Introduction

Battletech Total War is a turn-based Play By E-mail (PBEM) war game. 

The Game

Players control one the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere, an Invading Clan or a Periphery Realm. You can research new technology, control the extent of your manufacturing capability, build armies, train spies and infiltration teams, attack your enemies, make treaties with others and engage in propaganda. You are responsible for your Nation�s rise to power.  

Player Nations

The GM assigns players to the Great Houses, Invading Clans and Kingdoms of the Inner Sphere on a first-come first-served basis.  Lack of response during the execution of the game by a player might constitute AWOL status. 

AWOL

AWOL stands for Absent Without Leave.  Players that do not turn in their Orders on time regularly or who refuse to obey the rules could be classed AWOL and removed from command of their nations. Barring extenuating circumstances on the part of the player the result might be a simple loss of turn rather than AWOL status.  

The Turn

The game progresses in �Turns�, each about one week. Players turn in their Orders on each Friday, before Midnight, Pacific Standard Time. The GM sends Turn Order sheets to Players each Tuesday, before Midnight, Pacific Standard Time.  

Disputes

All disputes of rules, game play and timing are decided by the Game Master with the understanding that player opinions will be taken into account.  If you miss the deadline for Turn 1 you will receive your Turn 1 income. Your Turn will be processed as Turn 2 if you wish to make no changes.  If you are a few hours late, send in your turn.  Under no circumstances will a Turn be processed if it is turned in on Tuesday (the day Turns are normally given back after being processed).  If you quit at any time the GM reserves the right to reassign your nation to another player, divide it among the nearby players or make it an NPC realm.  If it is divided the it will be split among the nations bordering you most likely. A 50% chance exists that a world will side with a Great House Next door or a 25% chance that it will side with a Lesser House. This applies if they share a border. If there is no shared border the planets go neutral.

What is Needed to Play

Join the Forum

You must join the ALPHA Forum ( http://houselords3025.proboards75.com/index.cgi, requires registering on the forum with a unique e-mail address you intend to use for game correspondence and a unique identifying name you will use throughout the game) to play the game. The forum is the nexus of activity outside the Turn Sheet.  

Use Microsoft Excel

An excel spreadsheet is used for the majority of the nuts and bolts of game play and data storage.  You must have access to Microsoft Excel or another spreadsheet program that does not break the spreadsheet when it is saved.  We cannot guarantee game play satisfaction if another spreadsheet is used and it breaks the Turn Sheet.  The GM will not spend extra time sending you a new sheet for each turn.

The BETA Forum

The BETA was held from approximately October through December of 2005.  What is left of the BETA forum can be found here: http://mechempires.proboards31.com.  We used the �battletechtotalwar� YAHOO group for file storage and you can find some of the oldest and simplest rules sets for the original game in the Files section of that Yahoo Group.

Pre-Game Actions

When a new game is set up each player decides which house they wish to control. Great Houses are occupied first. When all Great Houses are occupied the Periphery Kingdoms are occupied by willing players. If there are enough players to fill in all Great House and Kingdom slots the remainder will be assigned Clan, Mercenary or Pirate forces as they desire. All players must register on the ALPHA forum mentioned above. 

Pre-game Diplomacy

Assigned Players may engage in negotiations with one another before Turn One Order Sheets are sent out. There is a protocol for e-mail transmission regarding negotiations. You may conduct your diplomacy in the private forum for your faction or via e-mail. 

Diplomatic E-Mail Protocol

All messages exchanged must be Cc-ed to the GM. CC the messages to [email protected]

Role-Playing

The Federated Suns doesn�t have to be mortal enemies with the Draconis Combine. It is up to you to decide how to run your Great House or Kingdom. 

The First Turn

The Turn Sheet (an excel file) is mailed to your e-mail address (the one you registered with on the game forum). This is called the Turn Order. The Turn Sheet contains all information regarding the Player Nation. Players use the Turn Sheet to elaborate their desired actions and deliver them back to the GM. The Orders Sheet delivered to the GM is called the Turn Reply. The excel sheet sent by the GM is numbered (Turn 1 Orders, Turn 2 Orders, et cetera). This means that when you receive your Orders Sheet #7, you'll prepare your Turn Reply #7, and so on.

Elaborating Orders

Players must be careful about elaborating who, what, when and where in their orders. The GM will not play the game for the players. If a player issues an incorrect command, the GM will send an email to the player asking for them to elaborate if time allows. If time does not allow the GM will either ignore the order or carry out the order as the GM sees fit.

Turn E-Mail Protocol

The first type of subject line is used when you are sending in your turn reply and the second in any other player-to-player/player-to-GM messages. The following lines MUST be used in the subject field of your mails:

Your Nation's name / Turn Reply {#}- for sending the GM your Turn Sheet

Questions

Do not e-mail the GM to ask questions about the game, rules or things that can be properly addressed in the public or private boards on the ALPHA forum.  If you want to ask a private question please do it by Private Message on the ALPHA forum.

MILITARY UNITS

The players use military units (tanks, mechs and fighters to name a few) to hold and take planets.  Expanding your armies is a requirement if you do not wish to become the victim of an invasion.  

Star League Era Factories 

Star League Technology is the basis for Inner Sphere Technology (the technology that is left in the Inner Sphere as of 3025 is quite primitive compared to earlier Star League Tech) but superior to it because of the 300 year long civil war that has wracked the Inner Sphere causing a loss of intellectual and industrial capability.  Factories that use Star League Technology would be one of a kind finds in the Inner Sphere and no one starts with them in the game.

Inner Sphere Technology

The Inner Sphere has to research its way out of the hole it is in to match Clan Technical superiority.  Clan Technology is superior to most Star League technology bust is still based on Star League Technology.  This similarity in technology led to both societies using Battlemechs in their great war of 3049 and on.  

Clan Technology

Clan Battlemechs are considered to be Inner Sphere Tech Level 7 and Clan Tech Level 1 at the start of any game.  Inner Sphere Battlemechs are considered to be Inner Sphere Level 1.  

Military Unit Conventions

Inner Sphere forces use the following conventions:  Aerospace (or ASF) is organized in Squadrons of 6 fighters.  Up to 5 squadrons may belong to a single Wing.  The Wing is the largest named unit of ASF allowed in a force.  More than one Wing may fight together in a combat, of course.  Ground forces are organized into battalions of 36 mechs and vehicles.  There are many individual infantry in a battalion but their numbers are unimportant to the game mechanics.  Ground combat units (no matter their makeup) may have no more than 5 battalions assigned to them.

The Clan war machine is organized quite differently than that of the Inner Sphere, but there are similarities.  The largest unit is referred to as a Galaxy, which consists of 3 to 5 Clusters.  A cluster's composition depends on its component fighting units (Omni-Mechs, battlearmor, ASF, et cetera).  The clans could have a Cluster of ASF or a Cluster of Mechs, unlike the differentiation of Wing and Regiment in the Inner Sphere.  Units are built in clusters of 45 (Omni-Mechs, Omni-Vehicles, 2nd Line Mechs, Battlearmor) and 90 (OMNI-ASF).  For purposes of transport the Clans can split these units into smaller groupings (15 units is considered a trinary, 10 a star for ASF, 5 a star for everything else).

Inner Sphere Military Units

Inner Sphere ground Units are built in Battalions.  Though smaller groups exist, for the purposes of this game simulation and out own sanity we shall build Inner Sphere forces at the Battalion level.  An exception exists for ASF (Aerospace Forces) which are built at the Squadron level (6 planes).

*Cannot Land, Mechs must be ferried back up via smaller drop ships.

*Warships marked by an X in their Damage value have less than average anti-fighter cover.  Some ships have few Anti-ASF weapons but are primarily using ship to ship missiles as anti-fighter weapons and are, thus, not listed as sub par in anti-ASF combat. This X means their Anti-ASF attacks are capped at 25% of their attack damage for their anti-fighter attack.

* Warship damage is rolled for differently.  Roll d100.  The result is the % of total damage inflicted upon its enemies.

* Warship damage can be applied against up to three different vessels but not combined against a single target.  This represents weapons that cannot be brought to bear on the same target but can be fired against multiple targets.

* Warships can direct only 1 of their three attacks against enemy ASF and that attack is half-strength only.  Only ships with the AF designation have anti-fighter attack capability.  If the ship sis not AF capable they are vulnerable to ASF attack unless there is some other screening force available to protect them.  Only AF damage can be directed at ASF.

* Warship bombardment of a CITY causes population damage equal to 1/3rd of the Warships Damage value, reducing the planet's population and income in the process.  Bombardment can destroy up to 1 Factory complex per turn.

*Until Warship Technology is Researched (Level 7 Jumpship tech required) no Warship factories may be built.

*At 50% HP the ship becomes a Casualty, crippled and at half capacity in DS carrying capacity and Attack Value.  It must be repaired at a shipyard.

*Bombardment: up to three attacks may be directed at a planetary location or specific unit in on eof those locations per round.  Roll 1d100% to determine how much of the blast effects the targeted location or unit.  The WS is vulnerable to functional Planetary Defense systems.

*IS Players cannot make LAM Lines until the appropriate technology is researched (Mech 4 and ASF 4).

