Calderon Defense
General Summary
Mission Profile
- Mission Type: Defend Base
- Force Size: Unlimited
- Location: Calderon Firebase, Grid H13
- Weather: Cloudy
- Time of Day: Midafternoon
Situation Overview
After the earlier brushes against the Harbingers, Kommandant Valdane decided to assign one of her subordinate officers to deal with the problem with a more firm hand. To this end Hauptmann Yoen and Hauptmann Calhoun consulted their roster and selected a Company of units unofficially called 'Gungnir Company'. Following the attack on the Robinson group, the predominantly-Lyran group made the decision to attack in the hopes the enemy would still be recovering.Objectives
Primary Objective: The firebase command center must not be destroyed, or the Harbingers will be forced to withdraw. As well, they must not suffer a complete loss of forces through lethal damage, morale failure, or being forced to withdraw.Secondary Objective: The Harbingers cannot afford to take extensive damage to their base structures. Prevent the Lyran assault force from dismantling most of the structures.
Setup
The Harbingers had dug in with some heavy turrets to protect their base, and removed most of the cover near the base from the direction the assault force was approaching. Fearing the potential of being forced into a bottleneck, Hauptmann Yoen opted to split her forces so her main battle Lance was separated and prepared to flank anyone coming out to engage.Forces
Harbingers
- AS7-D (Adamant)
(0/4; Combat Intuition, Lucky 1) - AWS-8Q ("Deadeye")
(0/3; PPC Specialist, Lucky 1) - CTF-1X ("Sassy")
(0/3; Sniper, Human TRO: Mechs; 2 Wounds) - HCT-3F A ("Trailblazer")
(1/2; Melee Master, Melee Specialist) - HCT-3F B ("Badboi")
(2/4; Melee Master) - HCT-3F C ("Bones")
(2/3; Melee Master) - MON-67 A ("Sureshot")
(1/4; Maneuvering Ace, Human TRO: Mechs) - MON-67 B ("Spike")
(2/4; Maneuvering Ace) - STK-3F ("Pilgrim")
(1/3; Sniper) - ENF-4R A ("Jungle Jackie")
(2/4) - ENF-4R B ("Boomstick")
(3/6) - OST-4D ("Cinders")
(3/3) - Schrek PPC Carrier (Crew 33)
(1/5; Multi-Tasker) - Von Luckner K70 (Crew 9)
(1/5; Multi-Tasker; Commander Hit) - LRM Carrier (Crew 11)
(1/5; Sandblaster) - Behemoth (Crew 6)
(1/5, Speed Demon)
- Heavy LRM Turrets (x2)
(4; 40 CF) - 'Mech-Killer Turrets (x2)
(3; 40 CF)
'Gungnir Company'
- Longbow LGB-0W (Yoen)
(3/4; Tactical Genius) - Victor VTR-9B
(1/2; Jumping Jack, Combat Intuition) - Trebuchet TBT-5S
(4/5) - Thunderbolt TDR-5SS
(4/5; Multi-Tasker) - Enforcer ENF-4R (Commander)
(3/5; Coordinated Fire) - Griffin GRF-1S
(3/6; Coordinated Fire) - Stinger STG-3G
(5/6; Coordinated Fire) - Wolverine WVR-6R
(4/6; Coordinated Fire) - Zeus ZEU-6T (Gates)
(2/5; Lucky Unit, Demoralizer) - Marauder MAD-3R (4/6; Lucky Unit)
- Orion ON1-K (3/4; Lucky Unit)
- Firestarter FS9-H (4/6; Lucky Unit)
- Saladin (3/4)
- Saracen (4/4)
- Saracen (4/4)
Special Rules
Forced Withdrawal: When certain conditions are met, the defending units will surrender in position. These conditions are as follows:- If a BattleMech expends all their ammunition and has no more available weapons.
- If a BattleMech loses one side torso location due to damage.
- If a BattleMech sustains internal damage in two torso locations or three limb locations.
- If a BattleMech suffers two Engine hits or one Engine hit and one Gyro hit.
- If a BattleMech is rendered immobile or otherwise unable to escape the battlefield.
Morale: When a unit would normally enter forced withdrawal, it will instead roll a Piloting check modified by a +3 TN penalty if it cannot see a unit commander. It must repeat this check at the end of any turn it takes damage after this. Heavy LRM Turret: These turrets are armed with two LRM 15 launchers, with one ton of ammunition for each. It fires with a Gunnery of 4, and can sustain 40 points of damage.
Mech-Killer Turret: This large turret mounts an SRM 4 launcher and a AC/20, with two tons of ammunition for the cannon and one ton for the missile launcher. It fires with a Gunnery of 3, and can sustain up to 40 points of damage.
