ScrapYard Armory

3069 Luthien

The Jihad has erupted and Theodore Kurita lies in a coma.  In this time of Chaos the Black Dragons strike at the capital to seize control of the Combine.  When the Blakists arrive to help the question remains… help who?

This three faction battle was played at TotalCon 2013.  Many thanks go to the players and to the game master Mike Mahaney.

The Forces

The Black Dragons

• Griffin – custom
• Shadowhawk – custom
• Wolverine 8C
• Warhammer 8D

The Red Dragons

• Firestarter OD
• Grand Dragon 7K
• Avatar OC
• Charger C

Word of Blake

• Crab 30
• Raijin 101-C
• Champion 3P
• Bombadier 14C
• Tessen

Turn 1

The Red Dragons move cautiously on the western side of the map.  They appear unwilling to over play their hand so early in the game.  They use a local building for cover as they draw slowly closer to the opposing forces.

The Word of Blake takes a more daring start and rushes towards a small hill that stands between them and the Black Dragons.

The Black Dragons have a similar idea and use the hill to cover their advance.  The lone Warhammer lags behind and heads towards a slightly southern waypoint.

No weapons fire on this turn as there is no line of sight.

Turn 2

The Word of Blake concentrate their force at the edge of the woods near the Black Dragons.  Their faster units vault onto the hill taking partial cover.

The Black Dragons respond by jumping into the edge of the woods being careful to not give up any easy shots.  The Warhammer is not quite separated (but still well in range of its PPCs) from the main Black Dragon force and makes his way slowly south-west.

The Red Dragons continue to creep closer using the hills and building as cover to stay out of sight.

In a surprising turn, the Word of Blake manages to cut out the Black Dragon Master C3 unit from the network ruining some otherwise juicy shots from the Warhammer.  Regardless the only damage dealt that turn was a large pulse laser hit on the Word of Blake Crab.  First blood to the Black Dragons.

Turn 3

Perhaps deterred from their initial encounter the Word of Blake abandons the eastern hill and takes a western route along the edge of the woods towards the approaching Red Dragons.

The Red Dragons have now brought their tightly packed force into the fray and position several units within sight of the Word of Blake force.

The Black Dragons jump deeper into the woods keeping an equal distance between the two other forces.  The Warhammer continues to creep along at the southern edge of the map looking for shots.

The Black Dragons lack line of sight for any shots.

The Grand Dragon (Red Dragon force) takes some decent hits from the Word of Blake, but only loses some armor.  One head hit shakes up the pilot but he remains conscious.

Return fire concentrates on the Champion (RD player rolls to-hits of 12, 12, 12, 10 and 9!) and slags multiple tons of armor from the Word of Blake ‘Mech.

Turn 4

The Black Dragon Warhammer finally makes it to his sniping post, a partial cover hill overlooking the bulk of the battle well in range of his PPCs.  The other Black Dragon units jump atop the center hill to confront the advancing Word of Blake.

The Word of Blake sends their faster units into the woods to harras the Black Dragons while the heavier units push the Red Dragon force preferring to stay at a modest range in doing so.

The Red Dragons continue to dance just out of reach and remains cautious about committing to the battle in earnest.

The Word of Blake open up on the Black Dragon Shadowhawk and Wolverine.  The damage is heavy but well spread across the available locations.  The Shadowhawk takes one head hit.

The Black Dragons concentrate fire on the Raijin and scores modest damage.  The Warhammer, despite decent to-hit numbers at range, manages to miss with everything.

The Red Dragons and Word of Blake trade shots at range and manage to only scratch up more armor in the process.

Turn 5

The Black Dragons push hard with the Griffin and Wolverine while the Shadowhawk jumps back to take a breather.  The Warhammer stands still overlooking the battle.

The Word of Blake is now spread out but applying pressure on the Red Dragons who back up, seemingly unwilling to go toe to toe with the Blakists.  The Word of Blake Tessen boldly makes a run along the northern edge of the battle field to force action against the Red Dragon force.  The Raijin

stays behind to harass the Black Dragon force.

The Red Dragon player general comments that their force is exercising a strategy of “cautious indifference” for this battle.

