FAQ

What is Reactor Ops?

Reactor Ops is a unit search and force building tool for Classic BattleTech. Search allows you to browse a comprehensive catalog of units and apply a range of filters to narrow down your options. You can layer filters until you find the exact units that interest you, and then add them to your roster (a "Force"), where you can view the overall composition, including the combined Battle Value (BV).

From Force, you can see detailed information for each unit in your roster, such as weapons, equipment, cost, total armor, and maximum movement value. Units are displayed as "cards" with key information to aid in force and unit evaluation.

You can export your Force in .pdf, .csv, or .mul formats, enabling seamless integration with tools like MegaMek and other compatible tools.

The Hangar Vaults feature allows you to create and save a list of the physical models in your collection. These Vaults can be used to filter your search results, ensuring you only see units that correspond to the models you own. This streamlines force-building for players who prefer to field armies that match their collection.

Who develops Reactor Ops?

Reactor Ops is developed and maintained by a single creator, BattleMaster 1-G, who collaborates with project supporters to gather feedback, refine existing features, and implement new functionality.

Currently, Reactor Ops is not seeking additional contributors to the codebase. Managing and directing contributions from others would require significant time and effort, which BattleMaster 1-G believes is better spent on directly building new features and improving Reactor Ops for the community.

How do I report an issue or provide feedback?

The best way to share your comments or feedback is by becoming a supporter on the Reactor Ops Patreon. As a supporter, you gain direct access to BattleMaster 1-G and can participate in the general chat for discussions. This allows for follow-up questions and effective handling of your feedback, whether it’s a bug report or a feature request.

How does the Search feature work?

Search requests use "AND" logic when multiple filters are applied. This means the search will return only units that meet all selected filter criteria simultaneously. This approach helps you quickly refine your search, making it easier to find the exact units you need—especially with the vast number of units available in Reactor Ops.

For example, if your selected filters are:

• Era: "Dark Age"
• Equipment: "Targeting Computer"
• Unit Type: "BattleMech"

the search will return only units that match all three filters.

An exception to this is the Unit Type filter, which uses "OR" logic, allowing you to select and search multiple unit types simultaneously.

Some filters, like Era and Rules Level, allow only one selection at a time.

However, in categories where units can have multiple values—such as Quirks, Weapon Quirks, Weapons, Equipment, and Factions—you can apply multiple filters and still retrieve valid results. For example, a unit might have various quirks or equipment, or belong to more than one faction, making it possible to filter by multiple criteria simultaneously.

Why don't my Faction Search results match Master Unit List?

The way Reactor Ops handles faction availability differs from Master Unit List (MUL), which can sometimes lead to differences in search results. On MUL, faction pages include two types of units: those explicitly assigned to a faction and a larger pool of "common" units available to multiple factions during an era. By default, Reactor Ops focuses on units explicitly tied to a faction, which may result in fewer units appearing in your search.

For example, a unit like the Cougar A, explicitly listed as belonging to Clan Smoke Jaguar in MUL during the Clan Invasion, will appear in Reactor Ops' default search. However, a unit like the Vulture D, which is a general Clan unit available to Smoke Jaguar and other factions, won’t appear unless you adjust your search settings.

To give you more flexibility, Reactor Ops includes a toggle to "Include Common Units." Enabling this option expands your results to include both faction-specific units and general units available to the faction during the selected era. This makes the search results more consistent with what you’d see on MUL.

This toggle allows you to customize your search depending on whether you want to focus on lore-accurate, faction-specific forces or include a broader range of units available to the faction. By using this feature, you can align your results with your personal preferences and gameplay style.

Which units are available in Reactor Ops?

Reactor Ops currently features over 7,400 units that you can search and add to your Force.

Given the vast number of units in BattleTech, Reactor Ops focuses on including those most commonly used by Classic BattleTech players. Priority is given to combat units that can be deployed on a ground-based hex map.

While Reactor Ops strives to cover most BattleMechs and combat vehicles within this focus, some omissions may occur and will be addressed over time.

Why doesn't my unit's data match other sources?

One of the charms of table-top BattleTech, and one of the challenges from a data perspective, is that BattleTech is not a truly digital game, but rather a print-based game for which various digital resources have become available. While creating Reactor Ops and compiling data over several months, Reactor Ops consulted several community sources, as well as official record sheets. During this process, it became clear that various trusted community sources can sometimes disagree on unit information.

