BattleTech Simulator

Battle of Kilgour:
Deep Trouble Scenario

by William H. Keith, jr.

There was a golden opportunity for us here. Ten 'Mechs of a space-launched Davion company had landed right in our laps. For an hour, the four lances which had been lying in wait for them at the old Tai Ch'ien factory complex had caught the enemy in a grueling cross-fire, and now the survivors had been backed into a narrow circle at the edge of the flooded Lin Pao Plains.

They were trapped, and the outcome had never been in any doubt. Three Davion 'Mechs had been destroyed or disabled in short order moments after they'd grounded, and now the survivors could neither retreat nor advance in the face of our strongly-held positions. They could retreat into the water, of course, but it was quickly obvious that the Davion warriors were unable or unwilling to retreat--possibly because they expected to meet reinforcements at that point later on. Well, Colonel Hochstadter was determined to deny the enemy even the chance of retreat. "We have them now!" he exulted. "We will close the lid on their cage and crush them!"

My recon lance was the lid to the trap. Our orders were to head south across the flooded plain, then turn west and travel as rapidly as possible parallel to the coastline, about six hundred to a thousand meters out. At that range, it was expected that battle smoke and the covering fire laid down by our comrades ashore would mask our movement. Once we were directly south of the enemy's position, we would turn north, advancing on his rear in a surprise attack which would leave the Davion invaders surrounded and helpless.

The first part of the maneuver went smoothly enough. There was no sign that we had been spotted from the shore. It wasn't until we had turned north and begun to close with the enemythatwe realized that things were not going to plan...

--Testimony delivered by Lieutenant Andre Manurhin at the court martial of Colonel Vidmer R. Hochstadter on September 11, 3026 (TC), following Hochstadter's defeat at the Tai Chien industrial complex on Scheat V.

Situation: 1317 hours, August 22, 3026 Scheat V

LOCATION: One kilometer south of Tai Ch'ien, Scheat V

In an effort to confuse Davion raiders and DropShip pilots, large areas of coastiand along the shores of Scheat V's southern seas had been flooded. This created some confusion within the battalion slated to spearhead the Davion invasion of the planet, but in most cases the attacking forces correctly identified their targets or were able to accurately determine their positions within an hour or two of landing.

At the Tai Ch'ien factory center on the River Styx, known to the Davion forces as the Cerberus Complex, one Davion company had the bad fortune of landing directly alongside its proper target-occupied at the time by elements from two companies of the Kurita Fourth Proserpina Hussars. The fight was savage but brief. The invaders were pinned down, unable to advance or retreat in the face of overwhelmingly superior firepower.

The Hussar's regimental commander was on hand and was determined to eradicate the Davion unit which had so propitiously fallen into his lap. By sealing off the enemy's single path out of the trap, he would ensure their surrender or their complete destruction.

What Colonel Hochstadter had not counted on was the presence of a single Davion Crusader which had landed outside his trap. That lone 'Mech, separated from the others in its drop pattern by an aerospace fighter attack during the descent, had landed on the flood plain several kilometers to the south, well outside the combat area.

As that Crusader waded north through waist-deep water to rejoin its companions, its pilot spotted the four-'Mech lid to Hochstadter's trap and recognized it for what it was.

What followed was a classic engagement pitting one heavy against four light 'Mechs. The water, and the presence of an unseen river bed, added to the combatants' problems.

GAME SET-UP

Deep Trouble can be played using two BattleTech game maps laid side by side. North, South, East, and West edges of the combat area are determined. One of the map sections is designated as the East Map Area, the other as the West.

A blank hex map (such as the reverse side of the AeroTech game map) can be used instead of the basic BattleTech maps. In this case, the West Map Area is considered to be west of the center line of the game map, 27 hexes from the eastern edge.

The terrain in this simulation is flat and covered by water to a depth of five meters. All terrain features printed on the map sheet are ignored. In this simulation, Sergeant MacCray in his lone Crusader is the Attacker. Four light Kurita 'Mechs are the Defenders.

