It is too early as yet to properly assess the impact of the recent Federated Suns invasion of St. Andre. The facts, as known, are as follow: St. Andre is located at a strategic place indeed within the Capellan Confederation. Together with the worlds of Poznan, Styk, Shensi and Pleione--all of which are also targets of the first wave of Davion strikesSt. Andre occupies that single, narrowest volume of Liao-controlled space within the Tikonov and Sarna Commonalities. Davion control of these five worlds would effectively isolate the important Tikonov Commonality from the rest of the Confederation, and sharply reduce the already limited military resources available to House Liao. Of particular importance to ComStar, however, is the discovery and capture of the archaeological site designated SevenAlpha, located on the frozen plains of St. Andre's Ivaar Wastes. This ancient Star League storehouse was being excavated by Confederation officers under guidance from the Maskirovka. Needless to say, local ComStar agents were aware of the operation and were on hand to render technical and informational assistance, as usual. The site was guarded by Fiona Cochraine's battalion of Goliaths. The MechWarriors of her command were still training with their newly-acquired machines, but they had had time to become quite proficient in their use. It was felt by Precentor Fallyevi at the Jerome Station that a battalion of Goliaths would be more than enough to protect the secrets of Site Seven-Alpha, albeit unknowingly. Unfortunately, the unorthodox military tactics of Hanse Davion proved that hope untenable... Excerpt from a fragment of partly burned message tape found on a civilian's body just outside of Jerome, St. Andre, by troopers of the 12th Vegan Rangers, August 25, 3028 Situation, 0815 hours, August 22, St. Andre LOCATION: Site 7-Alpha, Ivaar Wastes, St. Andre While planning his massive August invasion, Hanse Davion had given special consideration to the barren and empty wastes of St. Andre's large northern continent. Site Seven-Alpha was the location of a Liao archaeological dig, where the halflegendary Star League had maintained a storage facility some two or three centuries before. Guarding the dig was a battalion composed largely of GOL-1 H Goliaths, commanded by Fiona Cochraine. While two regiments of the 121h Vegan Rangers invested the city of Jerome, two battalions of the Davion Light Guards RCT descended towards Site Seven-Alpha. Unexpectedly strong Liao fighter cover forced the 2nd Battalion to land more than 30 kilometers north of the target. The ls' battalion landed on target and engaged Cochraine's Goliaths. Andrew Redburn's Delta Company was a special close assault unit composed of 27 light and medium 'Mechs, piloted by MechWarriors trained in BattleMech close assault tactics. The inspiration of Hanse Davion, Delta was expected to pit numbers and maneuverability against armor and firepower. The Delta Company 'Mechs had the opportunity to prove Davion's notion when Redburn ignored a wave-off order from his commanding officer already on the ground and landed in the Goliaths' rear. The scenario presented here represents one phase of the resulting clash. GAME SET-UP Lay out the standard BattleTech maps as shown, or use a large sheet of blank hex paper. All terrain on the map is treated as clear, representing the flat, rocky plains of the Ivaar Wastes. Defender The Defender represents elements of Cochraine's Goliaths, a battalionstrength BattleMech unit composed almost entirely of GOL-1 H Goliaths. His forces include the following: Lieutenant Victor Sandoval Veteran Goliath Piloting 5, Gunnery 4 MechWarrior Kathy Andurien Veteran Goliath Piloting 4, Gunnery 4 MechWarrior Chang Wu-lin Veteran Goliath Piloting 4, Gunnery 5 MechWarrior Loren Conners Regular Goliath Piloting 5, Gunnery 5 The Defender sets up anywhere on the map. All units must be facing east, and no unit may be within 5 hexes of any edge of the map. Attacker The Attacker's forces consist of elements of Delta Company-the Company commander and his lieutenant, plus two five-'Mech lances shortly after making combat drops onto St. Andre a short distance to the rear of Cochraine's Goliaths' main body. Captain Andrew Redburn Elite Firestarter Piloting 3, Gunnery 3 Archer Lance Archambaud St. Agnan Veteran Valkyrie Piloting 4, Gunnery 5 Phillip Nablus, Valkyrie Arnold Torroges, Valkyrie William Beaujeu, Valkyrie Gil Erail, Valkyrie Leftenant Robert Craon Elite Firestarter Piloting 4, Gunnery 4 Cat Lance Geoffrey St. Omer Veteran Jenner Piloting 4, Gunnery 4 Odo St. Armand, Jenner Bernard de Tremelai, Jenner Bertrand Blanquefort, Javelin Roland Montballe, Javelin The members of the two lances other than St. Agnan and St. Omer, the two lance leaders, may all be considered Regular, with skills of Piloting 5 and Gunnery 5. The arrival of the Attacker's 'Mechs are determined by rules covered in the Special Rules Section of this scenario. All 'Mechs are in perfect condition. Special Rules The arrival of the Attacker's forces, which have been scattered over a wide area during their combat drop, is largely random. On Turn 1, the Attacker rolls 1 D6. The result is the number of 'Mechs (his choice) which may enter on that turn from any hex on the west edge of the map. On Turn 2, he rolls 1 D6-1 to determine how many of his 'Mechs may arrive. These 'Mechs may enter the board on any north, south, or west hexside. On Turn 3, the roll is I D6-2, and so on until all of the Attacker's 'Mechs are on the board. The Attacker must always bring at least one 'Mech onto the board, regardless of the roll. Except for 'Mechs entering on the first turn, the Attacker's 'Mechs may enter on any hex (the Attacker's choice) on the north, south, or west edge of the map. On each turn, the Attacker must bring at least one 'Mech onto the board. He is not required to bring onto the map all of the'Mechs to which he is entitled by his roll. 'Mechs which may enter but which are held back instead are not added to the total entering on the next turn. Instead, they are included with all 'Mechs which have not yet arrived and may enter on later turns as the die rolls permit. Miniatures Combat Players who wish to use Optional Rules 0204-A and 0204-B may dispense with the map, of course. The battlefield should represent an area measuring roughly 600 meters x 1000 meters. The Attacker will find the optional Close Assault rules (0204-B) of use in simulating the 2- and 3-to-1 odds used by Redburn's Delta Company in this action. Victory Conditions The Attacker wins by destroying or crippling all of the Defender's 'Mechs. A 'Mech is "crippled" if it cannot move and its main PPC has been knocked out of action. The Defender wins either by destroying all enemy 'Mechs on the board at one time or by avoiding the Attacker's victory conditions. Tactical Notes The Defender has the advantage in tonnage and armor, while the Attacker has the advantage in maneuverability and firepower. Nonetheless, the Attacker will face a serious problem if his scattered forces arrive only a few at a time and must duel with the Goliaths while waiting for the arrival of reinforcements. He must use his maneuverability to avoid taking heavy damage, while waiting for the arrival of sufficient numbers to overwhelm the enemy. The Defender is slow but can take a great deal of damage before his 'Mechs are severely disabled. He must attempt to isolate the Attackers and destroy them as they come into range, before they can mobilize for an all-out assault. At all costs, the Defender must attempt to avoid closing with the light and medium Attackers. His long range weapons will suffer seriously in their accuracy at close range. 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. 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