ScrapYard Armory

The following objective based battle was played out using the BattleForce rules in Strategic Operations.  Opposing forces from Steiner and Kurita face off to control vital objectives on the battlefield.

Each force consisted of a full Mech Battalion with an additional Assault Command Lance (40 ‘Mechs for each player!).

TO&E

Download the Hostile_Borders_TOandE record sheets as a PDF.

Objectives

Victory points are scored during the game by eliminating opposing lances (3 points) and controlling the three objectives on the board each turn.  The center objective is worth 3 VP each turn while the other two are worth 2 VP.

Objectives are controlled by having the majority of units adjacent to the objective marker.  Control is checked and scored at the end of each turn.

Objectives block movement but do not block line of sight.

Deployment

Steiner lines up their forces evenly across their map edge.  To the North, a company of lights and mediums look to speed their way towards the closest objective while to the South a heavier force looks to navigate the wooded terrain to contest the far objective.

Kurita meanwhile sets up heavy in the middle, to make use of the bridge to get the majority of their non-jump capable lances across the river.  Light lances stretch out to the North and South flanks looking to gain ground and make advances on the objectives.

Turn 1 – Kurita wins Initiative

The first turn sees both forces move at top speed towards the objectives.  Kurita remains clumped towards the middle of the battle while Steiner remains spread out.  Light lances are making top speed to nearest objectives.

Victory Points: Steiner 0, Kurita 0

Turn 2 – Kurita wins Initiative

Both forces continue their march towards each other with both sides using Light lances to secure one objective.

Opposing forces remain out of range for the time being.

Victory Points: Steiner 2, Kurita 2

Turn 3 – Steiner wins Initiative

Steiner manages to race a heavy lance into position to secure the center objective while the main component of Kurita forces struggle with the terrain.  At the same time, most of the Kurita Heavies are nearing prime positions on the hill overlooking the center of the battle.  Defensive positions are setup around the North and South objectives while opposing forces both probe at long range.

Weapons are finally finding their range as missiles, lasers, and autocannons erupt along the divide between the two forces.

At the top of the map a Kurita Jenner crumbles under combined fire from a Steiner medium lance.  A Kurita Trebuchet has its head shot off by long range fire.  Return fire scatters damage to armor.

A Kurita Heavy lance of Archers uses their height advantage to line up shots against the Steiner lances securing the center.  Missile rain down inflicting heavy damage to a Steiner Heavy lance.  However, damage is done mostly to armor as Kurita selected to spread out shots instead of concentrating fire.

Victory Points: Steiner 7, Kurita 4

Turn 4 – Kurita wins Initiative

Steiner establishes a defensive stance and secures cover where possible.  The Steiner Heavies to the South are slowly working their way through terrain to support a Light Lance which retreats slightly into cover.

Near the North a probing Steiner Medium Lance is engaged by a Kurita Light and Medium Lance while in the center, Kurita lines up all three Heavies to prey on the lone Steiner Heavy Lance securing the center objective.

To the North the combined Kurita fire kills off a Phoenix Hawk while return fire scours armor but little else.

In the center, the Kurita Heavies rain death upon the Steiner Heavy near the objective and decimate three of four Mechs, reducing them to slag.  Return fire concentrates on the Kurita Archers but can only peel away armor.

Victory Points: Steiner 12, Kurita 6

Turn 5 – Steiner wins Initiative

Reeling from the withering firepower of the Kurita Heavies, Steiner forces retreat from the center objective.  The nearly destroyed Steiner Heavy Lance sulks backwards for cover.  Kurita seizes the momentum and secures the center while striking at the Steiner controlled objective in the North.  Steiner consolidates its forces to counter the assault on the North objective while continuing to spar with forces in the South. Steiner Heavies continue their painfully slow march to join the fray.

Concentrated fire from both sides tears armor and structure apart.  A Steiner Sentinel blows up in an ammo explosion.  To the North the Steiners begin making up casualties as they tear apart one of the Kurita Medium lances, securing a first complete lance kill.

Steiner Light lances lose two Commandos and the Command Lance takes heavy damage and critical hits to a Zeus’s weapons.  Luckily several volleys from the Kurita Archer lance fail to find their targets.

Victory Points: Steiner 17, Kurita 11

Turn 6 – Kurita wins Initiative

Steiner pushes into the South objective, finally supported by their Heavy lances.  Steiner Mediums run flanking maneuvers using available cover.  The Steiner Command lance reinforces the North objective against the sustained Kurita assault.

Kurita presses the Northern attack with Heavies from the center, leaving the Archer lance to control the center objective.  Kurita forces in the South make best use of available cover to attempt to counter the fresh Steiner lances now engaged.

The Steiner Heavies in the South expertly divide their fire to fully obliterate the defending Kurita Medium lance.  The final return fire scratches some armor but can do little more before crumbling.  The defending Kurita Lights manage to combine fire to destroy a Hatchetman and cripple a Sentinel.

In a surprising long range attack, the Kurita Command lance almost completely destroys a Steiner Medium lance.

To the North, both forces trade volleys shedding armor and trading critical hits.  As a whole the Steiner forces, using the woods to their advantage, seem to come out better.  A second Kurita lance, a Medium, meets its doom while several Steiner lances are hanging on by a tread.

Victory Points: Steiner 22, Kurita 14

Turn 7 – Kurita wins Initiative

Steiner fades from the Northern objective, still fighting to contest the objective but forcing the Kurita forces to fight for every inch.  Steiner Medium lances in the center of the battle turn into harassers behind the Kurita lines.  Kurita does not choose to pursue the harassers and reinforces the fight for the North and South objectives with it’s Heavies while the Command Lance holds the center.

Kurita loses the last of a Light Lance while its other two lances hold the line while defending the Southern objective.  One Archer goes down while the rest of the Kurita Heavy lance suffers minor damage.

