Vallejo Shifters

...are pretty cool for 'mechs!

--Teun

Battletech Progress Report: Little General not so Little

 

My son is now 15 years old. He usually prefers to spend his time playing on his Xbox or on his PC. Recently, however, I was working on my Battlemechs when he started asking me questions about them, so I started infodumping (thanks ASD) the universe and setting on him.

In the past, he hasn't been as fond of tabletop games. I think he just liked spending time with his Dad, and that is ok! I used the money from selling his 40k models to put into his new gaming PC. He never really enjoyed the painting, he admitted. 

When he showed interest in Battletech, I explained how the new Alpha Strike ruleset was much easier than in the past, and he agreed to try a game of it. I let him borrow a lance of my Heavy mechs, and he won his first game easily! It wasn't long before he asked to play another game! I am enjoying this alternative way to spend time with my oldest son so I offered to paint up his mechs for him. I enjoy the painting more anyway! 

Now he has control of a reinforced company of mechs. My paint scheme on them is pretty basic, but it keeps me busy all the same.

My collection is already up to a battalion in strength. I am waffling back and forth on what paint schemes I like for my own Churchwell's Hussars / Seculars. We'll see what I settle on. 

My "little general" is no longer little. He is almost a man. I guess I'll have to come up with a new title for him!

For now, I'm just happy to play a few games with my son. 

Until next time,

Teun

Bad Sculpting: A few things I have created for 3d Printing

 Over the last few years, I got into making and sometimes selling various 3d-printable creations. Usually I just create whatever I have a gaming need for, which I find pretty motivating, but sometimes I have done a few on commission or request. Here is a sample of some of my designs, most of which are still available for purchase at My Cults3d Store. 

Just today, I sculpted an Agridome for 6mm gaming, such as Battletech or Epic 40k. It didn't take me long, and it's pretty simplistic (I didn't see a lot of point going into a lot of detail for something less than 60mm in diameter anyway). I wanted it to be quick to print on resin 3d printers. I hadn't cracked open Blender (my 3d design software) in about a year, so this was the perfect project to kick off the dust.

Something more intricate, and pretty popular, is my design for a CSM backpack to upgrade regular CSM into sorcerers. It comes With some pretty heretical tomes, and the chains print very satisfyingly. This is one of the favorite things I have done, and I am glad it sells well, because it took me a VERY long time to get right.

Another project that took a considerable amount of time, my "Boneyards" set was technically successful on Kickstarter, but really struggled to make many sales. It includes a Dragon Lich, a prisoner, and a "Soul Anchor" gemstone, along with fossilized dinosaur/dragon remains and a collection of skull bases. Just a fun little project I had. Can you tell I like chains?

I believe I sold this guy separately at some point. A spectral being of some kind, this guy haunts around and can be used to proxy some popular wargame models that need ghostly wizards. Perhaps a forgotten priest or king in your RPGs, instead? I didn't have a lot of experience making a flowing type of miniature, and there are some design elements I am sure I got wrong, but it was a good try.

The above 3 pictures are examples of my most successful Kickstarter to-date, and also my first! I created a system of interlocking tiles (modeling that was hard, but I was not the first to do it this way so I basically just did it the same way). Where I wanted to differ is that I wanted to create the terrain, but have modular inserts that could be swapped out to modify what the hex represents. This is great for campaign maps. Currently, I only have a Fantasy Setting, but someday I hope to revisit the idea and make some more interesting inserts. 

I wasn't the first to do something like this, as GW had Planetary/Mighty Empires for years before I had the idea to make them into 3d tiles, but after I launched my Kickstarter it was great to see other people putting their own take on the idea. (Some of them did theirs way better than mine!) Maybe I just didn't notice them before I started, but I like to think I kicked off the inspiration?

My very first sculpted mini! I had envisioned a character, gripped by Nurgle's corrupting embrace, fashioning armor from rotting but magical sections of Sylvaneth wood. I didn't execute the vision I had very well, but for a first attempt at sculpting in blender, I hold this one dear to my heart.

That's it for today, I do have some more interesting projects but this post is already getting long! Stop by my Cults3d page linked at the top of this post to see what else I have available, and what little odd things I have been creating!

Until next time,

--Teun135

Mercenary Command Brief: Churchwell's Seculars

HISTORY:

Churchwell's Hussars (later renamed Churchwell's Seculars) are a group of malcontents that absconded with a significant portion of the 3rd Regulan Hussar's fighting forces in the late Succession War period. After being left to languish in endless garrison duty in their province, shortly before the war of 3039 began, they "liberated" a great deal of mechs, weapons, and disgruntled veterans, before setting off under the guidance of Major Miles Churchwell.

