BattleTech
| BattleTech | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Wargame published by Catalyst Game Labs |
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| No. of Players | 2+ | |
| First Publication | 1984 | |
| Essential Books | Total Warfare | |
A Game of Armored Combat
"It is the 31st century, a time of endless wars that rage across human-occupied space. As star empires clash, these epic wars are won and lost by BattleMechs, 30-foot-tall humanoid metal titans bristling with lasers, autocannons and dozens of other lethal weapons; enough firepower to level entire city blocks. Your elite force of MechWarriors drives these juggernauts into battle, proudly holding your faction s flag high, intent on expanding the power and glory of your realm. At their beck and call are the support units of armored vehicles, power armored infantry, aerospace fighters and more, wielded by a MechWarrior's skillful command to aid him in ultimate victory. Will they become legends, or forgotten casualties? Only your skill and luck will determine their fate!" - Product promotional tagline.
Holy Crap, Robots are awesome
In the early 1980s, Jordan Weisman took interest in several Japanese animated series involving giant robots. He was quoted as saying that he liked the designs and idea of giant robots fighting on the battlefield, but did not have a taste for the storylines that the Japanese involved them with. His company acquired licensing for the designs from several giant robot series (most well known being The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, but a large portion also come from Fang of the Sun Dougram, and a few designs were also drawn from Crusher Joe), and in 1984, used them to make this game.
The first edition of this game, called Battledroids, was a wargame made to be played on a board that illustrates a battlefield with various hills, trees, and lakes, all divided into hexagonal "Spaces". It came with two large plastic miniatures of the giant robots (The same variety that could be purchased from Japan). Initially, sales were mediocre, because the sheer size of the miniatures made gameplay awkward. Soon after the release of the product, Lucasfilms filed a lawsuit against FASA (Weisman's company) for using the name "Droids", which was a trademarked title. Although no charges were pressed, the company had to revise the name. The second edition, released in 1986, used cardboard stand-ups rather than the original miniatures.
Not long afterwards, fans began to press for new miniatures. After rescaling the miniatures to be compatible with the new hex-maps and making them with pewter, Miniatures had once again become the standard for most serious players. Also, many new in-house designs were being made. Though rarely as aesthetically pleasing as many of the Japanese designs, they were made to bridge the aesthetic gap between the Macross and Dougram designs. They managed to do this rather well. The third edition of BattleTech came with plastic miniatures again, but all of the designs were the outsourced ones, making this one of the most sought-after editions of the game today.
In 1995, soon after the release of the highly-rated PC game Mechwarrior 2, Harmony Gold pressed charges on FASA to cease and desist in using all of the robots that they had the license for: specifically, the ones from Macross, which Harmony Gold infamously dubbed under the name "Robotech". It had turned out that due to a legal fumble, FASA had only acquired the rights to the miniatures line. In order to avoid legal action, FASA had to stop production of all of it's designs that had been outsourced, including all of the IIC Second-line clan mechs that were released in the first edition of Technical Readout 3055 (These were illustrations that had been made by hiring Victor Musical industries, a Japanese company, to redesign many of the "Classic" Inner-sphere Battlemechs players had been using since the 1980s, and breathe new life into them). Again, in 1996, FASA introduced another Boxed set, the 4th edition. It went back to using cardboard stand-ups, but for the first time in the history of the product, it contained no outsourced designs. Although the house designs have evolved into their own westernized feel, the aesthetic features of many of the old designs, such as cockpits with large windows that are more akin to a window for an aircraft, are still prevalent.
Fluff
Much like Warhammer, Battletech has enough fluff to go beyond manuals. Chances are, you even ran across a Battletech book at your LGS or any large book store. The fluff starts as early as the collapse of the Soviet Union, and continues on to describe a millennia worth of characters, planets, wars, and conflicts. While there is a bias towards military information (Battletech is a wargame, after all), there is a lot of information on the civilian side of life as well, and unlike Warhammer, it goes beyond "Life is Grimdark, infer how terrible it is from that". The fluff that deals with earlier events is more historical/biographical while the later events are likely to be told in a narrative (in case of video games it makes sense, as chances are, they are going to be based in later part of the BattleTech's timeline, and the main character(s) is(are) likely to be the narrator(s)). Many 'mechs, vehicles, and even weapons and components are likely to have at least a few lines of background information behind them, if not for their function, then to link them to their producers/users. Because in the Grimdark future of 31st Century, War sells - and someone is going to be buying.
