'Mech Engineer Quest

[Daryk]

Nice!  That second one could have a variant that's a cross between a Valkyrie and a Griffin by exchanging the SRM, MGs and AMS for an LRM-10 and a couple of tons of ammo.

[Vehrec]

Okay, I'll let you retro-actively add that one to your concepts.  Once.
----
The presentation doesn't go well.  Which is not to say that it goes over worse than you thought it would.  But your presentation is being made to a group which includes a man with blown pupils and a joygirl in his lap, and a faux-Generalisimo complete with bemedaled sash who demands to know where you have hidden your assault designs with the big bucks price tags.  Then there's the Capellan pauper turned-princess who has gone all silk fans and High Liao Court madness, and the very epitome of a monkey-model Lyran social general in her evening gown. There's even one guy who is decked out like a Comstar Adept, but with some obvious flaws in his robe's mathematical figures.  He seems to know technical matters somewhat, but they're all eccentric, and they all have apparently gone somewhat mad with the sheer amount of money that El Prez spent to buy them out.

Their comments were... unhelpful.  "Call that a Trooper?  More like live bait!" greeted your first 40 ton treatment.  "Too Slow and Too Vulnerable."  judged another, while you bit your tongue to keep from pointing out that this was a perfectly traditional speed.  A third opined that it was 'A bit too much of a spreadsheet, could you give us some pictures of what it would actually look like?'  You showed off a proposed militia mech and scout combo, showing off their comonality of design and the estimates that you would be able to roll out six a month. from three cubicles  "Six useless pieces of hunk!"  Opined one.  "Machine guns are useless on a mech." protested another.  You point out that the machine guns are a requirement and are rewarded with an extrended rant about how the tank-mad locals kept him on a leash for four months rather than assault a fortress built out of crippled dropships head-on.  A third asked about putting on eight more machine guns and dropping the SRM and it's ammo.  You point out that that is also a requirement.  She nodded and then asked about stripping out the large laser for machine guns and a couple of flamers.  The pseudo-Comstar dude asked what you could do to put ten large lasers on a single machine like the Clans and you looked at him like he had two heads, which prompted a vehement back and forth about Clan technology and what it could and could not do.

When you walk out of the meeting you feel like you've been savaged by wolves, and to no constructive benefit.  Those guys never were the best mercs in all likelyhood, and now they're telling you how to do your job, something that Mechwarriors with rare exception, aren't very good at.

Well, at least you have the weekend to look forward to.  The tourism board supplied pamphlets in the hotel assure you that there are plenty of ways to have fun in this city-or a few nearby ones.  Once you get the bare necessities out of the way, you have half a day saturday and a full day on sunday to yourself...

Code: [Select]

[ ] See if you can work your way onto the National Academy campus to see the Pistolero up close and
look at what the eggheads in the white coats are developing.
[ ] Get a ride to the nearby coastal city of Puerto Grande and do some sunbathing and other beach-things.  And maybe get a one-night stand-
a party town like Puerto Grande sounds like a great place to unwind.
[ ] Personal affairs that go beyond the mere need to eat and not be sick might be a good idea. 
Go house-hunting, and maybe review the local language learning program.
[ ] Write in or combo of the above?

[Daryk]

I wouldn't expect trying to see the Pistolero at this point would be met with anything other than raving paranoia on the part of the government.  I'm for option three, and seeing if we can't get our earlier questions about housing answered.

[Warclaw]

Agreed.

But before she goes, she pops off a quick note to her boss referencing the designs she showcased earlier, and making a small note in the margins saying.  "Forgot to mention this in the meeting, but it might be noteworthy that since WE will be the only source of many parts and/or proprietary ammunition designs, the profitability of any exports wouldn't end with the initial sale."

