From: lunatic@netcom.com (Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex)
Subject: Re: BTECH: Extra Cockpits
Organization: Netcom; Renegade User
Distribution: World
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 20:26:39 GMT

In article <1992Dec20.200215.29168@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> probe@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Prabal Nandy) writes:
>In article <1992Dec20.001332.2142@netcom.com> lunatic@netcom.com (Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex) writes:> 
>>    ][t's pretty simple to make up your own optional rules for multiple
>> cockpits.  Like so:  Second cockpit weighs 1 ton, takes up 1 critical
>> space, must be mounted in the head.  Piloting skill or to-hit rolls
>> are then based on the piloting or gunnery skill of the person in the 
>> second cockpit.  You can say that since they weigh the same and take
>> up the same amount of space, both cockpits have dual controls.  So if
>> one of the mechwarriors is taken out, then the other one can take over
>> the entire mech, but s/he must use his/her piloting and gunnery skills.
>>
>
>   Ok, first, what do you mean the cockpits weigh the same amount? Regular
>BT cockpits are 3 tons, and four criticals, right? Also, when determining
>head hits, how do you determine WHICH cockpit has taken the damage, and
>which mechwarrior is injured? Oh, well, since it's optional I suppose it's
>arbitrary anyway.... but ever since I first played BT (My opponent, who
>owned the game, insisted that a Battlemech had a cockpit in the head AND one
>in the center torso to take over in case of a head-shot,) I've always
>thought that having a second cockpit was too big of an advantage... It
>seriously increases a mech's survivability, especially if the second cockpit
>is located off of the head. (That's why I like your system better... though
>I wish they had some official rules about it... for some of the more
>'battleship' mecha, it would make sense to have a weapons officer to fire
>all those little MG and MLs...)
 
 
    \_/
     |ah, mech cockpits weigh 3 tons, but I figure that that included
 all the sensors and life support shown in the cirtical hit tables.  A
 second cockpit wouldn't need those (unless you wanted redundant systems)
 so it would weigh less, and wouldn't take up the spaces that that
 equipment needed.  You'll notice in my optional rule I mentioned that
 the second cockpit had to be mounted in the HEAD.  So, it would take
 up the one remaining critical space there.  Before the battle, you
 decide which cockpit holds which mechwarrior, so if you get a crit
 there you can tell which one bought it.  (:
     _
    /-\dded optional rule:  Redundant sensors and life support.  If
 you want to pay the full 3 tons for a second cockpit you can get the
 extra sensors and life support that comes with it.  They have to be
 mounted in the same place as the second cockpit, so you'll have to
 mount everything someplace other than the head.  You may wish the
 added restriction that only the warrior in the cockpit that is in the
 same location as those extra sensors and life support can use them.
 This would be kind of a logical progression from the original 1 ton
 second cockpit:  If the second cockpit is in the head, it can use the
 existing sensors and life support, otherwise it has to have the added
 2 tons for its own sensors and life support.

-- 
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