ScrapYard Armory

I’m in a bit of a bind.

My top two choices for sharing a room in Indy this year unfortunately can’t make the trip.  This leaves me with a hotel room all to myself which is quite expensive in the downtown Indianapolis area.  Lets face it, gamers know the value of splitting the cost of hotel rooms with friends.  It’s part of the DNA of convention going.

Rather than seek out a roommate in a random forum I’d like to first extend the offer to someone in the BattleTech community.

Let me be clear.  Come hell or high water I will be going to GenCon this year.  I’m just looking to defray the costs.  The more money saved on accommodations, the more money I can spend in the exhibitor hall.

So if you are dead serious about going to GenCon this year and don’t currently have a room or you already have a room and have space, please drop me a line; brian@scrapyardarmory.com.

I’m looking forward to good times and lots of fun in Indy this year.

I’ve received some very helpful feedback on my Chaos Campaign: War of 3039 PDF since it’s release.  I’ve updated the PDF and uploaded the new file to the downloads section.

The Changes

• Updated the copyright notice to Topps
• Lots of spelling and grammar edits
• Added more salvage and more generous WarChest Points

Lots of thanks go our to Steve Satak for his very thorough red ink read through.  Also George “Skyhigh” Blouin and his gaming group for being the first to respond with feedback on game play.  I’ve made some adjustments that give the Players more breathing room.  I may have been a bit harsh when I first sat down to write all of the objectives and bonuses.

Stay tuned as my next Chaos Campaign is not that fall away.  I get a kick out of writing them and hearing back from readers really motivates me.

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded a copy!

I need a few good ‘Mechs.

I’m hard at work creating my second full length Chaos Campaign and in order to spice up the offering, I’ll be including three custom variants.  And I’d like those designs to come from you, the readers.

Here is what I’m looking for:

Banshee – Piloted by a Pirate Leader

• 3025 chassis with 3050 upgrades

Thunderbolt – Piloted by a Merc Leader fresh from the Clan Front Line

• Any chassis with 3050 upgrades

ANY VEHICLE – Piloted by a Planetary Militia Commander

• Should reflect more modest finances. ~3025 technology.

What’s in it for Me?

How about some motivation?  If I end up using your design(s), you can select any one blister from my recent haul of ‘Mechs, Vehicles, and Infantry.  (check the comments for the full list)

The Rules

• Only one submission per category per person.
• Deadline will be Friday May 7th.
• Submissions should be in text or HTML format (use the export function using SSW)
• Send all submissions to brian@scrapyardarmory.com

Most important is to have fun and let your imagination run wild.  I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

GenCon is not that far away if you think about it.  The events list is already up and available for browsing.  Catalyst will be hosting an impressive line up once again including some very interesting new additions.  Here is a quick run down of what to expect in Indy this year.

I hope you can make it if you can.  If you can’t you can rest assured that you’ll find loads of content here at the ScrapYard.

Boot Camp and Pilot’s Lounge

The bootcamp is the first stop for any player who is new to the game.  If you have a friend who is interested in the game, they will find excellent instructors ready and willing to walk you through the basics of movement, firing and basic strategy.

Bootcamps are available from 10AM to 5PM each day except Sunday.

The Pilot’s Lounge is new this year and is essentially the same thing as the Bootcamp just in a different location.  From my reading of the description, these games will be in close proximity to the ‘Mech Pods that were all the rave last year.

Grinder

The Grinder is a staple at GenCon.  Grinders are available from 10AM to Midnight Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Sunday things wind down at noon, but most people are making last minute purchases in the dealer hall and heading to flights anyways.

The Grinder is a great way to kill a few hours if you ever find yourself with some unexpected time on your hands.  Multiple tables in use make sure each battle stays fast and furious.  Bring your generic tickets along for this event.

Lance Battles

Lance Battles is a new event that is an intermediate step between the grinder and the canon events.  Each player controls a lance in a grinder style free for all where lance tactics are taught and practiced.  It’s a great idea for those who may need a little more encouragement before stepping into a bigger event.

