Hello and welcome to Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech, wherein I experiment and report on playing with my house rules and you shall thus witness the heretical dismemberment of your beloved rules-system as it is clubbed into what I constitute shape!
(Compared to some rules, BT gets away lightly, compared to the 1000+ page hybridisation of D&D 3.5/Pathfinder 1...)
Note that even if you don't care about the rules, there are many, many,
many pictures of BattleMech models to look at. (You could make an arguement about where this thread shuld ngo, but as it uses houserules, Fan rules is more appropriate I feel than AARs or miniatures.)
Edit 18/11/2022
IndexI am going to add some indexing in for ease of finding the newer bits without having to do a lot of scrolling.
Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech 2: This post
Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech 3Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech 4Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech 5Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech 6Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech 7 (New 2024!)
For sake of arguement, I have added a
Drive link to the (latest version) house rules. (Slightly polished with the REST of today; after doing MG Issue 2 and MG Sci-Fi I thought I ought to make a token effort if I'm showing this to other people! It is still basically bare-bones MG without the subtleties rules plus BT rules slightly modified and/or there for my own reference so i don't have to keep searching through 3-5 books to find a rule, see also master equipment table...! Warning: it's docx format, download recommended, since googledocs apparently screws pagination on a test.)
You shall witness, then, the horrors of BattleTech being welded to Manouvre Group (ostensibly a WW2-to-moderns tactics simulator, though even when I play that on its own, it is cudgelled into being scifi...) and the exploration of what works and what does not as I meddle and muddle along.
There will, at least, be pictures. As it means dealing with my painting, I cannot say in honestly they will be "pretty" pictures (double-especially given my photo-taking skills and resources), but after thirty years even my mates have to admit I have improved beyond "dipping," so they will at least not be terrible pictures.
I started this project a good while back in 2018, when HBS BT first came out (started a thread on the PDX forums under the same title, actually), but we only got a couple of games in before it became difficult for my mate to make it down the wargames club. And when we could play, it often had to be prep for the games I put on at convnetions (which is Work, since it showcases my own 144th or starship 3D printed ranges (Aotrs Shipyards). It lay fallow, then until this year, when lockdown screwed everything up anyway, and I finally sat down to play HBS BT again now that all the expansions were out (and then after a career run let's play with magical paladins (don't ask...) moved to the BTA 3062 mod. And started spending pennies like water, since BT in one form or another, is about the only thing keeping intact my tenuous grip on sanity.)
For these games, my lance selection is largely determined by size limits, that it must be an evening's game (so 2-3 hours) and the selection of mechs is currently one on "what have I not used since this began" list. (This helps with keeping track of what mechs I've got out and played with, so nothing gets left out and also because prior to 2018, we had played a 1" to 30m, so I know as I print new sheets out what's up to date and not.)
I have managed one game thus far, in the conservatory (on a smaller board than we would usually, but it works okay for BT), in August and the report on that follows.
Heresies In Use:(Current list.)
Using up to advanced/experimental/level 3 rules. (Hard-copy rules used are BMR and Maximum tech when not at home, since I refuse to print out Total War et al for taking down the club, it's far too much ink and I don't like faffing about with tablets and I don't have A Phone suitable. I have also now created my own house-rule document and a master equipment table (since looking through four-five books to try and find the rules for something was starting to get annoying, and yes, that was including the BMM...)
BMR-level Targeting Computer and Rapid-fire rules (e.g. pulse lasers gain the benefit, Ultra ACs and RACs et all all hit the same place if specific location is called).
Mandatory Salvo fire. (Under consideration for revision.) (I..e everything fies on one attack roll, if it misses, everything misses.)
Attack and piloting rolls on D20 (with some modifiers (e.g Stealh Armour) scaled up) - as per Manouvre Group (which starts at the same base 4 to-hit). PSR modifier for damage is +1/20 points as BMR. (This compensates somewhat for the mandatory salvo fire.)
No map-grid, scale of 2" to 1 hex (1" = 15m).
Dead Ground: Dead ground (i.e. the area of a piece of terrain, e.g. hill (which is convex) or a building etc blocks line of sight and fire) is measured from the base of the terrain at a rate of 8” (120m) per level of BT elevation. (This is a straight adaption to scale from MG, which has contours which are half the size of the BT elevation.)
Manouvre Group Round Sequence
(I would like to have out this in a spoiler box for readability, but I cannot find the right BBCode tags for this forum (since "spoiler" which works elsewhere just blacks it out). So sorry about that; horizonal rules will have to do.)
Manouvre Group uses a system whereby each bound, each unit gains one activation, which consists of two phases, during which it can take two actions. Actions alternate between players and are not simultaneous. Initiative is determined by the play with the least number of unactivated units to activate a unit or force the opposing player to activate a unit, until the number of units remaining is even. (Representing a short chain of command.) If at the start of the bound there are an equal number of unit, initative is diced for, with the winner determining whether to go or force the opponent to go.
