/btg/ - BattleTech General

Anyone played around in the Tesla II pods? I going to try one out at GenCon this year and wanted to know how they differed from MW4. I used to play that religiously but I worry that jumping into the pods will be completely different

>mfw when there will never be an aerotech sim
Lost opportunity of the 90s sim age.

Is Aerotech that different that you'd expect a craft weighing half again more to not crush it's smaller opponent or is position fighting that deadly up top?

Random aerospace question: how's the Thunderbird? I drove it in my one and only aerotech game and kinda liked the ugly thing, and it seemed alright, but I'm not an expert or anything, so I'm curious what you think

What kind of map do you want? Planetary map or hex map?

To be fair, the way BT is you can't always expect that in the ground game either. Even without going full Jagermech, you still have things like the Thunderbolt having better armor and overall throw weight than some 3025 assaults like the Zeus 6S.

>Is Aerotech that different that you'd expect a craft weighing half again more to not crush it's smaller opponent or is position fighting that deadly up top?

I imagine this refers to the Corsair v Transgressor thing? The trick of it is, in Aerotech, you can have a unit half-again your size be *matching* you for speed, and still carry an equivalent loadout of armor/weapons/heat sinks. It's not like BattleTech where to be as fast as a 55-ton Mech, the Charger has to gimp itself to a 20-tonner's payload. The 75-ton Transgressor is equally as fast as the 50-ton Corsair, has the same fuel, essentially the same armor, *more* guns, and a better heat curve to boot.

Additionally, it's the heaviest "dogfighter" out there. Most dogfighers for other groups are between 45-60 tons (the Stingray being the next-heaviest at 65t). A 75t unit which can keep up with them, AND out-armor them, AND out-shoot them?

T-bird is a pretty decent assault craft. Not standout, but not crap either. It *does* look like a cricket with a rocket shoved up its ass, though. It's a decent example of ASF bracket-firing. Long range bracket gets the LRM-20s. Medium-range bracket gets the LRMs and the nose and ONE wing LL. Short range gets the LLs and the 3 forward MLs.

Its real strength is that it's one of the original 6 "generic" ASFs, so it's thinly but evenly spread across the IS. Literally any IS faction can justify having a wing-pair or two.

I feel bad for saying it, but I haven't played a serious flight sim since Falcon 4.0. Failing to get a pilot training billet (got glasses *as* I was in-processing, so they let me back out of the obligation instead of shunting me over to what would most likely be subs) in the Naval Academy kinda killed my desire to fly. I should go dig out my flight logbook; I haven't looked at that in literally over a decade.
>2-point-something hours in a C-130
>45 minutes stick time in an USMC F/A-18D

Hi, someone who's never played Battletech and is curious about it here.

Is Alpha Strike as good of an introduction as people say, and if so, is it quicker to learn than the quickstart rules packaged with the Introductory Kit for getting into the game initially?

Also, what do I even need to play AS? There's no starter kit for it I can find, just a rulebook, but the rules I've looked up mention cards assigned to units?

>There's no starter kit for it I can find, just a rulebook, but the rules I've looked up mention cards assigned to units?
The unit cards are basically the AS equivalent of record sheets, that have all the stats and let you track damage, etc. The Alpha Strike Lance packs come with these, but you can also find cards for everything at masterunitlist.info.

So all the stuff specific to this game (excluding hex map, dice, etc) can pretty much be found between the Lance Packs and the rulebook?

>AU where the Concord of Kapteyn didn't implode
What would the inner sphere look like?

Xotl or someone, can you point out to the higher-ups at the BT forum that setting it to private is cutting off their nose to spite their face? Most of their advertising is handled via the forum since the actual BT website is usually massively out of date and there's no way to follow errata?

No other gaming company I'm aware of has done this. Those with forums leave them open because it's outreach to players and anyone who's maybe thinking of playing the game. Otherwise they shut the forums down entirely.

Pretty much. And AS is actually a mini game first so hex maps aren't necessary, but it does have conversion rules that let you use them if you want.

So best bang for buck to start would be to get one of the BT intro boxes, then print off unit cards from the master unit list for the minis you have. Pic related, a unit card.