There are only 4 occurrences of this event, two on Friday and two on Saturday.  As of the writing of this post over half of the available tickets are already gone which bodes well for this event becoming a more permanent fixture at GenCon.

The Liberation of Terra

This year’s canon event takes place on Terra where Stone’s Coalition force aims to put the final nail in the Word of Blake’s coffin.

After years of the Jihad, Stone’s Coalition has arrived on Terra. Stone’s Allied Coalition takes on the Word of Blake in a large battle for Cairo, where one of Wob’s Castle Brian is located. This city must be taken if Stone is to win Terra. The Allied forces are dropping near the Castle Brian in an effort to establish a small base of operations.

Each instance of this big game is four hours long.  The games run all convention long and the maps and miniatures are not reset following the conclusion of each block.  There are always reinforcements to make sure everyone gets a fair chance to play, but as the body count racks up, the writers will be taking notes.  Results from last GenCon ended up in the Jihad Turning Points Dieron PDF release.

Flight School

Another new event this year is the Flight School.  Each player will pilot an Aerospace fighter in a low altitude dog fight.  Air superiority is on the line.

This event is the fruit of a trial event held last year after hours at GenCon (see my very brief Aerospace Lives! review from last year’s GenCon).  Low altitude combat is one of the often overlooked gems of Total Warfare.  All rules are taught and the games promise to be fast and fun.  I hope it does well as I had a great time playing last year.

Flight school is only available Friday and Saturday from 2PM to 7PM.

Solaris Melee Challenge

Back again this year is the Solaris Melee Challenge, a multi-day competition to rack up fame and fortune in hopes of making into the finals on Saturday evening.

Each time slot for this event is an opportunity to gain money and “fame” by scoring critical hits, destroying opponents, or otherwise appeasing the crowds.  Physical attacks are encouraged and it is in your best interest to keep the pace fast.

I played quite a bit in the Solaris arenas last year at GenCon and I had a lot of fun.  My editor SaxyWolf actually made it into the finals but wasn’t in a competitive enough ‘Mech to make the most of it.  Words of wisdom; have a plan but be prepared to go full throttle if you find yourself lacking targets.  You can’t afford to be cautious in this game.

Regular melee events run 10AM to 8PM Thursday and Friday with the finals held at 4PM Saturday.  There are only 2 regular slots available Saturday before the finals which offer the last opportunity to rack up points to make it to the finals.

BattleTech Open

The BattleTech open is the closest thing this game has to an official tournament system.  Pity it is only once a year.  What ever happened to the Martial Olympiad anyways?

I like the changes they have made to the system last year and hope that we have more good things to look forward too.  The game starts at 11Am on Saturday and lasts 6 hours.  That makes for 3 battles in different categories; Inner Sphere Tournament, Clan Tournament, and Inner Sphere Introductory.  Each round you have to pick a ‘Mech pairing from those provided by the organizers.

Big bragging rights go to the winner of the tournament!

Grand Melee

This GenCon staple will be hosted on Thursday from 2PM to 10PM.  Only the strong will survive in this free for all for the prize of a Blood Name.  Last year the blood name Kerensky was given away to one lucky fan along with some impressive hardware.  Only the strongest will survive.

Seminars

There are two seminars on Friday starting at 11AM that will be of interest for BattleTech fans.  The first two hour slot focuses on Catalyst Game Labs in general.  A third hour focuses on BattleTech in particular.

I am expecting a lot of hard questions to come out of the seminars this year.  I plan on being in attendance with many of my own questions but I hope that Catalyst will take the initiative and provide closure to the obvious concerns of the community.

Battle the Masters

For the second year in a row the Masters will be in attendance to mix it up with the BattleTech masses.  The formula is simple; pick your favorite ‘Mech and see how it does against the best the Developers muster.

This event is scheduled for Saturday night starting at 10PM and goes into the early hours of Sunday morning.  A fitting end to the convention.

