I assume everyone has piloting at +1 or better and will assist. A lot of us have a +3, so any one of us with a +3 could provide the base roll and receive an additional +5 to the roll. If the base roll comes out +1 or higher, we could grab a minimum of 75 tones. The Thunderbolt would fall into that weight category.
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And here I thought I needed to propose a "something else".
If my crazy scheme works, then we just need to drag a P.Hawk, leaving 65 tons for the BlackJack or the Jenner and a Commando.
If my scheme doesn't pan out then we just do the T Bolt and the Jenner.
I think the push-pull-drag event is just for the current scene (since we can outrun them) and we can get the old Commando at leisure.
And, yes, this is a BUTT-TON of metal for the middle of nowhere. Planets have been conquered by less mecha than that which we now face.
Deigo got sum 'splainin' to do.
I think the two Commandos were the scouts for the lance we just fought. The dropship is going to be literally on top of Gunny's Commando.
I commend your enthusiasm, Jack, but I think we'd be better off just taking what we can get, unless the GM is cool with us nabbing the Blackjack instead of the Jenner since we got a +9 on the overcome and that would be less than 112.5 tons.
So yeah, my vote's grab what we can and run. We get the Thunderbolt either way, and this way we don't risk extra complications.
If memory serves me correctly, I think we determined it would take three salvages in order to have one operational mech. I'm not sure if that was all three being the same Mech type or not. Then there is the option to sell salvage and possibly buy a Mech, assuming we can find a connection for such a thing. With jack's skill, he might be able to put a salvage together if he had enough of it.
I think what Jack was going for, is the fact that he is an ace mechanic/tech. Because of that, he is thinking there is a chance he could get the T-bolt up and running. Like he said, it's a long shot. Can't hate a guy for trying, LoL....
OK, it looks like Lapeidra rolled a (5) Base roll. That would put us at a (10) Overcome with the +5 assist. That brings us up to 125 tons. With that we could include the T-Bolt and the Blackjack.
Woo! So we've got a T-bolt and Blackjack, or at least their hulks.
I do suspect these will be salvages, not full mechs, given how much we blasted them...
I'm trying to remember, did we have some rules about salvaging equipment from mechs, too?
Maybe, but these got pretty blasted. I think we did come out ahead, though.
I do suspect these will be salvages, not full mechs, given how much we blasted them...
I'm trying to remember, did we have some rules about salvaging equipment from mechs, too?
I think so, but it was a little more involved. Something was said about how damaged they are vs. an Overcome (Tech) roll to repair them. I can't recall the exact numbers involved. This would be something the GM would need to weigh in on. This is one of those learn as we go things.
I also wanted to point out a couple things as we move forward. Unless something has changed, I believe targeting more than one enemy generates a -2 for each additional enemy to all associated attacks. That, and I'm unclear if physical attacks can be made in addition to weapon attacks. I remember something being said about them having to be done separate. BTW, I would be happy to wrong about either of these.
As far as I understand, if you have battlefists, which is the case for phoenix hawks, you can smak and shoot on the same turn.
Splitting fire generates a -2 on the secondary target, which I did include (at least I hope I did) for using the MGs.
As far as I understand, if you have battlefists, which is the case for phoenix hawks, you can smak and shoot on the same turn.
Splitting fire generates a -2 on the secondary target, which I did include (at least I hope I did) for using the MGs.
I wasn't necessarily referring to you specifically, I was simply putting the info out there. That said, I didn't know about the battlefists. So, would it be the same for a Mech geared with a melee weapon? I think when I originally asked about this, I was considering adding one to my mech.
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the multiple target thing. When I first read it, I interpreted that the -2 would apply to all attacks once a second target was declared, which would include the first target as well. That said, I could see where it could be interpreted as a -2 to the second target, -4 to the third, with no negative effects on the primary target.
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Sorry all. Been busy. Will try to catch up on rules questions later today.
