Re: OT Battle-tech (was Re: DS: Walkers)

>--- Randall Joiner <rljoiner@mindspring.com> wrote:
> > Um...  I did mention pre-clan...
>
>You did, but no one else had, and there's no need to
>limit the discussion to ONLY pre-clan weapons.

Fair enough.  However, given that the clan tech completely changed the 
dynamics of the game (and ruined the game for me, but hey, I'm not 
everyone...  Even if my ego tells me other wise...), there is a dividing

wall when discussing tactics, design, etc.  Pre and post 
clan.  (Specifically, the 2750 book should be included even though it's
not 
"clan.")  Almost any discussion from one era is useless in the other 
era.  Thus the reason I said pre-clan.

>Pre-clan, you're right - the AC-2 was a badass option
>on VTOL's.  Post-clan, it still had some merit.  I did
>not intend to dispute the validity of your comments,
>just point out that in other eras, other systems also
>offer good VTOL options.  Case in point:

Nah, VTOL's are particularly useless with the advent of LBX-10's, Ultra 
AC/2's, Gauss Cannon, Light Gauss Cannons, LRM 5's (With "Rules of
warfare" 
extra tech they just get silly), ER PPC's, X-light engines, MASC,
Targeting 
computers and called shots, or my favorite the C3 computer system, 
etc.  Basically, given the increased lethality of the game, and the huge

dis-advantage the VTOL already suffered with those light armored
rotor's, 
and a million other changes, the era of the light chopper annoyance (AKA

Mosquito swarms) was/is over.  Now, the era of the heavy tank, THAT was
in 
full swing.  And Power-Armor (Elementals), etc.  True, the Pulse laser 
(preferably large) and the thunderbolt missle system kept VTOLs from
being 
completely useless, but mostly useless isn't much better than
completely.

>Pulse lasers where
> > a clan era invention.
>
>And in that era they are nasty.  The discussion is
>about good weapons on VTOL's in general.

Ah...  I'd thought I'd taken, at least a small part of the conversation 
down a more specific path, but I see you were attempting to draw said
path 
back to the main thread...  IE.  I misunderstood.  Sorry.

> > Now, you want to talk about the scariest weapon
> > system ever
> > invented...  The original, pre-errata gauss cannon.
> > An abomination that
> > should never have happened.
>
>I don't believe I ever encountered it, the only one I
>ever knew of was the post-clan IS (15 tons, 7 crit)
>and Clan (12 ton, 6 crit IIRC).  What were the
>pre-errata stats?
>

Still 15 tons, 7 crits, 1 heat, 15 damage.

BUT 16 points of ammo per ton, and the gun didn't blow when it was hit, 
only the ammo did...  (I know realism problems.  That's why the erata.) 
It 
was MUCH lighter than the AC/20 when you considered heat and ammo, more 
ammo than an AC/10, harder damaging than an AC/10, not much less damage 
than an AC/20, More consistant damage than an LRM/20 (Average hit was
12.5 
damage, without AMS), Longer range than an LRM system, and ALL damage
went 
to one location.  Better than the PPC because 1 hit at long range could,

with a touch of luck, rip the head off a mech completely (PPC still left
2 
IS if the head was fully armored.)

It was...  Scary.

Rand.