There are no more dedicated games than the Battletech gamers, who can quote the details of any mech in the game on request. Or give the history of the Battletech universe for that matter. I have a brother !
Haha no kidding. I can’t remember where I ate last weekend without asking my wife but if you want to know what the load out is on an Archer from 30 years ago I got you.
And they all tend to be way more chill than a lot of other gamers it feels like. Might just be my personal experience in it, but when the two games I played most were BT and 40k, and all I remember from the BT ones were memes, shouting the word BatChall at each other till we fell over laughing, and basically just having a good time, vs. literally being unable to play on the table because the other person kept critiquing my painting skill in 40k, well.
@@Kili121416 The ones around my local gaming stores table are, but that may be due to store location more than anything. Most of the younger gamers end up doing Magic
Fun fact about those novellas in the first two boxes. They're written by the same person that wrote the original Grey Death Legion trilogy and the main character is Grayson Carlyle's dad. The final short story is in the new Mechwarrior: Destiny RPG book.
Same 80's story. I played the heck out of those paper stand-ins. Eventually, I built my first ever giant terrain board with hobby terrain and upgraded to the real miniatures. Loved it.
I designed a Firefly light Mech with many of the optional equipment found in the Master Rule Book (I still have the sheet). It was so fast that it could get close to an enemy, shoot, then run and hide in the trees, being almost impossible to hit. My friends (game enemies) hated it, LOL!
Excellent video. Some things worth pointing out. When you put down the movement dice, you use the colour to indicate the movement mode (which will give the modification for your to hit roll) but you use the pips to show the movement modifier for you enemy to hit you (which depends on the movement distance). That is, if I walk 5 hexes I would put down a white dice showing 2 pips. Also: LRMs hit in groups of 5, roll for hit location separately for each group. Looking forward to the next one!
I was going to say the same thing about movement dice. Its perhaps not clear in the rules at first, but the movement modifiers are different between attacker and target, as well as when the reverse/return shots are made. For example, a slow mech like the huge Atlas can only walk 3, or run 5 hexes. If the Atlas wants to do flip around and make a 180 degree turn (3 hex sides, aka 3 movement points of the 5) and move forward 2, that is all 5 movement points. The Atlas is going to run, making him shoot with a +2 penalty for having to use running speed. However, anybody who wants to shoot at the Atlas is going to have an easy time of it, because its only moved 2 hexes, which doesn't even have a penalty to hit.
Great to see. As a hint - put the dice to reflect the target number. So a white 2 shows it walked 5-6 squares. A black 1 would show it ran 3-4 squares. A black 3 would show it ran 7-9. Really useful when using multiple mechs. Convention is to use the 6 for mechs which do not move.
@@GuerrillaMiniatureGames As a final tweak I use a fourth colour (grey) to show a mech which didn't move at all and so has no movement modifier for firing. So a grey 6 shows a mech that took no movement, and a white 6 shows a mech that walked and moved 0-2 hexes and the same for black and red (although rarely relevant with jumping).
I place the dice behind the model after they have moved. When it comes to firing I move the dice to the front to show it has fired - but this only really matters for larger games :)
I ran a massive campaign for two friends in high school, used Advanced Squad Leader maps which fit perfectly for the carboard stand ups. So much fun (back in 1987-88).
As described by its creator the BattleTech universe is an analogy for Europe's middle ages, with the Star League being the Roman empire and the various successor states being the countries of Europe squabbling over the empire's remains with the widespread loss of art and science that wouldn't be rediscovered 'till the renaissance. In this analogy ComStar is the Catholic church.
This is correct... For the first part of the game. 3025 is around that point in time. By the time you get to the Clan Invasion (3050) the game has essentially changed to Mechs being more accessible and new Mechs being designed and produced by the Inner Sphere. So Clan Invasion era is essentially the Renaissance.
@@philippweber217 Not sure of the interview @lermer was referring to, I was going off of the forward in "Shrapnel: Tales From the Inner Sphere" an art and short story anthology from 1988
Interesting, but the dark ages were a myth. The governmental collapse of the Roman Empire didn't stop cultural advancement, even Roman laws and policies were still maintained on smaller scales by the Franks/Carolingians etc, and of course the Byzantines. Not arguing the game isn't set like that, but not the case with Europe.
I had a collie named Morgan. Old age caught up to him years ago. I got him before I was married. When I explained to my wife that the new dog needed to be named Phelan she said no one is ever going to get that. We have a great German Shepherd named Kingston. My 2nd favorite dog ever. 🤷🏻♂️
This brings back memories of the early 90's. Once with friends we did a 3 way company battle over 4 map boards. Lots of custom builds based on 3050 battle values. Still have everything in the loft including my battalion of metal mech figures.
The rules have been *amazingly* consistent across the nearly 40 years since BattleTech's inception. I'm going through the current ruleset and there is very little change.
Thanks - This is the clearest description I’ve seen that mentions the role of heat, torso rotation, weapon ranges, hit locations, and which classic style rules are in the Basic set vs the full rules
The one great thing I love is how they're more about selling the rules, and not the minis. So they're like "Oh yeah you can play with a piece of paper with "Atlas" scrawled on in crayon, we just want to give you the rules to play." Really nice to see them being more about folks having fun, than trying to sell nothing but plastic.
We played in a way that we chucked a bunch of different colored dice that would represent the hit, location hit, damage, etc., all in one roll. It would save us a lot of time.