In 3071 the Word of Blake Jihad came to the Capellan Confederation planet of Necromo, home of the warship yards for the Capellan Navy.  The Shin Legion and Home Guard were protecting the planet until the 48th Shadow Division invades with intent to destroy all defenders and the factories.

Word of Blake – 48th Shadow Division

Alpha Level II

• RJN-200-C Raijin II
• Grigori Dominus
• EXT-5F Exterminator
• Archangel Dominus
• VQR-5V Vanquisher
• Deva Dominus

Beta Level II

• Nexus II
• Malak Luminos
• Preta Dominus
• Preta Infernus
• CRB-45 Crab
• LGH-6W Lightray

Capellan Confederation – Shin Legion

Command Lance

• CTF-3LL Cataphract
• VTR-10L Victor
• EMP-6L Emperor
• PLG-4Z Pillager

Recon Lance

• JA-KL-5S Jackal
• SYU-4B Sha Yu
• PXH-4L Phoenix Hawk
• VND-4L Vindicator

Support Lance

• THR-2L Thunder
• WHM-4L Warhammer
• LHU-3C Lao-Hu
• Y-H10G Yu Huang

Conventional Support Lance

• Po Tank
• Zhukov Heavy Tank
• Manticore Tank
• Vedette Medium Tank

Objectives

The Shin Legion will win a partial victory if they keep the key factory buildings intact (central office, R&D Lab, and power substation).  They win a complete victory if they also destroy at least 50% of the attackers.

The 48th will win a partial victory if they destroy the objective buildings and a complete victory if they also destroy at least 50% of the defenders.

Special Rules

Due to surprise, the 48th win initiative automatically the first two turns.

Turn 1 and 2 – 48th Win Initiative (automatic)

Both opening turns see only movement and missed long range shots.

The Capellans hold the core of their force on the small hill overlooking the battlefield.  They are not making any attempt to bring the battle to the Wobbies.  The lighter units swarm around heavy cover provided by a large hill to the north.

The Word of Blake marches forward ominously, without fear.

Turn 3 – 48th Win Initiative

A lone Preta jumps on top of the north hill for a better look and attracts the attention of several Liao ‘Mechs.  Amazingly the tiny scout gives worse than it receives in the exchange thanks to a very large target modifier from jumping and heavy woods.

The main force of Heavy Liao ‘Mechs stays grouped together but begins to stray from the defensive position they took in the opening turns.  The vehicle lance darts around cover trying to avoid shots from the slowly approaching Word of Blake Heavy Level II.

Turn 4 – Shin Legion Win Initiative

The Preta from last turn jumps again and takes cover in woods.  This time luck is not on its side as a Gauss Rifle rips into the left leg.  However, no internal damage results.

The Liao ‘Mechs stubbornly refuse to close with the enemy, ever fearful of the threat from the complete C3i network deployed by the enemy.  To support the tanks to the south, a Thunder keeps close behind a building avoiding contact but positioning within a short run of potential targets.

The Word of Blake light assets continue to dance around the hill to the the north.  They avoid damage while delivering timely long range hits on targets of opportunity.  The Liao decision to stay at long range is resulting in unreasonably high to-hit numbers.

A Yu Huang of the support lance is picked out from the crowd and pummeled with Heavy Gauss Rifles, ERPPCs, and ER Medium Lasers and forced to fall.  No internal damage but lots of lost armor.

Turn 5 – Shin Legion Win Initiative

The Word of Blake continues to press the advantage and scores more hits against the Yu Huang and a Zhukov Tank.  The scattered response from the Liao forces is barely able to break the concentration of the invading Manei Domini.

The Vanquisher decides not to dwell in a partial cover protected sniper position and struggles to keep pace with his faster allies.

Turn 6 – 48th Win Initiative

The Heavy Level II to the south is not showing any signs of slowing down and is now in range of the objectives.  The Tanks cannot stand up to the potential firepower and choose to attempt escape past nearby buildings.  The nearby Thunder fires into the ground to build up heat, activating TSM.

