ScrapYard Armory

This is a series of battles played at Cold Wars 2011 held in Lancaster Pa.  The Great Refusal was the culmination of the invasion of the Clan homeworlds under the aegis of the reborn Star League.  Led by Victor Steiner-Davion, the combined armies of the Inner Sphere launched a Trial of Refusal to put an end to the Clan invasion once and for all.

The Great Refusal was a collection of eight battles pitting the best of the Inner Sphere against the might of the Clans.  The side with the most victories would win the Refusal.

At the convention, we had five of our oversized 3D maps for players to battle on.  Players could come and go as they pleased and participate in as many battles as they wanted.  All told, we have five full battles completed, each one was a fast paced battle to the bitter end.  Did the Inner Sphere prevail or were the Clans able to defy history?

Draconis Combine vs Clan Blood Spirit

The Combine started well and managed to gain a slight advantage by delivering damage early.  The No-Dachi faced off against the Blood Kite while the Daishi (DC) took on the Battle Cobra.  As the fight dragged on the Combine continued to push and managed to knock out the Blood Kite’s arms.  Without weapons, the Blood Kite was forced to withdraw in shame.  Meanwhile the Combine Daishi was having a turn for the worse in luck and was waning as the Battle Cobra began making solid hits with it’s ER PPCs.  Once inside the internal structure of the Daishi the Clan player rolled a miraculous string of critical hits.  The Daishi ended the turn with 9 points of internal damage but 5 center torso critical hits, taking out the engine and gyro in one fell swoop.

The Battle Cobra turned to the No-Daichi.  The Battle Cobra was showing the wear of battle.  It had lost it’s entire left side while the No-Daichi damage was more spread around.  First turn into the new duel the Battle Cobra head caps his opponent with it’s one remaining ER PPC.

The Clans claim first blood.

Free Rasalhague Republic vs Clan Hells Horses

The FRR attempted to keep their distance from the potent Gnome Battle Armor and  the close-in specialist Gargoyle C.  This allowed the Clan force to take up superior positions in the middle of the battle, taking advantage of the only available cover.  The Spartan and Flashman fought the good fight and killed two of the gnomes and severely damaged the rest.

Unfortunately it was only a matter of time before the Clans could close in and bring their superior knife fighting weapons to bear.  The Flashman was brutalized before succumbing to side torso destruction.  Now two on one, the Spartan could not last against the heavier Clan weapons.  In the end, a through armor critical hit took out three engine locations spelling the end for the Spartan and the Inner Sphere’s chances in this match.

St. Ives Compact vs Clan Wolf

This was the longest battle of the bunch and went back and forth as the two players fought skillfully and energetically for their side.

The match starts and the St. Ives Ryoken faces off against the Gargoyle while the Pillager takes on the Timber Wolf.  The St.Ives Ryoken piloted by none other than Kai Allard-Liao wastes no time to close the distance to bring his UAC20 into the action.  The Pillager attempts to keep some distance from the Timber Wolf to take advantage of his Gauss Rifle.

Kai Allard-Liao trades point blank shots with the Gargoyle and in a fast sequence of turns finds his opponent legged but suffered the loss of his UAC20 in the process.  The two MechWarriors would not yield to each other and continued to pour weapons fire into each other.  The Gargoyle is forced to prop to fire but finds luck on his side.  A stream of laser and PPC bursts find soft armor and blast through Kai’s center torso destroying the ‘Mech.

Meanwhile, the Pillager and Timber Wolf are stalking each other at medium to long range.  The Pillager had a horrible time hitting anything with it’s Gauss rifle despite decent to-hit numbers.  The Timber Wolf savaged the Pillager’s armor, pot marking it with gaping holes.  A few heat sinks, an arm actuator, and a single engine hit begin to whittle away at the St. Ive assault Mech.

And then the Gauss rifle found home and crushed the Timber Wolf’s cockpit into scrap.

The Pillager is now at long range against the crippled but still dangerous Gargoyle.  Over a series of turns, the two traded long range weapons fire eating away at each others battered and broken frames.  The Pillager has one leg ripped apart and the last few turns are spent with each ‘Mech propping up to shoot.  In the bitter end the last round of weapons fire from the Pillager cored out the Gargoyle giving the win to the Inner Sphere.  The Pillager had only 28 armor points total remaining out of a starting 307.

Draconis Combine vs Clan Blood Spirit (a repeat due to player request!)

This game began much like the first with the Combine coming out strong but fading fast.  The crit seeking ability of the Blood Kite once again proved vital to the Clan force.  The No-Daichi ended up legged and broken on the ground while the Battle Cobra succumbed to arm destruction (no weapons) but not before head capping the Combine Daishi.

The final rounds of the contest involved the battered Blood Kite tearing apart the internal structure of the No-Daichi for the eventual win.

