We had our orders: deploy at the mouth of the valley east of the spaceport and hold it. Bucky's Thunderbolt was deployed on the south, and my Crusaderwas to the north. The idea was that if our boys had to withdraw, it would be through that pass... and things were really heating up on the spacefield spread out below us. It was beginning to look as though a retreat might be a real good idea. The invaders had mauled us already. They hadn't come down where our airspace tracking said they were going to come down... then they didn't do what any sane invasion force should have done and hit us in the rear. No, they just scrambled for the spaceport at Groffer's Toll and left us standing flat footed. We didn't find out they'd left tanks behind to catch us in our pursuit until they cut loose at close range. We only lost a couple of 'Mechs in the exchange, but a lot of our people were pretty badly chewed up by the time we fought our way clear. Somehow, the counterattack out of the surrounding hills didn't seem like all that much of a surprise. We were up against professionals, and they were hitting us hard, with skill and precision and a deadly will to close and destroy. So Bucky and I held the pass. How were we supposed to know the Davion mercs had still another trick up their sleeve? We didn't see that enemy lance moving up behind us until a passing Trebuchet caught sight of them and yelled a warning... from Mechfire: Life and Death on the Capellan Marches by MechWarrior Sergeant Vladimir Hoskins, (ret.) Situation: 0945 hours, August 22, 3028 Algol Battle of Groffer's Toll Groffer's Toll was a small village situated on the rolling plains of the Algolian continent called Vandemar. Its spaceport had been constructed as a civil and merchant facility, but Davion intelligence felt that it would offer an excellent site for landing off-world Liao reinforcements. Capture of the site was assigned to the 71st Light Horse Regiment of the Eridani Light Horse... the famous "White Horse Regiment." The operation was characterized by an odd blend of bad luck and improvisation. A last-moment change of their assigned DZ, coupled with a slight scattering of the invasion force, resulted in the White Horse regiment grounding ten kilometers away from where the Liao forces had been expecting them. The Capellan defenders, the 1st Ariana Fusiliers, at first formed up as though expecting an attack. When the White Horse ignored them and moved directly towards the spaceport, they gave chase. The mercs'use of armor and infantry to slow and damage the Liao column may have been critical in the battle which followed. The pursuit ended at the spaceport when the White Horse turned and struck without warning, turning the hunter into the hunted. This scenario recreates one episode early during the five-hour battle for control of the spaceport. GAME SET-UP Lay out the BattleTech mapsheets as shown, or use a sheet of blank hex grid paper. All terrain features are considered to be open, level ground. The lines on the map above represent terrain levels, where the valley sides rise towards high ground to north and south. Players who prefer to use the optional rules variants presented in this issue of BattleTechnology cae represent the valley's terrain as they please. The valley should measure about 360 meters across at its narrowest point. Defender The Defender represents elements of the 1st Ariana Fusiliers. Bill "Bucky" Kingston's Thunderbolt Piloting 4, Gunnery 5 Vladimir Hoskins' Crusader Piloting 3, Gunnery 4 John Jorgenson's Trebuchet Piloting 4, Gunnery 4 Set up as shown, the Thunderbolt at "1" and the Crusaderat "2." Both 'Mechs are facing west. The Trebuchet's entry onto the board is determined by the special rules on the next page. Attacker The Attacker is three 'Mechs from the Fire Lance, 2nd Battalion, Company B of the 71st Light Horse. Sgt. Simon Lascher's Wolverine Piloting 3, Gunnery 4 Paul Langley's Vindicator Piloting 4, Gunnery 4 Jacob Engler's Griffin Piloting 4, Gunnery 4 Lascher's Wolverine has 3 hits to the armor of its left leg, 4 armor hits in its left torso, and 2 armor hits in its left arm. It begins the battle with 18 stored Autocannon rounds instead of the usual 20. The Attacker enters the board on Turn 1 on any hex along the east edge of the map. Special Rules The scenario opens with the Attacker finding himself in a position to surprise the Defender. He automatically has the initiative, and may move, while the Defender must remain in place. The Defender may not fire. The Attacker may open fire at any time, but as soon as he does so, surprise is lost and the Defender may move and fire normally from that point on. At the beginning of each turn, the Attacker rolls 2D6 immediately before moving his first 'Mech. As soon as the Attacker rolls a 9 or higher, surprise is lost, and the Defender may move and fire normally from that time on. At any time after the 9 or higher is rolled, the Defender may, at his discretion, bring his Trebuchet onto the board, entering anywhere on the west edge of the map. Play continues normally after this, with both sides rolling for initiative and both sides moving and firing normally. Play continues for 15 turns. Victory Conditions The Attacker wins by destroying or crippling all enemy 'Mechs on the map, or by controlling the west end of the valley after 15 turns of play. The Defender wins by controlling the west end of the valley, or by destroying or crippling all attacking 'Mechs. Control of the west end of the valley is won by having at least one 'Mech still able to move and fire within five hexes (150 meters if variant 0204-A is used) of the points marked 1 or 2 on the map, with no enemy 'Mechs in the same area. If neither side controls the west end of the valley, and both sides still have functional 'Mechs on the board at the end of Turn 15, the battle is a draw. Back to BattleTechnology 6 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1988 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com