Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars

[Mendrugo]

----- Two Days Later -----

Date: May 3, 3025

Location: Dixie

Title: The Heart of Dixie

Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe

Type: Short Story

Synopsis:  After two days of searching and digging, Randolph and Fletcher have uncovered an unlocked access hatch.  When they open the door, the air reeks of stale water, must, and mildew.  Inside, the floor is covered with dust, dirt, and pools of standing water.  It takes them three hours to force the inner door and gain access to a personnel tunnel.

The interior is a wreck.  Most storage crates have rotted away to nothing, and their contents dissolved.  In the central core, Randolph and Fletcher see two BattleMechs half submerged in a deep pool of stagnant water, though emergency lights powered by a small fusion reactor are still on.  The ‘Mechs are a Hussar and a Mongoose.  The Hussar has been enveloped by stalactites hanging from the ceiling.  The Mongoose’s cockpit is full of water, and the armor is stained by leaked coolant. 

Randolph is disappointed and furious, but Fletcher spies some still-sealed crates, and discovers something inside that they may be able to sell.

Notes: Blaine Pardoe presents this Castle Brian as a welcome change from other LosTech caches discovered in BattleTech fiction, where rank after rank of pristine Star League era BattleMechs stand ready to power up and charge into battle. 

One wonders exactly how long the Dixie Castle Brian had been abandoned…  Terran stalactites grow an average of 0.13 mm per year, so 300 years of growth would only result in a 39 mm descent, rather than the 5-10 meters seen in the base.  Dixie’s soil composition and water runoff patterns in the Castle Brian must have resulted stalactite growth several orders of magnitude faster than Terran standards.  That may have been one of the reasons (along with apparently very poor drainage) that the base was abandoned.

[Mendrugo]

----- Three Days Later -----

Date: May 6, 3025 [See Notes]

Location: Stein’s Folly

Title: The Sword and the Dagger

Author: Ardath Mayhar

Type: Novel

Synopsis:  After arriving in the Stein’s Folly system, Ardan departs the JumpShip in a DropShip and flies to his rendezvous point on the far side of Stein’s Folly’s larger moon.  Alone at the pirate jump point, he dozes as he awaits Sep’s arrival.  He is awakened by the clang signifying that another ship has docked with his capsule, and soon has a joyous reunion with Sep and her team.

Ardan says he has a code that will activate a backdoor in the AFFS air traffic control computers, telling them to ignore his ship.  Using the code, the team’s DropShip inserts them unseen into the Highland Peninsula, three kilometers from the abandoned and sealed Liao medical facility.

The facility has been sealed and seeded with anti-personnel booby traps.  The team makes short work of them by crashing through the main door with Sep’s Warhammer and Ref’s BattleMaster.  Going inside, Ardan seeks the laboratory where he saw the Hanse double.  He notices that one cryogenic cubicle on the wall has been removed.

Searching the lab, he finds a holo-player and dozens of holodiscs.  Playing them, he finds virology research records, technical schematics, and detailed studies of Hanse Davion.  He also finds dossiers on people with whom Hanse regularly meets, and architectural data on the Argyle summer palace.  Finally, he finds an image of the false Hanse as a body, waiting to be used, in a cubicle.

He runs back to tell Sep, but accidentally triggers an AFFS booby trap, causing charges to detonate and collapse the wing of the building containing the evidence.  They escape the medical facility just before it completely collapses.  Ardan is distraught at having lost all the evidence of Operation DOPPLEGANGER, but then discovers a bloc of holodiscs he didn’t even remember putting in his pocket.

He tells Sep and her team about his experience in the facility after his recovery from the swamp.  Ref says that what he saw sounds like a “life mask,” which looks like the original, but doesn’t get the expressions right.  Ardan says he and Melissa discussed the possibility that he was intended to see the fake Hanse.  Jarlik says the whole story doesn’t make any sense. 

They resolve to ask the garrison (Syrtis Fusiliers backed by the Eridani Light Horse and Davion House troops) for assistance in excavating the facility.  However, the garrison commander, a Hasek-Davion loyalist, refuses their request for help, but doesn’t block them from trying to dig on their own.  However, when they get to the site, they see that a twenty-meter deep hole is all that remains of the facility, as though it had been scooped out of the earth and pulverized. 

Disappointed, Ardan resolves to go to Argyle and speak with Hanse, while Sep, Jarlik, and Ref continue their “leave” to avoid raising suspicion.  Ardan says he plans to sneak onto Argyle to try to catch the conspirators by surprise.  He asks Sep and the others to follow him to Argyle as soon as it would be reasonable.

Notes:  Ardan notes that “the weeks of jump didn’t bother him as much as usual.”  Since he doesn’t refer to “the months of jump,” we can assume he hitched another ride on at least a partial command circuit, taking him from Tharkad back to Stein’s Folly in about four weeks.

Oddly, the story says Ardan takes a DropShip and flies it to the rendezvous point alone.  Don’t DropShips need crews to operate?  I was unaware that they could be flown solo.  From the description of his vessel as a “capsule,” he’s probably in a small DropShuttle, or even a life boat, rather than a full DropShip.  If he asked to be dumped off at the pirate point in a lifeboat, I can see why the JumpShip captain was concerned.  At this point, Ardan has no idea if Sep even got his message, let alone was planning to meet him there.  It’s a major act of faith that works out with nigh perfect timing, but could have left him floating in space for weeks, since Ardan’s message specified only a place, rather than a time or date.

