ScrapYard Armory

GenCon 2012 is in the books and we the gamers begin the slow stumble back to our normal lives.  GenCon was great as always.  Due to my late registration I was at no risk of being over scheduled.  That gave me more time to search the exhibit hall for all things news and notable.  Catalyst and Iron Wind Metals put on a great show and I’m already looking forward to next year.

Catalyst Game Labs

The best and most important news item I gathered from GenCon was the fact that Interstellar Operations was going to get a lot of playtest time before it’s release.  Straight from Randall Bills himself, he promised everything would be released in some form before the book went to print in order to receive feedback from the fans.  And he emphasized the word everything.  That includes the new edition of the Inner Sphere in Flames that I am most excited about.  Getting a chance to kick the tires is going to be awesome.  Hopefully we will all take full advantage of the opportunity.

Catalyst isn’t just about BattleTech and Shadowrun and hasn’t been for some time now.  Catalyst had multiple games to show off for the first time in print.  The biggest news was Leviathans, but other games were also available under the Catalyst brand including Hex-a-gon, Balance of Power, and Merchants.

In addition, multiple new games were available for demonstration to show what was in the pipeline for later release including Linear and The Duke.  Those who took up a Duke demo were treated with a cut and play version to take home.  I liked the Linear demo, which plays fast and seems like it’s a great game for 5-6 players.

Iron Wind Metals

Iron Wind Metals is always a delight to see at a convention.  There is just so much available from them that it is hard to not find something to like.  They were packed with convention LEs, battle armor, terrain, Fighting Piranha Graphics decals and more.

With all of the new releases there were a few items that were brand new and unannounced.  We all knew about the XMarx massive resin ‘Mech hanger but few knew about the smaller and much more economical ‘Mech repair bay for sale at GenCon.  I plan on posting detailed pictures of this sub $25 terrain piece when I get a chance to build and paint it up.

Battle Armor in every form were available at the booth.  From the new 28mm Hauberk and the Nighthawk to the old Clan Elemental they had you covered.  Like the original scale?  Take a gander at their sorted bins of their entire battle armor and infantry selection (and also microfighters for the aero buffs).  All of which were ala carte so you can buy only the minis you want and not a pack of 30 you may not be able to use.  Nothing is better than being able to shell out just a few bucks to get a horde of unique infantry to spice up your armies.

The convention racks were stocked full of the usual fare but also included many archived units that you would have to pay high fees to get otherwise.  If you have a hard to find item in mind, you have a good chance of seeing it at a convention IWM attends.

The best part is the opportunity to talk with the owners and their minions.  These people love what they do.  They will talk your ear off about what games they would like to see run at the convention and what new miniatures they would love to see sculpted.  They have a fan mentality to their business and are as excited to see new releases as any BattleTech player I know.

State of the Games

I was not impressed with everything at the convention this year.  There is always room for improvement and Catalyst slipped in a few key areas.  GenCon is the premier convention in North America and it should show in the presentation and quality of the games being played.  Here are a few ways Catalyst could raise the bar.

The games that I played from Catalyst could have been better organized.  I tried out the Flight School and the Grinder and both had rough edges.  The Flight School in particular.  There were eight players involved who were chomping at the bit to start rolling dice.  The explanation of the rules was rough.  The Demo Agent running the event didn’t have a mastery of the rules in use and spent lots of time checking things in Total Warfare and second guessing himself.  Gameplay was slow and the game was unfulfilling.  We started the game late trying to setup but were promptly kicked out when our two hour slot was up to make room for the next event.  All told we played three turns in two hours.  I don’t feel that I got my moneys worth for my $6 of tickets.

The Grinder was loosely monitored by a Demo Agent which led to myself and a few other players guiding the action and keeping the game moving.  I don’t mind helping younger players play the game.  I would have done so anyways.  I just feel that the Demo Agent could have guided the action better and helped to make the experience great for everyone.

The game terrain used in many games left much to be desired.  GenCon is the epicenter of gaming.  It is the pantheon of gaming excess and epic games.  Why then must we be forced to play on bland mapsheets or lackluster hex terrain with sparely arranged heroscape hexes?  Catalyst had their moments for sure.  The game with the lance plus of Omegas was a sight to see.  But can’t we do better with the terrain?

To contrast, the guys at Wild Child Gaming held a few games over the convention that were gorgeous to look at.  Just by looks alone, I would much rather play in WCG’s games than Catalyst.  They had dropships and buildings and gorgeous 3D terrain that wasn’t prepainted heroscape.  Catalyst has been taking the easy route to put on games and it shows.

(on the left a Catalyst grinder, to the right Wild Child Gaming event)

Mapsheets are needed for games like the BattleTech Open.  But when it comes to a Grinder or Flight School or the canon events, they can do so much better.  GenCon should be the time to bring out the best; not slap together the mundane.  I can play on heroscape terrain at home.  I want the wow factor to come back to GenCon BattleTech.  It’s worth the extra effort.

