ScrapYard Armory

There are not many better wedding gifts in the 31st century than an entire nation.  In 3028 Hanse Davion sparked an interstellar war with a toast to his new wife.  This is just one of those battles fought on a distant planet for control of military objectives and opposing head quarters. 

The battle was fought using Battle Force rules in Strategic Operations.  Each side had a reinforced battalion to command which included three BattleMech companies with one elite command lance, one Vehicle company, and one Infantry company.

We used a few special rules/tweaks to make our game resolve just a bit faster.

• Attacks were resolved as they were declared.  It made our game slightly more deadly/efficient, but kept the action moving smoothly.
• Damage from attacks was applied randomly against a target lance’s units.  Very similar to firing on Battle Armor in Total Warfare.
• Dice/tokens were used to mark units that had moved.  As the units fire was resolved the token was removed.  An easy way to avoid confusion on both sides of the table.

After spending a significant amount of time preparing record sheets (something Solaris Skunk Werks will soon help) we plunged into the action, foregoing the optional command rules.  Each side has two objectives and a single HQ.  The objectives are worth 50 points and the HQs are 25 points.   This is not strictly per the rules in Strategic Ops but a simplification for us so we could begin playing sooner.

Deployment

Turn 1 – Liao Wins Initiative

Each side moves towards their objectives.  Movements appear even across the battle line.  Not much action but much thought for later position.

(Davion: 0 pts, Liao: 0 pts)

Turn 2 – Davion Wins Initiative (Davions: 0 pts, Liao: 0 pts)

More movement as both sides tip their hands.  The Davions are employing a more even attack while the Liaos are concentrating the bulk of their forces closer to the southern objectives.

The first Davion unit crosses the river while to the North several units cover the Liao objective.  Each force has units close to their Southern objectives and are looking for an easy capture in the turns to come.

(Davion: 0 pts, Liao: 0 pts)

Turn 3 – Liao Wins Initiative

Davion units bypass the Northwestern Liao objective and begin the long trek across the lake.  To the South the Davions envelop their objective and begin slugging it out against Capellan troops in range.

A single Davion light Mech is dropped by long range fire as the Liao forces occupy their Southeastern objective.

(Davion: 0 pts, Liao: 13 pts)

Turn 4 – Davion Wins Initiative

Northern Liao troops make a major shift South at the last minute.  A huge firefight erupts around the Davion objective.  To the North a skeleton defense force is left behind to protect the Davion objective.

Davion troops make headway against their attackers, eliminating eight combat units while losing only three.  However the Southern Liao objective is captured uncontested.

(Davion: 13 pts, Liao: 59 pts)

Turn 5 – Liao Wins Initiative

Liao forces make a dash across the river and begin to threaten the Davion bulk from the rear.  A single lance of jump infantry to the North takes cover from the attacking Davions allowing uncontested control of the objective for now.  A lone light lance of Davions makes a dash towards the Liao HQ but is cut down by a far luckier opposing light lance.

The fight centered around the Southern Davion objective turns sour for the Davions.  The Liao forces strike down seven units while only losing six.  While numerically close, Davion casualties were far heavier units.

(Davion: 23 pts, Liao: 76 pts)

Turn 6 – Liao Wins Initiative

Liao infantry units to the North  jump into combat to keep the North objective free of Davion control and are joined by a light lance of ‘Mechs.  A Liao hover lance is within one turn of occupying the Davion HQ.  The Davion assault on their Southern objective is crushed while an understrength company can only hope to delay the capture of the Northern Liao objective.

(Davion: 52 pts, Liao: 98 pts)

It was agreed by both players that the scenario was not as fair as it could have been.  The Liao force was heavier than the Davions and the terrain placement hampered the Davion advance enough to severely hinder their ability to threaten objectives or respond to enemy movement.  In addition, poor force combinations further complicated the Davion’s movement woes.

A rough loss for the Davions but from what canon history tells us, not at all representative of the 4th Succession War in total.

A Time of War is here in Beta form and for $10 it seems silly to skip on this opportunity.  To be honest I am not much of an RPG fan. What I am interested in is an infantry level skirmish game set in the oh so familiar 31st century I love.

Besides the Gamemastering Guide and certain skills and traits, almost everything appears to work well in an infantry skirmish game.  I wanted to kick the tires to see how combat flowed and if there really was any substance behind that thick RPG exterior.  I gathered up my miniatures (not even painted yet!  I’m so embarrassed!) and set the stage for a quick fight.  No objectives, no missions, just a kill or be killed fight to the finish.

Our battle takes place in a familiar Factory.  Not much cover to be had but plenty of area to move around.  The scale is 5m to a hex.  All characters used are based on the sample characters provided in either the Quick Start Rules or the full Beta rules.  All miniatures are from Reaper Miniatures’ Chronoscope.

