Why More People Should Play Tabletop Battletech

[@AlvarazCMSB]

The historical turning point: Galtor campaign uses submarines in the very first mission, it's a neat scenario where a lance of mechs is trying to find an underwater base, and get intercepted by a submarine wolf pack

[@adamjones1281]

One more thing is that the rules haven't changed much since it was first made. Just new equipment being added.

[@jonathanj.3695]

And the best thing about the whole game is that you literally add whatever you want to the game! I've seen people who've literally added ZOIDS, Gundams and other Japanese mechs into their campaigns.

[@funkycomet7689]

@@jonathanj.3695 yeah but who doesnt do that to any TTRPG, my buddys have incorporated about every anime into a massive rng homebrew DnD 5E edition. at this point its not even 5E and more 5E inspired.

[@snarkymcsnarkface1863]

Been playing battletech since the 90s I had and played the same 12 mechs from 92 to 2018. I don't even know the number of games we have played over the years. The number of different mechs those 12 have been proxies for. Clan omni technology inspired us to house rule. Any mech could be treated like an omni mech for loadout rules. That evolved into any mech can be reconfigured from the ground up. And that does not even get into building our own mech load outs. Today. Thanks to 3d printing. I have six groups all with 32 plus mechs all painted up and ready to go. Gone are the days of my battlemaster being everything from a proxy thug to a proxy stone rhino. But you know what... those 12 mechs from the 90s still see table time. And in many respects are still my favorite mercenary company. With that horrid janky inexperienced 90a paint job looking like goop spattered on the mechs. It takes me back to simpler days when everyone was still here.

[@shanenice5380]

I played it the 90s.i got the cardboard.i was born 85.i was happy I got into it

[@frocat5163]

*"Thanks to 3d printing. I have six groups all with 32 plus mechs all painted up and ready to go."* Sounds a lot like me. To try to get more local folks interested in the game, I've printed up a slew of demo lances using faction-typical variants from the War of 3039, because I think that gives a nice balance of old school BT (3025) and some of the better load out options introduced after the Helm Memory Core was discovered without getting all the way into the Clan Invasion power creep. I picked two units for each Great House, each with a slightly different feel and paint scheme, and made a lance for each. I also did a couple of merc lances (Wolf's Dragoons, Kell Hounds), in case anyone wanted to try those, and I have several lances from my custom Merc company, Ouroboros. I've also been working on building the entire Ghost Bear Beta Galaxy, circa 3052, because who doesn't need an entire galaxy of Clan hardware?

[@michaelkimberling7307]

Also, on the cheaper end is the reinforcements clan invasion box. It’s all cardboard standees but there’s nearly 200 units in it and it’s $25 on the catalyst store

[@swaminic]

Wow. That’s great value!

[@frocat5163]

I started playing Battletech at 12 years old in 1992 after spotting the 3rd Edition boxed set in a comic shop. I had no idea what the game was, but big stompy robots looked cool. I painted those shiny, grey plastic minis with Testors enamel model paint, because I didn't know about acrylic hobby/mini paint, and because I was pretty into plastic modeling at the time. Those were my first ever painted miniatures, and that boxed set led to my abiding love of both the Warhammer and the BattleMaster, as well as my dedication to House Steiner. I picked up the CityTech 2nd Edition box in 1994 after watching the first episode of the BT animated series. Being a Lyran Commonwealth, then FedCom, player, I hated the Dirty Birds, so I decided to paint the Clan Mechs from CityTech as Ghost Bears. And, honestly, the Timber Wolf and Nova from that boxed set are two of my favorite mech sculpts to this day, even with the excellent redesigns CGL has been producing. By the time I was in college in the late '90s and early 2000s, no one was really playing BT in my area. I started playing the MechWarrior: Dark Age clix game, eventually becoming my FLGS official WizKids tournament / organized play rep. I had a huge collection of Limited Edition units, since the person running the events received a copy of all the prize support items. After college, the game died, and no one in the area I moved to played, so my stuff just sat around collecting dust. Through the years at GenCon, I'd find old books by FASA and Fanpro at discount book shops in the exhibit/dealer hall, and I'd usually pick up a couple of books I'd never been able to buy when I was a kid. Then with the Clan Invasion Kickstarter a few years ago, I went a little crazy getting back into the game. Now, with a couple of 3d printers, I modify .stls of a huge number of units so I can print any variant of any unit I want, as well as creating mountains of hex terrain. I've printed everything for all of the mapsheets I own, so I can play on 3d terrain instead of the flat maps. For the hex terrain, I print the hexes 2 inches across instead of the standard size, so it's easier to put miniatures in the hexes without them overlapping the hexes on the mapsheets. The point, I suppose, is that I've been a huge BT nerd for more than 30 years, and I'm extremely happy to see it's still popular with the 'old guard' as well as bringing in new players. It's a great game that can be as deep or as shallow as you want. Also, the Alpha Strike version, while not my favorite, is a great way to play much larger battles in a reasonable amount of time than it takes in Classic.

