Pilot Experience Part 2

 A less complicated and more straightforward way to model pilot inexperience is to just say that the less experienced pilot just doesn’t have the ability to use all the systems or avoid enemy fire as well as an experienced pilot. Just remove a system to model that.

For example, let’s say that a green pilot is supposedly piloting a frame with a Soldier loadout (2RD/1B/1Y/1G/2W). However, since they’re inexperienced, they don’t have a spotting (Yellow) system. The reason the inexperienced frame pilot doesn’t have a spotting system is that he or she doesn’t know how to use a system to spot enemy frames as effectively while doing too many other things such as attacking an enemy frame and moving their own frame.

On top of that, the less experienced pilot isn’t as good at keeping the frame out of trouble under fire, so they can’t take as many hits.

Basically, I’m using my existing house rules for inner Sphere pilots against advanced or Clan tech to instead model pilot inexperience. A less experienced pilot gets one less system if there is a more experienced pilot involved in the clash, skirmish, or battle.

This works, but it doesn’t model pilots with more than two levels of experience as well. I guess you could say that a veteran gets all four systems, and a regular can use one less system, and a green pilot can use two less. The problem is that once you reduce a frame to two or less systems, it makes the frame very fragile. It means that inexperienced pilots will usually not survive. This may be a feature rather than a bug, however.

As for modeling elite/Ace pilots, I’d probably keep using the Intercept Orbit rules for ace pilots, still allowing no more than one on each side in a battle.