Unit max: 2 (applies to all forces; one carried infantry does not count against this total)
Convoy units: Each player will be given two wheeled cargo vehicles to escort. They are limited to on-road only, and have a maximum speed of 4.
Hey Joel,
Thank you for the game yesterday. I am showing the following salvage from table 2.
Standard Tech Longbow - Lost left torso - XL engine destruction
Standard Tech Enforcer III - critical hit to head - lost cockpit
Standard Tech Guillotine - Head shot off
Musketeer - Immobile - Crew abandoned
Musketeer - Immobile - Crew abandoned
Alacorn - Immobile - Crew abandoned
Standard Tech Valkyrie - Lost right torso - XL engine destruction
Standard Tech Locust - Lost left torso - XL engine destruction
HOLY LOSTECH BATMAN!
I think that is more salvage than any 2 previous games combined, from BOTH tables.... 5 Mechs ?!?!?!?!
I probably would have required the trucks had to move at their best rate too so no one could park them in the middle of the table while they finished of the opfor.
Scenario: The Last Stand
Location: Game Depot, June 3 @ 1pm
Scenario Basics:
BV limit: 2500 (only applies for forces not submitted at least 48 hours before the game)
Unit max: 3 (applies to all forces; one carried infantry does not count against this total)
Victory Condition (300 SP): Hold the field at the end of the game. This is defined as having more BV and units on the board at the end.
Salvage: Yes. (Note salvage changes in the campaign rules.)
Intel: Thanks to your previous successes, the enemy has been under continuous bombardment. Expect a stand-up fight against near-parity force that has suffered some battle damage with only field expedient repairs.
Force Composition: See the campaign rules: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OwgNoldoGaAGuujXkLKuiRNB88Vc6j2SWOeKnsTuCE/edit?usp=sharing
Force Composition, Short Version: Create a mercenary force according to the rules (or ask the GM for one). Pick two units from that force to bring to the battle. (If you submit these to the GM by Thursday there is no BV limit. After that, max 2500 BV.)
Terrain: The battle will be played on a 4'x6' table (2" hexes) with small hills, light forestation, and a road crossing the map. Setup will be along the short edges. We'll have at least two tables, and will split players evenly between the tables so that we don't have more than four players per table.
Mech | Vehicle | Infantry | Repair Time |
Destroyed | Destroyed | 75% | 3 games |
Gyro destroyed, location destroyed, 5+ critical hits | Immobilized, crashed (VTOL) | 50% | 2 games |
1-4 critical hits | Major motive | 25% | 1 games |
Mech Vehicle Infantry Repair Time Destroyed Destroyed 75% 3 games Gyro destroyed, location destroyed, 5+ critical hits Immobilized, crashed (VTOL) 50% 2 games 1-4 critical hits Major motive 25% 1 games
I still have to figure out how to treat crew injuries to vehicle crews (thinking 2 games for Commander Hit and Driver Hit, 3 games for Crew Killed, and ignoring Crew Stunned).
Welcome! I run a game about once a month at Game Depot in Tempe. Additionally, Ian, another Catalyst Demo Agent, runs occasional games at Games University in Gilbert. Finally, if you're up for a bit of a drive, there's a group that plays nearly weekly in Tucson.
My next games at Game Depot are July 1 (Alpha Strike) and July 15 (Battletech Campaign). If you're worried about being new to the game, for the campaign I'd have you spend your first game or two helping me run the opfor -- that's a good way to learn the rules without having the pressure of keeping up with everyone from day one.
Battletech Campaign
Scenario: The Next Job
Location: Game Depot, July 15 @ 1pm
Executive Summary:
Having succeeded in your previous mission and completed refitting (save a few units that still need spare parts), you have been hired by House Steiner (specifically, Algernon Lamar Moon-Holger) to retake Cavanaugh II from the Free Worlds League. You have been admonished to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties, so your initial drop will be well away from the capital of Caerleon.
Scenario Basics:
BV limit: 2500 (only applies for forces not submitted at least 48 hours before the game)
Unit max: 2 (applies to all forces; carried infantry does not count against this total, but the infantry must be drop-capable or carried inside a drop-capable unit)
Unit limitation: Must be drop-capable (Mechs, Protomechs, BattleArmor, WiGE vehicles)
Victory Condition (300 SP): Hold the field at the end of the game. This is defined as having more BV and units on the board at the end.
Salvage: Only if victorious. (Note salvage changes in the campaign rules.)
Next Mission (Success): Attack air defenses, or engage defenders in a stand-up fight
Next Mission (Failure): Breakthrough
Intel: Your transport was able to jump in-system using a pirate point, allowing you to achieve strategic surprise. If you can defeat the quick reaction force you should be free to maneuver.
