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Mrs.Taf has been running Invid Invasion for our group. We've been playing a group of freedom fighters connected to the Su-Dai-League, which we use as cover for our operations against the Invid and their lackeys. We work as part of the production crew for the Su-Dai fights and sometimes handle mucsle job or escourt duty. Our first session invovled tracking down some bandits who had hit a couple of Su-Dai dives after fight night.

Six sessions so far, though two of them could have broken into two sessions (Or maybe you could combine the two and shake down three sessions out of the deal). We're midway to fourth level. The character I used to illistraight my essay on character building is the one I'm using for playing here.

One of the unusal things is that we had some limited Mecha skills and Mecha access to start with. One Cyclone, but the Freedom Fighter who drove it didn't know how to transform it (VR-52 Battler, swapped four of the starting eight missiles for a EP-37). He has ASC Tactical Corp body And that was it. Prevailing weapons are Koskov-47s and AKs all around. You know that part in Standard Equipment for the Freedom Fighter OCC were it lists a Wolverine? No. AK-47 (SKS-Red China variant to be exact, still in production). This made things trickey.

But I said something about the best ride in the Fleet, didn't I. So the last three sessions we've been tangling with the Black Reign. See, they found out the local of a fight, and sold that information to the Invid. Who showed up to disrupt the fight. That cost the League some serious money. Regional Championship fight (semi-finals). Unfortunately for the Invid, they didn't bring enough. So we got Jackie Chan on their collective bug demon asses. I got to wack a RCB with my busted up TC Recon. Granted she had already eat some ground fire, and then got laid into by a cranky Zentraedi Melee specialist turned Su-Dai fighter (*punt*) but hey, I got 40% salvage on that deal.

So after some bribing, trickery, a good beating or two and threatening, we found out where the Reign was hiding. We slipped into their cover village (without obvious body armor of course and only packing light weapons hidden in our traditional Chinese clothing), we find the place in a panic. Villagers are running everywhere and their is an ant the size of of AAT-30 rampaging all over the place. Yay! We wack the ant and as a reward for our services, get information on the Black Reign base (by reward, I mean we threatened the village elder to either talk or get his hand jammed into the fan blade of the village truck). And as you may have guessed, it turned out that the Reign and the Ants were sharing a hole in the ground. Though the ants were suing for sole custody of the hole. If we were going to go get the guy we were sent to capture and drag back to our warlord/Su-dai production agent, we'd have to go in after him (yay team!). We grabbed our armor and the cyclone.

Cue "buried alive" from the Revised Return of the Masters. Only, lots more ants and just after we got ahold of the little weiner dude who sold us out, a relife force from the Black Reign shows up. Much-o fire fighting breaks out. We did catch a break and find one of their weapons store houses with some extra E-clips for our Koskovs and a fresh suit of CVR-3. Those of you with access to the book and the map, imagine a room to room gun fight/ant swarm three way free for all running up and down the long North/South tunnel. Things got bad and us and our hostage (who the Reign it seems could care less about) were slowly dislodged from the northern rooms and the Reign pushed us south, towards where the Ants' access point had been.

Lucky, our Scout had the bright Idea of mixing a pot of honey he had lifted when we passed through a morge or something (must have been a kitchen to start with, but the Ants were stacking bodies in there for whatever reason, thank goodness for enviromental seals) with water from his canteen and some nasty smelling herb he kept in his rucksack (???). That kept their attention and we tried sneaking around them to the east. That was working untill I totally blew my Prowl Check (70 something out of like 40% )then the ants were already to go rainbow on us (You know, come marching into your house, crawl up your leg and bit the inside of your ass).

Again our NScout saved the day by noting that their was a rough tunnel carved to the north of the long east/west tunnel we were in. One problem, dead ant in the way. Actually, two problems, dead ant in the way, whole bunch of live pissed off truck sized ants trying to kill us. The guy in the cyclone had his work cut out for him while we blitzed the ants with laser fire.

Finally! Enough wiggle room!

We got just inside the tunnel where the ants couldn't follow. Me and my cobalt mine made sure of that.

We found the remains of an RDF aircraft, out of Japan. A tunny Transport (the Prototypes from RotM and a case of baked beans). YAY! Except no Super Alpha, instead a REF Excaliber. I took the Zentraedi Striker Battloid for my ride. It kicks ass. (I know, finally to the point of this verbal masterbation.) It took us about two hours to free up the machines, and their was an Black Reign RDF Gladiator waiting for us, then some Invid. I mean a whole lot of Invid.

Now I like this machine, but I am woefully under skilled to drive it (it's a battloid so I got the right skill, but because of it's specialized nature, I'm eating -25% to drive it *ouch*). While the other PCs are ripping the opposition new ones, I'm desperately trying not to put my eye out with this thing. Plus I had the spounge monkey hostage riding in my jump seat. He's blindfolded and whiney, plus he peed himself earlier and now his wiz is stinking up my machine and sloping on my seat.

But rest assured, this is one bad ass machine. The Black Reign guys, when they realized they were going to be overwhelmed, blew their base We picked up a little salvage and ammo, but not too much. But we did secure a nice load of ammo for our machines beyond their existing payload.

After toasting most of the Invid, and chasing the RCB that lead them away, we completed our mission, even cutting up the Gladiator into five major pieces and stashing it as trade to the League. One of the things we traded for was that I got to borrow one of the Micronized Female Zentraedi pilots to teach me how to fly this thing at full profficeny (I'll end burning two skills that only allow for piloting the Zeb).

