The New Free Worlds League: Thread Title Deadlocked in Committee

[Plinythemechwarrior]

Pliny, welcome to the League! You may find this of interest - Army Report 3025, Free Worlds League

Thank you for the kind welcome! That report is perfect, thank you. I've tracked down the other faction's reports and shared them with my group as well, so thanks again for the great resource. The availability charts are exactly what I was looking for!

FWL are the Combined Arms Masters at this time!

Right now most of the other players are pretty new, or very rusty, so we're sticking with mech vs. mech for now, but I am very interested in running combined arms.

Battle Lance: Hunchback, Trebuchet, Quickdraw, Thunderbolt

OoOooOoh :o I am looking forward to playing this lance, thanks! Can you give me some thoughts on how to effectively run it? My top-of-the-head approach would be to bring the Quickdraw up to draw some fire, while raining LRMs with Trebuchet, meanwhile the Hunchie and T-bolt come in for the kill. There's probably a better way though  ;D

- Pliny

[worktroll]

The Hunchback, Trenchbucket, and Thud are all ground-bound, and the 'Bucket is not as tough as the others. By all means field a stock Quickdraw, but there's a canon variant, the QKD-5A, which replaces the LRM-10 & ammo with two more medium lasers and more heat sinks. This makes it a nastier knife fighter, with bounce.

(It's also a very easy mod to the mini - cover the LRM slots with clay, even paper, then glue a little pip on each flat surface for the MLs. I can't help it, I don't play WYSIWIG, I just like modding minis  :D )

So think of a Y formation. The Thud and Hunchie are forward, the Treb is in the rear supporting, and the Quickdraw floats in the middle and deters backstabbers. My third M-bill, if you like  :wheelchair:

[Plinythemechwarrior]

By all means field a stock Quickdraw, but there's a canon variant, the QKD-5A...This makes it a nastier knife fighter, with bounce.

Great minds think alike, that's what I ended up doing  ;D

The Thud and Hunchie are forward, the Treb is in the rear supporting, and the Quickdraw floats in the middle and deters backstabbers.

Great! I'll try that in my next match and blame you if it goes horribly wrong  ;)

- Pliny

[worktroll]

I'll try that in my next match and blame you if it goes horribly wrong  ;)

- Pliny

He is truly a Leaguer!

[Plinythemechwarrior]

He is truly a Leaguer!

There is no higher compliment! <tips hat>

[vaderi]

Second, what sort of lances would you make from these mechs, and how would you use them?

While you've already gotten great advice, I thought I might throw my two M-bills in.

I suggest going with a Wolverine lance, the -6M is extremely flexible, able to tangle with many heavier mechs of the period (within reason, assaults will still mess you up) and in a lance able to face down most other mediums with no trouble. They can survive many of the nastier tanks of the period, and they don't do that silly Phoenix hawk thing of not having enough head armor. Lastly as a heavy recon lance, they are great.

Also it's a lance of Wolverines, which is inevitably quite funny.

[Colt Ward]

Especially if you have that bit on your phone from the classic to play each turn when they open fire 'WOLVERINE!'

[Plinythemechwarrior]

I suggest going with a Wolverine lance, the -6M is extremely flexible...Lastly as a heavy recon lance, they are great. Also it's a lance of Wolverines, which is inevitably quite funny.

Funny? I am sold!

Especially if you have that bit on your phone from the classic to play each turn when they open fire 'WOLVERINE!'

Are you thinking this, by chance? Because that is an epic idea which I will immediately steal for this lance  ;D

[truetanker]

About your Hunchie, does it have to be a -4G? I've had great success with the Painback, -4J and the -4H. Makes your enemies think... but any Swayback variations do. Painback,  Marauder, Awesome and Thud. There's a decent in your face command. Awesome at range, Thud and Marauder midrange with the close firesupport of ML spam of a Painback protecting the rear.

TT

[Plinythemechwarrior]

About your Hunchie, does it have to be a -4G? I've had great success with the Painback, -4J and the -4H. Makes your enemies think... but any Swayback variations do.