[Vehrec]

You spend the first half of your Saturday being shuttled around from government agency to government agency.  You get your local ID, and take a driver's test.  Other than a few local quirks, the rules of the road are familiar enough.  The ration book is a quaint little thing, and you find it hard to imagine ever needing it, though you suppose you can't hunt reindeer in a tropical climate.  You get a physical at a hospital, your health-records having been left on New Oslo, and get a clean bill of health. You also get some extra vaccinations against things that people might try to kill you with, courtesy of the local secret police.  You don't know if anyone will actually try to use Anthrax or the black death to kill you, but at least you're protected.  Your licence to have a firearm is still pending, but you're fairly sure it will come through soon.

Code: [Select]

Choose a licence category:
[ ] Hunting/sporting licence.  Used for range-practice and hunting only.  Must have weapon locked at all other times,
keys are kept by park rangers and range-managers.
[ ] Self-defense licence.  Must pass a handgun course-only applies to pistols.
[ ] Militia Licence.  A large-capacity magazine and rifle is provided by the government, but it must remain secured (yearly inspection) except in times of war. 
Two weeks of milita training with a local regiment are also required to remain in possession of the licence.
[ ] Spooky licence.  You've got special permission to use your rifle anytime you like as a favor from the local spy agency.
They can take it back whenever you displease them, or don't do them a favor.
Unfortunately your plan to score a roommate hits a early snag.  "Wait, you're saying I can't live with anyone unless they have security clearance?"  The street-side cafe where you've snagged a sandwich while you look at apartment listings is not the place you would have picked, but you have a minder, and she looks a bit contrite at least when she shrugs.

"You have important work.  Spies could be anywhere.  The importance of the task is paramount.  So your living spaces need to be secured-"
"I'm in a third-floor hotel room "
"And we have bought out all rooms on both sides within five of you."

You snort in disgust.  "No, you haven't.  I hear the same couple having ..." you realize what's going on.  "Wait, you have that many people in the security detail?"

Your minder sips her iced green tea and shrugs.  "You are important.  Two of our agents are having a love affair.  It was not hard to get them to pretend to be madly in love because they are madly in love.  And the maids ignore the assault rifles under the bed."

You don't know if you're prepared for this level of spooky bullshit.  "Well, I can still get a roomie from the new hires, I mean some of them are my-"  You're cut off by a headshake and frown.  "Why not?  Same project, right?"

"Different clearance.  You have been assigned the unique clearance level A-113.  Finding someone with a clearance level sufficient to stay with you who you are cleared to know all the details of their work will be impossible.  Background checks to approve random strangers would take months.  Even your co-workers cannot have access to you outside of work because of the need to compartmentalize information.  Even a spousal exemption would take months."
...
At least the Metro has a station connected to the Arcology.
---
Write in a choice on the Transportation and  Housing, or put it off for another week?

[Warclaw]

[ ] Hunting/sporting licence.  Used for range-practice and hunting only.  Must have weapon locked at all other times,
keys are kept by park rangers and range-managers.
[ ] Self-defense licence.  Must pass a handgun course-only applies to pistols.

"A" AND "B"...The two are not mutually exclusive.  And if I ever desperately need to, gun-locks aren't exactly bank vault standard.   ::)


As for housing and transportation:

For now, I think she'll go with a mid-ranged apartment.  (And she'll ask her minder if there's a particular apartment complex he/she would be able to recommend?  Might as well keep on security's good side for the moment.)

Transportation...I think a scooter.  Once things settle out, she can consider upgrading, but until she gets a feel for the city/planet/how her job is working out, she doesn't want to over-commit.

[Koren-Gagin]

Hi not sure if ok for me jump in, if so thanks.

The first option, the hunting lincense is the one I suggest which could lead to the spooky lincense though not sure if the character well have time or mental fortitude for certain requirements by the local spooks.

On the housing I suggest the mid-house since its only double the monthly cost also removes the loud and ubnouxous agents in the room next door. Including the the Mark II leg transport option.

For my final suggestion on transport maybe the taxi since its cheap, price vary as need or use so can get cheap or expensive depending on if the character decides to become a social butterfly.

Thanks if ya are ok with me joining in.

