MechWarrior: Age of Destruction SCENARIO HANDBOOK v1.2 By Mike “Rimoran” McCarrig [email protected] January 4, 2009 Foreword: This project was originally submitted to WizKids, LLC for web publication in April 2007. Due to an understaffed and over- worked editorial department, they never had time to review and fact-check this document and thus, it never saw the light of day. The original version of this document was meant to be a companion to the WizKids website (ie. The storyline scenario section only contained brief summaries rather than the full text of the scenario.) However, once WizKids was closed by the parent company Topps in November 2008, I shifted the scope of the document into a “full preservation” mode and also secured some web space to post .PDF documents in new locations. The image above was made by WizKids, LLC for an unknown product that was never released. I’m using the image under WizKids web policy covering “names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes” and acknowledge that WizKids/Topps does not endorse this or is affiliated with me in any official capacity. This document contains information for use with MechWarrior: Age of Destruction and not MechWarrior: Solaris VII. Special Thanks: Jonas Saunders (aka Yes Seriously) and Tony Rivera for helping me with some of the raw data challenges. Rob Brunskill for getting me info on the last year of MW scenarios. Scott “Peppermeister”Langston for Word-to-PDF conversion services. TABLE OF CONTENTS Handbook Goals ………………………………………………………………………… 3 Writing A Scenario ……………………………………………………………………… 3 Presenting Your Scenario ……………………………………………………………….. 5 Official Components • Planetary Conditions …………………………………………………………….. 7 • Missions …………………………………………………………………………. 11 • Terrain ………….………………………………………………………………... 14 • Artillery Tokens …………………………………………………………………. 16 • Special Unit Rules ………………………………………………………………. 17 WizKids Scenario Library • Organized Play Campaigns & Storyline Events ….…………………………….. 21 o Year 2002 ……………………………………………………………….. 21 o Year 2003 ……………………………………………………………….. 29 o Year 2004 ……………………………………………………………….. 49 o Year 2005 ……………………………………………………………….. 55 o Year 2006 ……………………………………………………………….. 61 o Year 2007 ……………………………………………………………….. 74 o Year 2008 ……………………………………………………………….. 93 • Organized Play Special Events ………………………………………………….. 98 • Play @Home Scenarios …………………………………………………………. 106 • Officer’s Club Scenario Cards …………………………………………………... 110 APPENDIX A: Scenario Index ………...…...…………………..………………………. 113 APPENDIX B: MechWarrior Event Ideas by Tony Rivera ……………………………. 116 APPENDIX C: Community Resource Links …………………………………………… 121 Page 2 MechWarrior: Scenario Handbook v1.2 Handbook Goals This handbook was written to help two main audiences: scenario authors and MechWarrior players. To get the most out of this document, it is recommended that you have an internet connection; there are many useful internet links throughout the handbook. However, this guide was also written to be useful as a physical book as well. Beginning scenario authors will find a helpful walkthrough of writing a scenario and more experienced authors should find the Official Components section handy for cut/pasting various planetary conditions or missions. MechWarrior players will most likely get the most use out of the library of scenarios in later sections. The scope of this handbook addresses individual, single-game scenarios only. While they may be strung together into a larger campaign, there are no additional rules or framework provided by this handbook. " Writing a Scenario " The process of writing a scenario begins with some kernel of an idea that the author finds interesting or amusing. Applying that idea into game mechanics can be difficult and crafting a scenario that is simple, elegant and easy for all to understand can often be a trial. Brain Jumpstart Typically, scenarios have three main themes: Unusual Environment, Unusual Situation or Experimental Game Mechanic. You will often see elements of two or more themes in a scenario, but usually the focus is on one theme. Unusual Environments are inherent to the location of your scenario. Maybe it’s a battle deep under the ocean, or on a low gravity moon, or in a swamp with highly volatile swamp gas. Planetary Conditions already cover a wide variety of Unusual Environments, but you may find a special attribute to enhance or combine them with something else. Unusual Situations are even more limitless; maybe the scenario’s goal is for one player to defend a specific building, or hunt down a traitor, or make it to the other side of the board, or defend yourself when surrounded by an ambush. Missions already cover several Unusual Situations, but they are definitely only the tip of the iceberg. The Experimental Game Mechanic theme covers that “what if it worked like this” idea you’ve had brewing in the back of your head. One of the Officer’s Club Scenario Cards experiments with the idea of allowing vehicles to use the assault order. Simplicity vs. Complexity One of the main things you need to consider when writing your scenario is: who is