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3030s - 4th Succesion Wars, basic technology only, Star League 'Mechs are rare, Clans aren't a thing yet

1 (12.5%)

3040s - Renaissance era, basic technology, but advanced designs begin appearing. The dawn of the Clans

4 (50%)

3050s - Clan Invasion, Clan tech is rare but possible, while advanced IS design and tech starts appearing

3 (37.5%)

3060s - FedCom Civil War, widespread advanced tech in the Inner Sphere, Clan tech is slightly less rare

0 (0%)

3070s - Jihad era, Clan tech is uncommon, while everyone in the IS is running advanced technology.

0 (0%)

3140 - Dark Ages. Tech is... weird. You might have militarized agro-Mechs charging cutting edge Clan designs sold to IS troops.

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 8

[Knave]

@Knave, Rince Wind and EuchreJack:

Well, I was putting it down to the Liaos figuring out which 'Mech was sending out orders based on signal intercepts, but they're so focused on Billy that I wouldn't put it past him. Come to think of it, he did disappear for a few days near the start of the campaign. The 5th McCarron's Cavalry's CO has a last name of Granger, so I don't think they he managed to steal big papa McCarron's own coat, but I wouldn't put it past him to steal the local colonel's.

Oh yes, definitely enjoy the coat stealing. 100% 

Hard not to feel bad for the defenders at this point. We're probably past due for another ill-fated ambush at this point!

[NickAragua]

Nice. From medium mech to assault.

Sure, it's not the best-regarded assault, but 80 tons is 80 tons.

[EuchreJack]

Nice. From medium mech to assault.

Sure, it's not the best-regarded assault, but 80 tons is 80 tons.

Heh, it's almost twice as good!

But seriously, in what universe is the Zeus "not the best-regarded assault"?  Fedsun propaganda, no doubt.  I'm pretty sure its the best regarded 80 ton mech in the Lyran Alliance prior to 3040, and it trumps the substandard fare of the Draconis and Capellans.

[NickAragua]

Three issues:
1) rear-facing laser
2) AC/5 on an 80-ton mech
3) Weirdly low side torso armor

But, unless we get an invite to the local mech factory to do some serious refits, Ragu will happily make do with what she's got.

For novelty, I'd love to see the 6Y variant fielded. That's the one with the binary laser, which is probably the most awful weapon in existence (basically two large laser barrels welded together): 16 heat, 12 damage.

[EuchreJack]

Three issues:
1) rear-facing laser
2) AC/5 on an 80-ton mech
3) Weirdly low side torso armor

But, unless we get an invite to the local mech factory to do some serious refits, Ragu will happily make do with what she's got.

For novelty, I'd love to see the 6Y variant fielded. That's the one with the binary laser, which is probably the most awful weapon in existence (basically two large laser barrels welded together): 16 heat, 12 damage.

Heh, I think we got a few years before its "invented".  I use quotes as a quite agree that its just two large lasers welded together.

I was looking over the beta for the ATB rules, and notices the author was looking for rules regarding Limb Replacements.  Here are my thoughts on that:
Faction troops would definitely replace the limbs of their elite pilots.  However, due to its cost, they would probably pressure their green pilots to just retire instead.  In the succession war era, Replacement Limb tech is lostech and there are far more mechwarriors than meks, so it should be rarer to get and factions would probably put pressure on even regular mechwarrior to retire, even though in the succession war era the replacement pilot would probably be a green or ultra-green family member of the retired mechwarrior (depending on the injury, that might still be preferable).  I would suggest a yearly roll, but have High Command pay for the surgery unlike a mercenary command.
I guess it might be roll 1d6, on 6 cure found, zero or below after modifier pilot forced to retire, modify roll based on skill:
-2 Ultra-Green, -1 Green, 0 regular, +1 Vet, +2 Elite
-1 if Succession war era
then roll 1d6, 1 pilot dies, 2 cure doesn't work, otherwise cure works
Faction controls Terra or Canopus IV, or unit stationed on either planet, then +1 to all rolls.

Note for mercenary units, they roll every month if they pay 100,000 cbills per injury and then pay 2d6 times 100,000 cbills.  I imagine that Factions would bear those costs, but not quite so often.  Maybe roll 2d6 to determine when High Command next spends their time and resources to find the mechwarrior a cure, modified by skill in the opposite way as above (+2 Ultra-Green, +1 Green, 0 regular, +1 Vet, +2 Elite).  Might even modify this roll by the Admin/HR. 

