Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

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TheMix
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TheMix »

BV'd?

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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TheMix »

$iljanus wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:25 pm [X] Engage prior to atmospheric entry

Yeah, I think it’s best to run with a crowd even if they are a bunch of dicks.
Agreed. And if we happen to have some problems accelerating, don't fret, we'll catch right up. Probably.

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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Leraje »

TheMix wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:26 pmBV'd?
BV
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TheMix »

Thank you.

Guess we should be happy we only lost one ship. And crew.

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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by moleymoleymoley »

Yeah engage prior to entry.

Delicious clan salvage already :wub:
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by NickAragua »

Vote Results:
Spoiler:
Engage prior to atmospheric entry - unanimous
Beta-Strike consists of an up-armored (and slightly de-firepowered, but not by much due to overall heat sink capacity) Chippewa (Strike One), a Starfire (Strike Two) and a Vulcan (Strike Three).

The Chippewa has been customized to remove the short-range weapons (it had two medium lasers and an SRM rack) - it couldn't fire them most of the timedue to heat management issues anyway, and the large pulse lasers plus thirty LRM tubes provide plenty of firepower.

We've used our Starfire quite a bit - it's got a powerful engine, so it can reach battlefields for a quick assist with the ultra autocannon and four medium lasers.

The Vulcan is a pretty nasty piece of work, with a gauss rifle under each wing plus a couple of lasers and a six-rack of SRMs in the nose.

The allied force is a four-pack of Slayers (Asahi), a pair of Rievers (Iroha) and a pair of Shilones (Ueno). Lots of firepower there.

The clan force is still a pair of Unions and a Leopard, plus a Sulla, a Turk and a Jagatai. The clanners have had a little over twelve hours to patch up any battle damage, but we took out half their escort fighters, so it'll be a matter of trying to find a zone covered by a minimum amount of dropship guns and take down as many dropships as we can.

Round 1:
Spoiler:
Image
"Asahi one to all fighters. Concentrate fire on designated Union."

"Good hits. Target venting cargo."

"Strike Two, taking fire. Avionics damage, minor weapons system damage. Can't stabilize."

"Iroha Two, main gun is knocked out. Switching to SRMs."

Round 2:
Spoiler:
Image
"Iroha One, I'm overheated. Engines shutting down."

"Strike Two, he's still targeting me. Armor's not going to hold, ejecting!"

"Strike Three, impact with gauss rifles. Target is destroyed. Union-class is breaking apart. Move on to the next target."

Round 3:
Spoiler:
Image
"Target that Union, they're beginning aero-braking maneuvers. This is our last chance to hit them!"

"Ueno Two, taking heavy damage."

"Strike Three, I can't get a lock, target employing suppressive fire."

"Negative damage on targets. They've entered atmo."

"Wish those ground-pounders luck, Strike Three, let's go pick up Strike Two and get out of here."

"Acknowledged. With us around, they won't need luck!"

---

Not too bad. With the Rievers' massive firepower (AC/20 backed up by 24 SRM tubes and 10 LRM tubes), we were able to crack one of the Unions open. The other Union and a Leopard made it through, however, and have landed on Luthien's surface. We lost our Starfire, while the Vulcan and Chippewa took relatively minor damage. Reports indicate similar levels of success across other operations, with clan dropship losses of approximately 20-30%, though mostly among the smaller dropships - Unions and Leopards.

Even though we technically got the kill shot on the Union, it's likely that the Dracs are going to insist on salvage rights, since they inflicted the vast majority of the damage on it. We can insist, but if we do, they're likely to ask for some major concessions or get pissed off and refuse outright. The weapons systems on it appear to be comparable to Inner Sphere weapons, but it's possible that some of the mechs carried on board have remained intact. There weren't any ammo explosions, but the ship is basically cracked in half, with just some loose armor plating and a couple of struts next to the engine assembly holding it together.

[] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[] Forget it

---

"... so with no batchall, we don't know the exact composition of the clan forces. Which is why we've got low-profile recon teams heading out to their dropship landing zones right now, to get a read on what they're unloading." the Dragoons rep finishes the briefing, attended by our command staff. "They're going to be on radio silence - we don't want the clanners to stop unloading, so we'll need a fast response unit in case the Nova Cats or Smoke Jaguars pursue them."

"Why don't we just send out some mechs?" Freyland asks.