Turret Critical Hits: Any attack which strikes a turret causes a second roll to see if the damage causes issues for the crew. On a roll of 7-9, the fire control systems are lightly damaged; the crew must spend one turn fixing the problem before it can fire again. On a roll of 10-11, one random weapon is destroyed and rendered inoperable. On a roll of 12, critical structural damage renders the turret effectively destroyed.
Special Abilities
Combat Intuition: By means of concentration and awareness, a soldier can manage to get the jump on a target ready to move. This pilot can take one wound (no Consciousness Check is required) to choose a target to focus on. They may immediately act before that target, entirely out of turn. All damage takes effect immediately. Alternatively, they may choose to act last in movement initiative.Coordinated Fire: This formation can share targeting data and make it easier for each other to hit by pinning down their targets. For each unit in this Lance, each other unit in the Lance which hits with at least one weapon grants a -1 To-Hit Bonus to other members of the Lance.
Demoralizer: This unit may attempt to demoralize a target it has clear line of sight to, within 10 hexes. They make a Piloting check at a +4 TN; on a successful use, the target may not use any movement other than walking, may not move any closer to the attacking unit, and incurs a +1 TN penalty if attacking the Demoralizer this turn.
Human TRO: Not all pilots focus on the task of combat, but instead on knowing the weaknesses of one class of units ('Mechs, Vehicles, etc) so they may be exploited. For the chosen class of units, this pilot adds +1 to their roll to determine Critical Hits.
Jumping Jack: This unit is more accurate when jumping than normal, having only a +1 to-hit penalty.
Lucky: Sometimes you just find luck when you least expect it. For each point of Lucky, this pilot may reroll one Gunnery or Piloting roll per scenario.
Lucky Unit: Somehow, this unit has gotten through scrapes which should have ended with them being all lost. This unit shares a pool of six uses of the "Lucky" special ability, allowing them to reroll up to six total Gunnery or Piloting rolls.
Maneuvering Ace: This pilot has practiced a lot concerning movement, and can make their units do some truly amazing stunts. This pilot can employ the "lateral shift" maneuver at +1 MP if they are a MechWarrior. They also receive a -1 bonus to rolls to prevent skidding/sideslipping.
Melee Master: It's a savage dance, melee combat, and those who have honed their talents can make it rather deadly. This unit may perform an additional punch, kick, or weapon attack on its turn.
Melee Specialist: Few people can focus well on melee combat with 'Mechs, since it requires a shift to thinking about how you approach the enemy. Those who do hone this sense receive a -1 To-Hit bonus for melee attacks, and will do 1 extra damage on a hit.
Multi-Tasker: Whenever you want to exploit a target-rich environment, or just need to have your attention divided, it's difficult. However, this pilot reduces all attacks against secondary targets by a -1 To-Hit bonus after working on their ability to split their focus.
Sandblaster: This unit rolls on the Cluster Hit table better than average. At long range they get a +2 bonus, at medium range they get +3 instead, and at short range they get +4 instead.
Sniper: Experience teaches pilots how to lead distant targets better, making it less difficult to hit their targets. This pilot halves all standard range penalties (+1 for medium range, +2 for long range).
Speed Demon: This unit may move 1 extra space while using Running/Flank speed, but it may make no attack action this round.
Weapon Specialist: Training and time have brought a sense of a particular weapon and how to get the most out of it. This unit has a -2 To-Hit bonus with their chosen weapon.
Battle Report
Prelude
(Image Link)"Okay, Harbingers, this is where we remind those Lyran softies who really works for a living. The warning grid showed they dropped some distance away with three 'Mech lances and one vehicle lance. They're coming from the west, and our defenses should be able to cover us. Their goal is going to be to take out our command center, so I don't want anyone letting them through. By the numbers, let them come to us, and we should be okay. We've got the talent, and they've got what's about to become ours."| Cmdr. Adamant Dupree, Harbingers
Turns 1 & 2
(Image Link)Gungnir Company's main force approached quickly, the Saladin trying to push ahead into a position where it could do some damage. The rest of the 'Mechs rapidly approached around the ridge, while Hauptmann Yoen's Longbow climbed atop it to begin offering fire support. This risk proved a bit much, as the Schrek let loose with three successive particle streams from its PPCs which tore apart the left leg of the Longbow and forced it to fall on its back. Further damage was visited on it from the Ostsol, while the rest of the lances continued moving up.
The Stinger, intending to push in and loop around to act as a flanker for its fire lance, had those plans changed as the Enforcer it ran into shredded it terribly and left a silent promise to repeat if the Stinger continued. The Griffin and Wolverine from the same lance fired into the Ostsol, while the Enforcer's return shots went wide.
