OtakuD00DCan I hit the exploding rocks?San DiegoRegistered Userregular
I got a Stalker in! It's my first Battlemech and a friend helped me design one on Heavy Metal Pro. It packs 6 Streak-SRM 6's and four Light PPCs. He recommended switching over to Clan Tech for even more hilarity.
EIther way, I'm thinking of painting it like this baby:
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
More new things. We knew these were coming, and now they're about to be here!
I got a Stalker in! It's my first Battlemech and a friend helped me design one on Heavy Metal Pro. It packs 6 Streak-SRM 6's and four Light PPCs. He recommended switching over to Clan Tech for even more hilarity.
EIther way, I'm thinking of painting it like this baby:
one thing to keep in mind is that mechs you design will usually be way, way more powerful than ones in the books. Though usually the battlevalue still works out.
Attacked by tweeeeeeees!
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OtakuD00DCan I hit the exploding rocks?San DiegoRegistered Userregular
edited February 2015
Oh, for sure. The ones in the books are just stock models set up a specific way, balanced against each other, etc etc etc. Customization will always break the BV/bank.
I took a pic of my Stalker. I glued some Heavy Gear LRP packs on it.
OtakuD00D on
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Indeed. Always room for more missiles!
Also, battle report coming soon.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
I got my Reaper Bones CAV kickstarter minis today. First impressions are good. These seem to be made of harder plastic than the previous bones minis and so hold the hard edges well for mechs. A few of them have slightly bent gun barrels and such but honestly less than I usually see in the battletech metals from Irond Wind Metals. I suspect straightening them will be easier in the bones plastic than it is for metal.
In terms of scale they are larger than the plastics that come in the battletech box but not so much that they don't work on a battletech map. Overall they seem very well suited to BT. There are mechs, aircraft, ground vehicles and infantry (though the kickstarter didn't have infantry in it) so you can put together a nice combined arms force.
OtakuD00DCan I hit the exploding rocks?San DiegoRegistered Userregular
edited February 2015
Wait. The Reaper Bones CAV kickstarter already ended!? SHIT. Had no idea it even started.
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
That was months ago.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Hiya thread. What's going on?
Not much over here. Just painted a thing. (Crossposted from the Miniature Painting thread)
It's not finished, but it's pretty enough for a Saturday romp before I do the final touch-up work and call it done. And boy-howdy, am I hyped for Saturday. The Alpha Strike Grinder I've set up is good to go; got all the cards printed out, the 'Mech lists finalized, the rules handout completed, and more or less all the terrain figured out. Now to just set up, blow up some 'Mechs, and record the carnage for posterity
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Weeks late, but here's the battle report from last fortnight's campaign... as given in-universe at the request of the GM.
> URGENT COMMUNICATION
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Chris
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
On Oct 07, 3014, the 'Mech lance under my command was ordered to sally. This was part of an effort to lock down the source of enemy forces thought to originate from the Draconis Combine. Intel had narrowed down several locations where they believed the force to be based or working and we were sent to one such location.
We arrived on-site at 1011 local time. Scopes were clear until 1023 when we picked up two radar contacts with a third arriving moments later. These were identified as a DRG-5K Grand Dragon, CRD-3K Crusader and a Starslayer of indeterminate model. Shortly after, our forces converged and entered combat.
By one minute in we had incapacitated the Grand Dragon and began to focus our efforts on the Starslayer. Unfortunately we had some difficulty in keeping our attacks consistent and, by 1:40 in my mech was the only one to not have sustained structure damage.
At approximately two minutes into the engagement an additional 'Mech, a Warhammer, entered the area of operations. As the odds were not in our favor, I made the decision to parlay with the opposition to ensure my lancemates would survive. They agreed to the simple terms: we would exit combat and leave their casualties in return for being allowed to pull back our own.
Their commander also delivered a cryptic message. Something like, "We come for what we seek. Stay out of our way and we will not attack." While I hope we can negotiate with them and get them out of our space (and possibly get something in return) I fear it would simply be turned back on us eventually. I'll leave that up to command and the diplomats to decide.
Our 'Mechs are under repairs and should be battle-ready in just over a week, by which time our debriefing should be finished. We'll await new orders then.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Today's battle was a cityfight on the DC map. Us three plus Trebuchet Bob against some enemy lance which we must dislodge from the location. Our sensor rolls consistently fail, requiring us to get within visual range to even know anything is there. When a barrage of LRMs flies out from behind a Hermes II spotter I run my Phoenix Hawk down one street... and wind up face-to-face with a Crusader while noticing a Quickdraw behind me and a Wolverine on the buildings between them.
After we win initiative. I jump behind the Crusader and ask our GM, "Can I punch with each arm?" He responds in the affirmative with the usual caveat of not firing any arm-mounted weapons (in my case, any weapons at all). Eventually my turn in the Physical Attack phase comes around. Two hits...
...Six and six. Two head hits on the punch table. Even with full head armor a point of damage still goes through to structure. Chance of critical... One crit! Roll for slot...
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
It's lonely in here again.
Last game's (ten days late) in-character communique:
> URGENT COMMUNICATION
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Finnegan
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
My apologies for inconsistencies in the previous communication's time frames.
On October 21, 3030, our lance was deployed to a city under Secession occupation. Intelligence showed approximately one lance of Secession BattleMechs and our objective was to dislodge them while preserving the city structure and population.
We entered the area of operations at 1343 local time. We were alerted to the presence of the enemy 'Mechs by a barrage of LRMs which fell short of our location and impacted the city. Our first solid ID was a Hermes II, 2M "Mercury" model, acting as a spotter for three other 'Mechs. As we entered the city we engaged these 'Mechs: a Crusader-3D, Quickdraw-4H and Wolverine-6M.
Fire was exchanged with little effect until my own Phoenix Hawk managed to close in behind the Crusader and deliver two crippling blows to its head, knocking out the cockpit. (The BattleROM and visuals of this event were circulated around the base, providing a much-needed morale boost.) The enemy forces seemed less coordinated after this point, possibly because the Crusader was their command 'Mech.
At approximately 1442 the enemy Quickdraw took a critical hit to its ammunition stores, detonating the 'Mech and causing some minor damage to a nearby building. The enemy forces, now outnumbered four-to-two, began to withdraw from the area. I made the decision not to pursue as our current composition and condition were not in our favor - Dallas's Hunchback was heavily damaged and Chris's Valkyrie had reduced mobility.
The area remained secure when we were relieved at 1531 by our Dropship. Dallas has elected to commandeer the Crusader, recovered and under a short refurbishing process, while his Hunchback is under repair. Total damage to the city was minimal - we may be able to rally the city's inhabitants to our cause by showing how little the Secession forces cared with their opening missile barrage.
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - Minor armor damage, ready for next operation
VLK-QA (Chris C) - Some internal damage, estimated ready for next operation
HBK-4G (Dallas) - Major internal damage, not ready next operation
TBT-5N (Bob) - Minor internal damage, estimated ready for next operation
ENEMY UNITS
CRD-3R - Captured.
QKD-4H - Destroyed by ammo explosion.
WVR-6M - Escaped.
HER-2M - Escaped.
OBJECTIVES
1. Dislodge all Secession armed forces - Complete
2. Mitigate damage to city structure - Minimal damage.
> FROM: FCOM Finnegan
> TO: LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Great work, Lieutenant! Beating the insurgents back AND capturing a heavy Mech. I'm putting you in for a citation.
Two pieces of bad news. First, the Anton rebels managed to get a copy of the BattleROM. They are accusing you of deliberately killing one of their warriors - there's apparently a 1 million C-Bill bounty on your head. (So stay out of trouble) Second, Battalion S-3 had a message on receiving your report - I was "ordered" to pass it along, but don't worry about it. Jameson is a staff weenie and thinks reports are more important than repair & refit...
Again, good work. Keep it up and we'll crush this little rebellion.
Brevet Captain Jones
> FROM: FCOM Finnegan (Battalion)
> TO: LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
>
>Report received. Continued delays in report filing will result in disciplinary action and possible deductions in pay and / or rank.
LT Jameson, Battalion S-3
> MESSAGE ENDS
And then today we got someone new to play as Trebuchet Bob!
...Too bad we failed our objective.
> URGENT COMMUNICATION
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Finnegan
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Today did not end well for the 4th Marik Militia.
On October 29 3030, our lance was stationed at a Field Headquarters site. We were the only guards available as all other forces were currently deployed at other locations.
At approximately 1025 local time, four 'Mechs approaching the site were spotted on radar, two from North and two from East. They were quickly identified as Secessionist and our own lance came out to defend the base.
The fighting began at 1050. The Catapult remained at range while the Centurion, Grasshopper and Hunchback closed in.
Our Trebuchet pilot experienced a strange difference in behavior from previous but remained an effective MechWarrior - he provided consistently effective fire support while taking no fire himself. Chris remained within the HQ complex, firing on any enemy that came close. The Crusader, operated by Dallas on a temporary basis, also delivered severe damage to the enemy forces, though not without suffering plenty in return.