To escape reprisal (though it still found them later in the form of the 1st Free Worlds Guards), they first sought contracts in the Federated Suns, assuming the provincial nature of the Regulans would keep any pursuers from trailing them long. They accepted contracts from most the other House militaries save for Liao, whom the commander had a deep resentment for. A few punishing setbacks within the Draconis Combine soon found them crawling back for employment by the FWL, however.

Upon return to the Free Worlds, they were set upon by their former masters. Insisting Churchwell's Hussars return the stolen military material, Parliament elicited the services of a portion of the 1st Free Worlds Guard to bring the "loose dogs" to heel. They offered the Hussars a lucrative contract as an enticing carrot before they followed with the stick.

A major conflict erupted, pitting the former countrymen against one another. 3 Battlemech companies of Hussars were lost, but in a surprise twist, the last two remaining Hussar companies pushed through the thickest fighting to the Free Worlds Guard dropsite. They managed to capture the Overlord-class dropship, ransoming their passage out of the FWL in exchange for leaving the vessel unharmed.

Once safely back on the new "Mercenary Star" Outreach, the Hussars sued for the breach-of-contract, with Comstar mediating the affair, and due to the FWLs close ties with Comstar, they opted to fulfill the payment of the contract in order to avoid upsetting their new bedfellows.

The exorbitant payment was enough for Churchwell to secure the purchase and operation of his very own Overlord-class dropship... which he chose to name "Hubris' Folly" in reference to the actions of his former leaders in the FWL. The irony of owning an Overlord much like the one used to barter their freedom was not lost upon him.

The mercenary outfit secured several garrison contracts in the Federated Commonwealth, squaring off against minor periphery raids, but seeing no major military action until the invasion of the clans.

In the so-called "Second Wave" of the invasion, FedCom and DC strategists were desperate for any military bolstering they could muster, and thus Churchwell and his outfit were contracted to try and slow the advance by instigating conflict on worlds already conquered by the clans. The three companies of Battlemechs, now bolstered with armor, artillery, and conventional infantry, launched a guerilla campaign against Clan Smoke Jaguar on the planet Rockland III.

The red mesas of Rockland III would cost the Hussars 84 percent of their fighting effectiveness, as they continually harassed the occupying 10th Garrison Cluster, vandalizing and deconstructing a number of the monuments erected to honor the Jaguars. For 5 grueling years, the operation wore on, seeing the company cut off from support and left for dead.

When Operation Bulldog finally arrived to liberate the planet in 3057, the years of clandestine warfare had weakened the garrison enough that they put up little fight, forcing the Jaguars to cede the field of battle and withdraw. By this time. Churchwell had barely a quarter of his functional Battlemechs, hardly enough to fill two lances. Many of the battlemechs were so damaged from the years of undersupply that they were sold for scrap, but Comstar chose to reward their efforts with a small selection of refit Clan mechs left behind by the garrison's hasty withdrawal. This supplemented the luxurious payment from the Combine, allowing the unit to reform its First Company and continue operations. They went on to assist Operation Bulldog in a limited capacity, utilizing the refit and repair facilities of the new SLDF to rebuild forces as they went along, cobbling together a single company of Battlemechs for the effort.

Miles Churchwell passed in 3063 from a sudden stroke. His eldest son Julius assumed command of the outfit in his stead. At the wake, a former friend of Miles still in the employ of the Regulan Hussars, attempted to bury the hatchet, and offered to garner the outfit an extended contract back in their home province. Julius reluctantly agreed, and for the next several years the unit trained and garrisoned Regulan worlds along with the Regulan Hussars.

When the Jihad began to boil over, the unit was renamed into Churchwell's Seculars as a statement (and to differentiate them from Hussar command), and they joined the Hussars in their efforts against the Blakists.

Things took a dark turn when the Hussars began to use tactical nuclear weapons, a strategy that Julius vehemently opposed. Further strife was developed by the ongoing border warfare with the Duchy of Oriente, in which the Hussars would regularly oppress the civilian populations with a casual disregard for collateral damage or human suffering.

The Seculars now find themselves caught between loyalty to their countrymen and their morality.

Combat Doctrines:

The Seculars have long since grown accustomed to fighting when outnumbered. In their early days as fugitives from the FWL, to their exploits in the Clan Invasion, and especially when fighting against Blakists in the Jihad era, they often chose vulnerable targets for hit-and-run-style engagements to minimize the risk of valuable assets.