If someone is getting close enough to Hanse to film him in his garden or at his desk, security has been utterly compromised.  If someone can get a camera that close, they can get a hold-out pistol that close, and then bye-bye Hanse, hello First Prince Michael Hasek-Davion.

You go, Jarlik!  Speak truth to power!  It’s good to hear that at least one character in The Sword and the Dagger was able to spot the logical flaws in whatever was going on in the medical facility.  (This also indicates that author Ardath Mayhar was also well aware of some of the plot holes, and was lampshading it here.)

Meanwhile, Mayhar has hit on the core trope of the X-Files.  The Truth is Out There, but a vast, shadowy, nigh omnipotent conspiracy can make all evidence vanish instantly without a trace.  Not to mention that the presence of the holoplayer and discs with the entire plot laid out therein either speaks to massive overconfidence by House Liao in the CCAF’s ability to hold onto Stein’s Folly, or to massive Maskirovka incompetence in not removing or destroying such incriminating evidence.  The AFFS sweep teams also seem criminally negligent for not effectively policing up such potential intel while they were booby trapping the facility.

[Frabby]

House Steiner borrowed Ardan the Atlan, a "small" JumpShip according to the novel.

I'm not sure if DS&JS was even out when this was written, but context seems to suggest the Atlan is a Scout-class vessel: As it so happens, House Steiner is a noted user and producer (through a dwindling spare parts depot of drive cores at, iirc, Alarion) of this class and the Scout is fluffed to require only 80% normal time to charge; it is also the sneakiest design available to the Successor States. This makes it nigh ideal for Ardan's purpose.

To counter my own argument, though, there seems to be a plethora of unnamed small JumpShip types with 1 collar in existence besides the Scout. As per the Living Legends adventure module, a Magellan modified beyond recognition to resemble a ramshackle 1-collar merchant jumper rustbucket of unspecified type was considered totally inconspicious for a ROM operation...
Canonically, we've also since been given the Explorer class with its six small craft bays which is also yet smaller than the Scout. Any of those JumpShip types qualify.

As for DropShip vs. Small Craft used, the ideal compromise seems to be the 200-ton K-1 DropShuttle because it is in fact both at the same time, and can be carried on a docking hardpoint or alternatively in a small craft bay. Offering all the advantages of a spheroid DropShip, especially the capability to land almost anywhere, it's small enough to be conceivably flown by one man alone, and its small size would also keep the emerence signature small and sneaky. Ardan didn't bring his 'Mech and can thus pack the trunk with consumables and fuel to his heart's desire.
The Atlan could even be carrying two K-1s, one on its hardpoint and one in the shuttle bay. Makes the whole operation a bit less reckless if a backup is available.


Oh, and while I'm throwing around wild guesses, I'd like to submit the theory that the modified freighters from the novel's opening scene that spewed swarms of fighters were Quetzalcoatl class.
(I have a BC story in the works that confirms Uchita Tucker was operating out of the original Quetzalcoatl in the attack on Stein's Folly, but that story has been sitting unfinished on my harddisk for five years now.)

[Mendrugo]

Interesting.

However, if Ardan got from Tharkad to Stein's Folly in only four weeks (as required by the timeline compression needed to get Hanse abducted by May 3025), he can't have arrived on the same JumpShip he used to leave Tharkad.  He would have had to run down a Command Circuit, swapping ships at most points along the way and only pausing for the occasional recharge.  The various captains probably passed the message that he was to be given all courtesy by order of the Lyran Archon.

[Frabby]

Let's see... Tharkad --> Stein's Folly is almost 390 lightyears, a minimum of 13 jumps.
Using recharge stations and a skilled engineer you can safely recharge in as little as 100 hours.
A Scout's quick recharging takes only 80% recharge time, so 80 hours.
Under optimal circumstances we're still looking at 43 days of travel.
 :-\

Still, the novel seems to be pretty clear on Ardan getting one particular Steiner ship for his mission.
Perhaps a mix of the theories explains it best: he traveled the first half of the trip (in Steiner space) using handoffs within a day or two, and the Atlan was ready and waiting for him in a Commonwealth system on the border near Terra.

[Mendrugo]

I grant you that Ardath Mayhar's intent was for Ardan to make the trip on one ship, recharging along the way, just as she intended him to be on Tharkad for months.  The original timeline probably had the swap happen in 3026.  However, once the Galtor Campaign was given a firm date, the only way would be for the timeline to compress or for the story's events to have begun in 3024.

[trboturtle]

I think we have to keep in mind when this novel was written, there was no such thing as the continuity hooligans, or 100+ background books Mayhar could refer to. If Sword and Dagger was written twenty years later, all the problems, questions, and most of the notes would have been addressed (Well, most of them,at any rate.)

Mayhar was writing on an almost completely blank canvas --- she had a few universe-based facts, a few characters, and a basic plot. Had this novel been written years later, it wouldn't be the same novel.

Craig

[Mendrugo]

I agree completely.  And, to boot, she was nice enough to pen an essay for BattleCorps explaining the process for making the novel.

However, the purpose of this thread is to try to see how the various pieces of fiction fit together, and to try to rejigger ones that ended up in violation of subsequently established canon so they fit into the larger whole.

