[Actual Play]: Noblesse Oblige

[Minerva]

I decided to start a RPG campaign set in BattleTech universe after a hiatus of being player in fantasy game by my friend.

I have wanted to run a campaign set in BattleTech universe for some some. During the hiatus I planned the game theme to be: young noble officers who join to elite regiment. The idea was that there is roughly 50% macho masculine military campaigning and 50% of living within society where everyone else was your frenemy.

I quickly got myself 5 players: Ari, Hendrik, Jari, Sari and Sonja. There is also Anna who can play intermittedly. There are also few additional players waiting in wings but I have decided to keep game going for few months with these players and then get more as necessary.

Focus of game is in noble families and thus the first thing was finding a good family to play.

House Kurita was first choice with its masculine pseudo-Japanese culture. However, playing it is truly awful to women so I dropped it immediately as unplayable. House Davion was next one to consider but everyone who knew anything about BattleTech burst to laugh at the idea immediately. Real problem with Davions was that they are so badly designed faction that it is impossible to play them with straight face without huge changes to family. House Liao was next but no veteran player wanted to play designated losers of game. Furthermore, I thought that playing the ideologically charged groups was too challenging to 3 totally new role-players in our group.

Periphery has three factions that were also quite unplayable in the campaign premise. House Avellar was my initial favourite but it was too boring to continuous and intensive military campaigning. House Calderon was quite playable mini state but again nothing much was happening there to support continous campaign. House Centrella was neck to neck with House Davion on most ridiculous faction prize. Periphery independents and pirates were either too unsavoury for women players or too ridiculous to play.

This left House Marik and House Steiner as actually playable factions (which they are) and there we had long discussion on what to play. Marik's real advantages lies that it was virgin territory as far as role-playing is concerned and it has complex political situation. House Steiner was best in terms of realm integrity and civilian-military balance. I finally decided to play Steiner because I was more familiar with it. However, if we had decided to play mercenaries thet Marik would have been easily best choice to play condottiere in John Hawkwood's footsteps (only possible way to play mercenary in BattleTech).

Official RPG system (A Time of War) was truly awful system. It was extremely bad design (attribute and skill levels, character creation system in general, complex and slow combat system to name few). Thus I had no choice but to use my own house system.

The next step was designing what unit to play. House Steiner's real elite formation is Royal Guards but we decided against it as such a unit is perhaps too squickly clean and way too well equipped and supported to actually lose in battlefield against anything but enemy elite formation. Thus the net had to be expanded for wider area. My friend Jari had been reading books about Wehrmacht Panzer units for some time and suggested me to play medium weight cavalry formation.

House Steiner did not have many of dedicated cavalry units so Winfied's Brigade came default faction. It was also situated against border of House Kurita which allowed combination of valour and horror in battlefield. Winfied was also old system of House Amaris which allowed me to add storylines from BattleTech history (and add historical pressure points locally). Winfied's Brigade had also history which Jari skillfully turned to character's history.

[Minerva]

I mentioned earlier that I got myself quickly 5 players. The secret in that is making a good pitch. Thus the second step in running campaign was making the pitch where I stated in some fashion what to play, how to play and how to handle things.

My pitch (what I told to prospective players) was following:
The game was set to a gaming universe of BattleTech somewhere between years 3000 to 3025 (in loose fashion). Characters came from Lyran Commonwealth (LC). LC was a rich cosmopolitan empire with 300+ systems. It's culture was Western European in outlook with paternalistic management tradition roughly similar to late 19th Century France or Germany. It has sexual and racial equality (rare in BattleTech universe in general) and people come from all walks of life. The setting was essentially science fiction without alien races. Faster than light travel was possible but universe worked in ways that people in modern life would recognize. Thus finding suitable role and background were easy.

The role for each player was to be a young noble officer in fashionable regiment. The rough time schedule was 50% campaigning in front lines and 50% plotting against your frenemies in regiment.

The real catch in game was that there is a rules system that social life within regiment gave advantages to character's life in peacetime and wartime. Characters were to be allies or enemies with each other.

The game used fixed gaming date (Thursday) and time.

The rules system uses my own custom system because official rules were horrible.

----

I didn't believe in quantity. Thus I asked everyone interested to first sleep over it and then think if they were really interested in. At the same time I asked players to ponder with this relatively thin information to ponder character's main driving concept. I deliberately avoided info dumps because they were typically misunderstood or waste of time.

The point I wanted to drive home were:
"Why is your character in this fashionable regiment right now?"
"Why would she risk her life in army that is in constant low intensity warfare?"
"What is her primary motivation?"

Then I left players to ponder these issues until the first session reserved for making characters...

[imperator]

What type of system are you using and how does it hook up to the tabletop?  Why do you think that the 4e is too cumbersome ?  I can understand for setting up characters but the system itself lends itself to interplay with the tabletop fairly well.

[Trent]

The rules system uses my own custom system because official rules were horrible.

How so?

[guardiandashi]

thats what I am kinda wondering also

I can see implimenting "adjustments" to stats based on a campaign like for instance
putting some ranks of vehicle there for a mechwarrior campaign
putting some ranks of wealth, title, and property for nobles
etc.

I can also see applying some campaign specific rules in place to reward or penalyze "out of line behavior"
examples clan honor
excessive violence or cheating in a solaris campaign (cheating may be ok if you don't get caught... but if you are ....)
things like that

[Minerva]

I used custom rules for RPG and tabletop (heavily abstractized and actually played with real world maps rather than hexes if at all possible) due following reasons:
-RPG rules were horrible (see above).
-Various boardgame rules were very slow to play and/or missing vital rules support and do not scale up at all (to battalion battlegroup scale I was looking for). There isn't real support to "soft factors" and C4I factors which I like to emphasize in games where people are officers in campaign. There were also no real rules support to play noble intrigues at all.

Thus when I need to do a lot of modding to make a game work I prefer to throw the badly working parts off (A Time of War, BattleTech) and mod what is salvageable (I have essentially used Quick Strike before invention of Quick Strike from BattleForce II in my previous campaign(s) to speed the play).

Easiest solution was thus use custom system from the scratch and use background data where necessary to set values to different units/groups.

[Minerva]

I personally believed (and still believe) that making characters immediately was very bad way for running a RPG campaign. My preferred method was to have one session where players simply learned about each other and chatted with me about what they liked to play. It was also important to make sure that everyone actually found gaming area (my house). We'd start going through the BattleTech universe after first cup of tea when everyone was at ease.

I believed that motivation should define character and thus we started to build up characters based on following issues: "Story","Primary motivation", "Background and family issues", "personality" and "family wealth" (at least in noble scale). Since players did not necessarily have much thought out we did work out together those issues. This increased player co-operation and generally gave out (to me at least) what made players tick.

Ari: Primary issue was ambition. His father was military officer with excellent record who died accidentally just before promotion to general. He had lived all his life at the shadow of his father's memory and thus he wanted to be general (whatever the cost). He liked to overlord his underlings and was ready to sacrifice them if necessary. His family was "poor". Mother did not support soldiering (wanted boy to stay at home) and his hobby was car racing.

Hendrik: Primary issue is freedom and sense of adventure. His family were rich bankers and boy rebelled against them by enjoying extreme sports. If it is dangerous and spontaneous, he tried it. He liked taking risks and preferred immediate action rather than cautious planning. He was also somewhat naive as he thought that his subordinates were actually his friends and entourage. He actually thought he was "one of the pals". His parents bought son to army in hopes that he'd grow up or die trying.

Sari: She was a socialite and also a immensely wealthy heiress from a military family. Her older brother was supposed to carry military tradition but unfortunately did not make it. He liked men in army but mechs and dirt were simply ugh to him. Thus his younger sister was pressed to serve. She was a socialite and a party girl who had no useful skills or knowledges beyond art studies, cultural history and looking really good and fashionable. Her hobbies are shopping, ballet dancing and men. Her papers from the military school looked good mainly because she was a woman of average modesty. Her parents were satisfied that she looked look in paper. She preferred to avoid work and do nothing if at all possible.

Sonja: She was highly intensive daughter from a military family of average wealth. She wanted to be a soldier from the start and knows little about boys and much about warfare. This suited parents well who wanted her to follow their foot steps. She was young, athletic, keen and somewhat naive about military (and life in general). Her hobbies included track and field athletics and falconry. Sonja was also righteous and hardworking which made her irritating to say the least to other officers. Everyone agreed that she'd learn eventually how military actually worked.

Jari: Player absolutely wanted to make clear he'd play character of his own age (over 40). Thus we made his background separately. It was to be a "path to redemption". Once upon a time there had been a ambitious high flying officer (and adjutant in guard regiment) whose wife had been killed in savage fighting against Kurita. Man searched solution from a bottle and was kept as a training officer of the regiment for decade. Now his old friends in high command have pushed solution to his drinking and personality problem: Make or break. Thus he took over a company over objections of just about everyone else in regiment. To make things worse, he has learned that his daughter wanted to serve in same unit as well. His family fortune was modest by noble standards so he saw military as his only calling. He was old, cantankerous and cynical about everything in military. He also knew well how military worked.

After characters it was time to ponder other serious issues like what players wanted to happen and what they did not want to happen in campaign. In general everyone wanted a fast-paced action and adventure where game does not stop to rules minutea. This was only natural given players background in playing modern board games. Success was not necessary by itself as long as everything was exciting. There were also some discussion with players on what they did not want to see in game such as describing small children getting hurt, sexual violence or truly awful torture and like.

Finally we adjusted the game time tables to match every player so we'd get maximum number of players as often as possible.

Following this we were fairly satisfied for what we wanted to play and what were the limits of game. The Noblesse Oblige could finally begin!

[Minerva]

First Session: Welcome to the Regiment

First Ideas:

This was the first session so goals were following:
*First, learning basics of BattleTech universe (how spaceships move, Steiner family)
*Second, learning basics of Winfield (socially diverse setting with plenty of undercurrents for and against Steiner family rule, Duke Winfield’s role)
*Third, learning basics of role-playing (do not be ass, take others to consideration and make sure having fun is objective number one, some basics of rules)

The “storyline” was that characters travel to Winfield, spend weekend in capital and then join Regiment and learn of their bosses and each other.

Actual Play:

Travel to deepest reaches of Steiner Empire was always going to take time and be exceedingly boring. However, Lieutenant Hendrik was willing to spice up his travel by taking a trip to Winfield in regular cargo vessel enjoying to see how other half lived. Needless to say, the other half (actually 99.99999999%) was stunned to see him enjoying smelly, ugly monotonous life aboard. Then again Hendrik was a man who liked living at extreme circumstances. Meanwhile other future officers enjoyed their trip in comforts of civilization of rather well equipped passenger space vessel.

Following highly uneventful (and seemingly never ending) trip (to great disappointment to officers who had been taught to expect bloodthirsty Periphery Pirates(tm)) the Jumpship eventually jumped to Winfield. The travel of satellite space vessel, DropShip, from Jump Point to planet and landing was also highly uneventful.
Following a trip to Winfield City the young officers found themselves in best hotel of the city (and thus system). They had all few days to kill and started to reorient themselves to Winfield in their very own ways.

