Return to Holfield
General Summary
Mission Profile
- Mission Type: Standup Fight
- Force Size: Unlimited
- Location: Grid J14, Holfield Mining
- Weather: Light Rainfall
- Time of Day: Sunset
Situation Overview
In the wake of the Skye Rangers' defeat, a power vacuum opened up on Orenn. Or to be more precise, opened further, as Hammerfall Company's presence had kept the northern portion of the continent moderately stable. Now, without the fear of overwhelming retaliatory force, pirates have gotten bolder in their actions and attacked Holfield Mining. They landed three DropShips, two Leopards and a Mule, in order to secure as much contraband as possible. The Harbingers, now free to act, have dispatched many of their 'Mechs to engage and eliminate these pirates.Objectives
Objective: Each side is tasked with eliminating opposing units, with two victory points being scored for an eliminated unit on the battlefield, and one victory point for a unit which successfully withdraws from the combat area.Setup
Holfield Mining consists of a handful of buildings, most of which are Level 2, and a couple gravel paths which are treated as Paved terrain moving between the area. The surrounding area can be set up as agreed-upon by the players, using 3d6 Elevated Terrain elements, 1d6 Light Forest elements, and 1d6 Rough Terrain elements.Forces
Harbingers
Holfield Team
Holfield Team
- AS7-D Atlas B ("Trailblazer")
- AWS-8Q Awesome A ("Deadeye")
(0/2; Specialist: PPC, Lucky 1) - BNC-3M Banshee (Gates)
(0/1; Range Master (M), Demoralizer) - HCT-3F Hatchetman B ("Bones")
(1/2; Melee Master, Jumping Jack) - HCT-3F Hatchetman D ("Badboi")
(1/2; Melee Master, Jumping Jack) - MON-67 Mongoose A ("Spike")
(1/3; Specialist: M. Laser) - MON-67 Mongoose B ("Sureshot")
(1/3; Specialist: M. Laser) - LRM Carrier A (Crew 6)
(0/4; Oblique Attacker, Specialist: LRM 20) - Sturmfeur ("Prodigal Sons")
(1/6; Oblique Attacker) - Schrek A (Crew 33)
(0/4; Specialist: PPC, Lucky 1)
- GLT-4P Guillotine ("Chevalier")
(3/4; Hot Dog) - WVR-6R Wolverine ("Badger")
(2/4; Sniper) - VLK-QA Valkyrie ("Jaunt")
(3/4; Human TRO: Mechs)
Pirate Raiders
- WHM-6R Warhammer (1/3)
- AWS-8Q Awesome (2/5)
- AWS-8T Awesome (4/5)
- ON1-K Orion (4/5)
- SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (4/5)
- VT-2N Vulcan (4/6)
- HBK-4G Hunchback (3/4)
- TBT-5N Trebuchet (4/5)
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.
Hired Guns: The Harbingers are employing mercenaries who require payment for their services. Using “Chevalier” (60 SP) and “Badger” (50 SP) will cost Supply Points before the battle.
Uncertain Loyalty: Due to having a questionable amount of loyalty to the Harbingers, Robert Gates will enter Forced Withdrawal if he takes more than one wound during combat.
Experimental Rules - Dice System
Players' NotesWhile preparing for this campaign round, we began looking at what others were doing with the rules and trying to hone our efforts just a bit. One of these things we discovered through Death From Above Wargaming is a method of rolling dice for weapons which cuts down on some of the repetition. This is introduced under their "House Rules" document as Group Fire. To enact this we acquired a set of dice which match their selection for dice, as closely as we could for an experiment.
The general overview is the idea of rolling one six-sided die as a "pilot die" and each weapon fired receives a distinct six-sided die to represent the weapon being fired (both for "to-hit" and "hit location"). The color and size of the dice are a means of tracking which weapon belongs to which die, without having to specify each time. Knowing a 16mm red dice is a Large Laser means we don't need to specify it every time as "these dice are for the Zeus' Large Laser" when we roll a weapon. Rather than reproduce the exact rules here, I would prefer instead you visit their website and look it up yourself (under 'Downloads') if interested in trying it. We can attest to it smoothing out the experience quite a bit, with some caveats.
