BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat

BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: Black_Knyght on 12 August 2019, 17:15:27

Title: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Black_Knyght on 12 August 2019, 17:15:27

I have several PDFs I've acquired over time, but now I can't remember what the most important CURRENTLY AVAILABLE rulebooks to have/use are supposed to be?

What are the "absolute" needed books, as well as "should also really have" books for playing the most up-to-date iteration of CBT?

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Sartris on 12 August 2019, 19:01:38

The core rulebook line gets you 99% of what you’ll do in a game. TW and TO being the most important.

SO - crunchy repair and refits. Space battles. Battleforce
IO - Big combat. Inner sphere at war conquest game rules. Dates for everything. Hyper advanced equipment including LAMs. WMDs?
CO - design campaigns. Make forces. SPAs
AToW - rpg
ASCE - newest alpha strike rules

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Daryk on 12 August 2019, 19:04:06

To Sartris' list, I'd add the A Time of War Companion, and of course Tech Manual (to complete the core rule set).  That still only gets you to nine, though...

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Insaniac99 on 12 August 2019, 21:28:08

Quote from: Daryk on 12 August 2019, 19:04:06

To Sartris' list, I'd add the A Time of War Companion, and of course Tech Manual (to complete the core rule set).  That still only gets you to nine, though...

BattleMech Manual for ten, because it's better written and a better reference than TW if you are only using mechs.

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: AdmiralObvious on 12 August 2019, 22:39:55

Yeah, there aren't many more than ten up to date rule books. If you were asking for the top 3 or 5, then you might have a debatable answer, but right now the answer is "basically everything".

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: RifleMech on 14 August 2019, 02:26:02

TW - main game rules
TM - main construction rules
TO - advanced game rules and advanced support vehicle construction and equipment rules
SO - repair/refit rules, advanced space combat, quirks, frankenmech rules, Advanced space unit construction, Battleforce
IO - Advanced Mech construction, era specific unit construction, weapons and WMDs. Larger scale games
CO - design campaigns. Make forces. SPAs
AToW - main RPG rules
AToW Companion - more RPG options, and equipment for more eras
Battletech Manual - standard and some advanced rules geared towards mechs, latest quirks
ASCE - alpha strike rules

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Greatclub on 14 August 2019, 02:45:28

Descending Importance:

1) Total Warfare (Or battlemech manual if you aren't a combined arms pervert)
2) MegaMekLab or Solaris Skunkwerks
3) Tactical Operations
4) Campaign Operations
5) Alpha Strike Commanders
6) A time of war (Will be replaced by legends,) *highly optional*

Strategic Operations
Interstellar Operations
Tech Manual

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Insaniac99 on 14 August 2019, 10:13:02

Quote from: Greatclub on 14 August 2019, 02:45:28

6) A time of war (Will be replaced by legends,) *highly optional*

A: You mean Mechwarrior: Destiny.

B: CGL has already gone on records that Mechwarrior: Destiny is not a replacement to AToW.

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Daryk on 14 August 2019, 16:29:16

They have?  Cool!  You wouldn't happen to have a link to that, would you?

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: RoundTop on 16 August 2019, 16:55:54

Quote from: Daryk on 14 August 2019, 16:29:16

They have?  Cool!  You wouldn't happen to have a link to that, would you?

Was stated repeatedly at gencon. Direct from randall and Brent.

Destiny is mech warrior focussed, story focussed.  Less crunchy, deadly dice

Title: Re: 10 most important rulebooks?
Post by: Daryk on 16 August 2019, 17:03:03

Glad to hear it, even without something in writing.  :thumbsup: