Donnerstag, 19. Mai 2022

DFA Destiny: Taugt der Mix aus BT Classic und Alpha Strike?

Gestern habe ich das erste 'Mech-Gefecht nach den Basisregeln von „Death From Above: Destiny“ bestritten. Hier meine Einschätzung:

Wie zu erwarten war, positioniert sich DFA Destiny ziemlich genau zwischen Classic BattleTech und Alpha Strike. Die einzelnen 'Mechs in ihrer individuellen Bewaffnung erhalten wieder mehr Charakter, was das Spiel aber auch etwas langsamer macht. Aber eben nicht so langsam wie in Classic. Hat man die „Destiny-Regeln“ einmal verinnerlicht, lässt sich ein 8 vs. 8 wahrscheinlich an einem normalen Spieleabend von ca. 3 Stunden beenden – mit weniger Einheiten geht’s entsprechend schneller.

Wilder Regelmix

Was jedoch die „Destiny-Regeln“ angeht, hier bietet die Rules Reference von Death From Above (DFA) nur ziemlich genau das, was der Name sagt: Referenzen zu verschiedenen Regeln aus Total War, Alpha Strike und MechWarrior: Destiny. Ohne diese Regelbücher zu kennen, oder besser zu besitzen, geht es zumindest am Anfang nicht. Hat man die Regeln aber einmal auf dem Kasten und muss man nicht mehr so viel blättern, läuft die Partie recht flüssig.

Weniger Bewegung und Reichweite = mehr Taktik?

Besonders gefällt mir die im Vergleich zu Alpha Strike reduzierten Waffen- und Bewegungsreichweiten. Während sich in Alpha Strike ganze Kompanien auf dem Gelände einer einzigen BT-Grundkarte prügeln, verdoppelt DFA Destiny so das verfügbare Gelände und zwingt durch die etwas komplexeren Regeln eher 8 statt 12 Einheiten pro Seite einzusetzen. Das macht die Gefechte taktischer, weil die Einheiten mehr Bewegungsfreiraum erhalten, ohne von einem Atlas auf 24 Zoll mit 5 Schadenspunkten über den Haufen geballert zu werden.

Knackpunkt Initiative

Großer Diskussionspunkt am Ende der Testpartie war die Initiativregel, denn die hat DFA scheinbar in Anlehnung an HBS' BattleTech selbst entwickelt. Der TMM-Wert der Einheit (Mech, Fahrzeug etc.) und der Taktikwert des Piloten/der Crew haben entschiedenen Anteil daran, wann sich welche Einheit zu bewegen hat. Assault-'Mechs etwa brauchen schon einen sehr hohen (und kostspieligen) Taktikwert, um nicht immer als erste ziehen zu müssen.

Ich finde das großartig. Andere aber bevorzugen die taktischen Optionen eines Classic oder Alpha Strike, indem sie zuerst den günstigen Locust ziehen, um den Atlas dann als letzten zu bewegen. Kann ich verstehen, aber ich mag die DFA-Initiativregel, da so leichte und mittlere Einheiten mehr taktische Optionen erhalten und es am Ende nicht nur auf die brachiale Feuerkraft und massive Panzerung überschwerer Einheiten hinausläuft.

Das Fazit

Classic BattleTech ist weiterhin mein Favorit, weil ich dessen Detailgrad und zahlreichen taktischen Optionen einfach liebe. Für den Alltag aber ist DFA Destiny das weitaus tauglichere Regelsystem. Vor allem dann, wenn man mit Leuten spielt, die eher selten an der Platte sitzen, über weniger Zeit verfügen oder eben nicht als Teenager mit dem BT-Kompendium unter dem Kopfkissen geschlafen haben. Destiny tut aber besonders eines: Es bügelt die aus meiner Sicht größten Schwachpunkte von Alpha Strike aus. Und es versprüht gleichzeitig eine dezente Dosis des Charmes eines Classic BattleTech, das ich so sehr liebe.

