What do I need to play Battletech?

[BillyN831]

I haven't played Battletech in over 20 years with cardboard and was wondering what I need to start the hobby. Some people might say get the introductory box but it's out of

stock. What are the core rule books, what maps, and how many miniatures or point values of them should I get? Any other tips is appreciated. Thanks.

[LoneGhostOne]

I play mostly with a group of friends and while i did start with the starter set, i dont really use it anymore. For the most part i use one of the mapsheet packs, the rule book Total Warfare and for units i'm cheap so i print out custom hex tokens for the units, then glue them to a washer so they dont move around.

[Kovax]

Basically, you need a rulebook (not necessarily the latest, since VERY few rules have changed over the years, but several new ones have been added and a few others expanded or clarified), mapsheets, and some kind of tokens or markers with directional arrows or figure stances to indicate facing (or splurge and buy a few 'Mech miniatures), plus a pair of 6-sided dice.  If you don't want to hand-edit photocopies of the blank unit record sheets from the rule book, an official record sheet book for the various 'Mechs (and/or vehicles) you intend to use will greatly simplify setup.

The record sheet is the "official" representation of the unit; the token on the mapsheet is purely there to indicate its position and facing to the players.  Putting the proper miniature on the table to represent the 'Mech (or vehicle) in play is merely an act of courtesy and convenience, not a requirement (as with some reprehensible game developers I won't name).

[JadeHellbringer]

Step 1: Starter box.

Step 2: Human sacrifice.

Step 3: Bees?

Step 4: PROFIT!

[Kit deSummersville]

Something I can't seem to find these days: Time.

[Moonsword]

I haven't played Battletech in over 20 years with cardboard and was wondering what I need to start the hobby. Some people might say get the introductory box but it's out of

stock. What are the core rule books, what maps, and how many miniatures or point values of them should I get? Any other tips is appreciated. Thanks.

First of all, welcome back!

For rules, you've got a few choices depending on exactly what you want to play:
1. For just the tournament-level 'Mech rules, you can get the BattleMech Manual, which is the latest rulebook and has been condensed and includes some hardware that Total Warfare doesn't.  I've heard some good things about the rules being more accessible so this might be your best bet if you want some of that giant stompy robot action without any other units to get in their way.
2. Total Warfare has the tournament-level rules for 'Mechs, infantry (including battle armor, often abbreviated BA), vehicles, and basic aerospace units including fighters and DropShips.  The rules are the same as the Manual, absent some errata and newer hardware that's moved into the tournament level or been introduced since Total Warfare was originally published.
3. If you want a more abstract, simpler rule set, you can take a look at Alpha Strike, which is focused on higher-level play.
4. For older rule sets, the BattleTech Master Rules, Revised, is probably still available on DriveThruRPG and broadly speaking compatible with TW.  There's a few minor changes around the edges, though, including some significant changes to damaging conventional infantry (non-battle armor).  This book also includes basic construction rules for 'Mechs and vehicles that were moved to TechManual for the Total Warfare series of books.  I recommend going for Total Warfare over the BattleTech Master Rules these days but it's still a solid introduction to the rules because, as noted, the core of the rules hasn't changed much over time.

The rules aren't WYSIWYG, so using whatever tokens you like is acceptable from a rules standpoint as long as you can distinguish them on the field.  If you want minis, there are people around here who can give you much better advice than I can about which specific ones you might like, how to choose a faction, or the like, but around a lance (4 'Mechs or tanks) for each side is good.  There's some lance boxes available from Iron Wind Metals.  I say start with mediums and heavies but that gets deeper into the selection of individual 'Mechs.  If you're curious who uses which specific variant to guide your purchases, the Master Unit List is your friend, and will also give you Battle Value (Total Warfare) or all of the Alpha Strike stats (including their Point Value) if that's a guideline you want to use.

For maps, someone else can probably give you better advice than I can, but any hex map will do as a basic starting point, and there should be rules in Total Warfare for playing on miniature, non-hex terrain if I remember correctly.  Alpha Strike can go on hexes or terrain (treat each hex as two inches; I can't remember if the actual hex rules are in the core book or the Companion off the top of my head).

[BillyN831]

I'm going to get Battletech: Total Warfare, maps, and I have dice. How many points or tonnage of mechs do tournaments run? Four mechs each side right? I like Ghost Bear

Clan and the Kodiak mech, but was wondering what I need to customize my own mechs. I also need pdf books of the stats of the mechs I can play with. Where can I get those?

Thanks.

