An Army fights on it's stomach!

Neither mech is mine...

Nick 2.0 and I got together for a game this past Friday night after my tentative Bolt Action 3.0 game got postponed by a week. It was my turn to pick a scenario and after perusing teh interwebz' multitudes of fan-made scenario offerings of 'Use these pre-selected mechs, with these mechwarrior skill values and then basically just kill each other' I was getting pretty annoyed. However I did find one that had potential, and after some heavy editing it came out like this:

An army marches on its stomach:

 A convoy of 4-6 disabled mobile field kitchens (MFK) are equally spaced along the map along the center line. Any mech or vehicle can drag/tow a target MFK back to their board edge. A mech or vehicle unit must be in the same hex at the end of their movement phase as the target MFK with at least 1 MP left to be able to start dragging/towing it. Mechs without 2 hand actuators and vehicles must use 1 turn to secure/attach the target MFK. Mechs & vehicles cannot attack enemy units while securing an MFK. The dragging/towing unit suffers a 50% reduction in their walking/cruising MP and cannot run or jump. A dragging mech cannot fire weapons in either arm, nor can a towing vehicle fire from the rear arc while towing an MFK.

A unit earns 1 VP for each MFK returned to their home map edge.

This ties in nicely with our convoy escort scenario game as we would be using the same heavy tracked APCs and trucks for the immobilized field kitchens. Game size would be the usual 4K points, except we went for Clan Invasion era mechs rather than our usual Succession wars as I wanted to use some of my Clan forces. Overall I didn't think the scenario wouldn't be too difficult. I mean, it ought to be easy enough for us each to at least drag one or two off successfully.

But then...

Anthony was in attendance at the FLGS and he is a recent convert to the Battletech cause, has some mechs, has read the rules, but has never played a game. With no other players present he was going to just watch, but instead we made it a 3-way scrum. His role in the above scenario? He would be defending his field kitchens. Simple, easy, no problem. 

Oh wait, everything I have is only 20 tons and now there is a defending force to contend with. Fuck.

Nick's Marik force wasn't nearly as perturbed by this new addition that they would to have to contend with.

Anthony's Lance. In the backfield he has a Griffin checking out an MFK's menu.

The Battlefield with the convoy in the middle. We determined that the board edge would be 12 hexes from the center line. 

What follows is less of the usual battle report and more of a highlight reel as I only took a few photos. 

My Piranha decides to go out with glory running at the Axeman that was trying to grab an objective. Due to my high defensive modifier (my mechs were averaging +3-4 all game), the Axeman missed with everything including its axe! I did some damage but nothing too major. 

The Death of one of my Howlers. I believe it survived this exchange, but in the next turn as it was running on by it took an ERLL to the CT rear and that was all she wrote. 

Having survived somehow, the Piranha gets behind the Axeman and sandblasts it a little bit. I believe that I ground all of the armor off of one of the rear side torsos, but nothing went internal. The piranha had to go & hide for a bit as expecting to die at any moment, I kept alpha-striking and it ended the turn at  +12 heat!

Nick's Griffin was trying to get away with an MFK (and made it about half as far as my dead Mercury did on the other side of the board). However unable to shake the piranha off of it's tail for 2-consecutive turns, the massed MGs got several possible crit rolls and I rolled a boxcars, taking off the side torso and inflicting 3 engine hits in the process! 

The last turn of the game, Anthony's Hatchetman goes in for its first ever swing in close combat only to miss. I don't recall if the Catatphract landed a punch or not in return, but both mechs survived the encounter. 

This is about par for the course for the whole game, little green mechs running in all directions. They didn't do much damage, but was the first time I've had Nick flip off my mechs in a game, lol! I believe the Wolfhound blew one of the side torso off of the Dasher in this pic, totally disarming it after it had lost its other arm previously. 

In the last turn, Anthony commented that his Griffin was untouched. I clipped it with a single, lousy LRM. However, Nick's Axeman connected with it's LPL & AC-20 and thoroughly ruined the Griffin's previously pristine state. 

Due to time we had to call it there. No MFK's were captured giving Anthony the victory by default. Nick & I each managed to drag one a short distance before our mechs were each gunned down. My 'Fast & the Furious' star ended the game as more of a triangle with the Mercury and 1 Howler down, and the Dasher reduced to a free roaming torso.  That said, my Piranha's pilot earned a future spot in an Omni-mech for being the first time I've ever had a Piranha take down a mech in a game of Classic (whereas doing that, is standard practice for the Piranha in Alpha Strike). 