Ticket Prices

For some reason, Catalyst decided that the standard price for a two hour gaming block was too low for BattleTech and ratcheted up the price to $6 per two hours.  The GenCon catalog clearly states that the normal price is $2 per two hours of games.  That is the way it’s been in the past and that is what other games from companies such as Alderac, Fantasy Flight Games, Wild Child Gaming and others were charging.  I asked around but nobody was able to provide a clear answer to explain the change.  I think it is imperative to get people playing the Grinders and Boot Camps.  Charging over the mandatory minimum after fans have already shelled out for an expensive badge, hotel and travel is insult to injury.  It shouldn’t be this way and Catalyst should bring prices back to normal for future cons.

Who Wasn’t There

One surprising thing I noticed this year wasn’t something I found but rather who I didn’t find.  Notable no shows include Crocodile Games, Armorcast, and Reaper.  All of these companies provide great products and are well known in the industry.  I’m sad to see them not attend.  I always enjoyed visiting their booths in the past.  Shame to see them not in attendance.

The Convention in Pictures

I take a bunch of pictures of the convention and not all of them make it into the first few reports on the blog.  Here are the rest of the best in pictures!

The best four days of gaming continue on into the last and best evening of the convention.  I played in a huge variety of games in the exhibit hall and filled my evening with BattleTech goodness.  While I stayed mostly in the exhibit hall during the day, I made a point to swing by the BattleTech games to see how things were going.

Miniatures Competition

I saw a single BattleTech miniature in the Machines of War category this year and it managed to win third place.  Not a bad showing at all but a far cry from the near sweeps we have seen in years past.  The photos I was able to get are not the best and I was not able to find the time to follow up to find the painter who painted the mini.

Battle the Masters

I managed to sneak my way into the Battle the Masters game with generics and took my 13C Longbow against Paul Sjardijn and Lauren Coleman.  Next to me was Mr. and Mrs. Arbiter of Arbitration Studios facing off against Randall Bills and company.

My battle did not start well.  On the first turn I took a large laser to the face and suffered two criticals.  The first knocked out a laser while the second destroyed my sensors.  With damaged sensors on turn 1, I was always scrambling to try to make my shots count.  As the battle progressed I finally was able to start scoring some meaningful damage, including a revenge head shot.  But it was not my day and I was the first ‘Mech to be rendered to slag.

Not all was lost though.  Through a slightly confusing and ultimately enlightening rules question, the Masters lost one of their most powerful (if not annoying) assets when partial cover was taken away from Paul Sjardijn’s quad ‘Mech.  From there the match went back and forth evenly until the fan side of the battle began building up steam until the Master’s Mechs were ruined.

Despite being the first to fall in the battle the winning players split the spoils and each walked away with a ‘Mech from the Masters side.

All the Rest

I got in plenty of demos and mini games on Saturday.  Here are some of the highlights.

I played the new Gale Force 9 game Spartacus which pits players against each other as owners of gladiator houses per the popular Showtime series.  I was very impressed with the demo and the gameplay looked very good.  This is a great cutthroat game of deception and treachery.  Don’t play if you have thin skin.  An integral part of the game is to deal your influence and wealth to back stab your neighbors.

I played Linear at the Catalyst booth which is a very very quick game of line building strategy.  Each player takes turns building rows of beads on the play map with the intention of creating combining lines to score big points in all of the three possible directions on a hex map.  You also have to play carefully to disrupt your opposing player’s ability to complete their own rows.  A very quick game as I’ve said before.  This game hinges a lot on the price point and the quality of the game box organization.  For such a quick game it had better be super easy to setup and breakdown.

Level 7 is a new game from Privateer Press where you play the role of a test subject deep in a subterranean experimentation facility.  You use your wits, strength and speed to evade or defeat the guards and alien clones while you try to find a way out.  There are seven missions in the game each representing a floor of the test facility.  I liked the mechanics and the resources each player uses to survive.  However, while there will almost always be a player that first randomly finds the exit, there is still a way for others to lose.  In this way, you don’t play Level 7 to win, you play not to lose.

Nexus Ops is a risk like game of planetary conquest by Fantasy Flight Games.  This game is a reprint of a very old game with updated mechanics and a bunch of plastic miniatures.  I though the gameplay was a bit bland.  Without having been able to dive too far into the game, my first impression made me think that the game was a bit mundane and suffered from pile on situations much like in Risk when a player hits a critical troop threshold and rolls through the opposition.

Other games I tested out were Quarriors, the Mageknight board game, and a few other odds and ends.  It was a great day with lots to do.  All the same it will be good to get home and recharge the batteries.

Day 2 was a furious day of gaming which ran way later than expected but was more fun than expected.  I played fewer demos today due to the Catalyst seminar and my own personel shopping at IWM, but still found a few gems.

Whats Up With BattleTech

The BattleTech seminar was split this year into talking about the tabletop game and the new Mechwarrior Tactics collectible online game.  I was a bit annoyed when Tactics took up the majority of the one hour time slot.  That said, the crowd seemed to enjoy the presentation (and the Beta keys that currently don’t work) and did not mind that there was only 20 min left for Q and A.  Most of the questions still ended up being MWT related anyways.