The Dragoons rep smirks. "From what I've read, your idea of recon is to blow everything up, then report on the recovered salvage. While admirable to an extent, I don't think that's going to work against these opponents."

Freyland chuckles. "You're not wrong."

"So, we'll need a light, fast mech lance for quick response in case the recon teams get into trouble, or a low-profile recon tank lance to help with the actual recon." the rep continues.

We've got both. Delta-Sweep and Delta-Recon lances are both fast enough to fill the "really quick response role". Delta-Sweep is a little faster - a pair of Jenners, a Venom and a beefed up Ostscout. Delta-Recon is a little beefier, with a Spider, an Assassin, a Firestarter and a Phoenix Hawk. We also have two lances of hovertanks. One is three Falcons and a Zephyr, more of a fire support lance than a recon lance. The other is a Drillson, a pair of Zephyrs (one royal, one standard) and a Scimitar. The Zephyr with its Beagle active probe is better-equipped for recon.

If we go the quick response route, that lance would be responsible for helping escort light recon units away from pursuing clanners. If we go the recon route, the lance would be responsible for identifying the composition of clan units, then bugging out with the info.

Let's pick one:
Provide a quick response lance
[] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[] Royal Zephyr + support

----

There's a pretty awesome (in my opinion) scenario coming up involving decoy mechs, anybody up for a GM'd scenario? For those who haven't seen it before, we play out a battle by forum post. Each player takes control of one or more units. Each turn, I post a full map screenshot with the results of the opfor movement turn, then the players nominate their movement and firing targets, then I do my best to make it happen (to maintain sanity, the players always move after the opposition, with the exception of an "ace"), then post the firing phase results and next movement turn. Repeat until scenario finishes.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Zenn7 »

NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am [] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[x] Forget it

---
Let's pick one:
Provide a quick response lance
[x] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[x] Royal Zephyr + support
That round went a lot better, at least we got 1 Union. 12 fewer clan mechs to deal with later.

Let the Dracs have this one. No point pushing the issue right out of the gate and for a questionable hope at something good. Besides, we should get some credit towards the next opportunity right?

Heavier rapid response (more likely to survive).

If the Royal Zephyr is better suited for recon, not sure why we would even consider sending the Falcons/Zypher?
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TheMix »

[] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[X] Forget it
Any chance of leveraging the previous fight where they mostly sat back and let us get chewed up? That certainly helped them be able to do damage to the dropship this time.
Provide a quick response lance
[X] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster
Fast is good, but against Clan I'm concerned about the ability to survive. If their recon is that important, then they can also send some units. If we get taken out, then the recon isn't going to survive either.

I'd be willing to take a shot at the scenario if it makes sense (i.e. if my mech is involved).

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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Leraje »

NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am [] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[x] Forget it
Can we claim a part of salvage? If not - forget about it.
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am Provide a quick response lance
[x] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[] Royal Zephyr + support
Go for durability - clan recon units would be faster anyway unless we employ a horde of spiders and other bugs.
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am There's a pretty awesome (in my opinion) scenario coming up involving decoy mechs, anybody up for a GM'd scenario? For those who haven't seen it before, we play out a battle by forum post. Each player takes control of one or more units. Each turn, I post a full map screenshot with the results of the opfor movement turn, then the players nominate their movement and firing targets, then I do my best to make it happen (to maintain sanity, the players always move after the opposition, with the exception of an "ace"), then post the firing phase results and next movement turn. Repeat until scenario finishes.
I'm in.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by moleymoleymoley »

[] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[x] Forget it

Lots more salvage to be had, let's not piss them off already :D

Provide a quick response lance
[] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Slower = easier to hit and with even the lightest clan mechs packing erPPCs I don't think a few more points of armour is going to mitigate that. Even that extra speed might not be enough to avoid the excellent gunnery of clan veterans

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[X] Royal Zephyr + support

Good electronics on a super fast platform might let us get in and away, plus losing a few hovers isn't the end of the world. The chances of salvage on a run away mission like this are very low so why take the risk
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by moleymoleymoley »

Also, I'm in for the mission :dance:
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TotallyNotEvil »

NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am
There's a pretty awesome (in my opinion) scenario coming up involving decoy mechs, anybody up for a GM'd scenario? For those who haven't seen it before, we play out a battle by forum post. Each player takes control of one or more units. Each turn, I post a full map screenshot with the results of the opfor movement turn, then the players nominate their movement and firing targets, then I do my best to make it happen (to maintain sanity, the players always move after the opposition, with the exception of an "ace"), then post the firing phase results and next movement turn. Repeat until scenario finishes.
I'd be up for trying it out.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by El Guapo »

Leraje wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:20 pm
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am [] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[x] Forget it
Can we claim a part of salvage? If not - forget about it.
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am Provide a quick response lance
[x] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[] Royal Zephyr + support
Go for durability - clan recon units would be faster anyway unless we employ a horde of spiders and other bugs.
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am There's a pretty awesome (in my opinion) scenario coming up involving decoy mechs, anybody up for a GM'd scenario? For those who haven't seen it before, we play out a battle by forum post. Each player takes control of one or more units. Each turn, I post a full map screenshot with the results of the opfor movement turn, then the players nominate their movement and firing targets, then I do my best to make it happen (to maintain sanity, the players always move after the opposition, with the exception of an "ace"), then post the firing phase results and next movement turn. Repeat until scenario finishes.
I'm in.
I agree with this, and I'm in for the mission.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by AWS260 »

NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am [x] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[] Forget it
Screw those guys. If they're going make us stick to the rules, we're going to make them stick to the rules. If they make a big stink about it, we can be generous and allow them partial salvage, while pointing out how dishonorable they're being.
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am Provide a quick response lance
[] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[x] Royal Zephyr + support
The Zephyr with a Beagle probe gives us the best chance of getting away unscathed and risks the least combat materiel.

I will observe the GM'd scenario from afar, as always. The last thing we need is me messing things up with a bunch of bad decisions.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Hyena »

AWS260 wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:42 pm
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am [x] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[] Forget it
Screw those guys. If they're going make us stick to the rules, we're going to make them stick to the rules. If they make a big stink about it, we can be generous and allow them partial salvage, while pointing out how dishonorable they're being.
NickAragua wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:56 am Provide a quick response lance
[] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[x] Royal Zephyr + support
The Zephyr with a Beagle probe gives us the best chance of getting away unscathed and risks the least combat materiel.

I will observe the GM'd scenario from afar, as always. The last thing we need is me messing things up with a bunch of bad decisions.
Yes with this. Also, I am going to watch from afar, as I don't have the ease of access to respond in a timely manner. TEAR IT UP, OO!!
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Isgrimnur »

I'll be first alternate if it's full.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by $iljanus »

moleymoleymoley wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:32 pm [] See if we can get the salvage rights to the Union
[x] Forget it

Lots more salvage to be had, let's not piss them off already :D

Provide a quick response lance
[x] Delta-Recon - slightly tougher, slightly slower
[] Delta-Sweep - less tough, slightly faster

Slower = easier to hit and with even the lightest clan mechs packing erPPCs I don't think a few more points of armour is going to mitigate that. Even that extra speed might not be enough to avoid the excellent gunnery of clan veterans

Provide a recon tank lance
[] Three Falcons + Zephyr
[X] Royal Zephyr + support

Good electronics on a super fast platform might let us get in and away, plus losing a few hovers isn't the end of the world. The chances of salvage on a run away mission like this are very low so why take the risk
All the above and I’m game for participating in the scenario too if there’s room!
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Stefan Stirzaker »

Ditto to all and in if enough mechs for extras to join
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by NickAragua »

Vote Results:
Spoiler:
Forget it - unanimous

Delta-Sweep ||
Delta-Recon |||||

Three Falcons + Zephyr ||
Royal Zephyr + Support |||||
"Great!" The Dragoons rep responds. "Here's the coordinates for the recon run - a Union and a Leopard landed there. We want to figure out what exactly they've got. Probably mechs and toads, but exact unit counts and detailed scans will let us know what we can deploy where. As for your mech lance, I'll leave it to you where to deploy it, but here's the list of all the recon units and their projected coordinates that aren't going to be within range of mech support that we've got lined up. Now, while we're waiting for recon data, some of the Kurita people have come up with this idea of dressing up industrial mechs as battlemechs... "

---

Our hovertanks conduct their recon without any incident, thanks to the active probe allowing scanning from a much further range. Our response force, however...

