Regimental OOB

[Anemone221]

Idk if this is in the right place and if it is not can a moderator go ahead and move it for me.

Hey guys I'm trying to find but can't nail down any dedicated OOB's for regimental sized formations that will tell me how many of each type is inside of a regiment if you guys could point me in the right direction or give me examples that would be awesome (Bonus points for pirate versions also).

Right now for a custom mercenary regiment I have this OOB and am wondering if it is correct or needs to be desperately modified. And this is just the first regiment of a multi-regiment formation that I am using for Fiction purposes that I am looking at towards middle of the story OOB

Code: [Select]

1st Regiment: Assault Regiment: 3 Overlords an 1 Modified Fortress (112 Mechs, 20 Vehicles)
Head Quarters (4 Mechs) (20 Vehicles)
 Company
    1st Lance Pillager, Atlas, King Crab, Cyclops
    2nd Lance 1 LTV-4, Engineering Vehicle, Mash Truck, Mobile HQ
    3rd Lance: 2x Heavy Battlemech Recovery Vehicle, 2x Coolant truck
 Company
    1st Lance 4x Mobile Long Tom
    2nd Lance 4x Ballista
    3rd Lance 4x Ballista
  Company (Stored in cargo bays of Fortress)
    1st Lance: 4 J-27 Ordnance Transport
  Company
    Infantry (AA equipped )
Battalion (36)
  Company
    Lance (4 Atlas’s)
    Lance (4 Stalker)
    Lance (4 King Crabs)
  Company
    Lance (4 Jagermech)
    Lance (4 Black Knight)
    Lance (4 Marauder MAD-3D)
  Company
    Lance (4 Jagermech)
    Lance (4 Warhammer WHM-6D)
    Lance (4 Orion ON1-V)
Battalion (36)
  Company
    Lance (4 Atlas’s)
    Lance (4 LongBow)
    Lance (4 King Crabs)
  Company
    Lance (4 Jagermech)
    Lance (4 Black Knight)
    Lance (4 Marauder MAD-3D)
  Company
    Lance (4 Jagermech)
    Lance (4 Warhammer WHM-6D)
    Lance (4 Orion ON1-V)
Battalion (36)
  Company
    Lance (4 Atlas’s)
    Lance (4 Cyclops)
    Lance (4 King Crabs)
  Company
    Lance (4 Jagermech)
    Lance (4 Black Knight)
    Lance (4 Marauder MAD-3D)
  Company
    Lance (4 Jagermech)
    Lance (4 Warhammer WHM-6D)
    Lance (4 Orion ON1-V)
Combat Wing: (18+40)
  1st Support Wing:
    Command Flight: 2 Planes (Stuka)
    1st Squadron: 4 Flights (Corsairs)
    2nd Squadron: 4 Flight (Chippewa)


[Daryk]

Non-Canon Units is probably the best place for it, but I'm not a Mod.

The basic rule I've seen for mercenary regiments is that if you've seen one mercenary regiment, you've seen one mercenary regiment.  The organization is extremely flexible in "regular" service, then you throw mercenary on top of that, it really is whatever you want it to be.

[Feenix74]

Try getting your hands on a copy of this sourcebook:

https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-the-mercenarys-handbook-pdf

It has full ORBATs for the three Eridani Light Horse Regiments and the Waco Rangers regiment which may be of assistance to you  :thumbsup:

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The 4th SW NAIS Atlases also include full lists for about two dozen or so House and Merc regiments.  They're given in 1st ed BattleForce notation, but they're translatable.

[Colt Ward]

Well . . . TYPICALLY . . . you are going to have 3 Battalions (of 3 companies) . . . from there it can get a bit more complicated.  Each battalion could have a command lance, or the command team can be seeded into the companies.  For the regiment they may have a command company . . . or it could be set up in one battalion.  If the regimental command is in a battalion, that means your regimental CO could wear several hats- RGT CO, BN CO, maybe Company CO and maybe Lance Leader . . . which has all sorts of other problems.  But the flip side is you could have 3 battalions, each with a command lance, and a regimental command company for a total of 132 mechs . . . which does not even get into 4 lance companies, 4 or more maneuver battalions, and any attached support forces.

