for simple smash/trash battle, use bv or tonnage. for a series of battles using the same forces, use c-bills. this is the most adapted method for setting up the unit, paying for transit-salary-parts-ammo and getting paid for contracts and salvage. the Catalyst games book 'techmanual' has a section at the end of the book which lists prices for components and ammo. if you have some of the older books (mercenary handbook or Mechwarrior) they have ideas for salary and setting up the military unit. I suggest beginning with 50 million c-bills. this sounds like alot, but listening to his description, you hear how expensive various units can cost.
@@Helcarexe26 our campaign has only used c-bills. I don't think I've ever used bv. when I first started playing (1984) we used tonnage, there weren't any other methods back then. due to our house rules, we consider our games to be level 4. we use all the basics and have a set of expanded damage tables for non-mech units. most of the rules we created, add details that we thought were missing from the books.
I think the clans aren't necessarily overwhelming, if run correctly as an enemy. BV is important, but so are numbers. Clans dominate if there are even numbers. They start to get towards a fair game with 1.5:1-2:1 as far as numbers of mechs (with equal BV.) Once you start moving to the 2.5:1 or 3:1 territory, the advantage swings to Inner Sphere. Big thing about running Clans for longer spanning narrative campaigns is probably don't run stuff with them that does 15 damage. That's a 1/36 chance away from making a player really mad when the mechwarrior he's been leveling up since the start gets turned into hamburger. What makes the clans interesting from a campaign perspective, is as a GM, you can run them such that they adhere to Zellbrigen, and you can let the players try to use that against them just like Inner Sphere pilots canonically did.
Excellent video bro! This helps me out a lot as to how to start my own mercenary unit up. I'm looking at no more than a company's worth in the beginning. But I want it to be combined arms as I have two kanga hover tanks that I have converted to be without jump Jets and outfitted differently. I know they are star league era and quasi-legal Zone, but I'm going to pair them with some drillsons I think
Sounds like you have a good plan for your force. Have you thought about infantry support and something to carry them in for a lance. It's a good idea for have some local security services to watch over any barracks or repair shops that you may have. Food for thought
Was there a similar book under FASA? I'm in a campaign & pg 70 the Pilot Special Abilities is the only thing I need at the moment but woukd like to get a copy of it. Too many books, mechs, & maps & too little money.
The pilot special abilities in the Campaign Operation books are the same as found on the pilot cards for the mechs and those are new things added to the game with that book. There's nothing from the FASA days that correspond with the new rules in that dept sadly
First and foremost is the Total Warfare book for the main rules, then I'd get the Tactical Operations book for more advanced rules and the Campaign Operations book for adding some game settings and pilot abilities. Those are the three books I'd pick up for games, I know that CGL has some books that have broken them down into smaller pieces, but I'm not sure which one goes with what book at the moment.
"Battletech fan" channel has a video on how to install Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries on Windows 10, everything you need to install is in the description of the video. This can give you ideas to play tabletop. I learned that putting 4 medium lasers in that first mech, is a good idea. It hits hard, like a PPC: I find SRMs particularly useless. Liked and subscribed. Top notch comments,
Thanks, yes it is my collection of cassettes from the 80's before getting into CD's That's probably about half of my collection. I have about 100 albums and 200 plus CD's
That's a interesting question 🤔 it depends on how you play a campaign. We've had a table filled with them before and caused a major problem for the mechs, because the lack of anti-infantry weapons to deal with them. I have a large amount of infantry that I can use for scenarios. I can imagine that there's a lot players out there who never used them in a game.
for simple smash/trash battle, use bv or tonnage.
for a series of battles using the same forces, use c-bills. this is the most adapted method for setting up the unit, paying for transit-salary-parts-ammo and getting paid for contracts and salvage.
the Catalyst games book 'techmanual' has a section at the end of the book which lists prices for components and ammo. if you have some of the older books (mercenary handbook or Mechwarrior) they have ideas for salary and setting up the military unit.
I suggest beginning with 50 million c-bills. this sounds like alot, but listening to his description, you hear how expensive various units can cost.
In our current game we're using C-Bills to purchase the starting mechs and repairs/salvage. The books are a great resource for building campaigns
@@Helcarexe26 our campaign has only used c-bills. I don't think I've ever used bv. when I first started playing (1984) we used tonnage, there weren't any other methods back then. due to our house rules, we consider our games to be level 4. we use all the basics and have a set of expanded damage tables for non-mech units. most of the rules we created, add details that we thought were missing from the books.