[Vehrec]

More are always welcome-the quest format works better with more players in my experience, though I doubt you guys will have as volitile a turnover as the Anons on /tg.  Getting enough random players to form a bandwagon who will do stupid things is essential for a proper quest experience though :D

[Daryk]

Welcome!  At least we shouldn't have any more ties... ::)

If she's going to have to put up with this many spooks, she might as well go for the spooky license, but I also agree with Warclaw that A and B aren't mutually exclusive with each other, and neither is B with the spooky license.

As for housing, I'm leaning toward the arcology angle to stick it to the government for being so paranoid, but would still like to know if it's possible to rent two adjoining apartments in the mid-rise building (since one of them would be rented by the government anyway) to achieve something close to high-rise living within walking distance to work.  Walking provides an excellent excuse for long hours (waiting for the sun to go down in an equatorial city) and the self-defense license.

Also, a quick side note about the room mate thing... that talk I mentioned being given to the university team and mil-techs applies (in spades) to the leader of the project.  Intra-team drama is extra damaging if it involves the lead.

Finally, also with regard to the room mate thing... are her bodyguards fair game?  One would think they're at least as cleared as she is, or are at least covered by something like a communicator's oath.  That could even save the government money in the long run, and they seem to at least wink at that sort of thing.  Of course, it'll take a while to pick one (or more)...

[Vehrec]

You resolve to have a look at a couple of options personally before you make a decision.

-
You're pretty sure that the apartment block you're being shown is fairly high end for this development  For one thing, the trees around it are taller than it is, rising over the four story building before the palms spread their leaves.  You notice the cars and the

Inside, things are clean, but plain.  Brown carpet and brown vinyl on the floors.  White walls, which there is to be absolutely no nails pounded in.  A kitchen with a refrigerator and an old-fashioned electric stove that looks like it uses resistance instead of induction.  That's seamlessly connected to a space that might be a dining area and a entertainment set up all in one.  The only door leads to a tiny hallway that has both the bedrooms and the bathroom. (you might need some sort of office, or get a future roommate or romantic partner after all, and the cost increase for two bedrooms over one is comfortably within your budget.)  More brown in there, with the tile being cracked in a few minor places.  The bedrooms are not particularly big, but there's enough room.  It's all very functional, and the walls and ceiling are again stark white in contrast to the brown carpet.

Buying up enough rooms to get some quiet and extra space seems unlikely though, and you're sure that the main reason to get this place would be to save money-it's very much lower-middle class, and while you're not uncomfortable with the lifestyle you would have here, you're a bit uncertain about what you should do with your pay checks other than stick them in the bank and quietly pocket big piles of dosh.  And you're not about to let the spies into your rooms with an invitation, just like you're smart enough to avoid the bait of them getting you a special licence for your guns.
--
It's getting towards nightfall when you take the tour of the demo apartment at the arcology.  This-this is definately more upscale.  For all that it's a 'core' apartment with no windows on the outside, it has plenty of floorspace.  The kitchen here isn't just bigger and more lavishly finished, it's better laid out for actually cooking and the fridge doesn't bang into the wall when it's opened all the way.  There's actually enough counter space to have more than one thing out-and the bathroom has fixtures that are much the same.  Even the bedrooms (two beds, one multi-purpose room.) are each nearly half the size of the whole apartment you saw earlier.

It rubs you the wrong way really.  It's too big a space-you would definitely need a house-wife or house-husband  or something of that sort of thing.  It's a bit ostentatious, and slightly more than a third of your current budget.  And it seems too permanent for a first place on this planet.  You veg out for a couple of minutes on the couch, but then make your decision.  You're going to go for the mid-range apartment, at least for a few months, and build up your funds.

Getting a scooter for longer trips around town on your own power proves little hassle-the damn things are everywhere in town, and you only have one obstacle to getting one-your minder.  Or rather, she objects to you getting one without a helmet, which strikes you as fairly silly because you'll be the only person on planet with a helmet by your estimations.

Still, with Saturday fairly well spent when you wheel your new scooter into the hotel for safe keeping, you just need to think about tommorow's tasks as well.

