New merc campaign in the 3145, advices?

[boccione2k]

I'm planning a mercenary campaign set in the 3145 timeline.
Based on the hiring halls of Herotitus, the merc command will be small, basically only the players lance, and maybe some support, I'm thinking something like a powered armor troop with attached transport and some technical and medical personell.
Everything is still to be planned, but I know that I want them to sooner or later (well, later) stumble upon a black box, while inspecting the wreck of a misjumped jumpship ,crashed and overgrown by plants and such. Probably a k1 or k1-a.
Obviously, this find will throw them deep into some conspiracy, but I'm still thinking about what.
As of assigned mechs, I intend to let them roll, with the option of rerolling with positive modifiers, but each reroll will have string attached, in form of complications like being hunted, favours ala jabba the hutt, and such.

Ideas or advices?

[Maelwys]

You might want to look into including Quirks for their 'Mechs. Maybe X number of negative quirks per reroll or something.

[boccione2k]

Quick chargen:
1 attribute at lvl 7, 1 attribute at lvl 6, 1 attribute at lvl 5, 5 attributes at lvl  4. up to 2 points can be moved, but at max 2 attributes at lvl 7 no attributes under 3 and max 2 attributes at lvl 3.
3 skills at lvl 0, 6 skills at lvl 1, 11 skills at lvl 2, 4 skills at lvl 3, no moving around of skills.
3 positive TP, can be acquired up to 2 negative TP to increment the positives.

Total of 5210 xp, and many headaches less.
No Fast or Slow Learner.

[Deadborder]

Personally I'd let players pick 'Mechs, but only if they're willing to pay the XP for the appropriate level of "custom vehicle"

[boccione2k]

First three character sheets done.
I've got a clansman, ex wolf hunter, freeborn. With a trueborn for enemy (bested in a trial of position in a really umiliating way). Good mechwarrior, good all around skills, rolled a Karhu B for his own mech.
Then a Federated Suns expatriate, average mechwarrior but a crack sniper, with skills in accounting, investigation and a good charisma. A bloodmark on his head (maskirovka) and a dark secret (knows how to operate a black box and the principles underlining it). Rolled a Black Hawk (Standard)
The third is a mercenary brat, turned technician and test pilot, win in a high stake gambling a mad cat III prototype, and an anemy for life that want the 'Cat back. Average mechwarrior good tech and medtech abilities. Rolled a Mad Cat III Prototype.

Three characters still to make and the campaign will start.

The players have choosen to be part of a bigger company instead of being the company, so they are a bunch of new recruits for the Nova Lancers as substitutes for a destroyed lance (taking a page from Deadborder's Magyari Irregulars).

ToE (very provisional)
Alpha, Command Lance.
Tamerlaine "Double Tap" Nova (company CO), Black Knight Custom; Klaus "Smooth" Lawrence, Cronus CNS-5Mr; Odessa "Bacon" Krueger, Dervish DV-6Mr; Klein "Biscuit" Krueger, Scorpion SCP-12S.
Beta, Reinforced Line Lance.
Players crewed.
Gamma, Scout Lance.
Jesse "lightweight" Lou, Dasher II 2; Grant Deveraux, Talon TLN-5W; Melissa "Ballet" Wizburg, Blade BLDXR mod (Standard armor instead of reactive); Masai Kyrgaard, Anubis ABS-3T.
Delta, Battle Armor Platoon.
Gray Death Infiltrator Suits, 2 Cardinal Transport VTOL attached.
Epsilon, reinforced Vehicle Lance.
4 Galleon Light Tank GAL-104, 2 Hawk Moth II Gunship (MML)
Zeta, Aerospace Lance.
2 LX-2 Lancer
Theta, Heavy Infantry Platoon (Garrison duty)
Iota, Anti Infantry Platoon (Base defence duty)
Lambda, Motorized Scout Platoon (sniffing around)
Omega, Support Group. (Mash unit, transports, techs, clerks and cooks) Various vehicles

Transportation, Fortress class Dropship, Celestial Fountain. An aging Clan Invasion era refit version. Capable of transporting the full compnay, with space to spare for extra cargo.