Battle 43: A Bird in the Hand...
Savannah (26 x 26)
Launcelot (novice) in a Stingray (recon)
Gareth (green) in a Quantum (recon)
Alymere (rookie) in a Pack Hunter (recon)
Vs.
Mistress (green) in a Sparrowhawk (light)
Tiger III (Regular) in a Hammer (recon)
With six Knights on the Honor Roll, the teams going to have to shape up before the whole venture is cut short! With only two active jocks, the Knights go recruiting, deciding that whatever the new recruit's specialty is, is what he will be trained in. The end up recruiting Alymere, a guided missile specialist... with a little melee training looks like Widowmaker ... er ... the Pack Hunter has a new jock.
For their next mission the Knights travel to more hospitable climes to a Savannah arena. They are deployed in the NE corner of the map, with a few ravines to the west and the makings of a lake to the south. In the center, there is a mountain bordered by a lake and quicksand on one side, a perfect defensive point. Launcelot heads up the mountain, while Gareth and Alymere circle around the mountain to the west, searching for the enemy. As they reach the southern edge of the mountain, Gareth and Alymere begin making intermittent contact with a recon and light AT in the forest to the SW.
The recon, a Hammer, leads the way, but he is an easy target for Launcelot to snip for the mountain. He tries, but as he clears the forest, he is charged and knocked down by Alymere, and stomped on and blasted by Gareth. He loses a leg trying to stand and is out of the match without firing a single blast from his AC20.
The light, a Sparrowhawk, is more wary, and stays in the woods while taking potshots at Gareth and Alymere. They charge the Sparrowhawk, but its trio of pulse laser proves a tough act to match. Gareth is forced to eject, and Alymere flees into the woods (didn't want to risk the insta-death lever). However, crouched on a wooded mountaintop, Launcelot comes through in the clutch with a plasma gun round in the head that finally convinces the Sparrowhawk's jock to pack it up and eject. Victory, salvaged the Sparrowhawk! With no fatalities, good news after loses two jocks in the last two battles.
Salvage: $ 14,861 + salvaged the Sparrowhawk!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 150,000
Upkeep: $-47,678
Balance: $ 117,183
Repairs: $-122,349
Profit: $-5,166 <- Acceptable loss given the salvage and repair of the Sparrowhawk
Budget: $ 1,145,119
Battle 44: Bushwhack
Biochem (26 x 26)
Launcelot (novice) in a Stingray (recon)
Gareth (green) in a Sparrowhawk (light)
Alymere (rookie) in a Pack Hunter (recon)
Vs.
Dryad (novice) in a Unicorn (recon)
Marshall (novice) in a Cutthroat (light)
Isis (novice) in a Zealot (recon)
Ah, sweet Biochem, how we have missed thee. With Gareth trading in his Quantum for the captured Sparrowhawk, the team takes another contract where the water burns, the air kills, and the food is an acquired taste. They are deployed in the SE corner of the map, with various mountains to the north and NW, and a mess of biological biomass to the west. As the mountains look fairly bare, the Knights decide to take their chances with the biomass (OT: Wouldn't it be neat if 'forests' could 'grab' at ATs forcing stability checks and/or damage, get on it LarkinVB [;)]). Launcelot chooses a nice hilltop with plenty of cover while Gareth and Alymere choose a ravine that runs the length of the biomass as attempt to ambush incoming enemy ATs.
Launcelot spots a Unicorn, Zealot and Cutthroat entering the biomass from the NW side and relays their estimated position to Gareth and Alymere. Keeping to the ravine, they are able to surprise the Unicorn at 1 hex distance, charging and disabling it easily. Unfortunately, this breaks their cover and the Cutthroat locks on and gives chase. However, the biomass slows down everyone’s movement, and Gareth and Alymere are able to limit their exposure to the Cutthroat and his power axe to a few scant seconds as they charge passed him and onto the Zealot. By now, Gareth is starting to show some wear and tear from the Cutthroats gauss cannon and meson gun, but he is still able to drop the Zealot with a little help from Alymere.
The Knights decide to force the final duel with the Cutthroat outside the biomass. By now, both Gareth and Alymere have accrued several locations in the red and Gareth has more that his share of damaged systems. Outside the biomass, Launcelot is able to bring his plasma gun to bear on the Cutthroat. Even after the Cutthroat manages to force both Gareth and Alymere to eject (oddly PAing a leg off your AT and proceeding to pound it to pulp will do that to a jock) Launcelot's steady eye wins the day as he trims off one of the Cutthroat's legs. After a little convincing, all three enemy jocks eject. Victory!
Salvage: $ 68,788
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 150,000 <- Second in a row against superior foes !!!
Upkeep: $-49,464
Balance: $ 169,324
Repairs: $-94,711<- No repairs to Launcelot's Stingray, woot!
Profit: $ 74,613 <- Highest take in a while!
Budget: $ 1,219,732
Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Moderator: MOD_TitansOfSteel
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
After a long respite, the Knights of the Round return to action!
Battle 45: The Fall of Widowmaker
Terran 26 x 26
Launcelot in a Stingray
Gareth in a Sparrowhawk
Alymere in a Pack Hunter
vs.
Stinger, Marshall and Icelord
The Knights are deployed along the west side of the combat zone. Mountains appear to dominate the northern half of the map, while a forests cover the south. Not willing to risk coming under fire while scaling a mountain, the Knights make their way towards the forest. As they approach, Launcelot spots an unidentified recon AT in the distance, but quickly loses contact. Assuming that the enemy was in a tight formation and facing similar terrain, Launcelot risks climbing a mountain to gain a vantage point to snipe from. As Gareth and Alymere make their way to a promising looking pass to the south, a Stinger comes into sight, using it's jump ports to clear the mountain. Several Knights take pot shots at it, but can't knock it out of the air. Fortunately, the Stinger will be clearing the mountains right over a pond, so the Knights target a Marshall that is coming through the pass to the south. The Marshall doesn't last longer, as charges from both Gareth and Alymere it home and one of Gareth's Pulse Lasers tears off one of his legs. Meanwhile, an airdrop is detected, an Icelord has landed to the west, only 6 hexes from Launcelot. Distracted, Alymere successfully charges the Stinger that has landed nearby, but fails to take advantage of the situation (I am guessing Wait on Attack and Wait on Targeted ... maybe wait on recycle and wait on target should be a little further apart, if the keyboard redefinable?). As a result, the slightly damaged Stinger tears off one of Alymere's legs before losing one of his own to Gareth. Launcelot changes targeting the Icelord that is rapidly approaching and Gareth moves to cover Launcelot's retreat. Unfortunately, this left both Alymere at the mercy of the downed Stinger which quickly landed round after round on Alymere's CB Torso, disabling it and detonating his engine...
The final victim of The Widowmaker...
The Icelord forces Launcelot to retreat along the mountain ridge, but before it has a chance to pursue, Gareth bushwhacks it. Gareth takes revenge for the loss of Alymere by slamming a pair of pulse laser salvos into the Icelord's head, killing its Jock. Victory...
Salvage: $ 58,795
Bounty: $ 12,000
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-46,829
Repair: $-17,219 + loss of Alymere and Widowmaker (a.k.a. Pack Hunter)
Profit: $ 131,747
Gareth makes Novice
Including Alymere, I believe that ol' Widowmaker claimed 4 Jocks in its run.
Battle 46: Bottled Lava
Core 26 x 26
Start in SW
Launcelot in a Stingray
Gareth in a Sparrowhawk
Yvain in a Quantum
Pandora in a Poltergeist
Gaia in a Guru
Hawk in a Banzai
The Knights recruit Yvain to replace Alymere as field Mechanic and to pilot a Quantum. The Knights arrive on broken terrain in the southwest corner of the map. Hills to the east and north obscure most of the map. As the Knights make their way through the mountains, the map opens of revealing a vast fiery plain, with 2 recons and a light AT heading towards them. A lava pond to the south forces the Guru and Banzai north, while the Poltergeist uses its jump ports to cross further south. Yvain bravely contests the Poltergeist's crossing, but can't fight his way through the shower of missiles and retreats to assist the rest of the team. As the Guru approaches, followed by the Banzai, they are immediately pinned in a bottleneck as Yvain runs interference. His Quantum gets pretty shot up, but isn't disabled. Combined firepower from Launcelot and Gareth brings down the Guru then the Banzai at 5 hexes before either can bring their arsenal to bear. The Poltergeist charges over a mountain, using its jump ports to bypass the bottleneck. Gareth and Yvain rush to engage him as Launcelot isn't doing well in the heat (a dissipation of -1.07 C [:(]) Despite getting a few good hits, the Poltergeist can't match the damage potential of the Knights and falls to blast from Yvain's cold light gun. Victory!
Salvage: $ 66,792
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,778
Repairs: $-39,171
Profit: $ 100,843
Battle 47: Death by Toothpick
Core 26 x 26
Launcelot in a Stingray
Gareth in a Sparrowhawk
Yvain in a Quantum
vs.
Heracles in a Wombat (Recon
Hawk in a Quantum (Recon)
Mr. D in a Thor (Light)
Back in the furnace for another battle, the Knights are deployed in the eastern area, behind some mountains. To keep from building up heat, Launcelot and Yvain walk towards a pass to the northwest, while Gareth runs interference. Gareth spots a recon in the distance, then a light. After exchanging a few rounds with the light, a Thor, Gareth moves behind a mountain to await reinforcements. Eventually Launcelot settles into some cover on a hill and Yvain joins Gareth behind the mountain. Launcelot targets the Thor as it leads the pack towards the Knights, but builds up heat far to quickly to keep in the fight. As the Thor closes, Gareth darts out, scoring a series of hits with his pulse lasers, but enemy pays more attention to Yvain who lags behind Gareth. The remaining enemy ATs, a Quantum and a Wombat, are only a short distance behind the Thor, and join in pulverizing Yvain. Surprisingly, the Yvain's Quantum stands up to the punishment, and manages to disengage, dragging the enemy Quantum far from the battle. Gareth and Launcelot target the Wombat, as the Thor is too close to use his plasma gun effectively. The Wombat falls without firing a shot, and the Knights turn to finish off the Thor. Gareth charges and successfully disables the Thor, but takes enough damage to allow a single shot from the Quantum to disable his lower torso. In a valiant stand, a near disabled Gareth, heavily damaged Yvain and a rapidly overheating Launcelot, attempt to bring down the Quantum. However, this time the Knights end up on loosing end and can't seem to land two shots on the same location on the Quantum. Meanwhile, the Quantum happily begins picking away at Gareth's center torso with his small laser. Shortly, the last of his armor is melted away and his engine detonates. The Quantum is disabled from the blast (and almost detonates) and Yvain barely survives. Victory...
Salvage: $ 10,530
Bounty: $ 12,000
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-33,215
Repairs: $-35,536
Profit: $ 78,779
Battle 45: The Fall of Widowmaker
Terran 26 x 26
Launcelot in a Stingray
Gareth in a Sparrowhawk
Alymere in a Pack Hunter
vs.
