Battletech Lunchtime Challenge
An Experiment
Having just gotten the Big Box o’ Battletech in the mail, but having few opportunities to break it out to use for anything other than my PBeM, it occurred to me to make some use of my languishing Youtube Channel and try an experiment:
Lunchtime Battletech Challenge
I will post an objective, opposing lances, pilot scores, and starting hexes. The floor is then open to anyone who wants to respond, either in the comments section or with a short video response. Reply with your thoughts on what each lance should attempt in the early stages of the mission, or a move for me to counter.
This entry will serve both as an example, and the first challenge:
Scenario One: Retrieval Era: 3067
Factions: 2 Mercenary Units
– 1 lance of Randall Steven’s Rented Swords
– 1 lance of Leena Durden’s Regular Irregulars
Rented Swords’ Mechs and Gunnery/Piloting & Sensor Ratings
- Commando COM-2D (3 /4)
- Assassin ASN-21 (4/4)
- Quickdraw QKD-4G (4/3)
- Trebuchet TBT-5N (3/3)
- All: Sensors 5
Regular Irregulars’ Mechs and Gunnery/Piloting & Sensor Ratings
- Clint CLNT-2-3T (3/3)
- Panther PNT-9R (3/4)
- Dervish DV-6M (4/4)
- Grasshopper GHR-5H (4/3)
- All: Sensors 5
Briefing
An Atlas in the Rented Swords Assault lance has been taken down by enemy aerospace bombardment. Its pilot ejected safely and is carrying important documents vital to the war effort.
A lance of the Regular Irregulars has been diverted to try to retrieve the pilot for interrogation and savage the Atlas beyond repair.
A lance of Rented Swords has been diverted to retrieve the pilot and recover the Atlas. A second lance has also been diverted, but is farther away. Their arrival after 15 turns of play signals the end of the scenario.
Objectives: Rented Swords
Primary
- Recover the mechwarrior [10 points]
Secondary
- Protect the Atlas [2 points]
- Disable and capture enemy mechs [2 points/mech]
- Destroy the enemy lance [2 points]
- Disperse the enemy lance [2 points]
Objectives: Regular Irregulars
Primary
- Recover the mechwarrior [10 points]
Secondary
- Escape with the mechwarrior [1 point]
- Destroy the Atlas [2 points]
- Damage the Atlas [1 point/crit]
- Disable the enemy lance [2 points/mech]
The Atlas
The Atlas has been taken to internals in both legs [1 point lost in each] and has lost all the rear armor and all the head armor. It is lying on its back. The mechwarrior has ejected and is somewhere nearby.
A mech with a functioning hand will be required to retrieve the unconscious mechwarrior. A piloting roll will be required to do so safely under fire.
Loss of armor on the arm bearing the mechwarrior will result in their exposure to enemy fire on subsequent arm hits, and therefore death.
The Videos
The videos I post will show the positioning and facing of each mech and indicate initiative order for the turn. Replies can be made either in the comments on this page, or by posting a video reply on YouTube which I will link to here.
Turn 1
- Choose and Declare a side (Rented Swords or Regular Irregulars)
- Declare Movement
Fast Option
If you prefer faster play, when posting your reply, the new positions of your whole lance should be moved together on your initiative.
No Time Option
An alternate means to participate is to post a reply either here or as a video response offering commentary on which initial positions each side should seek, and why.
Completed Turns:
Turn 01 Start End Turn 02 Turn 03 Turn 04 Turn 05
Turn 06 Turn 07 Turn 08 Turn 09 Turn 10
Turn 11 Turn 12 Turn 13 Turn 14 Turn 15
Related articles
- If wishes were ‘Mechs… (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Battletech Box Set Unboxing 2 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Mechwarrior: Running a Time of War ~ pt.5 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Battletech Lunchtime Challenger 1 – Turn 1 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Saturday Seed ~ 53 (Mechwarrior) (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
Comments
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[…] challenger by the nick of HunterCD has been the first to take up the Battletech Lunchtime Challenge, choosing to direct the Rented Swords Lance in their role as Defender in this encounter. The turn […]
Casting Shadows 
Very interesting. I wish I didn’t catch this at close to the end of my lunchtime, but I did, so I’ll have to look at this in more detail and see if it something I’d like to participate in.
I hope you do~
I was almost late getting back to work after filming it.
😉
The first to respond to the challenge has done so in the comments section on YouTube.
He has chosen the Rented Swords (defenders) and decided to move the lance forward toward the center of the map, but to position the Commando in the trees. I will post a reply to this later in the day.
Thoughts?
hmm, irregulars are still unspoken for? I suppose you can sign me up then. I won’t have time to do turn by turn, but you can intuit my moves from the strategy I sent you. In general, mech on mech choices will be about optimizing any pair of damage curves
Excellent~ I will run them according to your guidelines.
The next entry will go up today. It will resolve the firing and end phases of Turn 1, and initiative (plus movement, if the Regular Irregulars Lance loses) for Turn 2.