Mehr zu DFA Destiny:

DFA Destiny Rules References & mehr (PDF)

Intro-Video zu DFA Destiny auf YouTube (Englisch)

Fan-Video auf Deutsch (empfehlenswert!)

 





Sonntag, 27. Oktober 2019

Eridani Light Horse - finally complete


Sixteen months after I did the basic coating and the bases, I finally finished my company of Eridani Light Horses. I added laser and cockpit colors and these nice looking Eridani Light Horse decals. I selected mainly light and medium Mechs, according to the units philosophy. Only one fast heavy Battlemech, the Ostroc, is found in their ranks. Some slower mediums like the Hunchback are there as well, to give the company more punch.

I find it interesting to have a Hatchetman and a Wolfhound as well, because one of them was created by fellow mercenaries (Kell Hounds) and the other one a fairly new design of the Lyran Commonwealth. I think the Light Horse would be in the position to muster Battlemechs like these.

I painted the mechs very similar to each other, to reflect the Star League Defense Forces background of this unit. The Eridani Light Horses are one of the best mercenaries of the Inner Sphere with a long history. The commanders would look after details like this.

My next project: the famous Kell Hounds! :-)

Scout lance

Flanker lance

Combat lance

Samstag, 1. Juni 2019

Falcon Guard: Trinary Bravo complete!

 

Some quests do take a while... In this case even longer than the completion of my Gray Death Legion, which took me about 5-6 years. The Falcon Guard is another thing: I started the trinary back in the mid 1990s, when I bought the scenario book "The Battle for Twycross".

Now with the second Stormcrow I have finished this quest. Last things to do: I need more Elementals and of course the Jade Falcon decals, which I ordered today at Fighting Pirannha.
 
Bravo Chase
Bravo Fire

Samstag, 18. Mai 2019

An incredibly beautiful gesture

"Matsumura Hatake-san loses his rank of Tai-sa and will be appointed to another position."
Message from Dieron Military District to 36th Dieron Regulars, March 30th, 3053


With these words my unit stripped me of my rank on May 4th this year. It was the conclusion of my former resignation as the CO of the 36th Dieron Regulars. Leading the unit for about 6.5 years, I felt this would be the right step. Even though my comrades had to let me go ... at least in a way, they came up with a trick to keep me in service: They promoted me.

As a result of the Combines and FRR strategic victory during the Operation Thor II, which I commanded, they gave me the rank of Tai-sho. Which means General in the Draconis Combine Military Soldiery (DCMS).

Domo arigatou gozaimasu! *bowsdeeply*

Sonntag, 17. Februar 2019

Battle Report: Operation Thor II - The Ronin War













Feb 1st, 3035
Planet Radlje, Free Rasalhague Republic
(former Military District Rasalhague, Draconis Combine)


As the Kurita fleet went down on the icy world of Radlje, the flames of the engines evaporated the frost on the ships’ hulls within milliseconds. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, an overlord class dropship completely covered in dark red and painted with a large black dragon, took the lead position. Flanked by a flight of Shilone heavy aerospace fighters, it must have been a beautiful sight – at least for the loyalists on the planets surface, waiting for the relieve force. For the Ronin instead, it must have felt like a guillotine coming down on them.

The Ronin were renegades. As warriors of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery they had refused to follow the command of the Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita to leave the planet and head for the Kurita core regions. In 3034 Theodore had decided to release Rasalhague to independence. But some of the DCMS forces didn’t want to give up the territories their fathers and grandfathers have spilled their blood for centuries. Others remained only to protect the Kurita civilians from the wrath of the Swedenese mob. 
 
For Tai-sa Hatake Matsumura all of this was of little concern. As a man of absolute loyalty to Theodore Kurita, he was determined to follow his orders: break all resistance and punish the perpetrators. The only thing he didn’t like about his assignment was his task force. Or better: its individual elements. Next to some loyal Kurita units like the Swords of Light and some Regulars, he was forced to work with members of the Kungs Armé as well as Mercenaries and even some military “advisors” of the hated Lyran Commonwealth!