My Phoenix Hawk was singled out by the Hunchback pilot, screaming over open comms about what I did to the Crusader's previous 'Warrior. His single-mindedness allowed me to draw him away from the main battle, though it lowered my ability to actively contribute to the battle.
The Grasshopper was crippled early on but remained an active combatant. This was a grave mistake on our part as it chipped away at our HQ structure while we were occupied with the Centurion. By the time the Grasshopper was finished off and the Centurion likewise brought down, the Catapult delivered the final strike.
We declared surrender which the opposing forces accepted. Their Hunchback pilot provided humanitarian assistance, helping us extract what few survivors we could from the crumbling ruins.
By 1450 we confirmed that, of thirteen staff members on-site at the start of the battle, only two survived the collapse of the base structure. They have been brought back with us on the Dropship with assurances that all sensitive assets were secured when the first shots were exchanged. I will draft letters of condolence for the remaining lost base staff.
In the meantime, we have already received notification of our next deployment. Its high-speed pursuit nature will necessitate the requisition of another, more nimble 'Mech for Dallas as both the Hunchback and Crusader lack the necessary agility (with the latter also under heavy overhaul).
My apologies for our lance's failure to protect its objective. I will personally take responsibility.
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - Moderate structure damage, systems intact
VLK-QA (Chris C) - Minor structure damage, systems intact
CRD-3R - (Dallas) Major structure damage, some systems damaged
TBT-5N (Bob? "Troy"?) - No damage
ENEMY UNITS
GHR-5H - Engine destroyed.
CN9-A - Engine destroyed. Pilot was apprehended but released after the battle.
CPLT-C1 - Survived the battle.
HBK-4G - Survived the battle.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited March 2015
Heads Up! Lots of Pictures Ahead!
Hey thread! It's about time for a battle report, don't you think? I think so.
So to celebrate my buddy's birthday, we busted out some serious 'Mech on 'Mech violence. The battlefield was set: a Grinder-style game, using the Alpha Strike rules, with six players and a boatload of 'Mechs. It was go time!
If anyone is interested in the Grinder rules we used, you can find them here. (The Grinder rules are most of page 1, then the rest of it is a really truncated writeup of how to play Alpha Strike). Here's the list of mechs we used, broken into totally-arbitrary-but-useful categories:
Scouts
Locust (20) LCT-1V [14]
Panther^ -9R [20]
ForestryMech MOD Using custom ForestryMech MOD card (still terribad)
Jenner JR7-A (single LL, 1/1/0) [16]
Commando COM-2D [15]
Spider SDR-5V [16]
Mongoose MON-68 (single LL) [16]
Cicada (40) CDA-2A [16]
Skirmishers
Raven (35) RVN-4X [24]
Uller (30) Prime [23]
Cougar (35) Prime [28]
Phoenix Hawk MOD (45) PXH-1 [25]
Whitworth WHT-1 [26]
Hunchback (50) HBK-4G [28]
Griffin (55) GRF-1N [30]
Rifleman (60) RFL-3N [26]
Strikers
Shadow Cat (45) Prime [32]
Marauder (75) MAD-3R [35]
Warhammer MOD (70) WHM-6K or -6R [32]
Warhammer (70) WHM-6D [36]
Thunderbolt MOD (65) TDR-5SS (RA PPC/LT SRM6/LA 2xFlmr) [35]
Axman AXM-2N [35]
Grendel (45) Prime [34]
Black Hawk [50] A [34]
Brawlers
Orion (75) ON1-K [39]
Awesome^ (80) AWS-8Q [39]
Thug (80) THG-11E [41]
Zeus^ (80) ZEU-9S [40]
Battlemaster (85) BLR-1G [40]
Thor Prime [41]
Loki Prime [40]
Vulture Prime [38]
Juggernauts
Mad Cat Prime [49]
Warhammer IIc Standard [50]
Marauder IIc Standard [51]
Thunder Hawk TDK-7X [51]
Atlas^ (100) AS7-D [52]
Supernova Standard [52]
Daishi Prime [55]
Stone Rhino Standard [58]
Enough with the prologue! Let's get to the action!
Our six competitors rolled up their initial 'Mechs and took the battlefied near a distant, abandoned cityscape.
Nips - Mongoose
Ryan - Locust
Luke - Spider
Sarah - Cicada
Jeremy - Panther
Sam - Commando
Turn 1
Starting at the edges, most of our competitors moved at top pace to the center of the complex to begin exchanging fire. The Locust and Cicada both fired salvos at the Spider, blowing through its armor, damaging it down to its internals and destroying its few precious weapons.
The Mongoose lased the Commando, while the Panther lined up a PPC shot that goes wide.
Turn 2
Lining up a second salvo, the Panther's PPC fire went wide once again. Meanwhile, the Commando outmaneuvered the Cicada, getting position behind the larger mech and wracking it with SRMs to the back.
Meanwhile, in the distance, a conga line of death formed up. With no weapons left, the Spider attempted a charge at the Cicada while the Locust swung in behind for the kill.
The Spider failed to land its charge, while the Locust cored it out from behind. First kill!
Turn 3
The center of the complex turned into a disgusting brawl, while a fresh Kit Fox entered the battlefield!
The Kit Fox discharged its weapons, scorching the scenery but failing to land a hit on the enemy mechs.
In the center around and through the well-manicured copse of trees, the Cicada and Panther (again!) both failed to land hits on their opponents. The Mongoose, with its superior position, landed a solid hit on the Locust from behind!
Turn 4
The brief engagement in the complex center breaks apart, as each competitor scattered for cover! The Cicada broke for the outside edge, pursued by the Commando. To the north, sensing a fresh target, the Locust pilot rushed toward the Kit Fox with the Mongoose and Panther in hot pursuit.
The Commando, chasing down the Cicada using its superior speed, downed the larger mech from behind! Meanwhile, the Panther finally got its first kill as it landed a PPC salvo on the Locust from behind! With its initial target downed, the Mongoose turned its guns toward the Kit Fox, raking it with laser fire, while the Kit Fox failed to land its return fire.
Turn 5
With the Locust and Cicada down, sensor blips indicating a Hunchback and Raven approached the complex.
The arrival of the new competitors shifted the balance of the brawl, and a number of 'Mechs got shipped to the scrapyard this turn.
On the one side of the complex the retreating Mongoose made a fatal error, running smack into the firing line of the Hunchback. The larger mech's AC/20 barks out...and sunk a round into the ground at the Mongoose's feet! The relief is brief, however, as the pursuing Panther's reach with its PPC landed a solid hit, coring out the pincered Mongoose.
The Panther, attempting to escape from the Commando and Kit Fox while pursuing the Mongoose, ran for the cover of the trees but was dropped from behind by the faster Commando. Moments later, the Commando's rear torsos exploded from the mixed-weapon salvos of the Kit Fox.
Turn 6
Three more 'Mechs downed means three more competitors took the field, with a Griffin, Cougar, and Whitworth all entering from board edges. Some light weapons fire wasexchanged, but no hits were confirmed.
Turn 7
The Hunchback and Cougar pilots, fearing the flanking maneuvers of the other mechs and each other, took positions back-to-back on opposite sides of a reinforced building.
The Whitworth made a jumping beeline to the nearest building, while the Kit Fox, Raven, and Griffin took up positions for optimum weapons fire. Maybe hugging the building was a fool's errand?
The Hunchback and Kit Fox both lanced out at the exposed Whitworth with weapons fire, each narrowly missing. The Whitworth was not safe, however, as the Raven drilled the building-top 'Mech. The Whitworth collapsed off the building in a ruined mess.
Meanwhile, the Griffin lines up a shot on the Cougar, but missed wide with its salvos.
Turn 8
With the Whitworth down a new combatant, a Grendel, rushed into engagement range. Sporting some serious guns the Grendel pilot had his eyes on several kills, the first of which was the hapless Cougar. The Hunchback began a back-to-building shuffle to protect its weak backside, while the Kit Fox moved up to engage through the buildings.
The Hunchback and Kit Fox fired their weapons wildly, missing their marks. The Grendel, with a perfect kill-shot opportunity on the Cougar's backside, jerked the stick too hard and plowed the ground instead of the Cougar.
Meanwhile, the Griffin and Raven moved to engage each other. However, the Griffin pilot gravely misjudged the distance, and the increasingly-dangerous Raven moved into short-range position for maximum potential damage, and to offset the Griffin's superior ranged weapons. The Raven pilot similarly screwed up his positioning though, leaving him open to a return punch from the larger Griffin.
The Raven landed its salvo into the Griffin's midsection, while narrowly avoiding the Griffin's retaliatory strike.
Turn 9
The Grendel, having lost initiative, chose to put some space between it and the city center. The Kit Fox pilot, sensing the threat of its relative position, moved to put the trees between it and the heavier mechs. The Griffin jump jetted to the Whitworth's former position on the nearby building, while the Raven broke off its pursuit at the sight of the Kit Fox. The Hunchback continued its building-hugging shuffle, while the Cougar engaged in a similar tactic across the alley from it.
Weapons fire blazed across and through the downtown complex, but the only solid hit came from the meaty thump of the HBK's AC/20, landing square on the Kit Fox despite the intervening forest. The Kit Fox slumped to the ground, destroyed from the large-bore hit.
Turn 10
With the death of the Kit Fox, a Black Hawk moved on from the outskirts. The Grendel pilot, still frustrated by his lack of iniative, continued to skirt the edges of the downtown circle. As the Griffin jumped to the next building in line, the Hunchback sensor's blared, prompting its pilot to move to a clear firing solution. The Cougar and Raven repositioned, facing off with a radome-equipped building between them.
The Griffin pilot immediately regretted his jump-jet trajectory, as the now-exposed Hunchback put an AC/20 slug in through its armor, killing the airborn mech. The remaining mechs exchanged fire, hits landing solidly but none leading to kills.
Turn 11
With the only obvious target of the Griffin dead, the remaining mechs continued to maintain a wary distance from each other, circling the city center. Then, from a nearby dropship, a Warhammer came streaking out of the sky in a desperate orbital drop gambit to make up ground!
The ground shook roughly at the Warhammer's landing, with the nearby Raven only briefly distracted by the new arrival.
Shots continued to ring out across the complex, with the Raven focusing down the Hunchback for the only kill.
Turn 12
A rogue Shadow Cat, sensing weakness in its fellow Clan Nova's position, swiftly moved into the engagement to rear-arc the shorter-but-heavier mech.
The Grendel pilot continued to be frustrated by his lack of good position, and began to creep into the center ring. In his sights: the Black Hawk in the distance.
The Shadow Cat and Grendel ripped into the Black Hawk, but the targeted 'Mech kept its feet!
Meanwhile, the Cougar pilot panicked across the city center, right into the shared sights of the Warhammer and Raven!
A blaze of PPC, missile, and machine gun fire consumed the small Clan mech, but not before it could take the Raven down with it.
Turn 13 - The Final Turn
With several ruined mechs on the ground, a Marauder and second Warhammer showed up to join the fray! The Black Hawk pilot, incensed by the inevitable betrayal of his Clan allies, turned on the Shadow Hawk while it likewise bore down on him. The hot-dropped Warhammer moved up, looking to take advantage of the mess.
With a quick snap of a pair of PPCs, the 6D Warhammer downed the damaged Nova before it could truly engage with its friend-turned-foe.
The Grendel, meanwhile, sized up the situation and finally found a position for a seriously damaging blow....on the freshly-arrived Marauder!
In what will long be remembered as the Easiest Gimme Shot, the Grendel pilot proceeded to fail to land a single weapon hit. The pilot cursed his luck, and the 'Mech's suspect targeting systems.
In the distance, the klaxons blared! The battle was called, and the tally of the engagement was made:
IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Holy shit that's a lot of pictures.
Meanwhile, got a comm back re: our last battle...
> FROM: FCOM Finnegan
> TO: LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
>
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Lieutenant,
The loss of field HQ 7 and associated casualties are regrettable. We can't hope for victory everywhere, but know that your unit's actions drew higher-than-average forces from the main thrust. This, in small part, allowed us to focus on the main battle line where we smashed the main body of the Anton rebels. Your small part in this war has had a larger effect. The front pushed back over 150 kilometers in one day, and over a Battalion of enemy Mechs have been destroyed or captured.
Recent intel has given us a rare opportunity to strike a blow which may shorten the entire campaign. SAFE is assigning you to a very special mission based on your unit's performance thusfar. A LOT is riding on your next mission. An operative will arrive tonight with a loaner Mech that should help with your assignment. Put Mechwarrior Dallas in the new ride, and get him up to speed quickly. You leave at 0800 tomorrow.
Treat it with the utmost care, as this is Mech is not being assigned to your unit. Good hunting!
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Yeah....we played for three hours, and I was remarkably thorough with documenting the game.
Seriously, it was pretty much the best thing. We'd have kept playing, if non-mechheads hadn't arrived and the games schedule rolled into other pursuits.
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Well. Today was a day.
There were two battles. Battle The First was our campaign game. We were to assault and secure an enemy depot housing a major enemy asset before they could get moving again. To this effect, Dallas was supplied with a Lancelot. A very, ah, special Lancelot which he and I were pulled aside to be briefed on.
"It's often called the 'Coffin' because it's got light armor and Heavy movement."
"6-9-0 is not Heavy movement."
"No, it is not. "
Turns out SAFE wanted us to take the Mech's XL Engine and bring it Naturally, this is exactly what happens. Charging at the supply depot across terrain differences as high as four levels, sending two jump jet-less 'Mechs down a narrow corridor resulted in the exact definition of "meat grinder".
> URGENT COMMUNICATION
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Finnegan
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Our objective was to assault Supply Depot 27, the site of the Rebel asset you reported previously came to rest. Our lance entered the AO at 1225 local time. In tow was the mech delivered by the SAFE operative after we were briefed and Dallas trained in its operation.
FWLM forces had previously engaged these enemies. Of these, one 'Mech (an Atlas) had already been rendered incapable of fighting. The other three had taken varying levels of damage but were still capable of battle. We expected these favorable circumstances to allow our lance to prevail even against opponents that out-weighted us.
The result of the battle was not in our favor. The enemy compound was surrounded by rough terrain. Our Lancelot and Trebuchet, capable of high ground speed but lacking jump jets, quickly became pinned down by the enemy Assaults. Barely six minutes into the engagement, the Lancelot found itself dangerously low in torso armor. The Trebuchet also suffered two falls and a severely-damaged left arm before the battle ended.
Funneled into a killzone like that, I had little choice but to order a withdraw. I doubted Lt. Chris' Valkyrie and my own Phoenix Hawk could take down even one of the enemy 'Mechs before falling to the others. Lt. Bob (Mary? I don't know anymore) was in danger of an ammunition detonation while Lt. Dallas had strict orders to preserve his 'Mech's internal components.
Unfortunately I doubt those enemy forces will still be within striking capability by the time our treaty period lapses.
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - No damage
VLK-QA (Chris C) - No damage
LNC25-<XXX> (Dallas) - Heavy damage to torso armor
TBT-5N (Bob? "Mary"?) - Internal structure damage
ENEMY UNITS
BLR-1D
HGN-733P
THG-11E
> MESSAGE ENDS
Second turn of shooting, Lancelot takes like fifteen damage in the center torso. Fourth turn of shooting, it takes another ten in a side (left?) torso. Meanwhile the Trebuchet got knocked over twice and lost its left arm missile launcher. Fearing we'd either piss off SAFE or lose a PC, I popped our white flag on Turn 9. We were afterwards informed that, if we lasted to turn 20, they would've given up.
Of course, my two teammates were told a bit about the circumstances of the "Star League-era" Lancelot. They at least knew that we needed to protect it. The cheesy, corny code I kept using was "We better bring dad's car back in one piece." I even used it in a separate report...
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Dad,
The car ran cool and ran fast. Still in one piece somehow. Too bad the road was so rocky we had to turn back not even half-way. Still got some good memories. I'll pass them on when you come by.
> MESSAGE ENDS
---
After we got lunch, Game The Second was Alpha Strike, about 415 points of Jihad-era. Dallas left so it was Chris F versus Chris C and myself. The rosters went something like:
Chris F: Wolfhound, Crusader, Warhammer, Flashman, Hatchetman, Watchman, Hunchback, Stealth, one or two more.
Chris C: Timberwolf, Fire Moth, Warhawk (all Prime), Mad Cat MkIII, Kodiak
Me: Atlas, Victor, Grasshopper, Commando, Enforcer, Hunchback
Things started off not entirely in my favor. We had some good cover going in but I soon found a Stealth in my midst, sappin' my Commando. I kept engaging at medium distance while some of my lighter 'Mechs dealt with the incoming Lights and Mediums. Then the tables turned as Mr. C and I managed to wreck five of Mr. F's Mechs in one turn. By the next turn Chris F had only two 'Mechs remaining and we decided to call it then.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - No damage
VLK-QA (Chris C) - No damage
LNC25-<XXX> (Dallas) - Heavy damage to torso armor
TBT-5N (Bob? "Mary"?) - Internal structure damage
ENEMY UNITS
BLR-1D
HGN-733P
THG-11E
Cripes. Had you told me the Enemy Units were damaged to internals to start, maybe I'd have taken the bet on the Allies. But that lineup? Woof.
And my eyes bugged out at that point total. 415 points! Wow! That's a hell of game, almost company vs. company. How long did you play for?
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - No damage
VLK-QA (Chris C) - No damage
LNC25-<XXX> (Dallas) - Heavy damage to torso armor
TBT-5N (Bob? "Mary"?) - Internal structure damage
ENEMY UNITS
BLR-1D
HGN-733P
THG-11E
Cripes. Had you told me the Enemy Units were damaged to internals to start, maybe I'd have taken the bet on the Allies. But that lineup? Woof.