"Recon-Three here. Looks like one of the Drac recon teams stirred up a hornet's nest. I'm reading four Skulkers heading our way, and two clan mechs chasing them."

"Right. Recon team, vector in our direction, we'll cover for you." the lance leader transmits. "Uh... recon team. Acknowledge."

"You think they're still trying to do radio silence, lieutenant?"

"That'd be pretty pointless, since they've got two clan mechs chasing them already. More likely they're being jammed - I'm showing an ECM source."

The Combine force appears to be four Skulker scout tanks, while our force is four mechs - a classic Phoenix Hawk (although with only a half-ton ammo bin and a little extra armor), a Spider, an Assassin and a Kurita-variant Firestarter (with a large laser).

Round 1:
Spoiler:
Image
"Yep, long-range comms are being jammed, but I think our Kurita buddies got the hint."

Round 2:
Spoiler:
Image
"Here they come!"

The clanner force is pretty light - a Koshi and a Hankyu. The Koshi is the source of the ECM and packs an interesting weapon mix - a pair of lasers (medium and small) in the right arm and an ultra AC/2 in the left arm. It's a pretty fast, but lightly-armored 25 tonner.

The Hankyu packs a laser and an LRM/5 rack in each arm, plus a torso-mounted flamer. It's a fast, lightly-armored 30-tonner.

Our Assassin lets the clanners know we're there with a single long range missile, having fired five but only one hitting the Koshi. The two clan mechs briefly ignore the provocation, frying some Kurita infantry that were apparently trying to set up a delaying action. With very limited success, but even ten seconds makes a difference. Two squads of Elementals drop off the clan mechs as well.

Round 3:
Spoiler:
Image
"Concentrate fire on the 25-tonner!" Our lance leader orders, snapping off a shot from the Phoenix Hawk's large laser. Our Spider does just that, jumping in to the Hankyu's right, running lasers along the mech's left torso and right arm, but failing to penetrate armor. A laser blast from the Koshi breaches the Spider's left torso, frying two jump jets, which doesn't deter our mechwarrior from taking a crack at the Hankyu's leg - the clan mech remains upright, however.

Round 4:
Spoiler:
Image
The Hankyu seems to have forgotten about the Skulkers and keeps working on our Spider, blasting the left torso section with an LRM salvo to blow out another jump jet. Meanwhile, the Koshi and Phoenix Hawk continue exchanging ineffectual fire. Our Firestarter delivers an armor-stripping kick to the back of the Hankyu's leg, but its armor holds up.

Round 5:
Spoiler:
Image
The Spider pulls back to the southeast, the loss of jump jets severely impacting the mech's ability to stay evasive, while our other three mechs pile in. The Phoenix Hawk takes an armor breach to the left leg, losing the foot actuator, while returning fire at the Hankyu eats a laser to the right leg for an armor breach but no major internal damage.

While the Hankyu is distracted slowly popping the Phoenix Hawk's leg actuators, our Firestarter jumps in and delivers a kick to the 25-ton mech's right leg. The limb crumples and the mech drops to the ground, where an ammo explosion rips through its right torso and out the back, sending the right arm off into the distance as the mechwarrior blacks out.

Round 6:
[camera feed disrupted]
"Looks like the Dracs are almost clear. Disengage when you can." The lance leader orders.

Our mechs basically disable the Koshi - an SRM from the Assassin jams up the left arm autocannon while the Firestarter overheats itself to slice the right arm up with the large laser. With no functional weapons, the 30-ton mech ceases pursuit, pulling back to its cracked-leg 25-ton buddy and the cover of the elementals.

We can probably defeat said elementals, but by the time we do, it's likely that the clanners will have more units out here so our window for any salvage operations will be pretty low and we run the risk of our salvage crews getting vaporized, especially since we only have two undamaged mechs to provide security - the Phoenix Hawk is unable to maneuver effectively with two busted leg actuators, while the Spider is a couple of stray gusts of wind from losing the left torso and arm section.

[] Attempt salvage anyway, risk clan follow-up
[] Head back to base, our job is done

---

GM'd scenario roster so far (a little over two lances, which ought to be enough to even the odds for your Kurita buddies):
TheMix - Crusader
Moley - Thunderbolt
TotallyNotEvil - Griffin
El Guapo - Marauder
Isgrimnur - Thug
Siljanus - Mackie
Stefan - Trebuchet
WestOrEast - Hatamoto-Hi
Leraje - Black Knight

I'll start it up on Monday.
Last edited by NickAragua on Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TotallyNotEvil »

[X] Head back to base, our job is done

A whole lotta heavies and assaults on the upcoming scenario.

