3 replies to this topic

[Legostar8505]

REPLY IF YOU WANT TO JOIN

Hi there Arctotherium Winter,

I have a proposition for everyone.

I've been watching a few of the MWOWC (MechWarrior Online World Championship) where they do 8v8 unit vs unit on a private lobby hosted by a member of Piranha Games, and the way the stats show up to the spectators gave me this idea.

In celebration of the upcoming BattleTech Online Tabletop game made by Harebrained Schemes, I would like to invite at least 5 people (4,8,12 plus one spectator to do FULL lances) for us to do something like that. And we could verse units like CGBI, 12KG, 12BG, and other units to verse us. It'd be a turn-based gameplay on a random map picked by the winner of the coinflip (rules).

[a quick link to the battletech starter rules for tabletop: {download}]

RULES


So the way the turns will work:

We'll start of with a coin flip from " justflipacoin.com". The unit/side that wins the coin flip will not only go first, but get to decide on which side they start on on their map of choice.

A team consisting of 4 mechs may only have one light, one medium, one heavy, and one assault. If there are multiple lances (8,12 mechs) then there can be 3 lights, 3 mediums, 3 heavies, and 3 assaults. Commanders will be able to choose where the mechs go in the lances.

Afterwards you take your turn with different phases in this order:

Movement Phase
Attack Phase,
End Phase.

Then they get to move. Each mech can use 2 moves in it's own phase. Movements work by: telling one mech to either:
Stay still: which won't use up a move,
Move: which will use up one move, and each mech can only use 15 steps MAXIMUM in their move. MASC will not be used.
Run: which will use up both moves, and the selected mech can go 40 steps MAXIMUM, and mechs that have MASC may use that to move if that is the desired choice.

After they move, then they enter the attack phase, where if the enemy is in range of the mech, you may use it's weapons. the Attack Phase works by:
Hold Fire: which will have the selected mech to not fire, and they're then done with their attack phase.
Fire: which will have the selected mech fire his weapons in sequence at the selected target. This may be used twice if the mech has 2 moves available.
Alpha Fire: which will have the selected mech Alpha Strike his weapons at the selected target. The mech may then choose to confirm it if the mech pilot believes that'll send him into Emergency Shutdown Mode. A mech that overheats and enters ESM then loses it's next turn, so be wise on your choices.
Fire Only ____: basically the same as Fire, but you get to choose which weapons the mech can fire.

After that, it's the End Phase in which you get to choose what a mech does after his moves have been used up. End Phase works with:
Command Shutdown Mode: a mech may go into Commanded Shutdown Mode to negate enemy LRM fire, but engaging CSM will not have the mech miss his next turn, but uses one move to start up during his next phase.
Command Startup Mode: a special move, and uses up a move during a mechs Phase and can only be used on mechs with CSM on them, not ESM. Can be used to get a mech back into action or ignored so the mech stays offline until his next phase comes around.
Deploy UAV: will have the selected mech fire a UAV up to help with allied spotting. This does not use up a move and can be only used in the End Phase.
Drop Smoke: will have the selected mech drop a pillar of smoke to call in either an Air strike or Artillery strike. This does use up a move and must be done after the movement/attack phase.

Side Note (1): mechs may refuse an order if the pilot believes that it'll put him at risk of dying in his next turn, but then the commander can then say FOLLOW ALL ORDERS and remove mech pilot input. SUGGESTIVE ORDERS will re-add mech pilot input.
Side Note (2): mechs with Cool Shot equiped may use it at their own discression when they attack to reduce the heat levels of their mech. Not a commandable item by commanders.
Side Note (3): the Deploy and Drop command may only be used once on each mech (e.g. your assault may pop a UAV and then can not use it anymore, due to MWO restrictions while your light may still be able to pop one)

The winning team will then have bragging rights over the loser.

This is just for fun, to see if we can solidify our friendship and loyalty between each other and other units, if we can get enough on board, will have to make a tournament out of this and give prizes to the winners.

[Jep Jorgensson]

This is a very intriguing proposition, I must say. I had the same idea myself some time ago. Then as now however, there is a serious weakness that makes doing it very difficult to impossible to do. Namely, the limited amount of time we are allotted for our matches. We might be able to do a 4v4 in 20 minutes, but a 12v12? Probably not. That said, I am still interested.

[f00lish1]

I agree with Jep, seems like it will be difficult logistically, but I am willing to give it a shot. May also need to limit the map grid coordinates, so it doesn't take 20 turns to have a shot.

[Legostar8505]

Right Right, well I did do some thinking about this, and a 12v12 wouldn't work, and just probably stick to 4v4, with extras in there to make sure the mechs don't cheat, and a couple of ground spectators if they'd like.