Author Topic: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins  (Read 2810 times)

sadlerbw

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I’ll let Scotty get to the gory details, but I want to say a few things after the AS campaign at Origins. First, as the unofficial team captain, I take responsibility for the Davion loss all...three...phases on New Avalon. It is with great shame that I presided over our retreat. However, I would like to say that we did accomplish our unofficial goal of destroying every single Dragoon mech available at least once. We preserved some strength for Prince Julian to use as he sees fit, and extracted a heavy toll in men and materiel from the Dragoon’s. We may have lost the field, but they paid for it in blood!

Also, the more technical thoughts:
- Gunsmiths can be effectively dealt with by artillery cannons
- Gunsmiths can NOT be effectively dealt with by units that’s are not in short range without really good skills.
- 3 skill or lower pilots are evil, and must die
- the sniper SPA is very powerful, maybe more than Range Master
- infantry in buildings...ask if you can drop the building on them. It’s probably easier.
- repair rules are less exciting when you can repair everything.
- indirect fire is still hard at long range... but with all the recent changes it is probably balanced given the ability to hide from almost everyone
- C3 is worth it
- clan tech is still frightening
- there is NO substitute for good dice luck...but not making dumb positioning mistakes helps.

I had a fantastic time, and look forward to playing the events at GenCon! Thanks again to everyone who made the Origins event possible!

Kidd

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #1 on: 16 June 2018, 23:14:55 »
Hahaha nice, hope you all had fun nonetheless.

Shades of the Fourth Succession War it seems, only the tables appear to have been turned :D

Alexander Knight

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #2 on: 17 June 2018, 12:36:18 »
Dude, the Davions have been suffering for the 4th SW since 3039 in-game and since the 20 year update IRL.  This is just kicking an abused puppy at this point.

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #3 on: 17 June 2018, 13:01:51 »
...
- infantry in buildings...ask if you can drop the building on them. It’s probably easier.
...

Did the Origins event incorporate the new errata?  I'm asking because the nerf to Buildings' structure points makes bringing them down almost an automatic outcome anyway if you're trying to root out the infantry using them as cover...

sadlerbw

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #4 on: 17 June 2018, 13:21:07 »
Oh, this puppy did kick back...hard. We just didn’t get the official objectives. Each side had a unit that they nominated as their commander. You didn’t have to bring them each phase, but there were bonuses if you did. The first time the Dragoon commander showed up on the field in a shiny, new Atlas III we blew him out of it, I believe on turn two. He lived, and so for the last phase he showed back up in a Templar they had salvaged, and we blew him out of that on turn one. The Dragoon’s didn’t manage to drop our commanders mech till the last of the three missions. Of course, there are less-than-heroic reasons that contributed to his safety, but I’m just going to gloss over those.

Honestly, we were doing well tactically, but they had better strategies. I could moan about how they had some things that were slightly advantageous, but really they picked the right strategies and were able to execute them well. The first game, I didn’t have people start our slower units in a place where they could respond to where the enemy went, and that hurt our firepower. It might still have been OK, but they were able to make up for a lot of what we killed, and we killed a lot, with salvage. The second game, we were just too slow. We knew we were going to be a little slow, but could have done more to at least harass their faster units. The last game, we really needed to be a little more cheesy with the optional rules that were in effect and use them to the fullest. We also probably choose to sacrifice the wrong unit. As an overall mistake, in general we cared too much about preserving our force when salvage would have made up our losses if we had given up a few more units to get the victory. The Dragoon’s players played the salvage game better than we did.

We, the Robinsons Rangers, did, in my opinion, do some things better than the Dragoons. I felt we used artillery cannons and indirect fire better, and we made more use of the different configs available for the Omni mechs in the force. I also feel like we got more out of our commander than the Dragoons did. Still, they won fair and square, and congrats to the other players for making it a hard-fought and challenging game.


sadlerbw

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #5 on: 17 June 2018, 13:25:37 »
Did the Origins event incorporate the new errata?  I'm asking because the nerf to Buildings' structure points makes bringing them down almost an automatic outcome anyway if you're trying to root out the infantry using them as cover...

Yes, we were using the most recent errata, but in this specific scenario, we were not allowed to just drop the building. It had plot armor! But you are correct and that is partially why I mentioned that. If dropping the building is an option, do it! Rooting out infantry from a building sucks, even with other infantry!

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #6 on: 17 June 2018, 13:48:39 »
Yes, we were using the most recent errata, but in this specific scenario, we were not allowed to just drop the building. It had plot armor! But you are correct and that is partially why I mentioned that. If dropping the building is an option, do it! Rooting out infantry from a building sucks, even with other infantry!

