Scenario Designer’s Retrospective: Evacuation Under Fire

This is Dave

 So… I designed a BattleTech scenario.

Then I played it twice with Dave
.

This is normally the point where a designer pretends everything went exactly to plan and nods wisely. That is not what happened.

What did happen is that I learned a lot, lost some ’Mechs, nearly lost a VIP in increasingly stupid ways, and had several moments where I realised I’d accidentally designed something far better (or far more dangerous) than I intended.

Which, honestly, is the best possible outcome.

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The Map

Why I Designed This Scenario in the First Place

I love Classic BattleTech. Well, I remember enjoying it as a teen.

I love narrative play.

And I love spending time pushing toy robots around a table with friends far more than I care about winning.

What I don’t love is scenarios that end when one side stops moving.

Evacuation Under Fire was an attempt to fix that - to create a game where:

• Killing ’Mechs isn’t the whole point

• Standing still feels like a mistake

• And both players feel mildly stressed from Turn 1 onwards

Basically, I wanted a scenario that yells:

“Stop faffing about. Something important is happening.”

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The Dignitary (a.k.a. “The Problem Child”)

Let’s start with the obvious star of the show.

The VIP.

On paper, this is just a slow-moving token with armour. In practice, it became the single most motivating object on the table. Players ignored perfectly good targets just to take speculative shots at it. Light ’Mechs did absolutely unhinged things to get line of sight. Heavy ’Mechs soaked terrifying amounts of fire because maybe, just maybe, they could end the game right now.

Which is exactly what I wanted.

After a few tweaks (yes, 15 armour was the correct choice), the VIP stopped being fragile and started being tempting. You couldn’t casually kill it - but you could absolutely ruin your own game trying.

Perfect.

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Some Turrets

Turrets: I Accidentally Made Them Matter

I’ll be honest - the turrets were supposed to be background noise.

They were not background noise.

Turret control became a mini-game inside the scenario:

• Unmanned turrets annoyed people

• Manned turrets scared people

• High-gunnery pilots on turret duty became priority targets very fast

At one point I realised I’d created a situation where a lightly armoured Raven was more important than a heavy ’Mech. That’s not something that happens often in BattleTech, and I’m choosing to pretend it was intentional. It wasn't. Honest to god.

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What Actually Decided Games (Hint: Not BV)

Across 2 games, a few patterns became very clear:

• The player who committed first usually did better

• The player who tried to do everything usually did worse

• Overkilling already-dead units happened more than I care to admit

• Light ’Mechs died heroically, stupidly, and often

Victory Points did their job quietly in the background. They rewarded:

• Pulling out damaged units

• Playing the objective

• Knowing when to stop

Which meant games ended because the story ended, not because the table was empty.

That’s a huge win in my book.

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I think you're winning Dave...

Did Anything Break?

No. And I’m genuinely relieved about that.

There are sharp edges, sure:

• High-gunnery turret controllers are terrifying

• Narrow corridors can be exploited

• Assault ’Mechs can absorb frankly offensive amounts of punishment

But nothing ever felt unfair - just dangerous. And there’s a difference.

If anything, the scenario punishes hesitation more than bad luck, which feels very on brand for BattleTech.

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What I Learned (And Will Steal for Next Time)

If there’s one big lesson from this, it’s this:

Objectives should fight back.

The VIP moved. The turrets mattered. Time mattered. Players had to react, not just optimise.

Second lesson:

Narrative happens whether you plan for it or not.

You just need to give it somewhere to live.

I also learned that swapping sides is essential. Playing both attacker and defender exposed problems far faster than theory ever could - and it stopped me blaming the scenario for my own terrible decisions.

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Final Thoughts

Evacuation Under Fire isn’t perfect.
But it is interesting, stressful, cinematic, and replayable.

Most importantly:

Every game ended with us talking about what we’d do differently next time.

That’s why I design scenarios.
That’s why I keep learning.
And that’s why there will absolutely be more of these - whether my friends are ready for them or not.

Until next time. Hopefully I can get some PROPER board games on the table. See yah. 

P.S. Thanks to Dave and the Classic and Everything Battletech Facebook pages for all their help, time and advice. We KILLED it!!