[pheonixstorm]

The Catalyst store or Drivethrurpg for the pdfs. If you want to create your own units you can use megameklab to do so. Its pretty up to date on the construction rules and can be used to build most units.

As far as Total Warfare... its out of print right now so good luck finding a print copy. If all you want is mechs Battlemech Manual might be the better option as it will have a print copy for sale sometime soon (no street date last I heard).

There is also the Lance packs which will give you 4 plastic minis for between 7.99 - 19.99 depending on where you shop for them. http://www.atomicempire.com and https://www.miniaturemarket.com have some in stock and they are on amazon as well. FLGS might have some but might be more sporadic. The next intro box probably won't be out until mid 2018 but from what they showed off at GenCon it should look good and hopefully include a new map.

If cardboard is fine there is a thread with a link on some you can print yourself or you can find copies of 3rd edition box set on ebay usually pretty cheap.

[JadeHellbringer]

Yeah, sadly the hard-copy books are proving hard to find these days. PDF is probably your best bet.

That said, for Mech customization I strongly recommend 'Techmanual', which gives construction rules for Mechs and most other combat units, history/description of pretty much every weapon and equipment item under the sun, so on and so on. It's the best and most up to date source at this time for customizing your ride.

[Weirdo]

To my knowledge, there really isn't a standard point value used for tournaments, each one is unique.

For stats, you'll want to look at record sheet pdfs. You'll find the Kodiak in Record Sheets 3058 Clan. Alternatively, you can buy Technical Readouts, and fill in a blank record sheet yourself.

For rules on modifying and customizing units, you'll want Tech Manual.

[Moonsword]

I'm going to get Battletech: Total Warfare, maps, and I have dice. How many points or tonnage of mechs do tournaments run? Four mechs each side right? I like Ghost Bear

Clan and the Kodiak mech, but was wondering what I need to customize my own mechs. I also need pdf books of the stats of the mechs I can play with. Where can I get those?

Thanks.

The Clans usually use Stars of 5 'Mechs vs. Inner Sphere/Periphery/mercenary lances of 4 'Mechs.  My recommendation is to pick some 'Mechs you like along with the Kodiak (mix in some mediums and heavies to lower the BV).  If you'd like to learn against IS units, two somewhat lighter lances (8 'Mechs total) with a roughly equal BV from the Draconis Combine make a lot of sense for the Ghost Bears but they also trial against the Wolves and Hell's Horses (5 Clan 'Mechs each) a lot from the late FedCom Civil War era up into the Dark Age and if you want something from the Jihad era, the Word of Blake's Level IIs (6 IS 'Mechs) will work.  However, the Word of Blake went kaput at the end of the Jihad and the storyline has moved on, so you may or may not want to go with them.

[StoneRhino]

Right now I am  playing Mechwarrior online while also looking over the warhammer40k costs because they recently changed the rules and I need to now buy stuff to get set up to try the game. That means that I am looking at costs and I want to do it as cheap as possible.

With that said, I think that if you get into Battletech, again, and like it you will buy stuff. What do you really need? You'll need a copy of "Total Warfare", which you can buy the PDF here: https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-total-warfare-pdf
The pros of buying the pdf and not wasting time looking for a print copy is that this is the most up to date version of the rules. It also has the rules for vehicles, infantry, aircraft, and aerospace fighters unlike the Batteltech mech manual.

The PDFs of the record sheets are nice as they have the graphic of the unit on the sheet, but most people are bound to mention MegaMekLab and Solaris skunkwerks for printing your own. You can get started by going to the downloads page here and scroll down to the "Record sheets" section and get a pdf. The PDF has a copy of each of the mechs included in the last introbox, which isn't bad considering it is free.

As for the representing your units, you'll notice at the end of the free Record Sheets PDF it has counters that you can print for the mechs from the Introbox. If you are looking to get into minis then the Alphastrike lance packs are a great deal. At most they break down to about $5.00 each at full retail+tax. Considering the cost it makes it a lot easier to move from using proxies to the actual mini. If you are using proxies be sure to let the other person know before you start playing so that they don't assume that X mini = Y mech. Someone I know used to use a light mech to represent an assault mech without giving anyone any notice. The problem with that proxy is that I was supplying the minis and there were assault mech minis still available.

Battletech has a very low initial investment to get into actual games.

[BillyN831]

The Gunsmith has a higher battle value at 25 tons than the Annihilator at 100 tons. Is balance randomized? Or do some mechs achieve objectives faster or kite other mechs?

Thanks.

[JadeHellbringer]

The Gunsmith has a higher battle value at 25 tons than the Annihilator at 100 tons. Is balance randomized? Or do some mechs achieve objectives faster or kite other mechs?

