Battletech Beatdowns in Northern VA

[Jester006]

I brought a bottle of rum last week, so...  ^-^

So maybe theres some left to partake?

[Daryk]

Possibly... less likely for the Cream Soda, though...  ^-^

[Tinyozora]

Alrighty then!  I got a 3067 Liao vs Davion scenario drawn up.

The context is that while Davion are fighting the FCCW, Liao is taking advantage of the situation and has been raiding some planets.  During one of these raids, local Davion forces managed to be near by to respond. 

This caused the Capellan forces to scatter and now one of their lances is being pursued by a company of Fed Suns.

So a lance vs a company.  Hmmm.....should be interesting.  I'm curious as to what the balance will be  >:D

[Daryk]

I'm sure it will be tuned perfectly to make me regret not being there...

[Space Cat]

So are we going to be playing at Space Cat's place?

If so, is there something I can bring to show my appreciation to Mrs. Space Cat for giving us a place to need be nerds?  A bottle of wine?  Marinated chicken?  Or, given what's going on, some toilet paper/paper towels?

First off, Mrs. Space Cat finds the name "Mrs. Space Cat" so entertaining she laughed out loud. She appreciates the sentiment but is just pleased that it keeps me from going insane during this trying times (because I am an extrovert married to an introvert). She says just to BYOB and yes, there's enough rum still here to go around though the cream soda stores are low. There will likely again be carbs and cheese available.

If anyone does decide to ever bring wine take note: go with whites.

[Tinyozora]

Jester, I'd also say bring both the campaign and the alternate scenario.  If Daryk is there we can campaign, if not then alternate.  Or would that be too much?

[Daryk]

Now I'm really going to feel bad if I can't make it...  ::)

At least I know the rum was appreciated!  8)

[Space Cat]

Now I'm really going to feel bad if I can't make it...  ::)

At least I know the rum was appreciated!  8)

The rum plus cream soda combination is, in my opinion, my most important discovery of 2020 so far.

Also it looks like an 80% chance of rain in the NOVA area tomorrow...just saying.

[Jester006]

Ok, I plan on being there probably around 11 AM.  Make sure to bring your appetites as I will be bringing some Chik-Fil-A nuggets and, my apologies Daryk, some deviled eggs.

[Space Cat]

I will be bringing some Chik-Fil-A nuggets

Ah, you've discovered the way to Mrs. Space Cats heart.
There will be delicious brie.

[Daryk]

Wedding is on, despite the rain prediction... we'll see how it goes...

And yes, I'll miss both the brie and the deviled eggs...  :-\

[Firesprocket]

The rum plus cream soda combination is, in my opinion, my most important discovery of 2020 so far.

I ran out of cream soda last night so I have to go out tomorrow and get more.  I've alternated mixing it recently with Jim Beam Honey Whiskey or Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum, which I thought was a different flavor entirely when I grabbed it off the shelf.  Never had it before, but it's pretty decent, which is a good thing because I have quite a large bottle of it.

[Daryk]

I asked my wife to pick up more rum on her way home from Norfolk.  For some reason, it seems to be on perpetual sale down there...  ^-^

[Daryk]

The wedding went off without a hitch (or hardly anyone in the church).  I heard a little about the game... how did it go?

[Space Cat]

Mines are bad. Stealth armor is bad. That is all.

[Daryk]

Both of those things are true...  Did you get the head cap?

[Jester006]

Both of those things are true...  Did you get the head cap?

That was my doing.  Jeff's crit rolls did play a significant factor by blowing up some ammo on a Dervish.  Getting 3 crits on a Centurion's leg.  I had a Black Hawk-KU fall over (needing a 4 to stay up) and deal the last point of damage to its LT destroying it along with the XL engine.  Luck was definitely on the side of the Capellans.

I had designed the scenario as sort if a training mission to teach people how to recognize when they may have stepped in over their heads and then try to do a fighting withdrawl.  The only mech that I would like to change would be the Caesar on the Fed Suns.  I wanted to give them another heavy hitting weapon like a gauss rifle, but I couldnt think of another decent medium mech or fast heavy with it.  They had an Enforcer III with a gauss already.

[Daryk]

I probably would have pulled chocks a turn or two before you intended us to, based on what Jeff said you gave him...