The same.

The FedCom had a larger military than everyone else combined and super genius leaders, so unless you're also positing that Takashi, Max, and Janos are all independently capable of out-plotting Hanse and collectively get their shit together to carry those plans to fruition there's not much that could be different.

>Those with forums leave them open because it's outreach to players and anyone who's maybe thinking of playing the game. Otherwise they shut the forums down entirely.

They've also cut off new user registration. When I try to register, it gives a "permission denied" message.

So it actually IS going to be an echo chamber, I guess.

... wow.

That goes beyond counter-productive.

There used to have Alpha Strike QSR pdf on the official site ( sys.Veeky Forums.org/derefer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbg.battletech.com%2F%3Fpage_id%3D400 )

Sorry man: I have no control over this, and in fact don't know anything about it. I'll ask if I get the opportunity, because I'm curious myself.

Who's ready for Forever 67: Forum Edition?

Dammit Xotl, what do we pay you for, if not to be our OF monkey? kidding, obviously we don't pay you

>we don't pay you
Who's sending me all this Nazi gold then?

It's there on the link you put. Or to download it directly d15yciz5bluc83.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/AlphaStrikeQuick-Start-Rules.pdf?884bc4

...I just checked FedEx; that shipment wasn't supposed to get to you until *next* week.

But, hey! Free Nazi gold!

Or this could all be just a result of a system fuck up or something, which would be a rational explanation.

Though rationality isn't necessarily applicable to the OF.

Oh, I know. It's just that you're the only one with any kind of pull over there, however limited it may be.

I've been buying from BattleCorps for a long time but can't be bothered to deal with their customer non-service any more, and I've never registered at the OF because I've never wanted to. The only thing I care about having access to is errata, because a lot of books require a lot of it before they become fully functional... except now I'm gonna have to wait at least a year before the .pdf compilations come out now, and that's only for rule books because others only get errata threads and not errata downloads.

If I can't buy from CGL direct because of their issues, and they don't want to make working versions of stuff I buy for the line from them due to a lack of errata... well, it's not going to take much more to convince me to stop buying their stuff at all, is it?

Fair points. I can only say that I'm trying to find time to create errata for all books, not just the rulebooks. I recently got the go-ahead to do this, so I'll see about getting some out before the end of the year. If so, it'll be a formal document up on the website instead of just a bunch of questions on the forums.

Does that mean that my errata trebling the house forces will make it in as long as I suggest it on the OF?

It's being brought up. Whether anyone will actually answer it is an entirely different issue.

On that note Mad Max was oversold as a master plotter in the Cappie sourcebook and then Stackpole'd into being a dumb cunt

I would hope that they also give us the ability to use the search function when not logged in again. You can still locate stuff with Google forum searches (or would be, if the forums could be viewed by outsiders) but that was an easy way to find the rules clarifications you wanted and which hadn't been entered as errata.

I played Tribes once. Don't think I ever did Star Siege or Earth Siege, but I keep meaning to. Definitely played more the primitive 'Mech combat games from the generation before. Keep meaning to dig all these out and play them again. Should be terrifun.

ever played the first Steel Battalion?

To whichever random user with whom I talked about this 6-8 months ago:

You were working on a collected PDF of all the the aerospace rules found in TW/TacOps/StratOps/IntOps/OpsOps - at least to the point of having a single collected reference for *space* combat, even if Air-to-Ground operations weren't included.

Has there been any progress made on that? I didn't want to step on toes for creating one, but it's getting to the point now where *I'm* not able to remember where shit is in the various rulebooks and I'm really starting to feel the need for the 1-source rules. Should I put one together on my own, or is this something that's going to come together in the next short while?

I don't suppose there's any good compilation of blank record sheets/force listings, is there? I'm getting ready to print stuff out for a campaign, and I'm trying to just get a few charts/sheets out of a few books.

You can get blank record sheets from the back of Techmanual, or TacOps if you need any of those particular advanced unit types.

SSW can print out blank sheets as well, I believe, though if you want blanks to use custom units, you can just make the units in SSW and print out sheets for them.

