Demented

No particular order.

• This went great. Previously, I've used MaxTech dueling rules for trying to run BattleTech in play-by-post, which was still very clunky, and required players to post in init order. Most issues were huamn ones, e.g. not declaring orders or failing to input them properly. 10/10 would BT again.
• Having all order declarations in one thread made it easier to follow what the other guys were doing.
• Forced withdrawal is fine. Sprinting and extreme range barely came up, so it's fine. I do think the stand still modifiers screwed with Princess and made her a lot more passive than she usually is. I recommend doing the next one without those to see if she gets more aggressive.
• I'm not sure how to convert this to PvP. Auto-losing init is a huge handicap, but one that's very difficult to quantify in BV. Double blind with its simultaneous move recording is about the only way I can think of to do it, and I'm down to try it.
• I appreciated the paperdolls towards the end. I'd like to see them for all units, if that's not too much trouble. I'd want them in the movement update like they have been, because that's the post I'm referring to most when planning my next move.
• I never had problem reading hex numbers. Even if I had a hard time making it out, I could read a neighboring hex and work out the ID of the one I wanted.
• Other biomes would be nice, but I think any buildings would be a poor choice. Megamek defaults to randomizing CFs, so there'd be a lot of "What type of building and how many CF in Hex ####?" posts. Also building-heavy maps tend to have weird LoS situations.
• BV could be increased to allow players to bring two 'Mechs, one sniper, one non-sniper, to prevent player boredom.
• Hatchets are still useless, which is disappointing but not terribly surprising.

Nooo, one more round please. I can swat the VTOL, and I need the hatchet to do something useful.

Also, you can't make it to 1611 without sprinting, meaning no weapons fire at all. The best you can manage while running is 1711. That's a heavy woods in 2009, 3 MP to enter.

Yeah, the record sheets have always been a weird. They look like you're viewing the 'Mech head-on, but the sides are mirror imaged so that the left side remains on the left and right on the right. Honestly, it's just easier that way.

Physicals pending. (Sorry-I jut have too many options to pick one before the shooting ends).

The TNs would've been the same either way. The only advantage the laser had was the possibility of preventing the punch from landing, which could've happened through a head hit KOing the pilot, a through-armor crit to legs, arm, or gyro knocking it down, or setting off the SRM ammo and taking out the whole left side. All of those are very outside chances, so the whole thing was just sheer stupidity on Princess' part. I was expecting a left twist to shoot the guns at something in the front arc and a hatchet attack. Which would've cleaved off half the Starslayer's guns if it had hit the LT.

And no, I don't want to rear hex. I'm going in for a left-side shot.

Yeah, I was hoping for a lot more damage.

I regret I don't feel comfortable putting in a physical attack order yet-I need to see how the weapon phase shakes out.

You know, the Banshee has that hatchet, so attacking from there is trading a 5-point punch for a 19-point hatchet. On your painfully exposed left side. I'd either jump to push the TNs up and allow you to turn to present for front table hits, or give up on physicals altogether and run through the trees to to 1412 and then extend to 1213.

The Archer has medium range shots on the Caesar, so it can stay put this round.

@InashYou could sprint to 2105. The woods will shield you this turn, and you'll be able to get stuck in the next.

22 hours ago, Bobcloclimar said:

Turn 6 movement phase is up.

 

The relentless rain of fire finally yielded some results, as Tecmes's PHX speared the Axman through its gyro, sending it tumbling to the ground and cracking the shielding on its engine coreTwo engine crits from the impact. It is now crippled and is attempting to withdraw - I think it'll clear the board next turn, so putting it down this turn won't be that useful.

 

The Corsair's armor is looking quite thin on the torsos as well (Demented somehow managed to reach across two hexes and take off a chunk of its right side from the left), and another round of concentrated fire should break through the armor and hopefully inflict critical damage.

It happened because you failed to aim the hatchet at the punch table like I said.

Aside, but our shot grouping has been excellent.

9 hours ago, Tecmes said:

The Corsair will need more convincing, and possibly a lot more if we're unlucky and hit secondary systems. But this turn I'll try to get the Peregrine. It's not going to stop Flanking anytime soon, so the pulse lasers at short range are our best bet. Also it is quite well armed (sometimes I wonder why Mechs exist if you can fit two SRM4s and two MLs on a vehicule that can fly like crazy...).

Phoenix T6 move

Back up to 2117

Phoenix T6 shooting

Both MPL and one ERLL at Peregrine.

