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Flip the script. Sterling and Sable had to make some hard choices and the techs came up with this config with what they had available. One of the techs has an uncle at Ceres Arms and shoots him his field refit data saying "This poo poo is pretty nice, you might want to just make it like this. Not having AC/2s is always an upgrade."
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Jun 13, 2023 20:36
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| # ? Jun 1, 2024 03:32 |
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Amechwarrior posted:Flip the script. Sterling and Sable had to make some hard choices and the techs came up with this config with what they had available. One of the techs has an uncle at Ceres Arms and shoots him his field refit data saying "This poo poo is pretty nice, you might want to just make it like this. Not having AC/2s is always an upgrade." This. Oftentimes, field refits work out so well, the principal is all like, "Dude, that's grody. Yoink!"
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Jun 13, 2023 21:11
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Amechwarrior posted:Flip the script. Sterling and Sable had to make some hard choices and the techs came up with this config with what they had available. One of the techs has an uncle at Ceres Arms and shoots him his field refit data saying "This poo poo is pretty nice, you might want to just make it like this. Not having AC/2s is always an upgrade." 
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Jun 13, 2023 22:49
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"So I was having one of those nights you know, laying awake in bed and thinking about the really deep stuff, and I thought, 'What if the Blackjack wasn't dogshit?' There are plenty of other good 45 ton mechs, what if we just, I dunno, took the bad weapons off and put good ones on it?"
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Jun 13, 2023 23:08
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I mean, it would still be 45 tons and be unable to get away from a Victor.
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Jun 13, 2023 23:33
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Amechwarrior posted:Flip the script. Sterling and Sable had to make some hard choices and the techs came up with this config with what they had available. One of the techs has an uncle at Ceres Arms and shoots him his field refit data saying "This poo poo is pretty nice, you might want to just make it like this. Not having AC/2s is always an upgrade." "Chuck! Chuck, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin General Motors. You know that new Blackjack configuration you're looking for? Well, listen to this!"
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Jun 13, 2023 23:46
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You don't run a Blackjack because you want to be good at stuff, you run one because you want to bully local militia in lights on a budget.
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Jun 13, 2023 23:46
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wiegieman posted:You don't run a Blackjack because you want to be good at stuff, you run one because you want to bully local militia in lights on a budget. Ah, an export product
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Jun 14, 2023 00:02
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As someone who played the 2018 video game. I ran it because it was the one they stuck you with as a starter and I expected it to be a decent, well-rounded starting mech. It was not. It was a low-damage, dedicated fire support mech with mediocre movement speed and defenses. Meaning that it didn't perform very well most of the time. Of course, the star of the show with your starting lineup will always be the Spider for me. In my first game, poor Dekker only survived his first combat because I managed to run him outside of the area of engagement once he lost both arms and one of his torsos
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Jun 14, 2023 00:07
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glwgameplayer posted:As someone who played the 2018 video game. I ran it because it was the one they stuck you with as a starter and I expected it to be a decent, well-rounded starting mech. Dude! Dude, dude, dude! It was surprising how useful that Spider was. O! M! G! "I'm just gonna jump here, and see where everything is." Boom! Instant visibility on everything. "I'm just gonna jump here, and shoot this generator." Boom! All those turrets go offline. Really taught me to appreciate Light 'Mechs. Still got side-lined later on.
