Getting started in 40k: you need miniatures, the codex, the supplemental codex, the supplemental rule book, and the actual rule book. Getting started in Battletech: here is a box with everything you need, plus a fun little novella!
The product progression is rather clever. Especially with the short stories. You start with the beginner box and part 1 of 3 for the tale of Colby's Commando's. If you like the abridged game, and the story you read, then you need to get the full box to get the full rules, and to read part 2. Part 2 then flows into Part 3, found in "Mechwarrior: Destiny," thus persuading players to try the RPG extension for the game. And finally, you can look into their ultimate fate in "Decision at Thunder Rift," thus pulling the newcomer into the series' novels.
I bought that book, it looked so weird and awkward to the feel of the original, I mean they didn't even put c-bills in the damn thing. Mechwarrior, especially when it comes to being a merc was often a battle of money and provisions along with the actual battles that you would eventually have to decide how to drag the salvage back and use your dwindling supplies to get your mechs back in action and figure how you are going to get more parts, probably by stealing or cannibalizing captured equipment. I felt they did alot right with the first edition, and still use those rules when I play.
@@eddapultstab2078 Concerns like c-bills are left up to books like Campaign Operations. At least MW: Destiny is *playable* and I say that as a fan of very crunchy games.
@@colbyboucher6391 personal equipment matters and fleshes out the role-playing experience, it not only lacked that but the means to articulate the setting. These may seem meaningless but it's crucial to the immersion, unless you are of course a clanner then enjoy your state provided nutripaste and sleeping in a capsule. The reason I say this is because it seems to complicate battletech without adding more to the setting. It seems like you are better off just playing scenarios of the BT because it doesn't feel like it is trying to bridge the gap between the pilots and individuals to the warmachines they operate and that's kind of important in a Sci fi rpg.
Oh man, 40 years ago you say? That can't be right, cos that would make me old, and I'm not old, I'm only fif... Oh. Well, be that as it may, lot's of happy memories of mechs standing in ponds, blowing up in ponds and falling over in ponds from across the years - I think I may have had a thing for ponds.
you painting up all those mechs and seeing you get into battletech this year has been a blast. It's the perfect example of how model-agnostic games can be great, but when care and design of models is achieved, it can really make all the difference.
Plus, I haven't played yet, but as far as I have been told by veterans, to convert the normal mech record sheets as such are used with the full game to use with the beginner game, simply fold them in half and only use the top half.
@@Darth-ml9hw when you receive damage you fill in the little dots. the numbers underneath are the die rolls needed to hit that area. So a roll of 2 or a roll of 7 with 2d6 hits the center torso.
Wow! That really IS a neat starter box. The Standees are a great idea, well executed. It looks like Topps/Catalyst put a lot of thought in to this release.
Some Barnes and Nobles have clearanced their last versions of the starter boxes. I picked up a second one for the extra griffin and the basic pretty empty map. Also some online store bit out the box pretty much sell the plastic mechs out of it seperate and often have all the game stuff for like half the price.
Correct, they're just Pilot Cards for Classic. Beginner boxes don't have Alpha Strike cards, but AGoAC comes with them, and then the new Alpha Strike Box will have them of course.
I don’t think that the fact that you can make your own faction is stressed enough. Don’t like any of the houses? Be your own mercenary company and live by your own code.
Nice to see that big grin when you were seeing all the good stuff that you can get on that small box. I've never played Battletech but man I would love to get those miniatures and throw some dices. I don't know why but I always found that big robots are so much fun.
$25 is incredibly cheap! I'm pretty sure that it's cheaper than the original Battletech was. Great video, thank you. You've motivated me to get my original set and early expansions out of the box and see if I can find someone to play them with.
Great review. Very useful as my son is into mini battle games and we were trying to decide whether the Beginner Box was worth getting when the regular set has four times as many minis for twice the price.
Wow! Pretty coincidental that I just bought the old Beginner Box a week ago since I've just started getting in to Battletech. It was the last one the shop had and I was worried they weren't making it anymore. After seeing this I was worried I should have waited but I got a Griffin which apparently is limited alongside the boxes not being that much different. Thanks for the review!
yea i get that with the painting.. i got into collecting and painting those plastic minis too ijust got to painting so far but its so much fun.. planning to use them as SLDF or COmguard depending on when in time they want to play... got like 2 stars and 3 lances that i painted either in the typical white of parade comstar of different camo for the more covert operations and it will grow in the future
$25 for all of that is a bargain, and BattleTech has such a huge universe behind it. We always used whatever mechs we had on hand as proxies for other chassis if we didn’t have the correct mini, and that works great as well.
