Back to Catalist Game Labs' MechWarrior Destiny to try out one more subsystem, BattleMech conversion. For this, I'll need a BattleMech, Instead of one of the published 'Mechs, I'll use one of my own design, the PLNK-5R, or Plinker. All the goodies after the break.
The Plinker is an experiment - how many AC/2s and SRM2s can a 'Mech carry before an opposing playher gets annoyed. The canonical Mauler carries four.AC/2s but also has ER Large Lasers and LRM15s. So, not quite what I'm looking for. The Plinker is a 75-ton heavy 'Mech built in Inner Sphere tech designed for being annoyance at multiple ranges. The idea is to stay out of range if possible, but close in if all else fails.
PLNK-5R Plinker
- Tonnage: 75
- Movement: 4 Walk/6 Run
- Heat Sinks: 15
Armour/Internal Structure:
- Head: 9/3
- Left/Right Arm: 12/12
- Centre Torso: 34/23
- Left/Right Torso: 24/16
- Rear Center Torso: 12
- Rear Left/Right Torso: 8
- Left/Right Leg: 12/16
Armament:
- Medium Laser (Head)
- AC/2 (Right Arm)
- AC/2 (Left Arm)
- AC/2 (Centre Torso)
- SRM2 (RIght Torso)
- SRM2 (RIght Torso)
- SRM2 (Left Torso)
- SRM2 (Left Torso)
Ammo:
- AC/2 - 45 (Right Arm)
- AC/2 - 45 (Left Arm)
- SRM2 - 50 (Right Torso)
- SRM2 - 50 (Left Torso)
Light on rear armour, but the idea is to keep firing forward at the enemy and whittle them down before they can get behind the Plinker. Fifteen heat sinks allow the Plinker to fire everything at once without melting. Movement after such an alpha strike will star getting things toasty, but nothing that can't be fixed by not firing one weapon the next turn. The 'Mech is ammo dependent, but with 30 turns worth of AC/2 ammo and 25 turns of missile fire, it's not going to be an issue in a battle.
Time to convert. Again, I'll go by the steps in the book. Shouldn't be difficult and not math heavy. The fun comes with adding details that the core wargame rules don't cover.
1) Determine Base Stats
Weight remains the same, so 75 tons. This places the Plinker at the upper end of heavy, so it would cost a PC 3 hardware points at character creation. Movement is based on walking speed, so the Destiny movement is 2. Heat dissipation is equal to the number of heat sinks divided by 5, rounding to the nearest whole number; here, the Plinker has heat dissipation of 3.
2) Add Tags
Suggested tags include battlefield role, history, feature, flaw, and quirk. Battlefield role is easy; the Plinker is a sniper, meant for long range shots. Since this is not a standard 'Mech, I can call the Plinker a prototype, designed and built during the Clan invasion to keep the invaders at bay while the brawlers move in. For a flaw, a faulty SRM link system, where not all launchers fire. Feature includes updated targeting system. As for quirk, cockpit coffee maker runs through the medium laser housing.
3) Armour and Structure
Every section with armour and structure takes the values and divides them by 3, again, rounding nearest. with a minimum of 1. Left and right toroso armour and all rear armour does not count here. Destiny is more cinematic than the core wargame and A Time of War.
Armour/Internal Structure:
- Head: 3/1
- Left/Right Arm: 4/14
- Centre Torso: 11/8
- Left/Right Torso: 8/5
- Left/Right Leg: 4/5
Heat dissipation is important. Too much heat and a BattleMech will shut down or, worse, explode messily. Pilots can roast in their cockpits. All BattleMechs come with ten heat sinks integral to the engine, but more can be added. With Destiny, the heat dissipation is equal to the number of heat sinks divided by 5; for the PLNK-5R, this is 3.
3) Assign Weapon Groups
These are the weapons grouped for the pilot's convenience. I could designate a weapon as the primary, but that doesn't really work for the Plinker. The first weapon group is all the AC/2s, the second and third are the SRM2s, lefft for group two, right for group three. The medium laser is a in a group by itself. All the weapons in a group will fire at the same target, which is not an issue here. The goal of the 'Mech is to annoy and shred armour, not destroy light 'Mechs in one shot.
For group one, the AC/2s, the damage is the sum of the Total War damages, then divided by 3, rounding nearest. AC/2s do two points of damage - it's in the name, after all - so weapon group one will do two points of damage. Weapon groups two and three each have SRM2s; damage is the sum of all launchers' damage with +M for missile hit per launcher. Here, it works out to 2+MM, with a Max of 3. The medium laser needs no extra work to calculate damage, which comes out to 2.
Now to figure out the heat generated by these groups. Group one, the AC/2s, generate two heat per weapon in Total Warfare, for six heat for the group. That, though, gets divided by 5, round nearest, for a total of 1 heat in Destiny. The pairs of SRM2s in weapon groups two and three generate two heat in TW each, resulting in a heat rating of 1 in Destiny. Finally, the medium laser generates one heat in Destiny.
Finally, every 'Mech gets punch and kick damage. Both are based on tonnage; punch damage is tonnage divided by 30, kick is tonnage divided by 15. No heat is generated by punching or kicking, but the 'Mech is far too close to another that has good short range weapons. The PLNK-5R does 3 points of punch damage and 5 points of kick.
Damage Type Heat Loc Pointblank Short Medium Long
- Punch/Kick 3 / 5 -- -- -- OK -- -- --
- 3 AC/2s 2 B H T,RA.LA -2 OK OK -2
- 2 SRM2s 2+MM (max 3) M H RA OK OK -2 --
- 2 SRM2s 2+MM (max 3) M H LA OK OK -2 --
- Medium Laser 5 E H H OK OK -2 --
5) Equipment
The Plinker relies on its ammo. As per above, the PLNK-5R has SRM ammo in the torso and AC/2 ammo in the left and right arms. There's no other equipment added. The 'Mech is meant to be a sniper, hidden, not a brawler.
And that's it. Let's gather all the info together to make it as readable as possible on Blogspot.
PLNK-5R Plinker
- Weight: Heavy
- Tonnage: 75 tons (3 Hardware points)
- Movement: 2
- Heat Dissipation: 3
Tags: Sniper * Prototype * Faulty TIC Link * Updated Targeting * Damn Fine Coffee
Armour/Internal Structure:
- Head: 3/1
- Left/Right Arm: 4/14
- Centre Torso: 11/8
- Left/Right Torso: 8/5
- Left/Right Leg: 4/5
Weapons
Damage Type Heat Loc Pointblank Short Medium Long
- Punch/Kick 3 / 5 -- -- -- OK -- -- --
- 3 AC/2s 2 B H T,RA.LA -2 OK OK -2
- 2 SRM2s 2+MM (max 3) M H RA OK OK -2 --
- 2 SRM2s 2+MM (max 3) M H LA OK OK -2 --
- Medium Laser 5 E H H OK OK -2 --
Equipment
- Ammo: AC/2 (Torso)
- Ammo: SRM2 (Left Arm)
- Ammo: SRM2 (Right Arm)
This, the PLNK-5R. It's not flashy, but it is annoying. Probably won't be found on Solaris, but some planetary militia might have one. It's a heavy 'Mech with a specialized role, and that role is to annoy Clanners.
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| The Clanners might have the iconic MadCat but I have a Happy Cat. (Model: Jewel; photo by author) |
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