the shape of things to come

Crew: Normally a concern with Support Weapons, the Crew
Value is used to determine the minimum number of troopers
required to operate a weapon. The Crew Value serves to limit the
number of Support Weapons that a platoon can carry (per squad)
and can even aff ect the platoon’s to-hit modifi ers in close-range
attacks. These eff ects are noted on the Conventional Infantry
Weapon Crew Table (see p. 149).
CHOOSE PRIMARY INFANTRY WEAPONS
While all conventional infantry forces carry an array of armaments
to the battlefi eld—combat knives, grenades, pistols and so
forth—infantry forces in Total Warfare are constructed around the
principle that the majority of troops in a platoon will carry the same
standardized primary weapon (typically a rifl e). When arming a platoon,
this primary weapon must be established fi rst, to determine
the platoon’s overall damage type (similar to how the standard
auto-rifl e serves as the basis for the generic Rifl e, Ballistic platoon
presented in Total Warfare).
Using the statistics outlined above, the designer determines
the platoon’s weaponry by selecting the desired Primary Infantry
Weapon type. Only weapons listed as Melee or Standard under
the Weapon Class/Type column may be chosen as Primary Infantry
Weapons. All troopers in the platoon receive the same Primary
Weapon at this point, though the addition of any Secondary
(Support) Weapons will change this as some troopers trade in
their Primary Weapons for Secondary Weapons (at right).
Darrell decides that his motorized infantry platoon
will be a basic laser rifl e unit. The standard laser rifl e is
available to the Inner Sphere and the Clans, and is listed
as a Standard weapon. This means it is suitable for use
as his platoon’s Primary Weapon. Darrell notes that the
laser rifl e is given Damage Type (E), indicating an energy
weapon used for standard ranged attacks, and has no
special abilities. The laser rifl e has a Base Range of 2, which
will give the platoon a –2 to-hit modifi er at a range of 0
hexes (the platoon’s same hex), no modifi er at a range of 1
to 2 hexes, a +2 modifi er at ranges of 3 to 4 hexes, and a +4
to-hit modifi er at 5 to 6 hexes. The laser rifl e also provides
each trooper with a Damage Value of 0.28. Finally, a Crew
Value of 1 means that the use of laser rifl es will not aff ect
the platoon’s to-hit numbers, and that each trooper in the
platoon may carry one.
For his Marian foot infantry platoon, Eberhard chooses
standard ballistic rifl es as a Primary Weapon. From the
Infantry Weapons List, he chooses the basic auto-rifle,
which is listed as a Standard (B) weapon, for standard
ranged attack capability with a Base Range of 1, and a
Damage Value of 0.52 points per trooper. The Crew Value
of 1 means that the auto-rifl es function without added
modifi ers at close range and may be carried by all troopers.
Eberhard notes that the Base Range will yield a –2
to-hit modifi er at 0 hexes/same-hex range, no modifi er at
1 hex, +2 at 2 hexes and +4 at 3 hexes.
Glenn decides his Mechanized Hover Infantry Platoon will
also use ballistic rifl es. Like Eberhard, he chooses the autorifl
e for a Base Range of 1 and a Damage Value of 0.52 per
trooper.
For his Tracked Mechanized Clan platoon (Point), Jason
decides to employ the new Gauss submachine guns (SMGs)
as the Point’s Primary Weapon system. Gauss submachine
guns are available only to a Clan Tech Base and are listed
as a Standard (B) Weapon, meaning they are usable as Primary
Weapons and attack per normal infantry direct fi re
rules. With their Base Range of 1, the Gauss SMGs receive
the same modifi ers as Eberhard’s and Glenn’s auto-rifl es,
but receive a per-trooper Damage Value of 0.45.
CHOOSE SECONDARY (SUPPORT) INFANTRY WEAPONS
Secondary weapons—support weaponry intended to improve
a platoon’s overall hitting power and reach—are common in many
conventional infantry formations, but are decidedly less numerous
because their bulk and crew needs make them more diffi cult
to transport and fi re at the same time. As with Primary Weapons,
the infantry forces used in Total Warfare are constructed around
the principle that a platoon will employ only one type of Secondary
Weapon at a time, if any.
Under these rules, Secondary Weapons are chosen and
assigned to a platoon on a per-squad basis, with all squads in the
platoon receiving an identical Secondary Weapons assignment.
If one squad in the platoon receives 1 Secondary Weapon, all
squads in the platoon receive 1 Secondary Weapon of the same
type and statistics; if a squad receives 2 Secondary Weapons, all
squads in the platoon receive 2 Secondary Weapons of the same
type and statistics.
MM MM
A Davion Guards’ Osiris makes the mistake of turning its back on a platoon of conventional infantry.