10 Ambyrmont - The Plateau

 Waking early, Broneslav packed his things together and set out towards the ruins. It was easier going across the plateau which was strewn with small rocks and boulders and scrubby brush, but nothing to hold him up like the jungle had.

Detail will be added to this map as Broneslav explores.

The journey went faster than he had thought it would. By midday he had reached a river that crossed the plateau. He slaked his thirst, filled his waterskin and waded across it. The river was not deep, but the cooler air on the plateau made the water feel colder than he liked. Climbing out on the other side, he shivered a little in the breeze, but it dried him quickly too as he pressed on.

By mid-afternoon, Broneslav was standing at the base of the volcano staring up at it. It had looked smaller and less intimidating before. Now he could clearly see that it would be a steep, rocky and difficult climb. Worse yet, more of those giant birds were circling in the air far above. He could just make out their raucous screeches far overhead. It would be hard work both climbing and fighting if he had to do both at the same time.

Broneslav decided that the climb would take too long and that he would not make enough progress to warrant starting now, so he sat down near the river and got out his fishing line. Later that evening, he was cooking fresh fish over his fire and feeling quite pleased with himself. With a full belly, he lay down and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be a hard climb and he wanted to be well rested for it.

Galtor 3025: One Last Push? (Battletech: Alpha Strike)

 Jennie was in the control trailer cursing the damage her Battlemaster had taken in the last engagement. She should have been with her people. Beside her, Eileen Dover was in a similarly frustrated funk. However, there was not time to repair their mechs. The Lemmings needed to drive through the gap that Alpha Team had made. Morale among the other Lemmings was high because the Kurita Atlas and their commander had been taken out in the last engagement. Scuttlebutt said that Kurita morale was commensurately low.

"Lemmings," announced Jennie, "You are going to take the fight to the enemy. Blow their base and we should be rid of those Kurita goons once and for all. That is why you are going in as an ad hoc battlegroup. Your mechs are all we have until we can get the parts we need for the ones destroyed or damaged in the diversionary action. You have been briefed. You know your mission. Identify the key structures and demolish them. We are throwing everything we have at them. Make it count because we might not get a second chance!"

Barb Dwyer led the ad hoc lances out. Her Awesome was the heaviest mech here and would be relied on to be the door opener. Beside her were the rest of Bravo Team plus Theresa Green in her Griffin from Alpha Team. Gamma Team had lost Mike Hunt's Wolverine, but Tim Burr's Blackjack had come through the last action unscathed, so Tim would be fighting alongside the rest of Gamma Team. It was not clear what Kurita had salvaged from their own lances to throw straight back into the fray, but at least they knew the Atlas would not be part of that.

The Mission

The Lemmings have the objective Find the Target. They place three objective markers. To find the target they must have a mech within 6" of the objective marker and must roll 7+ on 2d6 to successfully scan it. Once scanned, the target can be attacked in future combat phases. Destroying 2 identified targets is an automatic victory for the Lemmings, assuming the Kurita forces have not achieved their victory goal.

The 8th Sword of Light have the objective Hold the Fort. They have two objective markers and score victory points from Turn 3 onwards by having uncontested control of them. If they score 10 VPs before the Lemmings achieve their objective, then they win.

The Forced Withdrawal rules are in play, because neither side is totally suicidal.

Both sides start off table as they rally to the operations zone from their previous deployments.

Both sides have 250 PV of mechs.

Forward to Death

True to their name, the Lemmings raced forward with their throttles wide open. The earth shook as seven medium and heavy mechs thundered over the plains and fields at full speed.

"Lemmings, this is Lemming 4," Barb announced, "Confirm comms."

The Lemmings squawked their comms to confirm that all was in order.

"Lemming 4 to all teams. Don't forget the plan. Bravo Team, swing left. Gamma Team, swing right. Both teams must find and destroy their objective before converging on the central objective. Last one to the central objective will buy everyone beer for the rest of the month."

Both Lemmings teams confirmed that they understood. As they reached the ops zone, they swung apart towards their primary objectives.

"Kurita goons in force on left flank!"

"Roger that. Right flank is weakened. Gamma Team moving in."

The Sword of Light mechs were gathered around the objective on the left flank, using the buildings as cover. Bravo Team knew it was in for a fight now. Gamma Team was facing fewer mechs and all medium or light. This meant that their job would be more straightforward. Well, they hoped, anyway.

The view from the Kurita lines. Blue objectives are the Lemmings' targets. Brown objectives are the points that Kurita must defend.

As the Lemmings raced forward, the Kurita mechs held their ground and aimed to keep their ground crew safe. Barb could see the Kurita ground crew streaming out of the target points and mounting up in whatever vehicles they could find. As they did this, the Lemmings poured fire at the Kurita mechs. The Kurita mechs fired back. As crimson fire blasted across the fields and missiles rained down around the objectives, fewer ground crew emerged and more hunkered down inside.

"Take that ya muddy funster!" yelled Paige as she hit a Phoenix Hawk. Huge chunks blasted off the lighter mech. Theresa Crowd and Tim Burr joined in. The Phoenix Hawk's armour melted off its frame. it was an almost naked Phoenix Hawk that quickly fled the field after that.

On the left flank, Theresa Green's Griffin had taken an absolute hammering, so she jumped behind the Kurita mechs to scan the targets and lock them down. The left flank building was confirmed as a target so Ophelia opened up with her LRMs. Huge clouds of concrete dust billowed around the structure as missile after missile tore chunks out of it.

Meanwhile, Theresa had spotted an Archer fleeing the field. Even with half her weapons destroyed and an arm hanging off her mech, she still had enough firepower to cut the Archer down.

"You'll not be back to bother us," she snarled as she headed toward the central objective. Her Griffin was a mess, but her scanners were still working.

The Lemmings push aggressively forward into the town, and a bit more carefully over the open ground on the right flank. Meanwhile, Barb is giving the Kurita Wolverine a kicking in the woods on the left.

With the fight moving into the city, a Wolverine suddenly raced out to attack from the woods. Barb immediately charged it, smashing its leg actuators and ripping its right arm off. The Wolverine raced past Barb's Awesome and got behind Ophelia's Catapult, letting rip a horrendous blast of fire into the missile mech. Ophelia's head rang and blood dripped from her face as she spun her mech around the Wolverine and gave it a massive kick in the jump jets. The weight of her mech crushed the Wolverine and its auto-eject sent its pilot skywards.

