Battlemech Generations, Pt II

So last time I went on about similar 'mech designs being separated by quirks. Specifically, I kicked around a system wherein 'mechs which have been in production for 500 years will be generally better than a 'mech that was produced 500 years ago and not since.

Fucking Hammerhands.

The system is that new 'mechs can be based on existing designs or completely original, they can simply add to that template or radically revise it. 'mechs based on existing designs have known intractable flaws, but are of generally higher quality. 'mechs which are completely original have more negative quirks, but produce a new intractable flaw.

I'm using the idea of a Quirk Maximum here. In the rules quirks are either positive or negative. Each quirk has a point value associated with it. If you're keeping a 'balanced' 'mech, the value of that 'mech's positive quirks will be equal to the value of its negative quirks.

If you're a fan of My Hero Academia, I can only apologize for the rampant use of the word "quirk" you're about to read.

Instead of that, I'm treating the values of all negative quirks as, y'know, negative numbers. Add all your quirk values together and you'll get a total. To get them to a base balance recommended in Strategic Operations, the sum will be 0. We will use a Quirk Maximum to represent the maximum value of all quirks--usually negative--that a new design can have. The sum of the values of all of that 'mech's quirks must be that number or lower.

I checked the rules, but couldn't find it so for the sake of simplicity, this system will limit quirks to a maximum of 6 total quirks, positive or negative.

Design Types for New 'Mechs

Variant - A variant is a modified version of an existing 'mech. Like a -K2 Catapult or the -R60L Urbanmech. It inherits the quirks (including the intractible quirk) and quirk maximum of its parent designs and usually makes minor changes. 

"Minor changes" covers a lot when you at things like, well, the -K2 Cataputl. But let's not get into that. You're changing your design and don't mind if it's got all the flaws of the current production model.

Overhaul - Originally termed a 'next gen' design, it's a refinement of the original concept after serious revision and testing. This can be the line model BJ-1 Blackjack when compared to the original BJ-1X Blackjack or the omnimech Blackjack which carries 5 tons over it's parent BJ-1.

Overhauls will maintain the Intractable Flaw of their parent unit, but will increase their quirk maximum by +1 (to a maximum of +3).

Conventional - A conventional design is a new design not specifically based on any existing model, but using conventional design practices. It uses standard components; actuators, engines, sensors, etc. that many battlmechs share and which makes the Non-Standard Parts quirk a quirk. Most new designs are this.

Conventional designs will choose an Intractable Flaw quirk, begin with a separate, -1 point New Design negative quirk, and have a quirk maximum of -2.

Radical - A radical design may be mostly build from conventional parts, but posesses at its core a vasty different and untested system. This might be fluff, or it might be a custom or experimental equipment (or perk!). 

The Coyotl and the original Raven could be considered Radical designs. They could also be considered an Overhaul or a Conventional design, respectively. 

Radical designs will choose an Intractable Flaw quirk, begin with a separate, -2 point New Design negative quirk, and have a quirk maximum of -3.

Prototype - Every 'mech goes through a prototype phase. If it didn't it, IS the prototype. Prototyping requires a lot of testing and changes so you don't really need to make a prototype, but we're all doing this for fun so do what you want. Prototypes have the Prototype quirk and a -2 quirk maximum and are required to have the design's intractable flaw.

What is a Variant?

BattleMech Generations

Fucking Hammerhands.

So during Battletech's Jihad, the Word of Blake was everywhere with fancy, experimental tech. They bombed shit and disrupted supply lines and fucked with interstellar communications and shit was fucky. I still don't think we have a clear, consolidated sourcebook for the whole fiasco. The Jihad-era sourcebooks are all filled with in-character snippets of intelligence reports, news articles, and rumors. You didn't really know what was happening. Not even when it was all over.

In the midst of this, Catalyst Game Labs needed to sell a TRO. TROs move units. I used some just this past weekend to hook some folks into the game. They have bite-sized lore, compelling stats, and pictures that are cool to look at. I have my issues with TROs, but they're great. 

So in the chaos of the Jihad, folks were short in logistical supplies and made whatever military gear they could to thwart the WoB. Fair enough.

