I've been reading up on the Battletech lore, and it seems like every time things start going pretty well for humanity and various groups start working together again somebody gets assassinated and then bam, back to waaaaaaaar. A few decades go by, rinse and repeat.
I was in a Barnes and Noble store earlier today and they had a few copies of the Game of Armored Combat box, so I picked one up. The rules are... pretty expansive. I've only had time to flip through the rulebook but I noticed that there are rules to handle physical combat between a mech that is partially submerged in water and another mech that is completely submerged in water. That level of crunch is equal parts insane and awesome.
+5
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Oh, AGoaC is just the tip of a batshit-deep rules iceberg.
Fortunately, you don't need any extra rules to have a quality game of Stompy bots!
0
IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
edited November 2021
KS update:
Salutations and Appreciations!
It's the American holiday of Thanksgiving today, and even though I'm putting in office hours, I'm still feeling rather nostalgic and decided a look back at this incredible journey is a good place to go as I hand out some well-meaning appreciation.
Of course, thanks must go out to all the CGL staff and support team who helped us put together this amazing campaign, and keep it (mostly) on track through a worldwide pandemic followed by a worldwide shipping crisis. It was in the summer of 2019(!) when we started this journey, and at that time everything seemed much simpler. We had a strong calendar in place which we felt would allow us to fulfill at least a Wave 1 in or around March of 2020, and Wave 2 by the end of that year. Even when the campaign went ballistic and ran us from a planned 50-ish miniatures to a crazy-making 92 redesigns, everyone kept their cool and buckled down to work. I still remember our energy and confidence in those early months, and I believe if this pandemic hadn't derailed us, we would have met our calendar goals.
Unfortunately, that was not to be. China began its slow-downs not long after, then its shutdowns. There were very long, very heated calls with many of our manufacturing reps. Still, thanks needs to be given to our product partners, because despite the trials and the tirades, they stuck with us to deliver an incredible array of product. Liya. Boda. AY Pad. Regent. Norse Foundry. Orlund. None of this was easy. And while we may not have hit 100% on every product, I feel we hit the low-to-mid 90s on most everything (but those frustrating insignia dice). Not bad, considering we finished in the neighborhood of 80 new products (digital and physical) and offered up to 175 total products through the campaign.
Hearty thanks must then be given to CrowdOx and QML, who helped us coordinate and fulfill this monstrosity. CrowdOX invented entirely new code to help us deliver as much product as we could in Wave 1. They were also there to give us support and keep us organized, even when the complexity of the campaign literally broke their system—twice. QML picked up the ball and took it from there, helping coordinate more than 13,000 deliveries to more than 40 countries around the world. When I consider the complexity of that, trying to deal with so many postal systems and regulations and costs, I'm so glad I didn't have to figure it out on my own.
With their help—and after three different restarts thanks to the various global issues—Wave 2 was 98% delivered as of this month. [According to reports from various shipping hubs, the only shipments left are a handful of scattered issues in the US, UK, Russia, and China, around 100 orders with late-arriving product in the EU, and roughly 15% of the final allotment in Australia (mostly due to long COVID lockdowns) which should be fully mailed out by end of this next week.]
It wasn't always perfect, but we never stopped trying to make it so.
Which brings me to the people I appreciate most of all: the BattleTech fandom. This started with all of you! 13,000 dedicated backers who love the BattleTech universe as much as any of the CGL staff, who stuck with us through a pandemic and two years of delays and all the accompanying frustrations. From our newest Warriors to the Full Kerensky backers...you have ushered in a new renaissance of BattleTech product, catapulting our beloved game back toward the top of the hobby game industry. Some may have doubted your committment to the war, but obviously you've been there all along, waiting for your chance to strike. On behalf of the entire Catalyst staff, we thank you for all you've done to keep this universe alive and thriving. And, personally, as writer and publisher, I thank you for more than thirty years of support.
Best regards, and happy holidays wherever you are!
Loren Coleman
Ianator on
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg) Backlog Challenge List
what blows my mind is they were able to generate so much revenue with only 13,000 backers. Imagine if this game wasnt niche market in size. The purchasing power of all these nerds all grown up in established careers. Incredible.
