[Jonah Blackwood]

The MHB has been approached numerous times by people wanting to know the status on purchasing less common units, such as the Solaris line.

My first response was no, as they are usually unique or very rare. However, some select designs (not just Solaris) seem to be made-to-order.

I had the notion of adding some of the more rare (but indicated in the fluff that they are not unique), with some increase in cost. This would give people access to some of the perfectly legal, but rarer units. This does not include any celestials and whatnot.

Discuss.

[Colonel Timothy Maddox]

I would be in favor of doing this for the solaris designs with some slight increase in the cost given they are probably made on single runs. Are there other units besides S7 designs that would fit the mold you were thinking though?

[Jonah Blackwood]

Maybe some of the XTRO stuff from gladiators, mercs, and pirates. Not the obviously unique ones, but perhaps ones that state they were part of a limited run. Also some of the more uncommon variants that I think are mostly on the non-purchase or not even added. Archer-Rubinsky, Yen Lo Wang, those sort of things. I think there are some WD variants of certain things, as well as some of the UK variants (I believe from the UK btech magazine). I know there was a dual cockpit BLR.

[Dulio Giovanni]

Well I believe there are also uncommon refits of the mechs like the Victor, Battlemaster, etc that received Clan-level technology. Then there are also the LAMs, the Stinger in particular which was actually in production up until 3050, that's three centuries worth of output flying around out there, when the Nova Cats took over Irece and considering the integration of the Nova Cats to the Combine and the its very possible that production restarted in the Lexatech plant again.

Then also there's the stuff from the recently released XTRO: Corporations.

This post has been edited by Dulio Giovanni: 25 May 2010 - 10:15 AM

[Marcus Näslund]

Wait Stinger LAMs were made until 3050?? I want some

[Dulio Giovanni]

Yep given that level of production there are likely more Stinger LAMs than certain designs like the Hoplite, of which there were only 12 in service with the Wolf's Dragoons, or the Shootist which numbered less than 300 at the close of the Fourth Succession War. The only thing that kept people howling that they aren't there anymore is the fact that developer discontinued support for them but then again prior to the Catalyst Labs' financial problems the developer did promise to bring updated rules as part of the Era books. If they had been available I'd have bought a wing of these things off the bat.

[Marcus Näslund]

what do we care about them being discontinued if we're even incorporating non-canon custom designs into our universe? They're still part of the history, clearly.

[Major T. Kleber]

How about some of the more specialized Infantry Types?
Like the AA Infantry Platoons of House Marik or the LRM Missle Infantry ?
With the recent rules changes the PBI is suddenly a lot less B then before.
Anti Mech Infantry can now be outright dangerous...

[Lantern]

LRM Infantry is already purchasable.

The only other one I can think of is the LA Flechette infantry, but they have limited usefulness.

[dark ronin]

what about units that were stopped being built during the succession wars, for one reason or another, and then began being built again during the late 3060's and early 3070's with upgraded weaponry, such as the Heliopolis, firebee, Icarus II, Ymir, among some others.

[Jonah Blackwood]

I know the TRO covered the old units (for play in a campaign of an older setting), but I dont recall them stating they were back in production.

[Colonel Timothy Maddox]

some of them were brought back into service because of events that didn't happen in BTM canon I believe.

[Dulio Giovanni]

Well I recall its a little nebulous. Canon said that Lexatech fell into the hands of the Nova Cats but its pretty mum on what happened, no mention was made of it being disassembled or destroyed, and its now back in the control of the Combine, even in canon, so logical assumption would be they'd reopen the factory at some point, barring legal BS from Harmony Gold..

There was actually even an announcement that Catalyst was bringing back the Unseen series until another cease and desist order was thrown their way by the late Macek's goons.

This post has been edited by Dulio Giovanni: 29 May 2010 - 06:04 AM

[dark ronin]

maybe so but that doesnt mean that we ant do a little fluff fluffing to explain how some where again being produced, in small numbers and maybe only for solaris VII. The Heliopolis just says that vest began building them shortly after WOB left Solaris VII. The firebee only talks about two being rebuilt with updated gear, personally id prefer the original production model, its more my style of light mech, though adding the stealth armor to the original load out would make for a mean little scout bug, lol

[Colonel Timothy Maddox]

The LAMS should stay dead. Even if the factory you speak of was in the combine (I heard the last LAM factory was taken by the FAlcons I thought), they would have no use for LAMs and likely would have converted it to some other use. Like making Jenner IICs maybe

[Jonah Blackwood]

About the Clan refits of standard mechs, as far as I know many of them are on the list. They have a © at the end of the nomenclature.

As for the Firebee and such, you are right. The events that brought it back were them going back to primitive mechs because of the Jihad. Didnt happen, so no pressure to go back to inferior mechs... yet.

As for LAMs, those are pretty much dead, and Im not doing CPR on a corpse. The concept of a LAM is not banned, but nothing in the literature says the former LAM designs are still around. The source listed states the factory was around til 3050, but when it was captured the source of spare parts ended. It also states the LAM was never made in any significant number. This does not seem to indicate to me that it was cranking out new machines continuously. Presumably it just had a line running spare parts.

[The Kid]

Quote

The concept of a LAM is not banned

NOOOOOO! The Design Submission Board will be flooded with LAMs within moments!

[Dulio Giovanni]

lol guess we'll just have to build new ones then.

[Jonah Blackwood]

You dont have to buy them if you dont want them in your flavor of the BTM universe. Thats assuming I approve any.

[Dulio Giovanni]

Well looks like LAMs will be back in force as an actual part of Battletech world. TRO: 3085 is bringing them back into play with new rules and actual canon units to go with them.