Pirate Hunt - a 3048 mini-campaign

[gwaedin]

Here is my last effort. After concluding the Battle of Morges (https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,77879.0.html), we decided to go for a mini-campaign set in 3048.
It features a company of 11th Arcturan Guards hunting a group of pirates (Morrison's Extractors), driven off the Rim Collection by the arrival of the Able Aces and now plundering neighbouring worlds across the Lyran border.
As usual, I included building sheets to easily track damage on the heavily built area of the city map.
Any comment or suggestion is appreciated.
I will update the file with an AAR of our playing and then with the following scenarios as we proceed. Enjoy:
Pirate Hunt

EDIT1: There you go. I made some minor changes to the first scenario, in particular to avoid any possible confusion about the attacker/defender roles (since in the first one the Arcturan attackers play the defender role in trying to save the city).
I also threw in an AAR and a draft of the second scenario, with the assault on the pirate base. Let's see what happens next.

EDIT2: Second scenario completed, with AAR included. The third is already set, and it comes as usual with a handy building table. Next obvious step will be the relevant AAR, and I expect a fourth (final scenario) to come for the conclusion.

EDIT3: Added AAR of the third scenario and the fourth one. The PDF size is no more compatible with the limits for attachments (900KB), therefore I had to put an external link to download the file.

EDIT4: Now we have all six scenarios done. The only thing missing at the moment I'm writing is the AAR for the final one, and the aftermath of the whole mini-campaign. I should add it in a couple of days, as soon as the dust of the last battle settles. I hope you enjoyed it!

EDIT5: An almost perfect draw (final score: +6/-6) practically forced me to add another scenario. This has to be the last one, I promise!

EDIT6: Added the 7th scenario, which closes the series.

[Daryk]

Grazie mille!  :thumbsup:

[Red Pins]

Tagged

[gwaedin]

There you go. I made some minor changes to the first scenario, in particular to avoid any possible confusion about the attacker/defender roles (since in the first one the Arcturan attackers play the defender role in trying to save the city).
I also threw in an AAR and a draft of the second scenario, with the assault on the pirate base. Let's see what happens next.

[gwaedin]

I realized people won't get any notification if I don't add another post. But the new file is in the first post now.  ;)

[Daryk]

Thanks for the update!  :thumbsup:

[gwaedin]

Updated with the AAR for the third scenario, and a fourth one

[Daryk]

Nice!  A DropShip scenario!  :thumbsup:

[gwaedin]

Didn't end too well for my Dropship.
A new one is ready to go, this time with a Monorail and (very limited) Air Support.

[Daryk]

Weirdo will tell you it NEVER goes well for the DropShip in those scenarios... I haven't seen it myself, but I totally believe him!

[gwaedin]

Yeah, especially if the units they are supposed to carry off take AGES to get out of the woods. Yes, Urbanmech, shame on you - although one could argue that a 'Mech called like that is not meant to cross thick woods  ???
We're halfway through the next scenario, where my units this time did a good job so far. However, I can already hear the Lucifer's turbines coming and as I climb the mountain my 'Mechs have to stay close. Very juicy target for strafing or bombing.
Oh, by the way, I fixed some attacker/defender confusion in the document. Now that tag is more consistent with the actual situation of each scenario, with the inititiative continuously switching betweem the Morrison Extractors and the Arcturan Guards.

[Daryk]

Thanks for the fixes, and yeah... VERY juicy target for bombing!  >:D

[CrossfirePilot]

Cool, I am trying to use Battletech to help my son with some issues.  These will go far.

[gwaedin]

Cool, I am trying to use Battletech to help my son with some issues.  These will go far.

Playing AS or similar games is excellent for maths and tactical thinking; he can already read a map better than my wife  ;D
I'm also surprised that it is far easier for my son to accept defeat when we play with our 'Mechs than with any other boardgame we play with the family. It is so good for him to play together, that he recognizes we have fun no matter how it ends. Yes, he can be a little upset when the dice are not friendly, but that's reasonable (I know more than a few adult wargamers who do far worse).
Also, English not being our native language, it is also very instructive for him as he likes to read the technical redouts, browse Sarna and the MUL and even if he Google-translates the pages he is still absorbing a lot of the language.

[gwaedin]

And there you are, with what we expect is the final scenario of the mini-campaign ready to be played (tomorrow).
Today we completed the previous one, with my son gaining a marginal victory; it's been two in a row now, after the first three scenarios in which my pirates did an excellent job. Now we're ready for the final fight; Lorenzo chose a terrain which he thinks will give him a decent advantage but I am determined to fight tooth and nail. Stay tuned to find out how it's going to end!

[Daryk]

Good luck to both of you!  :thumbsup:

[gwaedin]

And yet, the unexpected: an almost perfect draw in what was supposed to be the last scenario  :o
I had to do another one, can't leave this unresolved. But they way it is setup, this SHOULD be the last one.

[Daryk]

I guess you both DID have luck then!  8)

[gwaedin]

Indeed. In the first part, I got lucky hitting the Jenners, in particular with the Longbow's physical attacks.
Then karma turned back, and the 85-tons 'Mech suffered 3 critical hits way before its armor was gone...

[Daryk]

Ouch!  Yep, that would do it...  8)

[gwaedin]

And there goes the last one. Yesterday we played the 7th scenario of what was initially supposed to be a 3 episode mini-campaign.
Lorenzo didn't get his tempo right during the chase, taking too much damage at the beginning and letting me gain too much terrain in the middle. I simply had to manage the last part of the exit run and I nearly killed a few of his 'Mechs with no big risk on my side, although in the end my leading machine had been nearly crippled. It was an exciting series, we had a lot of fun with the scenarios, and I hope that whoever stumbles upon them does as well. I would love to hear if anybody has tried playing it and I'm very open to any feedback.
Now I think we will take a break from Alpha Strike, but in the future we will probably do some loose scenarios which I will add to my Small scenarios (https://bg.battletech.com/forums/general-discussion/small-scenarios/msg1613588/#msg1613588) collection.

[Daryk]

That sounds like an appropriately narrow escape!  :thumbsup:

[Known Glitch]

Thanks for sharing this, it looks like a lot of fun!  I especially like that you use the hex maps for AS.   :thumbsup:

[gwaedin]

I started working on another series of small scenarios:
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-scenarios-and-campaigns/elder-and-children-first-a-3052-mini-campaign/

[DOC_Agren]

interesting