Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars

[Mendrugo]

You listed this as a short story, but from your description it definitely sounds like a scenario.

Thanks.  Fixed.  The Lancer Strike was an interesting format - a three part combat-heavy story with a linked scenario embedded with each part.

[Kit deSummersville]

Yeah, in my continuous effort to do something different with scenarios, I had the three scenarios that can be linked to be one tough slog. I guess stand-alone scenarios are passe, so Jason wrote some fiction to go with it.

[Mendrugo]

Yeah, in my continuous effort to do something different with scenarios, I had the three scenarios that can be linked to be one tough slog. I guess stand-alone scenarios are passe, so Jason wrote some fiction to go with it.

So the attribution of the scenarios to Ken' Horner on the cover is a mistake? 

I like linked scenarios, myself.  My favorite scenario pack series was the North American campaign from "Fall of Terra," since you had to balance the risk of dying in an earlier scenario from being too miserly with your shots against dying later in the scenarios because your 'Mech ran out of ammo.

[Kit deSummersville]

So the attribution of the scenarios to Ken' Horner on the cover is a mistake? 

I like linked scenarios, myself.  My favorite scenario pack series was the North American campaign from "Fall of Terra," since you had to balance the risk of dying in an earlier scenario from being too miserly with your shots against dying later in the scenarios because your 'Mech ran out of ammo.

No, I did the scenarios, Jason did the stories that go with them.

[Mendrugo]

No, I did the scenarios, Jason did the stories that go with them.

Erm...so Kit deSummersville and Ken' Horner are the same person?  ???

[Mendrugo]

BTW Mendrugo, IIRC you have that huge index file of consumer products in the Inner Sphere, and I remember you posted it for download a few iterations of the forums ago; any chance you be willing to hook me up with a copy and/or post that again?

It's 560 kb, which exceeds the attachment limit.  Let me play with it tonight and I'll see if I can split it into two files to get under the limit, or maybe convert it to simple text.

[Kojak]

It's 560 kb, which exceeds the attachment limit.  Let me play with it tonight and I'll see if I can split it into two files to get under the limit, or maybe convert it to simple text.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. It's an invaluable reference for writing fluff or fiction.

[Kit deSummersville]

Erm...so Kit deSummersville and Ken' Horner are the same person?  ???

Yup.

[Mendrugo]

BTW Mendrugo, IIRC you have that huge index file of consumer products in the Inner Sphere, and I remember you posted it for download a few iterations of the forums ago; any chance you be willing to hook me up with a copy and/or post that again?

I trimmed out all the non-canon stuff, and it fits fine.  Hasn't been updated in a few years, though.

[Mendrugo]

Yup.

Cool.  I'll adjust the attributions accordingly.

[Mendrugo]

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

Date: May 11, 3022

Location: Al Na’ir

Title: In the Backfield

Author: Ken’ Horner

Type: Scenario (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  The surviving members of Pratt’s Company of the Third Crucis Lancers (retaining damage from the previous scenario, “Forced March”) attack the 15th Dieron Regulars staging base.  They’re opposed by Tai-i Zelda Crossing’s reserve company. 

Pratt’s Company has to get in, destroy the nine buildings, and get back off the map by turn 20.  Forced withdrawal and low gravity rules are in effect.  Pratt’s ‘Mechs come onto the board in the same order they left the previous scenario, so stragglers in Forced March enter the same number of turns after the lead ‘Mechs. 

Historically, Pratt's Company destroyed five buildings and withdrew, leaving behind two wrecked 'Mechs and two functional ones that failed to clear the map before turn 20.

Notes:  The scenario is titled “Forced March,” the same as the previous scenario, but the third scenario in the series refers to it as “In the Backfield,” so I’ll go with that as the title.

To kill all the buildings by turn 20, the Lancers will need to dish out an average of 10.5 damage per round just on the buildings.  This could be accelerated, of course, simply by having your ‘Mechs climb atop the buildings and having them collapse from the weight.  Sure, your ‘Mechs will take fall damage, but it’s only one level, and you’ll be able to put all that extra firepower to use against the DCMS garrison, instead of pouring it into the buildings.  (In one of the Dawn of the Jihad tracks, I used this tactic with a Hermes, and managed to crush all the OpFor’s defended buildings before they could turn around.)

On the whole, the Lancers should be able to control the tempo of this scenario by hanging back at the edge of the building complex.  Hitting the buildings from extreme range and then moving inwards will allow you to chew through the depot without exposing yourself to the DCMS Hunchback and other close-range fighters.  If the DCMS units come out of hiding and engage, then throw yourself at them and send some lights on a flanking maneuver to climb/squash the buildings towards turn 10 or so, if necessary.  If the DCMS units hunker down behind the buildings, just keep burning through the buildings (using that -4 bonus against an immobile target to effectively engage at long range), and advancing as you destroy the buildings closest to you.  If the DCMS units launch a sortie, switch targets and burn the Drac ‘Mechs down.  The only bad choice would be to rush in and try to engage the DCMS ‘Mechs and buildings at close range.

The DCMS force has its work cut out for it.  The Crucis Lancers field 755 tons and have an average gunnery of 3.83.  Crossing’s Company fields 430 tons, with an average gunnery of 3.83.  Given the low gravity and commensurately faster ground speed, one option for Crossing’s force would be to make a high speed swarm attack against the Lancers on turn one.  Unless the Lancers exited the previous scenario in lockstep, they’ll trickle onto the field in this one.  With luck, the DCMS force could have a weight advantage at the beginning, and maintain that advantage by chewing up the Lancers as they arrive piecemeal.  Even if the tide starts to turn, keeping the Lancers on the defensive will keep them from hitting the buildings, and possibly push them up against the 20-turn limit.  If you start getting overwhelmed, use your superior speed (amplified by the low gravity) to break contact and take cover to snipe.  Subsequently, when you win the initiative, emerge for slashing attacks against any Lancer units that stray from the pack.

[Mendrugo]

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

Date: May 11, 3022

Location: Al Na’ir

Title: Return Game

Author: Ken’ Horner

Type: Scenario (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Pratt’s Company runs afoul of a Fifteenth Dieron Regulars pursuit force at Lake Acorn.  The battle takes place on a 2x2 map setup and is a straight forward slugfest.  The DCMS force fields 390 tons with an average gunnery of 4.125.  The Lancers’ deployed force depends on the outcome of previous scenarios, or on random damage applied if playing as a stand-alone scenario.  Historically, the Lancers fielded 520 tons with an average gunnery of 3.875.   

Notes:  Special rules for Forced Withdrawal and pre-existing damage are included, but the low gravity rule from “In the Backfield” is absent.  It would make sense for the 0.6 gravity to apply to all scenarios on Al Na’ir, so feel free to apply it in all three scenarios, rather than just on “In the Backfield.”

For the DCMS side, tactics will need to shift based on what Lancers units survived to the third scenario.  It could be horribly unbalanced depending on how heavily or lightly the Lancers were damaged earlier.  Regardless, the Saladin is the star unit of the pursuit force.  Using your superior speed and ability to traverse water, you should conduct slashing attacks – pulling back out of sight when you lose initiative, then sweeping in for back-shots when you win.  (Using this tactic, I once took out an 80-ton Goliath with a 30-ton Pegasus.)

The Lancers will have to adapt to the holes in their rosters and the accumulated damage.  However, the primary target should remain the Saladin, due to its well above-the-curve combination of damage and speed.  The Motive Hits Table is your dear friend against the hover lance, and you shouldn’t fear overkill when you send volleys at the incoming blowers.

