Re: Battletech XLBS

[templar5836 3327xp 1]

@hearne the drop ship is really cool! I was thinking of the much bigger one though, not sure what it is called but the giant ball.

How do you play in your group, do you stick with specific factions and worry about what mechs they would have available to them, or do you just basically allow whatever mechs player want to use? To be honest, I don’t know much of the lore, so a lot of our gaming is just “what do you like to use?”. I would love for out games to be more “accurate” but as none of us have played particularly long it seems like a lot to ask for everyone to get up to speed.
Am I right in thinking if we decide to play in the ilClan era almost every mech would be available? Would there be more restrictions the earlier era you choose?

[sundancer 42985xp 2]

I was thinking of the much bigger one though, not sure what it is called but the giant ball.

@templar5836  “union class dropship” is possibly what you’re thinking about. I’m pretty sure there was some weird stretch goal on the Clan Invasion KS…. need to look that up

 

 

[sundancer 42985xp 2]

Yeah, there was a “fortress dropship model” but I can’t find pictures of the ones by CGL right now.

 

[dawfyddParticipant 11926xp 2]

@templar5836 yeah, as you go back down the timeline the options available tend to wax & wane as the tech base is blown to bits with some chassis not even existing at that point. As of the IlKhan era I believe that the intent is to have at least one variant for each chassis upgraded with technology to put it on par with more modern designs of 3150.

And, well, Mistakes Have Been Made….

Also, a few comparisons of the new minis with older metals…

[templar5836 3327xp 1]

@sundancer Yes the Union Drop ship is what I was thinking of thank you! I think I saw the CGL one, but it was scaled for hexes and not scaled to 6mm or 1/286 or whatever scale they use…

@hearne That is kind of what I figured for the eras, so if we want to have the most flexibility then the ilClan era would probably be the way to go.
I don’t see any mistakes there? I see you painting projects for the next year or two…but no mistakes. The new plastics are so much better than the older metals, it’s a shame they are so hard to get a hold of after the kickstarters

 

[hearne 1400xp 1]

@templar5836 Exactly .. this model is the updated “Leopard” – the one you’re thinking is the Union.  Leopard holds a Lance, Union a Company.  I found this image below a while ago..  I love modeling and I love building large dioramas.  I think it’s the RR nut in me, I grew up with the old Lionel “Big” stuff.  This Leopard makes me happy, so I’ll get her painted up and she’ll have a nice spot in the gaming area.

Our group is .. eclectic, so we play mostly “Play what you like.  One person is a HUGE Jade Falcon nut.  His intro to Battletech was the Jade Falcon trilogy, and he’s got a Jade Falcon Galaxy.   I am a 3039  guy – I started at the beginning and Field either Davion, FedCom or Merc.   Other guys have their own preference.   The tech difference is a challenge.  That’s one advantage of Alpha strike – the tech difference is not as stark and an Inner Sphere force vs a Clan force with equivalent BV can pretty much make a decently balanced game.   But each game is different.. either classic or alpha, depending on whether is Lance on Lance or Company on Company.  Our current timeframe for games is Tukayyid, but honestly, the only house rules are “be generous and have fun.”

We’re working out a Campaign set of scenarios to give a story to the fights.. and that adds interest.

So.. yeah, lots of words to pretty much say “whatever you like – just be a good sportsman.”

@dawfydd  that’s an awesome set!  I’m looking forward to seeing what ya do with ’em!!

[mecha82Participant 10037xp 1]

As huge BT fan I have been buying BT products when ever I have seen LGS have them with my latest buy being ilClan sourcebook. So I did manage to get some mech miniatures besides of ones in BB, AGoAC and CI boxed sets before those were sold out. Shame that I missed Clan Salvage boxes for chance to get extra Timber Wolf. And yes, I did pick up AS rulebook as well so I have that option even if I prefer Classic BT.

[templar5836 3327xp 1]

@hearne that’s good to know, since we really only play Alpha Strike that means that balance issues should be much to worry about, I would like to try classic, but I don’t think I could convince my local group to try it.

Im with you on the subject of terrain as well, it should be impressive. Most of my local group doesn’t really care what the table looks like, so I am the go to terrain guy. They were playing Star Wars Legion with Age of Sigmar terrain…I had to look away so I did not throw up ?

[grimwolfuk 10506xp 2]

I’m thinking about creating a project that would be the start of a community campaign for BattleTech using MEGAMEK (https://megamek.org/). Just wonder who would be interested in this as a start?

[sundancer 42985xp 0]

Just wonder who would be interested in this as a start?

@grimwolfuk Potentially yes but I know myself: I will not make it work for me because “reasons” so I’m not promising.

On the subject of BT: are there “official” solo play rules? I was wondering and google/search engine just spits out the PC game XD

[bobcockayne 20723xp 0]

If you have a rules question fire away, If I dont know answer, Kevin will, We lived the game for months on end during various campaigns.

[templar5836 3327xp 0]

@grimwolfuk I would probably be interested in a campaign, I have been looking into how to run one locally lately

[dawfyddParticipant 11926xp 1]

So start of the month I ordered myself a “Red Reaver” variant of the Black Knight off of a seller on Ebay – the print looked good and the price (£4.99 + £5 postage) seemed reasonable, and the seller offers both a discount on multiple mechs and a cap on postage after the first 2 so figured it was worth giving them a try – and it arrived this Friday just gone.

Overall I was fairly impressed as it was a single-piece print (barring the base). Minimal cleanup required as well, just a few support nubbins on the bottom of shield and rear of the ‘mech. The sword was a tad disappointing as it was noticeably bent (as you can see) and made me think I might have to use some hot water to straighten it out…

Thankfully it looks like that won’t be necessary, as after being left overnight the blade has almost entirely straightened out. It appears it was just the natural give of the resin used combined with the packing material the seller used. Which is good news as this guy looks great! Even alongside a Black Knight from the Kickstarter it holds up well – you can tell they share the same ancestry, but have diverged at some point. Now the real Irony is that i actually have the STL for this design in my Battletech folder, but as a test to see if this seller is worth using until I get a printer of my own? Worked out nicely.

Incidentally, does anyone know of a good STL for a Mad Cat Mk.IV? Thought I had found a seller offering a good print of one but when I asked about it (despite being the header image for their listing) they said I’d need to provide the STL. Quite happy to pay if it’s a Patreon or a file someone has up for sale (to be honest, I’d be game for files of any Dark Age/Age of Destruction mechs)….

[templar5836 3327xp 1]

Polygon master works has some great madcat files available, but only to Patreon subscribers, but you could sign up for a month and get the models you want if you are not interested in subscribing long term.

[dawfyddParticipant 11926xp 1]

Funnily enough I have all of the files PMW had available back before they switched to the current subscription model. All make great Timber Wolves and Mad Cat Mk.II’s, and but nothing that matches that distinctive look of the Savage Wolf. I know DA/AoD gets a bad rap but I dig a lot of the designs, especially the later Battlemechs (Mad Cat Mk.III still holds up from the earlier designs though).

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