A Small History Lesson
Considering that Battletech's background fluff is rather expansive, we'll only cover it selectively, and if you want to learn the names of individual soldiers in conflict, go visit the Sarna.net link that should be on the bottom of the page.
The story begins with the Soviet Union breaking up, much like it did in real life. Then in 1997, the Commies overtake Russia again, instead becoming drunk follower of Slaanesh. With Cold War 2.0, America and Japan cooperate to create a Cripplen orbital space station that was a command center and could shoot space laser(s). The second Russian Civil War breaks out, and someone takes over the Russian Nuclear Launch Room and launched all the Nukes at United States and Europe. Luckily, the personnel of the Cripplen space station played enough Missile Command to stop all the missiles from hitting any of the targets. Then Poland somehow have been able to resist the invading Russian forces (of some origin, whenever they were dirty Commies or stinking Liberals was not explained), and their symbol of rebellion, a raised fist, has become a symbol for impressed members of future House Steiner.
After the war, under the banner of Western Alliance, the humanity begun to expand into the solar system. Mars and Moon were colonized. Western Alliance became Terran Alliance and in 2107, the first FTL drive was successfully used. In 2235, 600 colonies were established, and many were lost control of by the Terran Alliance. Terran Alliance was desolved and became Terran Hegemony. Around the same time, many current Inner Sphere factions begun their existence lead by the Great Houses. And then, in 2439, Terran Hegemony produced the first Battlemech, and the face of war has changed.
While previous wars were fought in space, the Battlemechs brought the combat back to the ground. The first 'mech was Mackie, a lumbering 100-ton behemoth, which showed the might of the Battlemech against the Armored Combat Vehicles - previous rulers of the battlefield. Despite the Battlemech's tremendous power and efficiency in combat, the plans for the Battlemech were soon stolen and became available to most major powers in the Inner Sphere. The Era of Battlemech has begun.
Mechs just got Real
Considering that before Battletech, mecha genre was considered as something primarily Japanese in concept (minus the "War of the Worlds" Tripods and "Star Wars" Imperial Walkers, of course), Battletech showed that having 'mechs being piloted by real soldiers rather than angsty 13-year olds makes for a better experience. Even more, the workings of mechs are conceptually easy to understand, and much of the fluff goes into the explanation of the various components and weapons. Where Gundams, even at their most realistic presentation, are likely to never run out of ammo or care of most laws of physics, 'mechs are machines that despite their power, have their limits clearly stated. Most mechs range between 20 to 100 tons, with only a few prototypes made for 15-ton Ultra-Light Guardian and 135 Colossal Ares, which is surprisingly light for a 15-meter high monstrosity. The legendary failure of German Maus tank weighted 188 tons and was still considered combat-capable, and that's something created with the technology of mid-20th century. Despite the weight, most mechs are able to reach the speed of at least 54 km/h speed, which puts them in the rather reasonable speed range for a ranged engagement. The weaponry ranges from basic machine guns, to the large, complicated, and powerful railguns. PPCs aside, most of the weapons are theoretically realistic. Same for the numerous vehicle components which are also present in the universe. Mech's (and many other vehicle's) power supply is a Fusion Reactor, which runs on water and allows for a theoretically unlimited operational range, limited only by the pilot's endurance and weapon's ammunition. Another important and more outlandish component of a mech, a Neurohelmet, which is a helmet that is able to recognize some of the pilot's brainwave impulses and allow for a more efficient operation of a Mech, meaning the difference between a constantly stumbling target and a machine that can easily climb, jump, and evade - although there are known temporary drawbacks to the use of neurohelmets (headache, dizzy sight, balance problems, buzzing, going batshit crazy).
