Mission #2: After Action Report

  Just before our forces were to set out, Captain Nash thought he picked up a ground unit on the dropship sensors.  Just to be safe Viper stayed behind and patrolled the perimeter in his Vulcan while the rest of the 7th when on the SAR mission for the Raven (Merloni) and Catapult (Garciparra).

  As elements of the Lucky 7th approached the two bridges they split into two lances.  Merloni got of a narrowband transmission as the player approached the bridges saying he last saw the Front line clan unit cross the East most bridge (leaving the board).  Lance Alpha for the players consisted of a Clint, Poe in his Valkyrie, Caster in his Panther and Whitworth.  They crossed the western most bridge, headed toward the weapons repair facility.  Lance Beta consisted of  Pillsbury in his Sentinel, Maverick in his Javelin, a Hermes II, and a Jenner.  They crossed the middle bridge headed toward the unknown facility.

(Begin cut-scene)  Lance Alpha spotted two Aerospace fighters coming in at them on a straffing run.  Their tactical displays shows the incoming Smoke Jags were in two Xerxes class fighters, each armed with two Ultra AC20's and 2 ER Large Lasers.  They were not the only ones that saw the fighters coming in...Garciaparra powered up his Catapult and stepped out from his concealed position just as the areospace fighters passed overhead.  He knew the fighters would make quick work of Lance Beta, and fired off an LRM20 at each of the Xerxes soft underbellies.  He managed to splash both of the fighters with critical hits before they could take a shot.  Unfortunately, one of them spiraled into the Easternmost bridge collapsing it.  That however was the least of Garciparra's problems, Ten Elementals lept from the nearby woods right onto his Catapult and began tearing it to pieces.  The power armored infantry managed to critical the LRM Ammo rack.  One of the Elementals happened to be climbing over the Catapult's ejection canopy as safetys engaged punching Garciparra out.  The canopy lifted only about 3 meters with the added ton of powered armor infantry on top of it.  Ramon most likely didn't feel a thing as his ejection seat slammed into the improperly deployed canopy. (End cut-scene)

   Lance Beta takes out one of the twin Ultra AC turrets defending the unknown facility.  Lance Alpha sees a under-strengthed star of Inner sphere Smoke Jag mechs coming from the Weapons facility.  The Smoke Jags have a Locust IIC, Firestarter, Assassin, and Spider.  Merloni, powers up his Raven and breaks to join up with Lance Beta, being a little too close to the Elementals and not wishing to share Garciparra's fate.  Three more squads of Elementals emerge from the woods chasing after the Raven.

  Lance Beta moves up taking out the remaining Streak SRM6 defensive turret.  Scans reveal the unknown facility to be some sort of cockpit / sensor repair building.  Sitting ready to go in one of the crates is a Koshi omni mech Head assembly.  The Javelin picks up the crate and turns to head back to the bridge.  The rest of Lance Beta pour fire into the western most bridge, thinking that might slow down any pursuit from the Clan front line star that has most likely been alerted to their location.

  Lance Alpha engages the Smoke Jag lance.  Mechwarrior Cano in his Locust IIC challenges Caster in his Panther to Honorable combat.  After the second turn of fire the Panther is missing a leg and the players realize the difference between a Locust and a Locust IIC.  The third turn of fire finishes cores the legged Panther, who was given an opportunity to punch out.  The rest of Lance Alpha takes out the Firestarter. 

  Lance Beta moving back to the bridge notices a Smoke Jag Peregrine mech standing in their deployment zone.  The Peregrine however has it's eyes on the badly damaged Valkyrie from Lance Alpha and heads off in that direction.  Lance Beta with the Raven in and the crate begin to cross back over the middle bridge when a Mad Cat enters the board by the western bridge they were shooting at.  Star Captain Gerigh, challenges Pillsbury to honorable combat hoping to slow the fleeing Davion Mechs.  Gerigh scans the bridge after seeing the damage and estimates that it will not support the weight of his Mad Cat.  He puts an ER Large laser in to the rear torso of Pillsbury's Sentinel.  Mechwarrior Hoyt in a Hankyu comes one to the board in the players deployment area and challenges the Jenner.