Stinger, Marshall and Icelord
The Knights are deployed along the west side of the combat zone. Mountains appear to dominate the northern half of the map, while a forests cover the south. Not willing to risk coming under fire while scaling a mountain, the Knights make their way towards the forest. As they approach, Launcelot spots an unidentified recon AT in the distance, but quickly loses contact. Assuming that the enemy was in a tight formation and facing similar terrain, Launcelot risks climbing a mountain to gain a vantage point to snipe from. As Gareth and Alymere make their way to a promising looking pass to the south, a Stinger comes into sight, using it's jump ports to clear the mountain. Several Knights take pot shots at it, but can't knock it out of the air. Fortunately, the Stinger will be clearing the mountains right over a pond, so the Knights target a Marshall that is coming through the pass to the south. The Marshall doesn't last longer, as charges from both Gareth and Alymere it home and one of Gareth's Pulse Lasers tears off one of his legs. Meanwhile, an airdrop is detected, an Icelord has landed to the west, only 6 hexes from Launcelot. Distracted, Alymere successfully charges the Stinger that has landed nearby, but fails to take advantage of the situation (I am guessing Wait on Attack and Wait on Targeted ... maybe wait on recycle and wait on target should be a little further apart, if the keyboard redefinable?). As a result, the slightly damaged Stinger tears off one of Alymere's legs before losing one of his own to Gareth. Launcelot changes targeting the Icelord that is rapidly approaching and Gareth moves to cover Launcelot's retreat. Unfortunately, this left both Alymere at the mercy of the downed Stinger which quickly landed round after round on Alymere's CB Torso, disabling it and detonating his engine...
The final victim of The Widowmaker...
The Icelord forces Launcelot to retreat along the mountain ridge, but before it has a chance to pursue, Gareth bushwhacks it. Gareth takes revenge for the loss of Alymere by slamming a pair of pulse laser salvos into the Icelord's head, killing its Jock. Victory...
Salvage: $ 58,795
Bounty: $ 12,000
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-46,829
Repair: $-17,219 + loss of Alymere and Widowmaker (a.k.a. Pack Hunter)
Profit: $ 131,747
Gareth makes Novice
Including Alymere, I believe that ol' Widowmaker claimed 4 Jocks in its run.
Battle 46: Bottled Lava
Core 26 x 26
Start in SW
Launcelot in a Stingray
Gareth in a Sparrowhawk
Yvain in a Quantum
Pandora in a Poltergeist
Gaia in a Guru
Hawk in a Banzai
The Knights recruit Yvain to replace Alymere as field Mechanic and to pilot a Quantum. The Knights arrive on broken terrain in the southwest corner of the map. Hills to the east and north obscure most of the map. As the Knights make their way through the mountains, the map opens of revealing a vast fiery plain, with 2 recons and a light AT heading towards them. A lava pond to the south forces the Guru and Banzai north, while the Poltergeist uses its jump ports to cross further south. Yvain bravely contests the Poltergeist's crossing, but can't fight his way through the shower of missiles and retreats to assist the rest of the team. As the Guru approaches, followed by the Banzai, they are immediately pinned in a bottleneck as Yvain runs interference. His Quantum gets pretty shot up, but isn't disabled. Combined firepower from Launcelot and Gareth brings down the Guru then the Banzai at 5 hexes before either can bring their arsenal to bear. The Poltergeist charges over a mountain, using its jump ports to bypass the bottleneck. Gareth and Yvain rush to engage him as Launcelot isn't doing well in the heat (a dissipation of -1.07 C [:(]) Despite getting a few good hits, the Poltergeist can't match the damage potential of the Knights and falls to blast from Yvain's cold light gun. Victory!
Salvage: $ 66,792
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,778
Repairs: $-39,171
Profit: $ 100,843
Battle 47: Death by Toothpick
Core 26 x 26
Launcelot in a Stingray
Gareth in a Sparrowhawk
Yvain in a Quantum
vs.
Heracles in a Wombat (Recon
Hawk in a Quantum (Recon)
Mr. D in a Thor (Light)
Back in the furnace for another battle, the Knights are deployed in the eastern area, behind some mountains. To keep from building up heat, Launcelot and Yvain walk towards a pass to the northwest, while Gareth runs interference. Gareth spots a recon in the distance, then a light. After exchanging a few rounds with the light, a Thor, Gareth moves behind a mountain to await reinforcements. Eventually Launcelot settles into some cover on a hill and Yvain joins Gareth behind the mountain. Launcelot targets the Thor as it leads the pack towards the Knights, but builds up heat far to quickly to keep in the fight. As the Thor closes, Gareth darts out, scoring a series of hits with his pulse lasers, but enemy pays more attention to Yvain who lags behind Gareth. The remaining enemy ATs, a Quantum and a Wombat, are only a short distance behind the Thor, and join in pulverizing Yvain. Surprisingly, the Yvain's Quantum stands up to the punishment, and manages to disengage, dragging the enemy Quantum far from the battle. Gareth and Launcelot target the Wombat, as the Thor is too close to use his plasma gun effectively. The Wombat falls without firing a shot, and the Knights turn to finish off the Thor. Gareth charges and successfully disables the Thor, but takes enough damage to allow a single shot from the Quantum to disable his lower torso. In a valiant stand, a near disabled Gareth, heavily damaged Yvain and a rapidly overheating Launcelot, attempt to bring down the Quantum. However, this time the Knights end up on loosing end and can't seem to land two shots on the same location on the Quantum. Meanwhile, the Quantum happily begins picking away at Gareth's center torso with his small laser. Shortly, the last of his armor is melted away and his engine detonates. The Quantum is disabled from the blast (and almost detonates) and Yvain barely survives. Victory...
Salvage: $ 10,530
Bounty: $ 12,000
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-33,215
Repairs: $-35,536
Profit: $ 78,779
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 48: Combat is not for the Light of Heart
Core (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Gorgo in Tempest (Light)
The Knights are once again back in action, and back in the core. As always, the Knights don't quite have the skill to tweak their regs, so spend most of their time walking about losing their speed advantage over the slower Tempest. The Knights are deployed in the SW of the combat zone behind a series of mountains. They spread out following the manual, with Launcelot taking up a covering position, while Yvain sweeps the other side of the mountain for hostiles. Unfortunately, a solitary peak blocks Launcelot's line of sight, and he is forced to attempt to relocate. Just as he begins moving, Yvain spots an enemy Tempest in Launcelot's blind spot. As a rookie, Yvain's accuracy on the hit and run leaves something to be desired, but he is able to buy Launcelot enough time to settle back into his covering position. The setup is perfect, Yvain baits the Tempest into following him into Launcelot's line of fire, allowing him to make the quick takedown.
Too bad no plan ever survives combat... Yvain gets the Tempest to follow him, but Launcelot's shots are wide and the Tempest continues to advance. Yvain attempts charge the larger AT, but the Tempest charges past him, barely keeping its feet. Yvain wheels about for a second pass, this time landing a hit on the stationary Tempest to the ground. Launcelot finally manages a few solid hits, and Yvain's cold light gun adds a few of its own, as he beats the Tempest to a standing position. Sadly, the Tempest's stray shots have begun to take their toll, and after taking some engine damage, Yvain being to pull back. The Tempest gives chase, and drops Yvain with its black ray gun. Worried about detonating, Yvain pulls the plug and ejects.
Launcelot takes advantage of the Tempests target fixation to make a break for the open plain. However, after Yvain ejects, the Tempest turn to pursue. As Launcelot's plasma gun is useless in close combat, and his heat prevents him from out distancing the slower Tempest, he takes his only option, Charge! He is successful, and manages to drive the Tempest to the ground and keep his own AT standings. He manages to land a couple choice hits before his heat hits the white. Unfortunately, as he is coming around for a second pass, his heat forces a shutdown. The Tempest takes full advantage of the situation and closes. Launcelot is quickly driven to the ground, but regains control before his AT is completely destroyed. In a vain attempt to salvage to battle, he turns his small laser to bear, and lands a pair of successive hits on the Tempest's head, clipping away the last of its armor. The opposing jock immediately begins feeling the effects of heat stroke and ejects. Victory!
Salvage: $ 38,073
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-33,643
Balance: $ 129,430
Repairs: $ 39,466
Profit: $ 89,934
Budget: $ 1,596,065
Slowly, slowly approaching the magic 5 oh [;)]
Core (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Gorgo in Tempest (Light)
The Knights are once again back in action, and back in the core. As always, the Knights don't quite have the skill to tweak their regs, so spend most of their time walking about losing their speed advantage over the slower Tempest. The Knights are deployed in the SW of the combat zone behind a series of mountains. They spread out following the manual, with Launcelot taking up a covering position, while Yvain sweeps the other side of the mountain for hostiles. Unfortunately, a solitary peak blocks Launcelot's line of sight, and he is forced to attempt to relocate. Just as he begins moving, Yvain spots an enemy Tempest in Launcelot's blind spot. As a rookie, Yvain's accuracy on the hit and run leaves something to be desired, but he is able to buy Launcelot enough time to settle back into his covering position. The setup is perfect, Yvain baits the Tempest into following him into Launcelot's line of fire, allowing him to make the quick takedown.
Too bad no plan ever survives combat... Yvain gets the Tempest to follow him, but Launcelot's shots are wide and the Tempest continues to advance. Yvain attempts charge the larger AT, but the Tempest charges past him, barely keeping its feet. Yvain wheels about for a second pass, this time landing a hit on the stationary Tempest to the ground. Launcelot finally manages a few solid hits, and Yvain's cold light gun adds a few of its own, as he beats the Tempest to a standing position. Sadly, the Tempest's stray shots have begun to take their toll, and after taking some engine damage, Yvain being to pull back. The Tempest gives chase, and drops Yvain with its black ray gun. Worried about detonating, Yvain pulls the plug and ejects.
Launcelot takes advantage of the Tempests target fixation to make a break for the open plain. However, after Yvain ejects, the Tempest turn to pursue. As Launcelot's plasma gun is useless in close combat, and his heat prevents him from out distancing the slower Tempest, he takes his only option, Charge! He is successful, and manages to drive the Tempest to the ground and keep his own AT standings. He manages to land a couple choice hits before his heat hits the white. Unfortunately, as he is coming around for a second pass, his heat forces a shutdown. The Tempest takes full advantage of the situation and closes. Launcelot is quickly driven to the ground, but regains control before his AT is completely destroyed. In a vain attempt to salvage to battle, he turns his small laser to bear, and lands a pair of successive hits on the Tempest's head, clipping away the last of its armor. The opposing jock immediately begins feeling the effects of heat stroke and ejects. Victory!
Salvage: $ 38,073
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-33,643
Balance: $ 129,430
Repairs: $ 39,466
Profit: $ 89,934
Budget: $ 1,596,065
Slowly, slowly approaching the magic 5 oh [;)]
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 49: AT Jousting
BioChem (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Scarface in Cutthroat (Light)
The Knights are deployed in the middle of a wide plain in the NE of the arena. As always, the Knights pick up their SOP, and Launcelot finds a ground vantage point to cover Yvain as he scouts out the hostiles. Yvain quickly turns up a Cutthroat, and pulls off a yellow scan for both of the Knights before falling back to Launcelot’s umbrella. After a charge and a failed breakmove, Yvain take engine damage (the Quantum seems prone to it…) and breaks off.
Launcelot can’t take the Cutthroat at range, it still has both it’s gauss cannons, but he can close and hope to disable the Cutthroat’s power axe in a charge. The first charge leaves the Cutthroat without arms and without a left torso. Launcelot is able to keep his feet and turns for another pass (no charge), scoring another point blank hit with his plasma gun. Finally, in an effort to end the battle, Launcelot turns for one final pass, charging, and taking both of the ATs to the ground. Meanwhile, Yvain has managed to close to a hex away and is able to score the killing hit on the downed Cutthroat, tearing through its lower torso, destroying its engine and earning Yvain his first kill. Victory!