[Mendrugo]

----- Three Weeks Later -----

Date: June 1, 3022

Location: Terra

Title: Warrior: En Garde

Author: Michael Stackpole

Type: Novel (Warrior: En Garde)

Synopsis:  Precentor Dieron Myndo Waterly calls upon ComStar Primus Julian Tiepolo to discuss the signing of the Federated Commonwealth treaty.  She vehemently opposes the signing of the treaty, while Tiepolo supports it.  He has just ordered her to depart Terra for Dieron immediately.

Waterly warns Tiepolo that the treaty will destroy the balance of power in the Successor States.  Tiepolo counters that the balance will be maintained by the upcoming transfer of Wolf’s Dragoons from the Lyran Commonwealth to the Draconis Combine, while the Kell Hounds take a new contract in the Federated Suns, stripping House Steiner of its two most capable mercenary units.

Waterly worries that pairing the Lyrans with the Federated Suns will place two threats to ComStar together – the Lyrans who view ComStar as merely a communications business enterprise, and the scientific Davions, who view ComStar’s rituals as backwards and quaint.  Tiepolo brushes her warnings off as overblown, and Waterly threatens to place a motion before the First Circuit to strip Tiepolo of his Primacy because he’s ignoring the growing threat. 

In response, Tiepolo clarifies for Waterly that he intends that the unification of the Federated Commonwealth will cause the other three Successor States to unite to oppose them.  He expects that the Capellan Confederation will be able to resist Davion aggression, while Janos Marik has finally recovered control over the Free Worlds League, allowing the Draconis Combine to keep House Davion in check.  Tiepolo wants Waterly to coordinate meetings between Houses Kurita, Marik, and Liao, while ROM facilitates Michael Hasek-Davion and Frederick Steiner’s ambitions to supplant their lieges.  At the right moment, ComStar will be in a position to destabilize all the Successor States and restore the balance in a way that works to the Order’s advantage.

Notes:  Katrina and Hanse apparently spent at least six weeks on Terra negotiating and signing various parts of the Federated Commonwealth treaty.  They appear to have reached their first agreement to the general outline of the treaty and sealing the alliance by marriage back in April (in "The Gauntlet"), signed another major element in May (the signing date referenced by Handbook: House Davion), and held the final (possibly ceremonial) signing on June 1 in this scene.  Waterly mentions that the negotiations have been ongoing for sixteen months, implying a start date of February 1, 3021, about seven months after Hanse received Katrina's Peace Proposal in 3020.  Perhaps the last six weeks were just a long series of final talks between the principals of each state and a series of signing ceremonies. 

Of particular interest, it’s revealed that Hanse was the one who asked for the hand of Melissa Arthur Steiner in marriage.  Which makes his internal monologue in “The Gauntlet” a wee bit creepy.  “Yes, safer to think of Melissa.  She’s a child, and I can’t possibly conceive of doing anything to harm a child.”

Speaking of children, here we see Stackpole’s “golden child” treatment for the Kell Hounds in full force.  Despite having a roster consisting of two ‘Mech companies and an infantry company, somehow the shrunken unit is on ComStar’s radar as the most capable mercenary unit in the Lyran Commonwealth.  I would think that the Elite Winfield’s Brigade or the Veteran Snord’s Irreguars and Hansen’s Roughriders might take umbrage at being out-repped by the Kell Hounds, especially since the Roughriders managed to beat the vaunted Black Widow on Hesperus II.

This is the second major depiction of ComStar’s plotting and scheming, with the first being Precentor ROM Vesar Kristofur’s unsuccessful attempt to force the Dragoons to make an unscheduled supply run in 3014/15.  The next scheme will be Precentor Rachan’s efforts to frame the Gray Death Legion for an atrocity on Sirius.

It’s interesting that Myndo Waterly, Precentor Dieron, is the primary representative for Draconis Combine issues on the First Circuit.  Looking at the rest of the ComStar characters in Warrior: En Garde, they’re all the Ambassadors to the House capital:  Precentor New Avalon Huthrin Vandvel, Precentor Tharkad Ulthar Everston, and Precentor Sian Villius Tejh.  Precentor Luthien Tayless Gromminger is absent, replaced by Myndo Waterly of Dieron.  Later ComStar materials indicate that the senior Precentor (and therefore representative to the First Circuit) for each House is the one closest to Terra, making Dieron outrank Luthien, but that doesn’t seem to hold true for the rest of the Successor States.  Also of note, Precentor Atreus Pedregor Aliz isn’t mentioned in the Warrior: Trilogy.  If a representative from the Free Worlds League attended the First Circuit meetings, he/she wasn’t given a speaking role.

Ol’ Pedregor certainly seems to have been up to something.  There’s a garbled message exchange between him and Primus Waterly in Historical: Brush Wars that, when decoded, indicates that Aliz oversaw Thomas’ rescue after the bombing and requested that he be brought to Terra for treatment of his wounds.  Later, Waterly briefs Pedregor on the Pollux Contingency – the bionic reconstruction of Thomas and the creation of a double via surgery and psychological conditioning.  While Jihad: Final Reckoning indicates that The Master was given his bionics on Jardine, this exchange places him at the Koryo facility on Mars, with the imposter being created on Jardine.  This confirms that Pedregor was a member of the inner cabal, along with Waterly, whereas Vandvel and Everston appear to have been out of the loop, along with (possibly) Tiepolo.

[Decoy]

Of note is that Deiron is a member of the original First Circuit. I can well imagine that after the fallout of the Necess Kurita affair that either Comstar moved their chief representative to the Combine back to Dieron or never moved the posting from Deiron.

Besides, if the Coordinator wanted to talk with Precentor Deiron, it's only an HPG call away.

[Blacknova]

Of note is that Deiron is a member of the original First Circuit. I can well imagine that after the fallout of the Necess Kurita affair that either Comstar moved their chief representative to the Combine back to Dieron or never moved the posting from Deiron.

Besides, if the Coordinator wanted to talk with Precentor Deiron, it's only an HPG call away.

From what I recall, that is the exact reason Precentor Luthien did not become the power that the other four House Capital Precentors did, but after a long afternoon of end of work drinks, I can't for the life of me remember where from.  It might have been mentioned in the ComStar Sourcebook.

I'm going back to giggling at obscure Star Wars references now.

[Mendrugo]

----- Eleven Weeks Later -----

Date: August 20, 3022 [See Notes]

Location: Kessel

Title: Lady Sings the Blues

Author: Richard Meyer

Type: Scenario (Tales of the Black Widow Company)

Synopsis:  Captain Terrell Pilson of Smithson’s Chinese Bandits surveys the ruins of a supply depot, where a lance of the Black Widow Company is busily scavenging for supplies.  The depot is actually bait for a Combine ambush, and the crates the Widows are loading are actually filled with time-delayed explosives.  When the bombs go off, the Bandits attack.

The Bandits field two Riflemen, a Marauder, and a Wasp, all with moderate damage.  The Widows field two Archers, a Stinger, and a Wasp.  The battlefield is a 2x1 rectangle made up of two standard BattleTech maps.  The damage from the bombs is scattered randomly among the Widows prior to the start of the scenario, striking from the rear arc. 

Notes:  The Bandits are something of an oddity as the OpFor in this early scenario.  The House Marik sourcebook notes that the Bandits have served the League since leaving the Lyran Commonwealth in 2926.  I suppose it’s remotely possible that Myndo Waterly’s diplomatic efforts to pull together an anti-FedCom alliance bore early fruit with the loan of the Bandits to the Combine to help defend the capital of Kessel Prefecture.  (She’d certainly have no trouble getting priority communications channels.)  Their FWL duty station was Zosma, only six jumps away.  If ComStar provided the command circuit, the Bandits could have been deployed in that timeframe.