Well, time for Steffan and I to be on the receiving end of "focus fire on the lighter unit first", take one for the team and all that.

Who knows, maybe I get to headcap someone with my new ERPPC before clan-spec weapons work us over. That'd be some great salvage.

I imagine most of everyone else's ride is very tricked out, especially given the lack of designations. You should remember my ERPPC, ERML x2 and LRM 15 Griffin, what's everyone else running?
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Leraje »

NickAragua wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:26 pm [] Attempt salvage anyway, risk clan follow-up
[x] Head back to base, our job is done

---

GM'd scenario roster so far (a nice and even two lances, which ought to be enough to even the odds for your Kurita buddies):
TheMix - Crusader
Moley - Thunderbolt
TotallyNotEvil - Griffin
El Guapo - Marauder
Isgrimnur - Thug
Siljanus - Mackie
Stefan - Trebuchet
WestOrEast - ? (feel free to pick one, the roster is *mostly* current)

I'll start it up on Monday.
Hey, why am I not on the list? :?
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by NickAragua »

Leraje wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:20 pm Hey, why am I not on the list? :?
My B. Updated.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TheMix »

TotallyNotEvil wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:59 pm [X] Head back to base, our job is done
Agree

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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TheMix »

TotallyNotEvil wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:59 pm I imagine most of everyone else's ride is very tricked out, especially given the lack of designations. You should remember my ERPPC, ERML x2 and LRM 15 Griffin, what's everyone else running?
Going back a couple of pages:
TheMix's refitted Crusader CRD-3L will catch up to us en route to Luthien. It's got a pretty impressive array of weapons - two each of LRM/10, streak SRM/2, medium laser and MG. Also an anti-missile system, and ammo protected by case, with armor near maximum. All this is kept pretty cool by double heat sinks, although the jump jets will prevent our mechwarrior from freezing.
Some missiles and a medium laser while closing, and then machine guns (MG, right?) and lots of armor for mixing it up close and personal. I believe.

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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by $iljanus »

TheMix wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:27 pm
TotallyNotEvil wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:59 pm [X] Head back to base, our job is done
Agree
I’m sure we’ll have better salvage in the upcoming battle so no need to risk our salvage teams now.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by AWS260 »

Forget it - unanimous
Not true!
[X] Head back to base, our job is done
Agree with this.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Zenn7 »

AWS260 wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:19 pm
Forget it - unanimous
Not true!
[X] Head back to base, our job is done
Agree with this.
Remember everyone, your vote counts. Unless you're AWS260. :p

Head back to base, better/less riskier salvage ahead.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by $iljanus »

Zenn7 wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:42 pm
AWS260 wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:19 pm
Forget it - unanimous
Not true!
[X] Head back to base, our job is done
Agree with this.
Remember everyone, your vote counts. Unless you're AWS260. :p

Head back to base, better/less riskier salvage ahead.
Not too sure about less riskier… :lol:
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Zenn7 »

$iljanus wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:48 pm
Zenn7 wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:42 pm
AWS260 wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:19 pm
Forget it - unanimous
Not true!
[X] Head back to base, our job is done
Agree with this.
Remember everyone, your vote counts. Unless you're AWS260. :p

Head back to base, better/less riskier salvage ahead.
Not too sure about less riskier… :lol:
I'm only talking about the risk to our salvage crews. Getting to the point of winning and being able to salvage that better salvage will undoubtedly be much riskier than this fight ended up being. :)
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by moleymoleymoley »

[X] Head back to base, our job is done

Getting the salvage crews killed now would limit the ability to salvage a Thor in later missions ;)

I'm packing an introtech Thunderbolt SE, which iirc has jump jets, 3 med lasers, a LRM 10 and either a PPC or a large laser and a lot of armour
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Freyland »

moleymoleymoley wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:12 am [X] Head back to base, our job is done

Getting the salvage crews killed now would limit the ability to salvage a Thor in later missions ;)

I'm packing an introtech Thunderbolt SE, which iirc has jump jets, 3 med lasers, a LRM 10 and either a PPC or a large laser and a lot of armour
I agree with KhorneKhorneKhorne up there.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Hyena »