Capellan Confederation vs Clan Fire Mandrill

This match began with the Liao Thunder going up against the Fire Mandrill Warhawk A while the Emperor took on the Gargoyle C.  The Thunder rushed the Warhawk with hopes of bringing it’s AC20 into play.  Despite some early solid hits, the Thunder succumbed quickly to the advanced targeting computer in the Clan Warhawk which gutted the center torso and scored three quick engine hits.

The Emperor put up a better fight against the Gargoyle and managed to trash almost the entire front facing armor.  All three torso locations were open and a few lucky shots got inside and damaged the gyro and engine but not enough for the kill.  The Emperor in turn was decimated by a spread of weapons fire which blew off one arm and critically hit all of it’s own front torso locations.  After an impressive barrage from the Clan Gargoyle, two engine hits in the center torso followed by a single engine hit in a side torso spelled the end of the Inner Sphere ‘Mech.

Battles From the Past

The ScrapYard has fought several of these battles in the past.  You may recognize the terrain and miniatures from older after action reports.  here are some links to previous battles and the results.

• Battle 1, Federated Commonwealth versus Clan Smoke Jaguar (Inner Sphere Wins)
• Battle 2, St. Ives Compact versus Clan Wolf (Clans Win)
• Battle 4, Comstar versus Clan Jade Falcon (Clans Win)
• Battle 5, Free Worlds League versus Clan Star Adder (Inner Sphere Win)

The Final Score

After nine total games, the Inner Sphere was only able to pull out three victories.  In a stark contrast to the canon results, the Clans dominated the warriors of the Inner Sphere.  I had a lot of fun watching so many different people play these games and experience the fast paced action.  These are quick battles on average and there are still a few of the battles that we have yet to try. 

Let me know if you have had any experience with these battles from the Twilight of the Clans sourcebook.  I’d love to add your results to the pile and see if the Inner Sphere could do any better given a larger sample size!

It’s finally here and it is fabulous.

Reviews

• Critical Hits
• Arm Chair General
• Mythreal Blog
• Geek Planet Online

The Maps Are Awesome

The box set includes two double sided maps made from thick game board.  They’re really good looking and feel sturdy and high quality.  They gave me a little trouble lying flat right out of the box but I think a little use will help them stretch out a bit.

This is a huge improvement from the thin paper maps of old.  They are vastly better than any other map done for BattleTech which makes a great case for the Hex-Pack series.  If there ever was a good reason to update your maps, you have it.  Pick up the box set for four of the most ubiquitous fighting environments in the game.  Included is the Standard BattleTech map, Open Terrain, Lake Area, and a dense Urban map.

Glossy Paper Everywhere

The rulebook and the universe book are redone in a high quality glossy paper.  They look great and fit with everything else in the box set.  The entire package screams quality on par with any other manufacturer in the business today.

Miniatures

The usual suspects from the original box set are all included and are done in a slightly harder plastic.  I found it a little tougher to work with an exacto knife but I think it would end up improving the long term stability of any paint job.

The resin Loki and Thor are a great addition and just add to the set’s phenomenal value.

Get Yours

Whether you are a new comer or a grizzled veteran, you will find something to enjoy in this box set.  The miniatures alone were a great reason to buy the old box set.  The addition of the two high quality Clan OmniMechs and the new board game quality maps make it a must buy.

The Turning Points series has come full circle and is bravely delving into BattleTech’s future.  Seeing a Dark Age edition was an unexpected surprise and I am anxious to learn more about what I assume to be a wildly misunderstood era.  It can’t be all industrialMechs and TonkaTrucks running around in the ill fated future of our beloved universe, can it?

Newcomer Patrick Wynn is at the helm for this adventure into the unknown.  Will Liao lift our expectations of the future or will the Dark Age continue to be so aptly named?  Let’s dive in to find out!

Harsh Reality

In an instant the reader is thrust into the clustered and confused aftermath of a battle from within the cockpit of an elite warrior of the Republic.  The enemy?  Gone.   The Objective?  Destroyed.

No tears for lost comrades, just a jumbled collection of thoughts from a mind racing to make sense of the mess.

Harsh Reality is an excellent short intro despite the fact that the main action is long past.  The writing is good and we have our first introduction of the Dark Age and the warriors of the Republic.

Liao

A gorgeous full size atlas is followed by a planetary history section.  I am pleased to find that within two paragraphs, the details go from the origins to the more recent history within the Dark Ages.  This is what we wanted to know more about and I am happy to see the writers dive in early.

Mapsheet tables are provided for those wishing to be true to the terrain features of the planet.  Also included are special terrain rules from Tactical Operations to provide additional spice to the gaming table.

The Liberation of Liao

All of this is par for the course up to now.  Turning the page we find a new one page section which describes in more detail the events covered in this Dark Age Turning Point.  The Liberation takes place around 3134 and involves the Big MAC (McCarron’s Armored Cavalry), student uprisings, ambushes and last stands.  Everything a growing story arc needs.