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Jun 14, 2023 01:22
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Preston’s Last Stand: Turn 0 Dawn was breaking when the battlemechs of Sterling Lance reached the Prowlers’ landing zone. The lance advanced in a variant of the standard Lyran battle formation, designed to sweep aside a lighter opponent before they could respond. Roger Sterling’s Warhammer took pride of place in the centre, its imposing silhouette clearly recognisable against the pale blue horizon. It wasn’t because Roger preferred to lead from the front; while he had no compunctions against getting stuck in alongside his men, there was a clear tactical consideration at work as well. The Warhammer served as the iron heart of the formation, a wall of armour and guns capable of drawing in and shrugging off the bulk of enemy fire while responding in kind. Two battlemechs protected the Warhammer’s flanks. To its left strode Louis Belkof’s Hunchback, the maw of its enormous Kali Yama Big Bore Autocannon yawning open like the mouth of a prehistoric sea creature. Louis had nicknamed the venerable brawler ‘the Reverend’ due to its habit of ‘baptising’ lighter battlemechs with fire and steel. Archibald Grumman’s Blackjack brought up the right, marching in lockstep with both of its companions. The machine had been badly mangled during the Alula Australis debacle, and had been extensively rebuilt and refitted until it barely resembled its old BJ-1 configuration. Bringing up the rear was Stephanie Burgess’s Trebuchet. Her mech did not have the armour to endure a sustained brawl, but its twin LRM-15s could rain hellfire down on targets at long range. Keeping it in the rear was safer, and also meant it could beat a quick retreat if an engagement took a turn for the worse. It also neatly fit the pilot’s temperament. Stephanie was a cautious woman, and being out of the firing line helped her stay calm and operate at peak performance. Ensconced in his Warhammer’s cockpit, Roger did not even blink as the surrounding hills peeled back to reveal the pirate DropShip directly ahead. He did not report the contact, and neither did any of his lancemates. They had located the DropShip long before it physically came into view. The vessel glowed like a beacon on their magnetic sensors, its profile unmistakeable to their experienced eyes. Visual contact was a mere formality, and not worth announcing. Instead of confirming what everyone already knew, Roger switched his sensors over to infrared. The DropShip was mostly dark, but a number of heat signatures blossomed into existence around it. He counted seven distinct entities around the base of the vessel, with a further three hiding in the foothills to the west. More than Roger had expected, but not enough to truly worry him. The mechwarriors of Sterling Lance were more than capable of repelling whatever forces the pirates could muster against them.  N/A  N/A  N/A  N/A    Player Status  Enemy Status    Special Abilities: -Toughness: Grants bonus to consciousness rolls. -Multi-Tasker: When splitting fire between multiple targets, secondary targeting penalties are reduced by 1. -Hopping Jack: Pilot suffers a +2 penalty when firing after jumping instead of +3. Primary Objectives: -Defeat Josiah Preston (0/1) -Neutralise remaining Prowler forces (0/9) Secondary Objectives: -Secure the crash site without damaging the Eagle Standard (250,000 C-Bill Reward) Special Considerations: Eagle Standard: The Union-class DropShip Eagle Standard is present on the battlefield. It takes up 7 hexes and has an elevation of 5 for the purposes of line of sight. These hexes count as impassable terrain and cannot be moved into or jumped onto. The Eagle Standard does not count towards the second primary objective, and will surrender once Josiah Preston is defeated. The Eagle’s Talons: The Prowlers have managed to bring the Eagle Standard’s Forward Right weapon bays online. On the third turn, and every two turns thereafter, these guns will be free to fire upon the players. For gameplay purposes, the guns are located at height 4, with fire originating from the centre of the DropShip, ie. hex 1123. Their forward arcs extend from hexes 1122, 1222, and 1223. The guns are static and cannot rotate to threaten hexes outside this frontal arc. The gun batteries are protected by the Eagle Standard’s heavy armour, but can be damaged if the players choose to fire into hex 1123. Power Struggle: The power supply to the Eagle Standard’s weaponry is jury-rigged and prone to failure. After firing, a 2d6 will be rolled to check whether a blowout occurs. Possible results are as follows: 6+: No problems. 5: Firing Circuit Glitch. The next firing cycle is delayed by an additional turn. 4: Isolated Power Surge. A random weapon is permanently knocked out. 3: Cascading Power Surge. All weapons in a random bay are permanently knocked out. 2: Catastrophic Blowout. All the Eagle Standard’s weapons are permanently knocked out. Malfunctions and blowouts do not count as damaging the DropShip for the purposes of the secondary objective. Non-Isometric Hexmap:  Next Orders Due: Saturday 17th 9:00PM GMT.