The date is given just as “Summer 3022.”  I’ve put it in late summer to give the Bandits time to make it from Zosma to Kessel following Myndo Waterly’s high-speed diplomacy.  The Concord of Kapteyn was signed on October 22, 3022, so she certainly does work fast, and the FWL/DC cooperation may have been easier to arrange than the FWL/CC truce, given the fact that the FWL and DC hadn’t fought each other since the 2nd Succession War, while the FWL was still smarting from the CC’s role in its civil war seven years earlier.

Skill levels aren’t given, but the Widows can be assumed to be Elite, while the Bandits are Veteran.  The Bandits field 215 tons (with pre-existing damage), while the Widows field 180 tons with random damage that could result in destruction before the battle begins.   The Widows win decisively if they can get three ‘Mechs off the western map edge without losing their cargo, or if they destroy all the Bandits.  They win a marginal victory if they destroy at least two Bandits and escape with two ‘Mechs intact.  The Bandits win a decisive victory by destroying all the Widows, and a marginal victory by destroying three Widow ‘Mechs while losing no more than two units.

This is an unfortunate example of poor scenario design.  Later iterations of “pre-existing random damage” take care to ensure that any damage that would cripple a unit is ignored and re-rolled.  This early scenario predates that revision, and since the damage is being applied to the thin rear arc armor, it’s entirely possible that the Bandits could already be at Marginal Victory levels before the beginning of round one.  The best scenarios give both players a chance to win by achieving their objectives, but this one lets random factors play too large a role, taking the outcome of the engagement largely out of the players’ hands. 

Under Kuritan stewardship, Kessel is an industrial world with a poisoned biosphere, where people have to wear respirators when venturing outside their domed cities.  Sure hope nobody needs to punch out in this battle.  (Of course, Zosma is a radiation-blasted desert wasteland, where people live in sealed habitats.  No wonder the Bandits are listed as being disgruntled in 3025.  They never get to go anywhere nice.)

[Mendrugo]

----- One Month Earlier (Whoops) -----

Date: July 21, 3022

Location: Oriente

Title: Hornet’s Nest

Author: Craig Erne

Type: Short Story (25 Years of Art and Fiction)

Synopsis:  Captain Saul Trenton, CO of the Northstar Irregulars mercenary company, and his XO Lt. “Dry Roasted” Dave Greshner, meet with Mr. Walters – a representative of Count Ezra Durrant on Oriente.  Walters wants the Irregulars to work for Count Durant on retainer, but Trenton just wants his pay for the recent raid on Demeter and to depart.

Walters gives Trenton a check, but then offers another contract at triple pay with transport provided, and support from other mercenary forces – hitting the Bithinian Ballistics plant on Bithinia.  Trenton settles down to negotiate the terms.

Notes:  I wonder what Grand Duke Halas, the ruler of the Duchy of Oriente, thinks of one of his vassals contracting mercenaries for strikes into other Successor States.  You’d think that offensive strikes and raids would require sanction from the FWLM central command (LCCC), or at least coordination with them.  This has the hallmark of a major raid, if other mercenary groups are involved in support, but is being carried out by a Count.

If lesser nobles are amassing private mercenary armies and setting their own military and foreign policies, then perhaps Primus Tiepolo’s assessment that Janos Marik has “regained control of the Free Worlds League” is an overly optimistic appraisal.  I recall that the plot against the Gray Death Legion on Helm involved some rogue nobles.  Perhaps there were a number of FWL nobles who had ambitions of improving their station along the lines of Duke Hassid Ricol in the Combine, by amassing a private army.

This plan to raid Bithinia comes just two months before the signing of the Concord of Kapteyn, which theoretically calls a truce on the FWL/CC border and commits both sides to mutual support against the Federated Commonwealth.  Further research calls into question Waterly’s role in directly pulling the Concord of Kapteyn together.  The House Marik sourcebook notes that “later in [3022], Chancellor Liao sent an embassy to the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine offering an alliance against the Federated Suns.  Takashi sent a courteous reply to Maximilian, then dispatched ISF director Subhash Indrahar to the FWL.  Subhash arrived on Atreus in early September, 3022.  Indrahar proposed an alliance between the League and Combine, and Janos traveled to Terra in late September (presumably by command circuit), where Takashi brought Maximilian in as well, insisting on the Confederation’s inclusion. 

So what did Myndo Waterly do in all this?  She was tasked with coordinating meetings between the three non-FedCom successor states.  Did she spur Maximilian’s initial outreach to Takashi?  (And wouldn’t that have been something better left to Precentor Sian Villius Tejh?)  For that matter, did she fake Maximilian Liao’s initial message to Takashi to get the ball rolling?  Did she pass info to Subhash Indrahar subtly influencing him and Takashi to respond positively? 

Also, the September start-date of the Marik-Kurita détente voids my earlier attempt to explain why Smithson’s Chinese Bandits were on Kessel in summer 3022, when they were supposed to be under long-term contract to the FWL on Zosma.  Anyone else want to take a crack?

[Mendrugo]

----- Two Months Later -----

Date: September 17, 3022

Location: Bithinia

Title: Hornet’s Nest

Author: Craig Erne

Type: Short Story (25 Years of Art and Fiction)

Synopsis:  At the Civil Defense Center on Bithinia, in Bithinia City, Major Xao Zhiyi reports to the planetary garrison commander.  The Colonel reports that a ‘Mech company is inbound towards the militia arsenals in the cities of Harwang and Zico.  He intends to take a battalion to engage the raiders, while a second battalion protects the spaceport and the Liao palace (the Celestial Residence) onworld.  The Colonel turns the defense of the capital city over to Major Zhiyi and his reserve forces, then departs to take to the field.

Once the Colonel departs, Zhiyi orders a civil evacuation and calls up all reserve forces, with orders to stage at the Glorious Defenders’ barracks.  He also orders his reserves in Harwang and Zico to empty the depots of any spare parts and hide them.  His aide, Commander Shu, questions the wisdom of activating all reserves, but Zhiyi predicts that the brunt of the attack will fall on the city, and the Colonel has stripped it of all defenders in favor of charging into the field, seeking glory.

Meanwhile, on the Joshe Plains near Bithinia City, Captain Saul Trenton leads his command lance (the Bombay Bombers) on a sneak attack while his Fire and Recon lances lead the CCAF rarrison forces on a merry chase.  Despite Dave Greshner’s worry about attacking with only one lance, Trenton reassures him that all they’ll face is reserve armor and infantry.

In Bithinia City, Subcommander Li Feng commands an infantry spotter unit that identifies the inbound mercenaries and reports back on their position.  A Civil Defense Force UrbanMech attempts to engage the Northstar Irregulars, but it is swatted aside by the mercenary Zeus.

At the command center, Major Zhiyi tracks the Zeus as it rampages through the city, and orders his armored vehicles into the fray.  Infantrymen with short-ranged missiles hammer the Zeus as it passes the buildings where they’re hiding, and Vedettes move up to cover the retreating UrbanMech.  The steady barrage of infantry missiles punches through and detonates the Zeus’ missile ammunition.

Saul notes the destruction of Izzy McClain’s Zeus and swears vengeance.  Elsewhere in the city, a flight of Warrior H-7 VTOLs and an UrbanMech pester the Bombay Bombers’ Cyclops, attempting to lead it into an ambush from a Hetzer lance.  When the Cyclops passes the Hezters’ position, they tear its legs off in one volley.

At the Civil Defense command center, Commander Shu reports that the mercenary Marauder has been set ablaze with inferno rounds, and armor units are successfully engaging.  Major Zhiyi orders all units to converge on the mercenary Archer, which is the only one not yet contained, and is close to breaching the Bithinian Ballistics perimeter.