(Btw Inash, you have a Mech with mixed weapons, so if you're bored I think it makes sense to start moving in. You might get decent LOSs after a couple turns, notably if going in the river. Btw Boboclimar, which of our Mechs have leg HSs? I can't find that info)

 

I actually do prefer conventional hover and VTOL units over 'Mechs for light cav purposes. That said, the Peregrine's speed and firepower come at a steep cost. Do you know how much armor the Peregrine has? Eight. No, not eight tons, eight points. Yes, an Elemental suit is tougher than it.

You can't do that. Jumping has to take the shortest route between the start and end hexes (player's choice if multiple routes available). If you want to jump, 1806 is probably the best bet. I'd backpedal to 2009 myself, because all attempts to make a 5-hex run to 1710 come up 1 MP short.

As for me, I'm about to get my hatchet on! Yay!

Go for it. I don't think we'll need 12 rounds of NARC ammo for the 'Mechs. And hilariously, there's no exemption to the MP loss for rotor hits if the weapon deals no damage.

New life goal: Immobilize a VTOL with frag missiles.

Nah. I've played against Princess with individual initiative and modifiers stacked heavily in my favor and it didn't do this-enemies would happily gather around units that had yet to come up in the turn order and be left gawking at open air when I move it away.

I suspect either Princess has gotten a major behavioral tweak since my last AtB campaign (it's been over a year), or the -1 stand still modifiers are skewing the AI's damage calculation enough to curb Princess's usual aggression. Either way, I don't like it.

All energy weapons are the same for fire setting purposes, except the flamer which is obviously better and micro and non-pulse small lasers, which can't be used. But since none of them are in woods, setting fire might just give them smoke cover, which'll make them even less likely to move. @BobcloclimarWhich way is the wind blowing?

Also, I'm moving to 1812 by way of 1607>1508>1511>1812, not 1809, in order to keep the TMM up.

I do see the merits of picking off the lone guy.

Alright.

11 hours ago, Inash said:

Baring a better plan (feel free to suggest one if someone has a better idea), my thinking is to twist and unload short range weapons at the peregrine.

Inash T4 movement

Tbolt will stay put but torso twist to face the peregrine

 

You can fire three mediums at the VTOl secondary while keeping up the long-range stuff at the enemy 'Mechs, and put your heat up to 7, which won't be enough to impact your shooting next turn. Add the Archer's SRMs and one of you might get lucky. And it's Peregrine, so you only have to get lucky once.

Go after an AC/2 packing assault when there's two XLed heavies with armor wearing thin? I think not.

Is this some sort of optional house rule MegaMek has? I wish I'd known sooner, because that makes TAG huge instead of deadweight. I absolutely want to re-target the Axman instead.

Technically it applies this turn, but not until the End Phase, which won't help.

@BobcloclimarI need to know how many heat sinks the Scarabus has active to make my move. Please let me know ASAP.

That depends on how many heat sinks I have to work with. If 1, I'm pulling back to 1909. If 10, I'm looping around to 1710.

3 hours ago, Excior said:

I will stay put unless my wingman moves forward then I will follow.

 

stay put and shoot LRMS at the same target as last round.

This is the round you may want to start considering going hull-down behind that hill. The distracting light units are pulling back, so you can expect an uptick in the firepower heading your way.

18 hours ago, Tecmes said:

Running behind the Banshee to hatchet its rear is quite tempting..

No it isn't. There is way too much tonnage standing in tight formation to even consider a single light backstab. Especially one that can't even shoot. Plus, if I get behind them, the enemy will probably mill about in place, instead of getting into effective range of the heavies like we want them to.

2 hours ago, Tecmes said:

Pushing is fun, but you need two hands and the base STY has only one, the other being the big laser. Also because there is only one level difference, it doesn't qualify for a fall, and it would prevent the push altogether (not the piloting check).

Firing at the back would be fun, but not on the Banshee, which has very thick rear armour. Anyway, you'd probably end up dead metal even with the def bonusses.

Certainly don't go right behind the Banshee. It has a hatchet in its LA and can torso-twist to strike behind itself. For 19 damage. Also the Caesar has twin rear-facing MPLs.

If you go that way another option is going to 1117 or thereabouts. Some woods plus elevation and jumping would be defensively decent and you may still try a bit of rear-firing (maybe on the Caesar, which has weak rear armour. Gotta check the lines...). But the STY hasn't the best close-range weapon array...

So yeah if I were you I'd GTFO and cool down.

The only actuators pushing cares about are shoulders. Even a Locust can effectively push, somehow. I agree with the rest of this post though. Pull back to the woods, cool off, and draw them forward.