MechWarrior: Treasure of the Buried Admiral

Game Master dickie

Well, I got nothing else to do, as I am under self imposed quarantine.

Just a quick note: I've been distracted by COVID related stuff (no one sick, but RL is fully impacted, heh). I should be back to more normal posting frequency in the next few days and I hope everyone is safe and healthy.

Pretty quiet here, I hope all is well with everyone.

Yeah, everything has been thrown into chaos. I have left my home maybe 2 times in the past 2 weeks. Its driving me crazy. =)

@Viper.

Which ride do you want? I figured we'd bring one back to life and scrap the other. As much as the WASP is a mech, the Shrek, once repaired and outiftted, is still a superior weapon of war.

Also, I don't think MechWarrior has a distinction between Pilot(mech) and Pilot(vehicle). I might be wrong though because FASA. ^_^

The wasp would be the only ride that I can use.
I figure ground vehicles such as cars or trucks, come as general knowledge.
But I have pilot mech, and aero but not ground vehicles which is in the piloting list.

The wasp might be small, but at least it is a mech, and I would not be dispossessed any more.
Besides, it just means that I have to be really careful in use of this until I can get something to trade up with.

That is correct for 2nd Edition, combat vehicles, aerospace, and battlemechs are different skills.

Speaking of skills, don't forget that rolling Nat 2 or 12 gets you a bonus skill point (SP) in that skill. Not rating, but SPs which are used for advancing a skill. I forgot 2nd Ed had weird experience rules.

We are also close enough to the end of this particular "mission" that we can award AP and SP! Everything left to come is either exposition or cleanup (getting the goods from Ling). Hidden would listen to proposals if folks had something they wanted to stick around for short-term, but she's going to want to get off this junk ball and on the trail as soon as she is able.

Everyone gains Skill Points (SP) equal to their LRN. Jester can gain one for MedTech use back on Sonia the CyBull.

Everyone also gains 7 Adventure Points (AP).

Don't read that as one "Incredible" mission performance, lol. A few of those are PbP bonus as it were.

GM, if I have read the rules right, I would like to use one of my AP's to learn the skill tactics.

I think it takes 1 to earn it as a level 0 skill.
if you can confirm if my reading of it is correct.

If so, I will probably spend another couple for things.

EDIT
FASA actually had it approximately right in having the combat vehicles as a separate skill set.
I can attest through experience that driving an armoured vehicle is a different skill set from driving a car.
The personnel carrier is more fun. :)

The one thing that I know that everyone should get, is things like car or truck at level 0 as base knowledge. Most people are taught how to drive a car.
But that is up to the DM to decide. :)

couple brief points.

1, as far as I know, vehicle components are the same as mech, so, yes, we should salvage it.

2, I cant remember, did we adapt a simplified Scrap system to keep track of salvage and avoid a Lovecraftian nightmare of bookkeeping?

Depends on what it is. Vehicle flamers are different, for example.

I think a tank like a Shrek takes a crew of 3 or 4 to drive anyway. ;)

I'll try to figure out if/how I'd like to spend my AP.

I don't see any information for level 0...level 1 in a new skill requires 10 pts. Which is why I'm doubling the LRN bonus. Take 2*LRN in new skill points. Seems a better progression for this game. Remember that you can train for skill points as well, which is what they wrote in so that long trips on jumpships have some sort of point in an RPG, lol.

Yeah, we discussed having something more abstract for loot/salvage, I will go back and look at the thread to see if we had something solid or just a loose idea.

The best canon answer I can find about vehicle crews is 1:15 tons (or fraction of), which seems like a lot. That would be 6 for a Schrek. I would guess 3-4 realistically.

In WW2, tank crews were about 4 to 5.
Driver, Gunner, Loader, Commander, Mechanic.

Modern Tanks are usually about 3-4. No onboard Mechanic, some don't have a loader due to an autoloader.

Personnel Carriers generally are 3 not counting the onboard troops.
Driver, Gunner, Commander.

Crews in most games are pretty unrealistic. :)

Ultimately, I think the rules in the game are set to be 'realistic' in the sense that you're describing about WW tanks -- allowing something tiny like a Savanah Master to only have its driver, something a little bigger (i.e. - in the 20-ton range) to have one gunner and one driver -- but having things like a Behemoth requiring a "full" crew of 6.

Of course, my issue with that is that it seems dumb that a single person can run a 100-ton bipedal monstrosity like an Atlas, but the same isn't true of a 50-ton hovertank. I think "in universe", the idea is that the tanks don't get the same level of automation because they're primarily "cheap" and expendable - which is certainly true of many types of tanks - but that particular argument tends to fall apart the moment you're talking about something with a fusion engine or an Omni.

