Author Topic: Total Chaos Campaign  (Read 5465 times)

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Total Chaos Campaign
« on: 25 May 2016, 16:20:14 »
After several years out of the country, I've returned stateside and been lucky enough to find a gaming group where several of the members were hardcore MechWarrior Online players who were enthusiastic about learning the tabletop version.  I've decided to run them through the "Total Chaos" campaign.  I'll post the progress in this thread.

Unit:  Storm Riders
Starting Assets:  Black Knight (2750), Warhammer-6R, Hunchback-5G, Firestarter-9H.

The players picked 'Mechs with which they were familiar from MWO.  They also heeded my advice that, since we're using BV as the balancing factor, stronger 'Mechs = stronger OpFor, and selected mostly 3025-era equipment.

Mission 1:  Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Attacker:  Warhammer, Black Knight, Firestarter, Hunchback
Defender: Challenger X MBT, 2 Behemoth Super Heavy Tanks, 2 Demolisher Heavy Tanks, 2 Zhukhov Heavy Tanks, four SRM jump infantry platoons

Keid Interplanetary DropPort
Keid, Word of Blake Protectorate
29 September, 3067

A mercenary BattleTech lance, the Storm Riders attacked Kallon Industries warehouses at the Keid Interplanetary DropPort in the middle of a thundersnow squall.  Kallon Security dispatched a force of heavy tanks to crush the raiders, but the high winds, driving snow, and heavily ionized atmospheric conditions left them wallowing in the deepening snowdrifts, unable to destroy any of the attackers.

While the Storm Riders' Black Knight suffered severe damage in a battle with a Challenger X Main Battle Tank and two Zhukov heavy tanks, its lancemates, a Warhammer and a Hunchback, suffered only minimal damage in the process of neutralizing the forward armor lance, which also included a Demolisher.  Several of the armor crews were killed in the fighting, and the rest bailed out of their tanks and surrendered after their vehicles were crippled.



The fourth member of the Storm Riders, a light and highly maneuverable Firestarter, lived up to its designation, bounding freely through the snow on its jump jets and sending warehouse after warehouse up in flames, while two huge Behemoth-class assault tanks and another Demolisher tried vainly to close to weapons range.  Nearly 100 security personnel died in the wreckage of the warehouses.



-------

The main surprise for the players accustomed to MechWarrior Online was the heat system.  They quickly (and correctly) concluded that Flamers are not really optimized as a weapon system, after nearly cooking off the Firestarter's ammo.  The tanks maneuvered menacingly for the first five rounds, but then (per the Blizzard rules) the snow got deep enough to affect movement, and the Behemoths effectively became turrets.  With the Firestarter jumping for a +4 modifier, green crews in the tanks, and the other weather and range related modifiers, the tanks and infantry couldn't hit the Firestarter as it destroyed warehouse after warehouse. 

The Zhukovs and Challenger X MBT were more accurate as the battle with the heavy units turned into a more-or-less stationary slugfest, but the lack of ammo or an XL engine in the Black Knight meant there was no chance of a quick critical-hit kill, and the tanks succumbed to disabling damage faster.

All in all, a completely successful first outing for the mercs. 

-------------------------

Mission 2:  The Skye is Falling

Attacker:  Storm Riders: Black Knight, Hunchback; Skye Rangers: Uziel, Barghest, Rakshasa, Falconer
Defender: Scorpion, Cicada, Spider, Hammer, Anvil, Perseus, Initiate, Toyama, Slayer, MechBuster, Shilone, Stingray, Stingray, Corsair.