This week's mechs

 o/ 

The grab bag continues...

I think one of the things that I like about BattleTech is that I can complete forces before I really get bored of them. I mean, I paint more or less everything piecemeal, barring the occasional burst of impetus with one faction or another in 40K. However when painting random models here and there for 40k, there's little feeling of accomplishment because so fucking many are needed for a damned army of any appreciable point value. 

Whereas with BattleTech, I really don't foresee any of my forces exceeding a company (or maybe a binary for the Clans) in size. Often its a combined-arms company/binary which further breaks things up. Also, in BattleTech, its rare to have too many multiples of the same model. For instance, the lowly but beloved Urbanmech is my most common mech at 14 models, with only 7 in the same color scheme. In 40k, in most cases that's not even a squad!

But anyways, enough pointless rambling! What you see above and below is what I (finished) painting this week. I say finished as I still have another lance's worth in-progress. 

Marik Militia Marauder & Chameleon

The Marauder always was, and still is a pretty mech, all the more so now that it is painted! 

I know that my buddy Neverness loathes BattleTech, but I am sure he grew up on Robotech as much as I did, and would most likely be at least a little nostalgic about this model. Even if only in secret...

Both of these mechs are stomping around on their not-so-friendly neighbor's planet. 

The Chameleon is primarily a trainer in the fluff, but I am hoping that it will be a decent mech in battle.

Its mostly energy weapon load out is supposed to train pilots not to overheat their machines. Well, unless they're in point blank range, I doubt all those small lasers will even fire, much less over tax the heat sinks!

Painting that old Imperial Guard icon in blue, under these mechs was a real treat I can assure you!

Meanwhile in the periphery...

The Masakari T of the Scorpion Empire is the whole reason that this mech was painted in their colors. It mounts the perfect blend of Clan & Inner Sphere tech, with just a splash of periphery garbage to round things out. 

It mounts 2 Clan ER PPCs, 2 plasma rifles with 3 tons of ammo, and most importantly, a circa 1950s era rocket launcher 10!

Oh good, he/she didn't step on their little friend!

Also in the periphery...

This Retrotech Griffin is the newest acquisition of my deep periphery, piss poor mercs: Battle Rattle. Built to primitive standards, yet refitted with a large laser and MML 5 with 1 ton each of LRM & SRM ammo, it wields a missile launcher far more advanced than any other mech in my Battle Rattle force. Yet, it is of course built on a woefully obsolete mech, perfection! 

Its a little hard to see under all of the grime, but it says 'Kill!' on the gun arm. 

I was tempted to fit this arm with modular armor to match the model (this arm is clearly much better armored...well, at least visually), but the negatives vastly outweighed any appreciable benefit. 

This coming weekend is the FLGS' Solaris event. While I have a 'list' of 2 mechs to bring (TOP SECRET: on the very outside chance that any of my opponents Saturday read this), you know me. Meaning, I'll likely be pondering alternative builds from my collection right up until the last moment!

So many battles!

 o/

A dual to the death between two heavy recon mechs.

Well the Inner Sphere is well and truly aflame here locally, with three games of Battletech played since my last post, two of Alpha Strike and one of Classic. 

Painted up for the occasion; like any self respecting newly painted minis, they all died!

First up, Frankie and I played a civil war era game of Alpha Strike vs. Rob & his Capellans. Frankie was running mercs and I had Capellans, the St. Ives Compact. This was a fun game and our FIRST victory in Alpha Strike, huzzah! Frankie tends to write notes all over his unit roster page with all of the mech cards printed on it, and I noted when we got home that 'we won!' was written across the page, lol. 

UM-R69s providing covering fire for Frankie's advancing Mercs. 

This firefight became known as the alley of death, and decided the game. 

Later that weekend, my Whipits got their battlefield debut vs. Kushial's Davion forces. Rather than retell a story already told, you can just read his account here. 

Yeah, this about sums up that debacle.

This past Wednesday, neither Rob nor Screech were available, so instead our 300 point force split in half and Frankie and I battled each other in a 150 point game at home (after 14 months, it was the first mini game played in our new house). 