In the last home game I played, we basically allowed for an "automated" tank by paying to have it modified (effectively mounting the equivalent of a 'mech cockpit) - so that a single driver could run a light or medium tank, but a heavy took 2 (a pilot and a gunner).

I happen to agree, but my numbers tend to be either higher or lower.
Ie, the Savanah Master, I used 2 (Driver, Gunner), but I pegged most vehicles at a max of 5, except for the personnel carriers.

The idea of automated tanks, did not actually occur to me. Thank you for the idea. :)

The Tech Manual briefly mentions a commander, gunner or gunners, and dedicated drivers. I can't fathom actually needing more than one gunner on a Schrek since it's three PPCs in a turret.

I think there is an assumption that 'mechs have more advanced neural interfaces. Standard 'mech cockpits always weigh 3 tons, but vehicle control systems are 5% tonnage. Personally, I would assume each ton of control systems equals one crew member, even if TO says 1:15 tons. It's kind of moot though, lol, since Viper would prefer the Wasp.

Prefer, not really, but use, the Wasp at is the only one that I can. :)

Being a Mech Jock, means that I would take that one, even if it is only a poor light mech.

I happen to agree, but my numbers tend to be either higher or lower.

Ie, the Savanah Master, I used 2 (Driver, Gunner), but I pegged most vehicles at a max of 5, except for the personnel carriers.

The idea of automated tanks, did not actually occur to me. Thank you for the idea. :)

No problem. Like I said, it came from the existence of Omnivehicles -- and the thought that if a single person can run a 'Mech or an Aerofighter (which doesn't have the same balance feedback things), then it should be possible to do that with a tank -- though as I'm thinking about it more, I think we may have restricted it not by tonnage but by type - that a hovertank or VTOL could get the 'upgrade' because of its control systems allowing something more like a flies-by-wire system, whereas a wheeled or tracked couldn't -- but because of the low(er) tonnage limits on those types, I misspoke earlier.

To be fair, I haven't played a 'Mech II campaign in more than a decade, so it's possible that I'm sorely misremembering.

wait we took the shrek ya?

if we wanna put a ppc on the centurian (or wasp) we should have it. ;)

As far as I know, we kept the Shreck. Now that would be funny, a wasp with an ERPPC. :)

@GM, how hard would it be to mount 2 heavy duty spring clips to the side of the pilots seat.
These would be to store a rifle in the cockpit, but have it available to use, if I am ever forced to dismount.

A spring clip is 4" long by 1' wide, spaced about 3' apart.
They are strong enough to keep a rifle clipped in place when a vehicle hits an IED and rolls. (pers experience.)

It wouldn't be very difficult, though it is a light 'mech so that cockpit is already a little tight!

You'll be cooped up a couple of months in transit to Kowloon at the edge of Lyran and Jade Falcon space. If no one has any specific things to take care of while traveling, I will post your arrival in a couple days.

I suspect we have lost some of our technical folks, so I might try and drum one or two new folks up soon, but on the fence.

yeah it's hard to play not a mechwarrior in Mechwarrior.

id advise everyone start with a mech but you can have good tech skills and bad gunnery at first to go that route.

you could even just have a dervish...or even a whitworth...and just support fights as you improve your skills.

I consider myself a mech jock with tech skills. I may not be the best, but I can get things done, allbet slower than a dedicated tech.

The dervish is actually a decent machine if used properly. . . but not a lot of people use them properly. :)

As for the cramped cockpit, I can live with that.

My character has neither mech skills nor tech skills! But he has words! And all the spy skills.

Pure-tech isn't the most fun, usually, it's true. I think that's why so many other games have the engineers run the drones. :)

I don't think you could free up 7 tons to mount the PPC in the Wasp (or even the 6 for a Clan one). Still, book value on a Shrek is pretty high -- more than 3M even before the upgrades to its PPCs and the ability to sink the extra heat -- basically twice the price of a Wasp. So, basically, the wasp and shrek add up to more than 5.5M -- less than the price of a Shadow Hawk or Griffin.

I know it would be impossible to mount one. But you would think the same with the Hollander and its Gauss Rifle.

I am not advocating to try and install it, just saying it would be funny to see.

So what you are saying is that we sell the wasp and the wreckage of the Shrek and then get a Griffin or Shadowhawk?

I wouldn't mind picking up some power armor skills on my character if we can manage to steal one for him to practice in. =)

I was thinking we *could* probably do that. I mean, everything would be used - and we'd probably be running a loss, but you could probably grab a decent medium if we sold it all.

Actually I don't think it is a good idea to sell/scrap the Wasp, as we do need a scout 'mech. Maybe instead of upgrading the weapons we work on upgrading the Sensor package on the Wasp. Thoughts?

