3 December, 3071
Strana Mechty, Clan Homeworlds
In the aftermath of the raid on the Steel Viper C3 center, the Watch is increasingly concerned that a single entity is manipulating these Clans, and potentially others. In conjunction with the raid on Lum, intelligence has been gathered from the Star Adders and Cloud Cobras which is nearly-identical in phraseology, all addressed from the Scientist Caste to the Warrior Caste urging a triparte alliance and a defiance of the Grand Council. This information combines in a disturbing fashion with the information the Watch recovered from the Dark Caste facility on Barcella in 3069. All indications point toward a single group bent on breaking or attacking the authority of the Grand Council in the Homeworlds. Further investigation is clearly called for.
However, further investigation will have to wait. As you no doubt know, three months ago, news reached the Homeworlds of the nuclear attack at Tamar. The Word of Blake forces declined to launch a ground invasion of the Wolf Clan Inner Sphere capital world, instead performing days of standoff nuclear attacks deliberately targeting heavily-populated areas. It is rumored that Wolf Clan genetic legacies were heavily irradiated, if not destroyed. Fortunately, the Kerensky genetic legacies rest safely here on Strana Mechty out of the Word's despicable reach.
With the Wolf Clan thrown into turmoil and unable to provide its normal stabilizing influence, the Grand Council has somewhat fractured. In a surprise vote, the Fire Mandrill Khan was elected by the Council as the new Ilkhan, most likely because the weaker Clans fear the collective might of the Snake Alliance. The Goliath Scorpions were dissatisfied with the result and immediately challenged the vote with a Trial of Refusal. The battle on Shadow lasted 72 hours; the Scorpions won with horrendous losses, and the election of Garrett Sainze was repudiated with the loss and his death during the Trial. This shakeup has kicked off fighting all across the Homeworlds. The Fire Mandrills fight among themselves while the Cloud Cobras harry them from the outside. Hell's Horses are attacking the Wolves, and the Ice Hellions attack anyone within reach.
In this climate, Watch Intelligence has noted the Wolf 1st Lancers Cluster moving towards the genetic respositories in Katyusha. They have not filed a movement plan, and it does not seem that the Clan forces in the area have noticed their overland march toward their objective. Watch forces will attempt to interdict one of the Lancer columns in an effort to secure a prisoner and determine what the Wolf objective is. If there is a threat to the repositories, it is a threat to ALL the Clans.
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Game Setup
This game is played on four BattleTech mapsheets . These maps are determined randomly (see TW, pg 263). Maps MUST be laid out as indicated below, and may be arranged as chosen by the OPFOR player (ie, roll for the maps, do the bidding process, then lay out the maps). Note that there may not be a valid LOS between the entry points for the Clan and OPFOR players along the western board edge; rearrange the maps as needed to ensure this is possible, or if both players consent, reroll the maps.
Map Layout
west [][]......east
.......[][]
Bidding
Because this is a rapid-response mission, Mech, ProtoMechs, or vehicles which are incapable of moving at least 4/6/4 or 5/8/0 may not be bid into the mission. Consider that they don't "exist" for purposes of determining your initial forces from which you bid. (ie, Rob has 15 mechs, of which 2 units from Alpha Star and 1 unit from Beta star do not meet the movement requirements. He has 12 Mechs with which to begin bidding, and if he bids away is Alpha Star in its entirety he has bid away 3 points from his original 12.)
****(Let's see if THIS works.)
Deployment
OPFOR
OPFOR units must enter within 4 hexes of the northwest corner during their movement on Turn one.
Clan
Clan units enter the board within 4 hexes of the southwest corner during their movement on Turn one.
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Game Rules
1) Forced Withdrawal rules are in effect for Watch players. Forced Withdrawal rules are not in effect for OPFOR players, but any OPFOR unit which would normally be under Forced Withdrawal must attempt to move towards the objective board edges. Watch players may CHOOSE to withdrawal a unit off-board via any board edge (or voluntarily shut their Mech down as an End Phase declaration) if it meets any of the following conditions: missing a limb, internal in 3 locations, no weapons remaining capable of dealing 7+ damage, 1 engine or gyro hit, 2+ pilot hits, no armor remaining on the head.
2) This game has no turn limit.
3) The OPFOR Objective is to ensure their commanders escape the board from the southeastern corner hex (that hex, specifically).
4) OPFOR units may make a straight PSR to walk or run through Watch unit occupying their target hex. Failure results in an accidental charge by the moving unit, with the Watch unit holding its hex and the OPFOR unit being displaced backwards one hex.
