Author Topic: Across a Field, Misery 3028  (Read 2615 times)

nckestrel

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Across a Field, Misery 3028
« on: 20 August 2018, 09:22:16 »
We had a game this weekend in Cary, NC (Gamer's Armory).  The real purpose was just to get everybody together that had been asking "anybody in the Triangle playing BattleTech", but I threw together a quick game.
(Note: Spoilers for the track Across a Field, from Turning Point Misery follow).

I modified Across a Field a bit. It starts with one-on-one duels, followed by the big battle.  As we would have several players, not just two, I ran several duels simultaneously rather than one at a time. We had five players, three on Kurita and two on Wolf's Dragoons, so we started with three duels.  I told each side I'd give a two turn warning for when the Kurita reinforcements would arrive and for when the WD explosives would go off (Kurita didn't know about the explosives).

I had the Dragoons pick one 'mech to make a challenge, and Kurita then offered one 'mech (within 15 tons) to accept it.  Then the Dragoons picked another, Kurita accepted and then the third and final pairing.

Maps
The play area was 2x2. Two maps were effectively flat and featureless, I ruled the only terrain (Woods) on the map didn't exist. Misery is a frozen ball and this battle was on an icy plain.  The other two maps were the standard BattleTech map, again with no woods and the water frozen over at level 0.  That did leave some hills (important later) and a bit of rough. Each side had one of each map, with them placed in opposite corners (each flat touched two BT maps, each BT map touched two flat maps).  I did have the two BT maps in opposite facings (hills on one side were near home edge and away from home edge on the other side). Not intentional, just how I happened to lay them down.

Initial Forces
Wolf's Dragoons
Goliath GOL-1HWD, Elite, Melee Master, Cluster Hitter
Shogun SHG-2E, Elite
Warhammer WHM-6R, Elite
Ostsol OTL-4D, Veteran
Griffin GRF-1N, Elite
Centurion CN9-A, Elite

Ryuken-Ni
Highlander HGN-733C2, Elite, Sandblaster (Missile)
Thunderbolt TDR-5S, Elite
Crusader CRD-3R, Veteran
Catapult CPLT-C1, Veteran
Wolverine WVR-6K, Veteran
Assassin ASN-21, Veteran

Sword of Light (Reinforcements)
Archer ARC-2K, Elite
Grand Dragon DRG-1G, Elite
Grand Dragon DRG-1G, Elite
Warhammer WHM-6K, Elite
Jenner JR7-D, Veteran
Jenner JR7-D, Veteran

The Duels
Wolf's Dragoons Griffin GRF-1N versus Kurita Crusader CRD-3R.
     The Kurita players had to leave after an hour.  As these 'mechs started on opposite diagonal ends of the map, I think they barely shot at each other before we decided to end the duel with no winner when the one player left, rather than continuing it after.

Wolf's Dragoons Goliath GOL-1HWD versus Kurita Highlander HGN-733C2.
GOL-1HWD was only 3/5, and carried three LRM-15s, two SRM-6s and a couple medium lasers.  It's pilot had Melee Master and Cluster Hitter Special Pilot Abilities.
HGN-733C was only 3/5 (no jump jets) and carried an AC/10, LRM-20, two SRM-6s and three medium lasers. It's pilot had Sandblaster (Missile).
     The Goliath was ruined by initiative. It hurt the WD Centurion as well, but was devastating for the Goliath.  The WD won as the two advanced on each other, and then as they closed to short range, WD lost initiative three turns in a row. It spent several turns where it had no attack, where the Highlander not just got to attack but got to melee, and the Goliath couldn't even mule kick back. The Highlander sandblasted away.
     The Highlander still had more than half its armor remaining when the Goliath fell.

Wolf's Dragoons Centurion CN9-A versus Kurita Wolverine WVR-6K.
     The Wolverine took an early TAC that hit the gyro, first round of fire.  I think there were out of range the first turn, so that second turn the Wolverine took a gyro hit. I admittedly stopped paying as much attention, thinking that it was just a matter of time till the Centurion tore that Wolverine up.  But elite skills help overcoming an early gyro hit. When the Goliath fell, I gave the two turn warning. The next round the Centurion's armor was low and an ammo explosion rip it to shreds.

Both sides spent one turn moving forces around in anticipation of the battle beginning the next turn. Wolf Dragoon's pondered doing a "cheap shot", but I said they could only do one 'mech "free", not their entire force, and they opted not to start anything yet.

Kurita won two duels, and got 4 Victory Points for them.

The Battle
The first turn, the Sword of Light reinforcements arrived and raced as far forward as they could. The Wolf's Dragoon Ostsol moved up one flank to take on the former duelist Wolverine to try and finish it off.  The WD Warhammer, Shogun and Griffin faced off against the Kurita Highlander, Crusader and Catapult.

At the End Phase of first turn of battle, the Wolf's Dragoons explosives went off.  They rolled a 6, and so the 5,6 and 7 hexes from the Kurita home edge were destroyed, taking the Kuritan Archer and Warhammer (that both moved 6) with them. The Grand Dragons had just made it pass, and the Jenners were well clear.  There was only one route through the three hex wide swath, one of the hills was in the path, and gave a 1-2 hex wide path out.  (This had been planned if it lined up that way, otherwise only jump jets could get them across). The Kuritans were then informed their victory conditions had changed.  They would now get 1 Victory Point for each 'mech they got back off their own home edge.  Wolf's Dragoons would get 2 Victory Points for each Kuritan 'mech they destroyed.

The Jenners, Grand Dragons and Assassin immediately started withdrawing. There was not much the Dragoons could do to stop them. That would give the Kuritans 9 Victory Points, and five 'mechs left in the battle against the Dragoons. They kept their Catapult further back where it could easily withdraw if necessary to secure the victory, but where it could provide excellent LRM fire for the battle.  The Dragoons would have to destroy those five Kuritan 'mechs without any of them getting away to win.

The Ostsol and Wolverine spent several turns going back and forth before the Wolverine finally lost it's last center torso internal.  Generally a success for Kurita, since it tied up the Ostsol for the rest of the battle, it was too late by the time the Wolverine finally fell.

The WD Warhammer took only a couple turns of fire before taking a through armor crit that exploded the machine gun ammo in the center torso.  Meanwhile multiple crits to the Kuritan Highlanders' left torso succeeding in destroying most everything except the ammo.

With the Shogun beginning to be hit hard, the Ostsol being in rough shape, and only the Griffin in good condition, Wolf's Dragoons conceeded they couldn't defeat the Kuritans, much less keep all of them from escaping.

Honor and Victory for the Coordinator!

Notes: There are several things I wish I could go back and "fix". Initiative for the duels should have been done by cards (this specific 'mech moves now, then that specific 'mech).  Instead each turn was effectively initiative loser moves all duelists, then initiative winner moves all.  Combined with the multiple turns of the same side winning initiative in row...   
And I think the duel/challenge matchup needs to be adjusted. I had Kurita pick their response to each challenge, but that was too much of an advantage. Wolf's Dragoons gave up tonnage in every duel. The did get a skill advantage in one of them (Centurion versus Wolverine), but the rest were all even at Elite. I made the two side too even, and then let Kurita manipulate the dueling system in picking sides.
The players were all great, and most importantly were busy making plans for future events.  So it was a success in its most important goal :).
 





Alpha Strike Introduction resources
Left of Center blog - Nashira Campaign for A Game of Armored Combat, TP 3039 Vega Supplemental Record Sheets

 

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