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[Hat]

Greetings,

I’ve been working on ideas for a while on what to do with my Tbolt. It will be moving from 4/6/0 to 5/8/5.  What I’m debating on is the weapon mix. Option 1 is what I’ve nicknamed the Firebolt. Remove the LRM 15, SRM 2 and the MGs replacing them with 2 flamers and 4 SRM 4s armed with both standard and inferno ammo. LL replaces with an ER LL. It keeps the 3 MLs. Limited long range punch but should be brutal up close.

The second option is to mostly keep the weapons config the same but upgraded ER LL and SPLs in place of the MGs with roughly a ton to play with. Lance goal is skirmish / heavy scout so don’t want anything slower than 5/8/5.

Thoughts?

[Timberwolfd]

What is your vision for the pilot?
If you are going to work toward a Weapon Spec. SRM-4 build, that will have a significant impact on the recommendations.
Also, If you are really set on creating a higher speed unit, let's see if we salvage the Phoenix Hawk PXH-3D from the January mission...

[Hat]

Midnight as a lance will be pushing towards the following SPAs- Blind Fighting, Speed Demon and Environmental Specialist (Darkness).  That and moving from Vets to Elite. Initially the pilot is my CO. I’ve got a 350 XL engine to drop into a 70 ton Mech for 5/8/5 likely for my CO.  I’ll have to pick up a heavy pilot to go with it, but that’s fine.  Another PHawk would certainly fit the plan. Depending on salvage I can be flexible in purpose. Sitting at only 4 mechs, my lance is what it is, but above is the vision of where I’d like to go.

[deadlyfire2345]

With what you want, would you not need a 325 XL on top of having to find a 4T gyro in the process to be able to keep roughly the same weapon weight as it is for it to be viable?

[Hat]

I already have the XL engine as I started with both 325 and 350 XL engines in my Warehouse along with the Active Probe and ECM suite. If I’d been smarter I would have skipped the electronics and added the corresponding gyros, but hindsight is 20/20.

[Timberwolfd]

Your hindsight needs glasses. My hindsight is 20/10...

Okay, basic thoughts. If you are going for speedy and night fighting, you want longer engagement envelopes to stack more modifiers. If you can force them to take cumulative darkness, range, and movement modifiers, they will have horrible TNs and may not even have a chance to hit. So I would look at LRMs, PPCs, and ER large lasers.

[Hat]

Your hindsight needs glasses. My hindsight is 20/10...

Okay, basic thoughts. If you are going for speedy and night fighting, you want longer engagement envelopes to stack more modifiers. If you can force them to take cumulative darkness, range, and movement modifiers, they will have horrible TNs and may not even have a chance to hit. So I would look at LRMs, PPCs, and ER large lasers.

Fair about hindsight and good point about focusing on range vs close.  Thanks.

[Timberwolfd]

Your hindsight needs glasses. My hindsight is 20/10...

Okay, basic thoughts. If you are going for speedy and night fighting, you want longer engagement envelopes to stack more modifiers. If you can force them to take cumulative darkness, range, and movement modifiers, they will have horrible TNs and may not even have a chance to hit. So I would look at LRMs, PPCs, and ER large lasers.

Fair about hindsight and good point about focusing on range vs close.  Thanks.

One of the other considerations is that the unit as a whole only really has Crusher as a fire support lance. If you go fire support with night fighting, it will make your lance useful in many fights and absolutely lethal in night fights.

[Ice]

What is mine considered then lol

[Timberwolfd]

What is mine considered then lol

Sorry, had LRMs in mind. Ice is definitely direct fire fire support.

[Hat]

If I make the Tbolt 5/8/5 with an ER PPC and LRM 15 with Artemis, it's 1822 BV.  That leaves me room for the Shad (LB 10X), Vindy (ER LL) and Phawk (ER LL) in terms of long range firepower and takes my lance BV to 5793.  Or if I get rid of the LRM 15 and replace it with a 2nd ER PPC and more heat sinks, it's 1876 and lance BV of 5799.  In any case I'm limited in the fire support I can bring with the current mech assortment.  My mediums would need to get in close to do a lot of damage, but they can certainly be annoying from range. 

[Timberwolfd]

If I make the Tbolt 5/8/5 with an ER PPC and LRM 15 with Artemis, it's 1822 BV.  That leaves me room for the Shad (LB 10X), Vindy (ER LL) and Phawk (ER LL) in terms of long range firepower and takes my lance BV to 5793.  Or if I get rid of the LRM 15 and replace it with a 2nd ER PPC and more heat sinks, it's 1876 and lance BV of 5799.  In any case I'm limited in the fire support I can bring with the current mech assortment.  My mediums would need to get in close to do a lot of damage, but they can certainly be annoying from range. 

Remember that long range weapons are good for reaching out and touching the enemy ata distance and increasing accuracy as you close. So that ER Large Laser gives you short range TNs as you get closer. You may not do heavy damage per hit, but you will more consistently do that damage. Which is why the longer range weapons are evil on a night fighting lance.

[Hat]

If I make the Tbolt 5/8/5 with an ER PPC and LRM 15 with Artemis, it's 1822 BV.  That leaves me room for the Shad (LB 10X), Vindy (ER LL) and Phawk (ER LL) in terms of long range firepower and takes my lance BV to 5793.  Or if I get rid of the LRM 15 and replace it with a 2nd ER PPC and more heat sinks, it's 1876 and lance BV of 5799.  In any case I'm limited in the fire support I can bring with the current mech assortment.  My mediums would need to get in close to do a lot of damage, but they can certainly be annoying from range. 

Remember that long range weapons are good for reaching out and touching the enemy ata distance and increasing accuracy as you close. So that ER Large Laser gives you short range TNs as you get closer. You may not do heavy damage per hit, but you will more consistently do that damage. Which is why the longer range weapons are evil on a night fighting lance.

Oh, agreed.  That's why I built them that way.  What I wasn't sure is whether roughly a single ER LL per mech counted as a "Fire Support" lance.  At 5/8/5 or better with max or near max armor and at least one long range weapon, it certainly fit my vision for a skirmisher / heavy recon lance.  I miss the BAP and ECM I had in the Wolverine, though to be fair, the rules for the BAP only functioning at the end of the entire movement phase rather than along the path of travel or even end of the individual Mech's movement really limits their usefulness.

[Timberwolfd]

True, but some mission types make much more use of BAP in particular. The find the communications building or find the unit headquarters type missions make use of BAP. We just haven't drawn one of those missions in a while.

[Hat]

True, but some mission types make much more use of BAP in particular. The find the communications building or find the unit headquarters type missions make use of BAP. We just haven't drawn one of those missions in a while.

Fair.  I can modify the Vindy to replace the 4 MGs and 1 ML with 2 SPLs and BAP.  Just need to be able to order the part from the FWL.