Fanmade campaigns/scenario's?

[Darthvegeta800]

I was wondering if there were any fanmade scenario's and campaigns out there for the Battletech rpg.
As this element is something painfully absent for inexperienced people like me.

[Bluemax]

My adventures are Sandbox style.  However, if you think them helpful I can send them to you.  After some serious cleanup... BTW my guys are Comstar Explorer Corps.  This may not be applicable to anyone else's campaign. 

One of the issues right now, is that the world is not complete.  What has been added, is spread out.

The material in Major Periphery States is both Stealth [As in you had to know it was there], and horribly icomplete [Because the critter attributes are listed but not defined].

When I went to my FLGS Tuesday, they told me they pre-ordered me a A Time of War: Companion due September.  Let's hope that has something helpful.

Of course, Catalyst copy from their other major line: Shadowrun.  Shadowrun had a series of adventures for Conventions that were/are free Missions:Denver.   This really boosted play and possible sales.  Of course, there is always the issue of cannonicity. Where in the timeline? How can this be isolated?  Suddenly it feels like Starfleet Temporal Investigations.

BlueMax

[salcor]

Bluemax,
      I would love to see what you have worked up.  Can I PM you my email address?

Salcor

[Pouncer]

Unfortunately my current adventure is only in the early phases of playtesting, otherwise I might be able to write something up for you.

-POUNCER

[PurpleDragon]

If you're using AToW, look at the traits of the PCs.  if any of them have bloodmark as a trait, the adventure is already started for you as that character is hunted.  Note enemy as a trait doesn't necessarily mean hunted, but if it's high enough, you could put that in there. 

I just started a group that very beginning statement
"You were part of a larger mercenary force located on Galatea.  That unit has disbanded due to financial reasons.  What y'all gonna do?"  Naturally, they decided to make their own merc unit. 

I had an outline of where the story could go but no NPCs made up.   As I'm still studying AToW to make sure I understand how everything works, I still haven't spent any time making NPCs.  However, i do have some Fan made programs I use.  pm me if you want and we can share ideas and resources. 

[Jake Sweeper]

I've been toying around with an WWII Paris/Warsaw-style campaign idea which would allow for a wide variety character types. This can expand into a Partisan style game that can be place in virtually any era.

Just add Time, Location, and Occupying force.

[peterbehere]

I find that the best campaigns/scenarios are found by "playing out" any of the Battletech novels.  They are surprisingly detailed and entertain all sorts of possibilities for sandbox or linear style role play.

[Korsar]

I once had a rough concept, that involved a few freelance mercenaries, an interstellar expeditions team and a class of history students from the NAIS (or whatever University you'd like to choose).

They would be thrown together to go to the Marian Hegemony and investigate the possibility of a few SL caches hidden there.
The year was 3067 and all manners of shenanigans with the jihad would have happend. I had planned for the players to flee from Outreach during the Waco Rebellion (or even better on the last outbound DropShip as the Word razes Remus) and make their way through a war riddled IS, always just a few steps ahead of their Blakist pursuers. Why they were pursued? Unknownst to them the SL caches they are looking for a somehow (I never quite defined why) connected to the Hidden Worlds. The group would have worked for Brooklyn Steevens. I tried to go for a Apocalypse Now!-Feeling, but sadly both instances I tried to run the campaign, it went dead after a few sessions, mostly to the fact that we were playing via forum.

[Daryk]

It's hard to maintain momentum in a forum based game.  Mine ran (runs?) hot and cold, depending on how much time I have to beat the bushes and how busy my players are.

[Frabby]

I had a scenario that was essentially a tree-structure: Make a decision (or win/lose a battle scenario), and it branches off to another situation/battle scenario. It was meant as a tabletop BT campaign (with a few BattleTroops scenarios for good measure), but the backstory and the stuff happening between missions could make for a nice RPG session.
The best part? The setting is very adaptable. Down at the core of it, the scenario is a counterinsurgency mission. It's a mixed force put on the mission, so the players can be any combination of MechWarriors, tankers, aerospace jocks, DropShip crew, infantry, special ops, command staff, secret service, or whatever else suits their fancy. Even a Capellan Warrior House. A Clan force is thinkable but might require a few tweaks to the story.