I thought it said you roll the cluster then where each missile hits since the AGoAC has different cluster sizes for more missiles. I think the LRM20s hit in 5 missile clusters where you take the total amount of missiles and in 5 missile chunks you roll hit locations EDIT: looked into the beginner box rules and it has the same thing
@@Lermer07 correct. You divide the LRM missiles into groups of 5 when figuring out damage, with the last group probably being smaller 1-4 missiles to make up the leftovers. All 8 missiles could theoretically hit the same location, but only if you roll the hit location twice in a row. So, I'll write it all out. 1. You only roll once to see if missiles hit or miss. If they miss, your done. Only after you score a hit, then you check to see how many hit with another dice roll on the missile chart. Then divide them up into groups of 5 LRM missiles and roll multiple times to see where each location is hit by that group. So, in this example the 8 missiles would be a group of 5 that you roll a hit location. Lets pretend it hits the left arm doing 5 damage to that left arm, and then roll second hit location, and this time lets pretend its a hit to the center torso, taking 3 damage to the center torso. This is one of the reasons that BattleTech is a slow playing game. That attack I just described is not a fast process and involves 4 dice rolls just to resolve a single weapon attack, and that is just one weapon of many on a lot of mechs.
Can’t wait to get into this. My dad still has quite a few of his original lead figures except somehow his marauder is missing 😭(my favorite btw) so battletech has kinda been a part of my life just in the background until I found mechwarrior 5 on Xbox gamepass which has us both addicted, my dad due to nostalgia and me due to loving all mech things related like robotech (which was my first anime since I was a toddler 😅) gundam and now battletech
The old models were all peweter, there was an original run which has a lead content, but most of the models from the 80’s and 90’s are entirely pewter :)
Yep.. I still love the opening bass slappin' to all of your videos. Oh and your video is linked on the new Battletech Mercenaries Kickstarter! Really cool to see!
Dice color denotes your modifier. Dice number, with exception of the 6 which is no modifier, is the target movement modifier your opponent suffers. Edit: Also IIRC the movement in reverse costs 1 additional movement point per hex. (Or was it that they can only walk in reverse?) Edit2: Cluster Roll then Hit Locations per cluster of 5, or part their of, for LRMs while Clusters of 1 missile/2 damage for SRMs. This is why SRMs, and especially SRM builds of mechs, are known as crit seekers. (Splatapults, SRM Catapult, and their larger Stalker based cousins are fairly well known. I have heard them called Grinders and Sanders fairly often.)
I think I’m going to give this a shot, despite not being an experienced tabletop gamer. Battletech has intrigued me for quite some time and I’ve been enjoying the PC game quite a bit recently. Figure I’ll go back to where it all began.
Another great overview. I absolutely love that the core box and beginner box come with the sweet medium mechs based on the old Dougram, Fang of the Sun Designs. It's like being home again.
@@matthewkimber4513 I won a tournament once against 16 other people with a Locust. Mostly hiding and sniping, but at the very end I got a head kick into the final Battlemaster from an elevated position to win. The new Locust model is great. The weapon load-out finally looks like the normal stat block and not just the Crusher Joe model.
B'tech was my intro to table top battle games back in the 80's. Hard to beat the "green book" rules in my opinion. No min range on those PPC's or LRM's? No internal structure for crits? No arm arc's for weapons? (the griffin could have torso shifted to get in arc). Glad to see it's still going though.
Great review of a great product. The rules have remained amazingly consistent over the years. A player who ran a 'mech in 1986 can jump right back into the game without feeling like Catalyst has abandoned the IP or thought they could do better. Obviously, for reasons, the timeline has advanced. And because I am hidebound and stiff necked it has moved into a space far beyond what I'm interested in--so I just roll 3025-3050. The mech designs as expressed in the figure sculpts have come back to a much more loyal place to the original "unseen" designs; they are different but close enough to make even a fudd like me happy. And aside from the lack of weight in the figures, they look damn good. Getting some BattleTech running in Denver and Colorado Springs now that I am retired and have the time. Time to bring out all that ancient metal and get it back out onto the table!
The original paper maps were blank hex grid on the back side which enabled you to map your own maps which was great because after hundreds of battles on the 6 various paper maps we had....it really added to the game...... ... When you said 3d play.... I'm assuming you are referring to aerotech units used..... but don't leave out the subterranean aspects.... Nothing says SURPRISE !! when you trigger the explosive charges that collapses the concrete cover when someone's Atlas walks over the 3 level deep , reinforced armored mech trap that drops their 100 ton assualt mech completely out of the engagement...only a temporary impeachment for such a powerful behemoth...and only a few turns for it to be able to blast itself a way to climb out.... But while it's doing so....a battery of flamers/SRM/auto cannon or even possible 40 point aero tech bomb could be dropped upon it while it does..... ...
Thanks for playing Ash. I grew up playing battletech video games. I really like all the details in this game has, I do wish there was a way to simulate some of this stuff in the background with an app.
Just found you video. Great stuff. I was at my local boardgame store last year when I saw a group playing Battletech. One of the guys saw me taken interest and was kind enough to greeted me and invited me to join them. He gave me a short run down about it and asks if I'd like to try a quick scout skirmish. I said sounds cool, I'll be the Steiner Scout Lance then thanks. The guy burst out with laughter and I made new friends that day.
Glad to see some Battletech on your channel. Not familiar with the beginner rules but excluding heat and min range from the ppc makes it a bit OP. Look forward to more!
Nice intro game box for getting your friends and family into the game, been playing for 35 years now and still enjoy it. I have a ton of content on Battletech over on my channel to chech out.
