we are goining to play with 2 ships in a space scenario--mechs only and the ships can move(slowly)--when you get hit you will move backwards a random distance(D4 or D6) depending on ballistic or energy attack type

I only played against the Aurora Class Dropship once. It was tough. Especially when the the dropships lance stays within the range of those big guns. The 18 inch range is devistating. The only way to attack it is by softening those turrets with artillery and then swarm in.

We have an event coming up with multiple dropship battles. I have two armies built, one Liao and one DF. I think the venue agreed to change the immunity to AP and other SEs that the Dropship has.
I mean it really is rediculous if you think about it. What is it? 9 clicks to get past the hardened armor. That is not an equal trade-off for the lack of movement that the Dropship suffers from.
Say for example, I get 3-4 heavy mechs into range of one of the guns. They do an average of 5 damage on their ranged attack. Assume all of them hit and that they have not been damaged yet for a total of 18 damage reduced to about 10. One hit from the turret and any one of them is basically out of the action. My point is that by the time you bring down one turret, you have very little fight left in you. Personally, I think the stats are not on a level playing field with the rest of the units in the game.
They should have made one of the turrets an artillery unit and taken away the immunity to most of the Attack SEs, then we would have a fun unit to face off against.

I think that perhaps some of you are missing the main point of the Dropship. DON'T MESS WITH IT!!!

If any of you ever played CBT or even some of the early MW video games, you know that a Dropship will most likely kick your rear unless you had a huge unit that basically swarmed a lone dropship. Or you had some other support in the form or artillery or serious amounts of Aerospace fighters that could dart in, shoot, and dart out quick with the advantage of speed to save their hides. Dropships are massive, much more than the heaviest mech, and if you read most of the Battletech novels, you'll notice that most units are hesitant to press the advantage of a unit retreating to their dropships.

Most of the times that you read about Dropships being exterminated, it's due to sabotage or it's because the dropship is making a drop run and gets some sort of critical engine damage from a horde of attacking aerospace fighters or other dropships.

That the Dropship for MW:DA is such a tough cookie is a good thing, otherwise it'd make for a seriously dull unit. I think someone mentioned it earlier, but if you're going to have a dropship fight, you need to make sure that there is a reason. Be it a storyline or part of the event's objectives, make it fun. It's obviously no fun to just set up your units and watch them get turned to so much junk from the brutal assault of a multi thousand ton armored beast.

I think that under the right conditions , the dropship will make for a fun and exciting game. Under normal rules and "meta-game" tactics, it's not a very rewarding piece. I look forward to setting up an event at my local venue, and maybe throwing some house rules into effect for the event, or just making everyone playing have a darn near insane amount of points to attack it with.

Any further thoughts or opinions?

Considering the fact that the upgraded Avenger Class DropShip weighs 1,400 tons, has 2 ER PPCs, an AC/20, 3 Gauss Rifles, 4 LRM 20s, 3 ER LLs, and 8 Med. Pulse Ls, I really wouldn't want to be the lance commander going up against one of those (unless I had at least 2 companies with me (thats 24 'Mechs)).

P.S. - I chose to talk about the Avenger b/c it's the closest TRO I have to an aurora(sp?)

Actually, based on the things fire arcs the drop ship does have a big weakness to units with a 16" range. Start at the front of the dropship and you can destroy the two forward turrets from outside their 14" firing range and the 18" range of the #3 turret. Completely destroy those turrets and you've got six of the ten bullet holes you need to completely destroy the thing.

The riskiest part of the operation is bringing in a 16" range Mech from the flank. Bring it in so that its barely out of the rear #5 turret arc and you can be in range of the #4 turret and the #3 won't be able to help. You don't need to destroy the #4 turret... just get it to one bullet hole so it can't shoot anymore. Three bullet holes to go.

Finally, swing a Mech in close to the rear #5 turret and you can get inside its minimum range. Blow that turret to bits and you've got ten total bullet holes and the Dropship is history along with any Mech turtling inside it.

Having a solid way to destroy the dropship means that the dropship's support has to come out and engage you if that player is to win and that means the support can be destroyed too.

I was thinking of setting up a very large (10 x 30) game recreating the "Call to Arms" campaign. My Aurora would be the SW dropship, situated in the "Taibek Hills" with lots of blocking terrain around to defend it, an expanse of open terrain ("Rivers End") ending in a spaceport and a large downtown area with a HPG station. The rules would be each person would have to come with a SS or "Achenar Militia Army".

I haven't figured out how to do the militia army yet, I figure just any faction infantry, no movement formations allowed, only ICE mechs allowed save for the Legionaire and Ryoken. Build total maybe...1000 points for the SS army, 1000 for the militia with a 500 point reserve for infantry only. So for every unit destroyed you can reinforce them with infantry for up to half their original value. That simulates the common citizens rallying to the cause of defending their planet, and might also balance their inability to use movement formations and their dependence on weaker mechs. These replacements would be introduced at 'recruitment centers' in the city that could be destroyed using one of the various terrain rulesets out there, preventing the introduction of more units. The SS would play with traditional MW rules.

The trick is, while each of the three players must choose SS or Militia, they must also bring a SW army of whatever size they choose. They will then bid for the right to play as the SW force, with whoever bidding the lowest point value winning the right. They would be required to use the dropship. Because the Dropships eventually shifted to the spaceport in the book, they will be able to move in this game too. It will take all your orders in a turn to lift the dropship off the ground, 5 orders per subsequent turn to move it one shiplength, and another full turn to set it down again. So the SW player better have a secure position before committing to such a movement.

Anyway, the idea of course is for the winner to control the HPG station, as in the novel. Initially the SS and militia will need to band together to hold off the SW assualt, but if the SW side is weakened they can turn on each other at any time, with no warning to gain control.

So that's my idea in a nutshell for a recreation of the Battle for Achenar from "A Call to Arms", my favorite DA novel so far. Any suggestions? I plan on trying this out sometime in my house when I have enough terrain stuff available to simulate a field of this size.

I want to have one but we don't either have the time to run one or the dropships.

Hey Sharker

Check out the SH strat. thread. Mystech1 has an interesting Dropship/Hot Drop senerio he's play testing. Or just PM him, I'm pretty sure he'll be nice enough to tell you the details.

Trust me on this you need to check it out Mystech1 really thought it out good.

Here is a twist to try. Since the turrets can be removed from the Dropship you can have a fight against an installation. Just remove the turret(s) that you want to use and place them on building or terrain feature. If you place them on a building use the modifier for higher levels when shooting at the turret.

This allows you to play with a small force and simulate taking out defenses. It is also and easy way to help teach players how to play that have a hard time figuring out all the movement strategies.

If you decide to use a popup/hidden until fired version of the turrets, you should give the turret a modifier of hitting any targets. I think +2 to the to hit number (maybe a +3) is good.

Anyway just some thoughts

Dave Chase

Davy that is a good idea, since my dropship is already being used in this battle maybe I could make a few ghetto click-dials to go with some improvised gun turrets mounted on the buildings downtown or surrounding the HPG facility.


Hellcat thanks I just pm'ed him

chibi hotaru is right the lioa A4 and a SS balac can kill the dropship by themselves if someone can take the lance that would come out of the dropship.

That would take a long, long time, and the whole 'if someone can take the lance that would come out' is a BIG if.
Usually, someone fielding the DropShip has enough points for support, and two of the best kinds of support for a DropShip are artillery and AA units. Playing Steel Wolves, I could field a pair of MHI AA Defense Tanks or Partisans to deal with VTOLs and a Danai to weaken artillery, and that strategy flops.