Beginner’s Box
This is the new hotness and something we really haven’t seen from Battletech before. It’s a 19.99 two player starter set that looks like its tailor made to bring new players into the fold. With two of the new line of high quality one piece plastics, this boxed set also features the return of cardboard punch out mechs, and if the record sheets are any indicator, you should be able to scale up to lance on lance levels of engagements with this box.
It’s got a 24 page quick start rules kit (I’m impressed personally that they distilled the rules of Battletech down to a 24 page quick start version), a new novella featuring the precursors of the Grey Death Legion, 2 dice, a new map (double sided and fitted with a hex grid for easy play), and a couple of new things that i am very curious about.
The 4 page guide to the Inner Sphere is a question for me, because i honestly don’t know what era this box set is being released for, and the battletech universe looks very different depending on when in it’s time you are playing. I wonder if this box set is tailored towards the 3rd Succession War era, or if it’s designed to tie into the Shattered Republic and feeds into the Republic era. EIther way, i’m up for seeing what this looks like.
The other thing i am curious about are the Pilot Cards. Now i honestly don’t know a thing about these, but here’s the speculation i can draw. First, they are modifiers and improvements to an existing mech that will either improve the basic pilot or gunnery of that mech, or they will give an additional Special Pilot Ability. This adds a layer of complexity and options to a starter set and i kind of want to know more.
Now this thing has a release window of 3rd Quarter 2018, so i would expect them to hit store shelves between July and September, and i am really hoping they are at Gencon this year, because if they are, I’ll be picking some up to give away to you guys.
A Game of Armored Combat
The box set that got me started in this game almost 30 years ago is back with a brand new cover, a completely redesigned interior and a host of new things. The boxed set retails for 59.99 and features some very cool new things. I should have mentioned in the Beginner’s set, but the high quality plastic minis that we’re seeing are coming from some of the most common and iconic mechs from the history of Battletech. Not all of these are making a return (sorry Phoenix Hawk), but we have some old friends making their return.
It feels to me like an upgraded version of the Beginner’s Set, and i think that’s probably a good thing. It scales up to more complex rules (with a 48 page rule book), more units, more pilot cards and two more maps. The interesting thing is that it also includes Alpha Strike Cards (presumably for the 8 plastic mechs that come in the box) which is a level of integration with that rules set i’ve hoped we’d see in the box.
So we’re getting 8 plastic mechs, a rulebook, 2 maps, more punchboard mechs (and Terrain, that’s new), a record sheet booklet, 2 heavy cardstock charts, 8 pilot cards, 8 Alpha Strike Cards, another novella, and dice. All in all, i think it’s a very reasonable starter set at the price, and like it’s little brother, should be out in 3rd Quarter 2018.
Shattered Fortress is one of the most anticipated and dreaded products in the history of the Battletech universe. It is the beginning of the end for the Republic Era, and the story that unfolds in its pages will reshape the future of Battletech forever. The lingering struggles of the Republic Era will end in warfare, and this book sets the stage for that titanic conflict. With reports of scenarios and maps that tie into this storyline, this year should feature a host of changes and points of participation for the fans to play out these battles on their tabletops. This one’s a tentative release of sometime this year, and i hope it’s in time for Gencon (Do you sense a theme here?)
I have more trepidation about this release then i did with Shattered Fortress. Alpha Strike has been in kind of a weird place. The original release was strong with a rulebook, a companion, and unit cards coming out of the gate quickly. Then we get a couple of Combat Manuals, and then nothing. Alpha Strike has had a couple of reprintings, and the Wook and i always joke about which book we’re going to use (his has rules in it that mine doesn’t because i bought mine at Gencon, the year it released, and he bought his later, after a reprint).
What i’m hoping is that this book clarifies a lot of things and fully integrates errata, changes, and gives us a clear starting point for the game going forward. I’m also hoping that it’s a signal that we’re going to be getting the other four Combat Manuals and the game grows even further. The inclusion of Alpha Strike cards in the new boxed set is an indicator that there is value in Alpha Strike, and i hope Catalyst supports it going forward.
We do know that this is the definitive version of the Alpha Strike rules to date and should include material from both the core book and the companion. With this, some mechs, and some dice, (and a tape measure) players should be able to tinker with the Alpha Strike game and have tons of fun with it. Release is scheduled for sometime this summer, and we’re still not solid on a price point, though i would think it’s probably going to be around $39.99 or $49.99.
So we’re getting 8 plastic mechs, a rulebook, 2 maps, more punchboard mechs (and Terrain, that’s new), a record sheet booklet, 2 heavy cardstock charts, 8 pilot cards, 8 Alpha Strike Cards, another novella, and dice. All in all, i think it’s a very reasonable starter set at the price, and like it’s little brother, should be out in 3rd Quarter 2018.
Shattered Fortress
Shattered Fortress is one of the most anticipated and dreaded products in the history of the Battletech universe. It is the beginning of the end for the Republic Era, and the story that unfolds in its pages will reshape the future of Battletech forever. The lingering struggles of the Republic Era will end in warfare, and this book sets the stage for that titanic conflict. With reports of scenarios and maps that tie into this storyline, this year should feature a host of changes and points of participation for the fans to play out these battles on their tabletops. This one’s a tentative release of sometime this year, and i hope it’s in time for Gencon (Do you sense a theme here?)
Alpha Strike Commander’s Edition
I have more trepidation about this release then i did with Shattered Fortress. Alpha Strike has been in kind of a weird place. The original release was strong with a rulebook, a companion, and unit cards coming out of the gate quickly. Then we get a couple of Combat Manuals, and then nothing. Alpha Strike has had a couple of reprintings, and the Wook and i always joke about which book we’re going to use (his has rules in it that mine doesn’t because i bought mine at Gencon, the year it released, and he bought his later, after a reprint).
What i’m hoping is that this book clarifies a lot of things and fully integrates errata, changes, and gives us a clear starting point for the game going forward. I’m also hoping that it’s a signal that we’re going to be getting the other four Combat Manuals and the game grows even further. The inclusion of Alpha Strike cards in the new boxed set is an indicator that there is value in Alpha Strike, and i hope Catalyst supports it going forward.
We do know that this is the definitive version of the Alpha Strike rules to date and should include material from both the core book and the companion. With this, some mechs, and some dice, (and a tape measure) players should be able to tinker with the Alpha Strike game and have tons of fun with it. Release is scheduled for sometime this summer, and we’re still not solid on a price point, though i would think it’s probably going to be around $39.99 or $49.99.
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