From his point of view, he would have left all but his loyal DCMS forces behind. Surely those Ronin were no match for him and the Swords of Light. But there were political layers he couldn’t ignore. And after all, he had his orders from the Kanrei personally! And a soldier has to carry out one’s duty…

8 strategic targets are
connected by a rail network.
So much for the “fluff” of the Ronin Campaign. The Hamburg division of MechForce Germany ran an event from 1st to 3rd of February. 36 players and a staff of 10 people took part in this large 3 days’ battle. 6 tactical rounds were played and incredible 42 engagements were fought. Not to forget all the good laughs, the anger (about missed dice roles) and of course: the booze! :-D

When I arrived on Friday to my surprise I was appointed as the CO of the loyalist faction. While an old buddy of mine, Thori, took the lead of the Ronin. So after all this became a true brotherly battle. To even the odds, the game master decided all units on both sides had to combat drop randomly. The battlefield was represented by a huge map of Alaska with a layer of hex fields on it. 


The first day: Dropping on enemy territory

By luck most of the Ronin went down around the city of Anchorage, which was also the capital in our Ronin scenario. The Loyalists instead landed for the most part in the north and west of the map. Only a few units came down behind enemy lines. But those who did, played a major role soon after…

Green: Loyalist, Red: Ronin
As a good Kurita soldier, I decided to engage as soon and as hard as possible. Six fights were on in the first tactical round. In the beginning I wanted to know what we were up against, because both sides had a variety of light, medium, heavy, assault and artillery assets at their disposal. Based on their weight class their movement speed corresponded on the strategic map:
  • 1 hex for assault units
  • 2 hexes for artillery units
  • 2 hexes for heavy units
  • 3 hexes for medium units
  • 4 hexes for light units
All units were BattleMechs (no tanks, no infantry etc.), both sides had one Raven with ECM in their ranks.

To win the campaign, one side had to occupy more strategic targets on the map than the other. There were eight targets like the spaceport, a sea harbour, loading stations etc. Holding some of them granted the occupying side perks like performing a combat drop every three tactical rounds if you owned the spaceport.

At this point my units, which dropped behind enemy lines, came into play: While the main forces engaged the enemies where they stood, the ones in the rear of the Ronin headed straight for the strategic targets. Meanwhile my combat units managed to bind some of the lighter and though faster Ronin. As a result, the Loyalists made the race to 6 of the 8 strategic targets before the Ronin could get there. I’d like to single out the unluckiest person I treaded this way: Outlaw. I managed to attack him and his light/medium unit three rounds in a row with an assault unit. Outlaw had no chance to win, even though he managed to slip away three times. It needed lucky shots in the third engagement to kill at least Outlaws Spider – with two hits to the head!

In the night from Friday to Saturday, when the fighting came to an end, the progress of the Loyalists was satisfactory: We already held 4 out of 8 strategic targets, while the opponents only managed to take 2. The rest was still unoccupied. In return the Ronin scored slightly better on the kill board. 


Loyalists on the attack.
The second day: Main Stage Spaceport

On Saturday morning the fighting continued, but this time the Ronin took a much more active stance. Thori, my opposing commander, tried to disengage from my main force, while he pushed south towards the spaceport. Only a light/medium unit of the Phoenix Guard held the place and would not stand a chance on the long run. So I took the risk and intercepted the incoming forces on route to the port. Performing a wonderful delaying action, while the Loyalist main force raced south-east to the rescue!

The plan succeeded and the Phoenix Guard not only managed to hold the port, they did some kills. To strengthen the defence, in the sixth round I dropped in an assault unit and the perimeter held. 

