"Backshot" hover tank

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happyguy49
08/03/15 01:28 AM
98.30.242.159

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Backshot Charger

Mass: 50 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Motive Type: Hovercraft
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: X/X-X-X-A
Production Year: 0
Cost: 8,674,167 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,063

Power Plant: 265 Fusion XL Engine
Cruise Speed: 108.0 km/h
Flanking Speed: 162.0 km/h
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
2 (IS) Light AC/5s
1 (CL) ER Small Laser
8 (CL) Micro Pulse Lasers
1 Unknown (CL) Targeting Computer
Manufacturer:
Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 25 points 5.00
Engine: XL Engine 265 10.50
Cruise MP: 10
Flank MP: 15
Heat Sinks: (IS) Single Heat Sink 10 0.00
Control Equipment: 2.50
Lift Equipment: 5.00
Turret: 1.50
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 86 4.50

Armor
Factor
Front 22
Left/Right 17/17
Turret 17
Rear 13

================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 (CL) Micro Pulse Lasers T 8 8 4.00
2 (IS) Light AC/5s T 2 2 10.00
(CL) ER Small Laser T 2 1 0.50
(CL) Targeting Computer BD - 1 3.00
@LAC/5 (Precision) (20) BD - 0 2.00


ATTENTION: This design is 1.5 tons and 1 item slot underweight/undercount.. this is only because the Solaris Armor Werks program I used had the supercharger option greyed out for some reason.

THIS DESIGN IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A 1.5 TON, 1 SLOT, SUPERCHARGER. Bringing its maximum flank MP to 20.

I can't think of fluff for this design at the moment, maybe the Sea Foxes or Hell's Horses would make or sell a mixed-tech vehicle design like this. Obviously it would be either an Inner Sphere Clan or a Great House with access to Clantech (engine, armor, targeting computer, micro pulses.)

To explain the design; the last time I actually played tabletop BattleTech (instead of just reading the books sometimes and running stuff in my head as a fun mental exercise) was in the late 1990's right after the big Clan invasion and the big revision of the game that went with that. At the time, you could pair Pulse Lasers with Targeting Computers, and not just get an additional -1 to hit, but could also TARGET SPECIFIC LOCATIONS..

So, it worked like this. Pulse laser, -2 to hit. Target a location, +3. One could therefore target a specific spot on an enemy for a net modifier of only +1! It was the bee's knees. Shooting off limbs, coring out the center torso in two rounds, other sick awesome stuff like that. Obviously, some few years later the designers needed to nerf this, I understand.

...but you can STILL DO THIS with regular old crappy 3025 era autocannons, and the new Light Autocannons! By using Precision Rounds (-2 off of enemy's target movement) to negate the enemy units movement modifiers.

This hovertanks job is to jet at very high speeds (20 hexes, or like 130 miles per hour I think) to an enemy Mech's rear, and target-shoot both LAC's and the ER small laser to the rear center torso. Also firing all of the micro pulse lasers, they have a total modifier of -3, almost guaranteeing most will hit. The odds are VERY GOOD that all of the mech's (usually-meager) rear-center-torso armor will be cleared, and then CRITS CRITS CRITS. This tank might be able to drop a heavy or assault mech like every other round... and it will be HARD to hit. (moving 20 hexes!)

The other design idea was similar, but using 10 ER micro lasers, and using a targeted alpha strike of everything on the rear center torso. Problem is the modifier gets pretty high for the regular (non precision round shooting) lasers to make that hit, so only a couple of them might hit. The micro-pulses, firing regularly, will USUALLY hit, and enough of them should roll whatever the hit number is for center torso to make the strategy work (I think, i could be wrong. I can't model all of this stuff in my head lol)

Thoughts?
ghostrider
08/03/15 02:46 AM
76.89.121.69

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can a supercharger be used on a hover craft?

Honestly would think the clans wouldn't use the innersphere light acs for a tank, but it's been a while.
Just curious on the thoughts behind the micro pulse lasers. Doubt much would get close enough to the unit to be effective enough to warrant them. The weight would be better spent on other things like case and another 2 tons of ammo. 10 shots per cannon is light.
I guess I need to read up on the micro lasers. I would think their range is too short to be useful, and does the light ac 5 have a minimum? Otherwise, why not use normal lasers with some range, so you don't have to be that close to fire?

And with the precision rounds, they now allow them in the non standard cannons?
One last thing. Moving 20 hexes around isn't going to be possible every time. But I guess that depends on if people will let you do a shuffle move. If they do, then you will get your 8+ hexes moved, but I do not think you should receive any bonuses if you are in the same hex you started in, even though you ran back and forth to do it.

When I played with the tc and pulse for the first time, they didn't have the rule about not gaining a bonus using both. So a normal shot with them was -3. Targeting a specific body part wasn't really used, since we normally were at 8-10s to hit. But I guess a 6 might have been worth the try.
happyguy49
08/04/15 10:23 AM
98.30.242.159

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I double checked, superchargers are legal on battlemechs, industrialmechs, combat vehicles, support vehicles. VTOLS have the jet booster option, which does the same thing but can't fail catastrophically, it just increases PSR difficulty.

The micro pulse lasers have the same range as the oldschool small laser. 1, 2, 3. This tank uses its 20 MP to get RIGHT BEHIND an enemy mech. Range of 1. Average gunnery 4, pulse laser -2, targeting computer -1, flank movement +2, then whatever target movement mods are. Might only need to roll THREE to hit!! With eight of them, that's some good damage, (3 each) and a high probability of getting a hit on the (hopefully now exposed) rear center torso at least a couple times.

Precision rounds are only allowed on standard or light autocannons. Not lbx, ultra, rotary, hypervelocity, caseless, etc. Only standard AC or LAC.

If this thing doesn't kill its target in the first pass and needs another go, (maybe not in heavy forested maps or city maps) I suppose it could still get a decently high target movement modifier by buzzing around in a circle?

The rule change regarding pulse lasers didn't make TC useless for them, they do grant an additional -1 to hit, but you can no longer use pulse lasers with TC to target specific locations.
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