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[BattleTech] War of Andurien Secession
kaliyama
Left to find less-moderated foraRegistered User regular
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My new BattleTech campaign, starring @HydroSqueegee, @Mazzyx, and their bumbling but lovable sidekick @Capsaiscin against the rotating forces of evil (me, @Albino Bunny, and @DaMoonRulz.
Reference Map:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/6/63/FWL3030.png
The Andurien Crisis,
Dateline: 3035
Shiro III, Duchy of Andurien
Free Worlds League
For more than two-hundred years the successor states of the Inner Sphere have vied for control of the known universe. Former member-states of the Star League, an interstellar governing organization somewhere between the League of Nations and the United Nations (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Star_League), enforced peace among nascent interstellar nations between 2570 and 2780. After the ruling Cameron dynasty was wiped out and the forces of the Star League Defense Force departed past Draconis Combine space, never to be seen again, total war devastated the industrial base and scientific knowledge of the successor states. For the last century or so, forces have held their units together with salvage and jerry-rigging as technology regresses. The small-scale conflicts for water, technology, and other vital resources from the 2900s to 3025 were considered the "Third Succession War."
In 3028, in a conflict now termed the 4th Succession War the Federated Suns, allied with the Lyran Commonwealth, cut the Capellan Confederation in half using 3:1 odds in "Operation Rat". They then formed the Federated Commonwealth, the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the inner sphere. Peace has reigned since, though the other states - the Draconis Combine, the Free Worlds League, and the Capellan Confederation are waiting for Hanse Davion, ruler of the FedCom, to continue his wars of conquest in hopes of ruling the inner sphere.
Peace has mostly reigned since - the Free Worlds League, a large and prosperous coalition of many smaller sovereign states, with the only semi-functioning parliament and interstellar democracy of any successor state, has experienced internal divisions in the wake of the 4th Succession War. While a parlimentary system, the Free Worlds League is governed by a Captain General, which, since the succession wars, has been hereditarily a member of the ruling Marik family.
The Duchy of Andurien - formerly a Capellan Confederation Commonality during the Star League - has seceded under the leadership of notoriously independent and contrarian Duchess Catherine Humphreys. Allying with the neighboring periphery realm of the Magistracy of Canopus, Andurien believes it can conquer the Capellan rump state and form a new regional power capable of standing up to both the Federated Suns and the rest of the Free Worlds League.
For 3030-3035, the Free Worlds League was crippled by lack of internal consensus and a stroke which left Janos Marik paralyzed and his son Thomas ruling in his stead. Five years they prepared prepared for an invasion under Captain-General of the Free Worlds League Janos Marik and his sons, Duggan and Thomas. Janos, Duggan, Thomas, and Janos' nephew Duncan were in interminable planning sessions in 3035. After yet another meeting in which the other Mariks balked at launching an aggressive attack, Duncan stormed out of the planning room. Two minutes later, a bomb planted under the floorboards detonated, killing Janos, Duggan, and Thomas. Duncan denies having plotted their assassination, though the public - especially in Andurien - are skeptical. For now, Duncan's aggressive posture towards Andurien have kept a lid on his critics. If he fails in reconquering Andurien, it is unlikely that he will maintain power.
Meanwhile, the Capellan Confederation's unexpected and tenacious defense of its realm under the fanatical Romano Liao has left the Andurien invasion a shambles, with no hope of achieving its aims.
In 3035, Duncan is preparing for his invasion. After five years of waiting, he is afraid the Andurien worlds have been heavily fortified.
A battalion of your unit, the green 5th Oriente Hussars, has been tasked with assessing the strength of defenses on the key outer Andurien world of Shiro III. A supporting mercenary company, the Greyhounds, specializing in recon raids and other fast-moving operations, has been tasked to support and train the Hussar mechwarriors during the operation.
Waiting for the Hussars is a veteran lance of the 5th Defenders of Andurien. All of the Andurien regiments supported Dame Humphreys' bid for independence and conquest of the Capellan Confederation, hoping to build a better future for the Andurien worlds, which have suffered for centuries as the front line for League-Capellan conflict. The Andurien forces have been spread thin between offensive operations against the Capellans and maintaining vigilance against a potential League invasion. The defense of Miller's Junction is lead by AB Humphreys, whose charisma has rallied the disparate and inexperienced local militia into an effective fighting force. The militia muster is lead unofficially by D.M. Ru-Les, a local count and scion of a wealthy Shiro III family.
