Hello, BattleTech community!
I'm a noob here. I was very into BattleTech in my tweens/teen years (late 80s to early 90s), but never really had anyone to play with. Now, I'm trying to re-enter the game with my son, and eventually connect with other legacy players in our area, possibly forming a league.
I've lost 90% of what I remember about the board game, but I'm very confident that I can read back up on it and get going with tactical battles on hex maps. What I'm interested in is combining strategic play with tactical battles.
I used to have a few books (technical readouts, the compendium as well as other books I cannot remember) that not only detailed 'Mechs, but also which companies manufactured them, what planets their plants were located on, etc. What I'd really like to do is eventually develop a "grand game" that includes different players playing a specific house or merc group, managing finance, mech production, engaging in politics, and advancing war -- including actual tactical games on planets.
I'm sure this can be done, but I have no idea if there is any kind of "roadmap" for constructing and managing such a game. For the more strategic play, is there a draft- or turn-based structure for managing clans/governments/merc groups, etc? Like where you have a certain number of allowed resources per "turn" and you use these to build Mechs and other equipment? I can't find a straight answer to this.
It's a big question, I know. But I think for starters, it'd be great to have a list of books to consult, and any additional insights that you could offer. Thanks in advance -- glad to have found you all!