PEW PEW.

Game Night – Evacuation Under Fire (Game Two)

🕑 10 min read

Classic BattleTech Scenario Playtest

After the dramatic first playthrough of Evacuation Under Fire, Dave and I immediately agreed that the scenario deserved a rematch - this time with sides swapped. I would take the attacker’s role, while Dave would defend the base and dignitary convoy.

With lessons learned from Game One, both sides arrived with very different force compositions and a much clearer plan. This second game would test whether the scenario could hold up when played aggressively and with intent.

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The Forces

Defenders (Dave)

• Blackjack BJ-1DC (Gunnery 3 / Piloting 5)

• Raven RVN-1X (Gunnery 2 / Piloting 5)

• Panther PNT-9R (Gunnery 3 / Piloting 5)

• Catapult CPLT-K3 (Gunnery 2 / Piloting 5)

This was a deceptively nasty defensive lineup.
The Raven’s elite gunnery made turret control extremely dangerous, while the Catapult’s ER PPCs threatened the battlefield from almost anywhere. The Panther provided mobile PPC pressure, and the Blackjack acted as a close-range brawler and harassment unit.

Attackers (Glen)

• Awesome AWS-8T

• Archer ARC-2Rb

• Valkyrie VLK-QD

• Locust LCT-1V

• Stinger STG-3Gb

I clearly planned a high-speed, multi-flank assault, with the Locust and Stinger rushing early, while the Awesome and Archer crushed turrets through the centre.

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Defender Deployment

The defenders deployed compactly around the base, clearly prioritising turret control and interior denial.

• The Raven positioned itself to reach turret control immediately.

• The Catapult took a forward interior position, ready to step out and dominate lines of fire.

• The Panther was placed to threaten fast movers approaching the walls.

• The Blackjack sat deeper in the base, ready to counter-punch or redeploy.
  
  

  
  
  

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Round 1 – The Rush Begins

I won initiative and immediately committed to speed.

The Locust sprinted up the northern edge, hugging terrain and lining up on the base entrance. The Stinger mirrored this on the southern flank, using hills for cover. The Archer and Awesome advanced methodically from the eastern edge, already lining up long-range shots on the turrets.

On the defensive side, the Raven walked straight onto turret control, while the Panther leapt onto the wall, drawing a bead on the Locust. The Catapult moved out from the gate, facing the incoming light ’Mech threat.

Fire flew immediately. Turrets barked but missed the Locust, though the Stinger took a nasty large-laser hit. The Archer and Awesome stripped heavy armour from two turrets, while the Valkyrie nearly finished one off. Despite multiple PPCs and lasers aimed at it, the Locust somehow survived untouched.

The tone was set: this game would be fast and violent.

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Round 2 – Lights Die Young

Attacker wins initiative.

The Raven stayed on turret control - and the turrets immediately proved their value.

One Stinger disappeared in a flash of light as turret fire cored its centre torso. The first attacker ’Mech was gone by Round 2.

But the attackers answered brutally. The Valkyrie destroyed a turret, and the Awesome convincingly erased another. With the Catapult and Panther distracted by the dead Stinger, the Locust suddenly found itself staring down a clear corridor straight through the base entrance.

Running flat out, the Locust burst through the gate and - against all expectations - landed a medium laser hit on the Dignitary convoy.

Gasps all around the table. The VIP was suddenly at 10 armour and very much under threat.

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Round 3 – Disaster Strikes

The defenders won initiative, but it wasn’t enough.

The Valkyrie attempted an indirect LRM shot at the convoy and missed. The Blackjack and Panther tried to collapse on the Locust, while the Raven disengaged from turret control to chase it down.

Then the Awesome stepped up.

From outside the base, it lined up a long-range shot through the corridors - and hit. The Dignitary convoy was completely destroyed.

The table fell silent. The defenders had lost their primary objective by Round 3.

But the fight was far from over.

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Rounds 4–5 – Punishing the Centre

The defenders won initiative, AGAIN!

With the VIP dead, the defenders shifted goals: deny points and cripple attackers.

The Panther and Catapult began a relentless cycle of knocking the Awesome to the ground. Engine hits, falls, and brutal follow-up fire turned the assault ’Mech into a battered wreck that simply refused to die.

