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Do the Job, Get Paid: Let's Play MekHQ Against the Bot!
So wot's all this then?
This, my friends, is MekHQ. Specifically, version (as of posting) 0.46.1 of MekHQ. It's a campaign manager for virtual BattleTech tabletop games run on the MegaMek engine. It helps keep track of all your expenses, your rolls, your 'Mechs, your MechWarriors, your support staff, what day of the year it is, what's being repaired, etc.
Sounds tedious and cumbersome.
At times, yes, but once you're in the flow of things, it gets really easy to get going. Wanna look at what new contracts that just popped up? Open up the Marketplace toolbar at the top and look in the Contract Market. Wanna see what 'Mechs need to be repaired? Click the Repair Bay tab. Need to see what lances you've currently got deployed and which still need to be set up? Open up the TO&E tab. I'm not gonna lie and say "it's easy to pick up straight outta the box," you do kinda need to do some test campaigns (maybe one or two) to get used to how everything works, but it's simple to get into the groove of opening and closing menus, doing missions, and checking the balance sheet. It's free to download from the official BattleTech forums, too! Check it out here if you're interested in playing along or starting your journey.
Ok...so what's Against the Bot?
Usually, tabletop BattleTech (whether it be virtual via MegaMek or in-person) requires at least two players to play. But Against the Bot is...well, against the bot. It's a rules-set for a solo campaign that puts you in the commander's chair and goes "Can you keep your mercenary outfit afloat, alive, and thriving in the Inner Sphere?" It covers everything from contract breaches to civilian unrest to your employer trying to backstab you and all the bits in between. It's for when you don't have time and/or friends to set up an actual game IRL or spend hours looking for one online. It's been baked into MekHQ as an option, so if you wanna give it go, have at it; all you gotta do is turn it on and you're playing.
Ok...so what's the LP going to be about?
It's gonna be about one outfit of mercenaries trying to keep the lights on the best they can, based on decisions and suggestions that you, the readers, give me. I'll be in the commander's chair when the bullets (and lasers, and man-made lightning, and missiles) start flying, but you guys are gonna debate, bicker, and argue over which contracts to take, which personnel/unit packages to buy, who to fire, who gets what medals, and who gets promoted. That means while I focus on the tactical side of things, you guys are gonna help me play the long game, much like Yooper's currently (as of writing) ongoing LP of Strike Command and CMO.
When the time calls for it, I'll hold a vote on what's currently the issue(s) at hand. Bold your choices so I can see and count them properly. Whatever gets the most votes gets done, no refunds, so do try to keep things civilized. Global rules still apply, so do NOT be dicks. (I'm more than aware that that last part is better off left unsaid, but sometimes people need reminders)
Also, in this turns into a faction vs faction pissing match (whether it be about factions in the canon OR factions that pop up here in the thread, for example, Team VTOL vs Team Anti-Air) with people going after each other for liking the "wrong" characters or sides, I'm gonna ask the mods to pull the plug on this rodeo and this entire thing gets shut down.
Seriously. Don't fuck this up for everyone else. Let's all just have a good time and not try to harsh anyone's mellow, ok?
And if you're looking for hardcore, pro-gamer, meta-abiding strategies, look elsewhere. This is NOT that LP. I might know a thing or two about the game, but I am in no way, shape, or form an expert.
What other forms of thread participation are allowed, aside from arguing?
For one, you can do fan art; that's always neat. Maybe even some fanfiction; ya know, like an in-character journal write-up for one of the staff members or an after incident report from a MechWarrior. Another is callsigns; nicknames you can give the pilots that speak to their personality (if you need a good resource to jump off from, the f-16.net callsigns database is an amazing place to start; as of writing, it has 1477 callsigns with snippets of how each one came to be). If you're interested in going above and beyond, feel free.
If you wanna submit yourself as a MechWarrior (sans callsign; in the grand tradition of such things, you don't get to choose your own), bold your submission. Gimme a name (but no pictures, please; I have TONS to work from already) and I'll toss you in.
So what era will we be playing in?
