Off Board Time....Who goes first.

So you just got eliminated from your first match and are looking over what to do next.

Well first is add up your C-bills that you collected from the match.  You can also tally your Fame and CP's.  Don't forget the awards for being one of the first eliminated.

As you can see from the Off Board Time rules, if you intend to use your mech and it is not functioning, or you wish to sell it to the marketplace you must repair your mech.  You can keep your mech in it's damaged state, and buy another new mech if you wish.  You can also sell your damaged mech to another player at any price, and let them repair it.

But to get to the point of this post.  I was thinking about the 25% extra cost for not having the correct mini.  I was also looking at some "Really Really Great" Assault mechs that are in the 6.5 Mill range that I only have 1 mini for.  So who gets to buy that mini first?  To keep things simple we will do mech purchases in the order you were eliminated.  So 1st one out, you get to buy your mech 1st.  This will also give you something to do when you are eliminated early.  If two players are eliminated in the same phase, then the one with the lower fame gets to buy first.  If they are tied for Fame then roll off to see who buys first.

That's all for now...

Fallback Mechs...by faction.

You may get to a point somewhere in the campaign where you do not have enough C-Bills to repair your mech.  I've really tried to eliminate the need for "fallback" mechs with awards for being eliminated early and very generous kill awards.

But things happen, dice are dice, and I'm betting at least one of you will get in a pinch.  So here are your Fallback mechs.  You will only be issued a Fallback mech if you are unable to repair your mech to a functional state.  That includes Jury rig patch kits.  So you will have really over extended yourself or had some really rotten luck if you need one of these.



So here is exactly what getting a Fallback mech means.

• The mech will be provided to you for free from your Faction.  
• It is only to be used to try and get enough C-bills to repair one of your mechs.  
• Fallback mechs may not be modified (even to swap an omni configuration).  
• Fallback mechs may not be sold back to the market or to another player.  
• You do not have to repair damage to the fallback mechs.  
• Once you have earned enough money to pay for the least expensive repairs to get one of your mechs functioning, the fallback mech is given back to the Faction.
• You get -2 Fame for every battle to have to use a fallback mech.

The Fallback mech provided by each faction is listed below.

House Davion - Federated Suns :  Valkyrie VLK-QD
House Kurita - Draconis Combine : Panther PNT-10K
House Steiner - Lyran Alliance :  Commando COM-7S
House Marik - Free Worlds League :  Spider SDR-8M
House Liao - Capellan Confederation :  Stinger STG-6L
Free Rassalhauge Republic:  Clint CLNT-2-3T
ComStar :  Mongoose MON-66
Word of Blake :  Locust LCT-5M
Mercenary : Wolfhound WLF-1
Periphery : Circinus Federation: Brigand LDT-1
Periphery : Magistracy of Canopus: Locust LCT-5V
Periphery : Marian Hegemony: Commando COM-4H
Periphery : Outworlds Alliance:  Stinger STG-3R
Periphery : Taurian Concordat: Jenner JR7-D
Clan Diamond Shark:  Piranha
Clan Ghost Bear: Firemoth (Prime)
Clan Jade Falcon: Howler (Baboon)
Clan Nova Cat: Jenner IIC
Clan Wolf: Uller (Prime)
Clan Wolf in Exile: Wolfhound WLF-2

Ejecting, Surrendering, and Withdrawing

Hopefully this post will clear up any confusion there may be about the differences between Surrendering, Withdrawing, and Ejecting.  There are benefits and negative impacts associated with each.  You may get to a point in a battle where your mech is pretty beat up and your almost positive you will not last another round, here are your options.

Surrendering:
At the end of any phase you may fire off your surrender flare.  Your mech must be in a "Crippled" state or shut down from overheating before you may fire off your surrender flare.  You shut down your mech and are officially out of the match at that point.  You may still fire your surrender flare if your mech is shut down, but you may not do it if your mechwarrior is unconscious.  You may not be the target of attacks, remove the mini from the table.  

• Your mech must roll for any Heat related issues (Shut down or ammo explosion) that it may have until it reaches 0 heat.
• The Credit for your "Kill" goes to all the mechs that attempted a ranged or physical attack on your mech in this or the prior turn.  If it is only one mech then they get credit for a Solo Kill, otherwise all the attackers get an "Assisted Kill"
• For Surrendering you get 0 CP, -2 Fame, and -250,000 C-Bills
• Clanners may not surrender, and some Stables train their warriors to fight to the end.

