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Good news for all the CBT players out there. The third core rulebook, Tactical Operations, with its ludicrous amounts of detail and billions of new weapon systems and optional advanced rules, has finally been released in PDF format.

The actual book itself will be available at GenCon (for people in the US), with the book to follow everywhere else shortly.

You can pre order the book here, get the PDF here or get a combined Book/PDF deal here.


That's all my news for today.

BYE

classic battletech, the game that lured me into miniatures gaming.

I loved that game, the old paper hex mats and cardboard folding mechs that were all ugly self made beats or blatant rip offs of robotech.

I have so many good memories of that game as a kid, that and heroquest.

The lance formation boxed set was my first ever set of minis. I painted them with testors glossy paint and glued them together with elmers glue. ahhh, memories.

Have you bought it yet, H.B.M.C.? How much material does it have on campaigns? (Rules for repairing mechs, salvage, etc.?)

That's the next book, Strategic Operations, which will be out before the end of the year.

Tactical Operations is all about adding increased depth to the rules - new movement modes, expansive weather effects, constructions rules for buildings, as well as tons of new equipment, weapon systems and abilities, fully revised rules for artillery, boarding actions, fatigue, morale for infantry, and so on.

It's like MaxTech, but a whole hell of a lot more.

BYE

I haven´t played a game of btech on a long time. But I might grab these book and start playing again. I hope it´s not too confusing, too much equipment slows the game a lot.
Still using the old and screwed up BV2?
M.

BV2 is the new one. BV1 is the old one that weighted jump jets too heavily. The new version puts more emphasis on lots of armour, and away from fancy toys.


And, like with MaxTech, everything in TacOps is completely optional. They encourage you to use as little or as much of it as you like.

BYE

Do you need the other two books or is the latest 'edition.'?

H.B.M.C. wrote:It's like MaxTech, but a whole hell of a lot more.

Wow, and I was overwhelmed with MaxTech. When I got back into the game recently, I went back to old-school 3025 basics (but using BV - not sure whether it was one or two...). Battletech's come a long way in it's time. Glad to hear that Strategic Ops isn't far off.

tanker wrote:Do you need the other two books or is the latest 'edition.'?

There are three core rulebooks. The total list is:

1. Total Warfare - These are the actual rules for BTech. 'Mechs, tanks, conventional and aerospace fighters, VToL's, WiGE's, infantry, battle armour infantry and Drop Ships are all in here. Everything in this book is tournament legal.
2. Tech Manual - These are the rules for construction, so if you want to create your own 4-legged 'Mech, hover-tank, Industrial-'Mech or whatever, the rules are in here. Also a big source of background information, containing detailed fluff descriptions of every single piece of equipment that was given rules in Total Warfare.
3. Tactical Operations - Designed to add tremendous amounts of depth to the game with new movement modes, weather, rules for artillery, expanded rules for infantry, vehicles, buildings etc.
4. Strategic Operations (Out at the end of this year) - Focuses on conflcits that take weeks rather than hours or days, so there are rules for logistics, salvage, repair, running campaigns and so on.
5. Interstella Operations (Out next year) - Focuses on conflicts that take months rather than weeks, so there are rules for combat zones, attacking entire solar systems or multiple solar systems, creating whole armies and combat teams, and generally a whole game system for playing as an entire Great House or Clan, rather than just a unit inside them.
6. Classic BattleTech RPG - A new version of the old MechWarrior RPG, with everything they've learnt over the past 20 years incorporated to make it better.

BYE

No wai man! 2750 forever! Clanz ruined Btech! etc. etc.

I thought it was the Jihad timeline but whatever.
M.

H.B.M.C. wrote:
5. Interstella Operations (Out next year) - Focuses on conflicts that take months rather than weeks, so there are rules for combat zones, attacking entire solar systems or multiple solar systems, creating whole armies and combat teams, and generally a whole game system for playing as an entire Great House or Clan, rather than just a unit inside them.

Any word if this will also include rules for Merc Companies?

Death By Monkeys wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:
5. Interstella Operations (Out next year) - Focuses on conflicts that take months rather than weeks, so there are rules for combat zones, attacking entire solar systems or multiple solar systems, creating whole armies and combat teams, and generally a whole game system for playing as an entire Great House or Clan, rather than just a unit inside them.

Any word if this will also include rules for Merc Companies?

The (extensive and exhaustive) rules for running Merc units are in the four (yes four) Merc books:

FM:Mercs
FM:Mercs Supplumental 1
FM:Mercs Supplumental 2
FM:Mercs Supplumental Update

BYE

Yeah, I've got 3 of the 4 - it'd be nice for them to decide on a system for using them and stick with it. Well, that and having only one book to deal with them rather than a collection.

Reecius wrote: I painted them with testors glossy paint and glued them together with elmers glue.

Ditto on the Testors but how did you get the Elmars to hold?