CincyBattletech
Campaigns (all) => "Have `Mech, Will Travel." => Topic started by: Darrian Wolffe on September 19, 2018, 10:07:41 PM
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THESE RULES ARE NOT IN EFFECT YET
Please review and comment in this thread. The changelog is located in the main rules thread. (http://forums.cincybattletech.com/index.php?topic=868.0)
All meaningful comments will be given due diligence, but there is not a guarantee that just because something is commented upon it will be changed.
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The rules as posted in the rules thread look fine to me. I have a couple of additional suggestions for things to add.
1. References - it would be helpful to know where the definitive price list is for components, SPAs are documented (some are in A Time of War, not all are), etc. Anything specific to our campaign that could be contradicted by other stuff leave uncited or note that what's here takes precedent. Especially for new people coming in understanding what books to buy/have access to would be helpful.
2. Recruiting new wingmen - Given the option of having a 2 mech lance as a starting point, I think it would make sense to have a way of recruiting additional pilots with Mechs. This could also be useful if something horrible happens in the early days of a lance's career. I can see possible abuse where wingman is recruited and then the mech given to a better pilot. What I would suggest is that a wingman can only be moved to a comparable or better mech of a class they can pilot. I would think this allows for some flexibility in lance management while minimizing or eliminating the possibility of abuse. Thoughts?
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In the summary on page 2, it is stated that players will receive tech support hours. this should probably be revised.
Also, since a 4 mech lance could/can always operate short, I am unsure that the 2 or 4 mech lance distinction is necessary or beneficial. Maybe change the wording to up to 4 mechs?
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There is also one within the skills that was bothersome. The description for Multi-Task is not there at the bottom.
Not so much a major issue, but just a gripe on my end.
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Reinforcement times for unit level assets should be clarified to include how the strategy rating is determined.
Example:
The unit Marksman artillery will deploy onboard. The tank moves at 4/6, so it will arrive on turn 12-4-[Strategy] = ?
Is it the unit commander's strategy, the local CO's strategy, the Marksman's, etc.?
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Reinforcement times for unit level assets should be clarified to include how the strategy rating is determined.
Example:
The unit Marksman artillery will deploy onboard. The tank moves at 4/6, so it will arrive on turn 12-4-[Strategy] = ?
Is it the unit commander's strategy, the local CO's strategy, the Marksman's, etc.?
Um. That's a really good question.
I'll see if I can figure out how AtB handles it during breaks in painting, otherwise I'll come up with rules for the 3.0 set.
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Reinforcement times for unit level assets should be clarified to include how the strategy rating is determined.
Example:
The unit Marksman artillery will deploy onboard. The tank moves at 4/6, so it will arrive on turn 12-4-[Strategy] = ?
Is it the unit commander's strategy, the local CO's strategy, the Marksman's, etc.?
Um. That's a really good question.
I'll see if I can figure out how AtB handles it during breaks in painting, otherwise I'll come up with rules for the 3.0 set.
Would be good to know before v3 for mission 3 choices.
It might be a good choice to say it is the local commander's strategy that matters just for variety and creating choices. If it is always the CO that matters only one player has to make tradeoffs.
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Non-Mech Reinforcements
Non-Mech Reinforcements (vehicles and infantry; air units use BSP rules unless they're in an aero-only engagement) use the highest Strategy Rating out of all non-Mech units pulled upon for reinforcements. All non-Mech reinforcements are lumped together as one ad hoc unit, and the highest Strategy Rating found in Unit Commanders (Platoon Leader; any designated Vehicle Gunner, ASF Pilot) is used for the ad hoc unit. All other reinforcement equations are as normal; Thrust is treated as being equivalent to normal ground MP for purposes of reinforcement times.
The UNIT COMMANDER, if he appears on the battlefield as a reinforcement, can also sacrifice his own Strategy Rating in order to boost the arrival time of Non-Mech Reinforcements (essentially shepherding them to the battle area). He can "loan" Strategy Rating to the Non-Mech Reinforcements at a 2-for-1 ratio. These sacrificed points will affect his own arrival time as a Reinforcement Lance. His Strategy Rating cannot be reduced below 0 as a result of this.
If no member of the Non-Mech Reinforcement Group has a Strategy Rating, then treat it as a -1 and figure the remaining equation normally. (Example 3)
Finally, Non-Mech Reinforcements are still bound to the Turn 2 limit. No reinforcements can enter the board until Turn 2.
