Three Days of the Succession Wars

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Ironnerd
09/21/15 10:21 PM
68.184.124.238

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Well, it's that time again. The time when I spend a weekend running Battletech at an Anime Convention in Atlanta, GA. At least twelve hours of rampaging 'Mechs ripping up the planet of Bryceland (Fed Suns).

Always fun, but also a lot of work, and I don't get to play much because I am too busy running the game and teaching newbies how to kick MechWarrior BEE-hind!

To keep things simple, I run straight 3025 'Mechs and use the old Battletech Manual rules.

Basically it's a long-running battle royale with players entering and exiting the game randomly throughout the session. They enter the field as "reinforcements" from whichever side needs a little help at the moment.

Players had a good time last year, and hopefully we'll do it all again this year.
Ironnerd
09/28/15 10:38 PM
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It is done! 20 1/2 hours of Battletech over 4 days (my wife's work schedule changed, so I got an extra day).

I GM'd with another guy who is all about Customized Clan Assault 'mechs - meaning he lets the dice decide the outcome. So I elected to fight him with a LCT-1V Locust. I lasted about 10 turns against him, but he finally hit the MG ammo. It was pretty fun running all over the board and having +4 to hit mods (plus all the trees).

Basically, I run the game at a convention to get new players into Battletech. I don't care if I win or lose. Actually, as soon as a new player shows up, I hand my 'mech over to him and go back to just GMing.

It was mostly the normal stuff -. Some guy talking to me about his art or a BT battle he told me about last year (and the year before), where he got hit in the back by friendly fire (artillery) while I am trying to run a game. Some dude telling about his fully customized clan mech (I get the clans, but don't play them anymore - I prefer 3025 era, it's just more interesting from a story-telling perspective). Some dude wanting to join the game with his Star League LAM. And a bunch of guys (all guys this year... have to work on that) running around and blowing stuff up, and having a wonderful time. There was smack talk, groans resulting from rolling "so close" to hitting the other guy, whoops when someone made a cool maneuver and took the advantage, and people asking how to get this game.

Saturday had the other GM and I working sort of together. I was mostly GMing and coaching "Green" players, while he and another guy assaulted a city. It got interesting when he ended his movement on a bridge and one of the green dudes shot it out from under him. Then another member of his team jumped a Highlander IIc onto a 3 story, hardened building, which a green guy shot with an AC-20, resulting in a crash. Somehow an attacker got caught between a Hatchetman and a Scorpion in a valley between two buildings. Incidentally, quads rock on pavement thanks to that -2 mod to all Pilot Skill Rolls. Anyway, he missed the Scorpion and plowed into the building. It was actually a pretty cool game. A few unexpected turns, and some nice inventiveness on the part of the Green players.

Sunday was "Light 'Mech Mayhem". All light mechs on the rolling hills maps. Lots of movement (except for the UrbanMech... someone always picks an Urbie). Woods were burned, DFA's were popular, lots of great hits and near-misses, hoots, hollers, and belly laughs from all players and a couple of spectators. It ended with a single, beat up Valkyrie standing on hill all alone after his buddy in a Locust charged the Urbie and took himself out along with his target.

Added bonus, the Con bought a Battletech Starter set (at $60ish) and two map expansions (at $20 each). The set is very nice! Lots of colorful books, a bunch of miniatures, even dice. But the maps just suck. They are nice and heavy (about 1/8" thick) and have different terrain on each side. The problem is that if you rotate a map 180ยบ, the hexes no longer line up. Even worse on the back side of the maps (which are applique printed slightly smaller than a normal map sheet). For $20, I would rather have four of the old-school FASA maps.

Thanks to Anime Weekend Atlanta for letting me play a lot of Battletech, and thanks to all the players who showed up and had a good time!
ghostrider
09/29/15 02:32 AM
98.150.102.177

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Good to hear.
Honestly, if you are the gm, you can't worry about win or lose, if you are the enemy to a group cooperating with each other. If you 'win', your group loses. Not a fun time for them.
Granted teaching them not to run a urbanmech into the lance of assault mechs might be in order from time to time.

What mech was the one person using that you decided to mess with him, using a locust?
You say custom clan assault mech. Was it based on any particular chasis, like the dire wolf?
And more importantly, how much damage did you do to him playing the little bug?
(evil grin)
Ironnerd
09/30/15 09:13 PM
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Yup, basically I just want to introduce people to the game using the simplest rules I can, and allowing them to have a cool gaming experience. I use TRO 3025 'Mechs because they are basic, look like anime mecha (it's an anime convention), and are pretty easy to play. I don't really try to win, I just try to keep it interesting.

I'm going to try to talk the other GM into having a tournament. He really likes winning, dueling rules, clan tech, and all that, so maybe he'll go for it and I can get a few more newbies hooked on a game I really enjoy.

I'm pretty sure it was an 80 ton clan Omni-Mech, so that makes it a Gargoyle. He alpha'd me once, then claimed it was not really an Alpha since not all of the weapons hit me (I was behind a hill, and about half of the weapons hit my mech's legs - so those hits were ignored). After that I kept losing initiative rolls, and made some mistakes, so he eventually got a hit on my ammo. I did a little damage to him, but not enough to count for much. The goal is to run up to him and kick - that forces him to make a piloting skill roll. Eventually, he'll fail and fall over doing at least 16 damage. Do that enough along with MG and Med Las hits and you can actually kill a big guy with a wee guy.

I lost big time, but had fun making him chase me all over the board.
ghostrider
10/01/15 01:36 AM
98.150.102.177

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Actually, a lucky strike could kill them with the location roll of 2. You could very well take out the engine or gyro with that. Someone I played with use a 55 ton machine gun mech that basically did just that. 18 mgs. all firing. Something is bound to give.

But having a locust show people the big bad mechs aren't then end off of the game. Next time, maybe a spider might work. Just max but maybe use the mg version of it. Heat up one point using the one laser on it, but next turn run.

And I though the definition of an alpha strike was to fire everything you had, regardless of what actually hits.
Though I do wonder why you were using the full hit location behind the hill. I thought that changed to the punch location when the mech is behind a hill covering the legs.
Still. It is interesting about the battle. Maybe use a Fire Moth next time. Keep in in the clans.
Ironnerd
10/01/15 10:16 PM
68.184.124.238

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Yes, and Alpha strike is firing everything - it does not mean they all hit. He was just being a bone-head. The new partial cover rule (which I actually like) gives a +1 to hit, and hits are rolled against the norm hit locations; leg hits, however, are ignored. It does some interesting things with Quads.

A Fire Moth... Nah... Next time I'll use a Hatchetman! Jump, jump, HATCHET! Jump, Jump, HATCHET!
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