I wanted to chime in with my own review... specifically the perspective of taking the intended path. I picked up the Beginner's Box to reaquaint myself with the rules (haven't played BT in decades) and teach 2 new players. For this role, it is outstanding. But... what about AFTER you buy the main box like they presume you will after the Beginner box if you like it? What is wasted if you do that? The short answer is; NOTHING. Now that I am into the main box in my 'Return To BattleTech'... I noticed a cool detail. This version with the Vindicator... is carefully designed to have no redundancy. The Inner Sphere map and some fluff text on the houses overlap. That's about it. Even the mechs avoid redundancy. The thunderbolt and locust from the beginner box you don't have and need cardborad standies for.... you DO have in the main box, kind of filling that hole. Likewise the Griff and Vindi supplement the 8 you get in the box. The maps are compatible but slightly different, still joinable. The terrain tiles, again, slightly different. This must be a choice on Catalyst's part. They _COULD_ have used the exact same terrain tile sheet in both boxes. No one would think less of them, and be happy to have 2 of everything if you got both. But nah, they went out of their way to make sure they are different, so both boxes can supplement each other. Pilot cards, etc... they avoid overlap. If you get both, you end up with a bigger more rounded version of both, regardless of which ruleset you use. And oh no, why stop there... let's give all the Alpha Strike info just in case I pick that box up later too... In short, this is one of the most well thought out and best on ramps I've seen in a table top game. They went out of their way to make sure you get rewarded stepping from beginner box to the main box. It's intentional, I noticed, and it IS appreciated. It's a tiny detail that makes feel like they genuinely appreciate someone getting both... otherwise, why go to the trouble? Like I said, they could easily have printed the exact same terrain tile sheet for both boxes, and NO ONE would have taken it as a negative. Instead, it's this tiny detail that reveals someone there took the time to think 'we want as little redundancy as possible, you don't need both boxes, but nothing from either should be redundant and both should supplement each other to maximize our customer's dollar' Someone actually cared enough to make sure no money or content is wasted if you buy both. If you spend $25 on the Beginner box, then get the main box... you're still glad you spent $25 on the Beginner Box. Flip that around, if you skip the Beginner Box and go right for the main course... you won't miss the little extras you get by having both. But if you get both, you end up glad you have both. They found a way so that neither box suffers without the other, but... both are just a little bit better if you end up with both. It's kinda clever when you look at it, and it does mean they took real effort to pull off exactly this. You won't miss either if you only get one, but if you end up with both, the beginner box turns the main box into a kind of deluxe edition with a few extra mechs, pilots, maps, terrain tiles etc... but nothing so substantial you feel ripped off if you only get the main box. I tip my hat to them, well played Catalyst. As a compliment, I will demonstrate how tiny a nit I have to pick to give any kind of criticism... the dice. If they really wanted to do something cool and take that tiny last step to avoid redundancy... main box has 2xwhite dice, beginner box has 2xblack, clan box has 2xred. That's it. That's as close to criticism as I got. More of a humble suggestion really. Other than that, this is about as a good as a Beginner Box for a game gets imho. I believe the detail I am shining a light on here really does say a lot. It's a specific detail I focused on for this review... but to me it says volumes about both the beginner box, AND the publisher. Also makes it just that much easier to recommend. If you want to try BattleTech for $25, get this with no hesitation, even if you move on to the main box, you'll be glad you picked this up along the way, and if not, you got a really good taste of the BattleTech experience for $25, not a large investment to find out if you like it or not. As beginner boxes go, this one does it's intended job way better than most, and manages to keep it's value after you graduate from beginner status and move on to other products.
I remember my first intro to Battletech, I was given the game by a classmate who found the game boring, it had two multipart plastic models, I THINK it was the Griffin and Shadowhawk but I may be wrong, that was 40 years ago lol. I stopped playing back in the late 90's, mainly because I wanted to play bigger battles, battalion vs battalion level play or grand strategy games. I use to have an entire regiment of mechs, lost in a move :(.
The set that came with the plastic models of the Griffin and Shadow Hawk was the original Battledroids set. I would know as I had it and still have that original rulebook to this day.
Back in my height playing this game, about 20 years ago, my group got this Styrofoam geohex stuff and from time to time setup these 3d maps and played a campaign on the company, 12 units, scale. It was intense, if I had the place, time, and players to do it again I would.
Hi Ash, I have this Beginners Box arriving soon. Your video has me super excited to play it! Quick question: you mention the Battletech novels as an intro to the lore. Is there a specific book or two that you could recommend to someone looking to immerse themselves in the Battletech universe?
I wish Catalyst Game would release new print versions of the classic handbooks on each of the royal houses and factions. I've been into the MechWarrior games since I was a kid but only got into the table-top game about 6 months ago (started with the Beginner Box and the Game of Armored Combat box). I really want to get those classic books but they're so damn expensive now.
25 bucks is a great price. Battletech has always been a great bang for your buck and especially considering inflation, this is a killer price. I remember buying the third edition starter from a b-dalton bookstore in the early 90's and it was $25. Granted, it had 12 more plastic mechs(of dubious quality and legality, lol). In this day and age of prices on hobbies sky rocketing, I applaud CGL not only producing a great game, but making it a great deal. and also for not screwing with it and letting what works just work.