The Soldiers

• Veteran Soldier (Assault Rifle)
• Two Soldiers (Assault Rifles)
• Gunslinger (Ambidextrous dual wielding Magnums)

The Scouts

• Veteran Scout (Ambidextrous dual wielding SMGs)
• Two Scouts (Laser Pistols and Vibro-Swords)
• Combat Tech (Shotgun)

Tactical Action Resolution is in effect.  Damage does not take effect until the end of the turn so no killing characters before they get a chance to act.

Turn 1 – Soldiers Win Initiative

Nothing but movement for both sides. Important to note, each unit may only use ONE movement action a turn and must declare that mode before moving.  All troops are moving on a run so far.

Turn 2 – Soldiers Win Initiative

The Scout Veteran kicks it into high gear and sprints to the ramp in the large building.  Meanwhile the Soldier Veteran reaches the elevator of his own building on a simple run and pushes the button to move up one level.

After a Scout moves to the near edge of the building, we have our first combat as Soldier 1 runs to the right enough to cut the corner and bring a shot to bear.

Target Number is (TN) 6 and the roll modifiers are: +1 Small Arms Skill, -2 Running, -1 Target Movement, -2 Medium Range.  The die roll is 10.  10 – 4 = 6 is a HIT!

The 4AP/4B shot is not impeded by the Infiltration Suit’s 4 Ballistic Armor rating so the Scout takes the full 4 damage, 1 fatigue, and a stun.

Scout 1 sprints to the door to support his wounded comrade.  Sensing an easy mark, the other Soldier moves against the Combat Tech while the Gunslinger moves towards the two Scouts.

Turn 3 – Scouts Win Initiative

NOTE: Since each activation is resolved individually, when an attack is made before an opposing unit has activated yet, use the prior turn’s movement mode for the target modifier.

Forced to act first, the Gunslinger runs to the nearest Scout to unload both Magnums at point blank range.

TN 6.  +2 Skill, -2 Running, -1 Target Movement, -1 Magnum (for a total roll modifier of -2).  Rolls are 7 and 11.  One hit and one miss.

The magnum deals 5 damage and once again the armor does nothing.  Toughness reduces the damage taken by 1.

The Scout is now pissed and unleashes two Vibro-Sword attacks with his two actions.  This is now an opposed melee roll rather than a simple skill check.

Scout TN 6; +1 Skill, +1 Dex Link, -1 Target Movement. Rolls are 4 and 11.

Gunslinger TN 6; -2 Running.  Rolls are 7 and 9.

In the first combat the Gunslinger gets lucky and scores a counter-strike of 1 fatigue damage.  In the second the Scout solidly defeats the Gunslinger with a total MoS (Margin of Success) of 2 (5 – 3).  The Sword easily tears through the Gunslinger’s flak vest and deals 6 damage! Sword damage + STR/4 + MoS/4 each rounded up and then added.

The Gunslinger needs to make a BOD (body) check to avoid bleeding.  Roll is 7 + 6 BOD = 13.  One short of the required 14.  The Gunslinger is now bleeding from her wounds.

Now that you get the drift of the rules, I’m going to speed up the game play and let the bullets and swords fly fast and furious!

Soldier 1 is content to fire away at his prior target who has not activated yet.  One shot hits solidly, doing 5 damage and starts bleeding.  The wounded Scout now activates and shakes off his stun, walks forward and delivers a short range shot to the GunSlinger.  The laser pistol just misses thanks to prior injuries.

Soldier 2 runs for a shot and fires at the mortally wounded Scout 2 but misses at medium range.

The Combat Tech finally moves out for a shot and unloads a shotgun shell at extreme range towards Soldier 2 and poorly misses.

The Soldier Veteran walks out onto the cat walk and takes two shots at the Combat Tech which surprisingly miss.

The Scout Veteran moves last and walks up the ramp to see the Soldier Veteran across the catwalk.  Both actions are used to unleash three round bursts from his dual SMGs.  Unfortunately at long range, all of the shots miss the mark but no jams result.

At the end of the turn wounds bleed and the Gunslinger fails her consciousness check and slumps to the ground in a heap.

Turn 4 – Soldiers Win Initiative

The Veteran Soldier walks to short range and unloads twice on the opposing leader hitting once for 4 damage.  Scout 1 shakes his stun, walks and fires at medium range dealing 3 damage to Soldier 2.   Soldier 1 and 2 both fire on Scout 1 remaining stationary to do so.  Three of four shots hit delivering a staggering 12 damage dropping the Scout dead.

Scout 2 tries to make something out of nothing, shakes his stun, walks and takes a shot at Soldier 1. The shot hits solidly for four damage.  The Combat Tech runs and pumps the shotgun but misses (Combat Techs are all Tech and no Combat!).

The Scout Veteran walks forward and opens up his SMGs again with four three shot bursts (don’t worry, each SMG has 50 rounds per clip).  Two shots hit, but one is for double damage thanks to the burst mode.  Once again lucky to avoid jams.  The Veteran Soldier badly fails his bleed check.

The Gunslinger wakes up with a solid consciousness check.  The Soldier Vet fails his own while the opposing Scout leader passes with flying colors.