[Mendrugo]

----- Nine Days Later -----

Date: May 15, 3025 [See Notes]

Location: Argyle

Title: The Sword and the Dagger

Author: Ardath Mayhar

Type: Novel

Synopsis:  Ardan arrives on Argyle and makes his way to the grounds of the Summer Palace.  There, he disguises himself by changing into a garden staff coverall and rubbing grease into his hair.

He sneaks into the wine cellar through a crawlspace, but is intercepted by fani Lettik, one of the palace caretakers.  Ardan is reassured by the fact that she doesn’t recognize him.  He makes his way to the room he usually uses and there cleans himself up and changes into his best uniform, trimmed in gold with a gem-encrusted Federated Suns emblem.  He proceeds to Hanse’s chambers, where the First Prince greets him warmly.  The two embrace and have a long conversation, catching up on the events on Stein’s Folly and Tharkad, and discussing the conspiracy.  Hanse expresses confidence in Ardan’s sanity.

The two are interrupted by a disturbance at the door, and Hanse opens it to find himself staring into his own face.  The Hanse duplicate is standing outside along with Maitre of the Household Cleery and Hanse’s aide-de-camp Ekkles, and accuses Hanse and Ardan of being conspirators.

Ardan vouches for the real Hanse, but Ekkles says he is part of the plot – being mentally unstable and on poor terms with Hanse when he left New Avalon for Stein’s Folly.  He orders their arrest.  Hanse and Ardan question the imposter, but he answers all their questions perfectly, except for the last one – since the imposter didn’t know Hanse had said “The Starbird weeps inside” to Melissa.  However, Ekkles and Cleery are not convinced, and again order the household guards arrest Hanse and Ardan.

Ardan draws his laser pistol and forces the impostor and his allies to stand back while they flee down the corridor, ducking into a secret passageway.  Ardan tells Hanse that he is disabling the alarm triggers throughout the corridor.  At nightfall, the pair comes out over the kitchens and begins to climb the wall to the roof.  Before they can ready Hanse’s air car for escape, Cleery and six guards emerge, saying they knew Hanse would try to escape this way.  Cleery tells them Prince Hanse returned to New Avalon with Ekkles, then has them sent, shackled and hooded, to the dungeons.

Notes:  Hanse notes that Lucien Davion had the summer palace built on Argyle, and included dungeons that he boasted nobody would ever escape from.  Handbook: House Davion records that Lucien was the Prime Minister of New Avalon at the time of the Terran Alliance’s dissolution and the rise of the Terran Hegemony.  He forged a coalition among the worlds of the Crucis Reach (the Crucis Pact) specifically to resist Hegemony aggression.  A contemporary, Sarlec Klenss, complained that Lucien subjugated the people of the Crucis Pact under a police state, replaced democratic elections with a hereditary monarchy, and building an interstellar empire. 

Lucien may be venerated by the modern citizens of the Federated Suns, but he definitely was ruthless in the creation of a power base from which to oppose Hegemony Director General James McKenna.  He actually ushered in the first interstellar war between Great Houses when he acted to support the dictatorial “Tyrant of Muskegon” Jehan Achmeed to reclaim two worlds that had freely chosen to associate with the Chesterton Trade Federation.

The “air car” sounds like an aircraft, rather than the hovercraft depicted by MechWarrior 1st Edition in the air car entry.  It would make no sense to park a hovercraft on the roof.  Perhaps this was a personal VTOL or WiGE.  (Most likely, Ardath Mayhar was just utilizing the standard trope of flying cars in sci-fi without knowing that BattleTech wouldn’t be using that technology.)

I can understand the summer palace having a supply of spare uniforms in Ardan’s guest quarters, but a supply of spare medals, too? 

[Mendrugo]

----- That Same Day, on Dixie -----

Date: May 15, 3025

Location: Dixie

Title: The Heart of Dixie

Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe

Type: Short Story

Synopsis:  A dealer in antique weapons meets Randolph Falconi in West Buford to view his merchandise.  He initially dismisses Randolph’s SLDF Mark II laser pistol as a clever forgery, and demands to know where Randolph could have found it.  Randolph admits he pulled it out of a Castle Brian on Dixie, and that he hasn’t informed the Lyran government about the find.  The buyer makes Randolph an offer for his entire collection.  Randolph is hesitant, but seeing the size of the C-Bill payout and under pressure from the buyer, he agrees to sell a crate of MK II pistols. 

Back at their apartment, Fletcher is horrified at what Randolph has done.  Fletcher wanted to keep the transactions quiet and low-key.  Panicked, Fletcher takes his half of the payout, then grabs his suitcase and prepares to leave, telling Randolph he just doesn’t get it.

The buyer, Francis Hollander, a deep agent for SAFE, uses a ComStar terminal to send a coded message to his superior, Marcus Dale, in the Free Worlds League, reporting the existence of a Castle Brian on Dixie and calling for a military invasion to secure the site.

Notes:  In an amazing case of parallel events, Star League caches have been almost simultaneously uncovered on both the Lyran/League and FedSuns/Combine borders, and military operations have been launched to secure control over the sites on both Galtor III and Dixie.

Despite 3025-era statements of SAFE’s ineffectiveness and incompetence, Hollander seems to be quite on his game when dealing with feckless Lyran LosTech scavengers. 

The last time we visited Dixie was nine years earlier, in Good Fighters, when Wolf's Dragoons raided an LCAF supply depot there, but found the Lyrans to be no pushovers.  We’ll see whether they fight as well against the coming FWL invasion.

[skiltao]

Very interesting series, Mendrugo.