My only quibble about the box sets, including the game of armored combat is that the maps are not the same board styling as early ones. I still use those thick foldable boards for over 30 years, the paper ones feel like you have to be extra careful or you will tear or damage them. I prefer rugged over super glossy detail though but if I could I'd have both.
The hotness now is getting the neoprene maps. No folds, long lasting. The presence of those makes cardstock maps an obsolete middle ground. Waaay back when the previous starter box went out of production and left a drought for years, one of the reasons was the high cost of cardstock. The other being losing the plastic manufacturer at the time. Putting cardstock maps in the current boxes would raise the price and also make the box bigger/heavier leading to higher freight/storage costs.
What I like is cgl is trying to make faithful redesigns of the originals. I hated the fanpro redesigns so much, and the dark age redesigns were not much better, especially for the unseen.
Veteran player here, getting at least one of these for another Griffin and a Vindicator, might get two depending on if CGL are planning to do a pack in the new kickstarter with the 10 minis from the beginner box and GoAC again, updated to include the Vindy.
@@hdraagnaj4552 Yeah, they're doing one in a couple of months - they have one planned for Leviathans next month and BattleTech will run a couple of months after that. It's going to be primarily to expand the plastic miniatures line further - they're adding a selection of 'mechs and vehicles this time. But I'm sure the minis from the prior Kickstarter and the three core box sets will be gettable as part of the package as well.
I think the second beginner box is a little unbalanced in favor of the Vindicator since heat management isn’t included. I was teaching a friend and he chose the Griffin. I closed the distance with him and and was basically able to fire everything each turn and dropped him quickly. Not only that, but a 3 for gunnery instead of a 4 (the Griffin and Wolverine had 4) made it easier than it should’ve been.
I have not found an answer to this question. Does the quantity number of the weapons actually matter? And how do I use it? Example: if I have a Nova, and the ER Laser quantity on the left arm is 6, do I roll six times? Or do I roll once? Does each laser apply 10 damage? Or do I treat it as a single laser hit?
i have a question tho, is this box compatible with the miniature packs? (those that have 4 or 5 mechs) for example can i download the character sheets or make them by scanning the sheet template and edit them on a computer and add the mech stats, according to the structure of the beginners box?
This video is great! Is there a beginners "how to play" step by step guide for this game for complete beginners? I just got this for my son and I and a video like that would really help us, anything you can recommend?
I will likely get this box, just seeing the content value and the fact the standees are designed well and make sense for a low-price product just amazed me. I think I am too used to the predatory tactics of GW so I assume cheap boxes will be bare-bones and almost unplayable.
The 'game of armored combat' box is an even better deal. Generally $60, but if you look around online you can usually find it for $45ish. It includes more comprehensive rules, two map sheets, and EIGHT mechs! Plus pretty much everything else that's included in the beginner's box👍🏼
The total warfare book, which basically has comprehensive information on infantry to to aerospace fighters, to even landed dropships is like 30 bucks. If you just want a beat em up without much story, you can stop there and just buy, or 3d print, the minis you want and go from there.
Nice Report, Thx for that! But i am a little disapointed about the Box. Only 2 Mechs inside, seems to be very little. The Old boxes, i remember when i entered Bettletech, contained 12 or 14 Mechs, so you could do little Battles. But all in all, i seems to be a okish beginners Box.
This isn’t an analogue for those boxes. The A Game of Armoured Combat box comes with two full lances and standees as well, and costs more. This is a cheap and cheerful toe dip instead. :) The big box is already available (and costs $35 more). store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-a-game-of-armored-combat
I don't get it. The Vindicator is cool, but it's 10 tons lighter and 20% slower than the Griffin. I'm guessing the recommended 1v1 Griffin isn't the standard PPC/LRM10 version. It's also good that there's no rear armor in the beginner box.
I have to disagree with you on the balance of this set. The Vindicator is 45t vs the Griffin's 55t. The standard Vindy is well armed and armoured for its weight but its also sloooow for a 45 tonner where the Griffin is faster and has slightly more armour. I can see why they swapped out the Wolverine but this box is not a balanced fight, which is weird for a beginner box
True it is abridged and there are other units available as standees. But the abridgement (the main ones being heat and crits/internals) wouldn't make much of a difference to the 2 mechs facing off. And as you say in the videos, learning CBT starts with playing 1v1 and what beginner is going to play with the standees when there are minis? I'm not saying it's a big issue, I just think it's a weird change to make. The only real reason I can see for them making it is to appease those who complained that when they bought both the beginner and the AGOAC box they ended up with two Wolverines. Fair enough - but they've used up the main introtech 55t mechs already so they've swapped one for a 45t. Why not then swap both to 45t: Vindy vs Phoenix Hawk for example
One way you can balance it out is giving the Vindie a better pilot, basically lower its base target by 1 or a -1 bonus to hit if it doesn't have those rules. I think that would level the playing field.
