Choose Your Route Into The BattleTech Universe
January 29, 2019 by brennon
Catalyst Game Labs has been showing off some of the different ways you can delve into the BattleTech universe. The first of these might be the most obvious with the Beginner Box.
This boxed set comes with all the things you need to have a go at BattleTech for the first time. You get your hands on two high-quality miniatures, quick-start rules set, maps and cards which will represent your MechWarrior's unique skills, dice and more.
If you want to just smash each other to pieces and get a feel for the miniature game rules this could be a good start.
Beyond that, however, you can also get a look at BattleTech: A Game Of Armoured Combat.
This box contains a few more miniatures and various different options for those looking to dive into the universe. They are looking at this as the option for those that want to explore the game as a miniatures property, or something like a role-playing game.
Finally, another of the recent releases was Shattered Fortress.
Inside this book, you'll find...
"Shattered Fortress chronicles the twilight of BattleTech’s Dark Age, as nations are thrown into turmoil and predators circle the broken remnants of the Republic of the Sphere. This volume provides a year-by-year look at pivotal turning points in Inner Sphere, offers a peek behind the curtain of Fortress Republic, and reveals the fateful decisions that will ultimately decide the future of the Inner Sphere."
One of the things that strikes me about the BattleTech universe is just how deep the rabbit hole goes when it comes to the fiction. This is one of those avenues into that world and gives you a good primer on some of the background for this world you can get stuck into.
I won't pretend to know everything about BattleTech and in fact, I know very little, BUT this looks like a great place to start.
Are you tempted to delve back into BattleTech?
"Are you tempted to delve back into BattleTech?"
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Some of those cover art designs are looking very similar to the ones back in 2nd edition which is really ringing my nostalgia bell – I will need to keep an eye on the Catalyst minis as they roll out I think…
I would be tempted if anyone knew if the beginner box will come to Germany. I asked Ulisses, they answered “we don’t to distribution any more. That’s Burst Spiele now.” I asked Burst Spiele, they didn’t answer. I asked Catalystgamelabs and they said (and I quote) “My best suggestion is to check with your local FLGS to see if they are carrying our product or if their distributors can ship it in! The only international distributor I know of is PSI.” And my FLGS just shrugs and says he doesn’t know… sooo….. any of you nice folk know who will… Read more »
Hi sundancer, and everyone.
New member here.
Hopefully I’m not breaking any rules with this link: https://www.fantasywelt.de/BattleTech-Beginner-Box-EN
Apologies if I am.
I had trouble finding a BT supplier in the UK and pre-ordered this box aeons ago from this German site (hoping to receive it one day…), if it helps.
Hi Tom, thanks but that is still the English box. I’d rather have a translated version just for ease of use. And welcome to the madhouse.
Unless Catalyst does something with a partner, I do not believe they have any plans to translate
Such fond memories of battletech games, especially grinder games at conventions. I think i still have my ver1 and ver2 sets somewhere…..
Did see a pre-release look at some of the minatures, although better than the previous plastic one, still not up up to some of the high quality I’ve seen in some recent games, though I may be wrong.
Largely down to personal preference. Iron Wind makes nice minis but they are metal and require assembly. The single piece plastic minis are nice. Not great, but nice. I’d like to see them package the plastic boxes differently but that’s again, largely a matter of preference.
If you want to see some good-looking, multi=part plastic stompy robots you would do yourself a great service by checking out CAV: Strike operations. They’ve been slowly building the line by doing reasonably-sized kickstarter campaigns, and now they have plenty of models available in their online store. I’m pretty sure they recently set up distribution in the EU as well.
A long time since I’ve played battetech
It might not be most popular game on market but Battletech never dies.
Yeah, just never quits. Because who doesn’t like big stompy robots?
Battletech players never die, they just eject when their core is breached.
Hold on, BattleTech? Hmm … I know that game …
https://www.beastsofwar.com/battletech/exploring-part-one-introduction/
https://www.beastsofwar.com/battletech/exploring-part-two-backstory-setting/
https://www.beastsofwar.com/sci-fi-wargaming/exploring-world-battletech-part-technology-mechanics/
https://www.beastsofwar.com/battletech/exploring-world-part-four-battle-report/
https://www.beastsofwar.com/battletech/exploring-world-battletech-part-five-battletech-developers/
Stop luring me deeper! I’m still hiding behind the fact that it’s neither officially released here nor translated…. I don’t have any more space *cries into his coffee*
Hopefully the above mentioned German online retailer can get hold of some boxes. I’m eagerly awaiting some plastic redesigns of the SuccesionWar’s aera classics that did look good in the advertising (think MechwarrierOnline-like aesthetics)! It’s a shame that Catalyst had again troubles with their Chinese supplier(s ?) regarding these two boxes. They had a small pre-production batch selling out fast at last summer’s GenCon in America, but old Europe (and the rest of the world) suffered from the shipping delays. I already got a copy of Shattered Fortress and i’m not impressed so far: no color pages and lots of… Read more »
It’s a shame there haven’t been any significant changes to the clunky rules since I first played 30-odd years ago.
Back then we didn’t know any better…
You could say that about a lot of 30 year-old sci-fi rules ?Someone did a renegade Legion version ie used their combat rules for Battletech and works well. But the original rules still work
Both boxed sets are a great place to start getting into BattleTech; the main difference is the price point (£18.99 vs £57.99) and the number of plastic miniatures you’re getting – although ‘A Game of Armoured Combat’ has more of other things too.
Despite it’s release at the same time, Shattered Fortress is set far in the future of the game’s principal setting. It sounds like it will introduce that Dark Age period well, but that’s not where I’d start if you’re new to BattleTech.
This is one of the first sci-fi games I ever played.
I love me some Battletech. I’ve been playing for 15 years now. FASA owned the license when I started playing. One thing that is great about the legacy of the Battletech rule system, is that I have books published by FASA, Wizkids, and Catalyst, and they’re all compatible. Yes, the rules can be clunky, but I don’t know of any other rule set that captures the feeling of piloting a 80 ton, 6 story, metal behemoth bristling with weaponry. Plus, they have rules for auxiliary units like, infantry, battle armor, VTOLs, tanks, artillery, naval forces, etc. If anything, I think… Read more »
Back in the mid 80’s we played Battletech every week on Wednesday night. But we mixed Battletech and MechWarrior. We loved the RPG with all the details and used the tabletop game to run the battles. My best character started as a Lt. and rose through the ranks to Col. ranning his own mercenary unit that specializesed in light and medium mechs with fast moving vehicles also. They excelled in fast deep strike missions. To this day when those gamers and I get together, (which doesn’t happen often), we address each other as our best characters names. To this day… Read more »
Well catalyst have said on their Facebook page that they’ve ordered a full reprint as stock are falling fast
Has anybody in the UK (or anywhere in Europe for that matter) actually got hold of one of the starter boxes yet?