5th Oriente Hussars, 3rd Battalion, Task Force Miller's Junction
[HydroSqueege]'s Battle Lance:
BNC-3E Banshee 3/2 Special ability: leet skillz
GHR-5H Grasshopper 6/5
HBK-4G Hunchback 6/5
BJ-1 Blackjack 5/4
[Mazzyx]'s Fire Lance:
ON1-K Orion 5/4 Special ability: Melee specialist
SHD-2H Shadow Hawk 5/4
TBT-5J Trebuchet 5/3
WTH-1 Whitworth 5/4
The Greyhounds, 3rd Lance [Caps]:
ASN-21 Assassin 4/3 Special ability: Jumping jack
JR7-D Jenner 4/4
SDR-5V Spider 4/4
COM-2D Commando 5/4
Battlegroup Rampart
Captain AB Humphreys HGN-733 Highlander 6/3. Special ability: Tactical Genius.
Count D.M. Ru-Les AWS-8Q Awesome 5/4 Special abilities: Dodge, Pain Resistance, Sniper
5th Andurien Short Company:
HBK-4P Hunchback 4/3
JMG-S Jagermech 5/3
DRG-1N Dragon 6/5
RVN-3L Raven 3/2
RVN-3L Raven 6/5
Shiro III Local Forces:
QKD-4G Quickdraw 6/5
VND-1R Vindicator 6/5
DV-6M Dervish 6/4
ENF-4R Enforcer 5/4
HER-2S Hermes II 5/4
JR7-D Jenner 6/5
Both sides have limited supplies. Defenders have stockpiled basic supplies and so have unlimited ammo, but due to war shortages will have fewer replacement weapons and parts. Attackers are better supplied but can't bring as much field equipment with them. Internal structure won't be able to be replaced in the field, though weapons, armor and engines can be. Will send supply info along separately.
The Campaign:
Miller's Junction, a small river town in the foothills of the Bōsō hill range, is the site of hastily-constructed AA batteries and airfields that can effectively oppose a future full-scale invasion of Shiro III. The Task Force's goal is to assess the strength and ability of the defenders, then do what damage it can to the defenses before withdrawal.
Scenario 1: Showing them how it's done:
Advancing under cover of heavy ground fog and rain, the Greyhounds are the first unit to test the Andurien defenses. The BattleROMs will be reviewed by 5th Oriente forces to understand how to conduct a recon quickly and safely.
This is played on the scatteredwoods map. Attackers start on the south map edge, defenders the north. Attackers enter the map on turn 1.
Attackers: The Greyhounds lance must conduct a full recon,
1) Fully scouting the approach to the city. At least one attacker mech must exit off of the north map edge.
2) Identifying and scanning each mech by ending a movement turn within three hexes of the mech, while having a line of sight. (i.e. hillsides 2+ break line of sight). Only one mech can be identified and scanned this way per attacker unit per turn. ECM doesn't affect this process.
Defenders: Defenders can deploy 2-6 units of their choice from their company. Defenders have only one goal, which is to do as much damage as possible to the attackers. If a unit risks being destroyed, you can withdraw it from the map, but it will not count as a unit that needs to be scanned in order for attackers to win.
Scenario 2:
Task Force Miller's Junction, having pinned down the opposition, will seeks to move up the river valley that leads from their OZ to the town itself.
Maps: two rivervalley maps, laid out 2x1, so it is a long board north to south.
Attackers Deployment: HydroSqueegee's lance and Mazzy'x Lance. They start on the south edge of the maps, entering the map on turn 1.
Defenders Deployment: Any four mechs. If a mech was used in scenario 1, it cannot be used here, EXCEPT if Cap failed to scan it in scenario one, in which case it can be used here. For every two mechs Cap failed to scan, defender can field one extra mech. If Cap failed to exit the north end of the map, then defenders can deploy hidden anywhere on the map.
Attacker's Goal: Exit the north edge of the map. If a mech does not exit off the north edge of the map, it cannot be used in the next match. If a mech exits the north edge after turn 20, there will not be time to repair it before the next fight.
Defender's goal: Delay and damage the attacking force as possible
Scenario 3 and 4, to be detailed later, will be the final breakthrough to Miller Junction's defenses and the raid on Miller's Junction, or, if attackers lose, the fighting withdrawal and retreat to the OZ.
Reference Map:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/6/63/FWL3030.png
The Andurien Crisis,
Dateline: 3035
Shiro III, Duchy of Andurien
Free Worlds League
For more than two-hundred years the successor states of the Inner Sphere have vied for control of the known universe. Former member-states of the Star League, an interstellar governing organization somewhere between the League of Nations and the United Nations (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Star_League), enforced peace among nascent interstellar nations between 2570 and 2780. After the ruling Cameron dynasty was wiped out and the forces of the Star League Defense Force departed past Draconis Combine space, never to be seen again, total war devastated the industrial base and scientific knowledge of the successor states. For the last century or so, forces have held their units together with salvage and jerry-rigging as technology regresses. The small-scale conflicts for water, technology, and other vital resources from the 2900s to 3025 were considered the "Third Succession War."
