Catalyst 35TP020 - Operational Turning Points - Fronc Reaches [2019].pdf

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[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: FRONC REACHES]
MARSHALING COURAGE ..............
MARSHAL BASE BETA
CALDERA FIELDS, INDEPENDENCE
FRONC REACHES
15 JULY 3088
The comm crackled to life. Static filled the hardline laid down
the night before. The primitive technology had the benefit
of being safe from the prying ears of the incoming pirates.
“Calderon’s Commando on your doorstep, boss.”
Deputy Force Commander Marvel Dillon closed his eyes,
took a deep breath, and held it. This was it. The time had come
to meet his destiny. He tried to convince himself that the roiling
in his belly was from missing breakfast, but the comforting
lie wouldn’t take hold. He twisted his head from side to side,
relishing the loud cracks that sounded in his BattleMech cockpit.
Reaching up, he pulled down the neurohelmet until it rested on
his shoulders. He slowly blew out his held breath. He counted
to ten as he regulated his breathing. His pistols dug into his
thighs, Maria the right and Theresa the left, as he stretched and
wriggled in his seat, getting his blood flowing properly again.
Then he opened his eyes. His
Marshal’s
passive sensors
showed a series of red indicators closing on his position. They
were moving slowly, clearly cautious of the mines that the
Colonial Marshals were famous for using. He smiled at the futility
of their approach. Yes, there were mines, but just enough to
guide them along the Marshals’ preferred routes to the facility.
Above all, though, the pirates could not be allowed to reach
the TinStar building. It was amazing how small a structure was
needed for limited manufacturing of battlesuits. Some of the
equipment had been evacuated with the personnel, but not all
of it. Losing it would severely curtail the effort to build new suits
for the Marshals. But if the pirates did make it that far, suited
troopers were ready and waiting within.
Dillon stretched out his right hand and flipped a toggle.
“Acknowledged. Thunder, deploy and saturate after last enemy
passes. Rumble, converge on my location in...” Dillon calculated
in his mind how long he and his lance could hold out against
the pirates, trying not to sound arrogant and praying he didn’t
overestimate. After all, the passive sensors didn’t tell him the
nature of his enemy, just their number and position. Just to
be safe, he cut the time in half. “Five minutes.” He figured he
could hold out that long. In any case, he knew the Marshals
he’d assembled into the Rumble group would start to move
in before the first shot was fired. But a Marshal had to keep up
appearances. No other MechWarrior would realistically believe
he could hold out against such overwhelming odds for so long.
Most BattleMech battles ended in seconds rather than minutes.
Dillon smiled and nodded to himself. He closed the toggle and
pressed a small button on the panel.
A tiny popping sound reached his ears. He couldn’t see it,
but he knew the hardline was falling to the floor of the barren
warehouse. With the direct line cut, his comm system erupted
with the faux recordings being broadcast within the emptied
base. Those small touches were just the last part of the web
of deception the Marshals had spun to lure the pirates to their
doom. And Calderon’s Commando had taken the bait.
Dillon’s eyes flicked back to the sensor panel. The ancient
caldera where the depot was situated had just a few passages
big enough to admit BattleMechs. And only one of those was
straight enough to make the approach quick and easy. The
pirates were moving directly through it and would be in the
caldera’s heart momentarily.
Dillon knew the layout of the base down to the last meter
of space between the various storage buildings and repair bays.
The pirates would find ordnance in those structures all right, but
only of the command-detonated variety.
The first pirate ’Mech was clearing the ancient geologic
barrier. It sped across the base, clearly seeking enemies to
identify and locate before the slower pirates arrived. Thankfully
the base was well-prepared. Besides being spread out, the
TechMarshals had built wire coils into the warehouses. These
masked the nature of what was actually within. Still, if the pirates
had any sophisticated scanning gear, they’d see the prepared
gifts awaiting them despite the deception. And they could
always rip open the buildings anyway.
The enemy indicators began moving with greater urgency.
They piled into the base and formed a respectable rear guard
deployment. Dillon nodded. Thunder detachment had acted.
Thunder LRMs were a precious commodity in the Periphery,
and Dillon had requisitioned every one he could lay his hands
on for this operation. Every LRM-equipped ’Mech got a full
ton of Thunders for saturating the clear passage with mines
after the pirates had passed. The way the pirates had suddenly
changed their approach told Dillon the first stage of the trap
had been sprung. The pirates would be forced to exit via one
of the twisting, confining trails to escape the base, unless they
wanted to brave the tightly packed minefield barring the path
they’d just used. Thunder would even now be rushing headlong
to those other passages through the wall, moving to link up
with Dillon before the pirates could take him out. Rumble would
already be on the way, he knew.