Got any more specifics on what you mean by force listings?

Mostly just stuff for company/force organization, like the stuff in campaign operations.

Just grab yourself the starter set and do a couple quick matches with a friend with two mediums each. It'll go by quick, you'll learn the rules, and you'll have fun.grab a pack of those plastic sheet protectors that go in binders for the record sheets and a little box of dry erase markers and you'll be all set.

Anybody have 'Mech recommendations for a Reunification War-era SLDF company meant for turning Bulls into Oxen?

A couple of times, never long enough to make it past the first mission. The controller was super-exciting until I realized how few controls were actually on it.

Warhammers, Archers... you know what, take everything the Taurians build *afterwards*, and then add Stalkers

Nope. Real life shit got me up, sorry. I got a new job and I have to work a lot more than I used to, free time is rarely spent on this kind of project.

I think if you create a Table of Contents of sorts I could do the compiling part without problems. Doing everything myself is a no go, though

Heh, fair enough.

When DFAs go wrong...

At least I had been looking for an excuse to get rid of this mech for a while... but I was hoping I could sell the remains at least

You guys think the Capellan golden age that started a century ago will come to an end anytime soon?

OF fixed the having to log in to view issue.

Anyone have any specific mech sprite requests? I'm burnt out on a few I can't get right, and could use a change of scenery. Any era is fine, something that actually has good art to work with is best.

>playing a Dark Age game
>one player uses a Celestial series
>we're playing neo-Blakists
>one of the guys on the other team (RotS) is annoyed by this
>keeps insisting ALL Celestials are gone
>at first just short of calling us cheaters
>even his friends just want him to be quiet
>in the end the Archangel is the only mech left standing
>"hurr if you guys weren't cheating you would have lost"

I thought the autistic BT players thing was a meme here.
Probably the most annoying guy I've ever had to play against.

Well if you are taking requests, maybe a better Ceaser? I dunno they look fine but in a way silly to me.

Can anyone link me to the site with MWO cast minis? I'm having trouble finding it again and forgot to save it.

Warhansa

Thanks.

Time for Hellhounds.

I love the Templar/III. If you don't mind I would request it/them.

Guy = FedSuns
Lady sitting on him = CapCon

Those both look fun, Templar is rad dude and Cataphract with a bubble canopy is too easy

As a Hellion fan who checks the OF every month or so, this thread intrigued me

bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=53447.0

Any thoughts on this whole campaign? My BT lore knowledge is shallow at best

In those .pdfs are there the Field Manual: Crusader Clans and Field Manual: Warden Clans? I couldn't find them under the field manuals but I may just be retarded due to lack of sleep.

...

Looks awesome thank you so much! I think it's a great mech, now doesn't look so cartoony.

You are welcome, np. Use this one though, center torso is too hard to read on the first pass

nice dubs, and offer... maybe the Gun ? Not that I'm a huge cappie fan or anything.

Maybe a Mackie-7A?

anything with Flying Debris art is high on my list for sure.
Mackie is up there too, aaand Shimmy did that great art of it.

>anything with Flying Debris art

Does anyone keep an archive of all his MWO art?
The MWO guys had stopped quite a while ago and by now most people have even forgotten his Vindicator actually looked good.

I know the Cappies started churning out new mech designs in the 3050s like the Huron Warrior, Thunder and Snake, but how would /btg/ rate them?
Basically what's good and what's crap of their 50s line of rides?

Hello /btg/, I come to you today with a request. I was at a garage sale this weekend and picked up a box of random miniatures for very cheap. Within the mass of neglected pewter I found a bunch of mechs and the like, I'm still sorting through it all, but I think I've gotten the majority of the battletech stuff out. The problem is, I don't know what most of this stuff is, but I know a lot of it is old. I was hoping that you could help me identify some of these mechs before I clean and fix them.

I can post some more close-up pictures if you'd like.