Example:
The following unit is being deployed as reinforcements in a mission. Striker Vee (highest Gunner's Strategy Rating of +1), Saladin Vee (highest Gunnery's Strategy Rating of +0), and a Vedette Vee (highest Gunner's Strategy Rating of +3). The Vedette Commander's Strategy of +3 is used to determine the arrival time. The final arrival time is calculated by taking the base time of 12, subtracting the Strategy Rating of 3 (running total of 9), and averaging the movement speeds and rounding appropriately. The average Cruising Ground speed of this group is 6, therefore 12-3-6 = 3. This group can enter on Turn 3.
Example 2:
The following unit is being deployed as reinforcements in a mission. Striker Vee (highest Gunner's Strategy Rating of +1), Saladin Vee (highest Gunnery's Strategy Rating of +0), and a Vedette Vee (highest Gunner's Strategy Rating of +3), Foot Infantry Platoon (Strategy +2), and Stingray ASF (Strategy +0). The Vedette Commander's Strategy of +3 is used to determine the arrival time. The final arrival time is calculated by taking the base time of 12, subtracting the Strategy Rating of 3 (running total of 9), and averaging the movement speeds and rounding appropriately.
Foot Platoon = 1
Vedette & Striker = 5
Stingray = 6 (Safe Thrust is treated as ground MP)
Saladin = 8
The average Cruising Ground speed of this group is 5, therefore 12-3-4 = 4. This group can enter on Turn 4.
Example 3
The following unit is being deployed as reinforcements in a mission. Striker Vee (highest Gunner's Strategy Rating of +0), Saladin Vee (highest Gunnery's Strategy Rating of +0), and a Vedette Vee (highest Gunner's Strategy Rating of +0). There is no positive Strategy Rating, making the effective score a -1. The final arrival time is calculated by taking the base time of 12, subtracting the Strategy Rating of -1 (running total of 13), averaging the movement speeds and rounding appropriately. The average Cruising Ground speed of this group is 6, therefore 12+1-6 = 7. This group can enter on Turn 7.
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Reminder to add PC surviving headshot rule/clarification.
Frequency of medical check.
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In the “Failing Refit of Customization Skill Checks†(p 20?) the positive quirk option would should be a 12 still lists a 2.
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One other thought, you have a good example of how customization works in a previous thread. I’d suggest including it or a link to the thread in the rules to add clarity.
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Reminder to add PC surviving headshot rule/clarification.
Frequency of medical check.
I just realized I put this in the wrong thread.
Medical Care and Healing
Immediately following the game, each injured unit member should be assigned to a Lance doctor. Each doctor can handle up to 2 patients. After a battle, each wounded person should be assigned to a doctor. On the following day, and on each successive week, the doctor will make one Medicine skill roll per patient assigned to them. On a success, the patient heals 1 pilot hit. On a failure, the patient heals 0 hits. On a roll of 2, the patient will randomly lose 1 point from 1 random Attribute (BOD, STR, RFL, DEX, INT, WIL, CHA). Natural healing without a doctor still tests every week with a base TN of 10, and an attribute point is lost on a result of 2-4. Edge cannot be used to influence a Doctor or Natural Healing roll.
Green doctors have a skill rating of 9+, Regular of 7+, Veteran of 6+, and Elite of 5+
Any MechWarrior or ASF pilot who takes 4+ pilot hits during a scenario runs the risk of major long-term injury. After the scenario, roll 1d6; on a 4+, the MechWarrior has suffered a Major Injury (Edge may be spent on this roll). If an injury is suffered, roll 1d6 on the following table:
1: Major Broken Limb: No piloting for 3 weeks. If you do, mark off 1 "virtual" hit at the start of the game, which also count for additional major injury checks
2: Internal Injuries: No piloting for 5 weeks. If you do, mark off 2 "virtual" hits at the start of the game, which also count for additional major injury checks
3: Concussion Symptoms: +1 penalty to Piloting. Lose ALL Piloting or movement-dependent SPAs for 6 weeks, +2 weeks for each time you pilot a Mech while under these symptoms. ASF pilots apply an additional +1 penalty to PSRs to avoid Lawn Darting.
4: Lost Limb (minor): no effect the first time. Permanent +1 penalty from Piloting or Gunnery thereafter, unless you spend $30,000 and 5 weeks under medical care (no piloting, period) for an artificial replacement
5: Lost Limb (major): Permanent +1 from Piloting or Gunnery, unless you spend $50,000 and 8 weeks under medical care (no Mech piloting, period) for an artificial replacement
6: Catastrophic Trauma: Roll again (rerolling 6s) AND lose a point from a random attribute exactly as though you'd rolled a "2" on the medical check
Attribute Loss
BOD and STR attributes determine your total number of pilot hits. If your RLF or DEX drop below 4, you are no longer suitable for a MechWarrior pilot and must retire. If your INT, WIL, or CHA drops to 2 you are in a permanent coma and must create a new PC. If your CHA drops to a 4 or less, you will lose one wingman “slot†each time (lose 1 slot at “4†and 1 slot at “3â€); additionally, being a unit commander is REALLY tough without a CHA of 5+ (it affects contract rolls and Dragoons rating).