Vector 9B, en route to Sirian Marker-4
Bugbottom Swamp
Skye, Lyran Alliance
5 February 3068

BATTLE REPORT

The Storm Riders dispatched two BattleMechs into the Bugbottom Swamp alongside a heavy lance of Skye Rangers ‘Mechs.  They surprised the mercenaries operating out of the airbase, and caught the fighters un-crewed and on the tarmac, though the defending mercenaries did have a medium-weight perimeter patrol on duty.  Obscured by stands of trees and clouds of steam from active geysers, the airstrip defenders were able to swiftly close with the attacking forces, swarming around and putting down a 75-ton Rakshasa (the Lyrans’ heaviest unit) in the first exchange of fire.  At the airbase, pilots scrambled for their vehicles, and the Shilone and Stingray fighters on “ready five” standby launched into combat, while an Initiate-class ‘Mech powered up and lumbered into the fray.



Things looked grim for the attackers, until crack shooting by the Storm Riders turned the tide.  A well placed Gauss rifle shot from the Riders’ modified Hunchback sent a 40-ton Cicada crashing to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and a laser barrage from the Riders’ Black Knight detonated the missile stores in a 30-ton Hammer, while the 70-ton Barghest used its massive autocannon to blow the leg off its accompanying 60-ton Anvil.  A lucky cockpit hit knocked out the pilot of the 75-ton Perseus, allowing the Storm Riders to destroy its engine housing with precision fire.  As a Slayer-class fighter taxied down the runway, the 50-ton Uziel jumped onto the tarmac ahead of it, preventing it and the Corsair behind it from taking off.  Heavy fire from the attackers left two more fighters, a Stingray and a ‘MechBuster, in flames next to their hangars.



At this point in the engagement, three defending ‘Mechs (a Scorpion, a Spider, and a heavily damaged Initiate) and four fighters (two in the air and two on the ground) remained operable, facing the Storm Riders' Hunchback and Black Knight, and the Skye Rangers' Falconer, Uziel,  and Barghest.  The defenders’ strongest ‘Mech, a 75-ton Toyama, had not yet powered up, and had already suffered heavy damage from the Uziel. 

The Storm Riders mercenaries and the Skye Rangers tore through the Sirian Lancers forces guarding the air base in the Bugbottom Swamp.  A desperate assault by a taxiing Slayer-class aerospace fighter pushed the Black Knight back far enough to give a Sirian Corsair-class fighter just barely enough room to take off, putting three of the Lancers aerospace fighters in the skies.  A heavily damaged Initiate and Anvil attempted to withdraw, but were mercilessly gunned down by the Skye Rangers, as was a Toyama whose pilot had failed to respond to the general alert.  (Sources suspect the AWOL MechWarrior had found a cache of high grade recreational pharmaceuticals in the abandoned airbase and was reaching new heights of oneness with the spirit of the Blessed Blake.)

The Sirian Spider and Scorpion gamely kept up their attacks on the Lyran and mercenary forces, but expert shooting soon left the four-legged Scorpion without its forward legs, and left the Spider without a head.  The Sirian fighters swooped in for a strafing run against the massed Lyran forces, but they’d wisely sought cover in heavy woods and weathered the strike, bringing the attacking fighters down with their return fire. 

The Storm Riders had secured generous salvage rights with this contract, and will take possession of seven BattleMechs and three aerospace fighters, potentially allowing them to expand from Lance to Company size.

-------------

Lucky shots were the order of the day in this engagement.  The "bug squad" got into the Rakshasa's rear arc and the Scorpion managed to put a PPC and three SRMs into the rear center torso, tearing open the armor and detonating the gyro in a single volley against the otherwise lightly damaged 'Mech.  The players retaliated by knocking out the pilot of the almost pristine 75-ton Perseus (snake eyes on the consciousness roll) and then targeting its XL-engine-containing torso.  The Toyama never made the roll to activate, so they were able to do the same to it.  With two of their three heavy hitters out of action without much of a fight, the remaining lights were slaughtered, though they did do significant damage to the Barghest and the Uziel. 

When rolling for the "Lyran gift" unit at the end of the scenario, the players rolled a snake eyes for unit type, and ended up with a squad of Fenrir battle armor instead of the assault 'Mech they were hoping for.

