Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II  (Read 205686 times)

Decoy

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Money, warriors, and recognition are to be had at Solaris. All five houses maintain embassies (even if Kurita's is a little bit under the radar). Many warriors aren't adverse to seeing a little real action now and again if the price is right. As for money....fix the right matches?

Mendrugo

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Date: September 7, 3001
 
Location: Solaris VII

Title: Catastrophe Unlimited

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Catastrophe Unlimited)

Synopsis: At the Greater Harrison Regional Exposition, Walter takes a LCT-1S Locust in the Rabbit Run event, trying to survive as long as possible in the abandoned landfill while putting on a good show.  The pursuing 'Mechs go after him and each other, in equal measure, and though the downing of Walter's "Rabbit" technically ends the fight, the remaining four 'Mechs pound on each other until only one remains.  Ivan warns Walter that their stablemaster, Simon Traeger, is angry, because the blue 'Mech that survived longest wasn't supposed to win.

Once out of his downed Locust, Walter reunited with Sophia Litzau, with whom he's formed a strong relationship.  She tells him that the current guests at the DropShip/hotel have come out from Solaris City to see Snorri And Anki, "The Lethal Twins."  They also discuss the growing romance between Aniki and Ivan, and rumors from Maldive that the Collective is trying to end the fighting with dissident factions by proposing a constitution and forming a representative parliament. 

That night, Walter and Sophia host their guests at dinner in the Vulture's Egg DropShip/hotel.  Enver and Marie Barrington (nobles from New Syrtis), their friend Robert Hart, and his fiance and her sister Caroline and Ulrike Rissel.  The ship's chef, Jacques, presents chipotle-yam soup, salad, mauveberry-fattened pheasant, venison, and gelato.  They discuss the difference between MechWarriors and the "MechFighters" of Solaris.  Snorri explains that since many of the performers have never gone to war, MechFighter is a more apt appellation.  Enver expresses interest in making toy figurines of the MechFighters when they become Solaris champions.  The nobles agree to extend their stay a few days to spend time with Aniki, Snorri, and Walter, though it means missing a dinner with Gray Noton. 

Notes: The various 'Mechs participating in the Rabbit event are a mix of MuttMechs (Industrial FrankenMechs), Iron Men (FrankenMechs made from salvaged BattleMechs) and Traps (unassuming 'Mechs that conceal a powerful weapon and usually are commanded by a skilled pilot).  It's too bad that the original Solaris VII boxed set and the expansion, "The Reaches" primarily focused on the military-grade deathmatches in Solaris City, since events like the Grind and the Rabbit sound like they'd be a lot of fun to run.  (It also would have been a fun format for matches if the Solaris multiplayer element had been retained in the HBS game.  Perhaps in a future expansion...)

The spelling of the name of the Litzaus' home planet, Maldive, clears up the confusion from books one and two, which spelled it "Maldives."  The map posted by HBS showed both a world named "Maldive" and one named "Valdives," making it unclear which corresponded to "Maldives."  This clarifies that it is the one on the border of the CC and FS, near the Taurian border as well, which makes by far the most sense, as "Valdives" is far from the Taurian border, making it even less likely that the Taurians would have built Ivan's hideout there.

Sophia's plan to build influence with nobles who could be helpful seems to be paying off handsomely.  Perhaps House Hargreaves could learn from her example. 

The reference to Gray Noton again underscores that, in this version of the BattleTech universe, he's a big name on Solaris VII in 3001.  I seem to recall that Randall Bills announced these stories were intended to be canon, but it keeps running afoul of previously established canon, calling that pronouncement into question.  (If the info in the Solaris VII guidebook is accurate, Gray is only 16 in 3001, and arrived as a stowaway.  In this backstory, he arrived after a successful mercenary career with his own 'Mech and was fighting in military-grade matches right off the bat - similar to Justin Xiang and Jeremiah Rose.  Not to mention the references to someone having "BattleArmor" experience 50 years before BattleArmor was reintroduced to the Inner Sphere.)
« Last Edit: 19 March 2018, 09:38:47 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.

Frabby

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At first I thought Noton's backstory might be doctored; Traeger's role in the story seems to imply almost every Solaris MechFighter adopts an interesting arena persona that is more or less an act.
However, unlike many other BattleTech sourcebooks, the Solaris Boxed Set Player's Handbook doesn't purport to be an in-universe document. So we should probably take the information therein at face value.

But flipping through the book (and the GM book) I find that the champions are kids. The O'Bannon sisters are 22 and 23 years old, respectively; Kelley Metz was a Davion MechWarrior, then a mercenary, then a star in the arena and she's now a whooping 19 years old. Among the Top 20 in those death matches with military grade equipment there's another teen (Michael Karufel, age 18) and almost all others are in their 20s; only three are in their (early) 30s. Strangely, many of them will have long careers at the top tier right into the Jihad which raises the question what happened to the next generation of teen top-stars.

Anyways, in this context a 16-year-old Gray Noton "swiftly rising through the ranks" (as per S7 Player's Handbook) isn't so weird anymore. Perhaps he made himself older than he really was at the time and claimed to have been a mercenary to cover up the extra years.


Some general context notes about the 3001 timeframe:

The people in power in this time are
- Ian Davion, Hohiro Kurita, Alessandro Steiner, Janos Marik, Maximilian Liao
- Protector of Taurian Concordat as of 3001 unknown; possibly Zarantha Calderon (Thomas' mother) who died in 3017
- Magestrix of Magistracy of Canopus as of 3001 unknown; possibly Tamara Centrella (Kyalla's mother) who died in 3012
- ComStar Primus: Allen Rusenstein
- Hans Schleinning is (or will be) the 3001 Champion of Solaris; the 3000 title is held by Brett Hartenberger

On the elusive planet Lincoln, two Capellan Warrior Houses contain and drive off Davion forces (implicitly capturing the planet in the process).

In the periphery beyond the Steiner/Kurita borders, ComStar is implementing their Jolly Roger plan beginning in 3001.

House Marik will launch its second infamous raid-in-force against Solaris VII in 3002, but like the 2998 raid it will fail and cause only loss and embarrasment to House Marik.
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Mendrugo

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So young master Noton must have somehow stowed away with his mercenary ‘Mech and parlayed his possession into a major league fight, won that, then killed his foe in his second match, making his rep.  He probably wasn’t at the Class 5 arenas, but may have been at Death Dance, Four Cross, or Laserclasm (from MW2: Mercenaries).

Instead of “Legend Killer,” he was probably going by “Kid Vicious” or some such.

It could be that the current generation of yakuza/tong/triad/mafia match fixers found teen prodigies far easier to control in terms of arranging who takes a fall and when.  Gray is clearly an old hand at the rigged fight game by 3027.
« Last Edit: 18 March 2018, 20:49:43 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.

Mendrugo

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Date: November 10, 3001
 
Location: Solaris VII

Title: Catastrophe Unlimited

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Catastrophe Unlimited)

Synopsis: Walter prepares for an upcoming two-on-two fight in BattlePark City, in an arena called The Gallery, which allows well heeled spectators to bid on art pieces in a 'Mech sized gallery, then watch as the 'Mechs rampage through it, making their purchase (if it survives) unique through battle damage.  Walter is paired with Maisie Lee-Kerr, and will face off against Rich Carson and Irina Koyota.

Ivan provides a statistical analysis of their opponents, based on past performance.  Carson, a Vindicator pilot, appears to have lost his will to fight following a bad loss to Gray Noton, while Koyota is a flashy, but reckless, short-range fighter in a Firestarter.

The briefing is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Agent Fujitaka, who requires Walter to take a urine test.

As the battle is about to begin, Ivan alerts Walter, in his Blackjack, to a request from stablemaster Simon Traeger, who wants Maisie's UrbanMech ("Lil Slugger") to go out before Irina Kyoto's Firestarter.  Walter questions the wisdom of selling out his partner with Agent Fujitaka watching the match.

Maisie takes out Carson, while Walter, disregarding Simon's wishes, takes out Fujitaka while Maisie is still functional. 

After the battle, Maisie goes to celebrate the win at the Lethal Locust, stopping to sign autographs for her fans on the way.  Walter follows, and is surprised to find that he's started to draw his own groupies as well.

At the bar, Ivan and Walter drink Timbiqui Dark.  Ivan notes that Aniki is fighting in The Quarry and training for the Platinum Crown Tournament, which she hopes will make her a big enough name to make it to the championship matches in Solaris City.

They discuss the potential option of giving up on liberating Maldive, and instead settling down on Solaris with Aniki and Sophia.  Walter reminds Ivan that their plan on Solaris to build a story around House Litzau to excite people and lay the groundwork for a triumphant homecoming of liberation.

Simon Traeger interrupts their conversation, joining them in their booth and demanding to know why Walter failed to let Irina take out Maisie.  He notes that Walter's actions violated an agreement with some people, and tells Walter he's fired. 

Walter asks Traeger how much of his own money he put on the fight, and speculates that it was a significant amount.  He offers to help get the bookies off Traeger's back in exchange for 75% of the stable.  He notes that Ivan has records of Traeger relaying an order to fix the fight.

Trager is unfazed, claiming to have both the battle commission and ComStar in his pocket.  Aniki joins them as well, and notes that the civil courts on Solaris will honor her "moral turpitude" clause, allowing her and Snorri to leave Traeger's stable, leaving him with heavy debts and no fighters.

Ivan further explains that the reason he was so bad in the initial simulator match is that he was using the system access to hack the stable's computers, building a backdoor through which he's been monitoring Traeger's betting.  By counter-betting in this last match, they won everything Traeger lost. 

Traeger signs the agreement, then says he has to leave to take care of business.  Ivan notes that he also found and froze Traeger's Bank of Luthien accounts as a precaution.

When Traeger leaves, Aniki asks if Walter and Ivan will ever tell him that they were the "silent partners" who bribed him to fix the fight.

Notes: I wonder what banned substances they're testing for.  I once ran a character in an online RPG campaign that was taking QwikStim, getting bonuses on piloting and gunnery, but then he botched a WIL role and freaked out mid-battle, attacking whoever was closest.  He had to be retired to NPC status and was shuffled off into the Free Skye underground.  KZ (aka KrayZee), various Kurita battledrugs, and standard illegal stims would probably also be on the banned list.

Traeger is another in a long line of Stackpole antagonists who have their shorts hoisted over their heads by the heroes, who have been thinking things out ten moves in advance.  (Aldo Lestrade, Ivan Steiner, Max Liao, Tommy Volmer, Haskell Blizzard, Tor Miraborg, etc.)

The Gallery is a fun-sounding venue.  Stackpole certainly adds a lot of creativity and variety to the list of canon Solaris arenas beyond the Class Fives from Warrior: En Garde, the lesser venues in "The Reaches" and the ones in BattleCorps fiction "Lion's Roar" and "The Season at Rankar's Deep."  The takeaway is that Solaris VII is positively festooned with arenas catering to all types of audiences.

The tidbit about Traeger's "Bank of Luthien" accounts used for money laundering was interesting.  Looking at Handbook: House Kurita, most banks are government-run, aside from Matabushi Finance.  If Traeger was working through Combine government banks, as a Lyran citizen, he was making a lot of assumptions about how secure his funds would be, given the lack of official relationships between foreign citizens and the Combine government.  More plausibly, he may have been dealing with Matabushi Finance (the largest private finance firm in the Combine), though the name "Bank of Luthien" would fit a government institution better.  This is set roughly 23 years before Matabushi launched Operation INROAD, but you can already see they could have ties to unsavory types around the Inner Sphere.

