My FLGS's campaign rules have finally been given to me by the GM.

[TimmyTheNerd]

---The Basics---
1. Entry is 5$.
2. There are two teams, Red vs Blue.
3. Teams will be split so they are even.
4. No matter how many players each team gets, both teams control 8 sectors each.
5. A team is eliminated when the other team controls 12 or more sectors.
6. The winning team then has a huge free for all fight, bringing everything they've built up since the start of the campaign. The winner of the free for all gets the grand prize. From the sounds of it, it'll be a single fight with everyone playing on a huge battlefield.

---Lances---
1. You command a Lance of Mechs and/or Vehicles (No Aerospace or Conventional Fighters).
2. Your Lance cannot contain more than 4 Mechs and/or Vehicles.
3. Your starting Lance cannot weigh more than 200 tons and must have, at least, 1 Light and 1 Medium.
4. A Lance can have 1 to 3 Lights, 1 to 3 Mediums, 0 to 1 Heavy and 0 to 1 Assault. This means you can go 1 of each, 3 Lights and an Assault, 1 Light, 2 Mediums and 1 Heavy and so on. No matter what combination you want to go for, however, your starting lance is required to have 1 Light and 1 Medium.
5. The GM will balance out the lances of all the players. This means he takes BV into account and then adjusts the piloting and gunnery skills of a player's pilots if their BV is lower than the player with the higher BV. So, having a high BV means your pilots are likely to have the standard 4/5, while going lower means you'll have weaker Mechs and/or Vehicles but better Pilots.
6. Mechs and/or Vehicles can be from any era as long as they are from a TRO/Record Sheet. No custom/homebrewed Mechs and/or Vehicles.

---Points---
1. Each game, both players are rewarded points depending on how many kills they got, if they won and so on.
2. Those points can be spent on replacing a Mech or Vehicle, purchasing Mechs and/or Vehicles for a new Lance and improving your pilots. Any new Mechs and/or Vehicles for a new Lance has standard 4/5 Pilots.
3. Having multiple Lances allows you to fight multiple battles during a round, one battle for each Lance you have.
4. Having multiple Lances also means your forces will be larger in the Free For All game if your team wins, since you bring everything you have to that fight.
5. Lights cost 2 points, Mediums cost 3, Heavies cost 4 and Assaults cost 5. This is for both replacing Mechs and/or Vehicles and buying new ones.
6. He has yet to determine points for improving a Pilot's skills.
7. If you improve your Pilot's skills to 0/0, the Pilot retires and is replaced by a fresh 4/5 Pilots. He's thinking of a way to reward players for retiring Pilots.


And that's everything I've gotten, straight from the GM, so far. With that said, I have 4, possibly 5, Starting Lances in mind due to a recent purchase I made at the store I play at.

Lance A: (Only lance without vehicles)
1 Defiance (Variant undecided)
1 Hunchback HBK-7R
1 Hunchback (Variant undecided)
1 Command COM-7B

Lance B:
1 Hunchback HBK-7R
2 LRM Carriers
1 Scorpion (LRM)

Lance C:
1 Hunchback HBK-7R
2 LRM Carriers
1 Commando COM-7B

Lance D:
1 Hunchback HBK-7R
1 Ontos Heavy Tank (Fusion)
2 Scorpion (LRM)s

Lance E: (If I can find the record sheet for the Behemoth)
1 Hunchback HBK-7R
1 Behemoth II
2 Scorpion (LRM)s

[snewsom2997]

Is there a reason for the army of Hunchbacks, especially expensive High Tech RoTS Version, mixed with Periphery Tech Conventional Vehicles, minus the Behamoth and Ontos?

[JadeHellbringer]

Hmmm.

OK, well, a few thoughts on the lances...