The Red Dragon force concentrates fire on the Word of Blake Tessen who wobbles under the barrage and is sent to the ground after a failed piloting skill roll.

The Word of Blake response is scattered and sheds modest amounts of armor from the Red Dragons.  The lone bright spot is when the Bombadier scores an impressive full LRM20 rack hit on the Red Dragon Firestarter which includes a head hit.

In a spectacular display of ineffectiveness, the Black Dragons miss every shot they attempt this turn.

Turn 6

The Word of Blake strongly pushes against the Red Dragons who finally respond in kind and plunge their unit into the fray.  Jumping ‘Mechs fly across and over opposing units looking for rear shots.  A fury of combat erupts near the north-western hill.

The Black Dragons perch themselves on the hills and at the edge of the woods to take shots at long range as they come.

The Black Dragons concentrate fire on the Word of Blake Bombadier and slags armor away revealing the internal structure on the left leg.

The Red Dragons spread their attacks but the Champion takes the worst of it, losing all armor on the right leg (1 foot critical hit) as well as the right arm.

The Word of Blake takes a beating this turn and cannot muster up the die rolls to return the favor.  Lots of misses and missed opportunities in the now mostly short range brawl.

Turn 7

The Red Dragon player reiterates their overarching strategy of “casual disinterest”.  Their units begin to jump away as they can and try to maneuver out of the grasp of the Word of Blake force.

The Word of Blake doubles down and continues to press on the Red Dragons while the Raijin guards the rear from the Black Dragon force.

The Black Dragons remain stoic on their respective hills.  Only the Wolverine ventures forward closer to the enemy to provide C3 spotting for his lancemates.

The Black Dragons concentrate fire on the Blakist Champion.  Right leg criticals cripple the ‘Mech and more armor is slagged away.  Another head hit adds to the punishment.  The ‘Mech would fall at the end of the phase taking another pilot hit in the process.

The Word of Blake manages to riddle the Black Dragon Griffin with over 20 points of damage, shedding armor but failing to do any serious damage.

The remaining Word of Blake and Red Dragon units pour weapons fire into each other melting armor away by the ton.

In the physical attack phase the Word of Blake Tessen reaps some revenge and kicks off the arm of the Firestarter beneath him.

Turn 8

The Red Dragons continue to pull back and are almost the the edge of the map.  The Black Dragons stay put in their sniping positions using the Wolverine to spot for their attacks.  The Word of Blake spreads out slightly while keeping all of their units within sight of the enemy.

In a surprise move, the Red Dragons send their Charger to charge the Word of Blake Bombadier.

The Black Dragons concentrate fire on the already battered Blakist Champion.  After two head hits, weapon criticals and blown off arms, the ‘Mech falls knocking the pilot unconscious and crippling the engine.

The Word of Blake Raijin and Black Dragon Wolverine are toe to toe and trade shots.  The Raijin suffers a head hit and has it’s SRM ammo crit’d causing the ‘Mech to go up in smoke.

Remaining Word of Blake ‘Mechs pummel the Red Dragon Charger but only manage to ding the armor of the mighty assault ‘Mech.

Remaining weapons fire is ineffective at dealing significant damage.

The Charger makes his piloting skill roll to remain standing after weapons fire.  Then the charge roll… misses! The Charger trips in the process and falls.

The End

At this point the convention slot was up and a winner was declared.  The Black Dragons managed to deal the most damage and took down two Word of Blake ‘Mechs and were declared the winner.

The technology oriented news site ArsTechnica has released an article on MechWarrior Online.  A very well traveled forum topic in their Ars OpenForums has turned into a stomping ground for MWO enthusiasts.  Most seem to be exclusive video game jockeys and not board game converts.  Proof that the video game is fertile ground for indoctrinating new blood into the board game we all know and love.

There are a great collection of links in the first post.  The conversation is likewise interesting as readers get to know the game (albeit in it’s Beta incarnation).

It’s great to see another well know website pick up on BattleTech related games.  The more exposure the better.