To be honest I’m not impressed.  It’s still very early in development but collectible nature of the game and the need to purchase in game booster packs makes me squeamish.  Bottom line is that it does not replace MegaMek and it is not a tabletop emulator.  It is its own game that borrows the universe and a few crunchy bits when it is convient.

Enough of computer games and back to BattleTech.  Here is a synopsis of what Herb had to say about the near future of the game.

• The Jihad is finished! (cheers)
• There are a few more Star League books to finish off the year.  Liberation of Terra will cap off the series.
• Interstellar Expeditions will delve into the beginning of the Dark Age and cover questions from the Inner Sphere as they learn where the remains of the WoB went, what happened to the Clans, and the deep deep periphery.
• Hand Book House Kurita is slated for the end of the year.  For real.
• A Time of War Companion is due in PDF form after GenCon.
• Into 2013 we enter the Dark Age which will have some fiction support in the form of the new Blitzkrieg series.  “Don’t worry there won’t be click dials.” -HB
• Interstellar Operation will happen next year.  “If China will leave me alone.” -RB
• At the end of 2013 the Dark Age should wrap up and we begin charting new territory in BattleTech canon.
• Historicals will continue to be produced including another Brush Wars volume and the 3rd Succession Wars.
• Expect more Total Chaos type material due to “positive feedback.”
• TRO 3150 will cover all of the Dark Age Mechs that we currently don’t have stats for.
• Plastics are still in the pipeline with the Clan Box Set.
• Hero Lab is not planned for A Time of War at this time.
• Battle Value is still planned to be killed.

Gaming

I played a round in the Flight School and made a good effort of blowing up opposing planes as we raced across a low altitude map.  This event was a bit disappointing but still a good time.  I wish there had been more preparation for the event.  Perhaps a little better focus to make the event enjoyable and valuable.

The Grinder saved my 8PM slot.  I tried to wander the FFG and AEG tables to try out a new game but was turned away at every attempt.  Nobody seemed to be able to find a spot for me in the vast sea of gaming tables at their disposal.  Thank goodness for Catalyst and the Grinder.  Even with three plus tables going there always seems to be a chair available.  It was fun, fast and provided just the right amount of gaming to fill in my evening.

A group of Super Heavy Omega Mechs made it out for GenCon to punish convention goers.  I’m not sure of the mission or objectives but it looked awesome to see so many new Mechs out and about to stomp players.

Diorama

More pictures cause its awesome.

All the Rest

I played the demo of Decent 2 at the Fantasy Flight booth and liked what I saw.  I only played the original a few times and I liked the new separate objectives.  It certainly would go on my short list of things to pick up in the future but would not knock off some of my top choices.

Also from FFG, I played Rune Wars a deck building game that borrows heavily from Dominion.  The rules were fun and builds off of Dominion’s core.  The theme is high fantasy and includes more resources to manage and objectives to make the game a little bit different depending on the wants of the players.

I liked the combos and it felt fun.  I’m not sure it would replace Dominion in my collection but I can’t say that I would not buy this game if I was able to knock off a few top items from my list.  A fun game with some cool mechanics.

I ended my day with a lengthy game of MageKnight Dungeons.  I had an absolute blast playing.  It is proof that despite the years, this light weight dungeon crawler has legs and I’m looking longingly at my collection again.  Kudos to the game runners who made a massive dungeon seem conquerable while still providing just the right amount of danger to keep everyone honest.  The Heroic Teams were balanced and fun.  The enemy selection was well thought out.  And to boot, the small house rules they implemented really pulled it all together.

In a stunning turn of events I managed to find a way to Indy at the last moment.  I had to call in some favors and made last minute reservations but it all worked out.

There were some trade offs to be made as I had to leave a bit earlier than I would have normally.  Still, I’m glad I have the opportunity to go and be a part of the best four days in gaming.

Catalyst

Catalyst is in their usual place near the entrance to the exhibit hall.  Catalyst remains a fixture in the hall to rival other manufacturers like Fantasy Flight and the like.  Leviathans is prominently on display and for sale.  There certainly is an air of excitement that they were able to bring the game to GenCon for the first time.

The usual suspects were available for BattleTech.  I was able to see print copies of the Tactical Kit, the new Battlecorps Anthology, and the latest Jihad (Total Chaos, Jihad Final Reckoning) and Field Manual SLDF.

Rumor has it that the faction dice quickly sold out leaving a few customers empty handed.  If you managed to snag a set congrats.

The standard run of games were available in the gaming hall Including Grinders, Solaris Melee Challenge and the standard storyline event.  I did not have much time this day to play as I arrived a bit late and spent most of my limited availability doing demos and getting settled.

Iron Wind Metals

IWM had an impressive array of miniatures available including most infantry, battle armor, micro fighters, bits, archive figures, buildings and much more.  A plethora of LE miniatures are available and a friendly staff pointing to anything you may need.

I’m always impressed with the available selection at all of the conventions that IWM attends.

CSO Diorama

This year the diorama is on Solaris 7 as contestants battle it out for fame and fortune.  No word on how this year’s diorama ties into potential Catalyst products.  I’ve heard mention of an upcoming Solaris 7 product from Catalyst.  It may be pure speculation but perhaps if Catalyst has an ace up their sleeve, the diorama would be an awesome companion.