going to play it? If your goal is for a wide audience with various levels of experience and education levels, then it is recommended that you keep things as simple as possible. That means making very little changes to the standard game and keeping special rules to a minimum. If your intent is to write to more experienced players who like complexity, then feel free to up the ante. However, unless you are really writing campaign rules or a modification of the game, it’s best to keep the entire scenario to one side of a single page. At the most, a second page should only contain the map setup if you feel a map is necessary. So, you’ve got your idea and know your audience. Now you’re ready to start writing it. Below are the main elements for a scenario. You will probably start in whatever section feels best and then hop around, but by the end of the process you should have hit all areas. Where appropriate, default values show what is expected in the standard constructed game. Your scenario may augment or replace these values as necessary. Name of Scenario: Although it’s at the top of your scenario write-up, this is usually the last thing you’ll do. Most writers try for a catchy cliché phrase or something descriptive of the scenario in general. MechWarrior: Scenario Handbook v1.2 Page 3 Background or Flavor Text: This is your hook – the reason for the scenario. Tell us a brief story about either the situation and/or the environment this takes place in. Usually a single paragraph is enough to set the stage. Objective: Default: Each player aims to defeat the other. The vast majority of games use the default objective. This statement is also linked to Victory Conditions (below) and if you change the objective, you may need to edit those also. Battleforce Size/Composition: Default: Two-player game; 600-point build total; four orders per turn. The build total and amount of orders can change as desired. If you give one player more build total points than the other, then you must give the smaller player some kind of advantage to balance the scenario. Your scenario may require or ban certain types of units. Entire groups of units may be addressed in the following ways: • Unit Types: ‘Mech, Vehicle, Infantry • Speed Modes: Colossal, ‘Mech, Quad, Tracked, Wheeled, Hover, Tracked, VTOL • Unit Attribute: Point Value, Artillery, Transport Capacity, Anti-Aircraft (AA), etc. • Special Equipment or Gear: ie. Must have Jump Jet SE or Jump Pack Gear. Some scenarios require a Factional Advisor or Battleforce Purity. The examples below are several ways that WizKids phrased past battleforce purity requirements. Copy the phrasing in italics if you want to use that factional limitation: • Factional Advisors: The {insert Faction here} player must have at least one unit from the {insert Faction here} faction in his or her battleforce. (NOTE: This was the original requirement used for many past Campaigns/Storylines. The requirement is repeated once for each of the two sides in the storyline. Use whatever factions are involved in the written story. Although it may inspire a faction pure army build, many players use only one unit as an advisor and built the rest of their army with other factions.) • Total Factional Purity: Battleforces must be composed of units with the same faction symbol. • Total House Purity: Battleforces must be composed of units with the same faction symbol or be allied via a house alliance. • Total Grand Alliance Purity: Battleforces must be composed of units with the same faction symbol or be allied via a house alliance or Grand Alliance. • Partial Unit Factional Purity (with Merc Pure Allowance): Of the points spent on units (only) in a player’s battleforce, half must come from units with the same faction symbol (or have no faction symbol). • Partial Unit House Purity: Of the points spent on units (only) in a player’s battleforce, half must come from units with the same faction symbol or have a House Alliance. • Partial Unit Grand Alliance Purity: Of the points spent on units (only) in a player’s battleforce, half must come from units with the same faction symbol or have a House Alliance or Grand Alliance. • Partial Integrated House Purity: XXXXX points of the build total must be spent on units with the same faction symbol or faction symbols allied via a House Alliance. This includes any recruitment costs or mercenary contracts being used. When determining the point value of a ‘Mech, include any gear or pilots assigned to that ‘Mech. When determining the faction symbol of units without a faction symbol, use the symbol of the faction that the unit will be recruited to (if applicable), either by paying the recruitment cost or using a mercenary contract card. (NOTE: Replace XXXXX with a point value, usually half the build total. This wording was meant to be more explicit as some people got confused with the “units (only)” method.) NOTE: When requiring or banning units or setting faction purity requirements, be sensitive to newer players who may not have specific units (like Ares) or enough units for a Faction or House Alliance Pure battleforce.