While I could see unit rating as a factor, with elite units getting permanent limb replacements first, it almost seems more likely that in an F-rated unit, the Elite pilot would still get the limb replacement but then immediately be transferred to a better unit.  The request to High Command for the limb replacement would also tip them off that someone with Elite skills is languishing in such an obscure unit, and they would probably seek to remedy that just as soon as they were patched up.  The reverse, where an Ultra-Green is forced to transfer/washout from an elite unit, seems semi-plausible.  While I can see some bureaucrat or Noble trying to tell an elite unit how to manage their personnel, most in High Command are smart enough not to tell the Northwind Highlanders how to do their job.  Elite units generally are allowed whatever quirks with personnel they want, just as long as it doesn't affect their effectiveness.  But they're still reluctant to potentially waste the resources equivalent to a light mek on an Ultra-Green.

Just my 2 cents, maybe that can help the beta designers out.

Also, since I'm theorizing on the ATB rules, I had another idea:
Under the current rules, Pirates can only become legitimate if they first roll for a mercenary contract (1 in 10 each month), completes said contract successfully, then rolls 6 on 1d6.  While the odds are good enough (0.0166, or 1.66% every month), it would seem to me that Pirates that amass a fortune could probably spend said fortune to return to society.  Even with today's technology, the combination of bribes, plastic surgeries, and false documents could allow a wanted person to rejoin society.  I'm sure for enough C-Bills, Comstar (or especially Word of Blake) could arrange for a gang of pirates to become mercenaries again.  Alternatively, a large enough band of pirates could probably convince or coerce a faction (usually on the periphery) to either grant them land to become Nobles or allow them to enlist as a Faction force.  I'm not sure on just how the mechanics would work (probably send C-Bills over time, then get to roll to see if all the bribery takes, or roll C-Bills over time and compare random roll to number of working meks assigned to mechwarriors, with penalty for land grants vs enlistment).

Heh, I'm sure even Houses Steiner and Kurita would prefer that large band of unknown meks be rebranded as Butte Hold's garrison nominally under their rule, rather than see a Pirate Kingdom pop up.

[Hanzoku]

@NickAragua: I don't know, I think it's fairly competitive for what it is, which is a long-range support design.

Comparing the Awesome and the Zeus:

The Awesome is a 3/5 design that can output 30 damage a round most rounds, with an occasional cooloff round of 20 to get the heat back down.
The Zeus is a 4/6 design that can output (with the AC adjustment) up to 31 damage a round until the LRM ammunition runs out, then 16 damage a round for another 12 rounds until the AC/5 ammunition runs out. While it doesn't have the longevity of the Awesome, it's faster and doesn't suffer any heat issues whatsoever.

I do agree that I'm not fond of rear-facing weapons, and the first thing I do is either turn them around or remove them entirely if modifying a 'Mech.

The binary laser cannon is pretty bad, I agree. Saving a ton of weight isn't worth losing 4 damage. The RISC Hyper Laser is a much better trade off - as much heat as two ER Large Lasers for more damage and a longer range. Sadly, it's a prototype with a VERY short window to be able to acquire them, so its not like you ever get to use them.

[Knave]

I have a fond place in my heart for the Zeus - Maybe just below the Victor. Though I've been known to like certain mechs just because they look cool

[EuchreJack]

I have a fond place in my heart for the Zeus - Maybe just below the Victor. Though I've been known to like certain mechs just because they look cool

Ah yes the Victor, so good that the heir to the Federated Commonwealth was named after it. 

[Hanzoku]

I'm sure someone, somewhere was giggling to himself when he assigned a Victor to Victor, the Crown Prince.

[Hanzoku]

Operation Blue Paladin – Week 6

The Wolverine remained crippled, but functional enough for training purposes. By now, the Cavalrymen were swarming towards the Iron Brotherhood’s AoO, and Nova’s Knights went out to meet them. They were reinforced by a new addition – Corporal Jack Euchre, a Liao defector who approached the FedCom invaders early in the invasion. MIIO had intensively vetted him but were leery of taking him on in the FedCom ranks and forwarded his dossier to the Iron Brotherhood. In desperate need for more skilled pilots, Albus agreed to take him on.

As it turned out, he was very skilled with the AC/10, and the small laser. And LRMs and SRMs. He was a crack shot with large lasers and machine guns. Whatever he turned his hand to, he seemed to have a natural aptitude in its use.




Holy crap, the MechWarrior who showed up in the weekly check came with Natural Aptitude: Gunnery. Enjoy your template, EuchreJack.