The arena is a new addition to Solaris sponsored by the Republic of the Sphere.  Several new stables are also on display to keep things interesting.

Arbitration

Check out the first day podcast from Arbitration Studios!

Arbitration Day 1

All the Rest

I played quite a few demos in the hall and had a great experience so far.  Even so, there are quite a few games I’d still like to get to and will hopefully be able to play them in the coming days.

First up was King of Tokyo, a monster battling game for up to 6 players where you vie for control of downtown Tokyo to score victory points, kill your enemies, or both.  The game has a push your luck mechanic that ensures there is an ebb and flow to the game as Monsters inevitably take and relinquish control of Tokyo on the path to finding the one true monster.  It was a lot of fun and is a game that

I played Cool Mini Or Not’s upcoming Relic Knights skirmish game.  I had my doubts before playing but was pleasantly surprised by the game mechanics and the overall feel of the game.  Still not something that I would be picking up in the near future but I was impressed with the demo.

I also took in demos of The Duke, Balance of Power, Summoner Wars, and Dust Tactics.  Not bad for a short first day.  I’m looking forward for what the next day has to offer!

It’s that time of year again and the best four days of gaming are looming.  Alas I won’t be able to attend this year but I would like to keep up the fine tradition this blog has of reporting GenCon BattleTech news.

Last year I had help from two great fans who were able to bring the convention to these pages.  Hopefully, there are those out there who are ready to help out again.

The Requirements

• You must own your own camera.  It can be a point and shoot but it should be able to take nice miniature pictures. (macro mode)
• Be able to upload pictures to the ScrapYard each day.  I will provide FTP access for you.
• You should be planning on attending the What’s Up with BattleTech/Catalyst Seminar and take notes.

The Loot

Obviously I wouldn’t ask for you to donate your time and energy for nothing.  In addition to the soul altering satisfaction of helping the ScrapYardArmory meet the insatiable demand for BattleTech GenCon coverage I am able to offer the following incentives.

• I’ll cover the cost of internet access at your hotel room if needed.  (in past years the convention center had great free wireless coverage so this is just in case)
• For each day of coverage you help me provide, I’ll give you a new in box BattleMech from my collection.  I have at least a hundred or so minis to choose from, you are sure to find something you like.

I hope to hear from you!  brian@scrapyardarmory.com

Total Chaos is the latest addition to the Chaos Campaign family.  It takes the form of a compilation of sorts.  It is a comprehensive tome collecting the entire Chaos Campaign from Dawn of the Jihad to the last of the Jihad sourcebooks including several plucked from the Jihad Turning Points PDF series.

The Only One that Matters

No ‘Mechs.  No explosions. No battlefield.  Just business.  The opening fiction is a short piece typical of any sourcebook sized offering from Catalyst.  Every battle has a beginning, some more deeply rooted than others.

The short fiction is only part of the story which is available in full via BattleCorps.

Rules of Engagement

Retooled and ready for action, the Rules of Engagement section reprints and updates the Chaos Campaign rules with major additions and modifications based on play testing, player feedback and the author’s prerogative.  I concur with all of the modifications I could spot.  Here are some of the major changes from the original:

• New Terrain Tables expand the available battlefields
• More detailed and expensive repair rules
• Ability to hire advanced experience personnel
• Drastically increased support point cost for skill improvement

Not a lot to complain about.  All of the changes appear reasonable if not downright needed.  The expanded Support Point Activity Cost Table have filled in all the gaps of the old rules.  Well done.  For new players and old alike there will be fewer questions during the campaign especially for those commands who take an unorthodox force composition.

Even with the increased skill improvement costs I still prefer the Total War style experience system.  Why mess with a good thing?

Enter Stage Right

Enter stage right details three mercenary commands that were typical targets for IE contracts.  The commands range from well meaning to downright shady.  In the end I felt like this section was a template of sorts that showed how players could form their own mercenary forces to fit almost any background or alignment.

Each command provides details on overall composition, paint scheme, and origin.  The leader and XO for each force has their own portrait and individual special abilities that integrate with A Time of War.  Overall force special abilities add to the flavor.

The origins of each command is where this section really shines.  Each force has a cleverly constructed background and is wildly different from each other while sharing the common bond of being mercenaries.  It shows how versatile the Jihad Chaos Campaign can be.

I was impressed to see a healthy mix of combined arms forces.  Also, each force was under a company strength which meshes well with the suggested force size in the campaign rules.

It is through the eyes of these mercenary forces that the aftermath and situations for the Jihad tracks are built off of.  They are irreversibly intertwined through the Jihad story arc while  providing ample room for players to blaze their own trail.  In an interesting twist the opening fiction is connected to one of the unit’s bios.

For players intimidated by the prospect of creating their own force from scratch (and also the lazy), these three force bios are nearly ready to go blue prints that get you into the cockpit sooner.  They are exemplary examples of how you can build a story around your unit and hopefully continue that story through the campaign.