The "no surrender" mechwarriors are tenacious and determined but not suicidal. 

Here are all the ways a "No Surrender" mechwarrior can be eliminated from the battle.

• Their mech loses the last CT internal structure
• Their mech takes a 3rd Engine hit
• Their mech takes a 2nd Gyro hit
• The cockpit is destroyed, either through critical hit or head internal structure loss.
• Their mech loses its 4th limb
• Withdrawing from the arena (Only if mech crippled and they have no useable weapons remaining)
• The mechwarrior ejects.

Now there are only two situations when the mechwarrior can eject.

1. Through an Auto-eject due to an Ammo explosion.
2. Manual Ejection when their mech is shut down due to overheating.  (May not turn off heat sinks to get mech to shut down)

In Short... No you can't walk over and step on the cockpit of the Clan mechwarrior who took two gyro hits and can no longer move their mech.  They get out (without ejecting) and run to safety.

Withdrawing:
If your mech is in a "Crippled" state you may Withdraw from the arena.  To do so you must move your mech either off the edge of the arena board or through one of the entry points to the arena during the movement phase.

• The Credit for your "Kill" goes to all the mechs that attempted a ranged or physical attack on your mech in this or the prior turn.  If it is only one mech then they get credit for a Solo Kill, otherwise all the attackers get an "Assisted Kill"
• Your mechwarrior receives 3 CP and 1 Fame.
• You may not withdraw if you fired weapons in the last turn. You must wait on the table 1 turn without firing your weapons before withdrawing.  (This rule was added to deter folks from sitting by the exit points then backing up to get CP and fame once crippled.) 

Ejecting:
One of the ways your mechwarrior can die is an ammo explosion that destroys all of the CT internals of your mech.  This explains why some mechs have CASE in the side torso with an XL engine, sure the mech is dead, but it will save the mechwarrior.  There is an Auto-eject system in every mech that will eject the mechwarrior in the event of an ammo explosion.  You do not need to eject if you lose all the CT internals to external damage, or if you take your 3rd engine hit.  The mech just stops working in those cases.  There really is only a mechwarrior threatening situation when the ammo explodes, then the mechwarrior needs to get out of there in a hurry.
The Auto-eject system will be assumed to be on unless you have written on your mech sheet that it is turned off (The system is on even if you have CASE, so if you want it off, write it down that it is turned off).  You may only change the Auto-eject setting at the end of any turn (after the heat phase).   
You may also manually eject from your mech at the end of any phase.  The eject system will work even if your mech is shut down.  You may not eject from your mech unless it is "Crippled" or Shut down from overheating.

• Your mech must roll for any Heat related issues (Shut down or ammo explosion) that it may have until it reaches 0 heat.
• In the event of an Auto-Eject due to a critical hit to an ammo bin, the credit for your "Kill" goes to the mech that did the ammo critical. (Will be a Solo kill, unless someone crits a different ammo box  or something else that would finish off the mech, then it will be an Assisted kill)
• In the event of a Manual Ejection or Heat caused ammo explosion Auto-eject.  The Credit for your "Kill" goes to all the mechs that attempted a ranged or physical attack on your mech in this or the prior turn.  If it is only one mech then they get credit for a Solo Kill, otherwise all the attackers get an "Assisted Kill"
• Ejecting does 1 hit to the mechwarrior. 
• Your mechwarrior gets 1 CP and  -1 Fame for ejecting.
• Your mech will automatically fall (if it was standing) after you eject.  Be sure to roll for falling damage for the mech.
• There is an extra 10% repair cost to any mech that has been ejected from.

Arena Prizes, and the "Engaged" rule

There will be times where it will be tempting to hide behind a rock and let the other battlemechs whittle themselves down.  While I don't want to take away from the tactics of light mechs, the fans are here to see you fight.

To encourage aggressive play...there are a couple of incentives.  First is a monetary award, for bad luck.  If you get out there, mix it up and are one of the first to fall, you will be compensated.
We will call this "Murphy's Reward"



Murphy's Reward:
In games of 10 or more players...

