This was a battle that was lopsided even before playing. We were using the BV 3.0 from the Catalyst Games "Downloads" section, which said that it supercedes all other published material. Numerically, 3 comes after 2, so, silly me, I thought then BV 3.0 superceded BV 2.0.
WRONG!!!
Anyhoo, I chose a 5000 point force using BV 3.0 (which, it turned out later, is actually BV 1.0) and came up with five ARC-2S Archers, each 997 BV in 3.0. This would be a Lyran force.
My enemy would be frozenwastes (from the classicbattletech boards) and a friend of his who took a combined force of 5000 BV chosen using 3.0 as well. frozenwastes took a Capellan Defence Force consisting of a BattleMaster 3M, an Awesome 8M, and a Wasp 1S. His friend operated a Northwind Highlanders' duo of a Catapult C1 and a Jenner 7K.
The time was in the 3050s and some BattleMechs are upgraded but many, including the Awesome and all Archers, are still old tech. The place was on a Capellan world in the Chaos March. An understrength Capellan Defence lance, backed up by a pair of Northwind Highlander 'Mechs, respond to a report of a Lyran invasion. The overstrength Lyran Fire lance is tasked with securing a spaceport in preparation for a full-scale invasion. We rolled for deployment and the Capellans were forced to start on the wrong side of a river west of the spaceport while the Lyrans approached the spaceport from the east.
Now, under the proper BV 2.0, the Capellans and Highlanders only have a 6000 BV force compared to 7000 BV for the Archers, so the Liao defenders start at a disadvantage. Trust me, I threw out all the BV 3.0 sheets I had dowloaded - it was a list 28 pages long - and I will use BV 2.0 from now on.
Worse for the Capellans, as both forces advance to the spaceport, the Capellans are hampered by terrain. Three of their five 'Mechs are jump-capable, but the Awesome and BattleMaster are slowed by the river. The Archers in the east are unimpeded. The faster light Capellan scout 'Mechs are ahead of their main force as they meet the Lyran Archers.
The two lights, the Wasp and Jenner, courageously engage the entire Lyran lance as the rest of the Capellan defenders move up. The lead Archers take cover behind a spaceport admin building. We play with leg hits to 'Mechs in cover behind a building automatically hit the building. It would take a bit of a beating in this battle.
The Liao lights heroically go toe-to-toe with the Lyran heavies as their lancemates advance. One Lyran Archer is blown off its feet as the BattleMaster and Awesome now come to the aid of their smaller teammates.
The Wasp and Jenner continue to man the frontline as the BattleMaster strides into the spaceport like it owns the place and the Awesome and Catapult add their more than two cents to the battle. The striken Archer is blown off its feet for a second time and the other four Archers backpeddle from the spaceport.
The BattleMaster now learns that pride comes before a fall - literally. It tries to run on pavement and skids its first roll!
NEVER RUN IN THE CITY!!! was what I learned from CityTech over two decades ago. The BattleMaster falls. In a brutal exchange of fire the Wasp takes two engine hits and shuts down, a different Archer is knocked down, and the other Archers hunker comfortably in woods east of the spaceport.
The Liao force now has control of the spaceport but they are being bombarded by the Archers who are dug in in the woods to the east. The closest Archer attempts to withdraw to a more comfortable range. No Archers target the Wasp. It has to withdraw anyway because we are using forced withdrawal rules and there are much more pressing concerns right now than finishing off an already crippled enemy. The BattleMaster receives most of the Archers' attention but the Jenner is hit too. The BattleMaster is blown off its feet with a gyro hit and the Jenner sustains enough damage that it too will have to withdraw.
The BattleMaster stands but takes two tries to do so. It now comes under fire from all five Archers. That's 150 LRMs raining down on it. The Jenner decides to withdraw one hex. The Awesome and Catapult join the BattleMaster in pummeling the closest Archer which has its SRM ammo bin pierced. As these are older Archers with no CASE, it explodes spectacularly.
The Capellans believe honour has now been satisfied. They are up against a superior force - 350 tons to only 285, but have bloodied its nose by taking out a 'Mech. The BattleMaster has withered incredible fire but has lost its ER PPC, has a gyro hit, and has lost a lot of armour. The Capellans and Highlanders begin a general withdrawal. The Lyran Archers are hesitant to leave the safety of their protective woods and continue to bombard the retreating BattleMaster from afar.
The BattleMaster can finally take it no more and is destroyed. The rest of the Capellan force now hightails it out of the spaceport but the Lyran fire lance is still hesitant to leave the safety of the woods. The Awesome and Catapult are still a serious threat and the Steiner force doesn't want to rescue defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
With both light 'Mechs having retreated off the battlefield the Lyrans now outnumber their enemy two-to-one and finally begin to advance on the withdrawing Awesome and Catapult.
The Awesome is slowed in its retreat by woods and a river but the faithful Northwind Catapult sticks around to cover its retreat. One Archer is becoming banged up in the pursuit by the Awesome's PPCs.
The Awesome turns deep in the woods to withdraw as the Catapult still covers its withdrawal. The Archers begin to enter the woods in hot pursuit.
All four Lyran Archers are in the woods as the Awesome splashes into the river.
The daring Awesome now turns to face its tormentors still covered by a truly loyal friend, the Catapult. The Archers fire through the woods with their lasers and SRMs but are uneasy about leaving their cover.
The Awesome pilot is truly awesome in courage but its Catapult ally has run out of LRMs and urges the Capellan pilot to be reasonable. The Awesome finally turns and climbs out of the river into woods. The Archers continue to play it safe. Shooting, but definately not risking their necks for a kill.
Finally, the Awesome and Catapult leave the battlefield to the Archers. The Lyrans have secured the spaceport for a House Steiner invasion.
This was an unfair battle in that, afterwards, we found that using the proper BV (2.0 rather than 3.0 which is actually 1.0), the Capellans were down 1000 BV to begin with - 6000 vs 7000.
Despite losing, no one could find fault with the Capellans and Highlanders. Even their scouts went toe-to-toe with the heavies and the faithful Catapult pilot deserves a medal for never abandoning the Awesome. The Awesome did all he could but was simply too outnumbered. The Liao force was able to withdraw four of their five 'Mechs and the poor BattleMaster withstood as much as he could. Even an assault 'Mech can hold up to only so much firepower.
The Lyrans gained the spaceport but lost an Archer. Their pursuit of a retreating enemy was timid at best. They did destroy the BattleMaster but having a 1000 BV advantage should have produced even better results. The Lyran lance commander would not earn himself a promotion this day.
A good battle but the last using BV 3.0. I'll use 2.0 from now on. Congrats to frozenwastes and his friend on an excellent, courageous, and well-played withdrawal.
