|
PoptartsNinja posted:Given how much trouble they've given me I think the players made the right choices. Generally speaking the players are doing great. The odd bad move has to be expected. It's going to be close.
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2015 06:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 16:05 |
|
|
Yeah, this has been a great scenario. Things have been relatively even the whole way through, which makes the finale all the more nail-biting.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2015 11:29
|
|
|
Orders In Movement Partisan Flank Speed Advance to 3104 Turn to 3204 Advance to 3204 Tokugawa No Movement Shooting Partisan Fire AC5s at Mars if it moves into line of sight. Tokugawa Fire LB10x at Horned Owl (Cluster) as primary target.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2015 16:03
|
|
|
My orders are in as well:quote:Movement: While I don't like not engaging the Horned Owl for yet another turn, it's better than going alone and being eaten by three Pulse Lasers.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2015 22:50
|
|
|
Welp, I finally started following this thread again, and I just spent about a month catching up by reading all of PTNs posts. PTN uses "actinic" a lot.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 00:47
|
|
|
I do. I should work on that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 01:32
|
|
|
I thought it was a stock phrase like the "azure whip of PPCs" you see in every single BT novel ever written.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 03:18
|
|
|
It is. I'm overusing it.  Edit: I should really be seeing if I can make 'rivulets of molten steel' sound natural now or something. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Apr 12, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 04:01
|
|
|
The stock phrases are a huge part of the charm as far as I'm concerned. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 04:14
|
|
|
Next map will feature actual rivulets of molten steel. That's right, Battleground: Mercury.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 04:17
|
|
|
PoptartsNinja posted:Next map will feature actual rivulets of molten steel. That's right, Battleground: Mercury. With a night/day mechanic and sunlight slowly moving across the map increasing heat every turn if you are in it and steel ground turning into rivulets of molten steel as the light hits it. Also Necromongers for some reason.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 04:23
|
|
|
hooman posted:With a night/day mechanic and sunlight slowly moving across the map increasing heat every turn if you are in it and steel ground turning into rivulets of molten steel as the light hits it. And any mechs that are in the recent melt when the sun leaves are stuck as the molten metal freezes around their feet.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 04:35
|
|
|
hooman posted:With a night/day mechanic and sunlight slowly moving across the map increasing heat every turn if you are in it and steel ground turning into rivulets of molten steel as the light hits it. Battletech: You keep what you kill
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 08:37
|
|
|
LegendairyBovine posted:The stock phrases are a huge part of the charm as far as I'm concerned. I personall haaaate it. Because its lazy writing and it immediatly draws me out of my suspension of disbelief and I get upset and sad and cranky. (I read PTN posts once a week, if acitinic repeats itself I barely notice. But if you read a book that just constantly repeats the same words you get sad)
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 09:52
|
|
|
PoptartsNinja posted:It is. I'm overusing it. Don't forget beams of coherent light, obsessive references to the model of your LRM launcher (Doombud! The true choice of all Carlyle failures!), the crack of a nickel-ferrous slug, waves of heat filling the cockpit, and of course one more hit and I'm going to lose that limb! I may have read too much Battletech in my life.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 09:58
|
|
|
Preechr posted:Don't forget beams of coherent light, obsessive references to the model of your LRM launcher (Doombud! The true choice of all Carlyle failures!), the crack of a nickel-ferrous slug, waves of heat filling the cockpit, and of course one more hit and I'm going to lose that limb! You forgot one: MAN MADE LIGHTNING
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 10:07
|
|
|
Oh, and ridiculously melodramatic mech startup passwords!
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 10:22
|
|
|
PTN you must now incorporate every one of the above into your next fluff piece. Be the writer Battletech deserves.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 13:33
|
|
|
Preechr posted:Oh, and ridiculously melodramatic mech startup passwords! include the long drawn out mech power up sequence, complete with sticky pads for body sensors
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 13:40
|
|
|
The Casualty posted:Battletech: You keep what you kill  LeadSled posted:You forgot one: Various versions of "heat flooded the cockpit as they fired everything" (yet strangely enough I don't ever recall heat actually taking a Mech out in any of the novels, no cooking off ammo or even slowing Mechs down).
