Laser review and rebalance

Laser nerfing refers to practices created to nerf laser weapons, specially in CBT (Classic Battletech) tabletop play.

Lasers are extremely efficient weapons, with the standard models not using ammo, not having disadvantages like running out of attacks, or ammo explosions. In addition they are very light and tonnage efficient. Double Heat Sinks makes Battlemechs and Omnimechs have a 20 heat per turn default base capacity, making the "heat generation" point very manageable if not moot.

Even then, Small Lasers for example produce half as much heat at the equivalent SRM-2, while costing half the tonnage, not requiring the extra slots and tonnage of carrying ammo, and not being subject to explosions. An ER Medium Laser generates the same heat and damage than a Light PPC, weight three times less, occupies half the number of slots, and has the same number of hexes of effective range (with the Light PPC not being able to fire in 3 hexes close, but having 3 extra range out far; quite possibly, a bad deal even in that).

This is all to say, lasers need to be nerfed to be balanced to other weapons.

This is a list of stuff that can be used to nerf Lasers. Equipment is unreliable as it needs to be added on the drawing board and not a substitute for actual balancing, but anything is possible to combat the Laser threat.

Equipment

 * Laser reflecting armor: Sadly, despite the topical name, the titular Armor is as good against PPCs and Flamers as it is against lasers (and even against Plasma Rifles and Plasma Cannons), thus not helping to reduce balance gaps previously mentioned. Worse still, this armor takes double damage from melee attacks. Considering lasers have no minimum range (not even the longest ranged of them), nothing prevents the laser boat from closing in and giving you a beating, unless you make your model purpuselly agile to avoid this.

Buffing equipment

 * Lasers are exceptionally good with Targeting Computers: Since the weight of a TC is computed (heh) in relation to the weight of the weapons applied, the exceptionally light Medium Lasers and Small Lasers are far off the best weapons to pair with it, giving them a -1 to hit and ability to aim sections, with negligible tonnage gain.

Buffing rules

 * A Laser AMS used as a weapon: Acts like a micro pulse laser with a maximum range of 1.
 * Any energy weapon (either Direct Fire or Pulse) can dial down its Damage Value: cutting back on heat generated. Before a con-trolling player makes a to-hit roll for an energy weapon attack, he can announce that he is “dialing back” the Damage Value. For each 1 point less of Damage Value, the weapon generates 1 less heat point than normal, to a minimum of 1 heat; regardless of whether a weapon’s Damage Value is reduced to 0, the weapon will always generate at least 1 heat. Ammo: Any energy  weapon  that  is  ammo-dependent  (such as a vehicle flamer, Plasma weapons and chemical lasers) cannot make use of this rule.

Fanon
Each of these things only nerfs lasers quite slightly. Combine them together for the true laser-nerfing experience. Specially the optional rules (combining all the equipment in your unit is overkill and you will be vulnerable to other weapons). As none of these rules have official standing, they can be tweaked, enabled or disabled, by simple agreement before playing.

Equipment

 * Redshift Photon Deenergizer: Analog of the Blue Field Particle Damper that reduces incoming damage from PPCs by 30%, but for lasers.
 * Spectrum Mirrorcoating: Reflects a Laser attack to a section back at the enemy.
 * Lightbend Armor: Provides optical camouflage along with laser protection.

Non-kinetic laser hits
 Damage dealt by lasers themselves doesn't add towards the 'mech check for falling if 20 or more damage was taken this turn when hitting opponents, since lasers have negligible kinetic force and work by just transmitting damage by heat. (Laser explosions to yourself still count as normal as that would be physical components, not photons.)

Laser component explosions
 If lasers were fired last turn or this one, when critted and destroyed they explode dealing damage as an ammo explosion equal to double their damage rating. Such damage can be mitigated by CASE. Doesn't apply to Chemical lasers. (Still, a Small Laser critted would deal to you 6 damage, and only if you used it... MG ammo is 400 damage!). If you use a rare type of laser that already explodes (such as Improved Heavy Lasers), this is in addition to any damage from those rules.

Laser component burnout
 If a Laser was fired in the last turn, when firing, if the laser has already fired the previous turn, a to-hit roll result of 2 or less burns out the system before it can fire, damaging its slot and disabling the weapon, thus inflicting no damage on the target. On the third turn of continued firing, and each additional turn, an extra -1 penalty is applied to the to-hit roll (so the fifth turn would have a -3 penalty, and thus less chances of hitting and more chances of burning). All penalties are cleared by spending just one turn without firing. This burnout does not deal damage to your unit, even if laser component explosions are enabled.