In 3028, in a conflict now termed the 4th Succession War the Federated Suns, allied with the Lyran Commonwealth, cut the Capellan Confederation in half using 3:1 odds in "Operation Rat". They then formed the Federated Commonwealth, the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the inner sphere. Peace has reigned since, though the other states - the Draconis Combine, the Free Worlds League, and the Capellan Confederation are waiting for Hanse Davion, ruler of the FedCom, to continue his wars of conquest in hopes of ruling the inner sphere.
Peace has mostly reigned since - the Free Worlds League, a large and prosperous coalition of many smaller sovereign states, with the only semi-functioning parliament and interstellar democracy of any successor state, has experienced internal divisions in the wake of the 4th Succession War. While a parlimentary system, the Free Worlds League is governed by a Captain General, which, since the succession wars, has been hereditarily a member of the ruling Marik family.
The Duchy of Andurien - formerly a Capellan Confederation Commonality during the Star League - has seceded under the leadership of notoriously independent and contrarian Duchess Catherine Humphreys. Allying with the neighboring periphery realm of the Magistracy of Canopus, Andurien believes it can conquer the Capellan rump state and form a new regional power capable of standing up to both the Federated Suns and the rest of the Free Worlds League.
For 3030-3035, the Free Worlds League was crippled by lack of internal consensus and a stroke which left Janos Marik paralyzed and his son Thomas ruling in his stead. Five years they prepared prepared for an invasion under Captain-General of the Free Worlds League Janos Marik and his sons, Duggan and Thomas. Janos, Duggan, Thomas, and Janos' nephew Duncan were in interminable planning sessions in 3035. After yet another meeting in which the other Mariks balked at launching an aggressive attack, Duncan stormed out of the planning room. Two minutes later, a bomb planted under the floorboards detonated, killing Janos, Duggan, and Thomas. Duncan denies having plotted their assassination, though the public - especially in Andurien - are skeptical. For now, Duncan's aggressive posture towards Andurien have kept a lid on his critics. If he fails in reconquering Andurien, it is unlikely that he will maintain power.
Meanwhile, the Capellan Confederation's unexpected and tenacious defense of its realm under the fanatical Romano Liao has left the Andurien invasion a shambles, with no hope of achieving its aims.
In 3035, Duncan is preparing for his invasion. After five years of waiting, he is afraid the Andurien worlds have been heavily fortified.
A battalion of your unit, the green 5th Oriente Hussars, has been tasked with assessing the strength of defenses on the key outer Andurien world of Shiro III. A supporting mercenary company, the Greyhounds, specializing in recon raids and other fast-moving operations, has been tasked to support and train the Hussar mechwarriors during the operation.
Waiting for the Hussars is a veteran lance of the 5th Defenders of Andurien. All of the Andurien regiments supported Dame Humphreys' bid for independence and conquest of the Capellan Confederation, hoping to build a better future for the Andurien worlds, which have suffered for centuries as the front line for League-Capellan conflict. The Andurien forces have been spread thin between offensive operations against the Capellans and maintaining vigilance against a potential League invasion. The defense of Miller's Junction is lead by AB Humphreys, whose charisma has rallied the disparate and inexperienced local militia into an effective fighting force. The militia muster is lead unofficially by D.M. Ru-Les, a local count and scion of a wealthy Shiro III family.
5th Oriente Hussars, 3rd Battalion, Task Force Miller's Junction
[HydroSqueege]'s Battle Lance:
BNC-3E Banshee 3/2 Special ability: leet skillz
GHR-5H Grasshopper 6/5
HBK-4G Hunchback 6/5
BJ-1 Blackjack 5/4
[Mazzyx]'s Fire Lance:
ON1-K Orion 5/4 Special ability: Melee specialist
SHD-2H Shadow Hawk 5/4
TBT-5J Trebuchet 5/3
WTH-1 Whitworth 5/4
The Greyhounds, 3rd Lance [Caps]:
ASN-21 Assassin 4/3 Special ability: Jumping jack
JR7-D Jenner 4/4
SDR-5V Spider 4/4
COM-2D Commando 5/4
Battlegroup Rampart
Captain AB Humphreys HGN-733 Highlander 6/3. Special ability: Tactical Genius.
