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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lordbasl" data-source="post: 741824" data-attributes="member: 10559">My GM storyScene: Late 1980s. Group: about a dozen ex- and -current military types ranging in age from late 20s to late 40s gathered at the Alpha Geek's garage to play a blend of GURPS and BattleTech -- mech battles and roleplaying. At this time, Original BT, NOT that dumbed-down version WhizKids is selling, was the hottest game around. Our GM, Hal, made two great tastes taste great together by taking the best of both systems.The game was the best I've ever played. But to seal Hal in the GM Hall o' Fame, I have to relate what happened to my first character, Mak Flannery. I built Mak as a social animal with passable 'Mech skills -- the rest of the group used every opportunity to min-max their characters into lean, mean, killin' machines. Looking at what was happening, I asked myself "WHO'S GOING TO NEGOTIATE THE MERC CONTRACTS?" Hal took one look at my character and handed it back with a smile. During the meet-up adventure, Mak's social skills made al the difference. As a result, the team elected him CO of our new PC mercenary mech unit.Mak led the killing machines on several lucretive missions in the Inner Sphere and even into the Periphery (this was during the Fourth Succession War period, before the coming of the Clans). Hal was giving me plenty to do that did not involve bang-bang, but still I managed to see battle. I was in gamer heaven!Mak's luck ran out on a nameless Periphery rock chasing pirates. He wrote a daring plan to lure the pirates into a fire sack sealed by pre-plotted artllery fire from Long Tom heavy guns and his Command Lance. He and his lancemates hid in a lake while the rest of the company lured the pirates to their death . . .At the appropriate time, Mak and company spring the ambush. Mak popped out of the lake and laid waste to one enemy 'Mech, claiming his fifth confirmed kill for the campaign and Ace status. The enemy's deadly-accurate return fire was the stuff of legend: FOUR Golden BB shots -- medium lasers all -- hit, with the following results: 1. Center Torso Critical, Gyro destroyed. 2. Head 3. Center Torso Critical, Engine. 4. Head destroyed. Mak took severe frag damage from the first Head hit, the second one is USUALLY fatal to the pilot in a normal BT game...HOWEVER, Hal had some special rules for pilots surviving head hits like mine. Mak took enough damage to knock him out cold (0 HT in GURPS terms), but Hal ruled that Mak had ejected from the 'Mech before passing out. The amount of laser damage (20 points) plus the Gyro hit forced a Pilot skill roll, which Mak failed, causing the 'mech to fall down. Mak's ejection seat flew in a random direction (d6 scatter diagram on a hex grid for d6 hexes). I looked at the map and realized that a bad roll would put Mak right in the hexes where Long Tom artillery would land next turn!Sure enough, Mak's luck continued true to form. he ejected right into the path of the artillery strike. Long Toms are your basic 8-inch artillery firing cluster munitions; troops caught in the open are mulchedHal shook his head and said: By rights Mak should be dead dead dead. However, given that the dice had SO COMPLETELY betrayed you, here is a chance for redemption: Make 7 HT rolls and Mak lives. Blow even ONE, and your PC is Mak-burger.To make Mak a social god, I paid a price: Mak skimped on HT. Mak need seven rolls of 10 or less on 3d6 to live. You do the math! I grimly took the dice and made five of the rolls. The 6th was an 11. The table groaned. Even Hal looked sad. He told me later that I had the most miserable dice luck he'd ever seen.Hal makes the Hall because he was fair. He gave Mak a chance when the dice said he was HOSED, and that's all a player can ask for!</blockquote>

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