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Choose the starting Era

3030s - 4th Succesion Wars, basic technology only, Star League 'Mechs are rare, Clans aren't a thing yet
- 1 (12.5%)
3040s - Renaissance era, basic technology, but advanced designs begin appearing. The dawn of the Clans
- 4 (50%)
3050s - Clan Invasion, Clan tech is rare but possible, while advanced IS design and tech starts appearing
- 3 (37.5%)
3060s - FedCom Civil War, widespread advanced tech in the Inner Sphere, Clan tech is slightly less rare
- 0 (0%)
3070s - Jihad era, Clan tech is uncommon, while everyone in the IS is running advanced technology.
- 0 (0%)
3140 - Dark Ages. Tech is... weird. You might have militarized agro-Mechs charging cutting edge Clan designs sold to IS troops.
- 0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 8


Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 15

Author Topic: The Iron Brotherhood - A Battletech/MekHQ Let's Play: Operation Eclipse  (Read 42075 times)

Rince Wind

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Nice, the Griffin 1S is a pretty good ride for intro-tech units.
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Knave

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That's a nice mix of units!

But man these NPCs will be fun.
6/8?? Recruit Sonnborn better put in some intense training time in fast or she won't be able to pilot her Commando out of a wet paper bag!

Those Vees you rolled look pretty nice though and should hopefully be able to provide some timely support.
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Hanzoku

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Notable Members of the Iron Brotherhood
Officers

Enlisted

Table of Organization and Equipment
The Iron Brotherhood

The Iron Vanguard ‘Mech Company – 100% Full Strength, 8% Upgraded Technology
- - Nova’s Knights
- - - - Captain Susanna ‘Starburst’ Nova – PLG-3Z Pillager ‘Susanna’
- - - - Sergeant Svetlana ‘Ragu’ Ragozina – ZEU-6S Zeus
- - - - Corporal James ‘Glaive’ Gundersen – KGC-0000 King Crab
- - - - Corporal Jack ‘EJ’ Euchre – STK-3F Stalker

- - Kaine’s Kings
- - - - Lieutenant SG Billy ‘Knave’ Kaine – MAD-3D Marauder
- - - - Sergeant Matt ‘Wind’ Fischer – GLT-4L Guillotine
- - - - Corporal Baira Meenakshisundaram – WHM-6R Warhammer
- - - - Corporal Noelle Al Gahary – OSR-2C Ostroc

- - Linda’s Lancers
- - - - Lieutenant JG Linda Vo – PHX-1 Phoenix Hawk
- - - - Corporal Gani Leminoke – DV-6M Dervish
- - - - Corporal Jami Sonnborn – GRF-1N Griffin
- - - - Corporal Belmiro Larcher – WVR-6R Wolverine


The Iron Shield One Mixed Company, Vehicles and Infantry, 99% Full Strength
- - Hovi’s Hailstorm
- - - - Captain Seija Hovi – Devastator Heavy Tank
- - - - Lieutenant JG Basuki Burtick – Manticore Heavy Tank
- - - - Sergeant Eadan Brown – Schreck PPC Carrier
- - - - Sergeant Artur Yamada – Behemoth Heavy Tank
- - - - Lieutenant JG Aldona Barycz - Brotherhood Jump Infantry (14/30 soldiers)
- - - - Lieutenant JG Mikko Kimmonen – Brotherhood Field Guns

The Iron Wings Short wing – 2x Reinforced Air Lances, 100% Full Strength, 17% Upgraded Technology
- - Kobayashi’s Crows
- - - - Commander Ichiro Kobayashi – RPR-100b Rapier
- - - - Petty Officer Howard Serrano - SL-17 Shilone
- - - - Petty Officer Melissa Lyle – SL-17AC Shilone

- -Persaud’s Sparrows
- - - - Lieutenant JG Levane Persaud – SPR-8H Sparrowhawk
- - - - Petty Officer Mojca MacCurtin - SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk
- - - - Petty Officer Mildred Thomas – SB-27 Sabre

The Iron Shadows Mixed Infantry Unit
- - Special Forces
- - - - Captain Alex Yi – Iron Brotherhood Heavy Infantry
- - - - Liutenant JG Corry O’Heffron – Iron Brotherhood Heavy Infantry #2
- - Artillery Battery
- - - - Sergeant Kullat Baloch – Thumper Artillery Vehicle (ICE)

Spoiler: Update Guide (click to show/hide)

