Before the introduction of the infantry platoon construction rules in Combat Operations I, and I’m sure many others, played around with the idea of conventional infantry with soldiers using exoskeletons or weapon stabilization mounts like those in the movie Aliens. This equipment allows soldiers carrier and use much heavier equipment than they could without assistance. I’ve been tinkering around with the infantry platoon construction rules to come up with what I think is a reasonable approximation of a platoon with exoskeleton equipped infantry.
Exoskeletons are expensive, high tech gear. As I envision a heavy foot infantry platoon I do not see every soldier in the platoon equipped with exoskeleton. Only the heavy weapon gunners and perhaps the assistant gunners would have them. But the exoskeletons should be relatively easy to adjust to a different user so they can be swapped between soldiers if need be.
So this is my motorized infantry approximation of a 30-soldier heavy foot infantry platoon equipped with 7 exoskeletons. The platoon is fluffed as a foot infantry platoon with assault rifles with grenade launchers, 3 support machine guns and 2 missile launchers. The fluff doesn’t match the stats but fluff is just fluff, all that really matters is the stats work with the rules. Besides, infantry are very abstract in BattleTech. The Corean Far Shot LRM launchers provide range. Five secondary weapons from the support weapon class reduce MP by 1, and the encumbering body armor reduces MP by another 1 so I have a very heavily armed and armored platoon with MP that matches cannon foot infantry.
Code:
TOE:
Platoon Leader – assault rifle
Platoon Medic – not armed
Rifle Squad, x3
Squad Leader – assault rifle
Squad Machine Gunner – infantry exoskeleton & support machine gun
Rifle Team, x2
Fire Team Leader – assault rifle
Rifleman, x2 – assault rifle
Anti-Armor Team, x2
Gunner – infantry exoskeleton & missile Launcher
Asst. Gunner – infantry exoskeleton, additional ammo & assault rifle
Code:
Platoon stats:
Notable Unit: Generic Heavy Foot Infantry
Tech Base (Rating): Inner Sphere (D/X-X-D)
Transport Weight: 6.5 tons (At minus 15 kg per soldier if not anti-‘Mech capable 6.0 tons)
Equipment:
Primary Weapon: 24 Federated-Barrett M42B Assault Rifles
Secondary Weapon: 5 Corean FarShot LRM Launchers
Armor: Encumbering Heavy Armor Kit
Battle Value: 140
Notes: 1 Paramedic assigned. Paramedic equipment. Not anti-‘Mech capable.
Platoon Type (Specialty): Motorized, (None)
Ground MP: 1
Terrain Restrictions: Water(Any)
Platoon Size (Squad/Platoon): 30 (10/3)
Damage Divisor: 2
To-Hit Modifier (Range in Hexes):
-1 (0 Hexes), 0 (1-3 Hexes), 2 (4-6 Hexes), 4 (7-9 Hexes)
Maximum Weapon Damage (# of Troopers):
27 (30), 26 (29), 25 (28), 24 (27), 23 (26-25), 22 (24), 21 (23), 20 (22), 19 (21), 18 (20), 17 (19), 16 (18), 15 (17), 14 (16-15), 13 (14), 12 (13), 11 (12), 10 (11), 9 (10), 8 (9), 7 (8), 6 (7), 5 (6-5), 4 (4), 3 (3), 2 (2), 1 (1)
Cost (C-bills): 6,413,193
For comparison here are some basic exoskeletons built using the battle armor construction rules. They would, in my opinion, be an open framework, rather than the enclosed hard shell systems portrayed in canon artwork. I think the links below to pictures on Deviant Art will give you some idea of what I talking about. The work is by Duster132, he does some great stuff in my opinion.
