New to Battletech and GMing A Time of War

[Hiro Protagonist]

I'm somewhat new to Battletech, having only read one of the books and played one of the video games. However, I got the PDF of AToW months ago for a reduced price, and with the Battletech Kickstarter, I'm in a bit of a Battletech mood. I had a couple questions about the act of GMing an AToW game.

First, how do experienced players and GMs balance the difference between Mechwarriors and non-mechwarriors? If there is only one Mechwarrior in a group, what can the rest of the group do during that conflict?

Second, and somewhat connected, in Battletech, are there mechs with multi-day crews? If so, could I give gunnery to other members of the party so they could shoot while the pilot pilots the mech?

Third, how would you suggest creating a game for people with absolutely zero Battletech experience? Are there certain eras and scenarios that would be ideal for this group ignorance?

Thanks!

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Unlike most RPGs, ATOW doesn't work so well with a diverse set of. Characters should either be all mechwarriors or none mechwarriors.  The different scales of play leave very little for non-pilots to do while the pilots are stomping or flying around a battlefield.

As for how to introduce the RPG to players new to Battletech.. I'd suggest using one of the free RPG day adventures... they're designed to show off the setting and system and can be downloaded for free.

[guardiandashi]

with very few exceptions battlemechs are single operator vehicles.

the canon exceptions are mostly heavy and assault units which are built with additional equipment that depending on the version of the rules you are using weigh different amounts.

the current rules have all the additional crew cockpits (1 additional crew member) being a command console that weighs an additional 3 tons.

under older rules sets there was the dual combat cockpit that weighed a total of 4 tons (vs the standard 3 tons) but had each crew focused on 1 job (piloting or gunnery) and they had penalties until they trained sufficiently and if one gets knocked out the other can take over their duties... at penalties.

the standard top end vehicles typically are all single operator units.
battlemechs, aerospace fighters, battlearmor, protomechs etc. all single operator systems.

conventional vehicles, large transports and the like are large crew units.

IMO as to the era that's "best" for completely battletech ignorant is in a lot of ways the "3025 - 3050's" range.

by starting them off in the old school 3025 you have a number of choices such as "mad max" mode where most combat units are not 100% functional and a battlemech that is actually fully operational is a terrifying thing. (this can also give the other chars a chance to shine as they work to obtain/install parts to restore the mechwarriors unit to a higher level of operation.

another option is the war of 3039 era as fully operational units start becoming a lot more commonplace /standard, and advanced tech is making a comeback, then run them up into the 3048ish clan invasion where all of a sudden you have gotten used to the "is and IA advanced tech bases... and all of a sudden there are these invaders that everything they have is somewhere between 20-50% better than the advanced tech in almost every way   >:D

it really comes down to how you want to play/run the game

[PurpleDragon]

Another option for running a game for players new to battletech would be a Solaris VII "Games" type game.   Gladiatorial type 'mech engagements put on in 'mech arenas wherein each faction has a stake in who wins.  This is very loosely like the Olympic games (Each faction sends their warrior who is the best duelist or the one who they want to be rid of, to fight for the honor of bringing home the trophy).  Of course, there are a lot of independant groups looking for that trophy too.  Lots of chances for assassination plots, sabotage type stuff, run ins with gangs and the gang boss that wants your guy to throw the fight,...   

[Maelwys]

I'd probably try to have them all be MechWarriors, or all not be. Its hard to juggle the group and you can wind up with people sitting out depending on what's going on.

SolarisVII is a good place to set the game, depending on the era. You can have a little bit of everything going on.

Actually, considering how big the BT universe is, you can pretty much pull anything off on any of the planets really. Want to have them as a Merc unit, that's no problem. You can have them garrison a planet, while getting involved with the local crime or whatever. You can do a pretty small scale game that focuses on the planet and kind of hand wave the rest of the universe if you want..maybe just news reports of things happening that show up in timelines or something.

[Atlas3060]

First, how do experienced players and GMs balance the difference between Mechwarriors and non-mechwarriors? If there is only one Mechwarrior in a group, what can the rest of the group do during that conflict?

Like many others have stated, also AToW Companion, balancing Mechwarriors and non-mechwarriors is a challenge.
For first timer games, I don't really recommend it too much, but it could be done.
Mechwarriors in some circles are nobility.
So even if the Mechwarrior is not in the cockpit of a Mech, he or she could wield power in the halls of a palace.
Then again you've wasted the one thing that a Mechwarrior is famous for, the giant avatar of death they ride.