Count D.M. Ru-Les AWS-8Q Awesome 5/4 Special abilities: Dodge, Pain Resistance, Sniper
5th Andurien Short Company:
HBK-4P Hunchback 4/3
JMG-S Jagermech 5/3
DRG-1N Dragon 6/5
RVN-3L Raven 3/2
RVN-3L Raven 6/5
Shiro III Local Forces:
QKD-4G Quickdraw 6/5
VND-1R Vindicator 6/5
DV-6M Dervish 6/4
ENF-4R Enforcer 5/4
HER-2S Hermes II 5/4
JR7-D Jenner 6/5
Both sides have limited supplies. Defenders have stockpiled basic supplies and so have unlimited ammo, but due to war shortages will have fewer replacement weapons and parts. Attackers are better supplied but can't bring as much field equipment with them. Internal structure won't be able to be replaced in the field, though weapons, armor and engines can be. Will send supply info along separately.
The Campaign:
Miller's Junction, a small river town in the foothills of the Bōsō hill range, is the site of hastily-constructed AA batteries and airfields that can effectively oppose a future full-scale invasion of Shiro III. The Task Force's goal is to assess the strength and ability of the defenders, then do what damage it can to the defenses before withdrawal.
Scenario 1: Showing them how it's done:
Advancing under cover of heavy ground fog and rain, the Greyhounds are the first unit to test the Andurien defenses. The BattleROMs will be reviewed by 5th Oriente forces to understand how to conduct a recon quickly and safely.
This is played on the scatteredwoods map. Attackers start on the south map edge, defenders the north. Attackers enter the map on turn 1.
Attackers: The Greyhounds lance must conduct a full recon,
1) Fully scouting the approach to the city. At least one attacker mech must exit off of the north map edge.
2) Identifying and scanning each mech by ending a movement turn within three hexes of the mech, while having a line of sight. (i.e. hillsides 2+ break line of sight). Only one mech can be identified and scanned this way per attacker unit per turn. ECM doesn't affect this process.
Defenders: Defenders can deploy 2-6 units of their choice from their company. Defenders have only one goal, which is to do as much damage as possible to the attackers. If a unit risks being destroyed, you can withdraw it from the map, but it will not count as a unit that needs to be scanned in order for attackers to win.
Scenario 2:
Task Force Miller's Junction, having pinned down the opposition, will seeks to move up the river valley that leads from their OZ to the town itself.
Maps: two rivervalley maps, laid out 2x1, so it is a long board north to south.
Attackers Deployment: HydroSqueegee's lance and Mazzy'x Lance. They start on the south edge of the maps, entering the map on turn 1.
Defenders Deployment: Any four mechs. If a mech was used in scenario 1, it cannot be used here, EXCEPT if Cap failed to scan it in scenario one, in which case it can be used here. For every two mechs Cap failed to scan, defender can field one extra mech. If Cap failed to exit the north end of the map, then defenders can deploy hidden anywhere on the map.
Attacker's Goal: Exit the north edge of the map. If a mech does not exit off the north edge of the map, it cannot be used in the next match. If a mech exits the north edge after turn 20, there will not be time to repair it before the next fight.
Defender's goal: Delay and damage the attacking force as possible
Scenario 3 and 4, to be detailed later, will be the final breakthrough to Miller Junction's defenses and the raid on Miller's Junction, or, if attackers lose, the fighting withdrawal and retreat to the OZ.
+2
Posts
ENGAGEMENT DATE - REDACTED
ENGAGEMENT LOCATION - Outskirts of Miller's Junction, Shiro III
PREPARED BY - CAPT Todd Burpo
PARTICIPATING UNITS:
CAPT Todd Burpo - ASN-21
1LT Lis Lyssand - JR7-D
2LT Ailey Ingram - SDR-5V
WO Liana Sully - COM-2D
Total BV = 3296
REPORT DETAILS - Having been hired by the Free World League and put into the employ of the 5th Oriente Hussars, 3rd Battalion, the Greyhounds were tasked to scout out the enemy forces outside of the Miller's Junction township. Our required objectives were to get as close to the enemy units as possible, scan them, and return the captured data to our employers. We are going in first to not only delay, but aid the main attack force as it moves towards Miller's Junction.
We were assigned light, scout mechs for this task hoping our speed and jump capability will aid us in our mission. Reports are suggesting a much larger opposing force lead by Captain AB Humphreys. CAPT Humphreys is know for for his battlefield knowledge and we suspect he will garner the upper hand on us.
We deployed spread out through the tree lines. Immediately, we could notice a Dragon and Highlander upon the hill exactly opposite from us. Also, a Raven was attempting to hide in the trees.
The Assassin and Commando advanced a fast speeds up the left flank while the Spider and Jenner stuck to the opposite side. Our thoughts were to maximize the ground we could cover hoping we could jump in quickly, scan the opposing forces, and jump out.