Next mission:  Falcon Ptomaine
« Last Edit: 26 May 2016, 12:50:42 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Lorcan Nagle

  • 75 tons of heavy metal mayhem
  • Global Moderator
  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 12119
  • We're back, baby!
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #1 on: 25 May 2016, 18:10:08 »
Yes, more Total Chaos games!
The moderator formerly known as the user formerly known as nenechan

Azakael

  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 733
  • Brotherhood of Outreach - Until the Sword Breaks
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #2 on: 26 May 2016, 00:31:37 »
Holy crap. They are taking on Falcon Ptomaine? I can't wait to hear how they perform in that one. My buddy and I both looked at it and shook our heads, saying, "Not happening. No way."

I am curious, why did you start them out at only a Lance strength?

markhall

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1435
  • "The Button's Stuck!"
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #3 on: 26 May 2016, 04:30:15 »
Good luck with it.

Falcon Ptomaine is one of the options for our next track. The 3 player aspect to it seems like it will be nice and chaotic. The other option is FULL METAL PRESS which is also a 3 way slug fest.



I am curious, why did you start them out at only a Lance strength?
He might not have. It was just the forces he selected from the overall unit. Since most of the TC games use a % of your total force Mendrugo may merely have listed what he was using in that game.

Have you got a full combat listing for the Storm Riders?
Curious to see what options will be available to the force.
« Last Edit: 26 May 2016, 04:43:41 by markhall »

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #4 on: 26 May 2016, 04:37:30 »
Holy crap. They are taking on Falcon Ptomaine? I can't wait to hear how they perform in that one. My buddy and I both looked at it and shook our heads, saying, "Not happening. No way."

I am curious, why did you start them out at only a Lance strength?

Game night is hosted at another member's house on a weeknight.  I wanted to keep things small enough that scenarios could be completed in a timely fashion.  As it was, The Skye is Falling took two sessions to wrap up.

I warned them that the last time I ran Falcon Ptomaine, it resulted in a TPK, but they're game for it.

At this size, the Green Ghosts are raiding with just two Mediums, a Light, and a BattleArmor point, while the Falcons bring a Light, a Heavy, and an Assault to the party.  The players have three Heavies, one Medium, and two Lights, mostly refitted with double heat sinks and pulse lasers to mimic their preferred MWO configurations.  They also have an MPL Fenrir squad.  The game kicks off tonight.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

markhall

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1435
  • "The Button's Stuck!"
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #5 on: 26 May 2016, 04:47:57 »

I warned them that the last time I ran Falcon Ptomaine, it resulted in a TPK, but they're game for it.

Oh Dear!  :( Lorcan don't be getting any idea's here.



At this size, the Green Ghosts are raiding with just two Mediums, a Light, and a BattleArmor point, while the Falcons bring a Light, a Heavy, and an Assault to the party.  The players have three Heavies, one Medium, and two Lights, mostly refitted with double heat sinks and pulse lasers to mimic their preferred MWO configurations.  They also have an MPL Fenrir squad.  The game kicks off tonight.
That makes sense and it's nice to see the system works for small and medium sized forces.

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #6 on: 26 May 2016, 04:51:08 »
Have you got a full combat listing for the Storm Riders?
Curious to see what options will be available to the force.

They have a Warhammer, Black Knight, Hunchback, Firestarter, Toyama, Spider, and  Fenrir squad.

They could repair and field a Perseus, Anvil, Scorpion, Initiate, Cicada, Slayer, MechBuster, and Stingray.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #7 on: 26 May 2016, 05:13:32 »
Oh Dear!  :( Lorcan don't be getting any idea's here.

That TPK (ending the run of the Bad Pennies) was a result of the player fielding a reinforced company.  The battlefield grew to four dense urban maps, the Falcons got to field two Stars, and the Green Ghosts brought in two lances.  Since the number and strength of the facilities being defended didn't scale up, it was nigh impossible for the Pennies to prevent a Ghost raider from slipping through the lines (by smashing through a building) and destroying all the target buildings.  With their mission accomplished, the battered Green Ghosts withdrew just as the Falcons arrived and proceeded to dismantle the Bad Pennies in detail.