There is a new kick starter? When? It is my greatest shame I missed the reboot kick starter 4 years ago. As someone who has played the game since 1988 I don't want to miss another chapter in BT history.
I wonder if BT will suffer the fate of warhammer fantasy one day. It seems the best era are the Succession war and the Clans invasion. One day, Catalyst will either have to retcon everything after the fedcom civil war or have to ditch the classic era wholesale in order for the players to move to new box sets a la Sigma. Even worse, BT lore already wrote itself into a corner with the Dark Age so the current era doesn't even have the legs of warhammer fantasy.
eh, not really true though since mechs are basically eternal; in fact many of the more recent TRO releases for the ilClan era have just been updating the old standbys to ilClan-era tech. So if you buy a plastic Battlemaster you can happily drive a BLR-1G during the Succession Wars, a BLR-3M during the Clan Invasion, a BLR-10S during the Jihad, and then whatever version of the Battlemaster was in ilClan Recognition Guide #3. So the boxed set doesn't have to change in any major fashion. If anything I anticipate the later eras might get their own 'update' boxes like Clan Invasion did with a few new mechs and the rules for the new tech.
Like William says. New TRO's are providing new variants to allow playing the mechs people are nostalgic for in the ilClan era, not that eras have ever stopped you from running an old mech. CGL also seems happy to support all eras so the players can choose their own prefered play style. GW makes decisions based on forced profiteering. Replace a whole game to force replacing all the books and minis. CGL simply made everything better quality and allowed players free will to decide to buy the new stuff, which most people did. Just like this Beginner box, box sets and various books will likely be refreshed over time, but I don't see why they'd ever wipe the whole game just to make a buck.
You can also print off any mech's alpha strike stats (for any variant) in card format from the game's online mech database. This isn't a GW starter set that leaves out half the stuff you need to get into the rest of the game. 🤯
Getting started in 40k: you need miniatures, the codex, the supplemental codex, the supplemental rule book, and the actual rule book.
Getting started in Battletech: here is a box with everything you need, plus a fun little novella!
The more I look into other IPs and products for those IPs, the more I realize how much of a joke 40k is from a consumer standpoint.
40K has 3 different levels of starter set that all include everything ton need to get started though?
@@captainparty You're not going ot convince me that 40k is as easy to get into as this.
@@TrippyTheShroom that’s because you’ve already decided you don’t want to be convinced.
It’s exactly the same.
@@captainparty It literally isn't, whatsoever.
Ah, the old '85 edition....nothing like my first battle and losing my Wasp to an ammo explosion.
Battletech is the game that started me in mini gaming 35 years ago. Its an old friend that's always been rad no matter how much time has gone by
The product progression is rather clever. Especially with the short stories. You start with the beginner box and part 1 of 3 for the tale of Colby's Commando's. If you like the abridged game, and the story you read, then you need to get the full box to get the full rules, and to read part 2.
Part 2 then flows into Part 3, found in "Mechwarrior: Destiny," thus persuading players to try the RPG extension for the game. And finally, you can look into their ultimate fate in "Decision at Thunder Rift," thus pulling the newcomer into the series' novels.
I bought that book, it looked so weird and awkward to the feel of the original, I mean they didn't even put c-bills in the damn thing. Mechwarrior, especially when it comes to being a merc was often a battle of money and provisions along with the actual battles that you would eventually have to decide how to drag the salvage back and use your dwindling supplies to get your mechs back in action and figure how you are going to get more parts, probably by stealing or cannibalizing captured equipment. I felt they did alot right with the first edition, and still use those rules when I play.
@@eddapultstab2078 I did hear that Destiny was designed for the "Critical Role" crowd. At least "A Time of War" is getting a reprint at long last.
@@eddapultstab2078 Concerns like c-bills are left up to books like Campaign Operations. At least MW: Destiny is *playable* and I say that as a fan of very crunchy games.
@@colbyboucher6391 personal equipment matters and fleshes out the role-playing experience, it not only lacked that but the means to articulate the setting. These may seem meaningless but it's crucial to the immersion, unless you are of course a clanner then enjoy your state provided nutripaste and sleeping in a capsule. The reason I say this is because it seems to complicate battletech without adding more to the setting. It seems like you are better off just playing scenarios of the BT because it doesn't feel like it is trying to bridge the gap between the pilots and individuals to the warmachines they operate and that's kind of important in a Sci fi rpg.
I already have the audio book for Thunder Right lol. There weren't much fiction based on mechs on Audible for a while so I worked my way through BT.
Oh man, 40 years ago you say? That can't be right, cos that would make me old, and I'm not old, I'm only fif... Oh. Well, be that as it may, lot's of happy memories of mechs standing in ponds, blowing up in ponds and falling over in ponds from across the years - I think I may have had a thing for ponds.
you painting up all those mechs and seeing you get into battletech this year has been a blast. It's the perfect example of how model-agnostic games can be great, but when care and design of models is achieved, it can really make all the difference.