"I'll teach you to sneak up behind me and scratch my paintwork!" growled Ophelia as she kicked the Wolverine to the ground and stomped all over it.

"Come on, scumbag, I got a present for you!" Barb advanced towards the town and the Battlemaster that was carving chunks off every Lemming it could see. She pounded her firing button as fast as her weapons recharged and reloaded. Armour melted off the Battlemaster, but it returned the favour and her own panel started lighting up with warning lights all over.

The dance of death. The enemy Battlemaster is surrounded and outnumbered.

Meanwhile, Andy Peacock had jumped his Wolverine over the objective and was sneaking around behind the Battlemaster. A couple of shots in its back soon killed its ardour and it started manoeuvring to cover. But it was surrounded and there was really nowhere to go. It pulled back to try to get away.

Another dance of death as the two Shadow Hawks take turns to run rings round each other after the Kurita Stinger was smashed up by Theresa Crowd.

"I'm red lights all over," yelled Tim, "Gotta skedaddle! My engine and fire control are trashed. Pulling back now."

On the right flank, Tim's Blackjack had taken the worst of the hammering from the Warhammer, Shadow Hawk and Stinger that were holding the objective and giving their people time to flee with critical gear.

Gamma Team pushed in hard and blasted the Warhammer which soon fled. In doing so they locked down the objective and prevented more critical materiel from being removed. However, the Shadow Hawk and Stinger were holding on still. Theresa's Shadow Hawk charged in and crushed the Stinger as it tried to dodge within the woods. The Kurita Shadow Hawk dived into the melee and both mechs circled each other for a while until Theresa got behind the Kurita goon and hammered it with her mech's fists. She ripped critical panels off the enemy mech and tore into its innards.

Suddenly the Kurita pilot turned and sprinted away at full speed. The right flank objective was now in Lemming hands.

Ophelia got cocky and jumped into the ruins of the building she had just destroyed, not realising that the Kurita Battlemaster was ready for her. Both mechs fired simultaneously and both mechs fell.

Over on the left flank, Theresa Green had identified the central objective and was pouring as much fire as her damaged mech could into it. The left flank objective had been destroyed. Barb pushed her Awesome through the buildings after the retreating Battlemaster.

"I got it," called Ophelia through comms to her commander. She fired up her jump jets and landed amid the wreckage of the objective with a clear shot at the Battlemaster. Hitting the firing stud, the last of her LRMs flew from the pods and the area around the Battlemaster erupted in showers of dirt and stone and dust. The Battlemaster disappeared from view in the firestorm.

Unfortunately, as Ophelia did this, the Battlemaster's pilot opened up on her Catapult with everything it had, redlining the entire fire control system. Laser fire poured from the assault mech and smashed into the Catapult. The auto-eject powered Ophelia into the air. As she drifted down, she saw the Battlemaster exploding into a thousand plasteel shards as her missiles hit its engine and detonated the fusion turbine that powered it.

Epilogue

"Congratulations, Lemmings. We took this sector. Kurita has pulled back and another company will be cycled into this sector, so it's R&R time for us. Better yet, the ticket has hit our bank accounts, so you will all be paid as soon as Anna has reconciled the accounts."

Jennie was pleased. Although their mechs were battered, the salvage and the paid invoice would cover it all and quite a bit more too. As she looked around at her team, she thought back to the early days and was proud of what she and Anna had achieved with this team. They were all misfits, but that was why they all fitted in here. Yes, they might be battered and bruised, and that bandage on Ophelia's head looked ridiculous, but they had done a good job and worked well together.

"Ok, you lot, you have a week's leave, then I need you all back here. We've a new ticket starting next month and we need to make the jump ship in good time. Anyone not here before departure will find themselves stranded on Galtor without their mech!"

The Lemmings cheered. They knew it was an empty threat, but they would pretend to believe her.

"Oh, and the drinks are on Ophelia. She lost her mech, so she has to pay the forfeit."

The Lemmings cheered twice as hard and raced to the bar.

Conclusions

Campaign over and no permanent losses is not bad. It was fun trying out all the different rules with this mini-campaign.

I like Alpha Strike and am keen to introduce the additional rules from the Commander's Edition book, so that is a plan for another time. It would also be fun to introduce the battlefield support rules. I did not use them this time around, but feel like they will introduce a new dimension to my games. Love the idea of air strikes on mechs!

Battle Suit Alpha worked really well, but I also feel like it will work better with an opponent than solo. 

5150: Mecha Combat is fun and works really well solo, but it lacked a bit of crunch for me, and light mechs felt way too fragile. That said, the campaign system in it is brilliant and easy to combine with whichever rules I choose to use.

All three rules sets are good in their own way, so each is likely to see my table every so often, according to my mood and whims. Now, what should I play next?

The Full Throttle Lemmings

Campaign Morale: 6

Alpha Team:

1. Commander Jennie Raytor (Rep 5) - Battlemaster (Class 1)
2. Eileen Dover (Rep 5) - Marauder (Class 2)
3. Theresa Green (Rep 5) - Griffin (Class 3)

Bravo Team:

1. Barbara Dwyer (Rep 5) - Awesome (Class 2)
2. Andrew Peacock (Rep 4) - Wolverine (Class 3)
3. Ophelia Paine (Rep 4) - Catapult (Class 3)

Gamma Team:

1. Mike Hunt (Rep 4) - Wolverine (Class 3)
2. Paige Turner (Rep 4) - Thunderbolt (Class 3)
3. Theresa Crowd (Rep 3) - Shadow Hawk (Class 3)

Delta Team:

1. Timothy Burr (Rep 5) - Blackjack (Class 4)
2. Joseph King (Rep 5) - Commando (Class 5)
3. Paul Bearer (Rep 4) - Locust (Class 5)

House Kurita

Campaign Morale: 0 (1 at start)

The Kurita mechs are not organised into teams for this campaign. I have made a deck of stat cards and draw the appropriate number of cards as needed when they are encountered. The mechs available are:

• Atlas (Class 1)
• Battlemaster (Class 1)
• Archer (Class 2)
• Orion (Class 2)
• Warhammer (Class 2)
• Shadowhawk (Class 3)
• Griffin (Class 3)
• Wolverine (Class 3)
• Phoenix Hawk (Class 4)
• Valkyrie (Class 5)
• Wasp (Class 5)
• Stinger (Class 5)

All mechs on both sides are Battletech figures, so I have listed them with the names they have in Battletech.