Salvage: $ 19,588
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-36,541
Balance: $108,047
Repairs: $-44,584
Profit: $ 63,463
Battle 50:
BioChem (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Ninja in Jackal (Recon)
Skaven in Wolfpack (Recon)
For their semi-centennial battle, the Knights are dropped off on the Western edge of the arena near a “forested” gap in a mountain range. Launcelot moves to a covered mountaintop, while Yvain circles searching for the enemy. Soon a Wolfpack is spotted clearing some cover to the NE. It charges straight towards Launcelot and wears several plasma rounds. Yvain joins in on the action and charges in hoping to force the Wolfpack to stay at Launcelot’s optimal range. Though it costs him an arm, Yvain is successful, and the Wolfpack falls with a shot through its lower torso. As the Knights begin to assess the damage, a Jackal is spotted air dropping to the west. Like shooting fish in a barrel, Launcelot turns, lines up the spot, and smashes the Jackal from the sky, landing on his head. After a few more hits, the Jackal’s jock ejects as Yvain closes for the kill. Victory, if a bit of a letdown for the 50th battle.
Salvage: $ 40,360
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-36,657
Balance: $128,307
Repairs: $-12,795
Profit: $ 115,512
Quick wrap up of the past 50 battles,
35 Victories
9 Defeats (mostly retreats)
4 Draws
7 Lost jocks
Special Note: Last lost was in Battle 28, by my count, which gives the Knights a streak of 22 Victories!
Battle 51:
Savannah (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Diago in a Fireball (Recon)
Skaven in a Dart (Recon)
Not ones to rest on their laurels, the Knights cut their celebrations short when a lucrative contract comes their way. They are deployed in the east of the arena, in the middle of a forest. The Knights move to the west, hoping to reach some mountains in the distance, but spot a Dart cresting a mountain in the distance while still in the forest. The distance is extreme, but not too far for Launcelot, who earns his pay by scoring a low probability hit on the Dart, driving it to the ground. With the distance to the enemy gauged, the Knights are able to prepare. Yvain moves to meet them halfway, while Launcelot settles to snipe them as they reestablish LOS. The plan works well and the Knights are able to score many unanswered hits on the Dart before it scores any of it’s own. Meanwhile, Launcelot identifies the second enemy AT, a Fireball. As anyone in their right mind fears a Fireball’s flamethrowers, Launcelot changes targets, while Yvain tries to finish off the Dart. The battle rages fast and furious as the Fireball is intent on baking Yvain, but his aim is poor and he score a scant few hits with his flamethrowers before he runs out of ammo. After a short game of tag, Yvain is finally able to run down the Dart and clip a leg off with his cold light gun. Launcelot follows this up by driving the Fireball to the ground without a lower torso. Victory!
Salvage: $ 27,340
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 150,000 (Novice vs. Regular)
Upkeep: $-40,081
Balance: $137,259
Repairs: $-30,604
Profit: $ 99,655
If I get a chance, I'll post a status report on the conditions of the Knights.
BioChem (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Scarface in Cutthroat (Light)
The Knights are deployed in the middle of a wide plain in the NE of the arena. As always, the Knights pick up their SOP, and Launcelot finds a ground vantage point to cover Yvain as he scouts out the hostiles. Yvain quickly turns up a Cutthroat, and pulls off a yellow scan for both of the Knights before falling back to Launcelot’s umbrella. After a charge and a failed breakmove, Yvain take engine damage (the Quantum seems prone to it…) and breaks off.
Launcelot can’t take the Cutthroat at range, it still has both it’s gauss cannons, but he can close and hope to disable the Cutthroat’s power axe in a charge. The first charge leaves the Cutthroat without arms and without a left torso. Launcelot is able to keep his feet and turns for another pass (no charge), scoring another point blank hit with his plasma gun. Finally, in an effort to end the battle, Launcelot turns for one final pass, charging, and taking both of the ATs to the ground. Meanwhile, Yvain has managed to close to a hex away and is able to score the killing hit on the downed Cutthroat, tearing through its lower torso, destroying its engine and earning Yvain his first kill. Victory!
Salvage: $ 19,588
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-36,541
Balance: $108,047
Repairs: $-44,584
Profit: $ 63,463
Battle 50:
BioChem (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Ninja in Jackal (Recon)
Skaven in Wolfpack (Recon)
For their semi-centennial battle, the Knights are dropped off on the Western edge of the arena near a “forested” gap in a mountain range. Launcelot moves to a covered mountaintop, while Yvain circles searching for the enemy. Soon a Wolfpack is spotted clearing some cover to the NE. It charges straight towards Launcelot and wears several plasma rounds. Yvain joins in on the action and charges in hoping to force the Wolfpack to stay at Launcelot’s optimal range. Though it costs him an arm, Yvain is successful, and the Wolfpack falls with a shot through its lower torso. As the Knights begin to assess the damage, a Jackal is spotted air dropping to the west. Like shooting fish in a barrel, Launcelot turns, lines up the spot, and smashes the Jackal from the sky, landing on his head. After a few more hits, the Jackal’s jock ejects as Yvain closes for the kill. Victory, if a bit of a letdown for the 50th battle.
Salvage: $ 40,360
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-36,657
Balance: $128,307
Repairs: $-12,795
Profit: $ 115,512
Quick wrap up of the past 50 battles,
35 Victories
9 Defeats (mostly retreats)
4 Draws
7 Lost jocks
Special Note: Last lost was in Battle 28, by my count, which gives the Knights a streak of 22 Victories!
Battle 51:
Savannah (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Diago in a Fireball (Recon)
Skaven in a Dart (Recon)
Not ones to rest on their laurels, the Knights cut their celebrations short when a lucrative contract comes their way. They are deployed in the east of the arena, in the middle of a forest. The Knights move to the west, hoping to reach some mountains in the distance, but spot a Dart cresting a mountain in the distance while still in the forest. The distance is extreme, but not too far for Launcelot, who earns his pay by scoring a low probability hit on the Dart, driving it to the ground. With the distance to the enemy gauged, the Knights are able to prepare. Yvain moves to meet them halfway, while Launcelot settles to snipe them as they reestablish LOS. The plan works well and the Knights are able to score many unanswered hits on the Dart before it scores any of it’s own. Meanwhile, Launcelot identifies the second enemy AT, a Fireball. As anyone in their right mind fears a Fireball’s flamethrowers, Launcelot changes targets, while Yvain tries to finish off the Dart. The battle rages fast and furious as the Fireball is intent on baking Yvain, but his aim is poor and he score a scant few hits with his flamethrowers before he runs out of ammo. After a short game of tag, Yvain is finally able to run down the Dart and clip a leg off with his cold light gun. Launcelot follows this up by driving the Fireball to the ground without a lower torso. Victory!
Salvage: $ 27,340
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 150,000 (Novice vs. Regular)
Upkeep: $-40,081
Balance: $137,259
Repairs: $-30,604
Profit: $ 99,655
If I get a chance, I'll post a status report on the conditions of the Knights.
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 52: Thunder of a Cloudless Day
Savannah (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
King Pin in a Thunderclap (Light)
Once again, the Knights charge into the Savannah, it seems like ages since they’ve had a breather on a terran planet. The Knights are deployed in the NE of the arena in a valley behind some low mountains. Launcelot sets course to climb the mountains, while Yvain heads for a pass. As Launcelot crests the mountain, he spots a Thunderclap in the distance. The Knights couldn’t recall its armaments, but with a name like that, an AC20 wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination. While the mountaintop offers plenty of cover, Launcelot’s view of the Thunderclap’s approach path is obscured. So, Launcelot eschews the cover and charges to the edge of the mountain range.
Meanwhile, Yvain hugs the foothills, trying to maintain a link to Launcelot, but stay out of sight of the Thunderclap. As Launcelot settles in place, Yvain charges in hoping for a charge. Sadly, the Thunderclap has other ideas and chooses not to meet Yvain head-on, preferring to target Launcelot instead. As such, Yvain scores several cold light gun hits before the Thunderclap changes targets. After taking a few AC20 and flamethrower rounds, Yvain attempts to charge, hoping to drop the Thunderclap. The charge hits, costing Yvain an arm, but brings the Thunderclap to the ground. After some pinpoint firing by Launcelot, the Thunderclap’s left leg goes red, and as Yvain falls back, comes off to Launcelot’s plasma gun. Victory!
Salvage: $ 33,387 <- But still no salvaged ATs!?!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-40,505
Balance: $117,882
Repairs: $-41,292
Profit: $ 76,590
Battle 53: He Who Strikes First, Can Never Maintain LOS
Terran (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Shadow, Will-o-Wisp
Finally, a Terran arena, shore leave for everyone after the battle! The Knights are deployed in the eastern edge of the arena next to a pond and some light forests. They proceed to the west, breaking cover along a low ridge. The broken terrain makes for poor sniping, so Launcelot chooses some heavy foliage to cover Yvain from. Yvain breaks cover slightly south of Launcelot, and is immediately under fire from a Will-o’-Wisp in the distance. Fortunately, Yvain evades the worst of the attack and dodges behind some hills. The Knights continue the game of hide-and-seek with the enemy, until the enemy Shadow finally breaks cover in an effort to rundown Yvain. The Shadow’s meson guns damage several of Yvain’s systems, but in the end the Shadow takes too many hits to the head and ejects. Likewise, the Will-o’-Wisp breaks cover and, despite repeatedly trying to line up a death-from-above on Yvain, gets chewed apart from the heavy weapons of the Knights. Victory, recovered the Shadow!
(lost some of my notes of this one)
Salvage: $ ??? + Shadow!
Bounty: $ 18,000
Payment: $ 150,000
Upkeep: $-???
Balance: $???
Repairs: $-44,???
Profit: $ Plenty enough to push the Knight’s Treasury over 2 mil.
Battle 54: Why not to outrun your Arty
Polar (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Helios in a Pike (Recon)
Valeria in a Zealot (Recon)
Ninja in a Gauntlet (Recon)
With a cannon AT finally captured, the Knights recruit Sir Kay as its jock. Good luck! The Knights are deployed in the SW of this polar arena, with nothing for cover but a few bare mountains to the NE. With a third AT, the Knights dust off the chapters for combat with more than 2 friendlies, and spread out seeking the enemy. Launcelot settles on a high mountaintop and establishes sensor links with both Yvain and Kay. Launcelot spots the first hostile, a Zealot, approaching from some forested foothills to the NE. The Zealot’s AC4s prove accurate, both the Zealot doesn’t risk a prolonged engagement with Launcelot, and soon breaks LOS. Meanwhile a Gauntlet breaks cover slightly to the west of the Zealot and brings charging toward Launcelot. While neither Yvain or Kay have even indirect LOS on the hostiles, they are already scanning through their links with Launcelot.
Eventually, the Gauntlet breaks the last line of cover just in time for Yvain and Kay to pounce, quickly disabling him. Launcelot continues swapping fire with the distance Zealot, who is joined by a Pike, as Yvain and Kay rush to close, to take away their range advantage. Yvain chases the Pike while Kay targets the Zealot. The Pike doggedly maintains fire on Launcelot, but is forced to Launcelot’s optimal range by Yvain, where it is shredded in the squeeze play. The Zealot plays some tag with Kay, but after taking one too many plasma rounds from Launcelot, falls, leaving Kay the easy clean up. Victory!
