Author Topic: The First Billion is Always the Hardest  (Read 3844 times)

NotVeryBatman

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The First Billion is Always the Hardest
« on: 17 May 2019, 01:09:25 »
Well, here we are.

After nearly a decade of building up from 3039, it's December 3048. We all know what's coming. So, before I throw these my mercenary outfit into the teeth of the Clans, I was looking for help making them more manageable.

I'm running MegaMekHQ Against the Bot and I've built myself this huge cumbersome beast and I'm looking to pare it down aggressively. Firstly, because it's not fun playing 35 lance contracts (unless I'm missing something) and I think I'm bleeding C-bills left and right on upkeep for stuff that seems redundant.

I'm looking to get things lean and mean.

Ideally, I think I'd like to land on a square battalion of 'mechs, a regiment of infantry (maybe more, I love my infantry) and appropriate vehicular support. I think futzing around with my Helepolis has left me pretty confident to work with artillery (without obliterating my precious infantry), so I'm looking to add that to either the vehicular or infantry component of the slimmer force.

I think my aerospace is a white elephant, but like a white elephant, it does look good. To me, anyway.

Ideally, I'd like to start liquidating assets to start paying cash for complete dropship support. Probably going to hold off on jumpships for now.

But the end goal here is to get something to where I'm running really no more than four encounters/missions a week.

Enough build-up help me kill my darlings.

Mechs:

Archer ARC-2Rb x 9

Awesome AWS-8Q (Stafanick) (DHS, 4 PPCs, SPL, ECM, basically)

Battlemaster BLR-1Gd

Blackjack BJ-3 (MacKeith) x 2 (FF armor)

Black Knight BL-6b-KNT

Black Knight BL-6-KNT (Ian)

Cicada CDA-3C

Crab CRB-27b x 5

Crusader CRD-2R x 4

Dervish DV-6Md (Dynda) x 2 (FF armor, DHS)

Dragoon AEM-02

Firebee FRB-2E (Cazador) x 3 (FF armor, DHS)

Firestarter FS9-M 'Mirage' x 6

Grand Dragon DRG-1G (al Din) x 3 (Endo, FF armor, DHS, add SRM-6)

Grasshopper GHR-5H (Boxer) x 5 (FF armor, DHS, add PPC, add LLas)

Grasshopper GHR-5H (Ghost Hunter)

Grasshopper GHR-5P

Griffin GRF-2N x 21 [This is probably where the most work can be done, but I'd like to leave one 2N per lance/demi-company as EW support]

Guillotine GLT-3N (Moussa) x 3 (DHS, add LLas, add 2 PMLas, drop SRM-6, add 2 SRM-4)

Hatchetman HCT-3F (Victoria) (FF armor, DHS, drop AC, add ER-PPC)

Helepolis HEP-3H

Hermes HER-1Sb x 3

Hermes II HER-2M 'Mercury' x 8 (Havelka) (Endo, FF armor, DHS, add MGun, add 5 JJ)

Jenner JR7-F x 2(Ivanovsky) (FF armor, DHS, add 2 JJ)

Kintaro KTO-20T x 5 (drop LRM-5, add 4 RL-10)

Kyudo KY-2-02 x 2

Lancelot LNC25-03 (Unkovic ii) (FF armor, drop 2 AC/5, add ERLLas, add UAC/5, add ECM, add BAP)

Mongoose MON-66 x 6

Orion ON1-V (Arawn) x 2 (FF armor, DHS, drop AC/10, add UAC/5, add 2 PMLas)

Ostroc OSR-2C (Kashani) (Michi, FF armor, DHS, drop MLas, add LLas)

Ostroc OSR-2C (Kashani ii) x 2 (Kashani, drop 2 LLas, add Binary Laser (Blazer) Cannon, drop SRM-6, add 2 SRM-2)

Ostroc OSR-2LT (Endo, FF armor, DHS, drop 2 LLas, add Binary Laser (Blazer) Cannon, add 3 JJ, add MASC)

Ostroc OSR-2LT (Kashani) (Drop 3 JJ, add ECM, drop LRM-5, add SRM-6)

Ostsol OTL-6T

Ostsol OTL-8T

Ostsol OTL-8T2 x 2

Ostwar OWR-2Mb

Panther PNT-8Z (Stagias) x 5

Panther PNT-9R (Trewen) x 6

Phoenix Hawk PXH-3S x 7

Rifleman RFL-3K (High Beams)

Scorpion SCP-1N

Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb x 3

Spider SDR-5DT (almost certain to liquidate this with so many Mongooses and Hermes on hand)

Stalker STK-3Fb x 6

Striker STC-2C (Panther) (FF armor, DHS, drop AC/5, add UAC/5, drop 2 MLas, add 2 PMLas)