9 Ambyrmont - Pteranodon Pterror!

 The next morning, Broneslav gathered his things together and set out to cross the rope bridge onto the plateau. Its presence indicated that intelligent creatures lived in this area, but there was no guarantee that they would be friendly, so he was wary as he approached it and took time to survey his surroundings. He noted giant birds circling in the sky at a distance, and their coarse cries wafted to him on the breeze. There was no sign of other activity here, beyond the usual small birds and animals that scattered from the area as he approached.

He was halfway across the bridge when several piercing shrieks rang out in quick succession. A trio of the giant birds swooped at him. He was startled, but their cries alerted him to the attack. He swiftly drew his sword and grabbed his shield, ready to defend himself. As he did so, he became excessively aware of the ricketiness of the bridge he stood on. There was no time to run to the end and get onto solid land, so he would just have to watch his footing.

As the first pteranodon swooped in, Broneslav cut towards its neck with his sword. The blade bit just behind the creature's crest and sliced on through to decapitate it. The follow through nicked the following pteranodon, causing it to flinch away from him, missing its chance to strike at the young warrior. The third one struck towards Broneslav, but he ducked under it.

As it flew past him, his blade struck true again and the pteranodon screeched its pain as blood flowed freely from a deep wound. Once more, Broneslav ducked and weaved on the wobbly bridge, just barely keeping his footing, as one of the pteranodons bit through a gap in his armour, and his own blood started to flow. He was startled but still managed to evade the attack of the other one.

Bracing himself once more, Broneslav swung wildly at the nearest swooping pteranodon, just barely cutting it again, but it was enough. The birds innards sprayed outwards and it plummeted to the ground far below. Undismayed, the final pteranodon struck for Broneslav, but with only one remaining, he was able to focus properly on it and block its attack. As it swooped in for another go at the heroic lad, he thrust hard with his blade. It struck in the creature's sternum and the dinobird's own momentum carried the razor sharp edge through its own body, tearing it open from stem to tail. Blood and bile sprayed everywhere as it followed its fellows on the long fall to the ground.

The whole plateau (A very basic map!). At its centre is a volcano.

Broneslav quickly bound his wounds and crossed the bridge to the plateau beyond. It was weirdly flat and steppe-like. Grass blew like waves in the breeze and there were woods all around. Ahead, he could see the volcano that the city must be within. Its sides were steep and would take a long while to climb.  Thin wisps of smoke rose from its top, just barely visible, but clearly not an imminent eruption. If he carried on, he could reach the volcano late in the evening, but it would be dark by then, so he sought shelter in a small woods ahead of him instead. He would sleep first, and march to the volcano in the morning, so that he would arrive in daylight with plenty of time to explore and see how he might get up it.

Galtor 3025: The Thin End of the Wedge (Battletech: Alpha Strike)

With the high ground taken, it was now time to push hard against the Kurita base.

"Alpha Team, we're going in the front door," Jennie announced to the assembled Lemmings, "The rest of you will be covering our flanks. Advance as fast as you can and keep us secure. You're a distraction from the main show, so we don't wind up facing a full company on our own."

As she clicked through the display, Jennie was relieved that, for once, the Lemmings had not sabotaged her presentation and that the lines of advance had not been changed to resemble genitalia. She gave precise instructions to all present.

"Any questions? No? Ok, sort yourselves out and mount up. We move out in one hour."

Yet another miracle! All the Lemmings were ready well before time, and none were overly hungover. Jennie started to worry that this boded ill for their assault on the Kurita stronghold. Still, her Battlemaster and Eileen's Marauder were solid mechs with good firepower, so they should be able to hold their own, while Theresa's Griffin was agile and could manoeuvre round any slower mechs with ease. The only worry was what they might face. Kurita had taken a mauling, but that Atlas kept coming back. It probably belonged to the Kurita commander, hence it got priority repairs and was most likely to be at the centre of the line. That was a worry. Beyond that, it would all depend upon how well her two wings did in drawing off the other Kurita mechs.

Well, worry would accomplish nothing. Anna had her back from Control and she would soon enough know whether she was overfaced or not. If nothing else they could just blast what they could and run. She focused on driving her Battlemaster forward to the jumping off point. Alpha Team was the best in the Lemmings, which made them better than most other mech pilots, by her reckoning. She had faith that between them they could get through this.

The Mission

As Alpha Team advanced towards the Kurita dorm town, Anna's voice crackled over the team channel.

"Alpha Team, four bogeys moving in from the north. I've mapped them to your comps. Drones show an Atlas, a Griffin, a Valkyrie and a Wasp. Looks like their main command lance. Bravo, Gamma and Delta teams are in position and engaging the rest of the Kurita company so you're weapons free. Clear this lance out of the way and you will have a clear run at their main depot."

"Roger that, Control. Alpha Team, form up on me. We're going in hot. Pick off the midgets first and then we'll decapitate the dragon right here."

"Roger that, Lemming 1."

"Confirmed, Lemming 1."

Eileen and Theresa formed up, one on either side of Jennie's Battlemaster.

"Lemmings ho!" called Jennie through the team comms channel.

They could not see her waving them forward, but they knew what she was doing, and they knew she would have Garryowen playing in her cockpit. Alpha Team moved quickly into the danger zone.

The Forces

Alpha Team, The Full Throttle Lemmings

1. Jennie Raytor (Skill 2), Battlemaster BLR-1D
2. Eileen Dover (Skill 3), Marauder MAD-3R
3. Theresa Green (Skill 4), Griffin GRF-1N

Heavy Battle Lance (5 uses of Lucky special ability)

Kurita Command Lance

1. Atlas AS7-D (Skill 3, Commander)
2. Griffin GRF-1N (Skill 4, Combat Intuition)
3. Valkyrie VLK-QA (Skill 4)
4. Wasp WSP-1A (Skill 4, Combat Intuition)

The Lemming formation is my standard Alpha Team. Kurita was generated randomly by drawing cards from a deck and I then balanced both sides by adjusting pilot Skill levels. I feel bad making Theresa only Skill 4, given that she is Rep 5 in 5150, but needs must when the devil drives and all that. I suppose I could have just left her at the right skill level but that would be unfair to my poor NPCs.