Ari thought that best way to get ready for his new life would be sleeping in hotel bed and eating well. After all, after a long time aboard a ship he wanted to enjoy at least some luxuries of life. Besides, he wasn't going to screw up his first impression.

Meanwhile Hendrik left hotel as soon as possible to drink and merry in town. He quickly found himself in a local night club, and then he met people with similar interests in extreme sports. Ultimately he joined to a small group of youth (who were actually roughly his age) who were infiltrators. Their hobby was going to forbidden places and getting back unnoticed and then post videos of their deeds. Hendrik was immediately hooked up to idea and managed to talk himself to join the group for tonight’s fun.

Tonight’s target was some barbed wire obstacle (easily cut) in local military base. Thanks to good luck they did manage to find a hole in guard shifts. The next step was cutting a hole to the wire that they almost managed to do until alarm went off. Thanks to bicycles and good knowledge of the land they managed to vanish before alert patrol arrived to the scene. Hendrik loved every second. This was definitely his like of fun.

Meanwhile Sonja thought that touring the city would be good to her. Indeed she enjoyed seeing the old city centre and its brutalism concrete buildings. However, she was a bit taken away of the numerous statues left from Amaris era. They were all depicting naked heroes waving phallic symbols and having tons of quivering women pleading in their feet. She was even more amazed when she saw people waving Steiner flags and talking wildly in their local language (which she had no clue). However, she had always liked Steiners and had had huge Frederick Steiner fan poster in her room in military academy.  Thus she had absolutely no problem in following flags and nodding to whatever people were speaking and then marching on around the place. She smiled and looked around and then went back to hotel liking the weird and wonderful world outside carefully ordered surrealism of military life she had been subject as long as she had lived.

Unknown to her Lyran Intelligence Corps, the secret police of Steiner empire, had been photographing the whole event in secret. After all, one of their many tasks was following all kinds of extreme moments with widely different agendas. This had been one of the many rallies of pro-Steiner minority of the planet to show who really calls shots to those who still called Winfied as Treeline of the Amaris time.

Meanwhile Sari was sitting in best night club of the system and feeling hopelessly lonely and bored. All the men were certainly less than interesting, funny and nice friends she had had in Tharkad, the hard core of the Steiner’s realm. She even pondered if there was something wrong with her perfect taste of men and dresses but she quickly thought such ideas as impossible. Saddened by this desolate wilderness of no civilization she chose two good looking men as toys for evening, night and morning to come.

---

Few days after this Jari-Pekka’s working days were opening badly. First, there had been a sabotage attempt against Winfield’s Brigade. Some unknown hoodlums, very probably Kurita DEST special forces operatives, had tried to infiltrate to military base. Unfortunately security had not managed to identify any of the attackers. Needless to say, everything had to be checked for possible infiltrators, bombs and acts of sabotage.

To make things worse his few remaining friends in Tharkad had pulled some strings and managed to have him reassigned from safety and security of training desk to actual maneuver unit. He was to lead a company in newly formed third battalion of the Winfield’s Brigade. However, his first would be to babysit newly arrived officer cadet who had been pushed through chain of command to Third Battalion until actual TO&E would be established. This cadet arrived with her huge big eyes filled with enthusiasm of getting actually run actual BattleMech unit. Upon seeing him she immediately announced in her brightest possible mood, “Hi Daddy!”

Final Thoughts:

While on of my newbie players (Ari) was a bit slow in inventing things to do, the others (Hendrik, Sonja) were quite ready to get into action and thus cause all kinds of story lines moving. Having fun was number one goal because no one paid any money for this and role-playing was substitute to time players would otherwise do.

I never really had a chance to do info dump on Steiners as everyone was having too good time. That would be postponed to Session 2.

[Cerberus_02]

While one of my newbie players (Ari) was a bit slow in inventing things to do...

Yet seems like the one least likely to get into trouble in the morning.   8)

[Minerva]

Yet seems like the one least likely to get into trouble in the morning.   8)

The whole point of the campaign is that "Good girls go to heaven and bad girls everywhere."
a) Be "good" and keep your nose clean. This means that character gets no influence (vital in surviving military organization and tapering up mistakes) but no black marks (career killers) either.
b) Be "bad" and you get noticed earning a good chance to get influence yet risk black marks as well. This is the essence of being a high flyer in (any) organization.

[Minerva]

Technical Session: Building a Battalion

This session was actually an hour before second session between me and Jari. The goal was to build up a battalion we’d use in game. Since we had 5 players and Jari was older player who liked his role as a company commander (and knew background well) he was happy to be that. The 4 other players filled neatly two companies with one NPC company commander. Winfied’s Guards was elite raider unit so weight Medium was deemed natural. It was also standard weight in BattleTech universe until forces started to get serious bloat in later iterations and supplements. There would also be NPC Battalion command lance (naturally Assault according to Jari).

We started by taking up the Strategic Operations and rolled a Medium Battalion with one Medium Company and one Heavy Company. Jari had a firm vision of a cavalry in his mind so he wanted the Medium Company. Company lance and subsequently Mech weight bands were rolled randomly. Finally individual Mechs were rolled using the old MechWarrior 2 role-playing game book using its Steiner side of Fed-Com forces.

End result was a short battalion with medium weight and enough punch to survive against Kurita forces.

Another part of BattleTech is the sheer size and complexity of modern force. In my campaign Winfield’s Brigade is a BattleMech Brigade which fields one short regiment. However, this force is actually a nucleus to a Winfield’s Brigade Kampfgruppe, which has supporting arms enough to two BattleMech regiments (it's TO&E size). Thus typical BattleMech regiment fielded by all armies have roughly half of these forces. Naturally biggest difference is the money available so rich armies (like Steiner's LCAF) field more and heavier armored systems while poorer armies field somewhat lighter forces and less technical support (like ECM assets). Only reason Steiner hasn't claimed throne in Earth is that its army lacks the "X" factor that some armies have and others do not...

Winfield’s Brigade Kampfgruppe HQ (Type C) – Controls any number of Type B and A HQ’s
   2 Kampfgrupe HQ’s (Type B) – Can control any number of Type A HQ’s.
   8 Kampfgruppe HQ’s (Type A) – Can control any number of maneuver regiments.
   1 BattleMech Regiment
   12 Armored regiments
   9 Mechanized infantry regiments
   3 Airmobile infantry regiments
   1 Separate armored regiment
   1 Separate infantry regiment
   1 Separate airborne infantry regiment
      with 3 airborne pathfinder squads
   1 Separate air cavalry infantry regiment
   2 Separate cavalry regiments
   2 long range reconnaissance companies

There are also enough other assets to support this nominal force in modern battlefield in all possible circumstances...

[Minerva]

Second Session: This is Third Battalion of the Winfield’s Guards

First Ideas:

Second session built up on subject of teaching players how “future fantasy” armies work.
Many role-players have not necessarily gone through military service so telling how armies work and especially how they differ from real life armies was necessary. The idea was to give idea how a small cog a company works in a larger machine of Winfield’s Brigade Kampfgruppe. It was also necessary to make sure that Steiner family force was definitely manned as a status conscious late 19th Century army (unlike other armies that have mindset closer to mid 18th Century).

Second goal was teaching what BattleMechs are and how they differ from most common Japanese animation tropes. I thought that this was necessary to get idea that Mechs are massive tanks which are slow, clumsy and heavy beasts. They also had staggering level of firepower. They can project it kilometers away (just like modern tanks did).

Actual Play:

Weekend ended with Battalion dividing new officers to lances. Battalion commander started dealing a dilemma. She had two company commanders and only one first company slot. Her first choice would have been a boy wonder Janne but orders to reinstate Jari as a company commander had came from Tharkad. Since any command from Steiner’s military headquarters in Asgard is a Word of God it was politically expedient to set Jari as senior company commander. Needless to say, his associate (and NPC) Janne saw this as a bloody insult since he was totally better in just about anything. He’d get back at Jari on earliest opportunity!

Second dilemma was dealing with bright eyed cadet (Jari’s daughter) who was doing her summer work in Battalion. Normally such personnel would be assigned to training unit to avoid early deaths in combat zone but Jari had obviously cashed some favors with Personnel Department to have her assigned to same battalion. To keep both units from going head to head she gave Salomon’s Judgment by assigning this feisty young bright one (and future General) to Janne’s Company. His enthusiasm would be curbed by need to keep young girl from hurting herself (and himself).

As far as younger new officers were concerned the selection was done using fairest method of all: totally pointless and often falsified personnel reports. According to papers Sonja appeared very keen officer with strong military family background. Jari thus took her as his second in command. Janne selected Sari as his second in command as her papers were downright perfect. She appeared to be able to walk on water. The two men had less stellar papers so Jari pressed on his vision of cavalry tradition with notionally aggressive and initiative filled Hendrik. Capable Ari was thus obviously good for Janne’s heavier company.

As far as choosing the NCO’s as MechWarriors were concerned Jari stressed selection of seasoned old personnel. He wanted people who had been with Winfield’s Guards (as unit had been known in previous Archon Alessandro’s reign). Those were only people he could trust. Meanwhile Janne chose people who looked according to papers to be seasoned and capable. They’d support his inexperienced officers.

---

Monday morning started with company commanders greeting new officers and generally showing them the ropes of the unit. After curt welcome by Regimental Commander and Battalion Commander they met their Company commanders who started to interview and note down initial impressions of their new underlings in vain hope of finding the next General of The Armies of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces.

Ari: “This officer is eager, young to his age and has moral quality to admit he is ready to sacrifice everyone.”

Hendrik: “This officer is exceedingly eager and stupid.”

Sari: “This officer is bloodthirsty to fault and has raw talent for plotting.”

Sonja: “She is very young and extremely young officer with level of eagerness that makes her breed apart.”

---

After these disappointments life in Third Battalion moved on normally. Personnel were assigned, equipment distributed, medical check-ups and endless paperwork carried out. Any young officer’s main task in a modern military force was to train her troops to perfection. Subsequently there was a mountain of paperwork to do.
This was something that every young officer did with keen perfection. Hendrik thought that training of troops should have plenty of outdoors exercises and have healthy body for healthy mind. His new training program would increase this. Jari thanked him for his efforts and dropped the plan to bottom of his incoming tray. He’d send it forwards in next year – or probably never.

Sonja’s training plan was fearsomely different. She had actually added all kinds of new manuals and training circulars which he had been ignoring all his life as a training officer. After all, who needed change and all the bother with it? He rapidly copied all the relevant attachments to his own without reading so his papers would look good. Then he added Sonja’s plan to bottom of the tray so Brigade’s carefully balanced training regimen (which had been followed for decade or so) would not be unnecessarily changed.

