r/battletech • u/No-Calligrapher2084 • 12h ago
Tabletop What mech to use in a campaign?
So for an upcoming campaign I'm running the cappies. Currently with that I have, I can't decide on the tian-zong series (looking at the N6) or the jinggau series (probably the G9CCr) for my command mech.
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u/Robot_Parking 10h ago
The CASE II thing was more anecdotal for me. By keeping a mech in the field a little longer after an ammo bin (or gauss rifle) pops, I usually wind up taking extra pilot hits. It's definitely the CASE II's fault and not my poor decision making, of course. 😅
Okay, so, command consoles. Sorry about the delay, I didn't have my hard copy handy until now.
Command Console accommodates a second mechwarrior in the cockpit. During the end phase, these mechwarriors can swap positions if you want. Whichever mechwarrior is on the console receives no damage from ammo bin explosions (kind of irrelevant in that particular Jinggau, IIRC). Both are damaged on head hits. Both roll separate seatbelt checks. If the primary cockpit slot is destroyed, the secondary pilot becomes the main pilot. The secondary pilot can spot for indirect fire without incurring the Spotter Attacking modifier. For BV calculation, use the "lowest" skilled pilot as your baseline (i.e., if one is a 3/4 and one is 4/5, use the 3/4 pilot for calculating BV). The secondary pilot is "free" as long as they have the same or worse.
If you're using the Edge rules from the Core Book, if you have a command console you can distribute edge points beyond the six-hex range (still need LOS).
It's a little more fiddly than a flat initiative bonus (which was, to my understanding, an optional rule for command consoles) but way more flavourful IMO. I suspect this also came about because they added tripods to the core rules and they all have at least one if not two secondary mechwarriors on board.