If I were to get into TableTop BattleTech...

[Arch-Heretek]

What would I choose? Total Warfare? Or Alpha Strike? Or that newish manual that just says "BattleTech."

And where would I find the board to play on? Everything I've looked at has no map or terrain except the Intro Box Set and thats sold out, while the new stuff doesn't come out until the end of the year

 

[kbs666]

Alpha Strike is a simplified fast play rule set. I honestly don't know how many people play with it.

Total Warfare and the rest of the BattleTech labeled products, except those labeled Battleforce, are for the full game. You can get the PDF of Total Warfare from DriveThruRpg
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/24642/BattleTech-Total-Warfare?it=1

I wouldn't be shocked if you couldn't find a hard copy on Amazon or on one of the online game shops as well.

As to maps there are maps you can buy with hex grids printed on them but most people play with miniatures and that calls for as much or as little terrain as you want. For terrain look for stuff labeled 1/300 scale, 1/285 scale or microarmor scale. There's a lot of it out there if you look. Total Warfare has a pretty good guide to getting started with making your own as well IIRC.

 

[Packrat]

Total Warfare is the current core rulebook. If you like playing TT, I also recommend getting TechManual (unit construction rules and point value calculations) and Tactical Operations (optional rules for the core combat game).

Maps are trickier. There were some old products that were just maps for BT, but I don't know whether or not any are currently in print. I recommend just doing a search for BattleTech maps and seeing what pops up.

 

[GenTask]

You can also choose between the physical tabletop version or the virtual versions:

Upcoming revised Boxed sets: https://bg.battletech.com/books/upcoming-releases/

Beginner Box or A Game of Armored Combat (Release, Third Quarter 2018)
Also revised Alpha Strike: Commander's Edition (Release, Summer 2018)

Virtual BattleTech:

MegaMek
Table Top Simulator + BattleTech mods to download

 

[Fiona Marshe]

You need a copy of the rulebook to understand what is happening in Megamek ('most' things are programmed in, but there is little explanation of the rules in use.)

That said, Megamek is great when travelling on a laptop (more specifically, MekHQ persistent campaign play).

 

[RangerRob]

I've been playing for a while. I prefer Alpha Strike to the core Battletech. Keeps the flavor of B-Tech but cuts the time by 75% or more. You could almost play Alpha Strike faster than you can this PC game using the same forces / scenario.

Each mech chassis still feels different in Alpha Strike. You can also field 4 mechs per per player and be done in 30 minutes...in Battletech that could take you 2 - 4 hours depending on skill and tech level.

Guess it depends on how detailed you want to be in your games and how much time per session you can commit.

Edit: also Alpha strike is hexless and you can just play on a open table without the need of a hex-map.

 

[wundergoat]

My understanding is that the new battletech manual is a mech-only rulebook that pulls the relevant parts from Total Warfare, Tech Manual, and bits of TacOps. It does not include combined arms rules.

TW has all the gameplay rules for vehicles, infantry, aerospace, and civilian equipment.

TechManual is the rule book for building all the unit types covered in TW.

TacOps includes advanced rules and equipment for the standard scale game.

StratOps is advanced naval combat and construction, some maintenance rules, and battleforce, which is a quick play system for large unit actions (handles 36v36 in the time the standard rules handles a 4v4). Alpha strike is a derivative of battle force, using the same quick play system but at small unit scale.


As to my opinion on what to play: Classic has a ton of bookkeeping required, which slows play down a lot. It is very detailed and has a lot of depth, but that bookkeeping overhead is a barrier to entry. I’ve found that I enjoy it more in MegaMek, where the program takes care of that overhead for you.

I’ve not done alpha strike, but I’ve done my research. It seems that it plays more like a modern tabletop but keeps hallmark elements of battletech. Resolution is much faster, with less rolls and less tables to consult/memorize.

Ultimately, it comes down to what your play group is down for.

 

[RangerRob]

Battetech Record sheet and an Alpha Strike Record sheet of a trusty old Atlas D.

Alpha Strike because...
Moving units is faster:...Rather than the walk run hex facing changes...you just move the Atlas 6" any facing.
To hit mods: Battletech count your's and targets move mods. You see the TMM...that is what they add to hit you in Alpha Strike. Harder for you to hit them only if you jump.
To hit rolls: One for each weapon in BTech, Single roll based on range for Alpha Strike
Damage: Damage location for each weapon in BTech, Single damage total based on range in Alpha Strike...+1 damage if you hit the target in the rear.
Armor & Structure: Separate for each location in BTech, one row of armor one of structure in Alpha Strike.
Criticals: Simplified into a single chart for Alpha Strike for every time you damage structure.

 

[Arch-Heretek]

Thanks for the replies. Is there a particularly cheaper option? I ask since I know W40K miniatures get up into the thousands to just assemble a single army.

Miniatures and terrain are nice, but strike me as rapidly cost increasing, unless this isn't really the case or there's some cost reducer somewhere. Plus I'm not always a fan of bustng out rulers to determine simple things like movement or distance. Are hexes or terrain options for both rulesets?