All weapons always generate some amount of heat when they're fired. Energy weapons dont use ammo but the trade off is they generate more heat then their counterparts comparable to damage
Whilst Gauss does technically generate heat, the damage, weight, and crit slot to heat ratios are so skewed it may as well not - just one point of heat for this kind of weapon is frankly absurdly nothing. Of course, gauss also has it's downsides...
I got Catalyst's 25th anniversary Introductory Box set some time ago. So many more plastic miniatures of IS mechs in it, plus 2 clan mechs. Wouldn't mind getting this box set too.
Yeah makes sense, the infantry, vehicles, and especially fliers really start complicating the rules. I want to say the break point for the +6 is something like 14 hexes moved in a turn so you've got some real speed going there to hit that point
Nice video! I finally have finally got the hang of playing the game. I’m glad the beginner box cut out some more of the more complicated rules because it makes the gameplay more beginner friendly (hence the name).
@ 22:24, the LRM shot is handled backwards. You figure how many missiles hit, then cluster the damage in groups of 5 (combining any remaining into one final cluster) then roll a hit location for each cluster. So for the 9 damage, you would roll a hit location for 5 damage, and a hit location for the remaining 4 damage. Same with the second missile strike. Very well done video, though! I was just watching to confirm my understanding of the rules, haven't actually played yet xD
Great stuff! I looked at the beginner box but bought the full box instead - it's just over twice the price but with 8 minis and the Alphastrike rules included I convinced myself I was gettig a bargain!
There's actually a set of the cut-down record sheets coming with wave 2 of the Kickstarter. I didn't bother getting them because I tend to teach the game with the full rules but keep the options low, and won't use them in my own games. But I like that they did it as an option. They also offered some full colour full-size record sheets in the Kickstarter too...
@@rburt3 I'm pretty sure it's both, but I could be wrong. They definitely did half-size sheets for all of wave 1 and I'm pretty sure they're doing the same for wave 2, plus full-size deluxe sheets for Wave 1 and 2.
@@lorcannagle could be. I only remember the full size sheets from one of the recent KS updates. There's so much stuff in the KS these days, its hard to keep track.
Great video. I do prefer alpha strike but honestly any battletech content is great, and it’s good to show the classic system and the detail that it can get into.
for the movement dice, color denotes what kind of movement the attacker did (walk, run, or jump) and the number you display should be the target number modifier for how far they moved (so what someone would have to add to their target number when targeting that mech). so if a mech walks 5 hexes they get a white die with a 2 showing to note that they have +1 to hit# for walking and anyone targeting them gets +2 to hit# for shooting a moving target. edit: forgot to mention if they didn't move far enough to generate any penalty then you would have the die showing 6 to represent +0
Not in the beginner rules that come in this box. Same with Structure and Systems. That will get introduced in the next game using the full Game of Armoured Combat rules!
Pretty sure i have acopy of teh old mechwarrior/battletech game somewhere. I bought load sof games way back and never really tried any of them. I used to have a copy of crimson skies but never had anyone to play it with.
You get a unique Mech model in here (Griffin) and it’s a good taste of the game for $20. Also having the two mats that go together will mean you can play a larger game and have extra terrain templates and stuff too. If you’ve got the extra $20 this box is definitely worth it.
Given that I have found the Griffin and Wolverine to be a bit of a mismatch (especially in the starter rules), I would suggest going for the full "A Game of Armored Combat" Box if you have the starter already or have a good grasp on the rules. I've seen it as low as 40.00 US dollars and as high as 60, so either way, it is a better deal if just looking at mechs for longer games as you get 8 models and several popout standees (though you do not get a Griffin model, just a standee). I believe you can also get the quickstart rules off of the site as a free pdf as well if you want to start with larger games but simpler rules. One last thing is that you can use standees to proxy for full miniatures (this is considered very common for beginners in Battletech and is far from frowned upon) so if you are comfortable with just those, you can have a larger battle with even the 1 Starter box even if you do not have the full rules. There 2 duplicates of 4 mechs as standees along with 2 models in the Starter box for a total of 10 mechs with 4 being unique.
When you walk backwards off level 1 to level 0, isn't that 1movement point +1 more movement point? Someone help me, i'm just starting and watching these tutorials to learn how to play
They're the same franchise. Mech pilots in "Battletech" are referred to as "Mechwarriorrs," which is the name that they decided to run with for the successful PC series as well as several of the RPG supplements.
@@RPGojira23 Thanks... I meant more in the sense that Ash has been showing off... Mechwarrior games with similar models but... different rules he has been playing with Owen. Its more of is this the same game with different rules or what exactly?
@@horhevamp8890 Oh, I see! My mistake...yes, they are two different rules systems utilizing the same models and general design philosophies. Ash's battle reports up until now have been utilizing the "Alpha Strike" ruleset, which was specifically designed to be an easy, wargamer-friendly system featuring fairly standard movement rules. The system he's using in this video is the original "Battletech" ruleset, sometimes called "Classic Battletech," that involves a lot more paperwork and is really more of a hybrid role-playing skirmish board game. This system can get pretty darn complicated, so he's using a stripped-down beginner's version of the rules, with a more thorough play-through of the full Battletech game coming in an upcoming video. Hope that helps!
@@RPGojira23 yep got it. I had actually watched the other mechwarrior ones and while I liked it (cause Ash and Owen are a dream team and their content is awesome) I felt it lacked the granularity you need for Battletech... The exact things we see in this video basically... location hits, different weapons doing different damage etc... it makes the mechs have a character (brawler, spiner, scout etc.) vs just being a single model with hit points and basic attacks. Yes its more complex but you get 'less' models anyway. This is closer to a 'Adeptus Titanicus' experience where you have 6-7 models each side so you can afford to go grannular.