I think that having a scout is needed. However, I think we need some heavier machines as well.

Actually I don't think it is a good idea to sell/scrap the Wasp, as we do need a scout 'mech. Maybe instead of upgrading the weapons we work on upgrading the Sensor package on the Wasp. Thoughts?

Even though I'm not sure what the equivalent would be, I thought there were good rules for Sensors in both the MechCommander 2 game, as well as the latest Battletech video game.

In MechCommander, there was Fog of War for all mechs, but for mechs with a Beagle Probe, their line of vision was greatly enhanced, so a scout mech had a very definite role to play.

It's been awhile since I played BT (I beat it before the FlashPoint overhaul) but they had that feat where you could see everything in a certain radius, despite fog of war or obstacles, like mountains.

Just saying.

Also, yeah, there's not enough weight to mount a PPC on a wasp. =) You can do a Large laser by getting rid of all other weapons, and the jump jets.

There's a list for the cost of all the mechs, but I don't have it now so I'm not sure what we can afford, but we could probably think about getting a happy medium, like a Phoenix Hawk or Scorpion. (Both mechs make excellent scouts, but are very fragile.)

My medium is just as fast as the Wasp - and better armoured and armed - which is to say, keeping it to scout isn't really helpful - and, as mentioned, if we want to keep the 6/9/6, there are other options that are tougher (Pheonix Hawk, Chameleon, etc.)

If we decide to go that way, I think the P Hawk would be the better choice.

One of the things that I tend to do with the P hawk, is dump the MG's, and slap the extra 2 tons on in armour.

If we decide to go that way, I think the P Hawk would be the better choice.

One of the things that I tend to do with the P hawk, is dump the MG's, and slap the extra 2 tons on in armour.

I usually go halfway on that, putting in a flamer for anti-infantry, and the rest in armour.

@ Orpheus Also a good combination.

But this is a discussion that could take hours, and we currently do not have the machine.

Another combo on the P Hawk that I do use, is a 1/2 ton of MG ammo and 1 MG, with the rest as armour.

Just to show I am still here, and waiting patiently :)

Since we haven't heard from any of our techs and you could for sure use some more technical skills, I'm going to bump the recruitment thread looking for one we can pick up during the current episode.

We are going to assume that our missing folks remained behind either to take advantage of the power vacuum, protect folks, or just lost faith in the hunt.

Hey I got a question.

How are we being paid?

Like, she's after the ship. Okay.

But why are we here?

(Heh. I admit I was so excited to get this adventure going I may have glossy over some details. =)

Is she paying us a stipend and we get salvage rights, or.... we can't exactly all take part of the Admiral now can we?

I'm just asking so I know what angle to take about the meeting. Like, she wants us as bodyguards now. But there's not much salvage being a bodyguard. =]

Wraith, I haven't seen anything on pay. I imagine it was all worked out prior to us getting on board, but I guess the details were not transmitted to us.

I actually can't find solid info in my notes, lol. I know that all recovered salvage from the battlefield goes to you, and a certain share of the Admiral's eventual proceeds were mentioned, but I may not have come up with a monthly pay number yet. I'll see what I can find over the weekend.

Okay good!

Mind you, another use for money, is weapons.

Like, the guy in recruitment also won't have a mech. But depending on what kind of funds we have, we could see about getting him an anti-mech weapon, like a SRM launcher or some such. (Or if we had enough we could see about selling the Shrek and just buying another WASP. ^_^)

Or the Coran Longshot Man portable 1 shot LRM. :)

I think we should sell the shreck, and then get a load of personal equipment and stores that the entire party can use.

I agree. The Shrek is valuable, which is good - and while it's good for digging in and defending, it's slow and not terribly maneuverable - it'd be just taking up space (and value) the vast majority of time.

I think stores are a good idea.

I need soooo much spy gear whose cost is far out of the range of a starting character (and way less than the cost of a mech), so I am all in favor of liquidating it asap. =)

DEST suits for all my friends! ;)

All sorts of gear for all of us. :)

My apologies for the delay, chalk it up to the craziness of 2020 added to my own innate crazy! I will be getting back to a normal posting rate over the course of this weekend. Stay safe, healthy, and creative y'all!

Good to hear that it is not dead. :)

Any leads on a tech or two??

Seems the one individual went a little quiet, but with the world being kind of in the doldrums of this craziness that's not surprising.

I will have a substantive update in gameplay within the next 24 hours. Hopefully sooner, but no later for sure.

I apologize for not being on the last couple of days. I got tied up doing home reno's with the significant other.

She would have killed me if I wasn't helping. :)

Supervising ain't helping?