In the meantime, I just want to confirm that you are grabbing the T-Bolt and Blackjack. Lapeidra's piloting and assuming all are helping means that you all manage to outrun them back to the evac point.
Of course, given how much equipment you are shoving into that tiny little Leopard dropship, I can't help but visualize the T-Bolt strapped to the roof of the dropship like an elk carcass atop a 1970 Gran Torino. ;)
Yeah, if we can restore the blackjack, its a great mech due to its ability to be mobile and pewpewpew from range.
Also, Markus would want to roll resources for procuring a big f%%*ing barell of reasonable booze to appease the gods of air support Lieutenant Tate
That should be pretty gud booze indeed!
I'm also good with the blackjack and thhunderbolt.
Same, though I wish we could have grabbed the Jenner.
Okay by my count you have the following mechs:
Phoenix Hawk - Markus
Phoenix Hawk - Jack
Griffin - Gunny
Panther - Lapeidra
Wasp - Lloyd
Wasp - Charly
Commando - (Gunny's previous mech)
Locust - (NPC - Shauna)
Blackjack - Partial
Thunderbolt - Partial
I'll count the Blackjack and T-Bolt as only 2/3 of a mech for the moment, still that is 8 and 2/3 mechs for a dropship that typically holds 4 (6 since the aerospace hangers are already modified to accommodate 2 light mechs).
You need space for additional passengers (usual ship holds 6 mechwarriors plus 9 crew). Passengers basically double the current crew list. We can hand wave this for now, but travel will be uncomfortable, cramped, and put serious strain on the enviro systems when in space.
Space can be made to fit 1 more working mech plus the two salvaged mechs for a total of 7 and 2/3 mechs. So what do you keep and what gets left behind?
Okay on to some rules questions.
Salvage of 'Destroyed' Equipment: Here is what I'm going with from the previous discussion. "For items with the Destroyed aspect, there is a secondary roll at the end of combat. This would be a straight up FATE roll with no skill modifier. From -4 to 0 the item is indeed destroyed and cannot be salvaged. Then from +1 to +4 the item can be salvaged but requires time and a Tech Overcome to rebuild it into working order. I'm thinking the higher the initial salvage roll, then the lower the Tech roll required with +4 being there actually isn't a roll required. So a +1 would require a +6 Tech Overcome. +2 would equal a +5 Overcome. +3 would equal a +4 Overcome to repair. That allows for more potential salvage, but require time and facilities to repair. The exception being when a mech does suffer massive damage and fusion reactor breach. Then there just isn't going to be anything left. So I will go back and roll for the Jenner's medium lasers and SRM4. But the Panther blew up with no possible salvage."
So based on that we have a lot of potential salvage weapons: LRM15 (T-Bolt), Large Laser x2 (Phoenix Hawk and T-Bolt), AC2 x2 (Blackjack), Medium Lasers x7 (T-Bolt, Blackjack, Phoenix Hawk), SRM2 (T-Bolt).
Now Gunny, Jack, Markus, and Charly are busy carrying the mech chassis'. That leaves Lloyd and Lapeidra to grab other stuff. I'd say each can carry up to one Large Module (LRM 15), 2 Medium Modules (LL), or 4 Small/Tiny Modules worth of goods.
Rolls in order listed above:
Destroyed
Destroyed
Destroyed
Destroyed
Destroyed
+5 Repair
Destroyed
Destroyed
Destroyed
Destroyed
+6 Repair
+6 Repair
Destroyed
Wow. Sorry, those were some really bad rolls.
But on a happier note, the T-Bolt wasn't completely Destroyed. You have a working engine and only a Damaged gyro, but its leg was blown off. Still it can be repaired given some time. The Blackjack does need a new engine and gryo as well as an entire upper torso and arm mount rebuild.
For melee attacks I think I'm going to reverse what I may have said earlier and say you cannot shoot and melee within the same attack action. The reason being is that the two take different skills. Shooting=Gunnery, Melee=Piloting thus it really feels like it breaks the one action per turn rule.