Why isn’t anyone using the Stein’s Folly HPG station?  We know it has one, since the previous scene on Sian featured a report from the garrison commander via a ComStar courier. 

I can see the utility of ComStar maintaining that messages take far longer to get to their destinations than necessary. 

Amusingly, Sep is reassured by the fact that the message capsule is pressurized, implying it has not been tampered with by the local ComStar Adept. 

Hanse’s surprise at Adept Ara’s knowledge of the marriage provision of the FedCom Treaty is, itself, surprising, since the treaty was brokered under ComStar’s auspices at Hilton Head on Terra

If Ridzik is able to arrive and leave more or less at whim, then it's possible that Liao ships are moving through the Stein's Folly system relatively unharassed. Reports might be carried by JumpShip to another system, and then transmitted. ComStar also runs a "pony express"-style courier service in addition to their HPG communications. It's possible that some of these messages are being sent physically rather than via HPG. (Not that this would prevent ComStar from tampering with them.)

I suspect that Hanse isn't surprised that ComStar knows about the marriage, but rather that someone of such low rank is aware. An Adept may (for instance) be easier for a rival to bribe information from.

If someone is getting close enough to Hanse to film him in his garden or at his desk, security has been utterly compromised.  If someone can get a camera that close, they can get a hold-out pistol that close, and then bye-bye Hanse, hello First Prince Michael Hasek-Davion.

The agents responsible might be disloyal enough to provide images to Hasek-Davion without being disloyal enough to kill Hanse.

the presence of the holoplayer and discs with the entire plot laid out therein either speaks to massive overconfidence by House Liao in the CCAF’s ability to hold onto Stein’s Folly, or to massive Maskirovka incompetence in not removing or destroying such incriminating evidence.  The AFFS sweep teams also seem criminally negligent for not effectively policing up such potential intel while they were booby trapping the facility.

Why move the surgical double to Stein’s Folly and store him in a cryo-tube in a poorly secured medical center in a base on the verge of being evacuated? 

Assuming that high-priority patients might spend every step of a multi-jump journey in cryo-stasis, and given that Liao was expecting to be victorious on Stein's Folly, it seems plausible that this was just a temporary stop. If the double wasn't created here then the facility may have been conducting a "systems' check" on him prior to sending him into the Federation.

If the facility was established with the cooperation of Hasek-Davion, then they may not have needed real security, and Hasek's agents may have been tasked with the clean up. The evidence could have been left as bait, or maybe Hasek's agents were too apathetic to bother removing it.

[Mendrugo]

----- Two Days Later -----

Date: May 17, 3025

Location: Terra

Title: DropShips and JumpShips

Author: Claire W. Hess

Type: Sourcebook

Synopsis:  This is a declassified ComStar intelligence report on the history and state of interstellar transportation circa 3025.  The first section describes the history and development of modern space travel – from the use of Crippen Station as the command center of the Western Orbital Defense Network in 2005, the development of a permanent lunar base in 2016, manned missions to Mars in 2018, development of fusion engines in 2020, the first fusion-powered spaceship (the AS Columbia) debut in 2027, launching fusion-powered interstellar probes in 2029, the launch of the Deimos project to develop K/F drives in 2103, the historic manned jump to Tau Ceti in 2108, and the beginning of the First Exodus in 2116.

The historical section is followed by an overview of JumpShips (ranging from the common Merchant and Invader to the rare Star Lord and Monolith vessels) and DropShips (from the common Buccaneer, Monarch, and Mule to the unique Fortress and Achilles).  It also provides information about small craft and space stations.

CIS FB-60 is bundled with the “Standard Operations Manual,” which provides an overview of how DropShips and JumpShips work (along with structural diagrams and cut-away illustrations), descriptions of key systems, in-system transit times, recharging operations, atmospheric operations, cargo transport, boarding actions, repair and maintenance, running a JumpShip as a business, and engaging in combat. 

Notes: DropShips & JumpShips, aka “ComStar Intelligence Summary FB-60,” was declassified on May 17, 3025 by order of Primus Julian Tiepolo and released simultaneously to each of the Successor States – maintaining ComStar’s neutral status.  Of course, when ComStar is issuing the reports, they can rewrite history to suit their own interests, and the trusting clients will be none the wiser if ComStar chooses to dupe them.

Chronologically, this is the first sourcebook to be presented as a declassified in-universe ComStar publication.  This is the only one that is expressly stated to be “declassified,” and is noted as being available through any ComStar relay station, or ordered directly from FASA.  I wonder if the other in-universe POV sourcebooks are considered “declassified” or to have been leaked?

The mention of FASA as an in-universe publishing house is one of a variety of references to FASA in the BattleTech universe.  Jaime Wolf tells Minobu Tetsuhara that the stories published about the Dragoons by “Fasan Press,” in another shout-out.  Tongue-in-cheek, FASA is mentioned in a historical context in the “about the author” pages in the original printings of the Warrior trilogy and Blood of Kerensky trilogy, framed as ComStar intel reports about Michael Stackpole.

CIS FB-60 is much more of a universe-building sourcebook, while the “Standard Operations Manual” contains the game rules.  The sourcebook section provides a wealth of data on the history of spaceflight that did a fantastic job of fleshing out the progress of technology during the Western Alliance and Terran Alliance period.  Later authors revisited much of this data and elaborated on it – the fusion-powered slowboat Magellan probes presaged the Terralibre slowboat colony, for example, and the WODeN system was, of course, the successor to SDI (which was still front page news in 1986) and the precursor to the Star League-era Space Defense Systems (SDS). 