Salvage: $ 18,637 + Zealot! What can I say, when it rains it pours [;)]
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-49,119
Balance: $94,518
Repairs: $-61,321
Profit: $ 33,197
Situational Wrap Up – After 54 Battles
Jock Summary
Sir Launcelot (Philip Jepson) – Regular, Leader and Manager, Energy Weapons Expert and Close Combat Specialist, AT of choice: Stingray. Launcelot is the senior member of the Knights, and, as such, has inherited both the roll of Leader and Manager from his fallen comrades. His role off the battlefield is important enough to warrant keeping him “behind the line” during combat, but in practice, he often finds himself charging into Close Combat with enemy ATs. He currently has a record of 30 victories and 2 defeats, without a single kill (he tends to leave clean up to other jocks).
Sir Yvain (Kenji Semler) – Green, Field Mechanic, Energy Weapons Specialist, AT of choice: Quantum. Yvain is the assault arm of the Knights, the sword to Launcelot’s bow. Despite a lack of Close Combat training, Yvain’s job is to charge down incoming enemy ATs, holding at a distance where Launcelot can take them apart. In practice, this usually means using his AT like a blunt instrument, but the Quantum’s cold light gun is a big stick if used correctly. He currently has a record of 9 victories without any defeats, and one kill.
Sir Kay (Roger Smith) – Rookie, Cannons Specialist, AT of choice: Shadow. The newest Knight, Kay is still an unknown quantity. With time to refine his recruiting skills, Launcelot has chosen a new recruit new even to Yvain on paper, but Cannons and Energy Weapons are two completely different balls of wax. As it stands, the Kay’s current strategy consists of a close-in support role to Yvain. By holding position a short distance away, the Knights hope that the pairing can force opposing ATs to expose their backs to one or the other during close in combat. He currently has a record of 1 victory, for his first and only battle, and no kills.
Sir Percivale (Bob Graves) – Rookie, Team Mechanic, AT of choice: Unspecified. So far Percivale has yet to see combat. His skills as a mechanic have kept he busy in the garage, while his skills in an AT need honing. Fortunately, working with ATs gives him plenty of time to train, and eventually the Knights hope to capture an AT that matches his abilities (Guided Missiles ~58).
Titans Available:
Stingray (x 2): Most deadly AT in the Knights arsenal. Despite it’s small size, it has won the Knights more battles than can easily be counted.
Quantum: Without a good CC AT, the team’s Quantum is forced to fill the role. It’s cold light gun may have a slower recycle rate than CC weapons, but teamwork seems to have made up for it’s shortcomings.
Cherokee: A great, versatile light AT, that no one on the Knights is even close to qualified to pilot.
Gargoyle: The first outing of the Gargoyle cost its jock his life. As such, the Gargoyle is currently waiting for jock with both training in both CC and UGM.
Shadow: One of my favorite recons. Not because of massive damage potential, but coupling the damaging effects of the light meson guns their range and reload time makes the Shadow a harsh number to end up on the wrong side of.
Zealot: Freshly captured, the Knights don’t have any specific plans for this AT. If they need more support than Launcelot can furnish, a new Jock to pilot this AT might have to be hired.
Current Plans:
The Knights are hurting for skilled Jocks. Launcelot is doing well at Regular, but next in line is Yvain at Green, who was hired while Launcelot had a low Leadership skill, may have to move Yvain over to training for a while if I can find a replacement. Kay is shaping up to a first rate Jock, but will need a little more time to see. Wants: LR light AT, anything with a pair of PGs would be nice; Anything with an NB, bounties rock; more jocks, I need more of a base to choose jocks from, I would have a very hard time if I lost any of my current jocks.
Do I still have any readers? It's been a while since I heard a shout of encouragement for the AI [:'(]
Savannah (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
King Pin in a Thunderclap (Light)
Once again, the Knights charge into the Savannah, it seems like ages since they’ve had a breather on a terran planet. The Knights are deployed in the NE of the arena in a valley behind some low mountains. Launcelot sets course to climb the mountains, while Yvain heads for a pass. As Launcelot crests the mountain, he spots a Thunderclap in the distance. The Knights couldn’t recall its armaments, but with a name like that, an AC20 wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination. While the mountaintop offers plenty of cover, Launcelot’s view of the Thunderclap’s approach path is obscured. So, Launcelot eschews the cover and charges to the edge of the mountain range.
Meanwhile, Yvain hugs the foothills, trying to maintain a link to Launcelot, but stay out of sight of the Thunderclap. As Launcelot settles in place, Yvain charges in hoping for a charge. Sadly, the Thunderclap has other ideas and chooses not to meet Yvain head-on, preferring to target Launcelot instead. As such, Yvain scores several cold light gun hits before the Thunderclap changes targets. After taking a few AC20 and flamethrower rounds, Yvain attempts to charge, hoping to drop the Thunderclap. The charge hits, costing Yvain an arm, but brings the Thunderclap to the ground. After some pinpoint firing by Launcelot, the Thunderclap’s left leg goes red, and as Yvain falls back, comes off to Launcelot’s plasma gun. Victory!
Salvage: $ 33,387 <- But still no salvaged ATs!?!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-40,505
Balance: $117,882
Repairs: $-41,292
Profit: $ 76,590
Battle 53: He Who Strikes First, Can Never Maintain LOS
Terran (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
vs.
Shadow, Will-o-Wisp
Finally, a Terran arena, shore leave for everyone after the battle! The Knights are deployed in the eastern edge of the arena next to a pond and some light forests. They proceed to the west, breaking cover along a low ridge. The broken terrain makes for poor sniping, so Launcelot chooses some heavy foliage to cover Yvain from. Yvain breaks cover slightly south of Launcelot, and is immediately under fire from a Will-o’-Wisp in the distance. Fortunately, Yvain evades the worst of the attack and dodges behind some hills. The Knights continue the game of hide-and-seek with the enemy, until the enemy Shadow finally breaks cover in an effort to rundown Yvain. The Shadow’s meson guns damage several of Yvain’s systems, but in the end the Shadow takes too many hits to the head and ejects. Likewise, the Will-o’-Wisp breaks cover and, despite repeatedly trying to line up a death-from-above on Yvain, gets chewed apart from the heavy weapons of the Knights. Victory, recovered the Shadow!
(lost some of my notes of this one)
Salvage: $ ??? + Shadow!
Bounty: $ 18,000
Payment: $ 150,000
Upkeep: $-???
Balance: $???
Repairs: $-44,???
Profit: $ Plenty enough to push the Knight’s Treasury over 2 mil.
Battle 54: Why not to outrun your Arty
Polar (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Helios in a Pike (Recon)
Valeria in a Zealot (Recon)
Ninja in a Gauntlet (Recon)
With a cannon AT finally captured, the Knights recruit Sir Kay as its jock. Good luck! The Knights are deployed in the SW of this polar arena, with nothing for cover but a few bare mountains to the NE. With a third AT, the Knights dust off the chapters for combat with more than 2 friendlies, and spread out seeking the enemy. Launcelot settles on a high mountaintop and establishes sensor links with both Yvain and Kay. Launcelot spots the first hostile, a Zealot, approaching from some forested foothills to the NE. The Zealot’s AC4s prove accurate, both the Zealot doesn’t risk a prolonged engagement with Launcelot, and soon breaks LOS. Meanwhile a Gauntlet breaks cover slightly to the west of the Zealot and brings charging toward Launcelot. While neither Yvain or Kay have even indirect LOS on the hostiles, they are already scanning through their links with Launcelot.
Eventually, the Gauntlet breaks the last line of cover just in time for Yvain and Kay to pounce, quickly disabling him. Launcelot continues swapping fire with the distance Zealot, who is joined by a Pike, as Yvain and Kay rush to close, to take away their range advantage. Yvain chases the Pike while Kay targets the Zealot. The Pike doggedly maintains fire on Launcelot, but is forced to Launcelot’s optimal range by Yvain, where it is shredded in the squeeze play. The Zealot plays some tag with Kay, but after taking one too many plasma rounds from Launcelot, falls, leaving Kay the easy clean up. Victory!
Salvage: $ 18,637 + Zealot! What can I say, when it rains it pours [;)]
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-49,119
Balance: $94,518
Repairs: $-61,321
Profit: $ 33,197
Situational Wrap Up – After 54 Battles
Jock Summary
Sir Launcelot (Philip Jepson) – Regular, Leader and Manager, Energy Weapons Expert and Close Combat Specialist, AT of choice: Stingray. Launcelot is the senior member of the Knights, and, as such, has inherited both the roll of Leader and Manager from his fallen comrades. His role off the battlefield is important enough to warrant keeping him “behind the line” during combat, but in practice, he often finds himself charging into Close Combat with enemy ATs. He currently has a record of 30 victories and 2 defeats, without a single kill (he tends to leave clean up to other jocks).
Sir Yvain (Kenji Semler) – Green, Field Mechanic, Energy Weapons Specialist, AT of choice: Quantum. Yvain is the assault arm of the Knights, the sword to Launcelot’s bow. Despite a lack of Close Combat training, Yvain’s job is to charge down incoming enemy ATs, holding at a distance where Launcelot can take them apart. In practice, this usually means using his AT like a blunt instrument, but the Quantum’s cold light gun is a big stick if used correctly. He currently has a record of 9 victories without any defeats, and one kill.
Sir Kay (Roger Smith) – Rookie, Cannons Specialist, AT of choice: Shadow. The newest Knight, Kay is still an unknown quantity. With time to refine his recruiting skills, Launcelot has chosen a new recruit new even to Yvain on paper, but Cannons and Energy Weapons are two completely different balls of wax. As it stands, the Kay’s current strategy consists of a close-in support role to Yvain. By holding position a short distance away, the Knights hope that the pairing can force opposing ATs to expose their backs to one or the other during close in combat. He currently has a record of 1 victory, for his first and only battle, and no kills.
Sir Percivale (Bob Graves) – Rookie, Team Mechanic, AT of choice: Unspecified. So far Percivale has yet to see combat. His skills as a mechanic have kept he busy in the garage, while his skills in an AT need honing. Fortunately, working with ATs gives him plenty of time to train, and eventually the Knights hope to capture an AT that matches his abilities (Guided Missiles ~58).
Titans Available:
Stingray (x 2): Most deadly AT in the Knights arsenal. Despite it’s small size, it has won the Knights more battles than can easily be counted.
Quantum: Without a good CC AT, the team’s Quantum is forced to fill the role. It’s cold light gun may have a slower recycle rate than CC weapons, but teamwork seems to have made up for it’s shortcomings.
Cherokee: A great, versatile light AT, that no one on the Knights is even close to qualified to pilot.
Gargoyle: The first outing of the Gargoyle cost its jock his life. As such, the Gargoyle is currently waiting for jock with both training in both CC and UGM.
Shadow: One of my favorite recons. Not because of massive damage potential, but coupling the damaging effects of the light meson guns their range and reload time makes the Shadow a harsh number to end up on the wrong side of.
Zealot: Freshly captured, the Knights don’t have any specific plans for this AT. If they need more support than Launcelot can furnish, a new Jock to pilot this AT might have to be hired.