I would suggest separating out your artillery and support elements from the command lance.  While they may co-located and the mechs provide security for the two elements organizationally its usually not done.  Additionally, for a formation like that with artillery its called a battery rather than a company.  So you would have a 'Independent Artillery Battery' and a 'Support BN' which is where you put the engineers, salvage equipment like the BMR veh, Cooltant trucks and your J-27.

Honestly, your 'Support BN' needs to be larger . . . 4 J-27 for a regiment is not going to do it.  First I would suggest organizationally you have two companies of 'foot infantry' though this is just for organizational simplicity.  They will be your techs & as-techs, and they are going to be the drivers & assistant drivers of your supply/support trucks that form your logistical train from the DS to wherever you are conducting operations in the field.  So besides ammo you will also be wanting to haul POL, replacement myomer, armor, etc which means more trucks- like the ones in TRO3058 or TRO VA.  Or you are using Heavy APCs if you want the techs & supplies to be protected from more than casual attention.  Depending on your vehicles, you are also going to need fuel trucks- your Ballista & mech recovery vehicles are all ICE and most of your support vehicles will be as well.

[Hairbear541]

the mercenaries handbook your looking for in on scribed or go to my dropbox and upload it there (Hairbear541).

[skiltao]

how many of each type is inside of a regiment

I'm not sure what you mean by that. I can say that it is highly atypical to find an assault lance with four actual assault 'Mechs in it, and it's also highly atypical (outside of certain scouting or militia formations) to find a company where every 'Mech is in the same weight class. As a whole, I would say your regiment is extraordinarily heavy - even in an assault regiment, I would expect only one of the battalions to be like this.

...But that's if you're aiming to be lore-accurate. Lore accuracy isn't always appropriate. What's your endgame? Is this a shopping list, or a story seed, or something?

[Hawkeye Jim]

The regiment I just built has 2 coolant trucks and 3 ammo trucks per battalion. I am using 4 16 mech companies per battalion, so it's a large unit. I also used paired mechs, two each of two different types in each lance.

[2ndAcr]

 Think you would be better off just adding a 4th Battalion instead of using 4x16...….at least then you could use standard mech dropships. Mech count is pretty much the same in the end.

[Colt Ward]

Unit structure when you get company and above is about the shape of the battle . . . 3 sub-units is better for maneuver warfare (2 up & 1 back) rather than 4 sub-units.  You use 4 sub-units for occupation/garrison since it is a better shape for dividing territory.

Hawkeye's control level is at the regimental level using the battalions as the maneuver elements.  What you are suggesting keeps the control level as the battalion and maneuver element as the company . . . which works well depending on what/how you set up your garrisons.  If you are massing the whole regiment along a battle line then his set up is fine- IMO your falls in the more traditional set up where you will see the battalions set off on their own for objectives or to defend objectives.

[Hawkeye Jim]

My units are using a modified dropship that carries 32 mechs. The idea per company is 3 combat lances and one recon lance. The idea is for each battalion to operate as an independent force, they also include organic battle armor, tanks and aerospace. There is a separate support structure. If necessary , a lance per company can be used as a defense force for the base.

[Hellraiser]

Code: [Select]

1st Regiment: Assault Regiment: 3 Overlords an 1 Modified Fortress (112 Mechs, 20 Vehicles)

1 LTV-4, Engineering Vehicle, Mash Truck, Mobile HQ
2x Heavy Battlemech Recovery Vehicle
2x Coolant truck
4x Mobile Long Tom
8x Ballista
4 J-27 Ordnance Transport
    Infantry (AA equipped )

Pillager
5* Cyclops
4* Stalker
4* LongBow
13* Atlas
13* King Crab
12* Black Knight
12* Marauder MAD-3D
12* Warhammer WHM-6D
12* Orion ON1-V
24* Jagermech

Combat Wing: (18+40)
    Command Flight: 2 Planes (Stuka)
    1st Squadron: 4 Flights (Corsairs)
    2nd Squadron: 4 Flight (Chippewa)


Since your asking here are some thoughts.