• The First player eliminated will receive a 4 million C-Bill award.  
• The Second will receive 3 Million
• The Third will receive  2 million
• The 4th will recieve1 million.  

Obvious suicide maneuvers will Disqualify you from receiving this award.  (Walking and turning your back to the only opponent you can see so he has short range numbers to hit with his AC20...for example,  If a majority of the players determine your maneuver was a "Suicide" you will not get the award.).  Should two players be eliminated in the same phase, then the awards are combined and split by them (1st and 2nd players fall in the same shooting phase, then they each would get 3.5 million)

In games of 5 or more players but less than 10.

• The First player eliminated will receive 3 million
• The 2nd player will receive 1.5 million. 

In games of 4 players...

• The First player eliminated will receive 2 million

In games of 3 or 2 mechs - there is no Murphy award.

Engaged Rule:
Hiding in a corner and waiting for the field to dwindle down is not an option, get out there and fight.  This will be a three strike system to determine when you are disqualified.  Every turn you are deemed not "Engaged" you will get a strike.  Every turn you are "Engaged" you will not get a strike, and some engaged actions will remove strikes that you have earned.  Strikes are assigned at the end of every game turn.  If you get three strikes your surrender flare automatically fires and you are out of the match.  Any disqualification due to the three strikes removes you from consideration for any Arena Prizes (Murphy's Reward or Contest Winners prizes).  Also if you receive your 3rd strike, you will take the penalties for surrendering (See the Surrender rules)  Double these penalties if you are a member of a Clan Faction or are a member of a Stable that prohibits surrendering.

To be "Engaged" you must do one of the following during the turn

• Attempt to Move closer to an active enemy mech. You do not have to make a move that will force you  to take a piloting check. (If all the remaining mechs are in the position where they must make make a piloting check to move then ALL the remaining mechs must move or the one's that do not move receive a strike)
• Fire any weapon at an enemy, or be shot at. **Remove a strike**
• Attempt a close combat attack, or be the target of one.  **Remove all strikes**
• Unconscious warriors do not accumulate strikes.
• Move toward an unclaimed "Terrain Coin"...running around trying to collect the treasure flares is a valid tactic.
• Mechs missing a leg are always considered Engaged.  **Remove all strikes**     

• There are circumstances where a majority vote of the players can overrule this Disqualification.  If the majority of the players that were part of that battle feel the last strike should not be issued, the strike is not issued, and the mech remains in play.

 Contest Winner Awards:          
 For Games of  10+ players, there is a reward for the last 3 players on the table.

1. The 3rd mech left standing will receive random mech one class lighter than the heaviest mech in the battle.  They can choose to take the roll from the lowest possible chart on their factions random mech assignment tables or from the Arena's Faction "F" chart.  Clan players must take the roll from the Arenas Faction table if the heaviest mech in the battle is an Inner Sphere medium or lighter. They will also receive 1 Fame.
2. The 2nd mech left standing will receive a random mech the same weight class as the heaviest mech in the battle.  They can choose to take the roll from the lowest ranked chart on their factions random mech assignment tables or from the F column from the Arena's faction mech table.  Clan players may take the roll from the Arena's faction or from their clans second line mech table.  Remember Clan mechs are considered one weight class heavier, so the clan player must roll on the chart that is one weight class less than the heaviest. They will also receive 2 Fame.
3. The Last remaining mech and winner of the battle will receive a random mech the same weight class as the heaviest in the battle from the "A" column of their Faction or the Arena's faction mech random tables.  Clan players may take a roll on their Front line Light mech table, rather than the Free Worlds League. Winner in the Grand Melee receive 3 Fame for their Win.  

 In games with 5+ but less than 10...The final two players will receive the bonus mech reward.

1. The 2nd to last mech left standing will receive random mech one class lighter than the heaviest mech in the battle.  They can choose to take the roll from the lowest possible chart on their factions random mech assignment tables or from the Arena's Faction "F" chart.  Clan players must take the roll from the Arenas Faction table if the heaviest mech in the battle is an Inner Sphere medium or lighter. Receive 1 Fame.
2. The last mech left standing will receive a random mech the same weight class as the heaviest mech in the battle.  They can choose to take the roll from the lowest ranked chart on their factions random mech assignment tables or from the F column from the Arena's faction mech table.  Clan players may take the roll from the Arena's faction or from their clans second line mech table.  Remember Clan mechs are considered one weight class heavier, so the clan player must roll on the chart that is one weight class less than the heaviest.  Receive 2 Fame for the win.

