13th Donegal Guards, 971st Lyran Heavy Infantry Regiment
Probably going to use them to try out the old BattleTroops rules as well as SGII. Solo, since I have not been able to find a single person who plays these sort of wargames locally.
Computer memory issues are holding up the first battle report so here's a starting TO&E while I try to get everything working smoothly.
HQ Company
Comprising the majority of the unit's support staff the HQ Company is split into Command,Supply and Maintenance Sections.
The HQ section includes the Battalion's Command Van, housing communication systems for surface to surface and surface to orbit transmissions,computer tracking systems and limited medical equipment.
Accompanying the Command Van are a pair of Growler light trucks equipped with trailers for logistical support.
The Supply Section provides in-field logistical support for combat units. Two Burro heavy trucks ferry needed parts,personnel and coolant either in their beds or towed trailers. A single J-27 carries enough ammunition to resupply a BattleMech Lance.
The Maintenance Section, despite the name, is primarily tasked with collecting battlefield salvage as the rapid pace the Shark Guard prefers/requires often precludes on-site repairs. A BattleMech Recovery Vehicle (BRV) collects the salvage but is also used to recover any immobilized combat vehicles. A Shop Van provides on-site machining and repairs as well as a parts trailer, winch and crane. A Growler transports additional Techs to the work site.
'Mech Kompanie
Rather than grouping all four of the unit's 'Mechs into a single lance, Kommandant Edgar has chosen to split them into two demi-lances intending to expand both into full Lances as soon as additional 'Mechs can be sourced.
Recon Lance
The Battle Hawk and Stealth are both newer Lyran designs that mate speed with substantial firepower. The Stealth's speed and active probe make it a capable scout. The Battle Hawk, while slower, is quite capable of disabling enemy recon units with its pulse lasers.
AirLance
A rarely seen formation that combines a Flight of aerospace fighters with a Lance of BattleMechs. Currently at half-strength with only two 'Mechs and one fighter. The Merlin and Vindicator were placed with the AirLance in the hopes that the air support would help compensate for their slow speed.
Aufklarungstruppe
Despite it's naming scheme this troop is not a pure reconnaissance unit. It is a mixed company-sized unit intended to support the 'Mech and battle armor elements whether through fire support, transport or recon.
Line Platoon
A Myrmidon and a pair of Hetzers provide fire support for the 'Mechs and infantry. The Hetzers are openly considered a stop-gap and will be replaced with proper tanks as soon as feasible.
Transport Platoon
The Shark Guard's sole Maxim has been refitted to ferry battle armor into combat. The Condor hovertank provides an escort for the APC. When not transporting infantry this platoon remains behind the main body, providing fire support.
VTOL Wing
This pair of VTOLs provide the Guard's primary reconnaissance capability. The Warrior carries sufficient weaponry to dissuade other VTOLs from interfering but both craft are advised to avoid conflict whenever possible.
The Cavalry is the infantry-carrier model with one of the machine guns removed and the bay expanded to fit a squad of battle armor.
Mot-Schützen Kompanie
Kommandant Edgar considers this company to be the principal arm of the unit. They handle all tasks that only infantry can accomplish, from banal tasks such as garrison work or guarding prisoners to the more bombastic such as storming Dropport control towers or boarding actions.
All three jump infantry platoons are trained in anti-Mech combat, benefiting from instructors from the Gray Death Legion. A single motorized platoon carries the companies heavy weapons, often man-portable LRM systems.
Speizalaufklarer
A single platoon of battle armor is employed as a special operations force, lacking the numbers to participate in open combat. Originally consisting of only a single squad of each type of Gray Death battle armor it has expanded to include a squad each of the Lyran Fenrir and Combine Kage designs. Edgar seems to be actively experimenting with the divergent evolution of Inner Sphere battle armor, trying to find the proper match for his unit.
Before I can get started with Total Chaos, I'll need to make a mercenary unit.
Now, most Battletech players probably already have a personal mercenary unit and there are countless ways to go about making one.
In this post I want to highlight what I consider the single greatest method for making a mercenary unit. To follow along you'll need a copy of Field Manual: Mercenaries (Revised).
You can buy a PDF from DrivethruRPG for about $11 or you could probably find a free copy online somewhere. Near the back of the book you'll find this form.
Step 1
This is what makes this my favorite method. Step 1 is to make a whole-ass RPG character to be the unit's founder. The book is written to use Mechwarrior 3rd Edition/CBT RPG but converting it to A Time of War is pretty easy since the AToW Companion includes tables for converting skills and stats between editions. If you are using a ruleset like Mechwarrior 2nd edition or Destiny that doesn't include life-paths you can still use the Fast Generation section to approximate your character.
