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 What IS Battletech? Originally published as BattleDroids in 1984, Battletech is one of the elder statesmen of tabletop gaming. With twenty-six years worth of published supplements, a roleplaying game, a collectible card game, more than a hundred novels, twenty video games, and a Saturday morning cartoon series, it is one of the more prolific universes as well as being one of the longest existing. The base game is a classical hex-based tabletop game where you take your own giant robots and blast the hell out of the other person's giant robots. It can be that simple, or much, much more complicated. But at the heart, it boils down to one hundred ton, forty foot tall robots shooting each other until they fall apart.  Or hitting. Hitting works too. Giant robots beating each other up sounds cool. How do I start? All you really need is a copy of the basic rules and some hex paper to play it live. No, really, that's it. With the rules, the most current edition is the Total Warfare book, available from publisher Catalyst Games for $40. However, if you're just interested in learning or getting started without shelling out, you can get the classic rules quick-start for free. One interesting note is that the current rulebook isn't all that mandatory. While being thirty this year, Battletech's core rules have remained very stable. I still have the first rulebook I bought back in 1987, and 95% if the rules in it are still correct. While there have been new additions and optional aspects, the rules themselves are stable. That means you don't have to go out and buy new copies of everything when a new edition comes out. As for the hex paper, you can print off copies from the web for free, or if you're going to play online you can skip that entirely. I'll be totally blunt - you can play the game completely for free if you want to. Your only investment is time. There's a lot more rule supplements available, of course. Technical readouts every few in-game years full of new equipment, manuals for each of the ten or so major factions/faction groups, scenario books, releases that focus on specific groups or events, plot updates... What about miniatures? What about them? This isn't Warhammer. Nobody but the most anal cares if you're using minis that are unpainted, proxies for something else, paper counters or if you're using bottlecaps. Sure, a well-painted mini is awesome.    (Images taken from Camo Specs) But they're not mandatory. I've been playing for twenty three years and only just started buying/painting minis in the last year or so. We're here to play a game, not compare paint jobs. (Though an awesome paint job is still going to get recognized!) Wait! Isn't this the game that stole designs from Robotech? Yes and no. Yes, a lot of the earliest and most recognizable mech designs were the same as ones from Robotech and other anime. But no, they weren't stolen. The short version is that both Harmony Gold (the studio behind Robotech) and FASA (Battletech's original publisher) had bought the rights from separate sources, each believing they had the legal rights to those images. In a legal battle between a small tabletop game company and a large television studio, you can guess who won. The results had less to do with the legality and more of which side had more money for lawyers. Today, those old Robotech designs are known as the Unseen - the mechs still exist and have been given revised art, but their original designs can not be pictured. You said that the supplements can make the game more complicated. How much more complicated? A lot more. The very basic game is just 1-4 battlemechs per player on a map shooting each other. If you expand things out a little (to just things in the basic rules still), you include other battlefield forces - conventional armor, infantry and battle armored troops. At the extreme end? The rules include more than a dozen troop types (mechs, tanks, VTOLs, infantry, battlearmor, support vehicles, conventional and aerospace craft, waterborne vehicles, dropships, warships, etc) on scales ranging from house-to-house combat up to major space naval battles and planetary invasions. You can manage and track everything - individual troop movements across world maps, supplies down to individual machine gun rounds, experience gains for all unit members, logistical costs, transportation, air cover, local insurgent activity, intelligence operations, etc. It's all optional, of course, but you can add and remove whatever you don't feel like dealing with. Oh, and you can even design your own mechs. Wait, what? Seriously?  Seriously. The rules for designing, balancing and costing out units of ANY type in the game are published in full. You can custom-create battlemechs, tanks, warships, battle armor - you name it. There's actually a fair number of design programs out there to help you do it, too! (Most - and the best - are free.) So even if a published design doesn't meet what you're looking for, you can always create one of your own. The best designer out there currently is Solaris Skunk Werks, though it only does mechs at the moment. And that's legal in games? Yes, absolutely! Though be warned that many players are reluctant/refuse to play against customs. It's a bit of a stigma, since the freedom to design can be abused (like any system) to create super-optimized units. Most decent players don't do that to a problematic extreme, but there's always the little fear that some guy who values winning more than having a decent match will try some kind of ridiculous cheese. For the most part, though, I've found players are fine with it as long as they get to look at what's being fielded first and can decide for themselves that it isn't retarded. Fortunately, there's also balancing systems so you can get a reasonable grip on what is and isn't a fair match in terms of power. So it isn't nearly as bad as you'd fear. You said something about playing online.  