I haven't played since the early 90s - good memories - and just happened to see the new box set at the bookstore yesterday. After watching this review, I am enthusiastic about picking up the box and re-upping in one of the clans!
This sorted me out!!! AMAZING video explaining everything that I needed to get started in this. I really appreciate what you did here. Thanks a ton. Cheers, Ryan
Great overview of everything. I never thought someone could address the full history succinctly in 18 minutes! Well done. Been playing since the late 80s, still love it (and it’s various franchises). Being part of the Kickstarter was such a blast. I’m really loving the reboot of the game. Btech has never looked and felt better. Also it’s always nice to see another of the Draconis Combine! ;)
Thank-you! Although I did skip or gloss over a fair bit - the MechWarrior miniatures, the CCG, the combat books, a lot of the video game side... But - a fair summary of the main game line, I feel. The KS was a blast. I can't wait for Wave 2 (although Wave 1 has added to my painting queue). Love the art on the new mapsheets. And yes - always good to meet a fellow Kuritan. Dõmo arigatõ!
I've been into Battletech since 1988. The first thing I ever saw was the "Tales of the Black Widow Company" book. I still have some old FASA books, my Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook and my Atlas of the 4th Succession War Vol. 1 & 2 are particularly treasured. I still collect, especially the miniatures. I have a full company of Wolf's Dragoons Zeta Battalion, another full company of the Jihad-era Black Widows, and I'm working up a DCMS Mech company, trying to decide if I want Sword of Light or perhaps Ryuken-Ni. For me, beyond how cool it is to play with big stompy mecha, I love how the universe feels like a history, the splatbooks read like history books. I also have always loved just how many important female characters are found in the materials, as heroes, villains, soldiers, and royalty. Wargames, novels, toys, a cartoon on TV, video and computer games, it's quite a franchise.
It is one of those incredibly put together background settings that is so woefully overlooked. It's why we keep clammering "when's the movie coming?!?" (And good choice with the DCMS - it's a shame you also chose those lesser others ;))
@@WillyMuffinUK I've been a Goon since Day One, but I also love the DCMS, and they are natural foils. I do Clan Wolf, too. I think a streaming high-budget TV series would be amazing for Battletech. Imagine the season cliffhanger when it's revealed that Wolf's Dragoons are from the Clans.
Ian - I just got a new set from Catalyst, Battletech Counters Pack - Battleforce. It's got several sheets of nice pressboard counters of "Mech lances and other units, objective markers, and 2 maps for the strategic game. It reminds me a little of the map illustrations from "Atlas of the 4th Succession War". Anyway, you may already have things more suited in your collection, but I thought I'd mention it. If nothing else, I can see using the set just to "set the stage" for games of Alpha Strike and BT.
They have (had? Not looked for a while!) those counters as a free download - although the ones in the pack are better quality than the print-and-laminate ones I use! Thank-you - will check them out :)
an excellent overview of the games history. whether intentional or not, you left out a few things. the miniatures; 21st century imports Ral Partha iron wind currently CGL the addition of unit points system for tournament play; combat value (cv) battle value (bv/bv2) the TCG by WotC. hero clix by wizkids and the controversy of Jihad / dark age. the IP has truly withstood the test of time. it is about to enter its 40th year. simply amazing! it's strength and weakness is the standard game rules. in it's 5th release (not version), the core mechanic, turn sequence and terrain rules, are virtually identical to the initial Battledroids from 1984. only a few clarifications, nothing nerfed, restricted, banned or removed. that said, many believe the game is 'too crunchy' with too much detail. thus, a typical match can take considerable time. especially if you include the variety of units available. overall, I've been playing since Battledroids was first produced. I prefer standard battletech to any other scale of play. I've incorporated plenty of house rules to improve play as well as add detail. battletech is a war game of epic scale!
By intention. Mini makers, for me, are secondary to the game. They come and go - and here in the UK, its pretty much always been Ral Partha (and still is), plus whatever plastic FASA/FanPro/Catalyst shoved out.
Points systems are forever flawed, in all wargaming, in my opinion. For me, they detract from the immersion of subject. I mean, can you imagine Montgomery and Rommel setting their desert forces against each other by points? That being said, not using points does mean you need to pick opponents wisely. Someone that turns up with the unrealistic (yeah yeah, Mechs being totally realistic... bear with me on that) supposedly Inner Sphere company comprising 12 Daishis is not someone I'd welcome.
I do not care about TCGs. Well, one I did care about for a short while. Anyway, they are very much in the camp of not understanding their appeal, so not really much to say about them other than "they're a thing".
HeroClix - different game. Not bothered about it, and "collectible minis games" fall pretty much under the same banner as TCGs for me. Although, sure, I could have spent 30 seconds mentioning the messy connections in the lore. However, the lore of the setting is something I want to keep for another video.