@@bruced648 We have a points system for developing pilots or crews in the game. It helps with the campaign over time
@@Helcarexe26 do you have an email? there's plenty of rules we created that I could send to you - if your interested.
I think the clans aren't necessarily overwhelming, if run correctly as an enemy. BV is important, but so are numbers. Clans dominate if there are even numbers. They start to get towards a fair game with 1.5:1-2:1 as far as numbers of mechs (with equal BV.) Once you start moving to the 2.5:1 or 3:1 territory, the advantage swings to Inner Sphere.
Big thing about running Clans for longer spanning narrative campaigns is probably don't run stuff with them that does 15 damage. That's a 1/36 chance away from making a player really mad when the mechwarrior he's been leveling up since the start gets turned into hamburger.
What makes the clans interesting from a campaign perspective, is as a GM, you can run them such that they adhere to Zellbrigen, and you can let the players try to use that against them just like Inner Sphere pilots canonically did.
There's something to be said about numbers being a quality unto itself. When a clan mech can only kill so many targets in a single turn at a distance.
That's a large tape deck you got back there! 😎🤩😻🤯
A product of the 80's when everyone had cassette players and decks in everything
@@Helcarexe26 Oh, I know. I miss that old aesthetic.
The technical readout 3039 is really hard to find in print. Lots of good info otherwise though
I would imagine that is the case since about everything is printed in China nowadays, ebay is about the only place anymore to find such things.
Thanks I've been waiting for this video
Glad to help out
Excellent video bro! This helps me out a lot as to how to start my own mercenary unit up. I'm looking at no more than a company's worth in the beginning. But I want it to be combined arms as I have two kanga hover tanks that I have converted to be without jump Jets and outfitted differently. I know they are star league era and quasi-legal Zone, but I'm going to pair them with some drillsons I think
Sounds like you have a good plan for your force. Have you thought about infantry support and something to carry them in for a lance. It's a good idea for have some local security services to watch over any barracks or repair shops that you may have. Food for thought
Was there a similar book under FASA? I'm in a campaign & pg 70 the Pilot Special Abilities is the only thing I need at the moment but woukd like to get a copy of it. Too many books, mechs, & maps & too little money.
The pilot special abilities in the Campaign Operation books are the same as found on the pilot cards for the mechs and those are new things added to the game with that book. There's nothing from the FASA days that correspond with the new rules in that dept sadly
Very nice chat, lots of great information, all the best Garry
Thanks Gary for stopping by and watching
Also I am curious what are the most crucial books for playing Classic & campaigns including some advanced rules?
First and foremost is the Total Warfare book for the main rules, then I'd get the Tactical Operations book for more advanced rules and the Campaign Operations book for adding some game settings and pilot abilities. Those are the three books I'd pick up for games, I know that CGL has some books that have broken them down into smaller pieces, but I'm not sure which one goes with what book at the moment.
"Battletech fan" channel has a video on how to install Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries on Windows 10, everything you need to install is in the description of the video. This can give you ideas to play tabletop.
I learned that putting 4 medium lasers in that first mech, is a good idea. It hits hard, like a PPC: I find SRMs particularly useless.
Liked and subscribed. Top notch comments,
Thank you Sir, glad to help out with your games. I really like using Medium Lasers for close in fighting.
Disco Balls have been the meta a looooooong time before certain shifts to PC gaming.
Thank you so much. Very helpful.
You're welcome and thanks for watching
What book tells you how to design contracts?
The Campaign Operations book from Catalyst
the 1st edition of mercenary handbook went in depth about contracts and had a generic version at the end of the book.
I hate to piggyback but prices on jump travel would be great the only thing I can find is the interactive map but it doesn't run on phones.
Great to see you on cam, nice chat
You have inspired me to start doing more chats on subjects in gaming
@@Helcarexe26 That's good to hear, I think it will help the channel :D
@@IDICBeer That would be nice addition
Is that a wall of cassettes behind you? regardless, a fun video.
Thanks, yes it is my collection of cassettes from the 80's before getting into CD's That's probably about half of my collection. I have about 100 albums and 200 plus CD's
How important are infantry units in the game?
That's a interesting question 🤔 it depends on how you play a campaign. We've had a table filled with them before and caused a major problem for the mechs, because the lack of anti-infantry weapons to deal with them. I have a large amount of infantry that I can use for scenarios. I can imagine that there's a lot players out there who never used them in a game.
Cool advice
Thanks Justin
Thanks
@@JosephMitchell-zw3db 👍😎👌
you have me wantign to get back into battletech again.....This is not a good idea :D
Welcome to the Dark Side and Remember that Battletech has cookies! Glad to give you temptations to join us again