*Clan players that capture LAM lines are obliged to destroy them immediately (no conversions or storage of LAMs are allowed as the LAM is not a traditional Clan weapon) or suffer an honor loss per turn they keep the factories.

*IS Players cannot make Omni-Mechs until the appropriate technology is researched.

*BA and ABA are unavailable until a nation captures Clan Tech BA and then researches BA..

Clan Military Units

Clan Units are built in Clusters.  Though smaller groupings exist, for the purposes of this game simulation and our own sanity we shall build Clan forces at the Cluster level.  An exception exists for the ASF (Aerospace Forces) which are built at the Star level (10 planes).

*Elemental Marines represent the infantry assigned to the ship on a permanent basis and have no other function than defense of the ship.

*Warships marked by an X in their Damage value have less than average anti-fighter cover.  Some ships have few Anti-ASF weapons but are primarily using ship to ship missiles as anti-fighter weapons and are, thus, not listed as sub par in anti-ASF combat. This X means their Anti-ASF attacks are capped at 25% of their attack damage for their anti-fighter attack.

*The Clans benefit from the price reductions of Jumpship Tech Level 1-7 on the IS scale, making their ships cheaper to produce.

* Warship damage is rolled for differently.  Roll d100.  The result is the % of total damage inflicted upon its enemies.

* Warship damage can be applied against up to three different vessels but not combined against a single target.  This represents weapons that cannot be brought to bear on the same target but can be fired against multiple targets.

* Warships can direct only 1 of their three attacks against enemy ASF and that attack is half-strength only.  Only ships with the AF designation have anti-fighter attack capability.  If the ship sis not AF capable they are vulnerable to ASF attack unless there is some other screening force available to protect them.  Only AF damage can be directed at ASF.

* Warship bombardment causes population damage equal to 1/3rd of the Warships Damage value, reducing the planet's population and income in the process.  Bombardment can destroy up to 1 Factory complex per turn.

*Until Warship Technology is Researched (Level 7 Jumpship tech required) no Warship factories may be built.

*At 50% HP the ship becomes a Casualty, crippled and at half capacity in DS carrying capacity and Attack Value.  It must be repaired at a shipyard.

*Bombardment: up to three attacks may be directed at a planetary location or specific unit in one of those locations per round.  Roll 1d100% to determine how much of the blast effects the targeted location or unit.  The WS is vulnerable to functional Planetary Defense systems.

*Technology: Long Range Target Finders (adds +1 to attack this WS is involved in, max of +1 from this technology), ASF Target Finders (adds +1 attack this WS is involved in, max of +1 from this technology; ONLY versus ASF if this ship is making an anti-ASF attack), Efficient Crew & Automation (experienced crews add their HP/AV bonus to the ships Anti-Fighter attack value as a percentage (%), if any, meaning its a 1d100% + Crew % roll to see how much damage is done to fighters attacking the vessel), Hull Sealant (JS/DS/WS casualty at 30% Hull, not 50% Hull), Efficient Hull Design (doubles the integral ASF and Infantry Carrying capability of all JS/WS in the fleet).

*The Nightlord mech capacity is not a permanent force, it is a carrying capacity.

* Second Line Infantry in the Clan Touman are full of old warriors that have passed their prime.  As such, they are derided but heavily experienced survivors.  Their starting experience is Veteran.

* Advanced Elementals cannot be added until Inner Sphere nations adopt Battlearmor.

* Advanced Elementals are assigned only to proven warriors, their starting XP is Veteran.

Noting the Turn In Which the Unit was Created:

A (#)  to the right of the Unit Name indicates the unit was produced in Turn (#). Units made in turn 4 will have a (4) and so on.

Determining Attack Values:

The AV or Attack Value is a number assigned to an attacking and defending force.  The two are compared and the attacker is assigned odds: 1 to 1, 1 to 3 or 3 to 1, et cetera.  Using the combat results table the outcome of the battle is determined.

All ground units and ASF add together their damage and one half their HP to determine their Attack Value.

Dropships, Jumpships and Warships Attack values equal their damage rating only.

Experience

Each Unit is created with an experience level of Green.  With Training, at an Academy, and/or combat experience your units gain in experience and their capabilities increase.

          Experience Levels Damage and HP bonuses for each type of unit.

Jumpship and Warship XP

JS/DS capabilities (HP and Attack) do not increase with experienced crew.  Their permanent defensive forces, if any, do increase in ability (ASF and Jump Infantry or BA for Clan ships).

Integral Units, and AV

All Elemental (Clan), Marine (IS), and ASF listed for a JS or WS are considered integral and stay with the ship.  ASF are Assault ASF with proper HP and Damage characteristics.  Integral ASF take damage before the Jumpship / Warship they are stationed on takes damage.  JS and WS do not add half their HP to their Attack Value, only the Damage characteristic adds to their AV.  Any XP gained is allotted to the ship but represents ONLY the integral units assigned to the ship.  When integral troops are destroyed the Hp are considered part of the home ship and its effectiveness is reduced until it is 'repaired'.  This deduction will be made by the GM.

Dilution of Experienced Units with Green troops

The addition of a Green Battalion to an existing regiment affects the Experience of the unit.  The experience levels above have a dramatic effect on unit combat performance and morale. Elite troops inflict more damage, take more damage to render ineffective, and rarely surrender or break in combat. The opposite is true of Green troops that have little experience in the adversity of combat.

What if I have an elite, 3 battalion strength, Mech unit and want to increase its size? What happens to their overall experience level? Determine the overall experience level of a unit in the following manner:

Assign the proper number to each battalion in a unit. Add the numbers up. Divide by the number of battalions in the unit. The result is the experience level of the unit (always round up so 3.1 is 4 and 3 is 3)

Example:

Wolf's Dragoons, 1st Regiment is an Elite, 3 battalion, unit. They add a Veteran Mech battalion and are now a 3.75, rounded up, Elite unit. Adding another Veteran unit would drop their elite status to veteran.  I will work on, between turns 2 and 3, getting a system in place for keeping track of this so there is little confusion.

Experience Promotions and Tracking Experience

If a unit survives one combat it is promoted to regular from green, three combats make it veteran from regular and three from veteran to elite.  The stars next to a units name will indicate their battles.

-Green
*Regular
****Veteran
*******Elite

A combat will be defined as any engagement which a force/unit survives. The duration of a combat will roughly be defined as the time from which hostilities commence to the time where the enemy departs the field of battle or is completely destroyed (GM's discretion).

Individual Battalion/Cluster Experience Awards

Should a single battalion fight alone and survive, then return to its mother unit it will be awarded an X instead of a star (*). Three X's equal a *.

Loyalty

Units normally start out with a Loyalty Rating of Reliable.  If the factory world that creates the unit is anything less than Content they start with Questionable Loyalty.  Loyal factory worlds produce Fanatical troops.  Loyalty an also be affected by Academy training and the actions of their leader.  A leader that destroys all his factories and gives up during a game might experience a coup-detat before their self-destructive behavior causes too much damage to the nation they once led.

Soaking

Damage Soaking is a tangible result of the experience and devotion of a military unit. The more experienced and devoted a unit the more damage they can ignore per turn of combat at the battalion level.

Soak Factor Example: 

An Elite, Fanatical Assault Mech Regiment can soak, as a unit: 30 points assuming only 3 battalions in the Regiment.  Unless the attacking force can do more than 30 damage per turn the Elite Fanatical unit will take no damage and proceed to wipe the floor with them.

Order of Damage Depends on Soak Factor:

Damage is inflicted upon units according to their Soak Factor.  Units with a Soak of 1 are damaged before units with a Soak of 2 or 3.  Though an Elite Fanatical Assault Battalion has a Soak Factor of 10, it will take damage before the 5 battalion Fanatical Heavy Infantry Regiment, which has a Soak Factor of 15.

Combat Results Bonuses

Mech General Bonus (Galaxy Commander Bonus)

Inner Sphere Regiments are commanded by Colonels.  For every three regiments (a Brigade consists of 3 regiments or so) of mechs present in a battle the owning player, if they are the attacker, gains a +1 bonus to attack.  This bonus stacks with the Leader bonus.  The maximum Mech General Bonus is +3, and assumes 9 mech regiments are fighting together (Example: 1 general is +1, 4 generals is +2, and 7 generals is +3.).  A unit with 3 batts of mechs and two batts of some other unit that loses 1 mech batt in battle no longer has a general. 

The General bonus is only available if ALL the units counted towards the bonus are in the same planetary location (City, Base, Factory, Port). If the Generals are split between locations their bonuses are also split.  The Clans gain this bonus as well but it is referred to as a (Galaxy Commander Bonus) in reference to their military commander at the Brigade level.  This bonus is NOT available to Infantry, Vehicles or Aerospace of any kind.  If a general is assassinated their unit no longer gains the general bonus. In the next turn a promotion is made if they still have 3 or more batts/clusters in the same mech regiment.  Generals have no other use in the game and are never separate from their units (if you want to write propoganda they can be portrayed as you wish but for game purposes they are always with thei runits until they are killed or the unit is reduced to 2 batts, meaning they are killed).

