3140s- IS Equipment choice

[Colt Ward]

You are a proud Clan warrior.  You have been distinguishing yourself in the last several years of combat your Clan has seen (unless your a Ghost Bear I guess).  You were assigned a OmniMech (or top BA/Veh) in a frontline cluster.  You have rank.  Your peers, the few you admit, consider you a ristar and likely to win a bloodname when the next one becomes available.

Unfortunately, the merchants and techs have come to you.  The saKhan to improve the overall quality of equipment- as well as generating a few spare systems- has dictated that Omnis will be mounting some IS produced equipment that was taken as isorla.  Because of your status in the Clan as a ristar you are to be one of the first warriors whose ride will be refit in this manner but the saKhan, merchants and techs offer you a choice . . .

 . . . what IS equipment would you want to mount in place of a Clan system, either as a direct replacement (IS ERPPCs for Clan as an example) or a change (Plasma Rifle instead of UAC/5)?

If you are a BA trooper, what would your point trade their Elemental suits in for from IS stocks?

[Decoy]

Reengineered lasers. With so many armor options coming out, especially hardened, defeating them becomes important.

[glitterboy2098]

as a mech pilot i would be looking for gear that either doesn't have much difference between clan and IS version (like superchargers, modular armor, etc), or which does something clan tech does not. (like heavy gauss, iNARC, MRM's, Thunderbolts, MML's, etc.)

i will say though, that fitting Omni's with IS weapons doesn't seem to be a common thing. more common seems to be just assigning IS built mechs to the newer troops instead of clan Omni's or 2nd line clan mechs.

[Maelwys]

Well, half tongue in cheek I'd want to say that as a Ristar I'd hit the Merchant and Techs for trying to give me substandard equipment, and initiate a Trial of Grievance/Refusal against whoever tried to get me to take IS tech...

That aside, if I absolutely had to take it, maybe the iHGR. Heavy damage, no real equivalent to it in the Clan arsenal, but even then I'd probably be thinking "I could have a Clan GR and a Clan ERPPC and more for the weight of this one piece of tech."

Maybe a re-engineered laser now that they've been errata'd, but even that is pretty questionable.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

Bloodhound AP, Angel ECCM, C3i, or MML. The MML is still underwhelming compared to Clan tech but I would consider it a downgrade on mechs with ATM's or SRM and LRM launchers (like the Tundra Wolf). The electronics I would consider base on my enemies compositional strength and what they were fielding but preferably C3I as 8 would most likely be running a combined arms Supernova from a lighter machine anyways.

Worse comes to worse TSM refitted in my lighter or non-heat friendly machines.

And yes I'd trial of Greivance before any of that happened: or suggest the alternate of IS mechs with superior Clan weapons: Wolfhound 'IIC' anyone?

[Deadborder]

I like some of the hybrid-tech Omnis we see in the 3145 NTNU. There's the Flamberge with IS Plasma Rifles that, while obviously not super-Clantech optimized gives it capabilities it can't get out of Clan weapons. Or the Loki with the IHGR, which is Falcon humour at its finest.

[SteveRestless]

I definitely prefer the Inner Sphere Plasma Rifle to the Clan Plasma Cannon. If the Clan model had the ability to toggle between either Heat or Damage, like the flamer does, I'd be okay with it but as a pure heat no mech damage weapon, I've got very little affection for it. Rather have one spheroid Plasma Rifle than two clan Plasma Cannons.

I don't find the extra range of the Clan RAC all that appealing over the inner sphere model, not for the extra crits I have to pay, so I'm just as happy to utilize an IS RAC.

The Heavy Gauss Rifle and it's improved brother are worth using despite being IS Tech.

The Snub Nosed PPC can be worthwhile as well.

Since not all fights are honorable fights, the Artillery Cannons are an interesting tool for dealing with dishonorable foes, foes not covered by the code of Zellbrigen or static emplacements.

[Colt Ward]

I find myself agreeing with Steve a bit . . . for me the Plasma Rifle is superior to a Plasma Cannon because of the damage & heat possible in a single strike.

Snub Nosed PPC could also be a field expedient replacement for a Large Pulse Laser if need be- same weight, same damage in short range, same heat . . . and it has a really long short range.

Mostly I was curious what the IS had innovated that Clan warriors might accept.

[Scotty]

The Clan LPL is better in every single way than the Snubbie and anyone who asked (or ordered) me to use the latter instead of the former while the former is still available is going to walk away bloody.  The Clan LPL has better modifiers to hit at 1-6 hexes (-2 instead of +0), the same modifiers at 7-9 (+0), and better modifiers and damage at 9-13 (+0 and 10 damage instead of +2 and 8 damage), much better modifiers and damage at 14 hexes (+0 and 10 instead of +4 and 5), back down to 'merely' much better at 15 (+2 and 10, versus +4 and 5), and then can actually still hit things from 16-20.  The Snubbie replaces the Inner Sphere LPL just fine, but the Clan version is the kind of weapon a warrior would sooner kill for than replace with IS tech.

