Battletech is a game we play only vary rarely. Mainly as games (often fought till one side has been wiped out) seem to take forever to conclude. That said, I really do enjoy the background fluff, indeed I'm currently reading the 1st Succession War PDF. Normally we play at the 8000 point mark which isn't much to be honest, rather mechs can really absorb a lot of punishment and keep on going.
Looking to thwart the issue of endless games without conclusion (my longest to date clocked in at 12 hours or so before I threw in the towel and told my opponent: You win, now get out, I'm done! (or something to that effect). I thought I'd try devising a scenario of my own for a future game, where total annihilation shouldn't be the objective. Instead escaping an ambush intact is! Or...at least having my unit commanders do so.
So here's what I came up with:
Backstory:
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| TBAGers, the resurrection! (following their 15mm demise) |
The 3rd Succession War has been raging for years, luckily though your backwater world has come thru unscathed until now. Your Successor House/Periphery Realm’s* mortal enemies have sent a mercenary battalion (insert whichever here, but in this particular case) known as The Buffet Assault group (TBAGers) on a raid to strip your planet of whatever military stores it can find. As you ready your militia forces, you research your adversaries only to discover that the TBAGers have a reputation for employing simple, mob-like tactics and suffering from consistently mediocre leadership. Odds are, this raid will prove to be no different…
Landing unopposed, they quickly established a beach-head around their drop ships. The TBAGers' primary combat companies have aggressively moved towards their objectives brushing aside what little resistance that could be mustered in their path. Even though your militia units reacted quickly, they are too lightly armed to deflect the oncoming horde. However your scout lance has spotted an opportunity that could throw this entire raid into disarray…
Overconfident, the TBAGers combat elements are all but running amok, while your scout lance has reported that their command company is advancing at (quote) ‘a leisurely stroll’. Sensing an opportunity for a decapitation strike, you’ve let the main force bypass unawares, whilst your remaining militia wait in ambush for the TBAGers' commanders to blunder right into the kill zone!
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Scenario:
8000 points per side, all level 1 technology.
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| This variant will lose that torso mounted cannon and gain a...um, backpack? |
The attacker (TBAGers) need their command units to escape the ambush and link up with the main raiding force. The ‘command units’ consist of a Cyclops CP-10-HQ**, and three ‘Command Squads’ of infantry, each mounted in their own transport vehicle.
The TBAGers need to get the Cyclops and at least one infantry squad to escape the ambush via the opposing player’s table edge in 6 turns (or less) to win. If only one of those two escape, the game is a tie, if none escape then the defender wins.
Due to the confusion caused by the ambush, the defender automatically has the initiative, and no TBAGers units may advance faster than cruising speed in the first turn.
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* Yes its kind generic, but anyone can plug whichever locations/factions they like.
**The Collapsable Command Module carried by the Cyclops is anything but tech level 1, however it never actually comes into use during this scenario.
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Currently I lack the infantry and their transports as well as the requisite Cyclops mech needed to try this out. However Kushial and I will trade an Awesome for a Cyclops when next we meet, and I already have the rest selected for purchase. I'm just waiting on a few ebay sales to finance them. Once all of that is complete, I hopefully will be able to schedule a game and give this a try!