ah cool, nice to know there is a difference :)

Okay, I've made you people suffer through five turns of Kitty Troopers.  We're over the half way point to finished (Half the Combine troopers are taking dirt naps/retreated)  What's the players verdict on the rules I'm using?

As noted, I'm trying to keep the scenario simple as you digest the differences between this and battle tech.  It's similiar, but there are enough differences that you have to account for some notable tactical differences.

I'd like to put a 'dodge' action in there to improve life expectancy.  Other wise the rules are feeling workable and complete and much better than either mechwarrior or battle troopers by themselves.

I'm not going to 'force' out of combat on the characters but if it's appropiate, I'm not going to hide from it either.  If the mechs need a round off infantry combat to make some money for repairs or what not, they're useful.

---

Thantos, how's it going, your issues clearing up?  Do we need to sit you out for the next scenario?

Question, Now that we've filled out the bugs on how the game is going to work, should we add a player or two?

We have room, and it would fill out the 'company' more.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:26, Sun 20 Nov 2011.

* frowns *

48 hour rule in effect.

Players that posted seems to have lost intiative and those that have not have lost it as well.

Will resolve combine turns today.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:11, Tue 22 Nov 2011.

Camille, Devlin and Gregory are exposed and both are now seriously injured.

They really should consider withdrawing during the intiative phase (You dont roll dice, just indicate youre withdrawing) to make certain their characters arent killed off, or at the very least move into deep cover to avoid being such attractive targets.  (else i will presume you are prepared to roll up new characters and not feel bad about gunning you down.)

All three have only 4 action points and are at +2 to TNs from wounds.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:16, Tue 22 Nov 2011.

right now i don't think i can give a judgement call on the rules from an objective point of view, the only thing i can say is they feel rather harsh, and it seems really easy to get taken out of action.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:26, Tue 22 Nov 2011.

Okay no secret at this point, that this campaign will have moments when your fighting out of your mech.  Operations outside your mech have always been a point of interest to me in the battletech universe the view from the bottom at the metal giants is as interesting to explore as from the cockpit.

Mechwarriors should be able to, and can fight out of the cockpit if the need arises.  It's not their area of expertise though and in the interest of fairness when the ground encounters out of mechs get more challenging, i shouldnt be sending a mech warrior with an assault rifle into a situation where a grunt with a SRM launcher is so much more line with what's needed.

If you want to... (this is elective and optional, not a requirement), I will allow players to make an infantry 'alt'.  A character made for ground combat, who is familiar with the wide range of weapons available for such missions and not afriad to use them.  Take a couple of zeros off the starting cash, they have 32,000 CBills for equipment, per the rules they're allowed (2) pieces of D/D/D level equipment, 30kg of non 'standard' equipment is their 'cap'

Is such a thing interesting to you (the players) or are you happy to just much around the ground as a mech warrior to keep it simple?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:37, Tue 22 Nov 2011.

I could go either way.  I'm enjoying having Crispin rolling around on foot with his infantry support.  While it certainly is more deadly than being in a mech from a face value sort of way it's no more or less deadly when a stray PPC glances off your mech's head while you're piloting it.

A dedicated special forces type doing the ground pounding for the Erdani could be a fun "secondary" though allowing some more specialized missions that even shorthanded command wouldn't put mechwarriors at risk at simply because their mechs are worth far more, but only if there is a pilot that can drive it around.

As an aside I know you told me that Johnson, my trooper buddy, had a SMG but when I looked back up on the listings it's got him with a Rifle.  If so I'll have to roll to hit rather than do the surpressive fire.

SMG is fine.

My list is hardly perfect and conclusive, half the combine stats are in and out of armor, if you say he has a smg, i'm fine with that.

If you dont mind bookkeeping two characters, there is no 'down' side to rolling up an infantry grunt.  So if you want to start looking at rolling one up thats fine.

I'll probably end up dedicating one of the squads to fill with player characters for special missions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:56, Tue 22 Nov 2011.

It's not so bad. I think the idea of infantry is great.
Not sure of my tactics. :)

I thought the squad was going to rush to save the girl when we were spotted. But the idea didn't seem to take form... Well here's to either making it happen or I'll kill her to stop any secrets from going out

LOL


Now I need to look up the rules for suppressive fire

Spend 3ap, 10 rounds from your SMG

Your 'target' in the hex takes a wound from a 'bullet' 3L for the average SMG reducing it by 1L for a light woods or 2L for a heavy.  The other guy in the hex gets a wound as well but starts at 1L and gets reduced by the cover if any.  People in the surrounding hexes take a wound starting at 1L and reduced by cover.

