[X] My Assistant

[Stahlseele]

Yeah, that's kinda like the SR4 and SR5 Vehicle Damage / Passengers Stupidity right there . .
I don't like the Character Generation System . . i remember suddenly being short an ear and an eye <.<

[Sendaz]

. . i remember suddenly being short an ear and an eye <.<

pfft.. you have a spare. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Sixgun_Sage]

Count me firmly in the "Right tool for the right job" camp. A long range fire-support mech like the Trebuchet (especially the 7M) is meant to soften up targets at long and medium ranges while more robust models take care of anything that survives to get in close, with the addition of jump jets and an impressive baseline speed you can usually maneuver in to positions that give you superiority, through in some light mechs with good armaments like the Jenner to harrass the opposition and I will take two lances of light and medium machines over two lances of heavy mechs or even some assault designs.

[CanRay]

Well, as it is a merc campaign, I'm doubting that my mech will keep its typical mounts as things get blown off.

[Stahlseele]

Maybe.
I try to get some modifications into Mechs before the Game starts, if we are not a line unit of some standard.
Like removing the Machine-Guns and ammo from a Mech and replacing it either with one or two more heatsinks or more ammo.
Nothing too mayor usually. In the last Battletech-Game i played i got a Hunchback 4P. With Jumpjets. Not my idea that one.
Freaky little thing. Nobody expects it to be anywhere near that level of Mobility.
And while the Damage may not be as concentrated as with the AC20, it's actually a much higher level of Alpha Damage.
And it can score more crit hits and do random damage and will never run out of ammo or blow up either.
And can still jump away if i miscalculate heat and overheat into immobile Target terrain <.<

I blasted a 95t Mech into Scrap Metal with a STOCK 4P once. I love that little Beast. It's basically a Medium Assault Mech.

[Sengir]

I really think you overestimate the danger of ammo explosions. I've played fifty or sixty games of BattleTech, and I can't remember ever seeing one. Yeah, they can be devastating, but they're just not that common.

Depends on how many torsobombs your mechs have, I'd say...

[X-Kalibur]

If you're carrying ammo in a mech, you're just asking for it to get shot. They seem to attract the critical rolls. I haven't played that many BT games, but I've seen plenty of ammo explosions.

[Stahlseele]

This is actually true and it has a reason.
The reason being that in a great MANY design, the ammo bin is actually the only really critable piece of equipment in a given location <.<
And if that is not the case, then the ammo is being stored in legs, heads or center torsos. or in side torsos for mechs with XL-Reactors.

[Starmage21]

This is actually true and it has a reason.
The reason being that in a great MANY design, the ammo bin is actually the only really critable piece of equipment in a given location <.<
And if that is not the case, then the ammo is being stored in legs, heads or center torsos. or in side torsos for mechs with XL-Reactors.

x1000 this. Anything from the original 3025 or 3050 books suffered from this problem. Around the time that 3055 (original) TRO came out, FASA was starting to learn from their design mistakes and pick up on where players were making changes.


Best thing you can do: Put ammo and CASE in a torso (well armored) and then pack it the rest of the way with heat sinks! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Stahlseele]

no, put ammo into an arm. and put the weapon using that ammo in the SAME arm.
then use case on a torso side that has good armor.

[Stahlseele]

This game has SUCH an annoying character creation system x.x

[Tanegar]

Details, man, details!

[Stahlseele]

The ONLY way it takes less than 2 hours is to use a spreadsheet AND play as a clanner, because THAT means you stop wit the creation of your character at age 16 and all you are is a combat machine.
As an IS character you can roughly quadruple the time and the life path system can and WILL cost you an arm and a leg and cripple your character so as to start completely anew time and time again...

As a clanner, you start with basically negative intelligence, willpower and charisma and need to buy these up again to be a viable living being. Note that i did NOT say Human here. And you are a slow learner.
Because as a clanner, you are NOT human! you don't get to chose the human phenotype as a trueborn. As a freebirth you do only get to be human and nothing else.

And you start you have 5k points to spend. Which are, after you have made the character with the needed parts, including buying back up your attributs to positive numbers, you are left with round about 1k points . .
Which you then need to iron out advantages and disadvantages. And to get yourself a vehicle. Which takes about 800 points alone if you want a big mech. Getting rid of slow learner and impatient would cost another 400 points.
And then you don't even have any skills but the base package.

The game System itself is . . wonky in my eyes too . .
It uses 2D6 so as to stay compatible with the CBT Board-Game.

But it has both Skill-checks and Attribute-checks.
And the tests are against a more or less random but fixes target number depending on what you aim to do.
It can be TN o 18 for Attribute-Checks. Yes, you need to roll 18 with 2D6. No, there is no reroll 6's.
You substract the level of your used attribute(s) from the TN or you add it to the number you rolled.
There seems to be no rhyme nor reason for how and when which of these applies at all.
Same for Skill-Checks . .