Well invincible plot armor is about what it'd take for a building to not be incidentally destroyed if it's being used as cover under the new errata :D  Even a mech just moving into a building to gain that cover destroys most of them now..

MikeLSU

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #7 on: 18 June 2018, 14:26:20 »
As the unofficial captain for the happier side of the battle a tip of the hat to Mr. Sadler and team is due. That was a superb knock down drag out battle in game three. Phil gets the nod for our performance in game 3 as I was brain dead by that time. I am afraid the “Brave, brave Sir Robin” (more on that later) tactic with your commander was your downfall in game 2. By putting all your big hitters so far from the objective we were able to flush your mechs out and then perform terminal surgery on your infantry.

Now about Sir Robin: Yes, we congratulate your commander for surviving right up to turn one of game three where he was lit up like a roman candle marinated in high octane gasoline. We had no mech with any mentionable indirect fire or artillery to drop our commander in so we could intelligently place him behind cover like your did. I poke fun at his cowardice but in AS that is the only way to survive. Even in the largest mech (Atlas) your team shredded our commander. We do hope your commander recovers from his nightmares caused in game 2 by Adam’s Dervish DFA crit. We gave him a comfortable prison cell. We will feed your commander well...to the dogs.

Your surviving Gunsmith was played as a thing of beauty. Well done. I suspect your other surviving mechwarrior may check how well his boot fits up his tail pipe.

Game 1 I think your setup hurt you a lot. Had you set up behind the center hill mid map you would have created a nasty head-to-head close range engagement as we tried to run by on either side. The dice nor initiative mattered at that point. My poor Loki was doomed. I swear I saw 10” movement not 8”. We were trying to keep the slowest speed to 10” (15” with sprint.) With his slow speed he needed one extra turn to escape and the dice said, No sir.”

As to the scrap and personnel deaths between games. OW OW OW. This did make the after battle celebration cheaper but was efficiently offset by the massive funeral afterwards.

Mr. Sadler, next year we want you on our team. It will be a red headed step child beating for whoever finds themselves on the receiving end!

I hope everyone had a safe trip home.

-Mike

Scotty

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #8 on: 18 June 2018, 14:39:11 »
Thanks for the responses!  As the event organizer and GM: I was not prepared for how lethal that game ended up being.

For those listening: of the 36 MechWarriors that began the campaign, by the end of the third scenario 20 of them were dead, and 7 more had been wounded at least once.  Of the 48 battle armor infantry, 24 were dead.  Of the 60 or so tank crew, 22 were dead.  Half of the remaining crew had been wounded.

Overall, the two forces suffered over 40% fatalities in three games.  It was a bloodbath.

It was also a resounding success.  I know I can do better on the scenario design to make things more even in an given game, but I also want to make the actual force construction phase to remain meaningful.  Some games, taking a main body force that's too slow may end up costing a game before the first side are rolled, but that's the nature of the beast.

For GenCon I'll be making the repair and refit a more meaningful thing, since I failed to consider that having a battalion's worth of support would make repairing half a company's damage a triviality.
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MikeLSU

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #9 on: 19 June 2018, 00:06:37 »
Thank you again for running the game and volunteering for the show Scotty. Will this or something similar be run at Historicon?

Scotty

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #10 on: 19 June 2018, 01:00:28 »
Unfortunately I'm only able to make it to the Big Two of Origins and GenCon (and Adepticon but as a regular minion, not an event lead), so the odds are overwhelmingly against.  The campaign organization and method used are my brainchild, and though I fully intend to put out at least here the collection of kludges and processes that resulted in the fantastic time we had I'm not sure anyone is available, able, or interested in picking up the torch in my absence.  Even on the Demo Team, Alpha Strike is very much the newcomer, and there are only a few Agents well versed.
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Kansas City players, or people who are just passing through the area, come join us at the Geekery just off Shawnee Mission Parkway for BattleTech!  Current days are Tuesdays in the afternoon and evening.  I can't make every single week, but odds are pretty good that somebody will be there.

MikeLSU

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #11 on: 19 June 2018, 18:40:32 »
Understood sir! I look forward to your next iteration if you run it again next year at Origins.

(the anti robot questions/stuff is getting old but I see it works)

Scotty

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #12 on: 19 June 2018, 19:56:02 »
Understood sir! I look forward to your next iteration if you run it again next year at Origins.

(the anti robot questions/stuff is getting old but I see it works)

Good news!  The anti-robot questions stop after your tenth post.

