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Old 09-02-2017, 06:47 PM   #11
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by Mark Skarr View Post
I've used the basic BattleTech rules and GURPS skills. All I had to do was invert the BattleTech penalty sign (a minus two bonus in BattleTech becomes a plus two bonus in GURPS) and everything worked fine. Worked better then I expected, to be honest. It works, out of the box, needing no other modifications.

For 'Mech-scale damage, I just converted it to C-scale damage. That has a PPC doing 1,000 points of normal damage, which seems about right. Just state that 'Mech armor isn't ablative to non-C-Scale damage and you'll be fine.
I doubled the penalty sign while reversing it. Of course that might reflect a higher expected skill level in pilots.
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Old 09-02-2017, 06:49 PM   #12
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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I probably wouldn't go more than decade scale for the mechs, but the last time I really played, it was stated that a regular infantry rifle could damage a mech. Something like a 1 in 6 chance that each shot would do 1 damage to a mech.

After all, a rifle infantry platoon is an actual threat to mechs, especially light mechs.
A rifle infantry platoon is an actual threat to mechs because they will have at least one anti-tank weapon in them just like real infantry platoons.
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Old 09-02-2017, 07:43 PM   #13
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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A rifle infantry platoon is an actual threat to mechs because they will have at least one anti-tank weapon in them just like real infantry platoons.
No man portable anti-tank weapon should be any more of a threat to a mech than a single SRM.

That's but one of the issues that would keep the original BT rules from working well with either HT or UT.
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Old 09-03-2017, 04:12 AM   #14
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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No man portable anti-tank weapon should be any more of a threat to a mech than a single SRM.

That's but one of the issues that would keep the original BT rules from working well with either HT or UT.
In Decision at Thunder Rift, one man armed with rockets is indeed a threat to a single, small 'Mech (a Wasp or Locust IIRC), though it's a lopsided fight. Granted, the fiction gives only passing deference to the tabletop rules.

My opinion is if you want BattleTech play BattleTech. The rules make mech engagements more survivable for the machines than realism would suggest, except hand-to-hand engagements, which are more destructive than they should be. But it's fun.
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Old 09-03-2017, 06:25 AM   #15
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
I doubled the penalty sign while reversing it. Of course that might reflect a higher expected skill level in pilots.
I had, originally done that. But, when I re-calibrated for 4th Edition, I put "Regular" MechWarriors at skill 12, and the numbers just fell into line. Green is 10/9, Regular is 12/11, Veteran is 14/13 and Elite is 16/15. It gives a little bit of wiggle room which makes the game more interesting.

I, also, had "Gunner (BattleMech)" as a specific skill, instead of discrete "Gunner" skills. It's more intuitive for BattleTech and fits better with the canon and fiction.

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A rifle infantry platoon is an actual threat to mechs because they will have at least one anti-tank weapon in them just like real infantry platoons.
Not in BattleTech. SRM platoons are a separate form of infantry. If logic applied, then you would be right, but, in BattleTech infantry units tend to have one type of weapon. It is assumed that those weapons are used against the 'Mechs. Otherwise, all non-SRM/LRM infantry units would do the same damage.

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Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
No man portable anti-tank weapon should be any more of a threat to a mech than a single SRM.

That's but one of the issues that would keep the original BT rules from working well with either HT or UT.
You are correct. Which is why I suggest not actually doing the conversion, and just playing BattleTech with GURPS rules for skills. It lets you keep the feel that is BattleTech, but using a better set of RP rules for it.

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Originally Posted by Not View Post
In Decision at Thunder Rift, one man armed with rockets is indeed a threat to a single, small 'Mech (a Wasp or Locust IIRC), though it's a lopsided fight. Granted, the fiction gives only passing deference to the tabletop rules.
The rule books give a strong warning that "story is not rules."
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Originally Posted by Total Warfare, pg 9
It is important to note that fiction, though essential in making the game universe come alive, should never be construed as rules.
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My opinion is if you want BattleTech play BattleTech. The rules make mech engagements more survivable for the machines than realism would suggest, except hand-to-hand engagements, which are more destructive than they should be. But it's fun.
Which is why I recommend using the BattleTech rules, almost unmodified, for GURPS. Inverting the signs and using GURPS skill rules works amazingly well. It doesn't hard-cap skills like the BattleTech RPGs have always done historically, and gives far more versatility in role-playing rules and options.
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Old 09-03-2017, 02:47 PM   #16
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

If building as a character, there's a Dragon article (according to sarna.net, Dragon # 166) which took the advantages/disadvantages mentioned in the Tech Read-Outs, and gave them game effects (e.g., the Marauder having hip problems, IIRC).
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Old 09-03-2017, 03:24 PM   #17
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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If building as a character, there's a Dragon article (according to sarna.net, Dragon # 166) which took the advantages/disadvantages mentioned in the Tech Read-Outs, and gave them game effects (e.g., the Marauder having hip problems, IIRC).
"Tricks of the Trade" by Mike Speca, pp. 16-18.

It converts the quirks into BattleTech game effects, all right, but for the GURPS player I suspect just using the original quirk descriptions would work better.
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Old 09-04-2017, 12:14 AM   #18
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by Mark Skarr View Post
A Medium Laser would only be slightly more powerful than a .50 cal, with an appallingly short range and no ability to auto-fire.
With tongue only slightly in cheek, a Medium Laser fires once every ten seconds (the turn duration in Battletech) out to a maximum range of 270 meters (9 hexes, at 30m/hex)...

Which is to say that the ranges and rates of fire given in BT are pretty nonsense and one shouldn't use them as guidelines for conversion. >.>
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Old 09-04-2017, 03:37 AM   #19
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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With tongue only slightly in cheek, a Medium Laser fires once every ten seconds (the turn duration in Battletech) out to a maximum range of 270 meters (9 hexes, at 30m/hex)...
RoF could be explained away as each shot representing the effects of a volley of fire rather than individual shots (which is quite clearly the case with the Machine Guns), but yeah, the ranges...

Quote:
Which is to say that the ranges and rates of fire given in BT are pretty nonsense and one shouldn't use them as guidelines for conversion. >.>
Though as I understand it some of the older fiction has used the table top ranges as the basis of events in-universe.
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Old 09-04-2017, 04:58 AM   #20
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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With tongue only slightly in cheek, a Medium Laser fires once every ten seconds (the turn duration in Battletech) out to a maximum range of 270 meters (9 hexes, at 30m/hex)...

Which is to say that the ranges and rates of fire given in BT are pretty nonsense and one shouldn't use them as guidelines for conversion. >.>
There are alternative rules for autofire. I forget whether in Mechwarrior(1st ed.) or Solaris VII. They were used for the (fantastic) Activision Mech2 series.
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