BATTLETECH - The impossible mission: you lose on turn 2

[Force Majeure]

One line summary of your issue
The impossible mission: you lose on turn 2

Please explain your issue is in as much detail as possible.
Not really a bug... more like bad game design.
Mission on attached game file has so far been impossible to win. You will lose on turn 2. I guaranty it.
I'm still trying to figure out a way to win it... I'm at attempt number 3, and even if I know exactly where the APC is coming from, I have been unable to stop it.
I'll try to move all of my forces over to kill it on turn 1... maybe I can pull it off. But I'll have to reserve everyone until end of turn. If anybody moves before the APC reveals itself, I lose.
Real frustrating.

Steps to reproduce the issue
Play this mission

Upload attachment

 

[36PopTarts]

I assume you're playing the defense mission involving the DropShips and the offline turrets which you need to defend to start up.
I just got past this mission. It's not "impossible," although to be honest it's quite a dumb premise. Why is my lance seemingly caught totally unawares in a defense mission? Shouldn't I have time to position my lance properly if I know the enemy is coming? But no, everyone's in a tight cluster and it seems almost as if everyone were asleep in their cockpits when the enemy attacks.

The key is reserving. If you don't reserve on the first turn, you will lose this mission on turn 2, as you said. In fact, I'm a little surprised you got this far in the game without understanding how reserve works... The APCs move on initiative phase 2, so if you reserve until the APC on the right side moves, you can annihilate it in the first turn on initiative phase 1 and proceed as normal. It's a cheap and unnecessary "gotcha" from the mission, but not exactly difficult to figure out once you witness it happening.

 

[Force Majeure]

I know how reserve works. I'm actually very good at this game since I even win missions 8 vs 4 in those cases when the reinforcements arrive at the start. In fact, this is still my first play-though and I had never lost a single mission or had to reload, until this one.
You are right, I eventually figured it out. Once I got that first APC, the rest wasn't so bad, although I didn't bother saving the barracks.
The issue, in my opinion, is that this first APC is out of sight initially, so you can't shoot it unless you have the foresight to reserve, but you don't know where it's going or how fast until it moves on turn one, and if, at that point, you don't have someone with substantial firepower ready to take it out (because those APCs have a tough skin if you are not close enough to stomp them), then you lost. And adding insult to injury, you get a pointless vocal warning about the APC getting too close at the very moment when you have lost, while the APC makes it's move and get's into the base.
In my opinion, not a single player will succeed this mission on the first try, without the benefit of hindsight.

 

[36PopTarts]

Yes, like I said it's cheap and unnecessary, but I don't think those APCs have "tough skin" at all. IIRC they have 37 side armor and 45 front armor, and something like 20 structure. The Highlander can easily destroy them with a Gauss Rifle, assuming it hits. I also had another assault Mech because I had been doing a lot of side missions, but heavies should easily have enough firepower to take them out in a single salvo as well. You can also use sensor lock to hit the APC with LRMs before it moves.