If your beginning CHA is 4 or less, you do not lose those slots at character creation.
Medical assistants
Like Techs, Doctors require assistants. We are assuming that you hire these from local personnel when you reach the planet of your contract, and these salaries are subsumed in the “Overhead Costs†section of the contract. Basically, don’t worry about it.
Death and Edge Taxes
During a game, if a Lance Leader takes an effect which would result in their death (cockpit critical, cERPPC to the head, etc), the Lance Leader may permanently burn 1 point of Edge to miraculously survive the attack. While this point of Edge may be repurchased with XP as per the normal rules for raising Attributes, no Lance Leader may burn more Edge than they started the game with. In other words, if your Lance Leader started the game with 4 point of Edge, once he's used the "Burn Edge" rule 4 times, the next instance will result in death, guaranteed. Nobody's luck lasts forever.
Additionally, certain instances resulting in death may require additional burning of Edge. Generally speaking, this is limited only to Area of Effect Attacks or environmental effects which would be effectively impossible to escape from. For example, ejecting unprotected into a hard vacuum or while underneath Depth 4+ water. Or auto-ejecting from an ammo explosion as a result of a direct hit from a Long Tom shell (since the ammo explosion and subsequent auto-ejection interrupt the damage resolution step, strictly speaking the MechWarrior would be ejecting into the continuing AoE effect of the shell). These may require additional Edge, up to the value of "everything you have remaining". These points are considered burnt in the same manner as if they'd been spent individually.
A Lance Leader who burns Edge to survive cannot be deliberately targeted further in the scenario by OPFOR units, or further damaged by environmental conditions, though randomly-scattering damage may still impact the unfortunate soul. The Lance Leader is immediately set to "5 pilot hits marked off", and must be medically-healed as normal. Note that these 5 Pilot Hits can cause a Major Injury.
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In the “Failing Refit of Customization Skill Checks†(p 20?) the positive quirk option would should be a 12 still lists a 2.
Fixed
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I don't recall anything being specified about ranks within the unit. Can we promote our lance personnel? I am thinking specifically of promoting Rebecca Ramierez to Leftenant as the tactical commander of my lance when my PC is otherwise occupied.
Related question, can a player lance be fielded without the PC? Say if said PC is nursing the mother of all concussions and has 5 pilot hits...
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In v2.2, it states "Immediately following the game, each injured unit member should be assigned to a Lance doctor. Each doctor can handle up to 2 patients. After a battle, each wounded person should be assigned to a doctor. On the following day, and on each successive day, the doctor will make one Medicine skill roll per patient assigned to them."
So we are changing that to each successive week now?
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In v2.2, it states "Immediately following the game, each injured unit member should be assigned to a Lance doctor. Each doctor can handle up to 2 patients. After a battle, each wounded person should be assigned to a doctor. On the following day, and on each successive day, the doctor will make one Medicine skill roll per patient assigned to them."
So we are changing that to each successive week now?
I believe so. The discussion at the end of the last game indicated that healing is currently too easy, i.e. head hits aren't scary/expensive enough.
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In v2.2, it states "Immediately following the game, each injured unit member should be assigned to a Lance doctor. Each doctor can handle up to 2 patients. After a battle, each wounded person should be assigned to a doctor. On the following day, and on each successive day, the doctor will make one Medicine skill roll per patient assigned to them."
So we are changing that to each successive week now?
I believe so. The discussion at the end of the last game indicated that healing is currently too easy, i.e. head hits aren't scary/expensive enough.
Which makes designating a second in command of the lance a good idea. Speaking of which, rather than Leftenant, Ensign or Lieutenant JG would make more sense, or possibly SGT Major. The majority of lances are led by Lieutenants.
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In v2.2, it states "Immediately following the game, each injured unit member should be assigned to a Lance doctor. Each doctor can handle up to 2 patients. After a battle, each wounded person should be assigned to a doctor. On the following day, and on each successive day, the doctor will make one Medicine skill roll per patient assigned to them."
So we are changing that to each successive week now?
I believe so. The discussion at the end of the last game indicated that healing is currently too easy, i.e. head hits aren't scary/expensive enough.
Which makes designating a second in command of the lance a good idea. Speaking of which, rather than Leftenant, Ensign or Lieutenant JG would make more sense, or possibly SGT Major. The majority of lances are led by Lieutenants.