So here's our commander. Benjamin Edgar, an LCAF marine turned mercenary. After nearly a decade in the mercenary trade, he's opting to form his own unit. Using his RPG stats to fill out Step 1 gives us,
The columns labeled Same,Comp,Dist are the types of troops you get based on whether their Role is the Same, Complimentary or Distant to the commander.
Since Ben is a Battle Armor trooper his role goes down as Infantry. This means a unit he creates will be mostly infantry and tanks with few fighters or 'Mechs
Step 2:
Next we pick a hiring hall and get recruiting.
I went with Galatea, I wanted to stay within the Commonwealth and I don't think Ben would visit Arc-Royal or Solaris to recruit.
Running the paths, The next step is alternating runs of recruiting and minor contracts to build up the unit. Because of the story I want to tell, Ben doesn't have long to prepare his new unit and they won't undertake any minor jobs before we start the campaign.
Step 3:
Now that the personnel pools are totaled we have to find out what they actually are.
We just roll on this table, moving left to right, until everything is worked out. Then we apply those results to a Random Assignment Table (RAT), I used the Lyran and Mercenary tables from Field Manual: Updates because it's about the right time frame. Which leaves us with,
*All this is heavily simplified. If you want every step and modifier, get the Field Manual.
Just as a preamble; This is going to be far from completely comprehensive. I'm just hoping to provide a broad-strokes look at the adventure. The PDF is available for free on Catalyst's store. https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-adventures-empires-aflame-pdf
Fiction
The book opens with a short piece of fiction from the perspective of Deputy Commanding General of the SLDF, Aaron DeChavalier. He's speaking with Aleksandr Kerensky regarding his plan to leave the Inner Sphere. Despite his personal distaste for the plan DeChavalier reaffirms his support for Kerensky. As they leave for Kerensky to announce the exodus to the gathered SLDF troops Kerensky is suddenly shot and killed.
World Profile
Next up is some world building specifically about the Republic of the Sphere circa ~3095 and its 'Material Redemption Program'. In short private owners of military materiel,primarily BattleMechs, are offered Republic citizenship,landholds and noble titles in exchange for their property. This is all part of a larger policy of disarmament across the Inner Sphere. The MRP has hit merc groups hardest of all and many after trading in their own materiel then sign on with the Republic's 'Department of Replacement and Requisition' basically as repo men.
There's also this big red excerpt about misjumps. Odd place to put that.
Persons of Interest
The 'POI' section lays out some guidelines for creating and adjusting the PC party for the adventure. It recommends that they work for the Republic either directly or as mercenaries,own no vehicles,be majority Mechwarriors,Pilots or combat vehicle commanders. At least two should have Technician skills with nothing further on what types would be helpful.
This last bit about requiring the players to have Clan technology becomes important later.
One last note about how to get the players into the adventure. The idea is that they've been hired by the Republic for a routine repo job, the sort thing they've done a dozen times before. If the party's been constructed as advised there's no reason they wouldn't accept. Lastly we have two NPC profiles for the captains of the party's DropShip,the E.F Marie, and JumpShip, the Celeste. Captain John Bean grew up in the Republic and is hoping to earn his citizenship through this work. Captain Leonardo Jackson is your stereotypical spacer, completely devoted to his crew,ship and nothing else. I like that the write-up mentions that he suffers from the effects of long term low gravity including significant skeletal damage.
Adventure Tracks
The book recommends that before running this adventure to have the PCs perform a few routine repo jobs basically so they don't expect anything unusual to happen on this job. This seems a bit hard to set up as you'd need a play group interested not only in playing the Republic era at all but also interested in participating in the MRP. Maybe have these Republic jobs be played between more ordinary mercenary work. Or maybe the unit is so down and out that trading their Mechs for cash and steady work is the best option they have.
Track 1: CRITICAL FAILURE!
So big surprise the Celeste misjumps. Right away all characters have to pass a BOD attribute check or suffer the effects of Transit Disorientation Syndrome. Characters with TDS suffer automatically. Main power is out on both ships and the GM randomly determines how many of the ~73 crew aboard are injured and how severely. The injuries range from minor cuts and bruises caused by shorted panels and conduit ruptures, to "bone disintegration and limb vitrification"!
