88 replies to this topic

[Koniving]

Metus regem, on 16 April 2018 - 09:25 AM, said:

Kon, what is the goal of the raid?

What does the target area look like (IE: defensive emplacements)?

What optional rules are you using? (Large expulsions as an example)

If you are going after a wall or guard post to gain entry to an area, perhaps taking a civilian cargo truck loaded down with a ton or several of MG ammo as a make shift bomb might be an idea... I forget the TRO, but there is one that has a transport tuck that packs 9t of MG ammo, it's singular purpose is to be used as a road side bomb.... It was used by the WoB during the Jihad.

Virtually all rules (including weapon variants).

Given that it is a raid, multiple maps are in use from at least two starting points which have several secondary and tertiary objectives and converge in the Steel Valley region, a densely populated industrial region on three planetary defense canons surrounding this region. The ultimate goal is to disable all three canons, preferably by non-destructive means.

The entry method is intended to be via civilian dropships. How this plays out actually depends on a number of elements taking place prior to landing. Its setup so it is semi-random, so how it worked out before is not necessarily how it will work out this time. (Worse case the dropships can be shot out of the air before they land). However, due to how developed the planet is, this actually requires them to land at major space ports within cities as this factory does not have a local space port. As such, once the ruse is up, there's multiple maps to traverse.

Going between maps is going to be similar to something basic, like General Chaos' map


Either the raiding team advances or retreats, or goes to adjacent maps. On any given map, patrolling forces, traps/ambushes, interceptions, or even no encounters can occur. After all, the opfor will have the maps populated and will be permitted to make small organized pushes against the raiding team once they are properly communicated OR within two in game hours of any public incident. (transitions between maps are assumed to be 20 to 40 minutes.) A certain limit of civilian casualties can expedite this response.

As such, avoiding public incidents is preferable but unlikely. Preventing any patrolling units from being able to send out exact details, however, is a high priority. There is some outside help that can be played in this regard, but for the most part any retreating units cannot be allowed to escape an engagement in order to keep organized resistance to a minimum. Once the jig is up, or 24 hours transpire, the chances for success drop significantly.

Under Objective Raids, major organized reactions often do not occur within 24 hours of a starting raid, due to most raids simply being distractions for a larger goal and the planet is the subject of many raids, often a half dozen a year.

Edited by Koniving, 16 April 2018 - 09:52 AM.

[MechaBattler]

General Chaos! I loved that game! Makes me wonder why someone hasn't redone the concept in newer games

[Metus regem]

Koniving, on 16 April 2018 - 09:45 AM, said:

Virtually all rules (including weapon variants).

Given that it is a raid, multiple maps are in use from at least two starting points which have several secondary and tertiary objectives and converge in the Steel Valley region, a densely populated industrial region on three planetary defense canons surrounding this region. The ultimate goal is to disable all three canons, preferably by non-destructive means.

The entry method is intended to be via civilian dropships. How this plays out actually depends on a number of elements taking place prior to landing. Its setup so it is semi-random, so how it worked out before is not necessarily how it will work out this time. (Worse case the dropships can be shot out of the air before they land). However, due to how developed the planet is, this actually requires them to land at major space ports within cities as this factory does not have a local space port. As such, once the ruse is up, there's multiple maps to traverse.

Going between maps is going to be similar to something basic, like General Chaos' map


Either the raiding team advances or retreats, or goes to adjacent maps. On any given map, patrolling forces, traps/ambushes, interceptions, or even no encounters can occur. After all, the opfor will have the maps populated and will be permitted to make small organized pushes against the raiding team once they are properly communicated OR within two in game hours of any public incident. (transitions between maps are assumed to be 20 to 40 minutes.) A certain limit of civilian casualties can expedite this response.

As such, avoiding public incidents is preferable but unlikely. Preventing any patrolling units from being able to send out exact details, however, is a high priority. There is some outside help that can be played in this regard, but for the most part any retreating units cannot be allowed to escape an engagement in order to keep organized resistance to a minimum. Once the jig is up, or 24 hours transpire, the chances for success drop significantly.

Under Objective Raids, major organized reactions often do not occur within 24 hours of a starting raid, due to most raids simply being distractions for a larger goal and the planet is the subject of many raids, often a half dozen a year.

Okay, I hate to say this one, but for the Raiders to have the highest chance at success, perhaps leaving the mechs on the drop ship and using civilian units that can be easily hidden with in the local population would be the best bet. They need set point where they can change trucks with their cargo, provided looting is the objective of this raid... if not, using civilian transport could get the raiding force mech pilots into the OpFor's base to take their mechs might be an idea... Doing this would cause the OpFor to hesitate for a moment before opening fire on one of their units as they may have trouble knowing if it really is a friendly inside or not.