I'm hoping things go better for the Storm Riders.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Rtifs

  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 554
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #8 on: 26 May 2016, 13:18:48 »
....  The players have three Heavies, one Medium, and two Lights, mostly refitted with double heat sinks and pulse lasers to mimic their preferred MWO configurations.  They also have an MPL Fenrir squad.  The game kicks off tonight.

Ok.  I was going to ask if customs were allowed and if they were building their MWO configs.  Out of curiosity, since MWO has tweaked things endlessly over the last few years there should be a disparity between optimizing for MWO and tabletop.  How do you think the MWO meta is working for the tabletop?

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #9 on: 26 May 2016, 13:32:43 »
They've won their battles so far without really breathing hard, but the first few missions in Total Chaos can be pretty forgiving.  Falcon Ptomaine significantly ratchets up the difficulty level.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4241
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #10 on: 26 May 2016, 14:05:32 »
This thread will be interesting to follow. :)
To kinda rephrase Rtif's question, did your players get an accurate impression of boardgame BT through MWO, or did they have to adjust their thinking of what makes a good 'Mech and how it ought to be used? I've often wondered if MWO is any use at all for getting a feel for boardgame BT.
Sarna.net BattleTechWiki Admin
Author of the BattleCorps stories Feather vs. Mountain, Rise and Shine, Proprietary, Trial of Faith & scenario Twins

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #11 on: 26 May 2016, 14:10:46 »
They came in already enthused by the aesthetics, and one was a backer for the HBS BattleTech kickstarter game.  They'd never played the tabletop game before, but were familiar with the weapon systems and terminology. 

(One explained to me how the Gauss rifle worked in MWO - blowing up if its components took a hit, and I was able to respond "works just the same in the tabletop")

They were thrown for a loop by the heat system, especially by the 3025-designs tendency to be somewhat...non-optimized...as far as heat management goes.  (Not that the 3050 upgrades were much better.  Freakin' SCP-1O Scorpion generates 19 heat in an alpha strike with its two guns and only has ten single heat sinks...)

They posed the question of whether a better piloting skill allows a 'Mech to run faster, which I inferred is an MWO metric.  I noted that a better piloting score allows you to run safely around corners on pavement, but otherwise doesn't really help your speed.

"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #12 on: 27 May 2016, 08:25:21 »
Mission 3:  Falcon Ptomaine (Part 1)

Green Ghosts: Hermes, Hermes II, Vulcan, Salamander Point
Jade Falcons: Turkina, Summoner, Kit Fox
Storm Riders: Toyama, Hunchback, Black Knight, Spider, Firestarter, Warhammer, Fenrir Squad

Special Rules:  Dusk (+1 penalty on shots), Moderate Rainfall (+1 penalty on shots, clear terrain is mud), Earthquake (one class 5, two class 3 aftershocks)

Grant's Station Tango, Nuevo Roma
Tomans, Lyran Alliance
1 August, 3068

The Storm Riders mercenary group had taken a garrison contract to protect Interstellar Expeditions' academy on Tomans, where top researchers pored over intriguing pieces of LosTech brought back by IE teams scouring the deep periphery for technological treasures in abandoned Star League outposts and deserted Rim Worlds Republic colonies.  The academy also trained recruits in the basics of exo-archaeology, LosTech prospecting, and self defense.  The latter was becoming increasingly necessary, as attacks from pirates - especially a group known as the Green Ghosts - were becoming alarmingly frequent.