In games of 4 mechs

• The last mech left standing will receive a random mech the same weight class as the heaviest mech in the battle.  They can choose to take the roll from the lowest ranked chart on their factions random mech assignment tables or from the F column from the Arena's faction mech table.  Clan players may take the roll from the Arena's faction or from their clans second line mech table.  Remember Clan mechs are considered one weight class heavier, so the clan player must roll on the chart that is one weight class less than the heaviest. Receive 1 Fame for the Win.

In games of 3 or 2 mechs there are no Contest winner awards.

• All of these rolls will use the tables found in back of the "Field Manuals - Update" book.
• If a mini for the rolled mech is not available the player may roll again.  They can take the chassis without the mini if they wish and we can proxy another mini for it.
• Arena Faction means the faction that owns the arena that the battle took place in.  For example the first night our battle will take place in "The Factory" which is the Free Worlds League (House Marik) arena, so the players can roll on their own faction tables or on the Free Worlds League tables for mech selection.
• Sometimes, Clan mechs are listed on inner sphere random lists and vice versa.  The Draconis Combine tables for example have the Ryoken clan mech, listed on the Medium "A" table.  Should a player roll a clan mech on when rolling on an inner sphere chart, they may keep the roll and the Clan mech.  However, should a Clan player rolling on the Clan chart roll and Inner Sphere mech, they may choose to re-roll if they wish.  Where the clan player has already moved down a weight class for the roll, it would be unfair to then stick them with an inner sphere chassis. 

Finally if there is more than one player eligible for an award, there will be a roll off to determine finishing position and who will get the award.  Meaning if the game is down to 4 players and 3 of them fall in the shooting phase.  The last remaining mech is the winner, and the other three must Roll 2d6 with the highest getting the 2nd place award, the next getting 3rd place, and the last getting nothing for 4th.

Arena Rules: The Coliseum (Steiner)

Steiner Coliseum
The arena in Silesia was designed with a Roman-esque facade. The battlefield of the arena is largely featureless, utilizing walls that can be raised or lowered to provide variety.  Nearly destroyed in riots when in 3062 a championship match spilled into the streets, the Coliseum has been rebuilt, better than ever.


Specific Rules for The Coliseum are as follows.

Starting Positions:
The 16 Starting positions are already marked along the coliseum's exterior walls.  The arena itself is roughly a 4' Octagon so the starting positions are closer together than all the other arenas on Solaris. (7" apart)

Walls:
There are 6 sections of walls in The Coliseum that raise and lower during the match.  These walls are now indestructible and capable of lifting 100 ton mechs along their length.  The walls may be flush with the coliseum floor, or raised to levels 1, 2 or 3.  To determine the starting positions of the walls, after players have selected their starting positions, but before the game actually starts, roll a d6 for each of the wall sections and consult the chart below.  (Walls all start at lvl 0 before these rolls at the start of the game.)

1. Wall drops 1 level (if possible)
2. Wall moves to level 0
3. Wall moves to level 1
4. Wall moves to level 2
5. Wall moves to level 3
6. Wall raises 1 level (if possible)

In the End Phase (After heat) of every turn, Roll on the above chart and move the walls to their new level.

Straddling the wall  that is about to change levels:
Any standing mech whose base is partially on  a wall when it raises from the arena floor, must make a piloting check or be knocked down by the raising wall, taking regular falling damage +1 from the extra force of being pushed down. (Prone mechs automatically fail this check and take the falling damage +1). 

Successful checks lets the mechwarrior choose if they want to go up with the wall or Step off the wall and remain on the arena floor.  The Mech mini must be moved to be completely on the wall, or out of the way so it is on the arena floor by the minimum amount (up to 1").  You may not move another mech to do this extra move, and if you you are blocked by a mech, you must choose the other option (stay on the wall or get off).

On the Wall when moving:
Any mech standing on a wall that is changing levels must make a piloting check to remain standing when the wall stops moving.  (Yes this is a second check for those that started straddling the wall line.)

