Classic BattleTech is BACK | Clan Burrock vs Avatar Knights | Post-Battle of Tukayyid Era

[@Tinytraveler]

It really upsets me that you guys put this kinda production value into your videos and don't get the recognition your deserve. God damn these are great videos! ♥

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thank you for saying that! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ commenter!!!

[@verysilentmouse]

The problem is that they only do 1 or 2 vids a week that's not a complaint its the algorithm

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I am going to start doing shorts of me doing dumb stuff like making breakfast or brushing my teeth haha

[@kereminde]

There is a lot of effort into these videos, and the paint jobs... and the presentation. I think it should be better known but, hey, all I can do is say "you should check them out" - can't make people come watch!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

The age old expression… you can lead a noob to youtoob, but you cant make them watch.

[@SalamiTactical]

CLASSIC!!! HELL YES! So glad to see Classic BatReps arent dead here. As a classic player myself - just had a classic game last night in the same exact era, inner sphere only. Tried out a Nightsky, and a Stalker with Narc beacons for the first time, that mech becomes so deadly with double heatsinks.

[@kamikazebadger2686]

Classic BattleTech, the game of armoured accounting. It’s a great change of pace. Keep up the great work

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Bwahahah amazing!

[@chrisnickell2525]

Love Classic. The specific hits. The weapons lost. Thru armor crits. It has it all! On cluster weapons we roll multiple pairs of d6 in different colors to speed up all those hits. Makes it way faster.

[@Speedbob2438]

So happy to see Classic make a return! Love it as always gents!!!

[@BazztheBazz]

Yes, finally some more Classic Tech! And man, that's a fantastic looking table!

[@brianhenry152]

Yes!! A return to form with my favorite era and favorite method of playing! Those paint jobs on the minis look awesome, and your tabletop set up is impeccable as always! Here's hoping the Avatar Knights can drive off those Clanners and keep a hold of their prize!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Filthy clanners!!

[@brianhenry152]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I have to ask... how many SRM rolls did you do in this battle? I remember a game where I saw 2 SRM carriers got to blast a target mech, and the controlling player said, "you might as well go get a soda, this is gonna take a while."

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

LOL I think it was over 40, would have been more but we were given a merciful death by the dice gods haha

[@shaneflickinger]

This is the first battle report that I've had the time to sit down and watch in a while. Pleasantly surprised to see some Classic action. Thanks gents.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks for watching!

[@eastmadnesshorse6914]

YES!! I was just looking for classic batreps here, I was sad they were all 3+ years old and ONE day later I get this!

[@theredbeardbard]

Love the battlefield layout for this episode. Great use of elevation, trees, and scatter!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thank you sir!

[@matthewfullmer3035]

Great to see Classic get a run out! I greatly appreciate the variety you guys offer. Re: balancing. I have probably made this argument here before, but +0/+2/+4 range is big part of how speed and lighter mechs can be worth (or at least close to worth) their BV. If there is no way to force 8/9/10+ to hits during the approach (and maybe disengage) phases then there is little chance of living long enough to earn your cost back. If a +3 move mod is only good enough to get you a total target number of 7 or 8, then Aaron would be right when he scoffs at speed and claims his lance will burn you down and that movement is over costed. And extreme range is a compounding problem to that. A mech that was 100% safe beyond long range becomes not 100% safe. Even if you say, "well, even a 2 gunner needs 10/11/12 to hit" that is still infinitely more dangerous than 'can never hit.' I.e., there is a whole extra turn or two where you can be hit before you even reach the 'can you survive to your engagement range' part of the equation. This is made far, far worse by the +1/2/3/4 variation. Long range brackets are basically doubled and long range is much more dangerous by only being +3. Whenever I think about these topics I come back to how the target numbers look with what the universe and authors call "regular" pilots. If I have a G4 plot, walk, and target a +2 movement mod mech at my PPC's long range bracket, I need an 11. Hard. A little speed makes long range somewhat safe. I can stand still and repeat at medium range and need an 8. Much easier. But if they are a 5/8 putting up a +3, my odds drop a large chunk. Even more if I move. My point is that those 5/8 Mad Dogs, Timber Wolfs, Wolverines, etc. look far more impressive when hitting them is not close to automatic. Many of them start to look terrifying. Really, I am of the opinion that this comes down to a fundamental conflict. If one hates ever needing target numbers of 9+ and wants to see things score hits and blow up as soon as possible, then play choices that cater to those ideals (i.e., house rules, table setup, rules interpretations, permissiveness for elite pilots, etc.) will necessarily punish anything that tries to use speed and agility as armour. Thus, the things that (possibly) are costed correctly under a neutral environment will become over costed (if speed-oriented) or under costed (long range + armour). A choice to benefit one is not made in a vacuum and forces reinterpretation across the board.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