The goal is simple. Last mech standing wins. The Forced Withdrawal rule is in effect. Kurita may be the villains here, but they are not stupid or suicidal, and the Lemmings are mercenaries who understand that dead pilots don't get a cold beer after the battle.

The Fray

As the Lemmings advanced towards the dorm town, their scanners showed the enemy lance advancing through the buildings towards them.

"Contact!" called Eileen, "Kurita Griffin on building on my 12."

"Engage!" returned Jennie.

"Confirmed!"

They opened fire at the same time as missile trails could be seen launching from the enemy mech. Missiles crashed into Jennie's Battlemaster. Her targeting computer suddenly flashed and went hazy.

"Godsdammit," she cursed, "Alpha team, that hit knocked out sensors on my fire systems."

As the Griffin held its ground on the building roof, a Kurita Valkyrie joined it. Sensor blips showed the other enemy mechs advancing through the town.

Theresa took her Griffin around the buildings to secure the flank as the others adopted firing positions in cover.

Jennie and Eileen got the range of the enemy Griffin and Valkyrie. Lasers and missiles fired in both directions as the enemy mechs hammered Jennie's Battlemaster, but she held her nerve and gave as good as she got. As the Valkyrie was blasted to pieces, the Griffin's pilot suddenly discovered an urgent errand they had to run back at base. They fired up their jump jets and were quickly out of sight.

With only two Kurita mechs left, the Lemmings started to feel more confident. By now, Theresa was trading shots with the Wasp as the Atlas advanced slowly but surely towards the others. Seeing the imminent danger of being outflanked, the Wasp pilot headed further over the flank to some woods, but this just gave all three Lemmings the chance to focus their fire on it as Eileen dodged around buildings to stay out of the Atlas's line of sight. The Wasp did not last long.

The Atlas finally found clear lines of sight to Lemmings and opened fire. Sparks flew on Jennie's control board and alarms sounded as critical systems were destroyed or malfunctioned. Her own shots went wide of the Atlas and she knew she needed to withdraw. Her mech was totally not battleworthy now. Theresa and Eileen picked up the gauntlet and sprayed fire at the Atlas, which continued to stalk Eileen's Marauder.

From its new position in the woods, the Atlas fired volley after volley at the Marauder which started to resemble a Swiss cheese more than an armoured vehicle. Their own shots told on the Atlas though, and the Kurita commander raced for the town and cover, as Eileen withdrew her Marauder out of the ops zone.

Seeing her chance, Theresa gunned her mech into the town after the Atlas. As it raced at a full speed somewhat less than half her normal speed, Theresa saw her chance. She focused her fire on the holes where the Atlas's armour plate had been and several missiles landed in the right spot. The Atlas fell with an earthshaking thud.

"Alpha Team, it's safe to come back now. The scary Kurita commander is no more," she informed the others. She received only curses for her words, but knew with satisfaction that she would be feted tonight at The Ferret and Firkin.

Conclusions

This was my first try of the Alpha Strike rules for Battletech and used only the quickstart rules. I chose to play a smaller game with one lance per side. After statting up Alpha Team, I randomly generated a lance for the Kurita force aiming to have the same points as Alpha Team. I balanced the two forces by making the Atlas pilot Skill 3. I was uncertain how it would affect the game, but I chose not to use the optional mech abilities that are not in the Starter Set, which means that the Atlas did not get its fancy ammo for its AC or LRM. I am not sure how adding those will affect the game, but it is something for the future.

The playing area was 4' x 4', instead of the 6' x 4' recommended in the rules, simply because that was the space I had. With a smaller force size, I figured it would not matter too much. I have another table I can add to make the whole thing 6' x 4' but it is currently otherwise occupied. Maybe next time I can empty that table and use it too.

The solo rules were the same as the ones I used for the earlier Battletech games. They worked well for what I wanted, although a couple of the results seemed nonsensical so I overruled them.

The game went well with me only making a few mistakes that I recognised. I'll read the rules again before the next game. It also went quickly, which was useful and seemed to strike the right balance between detail and quick play for me. As happened with full-fat Battletech, the Lemmings scored only a single critical hit on the Kurita mechs, while Jennie's Battlemaster suffered a critical hit on the first shot against it, destroying part of her fire control system. Both the Battlemaster and the Marauder took an absolute pasting and had to withdraw. It was lucky that both were so close to the base edge or they might have been caught and destroyed.

Of the enemy mechs, none suffered critical hits at all, despite rolling for them. The Griffin was damaged enough to have to withdraw and was close enough to its base edge to get away easily. The Atlas had been drawn all the way into the Lemmings' half of the battlefield, so when it was finally forced to withdraw, it was easy for Theresa to zip around a building and catch it from the flank to destroy it.

All in all, it was fun and I look forward to the next round where I shall see how much more burdensome it is to play a full 250 points game.

The Full Throttle Lemmings

Campaign Morale: (5 at start) 6

Alpha Team:

1. Commander Jennie Raytor (Rep 5) - Battlemaster (Class 1)
2. Eileen Dover (Rep 5) - Marauder (Class 2)
3. Theresa Green (Rep 5) - Griffin (Class 3)

Bravo Team:

1. Barbara Dwyer (Rep 5) - Awesome (Class 2)
2. Andrew Peacock (Rep 4) - Wolverine (Class 3)
3. Ophelia Paine (Rep 4) - Catapult (Class 3)

Gamma Team:

1. Mike Hunt (Rep 4) - Wolverine (Class 3)
2. Paige Turner (Rep 4) - Thunderbolt (Class 3)
3. Theresa Crowd (Rep 3) - Shadowhawk (Class 3)

Delta Team:

1. Timothy Burr (Rep 5) - Blackjack (Class 4)
2. Joseph King (Rep 5) - Commando (Class 5)
3. Paul Bearer (Rep 4) - Locust (Class 5)

House Kurita

Campaign Morale: (2 at start) 1

The Kurita mechs are not organised into teams for this campaign. I have made a deck of stat cards and draw the appropriate number of cards as needed when they are encountered. The mechs available are:

• Atlas (Class 1)
• Battlemaster (Class 1)
• Archer (Class 2)
• Orion (Class 2)
• Warhammer (Class 2)
• Shadowhawk (Class 3)
• Griffin (Class 3)
• Wolverine (Class 3)
• Phoenix Hawk (Class 4)
• Valkyrie (Class 5)
• Wasp (Class 5)
• Stinger (Class 5)

All mechs on both sides are Battletech figures, so I have listed them with the names they have in Battletech.