Code: [Select]

[ ] Get some shopping done-you'll need a bed and other furniture for sure, and rebuilding your wardrobe also needs to be your priority. 
You have very little baggage, and can stand to splurge a bit now on correcting that.
[ ] According to your studies, the city has a Cathedral, a Mosque, and a Stupa.  When it comes to religion you
 are spoiled for choice of spiritual fulfillment if that's how you recharge.
[ ] Religious the locals might be, but they won't let that get in the way of a good bar crawl.  Why should you?
[ ] You're new here-play the tourist role, see the museums, monuments, and government buildings up close.
[ ] Nose back to the grindstone-you have work and studies to do.
[ ] Write in?

[Daryk]

I'm for shopping with a little sight-seeing on the way.  There's no guarantee the office will be open on the weekend.

[Vehrec]

Work and Studies does not include mech-designing by default.  But you do have a lot of other things to bother with.

[Daryk]

Eh... I'm still for shopping and a little sight-seeing...

[Warclaw]

Shopping and tourist

[Koren-Gagin]

I'm for shopping with a little sight-seeing on the way.  There's no guarantee the office will be open on the weekend.

I agree here since who says sight seeing is about seeing stuffy buildings only the tourist form the other continent will come to see. Going to what passes as local hotspots, the mall, social seens, maybe meet a few people, whatch a movie, have fun annoying the minders as you weave through the crowds.

 We need some close to fit the weather and a bed that allows for a proper good night rest, also maybe a coffee maker since the locals like to throw ghost peppers in the coffee.(though I personally love ghost peppers, yes I use them in my coffee great way to wake up at 5am after a night of bar crawling)

[Vehrec]

Shopping wins by a landslide, with some sight-seeing on the side.
---
The locals only embraced the concept of the 'mall' fairly late in their history, but that still means that the one you visit is just 20 years old.  You wish you could have gotten throug customs faster your first day-this place is right on a direct line from the spaceport to the city proper, and seems designed to cater to those with exotic tastes by local standards-imported technology, clothes, and music vie for space with the best local products.  And there's a difference, but you need to look to see it, which is a damn sight better than most periphery worlds.  One might even wonder if it's allowed to exist on purpose so visitors like yourself can feel superior about their high society.  Certainly, they're playing catch up, but it can't be hard to make some of these things...

But you have less time for wool-gathering and more time for shopping.  You start with the basics-two more pairs of heels-one with stilletos, and three new pairs of flats.  After that, the morning is a whirlwind of things snatched off racks, ducking into changing rooms, and seeing what actually fits.  You haven't worn a sundress in years, but one feels right for something casual right now.  Miniskirts, A-lines, pencil skirts, all go on the pile as you rebuild the variety you need for every situation.  Khaki trousers and a pair of loose flowing Palazzo pants-no jeans, you wouldn't be able to stand them in the heat. You can't cover every possible eventuality, but you do grab the basics and a few non-basic things. 

Code: [Select]

Add to your wardrobe up to three of the following.
[ ] A evening gown suitable for parties and formal affairs.
[ ] A black-tie outfit if you feel like putting your hair up and playing the Bifauxnen.
[ ] A series of Layered kimonos for a very high-class ladylike look.  Black teeth optional.
[ ] Quasi-Star League Robes for looking like a complete ******.
[ ] A faux dress-uniform in the style of your choice for impersonating an officer.
[ ] Fancy undergarments.  You know what for.
[ ] A set of new ski clothes, though you won't be able to use them unless you take a trip to the poles.
[ ] A selection of swimwear, including both one and two-piece items.
[ ] A 'cooling suit' that may or may not work since you can't test it.  Might just be a catsuit with tubes.
[ ] Giant Shoulderpads (It is the space 80s).
[ ] Explorer/ big game hunter gear.  Apparently, they have elephants on this planet.
[ ] A color-shifting synth-silk garment that can be reprogrammed for new patterns.
You also find the furniture you were looking for, a-

Code: [Select]

[ ] King Sized bed.
[ ] Kotatsu, though you think you won't need the heater.
[ ]  antique desk with lots of hidden compartments.  This one will be for the office.  Getting it shipped will take some time, but the apartment won't be ready for a week anyways.