Nova’s Knights would be facing a reinforced company of light and medium vehicles and ‘Mechs with enemy air support, but they weren’t worried. Kobayashi’s Crows would be in the skies above them.

Spoiler: Stand Up (Defender) (click to show/hide)

Corporal Thi Ba was the template for EuchreJack’s character. The downside of having a queue is that continuity errors can happen. It’ll be worked out in a few updates.

Victory Condition: Destroy 6 units Before Round 3, 8 units Before Round 8, and 10 units after Round 8 Destroy the enemy
Loss Condition: Lose 3 units before Round 5, or 4 units after Round 5 Die




The two forces close on each other. One of the Liao VTOL pilots gets too excited trying to sideslip around to the south and loses control, sheering off his rotor against the ground. Another piloting a light hover tank dashes between the feet of EJ’s Stalker, while Glaive and Ragu are right there as well to help kick the intrepid tank to pieces.

Starburst and Ragu tear apart a Scorpion with their LRMs, with Ragu scoring the killing blow as hers touch off its fuel tank. Glaive kicks in the side of the J. Edgar at their feet, and Ragu scores her second kill as she kicks the crushed side of the tank and destroys its engine.



A Lance of Locusts and Stingers facing an assault lance. Was the Liao family’s madness infectious?

EJ tagged the MechBuster as it flew by, the Liao Air Lance aborting their attack runs. Starburst kicked a Locust so hard it explodes, while Glaive misses his kick and falls, to his embarrassment.



EJ covers Glaive as he tries to regain his feet, while Ragu and Starburst push the rest of the Liao lance back.

EJ destroys the flanking Stinger in a flurry of SRMs and lasers, while Starburst shows the utter fury a King Crab can bring, coring the center torsos of a Locust and another Stinger simultaneously.



The MechBuster comes around slowly, ready to make a strafing run against the vulnerable backs of the Brotherhood ‘Mechs below. He’s so focused on his ground attack that he doesn’t notice the urgent beeping as his combat computer registers multiple target locks from the Shilones sweeping up to his left.

Meanwhile, Glaive is back on his feet, and the mercenaries move to mop up the remaining vehicles facing them.

EJ destroys another Scorpion, while Tengu and Lyle shatter the MechBuster, sending it out of control.

Morale Roll: Failed

The remaining Cavalrymen turn tail and flee in abject panic, and Starburst orders the unit to not pursue. While they could wipe out the Liao troops entirely, she wanted to hold the Iron Brotherhood to a higher standard than wholesale slaughter.

AAR:
The Knights were basically undamaged in the brief conflict – Nova’s King Crab had some minor laser and machine gun damage, and James had done some armor damage with his fall, but overall it wasn’t too serious.

They claimed the largely undamaged Peregrine Attack VTOL and the salvage of the J. Edgar and the remains of the light ‘Mech Lance. While none of the ‘Mechs were good for anything more then selling for salvage, Albus planned to keep the VTOL for later. Their salvage sold for 3.4M C-Bills.

Two of the Liao soldiers were KIA, and one was captured.

Captain Susanna ‘Starburst’ Nova claimed both Locusts and a Stinger.
Commander Ichiro ‘Tengu’ Kobayashi claimed an air kill against the MechBuster.
Corporal Svetlana ‘Ragu’ Ragozina claimed a Scorpion Light Tank.
Corporal Jack ‘EJ’ Euchre claimed the other Scorpion and the second Stinger.


Repairs were completed swiftly, and the Peregrine was mothballed for later.

[Knave]

Shame you didn't get a chance to capture their reinforcement Urbanmech R60L.
I'm sure Euchre would have loved the chance to pilot the AC-20 urbie variant 

[NickAragua]

Holy crap, a natural aptitude gunnery! That's awesome.

I actually routinely troll through my list of AtB-acquired personnel, because those natural aptitude guys are solid gold - even if you have to bring them up from 8/8, they still have an incredible amount of potential.

[EuchreJack]

Shame you didn't get a chance to capture their reinforcement Urbanmech R60L.
I'm sure Euchre would have loved the chance to pilot the AC-20 urbie variant 

And if you stick me in one, you'll enjoy several AC-20 rounds to your backside 

I'm not too worried about the continuity errors: It looks like my character just liked to wear a bit too much makeup when first recruited, is all.
My character is probably thinking, regarding our last battle "That could have been me out there dying for House Liao.  I obviously made the right choice."