http://duster132.deviantart.com/art/Exosuit-436858820
http://duster132.deviantart.com/art/Ant ... -432267779
Code:
Classic BattleTech Battle Armor Technical Readout
VALIDATED
Type/Model: Infantry Exoskeleton SRM
Tech/Era: Inner Sphere / 2750 / CBT Rules
Chassis Type: Humanoid
Weight Class: PA(L)/Exoskeleton (0 - 400 kg)
Rules: Level 2, Standard design
Ground Speed: 10.8 km/h
Armor Type: Standard
------------------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Infantry Exoskeleton SRM
Equipment: Slots Mass
Chassis Type: PA(L) Class Humanoid 0 80
Motive System: Ground Movement (1 MP) 0 0
Armor Type: 2 Points Standard 0 100
Manipulators:
Left Arm: Armored Glove 0 0
Right Arm: Armored Glove 0 0
Weapons and Equipment Loc Shots Slots Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------
SRM 1 RA 4 2 100
Anti-Personnel Weapon Mount LA 1 5
Rifle, Automatic LA 30 0 0
Power Pack Body 1 25
Mission Equipment (90kg Capy) Body 1 0
------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 5 310
Slots & Mass Left: 1 90
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 232,662 C-Bills, Including Trooper
Training Costs of 150,000 C-bills
Battle Value: 14 (56 for 4) Weapon Value: 7 (Ratio=.50)
Cost per BV: 5,904.43 (w/o Trooper Training costs)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 2 MRDmg = 0 LRDmg = 0
Mechanized: Can travel on OmniMechs and OmniVehicles
Attacks: Can perform Swarm and Leg attacks
BattleForce2: Class: IB MP: 1 Armor/Structure: 1 / 0
Damage PB/M/L: -/-/- Overheat: 0
Point Value: 1 Specials: mec, car4
CBT:RPG Data: Armor Value (M/B/E/X): 4/5/6/5 Coverage: Full
IR: 0, ECM: 0, Camo: 0
Melee AP: 0, Target Size Modifier: 0
Movement Modifiers:
Walking: -1, Running: -2, Sprinting: -3
Attribute Modifiers: STR: 0, DEX: 0, RFL: 0
Equipment Rating: E/E/E
Created by HeavyMetal Battle Armor
Code:
Classic BattleTech Battle Armor Technical Readout
VALIDATED
Type/Model: Infantry Exoskeleton MG
Tech/Era: Inner Sphere / 2750 / CBT Rules
Chassis Type: Humanoid
Weight Class: PA(L)/Exoskeleton (0 - 400 kg)
Rules: Level 2, Standard design
Ground Speed: 10.8 km/h
Armor Type: Standard
------------------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Infantry Exoskeleton MG
Equipment: Slots Mass
Chassis Type: PA(L) Class Humanoid 0 80
Motive System: Ground Movement (1 MP) 0 0
Armor Type: 2 Points Standard 0 100
Manipulators:
Left Arm: Armored Glove 0 0
Right Arm: Armored Glove 0 0
Weapons and Equipment Loc Shots Slots Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun RA 100 2 105
Power Pack Body 1 25
Mission Equipment (90kg Capy) Body 1 0
------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 4 310
Slots & Mass Left: 2 90
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 233,000 C-Bills, Including Trooper
Training Costs of 150,000 C-bills
Battle Value: 11 (44 for 4) Weapon Value: 4 (Ratio=.36)
Cost per BV: 7,545.45 (w/o Trooper Training costs)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 1 MRDmg = 0 LRDmg = 0
Mechanized: Can travel on OmniMechs and OmniVehicles
Attacks: Can perform Swarm and Leg attacks
BattleForce2: Class: IB MP: 1 Armor/Structure: 1 / 0
Damage PB/M/L: 1/-/- Overheat: 0
Point Value: 0 Specials: mec, car4
CBT:RPG Data: Armor Value (M/B/E/X): 4/5/6/5 Coverage: Full
IR: 0, ECM: 0, Camo: 0
Melee AP: 0, Target Size Modifier: 0
Movement Modifiers:
Walking: 0, Running: 0, Sprinting: 0
Attribute Modifiers: STR: 0, DEX: 0, RFL: 0
Equipment Rating: E/E/E
Created by HeavyMetal Battle Armor