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Orders in. Fighting retreat with lots of annoying LOS denial.
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Dec 16, 2023 20:09
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glwgameplayer posted:The safest thing for the Dervish to do would be to jump jet into the woods and start making it’s way north. But I get the feeling you’d rather try and score another kill, and what do you know the Wolverine has some (almost) exposed ammo on it’s left side I've spotted a safer move. Enemy fire arcs would make engaging the Wolverine this turn hazardous, I have plans in future turns based on how things shake out. Heat management dictates this as a cooldown turn.
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Dec 16, 2023 20:11
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Gotta admit, goons not letting someone go out in a blaze of glory as a "good job, you safely picked off that heavy, but the rest of the mechs got past you which was your primary objective. The orphanages are now aflame, hope you're happy" result is kind of disappointing. We got suckered by the glimmer of the bonus objective.
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Dec 16, 2023 21:25
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the one trapping for mercensaries to watch out for: Developing a sudden case of ' Getting ideals', instead of playing for cash prizes. But, its a training exercise! having the trainees improve is a good thing!
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Dec 16, 2023 23:59
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orders in, QKD is peacing out, good luck Dervish!
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Dec 17, 2023 00:43
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Snow_Scar_[3901]: Turn 12 Tsing watched impassively as his SRMs streaked towards Etienne’s Griffin. Though he could clearly see them coming, the lordling did not bother to move or even turn to present a narrower profile. And why should he? His mech’s armour was pristine; from his perspective the four small warheads would do little more than blacken his paintwork. Tsing wondered how the boy would react when he realised that he had loaded his Dervish with incendiary munitions. Would he lose his nerve and panic as the flames consumed his mech, or would he stay calm and wait for the heat to dissipate? In the end Tsing never found out. The ravine was a natural wind tunnel, and his missiles immediately hit an invisible wall of air sweeping south. The SRMs spun chaotically as their guidance systems overcorrected, causing them all to veer off-course. One fell short, tumbling out of the air and vanishing into a snowdrift. The other three overshot, eventually running out of fuel and falling to the ground as well. An orange flash lit the air as the missiles detonated, but the flames found little purchase on the frozen ground, and the few embers that did manage to flicker to life were quickly snuffed out by the frigid winds. “I’m leaving, brother. Try not to have too much fun without me.” Kai-xi quipped. His signal vanished from Tsing’s display just as the blue beam of Etienne’s PPC flashed passed his Dervish’s right shoulder. The glowing lance struck the cliff face behind him and blasted part of it away, showering Tsing’s mech with fist-sized lumps of debris. “That won’t be a problem,” Tsing muttered, already hunting for somewhere else to jet off to. He was closing in on the northern edge, and the Fusiliers didn’t have enough firepower to bring him down before he made it. Barring a sudden stroke of unfathomably bad luck, the battle was basically over.  Quickdraw QKD-4Gr (Player) exits the battlefield.   Weapons fire for Dervish DV-6M (Player): -Fires SRM-2 (Inferno) at Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers); needs 12, rolls 8: Misses! -Fires SRM-2 (Inferno) at Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers); needs 12, rolls 6: Misses! -- Weapons fire for Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers): -Fires PPC at Dervish DV-6M (Player); needs 10, rolls 7: Misses! Weapons fire for Hornet HNT-152 (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Sentinel STN-3KA (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers): -Holds fire!  -No melee attacks this turn!  Subtracting 2 heat from all units due to Arctic Conditions… Dervish DV-6M (Player) gains 7 heat, sinks 10 heat and is now at 2 heat. -- Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers) gains 13 heat, sinks 12 heat and is now at 2 heat. Hornet HNT-152 (Fusiliers) gains 3 heat, sinks 3 heat and is now at 0 heat. Sentinel STN-3KA (Fusiliers) gains 0 heat, sinks 0 heat and is now at 0 heat. Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers) gains 3 heat, sinks 3 heat and is now at 0 heat.    Player Status  Enemy Status   Special Abilities: -Toughness: Grants bonus to consciousness rolls. -Evasive Action: By forfeiting the right to fire during the shooting phase, the pilot gains the ability to move evasively, inflicting an additional +1 penalty against incoming weapons fire and physical attacks. The unit must use its Running MP, have undamaged hips, and will gain an extra +2 heat at the end of the round. Relevant Design Quirks: -Hyper-Extending Actuators: The mech can reverse its arms as if it lacked Hand and Lower Arm Actuators. -Multi-Trac: The mech does not suffer the usual penalties when splitting fire between multiple targets. -Narrow Profile: The mech takes less damage from incoming weapons fire if the margin of success is +1 or lower. Direct fire weapons deal half damage, while cluster attacks receive a -4 penalty when determining the number of hits. -- Primary Objectives: -Ruby Lance reaches the Northern Map Border (0/4) Failed! -Remaining Player Mechs reach the Northern Map Border (2/3) Secondary Objectives: -Destroy at least three Fusilier battlemechs (2/3) (100,000 C-Bill reward) -Destroy all six Fusilier battlemechs (2/6) (200,000 C-Bill reward) -- Next Orders Due: There’s only one player left, so as soon as I receive them!
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Dec 19, 2023 20:46
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AJ_Impy posted:I've spotted a safer move. Enemy fire arcs would make engaging the Wolverine this turn hazardous, I have plans in future turns based on how things shake out. Heat management dictates this as a cooldown turn. It turns out you were 100% correct. That's a very safe spot to be. The Griffin is armed with long-range weapons so if you want to stay in the ravine it would actually be safe to get close to it. I would probably jump to 0106 and see if I can't take one last swing at the Wolverine, cause an ammo explosion or something but that would mean being in its range bracket, and the Hornet could theoretically sweep the leg... But that's the risk-taker in me. Gambling a mech for 100K C-Bills is probably what would get me killed
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Dec 19, 2023 22:42
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glwgameplayer posted:But that's the risk-taker in me. Gambling a mech for 100K C-Bills is probably what would get me killed You're the perfect material for mercenary work son, just sign right on this line
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Dec 19, 2023 22:57
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Enemies take heat for moving out of fire hexes so if your chances to hit are terrible, start the ground under the 'Mech on fire with your infernos. I promise, they will start snow on fire. 
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Dec 19, 2023 23:02
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Ultimately this (seems) like a win for Goon-Lance in getting most of their forces through to the primary objective and bypassing the defenders. Thematically the trainees are doing a lot better and the mission is about helping them improve, so I'm also qualifying it as a moral victory!
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Dec 20, 2023 01:09
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It's definitely a minor victory for the goons but the fusiliers got some big kicks in this time
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Dec 20, 2023 01:49
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Slavvy posted:It's definitely a minor victory for the goons but the fusiliers got some big kicks in this time They got some kicks in, but still failed the objective. If goon lance didn't try to make a buck by hanging back, the result would be "congratulations, you destroyed a whole mech, and you only paid a 'capitol' price for it!"  That would be lovely and a pretty big rep hit for a Merc company, but for someone who's supposed to be the primary defense of the world it's pretty inexcusable.Meanwhile, goon lance could have given them that hollow victory as a strong "keep your eyes on the prize" lesson. I feel like the secondary objectives were there as a distraction to lure players in and do exactly what they ended up doing.
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Dec 20, 2023 04:47
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Orders in.