Attacker

Sergeant Sinclair MacCray's Crusader (The Crusader is in perfect condition.)
Skills:
Piloting: 4
Gunnery: 3

Deployment

The attacker secretly selects the hex in which his 'Mech will appear, and records it. This hex may be anywhere on the West Map Area within 20 hexes of the west edge of the map. If the players are using an unnumbered hex sheet, the hex should be identified in some mutually acceptable way, i.e. "fifteen hex rows from the west edge of the map sheet, twelve hexes from the south edge." This hex represents one section of the submerged bank of aflooded river which runs north and south. The exact location of the river bank may be determined during the course of the battle by using die rolls detailed in the Special Rules section for this scenario.

The attacker does not place his 'Mech on the board (thereby revealing his position) until the moment of his choosing.

Defender

Lieutenant Andre Manurhin's Panther
Piloting: 4
Gunnery: 3
The Panther has already taken battle damage. It has 10 armor points remaining on its front center torso and 5 armor points remaining on its left arm.

Stinger#1
Piloting: 4
Gunnery: 3
This Stinger is in perfect condition.

Stinger#2
Piloting: 3
Gunnery: 3
This Stinger has already taken battle damage. It has 2 points of armor remaining on its right arm and 1 point of armor remaining on its right torso.

Stinger#3
Piloting: 3
Gunnery: 2
This Stinger is in perfect condition.

Deployment

On turn 1, the Defender enters the combat area anywhere on the east edge of the map within a corridor which extends between 5 and 15 hexes from the north edge. The defending 'Mechs may assume any desired formation. Their goal is to travel west across the map within this corridor (at least 5 and no more than 15 hexes below the north edge of the map) until they reach the western half of the map. If the players are using the blank hex sheet provided with AeroTech for this simulation, the Defender must travel at least 26 hexes from the east edge of the map.

Once the defending 'Mechs have reached the middle of the combat area (i.e., they have crossed onto the west half of the map) they may turn north, with the goal of moving off the north edge of the West Map Area.

These deployment restrictions represent the Defender's operational orders.

The lance has been directed to enter the water at a point to the east of the combat area, travel west to a point which will position them south of a small group of trapped enemy BattleMechs, then turn north to attack the enemy from the rear.

As soon as the Attacker in this scenario makes his presence known, all restrictions are lifted, and the Defender may move freely and at his own discretion.

Special Rules

Deep Trouble is an unusual combat situation in that the entire battle takes place with the combatant 'Mechs waist deep or deeper in water. All hexes (with the exception of the river, see below) are considered to be Depth 1. All movement in these hexes requires 2 MP.

Water along the banks of the river is at Depth 2. Movement through a river bank hex requires 4 MPs.

'Mechs may walk (not run!) along the river bottom (Depth 3) at the rate of one hex per turn.

In addition, the following rules and restrictions apply:

Jump Jets: The Defender's 'Mechs are equipped with Jump Jets. However, the exhaust venturis on all four 'Mechs are submerged. Each time the Defender attempts to use his Jump Jets, he should roll 2D6. On a roll of 7 or less, he may execute the jump as planned. On an 8 or 9, his JumpJets will misfire, forcing him to abort his jump. On a roll of 10+, his jet nozzles will be so fouled with mud and weeds that there will be danger of explosion. He must immediately roll 2D6 and subtrac this Pilot Skill. On a modified roll of 6 or more, the 'Mech's Jump Jets explode, causing 2D6 x 3 points of damage to the 'Mech. Divide the damage points evenly between the left rear, right rear, and center rear torso. If the roll to avoid an explosion is successful (modified roll of 5 or less) the pilot successfully throttles down his jets and avoids an explosion. The jump, however, is still aborted.