The center of the power plant is destroyed in a single volley and some damage is placed on the office buildings deep in the Liao deployment zone.  The Word of Blake forces begin taking shots at anything in range, ‘Mech or building.

The Zhukov, unable to match the speed of his lance mates is struck solidly from Word forces and sustains an engine hit.  A Liao Sha Yu who rushed in to disrupt the advance of the Light Level II sheds armor to concentrated firepower and takes an engine hit as well.

In a stunning turn, the Word of Blake Nexus is caught in a short but precise stream of PPC and Autocannon shells from various sources.  Almost all shots land in the center torso, coring the ‘Mech through.  First kill goes to the Shin legion!

Turn 7 – 48th Win Initiative

Unimpeded, the Heavy Level II marches to the front of the Liao ramparts where the speedy Raijin II joins them to level what was left of the Office Building and Power Plant.  The Light Level II to the north consolidates and continues to pressure the main segment of the Liao forces who are still near the base of the hills overlooked by the Research Center.  The Research Center is also victim to long range volleys and is in danger.

The Liao forces unload on a Preta who had rushed forward.  In a roar of Heavy PPCs and laser fire, the Preta has a leg ripped off and two engine hits.  The Archangel is hit with both a light and regular gauss rifle to little effect.  The Thunder who finally rushes into enemy forces lines up a LB-20X shot to a Lightray.  The cluster roll is a full complement which tears apart the weak rear armor and delivers an engine and gyro hit.  Amazingly the Lightray takes the damage and remains standing.  A TSM kick would miss during physical combat.

The Word of Blake is storming into Liao territory and shows no signs of slowing down.  The Cappellans can do nothing to prevent their facilities from getting sacked and cede the battlefield.

Aftermath

As a player on the Capellan side I confess to being a little too worried about the C3i across the board.  We were sure to lose a few ‘Mechs to the network but overkill is a factor that would work for us in the bigger picture.

We really should have challenged the Word of Blake front line sooner.  Once that Heavy Level II got close, it was all over for our poor buildings.  No superior positioning was going to save the day.

What do you think?  What would you have done differently?

A relic of the Star League and the Terran Hegemony, Fortress Dieron radiates the power and majesty of bygone eras.
Occupying nearly two-thirds of Mount Shanyu, the fortress boasts several artillery, turret, and orbital gun emplacements as well as nearly one hundred ’Mech and vehicle bays, cavernous storage facilities, and enough space for over four regiments of troops, support personnel, and command staff.

Fresh from Jihad Turning Points: Dieron the ScrapYardArmory presents Mount Shanyu!

Mount Shanyu PDF (610 KB)

I created a Heavy Metal Map which includes the special terrain featured in the Climbing Mount Shanyu track in the aforementioned Turning Points PDF.  The first 6 pages are the map itself with a generic wall layout.  The last page contains turret and door hexes which can be cut out and used to create the perfect wall for your campaign while still allowing you to stretch out to accommodate any size engagement.  Sorry to say that HMM did not have an option for 500CF doors, so I made due with 50CF figuring adding a zero wouldn’t be that bad.  This ends with the doors labeled as Heavy when they are actually Hardened.

I hope you find it useful.  If there is any desire to have one made with 2″ hexes instead of the standard BattleTech size shoot me and email and I’ll reprint from the Heavy Metal Map file.  Good hunting!

http://www.livingdice.com/3808/gama-trade-show-2010-report-part-5/

Not much in the way of information but still a nice news item.

Before going into specifics about Catalyst Game Labs offerings, I took the opportunity to speak with Randall Bills regarding the recent financial issues announced by Catalyst. He described the issue as “bad habits” that originated at the founding of the company. He also stated that the issue came to light last November and Catalyst is implementing new financial processes and oversight to prevent the issue from reoccuring. Catalyst is now focused on moving forward as a company. Randall also said he had received a lot of support at GTS from attendees.

Interesting to note in the picture, there appears to be a copy of the Hex Pack: Lakes and Rivers in the far right corner.