The technical readout section is unique in that it lists the “Frequency of Sighting” for each vessel, ranging from Common to Unique.  This echoed the industry standard of the day, as seen in TSR’s Monster Manuals.  The book states that only 2,000 JumpShips remain in service as of 3025, but the logistical impossibility of maintaining the level of interstellar commerce depicted in other sourcebooks and novels led TPTB to later clarify that only 2,000 JumpShips had signed up onto ComStar’s official registry, while the actual number of ships in active service was at least an order of magnitude larger.

This was also (chronologically) the first in-universe publication to list the various companies and factories – listing who made what, where.   A desire to codify more such information led to the development of Objective Raids and the more recent Objectives product series.

Despite the relative slimness of this volume compared to the forthcoming House sourcebooks, it contains a wealth of rules for handling star systems, interstellar transit, etc.  In my view, it goes above and beyond with pages showing the map-scale footprints of each DropShip, for players that wanted to use them in BattleTech scenarios and get the size correct. 

[Mendrugo]

----- One Day Later -----

Date: May 18, 3025

Location: Galtor III

Title: In the Deep

Author: Geoff Swift

Type: Sourcebook Fiction

Synopsis:  The Combine invasion of Galtor III is under way, and the advance forces have just arrived onworld to soften up the defenders by targeting key pieces of military infrastructure.  A Combine strikeforce is attempting to knock out the underwater AFFS command and control center. 

Under the command of Captain Baldwin, the crew of the AFFS Ward, a Neptune-class submarine, engages four DCMS ‘Mechs moving along the floor of Derry Bay.  Weapons Officer Seymour O’Brien annihilates a DCMS Jenner by breaching the cockpit, while Crewwman Saul McClanahan is temporarily deafened as the ‘Mechs blanket the region with sound waves to jam sonar.

The ‘Mechs are no threat underwater, but the Ward is abruptly tossed about by turbulence.  Captain Baldwin identifies the source as a Combine submarine.  Sensor Officer Johnny Denson reports signals from three Combine ‘Mechs, four AFFS Neptunes, and an unidentified high-speed submersible heading straight for the AFFS HQ.

Captain Baldwin realizes the Combine found their hidden base by tracking the AFFS submarines, which had been on perimeter patrol around the facility.  By vectoring for the center of the AFFS deployment pattern, the base had been easy to find.  Baldwin angrily orders his weapons officer to fire on any available target.

Notes:  Despite only being one page, Geoff Swift’s story introduces the Ward’s bridge crew as though they were the lead characters in an ensemble novel.  I’m guessing that references to the captain’s tea drinking habit were intended to evoke Picard and the Enterprise-D.  The submarines appear to have been named after famous 20th Century physicists (Scherrer, Compton, Bragg, Laue, and Ward = Paul Scherrer, Arthur Compton, William Lawrence Bragg, Max von Laue, and John Clive Ward). 

It makes sense for the AFFS garrison to have lots of Neptunes, since the Galtor Naval Yards has been manufacturing them since 2950.  The AFFS penchant for locating Command and Control centers underwater with Neptunes was established in TRO:3026, which references the successful AFFS defense of such a center on New Ivaarsen in 3021.

The accompanying track identifies the Combine vessel as a DEST-piloted Koryu-class submersible. 

[Mendrugo]

----- That Same Day -----

Date: May 18, 3025

Location: Galtor III

Title: Enemies Below

Author: Geoff Swift

Type: Track

Synopsis:  One week ahead of the main Combine invasion of Galtor III, a Combine scout lane and a DEST squad were sent in to find and seize the underwater AFFS command center.  Defending the hidden base is a Neptune wolfpack led by the FSS Ward, a hunter-killer variant. 

Options include adding 1-4 packs of underwater megafauna that have equal chances of attacking either the attacker or defender, and using Extreme Depth and/or Bog Down rules. 

The Combine player’s goal is to move its submarine to the hidden base hex – winning the scenario instantly.  The AFFS player wins if it destroys all the attackers, and can forestall a Combine victory by destroying the base, rather than letting the DEST squad infiltrate it. 

Historically, the Koryu blew past the Neptunes and deposited its payload of DEST agents into the AFFS base.  Ten minutes later, the base exploded, killing planetary garrison commander General Timothy Oldham.

Notes: Underwater scenarios are always challenging for 'Mechs.  The Bog Down rules and distance restrictions on Combine ‘Mechs, plus their propensity to flood, make the Combine lance a non-factor in combat.  They’ll barely be able to see anything, hardly be able to move, and will have all their non-energy weapons neutralized. 

The Koryu, on the other hand, moves a spritely 9/14 – enough to run circles around the lumbering 3/5 Neptunes. 

The Combine lance should be used primarily for scouting – remaining motionless and hoping to be within 5 hexes of the base.  The Koryu should range out ahead of the Combine lance, using the underwater canyon for cover from the Neptunes while scanning areas that the Combine lance will never reach.  If a Neptune gets a firing solution on you, scoot off and scan a different area. 

The wolfpack should spread out to cover as much ground as possible, making sure the Combine forces can’t scan the area around your base.  If you position yourself well, you should be able to drop a lot of torpedoes on anyone that gets too close to your base.  Overly aggressive defense of particular areas may give away the location of your base…or it could allow you to bluff.  (Bluffing has its problems, though, since one “scan” action clears a 9 diameter circle of hexes, so you’d get one shot at the Koryu before it realized you were faking and sped off.)