Saul sees Reggie’s Cyclops go down, and gets a report from Dave Greshner that he’s ablaze and his ‘Mech is failing.  He promises to hold off the Capellans as long as possible, but he asks Saul to retreat and get Charlotte to safety.  Greshner tells Saul that when he was a kid, he and his brother kicked over a hornet’s nest and were nearly stung to death.  He says it’s the same situation now, and tells his Captain not to get stung.

Long range sensors show a swarm of enemies closing in.  Saul pushes the Archer east at top speed, trying to escape.  He smashes through a building and makes it to the city outskirts, still under intermittent fire from the Civil Defense Force, and ponders how he’s going to make it back to the LZ in one piece.

At the command center, Major Zhiyi opens a channel to Trenton’s Archer, and offers him the honors of war.  Trenton accepts, and calls off the raids on Harwang and Zico in exchange for allowing the remaining Northstar Irregulars to withdraw.  Any downed ‘Mechs will be taken as salvage, but surviving pilots will be ransomed back.

The Colonel who nominally commands the planetary garrison furiously attempts to intervene, having hoped to meet the mercenaries gloriously in battle.  Major Zhiyi points out that his orders were to protect the city, and that allowing them an orderly retreat would save more lives.

Notes: Circa 3022, the House Liao sourcebook indicates that standard CCAF garrison unit deployment consists of a militia force (a foot infantry battalion and a company of light tanks), and Home Guard units, consisting of a heavy armor company and two infantry battalions.  The Civil Defense Force troops appear to largely conform to these guidelines, albeit with several UrbanMechs bolstering the armor and infantry.  (Not terribly surprising, given that Bithinian Ballistics is the largest autocannon manufacturer in the Confederation.)

The promised supporting mercenaries aren’t mentioned here, but their presence is felt.  The CCAF garrison commander notes that House Ma-Tsu Kai is offworld, probably responding to a diversionary raid staged in a neighboring system by one of the supporting mercenary units. 

The Honors of War exchange was a nice touch, showing how much the resource scarity of the late Third Succession War had created a battlefield code of conduct that mirrored the ancient Ares Conventions. 

[Mendrugo]

----- Five Weeks Later -----

Date: October 31, 3022

Location: An Ting

Title: The Fight for Depot 217

Author: Richard Meyer, Walter Hunt, Lisa Hunt & Evan Jarrison

Type: Scenario (The Fox’s Teeth)

Synopsis:  McKinnon’s Raiders field their Command Lance and Medium Lance.  Dinsdale’s Desperadoes fields a Medium Lance to begin with, and then brings in two more lances on turn 7.  There are twelve depot buildings which may be looted.  McKinnon gets 6 points for each Raider that loots a hex and withdraws to the south.  He also gets six points for each enemy ‘Mech destroyed or immobilized, and 3 for each enemy that withdraws.  The Desperadoes score 6 for each Raider ‘Mech destroyed and 3 for each ‘Mech that retreats without looting. 

The scenario setup takes the form of an after-action report filed by Colonel Walter Dinsdale, commanding the “Dinsdale’s Desperadoes” battalion of the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers.  The Rangers hit An Ting to raid a parts depot.  While they were in the process of looting its contents, they were engaged by McKinnon’s Raiders, but drove them off after a short battle. 

A contrarian follow-up report is filed by Captain Aleksandr Richelieu (one of Dinsdale’s subordinates, commanding the 2nd Company of 2nd Battalion – Richelieu’s Scorpions) on November 2, 3022, reporting the real facts – McKinnon’s Raiders had already looted the depot by the time Rangers arrived, leaving only armor patches, winter parkas, and stale food.

The story from the Raiders’ perspective is that they’d set down on An Ting for R&R and to replenish supplies.  Noting a manmade clearing from orbit, they landed and found the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers preparing to empty a supply depot.  The Raiders attacked and seized the depot, taking what they liked and withdrawing when the rest of Dinsdale’s Desperadoes approached.

The Raiders then proceeded to take their R&R on the planet, and even invited the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers personnel to join them, which they did.

In terms of actual fighting, the battle pits Dinsdale’s Command Lance, Norman’s Recon Lance, Hobart’s Heavy Lance, and Richelieu’s Command Lance against the Command and Medium lances of McKinnon’s Raiders.  The Rangers field 670 tons with an average gunnery of 3.08 and a wide variety of highly detailed pre-existing damage, while the Raiders field 400 tons with an average gunnery of 3.375. 

Notes:  This is another example of “early installment weirdness,” featuring House Liao’s 4th Tau Ceti Rangers clearing out a depot on An Ting…in the Draconis Combine's Kaznejov Prefecture bordering the Outworlds Alliance.  The House Liao sourcebook says the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers have served the Confederation since the 1st Succession War, and were fighting alongside Laurel’s Legion on the Marik border as of 3020.  Since An Ting is in McKinnon’s Raiders’ operational area, the location makes sense, but the 4th TCR as an OpFor doesn’t work at all.  It would make much more sense for elements of the Draconis Combine’s An Ting Legion to be the OpFor.  (Either them or some other minor mercs known to be working for the Combine...perhaps the Plague Boys or the Shady Ladies - both of which joined the Combine in the late 2900s, around the same time as McGee's Cutthroats.)

The description of An Ting in the scenario implies that it’s an uninhabited wilderness, for the most part, where McKinnon's Raiders could lay low and soak up some sun on R&R without being bothered by garrison forces or enemy line units.  Subsequent write-ups have portrayed it as having been shattered in the Second Succession War, which reduced it to a barely-self sufficient rock rumored to be used by the DCMS for biowarfare experiments.  Not exactly Club Med.  However, it does have eight named cities (Tule Mod, Cerant City, Horan, Clarkstown, Shioko, Hugid, Singpan, and Boupeig), light industry, fuel refineries, spaceports, a university, and a military reservation.  One wonders why the Boupeig Military Reservation didn't scramble its troops to engage the Raiders while they were sunning themselves on the beach.

Tactically, the Raiders will want to get in and out by turn ten at the latest.  You get the same points for killing the enemy as you do for looting.  Race in at your Marauder’s top speed, with the rest of the lance keeping pace as escorts.  If the enemy gives battle, use your two-to-one numbers advantage to crush them, then loot with abandon.  If the enemy backs off in the face of your numbers, split off your faster ‘Mechs in pairs to go loot the furthest away depot buildings, while the slower ones go for the closest ones.

Once the ‘Mechs are loaded, pull them back to the main body and provide supporting fire for the ‘Mechs that are still loading.  Once you’ve got about four depot buildings, pull out.  You’ll have 24 points for the four buildings you looted, minus 12 for the four 'Mechs withdrawing without goodies.  If you dropped any of the defenders, that’s another six points each.  This is the time to fall back and disappear before the reinforcements arrive to start scoring points in the other direction.

For the OpFor, focus on the faster Raiders.  Your Medium Lance won’t have much luck going toe to toe with the Raiders’ Warhammer and Marauder, but they can keep pace with the lighter Raiders and take them out.  If the Raiders split up, go after the Lights.  They’re worth the same points as the heavies, but go down much more easily.  If you can take out three Raiders without losing any of your ‘Mechs, they’ll have to overcome an 18-point deficit, forcing them to either kill a bunch of your troops, or loot at least five depots.  That could delay the Raiders long enough for your reinforcements arrive.  Even if a Raider breaks past and successfully loots a depot, it won’t score any points until it gets off the map.  Don’t be afraid to give hot pursuit if a looter makes a break for the map edge and you have a chance to intercept.  Your gunnery is better than average.

There's a fun stealth pun in the list of materials recovered by the depot's defenders.  One entry lists "gyros," then adds the modifier "(Greek, stale)." 

