Author Topic: Campaign Help  (Read 2195 times)

Kilderkin

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Campaign Help
« on: 16 December 2017, 10:14:08 »
Hey Mechwarriors,

I'm planning a player vs player campaign using most of the rules from campaign operations. I'm hoping someone can help me with some gaps. I'm trying to avoid a player vs gm setup and just have two players with a company of mechs each fighting over a campaign map.

For a company vs company size map campaign what is a good amount of locations for lances to fight over? Cities, supply depots etc.

When it comes to contracts I figure one player is is always given a garrison duty contract so that it makes sense they are on the planet.

How many days do you make a turn so that you can get through monthly payments and repair mechs? What strikes a good balance of progression and not contstantly being able to repair everything.

And finally, is the simplified cbill repair rules in cam ops a good middle ground between the full strat ops rules and the war chest system?

Thanks,

Kilderkin


idea weenie

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Re: Campaign Help
« Reply #1 on: 16 December 2017, 18:28:26 »
A few battle ideas are:

King of the Hill:
Something has been found, and both sides want it.  The GM selects a hex on the map, writes it down, and keeps it handy.  Any Mech with a Beagle scanner that gets within 5 hexes, or a regular mech that gets within 2 hexes, can spot the MacGuffin.  There is an additional company of vehicles assigned to both sides to carry away the loot/Star League equipment.
Tactics for both sides:
- Light Mechs with scanners rapidly going across the map to find the MacGuffin
- Initial fights as Light Mechs try to damage the other Mech's Beagle Scanner
- One person spots the hex and diverts their trucks to it
- other person sends everything at that hex
- surprise, it was a fake out
- other force spots the real location on their retreat
- initial trapping force now has to fight through the other side
Lots of fun


Capture and hold:
Have one player as defense and put in charge of improving the planet for their liege lord.  The other player represents the faction that has heard of the upgrades, and wants to drop in for a raid (to steal some supplies), a smash (to destroy the defender's military assets), or even a conquest (the defender gets kicked off the planet).

The defender gets several non-mobile forces (artillery, infantry, a few APCs), and only a Lance or two of Mechs.  They also have a large storehouse of material that they are supposed to protect (it is their rations, water, and spare parts while deployed here).  The attacker is highly mobile and has cargo trucks waiting for the all-clear to grab the loot.


Tower defense:
Defender has several nearly immobile Assault Mechs that had tech teams working on them scattered around the map, plus an artillery unit nearby.  Attacker has mostly medium to heavies, and a road they can run down to get past the Assault Mechs and take out the artillery.  Assault Mechs move at 1/2, and any jumping Assault Mechs have a Jump of 1.


Fire vs Water
Defender has a number of Firestarters armed with Fluid guns, but equipped with water.  Attacker is only a Lance of Firestarters, but armed with Flamers.  Defender starts on one end of a map next to a lake (the lake is along a side of the map, rather than at the defender's end), attacker starts on the other side of the forest.  Attacker's goal is to get the several of the forest hexes on the defneder's side set on fire and kept that way for 3 turns.

The Purist

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Re: Campaign Help
« Reply #2 on: 23 December 2017, 11:00:18 »
...When it comes to contracts I figure one player is is always given a garrison duty contract so that it makes sense they are on the planet....

Rather than have two Merc forces face each other from the beginning you may want to consider having the two forces begin separated geographically and slowly evolve the campaign until they meet in the final phases of the story. In the meantime as one force begins fighting to win battles, bonuses, salvage, etc., the other guy plays 'enemy force' with the objective of denying those bonuses. This way you can avoid the temptation of two forces trying to avoid loses while obtaining objectives (not uncommon).

You may want to develop a basic point system so that player score points whether they command their own force or play the spoiler as enemy force. This will help incentivize the players to do their best when not commanding their own company. Perhaps you could set a goal where a certain amount of VPs can be cashed in to add some perks to their own force (explained as a random reinforcement or similar event).
 
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