The Submerged River: The position of the submerged banks of the Styx River is only approximately known by both sides. The river bank is lower than surrounding terrain and is considered to be at Depth 2, or about chin-deep on a 'Mech. The river bottom itself is now quite deep and is considered to be Depth 3-deep enough to submerge a 'Mech completely. At the start of the scenario, the Attacker is hiding in a river bank hex and has not yet been sighted by the enemy.

The Attacker chooses one hex of the river's east bank when he determines the position at which his BattleMech will appear during the battle. This hex is used to determine the location of the other river bank hexes.

The north-south hex row chosen by the Attacker is the eastern bank of the river. All of these hexes are at a depth of 2.

The Attacker informs the Defender when his 'Mechs enter depth 2 water. Obviously, this information will give the Defender some idea of where the Attacker is hiding. However, the Defender has a specific mission to accomplish, and a specific course to follow in order to accomplish that mission. Any diversion from that course in orderto locate the Attacker's hidden 'Mech before the Attacker chooses to reveal himself is not permitted.

The hexes west of the river bank are river bottom and are considered to be at depth 3. The river bottom is 5 hexes wide at all points. Thus, the west bank of the river will always be 6 hexes west of the east river bank. The west bank is at Depth 2. All hexes west of the west bank are Depth 1.

If a referee is running the scenario, a more realistic simulation of the terrain may be empoyed. The referee prepares a map which charts the location of the river, with the secret hex chosen by the Attacker positioned along the eastern bank. In this case, the river can wind back and forth, rather than having it laid out in a straight line. The referee then informs both sides when their 'Mechs enter a river bank hex.

Combat

Beginning Combat: Combat begins at any time of the Attacker's choosing. The Attacker may move from Depth 2 water to Depth 1 water, then fireoncewithout receiving simultaneous return firefrom the Defender. Once the Attacker's first attack has been delivered and resolved, subsequent combat proceeds normally, with all movement and fire being considered simultaneous.

Crusader Leg-Mounted Weaponry: The Crusader mounts a pair of Harpoon-6 SRM racks on its legs which, at Depth 1, lie just about at water level. During any given turn in which the Attacker wants to fire SRMs, he must roll 1 D6. If the result is even, the SRM tubes are above the water's surface and may be fired normally. If the result is odd, the SRMs are below the water's surface and may not be fired.

The players do not need to keep track of individual hexes from which SRMs are fired, since the depth changes involved are very slight. Even if the Crusader remains stationary from one turn to the next, rolling 1 D6 may allow the Crusader to fire its SRMs one turn, but not on the next. Each roll determines the ability of both Crusader SRM racks to fire.

All of the Defender's weapons may be fired at any time from water of Depth 1 or less. No weapons may be fired by 'Mechs at depths of 2 or greater.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

The defender in this scenario is attempting to surround an enemy 'Mech force several hundred meters to the north of this encounter area. He wins a major victory if he can exit all four 'Mechs off the north edge of the western portion of the map. He wins a minor victory if he can exit three 'Mechs off the north edge of the western portion of the map.

Since the success of the Defender's maneuver depends on his ability to engage in combat with 'Mechs to the north, all Defender 'Mechs must retain all of their weapons (excepting machine guns) for them to be counted for victory conditions. Thus, for example, a Stinger which has lost its right arm cannot be counted towards the Defender's victory conditions, since the loss of its right arm results in the loss of its medium laser.

In addition, if the Defender can exit three or four 'Mechs off the north edge of the west map portion and destroy his opponent's Crusader, he wins a decisive victory.

The Attacker wins a major victory if he can prevent the Defender from winning a major victory. He wins a decisive victory if he can prevent the Defender from moving more than two fully-armed 'Mechs off the north edge of the west portion of the map. He wins a spectacular victory if he can completely destroy (not simply disarm) any three of the enemy 'Mechs.

All other results (the Crusader is destroyed, but three or more of the Defender's 'Mechs have lost weapons in the battle, for example) are considered to be a draw.

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