[Mendrugo]

----- Six Months Later -----

Date: April, 3023

Location: Beta Mensae V

Title: Fear No Evil

Author: Richard Meyer, Walter Hunt, Lisa Hunt & Evan Jarrison

Type: Scenario (The Fox’s Teeth)

Synopsis:  The 15th Dracon mercenary unit is holding Dronnen’s Pass on Beta Mensae V when the 7th Crucis Lancers landed on the plain below and attempted to force the pass.  In this scenario, Ryder’s Medium Lance of McKinnon’s Raiders engages the Recon Lance of Weymouth’s Warriors – the lead element of the 15th Dracon. 

The 15th Dracon force’s objective is to get at least one ‘Mech off the north end of the game map.  The Raiders win if they destroy all of the Dracon scouts.  As a special condition, one of McKinnon’s Wasp pilots, Henrik Dekker, unleashes a torrent of fire and brimstone Old Testament harangue over the 15th’s battle frequency, stunning the Combine mercenaries.  They cannot begin to withdraw until they roll a 9+ at the beginning of a round. 

The 15th Dracon fields 165 tons of equipment, while the Raiders field 190 tons.  The Dracon starts anywhere on the southern map, and the Raiders enter off the southern edge of the southern map. 

Notes: Once again, the OpFor is a little strange.  Like the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers, the 15th Dracon is described as a long-serving mercenary unit in the Capellan Confederation, so its presence out near the Outworlds Alliance serving as a Combine mercenary group is a little odd, given that in two years they’ll be on Bellatrix and Decatur, near the Confederation’s border with the Taurian Concordat.  A more reasonable substitution would be the Shady Ladies, Plague Boys, or McGee’s Cutthroats.

The addition of a random factor hampers the scenario’s enjoyability for me.  If you roll poorly, the bulk of the OpFor could end up frozen in place as the Raiders advance to execute them.  To hedge your bets as much as possible, I’d recommend that the OpFor start at the far northern border of the southern map, screened by high hills and nicely clustered together.  They can still shoot when frozen, so clustering and massing fire is a good bet.  As soon as one of your fast units breaks free, send it north at top speed.  You should then concentrate your fire on any of McKinnon’s force capable of catching your Lights.

Though the rules don’t cover this option, a logical strategy would be simply to wait at the southern edge of the southern map and slaughter Dekker’s Wasp when it arrives.  If he’s not around to blast the “Signs of Evil Top 40 Countdown” onto the channel, all ‘Mechs affected by his sermon should be immediately freed.

For the Raiders, you have to race north and prioritize the enemy speedsters as your targets.  If possible, get on their north side, and do what you can to prevent them from escaping.

[Mendrugo]

----- Three Weeks Earlier -----

Date: March 9, 3023

Location: Awano

Title: Wolves on the Border

Author: Robert Charrette

Type: Novel

Synopsis:  We rejoin Minobu Tetshara at his family estate on Awano.  When last we saw Minobu, he had allowed Jaime Wolf to survive on Dromini VI.  Subsequently, Lyran forces caused high casualties among DCMS forces as the Combine waged an ultimately successful planetary defense.  Minobu was relieved of his command and dispossessed on the personal orders of Coordinator Kurita. 

Minobu is joined by his younger brother, Fuhito, who has just received a letter from the Bureau of Administration, commissioning him as a MechWarrior in the Seventeenth Benjamin Regulars – the personal regiment of District Warlord Yoriyoshi.  Minobu insists that Fuhito pilot House Tetsuhara’s Panther – Katana Kat – and bring honor to the Combine.

Minobu tells Fuhito that he has received new orders as well – a promotion to chu-sa and an assignment to the Professional Soldiery Liaison.  Fuhito is disdainful of the assignment, but Minobu says that it is his duty as a samurai to follow the orders of his lord.  Minobu clarifies that he will be working with Wolf’s Dragoons – newly contracted with House Kurita.  Fuhito expresses delight, and asks if the good news has led to a reconciliation with their father.  Minobu says he has not tried to contact their father.

After Fuhito leaves, Minobu goes inside and reviews his “letter of joyous celebration” from the Bureau of Substitution.  He notes that his chu-sa bars are of cheap materials with nothing to hold them in place – a subtle sign that the promotion is only for show and not meant to be permanent.

Notes:  Not much is known about Awano.  The capital city is Shandabbar, and the world is the site of the Izumi Shoin, a Buddhist monastery which welcomes Kuritans seeking to begin life anew after personal tragedy.

House Tetsuhara is a MechWarrior family in the purest 3rd Succession War sense – with their prestige and social position tied up with their family’s privately owned BattleMech.  Interestingly, rather than simply owning Katana Kat outright, they appear to have to receive permission from the Coordinator to pilot the ‘Mech. ("Fuhito, you are the authorized pilot for the family BattleMech.")  I wonder if there are MechWarrior families take similar pride in their family UrbanMech.

Minobu and Fuhito briefly mention their father, who is estranged from Minobu due to his disgrace on Dromini VI.  I wonder if their father is the same Tetsuhara-sama whose instruction in hand-to-hand combat gave Theodore flashbacks during his induction into the Sons of the Dragon.

Minobu mentions at one point that House Tetsuhara's African descent comes from an ancestor named Jackson Hayes who abandoned his birth name and took the name Tetsuhara in its place.  (This clarifies that the Tetsuhara name didn't come from an ancestral marriage with a Japanese family line, and explains why Minobu, as pictured on the original cover of "Wolves on the Border" doesn't have any Asian features.)

[Mendrugo]

----- One Month Later -----

Date: April, 3023

Location: Quentin

Title: Dragon of a Different Color

Author: Jim Brunk, Dale L. Kemper & Michael Lee

Type: Scenario (The Kell Hounds)

Synopsis:  The Kell Hounds and AFFS Quentin Militia are in the midst of wargames when a Kurita battalion launches a sneak attack from a staging base on Quentin’s moon. 

There are also three technical crews on the field.  The Hounds get a point for each Combine unit killed, and one for each crew that exits the field.  The Kuritas gets one victory point for each Hound or crew destroyed.

The Kuritan forces field 260 tons with an average gunnery of 4.  The Hounds field 255 tons with an average gunnery of 3.5.  (Assuming that Cat Wilson and Patrick Kell’s “Elite” status translates into a Gunnery of 2.)

Notes:  The fluff setup for the scenario indicates that the Hounds and Militia forces were using paint rounds for non-lethal wargame exercises, yet they “quick-started their ‘Mechs and charged into the midst of the attackers” when the raiders stumble into their staging area.  For greater accuracy, I would recommend limiting the Hounds to physical attacks and energy weapons (which could be dialed up to full power), while autocannon rounds and missile warheads would still have paint loads.

The Kuritan raid was apparently just a probe to lay the groundwork test the defenses in advance of a major invasion two months later, when Wolf’s Dragoons drop onto the planet to seize it for the Combine.

The technical crews get a lot easier to get off the board and score the point if you use the Total Warfare rules, which make infantry take far less damage from many weapons than previous rulesets. 

The Kuritan raiders should concentrate their fire on Cat Wilson and Patrick Kell first, since their gunnery is much better than their lancemates, and taking them out will severely weaken the Kell Hound side.  Your forces all max out at 4/6.  You can still move at triple the rate of the technical crews.  I would recommend splitting your fire – plonking the technical crews with PPCs and LRMs, while savaging the Kell Hounds with short range weaponry.  To make up for this split focus, keep your units close together.

The Hounds have lots of long range weaponry - LRMs, PPCs and Large Lasers.  Use this to your advantage and hammer the Combine forces at range.  Running in close would deny you a lot of your firepower, while exposing you to the Combine’s Hunchback.  Even if the Combine forces pound on the technical crews, respond by attacking the Combine’s ‘Mechs.  They’ll start to exhibit combat loss grouping before yours if they go after the crews, and if they trade blows with your ‘Mechs, they’ll fall behind when the crews escape.