 

[Fiona Marshe]

Hit the second hand stores for *any* previous box set. Most have at least 8 plastic minis and 2 maps (or really far back, cardboard folding figs). The basic rules haven't really changed in 30 years; mostly cleaning up problems and streamlining tedious bits or expansions (such as buildings and vehicles).

I still use my rulebook from 1998 when playing casually.

 

[Packrat]

You can play using anything to represent the units as long as they have some indicator of facing. Ideally they should also be uniquely identifiable, but memory can suffice for that for small games. I once read where someone got four different kinds of coins and put a piece of tape with an arrow drawn on it onto each one, and that was the lance. As for maps, you might be able to find some of the old map packs, but barring that you can literally just draw out hex grids onto pieces of paper and write the terrain and level into each hex.

Playing BT doesn't need anything fancy.

 

[Arch-Heretek]

I suppose I could phrase that second bit better.

Are the hex/terrain rules interchangeable with both(?) rule systems, or are they exclusive to one or another

 

[RangerRob]

I suppose I could phrase that second bit better.

Are the hex/terrain rules interchangeable with both(?) rule systems, or are they exclusive to one or another

Interchangeable.

You can use hex maps or pure terrain for either system.
The conversion is 1 Hex = 2 inches. That simple.

So your 21 hex range LRM has a tabletop range of 42".
In B-Tech on hexless terrain, your Atlas can Walk 6", or Run 10" assuming it doesn't make a hex facing change which would cost it 2" of it's move for each hex face.
In Alpha Strike on a hexmap, that same Atlas could move 3 hexes and be facing in any direction at the end of the move.

I prefer the Hexless as I think it make the game more fluid, gives the game a better look, and helps determine line of sight when different elevations come into play.

I've converted many of the old Hex Solaris arenas to 3d terrain over the years, to use with Alpha Strike. I use this terrain at conventions to teach folks Alpha Strike in big 10 - 16 player games.

The hex map of the Steiner Coliseum. Walls raise a lower during the match, changing the battlefield each turn.

And my 4 Foot across, hexless terrain version of the Steiner Arena....

 

[RangerRob]

Course the Stiener Coliseum is the extreme for terrain.
I've made buildings out of styrofoam and that plastic packing liners found in most everything today.

Enough to make a City...

Or you can just throw some Rocks on the table...and it still looks pretty good.

 

[wundergoat]

Thanks for the replies. Is there a particularly cheaper option? I ask since I know W40K miniatures get up into the thousands to just assemble a single army.

Miniatures and terrain are nice, but strike me as rapidly cost increasing, unless this isn't really the case or there's some cost reducer somewhere. Plus I'm not always a fan of bustng out rulers to determine simple things like movement or distance. Are hexes or terrain options for both rulesets?

The same minis are used for both, with plastic minis in the box set and lance packs or metal minis from iron wind metals. The metal ones can get pricy, around $15 each, but you use nowhere near the number of models as 40k and the game doesn’t forbid proxies, so you get more mileage.

Books are the next cost, but both systems can be played with just one book: BattleMech manual of alpha strike. Books are available as PDFs. You can spend way more on rulebooks in classic and go with total warfare/techmanual/tacops over the Mech manual.

Hex maps are hard to find, but you can make your own. Find an online custom hex paper site and print out appropriate sized sheets to tape together. Alternatively, go hexless.

 

[kbs666]

If you look on Amazon you can find the old plastic lance packs, which are of admittedly low quality, for around $15 each.

IWM pewter minis run about $15 a piece but you can exactly what you want and they make virtually everything.

As to maps/terrain. It seems the most recent run of Btech maps are out of print so unless you find some in a local game shop your best options are to buy a big hex gaming mat, chessex makes a good one, and draw your own terrain on it or go hexless.

Miniature terrain doesn't have to be anything fancy. Styrofoam packing material can be carved up into the right sizes and painted into rather good buildings. The great thing is you can work on a lot of that stuff while watching a movie or the like. It doesn't require the sort of attention painting minis requires. So it is easy to add a piece every now and then when you have the material and the time.

 

[Arch-Heretek]

So I did some looking and came across three different seeming rulesets, the Total Warfare and Alpha Strike as described above, but also a third known as BattleForce. On the surface it seems to be similar to Alpha Strike, but I'm not entirely sure. Is this some sort of outdated system?

 

[Packrat]

So I did some looking and came across three different seeming rulesets, the Total Warfare and Alpha Strike as described above, but also a third known as BattleForce. On the surface it seems to be similar to Alpha Strike, but I'm not entirely sure. Is this some sort of outdated system?

BattleForce is intended for very large scale games. Basically, instead of moving around each individual mech, you move an entire lance as a unit. The current edition of the BattleForce rules can be found in Strategic Operations.

 

[Arch-Heretek]

BattleForce is intended for very large scale games. Basically, instead of moving around each individual mech, you move an entire lance as a unit. The current edition of the BattleForce rules can be found in Strategic Operations.

Is this the same thing as "Quick-Strike Rules" then, just with a different name?

 

[Packrat]

Is this the same thing as "Quick-Strike Rules" then, just with a different name?

I'm not familiar with those, so I couldn't say.