I’m glad to see this new section.  Every bit of information is welcome, especially when there are no official source books to base our thoughts on yet.  This section almost seems like it deserves to be in an Operational Turning Points book.  I’m very happy to see it under the more affordable Turning Points label.

RAT

Random assignment tables are provided for the Capellans, insurgents, and the Republic.  The tables are very complete and include infantry and vehicles.  I really appreciate the extra time taken to provide these.  It is a joy to see combined arms encouraged in official content.  These lists will make it even easier to make combined arms a reality.  Combined with the newly minted Master Unit List, finding corresponding record sheets will be a breeze.

I find it interesting how prevalent Clan technology is in each side of this particular conflict.  Also, ConstructionTech is alive and well in the Liao Insurgents RAT who have a wide selection of AgroMechs, DemoMechs, and LoaderMechs to choose from when they enter battle.  I am curious to see how these will come into play in the Tracks.

Combatants

The combatants section lists a small bio for all forces who saw action on Liao during the time covered.  Forces include iconic units like MAC as well as the lowly student militia and other insurgent elements.

Each unit has a commander, unit experience (Green through Elite), RAT, unit abilities for use in game, notes that add extra detail to the story, and a logo.  Soup to nuts.  Everything you need to know in a few lines of text.  It is a bit condensed but that’s why we love the Turning Points series.

Best unit ability goes to the Liao Republic Standing Guard.  The double edged sword of long ranged expertise is well implemented and makes for interesting choices and strategy in future games with the unit.  I applaud the mix of unit abilities which are varied and personal.  Each feels right for the unit in question and does not rely on boiler plate elements to fill in the blanks.

Tracks

Dark Age Liao provides nine tracks, well above average for the series.

Throughout the tracks, the plethora of special rules and interesting twists and turns make each track unique.  Even when the objectives are the usual suspects the game setup or the special rules come to the rescue to provide a compelling and interesting group of tracks.

The Crisis of Conscious special rule is seen in more than a couple tracks and instantly provides a depth of play that I find very interesting.  All of a sudden it becomes important to rethink how you attack your enemies.  Winning is not possible if you pursue it at all costs.

At times, the special rules become a tad too special for their own good.  The stampedes of Eridani stallions in Country Clamor will take more than one read through to understand fully and will be hell to track in the middle of a ‘Mech battle.  Never-the-less, I do not want to discourage risk taking when making innovative and interesting game mechanics.  All together, the Dark Age Liao tracks scream fun.

Liao has plenty to offer, from combat dropping troops, reinforcements, artillery, mine fields, defecting forces, wild fires and many more Tactical and Strategic Operations add-ins.  I applaud the excellent inventive take on making each track and would love to see more in the future.  Dark Age Liao stands among the best of the Turning Points series and only fails to top them all when it over reaches at times.  Well worth the price of entry.

Record Sheets

Named characters in custom ‘Mechs and special scenario specific vehicles are generously sprinkled throughout the tracks.  The record sheet section of Liao responds appropriately with eight record sheets to make getting your game on easier than ever.

There are cargo vehicles, command centers, and industrial ‘Mechs to fill specific tracks as well as Dark Age era mods for the Koshi, BlackHawk, Yu Huang, and MadCat III.

The Koshi and BlackHawk fit nicely into the Clan stereotype of big weapons and sparse armor.  The Yu Huang is a beastly assault packing dual Gauss Rifles and ancillary medium range weaponry.  The MadCat III packs dual LRM10 with an ERPPC and 2 medium lasers backed by a targeting computer and an excellent speed profile.

The Bottom Line

Dark Age Turning Point Liao is an excellent addition to the new and currently lonely Dark Age era.  BattleTech may have on it’s hands an accidental antagonist by way of the Republic.  There is little love out there for the bold and brave new world of Delvin Stone.

I believe that the Dark Age will be a polarizing era for fans just as the Clans and the Word of Blake have been before.  For those willing to take a chance on this new and misunderstood era, you will find ample support within these pages.  Maybe it was intentional, maybe not, but Catalyst has produced a barn burner with Dark Age Liao.  Nine tracks, eight record sheets and all the trimming we have come to expect from the Turning Points line.  It seems bigger and bolder than Turning Point PDFs before it.

Armorcast, the creator of battlefield scenery, and the unique cinematic effect line of miniature accessories is sponsoring a contest that is right up BattleTech’s alley.

BattleTech fans who frequent the CamoSpecs website already know how cool these effects can be.  From the GenCon dioramas to the Starterbook stock images the artists of CamoSpecs are magicians at crafting the cinematic effects into creative and imaginative pieces.

You don’t have to be a CamoSpecs artist to enter.  The more BattleTech entries the better.  Anything to advance the game and put it into the public spotlight.