A: Defiance is a tough customer, no doubt. The TRO version (I don't have the book handy to look up the designation) is twin PPCs and an LB-10X backed by a few light weapons, and that's as good of a combo as you'll find on a heavy. I dig it. Hunchbacks... the 7R is one I'm not a fan of. The CASE II is nice, but the Ultra 10 isn't really a good weapon as a focal point on a design. Now, the 5S? LB-20X means never having to say you're sorry, I like this one a lot. The 5SS (I think that's the one?) packs a big wad of MML launchers instead of the cannon, that's pretty fun too. Oh, or the 5SG (?), which gives you a sniper that has a Gauss rifle and stealth armor, because your enemy deserves to cry a little. And of course, the Commando is a stalwart little beast- yours jumps, to boot, which is always fun. I like the lance overall, but if you can drop that HBK-7R for a better version you'll be in better shape.

B: Same Hunchie, same problem. LRM carriers are beefy in terms of long-range power, but with only eight points of armor per location a couple of hits wipes them out fast. The enemy's best bet then is to run up at them where their weapons work, and the LRMs don't. A good bodyguard unit is effective here- like, say, a Hunchback, how convenient! But where an opponent might think twice about entering an AC-20s range, an Ultra-10 just doesn't scare most players enough (I know I'd risk it!). The Scorpion's addition to your force is negligible, honestly. Not a fan of this lance- a couple of quick enemy shots and you're down both LRM carriers.

C: Same issues as B, but the Commando is a better choice than the Scorpion. Better, but still not one I'd want to use given other options.

D: Well now! The Ontos is always a pain in the ass to deal with as an opponent. The LRMs give it a little extra muscle at range, but in close those lasers are just... eugh, it hurts. I suggest the 3058 upgrade if you can over the original from 3039- losing one laser to gain pulse to three of the remainder is a good upgrade, and the added SRM beef gives you some crit seeking power to boot. Same bad Hunchie, but here the Scorpions make a little more sense working as long range support while your giant waddles into range. You're vulnerable to motive hits stopping the monster in its tracks, but that might be worth the risk.

E: The guy who sold you that Hunchback must be happy. ;) Same as D, but the Behemoth is a very different force of nature- there's two major variants, both of which you'll find in TRO:3145's Liao PDF. One is a bit conventional, with a Gauss rifle, an ER large laser, a couple of Streak-4s, and a couple of LRM-20s. The other though is an oddball that trades out much of that loadout for a few rocket launcher packs and EIGHT Thunderbolt-5s. It's an odd duck of a tank, but scary as hell- I'd take it over the Ontos, personally, but both have a lot of power in different ways.

Honestly I'd go with A, given a choice, but... really, that HBK-7R is a lemon, find a better Hunchie.

[TimmyTheNerd]

Well, I bought the HBK-7R cause it looked cool, a lot nicer than the Hunchback model from the Introductory Box.

Here's a full list of what I have available:
---Introductory Box Plastic---
~Stuff I like~
2 Banshees
1 Zeus
1 Atlas
1 Grasshopper
1 Battlemaster
2 Commandos
1 Hunchback
1 Dervish

~Stuff I don't like~
1 Madcat
1 Clint
1 Vulcan
1 Jagermech
1 Awesome
1 Trebuchet
1 Whitworth
1 Cyclops
1 Assassin
1 Cicada
1 Jenner
1 Enforcer
1 Vindicator
1 Panther
1 Hermes II
1 Dragon

---IWM Pewter I Have Right Now---
~~Stuff I like~~
1 Defiance
1 Huchback HBK-7R
4 Scorpion Light Tanks
2 Ontos Heavy Tanks
2 LRM Carriers
1 Behemoth II

---IWM Petwer The Shop is Ordering for Me---
1 Hauptmann (Should arrive before the start of the campaign)

[JadeHellbringer]

You have some GREAT stuff in the 'don't like' stack. To each their own, of course, but... you might be the first person I've seen on these forums to not like the Awesome. I'm a big Jenner fan too, despite the oddball looks it's a nasty customer (the 7F in particular).

To each their own though. Something to remember though- this game isn't WYSIWYG. If you have a 7R Hunchback mini and want to use a different Hunchie, do it. I'd be absolutely amazed if you had a GM that got that picky about what miniature gets used.

(Also, Battlemaster! The 4S is about as good of an assault Mech as you'll find, and if you want to be utterly unkillable the 10S just doesn't die no matter how much it gets beat on.)