[Hanzoku]

Operation Blue Paladin – Week 7

The week opened with a bang, as an urgent message went out to the Iron Brotherhood. The 5th McCarron’s Armored Cavalry had managed to slip a MechWarrior through their lines to a long-hidden Star League cache. He was going to escape with a pristine Star League era ‘Mech, and that couldn’t be allowed.

Only one person was in place to stop him – Captain Susanna Nova. The only problem?

He was in a Pillager.

Spoiler: Special Mission: Star League Cache (click to show/hide)

The two titans closed on each other, Starburst being careful to not give the Pillager too many opportunities with those Gauss Rifles.



Taking advantage of cover, she managed to get into point-blank range, where her autocannons were far more effective than its Gauss Rifles. Her autocannons roared, shattering tons of armor from the Pillager’s chest and left leg. A kick to that same leg still didn’t breach its armor fully, though only scraps were left to protect it. What it did manage was to drop the Pillager to the ground.



The Liao pilot managed to stumble to his feet, but Starburst couldn’t pass up the opportunity he gave her. She moved right behind his back and brought her autocannons in line. He turned just in time to take both bursts to the left arm, the Pillager taking the damage without losing the limb. The same couldn’t be said for his leg, as she deftly kicked it – yet it still held, the tough ‘Mech’s internal structure seeing it keep standing despite the massive damage inflicted to the limb.

Then it happened. As he tried to keep his ‘Mech’s balance, the Cavalryman stepped wrong. Horribly damaged and stressed from the kicks and autocannon fire, the leg snapped at the ankle, and the Pillager fell as the leg failed fully.

After that, it was only a matter of waiting a few moments before the Liao pilot knocked themselves unconscious.

AAR:
The Federated Commonwealth tried to claim the Pillager. It was theirs by right, they claimed. It brought the unit above its allowed salvage amount they ranted.

Starburst’s answer was simple: It was hers, and they were welcome to try to pry it from her ‘Mech’s claws.

Albus backed her claim to the ‘Mech, and in the end, the FedCom forces didn’t want to sour their relationship with the Iron Brotherhood enough to force the issue. The Pillager went to the techs, though it would be a while before it was functional, as they had to source a replacement leg after all the damage Susanna caused to it.

The week continued with heavy action, as the Iron Brotherhood made a major push against McCarron’s Armored Cavalry. On Wednesday, Nova’s Knights moved out to engage a mixed medium company with air support. Friday, Kaine’s Kings launched another recon ‘raid’, supported by Kobayashi’s Crows.

Spoiler: Stand Up (Attacker) (click to show/hide)

As stated before, we won’t see every battle this week. The Cache mission was small, but I’ll be showing the Recon Raid in full. After this mission, EuchreJack’s character will be correct.

The battle was hard fought, as the Liao resisted the Brotherhood’s attack despite the massive damage they were taking from the Brotherhood’s assault lance. In the end, the Brotherhood triumphed with heavy damage taken, but no casualties. James Gundersen’s Stalker would be down a Large Laser for the foreseeable future, barring salvaging one from an enemy unit.

Minimal salvage was taken, but this put the Brotherhood back in their employer’s good graces. For their part, the FedCom forces salvaged a heavily damaged but repairable Thunderbolt and had many conventional units to strip for salvage.

9 enemies were KIA, and 6 more captured.

On Friday, Kaine’s Kings launched another recon raid against the 5th McCarron’s Armored Cavalry.

Spoiler: Recon Raid (Attacker) (click to show/hide)

While the Liao Hunchback and Crusader came forward to confront the Brotherhood, the Clint and Quickdraw hung back with their supporting infantry company. Vo flanked the Crusader, while Knave, Wind and their FedCom ally in a Javelin took on the Hunchback.

The Hunchback hit the ground as Knave and Wind battered it mercilessly, though it managed to score a few hits with its lasers against Knave’s Grasshopper.



Having learned that he was a prime target, Knave ducked into the nearby forest – and it was a good thing, as the Crusader and Hunchback both charged after him.

Wind targeted the damaged Hunchback together with the Javelin. Their combined fire tore open its left side, the machine falling and knocking the pilot unconscious. His kick mangled the Crusader’s leg, destroying the SRM located there.



The Cavalrymen outmaneuvered the mercenaries, the Quickdraw and Clint trying to trap Vo’s Phoenix Hawk between them, while the Crusader regained his feet under the guns of Knave and Wind.

