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.

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.

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.

House Kurita: 8th Sword of Light (Battletech)

 I usually collect both sides for any game I play because it is the most reliable way to ensure that I am able to get a game in. More often than not, those in my immediate area do not share my interests and are unwilling to buy into something outside their main focus. The estimable Steve is a major exception here. He and I have inspired each other with fads for years. However, he lives a thousand miles away, so I need to provide my own enemies. With that in mind, I needed some villains for my Battletech/mech warfare games, and who better than the Draconis Combine?

House Kurita, and especially the Sword of Light, just seem made to be the villains in my stories. They seem to represent a type of regimented order that the Full Throttle Lemmings (or even any of my Thrappled Lemming warbands) have. There are few groups that are likely to be more diametrically oppsed to my group whose motto ought to be "If I don't even know what I am going to do next, how can my enemy predict it?"

I opted for the 8th Sword of Light "The Jade Dragon" because I like the green background to their insignia. It helps that the paint scheme is simple, so I could paint them quickly and have a whole company ready very quickly. Looking at the photos, I really do need to work on how I highlight reds. They look fine on the table, but the camera seems to wash out the shading and makes me think that I should do more extreme highlighting. After all, the same light that I photograph under is the one I play under, so it might improve the look even more. Time enough for that another day. In the end, what matters is that they are ready to be fielded against the Full Throttle Lemmings.

I feel that this company could really do with at least one Dragon and/or Grand Dragon and probably a Jenner and/or a Panther to feel properly Kurita, but they were not in stock when I bought what I have. Adding some iconic Kurita mechs can be a project for another day.

On to the roll call. All figures are the Catalyst Game Labs versions found in the various boxed sets and lance packs. They have unit insignia decals from Defiance Industries Wargaming just to make them look a bit more swish. The decals were not cheap but they were definitely worth it. Each mech has the Jade Dragon insignia on its left shoulder, the Sword of Light insignia on its left leg and back, and a kanji number on its right leg.

(left to right) Atlas, Battlemaster, Warhammer, Orion

(left to right) Wolverine, Archer, Shadow Hawk, Valkyrie

(left to right) Phoenix Hawk, Griffin, Wasp, Stinger

ChiCom Acquisitions and Mergers Department: Corporate mechas (6mm sci-fi)

 If you followed the progress of our Hell on Dodgson's World campaign, you will know that ChiCom are the evil corporate invaders, who sought to overthrow the existing peaceful regime on Dodgson's World. An alternative perspective, as generally publicised by the ChiCom Corporate Marketing and Brand Awareness Department, is that they came to Dodgson's World to provide the benefits of access to the wider galaxy in return for being allowed to mine certain valuable ores. However you view it, ChiCom has decided to beef up its Acquisitions and Mergers Department with a mecha company consisting of two stars of mechs. I imagine the committee meeting went something like this:

"So, we need mechs. Everyone else has them and our shareholders are getting anxious that we are not keeping up with the latest technology. Also, the CEO has demanded one instead of his company AV. Biggins, how's the market outlook on these?"

"I've done some market research on these, and it is clear that mechs will boost our share price through increased shareholder confidence. They are also a useful tax write-off, so they seem eminently affordable."

"Wiggins, what's out there and how do we sort this out?"

"I've examined existing organisations and it is clear that the Clans are superior to the Inner Sphere in every way, so I suggest that we organise our mechs as stars of 5 mechs each. The shareholders have expressed a preference for this and would prefer that we call them Stars rather than Lances. They also like the idea of naming each mecha to give our corporate negotiations a more personal touch."

"Right, Stars of five mechs each and names it is. Higgins, can we source mechs at a price that the shareholders like?"

"It's tough but I have a line on some mechs. Clan mechs are too expensive, but the Star organisation should be enough there. It is clear that this organisation works well, because the Clans are kicking the Inner Sphere's arse all over the place. Using this organisational structure will give the right impression to our shareholders even without the Clan mechs. I have put some feelers out and find a source of budget mechs that meet our criteria and will keep the shareholders happy."

"Biggins, what about names? You're marketing. What do you have for me?"

"Sir, the consultants have run the numbers and presented the options to the focus groups. I can safely say that we have some absolute doozies for you. They truly represent our mission and values. I am certain the CEO will love them."

"Great, we have a plan. Well done, Biggins, Wiggins and Higgins. Set up a purchase order and get the first company of mechs ordered. To the next order of business, the company picnic..."

The Mechas

Following the conclusion of our Hellfire campaign, I decided to repaint the ChiCom forces. The old paint jobs were very basic and I was not happy with them. I started on repainting infantry and vehicles and still have to finish them all off. I also decided to add some mechs because I was getting dragged back into the idea of big, stompy robots as fun on the table top. At that point, the EM4 mechs fit the budget nicely, so I got 10 of them and built them. Half got painted really quickly and the rest have languished until now. The plan is to field these as a generic opposing force in solo games of Horizon Wars, Hardwar, FutureWarCommander, 5150 No Quarter: Mecha Combat and Battle Suit Alpha. Other rules sets may also get involved but these are the main ones I currently have for this.

So, without further ado, I present the first two trinaries of the ChiCom Acquisitions and Mergers Department.

White Trinary

White 1: The Spirit of Corporate Unity

White 2: The Global Reorganisation

White 3: The Management Buyout

White 4: The Executive Headhunter

White 5: The Corporate Reshuffle

Red Trinary

Red 1: The Management Directive

Red 2: The Hostile Takeover

Red 3: The Emergency Board Meeting

Red 4: The Internal Memo

Red 5: The Departmental Downsizing

Epilogue

The CEO looked up from the paperwork about his new mecha force and frowned.