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Dec 20, 2023 06:29
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Snow_Scar_[3901]: Turn 13 A bead of sweat ran down the back of Etienne’s neck as he throttled his Griffin’s jump jets. His pod shook uncomfortably as the mech touched down, the frozen rock beneath its feet transmitting nearly all of the impact back up into its chassis. His mech’s seismic sensors immediately pinged, alerting him to the fact that the mercenary Dervish had touched down at almost the exact same time he had. Etienne scowled as he saw the mech straighten up on the other side of a small cleft in the rock opposite his own landing site. Even outnumbered four to one, the mech was frustratingly difficult to pin down. “Does anyone else have visual on the Dervish?” he asked over the comms. He knew he was contravening his own orders on comms discipline, but there was no time to key in a coded burst. A chorus of negatives answered him. Cursing under his breath, Etienne aimed his Griffin’s PPC at the Dervish’s centre of mass and squeezed the firing stud with all his might. Unfortunately, his thumb slipped at the last moment, and the beam of charged particles wound up redecorating yet another part of the cliff face. The Dervish retaliated immediately, fire and smoke erupting from the ends of its club-like arms as the pilot unleashed another salvo of SRMs. The last flight had flown so wide that Etienne had assumed there had been some kind of malfunction, but this time the missiles flew straight and true. Gritting his teeth, Etienne lurched sideways and ducked down, throwing himself out of the missiles’ path. A tortuous metallic groan filled Etienne’s pod as his virtual Griffin contorted itself, the manoeuvre stressing the machine to the very limit of its tolerances. The missiles flashed past his cockpit, one flying so close that Etienne could clearly see the black and yellow hazard markings painted on the fuselage. “Nice moves, kid, but this isn’t a dance party. I’ll see you at the debriefing.” Etienne ground his teeth as the Dervish gave him a mocking wave and vented its jets. He glared at his display, watching helplessly as the pips for his PPC’s capacitor slowly ticked upwards. There was no way the weapon would recharge in time. That shot had been his last chance, and he had blown it. As he waited for the Dervish to jump away, Etienne tried to look on the bright side. Their first outing had been an unmitigated disaster, but this battle had been far more even. The mercs had still beaten them in the end, but at least this time the Fusiliers had made them bleed for the privilege.  Weapons fire for Dervish DV-6M (Player): -Fires SRM-2 (Inferno) at Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers); needs 10, rolls 4: Misses! -Fires SRM-2 (Inferno) at Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers); needs 10, rolls 6: Misses! -- Weapons fire for Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers): -Fires PPC at Dervish DV-6M (Player); needs 10, rolls 5: Misses! Weapons fire for Hornet HNT-152 (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Sentinel STN-3KA (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! -No melee attacks this turn! Subtracting 2 heat from all units due to Arctic Conditions… Dervish DV-6M (Player) gains 6 heat, sinks 8 heat and is now at 0 heat. -- Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers) gains 13 heat, sinks 12 heat and is now at 3 heat. Hornet HNT-152 (Fusiliers) gains 0 heat, sinks 0 heat and is now at 0 heat. Sentinel STN-3KA (Fusiliers) gains 0 heat, sinks 0 heat and is now at 0 heat. Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers) gains 0 heat, sinks 0 heat and is now at 0 heat.  Player Status  Enemy Status  Special Abilities: -Toughness: Grants bonus to consciousness rolls. -Evasive Action: By forfeiting the right to fire during the shooting phase, the pilot gains the ability to move evasively, inflicting an additional +1 penalty against incoming weapons fire and physical attacks. The unit must use its Running MP, have undamaged hips, and will gain an extra +2 heat at the end of the round. Relevant Design Quirks: -Hyper-Extending Actuators: The mech can reverse its arms as if it lacked Hand and Lower Arm Actuators. -Multi-Trac: The mech does not suffer the usual penalties when splitting fire between multiple targets. -Narrow Profile: The mech takes less damage from incoming weapons fire if the margin of success is +1 or lower. Direct fire weapons deal half damage, while cluster attacks receive a -4 penalty when determining the number of hits. -- Primary Objectives: -Ruby Lance reaches the Northern Map Border (0/4) Failed! -Remaining Player Mechs reach the Northern Map Border (2/3) Secondary Objectives: -Destroy at least three Fusilier battlemechs (2/3) (100,000 C-Bill reward) -Destroy all six Fusilier battlemechs (2/6) (200,000 C-Bill reward) -- Next Orders Due: There’s only one player left, so as soon as I receive them!