[Wrangler]

That's a challenging scenario to undertake for the Davions and Kurita forces.  Arguably, its simple matter of the Koryu high tail out of the way of Neptunes.

I love naval combat, but man Battletech is bit unforgiving when it comes to hits while underwater.

I do wish that Kuritans had their own more combative under water combat vehicles/submarines like the Neptunes.

[Decoy]

*hands Wrangler a Hatamoto Kaeru*

[Wrangler]

*hands Wrangler a Hatamoto Kaeru*

I meant during the Succession Wars, but i thank you for this fine webbed footed duckbill Mech!  ;D

[Mendrugo]

The Neptune is built on Galtor, which House Kurita controlled for much of the Succession Wars.  They probably have plenty of Neptunes.

[Mendrugo]

When researching qrk's question about OA stories, I decided to amend my index to tag each scene with which state it takes place in.  The breakdown to date is:

Lyran Commonwealth (LC): 77
Federated Suns (FS): 73
Free Worlds League (FWL): 72
Draconis Combine (DC): 57
The Clans (Clans): 38
Terran Hegemony (TH): 37
Capellan Confederation (CC): 19
Star League in Exile (SLIE): 15
Clan Nova Cat (CNC): 8
Taurian Concordat (TC): 8
Rim Worlds Republic (RWR): 5
Magistracy of Canopus (MC): 5
ComStar (CS): 5
Outworlds Alliance (OA): 4
Clan Snow Raven (CSR): 2
Clan Diamond Shark (CDS): 1
Clan Blood Spirit (CBS): 1
Clan Cloud Cobra (CCC): 1

[Scotty]

I'm surprised to see FWL up there so high on the list.

Or rather, I was until I realized it was mostly the Dragoons' part in Anton's Revolt and Cranston Snord making Janos look bad.

[Mendrugo]

Beyond that, there was the whole "Fall From Grace" serialized novel and several other Marik Civil War stories.  At this point, the leaders have each hosted one novel (Decision at Thunder Rift = LC; The Sword and the Dagger = FS; and Fall From Grace = FWL.  The DC and CC will catch up once we get into the meat of Wolves on the Border, Heir to the Dragon, and the Warrior Trilogy.)

[Mendrugo]

----- One Week Later -----

Date: May 25, 3025

Location: Galtor III

Title: Charge of the Hussars

Author: Cory Glaberson

Type: Scenario

Synopsis:  The first major engagement of the Galtor Campaign pitted the understrength 33rd Avalon Hussars against the 17th Benjamin Regulars.  The Hussars are backed by elements of the Dahar Draconis March Militia and the Galtor Irregulars. 

The Hussars have 48 ‘Mechs massing 2,835 tons and averaging Veteran experience.  (Cyclops, 3 Victors, 3 Awesomes, Atlas, 4 Crusaders, 3 Archers, 6 Dervishes, 4 Orions, JagerMech, Ostsol, Thunderbolt, 4 Phoenix Hawks, 4 Hatchetmen, Assassin, Spider, Wasp, Stinger, 4 Whitworths, 4 Valkyries)

The Dahar DMM has 12 ‘Mechs massing 505 tons and averaging Regular experience, plus three Veteran Long Tom artillery pieces.  (4 Phoenix Hawks, 5 Hatchetmen, 2 Assassins, 1 Stinger)

The Galtor Irregulars have a ‘Mech company (300 tons, Regular), a vehicle battalion with an added ECM lance for support (2,725 tons, Regular), and three motorized infantry platoons (Green).  (6 Valkyries, 4 Wasps, 2 Stingers, 2 Demolishers, 2 Von Luckners,  Rommels, 2 Manticores, 2 Pikes, 6 Vedettes, 6 Goblins, 4 Condors, 4 Falcons, 8 J. Edgars, 8 Galleons, 8 Scorpions, 4 Pack Rats, 4 Skulkers, 3 Motorized MG Platoons)

Gonen’s Battalion of the 17th Benjamin Regulars have 44 ‘Mechs massing 2,795 tons with Veteran/Elite experience. (4 Panthers, Jenner, Wasp, Griffin, Wolverine, 3 Crusaders, 6 Dragons, 4 Catapults, 4 Thunderbolts, 2 Warhammers, 2 Riflemen, 2 Grasshoppers, Ostroc, Victor, Charger, 2 Orions, 4 Marauders, BattleMaster, Atlas, Charger, Stalker)

Every turn, the Kurita player rolls for reinforcements on a table.  Once a number is rolled, further results have no effect.  The best roll is 11-12, which brings in Elazar’s Battalion, an Elite Assault ‘Mech company and a Regular Medium ‘Mech company.  Total available reinforcements (elements of Gonen’s Battalion and Elazar’s Battalion) total 48 ‘Mechs massing 2,745 tons, 8 vehicles massing 560 tons, and 3 Long Toms.  (4 Hunchbacks, 2 Riflemen, Stinger, 2 Wolverines, 6 Jenners, 2 Scorpions, 2 Phoenix Hawks, 2 Whitworths, 3 Crusaders, 5 Dragons, 4 Catapults, 4 Thunderbolts, Warhammer, Grasshopper, Ostroc, 2 Victors, 2 Chargers, 2 Orions, 2 Marauders, 2 Demolishers, 2 Von Luckners, 2 Rommels, Manticore, Pike, 3 Long Toms)

The Davion player gets 5 victory points for each non-Mech unit and 10 points for each ‘Mech unit that can exit off the north side of the map before Elazar’s Battalion arrives as reinforcements.  The Kurita player gets 100 points if it brings Elazar’s battalion into play before any Davion units move off the north side of the map.

