Benefits of a Campaign

This post was inspired by one of my fellow campaigners, Youngblood on the CBT forums.  We got to talking about the campaign, reminiscing about some of the battles and how far we've come over the past year and a half.  We covered a lot of topics, primarily about what we liked about playing in a campaign verses other types of BT gaming, such as Catalyst Commando events or one-off games at the local gaming store.  And thus, I'm going to highlight a variety of points that make campaigns an excellent way to satisfy your BT gaming needs.

1. Ownership/Investment - For me, I think this is one of the most important and distinguishing characteristics of a campaign.  You get to create pilots and units, give them personality and customize your forces the way you want.  It is way more fulfilling to win with your creation than some randomly generated force.  Additionally, it forces you to play "realistically".  What I mean by "realistically" is that in a campaign, you're on the hook for ammo, repairs, 'Mech replacements, etc.  It forces you to play more conservatively, retreating damaged 'Mechs instead of sacrificing them for the one-shot game victory because the consequences of that victory are meaningless.  In a campaign, sometimes victories are more costly than losses, and you need to know when to make the call to fall back. 

2. Creativity - This partially has to do with the creation of your own units, but more keenly focuses on the various scenarios you and your fellow campaigners will be playing in.  The good thing about a campaign, you get to run a variety of missions with multiple objectives.  No longer are you just running the standard last man standing or a kill 'em all game.  I could go into all the different missions you could possibly play in, but you would only need to read the blog to find out a handful of potential mission types.  I think that playing a variety of mission types makes you a better commander, as you start having to formulate different tactics for different situations and deploy different units based on their strengths and weaknesses and how they relate to the current mission.

3. Diversity - One might argue that randomly rolled forces and one-off games gives you more diversity than a campaign, but I'll argue against it.  If you alternate the OpFor, then you will always get to play with new and interesting units, 'Mechs and conventional forces alike.  I think that OpFor'ing in our campaign has improved my game drastically.  I've been able to play different styles of forces and try out various tactics without detriment to my merc company because the OpFor doesn't matter at the end of the day.  So I can practice using light screening unit in a proper manner and tryout what different 'Mechs are good at and not so good at.  So while it is fun to play with your own stuff in a campaign, its nearly as fun and almost a better experience OpFor'ing.  Additionally, you end up having to run large units, company sized or greater.  This helps you learn to manage larger forces and use each lance as a piece of your command. 

4. Consistent Game Play - One of the better attributes of a campaign is consistent game play.  We play every other week, which is nice since it doesn't consume every Saturday, but is enough to keep us interested and ready for the next session.  Others might feel more or less meets their needs.  But all can agree, planned gaming and the guarantee you'll get to play on a consistent basis is awesome. 

5. Building a Network of Friends - To me, this one stands out as the brightest.  The group that I game with were all friends before I found them on the CBT forums.  They were nice enough to bring me on board and I definitely enjoy playing with them and hanging out with them.  Me and Youngblood have done some painting session together and we always grab lunch or dinner during our game play sessions.  The cool thing is, since we play together so much, when we decide to show up the Catalyst run games at the local store, we can kick some ass because we know how each other play, making it all the more fun.

There are probably countless other reasons why you should organize your friends or get together with fellow BT gamers and start up a campaign.  I've highlighted a few, those that I considered to be the most important.  Obviously, having fun is the most motivating factor here.  But I'd argue that your growth as a commander will be increased by participating in a campaign. Between player made resources that you can find online and products provided by Catalyst and the legacy companies, there is plenty of campaign management support out there.  The task is not as daunting as it might seem. 

Thanks for following along and I hope you start your own campaign soon!

Piotrowski's Predators - Organizational Chart

I wanted to do a post of my organizational chart for my mercenary unit, just to give a feel for each of the lances that I've constructed, my thoughts over them, and some potential thoughts on expansion.  Thought salvage and some random luck on regular pilot hiring, I've added aerospace support and a heavier brawler lance.