The Article

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/01/is-mechwarrior-online-robot-stomping-fun-ars-openforum-decides/

The Forums

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1159731

The latest installment of the Historical Turning Points, Antallos, has arrived and it promises to break new ground by bringing in aerospace to the mix of combined arms action.  The well known Geoff Swift is at the helm for this installment.  I am very anxious to dive into this PDF to see how aerospace is folded into the Chaos Campaign mix.

Best Laid Plans

In the Civil War era the opportunistic Snow Ravens are not your stereotypical honor driven fundamentalists of the original invasion.  For an interesting change, it is not as clear who is the bad guy in this short fiction.  The action is fast paced and provides an excellent introduction to the tone of the PDF.  Pirate or Clan?  Who will you be rooting for?

Antallos

Antallos is a water poor planet plagued by a persistent pirate influence.  Scarred and forgotten by the Succession Wars it seemed only natural that pirates would be quick to fill the power vacuum.

This section gives a quick overview of the history of the planet while providing background information on the current state of the densely populated but sparely located cities.  A selection of recommended mapsheets and optional rules plucked from Tactical Operations rounds out the section.

All of this is standard fare for the Turning Points series.  However, I would like to mention that I find the background of Antallos to be especially inviting for campaigns and adventures.  While never a front line planet in the succession wars, there has been no end to conflict which can be used as a backdrop for further adventures on or around the planet.

The Cleansing of Antallos

The Cleansing of Antallos picks up the history of the planet beginning in 3067 with the Snow Ravens looking to solidify their alliance with the Outworlds.

Soon after the Ravens land forces on planet a small but technologically advanced Word of Blake force joins the fray.  Throughout the battle, Aerospace forces remained a significant participant (or target) of attacks.

Whether you are a fan of the Clans, the pirates, or the Word of Blake there is a little something for everyone in this battle.

Random Assignment Tables

RAT tables are provided for Periphery, Snow Ravens and Word of Blake.  The very notable new item is Aerospace fighters for each faction.  These will come into play in the tracks section and is very exciting to see.

A short vehicle RAT is provided for the periphery and Word of Blake to account for conventional forces used in specific battles.

Commanders

The commander of the Snow Ravens and the Pirate force are each given a brief bio and relevant RPG stats.  However, there was no Word of Blake commander; potentially because there was no significant leader to speak of.  Or perhaps they were running long on the page count.

Both commanders have a short yet detailed bio with added A Time of War stats.  Not a complete record sheet but rather a quick set of basic skills/traits to be used as a baseline to create a full character if needed by an ambitious game master.

Combatants

Each combatant is provided a short set of notes, unit logo, and the usual stats we have come to expect from a Turning Points PDF.  The unit abilities were well on the safe side of things and rarely strayed from situational initiative/piloting/gunnery bonuses or penalties.

The notable exceptions come from the Word of Blake.  There is a word of blake special ability involving suicide fusion engine explosions.  Whats not to like about that?

There is also a surprise entry by the Clan Dark Caste but it still feels like the section as a whole is somewhat disappointing.

Tracks

Eight warchest tracks are presented in Antallos, on par with earlier Turning Points releases.

Welcome to the first Quick Strike / BattleForce centric Turning Point PDF.  Seriously, the force sizes recommended in the tracks are enormous.  The force descriptions regularly reference cluster or regiment size forces.  Turn Out the Dark recommends players use the Dark Caste’s entire force of 48 OmniMechs.  These are potentially huge battles.

Throughout the tracks there is also a strong campaign theme.  Tracks frequently make use of “surviving” units from prior tracks.  While playable as individual scenarios it seems the authors intended a much larger connected campaign.  Imagine you are stating with the entire TO&E of the combatants involved and slowly commit them to action, rolling in survivors into new battles as the campaign wears on.

Aerospace forces make frequent appearances in ground support operations while taking center stage in two space battles.

The available objectives are on a whole kept rather ordinary (kill the other guy).  What keeps the tracks from seeming stale are the interesting use of terrain features (ammo dumps, crowded urban) and special rules (pirates trying to make off with loot while fighting, dropship capture).  I regularly harp on uninspired objectives and optional bonuses but Antallos manages to get away with it by adding something special to each track.