Of course, although Battlemechs are considered the kings of the battlefield, there are still numerous vehicles used (especially for support roles). Land vehicles are considered to be both cheaper and numerous, and while lacking the mech's tons of armor, many are able to bring to bare an equal amount of weapons. Combined with the fact of vehicle's previously mentioned greater numbers, it can be seen why Battlemechs are unable to completely dominate the battlefield. Most vehicles can easily swarm and overwhelm 'mechs. In addition, 'mechs find it difficult to combat in urban environments, especially against infantry. Nothing stops a few dozen men with RPGs to get to the same floor as your cockpit, and engage the pilot directly with a rocket to the face. Mechs also tend to have a weakness against large pits and falling rocks. This means that in addition to Battlemechs, one can find infantry, vehicles, aerial vehicles, naval vehicles, and spaceships. In other words, where mechs are Space Marines, the vehicles are more akin to Eldar Aspects.
Suddenly Clannerscum
After the failure of Terran Hegemony, Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation combined to become Star League - and immediately, a 20 year Reunification War has begun. As a result, Star League became a state which has grown to encompass most of the Inner Sphere's major governments and factions. However, the humanity cannot have nice things, and 300 years later, a political scandal and a civil war broke the Star League apart. Star League's main defensive force, originally called Star League Defense Force, has been weakened through constant fighting against the usurpers and rebels. Aleksandr Kerensky, the leader of SLDF have gave up trying to hold the doomed state alive, and with all of his willing forces, has left the Inner Sphere in hopes to find a better life somewhere else. Meanwhile, Inner Sphere became a political and military playground for all the Great Houses, who were trying to take control of the Inner Sphere in the conflict remembered as Succession Wars.
Kerensky and his followers first settled on the Pentagon Worlds, where they tried to start a new society and a new Star League. They failed though, and the wars erupted amongst the planets, showing bitter irony of life. Kerensky tried to move on, but suffered a heart attack, and the leadership was overtaken by his son, Nicholas Kerensky (who unlike his father had hair and was probably a closet furry). Nicholas took the remaining followers with him to a planet he called "Dream Land" and established the twenty original Clans.
The Clans are a tribal society that is divided into five castes - Warriors (Religious and Political Leaders and Soldiers), Scientists (Less respected but are considered highly important), Merchants (Detested and only kept as a necessity), Technicians (Engineers and Warrior's Servants), and Laborers (Serfs, repressed as needed). Although during the birth each child is tested for their relevance to a certain caste, but more often than not are the same as their parents. Speaking of which, Clanners strongly believe in eugenics, and most of the Warrior Caste members are genetically enhanced clones/mashups. Other castes are selectively bred by the instructions from Science Caste. On a positive side it would mean that even neckbeards would end up breeding. On the other hand, the society has only a few acceptable non-technical forms of information, meaning that there really is no reason for there to be neckbeards. Paradoxes aside, Clans were created towards efficiency, and even their language differs from the one used in the Inner Sphere. Clans constantly compete in everything, from combat to technological prowess, as they foresaw their return to the Inner Sphere and it's liberation in their hands.
And that day was not far off.
Mechanics
One of the biggest appeals of BattleTech is that all of its units are made with a predefined set of rules. Because of these construction rules for all in-house designs, custom designs are fully possible, as well, though they are not likely to be welcome in tournament matches.
BattleTech uses a build system based on 'Mech tonnage. You start with a Chassis limit, from 20-100 tons. You then determine engine size based on how fast you want your 'Mech to be (how many hexes you want it to be able to move per turn) you then allocate the remaining tonnage to control systems, weapons, ammo and armor. This method varies slightly depending on the technology of the chassis, but not overmuch. Though the system has recently been removed, there were previously three "Levels" of technology.
Level 1 referred to early-era gameplay. In this style of play, only the most rudimentary weapons and technologies were available, though the rules remain the same. This is the preferred level at which to learn, and is synonymous with the equipment available during the Succession Wars era. It is also the level of play made possible with starter boxes.