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 16:08
|
|
|
There's really only so many ways to describe mech combat, especially when you're constrained to a strongly defined technology base, interfaces and weapons. The authors can't just make up whole new kinds of giant robot in the way an author writing an original series could. PTN has an advantage in that his fluff pieces only really need to provide a window into the experiences of the combatants and show us some stand-out highlights, while the actual details of the fight relating to us what's going on are in the update proper.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 19:02
|
|
|
Sludge Factory: Tactical Update 15 Smoke and silence clogged the acrid air separating the Challenger from the approaching Clan tank, obscuring the vision of each vehicle’s commander. For a brief moment peace reigned on the battlefield as both crews struggled to assess their own damage and see what sort of punishment they’d dealt to their counterpart. The forward plating of the Clan tank was puckered by a Gauss Rifle hit. The shot hadn’t penetrated but the scar of the impact had peeled back armor plating and the dull sheen of the nickel-ferrous slug could be seen within. The tank pressed on regardless, its four sets of massive treads chewing up the pavement beneath it even as autocannon rounds from the distant Partisan howled by overhead. The Challenger had taken the worst of the exchange, almost none of its frontal armor had gone unscathed. Once vibrant paint had been blackened and scorched, and the driver’s cameras had been shot away. The Challenger still had the turret-mounted cameras, but the necessity of even near-idle maneuvering meant the driver now needed those cameras more than the gunner did. Reluctantly the Challenger’s turret traversed back to its resting position. The need to quickly turn and fire would slow the Challenger’s gunnery, but if they stopped moving entirely they were all dead. Corporal Osanda templed his fingers. He wasn’t a religious man, but if there was a grand and powerful One True God he wouldn’t have minded a miracle. And if any of the Drac Kami were listening he’d take whatever favors they could offer as well.   Movement Phase Wasp - Jumps with actuator damage, must pass a piloting roll or fall (5 base + 1 actuator damage = 6): rolled 6, succeeds! ACE Mars Assault Vehicle - Fires Gauss Rifle at Challenger X (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 7): rolled 6, miss! - Fires ER Large Laser at Challenger X (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 7): rolled 7, hit Front (35/57 armor remaining)! CfMSD! - Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Challenger X (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 7): rolled 9, 12 missiles hit Front (30/57 armor remaining), Front (25/57 armor remaining (TAC!), Front (24/57 armor remaining (CfMSD!))! - Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Challenger X (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 7): rolled 8, 12 missiles hit Front (19/57 armor remaining), Left Side (42/47 armor remaining (CfMSD!)), Turret (52/57 armor remaining)! - Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Challenger X (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 7): rolled 6, miss! - Fires Machine Gun at Challenger X (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 11): rolled 10, miss! - Fires Machine Gun at Challenger X (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 11): rolled 8, miss! - Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Challenger X (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods - 1 cluster = 6): rolled 6, 8 submunitions hit Front (18/57 armor remaining (CfMSD!)), Front (17/57 armor remaining), Turret (51/57 armor remaining), Left Side (41/50 armor remaining (CfMSD!)), Front (16/57 armor remaining (TAC!)), Front (15/57 armor remaining), Front (14/57 armor remaining), Front (13/57 armor remaining)! Manticore (LBX) - Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Slug) at Zorya (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 9): rolled 5, miss! - Fires Streak SRM-6 at Zorya (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 11): rolled 7, fails to lock-on! Challenger X - Fires LRM-10 at Mars Assault Vehicle (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement +4 minimum range = 11): rolled 6, miss! - Fires Gauss Rifle at Mars (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement = 8): rolled 10, hit Front (35/50 armor remaining)! - Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Mars (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 6): rolled 7, hit Turret (41/47 armor remaining)! - Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Mars (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 6): rolled 6, hit Turret (35/47 armor remaining)! - Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Mars (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement - 1 cluster = 6): rolled 6, 6 submunitions hit Front (34/50 armor remaining (CfMSD!)), Front (33/50 armor remaining), Front (32/50 armor remaining), Turret (34/37 armor remaining), Front (31/50 armor remaining), Front (30/50 armor remaining)! Wasp - Holds fire! - Gains 5 heat, sinks 10! Hunter 1 - Fires ER Large Laser at Zorya (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 9): rolled 9, hit Front (5/15 armor remaining)! CfMSD! - Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Zorya (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 9): rolled 7, miss! Tokugawa 2 - Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Horned Owl (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement - 1 cluster = 10): rolled 12, 3 clusters hit Left Torso (9/10 armor remaining), Right Leg (10/11 armor remaining), Center Torso (12/13 armor remaining)! Partisan 2 - Fires Autocannon/5 at Mars (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 light woods = 11): rolled 8, miss! - Fires Autocannon/5 at Mars (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 light woods = 11): rolled 8, miss! - Fires Autocannon/5 at Mars (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 light woods = 11): rolled 9, miss! - Fires Autocannon/5 at Mars (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 light woods = 11): rolled 9, miss! Drillson - Fires Large Pulse Laser at Athena (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 8): rolled 4, miss! - Fires Streak SRM-2 at Athena (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement = 10): rolled 10, 2 missiles hit Turret (28/30 armor remaining), Right Side (24/26 armor remaining)! - Fires Streak SRM-2 at Athena (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement = 10): rolled 7, miss! PNT 10K2 Panther - No Line of Sight to primary target! - Fires ER PPC at Infantry 1605 (4 base + 4 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 11): rolled 8, miss! - Gains 19 heat, sinks 24! Zorya 1 - Fires LB 5-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Manticore (LBX) (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement - 1 cluster = 5): rolled 7, 5 submunitions hit Front (31/43 armor remaining), Turret (29/42 armor remaining), Front (30/43 armor remaining), Front (29/43 armor remaining), Front (28/43 armor remaining)! Athena Combat Vehicle - Turret twists to threaten Right Arc! - Fires ER Medium Laser at Drillson (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 5, miss! - Fires ER Medium Laser at Drillson (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 4, miss! Horned Owl - Fires Large Pulse Laser at Tokugawa (4 base + 4 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement - 2 Pulse Laser - 4 immobile target = 5): Rolled 8, hit Turret (22/36 armor remaining)! TAC! - Gains 16 heat, sinks 20! Sylph Point - Fires Micro Pulse Laser at MASH unit (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 3): rolled 7, hit (23/50 durability remaining)! Elementals - Hold fire! End Phase Challenger X - Chance for Motive System Damage! Heavy damage cruising MP halved +3 penalty to driving! - Through-armor critical chance in Front! Sensors hit! +1 penalty to-hit! - Chance for Motive System Damage! Minor damage +1 penalty to driving! - Chance for Motive System Damage! No damage sustained! - Chance for Motive System Damage! Heavy damage cruising MP halved +3 penalty to driving! - Chance for Motive System Damage! Moderate damage -1 cruising MP +2 penalty to driving! - Through-armor critical chance in Front! Medium Pulse Laser malfunctions! Tokugawa 2 - Through-armor critical chance in Turret! LB 10-X Autocannon destroyed! Zorya - Chance for Motive System Damage! Minor damage +1 penalty to driving! Mars - Chance for Motive System Damage! Minor damage +1 penalty to driving!   Player Status:   Opposing Force Status:   Mission Objective: Capture the Coolant Factory (0/1) Secondary Objectives: Protect the Mobile Army Support Hospital from detection (Failed) Defend the Mobile Army Support Hospital (0/1) Locate the Clan Ammunition Dump (1/1) Destroy the Clan Ammunition Dump (0/1) Special Rules:  Caustic, Tainted Atmosphere (TacOps p56)Vehicles suffer an automatic Crew Stunned if armor is breached, Mechwarriors take double damage from cockpit hits.  Point CommandersAs long as they are active combatants, the Mars Assault Vehicle and Epona Pursuit Tank may designate one unit each as an Ace for two turns. New Ace units may not be designated until Ace status expires. Units which opt to remain immobile for at least two turns gain Ace status on the first turn they move. BattleMechs and VTOLs may not be Aces. Orders Due: Midnight Tuesday! PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Apr 12, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:09
|
|
|
MadDogMike posted:Various versions of "heat flooded the cockpit as they fired everything" (yet strangely enough I don't ever recall heat actually taking a Mech out in any of the novels, no cooking off ammo or even slowing Mechs down). The three times I can remember off the top of my head were all under the auspices of my favorite authors. Jamie Wolf was defeated when his Archer shut down standing hip-deep in a lake of Lava in Wolves on the Border. The Archer still endured the 10-15 minutes it took for Jamie to be rescued (if that doesn't tell you something about the toughness of `Mech armor nothing will, poo poo be crazy yo). Cassie Suthorn beat Jeffrey Kusunoki's Naginata by just face-tanking the thing's ER PPC in an unarmed Atlas (she "technically" beat it with a hug but it shut down and couldn't fight back) in Hearts of Chaos (the worst of the Camacho's Caballeros books). That same Naginata is defeated again after being stolen from the Caballeros by rogue DEST operatives because half its heat sinks were still sitting in the hangar and the 'lleros technicians fudged the status lights so those same rogue operatives didn't notice in Black Dragon (the best of the Caballeros books).