There are some very interesting tracks to be played.  Turn Out the Dark, one of the two space tracks, has multiple competing pirate slots that would allow for a lot of different people to play in the game.  Maybe a great convention track?  While you are not directly competing with the other pirate players, only a handful of you are destined to make it away from the pursuing Ravens.  I’m sure that will result in some interesting decisions and either some noble sacrifices or nefarious backstabbing.

Record Sheets

Only a single record sheet is provided and it is of a dropship used in one of the space missions.  This is an uncharacteristically low number of record sheets for the Turning Points series.  Being an aerospace centric release I would have liked to see at least one custom aerospace fighter.  Certainly the pirate force would have had customized ‘Mechs within their ranks.  This section ends up being a letdown.

Summary

Antallos is full of hits and misses.  The product as a whole fits between the best and the worst of the Turning Points series.  If you are a fan of BattleForce or Quickstrike, you will find a lot of great scenarios to play.  The tracks are a good mix of interesting situations that make up for otherwise lackluster objectives.  The huge recommended force sizes and campaign undertones will be a boon to some and a turn-off for others.

Antallos is very much worth the $5 entry fee.  There is a great story inside but it may not fit into your must have list right this instant.  Your mileage may vary.

2012 was a hectic year with a mix of hits and misses.  I had the distinct surprise of being able to attend GenCon at almost the last minute.  To be honest my time to work on the blog has been limited this year but I see a lot of great posts in the pipeline and my love of the game has not diminished.  I expect to continue this blog well into the future and keep posting great BattleTech content as often as I can.

2012 also saw the Beta release of The Succession Wars online game here at the ScrapYard.  This is a huge milestone for the development team who worked for some time behind closed doors and through a private Alpha test game to bring this effort to life.  While there remains more work to do, we have a list of bug fixes in the pipeline that are almost ready to roll out.

BattleTech is a great passion of mine and I love sharing through this blog.  Here’s to a great 2013; Whatever adventures it may bring!

Without further adieu, here are the top posts from the past year ranked by page views.

1. The Bounty Hunter Dossier Review
2. The Succession Wars Beta
3. WorldWorksGames a Time of War Terrain
4. Mech Repair Bay by Iron Wind Metals
5. The Succession Wars Combat Simulator
6. Total Chaos Review
7. City Fight
8. Catalyst Delivers Interstellar Operations Open Beta is Live
9. The Succession Wars Vassal Module 2.1
10. Ranger Danger

Thanks to all those who take the time to read this blog and especially those who leave a comment!  I love hearing from fans of the game!

Keep those dice rolling in 2013!

The Dossier line of PDF only products continues with the Bounty Hunter.  The enigma of the Bounty Hunter and his involvement (or non-involvement) in the Jihad era is a great storyline in the BattleTech universe.  I’ve been very interested in this product and like other Dossiers it is well supported by Iron Wind Metals with companion miniatures to bring the story to your tabletop.

The notable Paul Sjardijn and Mike Miller are at the helm for this title and I’m anxious to to see how they bring the Bounty Hunter to life.

Indirect Acquisition

The opening short fiction is one I would have liked to see finished in BattleCorps or another source.  I really enjoyed the slow build up of suspense before the abrupt end right before the real action was about to commence.  I’ve asked on the forums if there is more to the story and will update this post if I get a definitive reply.  A very good start to the PDF none the less.

Unit History / Profile

A two page introduction to the Bounty Hunter touches upon his history, companions, major feuds  but never fully fleshes out any.  It is times like these that the necessarily brief synopsis provided by these PDF only releases feels inadequate.  It feels like the Bounty Hunter is a topic worth much higher billing.  Regardless it was enjoyable and awe inspiring to discover a sub-company level unit with such a rich history.

Each member of the team gets at least one page to describe their background and how they came to be one of the select few in the Bounty Hunter retinue.  Interestingly enough each member BUT the Bounty Hunter has a profile picture.  Probably on purpose…

Also detailed is the personal ’Mech used by each MechWarrior complete with quirks from Strat Ops.

