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Hey guys I was looking into this game and thought it might be fun to play. All was going well until I tried to find a starter set or a core book of some kind. I was bombarded with a ton of books and different starter sets and could not even figure out what edition this game is in.

In short I would like to start the game and need help on what I would need (books, starter set, minis?)

Welcome to the wonderful world of Battletech!

I too am semi-new to the game, but I'm about ankle to waist deep in, so I'll be happy to help.

If I remember correctly, there aren't really any 'editions' to the game - things released back in '84 are just as usable as they are today (mostly). What has happened is that the rights to the game have changed hands a few times, so a few revisions have taken place.

At the moment, the Classic Battletech Introductory Boxset is the way to enter into the game. The problem is that it's now out of production - it sold a lot faster than they expected it to. A 2nd run is fast approaching however. It gives you:

-24 unpainted, instantly ready-to-play plastic BattleMech miniatures
-One 12-page full-color quick-start rulebook will have you into the action in minutes
-One 32-page book of pre-generated BattleMech Record Sheets
-One 80-page full-color rulebook
-Inner Sphere at a Glance, a 48-page full-color book containing universe background and BattleMech technical data
-One16-page full-color Painting and Tactics Guide
-Two heavy-duty cards of compiled tables
-Two 22" x 27" full-color mapsheets, with two different maps printed on either side
-Two six-sided dice
-One full-color, poster-sized map of the Inner Sphere circa 3067

After that, I'd say you should pick up the Total Warfare rulebook - it's the most basic of the rulebook, and is an expansion of the mini-book you get in the boxset.

You also might want to think about what era you'd like to play in - Battletech's universe has been steadily progressing since it was first created.

The 25th Anniversary Intro Box is the way to go. Has all the same as the old Intro Box IA mentioned, but with more, and at a higher quality!

Then, trek over to http://www.classicbattletech.com and sign up on the forums there. There are a couple threads for new players to read through.

After that, slither your way over to http://www.catalystdemos.com and sign up as a player to find local players and Demo Agents (like me) nearby. Send some emails, meet some people, and get some games in!

infinite_array wrote:Welcome to the wonderful world of Battletech!

I too am semi-new to the game, but I'm about ankle to waist deep in, so I'll be happy to help.

If I remember correctly, there aren't really any 'editions' to the game - things released back in '84 are just as usable as they are today (mostly). What has happened is that the rights to the game have changed hands a few times, so a few revisions have taken place.

At the moment, the Classic Battletech Introductory Boxset is the way to enter into the game. The problem is that it's now out of production - it sold a lot faster than they expected it to. A 2nd run is fast approaching however. It gives you:

-24 unpainted, instantly ready-to-play plastic BattleMech miniatures
-One 12-page full-color quick-start rulebook will have you into the action in minutes
-One 32-page book of pre-generated BattleMech Record Sheets
-One 80-page full-color rulebook
-Inner Sphere at a Glance, a 48-page full-color book containing universe background and BattleMech technical data
-One16-page full-color Painting and Tactics Guide
-Two heavy-duty cards of compiled tables
-Two 22" x 27" full-color mapsheets, with two different maps printed on either side
-Two six-sided dice
-One full-color, poster-sized map of the Inner Sphere circa 3067

After that, I'd say you should pick up the Total Warfare rulebook - it's the most basic of the rulebook, and is an expansion of the mini-book you get in the boxset.

You also might want to think about what era you'd like to play in - Battletech's universe has been steadily progressing since it was first created.

Awesome I will have to look into that box and the book. Where can I find more info on the eras?

Mattlov wrote:The 25th Anniversary Intro Box is the way to go. Has all the same as the old Intro Box IA mentioned, but with more, and at a higher quality!

Then, trek over to http://www.classicbattletech.com and sign up on the forums there. There are a couple threads for new players to read through.

After that, slither your way over to http://www.catalystdemos.com and sign up as a player to find local players and Demo Agents (like me) nearby. Send some emails, meet some people, and get some games in!

I will look for this newer box then and go onto these sites tomorrow

To be honest, even the earliest printings have the same rules. I had the original 'BattleDroids' release when I started, and the core rules have not changed in substance. The one and only change I've noticed is the alteration to the partial cover rules. That's it. Everything else is exactly the same.

There have been a ton of expansions to those core rules over the years, but they are not necessary for core game play.

Catalsyt has provided a nice PDF to help you into the game. Here's a nice primer on what the various rulebook do and a bit about how they represent the various rule levels of Introductory, Standard and Advanced rules.

http://www.classicbattletech.com/downloads/BattleTech_Primer.pdf

Basically, as battletech grew, the timeline extended and more technology was added. To keep things fairly balanced, battletech players usually play in era's so that one player won't be fielding technology that is far more advanced than another.

The 25th anniversary box set contains Introductory rules, and generally reflects the world of battletech up to 3049. The the "Tech Readout 3039" also reflects this era. Though called "introductory" many players enjoy this era and exclusively play it. in 3050, the "Clans" attack, technology begins to advance and the rules advance to "Standard". To move into 3050 and beyond and more advanced levels of play, see the linked pdf above.

Vulcan wrote:To be honest, even the earliest printings have the same rules. I had the original 'BattleDroids' release when I started, and the core rules have not changed in substance. The one and only change I've noticed is the alteration to the partial cover rules. That's it. Everything else is exactly the same.

There have been a ton of expansions to those core rules over the years, but they are not necessary for core game play.

Infantry, Aerospace fighters, and vehicle rules were changed a bit. However, they are still recognizable.

Vulcan wrote:To be honest, even the earliest printings have the same rules. I had the original 'BattleDroids' release when I started, and the core rules have not changed in substance. The one and only change I've noticed is the alteration to the partial cover rules. That's it. Everything else is exactly the same.

There have been a ton of expansions to those core rules over the years, but they are not necessary for core game play.

Well it is good to know the rules have remained somewhat constant.

Eilif wrote:Catalsyt has provided a nice PDF to help you into the game. Here's a nice primer on what the various rulebook do and a bit about how they represent the various rule levels of Introductory, Standard and Advanced rules.

http://www.classicbattletech.com/downloads/BattleTech_Primer.pdf

Basically, as battletech grew, the timeline extended and more technology was added. To keep things fairly balanced, battletech players usually play in era's so that one player won't be fielding technology that is far more advanced than another.

The 25th anniversary box set contains Introductory rules, and generally reflects the world of battletech up to 3049. The the "Tech Readout 3039" also reflects this era. Though called "introductory" many players enjoy this era and exclusively play it. in 3050, the "Clans" attack, technology begins to advance and the rules advance to "Standard". To move into 3050 and beyond and more advanced levels of play, see the linked pdf above.

Thank you for the link, I am reading this now. The whole era thing makes sense now too

I believe at FreeWargamesRules.UK (google it, great site) you can find some Battletech Quick Play rules too.

Quick Start rules are free on the main website as well.

Mattlov wrote:The 25th Anniversary Intro Box is the way to go. Has all the same as the old Intro Box IA mentioned, but with more, and at a higher quality!

Then, trek over to http://www.classicbattletech.com and sign up on the forums there. There are a couple threads for new players to read through.

After that, slither your way over to http://www.catalystdemos.com and sign up as a player to find local players and Demo Agents (like me) nearby. Send some emails, meet some people, and get some games in!

That pretty much covers it. The intro box is all you need to get started...then you can jump into the rest. Battletech has been around for a long time, so theres a lot of books, sets, etc. The good part is the base rules have stayed the same...with lots of optional rules and more advanced levels of play should you want to use them.