Big Stompy Battle Reports

My housemate Merlin recently rekindled my interest in BattleTech: big stompy battle robots from the 31st Century. After a few practice games (I won two out of three!) I suggested a full-blown fight between two Lances (4-strong 'Mech units) worth 4,000 points (called 'Battle Value') each. I'm afraid this report might be a bit heavy on the Jargon, for which I apologise in advance.

Team George: (L to R) Hermes-II, Phoenix Hawk, Warhammer (with hastily repaired right arm) and Cicada standing in for a Jenner.

The forces chosen were a bit of a mix. I went for one big nasty heavy 'Mech (a Warhammer) supported by three lighter machines, while Merlin distributed his points across four more equally-pointed medium and light 'Mechs.

Team Merlin: (L to R) Panther, Jenner, Trebuchet and Dervish.

The battleground was two boards from the introductory box set, one with lake and one with trees, the objective being the destruction or forced withdrawal of the opponent's forces, so nothing complicated there.

Merlin' forces after turn one, long range units at the back supporting shorter ranged ones hiding behind the forest 

In terms of deployment, I had laid out my forces in response to Merlin: The Warhammer and it's lightly armed escort Hermes-II would hold on the right flank while the more mobile Jenner and Phoenix Hawk would take the right in a sweeping movement.

My forces advance in an extended line

Merlin kept most of his 'Mechs at long range: The Panther with its Particle Projectile Cannon (PPC) hiding in woods, and the Dervish and Trebuchet with their long range missles (lrm's) forcing my forces to close quickly. His Jenner, on the other hand, with its speed and short range arsenal, dashed forwards and began a duel with my Jenner, a swift move that caught me rather off-guard. 

Contact! The Jenners slug it out in the background, while the Warhammer and Panther exchange pot shots

My plan stayed much the same, with the Warhammer laying down a barrage of PPC fire as it advanced (that failed to hit anything...) and the left flank forces swooping down on the Trebuchet opposite. These efforts were crowned with success when a lucky hit from the Phoenix Hawk set off the ammunition, blowing the Trebuchet to pieces. 

My swift moving right flank closes on the Trebuchet...

...and a lucky shot detonates the ammunition!

My Warhammer, on the other hand, was running dangerously hot. In my increasingly desperate attempts to hit anything, I was firing far more weapons than the 'Mechs (fairly meagre) heat sinks could cope with. Still, with Merlin's firepower stripping the armour off my units, I advanced into close range and gambled on one large salvo before several turns of cooling down.

Surrounded by Merlin's forces, the Warhammer begins to overheat from its weapons firing...

Regular readers will no doubt be able to predict the consequences of my thinking "I can risk the small chance of ammunition explosion in order to score some decent hits." but for the uninformed I can reveal that not only did I barely scratch the Panther (a light 'Mech!), but also blew up my best 'Mech for my trouble.

...and it's ammunition explodes too. Down goes my best 'Mech

With honours even I decided to press on, despite my machines taking increasing amounts of damage from Merlin's disturbingly accurate fire. I ran and jumped, diving behind his 'Mechs for point blank shots at the thin rear armour but to no avail.

I decided to press on, hoping to take another 'Mech out and even the odds

When my second biggest 'Mech, the Phoenix Hawk, lost it's right arm (the one with the Large Laser, of course...) I decided that I was outgunned and began a fighting retreat. That was the plan, at least, what actually happened was every 'Mech sprinting at top speed, hotly pursued by Merlin's swift Jenner.

Despite excellent positioning, I can't get the killing hits in!

With hindsight, covering my retreat with the Jenner or Phoenix Hawk would probably have been a good idea, as in a final calamity, my Hermes-II took a shot to its autocannon ammunition and vanished in a puff of failure.

The Jenner takes out my Hermes-II with a laser to the ammunition (Dangerous stuff that)

So, bloodied and demoralised, my Mechwarriors fled the field, leaving a rich crop of Salvage for Merlin's victorious warriors. Defeat!

I flee the field having lost two 'Mechs. A stinging defeat

You will notice that all three 'Mechs were destroyed by ammunition explosions. The random nature of damage assignment in BattleTech means that you quite often land hits on the fully armoured right leg, not the exposed centre torso where the engine is...

Of course, I can't just blame the dice. My over reliance on the Warhammer's heavy armament was a mistake, as was failure to concentrate fire effectively. If I were fighting the battle again, I would probably ignore the PPC's and just get in close to neutralise Merlin's long range arsenal. Oh, and not let 'Mechs get hot. Hopefully I can stage the next battle on an ice planet or something...