I haven't written much lately because my free time has been absorbed with the latest stable version of MegaMek and MekHQ. There are many posts in draft form, needing completion, but for now, it has been computer games.
For those unaware, these two free games simulate all the fun of table top Battletech games without the need for having a room dedicated to painting and storing (and using) minis and terrain. What is Battletech? It is a wargame set initially in 3025 where humanity is at war with itself, and has been several hundred years. Battlemechs are giant human-piloted war machines and the principal means of solving political issues. Players are typically mercenaries trying to keep their 'mechs functional and units financially solvent. Sarna's Battletech Wiki addresses ALL the in-game lore, of which there is centuries worth.
There are multiple units and regiments saved on my hard drive for earlier versions of the game. My experience, though, is that the unit and planet knowledge gets too large and the saved games just stop loading. Downloading the latest version of Java helps, but sometimes, I just have to shelve the game for awhile. Which is a shame, because my first unit has at least two regiments' worth of short fiction in the individual biographies of each pilot and several techs and vehicle crewmembers, fiction that is effectively lost. In Battletech, a regiment is approximately 108 'mechs, plus air support, armor, infantry, and artillery, for a proper combined arms approach. While I still have to rely on the Bot to fly my air support, I have worked out the rest of the combined arms, and it is good. So, yeah, lots of character sketches gone.
With this latest unit - the Heartbreakers, founded in 3025 - I have expanded the initial company to a full battalion of 'mechs, with plans for appropriate aerospace and armor (and maybe artillery) support. I play Against the Bot and the bot provides lots of delicious salvage, to include three Awesome 'mechs. For those unaware of the beauty of this 'mech, I'll let Tex of the Black Pants Legion explain:
While the Awesome is near the top of my favorites list, what I find perfect is the Wolverine-M. It jumps, it pummels, and its' kicks are big enough to leg a light 'mech, providing me more salvage. Coupled with a skilled pilot, typically with the Melee Master and Jumping Jack abilities, and this version of the Wolverine is a fast nightmare for armor and light 'mechs.
Yes, I am aware of several Battletech and Mechwarrior computer games, but of them, I prefer MekHQ, and not just because it is free. I enjoy the minutia of managing a mercenary company: hiring new employees; leveling veterans in the unit; salvaging, repairing, and replacing equipment; negotiating new contracts; writing (questionable) fanfiction about the units; managing the TOE of each lance and company; fiddling with the options (and there are so many options); the turn-based combat.
Now, I have a box of plastic minis, from the first round of Alpha Strike lances that Catalyst produced, as well as a decent selection of Heroscape terrain, and one of Stratagem's roll-out hex printed map to lay it all out on. The boys love playing 'robots' with the whole mess, and frankly, it IS fun to build maps and move minis about them. Time spent setting up and taking down is typically longer than the actual playing, though, so mostly it is a now-and-then game.
As an aside, I debated supporting the kickstarter for the new version of Lance Packs that match the 'mechs in the recent box sets, but in the end refrained. I don't regret it, but I admit to hints of want when I see them.
Storytime: the one time I attended GenCon, I stumbled onto an open game that was the Battle of Tukkayid. I was assigned to the Inner Sphere, and given control of an Awesome and a Catapult. A squad of Elementals did in the Awesome, and the Catapult joined the Awesome in death a few rounds later. In the end, both minis became wreckage - represented by large washers - on the huge table-top map. They joined the dozens of washers already there. In Battletech lore, that is a historical battle, stopping the Clan Invasion in its tracks. For college-age me, it was just awesome.
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