Force Composition: See the campaign rules: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OwgNoldoGaAGuujXkLKuiRNB88Vc6j2SWOeKnsTuCE/edit?usp=sharing
Force Composition, Short Version: Create a mercenary force according to the rules (or ask the GM for one). Pick two units from that force to bring to the battle. (If you submit these to the GM by Thursday there is no BV limit. After that, max 2500 BV.)
Terrain: The battle will be played on a 4'x6' table (2" hexes) with small hills, light forestation, and a road crossing the map. Setup will be along the short edges, with both sides moving on at the start. If turnout is high we will split players evenly between two tables.
Campaign Rules Changes: See the changes on repair times.
Unit max: 2 (applies to all forces; carried infantry does not count against this total)
Victory Condition (300 SP): Hold the field at the end of the game. This is defined as having more BV and units in the airfield area at the end of the game. Bonus 100 SP if none of the alternate victory conditions were accomplished.
Alternate Victory Conditions (100 SP per, max 400 SP): (Only if the field is not held.) Destroy the control tower, fueling station, repair bay, and at least three hangars.
Salvage: Only if field held. (Note salvage changes in the campaign rules.)
Intel: From the number of enemies on your threat display, you're outnumbered and maybe outgunned; additionally, if they were able to scramble aerospace fighters you might be vulnerable to air attack. With excellent tactics you may be able to hold the field, but the safe plan is to destroy the facilities and get out.
Terrain: The battle will be played on a 4'x6' table (2" hexes) with minimal forestation and an airfield complex in the middle. Setup will be along the player's choice of edge, with the GM defenders placing half their units before the edge choice. If turnout is high we will split players evenly between two tables.
For Table West it was GM:Joel47 v/s 2 Players. (? v 4 Mechs?)
No idea what the GM had but the players had a new Wolfhound customized, a Jump-9 Griffin?, a Catapult of some type, & a 4th mech that I didn't catch.
I don't know the specifics of each round, because I was on the east table but I got the impressions that the GM forces took out 2 mechs while 2 more retreated off the board to preserve themselves, but not before the players destroyed 2 of the Airfield objectives.
The Griffin looked at its two successful objectives, the state of the remainder (100+ structure on the weaker), and proceeded to exit via suborbital leap. The defenders were left with one crippled Hunter (immobile, but had only been hit once in the rear to do that, so they stayed on the board) and a badly-damaged (but not crippled) Hermes.
Given that the players' plan seemed from the outset to be building destruction, I'm surprised they entered the long way. It did improve the odds of the faster units avoiding the MAD & WLV, but the CPLT could have dropped a building every round if adjacent.
For the east table it is worth noting that I only won initative once abd had a significant lack of hole punchers to work with, Hunchback notwithstnding.I forgot to mention the initiative, I think you only won it during turn 3, so about the opposite rate of Joel's table.
I also discovered that I truly hate not having any influence in how many points I got so I'll pass on the GM duties from now on.
I need automation that posts my games in all the places at once...
Lessons learned: I can't make people play faster, but I can set a minimum damage/minimum rounds before escape on all escape/breakthrough missions.
Campaign Game
Scenario: Fighting Withdrawal
Location: Game Depot, January 6 @ 1pm
Executive Summary:
The enemy's raid was not a great success, but it did enough damage to your airbase's defenses to make it untenable. Your dropships have had to pull back out of range of the enemy's artillery, but loaded as they were your more mobile combat units will have to make their own way out.
Scenario Basics:
BV limit: 2500 (only applies for forces not submitted at least 48 hours before the game)
Unit max: 2 (applies to all forces; carried infantry does not count against this total)
Victory Condition (500 SP): Get at least half of all your table's player forces off the far side of the map. If time runs out, escape probability for units still on the board will be judged by the other team's GM. If more than six rounds have been completed, any units that were ruled to have escaped late will be unavailable for the next battle to simulate extra damage.
Salvage: None. (Fallen allied units may be recoverable with a future mission.)
Next Mission: Raid (recovering lost units), Deep Strike (attack artillery), Stand-up fight (stall enemy advance)
Intel: If you move fast enough, you'll be able to punch through the blocking force before the attackers pursuing you can catch up and crush you. Bringing units that can travel 36 hexes in 6 rounds is highly recommended; carried infantry is probably a poor choice, unless you intend to drop them off as a sacrificial blocking force.
Force Composition: See the campaign rules: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OwgNoldoGaAGuujXkLKuiRNB88Vc6j2SWOeKnsTuCE/edit?usp=sharing
Force Composition, Short Version: Create a mercenary force according to the rules (or ask the GM for one). Pick two units from that force to bring to the battle. (If you submit these to the GM by Thursday there is no BV limit. After that, max 2500 BV.)
