300 Spartans: March 22nd, 2014. Games Plus, Mt. Prospect, IL

[Dark_Falcon]

On March 22nd, I'll be running 300 Spartans, a scenario from the The Dragon Roars scenario pack, pitting a Mech company of the Ryuken-Go and a Mech company of 1st Regiment, McCarron's Armored Cavalry against two stars of Clan Smoke Jaguar Omni mechs with Elemental support from the 17th Jaguar Regulars.  The catch?  Similar to Thermopylae, the Jaguars are holding a position in a narrow canyon, limiting the Inner Sphere force's ability to use its numbers.  Can the Ryuken and the MAC break past the warriors of the 17, or will the Jags hold the line long enough for their forces to evacute the planet Garstedt?  Come help decide the outcome, and prepare for glory!

Planned start time is around 11am.  This game needs at least 4 people, but coming in later is not a big problem because half of the scenario's forces for each side are not in play at the start.  I have all needed units save for a Snake for the 1st MAC, but the I've set up a poll to make a notable decision.  The scenario pack allows for one Combine mech per scenario to use the Clan tech refits for the Inner Sphere Omnis first seen in TRO: 3058.  The six Omnimechs used by the Ryoken are the listed options for the poll.  One vote per person, the poll runs for two weeks, and the IS Omnimech that gets the most votes will be in Clantech configuration for the battle.

[Wolf Reaper]

This sounds cool. Planning to be there, and as I said at the game, I have the snake.

[Dark_Falcon]

This sounds cool. Planning to be there, and as I said at the game, I have the snake.

Thank you for that.  It'll be interesting to see how the Snake fares against the Elementals it was billed as being built to fight.

[Wolf Reaper]

Thank you for that.  It'll be interesting to see how the Snake fares against the Elementals it was billed as being built to fight.

Is there a Komodo in the forces? Those two together should be hell for the BA.

[Dark_Falcon]

Is there a Komodo in the forces? Those two together should be hell for the BA.

No, but they have a BJ2-OC Blackjack.  That one's got 2 LB-10X autocannons and two medium lasers.  The Ryuken also have a DMO-1K Daimyo, which mounts an SRM-6 with two tons of ammo (Infernos, anyone  [madflame]) along with two medium lasers and an ER PPC, making it suited to anti-Elemental fighting.

The SLDF force will have its hand full, though, since the two Jaguar Assault mechs are a Warhawk Prime and a Dire Wolf A.  }:)

[lordgoober]

I think we're going to need to have the token Black Knight show up as a surprise reinforcement for the Smoke Jaguars.  NONE SHALL PASS!

[Dark_Falcon]

I think we're going to need to have the token Black Knight show up as a surprise reinforcement for the Smoke Jaguars.  NONE SHALL PASS!

Psi Galaxy is a second line Galaxy so we could do that.  But we'd be better off adding a Spartan, wouldn't we?  ;)

[Dark_Falcon]

On track so far, as I primed the last of the minis yesterday.  Now to the painting of them.

[Lionheart]

As of today, I can be there.  But you know plans and contact with the enemy...

[Errodien]

I think I will be able to join up for this one. Haven't played some good ol' CBT in a while...

[Dark_Falcon]

And with voting closed we've got a tie between the Black Hawk-KU and the Avatar for which one uses Clantech.  That being the case, I'll print out both the stated and Clantech configurations for both and resolve which will be used at the game.

[Fatebringer]

Seyla.

[Dark_Falcon]

The Ryuken-Go company is done.  Ten of the mechs are in their canon scheme, but I kept the Cerberus in the Broadsword Legion scheme I originally painted it in, because of time pressures and I decided to use the Avatar B mini I had in 40th SD colors instead of painting a mini of the Avatar Prime.  I made that second choice both for time reasons and because I thought it better to have the correct configuration than the right paint scheme.

[Fatebringer]

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make this game. :)

[Dark_Falcon]

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make this game. :)

OK, so as of today we have the following people planning to attend:

Wolf Reaper
lordgoober
Lionheart
Errodien
Fatebringer

If anyone else is planning to attend please let me know.  As things stand the listed forces will be enough, but if more people are going to be there I need to know so I can create add-on forces to ensure everyone has enough units.

[Gleep]

I'm planning on being there.

[GreyWolfActual]

OW and I will be there.

[Fatebringer]

Zell may have made it take a while, but it was a fun game :) We'll get those Jag's later!

[GreyWolfActual]

It was great to actually finish a game! Getting the untouched Shadow Cat off the board was awesome enough, but getting two kills with it was even better. Have I mentioned that I love the Shadow Cat A? Thanks Dark_Falcon for setting up a great game.

[Dark_Falcon]

It was great to actually finish a game! Getting the untouched Shadow Cat off the board was awesome enough, but getting two kills with it was even better. Have I mentioned that I love the Shadow Cat A? Thanks Dark_Falcon for setting up a great game.

You're welcome, GWA, and I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone who came out to play.  The problems with the scenario made the game hard to run at times and I thank twice everyone who helped me work my way through it.

In many ways, the game resembled the group's running of the same scenario pack's Baiting the Jaguar back in 2006, in that the Smoke Jaguar's got lucky on a critical early roll that put the Inner Sphere force behind the 8-ball.  This time it was the Jaguar reinforcements arriving on Turn 2, thus forcing the Ryuken-Go into a series of duel they were ill equipped to fight.  Once again, the skills of the Clans at dueling was confirmed.