Thunderbolt TDR-5L x 5

Titan TI-1Aj

Toro TR-A-6T x 2

Trebuchet TBT-5J (Pesci) x 4

Trebuchet TBT-5ST x 3

Victor VTR-9A1T

Victor VTR-9B (Mercier)

Vulcan VL-5T (Aasland) x 3

Vulcan VL-5T (Aasland ii)

Warhammer WHM-7A x 6

Wolfhound WLF-1B (Malipatlolla ii) x 3

Wolverine WVR-6K (Chantler) (might hold out and turn this into the best Wolverine: the 7M, but I've gotten used to dumping these early and often)

Wyvern WVE-5Nsl x 2

Wyvern WVE-9NT

The Overview/Hangar Breakdown tab puts this at 177 'mechs. Please, please, slash away. I think I'm looking to get down to 60 'mechs. 48 in the straight 'mech battalion, and as few companies as possible to stiffen the tanks and infantry.

Thanks for any consideration.

Vees and Infantry to come...

Simon Landmine

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Re: The First Billion is Always the Hardest
« Reply #1 on: 28 August 2019, 14:46:50 »
Almost two companies of Griffins? Was there a sale on at the distributor? [grin]
"That's Lieutenant Faceplant to you, Corporal!"

Things that I have learnt through clicking too fast on 'Move Done' on MegaMek: Double-check the CF of the building before jumping onto it, check artillery arrival times before standing in the neighbouring hex, and don't run across your own minefield.

"Hmm, I wonder if I can turn this into a MM map."

2ndAcr

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Re: The First Billion is Always the Hardest
« Reply #2 on: 28 August 2019, 17:38:27 »
 Welcome to running large units...….I, when running my larger units, delete most of the lance sized battles. I then create my own scenario where I field Battalion or larger fights.

  No need to really pare down, the Clan's will do that for you. Quick too. All it takes is one Cluster versus say 2 of your Battalions to see how bad it can get. It can get downright ugly fast. I always made sure the Clan got 2/1 or better pilots up to 3051 or so...….helps thin down the large units quickly. Best to make the first Cluster battle versus one of your solo Battalions, that will be pretty brutal anyway. But your using massive amounts of advanced tech already, so it might not be as bad as it should be.

2ndAcr

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Re: The First Billion is Always the Hardest
« Reply #3 on: 28 August 2019, 17:41:48 »
 Oh, and strip the crap out of any Clan salvage, especially Clan FF, you will need large stockpile of the stuff for any Clan Omni you try to keep. Armor is a pain to come by.

  I always set market value at like 2-3X for Clan stuff until around 3055.

NotVeryBatman

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Re: The First Billion is Always the Hardest
« Reply #4 on: 12 November 2019, 23:41:28 »
Almost two companies of Griffins? Was there a sale on at the distributor? [grin]

It's been awhile, but I feel like they were all salvage. There's a lot to like about the Griffin in the Succession Wars era, but my Kyudos and Trebuchets did LRMs the way I wanted more.

I also found it real easy to mug Griffins and kick their legs off, so they kinda piled up as their pilots abandoned them.


Oh, and strip the crap out of any Clan salvage, especially Clan FF, you will need large stockpile of the stuff for any Clan Omni you try to keep. Armor is a pain to come by.

  I always set market value at like 2-3X for Clan stuff until around 3055.

No lies, here. I started with selling off the units, thinking to save on maintenance. But, now that I've got a lot of units I want to keep, I regret it.

Welcome to running large units...….I, when running my larger units, delete most of the lance sized battles. I then create my own scenario where I field Battalion or larger fights.

  No need to really pare down, the Clan's will do that for you. Quick too. All it takes is one Cluster versus say 2 of your Battalions to see how bad it can get. It can get downright ugly fast. I always made sure the Clan got 2/1 or better pilots up to 3051 or so...….helps thin down the large units quickly. Best to make the first Cluster battle versus one of your solo Battalions, that will be pretty brutal anyway. But your using massive amounts of advanced tech already, so it might not be as bad as it should be.

I've been generous with my reinforcements. So, I don't have a lot of demi-companies sitting idle.

You're right about the pare down. Sort of. My Phoenix Hawks have been completely wiped out. This I find funny, because I really thought the 3S was gonna do some real magic with MASC and jump jets. But no, slagged to pieces.

My Thunderbolts had a similar problem, but I've doubled down on them. Thick armor just doesn't do well against Clan weaponry. In the same vein, I've just about liquidated all assault 'mechs from the TO&E.

The Star League tech definitely allowed me to hold my own, but tandem-charge and dead-fire missiles really turned the tide.

Upside/downside I rode out the initial invasion, but was trapped for years deep in Jade Falcon territory. Couldn't stop the Falcons from 'taking' Steelton, but ground up maybe a galaxy in the end.

More problems abound, now. I've managed to secure jumpships and dropships, but I'm overwhelmed with 300+ units. Trying to get down to 231 or so now.