Leader Bonus (Khan Bonus)

If you assign your leader to an attack add +2 to the Combat Results attack roll.  This bonus stacks with the Mech General Bonus.  If your leader's unit is destroyed in combat your leader is killed and your realm suffers as if the leader was Assassinated (a -2 penalty to all attack rolls for two turns thereafter).  Inner Sphere Leaders are limited to being effective in the Ground battle as there is a bias towards Battlemech use.  Clans can and do, in the case of the Snow Ravens, have ASF leaders that can gain their bonus to attack in space combat.  Only the Clans can gain a bonus for their Khan/Leader in space.  Leaders are the heart and soul of the Great Houses, Periphery Kingdoms and Clans. When a leader is present for combat they rally their troops and encourage them to greater feats of martial discipline.  

Leader Defensive Bonus

Leaders also bolster the actual defense of a world when they are present and it is under attack.  If a leader is on a world when it is under attack and does not flee, the attack roll of the invader is reduced by (1).

Clan Attack Bonus

Clan doctrine is not defensive.  They are at home attacking.  For every full galaxy (3 to 5 clusters) of troops (can be mixed but does not include ASF) attacking a target the Clan attacker gains an additional +1 bonus to the attack.  This stacks with the Khan and General bonuses and is not limited.

Fighting Defensive

If you are under Siege and fighting defensively this means your forces use the available defensive planetary structures (PD levels) to reduce the effectiveness of the enemy attack.  The PD level of the planet is SUBTRACTED from the attack bonus of the attacker.  This CAN result in a NEGATIVE attack bonus, putting the attacker in a very dangerous position.  An E result for the attacker is ignored, instead resulting in 20% damage, not complete elimination of the attacking force.  P results are IGNORED but reduce the PD of the planet by 1.  

Deploying Captured Mechs

It is presumed that if a mech regiment or more is captured the soldiers trained in their use are not allowed near them. Instead a capturing force can put their infantry into the mechs to take them away in the next turn or press them into combat at half HP and Damage Power.

Clans do not gather salvage in this way.  See the Clan Bondsmen, later in this rules set, description for how the Clans deploy captured people and materiel.

Maintenance

Fielding a massive army is expensive.  Massive armies of battlemechs are maintained with spare parts, crew salaries, billeting costs, ammunition and the cost of feeding the techs.  The following chart indicates a cost per Battalion to maintain a unit.  If this cost is not paid the unit will rebel, sooner or later.  In game terms the units loyalty drops a rank permanently for each turn their maintenance is not paid.

*Warship maintenance is determined by size (ships that take 1 PTurn to build cost 100 credits per turn, 2 PTurn build time ships cost 200 and so on).

*Dropship maintenance is dependant on how many can be built per turn, smaller = more built per turn.  Small DS pay 5 (they are small if the line builds 3 or more per turn), medium is 2 per turn and pays 10.  Large is 1 per turn or worse and pays 15 maintenance per turn.

Military Jumpship/Warship Movement

Use the MOVEMENT page to indicate which Jumpships, Dropships and Warships are in particular fleets.  You can indicate which troops are on which Dropships on the same page.  

Civilian Transport Movement

Within your own realm you may pay to have civilian transports ferry troops from one world to another. A single jump costs 50 credits per battalion. Command circuits moving battalions from one world to a world more than 1 jump away cost 100 credits per battalion per jump.  Clans do NOT use Civ Transport.

If the spaceport of a world is held by the enemy you may not use Civilian Transport to drop them on that world. You must make an opposed landing with your own transport.

If the jump points (Nadir and Zenith) of the system are held by an enemy Civilian Transport will not enter the system, dropping your units off at the nearest friendly system without a refund of the transport fee.  Civ Transport will never use a Pirate Point to transport your cargo/troops.

If even one jump point remains open and the spaceport is not held by the enemy the defending player may civ transport units to the world. Civ Transport will never use a Pirate Point to transport your cargo/troops.

Leaders can be transported by Command Jumpship Circuit within your own borders. The cost is 25 credits per Leader per system jumped in the circuit. 

You can transport your troops outside your own realm using civilian transport ONLY in the event you possess a MILITARY ALLIANCE with the realm whos territory you wish to travel through.

A unit may NOT be CIV Transported the same turn it is produced.

Dropships may be transported via Civilian Transport. Enter 1 Battalion as # of Batts transported. They may be moved via command circuit or standard jumps. Note that this is very cheap transport across a realm for larger dropships because they CAN carry military units inside them when they are moved. This rule is added to further ease the transport problems some realms face that make the game slower. 

In one game/combat turn you can:  1. Move my own DS on a command circuit to a system bordering an enemy.  2. Rent DS/JS in that border system to take those transported units into the enemy territory as the last leg of their command circuit.

Hiring MERCs

The Mercenary Hiring Hall (on the MARKET page) is a bidding war between you and any other Houses that choose to bid for the unit.  The bid cost is a one time fee.  The winning nation must then pay the Mercenary unit's maintenance costs, which can be quite high and are, in fact, their salary.  Mercenaries are hired for a minimum of 5 turns.   Their dropships and jumpships can be used by your realm to do things while the mercs are on-planet or in combat.  Mercenaries stay on after the five turn contract time if the hiring realm does not 'let their contract go' by firing them and they have had no disputes with their employers.

Mercenaries can choose to leave a realm at ANY time after their minimum contract time is up. their DS and JS go with them. Realms refusing to let them go must face the Mercenary Binding and Review Commission and other pissed off Mercenaries.

MERC Placement

Indicate in your enumerated orders page where you want to place the unit(s).  Any non-threatened world in your realm is a legal placement area.  They arrive at the spaceport and can be shipped off one jump away if you want them to immediately attack an opponent one jump away (assuming they have transport or you can provide transport).  To make this simple you can place mercenaries on any world you own that is NOT threatened by another power. Threatened means that NO other enemy units are in the planetary system. Enemy dropships and jumpships count.

MERC Capitulation

If Mercenaries take more than 25% of their hit points in casualties in a single round of combat there is a 25% cumulative chance they will surrender to preserve their lives.  If this happens they give their parole and leave the battlefield for Terra to recuperate and hire themselves out again.  Capitulation is not considered 'breaking' a contract and there are no repercussions for the Mercs if they give up after being thrashed in combat.  Once a Mercenary unit gives their parole they are to be allowed to leave the battlefield. Seizure of their equipment and/or transport can result in Comstar MRBC Sanctions and perhaps a complete ban on the House responsible.

Swapping Units/Equipment With MERCS

No jumpship, dropship or military unit swaps of equipment with mercs is permitted.

Expanding a MERC Unit

If you have a contract with a mercenary unit you may help them expand their forces by 'giving' them production.  New Mercenary units created this way are completely under the control of the Mercenary commander and may leave, per Merc rules, when they desire.  New merc units created with 'given' equipment inherit the Loyalty of their parent unit and have one level less the experience of their parent unit.  You still pay the same amount to rent the expanded merc units but when they leave your employ they will, of course, charge more as a cohesive force, to rent themselves out.

The Black Market, a.k.a. the Open Market

Anything can be sold here to anyone no treaties required. A 20% markup, or fee, is charged (added to the price) for the transport and sale of the item.  The item is delivered to your home world the turn after you pay for it.  Jumpships and Warships CANNOT be sold via the black market.

Found on the Markets page you can simply list the item you want to sell, and deduct it from your other sheets.  You name the price and the Black Market adds its fee. You can target the item to specific kingdoms or to anyone by naming you desired client. The Black market does all the middle work, like avoiding the authorities of enemy nations when they transport it across borders.  A Factory is not movable though the Lines within it are, and can, thus, be sold.

A combat unit may NOT be sold via the black market in the same turn it is produced.  A nation may sell an entire production line on the black market if they choose to, at any time. It may be offered to a single state or to all states for bidding (whomever offers more gets it).

Because your people are uneasy with being defenseless and out of work you may not sell more than any two production lines per turn.  

Jumpships are NOT transferable through the Black Market, only through trade treaty partner agreements. The ship in question must be 'shipped' by single jumps to a world of the buyer through 'friendly' territory.

COMBAT

Order of Battle 

Who fights First in multi-army contests?  What happens when more then two nations send troops to fight at the same place at the same time?  What about...multi-nation coalitions fighting a common foe or the possible, yet odd circumstance of a three or more sided fight, all fighting each other for the same real estate.  Forces arrival times make a difference. The GM really has to determine who gets where first and who contacts who first. If no standing orders from a nation indicate otherwise the GM is free to determine order of contact.

Also, consider this: the GM is processing Turns as they come to him. If, on Friday, the FedSuns Turn is received first, their orders and movements are considered first if there is a question as to when forces contact one another.  As Orders are to be turned in on Friday and not before, those orders turned in early are considered last for the purposes of combat contact times.

Planetary Assaults

A Planetary Assault is an attack set up to take a world from an enemy.  To control a world a House Lord must control a certain number of locations on that world:  2 of 3 for non-factory worlds and 3 of 4 for factory worlds.  To attack a world to make a planetary assault the attacker must either control a world bordering the target planet or must control the jump points (all of them, including the Pirate Point in the Alpha game) of an enemy system bordering the target planet.  If the attacker should lose control of the planet bordering the target planet or lose control of even one jump point (an enemy breakthrough and destruction of your blockading forces at a jump point indicates a loss of control) in a blockaded enemy system used as a bordering planet for purposes of the assault, the Planetary Assault is considered a Deep Raid until the blockade is re-established or the attacker withdraws forces (you cannot control the planet if the blockade of an enemy system is broken, even if the enemy player on the target planet has control over only a single facility).