See the full details at the ArmorCast blog.  You have until June 1 to submit an entry which is plenty of time to cook up something good.

I hope that a lot of the CamoSpecs guys enter but I hope most of all to get my own entry in and to see the works of others included in the mix.  Don’t be shy.  Give it a try and help raise BattleTech up a notch!

The first convention of the year is complete.  Lots of great games and fun with friends.

This year more than others, the Lancaster Host seemed to show it’s age.  The secluded corner where the BattleTech games were being held  was constantly overheated with very poor ventilation.  Added into the mix was poor lighting and water stained fixtures that made the venue appear more like a mildewed basement than a proper convention hall.

Poor lighting and bad ventilation aside, the crew did a fantastic job as they always do.  We had a great selection of games to select from BattleTech to BattleForce to A Time of War.  Demo Agent Speck and his minions are an example for other demo agents out there.

About Those Minions…

Most of my readers know that the ScrapYard is a two man operation.  My partner in crime is SaxyWolf who is often behind the scenes but is a vital component to making this blog possible.  I couldn’t ask for a better minion and I really owe him big this time around.

We got to the parking lot at the Lancaster Host around 11 and started fetching supplies for our noon game.  I looked around the back of the car and to my horror, I could not find my minis.  We have a full set of miniatures for our Twilight of the Clans game and I left then in SaxyWolf’s garage.

The trip to Cold Wars is a two hour drive.

Without missing a beat, we touched base with “Speck” to switch our game to the evening slot and SaxyWolf volunteered to hit the road while I sat in on the afternoon BattleTech games to generate after action report material.

SaxyWolf gets a gold star this convention.  Thanks for taking one for the team.

Iron Wind Metals

Iron Wind was in attendance as usual with a plethora of blisters on sale.  The selection of available units included many fan-funded, online-exclusives, and archive items, all at regular prices.

I love seeing Iron Wind at conventions because you are always able to find something for your collection.

Also on display were a few samples of the mini-mech line due to appear within the next month or so.

BattleTech Gaming

We had games from the animated series to the depths of the Jihad on the agenda.  The ScrapYard will have no less than three after action reports from the con.  Before the full featured reports are prepared, here is a sneak peek at some of what’s in store.

And All the Rest

There is always more to conventions than BattleTech.  I didn’t get around to play any other games this con but I did sneak away from running or recording games to snap pictures of some of the coolest set-ups out there.  Enjoy the visual goodness!

Is it really that time again?  Time to shake off the snow and persistent cold temperatures to shake the dice once more with good friends.

I’m a big fan on gaming year round but there is something special about conventions.  Here is a quick run down of the events I am planning on attending.

Cold Wars, March 11 – 13, Lancaster Pa

http://www.coldwars.org/

The Lancaster Host is a staple of wargaming on the east coast.  The venue is great despite it’s age and the Catalyst crew running the BattleTech show are the best out there.

Despite recent HMGS drama, the gaming is good and the dealer room is excellent.  You will not be disappointed, especially if you are a BattleTech fan.

NJCon, May 13-14, Somerset NJ

http://njcon.org/

NJCon is back after a hiatus when they ran into venue difficulties.  This convention has a distinctly cozy and familiar feel.  Despite it’s small size there is plenty of great games from a dedicated and varied group of gamers.

The convention price is the most affordable on the list making it a great choice for gamers on a budget.

Historicon, July 7 – 10, Valley Forge Pa

http://www.historicon.org/

The big daddy of wargaming is back at Valley Forge.  While the venue missed a few steps last year, the familiar HMGS crew will be in full force with ample reasons to take in the weekend to smash ‘Mechs for king and country.

GenCon, August 4 – 7, Indianapolis IN

http://www.gencon.com/2011/indy

While HMGS conventions are a laser focused on wargaming, GenCon remains a perennial melting pot of every gaming variety under the sun.  If you like gaming, GenCon will have it.  Catalyst always puts on a good show and is sure to have a few tricks up it’s sleeve for eager fans to snap up.  Being the epicenter of the gaming world has many perks, and it is worth a trip at least once for every gamer.

For the first time since I have begun attending back in 2008 GenCon is in flux for me.  I still have to figure out my schedule in August.  I’m hopeful, but can’t say for certain just yet.

CarnageCon, November 4 – 6, Fairlee VT

http://www.carnagecon.com

This is a new convention for me and is uncharacteristically well into the colder winter months.  It is a bit farther North than I usually wander but from what I’ve heard it is worth the trip.  Unfortunately the on-site hotel is already sold out but there are more than a few alternatives within an easy driving distance.  I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try something new.

The Introductory Box Set is in sight.

For those who have not seen the news, Randall has posted a number of pictures of the final proofs for the 25th Anniversary Box Set.  This has been a long time coming and I am ecstatic at the opportunity to be able to point new players to this product.