Missions

The mission section features three WarChest tracks and one RPG mission.  This is actually one more than previous Dossier products.

I enjoyed the first two tracks.  I found the setups to be unique and well complimented by the special rules.  Both of these early tracks feature a way for the Bounty Hunter to win through a die roll that goes from very rare to good odds the more opposing units are killed.  It represents a kind of momentum system that makes up for the lack of balance inherent in the mission setups.  Let’s face it, even the baddest heaviest most advanced ‘Mechs in BattleTech are going to have a bad day when surrounded and outnumbered.  This gives the Bounty Hunter a way out by using his notoriety and fear so long as he can generate a few early kills to get the ball rolling.

The RPG mission involves a set of objectives and a general description of the mission such that a GM can build up the story and the elements required for players to game in.  A one page GM section includes further details that can be used to feed players information as discovered through role play.  I’m not the biggest fan of role playing games but I feel like there is still an awful lot of detail to be made up on the part of the GM.  I’m not expecting street maps of Tian-tan but maybe a floor plan of the safe house would have been nice.  These details will have to be made by the GM ahead of time for the game to go smoothly.

The last WarChest track is more of a single scenario than a part of a larger campaign.  The mission is a simple one-on-one battle between the Bounty Hunter and Kai Allard Liao.  It follows the storyline but is a understandably simple in construction.  I appreciate the additional track added earlier to compensate for the scenario-ish mission this track is.  Still a great mission to run.  I may try my luck as the Bounty Hunter to see if he really is the greatest MechWarrior in the Inner Sphere.

For the purposes of the last mission a short RPG profile of Kai Allard-Liao is provided for players to generate Piloting and Gunnery values as well as combat related traits and abilities.

Character Sheets

RPG sheets are provided for each member of the Bounty Hunter squad.  Not much to say here.  Very similar to other Dossier books.

Record Sheets

Ten ‘Mech record sheets are provided in the back of the PDF.  Some of the bulk here is due to the fact that the Bounty Hunter uses so many different machines.  Also included is a stock ‘Mech design, the Ryoken B used by Kai Allard-Liao.  While not a custom design, I appreciate the inclusion as it means that players have instant access to everything they need to play the last mission.  No need to buy another product to get the record sheet to play the last mission.  Good thinking.

The Final Word

Even with the extra track I feel like the tale of the Bounty Hunter was a bit too long a story to properly cover in this PDF release.  It is more of an appetizer for a main course that I hope can be found in other sourcebooks and BattleCorps offerings.

As far as the still young Dossier series is concerned this is by far the best so far.  With an added track, instantly notable subject, and a plethora of record sheets there is a good amount of content here.  I still prefer the Turning Points series as far as bang for your buck but something about the Bounty Hunter tips this offering over the threshold for me.

After a long wait Randall has delivered the goods and has posted the first of the IO beta documents.

The first section up for review is the Solar System Generation rules,  Not my most anticipated section of the rules but a welcome start to the beta effort.

The best thing we can do as a fan base is to take the time to kick the tires, provide constructive feedback and let Catalyst know we appreciate what they are doing.

http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=27

Fresh from GenCon I brought home a copy of the new and as of yet limited release Iron Wind Metals ‘Mech Repair Bay.  Sold in a  clamshell package it costs a mere $25.  A steal for such a large terrain piece.  As of the writing of this article I have not heard word that this piece is available for sale.  I will update this post when I receive confirmation from the folks at IWM.  I’m aware that they had some mold issues and the few that made it to GenCon were lucky to have been available at all.

I took my sweet time before putting the whole thing together and slapping a quick paint job on it but I am very happy with the result and am looking forward to using it as an objective in a future game.

Opening

Inside the package you will find a three part base, 5 full struts, and one strut support.

A small hand sketched instruction sheet shows how it all fits together which took a  bit of staring at for me to really get it and be able to dry fit everything in place.  From here on out there is a lot of sanding and filing.  The good news is that while the mold lines are prominent they are very obvious and are easy to get to.  You won’t be worrying about filing away fine detail while you are preparing to paint.  More on this later on.

