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If you want a simpler way to keep track of a campaign, get a copy of the Chaos Campaign book. Lots of simplified rules for salvage, maintenance and things like that. Would be a good place to start, then decide just how crunchy you want to make your campaign.

As I said in the PM, I'll check out anything you have questions about.

And if I don't know the answer, I can literally have direct communication to the people writing it and/or have written it.

Yeah, you aren't going to find a Shogun outside of Wolf's Dragoons. They are Dragoons exclusive, no one else is even going to have parts for them. Hell, in 3025ish, most people in the Inner Sphere won't even have SEEN one, except maybe in a holovid!

The Falcon, Flea, Firefly, Hoplite, Shogun, Annihilator, and the Imp were all Dragoon exclusives, as was the Marauder II until after the 4th Succession War.

Look at Longbow variants if you want an assault level Missile boat, or the LRM 20 Stalker.

naxium wrote:
That's what I thought, I was a bit hesitant on the highlander but I figured they could have procured one of them in some form or fashion but Wolf Dragoon mechs are a different story in my opinion. He's settled on a stalker proxied with a catapult for now. I didn't realize the Archer -W was more of an exclusive either so that takes care of two birds with one stone.

Also quick clarification on the Raven, I know they're in the 3039 tro but they were actually around prior to that right? they just didn't have the advanced tech? or were they never really fielded prior?

The original Raven had experimental ECM and Communications equipment, was slow, under armored, and under gunned.

Anyone in the 3025 time would have no problems getting Locusts, Stingers, or Wasps for scouting and recon needs. The Capellans would have some of them, the Davions would have fewer from salvage, but they'd be cannibalizing them to keep others running. It would be a dwindling, very finite supply of Davion Ravens. And the odds of them getting into mercenary hands would be slim. Being a new design, I'd guess more than half of those Ravens were being dissected and studied by Davion scientists.

Remeber though that cost is important in-universe wise. Fixing an AC/5 (or any autocannon) was easy, with parts readily available. PPCs are far more complicated and difficult to maintain and repair. That's why you see so many AC/5s in 3025 variants instead of PPCs.

Yes, the PPC is superior in every way on the battlefield, but when it came to keeping those things functioning, it was far more difficult.

Additionally, having an ammo dependent primary weapon meant that when you ran out, you left the battle. You decreased the risk of destroyed 'Mechs if they were forced to retreat. It's why the Succession Wars dragged on instead of having many conclusive combats until the 4th War.

Old school fluff had the Free Worlds League having parts and PPCs available almost only for their Awesomes, even though they had a factory that BUILT Warhammers!

The Marauder didn't compete well with a Warhammer, despite the fact they both have 2 PPCs.

The Marauder has fewer heat sinks, and terrible armor placement. The 3R variant also has the DEATH BOMB of a left torso.

A Warhammer D is one of the best heavies in terms of fire power you can get in 3025, also with excellent heat efficiency and armor.

There really is nothing that compares well to the Highlander, it's a pretty unique 'Mech for the time. The Star League version is a beast, and the Royal version is even better. The 3025 one is solid, a heavy anchor to an assault unit. Several 'Mechs can outgun it, very few of it's tonnage can outmaneuver it. About the only thing that can fight it well is a Marauder II, but that is because it is as close to an optimized 3025 assault 'Mech as they ever made.

For the Jenner, I recommend the Javelin, preferably the "Fire" Javelin (10-F) variant. While it is slightly slower, it has way better armor, jumps farther, and is slightly more heat effective.

If you like your variant Jenners a little more uncommon, grab a Firestarter 9M. It lacks the range, but can handle infantry better, and has fewer heat problems, even when jumping.

Iron Wind Metals does make resin office type buildings as well, I think.

But any 6mm buildings will do.

I haven't, but I don't worry about terrain scale when I'm playing Battletech. Nobody really makes things like skyscrapers or really tall buildings for 6mm games (that are even remotely affordable), so buying a larger scale building to have roughly the same footprint on the table is okay to me.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Has anyone tried Monsterpocalypse buildings in their Btech games?

Those always seemed like they would work well with a little bit of effort (removing bases, repainting etc.).

eBay has them for a few bucks a building which doesn't seem too cost prohibitive.

It works pretty well, obviously out of scale. You need to remove the base it comes with, but it needs a base. Without that base they are very light and prone to falling over.

 naxium wrote:
Is there a reason you might prefer the jav or firestart over the vulcan for a merc unit? parts and supply cost difficulties? I see what you mean about the Ostroc after looking further.

While the Vulcan is fluffed as a pretty solid anti-infantry machine, that's about all it can do. An AC/2 is simply a terrible weapon for a mobile medium 'Mech, and with the minimum range, it actually isn't any good at fighting infantry or vehicles in the terrain you'd find infantry.

If there was a Vulcan that swapped it out for a large laser, it'd be one of the best medium harasser 'Mechs out there.

Javelin parts would be more plentiful, and then Firestarters, as they are somewhat more rare. Vulcans aren't super common either, as they aren't the easiest to work on.

Also, Vulcans are ridiculously ugly.

 naxium wrote:
Werent we referring to the 5T variant vulcan? Drops the ac2 for 3 med lasers and extra armor? Seems to make the best of both worlds combining the jav and fstarter?

I was talking about the standard Vulcan. If a model number isn't mentioned, I assume you're talking about the standard variant.

The 5T is a fine variant, and it does skirmish and do anti-infantry better than the Javelin. Depending on the Firestarter variant, it might still be better at AI work. It isn't a bad 'Mech at all.

Still incredibly fugly, though. I might pick a Javelin just so I didn't have to see it on the table.

cannonfodr wrote:

 naxium wrote:
Is there a reason you might prefer the jav or firestart over the vulcan for a merc unit? parts and supply cost difficulties? I see what you mean about the Ostroc after looking further.