Agreed. I love a lot of the designs they went with. Though I think the Marauder 2 could use a little work
Those half mech sheets for all the available mechs are available in pdf. They are attached to the quick start rules on the website.
now this is valuable info! thanks!
Plus, I haven't played yet, but as far as I have been told by veterans, to convert the normal mech record sheets as such are used with the full game to use with the beginner game, simply fold them in half and only use the top half.
Is it just the armor as your health or the numbers under it on the half sheets and if it’s the number what do the split ones mean like the 2/7
@@Darth-ml9hw when you receive damage you fill in the little dots. the numbers underneath are the die rolls needed to hit that area. So a roll of 2 or a roll of 7 with 2d6 hits the center torso.
Wow! That really IS a neat starter box. The Standees are a great idea, well executed. It looks like Topps/Catalyst put a lot of thought in to this release.
Some Barnes and Nobles have clearanced their last versions of the starter boxes. I picked up a second one for the extra griffin and the basic pretty empty map. Also some online store bit out the box pretty much sell the plastic mechs out of it seperate and often have all the game stuff for like half the price.
To clarify, the cards shown are for Classic Battletech/Total War, not for Alpha Strike.
Correct, they're just Pilot Cards for Classic. Beginner boxes don't have Alpha Strike cards, but AGoAC comes with them, and then the new Alpha Strike Box will have them of course.
I don’t think that the fact that you can make your own faction is stressed enough. Don’t like any of the houses? Be your own mercenary company and live by your own code.
Awesome. Sometimes the official settings are a bit off-putting.
This game, like my favorite battlemech, is AWESOME.
No doubt, great game and not a bad assault mech either, although I'm partial to mechs that can fill more than one role and are jump-capable.
Nice to see that big grin when you were seeing all the good stuff that you can get on that small box. I've never played Battletech but man I would love to get those miniatures and throw some dices. I don't know why but I always found that big robots are so much fun.
$25 is incredibly cheap! I'm pretty sure that it's cheaper than the original Battletech was.
Great video, thank you. You've motivated me to get my original set and early expansions out of the box and see if I can find someone to play them with.
I dived back in to Battletech thanks to your videos Ash. I"m excited for the Alpha Strike box set coming out later this year.
Me too!
2:30 My AGOAC came with full paper sheets, no "slidey" ones, just incase anyone is planning on grabbing one.
If you dig all the background and history you should pick up the Technical Readout books. They're 50% stats, 50% background.
Just ordered my copy, looking forward to playing this with friends this month!
Got the beginner box that had the Wolverine. Tempted to buy this for a second Griffin and the Vindicator, which I don't have a mini of yet.
You said 40 years..and then I felt old.
But the is box is cool. I'll buy for sure
Great review. Very useful as my son is into mini battle games and we were trying to decide whether the Beginner Box was worth getting when the regular set has four times as many minis for twice the price.
Wow! Pretty coincidental that I just bought the old Beginner Box a week ago since I've just started getting in to Battletech. It was the last one the shop had and I was worried they weren't making it anymore. After seeing this I was worried I should have waited but I got a Griffin which apparently is limited alongside the boxes not being that much different. Thanks for the review!
yea i get that with the painting.. i got into collecting and painting those plastic minis too ijust got to painting so far but its so much fun.. planning to use them as SLDF or COmguard depending on when in time they want to play... got like 2 stars and 3 lances that i painted either in the typical white of parade comstar of different camo for the more covert operations and it will grow in the future
Battletech is a great game, for so many reasons.
Apparently there's a bundle of record sheets that came with the kickstarter. I believe it nearly got all the mechs. I also want those sheets too.
Oh I'm buying this day 1 for sure
It’s what it says, beginner box. Really good for teaching kids. And u get 2 mechs and some maps.
Thanks for this review! I'll take 2 just for the vindicators. Absolutely love all forms of BattleTech.
Can't wait to add this box to my collection.
Oh I didn’t realize they were making a new one. I recently grabbed the big blue box cuz the minis were cool
Im very happy with more BT stuff, thanks
$25 for all of that is a bargain, and BattleTech has such a huge universe behind it. We always used whatever mechs we had on hand as proxies for other chassis if we didn’t have the correct mini, and that works great as well.
I wanted to chime in with my own review... specifically the perspective of taking the intended path. I picked up the Beginner's Box to reaquaint myself with the rules (haven't played BT in decades) and teach 2 new players. For this role, it is outstanding. But... what about AFTER you buy the main box like they presume you will after the Beginner box if you like it?
What is wasted if you do that?
The short answer is; NOTHING. Now that I am into the main box in my 'Return To BattleTech'... I noticed a cool detail. This version with the Vindicator... is carefully designed to have no redundancy. The Inner Sphere map and some fluff text on the houses overlap. That's about it. Even the mechs avoid redundancy. The thunderbolt and locust from the beginner box you don't have and need cardborad standies for.... you DO have in the main box, kind of filling that hole. Likewise the Griff and Vindi supplement the 8 you get in the box. The maps are compatible but slightly different, still joinable. The terrain tiles, again, slightly different.