Turn 5 – Scouts win Initiative

Soldier 2 puts Scout 2 out of his misery with a well placed rifle shot while the Scout can only bleed in response.  The Gunslinger shakes her stun and walks towards cover to tend her bleeding.  Unable to help his commander, Soldier 2 backs up and fires on the approaching “Combat” Tech but misses twice.  The Combat Tech continues her bull rush and finally closes to short range to deliver a shotgun blast that once again misses.

With an unconscious opponent in front on him, the Scout Veteran walks forward and fires down onto the Soldier below.  Both shots hit and grievously injure the Soldier for 9 damage.

During the end phase the Soldier Veteran wakes up staring at the Scout Veteran’s boots.

Turn 6 – Soldiers Win Initiative

Soldier 2 has to act first and hits the Combat Tech for 3 damage with a point blank rifle shot.  Her flak vest surprisingly saves her from more serious damage.  The shotgun roars again and this time… also misses.  Soldier 1 fires on the hapless Tech and hits once for 3 damage and starts the bleeding.

With only 1 point of life left, the Gunslinger tries to stem the tide of blood from her numerous wounds but fails her MedTech roll.

The Soldier Vet stands up and fires point blank at his opponent but misses due to extreme weakness from his wounds.  The Scout Veteran uses single shots to deal the killing blow.

Turn 7 – Scouts Win Initiative

Faced with a killer range, the Veteran Scout opens up with double bursts while stationary on the closest Soldier.  One of his SMGs jams on the first action’s shooting and only one of the following bursts hit for a marginal 3 damage.  That would however be enough for the kill.

In return, the Soldier fires up at the catwalk and hits with one shot which starts a bleeder.  The Tech shakes her stun and runs for cover.  The remaining Soldier walks forward but can’t get to optimum range.  Still, one shot hits and deals the killing blow to the Veteran Scout on the Catwalk.

Faced with a showdown between a bleeding Combat Tech and a slightly wounded Soldier, we call the game.

Notes from the Game

When using Tactical Action Resolution, mark damage during the turn in half filled circles.  After the turn is complete, make your consciousness rolls and then fill them in fully.  That way you will have an easier time remembering what your current injury modifier is.

So what do you think?  RPG be damned, what about some squad level infantry battles to mix in when you get tired of 10m tall BattleMechs?  I think there is definite potential.  Let me know what you think.

Have you played a game of BattleForce yet?  Strategic Operations has officially hit the streets so you have no excuse.  We all have printable counters available for free download as well as on the Battleshop.  We have plenty of calculated stats available for use via some amazing fans in the forums.  I’ve already had some fun with the QuickStrike variation and my ready stock of MechWarrior figures.  The one thing stopping me from playing some serious games of vanilla Battleforce has been converting the available printable counters into something worth spending some time on.

• Objectives, Commands, and Requests
• Mercenaries
• Misc

The Basics

I’ve been kicking around a few ideas for a simple token construction technique.  My particular variation is only slightly different than the Catalyst recommended method.  I hope you will enjoy the slight but meaningful difference.

Print out you favorite faction’s tokens and cut them out as you would expect, keeping the Radar side together with the unit side.  We are going to fold these two halves together and with a bit of glue attach them.

We are almost there already.  Pretty easy.  Now you could mark up your tokens and start rolling dice.  But I like a little more polish to my game counters.  Get out some clear packing tape (the good stuff.  Cheaper brands will not be as crystal clear.) and place your token on one side of the tape.  Cut another piece and carefully lay it over top.  After pressing around the edges you have a nicely protected and sturdy token.  Cut off the excess and throw the completed token into your game.

A side benefit of the tape is that it will take a dry erase marker quite well.  Your tokens can change their representation if you find yourself using a slightly different organization later on down the line.  Don’t like the markings?  Wipe them away and try something different.

Oh By the Way

Did you notice yet that some of these tokens make perfect tokens for normal BattleTech games?  Buildings, Fire, Minefields, Debris, it’s all here for FREE from Catalyst.  Simply amazing.  By using my packing tape method as above, you get even easier record keeping possibilities.  You can jot down the remaining construction factor right onto the buildings.

Something More Substantial

Now that’s pretty cool, but you know as well as I do that no matter how much weight that tape added, a good stiff breeze will still clear your game faster than Herb with his pockets full of Davy Croketts.

I wanted something that would be more substantial while still easy to move.  I experimented with a few methods but came back to a familiar product.

I use Warmachine 30mm round bases for all of my BattleTech infantry (they don’t have a facing so why mount them on a hex base unnecessarily?).  If you take two bases and connect them together, you get a very nice token that fits very nicely into a standard BattleTech hex.  This was the base for my BattleForce token.

I attached the two sides together with an ample amount of glue from a hot glue gun.  The excess is easy to wipe away and it’s cheap too.

It just so happens that the radar blip circle is the perfect size to fit into the 30mm inset.  Using this as a guide, I cut out samples.  I used tape to seal each token as above and glued it to base with rubber cement.

