the shape of things to come

Jason’s Mechanized Tracked Point is comprised of 5
squads of 5 troopers each, for a total of 25 troops. Their
Primary Weapon is the standard Clan Gauss SMG, and
they employ 1 Bearhunter Superheavy AC per squad as
a Secondary Weapon. Because Jason has not provided 2
Secondary Weapons per squad, the ranges and modifi ers
for the Primary Weapons apply, rather than those of the
Bearhunters. On the Range Modifi ers row for his platoon,
Jason notes the following range values, based on the
Gauss SMGs: –1 to-hit modifi er at 0 hexes/same-hex range
(–2 base modifi er +1 for the Bearhunters’ Crew Value of 2),
no modifi er at 1 hex, +2 at 2 hexes and +4 at 3 hexes. Jason
then blacks out the rest of the Range Modifi ers lines from
4 through 21 hexes, as the platoon may not effectively
attack at such ranges.
At 1 Bearhunter per each of the platoon’s 5 squads, the Secondary
Weapon damage of 2.33 points each applies for only 5
troopers’ Damage Values. The remaining 20 troopers (25 total
troopers – 5 Bearhunter troopers = 20 remaining troopers)
deliver the Damage Value for the platoon’s Primary Weapons,
the gauss SMGs (0.45 each). The fi nal platoon Damage Value
comes to 21 ([5 Secondary Weapons x 2.33 Damage per Secondary
Weapon] + [20 Primary Weapons x 0.45 Damage per
Primary Weapon] = 20.65, round up to 21). Dividing this value
by 25, Jason fi nds that the average damage per trooper for
his Point is 0.84 (21 Damage ÷ 25 troops = 0.84 Damage per
trooper). Multiplying each trooper individually, he determines
the Damage Value of the platoon for troopers numbered 1
through 25.
RA RA
The swarming infantry converge on the BattleMech’s cockpit, banking on a quick-kill.
STEP 3: COMPLETE THE
RECORD SHEET
After computing all the data for the platoon’s size, MP, motive
type, Damage Value and ranges, the designer may complete
the Conventional Infantry Record Sheet by fi lling in this data,
making sure that the Damage Value for each number of active
troopers appears in the boxes below each trooper icon at that
number (for example, the Damage Value for 15 troopers would
appear below the trooper icon numbered 15) and that the modifi
ers are shown for each hex to which the weapons are eff ective.
Any excess troopers in the platoon or range boxes beyond the
reach of the platoon’s weapons must then be blacked out. The
designer should fi ll in the platoon’s MP and movement type on
their appropriate lines, as well as any special capabilities (such as
heavy-burst fi re or fl ame-based weapon capabilities). As Platoon
Data blocks permit, the information may be repeated throughout
the record sheet, so that the designer can track multiple platoons
of the same type at the same time during game play.
Once the designer has fi nished all of the above, the infantry
platoon is ready for Total Warfare game play.
PLATOON NOMENCLATURE
Though designers may choose any name desired for their
infantry platoons (as with all other units), as a rule of thumb, most
conventional infantry units in Classic BattleTech are identifi ed by
their motive and weapon types for ease of reference. For instance,
a platoon equipped with auto-rifl es that moves by jumping might
be called “Jump Rifl e Infantry” or “Rifl e Infantry (Jump)”.
If such platoons are also equipped with Secondary Weapons
that enhance their abilities, these Secondary Weapons may be
used to diff erentiate the platoon instead; for example, a platoon
armed with auto-rifles backed up by SRMs may call itself an
SRM platoon. Because the choice of weapon and motive types
dominates the platoon’s function so completely and can easily
aff ect such naming decisions, it is generally in this fi nal step that
a designer can best determine the proper nomenclature for a
new conventional infantry platoon.
INFANTRY AND CARGO TRANSPORTATION
When constructing infantry using these rules, the designer may
gain insight into how many troopers may be contained aboard a
vehicle with a cargo capacity measured in tonnage. The capacity
needed by an infantry platoon type is listed in the infantry bay
rules for such vehicles, and the weights generated by these rules
are intended to match them. When in doubt, however, use the
weight of the platoon versus the weight assigned to cargo by
the transporting vehicle(s) as a guide to determining how many
troops may be placed aboard a transport. While the result may
force the player to break up a platoon into groups smaller than
its component squads, it is not uncommon for a platoon to be
carried into battle in such a fashion aboard multiple APCs.
Oversized platoons—those that take up multiple lines on the
Infantry Record Sheet—should divide this total in proportion to
the troopers on each line, and record the weight for each line of
troops separately. Doing so enables the platoon to better account
for its component sub-platoons.