Ensign Junior Grade (Poor dumb Harry Kim...)
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Which makes designating a second in command of the lance a good idea. Speaking of which, rather than Leftenant, Ensign or Lieutenant JG would make more sense, or possibly SGT Major. The majority of lances are led by Lieutenants.
The rank structure (which matters to us) that AtB can support goes like this:
LTJG
LTSG
Captain (company command)
Major (battalion command)
Colonel (regimental command)
The Founding Lance Leaders are all designated via LTSG tags, and the newer Lance Leaders which come in are designated by LTJG tags. I can't add a rank (Ensign), but my suggestion is going to be to bump all Lance Leaders up to LTSG at the end of the contract, and in the future reserve the LTJG tag for a lance XO from now on. That sound reasonable?
From a rules perspective (I never put this into the rules doc because I didn't ever anticipate it mattering; whoops), in the AtB campaign, for a character to act an an executive officer of the unit and contribute a Strategy/Tactics rating, they have to actually BE an officer. Hence, executive officer. Which means that a sergeant can't contribute a S/T rating. This has technically been true for all the NPCs you've faced. Hat is totally correct that with the change to the AtB medical rules, suddenly having a chain of command inside your lance matters.
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I like the LTSG and LTJG designations. It keeps things clear and prevents frequent brevet ranks.
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From a rules perspective (I never put this into the rules doc because I didn't ever anticipate it mattering; whoops), in the AtB campaign, for a character to act an an executive officer of the unit and contribute a Strategy/Tactics rating, they have to actually BE an officer. Hence, executive officer. Which means that a sergeant can't contribute a S/T rating. This has technically been true for all the NPCs you've faced. Hat is totally correct that with the change to the AtB medical rules, suddenly having a chain of command inside your lance matters.
Which just goes to show the value of a little bit of review for rules revisions, so we can catch some of the secondary implications. This is also good from a campaign perspective as well, since people will now need to worry about non-combat skill advancement for more than just their PC. It will also change the choices for the solo missions.
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I like the LTSG and LTJG designations. It keeps things clear and prevents frequent brevet ranks.
Just remember that LTJG is an "officer" rank. Which means you'll have to pay your XO more.
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I like the LTSG and LTJG designations. It keeps things clear and prevents frequent brevet ranks.
Just remember that LTJG is an "officer" rank. Which means you'll have to pay your XO more.
That's fine, she can also go forth and duel aces for me.
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Ok, updated my lance to reflect the new XO. She makes more money now than my PC. :)
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Actually one other question - what are the rules for fielding an injured pilot, PC or otherwise? Perhaps something like 1 or 2 boxes willing if needed, 3 or more boxes can't get medical clearance? With the possibility of multiple missions a week and a week per box of healing we may need to either stock up on pilots or have some way to field the walking wounded. An entire contract with 5 missions could be resolved in less than a month.
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Actually one other question - what are the rules for fielding an injured pilot, PC or otherwise? Perhaps something like 1 or 2 boxes willing if needed, 3 or more boxes can't get medical clearance? With the possibility of multiple missions a week and a week per box of healing we may need to either stock up on pilots or have some way to field the walking wounded. An entire contract with 5 missions could be resolved in less than a month.
...why do you think you have a stable of up to 8 pilots when you can only field 4 at a time?
Also, there aren't rules for fielding a wounded pilot. You want to field them, go right ahead. They have the wounds that aren't healed yet. Unless there's a Major Injury preventing them from going, of course.
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If a support unit participates via BSP, does it gain XP for the game under v3.0 rules? Under 2.X?
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Minimum Ranks
MechWarrior - Sergeant
Lance XO - LT JG
Lance Leader - LT SG
Company Commander - CPT
Unit XO - MAJ
Unit Commander - COL
Vehicle Crewman - Corporal
Vehicle Commander - Sergeant
ASF Pilot - Chief PO
ASF Group XO - Master Chief PO
ASF Group CO - LT JG
Large Vessel Crewman - Spaceman
Hyperspace Navigator - LT JG
Large Vessel Pilot - Chief Petty Officer
DropShip Commander - Commander
JumpShip Commander - Captain
Administrator - Sergeant
Administrator Commander - LT JG
Doctor - LT JG
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If a support unit participates via BSP, does it gain XP for the game under v3.0 rules? Under 2.X?
Only units which actually appear on the battlefield gain XP.
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OK, I think I've caught everything up into the document. There's been a wholesale reorganization as well, plus the addition of a table of contents which is actually functional. Unless you people find something that needs dealt with, this is going to be what we go with after this contract ends. So look it over hard now.