Organizational Chart
C3 Command Lance - Slasher Lance
Falconer 8D-C3 [4/4 pilot]
Falconer 8D-C3 [4/4 pilot]
Shadow Hawk C3M [4/4 pilot]
Wraith TR1-C3 [4/4 pilot]

This is my "all-comers" versatile lance.  With speed, range, and heavy hitting weapons that should have increased accuracy due to the C3 network, it can handle any type of work.  The Wraith is an excellent spotter, keeping a high mod via runs or jumps when in the thick of things, it can also deliver back shots like a dream.  Since we are Capellan, there is never a shortage of ECM to be run as ECCM to counter any would be blockers of my network.  I'm thinking of adding some VTOL support, maybe Hawk Moths or Cavalry would blend in nicely with this unit.

Aero Triple - Shredder Triple
Defiance (LB-10X, LPL, 3 MPLs) [5/5 pilot]
Defiance (LB-10X, LPL, 3 MPLs) [5/5 pilot]
Defiance (LB-10X, LPL, 3 MPLs) [5/5 pilot]

My aerospace contingent is well funded, despite the lack of quality pilots.  Finally getting their piloting down to 5 is really going to help secure favorable dogfighting rolls to keep them off my backs and put me on theirs.  The "standard" configurations I've given them are useful in nearly all situations.  However, I still have the power to customize based on the mission.  Standard load outs will have them equipped with one Arrow IV Air to Air missile and one Arrow IV homing missile (as long as we have TAG'ers deployed).  They are high risk, high reward units that can deliver potent strafes, strikes, or dogfights, but are always one control roll away from crashing like a lawn dart.

Recon Lance - Pouncer Lance
Puma  (Refit)[5/6 pilot]
Hellspawn L7 (Stealth Custom) [5/6 pilot]
2 Bandit (Custom Refits - removed cargo, TAG, 3MLs, 2 SSRM4s & ammo) [5/5 crews]
2 Regulators (Arrow IV) [5/6 crews]
2 Fa Shih Squads w/ Light TAG (rides on Bandits) [4/6 squad]

My Pouncer Lance is probably one of my favorite lances because I'm always of the tactical mindframe that speed kills.  This lance works well with others who might be fielding LRMs, since TAGs + SemiG's is very nice.  The Regulators can dictate distance, and provide surgical heavy hitting prior to the start of combat.  Additionally, 1 ton of ADA ammo makes them a beast against any air support threats.  The new Puma is a medium laser boat with a TarComp, giving me improved accuracy for the jump, shoot, jump routine this guy will probably be doing.  I think this lance is my favorite to play because it requires very elegant play to maximize it.  It's capable of isolating and taking out high priority targets that would otherwise hard to take down due to the speed and power this lance can bring to bear.

Heavy Lance - Mauler Lance
Thunderbolt 5Sb [4/5 pilot]
Grasshopper 6K 6S [5/6 pilot]
Orion ON1-M [4/5 pilot]
Flashman 8K [4/5 pilot]

I kind of stumbled into this lance.  I call it my Mauler lance since it reminds of a bear.  Big, powerful, and slow.  The Grasshopper and Orion were both peices of salvage I picked out quite a few sessions back.  The Thunderbolt and Flashman were both acquired when hiring some experienced pilots (pay 50 points, roll a d100, get a 4/5 pilot and a 'Mech).  I lucked out with some decent 'Mechs and figured I could throw this hodgepodge together and see what happens.  I'm thinking of turning this into another C3 lance, or maybe a C3 Company Command lance.  The T-bolt and Flashman are easy swaps to get C3 slaves in. I'm trying to decide if I want the Orion to become the master, or try and get something else.  Overall, the lance seems to be fairly effective, but not outstanding. 