We were very mistaken.
CAPT Humphreys laid out his forces in a thin line that stretched the width of the field. We ended up encountering two ravens on the right flank, a Hunchback on the right, while the Dragon and Highlander had a perfect view of the whole field from their perch on the hill. This ended up being their biggest asset.
The Assassin and Commando quicky encountered the 2nd Raven. Both were scanned but at a cost. With supporting fire from the Highlander on the mountain and excellent accuracy from the Ravens, WO Sully and her Commando were quickly taken out of the fight. Due to this. we pulled the Jenner over to assist in the skirmish. Our fire was not nearly as true and we only scratch the Ravens.
This left the Spider all to her self. She was ordered to charge ahead at full throttle in the hopes that her superior speed and the amount of ground she would cover would give her the ability to dodge incoming fire. This was not the case. A large laser from the Dragon cut into her, but what ended up getting her squashed, were the seven or so medium lasers that almost all found their mark. The gamble did not pay off. The Spider would quickly fall, never top get up again. I guess the only consolation was that the Hunchback was successfully scanned and wouldn't make it to the larger battles.
The Jenner was the next to be served a series of blows similar to what the Commando faced. She also quickly went down but not before she was able to kick a Raven and send the Raven to the dirt.
With only the Assassin operational, I decided to go for broke. I was able to spin up my jump jets and sly over the hill which the Dragon and Highlander sat. Lucky for me, the Highlander wasn't very conservative with his weapons, and had nearly overheated twice. It's high heat mean that he couldn't maneuver or fire on my Assassin. The Dragon did but luck would save my hide. I scanned the Highlander.
With four out of the five mechs scanned, and three of my four destroyed, I knew I had to get out of there alive. I wouldn't risk scanning the Dragon as getting myself killed would make all of this intel that I've gathered, at the loss of three of my mechs, would go to waste. I made for the North with all the speed the Assassin could muster.
AUTHOR'S PERSONAL NOTES - With nearly two times the tonnage above us, an easily defensible hill, and CAPT Humphreys' battle field prowess, they always had the initiative and therefore, always had the upper hand. Our speed was no match for their firepower nor would would the light woods br enough for us to sneak through their lines.
I certainly hope the brass of the 5th Oriente Hussars appreciate what we've done for them at such a great cost. If there are any captured mechs, I'd ask that they spare some to help rebuild our numbers. With four mechs scanned and out of the next fight, they better capitalize on their advantage. Else I fear my mechs were lost for no reason and that The Greyhounds will have to retire for the rest of this campaign.
SURVIVING UNITS
CAPT Todd Burpo - ASN-21
CASUALTIES TAKEN
1LT Lis Lyssand - JR7-D
2LT Ailey Ingram - SDR-5V
WO Liana Sully - COM-2D
ENEMY MECHS DESTROYED
NONE
@DaMoonRulz is handling this one for the Andurien side, I think both Hydro and Mazzyx are running their lances for the FWL.
Because Capsaiscin scanned all but one mech, the Andurien side is limited to four mechs this time, including any of the mechs not taken last time plus the Dragon that was not scanned.
Here's a preview of the map board - DMR will be deploying in this center area. His incentive is to hold a fighting retreat and keep them from advancing to the north edge for 20 turns, so the attackers cannot repair next time.
Let's see what happens!
Not sure how I was supposed to make it out alive with less than half the BV and the tonnage (130 vs 270).
I expect to lose my Awesome first round because I'm me.
Hunchback-4P
2x Raven-3Ls
Highlander
I think you'll be facing a maximum of 5 units. Though after reading the rules, it might be only 4. Kali, your scenario 2 rules states that for every 2 I don't scan, they can add one. Since I only didn't scan 1 (the Dragon), they only get their max of 4 units right? Of those 4 though, they can use the Dragon.
I.e. CRUSH THEM!
Correct, only 4 units. You're going to outnumber them, but if they snipe at you from a safe position they can do a lot of damage, especially if DMR brings his Awesome, and if he keeps you from leaving the north map edge for 20 turns you can't repair your mechs before the next fight. Conversely, DMR will have to eventually retreat in the face of superior opposition and he'll have to do it off the north map edge or not be able to use those units for the next fight.
As to exiting the map - if you start a turn on a map edge, you can use the "flee" option. I kind of feel that people should be able to exit off the board via movement and not have to wait the extra turn, but we'll see how the default rule works for now.
1) Is there a way I can spectate?
2) How do you move off an edge? It wouldn't let me during my match.
