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So, I started with MechCommander (which a friend lent me), and continued with the Mech games as I grew up. Somewhere along the line I learned of Classic BattleTech (I think it was in a semi-local comic book shop) but never went further than acknowledging it's existence. I Haven't touched anything BT for about 5 years, for no particular reason, until earlier this year when I decided I'd give CBT a go.
Downloaded the quick-start rules, purchased some LITKO wargame counter stands as a stand-in for miniatures (it's not a GW game, I can get away with this!), and gave it a few runs. I just received my hardback of Total Warfare a few weeks ago and bought a few technical readouts and printable record sheets.
By far, this is the most interest I've ever had going into a new tabletop game.

Funnily enough, the year I get back into anything BT is the year there's a push with the licence; with MechWarrior Online, Tactics, and Tactical Command (iOS). All supposedly due this year.

Has anyone here had any experience with the BattleTech universe (hard to imagine there's none of you) be it CBT, MW, MC, the novels, or whatever else exists in this long-ass product line?

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I have been playing battletech since the late 80's, it has always been one of my go too games. However, I just returned to the game after a long hiatus (mechwarrior dark age). It is a great game, however it is a very crunchy system. At the moment I am running my group through a Chaos Campaign set in the War of 3039. It is going pretty good, but big games still take a while. I have been reading about the quick strike rules from STRATOPS. It is suppose to allow you to play a company on company engagement in about 1 hour as opposed to 8 hours. I would also recommend getting the 25thrights anniversary intro box set. Enjoy


Salcor

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The meek shall truly inherit the earth
because that is where they will all be buried

I still play BattleTech, and have since it came out. I still have my original boxes for Battle-, City-, and AeroTech and all my long books are worn to the point of having a third split at the spines. we were doing LosTech runs before the Grey Death Legion was sneaking off to get in Simulators when daddy wasn't watching. Speaking of which, once you've gotten into one of the fully immersive networked full-dress cockpit simulators, none of the existing PC Mech games holds a candle to the experience.

MechWarrior 1st and 2nd Edition are also on the shelf and have seen much use in assorted campaigns over the years.

I also have a complete archive of all the BT Novels (sadly, even the final era), and can recall (with more than a little pain) the half-assed attempt at a Battletech animated series. They Soooooooo shoulda let the Anime studios handle that instead of broke-ass CGI.

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FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

I've heard some horror stories about the quality of the miniatures, so I went ahead and bypassed this box, I managed to get the introductory rules that are included for a little cash, and set up enough wargame counters (http://www.litko.net/products/Wargame-C ... d-Set.html) to support 30 units on the table at a time. Since I'm in so deep, it'll likely be better for me to go straight onto IWM's miniatures.



Haha, the magic of 90's CGI in cartoons, cringe-worthy pretty much every time.
So, final era, not-so-good? I'm starting with the chronological beginning with the fiction and have a ways to go.

_________________
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http://torulethemall.mymiddle-earth.net/
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email questions, suggestions, and submissions to: trtapodcast@gmail.com

Here are some of my pics from the original BattleTech scenario I have run around the world and at several GenCons and other conventions over the last 25 years. (and good call on passing on the PlasTech. Metal...HEAVYMetal is the way to play!)

Blood Mountain 3025

The Map (equivalent to 2x classic sheets end to end) Elevations 0 - 44, It gives you Hex Rules at mini's rules scale!


Round 1 (GenCon, 2000)


Round 2 (GenCon, 2000)


Round 3 (GenCon, 2000)


Blood Mountain in Korea (Camp Casey, 1994)

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FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

How long did it take to complete?

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Printable Edge of the Empire Talent Sheets
SWSE File Archive

Current Blog Post:
Campaign Cartographer 3: Initial Thoughts

My planning window for average Con Play is 12 Hours for the scenario.

If the "players" are exceptionally cooperative (being rival houses and all) the scenario can wrap with a winner in about 8 hours or so. If the party is exceptionally combative (being rival houses and all) the whole thing can TPK in about 3-6 hours. Generally the temptation to devolve into the cross-team conflict early outweighs the urge to collectively cooperate against the common enemies first. :shrug:

I built the scenario in about a day and a half (on actual classic blank mapsheets). Then I used the AD&D Core Rules 2.0 MapTools to generate the full map in digital form to take to a poster printer to get the uber-sized layout. (12ft x 4 ft).

Eventually, I WILL craft this mountain in full 3D (it will be 4ft tall at the opposite end) for Con Presentation.

_________________
FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

So that whole map was generated in D&D CR 2.0? I may need to dig up that copy I was given (and never used =/).

_________________
A "The One Ring" podcast? I want to make this happen!
http://torulethemall.mymiddle-earth.net/
http://feeds.feedburner.com/RuleThemAll
email questions, suggestions, and submissions to: trtapodcast@gmail.com

The map design and layout was all done in the CR2.0 MapTools suite. That included the graphics, the numbers/text, and the Hexes. Output was on standard 8.5x11 paper, which I then took to a commercial printer to get rendered at full scale on a plotter.

_________________
FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

BTW, for any in the Colorado Springs area on or about the 29th of APR...the Blood Mountain Battletech scenario will be appearing at the Petrie's Family Games store....

C'mon down and let's us blowed some stuff up!

_________________
FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

Last call for any GamerNation mechjocks out there. THIS MORNING in the FLGS known as Petrie's here in Colorado Springs, CO, there will be a Tournament Scenario play of the "Blood Mountain: 3025".

Show time is 12 Noon.

Hope to see someone there....

_________________
FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

Sadly, sitting here in the UK, so no chance. Would if I could! ...

_________________
A "The One Ring" podcast? I want to make this happen!
http://torulethemall.mymiddle-earth.net/
http://feeds.feedburner.com/RuleThemAll
email questions, suggestions, and submissions to: trtapodcast@gmail.com

I'm planning on hightailing it down to the NTRPG Con for Battletech on Saturday, and hope to be set up and ready to run in an open gaming area by 10 AM....

So, how many players should I be looking out for?

The "Blood Mountain: 3025" scenario can take a while (up to 12 hrs) if run to completion, and I need a minimum 3 and max 12 players.

Look for Someone/Something like this!


Blood Mountain 3025 Wants YOU!

_________________
FULONGAMER aka Johannes M. Bowers
http://thelostholocronpodcast.info/
It's not My planet Monkey-boy! / I Waste Him With My Bowcaster!
THIS is my LIGHT-Stick!, The next one of you Furry Tree-Hugger Yub-Yub Primitives EVEN TOUCHES me...//FZOOOK!//

I haven't played a game for a while now. This must be rectified!

And Founders Packs are up for MWO. Anyone bought into it, or planning on playing?
... I totally didn't purchase the surprise Legen- Oh, I did.
Legendary Founder on MWO, like half of the active forum members.

So I caved and bought this on a whim.
CBT Intro Box

I was not disappointed by the quality of the miniatures, because I expected them to be this bad.
However, they'll do as place-holders, and the rest of the box is pretty damn nice.
Box Back
Content

_________________
A "The One Ring" podcast? I want to make this happen!
http://torulethemall.mymiddle-earth.net/
http://feeds.feedburner.com/RuleThemAll
email questions, suggestions, and submissions to: trtapodcast@gmail.com

I'll definitely be playing, but nothing in the founders pack seemed to really interest me at this point. Now if they came out with a collector's edition that had a 12 in tall Mech statue in it... I might buy that.

_________________
Printable Edge of the Empire Talent Sheets
SWSE File Archive

Current Blog Post:
Campaign Cartographer 3: Initial Thoughts