It's hell of well armed. The two GU-X2s in the arms are my favorites, though I try to use the Lasers or P-beams more often (save on ammo). As a player I tend towards Veritech Fighters, Alphas, VF-1s and Logans, in that order. I like this better, full Battloid capabilities, but no having to screw around with changing modes to get gunship (guardian) like response and capabilities or transform into a fighter to get max air to air abilities. It faithfully provides all of the weapons systems I like, including a burst capable energy weapon (great for killing infantry). The missile system is impressive, packing all of those missiles is very tempting to use them a bit more freely. But so far, only two have been used and both of those were counter fire against incoming missiles.

Orginally intended to store a Cyclone (which I can't pilot beyond motorcycle and it will be sixth level before I even have the oppertunity), the space lets me keep some of my camera gear, a medium suitcase with clothing for differant spy like roles (remember, my character has the skills and attributes for mixing among the enemy without them knowing it) and I put a colapsable bycycle in there too, along with some extra ammo and other such supplies. One stop shoping for me. Plus, once I'm full proficent, I'll use the other seat as more storage or something. I might seatbelt my little mini-field kitchen in there.

If you get the chance, you must drive this thing, it roxors the house.

PKAGustov wrote:Man, why can't I ever find anything cool like that. I'm still stuck with a CDC Light Batteloid, and a skateboard.

I feel for you brother. I was driving one of those out by myself earlier.

"Suddenly from above a Royal Command Battloid drops down on you, the pilot clearly looking for a fight and you're her next victim!"-Said the GM, Mrs.Taf.

<---TAF

Followed by "Now let's see you deal with that 'Col. Taffy'. "

Answer: Hug the RCB, lock the servos, trigger the self destruct and eject!

Jefffar wrote:Answer: Hug the RCB, lock the servos, trigger the self destruct and eject!

I choose to run into the thickest part of the jungle I could, trying to keep trees and jungle between me and her missile packs. Having a lock on doesn't help if you can't get a clear path from shooter to target. Then I sniped and did everything I could to aggrivate her until she went away. I had four per round, I'd shoot twice and always save the other two for dodging (and parrying). I used the Sacrifice the arms bit to save the one good volley she got off (but she didn't hit hard enough to destroy the impressive forearm plating of the Battloid). After a while she got bored and left.

i described a variation of a tactic in which a PC, in a badly mauled VHT was able to destroy a fresh RCB. He ended up leaping on it and grappling for long enough to stick the arm with the Ion Cannon agaisnt the missile launcher.

Jefffar wrote:i described a variation of a tactic in which a PC, in a badly mauled VHT was able to destroy a fresh RCB. He ended up leaping on it and grappling for long enough to stick the arm with the Ion Cannon agaisnt the missile launcher.

Hehe, nice.

Sucks to lose a VHT though.

Yeah, he was pretty pissed at himself when the second RCB showed up . . .

Jefffar wrote:Yeah, he was pretty pissed at himself when the second RCB showed up . . .

Yeah, that was the face . . .


Fortunately the second RCB got the order from the Regis that they were leaving Earth (this was the climactic battle of the campaign and was happening simultaneosuly with Reflex Point) and took off before he could wipe out the pitiful little ape cowering before it.

Great campaign, ran from the first anniversary of the defeat of the Masters to Reflex point.

The guys did something simular with a land train hauler that they worked up, the stupid thing used a lot of gas (fortunatly it was a muti fuel tubine-electric with an retrofitted Protoculture backup) but we were able to haul a pair of standard logans and everyones cyclones in it, along with a salvage trailer, cabins for everyone, fireing ports, and the entire rig could turn into a repair bay by parking the trailers side by side with a gap wide enough to park a beta under it(the roof of each trailer was actualy double decked with suport beams that they could extend between the two trailer units for the hoists and to suport the camo netting and tarps)

Drakenred wrote:The guys did something simular with a land train hauler that they worked up, the stupid thing used a lot of gas (fortunatly it was a muti fuel tubine-electric with an retrofitted Protoculture backup) but we were able to haul a pair of standard logans and everyones cyclones in it, along with a salvage trailer, cabins for everyone, fireing ports, and the entire rig could turn into a repair bay by parking the trailers side by side with a gap wide enough to park a beta under it(the roof of each trailer was actualy double decked with suport beams that they could extend between the two trailer units for the hoists and to suport the camo netting and tarps)

Ohhh! You should PM the stats to Zerebus for his 2058 game.

Jefffar wrote:Yeah, that was the face . . .


Fortunately the second RCB got the order from the Regis that they were leaving Earth (this was the climactic battle of the campaign and was happening simultaneosuly with Reflex Point) and took off before he could wipe out the pitiful little ape cowering before it.

Great campaign, ran from the first anniversary of the defeat of the Masters to Reflex point.

I can imagine.

Sounds like a rockin' game J.

Now that I have my ZSB, I'm looking for a rematch with that RCB (Lorn the Destroyer I think). Now that I out gun her and have autododge that is...

Oh yeah, check your E-mail you **********-****.

I'll agree that the ZSB is one of the nicest beasties in the menagerie, all right.

Hey, thinking of arm shields, does anyone else use the Invid arm shields to parry shots with? (I think you see a trooper parry scott or rand in the TV show, I don't remember). There is also the fact that the RCB has 200MDC shields on each forearm which are a nice defence for 'just in case'. (I'd rule that it doesn't stack with auto-dodge. You auto-dodge, or you parry, not both, or the parry costs an action).

(IC) And Comrades, I had it on good authority from our spies...er, I mean agents...er.. I mean someone I met in the pub, that the best ride in the fleet was Lynn Minmei (/OOC)

The Artist Formerly wrote:

Drakenred wrote:The guys did something simular with a land train hauler that they worked up, the stupid thing used a lot of gas (fortunatly it was a muti fuel tubine-electric with an retrofitted Protoculture backup) but we were able to haul a pair of standard logans and everyones cyclones in it, along with a salvage trailer, cabins for everyone, fireing ports, and the entire rig could turn into a repair bay by parking the trailers side by side with a gap wide enough to park a beta under it(the roof of each trailer was actualy double decked with suport beams that they could extend between the two trailer units for the hoists and to suport the camo netting and tarps)

Ohhh! You should PM the stats to Zerebus for his 2058 game.