6-8 Ambyrmont - A Free Pass

 

Broneslav slogged on up the hills to a mountain pass that the Rakasta had told him about. This made it slightly quicker going for him and two days later he was descending from the mountains towards a huge river that had cut a deep swath through the landscape. From his vantage point at the end of the pass, he could see a bridge crossing the chasm in the distance, clearly connected to the massive plateau beyond. This, he thought, was his objective. He set up camp just short of the bridge, in a sheltered spot and settled down for the night.

Suddenly the peace of the night was shattered by screams and thrown sticks and stones and shit. Broneslav had inadvertantly camped in the territory of another troop of rock baboons. He grabbed his stuff and found another place to camp that was quieter but not as comfortable. He would cross the bridge tomorrow and find out if the rumours of a mysterious city were true.

Galtor 3025: Take That Hill! (Battle Suit Alpha)

 "Listen up, Lemmings! That last patrol has highlighted several targets for assault. We're going in after one of them. There's a hill overlooking the main route into Dorm 564 where Kurita are currently holed up. If we can take it, it can form the staging point for a full scale assault to take the Dorm town. Secondary objectives in this ops area are two small Hab Zones and the crossroads beneath the hill. Bravo Team will move in on the objectives, secure them, and hold while we follow up. If it all goes sideways, skedaddle. Got it?"

Bravo Team nodded with a mix of trepidation and adrenaline-fuelled elation. Theirs would be the danger and the glory. They would be the point of the spear for a change.

"Everyone else, be ready to move out on my signal. We're not sure exactly what Kurita has in this sector, so we need to be ready for anything. We know they have assault mechs, because we've blown some of them up, but they might have more and we can't rely on them running away like last time. Barb, you have command until we get there. Good luck and, hey, let's be careful out there."

Bravo team gathered round their team leader.

"Andy, you're on point. Get in there, scout the zone and delay any hostiles. Ophelia will provide indirect fire support. Call on her as much as you need to screw Kurita up. We'll take our approach path from your report. Understood?"

"Copy that!" echoed both pilots at the same time.

"Ok, losers, mount up! We're going to a party and there will be fireworks."

A short while later, Andy moved into the ops area. His display picked up a single heat signal.

"Bravo Team, medium mech on other side of ops zone. Looks to be moving on Hab Unit 4621. Lemming 5 moving towards Hab Unit 4629."

He pushed his mech forward as fast as it would go.

"Bravo Team, this is Lemming 5. Hab Unit 4629 secure. Radar shows hostile in Hab Unit 4621. Moving to flank."

From his new position in some woods on the hill, he spotted the enemy mech.

"Lemming 5 reporting. Kurita Shadow Hawk has moved to occupy the crossroads. Engaging."

He stabbed the fire button. Chunks flew from the enemy mech, which turned in his direction and knocked out his machine gun.

"Grudnabbit, Bravo Team, where are the rest of you? I'm taking heavy fire here. I have weapons systems down and cannot hold if this keeps up."

Andy's machineguns had been knocked out and the laser that was his main weapon had gone offline. He frantically fired everything else he had at the Shadow Hawk as he simultaneously tried to fix the damage to his mech.

"Lemming 5, this is Lemming 4. Moving in to engage."

Barb's Awesome had advanced up the road and could see the Kurita Shadow Hawk. She was annoyed that Ophelia's Catapult was lagging behind. They would need its firepower. She focused on the Shadow Hawk and waited to hear tone. The second it came, she hit the firing stud. Rockets flew from the pods on either side of her and turned the crossroads into a pitted wasteland. The Shadow Hawk crumbled under the onslaught.

"This is Lemming 4. Hostile is down. Advancing on remaining objectives."

The ops area was quiet apart from the burning wreckage. Andy took the opportunity to move into position on the hill, while Ophelia finally caught up and Barb advanced towards the nearby Hab Unit.

"Lemming 5 to Bravo Team. Hostile Atlas in ops zone. Kill it! Kill it with fire!"

"Don't be so overly dramatic, Lemming 5," came Barb's short reply, "Bravo Team advance."

As they pushed forward, the Atlas, which had previously secured Hab Unit 4621 suddenly found itself in a cat and mouse game with Andy's Wolverine. Using cover as best he could, he tried to pick bits off it, but it returned the favour and hammered his mech. He dodged back among the buildings and called in fire from Ophelia, but the Atlas's heavy armour held despite multiple hits. The pilot probably had a shocking headache though.

Barb had neared the crossroads now but was taking fire from a Kurita Warhammer that had moved in to back up the Atlas.

"Lemming 6, this is Lemming 4. Lock on my marked coordinates and fire at will."

"Roger that, Lemming 4."

Ophelia connected her targeting computer to Barb's signal and pressed the firing stud. Huge salvos of rockets powered down onto the Warhammer and blew its right arm off, taking a rail gun with it. Armour plates melted under the onslaught as the Warhammer fired at Barb.

A second full rocket salvo launched and the Warhammer collapsed under the weight of the fire.

Barb grunted with satisfaction. The Warhammer was down and they had control of the ops zone within the mission time limit. The Atlas could be picked apart at will now.

"Bravo Team, this is Lemming 1. Entering ops zone on your six now."

As Bravo Team regrouped for the next push, the other Lemming teams were now moving in behind them. The Atlas, if it had any sense would retreat as fast as its massive, slow behind could carry it.

Conclusions

I like the Fistful of Lead series so I decided to run this scenario using Battle Suit Alpha, the mech variant of those rules. I mapped my pilots and mechs onto Battle Suit Alpha as best I could, but I figure it does not make too much difference if they vary a bit, because both sides have the same advantages and disadvantages in this process. The campaign results are still adjudicated using 5150: Mecha Combat though.

For this game, I had 33 points of mechs in my team, which would normally require me to reduce the quality of some of my pilots, but I chose instead to just make the Kurita mechs match them in points value by drawing mechs from a deck until I had the right value. This created an enemy force comprising 1 Warhammer, 1 Atlas and 1 Shadow Hawk.