I think that covers your points 🙂 I prefer standard BattleTech, too - highly flexible, eminently scalable, and, as you say, a testament to its strength lies in its longevity without requiring any major overhauls between editions. (And I say "editions" rather than "releases", because that's what FASA chose to print on the boxes...)
Closest to Heir to the Dragon would be Brush Wars and War of 3039. As for I Am Jade Falcon, The Falcon and The Wolf is probably the nearest. Nothing I can recall in game source/scenarios correlates to the Caballeros.
The copyright mess happened like this. Studio Nue (Japan) made mechas for Big West (Japan) to create Macross show. Big West gave distribution rights to Tatsunoko productions. Tatsunoko sold "all rights" to Harmony Gold, so they thought they were absolute owners of Macross, but theye did not. It became apparent when Big West sued Tatsunoko. Twentieth Century Imports licensed toys from Studio Nue and Fasa sublicensed them. So in the end neither FASA nor Harmony Gold had the rights over the mecha designs.
@@josepablolunasanchez1283 We will see how things pan out. We're in a new era, I think, with BattleTech able to use the Macross et al designs. Not quite sure what HG are going to do with RoboTech.
@@WillyMuffinUK Now Battletech is becoming the big guy in town. Robotech and other mecha anime were displaced by digital popstars in Japan, and aside for old timers, mecha anime nostalgia, does not mean anything now. Some Robotech fans in Latin America started the "project valkerie" but they were shut down by Harmony Gold when they had 2 of 3 videos finished. So at some point people may say "hey, look, Battletech mechs in a Robotech cartoon"
@Jose Pablo Luna Sanchez to my understanding, Harmony Gold came to terms with the other parties. they have a new agreement for the Robotech distribution and the full Macross story. I saw the information on this about Aug/Sep 2022. someone released a really good vid describing the full history and the current situation. hopefully we will get something in near future.
I loved this review, I've been a player since the Clan Era/Mechwarrior 2 video game time. As for your review part, if you loved Battleforce 1 scale more than the second (or even the current) then you might want to play more scenarios with Strategic Battleforce in mind. That scale is more comparable to BF1 as far as I can tell. I'm actually working on seeing how compatible the BF1 scenarios that were published in the 4th Succession War books would work with it. I do agree about Inner Sphere at War. Though it is a VAST improvement to the older Inner Sphere in Flames from Combat Ops, it doesn't have the holding power of Succession Wars the boxed game. I feel it's a victim of the "zoom levels" of complexity that Catalyst is pushing through. They really do want you to have those options to play from House Lord to foot soldier and all the in between points. As such, Interstellar Operations framework for the "empire scale" gaming has a lot of paperwork. Succession Wars as a boxed game alone was great, but then it would basically divorce itself from the "sliding zoom scale" of the game. I'm hoping they'll be brave enough in the future to revisit the boxed set and offer it as an alternative to the big empire scale but minus the fiddly paperwork, informing players that yes though it doesn't synch up to the scaling, that's completely fine. For those wanting a Battlespace feel (Warships and Fighter Squadrons) I do recommend the Battleforce scaled space games. You can go abstract with a mere radar sheet as your "map" or use mapsheets and play it out fully. I'm just glad we're free of Battlespace's critical chart of decks we had to fill out.
Definitely Statefic BF more aligns to BF1. As for converting the old scenarios over - the easiest way I've found is to go back to the TOE and work from there. Usually, books with BF scenarios published the TOEs of the forces involved, and its far easier to start there than it is to specifically convert counter lists from scenarios. I'd like to see Succession Wars revisited. It is a fun game, and with the potential expansions that could be put into boards for different eras and wars, it might even be marketable.
@@WillyMuffinUK I did notice on the Battletech downloads they put the maps for some eras in hexes for ISaW, so here's hoping we get something like that in sectors for a Succession Wars boardgame.
@@WillyMuffinUK Also the rules for occupying a hex as a power gets fiddly. Basically that hex isn't "yours" until all the worlds get conquered. Which okay I guess would kill the blitzkrieg fighting of the Clans, but unless the GM handwaves that "Oh you took X and that was so important in the area, the other planets just gave up nearby to you" that's a lot of plodding through a enemy nation!
I haven't played since the early 90s - good memories - and just happened to see the new box set at the bookstore yesterday. After watching this review, I am enthusiastic about picking up the box and re-upping in one of the clans!
Go for it :)
The best Battletech "documentary". Double thumbs up!
Thank-you!
This sorted me out!!! AMAZING video explaining everything that I needed to get started in this. I really appreciate what you did here. Thanks a ton. Cheers, Ryan
You're welcome! I'm glad you found it useful :)
Great overview of everything. I never thought someone could address the full history succinctly in 18 minutes! Well done.
