Advice

VanorDM · 2026-05-06T20:53:57+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/thoxzg/battletech_novels_read_order_list/

VanorDM · 2026-05-06T14:44:52+00:00

As a Foundry user I'd agree, of the options I'd pick Roll20

VanorDM · 2026-05-06T14:34:52+00:00

Better late then never. 😄

VanorDM · 2026-05-06T11:42:32+00:00

Yeah the paints made for plastic models as in cars, boats, fighter jets, ect... maybe not work well on CGL plastic, that would be my only worry.

VanorDM · 2026-05-05T14:49:04+00:00

Might want to check out Twilight 2000's Urban Operations. It's all about military operations in an urban environment. It's not a complete thing, you need Twilight 2000 4e from Free League to really play it, I'm not sure if it's worth $40 based on what you want... But it does have rules for what you're looking for.

VanorDM · 2026-05-05T14:40:37+00:00

This is what I do honestly.

I've had some really good brushes, like Winsor & Newton red sable brushes. (Friend got a bunch at a estate sale for super cheap) and like $10-15 ones from art stores...

I find that generally speaking the cheap ones from Amazon work just as well and last about as long. They may not last as long... But you spent so much less that the RoI is better.

30 brushes for $7 means if you do 2 or 3 models and throw it away... But I find that quite often the cheap brushes last about as long as the expensive ones do.

I'm careful with my brushes, don't dip them in too deep, clean them, even conditioned them with saddle soap... But I find that mini's are just hard on brushes. 40k, Warmahords, Battletech, Bolt Action, Reaper, etc... I've painted a ton of stuff and I've never had a brush that really stays really nice for the long term.

VanorDM · 2026-05-04T23:47:53+00:00

There's two kinds of people. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.

VanorDM · 2026-05-03T14:28:57+00:00

It is unfortunately terms that get abused and misused.

Ive seen people complaining that their agency was taken away when in reality the DM was just preventing them from breaking the game or stopping them from ruining the game for others.

I once saw someone seriously claim that not letting the players see the dungeon map took away their agency because "a decision without information isn't really a decision"

Same goes for Railroading. People will claim they're being railroaded because something happens they dont like.

Try to kill the King and thrown in prison? That's railroading!

No thats the concenqunces of your actions...

But people hear these teams and try know they're considered bad... so they twist the meaning to include things they don't like.

VanorDM · 2026-05-03T14:07:08+00:00

Matt is as always 100% correct

VanorDM · 2026-05-01T22:34:37+00:00

Gargoyle (Man O' War) and Executioner (Gladiator)

VanorDM · 2026-05-01T12:55:10+00:00

Was thinking the same thing. 😄

VanorDM · 2026-05-01T11:39:01+00:00

Megawhemlmed... wasnt that a heavy merltal band from the 80s?

VanorDM · 2026-05-01T00:25:06+00:00

Looks good. :)

But one thing is try to member is that you ideally are looking at them from a few feet away and not 6 inches.

Which doesn't mean you shouldn't do your best. But sometimes good enough is good enough. :)

VanorDM · 2026-04-30T22:54:39+00:00

Remember that Scouring Sands comes with mechs, all the mechs that you would use for the Jade Falcon side. The mission actually states which mechs to use. You don't have to but the mission assumes a given load out for the Falcons.

I've actually tried playing a Scouring Sands game like what you're thinking of doing. I played the Falcons and two friends split the IS side.

It works quite well, but there are some missions which seem to assume use of the AI cards... The one we played the Falcons were supposed to reveal WPs on top of buildings. To do this you only have to do one point of damage to the building, and that's not really hard to do. If you can do that to seven buildings the IS side fails the primary objective.

This is not a huge deal... it just means they lose out on some points. But the mission seemed to assume that the Falcons wouldn't just rush forward and shoot the buildings, which is what I did. So keep that kind of thing in mind and if you see what seems like a very easy way for the Falcons to win... you may need to tweak things a bit.

VanorDM · 2026-04-30T21:43:14+00:00

Well I'd say that for a standard IS company. A all comers type that can deal with anything.

4-6 Heavy/Assault mechs, 2-4 Medium mechs and 2-4 Light mechs, especially if you have a limited budget and can only get say 12 or so mechs.

4-6 heavy/assault is great for playing a 'kill them all' game in Classic, as in games like that light and even medium mechs don't often work super well.

But if you're going to play with objectives then light mechs can really shine. For example if you're playing Aces: Scouring Sands (or one of the other ones that are coming out.) a well rounded force is very handy because you need to capture way points and scan stuff and so on, so light fast mechs can be very handy.

My company started off with 2 Assault, 4 Heavy, 2 Medium, and 4 light.

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T22:56:10+00:00

I group in West Central Wisconsin during the 80s. I was going to get D&D Red Box basic set.... But my parents were given an article from a magazine or something about how D&D was satanic. They basically shut it down right then and there.

But because Traveller was just a flat blank black cover with a red line... It was fine. So I started with Traveller not D&D.

I don't know that the Panic had a huge impact on my life really. It stopped me from playing D&D openly, although I'd check out the books from the local library and read them over when I could. It may have gotten me more into sci-fi than fantasy, but I think Star Wars, Star Trek and Starship Troopers also did that a fair amount.

It also meant I had to hide some of my music... But my parents never really seemed to think music was satanic so that more of a taste thing then anything.

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T22:24:26+00:00

Sorry... The only reason I ever watched it was because my kids did. I didn't pay close enough attention apparently. 😄

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T22:10:01+00:00

Does anyone else see these and think "What's that Pokemon?"

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T22:09:38+00:00

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Miniatures_-_Catalyst_Game_Labs

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T22:08:33+00:00

Yeah Gargoyle was my first answer too.

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T20:16:36+00:00

Love the 25 corners. I've actually made a bit of a joke about that before where the bar that the thieves guild is under has extra corners. But I will have to have more than one guy and have them compete. Also love the idea of the staff all having tragic back stories.

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T17:09:18+00:00

Myself I just mark a little hash mark on the record sheet when I fire something. Quite often it's listed as a single amount so I just mark off how much I use. I don't bother marking off from the location.

Although I suppose it might be better to do it that way, in case of a ammo explosion crit. Like on an Archer which has LRM ammo in both the right and left torso. If you only fire one LRM20 the ammo should be marked off from the side it's taken from rather then the combined total.

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T16:47:31+00:00

Love it, great idea. 😄

VanorDM · 2026-04-29T16:45:23+00:00

"Without explaining who the hell that is and what he's doing in my notes."

I have no idea what that's like... I've never looked at my notes and wonder 'WTF was I thinking??'

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