For convenience I'm summarizing my questions here:
Infernos
Ok, looking for in-universe view on the use of infernos. I'm fine with the strict mechanics.
Infernos vs. Mechs - perfectly fine. No one's going to bat an eye at this.
Infernos vs. Vehicles - ?
Infernos vs. Infantry - ?
As a PURELY IN-UNIVERSE ANSWER: both of those question marks depend on WAY too many unrelated variables to provide a strict answer. Nobody really cared when the Verthandi Rebels were throwing infernos at Drac infantry. A whole lot of people cared when the Amaris Dragoons were throwing infernos at SLDF infantry (and techs, and administrators, and civilians, and really anyone else who wasn't them and who was in range).
Clan (Omni)Mechs and Std Structure
With a Clan mech that isn't Endosteel, how does it work for getting components, say a new RL given Clan case?
Can you replace with IS and simply lose the Clan Case benefit?
Do you need to replace with a Clan component and if so, is it still the 14+ TN?
I'm fine if it is, just trying to understand how that works.
You guys are overthinking this really, really, really, really, really, hard.
What matters is the TECH BASE of the unit in question. That's what controls the other stuff. To whit, there are 4 total possibilities right now which you guys have raised:
1) A Standard Internal Structure Mech with a Clan Tech Base gets CASE for free on any ammunition-bearing locations
2) An Endo-steel Structure Mech with a Clan Tech Base gets CASE for free on any ammunition-bearing locations
3) A Standard Internal Structure Mech with an Inner Sphere Tech Base must add CASE as a separate line item
4) An Endo-steel Structure Mech with an Inner Sphere Tech Base must add CASE as a separate line item
Let's use the Rifleman as an example. Record Sheets are found in Record Sheets 3085 Unabridged - Project Phoenix.
-The Rifleman 9T (an Inner Sphere tech base Mech) has CASE found as a separate line item in the Left Torso.
-The Rifleman C (an Inner Sphere tech base Mech, with Mixed-Tech weaponry) has ammunition in the CT, but does not have CASE listed as either a line item OR adjacent to the location title.
-The Rifleman IIC2 (a Clan tech base Mech) doesn't have CASE as a separate line item at all, but has CASE listed in parentheticals next to the location title of both the Right and Left Torso. Note that if you were to modify the Rifleman IIC2 to move the ammo to the Right Arm, the Right Arm would "sprout" CASE to cover that ammunition, again, not at a separate line item.
So whenever you incorporate a Clan Tech Base location replacement into a design, that means it gets CASE in that location for free. The trick is that in our campaign, you can only incorporate a Clan Tech Base location replacement into a Clan Tech base Mech (that is, you cannot put a Rifleman IIC2 Left Torso into a Rifleman 9T). Doing THAT requires the FrankenMech rules, which I am 200% not willing to deal with.
So, for purposes of Scrounge Rolls, it doesn't matter whether the Clan Tech Base component is standard or endo-steel. It's Clan Tech base, which has its own separate Scrounge TN.
Prisoners
Can prisoners be released prior to contract end and would there be any restrictions?
No, they cannot. Unless there's an event like a "prisoner escape", once a prisoner slot is filled, it's filled until the end of the contract. If you want more slots, spend XP to buy better Lance Leader Skills/Attributes.