Due to the dice being rolled in one grouping, it is entirely possible to see multiple locations confirmed to be the head. DFA Wargaming prefers to allow only one of these weapons to land, and the rest to transfer into the Center Torso. After a brief discussion, my brother and I disagreed and decided to allow it to stand. Our reasoning is how we play with "Automatic Ejection" house rules which make it more likely for a pilot to make it out of a doomed BattleMech's head.
Another issue is how to use the "Lucky" special ability. Do we choose to reroll one weapon, the whole roll, just the pilot die? In the end we decided to use a second "pilot die" and reroll any weapons we wanted to reroll separately; the previous dice would be set aside and registered after all uses of Luck were finished. This solution worked, although we still believe Luck can be either the biggest waste of effort or a critical aspect of how a battle turns out. In short - it's pretty much as per the original use.
Whether or not we will continue to use this system depends on how we enjoy it after this campaign round's combat scenarios.
Special Abilities
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.Hot Dog: Experience has taught this pilot to handle the heat load of their BattleMech carefully. This pilot can add a -1 bonus to the Target Number needed to avoid all heat effects due to high heat levels.
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.
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.
Oblique Attacker: It takes some skill to read where your enemy is, when you can't have visual confirmation. This pilot can make Indirect LRM attacks against a target without the benefit of a spotter and have an additional -1 To-Hit modifier when doing so.
Range Master: This pilot has trained to fire more accurately at a different range than normal. They swap their short range penalty for the designated range penalty (either medium or long range this means their short range is now less accurate but their chosen range is more accurate.
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).
Weapons 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)The Harbingers arrive to find the pirates having taken up cover on the far side of the mining facility, and many of the civilians taking shelter in the main offices. The two sides are briefly taken aback by what they discover on sensors. "Trailblazer" is amazed the pirates have two Awesomes to lead their offense, while the pirates are shocked to see an Atlas prepared to wade into combat.
Turn One
(Image Link)The pirates begin to move for the nearby hills as cover, waiting to see where the Harbingers go before committing to the fight. The Harbingers, meanwhile, simply advance with the Mongoose twins breaking to the right flank. Their great speed will make it easy to get the drop on pirate targets, and cut off any retreats.
Turn Two
(Image Missing)Shortly afterwards, the maneuvering leads the Harbingers to split their forces. "Deadeye" takes the LRM Carrier and Mongoose Twins to the right flank to meet the pair of pirate Assault 'Mechs, and "Trailblazer" breaks the rest of the forces towards the left flank. In an initial exchange of fire, a trio of PPC shots land into the pirate AWS-8Q and missiles stream from the LRM Carrier to land heavily into the target.
On the other flank, Gates quickly ascends the hill with the Banshee to begin firing on the biggest threat he can see on that flank: a Hunchback armed with the the heavy AC/20. The Sturmfeur tank offers fire support as well, though their target is the Warhammer. Their goal is to soften up that Heavy 'Mech before it can get into range to bring its full arsenal to bear. The Orion manages to land a splash of missiles across the Hatchetman, doing little damage to its armor.
Turn Three
(Image Link)Combat continues to close distance on the left flank, while the right flank is forced to deal with the Twins engaging the pirates' AWS-8T Awesome. The pair of them proceed to melt large portions of armor free of the 'Mech, while being only slightly damaged in exchange. The pirate AWS-8Q continues attempting to focus on "Deadeye", as it takes further punishing damage. Two of its PPCs are knocked out, rendering it nearly unable to contribute to the combat. The Trebuchet which was attempting to get closer for missile fire into the Awesome on the tall hill wound up cut off by the Harbingers' Hired Guns, and taken out as damage shredded one leg into an inoperable mess.
On the left flank, the pirates unleash a desperate fury of weapons fire into the Atlas piloted by "Trailblazer". The damage proves to be extensive, but it remains upright. In exchange, the Atlas' weapons rip off the arm of the Hunchback, and the others focus fire into the Warhammer. One of its PPCs is damaged and rendered inoperable, and minor damage to fire control circuits disrupt the ability to fire all the torso weapons.
Turn Four
(Image Link)"Trailblazer" continues pressing the assault in the Atlas, as he renders the Hunchback a non-threat and Gates assists in starting to soften up the Orion. The two Hatchetmen jump in and their hatchets land devastating blows which force the Warhammer to the ground. With two 'Mechs neutralized out of the three on the flank, their battle was largely over.
