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[serrate]

2) The Train will move from the south end of the board, along a pre-determined path, to the North end of the board.  The train consists of several hexes worth of attached "cars".  Each "Car" is targeted independently, and will remain attached to all other cars, even if destroyed (destroying a Car which is not the engine car will not derail the entire train).  The leadmost car is considered the "Engine" car.  The train has 4 MP on Turns 1 & 2, 5 MP on Turns 3-8, and 6 MP on turns 9+ (as it accelerates).

Does this mean that each car is 1 hex long, or does a hex contain multiple cars?

3) OPFOR units may leave the train at any time, by spending 2 Jumping MP and passing a PSR with a +1 modifier (in addition to all other modifiers).  A Mech Car may contain up to 6 Mechs. OPFOR Mechs firing from the train suffer a +3 to hit modifier, and impose a +1 penalty to attempts to hit them (they are not counted as being stationary).  A Mech car has a flat armor value of approximately 70, and the destruction of a mech car will immediately dismount all Mechs on board that car (count as 2-level fall) in the adjacent hexes, displacing as normal.

OPFOR units with zero jumping MP may not leave the train? Would an OPFOR mech that fails it's PSR take falling and skidding damage?

Objectives
1) Stop the entire Train from leaving the board
2) Do not destroy the Engine Car or the rail line itself
3) Destroy enemy units

I'm unclear on how we could possibly accomplish the first objective, without destroying the Engine, derailing the train, or causing damage to the track. Is it possible you meant to say "1) Stop the Nuke from leaving the board"?

Or perhaps it's simply not possible to fulfill objective 1 and 2?

Also, are we allowed to deploy hidden units?

[Darrian Wolffe]

2) The Train will move from the south end of the board, along a pre-determined path, to the North end of the board.  The train consists of several hexes worth of attached "cars".  Each "Car" is targeted independently, and will remain attached to all other cars, even if destroyed (destroying a Car which is not the engine car will not derail the entire train).  The leadmost car is considered the "Engine" car.  The train has 4 MP on Turns 1 & 2, 5 MP on Turns 3-8, and 6 MP on turns 9+ (as it accelerates).

Does this mean that each car is 1 hex long, or does a hex contain multiple cars?

Each car is 1 hex long.

3) OPFOR units may leave the train at any time, by spending 2 Jumping MP and passing a PSR with a +1 modifier (in addition to all other modifiers).  A Mech Car may contain up to 6 Mechs. OPFOR Mechs firing from the train suffer a +3 to hit modifier, and impose a +1 penalty to attempts to hit them (they are not counted as being stationary).  A Mech car has a flat armor value of approximately 70, and the destruction of a mech car will immediately dismount all Mechs on board that car (count as 2-level fall) in the adjacent hexes, displacing as normal.

OPFOR units with zero jumping MP may not leave the train? Would an OPFOR mech that fails it's PSR take falling and skidding damage?

OPFOR Mechs without Jump MP may not leave the train (technically, they may not leave it while it's in motion, and on the elevated track system, but since that's basically the whole game, I'm not concerned about it) period.

For purposes of simplicity, Mechs that fail their dismounting PSR (or Mechs which are dismounted) simply fall 2 levels.  No skidding (plus, then we get into overlapping vectors, skidding units accidentally ramming each other...I'd like to just play the game).

Objectives
1) Stop the entire Train from leaving the board
2) Do not destroy the Engine Car or the rail line itself
3) Destroy enemy units

I'm unclear on how we could possibly accomplish the first objective, without destroying the Engine, derailing the train, or causing damage to the track. Is it possible you meant to say "1) Stop the Nuke from leaving the board"?

Or perhaps it's simply not possible to fulfill objective 1 and 2?

Shit, yes.  Stop the NUKE from leaving the dammed board.  *facepalm*

Also, are we allowed to deploy hidden units?

No, you'll be moving onto the board.

[Hat]

Ok, a quick question: Are there other units that can potentially intercept if we fail - air or otherwise?  While I certainly understand that the death of a trainful of civilians and a company of elite mechwarriors would be a terrible loss especially from a morale perspective, if the alternative is to let it get to a crowded population center, that seems like a reasonable sacrifice.

[phlop]

Do we have surveillance of the terrain that the rail lines moves through? Since we are moving on the board, are we limited to particular sides?

The reason for asking, since some of us have the ability to hit targets from long distances, these individuals could be on a hill and fire on the train for a good amount of turns if they had LOS. Some mechs could barely keep up with the train at a run.

[Darrian Wolffe]

Do we have surveillance of the terrain that the rail lines moves through? Since we are moving on the board, are we limited to particular sides?

The reason for asking, since some of us have the ability to hit targets from long distances, these individuals could be on a hill and fire on the train for a good amount of turns if they had LOS. Some mechs could barely keep up with the train at a run.

You do.  It's largely flat terrain, with a couple of small lakes.  The rail line itself runs through several low hills (ie, it's the "road" on SEVERAL Battleforce 2 mapsheets).  And don't worry - deployment will be across 4 complete maps as you see fit.  You have plenty of time to "lead" your target.