  Lance Alpha takes out Cano in the Locust IIC with a gyro hit and taking out a leg.  The Valkyrie is in serious trouble with minimal armor left and a Peregrine mech closing in.  Seeing a clear line to the crates in the weapons facility, the Whitworth and Clint (Rather than jumping over the river), head south back to the weapons facility to grab a crate or two.  The Peregrine moves up and finishes the Valk the next turn.

  Closing in on leaving the board edge the Javelin and Raven encounter a Firefly C, who does some damage to the Raven, but not enough to stop him from escaping (Primary objective accomplished).  The Javelin leave the board as well securing the Head component for the clan Koshi omni mech.  The Hankyu and Jenner, duke it out on the bridge, neither getting the upper hand.

  The next turn the Hermes II gets off the board, The Sentinel and Jenner finish off the Hankyu while taking fire at long range from the Mad Cat.  The Sentinel and Jenner leave the board the following turn.  Just leaving two members of Lance Beta up near the weapons facility.

  Five squads of Elementals closing on the Clint and Whitworth, along with the Assassin who has been harrasing the players all game.  The Peregrine challenges the Whitworth.  The Firefly C challeneges the Clint even though he is multiple turns away for being in weapons range.  The Clint scans the crates at the weapons facility and grabs a crate that has a clan large pulse laser.

   The Peregrine finally finishes off the Whitworth taking out the CT.  There might have been 10 points of armor left on the Whitworth...no grouping whats so ever on any shots that hit it throughout the game.  The Clint realizes that he will not have a chance to get off the table without using his jumpjets, drops the crate and flees off the table before the FireflyC can put enough accurate fire into him.

Smoke Jaguar losses: Firestarter, Locust IIC, Hankyu, 3 turrets, two small crates.

Davion losses: Panther, Whitworth, Valkyrie

Kill board and salvage reports to follow in a couple days.

(More detailed Images to come on this page, want to restage some of the key moments.)
           
           

Player Dossier: Esteban "Pillsbury" Manillo

1st Davion Guards Dossier

Type: Mechwarrior

Pillsbury (left) and brother Juan (right)

Name:  Esteban Manillo

Callsign:  Pillsbury

Unit: 1st Davion Guards, 7th Company

Battlemech: Jagermech JM7-DD

Specialty:  Light ACs, Sensors

  Esteban and his brother Juan grew up in some of the worst colonial slums in the Davion sphere of control. When old enough Juan joined the military, to escape the gangs, and convinced his brother to go with him. Juan became a mech mechanic and Esteban joined the infantry. Both brothers excelled at their new vocations, but Juan pushed his younger brother to aspire to be more than a mere grunt. Knowing his brothers skills and intelligence, and using some contacts, he got Esteban a chance at being trained as a MechWarrior. Esteban aced his exams and got an appointment to an academy.

  Since his academy days he has done well as a light mech pilot, though now he has a Jagermech. Just like his days in the infantry, he doesn’t back down from a fight, no matter the odds. His call sign was given to him by his brother. Juan always teased Esteban because of his size (6’5”, 375 lbs) and appearance, calling him the Pillsbury Dough Boy in front of other Mechwarriors: the name stuck and has been with him ever since.

  Pillsbury is a loyal and tenacious fighter. He has shown a talent with auto cannons but is not above some close quarters combat, preferring to “curb stomp” an enemy mech.

Addendum: Pillsbury is now in a Daikyu DAI-01, having given up the Jagermech for a Rifleman...and losing the Rifleman in action with the Smoke Jags.




(Entry written by Kyle)

 

Mission Briefing: Mission #2

Mission 2:Rescue the Raven

Primary Objectives:

+ Cross river to search for two Davion Mechwarriors
+ Locate Private Merloni in his Raven Battlemech

+ Locate Sargent Garciparra in his Catapult Battlemech

+ Return across river to Extraction point.

Secondary Objectives:
+ Destroy all Smoke Jaguar forces encountered
+ Locate supply crates and return with them to Extraction point.

Mission Briefing:
Two of our guys are trapped in Smoke Jag territory.  They have gotten to a river which the Raven will need a bridge to cross (Catapult has Jump Jets).  They are waiting for us to help escort them back across the river to our area of operations.

1)     Cross river to search for two Davion Mechwarriors.  Two Bridges lead to the area that we believe they are in.


2)     Locate Merloni and Garciparra. They are hiding in some wooded areas that over look two Smoke Jaguar Facilities.  They will remain in a near shutdown state to avoid detection until they are discovered or you folks are close enough to escort them back across the river.