Meanwhile in Janne’s company things were moving on same issues. Jari’s fiery daughter had been terribly lonely in company as Captain Janne had dismissed her eagerness by hiding behind mountain of paper. Additionally he did not want to deal with her superb ideas on reforming everything from color of walls (what’s wrong with ugly green?) to training. He did add her concerns out of courtesy and even sent them to Battalion HQ to be spiked by Battalion’s Operational Officer. It never hurt to aid someone who’d probably end up his commanding officer.

Meanwhile Sari did not have slightest interest of wasting her time in endless paper work. Given extra energy of cadet it was obvious that she would delegate it to her. This proved to be extremely easy as she noticed being subject to extreme girl crush by over eager cadet who walked with her explaining everything. Cadet was more than happy as Sari was everything she’d be when she’d grow up and become a real officer. Young, beautiful, smart, sexy, confident and obviously superbly trained blond knight of Lyran Commonwealth who’d crush Archon’s enemies with mailed fist like a valkyrie she was! Sari even gave her a real job in making a training plan all her own. Afterwards Sari did change the name in papers and send it up as her own plan. Company commander accepted it as it went.

Meanwhile Ari was doing his best to look good and do his job. His training plan was word by word copy of training plans they had done in military academy. It was letter perfect and actually quite good. It was so good company commander actually used it with Ari’s name on it (to show off he had excellent officer in the making).

---

At the end of the week they finally managed to get themselves learn basics of MechWarrior job in the regiment. Since Captain Janne down due flu Jari was ordered to take the whole battalion out (Battalion CO was too busy with paperwork) and see that the new officers knew how to actually use their BattleMechs. This was to be combined with live fire exercise as they had found out some ammunition was going old. This would happen after a safety lecture of course. Jari put whole day to it.

In the next morning battalion went out in full force. Theoretically BattleMech could be started from cold to full battle readiness in 15 minutes with sensor system resetting taking perhaps another 15 minutes for night operations but this time he had everything checked out twice just in case. Thankfully no one accidentally pressed weapon systems safeties off and things everyone did forget were more or less not terribly important in battle. BattleMechs were fearsomely complex weapon systems and practically every MechWarrior always forgot something. As far as Jari was concerned as long as you did not screw up sensors, weapon systems and communications everything else did not matter in emergency.

Following a ponderous trip to firing zone the battalion opened up at targets as planned. Lots of waiting and frustration was finally paid off as entire world turned to a cloud of dust when fire started. Test Kurita units fell as planned (and it should have been no problems as simulated targets did not shoot back). Unit even managed to move to new firing positions according to plan.

The young officers were more than enthusiastic. Oh what a difference it all was as there were no instructors watching like hawks at every single step. “At last”, thought Sari aloud. “I was born to do this”, answered Hendrik. Ari was grinning wide and commenting brightly as targets fell down and he moved the cardboard enemy just as it should be. Jari’s daughter laughed, “Die Kurita Die!” Meanwhile Sonja was all quiet and shyly red as this was her first time ever…

---

Following all this there was the official formation of the Battalion. With plenty of flags and macho masculine pomposity so much loved by armies all over Inner Sphere the Third Battalion was officially started. The regimental ball in the Casino was stilted and boring yet everyone was enthusiastically talking about their experiences and talking what they’d expect year to follow to give them. The talk turned to professional matters and despite Jari’s rather excellent knowledge on all things BattleMech it were Sari and Janne who led the conversation. Everyone now thought that Sari had been obviously best informed officer around and she had impressed them all with her skills. “She obviously knew what she was talking about,” they mistakenly thought…

Final Thoughts:

This was the real first session with entire session dedicated to role-playing. Every player got along well and they remembered what their characters actually were all about. The interaction with other players’ characters and NPCs was still cautious but I thought it would get better. It was a start and I believed that most players got alongside well.

This was also the first time I used my influence game rules. The idea was that this way no matter what goes on those characters who do officially well (at least in public) get a chance to gain influence points to be used later as necessary.

Rewards:

Sari: +1 to influence for talking as if she knew what she was doing during the ball in Casino.

[Minerva]

Third Session: Alert Company Duty

First Ideas:

Original idea for this session was to force characters to be together and perhaps introduce a training mission where there is a possible sabotage (actually Steiner intelligence service Loki’s exercise) within unit. First there would be some time where characters would do whatever they really wanted to do in a military unit followed by short investigative period and then debrief followed by bombshell that this was all part of exercise to see if they were good enough for actual raid.

Actual Play:

Third Battalion was assigned to be on Alert Duty with its first and then second company to sit as alert company to deal with unexpected Kurita invasion if necessary. Thus there were no leaves as everyone in battalion would wait eventual alert exercise where alert unit would gather at designated point and then it would be inspected to see it was actually doing its job. Meanwhile everyone did wait.  To make things bearable the lances would rotate on 8 hour shifts sitting in coffee room of company barracks waiting for something to happen. In case of emergency their job was to jump to s jeep and then drive to Mech bunkers and wait for inspection and/or Kurita invasion.

Battalion went through its boring duty like a paralyzed opossum. Jari’s daughter went on and on with Sari explaining how she had shot up Kurita Mechs in her dreams/training and or did exceedingly exciting paperwork that was very important to ultimate victory of Lyran arms over its barbarous enemies. Meanwhile Sari pondered was she ever that excited over her own job? Naaah…

Bored Hendrik got a great idea. He had to stay on base but there was no reason for him to just sit idle. Oh no! Instead he’d take a challenge of doing something special, like climbing to the top of garrison’s massive Spaceport control tower. That was definitely something to do. Thus we took company’s jeep and went on his way.

Few hours later Jari smelled a rat. He hated babysitting young officers but he also knew that the moment they were not causing trouble was a sure sign they were going to cause trouble. Sonja was bored and going through glossy magazines and wasting her time in coffee room but missing Hendrik was definite sign that something was going on. Unfortunately LCAF did not issue dog collars with radar detectors for company commanders (something Kurita forces did according to his knowledge) so he had to ask military police to find out the missing man-child.

Thankfully to them Hendrik accidentally launched intrusion alarm on top of the tower so they were on case quite soon (although not until they secured the nuclear weapons storage facility just in case). Normally big, mean and brutal military police would simply beat up anyone they arrest but nobles were a breed apart and thus they politely escorted him back to company barracks. Meanwhile Jari waited for Hendrik just to tear him up a new one. After half an hour of use of voice on level that would have made opera singers green with envy he ordered Hendrik to do his last will and testament. Visibly shaken Hendrik did not understand that LCAF had a life insurance everyone serving in it no matter how thoughtless they were (and he had not done the paperwork necessary).

---

To make things worse Battalion commander ordered company commanders to unexpected meeting. Normally they had meetings all the time but unexpected meetings were always trouble. This time she presented her great idea. 3rd battalion would go to a training exercise after Alert Duty that would actually serve as a cover for a real raid on Kurita space! The target had been selected to be Verthandi, which was a minor system of no strategic importance. They’d also blow up a local factory.

The planning came in two stages. First the Battalion staff and Company commanders would make overall plan followed by ironing of details with all officers of the battalion. Battalion Commander was ready to sacrifice any level of secrecy for potentially realistic training. Both company commanders were horrified on idea but Battalion Commander had decided she’d make her mark as soon as possible and it was up to her officers to show their mettle…

---

The actual planning went forwards with firm goal posts at first. JumpShip commander was adamant that they would jump to Zenith point so jump would be as safe as possible to her multi trillion kronor vessel. No one was stupid enough to suggest a bandit point jump for risks of damaging vessel were too high compared to potential rewards. Furthermore Jari knew that arguing with polite but firm officers responsible for Steiner’s JumpShip fleet was like talking to wall.

DropShip officers suggested a combat drop to minimize dangers to multi billion kronor DropShips. Upper atmosphere would be tolerable but they preferred space drop to minimize number of Kurita air defense systems that could reach them. Jari and Janne both thought that to be totally unacceptable as they had very green companies whose skills in actual combat drops were totally untested. Last thing they wanted was a scattered drop in enemy system. Jari managed to convince DropShip officers that they would land on system with DropShips having right to abort should upper atmosphere having a single Kurita aerospace fighter. While Battalion commander was exasperated on visible cautiousness of DropShip officers that was the best they could do.

Argument over good tactics then moved to alternative safe landing zones. DropShip officers offered a landing few hundred kilometers away in remote farm field. Jari suggested more robust approach to few tens of kilometers away of target so time on ground –and thus Kurita response time- would be minimized. DropShip officers agreed to idea in principle but they wanted to land on a nearby island which would give them a natural protection from all but most best prepared enemy alert units. Janne liked the idea but Jari had no wish to walk under sea for lat few kilometers with a totally untested unit. After heavy arm twisting DropShip officers finally agreed to land on nearby farm fields which were uncomfortably close (merely dozens of kilometers away) providing they had full BattleMech protection for entire operation. Battalion commanders agreed to shield them with half of their forces.

The next step was selection of actual combat forces and tasks. The bad news was that there was a strong Kurita garrison nearby. The town itself had something like 150,000 inhabitants with perhaps 20-30 thousand more in nearby villages. It had airport and a Kurita regimental garrison. However, reports indicated that there was merely a single infantry battalion and smattering of supporting forces for something like 2,500 troopers rather than full scaled regiment between 5500 to 9000 men. They had also almost no armored vehicles and only a little bit or artillery. Unit was geared towards counterinsurgency work so their antitank capability was almost certainly low. Jari was definitely not trusting on that and made it clear to LIC liaison officer who was left fuming after his presentation.

Jari invented the first troop distribution plan for operation. One company (KampfGruppe Bertha) would form the shield between Kurita regiment and DropShips with lances set on strategic chokeholds alongside river. Certainly Kurita forces could crush through or bypass those points but it would take so long that entire mission would be over by that time. At the same time another company (KampfGruppe Adolf) would march local main road down to target area and blow up the concrete factory with their overwhelming firepower. After that they’d fall back to DropShips with KG A shielding the retreat against possible Kurita counterattacks. One lance would be strategic reserve and form close protection of DropShips against possible unknown threats.

Needless to say the argument over who should be leading charge at factory started immediately. Jari kept telling his plan but Janne completely blew up his fuse over the issue. All young officers were throughout shocked to see so senior (at least to them) go bananas and screaming on top of his lungs. This was all Jari’s plan but the heat got better of him and both company commanders screamed past each other until Battalion Commander stepped in. Janne had started it so Jari was right in her mind. Jari immediately buttered her by suggesting she would take command of KG Adolf while he’d lead the KG Bertha. Meanwhile Janne’s own command lance would be strategic reserve. It would also rather neatly take care of safety of his daughter too.

Newly minted officers were downright amazed on what kind of stuff goes on during planning. It did not look like anything they’d seen in training in Military Academy…

---

The trip to Verthandi was eventless. The boredom and sheer monotonousness of modern interstellar warfare came apparent during it. The glamour of war was essentially sitting aboard vessel (with walls either in greenish yellow or yellowish green internal protective paint) while not being able to do anything but sulk.