Traeger's claim that he's bribed members of the Battle Commission may have some weight, given how corrupt that group is portrayed circa 3027 in Warrior: En Garde.  The curious bit is his claim to have ComStar in his pocket.  While some Precentors have certainly proven susceptible to bribes (such as in "Not the Way the Smart Money Bets"), Traeger doesn't seem like he has enough pull to buy a single acolyte, let alone anyone with enough pull to blacklist Walter through the Mercenary Review Board.  He was probably just bluffing.
"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

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So young master Noton must have somehow stowed away with his mercenary ‘Mech and parlayed his possession into a major league fight, won that, then killed his foe in his second match, making his rep.  He probably wasn’t at the Class 5 arenas, but may have been at Death Dance, Four Cross, or Laserclasm (from MW2: Mercenaries).

Instead of “Legend Killer,” he was probably going by “Kid Vicious” or some such.
Look no further than BattleTechnology #0203, p. 28. Noton arrived as a 14-year-old, apprenticed himself to a class 1 stablemaster, and was just that good. The infobox also mentions that he avoided becoming a "Mayfly", i.e. overextending himself in a higher class arena at a young age and having a 1-year-career. Instead, Noton carefully accumulated experience in the lower class arenas over many years and established himself as a household name.

Of course this is apocryphal now, but still...
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Mendrugo

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Date: December 17, 3001
 
Location: Solaris VII

Title: Catastrophe Unlimited

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Catastrophe Unlimited)

Synopsis: In Solaris City, Walter sits for an interview the day after a battle in "The Big Tournament," set in The Maze South arena, along with James "Lightning Jack" Caine.  Hostess Allison Tamretsu begins with Caine, noting his return to Solaris VII after a mercenary career with the Hell Raisers.  She then turns to Walter (aka "Wallace Richards") and notes his rise from the circuit battles and his "Mystery Mercenary" marketing.

A flashback shows Walter's defeat in the previous match in the Maze, a labyrinth where viewers could pay to manipulate the shape of the arena and attacks from gun emplacements to give advantage to their favorites.  Walter gets hammered by fans of "Lightning Jack" and goes down to defeat.  In the post-match interview, Walter accepts his defeat with grace and charm, and Caine acknowledges that his victory was due to the fan support, rather than any lack of skill on Walter's part.

After the interview, Walter leaves in a limousine provided by the studio.  Entering, he finds it occupied by a small Asian man - Wen Xu-Tan, the former Capellan Ambassador to Maldive.  Wen explains that he fled to escape retribution after the failure of his gambit to secure Ivan Litzau and bring Maldive into the Capellan Confederation.  While on the run, he saw holovids of Walter's matches on Solaris VII, and, after some digging, found pictures of Ivan and Sophia as well, and came to Solaris to use the knowledge of House Litzau's continued existence as leverage.  He demands ongoing favors/money from Walter, to be determined later, or else he will have that information released to the authorities on Sian and Maldive.

Notes: It doesn't appear that the "Hell Raisers" are related to the "HeavyHell Raisers," which were formed after Operation GUERRERO in 3057.

The Big Tournament is a Solaris VII reality show tournament, featuring 64 contestants fighting single elimination battles in a tournament that spreads over six weeks, with four divisions - Solaris champions, mercenaries, soldiers, and open.  The champions of each division face off in the semifinals, and the winner gets the last open slot in the Platinum Crown Tournament - a bigger contest that provides a pathway into the Solaris Championship circuit. 

This sort of structure, implying that you only fight in the five major arenas and compete for the annual championship when you've proven yourself to be the best of the best in lesser circuits calls into question the ease by which Justin Xiang got into the championship circuit in 3027 and Jeremiah Rose got bookings in Steiner Stadium in 3056, not to mention Grady Kiefer in MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries and Spectre in MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries.  (Though, to be fair, Grady didn't fight in any of the major stadiums in 3049.)

The Maze strikes me as an interesting business model.  Yes, it costs money for fans to manipulate the defenses and help their favorites.  But, since gambling is allowed (and encouraged) on the games, how does it affect the spread when you can theoretically win more from gambling than you spend on helping your favorite.  If you make a large enough bet, you can freely spend to curbstomp your guy's foe without him having to lift a finger, and still make a profit.  Pay to win.  Yet, the bookies must be aware of this, so do they even take bets on contests like this?  What does the Gaming Commission think about it?  Someone with enough resources can effectively determine the outcome, making their "bet" more or less a sure thing.  (Aside from that, it sounds very "Hunger Games"-esque.)

I wonder if venues like "The Maze," "The Gallery," and "The Rabbit" (the figure eight track through a landfill) will ever become part of a Solaris VII module for the HBS game.

Ambassador Wen was probably right to flee, given the Maskirovka's willingness to expunge even loyal agents (as shown in Warrior: En Garde), though the "kill all who fail me" was far more of a state policy under Romano than Max, and was disavowed as a foolish waste of assets by Sun-Tzu. 

Looking at the House Liao sourcebook, there's no mention of diplomatic relations other than that the Ministry of Trade and Exchange is responsible for maintaining mercantile relations with other Successor States, so perhaps the diplomatic corps is part of MTE, or a formal branch of the Maskirovka, or directly under the Chancellor's authority.  Capellan diplomats study languages at the Capellan Institute of Linguistics on Geifer.
"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

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Date: December 20, 3001
 
Location: Solaris VII

Title: Catastrophe Unlimited

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Catastrophe Unlimited)

Synopsis: Walter and Sophia go out for dinner at a Czech restaurant named Praha, in Solaris City, to celebrate Sophia's success with the Vulture's Egg luxury hotel project, despite Walter having washed out of the tournament.  Walter notes that he's effectively unemployed until the circuit revs up again in March 3002.

Sophia notes that there's little news about Maldive, despite the fortune she's spent on ComStar newsfeeds, but she says she hasn't given up on the idea of liberating her homeworld.  She still feels responsibility for its citizens, based on her hereditary role in planetary leadership.  She and Walter speculate that Ivan will marry and have children on Solaris VII, though it is an open question whether those children will have an interest in pursuing a campaign of liberation for a world they don't know.  She asks what Walter's long-term plans are, and he tells her he still considers himself to be bound by his sworn duty to Ivan as his Companion.

Simon Traeger interrupts and informs Walter that his performance in The Big Tournament was good enough, despite his loss, that he's been booked in a "losers bracket" contest called the High Noon Tournament.  Traeger projects that a good performance for Walter would allow him to headline in the Circuit next season, alongside Snorri and Aniki, with ancillary marketing rights.

Traeger leaves, and Walter explains to Sophia that he, Ivan, Aniki, and Snorri seized a majority interest in Windfall Warriors Unlimited, making Traeger their employee.  He suspects that Traeger has some schemes going on the side, but isn't worried as long as Ivan has all his known funds locked down.

Later, at an exclusive social club, Traeger approaches former Liao Ambassador Wen Xu-Tian, and tells him he knows the Ambassador is shaking Walter down, and wants in on the scam.  He offers to help both of them make a lot of money by rigging the upcoming fight.  Xu-Tian responds that he looks forward to doing business together.

Notes: A lot of Stackpole's stories set on Solaris focus on the massive corruption in the games.  If it's such an open secret, one wonders why the betting around the games hasn't long since completely collapsed.  There's also the question of what happens when rival criminal syndicates pay off opposing fighters to take a dive.  Do the tongs, mafia, and yakuza share notes ahead of the matches to avoid having both fighters trying to lose?  Does the Gaming Commission aggressively whitewash the games' reputation offworld, so that the bets continue to roll in despite the outcome being fixed more often than not? 

The difficulty of launching a generational campaign of liberation comes up.  Looking at House Hargreaves, they certainly kept their passion for Chesterton alive through the centuries, but never had any forward movement towards its liberation.  (Of course, the Hargreaves had a powerful patron in House Liao, and were able to rely on incomes from holdings in other parts of the Confederation and influence from being at the Court on Sian, neither of which apply to House Litzau.)
"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

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Date: December 22, 3001
 
Location: Solaris VII

Title: Catastrophe Unlimited

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Catastrophe Unlimited)

Synopsis: As the date of the Christmas Eve "High Noon Tournament" match approaches, Walter feels uneasy due to a combination of impatience and weariness.  He realizes this applies to both the fighting on the Solaris circuit, the plans to liberate Maldive, and developing a future with Sophia. 

Walter's musings, at "The Club at the Graveyard" are interrupted by the arrival of one of his competitors, Bloodstone.  They talk shop, with Bloodstone complementing Snorri and Aniki's chances in the Platinum Crown warm-up matches, but disdaining the venue.

The Graveyard has been in service as a Solaris arena since the 2950s, starting as "The Grand," but changing to "The Graveyard" after three champions in a row died in fights with unknowns at the venue.  The owners built memorials for them, then redecorated the elegant, modern styling to gothic Halloween-themed structures at 'Mech scale, allowing massive gravestones to be used as cover, and steel "spiderwebs" to tangle up unwary fighters.

They watch the action on the monitors - one of which shows Snorri and Aniki staging in a region called the Morgue, in 'Mechs painted a ghostly white, battling Moll Hamner and Hank Styles, piloting an UrbanMech and a Hermes, respectively.  The match begins, and both teams race to the large open courtyard in the center, eschewing combat in the cramped confines of the peripheral tunnel networks.  Making efficient use of the terrain, the twins quickly put down both opponents without breaking a sweat.

Wen Xu-Tian interrupts and asks to speak with Walter privately.  After Bloodstone reluctantly leaves, the former Liao official gives Walter some very specific instructions for the upcoming fight.

Notes: I know that HBS dropped the Solaris VII module from their initial release of their BattleTech game, but it would be fun if it appears in the future as a DLC module, especially if it includes a wide variety of venues to fight in beyond just the five Class-Six arenas.

The fact that Snorri and Aniki have to work so hard to move up in the Solaris rankings to qualify for even a remote shot at the title calls into question how Justin Xiang-Allard managed to go straight into Championship matches when he arrived on Solaris VII in 3027.  He had no rep, no rating.  Perhaps Fuh Teng was championship ranked, and Justin entered the first match in his stead, then built off that victory (which, by beating another championship ranked fighter, gave him his own standing).  Though why the Maskirovka would be willing to sacrifice championship-ranked fighters in fixed matches that leave one dead and the other injured...

Snorri and Aniki aren't bound for success as they climb the rankings.  The 3001 champion (already crowned by this point) was Hans Schleinning, and Terri Bates is about to start an impressive run, taking the title from 3002 - 3005.  Gray Noton, for all his notoriety, doesn't take his first title until 3016.
"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.

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Do u think these stories from Stackpole will be considered to be canon? This sounds like its a good story with Walter.
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Mendrugo

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So far as I can tell, the only non-canon elements are 1) a reference to Battle Armor experience circa 3000 and 2) references to Maldive and the Aurigan worlds - which may or may not be added to Catalyst canon in the future.  (There's precedent - the system of Silver appeared on official maps after MechWarrior 3: Pirate's Moon came out.)
"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

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Date: December 24, 3001
 
Location: Solaris VII

Title: Catastrophe Unlimited

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Catastrophe Unlimited)

Synopsis: Less than an hour before the High Noon battle begins, Agent Fujitaka, of the Solaris Gaming Commission, arrives in Walter's locker room and informs him that there is heavy betting against him in the upcoming fight.  She says the betting is running heavily in favor of him being the first of the four combatants to be taken out, suggesting he may be planning to throw the fight.  She asks if he is under duress.

Walter denies it, while reflecting that his instructions from Wen Xu-Tian were to lose, but didn't mention going out first.  Knowing that Sophia and Ivan would be in mortal peril if their true identities were revealed, he refuses Fujitaka's offer of protection.  She tells him that the only way to clear the cloud of suspicion over him would be to win.

Walter speculates that Wen leaked word that Walter would throw the fight and go out first, but would try to maximize his income by betting on Walter coming in second or third, winning bets against those betting on him being first out.  He guesses that if he does lose first, Wen will be ruined and will reveal the Litzaus' identities in revenge.  He decides to try to make Wen rich, then figure out how to deal with him after that.

