Dracs in the Desert

My friend got some Draconis paint on his ‘Mechs, so we had a small battle in the evening. I like thematic forces built along House lines–but how does that actually translate in game? We setup a skirmish between Otomo and Sword of Light Grand Dragon, Panther, and Jenner vs. Marik Wolverine, Lyran Wolfhound, and a stolen Sword of Light Jenner. Light and Medium ‘Mechs only!

This was a tough match for both sides. With no Heavy or Assault ‘Mechs to absorb damage, there was some hyper focus on positioning and ranges. At the end of the day, it came down to terrain. The rough terrain and obstructed sightlines favored my rag-tag group of ‘Mechs compared to the PPC heavier Draconis group. Those Otomo ‘Mechs look absolutely brilliant on the board and on camera though!

The Jenner has occupied a berth at nearly all our general skirmish or group games. An originally exclusive ‘Mech to the Draconis Combine, it is arguably the iconic ‘Mech of the DCMS. Four Medium Lasers and an SRM 4 make for a great loadout and a 7/11/5 movement gives it a lot of speed to work with. You can chase down Light ‘Mechs all day and tear them to shreds. The drawback? Only 10 heat sinks. I prefer the Jenner F model which removes the SRM (and ammo) to add on 3 tons of armor. This nearly doubles the armor coverage in some areas. My only real issue with the ‘Mech… they put the legs on backwards! That is right, it should be a chicken walker!

Until next time MechWarriors!

Altair Lostech

Small Alice Springs, Altair V
Altair
23 April, 3025

An ancient lostech WarShip crashed on Altair has been discovered near the town Small Alice Springs. The desert conditions have made direct landing of a DropShip difficult, but the Capellan Confederation has sent a force of Death Commandos to the planet to secretly secure the prize underneath the Draconis Combine’s noses. As luck would have it, a contingent of the 3rd Swords of Light were on maneuvers near the Terran border and responded to the discovery. The two elite forces are set to arrive and clash over the derelict before a huge sandstorm swallows them all!

This was a “capture the objectives” scenario I designed, based on a few things I read online. We ran into some interesting situations like pushing a ‘Mech off a cliff and firing while prone–none of which we had done before. Again the Locust was the hero ‘Mech, capping two objectives early on to give the Death Commandos an early point lead. Though it was ultimately crippled and forced to withdraw, it did win them the game. It was the first time we tried playing a scenario, rather than a straight skirmish–something different to focus on. The forces were pre-made Lances that will be painted in “iconic” faction colors.

Since it has been mentioned twice, the Crusher Joe Ostall–I mean, Locust–is a basic, fast Light ‘Mech. Pictured above is the 1V model with Medium Laser and Machine Guns. Nearly all the Introductory rules models are under 500 BV, but at 8/12 movement, they are a great ‘Mech to get the backside. This is definitely not a machine you want to get anywhere near an AC/20 toting Assault ‘Mech, but it is great at harassing other Light and Medium units. Keep running and do not get hit!

Until next time MechWarriors!