Steiner loses another Commando while multiple lances shed armor to Kurita attacks.  A surprise long range attack on the Steiner Command Lance scores multiple Weapon criticals.

Victory Points: Steiner 27, Kurita 19

Turn 8 – Steiner wins Initiative

Kurita forces shrink back from attacking the Southern objective to secure the center.  The battle over the North continues with Kurita pushing with its heavy lances.

Weapons fires pours across the battle.  The Steiner forces decimate one of the Kurita Heavy lances, downing two Mechs.  The Steiner Heavies take major damage but manage to only lose a Thunderbolt.  The Steiner Command lance also takes heavy damage.  Armor slags off in droves but critical hit rolls come up empty.

Victory Points: Steiner 29, Kurita 24

Turn 9 – Steiner wins Initiative

Kurita concentrates the attack on the North while conceding the Southern objective.  The last Kurita Light lance, sensing the end is near, moves to contest the Southern objective to draw at least one if not two Steiner lances away.

Steiner makes a surprise move and mostly abandons the Southern objective, leaving it only contested with a single lance.  All other Steiner units collapse towards the center to face off against the Kurita Command lance and the Heavy Archer lance.

To the South, the Kurita Light lance is destroyed by SRM volleys but not before touching off an ammo explosion in a Commando.

Kurita kills off two Steiner Command Mechs while stripping another of armor.  Return fire from the Steiner’s cracks two Kurita Command Mechs, weapon critting an Awesome.  Both Command lances pay a heavy price this turn but somehow remain intact.

Victory Points: Steiner 32, Kurita 29

Turn 10 – Kurita wins Initiative

Steiner forces continue to collapse on the center objective.  Kurita escapes the center while securing their hold on the Northern objective.  The Southern objective is left to Steiner who guards it with the remnants of a Light lance.

Weapons fire is sporadic and many previously damaged Mechs are felled by opportunistic shots. One more Kurita lance meets its end while several Steiner lances are left limping but still alive.

Victory Points: Steiner 40, Kurita 31

After the Dust Settles….

The final score does not tell the full story of this battle.  It was a lot closer than it may initially appear.  Kurita’s Heavy lances decimated Steiner forces for the first half of the game.  Many Steiner lances were left hanging on with a single unit remaining.  A quirk of the scoring system meant that Steiner held onto the lead throughout most of the game but it was a lot closer than that.

The second half of the game saw Steiner gain superior position against the pressing Kurita attack and begin to lose some individual battles while winning the war.  A great game in the end.

There are not many better wedding gifts in the 31st century than an entire nation.  In 3028 Hanse Davion sparked an interstellar war with a toast to his new wife.  This is just one of those battles fought on a distant planet for control of military objectives and opposing head quarters. 

The battle was fought using Battle Force rules in Strategic Operations.  Each side had a reinforced battalion to command which included three BattleMech companies with one elite command lance, one Vehicle company, and one Infantry company.

We used a few special rules/tweaks to make our game resolve just a bit faster.

• Attacks were resolved as they were declared.  It made our game slightly more deadly/efficient, but kept the action moving smoothly.
• Damage from attacks was applied randomly against a target lance’s units.  Very similar to firing on Battle Armor in Total Warfare.
• Dice/tokens were used to mark units that had moved.  As the units fire was resolved the token was removed.  An easy way to avoid confusion on both sides of the table.

After spending a significant amount of time preparing record sheets (something Solaris Skunk Werks will soon help) we plunged into the action, foregoing the optional command rules.  Each side has two objectives and a single HQ.  The objectives are worth 50 points and the HQs are 25 points.   This is not strictly per the rules in Strategic Ops but a simplification for us so we could begin playing sooner.

Deployment

Turn 1 – Liao Wins Initiative

Each side moves towards their objectives.  Movements appear even across the battle line.  Not much action but much thought for later position.

(Davion: 0 pts, Liao: 0 pts)

Turn 2 – Davion Wins Initiative (Davions: 0 pts, Liao: 0 pts)

More movement as both sides tip their hands.  The Davions are employing a more even attack while the Liaos are concentrating the bulk of their forces closer to the southern objectives.

The first Davion unit crosses the river while to the North several units cover the Liao objective.  Each force has units close to their Southern objectives and are looking for an easy capture in the turns to come.

(Davion: 0 pts, Liao: 0 pts)

Turn 3 – Liao Wins Initiative

Davion units bypass the Northwestern Liao objective and begin the long trek across the lake.  To the South the Davions envelop their objective and begin slugging it out against Capellan troops in range.

A single Davion light Mech is dropped by long range fire as the Liao forces occupy their Southeastern objective.

(Davion: 0 pts, Liao: 13 pts)

Turn 4 – Davion Wins Initiative

Northern Liao troops make a major shift South at the last minute.  A huge firefight erupts around the Davion objective.  To the North a skeleton defense force is left behind to protect the Davion objective.

Davion troops make headway against their attackers, eliminating eight combat units while losing only three.  However the Southern Liao objective is captured uncontested.

(Davion: 13 pts, Liao: 59 pts)

Turn 5 – Liao Wins Initiative

Liao forces make a dash across the river and begin to threaten the Davion bulk from the rear.  A single lance of jump infantry to the North takes cover from the attacking Davions allowing uncontested control of the objective for now.  A lone light lance of Davions makes a dash towards the Liao HQ but is cut down by a far luckier opposing light lance.

The fight centered around the Southern Davion objective turns sour for the Davions.  The Liao forces strike down seven units while only losing six.  While numerically close, Davion casualties were far heavier units.