Falling when on top of a raised wall:
Any mech that falls when on a wall level 1 or higher must make a piloting check or they may fall off the wall.  If the roll is failed, There is a chance the mech will fall of the wall.  Determine which directions the mech can fall or stay on the wall, then roll on the Direction of fall table. 
Mechs will only take falling damage once.  Regular falling damage if they stay on the wall, or multiple level falling damage if they fall off the wall. 
Determine the level of the fall from the position of the wall after the wall changes levels, not where it started the turn at.

Example: Say a mech was running along the wall and then fails the check when the wall stops moving, and fails the 2nd check where he might fall off the wall.  Where it was running along the wall, a front or rear direction of fall (1 or 4) result will keep the mech on the wall, any of the other "side" fall results (2,3,5,6) means the mech has slid off the wall during the fall.

Arena Rules: The Jungle (Liao)

The Jungle
This parcel of land was originally planned as a Buddhist monastery, but the Liao government decided to designate it as their official "arena." The battle area in this open tract is demarcated by a series of beacons. Extra beacons located inside the battlefield can be activated to shrink the area of the field down to a quarter of its full size.  

Specific Rules for The Jungle are as follows.

The Waterfall:
The River flowing through the Jungle map takes a drop over a cliff and makes an interesting fire position for a mech.  A large metal platform capable of holding the weight of a couple mechs has been placed at the base of the falls (Making the white area under the falls level 0). 
Any mech using Jump movement to land on or leave the falls platform must make a piloting check at a +2.
Any mech under the falls must make a Piloting check at the end of the movement phase to remain standing...even if they didn't move (Yes this will be two checks for someone who just jumped into the falls). 
The Standing on this platform provides a +2 to hit cover bonus (as if standing in heavy woods).  Any mech standing under the falls (Completely in the White area) is considered submerged for the purposes of heat dissipation (All heat sinks work at double their rating).  The mech under the falls may only fire Energy weapons. Prone mechs may not fire energy weapons under the falls. 

River:
The river is 1 level deep along it's length except the spot (White area) just under the waterfall where it is 0 levels deep.  The larger lake is also only 1 level deep.


Woods:
Much of the wooded area has been removed for the Solaris Olympiad (ok I don't have a lot of tree terrain)
But the woods that is on the table is considered Heavy Woods. 3MP(6") for every 2" and a +2 cover bonus.

Starting Positions:
The starting positions place equally apart along the table edge. Measure 1 foot out from each corner and place a marker along each table edge.  Place another marker every foot along the edge leaving out the corners.  This will put 5 markers on each long edge and 3 on each short edge, for a total of 16 possible starting spots.

Shrinking Battlefield:
When initially opened the heavy woods made for many long range sniper fests, which isn't exactly thrilling for the Solaris viewers.  A system of beacons were added to reduce the size of the battlefield, forcing mechwarriors to leave their cover or be disqualified.  Here is how the shrinking battlefield works...

1. At the end of turn two roll a die, on a 4-6 an alarm sounds warning mechwarriors that three turns later the arena will shrink.  At the end of the Movement phase, 3 turns after the alarm sounds, Any mech in the area now considered out of bounds is disqualified from the match.  
2. Divide the board in to 4 quadrants by dividing the battlefield equally down the middle of each table edge (make a cross on the table).  I'll put a line of masking tape on the table before the match so you can see the quadrants clearly.  When the alarm sounds roll a D4 with a 1 being the section with the Waterfall then go clockwise around the table for the other three quadrants.  The number rolled is the section that will be out of bounds in 3 turns.
3. Every turn after the alarm sounds roll another d6.  On a 4+ the 2nd alarm will sound and another section will be eliminated in 3 turns (After Movement Phase).  One of the sections adjacent to the 1st closing section will be eliminated, the diagonal one is safe (for now).  Roll the d6 1-3 is one of the adjacent sections, 4-6 is the other that will close in 3 turns.
4. The turn after the the second alarm sounds, keep rolling that d6 at the end of the turn.  On a 4+ the final section will be closed 3 turns later (At the end of movement).  Roll a d6 1-3 one side, 4-6 the other.