[@dreese55gaming5]

Wow I have a similar experience. I got into it cause my father bought some of it and he played it. I dont think 10 years olds should have had lead figures, but I had a couple as a birthday present so i could play with my own stuff. I even painted them. Taught my friends to play, and we memorized the rules, played really large games really fast since we had the stats all memorized as well. Was Fun. Had a whole group of 5th graders playing Battletech.....with all that math. Bet our teacher wondered why everyone was so good at quick adding and subtraction lol. Then I got into 40k, and battletech fell to the wayside. The models disappearing from the local hobby shop was part of the problem, the other was the shitty plastics they had when they stopped using lead models. I also got into The clicks game, but the guys in my local area where not a great group, and i didnt like the game that much. I bought some of the alpha strike models, the ones they came out with before the CLan Kickstarter, but I was not playing at the time, just saw the new mechs and was like, I have a little money should pick these up. Reminded me of being a kid. I actually decided to bring out and try to get some friends to play classic battletech, but there was not much interest. Doesnt help a lot of my friends have kids now and not a lot of time. I was not working and didnt have money to get into the Clan Invasion kickstarter :(. What really helped was the newest kickstarter. Mercenaries. I dropped some money and picked up the Alpha Strike rules when I saw them at a local hobby store. Got my old man to play and a couple friends, we have had a blast. Got a little money again and was able to do Mercs kickstarter, and have picked up some of the Clans stuff as well as I saw them. First time ive owned more than a star of Clan mechs lol. We also have some 3d printers in our gaming group so printed some stuff, and I still have my old mechs as well. I have been running a table top campaign since Jan this year, and my players really enjoy it. Ive also gotten some of my other friends to play now and then with the Alpha Strike rules since it plays faster. Glad to see the game doing so well now!

[@KennyTheB]

One thing worth mentioning that notably speeds up and simplifies a good portion of the classic version of Battletech is Fletchs Sheets. It allows you to put your lance together from a VERY healthy list of mechs (which it has the necessary sheets for) and has an automation mode that handles the dice rolls, attacking, distribution of damage, heat, pilot skill checks, etc. You can also connect to someone else with their lance so that your attacks are applied to their mechs and vice versa. It's worth a look. Really speeds up the classic game considerably without losing the nuances that aren't present in Alpha Strike.

[@connormclernon26]

Just wish they’d add vehicles, asf, quadvees, pretty much everything that isn’t mechs

[@squizzlor]

I love that you talk, about Battletechs ability to be as shallow or as deep as you wish to play. A war game made by a RPG company is truly unique!

[@fix0the0spade]

I haven't played a game of tabletop Battletech since the 90s (curse you real life!) but MegaMek has been an absolute boon. No cost, minimal set up time, the computer handles the maths so games take minutes instead of hours. It's a great way for anyone to test the water.

