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Welcome to Throw Back Thursday where I examine things from painting days long past. This week, I'm spending some time musing about one of my favorite pieces--a Broadsword Legion Atlas and reflecting on how this miniature came to be. Sometimes, the plans we have for our lives aren't the paths we take. Painting the Bad Guys of the Battletech UniverseWade into any forum or stand at the side of a table for long enough and you'll find someone shouting "The Blakists only have all of man's best interests in mind," claims that "Katherine was the rightful heir and superior statesman!" or still think that the Smoke Jags were really only trying to reestablish the Star League to make everything better. It's easy enough to claim that roles of "good guy" and "bad guy" are all relative to which side of the map you're throwing dice from or based on what faction swag you're wearing. There are, however, woven carefully into the fiction clear "good guys" and "bad guys," beginning with Amaris and the fall of the Star League to the Combine and Confederation throughout much of the Succession Wars. There are even two entire era's of play that explicitly name the bad guys. Neither the "Clan Invasion" nor the "Word of Blake Jihad" give much room for explaining away who the villain is in this space opera we all love. But sometimes, it can be fun to paint and play the bad guys. Having a force of villains is just as much about--if not much more than--having an Op For to play. There is something liberating about playing the antagonist. Sometimes, it is the feeling of being the underdog and riles a fight in the spirit. Other times, it's the freedom that comes from being able to move and operate outside the constricting and contradictory conventions of "fair play" and "civilized war." Exactly like every kid loves Darth Vader, being the bad guy gives players a sense of freedom of self and domination over others. How did we get to that point, however? Like this Atlas, the stories aren't often quite as black and white as the print in our fiction. This Boradsword Legion piece actually began as an integral part of a DCMS mini-diorama. Initially built and assembled to serve The Dragon, this mini never received those colors. But, like they always do, things changed. As new minis came and went, it sat in a case, cleaned and assembled waiting to be put to the field. When the chance finally came, this Atlas took on the shiny metal of the Broadsword legion with ease. No longer did the stifling and constricting colors of DCMS regiments tell it what color to be, how to stand, what it could and couldn't have for nose art. It had all the space to display properly and proudly all the large sized insignia and art it could handle. No longer was it reaching down to help a fallen comrade--now, it towered above its victims with contempt-full eyes. It became an unstoppable wall of steel. Despite all of that, I still see what was planned for it once. I see what no one else would. In my head, I still see how the pieces fit together--the Atlas with his outstretched hand to save his fellow 'Mechwarrior. The steadfast resolve to hold the line for his lance mates still flashes, from time to time, as I remember what could have been but never was. And maybe that is another part of why we like to paint bad guys. Sometimes, we too feel misunderstood. We sympathize with their plight of lost potential. Maybe, if we play these pieces, we can help tell their side of the story and, in doing so, come to better understand ourselves. Or, maybe we just want to watch the world burn. Hangar Crew Supporters
Welcome to Force Building Friday where we look at building units for use in Classic Battletech and Alpha Strike! Today, we'll piece together a Horde Lance from the new Combat Manual: Kurita! Players Beware!!!THE DESIGN AND PLAY OF THIS UNIT MAY CAUSE CHALLENGES IN YOUR GROUP. REMEMBER, ABOVE ALL ELSE, RULE 1: HAVE FUN. IF PLAY OF THIS UNIT CREATES CONFLICT WITH RULE 1, CONSIDER A FORCE STRUCTURE REDESIGN. The Horde!One of the best things about the new Combat Manual series is the inclusion of faction-specific formations. In CM: Kurita, the Dragon brings some some impressive builds to the table that emphasize their faction-flavor including the melee-focused Berserker Lance, the uniform model Order Lance, and the uncountable Horde Lance. Based on the idea of Kurita forces swarming the enemy with innumerable light 'Mechs, the Horde Lance gives players the opportunity to field a small army of models in one lance and still be competitive. The Horde Lance allows a player to take in a single lance no fewer than five and no more than ten light 'mechs, none of which with a damage value greater than 2 at any range or from any special ability. Provided all of these requirements are met and the formation is legal, it benefits from the Swarm bonus ability. With Swarm, when the opposing player targets a unit in this formation, the controlling player may switch the target to any other unit in the formation that is a legal target, in line of sight, and at the same range or less from the attacker. Players should note that the unit only needs to be a legal target (within line of sight) and at the same range or less--it doesn't have to be a unit with the same or less to-hit number. As cool as the Swarm ability is, it is unreasonable to not expect to experience heavy casualties in this mode of play. To minimize this risk, it is important to treat the Horde Lance like any light lance. Players must make maximum use of movement, jump, cover, range, and rear attack to give the opponent the highest to-hit numbers possible while throwing down as much destruction as these little guys can each turn. Remember pilots, he can't hit what isn't there and it's a whole lot harder if what isn't there is still moving. Selecting the right combat command, one that grants bonuses of movement and attack, cause critical hits before armor is destroyed, and allow for greater movement will maximize the lethality and survivability of the Horde Lance. Raise Your ColorsAll of the favorite combat commands of the DCMS appear in CM: Kurita. Each unit brings with it Special Command Abilities (SCA) much like the special abilities attributed to commands in the old Field Manual: Draconis Combine. Many of the combat commands are light weight with SCAs well suited to strengthen the Horde Lance. A few commands to consider are: First Genyosha
Second Amphigean Light Assault Group
Second Night Stalkers
Building Your ForceIt is important to remember from the start that a Horde Lance only generates 4 FPs. Thus, if a player wishes to include duplicate models, they will only be allowed to spend 4 FPs to do so (unless the lance is part of the Genyosha or Amphigean Light Assault Group). When selecting units for the Horde Lance, players must remember the restrictions that:
Considering the likelihood of taking on much sturdier opposing forces with significantly more armor and structure, players want to select models that have considerable TMMs, preferably with jump, to compensate for their lack of armor and structure. If possible, take as many units with the ENE special to reduce the possibility of unfortunate ammo explosions. Some units of note from the Succession Wars appear in the gallery below! Notes from the Light 'Mech Pilot's HandbookMake every effort to flank the enemy and make shots to the rear for the +1 DAM (notice how there are no Sword of Light regiments). When an enemy targets a long distance sniper, like a Panther, switch the target to a closer-ranged, higher TMM piece like a Jenner. Arm your Horde Lance with HT generating weapons in order to slow down your opponent's advance. As much as the name seemingly implies, it cannot be played in a "fire and forget" sort of style. Playing the Horde Lance is a game of patience, maneuver and counter maneuver. When the initiative is on your side, take advantage of it to get into good firing positions. When you don't have the advantage, find cover or run (again, notice the lack of Sword of Light regiments). Patreon Hangar Crew
HAVE YOUR OWN HORDE LANCE OR SUGGESTIONS TO ADD TO THE LIGHT MECH PILOT'S HANDBOOK? ADD THEM IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Welcome to Force Building Friday where we look at building units for use in Classic Battletech and Alpha Strike! Today, we'll pencil together a DCMS Second Night Stalkers Probe Lance designed to maximize movement and reduce to hit numbers. From the Ground UpWhen I got hands on the recent Combat Manual: Kurita, I found page after page of Draconis goodness! This book combines (get it?!) fantastic familiar units with fast-paced new Special Command Abilities. Coupled with a wave of nostalgia brought on by amazing newseen art, I set out to design a lance of one of my favorite comabt command schemes: the Night Stalkers. Second Night StalkersOne of the most interesting Kurita schemes around, the Night Stalkers give artists the freedom to crack open more than jara of grey and red when painting DCMS units. The official description from Camospecs.com states: The Night Stalkers favor blacks, greys, and dark blues. Referencing examples from across the Camospecs book to FM: Draconis Combine and the new CM: Kurita, players will find examples ranging from a vintage 80's blue, black, and grey Shadow Hawk to a solemn 90's all black Atlas. More than the colors, the Second Night Stalkers offer some interesting play styles. Being a veteran unit, a Night Stalkers force can average a skill of 3 and take up to two Special Command Abilities (SCA). With the choices available, a player can choose to reduce penalties for fighting at night, reduce to-hit penalties, or build specialized aerospace support. Because they hail from the Combine, the Night Stalkers are also able to choose the Warrior Code SCA (CM: Kurita, 85). Selecting SCAs and Special Pilot Abilities (SPA) that reduce to hit numbers allows for the design on an especially agressive unit. Chosing to build a Probe Lance reinforces this approach. With 75% of Probe Lance units receiving the Blood Stalker SPA, three of the four pieces will have a -1 to hit target number if they attack a designated unit. The down side is, these units receive a +2 penalty for attacking another unit. (In the latest errata, this SPA applies not to a single opposing model, but the formation it is in!) This play style can be challenging with a light weight command. In 3039 terms, these units are often light on armor and structure and maybe moderate on speed. To help give these pieces as much survivability as possible, maneuverability and speed are key. Not only do these traits help to put pieces behind cover but also provide additional penalties to hit from TMMs and jump. With the Hit and Run SCA, Night Stalker units can impose a to hit penalty on the opponent when jumping without receiving the +1 to hit penatly themselves. Or, if the Night Stalker unit is moving, it receives a -1 to hit modifier. Yes, when moving, these units fire as if standing still. If environmental special rules are in play, selecting Environmental Specialization (Night) adds to the Night Stalker's defence. On its own, night time conditions enforce a +2 to hit modifier on all players. The Night Stalkers, however, only incur a +1 to hit penalty. The take away design philosophy is: reduce your to hit numbers with SCAs and SPAs while increasing your opponent's with range and movement modifiers. The ModelsWanting to keep the models fairly limited to plastics, I chose: PNT-9R Panther JR7-D Jenner JR7-F Jenner SHD-2K Shadow Hawk (3rd Edition plastic--it's still made from long-dead dinosaurs!) Chosing two different Jenners meant that this formation does not need to spend one Faction Point (FP) to pay for the duplicate model. What's more, the -7F has more armor and the ENE special, thereby saving it from dangerous ammunition explosions. If a more energy-based style is appealing, sub the -7D for a JVN-10F. This will, however, reduce the speed of the unit, effectively trading one marker of survivability for another. The Shadow Hawk's speed of 10"/6"j is a bit too slow for the standard Pursuit Lance--thus, the choice of a Probe Lance. Players shouldn't let this change lure them into forgetting that this lance plays on a razor thin margin of survival. It does, however, bring with it substantial armor and a long-range attack to support its smaller, faster lance mates. The final piece, the Panther, provides more Kurita flavor, maintains the jump, adds a long range punch. If so inclined, as in the example, players can maximize the reduced to hit approach by taking the named pilot Chu-I Akihiro Feenandez. With Chu-I Fernandez, players have access to the Combined Fire SCA. Under optimal circumstances, this unit will have: -1 to hit for Blood Stalker (three models) -1 to hit for Hit and Run (three models) -1 to hit for Combined Fire (four models) and Automatic critical hit check from Chu-I Feenandez In one turn, if everything hits where its aimed, this lance will do up 6/7/2, with the crit check or 7/8/3 without. Take the NightThis unit is super aggressive and pretty quick. It doesn't have a lot of protection on its own--so keep moving! A fun, alternative lance would be to use a command with the Flankers or Hidden Units ability. Have your own ideas or suggestions for Force Building Friday? Post it in the comments below! Hangar Crew Supporters
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