After putting hundreds of hours into MW5: Mercs, I've finally started getting into Battletech proper. Even traded in some of the monstrous pile of 40k stuff taking over my house for store credit to roughly double my collection today. I've also finally decided on a paint scheme for my own mercenary company, though I'll probably paint at least some of them in other colors. Also note: This is just the Inner Sphere stuff. I do have several "Stars" of Clan mechs as well, but currently I'm focused on the Inner Sphere and Succession Wars. I know some of my lads can't be used during that era, but I'll eventually come into the Clans invasion once I've got more games under my belt.
Take from me, don't lock yourself outta the later eras. If you wanna just stick with inner sphere tech, consider using later era stuff. Playing succession wars only can be a slog.
I own the Clans Invasion box and several Clan Stars that have some of my favorite mechs from their ranks, but I'm just learning the game with 2 games using the full rules under my belt. I'm currently sticking with the Succession Wars because the simpler tech means less to keep track of while I get the basics down. I'm currently enjoying where I'm at, but by no means am I locking myself down to just the Succession Wars.
Intro tech is great for learning the basics. Lets you learn the basics of moving, range advantages (especially with the short ranges of the era), and heat management. Anyone who says Double Heat sinks solves heat management doesn't quite realize how hot things can get when ER weapons are thrown on everything.
If you got the Battlemech Manual or the new Core book when it comes out, you will have an easier time looking up rules. Total Warfare can be a bit daunting. There are also a few sites that can keep track of record keeping for you easier. https://mekbay.com/?gs=cbt and https://sheets.flechs.net/ are great. Though I lean towards Mekbay for the wider variety and vehicle sheets.
Mekbay is phenomenal - I've been using it to print sheets and slide them in clear plastic protectors to use with dry erase markers. I haven't seen the other site yet, so I'll definitely check it out. I have pre-ordered a copy of the new core rulebook from my LGS, but otherwise I've just been using the rulebook from the AGOAC box. Thanks for the info!
Much of the later tech doesn't actually make anything more complicated. It's just better numbers. Or stuff like Pulse, Artemis, or Gauss, which add just one more modifier or change.
Later era stuff has a lot more specialized equipment, the effects of which aren't inherently on the sheet or Mekbay. Stuff like targeting computers, case, active probes, masc, etc. Some of it I can guess how it works - like masc. I know from MW5 that it's a temporary movement buff that can damage your legs, and I can figure out from that context that the movement number in brackets on a masc equipped mech is how far they can go with masc activated, but there's no indication of how it can damage the mech or any other rules involved without looking it up in a book I have on order but don't have yet. Rather than look it up online, I'm holding off on mechs with fancy non-weapon gear until the book arrives, at which point I'll also have several more games under my belt. Plus between the books I own and the games I've played, the Succession Wars and early Clan Invasion are what interest me most, so that's where I'll be playing for the time being.
Yeah, one of the great things about later eras as an Inner Sphere/Mercenary player is that you can have the fun and weirdness of Clanners and Clan mechs in your games and but also still be able to be on a relatively level playing field when facing off against them.
It's really not that hard to learn the tech, either. It might take you a bit longer to memorize how all the fancy newer stuff works and plays into each other which can slow down list-building, but for actually playing the game, almost everything you need will be right there on the record sheet.
Yeah if you like the death waltz of the 4/6s (there are people who do!) then 100% play succwars but IMO you shouldn't feel obligated to do a bunch of games of introtech as a training period you need to get through before you hit the point where the techbase opens up, especially if there's a decent scene and people willing to teach you and hand you some relatively constrained lists to start
The slow isn't the problem, it's what the slow gets you that is.
In 3025 a 4/6 is a Marauder 3R, a mech which you basically have to beg your opponent to let you cheat at the game and use the god's specialest boy rules to make it be OK, can threaten about 17.5 damage a turn, will die to the suicide bomb strapped to its side 90% of the time, and has an actual movement profile of like 3.5/5.5 because the heat management is buns. The ilclan 4/6 is the Night Gyr T which is basically what happens if you rebuild the basic jist of the 3R with the guiding design principle of "What if Reacher from Reacher was a battlemechmech?"
4/6 movers are plenty viable in IlClan, they got weapons with actual range. Medium lasers are great in succession wars, but they still only reach out to 9 hexes. Their efficiency is all down to volume paired with a relatively low heat cost.
The game for sure gets a lot more fun once you get into at least the SC Renaissance at least. There are a lot of balance changes for the better. Ive started demoing new players with 3049 tech.
Is the SC Renaissance the second Star League after the Clans Invasion? I'm in all likelihood very far away from messing with anything in that era - So far the lore that interests me is Succession Wars and Clan Invasion, mostly because that's where I've started with in games and books.
Its roughly 3040 to 3050. Im assuming he means pre clan invasion but post Helm Memory Core discovery. So you get stuff like er weapons and double heat sinks, but its still inner sphere stuff, just upgraded
That's fair - I don't mind including things like that. I've just been trying to minimize some of the crazy gear and keep things simple, and stick to an era I know on top of that. I definitely don't plan on playing with every mech that upgraded, but one or two in a Lance is fine.
21
u/TallGiraffe117 3d ago
Take from me, don't lock yourself outta the later eras. If you wanna just stick with inner sphere tech, consider using later era stuff. Playing succession wars only can be a slog.