Current Plans:
The Knights are hurting for skilled Jocks. Launcelot is doing well at Regular, but next in line is Yvain at Green, who was hired while Launcelot had a low Leadership skill, may have to move Yvain over to training for a while if I can find a replacement. Kay is shaping up to a first rate Jock, but will need a little more time to see. Wants: LR light AT, anything with a pair of PGs would be nice; Anything with an NB, bounties rock; more jocks, I need more of a base to choose jocks from, I would have a very hard time if I lost any of my current jocks.
Do I still have any readers? It's been a while since I heard a shout of encouragement for the AI [:'(]
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Yes, you have a reader. I've been enjoying your AAR's. I try to check daily for new adventures. Glad you gave us a squad update. With a nice big treasury, aren't you tempted to buy another AT? Hope your squad continues to grow and prosper.
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Part of the challenge is I've adapted for this AAR is "no purchasing", hence I only use ATs that I have scanvenged off the battlefield. I did have a little hiccup around battle 20 where I lost all of my ATs, but I came to the comprise that in that particular case I simply purchased 3 random ATs to continue the battle. That way, not only is every Jock precious (I've already lost 7 out of my starting pool of 22), but so if every AT. I've faced more than a few battles where I've turned tail and ran off the field instead of risking a dead jock or destroyed AT.
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
I know the "run away" tactic. A lot of my tactics are based on economics rather than pure military considerations. This obviously is not the best way to fight most battles, and sometimes it caused the very thing I was trying to avoid. "The mission is accomplished, now all I have to do is get my last AT to the retrieval point. Hmm, 5 hexes to go, with enemy fire damaging the AT and running up the repair bill...hmm. Oh, I know, if I eject, the scenario ends, and I save lots of money. Ooops, that was the 'insta-death lever'. Arghhhh!"
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 55: A Hill to High
Terran (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Skaven in a Stinger (Recon)
Consuela in a Pack Hunter (Recon)
Kane in a Banzai (Recon)
Back in temperate conditions, the Knights continue the battle. They are deployed in the SW quadrant of the arena at the entrance to a pass through a mountain range. After a mild com slip, the Knights make haste towards the high ground. Unfortunately, Yvain leads the pack by an unhealthy margin, and comes under fire from the very high ground the Knights wanted. The best they can find to defend is a bald hilltop was a fairly shear side facing the enemy. Yvain climbs the hill, leaving him in range of the Stinger that is lobbing round after round at him, but letting him watch the opening in cover the enemy will have to cross to close. The choice pays off as a Banzai wanders into his sights and begins taking round after round from his cold light gun.
The rest of the Knights finally catch up and join in the carnage, quickly cutting a leg off the Banzai. Yvain shifts his attention to a Pack Hunter that is determined to climb the steep hill, while Launcelot circles to get both enemies in at his optimal range and Kay charges the Stinger. Eventually, the Pack Hunter succeeds in climbing the hill, but is quickly cut down by Yvain. As all three Knights converge on the Stinger, Yvain wanders into range of the downed Banzai, and begins taking a staggering amount of fire from the downed AT. As Yvain retreats, still taking fire from both the Stinger and Banzai, Kay closes and begins scoring his with his light meson guns. Launcelot joins in, and together they are able to bring down the Stinger. As Yvain moves out of range of the Banzai, the enemy jocks begin ejecting. Victory!
Salvage: $ 35,894 + Pack Hunter, The return of Widow Maker!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,150
Balance: $109,744
Repairs: $-57,394
Profit: $ 52,350
Battle 56: Turning up the Temp
Terran (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Scarface in a Mercury (Recon)
Hunter in a Mercury (Recon)
Grunge in a Deimos (Recon)
Yet another battle in a terran arena, ask and ye shall receive. The Knights are deployed in the SE behind a forested mountain ridge. Launcelot begins the slow climb up the ridge while Kay and Yvain circle to the north, through a pass in the ridge. As Kay clears the pass, he spots a pair of Mercury and a Deimos picking their way across the valley beyond. Too bad this isn’t a polar arena; this would be a massacre. The Mercury begin tracking Kay, while the Deimos starts taking potshots with his neutron blaster. As the neutron blaster is the greater threat, line up on the Deimos, planning to hammer one of the Mercury as they pass, and charge the Deimos to disable it. The plan works okay, as they are able to knock the Deimos down, but quick thinking from the Deimos’s jock screws up the Knight’s timing, and several weapons fail to recharge before Yvain and Kay are forced to evade the Deimos.
Launcelot finally reaches the top of the mountain, and lines up an easy shot on one of the Mercury, slamming it in the head and convincing the jock to punch out. Unfortunately, the Deimos’s neutron blaster begins the hit home, and a lucky shot knocks out Yvain, sending his AT to the ground. Even with the Deimos and Mercury laying into his prone AT, Yvain is able to recover and evade their fire long enough to get out of their weapon’s firing arcs. With that, the Deimos changes targets, stunning Kay with his first shot. Kay, not discouraged, lays several meson rounds into the Deimos before evading to the north. Soon, Launcelot’s continuous barrage of plasma rounds disables the Deimos, leaving the Mercury all alone. Even with several of the Knights in the high Yellows for heat, the Mercury can’t finish the job, and is quickly disabled losing a torso and leg to a cold light shot from Yvain. Victory!
Salvage: $ 32,378
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,822
Balance: $105,556
Repairs: $-52,650
Profit: $ 52,906
Terran (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Skaven in a Stinger (Recon)
Consuela in a Pack Hunter (Recon)
Kane in a Banzai (Recon)
Back in temperate conditions, the Knights continue the battle. They are deployed in the SW quadrant of the arena at the entrance to a pass through a mountain range. After a mild com slip, the Knights make haste towards the high ground. Unfortunately, Yvain leads the pack by an unhealthy margin, and comes under fire from the very high ground the Knights wanted. The best they can find to defend is a bald hilltop was a fairly shear side facing the enemy. Yvain climbs the hill, leaving him in range of the Stinger that is lobbing round after round at him, but letting him watch the opening in cover the enemy will have to cross to close. The choice pays off as a Banzai wanders into his sights and begins taking round after round from his cold light gun.
The rest of the Knights finally catch up and join in the carnage, quickly cutting a leg off the Banzai. Yvain shifts his attention to a Pack Hunter that is determined to climb the steep hill, while Launcelot circles to get both enemies in at his optimal range and Kay charges the Stinger. Eventually, the Pack Hunter succeeds in climbing the hill, but is quickly cut down by Yvain. As all three Knights converge on the Stinger, Yvain wanders into range of the downed Banzai, and begins taking a staggering amount of fire from the downed AT. As Yvain retreats, still taking fire from both the Stinger and Banzai, Kay closes and begins scoring his with his light meson guns. Launcelot joins in, and together they are able to bring down the Stinger. As Yvain moves out of range of the Banzai, the enemy jocks begin ejecting. Victory!
Salvage: $ 35,894 + Pack Hunter, The return of Widow Maker!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,150
Balance: $109,744
Repairs: $-57,394
Profit: $ 52,350
Battle 56: Turning up the Temp
Terran (22 x 22)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Scarface in a Mercury (Recon)
Hunter in a Mercury (Recon)
Grunge in a Deimos (Recon)
Yet another battle in a terran arena, ask and ye shall receive. The Knights are deployed in the SE behind a forested mountain ridge. Launcelot begins the slow climb up the ridge while Kay and Yvain circle to the north, through a pass in the ridge. As Kay clears the pass, he spots a pair of Mercury and a Deimos picking their way across the valley beyond. Too bad this isn’t a polar arena; this would be a massacre. The Mercury begin tracking Kay, while the Deimos starts taking potshots with his neutron blaster. As the neutron blaster is the greater threat, line up on the Deimos, planning to hammer one of the Mercury as they pass, and charge the Deimos to disable it. The plan works okay, as they are able to knock the Deimos down, but quick thinking from the Deimos’s jock screws up the Knight’s timing, and several weapons fail to recharge before Yvain and Kay are forced to evade the Deimos.
Launcelot finally reaches the top of the mountain, and lines up an easy shot on one of the Mercury, slamming it in the head and convincing the jock to punch out. Unfortunately, the Deimos’s neutron blaster begins the hit home, and a lucky shot knocks out Yvain, sending his AT to the ground. Even with the Deimos and Mercury laying into his prone AT, Yvain is able to recover and evade their fire long enough to get out of their weapon’s firing arcs. With that, the Deimos changes targets, stunning Kay with his first shot. Kay, not discouraged, lays several meson rounds into the Deimos before evading to the north. Soon, Launcelot’s continuous barrage of plasma rounds disables the Deimos, leaving the Mercury all alone. Even with several of the Knights in the high Yellows for heat, the Mercury can’t finish the job, and is quickly disabled losing a torso and leg to a cold light shot from Yvain. Victory!
Salvage: $ 32,378
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,822
Balance: $105,556
Repairs: $-52,650
Profit: $ 52,906
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 57: Mobility over Firepower
Terran (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Dryad in a Paladin (Light)
Samurai in a Badger (Recon)
Without leaving the planet, the Knights are once again called into action on this terran world. This time, the Knights are smuggled into the west side of the arena on a series of stealth rafts. Unfortunately, not stealthy enough, forcing the Launcelot to engage his AT before it is unloaded, sinking the raft and leaving his AT standing in the middle of the river. After experiencing some minor damage extracting Launcelot from the river, the Knights set course for some mountains to the east. As they reach them, they are unpleasantly surprised to find that they cannot be surmounted, and they forced to assume defensive positions in the forest nearby to combat an incoming Paladin. Launcelot adjusts his course, seeking some high ground to the north, while Yvain and Kay try to hold the Paladin at the river. Kay gets knocked unconscious, but not before damaging the Paladin’s neutron blaster with a meson round. Yvain successfully knocks the Paladin down, but it gets up without difficulty, and advances on Yvain, while a Badger emerging from cover ignites the forest around him.
To avoid being overwhelmed, Yvain pulls back, and is joined by Kay as he regains consciousness drawing the Paladin away from the Badger. Separated and with several damaged weapons, the Paladin is quickly overwhelmed and the Knights prepare for the Badger. The Badger’s black ray gun proves highly accurate, but the Knights’ piloting skill prevail and Yvain and Kay are able to make several pass on the Badger before it is finally disabled by a shot from Launcelot. Victory, Kay is promoted to Green and Yvain is promoted to Novice!
Salvage: $ 17,108
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 150,000
Upkeep: $-58,594
Balance: $108,514
Repairs: $-31,948
Profit: $ 76,566
Battle 58: Mobility over Firepower Redux
Terran (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Chaos in a Fenrir (Heavy)
Jeez, these folks must have more insurgents than upstanding citizens, as the Knights are offered yet another contract. This time the Knights are deployed on the SW edge of a vast valley of broken foothills. Hoping to get a good view of the valley, the Knights head for some low forested hills in the center of the valley. As Launcelot climbs the hill, he spots a Fenrir entering the valley to the south. The range is extreme, but Launcelot manages to squeeze a few shots off before moving out of the behemoth’ LOS. Yvain and Kay thread their way among the hills attempting to close to under the minimum range of the Fenrir’s missiles. As the close, the Fenrir reveals its backup plan, in the form of an AC20. Kay and Yvain evade, but Yvain ends up wearing several AC20 rounds on the arms, legs and torsos of his AT. Fortunately, the AC20 doesn’t carry the largest ammo load, and soon the Fenrir is reduce to chasing the Knights from hex to hex. A lucky shot, the last from the AC20, disables Yvain’s lower torso, convincing him to risk an ejection.