This strategy served them especially well during their exploits against Clan Smoke Jaguar during the Clan Invasion. Shrewd mission planning and execution allowed Churchwell's outfit to evade capture for a number of years behind enemy lines, without outside resupply, and even to exact a measure of success against their technologically-superior opponents.

Later additions to the outfit, such as the Anti-Mech Infantry platoons, continued this tradition of training, preferring to attack and then withdraw if the situation was not favorable.

Although not initially a tight-knit mercenary command, Churchwell's Seculars grew to rely on each other and view their fellow Seculars as extended family over the years of hard combat, and now will fight vehemently against long odds to try and see their mates through the thickest fighting.

Command Details:

EXPERIENCE RATING: Regular (Late Succession Wars), Veteran (Clan Invasion)

COMMON ALLIES: Marik (Early Succession War and Jihad), Davion, Comstar (Clan Invasion) 

COMMON ENEMIES: Liao, Steiner, Kurita (Late Succession War), Clan Smoke Jaguar (Clan Invasion), Word of Blake (Jihad)

FORCE COMPOSITION (Late Succession Wars): One Battlemech Company, Battlefield Support Company (various supporting armor and infantry assets).

FORCE COMPOSITION (Jihad): Two Battlemech Companies, 1 Armor Company, 1 Infantry Regiment, 1 Light Vehicle Company

SPECIAL COMMAND ABILITIES: Espirit de Corps (Clan Invasion onward), Hit and Run

Battletech Alpha Strike Force Building: Simplified Format

By Teun135 - Version 1.0

Basic Forces

On page 110 of the Alpha Strike: Commander’s Edition rulebook, there is a section on how to pick your lowest level of unit organization: Formations. This section is meant to be used in conjunction with the Master Unit List (MUL) located at www.masterunitlist.info

PV Limit

Depending on the game and format, the players should agree upon a points value (PV) limit for the game. How much to pick? Most people suggest a force between 300-400PV for a fully-fledged game, depicting a single Company on Company (or equivalent) engagement.

Matt and Son are setting up their forces to play their first big game after they have tried a few introductory games, selecting from their collections of miniatures. They settle on a points value limit of 400, so they can field some of their favorite assault mechs comfortably, as well as have some points for skill improvements later.

Era

Picking the Era comes next. This simply limits the technology and available pool of mechs and units to simulate a given time in the Battletech narrative.

Matt and Son decide to create some minor conflicts set in the Late Succession War era, giving them just a taste of the newer equipment available at that time with a smattering of Star League era mechs, but prohibiting the use of Clan equipment (as they had not yet invaded the Inner Sphere at this time).

Faction

The faction you pick isn’t very important using this method, but more of a fluff/flavor choice. In the main rulebook, picking a faction limits the available Mech designs and variants based on the availability those designs would have to the faction, but at this scale of play, it is usually agreed that simply limiting the selection of ‘Mechs based on the Era of play is sufficient. This is due to the ad-hoc nature of military units in the Battletech universe, where forces commonly trade, steal, or salvage mech designs they would normally not have access to.

If the players plan to use the “Extended” format of list design listed below, which follows these same first steps at formation, they should carefully consider which faction they wish to use. Their choice of faction will further allow different flexibility in choosing a Canon-established Command to emulate, which will give special abilities to all the units in the force. Of course, there is also the option to create your own Command and assign its abilities, which will also be covered in the Extended format.

Matt decides that he is playing a rough-and-tumble Mercenary force, allowing him a large degree of narrative freedom and the ability to create his own Command. He gets to paint his miniatures in whatever style he chooses, as an added bonus!

Son doesn’t have a lot of free time to create a command from scratch, so he chooses a faction that has a Command that he can emulate with his force: The Free Worlds League. Also because: Freedom.

Formations

This section is a bit wordy, but stay with me!

Formations are the lowest level formations that you can fill out, to give the force more structure than just picking mechs in a hodge-podge. Page 113 of the Alpha Strike: Commander’s Edition rulebook showcases a complicated set of tables that describe the minimum fighting formations for each type of unit (as well as a typical Command Rank, useful for naming your pilots!)

There is a whole lot of term definition that follows these tables and it can be daunting. We’ll mostly be focusing on the use of a Lance here, as that is the basic formation shared by a majority of the factions of the setting, but feel free to swap this out for your faction’s equivalent, as defined in that section of the rulebook.

Lances, the minimum Formation for Inner Sphere factions, come in a variety of flavors that offer a bonus for selecting units that meet the prerequisites for that Formation. Looking at the “Requirements” for each lance can guide you when selecting the Mechs you want to add to your force. Remember that each formation must have at least 3 units (such as 3 mechs) to benefit from the bonus abilities of that formation, and those mechs have to be operational, they cannot be routed or destroyed. Once the formation falls below 3 operational units, the formation loses their bonus abilities.