The drive unit was a modified AMR 10 (no crane but the turret off of the southern cross APC) and 2 50 caliber machine guns, and armored dozer plow blades to clear mines or its own road(the blade was 220 MDC)

The trailers were roughly 150-300 MDC by the time they were done with them. they had a drive unit on the 2 front axles, and the two "portable hanger" had enough battery power to "Drive" for 10 min. they usualy towed them like this

trailer 1 was the salvage trailer (any recovered parts and tools for quick salvage) with 4 50 cal Machine guns on the corners, (250MDC body)

trailer 2 was a flatbed for hauling anthing that could not fit into the other traiers, (including at one point the barrels for a MAC II, (150MDC)

Trailer 3 was the ammo dump and trade goods (1 and 3 made up the "repair bay" tent ) 2 50 cal in oposit corners and a 20mm AA gun. 300 + the ammo boxes were another 200mdc each

Trailer 4 and 5 were riged with a disconet mechanism and could drop their mecha in 1D4 actions each, 2 50s

traier 6 was the flack wagon, a second SC APC turret and a missle launcher, plus 6 machine gun mounts(one on each end, the one facing forward was usualy blocked when driving the others on the side

the top speed was 1d4X10kph

Corsarius wrote:I'll agree that the ZSB is one of the nicest beasties in the menagerie, all right.

Hey, thinking of arm shields, does anyone else use the Invid arm shields to parry shots with? (I think you see a trooper parry scott or rand in the TV show, I don't remember). There is also the fact that the RCB has 200MDC shields on each forearm which are a nice defence for 'just in case'. (I'd rule that it doesn't stack with auto-dodge. You auto-dodge, or you parry, not both, or the parry costs an action).

(IC) And Comrades, I had it on good authority from our spies...er, I mean agents...er.. I mean someone I met in the pub, that the best ride in the fleet was Lynn Minmei (/OOC)

For the armsheild trick and the Invid, they don't do it at first (still learning the ropes) but with time, they sure do pick up on the trick. Back in regular RotM I was running, roled up one of the none titled (not stated) Invid NPCs leading a strike team against something equally point target (that's what red shirted Invid do). PCs showed up and spanked the Invid smartly before rolling on. But while the did down the RCB, they failed to finish the pilot off. Next time they met, she was better prepared for the fight and took it to a PC Gladiator.

As for Minmei take a lesson from the Admiral and listen to an old Col, avoid high maintainance situations.

Drakenred wrote:

The Artist Formerly wrote:

Drakenred wrote:The guys did something simular with a land train hauler that they worked up, the stupid thing used a lot of gas (fortunatly it was a muti fuel tubine-electric with an retrofitted Protoculture backup) but we were able to haul a pair of standard logans and everyones cyclones in it, along with a salvage trailer, cabins for everyone, fireing ports, and the entire rig could turn into a repair bay by parking the trailers side by side with a gap wide enough to park a beta under it(the roof of each trailer was actualy double decked with suport beams that they could extend between the two trailer units for the hoists and to suport the camo netting and tarps)

Ohhh! You should PM the stats to Zerebus for his 2058 game.

The drive unit was a modified AMR 10 (no crane but the turret off of the southern cross APC) and 2 50 caliber machine guns, and armored dozer plow blades to clear mines or its own road(the blade was 220 MDC)

The trailers were roughly 150-300 MDC by the time they were done with them. they had a drive unit on the 2 front axles, and the two "portable hanger" had enough battery power to "Drive" for 10 min. they usualy towed them like this

trailer 1 was the salvage trailer (any recovered parts and tools for quick salvage) with 4 50 cal Machine guns on the corners, (250MDC body)

trailer 2 was a flatbed for hauling anthing that could not fit into the other traiers, (including at one point the barrels for a MAC II, (150MDC)

Trailer 3 was the ammo dump and trade goods (1 and 3 made up the "repair bay" tent ) 2 50 cal in oposit corners and a 20mm AA gun. 300 + the ammo boxes were another 200mdc each

Trailer 4 and 5 were riged with a disconet mechanism and could drop their mecha in 1D4 actions each, 2 50s

traier 6 was the flack wagon, a second SC APC turret and a missle launcher, plus 6 machine gun mounts(one on each end, the one facing forward was usualy blocked when driving the others on the side

the top speed was 1d4X10kph

Nice.

Drakenred wrote:The guys did something simular with a land train hauler that they worked up, the stupid thing used a lot of gas (fortunatly it was a muti fuel tubine-electric with an retrofitted Protoculture backup) but we were able to haul a pair of standard logans and everyones cyclones in it, along with a salvage trailer, cabins for everyone, fireing ports, and the entire rig could turn into a repair bay by parking the trailers side by side with a gap wide enough to park a beta under it(the roof of each trailer was actualy double decked with suport beams that they could extend between the two trailer units for the hoists and to suport the camo netting and tarps)


The drive unit was a modified AMR 10 (no crane but the turret off of the southern cross APC) and 2 50 caliber machine guns, and armored dozer plow blades to clear mines or its own road(the blade was 220 MDC)

The trailers were roughly 150-300 MDC by the time they were done with them. they had a drive unit on the 2 front axles, and the two "portable hanger" had enough battery power to "Drive" for 10 min. they usualy towed them like this

trailer 1 was the salvage trailer (any recovered parts and tools for quick salvage) with 4 50 cal Machine guns on the corners, (250MDC body)

trailer 2 was a flatbed for hauling anthing that could not fit into the other traiers, (including at one point the barrels for a MAC II, (150MDC)

Trailer 3 was the ammo dump and trade goods (1 and 3 made up the "repair bay" tent ) 2 50 cal in oposit corners and a 20mm AA gun. 300 + the ammo boxes were another 200mdc each

Trailer 4 and 5 were riged with a disconet mechanism and could drop their mecha in 1D4 actions each, 2 50s

traier 6 was the flack wagon, a second SC APC turret and a missle launcher, plus 6 machine gun mounts(one on each end, the one facing forward was usualy blocked when driving the others on the side

the top speed was 1d4X10kph

Have you been reading The Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley?