Thanks.

One of the major factors in BV is engine size. Gunsmiths have pretty decent sized engines to get their high performance. Annihilators... well, let's just say that if you're being chased by an Annihilator, you can afford to take a few breaks to catch your breath now and then. ;) That's an absurdly tiny engine, and most versions don't use any tricks to lighten it (XL, light, etc.) which can also affect BV. Which means that 100 tonner is remarkably BV-friendly... just so long as you don't need it to go much of anywhere in a hurry.

By comparison, the Gunsmith uses an XXL motor, which is ridiculous in cost (whether BV, C-bill, etc.) to accomplish what it does. Few Mechs of that size will match its cost, and honestly I wouldn't say it's worth the price paid (many would disagree, I'm sure).

BV can help balance things out to an extent, but I'd very strongly caution against using it as a real tool to compare two Mechs to one another.

[Weirdo]

Long story short: The Gunsmith is so fast that a skillfully piloted one can indeed take down an Annihilator. These are extreme edge cases, though, as the Annihilator only needs to connect once or twice to end the fight. It's a very good system, but it is imperfect, as evidenced here when you're comparing two mechs that occupy extreme opposite ends of the scale. You'll find it works much better when you're closer in to the proverbial bell curve.

[Colt Ward]

I would suggest seeing if you can find a Agent or a group that plays in your area.  You will find other people to play with, usually they will help set up play so it gives you a feel and you can determine what you need to play how you want when you are at the table.

[StoneRhino]

The Gunsmith has a higher battle value at 25 tons than the Annihilator at 100 tons. Is balance randomized? Or do some mechs achieve objectives faster or kite other mechs?

Thanks.

kiting would be how the gunsmith would win against the annihilator. The annihilator is 100 tons, but it has far less armor then any other 100 ton mech. It is also slower then any other 100 ton mech. It has several tons of ammo to make things even worse. The gunsmith is fast and has accurate weapons. The difficulty of hitting the gunsmith can be viewed as being "armor" in the sense that it is soaking shots by not being hit. The annihilator on the other hand is to slow to make anyone's shots innaccurate and it's armor is not able to soak that much damage, which leads to the issue of the ammo becoming exposed to a critical hit. A critical hit to the ammo and the mech is a nice big ball of flame.

In a 1v1 the annihilator is likely going to win. In a fight where there are several other units on the field and other variable the gunsmith is going to harrass the hell out of the annihillator and his friends, causing it to be worth more bv in an indirect manner. Of course it all depends upon how things are played out, where they are played out, and how the dice roll.

Battlevalues are based upon the ability of the unit, with several variables factored in. Player skill, dice rolls, and the map are variables that are not factored into the value.

[Hythos]

A couple easy links are available through the Primer PDF off of:
http://bg.battletech.com/

Then, there are the Quick Start rules for each respective game-system available (same as via the Primer):
http://bg.battletech.com/downloads/

The Battletech Quick Start PDF has rules, simplified record-sheets, and printable maps & counters.
All you'd need are dice (which can also be printed on paper, but I don't think are included).

[elf25s]

ok if you are really hit up for tools
need a 12 " ruler 2 dice something that represents your mech coins are good for that...notepad. and simplified set of rules. if no dice try android bt dice roller it contains dice and locations including cluster shots for missles. or another battletech calculator also for android. btw both contain hit tables...also mechfactory they do have record sheets available.
on notepad make a stick figure write armor points on each end below put weapons locations and in a square engine gyro and other internal stuff.
rule of thumb 1"= 1 hex so 12"ruler get the idea? 2 dice. few coins for mechs and you are set. android stuff if you want it but not needed and hit location table is easy to memorize.
poor mans battletech...
got stuck camping in rain for few days had to do alot of improvising and macguyvering...still it was fun and better than no bt

[Ice_Trey]

• Introductory boxed set (out of stock)
  Map packs (Best starting point is Battletech Map Compilation 1)
  Battlemech Manual or Total Warfare (I Highly suggest BMM if you're buying PDF)
  A couple of the Alpha Strike lancepacks, some IWM minis, or the cheapest option, buying a collection of minis someone's selling on an online auction site.
  Solaris Skunkwerks, later supplemented by the Unabridged Record Sheet pdfs from cgl...
  Dice.

Getting your hands on the Tech Manual PDF is a good idea, but literally only for the "Calculating Battle Value for forces" section. The rest of it has sat mostly unused for me.  If you like customizing, you might want to pick it up, though.