What did I just step in?!

[whiteshadowzo]

Flashback to MW3. Awesome intro, campaign briefing, mission 1. And there you are standing on the shore near a dock and some bait shops. Throttle forward. "Time to save the universe.", you tell yourself. SQUISH. You hear a scream as you realize you just stepped on a person. You stop and see another guy run past you. Curious you throttle forward, hot on the little man's tail and SQUISH!

In MW4 vehicles provided more squish fun.

Of course I know the games aren't canon but has anyone ever thought about what game mechanics might be like for stomping some infantry. Has anyone ever implicated some sort of rule like that.

I know that infantry are suppose to be spread over a hex so you wouldn't just take out an entire platoon by running thru but you've got to think that at least one of those soldiers had is iPod still in, jamming out to Lady Gaga the MW2 Soundtrack, with his back turned and couldn't get out of the way in time.

I'd imagine there would have to be a balance of how fast the mech/vehicle moves and how far away it is. Thoughts?

[Paul]

You'll be interested in p.147 of Total Warfare.
"Infantry: A ’Mech may kick or stomp an infantry unit in the hex it occupies; apply a +3 to-hit modifi er for such an attack."

The attack's damage would be resolved as a normal direct fire attack, so including the damage divisor.)

Paul

[Peter Smith]

Of course I know the games aren't canon but has anyone ever thought about what game mechanics might be like for stomping some infantry. Has anyone ever implicated some sort of rule like that.

The developers have. In Total War, under Kick Attacks is the section for 'Mech-on-Infantry fun. There's also the Thrashing attack a few pages later.

[Iron Mongoose]

Its a bit crazy, in the sense that the same mechanism for dealing damage to other mechs (how big you are and how hard you can kick) determines how many PBIs you get rather than how many you can catch (I would tend to think stomping should favor faster mechs over slower ones), but in general each stomp is only going to net one or two PBIs, which is pretty reasonable, and that's when you connect.  Infantry are trained to avoid mechs (unlike the poor suckers in the MW games), spread out quite a bit, actively shooting back (which may or may not worry a given mech), and in non-open terrain they're dug in and out of sight.  Its quite reasonable for the attack to be tricky and low gain. 

[whiteshadowzo]

I completely skipped over TW. I would figure something like that would have been in TacOps. Very cool.

Sadly in MW4 the various creatures and people located in the jungle and bases, respectively, weren't squishable.

[Wrayth]

I think it's a bit odd for an Atlas to kick an infantry unit for only 2 points of damage given the size of the mech in relation to the hex both it and the infantry are occupying, but them's the rules.   #P

In regards to attacking infantry, one thing I wouldn't mind clarification on, if anyone knows offhand, is if ballistic cluster attacks apply damage as:

(individual cluster grouping damage / 10) +1

or if they apply it as:

(total weapon damage / 10) +1

If the former, an LB-10X firing cluster would inflict a total of 20 damage to the infantry unit (2 points of damage per normal 1-point grouping).  If the latter, then an LB-10X would inflict a whopping 2 damage to an infantry unit when firing cluster.  I'm pretty sure it's the latter, but can anyone clarify?

[House Davie Merc]

Question - 
If you miss a kick you have to make a PSR ,so don't you have to make a PSR if you miss a
stomp for infantry  ?

If so considering the +3 to hit for this attack it kind of seems like it's an even more desperate attack then DFA .

With a pretty good chance of an attempt to kill 1 or 2 PBIs resulting in more damage to the attacker then it
could be worth .

Is stomping PBI and missing an exemption from the missed kick forcing a PSR rule ?

[Paul]

Nope, not an exception. You're going to want to really kill those buggers.

Also note that it's actually slightly less ineffective against battle armor (though still high to-hit)

Paul

[House Davie Merc]

Nope, not an exception. You're going to want to really kill those buggers.

Also note that it's actually slightly less ineffective against battle armor (though still high to-hit)

Paul

To me this would seem to make stomping infantry a BAD idea that should only
be used by the truely desperate .
I can see it now -
Atlas rolls for the stomp- misses .
Fails the following PSR .
Takes 10 damage .

Even if he doesn't take any other bad news like a crit roll , head hit ,or gets nocked out
it already wasn't worth it right there .

IMHO it does increase the value of anti-infantry bugs like the Locust and Stinger though .

[Demos]

I think it's a bit odd for an Atlas to kick an infantry unit for only 2 points of damage given the size of the mech in relation to the hex both it and the infantry are occupying, but them's the rules.   #P

In regards to attacking infantry, one thing I wouldn't mind clarification on, if anyone knows offhand, is if ballistic cluster attacks apply damage as:

(individual cluster grouping damage / 10) +1

or if they apply it as:

(total weapon damage / 10) +1

If the former, an LB-10X firing cluster would inflict a total of 20 damage to the infantry unit (2 points of damage per normal 1-point grouping).  If the latter, then an LB-10X would inflict a whopping 2 damage to an infantry unit when firing cluster.  I'm pretty sure it's the latter, but can anyone clarify?

