Lance
A Lance is a basic formation employed by 'MechWarriors, and the building block which organization charts are made with. Being able to function as a single unit is the key to victory; every-man-for-himself doesn't work too well on the battlefield.
In the world of the Inner Sphere, the Lance has been a standard unit design since the heyday of the Star League and the proliferation of BattleMechs. It consists of four BattleMechs of any weight class, and any personnel who might be needed to support them. In some cases, a "Lance" is used to refer to a formation of four combat vehicles; this is sometimes considered 'adorable' by 'MechWarriors with a superiority complex, but it winds up being a useful organizational tool when planning out the charts.
Whether a Lance is made up of vehicles or 'Mechs, they are almost always formed with a purpose in mind. As such you can find "Reconnaissance Lances" of Light-class BattleMechs or "Heavy Battle Lances" formed of many varied weight classes. Outfits which have enough time to organize special Lances such as these often have enough time to train the Lances in specific strategies enhancing their performance as a whole. This alone is a good reason for Successor States to organize Lances in their units and keep them adequately staffed; however, smaller outfits will rarely have the time or training to really take advantage of this. As such a "Lance" in these cases are often just a selection of four 'Mechs with no extra thought beyond simply counting to four.
Composition
Manpower
A Lance is minimally composed of four BattleMechs and the 'MechWarriors who pilot them, though for a fully-staffed Lance there are some expected extra support personnel attached. For each BattleMech, it is normal for a support technician team to be present, composed of one Technician and six Assistant Techs each. In addition, depending on what type of outfit the Lance is in, there may be associated other support personnel who take on the duties of quartermaster, medical staff, head technician, et cetera. For Lances belonging to the armed forces for a Successor State or major power in the Periphery, it is customary for a Lance to be attached to a Company and the Company to arrange for such support. For most smaller mercenary organizations, these positions are either held by additional staff or even shared among the 'MechWarriors themselves.
Equipment
If an outfit is organized enough to compose Lances, then they generally are outfitted with the equipment needed to support their operation. If there are technician teams attached to a Lance, then it is assumed they have all necessary tools to deal with routine repair and maintenance tasks. Medical staff are assumed to have all the basic equipment for their profession, allowing them to perform first aid and simple general care as needed. 'MechWarriors are issued their own neurohelmets (as each one is calibrated for their use) and depending on the affluence of the outfit they may also be issued sidearms. Poorer outfits will sometimes expect 'MechWarriors and other staff to pick up their own personal weapons, while those with significant backing will often have spares in storage for emergencies.
The bottom line of all this is, any basic tool which you could think of needing is almost always available to members of a Lance, and they very often will have any tool to solve simple problems which may occur during daily routines. More serious problems may be harder to deal with, but are overcome with some ease if the members of the Lance are creative enough.
The bottom line of all this is, any basic tool which you could think of needing is almost always available to members of a Lance, and they very often will have any tool to solve simple problems which may occur during daily routines. More serious problems may be harder to deal with, but are overcome with some ease if the members of the Lance are creative enough.
Weaponry
In addition to the BattleMechs and/or combat vehicles, most Lances will have small arms for their personnel. This can range from pistols to carbine rifles, from simple gunpowder-powered projectile to energy-based weapons. A Lance with attached infantry platoons may also have at least one heavier weapon which requires a static emplacement to reliably function, though it is never quite guaranteed what sort of weapon (if any) is owned by them.
Structure
A Lance almost always has a Lance Commander, an individual who can wrangle the disparate personalities together and get them working to a common purpose. In most armed forces, this will be one the lowest officer ranks while individual 'MechWarriors will hold the lowest ranks among graduates. A Lance Commander will also be nominally responsible for all support personnel, though mercenaries may report to a Liason Officer for their employer. In the case of Lances used in the composition of greater-scope organizations, the Lance Commander will report to someone higher than them.