Basically there's a whole mess of rulesets to play in the BattleTech universe at different scales and levels of complexity. For Roleplaying there's A Time of War (complex) and MechWarrior Destiny (simple) For games where a playing piece represents a single mech or vehicle you've got BattleTech (complex) or Alpha Strike (simple, what Ash and Owen have been playing) Then for larger scale games there's BattleForce (same core rules as Alpha Strike, playing pieces represent 4-6 mechs or vehicles) Strategic Battleforce (playing pieces represent 12 or more mechs or vehicles) Abstract Combat System (playing pieces represent dozens of fighting units, scope can go between a continent and a solar system) Inner Sphere At War (playing pieces represent regiments of troops, you play on a map of the Inner Sphere)
I've been thinking about getting into Battletech for a little while now and with GW fucking my community in the ass these days I think it's the perfect reason to shop around a little. I'm interested in getting into the hobby and this box seems like a good start but it seems a bit oversimplified for my taste. Are there any other good recommendations to start at on low budget?
Eject wolverine, eject! Umm, is ejecting a thing in the full tabletop game? Most of my experience is in the video games where I desperately yell at my lancemate in a catapult that got cornered lol.
Don´t you need to throw the location of every missile hit from the shot ( so since 8 missiles hit, throw 8 times the location and insert 1dmg, or maybe it was in clusters and each cluster that hit was an x amount of dmg depending on the size of the missile launcher)? also when the red one moved out of the arc doesn´t the other one get a shot with his right arm since it can go past the side? wasn´t changing levels one extra movement unless you jumped? It´s been a while since I played, so I could be wrong. EDIT: Might be in the full rules and not in the beginner box =p
I believe it counts for to hit modifiers when shooting at the mech, but the mech in the woods does not count that hex when it shoots out of the forest. It also does not count for line of sight in either direction.
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There are no more dedicated games than the Battletech gamers, who can quote the details of any mech in the game on request. Or give the history of the Battletech universe for that matter. I have a brother !
Haha no kidding. I can’t remember where I ate last weekend without asking my wife but if you want to know what the load out is on an Archer from 30 years ago I got you.
And they all tend to be way more chill than a lot of other gamers it feels like. Might just be my personal experience in it, but when the two games I played most were BT and 40k, and all I remember from the BT ones were memes, shouting the word BatChall at each other till we fell over laughing, and basically just having a good time, vs. literally being unable to play on the table because the other person kept critiquing my painting skill in 40k, well.
@@KillerOrca Are Battletech gamers older, more mature ?
@@Kili121416 The ones around my local gaming stores table are, but that may be due to store location more than anything. Most of the younger gamers end up doing Magic
Fun fact about those novellas in the first two boxes. They're written by the same person that wrote the original Grey Death Legion trilogy and the main character is Grayson Carlyle's dad. The final short story is in the new Mechwarrior: Destiny RPG book.
That's good to know! Now I won't waste my time reading them, as the Grey Death Legion books were horribly written.
Ah BattleTech, my first wargame. As a broke kid in the 80's got a lot of mileage out of standees and the core box.
90s kid here, but same experience
Same my favorite was 646 with 6 medium pulse lasers even won a tournament with it
Same 80's story. I played the heck out of those paper stand-ins. Eventually, I built my first ever giant terrain board with hobby terrain and upgraded to the real miniatures. Loved it.
Standees and Legos.
@@nathanblades3395 Chad man
I designed a Firefly light Mech with many of the optional equipment found in the Master Rule Book (I still have the sheet). It was so fast that it could get close to an enemy, shoot, then run and hide in the trees, being almost impossible to hit. My friends (game enemies) hated it, LOL!
Comstar is space AT&T.
When you only have one choice in interstellar communication, choose Comstar!
Pay your bill... or else!
Why don't you just switch to Locust. It's prepaid
Excellent video. Some things worth pointing out. When you put down the movement dice, you use the colour to indicate the movement mode (which will give the modification for your to hit roll) but you use the pips to show the movement modifier for you enemy to hit you (which depends on the movement distance). That is, if I walk 5 hexes I would put down a white dice showing 2 pips. Also: LRMs hit in groups of 5, roll for hit location separately for each group. Looking forward to the next one!
I was going to say the same thing about movement dice. Its perhaps not clear in the rules at first, but the movement modifiers are different between attacker and target, as well as when the reverse/return shots are made.
For example, a slow mech like the huge Atlas can only walk 3, or run 5 hexes. If the Atlas wants to do flip around and make a 180 degree turn (3 hex sides, aka 3 movement points of the 5) and move forward 2, that is all 5 movement points. The Atlas is going to run, making him shoot with a +2 penalty for having to use running speed. However, anybody who wants to shoot at the Atlas is going to have an easy time of it, because its only moved 2 hexes, which doesn't even have a penalty to hit.
@@weirdguy564I had to read that Atlas example twice to understand lol, great info
Great to see. As a hint - put the dice to reflect the target number. So a white 2 shows it walked 5-6 squares. A black 1 would show it ran 3-4 squares. A black 3 would show it ran 7-9. Really useful when using multiple mechs. Convention is to use the 6 for mechs which do not move.
Also you group LRMs into clusters of 5, and SRMs roll hit location per missile hit - although not sure this in the beginner rules.
Not in the beginner rules, in the full rules yes! :)
That’s a great tip about the mod dice though!