Now obviously, there is a substantial cost increase with this method.  I like the hefty feel of the finished token though.  It feels almost made for the game.  If you find this idea helpful do leave a note in the comments letting me know.

What Are You Waiting For?

Get in those BattleForce game now!  You haven’t any excuses left!  You can fight a Battalion on Battalion in a few short hours now so why not let loose the dogs of war and smash massive armies together.  BattleForce makes it possible and better tokens make it look even better than ever!

I have two more ‘Mechs to add to this unit before they are completely done but thought I should share what I have so far.  This particular Shadow Division uses a black to gray fade with gold highlights on the arms.

The Seraph is the miniature I entered for the GenCon 2009 painting competition.  I was sure blown out of the water in that competition.  The CamoSpecs crew are a hard bunch to beat when it comes to slapping paint around.

The lava base was inspired somewhat by the last battle in the Wolf and Blake starterbook.  I wanted to add more color to the models besides the simple green jeweling and cockpits.  While the technique I used is not as precise it is fast and effective.

Easy Lava

I started by tearing apart a cork and gluing the jagged looking pieces to my hex base.  I filled in the gaps with medium ballast from Woodland Scenics.

After allowing the glue time to completely dry I laid down a thick layer of bright yellow paint.  From there I simply dry brushed up with orange then red, and finally black.  Each dry brush is successively smaller in scope with the exception of the black which was brushed heavy enough to cover the tops of the cork where the ‘Mechs are supposed to stand.

Each ‘Mech had to be trimmed down at the feet and attached to the cork via 5-minute epoxy. Simple as that you have a very nice looking lava base.  I think it is a little over the top but there is nothing saying you couldn’t cover a smaller area and have a more appropriately scaled lava.

When playing BattleTech I’ve always had an issue with the “lucky” dice people would play with.  Heck even I do it and I felt guilty when I got 2 headshots in a row (he edged the first roll) on Brian in a GenCon Solaris match, so I included one of the dice I like and one I hate as test dice in a little experiment to determine if lucky dice are just something in our heads or if there is some truth to the matter.  The idea for this experiment was from the Giant Battling Robots‘ post.

Hypothesis:

The material removed from dice to create the pips makes the dice slightly weighted.  The 6 side should occur more often because it has more material removed then any other side (making the 6 the lightest side), especially since it is opposite the 1 side that has the least material removed (and thus the heaviest side).  Dropping a die in water will amplify the weighted effects on a die by slowing its decent and allowing the die to right itself so the lightest side is up and heaviest side is down.  Smaller dice would be affected more by the same amount of material removal, but for this test I’m only concerned with standard 16mm 6-sided dice.

Test methods:

Hard Level Smooth Surface – A desk.  I didn’t count any rolls that went off the desk or hit boundary objects (piles of paper).  Dropped from 4″-5″ the die bounces and turns a whole bunch and even more so when dropped at an odd angle or on one of its corners.

Tupperware & Vase – Fail.  These were my first attempts at water tests to enhance weightedness.  For the tupperware, I found that it mostly mattered on what position I held the die in when I dropped it.  If I dropped it from above the water surface, it would impact the water and sink the couple inches very quickly allowing very little time for the die to right itself so the lighter side was up.  If I held it at the surface and dropped it, it would still land similar to how I dropped it, so I tried testing them by dropping them on a corner.  This gives each of the upper sides about a 1 in 3 chance.  The weighted die always landed on 6 (it was one of the upper sides when held) while the others were pretty inconsistent.  But, I think that for a fair die, this would mostly be a test of how that particular corner was rounded so this test wouldn’t show me if or how much a die is weighted.  The vase was simply impractical because it made such a mess and was very slow scooping the wet die out with a big spoon for every roll.  I also couldn’t keep my laptop nearby to enter data.

Water Tube – An older 2lb package of foam coat Smooth Interior Finish from HotWireFoamFactory came in a tube with soft plastic ends that seal quite well.  I put a die in it, filled it with water and flipped it on end.  Every 100 to 200 rolls, I would flick the sides and die to remove any micro air bubbles that may have gathered (usually because it sat still for a while while the commercials weren’t playing).  This test method amplifies the weightedness of a  die because the water slows the die as it falls allowing more time for the die to right itself so the heaviest side is down.

Control: A Weighted Die

This die is actually a tire valve cap I found in the road.  You can see how it is weighted in that it has a female screw thread instead of a 1 side.  I rolled this die 800 times on the desk and then 200 times in the water tube.  You can see the four groups of 200 rolls on the desk, their total, and the total from the water tube.  I only rolled 200 in the water tube because it was quickly discernible how weighted it is.

As you can see the weighted die… is weighted.  However, even on the desk it wasn’t completely reliable.  Excluding the “bad” batch, the weighted die consistently rolled 6 about 5% more then it should have, which is pretty significant since it only should have occurred 17%, for an increase of 30% from normal!  The water tube test successfully amplified how weighted the die was and made the 6 occur a whopping 80% of the time.  During the “bad’ batch, I kinda slacked off dropping the die from only 2″-3” and on a flat side not giving the die much chance to right itself.