The battle takes place in the Aftermath arena - built specially for holovid broadcast with no spectator seating.  It resembles a ruined city, with broken water mains, blazing gas lines, piles of rubble, and other war zone elements.  It reminds Walter of Rivergaard during the coup, after Angleton's Angels were destroyed.  He faces Bloodstone, Camilla Heiniger, and Steve Quarry, all with former military experience as a mercenary, in the FWLM, and AFFS respectively.  Random assignments give Walter a Valkyrie, and pit him against Quarry's Spider, Heiniger's Javelin, and Bloodstone's UrbanMech.

Bloodstone takes down the Spider with an autocannon burst, and Walter evades incoming fire while ignoring an attempt by Traeger to contact him.  Bloodstone takes out the Javelin just as Heiniger is on the verge of finishing off Walter's heavily damaged Valkyrie, leaving just the two mercenaries.  As the UrbanMech advances towards Walter, it is surprised by the recovered Spider, which takes out the autocannon.  Walter shoots past the crippled UrbanMech and takes out the Spider for good.  Bloodstone concedes the match, knowing he can't take down the nimble Valkyrie with his remaining armament - a Small Laser.  Walter briefly rejoices, then realizes that with Wen Xu-Tian ruined, the Collective will know where Ivan and Sophia are hiding.

As he disembarks from his 'Mech, Walter is confronted by a furious Traeger, who tells him that he bet on Walter winning, but that his instructions on day one were to only take a dive when Traeger told him to, and to let him know if others approached him.  He reveals that he got into Wen Xu-Tian's confidence, not to get revenge on Walter, but to protect him.  He tells Walter that the former Liao ambassador is likely to soon be part of the Graveyard's decor.  Traeger reassures Walter that no information will go out in the event of Xu-Tian's death, since he used his contacts with ComStar to get ahold of Wen's contingency files.  He hands them over to Walter, noting that the arena victories have earned him far more than any of his shady side deals ever could have.

Camilla Heiniger, the Spider pilot, meets them at a corridor intersection, and Traeger leaves them to talk.  She says she'll be back next year, after racking up some points in the BattlePark City leagues, and asks Walter why he went after her instead of Bloodstone.  He answers that taking out d'Artagnan was easier than beating Porthos. 

They part at the dressing rooms, and Walter finds Sophia and Ivan waiting in his.  Ivan estimates that their good fortune will advance their ability to finance a mercenary army of liberation by five to ten years.  Their celebration is interrupted by a ComStar Acolyte with a message for Sophia.  They step outside for privacy, while Ivan shows Walter that his popularity profile rise matches that of superstar Gray Noton, implying that he'll be qualified for Solaris City matches full time by 3003. 

Sophia returns to the room with dire news - the Collective on Maldive has captured their older sister, and are putting her on trial.

Notes: As is standard in Stackpole stories (neither a good or bad thing, but a recurring element of his work), the bad guy's schemes come crashing down around his ears as the good guys are revealed to have been twelve steps ahead of him - either due to advance planning, an unforeseen triple cross, or unexpected aid from a friendly third party.  You'd think Traeger, having set things up to thwart Xu-Tian, would have warned Walter about it so he wouldn't be tempted to throw the match.  (It's possible that Traeger's attempt to communicate with Walter during the match was for exactly that purpose, but it implies that Traeger didn't have all the ducks in a row until the match was already underway - calling into question what was going on during the evening of the 22nd and the 23rd. 

Despite its reputation for neutrality and cloistered mysticism, ComStar (as presented by Stackpole) seems to be a fairly worldly and corruptible organization.  If ComStar officials on Solaris VII and on Galatea (in "Not the Way the Smart Money Bets") are amenable to taking bribes to screw with communications, that would seem to undercut that mystique. 

Looking at the ComStar sourcebook, it notes that Acolyte recruitment had dropped to an all-time low by 3000, with most new recruits hailing from primitive, backwater worlds on the Periphery, where much of the First Circuit's attention was focused (setting up the Jolly Roger program in 3002).  Primus Rusenstein was described as a weak leader who hoped to play the Great Houses against each other by manipulating communications. 

Perhaps it isn't surprising that a ComStar increasingly populated by "hicks from the sticks" being indoctrinated in policy guidance that supports "screwing with communications for fun and profit" was susceptible to bribery.  They probably figure that any consumer complaints about lost messages can be effectively answered with: "Blessed Blake alone comprehends the full mysteries of the holy HPG.  Perhaps a prayer was misspoken.  The Peace of Blake and a 10% discount on your next transmission be with you."

This installment ends on a cliffhanger, with events back home drawing the crew back to the situation on Maldive, which will presumably be wrapped up in the fourth and final novella.  Based on what we know of Walter's future, he'll get out of Maldive with his Blackjack, but without Sophia, and end up driving a taxi on Galatea and giving advice to the Kell brothers by 3010.  (He's missing an eye in Warrior: En Garde, when he's an AFFS sergeant for the Kittery Training Battalion, but it's unclear when that happens.  His physical description in "Not the Way the Smart Money Bets" doesn't mention the missing eye, so that may have happened between 3010 and 3027.)
"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

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Date: August 14, 3020
 
Location: New Hessen

Title: River Crossing

Author: John A. Thiesen
 
Type: Short Story (Stardate Vol. 3 #2)

Synopsis: Twelve hours after arriving on the dustbowl planet of New Hessen, Lieutenant Sandusky Sorrell (recently transferred to the front lines from the New Avalon Institute of Science) reports for duty and is assigned by Lieutenant Mikhail Gorodny to the command lance of Galt's Grenadiers, of which Gorodny is the XO.  He tells Sorrell to draw a ration card and prepare for night maneuvers prior to going into combat.  Major Galt arrives, and informs the group that he expects combat operations the following morning.  Sorrell is impressed by Galt's subsequent briefing, and resolves to follow him anywhere.

Sorrell is joined by MechWarrior Miguel Castillo, who is busy fixing the ventilation unit on his neurohelmet.  While he works, Castillo briefs Sorrell on the Grenadiers' TO&E.  They are joined, briefly, by Lt. Ludmilla Janonka, sole survivor of another company and temporarily assigned to Galt's unit.  She treats Sorrell disdainfully, which Castillo explains is a result of him being assigned to the roster slot formerly occupied by her recently deceased lover, Hughes. 

At the evening muster in the company bivouac, Sorrell meets the rest of the Grenadiers.  He takes special notice of "Crazy Jack" Deever, who is either a braggart or the greatest MechWarrior who ever lived (to hear him talk), and Robyn Fielding, a petite red-head full of impulsive confidence.  Sorrell powers up his Shadow Hawk, the Gopher, and joins the company in practicing attack formations in the dark until two hours before dawn, focusing in particular on setting up overlapping fields of fire.

Notes: Stardate is an interesting artifact of BattleTech history.  FASA's core product lines in its early years were Star Trek and Dr. Who (followed by Renegade Legion - which was basically a bunch of Star Wars-esque material with the serial numbers filed off after they got beaten out by West End Games to get the Star Wars RPG license).  BattleTech was launched as a "beer and pretzels" giant robot fighting game, and became an unexpected hit.  FASA initially licensed Reluctant Publishing, Ltd. to publish supporting material for their games - primarily Star Trek and BattleTech - an arrangement that lasted until FASA switched over to Pacific Rim Publishing's "BattleTechnology" magazine.

Stardate Volume 3 #2 was billed on the cover as the "Official BattleTech Issue," and publisher R.A. Brazeau promised future issues would include more articles and features on BattleTech, including errata.  Stardate's primary BattleTech author was John A. Theisen, one of the co-authors of the core faction sourcebook - House Kurita: The Draconis Combine.  That being said, this story and the accompanying scenario are now considered apocryphal (meaning something like this may have happened in the BattleTech universe, but perhaps not exactly as depicted, and it loses out in any conflict with official material.)

Thiesen's description of New Hessen as a "dustbowl" doesn't match its Dark Age description as a lush world where chronic hay fever is a serious issue, but perhaps Sorrell's half day on the world has been in an arid region.  Canon write-ups of New Hessen describe it as a tropical world with a thick atmosphere.

The unusual focus on night maneuvers might give this unit a special bonus in dark conditions (like the FM unit bonuses).  However, one might assume they're just working on building unit experience with coordination using spotlights, and/or EM or Infrared sensors.  The DarkScan unit described in Cranston Snord's Irregulars as enabling a 'Mech to fight at night without any penalties has been ruled as apocryphal.

Lt. Sorrell being a transfer from the New Avalon Institute of Science, with a 'Mech and the ability to pilot it, but without tactical experience, calls into question his training regimen.  We only have data on the 1st NAIS Cadet Cadre from 3025 onwards.  It's possible that, circa 3020 (when this story is set), the recently established (3016) NAIS hadn't organized the cadre yet, but just provided its students with simulator and field exercises.  This would explain Sorrell's familiarity with his 'Mech without ever having been in the field.  Assuming a four year course, Sorrell would have been part of the Institute's first graduating class.

It's not clear what unit Galt's Grenadiers is part of.  It appears to be a battalion-sized force (appropriate for his rank of Major), with first company being "Galt's Company."  One would assume that it's part of a regular AFFS regiment, since it would be odd for a NAIS graduate to be transferred to a mercenary unit. 

Circa 3020, this would be during Hanse Davion's heavy push (spearheaded by mercenaries) against the Capellan Confederation, and before Michael Hasek-Davion's efforts to secretly negotiate a cease fire on the Capellan front.  Looking at TRO:3025, the J-27 Ordnance Transport entry notes that Liao's 125th Deadmen kept the Liao forces in a defensible position during battles against Davion invaders on New Hessen in 3020, so this seems to be part of that campaign.
« Last Edit: 23 April 2018, 07:54:02 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.

Mendrugo

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Date: August 15, 3020
 
Location: New Hessen

Title: River Crossing

Author: John A. Thiesen
 
Type: Short Story (Stardate Vol. 3 #2)

Synopsis: The night training exercises ends two hours before dawn, and the unit returns to the forward base for maintenance and combat readiness.  Lt. Sorrell notices that Major Galt is absent, probably with one of his other companies.  Everyone falls out for six hours of sleep, reporting for a tactical briefing an hour after they awaken.

Major Galt briefs the unit, noting that their objective is to cross a river, neutralize the defensive fortifications and support forces, scavenge supplies, and move on.  The Liao fortifications are manned by four companies of foot infantry, manning nine bunkers equipped with artillery cannons and other heavy weapons.  A lance of CCAF 'Mechs is rumored to be in the area.

Three hours later, Galt's Company moves towards the river as the day heats up.  When they get to the river bank, within 200 meters of the nearest fortification, it opens up with an artillery cannon, hitting Castillo's Rifleman in the torso.  The infantry opens up as well, but with less effect.  Still dodging the incoming fire, Sorrell finds himself facing off against a Capellan Vindicator in his Shadow Hawk.  Sorrell charges the CCAF 'Mech and shoves it, causing it to fall into the river and become stuck in the soft mud, while Sorrell peppers it with missiles and autocannon shells, thinking to himself that this is a real live-fire battle, not just a simulation.

The rest of Galt's Company systematically destroys the fortifications, taking out five of the nine in the first minute of combat, while the larger 'Mechs begin mopping up the scattered infantry.  Sorrell notices that he accidentally turned his radio off, and hastily turns it back on, explaining it to Lt. Gorodny as a technical problem.  Gorodny orders him to help clear out the remaining bunkers while the recon lance investigates reports of another enemy force to the northwest.  Major Galt formally welcomes Sorrell to Galt's Company, making him feel at home.