If your mech is in the out of bounds area at the end of the movement phase 3 turns after the alarm has sounded, then you are eliminated.  You do not get to fire in the Weapons Phase.  Complete any any Charges or DFA's on mechs also within the Eliminated area.  You will be considered an assisted kill for all remaining players on the active board (unless there is only one, then it is a solo kill).  You will be considered as having surrendered (even mechwarriors that are not allowed to surrender).   

That is as small as the table will get.  Something to think about when choosing starting positions.  Will I be able to get safely off this quadrant of the board in 5 turns.  Or even worse if the board collapses as fast as possible...Will I be able to get to any Quadrant of the board by Turn 7?  Remember the board is hilly with woods and a large river, so it is not as easy to move about as you might think.  Yes, having a fast mech helps a bunch in this arena.


Terrain Coins:
The 2" terrain pieces to represent where random items are located on the map. We will call these "Terrain Coins" for lack of a better term.

The exact number of Terrain Coins is randomly determined prior to each match.
If there are 6 or fewer competitors then roll a d6, if there are more then 6 players then roll 2d6.
These will be placed at least 8" from any starting position.  The terrain coins should be placed before players pick their starting positions.  Terrain Coins may not be placed in the water or the woods.  Each coin should clearly be placed in a single quadrant, don't place them along a quadrant line.  Every other terrain coin starting with the first should be placed in the center of the map, so it will be entirely in a quadrant as close to the center point as possible.  So when placing the 7th coin (if there is one) there should be four coins in the center of the board, one in each quadrant.  The center of the board is a popular place to be when the board is closing up, having the terrain coins there will things even more interesting.

Exactly what the "Terrain Coin" has will be randomly determined at the time it is stepped on by a mech, not all the results are bad.  When a mech moves onto a Terrain coin, interrupt the mechs movement, roll a D6 and consult the chart below.

1. Minefield - 10 Point Minefield, remains in play,  May be removed using Minefield removal rules.  Activating mech may continue it's movement.
2. Medium Laser pop up turret. A turret pops up touching an edge of the terrain coin, and remove the coin. If possible it will be placed in the front arc of the activating mech. If the front is not possible then either of the side, then finally the rear arc. Once placed the activating mech may continue their movement phase. The Turret has Gunnery skill of 5 and is considered an immobile target. The Turret can take 8 points of damage before deactivating.  There is no CP, C-Bill or Fame awarded for taking out a turret.  As the turret is considered an enemy unit you may not move through the turret and must move around it.  The Turret will shoot in the firing phase at the closest target.
3. One Shot SRM4 pop up turret.  A turret pops up touching an edge of the terrain coin and remove the coin. If possible it will be placed in the front arc of the activating mech. If the front is not possible then either of the side, then finally the rear arc. Once placed the activating mech may continue their movement phase.  The Turret has Gunnery skill of 5 and is considered an immobile target. The Turret can take 8 points of damage before deactivating.  There is no CP, C-Bill or Fame awarded for taking out a turret.  As the turret is considered an enemy unit you may not move through the turret and must move around it.  The Turret will shoot in the firing phase at the closest target.  Once the turret has fired you may remove it from play.
4. Nothing. Open space.  Remove the coin. The activating mech may continue it's movement.
5. Lesser Treasure Flare.  Remove the coin. The activating mech is awarded 50,000 C-Bills.  The activating mech may continue it's movement.
6. Greater Treasure Flare.   Remove the coin. The activating mech is awarded 100,000 C-Bills and may roll the Die again.  If the result of the new roll is a 6 the Mech gets another 100,000 C-Bills.  The player keeps rolling getting another 100,000 C-Bills for every 6 that is rolled, but stopping when the first non-6 result is rolled.  The activating mech may continue it's movement.

Arena Rules: Boreal Reach (Davion) "The Devil's Bath"

Boreal Reach
The Davion Arena uses holographic technology, coupled with advanced environmental controls, to produce virtually any setting a person can conceive of. It takes its name from one of the more popular such settings, a polar glacier. However a new battlefield has been programmed to be used exclusively for the Solaris Olympiad Series.  A re-creation of "The Devil's Bath" on Tukayyid will be the setting.  Rocky Pillars, Quicksand, Minefields, and brutal temperatures will be awaiting our Series contestants when they enter the Boreal Reaches for the Olympiad.   