Every time the Davion player uses its off-board artillery, the Kurita player may add 2 to the next turn’s roll for reinforcements, increasing the chances from 8.3% to 28%. 

Historically, the Avalon Hussars were on the verge of breaking through Gonen’s Battalion’s lines and overrunning the DCMS landing zone before being halted in their tracks by the timely arrival of Elazar’s Battalion.

Notes:  The Kuritan forces are initially massively outnumbered and outgunned.  Even if all their reinforcements arrive (which would require nine rounds of perfect rolling), the DCMS side is still 265 tons behind the full AFFS contingent.  However, the Combine force generally has better skills, so their attacks are more deadly.  The Combine player should spread out and occupy map chokepoints, hoping to slow the Davion advance and keep any from getting off the north side of the map until Elazar’s battalion is rolled. 

It’s worth 100 points for the AFFS to get at least one unit off the north side before Elazar’s Battalion arrives.  If the Kuritan player rolls high, there’s nothing you can do – luck plays a huge factor in this scenario.  However, if you form your fast units into an attack wedge and try to punch through.  If the Combine force is spread out to intercept, you may be able to pierce their line.  If they concentrate, use your speed to evade their main concentration and waltz to victory.  Under no circumstances should you bring your artillery into play before Elazar’s Battalion is rolled, because you don’t want to hasten their arrival. 

The Galtor Campaign sourcebook was produced as the first scenario pack for the newly released BattleForce ruleset.  Cory Glaberson did a fantastic job of world-building – delving into the history, culture, economy, and sociology of Galtor III.  He also gave the units wonderfully evocative names.  Instead of just “1st Battalion,” we get designations that match the irregular status of the Galtor militia: “Owen Roe O’Neill’s Legion” and the “Galtor Flying Squadron.”  In the early days, FASA’s military units were very personality-driven, rather than the highly regimented and numbered legions of the Star League or Clan Invasion era.

[Mendrugo]

----- One Week Later -----

Date: May 26, 3025

Location: Galtor III

Title: The Guards' Finest Hour

Author: Cory Glaberson

Type: Scenario

Synopsis: After the 17th Benjamin Regulars drove off the 33rd Avalon Hussars, the 3rd Benjamin Regulars pushed through the minefield surrounding the fake Star League depot and engages the 782nd Davion Guard Auxiliary.

The 17th Regulars had previously softened up the 782nd with airstrikes and artillery bombardments.  However, the minefields remained a challenge, slowing the 3rd’s advance.  Every time a Kurita force moves, it rolls on the BattleForce Combat Results Table, becoming disrupted on a roll of 3, 11, or 12, and taking a critical hit on a roll of 2.  A critical hit results in damage, routing, surrendering, or being destroyed.  The Davion player may place an additional 50 points of mines anywhere on the board, which act normally.  Infantry and artillery may hide inside the four Leopard and two Union hulks set up around the fake dig site. 

The DCMS gets 20 points for each DropShip hulk captured and 50 for capturing the fake storehouse, but only scores victory points for destroying the 22nd Special Air Squadron’s pieces.  The Davion score is based on how many Kurita units it destroys.  The game ends where all Davion units are destroyed, all DropShips are captured, or when the Kuritan force loses a 13th unit.

The 782nd Guard Auxiliary has 4 Foot MG Platoons, 2 SRM Foot Platoons, 2 Motorized MG Platoons, 1 MG Jump Platoon, 2 Long Toms, 4 Galleons, 4 Scorpions.

The 22nd Special Air Squadron has 2 Sparrowhawks, 4 Hellcats, and 4 Stukas.

The 3rd Benjamin Regulars has 120 ‘Mechs (a full regiment with a command company), massing 6,525 tons.  (2 Whitworths, 2 Javelins, 4 Stingers, 7 Wasps, 2 Spiders, 13 Panthers, 7 Jenners, 4 Trebuchets, 3 Hunchbacks, 4 Riflemen, 10 Griffins, 4 Wolverines, 1 Scorpion, 1 Phoenix Hawk, 2 Crusaders, 11 Dragons, 5 Catapults, 5 Thunderbolts, 12 Grasshoppers, 3 JagerMechs, 3 Warhammers, 3 Ostrocs, 1 Victor, 2 Chargers, 2 Orions, 4 Marauders, 1 BattleMaster, 1 Atlas, 1 Stalker)

The Benjamin Regulars Air Squadron has 2 Sabres, 2 Lightnings, and 2 Slayers.

Historically, the 782nd was completely wiped out, taking out only one Combine company in the process.

Notes:  The Kuritans should first and foremost direct their air units to take out the AFFS artillery.  Once that’s gone, it won’t be dangerous to bunch up, and then the Kuritan units can simply mass fire on the enemy air units until they all go down.  The Kuritan units should avoid moving as much as possible, to avoid mine checks.  Once the AFFS artillery and air power is neutralized, use airstrikes to systematically mop up the AFFS infantry, supporting them with long range fire from your ‘Mechs.  The only way you can lose this scenario is to lose units, so don’t even go into range of the infantry units if you don’t have to – just stand still whenever possible. 