Been playing since the late 80s, still love it (and it’s various franchises). Being part of the Kickstarter was such a blast. I’m really loving the reboot of the game. Btech has never looked and felt better.
Also it’s always nice to see another of the Draconis Combine! ;)
Thank-you! Although I did skip or gloss over a fair bit - the MechWarrior miniatures, the CCG, the combat books, a lot of the video game side... But - a fair summary of the main game line, I feel.
The KS was a blast. I can't wait for Wave 2 (although Wave 1 has added to my painting queue). Love the art on the new mapsheets.
And yes - always good to meet a fellow Kuritan. Dõmo arigatõ!
You are a gifted narrator and these videos are quite good!
Thank-you!
I've been into Battletech since 1988. The first thing I ever saw was the "Tales of the Black Widow Company" book. I still have some old FASA books, my Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook and my Atlas of the 4th Succession War Vol. 1 & 2 are particularly treasured. I still collect, especially the miniatures. I have a full company of Wolf's Dragoons Zeta Battalion, another full company of the Jihad-era Black Widows, and I'm working up a DCMS Mech company, trying to decide if I want Sword of Light or perhaps Ryuken-Ni.
For me, beyond how cool it is to play with big stompy mecha, I love how the universe feels like a history, the splatbooks read like history books. I also have always loved just how many important female characters are found in the materials, as heroes, villains, soldiers, and royalty. Wargames, novels, toys, a cartoon on TV, video and computer games, it's quite a franchise.
It is one of those incredibly put together background settings that is so woefully overlooked. It's why we keep clammering "when's the movie coming?!?"
(And good choice with the DCMS - it's a shame you also chose those lesser others ;))
@@WillyMuffinUK I've been a Goon since Day One, but I also love the DCMS, and they are natural foils. I do Clan Wolf, too.
I think a streaming high-budget TV series would be amazing for Battletech. Imagine the season cliffhanger when it's revealed that Wolf's Dragoons are from the Clans.
@@anna-elizabeth It would seem to be made for it! Half of the goings-on in the Inner Sphere, after all, are Game of Thrones in spaaaaace!
Ian - I just got a new set from Catalyst, Battletech Counters Pack - Battleforce. It's got several sheets of nice pressboard counters of "Mech lances and other units, objective markers, and 2 maps for the strategic game. It reminds me a little of the map illustrations from "Atlas of the 4th Succession War".
Anyway, you may already have things more suited in your collection, but I thought I'd mention it. If nothing else, I can see using the set just to "set the stage" for games of Alpha Strike and BT.
They have (had? Not looked for a while!) those counters as a free download - although the ones in the pack are better quality than the print-and-laminate ones I use! Thank-you - will check them out :)
an excellent overview of the games history. whether intentional or not, you left out a few things.
the miniatures;
21st century imports
Ral Partha
iron wind
currently CGL
the addition of unit points system for tournament play;
combat value (cv)
battle value (bv/bv2)
the TCG by WotC.
hero clix by wizkids and the controversy of Jihad / dark age.
the IP has truly withstood the test of time. it is about to enter its 40th year. simply amazing!
it's strength and weakness is the standard game rules. in it's 5th release (not version), the core mechanic, turn sequence and terrain rules, are virtually identical to the initial Battledroids from 1984. only a few clarifications, nothing nerfed, restricted, banned or removed. that said, many believe the game is 'too crunchy' with too much detail. thus, a typical match can take considerable time. especially if you include the variety of units available.
overall, I've been playing since Battledroids was first produced. I prefer standard battletech to any other scale of play. I've incorporated plenty of house rules to improve play as well as add detail. battletech is a war game of epic scale!
By intention. Mini makers, for me, are secondary to the game. They come and go - and here in the UK, its pretty much always been Ral Partha (and still is), plus whatever plastic FASA/FanPro/Catalyst shoved out.
Points systems are forever flawed, in all wargaming, in my opinion. For me, they detract from the immersion of subject. I mean, can you imagine Montgomery and Rommel setting their desert forces against each other by points?
That being said, not using points does mean you need to pick opponents wisely. Someone that turns up with the unrealistic (yeah yeah, Mechs being totally realistic... bear with me on that) supposedly Inner Sphere company comprising 12 Daishis is not someone I'd welcome.
I do not care about TCGs. Well, one I did care about for a short while. Anyway, they are very much in the camp of not understanding their appeal, so not really much to say about them other than "they're a thing".
HeroClix - different game. Not bothered about it, and "collectible minis games" fall pretty much under the same banner as TCGs for me. Although, sure, I could have spent 30 seconds mentioning the messy connections in the lore. However, the lore of the setting is something I want to keep for another video.
