Dark Inner Spheroids – Objective Raids

The year is 3061 and the InnerSphere is still at war. The Clans invasion has been stopped by ComStar at the Battle of Tukayidd. The Federated Commonwealth has been torn apart by the avarice of a sister and brother, leading to the succession of the Lyran Alliance. The Draconis Combine stands against the mighty Clan Smoke Jaguar, preparing to unleash the might of the Dragon. The Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation, working in partnership take many worlds near Terra from the Federated Commonwealth to create the Chaos March. Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Wolf have both been weakened by the brutal fighting in the refusal war, while ComStar factionalise when the Word of Blake rise to power and take Terra. As always there are Mercenaries who will conduct military actions for C-Bills.

As the forces in the InnerSphere pause before the next big offensive, small forces jumping to Pirate Points and using rapid insertion tactics launch strikes in which they must insert rapidly, cut power to neutralise defences, destroy communications, neutralise garrison forces and obtain control of facilities before locating and extraction resources and dusting off before reinforcements arrive. Such an action is called an:

OBJECTIVE RAID!

Event Details

The one day BattleTech event consists to 2 x 3 hour games. In each game one player will take the roll of Attacker and one the Defender in an Objective Raid. After the first game the players will switch roles (and opponents). Players may create two separate forces or use the same force in both scenarios. This event used the Standard Rules (Total Warfare, Techmanual) plus some additional advanced rules (BattleMech Manual, Tactical Operations: Advanced Rules).

Saturday 25th of May 2024, Dark Sphere Shepards Bush Mega Store, Unit 8, W12 Shopping Centre.
Doors Open for event setup at 10 am.
Registration starts at 10:30 and dice roll for round 1 by 10:45.and finish at 5:30. 30 minutes for lunch.

If you are planning to come please buy tickets in advanced by Wednesday 23rd of May so we can confirm numbers. Ticket price goes to cover the table hire.

Tickets cost £5 per person.

Tickets must be bought in advance via PayPal at the following link. PLEASE CHOOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHEN BUYING TICKETS.

Once you have paid then complete this webform (and you can upload lists here on the Force Construction Spreadsheet). 

PayPal Link: paypal.me/LondoniumArmouredCav

Find out more details at our Facebook event or at:

BattleTech UK SouthEast FaceBook Group
BattleTech UK SouthEast Discord (link on request)
http://www.facebook.com/strategoslevel3

FORCE CONSTRUCTION RULES

• Each player has 7000 BV to spend on a force.
• All forces must be constructed using the Force Construction Spreadsheet and submitted 48 hours in advance (Excel or Google Office compatible) OR the official Total Warfare Builder (doesn’t support C3 or Semi Guided LRMs)
• Players forces must have between 5 and 12 units.
• At least 3 units in the force must be BattleMechs.
• At least 2 units in the force must be Infantry (Battle Armour or Conventional Infantry). Conventional Infantry must be taken in a platoon size appropriate to the faction (as per Total WarFare) a full list of Infantry Units allowed and Sheets can be found below.
• TRO Generic House Infantry
• TRO Generic Clan Infantry
• TRO ComStar Infantry

• Units may include BattleMechs, Combat Vehicles, Infantry (Conventional or Battle Armour) or ProtoMechs (5 ProtoMechs count as 1 unit).

• No Artillery units, AeroSpace or Support Vehicles are allowed.
• Players must choose one faction from the Clan Invasion Era from InnerSphere, IS Clans, or Periphery. Players May also choose ComStar, Word of Blake, or Mercenaries. Players may not choose from Other, Homeworld Clans, Wolf’s Dragoons, or Kell Hounds MUL. InnerSphere factions also have access to the InnerSphere general, Periphery General or Clan General MUL as appropriate.
• Only standard/generic units with a BV may be selected (no named units e.g. Bounty Hunter, Prometheus etc). Only generic Conventional Infantry may be selected as shown in Total Warfare.
• Units must be selected from the appropriate MUL from Introductory Rules or Standard Rules units only. No Advanced or Experimental rules units may be selected.
• Players must select one unit as a Force Commander who may have training up to Elite.
• The rest of the player’s force must have a training level of Regular OR Veteran (skill combinations must be selected from the table below). There should be a maximum difference of 2 between Gunnery and Piloting.
• Alternate Munitions – The following Standard Ammo types are permitted: Standard LAC/AC/SRM/LRM/MML/MRM, Streak, Standard NARC equipped missiles SRM/LRM/MML, Artemis equipped missiles SRM/LRM/MML, ATM (HE, Standard, ER), Auto-cannon LB-X, Inferno SRM/MML, Semi Guided LRM (FWLM ONLY), Armour Piecing LAC/AC (Federated Suns/Commonewealth Only), Flechette AC/LAC (Federated Suns/Commonwealth Only), Swarm LRMs, NARC Missile Beacon – Explosive (Draconis Combine Only), Incendiary LRMs, Fragmentation LRM/SRM/MML.
• No mine laying units are allowed (Advanced Rules).
• Additional costs for Semi-Guided LRM and C3 should use the rules found in the Tech Manual (and are also calculated by the Force Construction Spreadsheet)
• Clan Honor. Players may choose to apply Clan Honor at their own discretion.
• Carrying Infantry – For the Attacker – Foot Infantry and Jump Infantry must enter the table carried in a Troop Compartment (Mechanised and Motorised can enter the table normally). BattleArmor with a walk of less than 3 must enter the table either in a Troop Compartment or mounted on an OmniMech/Vehicle (Or BattleMech/Vehicle if using Mag Clamps). For the Defender, the same requirements for troop space are required – but the Infantry may start deployed. Infantry may be split into Squads to carry them on separate vehicles e.g. with 1 ton troop capacity.