You make many fair points - but a couple counter opinions! 11 isn’t “hard” to hit, its a total gamble. over 50/50 is hard to hit, and that is a 8s and 9s. Having to consistently roll 11s simply isnt fun. Your math is good but advance the timeline where everything has higher speed. Long range isnt even a factor. It’s meaninglessly impossible to hit. I’d also throw in regular old weapons like the MLAS with a 7-9 hex long range. These weapons really, really suck unless you are literally up the targets butthole. It just doesnt make sense, it’s not cinematic, and not to sound redundant but it drains the fun. We recent filmed a game where Dan was like 6” from my mech and he still needed like 10s to hit. You are right that it’ll affect the cost balance - but let’s be honest, BV is already hot garbage. It is a matter of taste I guess, but I’d rather hit more and see stuff happen than play a great tactical game but lose because my opponent was able to roll more 10s. Also I appreciate you!!!

[@jeffreywilliams8018]

I agree with all of this based off the rules-as-written, however it always seemed fundamental wrong that there would ever be an impossible shot within a weapons effective range. Even a terrible pilot can just get lucky. To account for that, we added the Dark Age clix game rule of having natural 2’s always miss and 12’s always hit as a house rule. For even quicker games, 2’s always miss AND cause you to make a critical hit roll on that weapon’s location while 3’s just always miss, while 11’s always hit and a natural 12 always hits, does 50% (round up) damage and rolls for a critical on the opponent’s hit location. This probably badly unbalances a few of the published scenarios but for normal matches where everyone is prepared for it, the house rule has worked just fine for us. The second version can lead to some incredibly silly moments, though 😂

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I tend to appreciate the AS style of “ranged based difficulty” rather than weapon based. Like, yes a small laser can only shoot 90 meters, but why is it so hard to hit something 90 meters away? We go through mental gymnastics to try to make sense of it in Classic! Controversial, I know 😆

[@porthosduvallon5301]

Back with my favorite style of Battletech, classic! Thanks for you’re great content. Also FIRST because that’s a thing people do right?

[@kereminde]

"I should just put a tech in the Gargoyle..." ("You must pilot the 'Mech, Shinji. Or Thom will have to do it again.")

[@kereminde]

And surely enough, getting back to the video the next day to the resolution of 23 SRMs landing... This is why my brother and I tend to roll them in batches of 1 to 4 with multiple sets of dice. Yes, we still need to keep track of how many we've rolled but I just make a scratchpad and write the numbers separated by hashes. (When he landed a full load from an SRM Carrier, we sighed and went "60 SRMs, oh no" and quickly came up with this idea so we could figure out that poor 'Mech's demise... and yet that Thunderbolt *lived*.)

[@105Gunner]

Thank you for putting the AAR back at the end of the video. It just flows better than having it as a separate video.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks for the feedback - we may continue to do AARs to talk about broader “sets” of battles or campaigns, but agree it just more natural to hit the key points in the wrap up!

[@fargoretro]

just getting into BattleTech, haven't played Alpha Strike yet, so love seeing this classic content

[@HotelCharliHill]

don't. it's like yugi0h. just stick with classic

[@RiftShredemption]

@@HotelCharliHill not even close to a fair comparison. It's fine if you like the crunch of CBT, but not really fair to disparage AS as a game just because you don't like it.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Classic and AS are both great (and different) ways to play.

[@HotelCharliHill]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming BrzzZZtt!! Does not compute.... Great batrep though... man, so good. Loved seeing the mechs getting taken apart. and no pilot rolls! shocking! I wouldn't have minded triple-range though to work with your scale though. Really enjoyable to watch! lol, Dan looked like he was missing Yugi - I mean alpha strike XD

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Hah! The scale is unchanged. 4x4 is about the same as 3x2 mapsheets.

[@basement1908]

I love classic, but the only reason I love it as much as I do is because of the pilot die technique I learned from you guys! Thanks for everything 👍

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks for watching!!