Top row, L-R:
Huron Warrior (missing arms), Unseen Battlemaster, Dragon, Stalker, another Beemer, Crusader (missing jump jet pack), Rifleman, Mercury, CityTech Loki/Hellbringer

Second Row:
Unseen Stone Rhino/Behemoth, Loki, Thor with modifications, Battledroids Unseen Wolverine, Three Mad Cats/Timber wo;ves, Unseen Banshee -3S

Third Row:
Nova/Black Hawk, Unseen Phoenix Hawk, Unseen Warhammer (missing arm, possibly cut off for the Banshee?), Unseen Marauder, Vulture/Mad Dog, Daishi/Dire Wolf

Fourth Row:
Trebuchet, Dart, Patron LoaderMech?, Hankyu, ???, Wolfhound IIC

Fifth Row:
Five Unseen Stingers, Komodo, Unseen Locust (missing arms), Hunchback, Uller.

Those are some good Unseen.

1 - Huron Warrior
2 - Battlemaster (Unseen)
3 - Dragon
4 - Stalker
5 - Crusader (missing back pylon) (Unseen)
6 - Rifleman (Unseen)
7 - Mercury
8- Loki/Hellbringer (Clan)
9 - Behemoth/Stone Rhino (Clan)
10 - Thor/Summoner (Clan)
11 - Wolverine (Battledroid!)
12 - Mad Cat/Timber Wolf (Clan)
13 - Banshee
14 - Black Hawk/Nova (Clan)
15 - Phoenix Hawk (missing back pylon) (Unseen)
16 - Warhammer (Unseen)
17 - Marauder (Unseen)
18 - Vulture/Mad Dog (Clan)
19 - Daishi/Dire Wolf (Clan)
20 - Trebuchet
21 - Hammer
22 - Shadow Hawk IIC (Clan)
23 - Hankyu (Clan)
24 - Battle Hawk I THINK; bad angle
25 - Wolfhound
26 - Hunchback
27 - Uller/Kit Fox (Clan)
28 - whole bunch of Unseen Stingers
29 - Pouncer (Clan)
30 - Locust (Unseen; might be missing an arm)

God the Vindi is such a beautiful mech.

Too bad it's the weakest mech in all of MWO. I want it to be good but it just isn't.

Wait; crap. 21 isn't a Hammer, it's a Dart. Don't know what I was thinking.

29 might be a Komodo, now that I think about it. From this angle they both have the head that sticks out, and I can't see the arms. If the arms have a BUNCH of gunports around the wrist, it's a Komodo.

>I can post some more close-up pictures if you'd like.
If you can get the one I marked ??? in the 4th row and the Wolfhound, that'd help with the ID. I'm pretty sure it's a Battle Hawk, though, given the vintage of the other models.
Also, your Banshee is missing the SRM-6 launcher, which makes me suspect even more strongly that someone just chopped up the Warhammer to make it.

That BD Wolverine and the complete Marauder are by far the most valuable minis in that collection.

Overall you have a nice Wolf, Falcon, or Smoke Jag frontline Invasion-era unit (with Nicolai Malthus in there for some strange reason), and a solid couple companies of pretty generic IS forces, probably Second Star League given the presence of FedCom, Cap, and Drac-exclusive designs with some solid generics.

It was also maimed to hell and back with a horrible model.
Blergh.

Thanks for the quick replies!

Here's another photo, I hope this helps.

I'm familiar with the concept of the unseen, but how rare are some of these? I plan of restoring all of them and painting them up nice, but it is neat to know that I have some kinda unique stuff.

First pass on the Templar, needs some more tuning but all I have to work with is "Oh God, I'm high as fuck" Plog, and "Holy shit, I smoke more weed than the guy who did the Comstar Sourcebook art" Vohwinkel, and plus David White really phoned in the Templar III.

The Yu Huang was always a favorite. Not sure if it was even around long enough to become a military staple or not.

Always been fond of the MAC Regiments.

The Regulator series of Tanks are nice from what I've read.

>they lack the production.

Not anymore they don't.

In fact they've rebuilt them faster than their enemies can destroy them in some cases.