(Davion: 23 pts, Liao: 76 pts)

Turn 6 – Liao Wins Initiative

Liao infantry units to the North  jump into combat to keep the North objective free of Davion control and are joined by a light lance of ‘Mechs.  A Liao hover lance is within one turn of occupying the Davion HQ.  The Davion assault on their Southern objective is crushed while an understrength company can only hope to delay the capture of the Northern Liao objective.

(Davion: 52 pts, Liao: 98 pts)

It was agreed by both players that the scenario was not as fair as it could have been.  The Liao force was heavier than the Davions and the terrain placement hampered the Davion advance enough to severely hinder their ability to threaten objectives or respond to enemy movement.  In addition, poor force combinations further complicated the Davion’s movement woes.

A rough loss for the Davions but from what canon history tells us, not at all representative of the 4th Succession War in total.

Have you played a game of BattleForce yet?  Strategic Operations has officially hit the streets so you have no excuse.  We all have printable counters available for free download as well as on the Battleshop.  We have plenty of calculated stats available for use via some amazing fans in the forums.  I’ve already had some fun with the QuickStrike variation and my ready stock of MechWarrior figures.  The one thing stopping me from playing some serious games of vanilla Battleforce has been converting the available printable counters into something worth spending some time on.

• Objectives, Commands, and Requests
• Mercenaries
• Misc

The Basics

I’ve been kicking around a few ideas for a simple token construction technique.  My particular variation is only slightly different than the Catalyst recommended method.  I hope you will enjoy the slight but meaningful difference.

Print out you favorite faction’s tokens and cut them out as you would expect, keeping the Radar side together with the unit side.  We are going to fold these two halves together and with a bit of glue attach them.

We are almost there already.  Pretty easy.  Now you could mark up your tokens and start rolling dice.  But I like a little more polish to my game counters.  Get out some clear packing tape (the good stuff.  Cheaper brands will not be as crystal clear.) and place your token on one side of the tape.  Cut another piece and carefully lay it over top.  After pressing around the edges you have a nicely protected and sturdy token.  Cut off the excess and throw the completed token into your game.

A side benefit of the tape is that it will take a dry erase marker quite well.  Your tokens can change their representation if you find yourself using a slightly different organization later on down the line.  Don’t like the markings?  Wipe them away and try something different.

Oh By the Way

Did you notice yet that some of these tokens make perfect tokens for normal BattleTech games?  Buildings, Fire, Minefields, Debris, it’s all here for FREE from Catalyst.  Simply amazing.  By using my packing tape method as above, you get even easier record keeping possibilities.  You can jot down the remaining construction factor right onto the buildings.

Something More Substantial

Now that’s pretty cool, but you know as well as I do that no matter how much weight that tape added, a good stiff breeze will still clear your game faster than Herb with his pockets full of Davy Croketts.

I wanted something that would be more substantial while still easy to move.  I experimented with a few methods but came back to a familiar product.

I use Warmachine 30mm round bases for all of my BattleTech infantry (they don’t have a facing so why mount them on a hex base unnecessarily?).  If you take two bases and connect them together, you get a very nice token that fits very nicely into a standard BattleTech hex.  This was the base for my BattleForce token.

I attached the two sides together with an ample amount of glue from a hot glue gun.  The excess is easy to wipe away and it’s cheap too.

It just so happens that the radar blip circle is the perfect size to fit into the 30mm inset.  Using this as a guide, I cut out samples.  I used tape to seal each token as above and glued it to base with rubber cement.

Now obviously, there is a substantial cost increase with this method.  I like the hefty feel of the finished token though.  It feels almost made for the game.  If you find this idea helpful do leave a note in the comments letting me know.

What Are You Waiting For?

Get in those BattleForce game now!  You haven’t any excuses left!  You can fight a Battalion on Battalion in a few short hours now so why not let loose the dogs of war and smash massive armies together.  BattleForce makes it possible and better tokens make it look even better than ever!

Over the years I’ve played a few games of BattleForce and have also taken a distinct liking to the new Abstract Combat System.  One thing that unites these two rule sets is the use of Strategic Symbols to represent combat units.  While you could always proxy in miniatures I feel that the use of iconography showcased in Strategic Operations (itself a modification of familiar Military Symbology) really adds to the gaming experience.

• Covet Thy Neighbor, BattleForce Battle Report

Catalyst Game Labs has made available some modestly priced PDF products for those who wanted make their own tokens at home.

• BattleForce Counters

I’ve downloaded the whole bunch and have played around with them in the past.  I really think they hit the mark.  They are gorgeous tokens but they do require a bit of work to make them tabletop ready.  Not a huge detriment considering we are all war gamers who are perfectly comfortable cutting, filing, priming, painting, and sealing minis and terrain for fun.

However, I’ve always wanted something with a bit more heft.  Something a bit more substantial than some card stock glued back to back.  Over the last year I’ve been using Print on Demand services from The Game Crafter (TGC) to procure board and card game prototypes.  Just recently I’ve prototyped some hex chits for my Battle for Altais scenario.  After some tweaks as well as some process improvements at TGC I wanted to make these chits available to anyone to purchase.

A Closer Look

Take a look at the following action shots to see how they look.  The chits will come attached to a punch board so you have the fun of punching out the chits when you first receive them.  The hexes are just a bit smaller than a standard BattleTech map hex so they fit nicely next to each other even when things get crowded.  My only complaint with TGC is the front to back registration can be a bit off, so the radar blips sometimes are skewed to one side.

One of the best features is a UV coating which makes every hex dry erase marker compatible.  You can mark units, keep tabs on radar blips, and do any kind of tracking you can fit on the hex.  After the battle, just wipe it away and be ready for the next campaign.

I have more than a few sets available for sale depending on what assortment of colors and units you are most interested in. (Click through to see details on TGC) Each item will have a full inventory in the description.