Ah yes. One of the game's crown jewels. Megamek is a free game that lets you play online as if the board were in front of you. The rules are accurate (with a large number of published and common unofficial optional rules to choose from) and the game can be set up in minutes. The only limiting factor in size is how big a game your CPU can handle. It doesn't cover every aspect, as it's still growing - at this point, it merely covers all surface units, VTOLs, artillery and limited air-to-air combat. The bot is a bit primitive, but the game's designed to play against other live players anyway. You can even import custom designs from SSW into Megamek! If you're interested in a game, stop by #megamek on irc.synirc.net! Ironically, Megamek is not an officially supported game. When FASA closed up shop their computer games branch, FASA Interactive, was acquired by Microsoft. (It has since been shut down.) Because of this, the current owners of Battletech don't have the rights to make computer games for their own IP, and thus Megamek is a not-for-profit fan project. It's just as well that way. I heard this game is dying. Is that true? Battletech, as a whole, has gone through ups and downs. A lot of people called it dead when FASA went under back in 2001. There were cries of doom back when the Unseen were taken out, too. And now with Catalyst Games getting into trouble, the voices are rising again. As a long-time player? Doesn't bug me. The game and universe have survived for a long time across multiple companies and has remained mostly intact. It can be picked up quickly and for zero cost, and finding opponents isn't difficult. Some people just like to cry doom. Is it difficult to play? I heard it's pretty tough.  I won't lie and say it plays like Candyland. Playing requires a good bit of strategic thinking, understanding the capabilities of the units on the board and basic math (ie adding and subtracting). Like any other game or hobby, it takes a bit of time and practice to learn. The basics are no more difficult to pick up than the average RPG you'll see discussed on this board - it's the multitude of optional rules that trip people up. Honestly the only way to learn is to play. Where can I found out more? Obviously, this thread. Other than that? There's a wide variety of websites that should be able to help you along. Here's three that are probably the best place to start from. http://www.classicbattletech.com/ - homepage for Classic Battletech, as run by Catalyst Games. This is home to easily the biggest Battletech community and where you can find all the currently published books and rules. http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page - The Battletech wiki. Everybody needs one. It's not 100% (hard to with all the material), but it's reasonably comprehensive and can at least point you in the right direction. http://www.camospecs.com/ - Camo Specs Online. THE place for mini painting. Full of great ideas and great art. http://www.classicbattletech.com/index.php?action=text&page=Information - Catalyst's index of various quick-start rules, introductory materials and beginner essays on the universe. A bit thick with the words in some points, but useful! Tempest_56 fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Jul 9, 2014 |
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Apr 16, 2010 19:26
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So, about these factions... Ah yes. Really, while the giant robots are what get you in the door, it's the universe that keeps you. Over the game's lifespan, the in-game universe has grown and evolved. Time has progressed - at the original release, it was 3025. Now, the current year in-universe is 3081. Over the course of it, nations have risen and fallen, characters have been born, done great deeds and died, technology has evolved and things have in general changed a lot. Supplements take the game as far back as 2750, so there's even more time to play with. There's a lot of good information out there, including several published summaries that will get you involved. There's a lot of material, but you really don't need all of it to get a solid grip on the universe. To summarize the storyline: The Star League was formed in 2571, banding together the various proto-states of the Inner Sphere - the circular range outwards from Terra that humanity has expanded to. The League was a golden time for humanity until it fell apart in 2765. When it did, the Inner Sphere collapsed into civil war: First to depose the man who had assassinated the League's leaders and tried to claim it for his own; then among the remaining leaders over who would be in charge now. The major factions we know of today are what are called Successor States - ruled by powerful lords that each have a claim to the throne of the Star League.  