Movement is not an action, instead, it requires an action to change speed, and the unit continues at that speed (on each action, so it effectively moves twice) until it changes speed again (or is forced to make an emergancy stop). BattleTech and Manouvre Group have largely compatilbe movement modes (and so the MG marker (you will see it in the photos below) can be used, both a an activation marker and as ain indicator of current speed by its orientation to the front of the unit. BT standing = MG Halt, Walk = slow, Run = Fast, reverse = Reverse, and Sprint analogous to Transit (which in MG is instead "as fast as you like, but frack help you if anyone sees you). Jump is a special case - it requires 1 action to jump and automatically ends the mech at Stop speed. If a unit jumps on its first action of an activation, it does not need to use a second action to jump again (allowing a unit to be able to jump and fire).
Only the distance the unit moved during its last phase counts for the purposes of target modifiers. (So if you run, than walk, you only get the walk modifier.) The attacker modifier for own movement counts for whichever movement mode the unit was in the phase when it fired. (Post this coming game, TMM will be now tracked with evade chevron markers for ease.)
The unit may also make one or more reactions (most commonly to an enemy entering sight or when attacked). Each reaction allows the unit to take one of a more limited number of actions (typically shoot or evade); if the unit is moving, it mandatorily must move at that speed. (In AotrsTech rules, it must mandatorily move at least 1" (15m) or up to its current movement mode speed. In MG the resitriction is harsher, since their equivilent of run has a minimum speed.) Each reaction imposes a marker which inflicts a -1 penalty to attack, piloting and communication rolls (to a maximum of three); these remain until removed (by a succesful +0 piloting check, taking one action).
(In MG, exceeding three is the equivilent of increasing your piloting skill by +2 each time; the equivilent stat in MG, Leadership, is a combination of fear, fire and fatigue. It starts around 4-7 and typically a unit becomes combat ineffective at about 15-17, though vehicles are often destroyed long before they get that point.)
A unit can only react to a unit it can see; visibility is (default) 180º in the forward arc of BT (the same as MG sci-fi and vastly better than the real world modern armour). A unit can look in another direction (typically with a commander's independant sight, but a BattleMech could in theory do it as well), but it can only see 180º at once.
A platoon/lance/star/level II commander or a company commander can use one of his actions to handshake to a member of his lance. (If he is stationary or has an appropriate commander's station/console, he may use his second action to handshake to a second unit.) This requries a succesful piloting check as a communications roll, using the highest (i.e. worst) of the two unit's values. (MG uses Leadership). If successful, the unit recieves an activation (which is in addition to its own, which would be taken before or after when called for in the bound) and goes immediately (as part of the commander's action). A unit can only be handshaken to once per bound from any commander (but a company commancer could handshake the lance commander, who could handshake that unit for a third activation).
In addition, a lance (et al)/company commander can as an action issue a global order (which cannot be an attack, and is typically a change speed action). All members unit his command mandatarily must perform this action immediately, even if it means Bad Things happen.
Heat: Heat is accumulated during a unit's activation and during any reactions. Only the highest heat-generating movement mode used since the unit started its last activation counts. Heat is adjuicated at the end of the unit's activation only, and these effect persist until the end of the unit's next activation. (Ammo explosions and pilot damage effects are still rolled on D6; shutdown avoidance is rolled on D20 and as poer Maximum Tech, a modifier of (Pilot skill -6) is applied.)
Spotting and Sensors: An enemy entering sight provokes an immediate reaction from the spotting unit, before the attack is able to fire. However, a unit with an Active Probe in range can use an action to establish a sensor lock (automatically, requiring just the action and no dice roll) on an enemy unit. That unit overrides this reaction and allows the attack to fire first. (This may be conisdered as if the sensor lock is like clicking the target key in a simulator, and the highlighted target meaning that the attacker knows exactly where the defender is and can fire before the defenders spots him.) If the locking unit is part of a C3 network, all members of the group gain this bonus. If both mechs lock each otyher, default conditions are restored. (This function is in addition to the Active Probe's normal features.)
Attempting to spot a unit requires an action and a dice roll. A unit that is in the open, has moved since the start of the game and is not currently hull-down, turret-down or in-position is an auotmatic spot.
