Saved by the Rules Because the rules couldn't handle it? - Da LAM

[Wrangler]

So i was originally going post in Crazy Shot things.  However, this is more a Crazy Move and yet survived thing.

So Essentially a LAM a friend mine is piloting for our team is trying harass  some Hover tanks trying to invade our contractor's rebel city.
Flying in a Phoenix Hawk LAM in Air Mech mode, he skids over water...by a lot and he ends his skid as you lose levels of flying into water...here where it gets strange.
It submarines, he has to burn ALL his thrust get out of the water manages get airborne again in same turn! 

I wasn't piloting it so i didn't see the numbers we didn't quite get MegaMek to describe what happened other than this.

Code: [Select]

Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK2 (Iwaki no Shisha)v2 (Lunaya) must make a piloting skill check while moving from hex 1923 to hex 1822 (flanking and turning).
Needs 4 [4 (Base piloting skill) + 0 (flanking and turning)], rolls 3 : fails.

Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK2 (Iwaki no Shisha)v2 (Lunaya) sideslips 1 hexes
    Skids into hex 1823.
    Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK2 (Iwaki no Shisha)v2 (Lunaya) suffers 3 damage from the skid.
        Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK2 (Iwaki no Shisha)v2 (Lunaya) takes 3 damage to RL.
            17 Armor remaining.

    Skid ends.

Question of the day is.  Was this really possible way he did it or did MegaMek said "Waaat....ahh...yeah it survives. Keep moving on nothing see here."
We believe it did. I'm just curious if anyone else ran into this.

I sort thought it was funny and luck he ran into situation the modern LAM rules allowed unusual situation for LAM to survive.

[dgorsman]

Chances are, it's a variation on the sinking skidding WiGE problem from another thread, as AirMech movement is identical to WiGE movement.

[Wrangler]

From how it was explained to me. Because water isn't object that does not stop a vehicle, Megamek handled it as if was further lower levels and vehicle was still "Flying" under power. Still interesting loop hole in the rules, since it may open up to treat Aerospace Fighters same way. 

I don't know.

[Windchild]

I suspect @dgorsman might be correct, although I do not know the rules for this at all.

Cool story irregardless

[Wrangler]

Given my pal has to use THREE books to run that thing.   I won't surprised anyone confused. I just think it's amusing.  Its because it was skidding it survived. 

[Wrangler]

Further update, the battle this happened continued since it was multi-session thing.  His LAM does a skid and submarines out the water a again.  Appears skidding or side slipping it happens since it's a wige mode.

What we figured out is because megamek treats the LAM as a Battlemech, it doesn't render it destroyed since BattleMechs can operate in water. So if you loose levels while your essentially Wigeing/Air-Mech mode and you loose levels, you will likely survive the lose of levels.  By the book at the moment rules wise.

[Jhousdan]

I ran into a curious water situation with a LAM recently too.

I had a stinger LAM in fighter mode lose all his altitude over water and wind up at the bottom of a lake. The stinger survived the landing,  but because LAMs can't convert under water without flooding the mech and destroying it, and because fighters can't operate under water, he basically sat at the bottom of the lake for the rest of the fight. One of the AI mechs kept circling the lake trying to shoot it, but was never able to hit it, lol

[Elmoth]

So, you die (crash) if you are a good pilot and you survive if your piloting sucks and you skid?

[yukamichi]

Hold on I gotta submit my "LAM Seaplane" idea to the ComStar patent office before somebody else steals it...

[Elmoth]

Hold on my beer. I gotta submit my "LAM Seaplane" idea to the ComStar patent office before somebody else steals it...

Corrected that for you.

[pfarland]

Quad Mode LAM. Game, Set, Match.

[yukamichi]

Quad Mode LAM. Game, Set, Match.

Wasn't there one of those in TRO Boondoggles? A Scorpion LAM or something like that?

I've actually toyed with the idea of a WiGE Quad-vee before. That's like 2/3 of the way there!

[Simon Landmine]

Quad Mode LAM. Game, Set, Match.

Mech <-> Airmech <-> Fighter <-> Submarine

Nice!

... he basically sat at the bottom of the lake for the rest of the fight ...

I've had that happen a few times due to limb breaches. Hope they packed a good book.

[pfarland]

Makes me wonder what the crush depth on mechs are. Imagining an assault on a port town.

[Jhousdan]

Makes me wonder what the crush depth on mechs are. Imagining an assault on a port town.

I don't know that a depth limit is specified in any of the rulebooks (that I can think of anyhow), but I would imagine it being somewhat less than a submarine l, which is purpose built to exist in a high compression-load environment

[dgorsman]

Makes me wonder what the crush depth on mechs are. Imagining an assault on a port town.

First I saw was in Handbook: House Steiner.  I think it's been reprinted in one of the Operations core rulebooks.

[Bludlust]

Right, page 42 in Tactical Operations.

[pfarland]

Jesus this is why I love this game and community.

[Wrangler]

Wasn't there one of those in TRO Boondoggles? A Scorpion LAM or something like that?

I've actually toyed with the idea of a WiGE Quad-vee before. That's like 2/3 of the way there!

Yep.  XTRO: Boondoggles.  Actually a couple others from island of Mis-Fit BattleMechs.

[Iceweb]

I thought the answer to the joke of what has four legs and flies, was A (quad) Garbage Mech. 

The funny part is no matter how you work the homophones the joke still works.