The Blackjack flanked aggressively, slamming into the Archer from behind and knocking it over. The Raven danced between turret control and harassment fire, while the Valkyrie and Locust, both damaged and exhausted, began to disengage.

Despite repeated volleys, the Awesome stubbornly stood back up again and again - only to be knocked down once more.

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Round 6 – Calling It

The defenders won initiative, for the 4th and final time...

By Round 6, the battlefield was a mess of craters, wreckage, and battered ’Mechs.

• The Stinger was gone.

• The Awesome was crippled but somehow still standing.

• The Locust and Valkyrie withdrew.

• The Raven reclaimed turret control for the end-game bonus.

With objectives resolved and no realistic path to further points, the game was called.

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Victory Points

Defenders (Dave)

• 1 destroyed ’Mech: 2 VP

• 1 crippled ’Mech: 1 VP

• Controlled turrets at end of game: 3 VP
  Total: 6 VP

Attackers (Glen)

• 2 destroyed turrets: 2 VP

• Assassinated the Dignitary: 2 VP
  Total: 4 VP

Campaign Totals (last games VPs added)

• Glen: 10 + 4 = 14 VP

• Dave: 3 + 6 = 10 VP

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Final Thoughts (For Now)

This second game felt completely different to the first.
The early assassination proved the attackers can win quickly - but the defenders showed that even after catastrophic loss, there are still meaningful decisions and points to fight for.

Before we dive into scenario balance and lessons learned, we’re going to stop here - because this game deserves a proper post-mortem of its own.

And yes… the Awesome really did just keep standing back up.

Game Night - Blood on the Clocktower: Double Trouble

🕑 8 min read

Some game nights give you a single memorable story.

Others give you two, back-to-back, each with their own twists, teaching moments, and spectacular mistakes.

 😆This was one of the latter 😉

Martin explaining the rules. Dave appreciates it.

We managed to squeeze two games of Blood on the Clocktower into the same evening, both run by Dave, who was Story Telling for the very first time. While new behind the grimoire, Dave had plenty of experience as a player, and we also had the ever-reliable Martin, an experienced Story Teller himself, stepping into the circle as a player and quietly helping guide the flow of the game.

What followed were two very different games: one long, tense, mistake-ridden tragedy for the good team… and one cleaner, sharper victory that showcased just how good Blood on the Clocktower can feel when everything clicks.

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Game One – A Slow Burn Into Disaster

Players (6):
Glen (me), Martin, Dan, Ahmed, Kevin, Lee
Story Teller: Dave

Hidden Roles:

• Glen – Slayer (Townsfolk)

• Martin – Soldier (Townsfolk)

• Dan – Imp (Demon)

• Ahmed – Saint (Outsider)

• Kevin – Monk (Townsfolk)

• Lee – Poisoner (Minion)

We formed the circle and got started. This first game would go on for over an hour, with plenty of talking, theorising, and just enough misinformation to slowly poison the town’s logic.

First Night / Day – Big Claims, Bigger Red Flags

Early doors, Dan approached me claiming to be the Investigator, saying he’d seen that either Lee or Martin was the Poisoner. A bold move, and one that immediately raised my eyebrows.

Later, we discovered Dan had told Martin a different Investigator result entirely: that the Poisoner was either Martin himself or me. Already, the story didn’t add up.

Players old and new

Ahmed and Kevin, both first-time players, naturally gravitated towards each other and claimed their roles fairly early. Meanwhile, Lee claimed Empath and reported a “0”, meaning both of his neighbours were supposedly good. 

With six players, the maths felt tight. If we executed a Townsfolk too early, we’d be handing evil a huge advantage. After much discussion, no execution took place.

Cautious? Yes. Correct? Time would tell.

Second Night / Day – No Murder, No Certainty

The second night passed with no Demon kill, lending weight to both the Monk and Soldier claims… which paradoxically made things more suspicious.

I confronted Dan about his contradictory information. He claimed confusion, but his behaviour felt off. Martin accused Kevin, and Kevin found himself on the block. Moments later, Lee accused me, and the vote tied - removing both Kevin and me from danger.