[@SprikSprak]

This - and the AI is surprisingly good if you can't find a human to play with

[@lancourt]

Memory from 30 years ago playing a league at a local game store. 2 Lance v 2 Lance iirc, I am in an Archer. One of my opponents is in an Atlas. Sets himself up on a cliff overlooking a lake on the center of the battlefield. First round i fire off my LRMs at the atlas. Land a good chunk of LRMs, two batches of 5 hitting the cockpit and breaching through... No crit though and pilot stays awake. But then he fails his damage pilot roll, falls forward off a cliff and dies in the water as it floods the breached cockpit. The greatest salvo I ever fired.

[@vonether]

And when you realize you've finally collected over 24 mechs, you can switch to Alpha Strike and enjoy the BT universe on a different scale.

[@jameshunter3867]

...Been a fan since the 80s; even after playing other games I still come back to this one!

[@itxi]

Great video! I think more should be made of the fact that it is a hex-based game. Whilst initially I hated the idea it very quickly became a massive plus for me, no fiddly measurements or arguments about ranges and if a model can go certain places

[@dreese55gaming5]

Its a hex based game, but it doesnt have to be. Just convert Hexes to inches and you do pretty well actually. Turning can be an issue, but it still works if you want to use other terrain. Battletech is really modular and with there being no official Tourney rules, but tons of optional stuff it means you can play how you want basically.

[@weirdguy564]

The BattleTech intro rulebook is free to download, and the new plastic miniatures are about $5 each. And if you want a simplified version of the game to play, it is called Alpha Strike. It is actually the way I play now. The stats for a mech all fit on a single playing card, which also come included with all of those plastic minis I mentioned.

[@ChronicUptier]

For people who aren't into the hex map play, try Battletech Alpha Strike instead - it basically ports over the rules from Classic into a quick playing, easy to learn but hard to master game designed for 3d terrain. Really fun and has good streamlined rules making even large games with combined arms a breeze to get through.

[@crazytiger800]

I have been having quite the successful time getting my friends who are massive mecha nerds into the tabletop game so far. It's one of the few only mecha games in existence, it's certainly fills the niche.

[@davidwalker361]

I just got back into playing and still using most of my collection from the early 90s. I couldn't believe that I still remembered most of the rules

[@frocat5163]

LOL. Yeah...once you've looked at those tables a couple thousand times, it comes back pretty quickly after a hiatus.

[@dreese55gaming5]

I know right? It didnt take me long to pick it up again either.

[@whitefoxplays]

The beginner box is great, but if you have a Target store close by, the Essentials Box is even better, because it comes with a $20 coupon to the CGL web store. As for the time, think of Classic as the squad based RPG version, while Alpha Strike is the larger & faster tactical army version. Glad you're enjoying Battletech and promoting it!

[@smilingbandit6900]

as a teenager we played almost every weekend, but at company mech size it became a drag. ad in spontaneous killer cats and you get the pict. also no spare room to leave the table as is and come back later to it.

[@connormclernon26]

Latest game was War of 3039 classic game, objective being to get at least half the mechs to the other side. I had a stinger, a hunchback, a blackjack, and a cataphract. My opponent had a wasp, two vindicators, and a catapult k2. My stinger and blackjack made it, we ran out of time, assume the hunchback made it, the cataphract got focused down by the vindicators and the wasp

[@Zathul4198]

I’m surprised you didn’t touch on Alpha Strike briefly. Even with how cheap BT was, when I was starting the BT scene here locally after 1-2 months there wasn’t a single person willing to try out CBT. I made the switch to AS, and in 3 months we have a player base of 9+ regularly rotating in/out. A couple are now even showing interest in Classic, but that never would have happened had they not fell in love with AS/the setting first to give it a try. I’ve gotten so many people to try or stick around just by telling them it’s cheaper, simpler WH with mechs.