A Second Renaissance

The first renaissance of BattleTech occurred under the aegis of FanPro with the re-branding of the BattleTech line.  The re-branding campaign launched the core rule book series and shortly thereafter, Catalyst Game Labs.

With the re-launch of the box set comes new chances to point prospective players to a proper introduction and help to steady a shaken foundation.  BattleTech needs some good news and this new information, released in spite of a well exercised policy not to divulge information on unreleased products, is very well received.  Thanks to Randall for bucking the status quo and giving the community a glimpse of this gem on the horizon.

Challenges Loom

And now the most important part and potentially the hardest, this box set must remain in print.  The box set is a treasure for collectors and faithful gamers looking for cheap miniatures.  From the old guard to the newly initiated, there are plenty of prospective buyers out there.  It is imperative that this set remain in print and available.

Without a keystone product for BattleTech the game will be hard to impress upon the masses.  From local gaming groups to crowded conventions, the box set is the product pitch we have been waiting for.

Strike the right tone with a prospective gamer and you may very well capture that person’s imagination for life.  Those are the moments that this box set will help create alongside the efforts of the Demo Team.  Hopefully Catalyst has wrung out the kinks and can keep this fantastic product in steady supply.

BattleTech is a game that gets better the more people play.  Ultimately it is up to the players to make that happen, so get out there and play.  Start a campaign, relive an epic battle, or settle a grudge in the arenas.  BattleTech has plenty of sandboxes to play in.  Time to kick it into high gear and enjoy the game.  It’s worth it.

Fresh from the new forums, we have some new tools for Chaos Campaign enthusiasts.  One of the strengths of the Chaos Campaign system is the streamlined calculations that get into and out of tracks.  Still, given opportunity and ample free time, we have found a way to make life even easier.

Bedwyr has done some great work crafting an online javascript calculator to convert between Warchest Points, Support Points, and CBills.

Inspired by such efforts, I took it upon myself to cook up an offline version in Java.  This app should work on any machine running Java in the event that you are caught without an internet connection.

Please leave some comments if you can find some improvements or bugs.  Links are provided below.

• Online Javascript Calculator
• Offline Java Calculator

The year is 3058 and both the old and the untested warriors of the Jade Falcons are clamoring for battle.  Operational Turning Points Falcon Incursion covers the series of hit and run raids into the Lyran Alliance ending at Coventry.

Nicholas Marsala is at the reigns of this Operational Turning Point.  Falcon Incursion is the third Operational Turning Point PDF to be released.

Beginner’s Luck

The opening fiction for Falcon Incursion sees the cadets of Coventry Military Academy pressed into quick service to defend against a faceless and menacing Clan Jade Falcon.

The entire sequence covers a firefight against multiple targets and is entertaining to the last.

Introductions

The Introduction section is standard boiler plate for the Turning Points series.  Set in 3058, Falcon Incursion draws inspiration from the novel Malicious Intent by Michael Stackpole and an accompanying Battlecorps fiction “Something More” by Jason Hansa.  Coventry is already captured in BattleTech lore via the Coventry scenario pack.  Seeing the full conflict from beginning to end given the Chaos Campaign makeover is well deserved and is another notch in the BattleTech time-line.  Almost all eras are represented in some fashion through turning points pdfs.

Atlas

No less than five planets are covered in the Atlas section each with a list of attributes and a few paragraphs of description and history.

Most of the information in this section will only be used by role players or campaign builders.  There is ample information to craft additional scenarios in various eras based on the sprawling histories of these planets.  That said, they are not needed to play the games included in this pdf.  Still, they are a welcome addition to the story telling tome.

Rounding out the section are a set of terrain tables, one for each planet.  Tactical Operations additions are also recommended where appropriate which include the likes of mud, planted fields, and ultra heavy woods.

RAT

Random Assignment Tables are provided for the three forces involved in the battle with a new double entry feature which in effect provides some unique variations based on the selected force.

The end effect are psuedo unique tables for Mercenaries, Wolf’s Dragoons, Jade Falcon, Lyran, and Militia.  It’s good to see Catalyst innovating here and not just punching  the stamp to produce the same old tables.

The Falcon’s Incursion

This section provides a matter of factly description of the events that occured during the Falcon’s campaign towards Coventry.  It provides the framework around which the tracks will delve into.  What it lacks is a deeper explanation of why these events occurred.  I found the first paragraph of the section to be shockingly blunt, like reading out of a dated history book.

Those who have read the books concerning this battle may not be so surprised.  I felt a little out of touch.  As good fortune (or design) would have it, the very next section provided some of the details I was seeking.

Personalities

As is due process for the Turning Points series, the leaders of the dueling forces are presented with a brief history, artwork, and A Time of War special abilities.

