DoMT: Eurayle and Idiot

It has been some time since I added to this series. A slow-rolling series of how the Deck of Many Things works in my homebrew world of Ironguard.  (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4).

"If it weren't for bad luck, you'd no type of luck at all," - Pirates of the Caribbean.

Both of these cards fall under the 'unwanted draws' in the DoMT, but neither is nearly as bad as some other options.  Still, I'd much rather draw a good card, or better yet, draw none at all.  

Euryale: -1 penalty on all saving throws henceforth.

Euryale is named for one the three Greek Gorgons, of which Medusa is one (although how she spawned an entire race of fellow snake-headed stone-turning women is beyond this post).  At least this card doesn't petrify its drawer.  

This card exists because of an unhappy tryst between Loki and a deity of luck, fate, and serpents.  Be thankful it didn't result in Loki having yet another monstrous child.

Idiot: Lose Intelligence (permanent).  You may draw again. 

Because taking the chance on the DoMT is NOT an intelligent choice.  Ever.  As such, the face on the card looks like its drawer before disappearing.

This card comes directly from Loki's sense of humor and delight in hoisting people upon their own petards.  Directly powered by Loki himself/herself/itself, the Idiot card is Loki passing judgement on those that draw from the Deck.

Last of the Big Stompy Robots - For Now

As implied the last time I posted about MekHQ, the game date was in mid-May.  I ground through to the beginning of June, and it truly was a grind of heavy and assault 'mechs battering away at one another, with a parade of light and medium 'mechs (and a like number of vehicles) were turned to scrap left for the Heartbreakers' Davion employers.

Warhammer exploding.  By Earl Geier

For in-game fiction, the Heartbreakers ran into a heavy regiment of Capellans.  Maybe even the famed McCarron's Armored Cavalry.  Not that it matters that much.  My team came out on top.

Here is a list of the more notable 'mechs my lances fought against this game week:

2x Cyclops

5x Victor (3 in one fight)

3x Grasshopper

2x Archer

1x Marauder

1x Stalker

2x Catapult 

2x Orion

2x Thunderbolt

1x Ostsol

4x Rifleman

2x Warhammer

Most of these 'mechs ended up in the Heartbreakers' repair bays for eventual adoption into our ranks. The ones that didn't suffered ammunition explosions during the fighting.  All this out of a total of 192 various 'mechs and vees scattered across 16 separate engagements.  Yes, I have the 'double vees' option turned on.  Then I realized that May 31, 3030 was a Monday, so I had another week's worth of fights to battle through. It was similar to the above, but with Battlemasters and Awesomes.

A battle's speed is a much ambient light and dumb luck as it is pilot skill.  The tactics skill can often turn an unfavorable fight into a better one (I'm a fan of deep woods - it lets my jumping 'mechs shine while preventing much movement from opposing 'mechs and vees), though sometimes, it goes from bad to worse and I end up with open fields while opposing a legion of Pegasus hover tanks.

Pegasus Hover Tank, by Duane Loose - those twin SRM 6 launchers can do some damage.

Repair and Refit

June and July were spent repairing the salvage and refitting the Wolverines and Marauders (there is a second in the repair bay from the week prior) to more preferred versions.  The Wolverines got the -M conversion, and the Marauders are turned into what I suspect is a common custom build, trading out the AC5 and ammo for an additional pair of medium lasers, more heat sinks, and more armor.  

Aside from that, I ordered another 50-75 tons of armor and more missiles and AC ammo, though how much of which sorts, I don't recall.  For giggles, I ordered some Inferno and Heat-Seeking ammo, as well. Then I'll be ready for the next slog, which begins in August - after two months, enemy morale has returned to normal, and the fighting continues. 

Reconstitution

In addition to recruiting numerous Veteran mechwarriors from the POW camp, the personnel market has provided several true mercenaries to balance things out.  Enough so that the Fifth Regiment now stands at two battalions strong, as I ran out of Veteran mechwarriors.  The remaining 'mechs are in the hangar, though, mothballed until I gather more troops under my banner.

Since I have free time in game, I'm not only standing up the Fifth Regiment, I am spending the various techs' experience points.  Elite mechanics are cross-trained to become 'mech techs, and elite 'mech techs are cross-trained into administrative rolls.

Mechwarriors and vehicle crewmembers have experience points expended as they are deployed.  It is simpler for me, but also kind of reminds me who fights a lot and who doesn't... as well as who is competent.  Battletech ends up becoming a weird meritocracy balanced only by lucky headshots and ammo explosions.

Prisoners have been ransomed away in vast quantities.  As might be imagined, Elite and Veteran mechwarriors fetch the most, but enough Green troops add up. 9,385,000 C-Bills is a helluva payday - but where the Capellan Confederation gets that kind of money, I don't know.  Probably from the same mystery source as all of their 'mechs.  