Notes: Sorrell's reactions during the fight show that he's only had simulator experience and (perhaps) field exercises using powered-down weapons.  This engagement is his first contact with an enemy who is trying to kill him - further evidence (albeit from a non-canon source) that the NAIS Cadet Cadre wasn't an active vehicle for giving cadets field experience from the get go.

The artillery cannons are described as being based on Long Tom artillery (nicknamed "Tom Thumbs"), but having been jury rigged for direct fire, giving them the range of an AC/2 but the hitting power of a Long Tom, albeit at the cost of the ability to do indirect fire, and with the chance of a catastrophic explosion when firing.

Having infantry man the forts is entirely consistent with CCAF strategy of the 3000s - having planetary militia primarily consist of infantry that mans fixed defenses at key strongpoints, intended to weaken and delay enemy forces long enough for mobile reserves to be brought in.

Per the internal chronology of the narrative, the night operations started after dark on the 14th and lasted until two hours before local dawn on the 15th.  At that time, everyone got six hours of sleep, had a briefing an hour later, and then attacked three hours after that.  The accompanying scenario places the battle at 1030.  Doing the math...does that mean that local dawn is at 2:30 AM?  That's the only way I see it working out, unless the narrator is using Terran Standard Time or some New Avalon equivalent that makes little to no sense when applied to field operations.  (Given his lack of field experience, accidentally turning his radio off during combat, etc., he may just be green enough to track time by TST or NAST.)

The Capellans probably could have held the river crossing if they'd only invested in stronger armor plating on their bunkers.  The Tom Thumbs sound powerful enough, but if a single Company was able to smoke five bunkers in less than 60 seconds, they weren't well protected.  (Granted, the accompanying scenario notes that only two of the nine bunkers had Tom Thumbs, while the rest were just infantry bunkers.)  If the bunkers are too weak to hold up against sustained fire, there's no way they'll be able to fulfill their mission - delaying the enemy.  A 60 second delay isn't going to buy sufficient time for the cavalry to come riding over the hill. 

Given all the character sketches presented in the story, it seemed clear that John Thiesen planned a series of stories and scenarios chronicling the exploits of Galt's Grenadiers in Stardate, and they do make a return appearance in Volume 3 #5.
« Last Edit: 01 May 2018, 05:05:30 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.

Mendrugo

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Date: August 15, 3020
 
Location: New Hessen

Title: River Crossing

Author: John A. Thiesen
 
Type: Scenario (Stardate Vol. 3 #2)

Synopsis: This scenario accompanies the "River Crossing" short story in the same issue, and takes place at 1030 hours, August 15, 3020 at Buck's Crossing on the New Lick River.

The Attacker is Galt's Company (Marauder, Warhammer, Rifleman, Shadow Hawk, Crusader, Archer, Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Phoenix Hawk, Wasp, Stinger, Locust), which deploys on the south side of the river.  They win if they destroy six or more Capellan bunkers and exit any two Recon Lance 'Mechs off the northern edge of the western map board within 15 game turns.

The Defender is elements of House Liao's 459th Infantry Regiment (1 Foot SRM Platoon, 2 Foot Laser Platoons, 2 Foot MG Platoons, 7 Foot Rifle Platoons) and the 29th Independent 'Mech Lance (2 Vindicators, 1 Wasp, 1 Stinger), set up on the north side of the river.  They also have nine bunkers (Medium buildings with a CF of 40), two of which house Tom Thumb artillery pieces (direct fire cannons that have the range of an AC/2, do 20 damage, and explodes if a 2D6 roll - made prior to the To-Hit roll - is less than the number of times the cannon has fired in the scenario, doing 30 damage to the structure and killing the crew).  They win if they can keep more than three bunkers intact until Turn 15 and prevent more than one AFFS Recon Lance member from exiting the Western map, and destroy at least three AFFS 'Mechs. 

Any other result is a draw.

The map appears to be a custom job intended to be either drawn on the blank sides of regular BattleTech hexmaps, or photocopied from the article and enlarged.  It features a river of uncertain depth three hexes wide, with Level 2 and Level 3 cliffs along most of its expanse, on both the north and south shores. 

Notes: In the accompanying story, Galt's Company wiped out six bunkers in the first minute of combat, took down the Capellan 'Mechs, and scattered the infantry, achieving a victory.

The depth of the river isn't given - but the accompanying illustrations show 'Mechs at most knee deep, so I'm guessing the water is Depth 1.  (I'm not sure why "Buck" would make a crossing here, other than that the river is shallow, since no improvements have been made to the grade of either the north or south slopes to make it more fordable.) 

For the Capellans, your main goal is to keep the bunkers intact and kill at least three members of the Scout Lance.  I would recommend placing your bunkers (crammed with infantry) behind the ridges on the western map - meaning that the Davion forces will have to be right on top of them to attack them.  That also means that your infantry will be able to effectively fire back.  Putting the bunkers along the river bank is aesthetically pleasing, but just makes them sitting ducks for 'Mechs with significantly longer ranges. 

Now, if the height differentials on the river banks are actually 3+ hexes (3 Elevation, 1 Depth), they can't be traversed by 'Mechs using standard rules, which limit 'Mechs to 2 level changes per hex traversed.  This means the Capellans really only have to worry about the jumpers - the two Shadow Hawks, the Griffin, the Phoenix Hawk, the Wasp, and the Stinger.  Even better, the Recon Lance contains a Locust, which can't get off the northern edge of the western map (using standard rules - the Climbing rules would fix this).  Using this rules interpretation, the Capellans have a pretty good chance if they hide behind the ridgeline on the western map and create a densely packed killing field to take on any Grenadier jumpers that intrude.

For the Grenadiers, your tactics depend greatly on the deployment of the Capellans.  If they place the bunkers out in the open, it's a shooting gallery - plink the ducks from a safe range (prioritizing the Tom Thumb emplacements) and claim your kewpie doll, and send your Scout Lance jumpers through the shattered ruins.

If they hide the bunkers (as I recommended above), you'll need to send your jumpers into harm's way.  Send the Shadow Hawks, Griffin, Phoenix Hawk, Wasp and Stinger across the river on the eastern map, out of the sights of the bunkers on the western maps (the Shadow Hawks will lag, so let them catch up).  Spot for the Archer and Crusader's LRMs and try to get the Wasp and Stinger off the northern side of the western map, jumping and using terrain to avoid getting splattered by defensive fire.  You can speed up the destruction of the bunkers by jumping your Medium 'Mechs on top of the bunkers, letting your weight collapse the 40 CF structures while you fire at others.  Between the Griffin and the Shadow Hawks, you should be able to collapse three bunkers per turn, hitting your target of six before you take significant return fire.  Only engage the CCAF 'Mechs once you've achieved your victory conditions.  If any of your jumpers get heavily damaged, pull them back to safety under the protection of the guns of the Warhammer and Marauder.

If the Grenadiers get all six bunkers killed and get two Scout 'Mechs off the target edge, they should pull back and simply snipe at any CCAF 'Mechs that expose themselves until the timer runs out on Turn 15. 

While, historically (per the short story), the AFFS force made short work of the defenders of Buck's Crossing, the CCAF would eventually repulse the AFFS invasion force, thanks to the efforts of units like the 125th Deadmen, keeping New Hessen in Liao hands until the 4th Succession War.
« Last Edit: 23 April 2018, 07:59:00 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.

Mendrugo

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Date: February 10, 3021
 
Location: New Hessen

Title: A Whole Lotta Flak

Author: John A. Theisen
 
Type: Short Story (Stardate Vol. 3 #4)

Synopsis: Captain Matthias Livingstone and his driver, Corporal Kunstler survey a barren wasteland at the head of a column of six tracked transports carrying the recruits of B Company, 177th Infantry Regiment ("Livingstone's Vigilantes").  Livingstone authorizes a 30 minute break to stretch and eat rations. 

As the column polices its garbage and prepares to move out, a lookout named Surgov warns of approaching aircraft.  Livingstone's aide, Ramon Echiverra, tries to identify them from a hardcopy recognition manual, but Livingstone, looking through binoculars, is the first to identify them as Liao Transits.

He orders the infantry to abandon their trucks and disperse, taking cover in the sand.  Sergeants receive orders to destroy the trucks with grenades, giving the Liao aerojocks the impression that their attack run has completely wiped out the column.

The Liao attack run destroys the trucks, and the Transits move on, seeking their next target.  MacPurdell helps Captain Livingstone up and sees he is uninjured, but is concerned about his maniacal shouting and screaming.

Some time later, at the forward operating base where Galt's Company is stationed, Lt. Sandusky Sorrell and his friend, Miguel Castillo, are performing maintenance on their 'Mechs when Sorrell is summoned to the command hut by Lt. Gorodny, the company XO.

In the hut, Major Galt, Lt. Gorodny, Lt. Jacobs and an infantry officer are reviewing a map.  Gorodny orders Sorrell to gather the rest of the available unit combat personnel except for Castillo.

Galt introduces the assembled troops to Captain Matthias Livingstone, who reports the aerospace attack on his infantry company in the wilds near Buxtern Ridge.

Galt notes that the planet has three primary continents - Wenda (controlled by House Liao), Kalinga (controlled by House Davion), and Sokowe (disputed for the last two years with a series of feints, skirmishes, and organized withdrawals).  He points out that there has been an undeclared rule banning aircraft in the low-intensity fighting - a rule that House Liao now appears to be breaking, possibly indicating that the CCAF intends to escalate combat operations.

Galt proposes luring the Liao fighters into attacking a prepared position, ambushing them with concentrated anti-aircraft fire, and sending the message to CCAF command that introducing fighters into the fighting on Sokowe would not be cost effective.

Lt. Jacobs asks Livingstone why his troops didn't attempt to shoot the Transits down.  The infantry commander answers that his unit was hunting suspected Liao infantry, and wasn't equipped with the man-portable short-range missile systems that would have been required.

The briefing is interrupted by the arrival of Castillo, wild eyed and enraged.  He rushes to attack Livingstone, and has to be restrained by Walter Collins and Sorrell as he screams at Livingstone about getting his men killed with mindless heroics.

Castillo is sedated by MedTechs, and Sorrell asks Collins about the incident.  He explains that Castillo's younger brother, Lucio, had failed to get into a MechWarrior academy and instead ended up serving in the infantry, under Livingstone.  His unit took heavy casualties from air attack, and had been unable to return fire because Livingstone had banned them from using their supply of missiles after a near-fatal training accident.  Lucio died in that attack, and Miguel blamed Livingstone.  Collins opines that Livingstone is actually a good commander, but prefers tactics that are too conservative to be effective.

After the briefing concludes, Galt's Grenadiers begins a crash construction project that continues all afternoon and into the night.

Notes: The setting for the story is a backwater border world contested by the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation since at least 3019, with the AFFS in firm control of one of the world's three continents, the CCAF in firm control of another, and most of the fighting taking place on a contested third.  It may be intended to be New Hessen, which was the setting for the first Galt's Grenadiers story, but that is not made explicit in the narrative.  The opening scene in a sandy, barren desert wasteland matches the earlier description (in "River Crossing") of New Hessen as a dry world - though that description doesn't match later official write-ups.

The story is not dated, but Sorrell Sandusky's first scene is punctuated by a note that he joined Galt's Grenadiers almost six months earlier.  Since the "River Crossing" scenario was dated August 15, 3020, that would place this story around early-to-mid-February, 3021, so I've arbitrarily put it at February 11.  It's unclear what the time gap between the convoy's destruction and Livingstone's arrival at the Grenadiers' bivouac is, so I've arbitrarily placed it at being later that same day, though arguments could be made for it being up to a week earlier, depending on how much time it took for Livingstone to snap out of his screaming fit.

