Let's Play Together: GM'd Battletech via Megamek

[NickAragua]

As discussed in the Let's Play Battletech thread, I'm going to give the Octopus Overlords a chance to drive their own mechs. As it turns out, I had a much easier time creating the scenario than expected, so I'll put this up for digestion earlier than I planned, separated into several posts for ease of reading. Participants for this mission are Gbasden, Isgrimnur, MadMarcus and El Guapo.

I'll assume reasonable familiarity with basic battletech rules (movement, firing (including firing arcs, line of sight, heat, range), etc). If anyone needs a refresher, I'll be happy to type one up. I'll call out damage to your mechs and if you should be concerned about it. In this scenario you'll be mostly fighting vehicles and stomping some infantry, so keep in mind the following lesser-known rules:

Most of your weapons will be killing one or two troopers per hit: direct fire weapons do their damage value / 10 damage.
Mechanized infantry take 2x damage from non-infantry units
Flamers do 4d6 damage vs infantry
Machine guns do 2d6 damage vs infantry
Infantry in the open take 2x damage
Infantry in buildings take damage depending on toughness of building
Melee attacks against buildings automatically succeed

Also, remember you can (and should) kick adjacent enemy units in your front arc. Target number is piloting skill - 2 + modifiers. Damage is your mech's weight / 5.

You'll be seeing some fixed turrets here. I'll call out the "CF" and height of the turret buildings. CF is basically number of hit points. Once that hits zero, the building collapses.

As a reminder, the magic numbers (hexes moved) for making yourself harder to hit are: 3, 5, 7 (none of you can move 11), or every odd number for jumps.

Hovercraft cannot move into woods or buildings. Mechs can, but that's a random basement check and a piloting skill roll.

[NickAragua]

Here's the lineup of mechwarriors and their mechs:

Gbasden: 4 gunnery, 4 piloting
Thunderbolt TDR-5SE
65 tons
Movement: 4/6/4
Heat Sinks: 17
Armor: 208 points
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Large Laser - Right Arm - 8 - 8 - 5/10/15
LRM/10 - Left Torso - 4 - 10 (2x5) - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)
Medium Laser x3 - Left Torso - 3 - 5 - 3/6/9

El Guapo: 4 gunnery, 4 piloting
Griffin GRF-1S
55 tons
Movement: 5/8/5
Heat Sinks: 16
Armor: 152 points
Gyro hit (+3 to piloting skill rolls, running or jumping requires piloting skill roll)
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Large Laser - Right Arm - 8 - 8 - 5/10/15
Medium Laser x2 - Right Arm - 3 - 5 - 3/6/9
LRM/5 - Left Torso - 2 - 5 - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)

Isgrimnur: 4 gunnery, 5 piloting
Vindicator VND-1R
45 tons
Movement: 4/6/4
Heat Sinks: 16
Armor: 144 points
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Small Laser - Left Arm - 1 - 3 - 1/2/3
PPC - Right Arm - 10 - 10 - 6/12/18 (minimum range 3)
LRM/5 - Left Torso - 2 - 5 - 7/14/21
Medium Laser - Head - 3 - 5 - 3/6/9

MadMarcus: 4 gunnery, 4 piloting
Firestarter FS9-K2
35 tons
Movement: 6/9/6
Heat Sinks: 11
Armor: 88 points
1 head armor remaining
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Small Laser x2 - Left Arm - 1 - 3 - 1/2/3
Large Laser - Right Arm - 8 - 8 - 5/10/15
Flamer - Center Torso - 3 - 2 - 1/2/3

You also have an allied Maxim Heavy Hover Transport with a boatload of LRM and SRM launchers, along with a turret-mounted SRM/6 and machinegun. You can issue it orders and it'll do its best to follow instructions, although the pilot has a sense of self-preservation. The transport carries a platoon of LRM and rifle-equipped jump infantry, which you should use to carry out the search and rescue.