The main gameplay here is putting things back together after the misjump, either tending to the wounded or making repairs. Then they report to the bridge to get a clearer picture of what's going on. They have in fact jumped to their destination, Rigil Kentarus but clearly things are not going as planned. Chiefly there's the issue of the Black Lion-class WarShip busy scrambling fighters towards the Celeste. The aggressors identify themselves as belonging to the "Terran Supremacy"
This bit is pretty on rails. The ship is going to be boarded and everyone arrested. The PCs can't do anything about it. Eventually they all end up aboard the TSS Michael Norman in the brig. Over time any high-ranking,>Lt., PCs or NPCs will be taken for interviews with TSDF Marine Major Gregory Cobb. During these interviews both parties are trying to pump the other for as much info as possible. After all the interviews the prisoners will be transferred planet-side.
Sourcebook
Now's a good time to skip to the back of the book for information on this alternate reality the PCs have found themselves in.
Changes
Divergence - After the death of Kerensky, DeChevalier fights to restore the Terran hegemony by force. While he managed to claim the worlds closest to Terra the Great Houses united against him and their own version of the Succession Wars went on for centuries.
Consequences - Obviously no Clans. Also no ComStar meaning no C-Bills, no MRBC or Holy Shroud. Major characters like Nicholas Kerensky, Conrad Toyama,Devlin Stone and David Lear still exist just in positions appropriate to the new setting. The book hand-waves aside issues like the Steiner-Davion line no longer existing,Devlin Stone being explicitly a constructed identity,etc.
Side Effects - Among myriad changes to borders, the removal of minor factions like Circinus and the Marians, the mercenary trade is heavily diminished. With lower demand and no governing body, mercenary units never reach regimental-scale.
Factions
Draconis Combine - Hilariously the Combine is explicitly almost exactly the same as canon. They did manage to capture New Avalon during the Fifth Succession War.
Confederated Suns - Somehow Michael Hasek-Davion managed to broker an alliance with the Capellans in 3025 with Hanse's tacit approval. In the 3030's they invade the Free Worlds League but their success is cut short by the Combine conquering New Avalon. The ruling family is relocated to Sian. Basically St. Ives writ large. I think the idea could be workable but the alliance needed to happen earlier in the timeline,probably before the Federated Suns invasion of Capella. But the writer's are obsessed with the 3025 cast so everything important needs to involve them.
Free Worlds League - This timeline hates the FWL. First the assassination attempt in 3035 killed Thomas Marik this time, leaving Duncan Marik in charge. The Suns and Terrans carve pieces from their League borders. In 3069 Andurien and Oriente led a vote of No Confidence in the Marik family, removing Duchess Alys Marik from power, replacing her with Sherryl Halas as Interim Captain-General. This has effectively split the League in half between supporters of either Marik or Halas GMs should familarize themselves with this material as the FWL plays a major role in this adventure.
Lyran Commonwealth - The Lyrans have been losing territory to their rivals for centuries. They even had to cede territory to a resurgent Rim Federation. Other smaller changes are present but don't matter much. GMs should take note of the Commonwealth's political situation as the LC is the other major player in the plot.
Magistracy of Taurus - An interesting note is that in this timeline the Terran Supremacy has been providing technical and military support to the Periphery to keep them a credible threat to the Great Houses. Besides that, this faction is just further proof that Catalyst's writers think mashing two factions together is a great idea regardless of how stupid the result is.
Outworlds Pact - TLDR the Outworlds had a civil war in the 3070's and completely restructured their government.
Rim Federation - A successor to the Rim Worlds Republic. Does not feature in the adventure.
Track 2: WELCOME TO THE TERRAN SUPREMACY...
The party spends the next few days being interrogated further. The objective during this phase is to convince the Terrans that the PCs are really from an alternate timeline. The Clan technology the adventure requires the players to have is suggested as compelling evidence. A bit of chatting and History checks can also help the PCs establish the exact divegence point of this timeline. A fun complication that the book suggests is the idea of one or two players having their own "doppelgangers" in this universe.
After convincing their captors of their story, the PCs will be remanded to what is effectively house arrest on the base. TSDF personnel will occasionally stop by because the PCs are a novelty more or less. After about three weeks of this prison life we move to the next track.
Track 3: JAILBREAK!
The PCs are visited by the Free Worlds League's Special Emissary for the Captain-General in Exile, Mary Durant.