House Steiner (the Lyran Commonwealth) is known for their heavily Germanic traditions. They're rich, industrially powerful and have a bit of an obsession for very large battlemechs. On the downside, they're also big into political appointments - they've typically got good soldiers but officers who got there because Daddy is the Duke of Buttfuck rather than because they know what they're doing. The normal Steiner unit is heavier, more armored and slower than the average.  House Kurita (the Draconis Combine) is largely Japanese, though they also have large Swede and Arab populations. Very traditional, very honor-heavy, very stereotypical Japanese culture in a lot of ways. They've been on the cutting edge of technology in recent years and are in the middle of a cultural revolution to modernize their ways of thinking. They typically field a lot of high-tech toys, like advanced computer systems and modular mechs.  House Davion (the Federated Suns) are the typical Good Guys in most novels. Anglo/franco-centric, they use a lot of western European imagery, particularly the knightly angle. Davions notably have a big rich/poor divide going on in their culture, and have some of the biggest internal divisions - their recent central leadership has been fairly weak. Davions love large ballistic guns and physical combat weapons like hatchets.  House Liao (the Capellan Confederation) is Chinese in flavor and is currently on a big surge. For a lot of years, Liao was the universe's whipping boy - assaulted from all sides, internal strife, low supplies and insane leadership. That all turned around in the late 3050s, and now they're on the rise as a major powerhouse with quickly improving tech, high morale and possibly the most savvy leadership in the Inner Sphere. The downside is that they're still all crazy and get played as the Bad Guys frequently. But they're bad guys that win. Cappies have a particular attachment, in play, to artillery, mines and stealth.  House Marik (the Free Worlds League) is the least inherently stable of all the Successor States. Somewhat resembling the Balkains, the region is made up of several dozen independent states that banded together under a single banner for mutual protection. Just how much they work together varies from week to week, though when they're all on the same page the League is a very powerful force. They're basically the #2 in just about everything - they just have trouble keeping themselves focused. They are currently suffering from a lack of existence, having broken up after the Jihad into smaller independent states. More than three hundred years later, the wars still continue. However, there are a number of other players on the field - most of which have only become noteworthy in the last fifty years.   The Clans - When the Succession Wars started, the remains of the Star League military basically went "gently caress you, Dad" and left the Inner Sphere. Two hundred and fifty years later, they came back after having created their ultimate military-based society. Their intent was to liberate the people of the Inner Sphere from their Successor State oppressors. It didn't really work out like they planned. The Clans are split into a diverse group of themed warrior bands, each with their own agenda, attitudes and in-fighting. While extremely skilled and packing better equipment than any Inner Sphere force, their ritualized combat and focus on warrior honor handicapped them in real war. They're currently undergoing a major metamorphosis, as the return to (and defeat by) the Inner Sphere has undermined their entire society. They're still deadly in a fight.  ComStar - A cross between the Catholic Church and AT&T, ComStar is a religious order that remained neutral through the Succession Wars on the grounds that they were the only ones with the knowledge to keep the technology of the Star League running. What they failed to tell anyone was that included in that was a very large reserve of old, advanced battlemechs that they judiciously used to hold power behind the scenes. They finally got outed when they stopped the Clan invasion. Since then, they've become mostly good guys, sharing the tech and apologizing a lot for being tremendous dicks.  Word of Blake - Except these guys. The Blakists are a fanatical offshoot of ComStar who still think they should be the ruling power - behind the scenes or not. They started out as a looney cult, developed into a legitimate political force and then recently declared a holy war on pretty much everyone else. Up until very recently they were the big bad guys around the universe, but have since been crushed after a long and bloody war.    Periphery States - More a category than anything else, the Periphery States are various small to medium powers in the Inner Sphere that lack a claim to the Star League throne. Named because of their positions along the peripheral edge of the sphere, they cover a gamut of angles, though they share the stigma of being the backwards cousins to the big Successor States. Behind the curve in technology and industry, they still manage to have a significant effect on the universe by sheer stubborn-mindedness and meddling in the affairs of larger states. This group includes the Magristry of Canopus, the Taurian Concordant, the Outworlds Alliance, the Marian Hegemony, and a hodge-podge of smaller groups (Circinus Federation, Fronc Reaches, Niops Association, and so on). You'll sometimes see lumped in with this group the other lesser Inner Sphere states - the St. Ives Compact, the Free Rasalhauge Republic, the Tikonov Free Republic, the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, and the Filtvelt Coalition. Those five aren't true Periphery powers because of their locations, but share many of the same traits.  