Tired after a long road march, the FWLM voted for dinner at the next Urbie Burger on the route, only to hear over coms that their Wobbly allies were pulling up at a Dunkin Davions instead. Naturally this disagreement lead to a fight to the death!

A nasty firefight this was. 

+4 to hit was no matter, my Guillotine turned the cocky little Mercury into a greasy smear.

The last two on the board, my Wolverine with one point of damage vs. Frankie's untouched Vulcan. This fast moving dual would cover several turns and about half of the board. 

In the end I got him though, the extra tonnage pulling me thru! That said, the Wolverine was down to 2 points of structure remaining and only a 5" movement rate.

I just squeaked out that one! He was kicking my ass early on taking down my battle armor squad and Scorpion mech by the end of turn two. Had Frankie had a battle lance with rerolls like I did, rather than light strikers with the speed demons SPA (+2" movement to all but the Crabs), odds are I'd have lost. Indeed, following the game he said 'I want to play this list again! I think I like fast mechs rather than the big heavy ones you usually give me, but I think I want the rerolls next time.' 

And there we have it folks. Not only is Frankie definitely hooked (speaking of, Kushial donated some more reading material for Frankie), but he's even found his preferred playstyle! This makes me a happy Dad.

My first game of 2020!

o/

After a yearlong hiatus due to misaligned schedules and an untimely illness on my part, Kushial was finally able to come over for a game! He was brining a medium/light weight company (well mostly, he left 2 behind to guard the dropship), against which I fielded a similarly weighted demi-company, of mechs, with an APC carried infantry platoon. 

The following is my usual brand of a half-assed bat rep. Kushial already posted his which you can read here. 

My setup assistant Baxter 'helping' as usual...he would be removed from the table several times over the course of the game. 

Kushial's Donegal Guard approaches...

My right flank defenders, with my Urbies in the 'subdivision'. I had hoped he would close to slug it out with them in these close confines, but to no avail. 

My left flank, and the LoS blocking hunk o' cardboard that would see much fighting around it. 

My hunchback advances boldly out in front of the vehicle park, tempting the hatchetman horde to charge in, but they don't take the bait...

My Whitworth would stand rooted in it's spot most of the game. with a multitude of targets, it had no need to close and performed admirably (well, when my die rolling actually cooperated) in the fire support role with it's twin LRM 10 launchers. 

Ceding ground to try and draw him into close range, the hatchetmen and Urbies instead trade long ranged AC-10 fire, whilst the first real scrum begins on my left flank. 

My first ever use of a quad mech, the Scorpion performed fairly well, though the lack of both adequate heat sinks and the ability to torso twist were rather difficult to grapple with. 

Backed into a corner already, grrr...

As a bit of a side note, in the background on the platform next to the dropship, That valkyrie had just finished incinerating my infantry platoon to a man! This was the first time that anyone actively engaged my infantry, normally they're just ignored.

The beginning of the end as the end starts to swing against me...

TREACHERY! Attacking a prone mech!?! (A Gryo hit and destroyed foot actuator would keep it down). This shall be noted in the Book of Gru-wait, wrong game system...never mind. 

I kept forgetting about that little, overheated all to hell and heavily damaged but still not dead little bastard.

and lo, the mechs began to fall...

The hatchetmen continue to dance back and forth in front of my gunline, taking damage but not enough to die. 

Finally they charge, axes held high! Two urbies would fall to shooting however, denying them their axe swings. Remarkably, one urbie took an ammo crit and survived by dint of only having 1 round left in the hopper! It still hurt quite a bit though. 

Trapped like a rat and preparing for death. 

The hatchetman would decapitate my griffin with it's axe, though a solid right hook to the hatchetman's face made for a glorious death!

With the last 2 urbies combat ineffective (only 1 small laser left between them), my still untouched (and almost out of ammo) Whitworth, and surprisingly only lightly damaged Scorpion run up the white flag and retreat. Likewise that heavy APC put pedal to the metal and made a run for it as well. 

My ragged survivors (though 'survivors' kinda debatable given the state of those two urbies)

So...I started off 2020 much like I finished off 2019, by losing. Of well, consistency is half the battle they say (just not the half I was hoping for...). Still, it was a fun time and I look forward to our next bout which hopefully will not be until 2021.