"Hmm..."

"Sir..."

"Shush! I'm pondering!"

"Sir!"

He stared at the documents again and frowned again.

He sighed.

"Excellent job, Miggins. The shareholders seem delighted and my stock is up several points. Keep up this sort of work and I'll have that new Type Y Luxury Cruiser before this time next year. Go and carry on the good work."

He looked down at the paperwork again. As soon as Miggins had left the office he tabbed through the screens back to the details on the Type Y Cruiser, checked off a few options and clicked buy.

"No point waiting. Miggins has this well in hand."

He sighed again. This time contentedly.

Full Throttle Lemmings PLC (Battletech)

 Commander Jennifer Raytor marched to the podium. The assembled mechwarriors watched attentively as she took up her place in front of them and attempted to show the PowerPoint 3025 slideshow that she had been working on all night. Eventually one of the mechtechs took pity on her and showed her what to press to display her slides.

"Ahem," she began, "Thank you all for turning up. As of today, The Board has acknowledged and accepted our application. It is my pleasure to announce that Full Throttle Lemmings is now officially a mercenary company and that each of you will receive a standard share of our profits as contracts are completed subject to the usual deductions for maintenance, subsistence, transport, etc. If you read your contracts you will see an itemised list of legitimate deductions in footnote 62 on pages 391-405. See also Annexes 4, 5, 7, 23 and 48 for additional potential deductions That understood, welcome to the Full Throttle Lemmings. I look forward to working with you all."

The Lemmings PLC all cheered. They were certain that they would all soon be rich. After all, the galaxy had been riven by war for centuries. Others had profited before them and now it was their turn.

Command Lance: (L to R) Commando, Locust, Awesome and Catapult

Jennie banged her commander's baton on the podium, and they all calmed down and listened attentively.

"So, to the first order of business. We need to ensure that our 'mechs present the proper air of professionalism and corporate branding to the world. For this reason, I have had the advertising techs prepare a brief."

Comm units pinged as Jennie pushed a button and the brief was sent to all the pilots. She moved her slideshow on.

"So that we make a good impression from the outset, I have authorised expenditure from the central warchest to cover repainting all of your mechs in accord with the brief. This will be your first order of business. Go and see to it while I and the admin team review possible contracts. Dismissed!"

Striker Lance: (L to R) Griffin, Wolverine, Shadow Hawk and Blackjack

She handed the brief to her own mechtech and went to see to the administrative business that was her burden as commander. She could hear distant cheerful banter from her pilots as they went about the business of getting their mechs painted. She was looking forward to seeing them all in uniform at the review next week.

A week later, the pilots had parked their mechs up in review order by lance. Jennie was cheerfully downing her first coffee of the day as she finished up the admin and prepared to review the mechs in their new livery.

She marched out of the barracks office to the parade ground and stopped dead as she saw what awaited her. Her mood instantly became blacker than the coffee she had just drunk.

"What in the name of all that is unholy is going on here?" she thundered.

The assembled mechwarriors looked puzzled.

"Why have none of you followed the brief?" she roared.

Silence reigned as the mechwarriors beside their mechs stared carefully straight forward into the middle distance.

"Commander," her personal mechtech approached her, "Permission to speak?"

Jennie nodded, not trusting herself to actually speak.

The mechtech pushed a commscreen into her hands.

"Here's the brief you sent. We all followed it."

Hands shaking, she looked at the screen.

Full Throttle Lemmings Executive Order #54

Painting of unit battlemechs: The executive commander authorises the use of central warchest funds for all pilots to paint their mechs in a scheme of their choosing. Go wild!

Gritting her teeth agains the stream of expletives that wanted to come out and shaking with rage, she stood silently and immovable for thirty seconds before she trusted herself to speak.

Heavy Battle Lance: (L to R) Battlemaster, Marauder, Thunderbolt and Wolverine

"If I find out who hacked the painting brief, I shall deduct the full cost of painting all of the unit's battlemechs from their wages and make them pay for repainting them in the chosen uniform scheme. In the meantime, we shall have to put up with this godawful mess, because the central warchest does not have the spare funds in it for us to do this again. Dismissed!"

She stormed back into her office and pondered the use of shooting a random company member just to register her annoyance. it would be very satisfying...

Discussion

I spotted Battletech in the local games shop a while back. I had not played it since the early '90s but the nostalgia was huge so I bought the Beginner Box and Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat. At the time, I managed to get the Griffin and the Wolverine from the Beginner Box painted and I played a couple of games using only the Beginner Box rules. It was fun but I did not get the rest of the mechas painted. However, I did buy a bunch more mechas between then and now, including the Alpha Strike boxed set and the Clan Invasion boxed set, and I suddenly had the urge to paint them (probably because I am meant to be painting Rangers of Shadow Deep figures). So, I now have a mercenary company as a result. I figure that by painting them in a mix of liveries, they can stand in anywhere as newly salvaged mechas that have not yet been painted in uniform colours. As such they can support any other factions I collect, as well as being generic mercenaries in their own right. Also, the varied paint schemes mean that I can play games using just these mechas and none of the mechas will look out of place, whichever side they are on.

In terms of rules, I obviously have the Battletech rules and the Alpha Strike quick start rules. I want to play them, because both fulfil a need, but I am unsure how they will play solo. I have 5150: No Quarter - Mecha Warfare, which fits the bill for solo play. I also have Battle Suit Alpha, a Fistful of Lead spin-off. My experience of Fistful of Lead is that these will work well solo while also offering a quick game for when I have an opponent but not too much time. I'm looking forward to playing all of these, but I really should get back to painting figures for Rangers of Shadow Deep and not let myself get distracted again.