The Missions

Missions are small, less detailed boiler plate combat scenarios the likes of which were originally seen in the Starter Book series and later used in the Operational Turning Points PDFs.  There are 13 total to choose from and cover a wide array of standard missions from assault to recon to retreat.

They all follow a similar format and provide the bread and butter to the Chaos Campaign main course to follow.  The objectives and optional bonuses are predictable which can’t be helped given the generic nature of the missions.

In a very interesting and applause worthy modification to previous publications, missions have completely variable opposing forces.  Previous iterations of these missions listed a stock experience level and a variable force composition.  The Total Chaos campaign missions include 5 variables that determine Op For;  tech level, force size, force composition, RAT, and experience.

Will you be fighting an up armored but inexperienced militia force?  How about a veteran house unit packing a mix of low tech heavy and medium units?  Maybe you’ll be head to head with advanced technology elite mercenary command wielding lots of fast light units.  The random nature of the Op For is a bright spot in the missions section and are sure to enhance re-playability.

Missions can also act as respites from the at times harsh main campaign.  To be honest, some of the tracks in the Jihad are just brutal.  Having the opportunity to duck out and fight a few Supply and Recon missions after taking a beating can allow battered forces time to rebuild and not be forced so early into Warchest Debt.

The Campaign

Covering 14 years the Total Chaos Campaign includes a massive 142 tracks.  Most of these have been published before in earlier volumes but 49 (by my count) are brand new.  In essence Total Chaos is an anthology for the Jihad era Chaos Campaign.  However, that is not the full story.  There is a lot of new material to be had within these pages.

The layout and formatting of all of the tracks have been updated to the most recent standard.  Since Jihad Hot Spots 3076 Chaos Campaign tracks have taken on a unified look and feel and have been ‘Mech force centric.  The old tracks prior to this change have had a significant amount of work put into them to bring them up to par with the series.

While the meat of each track has been relatively unchanged, the Situation and Aftermath have been rewritten to incorporate the stories of the three mercenary commands detailed in the Enter Stage Right section.  I did notice that some options and objectives were tweaked.  Some point values were adjusted and some got removed or split into multiple objectives.  Most likely these changes were the result of play testing.

Additional information on the progress of the Jihad and it’s most pivotal battle fields is included in side bars containing information on specific worlds like Terra, Dieron, Tharkad and the like.  Each of these also includes a mini-campaign for players to complete.  Mini campaigns are a collection of tracks and missions that together make up a small segment of the Jihad centered around the subject world.  Additional information is provided on forces involved and a detailed account of the importance of the world in the Jihad.  There is a lot of fiction and fluff material crammed into this book.

New to this book are 49 never before seen tracks spread more of less evenly between the reprinted tracks.

On average Jihad Turning Points PDFs cover 8-9 tracks.  This means that Total Chaos is the equivalent of around 10 Jihad Turning Points PDFs when looking at new tracks alone.

The new tracks bring a lot of variety including space missions, solaris maps, and other pleasant combinations of objectives and options all in keeping with the standard set in the original campaign.  The Jihad Chaos Campaign is a hell of a story and the best way to experience it is to play it.

All the Rest

A campaign tracking sheet is included, unchanged from it’s original poorly organized predecessor.  You can find an upgraded campaign tracking sheet in the Downloads section.  My original thoughts on the matter are still relevant.

Random assignment tables are provided for mercenaries, Word of Blake, and WoB Shadow Divisions.  These RATs are better than your usual fare.  They are quite extensive even going so far as accounting for technology ratings.  Aerospace, vehicles, and battle armor join the ‘Mechs for combined arms variety.

The final tables are huge, and include up to 19 choices per wight class for ‘Mechs, Vehicles, Battle Armor, and Aerospace.  Technology ratings will affect the final result of a 2D6 roll.  The higher up the chart you are the better the technology level allowing for increased variety.

Finishing up the PDF are two very interesting custom units.  An Awesome piloted by a Mr. Cameron and an Atlas II piloted by Delvin Stone.  Icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned and a fine end to an epic sourcebook.

The Final Word

I’ve heard the criticism.

Isn’t this all reprinted stuff from old books?  Why should I buy it twice?

That’s true except for the 49 new tracks, new and updated missions, the updated track fiction, the new mercenary bios, the new terrain tables, the new (and huge) RATs, and the extra planet and battle specific Jihad details.  You get the idea.  There is a lot to like in this book and most of it is going to be as fresh as any new sourcebook you planned to buy.

For Chaos Campaign enthusiasts, this is a cap stone must have product.  For those who may have been hesitant to join in the fun, Total Chaos provides a one stop product to get started in the Jihad.  Instead of purchasing the huge volume of products associated with the original campaign, all of it (and much more) is included here in one place.

Some players may scoff at the prospect of purchasing a compilation but there is plenty within these pages that make up for any sense of repetition.

We are opening up our online version of The Succession Wars to public Beta.  Emphasis on the Beta.  We got hooked when playing the game  by e-mail.  We’ve (ok, Saxywolf) over analyzed it.  And we (ok, mostly Brian) have been hard at work coding it for the past 6+ months!  You could just play by e-mail, but we are doing this so you don’t have to worry about semantics and can just… play.