You know, I've only used 4G's - something about that AC/20, what can I say.

Painback is 4P, right? What makes you prefer the other variants to the 4G? I'm open to being convinced  :thumbsup:

[Sartris]

the hunchback variants are collectively referred to as swaybacks. some are better than others

the 4P is known by some as the Disco Ball of Doom™ as it runs eight medium lasers with enough heatsinks to keep up pretty well. it doesn't have the wallup of 20 points to one location but it is pretty lethal.

the 4J turns the hunchie into a super whitworth with a pair of LRM-10s... and five medium lasers if someone decides to close with you.

the 4H and 4N reduce the size of the autocannon to a 10 and 5 respectively. never used either enough to know how they do. i suspect the 4N is too slow to use its skirmisher armament effectively.

the 4SP gives you more sandblasting ability with a quartet of medium lasers and dual SRM-6s.

 

[Colt Ward]

The -4N I think has LRMs and that AC/5 . . . its why I wish we had gotten a SW Orion with a larger LRM rack and AC/5.

[Sartris]

Incidentally my first campaign like 25 years ago had my character in exactly that setup because of battlefield damage and a paucity of spare parts (well close - two lrm-10s and an AC/5). It was pretty good

[truetanker]

Longer range or more laser spam.

Thud and either 4H or 4J with Marauder doing the fighting,  Awesome backing up with those 2-3-2 hits.

TT

[GreekFire]

Incidentally my first campaign like 25 years ago had my character in exactly that setup because of battlefield damage and a paucity of spare parts (well close - two lrm-10s and an AC/5). It was pretty good

I was saddled with a -4N in a campaign, and kept wanting to refit it into something else...but man, it kept pulling its weight like a serious beast. It's not flashy, but it does work pretty well.

[Sartris]

it lends itself well to campaign play where survival is the main objective. imma stand all the way over here. yell if you need something i'll toss some smoke rounds out for you

[Colt Ward]

Its the better half of a Jagermech 6S- or whatever the LRM equipped Jag is numbered.

[Scotty]

JM6-A.  The JM6-S is everyone's least favorite lemon with four autocannons.

[truetanker]

Hey now, I like the JM6-S. It's got flava... just know how to use it when stylin'!

TT

[Sartris]

it has all the flavor and resiliency of phyllo dough

[Scotty]

The best use for a JM6-S is to trade it for something more useful.  Like a Blackjack.

[worktroll]

Pity the pilot of the JM-6DG. "I got two gauss rifles! Eat this!" "You got no armour, eat that!" Such a glass cannon, they go down faster than Harvey Weinstein's credit rating.

[Scotty]

At least two Gauss Rifles is threatening.  There's a niche for a glass cannon.  There's not much of one for a glass pop-gun.

[truetanker]

A plinking AC2 is not a glass cannon. The popgun AC5 is also not a glass cannon either!  A LGR is a glass cannon.

TT

[Kit deSummersville]

Pity the pilot of the JM-6DG. "I got two gauss rifles! Eat this!" "You got no armour, eat that!" Such a glass cannon, they go down faster than Harvey Weinstein's credit rating.

I want a lance of a JM-6DG, a BZK-F3, a Regulator and a Yellow Jacket. I'm hoping they'll be overwhelmed by so many glass cannons they won't know how to prioritize them and just stand there.

[Weirdo]

That force makes infantry tingle.

[Colt Ward]

I want a lance of a JM-6DG, a BZK-F3, a Regulator and a Yellow Jacket. I'm hoping they'll be overwhelmed by so many glass cannons they won't know how to prioritize them and just stand there.

Bah, that is not a League Gauss force!  They should all be Light Gauss!

[Sartris]

Hawk Moth, Hermes 5ME. Vulcan 6M, Vedette (Light Gauss)?

[Weirdo]

Ontosest is mostest.

[Ruger]

A plinking AC2 is not a glass cannon. The popgun AC5 is also not a glass cannon either!  A LGR is a glass cannon.

TT

This gives me a grand idea for a JagerMech variant.

Ruger