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Dec 20, 2023 20:00
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I reckon this one's over for the most part. So what should the team have done differently here? Getting the Hunchback was pretty cool, though it seemed like a lucky shot. But should they have just clumped up and made a dash for the exit? Or hunted the other lance-and-a-half?
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Dec 20, 2023 23:27
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as a random armchair general, turn 7 movement is probably where things fell apart - the earlier grouping to backtrack and try and kill/push the sentinel wasn't so bad since the marauder needed time to climb the cliff anyway, but the player movement for that turn had three people pushing forward to surround the hunchback and the marauder being left alone to face the other five mechs, and the division just got worse from there. probably either the marauder should have pushed farther forward (if rushing the objective) or the thunderbolt should have held back (if trying for kills), with either case enemy fire wouldn't have been quite so focused and the marauder probably wouldn't have ended up so completely surrounded/cutoff. otherwise, possibly just having the thunderbolt stay on map and throw some LRM support might have help secure a lucky hit for a third kill? I don't think the players really made any outright mistakes, but if you're looking for "what changes might have led to additional kills/the marauder escaping", that's probably what I would go with.
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Dec 21, 2023 00:16
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Orders in. There's a hex on the edge of victory with very high to-hits, and that Wolverine practically didn't move. One last attempt at that bonus in the fighting retreat.
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Dec 21, 2023 00:36
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Nick Buntline posted:as a random armchair general, turn 7 movement is probably where things fell apart - the earlier grouping to backtrack and try and kill/push the sentinel wasn't so bad since the marauder needed time to climb the cliff anyway, but the player movement for that turn had three people pushing forward to surround the hunchback and the marauder being left alone to face the other five mechs, and the division just got worse from there. probably either the marauder should have pushed farther forward (if rushing the objective) or the thunderbolt should have held back (if trying for kills), with either case enemy fire wouldn't have been quite so focused and the marauder probably wouldn't have ended up so completely surrounded/cutoff. otherwise, possibly just having the thunderbolt stay on map and throw some LRM support might have help secure a lucky hit for a third kill? As the Marauder, feels accurate. I was thinking we were aiming to be a bit more bite when I suddenly found myself alone. I could have tried going around the hill along the left side instead of over it, but going over was the aggressive play at the time. My big mistake was misreading the map and not planning my next movement correctly when I chose to overheat shooting at the Hunchback.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:57
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Snow_Scar_[3901]: Turn 14 “So, how would you rate your performance in the last engagement?” Mike asked. “A hell of a lot better than last time, that’s for sure!” Cosette quipped. Mike smiled inwardly as a chorus of chuckles filled the briefing room. Most of the early briefings he had conducted had been accompanied by an awkward silence. If he had asked the same question two months earlier he would have needed to wait at least a minute for a response. The Fusiliers would have shuffled awkwardly in their seats and shot furtive glances at one another, like a class of schoolchildren who had just been asked a difficult question and were desperately hoping the teacher wouldn’t single them out. “Let’s go over the results in more detail.” Mike flipped a switch on the briefing room’s ancient holomonitor. The hemispheric display flickered and buzzed for a moment before resolving into a miniature 3D map of the ravine they had just been fighting in. The battlemechs of Ruby Lance were highlighted in red, while the Fusiliers were bright green. Mike pressed another switch, and the battlemechs began to move, recreating the battle they had so recently fought. Over the next half hour Mike went through the engagement minute by minute, dissecting exactly what had happened and how. He used a long, thin rod to point out areas of interest, pausing the playback whenever he wanted to go into more detail