[@Moonwatcher-nf7nt]

Don’t forget about Alpha Strike! It’s a great way to explore bigger games (12+ units per side) and expand on the roles of non-mech units, and it is arguably just as accessible as long as you can get your hands on the rules and some minis/proxies.

[@dreese55gaming5]

The alpha strike box is actually the most mechs for your money right now. 8 inner sphere and 5 clan omnis for 60 dollars I think. Plus rules, terrain, and other stuff. Vehicles are just a mech with minor special rules, so really easy to add as well.

[@hansyolo8277]

4:51 absolute most true statement, that can apply to any game

[@b5fan504]

Already a player but this is the best video of its type that I've yet seen. Well done.

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

I will put out there that Battletech Classic is a very long game and Alpha Strike is a lot shorter, but not nearly as crunchy. If those aren't to your liking, look up Battletech Override. It's how I will be playing from now on. It's a middleground that is faster but not so simple as Alpha Strike.

[@TsetTsyung]

Just getting into it this week with my nephew... I think it's gonna be a new obsession lol.

[@ObiwanNekody]

Battletech has official download and print on paper fold up models. My favorite non-mini mech placeholders would be Othello pieces tho.

[@zombietotseater3894]

I would say the rules are more of a scaling difficulty. They can start out soft and smooth (BT quick start rules) and increase to Mega Ultra crunchy peanut butter

[@robertharvey5904]

I've been playing this off and on since the 80's when my parents let me buy a core box with Robotech art because it was in a book store. As I've returned recently with a mix of 80's material and current plastic model boxes I have a few questions. Where does one get mech sheets to go with the units in the recent boxes? And where can one find the cardboard trees of the 3:03 minute mark? I'm seriously looking at Alpha Strike and its expanded rules book in order to get a larger Battletech game that plays faster without losing all of the granularity.

[@dmdizzy]

Like Tlee said in the video, there are free record sheets available on the website. Specifically, there are .pdfs that each encompass a full "wave" of ForcePack releases, with at least 2 variants for each mech. Besides that, you can buy .pdfs compendiums of other variants on CGL's online storefront.

[@derptomistic]

Figured out how to do local multiplayer with MegaMek and dragged my roommate in for a game I think he started to like it when his King Crab punched a Marauder-2's head off

[@subterror2274]

I've been wanting to play this for a while now, issue is due to where I love I can't get anything like this at standard price. No stores here have it in stock, and I'd have to ship it to me which, thanks to customs her, will definitely triple the price. Found this out the hard way when I tried to find a copy of GKR, only to be greeted with 4 digit pricing

[@frocat5163]

Yeah, shipping from CGL can be a huge pain for locations outside the US. But one of the best things about BT is that players are actually _encouraged_ to use proxies for units they don't have. While a lot of minis have been made for the game over the 40 years it's existed, there are literally tens of thousands of different, official unit options, meaning the majority of them have never had an official miniature. CGL also offers basically every BattleTech book ever printed in .pdf format on their website, or you can pick them up from places like DriveThruRPG. Download the quick start rules, grab a couple of non-BT minis, throw down a hex map (also available as .pdfs that you can print), and start playing! Alternatively, if you have access to a 3d printer, there are quite a few places online where you can find .stls and other format files for a huge selection of BT minis...many of them completely free. Download a few files, print them off, boom, instant lance (or star, if you want to play as a clanner). I've been printing BT minis for the past couple of years, and I have way too many...but it's a lot of fun, and insanely cheap. Each mech uses a few cents worth of resin. I think my typical cost for a full lance (4 mechs) is generally under $4 USD.

[@korvusknull1447]

You don't need to play on hex. The old school rules says make agreed upon rules to fit your needs. An in book option in the old days was open maps with every move point/ hex equals 3 inches. So triple movement and range.

[@stevenclark2188]

Unrelated question? Was the avatar drawn by Howard Taylor? The linework looks familiar. Makes me wonder if there's a market for videos on some of the completed early-gen webcomics.

