Hey all you mech-jockies out there, the DGS is going to be running a FASA "2nd edition" Battletech tournament set in the 3rd Succession War era! Two rounds, each running between 12-6pm for 16 players divided into 4 teams/lances. Round 1 on Friday and Round 2 on Saturday, with Saturday’s Round 2 determining 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place. There will be prizes for all, compliments of Iron Wind Metals! So come join the DGS as we celebrate FASA's classic game of armored combat in a 2nd edition FASA Battletech tournament. Whether you fight under the banner of the Draconis Combine's elite, 5th Sword of Light, the Federated Sun's 7th Crucis Lancers; or as a mercenary in the famed Wolf's Dragoons and Eridani Light Horse, fortune and honor await.
In this one, nobody walks away empty-handed! Iron Wind Metals has donated an awesome box full of prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams. 4th Place team members each win a battlemech miniature 3rd Place team members each win a battlemech and a tank miniature 2nd Place team members each win a battlemech, tank and aerospace fighter miniature 1st place team members each win a full lance blister pak! Yeah, everyone gets good swag!
but which of you would have the fun? cloning is not an option either, as the other guy would still get to enjoy the experience...
hmmm, after some thought perhaps we should all form a borg collective so we get to experience the fun of everything all at once!
Here is the Tournament background: A MONUMENT TO TRAGEDY At the height of the First Succession War, the Draconis Combine's offensive against House Davion had driven deep into Federated Suns territory to within one hyperspace jump of its capital, New Avalon. Kurita supply lines however, had become dangerously long and vulnerable, especially after the destruction of a major supply depot on New Rhodes III. Because of this, Coordinator Minoru Kurita ordered a pause in the campaign to replace losses, resupply and reorganize. He also initiated efforts to stamp out pockets of resistance on conquered worlds. The worst guerrilla activity was occurring on Kentares IV, led by House Davion's 7th Crucis Lancers. Minoru decided to deal with this threat personally. The Coordinator and the 6th Sword of Light regiment were met with determined opposition by the isolated and outnumbered Davion troops. Despite this, within three months Kurita had crushed almost all enemy forces on the planet. In August 2796, Minoru Kurita and his entourage arrived at New Snowfield, a small town nestled in the Carmelite Mountains, after a long day’s march through that range. The 91 year old Minoru dismounted from his BattleMaster and walked into the alpine meadow overlooking the town. Only a Buddhist priest accompanied the Coordinator, his guards maintaining a discreet distance. The two sat and talked for a while, and then as Minoru Kurita rose to return to his BattleMech, he suddenly collapsed - pierced in the back by the beam of a sniper’s laser rifle. Jinjiro Kurita, now ruler of the Draconis Combine, reached New Snowfield a week after his father’s death. Gazing up at Minoru’s BattleMaster, he issued a single order to his gathered officers in a quiet, cold voice: “Kill them all.” For five months Kurita troops butchered the people of Kentares IV. Over 52 million civilians were massacred to satisfy the new Coordinator’s vengeance, more than 90% of the world’s population. His father’s BattleMaster was never moved from the spot Minoru had left it; Jinjiro forbade it. And eventually it, and the ruins of the town it stood over, were forgotten with the passing of centuries.