I had time to sit down and paint the mechs from the Beginner Box. I still need to finish the cockpit glass, but I need a couple more colors before I can do that so I'm calling them done for now:
I didn't know what colors to paint them as, so I just said screw it and painted the Griffin in the Draconis scheme from the front of the box, and the Wolverine with the colors that I had handy on my desk because I was lazy and didn't want to have to dig around in the giant box of paint pots that I have.
Now I just have the 8 from the AGoAC box to paint. I really like that Draconis scheme, and I am tempted to paint them all like that, but I am also tempted to paint them all in varying colors because I like the idea of a bunch of disparate looking mechs in a literal who mercenary company that is surviving on a contract to contract basis and barely keeping its head above water. From now on everything is getting drybrushed though - edge highlighting these things took forever, made me want to die, and you can't even see it in pictures.
Thank you. They've been a lot of fun to paint. I just (almost) finished a third one (the other Wolverine), it just needs a little more cockpit detail and to be based (I think I'm going to base the rest of them all at once after they've been painted instead of doing them one by one).
After losing an arm during the previous contract one of the mercs in my outfit ended up with a salvaged replacement from a dealer that had come in from another mercenary. He hasn't gotten around to getting it repainted yet, so it looks a little goofy. Apparently the dealer said the original owner "traded it for beer money"? Not sure if I believe that, but anything is possible:
Much excite! I think i may have found a new Battletech buddy! Dude in the area lost his old gaming pal and was looking for anyone that plays. So i hit him up! I'll let you know how our date goes.
+11
AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
Much excite! I think i may have found a new Battletech buddy! Dude in the area lost his old gaming pal and was looking for anyone that plays. So i hit him up! I'll let you know how our date goes.
:whistle: Tell me more, tell me more
Like does he have a Star
Tell me more, tell me more
Or is he a Kurita man :whistle:
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
Wolf's Dragoons: "Greetings and well met fellow barbarian of the Inner Sphere! We are simple mercenaries as you can plainly see from our ancient and certainly outdated equipment! We wish to engage your enemies in honorless combat in exchange for, uh, currency? I am sad to say our humble mercenary cla- uh, company has only a measly five regiments to offer. Will this be satisfactory to the bargain?"
Great House Lord: "Humina humina humina!"
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
I think the really bonkers thing about Wolf's Dragoons is their fleet of WarShips.
Although I seem to remember them hiding them before making contact with the Inner Sphere.
On fire
.
Island. Being on fire.
0
AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
Fun bit of trivia:
When they first conceived of the Wolf's Dragoons they were not secret Clanners. Mainly because the Clans weren't even an idea back then. They got Retcon'd in to being a Clanner vanguard later.
Given how mysterious they were when introduced the retcon was buttery smooth. What plans they may have originally had for them the world will never know.
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
+5
H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
I think the really bonkers thing about Wolf's Dragoons is their fleet of WarShips.
Although I seem to remember them hiding them before making contact with the Inner Sphere.
Yeah, they didn't retrieve the warships until after the truce at Tukayyid, IIRC. It was the 3054 mission to bring them out of mothballs where (very minor spoilers, like back of the book description level, from Wolf Pack by Robert N. Charrette)
Jaime Wolf's son Mackenzie died under suspicious circumstances, setting the stage for Jaime's grandson Alpin to be manipulated into trying to stage a coup for control of the Dragoons by Elson Nova Cat, a Clan Elemental they had captured at Luthien and converted (following Clan traditions regarding captured warriors). Major Wolf Pack spoilers
It is implied Elson may have killed Mackenzie, yet when Alpin was defeated, Elson accepted the loss and (Jihad spoilers)
ended up becoming a stalwart loyalist by the time of the Jihad, who rescued Tara Lucas from Blakist captivity and personally saw to her 'de-programming'. He would die in the later fighting on Outreach.
Alpin was killed in battle by Maeve Wolf. Maeve was a product of a Clan-style trueborn eugenics program the Dragoons had begun in secret sometime after settling on Outreach. Unbeknownst to all but a handful, Maeve was a genderswapped clone of Jaime (neither Jaime nor Maeve knew this), who subsequently got fast-tracked to become Jaime's successor.
Wolf's Dragoons: "Greetings and well met fellow barbarian of the Inner Sphere! We are simple mercenaries as you can plainly see from our ancient and certainly outdated equipment! We wish to engage your enemies in honorless combat in exchange for, uh, currency? I am sad to say our humble mercenary cla- uh, company has only a measly five regiments to offer. Will this be satisfactory to the bargain?"