Specific Rules for Boreal Reaches "Devil's Bath" are as follows.

Rocky Pillars:
Each Pillar is of a varying height, but could hold the weight of any mech capable of jumping to reach the top.  Remember each level is 1.5" high, so a mech with a jump of 4 could jump to the top of a 6" pillar. The Pillars are indestructible.  A pilot that falls when on top of the pillar must make a second piloting check or fall off the pillar.  If the 2nd roll is failed, determine which direction the mech falls using the standard direction falling chart.  If the roll is made the mech has simply fallen on top of the pillar.



Lake "Watering Hole":
The lake in the center of the Devil's Bath arena is 1 level deep.  It is fed by an underground spring so even with the scorching temps it remains full.  The bottom of the lake is solid.  Remember any Heat sink under water sheds double the heat it normally would.  

Lake Edge:
There is a ring of mud around the Watering Hole.  The mud is 1 Level Deep. Cost 4MP to move through.  Requires a +3 piloting check to move through (granting 2" of movement through the mud), failure indicates the mech is stuck and ends it's move.  Stuck mechs may attempt to get out the next movement phase at a +4 Piloting check (as they have settled deeper in the mud).  Jump Jets in the legs will not work to get unstuck, must be torso mounted.  Must have at least 4 Torso mounted Jump jets to attempt jumping escape which takes up 6" of Jump movement.


Brutal Heat:  The Arena temps have been set a to one of their highest settings.  A mech generates 3 extra heat during the heat phase...making that lake look all the better.  

Starting Positions:
The starting positions place equally apart along the table edge.  Place one in each corner then one every 12" along all edges, skipping the center position of the long table edge on each side.  This will give 16 starting positions.

Terrain Coins:
The 2" terrain pieces to represent where random items are located on the map. We will call these "Terrain Coins" for lack of a better term.

The exact number of Terrain Coins is randomly determined prior to each match.
If there are 6 or fewer competitors then roll a d6, if there are more then 6 players then roll 2d6.
These will be placed at least 8" from any starting position, and no closer than 4" from another terrain coin.  The terrain coins should be placed before players pick their starting positions.  Terrain Coins may be placed in the lake, but not in the mud ring along the lake edge and not on top of rocky pillars.

Exactly what the "Terrain Coin" has will be randomly determined at the time it is stepped on by a mech, not all the results are bad.  When a mech moves onto a Terrain coin, interrupt the mechs movement, roll a D6 and consult the chart below.

1. Minefield - 10 Point Minefield, remains in play,  May be removed using Minefield removal rules.  Activating mech may continue it's movement. 
2. Mud Pit! - 1 Level Deep. Cost 4MP (8") to move through.  Requires a +3 piloting check to move through, failure indicates the mech is stuck and ends it's move.  Stuck mechs may attempt to get out the next movement phase at a +4 Piloting check (as they have settled deeper in the mud).   Jump Jets in the legs will not work to get unstuck, must be torso mounted.  Must have at least 4 Torso mounted Jump jets to attempt jumping escape which takes up 6" of Jump movement.
   
3. Hidden Rubble.  Treat this area as if Rubble.  Cost 2MP to move through.  The heat has dried over the top layer of a shallow mud pit with hidden rocks.  The unsure footing force the pilot to make a unmodified piloting check when in moving in this area.  Activating mech may continue it's movement.
4. Cool spot.  Might be the shade, might be the way the winds blow through, but this spot in the arena is cooler for some reason.  Any mech touching the coin during the heat phase, may ignore the additional 3 heat generated by the arena.
5. Lesser Treasure Flare.  Remove the coin. The activating mech is awarded 50,000 C-Bills.  The activating mech may continue it's movement.
6. Greater Treasure Flare.   Remove the coin. The activating mech is awarded 100,000 C-Bills and may roll the Die again.  If the result of the new roll is a 6 the Mech gets another 100,000 C-Bills.  The player keeps rolling getting another 100,000 C-Bills for every 6 that is rolled, but stopping when the first non-6 result is rolled.  The activating mech may continue it's movement.