Freyland wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 9:43 am
moleymoleymoley wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:12 am [X] Head back to base, our job is done

Getting the salvage crews killed now would limit the ability to salvage a Thor in later missions ;)

I'm packing an introtech Thunderbolt SE, which iirc has jump jets, 3 med lasers, a LRM 10 and either a PPC or a large laser and a lot of armour
I agree with KhorneKhorneKhorne up there.
I had to look that up, but it made actually LOL
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by Leraje »

Hyena wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:46 am
Freyland wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 9:43 am
moleymoleymoley wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:12 am [X] Head back to base, our job is done

Getting the salvage crews killed now would limit the ability to salvage a Thor in later missions ;)

I'm packing an introtech Thunderbolt SE, which iirc has jump jets, 3 med lasers, a LRM 10 and either a PPC or a large laser and a lot of armour
I agree with KhorneKhorneKhorne up there.
I had to look that up, but it made actually LOL
So you'll be repainting your mech red? :twisted:
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by NickAragua »

Black Lives Matter
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by NickAragua »

"... still can't believe that fight lasted only four minutes." WestOrEast tells Moley on the way back to base. "This doesn't really bode well for how the rest of this contract is gonna go, though."

Moley nods, gingerly walking the Thunderbolt around some rocks, making sure to avoid even the slightest bit of uneven terrain. "Yeah. We've got, what, three mechs that game out of that undamaged? Everything else will need days, if not weeks, of shop time."

"We're just lucky none of our guys got seriously hurt. Even though Isgrimnur and Siljanus look like ground beef on video." WestOrEast comments.

"And we've only just started." Moley responds.

---

"So, I've been thinking." El Guapo tells Leraje.

"There's a surprise." His fellow officer quips, laughing.

"Yeah, real funny there, guy." El Guapo mock stomps the Marauder's foot on a patch of grass as he walks. "We've got all the clan names for these mechs in the database now. Can we stop calling them the random designations that some guy's battle computer originally gave them and just start calling them their proper names?"

Leraje shrugs. "I don't see why not."

[AN: I kind of prefer using the clan names for the mechs; but some of them are a little pretentious. Do we want to stick to using Inner Sphere designations for those when we run into them, or go with the clan designations?]

[] Inner Sphere names for Clan mechs
[] Clan names for Clan mechs

---

We won, but the engagement cost us. Aside from the massive losses the Kurita forces took, six of our mechs are heavily damaged. Most notrably, TheMix's Crusader ran through all of its LRM ammo and has two armor breaches (including a head shot, engine hit and a blown out jump jet); Siljanus' Mackie will need its right arm reattached; WestOrEast's Hatamoto-Hi lost a pair of pulse lasers, and Stefan's Trebuchet is missing the left arm along with two lasers and an LRM launcher. The other mechs have all taken armor damage, with Leraje coming out unscathed thanks to hanging back on a hilltop and sniping.

Siljanus and Isgrimnur are both pretty beat up, nothing major or permanent, but multiple cuts and bruises, with TheMix and Moley each having taken a minor hit as well. Still, deploying our injured mechwarriors would be a little risky.

Salvage is excellent. In addition to the beheaded Daishi, we claim three Mad Cats (although one is beyond repair), the Black Hawk, a Ryoken, and the Nobori-Nin. A Vulture is in "disputed" status, while the Kurita forces claim the Thor, Man O' War and a Loki.

We may haggle with the Kurita guys over specific salvage at a slight disadvantage: they're willing to cede some of the chassis they claim, but want us to give up some of the mechs we're claiming.

The Daishi is a no-brainer to keep. With standard internal structure and standard armor, we can maintain it indefinitely. The omni-pods make it trivial to swap the ammo-using weapons out for stuff that doesn't use impossible-to-obtain ammunition, such as gauss rifles or LBX/10 autocannons.

One of the Mad Cats is totaled, the other is "just" missing its head and the third is technically repairable, but is actually just the right two thirds of the torso with a leg and a head attached, so it's basically good for spare parts. A Mad Cat is a very nice chassis, (the "Prime" featuring two paired large lasers while the "A" has twin extended-range PPCs) but the usage of clan-spec endo-steel internal structure and clan-spec ferro-fibrous armor will make maintenance difficult over the long run.