However, the new officers learned that whatever one might say about caution of DropShip and JumpShip crews they were definitely calm people who avoided speaking in loud noise. Everything was eerily quiet compared to normal huff and buff of garrison. Everything was also forbidden and time flew with everyone memorizing the plan (for lack of better things to do). Another hobby was listening to noises of different pumps and systems as highly complex (and expensive) space vessels hummed along just fine. Amonst better parts of life were dinners with JumpShip captain who seemed to have endless interest towards all possible news and gossip her guests could tell to her and the crew. Sexually frustrated Sari found out two things. First, JumpShip had lots of empty corridors to meet crew and get to know them better. Second, zero gravity sex just wasn’t as great as it had been advertised to be.

All and all it took a week to get to jump point. Then they jumped to deep space on some anonymous and uninhabited star system somewhere between Steiner and Kurita realms. After a week recharging batteries the lone Invader JumpShip finally emerged to Verthandi system. The three DropShip vessels undocked from JumpShip and then approached planet coming as close to each other as possible. This allowed them to present themselves as a single vessel of larger proportions: in essence, a lone fat and unarmed civilian cargo vessel so common in space.

The travel across Verthandi system was suspiciously uneventful. Entire Kurita deep space network seemed to be asleep. LIC had informed them that it had gone out of action some time ago due lack of spares and poor maintenance but no one had believed they would have not fixed it already. DropShip captains were pondering aloud some kind of Kurita trap but complete lack of pouncing AeroSpace fighters seemed to testify that things were going well. As a matter of fact entire Kurita deep space network was down and they had no idea what was going on.

It wasn’t until they broke to atmosphere that local air controllers started to ask what was going on. LIC prepared packages allowed crew to stall time on talking about identification failures and fooling local controllers how they had computer problems and would wait in orbit until things got cleared. Meanwhile the vessel went down and disappeared to ionosphere leaving local air controllers ponder if there was going on some kind of accident. Meanwhile the Lyran vessels screamed right towards their landing zones.

It wasn't until dropships were right on top of their targets when Kurita's alert fighters came screaming towards the area. Two Scholagars flew towards unknown potentially hostile but probably damaged own DropShip(s). however, this was exactly what Lyran CAP had been waiting for. With six Lyran ASF's zooming towards Sholagars Kuritans suddenly decided that running away was best course of action and bolted back to safety of their own air defense network. There would be no more aerospace fighting so Lyran fighters climbed up to orbit to wait for something to come forwards so they could kill it.

---

Leopard dropped off the few Mechs of Janne’s lance while the other 6 lances emerged from the two Union class vessels.

KG A and KG B went separate ways. KG A moved along the motorway towards the town overrunning such obstacles as parking lots of shopping centers and annoying traffic. On the other hand the KG B separated early in farm fields and each went through their own separate ways through forests and roads. Kurita forces were nowhere to be seen although that did not stop DropShip crews being extra careful about all imaginable hazards.

KG A moved the last ten kilometers to factory within an hour minding their moves to avoid any possible ambushes. Once there they opened up with all their weapons at the factory. It was a huge surprise to all new officers that there were no bright explosions, just huge puffs of greyish smoke after they hit something. Ultimately however, the factory caught fire and then they saw a very satisfactory black smoke.

The only ointment in seemingly perfectly going demolishing was a sudden ambush at Battalion commander's Atlas! Somehow some Kurita unit had managed to sneak up on them but no matter how furiously they scanned around the ambushing unit was nowhere to be seen. Little did anyone knew that it was actually Sari who had fired so enthusiastically that she had accidentally turned her mech to shoot at Battalion commander's lance. Meanwhile the dropShips' crews decided to take no risks and kicked off their jammers to full power. This caused entire town's electronics go off adding to general confusion to everyone around. Right at that time Battalion commander decided to call it quits and depart the factory as it was already burning very satisfactorily.

Meanwhile Jari was having his own problems too. While he and Sonja were in assigned positions Henrik was somewhat short of his position. Unknown to him Henrik had stopped the first truck and had started to interrogate through mech's megaphone terrified driver about Kurita forces. That was something Henrik had just conjured up due his excitement over the first mission.

To make things even worse the first Kurita forces from local garrison arrived to scene admist every long range sensor going haywire over overenthusiastic DropShip based jamming. Two kurita reconnaissance helicopters had been hastily called back in from nearby exercises and they were flying in blind without any kind of vectoring or idea what they were supposed to do. Jari caught both with his sensors and alerted both lances on approaching enemy.

When their vectors moved them right up to Sonja's lance he handed targets over to her. She followed both targets with same calm as if she had been in exercises. Sonja opened up with her Phoenix Hawk as soon as first helicopter got close enough to be within effective range. Target disintegrated immediately but second helicopter managed somehow to avoid the Lyran fire and run away.

Jari was pondering if this meant that next thing would be Kurita artillery bombardment on Sonja's positions so he ordered her to switch to alternative positions as they received very satisfactory call for returning to rendezvous positions. He also called in Henrik to hear him blathering something about trucks. He'd get to the bottom of it eventually!

Two hours of warfare and 6 weeks of space travel. That never happened in MechKrieger novels they all read and loved...

Final Thoughts:

Amusingly enough I did not intend to have the fast paced raid as part of this session but no one was really inventing anything their characters would do in decidedly boring Alert Company Duty so turning it to a charade for “intended” Raid preparations was necessary step to keep game flowing. Raid planning went well with Jari taking charge and other players giving input as necessary. The actual raid was also a success thanks to lucky roll on Kurita alertness (or lack of it) on approach to Verthandi.

I thought that it is vitally important for any GM to be able to throw out your entire plot if necessary and move forwards to “next phase” if most players mill around without touching the issue that hand. Thus it pays to have some beforehand planning and not push through things no one is clearly enjoying about. I had planned this raid before and thus it was easy to add to session.

I tried to stress that nothing ever goes according to plan in war. Kurita was caught completely unaware and thus their response times were realistic (15 minutes for fighters ready to scramble and 1 to 2 hours for unit in alert status after receiving orders to do so). In the similar vein ground military units did not make counterattacks based on hunches. They mobilized their resources and defend their home bases while waiting for orders. Such orders would have taken hours to process in real world.

Rewards:

Sonja: +1 to influence due killing Kurita troops.

Jari: -1 to influence due losing temper during argument with a rival company commander in public during battalion’s planning meeting.

[Captain Vlad]

I don't know why I feel compelled to know this, but...what kind of factory? :)

[Minerva]

It was a large forestry industry combine that produced first pulp and then paper in same complex.

[Captain Vlad]

Well.  That must've stank to high heaven when they set it on fire. ;)

They haul off any valuable equipment?

[Minerva]

Well, any factory that deals with chemicals burns in thick smoke when it catches fire.

Their job description did not include hauling off equipment. After all, they were perhaps 15 minutes to 30 minutes in factory area blasting it away. As far as hauling off equipment is concerned by raiders, it only happens in MechKrieger novels...

[Captain Vlad]

As far as hauling off equipment is concerned by raiders, it only happens in MechKrieger novels...

Some of those novels are likely based on actual incidents. ;D

Not being critical.  Just hoped they'd gotten away with something substantial after all drama in the planning room.

[Minerva]

Any hauling off equipment would have required entirely different set of planning parameters starting of pondering just how difficult it is to actually remove and carry in one piece factory equipment. (Hint: It takes a lot longer than some parts of a single radar.) It would have required professional manpower (and subsequently lots of infantry to protect them) and taken a lot of time on ground. This would have required planning different ways to deal with Kurita counterattack from forces on ground. (Hint: facing determined infantry regiment with real artillery support would have been a very bloody and risky business.) Pulling off constant CAP through that would have required more ASF assets and a new round of discussions with regimental HQ for additional DropShip support. In essense: more planning drama and more moving parts and interests at planning stage. Simple raid would have gone from testing battalion's skills to something far more complex and risky. Any GM should be very cautious on what one pulls off from one's hat because those small things mean lots of awfully complex planning and tricky execution to actually get done. Suggesting that they'd do that without said careful planning would have been pure MechKrieger novel nonsense.

"Gotten away with something substantial" was precisely what they got. Battalion commander showed off regimental HQ that her battalion is ready for serious combat. Jari got home alive and none of the troopers under his command died. His daughter is now officially first and only person in her class to have actual combat medal (from the jump) in her class. That is almost as high award as meeting Frederic Steiner personally (which she will gain in next session). Then Sari almost managed not to be exposed to be a poseur she actually is. Ari got through his first combat without screwing up proving himself to be a real man so to say. Sonja got actual kill. She is now officially hunter-killer who makes Natasha Kerensky pale in comparison (in her mind ast least). Henrik got ultimate adrenaline rush for being in a daring raid.

Thus they all got something exceedingly substantial: personal success.

[Captain Vlad]

Any hauling off equipment would have required entirely different set of planning parameters starting of pondering just how difficult it is to actually remove and carry in one piece factory equipment.

I'll chalk that up to the battalion commander placing the raid's training value and avoidance of casualties at a much higher priority than it's overall strategic or economic effect.  I can understand that she wanted what amounted to a riskier live-fire exercise for her green troops more than she wanted a substantial strategic victory.

(Hint: It takes a lot longer than some parts of a single radar.)

Hint:  There were other examples linked to, and I could easily find more. 

More than one 'raid' has netted the victor a lot of loot.  They didn't have to go after factory equipment, either;  had the BC decided she wanted this to be a smash and grab, she could've likely decided that transport vehicles, chemicals, etc, etc, etc. would be worth the time to haul off.

Not lingering around was a sound tactical decision;  not arguing on that point.  It just don't think the BC has enough of a piratical streak to satiate my personal larcenous impulses. ;D

(Hint: facing determined infantry regiment with real artillery support would have been a very bloody and risky business.)

Of course it would.  Did you assume that I didn't think that?

Pulling off constant CAP through that would have required more ASF assets and a new round of discussions with regimental HQ for additional DropShip support. In essence: more planning drama and more moving parts and interests at planning stage. Simple raid would have gone from testing battalion's skills to something far more complex and risky.

I think they could've added an 'obtaining' objective without too much additional risk had they really put their minds to it.  It sounds as if you're approaching the idea from 'what do we need to get x piece of equipment', when I'm thinking more in the 'we've already got this level of support, what can we grab using what's already been granted us'.

The Steiner folk have never struck me as being terribly good at that kind of thing, though.  The raid does seem very "Lyran."

(Hint, I am enjoying this thread, and I'm really not trying to start an extended argument).

Suggesting that they'd do that without said careful planning would have been pure MechKrieger novel nonsense.

Again, I think we're approaching the problem differently.

"Gotten away with something substantial" was precisely what they got. Battalion commander showed off regimental HQ that her battalion is ready for serious combat. Jari got home alive and none of the troopers under his command died. His daughter is now officially first and only person in her class to have actual combat medal (from the jump) in her class. That is almost as high award as meeting Frederic Steiner personally (which she will gain in next session). Then Sari almost managed not to be exposed to be a poseur she actually is. Ari got through his first combat without screwing up proving himself to be a real man so to say. Sonja got actual kill. She is now officially hunter-killer who makes Natasha Kerensky pale in comparison (in her mind ast least). Henrik got ultimate adrenaline rush for being in a daring raid.