The multi-color packs feature a reduced variety of units but cover all five major colors BattleTech players will want to see (red, blue, green, yellow, purple).  The single color Reinforcements have a much wider variety of units including things like Aerospace, Artillery, Mechanized Infantry, and even an HQ unit.

• Warfare Pack (120 Hexes in 5 Colors)
• Battle Pack (60 Hexes in 5 Colors)
• Reinforcements Blue (60 hexes in 1 Color)
• Reinforcements Red (60 hexes in 1 Color)
• Reinforcements Yellow (60 hexes in 1 Color)
• Reinforcements Green (60 hexes in 1 Color)
• Reinforcements Purple (60 hexes in 1 Color)

Future Plans

I have a few more ideas in mind for future expansions to the lineup.  A Grey Reinforcement set is a given.  A set of space hexes is also in the works.  We could all use some Warships, Space Stations, Jumpships, and Dropships in our lives.

Looking For Something Completely Custom?

Not seeing anything you like?  Perhaps you need a different color?  A unique unit type?  A different mix of units to capture your favorite battle?

I can work with you to do something completely custom.  I generate the images for each hex using a script so just about anything is possible.  With a little bit of work I can generate a custom TGC order for you to purchase.  If interested, shoot me an email at brian@scrapyardarmory.com and we can discuss the details of your project.

Summer of 2015 was an unexpectedly busy one for BattleTech.  After many many years of waiting we got a look at the upcoming Interstellar Operations core rule book.  The open beta period featured a sequence of smaller online releases followed by a limited edition softcover print run of the full book at GenCon 2015.

Fortuitously, I was able to make it to Indy and snagged my very own copy.  It was something to behold.  This, among all the other books in the series was the one I’ve waited the most for.  In it, the Grand Strategic game rules were waiting to be poked and prodded.

Catalyst gave us a month for play-testing and feedback, and what a month it was.  Below is a recap of my experiences and the work I did to explore the deepest crevasses of Interstellar Operations.

Kicking the Tires in Style

I can’t say enough about the value of the print copy of the Beta rules.  I know they sold out at GenCon and for good reason.  Not only does it provide a unique collectors item but also provides a way to get the best playtesting out to the fans.  I know I can’t be the only one that stares at a computer screen most of the day.  I prefer my BattleTech and other leisure reading to be of the dead tree variety.  That reduced eye strain and the ability to quickly flip between sections of the book was vital to getting any testing done on these rule systems.

Pick and Choose

Interestingly enough I only had any use for about half of the rule book.  I don’t have a lot of use for the alternate eras sections.  My focus is the game rules, including Strategic BattleForce (SBF), the Abstract Combat System (ACS), and the Inner Sphere at War (ISW) rules.  You can keep your LAMs if you like.  Makes no difference to me.  I’m here for the grand level strategic gaming and always have been.

The Inner Sphere at War

The Inner Sphere at War is the latest incarnation of a Grand Strategy game for the BattleTech universe.  It allows dedicated players to take the reigns of entire factions to wage war across the Inner Sphere.

That is quite a lot to try to cram into even 1/2 of the 367 page rule book we have today.  Interstellar Operations takes its lead from the old (and much derided) Inner Sphere in Flames rules found in the poorly edited Combat Operations rule book from the FanPro days.

The Inner Sphere in Flames rules had several issues.  First and foremost, it was an incomplete set of guidelines around which players could build a complete set of game rules from.  My heart sank a little bit when I then read this line at the start of the ISW rules in Interstellar Operations;

While these rules attempt to capture the basics needed to run a campaign, the scale of ISW is too great to cover all possible variations in game play.  These rules are a framework around which players can construct a campaign spanning just a few worlds, or all 2,000-plus worlds in the BattleTech universe.

Despite this potential cop-out, I was pleasantly surprised by the rules and their level of polish.  There are areas to improve and I hope that Catalyst takes the communities’ ideas to heart.  You can read all about the beta and the community feedback below.

• Interstellar Operations Beta Feedback Thread

So what is in the ISW rules?  Let’s take a quick tour of what’s included and major differences from previous Grand Strategic Games.

At first blush ISW begins like most other Grand Strategic Game iterations we have seen in the past.  Game turns are divided into familiar phases; Order Writing, Economics and Logistics, Military Development, Commerce and Diplomacy, Military, and End phases.

In a new twist, player controlled factions are given faction abilities that provide special abilities involving different phases of the game.  They are meant to be advantages and hindrances that combine to give a more nuanced picture of a particular faction.  For example, the Lyrans are Merchant Kings with Superior Black Ops, but suffer from Flawed Doctrine owing to their social general based military hierarchy.

The bulk of the game will have players plotting invasions, forming alliances, and developing Combat Commands to wage war.  Once war does inevitably break out we turn to a brand new way to play BattleTech; the Abstract Combat System.

The ACS is a battalion to regiment level combat system that covers planetary scale battles.  We are talking 700km hexes using turns of 2.5 days in length.  Individual Combat Units hold entire battalions inside formations of one or more regiments.  And all of this scaled up complexity is the distilled product of the Alpha Strike stats of the individual units.  This is quite the departure from combat systems of the past which abstracted commands into a tiny handful of strength numbers.  Instead of combat being resolved by a single die roll (where invariably the bigger stack shall win) we have a much more detailed system of positioning, recon, and die throwing.

Unfortunately and perhaps not surprisingly, there are more than a few things missing in ISW at the current moment.  Rules for War Ships, Espionage, and alternate eras are suspiciously absent.  The book had unfortunately outgrown the confines of its simple binding.  We have been promised additional product releases which will expand the game system to include these rules.  I have it on good authority that these rule developments are underway.  Hopefully we will not have to wait too long for them to materialize.