Controlling Jump Points (the Blockade)

Sometimes the best way to keep a planet is to prevent anyone from landing troops.  To control a jump point you station at least one drop ship there that can carry ASF. Assign an ASF squadron to the Dropship and keep it listed on the Movement page.  If any enemy force jumps in there at whichever point (Pirate, Z or N) you control your ASF presence forces an immediate combat.  You can also station jump troops out there (on a DS and/or JS/WS) to take advantage of the presence of any vulnerable ships that are part of a force you engage in combat.

The Avenger and Achilles assault dropships can blockade BUT if they have no integral troops or ASF they may NOT capture vessels passing the jump point, only attack.  In the case of a jumpship, attacking it is a violation of the ARES conventions and not allowed, thus, if a jumpship does not drop its DS in the system and it is attacked it is also a violation.  Be careful how you order your assault DS-only blockade forces to deal with passers by.

Pirate Jump Point Risk

Clan navigators use them without difficulty. IS Navigators face a chance of complete loss of the ship, crew, drop ships, and cargo when using one (about 5% per jump per jump ship). There is one (1) pirate point per system near the planet. It can be blockaded as a normal jump point. Civilian Transport will NOT use pirate points to circumvent a blockade.  Certain technological research can eliminate this risk.

Advantage of a Pirate Point insertion of forces:

Suprise.  You gain a +1 on any attack or RAID attempted in the Turn your ship arrives at a Pirate point.

Controlling Planets

An attacker controls a planet, and becomes the defender, when the attacker is in possession of 2/3rds of the planet's facilities (CITY, BASE, PORT, FACTORY).

Taking a Jumpship, Dropship or Warship

How do you take a jumpship or DS in Space?  Standard, motorized and Heavy infantry are not allowed in space combat, only JUMP infantry. Jump infantry are the only ones with zero-g training.  That said, you must have Jumpship(s) and/or dropship(s) at the same jump point and the enemy must nor be able to run away. If they can run away (jump out) then it is unlikely you will be able to target more than one of their vessels before their fleet leaves the jump point.  Once you have this scenario it is possible to attack and take the enemy DS or JS, depending on your orders and whether or not you are at war with another nation.

The size of a Regiment

Standard regiments consist of 3 Battalions of troops. You may have up to 5 Battalions of troops in a regiment. A regiment can also consist of less than 3 battalions as in the case of new units cobbled together or damaged units before they are repaired or split off to reinforce other units.  This can be especially important when the IS fights the Clans. Technically they have little means to determine just how big a 'regiment' really is as their INTEL apparatus is minor compared to that of the Inner Sphere Houses. Remember to use this to your advantage.

Ground Movement

Any unit on-planet can be re-deployed to any other on-planet location between turns with no cost whatsoever when you fill out your Turn sheets.  Units appearing at a factory (on the game turn after a production turn) may NOT move from the factory in the turn they appear.  They must stay there and can be moved in the next game turn.  

Raids and Deep Raids

*Fill out the RAID page to submit a RAID order.  RAIDs are carried out on a per Game Turn basis, occurring entirely within that given turn.  The RAIDing unit, if it survives, returns to its starting location on the end of the next turn.

Nations sometimes choose to engage in low-level warfare with their neighbors. The objective of a raid is not to take the planet but to steal or disrupt the products, population, economy, et cetera. In the game Raids are not permitted to be turned into Planetary Assaults, even if the defending player has NO troops on the planet at all.  This would not stop a force from a RAID from staying until a Planetary Assault force arrived.  

A main reason raids are a desirable activity is that the element of surprise is usually with the RAIDing force, allowing them to achieve 1 to 1 odds in attacks, even if they are badly outnumbered.  Combined with the +1 attack bonus for a Pirate Point attack (in the turn of the forces arrival only), RAIDS can be especially deadly.

Raids sent 'within' a nation, not to a border world, are Deep Raids. Deep Raids do the same thing as normal raids though they are less effective because the Raiding party is out of contact and out of supply.  Deep Raids are 5% more likely to fail.

If a raid fails the raiders must FIGHT their way to safety. This usually does not end well for raiders.  Since a RAID designates a specific location to attack any units there may defend against the raid but the odds are always 1 to 1 for the attacking player.  

Raids require a minimum of 1 battalion that can land on a planet and fight, excluding aerospace fighters.  ASF can be vital to an attacker if they wish to blow through a defensive force but RIADS are carried out with as much stealth as possible and ASF can be detrimental to the success f a planetary RAID. For every battalion added to the raid the chance of success increases by 5%. Raids cannot have more than 5 battalions assigned to the landing force. Aerospace forces can accompany the raid to fight off defensive aerospace at the planet or jump points but have NO bearing on whether or not the raid is successful.

Infantry are not capable of the lightning raids vehicles and mechs are. Raids consisting of more than 1 infantry battalion have their base chance of success reduced by HALF.

Raids consisting of only battlemechs are more likely to succeed, add 5% to the base chance of success.

The only limit to the number of battalions you can assign to a single raid is the number of JS/DS transports you have to make the raid.

The Clans and Raids:

Clan RAIDS are not necessarily un-stealthy.  If a Clan sees the need to RAID they do and simply use a pre-emptive batchall.  At the sacrifice of a little honor they can perform most of the same functions a IS power can with a RAID.

Types of Raids:

Smash and Grab
Production is stolen from the planet. Planets with factories yield units if they are being used to make something that turn. Otherwise money is stolen: 100 credits per battalion is recovered. If the raid is discovered and the raiders manage to fight their way out they recover only 100 credits per 'surviving' battalion. Base chance of success: 30%

Economic Disruption
Monetary production of planet is reduced, reducing the base income of the defender if the raid succeeds.  Base chance of success: 20% (Clan players suffer an honor loss as if they lost a battle when using this tactic no matter the outcome).  ASF can be added (by squadron instead of battalion) in the force to accomplish this mission, to a standard maximum of five batts/squadrons.

PD Reduction
A small chance that the Planetary Defenses of a target world will be reduced by one level! Base chance of success: 5%  ASF can be added (by squadron instead of battalion) in the force to accomplish this mission, to a standard maximum of five batts/squadrons.

Technology Grab
Minor chance of stealing technology from the defending player's LAB, on his homeworld. This means Tech raids are Deep Raids, and more difficult to accomplish. Base chance of success: 5%

INTEL Raid
Can be performed on any planet. Allows the raiding player a chance (40%) to steal information related to treaties/agreements signed in secret on the planet (includes top secret deals). Base chance of success: 20% 

Headhunting Raid
An assassination attempt that can be carried out against generals, governors, national leaders, foreign ambassadors. In the case of a nation's leader they must be present on the planet RAIDed or the RAID automatically fails.  Base chance of success: 15%  ASF can be added (by squadron instead of battalion) in the force to accomplish this mission, to a standard maximum of five batts/squadrons.

Some Q&A On RAIDing:

Does RAIDing an ally break treaties?

If you are caught the answer is: yes it can. It is up to the party being raided. They might detect the raid and choose not to react, allowing your troops to complete the raid. If you fake the raid being from another House (on the RAID page this is an option) they might NOT know it was you.  If you want to risk good relations with a nation that is not aggressive with you that is your business.  

Can I pay to make it look like someone else is responsible for a raid my troops perform?
I'll say you do not have to pay for that as it is not within the realm of what 'counterintelligence' is in the game.  It is assumed that the whole operation will be run such that your teams intent is to make it look like someone else performed the raid in the first place. Just pick a faction or fake pirate name or mercenary unit name et cetera. This will be easier to do in the future as space will be made in the attack page to indicate your choices as far as framing another faction.  A 'Framing' Drop-Box is now added to the New RAID page so you can do this with a single selection (make it look like someone else did it).

The Turn Sheet

The Turn

  Game Turn

    A Game Turn is one week in game time.  It is also referred to as a combat turn.

  Production Turn

    The first turn and every 4th Turn is a Production Turn.  During production Turns a nation may build combat units.  Some INTEL missions take four Game Turns to accomplish and must be started on a Production Turn.

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Naming your Troops:

In the interest of making battles seem interesting when they are reported regiments need to be named.  If a regiment is not appropriately named a penalty will be assessed to the defender or attacker, whichever has inappropriately named units.  It is inappropriate to name a unit: MECH UNIT 1.  It is appropriate to name a unit: Kelley's Chasseurs or the 5th Dieron Light Horse.  It is up to the GM to assess the penalty but a negative attack modifier is a possibility.

Types of Combat

Jump Point Combat  (JS/DS/ASF/Inf: Jump)
Jump points come in two varieties: Standard and Non-Standard (or Pirate Points). Ships that transport dropships and the combatants they can hold can arrive at the same point in space in roughly the same time frame. Damage to Jumpships is considered a crime eve the Inner Sphere Houses would band together to punish. Dropships are more expendable and thus, can be used in combat. When two or more groups of hostile forces arrive (hostile is defined as any units belonging to any factions that do not have a Non-Agression Treaty with one another) at the same point in space in the same time frame combat results IF the following conditions are true:

1. Standing orders are to attack hostile forces a jump points. This is the default. Nations that do not want to automatically attack say so in their order enumeration each turn (will be added later to the turn sheets).
2. Units CAPABLE of attacking the opposing forces are available to one or both of the hostile groups of units. 