Level 2 referred to tournament-level gameplay. This introduced new equipment and electronics, as well as clan technology (A more technologically advanced, but militant people). Though the rules are generally the same as those in level 1 gameplay, extra equipment such as ECM, Anti-missile systems, Cluster munitions, etc were better suited to more experienced players. It is the level of play made possible with the separately purchased rulebooks.
Level 3 Referred to advanced gameplay and equipment. This also included all equipment that was not listed in the core rulebooks. More complex rules were inserted in order to increase the realism and flexibility of the game. These include new weapons, New terrain, new equipment, expanded heat gauges, alternate rules for Line-of-sight, etc. Though Level 3 rules included equipment not printed in the core rulebooks (Such as the Prototype weapons for the War of 3039, Solaris VII weapons, etc), the standard rulebook in regards to Level 3 play was called Maxtech. This has now been replaced by the Catalyst Games release of Tactical Operations, and some new rules for BattleTech play may also appear in Strategic Operations.
Play is simple. Two six-sided dice are used, on a to-hit (Equal or greater to) system. Roll initiative. Whoever loses moves first. However, although all weapons damage is technically done at the same time, and therefore "Who shoots first" is insignificant, considering which mech to shoot with first does change the outcome. If you get hit, you mark off the weapons damage rating from your armor. If the shot penetrates your armor, you roll potential criticals. Firing weapons and moving about generates heat, which you must keep down to keep your 'Mech working properly.
Unlike games such as Warhammer, where many units are either killed on the first shot, or left unscathed, and little information is recorded, BattleTech uses record sheets to mark off cumulative damage, ammunition, pilot status, and heat. Also, there are hit locations, so limbs can be blown off. The record sheets allow for effects that are more detailed, but this also increases the overall playtime. Although expert players can get through matches just as fast as players of other games of more or less equal size, new players often find that the game plays slowly. This is usually due to the time spent referencing hit-location tables, critical effects, etc. For new players, 2V2 matches are best, with 4V4 matches being the "Cap", in order to have games that do not take excessively long. More experienced players will likely play matches as large as 12V12 or larger.
Expansions
The RPG companion-game, titled Mechwarrior, was created in the late 1980s, so that players could simulate the lifestyle of the Mechwarriors they played. A 2nd edition (1991) and 3rd edition (1999) were also released. 3rd edition became renamed Classic Battletech RPG, in order to avoid confusion with the clix games, and though it was available as a .PDF download, it was not reprinted until 2006.
Aerotech and Battlespace were two different games which simulated space combat in the BattleTech universe. Movement handled differently due to the zero-gravity nature of space, and was played on a different scale.
Spinoff Games
Due to it's popularity through the late 80s and early 90s, BattleTech spawned a multitude of spinoffs and expansion games.
Lost Worlds dueling books. NOVA adapted their melee duelling system to make four books for Battletech mecha. Each book has the opponent's view of the mech on each page, and a character sheet listing possible maneuvers. Since it used the same system as the rest of their books, you could have "20-ton Locust vs. skeleton with scimitar" duels.
Battletroops was a game that was made to simulate the BattleTech universe, with infantry in mind as the main units. It later had an expansion pack to incorporate clan equipment, as well as Elementals, but the game did not sell as well and the rules have since been abandoned.
Battleforce was a revision of BattleTech, made in recognition of the fact that large-scale combat could not be effectively played out using the current system. Battleforce simplified each 'mech into a simple set of numbers, so that they could be clustered into units and fight over a much larger area. Battleforce 2, released about a decade later, also introduced planetary invasion maps and rules to go along with them. Although the maps are available in Map Compilation 2, the rules will be reprinted in
The Solaris VII Boxed set was made to simulate the fast-paced gladiatorial combat on the game's world of Solaris VII. It included new rules, new maps with special rules, new mechs, and supplements for roleplaying. Little known fact. Some of the designs used in the original Solaris VII set were redesigns of the BattleTech 'mechs... themselves copies of Japanese mechs! When the product tried to sell in Japan, half of the designs were already copyrighted by other well known anime companies, and the in-house designs were simply not "Japanese" enough for their tastes. Though the product itself flopped, it's maps were reprinted and re-released in 2004, as well as a complimentary up-to-date rulebook. Rules have since been standardized to match those of Classic Battletech, but "Special Map rules" have been included.