Balmy tradewinds had brought an intense tropical rainshower to the academy grounds as the sun was setting over the nearby ocean, obscuring what had promised to be a glorious sunset, when the perimeter alarms began to sound.  An unidentified Leopard-class DropShip had grounded near the coast, and raiders were inbound.  Reports sent back by scouts identified the paint scheme as that used by the Green Ghosts!  It looked like the pirates had decided not to wait until the teams being trained at the academy got into the field, but had decided to strike at the source.  Or perhaps one of the teams had brought something back that the Ghosts didn't want IE to have. 

The Storm Riders scrambled into their 'Mechs and took up defensive positions along the walls surrounding the academy compound.  As the dusky gloom deepened, sensors picked up 'Mechs fast approaching.  The Ghosts had arrived!  Three green-painted 'Mechs dashed forward, using the port's warehouses for cover as they approached the wall.  BattleArmor clung to the largest, a Vulcan, slowing it slightly.

Rocketing up on jets of argent flame, the Storm Riders' scout 'Mechs, a Spider and a Firestarter, launched themselves from the academy walls and bounded down into the warehouses to engage the enemy.  The heavier, slower Storm Rider 'Mechs remained on the parapets, waiting for a clear shot.

Without warning, the whole coastline gave a mighty jolt!  A class-five earthquake sent the 'Mechs tumbling helplessly to the ground.  Such quakes were common in this part of Tomans, and the local buildings were constructed accordingly, but the Storm Riders were not so well anchored.  Nearly every mercenary 'Mech was thrown to the ground, while their pilots were slammed painfully against their restraining harnesses, sustaining minor injuries.  The raiders proved more skillful, but a Hermes collapsed to the ground, its gyro tumbled by the shockwave.  Worst of all for the Storm Riders, their nimble but lightly armored Spider had fallen to the ground right at the feet of the raiding force.  Lasers carved its protection away as it struggled to rise.

The Spider pilot chose discretion over valor and fled into a warehouse, hoping to evade the raiders.  This hope was dashed when a Hermes II followed the Spider in and destroyed its leg, sending it crashing to the ground, and knocking the pilot unconscious - a mercy, as the raider took gruesome pleasure in carefully slicing the head armor off with lasers, and then turned its flamer on the exposed cockpit.

After the quake passed, the Hermes with the damaged gyro retreated to its DropShip for repairs, while the remaining two Ghosts continued to approach the walls, where the Storm Riders were picking themselves up and resuming defensive positions.  So focused were they on the approaching raiders, that the arrival of a third group took them completely by surprise.

A booming voice sounded over open frequencies:  "I am Star Commander Revek of Clan Jade Falcon.  I name you dezgra mercenaries and pirates, and swear by the blood of Kerensky that you shall be annihilated as a testament to the genetic superiority of our Clan!"  Retro-rockets blazing, three green and yellow painted OmniMechs descended through the dark storm clouds towards the port.  A light Kit Fox and a heavy Summoner grounded amidst the warehouses behind the Green Ghosts, cutting them off from their DropShip, while the largest, an imposing assault-class Turkina, landed in the middle of the academy compound.

The dramatic entrance was spoiled somewhat by the nearly simultaneous arrival of a Class 3 aftershock.  The lesser quake did not affect the mercenaries or Green Ghosts, but caused the mighty Turkina to execute a spectacular faceplant on the tarmac, damaging its engine shielding in the process.

The Storm Riders encircled the Turkina, pouring their massed firepower into its heavy armor.  Star Commander Revek's return fire was thrown off by the aftershock, only lightly damaging the Warhammer and vaporizing two Fenrir battlesuits.  The Green Ghost Vulcan and Hermes II took advantage of the Storm Riders' distraction to close in on the academy research facilities, while the Summoner and Kit Fox raced towards the sound of the guns.

To be continued...

