Author Topic: Planning Chaos Campaign  (Read 6368 times)

Matti

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Planning Chaos Campaign
« on: 20 February 2012, 14:16:10 »
I've been thinking about simple Chaos Campaign. My Chaos Campaign resources are Starterbook: Sword and Dragon, Historical Turning Points: Galtor, and Era Report: 3052.

Year is 3025 and Lyran Commonwealth does raid against Draconis Combine. Lyran player has company of 'Mechs and his objective is supply depot. Defending player defends it with 'Mech company. I want keep it simple & short so whole campaign can be played through in one weekend. I'm thinking about three scenarios would be sufficient. Players can pick their 'Mechs with heavy restrictions: Combine force needs at least 4 light 'Mechs, bugs and Panthers aren't limited but other light 'Mechs (I'll come up with lists later) are restricted to 3 total. Lyran force must have 2 light 'Mechs minimum but no more than 5, bugs and Commandos aren't limited but other light 'Mechs are restricted to 2 total. And so on and so forth... I'll convert C-Bill costs to Support Points (C-Bills / 10,000) and give players equal amount of SP to buy their 'Mechs. MechWarriors are veterans all around, but I need yet decide whether it is 3/4 for every 'Mech or skills by RAT in Total Warfare.

What about tracks? Opening track is Recon from Starterbook: Sword and Dragon. But I have a problem with it: objectives are given only for attacker (Lyrans). What the frak is Drac player supposed to do to get some WP? Maybe prevent Lyrans from scanning their 'Mechs, which can be simply done by getting out of the map: 75 WP for Drac player and no more than 25 WP for Lyran player for (maybe) completing Excape! objective. No different in Era Report: 3052. Not good at all! This track needs some rework... Any ideas? Any better tracks in other books for opening match?

In other tracks I'd like to have major battle, like Defend or Assault in Starterbook. Aw heck, it should be meeting engagement and winning side decides last and final track. Should Lyrans win this middle track, last track is assault against the supply depot. Supply Run in Starterbook would be fitting, except its WP cost is way too low (compared to other tracks), and defender is left again without objectives. If Dracs win middle track, last track will be Fighting Withdrawal. Again other player will be without objectives.

My house rules (so far):
I could give Combine player permission for 14 'Mechs, but he can use extra 2 'Mechs only as replacements for those 'Mechs that qualify either as destroyed or crippled. Replaced 'Mech will be out of the campaign for good. Force Size Modifier is still 3.

'Mechs can be repaired and rearmed between tracks. I could limit repairs to armor and internals only, except for totalled locations. Maybe no internal repairs for locations with 3/4 damage or more...

'Mechs are assigned to lances and whole lance must take part to track as whole. Excuse can be permitted if 'Mech in lance is being repaired. Players can determine how many lances they use in given track, and damn restrictions of track.

'Mechs that are repaired can't take part to next track. This could totally frak up rule above.

First track is limited to one lance only. All 'Mechs in lance must have walking speed 5 or greater OR Jump 4 or greater. Is anyone having funny ideas about CGR-1A1 and VTR-9B in recon? :D
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truegrit

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #1 on: 20 February 2012, 14:38:54 »
What about tracks? Opening track is Recon from Starterbook: Sword and Dragon. But I have a problem with it: objectives are given only for attacker (Lyrans). What the frak is Drac player supposed to do to get some WP?

Most of the Chaos Campaign stuff is geared towards leading only one side through the tracks. For example, with Sword and Dragon, your players are either the Davions OR Dracs, and the opposition is played as NPCs, without the same bookkeeping and tracking. Although I bet you could come up with some decent objectives for the opposition if you want to play both sides as continuous campaigns. You could probably even mirror the objectives in some cases.

War of Reaving actually has a modified framework for creating two-sided Chaos Campaign-ish tracks with objectives for both sides.

Matti

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #2 on: 20 February 2012, 15:05:06 »
Although I bet you could come up with some decent objectives for the opposition if you want to play both sides as continuous campaigns. You could probably even mirror the objectives in some cases.
Any ideas for that? Maybe same objectives for both in Recon, and WP for Escape! objective to that player who gets out of first with more 'Mechs?

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War of Reaving actually has a modified framework for creating two-sided Chaos Campaign-ish tracks with objectives for both sides.
Should I buy it then? I have enough unread books already.
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truegrit

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #3 on: 20 February 2012, 15:34:53 »
Let's see…in general, XX% opposing force destruction is usually a good customizable generic objective for a force. For something like Recon, you can flip the Attacker's objective into a defender's objective, like "2. Hold the line! Prevent half of the Attacker's force from exiting…" Or if you want to reward more/less WP for the Defender, you can say "Prevent 75%…" or "Prevent 25%…".