[@taylordurost246]

Great to see classic back! I have never run that Vulture variant and now I remember why XD

[@gakuso7541]

Great to see the best BattleTech channel doing a Classic Battletech game.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

You are too kind!

[@jinnchong8869]

Want to say that I appreciate the showcase of CBT again after such a long time. I started watching this channel for all the older CBT games you guys did. It helped me learn the CBT system quicker. I can understand why it can be such a slog to produce a video for CBT as oppose to Alpha Strike (AS). But AS just doesn’t have the visceral feel that you get from CBT. Do keep up the quality videos though. You could have rolled multiple pairs of dice for the six SRM6 missiles. Could have sped the time needed to resolve that attacks.

[@sea_triscuit7980]

That Vulture is gorgeous. I love the paint schemes of both armies. Nice ro see some Elementals on the Board too! Thank you for another awesome battle report!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks for watching!

[@tarantuhalla]

Finally... classic with terrain :) Your BT content is really high value ans shows how aesthetically pleasing the came can be :)

[@oleksaderzybis9052]

Epic intro, beloved Classic, great video. Thank you really much! As for keeping mods down -- we always play at least 3/4, no matter the faction. 4/5 mech should better have a bucket of weapons (and a bucket of paired dices) to roll 'em off all together. Or just take pulse weaponry for better reliability. Like Lyran Nightsky. Beautifully reliable mech. Also, Tactical Operations include Linked Weapons rule, which is in fact Weapon Groups, that gives you an option to speed the game up, but make it a bit riskier. Definitely check this one out.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I will check this out - I think I saw a rule in strat ops where you roll for hit once but still do location rolls separate.

[@oleksaderzybis9052]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming, yeah, this is it. Helps a lot with mechs like Hunchback, who has 9 med lasers, or Piranha with 15. For rolling multiple locations there is only way -a pack of paired dice. We bought one and happy now, for it is much easier to roll all and then just count and say to you op what to write down (also if multiple hits are in a same location - you immediately see this).

[@sebastiang.5032]

It's a good day when I can see a Kit Fox on the battlefield. Love this Mech.

[@johnhennon3694]

I, too, hate having arms

[@user-ty9dy2zm2s]

Hello DFAW! First of all thank you for a GREAT stuff you make! You are Awesome! And thanks particularly for this classic report - as i mostly play it (i like AS as well and you are the reason why!) I would be glad to see more stuff like this - and im in love with Clan Invasion period, Tukkayyid battle especially! If you will do a Tukkayyid campaign ill be the first to watch it))) The one thing that seems important to me - is PSR after 20+ dmg. I believe this mechanic is really important as it actually makes Piloting skill more valuable. Hope to see this mechanic in another classic video! PS Aron, Tom, Dan - you are the best!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks 🙂

[@subtlewhatssubtle]

It's always a good day when I get to see an Avatar take to the field. Probably my favorite of the first-gen IS Omnis, quirks and all.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

SAMSIES!

[@jordansimpkins8784]

Great video, and I love seeing some classic BattleTech.

[@DapperRaccoon]

Great battlerep! So happy to see Aaron win some initiative. Really looking forward to more classic on the channel as it's what I mostly play personally. And yeah, if someone brings a Vulture A I'm burning it down at range if I can so I don't have to count SRM hits...

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

28…29….30…….31……☠️

[@anorcalchemist891]

These vids get a like before I’ve seen 15s of content. Love the setup, cast, and banter. Always know it’s going to be entertaining.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thank you!

[@matthewmarek1467]

Yessss!!! Back to Classic! I don't know about the "split screen" presentation, it's kinda hard to read the table. Can't wait to see you sport some second line Ghost Bear defenders (Grizzly and Kingfisher) in a battle. I do wonder if you could use Flechs Sheets to possibly speed things up. Also, eras? 3025 for the win.