about what was happening. “Losses on both sides were even, at least in regards to tonnage,” Mike said, tapping the Hunchback, Marauder and Commando as each was destroyed in turn. The disabled mechs lost their colour, becoming greyed out as they fell. “You did particularly well in surrounding my Marauder. Top marks for an almost perfect encirclement.” “We still lost in the end, though.” Ricardo said sombrely. “The Thunderbolt got away clean, and Jean-Paul and I took way too much damage. If that had been a real battle we’d have been up poo poo creek.” Mike nodded. “You would certainly have suffered a tactical defeat. However, the battle would have had far-reaching strategic implications that would have complicated the Concordat’s invasion plans. Can anyone here tell me why?” There was a thoughtful pause. Armando frowned, and Jeanne opened her mouth, but in the end it was Etienne who answered. “We destroyed the Taurian Command Mech.” “Precisely.” Mike tapped the holomonitor, and the environment dissolved. In its place emerged a large model of a Marauder, which began rotating slowly on the spot. “The Marauder is an officer’s battlemech. It is equipped with specialised electronics and enhanced optics that make it an excellent choice for leading assaults and co-ordinating company-sized formations. If I were a Taurian Subaltern tasked with invading Panzyr II, the Marauder is the mech I would use to do it.” Mike tapped the monitor again, and the Marauder collapsed jerkily to the ground. “I would also be dead, or else your prisoner. My chain of command would be in disarray, and whatever strategy I had planned would need to be delayed or reworked. Doing so would take time – time you could use to repair and rearm for round two.” Mike cleared his throat and directed a steely gaze at everyone in the room. The lesson he was about to impart was important, and he wanted to make sure everyone was paying attention. “Warfare is a complex beast. Small scale engagements like the one we just fought are important, but always try to keep the bigger picture in mind. In this scenario you suffered a tactical defeat, but strategically there’s still everything to play for. As long as you have the means to disrupt your enemy’s strategic goals, all of their tactical victories will be meaningless.” Dervish DV-6M (Player) exits the battlefield.  Weapons fire for Dervish DV-6M (Player): -Fires LRM-10 at Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers); needs 9, rolls 6: Misses! -Fires LRM-10 at Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers); needs 9, rolls 6: Misses! -- Weapons fire for Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Hornet HNT-152 (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Sentinel STN-3KA (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! Weapons fire for Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers): -Holds fire! -No melee attacks this turn! Subtracting 2 heat from all units due to Arctic Conditions… Dervish DV-6M (Player) gains 11 heat, sinks 10 heat and is now at 1 heat. -- Griffin GRF-1N (Fusiliers) gains 2 heat, sinks 5 heat and is now at 0 heat. Hornet HNT-152 (Fusiliers) gains 3 heat, sinks 3 heat and is now at 0 heat. Sentinel STN-3KA (Fusiliers) gains 0 heat, sinks 0 heat and is now at 0 heat. Wolverine WVR-6R (Fusiliers) gains 0 heat, sinks 0 heat and is now at 0 heat.  Player Status  Enemy Status  Special Abilities: -Toughness: Grants bonus to consciousness rolls. -Evasive Action: By forfeiting the right to fire during the shooting phase, the pilot gains the ability to move evasively, inflicting an additional +1 penalty against incoming weapons fire and physical attacks. The unit must use its Running MP, have undamaged hips, and will gain an extra +2 heat at the end of the round. Relevant Design Quirks: -Hyper-Extending Actuators: The mech can reverse its arms as if it lacked Hand and Lower Arm Actuators. -Multi-Trac: The mech does not suffer the usual penalties when splitting fire between multiple targets. -Narrow Profile: The mech takes less damage from incoming weapons fire if the margin of success is +1 or lower. Direct fire weapons deal half damage, while cluster attacks receive a -4 penalty when determining the number of hits. -- Primary Objectives: -Ruby Lance reaches the Northern Map Border (0/4) Failed! -Remaining Player Mechs reach the Northern Map Border (3/3) Complete! Secondary Objectives: -Destroy at least three Fusilier battlemechs (2/3) (100,000 C-Bill reward) -Destroy all six Fusilier battlemechs (2/6) (200,000 C-Bill reward) That was a nail-biter in places! I have a lot to say about this one, but I’m about to head off to visit my family for Christmas, so I’ll leave it all to the upcoming AAR. As ever, please vote for this mission’s MVPs in the meantime.