I think that covers your points 🙂 I prefer standard BattleTech, too - highly flexible, eminently scalable, and, as you say, a testament to its strength lies in its longevity without requiring any major overhauls between editions.
(And I say "editions" rather than "releases", because that's what FASA chose to print on the boxes...)
Is there any book with missions for I am Jade Falcon, Close Quarters or Heir of the dragon?
Closest to Heir to the Dragon would be Brush Wars and War of 3039. As for I Am Jade Falcon, The Falcon and The Wolf is probably the nearest. Nothing I can recall in game source/scenarios correlates to the Caballeros.
The copyright mess happened like this.
Studio Nue (Japan) made mechas for Big West (Japan) to create Macross show.
Big West gave distribution rights to Tatsunoko productions. Tatsunoko sold "all rights" to Harmony Gold, so they thought they were absolute owners of Macross, but theye did not. It became apparent when Big West sued Tatsunoko.
Twentieth Century Imports licensed toys from Studio Nue and Fasa sublicensed them.
So in the end neither FASA nor Harmony Gold had the rights over the mecha designs.
Fun, hey. And we're still at a point where Macross can't be distributed in the US.
@@WillyMuffinUK I understand there is a truce between Big West and Harmony Gold. But I do not know specific terms.
@@josepablolunasanchez1283 We will see how things pan out. We're in a new era, I think, with BattleTech able to use the Macross et al designs. Not quite sure what HG are going to do with RoboTech.
@@WillyMuffinUK Now Battletech is becoming the big guy in town. Robotech and other mecha anime were displaced by digital popstars in Japan, and aside for old timers, mecha anime nostalgia, does not mean anything now.
Some Robotech fans in Latin America started the "project valkerie" but they were shut down by Harmony Gold when they had 2 of 3 videos finished.
So at some point people may say "hey, look, Battletech mechs in a Robotech cartoon"
@Jose Pablo Luna Sanchez to my understanding, Harmony Gold came to terms with the other parties. they have a new agreement for the Robotech distribution and the full Macross story. I saw the information on this about Aug/Sep 2022. someone released a really good vid describing the full history and the current situation. hopefully we will get something in near future.
Get your tissues ready: it's time for giant robots to beat the snot out of each other! 😁
I loved this review, I've been a player since the Clan Era/Mechwarrior 2 video game time.
As for your review part, if you loved Battleforce 1 scale more than the second (or even the current) then you might want to play more scenarios with Strategic Battleforce in mind. That scale is more comparable to BF1 as far as I can tell.
I'm actually working on seeing how compatible the BF1 scenarios that were published in the 4th Succession War books would work with it.
I do agree about Inner Sphere at War. Though it is a VAST improvement to the older Inner Sphere in Flames from Combat Ops, it doesn't have the holding power of Succession Wars the boxed game. I feel it's a victim of the "zoom levels" of complexity that Catalyst is pushing through. They really do want you to have those options to play from House Lord to foot soldier and all the in between points. As such, Interstellar Operations framework for the "empire scale" gaming has a lot of paperwork.
Succession Wars as a boxed game alone was great, but then it would basically divorce itself from the "sliding zoom scale" of the game. I'm hoping they'll be brave enough in the future to revisit the boxed set and offer it as an alternative to the big empire scale but minus the fiddly paperwork, informing players that yes though it doesn't synch up to the scaling, that's completely fine.
For those wanting a Battlespace feel (Warships and Fighter Squadrons) I do recommend the Battleforce scaled space games. You can go abstract with a mere radar sheet as your "map" or use mapsheets and play it out fully. I'm just glad we're free of Battlespace's critical chart of decks we had to fill out.
Definitely Statefic BF more aligns to BF1. As for converting the old scenarios over - the easiest way I've found is to go back to the TOE and work from there. Usually, books with BF scenarios published the TOEs of the forces involved, and its far easier to start there than it is to specifically convert counter lists from scenarios.
I'd like to see Succession Wars revisited. It is a fun game, and with the potential expansions that could be put into boards for different eras and wars, it might even be marketable.
@@WillyMuffinUK I did notice on the Battletech downloads they put the maps for some eras in hexes for ISaW, so here's hoping we get something like that in sectors for a Succession Wars boardgame.
@@Atlas3060 Definitely hoping for sectors. At an interstellar level, a hex overlay like that doesn't work, and removes immersion.
@@WillyMuffinUK Also the rules for occupying a hex as a power gets fiddly. Basically that hex isn't "yours" until all the worlds get conquered. Which okay I guess would kill the blitzkrieg fighting of the Clans, but unless the GM handwaves that "Oh you took X and that was so important in the area, the other planets just gave up nearby to you" that's a lot of plodding through a enemy nation!