An Introduction to an Obsession of Mine

So, I have a nerdy hobby.  Well, I have several, but this is my nerdiest. Battletech.  Or, for people who may have played the computer games, MechWarrior.  This obsession/hobby (lately, it has been a hobby, but it has been an obsession in the past) has taken countless hours of my time over the last few years, and has peaked my interests since I was very young.  This will be my first post regarding BattleTech, but it certainly will not be my last.  This post focuses on the universe and board game, and I will be talking about miniatures, pc games, and more at future dates.

For those of you who do not know what BattleTech/MechWarrior is, here is a quick intro.  Big, stompy, robots.  It is a fictional universe where all wars are fought with 40ft tall walking tanks that can have up or more than a dozen different weapon systems.

The Mad Cat, once of the most recognizable Mechs

Okay, it is cooler than it sounds.  Just check out some of the awesome BattleTech art that is out there.  Or checkout MechWarrior Online, a free-to-play game based in the BattleTech universe.  There have been over a dozen PC games based on the universe and a huge number of novels, sourcebooks, and, of course, the original board game.

Now this is no ordinary board game.  It is probably one of the most complicated board games I have ever played, along with about 99% of the US population.  Basic rules are available online, but they do not cover nearly half of what the game has to offer.  But I will attempt to explain the game. 

BattleTech is played on a hex-based map system and is played with 2 or more players controlling 1 or more BattleMechs each.  Each mech can walk, run, jump, shoot, punch, kick, among other things, and the game play options are boundless.  Players play the game in multiple phases, and 4 or 5 phases make up a turn. Each player has a single record sheet for each mech they are using, and some assorted tables to help out with anything from movement to dice rolls.  Each turn begins with a movement phase where both players move their mechs.  Then comes the weapons firing phase, where each player designates which weapons are going to be fired at which enemies on the board.  Weapons use dice for probabilities to hit, and aspects such as movement, range, and individual weapons affect which numbers are needed on the dice.  When the weapons fire is all designated, damage is allocated.  Every mech is divided into several sections, 2 legs, 2 arms, 2 side torsos (with corresponding rear torsos), a center torso (also with a rear section) and the head.  Within each section is the critical equipment, the engine, weapons, explosive ammunition, to name a few.  A mech is destroyed if the head or cockpit is destroyed, the engine or center torso is destroyed, and pretty much if both legs are gone (but some players can decide to play on with a mech with no legs).  After armor is damaged and equipment damage is taken care of, players have the option of physical attacks.  These come in the form of punches, kicks, tackles, and swinging clubs.  Once that is done, the last step is heat, and this is where BattleTech is truly unique.  Each weapon generates a certain amount of heat.  So does walking or running.  Mechs have a certain ability to dissipate heat, but it is rarely enough to handle everything the mech can do.  So, when heat gets too high, your mech can’t move as fast, or shoot as accurately, and may even shutdown.  If you let the heat get way too high, it will cook off your ammunition and send the mech exploding into the air.  Once heat is taken care of, a turn is complete, and you repeat the process until your win or lose.

The Board Game being Played

It sounds tedious, but it can be a lot of fun.  I haven’t had many opportunities to play, but I have played at least half a dozen times with my cousin Jeff or my best friend Mike.

I have been interested in Battletech for a long time, ever since the early 90s when my dad put an old game called MegaTron on our computer.  The game used two mechs, one called a Mad Cat and the other a Vulture.  You would walk around in a maze and try and kill each other.  It was a dumb game, but the mechs were cool.  Then, we (as in my brothers and I) got a glimpse of an awesome game, Mechwarrior 2.  We had a full copy of the game, but it had an issue.  It was designed for a Matrox Mystique graphics card, which we did not have.  So, we could look at the mechs and read about the history and equipment of the BattleTech Universe, but we couldn’t play the game.  But my elder brother and I saw that same Mad Cat and Vulture, and they were still really cool.

Then we hit a hiatus.  With no access to MechWarrior 2, and no other exposure to battletech, my brother and I forgot about it.  We didn't really come back to it until probably the year 2000-2001.  We started looking at Mechwarrior 2 again and started wishing to be able to play a Mech game.  Then, one fateful day, my Dad came home with a brand new copy of MechWarrior 4: Vengeance.  It was amazing.  We already had a good joystick, and it was just a ton of fun, driving our 40ft tall, 100 Ton death machines.  My favorite mechs always were the Shadow Cat and the Daishi (or Dire Wolf, the cooler name),   while Andy always liked the Mad Cat Mk II and Brad liked the Cougar. 

MechWarrior 4 was a great game.  I must have played each version of it (Vengeance, Black Knight, and Mercenaries) about 6-8 times each (over a 12 year period, mind you).  Now, in the back of the Vengeance manual there was an advertisement for the metal miniatures, which got me thinking, I would love to own some of the mechs that I saw in those games.  But I never looked into it further. 

Then, in 2002ish, I saw an ad in the back of the MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries for the MechWarrior Dark Age miniatures game.  I decided I wanted it, got all my money I had, and I bought it.  It was quite fun, and I had 5 or 6 mechs, and a bunch of tanks and infantry.  My brothers and I would play every once and a while, and it was a good time.  Our interests died down, and I didn’t pay much attention to battletech again for a while.

I bought the premier set, it was awesome.

Then 2009 hit.  2009 was the 25^th anniversary of BattleTech, and Piranha Games just announced a new MechWarrior title, and it had a sweet trailer.  Around the same time, I started to frequent sarna.net, the BattleTech wiki page.  And, I purchased the first 3 novels for BattleTech, the Grey Death trilogy.  After that, I borrowed some more books from my cousin Jeff, and I have been on and off reading novels ever since. 

In December of ’11, I finished my descent into nerdiness, I bought one of those miniatures I talked about earlier.  Then, I had so much fun painting it, I bought 3 more.  

My First 4 Miniatures.  Beginning of the End.

And they are fun to paint.  So then, I bought the introductory box set, which came with another 26 miniatures, and I have slowly been buying other products and other miniatures.  My interests in it have slowed down lately, but as history would have it, I’ll probably pick it up again, drop it again.  I still keep an eye on the BattleTech forums to see what people are painting or what new products are coming out, and I play a bit of MechWarrior Online from time to time, though I don’t spend any money because it is a bit too pricey for me. I have also since went back and bought MechWarrior 2, and it was an awesome game.  A lot of fun.

It is a very fun hobby, and it has taught me a life lesson.  Nerdy things are fun.  I mean, why else are people interested? I have never been much into sports or politics or pop culture, but nerdy things, them I do.  And they are just toys for big kids, and I have a good time.