This must be a choice on Catalyst's part. They _COULD_ have used the exact same terrain tile sheet in both boxes. No one would think less of them, and be happy to have 2 of everything if you got both. But nah, they went out of their way to make sure they are different, so both boxes can supplement each other. Pilot cards, etc... they avoid overlap. If you get both, you end up with a bigger more rounded version of both, regardless of which ruleset you use. And oh no, why stop there... let's give all the Alpha Strike info just in case I pick that box up later too...
In short, this is one of the most well thought out and best on ramps I've seen in a table top game. They went out of their way to make sure you get rewarded stepping from beginner box to the main box. It's intentional, I noticed, and it IS appreciated. It's a tiny detail that makes feel like they genuinely appreciate someone getting both... otherwise, why go to the trouble? Like I said, they could easily have printed the exact same terrain tile sheet for both boxes, and NO ONE would have taken it as a negative. Instead, it's this tiny detail that reveals someone there took the time to think 'we want as little redundancy as possible, you don't need both boxes, but nothing from either should be redundant and both should supplement each other to maximize our customer's dollar' Someone actually cared enough to make sure no money or content is wasted if you buy both. If you spend $25 on the Beginner box, then get the main box... you're still glad you spent $25 on the Beginner Box.
Flip that around, if you skip the Beginner Box and go right for the main course... you won't miss the little extras you get by having both. But if you get both, you end up glad you have both. They found a way so that neither box suffers without the other, but... both are just a little bit better if you end up with both. It's kinda clever when you look at it, and it does mean they took real effort to pull off exactly this. You won't miss either if you only get one, but if you end up with both, the beginner box turns the main box into a kind of deluxe edition with a few extra mechs, pilots, maps, terrain tiles etc... but nothing so substantial you feel ripped off if you only get the main box. I tip my hat to them, well played Catalyst.
As a compliment, I will demonstrate how tiny a nit I have to pick to give any kind of criticism... the dice. If they really wanted to do something cool and take that tiny last step to avoid redundancy... main box has 2xwhite dice, beginner box has 2xblack, clan box has 2xred. That's it. That's as close to criticism as I got. More of a humble suggestion really. Other than that, this is about as a good as a Beginner Box for a game gets imho. I believe the detail I am shining a light on here really does say a lot.
It's a specific detail I focused on for this review... but to me it says volumes about both the beginner box, AND the publisher. Also makes it just that much easier to recommend.
If you want to try BattleTech for $25, get this with no hesitation, even if you move on to the main box, you'll be glad you picked this up along the way, and if not, you got a really good taste of the BattleTech experience for $25, not a large investment to find out if you like it or not.
As beginner boxes go, this one does it's intended job way better than most, and manages to keep it's value after you graduate from beginner status and move on to other products.
I really don't need another Beginner Box but by god that box art is sexy and I do love a good Vindi.
Love the universe, and very excited for the vindicator! I love me my mid weight mediums!
I remember my first intro to Battletech, I was given the game by a classmate who found the game boring, it had two multipart plastic models, I THINK it was the Griffin and Shadowhawk but I may be wrong, that was 40 years ago lol. I stopped playing back in the late 90's, mainly because I wanted to play bigger battles, battalion vs battalion level play or grand strategy games. I use to have an entire regiment of mechs, lost in a move :(.
I feel your pain of losing your minis in a move, lost all my OG metal mechs
The set that came with the plastic models of the Griffin and Shadow Hawk was the original Battledroids set. I would know as I had it and still have that original rulebook to this day.
Back in my height playing this game, about 20 years ago, my group got this Styrofoam geohex stuff and from time to time setup these 3d maps and played a campaign on the company, 12 units, scale. It was intense, if I had the place, time, and players to do it again I would.
Hi Ash, I have this Beginners Box arriving soon. Your video has me super excited to play it! Quick question: you mention the Battletech novels as an intro to the lore. Is there a specific book or two that you could recommend to someone looking to immerse themselves in the Battletech universe?
I really enjoyed Decision at Thunder Rift, the first Grey Death Legion book :)
Thanks! I’ll check it out.
I wish Catalyst Game would release new print versions of the classic handbooks on each of the royal houses and factions. I've been into the MechWarrior games since I was a kid but only got into the table-top game about 6 months ago (started with the Beginner Box and the Game of Armored Combat box). I really want to get those classic books but they're so damn expensive now.
25 bucks is a great price. Battletech has always been a great bang for your buck and especially considering inflation, this is a killer price. I remember buying the third edition starter from a b-dalton bookstore in the early 90's and it was $25. Granted, it had 12 more plastic mechs(of dubious quality and legality, lol). In this day and age of prices on hobbies sky rocketing, I applaud CGL not only producing a great game, but making it a great deal. and also for not screwing with it and letting what works just work.