The Artist Formerly wrote:
I can imagine.

Sounds like a rockin' game J.

It was, played with university roommates. It took us 2 years to play through. The guy who played the groups commander did a good job of recreating the attitude of Ben Sisko on the last few seasons of DS9.

Corsarius wrote:

Drakenred wrote:The guys did something simular with a land train hauler that they worked up, the stupid thing used a lot of gas (fortunatly it was a muti fuel tubine-electric with an retrofitted Protoculture backup) but we were able to haul a pair of standard logans and everyones cyclones in it, along with a salvage trailer, cabins for everyone, fireing ports, and the entire rig could turn into a repair bay by parking the trailers side by side with a gap wide enough to park a beta under it(the roof of each trailer was actualy double decked with suport beams that they could extend between the two trailer units for the hoists and to suport the camo netting and tarps)(snipage). . .

Have you been reading The Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley?

Never heard of it before now.

I'd strongly suggest you read it. There are 6 books in the series, but you would find the whole 'wagon train' concept interesting. We're talking something that can contain a whole battallion of soldiers and a small flight of ultra-light aircraft. I'm probably not explaining it well at all, but I do know that everyone who has ever read it, loves it. It's post-apocalyptic setting is very well fleshed out, and the characters and their motivations are very real and believable.

Of course, now that I have the best ride in the fleet, this weeks game didn't invovle a single mecha level combat check aside from having a cranky Zent FPA pilot turned Su-Dai gladiator barking at me (training level piloting checks, yaay.). Though I did get to screw over some Invid Sympathizers and our team sniper did get to light up a Stage Five with his SVD... And I got a new dress out of the deal so...

The Artist Formerly wrote:And I got a new dress out of the deal so...

Jefffar wrote:

The Artist Formerly wrote:And I got a new dress out of the deal so...

Eyes wide with envy?

Zerebus wrote:

The Artist Formerly wrote:

Jefffar wrote:

The Artist Formerly wrote:And I got a new dress out of the deal so...

Eyes wide with envy?

.........never pictured you as a dress wearer, Taffy.

Taffy doesn't were dresses, a Kilt on occassion, but never a dress.

Bai, Freedom fighter of China a Z.S.B pilot on the other hand...

Real life conversation:
Friend: "So, ummm, do you wear anything under the kilt?"
Me: "Of course you do! Socks and shoes."

85 Invid, 14 allied resistance units, one massive cargo container of protoculture, and a very clever PC devised trap.

So the Manchuria quadrant of the Mecha Su Dai League is running a bit short on Protoculture. Our task for the production company was to get some.

1st plan. Invid Sympathizers hold the city port Victoria (built from the remains of Maco, Victoria and Hong Kong). So we were going to sneak in and take their's. During a dinner party, my character was going to slip into the office of the new governor and lift the security codes so we could get through the otherwise very impressive security around their Protoculture store house, and steal everything. Problem was, just after I had started my sneak, the Russians showed up, used several bombs and then made off with the same protoculture supply we were targeting. The Invid were pissed, and sent two stage Five and a batch of fresh Invid troops down to Port Victoria to reinforce the place and help hold order. The male S5 was too loud, too brash and too over confident. Our team sniper picked him off through a window as the chump was dismounting his mecha. RDF 50 cal. "Takedown" sniper rifle. The pilot of our Super Logan wacked a couple of Pincers just outside the city, over the ocean which further weakened the Invid command ability.

So after some hiding, lying and running, we regrouped.

2nd plan. The Invid would have to send a new supply of Protoculture to Port Victoria to replace the stuff the Russians stole. Our guy inside Port Victoria sold us the route and time table. A large Invid convoy would be carrying the shipment down from Beijing by air. A cargo container suspended by cables from a squad of troopers. So we found spot where we figured their forces would be the most drawn out, the farest from any source of help, and we set a trap.

They were a little better armed then we thought they were going to be, and a few more of them then we planned, but in the end, we killed them all.

550 XP in skill checks alone, dead pincer command stencil for the side of my AAT-30 (as soon as I patch up the armor on the sides...), rescued a freedom fighter, captured a Stage five Invid, in his own lab no less, stole a Tank, my CVR-3 went from 50 MDC to 6, and their's only one hour and fourty five minutes before a Invid built protoculture bomb goes off inside their own Reserch hive.

Zerebus wrote:Well, that's one hundred and five minutes for something to go terribly wrong.

Better hope the stage five Invid didn't read the Evil Overlord's Handbook, or else that bomb will go off at T minus one hour.

We rigged the timer ourselves. The bomb was a fail safe to destroy their protoculture shipment that we jacked last week. It's just our EOD specialist is better then their bomb guy. Hehehe. We thought they might be lonely without their bomb, so we gave it back. It's in plain sight, they'll never find it.

I prefer the command detonation technique myself.

One of my favourite all time gaming momments was when my SF dude got finished wiring a factory and returned to the team's hiding location. The leader turned to me and told me to blow it up.

My character non-chalantly reached into his pocket, pulled out a set of car keys and pressed a button on the fob. There was a chirp-chirp followed a second later by the factory imploding.

"I think we used too much!"-Taffy's Character, Bai.

