Ok, so the only playable mechs must include: Agility (to defend against Arnis Drummond), high defence (to keep the VTOL threat minimized), and great heat dial so they can dance around the artillery pogs while breaking from the bikes, etc.? That leaves how many? Right, so mechs are out....

I'd be happy if charge wasn't the super AP it is.... Charging hardened armor and ignoring it just shouldn't be... :) Course just my opinions and all... I'm still playing either way...

The reason charge is used as a first strike attack is because it's the longest ranged attack. Then it's not used anymore because the mech has too much heat and the defender is already damaged so just finish him off...Like everyone always says, bumperbots.

Charge is a wee bit too powerful and everyone (well most of us, anyway) realizes it. If it did slightly less damage, or was reduced in range, it would be more realistic and balanced. You say it's going to screw with game mechanics...? All it's going to do is change strategy/tactics.

And yes, tank drop needs to be looked at too. I always thought a temporary order token should be given to the dropped tank. If it fires the turn it's dropped (maybe with a -1 attack even), it takes a damage. The temporary token is removed at end of turn. If it fired, it still has a remaining token.

If that's not enough, then no unit can fire when dropped. I mean, aren't your forces supposed to be moving together? Moving a transport, then moving/firing a tank is like 2 turns of actions, 1 after another. That simply doesn't make sense in game terms unless you can issue more than 1 order to a unit per turn, whic you can't.

VTOL's are fine and IMO should be the only units with move/shoot. They are VTOL's! Like planes, by nature, they move no matter what. Why can't they fire while they move? Maybe give a -1 attack if they move/shoot, I don't know. Or don't let them move after shooting.

Just throwing out ideas...

However, when all is said and done...I still think charge needs to be looked at. And in doing so, any changes to charge MAY require a look into other rules that may be related (in terms of balance and playability).

My suggestions:

Charge Does 3 Damage AP on all attackes (+1 if Brawling)
DFA does 4 damage AP on attacks (+1 Brawling)
Vehicles can't be given an action after a drop
Infantry CAN be given an action after a drop

Note to mlotoole0
I DFA all the time, I've actually had both my Pack Hunters SUCCESSFULLY DFA a Thor on the same turn.

Vehicles should not be allowed to be passengers of a Transport except for towed artillery units. Run movement needs to be reduced from double movement to say a +3 to the speed value. Charge should 3 damage modified by Armor SE. Charge should not be some uber tactic but a tactic that players use to get thier mechs into base to base.

My suggestion:

Do "something" with tankdrop first. Once we know it and understand it, then tweek charge. I think those SS TAC are as bad a schmidt at least with the 300/3 rules.

Be careful what you wish for. Mechs might just be playable with the proposed rule changes. Downgrading charge may undo all of these gains.

Why not do them all?! Why fix one problem when you can fix the game and be done with it? Let me ask you something when you fix an engine do fix the oil leak or do fix the entire damage engine so nothing else can go wrong?

The one thing I never liked about charge was that I had to develop a strategy to counter it. I wasn't countering another strategy, I was countering a single ability. To have to build a whole army to counter one ability, it just doesn't seem right. So it really takes the game down from a game of strategy, to a game of "He charges, my strategy must counter it, so I can charge back" type mentality. I'd rather not have to worry about a bloody charge swinging the balance of the game. I'd rather worry about the strategy that my opponent was devising and figure out ways to counter it.