@@GuerrillaMiniatureGames As a final tweak I use a fourth colour (grey) to show a mech which didn't move at all and so has no movement modifier for firing. So a grey 6 shows a mech that took no movement, and a white 6 shows a mech that walked and moved 0-2 hexes and the same for black and red (although rarely relevant with jumping).
I place the dice behind the model after they have moved. When it comes to firing I move the dice to the front to show it has fired - but this only really matters for larger games :)
Good to see Battletech making a comeback. I used to play this and Renegade Legion Interceptor back in the day. Glad to see one of them survived.
I ran a massive campaign for two friends in high school, used Advanced Squad Leader maps which fit perfectly for the carboard stand ups. So much fun (back in 1987-88).
Fun times in 90s I start.when they grow up they start different and hard find player's
As described by its creator the BattleTech universe is an analogy for Europe's middle ages, with the Star League being the Roman empire and the various successor states being the countries of Europe squabbling over the empire's remains with the widespread loss of art and science that wouldn't be rediscovered 'till the renaissance. In this analogy ComStar is the Catholic church.
Was just reading this interview this morning 🤘
@@Lermer07 hi guys, where can I find the interview that you mentioned? Sounds interesting!
This is correct... For the first part of the game. 3025 is around that point in time. By the time you get to the Clan Invasion (3050) the game has essentially changed to Mechs being more accessible and new Mechs being designed and produced by the Inner Sphere. So Clan Invasion era is essentially the Renaissance.
@@philippweber217 Not sure of the interview @lermer was referring to, I was going off of the forward in "Shrapnel: Tales From the Inner Sphere" an art and short story anthology from 1988
Interesting, but the dark ages were a myth. The governmental collapse of the Roman Empire didn't stop cultural advancement, even Roman laws and policies were still maintained on smaller scales by the Franks/Carolingians etc, and of course the Byzantines.
Not arguing the game isn't set like that, but not the case with Europe.
I had a collie named Morgan. Old age caught up to him years ago. I got him before I was married. When I explained to my wife that the new dog needed to be named Phelan she said no one is ever going to get that. We have a great German Shepherd named Kingston. My 2nd favorite dog ever. 🤷🏻♂️
Well I get it.
This brings back memories of the early 90's. Once with friends we did a 3 way company battle over 4 map boards. Lots of custom builds based on 3050 battle values.
Still have everything in the loft including my battalion of metal mech figures.
This is like having a long lost friend come back in your life and they're still as awesome as you remember
What a great and apt sentiment.
The rules have been *amazingly* consistent across the nearly 40 years since BattleTech's inception. I'm going through the current ruleset and there is very little change.
Thanks - This is the clearest description I’ve seen that mentions the role of heat, torso rotation, weapon ranges, hit locations, and which classic style rules are in the Basic set vs the full rules
The one great thing I love is how they're more about selling the rules, and not the minis. So they're like "Oh yeah you can play with a piece of paper with "Atlas" scrawled on in crayon, we just want to give you the rules to play." Really nice to see them being more about folks having fun, than trying to sell nothing but plastic.
Such a great introductory box...really looking forward to the full "Game of Armored Combat" let's play!
Been playing this since my college days of the mid-80s. Still my favorite tabletop game of all time.
We played in a way that we chucked a bunch of different colored dice that would represent the hit, location hit, damage, etc., all in one roll. It would save us a lot of time.
Standees in the ‘80’s was the only way to go. It wasn’t until 2000 that I found out that the game had metal miniatures!
I thought it said you roll the cluster then where each missile hits since the AGoAC has different cluster sizes for more missiles. I think the LRM20s hit in 5 missile clusters where you take the total amount of missiles and in 5 missile chunks you roll hit locations
EDIT: looked into the beginner box rules and it has the same thing
So since he landed on 9 (8 missiles), he would then roll to see where the first 5 hit, then again the see where the final 3 hit?
@@Lermer07 if I understand the rules correctly, yes
@@Lermer07 correct. You divide the LRM missiles into groups of 5 when figuring out damage, with the last group probably being smaller 1-4 missiles to make up the leftovers. All 8 missiles could theoretically hit the same location, but only if you roll the hit location twice in a row.
So, I'll write it all out. 1. You only roll once to see if missiles hit or miss. If they miss, your done. Only after you score a hit, then you check to see how many hit with another dice roll on the missile chart. Then divide them up into groups of 5 LRM missiles and roll multiple times to see where each location is hit by that group. So, in this example the 8 missiles would be a group of 5 that you roll a hit location. Lets pretend it hits the left arm doing 5 damage to that left arm, and then roll second hit location, and this time lets pretend its a hit to the center torso, taking 3 damage to the center torso.
This is one of the reasons that BattleTech is a slow playing game. That attack I just described is not a fast process and involves 4 dice rolls just to resolve a single weapon attack, and that is just one weapon of many on a lot of mechs.
Can’t wait to get into this. My dad still has quite a few of his original lead figures except somehow his marauder is missing 😭(my favorite btw) so battletech has kinda been a part of my life just in the background until I found mechwarrior 5 on Xbox gamepass which has us both addicted, my dad due to nostalgia and me due to loving all mech things related like robotech (which was my first anime since I was a toddler 😅) gundam and now battletech
Battletech and robotech my step father got me into and d&d
The old models were all peweter, there was an original run which has a lead content, but most of the models from the 80’s and 90’s are entirely pewter :)
Yep.. I still love the opening bass slappin' to all of your videos. Oh and your video is linked on the new Battletech Mercenaries Kickstarter! Really cool to see!
Love it. If I hadn't already been playing Battletech for the past 30 years this video would have me buying this set today and start playing!