The pirates were trapped in a false base filled with explosives.
But the mines and booby traps were not the deadliest surprise
waiting for them in the fake installation. No. That honor fell to
Dillon himself. He’d been killing pirates for years, and they knew
his name. They knew his reputation.
It was time to justify it. He slapped the stud that brought his
Marshal
from standby to full and active operation. The instrument
panel sparkled to life, and his HUD glistened into existence. The
battle computer started to ID the types of BattleMechs arrayed
against him. The recon ’Mech speeding through the base was
nearly to Dillon’s position. He decided to give the
Spider
the
greeting it deserved.
The time for planning and talking was over. It was time to act.
He burst through the thin façade of wall camouflaging him
from their sensors. Coiled wires in the veneer sparked as they
snapped and were trod underfoot. His arms came up as the
Spider
tried to skid to a halt. Dust kicked up in a spray as Dillon
shrugged off the scraps of the feeble structure. The
Marshal’s
arms came up, guns blazing.
1
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: FRONC REACHES]
INTRODUCTION ...........................
W
elcome to the next in the series of
Turning Points
campaign
books, designed to give players the opportunity to fight in
some of the landmark conflicts of
BattleTech’s
tumultuous
history using the
Alpha Strike
ruleset.
The general information contained in the
Atlas
and
Combatants
sections give players the tools needed to fight an infinite number of
engagements in the Fronc Reaches, while the
Tracks
detail some of the
more pivotal battles between the pirates and defending Fronc Reaches
forces. The Tracks section can also be used with stand-alone games set
in the Jihad time frame.
The
Atlas
section presents a global overview and some quick
facts about Fronc Reaches worlds visited in this campaign. Included
in this section are terrain tables broken into various categories. These
tables can be used as a random means to determine the maps used
in the tracks or simply as a guide to the types of terrain found on the
worlds. This section also contains a list of various additional terrain
types, environments, and other rules that can be used to enhance the
gameplay experience. All players should agree whether to use any or
all of these features before play begins.
The
Combatants
section details the units that participated in the
conflict and can be used by players who wish to add authenticity to
their games. However, these forces are provided only as a guideline,
and players are encouraged to use other forces at their option to
attempt to rewrite history. This allows the players to pursue the tracks
with different forces as they desire. Players should feel free to balance
the forces in each track as they see fit, whether by battle value, tonnage,
total number of units, or whatever else suits them.
The
Tracks
section presents both
Mission
and
Touchpoint
tracks,
allowing player groups to build full-fledged campaigns set during
the events listed. A general guideline for how to begin fighting the
historical campaign is included in
How to Use the Campaign.
Each
Mission
track is reusable, and the
Touchpoints
cover several key battles
that occurred during the campaign and led directly to the climactic
battle on Independence. For those playing the campaign, the events
in each
Mission
or
Touchpoint
lead into the next, with damage carrying
over. Players wishing to incorporate these tracks into their Chaos
Campaign campaigns should use the Warchest Points (WP) listed in
the brackets. Optional points are awarded only if the group achieves at
least one Objective while using the listed option. Objective points are
cumulative as they are achieved, unless otherwise noted.
The
Annex
section contains five official
Alpha Strike
cards. These
include the MHL-6FR
Marshal
of the Colonial Marshals, the NSR-9J
(Holt)
Nightstar
of Holt’s Hilltoppers commander Chief George Holt,
and the TinStar battle armor of the Colonial Marshals. Next are several
unique pirate ’Mechs, including the PXH-3D (Jiemin)
Phoenix Hawk
of
Shen-se Tian commander
Noyan
Qiangjun Jiemin and the MAD-7D
(von Staskov)
Marauder
of Calderon’s Commando commander Marshal
Vrabel von Staskov.
CREDITS .....................................