--------------

The earthquake has played the most powerful role in this scenario so far, tripping up the poor Spider at a most inconvenient time (the second time in the campaign that 'Mech's lost its head), and triggering a Forced Withdrawal by the Hermes.  Most of the Storm Riders have pilot damage, and the Turkina's arrival (supposed to be terrifying as it descended and blew a defender apart) was scrubbed by its ignominious fall and mostly missed shots (due to the +3 penalty from the quake on top of the +1 for rain and +1 for dusk).  The Storm Riders' heavy use of pulse lasers served them well against the Turkina - especially the Fenrir squad - they've peeled off a significant amount of the Turkina's armor in just a few rounds of concentrated fire.  Revek may have bitten off more than she can chew, unless the Summoner and Kit Fox get on the scene soon.

While the Fenrirs have been dying gloriously (their player asked - "So, I can buy more of these, right?"), the Salamanders have not yet fired a shot in anger (having jumped off their Vulcan once the engagement started, then jumping slowly through the warehouse district).  The Vulcan has been tormenting the defenders by jumping back and forth across the perimeter wall, making it impossible to hit and forcing the defenders to agonize over whether to pursue it or go bash the Turkina (leaving the buildings unprotected).
« Last Edit: 27 May 2016, 08:27:56 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

markhall

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1435
  • "The Button's Stuck!"
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #13 on: 27 May 2016, 08:51:14 »
A TURKINA!

I think it's time all the mercs team up and put that lad down.


faithless

  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1310
  • I am a meat popsicle.
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #14 on: 06 June 2016, 12:46:05 »
Keep up the reports.

We are in 3071 in our local group's Total Chaos campaign. I have used some of generic tracks to extend the story on some of the planets. They also work nice if you need to throw the merc's a bone after a bad run of luck.

I have not given my AAR thread the attention it deserves and will be working to get it caught up in the near future.
Demo Agent #715
Game HQ Oklahoma City, OK
Carolina Comics Lawton, OK
Oklahoma Battletech Group on Facebook

Mendrugo

  • Freelance Writer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5842
  • Manei Tetatae
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #15 on: 07 June 2016, 20:38:11 »
We couldn't finish it last Thursday, so we'll wrap it up this coming Thursday (a three-nighter).  The Turkina got everyone's attention and was blasted to bits (though not before decapitating a Green Ghost Hermes II), but the distraction allowed the Green Ghosts to slip in and heavily damage the three target buildings.  Then, the Salamander armor troops fired their Inferno missiles at the buildings, setting them on fire, and the Ghosts began to withdraw as the buildings collapsed into flaming ruin.  The mercs are giving chase and continuing to battle the Summoner and Kit Fox, but they're approaching combat loss grouping, so we'll see who comes out ahead.
« Last Edit: 07 June 2016, 20:39:59 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Eugee

  • Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 172
Re: Total Chaos Campaign
« Reply #16 on: 19 July 2016, 16:56:01 »
They came in already enthused by the aesthetics, and one was a backer for the HBS BattleTech kickstarter game.  They'd never played the tabletop game before, but were familiar with the weapon systems and terminology. 

(One explained to me how the Gauss rifle worked in MWO - blowing up if its components took a hit, and I was able to respond "works just the same in the tabletop")

They were thrown for a loop by the heat system, especially by the 3025-designs tendency to be somewhat...non-optimized...as far as heat management goes.  (Not that the 3050 upgrades were much better.  Freakin' SCP-1O Scorpion generates 19 heat in an alpha strike with its two guns and only has ten single heat sinks...)

They posed the question of whether a better piloting skill allows a 'Mech to run faster, which I inferred is an MWO metric.  I noted that a better piloting score allows you to run safely around corners on pavement, but otherwise doesn't really help your speed.

As someone who played BT since 2nd edition, and plays MWO actively, I can say it really captures the spirit, and will definitely ease the transition.  Main differences are that armor/structure is doubled (but weapons technically fire twice as fast so it's a wash) and heat is binary.  Either you go over 100% on the heat bar and shut down, or you are fine.  Technically you can override shutdown and take damage while over 100% but that's generally a hail-mary move.  When I brought my MWO buddies into MegaMek they were most surprised by the heat scale.

That and you can't aim in CBT--at least not like MWO.

 

Register