Playtests and Automation

I wanted to get as much play testing in as possible within the short month we were allotted.  Not a lot of time.  There was no chance for me to meet fellow BattleTech players in person.  I was limited to time available in my evenings.  So naturally I started to think about ways to automate the system to be easier to test and be accessible online so I could receive help from willing guinea pigs online.

For those of you who follow the blog, you know I run a companion site where players from around the world can play games of the the old FASA era board game Succession Wars.  My goal was to build a similar site minus a good bit of the automation capabilities.  What I ended up with was a website that would help to track and generate units, move combat commands, and most importantly facilitate ACS combat between players who move tokens on a common play surface while rolling dice by themselves in real life.

One day I hope to be able to create something fully automated that will live up to my grand ambitions.  For now though, the web code served its purpose and allowed us to play a test game involving a single planetary battle, namely, Altais in 3039.

These test games would later be the inspiration for my entry into the IO scenario contest which I was able to win after there were no other entries besides my own.  Look for The Battle for Altais in a future ISW based product.

For those of you wanting to take a peak at the code, it is available online on Github.

• Inner Sphere at War Codebase

Thoughts and Questions

While the bulk of ISW and ACS seem perfectly serviceable there are a few rough edges that myself and more than a few forum dwellers have focused on as potential problems.

For instance there does not seem to be an incentive to invest in the advancement of planets beyond a certain point.  After upgrading to minor industrial there is little to push you to upgrade any further as the investment would simply produce more money for you by sitting around and collecting interest.

One of the more confusing rules is that newly minted Combat Commands (regiment level forces) may be placed anywhere when purchased and there is no limit to how many forces may be bought so long as you have the funds to pay for them (production capacity is divorced from factory quantity/quality).  This presents a few problems.  Number one, there is no need to build forces for an invasion or defense because you could easily conjure required forces at will with sufficient funds.  There is no weak spot to invade an enemy when they can instantly counter your attacks with perfect placement under this system.

So there are still a few things I would expect will see house rules to make the system as a whole palpable.  As many know, I’ve never been shy to change a rule or two to fit my particular needs.  I think the BattleTech community is well know for innovating when called upon.

Looking Ahead

After a long long road, we are almost home.  Interstellar Operations finally has it’s street date; April 27th, 2016.  I will be first in line to grab a copy to add to my gaming shelf.  With final rules in hand, there is only one last thing to do…  We need to grab our dice and start conquering the Inner Sphere.

Alongside the Interstellar Operations (IO) Beta held last year was a scenario contest aimed at highlighting the new game modes created for the book.  The Abstract Combat System (ACS), pages 304-325 in IO, is a large scale strategic game meant to compliment the new Inner Sphere at War (ISW) rules, pages 344-368 in IO.  ACS covers regimental engagements over entire planets.

My scenario, The Battle for Altais, is set in the War of 3039 and features a combined force of the Mercenaries and the 8th Donegal Guards fighting it out against the mysterious Ghost Regiments.

In the end my scenario was the only entry.  Hurray for small victories!  I guess they could have not picked anyone at all.

With only a month allocated to the Beta period, I spent a lot of time trying to get a handle on the rules, providing feedback, and corralling individuals across the internet to help me test the ACS rules using some hastily created software utilities.  With the very little experience I had using the system, I made my best attempt at a balanced and interesting scenario for the contest.  Sadly, I was not able to playtest the entire thing prior to the entry deadline.  Now that IO is off to the printers and we have the final rules PDF there is no time like the present to get cracking and properly kick the tires on the ACS rules system.

Altais

The War of 3039 is familiar territory for me which worked well with the Succession Wars era focus of ISW.  The scenario is based on the planetary invasion of Altais, which takes place in the first wave of attacks on the Draconis Combine.  I used reference material from my well worn copy of Historical War of 3039 and tried my best to capture the essence of the battle while providing interesting strategic choices for both sides.

The scenario is a Victory Point race between Attacker and Defender.  There are three objectives worth points every turn, however the Defender gains points late in the game just for surviving.  The Attacker has the advantage in terms of force size and experience but they cannot bring all of their strength to bear at once.  Tough choices must be made by Attacker and Defender alike if they want to claim victory.

BattleforAltais

Bringing Altais to Life

In order to properly play Altais in person and in style, we are going to need a few things.

• Formation Tokens
• Maps
• Record Sheets

Formation Tokens

The Battle for Altais, and any other ACS game uses regiment sized formations.  The previous release of Strategic Operations gave us a view of what strategic level tokens should look like.  The good people at Catalyst even released a set of free print your own tokens which Custom BattleForce Tokens.

But for Altais, I wanted to step things up a notch.  Enter The Game Crafter (TGC). TGC is a print on demand board game component company.  Most importantly, you can design and print your own board game quality chits. These are thick, punch board type tokens that would work great for Altais.  Their “mini hex tile” is a nearly perfect 1.25×1.08″ which is slightly smaller than a standard BattleTech map hex.

Unfortunately I’ve never been great at artwork or design and I couldn’t just copy paste what CGL provided.  I had to find a way to make my own.  The answer I found was in a Ruby Design Specific Language (DSL) called Squib.  Squib allowed me to programmatically layout a design and use my own data to fill in the details.

Here is what I came up with.  Note that these will be cut at the printer to a hex size.  The art is designed to “bleed” to the edges to compensate for any possible drift between the print and the cut.  I’m looking forward to seeing these in person when the order comes in.

Maps

ACS uses two maps, the Star System Radar Map (SSRM) and the Planetary Combat Map (PCM).

The SSRM covers the space around the target planet including the Zenith and Nadir jump points.  IO includes a copy of the SSRM but it is a one page black and white bare bones version.  I wanted something I could custom print in a larger format.

Luckily the geometry that makes up a SSRM is fairly basic and easy to duplicate.  I leveraged Squib again along with some freely available NASA images to produce some nice looking images suitable for large format printing.