Their shots knock the Crusader down again, and Wind stomps on the ‘Mechs chest to keep it down, the rattling knocking the pilot unconscious.



The Crows arrive and make their attack runs against the still-functional ‘Mechs. Knave and Wind move to support Vo, who is busy playing keep away from the Quickdraw that was grimly chasing her.

Tengu targets the Quickdraw, ordering Lyle to target the Clint. With his superior gunnery skill, he expects that his danger-close bombing run won’t hit Vo’s Phoenix Hawk.

The Clint manages to hit Lyle’s Shilone, the autocannon rounds damaging the Medium laser in her right wing. She repays its attack in spades, her bombs destroying his ‘Mech in a volley of explosions.

The Quickdraw survives Tengu’s run but loses an arm and with the rest of the machine much worse for wear.



Tengu pulls some serious G-forces as he punches his fighter back into the air, coming around in a tight circle to drop in behind the Liao air defenders. His greener wing mate flies more conservatively and can’t make the turn in time to take her shots. With three targets ahead of him, he takes shots at all three, devoting his LRMs to the strike fighter making a pass at Wind, a large and medium laser for the bomber, and the last medium laser for the other medium strike fighter.

In a display of skill, he hits all three of his targets, sending the Crane out of control and the Bomber into an uncontrolled spin that terminates in the ground below.

On the ground, the Hunchback pilot wakes up long enough to punch out, the Quickdraw likewise tries to withdraw, and the infantry scramble with three hostile ‘Mechs closing in on them.


The Crane goes into an uncontrolled stall, spinning towards the ground as its pilot wrestles with the controls. The Defender II comes around for another pass but has both Shilones in hot pursuit. The Quickdraw manages to flee, while the Crusader returns to its feet, only for Wind to come back to finish it off.  His accurate lasers touch off the LRM ammo in both right and left torso, and there isn’t much left of the ‘Mech once its massive ammunition stores are touched off.



The pilot of the Crane manages to pull out of the stall at the last moment and tries to flee to the south. Tengu is off in pursuit of the Defender II, but Lyle has lagged behind. She pulls a tactically insane maneuver in most situations – she puts her Aerospace fighter into a hover, a sitting target... if there was anyone left capable of shooting at her. Instead, she lines up her shots on the fleeing Crane.

Despite the unit’s best efforts, the Crane manages to survive and flee, badly damaged. The infantry work was a grim reminder of how deadly ‘Mech scale machine guns are to normal men.

AAR:
Knave’s Grasshopper was lightly damaged, but aside from a damaged medium laser in the SL-17AC, the rest of the deployed units were unscathed.

The mercenaries claimed the salvage from the infantry units, the bomber and the Defender II.  Their techs were interested in stripping out the advanced Artemis IV FCS from the fighter.

33 enemies were KIA, and 18 more captured.


Operation Blue Paladin – Week 8+

The following week was blissfully silent, allowing the techs time to catch up on their backlog of work. In gratitude for their work, the FedCom forces arranged to acquire a large laser and the jump jet for the Pillager, as well as some spare rounds for its gauss rifles.

Susanna moved into her new ride, James moved up to the King Crab, and Jack took over the STK-3F Stalker, allowing the stressed model to go into mothballs.

The morale of the 5th McCarron Armored Cavalry was now Very Low, and the mercenaries could spend some time recovering from combat.

The Iron Brotherhood rang in the New Year with a wild party as Liao morale continued its rock bottom placement. Their gear was fully repaired, and there was little to do besides quiet patrols.

January brought a few new recruits to the support side of the Brotherhood – Logan Cobbold, an Elite-ranked Transport Admin, and Darge Saghiri, a Veteran Doctor.

February continued the trend, the raid now converted more to a sedate garrison contract as the FedCom forces continued chasing the Liao defenders, well away from where the mercenaries operated. Albus purchased a Schreck PPC Carrier and Thumper Artillery Vehicle on auction, and MechWarriors started graduating from the training command, finally.

In February, Linda Vo was promoted to Lieutenant JG, and placed in charge of Linda’s Lancers, the unit’s scout lance.

The first of March brought news the unit was long expecting – the contract was over. While in their case, this only changed the results by a few days, they were pleased to take a small bonus from the FedCom commander before lifting off for Outreach.

[Knave]

That Pillager is quite a nice parting gift from the 5th, (almost as good as that coat Billy snagged  )

Nice to have another mission on our belt. Will be interesting to see what toys Outreach offers this time! So with Vo as our Scout leader, we're officially up to 4 lances of mechs, right?