Training Level and Skills

Players may when selecting forces choose which skills each unit has within the Level of Training allowed. Changing skills is a useful way of using BV effectively in force construction.

Training Level	Gunnery/ Piloting	Gunnery/ Piloting	Gunnery/ Piloting	Gunnery/ Piloting	Gunnery/ Piloting
Regular				4/5
Veteran			4/4	3/4	3/5
Elite	5/3	4/3	3/3	2/3	2/4

RULES FOR THE DAY 

• Each game will be played on 4 16×17 hex maps in a 2 x 2 grid (e.g. 32 x 34 hexes or two 17 x 32 BattleMats). 
• Players must roll dice in identical pairs. Cocked or off table (or out of dice box) dice should be rerolled. No virtual rolling apps are allowed. 
• Players should bring a Force List to show to their opponent. 
• Players may either use Paper Sheets or on a Tablet (not phone) (for Mech Sheets only). Flechs may be used but only for Mechs (No automation). 
• Players must be able to show their opponent their record sheets when asked. 
• There is no painting requirement. 
• The correct Card Stand-ins may be used in place of Mechs.
• Tokens may be used for Vehicles/Infantry. 
• Players may proxy units if it is clear to the opponent what that unit is (This should be the exception rather than the majority of your force!). 
• Players must mark their Target Number Modifiers for Movement next to their Mechs. The preferred way is using dice (e.g. white – walk/black – run/red – jump/yellow – stationary/purple – sprint) but other methods/tokens are acceptable.
• Players may bring UrbanMech plushies. 
• Players may not load UrbanMechs (or other units) with Davy Crockett battlefield nuclear devices. 

Optional Rules

The following Optional Rules are in effect [BMM = BattleMech Manual]

• Sprinting (Optional) [BMM pg 14]
• Backwards Level Changes (Optional) [BMM pg 15]
• Partially Occupied Hexes (Optional) [BMM Pg 16]
• Careful Stand (Optional) [BMM pg 19]
• Expanded Arm Flipping (Optional) [BMM pg 25]
• One-Armed Prone Fire (Optional) [BMM pg 30]
• Floating Criticals (Optional) [BMM pg 45]
• Engine Explosions (Optional) [BMM pg 47]
• Expanded Damage Modifiers (Optional) [BMM pg 53]
• Forced Withdrawal and Broken Morale (Simplified Optional) [BMM pg 81]
• Enhanced Flamers (Optional) [BMM pg 99]
• Rapid Fire Mode (Optional) [BMM pg 101]

Alternate Forced Withdrawal – Any unit that has suffered crippling damage (pg. 258, TW) must withdraw from the battlefield and attempt to exit the map on the side nearest its controlling player. A unit must always move towards its controlling player’s board edge and always use the maximum MP possible that is allotted for the chosen movement selection, walking/running/jumping. Units crippled, shut down, or whose pilot is unconscious on the battlefield at the end of the game are counted as crippled/destroyed.

Fire For Effect – Declaration of weapons fire is not separate from firing a unit’s weapons. Using initiative and the unequal number of units rules, as usual, each player chooses a unit or units and then declares and fires all of those unit’s weapons. The next player in initiative order then does the same for one or more of their units. Weapons fire is still considered simultaneous. A unit destroyed during a phase will still be able to declare and use its attacks in that phase before being removed at the end of the phase.

ECM/ECCM – As per Tactical Operations Advanced Rules for ECM/ECCM (No Ghost Targeting)

Active Probes – As Per Tactical Operations Advanced Rules.