Great House Lord: "Humina humina humina!"
They were definitely taking refuge in audacity about their identities though. Natasha Kerensky openly using her bloodname, as an elite warrior from the deep periphery was enough to raise eyebrows, but Mechwarrior William adopting the surname Cameron? That had to have some Comstar ROM adepts shitting bricks in the early years.
When they first conceived of the Wolf's Dragoons they were not secret Clanners. Mainly because the Clans weren't even an idea back then. They got Retcon'd in to being a Clanner vanguard later.
Given how mysterious they were when introduced the retcon was buttery smooth. What plans they may have originally had for them the world will never know.
Sort of. I mean, with the Kerensky and Cameron thing I'd be surprised if the Dragoons being SLDF descendants wasn't always in their back pocket as a potential reveal, but of course the whole Clan thing came up much later than when the SLDF exodus was inserted into the background lore.
Hmm, I wonder how long before they switched to Clans, because Wolves on the Border includes an easter egg that points towards them.
Apparently GenCon '88. The story goes Stackpole and Weismann were walking and talking and they had been kicking around the idea of "What if Natasha Kerensky was a descendant of Kerensky." and Weismann was like, "Oh my god! They're not the Wolf's Dragoons, they're the Wolf Dragoons!"
Apparently after GenCon they started to put things together.
Charrette didn't know shit about the Clans and had received some notes from Stackpole as at this point FASA wanted to seed some hints. So Wolves on the Border does have some hints, but the author didn't really know what the hints were for. :razz:
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
+3
H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
Hey, my firefox is blocking https://www.megamek.org/ because it says there's a problem with the certificate. Should I just ignore that, or try to contact the site admins?
Well... I guess we won't get to see the rest of his mechs.
Clan Stacks-in-Exile has returned.
I haven't had as much time to paint lately as I would like, but I have been slowly trucking along. I just have four more IS mechs to paint before tackling the Clan Invasion box and then everything will be done. I guess the silver lining of everything being out of stock everywhere is that you can't really have a backlog if you can't buy anything.
I saw someone online had done an orange Locust, and thought it looked really cool, so I stole the scheme. The caltrans comparison is apt, the biggest vibe I got from it was "Industrial/high-vis", and it reminded me of the Argo Raft (a ship that was just added to Star Citizen):
Now I want to paint a handful of Industrialmechs orange and metal, add teeny tiny hazard striping, and then weather the hell out of them.
The transfer on the Shadow Hawk was one from the Sisters of Battle infantry sheet, it was one of the few that were small enough to fit and generic enough that it could be an old unit designation or something from their pre-merc life. There really don't seem to be a lot of decent sized flat surfaces to use for transfers on Battlemechs, but I was happy to hear that apparently some Clan warriors will paint sections of the Remembrance onto their mechs, because it means once I get to the Clan Invasion box I can try and find places to add some of the prodigious amounts of scripture-related Warhammer transfers that I have lying around.
The forcelist for tonights engagement approved for deployment by Oosik Command. 2 Companies + Command Lance. Dropship is being loaded by the logistics group. Jumpship is waiting.
Resistance was light, the bulk of the fighting taking place about 100km to the south. Scouting revealed just a single lance of Mercs guarding the Aerospace facility. Upon further inspection, all aero assets and equipment seem to have been evacuated in anticipation of an assault. Intel suspects the OPFOR was spread thin enough already, but left a small force in a rear guard or sabotage action to cover the withdrawal and possibly deny invaders access to the flight line for easy resupply.
Alpha Lance moved on the Objective. Cover was almost non existent. A Warhammer and Panther took up positions on the north side of the airfield while a Catapult and Hatchetman attempted to flank around our position to take advantage of the buildings for cover and pincer us between their PPCs and LRMs.