3)      Return across river to extraction point.   The Raven doesn't have Jump jets, So don't think about taking those bridges out until after the Raven has crossed them.

4)  Secure some supplies (optional).  Merloni was able to scan the larger of the two facilities without being detected, seems that it is a weapons repair facility.  Should be some crates ready to snatch up.  He was not sure what was in the other facility, but did see some crates outside.

5) Destroy Smoke Jaguar forces (optional)  Big picture, we are her to take down the Smoke Jags.  That job will be a lot easier down the road with a Raven and a Catapult among our ranks.  Getting those boys to safety takes priority over inflicting damage for this mission.  

Expected Jaguar forces:

Merloni has seen two stars of Clan mechs patrolling the area.  Safe bet that are searching for our guys and will respond quickly to the area when we show up. 

The first seemed like a Solahama unit mostly made up of mostly inner sphere mechs.

Locust IIC, Firestarter, Assassin, Spider, Commando

The Second seemed like a front line unit.  Probably all Jaguar Regulars.

Shadow Cat, Peregrine, Hankyu, Koshi, Firefly-C

Merloni also noticed an increase in Aerospace activity over the last  24 hours.  Guessing they are closing in on finding our guys.

Good Luck!

- Nash out -

Mission #2: Recon Photos

Here are the Recon photos of the area Merloni and Garciaparra are hiding in. (Each image clickable for larger view)
 
The insertion point.  Bridges are rated at 120CF, so don't overload them or you will be swimming home.  The intersection shown here is also your extraction point.

We believe our boys are hiding in the trees in the lower left of this picture.  You will note the two Jag facilities in the area.  Your entry is in the upper right.  

Merloni reports this is some sort of Smoke Jag weapon repair facility.  Should be some crates in this area. 













Merloni is unsure what this building does.  Also note the third bridge, this one will not lead you back to our area.  Note the impassible hills with the white rocks.

Mission Briefing should be up in the next couple days.

Nash out.

Bridges, Rivers, Impassible terrain and rules for Scanning Crates

Here are the details on a few rules that will come up for Mission #2.

Scanning Crates:
As was described in the last rules section, you will be able to pick up crates and bring them back to our base.  You will be able to scan the crates before you pick them up to see the contents.  Here is how this will work.

At the start of the turn, after init but before movement you may make a scan attempt.  You just need to make a sucessful Piloting check to know the contents of any crate within your scan range and within line of sight.

Your scan range is 12", +12" if you have an Active Probe on your mech, +12" for every level of sensor skill you have.  So if you have the Sensor Basic skill and an Active Probe mech, you have a scan range of 36".  Yes you may relay your scan results to your teammates.

Typically the small crates contain 5 tons of equipment or less, Large crates will contain more than 5 tons.
A successful scan will reveal the exact contents of of the crate.


Bridges:
Bridges like buildings have a CF (Construction Factor).   This CF determines how much damage the structure can take before collapsing.  It also represents how much weight the structure can hold.  So an undamaged bridge with a CF of 120, could take 120 points of damage or support 120 tons of units on it before collapsing.  Ex: A bridge with 40 CF has a 20 ton battlemech standing on it.  If the building take 20 points of damage or another 20 ton mech moves onto it, the bridge would immediately collapse.

Rivers:
For Mission #2, the rivers essentially 3 levels deep, 2 levels of water and one level of cliff like riverbanks.
Jumpjets do not work underwater.  So anything that falls into the river will be considered mission killed.

Impassible Terrain:
For Mission #2 there is a ridge line of hills that are impassible terrain.  You may jump over but may not end your movement on these hills.

Smoke Jaguar Dossier: Elemental Battle Armor

Smoke Jaguar Dossier

Type: Battle Armor 

Name: Elemental

Weight: 1 Ton

Tech Base: Clan

Description:
The standard against which all battle armor is measured, the Elemental battle armor was first introduced in 2868 by Clan Wolf in a Trial of Possession against the Nova Cats. It was a marvel of Clan  engineering that allowed a small group of Clan Elementals to take down large 'Mechs and survive the encounter. While it is possible for a normal-sized human to use the battle armor, this design is tailored for the Clans' giant Elemental warriors and only they can bring out its fullest potential.