Maxim Heavy Hover Transport (Standard)
Movement: 8/12 (hover)
Armor: 88
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
LRM/5 x2 - Front - 0 - 5 - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)
LRM/5 - Rear - 0 - 5 - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)
SRM/2 - Left, Right - 0 - 4 (2x2) - 3/6/9
Machine Gun - Turret - 0 - 1 - 1/2/3
SRM/6 - Turret - 0 - 12 (6x2) - 3/6/9

Jump Platoon (LRM)
15 Men
Movement: 1/2/2
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
LRM Launcher (Farshot) - Damage depends on number of men left - 3/6/9

[NickAragua]

Here's the known Opposing Force (reinforcements may be incoming and there's some infantry in those buildings):

Saracen Medium Hover Tank (1 active, 1 sunk by El Guapo)
Movement: 8/12 (hover)
Armor: 112
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
LRM/10 - Turret - 0 - 10 (2x5) - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)
SRM/2 x3 - Turret - 0 - 4 (2x2) - 3/6/9

Scorpion Light Tank (Standard) (x2, 1 with minor right side damage)
Movement: 4/6 (tracked)
Armor: 64
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Machine Gun - Turret - 0 - 1 - 1/2/3
AC/5 - Turret - 0 - 5 - 6/12/18 (minimum range 3)

Scorpion Light Tank (ML)
Movement: 4/6 (tracked)
Armor: 64
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Machine Gun - Turret - 0 - 1 - 1/2/3
Medium Laser x3 - Turret - 0 - 5 - 3/6/9

Scorpion Light Tank (LRM) (destroyed by Gbasden)
Movement: 4/6 (tracked)
Armor: 80
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
LRM/10 - Left Torso - 0 - 10 (2x5) - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)
LRM/5 - Left Torso - 0 - 5 - 7/14/21 (minimum range 7)

Pegasus Scout Hover Tank (Standard)
Movement: 8/12 (hover)
Armor: 104
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Medium Laser - Turret - 0 - 5 - 3/6/9
SRM/6 x3 - Turret - 0 - 4 (6x2) - 3/6/9

Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank (Standard)
Movement: 7/11 (wheeled)
Armor: 72
Weapons: (Name - Location - Heat - Damage - Range Brackets Short/Medium/Long)
Medium Laser - Front - 0 - 5 - 3/6/9

AC/5 Turret (triple)
Building CF: 94
Height: 4

Medium Laser Turret (dual) (destroyed by Isgrimnur, Gbasden, Madmarcus)
Building CF: 75
Height: formerly 6, now 0

Large Laser Turret (destroyed by Isgrimnur, Madmarcus)
Building CF: 83
Height: 5

Machine Gun Turret (triple)
Building CF: 82
Height: 3

[NickAragua]

The situation:

The FWL has tracked their captured mechwarrior to this facility. The liaison informs us that he is being held in one of the "buildings with a yellow roof". The location of the mech is not known. As Beta lance approaches the facility, the alarm sounds and vehicle crews scramble to get out to their vehicles. Our air support is nearby, but is fully loaded with bombs and has been engaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire and will not be available until turn 9. Additionally, air recon reports that all nearby enemy patrols have been recalled, so expect more company to trickle in.



The enemy vehicles are being powered up and will randomly activate within the next 6 turns.

Recon also reported that there are two platoons of enemy infantry in there, so pay attention.

The turrets are manually controlled, but if you can get your infantry in there, they'll be able to kill the crew (by the start of the subsequent turn).

The objectives are as follows:
Primary: Retrieve captured FWL mechwarrior
Secondary: Attempt to locate captured FWL mech

To search a particular building, you will need to get the infantry squad in there. At the end of the turn, they'll finish searching the building and let you know if either of the objectives are in there. Once found, get the mechwarrior off the south or east board edge. The mechwarrior is located in one of the yellow striped buildings. The mech location is unknown.

The Maxim and infantry platoon will take orders (although they might refuse particularly suicidal ones).

Beta lance: pick your deployment hex and facing, from any of the highlighted yellow hexes.

[bb2112]

Wow, that is a very sophisticated bot.

[Scoop20906]

Lol. This is cool. Makes wonder if we can do this with Orge too.

Hmm. I wonder if I can root for El Guapo's death in this too.


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[El Guapo]

I'll take spot 2126. Seems like a great spot to pick off enemy vehicles before they power up.

[Isgrimnur]

0629

[NickAragua]

Sorry guys, looks like I goofed. I meant the yellow-outlined hexes (northeast side of the board), not the desert hexes in the middle of the map (even though those *are* yellow).

Also, for the record, 2126 isn't very good for picking off parked vehicles, seeing as how you wouldn't have line of sight to any of them (there's a hill directly in the way).

I think I'm also going to put up a non-isometric version of the map, since it looks like it's a little difficult to read the altitudes on some of those hexes:

[Isgrimnur]

Aww.

[Madmarcus]

Hmmm, limited armor and heat issues. Nice anti-inf capability.