Unfortunately for the defenders, their aim was not on the mark, allowing Alpha lance to close the distance over open ground with the flankers to the south. The two opposing mechs were no match for the combined power of an entire lance bearing down on them. Our Commando closed the distance quickly and was able to distract the Hatchetman and Catapult with quick maneuvers and volleys of SRMs that hit their mark. In an attempt to keep the Commando off their back, the Catapult pulled back, leaving the Hatchetman exposed. He made a bold move, attempting to clip the legs off the Commando by jumping off the safety of the top of the building. But the withering fire of Alpha Lance was too much for the pilot to stay on his feet, and as he raised his hatchet to strike the Commando, he lost his footing and fell to his side. This was his undoing as he struggled to get up two more times and could not get on his feet. Alpha Lance dog piled the Mech and in a hail of lasers and missiles, was reduced to a smoldering ruin, losing both side torsos and a leg. The pilot was forced to eject.
Our Commando was much worse for ware from the brief melee, losing his left arm and torso. But this only seemed to embolden Mechwarrior Tatkalo, who lurched her mech forward at 90kph towards the Warhammer. She was able to close the range and get a couple superficial shots off, but it was enough to distract the Warhammer and Panther off the rest of the lance while they regrouped. After strafing the Warhammer, she pulled her mech around to charge the Catapult, who was firing off salvos at Capt. Madalynn Baird in her Grasshopper while she moved in on the Warhammer. In the chaos that followed the lance took out the PPC on the Panther, crippling its effectiveness. Capt. Baird took a sandblasting across her mech from missile fire that found her head, causing some minor wounds. But a heavier price was paid by Mechwarrior Tatkalo for her bravery keeping the OPFOR on their toes and off balance. The Warhammer took steady aim after missing the majority of their shots, and clipped the Commando in the head with a bolt from a single PPC burst as she streaked across the battlefield. The cockpit evaporated along with the entire section, killing Tatkalo instantly. Her Commando crumpled in a heap to the ground.
Rallying around a battle cry to avenge their fallen comrade, a grand melee broke out in the middle of the air field. Mechs clashed with Mechs in a flurry of lasers, missiles and autocannon fire. Capt. Madalynn Baird took another shot to the head, narrowly missing her cockpit and instead taking out her life support. In a final act of rage, Bairdand and Mechwarrior Hsui-ying Iro rushed the Warhammer to exact their finale revenge. When the smoke cleared, The Warhammer was a ruined mess. Its leg blown off and its operation crippled, the Mercs surrendered and withdrew their operational Mechs.
The lance fought well. Unefiia Demitirio was a crack shot with her AC5 the entire engagement, single handedly landing every shot on the Panthers right arm to take out its primary weapon. Hsui-ying Iro used his Thunderbolt to great effect, causing massive damage to the Hatchetman and pushing back the Catapult to a position of disadvantage. Unfortunately his lack of heat management almost cost the lance their commander by not being able to apply more pressure on the catapult at a critical juncture. Capt. Madalynn Baird used the excellent cooling ability of her Grasshopper to her advantage, moving from one target to another, unloading lasers and missiles into the armor of the enemy, exposing holes and internal structure. And for Malene Tatkalo it goes without saying that she was the linchpin of the entire engagement. Without her quick thinking and critical maneuvers to expose flaws in the OPFORs formation and create havoc among their ranks, the battle may have gone much worse for Alpha Lance. But sadly, the Oosiks suffered a bitter victory. They gained the objective, two excellent pieces of salvage, but at the cost of a friend and lance mate.
it was an unfortunate lucky shot, but that Commando was living on borrowed time. The Warhammer only landed 1 other PPC hit through 7 rounds of combat at that point and gave the COM a decent sandblasting with SRMs SL and MG when it made a pass at it, further chipping away at what was left of him. Ended up popping him in the head from behind as he ran at the Catapult. I needed him alive at least one more round to keep the Cat in check. With no harassment the cat ended up emptying an entire ammo bin into the Hopper and Shadowhawk.
Posts
I was in a Barnes and Noble store earlier today and they had a few copies of the Game of Armored Combat box, so I picked one up. The rules are... pretty expansive. I've only had time to flip through the rulebook but I noticed that there are rules to handle physical combat between a mech that is partially submerged in water and another mech that is completely submerged in water. That level of crunch is equal parts insane and awesome.
Fortunately, you don't need any extra rules to have a quality game of Stompy bots!
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
Backlog Challenge List
11,277 backers according to KS
I didn't know what colors to paint them as, so I just said screw it and painted the Griffin in the Draconis scheme from the front of the box, and the Wolverine with the colors that I had handy on my desk because I was lazy and didn't want to have to dig around in the giant box of paint pots that I have.