Test Dice:

These dice are from various games or places that I’ve collected over the years.  The last couple are brand new.  All the dice registered at 5 grams on the mail scale, including the Tire Valve Cap.  Measured 10 at a time on a scale at home (+/-1g), the Chessex dice are 5.4g each.  Using the water tube, the test dice were rolled 200 times in 5 groups and then their groups totaled for each die.  Numbered dice were not used as the difference in the amount of material removed from opposing sides is not as great as pipped dice.

White w/black pips and roundish corners	Black w/White pips and roundish corners
Translucent Red w/White pips and sharpish corners	Yellow w/orange speckles and green pips from Chessex
Giant Battling Robots

Conclusion:

From the Desk test of the weighted die, we can see that it is fairly reliably weighted so that the 6 will occur about 22%, 5% more often then it should have at only 17% (i.e. a cheat die that wouldn’t be too obvious).  When tested using the water tube, it becomes tremendously obvious that the die is weighted because the 6 occurs 80% of the time, showing an increase of over 60% above normal.

When using the water tube to test the other dice, none of them showed any side to be significantly weighted nor did any of them show even a fairly reliable consistency of how they landed.

Therefore all of the dice tested, which represent various standard dice, effectively have no weighted side and all the tested dice should be considered Fair Dice.  My hypothesis is false (but I still favor my “lucky dice”).  The only thing I can’t explain is that the 1 occurred just as much as 2, 3, 4, or 5 on the weighted die when rolled on the desk instead of occurring about 5% less.

Recommendation:

Any standard dice should be allowed.  The only exception I have to this rule is using a die in a public game that has a side that is not readily obvious what it is.  Specifically dice that have a logo instead of a number for the 1 or 6 (which were not allowed to be used at GenCon ’09 in the Solaris matches, though I don’t know the reasons they had).  Not because of fairness, but for good gaming etiquette.  The reason for this is that it slows a game down when you have to check if it was a 1 or 6 or when an opponent asks to check, it can frustrate other players, and I’ve seen the dice owners forget and mistake which number it represented.

On Saturday evening at GenCon, the writers and owners of the BattleTech game set out to challenge BattleTech players.  Each participant was required to bring their favorite Battle/Omni ‘Mech to the game (without knowing what pilot skills would be).  The Masters of the game would do the same and do battle against the fans.

Piloting and Gunnery skilled were revealed to be based on tonnage alone.  Assaults were 4/5, Heavies were 3/4 and so on.

I did my best to keep tabs on what was happening during the game but it is hard when you have 41 units on the board.  I did my best while having some fun myself.  Each turn includes a picture of movement, a brief recap of notable events and deaths, and some interesting quotes that were heard over the rumble of dice and player conversation.

The Masters

Randall Bills

• Catapult CPLT-K4
• Stone Rhino
• BloodKite 2
• Banshee BNC-3S
• Phoenix Hawk PHX-7K

Tara “Yes His Wife” Bills

• Hatchetman HCT-6D
• Axman AXE-3S
• Nightsky ???-5S
• Ti-Tsang TSJ-9J
• Berzerker BZK-3C

Loren Coleman (assisted by Heather and Conner)

• Sagittaire SGT-8R
• Sagittaire SGT-8R
• Solitaire
• Solitaire
• BloodKite 2

Herb Beas

• Atlas AS7-K
• Guilittine GUL-5M
• Griffin GRF-5M
• Trebuchet TBT-5N
• Zeus ZEU-6S

Brent Evans (The Art Director)

• Timber Wolf A

The Fans

• No-Daichi NDA-2Ko
• Longbow LGB-13C
• Awesome AWS-8T
• King Crab KGC-0001
• Warhammer WHM-9D
• Banshee BNC-3S
• Warhawk C
• MadCat A
• No-Daichi NDA-2KO
• Kodiak 3
• Bane 3
• Turkina B
• Dragon Fire DGR-3F
• Marauder MAD-6L
• Warhammer WHM-8D
• Daishi W
• Penetrator PNT-6T
• Griffin “Sparky 2.0”
• Savage Coyote A
• Sunder SD1-O

Let The Games Begin

Setup

Each side lined up their minis basically where ever they fit on the edge of the board and faced across the battlefield at their likely targets.

Turn 1

Things started badly for the fans.  Most movement was straight ahead towards the enemy or setting up for sniping attacks.  Our poor Sunder was the first to fail a piloting check after weapons fire.

The Warhawk C on Loren Coleman’s side of the board lashed out at long range to hit the oncoming Master’s ‘Mechs.  Mr. Coleman seemed surprised at first when he confirmed that yes, Clan Large Pulse Lasers really do fire that far.

