ScrapYard Armory

A BattleTech weblog

Feb-10-2009

Chaos Campaign and Starterbook Pilot Dossier

One of the vital and entertaining parts of a Chaos Campaign as well as either of the Starterbook campaigns is managing your Mechwarriors.  There are a variety of events that would require you to shift around your pilots between ‘Mechs.  Pilots get injured.  ‘Mechs get destroyed.  New and better ‘Mechs are either bought or salvaged.  Sometimes, a different mix of pilots and ‘Mechs just makes sense for one mission over another.

I got tired of constantly erasing the pilot data off all of my record sheets when I shifted around my pilots.  I was also afraid as the campaign missions become more heated, I’d forget what pilot had what damage.  I came up with a way to keep a record of each pilot separate from the ‘Mech record sheet.

mwdossier

Make a small cut with an exacto knife just above the Mechwarrior data section on your ‘Mech record sheets.  With a small cut and a #1 paper clip, you can swap out pilots at will between missions.

Blank Pilot Sheet (PDF, 60KB)

I modified a Classic Battletech record sheet with multiple Mechwarrior Data sections.  Cut them out for your force and use a blank to hold them all between missions.  When a pilot gets injured and he needs a few missions to rest you can put him aside for a track or two to heal up.

I am looking forward to using this tool in my campaign and I hope some of you out there find it useful as well.

Posted under Articles
  1. Quigs Said,

    I think its a great idea, and it looks alot better in person. I’ve been trying to think of a better way to do it, and tried a few methods, but they’re all a pain in the ass. Cardstock for one, or putting the mechsheet in a sleeve of sorts.

    It seems a bit wonky looking, but it’s more well thought out then it first looks.

  2. Brian Said,

    Thanks for the input Quigs.

    When I was thinking of all the ways I could implement this idea I threw out a lot of them because more complicated ideas were, well, complicated.

    For the amount of time required to whip out the paper clips, it does the job.

  3. Traderghost Said,

    I recommend using a tiny dollop of Blu-Tack instead of paper clips. No need to cut any slits on your beloved customized record sheet or use thick and heavy paper clips that weigh your record sheet down. And it looks real neat too :)