1) You can join as an observer, just put yourself on the FWL team (so you, mazzyx, and hydro would all be part of team 1 or team 2, depending how numbers are assigned). If you launch w/o any units, you are automatically an observer. Testing the deployment options out, I see we will need to disable "exclusive double-blind deployment zones, or Hydro and Mazzyx will not both be able to deploy off the south map edge. If you observe as part of the team, you will be able to see everything that your team can see.
2) See my ninja edit above.
As I said on vent last night, if at any point there's a possibility to take part, please let me know!
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
Wait.
I could literally have wiped Cap's lance from the game then?
Jeez, now I just feel gyped out of murder 8->
Nah, you guys reached the right result there.
Kashaar: The problem is that everything gets exponentially complex the more people I add. If we have larger-scale fights, people need to coordinate schedules. If we keep going with a campaign where PCs are deployed to battles in the same ops area and they relate to each other, we get tied up waiting for earlier-in-time fights to resolve, or make everyone's fights disconnected.
For example, scenario 2 is held up waiting for hydro, DMR, and mazzyx to be able to find a mutually agreeable time to play. Caps will have a scenario that can only start after this fight. Adding more PCs either means more scheduling difficulties for big fights, sequenced fights take longer as we wait on one of the players to do it, or the fights are disconnected from each other.
Logistical issues are manageable now, but would be unwieldy if we get any larger.
If I add you as opfor, it might make scheduling easier, but Albino, DMR and I should have that covered right now.
As in every campaign, people will have to drop out, so I will add you to a waiting list. I am likelier to try to start up a second campaign with another manageable group of 3-5 people once I get the kinks in this one ironed out (or I will let DMR, AB and a third play as PCs in a campaign to follow this one, if they want to).
I thought about running a "PC vs PC" campaign, or something like a solaris or chaos march campaign where everyone can fight everyone else, but I have not been able to solve the following problems:
1) once a side wins a fight and gets a 10-20% advantage numbers-wise, it's almost certainly doom for the losers as they are outnumbered and ground down during the other fights.
2) If I freely hand out replacements, then there's no reward for winning or sense of permanence in the campaign.
3) for a free-for-all campaign, either we use a round robin format, which is a nightmare b/c you have to finish all games before doing the next round, or we let people play freely, but that creates a lot of disparities because experience is won per-fight, so people that can churn combats will end up much more experienced than others. (plus problems 1 and 2).
So I opted instead for a campaign where I can adjust forces on the fly to keep opfor and the PCs engaged. It's certainly possible for the PCs to lose, but having narrative control lets me keep fights interesting regardless.
If I knew more about battle tech I'd look into doing a larger scale thing where it's more like a risk map so we could do PC vs PC but alas I don't know much that MWO hasn't taught me.
I'm probably no more sync'ed in timezone than you are, I'm EU based (too?) ;-)
@kaliyama: No problem, just wanted to let you know there is interest!
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
Yeah, but you don't sleep!
Example : Last night / this morning
If you want to work on a campaign model i'd be happy to help you (more BT the better), and i'd certainly love to play. I have not been able to answer the above problems with a PC vs PC campaign, but the answers if they exist should be pretty abstract and not require you know anything additional about BT. Let me know if you have any.
If you need them, the rulebooks are readily available online (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/). The rulebook that would detail campaign-level rules would be at http://www.amazon.com/Battletech-Strategic-Operations-Catalyst-Game/dp/1934857211.
I did not find it very helpful, because the core issue remains: what happens when, a month into the campaign, one PC side suffers a defeat, loses 20% of their forces, 10% of which the other PCs salvage, and now one side is at 100% strength having replaced their battle losses with salvage, and the other side is now at 80% strength. Do you make the other side fight every game at a 20% disadvantage?
And if you give people freedom of movement at the strategic level, you run the risk (certainty, really) that uneven forces will be matched against each other in almost every fight. If one side sends 70% of their forces down road #1, and the other side 80% of their forces down road #2, you are left with two sets of fights, and both sides are reduced to fighting a holding action which they have no chance of winning and another fight in which they have no chance of losing.
We could theoretically, it's just not documented at all so setting it up would be a huge investment of time and effort.
And ultimately, Mekwars servers balance fights on BV ranges anyway - leveling up your forces will give you better pilots, but those are accounted for in BV, so it just means you have lower-BV mechs.
If we wanted to make a commitment to balance every fight on BV, what we could do is just generate a regiment of mechs a side and throw units at each other until there was only one side left.
The implication of a risk-style map, though, is that fights would not be balanced.
I do like the idea of a series of scenarios where it pits our invading company/batallion/regiment against the planetary defenses. Give us a pool of equipment and mechwarriors in MekHQ (or even a tonage or BV limit where we choose), lay out the battle scenario, choose our units for battle, drop, fight.