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Jun 14, 2023 05:54
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All right! Going to be difficult to save the AC20 shots for good hits with a 4/5 pilot against a lot of these faster units. At least we have a few great cover spots on the way to the drop ship, and a good ridge to isolate ourselves and make them come to us without it's support if we need it.
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Jun 14, 2023 06:08
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Hey Scintilla, quick question: when you say the Dropship's weapons' forward arcs are 1122, 1222, and 1223, do you mean that all of the guns can fire within an arc delineated by those hexes, or do you mean that the weapons in the Laser Bay draw a forward arc from 1123 with 1122 as the center, the Ballistic Bay draws its arc around 1222, etc.? Either way, I spent some time on it and I think if I turn and run straight to 2609, I have a +2 movemod and I can shoot a few of them. I could target the Firestarter while it's motionless, which is tempting but probably a bad idea at 11s and across Height 1. Alternatively, and this is the one that attracts me more, I could take shots on 10s across Height 1 at the Trebuchet, and lorewise that's the angry guy piloting a short-range mech, and therefore the most likely one to break formation first if somebody starts sniping at him. And I'd be in a decent spot to hide in or behind the woods or to run back northwest next turn depending on how they move. I also might be in the Dropship-blocking shadow of that central mountain with the heavy woods on top, I have never been able to eyeball height LoS in Battletech.
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Jun 14, 2023 07:08
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Dachshundofdoom posted:Hey Scintilla, quick question: when you say the Dropship's weapons' forward arcs are 1122, 1222, and 1223, do you mean that all of the guns can fire within an arc delineated by those hexes, or do you mean that the weapons in the Laser Bay draw a forward arc from 1123 with 1122 as the center, the Ballistic Bay draws its arc around 1222, etc.? It's the former - all of the weapons can fire within that arc. Sorry, I should probably have been a bit clearer about the firing arcs. Here's the exact range of the Eagle Standard's guns, using the LRM-20s as an example:  There are safe spots behind the hill in the middle, the forests can also provide cover, and the guns can't rotate, so if you want to swing left and climb over the foothills you can bypass them completely.
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Jun 14, 2023 07:29
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This looks to be a fight where dictating range is the key. Only the PHawk, Scorpion, and 3 of the vehicles have any notable long range weapons and everybody else save the dropship are decidedly short-range. Taking out one of those targets early can stack things in the lance's favor. In addition, the short-range units are decidedly light on armor including the Treb. Our Hunchback's area denial caused by the AC should allow us to dictate distance. Given the Blackjack's positioning, my best move this turn might be to run to 2207 which should put me just about in range to snipe the LRM Scorpion tank. I should be out of LOS to everything aside from the Treb from that spot. Or the lance could swing to the left to take out the Stinger and light tanks first. anakha fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Jun 14, 2023 |
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Jun 14, 2023 07:32
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Oh, neat DS mechanics for this one. You could try and assassinate Preston in the PHX-1 before the DS weapons go live, or try to sprint out of the firing arc. I'll leave my detailed tactical suggestions out unless someone needs some help as I'm not on the board for this one. The PHX and FS9 would be good salvage targets, the TBT great for spare parts.
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Jun 14, 2023 07:33
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quote:Objective: Indulge Pyromania Oh those silly Firestarter pilots...
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Jun 14, 2023 09:43
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aniviron posted:Oh those silly Firestarter pilots... Those mechs attract a specific kind of pilot. By the way aniviron, do you have PM's? You're at the top of the pilot list for the next scenario and I need some way to contact you to send you the rules primers and other stuff.
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Jun 14, 2023 10:18
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Amechwarrior posted:Oh, neat DS mechanics for this one. You could try and assassinate Preston in the PHX-1 before the DS weapons go live, or try to sprint out of the firing arc. I'll leave my detailed tactical suggestions out unless someone needs some help as I'm not on the board for this one. Yeah I don't think sniping Preston is a bad play...