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:16
|
|
|
Hey, so, I wouldn't bring this up if it didn't matter so much, but the Mars has two light woods when shooting me, as I'm sitting in one, plus the intervening. So, uh, kami to the rescue?
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:20
|
|
|
The Merry Marauder posted:Hey, so, I wouldn't bring this up if it didn't matter so much, but the Mars has two light woods when shooting me, as I'm sitting in one, plus the intervening. This is correct from eyeballing it, notably this would make all the ones that inflicted actual movement damage on the challenger miss, but the driving penalty only one would still apply. and the challenger misses with a mlp shot. If the mars had been one hex back then it would have cleared the woods, but the line of fire kisses the hex border which in standard battle tech means that the woods can be claimed for defensive bonuses/offensive penalties. AtomikKrab fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Apr 12, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:25
|
|
|
AtomikKrab posted:This is correct from eyeballing it, notably this would make all the ones that inflicted actual movement damage on the challenger miss, but the driving penalty onyl one would still apply. and the challenger misses with a mlp round. Not the latter, because "enemy movement" is on there twice, the second being the light woods mod.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:27
|
|
|
Man, those Cluster weapons are just vicious against tanks. You get the worst of both worlds in eating a pile of potential crits combined with a very limited pool of locations to split the damage between. It looks like PTN didn't include the second unit of woods for either of your shooting calculations. DId you specify that you were shooting through it, rather than around it, in your orders? EDIT: you're right, looks like the Challenger lives to ride again!
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:30
|
|
|
You don't count the terrain you're in for shooting out of it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:31
|
|
|
The Merry Marauder posted:You don't count the terrain you're in for shooting out of it. Yeah, I just missed that he double-counted the enemy movement to also make up for the intervening woods.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:32
|
|
|
Things look pretty dangerous right now, but this game is still very winnable at this point. That Mars is dangerously exposed and isn't very...tanky considering that it is in fact a tank. You can easily take it down in a single turn if you concentrate fire in a single arc. Return fire would be pretty brutal, but probably something that can be managed well enough. Doing so would deny the enemy any more aces for the match. Without the threat of an enemy with initiative it is quite easy to avoid the Athena's kill zone (which you guys have been doing a loving phenomenal job of, btw) and be more aggressive while dealing with the fast annoying stuff still on the field.Voyager I posted:Man, those Cluster weapons are just vicious against tanks. You get the worst of both worlds in eating a pile of potential crits combined with a very limited pool of locations to split the damage between.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:33
|
|
|
The Merry Marauder posted:Not the latter, because "enemy movement" is on there twice, the second being the light woods mod. Nope, that was a copypasta gently caress up. It's fixed, the LB 10-X hit. Both tanks were shooting at each other. The light woods were 50/50 so I discounted them since both vehicles were actively shooting each other (the same as I'd do with intervening LOS blocking terrain).