Side Stages

Meanwhile there were some smaller units fighting in the west, east and north for secondary targets. In the north the factory changed hands three times, while decimated loyalist defenders clinged on the radio station until the very end. The western skirmishes were kinda special for me. First of all, my unit was involved directly and my opponent was Detlef Howe, one of the founders of the first MechForce Germany in 1993. Detlef alias “The Major” rolled my first MechForce BattleMech in 1994, a Hunchback-4G. I payed the BattleTech Central in Essen a visit to sign in and that was that. So I was really excited to fight a match with him 25 years later.

Unfortunately, the mission I had to fulfill was to act as a binding force and to slow the Major down, while he approached the western railway loading station. His unit consisted of a few very agile light and medium machines plus some artillery Battlemechs … and a Raven with ECM. So I couldn’t do much more than distracting him and buy some time. In the fifth tactical round more powerful loyalist units were entrenched enough in the railway station, so I let the Major of the hook and he tried to take the station – but didn’t succeed. 

Final push to Anchorage.
The last night: Advancing Anchorage

You want to know what happened to the capital? Anchorage was a pretty safe place for the Ronin for the most time. But in the end of the campaign I ordered a sizeable push towards the large city along the western railroad. The fighting in the suburbs and in the downtown area were grim. When the dust settled in the night from Saturday and Friday, it became apparent that it was a draw. Half of the capital was still held by the Ronin, while the other half was freed by the Loyalists. 

Results & Aftermath

At the end the Loyalists held 6 out of 8 strategic targets. The capital, Anchorage, was still contested while the Ronin controlled only a subterranean railway station in the north-east. Therefore, the Loyalist faction achieved a major strategical victory!

But the Ronin did not despair. In the sixth and last tactical round the still had the chance to turn the tables and they put up some great fights. Almost everyone was happy with the end of the campaign. Personally it’s been absolutely fun for me. I met some old buddies I hadn’t seen for decades and I made some new friends.

My thanks go out for the Northern German BT Division, you guys did an awesome job! Already looking forward to Operation Thor III in 2021

@Fotos: Danke an Thorsten Elfers für die tollen Bilder!

It's Thoris (center) turn to set one of his units on the strategic map.
Blue flags are loyalist units, white ones for the Ronin.
Delaying action: Storyteller (black pullover) and Peer (blue) are fighting Detlef "The Major" Howe (left).
A lot of fighting during Saturday.
Thori (2nd from the left) and Storyteller (me sitting front/right)
during a movement phase at the strategic map.

42 battles were fought from Friday evening to Saturday night!
Aaaaaand ... the result:
The loyalist achieved a major victory!
But we all had a great time.
A rare view: A Steiner banner next to Kurita flag.

The 2019 combined banner of
MechForce Germany and Team Trueborn.
Some of you may notice the artwork on top:
36th Dieron Regulars by Spooky777!

Samstag, 8. September 2018

The two Princes: Ian & Hanse Davion

I know, some people criticized my paint style of Ian Davions Atlas'. I tried to make him more dirty and battle wary than most of my former mechs and I am not 100% happy with the result either. A bit too much on all sides. Anyhow, I think it is not as bad as some people said it is.

Anyhow, I gave it another try: I had a Battlemaster for about three years in reserve, only primed in black. Hanse Davion piloted a B-master in the BattleTech lore, so the choice became obvious. I tried to use less paint than before and payed more attention to the details. I think I did better, but it's still far from what I had in mind originally.

What do you think?

Donnerstag, 6. September 2018

Midsummer Fight 2018 - Aftermath


As the dust settled and the thick black smoke, boiling from the remains of the massive torso, were gone with the wind, a mauled figure leaned next to a giant canyon wall. Just as if it was sitting there to rest a while. Where the Crusader has left some red paint, it seemed as if the BattleMech was glowing. But it was just the last light of the setting sun reflecting from the hull. As the 100 tons Davion Atlas exploded a few moments before, the Crusader was taken off his feet and thrown against the walls - like a kids doll.