[snewsom2997]

Well, I bought the HBK-7R cause it looked cool, a lot nicer than the Hunchback model from the Introductory Box.

Here's a full list of what I have available:
---Introductory Box Plastic---
~Stuff I like~
2 Banshees
1 Zeus
1 Atlas
1 Grasshopper
1 Battlemaster
2 Commandos
1 Hunchback
1 Dervish

~Stuff I don't like~
1 Madcat
1 Clint
1 Vulcan
1 Jagermech
1 Awesome
1 Trebuchet
1 Whitworth
1 Cyclops
1 Assassin
1 Cicada
1 Jenner
1 Enforcer
1 Vindicator
1 Panther
1 Hermes II
1 Dragon

---IWM Pewter I Have Right Now---
~~Stuff I like~~
1 Defiance
1 Huchback HBK-7R
4 Scorpion Light Tanks
2 Ontos Heavy Tanks
2 LRM Carriers
1 Behemoth II

---IWM Petwer The Shop is Ordering for Me---
1 Hauptmann (Should arrive before the start of the campaign)

If you use the Hunchback look at the 6S.
Grasshoppers are notoriously hard to kill.
Commandos, make decent spotters for LRMs equipped Mechs and Vee, but you don't have any missile boats on your list, other than derverish and trebuchet, neither I consider missile boats
3050+ tech Zueses are nice.

While the Awesome model is ugly as sin, it is one of the best mechs in the game
I would actually pick a Jenner over a Commando

[TimmyTheNerd]

I don't like MY Awesome. I think the Awesome itself is a decent Mech. However, I'm really into House Steiner. My brother John got his hands on the Awesome, Vulcan, Clint (use to be my favorite due to the 2-3U variant) and Jagermech and painted them up as House Marik's 1st Free Worlds Guards. He did so without my knowledge or permission. I don't want to use them since I feel using an army that's been touched by the hands of another faction might bring bad luck.

As for the others, I've never been successful with any of them.

[Weirdo]

I don't want to use them since I feel using an army that's been touched by the hands of another faction might bring bad luck.

Salvage and theft are at the core of Battletech's procurement system. Using stuff once owned by your enemy is the very spirit of the game. :)

And if that doesn't work: Pine-Sol purges all sins. O0

And if you STILL feel uncomfortable, find yourself a good shaman(not one of those who just has an online certificate) and get them to refresh the mechs' karma. For best results, do this under a full moon, with the minis inside a circle made of thirty-six dice, each showing a six. The chant is "Peace of Hellb-

*USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST*

"I'mma KILL YOU, you freeborn sonofabitch!"

-admin edit

[Tyler Jorgensson]

If you can take the Grasshopper: hard to kill and a nice weapon set. The Atlas and Banshees could be extremely useful to soak up hits and destroy enemy forces.

Steal your Awesome back: it's golden. Triple PPC's of doom and if you can get the record sheet for a 9Q it's quad PPCs of doom. Also don't discount the Panther: it's a cheap fire support with a PPC and jump jets.

JHB makes some good points especially about the tank forces. I can't help much more than that but the way it's set up seems to reward people for kills so of course try and target some weaker mechs to get those points.

[Daryk]

With those tonnage and class limits, I'd go for three WVR-6Ms and one JNR-7F.  As 3025 'mechs, they'll probably be on the low end of the BV scale (giving you good gunnery), and they're notoriously tough.  If you feel the need for long range fire support, swap a Griffin or two in for Wolverines.

[Giovanni Blasini]

Need a lance with 3 UrbanMechs and a Hatchetman.  Imagine what their piloting/gunnery scores would be!

[Daryk]

That would be... hilarious! :D

[TimmyTheNerd]

Lance Idea F:
1 Behemoth II Heavy Tank (The one with Rocket Launchers and Thunderbolts) = 100 Tons
1 Hunchback HBK-6S = 50 Tons
2 Commando COM-7S = 50 Tons (25 Tons Each)
Total Tonnage: 200
Total BV: 4599

[Giovanni Blasini]

That would be... hilarious! :D

At this point, my play style is less "for the win" and more "for the lulz".

