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Character Creation

Character creation for the campaign is pretty basic.  Folks are starting with individual mechs and not lances, to keep mission times down and move the game along.  We had our first full blown lance on lance mission and it took nearly 3 hours.  We previously completed 4 objective missions in less than an hour each.

I don’t have any opposition to folks using A Time of War to create characters, but this will definitely remain a mech-based campaign, and not an RPG campaign.

Step 1 – Each player begins with the option to take a 45 ton mech with a (Green) 6/5 Pilot/Gunner rating.  Alternately, they can trade 10 tons and take a 35 ton mech with a (Still Green) 5/5 Piloting/Gunnery, or a 25 ton mech with a 5/4 Pilot Gunner rating.  As an FYI, the first group running through this campaign has a 6/5 in a Phoenix Hawk (45 ton) and a 5/4 in a Mongoose (25 ton), and the Mongoose has definitely held its own.

Starting mechs need to have been in production in 2791.  You can find all sorts of mech resources at Solaris7, and I checked most of the mechs in the Battletech Introductory Boxed Set and their first production is all before 2800 (if I’m wrong someone please let me know).  The game is low-tech to start, so be prepared to use just the basic weapons and equipment until you move out of the Periphery (if you ever choose to), the year advances to where new tech is available, or you get access to a good Intelligence/Procurement officer.

Each player starts with 1,000,000 C-Bills, and the lance as a whole starts with 5,000,000 C-Bills.  That’s not really a lot of cash, so money will be very tight for at least the first 20-30 turns or unless you score some good salvage terms in your first contract.

Step 2 – Each player starts with 10 Experience Points to spend on skills.  Experience is gained by surviving missions (+1) and per kill (+1).  Experience can be used to improve Piloting/Gunnery or add perks to a character.  I will continue to add new skills or balance the current skills with Exp cost as we use them.  For example, the first change (the one player who already took the skill at cost 1 can keep it) was to change Tracker from 1 to 2 Exp.  There were MANY times when the player was getting essentially a +1 gunnery, for a mere 1 exp.

Online Game Perks Benefit Exp
Weight Management Transport costs are 10% lower 2  (Only 1 player can take)
Officer Duties* Acts as an Officer of Regular Rank on non-encounter turns 4 (12 for Intelligence)
Officer Promotion Acts as an Officer of Veteran Rank on non-encounter turns 4 (12 for Intelligence)
Officer Promotion Acts as an Officer of Elite Rank on non-encounter turns 4 (12 for Intelligence)
Logistics Reduced mission transport/drop costs by 15% 2  (Only one player can take)
Delegation Can have an additional officer of the same type 2 Can take once for each officer type.
Contract Law I +1 Category Reroll 2 Can take 3 times
Contract Law II +1 Modifier to any category roll 2 Can take 3 times
Graft Can pay 50,000 credits to add +1 to any Officer Roll 4
Bribes Can pay 100,000 credits to add +2 to any Officer Roll 4 (Must take Graft)
Shiny and New! – Light** One-time; inherit random light mech 4 Can only take once per career
Shiny and New! – Medium** One-time; inherit random medium mech 8 Can only take once per career
Shiny and New! – Heavy One-time; inherit random heavy mech 12 Can only take once per career
Shiny and New! – Assault One-time; inherit random assault mech 16 Can only take once per career
Offline Game Perks
Bat Eyes No Night Fighting Penalty 8 (Must have Night Arrows!)
Edge Reroll any one roll per encounter (attacker or defender) 5
Explosives Can place 3 standard mines in any defense scenario, or +3 in scenarios with mines 2 (Also allows mine acquisition)
Heat Management On 8+, sinks one additional heat 1
Higher Ground +1 When firing from elevation 2 or greater 3
Individual Weapon +1 to hit, exact system (e.g. small laser, LRM 5) 3
Leadership Can command NPC’s in unit 2
Leadership Override Can command NPC’s against their better judgment.  -1 Rep when used 2
Lucky Reroll one Determine Critical roll (either as attacker or defender) per battle 3
Missiles/Lasers/Guns +1 to one category of weapon (Missiles, Energy or Projectiles) 5
Night Arrows! Night Fighting Penalty for Ranged only +1 3
Overrun Combat If initiative MoS is +2, One mech can move, attack and physical prior to enemy 8 Merc Supplemental p 73
Combat Drop – Precise Can choose target block for landing in a hot-drop.  +1 to landing piloting roll. 2
Combat Drop – Precise II Can choose target row or column for landing in a hot-drop, No piloting roll for landing. 2 Requires Combat Drop – Precise
Combat Drop – Precise III Can land in a specific 7 Hex Circle, and move once prior to initiative. 2 Requires Combat Drop – Precise II
Combat Drop – Engage Can fire all weapons once prior to rolling initiative for round 1 (+1 penalty for drop) 2 Requires Combat Drop – Precise
Steady -1 to Piloting when kicking or kicked 4
Strategist +1 to Reinforcement rolls 1 Can take a 2nd time for 2
Tactician +5% to Reinforcement BV 1 Can take 3 times
Terrain Advantage +1 when fighing on one terrain type (pilot choice); hills, water, urban 3
Tracker No Penalty for targets in Light Cover 2 (First Light Cover only)
 ** If your mech was destroyed in combat, you may choose the specific replacement.  Light and Medium Only.
To Pilot/Gunnery
Skill Improvement 5 4
4 8
3 12
2 16
1 20
0 24
Current Officer/Tech Duties
Mechanic, Mech* Maintains and repairs Battlemechs
Mechanic, Vehicle* Maintains and repairs Vehicles
Mechanic, Aerotech* Maintains and repairs Aerotech assets
Medical Can heal Pilot Damage and infantry losses
Supply Can procure general items
Supply, Ordinance Procures specialized weapons (Thunder LRM, Streak Missiles, Mines)
Personnel Can hire personnel
Engineer Can reverse engineer items and has minor fabricator ability. (+2 penalty)
Fabricator Can fabricte components with appropriate facilities.
Administrative Required for unit to operate efficiently.  Can make contract rolls, make contacts.
Intelligence Required for special missions, finding Lostech caches, adding satellite assets to unit.
*(Also gets one procurement request per turn for a specific part related to their specialization)
Dragoon Rating Modifiers Experience
Survive Mission 0 +1
Complete All Objectives +3 +1
Defeat all Reinforcements (away missions) +1 +1
Per Kill (individual) +1
No Internal Damage +1
Fail Mission -3
Break Contract -10

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