It's no surprise I like reverse-engineering Battletech equipment. I like the smooth numbers and limited weapons array of Battletech. That's part of its appeal for me. But I also like the granularity.
In the past few weeks, I've been ramming some numbers into a composition book. 'Mech structure tonnages, cargo carrying rules, gyro concepts. At its core, Battletech works on engineering and science created by a layperson of the 1980's to make a game about giant stompy robots. The abstractions in the system protect it.
But you can get less abstract. You can change some of the simplistic assumptions. You can ask some questions.
Why is the gryo for a 30 ton 'mech with 7 WMP the same as for a 30 ton 'mech with 10 WMP?
What happens if your engine is bigger than necessary?
If a 50-ton 'mech can carry 50 tons of cargo, why can't it just be a 100-ton 'mech? If a 50-ton mech with active TSM can carry 100 tons...what?
Jump jets are fucked up, right?
If I upgrade my myomers with MASC to make me run faster, I can break my legs. If I upgrade my engine with a Supercharger to run faster, I can break my engine. Why isn't that the other way around? If my speed is limited by my myomers and engine, then why don't better myomers tax my engine and a better engine tax my myomers?
Why does an Atlas freeze into a warehouse shelf the minute you add 5 tons to it? Not as cargo--because it can carry 100 tons of cargo just fine--but as a part of the battlemech?
I've got most of the rules written down. The rest of the BEH is just testing, rules, in-universe fluff, and writer's notes. Maybe some sketches.
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