« Last Edit: December 17, 2019, 05:38:38 am by Hanzoku »
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Rince Wind

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Well, basically everywhere but in a city the SRM Carrier is a deathtrap that will probably be dead long before it is in range. In a city it might have a turn of firing or two, and can mess up pretty much everything with that barrage.
(One of the worst SRM Carriers to face is, of course, the Vulture A. :D)


Edit: So I am a better tactitian than my commanding officer? I hope she is open about taking advice. :D
« Last Edit: October 23, 2019, 08:40:02 am by Rince Wind »
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Hanzoku

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Well, the AI has the tendency to prioritize closer targets. So if the SRM Carrier lurks behind the Behemoth and Devastator, there's a good chance that it'll do some serious damage. What makes it even scarier is that the game rolled up an Elite and two Veteran gunners for it, and the commander has Gunnery Specialization: Missile. So there's a good chance that they can do incredible damage from the long range bracket as well.

I'm not sure they're good at timely support though... The Behemoth is a 2/3 vehicle while the Devastator and SRM Carrier are 3/5. But once they crawl close enough, they'll mess up anyone's day.

I love the Vulture A, an aside.
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Knave

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I'm not sure they're good at timely support though... The Behemoth is a 2/3 vehicle while the Devastator and SRM Carrier are 3/5. But once they crawl close enough, they'll mess up anyone's day.


'Timely' was definitely the wrong word to use.  :P Much needed? Devastating? Awesome?
Think they'll be notching quite a few kills if they are able to make it onto the battlefield in time with skills like that.

And no VTOLs/Hovers (yet) to worry about in case we decide to fight through Megameks frequent tornado-strength winds!
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Iduno

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I'm not sure they're good at timely support though... The Behemoth is a 2/3 vehicle while the Devastator and SRM Carrier are 3/5. But once they crawl close enough, they'll mess up anyone's day.

Awesome?

Yes, they have a terrible movement rate, like the Awesome. To be fair, the Awesome's range makes it a pretty decent turret.
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A Thing

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I'm still waiting for the brave bastard that signs up with an infantry character with a full backstory and everything. SRM Carrier submission would probably also be just as brave.

Also, Ichiro being an officer with 0 leadership is just perfect for who I imagine him to be.
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Wasteland 1 & 2
"Power Couple: Markus Athing & Cyborg 45"

Makes me curious, can cyborgs have future babies too?
On the offchance they can, I know who I want my daddy to be
(finished)Age of Decadence

Burnt Pies

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2/2 on Susanna's skills? Good grief, that's a lot higher than I was expecting. Guess she really was destined to make ace. What does the cluster master skill do? better grouping of hits from multi-hit weapons?
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I can read box now
Also, I am a bit drunk
Refrigerator

Hanzoku

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Cluster Master is the big brother of the Cluster Hitter skill: +2 on the cluster hit table (Cluster Hitter gives +1).
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Hanzoku

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Now for a topic I mentioned at the beginning, let's dive into Special Missions.

These were set up by other users as a means of allowing for more use for combined arms forces. They fall into three categories: Aerospace, Artillery and Infantry.  The unit Commander can field 3x their Strategy skill each week. Each mission rolls 1d20 + modifiers, and depending on its results, is a critical failure, failure, nothing, a success or a critical success.

Aerospace
Ground Support - Aerospace units make themselves ready to contribute to a ground battle.
On a critical success, they can then be assigned to any one battle of the commander's choice. On a success, they then need to roll an additional 1d6 - Light flights join on 4-6, medium 5-6, and heavy only on a 6.

Failure results in the flight being driven off by anti-air or enemy air cover and receiving some damage.

Interdiction - Aerospace units try to prevent enemy movement to the battle lines.
On a success or critical success, one enemy reinforcement lance is removed from a battle that week. On a critical success, the Commander can also set up a match between the flight and a random medium lance. If the flight destroys 1 unit, add 1 to the contract score.

Aerial Reconnaissance - Light/Medium Flights only - Aerospace units get a fix on where the enemy is.
On success, the Commander can avoid one battle this week. Critical success ups the results by also allowing a lance of reinforcements to succeed without a roll.

Facility Strike - Medium/Heavy Flights only - Aerospace units strike a supply or command and control installation.
Success adds a victory to the contract score, while a critical success disrupts any enemy offensive operations for the week, canceling all (Def) missions.