Once you dispatch the agents who you conscripted as bag carriers to take all that stuff back, you decide to have a little fun.  Grabbing a few tips from people you meet at the mall, you prepare for an evening of fun. Wine, women and song, that's how the saying goes, right?  Men are okay too you suppose, even if they're not mentioned in that saying.  Still, the emphasis there can be shifted around significantly.  This might be a transport and administration focused town, but there's still a wide enough range of options to tailor your specific experience.  Before that though, you head back towards town and the normal tourist destinations-you haven't really seen much of the city, and this is a good chance to see it up close.

You ultimately settle on a walk in the park-literally joining the huge crowds on the open fields and shaded walkways that lie between the presidential palace and the 'Hall of the People', the local parliament.  The surrounding buildings are a mish-mash of old Star League construction from the original city and more recent designs, though some of those are over 100 years old, and a sign in the park informs you, once you work your way through the local language, that the park was a farm tended by sharecroppers just 50 years ago.  Right now though, the primary activity seems to be youth football, as you see no less than three games in progress.  Some games are surrounded by cheering crowds on the grass, while others bounce the ball through the woods with excited youths screaming after it, the goals defined by large trees and architecture.  The park itself is huge, with several small lakes or large ponds, a number of tightly winding bicycle and footpaths, and even a petting zoo where a llama, upset you did not purchase grass pellets to feed him, spits at you.  That one incident aside, you have a pleasant wander though the park, enjoying the sculpted tropical landscape, and even kicking a rogue ball back into play.

Still it's just the prelude for tonight.

[Warclaw]

Yes: A evening gown suitable for parties and formal affairs.
Minako expects at some point to have to play nice with what passes for upper-crust on this planet, and looking the part will help.

No: A black-tie outfit if you feel like putting your hair up and playing the Bifauxnen. 
Minako's...Eclectic tastes in bed-partners aside, she doesn't like Tux's as she feels then too restrictive and uncomfortable.

No:  A series of Layered kimonos for a very high-class ladylike look.  Black teeth optional.
This isn't the Combine.

No: Quasi-Star League Robes for looking like a complete ******.
Do I really have to explain this one?

No:  A faux dress-uniform in the style of your choice for impersonating an officer.
While quasi-military garb might be in fashion here, she doesn't want the locals to think she might be mocking them.

Yes: Fancy undergarments.  You know what for.
Just because she hasn't settled on a target yet, doesn't mean she can't get her hunting gear together.   ;D

No: A set of new ski clothes, though you won't be able to use them unless you take a trip to the poles.
Unlikely to be of use anytime soon, and when they are, she can get some then.

No: A selection of swimwear, including both one and two-piece items.
She plans to wait a bit on these.  Recreational swimming isn't one of her favorite hobbies, and before she goes to the beach, she wants a bit more time to study local mores and cultural foibles.  What she considers perfectly acceptable might be considered borderline pornography on some planets.

No: A 'cooling suit' that may or may not work since you can't test it.  Might just be a catsuit with tubes.
No test, no buy.

No: Giant Shoulderpads (It is the space 80s).
Ugh!

Yes: Explorer/ big game hunter gear.  Apparently, they have elephants on this planet.
Goes along with that Hunting license she has applied for.

No: A color-shifting synth-silk garment that can be reprogrammed for new patterns. Likely to make her stand out as an off-worlder even more than she normally does.  IF someone does decide to come after her for whatever reason, why make it too easy? (Who knows?  the Security guys MIGHT know something.)

Furniture:
Antique desk with lots of hidden compartments.  This one will be for the office.
Beds are much more easily obtained than a good antique desk.  Plus, given her boss's predilection for older styles/methods, it may go some ways towards breaking the ice.

[Koren-Gagin]

Yes: A evening gown suitable for parties and formal affairs.
Minako expects at some point to have to play nice with what passes for upper-crust on this planet, and looking the part will help.