Arena Rules: Hartford Gardens (ComStar)

Hartford Gardens
ComStar has taken over maintenance of the Hartford Gardens Arena for the Solaris Olympiad Series and is putting up the prizes for the top finishers.  Hartford Gardens used to be a sprawling estate, now the Gardens area has been made into one of the most popular Arenas not supported by a major house.  The Arena features a small lake, many sturdy walls and sections of woods.  The Arena is also know for the traps the owners place throughout the arena.  Be assured that ComStar will continue with that trend for the Solaris Olympiad.


Specific Rules for Hartford Gardens are as follows.

Walls:
Each wall sections ate two levels high with the support columns being 3 levels high.  The walls have been reinforced by ComStar engineers and are essentially indestructible.  A pilot that falls when on top of the wall must make a second piloting check or potentially fall off the wall.  If the 2nd roll is failed, There is a 4 in 6 chance the mech will fall of the wall.  Determine which two directions the mech can fall and stay on the wall, then Roll Direction of fall.  Example:    Say a mech was running along the wall and then fails the 2 checks and might fall of the wall.  Where it was running along the wall a front or rear direction of fall result will keep the mech on the wall, any of the side fall results means the mech has slid off the wall during the fall 

Lake:
The lake in the center of the Gardens is 1 level deep through out.


Woods:
All the Woods on in the gardens are light woods.


Starting Positions:
The starting positions place equally apart along the table edge.  Place one in each corner then one every 12" along all edges, skipping the center position of the long table edge on each side.  This will give 16 starting positions.

Terrain Coins:
The 2" terrain pieces to represent where random items are located on the map. We will call these "Terrain Coins" for lack of a better term.

The exact number of Terrain Coins is randomly determined prior to each match.
If there are 6 or fewer competitors then roll a d6, if there are more then 6 players then roll 2d6.
These will be placed at least 8" from any starting position, and no closer than 4" from another terrain coin.  The terrain coins should be placed before players pick their starting positions.

Exactly what the "Terrain Coin" has will be randomly determined at the time it is stepped on by a mech, not all the results are bad.  When a mech moves onto a Terrain coin, interrupt the mechs movement, roll a D6 and consult the chart below.

1. Minefield - 7 Point Minefield, remains in play,  May be removed using Minefield removal rules.  Activating mech may continue it's movement. 
2. Quicksand! - 1 Level Deep. Cost 4MP to move through.  Requires a +3 piloting check to move through, failure indicates the mech is stuck and ends it's move.  Stuck mechs may attempt to get out the next movement phase at a +4 Piloting check (as they have settled deeper in the quicksand).  Jump Jets in the legs will not work to get unstuck, must be torso mounted.  Must have at least 4 Torso mounted Jump jets to attempt jumping escape which takes up 6" of Jump movement.
3. Medium Laser pop up turret. A turret pops up touching an edge of the terrain coin, and remove the coin. If possible it will be placed in the front arc of the activating mech. If the front is not possible then either of the side, then finally the rear arc. Once placed the activating mech may continue their movement phase. The Turret has Gunnery skill of 5 and is considered an immobile target. The Turret can take 8 points of damage before deactivating.  There is no CP, C-Bill or Fame awarded for taking out a turret.  As the turret is considered an enemy unit you may not move through the turret and must move around it.  The Turret will shoot in the firing phase at the closest target.
4. One Shot SRM4 pop up turret.  A turret pops up touching an edge of the terrain coin and remove the coin. If possible it will be placed in the front arc of the activating mech. If the front is not possible then either of the side, then finally the rear arc. Once placed the activating mech may continue their movement phase.  The Turret has Gunnery skill of 5 and is considered an immobile target. The Turret can take 8 points of damage before deactivating.  There is no CP, C-Bill or Fame awarded for taking out a turret.  As the turret is considered an enemy unit you may not move through the turret and must move around it.  The Turret will shoot in the firing phase at the closest target.  Once the turret has fired you may remove it from play.
5. Lesser Treasure Flare.  Remove the coin. The activating mech is awarded 50,000 C-Bills.  The activating mech may continue it's movement.
6. Greater Treasure Flare.   Remove the coin. The activating mech is awarded 100,000 C-Bills and may roll the Die again.  If the result of the new roll is a 6 the Mech gets another 100,000 C-Bills.  The player keeps rolling getting another 100,000 C-Bills for every 6 that is rolled, but stopping when the first non-6 result is rolled.  The activating mech may continue it's movement.