Opinion needed: Is 4/6 movement really any better than 3/5 movement?
I started think on this about a few weeks ago, when participating discussions on building low-tech Mechs that could in theory stood against much more advance adversaries...
But then it occurred to me... in the introtech (or Succession Wars) era, 4/6 movement (whether it is 4/6/0 or 4/6/4) has always been the popular "majority" speed for medium/heavy trooper/generalist design BattleMechs.
And then after playing with Megameklab a number of times, I realized how much tonnage could be freed by simply reducing the engine rating, so the BattleMech moves at 3/5 (whether 3/5/0 or 3/5/3)...
But I can see people arguing that 3/5 is Atlas speeds, not something you'll find on a "Trooper"/"Generalist" models.
But then again, is 4/6 really better than 3/5? I mean by walking, 4 hex and 3 hex is the same TMM of 1, and by running, 6 hex and 5 hex are the same TMM of 2. (In Alpha Strike terms it's 6" movement and 8" movement, sharing the same TMM of 1)
When facing terrain, my experience is the terrain that bogged down 3/5 'Mechs would also do the same thing to 4/6 'Mechs.
In my experience, you'll need at least 5/8 or 6/9 'Mechs to meaningfully maneuver differently than 3/5 or 4/6 'Mechs.
So, what are your opinion on this matter?
An example of a 3/5/3 Introtech "Trooper" BattleMech:
Posted Mar 14, 2026, 6:29 AM UTC