With Yvain out of the picture, no ammo left for his AC20, and significant damage to his launchers compliments of Kay’s light meson guns, the Fenrir begins splitting its time between shelling Launcelot, and chasing Kay. Kay evades perfectly, and runs out of ammo only after putting both arms, legs, center torso and head of the Fenrir in the red. After Launcelot tears off the Fenrir’s arms, Kay charges in further mauling the damage Fenrir. Finally the Fenrir falls disabled, as a blast from Launcelot’s plasma gun tears apart its center torso. Victory!
Salvage: $ 0 <- Eh? I disabled it, not destroyed it!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-59,266
Balance: $65,732
Repairs: $-27,783
Profit: $ 37,949
Terran (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Dryad in a Paladin (Light)
Samurai in a Badger (Recon)
Without leaving the planet, the Knights are once again called into action on this terran world. This time, the Knights are smuggled into the west side of the arena on a series of stealth rafts. Unfortunately, not stealthy enough, forcing the Launcelot to engage his AT before it is unloaded, sinking the raft and leaving his AT standing in the middle of the river. After experiencing some minor damage extracting Launcelot from the river, the Knights set course for some mountains to the east. As they reach them, they are unpleasantly surprised to find that they cannot be surmounted, and they forced to assume defensive positions in the forest nearby to combat an incoming Paladin. Launcelot adjusts his course, seeking some high ground to the north, while Yvain and Kay try to hold the Paladin at the river. Kay gets knocked unconscious, but not before damaging the Paladin’s neutron blaster with a meson round. Yvain successfully knocks the Paladin down, but it gets up without difficulty, and advances on Yvain, while a Badger emerging from cover ignites the forest around him.
To avoid being overwhelmed, Yvain pulls back, and is joined by Kay as he regains consciousness drawing the Paladin away from the Badger. Separated and with several damaged weapons, the Paladin is quickly overwhelmed and the Knights prepare for the Badger. The Badger’s black ray gun proves highly accurate, but the Knights’ piloting skill prevail and Yvain and Kay are able to make several pass on the Badger before it is finally disabled by a shot from Launcelot. Victory, Kay is promoted to Green and Yvain is promoted to Novice!
Salvage: $ 17,108
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 150,000
Upkeep: $-58,594
Balance: $108,514
Repairs: $-31,948
Profit: $ 76,566
Battle 58: Mobility over Firepower Redux
Terran (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Chaos in a Fenrir (Heavy)
Jeez, these folks must have more insurgents than upstanding citizens, as the Knights are offered yet another contract. This time the Knights are deployed on the SW edge of a vast valley of broken foothills. Hoping to get a good view of the valley, the Knights head for some low forested hills in the center of the valley. As Launcelot climbs the hill, he spots a Fenrir entering the valley to the south. The range is extreme, but Launcelot manages to squeeze a few shots off before moving out of the behemoth’ LOS. Yvain and Kay thread their way among the hills attempting to close to under the minimum range of the Fenrir’s missiles. As the close, the Fenrir reveals its backup plan, in the form of an AC20. Kay and Yvain evade, but Yvain ends up wearing several AC20 rounds on the arms, legs and torsos of his AT. Fortunately, the AC20 doesn’t carry the largest ammo load, and soon the Fenrir is reduce to chasing the Knights from hex to hex. A lucky shot, the last from the AC20, disables Yvain’s lower torso, convincing him to risk an ejection.
With Yvain out of the picture, no ammo left for his AC20, and significant damage to his launchers compliments of Kay’s light meson guns, the Fenrir begins splitting its time between shelling Launcelot, and chasing Kay. Kay evades perfectly, and runs out of ammo only after putting both arms, legs, center torso and head of the Fenrir in the red. After Launcelot tears off the Fenrir’s arms, Kay charges in further mauling the damage Fenrir. Finally the Fenrir falls disabled, as a blast from Launcelot’s plasma gun tears apart its center torso. Victory!
Salvage: $ 0 <- Eh? I disabled it, not destroyed it!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-59,266
Balance: $65,732
Repairs: $-27,783
Profit: $ 37,949
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Nice reports. Still reading them with joy.
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
ORIGINAL: Burzmali
Do I still have any readers? It's been a while since I heard a shout of encouragement for the AI [:'(]
Go AI go! [:D]
Iceman
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
ORIGINAL: Zaketh
I know the "run away" tactic. A lot of my tactics are based on economics rather than pure military considerations.
Economics are meant to take a large role in the game. The "merc" approach that is sometimes mentioned is a pointer to exactly that.
Iceman
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Economics nearly always destroy my squads. They all seem to end up going bankrupt around the time the first jock hits Novice rank. Seems like anything bigger than a light titan just ends up being a bottomless pit to throw money into on repairs...
Also, running into a cc heavy all-recon team in the woods can really suck rocks.
Also, running into a cc heavy all-recon team in the woods can really suck rocks.
-Coyote
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Unless you have amassed a giant bank roll from the lower ranks, I find investing heavily in business for any jock >= rank 4 to be a good investment.
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
I think my manager's business rating was about 65 or so. Comparable with weapons skills.
Mechanic's skill was 60, but he started with low Int.
At the end I was using a Witchlight, Starfire, Scourge, and Locust.
Mechanic's skill was 60, but he started with low Int.
At the end I was using a Witchlight, Starfire, Scourge, and Locust.
-Coyote
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 59: Pining for the fjords.
Polar (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Dillinger in a Viper (Light)
Arrow in a Will-o’-Wisp (Recon)
It seems like the war on that terran planet is over, too bad, the Knights were just starting get cozy. After pulling on their parkas, the Knights are deployed on the eastern edge of this frozen arena. They set course for one of the several bare peaks jutting through the ice. As the gain altitude, Kay spots a river dividing the map, and a Viper in the distance on the other side. The broken terrain slows the knights, and by the time Launcelot has settled into a sniping position, the Viper has already begun fording the river. Further back, a Will-o’-Wisp breaks cover to begin loading missiles and AC4 rounds into Yvain. As the Viper comes ashore, all three Knights meet him. Kay displays the value of his Shadow by successfully charging the Viper, and scoring meson hits on its leg actuators and gyros. After a series of blows from Launcelot, the Viper loses its left torso and falls to the ground. With so much internal damage, the Viper begins a futile effort to stand, until Yvain does him a favor and chops off a leg. Unfortunately, the struggle costs Kay an arm, as he is unable to escape the downed Vipers pulse lasers as he dodges from the hex.
Next, the Knights turn to the Will-o’-Wisp, and begin their own river crossing. The Will-o’-Wisp tries to evade, but can’t deal damage as fast as Launcelot, and can’t risk leaving his forest. After picking himself out of the water (the Viper had meson weapons too!), Kay joins Yvain in bracketing the Will-o’-Wisp and pinning it until it loses a lower torso to a blast from Yvain. Victory, captured the Viper!
Salvage: $ 0 + Viper!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-62,580
Balance: $62,420
Repairs: $-131,154
Profit: $-68,734 <- Lights aren’t cheap to repair!
Battle 60: Fire and Ice
Polar (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Valeria in a Jackal (Recon)
The Nun in a Wasp (Recon)
Tempest in a Swift Death (Recon)
Well, the Jocks might complain about the cold conditions, but there’s nothing like a heat dissipation bonus to make life good for recons with lots of energy weapons. This good around, the Knights are deployed near the SE corner of the arena. In the distance, a solitary peak offers the perfect vantage point, so the Knights set course. Yvain and Kay aim to pass the mountain on the north side and cover Launcelot climbs through the heavy cover on the south side. As Kay rounds the mountain, he spots a Jackal, all by its lonesome, jumping over a mountain. He and Yvain easily make it to cover before the Jackal lands, and open fire as soon as they can kneel. Though Launcelot is still working his way up the mountain, Yvain and Kay make quick work of the foolish Jackal. A series of light meson rounds successfully damage the Jackal’s gyros, and a blast from Yvain cold light gun sends it to the ground. As it struggles to stand, Yvain plants another round into the damaged torso, finding the engine and detonating it! Everyone is clear of the blast radius, scratch one enemy AT!
By now, the remaining Wasp and Swift Death, have closed enough to begin exchanging fire with Yvain and Kay, while Launcelot finally settles into a sniping nest and opens up on the Wasp. Yvain and Kay rise to meet the approaching ATs head-on, likewise favoring the Wasp. Yvain runs by, scoring a key hit on the Wasp, while Kay charges sending it to the ground. As everyone recovers, Yvain turns and plants a second cold light blast on the downed Wasp, once again finding the engine and detonating it! This time Yvain and the Swift Death are one hex from the blast while Kay is right on top of it! Everyone gets battered, with Kay taking a moderate injury and Yvain left stunned. Hoping to evade, Kay running full speed away from the Swift Death, while being picked apart by its machine guns. Fortunately, Launcelot never loses his bead and is able to plant a plasma round into the Swift Death’s back. Yvain follows this up by following after the Swift Death and finishing the job with his cold light gun. Knocked to the ground with 3 Knights locking on to him, the Swift Death’s jock calls it a day and ejects. Victory, with Yvain earning his 2nd and 3rd kills!
Salvage: $ 15,999
Bounty: $ 32,000
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-59,915
Balance: $113,084
Repairs: $-51,183
Profit: $ 61,901
Polar (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Dillinger in a Viper (Light)
Arrow in a Will-o’-Wisp (Recon)
It seems like the war on that terran planet is over, too bad, the Knights were just starting get cozy. After pulling on their parkas, the Knights are deployed on the eastern edge of this frozen arena. They set course for one of the several bare peaks jutting through the ice. As the gain altitude, Kay spots a river dividing the map, and a Viper in the distance on the other side. The broken terrain slows the knights, and by the time Launcelot has settled into a sniping position, the Viper has already begun fording the river. Further back, a Will-o’-Wisp breaks cover to begin loading missiles and AC4 rounds into Yvain. As the Viper comes ashore, all three Knights meet him. Kay displays the value of his Shadow by successfully charging the Viper, and scoring meson hits on its leg actuators and gyros. After a series of blows from Launcelot, the Viper loses its left torso and falls to the ground. With so much internal damage, the Viper begins a futile effort to stand, until Yvain does him a favor and chops off a leg. Unfortunately, the struggle costs Kay an arm, as he is unable to escape the downed Vipers pulse lasers as he dodges from the hex.
Next, the Knights turn to the Will-o’-Wisp, and begin their own river crossing. The Will-o’-Wisp tries to evade, but can’t deal damage as fast as Launcelot, and can’t risk leaving his forest. After picking himself out of the water (the Viper had meson weapons too!), Kay joins Yvain in bracketing the Will-o’-Wisp and pinning it until it loses a lower torso to a blast from Yvain. Victory, captured the Viper!
Salvage: $ 0 + Viper!
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-62,580
Balance: $62,420
Repairs: $-131,154
Profit: $-68,734 <- Lights aren’t cheap to repair!