Yes, they got all that.

But, putting myself in the mindset of your upwardly mobile crew,  it never hurts to have a little loot to show off the superiors, now does it? ;)

[guardiandashi]

one thing that I have seen in a lot of the fiction for battletech is lets say they take in a "typical lyran "heavy lance" on the raid, all 70+ tonners that can pickup 7-10 tons each walk into the facility and go... hmm that looks like an armor forming machine that weighs 25 tons I walk over to it with my atlas shove it (to sheer it off its retaining bolts into the floor) and we drag it onto the truck that can haul 100 tons, and while we are at it we grab the internal str shaper, and that crane off the assembly gantry.. the truck guys are telling us that they are up to ~90 tons so lets pick up that pile of armor slabs over there.

ok and I will pickup that box of heat sinks in the corner... ok lets go ....

some raids are about picking up anything that is not "nailed down" and if a battlemech can rip it out... its not nailed down

[Minerva]

Fourth Session: Adventurous Training

First Ideas:

This session was to be first session where Anne would be playing. The original idea was that Anne and Jari would be taking part a seminar for senior leaders and junior leaders would be sent off to an adventurous training.

Seminar would be used to introduce main villain against Steiner family rule: Frederic Steiner, a future pretender to the throne. This would be main meta-plot where he recruits angered regiments to support his eventual turn against ruler of Steiner Family: Katrina Steiner.

Adventurous training was some kind of group activity where lieutenants would plan their “holiday” on their own. This was essentially secondary concept of the session.

Actual Play:

With 3rd Battalion back in Winfield it was time to return to normal peace time service (Motto of LCAF was “Peace is Our Profession, War is Only a Hobby!”).

Everyone was somewhat surprised at latest news from Tharkad (Sonja: “apparently Melissa Steiner is going to be next Archon even though she doesn’t have one iota of military training … that’s crazy!” and Sari responded: “Look at those shoes Katrina is wearing and Nondi’s frock!”). However, the real big news was that Hero-Hunter-Warrior-Playboy-MechWarrior-Battle Captain(tm) Frederic Steiner was going to come to regiment to talk in Winfield’s annual military-industrial-complex get together. This was naturally all top secret but entire regiment knew about it in about less than a day. Sonja was entirely prepared to hurl herself to arms of her greatest hero alongside just about every woman (and male) officer of the regiment but this was not to happen. While real officers (everyone who was at company HQ and higher) would be there the lieutenants would be left behind to take care of the regiment. After all, someone had to guard and maintain the trillion kroners worth of hardware while every officer would be drunk as a skunk in a week long seminar/party…

After few seconds long pondering on logic of the idea of letting someone like Henrik responsible for few thousand megatons of nuclear annihilation it became self evident that calling LCAF’s reserves and retired to work as caretakers/janitors would be a good idea. Thus the next phase of plan was sending young officers away, preferably somewhere where they could not cause trouble. Hence adventurous training where they would learn co-operation and bonding and all that jazz.

Battalion was in full swing as they got new officer Anne. Jari got all his alarm bells going on as soon as he learned that she had been in same exclusive schools as Sari and even got in military academy at the same time. On the other hand she was intelligence weenie (“that’s not so bad”) but her hobbies included patriotic things like brainwashing others to blind obedience to Steiner family. Needless to say she also believed that whatever Katrina says goes (and anything Frederic says goes always). Noticing that he had a dangerous viper in his battalion Jari took precaution of avoiding her until she’d gotten more sense to her mind. “Perhaps being with Sari would make her less fanatical,” he hoped in vain…

The next problem was his daughter. If all officers were gone this little power puff girl would be in charge of entire battalion (and its nuclear launch request keys, entire cash register, unlimited credit card and all intelligence files). Thus he swatted two flies with a single swoop by making sure she’d be with him in party and thus seeing Frederic Steiner and battalion would be in safe hands by some random geriatric officer still playing the war.

The adventurous training got in a bad start. Sari was adamant that whatever they’d do they would certainly not be roughing it. Sonja thought falconry was such a noble sport they should do it and Ari thought that rally driving would fit the bill. After severe shouting match battalion’s adjutant came up with an idea that they sdhould go to see live volcanoes, “Perhaps one in Coldland and one in Warmland?” Naturally all loved plan (which they were supposed to come up on themselves in the first place). The idea was to visit Coldland first and then enjoy Warmland.

---

The trip to Coldland was fast with modern aerospace liner and officers soon noticed themselves looking at inhospitable and quiet rocky island. Sari had learned that it was actually filled with most excellent hot springs and its night club scene was lively. Her plan was to advertise herself by lounging in a spring followed by wild sex afterwards (possibly some clubbing too). Meanwhile both Sonja and Ari got out to town. They both went to local museum to see what life was like when this island was inhabited few hundred years ago. Henrik’s idea for fun was some extreme sports (hiking to a nearby steep mountain side). After one or two days of that they would hitch a ride with local passenger ship (Sari absolutely refused to hitch a ride with fishing vessel). The town had perhaps 300,000 inhabitants on island of 400,000 so it really was really all there was.

Sari was completely flabbergasted what actually happened. First, the clubbing scene had died in economic crash that had happened a year ago taking tourists away. Thus only people in 24/7 night club were actually one elderly couple (who were sitting there to pass the rain). Even worse, the hot springs had absolutely revolting stench that just didn’t match her mood and much less her bikini! Despite all she tried to go on with her usual holiday routine: First she’d drink two drinks, and then parade herself followed by a fresh change of clothes if there was no luck, then rinse and repeat until she got lucky (by getting drunk enough to lower her standards). Situation got so bad after half a dozen changes of clothes that she tried to get geriatrics to her bed (failing badly). Then she moved to take pills because hotel room bottle was now empty…

The next morning started with alerted hotel manager calling Sonja because there had been some kind of accident. Hotel cleaner had found out almost dead young woman (Sari) in her hotel room and ambulance had taken her to hospital. Needless to say Sari had given up the whole adventurous training there and then explaining with glassed eyes that she’d had a medical emergency and thus she would need to continue all this by going to a very expensive private clinic (somewhere in civilization with nearby fashion stores). Sonja accepted all that and decided that she’d take over the expedition and simply lead her group’s way through the obstacles to volcanoes!

---

Back in Coldland the passenger ship took Sonja, Ari and Henrik towards the volcano. Sonja was somewhat surprised about the fact that local inhabitants were fairly passive towards Lyran Commonwealth. She had expected someone to attack her. Henrik and Ari looked her as if she was insane (too much time with Anne?). However, they all agreed that speaking with locals was a problem. Locals did not seem to speak much German and what locals managed to scrape by just wasn’t German any of them spoke.

Generally Sonja and Henrik spent their time pondering on locals and enjoying the view of Coldland shores but Ari was more curious of the ship itself. He managed to talk to ship’s crew to get him a guided tour through the vessel. He was particularly interested in machinery in general and ship’s massive engines in particular.

After a few days later they managed to get to volcano which was black and forbidding. Thanks to (generously tipped) local guide the trip there was uneventful and views spectacular. While they flew to Warmland they pondered just how unlucky Sari had been for not being able to attend the spectacle of live black volcano.

Meanwhile Sari’s life had been saved and she was enjoying the tender care of most luxurious spa possible. Unfortunately she had to attend daily rehab sessions (10.00 to 11.00 ) where she skillfully played being so embarrassed of her accident and just hoping to mend her ways (once again). Enough crocodile tears ultimately paid off and she got herself a weekend of free time to go to civilization to buy herself clothes.

Three hour later Sari was ready to hit the best night spots of the city and to finally get herself a holiday romance. Her first idea was to find herself a target rich environment and then party hard enough to succeed. What followed wasn’t completely known much less understood but the wake up in hotel room with four men and hotel’s concierge relaying hotel owners hope that she’d leave immediately proved that she had had a blast. However, the bad news was that the next stop would be again the same spa she had arrived from. To make bad thing worse she had to sit there for the rest of the week her adventurous training (holiday). Sari was red in anger, “It is so wrong!” but staff was adamant as they showed her newspaper headlines like “Drunken Heiress Burns Down Exclusive Gay Club Shame”. Then all she did was smile shyly… 

Meanwhile Ari, Henrik and Sonja were in Warmland enjoying the hot sun, bathing costumes and extraordinary views. Henrik’s idea of fun was hiring a motor boat to take them to a tourist island with active volcano. It was even more of his idea of fun going out without local guide and got lost (he called it scenic route). Meanwhile Sonja and Ari were not amused. After some blind piloting and good luck in navigation they did manage to find the right island and the right tourist trap.

The active volcano was a spectacular sight to all. While Sonja was taking as much video as possible to their travelling report Ari was enjoying the warmth and power of volcano. After a joke by Sonja and Ari he decided that he just need to take a souvenir from the place. He immediately jumped down from the observation platform and ran towards torrents of liquid lava. Everyone was screaming his idiocy (including GM) but he managed to pick up a big black basalt stone and bring steaming rock to her fellow officers to show off. They were immediately banned from the premises of volcano sightseeing forever by authorities. The rest of holiday was thus sun, rest and sand...

---

Meanwhile Sari was in a world of hurt. It was not her hijinks in town (that was her own problem) but the fact that maintenance crew had fixed Battalion CO’s Atlas and found out that sabot round wedged to its back was actually Lyran ammunition. To make things worse the serial numbers had matched the lot of rounds distributed to Sari’s lance and computer simulation had proven out that she had fired Battalion CO. Given fact that Sari had papers from Military Academy that proved she could walk on water (according to them she was superb officer in the making) and no enemy in sight the Battalion commander was highly interested in how the hell did she shot her in the back?

Battalion commander started to talk first with Jari, the older company commander and only officer old enough to have served in Alessandro’s time. Her first idea was that Sari was some kind of Loki agent sent by Archon Katrina Steiner (or more likely her LIC flunky in Winfield’s Brigade HQ) to assassinate her. After all, like most of the old guard there was no love lost between old guard and Katrina. Jari noticed that this was indeed a serious problem. To make things worse at the same time Sari had been in drunken revelry in one fashionable metropolis a prominent local politician who had been openly questioning Katrina’s plans on having Melissa her Archon Designate had been in near fatal accident. Surely Sari had been on newspapers but it was far too obvious to be just a coincidence! Jari pondered idea of arranging an accident but such movement would be an open defiance to Archon’s rule so they decided to watch Sari like a hawk. Sooner or later she’d make a mistake and then they would get rid of her or use some other way to ensure her obedience until time would be ripe or she would be moved to another unit...

Shooting your superior officer in the back in combat was black mark at best and court martial offense at worst and Sari’s career was as good as over. Normally LCAF officer in general and LCAF noble officer in particular would have resigned on the spot or shot herself but Sari had different solution in her mind, just like in the days of academy when she had fixed every single problem. She moved right next to her Battalion commander and said, “I’ll do anything you wish…”

Final Thoughts:

This session again proved that no session plan survives contact with players. With Sari’s drug overdose and subsequent adventures on her own she hogged a lot of time and Anne and Jari were reduced to bystanders. However, we agreed to play seminar in the next session so that Anne and Jari would have their share of the fun.

