Riflemen and Jagermechs

[Warhammer: 3025]

Both the Jagermech and the Rifleman have the stated role of anti-aircraft platforms. However, both of their loadouts seem to be woefully inadequate for defending a position against anything but the lightest aerospace fighters or the most basic terrestrial aircraft.

A single (for example) Gotha fighter outguns both 'mechs by a substantial amount, and carries enough armor to effectively ignore their long-range ACs for quite some time.

Am I missing something, or is AAA just something that should be left to vehicles like the LRM Carrier or Partisan, which can put out both more firepower and maintain that fire for much longer?

 

[WandererRTF]

True in a way. Thing is Partisans and LRM carriers are not as mobile as the aforementioned mechs. Catch with the AA is that all kind of firing tends to cause control rolls for the aircraft. And those can bring even the heaviest fighter crashing down. Also aerospace stuff is rather fragile - damage of at least 1/10 of the starting armor value will create a threat of a critical hit. In addition ACs can use flak ammunition. Also it is possible to add design quirks to make the design more closely match the description.

 

[Cato Zilks]

Also, helicopters.

 

[Packrat]

The point isn't to punch through the armor, but to force the aircraft to lawndart. For that purpose, how much damage you dealt doesn't matter, only the ability to hit the target, which is why the AC/2 is the best AA gun in 3025.

 

[Kutuzov1]

In lore those mechs have specialized radar systems made for AA firing. Stuff that LRM carriers don't have.
I think that in some of the supplements there was a hit modifier for having that kind of radar. And a Rifleman or Jagermech cold fire everything in a round against a incoming aircraft. With the strafing rules they had to spend at least 1 round turning back (probably more), so the mech had the time to coll off.
A full salvo by a Rifleman in the TT would do 36 points of damage and produce 24 points of heat. There is a serious risk of ammo explosion but it can be done as a desperate move. Not using a large laser would reduce the damage to 28 and the heat generated to a "safe" 16 points that can cool down in 2 rounds.
A full load from a LRM carrier will do, on average, 36 points of damage (assuming that both the Riflema and the LRM hit with all weapons and that the LRM get average results on the Missile hits table). If the Rifleman get a bonus to hit the advantage is clearly its.
The partisan has a specialized AA system, so it is a good choice for an AA role.

 

[WandererRTF]

It might be a good idea to implement the quirk system to the computer game. It should work wonders for creating more personalized and specialized units to the game. So that there would be more variance between a specific classes of 'mechs beyond just mere tonnage.

 

[Kutuzov1]

It might be a good idea to implement the quirk system to the computer game. It should work wonders for creating more personalized and specialized units to the game. So that there would be more variance between a specific classes of 'mechs beyond just mere tonnage.

Some of that is already in game. The Quickdraw do less melee damage than most mech of its weight class as it has "weak ankles that make it vulnerable in melee", the Shadow Hawk do more damage as it has "battle fists" and the Awesome because its left hand is mace like (based on the beta, I haven't checked all the mechs to see if it is still true, but judging from the Quickdraw it is).

 

[GenTask]

Some of that is already in game. The Quickdraw do less melee damage than most mech of its weight class as it has "weak ankles that make it vulnerable in melee", the Shadow Hawk do more damage as it has "battle fists" and the Awesome because its left hand is mace like (based on the beta, I haven't checked all the mechs to see if it is still true, but judging from the Quickdraw it is).

Except they have that wrong for the Quickdraw.

That negative quirk if applied to the Quickdraw simply means it is easier to hit a Quickdraw in melee, namely targeted attacks against the legs where the actuators are. It does not mean the Quickdraw is worse at Melee.