5) Tricky Wolves: Wolf players must make a 2d6 roll in front of the GM or AGM. The result is kept secret. On an 7+, the Wolf player may bring in 1d3 reinforcement Mechs (from different Lancer columns) along either long board edge at the END of the turn's movement phase. These Mechs may only enter the game after Turn 4. Reinforcement mechs NEVER obey zellbringen, and will automatically free the Clan player from Zellbringen once they open fire.
6) The Wolf Clan is under strict orders not to engage in Zellbringen, but vestiges of Honor remain. Wolf Mechs will match the zell level selected by the Clan player. However, if a Wolf Mech is engaged in a duel, roll 2d6 during the End Phase of every turn. On a 7+, the next turn it will be free to break zellbringen. If two Wolf Mechs break zellbringen in this way, then the Clan player is free to ignore zellbringen for the remainder of the scenario.
7) Wolf Clan Commanders. The OPFOR player MUST choose to mark "for" or "against" auto-eject on the Commander's Mechs. Commanders who eject can be picked up by OPFOR units who spend a full turn in either the ejection target hex, or the downed Mech's hex (if the commander didn't eject). If the unit carrying the commander escapes, it counts as an escape for the commander.
8.) A Commander who has not been picked up once there are no remaining mobile Wolf Clan units on the board will commit suicide, granting VPs to neither side.
9) Coordinated Movement: The Wolf forces are under orders to arrive at their muster point simultaneously so as not to alert their targets. Wolf Commanders cannot exit the board until the Movement Phase of Turn 8.
Warchest Rewards and Costs
Track Cost: 100
Objectives
1) Stop the commanders from escaping. Do not let either "commander" flee the board from the OPFOR objective hex. +200
2) Disable at least one of the commander's Mechs without causing pilot damage to that commander. +150
3) Capture a commander. Remain stationary for at least 1 full turn adjacent to a downed commander's Mech. Alternatively, if the commander ejected, spend one full turn in the hex in which he ejected (commanders do not "move" and do not take up initiative slots). +300
Options:
+100 Complicated Weather: Roll once on the Weather Table (pg.69, TO) and apply the result to the battlefield.
+150 Elite Lancers: All OPFOR units improve their piloting and gunnery skills by -1/-1.
Zellbringen (you MUST choose one level of Zellbringen. If you achieve no Objectives, you receive HALF of the listed payout. If you achieve at least one Objective, you receive the full payout)
+0 No Zellbringen: Clan forces may engage OPFOR units without regard for Zellbringen (ie, they may combine fire and may use area-effect weapons and physical attacks). This cannot stack with any other Zellbringen option.
+150: Liberal Zellbringen: Clan forces must engage OPFOR using Zellbringen duelling** rules (ie, they must engage in 1-on-1 [or 1-on-2, 1-on-3, etc] duels with OPFOR units, may not use area-effect weapons, and may not use physical attacks. At the end of each phase in which the OPFOR combines fire, uses area-effect weapons and/or physical attacks, or breaks LOS for the second turn in a row, the Clan player must roll 2d6. On an 7+, the Clan player is freed from the confines of Zellbringen for the remainder of the scenario. For every subsequent turn in which the OPFOR breaks Zellbringen, the TN of this check is reduced by 1.) This cannot stack with any other Zellbringen option.
+300: Strict Zellbringen: Clan forces must engage OPFOR using Zellbringen duelling rules (ie, they must engage in 1-on-1 [or 1-on-2, 1-on-3, etc] duels with OPFOR units, may not use or deploy area-effect weapons or units which mount area-effect weapons [they must be bid away], and may not use physical attacks. At the end of each phase in which the OPFOR combines fire, uses area-effect weapons and/or physical attacks, or breaks LOS for the second turn in a row, the Clan player must roll 2d6. On an 9+, the Clan player is freed from the confines of Zellbringen for the remainder of the scenario. For every subsequent turn in which the OPFOR breaks Zellbringen, the TN of this check is reduced by 1.) This cannot stack with any other Zellbringen option.
Track Exits
There are no track exit options for this scenario.
Victory Points:
+1: Each Wolf Mech incapable of escaping
+4: Each Commander captured.
+3: All Wolf Clan units prevented from escaping
-1: Each Watch Mech destroyed or in Forced Withdrawal.
-1: Each pilot hit on a Wolf Clan Commander
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Topic: Game 9: Tipping Points (Read 3064 times)