Another problem was that players (and thus characters) could not agree on what they should do. This is quite rightly called “typical player passivity”. In order to get things moving I suggested the volcano plan.

On the other hand everyone had great time as action was thick and things went onwards.

Rewards:

Sonja: +1 for taking command of the expedition when Sari had gone to hospital.

[Captain Vlad]

She moved right next to her Battalion commander and said, “I’ll do anything you wish…”

So....

...did it work? :D

Seriously, though, a night out with Sari sounds more dangerous that the raid they wen...erm...the Third Succession Wa....no...the Jihad.  Yeah.  The Jihad would be about right for that level of destruction.

[Minerva]

Seriously, though, a night out with Sari sounds more dangerous that the raid they wen...erm...the Third Succession Wa....no...the Jihad.  Yeah.  The Jihad would be about right for that level of destruction.

Sonja thinks her body as a temple, Sari more like amusement park...

Seriously put Sari is essentially living her life roughly similar to great Restoration era rakes like Byron. And why not? Her family has more money than Croesus. Her vast estates are run by professionals. She doesn't NEED to do anything beyond appearing to her current job in uniform and keeping some kind of facade of professionalism (at least in paper). She can only engage in vices and follies because she can and need to carry on her infamous family traditions. She will eventually go down in flames or fly high above anyone else. There is no other road for her...

[Lysenko]

Privyet!

Definitely an entertaining read. :)

[Minerva]

Fifth Session:  Survival Training

First Ideas:

Survival training was a backup plan for seminar as Anne could not arrive to play. Thus I simply dropped the whole seminar concept for good and moved forwards. The survival training was intended to show players that life in colors was not always fun and that there were other people too in army. This was also excellent opportunity to add potential paramours/friends/enemies to mix.

Actual Play:

With the seminar behind everyone and Winfield’s Brigade returned back to normal state of affairs. This time the Brigade HQ had been particularly active (always a bad news) to train its troops to perfection. This time it meant learning survival in foreign (some would say definitely some currently secret Kurita system) flora and fauna. The survival course was something like a week of guided survival training in field followed by a week of avoiding dedicated hunter force. This was typical with a mixed group of MechWarriors and smattering of other fields as well as members of various commando units whose names and unit names tended to be somewhat fuzzy.

LCAF was quite aware that most (99%) of MechWarriors considered forests and flora and fauna as “green hell” and generally started to mentally collapse about as soon as they were alone in forest. On the other hand the personnel of various commando units were more than ready to live in forest for weeks to an end. Thus for interest of common safety the MechWarriors were paired off with commandos. Commandos would drag the MechWarriors through forest for a suitable time (the current standard was 24 hours) until ditching them to wayside as soon as hunter force would be in actual range. This ensured that MechWarriors would pass the test and commandoes would get actual training in dragging paraplegic in field conditions.

MechWarriors tended to have no real idea what they were supposed to learn over complaining cold weather and their general misery. Meanwhile Sari slept through most of the lectures (alongside commandos). The fire making, marching and bivouac building and other skills were best learned by simply playing helpless until commandos would be frustrated enough to do actual work. Especially Sari put her extensive survival training experience to good work making sure she had been paired with most muscular commando (he wasn’t that bad looking either and good company as long as he kept his mouth shut) whom she expected to do everything for her.

After a week of absolutely nothing learned the course moved to more dangerous part. MechWarriors were supposed to play situation where they would be surviving on their survival packs after having ejected from their BattleMechs. Commandos were supposed to have escaped from a prison camp so they would have nothing on them other than crudely crafted knives. A dedicated hunter force would give them half a day of time and then hunt them down.

Meanwhile the officers of the 3rd Battalion moved towards goal with their commandos. Ari had gotten himself a commando whose idea was that MechWarriors were excess baggage and Ari better keep his mouth shut and follow his lead. Ari was quite ready to do that.

Henrik’s natural instinct for action had made him friends with the commandos. Being ready to try out rough and ready things and having picked up a basalt rock he seemed to have qualities commandos appreciated alongside good nature to try out his best even in rain. Meanwhile commandos knew Henrik would not last to the end but he would definitely try his best.

Jari had paired himself with commando company commander who was here only because it allowed him to hide from endless paperwork. The longer he was in field, the more of the work would be done by his subordinates. Thus he was always in field. He was also as big drunkard as Jari so they got along quite well smoking cigars and drinking while walking at leisure pace.
Meanwhile Sonja had been paired off with commando officer who was quite smitten with her.

Sonja appeared to combine good looks and smarts and for a good catch to any young noble officer looking for fun. Unfortunately Sonja was so serious to pass the training that she did not understand his hints for flirting. Well, he knew that goal was well worth the wait. In the meanwhile he helped her when necessary and led the way towards the goal. After all, he wanted to win too.

Finally Sari had his commando carrying everything for her while showing off his atlas-like physique. She could hardly wait for the night to give him hero’s reward.

Unknown to all Jari had been determined to win the exercise so he had been drinking very seriously with leader of the hunter force in previous night. Professional MechWarriors like Jari were quite able to drink and relatively new officer under the table so in the morning the hunter force leader was in no mood to do his job. Instead he led the team to a quiet place in forest and ordered his men to wild goose in wrong direction (to find tracks just weren’t there) chase while he tried to improve his hangover in general and diarrhea in particular. As a matter of fact he was in so bad shape he refused to move from his sleeping place until next morning…

With no one to hunt trainees all groups ended the day in forest with commandos building bivouacs at routine skill. As the night fell and supper was eaten (MechWarrior’s survival packs were filled with easy food so no one needed to trap anything). As far as the night it went at perfect calm aside the natural voices of forest, i.e. the mating voices of Sari.

---

The second morning started with teams moving towards goals. Hunter Force was still moving at ease but it was obvious that some people were going to get caught today.

Jari was still drunk and caught a momentary bout of insanity. He was pissed off on idea of actually getting caught. Thus he decided to show off the commando captain that he could easily best them should he want it. Two hours of brisk march later he noticed that her bottle of brandy was empty and he sat to a tree stump to wait for hunter force. After few hours of waiting in rain and throwing his empty bottle at first hunter force dog to come to see him he surrendered.

Hangover was beginning to kick in too and it was downright horrible by the time he was brought to the interrogation tent. Since everyone in intelligence knew Jari was mean bastard they had decided to give interrogating him to youngest and most inexperienced interrogator.

Jari promptly insulted him for two hours and then whole interrogation was ended as fruitless.
The next one to fall was Sari. Walking in forest with man of atlas physique was one thing but walking in forest when it rained was quite another. He did carry all her gear but that did not make her mood any better. Still they managed to get to the third day with entire night spent in absolutely stunning sex. Hunter force had actually located her due noise but had not captured her due show offered. She was caught in the next morning when it started to rain for good.

Sari was feeling quite miserable in rain but the interrogation tent was downright warm. As the young (and cute looking) interrogator asked for her name to start it she answered, “anything you wish me to be…” The poor boy dropped to muddy floor on surprise. The following interrogation video was clearly material to be shown in Military Intelligence’s next staff party.

Ari had been doing his best to stay with the commandos but it was clear that he just did not have it. The weight and weather and general misery alongside scorn of the commando was wearing him down. Still he pushed himself to the limit and lost it as the dogs caught him.

Ari’s interrogation went surprisingly well. He managed to keep his composure for almost 15 minutes before he told them everything. He had simply been worn out. It took longer to make sure what he said was coherent.

Sonja was at excellent mood through her march. The commando officer was inspiration to her and she pushed herself until she saw nothing but red balls swimming in blackness instead of actual forest. He did help her but did not patronize her. He was actually a good companion and they would reach the highest Lyran military standards together today! Then the dogs barked and he vanished running away as she slowly but surely was left behind. The certainty of victory changed to bitterness of defeat in a matter of minutes.

Sonja was almost in tears as she was caught. It had been so wrong. She was furious at her failure to best this exercise. Thus she vented out her frustrations to interrogator even before he had managed to start the actual interrogation. It was like half an hour ranting later that she realized she had just told him everything she was and what she did. Then she went all very quiet and embarrassed. Naturally the interrogator had to give her coffee and comfort her. No further need to interrogate her.

Henrik marched as long as he humanly could but ultimately he heard the dogs of the hunter force and commandos left him behind as a bait to slow down trackers. Still they were not jeering him but had helped and encouraged him along the way. However, given choice between getting caught and trying to win it was clear that Henrik had to be left behind. Henrik had no regrets when hunter force caught him. He had given his best shot but it just wasn’t enough.

Henrik was tough nut to break, mostly because he was too tired to say anything but eventually the interrogator told him what to say. He had had a long and exhaustive day after been totally worn out by Sari’s unique defenses and he just wanted to finish it all off.

Since training had been a total fiasco from standpoint of both hunter force and MechWarriors it was simply better to agree that everyone was right and exercise had been a total success. Meanwhile commandos were laughing off at both forces…

---

Jari’s daughter had been ordered to be sent back to safety of Tharkad to continue her studies to be LCAF officer and a MechWarrior. However, before that she met all the other officers in the Battalion to tell just how much she had learned in her summertime in a Battalion. Jari was teary eyed but happy for her.

She also spent last of her time with her idol Sari telling how exciting it had been to skin a small mammal. Sari on the other hand thought such things were downright disgusting and told her that there was no need to do such things as long as there were men who’d do that for simple favors. As a matter of fact she could get anything done just like Sari did as long as she would give men and women small flirting and more.

Jari’s daughter was absolutely stunned: “Oh my God! That is disgusting …. Tell me more!”

---

The next step in preparations for total war was interview with officers to see if they were satisfied with the unit and ready for real combat. Battalion Commander bypassed the interviews with company commanders seeing them pointless. Instead she’d deal with younger officers. The question was: did they want to serve in this unit or did they want to cash out of it.

Ari was more than willing to be in service. Despite the fact that she could not remember a single thing he had done right or come out ahead of others she could not either recall any problem he had caused to her at all? Thus he was what could be described as “a good man”.  After all, given headaches of every other officer someone who came across quite sane was refreshing breath of new air. On the other hand it was his blandness that made it clear this man would be promoted according to regular promotion schedule, no slower or faster.

Henrik was quite enthusiastic about his service. He was so perfectly happy of everything and promised to carry on even more happily his service. It was a shock to him to hear that she was less than pleased. She was not terribly happy that he had been fooling around with some truck on road leaving a hole in defensive cordon against Kurita in raid. Kurita had not exploited it but they could have done it. The fact that Henrik had not noticed it only made it worse. This man was almost certainly NOT suitable to any position of responsibility.