The Vulture is a solid mech, though, looking over at the specs, this "Prime" variant has some heat issues. Still, with 2x each of large pulse laser and medium pulse laser, backed up by two LRM/20s, it delivers good firepower. Standard internal structure makes obtaining replacement parts reasonable, but the clan-spec ferro-fibrous armor will be difficult to obtain, as the clans don't exactly have a trade relationship with the Inner Sphere.

The Black Hawk is shot all to hell. We'll be able to find replacement parts for the missing actuators and armor, but the real crazy thing is the fact that it has TWELVE extended-range medium lasers. Well, technically eleven, one of them got shorted out. A specialized combat computer helps manage heat from the entirely too many lasers, but it's not enough - you can still shut down if you just fire everything. It's got the jump capability of a fast medium mech, and its squat nature makes it harder to hit. The only draw back is the limited torso-twist capability. We'll be able to maintain it pretty easily due to it using standard structure and armor components.

The Thor moves like a fast medium mech (when it's not missing a third of its torso and most of its engine, along with a leg and most of the actuators on its other leg), but packs excessive long-range firepower: an LBX autocannon, an extended-range PPC and an LRM/15 launcher. Its main limit appears to be its combat endurance, as it only packs ten shots for the LBX and sixteen for the missile launcher. Still, some of our mechwarriors have expressed a desire to use it.

The Nobori-Nin is a fast medium mech, equipped with a solid weapons array: two medium pulse lasers, an extended-range PPC and an LB-10X autocannon. Also, two machine guns and a full ton of ammo for some reason: the clans don't seem immune to weird design decisions. This particular example is missing most of its torso and both arms, and uses fancy endo-steel/ferro-fibrous armor - even if we did get it fixed up, maintenance would be a bear.

The Man O' War is kind of a poorly performing assault mech with the questionable choice of dual LB-5X autocannons in addition to twelve standard SRM tubes (although the omni-pods allow easy weapon swapping to something more useful). While the standard internal structure makes maintenance feasible, the clan-spec ferro-fibrous armor does not help in that regard. This particular example has had its right side and left arm blown off, and has hip damage.

The Ryoken has all the fancy clan structural elements, allowing it to fit a lot of good equipment in there (2x extended-range large laser, 3x extended-range medium laser), but making maintenance on our end a nightmare. Once we re-attach the right leg, it's actually in pretty decent shape.

The Loki, we've seen in action before. It's a design reminiscent of the classic Warhammer, up to and including the heat issues when firing both PPCs. It also packs three ER Medium lasers, a streak SRM/6 launcher, a pair of machine guns and an anti-missile system which served it particularly well. To prevent boarding attempts, it's got four sets of explosive charges, two on its leg. Battle armor troopers trying to climb up will get an unpleasant surprise. This one is missing the right leg, but the standard components make maintenance a relative breeze.

We can optionally trade-off chassis to the Kurita guys at a 2:1 exchange rate of tonnage. Moley has expressed a particular interest in driving a Thor, so we'd prefer to make at least that happen. While the "high-maintenance" mechs aren't something we'd necessarily use, we can still take the intact good weapons off of them.

What we have to trade:
[] Daishi. Yeah, right.
[] Mad Cat #11. 75 tons, extremely damaged, low combat endurance, maintenance is a nightmare
[] Mad Cat #12. 75 tons, pretty good shape, excellent weapons, maintenance is a nightmare
[] Mad Cat #3. 75 tons, good for spare parts only.
[] Black Hawk. 50 tons, extreme firepower, easy maintenance
[] Ryoken #5. 55 tons, fast, good firepower, nightmare maintenance
[] Nobori-Nin. 50 tons, normal speed, good firepower, nightmare maintenance
[] Vulture. Worth 30 tons due to kill credit dispute.

What we may like to pick up:
[] Thor. 70 tons, low combat endurance, fancy armor, excessive engine damage
[] Loki. 65 tons, heat issues, low armor, easy maintenance.
[] Vulture. 60 tons, heat issues, fancy armor
[] Man O' War. 80 tons, not great weapons, fancy armor.