[@Rumplenutskn]

Awesome video !

[@Axonteer]

I reiterate what i posted in the other BT video. People think BT is much more complicated than say 40k.... wich it totally ISNT. I moved over a year ago and its been a breeze and you can easily leave out part of the rules you dont like and you never feel like you miss something.

[@colbyboucher6391]

It isn't complex, but it _is_ complicated, I think. You need to go through so many tables every time anyone does... anything.

[@Axonteer]

@@colbyboucher6391 Actually not at all, you exactly need tables to play that fit on a a4 sheet of paper. That is NOTHING compared to the layers of layers of layers of rules in 40k that you cant even fit on a sheet of paper. Beside its very simple complicated because the logic is kinda easy to comprehend, thats why they push GATOR so hard. And that comes from someone that cannot easily remember rules, is bad at remembering basic bonuses and has a very mind heavy job so is exhausted mentally when he finds time to play. The real issue is that people think it as 40k, so "i must read the rulebook back to back and play the rules 100% with all addons and sidethings compleately" yes oh boy yes that can make the came complicated, but it is not required. The rulesystem is built that you can add on rule topics if you want and find ready for it. It is not at all mandatory to play the game. If people stop falling into that trap (i nearly did myself until my friend recommended me starting with noob rules and then graduate, and thats when i realized it) it would loose that moniker "BT is complicated"... no, only if you want to make it so. And its the first system i play where i dont feel im dumbing the game down if leave... say... weather out. Or i looked at combat comuter networks... oh err ok i leave that out until i really want to dig into that, omni mechs? nah im a stock car boi, etc. Another huuuuuge benefit, you both have the same rules, that makes rememebering things muuuch easier because you have 2 brains. Contrary to say 40k where you have the same baserules, but a whole chungus set of army specific rules you need to know, and two of those, because you also need to roughly know what your oponents strenghs are. Its really strange that people keep rejecting BT for complicatedness, wich it totally is not.

[@ObiwanNekody]

On the submarine - Mechs can operate completely submerged, there's rules for that.

[@KhalainBear]

If you want to play a less complicated, faster form but still fun version play Battletech: Alpha Strike

[@LittleMushroomGuy]

I love your videos :)

[@tlee3205]

Thank you Little Mushroom Guy

[@LittleMushroomGuy]

@@tlee3205 🍄♥️

[@MrGodzillafan801]

I also began playing last year. Battletech as a miniatures game is ridiculously affordable. I have to hold back from over buying and not using mechs I already have. I have a gaming group nearby that have monthly tournaments. Some recommendations for making games shorter: 2-2.5 hour time cap. Play scenarios. Use a 3/4 gunnery and piloting skill. Use the Floating Critical optional rule.

[@frocat5163]

The Forced Withdrawal rule is another good way to make games play faster.

[@nerdexpo5514]

Yup 👍. I have a box unopened lol

[@TheDanteBoots]

I went a bit mental and bought every available core box and force pack.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@YahBoiCyril]

Play Alpha strike instead. It doesn’t take 20 minutes to shoot one gun, it’s easier to learn, and because all the charts are just rng, it’s actually deeper than TW once you add in the option rules (especially since no attacker movement modifiers means less swingy.) You can use the same hex mats optionally as well,

[@watergaming7543]

Never had a moment in regular battletech where that's happened, are you rolling multiple guns/clusters 1 at a time?

[@YahBoiCyril]

@@watergaming7543 Roll for attack, roll for cluster, roll for first hit location, roll for # of critical hits, roll for location of critical hit location, roll for critical hit location, repeat for all other critical, roll for location of second hit, roll for # of criticals of second hit, roll for location of critical location, roll for location of critical, repeat again for critical hits, roll for pilot skill check… for ONE BANK OF LRMS! Nope. Never playing that again.

[@watergaming7543]

@@YahBoiCyril Yeah..... that's more of a your group problem then the game itself ngl

[@YahBoiCyril]

@@watergaming7543 The instructions to do as such are written right on the quick ref sheet and data sheets. By what might means might my group improve themselves with respect to those rules?