On the right flank, damage to the AWS-8Q Awesome became overwhelming, and it fell to the ground with severe damage to both its gyro and engine. The Twins and "Badger" proceeded to box in the other Awesome, leaving it little choice but to surrender. Despite the Shadow Hawk approaching the Harbingers' Awesome, the presence of "the Madame" meant there would be no significant victory.
As news of the left flank's problems were heard of, most of the pirates chose surrender rather than to fight to the death. It would only prolong the inevitable.
Aftermath
While most of the pirates were being taken cative, the pirate Vulcan scrambled to its feet and made a run for it. Most of the Harbingers were occupied handling their surrendered 'Mechs, and the Schrek failed to land shots to disable the escaping 'Mech. "Trailblazer" made the call to take the prisoners back to Calderon Base to be interrogated, and called ahead to let Commander Dupree know of the situation.
Damage Report
Damage
- AS7-D B: Left Arm (34 Armor, 50% Structure; Upper Actuator, Medium Laser), Right Leg (4 Armor), Left Leg (12 Armor), Right Torso (5 Armor), Center Torso (25 Armor), Head (5 Armor)
- AWS-8Q B: Right Arm (24 Armor, 25% Structure; PPC), Left Leg (6 Armor), Right Torso (16 Armor), Left Torso (6 Armor), Center Torso (10 Armor), Engine Hit.
- HCT-3F D: Right Arm (3 Armor), Left Torso (2 Armor), Center Torso (2 Armor)
- MON-67 B: Left Leg (8 Armor)
Rearming
- AS7-D B: AC/20, LRM 20, SRM 6 (3 Tons)
- HCT-3F: AC/10 (1 Ton)
- HCT-3F: AC/10 (1 Ton)
- LRM Carrier A: LRM 20 (1 Ton)
- Sturmfeur: LRM 20 (1 Ton)
Parts Not In Stock
- Actuator (100t): Upper Arm
Mercenary Report
- Authorized payment for "Badger": -50 SP
- Authorized payment for "Chevalier": -60 SP
- Authorized payment for "Jaunt": -60 SP
Medical Report
- "Trailblazer": 1 Wound
Salvage Report
- AWS-8Q: Salvaged for spare parts.
- WHM-6R: Salvaged. Sent to storage.
- AWS-8T: Salvaged. Sent to storage.
- ON1-K: Salvaged. Sent to storage.
- SHD-2H: Salvaged. Sent to storage.
- HBK-4G: Salvaged. Sent to storage.
- TBT-5N: Salvaged. Sent to storage.
Components Salvaged
- PPC (3)
- Small Laser
- Heat Sink (19)
- Sensors
- Life Support
- Cockpit
- Actuator (80t): Upper Arm (2)
- Actuator (80t): Lower Arm (2)
- Actuator (80t): Hand
- Actuator (80t): Upper Leg (2)
- Actuator (80t): Lower Leg (2)
- Actuator (80t): Foot (2)
- Structure (80t): Right Arm
- Structure (80t): Left Arm
- Structure (80t): Right Leg
- Structure (80t): Left Leg
- Structure (80t): Right Torso
- Structure (80t): Left Torso
- Structure (80t): Head
Mission Report
The Harbingers' victory is a complete rout, with four pirate 'Mechs being eliminated and the area around Holfield Mining being easily secured. Most of the remaining pirates could not escape, save for the Vulcan which sprinted at top speed away from the battlefield as the other 'Mechs were being secured.NPC Report
Detained
- WHM-6R Warhammer (1/3): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
- AWS-8Q Awesome (2/5): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
- AWS-8T Awesome (4/5): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
- ON1-K Orion (4/5): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
- SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (4/5): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
- HBK-4G Hunchback (3/4): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
- TBT-5N Trebuchet (4/5): Seized. 'MechWarrior detained.
Escaped
- VT-2N Vulcan (4/6)
Table of Contents
- General Summary
- Forces
- Special Rules
- Special Abilities
- Battle Report
- Aftermath
- Damage Report
- Mercenary Report
- Medical Report
- Salvage Report
- Mission Report
- NPC Report
Report Date
04 Oct 2022
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