Two Saracen hover tanks moved around the rough terrain, leaving them open for enemy fire. Indeed, one of them had the Stalker step forward and tear through it with a full strike. The LRM Carrier tagged the Saladin in the side, causing some minor damage to the autocannon ammunition feed, and the hover skirt. Undaunted, it continued on intending to clear the problem and succeeded even as another salvo hit and breached the side armor.
To the eastern side, after seeing the advance of a Cataphract and sensors showing the massing of medium and light 'Mechs around the mountain, the Battle Lance hesitated to advance further, though the Zeus and Marauder tentatively punched into the Enforcer leading the advance for some considerable damage to its armor. The Harbingers' Atlas held back, intending to move to assist whichever side looked to need the assistance more, wary of being the tip of the spear again.
Turn 3
(Image Link)The Lyran Wolverine and Griffin move in to begin striking at the Awesome, intending to coordinate attacks and take it out of the fight. Ignoring them, the Awesome proceeds to keep firing on the Longbow while missiles rained down on it in return. The Schrek turned its turret to fire at the Thunderbolt, which in its own turn was moving to engage Ostsol with the Victor and Lyran Enforcer.
The two remaining hovertanks move to start engaging the Harbingers' force. The Saladin's autocannon tears through the defending Enforcer on its left side, while the Saracen's missiles impact across the front of the Atlas. The Atlas and Von Luckner finish them off, keeping them from being more of a hazard or distraction.
The Stinger's 'MechWarrior realizes he had left himself in a terrible position, but is determined to try something only heard about among trainees. He decides - since the Awesome was a key factor in the defense - it needed to be taken out as quickly as possible. The Stinger fired its jump jets, intending to take it out with a drop-kick to the face. In the process, the Stalker, Behemoth, and missile turret wind up dealing a considerable amount of damage which manage to make it difficult for the Stinger to connect. When it lands, the legs are completely destroyed and the Stinger falls to the ground and powers down. The Stalker narrowly avoids the waste heat setting off sparks in its ammunition bins, and this gives the idiot in the Stinger a minor victory.
Meanwhile, the brothers in the Mongoose 'Mechs quickly dash around the cliff and unload their weapons into the Zeus there. The Zeus and Marauder proceed to return fire, causing one of the Light 'Mechs to cease having a right side. With the Hatchetmen also being a concern, the Orion begins firing on one before it can close to melee range.
Turn 4 & 5
(Image Link, Turns 4 & 5)With the battle continuing to develop, the lead Hatchetman jumps over the cliff while the other two engage the Marauder with their hatchets. The Orion chose to stand its ground and the Zeus stepped backwards to begin choosing targets. Together, they manage to render one of the trio in serious danger. Meanwhile, the Mongoose which remained active now charged the Marauder, and failed to strike it; the Enforcer instead got the honor, as its autocannon landed through the head which had been scored by an errant laser shot. The 'MechWarrior inside could not escape in time, being rendered into smoke. Having watched this, the Firestarter jumped behind one of the Hatchetmen and used its flamers to push the heat to dangerous levels.
The Wolverine and Griffin moved in closer, having predicted the Stalker's heat spike and using the opportunity to close and fire. The Lyran Enforcer moved in, adding to the effort in shredding tons of armor off of the Assault 'Mech. The Schrek continued to force itself to move up, joining the Awesome in firing on the Thunderbolt; the Thunderbolt hung in there, firing back at the Atlas and trying to keep attention focused on it. The Victor moved in, its autocannon shredding through armor on the left arm of the Atlas; it didn't last long as the Behemoth's turret tracked it and breached the ammunition stores, leaving an exploded husk of what had been a Victor.
With this, the Harbingers pushed the tide of battle back into their favor as the Enforcer gave the Longbow enough damage to force it to shut down. The rest of the heavy defenders then swung their attention into the Thunderbolt and put it down hard; even after the absurd amount of firepower delivered into it, the Heavy 'Mech seemed prepared to get back up and continue drawing fire.
This proved to be unnecessary as the remaining Lyran forces weighed the options, and opted to retreat while they still could. The Thunderbolt's 'MechWarrior then powered down to surrender, while recovery crews began to mobilize.
Aftermath
Following the battle, Commander Dupree was startled to notice four 'Mechs were on the field but somehow two of the 'MechWarriors had managed to elude the recovery teams. Despite this, there had been enough damage done to the Harbingers to force them to direct resources to repair and recovery, even though the Sanglamore Batallion had lost some of its major hardware in this engagement.