The scenario began with both medium mechs (Wolverine and Shadow Hawk) on the table. The remaining mechs would reinforce them by rolling at the end of each turn. On a dice roll equal or less than that turn number, they would enter the battlefield the following turn. As it turned out, it was turn 3 when Barb Dwyer and her Awesome arrived and turn 5 before the Atlas and Ophelia Paine's Catapult arrived. The Warhammer was way late to the parade. This clearly favoured me, but could have gone entirely the other way.

For the campaign, the Lemmings scored 1 more success than Kurita, so Kurita morale went down and Lemming morale remained the same.

That was a fun game. It was made easier by the bad guys not showing up on time, but the Wolverine nearly got slagged a couple of times. Drawing the card that lets you repair damage was supremely useful, especially because the Wolverine was fast enough to move to the furthest objective and contest it simply by being there.

In terms of game play, it all went smoothly and I do not think I played anything wrong other than forgetting to roll a d12 for Barb when shooting. I rolled a d10 which disadvanted her. My fault. I should pay attention to my pilot's abilities. Speaking of abilities, I really need to note their effects on the stat cards, so that I remember them all. There was much thumbing through the rules to check them. Next time.

Solo play went quite well. I started with the draft solo rules from Wiley Games, but wound up doing what was likely to be best for each mech. The card draw system for activation created enough chaos that I did not need to make any difficult calls on who would do what. The only bit I really retained was activating enemy mechs in order of precedence. Lance leader first, then 2IC then the trooper. That does not always make complete sense, but it does fit with the pecking order in House Kurita battalions.

The Full Throttle Lemmings

Campaign Morale: (5 at start) 5

Alpha Team:

1. Commander Jennie Raytor (Rep 5) - Battlemaster (Class 1)
2. Eileen Dover (Rep 5) - Marauder (Class 2)
3. Theresa Green (Rep 5) - Griffin (Class 3)

Bravo Team:

1. Barbara Dwyer (Rep 5) - Awesome (Class 2)
2. Andrew Peacock (Rep 4) - Wolverine (Class 3)
3. Ophelia Paine (Rep 4) - Catapult (Class 3)

Gamma Team:

1. Mike Hunt (Rep 4) - Wolverine (Class 3)
2. Paige Turner (Rep 4) - Thunderbolt (Class 3)
3. Theresa Crowd (Rep 3) - Shadowhawk (Class 3)

Delta Team:

1. Timothy Burr (Rep 5) - Blackjack (Class 4)
2. Joseph King (Rep 5) - Commando (Class 5)
3. Paul Bearer (Rep 4) - Locust (Class 5)

House Kurita

Campaign Morale:  (3 at start) 2

The Kurita mechs are not organised into teams for this campaign. I have made a deck of stat cards and draw the appropriate number of cards as needed when they are encountered. The mechs available are:

• Atlas (Class 1)
• Battlemaster (Class 1)
• Archer (Class 2)
• Orion (Class 2)
• Warhammer (Class 2)
• Shadowhawk (Class 3)
• Griffin (Class 3)
• Wolverine (Class 3)
• Phoenix Hawk (Class 4)
• Valkyrie (Class 5)
• Wasp (Class 5)
• Stinger (Class 5)

All mechs on both sides are Battletech figures, so I have listed them with the names they have in Battletech.

Roll Call: Creatures and Monsters for Oathmark

 This is a miscellaneous list of monsters for Oathmark that are not part of the human or orc terrain lists, which I have covered in previous posts. It does not actually make much difference which terrain list the creatures are in, but it makes for a neat way to divide up my posts. Most of these monsters are not technically 15mm figures, but they have one significant benefit over other figures that I might prefer: I already had them.

Eachy

These weird, gangly humanoid figures with massive talons on their hands live in lakes and feed on unwary travellers. They drag them to the bottom of their lake, where they feast on the drowned victim, eating everything but the liver, which floats to the surface of the lake and is all that anyone will find of them ever again. I am using doppelgangers from the Temple of Elemental Evil boardgame for these creatures for now, but have my eyes on some of the Demonworld figures that should suit nicely at a later date.

Tally: 3

Temple of Elemental Evil Doppelgangers

Barghest

In ages past, Elven technomancers created strange and terrifying war machines and unleashed them against their enemies. Barghests are just one such creation. All tales of eldritch black dogs with burning red eyes that prey on unwary travellers stem from these. The figures are some kind of mechanical giant dog that I found in the local games shop and liked the look of. Barghests are another entry from the Dwarf terrain list.

Tally: 2

Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures: Iron Defender

Bodach

The Bodach is a fey creature sometimes called a redcap, because it dyes its cap in the blood of its victims. It usually takes the form of an older, human man, and uses its cunning and magic to lure its victims to their deaths. Sometimes the Bodach will side with an army because it sees the chance for even more carnage and destruction, and an even redder cap.

Tally: 1

Two Dragons peasant

Dragon

Everyone knows what a dragon is, right? In Oathmark, they can be wyrms that slither along or have wings and fly. I only have flying dragons so far, and way more than any person needs for a game like Oathmark. The collection includes a 15mm dragon from Alternative Armies, and two 28mm DDM dragons that look more impressive with my 15mm collection. Why do I need three dragons? I really don't but I do like having a choice.

Tally: 3

An Alternative Armies 15mm dragon and two D&D Miniatures 28mm prepaints

Gargoyles

These are 10mm Gargoyles from Pendraken. Each really needs the space of two normal figures because of the wings, so I use spacer bases to make them not look ridiculously crowded. This has the added benefit of making the figures go further, meaning that 12 figures count as a full unit of 20.

Tally: 20

10mm Pendrakon Gargoyles

Roll Call: The Seelie (Humans and related monsters for Oathmark)

 The Seelie forces are the humans and their allies against the Unseelie. The Unseelie consider humans to be a blight on the land, and they may have a point from their perspective: humans cut down holy hawthorn bushes, plant their farms over the grave mounds of the Fair Folk and block access to the Other Realm by tolling their bells and chanting their prayers so loudly that none can find their way from Here to There. Humans think that the Unseelie are being unreasonable and making a fuss about nothing.

For more on my head canon for this conflict, see my roll call of the Unseelie. There I lay out the basis for the two main forces of any future game: The Seelie versus the Unseelie.

The Figures

This is the full roll call of human-related figures. The whole force works out to somewhat over 6000 points. There are a few unit types that I do not have for the human forces, but there is still plenty of choice, especially when considering that I can draw on the other species as well. Most of the figures here are Two Dragons Vikings and Normans, with a smattering of Tabletop Games fantasy adventurers plus some ogres from Ral Partha Europe's Demonworld range, and a couple of figures plucked from boardgames.