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OK, I think I've caught everything up into the document. There's been a wholesale reorganization as well, plus the addition of a table of contents which is actually functional. Unless you people find something that needs dealt with, this is going to be what we go with after this contract ends. So look it over hard now.
And of course, the second I post something...
The entire section under the header of "unit-level information" is deleted (it's information listed elsewhere), reducing the total page count from 71 to 70.
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One clarification under medical care. A wounded lance member should be assigned to one doctor as opposed to a doctor. Making it definitively singular instead of implied prevents the application of more than one doctor to a wounded lance member.
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That clarification would mean for 8 lancemates total, we would need 4 docotrs to tend to all 8 is what is being implied?
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That clarification would mean for 8 lancemates total, we would need 4 docotrs to tend to all 8 is what is being implied?
That is true regardless.
The one instead of a doctor change means you can't put all four of those doctors onto a single patient for four times the rolls.
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Based on current rulings, pilots are assigned to a doctor immediately after a game has concluded. That would mean your 2,3, or 4 pilots are assigned between 1/2 doctors (or one each). We could ramp up the difficulty in terms of C-bills by having them assigned prior to contract start. This would ultimately hurt those that have 5+ pilots.
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Based on current rulings, pilots are assigned to a doctor immediately after a game has concluded. That would mean your 2,3, or 4 pilots are assigned between 1/2 doctors (or one each). We could ramp up the difficulty in terms of C-bills by having them assigned prior to contract start. This would ultimately hurt those that have 5+ pilots.
This isn't the point I am trying to make.
I can be assigned to a doctor without being assigned to one doctor. the use of a is inexact. I assign a wounded lance member to two doctors at the end of a mission. I then check if he/she has been assigned to a doctor. They have been assigned to a doctor, just more than one. By changing the word to one, there is no interpretation of the rules that allows more than one doctor to work on a patient at the same time.
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Question regarding self heal. Would our first aid skill be used towards it or no?
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Question regarding self heal. Would our first aid skill be used towards it or no?
Or anyone else's in the lance?
(I assume the answer to both is no, since first aid is the don't die now skill, not the doing internal injury repair skill, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Only when I hold my arm like this.)
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Question regarding self heal. Would our first aid skill be used towards it or no?
...I genuinely don't understand the "why" of this question.
Your ability to self-heal a point of damage in the cockpit has always been what the First Aid skill has explicitly been for.
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I took it as the healing after the fight, not while in the cockpit.
The only use of first aid I can recall us having was in the drive by shooting on the mad capellan. Has there been another?
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I took it as the healing after the fight, not while in the cockpit.
That is not correct. See pg 5 of the v2-2 ruleset.
The only use of first aid I can recall us having was in the drive by shooting on the mad capellan. Has there been another?
There has not. Nobody has bothered to try. Nonetheless, the option remains open for someone who wants to use it.
In fairness, its primary utility remains with heavy/assault units firing at range, who aren't as badly hurt by the requirement to not move. Most of our force is cavalry mediums and heavies, so it's understandable.
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I took it as the healing after the fight, not while in the cockpit.
That is not correct. See pg 5 of the v2-2 ruleset.
The only use of first aid I can recall us having was in the drive by shooting on the mad capellan. Has there been another?
There has not. Nobody has bothered to try. Nonetheless, the option remains open for someone who wants to use it.
In fairness, its primary utility remains with heavy/assault units firing at range, who aren't as badly hurt by the requirement to not move. Most of our force is cavalry mediums and heavies, so it's understandable.
My pilots generally prefer to bleed out first.
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I see the ruling on first aid. Disregard my dumb question. This next ruleset for healing and damage will be fun.
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Listing to appear in rules doc
Rules Sources
BattleMech combat: BattleMech Manual
Vehicles and Infantry: Total Warfare and TacOps, as appropriate
Artillery and Aerospace: BattleMech Manual (Battlefield Support), or Total Warfare for Aero-only scenarios
Running a Merc unit: Field Manual Mercenaries (Revised) and Against the Bot
Rules Variants in play
Floating Criticals: TacOps
Movement Dice
Per-player Card Initiative
Expanded Terrain and Battlefield Conditions: TacOps
Artillery and Minefields: TacOps
Combat Engineers: Campaign Rules
Rapid-fire MGs: TacOps
BattleMech Quirks: BattleMech Manual
Special Piloting Abilities: ATOW and ATOW Companion
Expanded Battlefield Support: Campaign Rules
Land-Air-Mechs: StratOps and Campaign Rules
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Rob, I would include the information on rules used for customization including pricing which I believe comes out of BMR: Revised. You may have it with that rule section but it would be good to have all of it listed in the same place as a single reference.