Terrain: The battle will be played on a 4'x6' table (2" hexes) with minimal forestation. The players will move on to one short edge, and attempt to escape off the other. If turnout is high we will split players evenly between two tables.
Campaign Update: Airfield Defense (Dec 9)
Joel's Table: (Alex, Robert, Jason J, plus GM Dennis)
Enemy got <40% past = 180 SP
Salvage:
Black Hawk KU E (50% = 900) [Jason J; 2 games]
Perseus P1 B (25% = 563) [Alex; 3 games]
Mongoose MON-66 (50% = 250) [Robert; 2 games]
Dennis's Table: (James, Jared, John D)
Enemy got <70% past = 90 SP
Salvage: None
1713 Total SP in Salvage / 6 Players = 285 SP Each.
Alex, Robert, Jason J, plus GM Dennis get 465 SP each.
James, Jared, John D get 375 SP each
Repairs: My notes are missing player damage. Please email me either a summary of your damage, or use the campaign rules to determine the number of games your units will spend in the repair bay and send that.
Cons:
- Disparate player skill can be a problem. ("Oh, crap, I have to play Hellraiser again!")
I think he's just talking about moving the time back to Noon, which is what it was for many years, so only 1 hour, if that matters.
- Longer game days may face opposition at home
I am just thankful to be playing with a consistent group. If nothing changed, I would not have any issues.
• My only request would be I to get more turns in when we play. If there is anything we can do to increase the amount of turns I am open to hearing it. An earlier start time would get us at least 1 and maybe 2 more rounds.
• Lastly, I agree Joel, we have had people who have complained to make the campaign actually feel like a campaign. Honestly, I only knew one player that was never happy, but was just his personality. The biggest challenge I see in running a true mercenary unit in a campaign is the accounting. Joel, I know you have mentioned this before. I would be more than willing to take this on if needed. Last time I looked the complainers were not playing anymore. <PROBLEM SOLVED>
I myself would be a fan of "League" style play for a couple reasons.
1. It allows for faster games since its 1v1 play.
2. I've heard players over the years say they don't come because they don't like the 4v4 massed battles with all the cross talk & slow movement.
The reasoning for trying to get in two (smaller, faster) battles is to avoid one of the issues from the last campaign -- building a force to a target BV. When you're playing another person's force, getting exactly 5k BV (or whatever) is much harder in a campaign when you can't tweak pilot skills and unit choices. You'd have to design your entire company around "three forces for different situations at 5k BV," but then what happens when a pilot or crew improves? So if every person plays both their own force and a GM-generated OpFor, the players can improve their force organically rather than be bound by sterile accounting.
I agree, but it was overwhelmingly voted down when I was floating ideas for the current campaign. I'll ask again next week at the game, as we've had significant turnover and maybe thoughts have changed with the active players.
And yes, by longer I mean starting maybe an hour earlier (and actually starting then). We pushed it back to 1pm because I wanted to be the parent taking my daughter to her violin lesson (and my wife also wanted me to be that parent). I'll work that out, and see if we can start the next game (not next week's, the one after) earlier.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking -- "Next week will be missions A and B; bring forces for both." If people are on board (all but two of the current regulars will be there today, so we can talk about it), I think that's the way to go. Lots of details to consider, though:
- Salvage -- players wouldn't be salvaging from each other, so is it removed entirely?
- Beginners -- I guess they'd have to play me, but I wanted to keep myself open for weeks when we have an odd number of players.
- Player Workload -- not everyone wants to do math before a game. They'd ask me to do it (and I don't always want to do math for other people before a game).
- Uneven growth -- Have to deal with experienced players having an issue getting their point totals down if they play new players.
Salvage is kind of "swingy" -- dependent partially on dice luck for what you get. So even if it's just pay, it might cause some odd results.
Math -- I know, pre-made, but a lot of players don't even want to do that.
Uneven growth -- As pilots are improved, it becomes harder to make smaller forces. Still, the more experienced players will be the ones with the most difficulty, so it should work out. It's just an area of concern as I try to make something that works for everyone. Especially since I still want to keep unit counts somewhere sane (6v6 is a little tight on two maps, plus some players might have trouble reaching a conclusion after 4 hours).
Maybe have different force construction rules for each scenario and possibly different for defense vs offense on occasion.
That would be a good idea.
South table destroyed the dig site -- that's why they were ahead by one despite having only about half their force left (no destroyed defenders).Ah, ok, I get it now, 15 points but lost 8 in damage, makes sense.
Game is called on time, leaving the Green Ghosts up by a point; however, had the game continued any longer they'd have been down by about 8.
Salvaging 3 Leader Mech = 142 Per Player/Guest GM