The whole army arrayed. What are the chances I shall ever field all of it at one time?

Human leaders and champions

These are the elitest of the elite in the human armies. They lead and inspire the other humans to greatness, and many are legends in their own lunchtimes. I have way more character figures than I shall ever field in a single Oathmark army, but it is nice to have a choice.

Tally: 5 mounted and 14 dismounted

Two Dragons Normans and Essex Miniatures Vikings

Human spellcasters

Battlefield support is provided by an eclectic bunch of sorcerous types. Again, I have more than I need but they will all get names and become beloved to me as they achieve glorious sorcerous exploits.

Tally: 7

Ral Partha Europe and Tabletop Fantasy Sorcerers. The TTF ones are scrawnier but carry a much greater weight of nostalgia for me

Human soldiers (and possibly spears)

The rank and file of every human army is a person with a shield and a spear or other hand weapon. Because many of these have spears, I could field them as spear units instead if I choose to, but I am listing them here as soldiers, because I also have an idea of buying figures for a high medieval army with long spears or pikes to use as spear units. I wonder if this is one of those ideas that will never come to fruition. Either way, soldiers or spear units, they are the backbone of the army. Some of these figures have been in my Pile of Shame since the early 90s, so it is a great feeling to have got them all painted at last.

Tally: 80

Two Dragons Vikings and Normans

Human archers

These basic missile troops gain strength from their numbers rather than their individual skill. The carry a range of missile weapons from bows to crossbows to thrown rocks. I lump them all together as basic archers. After all, you cannot afford to be fussy when you are recruiting from the lower echelons of society. At least they do not smell as bad as the militia!

Tally: 43

Two Dragons Vikings, Normans and peasants

Human warriors

The better class of soldier has a chain vest or hauberk as well as their shield and sword/spear.

Tally: 25

Two Dragons Vikings and Normans with two Asgard 15mm barbarians towering over the others at the back

Human linebreakers

Men with big axes or two-handed swords are useful when the heavy cavalry are not suited to the terrain. The linebreakers are just such a shock unit. Armed with large axes and good armour, they are well-practised at cleaving their way through their foes.

Tally: 17

Two Dragons Vikings

Human militia

What they lack in quality they make up for in quantity and pungency. They are also useful for carrying things for the rest of the army.

Tally: 60

A mix of Two Dragons peasants and Essex Mniatures monks

Human cavalry

These are lightly armoured cavalry, usually younger men who have yet to prove themselves, but they are fast and can still hit hard with all the enthusiasm of youth and a young person's firm belief that they will always survive and win.

Tally: 11

Two Dragons Normans

Human heavy cavalry

The heavy cavalry are the elite of society, just one rank below the commanders and champions. They are well-armed, well-armoured and their foes know to fear their thunderous charges. While they might do poorly against a fully-formed unit of soldiers with spears readied, they will almost certainly sweep unprepared infantry away.

Tally: 24

Two Dragons Norman cavalry supported by a couple of Essex Miniatures Vikings

Ogres

These can be either normal ogres or ogre linebreakers according to whim. With the large swords and axes, they are more like the latter, while the former should technically have shields. However, the terrain that gives you ogres makes you choose either normal or linebreakers, so there will be no confusion there.

Tally: 6

Ral Partha Europe Ogres

Buggane

Buggane are large, shaggy ogre-like beings with an innate magical ability. I am using bugbears from the Temple of Elemental Evil boardgame for these. They are larger than I would really like. In scale they are about 25 feet tall, which makes them as tall as giants are meant to be and thus far too large, but I have them and do not need to buy more figures, so I am content with that for now. If I play enough Oathmark, I might replace the figures with some that are more in scale and use the bugbears as giants, but that is a plan for another time.

Tally: 3

Bugbears from the Temple of Elemental Evil boardgame doing sterling proxy service

Giant

Massive humanoid monsters. They are constantly hungry because it is hard to gather enough food when you are this big, so they will fight for food. This is a Mage Knight berserker, who is very giant-like when placed next to 15mm figures.

Tally: 1

Mage Knight Berserker doing service as a giant

5 Ambyrmont - Uphill all the Way

Broneslav spent a while the next morning cleaning his gear. The rock baboons had really made a mess of it, and it was rather too smelly for comfort, like the midden behind his grandmother's house. Then he set out, picking his way out of the jungle and up into the mountains ahead. As he climbed, he kept his eyes out for danger, and he was right to do so. Ahead, he spotted a group of mould-encrusted zombies. Unfortunately, they had spotted him too, and were heading in his direction. He could easily outrun them, even in this terrain, but they would certainly catch up with him when he stopped to rest. Feeling that he could not take a chance, he unshipped his bow and waited.

As the zombies reached the limit of his range, he fired his first shot. It was a solid hit and the zombie did not stand back up again. They shambled on and he took another shot. A miss. He cursed as a valuable arrow zipped off to be lost among the hillside somewhere. His third shot hit a zombie but the monster kept coming. The fourth wounded that same zombie, while the fifth slew it. With the zombies getting perilously close, he took one final, careful shot. A freak gust of wind carried it away from the zombies.

There was no time left. He picked up his shield and sword, and charged. Two zombies were brutally slaughtered in his initial onslaught. Claws shrieking on armour were testimony to the ferocity of the remaining zombies' attacks, and Broneslav staggered under the impact of five undead bodies, but he held his feet and fought on. He knocked the feet out from under one of them and crushed its head with his booted foot, even as he spun with a terrific blow that sliced through the neck of a second zombie and through the dried up, rotting torso of a third. Undeterred, the last two zombies clawed at Broneslav and tried to drag him to the ground, but to no avail.

Spinning on his toes once more, he grabbed his sword with both hands and unleashed a fearsome roar. His sword might as well have been cutting through butter as it sliced a zombie in two, and the follow through gutted the last of the zombies.

Broneslav paused to catch his breath a moment before cleaning his blade and carrying on. As twilight arrived, he looked for a place to camp once more. Ahead he saw a slight fire. He tried to sneak up to see who it was, but a huffing noise followed by a low growl told him that he had been spotted.

Standing up, he looked over the rocks and saw a small hunting party of Rakasta gathered awaiting him. Two sabre-toothed tigers were standing alertly looking in his direction. Before he could even call out to ask permission to approach, one of the Rakasta beckoned him in.