And my eyes bugged out at that point total. 415 points! Wow! That's a hell of game, almost company vs. company. How long did you play for?
The AS game went for a bit over two hours. It helped that the two Chris's are BT veterans.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Got a slightly-weird question: I was thinking of putting together a Dark Age era Kuritan lance/force, to give the "Looks like a damn samurai" 'Mechs a home. My cursory search left me with the following list:
Hatamoto-Chi
Hatamoto-Suna
Hitotsume
Shiro
Can you guys think of any other models I've missed?
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Rokurokubi.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Nice! He's so cute! With his little Light AC/5 and Sword.
I'll say this much for the Damn Samurai 'Mechs, they've got character.
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
They do. I kinda want to make a lance of them like you are. Rokurokubi, Hitotsume-kozo, Hatamoto-suna and Shiro. Three of 'em even have Hardened Armor.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
So im looking at my tragically painted minis from the 3rd edition box set. I slapped on some color 20 years ago with Testors military flats and, god help me, testors gloss car colors.
How can i go about stripping these without melting the old soft plastic minis?
Also, need some scenario ideas for some 3rd succession wars era battles i can play out with Alpha Strike. Combined arms would be good. Id love to combine vehicles and infantry with a few supporting mechs.
Any resources anyone can point me at?
HydroSqueegee on
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
So im looking at my tragically painted minis from the 3rd edition box set. I slapped on some color 20 years ago with Testors military flats and, god help me, testors gloss car colors.
How can i go about stripping these without melting the old soft plastic minis?
Fortunately, I've already been down this road, and have suggestions! I previously (a million years ago) painted my 2nd/3rd edition plastics in Testors enamels, before I had any clues. After asking our own Painting thread, the near-unanimous recommendation was Simple Green.
I cannot recommend this product enough. All you need to do is dump the Simple Green into a suitable plastic container large enough for it + the figs you want to strip, and let it sit for a few days. Opinions varied between "Overnight" and "Forever" for as far as you should leave them in there. I left mine to sit for several days (up to a week, due to laziness/distractions). When I removed them from the Simple Green, most of the paint simply flaked or sloughed off and the rest came loose with some scrubbing from an old toothbrush. The Simple Green also works well on metals, but you need to use a stiffer scrub brush to get the largesse off, and a narrow pick for some of the finer crevices.
If these are the kind of plastic figs you're looking at stripping, you're good to go using Simple Green. The plastic did not show any signs of significant softening even after a week of soaking, and the paints slid right off. Even my 3rd edition Locust, with the super-spindly long legs, took it like a champ and came out clean on the other side.
(And then got painted, which still makes me super happy)
On the other hand, there's also these guys:
I actually bought the Medium Omnimechs box off of ebay (Nova, Fenris, Stormcrow, Dragonfly) that came pre-owned and painted. The plastic is a different type, slightly harder, and the figs include metal attachments/accessories (arms, guns, etc.) I noticed that after a several day soak the paint did not completely release from the figures, but enough to get the 90% majority off; a basecoat of primer will easily cover up the rest, without obscuring too many of the details Also, the legs/ankles of the Nova are very thin, and felt like it might have softened just a touch from the soak, but not enough to damage the figure or put me off doing this again.
Simple Green. It does the job. You should be able to find it at any big-box DIY/home improvement store. I believe I got mine at the local Menards up here in Wisconsin.
Also, need some scenario ideas for some 3rd succession wars era battles i can play out with Alpha Strike. Combined arms would be good. Id love to combine vehicles and infantry with a few supporting mechs.
Any resources anyone can point me at?
After looking through the Alpha Strike book, i think ill just go with the default campaign they have there and give it a 3025 flavor. Easy peasy. Except......
Is there an easy way to generate balanced forces within a set criteria? I have a limited stock of minis and would like to use them, but i can print out standees for any 3025 era mech on demand.
I have my unit generator i flubbed up in excel that goes by the random unit tables per house... but is there something that can generate forces by point value?
I guess i could whip something up, but that would mean sifting through the master unit list and pulling pojnt vales out of that and entering it all by hand in excel, creating tables and all that tedious stuff. Wouldnt be so bad if i had access to that data and i could work on it in my down time at work. Doing it at home would be a poor use of time.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
After looking through the Alpha Strike book, i think ill just go with the default campaign they have there and give it a 3025 flavor. Easy peasy. Except......
Is there an easy way to generate balanced forces within a set criteria? I have a limited stock of minis and would like to use them, but i can print out standees for any 3025 era mech on demand.
I have my unit generator i flubbed up in excel that goes by the random unit tables per house... but is there something that can generate forces by point value?
I guess i could whip something up, but that would mean sifting through the master unit list and pulling pojnt vales out of that and entering it all by hand in excel, creating tables and all that tedious stuff. Wouldnt be so bad if i had access to that data and i could work on it in my down time at work. Doing it at home would be a poor use of time.
What is your stock of minis, or what would you like to use, and what kind of criteria are you looking to constrain the selections to? I'd be more than happy to help figure out some force lists with you.
I just want a random generator so i can create forces at will (company and battalion sized). Specify a table of available mechs, plug in max point value for campaign, input how many units you want (maybe even a skill value too) then the thing outputs a list of units.
... I have most of that already. Would just be a matter of creating a new table with point values for alpha strike. But my generator just pulls from rarity and assigns an overall skill to the unit. It doesnt care about battle value ...
Maybe i can just generate a regiment and use basic math to let people put together their force from the RCT theyre attached to or something. I'll just need to look up unit point value and have a column dedicated to it.
Why has no one created this yet? Doing stuff by hand is so barbaric.
My end goal is being able to quickly roll up a force based on point value for player A and B, and get them on the table as fast as possible.
I have a friend interested in battletech, but id rather do Alpha Strike so we can do large, quick battles over a campaign. I need something easy that lets me roll up interesting units that i can add fluff to, then drop in game.
Im trying to streamline. Asking someone who knows nothing about the game to go through and select units before even playing is fairly silly. Id rather drop them in the role of a Lt. Or Maj. Of an already established force and let them learn from there.
HydroSqueegee on
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
I have a friend interested in battletech, but id rather do Alpha Strike so we can do large, quick battles over a campaign. I need something easy that lets me roll up interesting units that i can add fluff to, then drop in game.
Im trying to streamline. Asking someone who knows nothing about the game to go through and select units before even playing is fairly silly. Id rather drop them in the role of a Lt. Or Maj. Of an already established force and let them learn from there.
Then don't bother with offering choices. Pick out the units in each side's ToE, and when your friend comes over to game, hand him his/her list and say "Welcome the battlefield, commander." If you want to give some ability to choose, maybe do it in a more granular way; narrow down the options, for instance provide a small selection of "Available Lances" that you can quickly balance out with the OpFor's list. Picking three lances from five our six available options (Recon Lance, Striker Lance, LRM Support Lance, etc.) is way faster than picking individual units.
With that out of the way, as for setting up those lists, you have carte blanche to do what you'd like. Do it random, semi-random, pick from available minis, however you'd like. If you're truly looking for something random, that link to the Solaris7 unit generator is actually pretty neat, having played with it a bit. You could use that, make sure it fits your era lists/constraints, and massage it as desired.
You're going to have to do some of this by hand. Pretty sure there's no way around it. The trick is to make it easier for yourself. For example, when I set up my Grinder game from earlier this year, I decided I was going to use miniatures I had, and then broke them up into tiers by weight, then point value, and bam. Off to the races. It took a bunch of fine tuning, but narrowing down the scope and setting selection bounds can quickly eliminate a lot of non-options.
Nips on
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Ooooh, pertinent! The MUL added faction information to their database for Late Succession Wars eras, for pre - and post-3020. Neat!
I think ill just have to take it upon myself to compile a list of stock units and their point value based on skill level. Ive found other things that kinda work, but i really just want a RUS based on an overall point value.
Been thumbing (swiping) through the supplemental Alpha Strike book, and there is a ton of good info for generic scenarios to build off of.
Wish i knew a programming language. I bet i could throw all my spreadsheet data into a java based website or something and make it useable for others.
Speaking of the spreadsheet. Ive left it neglected since August. So ive been spending the quiet work day updating and cleaning it up. Didnt realise the Regiment generation had a ton of broken values keying off the wrong data. But thats all cleaned up. Added in a line for individual unit skill for Alpha Strike values and a line for Point Value. Now its just a matter of mining the point value data and adding formulas for increasing or decreasing the point value based on skill.
Ive even added in the start of ranks, but im a little shaky in the area between regimental HQ and the Command Company. RHQ is led by a Colonial, then its his Command Company under him let by ??? And then the Battalion commanders are Majors under that. And then Captains then Lt.
So once i have that figured out, i may even go with a name generator. Maybe.
In the mean time, im having way too much fun generating regiments.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Added in a line for individual unit skill for Alpha Strike values and a line for Point Value. Now its just a matter of mining the point value data and adding formulas for increasing or decreasing the point value based on skill.