Example:

DC forces of 1 Merchant and its two overlord Dropships jump into a system at the Zenith Standard Jump Point. Already there is a Lyran Commonwealth attack force ready to assault the planet in the same system (consisting of a Monolith and 9 Union Dropships).

Assuming their standard orders do not include fleeing from combat to the planet so they can disembark their troops:

If either force has ASF they will attack one another's dropships, leaving the jumpships alone.

If either force has Jump Infantry on one of their dropships they will attempt to board the enemy Jumpships and take them.

If neither force is tasked with fighting and is ordered to flee combat to land their carried forces no combat occurs and the dropship forces head in-system.

If the Jumpships are left by themselves and BOTH have ASF assigned to them they will attack one another's ASF until one achieves space superiority, never attacking the opposing Jumpship. If one Jumpship's standing orders are to keep its fighters docked then no combat will occur unless some threat (like a enemy dropship trying to dock) obviously requires the fighters to launch.

Planetary Defenses and Combat

PD should be more than just a few added hit points to defending units. What a pain in the ass to administer as GM. When I think of defensive structures and militia ready to do me harm as i'm dropping in from the stratosphere my sphincter tightens. You should be afraid of a heavily defended planet and here is my idea:

This makes those agents/teams capable of defeating planetary defenses all the more valuable and worth while.

Planetary Defenses

Starting Values:

Cost: 5,000 per level

Capital: PD2
Factory World: PD1
All other Worlds: PD0

Level 1

Major cities and industry are protected by massive bunker and anti-air defenses. Defenders soak 10 damage per combat turn. Defenders of Planets without this level of Protection do NOT gain the 50% casualty reduction mentioned in the Combat Result Table. Attackers take +10 damage to aerospace forces in Interface Phase of combat and any aerospace or ground combat involving the planet's Spaceport, Military Base and Factories until Defenders of those facilities are eliminated.

Level 2

Forts and supply depots dot the countryside. Combat satellites ring the planet. Manned and automated Anti-Air defensive grids blanket the land between cities and factories. Attackers take +15 damage to aerospace forces in Interface Phase of combat and any aerospace or ground combat involving the planet's Spaceport, Military Base and Factories until Defenders of those facilities are eliminated. Defending forces soak 15 damage per combat turn.

Level 3

Minor Castles Brian and supply depots are hidden across the planet, even in remote areas. Combat satellites ring the planet and nearby space. Manned and automated Anti-Air defensive grids blanket the land between cities and factories. Attackers take +30 damage to aerospace forces in Interface Phase of combat and any aerospace or ground combat involving the planet's Spaceport, Military Base and Factories until Defenders of those facilities are eliminated. Defending forces soak 30 damage per combat turn. Defender may choose to concentrate aerospace interface damage on single dropships of their choice. Defending aerospace fighters, if used in a ground attack role exclusively, are adequately supplied with heavy bombs and guided munitions, increasing their Attack strength by 2 points per squadron.

Level 4

Several urban and military base Castles Brian linked in a planet-wide grid of anti-air and automated anti-mech/tank suppression systems. Attackers take +45 damage to aerospace forces in Interface Phase of combat and any aerospace or ground combat involving the planet's Spaceport, Military Base and Factories until Defenders of those facilities are eliminated. Defending forces soak 45 damage per combat turn. Defender may choose to concentrate aerospace interface damage on single dropships of their choice. Urban combat allows Defending infantry to soak individually (as battalions) an extra 5 damage per combat turn. Defending aerospace fighters, if used in a ground attack role exclusively, are adequately supplied with heavy bombs and guided munitions, increasing their Attack strength by 5 points per squadron.

Level 5

Massive Castles Brian present in every major urban area. Battle sattelites ring the planet, threatening incoming and ground-based invaders. Incredibly sophisticated anti-air systems across the planet and in space. Tachyon detection net allows immediate response to incoming enemy forces using pirate point attacks to gain suprise. Attackers take +75 damage to aerospace forces in Interface Phase of combat and any aerospace or ground combat involving the planet's Spaceport, Military Base and Factories until Defenders of those facilities are eliminated. Defending forces soak 75 damage per combat turn. Defender may choose to concentrate aerospace interface damage on single dropships of their choice or divide it as they see fit upon dropships of their choice. Defenders have such good control over the battlespace that individual command dropships can be identified and attacked, putting attacking leaders at risk. Urban combat allows Defending infantry to soak individually (as battalions) an extra 7 damage per combat turn. Defending aerospace fighters, if used in a ground attack role exclusively, are adequately supplied with heavy bombs and guided munitions, increasing their Attack strength by 7 points per squadron.

Clan Politics, Honor, the Batchall, and Trials

Battle takes place for many reasons between Clans. Usually it comes down to merely having something another Clan wants. Whether it is an enclave, an object, the use of a bloodname or a warship, or honor. Clans very seldom have full-fledged wars to the death between each other. No Clan can eliminate another Clan without permission from the Grand Council. To reflect this no Clans Capital Enclave can be attacked except during a Trial of absorption or Annihilation. If there are any doubts that you are about to attack a Clans Capital enclave check their personal board to see the Enclaves they own. Even an unintentional Trial of Possession of a Clan�s Capital Enclave can cause a loss of Honor. 

The Batchall

The batchall is the ritual by which Clan warriors issue challenges and must be respected above all else. Though the challenge may take many forms, in most cases the batchall begins with the attacker identifying himself, announcing the objective of the trial and requesting to know what forces stand against him. The defender must reveal the forces they intend to use in the trial, and also may choose the site of the battle (Surface battle or Space Battle). They can use any size force they wish no matter how large or small. The defender also has the right to ask the attacker to ante up a prize of equal value against the possibility the defender wins the trial, though the challenged party rarely takes advantage of this opportunity. 

Batchall Announcement
When making a batchall these are the options of the attacker:
1- Standard batchall: The attacker states the objective of the trial and wait for the defender to announce the forces he will use and where the battle will take place. Defender can ask for a prize of equal value but will lose some Honor points. The Attacker then decides what force he will use.
2- Pre-emptive Batchall: The attacker states the objective of the trial and announces what forces he will use, but will lose some Honor points. Then the defender cannot claim a prize and the attacker must announce the site of the battle. The defender can then choose his forces without the attacker knowledge.

When announcing forces (both side)

When each side must announce what forces they are using. They must provide the following information:
1 - The name of the units
2 - The size of the unit that will participate. EG Cluster or Trinary.
3 - Weights of the Unit, Assault, Heavy, Medium, Light. 

CLAN HONOR
The Clans are a proud and follow a certain code of honor. Each Clan will have a Clan Honor Rating. This rating represents how well the Clan is following the teaching of the Great Founder. The Rating will be made public each week. The 5 Clans with the highest honor will be sent to invade the InnerSphere.

Calculation
Clan Honor is calculated by adding several factors together and then modifying these as the game progresses. The following table gives the points value for each item or situation. As can be seen it is harder to gain Honor than it is to lose it.

The Enemy Clan

Note: Each Clan can have 1 enemy Clan that they do not have to honor the ritual of Batchall with. You can declare an enemy before the game begins or after, your choice. The clan who has been declared an enemy does not have to declare you an enemy to ignore the Batchall. If you decide to make another Clan your primary enemy the old enemy does not go away and can still ignore the Batchall with you unless some accord is reached.

Starting Honor Level 

All clans will start with 50 Honor Points. If the clan ever reaches 0 or below Honor point the clan can be declared Dezgra and can be absorbed or annihilated by the other clans.

CLAN POLITICS
This is where all the role-play occurs in the game. Players are free to role-play their Khan as they wish as long as they follow the clan honor system.  Clan Politics must play out in the Clan Chatterweb (an official forum where only registered Clan players participate in discussions).

GRAND COUNCIL
The Grand Council is where the political wars of the Clans take place. The Grand Council is held in the Hall of Khans. The Grand Council's area of responsibility is all matters that affect the Clans as a whole. It is little say in internal clan matters. Grand Council will be held via email. Each Khan gets one vote. The GM will act as the Loremaster. His duties are to keep the Council ordered and call votes.


TRIALS

TRIAL OF POSSESSION
A Trial of Possession can be called when a clan decides to take another clan's asset(s). Assets are: units, enclave, Genetic material and new technology. When declaring a Trial of Possession the khan must announce it to the opposing Khan, declaring what Cluster or Clusters are there to carry it out and ask with what forces he will defend his assets. The defending Khan must specify the number of clusters he will defend with and at least what Galaxy they are from, or lose honor. The attacking Khan will then select the cluster he will use in his attack. Then a battle will take place.

TRIAL OF REFUSAL
When a clan disagrees with a decision of the Grand Council they can declare a Trial of Refusal (with the exception of a Trial of Absorbtion). When a Trial of Refusal is declared the Clan must also announce the force it will use in the trial. The opposing force number will be the odds of the vote. Example- Let's say that the vote was 10-5; the clan will have to defend against double its forces. After the challenger choose his forces, bidding begins between the clans who voted against that clan side, to see who will have the honor to fight the challenging clan. If the challenger wins the trial the decision is reversed and cannot be challenged again. If the challenger loses, then the decision stands. For the purpose of this trial each side can choose any unit it wants to and will not have to transport it to the location. It will be done automatically for expediency.