"Welcome, Broneslav from the Far North. We have heard of you. You are welcome as brother and warrior to us."

From the sound of it, Rakasta moved faster through the jungle than he did, if this hunting party had heard of him already. He and the Rakasta traded tales and food, before Broneslav enjoyed a completely mosquito-free night's sleep.

More shenanigans at Piddling Parva (Lion Rampant 2E)

 "THE VIKINGS ARE COMING!"

The feared cry rang out as the church bells tolled their urgent warning.

Lady Meghain du Court summoned her retinue as fast as she could. The urgency of the situation told her that she only had time for her fastest troops and that the heavy infantry would not be able to keep up, if she were to meet the Norse raiding party in the open moors east of the village. She leapt into the saddle and led the charge. Three troops of knights, her retinue archers and some local villagers with bows would have to suffice. They raced off, with the archers holding onto the knights' stirrup leathers to help them keep up.

Meanwhile, Hroerekr ur Dölunum, jarl of Ferjaby, was leading his doughty warriors towards the village and the wealth of the local monastery. He cursed as he got a clear view of the village and saw the advancing knights.

"By Odin's hairy bollocks, we've a fight on our hands," he roared, "Form up my heroes and we shall send them to Hel, before we feast in their village! TO VALHALLA!"

The Forces

For this game of Lion Rampant, the defenders are a standard Norman from the lists in the book, with the crossbowmen replaced by archers because those are the figures I have. The whole retinue comprises:

• 3 Elite Cavalry units
• 1 Archer unit
• 1 Skirmisher unit

The attackers are a standard Norse army:

• 2 Elite Infantry units
• 2 Heavy Infantry units
• 1 Archer unit

The Norse list allows you to choose between Berserkers and Archers, but I have "views" about who and what Berserkers were, so I am not going to field them this time. I also have a feeling that the Norse archers should really be a couple of units of skirmishers, but that is a pleasure to save for another time.

The Game

Deployment of both forces focused on the terrain on the Norse left flank with the Norse warband securing their right flank between woods and hills with a unit of Heavy Infantry. The plan would be to refuse that flank, while advancing on the other and in the centre. The Norman force formed up with the archers interspersed between their cavalry. They planned to advance slowly and whittle the Norse down a bit before the knights charged.

Storming Normans at the top of the photo. Vicious Vikings at the bottom.

The two forces faced each other across a shallow valley.

"Let them take only as much land as they are tall!" Lady Meghain cried to her followers, "They shall keep that part of the land they are buried in and no more!"

She took her father's bagpipes from the saddle in front of her and began to play a rousing march. The skirling of the pipes rang out across the dale and the adrenaline pumped all the harder in her followers' veins. They truly appreciated that she had a better ear for music than her father had.

The Norsemen hammered their weapons on their shields and advanced with gruff bellows and insults. Well, except for those that could only do one thing at a time. The heavy infantry on the Norse right took some time to get moving, but were soon on the go.

As they advanced, the arrow storm began. A warrior beside Hroerekr fell with an arrow through his throat. First blood to the Norman archers. Not to be outdone, the knights rushed forward too, but it was the archers that scored second blood, while the Norse archers returned the favour, killing two Norman archers.

Lady Meghain's knights bore down on Hroerek's personal bodyguard, their hooves thundering across the sward. The rumbling of their advance could be felt in the bones of the men on foot.

"Who is this that dares oppose me?" bellowed Hroerekr, " I challenge you to holmgang! You shall dine in Hel this night, or I shall feast in Valhalla!"

The bagpipe playing stopped as Lady Meghain replied.

"I am Lady Meghain du Court and you shall grovel in the dirt before me, foul blackguard! This is my land and I shall defend it with all that I am. Though I have only the body of a woman, I have the heart of a lion, the wings of a dragon and my father's lance, which I have often bloodied in such as you!"

The two leaders approached each other and squared off. Their bodyguards stood back respectfully and gave them space.

"Die, foul Norseman!"

Lady Meghain wasted no time in attacking. With a speed and fury that Hroerekr did not expect, she was upon him, showing no sign of fear. He swung his mighty axe at her as she approached. They traded several blows and then suddenly Lady Meghain's lance found its opening and the Norse leader's lifeblood nourished Norman soil.

"Revenge!" cried Hroerek's bodyguard. They charged and in the furious melee that ensued, Norman knights and Norse champions died. But in the end, Lady Meghain was the one standing with one of her bodyguard beside her. The Norsemen lay still.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Norman archers and skirmishers were slaying Norsemen, and other vicious hand to hand combats were being fought. The archers and skirmishers were carrying the day, as the melees were mostly inconclusive. The Norse archers were nowhere to be seen. They had been cut down in their droves and had retreated into the lee of a hill to regroup. However, as the last of the Norse champions died, taking with him enough Norman knights that he would have a story to tell in the halls of the gods, the Norse archers decided that enough was enough. They ran for their boats.

Others of the Norse free men decided the same thing. Battered, wounded and facing an unrelenting storm of arrows that not even all their shields could protect them from, they turned and fled.

A single unit of Norse warriors remained. They hesitated as the skirmishers continued to shower them with arrows, but when they saw Lady Meghain charging across the battlefield, they decided enough was enough and fled. Five ships of doughty Norse warriors had set out on this journey. Only a single ship returned.

Conclusion

I think I got most of the rules right this time. Now to work on tactics.

This game saw more units failing their activations than the previous one. The Norse warband had a couple of turns where no one moved at all, even with the leader's reroll, for example, and many turns saw only about half the troops on each side moving.

It was also my first time trying a duel. I just felt that a Norse jarl would have insisted on it. I gave the Norman leader a 50% chance of accepting. She did, and then she scored 3 hits to the Norseman's 2 hits, thus beating him. I guess Hroerekr wins either way though; taking Norman treasure or heading to Valhalla.

The loss of their leader did not seem to dismay the Norse warband much at all. Both elite infantry units fought to the very last warrior, aiming to join their leader in Valhalla presumably. The rest seemed ambivalent. They ran at the last, but mainly because the Norman arrows were particularly well-aimed.

All in all, another good fun game. I really enjoyed the chaos of the activation rolls, and the need to pick and choose where I would act first. I just need to make sure that I give my side the better dice next time!