We're going to start in the Third Succession War era (so ~3025), which gives startups like us the best place to get our foot in the door. When the Clans arrive, we'll have a vote as to whether or not to go kick their shit in, but for right now, we're starting small. No need to toss us into the deep end quite yet. The Jihad and Dark Ages are likewise also on the table, but that's a way's off.
What are we going to vote on first?
So, to start us off, we need two things. First up, we need a sugar-daddy. Several up and coming, small-time corporations have stepped forward and have chosen to roll the dice on us. Granted, we haven't actually fulfilled any contracts yet, so expectations of a huge, immediate RoI are next to zero, but all the same, they're itching to throw money at us and are even offering to give us the following:
--12 MechWarriors (with the standard 4/5 skill level)*
--14 support staff (one administrator, one doctor, and 12 MechTechs, with assorted assistant staff such as medics and AsTechs)*
--12 Mechs (chosen randomly)
--and a starting budget to help get us to our first contract and maybe get some more things from the markets.
(*: Both of these come standard with each package and will be generated once we select a sponsor)
Each package has its pros and cons, so weigh each option carefully before casting your vote. (I'm using a random force generator I found off the official forums to roll for us and to generate the packages; anyone who comes up "dispossessed" will get a random 'Mech from their faction's respective RAT via the MUL; QuadMechs get the entire selection rerolled because I am not dealing with that shit to start this campaign off)
Choosing a sponsor now doesn't necessarily mean the others will hate us; it just means that we have to sweeten the pot a little down the line to get their attention (such as buying strike packages/hiring people from them). Also, keep in mind that our primary sponsor (read: the people we chose to bankroll us at the start) may or may not call on us to do their dirty deeds, whatever those deeds may be. We have some degree of autonomy in what contracts to fulfill and which missions to do, but when they speak, we're supposed to shut up and listen.
The poor sods lucky contestants are:
HONEST JON'S VAL-U-LOT
Hailing from a small backwater moon from the Crucis March of the Federated Suns, Honest Jon's Val-U-Lot started life as a used Aerocar dealership before merging with the local teamster's union to branch out into other markets, such as transportation, money laundering, and arming quasi-legal non-state sponsored paramilitary forces. They're looking to muscle out some of their rivals in "foreign" (read: non-Davion based) markets, and for that, they need someone to take the fall for them. Someone...like us.
MECHS OFFERED:
--VLK-QF Valkyrie (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--GHR-5H Grasshopper (Heavy 'Mech, 70 tons)
--DV-6M Dervish (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--UM-R60 UrbanMech (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--VLK-QA Valkyrie (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--CN9-AL Centurion (Medium 'Mech, 50 tons)
--LCT-1E Locust (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--STG-3R Stinger (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--RFL-3N Rifleman (Heavy 'Mech, 60 tons)
--BJ-1 Blackjack (Medium 'Mech, 45 tons)
--WSP-1A Wasp (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--CRD-3R Crusader (Heavy 'Mech, 65 tons)
STARTING CAPITAL
25,000,000 C-Bills
CHESTERTON, MAXWELL, & ASHBURY, ATTORNEYS AT LAW
A somewhat respected corporate law firm from the Free Worlds League, Chesterton, Maxwell, & Ashbury has gone through some recent financial troubles due to losing some major clients (as well as being the victims of a rather pathetic mail fraud scheme), which has caused them to throw everything at sponsoring a mercenary company in a last, desperate gamble to keep themselves in the black. They have no idea what they're doing, but their pockets are still pretty deep, even despite their recent issues. At the very least they've got a drive to perform, which is always appreciated when it comes to a sponsor.
MECHS OFFERED:
--WVR-6R Wolverine (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons) x2
--CRD-3R Crusader (Heavy 'Mech, 65 tons) x2
--SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--WSP-1A Wasp (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--JVN-10N Javelin (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--ON1-K Orion (Heavy 'Mech, 75 tons)
--GRF-1N Griffin (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--STG-3G Stinger (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--UM-R60 UrbanMech (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--FS9-H Firestarter (Light 'Mech, 35 tons)
STARTING CAPITAL
75,000,000 C-Bills
UNITED SECURITY LOGISTICS
A civilian/industrial shipping company, founded by Lyran quartermaster veterans, that is native to Galatea (aka where we're starting). They mainly deal with making sure that their industrial clients get the materials they need from Point A to Point B in the most efficient and safest ways possible. But recently some of the local competition has started to muscle their way in their slice of the pie, which has caused USL leadership to consider "diversifying and broadening [their] portfolio to ensure a more profitable outcome" (read: sponsoring folks like us to make their balance sheet look good and wreak merry havoc on units being bankrolled by their rivals).