TRIAL OF ABSORPTION
When a clan is deemed weak (0 or less honor) or has strayed from the Way of the Clans (deliberate trade or treaty with non-Clans like IS nations or the bandit caste, ignoring CLan Ritual and Zelbrigen), a Trial of Absorption can be called for by another Clan. To be effective the vote must be a unanimity (except the clan being absorbed) of participating Clan players. If no clan as a very good reason to be chosen to absorb the clan, (the Wolf with the Widow Makers: the WM killed the ilKhan who was Wolf) then the other clans can bid for the honor. The clan being absorbed cannot ask for a Trial of Refusal.

TRIAL OF ANNIHILATION
This trial is the worst form of punishment. This can be invoked when a clan has committed a crime that affects the clans as a whole or reaches 0 or below Honor and is declared Dezgra. The vote of active Clans must be unanimous (except the clan on trial).  No clan with at least one honor point can be declared Dezgra and destroyed by vote of the council.  

Clan Bloodnames

A point of honor and a means to creating greater and greater warrior generations, Bloodnames are the life of a Clan.  If they lose theirs they die as a Clan.  Each Clan starts with six bloodnames.  The genetic repository, a location on the clan's chosen homeworld, holds these bloodnames.  They may be the target of a Trial of Possession but only one at a time.  Once an attacker fails or takes another be from a Clan they must leave the world of the genetic repository.  If a Clan loses all its bloodnames it ceases to be capable of creating anything but second line troops until it claims at least one other bloodline from a rival clan.  

The ilKhan

The last ilKhan was a Kerensky.  After his death the ilKhanship passed to leaders chosen by the Clan Council in times of great need for unity, otherwise the post falls into disuse as no Clan wants to allow a permanent ilKhan other than their own leaders.  During the Invasion of the Inner Sphere the Clans must choose an ilKhan.  The ilKhanship carries great responsibility and great reward.  For every victory the ilKhan's Clan achieves they receive a +1 bonus to their honor award.  For every defeat an extra -1 penalty to their honor.  The income of the ilKhan's Clan is increased by 2500 Requisition Points while he lives and remains ilKhan by the ascent of the Clan Council.  At any time a majority vote of the Council can strip the ilKhanship from the Clan that has it but a new ilKhan must be appointed during the next production turn.  While this political process of choosing a new ilKhan carries on no aggressive military action is possible with front-line units as their leaders are away voting.  Second line units can counter attack or attack but front-line units must remain static and defensive.  

The ilClan

If a Clan takes Terra during the game that Clan, that can lay claim to all the locations of Terra, becomes the ilClan forever (or until they are destroyed) and keeps the ilKhanship and its bonuses for themselves as long as they hold holy Terra.  It is the ultimate goal of the Invading Clans to take Terra and use it as a base to reform the Star League by force.

Bondsmen

For every Regiment (3 Battalions or more) of Inner Sphere troops destroyed the Clan player captures Bondsmen and Salvage Points (as determined by the GM).  A 'Tally' of Salvage Points is kept track of on the Clan Summary sheet.  At a certain point the Clan player may turn this 'factor' in for new 2nd Line units for immediate placement.  Essentially the Clans are indoctrinating enemy warriors.  The ones they can trust are put to work and the Clan is strengthened.  

Clan players can only deploy captured materiel as a Bondsmen Force bought with Honor Points.  They cannot simply dump infantry into mechs to deploy them.  The captured units go into a pool from which the Clan can buy 2nd Line Bondsmen units.  The Clan player can choose, during any game/combat turn, to turn in salvage pool points and Honor Points to immediately gain a bondsman unit.  When created the unit's loyalty is Questionable, their Experience is Regular and a B is appended to its 'Turn Creation' number.  Example:  the Clan Snow Raven turns in 3 Honor and 80 salvage points during their Turn 3.  In Turn 3 they deduct the points and place a new Regular Questionable Heavy Battlemech Cluster on a world of their choice that is not blockaded (the world can be under attack or one or more of the Locations can be held by an enemy - in which case the new unit must be deployed to a 'safe' location first).  The cluster is called the 'Stooping Eagles 5th Cluster (B3), where the (B#) indicates it is a bondsman unit created in Turn 3.  The clan player can, in subsequent production turns, spend Honor points to increase the loyalty of their Bondsman units.

Clan Bondsmen Units

Standard Infantry, 2nd Line: -1/4 Honor Points Per Cluster, 5 Salvage Points

Motorized Infantry, 2nd Line: -1/2 Honor Points Per Cluster, 10 Salvage Points

Light Mech, 2nd Line: -1 Honor Points Per Cluster, 20 Salvage Points

Medium Mech, 2nd Line: -2 Honor Points Per Cluster, 40 Salvage Points

Heavy Mech, 2nd Line: -3 Honor Points Per Cluster, 80 Salvage Points

Assault Mech, 2nd Line: -4 Honor Points Per Cluster, 120 Salvage Points

Bondsman loyalty starts at Questionable but may be raised by spending Honor Points (see the chart above).

Clan Income

Clan Income comes in two forms (three if you are Clan Diamond Shark).  First is home world income, which is totally dependent on a Clan's standing among the Clans or their Honor rating.  Second is income from any non-Home world planets.  Third, if you are the DS, is Trade Income, as they are the only Clan that can trade with non-Clans (with the exception of the Bandit Caste) by engaging in TA$.  Also, the chosen ilKhan receives an extra 2500 requisition points per turn.  

Factories allow a nation/Clan to build military units with which they can defend themselves and attack others.  Factories are enormous shells within which production Lines are housed. The factory represents infrastructure. The Line represents the manufacturing machinery that uses the infrastructure to function.  Most factories in the Inner Sphere represent the remnants of some of the manufacturing capacity of the old Star League.

The list of Combat Units in this rules sheet fully discloses how much a 'factory' and a 'line' costs. A factory is the shell within which several 'lines' are housed.  A 'line' is a dedicated production line in the factory that makes a single type of unit.

Capacity or Level/Class:

Factories are rated Class 1, Class 3 and Class 5.  Class 1 factories have a max of 1 line.  Class 3 factories have a max of 3 lines and Class 5's a max of 5 lines.   

Upgrading a Factory Class Level:

Once the factory is built (completed), you may then upgrade, not in the same turn it is built.  If the factory was captured then no upgrades may be made until the production turn after one side or the other controls the planet (owns 2 of 3 or 3 of 4 planet facilities, max of 5 if orbital facilities are present).  You may not skip upgrades, from Class 1 to Class 5, it must be Class 1, then Class 1 to 3 in the next production turn, then class 3 to 5 in the next..  

Building a factory from scratch:

Building a factory takes 1 production turn or 4 game/combat turns.  If your order to build comes in turn 1 then the factory is ready in turn 4, if it comes in turn 4 it is ready in turn 8 and so on.  The FULL price of creating a factory must be paid UP FRONT, it may not be split between game turns or paid in installments.  Scratch-built factories come with NO 'line' already built, a 'line' must be built later or during the factory construction process.

Building 'Lines'

Lines take a full production turn to complete and may take orders as soon as they are ready.  They may be built at the same time their mother factory is built but must be paid for in full just like a factory, no splitting the cost between turns.  you CAN build a 'line' in the same production turn you are upgrading a factory from class 1 to 3 or 3 to 5.

Re-Tooling & Converting Lines

A nation may re-tool a 'line' to produce a different unit with some limitations.  One may upgrade from Light 'type' units to medium units bet never backwards from Medium to Light.  Half the normal cost of the new 'line' must be paid and it takes a production turn to complete the process.  You cannot re-tool from one unit type to another.  Re-Tooling & Conversion can only be made during Production turns.

Factory Conversion

Jumpship factories may be converted to Warship factories.  They are immediately reduced to Class 1, any 'line' present are mothballed, and half the cost of a Warship factory must be paid to complete the conversion.  The Factory starts with 0 'lines' present.  One must be added and can be added in the same Production Turn as the conversion.  Conversion can only be made during Production turns.

When is a unit ready?

Production turns (turns 1, 4, 8, 12, 16 and so on) are the turn in which orders are made from existing factories and new factories and lines may be built, re-built, modified et cetera. Assuming a factory and its lines are  functional the game turn AFTER a production turn is the turn in which new units are ready (turns 2, 5, 9, 13, 17).  It is assumed production of these units takes place over time but for the sanity of the GM this is the cut off point.

When do I place units built at a factory? Do they stay at the factory until placed? Do they defend the factory?  Example: Build unit in production turn 1, available in game turn 2 for placement. If not placed the unit is considered to be at the factory awaiting orders (hope this won't happen as all units available are supposed to be properly placed but a mistake might occur). 

Do not make the mistake of forgetting a unit you are building.

Also, units that are being built in turn 1 do not defend the factory in turn 1 but a portion will be captured by an enemy that manages to capture the factory in turn 1.

Moving Factories and Lines

You cannot move a factory. 

You may move a Line from one world to another. It costs 500 credits per jump. If a command circuit is desired the Line may be jumped from one world to any other at a cost of 1000 credits per jump. Lines jumped via a command circuit arrive at their destination in 1 Turn.