Here's what I do not fucking get. Someone made the Hammerhands. They didn't create it. The Hammerhands was created over 500 years before the Jihad. It was one of the Federated Suns' first 'mechs. It was eclipsed by the Warhammer, and people kept making Warhammers for FIVE CENTURIES.

Look guys, I don't love the Warhammer. I think it's subpar and undersinked. It's not terrible, but it's no Thug. But they should make more Warhammers. If they don't have the PPCs for a Warhammer, they should make a Warhammer with autocannons. They made the -8M, which carries a gauss rifle. They've stretched the definition of 'mechs defined by their weirdness--the 4/6 Charger, the PPC Catapult, the LRM Hunchback--so it makes little sense that they wouldn't just make a ballistic Warhammer.

Why would you make a factory--a rare and critical piece of infrastructure in BattleTech--that produces a Hammerhands? An ancient relic that's not designed for a modern world, which hasn't been produced in half-a-millennia, and which no pilot is familiar with? Why would you not create a tested, modern chassis, with generations of refinement in its production process, albeit with downgraded weapons? That's a key feature of the Succession Wars.

Someone said that it was because factories were easier to produce in the pre-Jihad eras. While the technology to make factories was rare in the Succession Wars, it was more common during the Clan Invasion Era (I refuse to acknowledge the FCCW as an era of its own). So you could make old factories that made fucking bullshit for your mechwarriors to die in.

That's not even my main point today. My main point is: 

Why Is The Hammerhands A Viable Modern Weapon?

Missile Equations: Finale, Pt II

Me: "This blog has text in it. Must be ready to ship."

This is just a list of some test missile systems with feedback. All of the ones listed here are variations on a theme: LRMs with one extra damage per missile. SRMs that only deal one damage. Reloadable Rocket Launchers. 

Next week I'll be doing more esoteric missiles, hopefully with input from the comments and possibly Reddit's r/Battletech sub.

Short LRMs - These are LRM systems with the range of SRMs. These seem fair. Sure, an S-LRM5 does more damage than an SRM 2, but it's just a shit medium laser. Compared to stacked medium lasers, they definitely lose out.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

S-LRM5   5    1    5    -    3     6     9    0    0    1.0    1    2    63
S-LRM10 10    1    5    -    3     6     9    0    0    2.5    2    4    31
S-LRM15 15    1    5    -    3     6     9    0    0    4.0    3    5    21
S-LRM20 20    1    5    -    3     6     9    0    0    5.5    5    7   15

Long SRMs - SRMs with the range of an LRM. A cluster version of an LRM 20 comes in pretty close to the original article.Terrible ammo efficiency though. I'm sure if you could peel off armor at a decent enough range, these would be nice. Might also be good for trying to score crits on vees at a distance. Maybe a poor man's HAG?

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

LSRM2    2    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    1.5    1    2    19
LSRM3    3    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    2.5    1    2    12
LSRM4    4    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    3.5    1    3    9
LSRM5    5    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    4.5    2    4    7
LSRM6    6    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    5.5    2    4    6
LSRM7    7    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    6.5    3    5    5
LSRM8    8    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    7.5    4    6    4
LSRM9    9    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    8.0    4    6    4
LSRM10  10    2    2    6    7    14    21    0    0    9.0    5    7    3

LBMs - If we can fire off missiles at any range with a -1 to-hit and clusters of one damage, do we create missiles better than LBX autocannons? Versatility and ammo efficiency aside? Yes we do. The LBM is "invalid" because it just doesn't have any crits. That's usually a hard stop.

But y'know, versatility is one of the big draws of LBX autocannons, so maybe it is fair.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

LBM2     5    1    1    4    9    18    27   -1    0    4.5    0    1    28
LBM5    10    1    1    3    8    14    21   -1    0    4.5    1    2    12
LBM10   15    1    1    -    6    12    18   -1    0    6.5    2    4     5
LBM20   20    1    1    -    4     8    12   -1    0    7.5    5    7    3

Heavy SRMs - What is SRMs did 3 damage per missile instead of 2? They're heavier. Comparable to streak missiles, really. The loss of ammo efficiency isn't bad. It's probably an asset.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

HSRM2    2    3    3    -    3     6     9    0    0    1.5    1    2    41
HSRM4    4    3    3    -    3     6     9    0    0    3.0    2    4    20
HSRM6    6    3    3    -    3     6     9    0    0    5.0    4    6    13