MECHS OFFERED:
--SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--WVR-6R Wolverine (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--DV-6M Dervish (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--RFL-3N Rifleman (Heavy 'Mech, 60 tons)
--LCT-1V Locust (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--QKD-5A Quickdraw (Heavy 'Mech, 60 tons)
--HBK-4P Hunchback (Medium 'Mech, 50 tons)
--HBK-4J Hunchback (Medium 'Mech, 50 tons)
--COM-2D Commando (Light 'Mech, 25 tons)
--WHM-6R Warhammer (Heavy 'Mech, 70 tons)
--PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk (Medium 'Mech, 45 tons)
--ARC-2R Archer (Heavy 'Mech, 70 tons)
STARTING CAPITAL
65,000,000 C-Bills
YURI'S REFURBISHED 'MECHS, TANKS, AND VTOLS
Yuri Slavanovic is a former mob boss from Capellan space (born and raised in the Tikonov Commonality, as it happens) who has decided to go legit and open up his dream business: selling "slightly used" and "refurbished" military surplus equipment (guns, uniforms, tanks, and the odd BattleMech here and there) that he's...acquired from his contacts within the CCAF's logistics department. As to why he wants to sponsor us specifically, in his own words, he "wants to bring in hew customers" for his store (and possibly have a steady supply of salvage to pick through and flip). He's willing to be our wallet and he's willing to spring some 'Mechs for us, as long as we don't ask too many questions (such as "Where did you find this," "Why is there blood on the console," and "Could you please untie me from this chair").
MECHS OFFERED:
--CDA-2B Cicada (Medium 'Mech, 40 tons)
--STG-3R Stinger (Light 'Mech, 20 tons)
--STK-3F Stalker (Assault 'Mech, 85 tons)
--CN9-A Centurion (Medium 'Mech, 50 tons)
--LCT-1V Locust (Light 'Mech, 20 tons) x2
--VND-1R Vindicator (Medium 'Mech, 45 tons)
--FS9-H Firestarter (Light 'Mech, 35 tons)
--SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--PNT-9R Panther (Light 'Mech, 35 tons)
--MAD-3R Marauder (Heavy 'Mech, 75 tons)
--HER-2S Hermes II (Medium 'Mech, 40 tons)
STARTING CAPITAL
45,000,000 C-Bills
FUKUWARA BROKERAGE AND HEDGE FUNDS, LLC
Fukuwara Brokerage and Hedge Funds, LLC is a financial firm out of Draconis space that specializes in managing the various hedge funds and stock portfolios of (stupidly) wealthy clients across the Combine. But new customers are hard to come by these days, and with many people deciding to do business elsewhere for a multitude of reasons, Fukuwara has decided that bankrolling a band of plucky mercs like us is more palatable than filing for bankruptcy, especially if we bring hell to their competitors and regain some of their former clients.
MECHS OFFERED
--VL-2T Vulcan (Medium 'Mech, 40 tons)
--HER-1A Hermes (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--FS9-H Firestarter (Light 'Mech, 35 tons) x2
--PNT-9R Panther (Light 'Mech, 35 tons)
--WVR-6R Wolverine (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--WVR-6K Wolverine (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--SHD-2K Shadow Hawk (Medium 'Mech, 55 tons)
--LGB-0W Longbow (Assault 'Mech, 85 tons)
--UM-R60 UrbanMech (Light 'Mech, 30 tons)
--BJ-1 Blackjack (Medium 'Mech, 45 tons)
--DRG-1N Dragon (Heavy 'Mech, 60 tons)
STARTING CAPITAL
55,000,000 C-Bills
Anything else?
Yeah. This clown show needs a name.