The infantry tracked transports seem to have been unarmed, or at least lacked any armament capable of serving an an AA capacity.  They could be standard Tracked APCs or Sherpa Armored Trucks, since the machine guns on those would be suitable for the expected anti-infantry work, but ineffective against the Transits.  Still, if two grenades suffice for each one, they could well be soft-sided tracked transport trucks, with no guns or armor plating to speak of.

Given what happened with Lucio, Livingstone's screaming fit would seem to be triggered by a serious case of "NOT AGAIN!!!"  To Collins' point, there wasn't much Livingstone could have done in that instance that he didn't do.  Once one side voluntarily gives up air cover, the other side enjoys air superiority for the rest of the campaign (until something changes that dynamic).  Wolf's Dragoons demonstrated this when they tricked the Sword of Light into keeping their aerospace assets grounded in favor of an "honorable" fight on the ground, not knowing that the Dragoons were still using their assets for reconnaissance from orbit.

This article reveals Galt's Grenadiers to be a mercenary unit, and not part of any AFFS line force.  That calls into question why one of the first graduates of the NAIS chose to join a mercenary force, particularly since it's noted that Sorrell was "transferred" from the Institute to the Grenadiers.  I wonder if Sorrell is serving in the capacity of AFFS Mercenary liaison officer, replacing the dead Hughes, and serving as the eyes and ears of the AFFS while being embedded in the unit, just as Minobu Tetsuhara was in his early work with Wolf's Dragoons. 

Their mercenary status makes sense, since the Federated Suns relied heavily on mercenaries to lead their offensive against the Capellan Confederation in the second decade of the 31st century.
"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

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Date: February 11, 3021
 
Location: New Hessen

Title: A Whole Lotta Flak

Author: John A. Theisen
 
Type: Short Story (Stardate Vol. 3 #4)

Synopsis: Dawn breaks over Buxtern Ridge, near the site of Livingstone's Vigilantes' annihilation, revealing six four story buildings overlooking the plain below, crafted to resemble water storage tanks. 

Inside, the buildings are revealed to be plastic-and-metal husks, concealing six Grenadier 'Mechs (Marauder, Warhammer, Shadow Hawk, Crusader, Archer, and Griffin), laying in ambush for the Liao fighters, along with SRM-armed infantry.  The Grenadiers and Vigilantes settle in for an ambush.

Notes: NAIS graduate Sorrell refers to the fake water storage shooting blinds as "Liquid Oxygen-Hydrogen (LOH)" tanks (Gee, why not call them "Dihydrogen Monoxide chemical storage pods," NAIS-nerd?), implying that they'll be taken for good strategic targets on the arid world of New Hessen.  However, official writeups indicate that New Hessen has 60% surface water coverage and has a tropical climate, suggesting that water isn't that strategic of a resource in general, though it might be useful in this desert region of Sokowe.

It appears that the Grenadiers lack any engineering vehicles or WorkMechs, since they use their BattleMechs extensively in the preparation of the ambush infrastructure. 

I wonder what the other two Grenadier companies are doing while Galt is on standby in a shed out in the desert?

In an odd move, Sorrell notes that Castillo has been excluded from the operation (presumably due to his antipathy towards Livingstone, and the very real possibility of an unfriendly "friendly fire" incident.  Yet, he runs a Rifleman, so they're prepping their anti-aerospace ambush, and sidelining their sole dedicated, Garrett D2J T&T system-equipped, anti-aircraft platform.
"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

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Date: February 22, 3021
 
Location: New Hessen

Title: A Whole Lotta Flak

Author: John A. Theisen
 
Type: Short Story (Stardate Vol. 3 #4)

Synopsis: For ten days, the six MechWarriors on duty take skimmers and jeeps out to the ambush site from the Grenadier forward camp before dawn, spend the day in their cockpits waiting to ambush any attackers, then head back to the laager just before dusk, turning site security over to Recon Lance and the infantry for the night.  By the afternoon of day eleven, tempers are fraying as the Grenadiers long for some action.

Lt. Sandusky Sorrell's readthrough of a romance novel titled Belladonna Heartache is interrupted by a report from infantry spotters that a column of vehicles is approaching from the valley below.  Captain Livingstone reports to Major Galt that the Liao armor is an hour away, at current speed.  Galt admonishes him to keep an eye out for aircraft, but Livingstone's radio soon falls silent, and he is unresponsive to hails. 

Lt. Iain MacPurdell, Livingstone's XO, finally reports in that aircraft are inbound, and that Captain Livingstone has become paralyzed with fear, unable to do more than scream "Here they come again!"  Galt orders MacPurdell to get Livingstone to an evacuation transport and to take command of the infantry company.

Four Transits come in low to get a close look at the buildings, turning the recon pass into a strafing run once the ruse becomes evident and their sensors detect the BattleMechs.  The Liao attack heavily damages Jacobs' Crusader and wipes out most of the unit's jeeps and skimmers, and inflicts heavy casualties on the infantry (leaving only four survivors out of 26 in the unit), but three Transits are soon flaming craters on the valley floor, and the lone survivor turns and heads back for its base, as does the armor column.

Sorrell tells MacPurdell how sorry he is for the loss of his friends, and weathers the grief-stricken man's resentment of the MechWarriors, protected in their 'Mechs and not having suffered any losses. 

Sorrell apologizes to Major Galt for his poor marksmanship against the Liao fighters, and pledges to conduct extra simulator training.  Galt acknowledges his poor performance, but commends Sorrell on his display of compassion for MacPurdell. 

Notes: The story ends with two MechWarrior 1st Edition record sheets for Major John Galt and Cadet Sandusky Sorrell, circa February 3021.  Per these, Galt was born in 2976 on Taggart's World in the Periphery, and is an Elite Marauder pilot.  Sorrell was born in 3001 on Kathil, and is a Green Shadow Hawk pilot.  He's noted as a cadet, rather than a Lieutenant, as stated in the story.  I suppose it's possible that, prior to the creation of the NAIS Cadet Cadre, cadets who'd finished two years at the Institute were sent out for a field practicum - in this case with a mercenary unit under contract to House Davion.

Galt's Grenadiers' insignia is pictured - a stylized "GG" atop a spherical black cartoon-style bomb with a lit fuse.

Given the long-range firepower on the ambush forces, I'm surprised they let the Transits come in for a strafing run before opening up and starting to pot them out of the skies with PPCs and LRMs.  They're lucky the Capellan column didn't try to attack at night, since the Scout Lance and infantry alone would have been no match for the Transits, and the Liao fighters would have been long gone by the time the ambushers made the 30 km trip from the laager.

The reliance on MechWarrior 1st Edition as source material is evident in the references to skimmers and jeeps, both of which are featured as combat support units in MW1E, but neither of which made it into any of the TROs. 
« Last Edit: 01 May 2018, 05:14:58 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.

Wrangler

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I wish some items didn't need a TRO entry. The jeeps and skimmers were basic vehicle, a 1 line of information can cover. MW1 had its flaws for sure, but it opened roleplaying possiblities without too many headaches.  MW2ed was one i was using for bit with my GM, but the college crew my gm was running (i was a guest) nearly broke the system to level of hilarity, but my GM managed.
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Skyth

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Given the long-range firepower on the ambush forces, I'm surprised they let the Transits come in for a strafing run before opening up and starting to pot them out of the skies with PPCs and LRMs. 

Actually, this follows the aerospace rules for around when the story was written. Back in the day, Aerospace used it's own map where each hex was one Battletech mapboard.  A ground unit could only shoot at an ASF if it was on the unit's board (Both units were in the same aerospace hex).  ASF's could only ground attack units in the same aerospace hex.  Basically, the only time that the ASF's could be shot at is when they were in the middle of their strafing runs.  (Not to mention strafing with energy weapons was downright nasty-towards the targets).

ASF's were also a lot more durable.  Surprised they managed to down 3 out of the 4 of them.

Mendrugo

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I wish some items didn't need a TRO entry. The jeeps and skimmers were basic vehicle, a 1 line of information can cover. MW1 had its flaws for sure, but it opened roleplaying possiblities without too many headaches.  MW2ed was one i was using for bit with my GM, but the college crew my gm was running (i was a guest) nearly broke the system to level of hilarity, but my GM managed.

The MW1E vehicles (except for the robots) were given official record sheets in FASA's Record Sheets Volume 5 - Vehicles, but didn't graduate to the later, much thicker Record Sheet books, which drew exclusively from the Technical Readouts, and didn't include any of the orphan designs that only appeared in MW1E or the various scenario packs (such as the Devastator tank, or the GDL hover tanks).
"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

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Date: August 8, 3021
 
Location: Teng

Title: Terminus

Author: John A. Theisen
 
Type: Short Story (Stardate Vol. 3 #5)

Synopsis: Following several boring months of garrison and relief duty on New Hessen, Galt's Grenadiers has been transferred to a raiding campaign against the Capellan world of Teng. 

Lt. Sandusky Sorrell is overseeing repairs being performed by Tech Sergeant Adkins on his Shadow Hawk, "Gopher," when Tony Altwasser (an orphan picked up in a ruined city and adopted into the unit during a 3019 campaign) pulls up on a skimmer and delivers a letter from home to Sorrell.  Too busy to read it immediately, Sorrell continues to help with repairs being done on Lt. Mikhail Gorodny's 'Mech by his Tech, Abboid Tuathal and his fellow MechWarrior, Miguel Castillo.

Later in the afternoon, the Scout Lance Locust returns in a great hurry, and its pilot, George Bester, races into the command hut.  In passing, Bester tells Sorrell that the Liao forces garrisoning the city of Cassor Nivel have pulled back.  Once Bester passes the message to Major Galt, the unit is swiftly summoned for a briefing.

Galt reports that the battalion's other two companies have forced the local Liao garrison - a company of the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers - to withdraw within the last 32 minutes - opening up a short window of vulnerability for an objective raid. 

Galt orders the company to come in from the south and perform a grid search, using their 'Mech hands to seize any loot, with the handless 'Mechs providing fire support.  He orders Collins to have his Griffin drop its handheld PPC to maximize loot hauling potential.  The company's lone Sabre aerospace fighter will fly overwatch, and report any movements by the Tau Ceti Rangers back towards the suburb.  If and when the Rangers return, the Grenadiers are ordered to fall back without engaging.

After completing the pre-mission check on Gopher, Sorrell remembers his letter from home.  He notes that he's been sure to write them twice a month since being deployed, but hasn't heard from his family much.  He is surprised by the letter's contents, in which his sister Xenia chastises him for not having written at all, mentions that his father is ill, and that their cousin Col has taken over the family business.  Sorrell resolves to write back immediately after the mission.

The Grenadiers move out towards Cassor Nevil, an underdeveloped village without roads or hoverpaths - just scattered buildings surrounding a cluster of medium and heavy buildings, the tallest only three stories high.  Sorrell notes that the inhabitants had all been evacuated when the CCAF turned it into a military command post and repair center.

Sorrell and the other Grenadiers begin smashing buildings open and sweeping the interiors with spotlights.  His efforts to use the Shadow Hawk's hands to open individual drawers are interrupted by a loud explosion, and Lt. Fleming reports that his Phoenix Hawk stepped on a land mine. 

Reports continue to come in of both loot caches and booby traps.  As the damage to Fleming's 'Mech mounts, Galt orders him to withdraw.  Disappointed, David Fleming swears under his breath and mutters the word "Terminus."

Lt. Ludmilla Janonka incinerates a House Liao banner flying from the roof of one of the buildings at the village center.  Galt places her on report.

Sorrell has no luck in his searches, triggering an alarm and causing a house to collapse on top of him.  After fifteen minutes of scavenging, scouts report company strength BattleMech forces inbound, and the Grenadiers retreat.