Light SRMs - These are probably a bit too good if your primary use for SRMs is critseeking. The LtSRM 2 doesn't generate enough critical spaces to exist, so it's not here.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

LtSRM4   4    1    1    -    3     6     9    0    0    1.0    1    2    35
LtSRM6   6    1    1    -    3     6     9    0    0    1.5    1    2    23

iMRMs - MRMs without the +1 modifier. Are they usable? They're a little heavier, but not prohibitively so. The MRM 30 and 40 creep up there.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

iMRM10  10    1    5    -    3     8    15    0    0    3.5    2    4    16
iMRM20  20    1    5    -    3     8    15    0    0    7.5    5    7    8
iMRM30  30    1    5    -    3     8    15    0    0   11.5    6    9    5
iMRM40  40    1    5    -    3     8    15    0    0   15.5    7   12    4

iRLs - Rocket launchers that can reload. Still pretty light, but obviously not as much as regular RLs. They compete more with MRMs, These get a little unexciting after a while. I take that as a good sign.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

iRL10   10    1    5    -    5    11    18   +1   -2    3.0    2    4    22
iRL15   15    1    5    -    5    11    18   +1   -2    5.0    3    5    14
iRL20   20    1    5    -    5    11    18   +1   -2    6.5    5    7    11

Thunderbolt x2's - If an existing Thunderbolt system can be brought down by an AMS, why not allow them to make two shots? That redundancy costs a lot though. I'd take a cluster roll for what is essentially a UAC/15 that strikes at 18 hexes for fewer tons than an AC/20. If you were curious about that "Fuck Autocannons" post from earlier this week, shit like this is why (also crunching AC numbers).

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

TBx2 5   2    5    5    3    6    12    18    0    0    4.5    2    4    12
TBx2 10  2   10   10    3    6    12    18    0    0    9.0    5    7     8
TBx2 15  2   15   15    3    6    12    18    0    0   13.5    6    9     7
TBx2 20  2   20   20    3    6    12    18    0    0   18.5    7    12    6

Surgical Missiles - The only original weapon system on this list. It has a -2 to hit and a +2 cluster roll bonus. Missiles are in groups of four because...why not? Mostly because of the terrible damage/ton efficiency, that's why not. There's no reason to take an SM16 over two SM8's, but at least it's consistent with canon missile systems.

It's got awful damage per ton though. Sure, it's consistent, but you're comparing a weapon system that clusters closer to an upper end of 12 damage to an LRM 20.

Type   Tubes Dmg/ Cl MinR    SR   MR    LR THMod ClMod Tons Crits Ht Shot/               Msl                                                      Ton

SM4     4    1    4    2    5    10    15   -2   +2    3.0    1    2    28
SM8     8    1    4    2    5    10    15   -2   +2    6.0    1    3    14
SM12   12    1    4    2    5    10    15   -2   +2    9.5    2    4     9
SM16   16    1    4    2    5    10    15   -2   +2   12.5    4    6     7

Next week I'll repost a selection of the old custom missiles I generated last time with new stats and missile systems suggested by other people.

I also promised some expanded missile systems, LRM 11's and whatnot. I'll post those Monday.

Battletech Heaps: Future Technology

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.

Nominees
Plasma Ball: A slow-moving ball of charged EM energy, it is actually drawn to strong EM signatures. It is a medium-sized weapon that does moderate damage(relative to its size and tech) and is innately difficult to hit with(because of its speed), but it can seek and home in on any 'mech with emitted electronics (ECM in use, BAP, Artemis IV, TAG in use, C3, Lasers in use).

Double-Lock Missiles: Much like the LRMs in Mechwarrior games, they gain a non-cumulative +1 bonus to hit a target on a turn after they've hit that target. Artemis IV and NARC compatible.

Battletech Heaps: Improved Rocket Launchers

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.

Improved Rocket Launchers (I-RLs)
What is up with Rocket Launchers? A RL/10 has great range, great damage per ton, and great critical slot efficiency. The RL/15 and 20 both deal less damage per unit weight, have worse range, and take up two to three times as many critical spaces. There is no reason not to take an equivalent number of RL/10's in place of an RL/15 or 20. The heavier platforms save a little heat, but you're only firing them once so who cares?