Lastly, I removed all the armored lances from the 68 required for the mission, replacing them with 'mechs.  Tanks just die to fast, so I am using them for backup in chases or in the flatlands.

A pilot standing next to a Warhammer and Rifleman, to scale.  Source uncertain.

Moving Forward

I set the combat toggles to keep opponents hidden until they appear in Line of Sight.  The sympathetic explosions toggle is staying off for now - I like kicking legs out from 'mechs and playing kickball with missile launchers.

Still, I am done for now with MegaMek and MekHQ, so the Heartbreakers will rest in digital limbo until I feel like more giant stompy robot fun.  Unless I download the new version of the game or that StratCon version that is being worked on.  It sounds fun.

Small Gaming Updates

Not too much on the gaming front, beyond being asked to start my Ironguard game back up.  I have decided on running a summer game (school months are too hectic with small children and work), and Ironguard now officially has more votes.

Aside from being flattering, this gives me an excuse to start incorporating all the kickstarters I have been funding.

It's only now that I've truly embraced the allure of Kickstarters.  I've Kickstarted things before, with the Twilight 2000 box set, then Delver 2 and Valley of the Manticore back in November, but now that its February, there is a deluge of awesome things made available.

Brewkessel 2

Delver 4

Axian Library

Barkeeps on the Borderlands

Downtime in Zyan

The Toxic Wood

Yes, there is always the chance that something won't deliver, but so far, so good.  Plus, all these creators have solid reputations for delivering, so I have faith.  Kickstarters are also deceptive spending, for me at least - since I don't end up with immediate product in hand/hard drive, I forget that I backed things and therefore, how much I have spent on gaming things (my wife is the money person in our relationship, which is good, because if I were in charge, we would be massively in debt, because I am not the best at tracking necessary expenditures).

All this leads to my New Year's resolution to be mindful of my hobby spending, and so far, February is close to catching January's spending, and its only halfway over.  So, no more games spending until March.  Which is good, because I have been offered to go halfsies on boxes of Magic boosters.  

In other news, I realized a new source of names for various people and places in fantasy games - the app game Dungeon Boss.

My 9-year-old got me playing it, and while he quickly found other games, I stuck with it in an on-again-off-again fashion (level 76 now).  It's fantasy theme means awesome names.  If you are a DM (or GM) and can't make a game featuring a final showdown in the Stonehelm Citadel against Utica the Forgotten who sits upon the Throne of Ash, after passing along the Bramblelurk Trail to the Mystic Vale, I don't know what to tell you.  

Especially if you've recruited members of the Icethorn and Gladespring Knights to assist your crusade against Utica and its faceless legions.  

A game world almost builds itself from these names.  

 

A Small Area to Explore

I discovered a lovely intersection of DnD and MtG over at Liche's Libram.  It is so much fun, I decided to play along myself.

The wooded slopes and valleys of the Vivid Crags shelter the Littjara Mirrorlake.  The lake itself gives the Vivid Crags their name, as sunlight reflects off the clear still waters in sometimes blinding sheens.  When clouds cover the sun, a sunken city can be clearly seen beneath the still surface.  It is deeper than it appears, and some of the larger buildings could easily conceal predators and lost treasure.  Observant viewers might see the glint of gold farther down.  More observant viewers may also realize that there are no fish or other wildlife to be seen within the waters.

The Norwood Warriors stand watch against the diseased Ogre clans and the Cockatrices that hunt both Elf and Ogre - and anything else foolish enough to head this way!  The Ogres are the devolved remnants of a once powerful race of noble giants, forever gone due to the same magics that flooded the city that rests at the bottom of Mirrorlake.  

Both Rhys and Zhao Zilong are leaders among the Elves, leading two separate factions.  Rhys believes in containing the Ogres and others, while keeping the curious and foolish away from the Mirrorlake.  The Tiger General leads raids into the camps and burrows near the shore of Mirrorlake to actively hunt down and destroy them.  Zhao Zilong would be happy to turn a blind eye to adventurers that promise to kill Ogres.

Lorthos dwells in the deepest part of the Mirrorlake, guarding the High Temple of the sunken city, and the treasure that lies within that temple.  While he might be temporarily evaded, Lorthos is sentient and actively hunts those that trespass.  Still, Lorthos IS sentient and bored, which might be turned to someone's advantage.

Within the sunken temple, all is kept dry and full of air, a boon from a long-sleeping, but not-quite-dead deity of the noble giants.  On a raised dias, just behind the altar, is a Gateway.  Whispers claim that the Gate opens to all sorts of places: the past, the Dreamlands, the treasure vaults of the noble giants.  If only the key can be found.