Introduction to Battletech, 40k's Older Brother

I recently got my hands on a copy of Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat, and I wanted to se how it compares to the game I remember from college. Turns out, it holds up nicely!
Mech Factory: battletech.rpg.hu/index.php
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[@03dashk64]

This is a great video! Getting more people into BT is a goal!
Only minor correction, there are alternate rules to play classic BT with traditional measuring. That’s not exclusively alpha strike

[@MTFTabletop]

Thanks. I probably knew that at some point, but I've always associated BT with hexes.

[@WolfHreda]

Great shout-out for Mech Factory. I use it pretty much every day. I've customized and printed out so many record sheets for 'mechs, and I'm considering putting my son on the path to glory on Solaris VII with a Panther he can customize between matches.

[@dakkaflakkaflame]

I started off with reading the Battletech novels when I was in elementary school in the 90s, not realizing there was a game. Then in junior high a friend told me about the MechWarrior computer games and after things started to click into place I realized they were the same universe. I really enjoyed those computer games. It wasn't until even later that I found out there was a tabletop game, which was weird because I was into Warhammer from an early age.
Never played the Battletech tabletop game though. The old metal models didn't look very good. Now that there are plastic ones out I guess I should give it a look.

[@colbyboucher6391]

Honestly one of the biggest problems with how the rights to everything got broken up. MechWarrior should have been BattleTech: MechWarrior, etc., the franchise would be so much bigger if all the MechWarrior 2 fans alone knew what was up.

[@BMichaelGalloway]

YES! I completely agree 👍 with your miniature quality point, & OMG 😍 YES! check it out. Doesn't even hurt the wallet to start up nicely.

[@tomtricity]

I still have an old Battledroid box somewhere. That's how old I am... Battletech is what a table top war game should be. Crazy thing is I still remember the loadouts and armor points in mechs that I haven't looked at in 25 years. As far as lore goes everyone should read the Warrior En Garde trilogy by Stackpole.

[@MTFTabletop]

That's awesome! I've never seen an OG box.

[@ChrisSmith-yw6tn]

Battletech is awesome, I genuinely love it a lot, haven't played much but the only reason is getting anyone to play anything that isn't 40k is nearly impossible unless you live in a good area. IMHO it's the best game nobody ever plays, and if I actually had someone to play it with I would be completely devout.

[@BMichaelGalloway]

The first game was WAY back in '86, a game of Citytech on a bolted down card table on a road trip in a van! 🤘😎

[@noodles2459]

Deserves more views.

[@michaelsudsysutherland5353]

I've enjoyed BT off and on since the 4th Edition starter box I got in the late 90's during high school. I only stopped playing when FASA closed, thinking the game was dead (but then, that was when 3rd Edition 40K skyrocketed to the forfront in the US). I did pick it up recently, and was impressed with finding older FanPro reprints and Catalyst products, and utterly thrilled that none of the rules had changed (drastically) between these new rules and my old FASA products. Our local gaming tends to favor miniature wargaming, and so we started playing Classic BT with the miniature conversion rules, I taught my kids the hex map rules, and got them all hooked (for life I hope).
However, it was indeed time consuming to play our games, and we were limiting our forces to light and medium mechs... So we gave Alpha Strike a try. Sure, it loses some of the charm from Classic... With the more simplified damage and rules... But one can easily played a combined arms battle with two mech companies, supporting VTOLS, off-board artillery, and Aerospace with infantry in the span of four hours. So, well worth the effort to learn those as a tool in the gaming toolbox if you want to settle a big battle in a single session.

[@StigmaNYC]

Manning of the Fort, great video.
I started playing Aug 2022.
To the Reader… Battletech is awesome.
Why? Gauss, PPCs, AC20s, LRMs.
Destruction. Tabletop glory.
SciFi reader? Find used local bookstore.
Find, Impetus of War, by Blaine Lee Pardoe.
The book is to Battletech like BLINK is to Doctor Who.
Brilliant.
Just remember COMSTAR is always listening.
Always.

[@Corundum_Rolls]

I just started Battletech and really enjoyed it, cannot wait to see more.

[@tarantuhalla]

Battletech is absolutely worth trying :) Cannot wait for the Mercenaries KS to start (hope shipping worth ruin me xD )

[@gabrielnguyen5580]

we gotta raise more awareness for battletech

[@GFNGaming]

ooooh battletech! always wanted to try that!

[@MTFTabletop]

I doubt my broke college student method of car keys as 'Mechs would work for one of your batreps 😉

[@colbyboucher6391]

​@@MTFTabletop *Granted* CGL does have their "Reinforcements" box whith cardboard cutouts of the vast majority of mechs from 3050. Personally I love having it because it makes me feel free to just grab whatever looks cool.

[@BMichaelGalloway]

After GW upped their prices beyond what I consider sane, & WotC is corporate- driven, woke garbage,🙄 THIS is now where my money goes for my tabletop enjoyment.

[@MTFTabletop]

I only consider "woke" garbage if it's driven by profits rather than people. We should respect one another as a baseline, and that's that.