Interview of bandit: 'John Smith' Transcript furnished by SAFE, Free Worlds League Intelligence "It was incredible, I tell ya! We had the trap laid perfectly. I mean, it was perfect! Then the prey walked right in. Odd'Mech, I ain't never seen one like it. Well, Snake, he brought up his Warhammer just like we'd planned and we sprung the trap. Drak, that pilot was good! He turned towards me and ran right at me, guns blazin'. Just one damned salvo and he'd near blown off my leg. Next thing I know he was jumping back outside of range, leaving the three of us eatin'vapors. There was a heck of a racket over the com, but I couldn't see nothin' till I walked over the hill. I came into sight just in time to see him blow Snake's head clean off. Before poor Snake's Warhammer even hit the ground, he turned and fired on me again. Froze up my hip solid and shredded one of my gun arms. And it was all downhill from there. Macky's Orion took a pounding until his engine decided to go nova. He blew both my arms and my left leg off before leaving me for dead. When the Captain and Missy left that'Mech smoking and ran, they left a trail of parts a headless bloodhound coulda followed." Fall of a Legend From the Sierra Times- Tribune, October 4, 3051 The mercenary company Mikalson's Mavericks, under Marik employ as part of this world's garrison, has just repelled a bandit attack. While they were successful, the Mavericks lost three BattleMechs, including a rare OSP-15 Osprey medium 'Mech. The backbone of the Mavericks' Fire Lance since it was discovered in 3036, this rare Star League'Mech had time and again given the Mavericks the edge they needed to overcome superior opposition. Having outdistanced its lance mates with its jumpjets, the 'Spruce Goose' was cut off by five bandit 'Mechs, the lightest of which weighed in at 60 tons. Unable to retreat, the 'Goose' played a game of cat-and-mouse in the hilly region near the town of Outback, terrain for which this 'Mech is ideally suited. By the time the bandits finally felled the Osprey, it had destroyed three and damaged the other two. The Mavericks' Fire Lance arrived in time to drive off the bandits and rescue their commander. However, engine hits had reduced the Osprey to a shell of its former self. Rumor has it that agents of the Wyld Stallions (finder-owners of the first Osprey to be reported in the Inner Sphere) have offered a brand new Canopian Shadow Hawk for the destroyed Maverick Osprey. No confirmation of the offer is available as of yet. Set Up Lay out the BattleTech mapboard as shown. In the open area to the north, place a Level 3 building, three Level 2 buildings, and four Level 1 buildings. These buildings represent a Level 3 graded hill. Treat all light wood hexes as Level 1 hills, and all heavy woods as Level 2 hills. Ignore all woods already on a hill; treat these hexes only as hills. The scenario lasts ten turns. Defender: Element of Mikalson's Marauders Fire Lance Commander Winston Strong, Osprey Piloting: 4, Gunnery: 3 Attackers: Elements of unknown Bandit Force: 'John Smith', Victor Piloting: 4, Gunnery: 4 'Macky', Orion Piloting: 5, Gunnery: 4 'Snake', Warhammer Piloting: 5, Gunnery: 4 'The Captain', Archer Piloting: 6, Gunnery: 4 'Missy', Rifleman Piloting: 4, Gunnery: 4 Defender Deployment: The Osprey is placed on the "x" on map. Attacker Deployment: The Victor, Archer, and Rifleman enter anywhere on the east side of the map. The Orion enters anywhere on the southeast quarter-edge of the map. The Warhammer enters from the southern section of the west edge of the map. Victory Conditions: The Defender gains a Marginal Victory if it destroys one of the Attackers and remains in fighting condition until the end of the scenario, and a Decisive Victory if it destroys three of the Attackers and remains in fighting condition. The Attackers gain a Marginal Victory if it destroys the Osprey within 10 turns without suffering more than two destroyed 'Mechs, and a Decisive Victory if it destroys the Osprey without suffering any losses. OSP-15 Osprey First Published, Feb 3046 Type: OSP-15 Osprey Tons Tonnage: 55.0 Internal Structure: Endo Steel 11 2.75 Engine: DAV 220 XL 5,0 Walking MPs: 4 Running MPs: 6 Jumping MPs: 4 Heatsink: 10(20) 0.0 Gyro: 3.0 Cockpit: 3.0 Armor Factor: 184 11.5 (location) : IS : Armor Head 3 9 CT 18 30/6 Rt/Lt Torso 13 20/6 Rt Arm 9 17 Lt Arm 9 18 Rt/Lt Arm 13 26 Weapons and Equipment: Type : Location : Critical : Tons Gauss Rifle RT 7 15.0 Ammo (GR) 16 LT 2 2.0 LRM-10 CT 2 5.0 Ammo (LRM) 24 LT 2 2.0 CASE LT 1 0.5 Medium Laser LA 1 1.0 Medium Laser LA 1 1.0 Medium Laser RA 1 1.0 Jump Jet LL 1 0.5 Jump Jet RL 1 0.5 Jump Jet LA 1 0.5 Jump Jet RA 1 0.5 NOTE: The arms do not have hand or lower arm actuators, allowing the Osprey to perform the optional 'Flipping Arms' maneuver, as per page 55 of The Battle Tech Compendium. When the Osprey was first published in February 3046, we were not provided with complete information. The jump jets are split between the arms and legs. When the Osprey jumps, the arms swivel to allow the jets to fire downward. Originally an experiment, the swivel jets give the Osprey greater control in landing. This reprint also corrects previous errors in reported armor allocation. Back to BattleTechnology 18 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