Cray
07/09/04 08:53 PM
24.50.80.39
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Quote:
There is no need to add such a glaring flaw as the head.
In L2 or L3 play? Maybe not. In L1, it was reasonable. 9pts of armor on a location hit 1/7th as often as the CT and when there was one (1) headcapping weapon...it didn't matter so much.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Gangrene
07/10/04 11:47 AM
24.6.228.14
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Quote:
In L2 or L3 play? Maybe not. In L1, it was reasonable. 9pts of armor on a location hit 1/7th as often as the CT and when there was one (1) headcapping weapon...it didn't matter so much.
I agree in L1 heads were reasonable. With the exception of an AC/20 hit, the head had to take a minimum of 2 shots before the mech was 'capped. Now with GR's, HGR's, and clan ER PPC's there are plenty of opportunities to get a mech killed with a single shot. With L2 and L3 I don't see heads as reasonable.
A lot of people seem to think that downgrading weapons is the solution. However, I personally don't find a wargame where every weapon is dinkey very appetizing. There's nothing wrong with kickass weapons.
The rear arc provides weak spots in mechs armor, the chance for a crit on the hit chart provides the "stuff happens" element of gameplay, so I see no reason to keep heads around. IMO, they should be dumped
Gangrene
Edited by Gangrene (07/10/04 11:48 AM)
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DragonBuster
07/10/04 08:06 PM
207.69.137.207
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it is all luck of the dice.
as for me I like the weakness and as a fomer Merc I loved it when I killed those lyran scum with Gauss Rifle hit's to the head.
so I do not mind at all for the weakness.
"I am the Death Wind
I am the Keeper of souls
I am the enemy of those who cause
to wreak evil upon the World"
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DragonBuster
07/10/04 08:10 PM
207.69.137.207
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I know a few people who nailed an enemy in the head with all 20 LRMs befor.
luck of the dice but then again it was that stupied fool's fault for hidding behind low cover abd leaving his head sticking out like a bullz's eye..but then again lyrans are not all that bright ether 
"I am the Death Wind
I am the Keeper of souls
I am the enemy of those who cause
to wreak evil upon the World"
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Minnime
07/16/04 04:18 PM
217.229.98.15
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Swap 1 internal structure from LT/RT to the head, reduce their max armor by 3, increase the head by 6, there you go, or move one CT structure & 3 armor points to the head.
Wouldn't call it imbalanced, but however, you *will* miss those armor points soon enough there.
Your Pilot hardly dies there anyway. Disabled Mech, but I prefer a disabled (head off) to a disabled "engine blown off" mech anytime anywhere, exspecially if it is a XL engine...
There is no rule saying (in your game) that you can't put more structure / armor on the head, if you just move it from somewhere else you don't imbalance it.
In combat 9/10 of the mechs I saw die, died by LT/RT/CT hits, not headchop offs.
Minni
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Greyslayer
07/16/04 07:32 PM
216.14.192.234
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I've killed mechwarriors without even breaching the head (or any other location or even rolling a critical). Does that mean you want to nerf damage rules to mechwarriors when relating to when a mech takes damage to the head as well?
That was the last time someone laughed at me for fielding the LB10 Nightstar instead of the Gauss version 
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JaguarDragoon
08/17/04 01:02 AM
24.199.101.86
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Well, putting more armor protection for the head could be a problem with existing mech designs as they would lose balance or look stupid. For example, too much armor for the head of a timber wolf would make it lose balance where it is and on an atlas increasing armor would make the head too big for its chassis and make it look like a peep boy's mascot.
In reality, wouldn't there be good snipers in a hollander or a pack hunter to take out the head with a few well placed shots where ever the head is. If not, an axman coming up with a good, clean, well aimed swing. Maybe not for mech with their heads up high like an atlas.
Ofcourse battletech is not reality, its a game and sciencefiction story. Reality is warped so the mechs can look good and to create balance so there are no cheap battlefield gods like there are in the US military.
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Silenced_Sonix
10/09/04 02:18 PM
168.209.97.34
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Someone here mentioned the cowl from the UK MechForce guys - anyone have any rules on exactly how it functions, what it does, etc?
Evolve or Die
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Toontje
10/10/04 04:23 PM
82.73.138.10
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Except for the front, the head has 3 extra armour IIRC. (4 maybe?)
Rather to blow up, then.
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