Campaign Operations (Part II We're going to roll dice and pick up some big stompy Robots)

Campaign Operations Part 2 (The epic saga continues…..)

So from last week’s article we’ve come up with some defining traits for the unit we’re going to build.

·         It’s a Comstar unit, which opens up access to the Comstar availability table for combat units

·         With some amazing dice rolls, we came up with 252 million c-bills for our starting budget for our unit.

·         We’ve settled in on a battalion sized unit, with a preference for assault weight class units

 

Working from that, and using the master unit list (if I had access to the Combat Manual: Comstar that I hope is in development, I could use it instead of the Master Unit List), I am ready to start filling out the unit full of big stomping robots.

So as stated in the previous article, I will be rolling in lance sized formations so I don’t end up with weird groupings of 7 Banshees and a pair of Battlemasters as my only units.  Looking at my first lance sized formation, Alpha Lance of my 1^st Company, I decide that this is my command lance for the company and I start to dig through the MUL for things that would totally be fun in a unit of this type. 

My first choice for a battalion command ‘mech is the Nightstar.  Not available in any other faction in 3025 (due to the advanced technology required to build one being lost to the first three succession wars), it’s a solid assault command ‘mech.  I also would like to get a Thunder Hawk, (another lost to the ravages of time battlemech) an Atlas (not lost to time, but certainly heavy enough to put serious hurt on anything silly enough to get close to it) and a King Crab, (I have a soft spot for King Crabs). 

Now that I’ve got my units I want in mind, it’s time to grab the dice and see how awesome this is going to be.  I check the chart on page 14, and see that for a regular pilot, driving an assault class ‘mech, I need to roll at least an 8 or better.  I pick up my lucky dice, and I roll for the moon.  I come up with a 4 for the Nightstar, a 5 for the Thunder Hawk, a 9 for the Atlas, and a 12 for the King Crab.    After I finish sniffling and complaining about not wanting to keep track of a source of gauss rifle slugs and endo steel bones, I come back and look at the table again.  With a King Crab in the bay, as well as an Atlas, I am pretty sure that this unit won’t set any land speed records, but does have a decent chunk of short range firepower.  I double down on that and try to roll for another King Crab and another Atlas. 

The Dice Gods giveth, and taketh away.  I roll a 4 for the King Crab, and a 9 for the Atlas. Having filled 3 of the four slots in the lance, I decide to look for something with a longer range gun and settle on a Battlemaster.  It’s got the same availability, and I am looking for an 8 to secure the services of 1regular rated Battlemaster.   The dice are pleased, and roll a 10. 

So I’ve got my first lance rolled up, and I am fairly pleased.  Two Atlases, a King Crab, and a Battlemaster is heavier than most assault lances of the era.  I’ve synergized a little in the ammunition department, as the Atlases and the King Crab share Autocannon 20 shells.  The downside to this lance is that it is Ammunition dependent, and long field engagements are going to reduce its killing power.  

Moving on to the second lance in my first company, I’ve gone after something a little bit different.  There are only a couple of units in the assault weight class that have jump jets, and given that Lance #1 is slow and steady, some enhanced maneuverability is in order.  Checking my chart, I find two choices, the 80 ton Victor, and the 90 ton Highlander.  I want to fill out a unit with both, so it’s time to roll the dice and hope like the dickens.   I throw the dice, and come up with a 10 for the Victor, and 11 for the Highlander.  Since I have successfully acquired both units, I can roll again to acquire them.  The second round is just as successful as the first, and I end up rolling an 8 and a 9, securing an entire lance of jump capable assault ‘mechs.  (When the pictures go up, I am subbing in a pair of Shoguns for the Highlanders for now, until the Highlanders make their way here). 

Now I’ve got two lances rolled for, and one more to go for this particular company.  Looking at my available units and the roles I expect for them, I do detect a slight deficit in long range fire support.  I also don’t necessarily want to shell out for LRMs every five minutes, so I think it’s time to invest in some big gun assaults.  Checking my available miniatures pool, I settle in for wanting another Battlemaster and a trio of Awesomes.  The dice roll for the first two units I’m gaming for, the Battlemaster and one of the Awesomes.  Rolling a pair of 10s, I come up with both units, and then it’s time to try for the second and third round tries on the other two Awesomes.    I end up rolling an 8 and a 10 for the other two, and have filled out the First Company of the Tombstones.    I’ll put up the other two companies and the spreadsheet breakdown later on, but the unit so far is

1^st Lance

King Crab (O)
Atlas
Atlas
Battlemaster

2^nd Lance

Highlander (O)
Highlander
Victor
Victor

3^rd Lance

Battlemaster (O)
Awesome
Awesome
Awesome

All of the units are rated at Regular experience, and the officers for each lance are listed with the parenthetical (O)

 

That's Part II in the books, hopefully I get part III worked up soon, and maybe if the fortunes favor us, I can convince Drewbacca to post a write up of his attempt at monkeying with these rules

Game on, Game Fans