Hehehehe.Well, the explosion was a bit more then we planed on. We were clear of the pit by a good seven Kilometers away when it went up. The compression wave of the blast was of sufficent strength to lift up a Cyclone, it's rider, and toss them ten feet or so (plus he broke two ribs when he hit the tree). We think it was a blast big enough to be seen from space and the effects were similar to a volcanic eruption. Infact Central and Northern Thailand as well as northern Vietnam are covered by an ash cloud. It was raining fish and Invid on the way home. We made a new lake, except during the rainy season, then the three lakes in the area become one lake. But that won't be a concern for a while, the lake that was right next to the hive got kind of evaporated.

Clearing the area took forever. My AAT-30, and the Hover cycle, as well as the cyclones when running on gasoline could only run for about thirty minutes before we'd have to stop and clean out the air filters. Even body armor air breathers were in danger and required regular attention. During a short fight with a Invid patrol that chanced apon us, my fifty cal MG jammed up from ash clogging up the feed system (had to take the whole damn thing apart to clean it). Our battloids were in better shape, thanks to superior ASC design, but we didn't dare use the air breathing jump jets. We traveled for the first day in those conditions until we made it to some caves that the Freedom Fighter girl (actually she's a nomad scout by OCC, but like the rest of us, a Freedom fighter by trade) we rescued knew about. We pulled inside, barricaded up the front with trees and debris then waited 96 hours (mostly rest and repair, we were kind of banged up from the fighting) before we emerged from another cave exit on the other side of the mountain.

On the way back we got held up by two differant groups of bandits, one Zentraedi and the other human. I think they both work for local warlords. We could have taken them but what they were demanding in tribute was less then expense of repairs, and paying them off meant that it was much less likely that the Invid doing fly overs would notice us, nor would a sympathizer group have reason to call Invid pals to investigate a group of really well armed rebels moving to the north away from the Genesis crater (hehehehehehehehe). Besides, I didn't mind paying off the Zents. Stronger Zentraedi means that the Invid have a bigger problem on their hands. And while I'm pretty sure that the Humans were sympathizers out of Hanoi, the visual data I recorded about their mecha (six Soldatis) gave us good insight into the Hanoi operation. Plus the stuff we gave away we brought for exactly this purpose, paying bribes to avoid unnessicarry attention.

We think it was a blast big enough to be seen from space and the effects were similar to a volcanic eruption. Infact Central and Northern Thailand as well as northern Vietnam are covered by an ash cloud. It was raining fish and Invid on the way home.

Ye Gawds!
Did you guys let off a frickin' nuke!?!

Novastar wrote:

We think it was a blast big enough to be seen from space and the effects were similar to a volcanic eruption. Infact Central and Northern Thailand as well as northern Vietnam are covered by an ash cloud. It was raining fish and Invid on the way home.

Ye Gawds!
Did you guys let off a frickin' nuke!?!

doubtful, more likely the Bomb Chain-detonated the protoculture stores.


Way to Go Taffy!

Novastar wrote:

We think it was a blast big enough to be seen from space and the effects were similar to a volcanic eruption. Infact Central and Northern Thailand as well as northern Vietnam are covered by an ash cloud. It was raining fish and Invid on the way home.

Ye Gawds!
Did you guys let off a frickin' nuke!?!

No. But the GM, Mrs.Taf explained it like this. Look at the damage that touching off a power core inside a hive does. A hive has 400 MDC per 10 square feet in some places and 200 MDC per 10 square feet in others. These things can be two miles across.

A genesis pit, being a research facility, would have a staggering demand for power. Active force fields to contain the more unruley test subjects, lights for everything all the time, the enviromental proxy controls (have to keep things relitively warm for some tests, cold for others) air recycling, filters and pumps to purify water (something nasty gets into the local water and several experiments out in the pit could be wiped out by mistake) and a whole host of other demands, plus the lab equipment itself. Now keep that power demand in mind.

We used a invid made bomb that uses protoculture as it's fuel source. And we wired it to the power core.



Our Overwatch contact was not entirely pleased. He was happy we shut that thing down and took out a bunch of Invid. I think Overwatch is likely under a couple of inches of ash. I can only imagine what things must be like for the Masters' camp right now.

Heh, the biggest mark ever made on the surface of the earth in one of my games was when the PC's managed to shear the legs out from under a stilt hive in the mountains.

A half mile diameter sphere rolling a total of 200 miles before it came to a stop.

Then the PCs went in and blew the power core.

They did. I was just the GM.

Jefffar wrote:Heh, the biggest mark ever made on the surface of the earth in one of my games was when the PC's managed to shear the legs out from under a stilt hive in the mountains.

A half mile diameter sphere rolling a total of 200 miles before it came to a stop.

Then the PCs went in and blew the power core.

Heheh! I love using "path of least resistance" tactics against my enemy. Or perhaps a better way to put it would be...

"Taffy never gives a sucker an even break and that's a lead pipe cinch!"

Taffy (and some other PCs and NPCs) vs 500 or so Invid.

VICTORY TAFFY!

The Artist Formerly wrote:Taffy (and some other PCs and NPCs) vs 500 or so Invid.

VICTORY TAFFY!

STORY TAFFY!

Jefffar wrote:

The Artist Formerly wrote:Taffy (and some other PCs and NPCs) vs 500 or so Invid.

VICTORY TAFFY!

STORY TAFFY!

Less story, more lecture

Jefffar wrote:

The Artist Formerly wrote:Taffy (and some other PCs and NPCs) vs 500 or so Invid.

VICTORY TAFFY!

STORY TAFFY!

A command performance for the Queen? Absolutely!

The Manchurian Mecha-Su-Dai production company's recon efforts into Taiwan had several promising sites to go digging at. Problem was regular Invid Patrols from the Beijing hive area was crippling work efforts. We wanted to pull them out of the area. So we packed up our mecha, some supplies, gathered some allies from the League, the Overwatch group and a EBSIS survivor group we've been doing business with for a while. Then we headed into the Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia.

