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[Black Omega]

So for June 20...

Irece had a little LAM [factory].
Its mechs are not too slow.
And everywhere these mechs are built,
The Clans are sure to blow [up].

 

Details to follow.

[Black Omega]

As the clan invasion picked back up, after the election of Ulric Kerensky as Ilkhan, the Draconis Combine found themselves trying to defend against 2 clans.  The Nova Cats first assaulted the planet Avon.  Unfortunately, they had to share the assault with the Smoke Jaguars who chose to attack Avon as well.  Avon was a prime staging world  for the planned assault on Luthien.  Sharing the assault allowed both Cat clans to conserve forces for Luthien.  So while Nova Cat Alpha and Delta Galaxies landed on Avon, Beta Galaxy turned to the Cat’s second target, Irece.

Irece was home to LexaTech Industries, the last remaining factory of LAM class battlemechs.  Theodore Kurita ordered the elite Eighteenth Dieron Regulars to defend the sole supplier of these rare machines.
The Nova Cats arrived in system on December 22, 3051 and issued a standard batchel.  Galaxy Commander Rosse was pleased with the prospect of a challenge when Tai-sa Basil Itemji replied that the eighteenth would protect the planet from the invaders or die trying.  Rosse evidently learned a few things from Ilkhan Kerensky and approached the upcoming battles cautiously by committing the entire galaxy to the assault.

The fighting raged for 4 days.  Tai-sa Itemji utilized exemplary combined arms tactics including ample amounts of artillery and hardened defenses.  He also refused to succumb to the urge to engage in individual duels with the clan warriors.  Rosse also changed tactics by allowing his troops to combine fire.  This succeeded in driving back the eighteenth to defensive positions.  The 179th Striker Cluster followed the retreating Kuritans and found themselves trapped by a hidden battalion.  Only 1 trinary was able to escape.

On the fourth day, Rosse had few ideas left.  He sent a Star of Elementals on a head-hunter mission to kill the 18th’s command staff but a freak bird call alerted the Kuritans to their presence.  The command staff scrambled for their mechs and escaped by setting fire to the surrounding forest.  That night, Itemji sent his own head-hunters [the 412th DEST company] after the clan galaxy command.  They succeeded in killing Galaxy commander Rosse and destroyed 20 mechs before they finally succumbed.  Clan reinforcements followed and forced the 18th back to a last stand at the LexaTech LAM factory site.

[Black Omega]

And now, the scenario....

Planet: Irece             Gravity: normal           Weather: Clear

Map:
North
[  ][  ][]
[  ][  ][]
[  ][  ][]

Attacker:
Clan Nova Cat, Beta Galaxy ["Spiritual Vision"], 179th Striker Cluster ["Circle of Power"]
Command Supernova commanded by Star Captain Jill Lenardon

Mechs                                   G/P

Fire Moth--Prime                    3/4
Mist Lynx--Prime                    2/3
Adder--B                               3/4
Shadow Cat--Prime                2/3
Nova--S                                3/4

Stormcrow--A                       3/4
Mad Dog--C                          3/4
Hellbringer--A                       2/2
Summoner--Prime                 2/3
Gargoyle--C                          3/3

Each omni-mech is carrying 1 point of elementals with gunnery of 3

Additional Star [with no elementals]

Hellbringer--C                       3/4
Mad Dog--Prime                    3/4
Ice Ferret--Prime                   3/4
Kit Fox--S                             3/4
Kit fox--Prime                       3/4

Objective: Capture the LexaTech LAM factory intact.  Utilize Beagle Probes to find Kuritan demolition charges and elementals to disarm the charges.

Special rules:
1] Clan forces deploy AFTER the defenders and may place starting on the edge hex of the outer perimeter of the playing area.  The clan forces may attack from any direction.

2] No zelbriggen

3] Beagle Probes in mechs locate demolition charges within range on an end phase +2 piloting skill roll.

4] Elementals disarm demolition charges by remaining in same hex with charge without moving or firing for one turn and making end phase +3 gunnery skill roll.


Defender: 18th Dieron Regulars, assisted by elements of LexaTech factory LAM forces.