In most cases, the differences in data are relatively minor. The most common differences are BV, Rules Level, and Cost. When in doubt, refer to official record sheets.

How can I access Record Sheets for my units?

Reactor Ops focuses on its core functions: unit search and force building, rather than generating record sheets directly. To generate record sheets, Reactor Ops allows you to generate a .mul file containing your Force. You can use this with either MegaMek MekLab or Flechs Sheets.

From the Force page, click Export Force, then choose MegaMek and download the .mul file. Then, use the .mul file with your preferred tool to instantly access record sheets for the Force you created using Reactor Ops.

Reactor Ops is not affiliated with MegaMek or Flechs Sheets.

How is Force Damage Ceiling calculated?

The Force Damage Ceiling (or Ranged Damage Ceiling—they're used interchangeably) is provided mainly for fun, making the experience of creating forces in Reactor Ops more engaging. Some players might find it a helpful way to evaluate their forces, while others may not love how it’s calculated—and that’s totally okay.

Applying the Ceiling concept to BattleTech

The concept of a "ceiling" comes from player discussions about Magic: The Gathering, a game often played in the same stores as BattleTech. In these discussions, a card’s ceiling refers to its maximum power under ideal conditions. Similarly, a card’s "floor" refers to its effectiveness in the worst-case scenario. Players seek cards with both a high ceiling and a high floor.

In Reactor Ops, the "ceiling" refers to the maximum damage a BattleTech unit can deal under perfect conditions:

• All dice rolls to hit are successful.
• Cluster table rolls are maximized.
• For weapons with variable or multi-shot capabilities, the highest damage is applied.

This is the maximum damage a unit could deal in a best-case scenario.

Examples:

• LRM 20: Capable of 20 damage at range with a full cluster table roll, giving it a Ranged Damage Ceiling of 20 damage.
• Rotary Autocannon 5: You can choose to fire 6 shots, each dealing 5 damage, for a total Ranged Damage Ceiling of 30 damage with a full cluster table roll.

  (Do you always want to fire 6 shots and risk a jam? No, but you have the option to do this, and we need consistency for our metric.)

• ATM 9: With HE ammo, it can fire 9 shots at 3 damage per shot, resulting in a Ranged Damage Ceiling of 27 damage.
• Inner Sphere Large Laser: Deals 8 damage per shot, with a Ranged Damage Ceiling of 8 damage.
• Heavy Gauss Rifle: Though variable by range, it can deal 25 damage at short range, giving it a Ranged Damage Ceiling of 25 damage.

Why use a Ranged Damage Ceiling?

While you could present damage using statistical averages to smooth out BattleTech’s "swingy" damage, that approach is more complex and requires extra decisions. The Ranged Damage Ceiling is straightforward: it calculates the maximum potential damage a unit could deal at range, though landing that damage in one turn is rare.

Simply put, all else being equal, a unit or force with a higher Ranged Damage Ceiling is more likely to deal greater ranged damage on any given turn compared to one with a lower ceiling.

Player considerations

It’s up to the player to decide how useful this information is for evaluating their force, but there are important caveats to keep in mind:

• A higher damage ceiling doesn’t make a force inherently better. Other factors, such as mobility, support equipment, and the specific objectives of the game, play critical roles—especially in objective-based scenarios where raw damage output may be less relevant.
• The Ranged Damage Ceiling should also be considered in the context of unit and force Battle Value (BV). Future charts will make this relationship even more evident.
• A high damage ceiling is meaningless if dice rolls fail or if tactics are poor.
• The Ranged Damage Ceiling doesn’t account for heat management. Future charts will represent the relationship between ranged damage and heat generation.
• There’s no "Ranged Damage Floor" because in BattleTech, the floor is always zero—if a unit misses all its shots, it deals no damage.

Additional notes

• The Ranged Damage Ceiling only applies to ranged weapons and doesn’t include melee damage potential.
• The Ranged Damage Ceiling doesn't detail the hex ranges at which the ranged damage occurs. Future charts will represent the range brackets for ranged damage.
• It does not differentiate rear-facing weapons from front-facing ones.
• For conventional infantry, the ceiling is simply their total ranged damage output.

