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Hi, Ive been feeling the need for stompy robots recently and I learned about a guy at my chess club who plays it, so I've decided to look into the game. I have 2 major questions, but would like some general noob pointers as well.

With the tech manual, how much customization does it allow you? Weapons, heatsin, motor changes on the same list of chassis or can you make new chassis and such.

What is the best hex to inch conversion rules available? I found one, but that is is it.

Thanks for any help in advance.

The Tech Manual lets you design from the ground up any unit you can play in the game.

Support Vehicles, Combat Vehicles, Armor, Hovercraft, Dropships, Battlemechs, Lighter-than-air vehicles, protomechs, battle armor, and infantry units. You can design them all.

This is if, you don't find what you are looking for in the thousands of published units found in the technical readouts.

Classic battletech offers a free miniatures download which allows you play without hexes.

As for off the cuff, most folks play 1 hex = 1 inch.

1 hex = 1.5 inches is also common.

I have found that 1 hex = 2" gives you a more spaced out game which allows you feel morel ike you are fighting at the proper ranges.

As for miniatures, they are completely optional. You can play with chits representing your mechs/units if you want. Ironwind metals produces the approved/licensed battletech models.

That said, any 6mm scale minis will fit.

Official groundscale was 1 hex = 3". This brings groundscale up close to figurescale.

I don't think this is necessary as ground compression is so common in gaming nowadays. 1:1.5 - 1:2 is fine.

Make things easy on yourself buy a two long rulers. Find which scale you like by moving mechs about on some paper even if it doesnt tally with an easy rounded number (best to work in mm for this) then paint the rangestick in coloured bands to your range block. This becomes your 'official' range ruler and you dont need to convert ranges over, a move or range of 'four' is always 'four' even if your scale is 1:1.8333333 or similar.

If you can get a previous version of the rules, before the Total War / Tech manual stuff, it will have the mech and ground vehicle design rules included. Think it's called Battletech Master Rules. The actual rules are fundamentally identical, I believe. It also had the miniatures rules built in. No Aerospace, though.

TechManual allows you do do anything. Modify, build, create, and everything.

If you don't like math and work with your hands, download Solaris Skunk Werks. It is a free Java program and is the official building program for Battletech.

Standard Miniature play is 1 hex = 2 inches. For miniatures play you do actually need minis, since it requires LOS and partial cover. Hex play does NOT require minis, just a counter to identify the unit and which way it is facing.

 Mattlov wrote:
TechManual allows you do do anything. Modify, build, create, and everything.

If you don't like math and work with your hands, download Solaris Skunk Werks. It is a free Java program and is the official building program for Battletech.

Standard Miniature play is 1 hex = 2 inches. For miniatures play you do actually need minis, since it requires LOS and partial cover. Hex play does NOT require minis, just a counter to identify the unit and which way it is facing.

Are 3d printed acceptable, as long as they are correct approximate scale?( http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/116485-sentinels-3d-printed-mech-toys/to prevent discussion over detail quality, I believe he used shapeways FD)
Thanks for telling me about solaris skunk works.

Best way to start IMO is to get the main rulebook (Classic Battletech) - BMR is not the same, there's been a number of updates (simplified firing arcs, vehicle rebalancing, cover mechanics etc.)

Download Solaris Skunkwerks and their master data file. This has hundreds of mechs and vehicles etc. and a full implementation of the mech/vehicle build rules for custom designs

Use any miniature you like (this isn't GW) but the more representative the better.

Use mini rules or print out some hex maps, enjoy. There's lots more you can buy - Tech manual, Tactical Operations, Strategic Operations, Mini's etc. but you don't need it all to get started.

FoWPlayerDeathOfUS.TDs wrote:

 Mattlov wrote:
TechManual allows you do do anything. Modify, build, create, and everything.

If you don't like math and work with your hands, download Solaris Skunk Werks. It is a free Java program and is the official building program for Battletech.

Standard Miniature play is 1 hex = 2 inches. For miniatures play you do actually need minis, since it requires LOS and partial cover. Hex play does NOT require minis, just a counter to identify the unit and which way it is facing.

Are 3d printed acceptable, as long as they are correct approximate scale?( http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/116485-sentinels-3d-printed-mech-toys/to prevent discussion over detail quality, I believe he used shapeways FD)
Thanks for telling me about solaris skunk works.

As long as everything you are using is consistent in scale then it doesn't really matter. As long as it is reasonably 'Mech shaped, and the things you are using are close to the same scale, it should be fine. Scale similarity helps prevent a very small mini gaining a cover bonus where a larger one would not. This happens with normal Battletech minis, but MOST of the time it isn't an issue.