We decided to break into three collems, to cut down the size of our group and reduce the amount of dust we generated from moving. The two Raidar-Xs we had with us (one REF and one RDF) would escourt the wing collems and the two TC recons we had in our grouping would provide recon efforts for the lead or center unit. Cyclone and Blitz bike outriders would provide a moving prerimiter group and the few flight capable machines we had would be our rapid response force.

The travel there was long and very hot, making us have to move at night. Those of us born and trained in Jungle warfare found ourselves at a disadvantage and members of our technical corp and supply teams were finding the close quaters nesictated by trying to sneak some fourty mecha and supplies through the low moutains and desert terrain, not to mention the oppressive dry heat, very unconfortable. Tempers were short.

Still we trudged forward, through two differant nasty sand storms, one of which took a heavy toll on our air breathing crawlers. We had to abandon two ground vehicles, planing on trying to recover them on the way back. Bandit might have been a problem, we found sigificant indications of their presence out and about, but we were too well armed for any serious attempt against us.

A third sand storm was bearing down on us, nastier then the two before it, when a group of men on horse back approched our lead collem. They were armed with a mixture of SDC weapons and ASC and EBSIS cast off stuff. Some of them wore peicemeal MDC armor, a chest EBSIS plate or a ATAC shoulder pad here and there, perhaps a CVR-3 gauntlet and forarm vampbrace here and there, along with the odd MDC weapon. They informed us that we were moving through their territory and in the name of their Sultan, they demanded some payment or we would have to go around.

We decided to neogiate. We had brought extra stuff for trade anyway, and a local guide through the area would make passage easier. Plus seeing about a chance to refill our water supplies was key in everyone's minds. We were drinking water at a faster rate then we had expected. They seemed please at our offer, but said that such a trade, would need to be approved by their leader, the Sultan.

Where are the 500 Invid?

I'm getting there! I'm getting there!

So four of us were selected to go meet with this sultan guy and see what we could work out. Oddly enough, all four people were PCs. At first the guys on horse back object to a female going to meet the Sultan, especially an armed one, but a small bribe got us through that mess (Chinese way of doing business always wins in the end). We're lead about eight or so miles from our camp up a moutain trail as the storm is starting to pick up speed and power. We arrive at our destination a stone and concreat building in a small moutain valley. It's an old fort of some sort. Yet there are clearly elements of newer, EBSIS technology. Surounding the fort is a village of mixed technology. We could see electric light in some windows and candle light in others. The Mosque had loud speakers for call to prayer while the a tent set up a medical clinic (guessing, the tent had a red cross and russian lettering) was using some kind of oil lamps for light.

We dismounted from our three cyclones and my AAT-30 (locking them up, given the way the people were looking at us) and went in. The guards of the place wanted us to disarm but we wouldn't go for that, and given the kind of fire power that was only eight miles away, they didn't push too hard on that point.

The building was as we had guessed an old stone fort (maybe part of the old silk road?) that the Soviets had taken over after the Rain of Death. They had added on to it and used it and the arteasan well below it to form the basis of a outpost base. From there, after the Invid came, the "Sultan" must have moved in. His personal guards were all outfitted in MDC armor, mostly Soviet Plate, and equiped with a varity of MDC weapons. He recived the other three members of the team warmly and with grace. I was treated as a after thought, only addressed when I couldn't be ignored. Or as one of the other players put it, he was a really cool guy, unless you're a woman, then he's an ***hole (I am still seriously tempted to take my striker batt back and show this ****-****-***** how we do things in the Peoples Republic).

The trade that was hammered out was straight forward. He had two Battler Cyclones that his people had recovered or traded (we didn't determine which) that he wanted us to make operational. Plus a few supplies for them. 12 mini-missiles and four Protoculture cells along with some lessons on how to transform them into battloid mode. In exchange, he would provide us with some guides and a refil on our water. We increased the trade, trading out the two dead vehicles for a AZO-II recon kind of critter, some of their food for some of our guns and some other odds and ends. We just had to wait for the storm to blow over.

Six days later we were rolling on. With help from our guides we were making much better time and leaving very little in the way of a trail. And the guides were really cool. Even I liked them. Of course, six Femal Zentraedi on lone from the League (micronized) and their mecha made sure that no one stepped out of line with bad gender politics.

Once we made it into the Central Gobi, we spilt up. Three mixed Mecha teams would move to begin engaging Invid Patrols and picking them off while the supply convoy continued on toward the old EBSIS base our Russian friends had lent us for this operation.

My group (the PCs) were able to pick off some thirty nine Invid (Three Mini-patrols, two Waste land Patrols and a Heavy Recon patrol) in lone engagements. Taking advatage of the moutianous desert terrain, we'd wait until one of the Raidar-Xs in the higher ground would give us a target (they were using their advance sensors to call targets for the hunter groups down in the moutain canyons), then we'd try and get a line up on them, and set a trap (Remember boys and bears, Taffy Never gives a sucker an even break, and that's a lead pipe cinch). We spent five days hunting that Heavy Recon patrol. Every time we'd line them up for an ambush, they'd change direction and follow another branch of the canyons. We ended up playing alot of tag and go seek through out the Khingan range.

Spies inside Beijing told us that our efforts had not gone unnoticed. A force of around 160 invid troops was seen leaving the hive to go and find their missing scouts (or more percisely, kill whatever had made their troops disapper, Invid are dim but they aren't that dumb). They were lead by a RCB.

