Force Builing – Quick Start
(Downloadable printer friendly PDF version with background fluff removed)
High Noon at Highwater is an introductory event set in 3025 on the Periphery world of HighWater.
Each player will play a Mercenary Company hired by either Don Antonio López de Santa Anna or Brigadier General George Hamilton to take control of the planet.
Your starting Mercenary Company will consist two lances (Alpha and Beta) each with exactly 4 BattleMechs and up to a total of 225 Tons in each Lance (or less). You may only choose BattleMechs that contain only Introductory Technology. All MechWarriors have a Piloting Skill of 5 and a Gunnery Skill of 4.
You can choose any ‘Mechs from the link below:
Record Sheets for these BattleMechs can also be found at http://bg.battletech.com/downloads :
Force Packs Record Sheets – Wave One
ForcePacks Record Sheets – Wave Two
You can also use the suggested force below from the BattleTech A Game of Armored Combat box:
Alpha Lance (225 Tons)
- BLR-1G BattleMaster (85)
- CPLT-1C Catapult (65)
- SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (55)
- LCT-1V Locust (20)
Beta Lance (225 Tons)
- AWS-8Q Awesome (80)
- TDR-5S Thunderbolt (65)
- WLV-6R Wolverine (55)
- COM-2D Commando (25)
Each player selects one of their two Lances to talk part in each of the first two missions. The player can then choose for the final mission any BattleMechs from their Mercenary Company that have not been Truly Destroyed (e.g. MechWarrior killed, head destroyed, central torso destroyed or engine/gyro destroyed), all damage to these BattleMechs is repaired and all ammo reloaded.
Historical Overview
If ever there was a planet that was on the edge of the Inner Sphere, deep in the Periphery and a complete and utter dust ball, it’s Highwater. Named after the early colonist’s favourite (and maybe only) phrase, “Come Hell or Highwater”, it’s an irony that Highwater has virtually no water at all. The only water to be found on the planet is in deep aquifers or is drawn in a laborious process from the little water in the dry, arid atmosphere.
The family of Santa Anna were one of the original colonists who settled this world in 2355 as part of a mining operation run by a Magistracy of Canopus mining company called Magistracy Metals. The family of Santa Anna rose to prominence through shrewd investment and exploitation of the planet’s resources (including the colonists).
That was until the Reunification War. In 2588 the Magistracy of Canopus surrendered to the SLDF, and Magistracy Metals abandoned the world of Highwater. Many of the colonists left but, the few that remained were determined to make a living, on this godforsaken world.
When war came again in the Periphery rebellion of the 2770s, and Highwater’s resources became valuable enough to the Periphery worlds to bring more growth and prosperity to the planet, but then peace was declared by the Periphery as the SLDF being too busy fighting the Stephan Amaris’s uprising.
During the carnage that followed, many SLDF units were destroyed, and some facing annihilation at the hands of their former allies in the Rim Worlds Republic fled to the periphery. Major John Hamilton was one of these. Hamilton and his lance arrived on Highwater, and although they were greeted with mistrust, he used his BattleMechs to fight off a group of pirates who attacked the world in 2782, and his Shadow Hawk was the only BattleMech to survive. After this heroic event, his family became an important force on the world and he married one of the local land barons daughters.
No one knows exactly how it started, but in 2801, during a duel of honour over a miner’s daughter, Enrique Santa Anna killed Phillip Hamilton in a pistol duel. From his point onwards the families remained in a state of constant hostility and at times all-out war!
In 3024, many generations later, the miners of a small settlement called Tombstone discovered a rich vein of Gallium ore. Gallium is essential for the construction of Jump Ships KF-Drives and is sold at a premium throughout the InnerSphere. Finally, wealth and prosperity would come to HighWater. The small democratically elected council of landowners who rules the planet in a surprisingly magnanimous manner, sent invitations out for merchant JumpShips and their DropShips to come to HighWater.
Two members of this council, Don Antonio López de Santa Anna and self-proclaimed Brigadier General George Hamilton (who still wore the SLDF uniform of his ancestor) both decided the time to act was now. The corrupt and incompetent civilian government (in their words) now needed to be removed from power and a new more progressive administration needed to be put in place for “The Greater Good”.
In the time-honoured tradition of all such disputes, they decided to hire the best mercenaries their C-Bills could buy… and that would be you.
Mission 1: The Great Land Train Robbery
Situation
“Señor MechWarrior, the gallium is mined in the northern mines is being shipped by Land Train to the spaceport where it will be stored before being shipped offworld. We’re going to steal that gallium.
The Prairie Schooner Land Train will have one tractor and four carriages. Two of the carriages have been armed with autocannon turrets, one that faces to the left and one that faces to the right.
All you need to do is stop the train and hijack the carriages. Once the area is clear we’ll send in some flatbed trucks to offload the gallium.”