Keep in mind, the errata'd rules for skill-adjusted Alpha Strike PV are different from the ones in the first-printing of the book. If you're using the book, you'll want to grab the errata from here. I believe the PDF version through Drive-Thru RPG is up to date.
Also, the errata'd second printing is *crosses fingers* coming this year sometime.
Ive even added in the start of ranks, but im a little shaky in the area between regimental HQ and the Command Company. RHQ is led by a Colonial, then its his Command Company under him let by ??? And then the Battalion commanders are Majors under that. And then Captains then Lt.
So once i have that figured out, i may even go with a name generator. Maybe.
In the mean time, im having way too much fun generating regiments.
Which is funny. When i was flipping through the AS Companion, it actually has those rules for higher/lower skills saying it replaces the ones in the core book. Which is a pain in the ass for me. Because it goes from a simple math formula to a silly crazy table lookup function.
After some more fiddling, im just going to make an impromptu AS stat sheet along side all the units the spreadsheet generates. One line, nice and neet with all the armor, structure, special quirks, size and all that fun stuff. Makes it a lot easier than going out to the MUL to find the mech, click it, print it out... Etc. Just generate the regiment, print the sheet. Use the Lance/Company/Battalion/Regiment at whatever level you want in one (two, three?) handy at a glance sheet(s).
... Now i just need the garage wall clear, a giant hexmap and some magnet paint + magnets for the bottem of some paper standees...
And a generals hat with corn cob pipe. Just call me MacKarensky.
So... Battletech on a large scale Tactical level... Is it even a thing anymore? I still have my copy of battleforce. And i think i recall something about battleforce 2. Any rules these days for large scale formations where lances represent 1 unit on the board?
IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Looks like you're already on the right track, though Alpha Strike Companion does have extra rules for Lance-as-unit. There's even bonuses for certain compositions (Assault Lance, Pursuit Lance) - the recent Lance Packs each include a card for their respective setup.
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Is there really no at a glance list of mechs and point values out there? Like a spreadsheet or something? Sifting through the MUL by hand is going to be a pain in the ass. Especially with my shit cell connection since the site is blocked at work.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited April 2015
Well, on the MUL you can apply a filter and it will give you a pretty usable list with BT BVs, that with only marginal manipulation you can put into whatever format you want. AS PVs are going to be tougher to suss out. I thought I saw a list, let me dig a bit.
Just to try it, I did a top-level filter for Late Succession Wars - Lostech and Late Succession Wars - Renaissance, with Battlemechs only. This is what I got, copied the table straight off the web page, pasted into Notepad. Boom, instant tab-delimited table (which the forum software doesn't really a good job displaying, even in a Code block; trust me, this looks better in a spreadsheet).
[EDIT] Hydro, what document file format would you like the MUL dump in? I just ripped the entire Battlemech/IndustrialMech/Vehicles/Aerospace/Infantry sections of the database, and have it in plain text, ready for proper spreadsheeting. I can do XLS, ODS, a Google Spreadsheet, or something more esoteric if you'd like, or just throw up the plain text files to let you massage them to your needs.
Yea, i saw those lists, but it doesnt really cut it. So i sucked it up and got to work. Progress is slow, but lights for the 3028 MUL are done. And it is a fine list if i do say so myself. It includes all info that needs to be populated on the AS card and includes the point value for all skills (0-7).
Once that list is done, i have an ok sheet ready that fits 2 lances on one printed out page. Its a nice condenced version of the AS unit card info. That list will import names from the regiment generator, cross reference that name from the MUL and pull in the relevent data for that unit, populating the fields and assigning point value based on the skill generated for it.
Posts
EIther way, I'm thinking of painting it like this baby:
February's releases from CGL includes two new Lance Packs.
Mmmm, dem sexy plastics.
one thing to keep in mind is that mechs you design will usually be way, way more powerful than ones in the books. Though usually the battlevalue still works out.
I took a pic of my Stalker. I glued some Heavy Gear LRP packs on it.
Also, battle report coming soon.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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In terms of scale they are larger than the plastics that come in the battletech box but not so much that they don't work on a battletech map. Overall they seem very well suited to BT. There are mechs, aircraft, ground vehicles and infantry (though the kickstarter didn't have infantry in it) so you can put together a nice combined arms force.
https://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/CAV:StrikeOperations
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Not much over here. Just painted a thing. (Crossposted from the Miniature Painting thread)
It's not finished, but it's pretty enough for a Saturday romp before I do the final touch-up work and call it done. And boy-howdy, am I hyped for Saturday. The Alpha Strike Grinder I've set up is good to go; got all the cards printed out, the 'Mech lists finalized, the rules handout completed, and more or less all the terrain figured out. Now to just set up, blow up some 'Mechs, and record the carnage for posterity
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Chris
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
On Oct 07, 3014, the 'Mech lance under my command was ordered to sally. This was part of an effort to lock down the source of enemy forces thought to originate from the Draconis Combine. Intel had narrowed down several locations where they believed the force to be based or working and we were sent to one such location.
We arrived on-site at 1011 local time. Scopes were clear until 1023 when we picked up two radar contacts with a third arriving moments later. These were identified as a DRG-5K Grand Dragon, CRD-3K Crusader and a Starslayer of indeterminate model. Shortly after, our forces converged and entered combat.
By one minute in we had incapacitated the Grand Dragon and began to focus our efforts on the Starslayer. Unfortunately we had some difficulty in keeping our attacks consistent and, by 1:40 in my mech was the only one to not have sustained structure damage.
At approximately two minutes into the engagement an additional 'Mech, a Warhammer, entered the area of operations. As the odds were not in our favor, I made the decision to parlay with the opposition to ensure my lancemates would survive. They agreed to the simple terms: we would exit combat and leave their casualties in return for being allowed to pull back our own.
Their commander also delivered a cryptic message. Something like, "We come for what we seek. Stay out of our way and we will not attack." While I hope we can negotiate with them and get them out of our space (and possibly get something in return) I fear it would simply be turned back on us eventually. I'll leave that up to command and the diplomats to decide.
Our 'Mechs are under repairs and should be battle-ready in just over a week, by which time our debriefing should be finished. We'll await new orders then.
> MESSAGE ENDS
>
> COMMENCING ENCRYPTION
> .........
> ENCRYPTION COMPLETE
> SEARCHING FOR NEAREST HYPER PULSE GENERATOR
> ......
> SUITABLE HPG LOCATED
> SENDING REQUEST
> ............
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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After we win initiative. I jump behind the Crusader and ask our GM, "Can I punch with each arm?" He responds in the affirmative with the usual caveat of not firing any arm-mounted weapons (in my case, any weapons at all). Eventually my turn in the Physical Attack phase comes around. Two hits...
...Six and six. Two head hits on the punch table. Even with full head armor a point of damage still goes through to structure. Chance of critical... One crit! Roll for slot...
Three.
Float like a Wasp, sting like an Atlas!
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Last game's (ten days late) in-character communique:
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Finnegan
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
My apologies for inconsistencies in the previous communication's time frames.
On October 21, 3030, our lance was deployed to a city under Secession occupation. Intelligence showed approximately one lance of Secession BattleMechs and our objective was to dislodge them while preserving the city structure and population.
We entered the area of operations at 1343 local time. We were alerted to the presence of the enemy 'Mechs by a barrage of LRMs which fell short of our location and impacted the city. Our first solid ID was a Hermes II, 2M "Mercury" model, acting as a spotter for three other 'Mechs. As we entered the city we engaged these 'Mechs: a Crusader-3D, Quickdraw-4H and Wolverine-6M.
Fire was exchanged with little effect until my own Phoenix Hawk managed to close in behind the Crusader and deliver two crippling blows to its head, knocking out the cockpit. (The BattleROM and visuals of this event were circulated around the base, providing a much-needed morale boost.) The enemy forces seemed less coordinated after this point, possibly because the Crusader was their command 'Mech.
At approximately 1442 the enemy Quickdraw took a critical hit to its ammunition stores, detonating the 'Mech and causing some minor damage to a nearby building. The enemy forces, now outnumbered four-to-two, began to withdraw from the area. I made the decision not to pursue as our current composition and condition were not in our favor - Dallas's Hunchback was heavily damaged and Chris's Valkyrie had reduced mobility.
The area remained secure when we were relieved at 1531 by our Dropship. Dallas has elected to commandeer the Crusader, recovered and under a short refurbishing process, while his Hunchback is under repair. Total damage to the city was minimal - we may be able to rally the city's inhabitants to our cause by showing how little the Secession forces cared with their opening missile barrage.
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - Minor armor damage, ready for next operation
VLK-QA (Chris C) - Some internal damage, estimated ready for next operation
HBK-4G (Dallas) - Major internal damage, not ready next operation
TBT-5N (Bob) - Minor internal damage, estimated ready for next operation
ENEMY UNITS
CRD-3R - Captured.
QKD-4H - Destroyed by ammo explosion.
WVR-6M - Escaped.
