The Defense of Skye – A BattleTech Battle Report
Recommendations: 201
About the Project
The 4th Skye Rangers defend their world from periphery pirates.
Related Game: Battletech
Related Company: Catalyst Game Labs
Related Genre: Science Fiction
This Project is Completed
Klaxon! Klaxon! Klaxon!
All crews man your vehicles! Unknown forces detected approaching New Portree!
4th Skye Rangers in lager. Condor hover tanks in first row, Rommel tanks in second row, Hatchetman in third row. Setting the Scene
My opponent, Nathan Ortega. He brought four jump capable Mechs while I brought a single Mech and four conventional vehicles.This is just a straight up fight with a city on the left and woods, hills and rivers on the right. The city has a wall that’s printed on the map but not represented by the printed terrain.
Hex map by Catalyst Game Labs, 3D printed terrain by Steel Warrior Studios, trees by Woodland Scenics.
Opening moves
An invading Panther light mech inches forward taking cover behind a hill. A Condor hover tank screams forward, threatening the mech. 
On the other flank, a Rommel trundles forward over a bridge while the Hatchetman uses its jump jets to sail over the city wall and take cover behind a building. 
The Periphery forces advance to just outside the city walls. Sneaky sneakers
Arrows are pointing to the two Condor hover tanks. The one on the right was behind the hill on the right flank. The one on the extreme background snuck around the left side of the city wall. A Jenner light mech is about to get a rear shot on a Rommel. The two Rommels have joined up and have got the city’s central plaza covered with massive guns but they are extremely vulnerable to mobility hits. The green mech is a Wolverine. The grey mech is a Spider and the black mech is a Panther. Both have lined up the pair of tanks. 
The Condor scores a hit! He needed a 8+ on 2D6 to hit. He missed with three weapons. He needed a 12 to score a head shot. He got it. The mech pilot only needed a 3+ on 2D6 and rolled snake eyes, lost consciousness and fell, damaging himself. Pretty much everyone else on both sides missed. Fire and Manuver
Move and counter move results in a Condor getting a rear shot on the now upright Wolverine. The Wolverine engages one of the Rommels while the Spder uses its jump jets to get on top of a building. The Panther gets a rear shot on a Rommel while the Hatchetman gets a rear shot on the Hatchetman. Who in turn takes a rear shot from the Jenner. The second Condor isn’t shown but is trying to get around the city wallsRommel 34 takes fire from multiple Mechs as alarm bells scream, bogies get shot off and armor stripped. The main gun fails to connect and the crew desperately tries to evade incoming fire. One Condor continues to harass the Wolverine and it’s Mechwarrior worries about his loss of armor.
The Hatchetman risks the Jenner’s fire to take out the Panther and scores a solid hit with his hatchet.
The Jenner scores multiple hits and should have killed the Hatchetman but each hit targeted a different location spreading the damage and not causing any fatal wounds through pure dumb luck.
And … break!
Everyone that can flees from the scrum. Rommel 34 is dying. LOng Range Missile system is down. Most weapon stabilizers offline. Virtually no movement capability. Only the main gun can still fire.
The Wolverine is hurting and pulls back relentlessly pursued by Rommel 33.
The Jenner tries to be clever and wedges itself between two buildings thinking it’s flank will be secure but forgets the extreme speed of the Condor who maneuvers behind him.
The Panther falls back and tries to finish off Rommel 34. The Hatchetman elects to engage with ranged weapons.
Leaping lizards!
All the Mechs use their jump jets. Rommel 33 is immobilized by the Wolverine who leaps away relentlessly pursued by a Condor (not seen here but directly behind the green mech).
Rommel 34 is miraculously still alive but has no good shots.
The Panther finally realizes the threat the Condors pose and scores a lucky hit on one, detonating it’s fuel tank and causing the wreckage to cartwheel in a blaze of twisted metal.
The Spider and Jenner tag team the Hatchetman who finally scores a fatal hit on the Spider!
Breather
Concentrate fire! Down one mech and fearing the huge guns of the Rommels the Periphery forces go all in on the tanks. Even the Jenner risks an attack by the Hatchetman to line up a shot
Charge!
The Jenner is charged by the Hatchetman! The Condor rushes the Wolverine!
The Jenner is obliterated by the Hatchetman’s charge but the Hatchetman in turn loses all his armor in his head exposing the Mechwarrior! The Wolverine strips the armor off the remaining Condor destroying it ! Old 34 pulls through
Gears grinding, Rommel 34 crawls forward. Rommel 33 is immobilized but still functioning. Rommel 34 barely pulls forward while the Hatchetman is just a collection of loose parts moving in formation.
The Panther and Wolverine both score hits and it’s a real question as to when the Skye Rangers vehicles are going to detonate.
Old 34 swings it’s turret around in a series of jerky motions as the stabilizers cause the barrel to bob and weave like a drunken Capellean.
But for one brief microsecond the reticle hovers over the Panther…
Deleted
The Hatchetman pilot is unsure as what to do now that there’s no target anymore. The crew of Old 34 slumps back into their restraints exhausted from their ordeal and wonder why they are still alive.
The crew of Rommel 33 pop their hatches and try to figure out how to repair their tracks and bogies.
The Hatchetman Mechwarrior smells the acrid smoke of the burning Panther coming in through his shattered cockpit armor and wonders what to do next.
The Wolverine pilot quietly exits the battlefield wondering what just happened.