1.  I doubt there are many units with that consolidated a dropship force in the Inner Sphere.   Not a single Union?  Unlikely.   Certainly not a MERC unit.
And a Customized Fortress?  Who has the resources or desire to mess with perfection like that??

2.  Assault Regiments are rare.   MERC Assault Regiments are almost unheard of.   Units where the LIGHTEST mech is 65 tons.   I don't think that even exists.  Heck, even ZETA Battalion had a 50 Ton Hunchback in it.

3.  Far too SLDF Homogeneous a looking force.   13 Atlas's in 1 regiment?   I doubt even the Lyran's can claim that one, but maybe.  Certainly not the minimum 65 tons part.  And I'm not sure any unit in the IS in 3025 can claim to own an entire Cyclops Lance.

4.  The entire mech force comes across as far too Davion + SLDF too.  Unless that is there history.  Even then, its unlikely that EVERY Marauder in the unit is the 3D variant.  Ditto the 6D-WHammers.   

5.  More Artillery than many regiments would have too.  & as mentioned by others, far too small a support structure.


Suggestions.

1.  Still keeping a small DS force but to make it more realistic, Shift 4 Dropships to be 6.   (Overlord, Fortress, Union, Union, Mule, Seeker)
This gives you 6 companies dropping from orbit if needed with the rest as cargo & a larger selection of vehicles on the Seeker.

2.  Drop all but 1 of the Cyclops, KingCrab, & Blacknight.  They are all rare chassis.  Add in the Pillager & you have an SLDF feel Command Lance w/o the splurge of full lances & companies of rare models.

3.  Drop the Atlas & D-Model Heavies down to a lance of each.  Double up on your Stalker & Longbow populations that are more common.
Add in lances of Victor, Zeus, Battlemaster, & Banshee mechs.  For that matter,  instead of full lances, use pairs of mechs.  2 each of Zeus, Longbow, Banshee for fire support.   Stalkers, Atlas, Victor, & B-Mers for close assault.

4.  Use a Mix of Regular & "House" models.    Archer-2R, Archer-2S, Rifleman-3N, & Griffin-1N all combine for a solid Fire Lance.
Marauder-3R + 3D + Warhammer-6R + 6D makes for 8 PPCs with out the unlikely homogeneous makeup above.
2 Full companies of Jagers?   Drop that by 1/2 & make 1/2 the remaining mechs as Rifleman

5.  All those Orions could be a mix of Orion, T-Bolt, GrassHopper, Crusader chassis, and lighten the unit up by mixing in Centurions, Shadowhawks, Whitworths, & Enforcers for 1/2 the chassis to give you a similar feel but reduce the tonnage a bit.

6.  Finally, your going to need SOME form of recon even if its just a single lance per battalion of Light/Medium mechs.
Personally I think you should have quite a bit more than that, even for an Assault force.
Using the RAT force size for company/trinary make up an Assault Regiment should have battalions that look something like this.... roughly.

A1 = Assault, Heavy, Heavy
A2 = Assault, Heavy, Heavy
A3 = Heavy, Medium, Light

B1 = Assault, Heavy, Heavy
B2 = Heavy, Heavy, Medium
B3 = Heavy, Medium, Light

C1 = Heavy, Heavy, Heavy
C2 = Heavy, Medium, Light
C3 = Medium, Medium, Light

This gives you 3 dedicated Assault Lances + the RegCom and scattered assaults in 50% of the heavy lances.
And 1 battalion is built around fast heavies w/ lots of mediums & multiple scout lances to chase down opponents.


7.  Cut the Artillery down to 2 lances from 3 & replace it with a platoon of recon spotter vehicles.
The artillery itself should probably include more Thumpers & less Long Toms.

8.  Up your total infantry count to a battalion or so.   Between scouts, security, & actual mech support troops that isn't too much at all.