Please email bugs, questions, comments, and complaints to brian@scrapyardarmory.com

Please be careful when clicking.  There are no take-backs (except if it is a bug; we’ll do our best to fix it).

When we update & upgrade the game, we will do everything we can to preserve your game(s) so you can continue to play.  Allowing you all to play was our goal, after all.

We would like to thank all of our play testers: Bob Fischer, Mark Hall, Julio “Ladob”, and 2 others for helping us thus far and look forward to crushing them in the Closed Beta game (in round 4 now).

We have a list of current bugs to fix, but it is very playable.  We have a really long list of additions to add too (of which I know we will sadly just never get to all of them).

MOST of the rules used are straight from the rulebook, but not all.  Some are just not yet implemented, some necessitated change due to the online format, and some we have purposefully decided to change.  We will eventually release a revised rulebook that matches the rules as programmed.  For instance, a House Interdict is limited to two rounds.  Also, a regional interdict lasts a full round rather then then just until the end of the affected player’s turn.

With that said, please play by the rules as programmed (subject to change at any time… and they will), but please feel free to contact us.  We need feedback!

http://www.scrapyardarmory.com/successionwars/

Starting a Game

First step is to start or join a game.  If you are starting a game on your own, then you will follow these steps to get things moving:

• Create a new game via the link on the Dashboard.  Give it a name and a description if you like.

Optionally, there is a password you can set to ensure that only your group of friends gets to play.  If you are open to playing with strangers, leave it blank.

• Build your new game.  This takes a bunch of steps and a few minutes.  Let it finish completely before trying to click anywhere else.
• At this point players are allowed to join the game.  Invite your friends and fill up all of the slots.
• Once all player slots are occupied, you Begin Player Setup.  This will open the Play link for all players who can then begin placing units on the game board.
• Once all units have been placed, the Start Game link will be available.  Clicking this is the last step and will draw cards, generate initial income, and set the first player going.

Playing the Game

Once you have a game underway each player will take turns until there is only one successor to the Star League Throne!

Each player turn is broken up into the following phases:

• Production
• Movement
• Combat (if required)

Production and Movement are fairly self explanatory.  The current player controls the action and clicks on the DONE link when they are ready to move to the next phase.

Once combat begins, all players in the game are allowed to view the affected territories and must click DONE to continue.  Once the first round of combat is complete the players who have contested territories must assign casualties and click DONE to continue.

Other phases of the game like Taxes and Placement are done automatically for you.

Have Fun

We hope you do.  This was a lot of work to put together (all during our “spare” time).  Let us know what you think!  Leave a comment below or email us at brian@scrapyardarmory.com!

Deep within the Smoke Jaguar occupation zone Luzerne stood out as a pivotal conflict as Operation BullDog began to build momentum.  The Jaguars were cornered and fought against their attackers with animal ferocity.

Nicholas  Marsala is a familiar writer back at the helm for this adventure within the Clan Invasion Era.  With more than a few Turning Points PDFs under his belt will Nicholas be able to keep up his own momentum?

Redemption

The opening fiction is a wild introduction with familiar themes of self sacrifice as a Jaguar Attack force attempts to break the Davion lines.  The short story is fast paced and enjoyable.  A fine introduction to begin this Clan Invasion story.

Luzerne

The picture of Luzerne is that of a sleepy world with a potentially uninteresting history save for a multi-year mining strike.  This section provides a quick synopsis of these events and the relatively peaceful history of the planet as well as a glimpse at the major population centers.

Optional rules along with terrain and weather features are provided for the adventurous among us to spice up battle conditions.  Clan Honor is mentioned here as well.  I am excited to find out what other wrinkles Clan Honor will provide in the tracks.

The Battle of Luzerne

This section gives a birds eye view play-by-play of the battle from start to grisly finish.  The Star League had their work cut out for them to say the least.  The Jaguars fought tooth and nail to keep this planet and their air superiority almost made it possible.  Still, it seems unlikely that the Star League would allow the planet to NOT be taken even if the first invasion failed.

The plot synopsis seems a bit short compared to earlier HTP products.  The lower third of the document is dominated by a Star League logo which fills the page but leaves me wondering if there was more information they could have provided to flesh out the story.  Or simply, there was not much else to say to describe the cutthroat but straightforward battle that defined Luzerne.

Random Assignment Tables

A one page RAT table gives ‘Mech options for the Com Guards, Smoke Jaguar, Federated Suns, and the Draconis Combine.  The addition of OmniMechs provides even more variety.  I’m slightly disappointed in the lack of combat vehicles though.  The opening fiction alluded to armor platoons supporting the Star League mission.  Sad to see that combined arms did not make the cut to get into the book.

Commanders

Four commanders are briefed in this section, two from the Jaguars and two from the Star League coalition force.  The special abilities section provide some A Time of War abilities except for the ComGuard commander.  Nothing special to write home about as the special abilities are safe selections.

Combatants

The combatants section contains a scant 7 unit profiles.  This battle was a focused fight that hopefully trades quantity for quality.  Each force lists the commanding officer, experience, RAT table, an optional unit ability, and some fluff notes.