[@gryphon3241]

i was literally just watching your review video on the hardware studio's dropship lol, nice timing 🤣🤣

[@gryphon3241]

ok, now that i've watched it, at least through the game itself, i got into battletech because i wanted something crunchier than the average wargame. but uh, i think i'm sticking to alpha strike, or trying to convince buddies to try that classic/destiny/alpha stike hybrid you guys where showing off a while ago

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Destiny is a nice middle ground! Classic definitely has the CRUNCH haha

[@75sklein]

Great job guys. The video was enjoyable and I love the terrain. I do have a few friendly and helpful comments and suggestions: 1. I agree with your sentiment that Succession Wars, Clan Invasion, and Fed Com Civil War are the only eras of Classic Battletech worth playing. After that, the rules get bogged down with all of the new tech and the game is more about mech builds than game play. 2. Classic Battletech is much more forgiving of taking chances than Alpha. Mechs are generally more durable and can take some maneuver risks. 3. You really should try the old rules for Elementals,. They mirror the same durability as mechs, can make a decisive impact on the battlefield for a round or two before they are left behind on the battlefield as most mechs put distance between them. 4. Clan Mechs, especially the lighter ones, should take advantage of long range high impact weapons as long as possible. Their superior speed in all weight classes really can make the BVs worth it. They can hit at longer ranges and have the speed to keep the distances. 5. You should play with the piloting skill checks. Make sure you check them when you take damage and add a +1 modifier for every 20pts of damage. 6. SRMs are supposed to to be critical seekers as mechs get stuck in. We always rolled 5 or 6 set of dice at the same time for hit location to speed up the process. 7. I always get a chuckle on how Aaron has custom mods to many mechs he fields, even if they are not Omnimechs. I have noticed that many of the mechs shorter range weapons are sacrificed for ER versions of lasers, LRMs, or AC 10s most of the time. Are you doing the mods to keep the BVs closer, or is it just vanity? Has the other players thought about fielding a modified Mech? Great job guys, I do miss playing Battletech with my old running crew.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Vanity mods! You should see my ‘mechs license plates. 😆

[@androssthered1157]

Been so busy lately catching up. Love watching these and haven't seen a classic match in ages. Great stuff. Think I see the appeal to both game types now.

[@moragion]

Classic Battletech?! Dan?! 36 SRMs?! Could this be better? Great content as always, with a straight fight. Although I understand that dealing with so many rolls for the SRMs is tiresome, and not really very dynamic for a batrep as a product, I like the way Classic always makes you feel that each mech is an individual, with damage all around, and perhaps some weapons down, but still moving, fighting. I was really surprised to see Clan Burrock, one of those clans I always forget when trying to remember them all. And listening at the post battle Dan telling that he had a lot of fun, after watching him the whole battle, brought to me an image of someone else (probably Thom) outside of camera, holding a gun pointed at Dan. You should have given him the day's newspaper.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

LOL

[@HotelCharliHill]

proof of life...

[@madcapmiguel5071]

I'm more of an alpha strike fan but I haven't seen a report in a few months and noticed the production value just keeps increasing, what a fantastic channel

[@steveguziec8050]

AWESOME TO SEE CLASSIC!!!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Youre awesome STEVE

[@Guru_Swami]

The battlefields you guys create for these are incredible!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thank you!!

[@johnw5154]

Great video. Need more classic games . As for multi missile hits. Just make a 12 compartment dice box for quick multi location hit rolls

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I mean, that’s one way to do it for sure. 😆 I would like some official rules to streamline it though.

[@TheThugnificant]

Classic is actually pretty cool. Definitely appreciate the extra Durability on these Mechs, They're armored behemoths it should take a lot of destructive force to bring down even the "light" Mechs.

[@jeffbrown1958]

Good episode! I realize the battle value played a role in how things played out. But if Dan had been able to field a full star of mechs it may have had a different result as he would have had 2 more mechs on the board. If nothing else it would have lasted another couple turns.

[@Linkous12]

I didn't even realize the Burrocks were still around at that point. lol

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Does anyone really know for sure? 😛 I keep wondering (hoping?) they’ll resurface in the ilClan era at some point.

[@mrc8308]

Damn... your terrain just levelled up!! Awesome. Just blows me away how good your tables look.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks!

[@Maladjester]

The rotating models and classic music really takes me back. ♥

[@DrDetroit941]

really nice to see classic battletech back

[@RedQueensAce]

That table looks amazing!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks!

[@sentinelmoonfang]

I think the Clan vs. IS balance does tip a little towards IS, but I don't think it was a factor in this game. Usually that comes up when the IS player tries to heavily outnumber a Clan opponent. My friends and I play with unit number caps for that reason. I think some came down to RNG, but I also think some came down to being a bit too aggressive with the Clan units. You touched on why at the end. The 0/2/4 for range is huge and if you can skirmish well with clanners you'll be shooting from a better range bracket and usually imposing a +2 on your enemy versus a +1 for you (Target Moved 5-6 vs. Attacker Walked) That potential +1 or +2 extra to the dice actually matters MUCH more at higher to-hit numbers. As primarily a Clan player I'm happy to make trades rolling against 10's if my enemy is rolling against 11's. It sounds like a small difference, but I actually have double his chance to hit in that situation (8.33% vs. 16.66% approximately.) Conversely those small advantages from being Clan matter less at shorter ranges and with easier shots. For instance me needing a 6 vs. him needing a 7 I'm only 14% more likely to hit than he is.