BV Adjustments and C3 Networks

Reactor Ops automatically applies BV adjustments for units assigned to a C3 Network from the Force Adjustments section.

According to the Tech Manual rules, BV adjustments for warrior skill enhancements are applied first, followed by C3 adjustments for all units within the network.

If a force contains multiple C3 networks—Standard (including C3 and Boosted C3), Improved, or Nova CEWS—BV adjustments are applied individually to each network and the units within them.

BV Adjustments and Conventional Infantry Anti-Mech Skill

Reactor Ops currently allows players to adjust the Anti-Mech Skill for units with Anti-Mech capability. For example, Mechanized Infantry are incapable of Anti-Mech attacks and do not have an Anti-Mech skill drop-down in the Force Adjustments section.

However, there are some unresolved issues to consider:

• Some conventional infantry units start with an Anti-Mech Skill of 6 or 8. Currently, Reactor Ops assigns a default Anti-Mech skill of 5, though this might be revisited in the future.
• For units with an initial Anti-Mech Skill of 6 or 8, it's unclear how to adjust the Anti-Mech skill using the standard Warrior Skills adjustment table. This will be researched, and a rules-compliant solution implemented later. Given that conventional infantry is likely used in only a small percentage of games, and Anti-Mech skill adjustments even more rarely, this issue is not a high priority compared to other improvements in Reactor Ops.

Recommendations:

• Only adjust the Anti-Mech skill if you have a solid understanding of the associated rules.
• If you're committed to using large numbers of conventional infantry with enhanced Anti-Mech skills, you may need to calculate the proper BV adjustments manually.

What are Force Rosters and the Formation Engine?

Force Rosters allow you to save your list of selected units to your account from the Force view. Once saved, you can revisit, manage, and build from that roster across sessions.

The Formation Engine lets you transform your unit list into a fully structured battle force, assigning formation types, ranks, warrior names, and more—perfect for campaign play. This processed version of your force is called an Order of Battle in Reactor Ops.

You can export your Order of Battle as a campaign-ready spreadsheet from Command > Force Rosters > Order of Battle, skipping the time-consuming clerical work of manually collecting pilot data, BV values, quirks, and C3 assignments.

Why can’t I swap units around in my formations?

Formations follow specific rules as defined in Campaign Operations. Swapping units while keeping a formation valid requires rechecking those rules, which varies across 30+ formation types.

Future updates may allow for this, but currently, we’ve chosen to avoid that complexity to keep things smooth and fast.

Recommendations:

• Use the Search and Force tools to select the exact units you want before running the Formation Engine.
• Use the Manual Build Mode if you want to control exactly where each unit goes.
• Make any last tweaks directly in the exported spreadsheet if needed.
• Join the Patreon to share feedback on features you’d like to see in future formation updates.

What is the Hangar Vault?

The Hangar Vault is a feature designed to help you create and save lists of the physical models in your collection. It serves two key purposes:

1. Primary Purpose: The Vault acts as a precision filter for force-building, allowing you to quickly narrow down search results to the units you can represent with models in your collection.
2. Secondary Purpose: The Vault also functions as a basic inventory tool to catalog your physical models—whether they’re official miniatures, 3D-printed, proxies, or other representations of BattleTech units.

Why doesn’t the Hangar Vault support multiple identical models?

The Hangar Vault is primarily intended as a search filter, not a comprehensive collection manager. Adding multiple identical models isn’t necessary because:

• A single model in your Vault is enough to include all relevant unit variants in search results.
• On the Search page, you can still add multiple instances of a unit to your force, even if there’s only one model in your Vault.

Future Enhancements: Improvements to enhance collection management for this secondary purpose are being considered for future updates.

What counts as a "Model" in the Hangar Vault?

In the Hangar Vault, a "Model" refers to the physical representation of a unit you use on the table. For example:

• Adding an "Atlas" means your Vault includes a miniature that can represent an Atlas, regardless of the specific variant (e.g., AS7-D or AS7-K).

This approach keeps the Vault flexible for use in filtering and force-building.

What’s the purpose of creating Vaults?

Vaults are designed to:

• Streamline your searches: Limit results to units you can field with models in your collection.
• Personalize force-building: Filter units to match specific preferences, such as painted faction armies or thematic forces.

