Mission #3: Recon Photos

Here are some quick overhead shots of the farms.

Entire Battlefield

Okajima Farm

Matsuzaka Farm

River that separates the two farms.

Players will enter from either corner by the roads.  Players may split their force any way they wish.

River is one level deep.  Bridge has a CF of 50. 

See yah next Friday.

Sensors, Moving units out of LOS and how it will work.

Ok this will be the first mission where the sensor skill will really come into play with regards to enemy units.

Here is how it will work.

If you have a Mech in Line Of Sight and within 54" at the end of the a given active enemy units movement phase, the enemy unit miniature will be placed on the board.  (I came up with the 54" from the longest range weapon you have available. The clan Ultra AC2 on the Koshi)

Yes this may create some times where you move around a corner first to reveal what is behind there, then the enemy moves back out of LOS during it's move, I will place a wooden block to mark the unit.  I don't expect this to happen in this battle, but will be much more likely if we get into a city fight.

I will use common sense for this as well.  If during movement an enemy unit zooms from one piece of cover to another through an open field that is within LOS of 3 or 4 of you guys, then yes I'll probably place a wooden block marker.

Your mech is not like a WWII tank you do have some good computers and sensory equipment on it.  If an enemy unit is not in LOS, but within 12" at the end of the movement phase, I will place an enemy unit marker (A wooden block).  That way you will know where they are.  I will use the wooden block for movement the next turn.

But what about the Sensor Skill and Active Probes?

Now for sensors.  Anyone with the sensor basic skill or an active probe on their mech has the range increased from 12" to 24".  Pillsbury has an Active Probe on the Koshi so his non-LOS spotting will be 24".

The Sensor Skill stacks with the Active Probe.  So Poe has the Sensor Skill and the Raven has an Active Probe He will have a Non-LOS spotting of 36".  In addition Poe will be able to tell if the unit is a Vehicle, Infantry or a Battlemech.  (At higher levels he will be able to tell the weight class of the mech or vehicle, or even the exact unit at the top sensor level)

The idea behind these rules is to add suspense and a level of tactics to the game.  They don't come into play often, but when they do you will see having the sensor skill is quite handy.

Smoke Jaguar Dossier: Jenner IIC

Smoke Jaguar Dossier 

Type: Battlemech

Name: Jenner IIC

Mech Class: Light

Weight: 35 Tons

Tech Base: Clan

Description:
The Jenner was first fielded in 2784, the same year the Exodus fleet that would eventually become the Clans left the Inner Sphere. How exactly they acquired this design is not known, but what is known is that the Clan version fields Clan weaponry, so it is known as the Jenner IIC. This second-line BattleMech is still a fast light that is now capable of delivering plenty of short-range missiles. To achieve this, it uses an XL Engine, Endo Steel structure, and mounts only three and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor. It also carries enough jump jets to leap up to 210 meters at a time. This results in an expensive garrison 'Mech, but one that is still in production nonetheless.

Armament: 
This fast striker carries a Streak SRM-4 and two SRM-6 launchers. This hail of missiles can quickly overcome a light 'Mech, though it does leave the Jenner IIC vulnerable to opponents who mount an Anti-Missile System.

Variants:
Jenner IIC 2 - This support variant replaces the short-range missile launchers with an ER Large Laser and an LRM-5. A Small Pulse Laser provides defense against conventional infantry and other units that stray too close. Its jumping capacity is increased to 270 meters.

Captain Nash's Mission #2 Analysis:  Clan SRM boat.  Would be more scary if thee clanner's didn't stick to one on one duels.  Very little armor on this thing.  If it slows down enough to hammer it, do so.


Tech Readout: http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=875

Smoke Jaguar Dossier: Manticore Heavy Tank

Smoke Jaguar Dossier       

Type: Vehicle

Name: Manticore Heavy Tank

Vehicle Type: Tracked

Weight: 60 Tons

Tech Base: Inner Sphere

Description:
The Manticore is one of the best-designed and most powerful tanks ever created, built to combat BattleMechs in support of infantry formations. Although the Manticore mounts a variety of weapons to handle a variety of combat roles and ranges, and is heavily armored for a vehicle of its weight, it is not equipped to deal with the raw firepower of super-heavy vehicles such as the Demolisher or the Behemoth. Despite this lack, the popularity of the Manticore has remained high, even during the Succession Wars era with its use of a expensive and rare Fusion Engine.

Originally developed by TechniCorp during the Reunification War, the destruction of the companies head office on Terra during the Amaris Coup spread the Manticore across the Inner Sphere as other manufacturers absorbed their facilities.

Armament:
The tank's main weapon is the Parti-Kill PPC, backed up by a SureShot Mk VI SRM-6 rack. The SRM is mounted on top of the main turret, just above and behind the particle cannon. It is mounted on vertical and horizontal swivel mounts, giving the pack a full 120-degree arc of fire independent of the turret. Both PPC and SRM are supported in their respective range brackets by a Far Fire Medium Missile Rack and OMI High Burn Medium Laser. 

Variants:
3058 - With the rediscovery of Star League lostech, Defiance Industries developed an upgraded version that focuses using advanced tech to improve the tanks weapon array, while retaining as much of original design as possible to ensure easy field upgrade of existing Manticores. The PPC was replaced with a Large Pulse Laser, trading a slight reduction in range for increased accuracy. The removal of the medium laser and associated heat sinks in exchange for a Streak SRM-2 rack freeing up space and weight to add Artemis IV FCS to the original SRM and LRM racks. For increased survivability, Defiance increased the Manticore's protection by upgrading its armor to Durallex Super Ferro-Fibrous.


Captain Nash's Mission #1 Analysis:  Solid all around tank.  Capable at all ranges.  You can bet that the solohama units that have these are using the upgraded variants with the Large Pulse lasers.  Getting around to the rear armor will be your quickest way to eliminate this threat.

Tech Readout:
http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/Vehicle/VehicleInfo.asp?ID=660