For the Dragoons, we have the commander of Delta Regiment.  The Falcons have the infamous Marthe Pryde including a summary of the motivations that led to the decision to invade so suddenly without regard for keeping anything they captured.

Combatants

Seventeen units are described with unit commanders, experience, RAT, unit abilities and notes.

I love this section for the subtle clues and bits of story interlaced within.  The notes section in particular is not to be skipped.  The special abilities range from the mundane to the spectacular.

The unit abilities in Falcon Incursion are some of the best I’ve seen.  Not content to rely solely on Tactical Operations additions, Mr. Marsala has crafted an excellent array of unique and well thought out abilities.  From the overly defensive tendencies of the Neerabup Periphery Militia to the desperate measures employed by the Jade Solahma Cluster, you will find many uses for these unique abilities.

This section in particular suffered from copious missed references (See Page X) which were quickly edited and the pdf updated before I could get this review out.  A good thing about BattleCorps is that all updates to a product are made available to you to download.  Make sure you check the box after purchasing to enable email alerts when an update occurs.

How to Use the Campaign

This section gives the setup rules for each side of the conflict and lays the groundwork for modifications to the Chaos Campaign specific to this campaign.

New in this episode of the Turning Points series is an option to spend Warchest points during unit creation to re-roll RAT or random pilot skill roll results.  Another innovative and interesting addition to the series.

The Tracks

We have two generic track in this campaign.  That is two less than either of the previous Operational Turning Points.  Don’t worry, the eleven Touchpoint missions more than make up for the lack of generics.  Even so, owners of the other two Operational Turning Points will be able to easily inject those generic missions into their games for a truly epic length campaign.

Together, the Operational Turning Points pdfs include Recon, Raid, Scout, Flank, Assault, Defend, Interdict, and Strike.  A few of them include variations, like Defend and Assault.  I’m surprised that it was not mentioned in the How to Use the Campaign section that the generics from any series are able to be plugged in.

That is of course assuming this campaign was not meant to be played exactly as presented.  In such a case, the generics will become increasingly tedious compared the more numerous Touchpoints.  And maybe that’s the point.  This campaign was not a drawn out fight on any planet.  Battles were quick and decisive and then the Falcons moved on.

In the end your playing group should find the right balance.  As it stands, eleven Touchpoints with a few raids and recon missions interlaced will keep you busy for quite a while!

Both generic tracks offer non-standard games which will keep things interesting between Touchpoints.

New historical notes mixed into specific tracks help to guide players who may be looking for a more faithful interpretation of a battle for a one off scenario.  A welcome addition for players who are not as interested in a drawn out campaign.

From the very start we are given a very well thought out series of Touchpoints.  Neerabup is a curious chess game of sorts where protecting your command centers comes at the cost of Militia armor.  On to Bucklands where otherwise mundane objectives are spiced up by the inclusion of modified IndustiralMechs piloted by old but cantankerous veterans of a bygone era.

Australia offers mixed objectives and optional defenses available to the Lyran Militia, but only if they take infantry in their unit selection.  A devilish twist that encourages combined arms tactics.

Coventry Military Academy pits ill-trained forces against each other is a battle that forces you to consider very different tactical options.  A disorganized force without leadership is always easier to kill.  Just don’t lose your own leaders in the process!

It goes on and on.  From beginning to end, the Touchpoint tracks are fantastic.  There are linked tracks.  There are air battles.  There are combined arms.  All of them are brilliant combinations that will force you to think and shake up the monotony of “destroy the other guy” objectives.  Falcon Incursion has the best set of tracks ever produced in the entire Turning Points series.

Record Sheets

Three record sheets are provided to enhance your campaign experience.  The first is a curious IndustrialMech modification.  All of two heat sinks is all you have to support a variety of bolted on SRMs and Autocannon.  For such an awful excuse for a ‘Mech, it overflows with character and slips into the Bucklands Touchpoint in the event that players can’t or don’t want to modify their own Industrials.  This is a great example of providing an interesting hook for a track and giving players the tools to immediately jump into the action.

A BattleMaster, complete with unseen artwork, is the personal ride of Rogers of the Waco Rangers.  It is a brawler with astonishing critical hit seeking armaments.  Nothing says keep your distance like seven Streak SRM-2s.

The last entry is a mixed tech Nightsky used by the Dragoon Delta Regiment commander.  It’s mixed tech so as you would expect it is a beast.  The redeeming feature is it’s just slightly off heat scale.  It can produce a stunning amount of damage but will have to stagger weapons to avoid overheating.

The Bottom Line

By far, this is one of the best of the Turning Points series.  Each track is original and extraordinarily well written.  That by itself makes this PDF well worth the price of admission.  Seeing such a successful formula repeated eleven times over makes it a must buy.