As the sun sets, the Grenadiers catalogue their loot, the best of which is Robyn Fielding's complete fusion engine assembly.  Sorrell asks what "Terminus" means, and Janonka answers "the end of the line." 

After the debriefing back at camp, Sorrell is in the midst of making a journal entry when Miguel Castillo enters with a captured CCAF Colonel's dress uniform and tells him to put it on, saying he's got a date with their lancemate, Robyn Fielding, who will be wearing some captured civilian clothing. 

Notes: Given the demonstrated susceptibility of ComStar personnel to bribery, one might suspect, from the contents of the letter, that Cousin Col has been arranging for Sorrell's correspondence home and any outgoing letters from his parents to be intercepted, though it's not clear how Xenia's missive got through, in that case.  I'm not sure why Sorrell thinks writing back will help matters, if none of his previous letters made it through. 

It's possible that this letter arrived through the AFFS military courier service, rather than ComStar, since Sorrell peels his family seal off both sides of the letter before reading it, and finds a "flat holo" inside the envelope.  That would then imply that someone inside the AFFS is intercepting Sorrell's communiques for fun and profit.  Sorrell makes a vague reference to his family supposedly being descended from royalty, but that only Cousin Col takes that seriously. (Dunh dunh DUNH!!)

Sorrell tells Castillo that he's a graduate of the NAIS and, as such, he's sworn to serve House Davion forces or allied mercenaries for no less than ten years.  This, at least, explains why Sorrell is with the Grenadiers instead of with an AFFS line unit.  It would seem that the NAIS regards mercenaries as good training cadres for recent graduates, and will probably recall Sorrell for service as a House Regular once he gets some seasoning in the field (assuming he doesn't die, first). 

There's ample precedent for mercenaries providing cadre duty - such as the opening missions in MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, where the player gets trained by Hansen's Roughriders.

The story ends with more record sheets for unit members, including Miguel Castillo, an Elite Rifleman pilot born on Chesterton in 2986; and Mikhail Gorodny, an Elite Warhammer pilot born on Sian in 2975.

Robyn Fielding was highlighted as a romantic interest in "River Crossing," and this concluding scene shows that the relationship has, slightly, progressed in the year Sorrell has been with the unit. 

It appeared that author John Theisen was planning future installments for Sorrell and Galt's Grenadiers (Will Cousin Col seize the family farm and marry off the fair Xenia to Snidely Hasek-Whiplash?!!  Will the Grenadiers be crushed like a grape when McCarron's Armored Cavalry blows through town on their Long March?!!), but "Terminus" is appropriately the "end of the road" for this series, with Stardate abruptly changing its name to Stardrive two issues later, and then ceasing publication altogether (having lost its imprimatur as the "official BattleTech magazine" to BattleTechnology (and possibly getting harassed by Paramount over use of the term Stardate.) 

Of note, however, Sandusky Sorrell does appear once more in "Assault on Jump Station Kusari" in the pages of BattleTechnology.  I wonder if Theisen gave this story the title "Terminus" and included the in-story dialogue explaining the term before or after learning that Stardate was ending.  If the answer is "before," I want him picking my Lotto numbers.

It's interesting to see mention of the Griffin's PPC being removable - a legacy design element from Dougram Fang of the Sun that didn't get official BattleTech rules until years later.  They seem to have forgotten, though, that the Phoenix Hawk, Wasp, and Stinger also have handheld guns.
"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

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Date: August 8, 3021
 
Location: Teng

Title: Terminus

Author: John A. Theisen
 
Type: Scenario (Stardate Vol. 3 #5)

Synopsis: Set on one CityTech map, this scenario pits Galt's Grenadiers against the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers in the village of Cassor Nevil.

The Defenders consist of the 4th TCR's G Company (Third Battalion), consisting of twelve Vindicators that arrive if a roll of 5D6 is less than the number of the current Search turn.

The Defender places 85 hexes of Medium Buildings and 15 hexes of Heavy Buildings on pavement hexes, and secretly places Treasures and Traps in various locations on the board. 

The Defender scores one point for every point of Internal Structure damage inflicted on the Grenadiers.

The Attacker consists of eleven Grenadiers (all but the Recon Lance Locust) - Marauder, Warhammer, Rifleman, Shadow Hawk, Crusader, Archer, Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Phoenix Hawk, Wasp, and Stinger.  They score points for each Treasure found and safely transported off the south side of the map.  The scenario ends when all Attackers have left the map.

Treasures include:

Case of Medical Supplies (1 point)
Field Surgery Kit (2 points)
Armored bodysuit and short bow (1 point)
Ceremonial swords and daggers (1 point)
1d6 x 1,000 yuan (2 points)
A heavily used Medium Laser (3 points)
A well-maintained Medium Laser (4 points)
A Flamer (2 points)
Small arms and ammunition (1 point)
A broken LRM-5 (1 point)
One ton of SRM ammo (5 points)
One defective jump jet (1 point)
Two heat sinks (1 point)
1 ton of armor plate (1 point)
1 unarmed jeep with no rear armor (3 points)
1 worn Class 30 fusion engine (1 point)
1 worn Class 60 fusion engine (3 points)
Full blueprints for 215 and 315 fusion engines (11 points)

'Mechs can carry up to three items per hand, except for the jeep, which completely fills two hands.  'Mechs can take a search turn to exit off the south side of the map and dump off its treasure into safety, then re-enter the following turn.

Traps include:

A vibrabomb rigged for proximity detonation (so...a regular mine, then)
An AC/10 shell rigged for proximity detonation
Three Inferno missiles with proximity sensors
A false floor that will drop a 'Mech into the building's basement.
Two alarm klaxons (that have no effect in the game)
A booby-trapped Hermes II arm, set to detonate its flamer fuel on contact.
A severed Wolverine arm rigged to detonate its autocannon magazine on contact.

Each turn of searching lasts one minute, during which each Grenadier may search any of the 100 building hexes, with a base 50% chance of success (if there's anything there) that increases to 93+% after 4 minutes, with bonuses for MechWarrior experience and penalties for lacking hands.  Once Liao units are on the board, turns revert to 10 seconds in length.

Solitaire play rules are included, with building hexes, Traps, and Treasures randomly assigned.

Notes: Going strictly by the scenario rules, it would appear that the best option for the Liao player would be to put all the traps in one location, so that there'd be an excellent chance of vaporizing any 'Mech that entered. 

Remember, you get points only for internal structure damage, and nothing for just hitting armor.  The Grenadiers will be able to shrug off scattered hits from widely distributed traps with nothing more than a ruined paintjob, but if you designate one building as having a false floor and then declare that all the traps point into that basement, the unlucky searcher there is likely to be completely destroyed, granting you a whole 'Mech's worth of internal structure damage points. 

For extra fun, you could put the most valuable treasure(s) in the kill zone, too.  Odds are, once they lose an entire 'Mech there, they won't send another in for follow-up.  It's kind of a jerk move, but hey, you're House Liao.  It's how you roll. 

To maximize the chances of someone wandering into Ground Zero, stack your buildings high (the story says nothing's over three stories, but there aren't any restrictions in the scenario rules) and have the death zone on the ground floor of one close to the southern edge the Grenadiers enter.

The 5D6 mechanism means that the Rangers won't enter until at least Search Turn 6, and only have a 50% chance of arriving before turn 18.  If the Grenadiers put all 11 on the job of searching, and give them each two turns to search (raising the success probability to 75%, pre-modifier), they can cover all 100 hexes by that time, so your best hope is to set up one or two death zones with multiple traps, and hope to score big IS damage points that way, since the Grenadiers are probably going to find most of the treasures.

For the Grenadiers, the Warhammer, Rifleman, and Marauder are fairly useless, with a -30% penalty due to no hands, meaning that a three minute search will only have a 57% chance of success).  Assigning them to do four-minute searches, while the other eight do two-minute searches, should allow you to cover 85 of the 100 hexes before the Rangers have a 50% chance of showing up. 

Start with the buildings on the north side, since that's the side the Rangers will enter on and work your way south systematically.  That will place you close to your exit-edge on the south when the Rangers to arrive, and allow you to withdraw without having to come under heavy PPC fire.
"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.

Wrangler

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Nasty trap...i forgot how different rpg could be in older editions of Battletech.  In way i think they were cooler.
"Men, fetch the Urbanmechs.  We have an interrogation to attend to." - jklantern
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"It's 200 LY to Sian, we got a full load of shells, a half a platoon of Grenadiers, it's exploding outside, and we're wearing flak jackets." VoTW Destrier - Misterpants
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Mendrugo

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Date: September 5, 3025
 
Location: New Avalon

Title: New Avalon Institute of Science - MechWarrior Training Manual

Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe
 
Type: Sourcebook (Stardate Vol. 3 #4)

Synopsis: The manual opens with a letter to new cadets from Acting Dean of Admissions, Colonel Vernon Stivers.  Stivers informs the cadets they are among the best in the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth, in terms of core skills, but warns them that NAIS will not be easy, and says that the attached manual provides an overview of the NAIS curriculum - Battlefield Technology, BattleMechs, tactics, unit compositions, and historical battles.

A second letter is from Major Vance Lyte, Curriculum Director.  He orders the cadets to forget everything they have ever learned, because it's all garbage.  He promises that cadets open to new ways of doing things will be able to learn from the best MechWarriors and Technicians in the business, and get to fight in the NAIS Training Cadre. 

The next section is written by Thelos Auburn, and provides a historical introduction.  He notes that the Succession Wars have been raging for nearly two centuries, resulting in a reversion to feudalism and technological development less than that of the 22nd century.  He characterizes the NAIS as a bold venture to regain LosTech, with unknown possibilities for the future.  He says that the NAIS students are an integral part of the project - and will participate in both the technological gains and learning to put them into effect on the battlefield, with the goal of bringing the Succession Wars to an end.

Auburn (presumably) continues with a section on the BattleMech.  He notes that the technology of these machines, which have dominated the battlefields for over 200 years, is largely not understood at this time. 

He notes that while each 'Mech has a different layout and configuration, the controls are fairly standard across the class.

He describes the structure as ultra-light foamed aluminum covered with a silicon carbide monofilament enclosed in a titanium steel shell casing, which serves as the connection point for internal systems.  Reactor housings and scanning systems are reinforced for greater protection. 

Joint actuators produced since 2900 have been of inferior quality to Star League versions, consisting of circuit packages mounted directly on relays attached to the skeleton.  Power transfer systems directly link to the myomers that control movement.  Star League quality equipment can be repaired, but new manufacturing can only produce serviceable but inferior mechanisms.  These sensitive joints are vulnerable to damage, leaving 'Mechs unable to move.

Myomer bundles are polyacetence fibers that contract when exposed to electricity, mimicking human tendons and ligaments.  Dr. Randolph Stafford, in the NAIS Medical Division, has managed to purify and refine myomer production, but current production capabilities are far inferior to Star League standards.

Myomer bundles are of three types - heavy duty for large movements (like legs), coordinational bundles attached to actuators and the gyro and sensors, and hand-strung, delicate groupings for small movements - such as the fingers.  NAIS is studying 'Mechs recovered from the Galtor Bunker to duplicate Star League era stringing techniques.

Modern ceramic heat sinks are, likewise, described as inferior to the Star League versions.  Auburn notes that the Star League versions, based on Shaldon Industries' model (lost when the factories were bombed in the First Succession War), were nearly three times more efficient.  BattleMechs vent heat through shielded conductive myomer tubing, called ventilation fibers, that conduct the heat from the reactor and weapons to the heat sinks.  Auburn notes that the sinks themselves are well armored and rarely damaged, but become ineffective when the ventilation fiber network becomes cracked.

The Gyro is the core to a 'Mech's ability to balance in a combat system, and its destruction will permanently cripple a 'Mech.  Current technology can only repair and partially duplicate legacy systems, but can't produce new ones. 

