BattleTech: A Simple Assasination

Easy Money...kinda

Well it was easier than I expected, Most of my problems can be blamed on worrying about screenshots instead of my Mechs and the bad guys.

BattleTech is, in my opinion a really fun, turn based Mechwarrior game. It's available on Steam.

I have been threatening to do an After Action Report on this really fun game for months. Be advised it may be very short, as I am attempting one of the hardest missions I have ever done and, I may withdraw if it gets too hairy.

So here is the Mission selection screen, and my Mission selection, Vendetta.




Five skull difficulty, the toughest rating available that I know of. I "thought" Max Reputation of +25 was the highest. I saw a +27 the other day...scary.

Here's what the mission offer looks like:




I like Assasination missions for a couple of reasons.

1. I can try to go direct for the target and just bug out, which almost never works.

2. It MAY give me the opportunity to defeat the enemy piecemeal as they rally towards the target.

You can adjust the salvage and payment sliders. At this stage of the game I get Max salvage (See upper right, I don't need the chump change) when possible, but since I am hoping for a hit and run (fat chance) I will tone it down a tad. Here's what It looks like before I launch the mission:




Now I choose my Mechwarriors and their Mechs. This is becoming my "GoTo Lineup" for tough missions. I half-heartedly considered using two fire-support King Crabs instead of one, but decided to go with this. Nix and Glitch hit from range while Behemoth and Legend close for the kills...hopefully.

And away we go! Drop ship lands us on a ridge. We have a surprising amount of information on the bad guys and their deployment. The Target is located at about Behemoth's One o'clock, indicated by a verticle gold line. The indicator for the supporting forces is hidden in this view. It's behind the next ridge directly at Behemoth's 12 o'clock. Surprisingly, I have been given the location of the Ambushers. The indicator is at Behemoth's Two o'clock off in the distance. So much for going straight for the target and avoiding the bad guys. Not what I was hoping for, but it could (and may be) worse. May be as if there are reinforcements also.




So... first moves. I am sending Legend down the hill to the right trying to draw attention. The rest of us are going way left.

They had a guy over the ridge out front first move, so much for my feint. I headed everybody left, looking for cover (trees) and altitude. First target; a Battlemaster looking for trouble. Glitch gives him a full salvo of 50 LRM's and the end of round 3. Begin round 4 and I jump Behemoth in front of him looking for a head shot.




BINGO! No more headache for this guy. One down to Behemoths twin AC20+++. He had altitude on the target, decent range and hit him on the most damaged side.




I have been maneuvering, basically to to right, and fighting now for seven more turns. It's now round 11 and Legend is finishing off a very pesky and resilient King Crab. That's a Battlemaster, the Crab and a AC 20 Demolisher (tank) so far. We are in good shape, again, so far.

The target has shown itself, it's another King Crab with Dual AC20's. The ambushers are three Victors and a loaded for bear Stalker, along with a leftover tank of unknown type from the original supporting forces. I think I made a tactical error here. I went after the target Crab but I was in good position to wreak havoc on the ambushers.

The target took off running after taking damage and being knocked down. I should have remembered to shoot a leg off first, as I have lost/failed a mission because the target made it to his escape zone. I got him, had to shoot him in the back a few times.



While this was happening we were starting take serious damage from those ambushers. I quit worrying about screenshots and worried more about the fight. Took more damage then I liked, but I got them in the end.




Finished the last one off in Round 21. Nix was OUT of Gauss Ammo, Behemoth almost lost an arm (empty), and legend's armor was getting real thin.







It doesn't show, but had the selection arrow on Nix's right arm. Arm's armor almost gone and on good ac20 shot would have taken it off and good chance of blowing up the ammo and the right torso. Goodbye Gauss guns and ammo! When I realized that I sent Nix way up a mountain in the trees to snipe from range. Behemoth's left arm is empty and I use it for a shield. Legend was getting close to structure in his center torso...not good.





Thanks for looking. Tough game, for me anyway, to take your time and get good screen shots for stuff like this. Could really cost you.

That's a nice "steiner scout lance" you have there, I'd hate to run into you... are you playing vanilla or modded?

Good headshot, I don't use those called shots aimed at the head often, I'll have to try that sometime.

Cool AAR,keep it up.

Hey man

Straight up Vanilla. Called shots to head never worked well for me until I started using dual AC 20's.

I do have a scout Mech, that spare Dragon in my line up picture.

One PPC and Max Jump Jets, he's more of a decoy and spotter for LRM support.

Thanks for looking.

Looks like a hoot. Too many games, too little time...

too cool Nix. Well done

Thanks man. You know it was great fun.

Did a couple of missions today. A four skull convoy kill, where I used Nix in his Sniper Atlas, Legend in my "scout" Dragon, and two LRM Crabs. The I tried a five skull, 23 rep destroy the base. Same set up, except replaced the scout with Behemoth in the AC20 Atlas.

Easy day.

Thinking about a Sniper mania lance... 2 Battlemasters with 4 jump jets, a Gauss and a AC2++ super accurate. They'd could stay out of range and just snipe away. Then maybe the AC20 Atlas and a Crab LRM.

that might work. running the Gauss and AC2 would be a lot more heat efficient than any other long range weapon so should be able to keep up constant fire throughout the engagement... and pity the fool that lets his rear armor face toward the Gauss mech

What would really work is some co-op MP code.

It must be really hard to do right.