Mercenaries - No Battletech faction list is complete without mentioning the mercenary trade. Mercs are a big deal, providing crucial firepower to the various states when it's needed most. There's a surprising amount of private citizens that own military equipment and are quite willing to use it for money. Some of the largest merc forces - like Wolf's Dragoons or the Northwind Highlanders - are powerful enough to control entire worlds and field multiple regiments of troops. Some estimates peg the number of mercenaries active in the Inner Sphere to have equal military power to entire Successor States. Tempest_56 fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Jul 9, 2014 |
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Apr 16, 2010 19:33
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Battletech is wierd. Its gone through about four different companies, yet its always been the same people working on it. I owned a box of the game since the mid 90's, but only actually really got into it in the last few years. Since then I've spent a lot on books and minis. I currently have a 3025-friendly company composed mostly of re-seens and 4th succession war era designs painted as the Crucis Lancers. And a Lyran Guard company made mostly from post-clan designs.
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Apr 16, 2010 19:38
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I for one love the battletech universe. I am not ashamed to admit I have read all the novels. But will this thread also support mechwarrior:DA/AoD? DCMS for life. 
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Apr 17, 2010 06:33
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Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who likes the word of blake storyline, but I think it's a lot more fun than more clan stuff, liao scheming, or something dumb like aliens. Protip: the new battletech RPG kinda sucks, unless you really like rolling percentile dice and the possibility of having a gimped character before you even start playing.
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Apr 17, 2010 10:08
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Nah, I like it too. It seems like most of the hate is because of the Dark Age connection and how it was explained there. Not that there aren't actual reasons to dislike it. But the Jihad Hot Spot books are an amazing way to showcase how much of a clusterfuck the whole situation is, and how its so much more than "Blakists nuke everybody and then lose". As for the RPG, I'm pretty sure that's the old one, since they got rid of random character creation events and switched to a system that uses only D6's. And I doubt that's something that's changed between beta and release.
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Apr 17, 2010 10:34
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Dale-Taco posted:I for one love the battletech universe. I am not ashamed to admit I have read all the novels. But will this thread also support mechwarrior:DA/AoD? Yeah, absolutely! (Don't like it myself, but it's part of the family. Just like the little cousin who has to wear a helmet.) As for the Jihad storyline - I actually do like it, too. The story itself isn't overly appealing, but I recognize that what it DOES is worthwhile. It's a reasonable way to hit the reset button. It pulls back what was a pretty wild rate of tech growth - entirely new weapon systems coming out every year, a constant stream of brand new designs, weapons production through the roof. It also gives a good way for a lot of old characters to get out of the way. I mean, christ, Jaime Wolf was 87 and still actively piloting. There needed to be something big like the Jihad to get rid of the rapidly growing geriatric brigade. I'm wondering myself what's going to happen after the Jihad ends. Is it going to be a continuous line of events, or are they going to do another 20 Year Update to skip forward?
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Apr 17, 2010 14:26
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My guess is that the jihad will go through Devlin Stone and Victor Steiner-Davion coming in and saving the day. and the next bit of playable history will involve Stone's creation of the republic and the fighting he did with Liao. 
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Apr 17, 2010 15:06
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From what I remember hearing, there's two more storyline books planned before the Jihad ends. The next one is Jihad: Terra, which is pretty much JHS 3078, and one more book to finish off the war. Between those, there is going to be a Technical Readout 3085, which implies there's not going to be a time-skip, at least not immediately. Whatever's coming next is probably going to involve the War of Reaving, where the homeworld clans pretty much declare a total war on eachother. Provided it hasn't already happened, since the Jihad Hotspot books keep hinting that something bad has happened on the homeworlds that the clans are being very tight-lipped about.