Now, like most things in FATE, this could be changed with a stunt. Something simple like
Close Combat Specialist: When piloting a mech, you can make both melee and ranged attacks within one Attack action.
I think the same is true for multiple targets. The base rule becomes only one target per Attack action. But a stunt allows that to be altered.
Shoot 'Em All: When making an Attack action you can target more than one enemy within that action. Invokes and boosts only apply to one target per use.
This could also be a mech stunt:
Advanced Targeting System: When piloting this mech, you may target more than one hostile unit when making an Attack action. Invokes and boosts only apply to one target per use.
Note that there is no longer a -2 involved. That simply goes away.
Hey Jack, I have a crazy idea that I think we could try.
What if we overclocked the Leopard's engines?
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Sure, now you roll like s+~@. I coulda used some of those when Lapeidra's Panther was getting hammered. All's well, that ends well.
Finally, this is a good point to just check in to make sure you all are interested in continuing on. If not, that is totally fine. But if so, then now would also be a good time to go ahead and rework your characters if you wish to do so. Change around skills, stunts, and aspects. For skills, just be sure to maintain the same FATE 'pyramid' structure.
I'll try to have that change I asked about done this weekend. (Changing her trouble to "Doesn't Handle Failure Well") Probably going to be lots of chances to invoke that one. :P
I'm interested in continuing and would swap out Sensors skill and stunts.
Space can be made to fit 1 more working mech plus the two salvaged mechs for a total of 7 and 2/3 mechs. So what do you keep and what gets left behind?
From what I can gather, Leopard Drop ships sound like they are fairly customizable. They generally accommodate (4) Mechs and (2) aerospace fighters, which constitutes an air lance. With an allocated 150 tons for each Mech and each fighter, the ship accommodates a whopping 900 tons of available space. Many drop ships will remove the aerospace fighter bays to accommodate cargo, or in our case, allow for more Mechs seeing we field more than (4). It also accommodates 9 crew, as mentioned, and enough room for the pilots of the carried vehicles.
There is zero allocated space for cargo. That said, left over tonnage, not used for other purposes could be repurposed into cargo space for scrap or additional bays for smaller Mechs. Currently we exceed the Mech limit of (4), but we aren’t even half of the ship’s tonnage capability.
Leopard Dropship Aka "The Brick"
Phoenix Hawk – Markus 45 tons
Phoenix Hawk – Jack 45 tons
Griffin – Gunny 55 tons
Panther – Lapeidra 35 tons
Wasp – Lloyd 20 tons
Wasp – Charly 20 tons
Commando - (Gunny's previous mech) 25 tons
Locust - (NPC - Shauna) 20 tons
Blackjack – Partial 2/3 45 tons = 30 tons
Thunderbolt – Partial 2/3 65 tons = rounded up to 44 tons
Total tonnage = 339 out of 900 tons.
If I had to choose to leave one behind, I would select a wasp, even though it's a functional Mech. As fare as reworking Gunny's build. I would defiantly like to make some changes now that I have a better understanding of the game. Overall, I'm enjoying the game. That said, I know running it has to be taxing. So, as GM, if you decide to pull out, there would be no hard feelings on my part. I know it's a lot of work.
Yeah, if we have to leave anything behind I'd vote a Wasp. One of Lloyd or Charly could swap to the Commando.
This is one thing I always chuckled about in the video games, how you could have a limited number of deployed 'Mechs and then dozens of pieces of them in storage. Could we maybe consider some kind of 'storage' state for 'Mechs like the latest Battletech video game did, that will let them take up less space? Infinite storage is definitely too much, but being able to fit some for backups is a necessity.
Looks like we only got three Medium Lasers in terms of equipment salvage from these 'Mechs. We could maybe strip out another ML and the SRM if we have to leave a Wasp behind, though if we're in a rush to take off before more pirates arrive we may not have time for it.
I'm debating if there's anything I want to tweak for Lloyd. Maybe moving "It’s Great as Long as I Forget it’s Not a Sim" from being one of his aspects to being his Trouble... not that there's much difference between the two spots.