When I receive my next BattleCorps payment I'll finally purchase the AToW PDF. Then I hope to re-write the entire thing for AToW rules and submit it to BC.

[peterbehere]

I tried to run the campaign, it went dead after a few sessions, mostly to the fact that we were playing via forum.

This is why I propose doing it through Skype!  Anybody interested?  Check out my post, "Gaming over Skype"

[peterbehere]

I had a scenario that was essentially a tree-structure: Make a decision (or win/lose a battle scenario), and it branches off to another situation/battle scenario.

That like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books?  I loved those things!  Had my fingers in about 6 different places, trying to find the best ending.  :P

[bytedruid]

When I receive my next BattleCorps payment I'll finally purchase the AToW PDF. Then I hope to re-write the entire thing for AToW rules and submit it to BC.

Dude, I'm seriously looking for AToW adventures that are adaptable to the succession wars era.  Between kids and work I don't have as much time as I'd like to delve into good adventure design.  If all you're missing is a book, then I can get a deadtree version sent to you on Oct. 1st.  I'd rather do that than deal with a PDF as it keeps my name off the watermark.  Send me a message if you're interested.

[Frabby]

Thanks for the offer, but I'm serious about submitting this to BC first - which means I cannot publish it elsewhere in any form or way, and cannot give it out. If it gets rejected (and there's a real chance there, given that BC is looking for short stories and not RPG adventures) then I may publish the draft here.

[Minerva]

I've run several RPG campaigns set in BattleTech universe. They are either investigative or straight up life in a military unit (with life between missions and free time in a unit).

[Tokage]

I hold some controversial views about BT as an rpg setting;

Firstly, I think it's a great setting for rpgs broadly speaking.

Secondly, I think however there is a desperate need for actual 'on the ground' setting description. Individual planets and cities for example are few and far between in the much higher level of setting detail we get plenty of, but all groups play at the ground level (one way or another). Knowing the court politics at Sian for example is only really useful in those rare campaigns set in the court, or for giving the broadest idea of the sweep of history. A sourcebook detailing the capital city of Sian for an rpg would be much more useful.

This means GMs have to come up with the planetary and lower scale detail themselves.

Personally I have run 4 relatively recent rpg campaigns in the BT setting, 3 set on Terranova (the very detailed planetary setting from the Heavy Gear rpg - tweaked to be a Periphery planet out from Davion space) and one set on 'Atlantis', a Periphery waterworld based upon a merging of the Heavy Gear planet of the same name and the Blue Planet rpg setting of Poseidon.

I also have (as an experiment) come up with some pretty detailed notes on the Marik planet of Assuncion, which I was going to use as the homeworld of a Jump trader campaign - which I'm still working on.

Thirdly, I'm a firm believer that the BT setting is bigger than BattleMechs - by which I mean it's a good enough setting to accomodate rpg campaigns about other people than just MechWarriors. Indeed I'm not even convinced MechWarriors are the best thing for pcs to be - anymore than I'd think tankers or Titan princeps would be in the 40K setting for example.

[Cerberus_02]

Personally I have run 4 relatively recent rpg campaigns in the BT setting, 3 set on Terranova (the very detailed planetary setting from the Heavy Gear rpg - tweaked to be a Periphery planet out from Davion space) and one set on 'Atlantis', a Periphery waterworld based upon a merging of the Heavy Gear planet of the same name and the Blue Planet rpg setting of Poseidon.

If there's one thing Dream Pod 9 doesn't skimp on, it's the detailed settings.

I'm a firm believer that the BT setting is bigger than BattleMechs - by which I mean it's a good enough setting to accomodate rpg campaigns about other people than just MechWarriors. Indeed I'm not even convinced MechWarriors are the best thing for pcs to be - anymore than I'd think tankers or Titan princeps would be in the 40K setting for example.