However if the stars align and everyone really just wants it, there's ways to play it out.
Solaris VII, one of the famous star systems for gladiator fighting, is a great place for various types of people and adventures to play in.
One mission happens to be the Mechwarrior in his ride, the next is a technician and a shady dealer making rounds to find rare parts to keep his ride going.
If he doesn't win matches, no one gets paid.
However he needs them, he doesn't know a wrench from a plasma torch.

Or maybe getting the Mech is the goal.
(Link provided) One of the Free RPG day scenarios happens to be a group of people tasked with stealing a Mech.

That would be a good way to start a campaign for a team, or make a fun one shot adventure.

Second, and somewhat connected, in Battletech, are there mechs with multi-day crews? If so, could I give gunnery to other members of the party so they could shoot while the pilot pilots the mech?

Mechs and pilots are typically 1:1. One pilot, one ride, and much like the knights with their armor suits of old, difficult to part with.
There are rules in TacOps for Dual cockpit Mechs, but I would see using those mainly in a teaching fashion than actual fights.

Third, how would you suggest creating a game for people with absolutely zero Battletech experience? Are there certain eras and scenarios that would be ideal for this group ignorance?

In terms of story structure, pull anything from a book and add lasers or giant robots in.

One novel, Sword and Dagger, is Man in the Iron Mask with Mechs.
That's not hyperbole and overall it was a simple nice story leading people into the Battletech Universe.

Now as for eras, personally I think 3025-3039 works well for the scrapper mentality.
2750 and parts earlier work nice for a "this is the shiny future" type of mentality, probably the closest we ever got to a Star Trek style.  ;)

Regardless of era though I recommend a small scrappy unit who are put together due to circumstances.

If you're going the House route: A collection of misfits ordered to fight pirates and take on jobs the Regulars snub their noses at.

If you're feeling Mercish: The remains of a betrayed mercenary command are putting things together. They'll take any contract which keeps their bellies full, armor on the rides, and ammo in the bins.

If you're feeling a bit pirate: Actually either of the two variations above could work. Maybe these were people falling on hard times.
Scrambling around for work, legit or otherwise, and if they have to "liberate" things so be it.
Or possibly a shadow group formed by their government. They target friends, enemies, anyone the "higher ups" deem worthy.
If they fail, they'll be disavowed. It is a small price to pay in order to do what really need to get done for your House.

Really just take on how people are introduced into a movie or book's universe.
There's usually the outsider looking in, the reader/viewers proxy.
Simple missions at first, clear objectives.
Provide some story showing the aftermath, an after action report as it were.
All the while drip in some Universe information, so the players don't feel like they're studying for a finals.

Have a Drac trooper in your group get their butt kicked hard in a nearby Davion tavern.
Why did that happen? Well you are in the Draconis March and you were still in your old uniform.
The players will then get the feel for certain environments after that.

Also don't be afraid to simply throw stuff out the window and make your experiences your own.
Canonicity only goes as far as the table wants, even then some throw that out the airlock and have fun with it.

[skiltao]

If there is only one Mechwarrior in a group, what can the rest of the group do during that conflict?

Depends on the conflict. If you're investigating an abandoned facility, the MechWarrior holds off rival looters at the entrance while a Technician gets the ground team past automated security systems.

If it's a simple 'Mech battle, give the other players NPC MechWarriors to control.

[Atlas3060]

Depends on the conflict. If you're investigating an abandoned facility, the MechWarrior holds off rival looters at the entrance while a Technician gets the ground team past automated security systems.

Good point, the Mechwarrior may not be an infantryman but he was trained to know where the dangerous side of a gun is.
Fluff-wise there's plenty of evidence where Dispossessed warriors served as grunts anyways.

[hive_angel]

I run my capaign with all of my players as mechwarriors, but they are part of a lance/company with a sluth of support NPCs which provide skills for the players to rely on. The players make the NPC rolls for them, but even those rolls can fail at times.

[skiltao]

Good point, the Mechwarrior may not be an infantryman but he was trained to know where the dangerous side of a gun is.
Fluff-wise there's plenty of evidence where Dispossessed warriors served as grunts anyways.

That's a good point about Dispossessed warriors, they were often used as scouts because they'll do anything to steal or earn a 'Mech; but the OP sounded like the MechWarrior was assigned a 'Mech, so I meant he'd be in his 'Mech defending against other similarly heavy weaponry.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

I think a fun way to handle a party in ATOW is to make them all crewmembers of the same tank/dropship.  I don't think the rules presume that's the way the party is going to be structured (if only because of SPAs) but I still think that's a neat way to run a party.    They certainly have naturally convergent interests and objectives!