This is one thing I always chuckled about in the video games, how you could have a limited number of deployed 'Mechs and then dozens of pieces of them in storage.
I believe the limit is based upon the bays available. Each bay is set up to accommodate a base of 150 tons. Seeing the largest Mech is 100 tons, which leaves 50 tones dedicated to equipment, parts, etc. Taking into account that we likely aren’t supporting two aerospace jets, at 150 tons each, that would allow for the extra two working bays for our six Mech Lance. That still leaves a lot of extra tonnage that can be allocated as storage due to our Mechs being small to medium. Personally, I define a Mech Bay as an open location where a Mech is anchored and has enough room that allows for lifts, cranes, and the pullies necessary to repair and work on Mechs. Storage, on the other hand, would be packed away. Meaning you could not work on or repair anything in there. The one exception would possibly be the ability to remove components and move them to the existing bays.
If we went with this custom build, we would need to allocate which six Mech's are being stored in the Bays and which are being packed into storage. It would also come with an understanding that our six bays are custom and would need to have a tonnage cap assigned to them. For instance, if we created a 100-ton bay, that would accommodate up to a fifty-ton Mech, with fifty ton's being allocated for equipment. That would then allow for fifty tons of storage space. Or we could simply leave the bay at 150 tons and fill it to the point that it can't be utilized and thus becomes storage. Sort of a design your ship type of thing.
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a) In Generalities
Space can be made to fit 1 more working mech plus the two salvaged mechs for a total of 7 and 2/3 mechs. So what do you keep and what gets left behind?
Total tonnage = 339 out of 900 tons.
Um, I also would like to appeal this decision that storage is based on "mechs" rather than "tonnage".
That a ship has 4 "bays" merely indicates that it has 4 places for mechs to be locked in and hooked up to maintenance machines--scaffolding for repairs, automatic coolant circulators, diagnostic computers, hydraulic fluid changers, snow-cone makers...all the things that make a mech combat ready. But there must be a walkway, and space for the techs to maneuver around.
Now if more of this space was taken up by spare parts and cargo and de-activated mechs, then we stretch the definition of what the ship can carry.
To take up the Battletech video game example, you do only have a finite amount of active "bays" for active mechs. When you go beyond that (pretty quickly) you have the option to "deactivate" a mech and send it to storage. Should you wish to bring that mech online, there is a lead-up time as the stripped-out mech must needs by given a full load out.
B) On Specifics
Specifically, if we are forced to pick a mech, I would rather take a WASP and cut it into 3,4, even 5 parts, and shove it into spare-parts space. This is because what we are going to do (spoilers!) is use a WASP's gyro to get the Thunderbolt back online. (It's cannon that all gyros are three tons and mostly identical.) Strip out the weapons (of course) and maybe use the rest as parts to fix the Internal Structure of the T-Bolt and BJ, and there won't be much left. Hence, it is spare parts now, so it's just a matter of how we shove it in there.
C) Meta.
I always try to keep an eye on the Big Picture. I know that the video game gives the players infinite storage space. That's because keeping track of things is hard, and throwing away hard-won loot is Not. Fun. We can see, in this fight, that mech chassises (is that the plural of chassis? My spell-checker is freaking out on me about that one) are easy to come by, but weapons and stuff to put on them is -hard-. We have the skeletons of two big, powerful mechs, but we didn't get enough weapons to even loadout a light mech (assuming we can repair all three of them!).
Hence, I would council keeping the video game's precedent of mandating 4 (or 6, in this case) active mechs, but anything beyond that is not ready for immediate combat as it is stored in a space-efficient manner that has sacrificed combat readiness. (I can think that you could fit several mechs into a single bay by just having them locked at attention at close ranks, butt-to-balls.)