More good news: I plan on running that event or something similar to it as long as Mary lets me.
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sadlerbw

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #13 on: 21 June 2018, 13:19:31 »
As the unofficial captain for the happier side of the battle a tip of the hat to Mr. Sadler and team is due...

Hey Mike! It was great to see you and Phil across the table again. I always know it will be a good fight when you two are there. You two know your stuff, and if I make any mistakes (like spreading out the units too much in game 1) you will see it and punish me for it...and that is a good thing! I enjoy playing with you guys and you both have my respect. You two soundly beat me on the strategy side, no doubt about it. Even after we managed to get a lucky 12 on at least one crit roll each round, you still took each one convincingly!

Hiding brave sir Robin behind hills was definitely a double-edged sword the whole time. IF6 meant we could keep him on the board and still contribute, but that was a really high PV unit to have hiding in the back doing nothing but indirect fire. Of course, then we heard what round 3 was going to be, I knew his luck had just run out. There was no way we were going to prevent you from getting revenge that game! I just feel sorry for whichever mechwarrior took his salvaged Longbow: getting those brown stains out of the seat from when that Dervish dropped on him is going to be tough.

Thanks again for playing and for being such tough opponents. The game is more fun when you know the other team is good.

- Bret

MikeLSU

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #14 on: 24 June 2018, 02:33:17 »
Sadly, the rich Corinthian leather that covered Brave Brave Sir Robin’s seats were beyond repair. A blow torch, plasma cutter, inceneration oven and 7 foot concrete filled hole were used during the disposal process. Also note the seat foam, seat frame and large portions of the cockpit floor had to be burned out before the cockpit passed OSHA clean air regulations. We hosed the Dervish bits that were still embedded in the torso (due to the nearby explosion caused by everyone and their grandmother unloading on said Dervish after his DFA.)

Sir Robin’s minstrals were shot out of an ER PPC at dawn. There was much rejoicing.

Phil gets 100% of the credit for pointing out I could move my two speedy hovercraft behind sir Robin for a rather clear butt shot. For the cost, those hovercraft pack an amazing punch.


And now to the “No, I am not a robot checks”...fair trade as I hate the, “click here to bang hot mommacitas in your area” spam posts.

Scotty

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #15 on: 24 June 2018, 16:20:11 »
The hovercraft comment actually brings up something I'm going to start doing, at least with my personally prepared forces: basing vehicles.  Those hovercraft had significantly less of a footprint than the 'Mechs, and that let them squeeze through to fit where they otherwise probably shouldn't have been able to if they were supposed to all be occupying similar spaces.

The fact that it'll also help me standardize my storage solutions is a pleasant bonus.
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MikeLSU

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #16 on: 25 June 2018, 23:35:33 »
Even based we could have parked 7 or 8 hovers at close range with a wonderful view of Sir Robin’s tender butt. >:D

Vandervecken

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #17 on: 04 August 2018, 20:27:50 »
What rule set was used for this campaign?
Repairs...
salvage...
etc

sadlerbw

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #18 on: 06 August 2018, 13:08:14 »
It used the Alpha Strike combat system. Between battles, Scotty would manage determining which pilots were wounded or killed, and which units were salvagable. I believe he tried using the rules for both as presented in the Alpha Strike Companion, but I could be wrong there. He may have already tweaked them to some extent by then. So, we accrued a certain number of points to spend on salvage and repair, and had to decide how much time was being spent to do so.

The pilot survival rules were fine, but the salvage and repairs ended up giving you no real reason to do anything other than take the time to repair and salvage everything possible. I believe he used a custom set of repair and salvage rules for the GenCon event.

Scotty

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Re: Quick comments about the Alpha Strike campaign at Origins
« Reply #19 on: 06 August 2018, 13:19:25 »
Actually, they were the same for the first two games.  You guys just ended up wrecking literally everything except that Wolf Summoner and Timber Wolf in game one!

No, seriously, everything was totally destroyed.  A whopping total of four 'Mechs and one tank managed to get the coveted "Salvageable" status, and two of them were pressed back into service but missed the last fight. The tank crew was dead, and I sort of assumed "not fast, vulnerable to mobility damage" wasn't on the list of priorities for a Breakthrough and left it off the final forces list.

Next year I'll have a plan in place to make salvage and repair more interactive and less of a compete no-brainer.
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Kansas City players, or people who are just passing through the area, come join us at the Geekery just off Shawnee Mission Parkway for BattleTech!  Current days are Tuesdays in the afternoon and evening.  I can't make every single week, but odds are pretty good that somebody will be there.