Select the mission and opposition
Open Operations → Build OpFor. The preparation selector excludes completed missions, missions with reported results, and missions where condition reporting has begun. Direct historical links remain read-only.
Choose Mission opposition, select the faction once, and save. A recognized linked contract opposition is used by default, including its scheduled change date. A saved mission-specific selection is audited and does not rewrite contract baseline terms.
Choose Fill budgets randomly. The saved opposition and mission year determine RATs; each remaining budget pool determines unit type and weight. You do not need to select a Light/Medium/Heavy/Assault table.
Search or enter an existing unit
Choose Search / add units and type at least two characters, such as Grif. Results update automatically, or use Search units. Results include cached variants introduced by the mission year, even when absent from its RAT. Each result shows introduction year and either selected faction RAT membership or unverified faction availability. Introduction does not prove faction access. Units without spare eligible painted models remain visible with an explanation, but cannot be added through search. Random generation still uses weighted faction RATs.
Eligible model stock excludes entire faction / paint styles allocated to player companies, then requires spare painted models after individual assignments and reservations. Variants share chassis capacity. The suggested allocation matches the unit category and weight; select spillover when needed. Adding a unit saves it and recalculates spending; the typed search stays available.
Enter the exact imported variant for a pre-existing unit. The shared source engine supplies base BV/PV; crew skills and budget allocation remain separate. A missing source must be imported before the unit can be used in a current budget.
Manual entry normally checks painted stock too. For an existing force supplied with other models, the GM can explicitly record a model exception and its reason. This is audited; random generation and name searches never use that exception to promise extra stock.
With managed crew upgrades enabled, enter stock crew skills and purchase improvements under Crew upgrades. Base BV/PV comes from the shared source engine; crew costs and budget choices remain separate.
Match unresolved budget-template units
In Budget template sources, open an unresolved source row. Choose Unit type and enter two or more characters in Search cached unit variants. Select the exact variant from Matching variants. Search uses verified cached BV and tonnage records, not physical inventory or faction RAT availability: this match defines a source budget, not an enemy unit purchase.
Selection fills type, weight and total base BV using the printed quantity, without adjusting for crew ratings. For example x2 counts both units. Record your source evidence and choose Save reviewed values for this mission after resolving every missing line. The server recalculates from the selected record and retains variant provenance.
If the crew description or recursive instruction cannot be resolved, or no verified BV match exists, enter reviewed values manually. Editing the filled total or weight clears the selected cached calculation. Matching a template does not add units or spend any OpFor budget.
Imported design reconciliation
Sourcebook shorthand is linked to exact imported MekLab designs using saved, evidence-backed mappings. Verified values resolve matching source rows automatically; x2 APC, Tracked uses two Armored Personnel Carrier (Tracked) units at 142 base BV each, totaling 284 BV regardless of crew skill.
When an exact imported design is found but BV is missing or conflicting, the unresolved line names that design and still requires verified BV. Generic infantry, battle armor and unclear variants are not assigned arbitrary values. Previously reviewed mission values and generated allocations remain unchanged.
Calculated BLK base values
Vehicle and other BLK designs are loaded through MegaMek to calculate base BV without crew adjustments. Search and budget templates can use those values when a published value is missing. The standard Manticore Heavy Tank and its RAT (Standard) label resolve to the same design.
Unknown equipment or load failures leave calculated BV unavailable. Alpha Strike PV is not inferred from BV. Existing reviewed force entries and completed mission accounting are preserved; use Recalculate source BV/PV on the saved force to fill eligible missing values.
Reassign saved units after changing budgets
Click a red unit-allocation warning to open that exact unit’s budget controls. The whole warning is a link. The record page repeats the current problem beside its budget controls. A successful correction revalidates the saved record and returns to the page that opened the warning; unresolved problems remain visible. All unit budget assignments returns to the complete force list. Units are identified by saved IDs, including when names are repeated.
Open Assign unit budgets from the selected track menu or an allocation-warning summary. Choose a current Budget allocation and optional Spillover allocation for each unit, then save that unit. This edits only budget assignments; base costs and crew skills are preserved.
Regenerating allocations retains selected units but can replace the pool IDs, requiring reassignment. Transfer between pools moves allowance between pools; it does not assign units. To build manually, use Search / add units or Enter existing unit.