Gunny’s reallocations
Athletics (+4) | Piloting (+3) | Gunnery (+3) | Engineering-Tech (+2) | Resources (+2) | Shoot (+2) | Fight (+1) | Toughness (+1) | Will (+1) | Contacts (+1)
I have completed the changes for Gunny. He should be good to go from here.
I'm ditching Sensors and both Stunts. Question: what are the effects of knocking a mech down? Does it suffer any damage? Does it lose its Defend action or is it easier to target? Does it require a Piloting roll to stand up, and does it lose its move action for that round? Can it be pinned down by another mech standing on it? I like the flavor of Death From Above and may be interested in designing around that if its worthwhile.
Lapeidra: I'll try to answer you knock down questions. This is all a first draft at this point.
First, a mech doesn't take any additional damage from the knockdown itself. Damage happens with the actual melee attack or whatever caused the knockdown. However, the pilot automatically takes 1 point of stress damage and the mech automatically gains the Prone aspect.
Additional mech damage would apply if a longer fall occurs (ie. Knocked off a tall building, over a cliff edge, off an elevated landing platform, etc.).
Falling damage = (tonnage / 10 (round up)) * number of levels of the fall.
So a Locust that gets shoved from a Level 2 cliff to a Level 0 plain would take 4 ((20/10)*2) points of armor damage. In addition, the pilot takes 1 additional point of stress damage per level fallen. So in this example the pilot would take the initial point for being knocked down plus to more stress for the level 2 fall. A total of 3 physical stress.
A jump capable mech can avoid this falling damage and the Prone aspect with a successful Piloting roll vs a base difficulty of +4. The difficulty increases by the difference between the levels of the fall. So for the above example, if it was a jump capable Wasp instead, the difficulty to avoid fall damage would be +6. Base +4 plus 2 for the fall from level 2 to level 0.
Non jump capable mechs that fall one level or more can attempt an immediate Piloting Overcome with a difficulty base of +4 plus the difference between levels fallen to avoid becoming Prone at the end of the fall. All mech and pilot damage still occurs, but the mech is able to land on its feet.
The Prone aspect lasts until the fallen mech regains its feet. All enemies get 1 free invoke of Prone each turn the aspect exists. This invoke can only be used for Attacks or Defends against the Prone mech. Prone mechs can make a Piloting roll to Overcome the aspect with a base difficulty of +2. Prone mechs cannot make Gunnery based attacks. A prone mech can make melee attacks. A Prone mech can still Defend.
Thanks DM. I disagree with the Piloting Overcome rule. Discounting the effect of gravity on planets with varying mass, falling happens too quickly to do anything but land. I fell from a ladder once and it happened so fast I didn't have time to think. Plus, it would seem like the longer the distance you fall, the better your chance of being able to engage jump jets, so like, the opposite of the rule you have. DFA is defensible like any other melee attack, and if you fail to defend you get knocked prone, simple enough.
Does overcoming the Prone aspect consume movement? I think it should. In the BT video game, standing from prone is your move action for that round. Perhaps a success with style on the Overcome roll lets you move 1/2 speed that round.
Dropship cargo area: I did some digging through the battletech Tech Manual and some of the other rules books. So basically each mech bay does use up 150 tons of space. However, that 150 tons includes gantries, ammo, parts storage, all the tools and equipment needed to reload/rearmor/repair a single mech, etc. All that equipment takes up part of that space and tonnage. Since the largest mech is 100 tons. We could say the remaining 50 tons give or take a couple covers that equipment and the open space needed for techs to actually move around and do the work. Thus removing one of these specialized bays would indeed provide 150 tons worth of space that you could then use as pure non-combat ready mech 'stackable' storage.
But it'll take some time to create that pure cargo space. So for the moment let's just say you've got 600 tons worth of mech storage space.
Then yes, you could jam all of the mechs onboard. You've got 339 tons worth of mechs and 600 tons worth of space. You've also got about a dozen extra passengers. (I think it was around 12, I haven't gone back to make sure, but 10-12 sounds right.) Basic steerage class cabins = 5 tons worth of space. Now you obviously don't have actual bunked cabins, but room does need to be made to accommodate the extra passengers in someway. So maybe we just bump the 339 by 36 tons (3 tons per vs 5. This would be more of a volume vs actual weight type usage.) So that puts you all at 375 tons, leaving 225 worth of space.