Ok, a quick question: Are there other units that can potentially intercept if we fail - air or otherwise?  While I certainly understand that the death of a trainful of civilians and a company of elite mechwarriors would be a terrible loss especially from a morale perspective, if the alternative is to let it get to a crowded population center, that seems like a reasonable sacrifice.

Not really, because anything that they could send to do it would also destroy the rail line and condemn the city of Sylvan to starvation.  Mechs can target just the train.  ASFs have too much of a risk of hitting the tracks as well.  This is the precise reason that the RWR is running a nuke down this particular rail line in the first place.

[Black Omega]

Rob, would you please update our experience on the personel file for the last game?  I believe you said 30xp?

[Hat]

Sorry Rob, I'm having a hard time following this.

Outcome 1 - we're successful.
Outcome 2 - train derailed / track broken, city slowly starves
Outcome 3 - we fail, train with nuke makes it to the city, citizens vaporized in initial blast or die from radiation or starvation

If these are truly the 3 Outcomes I guess I don't follow why option 3 is better than option 2.  Couldn't the train or track potentially be fixed or alternatively the city be evacuated?

I understand that the campaign would effectively be over - or at least all the current PCs would be dead - if we caused the nuke to go off here away from the city.  But isn't the SLDF arguably tasked to lay down their lives if necessary to protect the civilians?

 but I think I must be missing something.

[Darrian Wolffe]

Outcome 1 - we're successful.
Outcome 2 - train derailed / track broken, city slowly starves
Outcome 3 - we fail, train with nuke makes it to the city, citizens vaporized in initial blast or die from radiation or starvation

Outcome 1: You take out the nuke.  Hungry city is fine.  Other city isn't nuked.  Yay.
Outcome 2: Train Derailed/Track Broken.  Other city isn't nuked.  Sylvan begins starving.  Thousands die before the tracks are repaired and the "dirty" radiological debris from the derailed nuke is cleaned up.  SLDF logistics get diverted from the larger war against Amaris to try and help with this, hurting the overall war effort.
Outcome 3: Nuke makes it to the city.  City goes up.  City dies, and Sylvan begins starving because the other end of the rail line that provides them 95% of their food is now gone and an irradiated wasteland.


You are shooting for Outcome 1.  If you fail, the SLDF will probably try for Outcome 2 and make it work as best they can.  Outcome 3 is by FAR the worst result.

[Black Omega]

IC) And I thought I had confidence issues.  Guys, we are ECHO CO.  We got away from Earth.  The Royal Black Watch didn't get off of Earth.  There isn't anything that slime Amaris can throw at us that we can't shove right back up his swarthy, flea-bitten ass (sideways).

ooc) Rob,  I'll take that 30 xp from the last game and spend it on Sensor Ops +1.

ic)  I suggest that Marshall find the best overlooking hill and set up for the shot.  Which WE WILL provide for him.  We are going to have to scan for the radiation signature.  Beware of the gun cars, they don't have gun penalties.  Scanning range will likely be short range for it's guns.  If the nuke is in a passenger car, we should use lots of smaller weapons (optimally MG and SL and SRM's) to minimize possible damage to people.  But if we have to, we have to... and Amaris will have more on his account when we get back to Earth.  I'll personally never forget the mom singing Silent Night and getting vaporized by that PPC.  WE ARE GOING TO GET BACK TO EARTH AND STAMP PAID ON HIS ACCOUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!  This I swear.  Now let's do this. 

[Black Omega]

Okay Rob, I have a few questions.
1) Will the Beagle Probe in the LAM give any bonus to scanning?  Say allowing weapons fire while scanning?
2) How tall are the train cars?
3) Will the cars give any kind of partial cover?
4) Are the mech cars "flat-cars"?
5) Are the tracks elevated?

[Darrian Wolffe]

Okay Rob, I have a few questions.
1) Will the Beagle Probe in the LAM give any bonus to scanning?  Say allowing weapons fire while scanning? yes, you'll have a scanning bonus, but remember that you're only able to scan a certain distance away from the hex you end movement in; you won't be able to overfly the entire length of the train and scan the entire thing in 1 pass.
2) How tall are the train cars? Depends on the car and its contents
3) Will the cars give any kind of partial cover? Find out in-game
4) Are the mech cars "flat-cars"? Sort of.  Generally to transport active Mechs on board a mobile surface, units are equipped with blow-away safety clamps.  They have a small amount of motion potential, but not enough to fall off the train.
5) Are the tracks elevated? Yes.  They essentially take 1 level (which means that vehicles cannot move under them, and the rails+train will be a minimum of 2 levels tall.  Note that since the train is by definition above the rails, you cannot use bends in the rail line ahead of the train to gain partial cover from units firing from the train.

[Hat]

Rob, thanks for the clarification on the outcomes.  I wasn't sure whether outcome 2 was possible if the train got past us.

Obviously that's not the plan, just wanted to clarify.

With a sweep of his...

Hat

[Darrian Wolffe]

There will be no record sheet printing required for this game.  Thank you.

[Knightofargh]

Wince.

We are actually relying on my dice?  Might as well nuke the civvies ourselves.

[agustaaquila]

Brent, you more than welcome to borrow your wife's dice, your dice seemed to like her Spartan well enough.

<finished building nuclear survivable bunker in undisclosed location, moves to Siberia>