[@TheAchilles26]

The Clan IS balance pretty flagrantly favors the Clans when you don't have terrain creating tiny firing lanes

[@sentinelmoonfang]

@@TheAchilles26 I mean terrain is going to be a factor. So is the size of your play area. So is the scale of your game. I would say for instance you'll struggle to make a good Clan force in games lower than 10k. You'll also invariably struggle if outnumbered more than 2:1 (by units, not BV.) Generally, though if I'm trying to be competitive I'll run Inner Sphere. I think generally people playing IS vs. Clan fall into the same trap Imperial Guard players used to when I played Warhammer competitively. They have a great list, they just want use all veteran units and super expensive stuff when their best advantage is really just numbers and redundancy.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

100%. Weight of dice. Get the odds in your favor!!

[@TheAchilles26]

@@sentinelmoonfang the Clans frankly obscene advantages in speed, range, heat management, and frankly even in weapon damage make it absurdly easy for them to turbo kite IS. There's a reason all the "Clanbuster" mechs have as many Gauss rifles as possible rather than it being something like a Commando swarm.

[@WoWoverlord]

Awesome to watch, as someone learning. :D

[@obsidiananubis1017]

Great to see classic again. Sounds like you need to run Elementals out of the book versus support rules.

[@carlk8308]

Loved it! IMHO, all the mods and rules DFA used when you ran Classic in the past were great. The games were streamlined. The pilot die, the modified range mods, etc... It's all good. I don't play that way but it's fun to watch. Also, 3025 is always fun. Lots of lore for the narrative approach.

[@czarvak9186]

Yes Classic! Love it

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

So many SRMs 😁

[@user-ty9dy2zm2s]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming we usually use several pairs of dices with different color - that helps a lot to speed up the process! Maybe it will be helpful)

[@MathewJC25]

So glad classic is back!

[@jessepunch8945]

Its funny how RAW classic plays on a 4x4 table compared to AS. After turn 3 or so, your and Dan’s mechs all existed in essentially a 1.5’ square for accuracy.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Right because the mods are ridiculous. We all agreed that future games (keep in mind we have a few filmed by now already) we are going back to house/optional rule mods!

[@matthewfullmer3035]

This might just be one of those "we did it this way so often, so it made sense for us" things, but have you guys ever tried rolling multiple pairs of d6s at once? My old group would roll handfuls of dice with each pair being a different color and/or style. Then you just quickly pair them up and call out hits/locations. We found it sped things up enormously and made shotgun mechs (including medium laser boats) barely more onerous than anything else.

[@kereminde]

This is how we were doing it for my campaign games, until we tried the pilot die and liked it. (For Classic. For Alpha Strike we are much more wary of the effect it can have.) As for it being "heresy"... no, it is not d12s. Therefore it is not heresy, only unorthodox. :)

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

LOL love it. Great teeshirt.

[@kereminde]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I think the base form of the "pilot die" is in one of the rulebooks as an optional rule - I've just never looked at ALL of them. (Because there's so many.)

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Maybe you are right! I have not seen it, but its possible.

[@EAfirstlast]

most light mechs should definitely be max zooming with their full speed

[@kevinappel6184]

Steiner must adopt to the way of the Clans...Clan Jade Falcon

[@ChronicUptier]

When you have lots of missile hit locations from SRMs its best to use many different color sets of dice so you can roll two of each color dice and roll them 6 locations at a time or something. Makes those kinds of shots very fast to do since you only have to pair up the same color dice after you roll.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Are there 28 different colors though? 😂

[@1killer911]

Love me some classic. Play it every Saturday, always a fun time.

[@HotelCharliHill]

CLAAASSSIIIIICC'S BACK, BAABBBYYY!!!!! YEEAAAAH!!!! I drank this hour and 25 minutes right up, mmmmmm

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Thanks for drinking, er watching 😄

[@gavincross2902]

Classic Rocks!!! Thanks fellas!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

You rock! Thanks for watching!!

[@NRSGuardian]

The best way to handle large numbers of cluster location rolls is to have a battle box, so you can roll up to 20 locations at once, then just read off the results and apply damage. Another alternative is to use one of the cluster hits apps available for smart phones and tablets. PSRs for at least 20 points of damage is a standard rule, the optional rule is to have the PSR mod stack for each additional 20 damage a Mech takes.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Which app do you use?

[@NRSGuardian]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I use the MechHitting App on my iPhone. It does both cluster rolls from 2-40 and hit locations.

[@GabrielGarcia-cq9ls]

Yeah that poor kitfox would always stay on the edge of medium range, easier to do with hex maps though, def would never get close enough to brawl.

[@Redmow51]

That music at the beginning...so familiar. I know I've heard it before. :)

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

From the good old days!!

[@Redmow51]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Yes. The good old days. I regret not having played Battletech when it first came out way back when. But, I'm in now. Head first. Battletech, Mechwarrior 5 and MWO are all installed on my PC. And painting the mechs up for some Classic battles.

[@jessepunch8945]

Thr terrainify stepped hills are gorgeous

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

A+ stuff!

[@magnuscolable]

Classic is great for 1v1 or maybe 2v1 or 2v2 depending on the game but it's soo slow I used to play classic back in the day and resolving combat was what made lots of players bounce off it.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

You said it. I agree…

[@jasonbohnert1744]

Great vid...however, i am a little curious...when you took out the kit fox, you took off a side torso and said he is dead no engine left....but clan mechs dont die by losing a side torso as you stated later in the match...i think dan should have still had the kit fox on the table, or was there an engine crit before that?

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

He had 2 engine crits going into that from the CT, so that would have pushed it over the max!

[@omegavulture8379]

Wohooo! Classic!!

[@audioweasel6997]

The missile location rolls can be handled faster. I think I first saw this on Battle Bound. Little tackle box type thing with two dice in each compartment. Shake the box to roll the dice, which does all of your needed rolls at once

[@sempermilites87]

Classic Battletech! Let's go!

[@DevianID]

Tons of fun seeing classic! I kinda chuckle at some of the missed things/rules, but you guys are not classic players and filming breaks up your flow, so its fair that you miss things. You can play SO SO much faster then this normally lol. Especially the single set of dice is funny. Its super easy for sets of 6 dice; i use heat coded (red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple) always going red to purple for order, and our group bangs out massive classic games in 2-4 hours. For terrain, are you using 1 inch= 1 hex? That kitfox got close real fast and stayed close, instead of skulking at medium range...

[@verysilentmouse]

Yay classic

[@jasonames145]

Box of doom, guys, roll off camera, get the tackle box full of dice and roll out those srms volleys in a minute or two instead of an intermission :) welcome back to classic!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I liked our old 3+ house rule better!

[@jasonames145]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming couple more bouts before the house rules get added?

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

That sounds spot on 🙂

[@odstbane]

Sounds like you guys need to put together a box of death to get those srms rolled

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Haha maybe. It’s still a tremendous amount of accounting haha it is inspiring me to write a freaking app.

[@catzo_5762]

Love me some CBT (classic battletech)

[@CerinDeVane]

Not sure if this will be seen or not, but hey why not - is this Avatar Knights any relation to the old MW4 unit? Probably not, those days were over 20 years ago, but the unit name jumped out at me while browsing youtube and I figured there'd be no harm in asking.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Of course there is. Did you know our unit is now canonized in BT lore? (and if my memory serves, Cerin is one of Spectre’s alter egos?)

[@jahwinston9327]

Man, if only there was something in between Classic battletech and Alpha strike. I absolutely love the immersive side of Classic, blowing limbs off, choosing what weapons to shoot, the domino effects leading to crazy thematic situations. But boy is it tedious; especially if you chose specific variants; leading to certain mechs almost being "unplayable" like the Vulture A (which really should not be an issue for a game). On the other hand Alpha strike is quick, snappy and you can field more epic battles....yet it just feels so "empty" and generic without the thematic immersion, almost like the Mechs aren't true Battlemechs anymore and just feel like basic generic soldiers or something.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Have you seen our Battletech: Destiny mod?