HER-2M - Escaped.
OBJECTIVES
1. Dislodge all Secession armed forces - Complete
2. Mitigate damage to city structure - Minimal damage.
> MESSAGE ENDS
>
> COMMENCING ENCRYPTION
> .........
> ENCRYPTION COMPLETE
> SEARCHING FOR NEAREST HYPER PULSE GENERATOR
> ......
> SUITABLE HPG LOCATED
> SENDING REQUEST
> ............
...And the response:
> TO: LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Great work, Lieutenant! Beating the insurgents back AND capturing a heavy Mech. I'm putting you in for a citation.
Two pieces of bad news. First, the Anton rebels managed to get a copy of the BattleROM. They are accusing you of deliberately killing one of their warriors - there's apparently a 1 million C-Bill bounty on your head. (So stay out of trouble) Second, Battalion S-3 had a message on receiving your report - I was "ordered" to pass it along, but don't worry about it. Jameson is a staff weenie and thinks reports are more important than repair & refit...
Again, good work. Keep it up and we'll crush this little rebellion.
Brevet Captain Jones
> FROM: FCOM Finnegan (Battalion)
> TO: LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
>
>Report received. Continued delays in report filing will result in disciplinary action and possible deductions in pay and / or rank.
LT Jameson, Battalion S-3
> MESSAGE ENDS
And then today we got someone new to play as Trebuchet Bob!
...Too bad we failed our objective.
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Finnegan
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Today did not end well for the 4th Marik Militia.
On October 29 3030, our lance was stationed at a Field Headquarters site. We were the only guards available as all other forces were currently deployed at other locations.
At approximately 1025 local time, four 'Mechs approaching the site were spotted on radar, two from North and two from East. They were quickly identified as Secessionist and our own lance came out to defend the base.
The fighting began at 1050. The Catapult remained at range while the Centurion, Grasshopper and Hunchback closed in.
Our Trebuchet pilot experienced a strange difference in behavior from previous but remained an effective MechWarrior - he provided consistently effective fire support while taking no fire himself. Chris remained within the HQ complex, firing on any enemy that came close. The Crusader, operated by Dallas on a temporary basis, also delivered severe damage to the enemy forces, though not without suffering plenty in return.
My Phoenix Hawk was singled out by the Hunchback pilot, screaming over open comms about what I did to the Crusader's previous 'Warrior. His single-mindedness allowed me to draw him away from the main battle, though it lowered my ability to actively contribute to the battle.
The Grasshopper was crippled early on but remained an active combatant. This was a grave mistake on our part as it chipped away at our HQ structure while we were occupied with the Centurion. By the time the Grasshopper was finished off and the Centurion likewise brought down, the Catapult delivered the final strike.
We declared surrender which the opposing forces accepted. Their Hunchback pilot provided humanitarian assistance, helping us extract what few survivors we could from the crumbling ruins.
By 1450 we confirmed that, of thirteen staff members on-site at the start of the battle, only two survived the collapse of the base structure. They have been brought back with us on the Dropship with assurances that all sensitive assets were secured when the first shots were exchanged. I will draft letters of condolence for the remaining lost base staff.
In the meantime, we have already received notification of our next deployment. Its high-speed pursuit nature will necessitate the requisition of another, more nimble 'Mech for Dallas as both the Hunchback and Crusader lack the necessary agility (with the latter also under heavy overhaul).
My apologies for our lance's failure to protect its objective. I will personally take responsibility.
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - Moderate structure damage, systems intact
VLK-QA (Chris C) - Minor structure damage, systems intact
CRD-3R - (Dallas) Major structure damage, some systems damaged
TBT-5N (Bob? "Troy"?) - No damage
ENEMY UNITS
GHR-5H - Engine destroyed.
CN9-A - Engine destroyed. Pilot was apprehended but released after the battle.
CPLT-C1 - Survived the battle.
HBK-4G - Survived the battle.
> MESSAGE ENDS
>
> COMMENCING ENCRYPTION
> .........
> ENCRYPTION COMPLETE
> SEARCHING FOR NEAREST HYPER PULSE GENERATOR
> ......
> SUITABLE HPG LOCATED
> SENDING REQUEST
> ............
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Hey thread! It's about time for a battle report, don't you think? I think so.
So to celebrate my buddy's birthday, we busted out some serious 'Mech on 'Mech violence. The battlefield was set: a Grinder-style game, using the Alpha Strike rules, with six players and a boatload of 'Mechs. It was go time!
If anyone is interested in the Grinder rules we used, you can find them here. (The Grinder rules are most of page 1, then the rest of it is a really truncated writeup of how to play Alpha Strike). Here's the list of mechs we used, broken into totally-arbitrary-but-useful categories:
Enough with the prologue! Let's get to the action!
Our six competitors rolled up their initial 'Mechs and took the battlefied near a distant, abandoned cityscape.
Nips - Mongoose
Ryan - Locust
Luke - Spider
Sarah - Cicada
Jeremy - Panther
Sam - Commando
Turn 1
Starting at the edges, most of our competitors moved at top pace to the center of the complex to begin exchanging fire. The Locust and Cicada both fired salvos at the Spider, blowing through its armor, damaging it down to its internals and destroying its few precious weapons.
The Mongoose lased the Commando, while the Panther lined up a PPC shot that goes wide.
Turn 2
Lining up a second salvo, the Panther's PPC fire went wide once again. Meanwhile, the Commando outmaneuvered the Cicada, getting position behind the larger mech and wracking it with SRMs to the back.
Meanwhile, in the distance, a conga line of death formed up. With no weapons left, the Spider attempted a charge at the Cicada while the Locust swung in behind for the kill.
The Spider failed to land its charge, while the Locust cored it out from behind. First kill!
Turn 3
The center of the complex turned into a disgusting brawl, while a fresh Kit Fox entered the battlefield!
The Kit Fox discharged its weapons, scorching the scenery but failing to land a hit on the enemy mechs.
In the center around and through the well-manicured copse of trees, the Cicada and Panther (again!) both failed to land hits on their opponents. The Mongoose, with its superior position, landed a solid hit on the Locust from behind!
Turn 4
The brief engagement in the complex center breaks apart, as each competitor scattered for cover! The Cicada broke for the outside edge, pursued by the Commando. To the north, sensing a fresh target, the Locust pilot rushed toward the Kit Fox with the Mongoose and Panther in hot pursuit.
The Commando, chasing down the Cicada using its superior speed, downed the larger mech from behind! Meanwhile, the Panther finally got its first kill as it landed a PPC salvo on the Locust from behind! With its initial target downed, the Mongoose turned its guns toward the Kit Fox, raking it with laser fire, while the Kit Fox failed to land its return fire.
Turn 5
With the Locust and Cicada down, sensor blips indicating a Hunchback and Raven approached the complex.
The arrival of the new competitors shifted the balance of the brawl, and a number of 'Mechs got shipped to the scrapyard this turn.
On the one side of the complex the retreating Mongoose made a fatal error, running smack into the firing line of the Hunchback. The larger mech's AC/20 barks out...and sunk a round into the ground at the Mongoose's feet! The relief is brief, however, as the pursuing Panther's reach with its PPC landed a solid hit, coring out the pincered Mongoose.
The Panther, attempting to escape from the Commando and Kit Fox while pursuing the Mongoose, ran for the cover of the trees but was dropped from behind by the faster Commando. Moments later, the Commando's rear torsos exploded from the mixed-weapon salvos of the Kit Fox.
Turn 6
Three more 'Mechs downed means three more competitors took the field, with a Griffin, Cougar, and Whitworth all entering from board edges. Some light weapons fire wasexchanged, but no hits were confirmed.
Turn 7
The Hunchback and Cougar pilots, fearing the flanking maneuvers of the other mechs and each other, took positions back-to-back on opposite sides of a reinforced building.
The Whitworth made a jumping beeline to the nearest building, while the Kit Fox, Raven, and Griffin took up positions for optimum weapons fire. Maybe hugging the building was a fool's errand?
The Hunchback and Kit Fox both lanced out at the exposed Whitworth with weapons fire, each narrowly missing. The Whitworth was not safe, however, as the Raven drilled the building-top 'Mech. The Whitworth collapsed off the building in a ruined mess.
Meanwhile, the Griffin lines up a shot on the Cougar, but missed wide with its salvos.
Turn 8
With the Whitworth down a new combatant, a Grendel, rushed into engagement range. Sporting some serious guns the Grendel pilot had his eyes on several kills, the first of which was the hapless Cougar. The Hunchback began a back-to-building shuffle to protect its weak backside, while the Kit Fox moved up to engage through the buildings.
The Hunchback and Kit Fox fired their weapons wildly, missing their marks. The Grendel, with a perfect kill-shot opportunity on the Cougar's backside, jerked the stick too hard and plowed the ground instead of the Cougar.
Meanwhile, the Griffin and Raven moved to engage each other. However, the Griffin pilot gravely misjudged the distance, and the increasingly-dangerous Raven moved into short-range position for maximum potential damage, and to offset the Griffin's superior ranged weapons. The Raven pilot similarly screwed up his positioning though, leaving him open to a return punch from the larger Griffin.