Example Use Case: Let’s say you’re building a Jade Falcon army using models in your collection. You can filter search results with:

[Models in your Vault] + [Era = Clan Invasion] + [Faction = Jade Falcon] + [Weight Class = Heavy] + [Weapons = includes Gauss Rifle]

If you’re a player who doesn’t prioritize WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), you might not find the Hangar Vault as useful. And that’s okay—play how you enjoy!

Why use the Hangar Vault?

The Hangar Vault simplifies force-building by combining your physical collection with Reactor Ops’ advanced search filters. It ensures your forces are tailored to both your preferences and the models you own.

How does it work?

Once you’ve created a Vault:

1. Add models to your Vault from the Command page. Models can be added by selecting official "ForcePacks" or searching for specific models to include.
2. Select your Vault on the Search page to limit results to units that match models in your Vault.
3. Combine the Vault filter with other criteria like era, faction, or weight class to refine your search further.

With its dual-purpose design, the Hangar Vault is both a practical tool for force-building and a simple way to track your collection.

How does the OpFor Generator work?

The OpFor Generator lets you quickly create a random force to use however you’d like. Whether it’s an enemy force for a narrative scenario or a force you pilot yourself, the generated units can be added to the Force page. From there, you can view and manage them like any other force.

Customizing Your OpFor

The OpFor Generator offers a variety of parameters for customization, including:

• Tech Base
• Era
• Unit Type
• Hangar Vault (optional, to limit the random force to models you own)

Key Points to Keep in Mind

Era Selection

The OpFor is always generated based on a specific Era—by default, "Clan Invasion." For any selected Era, the pool of units includes:

• Units where Era = [selected Era]
• Units where, for the selected Era, the Faction is "Inner Sphere (Common)", "Homeworld Clans (Common)", or "Invader Clans (Common)", based on the selected Tech Base.

This ensures the OpFor is generated from a sufficiently large pool of units, while still meeting player expectations for relevance.

How do I access supporter-only features?

Reactor Ops strives to make most core features freely available to players. However, maintaining the infrastructure—such as servers and databases—comes with ongoing costs.

By supporting Reactor Ops on Patreon, you help BattleMaster 1-G cover these expenses and show your appreciation for the significant time and effort that goes into developing and maintaining this resource.

Why support Reactor Ops?

As a supporter, you’ll gain access to exclusive features designed to offer added value while ensuring that free users still enjoy a robust and inclusive force-building experience.

How to claim supporter-only features

1. Join Patreon: Become a paid supporter on the Reactor Ops Patreon page.
2. Log In to Reactor Ops: Access your account on the Reactor Ops website.
3. Go to Your Account Settings: Navigate to the "Account" section.
4. Link Your Patreon Account: Click the "Link Patreon" button and log in to your Patreon account. The linking process is handled exclusively through the official Patreon platform, and Reactor Ops never accesses your sensitive Patreon data.
5. Confirm the Link: Once the link is confirmed, supporter-only features will be unlocked.

That’s it! With just a few steps, you’ll gain access to exclusive features as a thank-you for your support.

Additional note on privacy and access renewal

To respect your privacy, Reactor Ops periodically purges its database of Patreon-related data. This data is minimal, consisting only of your anonymous Patron ID and your Reactor Ops tier level. Once purged, you will be prompted to re-link your Patreon account.

Re-linking is straightforward and, as described above, simply involves logging into Patreon.

This process serves two purposes:

• Privacy Respect: Ensures that your Patreon data is not stored longer than necessary.
• Simplified Access Renewal: Allows you to maintain ongoing access to supporter-only features without requiring continuous communication between Reactor Ops and Patreon.

What happens to my saved data when I no longer wish to support?

Supporter-tier data refers to enhanced features such as Hangar Vaults, expanded saved force lists, campaign records, and other premium tools (including future enhancements).

If you created supporter-tier data as a paid supporter and later cancel your supporter status:

• Your data will be placed in cold storage, meaning it won’t be deleted but will no longer be accessible until you renew your support.
• You can still use the free version of these features, including creating and saving standard lists.
• If you decide to renew your support in the future, your supporter-tier data will be restored, allowing you to view and manage it again.

In short, as of this writing, cancelling your supporter status will not result in the permanent loss of your supporter-tier data.