The engine generates power for all major functions, generating heat in the process.  Damage to the engine's heat/radiation spatial shielding releases heat into the internal systems, eventually leading to overheating and shutting down.  For this reason, the engines are heavily armored, making deliberate destruction of a 'Mech engine uncommon.  The engines leak some radiation, and hundreds of MechWarriors die every year from long-term exposure.  Star League cockpits were protected with a liquid foam radiation sealant buffer that automatically pumped onto the engine shielding in case of leaks.

Fusion reactors are equipped with heat sensors that trigger automatic shutdowns when they reach temperatures that might lead to an uncontrolled nuclear reaction.  Manual overrides are possible, up to a certain point.

Modern armor, according to Auburn, is still up to Star League standards - consisting of a layered series of boron microfilaments with diamond interlacing, capable of resisting both energy and physical weapons.  Post-Star League armor plating is less pure, and provides less protection.  Replacement armor plating is often shoddily attached, leaving gaps and creating weak points.

Auburn notes that most MechWarriors fail to use their scanners to spot such weaknesses, or for other vital uses.  Standard 'Mech sensor packages are capable of 360 visual views, infrared, ultra-violet, audio scanning, transmission monitoring and tracking, motion sensing, determining light intensity, analyzing moisture concentration, and sensing atmospheric disruptions.  Sensors can be used to detect enemy force locations and identify overheating units, but light intensity scans can detect weakened armor plates, moisture sensors can identify tactically important bodies of water for better heat sink venting, atmospheric scanners can backtrack sources of indirect fire, and ultraviolet scanners can jam enemy communications (microwave based ones, at least).

Notes: I'm including this series in the Chronological Fiction because, while apocryphal, it's written in a magazine that, at the time, was the main FASA licensee for BattleTech material; is written in an "in universe" style and perspective; and is the work of core BattleTech author Blaine Pardoe.

Major Lyte's admonition to "forget everything you know" seems to come out of frustration developed from working with cadets who'd been brought up in "the old school" of apprenticeship by their household's Master at Arms.  Rather than leveraging such built-in skill for what it can be worth, the NAIS appears to be taking the approach that they want more standardization in their graduates, to enable the troops to work together more harmoniously, and to stamp out bad habits.  Of interest, long before Ciro Ramirez was berating Kylie at the Nagelring for cross-training in 'Mechs and Aerospace fighters, Sandusky Sorrell's MechWarrior stat sheet shows that this particular NAIS graduate has both "Piloting - Mech" and "Piloting - Fighter" skills under his belt, bearing out the idea that the NAIS plays by its own set of rules.

Thelos Auburn's estimate that the Succession Wars have lasted nearly two centuries would place the date of this manual around 2990, about 25 years before the NAIS even existed.  (Later articles mention the Hatchetman, placing it solidly in 3025, with a mention of the Galtor Campaign being recent putting this in September 3025, or thereabouts).  Chalk it up to a fluid timeline in the early days...or Thelos' legendary absentmindedness.  ("Wait, what year is it, again?")

While it is true that many Outback worlds regressed technologically to 19th century levels, Auburn's rhetoric is a bit thick for students sitting in the NAIS campus on one of the wealthiest and most advanced of the Federated Suns' Golden Five worlds.

Much of the lecture on BattleMech systems repeats the refrain - we can't make these anymore, and what we can make isn't as good as what the Star League had.

For Myomers, "polyacetence" seems to be a typo for polyacetylene, which would make sense, since polyacetylene was demonstrated to be an electro-active polymer, which both conducts electricty and contracts when it runs through it, in 1977.  There weren't really any superior myomer technologies in the Star League era - Triple Strength Myomer was a late Succession Wars innovation with no Star League equivalent. 

Hrmmm.  Shaldon Industries Triple Heat Sinks?  Or does "nearly triple" translate to 2x in practical game terms?  In any event, it foreshadows the Freezers and Double Heat sinks from future rule sets.  The description of the heat sinks being connected to heat generating items by myomer fibers is interesting, and justifies the designers' ability to locate guns and heat sinks anywhere they want in a design, and still have a heat sink in the left foot vent heat generated by a laser mounted in the right arm.

The assertion that no new Gyros can be manufactured just doesn't hold water, unless you go back to the original BattleDroids setting, which posited that no new 'Mechs could be built at all.  This would suggest that Gyro production was the key bottleneck in the BattleDroids setting, and that 'Mech production could have been restarted even there if they'd been able to reverse-engineer Gyros.   (Periphery Tech: "So, we installed the rotisserie spike by the engine where it'll get some good heat for browning, put a lamb-meat cylinder on, and have the pita bread ready to go...I still don't understand why it won't stay balanced.  According to this "Joy of Cooking" technical manual I found, we've got everything we need to make a gyro...")

The description of hundreds of MechWarriors dying from radiation leaks every year matches numerous early sourcebook accounts of MechWarriors suffering radiation damage (such as that suffered by Aldo Lestrade, rendering him sterile).  I can see the reservoirs of anti-radiation liquid foam being drained or cracked open through the course of the Succession Wars...but did nobody think of simply lining the cockpit floor with lead?

Auburn's suggestion that modern armor was up to Star League standards, but often hung poorly, suggests that Blaine's FASA source material at the time hadn't yet envisioned Ferro Fibrous armor.  The inferior armor sounds a lot like BAR armor (ranging from BAR 8 & BAR 9 heavy armor with impurities, all the way down to BAR 2 sheet metal stripped from a delivery truck, still labeled "Processed Chicken")

The section on sensors is interesting, and suggests that BattleMech sensor packages are more versatile than simple iron-sights vislight cameras.  Of course, this description leaves out some of the more exotic sensor modes from the Tactical Handbook - like EM sensors and seismic sensors.

All in all, the NAIS Handbook is a far more detailed look at the BattleMech systems than was available in the sourcebooks of the time, in a manner that tries to give physics-based explanations for game-mechanic-based design elements.  This is part one of four in the series.
"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.

Skyth

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I think the armor thing is a reference to 1st edition Mechwarrior.  A bad roll on armour repair permanmently reduced the armor of the section by 1d6.

Liam's Ghost

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I wonder if the Tom Thumb was the original inspiration for the later Artillery Cannons, and the reason artillery cannons had such an early canon introduction. 3011 for the first functional lyran prototypes is plenty of time for the Capellans to try their own version in 3020.

Also, Tom Thumb is a great name.
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

(indirect accessory to the) Slayer of Monitors!

Mendrugo

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Date: September 5, 3025
 
Location: New Avalon

Title: New Avalon Institute of Science - MechWarrior Training Manual

Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe
 
Type: Sourcebook (Stardate Vol. 3 #5)

Synopsis: The overview of BattleMech systems continues.

Jump Jets are described as jet propulsion systems housed in their own armor with all fuel systems and feed lines contained within units connected to the 'Mech exterior, as jump jet systems integrated into the 'Mech structure pose the risk of spilling combustible liquid fuel into the interior, exploding and causing crippling damage. 

'Mech hulls are dotted with access hatches that provide maintenance crews with systems access, and allow the loading of ammunition.  The hatches are made of armor plate and are secured by computer codes to limit the potential for sabotage.  Codes are entered by inserting a small disk into the lock mechanism.  Hatches that pop open during combat represent priority targets for enemy attacks.

Ammunition loading systems in the BattleMech route reloads through the body, though the further it has to travel, the greater the chance of a jam.  Star League-era systems used pneumatic gas to move the rounds through flexible tubes.  Succession Wars era 'Mechs use gears and chains to physically pull mobile feed racks within the 'Mech along pulleys and guides.  These are easier to build and repair, but increase the likelihood of a jam.  Pneumatic systems are still possible to make, but are not considered cost-effective.

BattleMech cockpits are cramped and uncomfortable, but still serve as the working and living space of the MechWarrior.  Life support equipment, mostly positioned in the rear of the cockpit, protects the MechWarrior from heat, gas, and radiation during combat.  Cockpit systems pump fresh coolant through the MechWarrior's vest.  Ejection systems vary - most eject the seat forwards and upwards, others drop the seat out the bottom, and others fire out the rear or one of the sides of the head.  It is always a manual, pilot-initiated procedure. 

The reason for the cramped conditions is that Succession Wars-era equipment tends to be far bulkier than the Star League equivalents.  A diagram shows a Star League-era Archer cockpit reconstructed from original design blueprints unearthed on Galtor.  Standard cockpit accessories in the diagram include: water rations (8 liters); several kilos of pre-packaged rations; fire extinguisher; emergency kit (medkit, radio beacon, clothing, fire kit, emergency rations, hunting knife, "survival staff," a "fibra/plastic" slug thrower + 5 clips of ammo, and room for local currency or gold); emergency coolant flooding system, in case of extreme overheating; IFF Transponder controls; cockpit ventilation controls (the AC system); scanner viewscreen; scanner controls; communications speaker; BattleComputer relays (Star League only); weapons status monitor; manual gyro adjustment controls; opponent status monitor (modern units are far bulkier); Targeting System; heat indicators; manual heat sink throttles; incoming fire indicators (there's a red thingy moving towards the green thingy...I think we're the green thingy); emergency ejection controls; BattleComputer readout; foot pedal controls (for walking and running); fire control stick; balance and limb movement stick; exterior light controls (spotlights, floodlights, whitelight, and IR illuminators); communications systems; coolant lines for the vest; cockpit life support controls; flares (for illumination, signalling, or distress); the control couch itself; and, mounted on the aft bulkhead, the life-support connection main panels and manual overrides, weapon subsystem readouts, and a locker for personal gear, tools and spare parts.

During the Star League era, 'Mechs weren't encoded for security, but once they became irreplaceable relics, elaborate security systems were installed.  Codes are a series of movements of the machine entered through the neurohelmet, performed in a particular sequence.  Failure shuts down the fusion reactor and sounds an alert.  Procedures vary - some involving hand actuators, simple motions, head turns, etc.  House Davion Regulars use just hand and arm motions.

MechWarriors can either begin a standard start-up, or a combat emergency start-up.  The standard procedure gives the MechWarrior three minutes to close the cockpit, turn on the environmental systems, put on their neurohelmet, secure coolant lines, and deactivate the security system.  Then it takes 20 seconds to turn on the fusion pre-heat routine, another five to activate the power plant, fifteen seconds to activate the heat sinks, 20 seconds to turn on the BattleComputer and run diagnostics, fifteen seconds to turn on communications and spin up the gyro, twenty seconds to bring weapons online, 25 seconds to test sensors and scanners, 30 seconds to do a final systems checklist and engage the gyro, with movement initiated at the five minute, thirty second mark.

The combat emergency startup process gives MechWarriors 12 seconds to put on their helmet and deactivate the security system, 10 seconds to pre-heat the fusion plant, spin up the gyro, and attach coolant lines, 8 seconds to turn on the powerplant, activate the BattleComputer, and fasten the seatbelt, 15 seconds to pre-heat the weapons, activate the heat sinks, and orient the gyroscope, 15 seconds to activate scanners and do a 360 degree sweep, 20 seconds to activate life support and communications, and 40 seconds to engage the gyroscope, with movement commencing at the two minute mark.

Maintenance is described as half of a MechWarrior's job, due to the loss of trained personnel in the Succession Wars.  The NAIS manual emphasizes a rigid schedule of preventative maintenance.  The recommended schedule is:  BattleComputer diagnostic (every 10 days); Gyro stabilization tested (every 10 days); targeting system check (every 20 days); neurohelment and cockpit control test (every 20 days); coolant replacement and life-support inspection (every 20 days); actuator inspection (every 20 days - with a light coating of Dolanex applied before resealing); heat sink inspection (every 40 days); ammunition feed system inspection (every 40 days); jump jet inspection (every 40 days); myomer bundle retensioning (every 150 days); armor inspected for weakness, damage, or fatigue (every 150 days); actuator overhaul (every 150 days).