[@jahwinston9327]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming No not yet, just found your channel recently as I've been wanting to get back into the game after the recent kickstarter hype. I'll check it out! I think I saw some of the tutorial videos recommended to me after I was binging all of your old tutorial videos but I thought it was just your own house rules for Mechwarrior destiny or something

[@GodHammer227]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Classic Battletech use hexed maps? I really dig this video though. Battletech is my favorite tabletop war game but it gets so little love from the YT gaming community.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Classic does use paper hex maps, but there are optional “miniature rules” in Strategic Ops that we’ve adopted to play on 3D terrain!

[@EAfirstlast]

what rules are you using for elementals? Cause this looks way different from what I know how elementals work. I know Btech classic has about 100 different rules choices.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Haha 101 now. These are the beta Battlefield Support rules released w the kickstarter

[@joshblack2362]

Please do more classic battletech videos!!!

[@nicholassmith8027]

:) The day has come.

[@jachse8464]

Long range dueling with a clanner? Also, did the clanner designate their duels?

[@seanmaclean1341]

Would love to hear how y'all converted classic hex measurements into non-hex. Did you just reverse the AS 2"=1 hex conversion that they have to use hex with AS?

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Its just one hex = 1 inch. So a 4/6 mech moves 4”/6”. And LRM can shoot 21”. This is outlined in strategic ops as well in more detail.

[@seanmaclean1341]

Ahh! I need to read through Strategic Ops. Thanks!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I believe its buried in the back. There are (of course) a thousand other rules related to cover etc that we simplify, but it’s all there!

[@troyradford75]

Awesome table. Awesome minis. And awesome action. Even if it is classic. 😜

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

😂

[@thezomby5015]

Quick question: are you planning on adding more weapons and equipment to the Battletech : Destiny card builder ? I would very much like to be able to do clan invasion era inner sphere mechs.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Patrons have access to everything in the BattleMech Manual.

[@porthosduvallon5301]

circling back, im a little confused about the elemental rules comment. I've not played much alpha strike, mostly classic, and I was under the impression in classic elementals would absorb hits while mounted on a mech depending on hit location. Are you saying this is changing in rules with the merc box, have i been playing classic wrong all this time, or is it alpha strike where they dont absorb hits?

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

So this is a new “beta” battlefield support rules set that came out with the kickstarter stuff. It streamlines some things, and as far as I can tell, there is no absorption of hits from elementals like in AS (or classic)

[@porthosduvallon5301]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming ahhhh I see, thank you 🙏🏼

[@sebastiang.5032]

It's always great to see a new BatRep from you guys. But some love for Battletech:Destiny would be appreciated, too. 😉❤️

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Im just messing with you now. Next we’ll play Battle force

[@sebastiang.5032]

​@@DeathfromAboveWargaming 40K, 10th Edition 😜

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

It could happen…

[@sebastiang.5032]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I dare you, I double dare you! 😁

[@bartekzx88]

Siiiick stuff!

[@techpriest3440]

Nice

[@robc3548]

How do you play classic without hex map?

[@sebastiang.5032]

Roll for Hit Location! Roll for Hit Location! Roll for Hit Location! Roll for Crit Location! 🤣

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

lol Roll for the hell of it!

[@gufbrindleback]

Where do we find the beta rule set? I didn't see it in my inbox.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Erm goood question. It was in one of the thousand emails sent. Maybe search your inbox for “Battlefield Support” - that may work!

[@gufbrindleback]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I found it with "Battlefield Support"! Thank you! I award you 100 bonus BV on your next battle!

[@ngryleprechaun87]

Just for me? You shouldn't have! (But keep doing it!)

[@ngryleprechaun87]

If you're going to keep playing classic, definitely invest in a Box Of Death (clear craft box with multiple compartments, each with 2 dice in it) so you can roll cluster hits in batches.

[@jasonames145]

I would say that yeah, the clans cannot be played as brawlers against IS forces. you have fewer units that are out armored and out numbered, but you hit like a freight train and you got the mobility. you gotta move, use the terrain and refuse to just stand and fight. I always felt that clan vs. IS the clan player can not afford as many mistakes ad are more prone to RNG Jesus moments.

[@ScanManP13]

At last!

[@maxparece4155]

I never find that BV balance for IS vs Clan is balanced. Armor isn’t accounted jnto BV as much as it should, and in this instance the clan mechs were so high BV but with paper armor. Also in regards to the Mad Dog, I play with C5 SRMs, so they cluster the same as LRMs. These makes them a little OP, but more fun than the C1 garbage lmao.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Yah we discussed c5 -it does make a lot of sense.