The scenario fluff notes that the Kell Hounds were scheduled to rotate back to their main duty stations on Robinson after the wargame exercises.  Presumably they were replaced by the White Witches, which are the main OpFor against the Dragoons two months later.  This scenario doesn't identify the DCMS attackers - except to say that they used borrowed Legion of Vega DropShip pilots, who botched the insertion and scattered the Combine forces.  A follow-up scenario identifies the attackers as a battalion of the 5th Sword of Light.  At this point in time, the 5th's specialty is city fighting (probably a +2 initiative bonus in urban terrain), which doesn't come into play in this scenario.

[Scotty]

Perhaps, to avoid hamstringing the Hounds entirely too much by completely removing all non-energy weapons from the game on their side, treat ballistic and missile weapon hits as Paint/Obscurant ammunition, as if fired from a Fluid Gun?  On a subsequent 9+, each hit would impose a +1 to target numbers for the affected unit.  It's not damage, but it's certainly not useless, either.

[Mendrugo]

Perhaps, to avoid hamstringing the Hounds entirely too much by completely removing all non-energy weapons from the game on their side, treat ballistic and missile weapon hits as Paint/Obscurant ammunition, as if fired from a Fluid Gun?  On a subsequent 9+, each hit would impose a +1 to target numbers for the affected unit.  It's not damage, but it's certainly not useless, either.

That's an excellent suggestion, and makes it much more playable for the Hounds - especially since splattering the Sworders' sensors with paint will make it easier for the technical crews to escape.

[Mendrugo]

----- Three Hours Later -----

Date: April, 3023

Location: Quentin

Title: The Fox, the Hound, and the Dragon

Author:  Jim Brunk, Dale L. Kemper & Michael Lee

Type: Scenario (The Kell Hounds)

Synopsis:  Three hours after the scattered combat drop, the Fifth Sword of Light’s First Battalion managed to gather together its components – Death Knell Company, Thunderstrike Company, and Demonblade Company, and launch a furious attack on the garrison – the Kell Hounds Battalion and the 143rd Davion Combined Arms Regiment (the planetary militia). 

The Kell Hounds, now armed with live ammo, engage the Sworders as they’re in the process of massacring the 143rd’s infantry.  Militia Colonel Van Adams mistakes the Kuritans for the Kell Hounds (the Hounds had been simulating a Kuritan raider battalion during several weeks of wargames), and orders an artillery barrage, indiscriminately targeting friend and foe alike.

The 5th Sword of Light wins if his losses are smaller than those inflicted on the Kell Hounds by the end of turn 10.  The Kell Hounds win if they’ve inflicted more than 50 percent casualties on the Sworders by Turn 10. 

The Hounds commit two Elite/Medium ‘Mech lances, one Veteran/Light scout lance, and one Elite/Medium AeroFighter lance.  The 143rd deploys three Regular Heavy Infantry platoons, two Green Motorized Infantry platoons, and three vehicle lances (one Type 3 and two Type 5).  It appears that they’ve already lost a Motorized Infantry platoon by the time the Kell Hounds arrive.

Notes:  The First Battalion of the 5th Sword of Light is evidently not Tarwater’s Battalion of the 5th Sword of Light, since Sorenson’s Sabres and the rest of their parent battalion were pulling garrison duty on Luthien in April 3023, and preparing for a change of duty station to New Caledonia.

I’ve gone through the PDF of the BattleForce rulebook three times, and for the life of me I can’t figure out what the Type ratings mean.  Perhaps there’s a page missing where it indicates how Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, etc. translate into statistics, but I can’t seem to find it.  There is such a list in the NAIS Atlas of the Fourth Succession War, Volume 2, however, so that can serve as a ready reference. 

That would give the 143rd two Demolishers, two Von Luckners, four Vedettes, four Goblins, five infantry platoons, and four Long Toms – putting it at slightly under battalion strength.  One would infer, then, that the full AFFS planetary militia regiment consists of one armor battalion, one heavy infantry battalion, one motorized infantry battalion, an artillery support company, and a ‘Mech command lance (a militia liaison officer in a ‘Mech featured in the previous scenario.)  The House Davion sourcebook indicates that Planetary Guard Units (PGUs, though often corrupted into PUGs – aka Ugly PUGs) are infantry regiments used for scouting, but perhaps they’re “infantry” regiments in the sense that SLDF Infantry Divisions were 2/3 infantry, and 1/3 armored units (‘Mechs and tanks).

On the Kuritan side, Death Knell Company fields a Dragon, 3 Grasshoppers, a JagerMech, 3 Griffins, 3 Panthers, and a Wasp.  Thunderstrike Company fields a Dragon, a Grasshopper, a JagerMech, a Griffin, a Wolverine, 3 Jenners, 2 Wasps, a Stinger, and a Spider.  Demonblade Company fields 3 Wasps, a Stinger, a Spider, a Griffin, 2 Panthers, a Scorpion, a Hunchback, a Phoenix Hawk, and a Whitworth.

It’s not clear where the Sworder Marauder, Warhammer, Thunderbolt and Hunchback from the earlier scenario fit into the TO&E.  Perhaps it was the Battalion HQ lance, since it seems noticeably heavier than the rest of the Battalion, on average.

Given the scenario parameters, the Sworders should use their superior mobility to simply avoid contact with the militia and concentrate exclusively on the Kell Hounds.  With some careful use of terrain and maneuver, you could avoid taking fire from infantry units prior to turn ten, while taking advantage of your three-to-one numbers advantage to whomp the Hounds and get far ahead in the exchange of lost units.  If you get in close with the Hounds, the artillery will do as much damage to them as to you.  If the infantry starts to become bothersomely close, blow a hole in their lines and saunter out at 2x to 3x their speed, leaving them in your dust.

All the Kell Hound/143rd player should care about is getting an average of 1.6 kills per turn.  You need to get your infantry into the game as quickly as possible.  The Goblins can each carry an infantry squad, so load a Heavy Infantry platoon aboard and deploy it with the Goblin lance.  Try to use your slight numbers advantage to corral the Sworders and focus your firepower on their lighter, weaker units.  Use the Kell Hound aerospace units to strafe and/or bomb the weakest Sworders – getting your kills wherever you can.  Keep your Long Toms firing, even if the sides get mixed together.  You don’t really care how many of your own troops get hit, as long as you can get 16 Sworders down and out by turn 10.

There aren't any rules to cover this sort of thing in BattleForce, but technically, since the Militia thought the wargame exercises were still ongoing, their ballistic and missile weapons should still have paint loads, including the Long Toms.  However, neutering the 143rd would make the scenario seriously unbalanced in favor of House Kurita.

[trboturtle]

That scenario might work better today as an Alpha Strike vehicle.... ;D

Craig

[Mendrugo]

----- Two Weeks Later -----

Date: April 22, 3023 [See Notes]

Location: Hoff

Title: The Battle for Hoff – The Better Mousetrap

Author: Richard Meyer

Type: Scenario (Tales of the Black Widow Company)

Synopsis:  The Lightning Company (Silver Lance and Black Lance) of the “8th Eridani Battalion” is field testing BattleMechs equipped with improved heat sinks developed at a NAIS laboratory on Hoff.  They are garrisoning the Johnson’s Farm agricultural holding on the northern continent when the two lances of the Black Widow Company arrive to seize the farm. 

Both sides score two points for each enemy unit destroyed or immobilized, and three points for holding the farm at the end of the engagement.  The Eridani Light Horse must withdraw if they lose four or more ‘Mechs, or if two of the units equipped with the prototype double heat-sinks have been disabled.  A margin of six points is a decisive victory, while 3-5 is a marginal victory.