[Koniving]

Its one of those cases, where there's a minor catering to the limitations of "What if this was MWO". This said, between getting onto the planet, getting from where they land and their final destination, there's a plan. But I also had to plan rules around "When it all gets ****** up", with possibilities that the plan could get screwed within range of the planet to any point prior to their destination. Its getting played in real time so to speak (simultaneous turns, multiple windows, and a deck of cards with measures and counter measures. Needless to say, this is supposed to get really elaborate. If there was a tangible way to film it, I totally would play it live.

As of the last attempt before the problems we had, at one point there were 8 Megamek windows open on the Opfor screen taking movements. One team too blew it too early and was shot out of the sky. Mechs deployed, three made it from the air to the ground, though one went through a building and was quickly captured. The other two did well enough considering. The other two groups were already on the ground but the heightened alerts made everything much more difficult and within 15 real life minutes of the one team being shot out of the sky, another team got discovered. It was going downhill from there. Unfortunately we hit a crash in the development build of Megamek HQ, and the save couldn't be salvaged, without being able to return completed megamek instances there to be able to relaunch new ones, we couldn't get between maps, and effectively couldn't continue. The save couldn't be reloaded either, so we lost everything on the Raiding merc / Davion sides.)

In the spirit of "if this were MWO" with a dose of "Made in Star Citizen", the actual player start within the field would begin when combat begins, but how far they get depends on the stuff before it.

[Koniving]

This said: Extraction during mission is not possible or expected. This is an extremely well paying "special event" style mission. If they succeed, they can be extracted after the Davions launch an invasion with enough of a 'hole' to warrant the effort. If they fail, Kurita is most likely going to auction off the survivors to their units for reparations. Its meant to represent one of the most dangerous missions for a merc, as well as what a special event in MWO should have been.

Its also intended as a test bed for my Battletech simulator concept... which if I get a really well working concept, I may try creating something original from it and perhaps we'll see it in some years from now.

(I'm also not wanting to spoil too many details before it actually takes place and its story is put up on the forum.)

[Metus regem]

Ahh, my first thoughts Kon, come from having done similar events in RPG Battletech campaigns, we found that using some covert ops actions did us more good in the long run... also helped that my character in that campaign was a cover operative from DIM section 6.

We stealthy made our way onto the Drac Base, I set charges in the ammo dump, as two of the other mech warriors got three mechs ready to go, when I was finished with the charges, I made my way into the C.I.C. and left more charges, rigged to blow once someone opened one of the doors into the C.I.C.. Once that was done, I made my way to the hanger, triggered the ammo dump charges, then we made our way out with three Dragon 5K's... On the way out we grabbed our fourth party member he drove the stolen Drac jeep and then ran like hell to the space port, using the stolen Dragons to bluff our way on as reinforcements for the forces stationed there.

[Brain Cancer]

Koniving, on 15 April 2018 - 07:21 AM, said:

Apparently no one would take one seriously (despite people saying it is among the most powerful mechs you can get in Crescent Hawk's Revenge).

That's because other than the Chameleon, every other Battlemech on the planet is a light, and 3025-era lights at that. (And it's in Inception, not Revenge (the sequel).

While normally it wouldn't be much, especially after the Clan invasion...this is pre-Clans and it's packing one of the two biggest weapons available (unless you manage to escape with an Urbanmech from the arena and have the God-Machine of Battletech on your side).

Edited by Brain Cancer, 16 April 2018 - 02:59 PM.

[Koniving]

MechaBattler, on 16 April 2018 - 10:12 AM, said:

General Chaos! I loved that game! Makes me wonder why someone hasn't redone the concept in newer games

The creator did a Kickstarter to make a new version. I really want sure about bringing the concept to 3d. The Kickstarter fell short though.

Side note. Valve did. Team fortress 2.

Dont you think Soldier looks a bit like Launcher?
...and he uses a rocket launcher as a primary weapon...


Demoman is black but same eyepatch. Scout... Scrawny gunner. Flamer... Pro, but Flamer face kinda given to sniper and then given more character. Could also say Heavy is derived from Gunner.

Also.... Even the nomenclature of naming by class is copied.

[MechaBattler]

Koniving, on 16 April 2018 - 08:37 PM, said:

The creator did a Kickstarter to make a new version. I really want sure about bringing the concept to 3d. The Kickstarter fell short though.

Side note. Valve did. Team fortress 2.

Dont you think Soldier looks a bit like Launcher?
...and he uses a rocket launcher as a primary weapon...


Demoman is black but same eyepatch. Scout... Scrawny gunner. Flamer... Pro, but Flamer face kinda given to sniper and then given more character. Could also say Heavy is derived from Gunner.

Also.... Even the nomenclature of naming by class is copied.

Oh wow you're right. They did totally take that concept and run with it. Though as an FPS it loses it' charm.

Definitely interested to see them make a remake of the original.