BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: Gray_Noton_4lfe on 15 April 2024, 20:54:15
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Recently printed the rec sheet Shadow Hawk SHD-3H2. It has two Vehicular Grenade launchers but dosen't list how much damage it deals or it's range.
Anybody know how to use it?
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The rules for VGL are in Tactical Operations (Advanced Units & Equipment), p. 127. Basically they are a one shot weapon like OS SRMs/LRMs, but with a few unique properties. They don't deal damage when they are hit from a critical hit, they hit multiple hexes, and have a range of 1. Also they can be loaded with several different type of munitions (chaff, fragmentation, incendiary, and smoke. The rules for the munitions are on p. 175.
As far as use...they're basically useless against armored units, so mostly anti-infantry or utility weapons (chaff/smoke).
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I use VGL loaded with infernos a lot. I dont play with smoke in balanced games, as its too easy to abuse, but the VGL with infernos or frag are very useful.
With Frag, its a preemptive APOD. So while the Apod has the advantage of being reactive, triggering when infantry get close, the lower tech VGL has to be triggered manually.
The real value of VGL is that it is a source of AE damage. So when dropped as a bomb into 1 hex, or fired into the 3 hex arc, you deal 2d6 burst damage against infantry, and then double it for being an AE weapon. So while you cant stop infantry in the same hex or before they ambush you like with an apod, you deal lots of damage, to potentially lots of infantry, with the VGL.
Versus battle armor, the inferno attack is an AE attack, so it hits all troops. So 2 VGL on the shadowhawk, loaded with infernos, versus clan elementals will deliver 10 inferno hits to a squad of 5, killing 3 of them. Versus conventional infantry, the inferno attack is worse then frag, as infernos only remove 3 troopers for 1 missile hit; I dont think AE helps with how infernos and infantry interact.
With all the stealth battle armor hopping around and being impossible to hit, a collection of inferno VGLs are one of the few non-artillery ways to hit the buggers, and they dont explode at 10 heat like normal inferno SRMs do.
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in a way they're weaponized versions of those tubes you see on the sides of tanks IRL.
(https://www.army-technology.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/09/1-A-early-version-of-the-PT91-tank.jpg)
which are smoke grenade dischargers, mean to throw smoke grenades out and provide concealment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjlJi4l0cBs&t=2s
Battletech being battletech, there are of course more options than smoke.
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Your article is amazing. Many thanks :grin:penalty shooters 2 (https://penaltyshooters.io):grin:
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We strapped an AGL from 3026 on a VTOL and it wasn't too effective in combat, but, we could up a lot SRM-packs on!