Air Superiority - Aerospace units attempt to dominate the skies.
On success, another flight's results are improved in case of critical failure to failure, or from failure to nothing. This can occur this week or the following week.

Artillery
Interdiction - Forward - Artillery tries to isolate the battle area and reduce enemy lance mobility.
On success, one enemy reinforcement lance is removed that week, chosen randomly. Critical success allows a specific lance to be removed.

Failure results in the unit being driven off by counterbattery fire, while a critical failure means an enemy unit and the artillery having a chase scenario which they quite honestly would never survive.

Interdiction - Rear - Artillery tries to complicate any attacks by preventing lances from coordinating.
On success, one enemy reinforcement lance is removed at random from any mission where the unit is the defender. On a critical success, the unit can cancel a defensive mission entirely.

Failure means the unit is driven back by long range counterbattery fire and takes light damage. A critical failure means a chase scenario, where on a roll of 5 or 6 a lance on Defense can be deployed before turn 1 to defend the artillery. Mildly more survivable.

Ground Support Forward/Rear - Artillery shores up the offensive/defensive effort.
The difference between the two is in the chances of success - forward support has a better chance of success, but more chance of failure, and can deploy to attack battles, while rear batteries deploy to defensive battles.

On success, units can be deployed as off-board artillery 1d20 map sheets away on a roll of 5-6 on a d6 for 1 battle this week. Critical success guarantees they deploy and allow the commander to pick the range.

Failure means the unit is driven off or attacked, the same as the interdiction missions.

Infantry
Search and Rescue - Infantry tries to retrieve any ejected mechwarrior they can find. (mobile/mechanized/jump only)
Success allows one Mechwarrior that would be captured to be retrieved safely instead. Critical success allows returning one dead Mechwarrior from the grave with 4 wounds - rumors of their demise were unfounded.

Failure causes the unit to lose 1d20 personnel, and a crit failure wipes out the unit entirely.

Guard - Infantry deploys in a fixed position guarding a significant asset.
Success means that Infantry can deploy in any Def battle that week on a roll of 4-6 on a d6. Critical Success makes that a certainty.

Failure does nothing, like critical failure makes the unit lose 1d20 personnel.

Deep Strike - Infantry unit attempts to destroy a high-value target behind enemy lines
On success, the commander can choose one of the following: Remove all Def battles that week, prevent any one enemy reinforcement lance, or cancel 1 battle AND gain 1 contract score. A critical success forces a morale check as well.

Failure is brutal though - conventional infantry is eliminated on both failure and critical failure.

Ground Reconnaissance - Infantry tries to get a fix on where enemy units are.
On success, the commander can avoid one battle this week, while critical success adds in that one ground lance reinforcement succeeds without a roll.

Failure means the unit loses 1d20 personnel, and critical failure wipes out the unit.

Picket - Infantry gives advance warning of an enemy attack.
On success, the commander can choose one battle and one reinforcement lance and not need to roll to be able to deploy.  The infantry unit can also deploy in the same battle. On critical success, the reinforcements deploys before turn 1.

Failure does nothing, while critical failure causes 1d20 personnel to be lost.
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Hanzoku

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After finding enough pilots and soldiers to fill out the unit’s roster, they then looked into picking up enough support personnel to keep everything running.

While a larger command team would be great, Albus is stuck running the command on his own. They did manage to find five qualified ‘Mech technicans, three mechanics including Marketa Reszewicz, a former house veteran with plenty of experience under her belt. A pair of AeroSpace technicans includes Lisil Dashko, a technical wiz with anything that flies rounded out the technical side of things.

Only two doctors were willing to sign up with such an unknown outfit, and neither one of them was particularly skilled yet in their field. In fact, Albus was fairly certain given their much greater skill with rifles that they were former corpsmen passing themselves off as doctors for the greater available salary. That said, any medical care was better then none, or a half-drunk backalley surgeon, so they were retained.



The local mercenary board office rates the Iron Brotherhood as D-ranked, based largely on their new status and lack of transport.

With only a few million left in his trust fund account, Albus arranged as much in the way of supplies as he could. The amount of supplies it needed to keep a mercenary unit even as small as this one functioning for a short contract was appalling. Using a rule of keeping three tons of ammunition available per ammo bin meant that the unit needed 89 tons of ammunition alone of various calibers for the autocannon shells and racking for the short and long ranged missiles.