Or if you want to go for more distinct objectives, you could create goals like "Shoot first, Questions Later: Cripple, but do not, destroy 25% of the opposing force."

I would peek into this thread: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,13529.0.html for some more ideas, too.

For your second question, I would say, it's not a necessity. Just treat the books you have as a guide, as long as you can be fair-minded in developing both sides.

sfsct

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #4 on: 20 February 2012, 22:26:28 »
Im playing a WW1 campaign online right now with some friends, but instead of worrying about how to do the tactical battles and play at lower levels.  Different game, but the overall concept would work fine. We, the distance PBEM players, plan and run the overall campaign data (as Regt/ Bn commanders) and the local guys get together and play out our moves tactically( Company and below).  The division of labor will replicate much more than just the different tactics between people, but the personality, comms and logistics issues that would really exist instead of one person crunching the numbers, planning the big picture and driving his own mech. 
  So, my suggestion would be to find a web opponent to design his parallel campaign as the other side against yours, designing the force and objectives.  He can then feed them to you based on whats going on battle by battle.  Then you would have an impartial side.  I think their would be interest.  Its very very easy to do as long as you give good feedback (ie. Battle reports w/ pics).  Just a thought.  Please keep posting whatever you do end up doing.  I am very interested in how this plays out.  Thanks.

Matti

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #5 on: 21 February 2012, 13:56:56 »
How about this for RECON track:
1. Both player forces have same objectives as printed in the books.
2. Winning player is the one who completes objectives first.
3. Losing player has to announce his force first for the next track.

It could be possible to prevent other player from achieving first objective. Aside getting out of the map (GM shouldn't permit it before 1st objective is completed by either player), one player could keep one of his units out of other player's scanning distance. Bloody well possible if he has something faster than other player... assuming the fast one doesn't get crippled first. I know: powergaming, but what else can be done about it? But if both players complete objectives in different turns, should WP denied from loser? But what if both players achieve both objectives in same turns? Initiative aside, I'm drawing blank here...

What can be done with other generic tracks?
You know what they say, don't you? About how us MechWarriors are the modern knights errant, how warfare has become civilized now that we have to abide by conventions and rules of war. Don't believe it.

Sir Chaos

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #6 on: 24 February 2012, 11:53:03 »
'Mechs can be repaired and rearmed between tracks. I could limit repairs to armor and internals only, except for totalled locations. Maybe no internal repairs for locations with 3/4 damage or more...

'Mechs are assigned to lances and whole lance must take part to track as whole. Excuse can be permitted if 'Mech in lance is being repaired. Players can determine how many lances they use in given track, and damn restrictions of track.

'Mechs that are repaired can't take part to next track. This could totally frak up rule above.

How about mechs can repair certain things - say replace armor and ammunition - between tracks, but anything beyond that means they need to skip a track, or go into battle without those repairs?

Or you figure out repair times as per StratOps, and allow a certain number of minutes of repair time between tracks?
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Jerhiko

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #7 on: 28 March 2020, 18:41:09 »
I really hope this thread doesn’t die. I’m very interested in more thoughts.

Paul

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #8 on: 22 May 2020, 08:31:14 »
It ended 8 years ago: it was dead.

What would you like thoughts on?
The solution is just ignore Paul.

nckestrel

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #9 on: 22 May 2020, 09:44:30 »
Since this thread was last discussed, several "two-player" Chaos Campaign books have come out.  Chaos Campaign: Succession Wars is a free download.  Turning Points 3039 Vega, Fronc Reaches, Tokasha, Orbisinia, Epsilon Eridani..
Campaign Operations does not specifically reference two-player (vs. GM and player), but has rules for building your chaos campaign that would work for building a two-player campaign. 
Alpha Strike Introduction resources
Left of Center blog - Nashira Campaign for A Game of Armored Combat, TP 3039 Vega Supplemental Record Sheets

Colt Ward

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #10 on: 22 May 2020, 12:11:45 »
Particularly the Map campaign options, map campaigns IMO beg for PvP.
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Sartris

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #11 on: 23 May 2020, 12:05:46 »
In some of the earlier campaigns like sword and dragon, the generic tracks were for one player vs a generated opfor. You alternate which player is the PC. The Touch point scenarios are the ones designed to be pvp and have objectives for each side

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waycoolsuperdude

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Re: Planning Chaos Campaign
« Reply #12 on: 12 August 2020, 14:29:37 »
Mini necro bump.  The good folks at Death From Above Wargaming have a great campaign system that is based on the Chaos Campaign system.  They have it for both CBT and Alpha Strike.  They also have an expanded list of scenarios which are fantastic and provide a variety of objectives and different styles of strategy.
Check it out here: http://dfawargaming.com/downloads.html