Tactics
With as many types of Lance existing in the history of the Inner Sphere, there are a nigh-infinite amount of different tactical arrangements and teachings passed down to people in Lances. However, there are some common threads to look on which move through so many organizations who use multiple Lances in the field.
- Assault Lance: The hammer to the anvil of a Battle Lance, an Assault Lance is designed to take full advantage of what Assault-class BattleMechs can bring to the bettlefield. Overwhelming force, despite the slow speed that class is hamstrung by, to break an opponent in their way.
- Battle Lance: While you might think of a Battle Lance as the primary offensive component, they are in fact more of a defensive component. The general understanding of this formation's purpose is to take the front line and absorb as much punishment as they can to hold off enemies.
- Command Lance: Simply put, the Command Lance is where the commander of a larger unit organization is situated. This can greatly benefit a Company-level force or greater by making it clear where command authority flows from. Of course, said Command Lances can also be magnets for punishment by the opposing forces.
- Fire Lance: The purpose of a Fire Lance is to bring a large amount of firepower to bear at a distance, either through missiles or direct-fire weapons. There are numerous variances of this sort of formation, in accordance with the specialties and weight classes involved.
- Pursuit Lance: A Pursuit Lance is a formation meant to run down enemies and have the firepower to dispose of them once they catch their targets. Fast, hard-hitting units are usually assigned to these lances, allowing them to hunt down other fast units or act as more dangerous scouting formations.
- Recon Lance: As is rather obvious, a Recon Lance is intended to be able to scout ahead and gather information on enemies. In a pinch, such formations can be used to harass an enemy or spot for artillery crews.
- Striker Lance: Also called a "Cavalry Lance", these formations are used as ancient cavalry units were used. They are meant to be fast and able to bring their firepower to hit a flank, but also be able to withstand the retaliation in order to disengage and strike again.
- Support Lance: A Support Lance are a multi-role type of formation specifically made to back up other formations and assist them in their missions. As such, the members of a Support Lance are often selected for being able to do multiple tasks without excelling at any.
- Urban Combat Lance: A rare formation, this type of Lance is focused on fighting in tightly-confined urban landscapes. As such they tend to be composed of jump-capable BattleMechs with powerful short-range capabilities. While combat vehicles may be part of these formations, they usually follow the same ideal.
Training
The content of a Lance's training is almost always dependent on what sort of Lance they are, and the capabilities of the organization backing the Lance. It is assumed the members of a Lance have at least a basic level of training already in operating their BattleMechs, upon which more specialized training can be layered. Each Lance formation subtype will naturally require their own training regimens, as well as some degree of trust and cooperation between the members.
Logistics
Logistical Support
For a Lance, the absolute minimum to stay mobile is a Leopard-class DropShip - it is the smallest form of DropShip which can carry at least four BattleMechs and the assorted support crew. Vehicle-centric Lances may use smaller or more specialized DropShip models, but still tend to default to modified Leopard-class DropShips. The larger DropShip classes can handle more units, allowing larger organization and more Lances to be brought to fight on the battlefield.
Auxilia
As a Lance is a small basic formation, the only extra support they rely upon are specialized Support Lances, combat vehicle Lances, or more conventional infantry. Some armed forces may also attach air-to-ground support or artillery batteries to a Lance, but this is more commonly reserved for use with much larger forces. It is far more common for a Lance to be called on to support other Lances or a Company.
Upkeep
Since there are various compositions to a Lance, there are also various cost levels to maintaining a Lance, further dependent on how active and what tasks they are assigned. A simple garrison task will mostly result in low upkeep while actively fighting in an offensive push in an action between two Successor States will undoubtedly cost a far greater amount. In a general sense, there is a requirement to afford ammunition in multiple tons, spare actuators or gyros of the required tonnage, weapons which are more prone to breakage in rough combat actions, and the salaries of all people involved in the Lance's operation. As such, running a Lance is not an inexpensive proposition.
Type
Mech
Overall training Level
Trained
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