The latter.
See the (errata'd) example of damage divisor of infantry armor.

[Wrayth]

The latter.
See the (errata'd) example of damage divisor of infantry armor.

Thank you.

[trboturtle]

Its a bit crazy, in the sense that the same mechanism for dealing damage to other mechs (how big you are and how hard you can kick) determines how many PBIs you get rather than how many you can catch (I would tend to think stomping should favor faster mechs over slower ones), but in general each stomp is only going to net one or two PBIs, which is pretty reasonable, and that's when you connect.  Infantry are trained to avoid mechs (unlike the poor suckers in the MW games), spread out quite a bit, actively shooting back (which may or may not worry a given mech), and in non-open terrain they're dug in and out of sight.  Its quite reasonable for the attack to be tricky and low gain.

I suddenly see this image of a Wasp making like a Flamingo dancer or an Irish step dancer and that disturbs me.... [brew]

Craig

[ANS Kamas P81]

I suddenly see this image of a Wasp making like a Flamingo dancer or an Irish step dancer and that disturbs me.... [brew]

Craig

"It's a Rockettes chorus line of Stingers!  They're annihilating the crowd!"

[ShadowRaven]

the only reason to try stomp infantry is because when they are right under you, you can't shoot the pests. And some of them pack shoulder launched SRM's too

[Peter Smith]

I think it's a bit odd for an Atlas to kick an infantry unit for only 2 points of damage given the size of the mech in relation to the hex both it and the infantry are occupying, but them's the rules.

They're not going to stand still, waiting for the Atlas to compress them. They're going to get out of the way.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And once again, I'm struck by the need for a mech-sized Weedwacker.

[Wrayth]

They're not going to stand still, waiting for the Atlas to compress them. They're going to get out of the way.

Well, unless I've got the scale incorrect, an Atlas' foot is about the size of a Volkswagon.  You'd figure that a proper sweeping motion (as opposed to a direct stomp) should be very difficult to dodge and should collect more than just two infantry troopers.  That was more what I was thinking of.

EDIT:  Hmm...interesting thought:  Rule modification so that the number of infantry killed is equal to what it currently is now plus the margin of success on the piloting check that was needed to hit.  Or maybe 1/2 the MoS.  Thoughts?  Good idea, stupid idea, or indifferent?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Keep in mind that the infantry unit is spread out across a 30 meter diameter space.  Just how many do you think you can stomp down on in 10 seconds?

[Drasius]

I would have thought that removing the PSR if you fail the to hit roll would be more appropriate because really, all you're doing is trying to walk through the space, you really don't have to exert any more force than just normal walking to smoosh some PBI, even in a locust/stinger/wasp/hornet/whatever-20-tonner-you-care-to-name.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

But you are deliberately trying to aim at a (probably) fleeing target rather than just putting your feet down normally.

[YingJanshi]

Now if you miss the kick, miss your PSR and you fall, isn't there a chance you'll land on someone?

[JPArbiter]

Now if you miss the kick, miss your PSR and you fall, isn't there a chance you'll land on someone?

I think that would be considered an accidental fall from above with an elevation of 1

[Weirdo]

And once again, I'm struck by the need for a mech-sized Weedwacker.

We have one, and it's tourney-legal, too!

Translation: Never send an Atlas to do an Agromech's job. >:D

[Lyran Archer]

You'll be interested in p.147 of Total Warfare.
"Infantry: A ’Mech may kick or stomp an infantry unit in the hex it occupies; apply a +3 to-hit modifi er for such an attack."

The attack's damage would be resolved as a normal direct fire attack, so including the damage divisor.)

Paul

Thanks. I had missed that. Sounds like fun.

[mutantmagnet]

Its a bit crazy, in the sense that the same mechanism for dealing damage to other mechs (how big you are and how hard you can kick) determines how many PBIs you get rather than how many you can catch (I would tend to think stomping should favor faster mechs over slower ones), but in general each stomp is only going to net one or two PBIs, which is pretty reasonable, and that's when you connect.  Infantry are trained to avoid mechs (unlike the poor suckers in the MW games), spread out quite a bit, actively shooting back (which may or may not worry a given mech), and in non-open terrain they're dug in and out of sight.  Its quite reasonable for the attack to be tricky and low gain.

Since when? Infantry training in the btech universe has been described as poor and you needed to look at well equipped or well funded troops like the elite jump infantry to find anyone with training against mechs.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Maybe in sourcesbooks set prior to the 4th Succession War.

[mutantmagnet]

Try BMr.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Still dated and by then heavily out of touch with what we'd seen in both the novels and rules.