The Widows field eight ‘Mechs totaling 410 tons.  The Lightning Company consists of six ‘Mechs totaling 355 tons.  The Light Horse player may distribute twenty double heat sinks either in Silver Lance (Archer, Archer, Griffin) or Black Lance (Rifleman, Shadow Hawk, Phoenix Hawk), replacing single heat sinks as they see fit on a one-for-one basis.

Notes:  The Phoenix Hawk can overheat by 10 if it alpha strikes and jumps, while the Rifleman can overheat by 18 points if it alpha strikes and runs.  Archers can overheat by 16 if they alpha strike and run, and the Griffin overheats by 5 if alpha striking and jumping.  The Shadow Hawk runs cool.  To my mind, the optimal placement is with Black Lance, giving the Rifleman and Phoenix Hawk ten DHS each.  This greatly enhances the effectiveness of the RFL-3N Rifleman and also makes the Phoenix Hawk able to be fully mobile while alpha striking every round.  In 3025-era games, heat management was half the battle, and this gives the Horsemen a decided edge.

The Mercenary’s Handbook notes that “One of Brevet General Armstrong’s first duties in 3023 was to organize the defense of the planet Hoff, location of the Meistmorn Academy, to repulse a Kurita attack.  Although Wolf’s Dragoons pounded Eridani units in a furious onslaught, the Light Horse played cat-and-mouse with the mercenaries, keeping them off balance until Davion reinforcements arrived to push the Dragoons offplanet.” 

The entry adds that, having suffered heavy casualties, the Horsemen took two years off to rebuild and reorganize.  After the reorganization, Lightning Company (having survived the battle fully intact, from all appearances) is part of the 7th Striker Battalion (Nigel’s Nightslayers) of the 21st Striker regiment (Winston’s Moonrakers).  The full company adds a Locust to Silver Lance, an Enforcer to Black Lance, and adds a Purple Lance (Wolverine, Valkyire, Wasp, and Locust) and a Brown Lance (two Seydlitz fighters).

The description of Lightning Company as being part of the “8th Battalion” is explained in the Mercenary’s Handbook by a passage that says “Duke Davion split the Light Horse into battalions to carry out diversionary raids on both Kurita and Liao worlds.”  The roster in the Mercenary’s Handbook (in which 7th Striker Battalion is the sixth listed) reflects their status as of March 3025, following their reorganization.

The XTRO Succession Wars entry for the Super Griffin notes that the “freezers” had the same weight and volume as regular heat sinks, but used volatile, liquid metal coolants that proved dangerous and difficult to maintain in the field, with a lifespan of only a few years.  They were later eclipsed by Star League double heat-sink designs from the Helm Memory Core that used advanced radiators (increasing the volume, but proving more durable and easier to maintain).

The year given in the scenario is 3022, and the XTRO entries use that date as well.  However, multiple sources document that the Dragoons were under contract to House Steiner until the end of 3022, so the date of this scenario should be 3023, and the XTRO references should be amended accordingly.

Li Hsien’s commentary on the battle is unintentionally ironic.  He says his freezers were “better than anything the Queen of Spades – or anybody – had ever seen.”  Something of a misstatement (though, of course, there’s no way he could have known), since Natasha won her Bloodname and rose to Star Colonel at the helm of OmniMechs packing Clan DHS. 

Another interesting comment by Hsien is that Natasha was cursing in Russian on an open channel the whole fight.  Not only does that seem an odd violation of standard combat protocols (unless Natasha was doing it intentionally), but it brings up the fact that Natasha speaks Russian.  The Clans we’ve seen so far appear to nearly exclusively speak Star League Standard English, and have an obsession with keeping it pure, to the point of avoiding contractions.  One wonders to what extent learning another language would be encouraged in the sibkos, since it doesn’t have much in the way of tactical application, and is a connection to the Inner Sphere culture that, theoretically, Nicholas would have wanted purged.  Perhaps the Clans have a soft spot for Russian, due to Kerensky’s historical connection to it and Nicholas’ youth spent living in Moscow and speaking the language.  Do you suppose there was a Star League Standard Russian dialect as well?

For the scenario, the Widows should do everything they can to knock out the two Horsemen ‘Mechs equipped with freezers.  Not only will it remove their heavy firepower from the field, it will force the Horsemen to retreat, leaving you with 3 points for being in control of the agricultural facility.

The Horsemen should attempt to stay at range.  The Widows will have to weigh their shots carefully, due to heat management concerns, while the souped up Horsemen can keep alpha striking at slim odds without screwing up their heat curves.  Back up as the Widows advance, laying down Large Laser, AC/5, PPC, and LRM barrages.  Concentrate your fire, so you can start dropping the Widows before they get to Medium Laser range.  Keep the souped up Phoenix Hawk bouncing around and use terrain to screen it from fire.  If the Rifleman goes down, pull the Phoenix Hawk back and use it to snipe so that you aren’t forced to retreat.  Make it so the Widows have to go through the rest of the Horsemen to bag the second freezer-‘Mech.

[Scotty]

Of any language that would be suitable for learning in the Clans, it would be Russian, possibly to the exclusion of all others.  At the very least, until the Invasion.  Remember that Kerensky is a Russian surname, and the Kerenskys were indeed of Russian descent.  One needs look no further than the very name of Strana Mechty, which is described as "Land of Dreams" in Russian (I don't speak it, and can't independently confirm), and that's mentioned at the very least in the Jade Phoenix trilogy, with the added information that it was called that in the namer's (can't remember which one of them) "native Russian".

[Mendrugo]

----- Three Weeks Later -----

Date: May 12, 3023 [See Notes]

Location: Hoff

Title: The Battle for Hoff – Calm Before the Storm

Author: Richard Meyer

Type: Scenario (Tales of the Black Widow Company)

Synopsis:  Following the skirmish at Johnson’s Farm, the Dragoons seized several strategic strongpoints and pushed the Eridani Light Horse’s 8th Battalion back at Aram’s Ravine and Proud’s Ridge.  By April 30, Jaime Wolf received intel on the location of the NAIS research station, and confidently announced that “the enemy is ours.” [See Notes] 

The ELH, however, dug in at the mining town of Flint and, reinforced by the 6th Battalion, repulsed the Dragoons’ next thrust.  The Dragoons’ Kuritan support forces split off to attack the mines, and the ELH drove Wolf’s forces back in disarray with a successful counterattack.  The battle lines stabilized at Brand Valley, where the Dragoons and their remaining Kurita adjuncts held back a major Davion/ELH assault on May 11, with more than 200 ‘Mechs fighting on both sides for 34 hours straight.

As Hour 35 of the Battle of Brand Valley commences, the Black Widow Company squares off against Pelham’s Company of the 7th Eridani Battalion on the Dragoons’ right flank.  Pelham’s Company consists of three understrength lances – Red Seven (Phoenix Hawk, Rifleman, Rifleman), Blue Seven (Shadow Hawk, Griffin, Stinger), and Gold Seven (Crusader, Phoenix Hawk, Shadow Hawk, Griffin).  All told, the ELH fields 515 tons.  The Widows field the entire company, minus one damaged Stinger, putting 570 tons into the field.

Both sides have substantial pre-existing damage.  To win a decisive victory, one side must cause the other side to rout while losing no more than five of its own ‘Mechs.  Forced Withdrawal comes into effect when either side loses its sixth ‘Mech.  When a side loses its seventh ‘Mech, there’s a 33% chance it will rout.  That rises to 66% when the eighth goes down, and 100% when the ninth is taken out.

This scenario predates formal salvage rules, but adds optional rules in case neither side scored a decisive victory.  Players roll a D10 for each ‘Mech left on the field, with a 70% chance of being able to recover and at least partially repair the downed ‘Mechs.  The players may then replay the engagement with the new rosters as the Battle of Brand Valley grinds on.