The PCM is an abstract view of the planet surface.  Rather than an accurate model of the planet, the PCM represents the usable area for movement and conflict.  There are no features of note on the PCM.  Each hex is 700km wide so terrain is abstracted to nothing. Yes, even oceans.

IO recommends using the back of a standard BattleTech map for the PCM.  That will work for most since the PCM is really only an abstraction.  I wanted to do something a bit more interesting.

I browsed a lot of gimp tutorials and freely available art for assets to make a PCM worth playing on.  Here is a short list of the possible solutions.  Once again, I am planning on having these printed in large format so the final files will be high resolution.  I am not completely thrilled with the final results so far.  I intend to do some tweaking before I make the final selection.

Record Sheets

IO comes with two record sheets for ACS.  The first is a Formation Tracking Sheet which lists the details of up to 14 Formations and the bare minimum stats of each of their constituent Combat Units.

The second sheet pertains to those Combat Units with details on the Combat Teams that make up that unit.

I find the format of these sheets to be severely lacking when it comes to actually playing the game. There are a number of charts and additional details left off the record sheet which will require frequent cross referencing of the tables within IO.

Also, why list Combat Teams?  Perhaps this is done to aid construction, but for actual game play, there is no point since all combat takes place at the Combat Unit level.

So I went about making my own set of record sheets with a focus on gameplay and making it easier to get ACS to the table.

My goals were to simplify gameplay with aids baked into the record sheet.  One sheet would hold information on a Formation and its Combat Units.  I brought back bubbles, because why break with tradition?

I’m not totally sold on the layout just yet and I am still contemplating doing full page record sheets for Formations and Combat Units alike to support more tables and game play information.  There is certainly a trade-off between complexity and playability.

For what its worth here is my first cut, subject to change based on my own testing and game play feedback.  I hope they are an upgrade to the current offerings in IO. Please leave a comment below with any suggestions.

Formation Record Sheet

More to Come

Stay tuned for more as material comes in and we finally get to some serious play testing.  I am very excited about the new ACS rules and can’t wait to get them to the table in style.

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.

Historicon 2011 is in the rear view mirror and it was a great one!  Demo Agent “Speck” was on hand with several car loads of new miniatures, new terrain and a fine crew of volunteers to aid in the heavy metal mayhem.

There were multiple BattleTech games available throughout the four days of gaming.  I hosted two of them with the help of SaxyWolf on Thursday.

Iron Wind Metals and the Dealer Room

I love shopping at conventions for a lot of reasons.  Chief among them is the ability to grab online exclusive units, limited editions, ala carte battle armor, no shipping, and the convenience of seeing exactly what you are buying.  I’m not afraid to say I’ve more than once put a mini back on the shelf after seeing just how complicated the assembly will be.  I’m not afraid of a challenge, but I try not to go out of my way to invite complexity.

Jim from Iron Wind Metals was graciously ringing up customers and holding the fort as convention goers browsed the many BattleTech, fantasy, and space miniatures available.

The rest of the dealer room held the usual suspects with a few notable absences.  The number of dealers at the convention was definitely smaller than years prior.  Certainly some of that is due to the uncertainty caused by various inner workings within the HMGS.  Regardless, there was plenty to see and plenty to buy.  There were also multiple demos available for those willing to spend the time.

I ended up buying a bunch of the new BattleTech infantry, some battle armor, a squad of fantasy elf archers, and a load of MERCS minis for use in A Time of War.  I’ll hopefully have more pictures of the infantry with size comparisons in a future post.

Breaking and Entering

With a brand new load of terrain, SaxyWolf and I hosted an A Time of War mission to disable a Castle Brian Space Defense Station from the inside.  Two squads of elite assault troopers infiltrated the facility and raced to find the command and control systems and take it over by any means necessary.  Expect a more in depth after action report on this event.  It was a lot of fun to run.  We had two brand new players playing and they picked up the rules quickly.  I also debuted a second iteration of my revised A Time of War tactical record sheet which helped lower the learning curve.

Dusting for Scraps

In the second event of a ScrapYard double header, the forces of the Free Worlds League faced off against the Word of Blake on Atreus.  This game is a repeat of a game featured in an after action report here at the ScrapYard.  See The Fall of Atreus for a full run down of the units involved.  We ended up not using the artillery or the mines this time to help balance things for the Word of Blake.

The Free Worlds League forces fared better than the Word of Blake defenders but did not make ample progress towards their goal of escaping the battle.  In the end it was probably a draw.  We had two new players on each side who needed a bit of help to move things along but did a great job commanding their troops.

Devil’s Tower BattleForce

This event was an all day affair with regiments of units in action alongside artillery, minefields, and gun emplacements.

Between the three time slots (the players had to eat sometime…) forces were shifted to represent the relative progress of the coalition forces invading the Castle Brian.  This was an amazing game using the new miniature BattleMechs to represent lances or Level IIs.  As the end drew near the coalition forces breached the walls and made significant progress against the defending Word of Blake.

Kudos to Mark for pulling off such a massive game.

East Coast Commandothon

For the first time, a HMGS event was host to the East Coast Commandothon.  Demo agents from near and far converged at the table for some ‘Mech stomping goodness.  There were lots of familiar faces among the crowd.  A full recount of the event is available on the Classic BattleTech forums.

Grand Melee

The traditional last event of the convention is the Grand Melee.  This year’s event used the Castle Brian terrain as the center piece for the combatants to fight over.  It was a fantastic battle ending with a final head cap.

2012 Location in the Works

There is a lot of speculation as to where Historicon will land next year.  The Valley Forge convention center is going to be putting in slots and gaming tables in some of the spaces that would be required for games.  Other prospective locations are in Virginia and possibly York Pa.