[Don Lunardi]

At this point, my play style is less "for the win" and more "for the lulz".

Or could go for 1x Urbanmech and 3x Vindicator, and say with a perfectly straight face you are fielding a completely canon Capellan cohort  >:D

Of course, since OP is Steiner, he would probably be better off with a typical Lyran scout lance:

Commando
Commando
Hunchback
Atlas ;D

[Giovanni Blasini]

Or could go for 1x Urbanmech and 3x Vindicator, and say with a perfectly straight face you are fielding a completely canon Capellan cohort  >:D

Of course, since OP is Steiner, he would probably be better off with a typical Lyran scout lance:

Commando
Commando
Hunchback
Atlas ;

Even better, since he is Lyran, three Hatchetmen and an Urbie. Or two Hatchetmen, an Urbie, and a Zeus 6Y for Blazer Goodness.

[JadeHellbringer]

Lance Idea F:
1 Behemoth II Heavy Tank (The one with Rocket Launchers and Thunderbolts) = 100 Tons
1 Hunchback HBK-6S = 50 Tons
2 Commando COM-7S = 50 Tons (25 Tons Each)
Total Tonnage: 200
Total BV: 4599

I like it. This is good stuff. It invests a lot into the tank, because if that goes down you have three Mechs that are very close-range oriented, so go into the fight with that in mind. But that tank's a beast, at least- it might get immobilized but doesn't die easy at least. You meanwhile have the Commandos that are superb at tank-parking themselves, and the Hunchback that is just never fun to deal with- I suggest keeping it close to the Behemoth so they can cover each others' weaknesses.

My only other suggestion is to go shopping. Consider replacing those Commandos (which are a bit fragile) for a long-range oriented Mech. As a Marik player I've long adored the Trebuchet, but if you can't stomach that consider the Dervish instead- more Davion than Steiner, but not uncommon all across the board really, so you can justify one pretty easily. You get a couple of decent sized LRM racks, some medium lasers and SRMs for close fighting, jump jets, and a decent bit of armor for your investment. It's a jack of all trades, but it really shines as part of a unit. (Plus the mini is one of the better 3039-era sculpts)

One more thing. If you don't mind shopping outside Lyran borders a little, may I suggest talking to House Liao about their best export? Because... well, look up the Regulator. If you can't figure out how to use one of those to cause mayhem, I don't know how to help you.  }:)

[guardiandashi]

I still like the Lyran "recon lance"

Zeus
Awesome
Banshee
Atlas.

[Don Lunardi]

I still like the Lyran "recon lance"

Zeus
Awesome
Banshee
Atlas.

Fully agree that is a far more typical Recon force for the LCAF, though sadly it doesn't fit within the campaign restrictions.  For shame...

Even better, since he is Lyran, three Hatchetmen and an Urbie. Or two Hatchetmen, an Urbie, and a Zeus 6Y for Blazer Goodness.

Damn...I like where this is going... O0

[ANS Kamas P81]

One more thing. If you don't mind shopping outside Lyran borders a little, may I suggest talking to House Liao about their best export? Because... well, look up the Regulator. If you can't figure out how to use one of those to cause mayhem, I don't know how to help you.  }:)

Hm, two stealth Wasps with four Regulator (Arrow) come in at 220 tons...

[Iron Mongoose]

Lots depends on tactics.  There definitely seems to be an armor focus, which is perfectly cool, since they tend to be lower in BV and yet have decent range, so you should be able to offer good ranged fire support.  I'm a bit irregular in being a big LGR Ontos fan, which I like with that strategy, but its a gamble that other players will do lances with enough high BV to give you good skills, but not so high that you can't compete for power.

How do you like to play?  Mobile war?  Wall of steel (the classic Lyran tactic)?  Range?  Close combat?

What sort of maps do you expect?  Tiny maps favor slow mechs, or short ranged ones, while vast open maps favor those damn Regulators Helbie favors (it was literally years before I held the field against Regulators; they're amazing).