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Apr 17, 2010 20:51
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Der Waffle Mous posted:From what I remember hearing, there's two more storyline books planned before the Jihad ends. The next one is Jihad: Terra, which is pretty much JHS 3078, and one more book to finish off the war. Good to see at least the plans are there for it to not drag out. Given the timeframe it covers, it's surprising how fast everything has moved. But previous eras have also dragged on a drat long time, so it isn't a bad thing. If, of course, things keep moving forward as planned. quote:Whatever's coming next is probably going to involve the War of Reaving, where the homeworld clans pretty much declare a total war on eachother. I'm not sure, myself. On one hand, it does seem like a great chance to look at the Clans again. On the other, it's pretty one-dimensional. By what we know of the RotS age, there's no much interesting happening outside the Clan homeworlds. That's why I'm expecting a timeskip forward. You've got fifty years of gently caress all besides rebuilding and a little verbal squabbling. Not a very active time for playing in. (Particularly since at the usual rate of publication, that would take the next 20+ years of publishing to cover.)
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Apr 19, 2010 15:58
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Personally, I draw the line around 3050/3055, with the 2750 readout for flavour. After flipping through 3058, I lost interest in where the game was going.
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Apr 19, 2010 17:32
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Tempest_56 posted:That's why I'm expecting a timeskip forward. All I know is if they do skip it forward to the age of the republic, they better
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Apr 19, 2010 17:59
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Bieeardo posted:Personally, I draw the line around 3050/3055, with the 2750 readout for flavour. After flipping through 3058, I lost interest in where the game was going. I wasn't a big fan of the immediately post-Invasion era, but I enjoyed the FedCom Civil War. The 3055-3060 era was just too... nice. Too much 'us versus them' against the Clans after the Clans stopped being an overwhelming threat, not enough Successor State bickering. Plus I consider the early 3060s a big deal in terms of the tech level. It's where you got some really interesting toys (MRMs, RACs, the LGR). Though really, most fun new weapon in the last 20 in-game years? Rocket Launchers.
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Apr 19, 2010 19:46
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Don't care for them so much on mechs. But on vehicles, oh god. Like that Karnov VTOL variant that carries about ten launchers.
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Apr 19, 2010 20:26
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Oh, absolutely. They're wasteful on a mech, but on a vehicle? They're death incarnate. I am truly sad that there's no official Rocket Carrier design. Just the idea of a super-cheap tank that can fire off 340 damage in a single turn is just so tempting. All I need is that and the hidden units rule...
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Apr 19, 2010 22:42
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Tempest_56 posted:Oh, absolutely. They're wasteful on a mech, but on a vehicle? They're death incarnate. I am truly sad that there's no official Rocket Carrier design. Just the idea of a super-cheap tank that can fire off 340 damage in a single turn is just so tempting. All I need is that and the hidden units rule... I remember back in the bad old days when I played BattleTech, my friend's brother came across the stats for some tank that had a ridiculous range for its main gun measured in hex maps, not hexes. They were a bitch and a half to fight with my slow rear end Masakari. I miss that game.
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Apr 19, 2010 23:07
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I've become quite fond of the miniature rules. Sure, the hexes-to-inches conversion is a little wierd, and you really need to fudge around for certain special rules, but its actually got people who are afraid of hexmaps interested in the game.
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Apr 20, 2010 19:20
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Are there any good Giant Robot RPG games besides battletech? I still wanna run a game inspired somewhat by Armor Hunter Mellowlink. Where all the players are hard motherfuckers taking on walking tanks with rocket launchers and anti material rifles with loving pneumatic bayonets.
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Apr 20, 2010 19:36
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That's a spinoff of VOTOMS, isn't it? Heavy Gear is pretty much one big homage to that.
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Apr 20, 2010 20:06
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Der Waffle Mous posted:I've become quite fond of the miniature rules. I found the opposite, myself. I've gotten more interest when people realize that they don't need to blow Warhammer-scale money on minis just to get started. The hex map isn't nearly as scary to a new player as the phrase '$200 in models to start'.
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Apr 20, 2010 21:30
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Well yeah, using hexmaps does have the bonus of being able to use bottlecaps and whatnot. But I love painting these things, and the 3D version has a neat variation on the LOS system.
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Apr 20, 2010 21:44
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I have been a long-time fan of the Battletech Universe, but have only recently started learning the actual game. So for me the jury is still out, though truth be told, not having a intro box set out is very frustrating for someone who doesn't want to pay  for each mini for a game I am uncertain I want to invest in.All that being said, I think the current storyline is interesting, though I would like it more if you could get the fiction for it somewhere other than battlecorps. The plot makes a sort of sense, but it was time to use all of those hanging plot threads they had been building up over most of the 90's.
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Jun 21, 2010 15:41
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Yeah, I've had people who I got into battletech at my LGS waiting ages for the new intro box to come out. Its pretty frustrating. Edit: currently their ballpark release date is around gen con. Der Waffle Mous fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Jun 21, 2010 |
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Jun 21, 2010 18:02
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Is there any place online to download battletech mech counters (or cardboard standups) legally and for free? I've looked and there's some, but not a lot.
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Jul 1, 2010 18:00
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Heya. Been playing Mekwars for a few years, but I can't get my local store to pick Battletech up. There many of us around these parts?
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Jul 7, 2010 19:23
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A fairly good number far as I can tell. Battletech rocks. Got introduced by playing Mechwarrior 3(the PC game), and haven't looked back
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Jul 7, 2010 20:40
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chutche2 posted:Heya. Been playing Mekwars for a few years, but I can't get my local store to pick Battletech up. There many of us around these parts? There's a lot of players, I've found. But many dropped out when FASA died. Every con I go to, I'll run into a couple people who's reaction sums up as "Wait, they still make that game?". Most BT games just need a notice and people will start crawling out of the woodwork that haven't played in a decade or more.
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Jul 12, 2010 00:01
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Battletech rules. I've been playing since the late 80s, and it's a blast. I really enjoy the older 3025 setting best, but have followed along the entire plotline to date. Right now I'm running a game which is 3/4 RPG (using the Hero systems) and 1/4 Battletech mech combat (using the boardgame). I was recently able to get into fact checking and proofing, and so get to see new books before they're out (and hopefully ensure they have fewer errors). TR 3085 is pretty sweet, and the upcoming Jihad Terra sourcebook is a lot of fun since it has a hefty and comprehensive history of Earth and the Sol system and piles of rules and info on the Word of Blake doomsday superweapons - especially Castles Brian and the Caspar drones Kerensky faced back in the day.
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Jul 12, 2010 04:55
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I still enjoy and play Battletech to this day, though I mostly stick to 3025 stock mech play. Its relatively fast and smooth. The problem in my area is that there is a decent cadre of BT players. Who are all seemingly weekends only 3050+ era campaign players only. That's always been my biggest problem with Battletech. The player base is mostly made up of antisocial Aspie types who only want to play when THEY WANT TO PLAY, in the timeframe they want, and aren't really interested in anyone new joining or making the slightest alteration to how and when they play to bring new people in. I even saw this in the Navy back in the early 90s. Most of the Battletech I have played since I got into it on my own in 1988 has been me learning the game on my own, and teaching people how to play. I've probably taught more people how to play Battletech over the years than the entire New England Commando program has. (The Commando program being Battletech's equivalent of the Privateer Press Gang or other gaming "street team" demo people.) I've taught men, women, kids. And a lot of these people absolutely loved the way I taught them and how I got them into the game. Here in fact, was an example of a demo game I taught at my house to a 20-30s aged crowd:     And a more recent training mission with mostly kids, plus a thread for my gaming region to try to recruit players for Wednesday afternoon evening gaming in the Southeastern Connecticut area: http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/index.php/index.php/topic,66824.msg1604868.html#msg1604868 This also means if anyone in this thread is in this area feel free to come down and learn some BT or join in if you already know the score. Heck if there is some demand I will even use this comic styled battle report to teach folks how to play right here, though its obviously better and more fun to learn it while playing live instead of watching dorky old me write goofy photocomic strips about how to play. Captain Rufus fucked around with this message at 11:18 on Jul 15, 2010 |
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Jul 15, 2010 11:15
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Captain Rufus posted:Heck if there is some demand I will even use this comic styled battle report to teach folks how to play right here, though its obviously better and more fun to learn it while playing live instead of watching dorky old me write goofy photocomic strips about how to play. That might actually be a useful resource! Also, that terrain - I'm very interested in finding out more about what you're using there. I recently started with minis, but now that I've got nice little models I'm dissatisfied with just the same old paper maps. That stuff looks good and very modular - which is excellent.