A move to Virginia would be the most disruptive but I’m sure that the Demo team is up to the challenge.  The Pennsylvania based HMGS conventions are always so convenient for me in New Jersey.  The longer trip will force me to do more to save costs to make the trip doable.

All the Rest

There is always more to Historicon than BattleTech alone.  I spent a good bit of time playing other game systems from historicals to fantasy.  I had a great time at Historicon and would encourage anyone who hasn’t had the privilege to make the leap next year.

The first convention of the year is complete.  Lots of great games and fun with friends.

This year more than others, the Lancaster Host seemed to show it’s age.  The secluded corner where the BattleTech games were being held  was constantly overheated with very poor ventilation.  Added into the mix was poor lighting and water stained fixtures that made the venue appear more like a mildewed basement than a proper convention hall.

Poor lighting and bad ventilation aside, the crew did a fantastic job as they always do.  We had a great selection of games to select from BattleTech to BattleForce to A Time of War.  Demo Agent Speck and his minions are an example for other demo agents out there.

About Those Minions…

Most of my readers know that the ScrapYard is a two man operation.  My partner in crime is SaxyWolf who is often behind the scenes but is a vital component to making this blog possible.  I couldn’t ask for a better minion and I really owe him big this time around.

We got to the parking lot at the Lancaster Host around 11 and started fetching supplies for our noon game.  I looked around the back of the car and to my horror, I could not find my minis.  We have a full set of miniatures for our Twilight of the Clans game and I left then in SaxyWolf’s garage.

The trip to Cold Wars is a two hour drive.

Without missing a beat, we touched base with “Speck” to switch our game to the evening slot and SaxyWolf volunteered to hit the road while I sat in on the afternoon BattleTech games to generate after action report material.

SaxyWolf gets a gold star this convention.  Thanks for taking one for the team.

Iron Wind Metals

Iron Wind was in attendance as usual with a plethora of blisters on sale.  The selection of available units included many fan-funded, online-exclusives, and archive items, all at regular prices.

I love seeing Iron Wind at conventions because you are always able to find something for your collection.

Also on display were a few samples of the mini-mech line due to appear within the next month or so.

BattleTech Gaming

We had games from the animated series to the depths of the Jihad on the agenda.  The ScrapYard will have no less than three after action reports from the con.  Before the full featured reports are prepared, here is a sneak peek at some of what’s in store.

And All the Rest

There is always more to conventions than BattleTech.  I didn’t get around to play any other games this con but I did sneak away from running or recording games to snap pictures of some of the coolest set-ups out there.  Enjoy the visual goodness!

BattleTech is no longer a single game, but a universe with game rules that scale combat to almost any size conflict.  The BattleForce rules allow massive regimental level battles.  Standard Total Warfare rules cover games with forces between a lance and a company.  BattleTroops, released in 1989, is BattleTech at the infantry skirmish scale where individual soldiers battle it out.  It was followed by ClanTroops in 1991 which added advanced rules for Battle Armor.

A Time of War is a combination and update of BattleTroops and ClanTroops. It is at it’s heart a RPG and not an infantry combat game.  The rules for combat are extensive, but certain situations break under scrutiny.  For a better infantry combat game we’ve made a few tweaks…

Warning, House Rules Ahead

This post is meant to provide additional options for players who want to dive into a BattleTroops type game with additions and tweaks that the ScrapYard believes make the game more balanced and fun.  As always, agree with your buddy before your games what rules are being used.

Turning The World Upside Down

One of the more annoying elements of A Time of War is the use of a static to-hit number.  This may make a lot of sense, but for most of us already familiar with a variable to-hit number in Total Warfare, it can be frustrating.

Negative is good.  Positive is bad.

That’s the way I like it (and the way the rest of the BattleTech universe works) so that is the way I play the game and will introduce it to others.  From here on out, I will use the familiar Total Warfare style to-hit modifiers.

Reduced Lethality Through Armor Effectiveness

I have a bone to pick with the current personal armor system.  There are a few things that just seem off.  First, armor does very little to protect the individual.  The damage reduction it provides under normal game situations is very minimal.  Second, weapons with a higher Armor Piercing rating do not matter so long as the total of the AP and BD values add up the same.  Lets see an example.

A Free Worlds League Soldier armed with a Magnum Auto-Pistol (3B/5) is face to face with a Lyran operative armed with a M&G Service Auto-Pistol loaded with armor piercing rounds (5B/3).  Each wears personnel armor with a ballistic rating of 5 BAR.  Both manage to get off a shot which hits the other.

The Free Worlds League soldier’s armor cannot resist the high AP of the armor piercing round from the Sterns and he will take the full 3 damage and the obligatory 1 fatigue.

The Lyran’s armor provides some protection against the Magnum.  The difference between them (5BAR – 3AP = 2) is subtracted from the base damage.  The Lyran also takes 3 damage and 1 fatigue.

What we end up with is a marginalization of many of the weapon systems in the game.  There is far less variety within weapon classes beyond the sum of the AP and BD values.  We need a change.

I’ve used the following system in my personal games and it works great.  While slightly more complex (adding 1 more step), it creates a more varied experience.  Different weapons will have different outcomes based on their AP/BD values even if they have the same sum.

RULES

After reducing BD as normal, convert remaining damage to fatigue damage for every point the BAR exceeds the AP of the weapon.  This cannot reduce the remaining damage to less than 1 and does not replace the normal 1 fatigue suffered every time a character takes damage.

EXAMPLE

Lets take a look at how this house rule changes things.

The FWL soldier is still under armored against the armor piercing round from the Sterns and takes the full damage from the attack, 3 damage and 1 fatigue.