My only quibble about the box sets, including the game of armored combat is that the maps are not the same board styling as early ones. I still use those thick foldable boards for over 30 years, the paper ones feel like you have to be extra careful or you will tear or damage them. I prefer rugged over super glossy detail though but if I could I'd have both.
The hotness now is getting the neoprene maps. No folds, long lasting. The presence of those makes cardstock maps an obsolete middle ground. Waaay back when the previous starter box went out of production and left a drought for years, one of the reasons was the high cost of cardstock. The other being losing the plastic manufacturer at the time. Putting cardstock maps in the current boxes would raise the price and also make the box bigger/heavier leading to higher freight/storage costs.
Just bought this, after playing and loving the classic PC game Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat. Looking forward to playing it with my wife!
You are so right about the miniatures. They did used to be a bit rubbish. Catalyst have certainly got that bit right.
What I like is cgl is trying to make faithful redesigns of the originals. I hated the fanpro redesigns so much, and the dark age redesigns were not much better, especially for the unseen.
New Beginner set looks great! Can't wait to play some 3025 era games!
I always love reenacting operation galahad. Start the 4th succession war man.
Veteran player here, getting at least one of these for another Griffin and a Vindicator, might get two depending on if CGL are planning to do a pack in the new kickstarter with the 10 minis from the beginner box and GoAC again, updated to include the Vindy.
I'm just looking into Battletech to play with my son - is there a new kickstarter planned?
@@hdraagnaj4552 Yeah, they're doing one in a couple of months - they have one planned for Leviathans next month and BattleTech will run a couple of months after that. It's going to be primarily to expand the plastic miniatures line further - they're adding a selection of 'mechs and vehicles this time. But I'm sure the minis from the prior Kickstarter and the three core box sets will be gettable as part of the package as well.
I think the second beginner box is a little unbalanced in favor of the Vindicator since heat management isn’t included. I was teaching a friend and he chose the Griffin. I closed the distance with him and and was basically able to fire everything each turn and dropped him quickly. Not only that, but a 3 for gunnery instead of a 4 (the Griffin and Wolverine had 4) made it easier than it should’ve been.
It is cheap enough to buy and give it to friends and workmates who show even a mild interest in giant stompy killer machines.
thanks mate awesome review
Going to have to buy lots of these . My Capellans need more vindicators .
They just need a featured mech pack, like a box of urbies. Vindies are also a fun mech to spam.
Damn that brings me back.
Where is the new Alpha Strike Box? Also which do you like better BT or Bot Wars?
Alpha Strike box won't be out until later in the year, probably hitting retail late Autumn/early Winter, and might be at Gencon.
now if only they would rerelease the FASA star trek game :)
loved some of those minis
I have not found an answer to this question. Does the quantity number of the weapons actually matter? And how do I use it?
Example: if I have a Nova, and the ER Laser quantity on the left arm is 6, do I roll six times? Or do I roll once? Does each laser apply 10 damage? Or do I treat it as a single laser hit?
i have a question tho, is this box compatible with the miniature packs? (those that have 4 or 5 mechs) for example can i download the character sheets or make them by scanning the sheet template and edit them on a computer and add the mech stats, according to the structure of the beginners box?
That’s a good looking box, looking forward to this!
This video is great! Is there a beginners "how to play" step by step guide for this game for complete beginners? I just got this for my son and I and a video like that would really help us, anything you can recommend?
Battletech - if it ain't broke....
Yep. Had that old '85 edition... you know, sadly I've just realized Battletech has aged far better than I have... ouch!!!
This looks great; tempted to pick one up.
Nice one Ash!😶🌫
I will likely get this box, just seeing the content value and the fact the standees are designed well and make sense for a low-price product just amazed me. I think I am too used to the predatory tactics of GW so I assume cheap boxes will be bare-bones and almost unplayable.
The 'game of armored combat' box is an even better deal. Generally $60, but if you look around online you can usually find it for $45ish. It includes more comprehensive rules, two map sheets, and EIGHT mechs! Plus pretty much everything else that's included in the beginner's box👍🏼
@@CMDR.Gonzo.von.Richthofen Cheers! I will look into it!
The total warfare book, which basically has comprehensive information on infantry to to aerospace fighters, to even landed dropships is like 30 bucks. If you just want a beat em up without much story, you can stop there and just buy, or 3d print, the minis you want and go from there.
I wonder, is this one even available? The last one was impossible to get :(
It's not out yet.
You can definitely get the current one on Amazon!
Catalyst has knocked all the new stuff outta the park... Finally, a single scale of mechs as opposed to what has come before.
Great Review! BT/AS is the best game. Deep waters may be an understatement :)
Nice Report, Thx for that! But i am a little disapointed about the Box. Only 2 Mechs inside, seems to be very little. The Old boxes, i remember when i entered Bettletech, contained 12 or 14 Mechs, so you could do little Battles. But all in all, i seems to be a okish beginners Box.