I do think there is still a downside in that having multiple mechs in a bay makes it more challenging to conduct repairs as there is simply less room. It's the difference between changing a water pump in a clean, spacious, organized garage vs. doing so in the garage filled with way too much junk...aka, my garage.
So, you've got room for all the salvage and mechs. No need to leave anything behind. But the dropship gains the "Over Crowded" and the "Where Are We Putting All This Stuff" aspects.
The other part of the challenge here is limited time. Those heavies are still in pursuit, so there isn't much time to make wholesale changes to the internal ship structure. Not yet anyway.
Mech Tech roll to figure out how to stack the mechs in there pronto?
[Insert WH40K meme of how ten marines fit in a Landraider because I can't find it.]
@ DM-Tareth: I think all that sounds reasonable to me, as I believe the overcrowded condition is likely temporary. Once we get these people to where they are heading, that should clear up. That begs an in game none rule related question.
I'm mentally having some trouble visualizing our set up. Are we operating 100% from the dropship? Or is the drop ship simply a transport from a larger ship or a base of operation? I presume we are heading back to our starting point to drop off these fine people and unload what salvage we don't wish to keep. From there, we would likely repair, reequip, and modify our Mechs. This would include searching for upgrade components and making modifications as time permits. Assuming we have a base of operation, I would presume that's where we would store unused components that we don't wish to sell. Say, something like extra weapon systems, gyros, heat sinks, armor, etc.
During this time, we could address the dropship and how it could be customized to fit our specific needs. An example would be, not having 100-tons of space allocated to a 20-ton Mech. Personally, I think it is a good rule of thumb to make a 50-ton requirement for each operational bay for equipment and working space, unlike your garage. That said, I think allocating how large of a bay we want should be possible with a little work. Any excess tonnage could be allocated to something else. Most likely, but not limited to, STORAGE. (I mean, everyone loves a large backpack, right?) This would mean, as our lance grows in size, (Think Larger Mechs or More Mechs), our storage capability would shrink. In the future we could work out a drop ship specifically designated to retrieve scrap, which would allow us to field a heavier lance or include aerospace jets and (or) ground units. For what it's worth, that's my two cents worth of opinion, anyway.
First, we have to load up the Last of Nine (I love that name, by the way) and get the heck off planet.
Now, the big question is how do we keep someone from offing Diego?
We don't.
I vote we place him in a secured room, more for his own protection, and then off load him first.
Oh, the Airlock is very secure. ;)
Lapeidra has her own ideas.
We can just land on the next continent instead of going full off planet, and also check if we can barter for stuff with other merc units.
Are we talking about to offload Diego?
Command might have some questions for him seeing his alternative is likely death at the hands of his own crew. That would motivate anyone to spill the beans and might lead to another objective.
Yeah, I think turning him over to the operation's command would be best if we can.
Assuming he didn't recognize the Locust coming and decide to take his chances off in the woods.
Actually, is there a Diego shaped grease stain on any of the refugees' mechs and other vehicles?
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Thanks DM. I disagree with the Piloting Overcome rule. Discounting the effect of gravity on planets with varying mass, falling happens too quickly to do anything but land. I fell from a ladder once and it happened so fast I didn't have time to think. Plus, it would seem like the longer the distance you fall, the better your chance of being able to engage jump jets, so like, the opposite of the rule you have. DFA is defensible like any other melee attack, and if you fail to defend you get knocked prone, simple enough.
Does overcoming the Prone aspect consume movement? I think it should. In the BT video game, standing from prone is your move action for that round. Perhaps a success with style on the Overcome roll lets you move 1/2 speed that round.