[Firesprocket]

Mines are bad. Stealth armor is bad. That is all.

Only if they are in your opponent's arsenal and not yours.

[Jester006]

I probably would have pulled chocks a turn or two before you intended us to, based on what Jeff said you gave him...

Well, it started off with 12 Davion mechs chasing down 4 Liao mechs.

Davion:
Enforcer III, Jaegermech III, Raptor, Argus, Osiris Shadowhawk, Blackhawk KU, Caesar, Centurion, Stealth, Uziel and Dervish.

Liao starting force:
Sunder, Avatar, Ti T'sang and Gladiator
Liao hidden units:
Marauder, Cataphract, Raven, Sha Yu, P.Hawk, Huron Warrior, Anubis, Archer

So yeah, there are some big threats there on the Liao side, but Davion had an overwhelming tonnage advantage at first.  Then around turn 4 the Archer, Cataphract Sha Yu and Anubis were revealed.  A couple turns after that the rest of the Liao mechs made their appearance.

The context of the fight was the Capellans had been raiding Davion facilities for a while.  Their true purpose was to try and draw out a Davion unit and destroy it.  The lance of the Sunder, Avatar, Ti'Tsang and Gladiator were the bait.

I took a chance with the Raptor and ran it to try and get in position to try and run down the Avatar with the Centurion.  Jeff got lucky with the Gladiator and hit it with an AC20 despite needing 10s to hit.  The only lucky break the Davion got was the Caesar hitting the Marauder in the head with the gauss.  The Stealth alphaed into the back of the Avatar (who had its LT-rear armor stripped) needing 6s to hit and missed with every shot.

I knew the rules for mines are too powerful; but I wanted to use them to show people who were unfamiliar with them just how unbalanced and dangerous they were.  In the campaign, I modify the rules for mines to where if they detonate, you roll on the cluster chart and then the mines automatically degrade by that amount.  Because I think its stupid that an 20 point minefield can do more than 20 points of damage in the course of a game and that the rules have all 20 points from a non-command detonated set of mines deal damage.  Yes once a minefield is discovered, you know its there, but then it forces the opponent to either go out of his way to avoid them or take the chance at running through them.

Again, I wanted to use the mines as a teaching opportunity.

[Firesprocket]

Which Sunder and Avatar were used?  Also exactly how many minefields did you have seeded the battlefield?

[Jester006]

Which Sunder and Avatar were used?  Also exactly how many minefields did you have seeded the battlefield?

They were both the original configurations.

I think Jeff said he laid down 29 hexes of thunder LRMs spread out around 4 map sheets. I stipulated though that he would have to expend ammo from the mechs to lay down any mines.

[Daryk]

Ah, so you weren't using the mine rules from that Amaris scenario...

[Tinyozora]

I think Jeff said he laid down 29 hexes of thunder LRMs spread out around 4 map sheets. I stipulated though that he would have to expend ammo from the mechs to lay down any mines.

29 hexes indeed.  18 hexes from the Archer alone.  Left it with 18 rounds of combat munitions, given the scenario and intent I felt was acceptable.

All 8 hidden mechs were stealth variants.  Huron Warrior was 2x LRM15 with stealth.

[Tinyozora]

opps

[Jester006]

Ah, so you weren't using the mine rules from that Amaris scenario...

Correct.  We used the mine rules from Tac Ops.  We'll see if CGL revisits the rules for those when they get around to reprinting Tac Ops.

[Daryk]

I wouldn't bet on that soon, but I bet the next version of the rules will...

[Known Glitch]

Sigh.  Ready for this bug to burn out.  :-[

With my local travel area restrictions and now the Governor's new restrictions it will be summertime before I can come up and learn from y'all.

Please keep posting up and I'll keep painting and basing lances.

[Space Cat]

So I've got a question for the group that someone who is more familiar with the rules may be able to answer: can Inner Sphere infantry and mechanized infantry take TAGs?

[Jester006]

So I've got a question for the group that someone who is more familiar with the rules may be able to answer: can Inner Sphere infantry and mechanized infantry take TAGs?

I believe light TAG was developed mainly for infantry use because the normal TAG equipment was too heavy for infantry to use.