What does Stealth Armor do? – Herb Beas

Why do you even need the rulebook, the people who wrote it are all here! – Unidentified Demo Agent

Turn 2

The Sunder failed a few more piloting rolls and now on turn three has three pilot hits but is still awake and is participating in the carnage as best as can be expected up until a Clan ERPPC blows it’s head off.

Turn 3

At the onset of turn three, the fan’s Daishi pulls a Sunder and fails some piloting rolls of it’s own.

It’s the new Liao submunition.  It spreads ball bearings on the battlefield! – Loren Coleman

The Daishi is then promptly headcapped by an ERPPC but not before a UAC20 double shot cores through Tara Bill’s Nightsky.

What are your doing there, are you daffy? – Herb Beas

He was close and I had an axe! -Tara Bills

The fan’s fortune continues to turn when a Banshee owned by Randall Bills dies from a Heavy PPC to the face.

Turn 4

In the last turn of the battle, as the early morning fatigue began to set in a final all out rush was made by Tara Bill’s Axe patrol as well as Loren Coleman’s Solitaires.

In the middle, I walked my 13-C Longbow towards the advancing TSM horde.  Not only did I survive getting shot at by a Berzerker, Ti-Tsang, and AxMan, but I participated in gutting the Berzerker and kicked the Ti-Tsang’s legs out from under it.

Towards the right flank of the Fans, Herb’s Zeus was cored out by a Bane in stunning fashion.  Amazingly both the Kodiak and Atlas (Santa!) lived through the carnage and were ready for another turn to tear each other apart.

When the Stackpole rule goes off and I’m present and not Mike, the whole board explodes! -Herb Beas

You’re a Kodiak! -Herb Beas (surprised?)

I’m just as pleasant as I was a minute ago. -Unidentified Demo Agent

Just wait till Santa opens up… -Herb Beas

Sadly, as the hour grew late and energies waned, we decided to put an early morning end to the battle.  You mean it was ambitious to try to play out a 41 ‘Mech battle starting at 10:30PM?  I’d like to give a shout out to the Demo Agent running the event for doing a spectacular job.  I believe it was Mike Miller but I could be wrong.  He was wearing a tri-corner hat and was instrumental in keeping things moving and allowing us to get in the 4 turns we did.

In the end I think there was a good argument that the Masters were going to rout the Fan’s left flank. In the middle of the board the threat of TSM madness was nullified by concentrated firepower and a few lucky shots.  To the right flank, I believe we were holding our own and making good progress.  We had several untouched ‘Mechs that would have been a strong challenge to whatever forces would breakthrough on the left.

It was a blast to play against the Powers that Be.  It was great to just watch Randall Bills and Loren Coleman geek out talking about the positioning of the Solitaires, how long the enemy WarHawk would last, and when they were going to make their big push.  These guys really love this game and it is really refreshing to see them enjoy it at the level that the players do everytime they sit down to bash ‘Mechs for a few hours.

After a very late night of gaming, it was time to collect up our swag and head home.  Four days of gaming behind us, here is a recap of the best.

Catalyst Demo Agents

Even at 10:30 in the morning on Sunday, there were two slightly overfilled Grinders and three full tables of QuickStart Demos running.  BattleTech owned the Wabash gaming room on Sunday.  It is great to see BattleTech being played even that early in the morning.

All in all, the Demo Agents running games all weekend did a fabulous job in keeping the games moving and representing BattleTech to the convention crowd.  While I think some events need some tweaking (like the Solaris Melee), other changes have been great (moving the Open Tournament to one slot and resuming the awarding of Bloodnames).

A heartfelt thanks to all the Demo Agents on hand.  You help make the game tick and your efforts are greatly appreciated!

CSO Diorama

I know people have been screaming for more pictures and closeups of the Diorama that I have not already posted.  Here are some of the best shots I made throughout the convention.

3025 – Raid of Sian

3052 – Luthien

3075 – Stone’s Laments WoB POW Camp Raid

Favorite Moment

On the last turn of the Masters game, I walked my 13-C Longbow towards the approaching horde of TSM ‘Mechs owned by Tara “Yes his Wife” Bills.  My Longbow took alpha strikes from a Berzerker, Ti’Tsang, and an Axeman (including a LB-20X cluster hit) and survived.  Not only that, but I sent 42 SRMs towards the Berzerker.  24 hit the target scoring engine and gyro criticals before a friendly MadCat A took it down.

I already can’t wait for next year.  While this year did not have that killer product unvieling, the Battle the Master’s game was a great way to show that the authors and owners of the game we love are not only accessible but also really great guys.

Saturday is always a great day at GenCon.  Lots to see and do.  Lets get right into the action and report on what happened.

Solaris Melee Challenge

I had an amazing day in the arenas.  I managed to successfully hit on a Death from Above as well as rack up the chips from head shots, critical hits and even a solo kill before going down in a blaze of glory.  Alas I ended up placing 9th and did not make the top 8 cut for the finals.