[Acolyte]

I very often have my players make more than one character. They usually take one as primary with the others being for if we are doing something that doesn't involve the primary characters (so they won't be left out). I also have them help in the making of the significant NPC's so that they have some investment in them from the get go.

As an example each of them has a MechWarrior (of course) but each also has a AeroSpace pilot. So when we're doing a space battle, they play one set but on the ground they get the other. I usually give them control of the lance they're in, too. More fun for them, less for me to do. Besides, they've helped in the making of all their lance mates.

Just the way we do things.
   - Shane

[VictorMorson]

Unlike most RPGs, ATOW doesn't work so well with a diverse set of. Characters should either be all mechwarriors or none mechwarriors.  The different scales of play leave very little for non-pilots to do while the pilots are stomping or flying around a battlefield.

As for how to introduce the RPG to players new to Battletech.. I'd suggest using one of the free RPG day adventures... they're designed to show off the setting and system and can be downloaded for free.

I completely disagree this is necessary depending on the game.  It's good if everyone has some on-board role to play, esp. if you plan to use actual BattleTech for the 'mech scale combat, but there's all kinds of options for an RPG (esp. if you're not using Btech combat), such as dual-cockpits or the like to let those come with you.

Likewise, you can do all kinds of scenarios that require multiple things happening at once:  Your hacker needs to infiltrate a building, while your sniper covers him and your 'mechwarriors stop the re-enforcement.  It requires more creative mission design, but I see no reason to say no mix-and-match.

[Kitsune413]

Like Acolyte said... it's best to have the pc's make multiple characters.

If your players don't want to do multiple characters and you want to run a mech scene you can assign players an npc. But that's mostly if they like the battletech board game.

Otherwise, mixed groups do well on Solaris. A duel isn't long and they can root for the pc in the mech.

Or you can just avoid putting the Mechwarrior pc/pc's in a mech very often.

[Jewelfox]

First, how do experienced players and GMs balance the difference between Mechwarriors and non-mechwarriors? If there is only one Mechwarrior in a group, what can the rest of the group do during that conflict?

Well, the thing is, you're not balancing between two groups of players in the same game. You're running two separate games, and you aren't sure how to get everyone playing the second.

Furthermore, not everyone in your group may want to play the tabletop BattleTech game. I mean, if someone helps you make an AToW character or gives you a premade character sheet, the gameplay is basically that of an ISO Standard Roleplaying Game; describe your actions, roll the dice, the GM tells you what happens. It's no big deal to introduce someone to that. Tabletop BattleTech is another beast entirely, and even once you teach them the rules, if you've got 3-5 newbies fighting an equal number of opponents fights can just draaaaaag.

One alternative would be to get everyone playing Alpha Strike, the modernized version of BattleTech. There are no hit location charts to roll on, and everything has something like 1/3 the armour and structure values (Hit Points) that they do in BT. The quick-start rules (PDF link) were just put up for download, the cards with the unit stats are all free on the Master Unit List, and I think the Alpha Strike Companion has rules for a whole lance (squad of mechs) gaining a bonus based on its composition, and for pilots getting a special rule for their mechs. So you could encourage everyone to pilot one that way, and get more invested in that half of the game.

(One way to get players excited? Have everyone pick out a Lance Pack together and decide who gets which mech! The Introductory Box Set also has a huge assortment of minis to choose from.)

Fights will be over much faster that way, which will be less punishing on the players who are less interested in that side of the game. Meanwhile, things you can do to get them involved include giving them all a unit of some kind, and/or designating battlefield roles like commander, mission control, etc (although mission control might be best as a GM role unless they get to do something besides exposition). The BattleTech cartoon actually has good examples of this; pretty much everyone in its cast spends some time in the field, even switching between different machines.

Another option? Let the players who aren't in on the fight control the "bad guys." I recently ran a Fate Core game with a premise sort of like Narnia. And for the one scene that took place in the "real world," I let the player whose character was from the fantasy setting play as campus security, and describe the rent-a-cops who kicked down the door to the mad scientist's lab. It seemed to work out pretty well!

Third, how would you suggest creating a game for people with absolutely zero Battletech experience? Are there certain eras and scenarios that would be ideal for this group ignorance?