The Raven landed its salvo into the Griffin's midsection, while narrowly avoiding the Griffin's retaliatory strike.
Turn 9
The Grendel, having lost initiative, chose to put some space between it and the city center. The Kit Fox pilot, sensing the threat of its relative position, moved to put the trees between it and the heavier mechs. The Griffin jump jetted to the Whitworth's former position on the nearby building, while the Raven broke off its pursuit at the sight of the Kit Fox. The Hunchback continued its building-hugging shuffle, while the Cougar engaged in a similar tactic across the alley from it.
Weapons fire blazed across and through the downtown complex, but the only solid hit came from the meaty thump of the HBK's AC/20, landing square on the Kit Fox despite the intervening forest. The Kit Fox slumped to the ground, destroyed from the large-bore hit.
Turn 10
With the death of the Kit Fox, a Black Hawk moved on from the outskirts. The Grendel pilot, still frustrated by his lack of iniative, continued to skirt the edges of the downtown circle. As the Griffin jumped to the next building in line, the Hunchback sensor's blared, prompting its pilot to move to a clear firing solution. The Cougar and Raven repositioned, facing off with a radome-equipped building between them.
The Griffin pilot immediately regretted his jump-jet trajectory, as the now-exposed Hunchback put an AC/20 slug in through its armor, killing the airborn mech. The remaining mechs exchanged fire, hits landing solidly but none leading to kills.
Turn 11
With the only obvious target of the Griffin dead, the remaining mechs continued to maintain a wary distance from each other, circling the city center. Then, from a nearby dropship, a Warhammer came streaking out of the sky in a desperate orbital drop gambit to make up ground!
The ground shook roughly at the Warhammer's landing, with the nearby Raven only briefly distracted by the new arrival.
Shots continued to ring out across the complex, with the Raven focusing down the Hunchback for the only kill.
Turn 12
A rogue Shadow Cat, sensing weakness in its fellow Clan Nova's position, swiftly moved into the engagement to rear-arc the shorter-but-heavier mech.
The Grendel pilot continued to be frustrated by his lack of good position, and began to creep into the center ring. In his sights: the Black Hawk in the distance.
The Shadow Cat and Grendel ripped into the Black Hawk, but the targeted 'Mech kept its feet!
Meanwhile, the Cougar pilot panicked across the city center, right into the shared sights of the Warhammer and Raven!
A blaze of PPC, missile, and machine gun fire consumed the small Clan mech, but not before it could take the Raven down with it.
Turn 13 - The Final Turn
With several ruined mechs on the ground, a Marauder and second Warhammer showed up to join the fray! The Black Hawk pilot, incensed by the inevitable betrayal of his Clan allies, turned on the Shadow Hawk while it likewise bore down on him. The hot-dropped Warhammer moved up, looking to take advantage of the mess.
With a quick snap of a pair of PPCs, the 6D Warhammer downed the damaged Nova before it could truly engage with its friend-turned-foe.
The Grendel, meanwhile, sized up the situation and finally found a position for a seriously damaging blow....on the freshly-arrived Marauder!
In what will long be remembered as the Easiest Gimme Shot, the Grendel pilot proceeded to fail to land a single weapon hit. The pilot cursed his luck, and the 'Mech's suspect targeting systems.
In the distance, the klaxons blared! The battle was called, and the tally of the engagement was made:
Ryan: 3 Kills, 70 points
Sarah: 2 Kills, 63 points
Nips: 2 Kills, 62 points
Jeremy: 2 Kills, 38 points
Sam: 2 Kills, 36 points
Luke: 1 Kill, 15 points
And great fun was had by all!
Meanwhile, got a comm back re: our last battle...
> TO: LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
>
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Lieutenant,
The loss of field HQ 7 and associated casualties are regrettable. We can't hope for victory everywhere, but know that your unit's actions drew higher-than-average forces from the main thrust. This, in small part, allowed us to focus on the main battle line where we smashed the main body of the Anton rebels. Your small part in this war has had a larger effect. The front pushed back over 150 kilometers in one day, and over a Battalion of enemy Mechs have been destroyed or captured.
Recent intel has given us a rare opportunity to strike a blow which may shorten the entire campaign. SAFE is assigning you to a very special mission based on your unit's performance thusfar. A LOT is riding on your next mission. An operative will arrive tonight with a loaner Mech that should help with your assignment. Put Mechwarrior Dallas in the new ride, and get him up to speed quickly. You leave at 0800 tomorrow.
Treat it with the utmost care, as this is Mech is not being assigned to your unit. Good hunting!
> MESSAGE ENDS
>
> COMMENCING ENCRYPTION
> .........
> ENCRYPTION COMPLETE
> SEARCHING FOR NEAREST HYPER PULSE GENERATOR
> ......
> SUITABLE HPG LOCATED
> SENDING REQUEST
> ............
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Seriously, it was pretty much the best thing. We'd have kept playing, if non-mechheads hadn't arrived and the games schedule rolled into other pursuits.
There were two battles. Battle The First was our campaign game. We were to assault and secure an enemy depot housing a major enemy asset before they could get moving again. To this effect, Dallas was supplied with a Lancelot. A very, ah, special Lancelot which he and I were pulled aside to be briefed on.
"It's often called the 'Coffin' because it's got light armor and Heavy movement."
"6-9-0 is not Heavy movement."
"No, it is not.
Turns out SAFE wanted us to take the Mech's XL Engine and bring it Naturally, this is exactly what happens. Charging at the supply depot across terrain differences as high as four levels, sending two jump jet-less 'Mechs down a narrow corridor resulted in the exact definition of "meat grinder".
>
> FROM - LTSG Ian H., 4th Marik Militia
> TO: FCOM Finnegan
>
> MESSAGE BEGINS
Our objective was to assault Supply Depot 27, the site of the Rebel asset you reported previously came to rest. Our lance entered the AO at 1225 local time. In tow was the mech delivered by the SAFE operative after we were briefed and Dallas trained in its operation.
FWLM forces had previously engaged these enemies. Of these, one 'Mech (an Atlas) had already been rendered incapable of fighting. The other three had taken varying levels of damage but were still capable of battle. We expected these favorable circumstances to allow our lance to prevail even against opponents that out-weighted us.
The result of the battle was not in our favor. The enemy compound was surrounded by rough terrain. Our Lancelot and Trebuchet, capable of high ground speed but lacking jump jets, quickly became pinned down by the enemy Assaults. Barely six minutes into the engagement, the Lancelot found itself dangerously low in torso armor. The Trebuchet also suffered two falls and a severely-damaged left arm before the battle ended.
Funneled into a killzone like that, I had little choice but to order a withdraw. I doubted Lt. Chris' Valkyrie and my own Phoenix Hawk could take down even one of the enemy 'Mechs before falling to the others. Lt. Bob (Mary? I don't know anymore) was in danger of an ammunition detonation while Lt. Dallas had strict orders to preserve his 'Mech's internal components.
Unfortunately I doubt those enemy forces will still be within striking capability by the time our treaty period lapses.
ALLIED UNITS
PHX-1 (Ian) - No damage
VLK-QA (Chris C) - No damage
LNC25-<XXX> (Dallas) - Heavy damage to torso armor
TBT-5N (Bob? "Mary"?) - Internal structure damage
ENEMY UNITS
BLR-1D
HGN-733P
THG-11E
> MESSAGE ENDS
Second turn of shooting, Lancelot takes like fifteen damage in the center torso. Fourth turn of shooting, it takes another ten in a side (left?) torso. Meanwhile the Trebuchet got knocked over twice and lost its left arm missile launcher. Fearing we'd either piss off SAFE or lose a PC, I popped our white flag on Turn 9. We were afterwards informed that, if we lasted to turn 20, they would've given up.
Of course, my two teammates were told a bit about the circumstances of the "Star League-era" Lancelot. They at least knew that we needed to protect it. The cheesy, corny code I kept using was "We better bring dad's car back in one piece." I even used it in a separate report...
Dad,
The car ran cool and ran fast. Still in one piece somehow. Too bad the road was so rocky we had to turn back not even half-way. Still got some good memories. I'll pass them on when you come by.
> MESSAGE ENDS
---
After we got lunch, Game The Second was Alpha Strike, about 415 points of Jihad-era. Dallas left so it was Chris F versus Chris C and myself. The rosters went something like:
Chris F: Wolfhound, Crusader, Warhammer, Flashman, Hatchetman, Watchman, Hunchback, Stealth, one or two more.
Chris C: Timberwolf, Fire Moth, Warhawk (all Prime), Mad Cat MkIII, Kodiak
Me: Atlas, Victor, Grasshopper, Commando, Enforcer, Hunchback
Things started off not entirely in my favor. We had some good cover going in but I soon found a Stealth in my midst, sappin' my Commando. I kept engaging at medium distance while some of my lighter 'Mechs dealt with the incoming Lights and Mediums. Then the tables turned as Mr. C and I managed to wreck five of Mr. F's Mechs in one turn. By the next turn Chris F had only two 'Mechs remaining and we decided to call it then.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Cripes. Had you told me the Enemy Units were damaged to internals to start, maybe I'd have taken the bet on the Allies. But that lineup? Woof.