Excellent. So much deeper than Alpha Strike, even with the basic starter rules. I hope Owen will join you for a Game of Armored Combat.
Dice color denotes your modifier. Dice number, with exception of the 6 which is no modifier, is the target movement modifier your opponent suffers.
Edit: Also IIRC the movement in reverse costs 1 additional movement point per hex. (Or was it that they can only walk in reverse?)
Edit2: Cluster Roll then Hit Locations per cluster of 5, or part their of, for LRMs while Clusters of 1 missile/2 damage for SRMs. This is why SRMs, and especially SRM builds of mechs, are known as crit seekers. (Splatapults, SRM Catapult, and their larger Stalker based cousins are fairly well known. I have heard them called Grinders and Sanders fairly often.)
Can only walk in reverse
I think I’m going to give this a shot, despite not being an experienced tabletop gamer. Battletech has intrigued me for quite some time and I’ve been enjoying the PC game quite a bit recently. Figure I’ll go back to where it all began.
Another great overview. I absolutely love that the core box and beginner box come with the sweet medium mechs based on the old Dougram, Fang of the Sun Designs. It's like being home again.
I want a Locust, always my favourite. Love shooting people in the back!
@@matthewkimber4513 I won a tournament once against 16 other people with a Locust. Mostly hiding and sniping, but at the very end I got a head kick into the final Battlemaster from an elevated position to win.
The new Locust model is great. The weapon load-out finally looks like the normal stat block and not just the Crusher Joe model.
B'tech was my intro to table top battle games back in the 80's. Hard to beat the "green book" rules in my opinion. No min range on those PPC's or LRM's? No internal structure for crits? No arm arc's for weapons? (the griffin could have torso shifted to get in arc). Glad to see it's still going though.
Well, these are the stripped down rules from the beginner box. The "A Game of Armored Combat" box has the rules you remember.
Great review of a great product.
The rules have remained amazingly consistent over the years. A player who ran a 'mech in 1986 can jump right back into the game without feeling like Catalyst has abandoned the IP or thought they could do better. Obviously, for reasons, the timeline has advanced. And because I am hidebound and stiff necked it has moved into a space far beyond what I'm interested in--so I just roll 3025-3050.
The mech designs as expressed in the figure sculpts have come back to a much more loyal place to the original "unseen" designs; they are different but close enough to make even a fudd like me happy. And aside from the lack of weight in the figures, they look damn good.
Getting some BattleTech running in Denver and Colorado Springs now that I am retired and have the time. Time to bring out all that ancient metal and get it back out onto the table!
The original paper maps were blank hex grid on the back side which enabled you to map your own maps which was great because after hundreds of battles on the 6 various paper maps we had....it really added to the game......
...
When you said 3d play.... I'm assuming you are referring to aerotech units used..... but don't leave out the subterranean aspects....
Nothing says SURPRISE !! when you trigger the explosive charges that collapses the concrete cover when someone's Atlas walks over the 3 level deep , reinforced armored mech trap that drops their 100 ton assualt mech completely out of the engagement...only a temporary impeachment for such a powerful behemoth...and only a few turns for it to be able to blast itself a way to climb out.... But while it's doing so....a battery of flamers/SRM/auto cannon or even possible 40 point aero tech bomb could be dropped upon it while it does..... ...
Great introduction Ash - keep up the awesome Battletech content please!
Happy you did this video! I'm trying to get some buds into this game and this'll be an easy way to not make it so intimidating.
Thanks for playing Ash. I grew up playing battletech video games. I really like all the details in this game has, I do wish there was a way to simulate some of this stuff in the background with an app.
Check out Flechs Sheets (sheets.flechs.net). It's basically automated record sheets for battlemechs.
@@rburt3 Thanks a lot. This is a very cool tool.
Just found you video. Great stuff.
I was at my local boardgame store last year when I saw a group playing Battletech. One of the guys saw me taken interest and was kind enough to greeted me and invited me to join them. He gave me a short run down about it and asks if I'd like to try a quick scout skirmish. I said sounds cool, I'll be the Steiner Scout Lance then thanks.
The guy burst out with laughter and I made new friends that day.
im gonna have to run some grinders when all the minis from the kickstarter come in. maybe some arena fights
My first tabletop love from 1984 and I still love it today (minus the dark days of clickies)
Glad to see some Battletech on your channel. Not familiar with the beginner rules but excluding heat and min range from the ppc makes it a bit OP. Look forward to more!
I played Battletech when it came out and I stopped by here to see how the newest version plays. You always do great videos.
Nice intro game box for getting your friends and family into the game, been playing for 35 years now and still enjoy it. I have a ton of content on Battletech over on my channel to chech out.
All weapons always generate some amount of heat when they're fired. Energy weapons dont use ammo but the trade off is they generate more heat then their counterparts comparable to damage
Whilst Gauss does technically generate heat, the damage, weight, and crit slot to heat ratios are so skewed it may as well not - just one point of heat for this kind of weapon is frankly absurdly nothing.
Of course, gauss also has it's downsides...
You had me a Gray Death Legion.
*Violently sits down.
"Left arm blown of, that bleeds into the right side of the torso" .... I'm not sure but isn't the left arm on the left side of the torso? ;)
Yeah... as with most idiots it’s usually easier to watch what I do rather than what I say... 😂😂😂
I got Catalyst's 25th anniversary Introductory Box set some time ago. So many more plastic miniatures of IS mechs in it, plus 2 clan mechs. Wouldn't mind getting this box set too.
I have this box, was too much of a good deal and i always wanted to try battletech.
