MotW: Legionnaire

[Kit deSummersville]

I remember that variant and rather liked it. The TComp is nice, but having guns to fall back on when you jam the big gun or run it dry  makes up for the -1 to hit.

MadCapellan actually likes the lack of other weapons and the application of the RAC-5 on a medium 'mech. As the only weapon, the pilot needs to pull back and clear it. Add in a pair of medium lasers and he might keep trying to fight, much like that assault 'mech with a jammed RAC just has to keep on plugging, with over 10 tons of equipment just sitting there. The Legionnaire is pretty much forced to pull back, not letting the pilot override the tactically correct decision.

I think there's some middle ground but it isn't without its merits.

[Kidd]

It was exactly as overpowered as using aimed shot with 2+ weapons of any sort. If your argument is game balance then you should be arguing that no unit should be allowed to make aimed shots with more than a single weapon.

Er, no.

Aimed shots with multiple weapons would be resolved separately, whereas damage from an aimed single multishot weapon like say a RAC/5 at max speed would have been applied wholly to a single hit location under the old rules, basically turning it into a 13-ton AC/30. This is because the probability of hitting a desired location with all six separately rolled 5-point clusters is about (45%)^6, or 0.8%. However the aimed RAC/5 only needed to roll once, making the probability of landing a 30-point wallop 45%. This was the major beef with the rule and rightly so.

Multishot weapons also weigh considerably less than many singleshot weapons together; eg an Ultra AC10 weighs 13 tons + 4 tons tarcomp compared to an AC10's 12 tons + 3 ton tarcomp, trying to match the potential firepower of a 17-ton UAC10+TC would need 30 tons of standard AC10+TC.

So no, aimed shots with multishot weapons under the old rules were massively more OP than the current amended rules. But there are still good reasons to carry a TC'd RAC.

[Sabelkatten]

Your math is way off, but maybe we shouldn't clutter up this thread with that discussion. We can take the discussion somewhere else if you want to.

On topic I managed to fit a pair of ERMLs on the standard version with a bit of Jihad-era tech to save weight. Real nasty!

[Kidd]

I think the benefits of a RAC/5+TC under current and former rules are very pertinent to a Mech carrying only these 2 equipment.

I am playing a bit recently with 2d6 probability so yes, I'd like to hear why my math is off, here or in a PM If you prefer :)

[JadeHellbringer]

I think the benefits of a RAC/5+TC under current and former rules are very pertinent to a Mech carrying only these 2 equipment.

I am playing a bit recently with 2d6 probability so yes, I'd like to hear why my math is off, here or in a PM If you prefer :)

It's a matter of great importance to the Legionnaire's use, but not about the Legionnaire. He's right, another thread is the place for it- which doesn't make it any less important, mind you, just better in its own place.

[Colt Ward]

Did the fluff ever match up with it being for export?  Consider it was a MWDA medium it showed up a lot of places . . . Republic (Highlanders, Steel Wolves, and likely others) and it showed up as part of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth in the fiction facing off against the Spirit Cats.  Erik either faced it against another faction or it was part of his defenses on a Republic world, so I guess you could say Swordsworn though that makes the most sense.

Trying to remember if it ever showed up in fiction with the Crusader Wolves, which would have been during/after their sweep through the Republic.  Or with the Storm Hammers- trying to remember if they were described in Jason's counter-offensive against Alaric's first stab into the Commonwealth.

[mbear]

Fun fact: The Legionnaire is one of two 'Mechs that shares it's name with a disease, along with the Septimecia.

[Stinger]

Fun fact: The Legionnaire is one of two 'Mechs that shares it's name with a disease, along with the Septimecia.

While I will agree with that fact, I don't believe it's the origin of the name.  I always thought of it as a trooper, or a member of a legion.  Kinda like a  "Crusader" or "Trooper".  The name itself seems to mark it as a trooper 'Mech.

[Colt Ward]

It is, the disease takes its name from the same origin.

As it was supposed to be the follow on trooper for the Centurion . . . sort of gets funny when you consider that Centurions commanded Legionnaires.

[cavingjan]

Legionnaires are available to FS, mercs, and the republic. The splinter factions were based upon republic availability.

[Colt Ward]

Sure . . . but like I said one ended up in MSC colors and I think the Lyrans had a few.

[cavingjan]

One in MSC is hardly surprising for a mech that had been around as long as it had at that time. The Republic fought how many times with the Marik states? Most of the original Stormhammers' equipment came from the Republic militia units that defected to them. By the time Steiner was giving them material help, they were a de facto Steiner unit.

[JadeHellbringer]

It's possible some might have been sold to a Marik faction or other over the years- I've wondered how much of the inter-League squabbles were propped up by foreign powers supplying arms under the table. If the FedSuns (or someone with a spare LGN wanting to implicate the FedSuns...) wanted to help someone like, say Regulus for example to gain an upper hand, a shipment of arms smuggled in might be pretty helpful. Following Stone's disarmament, there certainly wouldn't be any shortage of equipment one could sneak out of the scrapyards and armories.

[wantec]

Salvage has a way of hopping around, just look at the Gotterdammerung from TRO3150, it went from the Lyrans, to Lyran-allied Mercs, to Clan Wolf to Clan Sea Fox. Then the Foxes rebuilt it, better, stronger, deadlier.