Scenario "Eagle Patrol Two to Eagle Patrol Leader. Come in, Eagle Leader." "Eagle Leader. I copy you, Patrol Two. What gives, Jerry?" "Unexpected and erratic heat signature showing on I/R, ma'am. Some sort of thermal emission in the caves here." "And you think..." "Possible geo-thermal source. Sure liven up a dull patrol if we could stake a claim here. Wouldn't you like to be rich?" "Permission to investigate given, Eagle Patrol Two. Report in two hours, even if there's nothing happening. The way these ore deposits block transmission, I have no other way to keep tabs on you." --Last Known Communication from Patrol Lances One and Two, March 15, 3042 Attacker: Elements of the First Kathil Uhlans Alpha Battalion Note that the skills given are more than five years old, these are not the same as these warriors' current levels. from Rifle Lance ("Badger's Claws") Cpl Jedithreve Awesome Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 2 from Strike Lance ("Badger's Cunning") Sgt Randell Phoenix Hawk Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 3 Cpal Oron Ostscout Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 4 MWr Keldane Phoenix Hawk-D Piloting: 4, Gunnery: 4 MWr Cullin Spider Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 2 Militia MWr BJ Rosen, Hunter Piloting: 4, Gunnery: 3 (Liason & Guide) Defender: Elements of Kristen's Crushers Medium Lance Cicada Piloting: 3, Gunnery : 4 Vulcan Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 3 Vulcan Piloting: 2, Gunnery: 3 Hunchback Piloting: 4, Gunnery: 4 Heavy Lance Orion Piloting: 4, Gunnery :3 Archer Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 2 Crusader Piloting: 3, Gunnery: 3 JagerMech Piloting: 3, Gunnery : 4 Victory Conditions: Attacker: Retreat at least one unit off map. If Defender does so, he has managed to report the presence of the First Kathil Uhlan troops. Attacker: Keep defender from retreating any of his 'Mechs, and maintain at least two of your' Mechs infighting condition. The battle continues until one side is dead, inactivated, or retreated completely. Situation: Darkfall Passage is a long-disused cave tunnel between two of the main routes to the cave cities of Gan Singh.. In a linked series of caverns a kilometer below the surface of Corella Continent, an alternate route is possible between Ab-Jhabar and The Hall. It is a route with many pitfalls, and many wrong turnings. This action is the spearhead of Lt Gen Andrew Redburn's lightning strike against the mercenary coalition in The Hall. If the action fails, a battalion-level attack will be thwarted. Defender: See Inset Attacker: See Inset Game Set-Up and Special Rules: Place four BattleTech boards together, blank side up. Take a 2-meter long piece of string and tie the ends together. Make a random pattern on your map to simulate a series of six linked caverns. Allow the string to go off the map at beginning and end of the series. (See illustration). Designate your caverns as numbers 1-6. Attacker enters at cavern # 1; Defender is in place in caverns 5 and # 6. Defender sets up first. Each side rolls 1 D6. The cavern whose number is rolled by the defender has a low ceiling. See next page for special rules. The cavern whose number is rolled by the attacker has liquid nitrogen pits below the surface. Each time a hex within that cavern is entered for the first time, the entering player must roll 2 D6. On a roll of 6 or below, the hex has a pit in it, and the 'Mech breaks through its surface. A piloting roll must be made at a minus three to get out of that pit. A failed roll requires three rolls on the kick damage table. The pits are only level 2, but damage is figured as for level 4, because liquid nitrogen chills the 'Mech's structure down to a brittle state where the armor and even internal structure can shatter. If a 'Mech does not make its piloting roll for four turns running, its motor systems freeze in place. It can no longer move. The only way it can be moved is for another 'Mech to assist it (the second 'Mech makes a piloting roll at minus 1). After 8 turns in a pit, the affected 'Mech may no longer fire. Once a pit has been found, the hex maybe marked by one of the counters included. (Photocopy them if you don't want to cut the magazine page). Thereafter, a 'Mech entering the hex makes a regular piloting roll to avoid the pit. A failed roll still requires damage as above. Once a hex has been safely entered by either side it is safe for the rest of the scenario. (Note to referee: it is suggested that these conditions be explained to the players, but that actual play be on a you-said-it, you-did-it basis. This simulates the rapid progress from cavern to cavern, with no real time for situation map reading, conditions of the original battle fatigued MechWarriors. It is perfectly possible for these two conditions to coexist in one cavern. It is not recommended for a Jump-capable 'Mech to use its jump jets in a pit of liquid nitrogen. The volume of gas thus created will expand as rapidly as steam from a burst boiler. It could easily pop the 'Mech into the cavern's unyielding ceiling (Damage as in Death-From-Above, with the'Mech's own weight substituted forthe Attacker, and the distance calculated at an average of seven hexes (unless it is a cavern with a low ceiling , in which case the distance is three hexes). If a player gets the idea of shooting into one of these 'pit-capable' hexes before it is entered, the 2 D6 roll may be made to expose a nitrogen pit. HOWEVER, If a '2' is rolled, an expansion of gas will result, figured as knockback damage. AII 'Mechs involved are considered to have been adapted for planetary conditions of cold. Allow -2 to each turn's heat buildup calculations. The other special consideration is in the case of liquid nitrogen. A 'Mech will go to zero heat upon break-through to a pit. See special problems as above. All special rules for fighting in caverns are in force. See next page. Back to BattleTechnology 15 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com