Gluing the Base

For the base, I used a two part 5 minute epoxy to join the two halves and the ramp.  I made sure to be careful to use just enough epoxy to get the job done while holding the platform against a flat surface during curing.  I was afraid that the plates would find themselves stuck to my desk but I kept the base moving around just enough to make sure they behaved. Same process with the ramp which was more forgiving due to a small shelf built in to connect it to the rest fo the base.

Preparing the Struts

For a while I was painstakingly filing away on the struts to remove mold lines on the flats of the support beams.  Normally I wouldn’t use a dremel tool on a miniature but in this case where we have large flat surfaces to prep, the tool seems to be the perfect choice.  With my dremel in hand I was able to clean up all of the beams in less than 10 minutes.

After these were finished up I dry fit the whole thing together   Even without glue the struts support and balance on each other so you can see how it is going to come together.   It does take some patience though as the completed bay is a bit like a house of cards.  The first strut to be moved out of balance will cause the whole thing to crash down.

Some of the struts I had to bend slightly to make them fit.  Out of the box some of them were slightly out of true.

Gluing the Struts

For the struts I used some standard gap filling CA glue (Zap a Gap Medium).  This is some tricky business to get the whole thing up but take your time dry-fitting and it will work out fine.

Base Coat

The struts and supports got based in flat Black while the floor got a healthy coat of GunMetal.  The struts took a bit of time to get done since I was using a brush to try to get into all of the nooks and crannies.   In hind sight the right way to do this would have been to spray paint the struts BEFORE gluing them together.  That way you would be assured that you get even and complete coverage and would also would take less time.

Wash

The floor of the ‘Mech Bay was washed in a black ink solution with Future floor finish.  This darkened the floor giving it a dirtier appearance.

Details

Details are always important and I knew I had to do something to help this terrain piece pop.  It is a bit bland in two tone color even after a wash.

The struts and supports got a light dry-brushing of GunMetal to help pick them out.  I added small warning strip box corners on the floor and did some additional ‘Mech height stripes in the outside facing supports.  For the yellow I used Plague Brown as a base coat and then Sun Yellow on top.  Using the brown base coat is critical to making the yellow look… well… yellow.

Not much else I could think to add without running to my electronics box (wouldn’t it be cool to add some LEDs?).  Maybe later I think.  For the time being, this works for me and seems just enough to make it battlefield ready.

The Final Result

Brian gives me far too much credit in his posts with all his “we are coding” and “email us“.  I can barely keep up with updating the closed beta game that I oversee with all his code let alone get the coding done I have planned.  I still haven’t gotten my server to work completely to keep the closed beta moving along (specifically the email notifications).  Brian spent months putting the framework for this project together before I managed to add more code than his cat.  Literally.

In fact, lately I’ve had trouble finding the time to just try out a situation to duplicate a bug and while I had known Brian was working on a Developer’s Blog, I didn’t even know it was implemented and he was actually updating it!  Every so often I’ll go through the features that the users have requested and voted on, but mostly I’ve been using shortcuts to skip right to the games I’m participating in.

Brian has become so very busy and has been spending what little free time he has working on this project that it has left almost no time to do write-ups for his blog.  I know he has several posts in the works up in his head and really I should step up and finish the posts I started so very long ago.  While Brian is a better and faster coder, it probably has a lot to do with time management.  It still amazes me how much he has been able to accomplish both on this project and otherwise.

I want to give Brian the credit where credit is due.  His dedication and hard work really deserves accolades.

Every so often when playing BattleTech you stumble upon a rules question that contradicts years of belief in how the game works.  It doesn’t happen often but when it does, you have to shake your head and smile.  Who knew the game worked that way the whole time?  Just such an event occurred at GenCon 2012.  It happened at the annual Battle the Masters event no less.  And it wasn’t the game developers who righted the rules question but a persistent Catalyst Demo Agent thanks to a inquisitive and stubborn player (kudos to Mark Erikson!).