Furthermore, some formations list a “Ideal Role” for that formation. If -ALL- the units in that formation possess that particular role, then the formation requirements are considered to be met (such as needing X number of size 3 mechs and so on).

Note that some formations have additional subtypes, which can modify how that formation works and the requirements for it, but serve a similar role. For example, an Assault Lance may be modified to be a Fast Assault lance, adding the additional requirement of all the units in that formation to be 10” movement or better!

Matt decides his Merc company needs somebody to lead it, so he first picks a Command Lance first. He then decides he wants a heavy anchor for his forces, and picks a Fire Lance to serve as the backbone of the list. Most Mech companies are 3 Lances, so he rounds off the list with a fast-reactionary force, picking a Light Cavalry Lance to back up the main core.

Son thinks that his force is more of a regular combat unit, and will not need a Command Lance. He picks an Assault Lance as his first formation, to form the hard anvil of the list. He then decides he wants some mechs that also can pack a punch but be a little lighter on their feet, so he picks a Medium Battleline Lance as his second formation. Not wanting to be caught out by lighter and quicker mechs, he finishes his formation selection with a Pursuit Lance that focuses on speed and firepower.

Picking Units

Now that you know the limitations for your formations, faction, and era, you are free to pick your units that adhere to those restrictions. Using the Master Unit List is a great tool, as it has almost all of the current Battlemech designs listed in their database, along with information detailing what role, era, and faction availability (if you choose to use that as a guide) for the different units and their variants. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to leave yourself a little bit of breathing room, to upgrade your pilots after. Depending on the desired experience rating of the Force, you can allocate more or less PV to pilot upgrades.

Matt wants his command Lance to be fairly sturdy and capable, so he picks some of his favorite mechs that correspond to the Command Lance requirements but also seem fun to him. He selects variants of a Highlander, Cyclops, Cataphract, and Dragon.

He follows a similar method for the rest of his force, picking mechs that match the size and role requirements for his lances. When he is done, he is at around 350 PV for the force.

Leveling Pilots

With the bulk of your units now selected, you can expend the remaining PV on things such as Pilot abilities, skill increases, or battlefield support. Once done, you can simply stop there! You have a full Alpha-Strike ready list, and can assemble the necessary cards and minis to play that force (remember that masterunitlist.info has all the alpha strike info needed to play with just about any unit in the setting).

Matt has 50 PV left to spend before he reaches the agreed-upon Points Value limit, so he decides to give some pilot upgrades. First, he decides he needs a competent commander, so he improves the Highlander pilot skill to 2+. Then, he decides to improve his commander’s right hand man, and improves the Cyclops pilot skill to 3+. Finally, he decides that his Fire Lance leader could use a boost, and gives him a 3+ skill as well. This brings him to 398 PV for his force, comfortably within the 400 PV limit, and with room enough to pick a single Pilot Skill. He gives the commander the skill of Medium Range Master, making him more accurate at medium range, at the cost of accuracy in Short range. Now his force totals 400 PV exactly!

Now you can play a game! You have everything you need to get dice rolling. If you want to take it a step further, however, you can further customize your force by assigning it a Command Ability, in the Extended method detailed in the following section.

Extended Forces

Following the above steps, you can add an additional layer of rules (if both opponents agree or an event organizer has allowed it) by selecting a Command to emulate (or generating your own!) and giving your entire force a special Command Ability. These are meant to represent that the force has trained together, fought together, and generally come up with their own way of conducting themselves to battle.

Canon Factions

For canon factions, there are commonly ratings given to units to represent their given strength at a particular point in “history.” Only a few of the “Combat Manuals” have been produced to date, those for Mercenaries and those for Kurita forces. “Field Manuals” can also provide some guidance for specific factions. As a general rule, they seem to have tried to match keyworded Special Command Abilities of yesteryear to the new ruleset, but YMMV.

Keep in mind that commonly the Commands are listed with an Experience rating, which can help you determine what skill level you should set for your pilots.

Non-Canon, Unlisted, or Unknown Commands

If you can’t find what special command rules your faction/command can have, you can create your own! Keep reading!

Number of Special Command Abilities per force

If you know the Experience rating of the Command you are trying to emulate, you can use that to generate your Special Command Ability as described on page 102 of the Alpha Strike Commander’s Edition rulebook.

To briefly summarize, find out the average skill of all the pilots (rounded to nearest whole number) and use that to determine your Command’s Experience Rating. Cross reference this number with the Skill Rating table on page 29 to determine the Skill Rating Description (such as Green, Regular, Veteran, etc.)