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Jun 14, 2023 14:15
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quad mech  i'm kinda hoping Thabo gets his trebuchet blown up with another ammo explosion, because it would be hilarious ideally he gets blown up again, escapes alive, and shows up later in yet another missile boat in pursuit of vengeance
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Jun 14, 2023 14:16
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I think if I just run forward I'll end up one tile outside of the dropship's range. But I'm trying to consider where I go from there. The stinger and two Galeons are within my range but I'm not sure if it's worth spending my LMR ammo early to try and take them out from long range. Especially since I'd have to either let them approach or force my way through the woods while being shot at. The rest of the enemy is just outside of my range until they move forward, and I'm not confident in my chances to hit at long range. I'd like to conserve ammo. Also, this might sound stupid, but what do you guys think about drawing fire from the dropship while stacking as many evasion buffs as we can? It has a small but existent chance of its weapons dropping every time it fires. If someone were to run or jump into some woods at the LMR long-range bracket it might only be able to hit on an 11+ and waste time and ammo shooting while risking its weapons going offline. The alternative is that if we got into knife fight range it would only have the lasers but that requires us to charge through everything in the way in order to bait out its lasers. Like I said it sounds stupid, even to me. But it would be really funny if it wasted a bunch of missiles on someone they have a 7% chance to hit, and then one of the weapon bays shuts down
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Jun 14, 2023 15:52
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This doesn't look remotely fair. Kill the Firestarter fast, step on the Scorpion. Mob the Pheonix Hawk and the Trebuchet. Kick the Stinger if it peeps. Then get the dropship to surrender.
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Jun 14, 2023 21:58
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Scintilla posted:Those mechs attract a specific kind of pilot. By the way aniviron, do you have PM's? You're at the top of the pilot list for the next scenario and I need some way to contact you to send you the rules primers and other stuff. Afraid I don't have PMs, which is why I didn't volunteer - I know it's a hassle to try and coordinate things offsite.
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Jun 15, 2023 04:56
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aniviron posted:Afraid I don't have PMs, which is why I didn't volunteer - I know it's a hassle to try and coordinate things offsite. No worries. If you ever decide to get PM's then feel free to drop me a line.
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Jun 15, 2023 05:59
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Hunchback here, I'm thinking to just charge straight forward this turn. Not much to shoot at obv, and then I can swing to the west side of the map or divert south.
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Jun 16, 2023 02:55
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Do we wanna swing towards the Stinger and light tanks or move to snipe the Scorpion tank?
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Jun 16, 2023 04:36
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I have a question. Would it be worth it for me to try and reach the higher ground to our left? I can get up there if I run, but will it matter when there are all the woods right below it? I don't know if elevation is a good bonus or not in the tabletop game If not I think I'm just gonna walk 5 tiles forward and call it a day. I'd like it if they left the death chamber created by the dropship before we fought them
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Jun 16, 2023 05:04
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Elevation mostly matters for LOS calculation. If it doesn't let you see over trees to hit a target otherwise blocked, it isn't a significant aid.
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Jun 16, 2023 09:22
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anakha posted:Do we wanna swing towards the Stinger and light tanks or move to snipe the Scorpion tank? Given that we're just starting to move I think we're safe to hedge our bets and wait until we see how they maneuver before we answer that. I suspect the Stinger side is what we're going to be pushed towards but it all depends on how safe they want to play it with the Trebuchet and Firestarter, which are really their brawlers. If they just let us take the side with the Stinger they'll be giving up the dropship's guns, so if we pressure them a little the center mechs and vehicles won't have any choice but to come out or risk being killed piecemeal. Personally I (Warhammer) am going to edit: wait, I'm being dumb, if I walk to 2607 instead I literally have a better shot from only using walking MP, I don't get any return fire, and I'm better positioned to stick with you guys too. I'm doing that. glwgameplayer posted:I have a question. Would it be worth it for me to try and reach the higher ground to our left? I can get up there if I run, but will it matter when there are all the woods right below it? I don't know if elevation is a good bonus or not in the tabletop game There is no intrinsic elevation bonus in tabletop, although you will be able to ignore the woods on height 0 because trees are height 2 and mechs are height 2, so by standing on height 1 you will be firing over them. Woods one level below you only count for LoS and penalties if the target is in them or directly behind them. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong about any of that please!) In any case I think everybody is basically okay to just walk forward or take potshots as they desire right now, we're not so stuck in yet that we can't change our plans. Dachshundofdoom fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Jun 16, 2023 |
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Jun 16, 2023 09:36
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Just a quick reminder - the DropShip won't open fire until Turn 3, so you have a couple of turns to get set up before you need to start worrying about it.