I should mention, the most recent series of events took place some five months after the bomb in the Genisis pit incident. We decided to keep our heads low for awhile after that little dust up. Hehehe, seems the Invid were REALLY pissed off. They stumbled into a group of Zentraedi to the north of their hive and the two forces really got into it. We "Watched" the battles (monitored via recon and radio grabs). The Zents put up three really determined pitched battles in which they beat up their Invid opponets. But during a fourth fight at their home base, somewhere near Yangon Burma(Myanmar) the Zents got a nasty beating. Almost like they intended to lose. Seemed like the only put up a tokeen resistance, and when the Invid got into the base proper the place blew up. Or atleast that's what recon elements decided. League Recon guys couldn't get too close, the Invid were still all over the place.

Recon figured that the Invid must have caught the Zents napping, and the Invid force had been able to track the Zents back to their base from the previous battles.

We spent the time repairing, refitting, further concealing our base, digging further downward, stock piling more weapons and ammo, running more salvage on the Zentraedi ship we've been looting for materials, and training of course. We added 12 new assistant technicians to our unit (people from the area seaking job skills and approved by the League), four weapons technicians (promoted from our assistant tech. corp) and league provided 12 new security personel to help out. We've finished our integrated circut workshop, so we can now build, from scratch, our own IC boards. All we need now is an ass load of Protoculture and the Microprocessor technology. Plus we started using our tools to make the tools we use in our repair and (hopefully someday) manufacturing efforts to be shipped out. If the Invid found our base, it would be all over. So we thought if we used what we have to duplicated what we have, then it makes the chances of them "getting lucky" alot slimmer.

I still don't see 500 invid

Jeffar wrote:I still don't see 500 invid

The Artist Formrly wrote:Then 500 Invid fell Ill due to my bad cooking(rolled a 100). none survived the week...

see 500 Invid dead.

We in the strike teams withdrew from the mountain range, instead leaving a group of cyclones, hover cycles and other light, fast moving ground vehicles to do observation and recon work. After 11 days of hunting Invid patrols, we were a little expended. I really like those twin linked GU-X2s and was really glad that we brought plenty of ammo for them.

The base we were using was an old EBSIS fire base that had been missed by the Invid during their orbital bombardments. Built right into, or rather under, a butte, the place sat atop another well. There had once been a oasis, which had engendered a similar fort to the one the "Sultan" had been using, but when the Soviets moved in, they redirected the water supply and there was no trace of the greenery that had been here. Atleast not on the outside.

Inside the place was another matter. The base wasn't anything terribly impressive, but it served our needs very well. It had water and enough power to keep us in business (Disel Generator). Armor patching, some new paint (we had a desert camo going, but it didn't blend as well with the local enviroment as we would have wanted, so we repainted) and we were good to go again. We took three days of down time. The master Techs for my ZSB and the guy who does the same for the Super Logan fighter wanted to get a chance to check out our engines and make sure the sand wasn't chewing them up. Turns out they didn't need to worry, the two systems appeared to be in better shape then Alpha and Beta on lone from Overwatch (I wonder if they didn't send us two of their most in need of over all maintainance machines to take advantage of our highly skilled technical crew and resources). Both of those machines are revolutions in all enviromental technologies.

The Invid were fracturing their search force into four groups of fourty. Each group was broken into smaller patrol groups were close enough together that the other groups could quickly converge on the others and reform the attack group of fourty in a couple of minutes. Then two groups of fourty were working in tandam, each reinforcing the other.

I decided the next ambush point would be a Zentraedi blast crater approximately three and half miles long, that had since filled with sand. It sat very near a small series of rocky foot hills that would be ideal for deploying our ground pounders (Destroids and Battloids) to provide supporting fire. One of the Invid group's search pattern was headed for this crater, this sea of sand, and I wanted to ambush them from it.

We got set and into position, Lacing parts of the forwad or leading edge of the crater with a hdozen Protoculture cells wired to go active apon radio signal. A second radio signal would cause the two SRM like warheads wired to the P-cell and radio set to explode making an crude kind of land mine. A spotter team on Cyclones would trip the bombs as we might be too busy to get the timing right. That meant they were deployed along the forward edge of the crater, under tarps. Sucks to be in the infantry, cyclone or not. Toward the middle of the pit, our VTOL capable machines were concealed in the sand. We'd actually had to laze some of the sand together (melt it into obsideon actually) to get firm enough area so as not to sink. The ground was trecherous in the extream, even for those flight capable machines. And effect we hoped to use against the Invid.

Predictable as always, the Invid moved exactly where and when I had wanted them. Now for the tough part. Being the most forward placed unit, I got to call the trap. I was dead in the water as far as active power went, but was reciving sensor data reports from the two X's we had stationed high in the hills behind us (minimal power useage device and we have installed a switch that lest us power a few systems off a E-clip instead of the machine's reactor, an E-clip charged by our Soviet Fussion reactor). I waited until had crossed the engagement point plus a ten count, before I activated the cell-traps.

The Invid pounced! When the first Invid reached their targets, Armored Scouts, they turned their guns on the cell/bombs. Of course, plasma takes time to work on sand, and it was time they wouldn't have. The spotter teams touch three of the bombs off though one was a bit early. Four Armored Scouts went down in the explosion, but two were just lightly damaged.

I went power up and weapons hot, then jammed my feet down on the foot pedals, the jets of my Striker Battloid lifting me out of the sand. I locked on to one of the three Pincer Battloids, and sent six high explosive missiles at him. The mecha turned towards me with amazing speed for something of that size and profile, the two monster guns over it's shoulders glowed white hot, then the missile hit, before the pilot could finish it's attack, it's Mecha was torn to shreads and green goo (rolled three fives, two sixes, and a four ) a Shock Trooper standing too close caught some of the blast, but not enough to put it down.

A second Pincer found a similar demize at the hands of the Assault Battloid, and it's Mini-missiles. The Super Logan sent a damaged Armor Scout to hell with a quick shot from his forward cannons. A shock trooper that had gotten too close to where our ground pounders were hidden found himself on the reciving end of a particle beam blast form our Excaliber.