AFFS survival is pretty much impossible, but you do have a reasonable shot at victory.  All you have to do is kill 13 Combine units.  Pull your infantry and artillery back into the hulks, and make the DCMS forces move to come to you.  Concentrate your airpower on taking out the enemy air units, since those count as well, but avoid flying within range of enemy ground units, if at all possible.  Force the enemy attackers to move as much as possible to get to you, because your special mines have a chance to destroy enemy units.  If you get close to your target of 13 kills, send in your troops for a banzai charge, targeting any damaged units.  If the DCMS is massing to target your air forces, target them with your artillery.

[Scotty]

----- One Week Later -----

Date: May 25, 3025

Location: Galtor III

Title: Charge of the Hussars

Author: Cory Glaberson

Type: Scenario

Synopsis:  The first major engagement of the Galtor Campaign pitted the understrength 33rd Avalon Hussars against the 17th Benjamin Regulars.  The Hussars are backed by elements of the Dahar Draconis March Militia and the Galtor Irregulars. 

The Regulars have 48 ‘Mechs massing 2,835 tons and averaging Veteran experience.  (Cyclops, 3 Victors, 3 Awesomes, Atlas, 4 Crusaders, 3 Archers, 6 Dervishes, 4 Orions, JagerMech, Ostsol, Thunderbolt, 4 Phoenix Hawks, 4 Hatchetmen, Assassin, Spider, Wasp, Stinger, 4 Whitworths, 4 Valkyries)

Do you mean the Hussars here?  Otherwise the entire list is Kurita minus the Dahar DMM and the Galtor Irregulars, making for an even more lopsided battle in favor of the defenders.

[Mendrugo]

Good catch.  Yes, the first list was for the Hussars.

[Wrangler]

I've never played the Galtor Campaign book, but it darn that sounds like it big and busy fight.

Would people today be able play it with Advanced Battleforce rules? I've only dabbled with them. 

I know Alpha Strike is similar, but i don't know if it would be as practical as Battleforce / BF2 / Strategic Ops rules would have allowed.

[Mendrugo]

----- During the Events of “The Guards’ Finest Hour” -----

Date: May 26, 3025

Location: Galtor III

Title: Never Surrender

Author: Geoff Swift

Type: Track

Synopsis:  This is an update of the BattleForce scenario “The Guards’ Finest Hour” in the Track format.  It focuses on a far smaller segment of the main battle, pitting up to two lances of the Third Benjamin Regulars against an infantry battalion of the 782nd Davion Guards Auxiliary (one jump infantry company, two motorized infantry companies, and a command foot infantry platoon).  The Davion forces have a thick ring of mines, but with a three-hex wide path through.  The infantry are based in six Overlord and Union-class DropShip hulks, which provide protection equivalent to a heavy building as long as the attackers are outside.

The attackers’ objective is a fake depot building hidden inside the ring of DropShips.  The Regulars’ goal is to capture the depot without destroying the DropShips.  The AFFS infantry’s goal is to destroy 50% of the DCMS force (four ‘Mechs).  Historically, the DCMS ‘Mechs used their superior mobility, armor, and firepower to blow through the AFFS infantry battalion, destroying it in detail, though at the cost of a full ‘Mech company.  When the last of the AFFS troops retreated into a tunnel under the depot, the Benjamin Regulars simply collapsed the tunnels, leaving no survivors.

Notes:  Since the defending infantry begins the game hidden, I would recommend massing the infantry as close together as possible to maximize firepower.  Depending on the sophistication of your opponent, the clear route through the minefield would seem to be an obvious location from which to stage an ambush.  Perhaps too obvious.  There’s no time limit, so if the DCMS lances have LRMs, they can just clear their own route and leave the AFFS infantry hopelessly out of position – vulnerable to being wiped out with long range weaponry while their own weapons lack the range to respond.

A better option would be to put all of your infantry in one DropShip.  Reveal one platoon with a sneak attack against a passing ‘Mech.  Since the DCMS player gives up 500 points if they fire on the DropShips, they will be incentivized to enter the ship, at which point the rest of your battalion can vaporize the poor fool who took the bait.  Assuming the other ‘Mechs are nearby, you can either swarm out and hope to bring down another three, or hope the DCMS player tries a frontal assault.  (Historically, it would appear the AFFS forces spread themselves out equally among the six DropShips, allowing the DCMS lances to achieve localized tactical superiority in every exchange.)

The DCMS lances would be best advised to avoid the obvious route, and use LRMs to clear their own path into the center.  When clearing the DropShips and trying to flush out any ambushes, keep a tight formation, and move into the ships en-masse.  You may lose one if they’ve massed their troops, but then your counterfire will burn them all down in short order.  If any of your units gets serious armor damage, pull it back to safety, since the AFFS forces only score points by taking down DCMS ‘Mechs.

There is a canon discontinuity between this scenario and the original from The Galtor Campaign.  While the original scenario specified the DropShips were four Leopards and two Unions, this Track says the ships were an unspecified mix of Unions and Overlords.

[Mendrugo]

I'm baaaaaaack!

I got swamped last summer and fall (volunteering for too many projects at work), and lost the habit of doing my daily blog updates.  One of my New Year's resolutions is to resume my reviews. 

[Wrangler]

Yay!  Welcome back!

[Kojak]

Woohoo! These posts were a daily read of mine when they started, and I'm ecstatic to see they're resuming.