She tells the PCs that they're in great danger and if they want to stay alive they'll follow her and break out. As things stand she's their best chance at escaping the prison and their only chance at getting off-world. The plan is to smuggle the PCs out of their quarters,through the spaceport and on to Durant's K-1 DropShuttle Durant has obtained assistance from at least four TSDF soldiers on the base, one of which will provide the PCs with technicians coveralls,PPE and badges as rudimentary disguises. At the spaceport gate Durant and her associates will attempt to keep the guards distracted enough to allow the PCs through with just flashing their technicians’ badges, but the PCs will need to make either an Acting Skill roll or CHA Attribute Check to get through. If the PCs make it to the shuttle without alerting any of the nearby guards or 'Mechs they'll then need to hide themselves in the ship's "smuggler's compartments" so that the routine pre-takeoff search doesn't find them. Once that's over and they've left Rigil Kentarus' atmosphere it's a smooth six-day ride out to a waiting JumpShip bound for Graham IV.
Track 4: YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN...
When they reach Graham IV things get even more complicated. Durant reveals that she is not an emissary from the FWL but actually works for Loki, the Lyran Commonwealth's state terrorism department. Most of what she had told the party is true. The Captain-General is "fascinated by tales of the fantastic: alien visitors, spiritual beings, hyperspace monsters" and really does wish to meet the party. Durant however is planning to use this meeting as an opportunity to assassinate Alys Marik. Apparently both Alys Marik and Katherine Steiner II are courting the recently widowed First Lord Ezekiel DeChavalier and Katherine has decided to make herself the only option.
It's made quite clear that refusing to help is practically a death sentence. Durant (Agent Avitue to her Loki colleagues) doesn't even need to do anything. If she just doesn't complete the escape the PCs are doomed. Assuming the players agree to help, they'll make the jump to Graham IV then jump to Castor. While prepping to jump to Castor Durant will run them through the bare bones of the plan. Alys Marik has a private estate in a pleasant, lightly populated bit of countryside on Castor. As a guest of the Supremacy she has been granted not only asylum, but her own pick of security detail. As a result, TSDF presence in the vicinity of the target is light but an ample retinue of personal bodyguards and servants remain in place. Durant has access to some M-11J sneak suits for smuggling weapons for the hit. The M-11J in addition to baffling most sensor systems also foils manual pat-downs by compressing its contents and disguising them as part of the wearer's musculature or body fat. This is fairly uncomfortable for the wearer and imposes a significant penalty to draw the concealed weapon.
Whether the PCs go through with the assassination, turn on Durant, or just make a break for it, the written adventure ends here.
Debriefing
The last bit of the book serves as a bit of an epilogue for the various potential paths the PCs may have taken and offers some potential future adventures.
The Captain-General in Exile If the players kill Alys Marik it's made quite clear that despite the obvious immediate rewards that Katherine Steiner II may quickly decide that the PCs knowledge of the plot is too dangerous. Unless the PCs are firmly and openly in the camp of House Steiner they may find themselves on the other end of the same operation they completed.
If Marik is rescued things turn out a bit more hopeful. She'll leverage her diplomatic status with the Terrans to shield the PCs from the legal consequences of their jailbreak and offer them a place in the FWL, or at least the portion she still controls.
Closing Remarks
The book offers no potential for the PCs to return to their own timeline and plenty of information for continuing to play in the new one. Your enjoyment of this adventure will heavily depend on how interested you are in exploring this new setting. It works fairly well as a curveball one-shot but if you're interested in a longer campaign in the Empires Aflame-timeline you could try using the provided information to convert other adventures to the setting. Otherwise you'll have to write everything yourself.
I've been thinking a lot about the Battletech RPGs recently.
For those that may not know the current RPG systems for Battletech are 'A Time of War' and 'Mechwarrior: Destiny'.
Personally I'm a fan of AToW because of the complexity rather than despite it. A lot of people complain that character creation is too complicated but it really isn't that bad. It's a point-buy system, if you can perform addition you can make a character. Mechwarrior: Destiny is a slimmed down shared narrative RPG. A lot less math and charts plus a neat theater-of-the-mind mech combat system. Not a terrible RPG by any means but personally it feels like improv theater dressed as an RPG.
A serious problem for both systems is the lack of supporting materials from the current publisher. AToW has some adventure seeds sprinkled throughout the 'Touring the Stars' PDFs and a handful of Halloween adventures. Destiny has even less with just a couple seeds in 'Shrapnel' magazine.
In light of this I wanted to make a series of posts taking a look at some of the few full size roleplaying adventures available, including those from previous rule sets. These won't be reviews really as I've never played through any of these adventures. It'll be more of a read-through/impressions.