The snake is frankly not good at all, the Huron warrior is crying out for DHS, but isn't TERRIBLE in it's stock config. The thunder is nasty in close quarters, but it's rather niche.
Overall they suffer from overuse of XLs and overspecialization, but are at least somewhat serviceable.
Incidentally, I've always found the capellan trend towards XLFEs in the '50s rather odd, seeing as they were in rather dire economic straits, their military was trashed and their industrial base was periphery-tier, so it seems to me that fragile XLFE specialist designs would be exactly the last thing that would be logical for them to build
But then again
>FASA
>logic

>Not anymore they don't.
>responding to memeshitters
user, what are you even doing man.

>Here's another photo, I hope this helps.
Yeah, definitely a Battle Hawk up front and center. The one with the monoeye is still a Komodo, and the Wolfhound is a first-casting version of the WLF, but still the Inner Sphere version, and the one I thought might be a LoaderMech is a Shadow Hawk IIC.

>I'm familiar with the concept of the unseen, but how rare are some of these? I plan of restoring all of them and painting them up nice, but it is neat to know that I have some kinda unique stuff.
Rarest, in rough order:
Battledroids Wolverine (very few made, from the earliest version of the game)
Metal Marauder - there's a very high demand for these, no third-party alternatives that work for BT, and only one sculpt that's any damned good. Leastaways until Shimmy's gets done. That 'Mech alone is probably worth forty bucks.
Unseen Shadow Hawk IIC (Not many made, not especially popular).
Original, scaly DRG-1N (OoP and very popular to represent the Grand Dragon, but hard to cast so it's been abandoned.)
Metal Unseen Rifleman - there's a decent 3rd-party plastic alternative, but the metal ones have some cachet and look good.
Stone Rhino/Behemoth: not super popular, but still in-demand with some folks. It's a nice design but extremely fragile.

These 'Mechs have decent plastic versions or third-party sculpts available. Nice but not super-rare:
Stingers, Crusaders, Phoenix Hawk, Locust, original Wolfhound, the Beemers.

Resculpted, and are currently available in "better" versions (little collector value):
All the Clan Omnis - Thor, Loki, Mad Cats, Vulture, Daishi, Nova

The following 'Mechs are still in production in the same sculpts:
Huron Warrior (you can order arms from Iron Winds Metals' parts service for a couple of bucks), Stalker, Mercury, Trebuchet, Hankyu, Dart, Battle Hawk, Komodo, Hunchback, Uller

The Banshee gets special mention - it was available freely until a couple of years ago, but the arm is more valuable as parts for your Whammy than the 'Shee.

>Here's another photo, I hope this helps.
That's definitely a Piranha from the feet and the shoulder arrangement.

>how rare are some of these?
That BD Wolverine is stupid rare IME. I've seen two total in person, and I never seem to see it on ebay.

>no third-party alternatives that work for BT
Wrong. There's an Australian guy who sculpts them and sells them on eBay. Full metal, unseen Marauders, for about $20 USD. I've got on laying around all painted up, I can dig it out if you want a pic.

That's a Piranha (the MG ports in the shoulders and the underslung lasers under the forearms are unique), but man that head looks weird from that angle. It was throwing me enough I ended up having to look through all my TROs from 2750-33058, just to be sure I wasn't missing something.

Here, painted model of same.

Alright, very cool. I appreciate the in-depth analysis.

I'm soaking a bunch of the other stuff that I got in simple green right now, if I find anything interesting, I'll share it. Once I get these stripped and fixed I'll be sure to post some pictures.

Well, I meant legal 3rd-party shit, but..

>I've got on laying around all painted up, I can dig it out if you want a pic.
Please do, I've never quite trusted his work but I know I'm not good enough to do my own yet. Like to see what kind of quality he's got going.

Here's the Marauder (thank NEA for the paint job).

I also have a shot of his Warhammer next to the Marauder (the Warhammer is slick looking, but not exactly unseen, just veeeeeery close; it's actually my favorite Marauder sculpt so far).

If you guys want any other pics, let me know and I'll provide.

Why do you keep mispronouncing Hanse Davion Luxury Condominiums?

Jesus, that gun arm is beautiful. Why the hell doesn't the Dragon have that in-game?

Is the main battletech page down for anyone else?