TBAGers redux

o/

Welp, much like their unit fluff The Buffet Assault Group's (those of you who clicked on this post looking for the other kind of TBAGers can close this window now) miniature lineup needed a change as much as their unit history did. Originally, my almost fully painted lance was a woefully static (in their movements, or rather lack thereof), fire support unit that could lob 120+ LRMs down range per turn. 

On average however, maybe a quarter of those actually connected with an enemy model. It was as painful to me as it was a relief to my opponents. 

Look out for that tree!

Operating mechs from the LosTech eras, Artemis IV fire control systems are unavailable to them and that combined with my bad rolling meant they were a largely useless lance. I also wasn't too fond of their color scheme (in hindsight), and the 15mm TBAGer unit logos that I was using (originally for another long defunct and unrelated project) looked like they were sporting billboards for unit emblems. 

It is with no small amount of irony that I sold off a lance of missile boats, only to have their first official replacement be yet another missile boat. This will be the only one though!

As such those mechs were amongst an almost company's worth of mechs and tanks that I recently sold off to a fine gentleman in the Detroit area. This go round, the TBAGers are now sporting a 2-tone woodland camo, with a red center stipe on the torso and head because reasons. Unit emblems are small, hand painted and with squiggles for the otherwise illegible wording (they were barely readable on the 15mm scaled decals!). Additional red trim may be added at the mechwarrior or tanker's preference. 

Sans red on the backside, at least the camouflage will be effective when running away!

As you can see, the Catapult is sporting several armor panels in the shade of primer grey. These represent replacement armor plating that has been added in the field without time for a proper repaint. Fighting on the (losing) side of the Anduriens during the Andurien Secession, my TBAGers mechs and tanks will be painted to look battle worn, dirty, and sporting a patchwork of replaced and salvaged parts. 

I have an AC-2 Partisan conversion done as well (a partial repaint of this), it lacks any primered panels meaning either it was able to maintain a safe distance or it was simply written off as not a viable threat (which isn't too far from the truth). 

Next up on the WIP stage I have a Phoenix Hawk that is pretty close to complete. The plan is to at the least finish that before switching back to painting my 40k spess mahreenz.  

Firing up the old GM-Coldstart 285 fusion engine...

Luckily Battletech is known for it's old and reliable cold-start reactors to keep their ancient mechs running, and with any luck the metaphorical reactor will do the same to this otherwise seemingly DEAD blog!

As is to be expected, the ol' pandemic shit-canned any and all plans for gaming. Battletech related hobbying pretty much died with it. That said, I've been in the process of rewriting the unit history for this blog's namesake: The Buffet Assault Group. I've hopefully come up with a general overview that fits in nicely with the game's established fluff lore (apparently 'fluff' is for 40k and 'lore' is for Battletech, or so the old grognards say...). Anyways, here's the TBAGers' updated backstory: 

Catalina Styner & the TBAGers

Cursed with a family name that phonetically mimics that Steiner royalty, Catalina would suffer for her family name and lack of political connections throughout her Lyran military career.

Her name aside, she managed to qualify for and enroll in, and graduate from the prestigious Naglering Military Academy. Assigned to the Lyran 2nd Royal Guards, she quickly proved to be a talented mechwarrior and leader who slowly fought her way up through the ranks. Lacking highborn political connections however, Catalina was 'glass ceilinged' at the level of company commander.

After suffering almost two decades of frustrating service, Catalina retired from the Lyran military with both an unblemished career and a long history of promotions lost to the less capable, but well connected 'Social Generals' of the LCAF.

She formed her own mercenary command in 3029, with good prospects given the continuous turmoil of the succession wars. Embittered by her former employers, she dubbed her new command The Buffet Assault Group, a play on her disapproval of many in the LCAF officer corps. 

After assembling a rag-tag combined arms battalion, with one company each of mechs, armor and infantry, Catalina secured a contract with the Free Worlds League's Andurien Province. This contract would be extended to last for the duration of what would become the Andurien Crisis. 

The hard fighting of the Andurien Crisis would take a grievous toll on the TBAGers (as the mercs liked to call themselves), and by the war's end the battalion would be reduced to a lone, understrength company consisting of a mech lance, and an ad-hoc mixed armor and infantry platoon made up of squad remnants and dispossessed armor crews, a trio of tanks and lastly a captured Capellan APC. 

The TBAGers contract was terminated without compensation for losses by the FWLM for siding with their rebellious employers at the conclusion of the Crisis in 3040. Securing passage on a jump ship bound for Outreach, Catalina and her shattered command were expelled from League territory and permanently barred from any future League employment.

*****

I've also revamped my miniature line up for the ol' TBAGers. Gone is the assault weight fire support lance. Equipped with mechs from the early succession wars, my inability to roll worth a damn on the missile cluster chart, as well as a lack of Artemis IV fire-control meant that the majority of their weapons were neutered for most of the game. Indeed, doesn't matter if it's an LRM-10,15, or 20...I only average 6-8 missiles AT BEST!

Pay no attention to the chaos Marines in the background...

Instead I'm guessing those mechs were sold on eBay lost in combat and my 'surviving' lance hasn't been finalized yet, though will likely still include a Catapult (facepalm).

I've been on a bit of a 40k painting kick for awhile, but I need to rotate some Battletech stuff back into the painting queue. So, hopefully I'll be updating this here blog a bit more regularly.