both the art and the stat's it's a perfect infantry support Mech, it provides a big-ish gun to keep the lighter vehicles away and allows it to help with taking out lighter defences that infantry could struggle with, makes enemy infantry go oh sh... they have mech support, let's go over there or maybe give up? it's slow so has to be always near the infantry it's supporting. in short it's the perfect infantry support mech, Moonsword you did a great job with this!

I would love to see an Augmented company with four Gùn's with two Amazon squads in one lance and two Amazon and two Shen Long BA squads with a Zahn and maybe a Pixiu in the other, you could play where's my Amazons! are they on the Gùn's or in the Zahn, are the Shen Long's in the Zhan or sitting near the Pixiu waiting for you to get close and try to stop the gauss plinking  :D

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #88 on: 29 April 2018, 04:45:43 »
My current headcannon is an "Infantry Bay" on an Omni is the Omni deploying a bouncehouse at the end of the day's march. :D
Are you telling that this doesn't describe a CCM?

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Re: 'Mech of the Week: GN-20* Gùn
« Reply #89 on: 01 May 2018, 07:28:03 »
I didn't say "transport PBIs", I said "hostile environment quarters for PBIs".  Is it legal if the mech is shut down? :D

You have to treat it like the tauntaun in Empire Strikes Back: Gut the 'mech completely. Not something a smart Capellan militia commander is going to do.
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