BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat

BattleTech Game Systems => Ground Combat => Topic started by: Zaskar24 on 10 October 2020, 16:35:37

Title: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Zaskar24 on 10 October 2020, 16:35:37
I could not find an answer in the books that I currently have access to. Can a vehicle with an infantry bay of the proper size carry both a squad of battle armor and a squad of infantry?
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Arkansas Warrior on 10 October 2020, 16:52:34
I don’t see why not.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Weirdo on 11 October 2020, 00:36:31
Yes. For example, there is absolutely nothing stopping a player from loading the 7-ton bay of a Karnov with a standard foot platoon and a 4-suit squad of BA at the same time.

Battletech transport rules take a very feline approach to moving troops in a combat zone: If they fits, they ships.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Zaskar24 on 11 October 2020, 10:25:23
Thank you for the replies Arkansas Warrior and Weirdo! I did not think it would be a problem, but wanted to double check.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Wolf72 on 11 October 2020, 10:48:09
There's a difference between bays and compartments for vehicles, right?

I thought compartments don't really care, while bays were more specific -- since, at the SC/DS+ level you also have to include techs.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Kovax on 13 October 2020, 12:32:51
There's a difference between bays and compartments for vehicles, right?

I thought compartments don't really care, while bays were more specific -- since, at the SC/DS+ level you also have to include techs.
There is indeed a difference between bays and compartments, but neither is specific about what TYPE of infantry it holds, as long as it remains within the tonnage limit.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Wolf72 on 13 October 2020, 16:28:20
at the SC/DS level there seems to be a difference though.  Or is that to far beyond the OP question?
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: idea weenie on 13 October 2020, 17:31:16
at the SC/DS level there seems to be a difference though.  Or is that to far beyond the OP question?

Rephrased from Sarna's Transport bays (https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Transport_Bay):
Each Bay or Compartment can hold up to 1 platoon of troops (28), 5 Mechanized Infantry (5 troops), or 1 Battlearmor.  A Bay provides longer duration life support (air, food, bathrooms, bunks), while a Compartment is just for short duration (i.e. troops sitting in the back of a truck)

So it looks like the masses of the Compartments are used to determine how much tonnage is needed to carry the unit itself, while the extra tonnage of a bay tells what is needed to provide support (i.e. Motorized bays only need 1 extra ton, while Mechanized bays need 3 extra tons).
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Wolf72 on 13 October 2020, 18:28:08
I'm good with Infantry is any infantry, you just need the correct size.  Not so sure about BA as those bays require a bay crew of 6 (for each bay, whether you have a unit of 4 (IS), 5 (clan), or 6 (C*/WoB)).

Perhaps a fair question for TM rules board ...
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Zaskar24 on 13 October 2020, 19:55:19
Thank you for the additional input all.

Just to clear things up I am talking about a compartment. I am looking at an APC/IFV to transport  both a squad of BA and a squad of jump infantry. I was looking to see if a stock Clan transport would work for this and the consensus seems to be that it would work.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Wolf72 on 13 October 2020, 20:03:24
Svantovit is zippy, can hold up to 5 tons of troops and has some decent support firepower to go with it.  Original version only has 3 tons transport ability, but bigger SSRMs.

Both? OH, ... um, not the Svantovit then. (Anhur maybe? ... nope only 7 tons cargo)
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Zaskar24 on 13 October 2020, 20:42:32
Svantovit is zippy, can hold up to 5 tons of troops and has some decent support firepower to go with it.  Original version only has 3 tons transport ability, but bigger SSRMs.

Both? OH, ... um, not the Svantovit then. (Anhur maybe? ... nope only 7 tons cargo)

Wouldn't the 5 ton "Cargo" bay in the Svantovit cover it though? 4 tons for the 4 suits of battle armor and 1 ton for the jump infantry squad? I do have to confirm how much cargo space is needed for the jump infantry.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Wolf72 on 13 October 2020, 21:08:30
What, I am expected to read for understanding? ... aka missed Squad.  But in this case a clan unit would use 5 BA, unless the unit you're talking about is a big mix of cobblestone. 

1st find the mass of a typical jump platoon for clans, then divide by number of squads.  It's in the TechManual somewhere.  Also there was errata (may be in my updated version) that may have reduced their overall mass.

I want to say a clan jump star is 20 men at 5 men per squad.  Will try to help tomorrow if no one else has posted those answers
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Zaskar24 on 14 October 2020, 06:34:09
What, I am expected to read for understanding? ... aka missed Squad.  But in this case a clan unit would use 5 BA, unless the unit you're talking about is a big mix of cobblestone. 

1st find the mass of a typical jump platoon for clans, then divide by number of squads.  It's in the TechManual somewhere.  Also there was errata (may be in my updated version) that may have reduced their overall mass.

I want to say a clan jump star is 20 men at 5 men per squad.  Will try to help tomorrow if no one else has posted those answers

I figured the squad part was missed.
For clarification I am talking about an Inner Sphere unit using standard 4 BA squads.

In my copy of the TechManual it has a Jump trooper weighing .18 tons which would fit with a clan jump star organization, 1 ton per squad. Unless this has changed in a later version.

So a Svantovit or Tyr would work for this. Or a Blizzard with one ton left over or a second squad of 5 jump troopers.
Title: Re: Mixed use Infantry bays in vehicles.
Post by: Wolf72 on 14 October 2020, 16:22:56
Well, load them troops up and get work, dude!