Battletech Heaps: Unguided Missiles

Whether it's for nostalgia or novelty, Wednesdays are the days that I put up old Battletech house rules I created nigh on 10 years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the (in)famous, addictive board game of armored combat, I'll add some context, but know that you should abandon all non-courier fonts, ye who enter here.

Unguided Missiles

Don't get crazy, I just did to Short Range Missiles what Medium Range Missiles did to Long Range Missiles. 

Long Range Missiles are old school weapons shooting out to 21 hexes for up to 20 damage. At some point, someone decided to make Medium Range Missiles, which shoot out to 15 hexes for up to 40 damage. They're also incredibly inaccurate and aren't great.

Why would I not make a new version of a not-great piece of equipment?

Unguided missiles use the same sort of stripped down warhead used on MRMs to create a heavy missile pack used at close range. They've found few takers in the military (for the sort of units designed to defend confined areas outside of cities), but have gotten a surprising amount of support in the corporate sector.

There, their short range and cost-effective ammo have seen them mounted on stationary defense emplacements and private corporate defense forces. When company grounds are caught in the crossfire of battles, the UM's lack of accuracy and surplus of firepower means that nothing downrange of them wants them to fire. It suits the corporations fine; no one wants to be around them and the company has total deniability when some of their missiles accidentally hit a friendly unit drawing the fight too close to their property.

Their firepower and poor guidance systems keep them from being used offensively, but their ability as a deterrent often suits a company's bottom line.

Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Tech Rating: C
Availability: X-X-E
Introduced: 3060(DC/OA)
Type: M,C

Weapon Name        Heat    Damage   Mass Crits   Range   Ammo   

Unguided Missile 3  2   2/msl, C2/3  1.0  1     -/1/3/7   60   

Unguided Missile 6  4   2/msl, C2/6  2.0  2     -/1/3/7   30 

Unguided Missile 9  5   2/msl, C2/9  3.0  3     -/1/3/7   20 

Cost    Ammo  Cost Weapon BV Ammo BV TH mod 

20,000  4,000       15        2       +1 

40,000  4,000       30        4       +1 

60,000  4,000       41        5       +1

While there isn't a UM 12, the UM provides upgraded firepower for comparable weight.

UM 3. The UM 3 is comparable to the medium laser for heat, weight, and damage. The UM is far less accurate and requires ammunition, but can hit more locations and generates a bit less heat. Not quite as good as a medium laser.

UM 6. The UM 6 is about the size of a medium pulse laser. The UM 6 is less accurate(even if their ranges are similar), but does about twice the damage for the same heat. Its excessive ammo load is also a handicap. Generally, it loses against the medium pulse laser except for the damage spread and the technology level.

UM 9. The UM 9 is hard to compare. It whoops the holy hell out of the Light PPC for damage. About four times the damage for the same heat and...half the range. The UM 9 spams missiles hard when you're reeeally close, which is the point of the whole system, and the UM 9 does it best, as is fitting the largest missile rack.

There is currently no demand to test the prototype Apollo FCS with unguided missiles.