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:35
|
|
|
The Merry Marauder posted:Not the latter, because "enemy movement" is on there twice, the second being the light woods mod. Good catch, I think our challenger is still ticking, which means this was a good turn for our side. and now the drillson can fly to the rescue and open a can of cfmsd on the mars. if goon lance immobilizes it the panther can get into its hex and literally kick it to death if nothing else. Please finish off the slyphs, at some point? don't they have no armor left, ptn isn't there like a guard with a pistol who could walk over and shoot the elemental in his now exposed face?
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:35
|
|
|
PoptartsNinja posted:Nope, that was a gently caress up. It's fixed, the LB 10-X hit. I think that decision is up to the "players", if either wants to use the light woods, then both have to use it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:37
|
|
|
I'm fine with this adjudication. Last thing I want to do is indulge in more rules minutiae. e: and I think the Panther's intent was to finish the Sylphs, though man oh man do we need him on the Mars.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:38
|
|
|
PoptartsNinja posted:Nope, that was a copypasta gently caress up. It's fixed, the LB 10-X hit. In future orders, could it be specified if you were shooting through the woods instead of around them for situations like this? It's not something that would come up with buildings for obvious reasons. EDIT: if we want to get full rules sperg I think it ends up being PTN's decision. The target decides whether or not terrain counts for LOS in 50/50 splits, with both units being bound by that decision for the rest of the turn. Since the players declare shooting first, it would have been up to the Mars to make the call.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:38
|
|
|
Voyager I posted:In future orders, could it be specified if you were shooting through the woods instead of around them for situations like this? It's not something that would come up with buildings for obvious reasons. Yep, anyways the mars is down to 30 armor on the front. If the challenger turns to presen the right flank it actually out armors the mars and protects its vulnerable front in turn, I will rules lawyer on the CFMSD that occurred with the lb-x hitting the mars now, ptn should check that, we might be in the crippling the mars business. As some advice, depending on how the partisan and mars move there may be 3 woods in the way which would deny the partisan a shot on the mars, remember to designate the slyphs as a secondary target. AtomikKrab fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Apr 12, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:41
|
|
|
The Challenger is probably going to get wrecked next turn, but it's going to get a good round of shooting off with its turret-mounted big guns and the Mars isn't fast enough to just go around it so it sorta has to spend its whole next turn putting it down rather than working on another target. The Zorya is one shot from exploding, the Horned Owl has an open leg, and the Athena is a glass cannon with a poo poo move profile that can't use its real guns if it loses initiative, so if we can chump the Mars without losing anything other than the Challenger the players are still in pretty solid shape. Killing the last Sylph isn't urgent. The hospital can tank several more turns of fire, nothing else is in any position to threaten it, and the last man can be killed as soon as nobody has anything better to do than tap the building again (and while the Mars is still alive, everyone has something better to do).
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:47
|
|
|
AtomikKrab posted:I think that decision is up to the "players", if either wants to use the light woods, then both have to use it. Oh yeah, my bad. Let me redo the whole update while I wait the 2-30 hours it usually takes for me to get a response from a player. A less tired and grumpy response: as a general rule, since the LP started, whenever cover is 50/50 like this I have always held that if both units decide to shoot each other they are both choosing to fire with the best possible to-hits. It's something I have to do due to the format. I think this is the first time it's ever come up in a way that doesn't directly benefit the players. If it's that much of an issue, after this mission I'll change the rule and so all 50/50 intervening terrain always intervenes regardless of what the units involved are doing. Voyager I posted:the Horned Owl has an open leg 
PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Apr 12, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:48
|
|
|
As I said, I'm fine with this, and we can all stop talking about such a minor error now. Does the thread think it's worthwhile for me to go to flank speed to present my (less) damaged right side, with the understanding that that effectively pushes my base TH to 7 (4 base + 1 sensors + 2 flanking)?
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 16:05 |
|
|
Defensive arcs are the friends of BattleMechs and the enemies of tanks everywhere (you'd have to turn two hexsides to have a chance to take hits on anything other than your front arc). Which is a shame because otherwise this is a really clever thought. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2015 23:53
|
|