As the Invid pulled themselves together and the surprise wore off. That sucked but was expected. The Overwatch Beta got tripped up in the sand and was having difficulties lifting off. That sucked and was UNexpected.

The Invid pressed us in the advanced group, but we were evassive and had enough long range support from other units that we were able hold the line while our last machine got airborne (I would now like to sing the praises of autododge!). We pulled the Invid in towards the foot hills, though some of their Shock troopers had trouble clearing the sea of sand, a problem the two Raider-Xs took advantage of.

The fight took about two minutes, but as we and the Invid were on rougly equal numbers, superior human technology carried the fight to them and did so in short order. Less then two and a half minutes after it had begun, it was over.

But we had a problem.

Sixty five Invid Armored Scouts and Royal Command Battloid were burning hard for our location. We hadn't even seen them, but they must have been roosting near by, likely to support any attempt to ambush the ambushers, using the probing force as bait. Very clever.

They dropped down on us like an angry swarm of giant mecha clad hornets. I called the RCB as mine and lined my Battloid up on it. Besides, the other machines able to go up against it were needed to keep the swarm off the rest of the force.

I shot up high, screeming at full throtle right through the Invid formation. A couple of the A.Scouts lined up a shot or two, but my ultra agile Striker rolled through the in coming fire as if it wasn't their. As I rocketed past the RCB in a tight spiral (and trying to reach three times the speed of sound) I lined up a shot on it from my Particle beam guns(Try that some time, called shot, four point difficulty bump for all the other factors involved) and popped the RCB.

That got it's attention, and it burned hard after me, along with 11 of it's armored scout friends. Though I had a good lead to start with, I pulled back on the speed, not wanting to dust the RCB. Two A.S. quickly caught up to me, but my GU-X2s sent them down while I waited for the RCB to chase. It did. With a vengence.

The A.S.s would sporaticly fire on me, but tended to be poorly aimed. My evasion pattern was giving them fits (I really love autododge.) The Invid Pilot RCB opened with eight of it's missiles. I responded with a single missile, catching it's flight and taking them all out. It occured to me that at this distance, missile shots were all we could trade. Even though I would win in the long term, I didn't want to make that trade. We just don't have enough for that kind of fight. So I cut a hard bank into three of the A. Scouts follwing us, and opened fire on them. I planned to hug one so close that any missile shot would be as likely to catch the scout as it would me.

One of the scouts peeled off, the second fell away at my particle beam blasts. I was surprised though. The RCB didn't seem to care, it sent eight missiles at us. I cut away from the Armored Scout at the last second, and four of the missiles got confused and followed the Scout. *boom* The other four went for me.

I cut around again and brought my guns in line with the missiles, and fired. Only one missile died, and the last three dove at my battloids, ringing my bell as they hit.

The remaining seven scouts swamed at me while the RCB which had gone out of position, had to pivot to come around on me. I dove for the ground, letting gravity help me put some more distance between me and them. The Armored Scouts reminded me that they were faster then I was. Several of them added their plasma blasts to my already worried armor damage. I shot one of them out of the air on my way down.

My flight had carried me back into the moutain range, so I arced my powered fall into one of the canyons, pulling the Invid in with me. I pulled up at the very last moment possible (I think I scraped the paint on the knees of my battloid on the floor of the canyon), then rocketted down the canyon's tight spacing. The sudden change in direction caused the Invid Armored Scouts a piloting difficulty and it exploded on the walls of the Canyon. As I burned down the Canyon I saw a chunk of stone that arched part way across the canyon lip. I thought it would look better on the floor, with two or three Invid under it. I sent three high explosives to make that happen and my gunnery was good. Unfortunately, I only caught one of them in the blast and falling rock, the other two nimble little bastards I had planned on hitting with that were able to dodge our of the way. I would have been pissed about the missiles but I had other concerns. The rest of them were still shooting at me and the Canyon was ending.

I hit the breaks, coming to a dead stop. Almost put my face through the controls(and that kiddies, is why we always where seat belts, Canyons and Invid). The Invid didn't stop quiet as fast. Two of them drifted into my sights. I unloaded by of my GU-X2s on them in a long burst. In a spectacular hit, one just distigrated under my tripple barreled gun. The other took a nasty hit, but was able to keep it together.

The Invid hovered as they turned themselves around.

A long second passed.

Everyone opened fire at the same time. The Armored Scout I had injured returned the favor, the guy on his right had been a poor gunner and his shots failed to connect, the one on the left would have hit, if not for the overall evasiveness of the Striker Batt. I killed the injured one with a twin blast from my P-beams. We traded shots again. They failed to connect, I only got armor. And again. This time one of them went down. And again, and again.

With the Invid Armored Scouts down, I climbed from the Canyon, hunting a Royal Command Batttloid.

Jefffar wrote:I still don't see 500 invid

The death toll is mounting...

It's got a long way to go.

Colonel Wolfe wrote:

Jeffar wrote:I still don't see 500 invid

The Artist Formrly wrote:Then 500 Invid fell Ill due to my bad cooking(rolled a 100). none survived the week...

see 500 Invid dead.

Heh, if it were only that easy...

That meant they were deployed along the forward edge of the crater, under tarps. Sucks to be in the infantry, cyclone or not.

Heh. Welcome to my world. You giant mecha jocks get all the glory and fame, but never count out how much we little insects prep the roads for you.

Still, taking on an RCB (which isn't an easy task by any itself) and it's horde of escort mecha is nothing short of astounding. Or stupid, but it's so hard to tell that difference on the battlefield. I don't know if it's your piloting skills or the genius that went into that Strike Battloid, but pulling that stunt off and surviving is amazing.