Looking at your like list, I like the idea of taking one really solid mech like a Banshee, Atlas, Zeus, or Defiance (I've liked that mech ever since that one GDL novel), back it with the Scorpions and Commandos, count on getting a slick pilot in that one star mech, and try to roll your opponents up one by one. 

If you like the Hunchie, you can try the Grasshopper, which is a similar infighter but a bit faster and tougher (FTC disclosure: I just did the article on that mech, so its on my mind).  Unless you know the maps are going to be small and tight, I worry about using a Hunchback as the linchpin of your strategy. 

Lastly, three Urbies and something fantastic does sound like it could work on a small map with comparatively little need to do anything more than wall of steel.  Could work with the one big mech idea.

[JadeHellbringer]

Hm, two stealth Wasps with four Regulator (Arrow) come in at 220 tons...

Son, you ain't right in the head.

I approve.  O0

(Of course, replacing those Wasps with a single Sha Yu 6B is pretty fun too)

[TimmyTheNerd]

List Idea G:
Commando COM-7B - Tonnage: 25
Defiance DFN-3T - Tonnage: 75
Hunchback HBK-5SG or Hunchback HBK-7X-4 (Someone would have to explain what the Reinforced Internal Structure on the 7X-4 means) - Tonnage: 50
Trebuchet TBT-9K - Tonnage: 50

List Idea H:
Commando COM-7B - Tonnage: 25
Hunchback HBK-5SG or Hunchback HBK-7X-4 - Tonnage: 50
2x LRM Carrier (WoB) - Tonnage: 120 (60 each)

List Idea I:
Hunchback HBK-5SG or Hunchback HBK-7X-4 - Tonnage: 50
2x LRM Carrier (WoB) - Tonnage: 120 (60 each)
Scorpion Light Tank (MRM) - Tonnage: 25

List Idea J:
Behemoth II (Support) - Tonnage: 100
Commando COM-7B - Tonnage: 25
Hunchback HBK-5SG or Hunchback HBK-7X-4 - Tonnage: 50
Scorpion Light Tank (MRM) - Tonnage: 25

Leaning towards the HBK-5SG at the moment because I know at least three other players in the campaign are bringing thinks like Active Probes, C3s and Targeting Computers and I know that ECMs somewhat nullify those. Allows me to use the HBK-5SG to keep my tanks and Mechs somewhat safe. Although I also like the Ultra Auto Cannon on the HBK-7X-4.

SIDENOTE: My FLGS has a huge bin filled with the WizKids MechWarrior hero-clix like stuff. I've mainly been raiding it for infantry, but if there's anything that's close to Battletech scale, or at least decently scaled, that you all might want to suggest then I'll see if the bin has it.

So far, I got myself some Gray Death Scout Armor and Gray Death Battle Armor. In Mechwarrior 4: Mercs, it mentions the Gray Death Legion's loyalty to the Lyran Commonwealth/Lyran Alliance, so i figured it would be a nice purchase. Already have them on the IWM Hex Bases.

[ANS Kamas P81]

Son, you ain't right in the head.

I approve.  O0

(Of course, replacing those Wasps with a single Sha Yu 6B is pretty fun too)

I do try.  And, good point on the Sha Yu, I forgot the weight on those.  Nothing says love like twin snubnose, unless you put caps on.  (I love those things so much, I really shouldn't)

More seriously, a single Sha Yu 6B (or hell, any of them really) with a Regulator lance at all would get nasty and hilarious in a hurry.  Four gauss rifles on 9/14 platforms and a stealthy machine to get in close, drop the stealth and unload snub peepers all day would be interesting.  Beats Hollanders...

[JadeHellbringer]

I do try.  And, good point on the Sha Yu, I forgot the weight on those.  Nothing says love like twin snubnose, unless you put caps on.  (I love those things so much, I really shouldn't)

More seriously, a single Sha Yu 6B (or hell, any of them really) with a Regulator lance at all would get nasty and hilarious in a hurry.  Four gauss rifles on 9/14 platforms and a stealthy machine to get in close, drop the stealth and unload snub peepers all day would be interesting.  Beats Hollanders...