Sonja was exceedingly happy for her service. She had been training to this all her life and despite failure at survival training (something Battalion commander had not even bothered to read about) she was ready to spill her blood for Archon Katrina Steiner. There was something utterly scary in her eyes. Battalion commander thought she’d make perfect officer in any of Archon Katrina Steiner’s personal bodyguard units. She also made note this woman would be quite good to promote as early as possible. Despite this she also had to prick Sonja’s ego just for her own protection. Thus Sonja was stunned as she left the Battalion Commander’s office. Her commander did not think her accomplishments so far (destroying reconnaissance helicopter) as equivalent of killing Lord Kurita’s personal champion in duel. It was SO wrong!

Sari was next the case. It was becoming obvious that this woman was NOT from Loki (or she was the best actress in the Lyran Commonwealth). Thus she received a more indirect approach. Perhaps she should go out in the next weekend to night club of the best hotel in Winfield? Perhaps she should come in and have a chat with her?

---

Sari went to best night club in Winfield (as always) and happened to go past restaurant table where Battalion Commander and shark looking lawyer were going over papers. It was nothing particularly special as any busy noble woman would often get a brief from her professional estate managers and family’s lawyers on things that were happening “back home”. She was the warrior while her husband was the business mind of the family. Sari just happened to meet her commander and thus business briefing was momentarily disrupted as lawyer went away to sit in bar for a moment as he better avoid listening any “girl talk”. She pushed to Sari papers to look at who took a glance at them for pure curiosity.

Battalion Commander’s family was planning a massive infrastructure project to move oil from cold regions to buyers in densely populated areas. It was essentially a solid investment but finance was tough to get. Public funding from Commonwealth and Provincial level infrastructure budgets was not going to come any time soon due priorities in war damage fixing. So far the private funding had been languishing in negotiations and haggling over fractions of percentages. As a matter of fact one of the financial institutions they had been negotiating with happened to be owned by Sari’s family. Quick and positive decision making on this delicate subject would be much appreciated. Sari was throughout relieved that she could simply pay herself out of it. It was something her parents and their lawyers did on routine basis (to save both her and her brother and parents and grandparents and cousins and like).

Then it was time for lawyer to pick up the forgotten papers as he’d go away and leave ladies to enjoy each other’s company. Sari had not really seen her Battalion commander out and it was obvious why her frock always seemed to be without batteries. Just about every ten minutes she said something bad. No wonder Jari had muttered in his weaker moments that Battalion commander was at her best when she was asleep and/or away. Steiner family was famous for either sulking or speaking out of order but they were Steiners and thus always right and thus her Battalion commander seemed to need a bit of a help.

Sari took the lead making sure that she was the perfect hostess. She arranged them men and made sure any of Battalion Commander’s abrupt comments were tapered over by her own languid mannerism. She did her best to lead the discussion and make sure Battalion Commander had all the attention she needed. The night went on and on and turned from wee hours to breakfast and subsequently time to retire. Sari whispered to her commander who just had about the best night out of the year:  “Perhaps we should seal the deal … in usual manner?” And there was whole weekend ahead of them…

Final Thoughts:

This session went more or less according to plan and there was lively role play as super competitive Sonja, super whore Sari, super happy go lucky Henrik, super by the book Ari and super drunk Jari. I thought this was the session where everyone played their characters to the hilt. We were having a blast.

I believed that this was the time when players got their characters to the level that we might have a good basis to start to invent actual skill levels and potential advantages and disadvantages to all characters.

The basic game mastering problem here was the rescue of Sari. Sari said she did not want to make a new character so cashiering her out of service was simply not going to happen. On the other hand simply tapering it under the rug was also highly improbable. Thus I invented concept where some intrigue would be put forwards.

Rewards:

Henrik: +1 for being most successful MechWarrior (at least according to everyone else) in the survival training.

[Vampire]

This is really good. The story was very entertaining and hilarious at times.  :)) I really like the plot and the characters, you are lucky to have such a gaming group. Please keep this up. Not only is a great read but very helpful for my own games.

I like very much the "Social General" theme of the story. Though I think the myth of Lyran military incompetence has been vastly exagerated, it helps explain why a a regiment can be rated as Green, and on the other hand, neither the Lyrans nor any other Inner Sphere faction are as professional as the Prussian General Staff. I like very much that in keeping with the setting military professionalism often takes a backseat to politics or noble birth. Generally speaking, the Great Houses armies are very much on par regarding military skill, or lack of it, and success is more having to do with superior forces than finesse.

Some themes I think you should address. First of all, Lyrans love money. You should show how corruption, mismanagement of funds, and war profiteering are rampant. Since Lyrans are businessmen at heart, you should stress how many individuals see the military as just another business venture.

Second, you should show the scavenger nature of the Successor States and that Mad Max post apocalypse survival, technobarbarian theme, with failing and scarce equipment, and the contrasts between advanced technology from yesterday being undistinguishable from magic and treated with reverence,  and in some cases technology in Battletech being so backward for things that today we take for granted. This could nicely tie in with the corruption theme, hoarding spare parts for private use is a court martial offense, but done anyway. I think your players need to be remembered that money is not everything, Mechs are. That their elevated social status is so dependent on their machines, and how fragile and precarious their position actually is since it rests on a fragile, mended, prone to breakdowns centuries old piece of machinery.


Third, finally, this is a war game, unless you and your players enjoy the peaceful and boring garrison life routine, players should be reminded that this is a time of war and their characters are going to get into harm's way sooner or later. It is all fun and games until someone gets shot. The Inner Sphere is not a happy place, is really pretty much a crap sack universe. Is like the Twilight 2000 setting, centuries after the Third World War... but not just on Terra, everywhere. The motto of the game is "Life is cheap, machines are expensive".  The Lyran military in particular at times has overtones of WWII Red Army style  brutality, and is not just the massed numbers and the firepower over subtlety, if you read carefully the sourcebook, the Lyrans sometimes resort in the name of expediency to brutality that would even make the Draconians balk.

I am not dictacting you what to do with your game, just offering some suggestions of what I believe are the fundamental themes of Battletech and wich I thing they should be included at one time or another, to a major or lesser degree in Battletech games. I left out politics, because I think they are just of average importance in a Steiner or Davion unit, compared to the extremes of unquestioning obedience and toeing the party line of Kurita and Liao, and the factionalism and infighting of Marik.

So summing it up, ideas you might find useful for your campaign:

1) Money, money, money, makes the world go round.

2) Pray to the Bomb, err, the Mech. Or, my kingdom for a spare gyro.

3) Life is cheap, machines are expensive. Lyran variant: Don't bother about collateral damage



 

[Minerva]

Sixth Session: Regimental Intelligence Raid

First Ideas:

BattleTech universe was essentially one of warfare. A major campaign was always something in my mind.
The campaign background is that Frederic has goaded Winfield to lash out against Kurita. Since Winfield is veteran of major deep raids he will launch a major raid to Kurita system. This makes entire Kurita defensive network go full alert through the border and completely derail any peace negotiations Katrina had in her mind.

Results were following. Winfield feels he has accomplished hurting Kurita badly. Frederic just proved his point that peace with Kurita is impossible (just what 99% of LCAF officers believe). Katrina (and subsequently her peace loving sister Nondi) had been proven to be wrong. Eternal war did continue.

My campaign plan went as this:

First session would be landing and initial raids to hurt unprepared Kurita forces.

Second session would be of unit moving to Kurita heartland for further operations.

Third (and fourth) sessions would be about making daring raids in low to medium intensity battlefield.

Fifth and subsequent sessions (1-2 more) would be about major operations with Winfield’s Brigade and An Ting Legion fighting medium intensity battlefield. Nuclear weapons would not be used but chemical weaponry would definitely be used.

Final session would be about Winfield’s Brigade either retreating or recycling out of campaign with emphasis on prisoner exchanges, looting and scorched Earth and other sundry issues.

Unfortunately my campaign plan went haywire the moment I had to postpone my gaming day from usual Thursday to Sunday. Only Jari and Henrik were available so I decided to run my first session as a company raid. The raid followed system of maintenance column with protective cordon of satellite hover tanks and some infantry.

The total time allotment was roughly two weeks which covered nicely the initial phase of moving massive number of Lyran forces to battlefield and fortification of Dropship landing areas.

Actual Play:

After administratively important (yet completely pointless) survival exercise the Winfield’s Brigade had filled off important post. They were now officially totally ready to be sent against Lord Kurita’s forces for real. This time they would be sent to face An Ting Legion rather than local militia.

Regimental forces started to make preparations for something big. Winfield had created a “Team B” to revalue all LIC strategic intelligence information on Kurita intentions with a clear goal to prove that LIC analysts had missed vitally important clues on impending Kurita invasion towards Trellshire region. Winfield had decided beforehand to go with a Team B and launch a full regiment sized intelligence raid on his own initiative. It was well within his quite vaguely defined responsibilities “to act according to situation if necessary” as a strategic reserve unit of Trellshire region.

Meanwhile LIC was adamant that their analysis was right because Kurita troops were badly supplied, forgotten by high command in Rasalhague and worn out by constant bandit raids (exhorted by LIC themselves). Any simulation showed that Kurita forces were quite incapable of mounting multiregimental invasion at single or many systems any time soon (without massive mobilization effort which would be detected by LIC strategic intelligence network). Thus normally cautious LIC commander suggested Winfield should have a throughout discussion with other regional senior commanders at least and preferably get a decision from Tharkad (signed by Archon herself).

However, thanks to machinations of Frederic Steiner and Winfield the entire command structure was in disarray. Duke of Tamar was currently unavailable as he was in a working holiday (that means sleeping with his mistress somewhere far away from prying eyes and media). Trellshire commander had been talking about the idea with Winfield and Frederic Steiner and was currently moving back to his HQ and thus could not be reached in time for quick answer. To make things worse Winfield had already started a full mobilization (under pretext of regimental maneuvers) on his own initiative. His troops would on their way (and moving across uninhabited systems making response impossible) by the time staff geniuses in Tharkad would react to doctored intelligence data and bold plan.

---

To make long story short some time later the Winfield’s Brigade had landed on New Caledonia. The Kurita troops had been caught totally off guard since they had had absolutely no strategic intelligence that Steiner family was on war path (according to latest intel Archon was currently enjoying ballet). Even worse, none of their sources had indicated any increased planning activity in any imperial or regional headquarters. The march of entire Winfield’s Brigade to New Caledonia had been totally a bolt out of blue for them (and entire Steiner military too).

The landing had gone by the book. There had been standard diversionary nuclear detonations in space and upper atmosphere to spoof Kurita radar network alongside dropping sophisticated decoys to every continent to provide wild goose chases to local forces. Meanwhile Kurita had been mobilizing and calling for help while LIC sabotage units had started their regular terror campaign hinder Kurita efforts.

Winfield had chosen his target well. He had steered away from the most important industrial heartland well protected by Kurita troops and local forces. Instead he had decided to choose a major raw material producing island (actually a small continent) as his target. The island was large enough to have considerable strategic importance. Its agriculture and raw extraction supported major industrial concerns so destroying or hindering them would certainly hit planetary economy hard.