The Lyran’s superior armor reduces the incoming damage to 3 damage and 1 fatigue as normal.  In addition we also convert the damage remaining to fatigue for every point the BAR exceeds the AP (this would be 2, same as the original damage reduction).  The final damage suffered is only 1 damage but 3 fatigue.

All of a sudden we have a more diverse choice in weapons because the damage they inflict is more varied.  Effective armor now further reduces the damage taken, however, you are also more likely to find yourself in situations where you are forced to duck for cover to recover fatigue or risk getting knocked out prematurely.  More strategy and risk vs. reward to consider during the game.

Burst Firing for Accuracy

Accuracy through volume.  Effectively trading ammo for a better chance to hit rather then more damage, the way standard Bursts works.  This is not meant to replace the rules as written but rather be an additional option.

RULES

Declare you are Burst Firing for accuracy at a target (a Simple Action).  For every 3 rounds fired you gain a +1 bonus to your to-hit (round down, maximum +3).  Damage is applied as though a single shot was fired (do not use the burst fire damage value).

EXAMPLE

You are firing a TK Assault Rifle at a target behind half cover from medium range and declare you are Burst Firing for Accuracy with 6 bullets.  You need a 6 (assume Target Number of 3, Range:+2, Cover:+2, Recoil: +1, Accuracy: -2).

Now you’re firing the TK Assault Rifle at a target at long range behind heavy cover so you declare you are Burst Firing for Accuracy with 9 bullets.  You need an 8 (assume Target Number of 3, Range:+4, Cover:+3, Recoil: +1, Accuracy: -3).

Grenades

Grenades and satchel charges are overpowered.  Almost all of my games from the Beta were settled with a single grenade throw.  The fact that they explode immediately after being thrown has an unbalancing effect on the game especially when high initiative characters are the ones doing the delivery.

ENFORCING THE RULES AS WRITTEN

One mistake I made early on is to allow the use of grenades without preparation.  Make sure you follow the guidelines presented in the Action Complexity Table (page 167).  It costs a simple action to ready or stow a weapon.  You have to ready a grenade before you can throw it and more importantly you have to stow any weapons you are using before you can even ready that grenade.

Of course it’s an option to simply drop your primary weapon (incidental action) to be able to ready and throw in one turn, but then you have to spend a simple action later to pick up your weapon or ready a secondary weapon.

NEW RULES

Grenades do not explode immediately.  A thrown grenade will explode after X completed activations, where X is half the number of active characters in the game when the grenade was thrown (rounded up).

A character may “cook off” a grenade with a simple action.  This will prime the grenade causing it to explode immediately after being thrown or after the character throwing the grenade completes his next simple or complex action, whichever comes first.

Suppressing Fire

The suppression fire rules were tweaked from the Beta release and are much better for it.  Though it still needs adjustment.  The mechanic should be about area denial and a true threat to your opponents.  As it stands, suppression fire is very weak, and ends up underutilized.

RULES

Suppression fire lasts until the shooter activates again (or cannot fire).  Any unit attempting a skill check while in or after passing through Suppressing Fire must add a +2 modifier to the attempt.

Overwatch (Held Actions)

Winning initiative is a very big deal in A Time of War.  In middle to end game situations you need it to clear stuns, run for cover or finish off a wounded opponent.  However, before forces have mixed it up in earnest, there is an overwhelming temptation to hold action with every soldier you can in order to act last.

To avoid turtle tactics, we can inject a little variability into this game mechanic.

RULES

After electing to interrupt another character’s action, an opposed reflex attribute check is used to determine which character gets to act first.  The losing character must act immediately after the winner.

Leadership

The leadership rules in A Time of War are necessarily abbreviated due to the RPG nature of the system.  Any meaningful effect of leadership skills can and should be role played by the players and the GM.  For an infantry skirmish game, we can live with a little extra complexity to give players a reason to use this skill in their games.

RULES

If not using team or squad initiative, a character with the Leadership ability may use a simple action to “Lead” a friendly character.  The following turn, the affected character may add half the Leader’s Leadership skill to their initiative roll (round up).

Stealth

The stealth mechanic needs a retooling in order to bring skill rolls into line with what is reasonable.  In any infantry game, the ability to remain unseen is a huge advantage.  However, once the lead starts flying the ability to remain unseen should quickly diminish.  The Stealth ability and it’s associated modifiers need to be carefully selected to keep game play balanced.

RULES

A hidden character may not be targeted directly by opposing units.  A perception check must be made against the target’s stealth skill to spot the target.  Once spotted, the target is revealed to every other unit.  A character with the Stealth skill may re-hide with a Stealth skill check as a complex action if no opposing units have line of sight.  A character with Stealth may begin the game hidden if no opposing units can draw a clean line of sight.

The following table replaces the Vision Based Action Checks section of the Action Check Modifiers Table (page 41).  It adds two condition modifiers when trying to spot a stealth’d character who fired a gun in his/her last activation.

I’m not very confident regarding the stealth rules and I’m sure they will need some additional play-testing and tweaking to get the balance just right.

Consciousness Checks

A curious change made late in the development cycle (post Beta) was a revised KO Check.  The change had the effect of making each and every character in the game (with few exceptions) exactly the same and imposing a very harsh first hit KO check roll of 7+.  The change saps variety from the selection of characters.  Here are the values I use in my games which has worked well.  Knock outs are still a threat but only after you are either very unlucky or very beat up.

RULES

A consciousness check target number is 12 – Body – Willpower + Injury Modifier + Fatigue Modifier.

Give the Game a Try

A Time of War is a great system with seemingly endless customization options.  The gritty feel of the universe compliments the overall game.  Give the game a try and see how it all works.  You can easily pull together some of the Sample Characters from A Time of War for a demo.

• Kicking the Tires
• BattleTroops Miniatures from Iron Wind Metals
• Infantry Recon
• Side Show