Project Development:
Geoff “Doc” Swift , Ben H. Rome
BattleTech Line Developer:
Brent Evans
Assistant Line Developer: Ray Arrastia
Writing:
Geoff “Doc” Swift
Editing:
Philip A. Lee
Production Staff
Cover Design:
Ray Arrastia, David Kerber
Layout:
David Kerber
Evolved Faction Logos:
Jason Knight
Record Sheets:
Johannes Heidler, Dave Nawton, Carl Spain
Factchecking/Playtesting:
Rich Cencarik, Joshua Franklin,
Johann Haderer, Keith Hann, Andreas Rudolph, Chris Wheeler,
Patrick Wynne
Special Thanks:
The Fronc Reaches and their elite Colonial Marshals
are near and dear to me as the part of the
BattleTech
universe that
most closely resembles a futuristic Old West. Who doesn’t like the no-
tion of an Old West gunslinger fighting it out with piratical despera-
does on a thirty-first-century battlefield? The Reaches and Marshals
were the subject of the first words I ever wrote for BT, so I wanted
to tell a story of their most desperate hour, when it was do-or-die. I
hope you like it.
For more information about the Fronc Reaches and the people
and pirates who have lived and died there, please see Field
Manual:
Periphery, Field Manual: Updates, Field Manual: 3085, Handbook: Major
Periphery States
(HBMPS),
Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers,
Field Report: Periphery,
and
Objectives: Periphery.
Other references
of use are
Alpha Strike
(AS),
Alpha Strike Companion
(ASC),
Combat
Manual: Mercenaries
(CM:Mercs),
Combat Manual: Kurita
(CM:Kurita),
Spotlight On: Holt's Hilltoppers, Total Warfare
(TW),
Tactical Operations
(TO), and
Strategic Operations
(SO). Some of the characters mentioned
in this
Operational Turning Point
appeared in “The Marshal Way,” a four-
part story published on BattleCorps.com.
©2019 The Topps Company Inc. All rights Reserved. Operational Turning Points: Fronc Reaches,
Classic BattleTech, BattleTech, BattleMech, ’Mech, and WK Games are registered trademarks and/or trademarks
of The Topps Company, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs and the
Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Production, LLC.
STAR LEAGUE ERA
CLAN INVASION ERA
JIHAD ERA
®
SUCCESSION WARS ERA
CIVIL WAR ERA
DARK AGE ERA
2
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: FRONC REACHES]
ATLAS ........................................
INDEPENDENCE
Elected Ruler:
Governor Andrew Stanton MacFarlane
Star Type (Recharge Time):
G4V (185 hours)
Position in System:
4
Time to Jump Point:
7.96 days
Number of Satellites:
None
Surface Gravity:
0.98
Atm. Pressure:
Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature:
29°C (Temperate)
Surface Water:
57 percent
Recharging Station:
None
HPG Class Type:
B
Highest Native Life:
Mammal
Population:
74,759,600 (3088)
Socio-Industrial Levels:
C-C-C-C-C
Independence is a large world with plentiful space and
resources, though most are undeveloped. Entire cities of Inner
Sphere expatriate enclaves have sprung up in the last decade,
starting during the Jihad, spread across the continents of
Merigo, Maltin, and Norton. Relations between these separate
and often ideologically opposite populations requires constant
intervention by the Colonial Marshals. The internal threats were
so severe that Force Commander Dirk McEvans had the largest
Marshal base outside Fronc constructed to allow for effective
response to such crises as well as to outside threats. The base is
located in an extinct caldera on the central continent of Maltin
and houses noteworthy spare troop capacity. A number of
technicians and engineers from Holt’s Hilltoppers have set up
shop there in a warehouse nicknamed “Hilltopper Engineering,”
which unchecked rumors insist is focused on building battlesuits
for the Marshals. The usually operationally secure Marshals seem
to have slipped up by letting this information into the open.
PORTLAND
Elected Ruler:
Governor Katie Francis
Star Type (Recharge Time):
K4V (195 hours)
Position in System:
4
Time to Jump Point:
4.31 days
Number of Satellites:
3 (Stone, Rogue, Upshur)
Surface Gravity:
1.01
Atm. Pressure:
Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature:
30°C (Temperate)
Surface Water:
63 percent
Recharging Station:
None
HPG Class Type:
B
Highest Native Life:
Reptile
Population:
129,866,000 (3088)
Socio-Industrial Levels:
B-C-C-C-A
Portland was colonized centuries ago and has long been an
agricultural breadbasket. The lack of major native predators and
long human habitation make the world ideal for industrial levels of
agriculture. Holt’s Hilltoppers made the world their home recently
and have revamped the world’s defensive stance. A small village,
aptly named Holt, sprang up near the Hilltoppers headquarters.
The nascent Hilltopper Academy lies on the outskirts of the town
and has already been forced to turn away applicants due to sheer
volume. The three continents of Riverland, Medina, and Jacobs’
Land are covered with farms and major spaceports, while the
northern continent of Timberland remains largely undeveloped
and draws significant tourism from hunters, hikers, and explorers.
