I've been running Total Chaos for four players at my local battletech group and I've started embellishing some missions to make them more interesting or varied.
I written up situations and special scenarios based on missions but tonight i wrote a whole track from scratch.
I'd like some critique on the mission ive written.
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Dropship Buckminster
Approaching Freedom Nadir point
July 3068
While burning out-system to the waiting jumpship you are browsing MercNet for MSRB Contracts, two rather lucrative ones stand out and are only one jump away in the system Izar. There is an automated Vickers Mining Helium3 mine and processing plant on a moon around the second planet of the primary star, the Skye Rebellion wants a merc strike lance to wreck the place removing a fuel supply for the Lyran aggressors Vickers Mining posted a job a few days later looking for mercs to defend against anyone taking the rebellion contract. Both appear to be at the height of a bidding war over the He3 plant contracts.
Take your pick really.
Defend or Strike
You may use up to 75% of your total force.
Track cost: 200WP
Options:
Low Gravity: +100WP
Full sun. The moon is currently on the sunny side of the planet and faces the full force of the solar radiation. +2 heat per turn, determine a compass point. East facing units have a +1 to hit from sun glare. +150WP
Night ops. The moon is facing away from the star and the battle takes place at night. -2 heat per turn, Night fighting (moonless night). +150 WP
Defending player can choose to have the attacker orbitally inserted by dropship for +50WP
STRIKE
We have identified a gap in the plants early warning system. Aerospace assets will hit a comms relay just before you will cross the plant perimeter. This will knock out the laser communication system and will isolate the plant for a few minutes, undoubtedly Vickers will redirect satellites over the plant to investigate, but this will give you a brief window to get in and cause as much damage as you can before the eyes in the sky hunt you.
From the start of operations you will have 8 rounds to act before withdrawing off any map edge by round 10. Units still in the plant area after round 10 will be caught on surveillance and tracked. And we will not organise a dropship to pick you up.
Izar II M1 is airless, so be careful of breaches.
Vickers has installed two LRM 10 Turrets and two Large Laser Turrets to defend the facility. Good news, the turret control tower has a bounty.
The primary objective is to get in, wreck the place, and get out as fast as you can. As such the contract issuer has marked particular targets of opportunity and have separate rewards for each.
Launch pad with tanker shuttle - 100WP
Turret control tower - 50WP
Processing plant (4 hexes) : 120WP
Pipeline to tank farm, 10 sections: 10WP each section.
In the event there are mercenary defenders, a bounty of 50WP per defender crippled will be awarded.
For each unit left behind a ransom of 25WP will need to be paid to fast talk them back from Vickers Mining.
As a result of the bidding war, a mission bonus of 15WP will be paid for every unit participating that exfiltrates successfully.
No salvage is available for this mission.
For the price of 50WP, the dropship crew will airdrop the lance over the plant. Rolling for scatter as normal.
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DEFEND:
The upstart Skye separatists are lashing out like a frightened child in an angry world and intend to strike at a Vickers Mining He3 plant. This is a two month garrison/guard contract defending said plant.
The plant is well defended with Calliope turrets but we require a more mobile ground defense force for the time being while the perimeter is upgraded.
The orbital control station maintains a laser comms relay to the plant and will alert you when anything approaches. Station keeping can be altered at a moments notice and will be able to eyes on the facility within minutes. Aerospace can then be requested to pursue tracked targets.
Contract payment will be 370WP.
However.
Destruction of certain key infrastructure in the plant will result in funds being deducted from this amount. Costs for failure to defend are as follows:
Launch pad with tanker shuttle - 100WP
Turret control tower - 50WP
Processing plant (4 hexes) : 120WP (30WP per hex)
Pipeline to tank farm, 10 sections: 10WP each section.
In the event there are mercenary attackers, a bounty of 50WP per unit crippled will be awarded.
Salvage will be awarded.
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Its a bit more generous than similar Chaos Tracks in that year, but frankly Total Chaos tracks look incomplete and brutal compared to the ones theyre sourced from in Blake Ascending.
What do you think?