Battle 60: Fire and Ice
Polar (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Valeria in a Jackal (Recon)
The Nun in a Wasp (Recon)
Tempest in a Swift Death (Recon)
Well, the Jocks might complain about the cold conditions, but there’s nothing like a heat dissipation bonus to make life good for recons with lots of energy weapons. This good around, the Knights are deployed near the SE corner of the arena. In the distance, a solitary peak offers the perfect vantage point, so the Knights set course. Yvain and Kay aim to pass the mountain on the north side and cover Launcelot climbs through the heavy cover on the south side. As Kay rounds the mountain, he spots a Jackal, all by its lonesome, jumping over a mountain. He and Yvain easily make it to cover before the Jackal lands, and open fire as soon as they can kneel. Though Launcelot is still working his way up the mountain, Yvain and Kay make quick work of the foolish Jackal. A series of light meson rounds successfully damage the Jackal’s gyros, and a blast from Yvain cold light gun sends it to the ground. As it struggles to stand, Yvain plants another round into the damaged torso, finding the engine and detonating it! Everyone is clear of the blast radius, scratch one enemy AT!
By now, the remaining Wasp and Swift Death, have closed enough to begin exchanging fire with Yvain and Kay, while Launcelot finally settles into a sniping nest and opens up on the Wasp. Yvain and Kay rise to meet the approaching ATs head-on, likewise favoring the Wasp. Yvain runs by, scoring a key hit on the Wasp, while Kay charges sending it to the ground. As everyone recovers, Yvain turns and plants a second cold light blast on the downed Wasp, once again finding the engine and detonating it! This time Yvain and the Swift Death are one hex from the blast while Kay is right on top of it! Everyone gets battered, with Kay taking a moderate injury and Yvain left stunned. Hoping to evade, Kay running full speed away from the Swift Death, while being picked apart by its machine guns. Fortunately, Launcelot never loses his bead and is able to plant a plasma round into the Swift Death’s back. Yvain follows this up by following after the Swift Death and finishing the job with his cold light gun. Knocked to the ground with 3 Knights locking on to him, the Swift Death’s jock calls it a day and ejects. Victory, with Yvain earning his 2nd and 3rd kills!
Salvage: $ 15,999
Bounty: $ 32,000
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-59,915
Balance: $113,084
Repairs: $-51,183
Profit: $ 61,901
RE: Knights of the Round - Rookie AAR
Battle 61: Damage Sink
Core (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Leander in a Disruptor (Heavy)
Core, that never bodes well for 3 recons… The Knights are deployed along the western edge of the arena, behind a ridge. The Knights assume their standard formation, with everyone walking. Launcelot heads up the ridge towards a outcropping that promises a good vantage point, while Yvain and Kay circle around to the south through a pass. As Launcelot nears his destination, he spots the enemy, a Disruptor. Great, a heavy in the core, with 20 tons more armor and heat regulators… Still, the Knights think positive, with all three Knights in action, they have a higher damage potential than the single heavy. Unfortunately, the Disruptor quickly levels the playing field but slamming a AC12 round into Launcelot’s center torso doing moderate damage to his engine effectively taking him out of the battle (I think he got ~5 shots off total, all hits, but only 5). Undaunted, Yvain and Kay charge … er … walk forward into the blender. Kay, who ad managed to tweak his regulator, amazes everyone by evading the Disruptor’s fire long enough to damage both of his AC12s and 2 of his gyros. But, his luck evaporates with the heat as he misjudges the size of a hill, and spends too long running, resulting in two of his guns baking off. Still, after cooling down, he manages to achieve a charge, knocking down the mighty Disruptor. Sadly, the Disruptor stands on his first try and makes Kay pay for his brazenness with a pair of AC12 rounds, heavy meson rounds, and punches, leaving his AT near crippled and gaining heat. His only option is to eject, which he manages successfully despite being reduced to 32 HP!
This leaves Yvain, with a mighty –0.02 C while WALKING, and Launcelot with the damaged engine to fend off the Disruptor. Without being able to run or even really fire, Yvain manages to drag the Disruptor into several more charges before being forced to retreat to reduce his heat. During the intermission, the Disruptor finds Launcelot with his meson guns and smashes his actuators to pieces, forcing several falls while Launcelot tries to evade. The effort is worthless as he gains heat far too quickly to escape, and he too ejects.
With Yvain the only able Jock, he is determined to win or die trying. He comes out of his hiding spot with low heat and successfully charges the Disruptor yet again, yet again damaging its left torso. Unfortunately, the Disruptor seems unaffected by its gyro damage and stands before Yvain can escape and plasters him with his meson cannons. Yvain tries to escape, but like Kay, misjudges the height of a hill and ends up shutting down from heat. Sadly, after the Disruptor enters Yvain’s hex, it misses its first kick and ends up on its back doing more damage to itself trying to stand than Yvain had managed the either battle. Yet, after around 10 attempts, it stands, and despite turning back on, Yvain yet again overheats while trying to leave the hex (boy, remind be never to enter cover on a core map!) and has his engine smashed in by the angry Disruptor. Defeat, ending the Knights 30 odd winning streak and costing the Knights 3 ATs. No surprise given the circumstances…
Salvage: $ 0
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,809
Balance: $73,191
Repairs: $ 0 <- Surprisely repairs are cheap when you lose all three titans!
Profit: $ 73,191
Fortunately, the Knights have plenty of spare titans. Therefore, Launcelot jumps in the Viper (I had been training him with cannons just in case this happened), Yvain takes the spare Stingray, and Kay rides the Zealot.
Battle 62:
I just shut the game down... Launcelot take a single NB hit, fell unconsious, and was killed instantly by a TB to the CBT destroying it and his life support. The other Knights wouuld have been killed before they could move...
Too bad, it was a nice run.
I'll post a wrap up when I get a chance.
Core (26 x 26)
Launcelot in Stingray (Recon)
Yvain in Quantum (Recon)
Kay in Shadow (Recon)
vs.
Leander in a Disruptor (Heavy)
Core, that never bodes well for 3 recons… The Knights are deployed along the western edge of the arena, behind a ridge. The Knights assume their standard formation, with everyone walking. Launcelot heads up the ridge towards a outcropping that promises a good vantage point, while Yvain and Kay circle around to the south through a pass. As Launcelot nears his destination, he spots the enemy, a Disruptor. Great, a heavy in the core, with 20 tons more armor and heat regulators… Still, the Knights think positive, with all three Knights in action, they have a higher damage potential than the single heavy. Unfortunately, the Disruptor quickly levels the playing field but slamming a AC12 round into Launcelot’s center torso doing moderate damage to his engine effectively taking him out of the battle (I think he got ~5 shots off total, all hits, but only 5). Undaunted, Yvain and Kay charge … er … walk forward into the blender. Kay, who ad managed to tweak his regulator, amazes everyone by evading the Disruptor’s fire long enough to damage both of his AC12s and 2 of his gyros. But, his luck evaporates with the heat as he misjudges the size of a hill, and spends too long running, resulting in two of his guns baking off. Still, after cooling down, he manages to achieve a charge, knocking down the mighty Disruptor. Sadly, the Disruptor stands on his first try and makes Kay pay for his brazenness with a pair of AC12 rounds, heavy meson rounds, and punches, leaving his AT near crippled and gaining heat. His only option is to eject, which he manages successfully despite being reduced to 32 HP!
This leaves Yvain, with a mighty –0.02 C while WALKING, and Launcelot with the damaged engine to fend off the Disruptor. Without being able to run or even really fire, Yvain manages to drag the Disruptor into several more charges before being forced to retreat to reduce his heat. During the intermission, the Disruptor finds Launcelot with his meson guns and smashes his actuators to pieces, forcing several falls while Launcelot tries to evade. The effort is worthless as he gains heat far too quickly to escape, and he too ejects.
With Yvain the only able Jock, he is determined to win or die trying. He comes out of his hiding spot with low heat and successfully charges the Disruptor yet again, yet again damaging its left torso. Unfortunately, the Disruptor seems unaffected by its gyro damage and stands before Yvain can escape and plasters him with his meson cannons. Yvain tries to escape, but like Kay, misjudges the height of a hill and ends up shutting down from heat. Sadly, after the Disruptor enters Yvain’s hex, it misses its first kick and ends up on its back doing more damage to itself trying to stand than Yvain had managed the either battle. Yet, after around 10 attempts, it stands, and despite turning back on, Yvain yet again overheats while trying to leave the hex (boy, remind be never to enter cover on a core map!) and has his engine smashed in by the angry Disruptor. Defeat, ending the Knights 30 odd winning streak and costing the Knights 3 ATs. No surprise given the circumstances…
Salvage: $ 0
Bounty: $ 0
Payment: $ 125,000
Upkeep: $-51,809
Balance: $73,191
Repairs: $ 0 <- Surprisely repairs are cheap when you lose all three titans!
Profit: $ 73,191
Fortunately, the Knights have plenty of spare titans. Therefore, Launcelot jumps in the Viper (I had been training him with cannons just in case this happened), Yvain takes the spare Stingray, and Kay rides the Zealot.
Battle 62:
I just shut the game down... Launcelot take a single NB hit, fell unconsious, and was killed instantly by a TB to the CBT destroying it and his life support. The other Knights wouuld have been killed before they could move...
Too bad, it was a nice run.
I'll post a wrap up when I get a chance.