And my eyes bugged out at that point total. 415 points! Wow! That's a hell of game, almost company vs. company. How long did you play for?
The AS game went for a bit over two hours. It helped that the two Chris's are BT veterans.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Hatamoto-Chi
Hatamoto-Suna
Hitotsume
Shiro
Can you guys think of any other models I've missed?
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Nice! He's so cute! With his little Light AC/5 and Sword.
I'll say this much for the Damn Samurai 'Mechs, they've got character.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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How can i go about stripping these without melting the old soft plastic minis?
Any resources anyone can point me at?
Fortunately, I've already been down this road, and have suggestions! I previously (a million years ago) painted my 2nd/3rd edition plastics in Testors enamels, before I had any clues. After asking our own Painting thread, the near-unanimous recommendation was Simple Green.
I cannot recommend this product enough. All you need to do is dump the Simple Green into a suitable plastic container large enough for it + the figs you want to strip, and let it sit for a few days. Opinions varied between "Overnight" and "Forever" for as far as you should leave them in there. I left mine to sit for several days (up to a week, due to laziness/distractions). When I removed them from the Simple Green, most of the paint simply flaked or sloughed off and the rest came loose with some scrubbing from an old toothbrush. The Simple Green also works well on metals, but you need to use a stiffer scrub brush to get the largesse off, and a narrow pick for some of the finer crevices.
If these are the kind of plastic figs you're looking at stripping, you're good to go using Simple Green. The plastic did not show any signs of significant softening even after a week of soaking, and the paints slid right off. Even my 3rd edition Locust, with the super-spindly long legs, took it like a champ and came out clean on the other side.
(And then got painted, which still makes me super happy)
On the other hand, there's also these guys:
I actually bought the Medium Omnimechs box off of ebay (Nova, Fenris, Stormcrow, Dragonfly) that came pre-owned and painted. The plastic is a different type, slightly harder, and the figs include metal attachments/accessories (arms, guns, etc.) I noticed that after a several day soak the paint did not completely release from the figures, but enough to get the 90% majority off; a basecoat of primer will easily cover up the rest, without obscuring too many of the details Also, the legs/ankles of the Nova are very thin, and felt like it might have softened just a touch from the soak, but not enough to damage the figure or put me off doing this again.
Simple Green. It does the job. You should be able to find it at any big-box DIY/home improvement store. I believe I got mine at the local Menards up here in Wisconsin.
Hmmm, 2866 to 3025, a good span of years. The Sarna listing for the 3rdSW is a good place to start, if I were looking to pick some particular engagements to plan something out. There are also a few Historicals or Era Reports on CGL's product listing at DriveThruRPG, but nothing that's jumping out at me at a glance as 3rdSW-specific. There's supplements for Galtor and New Dallas that might give you something to run with; Brush Wars might as well, but I'm less sure about it.
After looking through the Alpha Strike book, i think ill just go with the default campaign they have there and give it a 3025 flavor. Easy peasy. Except......
Is there an easy way to generate balanced forces within a set criteria? I have a limited stock of minis and would like to use them, but i can print out standees for any 3025 era mech on demand.
I have my unit generator i flubbed up in excel that goes by the random unit tables per house... but is there something that can generate forces by point value?
I guess i could whip something up, but that would mean sifting through the master unit list and pulling pojnt vales out of that and entering it all by hand in excel, creating tables and all that tedious stuff. Wouldnt be so bad if i had access to that data and i could work on it in my down time at work. Doing it at home would be a poor use of time.
Hmmmm. I'm not aware of a top-level tool that will generate forces, but it's also something I've not really used. Sarna's got a small selection of tools for download, but I can't vouch for any of them. The Solaris7 website also has an online unit generator, that shows some promise, but only uses BV.
What is your stock of minis, or what would you like to use, and what kind of criteria are you looking to constrain the selections to? I'd be more than happy to help figure out some force lists with you.
... I have most of that already. Would just be a matter of creating a new table with point values for alpha strike. But my generator just pulls from rarity and assigns an overall skill to the unit. It doesnt care about battle value ...
Maybe i can just generate a regiment and use basic math to let people put together their force from the RCT theyre attached to or something. I'll just need to look up unit point value and have a column dedicated to it.
Why has no one created this yet? Doing stuff by hand is so barbaric.
My end goal is being able to quickly roll up a force based on point value for player A and B, and get them on the table as fast as possible.
I have a friend interested in battletech, but id rather do Alpha Strike so we can do large, quick battles over a campaign. I need something easy that lets me roll up interesting units that i can add fluff to, then drop in game.
Im trying to streamline. Asking someone who knows nothing about the game to go through and select units before even playing is fairly silly. Id rather drop them in the role of a Lt. Or Maj. Of an already established force and let them learn from there.
Then don't bother with offering choices. Pick out the units in each side's ToE, and when your friend comes over to game, hand him his/her list and say "Welcome the battlefield, commander." If you want to give some ability to choose, maybe do it in a more granular way; narrow down the options, for instance provide a small selection of "Available Lances" that you can quickly balance out with the OpFor's list. Picking three lances from five our six available options (Recon Lance, Striker Lance, LRM Support Lance, etc.) is way faster than picking individual units.
With that out of the way, as for setting up those lists, you have carte blanche to do what you'd like. Do it random, semi-random, pick from available minis, however you'd like. If you're truly looking for something random, that link to the Solaris7 unit generator is actually pretty neat, having played with it a bit. You could use that, make sure it fits your era lists/constraints, and massage it as desired.
You're going to have to do some of this by hand. Pretty sure there's no way around it. The trick is to make it easier for yourself. For example, when I set up my Grinder game from earlier this year, I decided I was going to use miniatures I had, and then broke them up into tiers by weight, then point value, and bam. Off to the races. It took a bunch of fine tuning, but narrowing down the scope and setting selection bounds can quickly eliminate a lot of non-options.
Been thumbing (swiping) through the supplemental Alpha Strike book, and there is a ton of good info for generic scenarios to build off of.
Speaking of the spreadsheet. Ive left it neglected since August. So ive been spending the quiet work day updating and cleaning it up. Didnt realise the Regiment generation had a ton of broken values keying off the wrong data. But thats all cleaned up. Added in a line for individual unit skill for Alpha Strike values and a line for Point Value. Now its just a matter of mining the point value data and adding formulas for increasing or decreasing the point value based on skill.
Ive even added in the start of ranks, but im a little shaky in the area between regimental HQ and the Command Company. RHQ is led by a Colonial, then its his Command Company under him let by ??? And then the Battalion commanders are Majors under that. And then Captains then Lt.
So once i have that figured out, i may even go with a name generator. Maybe.
In the mean time, im having way too much fun generating regiments.
Also, the errata'd second printing is *crosses fingers* coming this year sometime.
This is going to vary faction-by-faction. Maybe you could look at the MWO loyalty rank titles for inspiration? Otherwise, there's always Sarna's list of rankings.
After some more fiddling, im just going to make an impromptu AS stat sheet along side all the units the spreadsheet generates. One line, nice and neet with all the armor, structure, special quirks, size and all that fun stuff. Makes it a lot easier than going out to the MUL to find the mech, click it, print it out... Etc. Just generate the regiment, print the sheet. Use the Lance/Company/Battalion/Regiment at whatever level you want in one (two, three?) handy at a glance sheet(s).
... Now i just need the garage wall clear, a giant hexmap and some magnet paint + magnets for the bottem of some paper standees...
And a generals hat with corn cob pipe. Just call me MacKarensky.
10 seconds of google later
http://bg.battletech.com/news/news-and-announcements/interstellar-operations-beta-strategic-battleforce/
Awwww yea. Gonna check this out.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Just to try it, I did a top-level filter for Late Succession Wars - Lostech and Late Succession Wars - Renaissance, with Battlemechs only. This is what I got, copied the table straight off the web page, pasted into Notepad. Boom, instant tab-delimited table (which the forum software doesn't really a good job displaying, even in a Code block; trust me, this looks better in a spreadsheet).
[EDIT] Hydro, what document file format would you like the MUL dump in? I just ripped the entire Battlemech/IndustrialMech/Vehicles/Aerospace/Infantry sections of the database, and have it in plain text, ready for proper spreadsheeting. I can do XLS, ODS, a Google Spreadsheet, or something more esoteric if you'd like, or just throw up the plain text files to let you massage them to your needs.
Once that list is done, i have an ok sheet ready that fits 2 lances on one printed out page. Its a nice condenced version of the AS unit card info. That list will import names from the regiment generator, cross reference that name from the MUL and pull in the relevent data for that unit, populating the fields and assigning point value based on the skill generated for it.
All in all its coming together.