[DS] Combat Walkers?

I'm attempting to justify my ownership of too many Battletech minis, and was
wondering how many of you had experience using combat walkers in
DS2.  Are they worth it?  Advantages/disadvantages?

Thanks,

I have the same problem (and the same Mechs) haven't changed the stats over
yet. So I'd be interested in hearing any ideas out there also.

Don

[quoted original message omitted]

OK, I'll preface this by saying I've never used them in the game, and I am a
bit biased against mecha given how disillusioned I got with Battletech, but
from the way I read the rules it would seem that: Given their increased

signature, they seem unsuited for use as, say MBT replacements, but the
ability to have a 180 arc of fire AND fixed weapon capacity ywt the ability to
move then fire makes them particularly suited for fire support. I'm probably
wrong though.

3B^2

"The Irish are the only race of people on Earth for which psychoanalysis is of
no use."

                                 - S. Freud

> From: "Don M" <dmaddox1@hot.rr.com>

Thanks Brian, don't happen to have any more Battlemechs laying around that you
want to get rid of do you?;)

Mark

> Brian Bilderback wrote:

> OK, I'll preface this by saying I've never used them in the game, and
I'm
> probably wrong though.

In a message dated 04/28/2002 10:24:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> mreindl@pacbell.net writes:

> I'm attempting to justify my ownership of too many Battletech minis,

Well to be honest, after having the ruleset for DS2 around for four years, I
havent played it yet. I personally still play Btech once in a while but have
taken to playing its cousin Battleforce 2 with modified rules for most of my
mecha gaming. I personally use the mecha as my Marines or fast reaction force
but rely on my tracked/hover/grav armor for most of my units.

Kirk

G'day,

> I'm attempting to justify my ownership of too many

I use them with my Daleks and they're a lot of fun, but they are definitely a
fire magnet! We even went so far as to drop the increased signature bit (we
kept forgetting anyway) and it hasn't unbalanced the game any (you could
justify it away as them going prone etc when need be I guess). I wouldn't use
them for MBT replacement completely, but they do have the advantage of seeing
and moving over terrain others can't (or can't so easily)... mind you that
means you may be seen back;)

Cheers

G'day,

> I let mechs be any size, 1-5 no restrictions.

We do to, right up to size 7 (or more if you wanted to go modular).

Cheers

I let mechs be any size, 1-5 no restrictions.  A quick and dirty way is
to divide Mech tons by 20 to get size.

PPC as DFFG
Btech AC / 5 = DS HVAC

But then again I use "Rules of Warfare" for Battletech (never upgraded, I like
mechs with "problems")

Michael Brown

[quoted original message omitted]

In a message dated 04/28/2002 10:24:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> mreindl@pacbell.net writes:

Kind of depends on how you set things up. If you're fighting on the steppes,
no. If you're fighting on really broken terrain eg badlands, asteroids, ice
fields with crevasses etc, then it's probably worth it to have them. Of
course, why you'd be in terrain like that is another question, but if you want
an excuse to bring out the minis, you can find one.

Thanks to everyone who posted on this, and also thanks in advance to those who
will:)

> On Sun, 28 Apr 2002, Brian Bilderback wrote:

> OK, I'll preface this by saying I've never used them in the game, and
I'm
> probably wrong though.

That's how I run Infantry Walkers in DS2. They're the heavy weapons
elements of my entirely-PA Orbital Assault Battalion, armed with GMS/H
and
HEL/2 mostly. One three-IW platoon per PA company, and a company of them
attatched directly to the Battalion commander. (usually deployed in platoon
elements throughout the Bt, though).

They tend to attract fire like nothing I've ever seen, though, because they're
usually the only vehicles on their side, and trying to kill PA is just
depressingly hard. Having the same maneuverability as the PA they support is
useful, though. One game my opponent thought a swamp was
protecting one of his flanks - until my IWs slogged through to light him
up with GMS & HEL.

They're also the only vehicles I regularly run HELs on. Larger vehicles get
better lethality and nearly equivilent ranges out of MDCs or HKPs, but having
60 inches of 'reach out and touch someone' on a Size 1 vehicle is quite
nice...

I don't own any larger mechs in DS2 scale; in SG2 15mm I run a large DP9
Mammoth as a Size 3 mech. (Twin DFFG3 will ruin *anyone's* day in
SG2...)

Brian - yh728@victoria.tc.ca -
- http://wind.prohosting.com/~warbard/games.html -

> 3B^2

I did a Battletech to DS2 conversion (lots of house rules) at
http://www.cygnusx1.info/bt/BT2DS2.html

Their mobility makes them well used as artillery observers. They have been
able to pop over a slope and call the round to the complete surprise of their
opponent several times on our tables. Even after you see it down a few times,
you are just used to terrain degrading movement and walkers confound that.

That said, I am not sure they have added much more than that... because, as
Beth says, they are fire magnets.

[quoted original message omitted]

From: Noel Weer noel.weer@verizon.net
> That said, I am not sure they have added much more than that...
because, as Beth says, they are fire magnets.

If you were a sneaky, conniving, scheming plotter...not that I know anyone
like that...you could load them up with armor, backup systems, ECM, etc, and
let them be fire magnets. Every shot they take is one more that's not
bothering your plain, dull, boring old main battle
tanks...

LOL Nope, sorry - gave them all to the friend htat got me into BT in the

first place.

3B^2

> From: Mark Reindl <mreindl@pacbell.net>

Ooooo. I like the thought process of this unidentified sneaky plotter.

I had not thought of it that way before.

[quoted original message omitted]

> From: Noel Weer noel.weer@verizon.net
because, as
> Beth says, they are fire magnets.

I pointed out:
> If you were a sneaky, conniving, scheming plotter...not that I know

This would be better in a referee'd game with hidden damage. Ref: "Okay, you
detect two Mechs over here <placing minis> and maybe some other vehicles or
something over there. What do you do?" "Ha! We might as well scrag the mechs
before the serious fighting
starts.  Open up with, oh, let's say this platoon with four GMS/H"
Ref: <rolls dice behind screen> "All four go wild." "What? They have Superior
guidance!" Ref: "Sorry, they missed."

(later)

"We close to point blank range and hit them with DFFG/5's!"
Ref: "Umm, no, sorry, still doesn't look like they're slowing down
any."