The game abilities are a pleasant mix of one-off custom designed abilities and stock abilities from Tac Ops.  Best ability goes to the Third Davion Guards who get a gunnery bonus when everyone in their command is making top speed.

The combatants section is very good though short (not the fault of writing, just a fact of the campaign) and throws together some good unique abilities which I prefer over reuse of existing Tac Ops rules.  Not that Tac Ops rules are bad.  There are a few in Luzerne.  Moderation is key which Luzerne does well.

Tracks

Ah my favorite part of the Turning Points series!  Luzerne presents 8 tracks, on par with previous releases if a little low.  Perhaps Mallory’s World has spoiled me.  We can’t expect double digit track totals in every Turning Point PDF.

Luzerne starts off slow with a few tracks that are variations on the standard stand-up fight and breakthrough.  The first track contains no special rules, the second has opposed objectives resulting in an all or nothing proposition for both players.  The third is a stock stand-up fight with combat drops and uninteresting “kill the other guy” objectives.

Luckily things pick up steam with Cat and Mouse, a supply raid with a very well done Honor mechanic that keeps things interesting.  Other tracks contain some notable special rules including command centers.  Not all is well as the optional rules for Hammer and Anvil are very poor and provide little to the track.

In the end Luzerne is a mixed bag.  There are some really great tracks in Luzerne but also some head scratchers.

Perhaps I’m being too hard.  Even the best laid out campaigns are sure to have a few historical moments that can only be captured by a formulaic modification of a stand up fight.  Still I felt Luzerne could have done more and missed opportunities to shake things up.

Record Sheets

Only two record sheets are provided for players to spice up their tracks.  The Jaguars get a Cauldron-Born with a clever combination of hole punchers and crit seekers.  The spheroid force gets a Grasshopper loaded with Clan lasers.  Both creations are skimpy on the heat sinks making them non-optimal but scary none the less.

The Final Word

Despite it’s short comings the Historical Turning Point series is well served by the Luzerne addition.  For the low price of admission you are sure to find several hours of enjoyment.  While not a barn burner of a PDF, Luzerne is a great PDF for a collector especially if you have a soft spot for the Clans.  Luzerne adds to the ever growing range of back drops the Turning Points series has visited so be sure to take a look.

I’ve played quite a few games of A Time of War.  Granted I use it solely as a infantry skirmish ruleset.  The finer point of roleplay (or roll-play as the case may be) are lost on a simple wargamer such as myself.  Regardless there is quite a lot to enjoy from A Time of War.  Who wouldn’t want to command a squad of Blazer wielding 31st century soldiers in a fight to the finish against your buddy?

I’ve been struggling with an issue with the core mechanics.  It seems to come up in almost every game and for the longest time I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until now.

Movement is too darn fast.

Why bother staying at range when you can easily race into medium or short range, negating the effectiveness of long range rifles and the lot.  I’ve seen the most average of stat’d soldiers cover massive distance in a single turn and still have the spare actions to pop off a shot.  In a nutshell the games I’ve played just don’t seem to be very “shooty” which is a shame considering the backdrop of the BattleTech world.

To start off I have to make the following assumption.  Weapon ranges are ok.  With this in mind lets evaluate movement rates.

There are three items that affect movement rates in A Time of War.

• Attribute: Reflex
• Attribute: Strength
• Skill: Running

Reflex and Strength are attributes that all characters have.  The average joe is assumed to have a score of 4 in each while an exceptional individual can max out at 8 each (10 for clanners, but lets not go there right now).

The running skill is an added bonus, which maxes out at 10, that affects running and sprinting and can add up to 10 meters of movement per turn.

So how fast can a foot soldier move in the 31st century?

A Foot Platoon of about 2 dozen persons in the BattleTech board game moves 30 meters in a 10 second turn or 3 meters per second.  Not a bad pace while hauling around a full military kit in combat boots across unpaved terrain while shooting and being shot at.

How does this match up with real world examples?  Surprisingly well actually.

• From Yahoo answers the average human walking speed is 3.5 miles per hour or 1.5 meters per second.
• The average human running speed is around 10 miles per hour  or 4.5 meters per second.
• The current olympic record in the 100m dash is 9.58 seconds or an average speed of 10.4 meters per second.

To put a personal spin on my analysis I crunched the numbers for my own running speed at various distances.  I’m by no means an olympic athlete but I do consider myself above average in a foot race.

• 5km in 20 minutes or 4.1 meters per second.
• 800 meters in 2 minutes or 6.7 meters per second.
• 400 meters in 56 seconds or 7.1 meters per second.

Please note that these times are my personal best under ideal conditions.  I wear light running shoes for my 5k road races while my 800m and 400m times were on a fast track (the surface is a bouncy rubber which helps return energy to the runner with each step) with proper track shoes with spikes.  Hardly representative of a combat situation.

A Time of Running

Here are the average and elite movement rates using the A Time of War system ordered by speed.

