So what kind of light mech are you? This is the question I try to start with when building out my lance or mech pool for a mission. Compared to the massive damage output of heavy and assault mechs, or even the comparative staying power (armor) of medium mechs it’s easy to overlook the tactical value of a light mech.
Tactically I feel that the fun a commander (read fun as frustrating your opponent) has with a light mech comes from dedicating it to one role, and sticking with that. A few medium mechs and many heavy meachs can do a little of both, but not a light mech- they just don’t have the armor to survive long enough to be multi-tasking with the rest of the lance.
What makes things a little harder is the secondary fact that even the “heavy” hitting light mech like the Panther won’t last very long if it attracts the attention of a heavy mech.
I’ve found that direct one to one fights are a no/no with light mechs- even if going light vs. light- great I won, but my light mech is trashed and the next hit from anything will just finish it off.
Thoughts so far?
So here is my formula for a light mech.
I first ask if I intend to shoot with it or not?
If not, the primary criteria is how fast can it move/far can it jump. This is the extreme (the movement) that I want to use to give my other mechs some tactical decision making room. The job of the light mech (Locust pilots come to mind) is to play the odds of the dice, and run around taking shots from the opposing mechs and using the speed, range, and terrain to try and not get hit- every miss against a light mech is a more than likely hit taken away from one of my other mechs. If I can roll off a few hits on my own, that is a bonus.
If I plan to shoot with the mech, then the primary criteria is usually a single damaging weapon- PPC or autocannon- Panther vs. Urbanmech. In planning to shoot with the light mech it hangs out with one of the heavier or assault mechs as it closes, at which point it either lends a hand, or more tactically looks to engage damaged targets left over from the heavy/assault mech so the assault mech can continue on putting pressure on the next target, or if due to its slower movement and heat management issues it has to move to the next target.
One or the other, but for a light mech not both.