For battlefield maintenance, on the other hand, Dr. Henry Walten III of the Battlefield Technicians Department ranks systems according to their importance to the 'Mech's functionality:  neurohelmet and cockpit controls, including the BattleComputer; then powerplant and gyros; then actuators and jump jets, then weapons and fire control, then heat sinks, then armor and myomer, then communications systems.  The ranking is intended to inform Technician efforts to perform triage on repairs - whether to send a 'Mech to a rear-area repair depot, scavenge it for parts, or use parts scavenged from other 'Mechs to return it to battle. 

Notes: The description of Jump Jets as having self-contained liquid fuel reservoirs is a radical departure from the mainline canon description of them being hooked to the fusion engine for power, with thrust being provided by venting superheated plasma.

The concept of access hatches offers a logic-based explanation for the game results when rolling a 2 for hit location and getting a critical hit result on a section that hasn't been breached.  A lucky snake eyes shot sprung a hatch and allowed the damage to penetrate to the interior without having to chew through the rest of the armor plating.

The rear-oriented ejection seat appears, in canon, only on the Crab as far as I know.  The downward facing ejection seat could only work on a quad, like the Scorpion, or something with a torso-mounted cockpit where it's mounted to the front of the fusion reactor), since otherwise it'd drop the MechWarrior right into the fusion engine chamber.  Side-ejection seats would seem to pose a strong risk of a snapped neck. 

It makes sense to have rations in the cockpit, for long-term deployments in the field.  The emergency kit, however, seems poorly placed in the Archer diagram.  Though it notes it has security straps in case of ejection, that would require the MechWarrior to have the clarity of thought during the catastrophic failure of their ride to grab the kit and strap it on, then eject.  In the fiction, the kit is far more logically placed in a compartment that is part of the command couch, which leaves the cockpit with the pilot.  Not sure what a "survival staff" is, nor what a "fibra/plastic" slug thrower might be, other than that it might be a pistol made of plastic, so it won't show up on a magscan.

The emergency coolant flooding system presages the introduction of the emergency coolant flush unit, for quick one-shot cooldowns.  Heat sink throttles suggest that pilots can adjust venting - an important consideration when Triple Strength Myomers are involved (though I'm not sure of the practical utility in the Star League era, other than to prioritize heat routing to heat sinks immersed in water).

The foot pedal controls, which note that they strap onto the MechWarrior's feet for secure and smooth operation, imply that the leg controls are much like those in Pacific Rim, where the pilot's actual leg movements control the legs, rather than simply opening up the throttle and letting the computer handle the leg movements.

The exterior lighting controls suggest that most 'Mechs have spotlights, not just those like the Warhammer, Vulcan, and Guillotine, which sport spotlights as highly visible structural elements.

The communication systems entry again implies that 'Mechs have the capability to jam enemy voice and data transmission and reception, as well as quick identification of battle languages and codes.  Battle languages were a core element of Frank Herbert's Dune, but have never (to my knowledge) been referenced in BattleTech fiction.  Communications security is generally arranged by using laser links between units within sight of each other.

The standard start-up sequence works out to 33 turns of game time.  If you try to do that under fire, you'll be long dead before you start moving.  The emergency start up process takes only 12 turns.  Not great if you're trying to power up a stolen 'Mech in an enemy hangar (as Grayson did in "Decision at Thunder Rift"), but doable if there's nobody hammering autocannon rounds into your torso while you're doing it.  Best for when enemy troops are dropping from orbit right on top of you.

The security system description adheres to that described in "The Sword and the Dagger," where knowledge of the proper start-up procedure for the Prince's BattleMaster was the key evidence that exposed the impostor.  However, Stackpole's novels relied instead on voiceprint recognition, with specific code phrases.  Considering the two methods, the voiceprint seems substantially more secure, since the movements of the arms and hands would be visible to external observers - and depending on what type of cockpit you have, your head movements would also be visible.  Turning your head an exact number of degrees would also seem to be difficult to replicate, especially under stressful conditions.  The Stackpole systems seem to have become the default for the canon fiction.

Battlefield triage is also discussed in TRO:3025, though there it's noted that the guiding principle is "reverse triage," where quick repairs that get 'Mechs back into battle are prioritized, while those with heavier damage that will take longer to fix are put at the back of the priority list, due to limited repair resources.  This section does note that Dr. Walten's prioritization tables haven't been implemented as standard operating procedure in the AFFS.   Looking at the repair time estimates in the current ruleset, we see:

1: Targeting & Tracking Systems (150 minutes) + Life Support (120 minutes)
2: Fusion Engine (300 minutes) and Gyros (240 minutes)
3: Actuators (120 minutes) and Jump Jets (120 minutes)
4: Weapons (100 - 250 minutes) and Ammunition (15 minutes to reload, 100 minutes to fix critical hits)
5: Heat Sinks (120 minutes)
6: Armor (30 minutes) and Myomer (N/A)
7: Communications (N/A)

Under the principles of reverse triage, the order would be:
1: Ammo reload
2: Armor
3: Weapons (lightly damaged) and ammunition feeds
4: Actuators, Jump Jets, Life Support, Heat Sinks
5: Weapons (moderately damaged)
6: Targeting and Tracking Systems
7: Weapons (heavily damaged)
8: Gyros
9: Weapons (totaled)
10: Fusion Engines

So, the NAIS does things its own way, but there seems to be a strong possibility that AFFS repair bays would be jammed up with 'Mechs getting engine overhauls while 'Mechs that just need fresh armor plate sit around and wait.  If the Dragoons hadn't taken on the DCMS all by themselves and if the CCAF hadn't been compromised by Davion moles, using the NAIS triage system could have ruined AFFS efficiency ratings during the 4th Succession War.
« Last Edit: 01 May 2018, 08:51:13 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.

Mendrugo

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Date: September 5, 3025
 
Location: New Avalon

Title: New Avalon Institute of Science - MechWarrior Training Manual

Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe
 
Type: Sourcebook (Stardate Vol. 3 #6)

Synopsis: Having completed the overview of BattleMech systems, the NAIS Manual shifts focus to tactics. 

The author (presumably Thelos Auburn) notes that BattleMech tactics have been developed over the course of five hundred years, and that the Succession Wars have improved knowledge of deployment and maneuver, with tactics determined by the loss of technical sophistication. 

The initial section opens with an assessment of tactics for a lone BattleMech - a unit capable of exceptional mobility, yet with the ability to project accurate and lethal fire.  Depending on the weapons package, BattleMechs have up to three fire zones.  The outermost sphere is long range - typically LRMs.  Combat at this range is based more on defense than attack, with units packing LRMs concentrating fire on approaching units from the earliest opportunity.  The mid-range is the area which can be reached by all weaponry the 'Mech mounts - where skill may still count more than weight of fire.  The inner ring is the distance at which physical attacks are possible. 

The article lists all the 'Mechs from TRO:3025 and identifies at what range (in meters) they are effective in the 1st sphere (maximum range), 2nd sphere (optimum range), and 3rd sphere (close range).  Other considerations include speed, hands/arms, armor weight, and ammunition dependence. 

The author notes that BattleMech sensors can keep track of ammunition expenditure by an enemy target, albeit not as reliably as similar systems used during the Star League.  They suggest that pilots can hold their fire and pretend to be low on ammunition, luring enemies into killing range. 

On the subject of heat management, the author quotes NAIS Professor Taublus as equating heat control to a "grand thermal ballet."  He describes a NAIS-developed algorithm that gives a real-time projection of heat build-up and venting, but notes that the computer required to run it is half the size of a 'Mech. 

For close combat, Auburn recommends three general precepts: kick the legs of enemy 'Mechs to disable their speed, though four-legged 'Mechs can kick backwards; Arms can be used to push and punch, but care should be taken not to damage the arm in the process; hands allow the use of trees, steel beams, and 'Mech arms and legs, but only the strongest 'Mechs will find the use of a club worth the extra stress on arm and hand actuators.  "Death From Above" attacks can be devastating, but should be rare, due to the potential for self-inflicted harm.

'Mechs can function in a variety of environments - stormy seacoasts hip-deep in surf, frozen arctic mountains and crevasse-riddled glaciers, alkali deserts thick with abrasive dust, vacuum-scoured moons, and steaming fetid jungles that can corrode armor in a week.  Terrain awareness is necessary to dominate any battlefield.  Elevated positions are the most defensible, and can serve as strongpoints or fortresses.  Valleys can be conduits for unobserved movement.  Ridges can shield 'Mechs behind them.  Water increases cooling efficiency, but may separate a 'Mech from support troops.  Forests offer superior concealment, even from aerospace attack, and can serve as a vector for strategic use of fire.  Cities are killing grounds for unwary 'Mechs, offering ample concealment for ambush by assault troops, and should be assaulted with overwhelming force, if at all.

Weather also plays a key role - hot planets (jungle or desert) slow the pace of combat.  Arctic climates allow greater weapon efficiency, but uncertain footing, while restricting the ability to deploy support forces.  Precipitation degrades sensors and restricts vision, as well as slowing movement and causing loss of command control.  Weather can both inhibit attacks and aid counterattacks by permitting staging of ground troops without the risk of aerospace attack.  Flash floods, lightning storms, and tornadoes can all shatter even mighty BattleMechs. 

Notes: This section aims to fill in many elements that were missing from the core game in the early years.  Weather effects were added piecemeal over time (with a lot of them introduced in the Fall of Terra scenario pack).  The calculation of effective ranges and combat capabilities is a crude strength measurement tool that previews the later Combat Value and Battle Value (1.0 and 2.0) systems.

Professor Taublus' 10-ton heat curve calculator seems like a bit of a stretch, since thermal measurements of the various systems shouldn't be hard to calculate, and measured against heat sink output.  Real-time projections of heat build-up and venting are both a key element of the standard 'Mech record sheet, and of the heads up display in the various MechWarrior sims. 

The admonition against physical attacks being risky echoes the note in TRO:3025 that jump kicks can cause shearing stresses on leg struts.  There's no game rules that reflect the purported wear and tear on arms and hands from punching and using clubs (one passage cautions that cracking a foe's head open may risk crippling the arm performing the roundhouse punch), though self-inflicted damage is a core part of charges and death-from-above attacks.
"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.

skiltao

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I had no idea these detailed "Training Manual" articles existed! Thanks for finding and reporting on them. The maintenance article is especially interesting.

Considering the two methods, the voiceprint seems substantially more secure, since the movements of the arms and hands would be visible to external observers

Hm. Does the article opine on whether or not cockpit windows exist, and are transparent in both directions?

Thelos Auburn's estimate that the Succession Wars have lasted nearly two centuries would place the date of this manual around 2990, about 25 years before the NAIS even existed.  <snip>  Chalk it up to a fluid timeline in the early days

A few entries in TR:3025 seem to use that same timeline (like the BattleMaster, which claims to have been built for the Star League in 2830). It'd be interesting to compare linguistic markers in the StarDate article and the TR:3025 entries to see if Blaine Lee Pardoe wrote both.

It's interesting to see mention of the Griffin's PPC being removable - a legacy design element from Dougram Fang of the Sun that didn't get official BattleTech rules until years later.  They seem to have forgotten, though, that the Phoenix Hawk, Wasp, and Stinger also have handheld guns.

Hm. BattleDroids had a rule about damaged hands being unable to fire handheld weapons or pick things up, but nothing about an occupied hand otherwise being unusable. Perhaps they assumed such weapons could be holstered.

Also, Tom Thumb is a great name.

Seconded.
Blog: currently working on BattleMech manufacturing rates. (Faction Intros project will resume eventually.)
History of BattleTech: Handy chart for returning players. (last updated end of 2012)

 

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