A huge shadow fell over the Crusader: a Warhammer in the same paint scheme, but almost brand new. "Chu-i Brelow..." a voice cracked through the com. Not sure if interfered by static or if the speaker had just a lump in his throat. "You ... you killed the First Prince." With his last words, the voice seemed to regain strength. "You killed the one, I was supposed to kill. You took the honor from me!" Now Brelow clearly recognized who was talking to him: Chu-sa Yorinaga Kurita, XO of the 2nd Sword of Light. And a member of the royal family - even if he was not closely related to the coordinator. 

"Sumimasen deshita, Kurita Yorinaga-sama!" Below suddenly broke out. "I did not mean to ... I ... I was prepared to die. But then ... it all went so fast." The young Chu-i tried to wipe away the sweat, dropping into his eyes. But the clunky helmet and his gloves prevented him from succeeding. "If ... if you want satisfaction, I ... will do what is necessary, Kurita Yorinaga-sama." Below said with a sudden drop of spirit in his voice. For a brief moment nothing happened, but it felt like an eternity to the Crusader's pilot. Suddenly the Warhammer began moving again, setting the sun free, forcing Below to blink. While Yorinaga Kuritas Warhammer slowly walked away from the scene, his last words were: "Shikata ga nai."

From Friday 31st of August to the 1st of September, it was BT time again in Oberasbach, close to Nuremberg in Germany. Alex had organized the Midsummer Fight again, this time with a few guests from Cologne and Koblenz. Some of the participants joined me in my mini campaign "Mallory's World", which consisted of three of the early fights in the scenario pack: Princely Rescue, The Nobility of Defeat and The Defeat of Nobility. 


I made some adjustments to the setups, so chances for both sides would be more even for all of the three fights. In the first one, the 4th Davion Guards RCT clearly had some advantages over the defending 24th Dieron Regulars plus supporting tanks. The combat in the outskirts of Colterville was intense and thrilling. In the end the Kurita were overwhelmed, when the Davions used there numbers. All three Kurita Mechs, although severely damaged, managed to escape, while most of the tanks were destroyed.

The next day the 4th Davion Guards RCT were forced to break through enemy lines. The Kurita elite regiment 2nd Sword of Light was pressing hard on the Davions. Ian Davion, First Prince and commander of the Davion Guards, gave the order to head for the landing zones to lift off planet. But losses were high. The Kuritas set up a perimeter in some desert hills, gunning down most of the hover tanks and even incapacitating one of the light Davion mechs.

On Saturday at high noon, Ian Davion made his last stand at the Desolate Pass - the only path to the Davion dropzones. Ian intended to buy some time for his retreating troops, holding the Kurita onslaught as long as he could. And he did heroic! First the CO of the 2nd Sword of Light himself, Tai-sa Aritomo Goto, in his Battlemaster engaged. But due to a instinctive move, Ian managed to destroy the Battlemaster's right leg. After this, Ian kicked and shot at the almost helpless Kurita mech, until the Tai-sa ejected ... and crashed into the canyon walls with his seat.

Seeing this, the rest of the command lance rushed enraged up the pass. But Ian was now in his element, something the Kurita Samurai would describe as "mushin no shin". Like a zen master of the old he cut down a Thunderbolt and shortly after a Kurita Marauder - with just a single shot of the AC20 into the head! His Atlas was already in a bad shape and when the fourth and last member of the lance, a Crusader, fired all his rockets, Ian's time had come: Almost all of them hit him, even the long range missiles! Striking deep into the center torso of the Atlas, letting him go up like an exploding star. A fitting end for the First Prince of the Federated Suns...

Parallel to this a couple of other attendees fought out some chapter fights. As far as I know it has been Marik vs. Steiner and Liao vs. Steiner. On Saturday afternoon we all joined in a big stomp with 3025 IS tech which Oliver from house Steiner had one, after a close finally with Mehmet. The weekend has been a blast! Great matches, delicious meals, good drinks and interesting talks. Hope to see you all again.

P.S.: My special thanks go out to Christian, Mehmet, Roland and Alex who joined me in this short, but awesome campaign!