I've noticed that with a Battletech newbie in my group (he only got into Battletech recently when one of the local game stores was liquidating stock prior to closing forever); since he was familiar with roleplaying for a while before getting into Battletech, he didn't care as much for the 'Mechs as he did with skulking around with the infantry.  He also didn't think a Large Laser was a "big gun" for a Medium 'Mech in 2750, but I digress...

[Tokage]

If there's one thing Dream Pod 9 doesn't skimp on, it's the detailed settings.

Indeed I do think the HG terranova sourcebooks are handsdown the best sci-fi sourcebooks detailing a single planet. I also believe there is no reason every single planet in the BT setting couldn't be as interesting in their own way - just because most planets come under the ultimate control of one of the super powers does not mean they wouldn't be as exciting and diverse at the ground level.

This is a hobby horse of mine, as I feel most BTers overlook good imaginative uniquely detailed planets in favour of bland 'agri-world' type labels.

I've noticed that with a Battletech newbie in my group (he only got into Battletech recently when one of the local game stores was liquidating stock prior to closing forever); since he was familiar with roleplaying for a while before getting into Battletech, he didn't care as much for the 'Mechs as he did with skulking around with the infantry.  He also didn't think a Large Laser was a "big gun" for a Medium 'Mech in 2750, but I digress...

Well most people assume you have to play mechwarriors, but really why would that be the case? Would one have to play an AT-AT pilot in the Star Wars setting? There's really no difference.

[soshi]

I have a few fleshed out non military campaigns that I was a player in and am building to run soon,  if you want I can give you some ideas it is easily translated into military style. 

[LoneWolf]

Hi guys & galls. Greeting from Finland.

We are currently running a lengthy campaign on AToW (4 players) and the setting & story goes something like this.

As a twist, I as the the GM made all the characters (this caused a debate but the reasons soon become aparrent)

Synopsis:
The players wake up deep in an underground base (a lab of a sorts), they have zero memories on who they are, xcept for some weird dreams that they cant really remember correctly at the start. The dreams are something about falcons, wolves & bears.
It soon becomes clear to the players that the base has been long abandoned & signs of battle are all around them (old bones, bulletholes & such), and the only reason they are still alive, is because a satchel charge placed in their room did not go off
As for the reason for their waking up, the bases secondary power source (Geothermal) has started to fail, and this has triggered some emergency parametres.

So, first priority is to survive, find clothes, food, fight any native lifeforms that have invaded the base after it was razed.


Long story short.  The players eventually find out that they are Clan Wolverine Proto phenotypes, as the wolverines went awol before true phenotypes became a standard, its up to the GM to design them.

When their dreams become a little clearer in the course of the adventure, they find out that all 4 carry a bit of code in their dreams, what code? Well, they figured that it is a planetary co-ordinate, the only problem is that there are 4 segments, and the order of the segments is not clear..

I wrote the story so that the segments are indeed a planetary co-ordinate, in the planet they will find another abondoned facility, but this one has a working substation, complete with a memory core, (a damaged one), when the players do find it, they need to fix it and then find a clan computer to read it with, a nice side quest material there..

All in all, the players find out that the wolverines were betrayed by the council & framed for the nuking of the snow ravens, do they try to clear their name, try to find their kin? Or just go bonkers and start slaying every clanner they meet?

There are some epic moments written into the game, but im not going to spoil the supprise for my players by writing it here.. It might be some ancient SL era war machine, or it might be s fleet of drone warships.. who knows :D

[bytedruid]

I hold some controversial views about BT as an rpg setting;

Firstly, I think it's a great setting for rpgs broadly speaking.

In fact this is what drew me to battle tech in the first place.  I was looking for a good hard sci-fi setting for a campaign.  Reading though the side bar on boarding Gravdecks in Strat-Ops convinced me that I had found it in, of all places, an old minitures game I hadn't played in 15 years.

Secondly, I think however there is a desperate need for actual 'on the ground' setting description. Individual planets and cities for example are few and far between in the much higher level of setting detail we get plenty of, but all groups play at the ground level (one way or another). Knowing the court politics at Sian for example is only really useful in those rare campaigns set in the court, or for giving the broadest idea of the sweep of history. A sourcebook detailing the capital city of Sian for an rpg would be much more useful.