He had more ambitious plan in his mind as well. Island’s pleasant climate meant many prominent local noble families had manors and playgrounds there. Burning and looting those mansions would hurt their purse and thus loyalty to Lord Kurita. It would also increase political pressure to send Kurita forces to face Winfield’s Brigade. Normally Lord Kurita’s forces did not care about local sentiments but local nobility was entirely different matter. Especially since An Ting Legion was poorly supplied and relied on local gratitude for its efforts to remain viable force.

Eventually Kurita forces would react and their movement to Island would require ships and a complex transport operation. That would all require a lot of time that allowed Lyrans to evaluate situation. They could simply fall back or face the An Ting Legion. Since island terrain was mostly plains (and some dry areas up to deserts) it would be perfect battlefield for mobile warfare that Winfield’s Brigade had perfected. Winfield had strong support and two battalions on ground (Elite 2nd and Green 3rd) while An Ting would field two Regular battalions and one green battalion). Scales were well within Winfield’s side. The local forces had also BattleMechs but no serious training for large-scale operations. They would be cut down like grass when faced by any LCAF BattleMech unit.

Winfield was more than happy. Unknown to all he also had a secret trump card that none of his subordinates yet knew. There would be blood for battle that would not be for those of weak of heart…

---

The hive like activity in LZ continued as 3rd Battalion Commander ordered Jari to carry out their initial raid on North-West. There was a string of 5 raw material extraction related targets centered by a huge strip mine some 1000 kilometers of dry lands and desert away. Meanwhile most lances were protecting DropShips or in other missions (Janne’s Company was cutting a swath of destruction across North-East). It was exactly the kind of cavalry operation Jari had been trained to do.

He counted 3 days to target and 3 back with perhaps a day between each target counting on maneuvers necessary to avoid enemy. Two weeks of supplies to be on safe side. One platoon of infantry and one of hover tanks to protect the logistics column. He counted some 8 hours marching per day and 2 hours for startups, shutdowns, recalibrations and management. Meanwhile logistics would fix every Mech at the same night. He started preparations to make sure unit was amply stocked with amphetamine to push through it. He was also experienced enough to know that unit needed a ton of window wiper fluid for its infantry (“distill it through gas mask and then mix it with amphetamine for a good kick”).

Then there were the infantry. They called themselves as “Thogs” and Jari was experienced enough to know they could not pronounce “thug” anyways. Infantry lieutenant (a tired looking ex-prison guard woman who was in charge of this bunch of oversized ADHD children) made a big speech for their future mission. Anyone who went to fight with a MechWarrior or touched any woman would be made to crawl with NBC suit on around the camp for all day every day (after she had personally kicked his ribs in). Thogs screamed back something that vaguely sounded “okay” to Jari.

To make things interesting a local LIC representative (and one Jari had not had argument yet) told him that he’d have a little extra task. For the first day he’d escort a vehicle moving a small commando force out to a mission somewhere in West. Commando Lieutenant was vaguely familiar from survival training as Jari remembered he had been paired with Sonja. His merry band of cut throats had their own supplies and concerns. He was a just a taxi driver here and that fit Jari just fine…

---

Trip through the dry plains went without a hitch.

Commandos left at the second morning after a night when they all pondered what the Winfield had in his mind for New Caledonia. Jari had no opinion, Infantry and tank commanders pondered that this was first phase for an invasion as they had arrived with way too much troops and supplies for a quick intelligence raid. Commando Lieutenant was quite quiet too, perhaps he knew or at least guessed too much? Thogs approached Commandoes in the evening too, wanting to touch their “X-Caliburs” (i.e. Thorvald & Koch Magnum Macho 3000 rifles) to feel their power. Gun wankery reached such level that Henrik had to leave...

Kurita local forces were definitely out of their element as Jari’s company plowed deeper and deeper through dry steppes and then to deserted inner region. Their entire response was to give alert to local anti-guerilla forces and mobilize defenses in mansions and cities. Meanwhile Steiner forces laid waste through economy of the island hitting anything from milk dairies to cattle ranches to bridges to sheep stock to small town workshops. During all this Commandoes slipped to do their own dangerous derring do.

A day later they met their first Kurita unit. It was a lone soft skin vehicle doing reconnaissance. Too bad it met Steiner hover tanks that blew it up in a matter of seconds. Thogs then peppered the burning wreck with their small arms fire and finished off possible survivors before getting closer. Upon inspection they did found out some documents but they were written in enemy language English (mongrel language only spoken by few card carrying Davion villains and worst mercenary scum of the 31st Century). Jari managed to deduce they were definitely military maps but that was about it. Perhaps military intelligence could decipher them when they returned?

---

Few days and highly uncomfortable ride later the Jari’s small company hit its first target. Approach of eight mechs in loose line was quickly observed and mine defenses were up. 4 Scorpion tanks were in line trying to oppose approaching Steiner wall of steel. They also fired first as Jari was doing his best to keep Henrik in line and not to shoot him or charge to his line of fire. Situation was highly confusing but in the end Henrik managed to saw one of the enemies and then kill one of the four stationary tanks. Meanwhile Jari dispatched the following three with his lance.

Then it was a matter of burning down every single piece of equipment with massive fire power. It was definitely a job they did well. Kurita’s makeshift anti-tank unit tried its best to disrupt Lyran force but Jari had been experienced enough to put one of his Mechs forwards to observe possible sneaking patrols. With two patrols destroyed the Kurita unit had rescued its honour (and could throw away its arms and its personnel flee with the mine personnel). After shooting everything to fire at safe distance it was a matter of combing the streets and killing whoever had been stupid enough to stay in area. A couple of rifle rounds were fired back but it was about it. There had been no cohesive resistance whatsoever and firing a couple of missile volleys to approximate direction of fleeing miners was enough. That mine would no more support Lord Kurita’s plans for next few years (if ever).

During evening the mechs moved to rendezvous with the column and then unit moved to their next night lager before next assault. Thought the night Mechs were repaired and maintained for next day of war. However, in the night Henrik was jubilant for his bravery and kept on explaining all how he had single handedly killed off dangerous tank. Then his libido got much over his sense and he started to court lieutenant of the Thogs (only woman in the unit) with all his MechWarrior Charisma(tm)”. Much to surprise with everyone except Henrik she actually accepted. Jari suspected that she had earlier drunk way too much that window wiper fluid to her loneliness…

---

The next day raid was as deadly as the first one. This time they leveled off a desert bridge whose guard detachment (infantry platoon) had ran away about as quickly as they had seen approaching mechs. Their only trouble had been approaching train that had been bringing more infantry to supplement now fled garrison. To make thing even worse Jari had himself positioned in such a way that stopped train was too close to be engaged properly with his PPCs. Thankfully Kurita unit had been as surprised as they had been at this and were wiped out with few volleys from Henrik’s lance. Still Jari cursed heavily on himself, he had been way too complacent! He would NOT repeat that mistake anymore.

Thus the next three days were shining example of bravery and skill of Lyran forces against completely overwhelmed enemy forces. Standing at longest possible distances from unarmed workers and rifle equipped local militia forces Jari’s unit destroyed a railway junction and depot, then small airstrip and finally another railway bridge with their long range fire. It was not until enemies had fled that Jari’s forces approached the targets to shoot whatever was still standing. All and all they were in no danger and they got the job done. Jari thought it had been excellent work!

---

Return march was entirely different matter. Hovertanks providing reconnaissance had been quick to report that they were shadowed by a Kurita response unit. They were approximately a company sized force of mechanized infantry and tanks. To make things worse quickly requested (and received) air reconnaissance warned that they were going to get more reinforcements. He pondered about an idea of turning back and giving pursuers a bloody nose but decided against. There were simply too many risks in tackling with Kurita infantry with Mechs, especially if they’d lose their supply column by some other Kurita unit roaming in area.
After a tense night they carried on their march towards the Steiner lines but Kurita pursuers were in no mood to fight against Mechs and they eventually turned around rather than tackled Winfield’s reconnaissance and cavalry screen.

---

Then it was time to carry out some reflection of mission (as there was no threat on their backs anymore). Archon Alessandro Steiner (The Great Military Reformer) and uncle of current Archon had initiated multiple reforms to increase fighting power of LCAF. One of these was reflection where unit was shown results of their missions to watch and learn what they had seen. They were essentially gun camera pictures.
With everyone high on something (brandy for officers, window wiper fluid for thogs, amphetamine for techs) they watched the highlight reel of best kills laughing their asses off at carnage applauding to mutilations (and especially beheadings) that modern high tech weaponry causes to people that are on receiving end of Mech’s firepower. With everyone’s mood at sky high the film flipped “accidentally” to show night vision camera view of Henrik and infantry lieutenant in sleeping bag. The level of screaming would have awakened even the dead.

They arrived to Steiner lines in next morning as Jari had not wanted to arrive at night for fear for blue on blue incidents.

War in New Caledonia had started for good.

Final Thoughts:

The first thing in my mind was should there be a game when many/most players are not available? I usually postpone game but this time I decided to run it (and modify my campaign to fit). Small numbers were not as bad in a military campaign as in many other campaign styles. This is because you can generally half of the nominal unit were away (in reserves, in another direction, doing something else, sick, etc etc) during missions.

The raid went pretty well with introduction of following new element called thogs, which were essentially orcs. As my Jari put it well, “they have both charisma and intelligence as sink stats.” Thogs were fun and players liked to interact with them.

The second idea was the maintenance. However, I failed to convey much of them beyond their existence. I do think that the end result was entirely realistic since pilots generally ignored at best and spat at worst the maintenance crews.

Rewards:

Henrik: +1 for killing actual Kurita enemy (Scorpion tank). +1 for entertaining Thogs (and entire 3rd Battalion).

[Vampire]

Awesome, this is simply awesome! Keep up the good work and continue the tales of your game.

I laughed hard at this  >:D

With everyone high on something (brandy for officers, window wiper fluid for thogs, amphetamine for techs) they watched the highlight reel of best kills laughing their asses off at carnage applauding to mutilations (and especially beheadings) that modern high tech weaponry causes to people that are on receiving end of Mech’s firepower.


You really caught the mood of how callous and bloodthirsty people in the Inner Sphere are... and I mean the civilians. The military are even worse. #P


Minor nitpicking: I suppose its your game and deviations from the canonical setting are possible, whatever floats your boat, but I found a bit jarring the stuff about nukes and chemical weapons would be more in line with earlier stages of the Succesion Wars. By 3025 no one bothers with poison gas (vastly overrated and underwhelmingly ineffective anyway) and nukes are gone, though very rarely an occasional nuke is found in a cache, but most commanders would rather dump the atomic bombs into space rather than use them. The Kell Hounds scenario pack had one scenario about illegal nukes held by a Marik unit.

Other than that, I give you high marks for giving due credit to Alessandro Steiner. He was truly the brain between the improvements of the Lyran military in the early 31st century, not Katrina, and Concentrated Weakness strategy was a bold and innovative idea, he just was unlucky.

[soshi]

They are like that when it's to someone else!!!