No: A black-tie outfit if you feel like putting your hair up and playing the Bifauxnen. 
Minako's...Eclectic tastes in bed-partners aside, she doesn't like Tux's as she feels then too restrictive and uncomfortable.

No:  A series of Layered kimonos for a very high-class ladylike look.  Black teeth optional.
This isn't the Combine.

No: Quasi-Star League Robes for looking like a complete ******.
Do I really have to explain this one?

No:  A faux dress-uniform in the style of your choice for impersonating an officer.
While quasi-military garb might be in fashion here, she doesn't want the locals to think she might be mocking them.

Yes: Fancy undergarments.  You know what for.
Just because she hasn't settled on a target yet, doesn't mean she can't get her hunting gear together.   ;D

No: A set of new ski clothes, though you won't be able to use them unless you take a trip to the poles.
Unlikely to be of use anytime soon, and when they are, she can get some then.

No: A selection of swimwear, including both one and two-piece items.
She plans to wait a bit on these.  Recreational swimming isn't one of her favorite hobbies, and before she goes to the beach, she wants a bit more time to study local mores and cultural foibles.  What she considers perfectly acceptable might be considered borderline pornography on some planets.

No: A 'cooling suit' that may or may not work since you can't test it.  Might just be a catsuit with tubes.
No test, no buy.

No: Giant Shoulderpads (It is the space 80s).
Ugh!

Yes: Explorer/ big game hunter gear.  Apparently, they have elephants on this planet.
Goes along with that Hunting license she has applied for.

No: A color-shifting synth-silk garment that can be reprogrammed for new patterns. Likely to make her stand out as an off-worlder even more than she normally does.  IF someone does decide to come after her for whatever reason, why make it too easy? (Who knows?  the Security guys MIGHT know something.)

Furniture:
Antique desk with lots of hidden compartments.  This one will be for the office.
Beds are much more easily obtained than a good antique desk.  Plus, given her boss's predilection for older styles/methods, it may go some ways towards breaking the ice.

I agree with all except one, the kimono since she is from the combine held territory and well nomatter how bad the combine goverment lackeys, are the culture is appealing even if its a ********ize version of Japanese culture.

[Vehrec]

The 'wear 12 kimonos all at once' thing is more Heian Japanese, meaning it's actually further from modern japan than the Combine is.  Why there is a display of 9th century Japanese high-court fashion on this list?  Because it signifies that Minako appreciates both sides of her heritage deeply.

Every choice you've made helps determine personality as well as preferences~

[Warclaw]

I agree with all except one, the kimono since she is from the combine held territory and well nomatter how bad the combine goverment lackeys, are the culture is appealing even if its a ********ize version of Japanese culture.

She is proud of her heritage, but not only do the kimonos share the same disadvantages as the high tech synth-silk, they are most likely VERY expensive out here, and she doesn't expect to have need of them any time soon.  If that looks likely to change, she can revisit things.

[Daryk]

I agree with what Warclaw wrote except for the undergarments.  I'd put those in exactly the same category as the swimwear.  That reprogrammable synth-silk might come in handy if she has to brief the mercs again, and could be used for other things (like shifting to all black in a hurry if she has to duck quick).

So: Evening wear, hunting gear, synth-silk and the antique desk.

[Daryk]

First: Happy Thanksgiving!

Second, a random thought provoked by the General that was looking for an assault design:

For around 6.8M C-Bills, you can get an 80 ton, 3/5/3 mech with max armor armed with a Sniper, Large Laser, Medium Laser, 2 MGs and 14 HS (with four tons of ammo for the Sniper, and a half ton for the MGs protected by CASE).  The double heat sink upgrade adds about 200,000 C-Bills, and drops the heat sink in the head for another Medium Laser (i.e., 13 DHS).  The upgrade is critical space limited, and amusingly drives the MGs into the legs.  As much as the government wants to avoid artillery tubes, they're some of the best dropship and fortification crackers around.  The other advantage of the design is that a Long Tom Artillery Cannon can be dropped in to replace the Sniper when (if) they become available.