Enough armor to re-armor every vehicle and ‘Mech once came to another 95 tons, and then there were the spare actuators, jump jets (impossible to find in the field, he was assured by several of the Mech jocks), and a few spare weapons of the most common types in use by the unit...

In the end, not everything was brought up to the desired amount of reserves, but the unit had almost 400k C-Bills in the bank still to cover personnel and maintenance costs, without having to take out a loan.

On the 1st of February, Kincaide called a meeting with the unit commanders of the Iron Brotherhood. He laid out the terms of a contract he had found, and set out the short and long term unit goals.



The contract itself was simple, hired by the Free Worlds League on behalf of the Capellan Confederation, their objective was to support a raid seeking to gain access to several ancient Star League-era fortifications. While there was limited chance that LosTech was to be found, the Capellans were willing to take that risk.

The defenders would be the 1st Aragon Borderers. While a veteran outfit, it was anticipated that the experienced defenders would be facing the Capellan raiders, while the mercenaries and their FWL liaisons would be fighting fresh recruits to the unit.

As for the Iron Brotherhood’s goals, in the short term, Albus was looking to expand the ‘Mech forces to three lances, fill out the tank platoon with another heavy or assault tank, and look into acquiring helicopters to form a support lance.

For a longer term goal once the unit’s finances were better stabilized, he was planning to take on infantry units that were interested in joining, and stripping out the veteran and elite members, as well as anyone with anti-‘Mech or artillery training, and any recruits still green enough to take to training. The long-term goal was to create a unit of anti-‘Mech trained jump infantry to serve as commandos, and to fill out a battery of artillery to provide support to the combat elements.

The unit’s technical support was not sufficient to maintain all of their equipment in route, but as part of the contract, Kincaide secured 9 astechs on loan from the Marik unit, which was enough to supplement their own Techs.

Just before liftoff, another Mechanic joined the unit, giving them a bit more leeway with vehicle repairs.

Two jumps before their destination, the unit ran short of money, and Albus was forced to take out a loan against the unit’s assets to finish their journey to their first contract.



On Monday, March 30, the unit jumped to the nadir jumpoint of the New Aragon system and began a fast in-system burn. Their Capellan allies were already two days ahead, and had engaged the defending AFFC fighters, leaving their path open.

Friday, April 3rd the Iron Brotherhood landed and began combat operations. Their task was to scout out the AFFC’s defenses. On advice from Lieutenant Nova, the unit had organized a temporary training command, consisting of the infantry platoon, and the three green ‘MechWarriors. The green trainees would receive guest instruction when the senior MechWarriors had time. Meanwhile, Nova, Kaine and Fischer operated as Alpha Lance on recon, while Gamma Platoon was on defensive duties. Delta Flight was tasked to aerial reconnaissance of the surrounding area to prevent any nasty surprises.
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Knave

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Re: The Iron Brotherhood - A Battletech/MekHQ Let's Play: Operation Misdirect
« Reply #27 on: October 28, 2019, 03:38:21 pm »

Excellent write up as always! Looking forward to our first encounter. I very much enjoy the image of a Stalker trundling about on scouting duty. It's clear Lyran tactics have rubbed off our our dear leader, Albus  :D
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Rince Wind

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Re: The Iron Brotherhood - A Battletech/MekHQ Let's Play: Operation Misdirect
« Reply #28 on: October 28, 2019, 05:50:24 pm »

Hey, it is the baby Stalker, the 4P das the 75t version iirc.
Perfectly fine as an anchor in a scout lance, if a bit on the light side.
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Hanzoku

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Re: The Iron Brotherhood - A Battletech/MekHQ Let's Play: Operation Misdirect
« Reply #29 on: October 29, 2019, 02:10:12 am »

Honestly, Lyran scout lance jokes aside (And Albus would be the first to apologize that he couldn't field a proper scout lance of four Atlases), because the unit is in early days, the force compositions aren't what I would normally use. I generally use the rule that anything deployed to Scout duties should have a speed of 5/8 or 4/6/4 or better. This allows heavier 'cavalry' designs like the Dragon, Quickdraw or Grasshopper to also join in. I personally also tend to run heavy lances, and rarely field lights. This mostly has to do that AtB rarely has equal matchups - your units will generally always be outnumbered and outgunned, whether you're fielding a lance of 20t Mechs or a Lyran Scout Lance. Therefore, riding heavier designs give your guys more chance to survive and knock out the enemy.

And as the following mission shows, there also a good reason why I don't deploy Green units unless I absolutely have to.
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