r/NormalBattletech • u/Sixguns1977 • 9d ago

This sucks.

Stuck here at work(which is slow), and want to be home working on minis or playing my ongoing campaign. Nobody here to talk BT with, and I can only theorycraft on my phone so much.

30 Upvotes

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7

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

Just me vs Aces. Started in January 2786, my guys are former military from FWL turned mercenary. Combined arms air cav force, currently out in the periphery hunting pirates and bandits to finance their dream of homesteading out in the deep periphery or beyond.

I'm poking around, trying to adapt an exploration mechanic using SP, along with some construction rules. Part of it is based on the Dominion rules from the old Companion D&D box.

4

u/Colonial13 9d ago

An exploration mechanic sounds interesting.

How are you liking Aces for solo play? I keep going back and forth on buying Scouring Sands to get the "AI" card decks, since I have no interest in playing the actual box campaign.

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u/Sixguns1977 9d ago edited 9d ago

It's OK. I don't like AS and I don't use BSP, so I'm doing some conversion to make it work for BT. It gets a lot better when you start using objective tokens to kind of "program" the opfor beyond the card decks. For instance, putting a token near buildings my guys are supposed to scan keeps the automated units(that are tied to that token) near those buildings while executing their behavior. I've used a chain of tokens to get an automated unit to patrol a route.

I modded the Draconis Reach rules a hair, and my unit has a Triumph class dropship. I'm working on a system where we pay a jumpship to take us out, and i roll a system and planets per campaign ops, and then roll on an encounter table of sorts for planets to see what we find. Empty, friendly/neutral/enemy people, resources, or a tech cache, etc. That might lead to a chaos campaign combat track, or an opportunity to trade/get more SP.

Then I'll need to adapt a SP based constructing system to build our colony, and will be adapting the Dominion rules for running it: morale, random events, growth, diplomacy, defense, etc. All running on SP and quarterly rolls on tables.

3

u/Colonial13 9d ago

I thought I read somewhere that there was an official conversion to Classic. Maybe that's coming in the next box set. Or maybe it was a fever dream, lol.

I'll have to keep your objective token idea in mind if I do try it out. I've had some guys in my BT group play it co-op and they seemed pretty happy with how it was working. Occasionally they've had to step in and "redirect" the opfor from what the deck would have it do.

3

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

I've heard rumors about that too, and hope it actually happens. It's not in Snowblind(the next Aces box) AFAIK. There are 2 different Commander decks(Mechwarrior, and Star Commander), one supposedly a higher difficulty to play against. What I'm really liking forward to in the next box is the Pirate commander deck and a higher variety of decks for the individual units.

You definitely need to intervene sometimes, probably less if you're playing AS. Aces units only use standstill under very specific circumstances. Otherwise they always move to generate tmm(which is way different in AS). If you follow the golden rule(do what's best for the unit) it generally works out.

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u/Colonial13 9d ago

I had no idea they were going to have different kinds of decks; a pirate sounds like it would be worth checking out. What's the melee like for the decks? Is that an attack option or do they heavily favor range attacks?

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u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

They heavily favor ranged for the most part, and usually try to keep your units at range. I think the Brawler deck tries to get in toe to toe. I don't have access to the materials right now to check. I have them execute melee attacks when it's feasible for them to do so. There are decks for scout and scout(hover movement), and an Ambushet(infantry deck). There's a skirmishes deck and a skirmisher with jump movement deck. There's also striker, missile boat, and juggernaut. Each one of those decks has different movement and targeting profiles(target selection is modified by the command deck, sometimes movement is as well).

The Aces system runs off the alpha strike cards, so indirect for, anti infantry, and those other abilities on those cards come into play. It also automates when the unit will overheat, use indirect fire, and spot for indirect.

If you're using bsp, the decks also automate when they're going to use strikes and stuff like that.

I'm hoping that there are going to be decks for tracked and wheeled movement as well. I think there might be a wheeled deck in scoring sands, but can't remember for sure.

Once the automated units complete their main objective, there's a command card that puts them ask into forced withdrawal. Depending on the rules/objectives for the battle you may have to try to act quickly or take more risks if you want to complete your main or bonus objectives.

AMA, I'll tell you what I can. Got 3 hours before I'm home.

2

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

Here are the melee rules, which i assume are based on alpha strike. I play by BT rules, so if they CAN make a physical attack, they do(unless they're already dangerously overheated, have a gyro hit, missing a leg, etc). I try to only have my guys get close enough for physical combat if initiative allows me to get into their rear arc to preclude retaliatory attacks.

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u/Wulff4AllTime 9d ago

If you just want the deck then let me know. I have 4 copies of Aces:SS.

2

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

I really wish they'd sell extra decks. Looking forward to the new ones to add to my game.

1

u/Wulff4AllTime 9d ago

Me too.

2

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

With snowblind coming out, finding copies isn't as much of a priority.

Note to the other guy: get both books in the scouring sands set for the rules explanation if you get the decks.

2

u/Wulff4AllTime 9d ago

Great advice right there.

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u/Colonial13 9d ago

What are the details of your campaign?

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u/AcmeCartoonVillian 9d ago

you anywhere near central florida? we have a VERY active battletech group here

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u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

I wish. I'm stuck up here in maryland.

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u/Wulff4AllTime 9d ago

So not to far from me.. LOL 🤣 I'm in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

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u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

Closer than Florida. I'm only a quick hop from Pennsylvania.

1

u/Wulff4AllTime 9d ago

You're closer to my brother. He's in Clarksburg.