Name                    Dmg  Heat Min SR MR LR Tons Crits Ammo TH
I-Rocket Launcher 10  10, 5C  3    -   5 11 18 0.5   1    lol! +1
I-Rocket Launcher 20  20, 5C  5    -   5 11 18 1.0   2    lol! +1
I-Rocket Launcher 30  30, 5C  7    -   5 11 18 1.5   3    lol! +1

Why would you not this? Taking big RL pods is now at least as foolish as taking larger LRM racks. At least with a RL/30 if you're wagering everything on one hit, you can go all-in on a target number of "3" or "4" and know they're all going to hit instead of letting fly with a battery of RL/10's and hugging the probability curve. Or it can cut the other way. But it's a choice now, y'know?

And Clan rocket launchers, because why not shoot finely manufactured garbage at someone? Top-tier garbage. Garbage that shines.

Name                     Dmg  Heat Min SR MR LR Tons Crits Ammo TH
CUI-Rocket Launcher 13 13, 5C 3(2)  -   5 11 18 0.5   1    lol! +1
CUI-Rocket Launcher 26 26, 5C 5(3)  -   5 11 18 1.0   2    lol! +1
CUI-Rocket Launcher 40 40, 5C 7(4)  -   5 11 18 1.5   3    lol! +1

Clan RLs can fire any number of rockets when they use the rocket launcher. Used shots are marked off like ammo. When firing half of the RL's total rating or less, the heat generated is equal to half of the launcher's total heat, rounded up (noted in parenthesis, above).

Battletech Heaps: Inner Sphere Streak LRMs

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.

Inner Sphere Streak LRMs
For some reason, the Clans have Inner Sphere-sized streak LRM launchers, but the Inner Sphere doesn't have obnoxiously-sized streak launchers of their own. Inner Sphere versus Clan streak systems are strange. Clan units are twice the size of their non-streak counterparts while Inner Sphere systems are only 50% larger.

For those of you not familiar with any of this, streak systems never fire unless they hit and when they hit, all of their missiles hit. This is in sharp contract to standard systems which always fire and even when they hit, they only hit with an average of 66% of their payload.

Name   Dmg   Heat Min SR MR LR Tons   Crits Ammo
LRM 5   5/5C  2    6   7 14 21   3.5   2     24
LRM 10 10/5C  4    6   7 14 21   7.5   3     12
LRM 15 15/5C  5    6   7 14 21  11.0   4      8
LRM 20 20/5C  6    6   7 14 21  15.0   6      6

Battletech Heaps: ATM Munitions

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.

ATM systems are a favorite of mine. Despite being a versatile platform with myriad tactical possibilities, the three flavors of ammo for it are disappointing.

Multiple Target Approach
MTA missiles are designed to by pass anti-missile systems by avoiding a straight-line path to their target. Instead, the munitions take flight at a preset angle from their target. As they close on it, a secondary, high-powered guidance system activates and turns the missile back towards the unit. This spreads the missiles and fools anti-missile systems designed to confront only head-on approaches. Unfortunately, the addition of the secondary guidance package and new aerodynamic qualities of the missile require that the firepower of the warhead be drastically diminished. MTA munitions are available in two types: Standard and HE.

Rules
Std MTA munitions   Damage: 1/Msl, C2  Range: (4)5/10/15
HE MTA munitions    Damage: 2/Msl, C3  Range: 3/6/9

The effect of enemy anti-missile systems on MTA munitions is reduced by 2(Giving a -2 penalty on the missile hits table instead of a -4. The effect of AMS may not be reduced above 0.)

Battletech Heaps: A Heavier Gauss Rifle

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.

A Heavier Gauss Rifle

There is a Heavy Gauss Rifle. It deals less damage as it shoots further. It's got a lot of rules attached. Some folks like it and I'm sure it's great, but it has got a lot of baggage.

I just want a simple, heavy gauss rifle. Just something like the Light Gauss Rifle that has a simple set of stats, even if they aren't really that remarkable or useful. The math right now seems to favor something like:

Battletech Heaps: Active Probe Rules

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.

Active Probe Modifications

Active probes in Battletech are generally used just to assist with Hidden Units, detecting minefields, and sensor rules, rarely-used optional rules.