Damage to Buildings – Buildings take damage per level as per Tactical Operations Advanced Rules.

Squads – Conventional Infantry Platoons may break into Squads as per Tactical Operations Advanced Rules. All squads in the same infantry anti on the same initiative. There is a +1 Target Number to hit Squads. ComStar may employ oversized platoons of 36 foot infantry which while counting as 1 unit are divided into demi-level 1’s/Platoons of 3 squads of 6 infantry.

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Scenario – Objective Raid!

GAME SETUP

The game is played on 4 map sheets in a 2×2 formation.

The south eastern map sheet should be either the Forward Base or River ComCenter Map (or an appropriate substitute).

The Defender sets up before the game anywhere on the southern two map sheets. the Southern Map Edge is the defenders retreat edge.

The Attacker entered the battlefield at the start of turn 1 from the northern map edge, this is also the Attackers retreat edge.

OBJECTIVES (MAX 1000)

• +100/200/300/400 OP Destroy/Cripple 25%/50%/75%/100% of the enemy forces BV
• +100 OP Have the most BV of units within the base (either designated by paved areas on the map [Forward Base/River Comm Centre] or as the organiser chooses)
• +100 OP Destroy/Cripple the enemy Force Commander
• +100 OP Destroy (Attacker)/Preserve (Defender) the Power Plant
• +200 OP Occupy the top level of the control tower with unopposed Infantry Forces.
• +100 OP Destroy (Attacker)/Preserve (Defender) the Comms Towers
• -500 Destroying the Control Tower.

SPECIAL RULES

EDGE – Force Commanders receive edge points based on their level of training (Regular 0, Veteran 1, Elite 2).  Immediately after ANY roll in the game that effects that unit, a unit with EDGE may spend the point to force a reroll e.g. Head Location hits, Failed Consciousness Rolls, Gunnery or Piloting Skills, Opponents CRIT roll.

COMMAND INITIATIVE BONUS – Players receive an Initiative Bonus for their Force Commander based on their training level (Regular 0, Veteran 1, Elite 2). If the Forde Commander is crippled/destroyed they no longer provide this bonus.

POWER PLANT – One building is designated the Power Plant. It has a CF or 40 (Medium Building). In any hexes or the PowerPlant are destroyed it explodes with damage of 40 [0 Hexes], 30 [1 Hex], 20 [2 Hexes], 10 [3 Hexes] in 5 point groups (Doing Area of Effect Damage). Facing is calculated as per an attack emanating from the destroyed hex.

COMM TOWERS – The Southeastern Map has two Comm Towers each with 15 CF (Light Buildings).

CONTROL TOWER – The South Eastern map has one control tower with 90 CF (Heavy Building). If this building is destroyed the player that attacked the building in the turn of its destruction looses 500 Objective Points. If both players attack the building they both lose points. Situations that constitute attacks: Weapons Fire, Physical Attacks, Pushing an opponents unit into the building, Accidental Collision e.g. sliding, engine Explosions, damage from Infantry fighting in the building.

TIME LIMIT – the game ends at the end of turn 12, or when the organiser class time – at which point the current turn is completed.

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Example Force (Mercenary – 6972 BV)

Unit	Varient	Tons	Name	Skill	BV
BattleMaster	BLR-3M	85	Captain Dasia Tuck	3/4	2216
Catapult	CPLT-C4C	65	Matt Tra	4/5	1449
Wolverine	WVR-7M	55	Eva Cartelli	4/5	1673
Locust	LCT-3M	20	Dan Simmons	4/5	522
Maxim Heavy Hover Transport	(3052 Upgrade)	50	Jamie Wafid	4/5	794
Foot Platoon (Anti-‘Mech)	(Rifle)	3	Anna Pipko	4/5	90
Karnov UR Transport	(3055 Upgrade)	30	Finlay Sukarto	4/5	152
Jump Platoon (AntiMech)	(Rifle)	3.5	Shari Ichihara	4/5	89

Example FOrce 2 (Clan Jade Falcon 6,995 BV)

Unit	Varient	Tons	Name	Skill	BV
Mad Cat (Timber Wolf)	Prime	75	Laionela Cobar	4/5	2737
Elemental Battle Armor	[Laser](Sqd5)	5	Dave Shih	3/5	536
Elemental Battle Armor	[MG](Sqd5)	5	Brad Xiao	3/4	533
Puma (Adder)	A	35	Mrej Palmikhin	3/5	1724
Grendel (Mongrel)	C	45	Bonni Rosewarne	4/5	1465