My good friend and ScrapYard editor “SaxyWolf” made it to 4th to make it to the finals and after several hours of intense competition in his Shadow Hawk, he was the 3rd one to be destroyed.  Not bad for a first time GenCon attendee.

The winner was piloting an Imp C (clan variant) and used a significant quantity of Edge to secure victory.  I enjoyed the changes made this year and I hope they make the updated rules available for download soon.  Not everything is perfect but the Demo Agents work their butts off to make it enjoyable for everyone.

Canon Event Update

In the continuation of yesterdays battles, the Word of Blake was on the defensive and were pressed back to their dropships.  The chasing Ghost Bears made a valiant charge but where unable to bring them down.  All Word dropships managed to lift off but with little in the way of firepower on board.

The last events of the day had the Ghost Bears beating up on the remaining Wobbies left behind on planet.

CamoSpecs Sweeps Machines of War Category

The Camo Specs team made an impressive showing in the miniatures painting contest, bringing home First, Second, and Third in the Machines of War category.  Here is the full list of BattleTech awardees and an additional miniature that I missed in yesterdays report.

• Machines of War 1st – Christopher Dolega, Rifleman
• Machines of War 2nd – Mark Maestas, Anubis
• Machines of War 3rd – Ross Hines, 1st Ghost Marauder
• Units – Stephen D’Amato Sr. – Eridani Light Horse

Well done by all.  Very good to see Iron Wind Metals making a splash in the painting contest.  I’ll be picking up my ‘Mech Sunday (I didn’t win anything, but I’m not surprised) and will post some pictures after the convention.

Painting Classes and Miniatures

Speaking of painting, I did my best to learn a few tricks at the convention.  I took another painting class which I enjoyed thoroughly and will certainly try out some of the techniques I learned.

To give myself a little practice, I picked up a healthy lot of sci-fi 28mm figures from the Reaper Chronoscope line that I believe will work really well for the RPG game.  I am very interested in trying out the Quick Start RPG rules in a tactical combat situation.  Stay tuned in the future for more.

Battle the Masters Event

The final event of the day was a massive battle pitting the masters of the BattleTech universe against the poor lowly battleTech gamers who buy all the stuff they write.

Each player, of which there were 20, were to chose any tournament legal chassis to play with.  The Masters each picked ‘Mechs between themselves until their force was 21 ‘Mechs strong.  The pilot’s skill for each ‘Mech was based on weight class.  4/5 for Assaults, with improving skill by 1/1 down to lights at 1/2.

I plan a full report on the event in short order but it is just too late (early) to do the game justice right now.  For now, only a few pictures until I have time to write up a full report.

The Pods

After the Masters game I shuffled my way over to the BattleTech pods only to find a two-plus hour waiting list to get into a mission.  By the way, it was past 2AM at that point.  Needless to say, I had no plans of being awake at that hour.  I am surprised but pleased that there was so much interest in the Pods.  Obviously the more exposure the better for BattleTech.  A very good sign for the franchise.

Many Demos and More

No Con is great without a healthy dose of demos.  It is always good to see what’s out there and what the next big hit might be.  Even if you may not want to play it in the end, it is refreshing to learn something new and open your gaming horizons or just get a different perspective.

• Exillis – A hybrid computer and miniatures game without a rule book (the computer tracks everything for you).
• Rezolution – Sci-fi tactical combat system that plays fast and has a unique artistic flair.
• Arcane Legions – Miniature wargaming for dummies.  Fast play, collectible, and a system that removes operator error from movement.

Friday is all wrapped up and boy what a long and and exciting day.  Much news to report.  Some of which has already been leaking out into the forums.  I hope I have at least some new perspective on the news.  Either way, I have plenty more pictures to share.

Solaris Melee Challenge II

My second day in the arenas did not go as well as Thursday.  I spent some time running away from an Imp while simultaneously chasing a flighty Panther.  I managed a slight improvement to my bottom line but not enough to vault me into the final.  I am going to need a herculean effort if I am to make it to the final round.  Regardless though, I had fun.

BattleTech Seminar

There was a lot to discuss in the seminar.  We started slightly late due to a room change and once we did start the panel took up the majority of the time discussing what was going on past, present, and future for BattleTech.  Here are some of the notes I took as the seminar unfolded.

• The 25th Anniversary Box Set will be reshuffled due to the unseen licensing issue.
• New Jihad Hot Spots and TROs are in the pipeline.
• The RPG: Time of War is a whole 6 pages from completion.
• Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II is next. [UPDATE: Hesperus II is the one AFTER next.  Thanks Keiran!]
• Mock-ups were available to show what the MapPacks will look like.  They will also include scenarios as part of the pack.
• Plastic ‘Mech Packs are indeed on the way.  A sample Hellbringer (Loki) was on hand for purchase ($10).

The big news of course was the plastic ‘Mechs.  From the seminar we know the following facts.