Support Units
Griffin 6S-C3 (ERML swapped for C3 Slave) [5/6 pilot]
Sha Yu 2B [5/6 pilot]
Commando 7S [no pilot]
Sentry SNT-O4 [no pilot]

2 Platoons of Mechanised Infantry w/ LRMs
2 Platoons of Foot Infantry w/ dual Light Gauss Fieldguns
2 Cavalier Squads w/ Small Lasers

These units make the up the rest of my forces.  I do have enough 'Mechs to form another lighter, mixed lance.  Alternatively, I could attempt to modify those 'Mech into some sort of niche role.  The infantry units are there to augment any lance depending on the scenario.  Primarily, they are there for fluff purposes.  The Griffin is a reserve useful for the C3 lance or to fill in as mobile fire support elsewhere. 

Moving On.....to Vestallas

After our multi-staged mission on Brighton, we've been able to grab some R&R.  However, we've received our next orders, clear the enemy from the capital of the planet Vestallas.  Hopefully we'll be bringing some new units to the board for this upcoming urban conflict.  I'm not sure what I'm going to bring yet, but we'll see if I add any new units to the roster.  Stay tuned, because we're playing Nov. 20th, so I should have a post up by Sunday while I'm watching football.

After Action Report: Seige of the Underwater Base - Oct. 16, 2010

So we finally finished the Seige on the Underwater Davion base on Brighton this Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010.  I previewed this scenario a week back in this post http://klinktastic.blogspot.com/2010/10/campaign-scenario-preview-seige-of.html.  One thing of note, all pilots were equipped with water survival gear so they survive the underwater assault encase of breach.

Davion Forces: 3 x Support Machine Gun Infantry w/ Heavy Armor, 3 x LRM Infantry w/ Heavy Armor, 4 x Cavalier BA, 2 Rommels, 2 Pattons, JagerMech JM7-D, Templar (Custom), Blackjack Omni F, Atlas AS7-D, 2 Neptune Subs, 4 Sea Skimmers, 1 Cargo Sub

Mercenary Forces: See preview post

The Setup:
The GM deployed my forces in the SW corner of the map.  The lake comprised a majority of the map sheet.  My forces were deployed to cover every side...so 360 degrees around the lake.  Additionally, some rivers and forests cluttered the map, giving some good cover, but limiting the manuverability of my conventional forces.  Additionally, all of the vehicle crews were green, meaning they were not going to be very accurate, especially with the lack of ranged weaponry.

The Mercenary forces deployed to the north.  From west to east (facing me) were Shengli Armed Asset Protections, Jerry's Force, Bethlen's Irregulars, Warlock Fusiliers, and Lords of the Night.  As initiative was rolled, they declared their 3 fold strategy: 1) clear the northern conventional forces; 2) disable the Neptune Subs; and 3) destroy the base.  The basic outline of their strategy entailed Shengli to sweep down the western flank.  Warlocks and Lords to swing down the eastern flank, with Bethlen's trudging down the middle and Jerry's and the rest of Bethlen's providing fire support.

As a fun aside, there was a cargo sub that was carrying 80 tons worth of materiale from the base.  They were supposed to try and capture it.  Not even I knew what was inside.

The Action:

Turn 1 - The first turn was pretty uneventful.  Obviously they advanced and I tried to reposition some of my rear forces to the north (which wasn't going to happen fast).  We exchange some long range barriages, which they had more of and put some damage on my forward Rommel tank.  In response, the Rommel thru-armor critted the damaged Hunchback, knocking out the LB20X cannon it housed.  My lack of ranged support was noticable, and I braced for some close combat. 

Turn 2 - The second turn got a little more exciting.  Again they close, staying out of close range of the Rommel.  They focus fire on the Rommel, as it is a deadly and easy to hit target, killing it.  Remaining laser fire targets the light woods my infantry inhabit.  Three out of four infantry units are killed by the flames.  I retaliate by headcapping  a Ti Ts'ang with a gauss shot from the Templar.

Turn 3 - It was a bad turn to lose initiative.  Their artillery arrived from off map this turn, and whatever got TAG'ed this turn was going to be in a world of hurt.  They close around my defensive perimeter so I push my hovers out behind them, hoping to get rear shots on already damaged 'Mechs.  My Templar gets TAGed and eats 4 Arrow IVs, but does not go internal anywhere.  They split their fire primarily on the Templar and Atlas, heavily damaging both.  They also take out a Fulcum.  In turn, I knock down the Cestus and ravage the Crab and Ostol, both of which are internal in a few locations.  It's looking grim, as their volume of fire is just too much for my ill-positioned forces.  They are going to be chewed up peacemeal.