Wrap Up
Here are the final stats for the Knights:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Philip Jepson aka Launcelot
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 33 years 9 months
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Rank: REGULAR [4]
Salary: 15842 $ / month
Titan: Viper [70.0 t]
Battles: 39 [Wins/Losses: 36/03]
Hit ratio: 48 %
Kills: 0
XP: 31504 / 37600
DP: Pilot: 102 / Combat: 001 / Other: 005
Leader: Recruit rookie mod 55%
Manager: Purchase markup 09%
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 12
NEURAL SENSE: 12
REACTION: 15
INSTINCT: 12
DEXTERITY: 14
CONSTITUTION: 12 HP: 108
CHARISMA: 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 071 % [071] +
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 023 % [063] -
ASSAULT: 020 % [063] -
JUMP: 020 % [071] -
SCOUTING: 060 % [060]
CLOSE COMBAT: 065 % [065]
GUIDED MSL.: 007 % [060] ---
UNGUIDED MSL.: 012 % [071] --
CANNON: 051 % [073]
ENERGY WEAPON: 073 % [073] +
INDIRECT FIRE: 008 % [060] ---
EL. WARFARE: 058 % [060]
SCANNER: 056 % [060]
DEFENSIVE: 039 % [066]
DMG. CONTROL: 011 % [063] --
LEADERSHIP: 063 % [063]
BUSINESS: 061 % [061]
SURVIVAL: 033 % [060]
MEDICAL: 026 % [063] -
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Bob Graves aka Percivale
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 30 years 1 months
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 88 kg
Rank: ROOKIE [1]
Salary: 3275 $ / month
Titan: Cherokee [70.0 t]
Battles: 00 [Wins/Losses: 00/00]
Hit ratio: N/A
Kills: 0
XP: 0 / 3800
DP: Pilot: 005 / Combat: 006 / Other: 007
Mechanic: Repair markup 12%
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 12
NEURAL SENSE: 10
REACTION: 12
INSTINCT: 12
DEXTERITY: 11
CONSTITUTION: 09 HP: 81
CHARISMA: 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 056 % [056]
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 013 % [051] --
ASSAULT: 026 % [051] -
JUMP: 004 % [056] ---
SCOUTING: 042 % [060]
CLOSE COMBAT: 035 % [060]
GUIDED MSL.: 059 % [060]
UNGUIDED MSL.: 029 % [056] -
CANNON: 030 % [058]
ENERGY WEAPON: 025 % [058] -
INDIRECT FIRE: 012 % [060] --
EL. WARFARE: 039 % [060]
SCANNER: 032 % [056]
DEFENSIVE: 026 % [056] -
DMG. CONTROL: 058 % [058]
LEADERSHIP: 024 % [056] -
BUSINESS: 019 % [058] --
SURVIVAL: 022 % [055] -
MEDICAL: 022 % [058] -
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Kenji Semler aka Yvain
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 26 years 2 months
Height: 207 cm
Weight: 111 kg
Rank: NOVICE [3]
Salary: 13200 $ / month
Titan: Stingray [40.0 t]
Battles: 16 [Wins/Losses: 15/01]
Hit ratio: 48 %
Kills: 3
XP: 15267 / 22200
DP: Pilot: 090 / Combat: 002 / Other: 003
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 10
NEURAL SENSE: 09
REACTION: 14
INSTINCT: 12
DEXTERITY: 13
CONSTITUTION: 11 HP: 99
CHARISMA: 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 066 % [066]
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 035 % [051]
ASSAULT: 020 % [051] -
JUMP: 056 % [066]
SCOUTING: 056 % [056]
CLOSE COMBAT: 051 % [063]
GUIDED MSL.: 018 % [053] --
UNGUIDED MSL.: 016 % [066] --
CANNON: 023 % [068] -
ENERGY WEAPON: 068 % [068]
INDIRECT FIRE: 017 % [056] --
EL. WARFARE: 053 % [053]
SCANNER: 047 % [048]
DEFENSIVE: 010 % [060] --
DMG. CONTROL: 055 % [055]
LEADERSHIP: 003 % [060] ---
BUSINESS: 030 % [055]
SURVIVAL: 038 % [058]
MEDICAL: 007 % [055] ---
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Roger Smith aka Kay
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 29 years 0 months
Height: 197 cm
Weight: 98 kg
Rank: GREEN [2]
Salary: 7722 $ / month
Titan: Zealot [40.0 t]
Battles: 08 [Wins/Losses: 07/01]
Hit ratio: 48 %
Kills: 0
XP: 9351 / 11600
DP: Pilot: 090 / Combat: 005 / Other: 003
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 10
NEURAL SENSE: 09
REACTION: 13
INSTINCT: 10
DEXTERITY: 13
CONSTITUTION: 10 HP: 90
CHARISMA: 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 065 % [065]
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 021 % [051] -
ASSAULT: 005 % [051] ---
JUMP: 019 % [065] --
SCOUTING: 050 % [050]
CLOSE COMBAT: 054 % [055]
GUIDED MSL.: 017 % [050] --
UNGUIDED MSL.: 011 % [065] --
CANNON: 065 % [065]
ENERGY WEAPON: 026 % [065] -
INDIRECT FIRE: 016 % [050] --
EL. WARFARE: 050 % [050]
SCANNER: 048 % [048]
DEFENSIVE: 040 % [060]
DMG. CONTROL: 010 % [055] --
LEADERSHIP: 034 % [053]
BUSINESS: 033 % [051]
SURVIVAL: 050 % [050]
MEDICAL: 009 % [055]
----------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, run of 62 battles isn’t too bad considering the stringent requirements I adopted. Sure, some of the aspects of the game make sudden shifts in the outcome of a battle possible. I can’t count the number of times a lucky hit to the head saved the Knights lives. In the end, the only aspect of game play I found aggravating was the chance that the first shot fired could determine the entire outcome of the battle. In the last two battles, I was on the receiving end, but I had won plenty of cakewalks because I managed to down an incoming AT with a single shot from a PG, near crippling a leg of a recon, or vitally damaging an engine or head on a larger AT. I know further patches are unlikely, so I won’t go into detail, but it does take some of the suspense out of a battle when the first shot gives you a 40-ton advantage.
Other than that, I can’t name many games that matched the number of hours of enjoyment that ToS:WS has provided. My hat’s off to LarkinVB and anyone else involved in the game. I have always liked lots of depth in my strategy games, but without going hog wild, ToS has managed to keep battles varied enough over the course of my last sixty-two encounters to satisfy me.
Well that’s it for now. But not forever, stay tuned for my next Hard Core AAR, featuring the Seven Deadly Sins [;)]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Philip Jepson aka Launcelot
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 33 years 9 months
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Rank: REGULAR [4]
Salary: 15842 $ / month
Titan: Viper [70.0 t]
Battles: 39 [Wins/Losses: 36/03]
Hit ratio: 48 %
Kills: 0
XP: 31504 / 37600
DP: Pilot: 102 / Combat: 001 / Other: 005
Leader: Recruit rookie mod 55%
Manager: Purchase markup 09%
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 12
NEURAL SENSE: 12
REACTION: 15
INSTINCT: 12
DEXTERITY: 14
CONSTITUTION: 12 HP: 108
CHARISMA: 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 071 % [071] +
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 023 % [063] -
ASSAULT: 020 % [063] -
JUMP: 020 % [071] -
SCOUTING: 060 % [060]
CLOSE COMBAT: 065 % [065]
GUIDED MSL.: 007 % [060] ---
UNGUIDED MSL.: 012 % [071] --
CANNON: 051 % [073]
ENERGY WEAPON: 073 % [073] +
INDIRECT FIRE: 008 % [060] ---
EL. WARFARE: 058 % [060]
SCANNER: 056 % [060]
DEFENSIVE: 039 % [066]
DMG. CONTROL: 011 % [063] --
LEADERSHIP: 063 % [063]
BUSINESS: 061 % [061]
SURVIVAL: 033 % [060]
MEDICAL: 026 % [063] -
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Bob Graves aka Percivale
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 30 years 1 months
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 88 kg
Rank: ROOKIE [1]
Salary: 3275 $ / month
Titan: Cherokee [70.0 t]
Battles: 00 [Wins/Losses: 00/00]
Hit ratio: N/A
Kills: 0
XP: 0 / 3800
DP: Pilot: 005 / Combat: 006 / Other: 007
Mechanic: Repair markup 12%
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 12
NEURAL SENSE: 10
REACTION: 12
INSTINCT: 12
DEXTERITY: 11
CONSTITUTION: 09 HP: 81
CHARISMA: 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 056 % [056]
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 013 % [051] --
ASSAULT: 026 % [051] -
JUMP: 004 % [056] ---
SCOUTING: 042 % [060]
CLOSE COMBAT: 035 % [060]
GUIDED MSL.: 059 % [060]
UNGUIDED MSL.: 029 % [056] -
CANNON: 030 % [058]
ENERGY WEAPON: 025 % [058] -
INDIRECT FIRE: 012 % [060] --
EL. WARFARE: 039 % [060]
SCANNER: 032 % [056]
DEFENSIVE: 026 % [056] -
DMG. CONTROL: 058 % [058]
LEADERSHIP: 024 % [056] -
BUSINESS: 019 % [058] --
SURVIVAL: 022 % [055] -
MEDICAL: 022 % [058] -
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Kenji Semler aka Yvain
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 26 years 2 months
Height: 207 cm
Weight: 111 kg
Rank: NOVICE [3]
Salary: 13200 $ / month
Titan: Stingray [40.0 t]
Battles: 16 [Wins/Losses: 15/01]
Hit ratio: 48 %
Kills: 3
XP: 15267 / 22200
DP: Pilot: 090 / Combat: 002 / Other: 003
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 10
NEURAL SENSE: 09
REACTION: 14
INSTINCT: 12
DEXTERITY: 13
CONSTITUTION: 11 HP: 99
CHARISMA: 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 066 % [066]
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 035 % [051]
ASSAULT: 020 % [051] -
JUMP: 056 % [066]
SCOUTING: 056 % [056]
CLOSE COMBAT: 051 % [063]
GUIDED MSL.: 018 % [053] --
UNGUIDED MSL.: 016 % [066] --
CANNON: 023 % [068] -
ENERGY WEAPON: 068 % [068]
INDIRECT FIRE: 017 % [056] --
EL. WARFARE: 053 % [053]
SCANNER: 047 % [048]
DEFENSIVE: 010 % [060] --
DMG. CONTROL: 055 % [055]
LEADERSHIP: 003 % [060] ---
BUSINESS: 030 % [055]
SURVIVAL: 038 % [058]
MEDICAL: 007 % [055] ---
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jock: Roger Smith aka Kay
Squad: Knights of the Round
Race: HUMAN [MALE]
Age: 29 years 0 months
Height: 197 cm
Weight: 98 kg
Rank: GREEN [2]
Salary: 7722 $ / month
Titan: Zealot [40.0 t]
Battles: 08 [Wins/Losses: 07/01]
Hit ratio: 48 %
Kills: 0
XP: 9351 / 11600
DP: Pilot: 090 / Combat: 005 / Other: 003
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attributes:
INTELLIGENCE: 10
NEURAL SENSE: 09
REACTION: 13
INSTINCT: 10
DEXTERITY: 13
CONSTITUTION: 10 HP: 90
CHARISMA: 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Skills:
RECON/LIGHT: 065 % [065]
MEDIUM/HEAVY: 021 % [051] -
ASSAULT: 005 % [051] ---
JUMP: 019 % [065] --
SCOUTING: 050 % [050]
CLOSE COMBAT: 054 % [055]
GUIDED MSL.: 017 % [050] --
UNGUIDED MSL.: 011 % [065] --
CANNON: 065 % [065]
ENERGY WEAPON: 026 % [065] -
INDIRECT FIRE: 016 % [050] --
EL. WARFARE: 050 % [050]
SCANNER: 048 % [048]
DEFENSIVE: 040 % [060]
DMG. CONTROL: 010 % [055] --
LEADERSHIP: 034 % [053]
BUSINESS: 033 % [051]
SURVIVAL: 050 % [050]
MEDICAL: 009 % [055]
----------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, run of 62 battles isn’t too bad considering the stringent requirements I adopted. Sure, some of the aspects of the game make sudden shifts in the outcome of a battle possible. I can’t count the number of times a lucky hit to the head saved the Knights lives. In the end, the only aspect of game play I found aggravating was the chance that the first shot fired could determine the entire outcome of the battle. In the last two battles, I was on the receiving end, but I had won plenty of cakewalks because I managed to down an incoming AT with a single shot from a PG, near crippling a leg of a recon, or vitally damaging an engine or head on a larger AT. I know further patches are unlikely, so I won’t go into detail, but it does take some of the suspense out of a battle when the first shot gives you a 40-ton advantage.
Other than that, I can’t name many games that matched the number of hours of enjoyment that ToS:WS has provided. My hat’s off to LarkinVB and anyone else involved in the game. I have always liked lots of depth in my strategy games, but without going hog wild, ToS has managed to keep battles varied enough over the course of my last sixty-two encounters to satisfy me.
Well that’s it for now. But not forever, stay tuned for my next Hard Core AAR, featuring the Seven Deadly Sins [;)]
RE: Wrap Up
ORIGINAL: Burzmali
In the end, the only aspect of game play I found aggravating was the chance that the first shot fired could determine the entire outcome of the battle.
Oh really?! You mean that an alphastrike button could "further" unbalance the game then? [:D]
Iceman