Round 4
September 17 - September 30
Spread out

Bidding

'Spread out' is a conflict between two sides: the Hunters and the Watchers.

The players bid to see which one of them will play each side. After both players have read the scenario, they flip a coin to decide who'll bid first. Starting with that player, they take turns bidding total numbers of tons with which they propose to attempt the scenario as the Hunters. The players bid back and forth, going lower each time, until one of them decides to drop out of the bidding. The player who drops out plays the Watchers. His opponent plays the Hunters. Each time a player has the chance to bid, he must either drop out of the bidding (and play the Watchers) or bid at least five tons less than his opponent's most recent bid. The final bid one player makes before his opponent drops out is the Winning Bid. It is the maximum tonnage of 'Mechs that the Hunters can deploy (see Hunters below).

Watchers

The Watchers deploy first.

From the following list, they select two, three, or four 'Mechs (as they see fit) with a combined tonnage of 180 tons or less:

They cannot select any single design more than once - each 'Mech has to be different.

They cannot substitute 'Mechs from their Tournament Reserves.

The Watchers must place their 'Mechs so that each one is next to all of the others, but may otherwise deploy them wherever they like on the mapboard, each facing whichever way they want.

The Watchers also place three smoke clouds wherever they like on the mapboard: they choose any three (distinct) hexes and place one smoke cloud in each. Each smoke cloud blocks Line of Sight through the hex it occupies (see Smoke below).

Hunters

The Hunters deploy second.

They deploy a force of 'Mechs with a combined tonnage equal to or less than the Winning Bid. Each 'Mech must be a Standard Design or come from the player's Tournament Reserves. As usual, the Hunters may deploy multiple 'Mechs of the same Standard Design if they want to (or even multiple 'Mechs of the same custom design if they have the necessary number of copies in their Tournament Reserves).

A MechWarrior with Piloting 5, Gunnery 2 pilots each 'Mech.

The Hunters deploy each 'Mech wherever they want along the edges of the mapboard, facing whichever way they like.

The Hunters now choose two of the Watchers' 'Mechs secretly. For each one, they write down its name and the number of a turn during the game in which it will suffer a cooling fault (see Cooling faults below). The Hunters have to choose two separate 'Mechs (not the same one twice). They can choose the same turn for both if they want.

Special rules

Cooling faults

During their deployment, the Hunters choose two of the Watchers' 'Mechs secretly to be the ones that will suffer cooling faults (see Hunters above). For each of those 'Mechs, they write down a turn number, which they keep secret until the Heat Phase of that turn.

The Hunters count the turns. The first is turn 1, the second, turn 2, and so on. At the start of each Heat Phase, they check secretly to see if the current turn is the one they chose for any of the 'Mechs. Each 'Mech for which they chose the current turn, now suffers a cooling fault. During this Heat Phase, each such 'Mech gains fifteen extra Heat Points: while Recording Heat Buildup (see Classic Battletech Introductory Rulebook page 39), when adding up the Heat Points for the 'Mech's activities this turn, its controller adds fifteen points to the total before subtracting the points its Heat Sinks or other effects dissipate.

A 'Mech only gains Heat Points because of a cooling fault once.

Smoke

During their deployment, the Watchers place three smoke clouds (see Watchers above).

At the start of each Movement Phase (including the first Movement Phase of the game), move each smoke cloud two hexes south. If this would take it off the mapboard, remove it from the game.

Smoke clouds are Terrain. Each rises three Levels above the Level of the hex that contains it. Intervening smoke clouds block Line of Sight (though, like other Terrain, no smoke cloud ever Intervenes in the Line of Sight into or out of the hex that contains it, see Classic Battletech Introductory Rulebook page 20). Smoke clouds do not provide Partial Cover nor modify the to-hit number for Weapon or Physical Attacks against targets in the hexes that contain them.

Intact 'Mechs

For the purposes of the Victory Conditions (below), a 'Mech is intact if and only if: (a) it has not been destroyed; and (b) it still has at least one leg that has not been destroyed.

Victory conditions

The Watchers win, if at the end of any turn, they have two intact 'Mechs between whom the Range is twenty five or more hexes. One such pair is enough; though certainly they still win if they have more than one. The game ends immediately.

The Hunters win, if at the end of any turn, the Watchers have fewer than two intact 'Mechs. Again, the game ends immediately.