Jacobs’ Land is the smallest of the four, and it is almost wholly
owned by the Jacobs family; these farm barons defend their
territory constantly from raiders and squatters. Two of Portland’s
moons are habitable, as well. Upshur is a frigid rock, while Rogue
is a captured satellite with a retrograde orbit. Rogue has its own
water-rich biosphere with many native plants and animals (up to
birds) unique to the small world.
3
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: FRONC REACHES]
ATLAS ........................................
MCEVANS’ SACRIFICE
Elected Ruler:
Governor Vance Elder
Star Type (Recharge Time):
G3V (184 hours)
Position in System:
3
Time to Jump Point:
8.53 days
Number of Satellites:
2 (Shaw, Southfield)
Surface Gravity:
1.09
Atm. Pressure:
Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature:
32°C (Tropical)
Surface Water:
51 percent
Recharging Station:
None
HPG Class Type:
B
Highest Native Life:
Mammal
Population:
33,419,800 (3088)
Socio-Industrial Levels:
D-C-B-D-B
McEvans’ Sacrifice was initially colonized by refugees from
the Reunification War, but it was not until the New Colony Region
was founded that it finally was recognized for more than simple
agricultural potential. When significant and easily accessed ore
deposits were discovered, the population swelled. This brought
increased predation from pirates. Small-time mercenary com-
mands abound around the mining camps and are paid well to
fend off frequent pirate attacks. The large itinerant merc popula-
tion has created small cottage industries for gambling and arena
fighting. The semiannual tournaments of the best MechWarriors
from each merc command have been broadcast throughout the
Reaches. Sadly, the rigid scheduling of the event often allows
pirates to time their raids for when the best opposition is other-
wise occupied. Besides raids on precious metals from the mines,
the raiders often capture slaves and steal agricultural goods. The
Colonial Marshals, being above arena fighting, are usually the
ones taking the blame for any successful raids. So many people
have been kidnapped from this world, never to return, that the
natives call themselves Sacrifices.
The world draws its name from the heroic effort of Angus
McEvans. He single-handedly fought off a company of raiders
in his
Banshee,
killing the pirate leader by crushing his ’Mech’s
head in a devastating melee. McEvans was grappling with
another pirate when his ammunition exploded, killing him and
the pirate, and breaking the raiders’ morale and putting them
to flight. His great-great-grandson is Dirk McEvans, the current
commander of the Colonial Marshals. That a native of the world
commands the Colonial Marshals only enhances the Sacrifices’
bitterness toward the Marshals: they feel the Marshals regard
them as little more than an afterthought in terms of defense
priority.
ROCKWELLAWAN
Elected Ruler:
Governor Abel Macias
Star Type (Recharge Time):
K2V (193 hours)
Position in System:
2
Time to Jump Point:
4.85 days
Number of Satellites:
1 (Roth)
Surface Gravity:
0.96
Atm. Pressure:
Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature:
30°C (Tropical)
Surface Water:
70 percent
Recharging Station:
None
HPG Class Type:
B
Highest Native Life:
Avian
Population:
89,347,000 (3088)
Socio-Industrial Levels:
C-C-A-C-B
Rockwellawan is a former Taurian world whose population
maintains the fierce independence of their ancestors. Piracy
decreased markedly during the Jihad after the Fronc Cuirassiers
made the world their home. This is because the neighboring
states, the Taurian Concordat and Magistracy of Canopus, were
occupied with their roles in the Jihad and could not devote
resources to pirate-hunting. However, once those nations
were no longer focused on their enemies, they concentrated
on the pirate threat. This forced the pirates to seek easier prey,
which they found in the Fronc Reaches, and pirate attacks on
Rockwellawan spiked. Pirates mainly prey on the valuable
resources being mined on the three continents of Diamond,
Facet, and Corundum, though three major raids have targeted
the planetary capital of Carat, located on Diamond’s east coast.
Corundum is home to the Interstellar Agriculture Concerns
factory in the industrial city of Kite on the edge of the world’s
glacial arctic zone. The Sentinelry Academy just finished
construction outside Kite, mainly because IAC funded much of
the construction and wanted it nearby to increase their profile
and provide local defense. The first cadet class started training
at the onset of the brief arctic summer. It is hoped instruction
in the harsh conditions will harden the cadets and make them a
more formidable addition to the Cuirassiers.
4

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