If the Omni restriction wasn't in place, I'd be first in line for an IS XL Gyro.  Instead, I'll go with the Silver Bullet Gauss, since even the Clan LB-10X only reaches to 18 hexes.  Additional damage at greater range is a good reason to switch.

[SteveRestless]

if silver bullet had solid slug ammo as an option, I'd be more inclined to use it. As just a shotgun, I find it wanting. Perhaps for a cluster specialist or someone on flak duty.

[Scotty]

It's one of the best vehicle killers in the game, and it's lighter (with better ammo longevity) than a HAG, with better clusters for vehicle killing and no penalty to cluster rolls at range.

I wouldn't use it as a general purpose drop in replacement, for example, for a pair of ER PPCs or something, but I'd absolutely swap it in for an LB-10X and a couple shorter range systems for tonnage.

[Colt Ward]

On the cLPL . . yeah, I know the numbers.  But if you cannot replace a damaged one, its something you can drop in for some of the same performance.

IS XL Gyro huh?  I suppose that would make sense for something that was faster with mostly long range weapons for fire support.

[glitterboy2098]

hmm.. IS X-pulse lasers give decent range and damage performance compared to the relative standard pulses of the IS and clans, albeit at a a higher heat. juggle the config loadouts a bit to fit a few extra DHS in and even the heat is less of an issue. if you have to downgrade, swapping clan pulses for IS X-pulse makes the downgrade less terrible.

[Colt Ward]

Hmm . . . the VSP Lasers might also be worth a look.

[jackson123]

Declear a trial of refusal vs the sakhan for making me use inferior equipment.

[Jellico]

IS XL Gyro huh?  I suppose that would make sense for something that was faster with mostly long range weapons for fire support.

Clantech is at the hard edge for improved performance. How do you improve on the XL/Ferro/Endo lights of TRO 3050? At least with the heavies and assaults crit limits force you to consider dropping one of the above. All you can do with the smaller Mechs is jiggle the speed and armour a bit.

So to free up the tonnage to look at new and original options you need to look at XL gyros, Small Cockpits, stealth systems either armour or Null Sig or Chaemeleon, or possibly Blue Shield.

[Colt Ward]

I would agree, its why I actually like the XXL gyro on the Wulfen . . . and the one I play I had fun with zooming about the battlefield.

[jklantern]

ALL MRMS ALL THE TIME!   ;D

[Jellico]

ALL MRMS ALL THE TIME!   ;D

Not completely silly.

The 2D6 bell curve means mean that some weapons become too accurate. For example the accuracy gain between 10 and 12 is very small.

So for example for a veteran Clan gunner the pulse bonus can become meaningless and the tonnage and BV better spent on something else.

A veteran gunner can get good service out of a MRM while crippling their BV in the process.

[jklantern]

Not completely silly.

The 2D6 bell curve means mean that some weapons become too accurate. For example the accuracy gain between 10 and 12 is very small.

So for example for a veteran Clan gunner the pulse bonus can become meaningless and the tonnage and BV better spent on something else.

A veteran gunner can get good service out of a MRM while crippling their BV in the process.

And to think they called me "mad"!   ;D

[wantec]

Clantech is at the hard edge for improved performance. How do you improve on the XL/Ferro/Endo lights of TRO 3050? At least with the heavies and assaults crit limits force you to consider dropping one of the above. All you can do with the smaller Mechs is jiggle the speed and armour a bit.

So to free up the tonnage to look at new and original options you need to look at XL gyros, Small Cockpits, stealth systems either armour or Null Sig or Chaemeleon, or possibly Blue Shield.

FYI, the Falcons introduced the Clan Small Cockpit in 3080. Also, mixed-tech gets to "production" level around 3082 and becomes commonplace around 3115.

Personally I find that with the right placement, fitting XL, Endo, & Ferro isn't a problem on heavies, but on assaults it can get tricky to get even just 2 of them on there. Between smaller/lighter engines (not going as fast) and greater overall tonnages, assaults can pack so much more and not have as much room for DHS, which makes them more crit sensitive.

Now if you start going for newer armors (Ferro-Lam, Reflective, Reactive, etc) those get more crit hungry so it can be trickier to fit them in an XL/Endo heavy.

[Ruger]

Plasma Rifle or Re-egineered Lasers...

Ruger