Defender’s Choice

Examine the following scenario for a moment.  Here we find the state of the game directly following movement and before attack declaration.  The Ballius, piloted by one of the Masters, Paul Sjardijn, has made a daring flanking manuever intending the use partial cover to its fullest advantage as only a quad ‘Mech can do.  The Nova Cat  (being proxied by a MadCat) has flip arms and intends to do his best to put the pony down.

Both ‘Mechs are on level 2 terrain with the level 3 terrain on the line between them.  The Nova Cat is in a bit of a predicament.  If he takes the partial cover he has to take the shots into the rear arc.  Taking into account the Balius’ weapon load out it would be far too risky to allow the rear shots.  His best option is to take the shots on the left side where his armor is more sufficient.  Everyone at the table agreed it was the best tactical decision.

So the question is, what happens when two attackers want different line of sight?

My reaction and the first reaction of both the Masters at the table was that it was always defender’s choice.  No matter what.

Unfortunately we were dead wrong.  Thanks to the persistent questioning of one of my fellow fan player’s we wrangled Demo Agent Charlie Tango into the argument who promptly and decisively laid a Total Warfare size smack down with thunderous implications.

The Rules

TW page 99 for those following at home.

If the LOS passes exactly between two hexes, the player controlling the targeted unit decides which of the two hexes lie along the LOS.  This choice can also affect the attack direction for incoming attacks (see Attack Direction, p. 119).  The chosen hexside is used for all attacks between those two units for the remainder of the turn (see Line of Sight Between Two Hexes diagram on p. 101).

Since the Balius declared his attack first the Nova Cat is the first defender and his decision to NOT take the partial cover (and take the hits to his left side) affects both of the units.  The situation is clarified further by the Line of Sight example on page 101.

Paul Sjardijn, Lauren Coleman, and myself were all dead wrong and never saw it coming.  It just so happened that that Balius would see his demise that turn and the game quickly turned in favor of the fans as they whittled the Master’s ‘Mechs into scrap before the night was out.

It just goes to show that there are always new things to learn even in a game with so much history.  I’m by no means a rules expert but this was a rule I thought I knew cold.  Maybe I’m just out of touch.  I’d love to hear in the comments from my readers if you were surprised by this rule.

Keep an open mind out there and keep those dice rolling!

GenCon 2012 is in the books and we the gamers begin the slow stumble back to our normal lives.  GenCon was great as always.  Due to my late registration I was at no risk of being over scheduled.  That gave me more time to search the exhibit hall for all things news and notable.  Catalyst and Iron Wind Metals put on a great show and I’m already looking forward to next year.

Catalyst Game Labs

The best and most important news item I gathered from GenCon was the fact that Interstellar Operations was going to get a lot of playtest time before it’s release.  Straight from Randall Bills himself, he promised everything would be released in some form before the book went to print in order to receive feedback from the fans.  And he emphasized the word everything.  That includes the new edition of the Inner Sphere in Flames that I am most excited about.  Getting a chance to kick the tires is going to be awesome.  Hopefully we will all take full advantage of the opportunity.

Catalyst isn’t just about BattleTech and Shadowrun and hasn’t been for some time now.  Catalyst had multiple games to show off for the first time in print.  The biggest news was Leviathans, but other games were also available under the Catalyst brand including Hex-a-gon, Balance of Power, and Merchants.

In addition, multiple new games were available for demonstration to show what was in the pipeline for later release including Linear and The Duke.  Those who took up a Duke demo were treated with a cut and play version to take home.  I liked the Linear demo, which plays fast and seems like it’s a great game for 5-6 players.

Iron Wind Metals

Iron Wind Metals is always a delight to see at a convention.  There is just so much available from them that it is hard to not find something to like.  They were packed with convention LEs, battle armor, terrain, Fighting Piranha Graphics decals and more.

With all of the new releases there were a few items that were brand new and unannounced.  We all knew about the XMarx massive resin ‘Mech hanger but few knew about the smaller and much more economical ‘Mech repair bay for sale at GenCon.  I plan on posting detailed pictures of this sub $25 terrain piece when I get a chance to build and paint it up.