This guy? He gets it.  ^-^

As for the new ideas... honestly, I'd avoid anything that relies on MRM racks for its primary firepower. You're throwing a lot of missiles, so that's cool, but the +1 to-hit number sucks. It's one thing to have that handicap on a heavy laser- I mean, it just means I build heat if I miss, and I can get rid of heat. But on something like that Scorpion, I may not get another chance to fire these things- Scorpions tend to go away very quickly once fired on. I want that shot to count- and while the MRM tends to hit harder than anything the Scorpion's other variants can carry, it's far less likely to hit- especially if you have an average-skill crew. MRMs really pay off if you have a good gunner- if you don't, you're in for a rough (and brief) day. (They also work well if you have average gunners but are firing en masse- if you have half a dozen of those Scorpions, that means you're likely to hit with at least a couple of them)

HBK-7X-4... yeah, don't do it. Ultra-10 lacks punch, torso-mounted cockpit makes things tricky... it's a tough customer for its size, but the drawbacks outweigh the advantages. There's waaaay better Hunchies if you're really insistent on using one (like that 5SG, which is a treat- just watch the heat a little) Note that stealth armor makes you harder to hit, but while it's active your ECM system isn't "active" (it isn't creating the usual ECM bubble, because it's powering the armor instead), so it won't mess with C3 and such. Targeting computers aren't affected by ECM anyway. With stealth armor active, you're adding an extra +1 to-hit at medium range, and an extra +2 at long range- which means your opponent is going to struggle to get shots off. If you're throwing a Gauss back at long range, your numbers look a ton better- just don't go looking to brawl, or the armor becomes useless to you. Note that if you shut the armor off, you won't build the 10 heat per turn it costs when active, and your ECM works as-normal.

One more thing to consider: Your LRM carriers you're considering come with a C3i system on board. That's handy. But nothing else you've listed uses a C3i system. If you decide you want to use these little monsters, give some serious consideration to looking for units that can network in with them. The venerable old Ostscout has a great variant called the 10CS that packs a C3i with a pair of ER medium lasers and improved jump jets- meaning it can jump an awe-inspiring ten hexes a turn (which I believe is the furthest any canon Mech can jump). That means the Ostscout can quickly clear obstacles, get a high movement modifier so it can't be easily hit, and get in amongst the enemy to provide telemetry to the LRM carriers.It takes some practice to get used to, and it's definitely risky, but that's a fun trick to pull. (Plus the Ostscout's reseen version is a pretty great miniature)

[Weirdo]

I actually rather like the MRM Scorpion. Not on its own, but it makes a pretty good cheap escort for heavy tanks such as the Behemoth II everybody's talking up, though in my case I tended to pair them with Arrow Demolishers. People trying to get under the big tank's guns usually find themselves at the perfect range for MRMs, and the Scorpion's fragility is offset by the fact that there's something three to four times bigger drawing everybody's attention.

[Kit deSummersville]

The venerable old Ostscout has a great variant called the 10CS that packs a C3i with a pair of ER medium lasers and improved jump jets- meaning it can jump an awe-inspiring ten hexes a turn (which I believe is the furthest any canon Mech can jump).

Well, the Ostscout IIC out-jumps it but those are tough to find.

[Don Lunardi]

If I was in this tourney, I'd almost be tempted to go with an old school Marik force of a trio of Wolverine-Ms backed by a Jenner/Venom (depending on how old/new school you want to go), and cue the Benny Hill music...

[JadeHellbringer]

If I was in this tourney, I'd almost be tempted to go with an old school Marik force of a trio of Wolverine-Ms backed by a Jenner/Venom (depending on how old/new school you want to go), and cue the Benny Hill music...

Just... like, six Venoms. All jumping around everywhere, each one a different color, dropping pulse laser shots and DFA strikes at will.

You'd never be welcome back at the table, and it would be GLORIOUS while it lasted.  ;D

[TimmyTheNerd]

I'm limited to 4 mechs and/or vehicles, no more no less. 1 Medium, 1 Light required. Total tonnage can't exceed 200. I don't think I'd be allowed to bring six of anything.