Round 4
September 3 - September 16
The Shiny Beast of Thought

Bidding

'The Shiny Beast of Thought' is a conflict between two sides: the Attackers and The Shiny Beast of Thought.

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 Attackers. 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 Shiny Beast of Thought. His opponent plays the Attackers. Each time a player has the chance to bid, he must either drop out of the bidding (and play The Shiny Beast of Thought) 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 Attackers can deploy (see Attackers below).

The Shiny Beast of Thought

They cannot substitute 'Mechs from their Tournament Reserves.

The Shiny Beast of Thought has no weapons, but it can still make Physical Attacks as usual.

Attackers

The Attackers 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.

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

The Attackers deploy each 'Mech as they see fit anywhere within five hexes of hex 1501 on the east map, facing whichever way they like.

Special rules

Possession

At the start of each turn before the Initiative Phase, The Shiny Beast of Thought chooses one of the Attackers' 'Mechs to control. It controls that 'Mech through the Initiative, Movement, Weapon Attack, and Physical Attack phases, after which it returns to the Attackers' control. The Shiny Beast of Thought can use it to attack the Attackers' other 'Mechs, deliberately drive it over difficult terrain in the hope it'll fall over, or otherwise do with it as he likes, with the following restrictions:

• The 'Mech cannot make Death from Above or Charge Attacks;

 

• The 'Mech cannot move off the mapboard;

 

• The 'Mech cannot move to any hex on the edge of the mapboard (though if already in such a hex, it can remain there);

 

• The 'Mech cannot make any Weapon Attack that would increase the total Heat Points that it would build up this turn to more than the total number of Heat Sinks it has (putting the 'Mech in water terrain or otherwise changing the amount of heat it can dissipate does not affect this restriction);

 

• The 'Mech's pilot may not eject;

 

• The 'Mech cannot make Weapon or Physical Attacks against itself.

The Shiny Beast of Thought can shift around which 'Mech it controls each turn or control the same one for several turns in a row, as it likes.

Active 'Mechs

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

Victory conditions

The Attackers win, if at the end of any turn, The Shiny Beast of Thought is not active. This occurs even if the Attackers themselves have one or no active 'Mechs. The game ends immediately.

The Shiny Beast of Thought wins, if at the end of any turn, The Shiny Beast of Thought itself is active and the Attackers have fewer than two active 'Mechs. Again, the game ends immediately.