This means GMs have to come up with the planetary and lower scale detail themselves.

Here! Here! Completely agree, but then I'm one of the roughly 4 people in the world running BT RPG. 

Personally I have run 4 relatively recent rpg campaigns in the BT setting, 3 set on Terranova (the very detailed planetary setting from the Heavy Gear rpg - tweaked to be a Periphery planet out from Davion space) and one set on 'Atlantis', a Periphery waterworld based upon a merging of the Heavy Gear planet of the same name and the Blue Planet rpg setting of Poseidon.

Did you ever check out any of the supplements for the Serenity RPG?  Do you know if that setting has useful elements for  building up periphery planets.

I also have (as an experiment) come up with some pretty detailed notes on the Marik planet of Assuncion, which I was going to use as the homeworld of a Jump trader campaign - which I'm still working on.

Please share, maybe organized fannon can attempt fill in the yawning canyon of missing information.

Thirdly, I'm a firm believer that the BT setting is bigger than BattleMechs - by which I mean it's a good enough setting to accomodate rpg campaigns about other people than just MechWarriors. Indeed I'm not even convinced MechWarriors are the best thing for pcs to be - anymore than I'd think tankers or Titan princeps would be in the 40K setting for example.

Again, agreed.   Though AToW does lavish attention on most military occupations, so I think this item is being addressed.  Non-military traits and equipment are glossed over but I'm okay with that.

[PurpleDragon]

Here! Here! Completely agree, but then I'm one of the roughly 4 people in the world running BT RPG. 

four in the world, huh?   My room-mate and I then happen to be half of them!  LOL

[Lysenko]

Privyet!

Add another!

I'm planning on reviving my MW2e campaign after my copy of ATOW gets here. New players, but I might make the same leap I made BITD. My group originally played MW1e in the 1980s; mid-3020s campaign. When 2e came out, we jumped the timeline to our kids during the Clan Invasion. So, with ATOW, it kind of make sense to jump ahead to Xin Sheng/Jihad era. I have the Merc company notes around here somewhere.... :D

[Tslammer]

I find Sarna to be a big help. When planning my next stint as GM (we rotate GM duties) I look at all the planets in the area we are or plan on going and then start digging around in the source books for the time period. Currently Operation Bull Dog is in wave three. Once I have a target planet I then add details of my own since most planets are not that well detailed.

The adventure I will be running this weekend the planet did not exist so I took a blank area on the map and put a dark planet there. Made up the history and shared that via email. Notable details like the crashed orbital that wiped out a city. Basically the planet made itself dark post first succession war due to war damage and major industry loss. Very much like an old mining town that everyone eventually abandons. A few stayed but not enough to warrant jumpship traffic. So the players are going on a bug hunt to find out if the Smoke Jag are using the planet as a base of operations to launch a counter strike against Operation Bulldog. Going to this Ghost town of a planet has many players worried when it comes to dealing with the people who stayed.

I also find things like the MW computer games scenario's as a great place to hang a plot hook. Some times my idea is based on a tactical situation I want to put the players into. Then I look for a planet that fits my requirements. Failing that I make it fit.


In the past we have run into planets that the players remember well for some little detail the GM came up with. Be it a weapons shop, scrapyard operator, bar/casino etc. On one planet we had one of our notable mech warriors via computer graphics became an X rated movie star.

[Wombat]

Clan-based campaign starting up here based (loosely) around the Bandit Caste. I'll post some after-action reports up as it progresses.  :D

[McSlayer]

We'll we had some great ideas going on here...

I suppose I have to get my headset for Skype working....

I run campaigns too but mostly from the TT and MM side... Though I can run a pretty good RPG off the cuff even.

-Mek

[nakeetafalcon]

I recently came accross some old traveler magazines and some old Judges guild stuff.  some of the adventures in these are pretty detailed.  they need a little work but could be used in the battletech world. also have the star drive outbound book  good for a few different planets and adventure ideas