[@matthewpena3932]

If cluster is a pain use a digital app to so those rolls.

[@Executioner9000]

The production values are amazing, but with how much your guys seem to distain CBT i wonder why your bother playing? I love the game and it's oddities. Also FYI a PSR is required after 20 points of damage. That's not an optional rule. 😉

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Its optional like some stop signs 😂 Some of the fans love classic, so gotta spread the love. I dont “hate” classic, there are just some ridiculously outdated pieces that could use modernization!!

[@Executioner9000]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming eh, that modernization is Alpha Strike. I think the reason the game has survived 30+ years is because the rules are mostly the same. My books from when I was a kid are all still valid and usable.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I’m not sure I see it the same way with AS!

[@kevinappel6184]

Where the heck are the Elementals in this battle?

[@Ichaerus]

@Death From Above Wargaming: An excellent BatRep, as always. I do miss the PSR checks from damage, and would have chuckled at seeing cluster shot from the LB-X ACs. 5 and 10 pellets is not so bad to roll for location. If the game was stacking LB-20X ACs(more than 2 per side), that would be cause for aggravation. @Dan: The Kit Fox A variant works better as a sniper, than it does as an emotional support purse puppy(Despite the wacky MWO builds. Ignore the MWO/MW5 trap when it comes to playing Classic BattleTech and 'Mech/weapon performance.). Keep it in the rear if it has a high value gun(did you guys factor in the explosion from losing the Gauss Rifle? I think you forgot about that. Counts as a 20 point ammo explosion.). The Mad Dog A was not bad, but really shines when you close the distance to shotgun those SRM-6 missiles at a target, at short range bracket. When the ER PPC was ripped off, it allowed a lot of leeway towards heat generation, to scamper up to something and blast an enemy. And if you guys were using the knockdown rule(I still have not figured out why you were not, when every other Classic BattleTech BatRep used the rule, including the Naptime with Master Po Ding BatRep), that is basically your crowd control right there with all those missiles. The Nova C was...there...I guess? It was basically another sniper to plop in the rear. Using the Kit Fox A and Nova C to double up on a target(since nobody said anything about zellbrigen, and it was Clan Murderpede anyways) with the sniper weapons would open up an enemy for the Mad Dog to do the shotgun lifestyle. And the longer range would protect those Gauss Rifles better. With the BV, Clan pays out the nose the most because of their XL engine tech. 4 times the cost of a standard fusion engine, whether IS or Clan. In closing on my long winded thoughts, do not give up, Aaron and Dan. Keep practicing, reading the rules, and looking over each 'Mech(whether Omnimech or Battlemech) and the role that it will shine in.

[@derekburge5294]

Is each participant shouting, "PENETRATOR!" a patreon exclusive? Thrilled to see Classic coming back. AS feels a bit too... I'unno, too close to 40k.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Its really hard to say without giggling a little.

[@derekburge5294]

@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Give iiiiinnnnn to the giggles. It's a funny name! ... PENETRATOR!

[@readwatchlisten2863]

Is there some way you can play Classic without being snarky?

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Nope! Not with the 1980s edition of the rules as written!

[@readwatchlisten2863]

Yet, you used house rules in this video and still were snarky. Maybe it's just me, but when I watch a video about a game I like, I prefer the host to be insufferable.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Go start your own channel. I’ll act the way I want on mine.

[@readwatchlisten2863]

You have an interesting style. I'll give you that. I can't think of many channels based on a game where the host appears to have open contempt for the game he is playing. But you are right; it is your channel, and you can alienate whomever you want. However, you want. You keep doing your thing. I'll watch a channel that seems to like the game they make videos about and aren't snarky when they play it. GL.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

I still think you should start your own channel, so you can see what it is like to deal with entitled complainers in the comments section.

[@smmclaug75]

It's better when the players aren't openly dunking on a game they don't like playing. Just stick to Alpha Strike--or use the DFA house rules, which do speed up gameplay.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

The internet is so sensitive.

[@smmclaug75]

@DeathfromAboveWargaming It's not me who's being sensitive here. This is a revenue-generating channel and I'm giving you feedback on it. Obviously that's not welcome, but in the end it was just one man's opinion. Nobody was angry about anything here.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Only Patreon generates any meaningful revenue! Thank our Patrons for bringing you this delightful dunk sesh of classic. More on the way 😁