Dice Robotech - Expedition Under Fire (OOC)

[Psychie]

I know. I'll ride as a passenger on the back of someone else's Cyclone as needed, until it is time for combat. Then I'll jump down and just go around in my own CVR-3 armor.

 

[Epiphany]

Wait, so we anticipate flying Alphas and Betas to planets and then deploying with Cyclones separately? Should I be picking up both a Veritech and a Cyclone piloting skill?

 

[Psychie]

I would bet that most of the time we will be airborne, but with the occasional ground op that the larger mecha won't fit into. If you have enough skill slots open for it, you can at least pick up Pilot Ground Veritechs. You'll be able to get into a Cyclone and use it, but without the MECT Cyclone you will not have the extra bonuses for the combat training in it.

 

[Sherwood]

Hey Pips, which OCC are you looking at? Is it in the Marine book or the Core book? I may be able to offer you some suggestions on your skill selection.

 

[Epiphany]

I figure since there's Storm Commandos in play, it makes sense to stick with the Marine book. I'm assuming most of our missions will involve a planet-side element (since that's what the Marines are for in this setting vs. the core fleet which mostly handles engagements and fleets in space. So, looking at the Marine Technical Officer.

 

[Sherwood]

I would suggest for your MOS packages to go with the Storm Commando Basic Training and the Science Officer ones. The Technical Officer comes with one Pilot skill of choice, and the Storm Commando Basic Training gives you two more and upgrades your HtH to Commando for the extra bonuses. Then, you can use your OCC Related and Other skills to get the MECT for at least one of the flying Veritechs and a Cyclone if you want. Hell, you can even pick up Hover Tank training as one of your MECT skills, since you'll have the Pilot Ground Veritech skill.

WlfSamurai Is the older Valkyrie a option to take in this game, or just the Alpha and Beta?

 

[Psychie]

Sherwood has a good read on it. Since you get three Pilot skills, you can get both the Flying Veritechs and Ground Veritechs, then pick one more Pilot skill that appeals to you. If we do have a ground mission, if you go with MECT Hover Tank, it will be a good heavy hitter with me in my Silverback.

 

[Sherwood]

Good idea, Psy. Hover Tanks are so cool. I might go with one of those once I have a skill slot to spare for MECT Spartas.

 

[Epiphany]

Alpha and Hover Tank it is!

 

[Epiphany]

Huh. This is the first time I've ever noticed that taking MECT for a given mech allows you to reduce penalties by one per level of your character. Has that always been the case or is that unique to 2e?

 

[Epiphany]

Sherwood Just noticed your sheet has a Beta fighter in your stat block, but you have MECT: Alpha Fighter. Typo or are you just playing this in hard mode?

 

[Sherwood]

I'm not quite sure what you are referring to. I know that if you have a Pilot skill without the MECT for the mecha you are in, you can still operate it with only your own HtH bonuses. Adding the MECT gives you the combat bonuses for that mecha that are listed at the base of the mecha description.

Sherwood Just noticed your sheet has a Beta fighter in your stat block, but you have MECT: Alpha Fighter. Typo or are you just playing this in hard mode?

I snagged Alpha from the OCC MECT I get, and the Beta from the MOS Beta Pilot MOS. If I had known that Psychie was planning to go with the Silverback, I may have taken MECT for that, or a Hover Tank for me.

 

[Epiphany]

Core book pg. 274, last paragraph of MECT (upper right): "This is a supplemental piloting skill applicable only to mecha, including Battloids and Veritechs, and does not have a base skill or level of progression other than reducing penalties an additional one point per level of the pilot's experience."

 

[Sherwood]

Hmm. I never noticed that before. I'm not sure how that would work. I had always known that the MECT gives you bonuses for the combat training, like what it gives you for the Alpha:

Bonuses with Mecha Combat Training: +1 attack per melee round at levels 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. +2 on initiative, +2 to strike (applies to punches, stomps and kicks), +2 to parry, +2 to disarm, +3 to pull punch, +2 to dodge on the ground, +4 to dodge in flight (any mode), and +2 to roll with impact.

I don't know what it means other than that.

 

[Psychie]

Sometimes the game can be confusing.

 

[Sherwood]

Tell me about it. I only recently discovered that HEAP missiles do triple damage on a Critical Strike, not just double. It was pure chance that I stumbled across that one little line that mentions it. Not like the people at Palladium made it easy to spot.

 

[Epiphany]

Editing has never been a Palladium strength.

I'm assuming that a 5th level pilot with MECT: Alpha, while flying an Alpha, could ignore 5% of a penalty to their skill (like, if they were flying in a storm or something). I'm not sure how else to read that passage.

 

[Psychie]

I can tell that the 5th level pilot would have +2 actions above their own when inside the mecha, but how does the other part of that work? That's odd. I have never seen that before, either. We'll have to see what our Illustrious Storyteller has to say once he's back on line to look at this.

 

[Sherwood]

Editing has never been a Palladium strength.

I'm assuming that a 5th level pilot with MECT: Alpha, while flying an Alpha, could ignore 5% of a penalty to their skill (like, if they were flying in a storm or something). I'm not sure how else to read that passage.

That could very well be it. I'll have to ponder this some myself, but I like your read of that passage.

 

[Psychie]

It would help to explain how ace pilots like Max Sterling was able to be so good as they fly.

 

[Sherwood]

WlfSamurai With Epiphany joining us, will she replace one of the npcs or are we going to have a seven man squad? If you want, we can have our EW specialist fly as a passenger with one of the Betas to keep us at three Alphas and three Betas.

 

[Epiphany]

WlfSamurai With Epiphany joining us, will she replace one of the npcs or are we going to have a seven man squad? If you want, we can have our EW specialist fly as a passenger with one of the Betas to keep us at three Alphas and three Betas.

Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Epiphany]

Soviet Panda
You want in? You could play the token human male if you want to be surrounded by estrogen.

 

[Soviet Panda]

Going to choose my words carefully. Hell yeah.
((ignore the fact that that is a girl in the picture))

 

[Epiphany]

I mean, you could play a girl too. All female team!