Battletech

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Shock
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Battletech

Post by Shock »

I've started playing Battletech with my boys using Heroscape terrain to create the maps. Having 3D terrain really makes a board game much more enjoyable. In this battle, I had them on the ropes until they got a couple of lucky headshots and completed their mission of disabling half of my Mechs.

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And a couple of shots of the map before the battle started

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Arkrite
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Re: Battletech

Post by Arkrite »

Oooooh, nice.
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Ares
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Re: Battletech

Post by Ares »

That looks frickin awesome. And you clearly invested quite a bit into those Heroscope tiles.

My exposure to Battletech has been very limited. I watched the cartoon back in the 90s (because I watched almost EVERY cartoon series produced when I was a kid, and a lot of the ones that weren't), read some of the books, and played one or two games run by a friend. I had a soft spot for the Axeman because, well, very mobile mech with shoulder rockets and a big honking axe seems pretty cool.

One game I was at, a friend of mine was geared up in this giant heavy mech, only for another friend to launch this cluster of missiles at him. Rolled to hit, got him right in the cockpit. Roll for damage, filled up every dot in the cockpit sheet. My friend was dead in the opening attack of the game.
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Shock
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Re: Battletech

Post by Shock »

Ares wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 3:55 am That looks frickin awesome. And you clearly invested quite a bit into those Heroscope tiles.
Back when the game was still in production, I got 3 of the big boxed sets and a few of the expansions. It was a decent game but the terrain is great for just about any game that uses minis. I've used it for Battletech and Heroclix quite a bit.
Ares wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 3:55 am My exposure to Battletech has been very limited. I watched the cartoon back in the 90s (because I watched almost EVERY cartoon series produced when I was a kid, and a lot of the ones that weren't), read some of the books, and played one or two games run by a friend. I had a soft spot for the Axeman because, well, very mobile mech with shoulder rockets and a big honking axe seems pretty cool.

One game I was at, a friend of mine was geared up in this giant heavy mech, only for another friend to launch this cluster of missiles at him. Rolled to hit, got him right in the cockpit. Roll for damage, filled up every dot in the cockpit sheet. My friend was dead in the opening attack of the game.
Battletech isn't for everyone. It's slow to play and rather complicated. My kids, especially my oldest, just happen to love that. And yeah, lucky die rolls can make big swings in the battle. Though rare, 1 hit kills are possible. It was developed way back in the early 80s and uses 2d6 for most die rolls, with all the pitfalls that come with such a system. And it's one of the only games that is still publishing material that is 100% compatible with the original game, 35 years later.
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catsi563
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Re: Battletech

Post by catsi563 »

BTs lots of fun. I really recommend the game by paradox. The did an awesome job putting the tabletop game onto the screen and doing it in a way that adds in aspects of the TTRPG version as well as the mini game.
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Shock
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Re: Battletech

Post by Shock »

Another bigger battle with a full company (12 Mechs) on each side. Turns have been taking 30-45 minutes each to play. This is easily the biggest battle I've played

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greycrusader
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Re: Battletech

Post by greycrusader »

Loved me some Battletech back in the day!
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Tattooedman
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Re: Battletech

Post by Tattooedman »

Looks like some great fun, I'm kinda jealous even though I don't need a whole hand to count how many times I've played BattleTech.
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Arkrite
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Re: Battletech

Post by Arkrite »

Yeah, it looks really nice. A part of me wishes I had that setup.
Another part of me is aware of the fact that I've never even played that game, and I don't really have anybody to play with/against ;~)

Nice stuff, Shock.
FuzzyBoots
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Re: Battletech

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Heroscape... Now there's a name I've not heard in a long, long time. A long time.
Shock
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Re: Battletech

Post by Shock »

I've got some new minis so I decided to get myself into painting. Here are some initial "almost finished" pics.

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Shock
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Re: Battletech

Post by Shock »

Here's a couple more mechs and a couple of tanks I got painted recently.

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Batgirl III
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Re: Battletech

Post by Batgirl III »

Some friends of mine had just begun to dabble in BattleTech just before the Plague Wars sent everyone into their bunkers a year and some change ago... I had even dug out my ComStar Level II from back in middle school.

Now that I’m back in the States and the lockdowns seem to be lifting, maybe my MAD-2R will march forth again.

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Shock
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Re: Battletech

Post by Shock »

Sarna.net is the best source of Battletech info on the internet.

On Youtube, you want to search for Black Pants Legion (esp Tex Talks Battletech) for dives into lore.

The Book that comes in Game of Armored Combat will covered everything you need to play with Mechs, including custom construction. It also comes with a short intro to the Battletech universe. The short version of the Lore is a galaxy where a power hungry madman tried to take over the Star League (think Star Wars Galactic Republic). He was defeated by a loyalist General who then fled the galaxy in disgust when 5 great Houses (sort of like Dune houses) descended into Civil War. The next 500 years were varying levels of open conflict over who would get to recreate the Star League to benefit themselves over all others.

After the Beginner Box and Game of Armored Combat, I would go to the Technical readouts. I find them to be the best reading Battletech can provide. They are the Army Lists of Battletech so to speak, detailing dozens of Mechs and vehicles per book, as well as snippets of lore.

Battletech differs from the bigger tabletop games like Warhammer 40k in a couple of ways.

1) There are no Editions. Gameplay has been virtually unchanged since the 80s. This is both a big positive and a big negative. The game design is very 80s and it doesn't play as smoothly as more modern games. A battle with 4 mechs on a side could easily take over 2 hours. Alpha Strike is an attempt to streamline gameplay but I think they went too far.
2) Building a force is not restricted by faction and there are no gameplay mechanics that are faction specific. Though some Mechs are associated more with certain factions, there are no restrictions on what you can put in your force.
3) You can design your own Mechs. This is by far the biggest thing that attracts me to Battletech. You can fiddle to your heart's content.

For acquiring Battletech content, I would look at the enticingly named Aries Games & Miniatures. His prices are good and his customer service is very good.
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Ares
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Re: Battletech

Post by Ares »

I've got to ask, given you're kind of our resident Battletech expert: Is that old Battletech cartoon as hated by the community as I've seen it suggested some places online?
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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