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Jul 15, 2010 15:21
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Tempest_56 posted:That might actually be a useful resource! It's from the game HeroScape which is a sweet fantasy/sci-fi skirmish game. It can be a pain to set up and take apart, but otherwise it's pretty cool. I've never seen it used for Battletech before, so kudos to Captain Rufus for that one. 
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Jul 15, 2010 15:28
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Anyone have any idea on when Catalyst is going to print new starter boxes? I asked some of the Catalyst volunteers at Origins, and all they had was a vague "sometime soon". Also, I have to try this game on a HeroScape board. One of my gaming buddies just got a bunch of HeroScape for his kids, so maybe we'll have to finagle our way into borrowing it and get to teach them to play too 
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Jul 15, 2010 15:42
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Should be August around gen-con, barring any further crazy problems. Edit: they also finally clarified that the two extra minis are going to be the plastic Thor and Loki. Der Waffle Mous fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Jul 15, 2010 |
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Jul 15, 2010 15:50
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Heroscape terrain is proving quite popular with Battletech players (I want to get a bunch myself). Catalyst is trying to get out something similar designed to go with their official map sets, and they hopefully make GenCon. As for the box sets, they've been trying to get these out forever. There's been some quality issues that have delayed things IIRC, and of course I'm sure the Catalyst financial issues haven't helped any. By the way, if anyone wants sneak previews from the upcoming Jihad Terra book, the assistant line developer is posting excerpts here pretty much daily: http://benhrome.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/jihad-the-experiment/
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Jul 15, 2010 19:20
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ManMythLegend posted:It's from the game HeroScape which is a sweet fantasy/sci-fi skirmish game. It can be a pain to set up and take apart, but otherwise it's pretty cool. I've never seen it used for Battletech before, so kudos to Captain Rufus for that one. I think I may have to buy eBay out of this stuff. From Captain Rufus' pictures it looks to be about the right scale, and the potential for battlefield construction is... wow. This is a great option!
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Jul 15, 2010 19:38
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Each hex is quite a bit bigger than a standard Battletech hexbase but that just means you've got room to tell if a mech is standing on rubble or on woods or whatever (apart from the trees, which will also fit in a hex). It massively enhances the game, but in some cases having mapsheets is a positive thing. I'm finding it hard to get my current company working on the kinds of maps my group throws together quickly for a game.
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Jul 16, 2010 02:13
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Oh, hey, I think the Jihad just ended. I wasn't expecting JHS: Terra so soon.
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Jul 16, 2010 06:17
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Der Waffle Mous posted:Oh, hey, I think the Jihad just ended. They've been going pretty fast. 14 years in universe, done in 5 years? I'm glad to see this one getting sewn up quickly.
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Jul 16, 2010 20:10
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Arquinsiel posted:Each hex is quite a bit bigger than a standard Battletech hexbase but that just means you've got room to tell if a mech is standing on rubble or on woods or whatever (apart from the trees, which will also fit in a hex). It massively enhances the game, but in some cases having mapsheets is a positive thing. I'm finding it hard to get my current company working on the kinds of maps my group throws together quickly for a game. You can see the actual size in the pictures. I honestly like the larger hexes as it allows my custom Litko tokens to actually be in the same hex as the miniature. Mapsheets are good for speed and portability, but Heroscape is good for looking bad rear end and appealing, especially if you want to get noticed and bring new people into the game.
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Jul 16, 2010 23:35
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Der Waffle Mous posted:Oh, hey, I think the Jihad just ended. I'd say it's about time, except I'm pretty sure they're married to that Dark Age bullshit.
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Jul 18, 2010 05:39
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