That would be veeeeery unwieldy though.
I used to spend some time just organizing and fleshing out regiments in MekHQ. Twas fun.
A more directed and streamlined campaign is probably for the best.
Though that'd definitely be more of a territory capture style campaign than the branching narrative one you're using now. Probably also needs some form of auto resolve to keep it moving considering the possible number of fights could be 3-4.
EDIT: The other option is to do a map based campaign with an objective (say ten zones with blu-for having to push a lance off the north edge/hold two of the three main cities) then have reinforcements arrive on a semi visible schedule (so you can fudge the later turns reinforcements to help deal with swings in luck/fortune/extreme losses) and have said reinforcements brought in via a points system (so say normal sectors give 500BV a turn and major supply points give 1K a turn).
The best thing about this is you could also bring in conventional forces this way too and have some interesting stuff like chucking paratroopers at a lance to prevent it being able to move to reinforce a city or having advantageous conditions (like say forcing low ammo on an opponent for one round of fighting) tied to the resource system.
This second system would obviously be super involved for pretty much everyone involved in it.
If you can write the rules I am sure we can find enough playtesters, am happy to administer the mekhq campaigns.
The local Andurien forces’ holding action in the face of 2:1 odds has failed. The Andurien forces are mostly intact, but they face the crippling loss of their Commander, Count D.M. Ru-Les, and his Awesome. The Count was shot shortly after he ejected, but as the other Andurien mechs had retreated at the time, so the rest of the Andurien forces don’t know whether he is dead, captured, or his limited commo equipment has failed. His prominence means that Andurien forces will immediately attempt to rescue him.
Of course, the raid on Miller’s Junction continues. This means that there will be three concurrent scenarios to assign forces to.
1) Whatever happened to Baby DMR?
The Awesome’s black box is somewhere in the vicinity of where it was destroyed. Its BattleROM recording suite and telemetry would show that the Count was gunned down after ejecting. For the Anduriens, it would be a propaganda coup and would mobilize Miller’s Junction against the FWL attackers. BattleROM footage of course, can be edited, which is why the Oriente Hussars would like to get their hands on it first….
Oriente conventional forces will be scouting the area for the recording. The Anduriens have scrambled for an SAR mission, though the lack of rescue broadcast beacon means that if they are unable to timely find the Count, they are to recover the black box instead.
Both sides can detail additional mech units to this fight.
2) The Wages of Fear
As noted previously, a convoy with an unknown cargo is coming down the main road to Miller’s Junction. Fast conventional forces from the FWL’s supporting merc unit, the Greyhounds, are on course to intercept with light mech support, and a heavy Andurien tank force holds the city entrance and will escort the convoy in.
Both sides can detail additional mech units to this fight.
3) Enemy at the Gates
The main body of the Oriente Hussars are in position to push into Miller’s Junction to attack either the urban AA defenses or the air fields to the north of the city. This battle takes place at the termination of the river valley that leads into Miller’s Junction that the Hussars have advanced up in earlier fights. The Anduriens hope to hold the FWL here, both because it would avoid civilian casualties and property damage, and to keep the FWL from their objectives.
The Oriente Hussars can exit units off the north map edge to enter Miller’s Junction to either destroy the airfield outside the city or to recon/destroy AA units inside the city. Fighting ends either when all Andurien units have been destroyed or fled or when all Oriente Hussars units have been destroyed or fled.
Oriente units that leave will therefore have a head start against Andurien units that are trying to fight the remaining Oriente units. For each turn that passes before Andurien units either themselves leave the north edge of the map, until fighting ends, Oriente units will have an additional turn on the next fight to accomplish their objectives before Andurien reinforcements show up.
This means you’ll have to manually note when units leave the field.
Ex: An Oriente Orion leaves the north side of the map on turn 5 via the flee command. An Andurien Atlas leaves the north edge on turn 7 in pursuit. In the next scenario, the Atlas will enter the map on the beginning of turn 2 of the next scenario. The scenario ends on turn 11 with no other Andurien forces leaving the battlefield. The other Andurien forces will enter on turn 6 of the next fight.
If, at the end of the fight, Oriente holds the field, they can choose whether to take a repair phase before fighting the next battles (in which case both sides can repair their units), or whether the next fights happen immediately.
If Andurien holds the field and no Oriente units have left north, this means the Oriente attack was repulsed. Andurien can then choose to repair or not (oriente would also get to repair), and then can pursue the Oriente forces south. Andurien can choose not to pursue, but this would not end the campaign.