The Vulcan is the rarest of the group and as noted, is ugly. Thinking some more, the Javelin probably makes the most sense as it has hands which aren't too useful from an in-game sense for fighting other mechs, but useful for picking up things like say cargo containers during a raid.

Also a valid point on the hands.

The Rifleman has way too much of a heat problem to be really effective. Sure, it has good weapons, but it can't use half of them at any time. I recommend the 3C variant instead if you are going for a Rifleman. It is a little light on ammo, but it is also light on armor, so it wasn't going to be in a fight long anyway.

The Wyvern is a strange choice, you just don't see them used much. I'd rather have a Vindicator (1R) than a Wyvern, but I love me some Vindicators.

I also prefer Gladiators (4R) over Wolverines, but that's because I like PPCs.

Those are good looking buildings. I may need to invest in some of those.

The Rifleman is frowned on because it cannot handle its heat. Not even a little. Any two weapons fire, even without moving, and you are on the heat scale.

Fire 2 PPCs, and you are slowed down from heat.

It can never use more than half of its firepower, and then it has to neuter itself MORE to cool down.

Sure there is no ammo to explode, but it isn't a major battlefield threat despite the firepower it has because if it uses that firepower, it has to spend at least a turn or two cooling down. That's why the Ostroc/Ostsol are far superior designs. Or the AC/10 Rifleman I mentioned before.

The Wyvern was a somewhat common Star League era 'Mech. After the First Succession War and the Ares Conventions, there wasn't much fighting in cities done at all, so the Wyvern didn't have a niche to fit in anymore. And I'd rather have 2 UrbanMechs over a Wyvern.

(WRITER'S NOTE) I own 36 UrbanMechs. I'll take them over a lot of things simply for hilarity.


SRM Carriers make good city defense and ambush units, not so much convoy protectors. You need something with a little more speed, armor, and preferably a turret for convoy duty. I'd look into Goblins, because then you have firepower AND infantry carrying capability.


For your Ghost Bears, the Kodiaks, Grizzly, Stone Rhino, Gargoyle, Thors, Lokis, Blood Kite, Kraken, Highlander IIC and Hunchback IIC were all around at the initial Inner Sphere Invasion.

The Bear Cub came along much later, roughly Jihad time and after.

The Fafnir is a Lyran design and would never be found in a Ghost Bear force. It would be hard to justify one outside of a loyal Lyran regiment. They don't really give them to many people.

Crimson Langur could be used any time after Operation Bulldog, but it is not a common Clan design, it would be pretty rare with the Bears.

The Colossus is a Solaris chassis. It doesn't really fit in ANY force, but still looks cool.

Templar would not see any use in the Bears, it is a hardcore Davion design.

The Uziel saw widespread deployment in the FedCom Civil War between the Lyran and Davions. Afterwards it might be found in mercenary hands as well.

The Wolverine IIC doesn't exist as a chassis or a design, so I have no idea what you have.

The Thug is an old Star League design, it could be used at any time, even for your introtech mercenary unit.

The Shogun was a Wolf's Dragoon exclusive, and rare even to them. It is almost impossible to justify one out of their hands in-universe wise. I think the Word of Blake stole one during the Jihad, and after the near destruction of the Dragoons it was thought that might be the last one left.
That being said, there is an UTTERLY TERRIFYING Shogun IIC, that could be a Ghost Bear design, but they are super rare in the Clans, too.

The Titan II is a resurrected chassis brought back during the Jihad by the Word of Blake. I would imagine a large percentage of them were destroyed during the Jihad, but it is possible to have salvaged one from the WoB Protectorate Militia.

To add you your Bears, some of their staples like Fire Moths, Vultures, Kingfishers, and Executioners never goes badly. For later years, Karhu and Bruins are around, as are things like the Arcas and a couple versions of the Ursus.

LRM Carriers and SRM carriers are still really slow. They aren't really designed to move in battle. And since they lack turrets, moving them around is an exercise in positioning, especially against quicker units. Don't get me wrong, they are both useful, but they are only useful in a few narrow roles. SRM carriers shine in ambush and city defense, and LRM carriers are great when they can find a spot to park in and just empty their ammo bins.

I run a game the night before GenCon called URBIELORD. It requires a lot of Urbies. Did I mention I have an Armorcast scale Urbie, too?

Introtech Rifleman variants are all crap, because they focus on firepower, at the expense of ammo or the heat sinks to use it. Crappy Harmony Gold legacy designs. That's why I like the AC/10 version. Yeah, it has ammo and not much of it, but it doesn't have much armor either, so you aren't going to NEED a lot. They get better once they shove XL engines and RACs on them.

Clan combined arms untis didn't really come around until after the Jihad. Before that, it was 'Mechs and Elementals. Vehicles and standard infantry were looked down upon as either old, washed up, or freeborn. The Bears produced a couple infantry combat vehicles to drop off Elementals faster, but they'd still rather use Fire Moths for that.

Do you know the joy of the Master Unit List?

 Charistoph wrote:

 Mattlov wrote:
Clan combined arms untis didn't really come around until after the Jihad. Before that, it was 'Mechs and Elementals. Vehicles and standard infantry were looked down upon as either old, washed up, or freeborn. The Bears produced a couple infantry combat vehicles to drop off Elementals faster, but they'd still rather use Fire Moths for that.

Clan Hell's Horses being an exception, I believe. They often use Vehicles in combat, even before the Great Refusal, which led to their development of the QuadVee.

True. I didn't include the Horses, since he was asking about Ghost Bear stuff. The primary use the Bears have for the Horses is target practice.