[@watergaming7543]

@@YahBoiCyril the big one is rolling your weapons together as much as possible, same with damage locations, save crits for the end instead of rolling for them each time you get a possible one, already knowing your to hit also speeds things up by a lot, just make sure you bring plenty of different color dice and make sure you tell your people which weapon is on which die. Lastly just playing more often and getting a good grip on the rules really speeds you up

[@SK-do5rv]

How do you homebrew

[@yeetbirdo]

You can build your own units with the construction rules, you can also make up your own mercenary companies, pirate bands, and official military units.

[@elgrifolorian]

💯

[@1killer911]

Love mega mech. But I absolutely do not reccomend it as a starting point. The UI is unintuitive, so you'll have trouble doing things if you KNOW you can do them. I cant imagine trying to learn with it.

[@_Dogberry_]

I mean there’s videos out there on how to set up a Megamek game. It’s not nearly as difficult as you’d think. MekHQ is not recommend due to it being a traditional serious campaign where you literally run a mercenary company. From the Astechs to the Mekteks to the medical personnel.

[@CyberCheese392]

Might as well argue to play chess over battletech

[@justtrash5353]

Im painting my minis first

[@readwatchlisten2863]

I've been playing Battletech classic for 3 years. I like it, BUT classic hasn't been updated since the 80s and it desperately needs it. The games are LONNNNG. My gaming group fixed it by modding the hell out of it. Word of advice run mechwarriors with GS 2 or 3. Make use of special piloting skills and quirks. Also, start with early Clan mechs. They are just better.

[@jonathanj.3695]

Best reasons to play Battletech over Warhammer 40K: 1. It's a lot cheaper/you get more bang for your buck 2. There are no rules against adding mechs from other franchises into the game such as Gundam, Heavy Gear and ZOIDS. 3. You can add whatever you want to the existing rules. 4. You can make up your own lore for your mech faction. 5. The Battletech community as a whole is much more welcoming to newcommers. 6. The Battletech Reddit community is super helpful and full of awesome people (as well as hilarious memes). 7. You can literally play your gameplay sessions like a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

[@shanenice5380]

u could do that.i make my mech name undertaker atlas type lol

[@s.h.nourani5469]

Combat math woooo

[@Bilbou]

So it's a Tabletop wargame and no Roleplaying Game?

[@brianponline]

Battletech has been around a long time and there are a lot of options to pick and choose from. This video refers to the original and still actively supported tabletop wargame Battletech (a.k.a. Battletech Classic). Other commenters have already mentioned the differently focused Battletech: Alpha Strike wargame. Battletech has 2 RPGs, the older, more crunchy Battletech: A Time of War, and the newer, more narrative Battletech: Destiny. Plus, if you don't mind basically-requires-a-spreadsheet levels of tracking, there are supplements to run either of the wargames in campaign modes. For example, Chaos Campaign: Succession Wars (which is a free download) and the most recent box set Battletech: Mercenaries. Penny Arcade did a series using Destiny and Alpha Strike not too long ago called "Black Remnant" which I have not seen, but it might be worth a sample if you are interested in the RPG side.

[@mathiasbartl9393]

Comstar did nothing wrong

[@kooltactic8269]

Don’t buy CGL plastic models, the quality is shit

[@_Dogberry_]

This has to be a troll comment, it’s the BT models we’ve seen

[@kooltactic8269]

@@_Dogberry_ The quality of official plastic models for Battletech, from CGL, Catalyst game labs that are made in china , glued on crooked, have horrible mold lines and are made of dollar store plastic you need special tools like a wire brush to clean. That’s what makes it a garbage line of minis. Oh yeah and ur still paying as much per model as actual good looking quality models like GW.

[@shanenice5380]

there good quality.better then those people made them.i got those people printed my mech I got broke