"There are several kinds of 'Mechs available, they're mostly divided by weight class. Lighter 'Mechs are faster but far less durable and usually carry lighter weapons. They make better scouts and support units. Heavier 'Mechs are better at throwing their weight around and taking a hit. Use whatever strategy you want, nothing beats a good pilot with a sharp mind."
Light Class Battlemechs- These mechs weigh between 20 and 35 tons. They are light armed and lightly armored, using their dexterity and their various stealth gadgets to keep themselves running. While they aren't particularly devastating in battle, they're unparalleled in a scouting role.
Medium Class Battlemechs- These are the most common type of mech. They combine speed, firepower, and armor into a well balanced package. While not the most terrifying mechs available they are highly flexible and can perform in a variety of situations.
Heavy Class Battlemechs- The Heavy Class is designed to make up the front lines of the battlefield. They are reasonably maneuverable and carry heavy weaponry and armor making them very lethal. They are less versatile than medium mechs but are great at what they do... making messes.
Assault Class Battlemechs- Weighing in anywhere from 80-100 tons, the Assault Class Battlemech is a terror to behold. Carrying excessive amounts of armor and weaponry they wield unmatched destructive power. They are incredibly slow however and require support to prevent them from being easily flanked and mobbed by faster more versatile mechs.
"Here at the Chop Shop we let you customize your 'mech just the way you like it. There is huge number of options available to you, so just take this sheet and go and fill it out and we'll do the rest for you:
Battlemech Name:
Battlemech Model:
Weight Class: (Light, Medium, Heavy, Assault)
Tons:
Chasis: (Standard/Endo-Steel)
Engine: (Standard/XL)
Jump Jets:
Armor Type: (Standard/Ferro-Fibrous)
Weaponry:
Machine Guns: This is exactly what it sounds like, except a little bigger. They're not terribly useful against other 'mechs though, there's way too much armor. They are however incredibly useful against infantry and smaller targets like vehicles and power armor.
Autocannons: This is basically a huge tank cannon mounted to your 'mech. They come in various sizes and flavors but essentially they're your average anti-armor shell except taken to a new level.
Gauss Rifles: These weapons are black sheep of the ballistic family. Instead of using gunpowder to fire the round, it uses electricity to create a magnetic field that slings the slug at tremendous speeds. The Gauss rifle is capable of reaching incredible ranges and are excellent for taking out targets at a distance.
Energy Weapons- Here you have your state of the art beam weapons. Instead of throwing metal slugs, these weapons use light or electricity or some other non-solid particle to do their damage. Energy weapons often have the unfortunate side effect of generating intense heat.
Lasers: It's the modern weapon we all know and love, the laser. These come in small, medium, and large dealing their damage accordingly. They're best at melting away the opponent's armor with intense heat.
PPC: I know, it's a funny looking word, but it stands for Particle Projection Cannon. Now I could get into all the fancy science, but essentially it generates a bolt of lightning that combines heat, physical damage, and electrical damage all in one handy weapon. Be warned however, they are harder to aim because they need to be charged, dont' travel at the speed of light, and well... it's a bolt of lightning.
Flamers: Okay it's not as fancy as the other two, it's pretty much a big flamethrower. It doesn't really do that much damage to other 'mechs per se, but it's absolutely terrifying and has the nasty habit of severely increasing the targets heat.
Explosives- Instead of throwing slugs or lightning, these weapons just go boom. These are the missiles of the 'mech world. There are a few different kind of missiles available and they all serve different functions.
LRMs: These are Long Range Missiles. Before firing you must acquire a lock on the enemy 'mech. Once you accomplish this task, you can fire these missiles and they'll streak upwards into the air and crash down on the target's head blowing chunks out of their armor. They're great for hitting targets over ridges, but the catch is that they're fairly useless without the lock...
SRMs: In contrast to the LRMs, these are the short range missiles. Instead of wasting time and energy on fancy schmancy guidance systems, these missiles opt to go for an approach with more oomph. These weapons cannot lock onto a target, and instead simply fire where they're pointed, but if they connect, they cause quite the headache.