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Dec 22, 2023 21:36
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Aww, no joy on the parting shot. Still, that’s three quarters of the map traversed, never in more than one mech’s fire arc or ability to hit.
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Dec 22, 2023 23:17
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I think I'll put my MVP vote for AJ_Impy/The Dervish/Tsing Yeoung. The Dervish was ultimately the machine to put the Hunchback down, although I believe the Thunderbolt is the one who opened its back armor first. Then we have the last couple of turns where the Dervish has been making some pretty clever maneuvers to stay out of the enemy's line of sight and maintain decent evasion. I'll admit my second choice was the Marauder. Because that Last Stand was pretty great, even if it ultimately fell in pretty short order Also for my armchair general thoughts, I think our screw-up was around turn 7 or 8. The Marauder was falling behind and instead of extending any covering fire or defensive maneuvers, we pushed forward to take out the Hunchback. It wasn't a bad plan certainly, especially considering what the Hunchback is. But we left it to fend for itself and then didn't commit our forces to either turning back to protect it or just booking for the exit. Everything worked out fine, but a little more cohesion would have been helpful
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Dec 25, 2023 04:08
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I don't think there's any covering fire or maneuvers you all could have done. A 4/6 mech like the marauder just had to be really careful about planning movement a couple turns in advance, because woods and hills absolutely murder you. I think the only way everyone stuck together was by avoiding getting tangled on the hill there.
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Dec 25, 2023 06:03
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Seems like goon lance could've probably won a stand up fight tbh, or at least hosed up the fusiliers enough to make a clean getaway
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Dec 25, 2023 06:08
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Slavvy posted:Seems like goon lance could've probably won a stand up fight tbh, or at least hosed up the fusiliers enough to make a clean getaway In all honesty, given always being the ace, this terrain and this mech, I could have dragged it out for another month of whittling away at the enemy on low probability shots to their lower probability shots, secured at least one bonus and likely gotten away, but it wouldn't make particularly compelling viewing compared to the time taken. Better to see how the next iteration of the lance in the next scenario goes.
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Dec 25, 2023 09:17
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Snow_Scar_[3901]: After Action Report Happy Christmas, everyone. I hope you’re all doing well. This was definitely the most bruising mission so far. The players climbing up the west side en-masse caught me off-guard a little – I had expected a more traditional brawl on the floor of the ravine, with the Thunderbolt and Marauder taking on my main force while the Quickdraw and Dervish broke off to deal with the flankers I sent down the sides. I should have expected that the players would want to avoid the Deep Snow Hexes and try for an alternative route. Unfortunately, climbing the slopes gave my more mobile units a chance to catch up, and when the Marauder fell behind it was easy for me to pin it down despite always losing initiative. I also think the players might have focused a little too much on the Hunchback. It’s a tough and dangerous mech, but it also soaked up a lot of firepower that could have been directed south to help the Marauder. Still, three out of four player mechs got away, and they destroyed two Fusilier mechs and badly damaged two others on the way out, so I’m happy to declare the mission a marginal victory in their favour. If I do another mission like this in the future I’ll definitely make destroying a certain number of enemy units a primary objective. That way the players won’t feel pressured to keep advancing no matter what, and mechs like the Thunderbolt will have more of a chance to cut loose and do some damage. Player casualties were limited to a destroyed Marauder and a damaged Quickdraw. The latter isn’t surprising – the Quickdraw is infamously under-armoured. As with the previous mission, however, we don’t have any repair costs so the losses don’t matter much.  Only two kills this time, and neither of them are in dispute.  No captures this time for obvious reasons. Cosette isn’t here because of the retreat rules.  