Mechs                                        G/P

Atlas AS7-K                                3/4
Victor VTR-9K                             2/3
Awesome AWS-8Q                      3/4
Warhammer WHM-7K                  2/3

Thunderbolt TDR-7M                    3/4
Shadow Hawk SHD-5M                 2/3
Hunchback HBK-4P                      2/3
Whitworth WTH-2                        3/4

Phoenix Hawk PXH-1K                  2/3
Jenner JR7-F                               3/4
Panther PNT-9R                           2/3
Panther PNT-10K                          3/4

Phoenix Hawk LAM PXH-HK2         3/3
Stinger LAM STG-A5                     2/3
Stinger LAM STG-A5                     3/4
Wasp LAM WSP-105                     3/4

LexaTech LAM’s emerge from hanger on turn 3
 
Stinger LAM STG-A1                     4/4
Stinger LAM STG-A1                     4/4
Stinger LAM STG-A5                     4/4
Stinger LAM STG-A5                     3/4

Objective:
1st—Destroy the invaders.  Prevent the clans from capturing the factory.
2nd—Failing #1, destroy the factory.  Demolition charges will be placed by the defenders at 4 strategic locations on the edges of the building that will destroy the facility.

Special rules:
1] The defenders will place first.

2] Kuritan commander cannot order demolition until making successful “It’s hopeless” check.  This roll is a d100 percentage roll during the end phase.  After 4 Kurita mechs have been destroyed, whenever another Kuritan mech is destroyed, 10 % is added to the target number [i.e. no defender mechs destroyed, 0% chance of blowing factory, 1 defender mech destroyed, 10% chance to blow factory, etc.]  Every clan unit destroyed reduces chance by 5%.  Target number must be beaten [i.e. 10%, need to roll 10 or below; 00=100].  However many charges are left, do damage to the facility and destroy any units in the hex with the charge when it goes off.  4 officers[mechwarriors] designated by the defenders will have access to blow the factory upon command of the CO [or whomever is atop the chain of command].

Please see attached copy of Randle's post on the LAM rules to be published in I.O.  If you have RS3085, the start-up rules are there too.  Both rules are pretty much identical.

Corrected elemental units

Victory:

Clan decisive victory--all Kurita forces destroyed and factory intact.
Clan minor victory--all Kurita forces and factory destroyed.
Kurita minor victory--clan forces and factory destroyed.
Kurita decisive victory--clan forces destroyed and factory intact.

[Darrian Wolffe]

Point of order:

Each Nova Cat OmniMech carries one STAR of Elementals?  STAR?

[Black Omega]

Point of order:

Each Nova Cat OmniMech carries one STAR of Elementals?  STAR?

Forgive me.  I stand corrected.  ONE POINT per mech.  Standard elemental rules.

[Darrian Wolffe]

Questions:

What is the mechanic to actually capture the factory?  Right now, it seems like there's no actual way for the Clan force to do so, because of the size of the board.  The Clan forces have to actually close in to be effectively adjacent to the factory hexes for the Elementals to do their thing, and if they return fire in any meaningful way, they're going to shred *enough* of the Kuritan units that the Kuritan CO can simply start making "it's hopeless" checks every turn at a 30%-40% success rate, which will still result in a win for Team Kurita.  The light lance (with the Panthers) is going to get vaporized almost immediately once they establish LOS to the Clan forces, which means a base 40% chance for the "it's hopeless" check.

Speaking of which, is the "it's hopeless" check for the Kuritan CO tied to the units involved in any way?  For example, the Kuritans secretly nominate one of the standard Mech units as the defending CO, and as long as that Mech is alive the Kuritans retain the ability to order the base self-destruct (thus giving the Clans the chance to stop the base self-destruct)?  Perhaps the death of the CO results in a 2-turn delay (ie, the base cannot be self-destructed until at least 2 turns have passed from the CO's death, representing the confusion and change of command)?

Can the LAM hangar be targeted?  Do the LAMs from the hangar launch one at a time, or simply all launch together once Turn 3 is hit (ie, there's no chance for the Clans to win the scenario before reinforcements arrive)?

Finally, what equipment, ammunition, and/or SPAs are available to the Clan forces to allow them to successfully hit a unit moving at a +6 TMM, at medium range (+2), while moving at a run (+2, because the scenario FORCES them to move to get close enough to the factory to drop off the Toads)?  My personal recommendation would have the Clanners ending up with a Trinary, with the third star being medium, AC-carrying units that mount Flak ammo (and no Toads).  That gives a some ADA capability to cover the units racing in to disarm the bombs.

It's an interesting scenario, and the multistage success track for the Clan forces is nicely put together.  The Kuritan win conditions, however, look like they need some work from the public information we have here; the Kuritans are going to achieve their wincons simply as a consequence of playing the game.  And while BV balancing doesn't really work with LAMs in play, an eyeball test strongly suggests that the Clans are actually playing at a disadvantage in this one; Elementals add to the BV2, but don't help as a combat unit pretty much at all within the bounds of this scenario (ie, wasted BV).

Oh, and do you need minis supplied?