A mech may go into position in suitable cover (trees of the side of a building), which is not an automatic spot (and thus does not provoke a reaction until it fires). (This also applies to vehicles rolling to hull-down positions.) A unit in position gains a +1 modifer to target number, and attacks which would strike the protected side (if they come from the front 180º arc) instead strike the cover. Mechs with targeting computers can to instead take the penalty as if targeting a specific location (i.e. +3 for targeting computers, +6 with EI or +2 with targeting computers and EI), but hits on the protected sides are not ignored. A Mech in such a position cannot fire any weapons on the protected side (and if it must do so, the automatically strike the building) and further, its front and unprotected fire arcs have dead ground from the corner of the building to 45º from the Mech’s front.
Gear:A given weapon can be fired only once until the start of a unit's next activation.
All 1-point cluster weapons changed to 2-point clusters (e.g, LB-X AC/SB Guass rifle).
Rapid-fire weapons may take additional shots if they have not reached their maximum rate of fire since the start of the last activation. However, the jam number counts the number of shots made since the start of the unit's next action. (So a unit with an RAC/2 might fire two shots on its own action and make two reactions of a single shot; the jam number for the last shot would be treated as if it had fired four shots.) In addition, rapid-fire weapons only use the cluster table is they fire more than 2 shots (at once).
AC 2, 5 and 10 (including LB-X, Ultra, Light and Rotary) have had their damage pumped up ala HBS BT to 5, 8 and 11 respectively. (Lacking the ability to make 12 damage not a head-capping by adding 1/10 a hit point, I went down by one from their AC 5/10.)
Ultra ACs: As the base jam number is 1 on D20 (5%) and not (approx 2.8%), Ultra ACs can be unjammed, using the same rules as other weapons (one weapon per action, one attempt per weapon per activation, and a gunnery skill check at a +3 modifier).
Arrow IV and TAG: A target struck by a TAG continues to be painted until the target moves out of LoS or range of the TAG unit, the TAG unit is destroyed or the start of the TAG unit’s next activation. Homing missiles can be fired at a target directly or indirectly as per nomral rules, directly or indirectly at a target that is currently painted by a TAG (unmodified 4+ to hit) or can be fired to loiter as standard Tac Ops rules (when the missile arrives on-table, the attack gains an additional activation for the missie which must be used to attack a painted target with 240m (16") of the designated arrival point before the end of the bound, or the missile is wasted).
MASC: Takes one command point to activate; the failure check (rolled on 2D6 as normal) is made on subsequent activations, increasing by +2 as normal. MASC can be deactivated at the start of its activation as a free action before the check is made, but it cannot then engage it again until the start of its next activation.
MG Arrays: Do not use cluster table. In rapid fire mode, they roll for heat and damage for the first MG and the subsequent MGs deal their normal damage and generate heat equal to that damage. Thus an MGA 4 with 4 HMG would deal D6+1+3+3+3 (D6+10) damage and likewise generate D6+10 heat.
Quirks pending, since I would at current, have to write them on the sheet manually. I use HMP predomiantly for record sheets (since it has currently the best options for print outs); at the present time, neither of the other, more modern options like MML or Solaris Skunkworks are a 100% upgrade (for one, neither of them prints out quirks on the sheet either), though I will use them for mechs that really can't kludge HMP for - as HMP's custom weapons allowed me to implement, for example, the AC changes.
Bleakbane Ruins BattleTech TwoSo, here we have the report from the most recent engagement. This was done from the photos and little summary notes that I did at the time in August, but wasn't written up until today, so it is to the best of my memory (the sequences may not be 100% right!)
Sometimes in 3067, during the FedCom Civil War, two pairs of lances - one likely Davion and the other potentially Steiner - skirmished.
Link to larger image(All the hex buildings - still not 100% painted at the time, I was still working out whether I would have to put more on them - stack, with the third nested hex containing four of the little buildings.)
The probably-Davion force consisted of a Cyclops CP-11-C (the overall commander), a Firestarter FS9-OB-2, and two Sniper SNP-1s.
(The Sniper is a homebrew (models from the Iron Crown plastic set that were around a while back - quite a lot of homebrew mechs of mine come that sotck!), which is a 3/5 50-ton medium with two gauss rifles and a c3 unit, to do exactly what it says on the tin).
Link to larger imageThe second lance consisted of two Two Wasp WSP-3Ms, a Templar TLR1-O (the lance commander) and a Caesar CES-3R-2 (the sole Named Pilot, Julia Vanderon).
Link to larger imageBV2: 10140 (via HMP)
The possibly-Steiners consisted of two lances; on the left, the overall commander in his Axman AXM-2N and three Crusader CRD-4Ds.
Link to larger imageThe second lance, on the right, trio of 3025 era mechs a Blackjack BJ-2, an Enforcer ENF-4D (played by the part of an Enforce III) and a Hunchback HBK-4G, and the lance commander in a Bushwacker BSW-X1.
Link to larger imageBV2: 9869
On the right, the Enforcer and Blackjack moved into the quarry, intending to jump out and attack Juila.