Turn 4 - This was an even worse turn to lose initiative.  My remaining forces get circled and TSM'ed 'Mechs get into position to kick me in the face.  The Templar get's demolished by Arrow IV.  The Condors get splattered by the fire support.  The Atlas and JagerMech both die by head kicks (I remained in partial cover because getting out of it, I would have been plastered by ranged fire, I took the odds on the kick).  More infantry get eviserated by a Phoenix Hawk's MGs and my Cavaliers who were attempting leg attacks got dominated.  In return, I continue to pound on the Crab and Ostol, critting an engine hit on each, but failing to bring them down.  My BA land a leg crit on the Cestus, but it's not a hip and it doesn't fall.

Turn 5 - This was a lull in the battle.  My conventional forces are pretty banged up or dead at this point, so they jump into the lake.  I circle my subs back to unleash their attacks, but fail to breach any 'Mechs.  My LRM infantry finish of the Cestus via side torso destruction of XL fusion.  They are wiped out by the Phoenix Hawk immediately afterwards.  The only other significant event of note was that the cargo sub escaped.

Turn 6 - The battle is finished during this turn.  They overwhelm my 2 subs with most of their intact forces.  Both of my subs are breached and were finished.  In response, I landed shots on both a Ti Ts'ang and Wraith, breaching torsos for both.  With my forces destoryed or scattered, the scenario ends here.  Another short and brutal affair, as any good raid should be. 

Conclusion and Analysis:

The results were pretty weak for me, the Davions for this scenario.  I managed to take out two Ti Ts'angs and a Wraith (all of which were priority targets).  My lack of ranged fire support, location of units, and type of units, put me in a very bad situation.  Due to my lack of range, I had a hard time focusing my fire.  Meaning I keep whittling away at the Crab, Cestus, and Ostol, but could not apply enough, fast enough to take them down. 

In return, they killed everything except the escaped cargo sub, two units of infantry (which were never in the fight) and a Rommel that was moving 2/3 by the end of the game.  Ultimately I felt like I played poorly because I did not know that tracked vehicles could not move through heavy wood, which delayed 2 of my tanks.  Additionally, I should have moved my JagerMech into the water much early in the game (it was stuck in the extreme SW corner, and was useless the whole game. 

My most effective move was to reserve my hovers until they had most of their line 'Mechs committed and then rush in behind for rear shots.  Unfortuately, they were 3025 standard variants, with no bells or whistles.  I managed to inflict some damage, but the lack of heavier weapons hurt. 

Given that my forces were spread out, they adopted a solid strategy of rushing their health 'Mech at my scattered forces, saturating me with poor target options.  With my lack of speed, they would maintain perfect distance and pummel me at range while I was ineffective.  Slow and lacking range weapons is a horrible combo.  Additionally, it really opened my eyes as to how ineffective conventional forces are in highly forested and movement hindering terrain infested map sheets.  Heavy armor infantry is not good in open battlefields, but should be reserved for urban defenders and field gun infantry.  The lack of mobility, minimized their effectiveness.  It really highlighted why 'Mech rule the 31st century battlefield. 

I know that I had poor units and poor placement, but I definitely did not live up to my personal expectations.  I definitely blundered some movement of my rear forces delaying them and it ultimately hurt my ability to take out more 'Mechs.

Well there you have it.  I have some pictures, but am out of town for work this week.  I'll add some pictures into this post this weekend when I get home.  Stay tuned, the 4th phase of this mission has still yet to be played.  With our assault on the underwater base complete, we must disengage and return home, unfortunately, the screening forces we broke through are going to be looking to retaliate and hamper our return home.  Can we make it through another blockade with the amount of damage we sustained over the past 3 missions?