--

Combat-wise, our next battle is another Clan attempt to push out of their landing zone in the Tairakana "plains" (although some of our mechwarriors are starting to wonder if the Kurita definition of "plains" is maybe different than the rest of the galaxy, considering how many hills and dense woods there are in the area). A combined Smoke Jaguar binary (a heavy and a medium star) is pushing out against a heavy company of Sword of Light mechs, but a Kurita aerospace patrol has spotted an advancing Nova Cat light star about to join in the party before being engaged by four light and medium Smoke Jaguar fighters.

Our Wolf's Dragoons liaison tells us with a chuckle that the Kurita forces have "asked politely" that we provide either aerospace support or ground support (or both). We've got two functional aerospace flights and more or less ten mech lances. Realistically speaking, we'll want to send in at least two fighting units if we expect the Kurita forces to survive.

[] Specify number of aerospace flights
[] Specify number of mech lances
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TotallyNotEvil »

2:1? I suppose there's good reason they are called Snakes.

In terms of spare parts, do we get any of the blown off limbs and such?

The Thor's got a shot up engine, and at 140 tons to trade for it, I'm hesitant. Moley, ain't nothing else that catches your eye? And I say this as someone with an eye on the Thor Summoner myself, but it puts the "fix" in "fixer-upper".

Me? I'd love nothing more than to strap JJs onto a Mad Cat Timber Wolf and ride into the sunset.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by El Guapo »

NickAragua wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:22 pm
[] Inner Sphere names for Clan mechs
[X] Clan names for Clan mechs, except rename Ryoken as the "Hadouken"
I agree with myself.
NickAragua wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:22 pm We can optionally trade-off chassis to the Kurita guys at a 2:1 exchange rate of tonnage. Moley has expressed a particular interest in driving a Thor, so we'd prefer to make at least that happen. While the "high-maintenance" mechs aren't something we'd necessarily use, we can still take the intact good weapons off of them.

What we have to trade:
[] Daishi. Yeah, right.
[] Mad Cat #11. 75 tons, extremely damaged, low combat endurance, maintenance is a nightmare
[] Mad Cat #12. 75 tons, pretty good shape, excellent weapons, maintenance is a nightmare
[] Mad Cat #3. 75 tons, good for spare parts only.
[] Black Hawk. 50 tons, extreme firepower, easy maintenance
[X] Ryoken #5. 55 tons, fast, good firepower, nightmare maintenance
[X] Nobori-Nin. 50 tons, normal speed, good firepower, nightmare maintenance
[X] Vulture. Worth 30 tons due to kill credit dispute.

What we may like to pick up:
[X] Thor. 70 tons, low combat endurance, fancy armor, excessive engine damage
[] Loki. 65 tons, heat issues, low armor, easy maintenance.
[] Vulture. 60 tons, heat issues, fancy armor
[] Man O' War. 80 tons, not great weapons, fancy armor.

--
Will this work? Technically it's 5 tons short, but maybe we can toss in a few c-bills or something?

If not I'd be inclined to trade them for the Loki instead.
NickAragua wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:22 pm [1] Specify number of aerospace flights
[1] Specify number of mech lances
This seems like the way to go, in terms of providing good support and getting some salvage opportunities.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TotallyNotEvil »

Can we even fix up the damaged engine?

Hm, the Stormcrow is god-tier as far as medium mechs go, its only drawback being not jumping. Trading it feels kind of bad, but "nightmare maintenance" does stick out to me as being, ahem, a problem.

Not as painful a deal as I thought.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by NickAragua »

TotallyNotEvil wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:53 pm Can we even fix up the damaged engine?
Yep. Just need ~1.5 million C-Bills worth of spare parts and a few weeks in the shop (take the engine out; replace destroyed torso sections; repair the engine; re-mount the engine). And then a couple more weeks to reattach all the ripped off arms and legs.
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Re: Let's Play: Battletech via MegaMek (G2)

Post by TotallyNotEvil »

NickAragua wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 4:02 pm
TotallyNotEvil wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:53 pm Can we even fix up the damaged engine?
Yep. Just need ~1.5 million C-Bills worth of spare parts and a few weeks in the shop (take the engine out; replace destroyed torso sections; repair the engine; re-mount the engine). And then a couple more weeks to reattach all the ripped off arms and legs.
Is substituting Clan FF for IS FF simpler?

Also, you said GR and LB-X ammo is nigh-impossible to get. But aren't those making their way around the IS right now?

... And isn't GR ammo just simple ferro-magnetic spheres, i.e. giant ballbearings?
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