Now I just have the 8 from the AGoAC box to paint. I really like that Draconis scheme, and I am tempted to paint them all like that, but I am also tempted to paint them all in varying colors because I like the idea of a bunch of disparate looking mechs in a literal who mercenary company that is surviving on a contract to contract basis and barely keeping its head above water. From now on everything is getting drybrushed though - edge highlighting these things took forever, made me want to die, and you can't even see it in pictures.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
After losing an arm during the previous contract one of the mercs in my outfit ended up with a salvaged replacement from a dealer that had come in from another mercenary. He hasn't gotten around to getting it repainted yet, so it looks a little goofy. Apparently the dealer said the original owner "traded it for beer money"? Not sure if I believe that, but anything is possible:
:whistle: Tell me more, tell me more
Like does he have a Star
Tell me more, tell me more
Or is he a Kurita man :whistle:
Steam: betsuni7
Great House Lord: "Humina humina humina!"
Although I seem to remember them hiding them before making contact with the Inner Sphere.
.
Island. Being on fire.
When they first conceived of the Wolf's Dragoons they were not secret Clanners. Mainly because the Clans weren't even an idea back then. They got Retcon'd in to being a Clanner vanguard later.
Given how mysterious they were when introduced the retcon was buttery smooth. What plans they may have originally had for them the world will never know.
Yeah, they didn't retrieve the warships until after the truce at Tukayyid, IIRC. It was the 3054 mission to bring them out of mothballs where (very minor spoilers, like back of the book description level, from Wolf Pack by Robert N. Charrette)
They were definitely taking refuge in audacity about their identities though. Natasha Kerensky openly using her bloodname, as an elite warrior from the deep periphery was enough to raise eyebrows, but Mechwarrior William adopting the surname Cameron? That had to have some Comstar ROM adepts shitting bricks in the early years.
Sort of. I mean, with the Kerensky and Cameron thing I'd be surprised if the Dragoons being SLDF descendants wasn't always in their back pocket as a potential reveal, but of course the whole Clan thing came up much later than when the SLDF exodus was inserted into the background lore.
Apparently GenCon '88. The story goes Stackpole and Weismann were walking and talking and they had been kicking around the idea of "What if Natasha Kerensky was a descendant of Kerensky." and Weismann was like, "Oh my god! They're not the Wolf's Dragoons, they're the Wolf Dragoons!"
Apparently after GenCon they started to put things together.
Charrette didn't know shit about the Clans and had received some notes from Stackpole as at this point FASA wanted to seed some hints. So Wolves on the Border does have some hints, but the author didn't really know what the hints were for. :razz:
It can't hurt to ping the devs, if you've got contact info.
Clan Stacks-in-Exile has returned.
I haven't had as much time to paint lately as I would like, but I have been slowly trucking along. I just have four more IS mechs to paint before tackling the Clan Invasion box and then everything will be done. I guess the silver lining of everything being out of stock everywhere is that you can't really have a backlog if you can't buy anything.
Steam: betsuni7
People in my state would call it Caltrans Orange (all of their vehicles used to be orange).
Steam: betsuni7
Now I want to paint a handful of Industrialmechs orange and metal, add teeny tiny hazard striping, and then weather the hell out of them.
The transfer on the Shadow Hawk was one from the Sisters of Battle infantry sheet, it was one of the few that were small enough to fit and generic enough that it could be an old unit designation or something from their pre-merc life. There really don't seem to be a lot of decent sized flat surfaces to use for transfers on Battlemechs, but I was happy to hear that apparently some Clan warriors will paint sections of the Remembrance onto their mechs, because it means once I get to the Clan Invasion box I can try and find places to add some of the prodigious amounts of scripture-related Warhammer transfers that I have lying around.
Urbanmech, check.
Looks good as an Oosik drop.
Steam: betsuni7
The logistics branch approves.