The BattleTech Collectible Cardgame was produced by Wizards of the Coast in 1996, and ran until 1998. Though it's popularity had begun to wane after the first core set, the release of the Pokemon card game was the nail in the coffin. The Battletech CCG hosted some very impressive artwork, though the game favored swarm-decks filled with plenty of weak, cheap 'mechs, and it's non-"Creature" cards were too weak to have an effective deck based around them. After five editions (Battletech Limited/Unlimited, Counterstrike, Mercenaries, Mechwarrior, Arsenal) Battletech CCG came out with Commander's Edition, which picked some of the best cards of the last few editions (though it abandoned or revised some cards for inaccuracies or "brokenness") It had one final expansion, Crusade, which introduced the Steel Viper clan, though there were some prior cards that did reference the clan.
Video Games
- Crescent Hawk's Inception (Infocom, 1988)
- Mechwarrior (Activision, 1989)
- Crescent Hawks' Revenge (Infocom, 1990)
- Mechwarrior II (Activision, 1995)
- MechCommander (FASA, 1998)
- MechWarrior III (Microprose, 1999)
- MechWarrior IV: Vengeance (Microsoft, 2000), Black Knight (Microsoft, 2001), Mercenaries (Microsoft, 2002)
- These games had two expansions that gave more mechs, the Inner Sphere Mech Pack and Clan Mech Pack.
- MekTek released a legal port of Mercenaries, with both Mech Packs, new mechs, and battlesuits all inside, plus multiplayer support. Free to download.
- MechCommander II (FASA/Microsoft, 2006)
- MechWarrior Online (Smith & Tinker, 2012?)
- MechWarrior Tactical Command (Personae Studios, 2012?, iPhone/iPad)
The following are free homemade versions of Battletech
- MechWar v1.12 (MS-DOS)
- MegaMek (Java)
- BTMUX - ascii-only mmo (anyone old enough to remember what a MUD is?) (any OS)
You could play it in pure ascii, or get a graphical helper
Most of the existing ones are gone, but FrontierMUX seems to still be alive. - Neveron (web-based mmo)
- Titans of Steel (MS-Windows)
Current State
In 1998, the U.S. release of Pokemon for the Gameboy, and the subsequent cartoon and cardgame, had a damaging effect on the tabletop games market. Comic book stores which had previously stocked tabletop RPGs, wargames, and collectible card games found that they could turn a better profit by stocking more Pokemon goods and cutting out the weaker-selling products. Only a handful of better-selling tabletop games, such as products by Games Workshop and the Dungeons & Dragons games, were able to remain. In 2001, FASA ceased operations, and many fans of the BattleTech series began to look for other games. BattleTech was purchased by FanPro and Wizkids, donning the name Classic Battletech in order to better separate it from the now-floundering Mechwarrior Clix-game license. Despite still having products released for it, Classic Battletech was often put on the back burner, as Wizkids showed preference to their clix-games. It was later licensed to Catalyst Game Labs, who have since released a new boxed set (6th edition) based on the newly revised core rules. This boxed set, once again, contains plastic miniatures. Though the plastic miniatures (When compared to plastic miniatures produced by other companies) are decidedly low-quality, they are more than sufficient as playing-pieces for new players who are experimenting with the product. In making low-grade miniatures for the box set, the overall price tag remained low, while giving players something more tangible than a cardboard cutout. The game is beginning to gain popularity once again, despite the dropping popularity of tabletop games in general.
Jordan Weissman's reacquired of the BattleTech games' license and the founding of his new company Smith & Tinker, which gave hope that there will be another BattleTech universe game sometime in the future, despite no announcements since its founding.
Mechwarrior Online has been announced and should be out before the end of 2012.