I don’t normally show this part of MekHQ’s end-of-mission briefing, since I tend to sum it all up in my AARs anyway. In this part the game lets you assign a victory level, shows what bonuses / payouts you’ve earned, lets you write up AARs, and shows what units / personnel you’ve recovered / salvaged / lost track of. Normally I sum all that up in these extended AARs anyway, but I’m showing it this time to display the fact that the players achieved a Marginal Victory. The possible victory levels are Decisive Victory, Victory, Marginal Victory, Pyrrhic Victory, Draw, Marginal Defeat, Defeat and Decisive Defeat. In this scenario the players came very close to completing both their primary and secondary objectives, with three out of four mechs escaping and some quite severe damage dealt to the Fusiliers, so I’m happy to chalk it up as a Marginal Victory instead of a Draw or Marginal Defeat. Salvage Vote While this battle offers no salvage for obvious reasons, an opportunity has recently arisen for the company to get their hands on some new gear. With much fanfare, Lord Decimis has announced that Panzyr II’s state-run salvaging company is ready to mount an expedition to the wreck of the El Empecinado, a Black Eagle-class DropShip that was ambushed and crippled while transiting the Panzyr system during the Reunification War. The ship was inaccessible for many years, but now the cloud of debris has thinned enough to allow a salvage operation. As thanks for Sterling and Sable’s support, Lord Decimis is allowing the company to claim some of the DropShip’s cargo for themselves. The choices are as follows: A: The Mech Bay. The El Empecinado was carrying a full complement of battlemechs at the time of its destruction. Unfortunately, the Naval PPC blast that crippled the vessel struck very close to the ship’s primary mech bay. The salvage team think there might be heavy mechs in there, but warn that anything they pull out of it will be badly damaged. -Pros: Will acquire at least one repairable heavy battlemech. -Cons: Mechs will need extensive (and expensive) repair work. B: The Salvage Bay. The El Empecinado had just completed a long operation in the Hyades Cluster when it was ambushed. Its salvage bays are likely to contain old Periphery battlemechs, alongside Star League mechs under repair. The El Empecinado’s salvage bays were spared direct battle damage, but the mechs inside will still need some touching up. -Pros: Will acquire at least two repairable medium mechs, which may be obscure Taurian / Periphery designs. -Cons: Some repair work will still be needed. ‘Obscure’ also does not necessarily translate to ‘good’. C: The Cargo Bay. The El Empecinado’s cargo bays were full prior to its demise. An exact manifest is unavailable, but it is certain to contain a large amount of military supplies, including weapons, armour and ammunition. Lighter battlemechs may also have been disassembled and stored in the hold as spares. -Pros: Will acquire at least two pristine light mechs, along with a large number of components. -Cons: This is the safe option, and thus offers comparatively less reward than the others. Since the wreck dates from the early days of the Star League, finding significant stocks of LosTech inside is unlikely. However, there may be some older designs on board that have since become extinct in the modern era. Keep this in mind when casting your vote!
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Dec 25, 2023 12:11
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Go big or go home, I say. Loot the 'Mech Bay.
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Dec 25, 2023 12:48
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Can e get an updated list of what our current mech roster is? I'm inclined to vote for trying to get a medium at the minimum, but it depends what we have now. E: although, Taurian SL era mediums were absolute piles of poo poo. Probably don't want to risk that. I trust scintilla not to stick us with a primitive tech or jagermech walking bomb booby prize, but still. Gwaihir fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Dec 25, 2023 |
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Dec 25, 2023 13:41
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In a more freeform campaign, where you can refit relatively freely, a heavy chassis would be a no-brainer even if heavily damaged. Particularly on a training assignment where you'll have plenty of time to get it running. Without freeform refitting, that might be less true. Most of the heavy mechs available at the start of the Reunification War aren't that great - apart from the Catapult, Warhammer, and Archer, they're kind of undergunned for their size. Extending it to the end of the Reunification War adds a few very nice options - the Lancelot has Double Heat Sinks, and the Galahad has a Gauss Rifle, but either of those being out this far that soon is unlikely. Meanwhile two free Lights in perfect condition isn't bad in general, but the lights available in that period are uniformly pretty crap, and nothing special. The copious repair time available also works against this option, because there's less value in having them be pristine. I think B is the sensible choice - while nothing super special, most of the mediums in that era are decent workhorses, and a guarantee of two of them is attractive.