AToW suggests starting in the Jihad era, but I actually think this is a bad idea. Because unless you're really invested in BattleTech's metaplot, it's hard to explain what is going on, or why exactly these cyborg religious fanatics are blowing up buildings and stuff.

I'd suggest picking either Clan Invasion, Pre-Clan Invasion, or Dark Age for your game. They all have a story that's easily summed up in a sentence or two, and from there you can give players something to hold onto by describing the game as "Like _____, but with 'mechs." Where ____ can be Mad Max (as somebody mentioned), or a war movie, or even Game of Thrones if you're going into noble or great house politics.

(Which, the location you set your game in also matters. This is oversimplifying thing some, but Steiner / Marik turf is probably most similar to the modern day, the Davion / Kurita border is a blasted war zone, the Periphery is basically Firefly, and the Clan Invasion corridor is sort of like Earth except suddenly Clans!)

If you have any players who are into mecha anime or the miniatures gaming scene, that's even better! Just explain how your mechs / models are different.

[by_the_sword]

What if you have the players create and play multiple characters, at least one of whom must be a mechwarrior.  This would ensure that each player had something to do during a battle.  Make each character a part of the same military or merc unit, a mechwarrior, a technician, a medic or doctor, an infantryman or officer, a tanker, an aero pilot or battlearmor trooper, heck even a supply officer.  Plan out the roles to be filled in advance amd have each player create a character from each department. 

I have seen this done in many sci-fi games, usually as crews of starships.  It might work well for A Time Of War?

[PurpleDragon]

In games I've run in the past, the players tend to become lance commnaders with one player being a company commander and so on.  I would get some graph paper and hand draw a "strategic" map wherein every square represented a number of mapboards, 1-5 across and like number down.  Then, with the "grids" labeled similar to how true military maps are, I would have the players keep track of each square they were located in at which times.   Now, I would place the OPFOR and move them/plan for them, before the players did.  Then I would, at the time the players showed me where their units were moving, determine if there was an encounter with OPFOR before coninuing to the next "round" of strategic movement.  When one of the PC lances had an encounter, because they were often not travelling together, One or more of the non-active Players got to play the OPFOR against the player that had the encounter; with me being referee due to double blind rules, maybe allowing one of the other non-active players to double check me. 

[Pyro]

I've run mixed groups before, but generally on the idea that everyone has to be some kind of combatant.  MechWarrior, Tanker, Battle Armor, Fighter Pilot...  Get a bunch of people together doing different things, and part of the fun is making a game out of a combined arms unit where everyone can have a role in the same fight.

[VictorMorson]

What if you have the players create and play multiple characters, at least one of whom must be a mechwarrior.  This would ensure that each player had something to do during a battle.  Make each character a part of the same military or merc unit, a mechwarrior, a technician, a medic or doctor, an infantryman or officer, a tanker, an aero pilot or battlearmor trooper, heck even a supply officer.  Plan out the roles to be filled in advance amd have each player create a character from each department. 

I have seen this done in many sci-fi games, usually as crews of starships.  It might work well for A Time Of War?

Don't create a second whole character if you can help it.  I litter my campaigns with feature NPCs that come and go, so if someone that's no on-boards wants to play something, they hop into an NPC.  We've even got one character that's a hacker that has a Dual Cockpit setup.

Basically treat their alternate like a "hireling."  Don't make them RP two people all the time:  The GM might even want to control the NPC in RP.  It's just a way to get people not involved on-board.

Also if you want the detail of BattleTech and not quite go to Alpha Strike (Alpha Strike looks wonderful for HUGE battles, though), I highly advise you consider using Megamek for your BattleTech stuff.  It's about 100x faster than dice.

[PurpleDragon]

Don't create a second whole character if you can help it.  I litter my campaigns with feature NPCs that come and go, so if someone that's no on-boards wants to play something, they hop into an NPC.  We've even got one character that's a hacker that has a Dual Cockpit setup.

Basically treat their alternate like a "hireling."  Don't make them RP two people all the time:  The GM might even want to control the NPC in RP.  It's just a way to get people not involved on-board.

Also if you want the detail of BattleTech and not quite go to Alpha Strike (Alpha Strike looks wonderful for HUGE battles, though), I highly advise you consider using Megamek for your BattleTech stuff.  It's about 100x faster than dice.

Megamek option seconded:   However, using the program takes some getting used to.   Make sure you know most of the ins and outs of the program before you try to use it with your group.