Fast Facts:
-Paltry 6 hex range.
-Trumped by ECM.
-Not TAG, which allows you to attack the enemy.
-Not C3, which makes attacking the enemy easier.

Not for nothin', but Battletech is a game about attacking the enemy and making them win the race to the grave. A simple improvement would be allow active probes to negate some battlefield impediments.

Battletech Heaps: Targeting Pod

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.

Targeting Pods
Somewhere between a turret and a targeting computer, targeting pods contain a bundle of direct fire weapons. Controlled by computers through a bundle of sensitive actuators, they create a precise way of directing fire.

Targeting pods are an extension of sensor-to-muzzle targeting improvements, but they fall prey to the law of diminishing returns. While the technology may be more on par with the Clans, most warriors draw the line at keeping the computers from doing all of the fighting. On the other hand, the technology is too advanced for what the Inner Sphere can offer. If it did exist in the Battletech universe, it would likely be the hopeless pet project of a Clan scientist. 

Battletech Heaps: Mass Fire 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.

Mass Fire Missiles

To: Khan, Clan Ghost Bear/Nova Cat
From: Xxxx, Ghost Bear/Nova Cat Scientist Caste

Our first approaches to creating a medium-range, mass-fire weapon resulted in an upgrade of Inner Sphere, dead-fire intermediate range missiles which held--in the prototype stages--similar performance characteristics, with approximately half the weight, with only a few efficiency losses we were confident would be ironed out in time. However, the more compact size with the greater rate of missile load caused ammunition feed problems (especially when we tried guided munitions models). This was the focus of our research, but ultimately found that further work would require too much time and too many resources.

We then turned to a new loading system, one which loads one volley of unarmed missiles while the other is ready to fire. The safety systems which protect these 'sitting' missiles, in addition to the dual-rack ammo-feed system, boosts the weapons size to one comparable to the Inner Sphere system it was built off of. Still unguided, these missiles differ from the original Draconis Combine production lines only slightly.

The major benefit of this system is an decrease of 25% in the weapon's cycling time. However, field-tests with experimental control circuits have allowed a much faster cycle, up to twice as fast, causing a virtually constant stream of missiles to issue forth from the launcher. This allows a 'mech to saturate an area in a mass of unguided missiles, even if most of them actually collide with one another or prematurely detonate in flight.

While there were initial concerns that this 'saturation mode' would risk feed jamming, the new feed system is in fact so effective that it is virtually impossible to jam. Analysis and further testing have shown that before constant higher rate of fire causes a short in the control system circuits long before jamming occurs. When this happens, a constant, unstoppable stream of missiles pours forth until the on-board ammunition supply is exhausted. Only a complete shutdown of the affected unit can stop this, and any subsequent use of the weapon will automatically cause it to resume.

Standard Fire:
MFMs act like MRMs, down to the ranges and the +1 to hit modifier.

However, MFMs have another mode of fire:

Saturation Fire
Saturation Fire can either target a unit or a hex. When using Saturation Fire, the MFM uses twice as much ammunition and generates twice as much heat. In addition, it gains a -1 to hit, negating the +1 penalty it usually gains.

When rolling a '2' on a to-hit roll, the MFM remains in Saturation Fire mode as the control circuits are burned out. It will fire every turn, expending two points of ammunition and generating twice the normal heat. If there's not a unit target, the pilot must target hexes. The uncontrollable fire results in a loss of the -1 to-hit. When the 'mech is shutdown, the weapon stops firing.

After startup, the weapon may be only be fired in Saturation Mode and will  automatically become uncontrollable afterwards. The first time it's fired after shutdown, it gains the -1 bonus, but not afterwards.

Targeting Units: When making a successful attack on a unit, the attacking player rolls 3D6 on a column of the Cluster Hits Table, taking the two lowest die to determine the resultant damage, which is then doubled. The die roll result is reduced normally by AMS, and applied in 5-point clusters.

Targeting Hexes: Hexes are targeted with MFMs like Thunder LRM Munitions, and scatter as artillery does. When making a successful attack on a hex, the attacking player rolls 3D6 on the cluster hits table, taking the two lowest die as the result. Each unit in a hex targeted by MFMs takes damage in 5-point clusters from the MFM.

