Any successful non-Mechwarrior focused campaigns?

[Iracundus]

Just curious but how many out there have successfully run any AToW (or previous RPG editions) campaigns where all the PCs were NOT Mechwarriors (or possibly even conventional military at all)?  I mean things like campaigns revolving more around traders, political intrigue, intelligence/covert ops, organized crime or other non-Mechwarrior focused aspects of the universe.  Yes, I know this is Battletech but the House Handbooks seem to have all sorts of non-Mechwarrior RPG ideas and was just curious how many people have actually tried them.  I suppose a secondary form would be where there are Mechwarriors but the focus is not on them and their Mechs (like focusing on the background stuff happening in a Solaris stable). 

[Daryk]

Two board crashes ago, I played in a long running game here where I played a shuttle pilot.  The plot revolved around a mercenary unit going to ground during a planetary invasion (the opening shot was a gas attack on a city), and I don't recall any of the PCs being Mechwarriors.

One board crash ago, I ran a game here where only two out of the six PCs were Mechwarriors.  That story was about a ComStar garrison leaving the Free Worlds League during the schism in 3053.  I'm working with some of the former players to try to beat it into some readable fan fiction.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The Battletech setting is actually brilliant for a Cloak n Dagger campaign where the PCs play spies.

[The_Caveman]

What about campaigns where only one or two of the players are 'Mech jocks?

I really want to try to get my group to try a BattleTech-based campaign, but I know some of my players aren't going to have any interest in piloting a 'Mech (yeah, I don't know what's wrong with them either).

Anybody have suggestions on how I can keep things running smoothly for the group as a whole, when only one or two people might be going into battle?

[Tai Dai Cultist]

What about campaigns where only one or two of the players are 'Mech jocks?

I really want to try to get my group to try a BattleTech-based campaign, but I know some of my players aren't going to have any interest in piloting a 'Mech (yeah, I don't know what's wrong with them either).

Anybody have suggestions on how I can keep things running smoothly for the group as a whole, when only one or two people might be going into battle?

I'm sure others will give some advice, but my belief is that it can't be reasonably done.  Either everyone or noone is a mechjock.

[Daryk]

It depends entirely on what the group overall is doing.  When pulling the ComStar garrison in my game off planet, the two mechjocks were constantly being shuttled around on patrol (one had flipped off the tower at the spaceport after breaking the speed limit, so the duty officer relieved him) while the others were retrieving other unit members and investigating what was going on (the unit CO had died suddenly under questionable circumstances).  Of course, that was a play by post game, so it was by definition easier to manage multiple plot threads "simultaneously".

[freakacid]

read my thread on Solaris... it has been working quite well so far...

only one of the players is able to pilot a mech... but he has no aim to do so. Another npc player might be introduced and arena duells might be a background for their stories... but so far its about weapons dealings, struggle with triads on solaris and so on...

[Archangel]

There are plenty of opportunities for non-'Mechwarrior adventures.  My group has occasionally taken Shadowrun adventures and simply changed the settings and NPC characters to the BT universe.  A few additional adjustments as appropriate, such as replace magic/net and mystical beasts with more appropriate opposition, and you have a perfectly workable BT adventure with no 'Mech combat.  Turn a Shadowrun industrial espionage/sabotage adventure where your team attempts to break into a corporate facility into a BT industrial espionage/sabotage adventure where your team is trying to steal tech/specs from an enemy, delay production, etc.  Replace the assigned Lone Star corporate security goons (including mages, drones, etc) with corporate security infantry detailed in TRO3085 or even a group of elementals with some in their armor and some outside.

[mitchberthelson]

Just curious but how many out there have successfully run any AToW (or previous RPG editions) campaigns where all the PCs were NOT Mechwarriors (or possibly even conventional military at all)?  I mean things like campaigns revolving more around traders, political intrigue, intelligence/covert ops, organized crime or other non-Mechwarrior focused aspects of the universe.  Yes, I know this is Battletech but the House Handbooks seem to have all sorts of non-Mechwarrior RPG ideas and was just curious how many people have actually tried them.  I suppose a secondary form would be where there are Mechwarriors but the focus is not on them and their Mechs (like focusing on the background stuff happening in a Solaris stable).

It can work great. I've run covert ops games (Loki, DEST, and a DEST spinoff focused on Yakuza and Nekekami clan politics), aerospace pilot games (Kurita, Davion), a game of entirely non-Mech mercenaries (tankers, infantry, etc.), one game where the players were Clan Elementals, and two focused on a combination of crime and espionage on Solaris.

Someone mentioned converting Shadowrun stories earlier. If you want to run Shadowrun in the BT universe, just set the games on Solaris. That makes it VERY easy. The climate even resembles Seattle, possibly intentionally. :)

[kato]

I once did a little mission (table, not remote - single evening session) based around a trio of guys helping a only-locally-known celebrity couple elope all the way off the planet. Some vehicle chases with lots of piloting checks, an almost close combat scene with a crazed fan, haggling with a windy shuttle pilot that sells 'em out. And all the while they're trying to drag along a Valkyrie with no ammo that they had "bought" from some fence just before. Which led to a small battle at BT scale between said Valkyrie escorting two vehicles - driven by the other two players - and a pack of three VTOLs harassing them.
That scene could have worked perfectly fine without that mech too, and in fact that part was modded on a whim after one player really got into his "disposessed mech jockey with a chance at getting back in the saddle" character (the original plan for that scene involved a vehicle with a laser turret for the escort in virtually identical play).

[Iracundus]

I've been toying with the idea of a Capellan noble intrigue/triad focus with maybe some Maskirovka involvement based on Ovan.  Being an interior system and of no huge strategic or industrial importance, it seems to have weathered the changes in era post 2nd SW without too much disruption.  Place seems perfect for adventures like Shadowrun, Blade Runner, or a Hong Kong action movie with frequent raining and long nights. 

The first 17 seconds of this clip from the 2012 Total Recall film seems perfect for Ovan right down to the Chinese and Russian street signs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aPPXB7gqYU

Or the concept art:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/environment-concept-f5230e5f-ab4a-47aa-a170-4ec19e973d1e

[Daryk]

I think you may have linked the wrong video... I'm seeing a snowy MWO battle.  ???

 The concept art, on the other hand, is awesome!  O0

[Iracundus]

Oops, link corrected now in original post.

The wrong link was about Potato Warrior Online (aka what happens when there are no physical attacks and everyone is disarmed):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjAUIcm-w0M

[Taber_Evans]

With zero mechwarriors no.  with the whole crew having other non-mech skills and doing multiple story lines outside of mech combat yes.  It's Fun.