Damage Report
Damage
- AS7-D: Left Arm (30 Armor), Right Arm (13 Armor), Right Leg (5 Armor), Left Torso (2 Armor), Center Torso (2 Armor)
- AWS-8Q: Left Arm (12 Armor), Right Arm (24 Armor, 25% Structure, Heat Sink Destroyed), Left Leg (16 Armor), Right Leg (16 Armor), Left Torso (24 Armor), Right Torso (16 Armor), Center Torso (30 Armor), Head (2 Armor)
- OTL-4D: Left Arm (8 Armor, Destroyed), Right Arm (4 Armor), Left Leg (12 Armor), Right Leg (20 Armor), Left Torso (9 Armor), Right Torso (17 Armor), Center Torso (22 Armor, 75% Structure), Gyro (1 Hit)
- ENF-4A B: Left Arm (10 Armor), Right Arm (14 Armor), Right Leg (14 Armor), Left Torso (17 Armor, 25% Structure), Right Torso (7 Armor), Center Torso (17 Armor), Head (2 Armor)
- MON-67 A: Right Arm (Detached), Right Leg (Detached), Right Torso (Destroyed), Center Torso (12 Armor, 75% Structure), Head (8 Armor, 50% Structure), Engine (2 Hits), Gyro (1 Hit)
- MON-67 B: Left Leg (8 Armor), Center Torso (4 Armor)
- HCT-3F A: Left Arm (14 Armor, 25% Structure), Right Arm (4 Armor), Right Leg (5 Armor), Left Torso (6 Armor, 25% Structure, Heat Sink Hit x2), Right Torso (14 Armor, 25% Structure), Center Torso (14 Armor, 25% Structure)
- HCT-3F B: Left Arm (5 Armor), Right Arm (7 Armor), Left Leg (7 Armor), Right Leg (4 Armor)
- LRM Carrier: Right (4 Armor), Motive Damage
- Von Luckner: Front (10 Armor)
- Schrek PPC Carrier: Left (2 Armor), Motive Damage
Rearming
- AS7-D: AC/20, LRM 20, SRM 6 (3 tons)
- STK-3F: LRM 10 (1 ton)
- CTF-1X: AC/10 (1 ton)
- ENF-4R A: AC/10 (1 ton)
- ENF-4R B: AC/10 (1 ton)
- HCT-3F A: AC/10 (1 ton)
- HCT-3F B: AC/10 (1 ton)
- HCT-3F C: AC/10 (1 ton)
- LRM Carrier: LRM 20 (3 tons)
- Von Luckner: AC/10, LRM 10 (2 tons)
- Behemoth: LRM 5, SRM 6, AC/10 (3 tons)
Medical Report
- Jacqueline "Jungle Jackie" Padilla: 1 Wound
- Liam "Boomstick" Stone: 1 Wound
- Tristan "Deadeye" Johnson: 1 Wound
- Crew 9: Commander Hit
Salvage Report
- LGB-0W: Captured.
- TDR-5SS: Captured.
- MAD-3R: Captured.
- STG-3G: Destroyed. Valued at 25% market value.
- VTR-9B Victor: Destroyed. Valued at 25% market value.
- Saracen: Destroyed. Valued at 25% market value.
- Saracen: Destroyed. Valued at 25% market value.
- Saladin: Destroyed. Valued at 25% market value.
Components Salvaged
- Medium Laser (1)
- AC/20 (2)
- SRM 2 (3)
- SRM 4 (1)
- LRM 10 (1)
- Jump Jet (2)
- Sensors (1)
- Actuators (20t; Lower Arm (1), Lower Leg (1))
NPC Report
Detained
- LGB-0W (3/4): 'Mech recovered, 'MechWarrior not found.
- TDR-5SS (4/6): 'Mech recovered, 'MechWarrior captured.
- MAD-3R (4/6): 'Mech recovered, 'MechWarrior killed.
Destroyed
- STG-3G (5/6): 'Mech destroyed, 'MechWarrior captured.
- VTR-9B (1/2; Jumping Jack): 'Mech destroyed, 'MechWarrior not found.
- Saladin (3/4): Vehicle Destroyed. Crew killed.
- Saracen (4/4): Vehicle Destroyed. Crew killed.
- Saracen (4/4): Vehicle Destroyed. Crew killed.
Escaped
- TBT-5S (4/5): Escaped the field.
- ENF-4R (3/5): Escaped the field.
- GRF-1S
(3/6): Escaped the field. - WVR-6R
(4/6): Escaped the field. - ZEU-6T (2/5; Demoralizer): Escaped the field.
- ON1-K (3/4): Escaped the field.
- FS9-H (4/6): Escaped the field.
Table of Contents
- General Summary
- Forces
- Special Rules
- Special Abilities
- Battle Report
- Aftermath
- Damage Report
- Medical Report
- Salvage Report
- NPC Report
Report Date
28 Mar 2017
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