-Don Antonio López de Santa Anna
Game Setup
Place 2 maps together with their short edges touching (16×34 hexes). The row of hexes starting 08 are all considered to be road and level 0 (overriding any other terrain on those hexes).
Deployment Zones
One player enters from anywhere along the western map edge. One player enters anywhere along the eastern map edge.
Prairie Schooner Land Train
At the end of the movement phase of turn 1, the Land train enters from the northern map edge and moves at cruise speed 5 hexes. At the end of each movement phase of the following turns the land train moves another 5 hexes south. The Land Train will exit from the southern map edge
The Land Train has one tractor and four carriages. Carriage 2 and carriage 4 are armed with an AC/10 turret that may only fire either 180 degrees to the right side. Carriage 1 and carriage 3 are armed with an AC/10 turret that may only fire either 180 degrees to the left side . Turrets have a Gunnery of 4 and stop firing once the carriage is destroyed.
If any BattleMechs are standing in the way of the Land Train, it will immediately make a special ram attack that resolves in the movement phase and automatically hits causing damage using a total tonnage of the tractor and all the remaining attached trailers divided by 10 and multiplied by 5. It will then displace the BattleMech one hex to the left or right of the train and continue to move.
Players may attack the train using simplified vehicle rules. All hits to the Front Hex, Left/Right Side or Rear hex will automatically hit that location with no hit location table roll. There are also no automotive crits.
If the tractor is destroyed the rest of the carriages stop. The tractor has the following armour (internal structure) 90 Tons – Front: 34 (9), Left/Right 30 (9), Rear 30 (9).
If a carriage is destroyed, that carriage (and all carriages behind it) detaches from the tractor or carriage in front of it, and then stops. The carriages have the following armour 30 Tons – Front 22(3), Left/Right 15 (3), Rear 10 (3). Once carriages are destroyed they no longer move.
Objectives
“The Guns are out” +100 All the guns facing your deployment edge have been destroyed.
“We have the Gallium” +100 (Per carriage) At the end of turn 8, have more tonnage of Mechs in any hex on or adjacent to a destroyed carriage to control that carriage. In the case of a tie, neither player scores the points.
Special Rules
This scenario ends after the 8th turn.
Mission 2: The Bank Heist
Situation
“The 1st National Bank of Tombstone is where the corrupt civilian administrators hold of their assets precious metal reserves and untraceable ComStar Bonds. As part of our efforts to emancipate the citizens of this world from oppression and corruption, we are going to liberate these funds so they can be used for the great good.
The bank has a central Star League era vault, but rather than trying to crack the vault, we are going to take the whole vault out of the bank.
The bank is defended by a couple of antiquated security UrbanMech’s that have both seen better days. You should be able to easily take down the UrbanMech and get the bank, smash the walls down, grab the vault and head back to the rendezvous.
The people of TombStone and the whole of HighView will be in your debt.”
-Brigadier General George Hamilton
Game Setup
Place two map sheets together long ends touching (32×24).
Place the 1st National Bank (a level 1 heavy building with CF 90) at the centre of the map.
The bank is surrounded by the settlement of TombStone (with a mix of light and medium civilian buildings).
Deployment
Each player may deploy one of their complete Lances (4 BattleMechs of a total of 225 Tons).
One player enters from the long map edge to the north. One player enters from the long map edge to the south.
Place one UrbanMech 4 hexes north and one 4 hexes south of the bank. These Mech’s will move to engage the closest enemy ‘Mech (movement to be determined by the opposing player). Each UrbanMech has half its armour in each location already destroyed and is piloted by a Regular MechWarrior with Gunnery 4/ Piloting 5. If the UrbanMech is placed in Forced Withdrawal, the pilot ejects during the movement phase of the next turn.
Liberating the vault
Any BattleMech may liberate the vault if they are standing in the hex of the bank during the physical combat phase. Players may enter the bank by either simply walking through the walls (+2 MP and a Piloting Skill Roll or take the remaining CF/10 as damage in 5 point groupings), or destroy (reduce to 0CF) the bank.
During the physical phase if the player has not fired any Torso or Arm mounted weapons in the BattleMech may pick up the vault by making a Piloting Skill Roll with the following modifiers.
+1 Per missing/damaged Hand actuator
+1 Per missing/damaged Upper or Lower arm actuator
+1 Per missing/damaged Shoulder Actuator
+5 Per missing/destroyed arm (overrides all above modifiers)
While carrying the vault the BattleMech may not use any arm or torso mounted weapons (except rear-mounted) and is limited to walking movement only. During the physical phase the vault may be passed to another friendly BattleMech, but only if they make a Piloting Skill Roll as above and haven’t used their arm or torso mounted weapons.