•   1.6 m/s  Average Walking
•   3.2 m/s  Elite Walking
•   3.6 m/s  Average Running
•   5.2 m/s  Elite Running
•   7.2 m/s  Elite Running with max running skill
•   7.2 m/s  Average Sprinting,
• 10.4 m/s  Elite Sprinting,
• 14.4 m/s  Elite Sprinting with max running skill

Just to recap here are those values in a table.

Ok then, I’ll grant that an elite runner in the 31st century can run as fast as the fastest human being alive today…  He just can’t do it with combat boots, carrying a gun, gear, ammo, grenades and doing it over real terrain ( not a track designed to be run on ).

To put that in perspective, an Elite Sprinting with max running skill could run the 100m dash in an astonishing 6.9 seconds (remember that the Olympic record is 9.58 seconds).

The ScrapYard Movement Modifier

So whats a 31st century tactical infantry enthusiast to do?  For me, I’ll be reducing all movement by one third (multiply by 0.66).  I’ve yet to extensively test it, but (while using a very simple formula) it seemed to produce the best looking movement rates when compared to quartering or halving.

More playtesting is sure to be in my future.  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!

Here at the Scrapyard we are quite fond of the Succession Wars board game.  We have been playing in a few games and have cooked up an interesting tool to help us gauge the risk/reward associated with particular moves.  Do you press your attack or leave sleeping dragons lie?

Check out the Combat Simulator at Saxywolf’s site.

Introduction

The Succession Wars is the Risk version of BattleTech.  In the board game, The Succession Wars, an attack occurs when combat units enter a region controlled by another House that already has units there.  They automatically engage for the first barrage (a single exchange of fire in the combat phase), although after each barrage they have the option to retreat if they have a friendly jumpship in the region with them (the jumpships could have dropped them off and then moved back to a friendly region).

For your strategizing needs, we have created an Combat Simulator to help you better understand what the results may/probably will be.  This simulation, however, assumes nobody retreats and that only two Houses are engaged in the combat. “Two man enter…”

Instructions

1) Select the method of applying the ComStar Interdict and Star League bonus.  I.e. do they apply before or after the combo(s) are made? (The default selection is how the ScrapYard Armory is programming the web version.)

2) Select the strength of your units in the first two columns.  The second column is used to combine units with the adjacent unit in the first column (SW rules p.9).  If you are have a Tech ability to raise the strength of ‘Mechs, input the ‘Mech’s strength as it would be with the increase.  Note that you do not need to put your strongest units first as the default kill order selected is from the weakest to the strongest unit.

3) List your leaders’ combat abilities in the third column.  The order is not entirely important, but since the leaders are used if the combination is less than 10, a combination of 9 and a Leader of 2 will add up to 11 and waste 1 point worth.  For better results, try changing the order of your leaders if you have some 1’s.  Alternatively, you could put your weaker units/combos at the top of the list as the overall kill % remains the same no matter who gets the Leader bonus.

4) Do the same for the enemy units & leaders.

5) Select Comstar Interdict and/or Star League bonus if they apply.

6) (optional) Change the Number of Simulations.

7) Press Submit.

If the simulation is taking too long, reduce the ‘Number of Simulations’.  If it doesn’t finish, please let us know.

Try different combinations to see what maximizes your chances (or for the enemy minimizes).  Keep in mind that every time you run the simulation, the results will be slightly different and so will show different results as this is a simulation and not a calculation.

Results

‘% chance you Win’ is the chance all the enemy units will be eliminated before yours.  You will keep/gain control of the region.

‘% chance you Lose’ is the chance your units will all be eliminated before the enemy’s.  The enemy will keep/gain control of the region.

‘% chance you simultaneously wipe each other out’ is the chance you and the enemy will wipe each other out in the same barrage.  Whoever had control of the region before will retain control AND gain control of any dropships and leaders remaining.

‘When you Win, % Chance of AT LEAST this many of your units lost’… Ok, so you might win, but at what cost?

‘When you Lose, % Chance of AT LEAST this many enemy units killed’… If you lose, how many of the enemy can you take down with you?

‘Average # rounds taken to finish an attack’  This is the average number of rounds it will take to complete the combat in the region.  This is important because the greater it is above 1, the more likely either side will be able to retreat.

Tips

If your units are under a ComStar Interdict, always combine as many units as you can to reduce the penalty by up to half.  By default, the Interdict affects the roll and not individual units.  Effectively, a combo of two units will only suffer a single -2 penalty (reducing the possible penalty by half).

If you are out numbered, avoid combining units.  Yes, even if you have weak units.  This is because there is a chance of killing 2 units rather then a better chance of killing only 1.  Unfortunately, you may be outnumbered and/or interdicted…  see the first tip.

Conversely, if you outnumber your opponent, you should combine at least all the way down so that you have the same number of combos as they have total units.  Doing so will eliminate the chance that you’ll have a wasted kill, but more importantly reduce the effectiveness of any Interdicts coming your way.  If you are hoping to wipe them out in a single barrage, watch out for creation of ‘Mercs via card, Contract Ends, or bribes.

Avoid combining units to be over a combined value of 10, unless you are combining for a number of guaranteed kills equal to the number of units they have or if you are interdicted then go for 12 max to counter the interdict’s -2.