Savage Battletech! (#1)

Game Master Atlas2112

And why was your last roll 7d6?

Raise on my too hit roll with the wild die.

Confound, can you people at least say minor details like -who- you are shooting at? Would a thin veneer of RP be too much to ask? Well, yeah, maybe. Alright, let's put this to bed and see where we're at. Of note, after having re-jiggered the new NEW rulez, the now MDTN is 4. (Appropriate number, all considered.)

Hence, all Max's LRMs from his Valkyrie to the Wasp are On Target.

Defend!: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (1) - 4 + 2 = -1
Defend!: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) - 4 + 2 = 4
Defend!: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (1) - 4 + 2 = -1
Defend!: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (5) - 4 + 2 = 3

Ouch. Not his day. 3 hit. #2, the one with the lowest damage roll, misses, because of course it does.

With an AP of 8, LRM has a damage of 22 going against a net toughness of 16. (The Wasp is 24(9); 24 - 8 = 16.) That's only one raise, and, therefore, one wound.

LRM 3 has dmg = 20, which, given, again, a net toughness of 16, is enough to kill it.

The light scout mech is blasted apart under a hail of long-range missile fire. Man you kicked that frail light mech apart you bad ass!

Darwin, ever the opportunist, switches targets to the last remaining mech, the Hussar, and opens fire with his MASSIVE arm canon!

The range on the MedPartAcc is the same as the SRM. For targets closer than 100 inches, that's short range at no penalty. For targets between 100 and 200, that's medium range, -2. For btw 200-400, that's long range, -4. All targets are currently short range to each other.

The Hussar is as close as you can get to combat-worthy light mech, at 36(17). The AP of 10 brings the net toughness to 26, which is greater than the damage of 18.

Even the over-gunned panther's assault canon is not enough to breach the Hussar's heavy plate.

Roger seems un-nerved that the mech has given off shooting at him, and in his INHUMAN RAGE to get back at his enemy, his targeting is less than perfect and only one powerful SRM locks on.

Defend!: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (1) - 4 + 2 = -1

Okay, now that I'm down to one mech, here seems as good a time as any to talk about another rule that is a basic SW rule that I've just not brought up yet. And that is about "bennies". Bennies are free things you get that allow you to do, usually, one of two things: 1) Soak wounds (this is usually what they are used for) or, 2) re-roll dice. If you roll poorly and want a "do-over" you can spend a 'benny' and re-roll that die. (Or all of them, in the case of missiles, when one action gets you multiple dice.) Each PC starts with 3 bennies. Mind you, the GM also gets some, 1 per PC. Now seems like a good time to illustrate this rule by using one of my 3 GM bennies.

Spend GM bennie to try again! Defend!: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (8) - 4 + 2 = 6
Ace!: 1d8 ⇒ 3

The quick-yet-heavy scout confounds the lone accurate missile and sends it spiraling toward some helpless puppies.

"Hehehe. Puppies."

The hussar, accepting the challenge, runs 30" SouthWest and attempts to return the favor back at Roger's Jenner.

Except, not having any missiles, he just uses a gun.

Shooting!: 1d8 ⇒ 1

And misses terribly.

Hussar: No wounds. mv pen -3. GM bennies = 2.

Party up!

"Eat shit and die, motherf!%#er!"

Missiles: 1d12 ⇒ 111d12 ⇒ 21d12 ⇒ 91d12 ⇒ 10

Missile 1 Damage+Raise: 7d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 3, 5, 1, 4, 2) = 21
Missile 2 Damage: 6d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 1, 5, 1, 6) = 18+Ace: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Missile 3 Damage+Raise: 7d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 4, 5, 2, 2, 2) = 21

Lol, "You people." Yes sir Commander Gaming Sheriff SIR!
Though, to be honest, I stopped RPing when I noticed no one else was.

Darwin stares into the goggles of the simulator, cigar smoke clouding the lenses.

He smirks, half impressed as the Valkyrie looses another barrage of missiles, and decides to try his Low Orbit Ion Cannon once more.

Shooting: 1d10 ⇒ 4
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Damage: 4d8 + 2 ⇒ (6, 1, 8, 3) + 2 = 20

Roger switches to his laser :

Shooting+2(quad): 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 101d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Wild ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 4 = 12, a Raise either way

Damage: 3d10 + 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (10, 7, 6) + (6) + 4 = 33
Damage & Raise ACE!: 1d10 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + (1) = 8 = 41 (AP 10)

I'm shooting at the guy on the left side of the map.

Defend,Valkyrie, #1: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) - 4 + 2 = 5
Defend,Valkyrie, #3: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (5) - 4 + 2 = 3
Defend,Valkyrie, #4: 1d8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) - 4 + 2 = 1

The Hussar convinces the lead missile from the Valkyrie that it's actually an olive. It leaves to go find a lake that thinks it's a vodka martini.

*SLAM* *SLAM*

The other two missiles stay on track and make some impressive explosions, but are unable to pierce the tough hide of the Hussar.

The AP 8 of the LRMs brings the Hussar's net toughness to 28, which neither missile pierced.

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZING!*

The Panther brings its impressive cannon to bear, but the quick-footed hussar evades its targeting program.

The Hussar moved 30, which gives it a movement to-hit penalty of 3. Your Targeting Computer brings that down to 1, but the base to-hit # is 4, bringing the net number to 5, which you -barely- missed.

*PEW* *PEW* *PEW* *PEW*

The quad-battery on Roger's Jenner belts out it quartet of death with three part harmony.