Sorry, I forgot to mention actual movement. Since movement works a little differently in FATE. Completing the Overcome from Prone, means you are unable to change Zones for that round. So from an RP perspective you are upright and mobile enough to Defend or shift around within your current zone, but you aren't able to advance/retreat to another zone.
For falls of distances of 1 level or more I think I'll just do away with any modifiers. If you succeed vs an Overcome of +5, then you can land on your feet. A doable challenge for a skill of +3 or +4 but certainly not a guarantee. Much harder for anyone with only a +1 or +2 skill level. Again, all damage still applies regardless of the Overcome result for non-jump capable mechs. Jump capable mechs can reduce Fall damage by 1 for each jump move point of the mech.
And yes, for anyone hit by a DFA and who isn't knocked off of some elevated height, then there isn't any Overcome roll. If the initial Defend fails, then they are knocked prone.
So the options are basically damage from DFA and knocked prone (this is what will happen most of the time.) OR damage from melee/DFA plus a fall from a height (This is very dependent on terrain and RP as it is totally situational and won't occur as often.). Falling from a height causes additional falling damage and potentially Prone depending on result of the Fall Overcome of +5 vs Piloting. Jump capable mechs that succeed in the Overcome also reduce the damage by the number of Jump movement points of the mech. (This reduction does not occur if the mechs Jump Jets are Damaged or Destroyed.)
It's worth noting that a Fall from height could also be caused by other things such as a failed piloting Overcome roll when moving along a cliff; a shove, charge, or other similar kind of melee Attack with an intent to forcefully move a mech; collapsing a bridge being crossed by enemy mechs. Again, probably rare, but not impossible situations.
Without glancing through the book, which I don't currently have access to, is there any ill effects to the performing Mech doing a DFA?
@ DM-Tareth: I'm mentally having some trouble visualizing our set up. Are we operating 100% from the dropship? Or is the drop ship simply a transport from a larger ship or a base of operation?
Gunny: A good question. So as a newly formed mercenary company, you are basically operating strictly out of the Last of Nine. Your dropship is your home and base of operations. Under this particular contract, you are partnered with the Canopian Vikhaus and another merc company the Golden Janissaries who have their own dropship. You all traveled in system on the Canopian jumpship Glory's Crossing which is sitting out at the nadir jump point approximately 3 days travel from Stettin III.
Being a lost periphery world with little to no contact with the rest of the inner sphere for over eighty years, Stettin III has no real functioning facilities for major dropship overhauls/upgrades. At least as far as anyone knows. Certainly landing in a less contested area gives you ample opportunity to do some work yourselves. But purchasing any new equipment or parts or other materials is pretty impossible until the overall mission is completed and you can return to a more 'civilized' system. In addition, since there is a hostile force still in system and you must assume they have a dropship of their own somewhere, there is always the threat of a counterstrike if they manage to catch you or the Janissaries grounded for repairs or refitting.
The Janissaries dropship is a bigger Union class dropship and thus likely has more room to absorb passengers/cargo than your smaller Leopard. (A Union class is 3500 tons and has 12 mech bays plus 2 aerospace fighter bays.) Are they willing to do so? No one has asked yet. Also, the Union dropship is currently serving as the command ship in orbit after bailing out the Janissaries when Hutton hit them with all his unexpected firepower. Given losses from that encounter they might be willing to do some horsetrading for working mechs as at least one or two of their crew are now among the Dispossessed (mechwarriors with no mech).
Without glancing through the book, which I don't currently have access to, is there any ill effects to the performing Mech doing a DFA?
Gunny: Yes, you take half the damage you cause in the initial DFA attack.
Which I think is pretty in line with Battletech rules historically. DFA's have always been a dangerous attack with high potential damage to all involved. I have eliminated the additional Piloting roll usually required for the attacker to remain standing after a DFA.
Actually, is there a Diego shaped grease stain on any of the refugees' mechs and other vehicles?
Heh...I've seriously considered this possibility, but that didn't seem quite fair. So I've left him available to talk to....at least for the moment.