Mass Fire Missiles
Name       Heat Damage    Short  Medium  Long    Tons    Crits     Shots/Ton
MFM 10      4   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15     3.0     2         24 
MFM 20      6   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15     6.0     3         12
MFM 30     10   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15     9.0     5          8
MFM 40     12   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15    12.0     6          6

Battletech Heaps: Compact Heat Sinks

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.

Mathematical Heat Sinks

I'll be honest; I'm not 100% sure on the origins of this. I'm playing archaeological custom gear and analysis on this one; I just found some tables and notes in my archives. 

It seems like I just ran an analysis of heat sinks, found an extension of the pattern, and then created a piece of equipment to fill it out. Maybe I was baffled at the incredibly narrow niche of compact heat sinks.

Heat Sinks
Type            Tons Heat Crits   Analysis:
Single(SHS)      1.0  1.0  1.0     'k
Double(DHS)      1.0  2.0  3.0     'k...wow.
Compact(CHS)     1.5  1.0  0.5     Sucky. Rather sucky.
x2               3.0  2.0  1.0       
Compact-I(CHS-I) 1.25 1.0  0.5     Okay. Better.
x2               2.5  2.0  1.0                      
H-Compact-Mod    3.0  2.0  1.0*    Me likey. Maybe a Clan version of one of the other ones? It was just the other day I was lamenting the Clans' lack of 3 ton, 1 crit equipment.
L-Compact-Mod    1.5  1.0  1.0*    
*Can be mixed with other HS types.

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?

Battletech Heaps: Double-Weave Armor

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.

Double Weave Armor

Double Weave Armor is a new, bulkier armor that is simply more resistant to damage. Its a somewhat linear improvement of basic armor by Clan scientists. It uses larger energy-absorption weaves to reduce damage caused by weapons. Less efficient space-wise than most armors, the Double Weave Armor still yields a standard mass-protection ratio. At certain ranges, AC shells simply bounce off of it, and it stores and radiates energy weapon heat.

Rules Level: Experimental
Available To: Clan Star Adder
Availability: Battlemechs
Game Rules: Double-Weave Armor reduces damage dealt by attacks according to the range they are fired from and the amount of Double-Weave Armor mounted on the 'mech.

Battletech Heaps: Kablooey

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.

Multi- and Omni- Directional Ammunition Explosions

The Problem

This is a house rule I have and never use. I offer it untested to folks on the chance they might like it, run with it, and make it their own.

Every so often the ammunition inside of a 'mech explodes. Sometimes it takes a critical hit and sometimes the 'mech just runs too hot. Regardless, the ammunition does damage to the internal structure of the 'mech and, as the system is currently written, makes a beeline straight for its incredibly important center torso location.

A 'mech with a destroyed center torso stops being a unit. Ammunition explosions are often such an instant kill that the peripheral rules about pilot damage are often that: peripheral. Also, the unit can't be salvaged; you just tear the gear off of it and slam it into another unit. With the center torso, you can patch it up and add a 'mech to your forces.

Ammo explosions suck and they should suck, but maybe it can be dialed back a bit.

Battletech Heaps: MRM House Rules

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.

Medium Range Missiles Are Broken; Fix Them
MRMs are not broken in the sense that they're too good. I know they're designed to work with C3 systems and that they have the new Apollo system to help them suck less.

The first step is changing their weights and heats.

Name       Heat Damage    Short  Medium Long     Tons    Crits     Shots/Ton
MFM 10      4   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15     3.0     2         24  
MFM 20      6   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15     6.0     3         12
MFM 30     10   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15     9.0     5          8
MFM 40     12   1/Missile  1-3    4-8    9-15    12.0     6          6

Second, I'm taking the same route that they took with old school autocannons: Specialty Munitions.

Battletech Heaps: House Rules Flurry

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.

Not all house rules require a whole-page write-up. Some are just little gusts of rules that I like for existing weapons.

Bottling Luck

Sometimes, I roll a '12' when I need a '4'. I--like others--feel totally cheated by The Dice Gods when this happens. I mean, what the hell? I could've used that '12' at some other juncture. I wish I could just say, "No thanks, I don't need to be that lucky right now." So why not bottle it?

Once per turn, when you roll a '12,' you may opt to re-roll. If the re-roll hits, you gain an Edge Point. You can spend Edge Points let you re-roll a die.