[Koren-Gagin]

First: Happy Thanksgiving!

Second, a random thought provoked by the General that was looking for an assault design:

For around 6.8M C-Bills, you can get an 80 ton, 3/5/3 mech with max armor armed with a Sniper, Large Laser, Medium Laser, 2 MGs and 14 HS (with four tons of ammo for the Sniper, and a half ton for the MGs protected by CASE).  The double heat sink upgrade adds about 200,000 C-Bills, and drops the heat sink in the head for another Medium Laser (i.e., 13 DHS).  The upgrade is critical space limited, and amusingly drives the MGs into the legs.  As much as the government wants to avoid artillery tubes, they're some of the best dropship and fortification crackers around.  The other advantage of the design is that a Long Tom Artillery Cannon can be dropped in to replace the Sniper when (if) they become available.

Umm.... This is a prephery planet self building heaviest and assualts are going to be speciality builds not assembly jobs like light mechs or the mediums on the lighte end of the  medium scale. I think the two light mech designs we have worked a bit on would be the best since its like 20 M-bills to  1 C-Bill.

This proves that even though this planet is maybe building itself up and might be at an economic advantage over its nearby neighbours. But this not mean you can Willy nilly build a horde of mechs (by horde of mech I mean a battalion or more mechs) when you already building a horde of different vees and are in the process of upgrading them to boot.

This does not mean heavies or assualts cannot be built but the budget needed for each one would be more than any of the generals, retired mercs, or el presidente will most likely agree to. But the mech suggested maybe over ambitious for the cost and what's on but I haven't gone through what's listed for it.

Useing the tech manual I have not maybe you have if so I assuming the tech manual is basing cost on resonable cost variances for building form design up with a design crew, manufacture crew, and tech they know works, and not using either feild testing or not fully developed yet equipment.

Just my two c-bills or is it m-bills, not sure.

I hope everyone enjoys their thanksgiving.

[Daryk]

I'm just using Solaris Skunk Werks... it makes throwing designs together ridiculously easy and does all the normal cost calculations for you (it won't do Vehrec's house rule costs of course, hence my cost estimates).  I don't expect us to be building assault mechs any time soon, but wanted to get my thoughts on it out there.

[Koren-Gagin]

That's cool I understand, we could do one as test of concept as a side project if the mechs desired pan out. Use it to bust some rebels base or pirates holdout as the test for it proving to the generals and others that a lance of these bad boys can make a huge difference when needed.

[Warclaw]

At this point, if they want an assault mech, it is by FAR more efficient of them to just go to the Inner Sphere and BUY one.  Down the road, that'll most likely change, but for now...

[Daryk]

Oh sure... mechs for this planet are almost pure vanity projects.  If they were willing to go with artillery tubes, it's much more efficient to put them on tank chassis.

[Warclaw]

Vanity projects to a point.

In my experience, when you are talking specialist and/or purely DEFENSIVE units, conventional armor is vastly more efficient.  Less capable/tough on an individual scale, but on an overall scale they just plain beat the mechs on a cost vs effectiveness basis.

The equation changes, however, when you start looking at more generalist designs, and/or designs meant for OFFENSIVE operations, especially ones on somebody else's planet where the number of units you have is not limited so much by C-Bills as by drop-ship capacity.  Under those circumstances, you need each unit to be as individually tough/effective as they can be.  That's where mechs come in.  They are the ones meant to be the point of the spear.

Put at it's most basic:  You don't build mechs for any reason other than to have the capability to project power into someone else's territory.

[Daryk]

Agreed, they're best used as shock troops for a planetary invasion.  Perhaps we're seeing a planet with ambitions at its beginning...

[Warclaw]

Perhaps we're seeing a planet with ambitions at its beginning...

I don't think there's much doubt about it.  The planet is the equivalent of a mid-20th century banana-republic.  How many of those didn't have designs upon their neighbors?