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Jun 16, 2023 13:38
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You could plan your moves to be able to push to fire for 2 turns then on the 3rd, leave the range of the DS weapons. Act like you're commiting then pull out once weapons are online.
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Jun 16, 2023 20:11
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Scintilla posted:Just a quick reminder - the DropShip won't open fire until Turn 3, so you have a couple of turns to get set up before you need to start worrying about it. Oh, even better then. Is it going to open fire during Turn 3 or after Turn 3, i.e. do we have two turns after this one or three? Actually speaking of, I sent in orders for "Turn 0", would you prefer we use the Turn number listed in the update or should we do N+1?
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Jun 17, 2023 00:26
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Claiming 2207 for my Turn 1 ending hex and sniping the Scorpion tank.
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Jun 17, 2023 00:40
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I probably should have claimed my tile as well I'm going to be one above you in 2206. I won't be firing this turn since I have limited ammo on my ranged weapons. I am under the assumption that the 16 shots I have are calculated for individual launches. So if I fire both of them I'll only have 8 shots. If I'm correct, I feel justified in my decision to hold back the fire
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Jun 17, 2023 03:37
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glwgameplayer posted:I probably should have claimed my tile as well I'm going to be one above you in 2206. I won't be firing this turn since I have limited ammo on my ranged weapons. I am under the assumption that the 16 shots I have are calculated for individual launches. So if I fire both of them I'll only have 8 shots. If I'm correct, I feel justified in my decision to hold back the fire Yeah save your LRMs for now. These are just potshots at targets of opportunity.
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Jun 17, 2023 03:59
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anakha posted:Yeah save your LRMs for now. These are just potshots at targets of opportunity. That's kind of the difference between energy and ammo weapons. These shots are basically free for you. If I fired off all my missiles right now, I'd be throwing away 30 rounds of ammunition on a long shot
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Jun 17, 2023 04:04
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glwgameplayer posted:I probably should have claimed my tile as well I'm going to be one above you in 2206. I won't be firing this turn since I have limited ammo on my ranged weapons. I am under the assumption that the 16 shots I have are calculated for individual launches. So if I fire both of them I'll only have 8 shots. If I'm correct, I feel justified in my decision to hold back the fire If I understood the MG conversation correctly the last scenario, every weapon shot consumes only 1 ammo, so you'd only consume 2 units of ammo if you fire both launchers.
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Jun 17, 2023 04:09
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MGs only consume one ammo unit per shot but missile weapons shoot their rating in ammo, a LRM 20 will launch 20 LRMs, this is because you can mix and match all sizes of LRM launchers and they pull from the same ammo pool, while there's only one size of MG ammo launcher (*)(**)(***)(****).
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Jun 17, 2023 04:13
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That doesn't sound right, because then the Trebuchet would only be able to fire once (and one missile) per mission.
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Jun 17, 2023 04:21
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SIGSEGV posted:MGs only consume one ammo unit per shot but missile weapons shoot their rating in ammo, a LRM 20 will launch 20 LRMs, this is because you can mix and match all sizes of LRM launchers and they pull from the same ammo pool, while there's only one size of MG ammo launcher (*)(**)(***)(****). That seems like the kind of thing that would get really confusing if your mech had different size LRMs on it. But anyway yeah, I have 16 volleys and can fire 2 in one turn. I could technically spend it all in 8 turns if I was a trigger-happy idiot. I'm going to try to conserve my ammo until the enemy is in medium range at least. I know that might be a waste of my long-range capabilities but, if I'm shooting at a target while I already have a huge penalty I'm just wasting ammo
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Jun 17, 2023 04:39
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