Armament: 
Clan Elemental Battle Armor mounts one primary and one secondary weapon, plus a detachable SRM-2  pack. If two missiles are fired, the trooper may aim them at the same target or at two different targets that both lie within the firer's forward 90-degree firing arc. The launcher holds a total of four missiles. Once the missiles have been expended the launcher may be jettisoned, improving mobility. The suit is also equipped with a strong manipulative claw that adds to the melee attack damage as well as to climbing the target 'Mech. The modular weapon mount may accommodate a variety of heavy weapons, including a Small Laser, Flamer, or Machine Gun. The anti-personnel weapon mount carries a projectile weapon that is effective against unarmored targets, such as a sub-machine gun.

History:

The roots of the Elemental battle armor can be traced back to pressurized diving suits built by Clan Goliath Scorpion. These underwater suits already had most of the basic equipment common to current battle armor designs: myomer musculature, self-contained air-supply and life support systems, and heavy, atmospherically sealed bodies designs to handle extreme conditions. Clan Wolf  saw the diving suit's potential and began to convert some they had acquired for combat, adding on armor, weapons, and small jump jets.

After the first use of the armor in 2868 against the Nova Cats, the Wolves entered into a series of trials later that year with Clan Hell's Horses. The Wolves put their new battle armor up against the Hell's Horses genetically engineered infantry, the precursor to the modern Clan Elemental. When the trials were over, the Hell's Horses had won the Wolves battle armor technology, and the Wolves had gotten the needed information to breed their own Elementals. Almost immediately, each Clan combined their own technology with that of the other, creating the tradition of matching Elemental troops with battle armor. Within a short period of time, battle armored Elemental troop deployments spread across Clan forces.
 
Captain Nash's Mission #2 Analysis:  It is safe to say eventually we will be running into some Elementals.  My advice is not not let them get close.  If they get on your mech they will get through the armor.  So keep them at range if possible.  An Elemental suit has been known to shrug off the blast of a PPC, or remain functioning after two shots from a medium laser.  They also don't hold to the Clan dueling code, so they will swarm you with multiple squads if they can.  Guess they figure attacking something at least 20 times their size is honorable enough.
  There is one effective tactic if a squad of elementals are assaulting your mech and climbing the way to your cockpit.  Stop, drop and roll.  Knocks them off every time.
 

Tech Readout:  http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/BattleArmor/BattleArmorInfo.asp?ID=27

Smoke Jaguar Dossier: Firefly C

Smoke Jaguar Dossier

Type: Battlemech

Name: Firefly

Mech Class: Light

Weight: 30 Tons

Tech Base: Inner Sphere (Clan upgrades)

Description:
Until the arrival of Wolf's Dragoons, the Firefly was a 'Mech thought to be extinct from the rigors of the Succession Wars. The Firefly is a well-armed recon 'Mech that tips the scales at thirty tons. Since it was reintroduced to the Inner Sphere, the 'Mech has been refitted by the Wolf's Dragoons with Star League technology. It has a maximum ground speed of 86.4 km/h and can jump up to one hundred and twenty meters. As a scout 'Mech, the Firefly gives average performance with its energy weapon-heavy arsenal and is useful in both a recon and in a guerilla fighter role.

Armament: 
The Firefly is armed with a Coventry Five-Tube LRM-5  for long-range firepower and to attempt to keep enemies at a distance. If facing a determined enemy that is intent on closing, the Firefly carries three Martell Medium Lasers, which can cause a considerable amount of damage. Finally, to protect against missile attacks, the Firefly carries a Sure Fire 444 Anti-Missile System.

Variants:
Firefly C - This is a variant of the Firefly that has been upgraded with all Clan technology. The Firefly C is built on an Endo Steel chassis and is armed with four ER Small Lasers, three Medium Pulse Lasers, and an SRM-2 launcher.

Captain Nash's Mission #2 Analysis: From time to time the clanners take Inner Sphere designs and upgrade their weapons with clan tech.  These mechs are listed with a "C" after their name to denote the "Clan" variant (Such as Atlas C).  This is not to be confused with a "IIC" which is where the clanners have totally redesigned a mech using an inner sphere mech as a template (Such as the Hunchback IIC).   Merloni reported that a Firefly was one of the mechs he spotted.  Being such a rare design I'm going to assume the Smoke Jags have upgraded it to the Firefly C variant.

Tech Readout:  http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/HTMLBattleMech/BattlemechInfo.asp?ID=614