If all the Oriente units have left the field, the units that push north can fight at either of the two Miller’s Junction sites. Units that have fled any other direction can repair, but not fight in the next round of battles. Units that have left the north map edge can instead of fighting choose to withdraw and repair.
ENGAGEMENT LOCATION - Outskirts of Miller's Junction, Shiro III
PREPARED BY - LT Joey Constantiniu
PARTICIPATING UNITS:
Battle Lance:
Lt. Joey Constantiniu - BNC-3E
Sgt. Anastasio Rafal - HBK-4G
Pvt. Yasmin Yusaf Kehl - GHR-5H
Pvt. Takiji Hirai - BJ-1
Fire Lance:
Lt. Persephone Galitsis - ON1-K
Sgt. Sandra Martnez WTH-1
Pvt. Arhippa Virta - SHD-2H
Pvt. Make-Make Kumar - TBT-5J
REPORT DETAILS - The Greyhounds, having done an exceptional job of scouting the enemy ahead of our advance, paid dearly for the recon provided to us. The 2:1 odds they afforded us made the operation a resounding success. It was a swift engagement, that may cost us more in the long run than we had anticipated.
My main Battle Lance came into the engagement on the west side of the river. Lt. Galitsis' Fire support lance deployed to the east side of the river in a thicket of woods.
Initial progress north was slow and cautious. An Andurien Jenner eventually appeared into sensor range near the Fire lance. Concentrated fire from both lances was enough to deter the bogie and we were able to strip him of all his center torso armor. A Dervish and Dragon showed up in support, taking a defensive position in a forest about 500m north of us, but the Jenner quickly scurried off to lick his wounds.
Suddenly, on a steep hill near the position of the Battle Lance, the renowned Count D.M. Ru-Les in his AWS-8Q appeared! He was able to get off a few well placed shots on our units with his superb sniping skills while the rest of his unit took pot shots at us as they slowly fell back in an organized withdraw. They couldn't possibly hope to win the engagement, and the Count was well aware of this. He stood firm in the advancement of four Mechs on his position, his withering fire power making it treacherous.
We were able to disable one of his PPCs through a series of well placed shots on his left torso. Moments later I finally was into melee range of the count with my Banshee, well under the effective range of his devastating PPC's. Cresting the hill, I was able to unload my PPC into his head, nearly killing the Bastard. my left foot made a crushing blow against his right arm, tearing into the internals in a shower of sparks and mangled steel.
He managed to stay upright under the onslaught of Lasers, Autocannon fire and Mech limbs, and tried to back away down the hill from us. Unfortunately, the count is a better shot than he is a pilot, and he tumbled over straight onto his back. I marched down the hill down to the Count, joined by Yasmin and Takiji. Readouts indicated he only had his head mounted laser remaining. I was about to extend an open invitation of surrender to the Noble Count, when suddenly my alarms lit up indicating he attempting to self destruct his Mech!
No honor for this man remained. I ordered my Lance to open up with everything they had, hoping to take out his reactor, or cockpit, before he detonated. The firepower was not enough to crack his 80 ton coffin. In a panic, i shouted for everyone to run as far and fast as they could.
The mech exploded with the fury of 1000 suns, obliterating everything within a 30m radius and turning sand into glass. We emerged mostly unscathed with some moderate armor damage. Sgt. Rafal took the brunt of it, easily losing almost 2 tons of armor from the front of his mech.
We noticed the Count safely ejected and in a rage I exploded with the orders to turn his corpse into ash for such a dishonorable act! Sgt. Rafal and Pvt. Hirai took it upon themselves to move in on the scum while I and Pvt. Kehl advanced North. Eventually Pvt. Hirai managed to cut him in two with a well placed laser while he was trying to flee. No quarter for those with no sense of honor. Although i now realize this was a rash move and he would have been far more useful captured.
Meanwhile, the Fire lance advanced on the Dragon and Dervish, chasing them to the north edge of our engagement area and giving them a black eye before they escaped. We will be seeing them again.
Command is advised to salvage the recording from the AWS-8Q before the Andurien's get their hands on it. An "incident" will be on our hands and could swing this assault wildly in favor of the Op-for.
SURVIVING UNITS
Battle Lance:
Lt. Joey Constantiniu - BNC-3E
Sgt. Anastasio Rafal - HBK-4G
Pvt. Yasmin Yusaf Kehl - GHR-5H
Pvt. Takiji Hirai - BJ-1
Fire Lance:
Lt. Persephone Galitsis - ON1-K
Sgt. Sandra Martnez WTH-1
Pvt. Arhippa Virta - SHD-2H
Pvt. Make-Make Kumar - TBT-5J
ENEMY MECHS DESTROYED
Count D.M. Ru-Les AWS-8Q