This isn’t an analogue for those boxes. The A Game of Armoured Combat box comes with two full lances and standees as well, and costs more. This is a cheap and cheerful toe dip instead. :) The big box is already available (and costs $35 more). store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-a-game-of-armored-combat
I wish there was an easier way to get an official vindicator. I mean… they got me to buy it and all but still.
GMG: This is the original rulebook.
Battledroids rulebook: Excuse me?
I mean it’s the original BATTLETECH rulebook… I do explain that like two sentences later don’t I? Lol
I hope cgl does a reboot of citytech, I want to watch mechs skid
I don't get it. The Vindicator is cool, but it's 10 tons lighter and 20% slower than the Griffin. I'm guessing the recommended 1v1 Griffin isn't the standard PPC/LRM10 version. It's also good that there's no rear armor in the beginner box.
Vindicator fuck yeah!
I have to disagree with you on the balance of this set. The Vindicator is 45t vs the Griffin's 55t. The standard Vindy is well armed and armoured for its weight but its also sloooow for a 45 tonner where the Griffin is faster and has slightly more armour.
I can see why they swapped out the Wolverine but this box is not a balanced fight, which is weird for a beginner box
There are the cardboard cutouts so you can play 2 on 2.
Also remember the game in here is abridged without using heat and stuff so it’s sort of force-balanced quite a bit. :)
True it is abridged and there are other units available as standees. But the abridgement (the main ones being heat and crits/internals) wouldn't make much of a difference to the 2 mechs facing off. And as you say in the videos, learning CBT starts with playing 1v1 and what beginner is going to play with the standees when there are minis?
I'm not saying it's a big issue, I just think it's a weird change to make. The only real reason I can see for them making it is to appease those who complained that when they bought both the beginner and the AGOAC box they ended up with two Wolverines. Fair enough - but they've used up the main introtech 55t mechs already so they've swapped one for a 45t. Why not then swap both to 45t: Vindy vs Phoenix Hawk for example
One way you can balance it out is giving the Vindie a better pilot, basically lower its base target by 1 or a -1 bonus to hit if it doesn't have those rules. I think that would level the playing field.
There is a new kick starter? When? It is my greatest shame I missed the reboot kick starter 4 years ago. As someone who has played the game since 1988 I don't want to miss another chapter in BT history.
The Griffin is 10 tons heavier than the Vindicator (55 tons vs 45 tons)
No Capellan mechwarriors even in the starter to get people set straight from the start 😂
I wonder if BT will suffer the fate of warhammer fantasy one day. It seems the best era are the Succession war and the Clans invasion. One day, Catalyst will either have to retcon everything after the fedcom civil war or have to ditch the classic era wholesale in order for the players to move to new box sets a la Sigma. Even worse, BT lore already wrote itself into a corner with the Dark Age so the current era doesn't even have the legs of warhammer fantasy.
eh, not really true though since mechs are basically eternal; in fact many of the more recent TRO releases for the ilClan era have just been updating the old standbys to ilClan-era tech. So if you buy a plastic Battlemaster you can happily drive a BLR-1G during the Succession Wars, a BLR-3M during the Clan Invasion, a BLR-10S during the Jihad, and then whatever version of the Battlemaster was in ilClan Recognition Guide #3. So the boxed set doesn't have to change in any major fashion. If anything I anticipate the later eras might get their own 'update' boxes like Clan Invasion did with a few new mechs and the rules for the new tech.
Like William says. New TRO's are providing new variants to allow playing the mechs people are nostalgic for in the ilClan era, not that eras have ever stopped you from running an old mech. CGL also seems happy to support all eras so the players can choose their own prefered play style.
GW makes decisions based on forced profiteering. Replace a whole game to force replacing all the books and minis. CGL simply made everything better quality and allowed players free will to decide to buy the new stuff, which most people did.
Just like this Beginner box, box sets and various books will likely be refreshed over time, but I don't see why they'd ever wipe the whole game just to make a buck.
Maybe now that you guys have the Beginner Box, you will make fewer rules errors in your Battle Reports. ;)
Jokes on you. I can’t read.
@@GuerrillaMiniatureGames So this exempts you from understanding the rules and applying them in a uniform way???
@@faithmcclosky4528 I reserve uniformity to my colour schemes.
@@GuerrillaMiniatureGames I read once... It was highly overrated..
Man, you sound fun. How often do you make errors when you’re playing tabletop wargames? It’s bound to happen and you can’t always catch every mistake.
No alpha strike cards red flags
The first beginner box didn't have them either. The AGoC box has the Griffin AS card.
You can also print off any mech's alpha strike stats (for any variant) in card format from the game's online mech database. This isn't a GW starter set that leaves out half the stuff you need to get into the rest of the game. 🤯
I just wish the mats were on card like in CGL's older releases