Battletech Lunchtime Challenge 2- Turn 1b/2a
Turn 1 of the second Battletech Lunchtime Challenge ended with a miss from the Right Arm Medium Laser of the Atlas with the Jenner as its target.
Turn 2 opened with the Atlas continuing its run up the map, but with a more aggressive defense policy being enacted, forcing the Attackers into the trees to take cover. Initial firing from the Jenner scored a very lucky hit to a less than useful location, and a disappointing double miss from the Hermes.
Does Death Await?
Now we must wait and wonder what the Atlas will choose to unleash, keeping in mind the high targeting modifiers and the low levels of ammunition. I am sure I am not the only one wondering how long the Attackers can survive if they are forced into the Atlas’ forward arc each turn.
Another question is this: Turn 2’s movement by the Atlas placed both the Jenner and the Hermes in perfect position for physical attacks. The Jenner was primed for a DFA, while the Hermes had the choice to make an 8 hex charge. If it had been you running them under these conditions, would you have chosen to take those options? If not, what would you have done instead?
Turn 1B and Turn 2a
The next clip will include the return fire from the Atlas, a good chance for mech destruction, as well as the initiative roll for the survivors, if any.
Stay tuned!
Related articles
- Battletech Lunchtime Challenge 2: Scenario (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Battletech Lunchtime Challenge – Turn 1a (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
Casting Shadows 
I honestly never thought I’d see a game of Battletech on Youtube!
Well done that man 😀
The Jenner is on +2 heat and you can’t aim unless the unit is immobile or the pilot unconcious. 😉
The Jenner is indeed at +2 on the heat scale~ The best intentions to lower heat notwithstanding, a jump of 5 has an effect, doesn’t it? haha The plan was to cool down this turn, by firing fewer ML, but as things worked out, I chose to jump. C’est la vie.
On the aiming front, what I refer to in the clip is technically referred to as a Called Shot, and is available to moving attackers on moving targets and can allow the choice of high/low or left/right for target selection at an additional +3 to the Target Number. With 11s and 9s last time, that did not seem like the best choice 😉
Thanks again for the comments! What would you have done in Turn 1 had you been running either side?
re Called Shots: so you’re using TacOps rules?
Hm..both Lights will control the entire fight due to their high speed and better gunnery skill anyway, so I’d play them the same way you did. The Atlas is pretty much screwed for the same reasons and additionally due to low ammo. [No, I’m not a fan of the Atlas, can you tell? 😉 The lack of medium range weapons is blatant.]
That said, I’d probably wouldn’t have moved in the first round at all – trying to keep my TNs as low as possible since every shot of my ammunition based weaponry counts, and letting the thick armour of the Atlas soak up the damage. The lights would then either have to face the music or hide in the woods.
We are using many of the rules in TacOps (a notable exception is the expanded criticals rule), including expanded movement modes, and called shots.
I am not fond of most assault mechs, preferring medium and heavies myself. I also think the scenario balance does favour the lights, but there is not much of a margin for error. Having to stay out of the front arc, at the 4-6 hex range with high movement modifiers or risk extinction is a pretty dangerous game~ Even with the low ammo reserves 😉
I shall declare fire of all four medium lasers at the Hermes.
As this is a blog, it affords us the ability to give a play-by-play on each turn, and so I shall give the reasons for the decisions I made.
In the past, I had been in similar scenarios before (light, quick mechs vs heavy slow mechs). It’s a pretty fun scenario, and really accentuates tactical thinking vs lining the mechs up and hitting ‘Fire’ until you win or are dead. The biggest problem I always suffer when playing the ponderous mech is the common, and rather obvious one – the little pricks are never is a good firing position 🙂 To that end, I decided to try a little gambit in the first round which moslty worked out – I opened my rear facing to draw them closer so I could get them into a optimal firing position the next round, with one or more of them in my front facing. It also goes towards the ultimate goal for the scenario – getting to the other side of the board. If I had not moved and started firing (and I REALLY wanted to do that 🙂 ), I’d be presented with the typical problem of this scenario – getting said little darlings into my front facing, and would have made little to no progress in escaping.
Another thing I considered was to try and set the woods on fire. I don’t know if we are using those rules, and if I recall correctly it’s not the easiest thing to to, and the atlas is in a bit of a hurry – something the atlas is not very good at.
as with before, YOUR MOVE, FINE SIR
Thanks for reading the fine print on the initial blog post, Gil~
The Challenge without the tactical discussion is not half as much fun. You rule!
For those following along at home wondering about the Atlas configuration, it is a standard Atlas, but in most of the groups I have ever played with, it was run as a variant with the two rearward ML facing forward. It is a habit we got into. I doubt I mentioned it anywhere in the entries so far so… here it is: mentioned.
Gil, whatever terrain alteration (fires, reduction of woods, etc) rules you want to employ, feel free. No restrictions, really.
I will process the annihilation of the Hermes later today~ 😉