With AP 10, we're looking at a net TOU of 26. The good news is that 41 is VERY much more than that. Mind you, this seems like a good time to talk about the Compartments Rule (page 58, SCi-Fi companion.):
"A Mech can never suffer more than two wounds from a single attack."
Yeah yeah, I realize this seems like a cheesy cop-out now, but if I ever get a lucky hit on one of the PC's unblemished mechs, I think we'll all see the logic here. =) Of course, that does mean 2 wounds, so that means 1 crit.

Crit hit!: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 6) = 12

As aforementioned, we're using the SWADE crit hit tables (modified per RIFTS for Guidance and Locomotion results) so a 12 is a "System" hit. Most mechs will have 3 of these non-weapon systems, AMCM, Targeting, and Sensors. Random!

1 AMCM, 2 Target, 3 Sensors: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Roger's Jenner BLASTS into the side of the Hussar, crippling it sorely and knocking out the thing's AMCM.

Having taken a bad hit, the pilot tries to keep his mech under control!

Piloting roll after Wound! 2 Wound taken!: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1

The mech falls like a flower pot in love with the ground.

Falling damage!: 6d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 3, 1, 4, 2) + (2) = 22

But his thick armor protects it from further harm.

RISING from the ground, he jogs 30' to the West and turns his TERRIBLE WEAPON on him that hast harmed him!

Shoot at Jenner with guns!: 1d8 ⇒ 1

The blast is dead on, but only succeeds in taking out an random flock of seagulls that were flying by.

Hussar = 2 nds, mv pen = -3, GM bennies = 2. Party is up!

Oh, I forgot to mention, I moved 32" back and forth on my round to get a -3 to hit. I will *always* move 32" every round from now on.

Having been successful with his laser, Roger decides to continue using it :

Shooting+2(quad): 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 41d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

So, does movement affect just Shooting, or Shooting and Missiles? I see my target moved last round, so I'm assuming a net of -1, which misses. I'll let you confirm the penalties and bonuses, but if the first roll misses I'm spending a Benny...

Shooting+2(quad): 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 61d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Wild ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Wild ACE! ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 6 Ok, this is getting silly...
Wild ACE! ACE! ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 5 = 25 I think this hits, and with a Raise...

Damage: 3d10 + 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (8, 2, 4) + (4) + 4 = 22 (AP 10)

What's a nds?

I shoot a Quad linked M Laser.
1d6 ⇒ 1

Darwin slams his fist on the Big Red Button, another burst of blue laser fire blazing out of the Panther's cannon.
Shooting: 1d10 ⇒ 7
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Damage AP10: 4d8 + 2 ⇒ (5, 8, 2, 6) + 2 = 23

"nds" is "Wounds" without the "Wou" :)
Max - you might want to re-think your build, now that missiles are much less effective, you'll want a decent Shooting skill (maybe drop K(EW) to d10, and raise Shooting to d8?). And don't forget the Wild die on your last Shooting roll!

Max - you might want to re-think your build, now that missiles are much less effective

Ok

You might want to roll another d6 as your Wild die, it might hit.

1d6 ⇒ 3

Yes, movement only applies to shooting, because missiles are fast, and with the opposed roll, also applying movement penalties would just be silly. Hence, yes, your first roll did miss, so you were wise to spend the benny.

The four lasers on Roger's Jenner fire off in quick succession, their arcing beams lagging just a touch behind the wounded Hussar. But just at the last minute Roger hits his BCB (Big Cheat Button) and H4XX0RZ the sim controls, the lasers suddenly turning in place and honing in on his foe like a...like some...really precise kind of...uh, lasers.

*WHAM*

The battery of energy hits the hussar dead on, but fails to pierce the heavy chest plate.

****

Max desultorily looses a volley of missiles, but he forgot to arm their warheads, so they crash into the Hussar with a heartbreaking THUD THUD THUD THUD.

***

Darwin's FRICKING LAZER BEEM launches out like an angry tiger, hitting the Hussar just below the left arm socket.

Remember, when one of your dice rolls its maximum, you get to roll it again. In the interest of time Imma do that for you.

MOAR damage!: 1d8 ⇒ 3 = total of 23.

The large projection cannon doesn't -quite- pierce the heavy combat chassis, but it does rock the big robot backward, the pilot unable to keep it upright after such a heavy hit, and it falls to the ground!

Falling damage!: 6d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 4, 4, 2, 6) = 20
Falling damage ACE!!: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Falling damage ACE ACE!!!: 1d6 ⇒ 3

The weakened torso meets the ground in a spot already weakened by withering fire, and its weakened weakness collapses weakly, not strong at all.

And explodes!

The fire-churned battlefield disperses from your gaze as the gravely voice of the training NCO grates in your audio pickup.

"Since you ladies finally got through today's tutorial, you think yer ready for something more worthy of your lofty talents?

Or should I just notify the groundpounders to come get your kit?"

Ouch. A transfer to the infantry at this point, so far into your commission, would all but give you the stigma of joining the ranks of the Dispossessed--those that had known the feel of a BattleMech beneath them, but had lost it, for any of a legion of reasons.

Oh, also, do all you guys have a solid enough grasp of the rules that I don't need to write out all the math for every shot, or would you rather that I keep it up still? Like, I didn't explain why Roger's shot didn't make a wound, but I didn't want to be redundant at this point.

I'm ok without all the gory details, but perhaps so the guys new to SW can better understand it, you should keep doing it for a while?
Also, didn't you say in Discussion that you have to score a Wound on a mech for it to fall down now? Also, doesn't the falling mech get a Piloting roll to recover? Or am I missing something?

Please keep the gory details coming, they really help me understand the system!

Darwin spits the remnants of his cigar onto the ground, flattening it with his boot. "A transfer to the infantry, eh? Whatever. I've been dying to punch something, whether with a mech's metal fist or my own."

Can Darwin have a prosthetic metal fist? :P

"Sir, yes SIR! We are ready for more!"