Historically, the Black Widow Company quickly broke through Pelham’s Company and turned the ELH’s flank.

Notes:  The Mercenary’s Handbook lists Pelham’s Company as part of the 7th Striker Battalion (Nigel’s Nightslayers) in the 21st Striker Regiment circa 3025.  It appears that the company’s losses were mainly in the Red Seven Lance, which replaces both Riflemen with Warhammers by 3025, and adds a Wasp.  Blue Seven also adds a Wasp, and Gold Seven adds a Sabre aerospace fighter.  Despite having been routed in the battle (which would, theoretically, indicate that they lost at least seven of their ten units), only the two Riflemen are gone, swapped out for Warhammers.  Perhaps the ELH was able to get identical rides for the rest of the dispossessed MechWarriors of Pelham’s Company. 

The battlefield code of conduct that evolved in fights between mercenary units during the 3rd Succession War continues to amaze me, considering how out of place it feels compared to the later Clan Invasion, Civil War, and Jihad eras.  Calling a time out between skirmishes during which technical crews from both sides hit the field and work on recovery while the MechWarriors take five and get ready for another round.  The lethality of combat was significantly lower, with only one head-capper weapon in the technology tree – evidenced by the 100% survival rate of the Black Widow Company roster until Misery, and the apparent near total survival rate of the ELH forces in these battles as well. 

Have any of you ever played games that simulate the mid-battle “time out” referenced in some of the early materials (notably the Coolant Truck entry from TRO:3026)?  If you’re piloting a walking scrapheap held together with baling wire and prayer into battle, and yet your family’s social standing and fortune are dependent on your rustbucket making it back to base in one piece, I can certainly see a strong motivator for playing it safe and creating practices that help both sides enforce the status quo (one of the reasons the Third Succession War ground on so long).

The Kuritan forces that ditched the Dragoons to go after the mines aren’t named in this scenario.  The Wolf’s Dragoons sourcebook names the units involved as the Dahar DMM, the 151st Light Horse Regiment, and the 7th Battalion of the ELH on the Davion side and the 17th Galedon Regulars, Epsilon Regiment, and the Black Widow Company on the Kurita side.  However, the BattleMaster entry in TRO:3025 mentions that Captain Jenni Circi of the 3rd Proserpina Hussars was promoted after the battle for Hoff, and given a BattleMaster to pilot.  The Stinger LAM entry also notes that Harvard Willis of the Legion of Vega nearly lost his life in the Battle for Hoff.  Thus, the Dragoons were possibly backed by elements of the Proserpina Hussars and Legion of Vega as well.  On the Davion side, the ELH appears to have been backed by the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers (Phoenix Hawk LAM entry), and possibly by Team Banzai – since they were on Hoff field testing the Hatchetman (and the oscillation overcompensator) at roughly this time period.  It is, however, possible that these troops were transferred out of the Dahar DMM and the 17th Galedon Regulars in the two years between the battle and the publication of TRO:3025.

While this scenario and many, many other sources date the battle for Hoff to 3022, the Dragoons’ sourcebook and several other sources (including novels) say that the Dragoons worked for House Steiner until the end of 3022, which means this battle has to have happened in 3023.  It’s clear that the author of the Wolf’s Dragoons sourcebook, Anthony Pryor, was having to do some fancy footwork to try to reconcile the chronologies of the various Dragoon stories when he wrote his sourcebook for the unit.  He notes that, since Jaime Wolf appears in “Wolves on the Border” on Quentin IV in June 3023, there’s no way he was on Hoff with Epsilon saying “The enemy is ours,” on May 1, 3023.

Tactically, this is a straight up slugfest with no special rules beyond the routing threshold.  Go for the easiest shots and concentrate on any unit where there’s a potential for killing it off in the next volley.  Mass your fire as much as possible, since you want to get to six kills before your opponent.  You may want to fall back towards your side of the map as soon as the engagement starts, so that if you’re forced to withdraw, you’ll be able to duck off before routing, and if the enemy is forced to withdraw, you have the length of the board to pursue them and get them up to rout level.

[Mendrugo]

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

Date: May 13, 3023 [See Notes]

Location: Hoff

Title: The Battle for Hoff – Last Line of Defense

Author: Richard Meyer

Type: Scenario (Tales of the Black Widow Company)

Synopsis:  With the Eridani Light Horse main body routed and in retreat from Brand Valley, most of the 17th Galedon and Epsilon Regiment are engaged in mopping up.  Natasha, however, dispatches her Recon Lance to the Friden Aerospace Park to seize the Project Phoenix research facility.

The scientists at the facility desperately deploy their top secret prototypes in defense of the facility – the Super-Griffin and two Super-Wasps.  While the prototypes hold off the Widows, the research team tries to evacuate and find safety in the hills.

The Widow Recon Lance consists of a Stinger, Rifleman, and Phoenix Hawk, all with pre-existing damage.  The defender consists of a Super-Griffin and two Super-Wasps.  The Project Phoenix test pilots win if they destroy two Dragoons, while the Widows win if they destroy both prototypes while keeping one of their ‘Mechs intact.

Historically, the Project Phoenix pilots took out the Dragoon Stinger and nearly downed the Phoenix Hawk, but were all destroyed (two through ammunition explosions, one through a supercharger blowout).  Nonetheless, they managed to hold off the Dragoons long enough for the research team to strip the facility nearly bare and evacuate, denying the Dragoons their prize.

Notes: The introductory text features two prototypes piloted by Davion MechWarriors – so where was the third?  Perhaps the two Super-Wasps were parked in one building, while the Super-Griffin was in another hangar. 

Amusingly, the scenario intro adds the caveat that this scenario assumes the Widows won the previous scenario and achieved a decisive victory in Brand Valley.  If the Eridani forces won, the scenario chides the players that they should “feel ashamed of [themselves] for letting a crack unit like the Widows get beat that way!”

The GRF-2N Super Griffin is statted as a 60 tonner that moves 4/6/9, with 10 single heat sinks and 3 freezers, an armor factor of 160, a PPC, Medium Laser, and an LRM-10.  XTRO Succession Wars calls it the GRF-2N-X, notes that it packed both “freezer” heat sinks and prototype improved jump jets.  The XTRO version only jumps 6, but packs an extra Small Laser.  Historically, it went down hard when its improved jump jets exploded, touching off its LRM ammo.

The WSP-2A Super-Wasp is statted as a 25 tonner that moves 8/12/6, with an armor factor of 64, a Medium Laser, and an SRM-2.  XTRO Succession Wars calls it the WSP-2A-X Super Wasp, and bases the chassis on a supercharger, allowing it to move 8/9(12)/6.  Under modern construction rules, there was room to put in an SRM-2 and two Medium Lasers.  Historically, one of the Super Wasps had a supercharger blowout that trashed its engine shielding, while the other succumbed to an SRM ammo explosion.

The XTRO entry clarifies that Team Banzai was involved in the Super Wasp and Super Griffin design process, so they weren’t just sticking to their Hatchetman work on Hoff.

As discussed previously, this should take place in 3023, rather than 3022 – as stated in the scenario.

Tactically, the Project Phoenix test pilots have an edge in maneuverability, which they can use to their advantage by trying to get into the back arc of the Rifleman and tear through its paper-thin rear torso armor.  Once that Heavy is down, go after the enemy Stinger, which has the least armor, and which you should still be able to keep pace with using the superchargers. 

The Dragoons should find good terrain and fort up, maximizing their to-hit chances.  The Super-Mechs are powerful, but are full of explosive critical slots, so pouring fire onto one at a time (take the best shot) has a decent chance of scoring catastrophic criticals.  Keep at least one ‘Mech available to guard the Rifleman’s weak backside.