The once per turn limitation and requirement to hit with the second roll are to keep players from using Pirhanas or other 'mechs with banks of small weapons to farm for Edge Points with them.

Battletech Heaps: The Big Red Die

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.

The Big Red Die
In Battletech, most weapons just deal a big heap of damage all at once. A class 10 Autocannon (AC/10) will deal, yeah, 10 damage all in once place. That's pretty good. Other weapons, like missiles hit in clusters. 5 is the most common, but there are weapons that deal clusters of 2 or 1.

Example: You're shooting a class 20 Long Range Missile Rack (LRM 20). You roll 2d6 to see if you hit. Then you roll 2D6 and consult a Cluster Hits Table to see how many of your 20 missiles hit. You roll a '7', an average roll, and 12 of your missiles hit.

Cluster Hits Table

   2  3  4  5  6  9 10 12 15 20

2  1  1  1  1  2  3  3  4  5  6

3  1  1  2  2  2  3  3  4  5  6

4  1  1  2  2  3  4  4  5  6  9

5  1  2  2  3  3  5  6  8  9 12

6  1  2  2  3  4  5  6  8  9 12

7  1  2  3  3  4  5  6  8  9 12

8  2  2  3  3  4  5  6  8  9 12

9  2  2  3  4  5  7  8 10 12 16

10 2  3  3  4  5  7  8 10 12 16

11 2  3  4  5  6  9 10 12 15 20

12 2  3  4  5  6  9 10 12 15 20

Numbers courtesy of Sarna's "CBT Tables" page.

Sarna.net is a great resource.

You then roll 2d6 for hit location 3 times, twice for clusters of 5 damage and then once more for a cluster of 2 damage (5 + 5 + 2 = 12).

That's tedious. 

Battletech Heap: Laser Equations

Whenever I was doing the FATE inspired by Battletech stuff, I wanted to do some adaptations of some old custom mechs. Because I've changed computers a half-dozen times since I last did any Battletech stuff, it was hard to track down a lot of my records. I had some old Xanga accounts that I kept a lot of it on and I had to download and dig up some of those accounts. For some of the information. And now I have heaps--heaps!--of old Battletech designs and house rules that I'd like to have in an accessible, long-lived place...like here.

If you're the 99% of people reading who don't like Battletech, I'll be explaining stuff a bit, but I won't bullshit you; Wednesdays may not be be a good return on investment for your time so much in the near future. Sorry.

For those of you who are--for you, skiltao, you've probably seen all of this stuff before. Hell, some of this stuff may have been superseded by actual equipment. Whether it's nostalgia or novelty, I hope you enjoy it.

Standard Laser Equations
There are many way to classify Battletech weapons. "Introductory Tech" (sometimes referred to as "Level 1 Tech") is the simplest classification. They're the simplest weapons from which to make a battlemech. There are three types of stanadard laser; large, medium, and small. It's that simple.

Those lasers jump from 3 to 5 to 8 damage with a wide variety of ranges, heats, and tonnages in there. What if we reverse engineer the formulas to derive the other sizes of lasers that are still as simple as the standard lasers?

It's the Magic: You Are Here, Part Four

Three weeks ago, I introduced a tactical multiplayer Magic rules set involving a map and rules that altered areas of effect and ranges of attack. Two weeks ago, I posted that map and finished the core rules. Last week, I went over minion rules and this week, I'm finishing up the project with player-as-planeswalker rules. 

Summoning a Planeswalker

            Summoning

            Whenever the active player would like the aid of another player, they may suggest a mana cost to that player. That player may decline and may also decline further offers for the rest of the turn. If they approve of the cost, the active player may cast them from their hand by paying that mana cost and discarding a card

The name of a player planeswalker spell is the summoned player’s name.

A player’s mana cost is the same from the time it is approved until the end of the game.

Once a player has a mana cost, any other player may cast them by paying their cost (the mana cost plus discarding a card). A player cannot summon themselves.
Casting a player as a planeswalker works like casting a planeswalker spell. It goes on the stack and may be countered. Its colors, mana costs, and characteristics are for those of a planewalker spell with that player's name, thier mana cost, the colors reflected by their mana cost, its subtype is that player's first name or nickname, its loyalty is equal to its converted mana cost plus one, it has no text.

You will pretty much be casting this, but hopefully better.

Inevitably better, really.