Here's some teaser fiction: Yellow Bird's Discovery "I hate this," Subaltern Rachel Layton grumbled to herself. Then she shouted it, “I hate this!” “Why did I get stuck with a boring Boomerang recon flight?" she thought to herself for probably the millionth time. She had less than a month left on her commission's probationary period, hadn't screwed up (at least that she was aware of), was a hot stick and had been assigned right out of Sakhara Academy to fly a Sparrowhawk aerospace fighter for the 7th Crucis Lancers. "Bet that raxx Kowalski had something to do it..." In truth the Boomerang spotter plane was fun to fly, low tech, maneuverable - you had to be a “real” pilot to handle it. A contact tone and a blinking light grabbed her attention. She checked her status - all green, altitude 1,004 meters, speed 135.2 kph, on course bearing 85 degrees, mission clock 1 hour 16 minutes, time 0722, "Sunny," Layton added. Looking then at her camera and tracking system display she saw that she was flying over a region on Kentares IV called Snowfield. Her spy cams' infrared had picked up something in the meadow overlooking some town ruins; it was metallic, based on the solar heat being absorbed. "Hmmph. It isn't small... 'Mech sized, but all alone out here,” Rachel mused out loud, as she often did. "Better take a closer look." Subaltern Layton focused her cameras directly on the contact and then sharply banked and dived the Boomerang, bringing it down to the deck for a pass directly over the contact. She enjoyed the rush. Pulling up then to 200 meters altitude, Rachel reviewed her cam displays again. "Definitely a 'Mech …, assault class! Power plant is cold though, and it looks like it has been there for a very, very long time." Just then a target lock alarm went off, "Holy...!" Layton stomped down to flip the Boomerang's wings vertical and yanked the control stick into her gut. Two missiles streaked by her canopy, nearly missing the fragile recon aircraft. Layton slammed the throttle all the way forward, righted her plane and climbed steeply. The Boomerang leaped upwards, clawing for speed and altitude. Rachel freed her camera system to track threats and immediately spotted an all-terrain jeep with a missile launcher. "Of all the stupid, rookie moves! Check your surroundings before you go in for a close reconnaissance!" the Subaltern yelled at herself as she altered her course to head back to base. Shaking a bit from her brush with death, Layton keyed her comm, "Homebase, this is Yellow Bird, I have an abandoned, assault class BattleMech at the following coordinates." As Rachel punched in the numbers, she continued, "Be advised that hostiles are in the area. Positive ID on one jeep with a missile launcher. I bet Kurita knows about the ‘Mech, over." After a short pause, a reply came from her speaker, " Yellow Bird, this is Homebase. Roger, copy your message. Good work. Out." Rachel Layton sighed. "I guess Boomerang missions aren't so boring after all."
What an amazing experience! The sounds and sights of BattleMech warfare, after an over 200 year absence, descended once again upon New Snowfield to disturb the ghosts of the very first victims of the Kentares Massacre! We had blown off 'Mech limbs, cockpit strikes, criticals to gyros, sensors and engines, devastating charges and physical attacks, Death from Above!, crashing through ruin floors to pitch headlong into basements! Taunts! Cries of Victory, cries of dismay, and much insane laughter! The merc lances from Wolf's Dragoons and the Eridani Light Horse were both beaten off by the House lances from the 5th Sword of Light and the 7th Crucis Lancers in the town ruins! Licking their wounds, the mercs received word that a Star League era supply cache HAD been found nearby. Mounting up once again, the Dragoons and the Light Horse met in battle for the treasure! Realizing that a decisive victory was not to be had, Wolf's Dragoons destroyed the cache by setting off the ancient ammo stored among the artifacts, thus preventing the lostech from falling into enemy hands! The Eridani Light Horse attempted to extract revenge from their rivals, nearly succeeding with a spectacular Death from Above attack by a Horseman Blackjack again the Dragoon Lt.'s Archer that left the 'jack standing and the Archer knocked prone, but in the end, it was the Wolves that edged the victory! High above the ruins, the 5th Sword of Light raced their arch-enemies the 7th Crucis Lancers to the derelict BattleMaster once piloted by the slain Coordinator Minoru Kurita, both hampered by a thick ground fog! Much to the shame of the Sworders, the Lancers beat the Kuritans to the prize, but were soon engulfed in a wild firefight and melee swirling about the silent relic! A Panther went down, a leg blown clean off, but valiantly fought on! A Rifleman was ravaged by enemy fire on its right and rear sides, loosing half its weaponry, and remained in the thick off it. As night descended both sides withdrew, the battle ending in a statistical draw! As I said, an amazing experience! Fun in abundance was had by all and prizes were given out to all of the MechWarriors who had fought so hard! I'd like to thank my partner Chad Parish from the Dead Games Society ("We play with dead things!") for running this even with me and talking me into doing it in the first place, along with Iron Wind Metals for their incredible generosity in providing prizes that truly were fitting for a lostech cache! And also the wonderful, supportive staff of Gary Con and of course our great Players, who showed exactly what BattleTech is all about!
Count on it! THE DGS Fortunes of War 2nd Edition BattleTech Tournament will definitely be back in 2018!
Of interest to folks in this thread: Publisher is now Paradox Games, developer is the same developer that created the fantastic Shadowrun games, kickstarter beta starts on June 1st:
