How about those 'grab the starport' scenarios where you want a little
more 'direct' support and/or mobility for those drop troops? Yes, you
can put small vehicles in Interface Landers but how about drop-vehicles
to support your 'paras'?
Well here's a few of the more common (in my febrile vision/dementia):
All are size 1 (Very Small)
First the 'Low Tech' vehicles (low tech defined as predominately CFE powered
(some HMT, very rare FPG in size 3 or bigger) and preferring HVC
over SLAM over HKP over DFFG over HEL/MDC) -
All are Armor 1 (Ablative optional, Reactive less common alternate))
Light Attack: HiMobilityWheeled (HMW)
Turret with 2xRFAC/1 OR Fixed RFAC/2
'free' APSW
APC (light CFV for recon?) Fast Tracked or HMW Carries one FT Free and a
second APSW
ATM/TD
Fast Tracked
GMS/H
free and second APSW
(Less common) -
FDS vehicle Fast GEV
GMS/L
3 point FDS commo/range finder package (electro-optical 'periscope' for
looking over terrain and/or LEL RF and/or ...)
LAD Fast Tracked LAD (duh) enhanced PDS Free APSW
Rare -
Recon Fast GEV or Fast Tracked
Turret RFAC/1
(based on FDS - substitute enhanced recon package and drop special FDS
commo gear) (IR searchlight and/or ...)
Mid Tech
Mid tech defined as predominately HMT powered (some CFE, some FPG) and
preferring HKP over SLAM over DFFG over HEL/MDC over HVC) -
pretty much the same but variations
Light Attack
replace 2xRFAC/1 with 2xDFFG/1
Recon
Change RFAC/1 to DFFG/1
High Tech
High tech defined as predominately FPG powered (some HMT, rare CFE) and
preferring MDC over HEL over HKP over SLAM over DFFG over HVC) -
Light Attack
Change Turret weapons to 2xRFAC/1
Recon and FDS
Change main weapons to HEL/1
Size 2 (small) vehicles to follow, it gets a bit more interesting for the
Interface Landing troops vehicular support...)
Gracias,
My favorite Size 1 vehicles are Infantry Walkers. My PA battalion assault team
has 1 plt of these per PA company, plus some more in the Batt. support
company. They can orbitally insert right alongside the powered
armour troops (the only vehicles that can, in stock DS2/SG2).
I call them the 'Ursus' (latin for bear) class. Standard is Size 1, Inf.
Walker Mob, FGP, Armour 1, DFFG/2 TU, 1x APSW, APFC, ENH ECM, Stealth 1,
Sig 1. (cant' recall the points cost. 80-90pts, I think.)
Ursus-M (Missle): as above, but with 1x GMS/H SUP instead of the DFFG.
One Standard & two Ms make up a line Ursus plt.
Ursus-S (Sniper): as Standard, but w/ 1x HEL/2 TU. Only found in the
battalion support coy, along with the Ursus-AA w/ LAD systems.
(Note that Walker turretted weapons aren't actually TU - they're spaced
like fixed mount, but have 180 degree front arcs & can fire after movement.
This is why I can fit Class 2 TU wpns on a Size 1 vehicle...)
They're fairly effective vehicles, providing vital heavy firepower to my
PA interface-assualt formations. They do tend to draw fire, though, for
two reasons: 1, my usual opponents have a fair amount of respect for them,
and 2, they're often my only vehicles on-table, so they're something for
enemy armour to shoot at when the PA's out of range...
Now that I play FT too, I need to design the fighting transports that cart the
Interface Assualt Battalion around...
On Sun, 20 Aug 2000 20:03:07 -0700 (PDT) Brian Burger
> <yh728@victoria.tc.ca> writes:
FWIW (and I am quoting from page 43 - the Bible page for Drop
Troop/Interface Landing) :
"...Certain specially equipped elements (known as DROP TROOPS) may be
"directly inserted" to the battle area by either parachute/parajet from
high flying transports, or in ballistic entry capsules from an orbiting
ships..."
NOTE:Elements implies vehicles or foot troops (page 4, right column first bold
face sentence(s).)
And the next line specifically says:
"...If dropped from within atmosphere, Line or powered Infantry may be used;
only Powered troops may drop directly from orbit.Only infantry and Very Light
(class 1) vehicles and equipment may be paradropped and the
only type of non-infantry element that may be ORBITALLY DROPPED (my
emphasis) is the Infantry Walker..."
So on Orbital drops leg and PA only. Hence the example in the scenarios
on page 49 either assumes a intra-planet drop (NOT space to surface) as
in a balkanized colony planet (my norm setting) or use of heavier Dropships
(as opposed to Interface Landers) for the 2 troops of light
AFV's, and the small APC's mentioned (1 fireteam per vehicle - possibly
class 1) for the line infantry in the scenario. Since the defender has an ZAD
troop any vehicle landing (or troops dropping) within the >12"
(page 43) and the </= range of 36" (page 42) are subject to AD vehicle
attack.
So you need a airfield for paradropping class 1 size vehicles unless you have
managed to work out space ships capapble of atmospheric entry with room to
launch (and recover!) the large aircraft to drop these tinly AFV's. Hence at
least two colonies on the planet. How about a space to
air capable 'droop troop/Interface landing ship carrier? Boy, now I may
have to get FT to even see if such a design is possible! Aaargh!
> I call them the 'Ursus' (latin for bear) class. Standard is Size 1,
Like it. Like the name too,
> Ursus-M (Missle): as above, but with 1x GMS/H SUP instead of the DFFG.
Too bad SLAM's don't come is size1!
> One Standard & two Ms make up a line Ursus plt.
Interesting ratio, I expected the reverse.
> Ursus-S (Sniper): as Standard, but w/ 1x HEL/2 TU. Only found in the
Well, page 12 firsr paragraph DOES say "...RECOMMENDED..." so if you want to
get hairy with the agreement of the other palyers...
> They're fairly effective vehicles, providing vital heavy firepower to