For those not so in love with the Chaos Campaign series as I am, Falcon Incursion adds to the burgeoning selection of eras to play in.  If you love the Clans or love to hate them, Falcon Incursion will provide opportunities to play out a massive campaign culminating within the industrial complexes of Coventry.

Catalyst, if you are listening, Nicholas Marsala did a masterful job on this pdf (a drastic improvement over JTP:Tharkad).  Do yourselves a favor and give the man more work.  I’d love to see what other magic he can conjure in other eras.

This game was inspired by events portrayed in the PDF exclusive Jihad Hot Spots: Atreus.  While not directly tied to any particular track, the scenario was built from various pieces of information.

The broken warriors of the Free Worlds League are under assault from the elite of the Word of Blake.  Sneak attacks, sabotage and genocide are now common place in the fragile nation.

Word of Blake forces are planning to attack the capital but a brave commander has marshaled a force of Free World’s League Militia to stand in their way and aim to prevent their advance.  The Word of Blake will not be denied and send a force to press the League’s defense.  Can the Militia hold out?  Can they stop the onslaught or will they be yet another ineffective speed bump on the road to desolation?

Free Worlds League

Command Lance

• AWS-8Q Awesome (Piloting 3, Gunnery 2) Commander
• P1 Perseus Prime (Piloting 4, Gunnery 3)
• MR-5M Cerberus (Piloting 4, Gunnery 3)
• ON1-M Orion (Piloting 4, Gunnery 3)

Chase Lance

• DV-6M Dervish (Piloting 5, Gunnery 4)
• HER-2M Hermes (Piloting 4, Gunnery 3)
• HMR-3C Hammer (Piloting 3, Gunnery 2)
• WTH-1 Whitworth (Piloting 5, Gunnery 4)

Support Lance

• Striker Light Tank (Driving 4, Gunnery 3)
• Achileus Battle Armor, Machine Gun (Gunnery 3)
• Achileus Battle Armor, Laser (Gunnery 3)
• Achileus Battle Armor, Flamer (Gunnery 3)

Word of Blake

Primus Level II

• LGC-01 Legacy (Piloting 3, Gunnery 2)
• C-SRP-O Seraph Invictus (Piloting 5, Gunnery 4)
• TSN-1C Tessen (Piloting 5, Gunnery 4)
• ST-8A Shootist (Piloting 4, Gunnery 3)
• BL-12-KNT Black Knight (Piloting 3, Gunnery 2)
• LGH-4Y Lightray (Piloting 5, Gunnery 4)

Dominus Level II

• GUR-2G Gurkha (Piloting 3, Gunnery 2)
• RDS-2A Red Shift (Piloting 4, gunnery 3)
• Purifier Battle Armor (Gunnery 3)
• Purifier Battle Armor (Gunnery 3)
• Nephilim Assault Battle Armor (Gunnery 3)
• Phalanx Heavy Battle Armor (Gunnery 3)

SPECIAL RULES

The following special rules were in effect during this game.

Heavy Rain and Lightning

All to-hit numbers and piloting rolls were modified by +1.  Each turn there was the possibility of lightning strikes.  The location of lightning strikes were randomly determined with the aid of a cell phone random number generator.  Lightning Strikes can be seen on the battlefield marked by yellow chips.

Fire for Effect

The Free Worlds League have access to three artillery units: a Long Tom, a Sniper, and a Thumper all within 1 turn artillery flight time.

Watch Your Step

The Free Worlds League may plant 6 conventional mine fields and 3 EMP mine fields.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Cutting Off the Head

The Word of Blake must destroy the Free Worlds League Commander’s Awesome.

Moving On

After the League commander’s ‘Mech is destroyed, the Word of Blake forces must exit at least 50% of their ‘Mech forces off the map edge opposite their starting edge.

The Word of Blake achieves a Minor Victory if they destroy the League commander and a Decisive Victory if they can achieve both objectives.  Any other result is a Free Worlds League Victory.

ENGAGEMENT

Turn 1 – Free Worlds League Wins Initiative

Both sides advance towards the other with malicious intent.  The Word of Blake spreads wide with the heavier slower units heading down the middle while the Leaguers concentrate in the middle of the battlefield protected by ample woods.  The Word of Blake Gurkha is the first to find a minefield but shrugs off the damage.

Weapons fire is sporadic with a few long range shots hitting the mark but nothing to warrant concern at this point.

Six lightning strikes reach earth but none threaten either force.

Turn 2 – Word of Blake Wins Initiative

The Militia press the center of the field with their heavier units while stabbing forward with faster units.  To the North a Whitworth, Striker Tank and Hermes attempt to blunt the overreaching Tessen.  To the south, a lone Dervish foolhardily jumps far from support.  Blakist forces seize the advantage and swarm the Dervish with the speedy Lightray, Gurkha, and Red Shift.

The remaining Blakist forces slowly make their way towards the fight.  Along the way the Legacy walks through two minefields, one of which goes off for minimal damage.