Battle Armor in every form were available at the booth.  From the new 28mm Hauberk and the Nighthawk to the old Clan Elemental they had you covered.  Like the original scale?  Take a gander at their sorted bins of their entire battle armor and infantry selection (and also microfighters for the aero buffs).  All of which were ala carte so you can buy only the minis you want and not a pack of 30 you may not be able to use.  Nothing is better than being able to shell out just a few bucks to get a horde of unique infantry to spice up your armies.

The convention racks were stocked full of the usual fare but also included many archived units that you would have to pay high fees to get otherwise.  If you have a hard to find item in mind, you have a good chance of seeing it at a convention IWM attends.

The best part is the opportunity to talk with the owners and their minions.  These people love what they do.  They will talk your ear off about what games they would like to see run at the convention and what new miniatures they would love to see sculpted.  They have a fan mentality to their business and are as excited to see new releases as any BattleTech player I know.

State of the Games

I was not impressed with everything at the convention this year.  There is always room for improvement and Catalyst slipped in a few key areas.  GenCon is the premier convention in North America and it should show in the presentation and quality of the games being played.  Here are a few ways Catalyst could raise the bar.

The games that I played from Catalyst could have been better organized.  I tried out the Flight School and the Grinder and both had rough edges.  The Flight School in particular.  There were eight players involved who were chomping at the bit to start rolling dice.  The explanation of the rules was rough.  The Demo Agent running the event didn’t have a mastery of the rules in use and spent lots of time checking things in Total Warfare and second guessing himself.  Gameplay was slow and the game was unfulfilling.  We started the game late trying to setup but were promptly kicked out when our two hour slot was up to make room for the next event.  All told we played three turns in two hours.  I don’t feel that I got my moneys worth for my $6 of tickets.

The Grinder was loosely monitored by a Demo Agent which led to myself and a few other players guiding the action and keeping the game moving.  I don’t mind helping younger players play the game.  I would have done so anyways.  I just feel that the Demo Agent could have guided the action better and helped to make the experience great for everyone.

The game terrain used in many games left much to be desired.  GenCon is the epicenter of gaming.  It is the pantheon of gaming excess and epic games.  Why then must we be forced to play on bland mapsheets or lackluster hex terrain with sparely arranged heroscape hexes?  Catalyst had their moments for sure.  The game with the lance plus of Omegas was a sight to see.  But can’t we do better with the terrain?

To contrast, the guys at Wild Child Gaming held a few games over the convention that were gorgeous to look at.  Just by looks alone, I would much rather play in WCG’s games than Catalyst.  They had dropships and buildings and gorgeous 3D terrain that wasn’t prepainted heroscape.  Catalyst has been taking the easy route to put on games and it shows.

(on the left a Catalyst grinder, to the right Wild Child Gaming event)

Mapsheets are needed for games like the BattleTech Open.  But when it comes to a Grinder or Flight School or the canon events, they can do so much better.  GenCon should be the time to bring out the best; not slap together the mundane.  I can play on heroscape terrain at home.  I want the wow factor to come back to GenCon BattleTech.  It’s worth the extra effort.

Ticket Prices

For some reason, Catalyst decided that the standard price for a two hour gaming block was too low for BattleTech and ratcheted up the price to $6 per two hours.  The GenCon catalog clearly states that the normal price is $2 per two hours of games.  That is the way it’s been in the past and that is what other games from companies such as Alderac, Fantasy Flight Games, Wild Child Gaming and others were charging.  I asked around but nobody was able to provide a clear answer to explain the change.  I think it is imperative to get people playing the Grinders and Boot Camps.  Charging over the mandatory minimum after fans have already shelled out for an expensive badge, hotel and travel is insult to injury.  It shouldn’t be this way and Catalyst should bring prices back to normal for future cons.

Who Wasn’t There

One surprising thing I noticed this year wasn’t something I found but rather who I didn’t find.  Notable no shows include Crocodile Games, Armorcast, and Reaper.  All of these companies provide great products and are well known in the industry.  I’m sad to see them not attend.  I always enjoyed visiting their booths in the past.  Shame to see them not in attendance.

The Convention in Pictures

I take a bunch of pictures of the convention and not all of them make it into the first few reports on the blog.  Here are the rest of the best in pictures!