Again, no execution.

At this point, I was openly accusing Dan of deliberate misinformation. The town was uneasy, but still unsure where the real threat lay.

Third Night / Day – Star-Pass Chaos

I'm surrounded by EVIL!

Overnight, Dan died, deliberately killing himself to Star-Pass the Demon to Lee.

I immediately called it out. Loudly.

No one believed me.

Convinced we needed to act, I used my Slayer shot on Ahmed. Who I thought was now the Demon. It missed. The Saint lived.

Martin, now convinced that Kevin’s failure to use the Monk ability on night one meant something sinister, pushed hard. The vote went through, and Kevin was executed.

Another Townsfolk down.

Fourth Night / Day – The Fatal Mistake

I was murdered in the night.

From the grave, I watched suspicion bounce wildly. Martin briefly wondered if I’d somehow Star-Passed (I hadn’t), then attention finally settled on Lee. He received two votes and was placed on the block.

Then Lee nominated Ahmed.

Hands went up.

And I - convinced Ahmed and Kevin’s early private discussions meant they were the evil team - forced the vote through.

Ahmed died.
The Saint was executed.
Evil instantly won.

Post-Game Revelations

With roles revealed, everything clicked:

• Martin had been poisoned on nights 1 and 2, meaning the Soldier should have died earlier.

• Kevin was required to choose someone to protect as Monk, something we’d misunderstood, unfairly casting suspicion on him.

• The game hinged on just a few small rules mistakes, but the story they created was fantastic.

Painful? Absolutely.
Memorable? Without question.

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Game Two – Redemption, With Laughter

Players:
Glen, Martin, Dan, Charlene, Kevin, Lee
Story Teller: Dave

Blood on the Clocktower

Hidden Roles:

• Glen – Slayer (again)
  

• Martin – Mayor

• Dan – Virgin

• Charlene – Saint

• Kevin – Poisoner

• Lee – Imp (Demon)

Same Story Teller. Same(ish) group. Very different energy.

First Night / Day – Lies for the Greater Good

Kevin poisoned Martin immediately, making the Mayor vulnerable. I decided to fake being the Librarian, hoping to identify a lone Outsider and help the town control the narrative.

Through conversations with Martin and Dan, I quickly confirmed Charlene was the Saint. The information aligned neatly, and I was feeling confident.

At the Town Square, no one was nominated. Quiet - but productive.

Second Night / Day – A Very Public Mix-Up

No murder again. Kevin poisoned me, silently turning my Slayer ability into a dud.

Here’s where things went sideways - in the best way.

I announced that if there was a Virgin, I would nominate them and die… but my real plan was to Slayer Shot, Lee, who had been behaving oddly since day one.

Martin pointed out the Virgin to me.

Unfortunately, Dave misheard the exchange, thought Martin had nominated the Virgin, and auto-killed the Mayor.

The table erupted in laughter.
An honest mistake, instantly forgiven, and honestly very on-brand for Clocktower chaos.

Play continued.

Pressure mounted on Kevin and Lee. Dan nominated Lee and put him on the block. Then, not knowing I was poisoned, I fired my Slayer shot at Lee.

It failed. Obviously.

Kevin was nominated next and executed. No Scarlet Woman. Just a poisoned Slayer making dramatic gestures.

Third Night / Day – Justice Served

I was murdered in the night.

With Kevin gone, the remaining players compared notes. Everything pointed at Lee. Charlene nominated him, four hands went up, and the Demon was executed.

Good team victory.

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Final Thoughts

Two games. Two wildly different outcomes. One excellent evening.

For a first-time Story Teller, Dave did a great job, handling rules, pacing, and the occasional chaos with good humour. Ahmed and Kevin, both new players, jumped in brilliantly, asked the right questions, and added real texture to the games.

Dan once again proved he’s far less clueless than he pretends, Martin found himself boxed in by powerful Townsfolk roles, Charlene played a textbook Saint, and I - apparently destined to be the double Slayer - nearly got my Demon and caused just enough drama to feel satisfied.

Blood on the Clocktower thrives on mistakes, misunderstandings, and moments where everyone thinks they’re right… right up until the end.

And honestly?
That’s what makes it so good.