If a 'line' is moved on a production turn, even if it is command circuited, it will NOT be available for building that turn.  If it is moved before the production turn such that it arrives before the production turn it is assumed to have been set up IF there is 'line' space on the new factory planet for the line.  It takes 1 game turn to unpack and set up a Line in an already waiting Factory. 

If there is no Factory shell waiting for a Line the Line may not begin production until the Factory is complete and a free Line space is available. At this point the unused line is said to be stored at the spaceport and is captured if an enemy controls the world's spaceport. The enemy may transport away the Line via Civilian Transport (must obey all CIV Tpt rules and costs equal a 5 battalion command circuit transport fee) in the turn after it is captured unless the spaceport is attacked in which case the spaceport must be held to remain in control of the Line.

How can a factory be damaged and destroyed?

SACRIFICIAL DAMAGE
An attacker can deal 80% of its damage capacity to a facility and none to defenders, if any, if it intends to sacrifice itself to do greater damage to the facility. The attacker takes 20% more damage per combat round until destroyed when fighting this way.

SPREAD DAMAGE
If an attacking force wants to it can deal damage to a factory during combat by reducing its damage to the defending forces, if any. Splitting damage always does 50/50 damage 50% to the defender and 50% to the factory. Factories have 250 HP each.

Example: Attacker (HP 100 DAM 50) versus Defender (HP 50, DAM 20)

If you attack and destroy a factory only 1 line can be salvaged unless it is the only line in the factory, in which case it is destroyed.  As long as you have at least one unit at the factory location you may destroy one factory per turn if no combat occurs.  Orbital Bombardment can destroy factories as well.

Building Factories on another players planet:

Factories can be built by a Faction on another faction's planet IF they have a military alliance and IF the players both agree to the construction.  For Example: The Capellan Confederation can build any kind of factory on a Planet controlled by the Taurian Concordant. The Faction with control of the planet has control of the factory.  The factory MUST be paid for in full just as with all normal factories.  The cost can be split between the cooperating factions, though, even though it must be paid all in one turn.  The requirement of a military alliance precludes Clan and Inner Sphere players from cooperating to cross-pollinate factories on one another's worlds.

Artillery

Vehicles may make an Artillery attack against enemy units in other planetary locations if: they are not under attack in the same turn.  This attack may be made all by itself for in concert with an assault against the same location. The Vehicle's Damage value (not 1/2 hp + damage ) is used as the AV (attack Value) of the attack.  The attack gains NO bonuses and is SEPARATE from the attack of any forces also assaulting the same target.  If the allied forces assaulting the same target face no opposition (the defenders might have moved) the artillery attack is resolved against the allied forces (oops!).

*Academies cost nothing to build, they already exist on your nation's Home world. Do not worry about building one, just use it.  Clans do not use military academies.  Clans train their troops in combat from adolescence.

Can train a battalion either in experience or loyalty. Both cost the same, 250 credits per battalion per turn. Both take 2 turns per level trained. Loyalty training increases a unit's loyalty rating by one rank per 2 turns paid. Experience training can make a green unit regular after two turns and a regular unit veteran after two more turns. It cannot increase a units experience beyond veteran. Academies can train up to 1 Regiment at a time (5 Battalions, Squadrons or a mix thereof). Academies can EITHER train Loyalty or Experience. Not both at the same time, though.

Academies are listed on the 'Turn Summary' Page. Units must be on the home world to train. If they engage in combat but do not leave the world their training is uninterrupted. If they leave the home world before being fully trained the money is wasted and the time is wasted.

You may allow another nation to train units at your Military Academy (which is located on your chosen Home world always) under the following conditions:  Each nation must enter into a PUBLIC Military Alliance with one another.  Whatever cash arrangements are made are up to the players but ANY units trained at the hosting nation's academy must be 'paid' for by the hosting nation. No bounced checks.  The academy owner pays for the training on their sheet, no exceptions. Compensation can be arranged through agreements and one-time payments but that is up to the players to work out. It takes just as long to train them, costs just as much and could have other effects as yet undetermined (depending on what situations arise).

What happens to captured Military Academies?
They are dismantled and destroyed by the conquering enemy. No nation can possess more than one.  

Can I have more than one Military Academy?
No.  Academies exist as premier training grounds for YOUR nation's elite. There is only one allowed per realm in part to limit the 'training up' of massive numbers of units instead of getting them 'training on the job' in combat.

About Academies and the Canon Battletech Universe:

Lets talk about the canon universe of battletech. Of course the Successor States occasionally allowed cross-training of officers. Is that of concern to us in this game? No. The Academy exists as a way a nation can train its soldiers. It is not a money-making scheme. It is, like all academies, a place of tradition and pride. The one represented in the rules is the best your nation has. We could allow an academy on every world but what would be the point? People would train troops all day long and only attack when they had elite regiments pouring out from their ears. I intend to keep this game a rock em sock em war game if I can. Training troops is a 'sideline', a bit of color.

You may have only one lab at a time.  You cannot build another lab until the single one you own is destroyed by an enemy or destroyed by you.  If you choose to destroy a lab you may not start another lab until the next production turn.

Labs take 1 production turn to build and can only be started on a production turn, not a game/combat turn.

Clan Information:

Clan players start with a Lab already built.

What happens to captured Labs?
Technology from the captured lab is transferred to the capturing nation, IF and only IF they already have a LAB, and the lab is razed (destroyed).  Captured technology cannot be utilized until a LAB is built on the homeworld of the capturing player. Once the LAB is built they may utilize captured technologies, not before.  

Can I have more than one Lab?
No.  Labs are a personification of the research and development going on in your Realm. Captured technologies are brought into your worlds, not kept on some other homeworld in the form of another lab. The limit on the number of Labs in a realm to one is ,in part, to prevent one nation, flush with cash, from 'teching up' while other folks are out fighting. It is the purpose of this game that it be a war game.  The Emphasis should be on war.

When an Intel Operative fails there will be several possibilities as to the extent of this failure. On some occasions the supposed victim can dictate a fake success and give the Intel Operative information to send home.  All Replacement and Assassination INTEL ops take a production turn to accomplish.

Incite Rebellion

The loyalty of the planet is tested, not the loyalty of the governor.  Questionable troops rebel if the planet loses a loyalty level. Reliable troops have a 5% chance of rebelling and Fanatical troops never rebel. There is no bonus or added % for Reliable troops to rebel no matter how much money is invested as it is too widely dispersed.

From a capturing stand point would it be counter productive?  Not if you wanted to weaken the world militarily as a prelude to an invasion. At 5% some Reliable units will probably rebel if your initial Incitement is successful.  Obviously my teams goal would to help create an organized rebellion not just send the people into anarchy. What good would that be?  Your INTEL Cell  is the focus of the rebellion. As they are the focus if the 'owning' player skillfully uses his own INTEL Cell to counter the rebellion before help arrives for the rebels they might be captured or killed, partially quelling the rebellion (Detail for this is sketchy right now).

If I bribe the governor and incite a rebellion do they both have an effect?  Yes. Whichever succeeds first will cause questionable units to rebel then reliable units to make a loyalty check. If another event that forces a Loyalty check occurs the reliable units have to make the second check as well.

Replace General

Essentially you can replace a general and have complete control over a military unit.
The original owner can nullify this replacement on accident by reducing the unit to 2 battalions or by another player assassinating the general.  The newly controlling player can have the unit attack troops on the planet or aid in the attack and conquering of a planet.

Population Sabotage

Once a Population Sabotage attack succeeds the planet will be reported to have lost a massive number of inhabitants by some man-made or environmental catastrophe.  It is considered illegal under the Ares Accords. If your cell fails on an attempt it could net you an HPG black-out from Comstar for the duration of the game.  Successful use of PS lowers the population of a world, and the income it produces for its owner, by half or more. Used over and over again it could knock a world down to 500 pop, the lowest in the game.  Possible reasons for a population loss could be disease, massive environmental failure, industrial poisoning of the biosphere, a nuke going off on a fault line causing massive tectonic shifts, et cetera. That is up to the attacker to enumerate.

Replace Governor

If you succeed in replacing a governor all Questionable units on that world are automatically under your control.  All Regular units must make a loyalty check (5% chance, fails if 1-5 on d100 is rolled) or also switch sides to the Governor.  All Fanatical units never fail a loyalty check and never switch sides.  Mercenary units only switch sides if ALL native units switch. If even one native unit is still loyal to the original world owner the Merc unit stays with the state that contracted them. Once loyalties are determined the following is possible:

If all units on a world switch sides and the world borders the owner of the INTEL team that replaced the governor the world automatically switches hands.  If at least one unit stays loyal the new owner of the 'governor' can decide whether or not the troops that sided with his new governor will attack or stay their hand and wait.

Units that switch sides and subsequently are moved by the original owner of the governor remain loyal to the owner of the replaced governor unless that governor is replaced yet again, in which case their loyalty switches back to their original owner. Units moved around can automatically deliver military survey reports to their new owners at will.

A 'Black Sweep' can also detect units that have switched sides and will reveal this information to the owner of the 'sweeping' INTEL cell.

Replacing a Governor automatically restores the Loyalty loss from invasion and conquering the world via a Planetary Assault but can never be used on an allied world to make your own people more loyal (that is what PPCs are for).