Think the highest modifier is a 5. When I play at gencon. We use the 6 to represent no modifiers. Make things easier with multiple mecs.
You can get to 6 for movement modifiers but it requires really fast stuff, usually aerospace fighters.
@@HibikoDaishi never played with them before. Makes sense though.
Yeah makes sense, the infantry, vehicles, and especially fliers really start complicating the rules. I want to say the break point for the +6 is something like 14 hexes moved in a turn so you've got some real speed going there to hit that point
Nice video! I finally have finally got the hang of playing the game. I’m glad the beginner box cut out some more of the more complicated rules because it makes the gameplay more beginner friendly (hence the name).
Love it! I'll have to get the Beginners Box to teach my 5 year old.
A massive coincidence, I got this myself yesterday and played against myself 😂 Griffin won when it immobilised the wolverine then got behind it
@ 22:24, the LRM shot is handled backwards. You figure how many missiles hit, then cluster the damage in groups of 5 (combining any remaining into one final cluster) then roll a hit location for each cluster. So for the 9 damage, you would roll a hit location for 5 damage, and a hit location for the remaining 4 damage. Same with the second missile strike. Very well done video, though! I was just watching to confirm my understanding of the rules, haven't actually played yet xD
Great stuff! I looked at the beginner box but bought the full box instead - it's just over twice the price but with 8 minis and the Alphastrike rules included I convinced myself I was gettig a bargain!
IMO it's still worth getting both for the extra maps and that sweet sweet Griffin.
Thank you battletech for converting me in a huge mech fan!!!
It's way funner and cheaper than 40K.
I still have 4 over under fishing tackle boxes full, like 200 or so teaching my son how to play been fun grt vid grt memories
There's actually a set of the cut-down record sheets coming with wave 2 of the Kickstarter. I didn't bother getting them because I tend to teach the game with the full rules but keep the options low, and won't use them in my own games. But I like that they did it as an option. They also offered some full colour full-size record sheets in the Kickstarter too...
I'm pretty sure the set of "deluxe" sheets coming with wave 2 are full record sheets.
@@rburt3 I'm pretty sure it's both, but I could be wrong. They definitely did half-size sheets for all of wave 1 and I'm pretty sure they're doing the same for wave 2, plus full-size deluxe sheets for Wave 1 and 2.
@@lorcannagle could be. I only remember the full size sheets from one of the recent KS updates. There's so much stuff in the KS these days, its hard to keep track.
@@rburt3 Yeah, and we can't go back and check the pledge manager to see things you didn't buy now. Oh well.
I love that you're doing Battletech videos now. One question though, how do you do your trees?
Woodland Scenics Armatures with clump foliage on hex bases!
@@GuerrillaMiniatureGames brilliant, thanks
loved the game. Next one with special pilot abilites please!
it costs to go up and down hills. lrms are in clusters of 5.
I've been reading a lot of the books recently because I've been on a mecha bend, so while I don't think I'd ever play the actual game it sure is cool
I was hoping to see some non-alpha strike Battletech gameplay.
Great video. I do prefer alpha strike but honestly any battletech content is great, and it’s good to show the classic system and the detail that it can get into.
battletech + planetary anniliation + supreme commander
for the movement dice, color denotes what kind of movement the attacker did (walk, run, or jump) and the number you display should be the target number modifier for how far they moved (so what someone would have to add to their target number when targeting that mech). so if a mech walks 5 hexes they get a white die with a 2 showing to note that they have +1 to hit# for walking and anyone targeting them gets +2 to hit# for shooting a moving target.
edit: forgot to mention if they didn't move far enough to generate any penalty then you would have the die showing 6 to represent +0
This kind of reminds of hero scape. That was my only board game experience.
No game does modifiers better than BattleTech. It turns an otherwise luck-based game into a strategy game.
Nice content for $20
Battletech meets jumanji
Havent played in 20 years but isnt there a reaction phase where the mechs can twist their torso to aim better?
Not in the beginner rules that come in this box. Same with Structure and Systems. That will get introduced in the next game using the full Game of Armoured Combat rules!
Be aware, penalties to be shot at are dependent upon how far you move, but you probably realized that eventually anyway.
Pretty sure i have acopy of teh old mechwarrior/battletech game somewhere. I bought load sof games way back and never really tried any of them. I used to have a copy of crimson skies but never had anyone to play it with.
would you recommend buying 2 starter boxes to play a somewhat longer game or just go for the bix box then ?
You get a unique Mech model in here (Griffin) and it’s a good taste of the game for $20. Also having the two mats that go together will mean you can play a larger game and have extra terrain templates and stuff too. If you’ve got the extra $20 this box is definitely worth it.
Given that I have found the Griffin and Wolverine to be a bit of a mismatch (especially in the starter rules), I would suggest going for the full "A Game of Armored Combat" Box if you have the starter already or have a good grasp on the rules. I've seen it as low as 40.00 US dollars and as high as 60, so either way, it is a better deal if just looking at mechs for longer games as you get 8 models and several popout standees (though you do not get a Griffin model, just a standee). I believe you can also get the quickstart rules off of the site as a free pdf as well if you want to start with larger games but simpler rules.
One last thing is that you can use standees to proxy for full miniatures (this is considered very common for beginners in Battletech and is far from frowned upon) so if you are comfortable with just those, you can have a larger battle with even the 1 Starter box even if you do not have the full rules. There 2 duplicates of 4 mechs as standees along with 2 models in the Starter box for a total of 10 mechs with 4 being unique.
If you can swing it, get both for the Griffin and the extra maps.