[Iron Grenadier]

My units are using a modified dropship that carries 32 mechs. The idea per company is 3 combat lances and one recon lance. The idea is for each battalion to operate as an independent force, they also include organic battle armor, tanks and aerospace. There is a separate support structure. If necessary , a lance per company can be used as a defense force for the base.

4 lance companies work very well for us/our table. Just how it evolved I guess. Currently it's an Assault, 2 Combat and 1 Heavy Cavalry lance. All heavy and assault weight. Recon is handled by hovertanks and VTOL's.

[Iron Grenadier]

Right now for a custom mercenary regiment I have this OOB and am wondering if it is correct or needs to be desperately modified. And this is just the first regiment of a multi-regiment formation that I am using for Fiction purposes that I am looking at towards middle of the story OOB

Since it's for a fiction you are intending to write/work on, and this is what it looks like in the middle of the story, would it be safe to guess they just found some sort of cache?

What do the other regiments look like?

Would it be also safe to guess you've got a dedicated support battalion(s) rather than just the Headquarters unit?


As for the mechs themselves, our table loves homogeneous units. I guess a little more info is needed to really help though.

[Nebfer]

5.  More Artillery than many regiments would have too.  & as mentioned by others, far too small a support structure.

Looks to be loosely based on the Org found in the 4th Swar atlas, which generally gives most battlemech regiments a full battery of artillery. Of which many did have two platoons of snipers and one of Long toms (thumpers it seems did not exist at this point), though a fair number did not have long toms (though a few units also had more long toms).

From that source he's in line with most battlemech regiments, though he has fewer HQ units. However the 4th Swar atlas is really the only one to really detail the regiments like this, rather than the rather simplistic one we generally get in most other sources (at the lest it dose allow for a more faction flavor of the units).

Though it's rather funny your saying that theirs a lack of support structure but the regular orgs we generally get have zero support elements out side of a "optional command element", where here he actually has some support elements, certainly not much but some none the less.

The Support Btln(s) in the Atlas are along the following lines
HQ Lance (battlemech)
Battlemech Lance
Artillery Battery (generally but not limited to two platoons of snipers and a platoon of long toms, non battlemech units only have a single platoon of snipers and two of extra infantry)
Reinforced Transport Co (4 platoons of trucks)

Support Battalion
Battlemech Lance
3x Companies

The companies very on the unit, in general it's common to see a security company and a Armor recon Co (light scout vehicles light to medium class) in most units. The third co by in large is quite variable some units it's a Tank Co, others a extra battlemech Co, or Infantry or even a fighter squadron (I like to go with the idea of a Air recon squadron rather than a pure fighter unit).

[Hellraiser]

Looks to be loosely based on the Org found in the 4th Swar atlas, which generally gives most battlemech regiments a full battery of artillery.

Though it's rather funny your saying that theirs a lack of support structure but the regular orgs we generally get have zero support elements out side of a "optional command element", where here he actually has some support elements, certainly not much but some none the less.

Does it give them a full company?   
I was thinking it was 1-2 platoons.

Support structure isn't really listed in the FM's that focus on base line units.
As you say, the 4th SW shows you what units usually have attached to them, which is why I said he was short.

No recon units
No security infantry
Minimal Support Trucks for Ammo/Coolant/Repairs, etc etc.

I would add at least a couple companies of added support units to what is there.

[Nebfer]

Does it give them a full company?   
I was thinking it was 1-2 platoons.

Support structure isn't really listed in the FM's that focus on base line units.
As you say, the 4th SW shows you what units usually have attached to them, which is why I said he was short.

No recon units
No security infantry
Minimal Support Trucks for Ammo/Coolant/Repairs, etc etc.

I would add at least a couple companies of added support units to what is there.

Per the books it's Generally three platoons of artillery (now if those are full platoons is arguable), often but not always two of sniper and one of long toms, the Tank and infantry units only have a single platoon of snipers for their regimental battery, with two platoons of infantry rounding it out.