Link to larger imageOn the left flank, the Crusaders began moving forwards. Crusader 2 make the misake of going past where the Sniper could see it, and took a couple of gauss hits.
The Cyclops handshook to the Firestarter, so it could jump in close and fire.
Crusader 3 (because I had completely failed to properly look at the spotting for indirect fire rules, and was running it 3/4 off Manouvre Group), attempted to spot the Firestarter for indirect fire and failed, failing to hit it with its weapons to boot.
Link to larger imageCrusader 3 changed speed to run forwards, and spotted the Firestarter. (The was we were incorrectly doing it was that it required basically a to-hit roll to spot, but that lasted until the spotting mech moved out of LoS (or vise-versa) of the target. Looked it up afterwards and went "whoops.") The other two Crusaders and the Axman began to barrage it with LRMs - six or seven salvoes were shot at it over the next couple of bounds (only one missing).
On the right flank, the first Wasp jumped right into the rear of the Enforcer and fired. The Blackjack jump behind that and fired. The second Wasp jumped behind the Blackjack and fired and then the Enforcer jumped behind the second Wasp (and missed).
Julia's Caesar...
(...
ahahahaha,
do you get it? Literally why she is the only Named Pilot! That joke is still funny after two decades!)
Julia's Caesar did an end run around to join the fray.
Their lance comander in the Bushwhacker handshook to both Blackjack and Enforcer. The Blackjack this time blew off Wasp 1's arm and left torso. The Enforcer jumped to take a shot at Julia's rear, but did only minimal damage.
Handshaken by the Templar, Julia shot the Blackjack, striking it and setting off an ammunition explosion - and without CASE, it went up in smoke.
Link to larger imageOn the other flank, the Hunchback charged to point-blank range on the Sniper, knocking it flat with the damage. The pilot was injured but emphatically did not pass out (douvle-six on the consciousness check...)
Link to larger imageThe Cyclops chained a handshake through the Templar to Wasp 2 and Julia's Caesar. The Wasp jumped again, behind the Enforcer and fired once more. It narrowly missed a CT kill on the now battered rear armour, but got a single critical on the RT. Twelve. There were three critical slot to apply - and only two slot in that location, and one of those was ammo.
Boom.
Link to larger imageJulia, meanwhile, continued to run forwards and got a shot at the Bushwacker. She hit it in the rear. That would have been bad enough, but it was two IS hits, which meant two criticals. Which resulted in two and one slots respectively - and all three landed on the engine.
Link to larger imageThe Steiner-probables were not having, at all, a good day.
The Hunchback was now Offically In Trouble. The Sniper staggered to its feet, and the other one fired too. Wasp 1 did a double-jump but missed with its last SRM salvo. (Though the commanders, having handshaked, they couldn't shoot it, either.)
Link to larger imageThe Firestarter, sandblasted and into CT IS but no criticals at all, finally just jumped out of the way of the Crusaders. Crusaders 1 and 3 were instead able to move into a much better position.
Link to larger imageThe undamaged Sniper fired, and the Hunchback died horribly.
Link to larger imageThe last ditch-effort of the maybe-Steiners was for Crusader 1 and 3 to blast away at the exposed rear armour of the enemy's overall commander.
Link to larger imageThey both missed.
At this point, now down to 50% of their forces, the could-be-Steiners hastily retreated.
So.
I did not, as they say, do well. Now, I did give my mate (who plays very little BT only this was either just before or only just after he started playing HBS Bt too) a bit of a leg-up with the extra BV and the c3, which I thought was fair, since i am, y'know the more experienced one.
However, I really bogged up from the start, putting the Crusaders on entirely the wrong side of the table - funnily enough, Bleakbane, it works better to put the jump-capable mechs IN the BUA. I also should not have made the Axman the lance commander. He didn't do much except shoot a few LRMs; one of the Crusaders would have been a better option, and the Axman would have been able to mix it up. You may, of course, blame this very much on Adam Steiner, since that decision was sort of hard-wired.
Losing the Blackjack and Enforcer was not great (especially as they were unable to kill even one Wasp!) Losing the Bushwacker was just plain terrible luck. (My mate, unusually for him, had a good day on the dice.)
Still - we got a definite conclusion in a two-ish hour evening's game with eight mechs, which is pretty much what I was trying to aim for, so that's all to the good.
It was during this game that the idea for stealing HBS's evade chevrons to mark the target movement modifier occurred to me, and it was but the work of a few minutes on the CAD package to prepare some for next time.
Next installment, well. I am playing hopefully again tomorrow (one reason that pushed me to squeeze this out!), though we'll see if I can actually get likewise enough to do a report and after that, since lockdown is back, unless i play solo games (maybe...?) frack knows when I can try it again.