Theatre: Lyran/Marik Border
System: Cascade
Objective: Secure Aerospace Facility
Oosiks: 2nd Company, Alpha Lance
GHR-5H Capt. Madalynn Baird
TDR-5S MW Hsui-ying Iro
SHD-2H MW Unefiia Demitirio
COM-2D MW Malene Tatkalo
OPFOR: Mercenary, unknown markings
WHM-6R
CPLT-C1
HCT-3F
PNT-9R
Resistance was light, the bulk of the fighting taking place about 100km to the south. Scouting revealed just a single lance of Mercs guarding the Aerospace facility. Upon further inspection, all aero assets and equipment seem to have been evacuated in anticipation of an assault. Intel suspects the OPFOR was spread thin enough already, but left a small force in a rear guard or sabotage action to cover the withdrawal and possibly deny invaders access to the flight line for easy resupply.
Alpha Lance moved on the Objective. Cover was almost non existent. A Warhammer and Panther took up positions on the north side of the airfield while a Catapult and Hatchetman attempted to flank around our position to take advantage of the buildings for cover and pincer us between their PPCs and LRMs.
Unfortunately for the defenders, their aim was not on the mark, allowing Alpha lance to close the distance over open ground with the flankers to the south. The two opposing mechs were no match for the combined power of an entire lance bearing down on them. Our Commando closed the distance quickly and was able to distract the Hatchetman and Catapult with quick maneuvers and volleys of SRMs that hit their mark. In an attempt to keep the Commando off their back, the Catapult pulled back, leaving the Hatchetman exposed. He made a bold move, attempting to clip the legs off the Commando by jumping off the safety of the top of the building. But the withering fire of Alpha Lance was too much for the pilot to stay on his feet, and as he raised his hatchet to strike the Commando, he lost his footing and fell to his side. This was his undoing as he struggled to get up two more times and could not get on his feet. Alpha Lance dog piled the Mech and in a hail of lasers and missiles, was reduced to a smoldering ruin, losing both side torsos and a leg. The pilot was forced to eject.
Our Commando was much worse for ware from the brief melee, losing his left arm and torso. But this only seemed to embolden Mechwarrior Tatkalo, who lurched her mech forward at 90kph towards the Warhammer. She was able to close the range and get a couple superficial shots off, but it was enough to distract the Warhammer and Panther off the rest of the lance while they regrouped. After strafing the Warhammer, she pulled her mech around to charge the Catapult, who was firing off salvos at Capt. Madalynn Baird in her Grasshopper while she moved in on the Warhammer. In the chaos that followed the lance took out the PPC on the Panther, crippling its effectiveness. Capt. Baird took a sandblasting across her mech from missile fire that found her head, causing some minor wounds. But a heavier price was paid by Mechwarrior Tatkalo for her bravery keeping the OPFOR on their toes and off balance. The Warhammer took steady aim after missing the majority of their shots, and clipped the Commando in the head with a bolt from a single PPC burst as she streaked across the battlefield. The cockpit evaporated along with the entire section, killing Tatkalo instantly. Her Commando crumpled in a heap to the ground.
Rallying around a battle cry to avenge their fallen comrade, a grand melee broke out in the middle of the air field. Mechs clashed with Mechs in a flurry of lasers, missiles and autocannon fire. Capt. Madalynn Baird took another shot to the head, narrowly missing her cockpit and instead taking out her life support. In a final act of rage, Bairdand and Mechwarrior Hsui-ying Iro rushed the Warhammer to exact their finale revenge. When the smoke cleared, The Warhammer was a ruined mess. Its leg blown off and its operation crippled, the Mercs surrendered and withdrew their operational Mechs.
The lance fought well. Unefiia Demitirio was a crack shot with her AC5 the entire engagement, single handedly landing every shot on the Panthers right arm to take out its primary weapon. Hsui-ying Iro used his Thunderbolt to great effect, causing massive damage to the Hatchetman and pushing back the Catapult to a position of disadvantage. Unfortunately his lack of heat management almost cost the lance their commander by not being able to apply more pressure on the catapult at a critical juncture. Capt. Madalynn Baird used the excellent cooling ability of her Grasshopper to her advantage, moving from one target to another, unloading lasers and missiles into the armor of the enemy, exposing holes and internal structure. And for Malene Tatkalo it goes without saying that she was the linchpin of the entire engagement. Without her quick thinking and critical maneuvers to expose flaws in the OPFORs formation and create havoc among their ranks, the battle may have gone much worse for Alpha Lance. But sadly, the Oosiks suffered a bitter victory. They gained the objective, two excellent pieces of salvage, but at the cost of a friend and lance mate.