If at any time the BattleMech falls it immediately drops the vault into an adjacent hex. Roll 1D6 to determine scatter (1 N, 2 NE,3 SE,4 S, 5 SW, 6 NW).
Any other BattleMech during the physical attack phase, if they have not fired the torso or arm mounted weapons, may try to grapple the vault from another Mech. During the Physical attack phase, both BattleMechs make a Piloting skill roll. If only one MechWarrior succeeds it takes hold of the vault. If both succeed the MechWarrior who passed with the highest Margin of Success (number over the Target) takes hold of the vault. If both fail the vault is immediately dropped in the hex of the defending Mech.
Objectives
“Humpty Dumpty’s down!” +100. Place the UrbanMech on your side of the table into Forced Withdrawal.
“I’ve got the vault!” +100. Have picked up the vault at least once during the game
“It’s mine…” +100. Still holding the vault at the end of the game
“….my precious’ +200. Your BattleMech holding the vault exit from the same map edge through which it deployed.
Special Rules
This scenario ends after the 8th turn.
Mission 3: Gunfight at the OK Corral
A lone tumbleweed, rolled across the desolate prairie, crossing in front of the dilapidated saloon in the abandoned settlement. The swinging sign squeaked and scraped on rusty chains, announcing the name of the saloon as the OK Corral.
The tumbleweed came to stop at the foot of a giant 10-meter tall BattleMech. A BattleMech that was built over 300 years ago in the great factories of the Star League Defence force. Salvaged by a survivor of the Amaris Civil War, it was passed down the generations until it was inherited by Brigadier General George Hamilton.
“This planet aint big enough for the both of us Padre!” boomed the Generals voice through the external speakers of his ancient Shadow Hawk SHD-2H.
Opposite him stood an equally ancient Wolverine WVR-6R, painted in bright reds and blacks, the colours of the traditional garb of the Matador bull fighters of ancient Terra.
“I heartily agree Señor Hamilton. Why don’t you, and your hired Mercenaries leave this land, the land settled by my ancestors 700 years ago! You have no rights here.” replied a deep and yet smooth almost musical accented voice.
“Just because your family planted its flag here doesn’t give you the right to Lord over these fine people. Your days of tyranny are at an end. My father fought with the Star League to bring down Stephan Amaris the Usurper, and like him, we will not allow you to continue your reign of terror here.” As he spoke the last word, Hamilton’s Class Autocannon swung down from its standby upright position and locked in place over the Shadow Hawks shoulder.”
“You dare exalt the virtues of your long-dead father here. He was a War Criminal, who took part in the Star Leagues oppression of the Periphery! But he’s just like you, after all, a self-righteous mercenary trying to throw his weight around and hoping the un-educated peoples of the Periphery will just fall into line.” Santa Anna’s shouted so loud the speakers on his Wolverine wined from the feedback.
“Well I guess we settle this here and now Padre …. “ as the arm of his Shadow Hawk twitched and immediately after so did Santa Anna’s Wolverine.
“… and I’m not gonna miss my shot! Draw!”
Game Setup
Place two map sheets long end to long edge. Add a small number of buildings.
Each player may deploy 1 Lance of Mechs with on tonnage of 225 tons. These BattleMechs may come from either formation in the player’s Mercenary company that has not been Truly Destroyed (e.g. MechWarrior Killed, head destroyed, central torso destroyed or engine/gyro destroyed). All ‘Mechs are fully repaired and rearmed,
Deployment
Place Santa Anna’s Wolverine WVR-6R on the hex, 4 hexes south of the centre. His Mercenaries each deploy along the same horizontal line with 1 hex between them, 2 to the left and 2 to the right. Player 1 will control this unit.
Place Hamilton’s Shadow Hawk SHD-2H on the hex, 4 hexes north of the centre. His Mercenaries each deploy along the same horizontal line with 1 hex between them, 2 to the left and 2 to the right. Player 2 will control this unit.
Santa Anna and Hamilton both have Gunnery 4 and Piloting Skill 5. If either of their BattleMech’s is placed in Forced Withdrawal they will try and leave the BattleField by the long edge closest to where they deployed. (They may not retreat until this happens).
Objectives
“Just a flesh wound!” +100. Destroy half the armour on one location of either Santa Anna or Hamilton.
“First blood!” +100. Cause internal damage on one torso location of either Santa Anna or Hamilton.
“Yield!” +100 Cause enough damage to place Santa Anna or Hamilton’s BattleMech in Forced WithDrawal.
“Any last words!” +200 Truly destroy either Santa Anna or Hamilton’s BattleMech, or kill the pilot.
Special Rules
This scenario ends when either combatant is either Truly destroyed or flees.
Each player is given a secret skulduggery event card which they can use in the game.
Victory!
The player with the highest number of total OBJECTIVE POINTS earned (including bonuses from OPTIONS) across the three missions is decalred the victor!
ComStar 