• High Impact Plastic.
• Slide Mold.
• Zero Shrinkage and no mold degradation during production.
• Based on CAD drawing so details are very accurate.
• They are being produced by a company called Ghost Studio? (I may have heard that wrong as I cannot find an online reference for such a company, I will try to confirm on Day 3)
• To be released as ‘Mech Lance Packs and are NOT designed with the intent of replacing metal miniatures.

And now for some of the best humorous anecdotes from the event.

• Tara Bills is Herb Beas’ dealer.
• Herb was definitely threatened with Al Gore before the event began.
• Herb is now delegating the destruction of Warships.
• Rule books are now measured in units of Randall.

In addition, I got to fill out my ripped apart Blake Documents pages with more signatures from artists to writers and everything in between.  Everyone I asked was pleasantly surprised that anyone would hang on to such a memento let alone bring it back a year later for some signatures.  I’m happy I got as many signatures as I did.

Canon Events

The canon events continued today.  From what I had gathered after making a few passes by the tables during the day, the battlefield was now being fought over by all three factions.  The Bears, the Wobbies and the Dracs were all on the board and fighting everyone.  In one instance the poor Kuritans were getting crushed between a solid WoB defensive line and a frightening Ghost Bear strike force.

A tally board was on hand to track (I assume) either kill or objectives or both.  Here is what it looked like by the end of the day.

Painting Contest

I entered a ‘Mech into the painting contest because I said I would.  Looking at the other entries, I know I won’t be taking home a prize.  Still, it is another ‘Mech in the case and the exposure is what matters.  I just didn’t give myself the proper amount of time to make the best mini I could.

On the bright side, there were several amazing works on display that will certainly go head to head with any Games Workshop product or any other manufacturer for that matter.  Take a look and tell me those paint jobs aren’t to die for.

Aerospace Lives!

I played in last years Aero Grinder and the Battle for Gabriel.  I was disappointed that Catalyst was not offering any Aerospace this year.  Lo and behold, in the late evening some Catalyst Demo Agents were gathered around a table with Aero Fighters in tow previewing a flight school grinder that will hopefully be a fixture at later conventions.

Miscellaneous (Con-Girls and non-Battletech games)

I played demos for a few more games.  I got in-depth with Malifaux and decided it was not a game I’d be interested in buying into (at this time), despite the gorgeous miniatures and interesting game mechanic.

I chanced a demo of Ergo (a Catalyst offering); a game where you attempt to prove your own existence while disproving the existence of your fellow players.  If that game were available to buy now, I’d have it.  I was stupified by the simplicty of play paired with the maddeningly painful method of determining just who exactly wins.  Sometimes you can manage to figure out who won, but most of the time, it’s really the game that wins.

Day 1 is in the books and I kept myself quite busy, barely allowing myself time to eat.  Eating (and now sleeping) are for the weak of course.  So many games to play, so little time.

Solaris Melee Challenge

I spent the morning taking on all comers in the arenas of Solaris.  The fighting was unusually fierce for a free for all.  The entire group of players ended up in a shifting, but concentrated area of the giant map.  I attribute the extra carnage to the unique scoring system and game changes.  If you are not in the mix you are not going to be getting any fame or fortune.

Kudos to the many Demo Agents running the event.  The use of poker chips was an excellent addition as well as the random game changes (game play randomly changed from normal, ranged only, and physical only).

Oddly the first ‘Mech to die was a hapless UrbanMech whose brave pilot wouldn’t let his ‘Mech stay down and managed plenty of mayhem before being ganged up on and slaughtered.

Camo Specs Diorama

The diorama this year took an interesting turn.  Instead of the usual placement inside the dealer room with the rest of the Catalyst fanfare and official swag, it was placed inside the gaming area.  A Camo Specs artist alluded to the recent unseen news as a possible reason for the change in location.

There are three battles depicted this year; one in each of the pivotal eras of the game.  The Succession Wars, the Clan Invasion, and the most recent Word of Blake Jihad are all marvelously represented.  The Camo Specs team have really outdone themselves.  Pictures of course speak for themselves.

Notable Sightings

The usual suspects were on hand to meet and greet at the Catalyst booth.  I got to shake hands with Randall and Herb and managed to get my ripped apart couple of pages from last years Blake Documents signed.  I plan on filling up those pages as much as I can in tomorrow’s BattleTech seminar.

The Canon Events

There were two canon events and while I did not play in either, I did snap a few pictures.  Word of Blake was a fixture in each event with the Draconis Combine and Ghost Bears as opposing forces.  Both battles were played on the same planet, supposedly a District Capital within the Draconis Combine.  No doubt a counter-invasion on the part of the Combine and a general opportunistic smack down by the Bears.

I did not get a full report so I must defer to any other gamers who had the gaming fortitude to play so massive a game.

Other Games and Interesting Tid-Bits

No convention is complete without a healthy smattering of demo games and the occasional Con Girl.  I got a chance to play some interesting games including WarGods of Aegyptus, Malifaux, and Leviations.  Lots of great stuff.  I’m devoting a better part of my day on Friday to make the rounds proper and get my absolute fill of demos and gaming swag.