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Dec 25, 2023 14:25
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Gwaihir posted:Can e get an updated list of what our current mech roster is? I'm inclined to vote for trying to get a medium at the minimum, but it depends what we have now. Non-primitive SLDF / Periphery mechs prior to 2597 are the pool I’m going to be drawing from.
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Dec 25, 2023 14:33
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B. "Obscure" may not translate to "good," but it does translate to "fun!"
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Dec 25, 2023 15:05
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Tevery Best posted:B. "Obscure" may not translate to "good," but it does translate to "fun!" Agreed. B
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Dec 25, 2023 15:44
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Gwaihir posted:Can e get an updated list of what our current mech roster is? I'm inclined to vote for trying to get a medium at the minimum, but it depends what we have now. Sterling Lance: Warhammer WHM-6D, Hunchback HBK-4G, Blackjack BJ-1DB, and Trebuchet TBT-5N Sable Lance: Wolverine WVR-6M, Gladiator GLD-4R, Shadow Hawk SHD-2K, and Trebuchet TBT-5S. Ruby Lance: Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D, Jenner JR7-F, Locust LCT-1E, and Locust LCT-3V With a few personal mechs put into storage for later. There is a decent mix of good mechs we can potentially grab regardless of the weight class I'm just trying to consider what we want. None of our current mechs are bad, we only have a single heavy mech, and the rest are mediums save for the 3 lights on the scout squad. I'm torn between the heavy and the mediums because we only have 1 heavy and getting another would be awesome. But that is dependant on it being a good heavy and we'd have to spend a lot of money to repair it. The mediums need to be repaired too but they should be cheaper, and we get two. In terms of opportunity cost, we can probably get lights and mediums from enemies we fight all the time. But a heavy is a rare treat Sorry, I don't have a vote yet I'm till chewing on it. glwgameplayer fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Dec 25, 2023 |
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Dec 25, 2023 15:50
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[A]. Mech bay, heavies can do fun things like shoot stuff harder than mediums and lights can.
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Dec 25, 2023 15:53
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Gnoman posted:Without freeform refitting, that might be less true. Most of the heavy mechs available at the start of the Reunification War aren't that great - apart from the Catapult, Warhammer, and Archer, they're kind of undergunned for their size. Black knights were also in production, be a pretty rare thing in 3015
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Dec 25, 2023 16:16
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I vote A, because a bad heavy is funnier to me than a bad medium or light.
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Dec 25, 2023 16:34
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A. Very A. SL-era heavy mechs could get us a Catapult, Warhammer or Archer, something rare like a black Knight or Galahad, and in almost any case is going to give us a solid workhorse that would make people sit up and take notice.
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Dec 25, 2023 16:39
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Eagerly awaiting the GLH-1D. Irreplaceable double heatsinks and even with them it's slow and produces 14 more heat than it can sink
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Dec 25, 2023 17:10
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The MVP vote is also still ongoing. Right now the Dervish is in the lead with an entire one vote.
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Dec 25, 2023 17:32
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CirclMastr posted:I vote A, because a bad heavy is funnier to me than a bad medium or light. This is my vote too, I wanna see the trash Scintilla posted:The MVP vote is also still ongoing. Right now the Dervish is in the lead with an entire one vote. I vote for marauder for the heroic sacrifice
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Dec 25, 2023 18:20
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| # ? Jun 1, 2024 00:47 |
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The Dervish unironically did a death from above, that should be worth -1 MVP vote
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Dec 25, 2023 23:41
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