You catch a group of people out in the open it's a killer, plus when troops are entrenched and hard to hit it ensures a little damage hits your target.  If you roll crappy it'll just nick them or dent their armour.  Roll well and you may accidentially to your benefit kill them.

Or so that is how I understand it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:42, Tue 22 Nov 2011.

think it all fell apart when caitlinn realized she only had a silencer on ehr own pistol, and not on her soldiers :P

Mmmm, silencers, special forces infantry, sniper rifles...good times.

So if we are all going to have both a mechwarrior and an infantry person...does anyone have any ideas what they want to make for the infantry?  Classic rifleman (rifles and smgs)?  Support Weapons specialist (light machineguns, grenade launchers)?  Sniper (Yup sniper rifles)?  Heavy Weapons/Anti-Vehicle or Anti-Mech (LAWS, SRM's, Man-Pack PPC's on gyro-harnesses)?  Special Weapons specialist (Automatic Shotguns, Flamers, Needlers, potentially explosives)?  Comms specialist?  Ninja?  A squad of former Death Commando's that saw the light and joined the Erdani for some crazy reason? :P
This message was last edited by the player at 21:43, Wed 23 Nov 2011.

You can ask me about stats from anything in the book, and i will give you the equivelent.

You're allowed two pieces of D/D/D gear and you have a budget of 30,000 C-Bills.  The weight for all your non standard gear needs to be under 30kg.

For those of you not in america, tommorow is thanksgiving a holiday that requires alot of cooking, were also going away for a bit, so... i wont get much done over the holiday weekend.

I am sorry guys.

But i just cant wrap my head around the system and even after this time i keep feeling like an idiot each time my turn comes up. I am bowing out of the game.

Thanks for the good times and all patience you had with me learning the ropes.

Hope to see you elsewhere.

Mortixx.

=(

Oh come on, the scenario is almost over.

The next mission will be a normal battletech one.  are you sure greg?

I think...

Part of it might be my inability to keep decent pacing in the last couple of weeks.  The other obviously being a new system and youre all struggling with it.

I'm going to summerize the current battle to a logical outcome, and move on.

It was... a learning experience.  If you learned you hate it and dont want to participate in it again (like greg) i can respect that and wont MAKE you do it again.

I think i will continue tinkering with it, though on a smaller scale with the players interested in it, and infantry specific characters.

If you have zero interest in participating in infantry, please state so.  If you are interested, please submit an infantry specific character and based on how many characters are submitted i will scale their task down to suit them.

I'm afraid that I have little interest in infantry battles. It was a curious diversion, but it seems as though infantry combat is VERY deadly.

(nods)

It makes for quick fights if you know what youre doing.  That's fine if you dont want to do it again, i appreciate everyone trying i'm going to summerize the scenario before i lose anymore players and move on then.

I don't know, In a way i like it, but i think it needs a serious revision, mainly on stealth options, it might just be me, but i really like the idea of sneaking up on guards and doing silent kills with knives to thin out the enemy, then open fire if detected.

basically, use infantry for covert/black ops, and mech for more "regular" warfare, where a two figure tonnes mech is appropriate.

Roll up an infantryman Camille, along with Crispin youre the start of the units Special forces.

'Stealth' rules will be ironed out a little more.

'Dodge' rules will be added so you can move and hopefully not get killed as you move along.

'Dive for cover' will be added as an over watch option for characters who are subject to grenades and suppression fire they can 'dive for cover' and receive double the cover bonus to avoid being hurt.

Are the gist of the planned revisions for the infantry rules.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:01, Wed 30 Nov 2011.

I agree with Camille.  It is virtually impossible as it stands to sneak up.
I enjoy the occasional out of mech covert ops.

Silencers, i suppose will become a popular piece of equipment for the player infantry unit then.

'Mental' stats are probably going to be used for 'spotting' rules and demolition rules and so forth.  You dont all have to be uber smart, but it would be nice to have someone that can lay down demolitions when needed.  It would also cover 'anti' mech tactics, like identifying weak points to attack.  Shove that satchel of explosives in a knee actuator and stuff like that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:05, Wed 30 Nov 2011.

New auction going up soon.

Go do your votes, and any RP you want to add into the RP thread.

I'm a little burnt out today, so I'll need to sleep before i get around to posting anything IC, and need to shuffle through the thread again.