Note that Commands that are rated as Green or below are not eligible to have a Command Ability, as they are considered too new or inexperienced to have developed those skills/habits.

If your force is rated as Regular or above, you get to generate some command abilities! Regular rated commands get a single ability, whereas Veteran or Elite commands can generate 2 Command abilities.

Commanders and Assigning Command Abilities

In order to use the Special Command Abilities, the force must have a Commander. Subcommanders may be added, at a maximum of one (1) Commander/Subcommander per 6 units in play. Be sure to protect these commanders, for when they fall, the force can no longer use the Special Command Abilities!

If you are using a Canon force with established attributes, you can try to match the ability names with the new ones. If you are creating a command or cannot find what abilities are listed for a specific force, you can pick your own from the list of available Special Command Abilities.

ALTERNATE CREATION RULE: Unit Availability

In some publications, there are random assignment tables listed for certain factions or their Commands. If both players agree, or the event organizer approves, the players may restrict their Unit choices to only those available on those tables.

Conversely, they may randomly generate their units, using those random assignment tables to generate a list of units that they can then form into formations.

Finally, they also may decide to utilize the Faction Availability guidelines listed on such sites as Sarna.net, masterunitlist.info, or 3rd party apps that utilize the MUL such as Jeff’s Alpha Strike Roster or MechFactory. This will restrict the selection of available units for a given era and faction, creating a more “historical” feel to list design.

Extended Restrictions:

For games where balance is key, you and your opponent (or your Event Organizer) may require there to be additional restrictions on force creation. WolfsDragoons.com has come up with a standardized list of restrictions that may serve that purpose. Some examples may include:

Types of Units Allowed: Battlemechs, Omnimechs, Industrial Mechs, Protomechs, etc.

Units with Special Abilities that can be taken, but the special ability may not be used: such as ART-TC, DCC, MDS, HPG, etc.

Allowed Artillery: e.g. ARTAIS, ARTAC, ARTT, ARTS, etc.

Disallowed Units and Abilities: e.g. Aerospace units, Advanced Aerospace, Support Vehicles, Advanced Support vehicles, Experimental Tech Level units, Unique in the chosen Era, etc.

Minimum and Maximum Pilot Skill: such highest 7, lowest 2.

Repeat Chassis/Variant Restrictions: e.g. players may only have a maximum up to 2 of any unit that share the same chassis or base unit name.


More or less restrictions may be decided on by the Event Organizer, or you and your opponent can agree to some yourself! These restrictions may significantly alter the experience, so be sure to choose them wisely! There are also some rules in some publications referring to Force Points (FP) that may determine how many of these rules you can “bend” to have special exemptions made for certain units or abilities, such as seen in Combat Manual: Mercenaries.

Finishing Touches

By now you should have a basic understanding of how to build a Battletech Alpha Strike force. More nuance and details can be included to alter the experience for all players, but this should give new or returning players a place to start from!

Feel free to use the Fillable Force Record Sheet I have uploaded, which you can then print or save, to record your new force. Alternatively, the Alpha Strike Roster by Jeff is a great way to record the basic info you need to play!

No Guts, no Galaxy!

—Teun

Version History

Version 1.0 - Initial draft of this document.

References and Resources:

REFERENCES

Alpha Strike Commander’s Edition

https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/collections/battletech/products/battletech-alpha-strike-commanders-edition

(New versions of these resources are rumored to be dropping in 2023-24 along with the contents of the Mercenary kickstarter, along with a new book detailing the Federated Suns. I believe these are to be called Field Manuals.)

Combat Manual: Kurita

https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-combat-manual-kurita-book-pdf-combo

Combat Manual: Mercenaries

https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-combat-manual-mercenaries-pdf



Wolf’s Dragoons 350 Tournament Format

https://wolfsdragoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/FINAL-2.1.pdf


RESOURCES:

Force Record Sheet (Fillable)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZNY9nA16eyMXmydHg-Fi-s2mp7qEf5Ek/view?usp=drive_link

Master Unit List

www.masterunitlist.info

MechFactory

https://battletech.rpg.hu/

Alpha Strike Roster by Jeff

https://jdgwf.github.io/battletech-tools/alpha-strike/roster

A nice little blog post on formation building:

http://zardozgames.blogspot.com/2017/04/formation-building-for-alpha-strike.html

Downloadable Version of this Document

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z9BiciJXxeSRu8PTYR8DhyUq8b1yZN3D77i5qIq2J1Y/edit?usp=sharing





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