16 Combat Vehicle Primer

The BattleTech: Total Warfare rules for Combat Vehicles are similar to the rules for ’Mechs, with a few important differences. Many of these differences are listed below, with page numbers from BattleTech: Total Warfare for reference.

• General:

  • Combat Vehicles are only 1 level high (see p. 99, TW ).

• Movement Phase:

  • Combat Vehicles have additional prohibited terrain types (see p. 52, TW ).
  • Ground vehicles require 2 MP to change level and may only change 1 level at a time (see p. 49, TW ).
  • Ground vehicles receive one additional 1 MP when traveling on pavement for the entire Movement Phase (see p. 61, TW ).
  • WiGE, VTOL, and Hover Vehicles may sideslip when turning at flank speed (running) (see p. 67, TW ).

• Attack Phases:

  • Combat Vehicles with turrets can select the firing arc for the turret (see p. 104 TW ).
  • Combat Vehicles have different damage hit location zones and hit location tables (see p. 192-196, TW ).
  • Combat Vehicle damage may cause motive system damage which can slow or immobilize the vehicle (see p. 193, TW ).
  • Combat Vehicle critical damage is resolved by rolling 2D6 and consulting the critical hit table for the vehicle; there is no roll for the number of critical hits (see p. 194-196, TW ).
  • Combat Vehicles are destroyed if all internal structure in one location is destroyed or if the critical damage results in destruction (see p. 128, TW ).
• Many of Combat Vehicle tables can be printed directly on the Combat Vehicle record sheet in MegaMekLab. It is recommended to verify the tables printed on record sheets against BattleTech: Total Warfare and any applicable errata.