[Ice]

I have lots o minis now unpainted bot lots not to mention a few sets of toads

[Black Omega]

Okay guys, real important here.

Game is on 6/27.

The location is changing due to Scifi City has other people taking up the tables on the 4th Sat.

We are playing at Nostalgia Ink, 6011 Tylersville Rd, in Mason.  We have played there before.  The last time was the start of my campaign.  Remember the store is around back of the building on the south side of Tylersville with the BW3's in the same complex..

The store opens at 1100.  Be there sharp.

[Darrian Wolffe]

Noted.  Will be there - Eli's at the grandparents for a full week over the 27th anyway, so no schedule concerns here.

And thank you, Steve, for your patience and flexibility regarding the date.  Father's Day was not on my radar whatsoever when I put out the date list, and I'm sorry we kinda dropped it on you like that.

[Ad Hoc]

Yes, thank you for the date change.  Logan and I will be there .  Also thanks for early heads up on location change (^_^)b.

[phlop]

Have to remember to not turn off at the Ronald Reagan and continue on north. Thanks for the update.

[Black Omega]

Questions:

What is the mechanic to actually capture the factory?  Right now, it seems like there's no actual way for the Clan force to do so, because of the size of the board.  The Clan forces have to actually close in to be effectively adjacent to the factory hexes for the Elementals to do their thing, and if they return fire in any meaningful way, they're going to shred *enough* of the Kuritan units that the Kuritan CO can simply start making "it's hopeless" checks every turn at a 30%-40% success rate, which will still result in a win for Team Kurita.  The light lance (with the Panthers) is going to get vaporized almost immediately once they establish LOS to the Clan forces, which means a base 40% chance for the "it's hopeless" check.

1] Capturing the factory is simply destroying the defending forces and controlling the field of battle.  There are no forces in the factory.  The factory is in the middle of the map with equal access from all sides.  The defenders will set up first.  The clans will then set up entering from the perimeter edge of the playing area. This is the 18th’s last stand.  Everyone else is dead.

Speaking of which, is the "it's hopeless" check for the Kuritan CO tied to the units involved in any way?  For example, the Kuritans secretly nominate one of the standard Mech units as the defending CO, and as long as that Mech is alive the Kuritans retain the ability to order the base self-destruct (thus giving the Clans the chance to stop the base self-destruct)?  Perhaps the death of the CO results in a 2-turn delay (ie, the base cannot be self-destructed until at least 2 turns have passed from the CO's death, representing the confusion and change of command)?

1a] After further consideration, with the amount of forces present, the “Hopeless Check” will begin AFTER 4 Kurita mechs have been destroyed and the percentage goes up 10% for every mech destroyed thereafter.  Rules above have been modified.

2] 4 officers [mechwarriors] designated by the defenders will have access to blow the factory upon command of the CO.  Rules above have been modified.

Can the LAM hangar be targeted?  Do the LAMs from the hangar launch one at a time, or simply all launch together once Turn 3 is hit (ie, there's no chance for the Clans to win the scenario before reinforcements arrive)?

3] The hanger is part of the factory complex and for the purposes of this game is not destructible by clan forces.  Consider the structure to be of Castle Brian level construction.  Only the demolition charges can bring down the building.  I do not want to track building construction factors.  The second lance of LAM’s will launch together on turn 3.

Finally, what equipment, ammunition, and/or SPAs are available to the Clan forces to allow them to successfully hit a unit moving at a +6 TMM, at medium range (+2), while moving at a run (+2, because the scenario FORCES them to move to get close enough to the factory to drop off the Toads)?  My personal recommendation would have the Clanners ending up with a Trinary, with the third star being medium, AC-carrying units that mount Flak ammo (and no Toads).  That gives a some ADA capability to cover the units racing in to disarm the bombs.

4] The clan mechs chosen have a variety of pulse lasers, LBX autocannon and other weapons.  Flak ammo certainly.  SPA’s nope.  I may change up both sides mech configurations and G/P a bit to fine tune things.  Part of this playtest is to continue our research into the new LAM rules capabilities by running them up against standard clan forces.  Given clan mech ground speeds, the LAM’s might need to slow down themselves to cruise to get meaningful hits on the clan mechs.  That being said, I have already planned for a possible third star of mechs as reinforcements if needed.  I have a couple of weeks to decide about that issue.

Oh, and do you need minis supplied?

5] I have all of the mini’s covered, thanks.

[serrate]

Date change, got it.

Location change, got it.  (^_^)b

[Death or Glory]

Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to be able to make it to this one.  I guess I'll just have to try to catch this scenario at GenCon.

[Darrian Wolffe]

Confirming my attendance.  Decent chance Maria will be making it there as a player as well.