And those of us who moved to the Battletech muds for text based onlinE BT
I still love Tex of Tex Talks Battletechs explanation of ComStar the best, Space AT&T.
its cool, but is it gamma wolves cool? ;)
Wolverines always prove to be surprisingly tanky in hbs bt
Bugger me, why have I never seen this before? Just my kind of thing.
More battletech please :D
Always great videos!!!
I use OGRE minis and maps/template stuff for battletech. Its not 1:1 perfect, but its close enough.
Check your Friendly Local Game Stores for it. Keep money in the local shops and maybe even find other players. Great game and lots of fun.
Big box of unseen mech that need dusting off
When you walk backwards off level 1 to level 0, isn't that 1movement point +1 more movement point? Someone help me, i'm just starting and watching these tutorials to learn how to play
We just got the game too. Such a flashback to years back. Where did you get the neoprene map?
I got mine from Meeplemart !
LRMs hit in clusters of 5
You should have rolled once a 5 Points then wrote another hit location for the other 3 points of damage
How do you feel this is different from Mech-Warrior? Cause essentially there is a lot of the same concept (Giant robots that you 'customise' etc.)?
They're the same franchise. Mech pilots in "Battletech" are referred to as "Mechwarriorrs," which is the name that they decided to run with for the successful PC series as well as several of the RPG supplements.
@@RPGojira23 Thanks... I meant more in the sense that Ash has been showing off... Mechwarrior games with similar models but... different rules he has been playing with Owen. Its more of is this the same game with different rules or what exactly?
@@horhevamp8890 Oh, I see! My mistake...yes, they are two different rules systems utilizing the same models and general design philosophies. Ash's battle reports up until now have been utilizing the "Alpha Strike" ruleset, which was specifically designed to be an easy, wargamer-friendly system featuring fairly standard movement rules. The system he's using in this video is the original "Battletech" ruleset, sometimes called "Classic Battletech," that involves a lot more paperwork and is really more of a hybrid role-playing skirmish board game. This system can get pretty darn complicated, so he's using a stripped-down beginner's version of the rules, with a more thorough play-through of the full Battletech game coming in an upcoming video. Hope that helps!
@@RPGojira23 yep got it. I had actually watched the other mechwarrior ones and while I liked it (cause Ash and Owen are a dream team and their content is awesome) I felt it lacked the granularity you need for Battletech...
The exact things we see in this video basically... location hits, different weapons doing different damage etc... it makes the mechs have a character (brawler, spiner, scout etc.) vs just being a single model with hit points and basic attacks.
Yes its more complex but you get 'less' models anyway. This is closer to a 'Adeptus Titanicus' experience where you have 6-7 models each side so you can afford to go grannular.
Basically there's a whole mess of rulesets to play in the BattleTech universe at different scales and levels of complexity.
For Roleplaying there's A Time of War (complex) and MechWarrior Destiny (simple)
For games where a playing piece represents a single mech or vehicle you've got BattleTech (complex) or Alpha Strike (simple, what Ash and Owen have been playing)
Then for larger scale games there's
BattleForce (same core rules as Alpha Strike, playing pieces represent 4-6 mechs or vehicles)
Strategic Battleforce (playing pieces represent 12 or more mechs or vehicles)
Abstract Combat System (playing pieces represent dozens of fighting units, scope can go between a continent and a solar system)
Inner Sphere At War (playing pieces represent regiments of troops, you play on a map of the Inner Sphere)
So cool!
I've been thinking about getting into Battletech for a little while now and with GW fucking my community in the ass these days I think it's the perfect reason to shop around a little.
I'm interested in getting into the hobby and this box seems like a good start but it seems a bit oversimplified for my taste. Are there any other good recommendations to start at on low budget?
Wow, more of this. Is it still around??
Oh yeah. And they just released a kickstarter so loads of models will be coming to their store soon.
@@hedleybrowning5448 all the way over in Japan so... no access here unforutnately
The Catalyst Labs doesn't sell this anymore.
I been playing battletech since the 1980s and it was originally called battledroids but had to change the name
Dont think my beginner box came with the alpha strike cards.
when did they change the dice count on rang??? short is 4 med.. is 6 and long range is a 8 added to the die roll
Battletech is coming back ....... yay move over games workshop , you're not the only "universe" with background
So, you got a set of alpha strike cards in your beginner bos set?
I got cards for the two Mechs I believe yes!
Eject wolverine, eject!
Umm, is ejecting a thing in the full tabletop game? Most of my experience is in the video games where I desperately yell at my lancemate in a catapult that got cornered lol.
Don´t you need to throw the location of every missile hit from the shot ( so since 8 missiles hit, throw 8 times the location and insert 1dmg, or maybe it was in clusters and each cluster that hit was an x amount of dmg depending on the size of the missile launcher)? also when the red one moved out of the arc doesn´t the other one get a shot with his right arm since it can go past the side? wasn´t changing levels one extra movement unless you jumped? It´s been a while since I played, so I could be wrong.
EDIT: Might be in the full rules and not in the beginner box =p
No Death to the False Emperor rerolls? Wat?
You did great with this video.
If a target mech is standing in woods (light or heavy) does that hex count as an intervening hex of woods?
I believe it counts for to hit modifiers when shooting at the mech, but the mech in the woods does not count that hex when it shoots out of the forest. It also does not count for line of sight in either direction.
How does this compare to WH40K Adeptus Titannicus?
so for the ammo under shots if it says you have 15 shots for missiles is that per missile or per salvo of missiles?
Per salvo!
Lol 24 38 no stop stop he's already dead.
Can anyone tell me where I can get the beginners box? It's not on the company website?