Original poster: TaharqaLEARN BY DOING SITUATIONNew Greenland Mountains, New Olympia
Marik Commonwealth, Free Worlds League
20 October 3014
It was supposed to be an easy job. Help train some cadets at the Allison Mechwarrior Institute and Lloyd Stanley-Marik Aerospace School in mercenary tactics. You just had to smack these kids into shape, collect your paycheck, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Garden of the Gods.
Then the Marik Civil War decided to park its problems right at your doorstep. The rebels think they will have an easy time rounding up a bunch of wet-behind-the-ear cadets. You are here to prove them wrong.
GAME SET-UP This track has two parts. Players may play one or both parts. Part A involves an aerial defense of the school. Part B involves a ground raid on the enemy’s airfield.
CBT: use Mountain Terrain and Flatland Terrain maps to create a mountain valley. Place an airstrip somewhere on the map. Treat twenty contiguous non-water hexes with no elevation change as Paved. Around this airstrip, place three level 1 medium buildings (CF 25). At one end of the runway create a 3x3 hex square of pavement. On this square place six unmanned aerospace fighters. Roll 1D6 to determine the type of aircraft (1-2=Cheetah; 3-5= Stingray; 6=Riever).
AT2: Use Mountain Terrain maps. Players should use the Low Altitude Operations rules for this track.
Attacker
Part A: The Attacker consists of elements from the Eighteenth Marik Militia. The Eighteenth is a Regular unit. The Attacker’s forces are equal to 100 percent of the Defender’s total deployed forces. The Attacker deploys their forces from the southern map edge with a maximum velocity of 4.
Part B: The Attacker consists of up to 25 percent of the player’s total forces. The players’ forces are augmented by a group of cadets equaling 200 percent of the players’ deployed force. The cadets are Green. The cadets are in a mix of Chameleons and Stingers. The Attacker deploys from the map edge farthest from the airfield.
Defender
Part A: The Defender consists of up to 25 percent of the player’s total forces. The players’ forces are augmented by a group of cadets equaling 200 percent of the players’ deployed force. The cadets are Green and all of them are flying Cheetahs. The Defender deploys from the northern map edge with a maximum velocity of 4.
Part B: The Defender consists of elements from the Eighteenth Marik Militia. The Eighteenth is a Regular unit. The Defender’s forces are equal to 50 percent of the Attacker’s total forces. The Defender deploys their forces within five hexes of the airfield.
WARCHESTTrack Cost: 400 WP (Part A or B)/700 (both parts)
Optional Bonuses (all bonuses cumulative):
+200 Stiff Defense (Part B): Increase the size of the Defender’s force to equal 100 percent of the player’s total deployed force.
+200 Aces (Part A): Increase the skill of the Attacker to Veteran.
+100 Rain: Per the rules on p. 153, CBTComp.
Part A Victory Bonuses (bonuses not cumulative):
+300 Partial Victory: Completing one objective.
+500 Total Victory: Completing both objectives.
Part B Victory Bonuses (bonuses not cumulative):
+200 Marginal Victory: Completing one objective.
+400 Partial Victory: Completing two objectives.
+600 Total Victory: Completing all objectives.
OBJECTIVES- Air Superiority (Part A): Destroy or drive all Attacking units from the field.
- Clip Their Wings (Part B): Destroy 50 percent or more of the aerospace fighters before they can take off.
- Dead Birds (Part B): Destroy all aerospace fighters before they can take off.
- Save the Cadets (both parts): Less than 25 percent of the cadet’s units are destroyed.
SPECIAL RULESForced Withdrawal
All forces operate under Forced Withdrawal rules.
Take Off (Part B)
The aerospace fighters begin the track grounded and unmanned. At the end phase of each turn, roll 2D6 for each remaining unmanned fighter. On a roll of 9 or higher, the pilot has reached the fighter and it may begin moving next round. Each fighter must be taxied to the runway before it can take off. Taking off requires one turn and occurs during the movement phase. Only one fighter each turn may use the runway to take off.
The buildings next to the airfield may initially contain pilots and thus the players may be able to eliminate these pilots before they reach their fighters. When one of these buildings is destroyed, roll 1D6 and add the number of pilots still alive that have yet not reached their fighter. On a result of 7 or higher, one (randomly selected) pilot has been eliminated.
At their option, the players and gamemaster may use the Low Altitude and Aerospace Units and Battletech rules to use these fighters in the track once they have taken off.
Gift
If the players achieve a Total Victory in both parts, the two schools will gift them with a single Aerospace or Mech unit randomly selected from the FWL tables.
AFTERMATH Who says those who teach can’t do? You have to hand it to these cadets. They took a beating, but they tied up the Eighteenth long enough for the Twenty-First Centauri Lancers to bring in reinforcements. Of course, they had excellent teachers.