The first round of artillery falls in a tight grouping around the slowly moving Seraph doing moderate damage from two of the three rounds.

The Nephilim BattleArmor, who began the battle ahead of the main Blakist line, opens up with all missile tubes to the Whitworth’s rear.  The torso armor crumbles under the impact.  Critical hits strike an engine but spare the ammunition stored close by.  The Militia Dervish is spared major injury by poor shooting by the three Blakist ‘Mechs surrounding him.

Minor damage is spread around to almost all combatants.  The Free Worlds League has particularly bad rolls.  The only bright spot is a lone PPC shot to the BlackKnight which kills a Purifier squad occupying a torso location.

Ten lightning strikes litter the battle field but leave both forces unmarred.

Turn 3 – Word of Blake Wins Initiative

The Militia units continue to press the center and move to flank the larger Legacy allowing the Tessen to move uncontested towards the Free Worlds League Commander.

The faster Blakist units to the south swarm over the hill to surround the Awesome from the rear as the heavier Blakist units continue to approach from the front all but completely ignoring the supposedly diminutive militia units the League’s commander is hiding behind.

Artillery lands in a grouping between the Seraph and the Black Knight but only dealing minimal damage to the Black Knight after the rounds scatter.

The Blakists suffer poor rolls but do manage to slag several tons of armor off the Awesome.  The Legacy has it’s rear armor stripped but no internal damage results.  Concentrated fire on the Blakist Shootist strips the armor off the right torso and badly damages other locations.

The Gurkha misses a sword attack on the Awesome which retaliates by kicking off the Gurkha’s left leg.

Seven lightning strikes stab the earth, this time getting very close to some of the Free World League ‘Mechs.

Turn 4 – Free Worlds League Wins Initiative

The Blakist Legacy attempts to move forward to put it’s back (now a gaping hole) against a wall and fire at the League Commander but activates an EMP mine field with it’s first step.  The mammoth electromagnetic pulse instantly shuts down the ‘Mech for five turns.

The Militia heavies hold the center of the battle field while the faster ‘Mechs wrap around to the Seraph’s rear.  Word of Blake forces are now surrounding the Militia but cannot seize the advantage due to the loss of initiative.

Several artillery rounds surround the Blakist Black Knight, but are not close enough.  Another round scatters far enough to nick one of the Free Worlds League ‘Mechs and the adjacent  0ne-legged Gurkha on the ground.

Poor results continue for the Word of Blake who just can’t seem to score meaningful hits against their opponents despite the partial C3i network.

The Hermes behind the shutdown Legacy easily hits with everything to cause the ‘Mech to fall.  Combined fire from the majority of heavy militia units gut the Shootist, critically hitting most of it’s weapon systems but sparing it from the junk heap for now.

All Word of Blake units concentrate fire on the Militia Commander in his Awesome and manage to slag off all remaining armor in the right torso but still cannot score critical damage.

The Seraph is pummeled from the rear but avoids catastrophic damage.

In the physical phase, the Orion kicks off the Shootist’s left leg, adding the the misery befalling the Word of Blake force.

Three lightning strikes occur and one is close enough to do damage.  The Orion and Shootist both receive scars from the adjacent lightning strike.

Turn 5 – Free Worlds League Wins Initiative

The Free World League forces form a tight circle to corral the undaunted Seraph which obliges and walks into yet another minefield.  The Commander in his Awesome waits for the right moment and runs towards heavier cover and the protection of his lance mates where the ring of ring Blakists has collapsed.  The rear armor is prominently displayed to all enemies which has more armor than the front at this point.

The remaining Word of Blake do their best to anticipate but cannot reach optimum distance for their weapons and failing C3i network.  The League Cerberus marches into the fray and gets behind the cautious Tessen.

The guns of the artillery are now silent as the action heats up and the danger of friendly fire increases to unacceptable levels.

Almost the entire Marik force pours fire power into the Seraph which quickly accumulates engine hits until the great machine falls silent.  The Cerberus meanwhile rips through the rear armor of the Tessen and turns it’s gyro into scrap.

Return fire from the Word of Blake concentrated once again on the Awesome strips yet additional armor but cannot generate critical hits to even slow it down.

The Legacy is swarmed by a squad of Achilieus which scramble to the head of the immobile ‘Mech and aim to rend it from the torso.

End Game

The game is called as the Word of Blake finds themselves battered and their objective escaping their grasp.  Meanwhile, the greater battle for Atreus is not going so well for the Free Worlds League.  For every battle won by the League like this here, there are dozens more where the best of the League are hunted down and slaughtered.

This was a good game with incredible mine rolling by the Free Worlds League player.  Damn near every minefield the Word moved through detonated.  The EMP mine on the Legacy was more salt in the wound as more and more ‘Mechs were legged by the aggressive Militia forces.