What happens to a turret if you destroy it's supporting building. I suppose I should also ask; are turrets as easy to hit as buildings?

[NickAragua]

Heh, you think this variety of the Firestarter has heat issues, be glad you don't have the basic variant (4x flamer, 2x medium laser, 2x machinegun). Not to mention the 6/9/6 movement profile. All with ten heat sinks.

As far as turrets go, the way they're implemented in MegaMek, the turret *is* the building. So you get a -4 modifier to hit it (and it never moves). Also, attacks against adjacent buildings automatically hit (melee and ranged). When the building CF reaches 0, the building and turret are "converted" into rubble.

[Madmarcus]

You're right. I'd forgotten how bad the Firestarter is.

[Isgrimnur]

1403 facing SW, assuming up is North.

[El Guapo]

Sorry guys, looks like I goofed. I meant the yellow-outlined hexes (northeast side of the board), not the desert hexes in the middle of the map (even though those *are* yellow).

Also, for the record, 2126 isn't very good for picking off parked vehicles, seeing as how you wouldn't have line of sight to any of them (there's a hill directly in the way).

I think I'm also going to put up a non-isometric version of the map, since it looks like it's a little difficult to read the altitudes on some of those hexes:

The plan was to jump over to a nearby location to shoot at the vehicles.

I'll take 2417.

[gbasden]

I'll take 2413, facing southwest as well

[Madmarcus]

1603 facing south.

[NickAragua]

The crew of a Scorpion Light Tank (Standard #2) get their vehicle up and moving. The rest of the crews are still fumbling around trying to start their vehicles up or zip up their pants while running towards the tarmac. Sensors detect a bunch of signatures consistent with mechanized hover infantry fortified in some of the buildings. The turrets are fully active and tracking targets.

"This is Search and Rescue. We'll take up position north of that hill north of the base and commence searching on your orders."

Beta lance, place your movement orders and firing preferences.

[El Guapo]

I'll take 2417.

Forgot to specify that I will start facing northwest.

[Isgrimnur]

What's the LOS effect on different levels? We have that hill to mask our approach, but I don't want to unmask too soon.

[NickAragua]

Ok. Took the opportunity to take a flattened screenshot of the map as well.

[El Guapo]

What's the LOS effect on different levels? We have that hill to mask our approach, but I don't want to unmask too soon.

Yeah - for example, could one fire from space 2019 to the parked vehicles? A mech there (level 6) could see over the level 7 hill in front, but could I see down to the vehicle on level 4 (space 1519) that's 5 spaces away?

Similarly, I assume that I can't shoot (or be shot at from) the medium laser turret at 1614 from my current spot, since the level 3 hill two spaces in front would block me?

Also, what levels are the vehicles on other than the one at 1519? I can't see any of the other level numbers since they are blocked by the vehicle names on the map.

[NickAragua]

edit: important technicalities

What's the LOS effect on different levels? We have that hill to mask our approach, but I don't want to unmask too soon.

It's a little complex, but here's the relevant rules from "Total Warfare".

Terrain along the LOS between two units intervenes if:
• The level of the terrain or feature is equal to or higher than the level of both units; or
• The terrain or feature is adjacent to the attacker and equal to or higher than the attacker’s level; or
• The terrain or feature is adjacent to the target and equal to or higher than the target’s level.

As a note, your mech stands two levels higher than the level of the hex it's standing on. Tanks, infantry and prone mechs are as hex height + 1. The turrets are on the tops of their buildings, and I think I gave their heights in the OpFor summary post.

Also note that if the LOS runs directly along a hex edge, the defender picks the relevant hex.

[NickAragua]

Edit: important technicalities.

Here's another screenshot with no unit names cluttering things up:

What's the LOS effect on different levels? We have that hill to mask our approach, but I don't want to unmask too soon.

Yeah - for example, could one fire from space 2019 to the parked vehicles? A mech there (level 6) could see over the level 7 hill in front, but could I see down to the vehicle on level 4 (space 1519) that's 5 spaces away?

Similarly, I assume that I can't shoot (or be shot at from) the medium laser turret at 1614 from my current spot, since the level 3 hill two spaces in front would block me?

Also, what levels are the vehicles on other than the one at 1519? I can't see any of the other level numbers since they are blocked by the vehicle names on the map.