Replace Leader

You cannot replace an enemy leader.

Assassinate Leader

Assassinating a Leader creates a chaotic situation in the victims Realm.  The assassinated leader's realm is at -2 on all attack resolution rolls for a period of two turns after the assassination (Example: killed in T9, lasts through T11).

Bribe Governor

If the governor succumbs to a Bribery mission several things occur.
1. All questionable units rally to the governor's side forming the bulk of his defenders.
2. Reliable units have a 5% chance of going 'rebel' and following the governor, no matter their experience level.
3. Fanatical units never rebel.
4. If the 'bribing' government lands troops these 'rebel' troops will come under their command.
5. If the 'bribing' government never lands troops they do not get to dictate the 'rebel' troops actions.
6. If the 'bribing' government lands troops and the fight that ensues leads to their victory the planet immediately reverts to their control without a loss in contentment among the populace. This assumes the bribed governor is controlling the population and makes transition easier.
7. Once a governor goes 'rebel' he can be assassinated by his former government using the 'assassinate leader' mission. If he is assassinated before the planet is under the full control of the attacker/briber the planet ends up losing a contentment level because the governor is not there to lead the transition in ownership.
8. And if you wonder where all that money goes the governor keeps some and uses the rest to try and increase his chance of getting reliable units to rebel by making bribes available to units that would not otherwise rebel. At random each 100 credits used in bribes (this is all below the table and no player sees how this works) adds 5% to the chance a reliable unit will rebel (this is for a randomly determined unit not all reliable units).
9. If the governor refuses the bribe the 'bribing' government loses the cost fo the bribe and their INTEL asset making the bribe. Half money goes directly to the 'owning' government (the original owner of the planet).

A new planetary governor cannot be placed by the original holder of the planet until the old one is slain (which happens when the 'enemy' or 'rebel' forces are driven to extinction or flee).

The GM needs to be CC'd in all emails between players in regards to diplomacy.

CC: [email protected]

CC'd means when you send someone an email about diplomacy you send it to the GM as well. When you reply to a player diplomacy e-mail you CC it to the GM also.

No agreements are binding unless the GM sees the Diplomacy e-mails with both parties agreeing to the treaty.

Should you maintain good relations with COMSTAR?  

Comstar has two powers in Houselords 3025:  1. HPG Blackout.  They can shut off your HPGs and hurt you economically. This means half income (including Trade Income) for the duration of the Blackout. No Civ Transport for the duration. No new treaties or agreements with other houses until the Blackout is lifted.  2. Mercenary Bonding and Review Commission:  At this time COMSTAR runs this group and can influence mercenaries a great deal, asking them to leave a nation that does not 'play ball' as far as the proper treatment of mercenary units.

You may attempt to increase the loyalty of your own planets and/or decrease the loyalty of the people on your enemies planets with a PPC (Planetary Propoganda Campaign).

Clan Players CANNOT us a PPC, it is unavailable to them.  Instead they use the same page to re-educate the populace and re-order it to their Clan way.  The page is called the same and works the same.  Clans can NEVER make a PPC attack, through PPC attacks can be made against them.  This is a hostile act if you use it against someone. The nation knows something is happening when a propaganda 'attack' is made, it cannot be kept a secret or be done covertly.

If the targeted nation assigns INTEL assets to discover the culprit it could come back to haunt you.  To increase planet loyalty spend 500 credits per attempt. The success chance is 5% per campaign, non-cumulative.  One nation may attempt to increase its planets loyalty as many times as it can afford in a turn but each attempt to increase is separate from the others.

If one succeeds all the other payd for rolls are wasted. A player may increase their own planets loyalty only once per turn (meaning you cannot go from neutral to fanatical, only to content; it does not mean the number of investments is limited).

The PPC Attack 

PPC Attacks are not available to Clan Players.  A PPC attack, to reduce the Loyalty of an enemy planet, can be attempted up to three times versus an individual planet per turn at a cost of 1000 credits with a success chance of 5%.  A PPC attack can only be attempted versus one planet in an enemy nation per turn and only versus one nation per turn (you cant ppc attack multiple planets or nations per turn).

Treaties and Agreements

The Alpha Rules set has a simplified Treaty mechanism.  To seal a Treaty both players must check the relevant box on the Diplomacy page.  If only one player checks the box no treaty exists.  Treaties no longer cost money to create and can be secret or public at the players whim.  You do not need to specifically create an embassy, as you have on with each IS power to begin with.  Embassy personnel cannot spy for you.

When one nation's leader is absent from contact with the GM for at least 1 Turn all treaties between that nation and any other nation are cancelled.  You may NOT make treaties with AWOL nations unless the GM is directly controlling that nation.  Treaties made or agreed on before the game started are cancelled if one or more players ends up not playing the nation you made a treaty with.

Military Alliance

What are the benefits of a Military Alliance?
Alliance members may move military JS and DS within the borders of their allies such that a combined fleet could carry elements of allied armies into enemy territory to attack a planet.
Your Military JS/DS movements are visible to your allies but not to enemies unless they run an INTEL op that could survey them and thus, reveal the movement of ships. (effective Turn 10)
Members of an alliance may station troops on the allied players planets and use civilian movement to cross great distances within all connected allied territories subject to agreements made by alliance partners.  Your Military ground/ASF unit movements are visible to your allies but not to enemies unless they run an INTEL op that could survey them and thus, reveal the movement of ships. 

SECRET
1.  Factory building on allied worlds.

PUBLIC
Each nation that is a party to the Public military alliance in question may:
1. Allow an alliance member to train their troops at their academy.
2. ~Defensive~ INTEL operations run by one alliance party on an allied world not directly under their control stacks with native INTEL operations. This means three cells operating on a planet with three allied cells can coordinate to achieve what woudl otherwise take 6 cells from one player.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any overt attack by one ally on another nullifies the alliance and endangers all assets not in their own territories. This includes the possibility that military units of an agressor partner in an alliance may, if not fanatical, join the injured alliance partner rather than be destroyed (GM's choice, also helps if they are badly outnumbered where they are stranded). [this rule changed for Turn 10 to further define consequences of alliance breaking]

Trade Agreements

Trade agreements can be monetary or physical, like an agreement to sell infantry units to your ally on a per turn basis.  Am I Trading people when I 'sell' infantry?  No. You are just selling the equipment.  TA$ are based on the 'base' income of your trading partner. One nation may spend no more than 5,000 C-Bills on a Trade Agreement with any other one nation (It was 15,000 in the Beta but we're trying to decrease it and see what happens). 

The money you invest is used in a formula to determine what you get back, on a per Turn basis, from your trading partner in income. Until both nations agree to a TA$ by properly marking their Diplomacy Index no TA$ may start and no investment may occur.

If your Trading Partner's 'base' income decreases your trade agreement income will decrease accordingly.  If a planet's population decreases so to does the income it provides to a realm.

Mercenary Contracts

Can I cancel a Mercenary Contract?
Yes and No. If a mercenary unit is not in combat and is on a planet of yours you can cancel the contract in the current turn. You pay for that turn. In the next turn they depart. If the unit is damaged from action with your realm your realm is charged 50% battleloss compensation when they leave. 

You have no option to deny battleloss compensation if you want to be able to hire mercenary units in the future. If the MERC unit is on a world hostile to you or on a misison you may not cancel the contract until they are returned to a safe world under your control. Then the above rules apply.  If a nation refuses battleloss compensation or the last turn pay to a merc unit the unit may break its contract unilaterally and cause havoc on your world. Your standing in the merc community will also fall and fewer mercs will want to hire out to you. 

Pirate planet hunting has an 15% success chance if the correct hex is searched. This is important to note. You might find the correct hex but miss the planet as there are more than just a few star systems in each hex.  Why?  Each hex represents approximately 15 light years. Two hexes is about 10 parsecs and in the 10 parsecs just surrounding Sol in real life over 360 stars hang in the sky. This means pirate hunting is 'hard'. It is meant to be because space is enormous.

If a nation is searching for a Pirate group's planet the pirate might 'hear' about this and choose to flee his base rather than fight it out. Pirates 'hear' about searches only 5% of the time (each turn of searching for Pirate Planet's gives a Pirate a chance to 'hear' about the search.

If a pirate flees his base the planet is not subject to capture and cannot be used by the pirate again. Essentially, you must catch a pirate on his world or unawares to 'capture' the planet and add it to your empire.  

If a pirate planet is discovered it can be captured by the discovering nation or whomever sends a force there if they find out about the planet.

If a PC or NPC pirate planet is captured and the Pirate still has assets that allow for him to move around he may find another planet. If a PC or NPC pirate is stranded on a world without transport the unit can be cornered and destroyed, depending on the situation and whether or not they have been detected.

New Pirate planets locations are chosen by the GM and start off at 500 population and Neutral loyalty. The GM names all new pirate planets. New pirate planets are secret to all but the owning pirate player or NPC.

A Pirate planet, though secret, can occupy any hex not already occupied by a planet.

Like civilian jumpships and dropships you get no reports of their movement through your space. Pirates will not be reported on turn sheets unless their raid has been foiled. If it is successful you will get a report of the raid saying that X is missing after a band of pirates attacked. You will only know which pirates attacked if the Pirates themselves want to leave a calling card.