ScrapYard Armory

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.