Help me with BattleTac Options

[nerf]

I'm definitely too tired to write a solid post right now, but would someone please explain to me, game mechanics wise, how a Rigger armed with battletac, IVIS, FDDM, and team armed with laser designators would dominate the battlefield.

The way we've been playing it, anyone with a battletac or laser designator can call in BIG GUNS, which fire during that player's initiative pass and turn big dragons inti GEW...

If someone calls for indirect fire, when are the shots fired.

Also, when do recoil penalties reset? intitiative pass or combat phase?

[mfb]

if someone calls for indirect fire, the shot is fired on the action of the drone making the shot. if the drone is holding its actions, then it can fire when the call is made.

recoil penalties reset at the end of the combat phase.

[nerf]

So the attack test is made using the drone's pilot rating? Does the drone still have to get a target lock? What if the target is painted with a laser designator?

[mfb]

the information you're looking for is in Cannon Companion, starting on page 99. the most relevant section is on page 100-101. basically, the spotter makes a Launch Weapons (Spotter) test. if the test succeeds, the shooter makes an attack test with no modifiers except for smartlink--no cover, no visibility mods, nothing. the shooter gets bonus dice on the test equal to the number of successes on the spotter test.