From 2019, you could hit the vehicles at 1519 and 1521. 1619 and 1620 are both covered by the level 5 hill in front of them (doesn't matter that 2019 is much higher, they're right next to the cliff). All the vehicles are currently on level 4. You can hit the medium laser turret, because it's at level 4 (+1) and you're at level 3 (2 + 2 as you're a mech) and there's no intervening terrain of height 5 or higher.

[El Guapo]

What's the LOS effect on different levels? We have that hill to mask our approach, but I don't want to unmask too soon.

It's a little complex, but here's the relevant rules from "Total Warfare".

Terrain along the LOS between two units intervenes if:
• The level of the terrain or feature is equal to or higher than the level of both units; or
• The terrain or feature is adjacent to the attacker and equal to or higher than the attacker’s level; or
• The terrain or feature is adjacent to the target and equal to or higher than the target’s level.

As a note, your mech stands a level higher than the level of the hex it's standing on. Tanks, infantry and prone mechs are treated as being on the same level. The turrets are on the tops of their buildings, and I think I gave their heights in the OpFor summary post.

Also note that if the LOS runs directly along a hex edge, the defender picks the relevant hex.

On the second one - a mech can fire over terrain that's in front of it and one level higher, right? Like, a mech on level 1 terrain behind level 2 terrain can fire over that terrain even though it's (with the one level standing mech boost) "equal" to the attacker's and adjacent to the attacker?

[NickAragua]

Correct. You also gain "partial cover" against any unit firing from your hex level if you're adjacent to such a terrain feature or building.

[Isgrimnur]

So if I have this right, I could run to 0906 and change facing to South.

[NickAragua]

Not quite: your mech moves 4/6, and going to 0906 would cost 7 mp (3 for the first three hexes, 2 to go from 1105 to 1005 because of the height change, 2 to go from 1005 to 0906 because of the height change).

[Isgrimnur]

1005 and a facing change, then?

[NickAragua]

That's doable, yes.

[El Guapo]

Standing behind partial cover (terrain one level higher than you) and in the woods both give penalties to people shooting at you, right? How do they compare?

[NickAragua]

Partial cover = light woods = +1 to hit difficulty
heavy woods = +2 to hit difficulty

Partial cover is a little better than light woods because any shots that would hit your legs hit the cover instead.

However, just to reiterate, the shooting unit needs to be on the same hex level as the bottom of the unit receiving cover. So (for example) a mech standing on level 2 trying to take "partial cover" behind level 3 terrain would not get a benefit from it if the shooting unit is on level 3 or higher.

[El Guapo]

Ok, so I think I am going to jump to hex 2020 and face southwest. My understanding being that from there I can fire at two of the parked vehicles (and 1519 and 1521) and I think at the AC5 turret at 1221.

[Madmarcus]

Run to 1710. I'll engage the laser turret with my large laser if I have an 11 or better to hit. If it's only a 12 it isn't worth the heat.

[NickAragua]

Isgrimnur, El Guapo, you guys should declare (or state target preferences) for weapons fire as well.

[El Guapo]

I'll fire at whichever target (between the vehicles and the AC5 turret) gives me the best odds of hitting.

In the event of a tie, target preference is (1) AC5 turret; (2) LRM Scorpion; (3) Medium Saracen.

[gbasden]

I'll move to hex 1914 and target the turret in 1614. I'm assuming that if I moved to 2014 I would not be able to target the turret because LOS would be defenders choice (and I assume he would not want to be shot at?)

[NickAragua]

I'll move to hex 1914 and target the turret in 1614. I'm assuming that if I moved to 2014 I would not be able to target the turret because LOS would be defenders choice (and I assume he would not want to be shot at?)

You're correct, there's no line of sight from 2014 to 1614. You also can't get to 1914, as you only have 4 jump jets and 6 running move points, and that's 5 jumping / 9 running MP away. You can jump to 2116 and it provides a lot better sight lines (being level 3).

[Isgrimnur]

I should be masked from everything south of me, so I'll be targeting 1614.

[gbasden]

I'll move to hex 1914 and target the turret in 1614. I'm assuming that if I moved to 2014 I would not be able to target the turret because LOS would be defenders choice (and I assume he would not want to be shot at?)

You're correct, there's no line of sight from 2014 to 1614. You also can't get to 1914, as you only have 4 jump jets and 6 running move points, and that's 5 jumping / 9 running MP away. You can jump to 2116 and it provides a lot better sight lines (being level 3).

I'm going to have to reread all of the movement rules. I thought 1914 would be 6 move with 5 hexes and 1 elevation change. 2116 works for me, though.